| Strategy has often been viewed as the striving to mesh external opportunities with internal capabilities. Strategy research has extensively analyzed the issue of advantageous positioning, given environmental variables. However, the issue of building and employing resources has been studied comparatively less.;This dissertation triangulates case-studies, theoretical models, and survey research, in order to understand the administrative mechanisms instituted to develop and utilize firm resources. I characterize these administrative processes as leveraging organizational resources.;A review of current resource-based literature suggests that, while existing research has focused on linking firm resources with strategy, there is a paucity of work linking the resource paradigm with intra-organizational processes.;Longitudinal case studies of four firms suggest that sustained competitive advantage emanates from nurturing and exploiting firm resources. However, firms take either competitive or collaborative approaches to conducting business, and each approach requires different sets of strategic resources and competencies.;A theoretical model of a resource-driven organization predicts that increased organizational learning and patience lead a firm to accumulate greater resource level.;A related theoretical model predicts that, if a manager cannot verify the employees' resources, then line workers underspecialize and experts overspecialize, compared to what their manager desires.;A survey of senior executives from U.S. semiconductor firms confirms that differences in executives' strategic challenge perceptions contribute to interfirm differences in organizational decisions, administrative processes, and performance. The resource development perspective, competitive strategy, and agency theory all contribute to an understanding of executives' perceptions of strategic challenges.;Overall, the abstract models' propositions, the survey results, and the case studies' findings demonstrate that a resource-based perspective on firms offers novel and useful insights on a firm's strategy and administration. |
