Important aspects in strategic management theory

The concepts, theory and practice of strategic management have become prominent in modern management literature especially in this new millennium for one obvious reason: that is, because of the complex, nebulous and dynamic nature of contemporary corporate governance. This phenomenon has in turn become a matter of concern to academics and professionals alike on the field. Consequently, the main objective of this paper is to present an overview of strategic management with particular emphasis on its concepts, theory as well as its linkage with the resource‐based philosophy of the firm’s competitive advantage. A review of the relevant literature was conducted and a connection between strategic management theory and competitive advantage from the recourse‐based philosophy of the firm was identified. It was found that the resource‐based model is one of the main strategic management theories applicable to explain organizational performance, and it is also a part of the larger management theory family which has evolved to suit the managerial requirements of the modern complex organizations and also the business environments within which the organizations operate. Examining organizational competitive advantage from this school of thought allows the organizations to measure the significance of its internal resources and capabilities in particular towards attaining a competitive advantage, and hence to provide further support and extension to the Philosophical approach.

Keywords:

competitive advantage , corporate governance , firm performance , resource‐based philosophy , management theory , strategic management.