Application of the Resource-Based View : A Case of an Indian Pharma Multinational

The paper discusses how the Resource-Based View (RBV) can be used as a potential tool for analyzing the competitive advantage of a firm. Taking the example of a leading Indian pharma major, the authors discuss how firm-specific resources have contributed to sustainable growth over the years. The authors explain how this firm's process of drug manufacturing using project management is evolving. Taking two specific sub-dimensions of RBV, namely, Social Complexity and Causal Ambiguity, the case describes the interplay of the two dimensions. In the highly competitive world of drug manufacturing, speed and cost are of essence, and it is this space that the firm under discussion has been able to exploit. The case goes on to describe the process of drug manufacturing in the organization and demonstrates the process of creating a superior competitive advantage for the client organization and for itself. For the prospective reader of strategy literature, this case demonstrates the importance of RBV in the pharma business and shows how firms in countries such as India are well placed over others in this business