Critically Evaluate the Approaches of Michael Porter and Gary Hamel to the Paradox of Markets and Resources. Give Examples of How Changing World and/or Organisational Circumstances Affect a Strategic Leader’s Choice Between These Approaches.

Porter, M. E. (1985). The competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance. NY: Free Press

This article presents is a critical analysis of the article “Strategy as Revolution” published by Gary Hamel (1996) in Harvard Business Review. The article clarifies the position of the article within the wider debate about the processes of strategy and highlights the main strengths and weaknesses associated with the article.

Argyres, N. & McGahan, M. A., 2002. Introduction: Michael Porter's "Competitive Strategy". The Academy of Management executive, 16(2), pp. 41-42.

Competitive strategy, after Porter, came to be defined as the strategy of a business unit which seeks to achieve sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA). The literature on strategy deems the market-based view (MBV) and the resource –based view (RBV) as two approaches to giving businesses the competitive edge they need to compete in their industries. Aside from having competitive advantage as their ultimate goal, the two approaches are also similar in the sense that they both make use of particular tools and models in their undertakings. They also differ in numerous ways,

Porter (1980) created a model which considers five important forces (Porters five forces) which aims to establish a profitable and sustainable position against the forces that determine industry competition, therefore position themselves within it and differentiating themselves where necessary in order to strategically gain a competitive advantage - this model gives vision of: Threat of new entrants, Threat of substitute products or services, Bargaining power of customers , Bargaining power of suppliers and Intensity of competitive rivalry (Porter 1980). Using models and academic theory like this allows strategy to be formed through a rational and an analytical process. Chandlers (1962) cited in (Lomash 2003) suggests the analytical process is about the determination of long-term clear goals, adopting actions to achieve these goals and then building the resources within the organization around this strategy in order to ensure it succeeds. Johnson (2005), likewise, simply suggested a three step approach to strategy - analysis, choice and implementation which goes hand-in-hand with intended strategy.

“Porter’s five forces”: Introduction. “Porter’s five forces” is widely applied in today’s business world. Harvard Professor Michael E. Porter’s first HBR article “How competitive forces shape strategy” was published in 1979. It became revolutionary in the field of strategy. Porter’s subsequent work has brought big changes to the study of competitive strategy for corporations, regions, and nations. With assistance from his colleagues from Harvard Business School, Porter continues to update and extend his classic work, providing practical guidance for

I am going the review the Article "The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy" written by Micheal E. Porter. This article was published in Harvard business Review in year 2008.

Strategy can be defined as being different from one’s competitors, finding the race to operate and accomplished it. According to Michael Porter (1996), while becoming better at what you do is desirable, it will not benefit you in the long run because it is something other competitors can also do. Strategies for organizations are originally developed by Michael E. Porter in 1979 by introducing the five forces model. A company can identify the industry profitability and attractiveness by analyzing the five forces of Porter (Johnson et al., 2008). And then a reasonable strategy can be set up in line with the strengths and the weakness of an organization is able to create a plan for a stronger position for the organization within its

A unique cost cutting policy would be the main core competence of Ryanair. It refuses to provide any meal vouchers or hotel accommodation for flights which are delayed or cancelled for reasons beyong Ryanair’s control in order to reduce the operating cost. (Ryanair, 2011) Meanwhile, Ryanair is using LFA business model to design the size of its

“Competitive strategy involves positioning a business to maximize the value of the capabilities that distinguish it from its competitor’s” (Porter 1980:47). A successful business plan requires first and foremost the formation of an appropriate strategy. Through the implementation of a suitable strategy, the company is able to obtain its own industry niche and gain an understanding of its customers (Porter 1985). Whichever strategy is adopted it must be adequately integrated within the firms goals and missions to achieve a competitive advantage (Parker and Helms 1992).

Michael E. Porter, associate professor published the article titled “How Competitive Forces shape Strategy” in Harvard Business Review in 1979. This article is retitled as “The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy” and published in Harvard Business Review in 2008. Michael E. Porter developed the model of Five Competitive Forces which is defined as “Competitive Strategy – Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors”. It has become a main device for analyzing an organizations structure in strategic practices.

Ancient Egyptian culture is focalized around religion and century old tradition. Religion was integrated into every aspect of life, and played a role in nearly every decision a person would make. This is most evident in the customs surrounding burials, which the Egyptians took very seriously. The process following a death was a long and arduous one, with the mummification process itself traditionally spanning over a time of seventy days. Following this, the specificities of each burial would depend on one’s social standing and wealth. Though, generally the tomb would be beautifully decorated with hieroglyphs and paintings of the process of entrance into the Field of Reeds where one would live as they had in life, regardless of the status of the deceased. The body itself would often be decorated as well once the mummification process had been finished. The linen-wrapped body would be covered, either entirely or with pieces of cartonnage. This feature of the funerary practices of the Ancient Egyptians is the focal point of the following analysis; holding far more significance than it may appear to at first glance. Cartonnage held a significant amount of value to the deceased, bearing inscriptions of the spells and protective renderings of the many deities and symbols that would herald the ka, or soul, safely into the afterlife.

The strategic plan of Ryanair has been to establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares airline.” Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies.” (www.ryanair.com)

In today economics condition, customers are more prefer to buy products or services at lower price but good quality. Therefore, the suitable business level strategy that can be offer by a company such Ryanair Holdings is a low cost business level strategy if it want to reduce number of competitors or no competitors. Low cost business level strategy is a strategy in which a company offers a product or services at lower price in the market to attract customers to buy its products or services. Therefore, Ryanair Holdings need to reduce it cost of operations in order to offer a lower price of services. It is one of the generic marketing strategies that can be adopted by any company. In our opinion, low cost business level strategy can make Ryanair

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.