GRADUATION THESIS Major: International Business Administration COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE ACHIEVEMENT AT EVEREST EDUCATION, LTD. i Table of Contents Table of Contents..............................................................................................................i List of tables & figures................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement............................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................5 2.1. Competitive advantage within an organization.....................................................5 2.1.1. Definition of competitive advantage ...............................................................5 2.1.2. The process of achieving competitive advantage............................................6 2.2. Resources and capabilities in forming distinctive competencies ..........................7 2.2.1. Resources and capabilities ..............................................................................7 2.1.2. Distinctive competencies.................................................................................9 2.3. Three main types of business-level strategies with different value creation in achieving competitive advantage................................................................................10 2.3.1. Value creation in Cost leadership strategy....................................................10 2.3.2. Value creation in Differentiation strategy.....................................................11 2.3.3. Value creation in Integrated Cost leadership/differentiation strategy ..........12 2.4. The building of competitive advantage................................................................13 2.4.1. Efficiency ......................................................................................................13 2.4.2. Quality...........................................................................................................14 2.4.3. Innovation......................................................................................................15 2.4.4. Responsiveness to customers........................................................................16 2.5. Tools to develop competitive advantage within a company ................................16 2.5.1. Customer database as a tool to build competitive advantage........................16 2.5.2. Innovation as a tool to build competitive advantage.....................................18 2.5.3. Balanced Scorecard as a tool to build competitive advantage ......................19 CHAPTER 3: EMPIRICAL FINDINDS .......................................................................25 3.1. Overview about Everest Education, Ltd. .............................................................25 3.1.1. History of development.................................................................................25 3.1.2. Field of business............................................................................................26 ii 3.1.3. Organizational Structure ...............................................................................29 3.1.4. Business Performance ...................................................................................30 3.2. Analysis of distinctive competencies at Everest Education.................................31 3.2.1. Resources and capabilities at Everest Education ..........................................31 3.2.2 Distinctive competencies at Everest Education .............................................37 3.3. Strategy followed by Everest Education..............................................................37 3.4. Competitive advantage achievement at Everest Education........................