ABSTRACT
The natural starting point for an extended analysis of competitive forces, as applied to firms A to G, must be with intra-industry analysis of rivalry. The latter is the focus of attention in the well-known structure-conductperformance (S/C/P) approach. Taking this as the starting point. Porter’s ‘competitive forces’ approach enlarges the scope of (S/C/P) to embrace both extra-industry (for example, potential entrants, substitutes) and strategic considerations (for example, market pre-emption, signal jamming, the carrying of excess capacity). By reference to firms A to G this chapter takes a further step toward a full ‘competitive advantage’ analysis. I look at market fragmentation and the devising of a focus strategy, in terms of Porter’s ‘five forces of competition’.
