These resources also make a major contribution
to defendable position because of the ability
afforded to the owners to defend them in law.
In summary therefore functional and cultural
differentials are based on competencies, or skills,
such as advertising, or zero defect production;
whilst positional and regulatory differentials are
related to assets which the business owns, such
as brand names, or physical locations. The first
two differentials are therefore concerned with
‘doing’, whilst the second two are concerned with
‘having’. The resources which produce the four
differentials are described in this article as
‘intangible resources’, and the nature and characteristics
of these intangible resources are examined
in the following section.