Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-2017
Capstone Advisor
Will Geoghegan
Honors Reader
Catherine Maritan
Capstone Major
Management
Capstone College
Management
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
no
Honors Categories
Professional
Subject Categories
Business
Abstract
Competitive advantage is important to any entity committed to success in its respective space. However, competitive advantage – and competition in general – becomes a complex concept when applied to a context like the nonprofit sector so often marked by cooperation and collaboration. This research explores the gap in availability of applicable strategic management tools, like competitive advantage frameworks, between the for-profit and nonprofit realms. This research draws on 20 interviews conducted with nonprofit executives around the United States and compares the findings with literature currently available about the nonprofit context and competitive advantage. A framework of nonprofit competitive advantage was developed as a result of this research, based on the four main constructs of identity, strategy, competition, and finances. This paper discusses the potential implications of these four constructs on the ability of a nonprofit organization to successfully achieve its mission and develop a competitive advantage in the nonprofit sector.
Recommended Citation
McDonnell, Haley, "When the Ultimate Goal is Running Yourself Out of Business: The Extent to which For-Profit Strategic Management Tools Apply to the Nonprofit Sector" (2017). Honors Capstone Projects - All. 1036.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/1036
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
