Strategic Management Concepts: A

Competitive Advantage Approach,

Concepts and Cases
Seventeenth Edition

Chapter 5

Strategies in Action

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Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
5.1 Identify and discuss five characteristics and ten benefits
of clear objectives.
5.2 Define and give an example of eleven types of
strategies.
5.3 Identify and discuss the three types of “Integration
Strategies.”
5.4 Give specific guidelines when market penetration,
market development, and product development are
especially effective strategies.
5.5 Explain when diversification is an effective business
strategy.

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Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
5.6 List guidelines for when retrenchment, divestiture, and
liquidation are especially effective strategies.
5.7 Identify and discuss Porter’s five generic strategies.
5.8 Compare (a) cooperation among competitors, (b) joint
venture and partnering, and (c) merger/acquisition as
key means for achieving strategies.
5.9 Discuss tactics to facilitate strategies, such as (a) being
a first mover, (b) outsourcing, and (c) reshoring.
5.10 Explain how strategic planning differs in for-profit, not-
for-profit, and small firms.

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Figure 5.1
A Comprehensive Strategic-Management Model

Source: Fred R. David, “How Companies Define Their Mission,” Long Range Planning 22, n o. 1
(February 1989): 91. See also Anik Ratnaningsih, Nadjadji Anwar, Patdono Suwignjo, and Putu Artama
Wiguna, “Balance Scorecard of David’s Strategic Modeling at Industrial Business for National
Construction Contractor of Indonesia,” Journal of Mathematics and Technology, n o. 4 (October 2010):
20.

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Long-Term Objectives

• The results expected from pursuing certain strategies

• 2-to-5 year timeframe

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The Nature of Long-Term Objectives
• Objectives
– provide direction
– allow synergy
– assist in evaluation
– establish priorities
– reduce uncertainty
– minimize conflicts
– stimulate exertion
– aid in both the allocation of resources and the design of
jobs

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Table 5.1 Five Characteristics of
Objectives
1. Quantitative: measurable
2. Understandable: clear
3. Challenging: achievable
4. Compatible: consistent vertically and horizontally in a
chain of command
5. Obtainable: realistic

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Financial Versus Strategic Objectives
• Financial objectives include growth in revenues, growth
in earnings, higher dividends, larger profit margins, greater
return on investment, higher earnings per share, a rising
stock price, improved cash flow, and so on.
• Strategic objectives include a larger market share,
quicker on-time delivery than rivals, shorter design-to-
market times than rivals, lower costs than rivals, higher
product quality than rivals, wider geographic coverage than
rivals, achieving technological leadership, consistently
getting new or improved products to market ahead of
rivals, and so on.

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Not Managing by Objectives
• Managing by Crisis
• Managing by Hope
• Managing by Extrapolation
• Managing by Mystery

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Types of Strategies
• Most organizations simultaneously pursue a combination
of two or more strategies, but a combination strategy can
be exceptionally risky if carried too far.
• No organization can afford to pursue all the strategies that
might benefit the firm.
• Difficult decisions must be made and priorities must be
established.

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Table 5.3 (1 of 2)
Alternative Strategies Defined and Exemplified

Strategy Definition Example

Gaining ownership or increased Amazon began rapid delivery
Forward Integration control over distributors or retailers services in some U.S. cities.
Seeking ownership or increased Starbucks purchased a coffee farm.
Backward Integration control of a firm’s suppliers
Seeking ownership or increased &T acquired Susquehanna
Horizontal Integration control over competitors Bancshares.
Seeking increased market share for Under Armour signed tennis
present products or services in present champion Andy Murray to a 4-year,
Market Penetration markets through greater marketing $23 million marketing deal.
efforts
Introducing present products or Gap opened its first five stores in
Market Development services into new geographic area China.
Seeking increased sales by improving Amazon just began offering its own
Product Development present products or services or line of baby diapers and wipes.
developing new ones

Alternative Strategies Defined and Recent Examples Given

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Table 5.3 (2 of 2)
Alternative Strategies Defined and Exemplified

Strategy Definition Example

Adding new but related products Facebook acquired the text-
Related or services messaging firm WhatsApp for
Diversification $19 billion.
Adding new, unrelated products or Kroger and Whole Foods
Unrelated services Market are cooking meals,
Diversification becoming restaurants.
Regrouping through cost and Staples closed 250 stores and
Retrenchment asset reduction to reverse reduced by 50% the size of
declining sales and profit other stores.
Selling a division or part of an Sears Holdings divested its
Divestiture organization Lands’ End division to Sears’
shareholders.
Selling all of a company’s assets, The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic
Liquidation in parts, for their City, New Jersey, faces
tangible worth liquidation.

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Figure 5.2
Levels of Strategies with Persons Most Responsible

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Table 5.4
Varying Performance Measures by Organizational Level

Organizational Level Basis for Annual Bonus or Merit Pay

Corporate 75% based on long-term objectives
25% based on annual objectives

Division 50% based on long-term objectives

50% based on annual objectives

Function 25% based on long-term objectives

75% based on annual objectives

Operational 25% based on long-term objectives

75% based on annual objectives

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Integration Strategies
• Forward Integration
– involves gaining ownership or increased control over
distributors or retailers
• Backward Integration
– strategy of seeking ownership or increased control of a
firm's suppliers
• Horizontal Integration
– a strategy of seeking ownership of or increased control
over a firm's competitors

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Forward Integration Guidelines
• When an organization’s present distributors are especially
expensive
• When the availability of quality distributors is so limited as
to offer a competitive advantage
• When an organization competes in an industry that is
growing
• When an organization has both capital and human
resources to manage distributing their own products
• When the advantages of stable production are particularly
high
• When present distributors or retailers have high profit
margins
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Backward Integration Guidelines
• When an organization’s present suppliers are especially
expensive or unreliable
• When the number of suppliers is small and the number of
competitors is large
• When the organization competes in a growing industry
• When an organization has both capital and human resources
• When the advantages of stable prices are particularly important
• When present suppliers have high profit margins
• When an organization needs to quickly acquire a needed
resource

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Horizontal Integration Guidelines
• When an organization can gain monopolistic
characteristics in a particular area or region without being
challenged by the federal government
• When an organization competes in a growing industry
• When increased economies of scale provide major
competitive advantages
• When an organization has both the capital and human
talent needed
• When competitors are faltering due to a lack of managerial
expertise

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Intensive Strategies
• Market Penetration Strategy
– seeks to increase market share for present products or
services in present markets through greater marketing
efforts
• Market Development
– involves introducing present products or services into
new geographic areas

• Product Development Strategy

– seeks increased sales by improving or modifying
present products or services

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Market Penetration Guidelines
• When current markets are not saturated with a particular
product or service
• When the usage rate of present customers could be
increased significantly
• When the market shares of major competitors have been
declining while total industry sales have been increasing
• When the correlation between dollar sales and dollar
marketing expenditures historically has been high
• When increased economies of scale provide major
competitive advantages

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Market Development Guidelines
• When new channels of distribution are available that are
reliable, inexpensive, and of good quality
• When an organization is very successful at what it does
• When new untapped or unsaturated markets exist
• When an organization has the needed capital and human
resources to manage expanded operations
• When an organization has excess production capacity
• When an organization’s basic industry is rapidly becoming
global in scope

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Product Development Guidelines
• When an organization has successful products that are in
the maturity stage of the product life cycle
• When an organization competes in an industry
characterized by rapid technological developments
• When major competitors offer better-quality products at
comparable prices
• When an organization competes in a high-growth industry
• When an organization has strong research and
development capabilities

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Diversification Strategies
• Related Diversification
– value chains possess competitively valuable cross-
business strategic fits
• Unrelated Diversification
– value chains are so dissimilar that no competitively
valuable cross-business relationships exist

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Synergies of Related Diversification
• Transferring competitively valuable expertise, technological
know-how, or other capabilities from one business to
another
• Combining the related activities of separate businesses
into a single operation to achieve lower costs
• Exploiting common use of a known brand name
• Using cross-business collaboration to create strengths

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Related Diversification Guidelines
• When an organization competes in a no-growth or a slow-
growth industry
• When adding new, but related, products would significantly
enhance the sales of current products
• When new, but related, products could be offered at highly
competitive prices
• When new, but related, products have seasonal sales
levels that counterbalance an organization’s existing peaks
and valleys
• When an organization’s products are currently in the
declining stage of the product’s life cycle
• When an organization has a strong management team
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Unrelated Diversification Guidelines
(1 of 2)

• When revenues derived from an organization’s current products

would increase significantly by adding the new, unrelated
products
• When an organization competes in a highly competitive or a no-
growth industry, as indicated by low industry profit margins and
returns
• When an organization’s present channels of distribution can be
used to market the new products to current customers
• When the new products have countercyclical sales patterns
compared to present products
• When an organization’s basic industry is experiencing declining
annual sales and profits
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Unrelated Diversification Guidelines
(2 of 2)

• When an organization has the capital and managerial

talent needed to compete successfully in a new industry
• When an organization has the opportunity to purchase an
unrelated business that is an attractive investment
opportunity
• When there exists financial synergy
• When existing markets for an organization’s present
products are saturated
• When antitrust action could be charged against an
organization that historically has concentrated on a single
industry
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Defensive Strategies (1 of 3)
• Retrenchment
– Regroups through cost and asset reduction to reverse
declining sales and profits
• Divestiture
– Selling a division or part of an organization
– Often used to raise capital for further strategic
acquisitions or investments
• Liquidation
– Selling all of a company’s assets, in parts, for their
tangible worth

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Defensive Strategies (2 of 3)
• Retrenchment
– occurs when an organization regroups through cost
and asset reduction to reverse declining sales and
profits
– also called a turnaround or reorganizational strategy
– designed to fortify an organization’s basic distinctive
competence

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Retrenchment Guidelines
• When an organization has a distinctive competence but
has failed consistently to meet its goals
• When an organization is one of the weaker competitors in
a given industry
• When an organization is plagued by inefficiency, low
profitability, and poor employee morale
• When an organization fails to capitalize on external
opportunities and minimize external threats
• When an organization has grown so large so quickly that
major internal reorganization is needed

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Divestiture Guidelines
• When an organization has pursued a retrenchment
strategy and failed to accomplish improvements
• When a division needs more resources to be competitive
than the company can provide
• When a division is responsible for an organization's overall
poor performance
• When a division is a misfit with the rest of an organization
• When a large amount of cash is needed quickly
• When government antitrust action threatens a firm

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Defensive Strategies (3 of 3)
• Liquidation
– selling all of a company’s assets, in parts, for their
tangible worth
– can be an emotionally difficult strategy

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Liquidation Guidelines
• When an organization has pursued both a retrenchment
strategy and a divestiture strategy, and neither has been
successful
• When an organization’s only alternative is bankruptcy
• When the stockholders of a firm can minimize their losses
by selling the organization’s assets

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Value Chain Analysis and
Benchmarking
• Value chain analysis
– The process whereby a firm determines the value
(price minus cost) of each and all activities that went
into producing and marketing a product, from
purchasing raw materials to manufacturing, distributing,
and marketing those products.
• Benchmarking
– Entails examination of value chain activities across an
industry to determine “best practices” among
competing firms; firms engage in benchmarking for the
purpose of duplicating or improving on those best
practices.
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Figure 5.3
A Value Chain Illustrated

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Figure 5.4 (1 of 2)
An Example Value Chain for a Typical Manufacturing Company

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Figure 5.4 (2 of 2)
An Example Value Chain for a Typical Manufacturing Company

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Figure 5.5
Transforming Value Chain Activities into Sustained
Competitive Advantages

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Michael Porter’s Two Generic
Strategies (1 of 3)
Cost Leadership emphasizes producing standardized
products at a very low per-unit cost for consumers who are
price-sensitive
• Type 1
– low-cost strategy that offers products or services to a
wide range of customers at the lowest price available
on the market
• Type 2
– Narrow or focused low-cost strategy that offers
products or services to a small range of customers at
one of the lowest prices in the market
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Michael Porter’s Two Generic
Strategies (2 of 3)
• Differentiation
– is a strategy aimed at producing products and services
considered unique industry-wide and directed at
consumers who are relatively price-insensitive

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Michael Porter’s Two Generic
Strategies (3 of 3)
Two types of differentiation
• Type 3
– Wide target market

• Type 4
– Narrow target market

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Means for Achieving Strategies
• BUILD from within to grow
• BORROW from others to grow
• BUY others to grow

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Table 5.6 Six Reasons Why Many
Mergers and Acquisitions Fail
1. Integration difficulties up and down the two value chains
2. Taking on too much new debt the target firm owes or to
buy the target
3. Inability to achieve synergy
4. Too much diversification
5. Difficult to integrate different organizational cultures
6. Reduced employee morale due to layoffs and relocations

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Table 5.7 12 Potential Benefits of
Merging With or Acquiring Another Firm
• To provide improved capacity utilization
• To make better use of the existing sales force
• To reduce managerial staff
• To gain economies of scale
• To smooth out seasonal trends in sales
• To gain access to new suppliers, distributors, customers, products,
and creditors
• To gain new technology
• To gain market share
• To enter global markets
• To gain pricing power
• To reduce tax obligations
• To eliminate competitors
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Table 5.8 Six Benefits of a Firm Being
the First Mover
Secure access and commitments to rare resources.
Gain new knowledge of critical success factors and issues.
Gain market share and position in the best locations.
Establish and secure long-term relationships with customers,
suppliers, distributors, and investors.
Gain customer loyalty and commitments.
Gain patent protection early.

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Strategic Management in Nonprofit
and Small Firms
• Two differences between nonprofit and for-profit
organizations:
– Nonprofits do not pay taxes
– Nonprofits do not have shareholders to provide capital

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Figure 5.6
How to Gain and Sustain Competitive Advantages

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