Assessing a Company’s Industry and Competitive Environment: The Seven Key Questions to Answer What are the industry’s business and economic traits? What are the nature and strength of competitive forces? What forces are driving industry change? What market positions do industry rivals occupy? What strategic moves are rivals likely to make next? What are the key factors of competitive success? Does the industry outlook offer good prospects for profitability?

1. Identifying the Industry’s Dominant Economic Features Market size and growth rate Number of rivals Scope of competitive rivalry Pace of technological change Degree of vertical integration Need for economies of scale Learning and experience curve effects

2. Porter’s Five Forces Model of Competition

When Is the Bargaining Power of Buyers Stronger ? Buyers are large and can demand concessions Buyer switching costs for substitutes are low The number of buyers is small Buyer demand is weak or declining Buyers are well-informed about sellers’ products, prices, and costs Buyers threaten to integrate backward

When Is the Competition From Substitutes Stronger ? There are many good substitutes that are readily available Substitutes are attractively priced Substitutes have comparable or better quality and performance End-users have low switching costs

When Is the Bargaining Power of Suppliers Stronger ? Industry members incur high switching costs Needed inputs are in short supply Supplier provides a differentiated input that enhances the quality or performance of sellers’ products There are only a few suppliers of a specific input Some suppliers threaten to integrate forward

When Is the Threat of Entry Stronger ? Industry growth is rapid and profit potential is high Incumbents are unwilling or unable to contest a newcomer’s entry efforts The pool of entry candidates is large Entry barriers are low

What Causes Rivalry to Be Stronger ? Competing sellers regularly launch fresh actions to boost market standing Declining demand or slow market growth The products or services offered by rivals are standardized or weakly differentiated One or more industry rivals becomes dissatisfied with their market standing

What Causes Rivalry to Be Stronger ? Number of rivals increases Buyer costs to switch brands are low Industry conditions tempt rivals use price cuts or other competitive weapons to boost volume Outsiders have recently acquired weak firms in the industry and are trying to turn them into major market contenders

When the Five Competitive Forces Result in Attractive Market Conditions An industry’s competitive environment tends to be attractive from a profit-making standpoint when Rivalry is moderate Entry barriers are high and no firm is likely to enter Good substitutes do not exist Suppliers and customers are in a weak bargaining position thereby producing competitive pressures that are very weak!

When the Five Competitive Forces Result in Unattractive Market Conditions An industry’s competitive environment tends to be unattractive from a profit-making standpoint when Rivalry is strong Entry barriers are low and new competitors are likely to enter Good substitutes exist Suppliers and customers are in a strong bargaining position thereby producing competitive pressures that are very intense or fierce!

3. Analyzing Driving Forces Identify forces likely to reshape industry competitive conditions Changes likely to take place within next 1 – 3 years Usually no more than 3 - 4 factors qualify as real drivers of change

Analyzing Driving Forces Assess impact of driving forces on industry attractiveness Are the driving forces causing demand for product to increase or decrease? Are the driving forces acting to make competition more or less intense? Will the driving forces lead to higher or lower industry profitability? Determine what strategy changes are needed to prepare for impact of driving forces

External Environmental Factors Shaping A Company’s Choice of Strategy

Basic Driving Forces Economic Conditions Technological change Demographics Legislation and regulation Social Values and Lifestyles

4. Identifying the Market Positions of Rivals: Strategic Group Maps

What Can Be Learned from Strategic Group Maps Driving forces and competitive pressures often favor some strategic groups and hurt others Competitive pressures may cause the profit potential of different strategic groups to vary Identification of competitive “white spaces” or “blue ocean” opportunities

5. Predicting the Next Strategic Moves Rivals Are Likely to Make Profiling key rivals involves gathering competitive intelligence about Thinking and leadership styles of top executives Identifying trends in the timing of new product launches and marketing promotions Considering which rivals have the motivation and capability to make major strategy changes

6. Pinpointing the Key Factors for Competitive Success Key Success Factors (or KSFs) are competitive factors most affecting every industry member’s ability to prosper. KSFs include: Specific product attributes Necessary resources, competencies, and capabilities Specific intangible assets Competitive capabilities

Three Questions to Ask in Identifying Industry Key Success Factors On what basis do buyers choose between brands? What resources are needed to compete successfully? What shortcomings are almost certain to put a company at a competitive disadvantage?

Example: KSFs for the Beer Industry Full utilization of brewing capacity -- to keep manufacturing costs low Strong network of wholesale distributors -- to gain access to retail outlets Clever advertising -- to induce beer drinkers to buy a particular brand

Example: KSFs for Apparel Manufacturing Industry Appealing designs and color combinations -- to create buyer appeal Low-cost manufacturing efficiency -- to keep selling prices competitive

Example: KSFs for Tin and Aluminum Can Industry Locating plants close to end-use customers -- to keep costs of shipping empty cans low Ability to market plant output within economical shipping distances

7. Deciding Whether the Industry Presents an Attractive Opportunity Involves assessing whether the industry and competitive environment is attractive or unattractive for earning good profits Draws upon all the previous analysis The industry’s growth potential The intensity of competition Whether the impacts of the driving forces are positive or negative The company’s competitive position in the industry relative to rivals How well the company performs the industry’s key success factors