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Porter's Six Forces Model Essay

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In this paper, we are going to discuss Porter’s “six-forces model” and its effect in industries. With this model, companies can determine the attractiveness and profitability of a market and also determine its competitiveness. Companies need to develop strong corporate strategies in order to structure the six forces to their advantage and strengthen their market position. This model can add advantages or disadvantages to industries in competition depending on the situation. The model has its strengths and weaknesses, which are going to be discussed in depth in this paper. Porter’s “six-forces model” is structured as follows: first we have the horizontal forces which include threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants and competitive rivalry …show more content…

The biggest threat to new businesses or big companies is competition. Knowing who your competitors are and what they are doing that is going to affect your strategic planning are essential questions a company should ask and explore. Porter’s six forces model would allow a company to answer those questions and provide detailed insights about the competition. Furthermore, the model helps determine the profitability of a company based on competition. In other words, the model allows companies recognize the elements affecting their …show more content…

Applying Porter’s model can help a company develop competitive strategies by choosing a strategy appropriate for the new competition. Porter stated in Harvard Business Review that strategists could come up with a plan of action after having assessed the forces affecting competition in an industry and their causes. The plan of action may include positioning the company to allow its competences to provide a defense against the competitive force and improving the company’s position by influencing the balance of the forces through strategic moves (Porter 2015). Porter also shared that competitive strategy must be implemented in order to anticipate shifts in the factors underlying forces and responding to them. The competitive environment influences the performance of businesses and from a competitive industry perspective; Porter’s model defines whether the industry is attractive or unattractive. In an attractive industry, the threat of entrants, threat of substitute products and intensity of rivalry among existing firms are low. Additionally, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers are also low and weak. On the other hand, in an unattractive industry the five forces are high and

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