Resources and Capabilities from Their Very Outset: a Bibliometric Comparison Between Scopus and the Web of Science

Abstract

The bibliometric method has proven to be a powerful tool for the analysis of scientific publications, in such a way that allows rating the quality of the knowledge generating process, as well as its impact on firm´s environment. This article presents a comparison between two powerful bibliographic databases in terms of their coverage and the usefulness of their content. The comparison starts with a subject associated to the relationship between resources and capabilities. The outcomes show that the search results differ between both databases. The Web Of Science (WOS), has a greater coverage than SCOPUS has.  It also has a greater impact in terms of most cited authors and publications. The search results in the WOS yield articles from 2001, while Scopus yields articles from 1976, however, some of the latter are inconsistent with the topic being searched. The analysis points to a lack of studies regarding resources as foundations of firm´s capabilities; as a result, new research on this field is suggested.