A fuzzy framework assessing corporate resource management for the mobile content industry

• Corporate resources, competencies and capabilities are keys for competitive advantage.
• Core resource assessment and management lack operationalization methodologies.
• A multi-method Fuzzy Assessment Framework (FAF) for R&C&Cs is proposed.
• The FAF combines case studies and fuzzy approach for data gathering and analysis.
• The FAF supports R&C&C assessment and management in the mobile content industry.

The assessment of a company's strategic endowment of resources, competencies and capabilities (R&C&Cs) and the identification of core R&C&Cs are key issues in strategy and technology management, though these processes suffer from the lack of consolidated models and methods to support their operationalization. This study proposes a Fuzzy Assessment Framework to evaluate the core status of a company's R&C&Cs, thus orienting resource management towards the actual sources of competitive advantage. The research process leverages multiple case study and fuzzy set theory to gather and analyze data from a set of twenty-six technology companies operating in the mobile content industry. The resulting Fuzzy Assessment Framework supports the concrete evaluation and management of resources and shows significant properties (i.e. accuracy, comprehensiveness, insight) thanks to the use of fuzzy measurements and Fuzzy Likert scales.