HR As A Source Of Competitive Advantage Essay

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Human resources can be a powerful source of competitive advantage for any business so long as the firm is prepared to reckon it and put its acts together to effectively exploit them. However, before discussing the managerial implications of this statement from HR perspective, it requires a proper understanding of the implied meaning of ‘sustained’ competitive advantage, and the sources of sustained competitive advantage for firms within the context of strategic management. It requires a grasp of relevant assumptions relating to strategic human resources as well. The next two paragraphs focus on these, and thereafter the discussions on the managerial implications from HR perspective on the statement are presented. The concept of HR constituting a strong source of ‘sustained’ competitive advantage needs to be understood as a competitive edge that the firm enjoys for a prolonged period of time or until such time that another competitor is able to duplicate that advantage. Firms acquire ‘sustained’ competitive advantage by devising and implementing strategies based on the traditional analysis of “strengths-weaknesses and opportunities-threats”. Sources of sustained competitive advantage for firms focus on applying …show more content…

For organizations in the private sector, such organizational strategies are likely to be understood in terms of how best to handle their competitors. The strategies of public sector organizations are more likely to be expressed in terms of maximizing revenues and reduction of costs at a time of reducing government spending. However, for any organization, the strategy implemented will not just be a result of taking into account the opportunities and threats offered by the external environment and the marketplace ; it will also be an outcome of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s own resources, including human

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