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5 Force Model

1 Introduction

The model of the Five Competitive Forces was developed by Michael E. Porter in his book „Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors“ in 1980. Since that time it has become an important tool for analyzing an organizations industry structure in strategic processes.

Porters model is based on the insight that a corporate strategy should meet the opportunities and threats in the organizations external environment. Especially, competitive strategy should base on and understanding of industry structures and the way they change.

Porter has identified five competitive forces that shape every industry and every market. These forces determine the intensity of competition and hence the profitability and attractiveness of an industry. The objective of corporate strategy should be to modify these competitive forces in a way that improves the position of the organization. Porters model supports analysis of the driving forces in an industry. Based on the information derived from the Five Forces Analysis, management can decide how to influence or to exploit particular characteristics of their industry.


2 The Five Competitive Forces

The Five Competitive Forces are typically described as follows:


2.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

The term 'suppliers' comprises all sources for inputs that are needed in order to provide goods or services.

Supplier bargaining power is likely to be high when:

· The market is dominated by a few large suppliers rather than a fragmented source of supply,

· There are no substitutes for the particular input,

· The suppliers customers are fragmented, so their bargaining power is low,

· The switching costs from one supplier to another are high,

· There is the possibility of the supplier integrating forwards in order to obtain higher prices and margins. This threat is especially high when

· The buying...