ABSTRACT
Most conspicuously, perhaps, there is a considerable amount of terminological ambiguity, with various resource-based theorists using concepts such as ‘resources’, ‘competencies’, ‘capabilities’, etc. to refer to what are seen as strategic assets. The RBP has concentrated overwhelmingly on the analysis of existing resources, and has given remarkably little attention to the creation of new resources. Technological resources and capabilities can be viewed from several angles, many of which demonstrate the validity of the ‘problems’ that the people have cited. The analytical problems associated with an introspective approach become even clearer if, not unreasonably, one assumes that many uses of technological resources are ‘socially constructed’ in sense that they reflect ‘social and political negotiation among a variety of groups’, including customers, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders in addition to technologists. Finally, to achieve its maximum degree of analytical usefulness, the RBP needs to cope both with the dynamic effects of technological change and with any accompanying need for new complementary resources.
