Investigating the Key Determinants of Competitive Advantage in Saudi Arabian Enterprises

Abstract

Competitive advantage has become a strategic goal of each enterprise in order to beat its competitors and win new markets and customers. However, the purpose of this paper is to examine the predetermined determinants of competitive advantage in the context of Saudi Arabian enterprises. A quantitative method was used to explore the determinants of competitive advantage. The primary data were obtained through a questionnaire survey that was conducted in enterprises in Saudi Arabia which obtained 436 useable responses. The key determinants which the research put under investigation were price, quality, delivery dependability, and time to market. The researcher used SPSS tool to analyze the data. The results showed that price, quality, delivery, and time to market are statistically significant determinants of competitive advantage. It has also been found that time to market is a stronger indicator of competitive advantage than other indicators. This study contributes to the literature by investigating determinants of competitive advantage and discuss the impact of these determinants on achieving competitive advantage. This study is one of few studies that investigate these determinants in the context of Saudi Arabia. Finally, this paper recommends that enterprises be aware of these determinants and effectively manage them to remain competitive and obtain a competitive advantage.