Michael Porters Five Forces

2202 Words9 Pages
STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY School of Management & Commerce Planning Model - Analyzing Competitive Industry Structure using Michael Porter’s Five Industry Forces Group members * Ekirapa Peter * Githiri Leah * Kinuthia Ann * Mugo, Cedric * Gichuki, Catherine * Muritu Miriam Presented to: Mrs. Stella Nyongesa Date: 16th August 2011 According to Michael Porter, an industry is not static but is prone to changes. Porter set out to define these changes as influenced by five forces. These forces are interdependent and cause an industry to become dynamic. According to his book, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, these forces determine the intensity of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. The objective of corporate strategy should be to modify these competitive forces in a way that improves the position of the organization. Porter’s model supports analysis of the driving forces in an industry. Based on the information derived from the Five Forces Analysis, management can decide how to influence or to exploit particular characteristics of their industry. These are: * Rivalry * New entrants * Buyers * Suppliers * Substitute products They can be presented in a diagrammatical model as follows: 1. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Rivalries naturally develop between companies in the same market. For this reason, competitors seek to gain competitive advantage through advertising, introducing new products and offering attractive customer service. This is limited where: the industry is growing slowly; the competitors are equally balanced; high fixed costs and a lack of product differentiation among others. The pursuit of competitive advantage results in frequent price wars, advertising battles and new product introductions
Open Document