The 'theory of the firm' is a significant part of modern economics. Because it informs strategic choices, it is highly relevant to business administration in general, and for strategic management in particular. Two dominant streams may be identified in the literature, namely the 'competence' and...

Strategic management has been increasingly characterized by an emphasis on core competences. Firms are advised to divest unrelated businesses and return to core business. Moreover, competitive advantage is now increasingly seen as a matter of efficiently deploying scarce knowledge resources to...