FIRM RESOURCES AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF BULGARIAN DAIRY FIRMS

The aim of the research is to examine which of the firm resources play a key role in the process of achieving a sustainable advantage among the competing companies. Forty Bulgarian dairy firms are included in the empirical study. Furthermore, the influence of a wide range of resources, both tangible and intangible, on the firm's competitive advantage is examined. The find-outs are expected to be mainly in favor of the managers of the examined dairy firms. Moreover, the researchers will profit also in extending and deepening the investigation on the ways to accumulate and develop the important resources. The study points out particular organizational resources which are in correlation with the long-term advantage. Most of the resources on the list are difficult to be imitated, so the research confirms the thesis that inimitability is the key requirement for resources to be a factor for the sustainable advantage.