Blue Ocean Strategy Criticism

With ________ as a target market strategy, the firm concentrates on serving many needs of a particular customer group.

Some of our data are presented in the exhibit “A Snapshot of Blue Ocean Creation.” It shows an overview of key blue ocean creations in three industries that closely touch people’s lives: auto----how people get to work; computers----what people use at work; and movie theaters---- where people go after work for enjoyment. We found that: Blue oceans are not about technology innovation; Incumbents often create blue oceans-----and usually within their core business; Company and industry are the wrong units of analysis; Creating blue oceans builds brands.

However, this approach is limited. Due to globalization, lowering cost of production and availability of information, the competition is more fierce some than ever in most industries, putting more pressure on companies and shrinking their profit margins. In this competition race, products and services

Most of the business follows the strategies invented by Michael Porter. Product differentiation is one of

According The Wall Street Journal” … Cirque du Soleil, the Canadian company that redefined the dynamics of a declining circus industry in the 1980s. Under conventional strategy analysis, the circus industry was a loser. Star performers had “supplier power” over the company. Alternative forms of entertainment, from sporting events to home entertainment systems, were relatively inexpensive and on the rise. Moreover, animal rights groups were putting increased pressure on circuses for their treatment of animals.” (Murray, 2014) A new era was created transforming the concept of what is a circus today. As the Wall Street Journal described, “Cirque du Soleil eliminated the animals and reduced the importance of individual stars. It created a new form of entertainment that combined dance, music and athletic skill to appeal to an upscale adult audience that had abandoned the traditional circus. (Murray, 2014)

As number of firms in the industry keeps increasing, greater competition force firms to earn more market share, innovate substitutes, produce differentiate products and be cost leadership to keep or improve their position in the industry. For example, some of the products of Billabong and Quiksilver are similar, consumer will choose to buy the one with lower price if they have similar function, or buy the one with higher price if the product is different from others. Thus, a firm could run well if it has different products and lower cost compared with rivals.

Michael Porter investigated why nations have a competitive advantage in specific industries his findings saw two basic types of competitive advantage that firms could pose low cost or differentiation. If you combine the two types of competitive advantage and allow room for a way in which firm wish to achieve them this will lead to three generic strategies which will achieve higher average performances in industries: cost leadership, differentiation and focus.

In business marketing, market segmentation and targeting specific markets aids organizations by reducing the risks involved in decisions of how, where, when, and with whom the brand, product, or service will be advertised, directed, or promoted to. Positioning the product or service to the accurate target while controlling the marketing budget are tactics used by marketing professionals to assure reaching the largest target group and controlling costs (Boundless, 2014). Attracting the right customer is the ultimate objective of targeting specific markets by directing the research and efforts in a manner

There are two schools of thought pertaining to how firms should choose the competitive strategy that best suits them. One is of the opinion that firms should choose one of the generic strategies and commit all resources to making it work. Porter belongs to this category. They believe that the value chain necessary for cost leadership is quite different from that of differentiation strategy and that while differentiation deals with better quality, cost leadership deals with lowering costs wherever possible.(DESS and DAVIES 1984) What porter articulated here is that there is need for strategic clarity.

This is done by creating a leap in value both for the buyers as well as for the organization thereby creating a new and uncontested market space. Companies left out in the red ocean usually follow a conventional approach, running to beat competition by creating a defensible position in the current market space order.

I have done research on Mr Price clothing stores as a division and I will use the Blue Ocean strategy namely, a swot analysis, porter five force model, integration of sales and other costs, the attached newspaper article as well as a quantitative risk assessment. It is through these factors in which I will assess their already existing strategic plan and to think creatively to draft a viable strategic plan for the company’s future and to also give recommendations on how to improve.

become more competitive in the world market, they need to harness creativity and channel it to remain

First of all, Porter's Generic Strategy is defined as increasing market share, revenues and profits in order to overcome new markets to ensure survival. According to Martin (2014), the purpose of a business strategy is to be a drive force of the business; not a disposable or a weekend practice. A business needs to increase its’ sales if wants to “win” the benefit of other businesses, therefore it has chances to take customers away from competitors. In short, Porter’s Generic Strategy can be used in any type of businesses, no matter is profitable business or non-profit business. Its’ principle still remain universal. Porter's Generic Strategy is formed by cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Each strategy has different way to success. First of all, cost leadership strategy is a broad segment that a firm attempt to create low cost structures in order to be a price competitive. Secondly, differentiation strategy is a broad segment that a firm attempt to differentiate its’ offering quality or valuable products features. Thirdly, focus strategy is a narrow segment that a firm attempt to target a specific niche market to develop a competitive

Companies live and breathe innovation; or, at the terribly least, notice it basic to their success. Such companies are those that others ought to emulate for they recognize that to do business, as Peter Drucker prompt in an exceedingly recent Harvard Business review article, “Every firm—not simply businesses—needs one core competence: innovation.”

There are some tool produce to help implement blue ocean strategy. The Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create (ERRC) Grid is the matrix that help execute blue ocean strategy with the four action framework: eliminating, reducing, aising and creating. ERRC Grid help company to remain on their competitive factors. Eliminating and reduce the factor that the transitional industry take it for granted can help the new strategy to remain unique from the transitional market. Nevertheless, raising and creating some unique competitive factor the transitional market never or seldom offered that is above the industry standard. With all these “Four Actions Framework” the company can escape the transitional red ocean market by activate a new blue ocean market and create a new value curve. (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005)