Competitive Priorities and Competitive Advantage in Jordanian Manufacturing

The purpose of this research was to explore and predict the relationship between the competitive priorities (quality, cost, flexibility and delivery) and the competitive advantage of firms in the Jordanian Industrial Sector. A population of 88 Jordanian manufacturing firms, registered on the Amman Stock Exchange, was targeted using a cross-sectional survey employing a questionnaire method of data collection. The results of the data analysis indicate a significant relationship between competitive priorities and competitive advantage. The research suggests that recognising and nurturing this relationship provides the master key for a firm to survive in a turbulent environment. Therefore, operational and marketing strategies should place emphasis on competitive priorities such as quality, cost, flexibility and delivery to achieve, develop and maintain competitive advantage. This study is one of the first to examine the relationship between the competitive priorities of Jordanian manufacturing firms and their competitive advantage

Competitive Bidding in Medicare Advantage

Outlines a proposed plan to cut healthcare spending through a competitive bidding system for Medicare Advantage plans that pays insurers the average of their submitted bids. Considers multiple estimates, arguments for and against, and implications

Competitive versus Comparative Advantage

I explore the interactions between comparative, competitive and absolute advantage in a two-country model of oligopoly in general equilibrium. Comparative advantage always determines the direction of trade, but both competitive and absolute advantage affect resource allocation, trade patterns and trade volumes. Competitive advantage in the sense of more home firms drives foreign firms out of marginal sectors but also makes some marginal home sectors uncompetitive. Absolute advantage in the sense of a uniform fall in home costs tends to raise home output in all sectors but also leads both countries to specialise less in accordance with comparative advantage.Comparative and absolute advantage; comparative and competitive advantage; exchange-rate protection; GOLE (General Oligopolistic Equilibrium); market integration

Comparative Advantage, Competitive Advantage, and U.S. Agricultural Trade

International Relations/Trade,

Gaining and Losing Competitive Advantage

Efficient policies to stimulate the competitiveness of firms require knowledge of future firm-strategies and a proper as-sessment of the location advantages of a country or region. Therefore, industry comparative advantage analysis needs to be complemented by firm competitive advantage analysis. This yields four hypotheses of firm strategies on the basis of the existing advantage combination. Detailed empirical analysis of a representative sample of Austrian manufacturing firms during 1990-2000 shows that changes in employment, value-added and exports are in line with the suggested de-velopment. Three of the 3-digit industries lost their advantages while seven industries gained advantages, yet overall in-dustry distribution has been remarkable stable over the four advantage combinations. In terms of number of firms, howe-ver, a large share (30%) of the total population shifts between advantage combinations even during short periods of time. The firm strategies outlined suggest a differentiated policy approach, yet the short-term dynamics revealed empirically imply a high potential for policy failure.Comparative Advantage; Competitiveness; Austria; Manufacturing

Human Resources: Key to Competitive Advantage

[Excerpt] As difficult as it may be and as fuzzy as it may turn out, we all must invest in an attempt to peer into the future to discern what implications it has for our human resources. It is not a precise effort, and it certainly can be challenged from many quarters; however, it is not only noble, but may prove to be extremely worthwhile for a competitive firm. As with almost every organization activity, the competitive world makes a paradigm shift inevitable for the human resource function. Understanding the nature of that shift and how to implement meaningful change are the fundamental questions for us all

Knowledge Resources and Competitive Advantage

The paper discusses some definitions of knowledge as a potential source of competitive advantage. It reviews the literature pertaining to the assessment of knowledge assets. According to the resource-based view, which links the competitive advantage of organizations with resources and capabilities that are firm-specific, and difficult to imitate or substitute, a firm’s competitive advantage is built on a set of strategically relevant resources (Barney 1991; Grant 1991; Peteraf 1993). When firms have access to similar resources, it is those companies that are able to maximize the utilization of those resources that attain a competitive advantage. Among various strategic resources and capabilities that help determine the extent of competitive advantages, a pivotal role is often assigned to knowledge – as both a resource in itself and an integrating factor that makes other resources and capabilities effective – especially in complex and dynamic environments.knowledge, competitiveness, firm performance, knowledge-based theory