Create and Sustain Competitive Advantage in Online/IT industry

Sofie Jukelsonová

Diplomová práce

Anotace:

The purpose of this work is to define a theorical framework to explain sustainability of competitive advantage in what we will name network industries: social networks, internet based services, mobile devices and online softwares. This framework will consist in integration of the well known Porter approach combined with a more recent Resource Based View of the firm. Using four real cases, with a focus on Google, we will demonstrate that sustaining competitive advantage in those industries requires a combination of external opportunities and a strong defensible resource position. One without the other cannot lead to long term success. In order to make our conclusions actionable, we will lay down a checklist of strategic diagnosis that any decision maker in that industry should have in mind at all time, in order to defend his / her market share.

Abstract:

The purpose of this work is to define a theorical framework to explain sustainability of competitive advantage in what we will name network industries: social networks, internet based services, mobile devices and online softwares. This framework will consist in integration of the well known Porter approach combined with a more recent Resource Based View of the firm. Using four real cases, with a focus on Google, we will demonstrate that sustaining competitive advantage in those industries requires a combination of external opportunities and a strong defensible resource position. One without the other cannot lead to long term success. In order to make our conclusions actionable, we will lay down a checklist of strategic diagnosis that any decision maker in that industry should have in mind at all time, in order to defend his / her market share.

Klíčová slova

it / online idustry, porter's 5 forces, competitive advantage, resource based view

Keywords

resource based view, it / online industry, competitive advantage, porter's 5 forces

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 31. 1. 2012

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 13. 9. 2012
• Vedoucí: Martina L. Jaklová
• Oponent: Pauline Butor

Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze

Magisterský studijní program / obor:
Ekonomika a management / International Management