The Impact of Functional Strategies on Achieving a Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Field Study in Fish Canning and Packaging Factories in Hadhramaut Governorate

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the level of availability of functional strategies and sustainable competitive advantage, as well as their dimensions, and to determine the impact of functional strategies on achieving sustainable competitive advantage in fish canning and packaging factories in Hadhramaut Governorate. The study population consisted of 1,035 employees distributed across four factories: Al-Mukalla Factory, Tuna Factory, Saba Factory, and Al-Wataniya Factory. A purposive sample of 180 employees was selected from this population, including general managers, deputy general managers, department managers, deputy department managers, section heads, and specialists. The study employed a descriptive-analytical approach. Data was collected using a questionnaire designed to measure the study's objectives and test its hypotheses. Data analysis was conducted using the following statistical software packages: IBM SPSS V.27, SMART-PLS V3, and JAMOVI 2.3. The study reached several conclusions, most notably that the availability of functional strategies and sustainable competitive advantage, along with their dimensions, was high. Further, the study found a statistically significant effect of the functional strategy dimensions (marketing, operations, and research and development) on sustainable competitive advantage, while the functional strategy dimensions (financial and human resources) did not have a statistically significant effect. The study offered several recommendations, the most important of which was to leverage the high availability of the study's variables and dimensions to enhance and implement functional strategies that achieve sustainable competitive advantage in fish canning and packaging plants in Hadhramaut Governorate.