VISION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING: Issue #0

Competitive Strategy: Techniques For Analyzing Industries And Competitors

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What forces drive competition in an industry? What moves will competitors make? How will one's industry evolve? How do strategic planners respond to competitive actions? How can a firm be best positioned to compete in the long run? Michael Porter's "Competitive Strategy" is the definitive work on the subject of "competitive strategy," the hottest new concept in American business today. The book addresses major questions of vital concern to managers, and presents a comprehensive group of analytical techniques for understanding a business and the behavior of its competitors. Step-by-step, Porter provides the techniques and tools managers need to successfully conduct an industry and competitor analysis. Just a few examples: The fundamental factors determining the nature of competition in a business. The three generic competitive strategies for coping with industry structure: cost leadership, differentiation, and "focus." How to recognize and act on "market signals" from competitors. Forecasting how the structure of an industry will evolve. The costs, risks, and returns of a "preemptive" strategy. Competing effectively in an emerging industry. Selecting new industries to enter. Beginning with a comprehensive group of tools and techniques for analyzing any industry and any array of competitors, the book moves on to examine competitive strategies for fragmented industries, emerging industries, maturing industries, declining industry.