An Examination of The Relationship Among Relational Assets, Company’s Competitive Advantages and Performance

• Main Authors: Hui-Jung Chuang, 莊蕙榕
• Other Authors: Ho-Ching Wei
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/50744766262915325478

碩士 === 逢甲大學 === 國際貿易所 === 92 === Abstract The business world is globalizing. The competition is transnational and getting more and more keen. However, many enterprises are still growing up, making a great profit and spreading out their business activities. Dunning (2000) proposed a thoughtful concept called “Relational Assets”. He emphasized the importance of relationships with stakeholders. These relationships will bring company potential resources and assistances while needed. Galbreath (2002) proposed that relational assets are a kind of intangible assets to a company for competing with competitors. He also mentioned that these relational assets constitute a firm’s most valuable store of capital and their most important intangible assets. However, the relative works in passing years emphasize tangible assets or some intangible assets (ex: reputation, patent, and so on). In passing years, the researchers were less concerned about the relational assets. However, relational asset is one of important intangible asset we should pay attention how to enhance competitive advantage and enhance performance. Thus, this study focuses on the relationships among relational assets, the competitive advantages, and corporate performance. The top 1000 large public companies (They are listed company, OTC company, and emerging stock company) are the research population in this study. The author mailed 1000 questionnaires and 125 are retrieved. Eliminating 3 useless copies, there are 122 effective samples. The effective rate of retrieve is 12.2%. Based on descriptive analysis, ANOVA, T-tests, and correlation analysis, the author obtains the results and findings as follows: 1). Senior executives have positive perceptions of the 21 relational assets. 2). Good interactions with stakeholders will strengthen a company’s competitive advantages, especially, those good interactions with employees, executives, customers, and financial supporters. 3). These competitive advantages from good interactions with all stakeholders will promote a company’s efficiency and effectiveness performance. The primary contribution of this research contains two respects. First, this research has summarized 21 potential relational assets which from good relationships with stakeholders. The author listed thirteen main stakeholders to a focal firm and proposed the idea of extended relationships which has been generated for better explaining all the relationships to a focal firm. It may give managers some motivations to investigate their own relationship web and to mine for their full value. Second, this study has provided the evidences for the significant positive relationships between relational assets and performance. This may catch managers’ attentions for paying more attentions on managing and developing their relationships with all stakeholders. Finally, according to the conceptual framework and research findings, the author provides some meaning and suggestions in the practices and future directions.