Showing 20 results for Competitive Advantage
Volume 1, Issue 4 (12-2012)
Abstract
Volume 3, Issue 1 (6-2013)
Abstract
This research is conducted on the basis of the relational view of competitive advantage. In this view, competitive advantages are created by not only corporate-level resources but by inimitable capacities and mixed into dynamic relations. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze and quantify the impact of external social capital dimensions on organizational competitive advantage. For this purpose, after an extensive study of literature, the initial conceptual model was designed. The questionnaires were distributed among senior executives and board members of Color and Resin Company and 64 questionnaires were returned and the data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, inferential analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. Results show that the size of a firm impacts innovation and external social capital significantly affects the organizational competitive advantage. Also, structural dimension of external social capital is the most effective among the dimensions of competitive advantage, and strategic flexibility dimension is the most impressible dimension of external social capita. Additionally, the cognitive dimension of external social capital has the minimal impact on competitive advantage. It seems that the warm personal relationships, business relationships and working closely with many diverse groups and work teams in complex industrial organization are the most important tools for achieving the desired organizational results.
Volume 3, Issue 3 (12-2013)
Abstract
Developments, changes and increased competition in the field of industry in recent years, has forced organizations to focus on gaining competitive advantage. In general, many experts believe that organizational performance improvement will increase profitability, and therefore the organization's competitive position relative to other competitors will be dramatically enhanced. It can be accomplished through environmental conditions, resources and practices required. As results, organization can enhance its ability to value creation and achieve profitability. In this study, regarding to resources in achieving high level performance, the key sources of influence on organization performance is derived by reviewing the results of previous researches and according to experts’ points of view. Using the experimental design method, appropriate framework of factors presented. The results show that contribution percentage of following factors: total number of employees, inventory levels, the value of capital assets, the ratio of manufacturing employment to total employment and the cost of advertising on firm performance.
Volume 4, Issue 3 (12-2014)
Abstract
Nowadays, customer is known as the organizations’ most important source of information. The competitive advantage was lately obtained by innovation of product and creating a brand, but in twenty first century, companies are facing more interactions creating a competitive advantage which is obtained by gathering customer knowledge. This study intends to determine a structural model by the application of interpretive structural modeling (ISM). According to the interpretive structural modeling findings, twenty five important and effective factors on the process of implementing the customer knowledge management in the bank have been identified. The structural model analysis showed that following variables of the superior management commitment, the middle managers, organizational culture, financial resources and information technology are the main factors, and act like the foundation of the model. Any type of change on other factors which have high levels of guidance and dependency, could affect the system and system outcome could also change these variants again. The final result of factor in model expresses that executing and implementing the customer knowledge management process is effective at achieving factors such as customers' satisfaction, increase of service quality and keeping customers as a valuable asset and finally obtaining a competitive advantage.
Volume 6, Issue 2 (9-2016)
Abstract
According to great number of experts, having a distinct positioning regarding other competitors in one or more cases, are Critical factors of industrial success. These CSFs can create a golden and exceptional opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, main goal of this study is to identify and prioritize CSFs in lubricants industry of Iran. Research method is practical use and as data collecting method is descriptive – survey. Interviews and questionnaires used to collect data in research population which is Iran lubricants industry experts. In this study, Thompson and Strickland models has been used to identify these factors. This model define critical success factors in seven different dimension and sets indicators for each one. Based on those factors and network analysis process a questionnaire has been prepared and has been placed at the disposal of industry experts. Obtained data were analyzed by using "super decision" software and five factors of " experience in product innovation", "technical knowledge", "production quality", "access to raw materials and additives", "access to skilled labor" were identified as critical success factors in this industry. Therefore successful companies in this field can gain the competitive advantages investing on these factors.
Volume 6, Issue 3 (11-2016)
Abstract
Organizations have no choice but gaining and maintaining sustainable competitive advantage to remain safe from competitive environment’s surges and be consistent with the requirements of the environment. Transcendental leadership is a new paradigm in management and leadership that is one of the best ways to deal with turbulent environments. This paper aims to recognize the effect of transcendent leadership on organizational performance with the mediating role of competitive advantage in food industry SMEs in Tehran. Data gathered based on 195 questionnaires and analyzed using Structural equation technique. Results show that transcendent leadership has a positive effect on both competitive advantage and organizational performance and competitive advantage has a positive effect on organizational performance.
Volume 7, Issue 4 (2-2018)
Abstract
Sustainable competitive advantage is crucial for organizations to survive in modern competitive environment. Since competitive advantage based on creativity is one of the most crucial factors for the survival of current organizations, factors influencing organizational creativity processes should be considered at organizational decision-making level. As many people and factors are involved in organizational creativity, decision-making becomes complex and unstructured real world issues with chaotic systems behavior, and consequently, hard operation research methods are not able to represent and solve it properly. Soft system methodology is one operation research’s methods applied to represent, structure and solve complex problems. Therefore, in this study, which is part of a PhD thesis, in addition to explaining the soft system methodology’s steps, we describe how the first four stages of the Checkland soft system methodology were applied to represent and structure the sustainable organizational creativity problem in detail. The conceptual model was created based on information gathered from experts and specialists in organized meetings and in-depth interviews who were exposed to data previously collected in reviewing individual, group and organizational creativity existing research results. At the end of these meetings and interviews we designed and developed a rich picture, root definitions, CATWOE analysis and the conceptual model for organizational creativity.
Volume 8, Issue 4 (3-2019)
Abstract
Nowadays, with the intensification of competition in various business areas, especially service industries, organizations achieve their goals such as creating a positive attitude in the target community, creating customer satisfaction with the services provided, and ultimately gaining more profit, seeking to create and use Optimized for their competitive advantage over competitors. This is especially true in the private sector, given the important position of the customers, and it can be argued that the more their competitive advantage is more stable, they can be more successful in this regard. Considering the importance of this issue and the necessity of examining the effect of sustainable competitive advantage on brand image of the organization, the present study has been conducted with a descriptive / survey approach and with a developmental and applied purpose. More than 489 questionnaires were distributed among customers and users of private hospitals in Mazandaran province. In the validity of the questionnaire, the content / content validity and convergent and divergent validity were used. To determine its reliability, Cronbach's alpha method (84%) and combined reliability method (81%) were used. The results of the research showed that the sustainable competitive advantage of an organization can be influenced by brand marketing strategies through appropriate marketing strategies, which depends on the social interactions of customers as a moderating variable.
Volume 8, Issue 28 (4-2011)
Abstract
With ever increasing competition, enterprises as well as researchers are focusing on consumer and its priorities and thus everyday, new aspects of determinants of consumer choice become clear. One of such determinants is brand perception. Perception of consumer about technology of production -which is derived from brand and packaging-, can play a great role in the consumer choice when differentiation is little. Such role is investigated in this research work. We have studied a group of food products with very low level of differentiation and correlation between demand and technology perception is elaborated. Field study has been performed in Shahrvand department stores. Results show that in simpler, more commodity type products, technology perception has a greater role in finalizing customer choice. So making a more positive perception of technology can be considered as a rather inexpensive way for gaining competitive advantage. Additionally, based on interviews, it can be claimed that technology perception consists of sub-elements such as environment friendliness perception, healthiness perception, quality perception, etc.
Volume 9, Issue 2 (7-2005)
Abstract
Understanding sources of sustained competitive advantage for organization has become a major area of research in the field of strategic management. By reviewing its literature, sources of competitive advantage fall into three categories including environmental resources and capacity models, resource-based view, and network view.
The environmental model emphasises on environmental factors such as attractiveness and structure of industries and five forces in gaining competitive advantage. But resource-based view emphasises on organizational resources, competencies and capabilities in gaining competitive advantage. In contrast network view emphasises on interorganizational relations and dynamic networks for gaining competitive advantage.
Having verified that the need to integrate new and old theories seems to be greater than their apparent irreconcilability, thus this research tries to provide a jeneric framework by integrating three different views and present a contributional framework congruence for global competition. By using data gathering for auto industry and appling path analysis, research assumptions and conceptual model was tested.
Volume 10, Issue 2 (7-2010)
Abstract
The World in the 21th century is filled with competition, development of new arising markets, uncertain environmental factors, wide use of high technology and the expansion of trade. Successful achievement in this World requires to use opportunities efficiently and remove challenging obstacles. This requires to know the internal and external environments and stay in this competitive World by designing an effective strategy.
This paper aims to design and formulate organizational and functional strategies of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Customs (IRIC). To this end, strategic factors are first identified in the internal and external environments and then a questionnaire is designed to collect information. Using a sample of custom’s senior and middle managers and experts, the questionnaire is screened by Delphi method.
Based on the internal and external Factors, a matrix is calculated. Moreover, based on the strategic factors, guidelines, suggestions and requirements of the World Customs Organizational (WCO), the fourth Iranian development plan and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the mission, Vision and objectives of the IRIC are formulated. Then the internal and external matrixex, the strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and threats (SWOT) matrix are analyzed by using the strategic factors and the results of the internal and external evaluation matrixes. In addition, the quantitative strategic planning is proposed and the IRIC’S strategies are prioritized. Finally, the IRIC’s organizational strategy are designed.
Volume 11, Issue 3 (10-2007)
Abstract
In a knowledge-based economiy, products and companies live and die on information and the most successful companies are the ones who use their intangible assets better and faster. Researches have indicated that inverse decreasing returns of traditional resources such as land, money, machinery etc. Knowledge is realy a resource to increase business performance. From a strategic perspective, intellectual capital (IC) is used to create and enhance the organizational value, and success requires IC and the ability to manage this scarce resource controlled by a company. In addition, one of the most important organizational capabilities is social capital that can contribute to create and share knowledge in organizations and to make sustainable organizational advantage for them in comparison with their competitors.
Thus, the objective of the present descriptive and analytical research was to discuss the role of intellectual capital and social capital in competitive advantage in two automobile maker companies in Iran. Statistical community of the research consisted of supervisors, general managers and top managers. The obtained results indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between the social capital and intellectual capital in the two studied companies. Also, their intellectual capital had direct impact on their competitive advantage. However, their social capital had indirect impact on their competitive advantage.
Volume 15, Issue 4 (2-2012)
Abstract
Yahia Eslami *, Saied Farhad Hosseini2, Mohi Al-din Gharibi3
1- Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2- Ph.D. candidate in Strategic Management, Tarbiat Modares University(Tmu), Tehran, Iran
3- Master of Business Management, Tarbiat Modares University (Tmu), Tehran, Iran
Receive: / /2010 Accept: / /2011
Handmade carpet industry plays a vital role in the economy of Iran. It is not only a major earner of foreign exchange for the economy as a whole but also it contributes to generate large-scale employment opportunities. The importance of handmade carpet industry in country economy and the existence of powerful international competitors have nearly forced managers to identify high priority to achieving and maintaining national competitive advantage in this industry. Scholars such as Michael Porter have put more emphasis on the crucial role of information technology/systems in obtaining national competitive advantage. However, these systems development and maintenance costs are significant for organizations.
The findings of the IS literature review revealed that the feasibility studies can be helpful in IS projects especially for large projects. This study has two research objectives. First, it studies the (technical, operational and economic) feasibility of development of management information systems in the handmade carpet industry/art of Iran, and then identifies the IS development scenarios in this section. the required data were collected using a survey among 153 organizations and firms responsible for handmade carpet in Tehran and East Azerbaijan provinces. The results showed that, despite the low digital literacy of most individuals in this industry and also lack of hardware and software infrastructures in public and private organizations, it is possible to develop carpet' management information systems in terms of technical, organizational and economic aspects.
Volume 16, Issue 1 (2-2009)
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to compile strategies for a Chinese international telecommunication vendor which entered into Iran telecom market in the year 2000.
Since ZTE is involved with business in more than 135 countries and it is out of our power to collect huge data from all over the world, we have limited our strategies to Iranian market and we will compile strategies for Iran business unit only.
To proceed with compiling strategies for ZTE Company, we will firstly give a brief introduction about ZTE. Then we will give a short explanation about the method of compiling strategies for any kind of firm. At the end, based on the method introduced, we will select the most adequate strategies in order to maintain ZTE’s competitive advantage in Iran telecom market.
Volume 17, Issue 1 (3-2010)
Abstract
This paper explores the empirical evidence of the nature of intra-metropolitan supply linkages and industrial clustering and searches for the driving forces that enhances the learning processes and innovation capacities hence; contributing to competitive advantage within the Tehran metropolitan. The research points to accelerating growth in the automotive sector since the late 1980s and early 1990s which has been the driving force of the Tehran’s economy. This growth appears to be related to industrial clustering and systemic linkages with actors such as suppliers, sub-contractors and so on. The analysis of empirical evidences from the sample industrial cluster indicates a considerable number of interesting findings from strong degrees of industrial clustering. However, there are some weak evidences of industrial clustering such as weak institutional environment in the cluster.
Volume 19, Issue 4 (3-2016)
Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluating the impact of success key factors of supply chain agility on the strategic performance of the Electronics companies in Iran. In the conceptual model of the research, the strategic performance of the organization involves competitive advantage and organizational performance. In this model, supply chain agility was evaluated by seven factors: computer-based technology, flexibility, relations with suppliers, using new technology, collaborative relationships, and sensitivity to market / customer and meet demand. Also the competitive advantage include five indicators of price/cost, quality, timely delivery of product or service, innovation and time to market; financial performance is the criterion of organizational performance. According to this model, the factors assessment questionnaire adjusted and distributed among 400 managers from companies Sanam, Pars-electronic and Pars-Khazar and finally 179 completed questionnaires were collected. Then using SPSS, LISREL and techniques of factor analysis and structural equation modeling, this model was confirmed with several times of modification. According to The results of the research, agility key factors have positive and direct impact on organizational performance as well as the competitive advantage.
Volume 20, Issue 1 (3-2016)
Abstract
This study has been done to analyze the impact of external social capital on competitive advantages in two categories: the organization and manager’s relations. The dynamic capabilities as mediator, and also some environmental adjustment were used. The research method is combinational, with explorative approach and develop typology model and the research process is formed in three parts: quantitative- qualitative- quantitative. In the first quantitative step, the basic model was designed by literature review. In the qualitative step, the final conceptual model was outlined with deep interviews and further literature review. The reliability and validity of questionnaire was evaluated with different approaches. The questionnaires were distributed in 13th international building fair in Tehran with random sampling, and 352 returned and complete questionnaires were used for quantitative analysis. The findings show the managerial oriented external social capital did not have a significant (meaningful) impact on mediators, except organizational learning. In contrast, the organizational oriented external social capital had a high significant impact on mediators. The competitive intelligence has an important role between dynamic capabilities dimensions. Also the technological turbulence has the most significant impact between moderators. Based on the findings, pay attention to create strong and influential :union:s, focus on organizational goals in relations and continuous absorption of elite and skilled workers are the most important suggestions for the organizations in this industry.
Volume 22, Issue 2 (9-2018)
Abstract
Importance of manufacturing capabilities for achieving competitive advantage was raised by Skinner. He stated that manufacturing function typically is either a competitive weapon or a corporate millstone. This paradigm set forth by Skinner and refined by scholars who followed him, express that in order to plan successful strategies, managers should pay attention to effects of manufacturing capabilities (Quality, Delivery, Flexibility and cost). Because of trade-off among level of each capability, they should set to the point which has most profitability for the firm. Empirical works of Ferdows, Demeyer and Nakane proceeding The Cumulative Model, this theory suggest that trade-off among capabilities isn’t always feasible, but firms follow a pre-specified order for building manufacturing capabilities as first quality, then dependable delivery, third cost reduction and finally flexibility, where effect of improving each capability on other capabilities could transit to supportive effect. In researches on manufacturing capabilities based on cumulative capabilities theory, effect of innovation is missed, and by studying literature review, we found that innovation can play a key role in creating sustainable competitive advantages. On the other hand, globalization and shorter products and technology life cycle, results in paying a lot more attention to innovation. In our study, we added innovation to the previous model which exists in the field of cumulative capabilities. The aim of this research is to find out the relationship between manufacturing capabilities using structural equation modeling on Saipa Corporation.
A. Tohidi, M. Ghorbani, A. R. Karbasi, A. Asgharpourmasouleh, B. Hassani-Mahmooei,
Volume 22, Issue 3 (4-2020)
Abstract
Today, with the growing competition in domestic and international markets, the ability of agribusiness companies to survive and to grow depends on choosing and implementing a sustainable business strategy. However, this task actually is not as easy as it seems, because it is important to consider various criteria and interrelations between them for choosing the best business strategy. Additionally, matching business strategy with organizational resources is essential for gaining a competitive advantage. Using the ANP model, the purpose of the current study was to select the most suitable business strategy for one of the largest saffron companies in Iran. The results revealed that differentiation strategy had the highest priority with 39% of the influence. Another finding was that managerial capabilities among organizational resources were relatively more important in choosing a business strategy. According to the findings of the study, it is suggested that agribusiness firm managers pay special attention to three important elements, namely, improving the financial condition, knowing the needs of customers, and creation of new innovative products or services, to implement a differentiation strategy.
Volume 25, Issue 2 (7-2021)
Abstract
Prioritization of Tourism Development Strategies in Border Areas (Case Study: Paveh Province)
Border regions are among the geographical spaces that, despite their high capacities, are sometimes ignored in proportion to their specific conditions. In recent years, tourism in border areas is one of these capacities that had received some attention, and further, it has formed the competitive advantage of tourism in these areas. Economically, tourism is undoubtedly one of the most important forms of power in the world, which is very important for developing countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the priorities of tourism development in the province of Paveh. The method is descriptive-analytical and the purpose is practical. The statistical population of the study included 18 tourism specialists from five cities of Paveh, Sardasht, Ilam, Shousha and Marivan. The present study is conducted in two dimensions. In the first stage, the required data and information were studied through the study of documents and libraries, including documents related to tourism. Then, goals, important strategies to achieve the goals and tourism capabilities of Paveh province were entered into Meta-SWOT software. The present study examines the level of tourism competitiveness of Paveh with four other competitors in two dimensions, which are: 1- Increasing the number of tourist arrivals 2- Revenue from tourism and based on these dimensions, the level of competitiveness of tourism in the border province Paveh is specified. Findings showed that based on the level of existing capabilities and comparing it with other competitors, Paveh province can be in the first place in both increasing the number of tourists and tourism revenue. The obtained results show that the most important advantages of tourism in the province are having a variety of climate, texture and special and unique architecture and educated manpower. On the other hand, the weakness of the country's diplomacy, conflicts between countries in the region, general management of the country, lack of proper infrastructure have been the biggest obstacles to tourism development in the province of Paveh, according to experts
