STRATEGIC RESPONSE AND ITS ROLE IN ENHANCING STRATEGIC SUPERIORITY: A STUDY OF THE KIRKUK CEMENT PLANT
Keywords:
Strategic Response, Strategic Superiority, Kirkuk Cement PlantAbstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the role of strategic response in establishing strategic superiority through the application of a study in the Kirkuk Cement Plant. The research problem was directed towards the level of contribution strategic response gives to strengthening the plant's strategic superiority. The entire employees' population of the Kirkuk Cement Plant was considered as the study population and 90 employees were selected as samples. The study used descriptive-analytical approach and questionnaires were used to gather data with a 5-point likert scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS. The results showed that there was a strong and positive effect of strategic response and its four components (resource fluidity, business process maturity, business responsiveness to the environment, and business proactiveness to the environment) on the strategic superiority at the Kirkuk Cement Plant. Some of the most significant ones include further strengthening of flexible and proactive strategies at all levels, with emphasis on the creation of resources and internal processes which will support sustainable strategic superiority and improve competitive capacity.
References
D. Lin, C. K. Lee, H. Lau, and Y. Yang, “Strategic response to Industry 4.0: An empirical investigation on the Chinese automotive industry,” Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 118, no. 3, pp. 589–605, 2018.
H. M. A. Abdulhadi, S. A. Hussein, and H. H. Shiaa, “The role of organizational harmony in enhancing strategic response: An analytical study of the opinions of a sample of visitors’ cities staff affiliated with the Holy Al-Hussainiya Shrine/Holy Karbala,” Iraqi Journal of Administrative Sciences, vol. 20, no. 82, pp. 92–225, 2024.
H. Kashkool, N. A. Mohammed, and F. H. Al-Hilali, “Rapid strategic response and its pivotal role in achieving sustainable competitive advantage: A survey study of a sample of lecturers at Warith Al-Anbiyaa University,” Business Economics Journal for Applied Research, vol. 7, 2025.
Q. M. I. Al-Mohammadi and K. N. Mohammed, “Enhancing strategic superiority through strategic clarity: A descriptive analytical study in Iraqi private banks,” Business Economics Journal for Applied Research, vol. 5, no. 6, 2023.
M. H. R. Alali and Y. E. Hammadi, “Artificial intelligence as a key pillar for achieving corporate strategic excellence,” Khazayin of Economic and Administrative Sciences, pp. 412–424, 2025.
A. H. Alwan and S. F. Al-Najjar, “The impact of strategic capabilities in achieving strategic superiority: An applied study in the Department of Training and Energy Research at the Ministry of Electricity,” Iraqi Journal of Economic Sciences, vol. 21, no. 77, pp. 352–379, 2023.
McKinsey & Company, Operational Excellence and Process Maturity Report. McKinsey Global Institute, 2024.
C. W. L. Hill, M. A. Schilling, and G. R. Jones, Strategic Management: Theory & Cases, 13th ed. Cengage Learning, 2022.
D. Le and G. Phi, “Strategic responses of the hotel sector to COVID-19: Toward a refined pandemic crisis management framework,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 94, Art. no. 102808, 2021.
B. Sara, “The mediating role of value innovation in the impact of green ocean strategy implementation on achieving strategic superiority: A case study of Abu Al-Saad Cosmetics Company using Smart PLS,” Revue Les Cahiers du POIDEX, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 86–110, 2023.
M. A. Hitt, R. D. Ireland, and R. R. Hoskisson, Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, 13th ed. Cengage Learning, 2022.
P. Mikalef, I. O. Pappas, and J. Krogstie, “Strategic agility and organizational performance in dynamic environments: The role of digital capabilities,” Journal of Business Research, vol. 155, pp. 140–152, 2023.
Gartner, Business Process Maturity and Performance Outcomes. Gartner Research, 2023.
D. J. Teece, “Dynamic capabilities and strategic agility for competitive superiority,” Strategic Management Review, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 87–105, 2024.
J. Barney and A. M. Arikan, “Strategic perspectives on competitive advantage and sustained value creation,” Journal of Strategic Management, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 45–62, 2023.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CC BY
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. CC BY includes the following elements:
BY: credit must be given to the creator.
