...“Outline Porter’s three generic strategies and discuss whether generic strategies can lead to sustainable competitive advantage” With many views and variations on strategy and a company’s ability to sustain competitive advantage, it seems to be generally acknowledged that Porter’s three generic strategies i.e. Low Cost, Differentiation and Focus strategies, are the most widely accepted. In my following essay I will outline these three generic strategies and discus whether or not generic strategies can lead to sustainable competitive advantage. Cost-leadership strategy, or low cost strategy allows the firm to gain competitive advantage and market share by appealing to cost-conscious consumers. They can either use a no frills approach strategy which combines an inferior product with a low price, or a low-priced strategy where they would produce a product of similar quality but sell it at a lower price. (Johnson et. al, 2009). Pursuing low product cost alone however will not sustain competitive advantage. Managers must attempt to reduce costs in other areas of the firm, such as manufacturing and distribution in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Differentiation strategies involve trying to incorporate unique features to your product or service that will allow consumers to differentiate you from your competitors. This type of strategy can be particularly useful in markets which are saturated or where consumers aren’t particularly price-sensitive. One example of...
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...| 4 | Competitive Advantage…………………………………………………………………….. | 4 | Five Force Analysis………………………………………………………………….. | 5 | Threats of Substitutes Products and Service…………………………………………. | 5 | Buyer Power…………………………………………………………………………. | 6 | Supplier Power………………………………………………………………………. | 7 | Rivalry Among Existing Competitors………………………………………………. | 7 | The Threat of New Entrants………………………………………………………… | 8 | Cost Leadership Generic Strategy…………………………………………………… | 8 | Differential Generic Strategy………………………………………………………… | 9 | Focus Generic Theory……………………………………………………………….. | 9 | Ebusiness……………………………………………………………………………………. | 10 | Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………... | 11 | References…………………………………………………………………………………… | 12 | Abstract The purpose of this paper is to discuss business decisions and business strategies to gain competitive advantage based on Michael Porter’s Five Force Model and Porter’s Three Generic Strategies. The Five Force Model are buyer power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, threats of substitutes of products and services and rivalry among existing competitors. Further discussion includes determining which Porter’s Three Generic Strategies to use to rebuild a failing eatery located downtown called Broadway Café. The Three Generic Strategies are Cost Leadership Generic Strategy, Differential Generic Strategy and Focus Generic Strategy. I will also discuss how ebusiness can help the Broadway Café achieve a competitive advantage. Focus...
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...November 25, 2015 1. Explain why the concept of competitive advantage is central to the study of strategic management. Answer: The strategic management involves developing and maintaining competitive advantages. These competitive advantages need to be created and sustained effectively to overcome the 5 competitive forces. Only by overcoming competitive forces can firms achieve above average returns. Because it’s always about ensuring your organization performs successfully. 2. Briefly describe the three generic strategies-overall cost, leadership, differentiation, and focus. Answer: Overall cost leadership generic strategy-involves developing a competitive advantage based on low cost position while appealing to an industry wide market. Differentiation generic strategy- involves developing a competitive advantage based on uniqueness perceived by the customer while appealing to industry wide market. Focus generic strategy involves concentration on a narrow market segment while creating a competitive advantage of either uniqueness perceived by the customer or low cost position. 3. Explain the relationship between the three generic strategies and the five forces that determine the average profitability within an industry. Answer: The five forces limit industry profitability. Business units that identify with multiple generic strategies will have higher performance than those that identify with just one generic strategy. The highest performing business units...
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...CONCEPT OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS CENTRAL TO THE STUDY OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT, AND EXAMINE THE USE OF PORTER’S GENERIC STRATEGEIS BY COMPANIES TO COMPETE. KEY TERMS Competitive advantage. This is the favourable position an organization seeks in order to be more profitable than its competitors. Strategic management. It is the systematic analysis of the factors associated with customers and competitors (the external environment) and the organization itself (the internal environment) to provide the basis for maintaining optimum management practices. The objective of strategic management is to achieve better alignment of corporate policies and strategic priorities. Porter’s generic strategies. These are three general types of strategies developed by Michael Porter that are commonly used by businesses to achieve and maintain competitive advantage. Company. It is a voluntary association formed and organized to carry on a business. Types of companies include sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability, corporation, and public limited company. INTRODUCTION The concept of competitive advantage is central to the study of strategic management, since a company or an organization must follow an aligned strategy to outperform their rivals in the industry. Michael Porter introduces three generic strategies that a firm may apply in order to do so they include; overall cost leadership, Differentiation and Focus. In order to create and sustain competitive advantage, companies...
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...Generic Competitive Strategy in Business Strategies Generic Competitive Strategies was raised by Michael Porter which was used to hold across different kinds of business situations. Generic Competitive Strategy is the business strategies which achieve the stable and sustainable competitive advantage in long term (Ormanidhi & Stringa, 2008). Competitive strategies contain offensive and defensive actions to maintain stable position in the industry. It can also help the corporate outperforming the competitors in the industry with four competitive strategies (Tanwar, 2013). Parnell proposed the value and market control as the primary factor based on the Generic Competitive Strategy (Parnell, 2006). Generic Competitive Strategy included (1) Cost Leadership, (2) Differentiation, (3) Focus and (4) Stuck in the Middle(Porter, 1985). The cost leadership strategies and differentiation strategies are used for searching the competitive advantages in a broad range of industry, and cost focus and differentiation focus are used for achieving the scope of activities with competitive advantage in a narrow segment (Porter, 2008). Corporates are willing to take Generic Competitive Strategy for building up their competitive advantages to ensure the market position in the industry and achieve the effectiveness of the firms (Abdalla, 2015) 2.1.1) Cost Leadership Strategy Michael Porter mentioned that cost leadership is one of the strategies to have a broad range in industry which the sources...
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...2/27/12 Generic Competitive Strategies - eNotes.com Generic Competitive Strategies Generic Competitive Strategies Three of the most widely read books on competitive analysis in the 1980s were Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy, Competitive Advantage, and Competitive Advantage of Nations. In his various books, Porter developed three generic strategies that, he argues, can be used singly or in combination to create a defendable position and to outperform competitors, whether they are within an industry or across nations. Porter states that the strategies are generic because they are applicable to a large variety of situations and contexts. The strategies are (1) overall cost leadership; (2) differentiation; and (3) focus on a particular market niche. The generic strategies provide direction for firms in designing incentive systems, control procedures, and organizational arrangements. Following is a description of this work. OVERALL COST LEADERSHIP STRATEGY Overall cost leadership requires firms to develop policies aimed at becoming and remaining the lowest-cost producer and/or distributor in the industry. Company strategies aimed at controlling costs include construction of efficient-scale facilities, tight control of costs and overhead, avoidance of marginal customer accounts, minimization of operating expenses, reduction of input costs, tight control of labor costs, and lower distribution costs. The low-cost leader gains competitive advantage by getting...
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...Analysis Of Porter's Generic Strategies Strategic Themes Provide product that is on-trend, differentiated, distinctive and inspired by select popular fashion trends and pop culture for all of our target customers, but with a primary focus on expressive women and expressive moms. Improve brand marketing effectiveness by implementing a “house of brands” architecture that covers all of our major customer segments and builds distinctiveness and focus in our product assortment. Provide a great shopping experience through improved customer engagement, and leveraging our real estate to support new store formats consistent with the repositioning of our brand. Maintain efficient operations by building greater speed and flexibility into the supply chain to deliver the right product to the right store at the right time in the appropriate proportions across the approximately 4,600 store network. On-Trend Targeted Product We identifies fashion trends timely and integrates these insights into on-trend product in our stores. Generic Strategy - Porter Porter’s generic strategies: low cost, differentiation, specialization. Key stakeholders & their influence. PEST model, macro environment. – Five Forces model, micro/industry environment. Porter's Five Forces Model And Three Generic Strategies Porter's Five Forces Model Porter's Five Competitive Forces model is a framework made by Michael Porter that is used by businesses when thinking about business strategy and the impact...
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...CIS 500 | Jaya Nanditha, Roslyn Hall, Fardaoussi Mohamed, Francis K. Dunor, | | 2/4/2012 | The purpose of this paper is to discuss business decisions and business strategies to gain competitive advantage based on Michael Porter’s Five Force Model and Porter’s Three Generic Strategies. The Five Force Model is buyer power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, threats of substitutes of products and services and rivalry among existing competitors. Further discussion includes determining which Porter’s Three Generic Strategies to use to rebuild a failing eatery located downtown called Broadway Café. The Three Generic Strategies are Cost Leadership Generic Strategy, Differential Generic Strategy and Focus Generic Strategy. We will also discuss how ebusiness can help the Broadway Café achieve a competitive advantage. Focus of ebusiness will be marketing, finance, accounting, sales, customer service and human resources. Final Project: Broadway Café - Part 1 & 2 | The Broadway Cafe This paper will discuss creating Competitive Advantage in business through business decisions using the Porter’s Five Forces Analysis and Porter’s Three Generic Strategies. In addition, this paper will discuss how ebusiness can be used in making business decisions to gain competitive advantage. A fictitious business, called the Broadway Café will be the model business in which these business practices will be applied. The Broadway Café is a business in the decline despite a long successful...
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...Abstract In this paper we will discuss the competitive advantage of Teva Pharmaceuticals as well as Teva’s resources to continue to grow and remain dominant within the pharmaceutical industry. As industries evolve it is important for companies to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in order to maximize their potential to succeed. In this paper we will evaluate Teva’s greatest strengths and resources that will enable the company to continue to grow and compete within the generic drug industry. This paper will be a guideline for how Teva should move it company forward in the future. Introduction Teva pharmaceuticals is known for its operational efficiency within the generic pharmaceutics industry. Information gathered from TevaPharm.com provides a clear picture of how the company is so successful within the pharmaceutical industry; Teva pharmaceuticals operates globally within sixty countries and consists of fifty four pharmaceutical production plants. The Teva company is a global industry that maintains a completive advantage as “During 2012, Teva's plants manufactured approximately 73 billion tablets and capsules and over 720 million sterile units (Tevapharm.com)”. Teva’s Competitive Advantage The Teva pharmaceutical company enjoys a serious competitive advantage within the generic pharmaceutical industry. Their biggest advantages include their operational expertise as well as their immense operational network. No other generic pharmaceutical company has the vast reach...
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...Global Strategy – Analysis and Practice BUSI 1271 This Lecture’s Focus & corresponding Learning Objectives The exploring Strategy model Moving from Strategic Analysis to Strategic Choice 4–3 Sources of Superior Profitability Basic Objective: Survival!!! RATE OF PROFIT ABOVE THE COMPETITIVE LEVEL INDUSTRY ATTRACTIVENESS Where to compete? CORPORATE STRATEGY How do we make money? COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE How should we compete? BUSINESS STRATEGY 4–4 Business Level Strategy Definition Competitive advantage is to be attained by achieving a strategic fit between an organisation’s internal capabilities & its external environment. In order to maintain strategic fit organisations will need to constantly scan their environment & adjust their internal capabilities in order to exploit opportunities as they arise. Key Concepts: Generic Strategy (Porter, 1985) The Strategy Clock (Bowman & D’Aveni, 1995) 4–5 The importance of Generic (Business) strategies: Example 1/2 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Increase (%) Ryanair EasyJet Lufthansa 26,6 24,3 50,9 33,4 29,6 51,3 40,5 32,9 53,4 49,0 37,2 62,9 57,7 43,7 70,5 65,3 46,1 76,5 145,5% 89,7% 50,3% British Airways Air FranceKLM 36,1 35,7 35,6 33,0 33,2 33,1 -8,3% 48,7 48,2 53,8 56,5 74,8 74,4 52,8% Total number of passengers (in millions) 4–6 The importance of Business strategies: Example 2/2 2004 Av. fare %>...
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...IDENTIFYING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES Video: Panera Bread Cohesion Case: Competitive Advantage:Business Dilemma To survive and thrive, an organization must create a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is a product or service that an organization's customers place a greater value on than similar offerings from a competitor. Unfortunately, competitive advantages are typically temporary because competitors often seek ways to duplicate the competitive advantage. In turn, organizations must develop a strategy based on a new competitive advantage. When an organization is the first to market with a competitive advantage, it gains a first-mover advantage. The first-mover advantage occurs when an organization can significantly impact its market share by being first to market with a competitive advantage. FedEx created a first-mover advantage by creating its customer self-service software, which allows people and organizations to request parcel pickups, print mailing slips, and track parcels online. Other parcel delivery companies quickly began creating their own online services. Today, customer self-service on the Internet is a standard for doing business in the parcel delivery business. Page 14 As organizations develop their competitive advantages, they must pay close attention to their competition through environmental scanning. Environmental scanning is the acquisition and analysis of events and trends in the environment external to an organization. Information technology...
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...Chapter # 5 Building Competitive Advantage Through Business-Level Strategy Business Level Strategy Is the objective of developing a firm specific business model that will allow a company to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals in a market or industry. The way that strategic managers define their company’s business is the first step in crafting business level strategy. Customer Needs and Product Differentiation Customer needs are desired, wants or cravings that can be satisfied by means of the attributes or characteristics of a product a good or service. Two factors determine which product a customer chooses to satisfy these needs: The price of the product and the way a product is diffetentiated from other products of its type. Product differentiation is the process of designing products to satisfy customers needs. A company obtains a competitive advantage when it creates, designs, and supplies a product in a way that better satisfies customer needs than its rivals do and chooses the correct pricing option the one that results in the level of demand that optimizes profitability. Customer Groups and Market Segmentation Market Segmentation is the way a company decides to group customers, based on important differences in their needs or preferences, in order to gain a competitive advantage. One principal way of grouping customers and segmenting the market is by what customers are able and willing to pay for a particular product, the other principal method of segmenting...
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...The Discipline of Market Leaders Customer Value Model (Porter’s generic strategies with particular reference to Apple Inc) Table of contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………. Porter’s three Generic Competitive Strategies…………………………………………………………. Cost Leadership…………………………………………………………………………………………… Differentiation………………………………………………………………………………………………. Focus or Niche strategy…………………………………………………………………………………... Apple Inc……………………………………………………………………………………………………. Identification and Critical Evaluation of the Company’s Existing Strategies………………………… Apple Inc Cost leadership Strategy……………………………………………………………………… Apple Inc Differentiation Strategy………………………………………………………………………... Apple Inc Focus or Niche Strategy………………………………………………………………………. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………….. References…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1.0 Introduction A firm's relative position within its industry determines whether a firm's profitability is above or below the industry average. The fundamental basis of above average profitability in the long run is sustainable competitive advantage. There are two basic types of competitive advantage a firm can possess: low cost or differentiation. The two basic types of competitive advantage combined with the scope of activities for which a firm seeks to achieve them, lead to three generic strategies for achieving above average performance in an industry: cost...
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...CHAPTER 5 THE FIVE GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES - Which One to Employ? Copyright ®2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. McGraw-Hill/Irwin 1. Understand what distinguishes each of the five generic strategies and why some of these strategies work better in certain kinds of industry and competitive conditions than in others. 2. Gain command of the major avenues for achieving a competitive advantage based on lower costs. 3. Learn the major avenues to a competitive advantage based on differentiating a company’s product or service offering from the offerings of rivals. 4. Recognize the attributes of a best-cost provider strategy and the way in which some firms use a hybrid strategy to go about building a competitive advantage and delivering superior value to customers. 5–2 Why Do Strategies Differ? Is the firm’s market target broad or narrow? Key factors that distinguish one strategy from another Is the competitive advantage pursued linked to low costs or product differentiation? 5–3 THE FIVE GENERIC COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES Low-Cost Provider Broad Differentiation Focused Low-Cost Focused Differentiation Best-Cost Provider Striving to achieve lower overall costs than rivals on products that attract a broad spectrum of buyers. Differentiating the firm’s product offering from rivals’ with attributes that appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. Concentrating on a narrow price-sensitive buyer segment and on costs to offer a lower-priced product. Concentrating on a narrow buyer...
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...1.1) Project management is always showing up in the business media today. It seems that every few months, something hits the news that has to do with project management. Maybe it’s a demand that every business should have a PMO. Or maybe, another major project that has hit major overruns because of poor project management. project management is the collection of tools, and system design and people skills necessary to lead, support, guide and control temporary endeavors. However, while that definition is both accurate and complete, you really need to take it to the next level in order to understand how it is different from normal management. First off, let’s correct a 200-year-old mistake. Traditionally, business thinkers have explained the structure of management by referring to the old military structure of strategic, tactical and administration. Strategic groups put the business in the right place, tactics dealt with the customer and competition, and administration was focused on doing the stuff that wasn’t really important. Unfortunately, that description of the Napoleonic army was wrong in 1812 and it was still wrong in 2012. However, there is a better view of the organization. It is based on the time view of the parts. Again, there are three groups within an organization. There is a strategic group. Their function is to think in terms of the future of the organization. Effectively, they navigate and steer the organization. They look for...
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