Analysis Of Michael Porter 's Value Chain Essay

The value chain, made by Michael Porter, is really important to see how a company structure is created. The value chain is constituted by two parts: support activities (firm infrastructure, human resource management, technology development, procurement) and primary activities (inbound logistic, operations, outbound logistic, marketing and sales, service). (Johnson et al. 2011, p.97-99)

One of Porter’s main contributions was Porter’s value chain. The value chain is all the activities an organization undertakes to create value for a customer. According to Porter, there are two ways to gain an edge over competitors. A firm must provide comparable but value but perform the activities on the chain at a lower cost, or; Perform services in a unique way

“Competitive Advantage introduces the concept of the value chain, a general Framework for thinking strategically about the activities involved in any business and assessing their relative cost and role in differentiation”. Michael Porter, (1985).

Effective value chain as a competitive advantage can contribute significantly to the prosperity of a firm in the competitive arena, but it can cause dire situations if not operated properly (Guy, 2011). However, there are conflicts among companies as to how stakeholders think they gain competitive advantage. Porter (1996) suggests: A company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference that it can preserve. It must deliver greater value to customers or create comparable value at lower cost or do both.

The value chain is one of the critical elements of a company’s strategy in today’s competitive world, because company’s profit depends on how the successful and efficient it runs its operations and how the end product appeals to the customers at a price that covers all the expenses of the company.

Costco is among the leading global retailers which provide customers a wide range of merchandise, ranging from small to well-known brands. The company began operations in 1983. Over the years, Costco has been a retailer in low cost membership-only leader, in warehouse club of merchandise. Moreover, Costco does not offer frills warehouse business models as its competitors do.  Costco’s major competitors are BJ’s Wholesale Club and Sam Club (Costco, 2010).

The value chain is one of the critical elements of a company’s strategy in today’s competitive world, because company’s profit depends on how the successful and efficient it runs its operations and how the end product appeals to the customers at a price that covers all the expenses of the company.

The basic principle in defining the value chain, according to Michael Porter (Porter, 1985), is that the activities include a variety of disaggregations from the below three perspectives. First, they have different economics, implying that these activities are functioning in different segments of the market. Second, even though the economics differentiation is not that evident, isolated activities should have a potential impact for it. Third, value-adding activities have significant input scale.

In order to analyse the various types of activities which would help in the creation of competitive advantage he use of Porter’s Value Chain Analysis are done. The value chain analysis will help in order to perform two main activities such as primary & support activities. The primary activities in the value chain analysis takes into consideration inbound and outbound logistics, marketing and sales & after sales service. Whereas the support activities takes into consideration, procurement of raw materials, use of up to date technology, infrastructure of the firm & managing the resources. Both the activities in the value chain analysis are interlinked to one another. It shall be taken into consideration that, technology has been referred to

Large business organisations constitute not only a single strategic business unit, but a culmination of several business units. The business units which may number anywhere from 4 to as many as 20 or more cannot be considered as a single, separate and disparate entity. Rather the business units are attached to each other like a string completing a full circle, where each complements the predecessor and the successor. The breakdown of any one entity in the chain can have a telling effect on the whole chain itself. Now depending on the type of sector chosen the units in the business chain vary in number and complexity. For example unlike a software company the units/ operational units in company which deals with products/goods are much larger in number. As explained in the previous lines the units in operation are linked and performance of one affects the performance of the other units linked to that unit. Value chain management comes in this picture.

For supporting activities, Porter’s Value Chain includes four aspects that contribute to the internal analysis of the company. Procurement, otherwise known as purchasing, includes sourcing raw materials from wholesalers and suppliers, with whom we have long-term strategic relationships. We also source recycled material to create biodegradable containers and spray bottles, as a part of our commitment to the environment. Human resource management consists of a high level of commitment to ethical and diverse hiring practices, effective staff training and cross-training programs to allow for internal growth. It is imperative that HR practices are developed with consideration for the organization’s strategic goals, especially because it has the ability increase our success in attracting and retaining talent that may help us succeed.

The value chain analysis (shown in appendix) was also generated by Michael Porter. This model is referred to “identifying ways to increase the efficiency of the chain” (Investopedia, n.d.). Furthermore, the overall objective is to produce maximum value with minimum total cost and establish a competitive advantage.

In recent years several frameworks have been developed for analyzing product markets and competitive advantages of companies. Many academic authors have tried to explain what gives competitive advantage in certain industries and how companies inside these industries should restructure in order to achieve greater profitability. This essay is firstly going to discuss the advantages of Porter Value Chain concept and its similarities to the Commodity Chain frameworks developed by Gereffi. Secondly the essay will contrast their concepts with the sector matrix frame work of Froud and

Porter’s Value chain model has clearly influenced the understanding of how the management system works. But in spite of the importance of the value chain model very less is known about the determinants of failure or success through these techniques.

Within technology and the value system, this called for an emphasis on media relations to disseminate information to the local community and its leaders. Solid communication practices, i.e. strategic communications, was of the utmost importance to gain the respect and acceptance of the population.