Managing Global Competitive Dynamics

The three main competitive strategies are cost leadership, differentiation, and price strategy. Cost leadership focuses on acquiring raw material of the highest quality at the lowest price. In return this company can lower production cost with the goal of being the company with the lowest production cost in the industry. Differentiation strategies allow companies to make their products stand out from the others. Differentiation can be actual or perceived. Actual differentiation occurs when the company creates products that are not available elsewhere. Perceived differentiation takes a lot of marketing and advertisement to convince the consumer that this company’s product is superior. Price strategy includes a variety of strategies that cause a particular product to be marketed at the lowest price possible. Price strategy includes skimming where companies set a high initial price only to turn around and lower it. Bundle pricing occurs when several products are offered for one price. Promotional pricing allows other incentives to buy such as buy one get one half off. Using the pricing strategies causes many consumers to actually purchase more believing that they are receiving a “deal” while the company is still profiting. Competitive strategies are always used by companies and are often used together. Companies that understand how to combine competitive strategies fare much

3. Describe at least 3 nonprice competition strategies a company could use to convince customers that its product is better than other similar products. Why would those strategies matter to customers? (1-6 sentences. 3.0 points)

Conditions have changed. Global trade has rapidly increased in both volume and value, reaching nowadays more than $4 trillion in 1997 (Daniels J.D., Radebaugh, 1998, pg. 529). Competition is fierce from all corners of the world. Failure at the global level can backfire and may consume existing brands and business relationships. At the same time, global opportunities have emerged that offer possibilities for growth, profit, and an improvement in worldwide standards of living.

The competition among rivals is very high due to price and non-price factors. Companies try to attract customers to their products by introducing

Due to globalization and this fast-growing business environment, firms struggle to earn above-average returns. They strive to establish a competitive advantage in order to earn higher returns. It is not enough for firms to establish a competitive advantage, they should also figure out ways to sustain it. There are several factors that can affect the competitiveness of a firm including customers, suppliers, existing rivals, new entrants, and substitutes. Firms should take into account these factors in order to sustain their competitive advantage. This paper analyzes Yoffie 's (2009) Cola War case, assesses concentrate producers, bottlers, and retailers in terms of Porter’s (2008) five forces of competition and provides recommendations to Coca-Cola.

The monopolistic rivalry business structure incorporates numerous organizations offering somewhat separated items. There is a simple passage into the business sector by new firms over the long haul, and the organizations are sufficiently extensive to impact the aggregate supply. There are likewise various measurements of rivalry, including dissemination outlets, promoting, and item characteristics. The peripheral expense will be not exactly the cost at its benefit amplifying yield level. As indicated by the content, a monopolistic contender can't make long-run benefit (Colander, 2013).

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are the leading competitors in the market for cola products. In 1960 Coca-Cola introduced Sprite, which today is the worldwide leader in the lemon-lime soft drink market and ranks fourth among all soft drinks worldwide. Prior to 1999, PepsiCo did not have a product that competed directly against Sprite and had to decide whether to introduce such a soft drink. By not introducing a lemon-lime soft drink, PepsiCo would continue to earn a $200 million profit, and Coca-Cola would continue to earn a $300 million profit. Suppose that by introducing a new lemon-lime soft drink, one of two possible strategies could be pursued: (1) PepsiCo could trigger a price war with Coca-Cola in both the lemon-lime and cola markets, or (2) Coca-Cola could acquiesce and each firm maintain its current 50/50 split of the cola market and split the lemon-lime market 30/70 (PepsiCo/Coca-Cola). If PepsiCo introduced a lemon-lime soft drink and a price war resulted, both companies would earn profits of $100 million. Alternatively, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo would earn $275 million and $227 million, respectively, if PepsiCo introduced a lemon-lime soft drink and Coca-Cola acquiesced and split the markets as listed above. If you were a manager at PepsiCo, would you try to convince your colleagues that introducing the new soft drink is the most profitable strategy? Why or why not? Can you draw any general conclusions from this case study? (75

Success in world competition turns on efficiency in production, distribution, marketing, and management, and inevitably becomes focused on price. The most effective world competitors incorporate superior quality and reliability into their cost structures. They sell in all national markets the same kind of products sold at home or in their largest export market. They compete on the basis of appropriate value- the best combinations of price, quality, reliability, and delivery for products that are globally identical with respect to design, function, and even fashion. If a company forces costs and prices down, and pushes quality and reliability up, while maintaining reasonable concern for suitability, customers will prefer its world-standardized products. The global competitor will seek constantly to standardize his offering everywhere. The strategy of standardization not only responds to the worldwide homogenized markets but also expands those markets with aggressive low pricing.

Competition is a good thing for many reasons, it guarantees the best products at the

There are three basic methods to competing with other companies in the foreign market: exporting, licensing, and investment. Each one of these methods has their own pros and cons. Exporting works best if it is a physical good, licensing is better for intangible items, and investment is more beneficial if it involves transferring an entire enterprise to another country. If these methods are used correctly, competition between foreign competitors decreases because of the level of business that we as a country, draw in.

Primary Competitors’ Business Level and Corporate Level Strategy .................................................................................17   How Competitors Achieve Their Strategic Position ...........................................................................................................18   Value – Cost Profile

However, this approach is limited. Due to globalization, lowering cost of production and availability of information, the competition is more fierce some than ever in most industries, putting more pressure on companies and shrinking their profit margins. In this competition race, products and services

When they didn’t, the airline retaliated by offering deep cuts in fares on several routes flown by its competitors. Northwest airline responded with a $198 round-trip fares with connections on routes for which American airline’s average fare was $1,600. American’s response was to offer $99 one way fairs in 10 markets flown by each of the other competitors except that of Continental Airlines which had followed and matched the leader’s (American Airline) original changes in all markets. With respect to the concept of strategic behavior exhibited by firms in an oligopolistic setting, some firms may try to achieve a dominant strategy that yields them better results and do not flip-flop, no matter what strategies other industry participant follow. This was illustrated in the case, when, in 2004, Continental Airlines raised its fares to mitigate rising cost of aviation fuel. Firms in an oligopoly may differ in terms of their cost structure and the airline industry is no exception and participants do exhibit strategies that enable them not to follow price increases driven by aviation fuel cost.

However, lowering the price decreases the overall profit of the market thus, non-price competition is most important win-win strategy for all the firm. As the game, does not allow us to make product differentiation, the other method that can increase the sales are advertising, product development and E-commerce enhancement. If these expenditures are below market average level, the firm can lose the market share.

1. Brief description of the context and of the decision which has to be made.