Strategies for Gaining a Competitive Edge: A Look into the South African Sawmilling Industry

Firms must constantly adjust to changing market conditions. Understanding the firm and its strategies is an important component of strategic management. The study used a survey approach to gather the views of individuals working in South African sawmills on strategy and competitive advantages. The results highlighted that the participants saw the availability of wood resources as essential for the sawmill industry to function competitively. The participants also indicated that they used differentiation as a strategy in their sawmills. Future research should focus on globally competitive sawmills to assess how their competitive advantage and strategy differ from those of sawmills in South Africa.