5 The Chapter Five Generic Title Competitive Strategies

5 The. Chapter Five Generic Title Competitive Strategies 16/e PPT Mc. Graw-Hill/Irwin Screen graphics created by: Jana F. Kuzmicki, Ph. D. Troy University-Florida Region Copyright © 2008 by The Mc. Graw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing to perform activities differently or to perform different activities than rivals to deliver a unique mix of value. ” Michael E. Porter 5 -2

Chapter Roadmap u The Five Competitive Strategies u Low-Cost u Broad Provider Strategies Differentiation Strategies u Best-Cost u Focused Provider Strategies (or Market Niche) Strategies u The Contrasting Features of the Five Generic Competitive Strategies: A Summary 5 -3

Strategy and Competitive Advantage u Competitive advantage exists when a firm’s strategy gives it an edge in è Attracting customers and è Defending against competitive forces Key to Gaining a Competitive Advantage u Convince customers firm’s product / service offers superior value èA good product at a low price èA superior product worth paying more for èA best-value product 5 -4

What Is Competitive Strategy? u Deals exclusively with a company’s business plans to compete successfully è Specific efforts to please customers è Offensive and defensive moves to counter maneuvers of rivals è Responses è Initiatives u Narrower to prevailing market conditions to strengthen its market position in scope than business strategy 5 -5

Fig. 5. 1: The Five Generic Competitive Strategies 5 -6

Low-Cost Provider Strategies Keys to Success u Make achievement of meaningful lower costs than rivals theme of firm’s strategy u Include features and services in product offering that buyers consider essential u Find approaches to achieve a cost advantage in ways difficult for rivals to copy or match Low-cost leadership means low overall costs, not just low manufacturing or production costs! 5 -7

Translating a Low-Cost Advantage into Higher Profits: Two Options Option 1: Use lower-cost edge to under-price competitors and attract price-sensitive buyers in enough numbers to increase total profits Option 2: Maintain present price, be content with present market share, and use lower-cost edge to earn a higher profit margin on each unit sold, thereby increasing total profits 5 -8

Nucor Corporation’s Low-Cost Provider Strategy Eliminate some production processes from value chain used by traditional integrated steel mills; cut investment in facilities and equipment Strive hard for continuous improvement in the efficiency of its plants and frequently invest in state-of-the art equipment to reduce unit costs Carefully select plan sites to minimize inbound and outbound shipping costs and to take advantage of low rates for electricity Hire a nonunion workforce that uses team-based incentive compensation systems Heavily emphasize consistent product quality and maintain rigorous quality systems Minimize general and administrative expenses by maintaining a lean staff at corporate headquarters and allowing only 4 levels of management 5 -9

Approaches to Securing a Cost Advantage Approach 1 Do a better job than rivals of performing value chain activities efficiently and cost effectively Approach 2 Revamp value chain to bypass cost-producing activities that add little value from the buyer’s perspective Control costs! By-pass costs! 5 -10

Approach 1: Controlling the Cost Drivers u u u u u Capture scale economies; avoid scale diseconomies Capture learning and experience curve effects Control percentage of capacity utilization Pursue efforts to boost sales and spread costs such as R&D and advertising over more units Improve supply chain efficiency Substitute use of low-cost for high-cost raw materials Use online systems and sophisticated software to achieve operating efficiencies Adopt labor-saving operating methods Use bargaining power to gain concessions from suppliers Compare vertical integration vs. outsourcing 5 -11

Approach 2: Revamping the Value Chain u Use direct-to-end-user sales/marketing methods u Make greater use of online technology applications u Streamline operations by eliminating low-valueadded or unnecessary work steps u Relocate u Offer facilities closer to suppliers or customers basic, no-frills product/service u Offer a limited product/service as opposed to a full product/service line 5 -12

Wal-Mart’s Approach to Managing Its Value Chain Institute extensive information sharing with vendors via online systems Pursue global procurement of some items and centralize most purchasing activities Invest in state-of-the-art automation at its distribution centers Strive to optimize the product mix and achieve greater sales turnover Install security systems and store operating procedures that lower shrinkage rates Negotiate preferred real estate rental and leasing rates with real estate developers and owners of its store sites Manage and compensate its workforce in a manner to yield lower labor costs 5 -13

Keys to Success in Achieving Low-Cost Leadership u Scrutinize each cost-creating activity, identifying cost drivers u Use knowledge about cost drivers to manage costs of each activity down year after year u Find ways to restructure value chain to eliminate nonessential work steps and low-value activities u Work diligently to create cost-conscious corporate cultures u è Feature broad employee participation in continuous costimprovement efforts and limited perks for executives è Strive to operate with exceptionally small corporate staffs Aggressively pursue investments in resources and capabilities that promise to drive costs out of the business 5 -14

Characteristics of a Low-Cost Provider u Cost conscious corporate culture u Employee participation in cost-control efforts u Ongoing efforts to benchmark costs u Intensive scrutiny of budget requests u Programs promoting continuous cost improvement Successful low-cost producers champion frugality but wisely and aggressively invest in cost-saving improvements ! 5 -15

When Does a Low-Cost Strategy Work Best? u Price competition is vigorous u Product is standardized or readily available from many suppliers u There are few ways to achieve differentiation that have value to buyers u Most buyers use product in same ways u Buyers incur low switching costs u Buyers are large and have significant bargaining power u Industry newcomers use introductory low prices to attract buyers and build customer base 5 -16

Pitfalls of Low-Cost Strategies u Being u Low overly aggressive in cutting price cost methods are easily imitated by rivals u Becoming too fixated on reducing costs and ignoring è Buyer interest in additional features è Declining buyer sensitivity to price è Changes in how the product is used u Technological breakthroughs open up cost reductions for rivals 5 -17

Test Your Knowledge Striving to be the industry’s low-cost provider and achieving lower costs than rivals entails A. doing a better job than rivals of performing value chain activities more cost-effectively. B. having a smaller labor force than rivals, paying lower wages than rivals, locating all facilities in countries where labor costs are low, and outsourcing many value chain activities to suppliers with world-class technological capabilities. C. revamping the firm’s overall value chain to eliminate or bypass cost-producing activities that produce little value added insofar as customers are concerned. D. adopting activity-based costing, utilizing more best practices than rivals, and having a narrower product line than rivals. E. Both A and C. 5 -18

Differentiation Strategies Objective u Incorporate differentiating features that cause buyers to prefer firm’s product or service over brands of rivals Keys to Success u Find ways to differentiate that create value for buyers and are not easily matched or cheaply copied by rivals u Not spending more to achieve differentiation than the price premium that can be charged 5 -19

Benefits of Successful Differentiation A product / service with unique, appealing attributes allows a firm to è Command a premium price and/or è Increase unit sales and/or è Build brand loyalty Which hat is unique? = Competitive Advantage 5 -20

Types of Differentiation Themes u u u Unique taste – Dr. Pepper Multiple features – Microsoft Windows and Office Wide selection and one-stop shopping – Home Depot, Amazon. com Superior service -- Fed. Ex, Ritz-Carlton Spare parts availability – Caterpillar Engineering design and performance – Mercedes, BMW Prestige – Rolex Product reliability – Johnson & Johnson Quality manufacture – Karastan, Michelin, Toyota Technological leadership – 3 M Corporation Top-of-line image – Ralph Lauren, Starbucks, Chanel 5 -21

Sustaining Differentiation: Keys to Competitive Advantage u Most appealing approaches to differentiation è Those hardest for rivals to match or imitate è Those buyers will find most appealing u Best choices to gain a longer-lasting, more profitable competitive edge è New product innovation è Technical è Product superiority quality and reliability è Comprehensive è Unique customer service competitive capabilities 5 -22

Where to Find Differentiation Opportunities in the Value Chain u Purchasing u Product and procurement activities R&D and product design activities u Production process / technology-related activities u Manufacturing / production activities u Distribution-related u Marketing, Activities, Costs, & Margins of Suppliers activities sales, and customer service activities Internally Performed Activities, Costs, & Margins of Forward Channel Allies & Strategic Partners Buyer/User Value Chains 5 -23

How to Achieve a Differentiation-Based Advantage Approach 1 Incorporate product features/attributes that lower buyer’s overall costs of using product Approach 2 Incorporate features/attributes that raise the performance a buyer gets out of the product Approach 3 Incorporate features/attributes that enhance buyer satisfaction in non-economic or intangible ways Approach 4 Compete on the basis of superior capabilities 5 -24

Test Your Knowledge Which of the following is not one of the four basic routes to achieving a differentiation-based competitive advantage? A. Appealing to high-income buyers who are willing and able to pay a premium price for a high-performing, multi-featured product B. Incorporating features that raise product performance C. Incorporating product attributes and user features that lower the buyer’s overall costs of using the company’s product D. Delivering value to customers via competencies and competitive capabilities that rivals don’t have or can’t afford to match E. Incorporating features that enhance buyer satisfaction in intangible or non-economic ways 5 -25

Importance of Perceived Value u Buyers u Price seldom pay for value that is not perceived premium of a differentiation strategy reflects è Value actually delivered to the buyer and è Value perceived by the buyer u Actual and perceived value can differ when buyers are unable to assess their experience with a product 5 -26

Signaling Value as Well as Delivering Value u Incomplete knowledge of buyers causes them to judge value based on such signals as Price Attractive packaging Extensive ad campaigns Ad content and image Seller facilities or professionalism and personality of employees è Having a list of prestigious customers è è è u Signals of value may be as important as actual value when è è Nature of differentiation is hard to quantify Buyers are making first-time purchases Repurchase is infrequent Buyers are unsophisticated 5 -27

When Does a Differentiation Strategy Work Best? u There are many ways to differentiate a product that have value and please customers u Buyer needs and uses are diverse u Few rivals are following a similar differentiation approach u Technological change and product innovation are fast-paced 5 -28

Pitfalls of Differentiation Strategies u Appealing u Buyers product features are easily copied by rivals see little value in unique attributes of product u Overspending on efforts to differentiate the product offering, thus eroding profitability u Over-differentiating such that product features exceed buyers’ needs u Charging a price premium buyers perceive is too high u Not striving to open up meaningful gaps in quality, service, or performance features vis-à-vis rivals’ products 5 -29

For Discussion: Your Opinion A low-cost provider strategy can defeat a differentiation strategy when buyers are satisfied with a basic product and don’t think “extra” attributes are worth a higher price. True or false? Explain. 5 -30

Best-Cost Provider Strategies u Combine a strategic emphasis on low-cost with a strategic emphasis on differentiation è Make è Give an upscale product at a lower cost customers more value for the money Objectives u Deliver superior value by meeting or exceeding buyer expectations on product attributes and beating their price expectations u Be the low-cost provider of a product with good-toexcellent product attributes, then use cost advantage to underprice comparable brands 5 -31

Competitive Strength of a Best-Cost Provider Strategy u. A best-cost provider’s competitive advantage is based on its capability to include upscale attributes at a lower cost than rivals’ comparable products u To achieve competitive advantage, a company must be able to è Incorporate attractive features at a lower cost than rivals è Manufacture a good-to-excellent quality product at a lower cost than rivals è Develop a product that delivers good-to-excellent performance at a lower cost than rivals è Provide attractive customer service at a lower cost than rivals 5 -32

When Does a Best-Cost Provider Strategy Work Best? u Where buyer diversity makes product differentiation the norm and u Where many buyers are also sensitive to price and value 5 -33

Risk of a Best-Cost Provider Strategy u. A best-cost provider may get squeezed between strategies of firms using low-cost and differentiation strategies è Low-cost leaders may be able to siphon customers away with a lower price è High-end differentiators may be able to steal customers away with better product attributes 5 -34

Test Your Knowledge Which of the following are distinguishing features of a best-cost provider strategy (based on the comparisons of the five generic competitive strategies shown in Figure 5. 1)? A. The strategic target is price-conscious buyers B. A marketing emphasis on charging a slightly higher price than rival brands having comparable features and attributes C. A product line that stresses wide selection, many product variations, and emphasis on differentiating features D. A competitive advantage based on more value for the money E. Using constant product innovation, excellent R&D skills, and periodic technological breakthroughs to sustain the strategy 5 -35

Focus / Niche Strategies u Involve concentrated attention on a narrow piece of the total market Objective Serve niche buyers better than rivals Keys to Success u Choose a market niche where buyers have distinctive preferences, special requirements, or unique needs u Develop unique capabilities to serve needs of target buyer segment 5 -36

Approaches to Defining a Market Niche u Geographic uniqueness u Specialized requirements in using product/service u Special product attributes appealing only to niche buyers 5 -37

Examples of Focus Strategies u Animal Planet è Cable TV and History Channel u Google è Internet search engines u Porsche è Sports cars u Cannondale è Top-of-the line mountain bikes u Enterprise Rent-a-Car è Provides rental cars to repair garage customers u Bandag è Specialist in truck tire recapping 5 -38

Focus / Niche Strategies and Competitive Advantage Approach 1 u Achieve lower costs than rivals in serving a well-defined buyer segment – Focused low-cost strategy Approach 2 Which hat is unique? u Offer a product appealing to unique preferences of a well-defined buyer segment – Focused differentiation strategy 5 -39

What Makes a Niche Attractive for Focusing? u Big enough to be profitable and offers good growth potential u Not crucial to success of industry leaders u Costly or difficult for multi-segment competitors to meet specialized needs of niche members u Focuser has resources and capabilities to effectively serve an attractive niche u Few other rivals are specializing in same niche u Focuser can defend against challengers via superior ability to serve niche members 5 -40

Risks of a Focus Strategy u Competitors find effective ways to match a focuser’s capabilities in serving niche u Niche buyers’ preferences shift towards product attributes desired by majority of buyers – niche becomes part of overall market u Segment becomes so attractive it becomes crowded with rivals, causing segment profits to be splintered 5 -41

For Discussion: Your Opinion Which of the five generic competitive strategies do you think the following companies are employing: è The Saturn division of General Motors è Abercrombie & Fitch è Amazon. com è Avon Products 5 -42

Deciding Which Generic Competitive Strategy to Use u u u Each positions a company differently in its market and competitive environment Each establishes a central theme for how a company will endeavor to outcompete rivals Each creates some boundaries for maneuvering as market circumstances unfold Each points to different ways of experimenting with the basics of the strategy Each entails differences in product line, production emphasis, marketing emphasis, and means to sustain the strategy The big risk – Selecting a “stuck in the middle” strategy! This rarely produces a sustainable competitive advantage or a distinctive competitive position! 5 -43

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