Strategy development approaches in gaining sustainable competitive advantage and its examples in international automobile industry (including an analysis of its impacts on Iranian automobile industry)

The question that most of management, organization and strategy scholars would like to find some answer for it is: “Why some firms outperform the others?” In various time periods, scholars have considered to different factors for answering that question. Some scholars in industry structure view (Porter, 1985), had highlighted the environmental and out of organization factors and industry type in which the firm is operated; other scholars (Wernerfelt, 1984; Barney, 1991) with criticize of Porterian view, had given an important role for firm’s internal unique factors and strategic resources and capabilities (Resource based view). Also some other scholars (Dyer and Singh, 1998) in following RBV for identifying strategic resources and capabilities, their own studies had shifted from within firm’s boundaries to relationship quality of the firm with external stakeholders such as suppliers, customers, and so on (Relational View). In other words, they had searched the sustainable competitive advantages sources in inter-organizational relationships. The some other scholars’s (Gulati, 2000) unit of analysis, had changed from dyad to firm’s relationship and interaction into a network of alliances (Social network view). In this article after explaining and comparing each view with each other in terms of sources of sustainable competitive advantage, we will try to find some evidences for shifting the sustainable competitive advantage sources in global automotive industry and then we will discuss their implications for Iranian automotive industry.