In the early years of its development under James O. McKinsey and Marvin Bower what were Mc Kinsey's unique sources of competitive advantage‪?‬

It is an essay for the McKinsey case study published in Bartlett et.at. 2008 Transnational Management. It evaluates McKinsey Resources, Core-Coppetencas and Capabilities with refereces to the case study. James McKinsey started a small consulting firm 'of accounting and engineering advisors' (Bartlett et.al. 2008 p. 499) in 1926 with a goal. He wanted to build a great firm that could attract, develop and retain exceptional employees and clients. By 1950 McKinsey turned into an 'elite consulting firm unable to meet the demand of its services' (Bartlett et.al. 2008 p. 499). Understanding how McKinsey created its competitive advantage suggests examining its internal resources, capabilities and core competences.