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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
Michael Porter has stated there are only two ways of gaining a competitive advantage; through cost advantage or differentiation. This 10 page paper examines the value chain and how these advantages may be gained through the different aspects of the value chain. Examples are cited too illustrate the points raised. The bibliography cites 11 sources.
Page Count:
10 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TS14_TEcavalc.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
advantages, by way of cost advantage or though differentiation. These are not necessarily mutually exclusive, a cost advantage company may also have products that are differentiated. However, only one company
in each sector may have the cost advantage, leaving others with the need for differentiation. It is for this reason that when differentiation is used Porter also sees it
as wise to attain and maintain more than one (Porter, 1985). By looking at the value chain the way these strategies may be realised is reflected in the utilisation of
the value chain and the structure or organisation that embodies it. In any business the supply chain is the chain from the production
of the raw material through to the end user. For example, a supply chain for a supermarket buying tomatoes to sell to its customers may be an upstream chain with
the wholesaler first in the line upwards and at the source the farmer. It is within the value chain that the competitive advantage, whichever they are, will be found.
Porter described what he saw as a value chain, he divided it into five separate sections; inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales,
and service (Porter, 1985). These different activities are also linked by the same support activities, there are four of these, but they can be seen to be active
throughout the entire value chain, they are firm infrastructure, human resource management, technological development and procurement (Porter, 1985). These support activities may relate to more than only one section of
the supply chain and as they are in existence they also add costs to the value chain, but are necessary and as such they must be seen to actively add
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