Evaluating and developing resource-based operations strategy for competitive advantage: an exploratory study of Finnish high-tech manufacturing industries

Firms are struggling to achieve and maintain the competitive advantage in today’s turbulent business environment. How can we evaluate and (re)develop strategic initiatives that put into place operational capabilities to provide new sources of firm-level competitive advantage? This paper tries to explore the practical intersection of operations management and strategy from resource-based view by evaluating and developing the sustainability level of operational competitive advantage, that how well the resource-based strategy can support its operations. It develops a theoretical approach to integrate the core factors, which determine operational competitiveness performance – manufacturing strategy and its supporting resource allocation, into conceptual analytical models. The models utilise sense and respond (S&R) methodology for dynamic decision-making to detect and adjust resource allocation and in turn optimise the resource-based strategy in order to develop the operational competitive advantage in a sustainable manner. Eighteen case companies in Finnish high-tech manufacturing industries are selected for in-depth study and analysis with proposed models to conclude how the optimal adjustments of resource-based strategy by supporting its operations can lead to sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). Constantly optimising resource allocation aligning with resource-based operations strategy supported by the S&R idea of agile strategy implementations is proposed as the unique SCA.