Resource dependency and SME strategy: an empirical study

Phil Bretherton · Ian Chaston

88 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Innovation and Knowledge Management Quality and Supply Management Business Strategy and Innovation

Abstract

Purpose There has been considerable discussion concerning the resource dependency theory of strategy but relatively little qualitative, empirical research has been conducted on the proposed models. Using the value chain as the conceptual framework, the research aims to show how organisations, in this case small and medium‐sized wineries, use their resources and how they access other resources by using strategic alliances. The article also aims to discuss the influence that their resources and capabilities have had on their ability to develop sustainable competitive advantage and superior performance. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory research looks at four medium‐sized New Zealand wineries (between 200,000 and 2 million litres) and six small ones (under 200,000 litres), of which six have over‐performed and four have under‐performed the industry. Semi‐structured interviews were used to develop an understanding of how the wineries organised their alliances along the value and how they accessed resources which were not available internally. Findings The wineries have engaged in strategic alliances, rather than structural ties, at various stages of the value chain, to gain access to scarce resources and capabilities. There is clear evidence that the over‐performers have had access to adequate resources, which has led to sustainable competitive advantage and superior performance. Research limitations/implications Only one industry is examined and wider research is necessary, both of a qualitative and quantitative nature. Originality/value The research provides empirical support for the resource dependency theory and extends the understanding of its significance for small and medium enterprises.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 88 citations exist upstream.

References

1984Case Study Research: Design and Methods 1994Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook 1991Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage 1985Naturalistic inquiry 2004Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage 1984A resource‐based view of the firm 1994The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing 1991The Competitive Advantage of Nations

Cited by

2021Digital marketing in SMEs via data-driven strategies: Reviewing the current state of research 2021The more the merrier? Chinese government R&D subsidies, dependence, and firm innovation performance 2013The evolution of co-opetition in the Waipara wine cluster of New Zealand 2014A framework for stakeholder engagement and sustainable development in MNCs 2017The roles of business partners in corporate brand image co-creation 2014Can small firms gain relational advantage? Exploring strategic choice and trustworthiness signals in supply chain relationships

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.