scholarly journals Porter's Generic Strategies: An Exploratory Study of Their Use In Japan

1970 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-90
Author(s):  
Richard Allen ◽  
Marilyn Helms ◽  
Margaret Takeda ◽  
Charles White

While the use of Porter's generic strategies have been well documented inAmerica and Europe, no studies have assessed their use in Japan. This researchinvestigates if Japanese companies are indeed following Porter's genericstrategies or continuing to follow more traditional "Japanese" managementstrategies. Using a survey to operationalize Porter's generic strategies, Japanesemanagers were questioned about their firm's current strategic practices. Afactor analysis revealed Japanese firms are following only two strategies thatcould be identified as those of Porter. A cost leadership strategy was the mostfrequently used strategy, and the differentiation strategy was used the least.There was no evidence of organizations using a focus strategy. Interestingly,two additional strategies emerged that did not fit Porter's research but are inline with traditional Japanese strategies including a supply chain focus and atraining based strategy.

Author(s):  
Novah Omboga ◽  
Paul Machoka

ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to establish the influence of Porter's generic strategies and firm performance in petroleum marketing companies using Vivo Energy Limited as a case study. The business environment in emerging economies has witnessed intense competition among firms. Petroleum marketing companies in Kenya have had to face such conditions in a competitive environment prompting the firms to develop strategies that match their capabilities to market demands. The specific objectives of the study were: to examine how leadership cost strategy and; focus strategy affect the firm performance of Vivo Energy Limited. The study was premised on the; resource-based view, competitive advantage and contingency theories. This study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population was 237 employees at Vivo Energy Limited. Stratified proportion sampling was used to obtain a sample of 108 respondents. Questionnaires were used for data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to determine the relationship between the study variables. Pearson correlation analysis was carried out to establish the relationship between dependent and independent variables. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was checked to reveal the overall model significance. The study established that there was a positive relationship between the cost leadership strategy and firm performance. Analysis also revealed that focus strategy had a substantial positive correlation, establishing that focus strategy and firm performance are fundamentally related, and that the variation in firm performance can be explained by a unit change in focus strategy. The study recommended that the management of Vivo Energy Limited should adopt cost leadership strategy that is focused on gaining competitive advantage byselling their products at average prices to earn higher profits than competitors in the sector or below the average industry prices to gain market share. It also recommends that Vivo Energy should consider employing focus strategies that are concentrated on narrow segment aimed at achieving cost advantage or differentiation. Keyword: Cost leadership, Firm Performance, Focus strategy, Generic Strategies


1992 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Jennings ◽  
James R. Lumpkin

This study explored the relationships between the environmental scanning activities of chief executives from a single industry and their organizations' strategies, on the premise that executives employing different types of Porter's generic business-level strategies would use different scanning activities. There were differences in the strategy-scanning linkages. Specifically there are indications that firms with a differentiation strategy tend to employ a scanning activity that places more importance on evaluating opportunities and customer attitudes. Firms with a cost leadership strategy tend to use a scanning activity that evaluates competitive threats and tracks the policies and tactics of competitors.


Author(s):  
Louisa Kabure ◽  
Mary Ragui

Every firm operating in a dynamic and competitive environment must employ competitive strategies in order to enhance performance and remain relevant to the market. The automotive industry in Kenya has experienced shifts within the last couple of years that have disadvantaged automotive firms’ sales and this despite adequate capacity to supply local demand. Consequently, a persistent decline in volume sales has negatively impacted performance of these firms in overall, reducing competition to price wars that are not a viable option in the long run. This study therefore, sought to investigate the effect of Porter’s generic strategies on performance of selected automotive firms in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were; to determine the effect of cost leadership strategy on the performance of selected automotive firms in Nairobi county, Kenya, to investigate the effect of differentiation strategy on the performance of selected automotive firms in Nairobi county, Kenya and to establish the effect of focus strategy on the performance of selected automotive firms in Nairobi county, Kenya. The scope entailed a study of selected new vehicle firms in the automotive industry in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was anchored on three theories that included the market based view, the resource based view of the firm and Porter’s diamond theory of national advantage. Descriptive research design was adopted. The study used simple random sampling to attain the sample size and data was collected through drop and pick method using semi structured questionnaires. To ensure reliability in the questionnaire, Cronbach’s alpha correlation coefficient was used where a level of above 0.7 confirmed internal consistency. Pilot testing was done on ten respondents and Pearson’s product correlation coefficient was used to check for correlation between the study variables. A multivariate regression model was used to determine the relative importance of each variable to the study. Data collected was presented in graphs, tables and charts and a conclusion of the study drawn. The study revealed that cost leadership was significant in influencing the organizations’ performance. The study also revealed that differentiation affected their organizations’ performance to a great extent. The study also revealed that the focus strategy improved the sales growth in the firms thereby resulting to overall organization performance. The study concluded that cost leadership was significant in influencing the organizations’ performance. The study also concluded that differentiation affected their organizations’ performance to a great extent. The study also concluded that the focus strategy improved the sales growth in the firms thereby resulting to overall organization performance. The study recommended that the government and other policy makers come up with policies and regulations meant to foster innovation in the automotive industry. Policies should also be put in place meant for the creation of an enabling environment for fair and market driven competition to take place. The study recommended that the management of the automotive firms should often review their pricing structures and be geared towards minimizing their operational costs so as to offer cost friendly vehicles to the clients. The study also recommended that the firms’ management ensure they develop quality vehicles and embrace differentiation strategy so as to remain competitive in the market. The study also recommended that the management fully adopt the focus strategy to help in improving the sales growth in the firms thereby resulting to overall organization performance as well as improving on the product innovation which would lead to improved market share.


Author(s):  
Grace Wanjiru Ngugi ◽  
Esther Gitonga

Pharmaceutical industry has been facing a lot of competition both from the inside and outside the country (importers of raw materials who also manufacture finished product). A report by the Kenya Pharmaceutical Sector Profile in 2018 indicated that imports have been rising sharply and grew by more than 30% between 2017 and 2018 in other sectors but a decline from the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector which could be attributed to the low-quality pharmaceutical products. The aim of this study was to analyze the generic strategies and performance of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to: assess the effect of cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and focus strategy on performance of pharmaceutical companies in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study was informed by Porter’s Five Forces Model and Resource Based View theory. The study used descriptive research design. The population of this study was all the 22 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Nairobi County. The target population was the managers in the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. The study was a census of all pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Nairobi. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was pilot tested to determine its validity and reliability. The study used primary data which was gathered from the managers. Data collected was organized in spreadsheets for the purpose of analysis. It was coded and entered in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 22.0) for analysis. Correlation and regression analysis were conducted to find the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The study found that cost leadership strategy, product differentiation strategy and focus strategy positively and significantly influenced performance of pharmaceutical companies in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study concluded that managing the production expenses enhances business performance because of increased profit value. Also, the study concluded that using technology to automate business operations lowers the cost thus increasing profitability. In addition to that, the study concluded that providing high quality products to customers builds customer loyalty which translates to improved performance. Similarly, the research concluded that lowering prices relative to that of competitors attracts more customers leading to increased sales volume. It was recommended that pharmaceutical firms should always aim at lowering the cost of production to reap optimal profits. However, these products should meet the quality demands in the market. It was also recommended that businesses should conduct customer satisfaction surveys to bridge the niche that may be identified. This way, businesses will be able to offer the relevant products and services and gain customer loyalty which eventually leads to increased profitability. In addition, it was recommended that non price competition strategies such as product packaging should be adopted by pharmaceutical firms to increase profitability. Customers would prefer to buy uniquely packaged products as they appear appealing. Future areas of study should focus on other competitive strategies since the three generic strategies that were identified did not account for 100% of the variation in performance of pharmaceutical firms.


Author(s):  
Şeyma Gün Eroğlu ◽  
Ayşe İrmiş

Organizations apply two basic competitive strategies in general. These are the cost leadership strategy and the differentiation strategy. The application of any of the mentioned strategies by focusing on a smaller field in the market is called a focus strategy. Companies gain value in the eyes of customer with the strategy they choose. The aim of this study is to analyze the competitive strategies applied by the enterprises and the results of these strategies. A semi-configured interview on the entrepreneurs of two firms which open to a wider market from local market in Denizli with their own brands, was conducted. The first enterprise, which has been maintaining its existence for 80 years and has many branches in the different provinces, is a firm producing sugar and sugar products (Firm A). The second, which has been maintaining its existence for 84 years and has branches in close neighbor cities and provinces, is a firm producing soft drinks (Firm B). The common feature of both firms is that they keep their local characteristics and take their competitive power from the local people. In the research, the competitive strategies of entrepreneurs have been defined and analyzed by benefiting from the entrepreneurship stories that have been brought up to the present day. It was concluded that firm A applied differentiation strategy in the product, production process, and market, while firm B differentiated in the production process without any differentiation in the product and used the focus strategy in the market.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariawan ◽  
Made Sudarma ◽  
Djumahir ◽  
Ghozali Maskie

Status: Preprint (belum di terbitkan pada Jurnal manapun)The objectives of this study were to analyze and investigate the human capital resource of SMEs to achieve the expected level of performance and to see if the quality of human capital had been appropriate enough to be able to apply certain business strategy. This study also intended to see if the cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, as well as appropriate focus strategy to improve the performance of SMEs. This study employed a survey design in which researcher conducted a survey to managers or owner of 68 SMEs of Karawo handicraft in Gorontalo city. This study also employed the structural equation or PLS approach using warpPLS application to analyze the data. The finding of this study showed that the ability of the human capital owned by the SMEs had not yet maximized in improving its performance. The role of the mediation business strategy (cost leadership strategy and differentiation strategy) have been appropriate and matched the ability of the human capital to improve the performance of SMEs. The result of this study enriches the body of knowledge related to the resource based theory and the development of strategic management of the human capital investment for the implementation of business strategy to achieve good performance and system. This study also offers practical benefit for managers or owners of SMEs, and government in developing the business. The data were collected using cross sectional strategy by analyzing the opinions and perception of the managers or owners of the business. Future researchers are encouraged to expand this by involving bigger number of sample and broader scope of study. Future researcher may also develop this study using mix method research design to verify and take action on the interesting result of this study related to the implementation of focus strategy based on the ability of the human capital which has been confirmed to have the highest coefficient path, yet did not have significant effect to the improvement of the performance without the involvement of mediational variables such as the combination of focus-cost strategy or focus-differentiation strategy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-63
Author(s):  
Eriana Afnan ◽  
Sam'un Jaja Raharja

The growth of smartphone users every year continues to grow and is a necessity for its users. Every smartphone company competes for generous consumers and competes to provide the technology and features needed by its users. This research was conducted to see a SWOT analysis of sales strategies on Xiaomi smartphones and Vivo smartphones in terms of differentiation strategy, focus strategy, cost leadership strategy. This study uses a digital use database to find articles relevant to the SWOT analysis of sales strategies on Xiaomi smartphones and Vivo smartphones. This type of research used in this research is descriptive analysis with a qualitative approach. The analysis method used is the SWOT analysis and Porter's Generic Strategy. The results showed that in total, this smartphone company had implemented the generic porter strategy well. However, the Vivo company's focus strategy is only applied so that the Vivo company can focus on marketing efforts on one or two market segments and create a marketing mix that is specific to that market so that the company can find better market needs.


Author(s):  
Oyakhire Victor Alaba ◽  
Ofobruku Sylvester Abomeh ◽  
Akpoyibo Gregory Akpobome

Corporate organizations all over the world are continually faced with volatile business conditions, competitive market environments and rapid technological change. Most organizations focus on survive and also find better ways to improve their performance. This study examined the effects of strategic competitiveness on the performance of quoted paints manufacturing companies in Nigerian stock exchange. The research used the descriptive research design method. The study investigated the relationship between cost-leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, focus strategy and performance of companies. This research applied the theory of dynamic capability. The data was collected from one hundred and eighty-seven (187) respondents, these includes directors, management staff and senior staff of the six paint companies quoted in Nigeria. The results showed that a strategic competitiveness (cost leadership strategy, diversification strategy and focus strategy) have a significant impact on corporate performance. These findings reinforce the need for paint manufacturing companies to adopt strategic planning in capitalizing on differentiation strategy, train their staff to gain competitive advantage knowledge and ensure their competitive survival.


1970 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-46
Author(s):  
Eonsoo Kim ◽  
Dae-il Nam ◽  
J. L. Stimpert

Although traditional strategic management theory evolved in the context ofbrick and mortar firms operating in a physical space, we propose that Porter's(1980) generic strategy framework is still applicable, albeit in need of somemodification, to competition in the digital age. This study tests that assertionin a sample of Korean online shopping malls. In particular, it explores the followingresearch question: Do Porter's (1980) generic strategies explain performancedifferences across business-to-consumer (B2C) firms?Our results suggest that Porter's generic strategies are applicable to e-businessand that they indeed explain performance differences across firms.Contrary to conventional wisdom, but consistent with the logic of business inthe digital realm, the cost leadership strategy exhibited the lowest performance.Firms pursuing a hybrid cost leadership/differentiation strategy exhibited thehighest performance. Interestingly, when a sub-sample of all firms pursuing thehybrid strategy was analyzed for performance differences by firm type (pureplays vs. clicks-and-bricks), pure plays exhibited superior performance. Ourfindings suggest that cost leadership and differentiation can be combined at thesame time, and must be combined to be successful in e-business.


Author(s):  
Joseph Mariga Nyachwaya ◽  
James Maina Rugami

Commercial banks in Kenya and especially Mombasa County are facing firm rivalry demanding the use of competitive strategies so as to improve their performance. Most of the commercial banks are deliberating on ways to enhance their performance, with competitive strategies being one of them to arrive a market and afterwards make sense of and ensure its aggressive position. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing the effect of competitive strategies on the performance of commercial banks in Mombasa County. The specific objectives were to determine the effect of cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and focus strategy on the performance of commercial banks in Mombasa County. The study was anchored on the theory of resource-based view, strategic balancing and game theory. A descriptive research design was employed in this study. The target population of this study was 280 commercial banks staff in Mombasa County. The sample size was eighty-four after adopting a stratified random sampling technique to select 30% of the target population. The study made use of primary data collection using questionnaires. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24.0 and presented using tables. The study established that despite the challenges in implementation, competitive strategies are very important for banks to remain competitive in the market. The study further concluded that understanding the market structure is a key determinant for the successful implementation of competitive strategies. Banks following a cost leadership strategy realize statistically significant superior performance compared to those that pursue broad differentiation and focus strategy which reports above-average returns. The researcher highly recommends that commercial banks consider shifting more of their focus on the cost leadership strategy in order to realize superior performance. To succeed at offering the lowest price while still achieving profitability and a high return on investment, commercial banks are recommended to operate at a lower cost than its rivals, this could be possible through some fairly unique capabilities to achieve and sustain their low-cost position. The study also recommends strategy planners to integrate and embrace the differentiation strategy which will enable them to differentiate in various methods such as new technology, brand image, design, network customer service or the number of features. Further, commercial banks are recommended to centre on the existing markets and products or services; they can create competitive edge by getting the best mix between existing products and existing markets.


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