Resources, competitiveness, and socioeconomic development: The case of a South American emerging economy
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Local Economy
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd
School
School of Business and Law
RAS ID
31314
Abstract
This study contributes to the regional development and entrepreneurship literature, examining the significance of resources in the context of Uruguay’s main industries for the nation’s socioeconomic development through the lens of the resource-based theory of the firm. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 47 key informants representing public and private entities. Alignments between the findings and the resource-based theory of the firm emerged, in that strategies implemented to improve the competitiveness of main Uruguayan industries were based on valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and non-substitutable resources. However, decisive external factors triggering demand, investments, and modernisation are equally significant in generating competitive advantage. A refinement of the resource-based theory of the firm based on the study’s results is proposed; implications are discussed; and future research opportunities suggested. © The Author(s) 2019.
DOI
10.1177/0269094219829717
Access Rights
subscription content
Comments
Alonso, A. D. (2019). Resources, competitiveness, and socioeconomic development: The case of a South American emerging economy. Local Economy, 34(1), 68-87. Available here