An empirical analysis of core competence for high‐tech firms and traditional manufacturers

Purpose – The main purposes of this paper are as follows. Exploring whether there is significant difference in the model of core competence between H‐T firms and T‐Ms in Taiwan. Investigating whether there is significant difference in the explanatory power of dimensions of core competence both for H‐T firms and T‐Ms in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approach – The samples used in this study are the management levels of two H‐T firms and three T‐Ms in Taiwan. The authors collected a company‐wide opinion through questionnaires to examine the core competence, including strategic planning, production process innovation, supply chain management, logistics management, quality management and R&D.Findings – The major findings are summarized as follows: through path analysis, it is found that the model of core competence for the H‐T firms is different from that of the model for T‐Ms. R&D capability is regarded as the most important source for core competence both by H‐T firms and T‐Ms. Strategic planning in H‐T firms i...