L'avantage concurrentiel durable dans une perspective inter-organisationnelle : Le cas des sous-traitants tunisiens en habillement

This study tries to understand the sustainable competitive advantage in interorganizational perspective. It is based on a conceptual framework integrating the different «resources-based perspectives». The approach is qualitative; it is based on multiple case studies carried upon nine Tunisian clothing subcontractors. On the one hand, results show that sustainable competitiveness is the result of holding a stock of resources and competencies. In such industry as clothing, where competition is fierce and the barriers to entry are low, the systemic sources are the guarantee of a sustainable competitive advantage. It should not consider each source individually, but rather, it is the combination of sources that creates a competitive advantage. However, in an inter-organizational perspective, the "marginal resources" and "market access competencies" are capitals sources. On the other hand, the stock of resources and competencies is the result of a process of intra-organizational learning by doing. Nevertheless, national culture presents a barrier to the transfer of sources of competitiveness from the prime contractor to the subcontractor.