Introduction

This chapter examines and analyses strategic, organisational and best practice design responses within contemporary multi-unit firms to the new environmental paradigms. The strategic responses that multi-unit firms have deployed in response to the disruptive trinity, challenging economic circumstances, technological disintermediation and changing consumer expectations. The type of ownership structure, public, private or private equity, has had a major impact on the way in which multi-unit firms have been able to respond to emerging pressures. Multi-unit enterprises owned by private equity firms or 'buccaneer entrepreneurs' backed by corporate lending arms of some major banks, suffered a similar fate as a result of inept 'financial engineering'. This chapter shows how multi-unit companies working within these cost, differentiation and value paradigms have adapted their business models in response to prevailing challenges. According to Porter there are three main viable long-term strategies that firms can choose to undertake in order to secure sustainable competitive advantage; low cost, differentiation and focus.