Competitive Analysis - General Dynamics

The after taking 25 years to develop the F22 Raptor from conception to operational certification the United States Air Force (USAF) produced the world’s first 5th Generation air superiority fighter. (site) This revolutionary fighter plane leveraged its very low observable stealth (VLO) and thrust-vectoring and digital fly by wire technology, to produce an extremely fast, agile and deadly air to air combatant. (GEO P 2) However, in 2009 Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, (SECDEF) convinced the President (POTUS) and Congress to truncate the F22 program, leaving the USAF with less than 187 operational F22 Raptors, this number was well short of the 381 the USAF estimated they needed to meet their mission requirements. (AWC 1/ site) Gates made his controversial decision based on three factors. This essay will explore these factors and explain how the 2009 U.S strategic environment, the overall cost of the F22 and Secretary Gates’ desire to change the Department of Defense (DOD) all lead to the decision to limit the production of the F22 Raptor at 187 aircraft.

The Aerospace and Defense (A&D) is a highly concentrated industry (Global Edge, n. d.). The market is largely dominated by a small number of large companies in the industry, which is a characteristic of an oligopolistic competition. The major players in the industry include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, (Choi, 2016). In oligopolistic market, companies make decisions based on their own actions as well as of others’ in mind (Johnson, 2014; Boundless, 2017). According Pettinger (2016), the key characteristics of oligopoly are

In assessing the market structure in which General Motors is operating in, I will outline the central assumptions and resulting implications of the oligopolistic market structure. I will study both the current competitive behavior of General Motors, as well as sales and cost statistics to determine whether they correspond to the characteristics of firms operating in an oligopoly. I will also examine the

With Trump’s persuading of congress to up the defense budget by $54 Billion, questions were raised on how it should be spent. When analyzing what gives America the biggest advantage over rivals, our nuclear weapons arsenal, cyber-security capabilities, and weapons technology prove miles ahead of

Former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter, in his article “Adapting to the Threat Dynamics of the 21st Century” states that the U.S. military needs to be well prepared for unannounced attacks from “terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and wherever else al-Qaeda and its associates appear.” China and other nation have higher advantages in many key manufacturing areas than U.S. the military needs to have abundant funds, trained soldiers, invest in the air and sea mobility assets, and updated technologies. Winter acknowledges that a temporary reduction in some key manufacturing areas could cause the U.S. industrial stupendous harm. “It is the matter of ensuring the survival of America and the free world.”

The realistic comparison that connects to monopolistic and oligopolistic structure of defense contractors resulting in reason for shutdown for cost efficient purposes rather than competition (Hayden et al., 2010). This cost efficient purpose then turns to intergroup relations between Congress, the President and the leading large-scale power-bloc defense contractors while during government shutdown continued to run while other DOD agencies suffered from furlough (Brass, 2014; Hayden et al., 2010; McPhail, 1991; Sy (2013). In perspective, the top five defense contractors awarded DOD contracts for year 2007 were Lockheed Martin Corporation - $27B, Boeing Company - $22B, Northrop Grumman - $14B, General Dynamics - $14B, and Raytheon - $11B respectfully (Hayden et al., 2010). Based on McPhail (1991), individual-group discontinuity is explicit contrast between intergroup relations, where Brass (2014) and Sy (2013) debated on intergroup relations distinction between government shutdown and debt limit impasse. According to Brass (2014), government shutdown is the lack of group performance, intergroup relations, and communication

Observers do not need to look far for the signs of a military-industrial complex that has become too powerful and involved in politics. The Army has repeatedly attempted to halt the production and spending on new tanks. The Air Force has spent almost $400 billion on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, nearly double the initial estimate. If the relationship between civilian and military leaders is to be mended, leadership decisions must not be influenced by the military-industrial

Here’s a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals at Amalie Arena on Wednesday.

General Dynamics, a Fortune 100 company has been serving the U.S. government for more than 50 years. As information technology (IT) has transformed the way the U.S. military fights and wins wars and so too has General Dynamics by becoming one of top five market leaders in U.S. to provide mission critical information systems and technologies. (General Dynamics History) General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) has become the largest and fastest growing segment in General Dynamics. GDIT provides information technology (IT) systems engineering, professional services and simulation and training to agencies across the U.S. government and to allied nations around the world. In 2005, General Dynamics Corp agreed to by Anteon International Corp for about $2.1 billion to expand its technology services to the U.S. government and military. (Rigby) A year after the agreement, General Dynamics Network Systems acquired Anteon, a leading IT services company that provided government customers with the systems integration, strategy and program management, systems engineering, operations services and simulation and training solutions necessary to manage the development and operations of mission critical systems. General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employ approximately 96,000 people worldwide to include San Diego branch. (General Dynamics.com)

General Dynamics is a Fortune 100 company. For more than 50 years, they have been serving the United States government by providing the Department of Defense tanks, ships, and submarines. (http://www.gdit.com/About-Us/History/, 2011, p. 1) With the progression of technology, General Dynamics has development into the market leader in mission-critical information systems. Between 1999 and present day, General Dynamic acquired Communication Systems, Electronic Systems, and Worldwide Telecommunication Systems. The largest and fastest growing division of General Dynamics is the companies Information Systems and Technology group.

One of the most notable outcomes of the competition between Ford and General Motors has been their control of the global automobiles industry. Both companies enjoy have many clients within the United States of America and other parts of the world. This would not have been the case had the two companies not been in direct competition with each other. Whenever Ford introduces a new model in the market, General Motors is always quick to do the same (Ford 14). Similarly, the development of a new model by the latter company serves as a lead for Ford Motor Company to introduce a new brand. This neck-to-neck tussle for the American and global market for automobiles has positively affected the exceptional success of both companies. In most cases, companies tend to view competition with a perception that is more or less negative.

|the industry and its challenges it is important to understand its various phases of growth so far. |

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has a huge amount of experience and technology in targeting and

To design the successful operation of a business, identifying revenue sources, customer base, products, and details of financing are important. This is only when a reliable model can be proposed. This model was proposed as an improvement upon the existing highly competitive model, taking into consideration the results of the situational analysis.

The Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) is a tool that compares the firm and its rivals and reveals their relative strengths and weaknesses (Competitive Profile Matrix, 2013, October 29). These factors are influenced by external and internal challenges. The illustrated CPM below compares Domino’s Pizza with two of its top competitors, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s. The results of the CPM give Domino’s Pizza a 3.3, which is above average in its respective industry. The firm also has high market share. There is an opportunity to improve areas of product expansion and effective advertising. A strong social media presence will also help increase brand loyalty and give the firm the competitive advantage.