Resource-Based View: Study of External Relationships and the Impact of These Relationships on the Profitability and Performance of the Organization

Abstract

This article refers to a survey based on the study conducted by French author Rodolphe Durand, undertaken in 1999, which, adopting the concepts of RBV (Resource-Based View), sought to explain the differences in the profitability, margin and market performance of companies. According to the author, these differences result from three factors, which he considers sources of profitability for the company: inimitability and transfer of internal productive resources, possibility of substituting customers and suppliers, and the level of internal coordination of the company (DURAND, 2001). The survey was applied in the Brazilian auto-parts sector, and the chief objective was therefore to reproduce the survey carried out by the French author, in order to collaborate to the analysis of factors that could contribute towards the differentiation of companies from this sector in the Brazilian market; differentiation that is accountable for the creation and allocation of economic income. This first research tried to analyze the impact of external relations of organizations with customers and suppliers on the profitability, margin and market performance of auto-parts companies in Brazil. Quantitative data was collected in face-to-face interviews with directors, CEOs and general managers using a questionnaire. The sample represents a random sample of medium sized firms and the data was analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling.