<p>This research study focuses on how a company can achieve competitive advantage through total quality management from a marketing mix standpoint. To gain a deeper grasp of the research topic, a research question was formulated and the thesis is based on the marketing mix and competitive advantage model which is the theoretical framework of this study.</p><p>The research is a qualitative study and the empirical data was collected from two international companies operating in Halmstad i.e. HMS Industrial Networks AB and Ernst & Young LLP.</p><p>The findings show that quality is not an extra cost for the company, rather it is a way to increase your productivity, the better quality you have, the fewer products you discard and the better planning you have. Hence it was deduced from the research that competitive advantage is achievable by ensuring proper quality management in the pricing, product, promotion and distribution strategies implemented by a company.</p>

This research study focuses on how a company can achieve competitive advantage through total quality management from a marketing mix standpoint. To gain a deeper grasp of the research topic, a research question was formulated and the thesis is based on the marketing mix and competitive advantage model which is the theoretical framework of this study. The research is a qualitative study and the empirical data was collected from two international companies operating in Halmstad i.e. HMS Industrial Networks AB and Ernst & Young LLP. The findings show that quality is not an extra cost for the company, rather it is a way to increase your productivity, the better quality you have, the fewer products you discard and the better planning you have. Hence it was deduced from the research that competitive advantage is achievable by ensuring proper quality management in the pricing, product, promotion and distribution strategies implemented by a company.

Title: The Pursuit of Sustainable Competitive Advantage – A Profile of the Starbucks Corporation Authors: Benjamin Adam White &amp; Ettore Moraschinelli Advisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire Date: 2009 May 29 Program: International Business and Entrepreneurship Purpose: To study sustainable competitive advantages using Starbucks as a case study. Methods: The qualitative method was utilized to collect the secondary data used in this type of thesis, being a case study. This approach applied to both the theories used in the analysis as well as the empirical data about Starbucks. Conclusion: Nothing is sustainable in business including a company’s such as Starbucks competitive advantages.  It is the pursuit of the utopian idea of sustainable competitive advantages that can actually be sustained.  This approach does not guarantee success, but important components of a company’s pursuit are their leadership, innovative nature and relationship management.  Accordingly these theories do not cover all aspects or offer a full explanation of Starbucks success. Therefore, it is recommended for others to research Starbucks using different theories and perspectives in order to draw out other analyses from the empirical case

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a practice of companies on their way towards sustainability. It allows them to measure their impact on environment and society, and to create a balance between economic, social and environmental aspects. Becoming more and more sustainable means that companies need to find new ways of operating throughout the whole value chain that creates competitive advantage by providing an innovation opportunity. Innovation that concerns environmental as well as economic impact of the product/service on the society; that is called eco-innovation. Eco-innovation can be a guarantee of sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) to the companies that practice sustainability.      The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the reasons companies practice sustainability and whether or not sustainability is a driver of innovation and competitive advantage. Since the global company IKEA is among top sustainability leaders in the Scandinavian region, we decided to study this company for our research. Qualitative research and case study design were chosen as appropriate research methods to conduct this study. The global company ”IKEA” was chosen as the case for the empirical studies of this thesis.

The development of Taiwan's textile industry more than 50 years, Taiwan's textile industry qualifications of development, formed upstream, midstream, and downstream of complete integration in Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), on the international market, opening a number of unfavorable factors, Taiwan's textile industry in the face of the development of internal and external business environment changes, it is bound more to strengthen the competitive advantage and globalization strategy. That will be the future of Taiwan's textile adjustment approach, and thus this study aimed at the textile industry competitive strategy analysis. The Saaty (1980) identify key factors that can be used Analysis Hierarchy Process (AHP) to analyze. AHP through group discussion, the use of expert interviews participants, the intricacies of the evaluation system. This can simplify the condensed elements level system to simplify and facilitate decision-making procedures. Through the AHP sector of its most important to the structure surface, due to Taiwan's textile industry long-term development of the accumulated product experience. That can use differentiated technology really cut to master the high added value products market, while the study results pointed out, spinning knowledge industry's most important competitive strategy for strengthening R&D, and with the specialization of R&D talent and technology as guidance and financial management in the company to consistent industrial processes with the company, thus to support the textile industry in the ethnic groups to open up new markets and investment in high-growth products, to develop a unique competitive advantage of Taiwan's textile industry and textile industry during the development of reference.

This research is to learn the recruitment strategy and the school advantages of private universities of technology in Kaohsiung. Two private universities of technology in Kaohsiung area were selected for this research. The questionnaire of school resource advantage cognition was designed for students selected from these two schools. Interviews with related administrative staff from these two schools were also proceeded for cross analysis and for verification of the statistic result. The core competence of the schools was demonstrated. The application, development, and accumulation of the core competence would then establish sustainable competitive advantages of the universities of technology. The following observations were obtained. 1.The advantages in geographic location and convenience in traffic do attract students. Schools in weak situations mostly put efforts on improving the life's mechanism and lift the expediency to the traffic in order to reduce the difference from their strong competitors. Land limitation can be adjusted by increasing the floor squares in the buildings. 2.The advantages in teacher quality owned by new universities of technology can not be caught up by their competitors within short period of time. To encourage the acquirements of the teacher¡¦s professional certificates and raise the academic research ability would be important in the future. 3.Most schools would develop courses on both theoretical and practical bases. But multi-degree system causes the difficulty in course design and complexity in administrative works. Therefore, simplification of the degree-system is a direction to advance. 4.Currently, career consultations are supported by database systems and some other electronic mechanism. To promote the employment opportunities for students, the cooperation between the school and the industry has significant effect and competent alumni in the industry can provide rich job information. Thus effective management to the precious alumnus resource is important. 5.The most significant competitive advantage of student recruitment is the school¡¦s reputation. It is worth establishing a specialized unit to integrate resources and develop marketing strategies for promoting the school¡¦s specializations. Keeping active relationships with the mass media to raise the reputation of the school is also essential. 6.The advertisement for recruitment of students should be initiative, creative and active and there should be sufficient fund, personnel and activities. Technological and vocational school fair is the best opportunity to show the distinguished features and raise the reputation of the school; therefore thorough planning to the fair is crucial.

The era of globalization and knowledge-economy has become the trend of the world. The enterprise faces such environment must consider the way how to maintain the competitive advantage. The way of the competitive advantage can adopt global logistics which transfer some department to relative advantage country in order to improve it¡¦s productivity. In1987, the Government released the law about restricting people to contact between Taiwan and China, and the trade between Taiwan and China became more and more important. With the trend of economic community in globalization and the industrial environment that changed in Taiwan, the Taiwanese firms should think more about how to keep advantages in global competition. Internationalization is the best choice that can help Taiwanese firms promote their competitive position in the world. China is a developing market and having a lot advantages, such as rich resources and cheaper labors. In a word, China has become the major location of Taiwanese firm¡¦s foreign direct investment. Before setting up a plant,the enterprise needs to know why they try to do that? First, if they just do a trial investment, build an offshore factory is enough. Otherwise, the enterprise not only loss the capital and then will hurt the assets of headcompany. Until the branch is operated steadily; or finding another nich. Enterprise could invest more resource and change the invested way to other type such as resource plant model, contribution plant model, front plant model or leadership plant model. The purpose of this thesis is to study if the enterprise builds new plant should consider which relative plant location. These factors provide a building new plant decision-making and investment referential framework. In other word, through this way the enterprise acquired the lowest cost and improved the sustainable competitive advantage. According to scholar¡¦s research, the factor of plant location includes: cost, infrastructure, business service, labor, government, customer/market, supplier / source, competitor. If we analyze quantity and quality in these factor that discover some signification such as the labor, infrastructure, government. From the environmental factor aspect (such as plant size, industry), the enterprise emphasize labor, supplier¡¦s factor that will set up plant in Taiwan; Otherwise, the enterprise will set up plant in China when it enhances the customer and market. Finally, we give some conculsion and suggestion.

The delivered quantity of TFT-LCD of Taiwan is more than that of Japan in the first quarter 2002. It pushes Taiwan to the position of No 2 in the world, only next to Korea. Hence Taiwan government has included the TFT-LCD industries as the strategic industries to develo. In the near future, we can forecast that TFT-LCD will succeed the semi-conductor industry to stand for the star industry of Taiwan The purpose of this research is to probe the competitions of TFT-LCD industries among Taiwan, Janpan and South Korea, including core competence, developing strategies, business model, and to discover the key success factors(KFS) of competitive advantage of nation in these industries within different countries. By way of the KFS to forecast the future development and potential niche market in the global TFT-LCD industries. The results lead to the conclusion that follows¡G 1. TFT-LCD industry is a hypercompetitive global industry. 2. The TFT-LCD industries of Taiwan, Japan and South Korea each has his competitive advantages. 3. Core competence is the most important strategic resource. 4. LCD-TV will become the largest niche market in the future. 5. The Diamond-Model of TFT-LCD industries in Taiwan and Japan will link together.

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