2.3 Inter-Industry Analysis – Porter’s Five Forces
The Strategic fit approach to management, describes that the prospect of profitability depends largely on the firm positioning itself in an “attractive industry” the attractiveness and therefore profitability is said to depend upon how competitive the industry is, “a highly competitive industry is less attractive and less profitable than an industry where the competition is less intense.” (www.netmba.com) According to Porter’s Five Forces Framework “attractiveness and profitability depends upon five elements of industry structure and how they interact determining the intensity of the competition within the industry” (Michael Porter, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for analysing industries and competitors). Included in this chapter is an explanation of the Five Forces and how they each affect Eurocity.
2.3.1 Rivalry amongst existing firms
Porter described that intense industrial rivalry can lead to higher costs; lower prices and therefore lower profitability. As there are a large number of competitors with little ability to differentiate their product, the market can be seen as very competitive and therefore unattractive. However, there are some compensating factors; such as, an applicant must give his permission to companies who wish to submit their CV and in return the applicant has to confirm that no other company will submit them for the position. This means that applicants should not be submitted by numerous
As relevant to these competitive forces, the common and mutual goal of companies can be explained as better profitability with a greater market share against their rivals. Therefore, implementing Michael Porter’s Five Forces can help the companies determine the issues that may impact the company’s profitability in the long term.
Porter’s model aims to enable managers not only to understand their industry environment but also to shape their firm’s strategy. The five competitive forces are threat of entry, power of suppliers, power of buyers, threat of substitutes, and rivalry among existing competitors. “As a rule of thumb, the stronger the five forces, the lower the industry’s profit potential- making the industry less attractive to competitors. The weaker the five forces, the greater the industry’s profit potential – making the industry more attractive” (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 65). It is recommended that managers position their company in an industry in such a way that relaxes the constraints of strong forces and
The lower the firm's ability to influence the market, the more competitive the industry is considered. In the limiting case where the degree of
Strategy formulation has been acknowledged as one of the most crucial factors of ensuring the long-term growth of the business. However, the manner in which strategy is formulated, and most importantly, the nature of the strategy chosen for the company determines its future position in the marketplace (Grant, 2005).
3.1.10. Management and Leadership ................................................................................. 8 Context Analysis ............................................................................................................ 8 Competitors and Industry Analysis .............................................................................. 11 Key Competitors ................................................................................................... 13 Market segmentation and target market group ..................................................... 16 Customer Analysis ....................................................................................................... 14 Collaborators ................................................................................................................ 17
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.
This article has started revolutionary thinking about what are the different forces in addition to direct competitors that affect competitive strategy of an organization and how better understanding of industry structure and these forces, also known as " Porter 's Five Forces", derive organization 's strategy to achieve sustainability and higher profitability. Author has explained the other factors that contribute for industry structure like industry growth rate, technology and innovation, external factors, government & regulations and complementary products and services. Industry structure changes while responding to changes in competitive forces. Author also discussed the framework to perform industry analysis and avoid common pitfall while conducting analysis. In this review I will summarize five competitive forces explained by Micheal E. Porter and their implication on organization 's strategy. Further, I will discuss the relevancy of Porter 's five forces framework in current scenario.
Competitive advantage is explained by Mahoney and Pandian (1992) as the function of industry analysis, organizational governance and the firm’s effects in the form of resource advantages and strategies. In order for a firm to be competitive it must adapt to the volatile business environment and through strategic management decisions establish a competitive advantage that will ultimately produce superior performance relative to its competitors (Akimova 2000).
Porter’s Five Force Model is invaluable in analyzing the competitive strengths of an industry. Below is the diagrammatic representation of the model for better understanding.
This article summarizes the key ideas and gives an overview of how this concepts works. Describes, how this five competitive forces shape every organization and every market. Summarizes how these forces will define the power of profitability, competitiveness, and attractiveness of the industry. Depending on the facts which is derived from the five forces analysis, the management of organizations will decide how to effect or abuse specific features of their industries.
A company that pursues and achieves strategic outcomes that boost its competitiveness and strength in the marketplace is in much better position to improve its future financial performance.
In his article “The five competitive forces that shape strategy“, Michael Porter (2008) updates and extends his “five forces” framework he first introduced in 1979 and which has influenced the academic and business research for decades. He reaffirms that “THREAT OF ENTRY”, “THE POWER OF SUPPLIERS”, “THE POWER OF BUYERS”, THE THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES”, and “RIVALRY AMONG EXISTING COMPETITORS” are the forces that shape every single industry, and a thorough understanding of such forces help analyze everything from the intensity of competition to the profitability and attractiveness of any industry. The framework has two dimensions; the vertical dimension that connects
Are the forces at work in industry a given from a firm’s point of view?
Competitive advantage is viewed as a explanation of a firm success and long-term survival. With knowing the firm and competitiors, competitive advantage can be established by delivering more value to the customers in a more efficient manner (Day and Wensley 1988; Porter 1985). However, to a competitive advantage, the firm should focusing on the customers needs instead of their internal operations (Czepiel 1992; Zeithaml 1988).