Journal of Applied Economic Research
ISSN 2712-7435
Information and Communication Technologies as Competitive Advantage (in Terms of Scandinavian School of Competitiveness)
Strokatov D.A.
Abstract
The aim of this article is to determine the role of information and communication technologies as a source of competitive advantages and a factor in improving the competitiveness of small economies in the framework of the Scandinavian school of competitiveness as well as to study the use of the technologies by economic actors to achieve a competitive advantage. The main research method is the analysis of the works of scientists of the Scandinavian school of competitiveness, as well as the collection and systematization of practical examples given in the papers of domestic and foreign researchers. The hypothesis is tested as to whether information and communication technologies can be a source of a long-term competitive advantage for a firm. In the article, analysis of the theories of the Scandinavian school serves is used to show that information and communication technologies can be a source of constant innovation, can optimize the processes of knowledge accumulation and improve staff skills, qualitatively improve interaction between the buyer and the supplier, while the production of information and communication technologies’ goods and services provides a significant increase in the revenue in value chains. Small countries' adherence to the recommendations of the scientists of the Scandinavian school of competitiveness may partly explain why many small developed countries were able to achieve high rankings in the Network Readiness Index. The author gives and analyzes a number of practical examples of the implementation of information and communication technologies as a competitive advantage of private companies, public entities and individual employees from both developed and developing countries. In conclusion, it is noted that the ideas of the theories of the Scandinavian school of competitiveness may be relevant in the Russian economy. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that information technologies as a competitive advantage were considered in terms of the theories of the Scandinavian school of competitiveness, and a unified approach was proposed for determining the competitiveness of economic subjects in terms of comparing the demand (“value”) for their products (products for firms, services for public entities and skills for employees) by consumers.
Keywords
competitive advantage; competitiveness; Scandinavian school of competitiveness; information technologies; innovative technologies; digital economy.
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About Authors
Strokatov Denis Andreevich – Post-Graduate Student, Department of World Economy, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia (117997, Moscow, Stremyanny Lane, 36); e-mail: strokatov.d.a@my.mgimo.ru.
For citation
Strokatov D.A. Information and Communication Technologies as Competitive Advantage (in Terms of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Scandinavian</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place> of Competitiveness). Bulletin of Ural <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Federal</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>. Series Economics and Management, 2019, Vol. 18, No. 1, 27-47. DOI: 10.15826/vestnik.2019.18.1.002
Article info
Received November 6, 2018; Accepted December 26, 2018.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/vestnik.2019.19.1.002
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