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Sustained Competitive Advantage and Organizational Inertia: The Cost Perspective of Knowledge Management

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  • Der-Fang Hung

Abstract

Sustained competitive advantage and organizational adaptation have been the most commonly used perspectives in organizational performance studies. However, from the cost perspective of knowledge management, organizations seeking a sustained competitive advantage by constructing specific knowledge may result in structural inertia. Thus, a contradiction occurs between the perspectives of sustained competitive advantage and organizational adaptation. This article presents the argument of such a contradiction and proposes a feasible solution. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

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  • Der-Fang Hung, 2015. "Sustained Competitive Advantage and Organizational Inertia: The Cost Perspective of Knowledge Management," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 6(4), pages 769-789, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:jknowl:v:6:y:2015:i:4:p:769-789
    DOI: 10.1007/s13132-012-0144-1
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