Nadir Aliane Department of Management School of Business King Faisal University Al-Ahsa 31982 - Saudi Arabia.
Email: nhaliane@kfu.edu.sa
Hassane Gharbi Department of Management, Faculté des Sciences Économiques et de Gestion de Nabeul – Tunisia.
Email: hassane.gharbi@yahoo.fr
Karima Bouzguenda Department of Management, Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de gestion de Sfax – Tunisia
Email: ka.bouzguenda@gmail.com
Abdullah Hamoud Ali Seraj Department of Management School of Business King Faisal University Al-Ahsa 31982 - Saudi Arabia.
Email: aseraj@kfu.edu.sa

Abstract:

This research endeavours to contribute to the advancement of Resource-Based View (RBV) as a conceptual framework within existing literature. The investigation assesses the impact of the resources' attributes - Value, Rarity, Inimitability, Non-substitutability (VRIN), augmented by the ecological factor (E) - on competitive advantage. Notably, the study introduces an environmental perspective to RBV by incorporating the ecological attribute (E) and empirically examines its influence on competitive advantage. The quantitative survey, conducted within six Tunisian private clinics located in the capital Tunis, involved 350 self-distributed questionnaires among diverse employee categories. Out of these, 288 usable responses were collected, resulting in an 82.3% return rate. Utilizing SPSS and AMOS version 23 software, structural equation modelling analysis was performed. The findings affirm that resources adhering to the VRIN+E criteria significantly contribute to competitive advantage. All hypotheses testing VRINE attributes in relation to competitive advantage were substantiated. The study concludes by offering theoretical, methodological, and managerial insights specific to the ecological attribute, along with suggesting avenues for future research.

Keywords:RBV, Ecological Attribute, Competitive Advantage.