A project management plan to reach sustainable competitive advantage for a photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer

Abstract

Because the skills, knowledge and management required for exploitation and exploration are contradictory, firms still struggle to utilize useful methods to keep exploitative and exploratory activities balanced. Thus, a mathematical model is proposed to challenge the above vacancy. First, in order to allocate limited resources flexibly when implementing projects, a computer-mediated social groupware with Delphi technique is developed to manage conflicts. However, these operations may result in path dependence or lock-in technologies in the long run. Then, second, in order to adjust unbalanced exploitation and exploration after a period of time, a fuzzy analytic network process with fuzzy goal programming is proposed to facilitate the selection of projects in exogenous and endogenous environments. After investigating a real case of a photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer, the paper concludes that a balanced exploration and exploitation can be achieved, and sustainable competitive advantages can subsequently be reached.