Five Competitive Forces

I recently purchased a MacBook Air to replace a Dell Inspiron laptop that failed miserably. The move from a PC to a Mac was primarily the result of mouth-to-mouth marketing on a social media network. New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof lamented on his Facebook page that his laptop PC the one that is used to convey Kristof's fascinating column and blog written during his travels was showing substantive signs of wear and he put the question to his readers: What type of computer should he consider as a replacement? The timing was perfect: after two trips to the Geek Squad, I was in the market for a new laptop. I had not yet begun to check out advertisements online. Reading Kristof's column, I was impressed by two things: (1) The quotidian rigors to which investigative journalist exposes his computer is impressive. (2) Hands down, the other journalists from all over the globe who responded to Kristof's inquiry recommended a Mac Air. This personal experience highlighted for me some basic principles about competitive advantage that I applied to the strategy simulation game.

Porter has identified five (5) competitive forces that shape every industry and every market. The forces determine the intensity of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. Based on the information derived from this analysis, management can decide how to influence or to exploit particular characteristics of this industry.

Managers generally consider the rivalry among competitors as a major source for deriving strategy. As explained by the Michael Porter it is a narrow view of competition. A set of other parameters should be evaluated, mentioned in article as five competitive forces, along with industry

As we discussed in class, every business is faced with these issues and they are important to managers making strategic decisions. One of the first things learned about business is that if there is no demand for a good or service, the firm that provides it will not continue to exist. Over time the hotel industry has continued to change with market conditions and make itself attractive to business

The hotel industry is a very hard industry to enter into, due to one of the biggest obstacles, which is brand recognition. Right now there are a few large hotel chains that make a large footprint in the market. It is hard for a new entrant to come into the industry and compete with these large hotel chains without bringing something new to the table. Many large chains in the industry dominate the industry due to economies of scale due to franchising.

Hilton Hotels is one of the biggest players in the US lodging industry. It contributes to about 9% of the total rooms in US lodging market. It has presence in over 78 countries with more than 2500 hotels. Lodging industry is highly capital intensive industry, so to reduce capital expenditure Hilton Hotels opted for self-owned Hotels as well as franchising model with the real estate owners. One of the key features of lodging industry is low switching costs for customers. There is very little margin to differentiate from the major competitors in the industry which include Marriott international, IHG, Accor etc.

In the article, “The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy,” Michael Porter argues that the five forces are an important element for managers and investors in the business industry. Porter stated that it is important to “understand the competitive forces, and their underlying causes” which many companies will use to determine if they will gain profit or not (Porter 80). Companies determine their profitability of the industry through the level of the force that they face. For instance, when the forces are favorable, most companies will be profitable. Porter gives a detail description of the five forces and explains the importance of each force. The five forces are the threats of new entrants, the power of the buyers, the power of the suppliers, the threats of substitute for products or services, and the rivalry among existing competitors. Porter believes that “a company strategist who understands the competition extends well beyond existing rivals will detect wider competitive threats and be better equipped to address them” (Porter 93). In other words, when strategists understand the different forces it will benefit them to make better decisions and to be ready to face the different challenges between competitors. In the article, Porter’s main goal is to present the importance of the five forces to the audience.

There are 12 leading hotel chains which have various branches within those chains. Each accommodate different numbers of guests and different types of guests. Before 2008 there had been massive expansion in preparation for a large upturn in the industry however when the expansions were finished the market was in withdrawal leading to the largest downturn in the lodging industry. The major economic characteristics influencing the lodging industry have to do with business meetings and conference related travel taking 40% of the business in the whole industry of 2010. The hotel industry is dominated

Intercontinental Hotels Group – It is British company and the most profitable among the four industry leaders. It owns, manages, leases and franchises approximately 3,741 hotels in approximately 100 countries as of 2006. It ranks number one in gross margins (54%), operating margins (24.7%) and earnings per share ($2.10) even if it’s smallest in the strategic group. It appears to be the cost leader among the big four companies in the industry.

The threat of new entrants refers to the threat posed by new competitors within an industry. If it is easy for new firms to enter the industry barriers to entry are low and the threat of new entrants is high. A profitable industry attracts more competitors. Economies of scale, learning curve effects and other macro factors impact the nature of an industry 's

In this section we look at who are our competitors in the same industry and how can we gain the large portion of the market share and profits. However, if the level of competition becomes too high it can ultimately lead to a decrease in profits. There has been an increase in the amount of competitors on the tourism industry over the last 10 years, with the introduction of online sales and new airlines. For the tourism industry the level of competition can be quite high as

 In general, manager’s look at competition has been too narrow. There is a broad set of competitors that need to be looked at, which are described in “The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy” by Michael E. Porter. The model explains that there are several other forces in the competition for profits that the strategist should be aware of when forming a stagey. Those forces determine the profitability of the industry and are the most important to look at when you are forming a strategy. These five forces are are the “industry structure” model which contain: New Entrants, Suppliers, Buyers, Substitutes, and Existing Competitors.

The following report was derived from the primary use of secondary sources, in addition to telephone contact with hotel representatives. Secondary sources included research from the Internet, industry books, company marketing communications, trade and general business newspapers and magazines, among others. Through all the sources, relevant data and information was extracted into the report's appendices. After individual analysis and group discussion, the following report was devised. The mandate of this report is to provide a macro examination of the luxury hotel industry and specifically the future outlook of Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, Inc.

Having just analyzed the general environment surrounding the upscale and luxury hotel industry, the next step in determining whether such an industry is attractive or not is to conduct an in depth external analysis of the threats and opportunities facing the industry. Thanks to the help of Michael Porter and his Five Forces Model, this analysis is not nearly as difficult or as time consuming as it may seem. According to Porter, there are five forces which determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. These forces include the threat of entry, the threat of rivalry, the threat of substitutes, the threat of buyers,

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.