The 5 Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy

Himanshu Sharma — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:00:00 +0000

A healthy industry structure should be as much a competitive concern to strategists as their company’s own position. Defending against the competitive forces and shaping them in a company’s favor are crucial to strategy. Tom Stewart talks to Michael E. Porter about the 5 forces that can help a company understand the structure of its industry and stake out a position that is more profitable and less vulnerable to attack.

Click here to view the embedded video.

About Michael E. Porter:
Professor Michael E. Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, based at Harvard Business School. A University professorship is the highest professional recognition that can be awarded to a Harvard faculty member. In 2001, Harvard Business School and Harvard University jointly created the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, dedicated to furthering Professor Porter’s work.

He is a leading authority on competitive strategy, the competitiveness and economic development of nations, states, and regions, and the application of competitive principles to social problems such as health care, the environment, and corporate responsibility. He is generally recognized as the father of the modern strategy field, as has been identified in a variety of rankings and surveys as the world’s most influential thinker on management and competitiveness.

InfoCompanions » University Professorship

The 5 Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy