Final answer:
Yes, Imitability in the context of an organization's core competency refers to how easily competitors can duplicate the company's essential skills or products. When it's costly to imitate, the company has a competitive advantage as its offerings are hard to replicate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of imitability pertains to whether a business's core competency—a primary area of expertise or a key differentiator that gives the company an advantage—can be easily replicated by competitors. If it is costly to imitate, this implies that the organization has developed a unique product, service, capability, or business model that cannot be easily duplicated by others, providing a sustainable competitive edge.
This could be due to complexity, proprietary technology, brand reputation, or unique relationships and networks that are hard for competitors to match. When the core competency is difficult to imitate, it is less likely that other firms can offer an equivalent substitute to compete effectively with the organization's offerings, thus leading to a 'Yes' answer to the original question.
To further illustrate, imagine a technology company with a patented invention that significantly improves processing speeds. Competitors would find it expensive and challenging to duplicate such a core competency without infringing on patents or investing heavily in research and development.
Examples of businesses with core competencies that are hard to replicate include Apple's design ecosystem or Coca-Cola's brand and secret formula.