Competitive Strategy
In a free economy, a multitude of firms compete for the business of the same customer segment. Therefore, if a firm is to succeed in attracting and retaining the maximum number of customers from the targeted segment, it must develop and successfully execute a strategy that has a distinct competitive advantage over its rivals. Thus, a competitive strategy is defined as a plan that attempts to define a position for the business, which utilizes the competitive advantages that the business has over its competitors (American Marketing Association, 2004).

Of course, it is important for any competitive strategy to focus on competitive advantages, which can offer customers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing a greater benefit or service that justifies a higher price. In other words, it is key that a competitive strategy is consumer centric. Developing a competitive strategy, therefore, involves closely analyzing the competitive…...

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Works Cited

American Marketing Association. "Competitive Strategy." Dictionary of Marketing Terms.

Accessed July 6, 2004: http://www.marketingpower.com/live/mg-dictionary-view667.php

Nickols, F. "Competitive Strategy: The Basics a la Michael Porter." Accessed July 6, 2004:

http://home.att.net/~nickols/competitive_strategy_basics.htm

Companies that do not make such a choice run the risk of being caught in the middle. They may be good at everything, but excel at nothing. In business, however, success comes from developing competitive advantage, in particular sustainable competitive advantage. Firms therefore should focus their limited resources on excellence in one particular area, and be the best in the industry in that area.
In Porter's generic strategies, a firm that is neither a cost leader nor adequately differentiated will be beaten by other firms on both counts. By falling in the middle, the firm essentially condemns itself to failure by virtue of having no source of competitive advantage -- nothing compelling to offer the consumer.

In that respect, Porter agrees completely with Treacy and eiresma. Their value disciplines also speak directly to what a firm can potential offer to customers, or from where they can derive a competitive advantage. Treacy…...

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Works Cited:

No author. (2007). Porter's Generic Strategies. QuickMBA.com Retrieved April 4, 2009 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml 

No author. (2009). Value Disciplines Model. Value-Based Management.net. Retrieved April 4, 2009 from  http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_valuedisciplines.html

Cost leadership

Attracting more customers and gaining financial advantage over the competition as profits would increase

4

Forces the company to drastically reduce costs, meaning that product quality could suffer demises

-4

0

6.

Focus strategy

Can achieve either of cost advantage or differentiation

4

Addresses a niche market

-4

0

7.

Differentiation strategy

Product uniqueness which allows for the charging of a premium price to cover for the additionally incurred expenditure

5

Additional costs which will reduce overall financial gains (they will however be recuperated from the premium price)

2

3

7. Description of the Selected Strategy

Based on the analysis conducted at the previous stage, it becomes obvious that the most adequate course of action at this stage is that of implementing differentiation strategies. These actions basically translate into the promotion of new products onto existent markets, meaning that Porter's differentiation strategy is the analogue of Ansoff's product development strategy. The table above even reveals that both these strategies have received the highest scores, meaning that they are the…...

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References:

Kotelnikov, V., Differentiation Strategy -- How to Survive in the Era of Hypercompetition, 1000 Ventures,   last accessed on July 2, 2009http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/differentiation_strategy.html 

Kowalski, M., August 14, 2007, Chocolate Prices On the Rise, Business Week,   accessed on July 2, 2009http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2007/gb20070814_776262.htmlast 

Rupani, S., August 31, 2007, The Sweet Business of Gourmet Chocolate, Business Week,   last accessed on July 2, 2009http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/aug2007/db20070829_846210.htm 

2009, Euphoria Chocolate Company, Hoovers,   -- /free-co-competition.xhtml last accessed on July 2, 2009http://hoovers.com/euphoria-chocolate/--ID__122582,FRIC__ 

Competitor Analysis and Competitive Strategy
The competitor analysis for the Kia-Motors has been conducted in order to analyze and identify the key factors related to the strengths and weaknesses of its competitors i.e. Toyota and Dacia Automobiles. The competitive strategies are being suggested for Kia-Motors in order to grow its business in Turkey and attract customers and carry out production processes in ways that ensures the profitability and competitive advantage in the long run.

Kia Motors

Analysis of Competitors

Toyota

Suggested Competitive Strategy

Automobile Dacia

Suggested Competitive Strategy

Kia Motors

Kia-Motors with the sales of 2.75 million in the year 2013 is 33.88% owned by the Hyundai Motors and is known widely for its product Kia-Optima and Cadenza. The company possesses strong market position with respect to the quality that it has been providing to its customers. The company has followed the competitive strategy for pricing at which product quality is ensured with the competitive price and the company…...

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REFERENCES

Bondoc, M.D., & Banuta, M. (2007). Changes in the Romanian automotive parts sector in the context of globalization.

Coman, A., & Ronen, B. (2009).Focused SWOT: diagnosing critical strengths and weaknesses.International Journal of Production Research, 47(20), 5677-5689.

Drummond, G., & Ensor, J. (2006).Introduction to marketing concepts.Routledge.

D'Silva, D.A., & Patil, A.S. (2008). Lean Manufacturing.

Kraft Foods' Competitive Strategy
Kraft Foods is a one of North America's largest packaged food companies. To reach its current competitive position the organization is changed to great deal of the last decade, with increased focus on the core products, and the sale or spin-off of the non-core divisions, for example the sale of the frozen pizza division 2010 to Nestle, and in 2012 the demerger of Mondel-z International (Kraft Foods, 2014). This has left the company with a high level of focus in selected product categories and North American markets. The shift in the company's focus has impacted on the way in which they compete, but despite this change narrowing of focus, the organization still be seen as one which serves the mass market, with some type of Kraft Food product 90% of all households in the United States, 99% of all households in Canada (Kraft Foods, 2014).

2.

Competitive Strategy

Examining…...

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References

CSI Market, (2014), Kraft Foods, accessed at  http://csimarket.com/stocks/competitionSEG2.php?code=KRFT 

Kotler Philip; Keller Kevin, (2011), Marketing Management, Prentice Hall

Kraft Foods (2014), Home Page, accessed at  http://www.kraftfoodsgroup.com 

Kraft Foods, (2014) 10=k, accessed at http://ir.kraftfoodsgroup.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1545158-14-3&CIK=1545158

Mission and Vision Statements and the Company's Strategic Direction
Mission/Vision/Strategic Dissection

esearch the challenges the organization is facing consider the objectives the organization has established for revitalization;

Evaluate the mission and vision statements to determine whether these statements align with the objectives of the organization (this requires research to identify new objectives);

Mission Statement & Vision Characteristics

Comparison Article & Mission Statement

Mission Statement Critique

Quality products & services

Broad in scope

Increased differentiation through marketing portals

Great value for customers

Are dynamic in orientation

Provided where & when customers want products & services

Finely balanced between specificity & generality

This objective is achieved

Build positive, lasting relationships with customers

Arouse positive feelings & emotions

Shop Your Way and FitStudio

Be a preferred & trusted resource for products & services

Generate the impression that the firm is successful, has direction, and is worthy of time, support, and investment

Genius Award and online successes promote the desirable image for Sears

Enhance customers' home & family life

Provide criteria for selecting strategies

Sears Holdings…...

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References

Characteristics of the Mission Statement. Retrieved from  http://www.zainbooks.com/books/management/strategic-management_6_characteristics-of-a-mission-statement.html 

Gutman, B. (2012, May 18). Sears explains its success in content marketing. Forbes. Retrieved from  http://www.forbes.com/sites/marketshare/2012/05/18/sears-explains-their-success-in-content-marketing/ 

Sears Holdings Corporation. (2015, February 26). Awards and Recognitions. Retrieved from  http://searsholdings.com/about/recognition/ 

Sears Holdings Corporation. (2015, February 26). Sears Holdings Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2014 Results. Investor Information. Retrieved from  http://www.searsholdings.com/invest/

That is not so much a contradiction of the research but a limitation of it in terms of applicability to practitioners running small manufacturing companies.
Critique of Environmental Scanning: Frequency and Scope

Beal (2000) bases his methodology for assessing environmental scanning on twenty eight specific items that CEOs of 101 small manufacturing companies responded to as part of the research effort, and later analyzed them using factor analysis. Using Varimax rotation in factor analysis to explain variances across the results, company's management capabilities and resources (.824) and company's financial capabilities and resources (.811) were found to be the greatest two factors across all twenty-eight measured in terms of explaining variations in environmental scanning resulting impact on related environment/competitive strategy alignment. Scanning multiple situations or events occurring in an environmental sector will be positively related to environment-competitive strategy alignment, which is the second hypothesis of the research project (H2) looks at the…...

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References

Beal, R (2000).Competing effectively: Environmental scanning, competitive strategy, and organizational performance in small manufacturing firms. Journal of Small Business Management. 1, 27-476.

International usiness
Competitive strategy is the bedrock on which companies base business decisions to reach their targets and achieve profitability. Formulating and implementing strategies in international business is much more complicated and difficult task than doing so in home or familiar markets. Competitive strategy deals with the development of abilities by a firm to keep ahead of competitors in the fields in which it operates. Firms develop competitive edge in global markets by possessing certain assets, abilities or characteristics. The primary elements of competitive advantage are the critical offer, the significant operating factors and the firm's strategic resources. (ennett and lythe, 2002) Corporate strategies and international marketing strategies are linked closely and have a bearing on business performance. (rown, 1994)

While some companies focus on a single source of competitive advantage, it is common for many firms to opt for a combination of options to be flexible and attain the best position…...

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Bibliography

Ahlberg, J; Garemo, N; Naucler, T. (1999) 'The Euro: How to keep your Prices Up and your Competitors Down', The Mclliney Quarterly, Volume: 2

Bennett, R. (1996) 'Relationship formation and governance in consumer markets: Transactional analysis vs. The behaviorist approach', Journal of Marketing Management, Volume: 12; No: 6

Bennett, R. (1999) 'International Business Frameworks', Second Edition, London: Financial Times/Pitman

Bennett, R and Blythe, J. (2002) 'International Marketing: Strategic Planning, Market Entry and Implementation', London: Kogan Page

, 2008).
Examining U.S. Airways it is apparent that the organization does not have superior profits to other airlines; the 10-k for 2012 showed a net profit of 4.61% to 2012, while the firm has a better profit margin compared to some other airlines, it is lower than some other airlines, including American Airlines and Southwest (Yahoo Finance, 2013). As it is not have a superior profit margin the company is not a firm with a cost advantage. Therefore, this leaves the competitive advantage of differentiation.

Examining the organization in order to identify ways in which the service is different from competitors indicates that the service levels in the firm are not a source of differentiation. In 2007 in a consumer report U.S. Airways was ranked as being the worst for the customer service that was provided, where it gained only 5/30 marks of food, 10/30 marks the comfort and 10/30 marks…...

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References

Baye Michael, (2007), Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Mintzberg Henry, Ahlstrand Bruce, Lampel Joseph B. (2008), Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management, Financial Times / Prentice Hall

US Airways, (2013) 10-k, [online] retrieved 11 March 2013 from  http://www.usairways.com/en-U.S./aboutus/investorrelations/secfilings.html 

Yahoo Finance, (2013), U.S. Airways, [online] retrieved 11 March 2013 from  http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=LCC&x=52&y=18

DYNOMITE Haircuts Stage
This case study concerns the needs and objectives of a particular business known as Dynomite Haircuts. Dynomite Haircuts first opened in a college town where it was the only business of its kind in a 10-mile radius. This was ideal as it allowed the company to establish roots, gain a solid reputation and client base and begin to expand in a marked and concerted manner. Now there is a much higher level of competition which has developed over time in this area. In spite of this increased competition, the business is still performing well. However, it could be performing even better: it could still reach a higher level of competition and effectiveness necessary to bring in a higher level of revenue. The areas that need to be improved are: scheduling, supply ordering, inventory management, collecting customer information and marketing. Once these areas are improved, and these obstacles are…...

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References

Ehmke, C. (2014). Strategies for Competitive Advantage . Retrieved from arizona.edu:  http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/wemc/nichemarkets/05competitiveadvantage.pdf 

Mindtools.com. (2014). Porter's Five Forces. Retrieved from mindtools.com:  http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_08.htm 

Porter, M. (2008). Competitive Strategy. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Product Returns is a third process area that Imperial Tobacco has to contend with, specifically from its distributors and channel partners. Typically Tobacco products are returned if a specific lot of tobacco or packaging has been found to be defective. There have at times been product recalls as defined by governments. A third reason for product returns is when a product has been discontinued and Imperial is not willing to pay price protection to cover the distribution partners' inventory carrying costs until they are sold. The Product Returns process begins with the issuance of a Return Material Authorization (RMA) that specifically states how much of a given product is being returned and for what reason.

The RMA is then sent to the distributor who then ships back the tobacco products to Imperial. Once the products have arrived back at the company, if they are defective, they are sent to Quality Assurance…...

Five Forces
The concept of the five forces is rooted in the idea that these are the five forces that influence whether an industry or company can be profitable. A company, when formulating its strategy, will seek to find ways to shift these forces and manipulate them in ways that allow the company to be profitable, preferably sustainably profitable. As Porter (2008) elaborates, the five forces that shape competitive strategy are the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes and the intensity of rivalry within the industry.

About the Company

The company to which the five forces will be applied is Tesla Motors, the electric car maker. Tesla is a relatively new player in the industry, has a tremendous reputation with respect to product quality, but has yet to turn a profit, has a tremendous bleed rate, but it also cannot produce…...

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References

Bershidsky, L. (2016). Millennials are buying cars after all. Bloomberg. Retrieved May 14, 2016 from  http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-01-04/millennials-are-buying-cars-after-all 

Hard, A. (2016). Apple car rumor roundup: Here's everything you need to know about Project Titan. Digital Trends. Retrieved May 14, 2016 from  http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/apple-car-news/ 

MSN Moneycentral: Tesla Motors. Retrieved May 14, 2016 from  http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/stockdetails/financials/fi-126.1.TSLA.NAS?ocid=qbeb 

Porter, M. (2008). The five forces that shape competitive strategy. Harvard Business Review. January 2008, 79-93.

Strategy Development
A directional strategy is a strategy to take the organization in a specific direction. For example Pepsi bought a ussian diary as part of its strategy to create a $20 billion nutrition business. This is not related to market conditions as such, just a focus on growing an area of business. In contrast, an adaptive strategy is one where the company needs a strategy to adjust to some sort of change in the marketplace. An example of this would be an old-school grocery store adding more organic foods to its shelves in response to that market trend.

A market entry strategy is a strategy used to enter a market. There are several of these: exporting, licensing, joint venture, and direct investment (QuickMBA, 2010). These work for entering new domestic markets as well. New products or changes to existing products would also qualify, perhaps, as entering a new market. All strategy…...

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References

QuickMBA. (2010). Foreign market entry modes. QuickMBA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/global/marketentry/ 

QuickMBA. (2010). Porter's generic strategies. QuickMBA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014 from  http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml

Competitive Market Analysis to Determine the Product's Potential Success
Issues that the automobile industry faces that affect its competitiveness and long-term profitability

The relevance of a competitive strategy for Car Company A is to establish a position within the 4-cylinder engine car market. This will help the company to compete with Toyota Corolla (LE) 1.8L four-cylinder engine competitive forces. As a potential entrant, Car Company A is at a disadvantage in capital markets. Unless it penetrates the Cylinder engine market through diversification, its four-cylinder car will be at an inherently riskier position than the established (LE) 1.8L four cylinder engine of Toyota (Maxton & Wormald, 2013). This will be reflected in the risk premiums Car Company A will be forced to pay to attract capital.

Car Company A will face barriers because other players like Toyota enjoy economies of scale in the industry. This means a decline in a product's unit costs leads…...

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Reference

Maxton, G. & Wormald, J. (2013). Time for a model change: Re-engineering the global automobile industry. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press

2. Is it ethical to send an attractive employee to a bar to "hang out" with a competitive employee in the hopes of getting information? Again, this is quite dependent upon the situation. If one "assigns" the attractive employee to participate in espionage as part of their job duty, and it is fully disclosed, then it is not necessarily unethical -- any more than sending someone to shop for a brand of beer at a bar in order to get others to purchase, etc. If the competitive employee gives information, then the ethical onus is on them, their agreement and their conscience. Now, that said, this assumes the attractive employee is only there to "hang out." if, however, it goes further than that, and sexual favors are offered for information, or blatant lies are told (not simply by omission, but by direction), then the behavior is unethical because it has…...

Here are some potential essay topics on corporate level strategies of Nestle:

1. Analyze and evaluate Nestle's diversification strategy. How has Nestle expanded its product portfolio over the years and how has this contributed to its overall growth and success?

2. Assess Nestle's international expansion strategies. How has Nestle entered new markets and expanded its global presence? What challenges has the company faced in pursuing a global strategy?

3. Examine Nestle's strategic alliances and partnerships. How has Nestle collaborated with other companies to strengthen its competitive position and drive growth? What benefits has Nestle derived from these strategic alliances?

4. Investigate Nestle's sustainability and....

1. Corporate Level Strategy
2. Business Level Strategy
3. Functional Level Strategy

4. Competitive Strategy
5. International Strategy
6. Cooperative Strategy

Competitive Strategy focuses on how a business can gain a competitive advantage in the market. This involves analyzing the competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and developing strategies to outperform rivals.

International Strategy involves expanding a business beyond domestic markets. This can include exporting products or services, setting up international operations, or forming partnerships with foreign companies.

Cooperative Strategy involves collaborations and partnerships with other organizations to achieve mutual goals. This could include joint ventures, strategic alliances, or licensing agreements.

By understanding and implementing these various levels of business....

1. Business Profitability: The Role of Cost Analysis

2. Revenue Optimization and Profit Enhancement

3. Profitability Impact of Capital Budgeting and Investment Decisions

4. Cash Flow Management: A Key Determinant of Profitability

Introduction

In the ever-changing business landscape, organizations must continuously adapt and evolve their strategies to maintain their competitiveness and achieve long-term success. Developing an effective organizational strategy is crucial for guiding decision-making, aligning resources, and ensuring that the organization achieves its desired outcomes. This literature review explores the key elements that are pivotal in developing an effective organizational strategy.

Environmental Analysis

A thorough understanding of the external environment is essential for crafting an effective strategy. Porter's Five Forces analysis (1980) provides a systematic framework for examining the industry dynamics, including the threat of new entrants, bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, intensity of....