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Why Does Firm Performance Suffer?

Decent Essays

Internal Analysis 1 Why does firm performance differ?
Updated: 30 Aug. 2006 ©Scott Gallagher 2004

Internal Analysis
Earlier we explained differences in firm performance as being a function of their external environment. However, this is only part of the story. Obviously, each firm has some unique aspects. Internal analysis is an attempt to explain how and why these internal differences explain differences in firm performance.

Resources and Capabilities.
Economics generally models firms as generic black boxes that transform inputs into outputs in an efficient manner. Edith Penrose (1950) is generally credited with being the first person to model firms as unique bundles of resources. Some individuals like to make distinctions between …show more content…

For example, Coke's brand name is valuable but most of Coke's competitors (Pepsi, 7 Up, RC) also have widely recognized brand names as well, making it not that rare. Of course, Coke's brand may be the most recognized, but that makes it more valuable not more rare in this case.

Inimitable.
A resource is inimitable and nonsubstitutable if it is difficult for another firm to acquire it or a substitute something else in its place. This is probably the toughest criteria to examine because given enough time and money almost ANY resource can be imitated. Even patents only last 17 years and can be invented around in even less time. Therefore, one way to think about this is to compare how long you think it will take for competitors to imitate or substitute something else for that resource and compare it to the useful life of the product.
Another way to help determine if a resource is inimitable is why/how it came about. Inimitable resources are often a result of historical, ambiguous, or socially complex causes. For example, the U.S. Army paid for Coke to build bottling plants around the world during World War II.
This is an example of history creating an inimitable asset.
Generally, intangible (also called tacit) resources or capabilities, like corporate culture or reputation, are very hard to imitate and therefore inimitable.
Organized. A resource is organized if the firm is able to actually use it. Generally, organization is frequently neglected by strategy because it often

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