Competitive strategies and core competencies: perspectives for the internationalisation of industry in Brazil

Abstract

One of the key features of the new economy seems to be the change from individual to collective efficiency: the joint performance of systems of networked enterprises. That movement has an international dimension mainly related to the new strategies of transnational corporations. from the perspective of developing countries important changes might be taking place, as a consequence of the positioning of their firms in that new interorganisational networking. This is the focus of this study. An analytical model was developed for the assessment of which industrial segment shows the potential to be an international player for having the required organisational competencies. The conceptual framework was built around the idea that participation in an interorganisational network depends on the competencies built by each firm and influences the conditions for strategy formulation. A survey about the recent evolution of industry in Brazil was prepared. The outcomes reveal the relative position of the Brazilian firms in international networks, what leads to an overall picture of the competitiveness of local industry.