Hypercompetition Essay

588 Words3 Pages
“Hypercompetition is considered to be a major feature in some developed markets. Explain this concept with examples, and discuss possible strategic responses”. Answer: According to Witch & Chau (2010:105,318), hypercompetition is “a dynamic state of constant disequilibrium and change in the industry”. In other words, hypercompetition is the unstable of the industry (shortage/surplus). Hypercompetition forcus on 4 areas, which are: Cost and Quality (C-Q), Timing and Know-how (T-K), Strongholds (S) and deep pockets (D). So, hypercompetition is the result from a dynamics of strategic maneuvering amongst many competitors. It is the condition of rapid escalation of competition based on the price-quality positioning. D’Aveni argues that in some developed market, competitive advantage often is not stable and rivals move on so quick those competitors can react right away. For example in 1975, Datril launched a product at a much lower price than Tylenol and captured 50% share in test markets. Tylenol responded aggressively by reducing its own price and launching its first ad campaign, because Tylenol could sustain lower prices due to scale economies. While Datril ended up with less than 1% of the marketshare, Tylenol gave up a lot in profits. To escape price wars, companies try to occupy different locations on the price—quality axis, using micro-marketing, offering mass customization and shifting strategies based on the industry trends, for example the luxury car segment has moved from a redefine-perceived quality approach of product offering to fuel efficiency during the energy crisis, safety and comfort, 24-hour road-side assistance, micro-marketing and mass customization. The problem with all of these strategies is that they are highly imitable. Another example is when Virgin group enter new traditional market, they provided new value in products and services

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