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This paper seeks to investigate the level of competitive disadvantage experienced by Malaysian listed companies by disclosing segmental information as required by the new accounting standard on segments disclosure by Malaysian Accounting Standards Board.

A total of 116 Malaysian listed companies are included in the study. Their annual reports for financial year ended 2002 are the main sources. The dependent variable is competitive disadvantage, which is proxied by Total Performance Index. The independent variables are quality of segmental disclosure by employing weighted average correlation technique, size of companies, the use of stricter accounting standard and the choice of business segment or geographical segment as the primary segment. To examine the developed hypotheses of the study; a multivariate least square regression model is employed. The analysis is also supported by correlation technique.

The outcomes of the study indicate that competitive disadvantage exists by disclosing segments information but it is not significant. In addition, larger companies experience greater competitive disadvantage than smaller companies, more extensive segment disclosure standard leads to less competitive disadvantage and the state of competitive disadvantage is greater when geographical segment is disclosed as the primary segment.

Since the standard allows the reporting companies to disclose their segment information based on internal structure of the organization, the potential existence of materiality judgement may distort the comprehensiveness of the outcome. In addition, the limited number of companies included in the final sample leads to a more cautious approach in generalizing the findings.

Since the new accounting standard governing segment disclosure in Malaysian environment took effect in 2002, the study is considered timely. It allows the relevant accounting bodies to continue monitoring the level of compliance among the listed companies towards the new standard and, more importantly, it permits further improvement of the standard given the level of competitive disadvantage that may be experienced by reporting companies.

The remarkable contribution of the study lies in its timely effort to investigate the potential competitive disadvantage suffered by reporting companies in the first year of the implementation of the new accounting standard governing segment disclosure.

This research aims at examining the role of the managing director in the development of dynamic capabilities at SMEs.

The paper used a mixed‐methods approach and conducted case studies at 13 SMEs. The primary sources of data were semi‐structured interviews, which were supplemented by quantitative data from a postal survey and content analysis of the companies' websites.

The paper suggests that managing directors “enact” in the development of dynamic capabilities, if they believe that dynamic capabilities are a source of competitive advantage. If they do not appreciate the importance of dynamic capabilities they can get trapped in a vicious circle.

This research focuses especially on small firms, and it is unlikely that the findings can be applied to large firms.

The key managerial implication is the threat of a vicious circle if the development of dynamic capabilities is neglected.

This paper draws the dynamic capabilities framework and the enactment concept together, suggesting that managerial decisions and behavior affect dynamic capabilities at an organizational level, which then drives firm performance.

The purpose of this paper is to blend a resource-based view of the firm with the 5R Model of Organizational Identity Processes to offer a new Strategic Identity Management Framework to help organizations uncover, analyze and optimize their identity as a resource for creating sustainable competitive advantage.

This conceptual paper relied upon an examination of literature about sustainable competitive advantage, the resource-based view of the firm and the 5R Model of Organizational Identity Processes.

Synergies were found between the VRIO model and the 5R Model of Organizational Identity Processes. A new Strategic Identity Management Framework was created and a case study was used to illustrate its application.

Research is needed to validate, confirm and extend the use and application of the new framework within organizations.

The framework is anticipated to be particularly useful for middle managers because they are tasked with translating high-level strategies into action and leading lower level employees toward enacting the new or adapted identity claims.

Although ample organizational identity research exists, a framework for assessing identity claims for the purpose of achieving competitive advantage was lacking.

This paper aims to examine whether order and scale of market entry influence a new product's market and financial performance, and how marketing and R&D resources strengthen or weaken these effects.

Through a mail survey, data were collected on a sample of 136 product launches by Spanish manufacturing firms. A moderated hierarchical regression analysis enabled the assessment of the relevance of order and scale as well as their interactions with marketing and R&D resources to explain a product's competitive position. Moreover, a mediation analysis allowed us to determine whether market entry strategy (indirectly) affects financial performance.

The analyses show that pioneering firms and those entering the market with a full‐scale launch achieve advantages in terms of competitive position, and that this variable mediates the relationship of order and scale with profitability. The empirical results also reveal that such advantages are conditioned by the availability of marketing and R&D resources.

The decisions regarding order and scale of market entry are contingent. Managers involved in the planning of a new product launch should be knowledgeable about their firm's resources and capabilities before determining when and how to enter the market.

Many papers study the effects of order‐of‐entry on market share, but other dimensions of a new product launch strategy, such as scale, have largely been ignored. The research examines the effects of both variables on competitive position and profitability. This is also one of the first studies that explores the moderating effect exerted by resources and capabilities in the launch strategy‐performance relationship.

Numerous studies have set out to examine the relationship between strategic resources and firm performance. The traditional VRIO attributes have been the point of departure in most resource‐based studies. This paper sets out to argue that the relationship between resources and performance is more complex. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the complex relationship between a strategic resource and firm performance by providing an overview of different factors that can influence this relationship.

Relevant literature is reviewed and discussed.

It was found that five criteria must be fulfilled for resources to generate superior performance. These are identified and discussed. These criteria fit with existing resources, management capability, marketing capability, firm appropriation of rent, and non‐competitive disadvantages.

By using the criteria identified, resource‐based theory can become less tautological. Also, the criteria highlight the importance of resource utilization and appropriation of resource‐based rents.

The paper could contribute to an increased awareness among practitioners of the importance of focusing on factors which are additional to the VRIO‐attributes when analyzing potential strategic resources. The criteria provide an easy‐to‐access framework for strategic analysis.

Whereas some specific aspects of the relationship between the possession of resources and firm performance have been reviewed in some RBT contributions, few studies have addressed the issue using a more holistic approach. Thus, this paper affords a broader approach on the relationship between strategic resources and firm performance.

Evidence suggests that the recent interest in competitive strategy and competitive positioning, while good in itself, has resulted in the management of many firms placing too much emphasis on competitive performance and too little emphasis on customer expectations. This research in the chemical industry provides support for the conclusion that management needs to refocus on the customer if US companies are going to succeed in the increasingly competitive marketplace. A methodology is presented that can be used by management to collect and analyse customer‐based competitive data for use in establishing priorities for customer service expenditures.

The aim of the study on the competitive situation of tourism in the Caribbean area was to analyse the competitive position of tourism in a number of Caribbean destinations. These countries are Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago.

This paper aims to understand how the different stakeholders assess the adequacy of smart specialization policies defined for their regions.

This paper has followed a quantitative methodology through the application of questionnaire surveys to stakeholders of the various territorial regions in Portugal.

As a result, from the “resource-based view” approach applied to the various regions, the attained results highlight that the suitability of smart specialization policies defined for the Portuguese regions is not unanimous among its stakeholders.

The research can be used as a tool to assist regional policymakers in strategic reflection when defining and adjusting smart specialization strategies in their territories.

The marketing manager has little or no guidance in formulating competitive strategies. This article presents a marketing strategy planning tool based on customers' perceptions of the positions of competing brands across various product attributes. The method, called “Simultaneous Importance‐Performance Analysis,” advocates focusing attention on relevant competitors' positions and attacking or defending market territory selectively. An example of its application is provided to illustrate its usefulness. The tool provides a framework for prioritizing alternative marketing strategies and is helpful in deciding on the allocation of limited marketing resources to design an efficient short‐range marketing plan. We will first discuss the nature of competitive advantage strategy and look at the marketing manager's dilemma on how to select tactics to develop a competitive advantage. We will then describe and illustrate “simultaneous importance — performance analysis,” based on importance‐performance analysis. Finally, we will suggest how this technique might be integrated into a company's strategic planning system.