Formulating Long-Term Objectives and Grand Strategies

Types of Long-Term Objectives

Profitability Productivity Competitive position Employee development Employee relations Technological leadership Public responsibility

Qualities of Long-Term Objectives

Acceptable Achievable Flexible Measurable Motivating Suitable Understandable

The Balanced Scorecard

The Balanced Scorecard is a set of measures that are directly linked to the companys strategy. It directs a company to link its own long-term strategy with tangible goals and actions.

The Balanced Scorecard

5 Generic Competitive Strategies

Menu of Strategy Options for Winning in the Marketplace

GENERIC STRATEGIES
Low-Cost Leadership
A strategy aimed at producing standardized products at low per-unit cost for consumers who are price-sensitive .
Examples: H.J Heinz because beans and canned vegetables do not permit much of a mark-up, the profit comes from the large volume of cans sold. Thus, Heinz goes to extraordinary lengths to reduce costs by even onetwentieth of a cent per can.

 Wal-Mart is famous for squeezing its suppliers to ensure low prices for its goods especially that they are famous for their Every Day Low Pricing strategy (EDLP)

Dell Computer initially achieved market share by keeping inventories low and only building computers to order.

GENERIC STRATEGIES
Differentiation
A strategy aimed at producing products and services considered unique industry-wide and directed at consumers who are relatively priceinsensitive .

Differentiation Themes
unique taste Dr. Pepper multiple features Microsoft Office wide selection and one-stop shopping Home Depot, Wal-Mart engineering design and performance BMW, Ferrari rapid product innovation prestige and distinctiveness Rolex, Chanel, Mercedes Benz top-of-the-line image and reputation Starbucks, Tiffany

GENERIC STRATEGIES
Focus
A strategy aimed at producing products and services that fulfill the needs of small groups of customers . Example: RTW stores selling plus-size clothes

Risks of Generic Strategies

Risks of Cost Leadership Cost leadership is not sustained Competitors imitate Technology changes Other bases for cost leadership erode Proximity in differentiation is lost Cost focusers achieve even lower cost in segments Risks of Differentiation Differentiation is not sustained Competitors imitate Bases for differentiation become less important to buyers Cost proximity is lost Differentiation focusers achieve greater differentiation in segments Risks of Focus Focus strategy is imitated Target segment becomes unattractive Structure erodes Demand disappears Broadly target competitors overwhelm segments Segments differences from others narrow Advantages of broad line increase

The Value Disciplines

Operational Excellence
A specific strategic approach to the production and delivery of products and services. A company that follows this strategy attempts to lead its industry in price and convenience by pursuing a focus on lean and efficient operations.

The Value Disciplines

Customer Intimacy
Companies excelling in customer intimacy combine detailed customer knowledge with operational flexibility. They are willing to spend money now to build customer loyalty for the longterm, considering each customers lifetime value to the company, not the profit of any single transaction.

The Value Disciplines

Product Leadership
Companies that pursue the discipline of product leadership strive to produce a continuous stream of state-of-the-art products and services. The 3 challenges that must be met are: Creativity Commercialize ideas quickly Release their own improvements

GRAND STRATEGIES
Types of Grand Strategies
Concentrated growth Market development Product development Innovation Horizontal integration Vertical integration Concentric diversification Conglomerate diversification Turnaround Divestiture Liquidation Bankruptcy Joint ventures Strategic alliances Consortia

Characteristics of a Concentrated Growth Strategy

Involves focusing resources on the profitable growth of a single product, in a single market, with a single dominant technology Rationale Firm develops and exploits its expertise in a delimited competitive arena Determinants of competitive market success
Ability to assess market needs Knowledge of buyer behavior Customer price sensitivity Effectiveness of promotion

Strategies of Market & Product Development

Market development
Consists of marketing present products, often with only cosmetic modifications to customers in related market areas by Adding channels of distribution or Changing content of advertising or promotion

Strategies of Market & Product Development

Product development
Involves substantial modification of existing products or creation of new but related products Based on penetrating existing market by - Incorporating product modifications into existing items or - Developing new products connected to existing products

Innovation Strategy

Involves creating a new product life cycle, thereby making similar existing products obsolete.

Horizontal and Vertical Integration Strategies

Horizontal Integration Based on growth via acquisition of one or more similar firms operating at the same stage of the production-marketing chain

Horizontal and Vertical Integration Strategies

Vertical Integration
Involves acquiring firms That supply acquiring firm with inputs (backward integration) or Are customers for firms outputs (forward integration)

Vertical and Horizontal Integrations

Textile producer

Textile producer

Shirt manufacturer

Shirt manufacturer

Clothing store

Clothing store

Motivations for Diversification

Increase firms stock value
Increase growth rate of firm Investment is better use of funds than using them for internal growth Improves stability of earnings and sales Balance or fill out product line Diversify product line Acquire a needed resource quickly Achieve tax savings Increase efficiency and profitability

Diversification Strategies
Concentric Diversification
Involves acquisition of businesses related to acquiring firm in terms of technology, markets, or products

Diversification Strategies
Conglomerate Diversification
Involves acquisition of a business because it represents a promising investment opportunity Primary motivation is profit pattern of venture

Turnaround Strategy
A turnaround situation represents absolute and relative-to-industry declining performance of a sufficient magnitude to warrant explicit turnaround actions The immediacy of the resulting threat to company survival posed by the turnaround situation is known as situation severity Turnaround responses typically include two stages of strategic activities
Retrenchment Recovery response

Divestiture and Liquidation Strategies

Divestiture Strategy
Involves selling a firm or a major component of a firm Reasons for divestiture
Partial mismatches between acquired firm and parent firm Corporate financial needs Government antitrust action

Divestiture and Liquidation Strategies

Liquidation Strategy
Involves selling parts of a firm, usually for its tangible asset value and not as a going concern

The Strategy of Bankruptcy

Two approaches
Liquidation Involves complete distribution of a firms assets to creditors, most of whom receive a small fraction of amount owed Reorganization Involves creditors temporarily freezing their claims while a firm reorganizes and rebuilds its operations more profitably

Advantage of a reorganization bankruptcy

Proactive option offering maximum repayment of a firms debt in the future if a recovery strategy is successful

Corporate Combination Strategies

Joint Ventures
Involves establishing a third company (child), operated for the benefit of the co-owners (parents)

Strategic Alliance
Involves creating a partnership between two or more companies that contribute skills and expertise to a cooperative project
Exists for a defined period Does not involve the exchange of equity

Corporate Combination Strategies

Consortia are defined as large interlocking relationships between businesses of an industry. In Japan such consortia are known as keiretsus, in South Korea as chaebols A Japanese keiretsu is an undertaking involving up to 50 different firms that are joined around a large trading company or bank and are coordinated through interlocking directories and stock exchanges Chaebols are typically financed through government banking groups and largely are run by professional managers trained by participating firms expressly for the job