Corporate culture, business models, competitive advantage, strategic assets and the bottom line

Abstract

Purpose – This paper seeks to enhance understanding of the role and effect of corporate culture as a unique strategic asset on the success of business models.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a conceptual exploration of several key constructs and their interrelationship. The argument is based on four related notions: that corporate culture is an “asset”; that it is a “strategic asset” in the sense of comprising a source of competitive advantage; that it might well be the “ultimate strategic asset”; and that culture as a strategic asset can be the essence or core of a business model. The paper also uses “empirical examples” of actual companies to study and demonstrate the core constructs and ideas. It also examines issues involving the key dimensions of corporate culture, the measurement of corporate culture, and certain related performance measurement issues.Findings – The paper shows that corporate culture is a strategic asset, which, if managed properly, can be the key differentiating factor in...