Final answer:
It is relatively easy to learn and imitate another company's core competency or capability if it comes from publicly available information.
Step-by-step explanation:
It is relatively easy to learn and imitate another company's core competency or capability if it comes from a basis of observable practices or if it is codified in a way that is easily transferable.
A core competency that is based on company culture and tacit knowledge, embedded in unarticulated routines or the collective skills of a high-performing team, is much harder to copy. Successful businesses often have a narrow focus, developing a core competency that gives them a competitive advantage.
However, such intangible assets like company culture require time and effort to be acquired. For a new employee or even a competitor, adapting to this type of core competency involves not only learning new habits but also unlearning old ones, which is usually a gradual process.
Therefore, it is not the technical skills but the unspoken, experiential knowledge and culture that present the real challenge when attempting to imitate a company's core competency.