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2/13/2015
Porter's Generic Strategies
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Porter's Generic Strategies
If the primary determinant of a firm's profitability is the attractiveness of the industry
in which it operates, an important secondary determinant is its position within that
industry. Even though an industry may have belowaverage profitability, a firm that
is optimally positioned can generate superior returns.
A firm positions itself by leveraging its strengths. Michael Porter has argued that a
firm's strengths ultimately fall into one of two headings: cost advantage and
differentiation. By applying these strengths in either a broad or narrow scope, three
generic strategies result: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. These
strategies are applied at the business unit level. They are called generic strategies
because they are not firm or industry dependent. The following table illustrates
Porter's generic strategies:
Porter's Generic Strategies
Advantage
Target Scope
Low Cost
Product
Uniqueness
Broad
(Industry Wide)
Cost
Leadership
Strategy
Differentiation
Strategy
Narrow
(Market Segment)
Focus
Strategy
(low cost)
Focus
Strategy
(differentiation)
Cost Leadership Strategy
This generic strategy calls for being the low cost producer in an industry for a given
level of quality. The firm sells its products either at average industry prices to earn a
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Porter's Generic Strategies
profit higher than that of rivals, or below the average industry prices to gain market
share. In the event of a price war, the firm can maintain some profitability while the
competition suffers losses. Even without a price war, as the industry matures and
prices decline, the firms that can produce more cheaply will remain profitable for a
longer period of time. The cost leadership strategy usually targets a broad market....