The difference between a company competence and a core competence is that a core competence refers to a company's best-executed primary value chain activity whereas a competence refers to a company's best-executed administrative support activity. a company is said to have a competence in performing an activity once it has performed the activity several times whereas a core competence is an activity that a company has learned to perform consistently well and at acceptable cost. a company has a competence in performing an activity when, over time, it gains the experience and know-how to perform the activity consistently well and at acceptable cost whereas a core competence is an activity that a company performs quite well and that is also central to its strategy and competitiveness. a company competence usually resides in a company's technology and physical assets (state-of-the-art plants and equipment, attractive real estate locations, modern distribution facilities, and so on) whereas a company core competence usually resides in a company's human assets and intellectual capital