...In his HBR article: “The Competitive Advantage of Nations”, Michael E. Porter describes how some countries are able to achieve long term national prosperity through the creation of a competitive advantage in certain industries. This prosperity is created through constant innovation and upgrading in the driving industries. Porter does not believe that on a national level labor costs, interest rates and economies of scale; and on a company level mergers, alliances and strategic partnerships are the enabling drivers for a true competitive advantage. He is in favor of a new perspective developed directly out of the research and analysis of internationally successful industries. This perspective takes into consideration that competition is dynamic and why some nation’s foster environments in which companies are more innovative in outpacing competition. Porter believes that nations with four broad attributes create an environment of national advantage: Factor Conditions (availability of educated labor force and infrastructure), Demand Conditions (home market demand for the product or service offered), Related and Supporting Industries (presence or absence of supplier industries) and Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry (how companies are formed, organized and managed; and the competitive drivers in the national market). Each one of these four attributes can affect the others and either strengthen or weaken the system they form. Especially domestic rivalry and geographic concentration...
Words: 653 - Pages: 3
...535-548 (1991) PORTER'S 'COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF NATIONS': AN ASSESSMENT ROBERT M. GRANT Management Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, U.S.A. Porter's Competitive Advantage of Nations is an important book which bridges the gap between strategic management and international economics while contributing substantially to both. Porter's analysis ofthe impact of national environment on international competitive performance demonstrates the potential for the theory of competitive strategy to rescue international economics from its slide into refined irrelevance, while simultaneously broadening the scope ofthe theory of competitive strategy to encompass both the international dimension and the dynamic context of competition. Nevertheless, the breadth and relevance of Porter's analysis have been achieved at the expense of precision and determinancy. Concepts are often ill defined, theoretical relationships poorly specified, and empirical data chosen selectively and interpreted subjectively. The Competitive Advantage of Nations is an important book. Among Porter's books to date, it is the broadest in scope and the most ambitious in intent. The book addresses a question which lies at the heart of economic and managerial science: 'Why do some social groups, economic institutions, and nations advance and prosper?' (Porter, 1990: xi).This is no new issue: the same question stimulated Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations in 1776 and has been a...
Words: 8605 - Pages: 35
...mention the main sections you are going to have in your answer [such as 'theoretical discussions', 'critical discussions'] - “The contribution by Porter (1990) on the competitive advantage of nations has led to an extensive discussion among academics and practitioners on the sources of international competitiveness (Grant, 1991; Gray, 1991). However, in order to understand why so much emphasis is placed on the diamond framework in the management literature, this essay will discuss Porter’s concept of the Diamond and the factors that contribute to the development of national competitive advantage. This paper will begin with a theoretical approach followed by the reception of different authors and schools of thoughts who disagreed with his management thinking, and then goes on to consider empirical issues which have arisen subsequently, followed by a conclusion.” Theoretical Discussions (explain the 'main theory' [such as 'Late/Early industrialization', 'Managerial enterprise', 'Weber's theory about impacts of culture'] in this question) - “Porter’s theory of national competitive advantage is based upon a study of the characteristics of the national environment which identifies four sets of variables, and an additional two, which influences a company’s ability to establish and maintain competitive advantage within international markets. These interacting determinants are: factor conditions; demand conditions; related and supporting industries; and firm strategy, structure...
Words: 2872 - Pages: 12
...The Competitive Advantage of Nations Michael E. Porter Harvard Business Review 90211 HBR MARCH±APRIL 1990 The Competitive Advantage of Nations Michael E. Porter National prosperity is created, not inherited. It does not grow out of a country's natural endowments, its labor pool, its interest rates, or its currency's value, as classical economics insists. A nation's competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the world's best competitors because of pressure and challenge. They benefit from having strong domestic rivals, aggressive home-based suppliers, and demanding local customers. In a world of increasingly global competition, nations have become more, not less, important. As the basis of competition has shifted more and more to the creation and assimilation of knowledge, the role of the nation has grown. Competitive advantage is created and sustained through a highly localized process. Differences in national values, culture, economic structures, institutions, and histories all contribute to competitive success. There are striking differences in the patterns of competitiveness in every country; no nation can or will be competitive in every or even most industries. Ultimately, nations succeed in particular industries because their home environment is the most forward-looking, dynamic, and challenging. These conclusions, the product of a four-year study Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter...
Words: 13589 - Pages: 55
...Exam question : “Globalisation Your consultancy is considering the use of Porter’s Diamond model in its analyses of national competitive advantage. Write a briefing note, giving examples, detailing a) how and why you would use the diamond model b) what limitations if any there are in doing so. ” Classical economics insists that a national competitive advantage grows out of a country’s natural endowments, its labor pools, its interest rates, and its currency’s value. However, according to Michael Porter theory, national prosperity is created, not inherited. A nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade through new technologies or new ways of doing things, as a result of technology push or market pull. It is important to upgrade your competitive advantage. What is considered as a competitive advantage at the national level = productivity of the nation, which leads to high and rising standard of living for its citizens. Classic theory: success of nations depends from factors of production (labor, lands, etc) but it has been overshadowed in advanced industries and economics by globalization of competition and power of technology. Porter’s theory brings a comparative advantage to the competitive advantage of a nation. Porter says that a new theory must explain why a national provides a favorable home base for companies that compete internationally. It succeeds in reflecting conception of competition that includes: -...
Words: 972 - Pages: 4
...The Porter Thesis As we have seen (Lecture 1), Michael Porter in Competitive Advantage of Nations argues that the fortunes of economies rest on the competitive advantages held by their firms and industries. National factor and demand conditions encourage the development of specific competitive advantages and specialization, and, therefore, also the development of specific types of industry. Variations in specialization, output and expertise explain differences in the competitive advantages of nations and in levels of value added and living standards. Porter contends, furthermore, that these national advantages may be difficult to replicate elsewhere, and that they may be embedded in a specific geographical location or cluster offering advantages in the acquisition of technology, knowledge, capital, skills, support structure, and so on. [pic] Porter seeks to explain why companies and industries have emerged in some countries and not others, and why certain economies have expanded in recent decades while others have stagnated or declined. In Competitive Strategy, published in 1980, he dealt with matters of industrial structure, competitor behaviour and the formulation of corporate strategy (M.E.Porter, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1980). Successful firms, he contended, have to guard against the activities of existing rivals, buyers, suppliers, new entrants, and potential providers of substitute products....
Words: 994 - Pages: 4
...The competitive advantage of nations: is Porter’s Diamond Framework a new theory that explains the international competitiveness of countries? A.J. Smit ABSTRACT The focus of this article is to clarify the meaning of international competitiveness at the country level within in the context of Porter’s (1990a) thesis that countries, like companies, compete in international markets for their fair share of the world markets. At a country level, there are two schools of thought on country competitiveness: the economic school, which rejects Porter’s notion of country competitiveness, and the management school, which supports the notion of competitiveness at a country level. This article reviews and contrasts the theories pertaining to these two schools of thought with specific reference to trade theories and the ‘theory’ of the competitive advantage of nations originally advanced by Porter (1990a, 1997a, 1998b, 1998c, 2000). Although Porter’s Diamond Framework has been extensively discussed in the management literature, its actual contribution to the body of knowledge in the economic and management literature has never been clarified. The purpose of this article is to explain why Porter’s Diamond Framework is not a new theory that explains the competitiveness of countries but rather a framework that enhances our understanding of the international competitiveness of firms. Key words: Porter, Diamond Framework, international competition, competitiveness of countries, international business...
Words: 11039 - Pages: 45
...international trade and investment Classical Theories (Why do nations trade?) Mercantilism and Neomercantilism: Mercantilism - A belief popular in the 16th century that national prosperity results from maximizing exports and minimizing imports Neomercantilism - The idea that the nation should run a trade surplus - Supporters includes: Labor unions (who want to protect domestic jobs) Farmers (who want to keep crop prices high) Some manufacturers (that rely on exports) Free trade - The absence of restrictions to the flow of goods and services among nations Leads to: - More and better choices for consumers and firms - Lower prices of goods for consumers and firms - Higher profits and better worker wages (because imported input goods are usually cheaper) - Higher living standards for consumers (because their costs are lower) - Greater prosperity in poor countries Absolute advantage principle - A country should produce only those products in which it has absolute advantage or can produce using fewer resources than another country - i.e. France could employ more of its resources to produce cloth Germany could employ more of its resources to produce wheat Labor cost in days of production for one ton: One ton of: France 30 40 Germany 100 20 Comparative Advantage Principle - Country, location specfic - The foundation concept of international trade that answers of how nations can achieve and sustain economic success and prosperity - The...
Words: 1121 - Pages: 5
...Achieving Competitive Advantage and International Business. It is a great pleasure to be standing here in from of all of you today as I share my thoughts on some of the hottest business topics today, which are achieving Competitive Advantage and International Business. Show of hands, how many people feel that competitive advantage in business is an important topic to discuss? As over 90% of the crowd raised their hands, I felt that they were well aware of what competitive advantage is and very interested in my speech today. The other 10% that did not raise their hands will understand more about this business topic and I will address any questions that are necessary. I will begin this speech by defining competitive advantage. It is a position of a company in a competitive landscape that allows the company earning return on investments higher than the cost of investments. The goal is to keep money and sustain its position against competitors. Achieving competitive advantage strengthens and positions a business better within the business environment. As I have given everyone a brief explanation of what competitive advantage is, I will be discussing and connecting international business to competitive advantage. My thoughts on this subject is that upgrading a business system can create a gain in financial and operational field, return on investments give businesses an extra strategy to create competitive advantage. Competitive Strategy, Competitive Advantage, and Competitive...
Words: 1759 - Pages: 8
...National Competitive Advantage as an aid to understanding national competitiveness. Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1. The diamond model by Michael Porter 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Diamond model Theory 4 1.2.1 Factor Condition 4 1.2.2 Demand conditions 5 1.2.3 Firm strategy, structure and rivalry 5 1.2.4 Related and supported industries 6 1.2.5 The role of Government 6 1.3 Criticism of the framework 7 1.4 Practical Example 7 1.5 Conclusion 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1. The diamond model by Michael Porter 1 1.1 Introduction According to Recklies (2001), increasingly corporate strategies have to be seen in global context and even if an organization does not plan to import or to export has to look at an international business environment, in which actions of competitors, buyers, sellers, new entrants of providers of substitutes may influence the domestic market and information technology has been reinforcing this trend. The classical models and theories related to international trade before Michael Porter’s Diamond theory, mainly proposed that the comparative advantage resides in the factors endowments that a country may be fortunate enough to inherit and these factors mainly consisted of land, natural resources, labour and the size of the local population but Porter argued though his diamond model that a nation can create...
Words: 2779 - Pages: 12
...Andrea Innes Review Questions March 8, 2012 Global Business Management Terri Brown 3. Unions in developed nations often oppose imports from low-wage countries and advocate trade barriers to protect jobs from what they often characterize as “unfair” import competition. Is such competition “unfair?” Do you think that this argument is in the best interests of (a) the unions (b) the people they represent (c) The country as a whole The Comparative advantage theory says that if a country should specialize in producing those goods that it can produce most efficiently, while buying goods that it can produce relatively less efficiently from other countries. It also says that opening a country to free trade stimulates economic growth. If a low-wage countries can produce certain products more efficiently than high wage countries, the low wage countries should produce and export those products. Trade barriers are supposed to protect workers and the companies, but they are only a short-term fix. By protecting industries the government is not encouraging companies to be more efficient. Consumers end up losing on this deal because they have to pay higher prices and have fewer choices. 4. What are the potential costs of adopting a free trade regime? Do you think governments should do anything to reduce these costs? What? Having a free trade regime will create job loss in some industries. One thing the government could do is provide retraining programs...
Words: 915 - Pages: 4
...RELATE M. PORTER’S DIAMOND OF NATIONAL ADVANTAGE TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS The national home base of an organisation plays an important role in shaping the extent to which it is likely to achieve advantage on a global scale. This paper seeks to identify how national competition can help businesses compete globally, hence relating M. Porter’s ‘diamond of national advantage’ to international business. International Business comprises all commercial transactions (private and governmental, sales, investments, logistics, and transportation) that take place between two or more regions, countries and nations beyond their political boundaries. Usually, private companies undertake such transactions for profit; governments undertake them for profit and for political reasons. It refers to all those business activities which involve cross border transactions of goods, services, resources between two or more nations. The Diamond Model of M. Porter for the competitive advantage of Nations, offer a model that can help understand the comparative position of a nation in global competition, PORTER says that sustained industrial growth has hardly ever been built on basic inherited factors. Abundance of such factors may actually undermine competitive advantage! He introduces a concept called "clusters" or groups of interconnected firms, suppliers, related industries, and institutions that arise in certain locations. PORTER argued that a nation can create new advanced factor endowments...
Words: 1487 - Pages: 6
...The Diamond model of Michael Porter for the Competitive Advantage of Nations offers a model that can help understand the competitive position of a nation in global competition. This model can also be used for other major geographic regions. Traditionally, economic theory mentions the following factors for comparative advantage for regions or countries: A. Land B. Location C. Natural resources (minerals, energy) D. Labor, and E. Local population size. Because these factor endowments can hardly be influenced, this fits in a rather passive (inherited) view towards national economic opportunity. Porter says sustained industrial growth has hardly ever been built on above mentioned basic inherited factors. Abundance of such factors may actually undermine competitive advantage! He introduced a concept of "clusters," or groups of interconnected firms, suppliers, related industries, and institutions that arise in particular locations. As a rule Competitive Advantage of nations has been the outcome of 4 interlinked advanced factors and activities in and between companies in these clusters. These can be influenced in a pro-active way by government.These interlinked advanced factors for Competitive Advantage for countries or regions in Porters Diamond framework are: 1.FACTOR CONDITIONS -a country creates its own important factors such as skilled resources and technological base. -these factors are upgraded / deployed over time to meet the demand. -local disadvantges force...
Words: 1037 - Pages: 5
...Government Policy MERCANTILISM Country Focus: Is China a Neo-Mercantilist Nation? ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE The Gains from Trade Qualifications and Assumptions Extensions of the Ricardian Model Country Focus: Moving U.S. White Collar Jobs Offshore HECKSCHER-OHLIN THEORY The Leontief Paradox THE PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE THEORY Evaluating the Product Life Cycle Theory NEW TRADE THEORY Increasing Product Variety and Reducing Costs Economies of Scale, First Mover Advantages and the Pattern of Trade Implications of New Trade Theory NATIONAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: PORTER’S DIAMOND Factor Endowments Demand Conditions Related and Supporting Industries Firm Strategy, Structure, Rivalry Evaluating Porter’s Theory Management Focus: The Rise of Finland’s Nokia FOCUS ON MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS Location First-Mover Advantages Government Policy SUMMARY CRITICAL THINKING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CLOSING CASE: Trade in Information Technology and U.S. Economic Growth Learning Objectives 1. Understand why nations trade with each other. 2. Be familiar with the different theories explaining trade flows between nations. 3. Understand why many economists believe that unrestricted free trade between nations will raise the economic welfare of all countries that participate in a free trade system...
Words: 8280 - Pages: 34
...| | | Analysing the Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses of Germany with the TOWS Matrix Analysing the Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses of Germany with the TOWS Matrix Author: Student Name: Student No: Tutor: Adrian Pryce * Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Porter's Determinants of National Advantage 2 3. Gaining Competitive Advantage with the TOWS Matrix Conceptual Model 3 4. Germany's Internal Weaknesses 4 5. Germany's Internal Strengths, Social Factors 5 6. Germany's Internal Strengths, Political and Economic factors 6 7. Threats from European Union Countries, North America and Asia 7 8. Opportunities within the European Union, North America, and Asia 9 9. Government Policy and Business Strategy 10 10. Conclusion 12 11. References 13 1. Introduction All nations are attentive to compete efficiently in the international market. Competitiveness doesn't depend simply on the value of individual firms, but also on the socioeconomic system and the industries of a nation. The rapidly changeable situations of the free world markets transcribe that nations fully utilize their comparative advantages to become or remain thriving in the future (Farr, 1990). Economic and political leaders must estimate the opportunities and threats from the foreign environments so as to put up convenient domestic strategies that shore up the weaknesses of their nations and take advantages of its strengths. This essay...
Words: 4270 - Pages: 18
