Thursday, September 26, 2019

Chapter 5: Evaluating Firm Strengths and Weaknesses: The Resource-Based View


As indicated by Barney (2011), distinctive competencies are the actions taken or performed by a company that inevitably sets them apart them from the competitors in the market.

Previously mentioned in a prior post, Medtronic has a uniquely placed competency: patents, and lots of them.

Medtronic possesses an immense value in these patents, and what’s more astonishing is how dynamic this portfolio of patents remains to this day. The ability to acquire patents boils down the Medtronic’s precision approach to forecasting and understanding even the most subtle of trends. The large market capitalization translates to a large treasure chest of money stashed away. These funds allow Medtronic to expand product lines or even develop new ones by garnering key patents without reluctance. Medtronic has effectively removed a barrier to entry in the market by throwing mountains of money into research and development, and supply chain analysis.


Medtronic is fully aware that it will require both external and internal resources to create an environment ripe for patent or competition (new entrants/startup) acquisition. The organization is a leading competitor, so why allow stasis when you can be head honcho in the market? 

Image result for medtronic patents
(United States Securities and Exchange Commission)
Sources:
  1. Barney, J.B. (2011). Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage, 4th ed. Prentice Hall: Pearson.

No comments:

Post a Comment