Executive Summary
Recognising the various sources of sustainable competitive advantage is an important area of study. This report reminds all managers of the importance and value of research. Managers should value timely information and act on such information. Experience and assumptions are not enough. Managers need to gather as much intelligence as possible to ensure that they make the most efficient, effective and productive decisions for their organisation.
This report provides an analysis and evaluation of how research can help Lufthansa Technik Malta achieve and sustain competitive advantage. This report also investigates how competitive advantage affects organisational performance. Lufthansa Technik Malta must progress with the marketplace, and the only way of doing so is by having a continuous flow of information and intelligence. This can only be provided by research. It is therefore concluded that research can help Lufthansa Technik Malta maintain and improve the business. Introduction
Several companies strive for a competitive advantage, but very few understand what it is, how to achieve it and how to actually sustain it.
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Business market research is the process of collecting data to determine whether the service will satisfy the needs of customers. With effective market research, Lufthansa Technik Malta can gain invaluable information about the marketing, the competitors, the customers, and economic changes. Market research will enable the company make informed choices, thus helping to develop a successful marketing strategy. It is used to identify and define market targets, opportunities and problems. It generates well founded marketing objectives. Market research assists in the formulation of marketing strategies and evaluates the success of these marketing
Marketing research is very important component of a business used to identify and define the opportunities and problems that they will encounter on the market. The aim
Market research is a vital process in starting up a business or organizations. The key word in that phrase is “Research”. Gathering information, analyzing each information, adjusting to negative feedback and implementing everything that was gathered will lead companies in to a positive path of success. Investopdia has defined Market Research as “The process of assessing the viability of a new product or service through techniques such as surveys, product testing and focus groups”. Introducing focus groups and product testing to the up and coming product can provide a real time person interaction with their personal feelings about the product. Investopedia also explains that “Market research allows a company to discover who their target market
Competitive advantage exists when a firm has strategy, product or an attribute that makes the firm capable of delivering similar benefit to that of competitors at a cheaper cost. Having competitive advantage is not enough the company should be capable of sustaining that particular competitive advantage for a longer period of time.
Before launching or expanding a business venture, there needs to be an understanding of the industry, its competitors, and its customers. Market research is vital in assisting companies in the decision-making process and their marketing direction. Data from marketing research is important because it provides companies with ways to identify opportunities, identify market potential, minimize chances of loss, devise effective marketing strategies, gauge customer satisfaction, and serve as an evaluation tool.
Marketing research is the method/methods that connect the clients, buyers and users to the marketer through data found from research to find and outline marketing opportunities and dilemmas. The general aim of marketing research is to recognize and evaluate how altering the marketing mix which is comprised of 4 features: product, price, promotion and place, influences customer behaviour.
Market research is utilized by companies to make the right decisions when it comes to
As we have learned in this program, innovation gives organizations a competitive advantage. Organizations that don’t move along with innovation and stay stagnant will perish, in the long run. According to Robert M. Grant’s Contemporary Strategy Analysis book, “competitive advantage is not only innovation in technology but also strategic innovation such as developing new approaches to doing business, creating value for customers from novel products, experiences, or modes of product delivery.” An example of this kind of innovation is Ikea and its new system of supplying customers that has reconfigured its entire value chain.
Secondly, the author highlights the way how business entities can achieve sustainable competitive edge through improving strategic planning practices in a fundamental manner. It has to be acknowledged that one and half decade has passed since the publication of the article and the principles outlined in the article are not revolutionary by today’s standards, however, there are solid reasons to believe that the article has contributed to the emergence of companies with revolutionary approach to business.
Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & Strickland III, A. (2012). Crafting and executing strategy the quest for competitive advantage concepts
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,
Through an internal environment analysis, companies can identify and understand their own unique resources, capabilities, and competencies that are required for their sustainable competitive advantage. Resources, capabilities, and core competencies are the foundation of competitive advantage. There is no competitive advantages are permanently sustainable in any companies, so they have to consist on their current advantages and develop new advantages by internally understanding and analyzing their resources and capabilities. Competitors have their own unique resources, capabilities, and core competencies to create values for their customers. Both tangible and intangible resources, which include individual, social and organizational phenomena, are combined to generate capabilities. In turn, company’s capabilities are used to build core competencies. Also, core competencies are as a source of competitive advantage for a company to win in the competitive market.
Competitive advantage(CA) is an advantage competitors gain by providing or offering customers or consumers greater value for their money through product and service differentiation or through lower prices. Maintaining competitive advantage is crucial to many businesses or organizations' success in order to survive in the market. Competitive advantage is characterized by superior performance which could be an attribute to outperform the competitors whether current or potential; or gaining a higher market share in a particular industry thereby ensuring market leadership; or ultimately, maximization of profit.(JOBBER 2010)
Marketing research is to help the company to analyze detailed information about their customers in order to know their market need, size and competition. Through marketing research, companies can analyze the change in the market, customer behavior, buying pattern, the company’s preference, customer satisfaction, and sales trend. The reasons that a company needs to do a marketing research are to develop a new product or to improve the produce. As we as this, companies can use it design their new advertising and promotion. Accurate research is
“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).
A company achieves sustainable competitive advantage when an attractive number of buyers prefer its products or services over the offerings of competitors and when the basis for this preference is durable.