Resource-based theory vs. supply chain management

There is an ongoing debate in supply chain management research about whether or not resource-based theory suggests that supply chain management can be a source of sustained competitive advantage for a firm. Among those who have denied this suggestion is Ramsay (2001), whereas, in his recent essay, Barney (2012) has argued that SCM can, “at least in some settings”, be such a source. In his insightful article, The competitive advantage of interconnected firms: An extension of the resource-based view (AMR, Vol. 31, No. 3), Lavie (2006) follows the relational view, an extension of the resource-based view to networked environments (read my previous text about the relational view). He integrates and extends this view and social network theories, “contrasting the formulation of the traditional [resource-based view] with a reformulated version of the [resource-based view] that takes into account the impact of network resources”. Given the ongoing debate in our field, should SCM researchers adopt Lavie’s reformulation?

Lavie, D. (2006). The competitive advantage of interconnected firms: An extension of the resource-based view. Academy of Management Review, 31 (3), 638-658 DOI: 10.5465/AMR.2006.21318922