Generic Strategy For Competitive Advantage

* Instructors with administrative rights must sign an agreement and are responsible for their own support.

Directions: Read the case study below and complete the questions at the end. You will form small groups in class to collaborate and produce your final answer.

Select one (1) project from the working or educational environment of your choice and specify the main work process (e.g., suppliers and customers involved, work flow, etc.) of the project that you have selected. Next, suggest at least two (2) actions that a manager can take in order to improve the work process of the project in question. Provide a

1) Complete summary of the case study that identifies the key problems and issues, provides background information, relevant facts, the solution employed, and the results achieved.

What are some drawbacks and risks to a broad generic business strategy? To a focused strategy?

This memo will discuss ways that technology can be used to improve this organization’s performance. Additionally, it will consider the optimal methods for expanding the business’s online presence to include online sales. This will include information on how to incorporate intelligent systems and security features to guarantee that customers’ interaction with the new system will be positive. This memo will also analyze this business’s current and anticipated technology and information systems and provide option for other technologies or information systems that will be beneficial for the company. In discussing these options, information will be included to show how the options will advance or improve the business and enhance our customers’ experience.

The three generic strategies were identified by Porter (1985), who argues that in order to sustain

In order for a business or corporation to grow and expand at a calculated pace, they must be able to strategize the proper business plan to get there. A strategy is a set of analytic techniques for understanding and influencing the firm 's position in the marketplace (Raimundo, 2001). Having a business

Compare and contrast the market-based approach and the resource-based view as approaches to competitive strategy. To what extent are they rival or complementary views?

To attain competitive gain, organisations can differentiate their merchandise and services from their competitors they can also choose to lower their costs in order to compete with other contenders. By aiming their produces to a wide-ranging target, they are essentially covering most of the marketplace or if they choose, they can decide to concentrate on a narrower target within the market (Lynch 2003). While doing so may reduce their market range it essentially reduces their other competitors. Porter stated that there are three generic strategies that an organisation can follow to achieve competitive gain over other organisations. These are:

Select five (5) and write a detailed explanation of how your use of these techniques could be applied in your personal and business life. b) For each of the five (5) chosen techniques, write and explain the result you would hope to achieve by use of that technique.

Fast, user-friendly online reservation system by facilitating e-ticketing and reducing staffing requirements at telephone reservation centers and airport counters. (Kuzmicki, 2009)

Option 2: maintain the present price, be content with the current market share, and use the lower-cost edge to earn higher profit margin on each unit sold 4. Concept & Connections 5.1, How Wal-Mart Managed Its Value Chain to Achieve a Huge Low-Cost advantage over Rival Supermarket Chains, describes Wal-Mart’s strategy for out-managing its rivals in efficiently performing various value chain activities to gain a lowcost leadership. A. Achieving Low-Cost Advantage 1. A low cost edge over rivals is best accomplished in two ways: a. performing essential value chain activities more cost-effectively than rivals, and

“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).

Organizations successful at strategy implementation effectively manage six key supporting factors :     1.  Action Planning