Michael Porter’s Five Forces

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Porter’s 5-Force Analysis

Michael Porter’s 5-forces can be used to analyze an industry and help shape and create a “competitive strategy” (Porter, 6). Understanding each of the five forces and how they interact with one another provides a clear picture of the degree of competition being faced within an industry, and therefore its relative attractiveness. The understanding cannot provide an advantage; it is what you do with the understanding. Without the understanding, a strategy can be at risk of being unrealistic. Michael Porter’s 5-force Analysis is a tool for the structural analysis of industries. There are 5 forces that always shape the competitive structure of an industry: Supplier Power, Barriers to Entry, The Threat of Substitutes, Buyer Power, and Industry Rivalry.

I. SUPPLIER POWER

Supplier power is the ability of a supplier to control the cost and supply of the inputs in the market. The supplier power of an industry can be altered in many ways:

1) Differentiation of Inputs – If a company needs various inputs from different suppliers, then those suppliers have a high power.

2) Switching Costs for Transferring to Other Suppliers - Supplier power is high if the cost to switch over to a new system is high.

3) Availability of Substitutes – If the raw material that’s needed for manufacturing can be replaced with alternatives, the supplier power is low.

4) Supplier Concentration – The fewer suppliers there are, the higher the supplier power.

5) Suppliers’ Dependence on Volume – If suppliers are dependent on supply volume, then the supplier power is low.

6) Cost Relative to Total Purchases in the Industry – If a company thinks that they are being overcharged, they may switch to another supplier.

7) Impac...

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...dia.net (30 January 2003)

Legamedia.net is mainly a foreign website written in Dutch about Porter’s Analysis.

6. http://panko.com (30 January 2003)

This website is a Ray R. Panko’s personal business website. Ray Panko is a Professor at the University of Hawaii and has written a number useful sources about information systems and communications.

7. http://www.quickmba.com (29 January 2003)

This website includes a detailed summary of Porter’s Analysis. Information used from this site includes a diagram of Porter’s Five Forces.

8. http://www.themanager.org (31 January 2003)

This website offers a description of various management tools including Porter’s Five Force Analysis.

9. Porter, Michael E. Competitive Strategy. New York, New York: The Free Press, 1980.

This book written by Michael Porter is unaltered information about his theory.

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