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advantage of food processing companies from Greater Poland, which in turn contributes to
the internationalization of those businesses. Secondary sources were used in pursuing the
goal - theoretical implications are based on studies of literature, and they were verified by
surveys.
Competitive advantage and its sources in management theory
At the beginning it should be noted that competition is the primary mechanism influencing
market economy. Its definition is very widely described and discussed, both by practitioners
and theorists. Undoubtedly, however, the term "competition" is inherently bound to the
term "competitiveness”. Taking by the World Economic Forum in Lausanne competitiveness
can be defined as the ability of a country or company to create greater wealth than their
competitors on the world market. Effective competition enforces high competitiveness,
which is synonymous with the acquisition of competitive advantages in comparison to other
market players, and this ensures growth, as well as long-term existence (Sliwinski, 2011, pp.
20).
Interest in corporate competitive advantage expressed by theorists, practitioners and
strategists proves that it is "at the heart of sustainable development and appropriation of
value to a greater extent than managed by competitors" (Skawioska 2011, pp. 57). At the
same time one should agree with the idea that competition is a ubiquitous phenomenon, so
competing is a must, which boils down to building and protecting competitive advantages
(Godziszewski 2006, pp. 10). Competitive advantage, therefore, is one of the basic concepts
related to competition among companies. However, the same interest in the issue of
competitive advantage stems paradoxically from the fact that in a global competition it has
been increasingly difficult to achieve (Koczerga 2008, pp. 90). Competitive advantage refers
to the "configuration of components of competitive potential to enable the generation of
more effective instruments of competition in comparison to other enterprises" (Stankiewicz
2000, pp. 103). At the same time a fair view is presented by M. Gorynia (1998, pp. 107) who
believes that only a company with competitive advantage in a particular place and time can
be really competitive, provided it is able to acquire and maintain this advantage. The
essence of competitive advantage boils down to the fact that a company does something
better or differently than its rivals (Cetinski, Milohnic, 2008, pp. 38), or is capable of actions
that remain unreachable for its rivals, and thus achieves superior results (Godziszewski
2006, pp.11). In turn, according to Barney, a competitive advantage can be achieved if
current strategy enables the creation of value for a customer and it is not a strategy used by
current or future competitors (Barney 1991, pp. 102). Thus, it can be concluded that
competitive advantage is not an absolute concept but a relative category. One cannot talk
about it without some reference point, which most often refers to the results of
competitors (Budzyoska-Biernat 2013, pp.47).
Undoubtedly, the factors affecting the competitiveness of enterprises are both internal and
external. External factors are those that relate to the enterprise environment, while the
internal lie directly in the company (Adamkiewicz-Drwiłło 2006, pp.23). It would be difficult
not to agree with the view by Stankiewicz, M.J. (2005, pp. 188), who states that the search
For the purposes of this study the concept of agri - food sector and the food sector are treated as
synonymous and used interchangeably
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