The competitive advantage of the system (company, industry, country) is any exclusive value that the system possesses and which gives it superiority over competitors.
There are various approaches to the classification of competitive advantages, we propose to classify them on the following grounds [16 pp.195-199]:
In relation to the system (organization, country, etc.): External (in relation to the system) (favorable climate of the country, high-quality infrastructure of the region in which the organization is located, stable political system of the country, modern information network of the country); Internal (in the system) (values of the organization accepted by society, qualified personnel of the organization.). By areas of emergence of advantages: Natural and climatic (a country rich in natural resources, economically advantageous geographical position of the country, etc.); Socio-political (established market relations in the country, stability of the political situation in the country, well-established legislative system in the country, low level of general crime in the country); Technological (high proportion of progressive equipment in the organization, industry, country, high level of automation of production and management, low level of depreciation of fixed production assets, high level of new information technologies based on electronization, high proportion of patents of the country in the world community, mobility of technologies); Cultural (country values, organizations focused on the spiritual development of the individual, high organizational culture, the presence of cultural values of a global scale in the country); Economic (a stable tax system, a stable system of state regulation of the economy, the use of methods of modeling and operations research in organizations, the presence of a well-established management system in organizations, sufficient financing of research and development and education, the presence of a strategy to ensure the country’s economic security, a high-quality credit and financial system of the country, highly qualified personnel). According to the content of the advantage factor: Quality of goods (services) (world-famous trademark, high reliability of the object, design, comfort, optimal performance (speed, power, etc.), environmental friendliness); Price of goods (low production costs due to the use of economies of scale, a high level of unification, waste-free technology, high competition among suppliers, availability of substitute goods for consumers of goods, etc.); Costs of the consumer of the goods (lower in comparison with competitors specific consumption of resources for the operation of the goods, high maintainability of the goods, etc.); The quality of service of the goods (a high level of competition among the manufacturers of this product, a reliable image of the manufacturer, reasonable guarantees in the accompanying documentation, the presence of a station (enterprise, etc.) for the warranty service of the goods, high-quality market infrastructure, high-quality packaging of the goods.). By method or means of obtaining an advantage: By inheritance (objectively) (natural resources of the country, a well-known trademark of the goods); Training (qualified specialists in certain areas and branches of science and practice, inventors, creation of goods based on patents); Introduction of innovations (innovations) (introduction of patented new technology, introduction of know-how in the field of management, development of a new market, introduction of new technology in the field of product advertising, etc.); Relocation (relocation of the organization to an area with a good climate and cheap resources). At the place of realization of the advantage: Workplace (kanban system (just in time), scientific organization of labor, etc.); Organization (management system focused on achieving competitiveness, high competition at the “entrance” of the organization, etc.); Region (high-quality production infrastructure of the region, environmental friendliness of the region); Industry (stable credit and financial system in the region, high competition in the industry, vertical and horizontal integration in the industry, availability of an industry center for scientific and technical information and a patent fund); Country (the action of the state program to increase the competitiveness of the country); The world community (the presence of strategic (for 15-20 years) development programs for individual spheres and the country as a whole, a high level of unification and standardization of various spheres of activity, protection of human rights, integration and cooperation, mutual assistance of countries, protection of planet Earth). By time (duration) of realization of the advantage: Strategic factors of advantage (the use of an advanced comparison base when planning the renewal of goods for a five-year period, advanced training of personnel, development of R& D, modern advertising system); Tactical advantage factors (effective system)
motivation of labor, compliance with the schedule of equipment repair, borrowing know-how in the field of management from competitors).