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Abstract
This research study tests data gathered quantitatively and qualitatively to determine the relative competitive advantage traits used in the current marketplace and if market volatility since the Great Recession has changed the correlation between profitability and growth of the firm. The leading research question to test this issue is: How key are the intangible factors of an organizational culture and how do they effect the output of a marketplace sustainable competitive advantage in the forms of profitability and growth when altered? The main variables of this study are profitability, growth of the firm, and the theoretical measurement of Competitive Advantage Index. This study reviews companies listed in the current Fortune 1000 utilizing the income statements for 2011-2015. The results of this study show that the most successful competitive advantage traits consist of management, organizational, and strategy capabilities to reconfigure, sense, absorb, and integrate. The second leading competitive advantage traits are organizational learning and competency building, and global aptness and cultural intelligence. The classic business model is still applicable in today’s volatile marketplace, but there are certain industrial sectors where profitability and growth of the firm no longer correlate. This lack of correlation between profitability and growth of the firm may indicate a market tipping point, which will invalidate the classic business model.