- A.A 2x2 of products (existing/new) against markets (existing/new), defining four growth strategies — penetration, development, product development, and diversification.
- B.Barney's test for sustainable competitive advantage — a resource must be Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, and supported by Organization. ✓
- C.A 2x2 of relative market share against market growth, classifying business units as Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks, or Dogs to guide portfolio investment.
- D.Barney's test for sustainable competitive advantage — a resource must be Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, and supported by Organization.
VRIO Framework is barney's test for sustainable competitive advantage — a resource must be Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, and supported by Organization. The other options describe related but distinct concepts in Strategic Frameworks — see the deep-dive guide for the full distinction.
How to think about questions like this
Most "advantages" fail one of the four tests. Questions like this test whether you can distinguish VRIO Framework from neighboring concepts. The most common trap is choosing a closely-related concept that sounds similar but applies in a different context.
When you see a definition question on an exam, do two things: (1) translate the question into your own words, then (2) generate the answer in your own words before reading the options. This avoids the cognitive bias of recognizing a familiar phrase as correct just because it is familiar.