Write and submit a 2000 word, scholarly essay, using an academic essay format, on the following topic:
"Outline and discuss the concepts of strategic capabilities, core competencies and strategic competitive advantage and how they relate. In your discussion, consider how CEOs utilise these concepts in the strategic management process to build and sustain a firm's competitive position."
The structure of your assignment is to be as follows:
1. A brief abstract (or overview) of your key arguments and conclusions (50 words)
2. Introduction to the topic of your essay and what the essay will cover.
3. Body of essay
- Outline the concepts of strategic capabilities, core competencies and strategic competitive advantage, including definitions of each concept, how they differ and how they relate.
- Discuss where these concepts fit within the strategic management process.
- Outline and discuss a model (or models) that may help to assess and evaluate the linkages and relationships between these concepts in an organisation.
- Discuss how CEOs should utilise and develop these concepts to strategically build and sustain competitive advantage. Identify and evaluate a real world example or case study of a CEO, who has successfully developed and utilised these concepts to achieve competitive advantage.
- Choose a case and evaluate how a CEO has successfully developed and utilised these concepts to achieve competitive advantage.
4. Conclusions and implications
5. References (at least 6 scholarly references).
Process
1. Undertake wide-ranging reading to ensure that you have a proper grasp of what "strategic capabilities", "core competencies" and "strategic competitive advantage" mean, their definitions, differences and relationships between these concepts.
2. Ensure that your reading enables you to address the issue of where these concepts fit within the strategic management process.
3. Evaluate the literature and the research to identify a model (or models) that may help to assess and evaluate the linkages and relationships between these concepts.
4. Make sure that your reading equips you to be aware of how Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) might utilise these concepts to strategically build and sustain competitive advantage.
2000 words
10 Harvard references