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The DOI matches its Crossref record; 88 of the 88 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Competitive advantage: logical and philosophical considerations

Open access
Powell, Thomas C.·2001·Strategic Management Journal

Abstract

Strategic management theories invoke the concept of competitive advantage to explain firm performance, and empirical research investigates competitive advantage and describes how it operates. But as a performance hypothesis, competitive advantage has received surprisingly little formal justification, particularly in light of its centrality in strategy research and practice. As it happens, the core hypothesis—that competitive advantage produces sustained superior performance—finds little support in formal deductive or inductive inference, and the leading theories of competitive advantage incorporate refutation barriers that preclude meaningful empirical tests. This article explores the logical and philosophical foundations of the competitive advantage hypothesis, locating its philosophical foundations in the epistemologies of Bayesian induction, abductive inference and an instrumentalist, pragmatic philosophy of science. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Metadata

Authors
Powell, T. C.
Venue
Strategic Management Journal
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2001-07-31
Volume
22
Issue
9
Pages
875-888
ISSN
  • 0143-2095 (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-0266
OpenAlex
W2065837485
Cited by
705
References
88
FWCI
38.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
bronze

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Competitive advantage: logical and philosophical considerations. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1002/smj.173
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Powell, T. C. (2001). Competitive advantage: logical and philosophical considerations. Strategic Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.173

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