Search

Purpose: A multispecialty hospital possesses sustainable competitive advantage if it continuously improves performance, repeatedly delivers quality service and unique value to the patients and the sources of competitive advantage are valuable, rare, inimitable, non-substitutable or causally ambiguous. The term sustainable competitive advantage is vague and ambiguous and the environment in which hospitals operate is dynamic, turbulent and disruptive. Therefore, sources of competitive advantage must change and evolve with time. This paper aims to explore the themes of competitive advantage in a dynamic environment for multispecialty hospitals in India by studying data from secondary sources for five hospitals. Design/methodology/approach: The findings of the case study were based on the analysis of secondary data that are extracted from the official websites of the hospitals, with the grounded theory approach. Findings: Five identified themes are as follows: changing and adapting; clinical excellence; creating unique value; managing unpredictable circumstances and patient-centric approach. All the themes supported hospital performance, service and value delivered to patients and therefore may help in building a competitive advantage of the hospital. However, sustainability factors were inconsistent across the themes. Practical implications: The CXOs and CMOs of hospitals can review the themes periodically and re-align the business strategies to build a sustainable competitive advantage. Originality/value: The findings of the study uncovered the criticality of re-alignment of resources deployed in the unpredictable and ever-changing environment in which hospitals thrive to build sustainable competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IT industry, particularly IT enabled services (ITES), in India has shown remarkable growth over the past decade and continues to show resilience even in the face of a global downturn in the sector. While India has not been able to match China in manufacturing prowess, it may have found its competitive advantage in the area of knowledge-based services to which its factor endowments are uniquely suited. Yet, the tremendous potential and promise of this sector in spurring economic growth and national competitiveness may not be realized, if the numerous obstacles to the sector's growth are not removed. This paper traces the evolution of the IT industry in India, its positives and negatives and its potential to contribute to India's global competitiveness. Structural barriers in the national environment to the growth of this industry are identified and discussed. Conclusions and policy implications are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]