The Role of Market Knowledge in the Adoption of the Blue Ocean Strategy and its Impact on Achieving Competitive Advantage: a Study Conducted in the Saudi Telecom Company (STC)

Abstract

This study deals with an important and vital subject that focuses on determining the role of market knowledge and Blue Ocean Strategy in achieving competitive advantage, and that is because of the scarcity of management studies in general, and marketing studies in particular, which addressed the nature of the relationship and impact between these three concepts .The study problem was represented by the question: what is the state of the Blue Ocean Strategy in Saudi Arabian organizations, how is it affected by market knowledge and what is its impact on achieving competitive advantage. This study aims to reveal the extent of the realization of the organization under study of market knowledge and Blue Ocean Strategy. It also aims to determine the relationship and impact between market knowledge dimensions and the dimensions of the Blue Ocean Strategy, determining the relationship and impact between the Blue Ocean and the dimensions of the competitive advantage strategy, the relationship and impact between market knowledge dimensions and competitive advantage dimensions and determining the relationship and the indirect impact of market knowledge on achieving competitive advantage through the Blue Ocean Strategy. The study was conducted on employees who occupy supervisory positions in Marketing department of Saudi Telecom Company. The number of valid questionnaires for analysis amounted to (64), which were analyzed using statistical software (SPSS). The study reached several conclusions, including: There is a high degree of acknowledgement among participants in the study about: market knowledge dimension, Blue Ocean Strategy and competitive advantage; there is a relationship and impact between market knowledge dimension and Blue Ocean Strategy dimension; there is a relationship and impact between Blue Ocean Strategy dimension and competitive advantage dimension; there is a relationship and impact between market knowledge dimension and competitive advantage dimension, there is a relationship and an indirect impact of market knowledge on achieving competitive advantage, and that is through the Blue Ocean Strategy.