Question

Which one of the following is not something that can be gleaned from identifying a company's resource strengths, resource weaknesses, market opportunities, and external threats?

A. How to improve a company's strategy by using company strengths and capabilities as cornerstones for its strategy
B. Which market opportunities are best suited to a company's strengths and capabilities
C. Which resource weaknesses and deficiencies need to be corrected so as to better enable the pursuit of important market opportunities and to better defend against certain external threats
D. How to turn a core competence into a distinctive competence
E. Whether any of the company's resource strengths can be used to help lessen the impact of external threats

Answer 1

Identifying a company's resource strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities, and external threats helps inform many strategic decisions but it does not indicate how to turn a core competence into a distinctive competence, which requires additional strategic differentiation. Therefore, the correct option is D.

Step-by-step explanation:

The assessment of a company's resource strengths, resource weaknesses, market opportunities, and external threats can provide several insights into a company's strategic positioning and potential actions. However, it does not directly inform on how to turn a core competence into a distinctive competence. This process is more focused on distinguishing a company's competencies in a way that cannot be easily replicated by competitors, thereby creating a competitive advantage. It goes beyond merely identifying strengths and capabilities, requiring strategic moves to develop and leverage those capabilities into something that is uniquely beneficial to the company.

Reference to Donald Clifton's strengths-based management highlights the importance of building on an individual's strengths within an organization. Clifton's research emphasizes consistent excellence in performance when working within one's areas of talent. While identifiers such as resource strengths and weaknesses can touch upon areas of individual or organizational competence, they do not guarantee that they will evolve into distinctive competences without additional strategy planning and execution.