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CHAPTER 3
Evaluating a Company’s
External Environment

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 Learning Objectives

1. Identify factors in a company’s broad macro-environment that

may have strategic significance.
2. Recognize the factors that cause competition in an industry to
be fierce, normal, or relatively weak.
3. Map market positions of key groups of industry rivals.
4. Determine whether an industry’s outlook presents a company
with sufficiently attractive opportunities for growth and
profitability.

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 The First Test of a Winning Strategy: “How well does the
current strategy fit the company’s situation?”
Two facets of the company’s situation:
• Its external environment— industry and competitive environments in which
it operates.
• Its internal environment—the company’s resources and organizational
capabilities.

 Resource strengths & weaknesses

 Cost position
 Know-how's and Can-do's
 Culture and leadership

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 Assessing the Company’s Industry and Competitive
Environment

Do macro-environmental factors and industry characteristics offer

sellers opportunities for growth and attractive profits?
What kinds and strengths of competitive forces are present in the
industry?
How will forces driving change in the industry impact its
competitive intensity and profitability?
Which rivals are strongly positioned in the market and which are
not?
What strategic moves are rivals likely to make next?
What are the key factors of competitive success?
Does the industry outlook offer good prospects for profitability?
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Question 1: What Are the Strategically Relevant Components
of a Company’s Macro-Environment?
Relevant Factors:
• Play a significant role in shaping management’s decisions regarding the
company’s long-term direction, objectives, strategy, and business model.
• Are on the immediate inner ring industry and competitive environment of
the company—competitive pressures, the actions of rivals firms, buyer
behavior, supplier-related considerations, and so on.

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 FIGURE 3.1 The Components of a Company’s External Environment

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 Core Concepts: Macro-Environment and PESTEL Analysis
The macro-environment encompasses the broad environmental
context in which a firm is situated and is comprised of six principal
components: political factors, economic conditions, sociocultural
forces, technological factors, environmental factors, and
legal/regulatory conditions.
PESTEL analysis can be used to assess the strategic relevance of
the six principal components of the macro-environment: political,
economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal forces.

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 The Six Components of the Macro-Environment
Included in a PESTEL Analysis

1. Political factors.
2. Economic conditions.
3. Technological factors.
4. Sociocultural factors.
5. Environmental forces.
6. Legal and regulatory factors.

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 Question 2: How Strong Are the Industry’s Competitive
Forces?
State of Competition: Where are we now?
• The dynamics of competition are not the same from one industry to another.

The Five-forces Model of Competition:

• It is the most powerful and widely used tool for assessing the strength of the
competitive forces that affect an industry’s attractiveness.

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 The Five Competitive Forces Affecting
Industry Attractiveness

Competitive pressures:
• Bargaining power of buyers.
• Substitute products of firms in other industries.
• Bargaining power of suppliers.
• The threat of new entrants into the market.
• Rivalry among competing sellers.

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FIGURE 3.2 The Five-Forces Model of Competition

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Sources: Based on Michael E. Porter, “How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy,” Harvard Business Review 57, no. 2 (March–April 1979), pp. 137–145; and Michael E. Porter, “The
Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy,” Harvard Business Review 86, no. 1 (January 2008), pp. 80–86.

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 The Competitive Force of Buyer Bargaining Power

Whether seller-buyer relationships represent a minor or significant

competitive force in limiting industry profitability depends on:
• Some or many buyers having sufficient bargaining leverage to obtain price
concessions and other favorable terms.
• The extent to which buyers are price sensitive.

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 When Is the Bargaining Power of Buyers Stronger?

Buyers gain bargaining leverage when:

• Their costs of switching to competing brands or substitutes are relatively low.
• Their large size allows them to demand concessions.
• They are few in number, control market access or, if a buyer-customer is
particularly important to a seller.
• Weak buyer demand creates a “buyers’ market.”
• Buyers are well informed about products, prices, and costs.
• Buyers can integrate backward into the business of sellers.

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FIGURE 3.3 Factors Affecting the Strength of Buyer Bargaining Power

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 The Competitive Force of Substitute Products

The strength of competitive pressures from the sellers of

substitute products depends on whether:
• Substitutes are readily available and attractively priced.
• Buyers view the substitutes as comparable or better in terms of quality,
performance, and other relevant attributes.
• The costs that buyers incur in switching to the substitutes are high or low.

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 FIGURE 3.4 Factors Affecting Competition from Substitute Products

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 The Competitive Force of Supplier Bargaining Power 1

Industry suppliers can exert substantial bargaining power or

leverage if:
• The supplied item is not a commodity readily available from many suppliers.
• Industry members cannot switch their purchases to another supplier or
switch to attractive substitutes.
• Certain required inputs are in short supply.
• Certain suppliers provide a differentiated item that enhances the desired
performance, quality, or image of the industry’s product.

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 The Competitive Force of Supplier Bargaining Power 2

Industry suppliers can exert substantial bargaining power or

leverage when:
• They provide specialized equipment or services that yield cost savings to
industry members in conducting their operations.
• A large fraction of the costs of the buyer industry’s product is accounted by
the cost of a particular input.
• Industry members are not major or large customers of suppliers.
• It does not make good economic sense for industry members to vertically
integrate backward.

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 FIGURE 3.5 Factors Affecting the Strength of Suppliers

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 The Competitive Force of Potential New Entrants

The threat of entrants into the marketplace presents significant

competitive pressure when:
• There is a sizable pool of likely entry candidates.
• Potential entrants have ample entry resources at their command.
• Current industry participants are looking beyond their current markets for
growth opportunities.
• When the industry is growing, offers attractive profit opportunities, and its
barriers to entry are low.

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 What Are the Barriers to Entry?

Sizable economies of scale in Difficulties in building a

production or other areas of network of distributors-
operation. retailers and securing space on
retailers’ shelves.
Cost and resource
disadvantages not related to Tariffs and international trade
scale of operation. restrictions.
Strong brand preferences and Industry incumbents that can
customer loyalty. launch initiatives to block a
successful entry.
High capital requirements.
Restrictive regulatory policies.

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 FIGURE 3.6 Factors Affecting the Threat of Entry

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 When Is the Competitive Force of Rivalry Most Intense
among Competing Sellers?
Rivals can boost market standing and business performance.
Competitors are equal in size and capability.
Market growth slows or declines and lower demand results in
no growth opportunities, excess capacity and inventory.
It has become less costly for buyers to switch brands.
Products of rival sellers have become more standardized.
Industry conditions tempt competitors to use price cuts or
other competitive weapons to boost unit volume.
Competitors are dissatisfied with their market position.
Strong outside firms acquire weak firms in the industry and
launch aggressive, well-funded moves to build market share.
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 When Is the Competitive Force of Rivalry
Among Competing Sellers Weak?
The rivalry among industry competitors is usually weaker in
industries where:
• The products of industry rivals become more differentiated.
• Markets or market segments are expanding and fast-growing.
• Markets are comprised of vast numbers of small rivals; likewise, it is often
weak when there are fewer than five competitors.

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 FIGURE 3.7 Factors Affecting the Strength of Competitive Rivalry

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Industry Rivalry
Cutthroat (Brutal).
• Competitors engage in protracted price wars or employ other aggressive
tactics mutually destructive to profitability.
Fierce (Strong).
• A vigorous market share battle reduces the profit margins of most industry
rivals to bare-bones levels.
Moderate (Normal).
• Maneuvering among industry rivals, while lively and healthy, still allows most
rivals to earn acceptable profits.
Weak.
• Industry rivals satisfied with their sales growth and market share rarely
undertake offensives against their competitors.

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 The Collective Strengths of the Five Competitive Forces
and Industry Profitability
As a rule, the stronger the collective impact of the five competitive
forces, the lower the combined profitability of industry
participants.
The stronger the forces of competition, the harder it becomes for
industry members to earn attractive profits.

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 When Do the Five Competitive Forces Result in
Attractive Industry Conditions?
The ideal competitive environment for earning superior profits
occurs when:
• Suppliers and customers are in weak bargaining positions.
• There are no good substitutes.
• High entry barriers deter entry of new competitors.
• Internal rivalry produces moderate competitive pressure.

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 When Do the Five Competitive Forces Result in
Unattractive Industry Conditions?
An industry is competitively unattractive when all five forces are
producing strong competitive pressures.
• Internal rivalry among competitors is strong.
• Low entry barriers result in entry of new competitors.
• Competition from substitutes is intense.
• Suppliers and customers are in strong bargaining positions.

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 Question 3: What Are the Industry’s Driving Forces
of Change and What Impact Will They Have?
Driving forces analysis has three steps:
1. Identifying the present driving forces, as only 3 to 4 factors qualify as real
drivers of change.
2. Assessing whether the drivers of change are, individually or collectively,
acting to make the industry more or less attractive.
3. Determining what strategy changes are needed to prepare for the impact
of the driving forces.

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 CORE CONCEPT: Driving Forces
Driving forces are the major underlying causes of change in
industry and competitive conditions.
Some driving forces originate in the outer ring of the company’s
macro-environment but most originate in the company’s more
immediate industry and competitive environment.

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 Common Driving Forces

Changes in the long-term industry Diffusion of technical know-how

growth rate. across more companies and more
countries.
Increasing globalization.
Changes in cost and efficiency.
Emerging new Internet capabilities
and applications. Growing buyer preferences for
differentiated products instead of a
Changes in who buys the product and
standardized commodity product (or
how they use it.
for standardized products instead of
Product innovation. strongly differentiated products).
Technological change and Regulatory influences and
manufacturing process innovation. government policy changes.
Marketing innovation. Changing societal concerns, attitudes,
Entry or exit of major firms. and lifestyles.

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 Question 4: How Are Industry Rivals Positioned?

Strategic Group Mapping.

• It is a useful technique for graphically displaying different market or
competitive positions that rival firms occupy in the industry.
A Strategic Group.
• It is a cluster of industry rivals that have similar competitive approaches and
market positions.

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 CORE CONCEPTS: Strategic Group Mapping and
Strategic Groups
Strategic group mapping is a technique for displaying the different
market or competitive positions that rival firms occupy in the
industry.
A strategic group is a cluster of industry rivals that have similar
competitive approaches and market positions.

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 Concepts and Connections 3.1 Comparative Market Positions of Selected Firms
in the Casual Dining Industry: A Strategic Group Map Example

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 The Value of Strategic Group Maps

The closer groups are to each other on the map, the stronger the
cross-group rivalry.
• Firms in groups that are far apart hardly compete.

Not all map positions are equally attractive.

• Some groups are more favorably positioned because they confront weaker
competitive forces.
• Industry driving forces favor some groups over others.
• Competitive pressures cause profit potential differences.

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 Question 5: What Strategic Moves Are Rivals
Likely to Make Next?
Framework for Analysis of Rival Competitors
• Current Strategy?
• Rival’s market position, competitive advantage basis, and its investments in
infrastructure, technology, or other resources.
• Objectives?
• Its performance on current financial and strategic objectives.
• Capabilities?
• Its current set of capabilities and efforts to acquire new capabilities related to
future strategic moves.
• Assumptions?
• Views and beliefs of rival’s top managers about their firm’s strategic situation can
strongly impact their future behaviors.

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 Question 6: What Are the Industry Key Success Factors?

Key Success Factors (KSFs) are competitive factors that most affect
the ability of all industry firms to prosper.
KSFs include:
• Specific product attributes.
• Necessary resources, competencies, and capabilities.
• Specific intangible assets.
• Competitive capabilities.

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 CORE CONCEPT: Key Success Factors
Key success factors are the strategy elements, product attributes,
competitive capabilities, or intangible assets with the greatest
impact on future success in the marketplace.

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Questions to Ask in Identifying Industry Key Success Factors

Which crucial product attributes do industry buyers consider when

choosing between competing sellers?
Which resources and competitive capabilities must a company
have to be competitively successful?
Which shortcomings are certain to put a company at a significant
competitive disadvantage to its rivals?

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 TABLE 3.3 Common Types of Industry Key Success Factors 1
Type Description
Technology- • Expertise in a particular technology or in scientific research
related key (important in pharmaceuticals, Internet applications, mobile
success factors communications, and most high-tech industries)
• Proven ability to improve production processes (important in
industries where advancing technology opens the way for higher
manufacturing efficiency and lower production costs)
Manufacturing- • Ability to achieve scale economies and/or capture experience curve
related key effects (important to achieving low production costs)
success factors • Quality control know-how (important in industries where customers
insist on product reliability)
• High utilization of fixed assets (important in capital-intensive/high
fixed-cost industries)
• Access to attractive supplies of skilled labor
• High labor productivity (important for items with high labor content)
• Low-cost product design and engineering (reduces manufacturing
costs)
• Ability to manufacture or assemble products that are customized to
buyer specifications

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 TABLE 3.3 Common Types of Industry Key Success Factors 2

Type Description

Distribution- • A strong network of wholesale distributors/dealers

related key • Strong direct sales capabilities via the Internet and/or having company-
success factors owned retail outlets
• Ability to secure favorable display space on retailer shelves

Marketing- • Breadth of product line and product selection

related key • A well-known and well-respected brand name
success factors • Fast, accurate technical assistance
• Courteous, personalized customer service
• Accurate filling of buyer orders (few back orders or mistakes)
• Customer guarantees and warranties (important in mail-order and
online retailing, big-ticket purchases, and new-product introductions)
• Clever advertising

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 TABLE 3.3 Common Types of Industry Key Success Factors 3
Type Description
Skills- and • A talented workforce (superior talent is important in professional
capability- services such as accounting and investment banking)
related key • National or global distribution capabilities
success factors • Product innovation capabilities (important where rivals are racing to be
first to market with new product attributes or performance features)
• Design expertise (important in fashion and apparel industries)
• Short delivery time capability
• Supply chain management capabilities
• Strong e-commerce capabilities—a user-friendly website and/or skills in
using Internet applications to streamline internal operations
Other types • Overall low costs (not just in manufacturing) to be able to meet low-
of key success price expectations of customers
factors • Convenient locations (important in many retailing businesses)
• Ability to provide fast, convenient, after-the-sale repairs and service
• A strong balance sheet and access to financial capital (important in
newly emerging industries with high degrees of business risk and in
capital-intensive industries)
• Patent protection

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 Examples of Industry Key Success Factors

Expertise in a particular technology.

Scale economies.
Experience curve benefits.
High capacity utilization.
Strong network of wholesale distributors.
Brand-building skills.
Convenient retail locations.

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 Question 7: Does the Industry Offer Good Prospects
for Attractive Profits?
Factors that determine a firm’s prospects for attractive future
profits in its industry include:
• Both the firm’s and its industry’s growth potential.
• Effects of internal industry competition.
• Effects of prevailing and future driving forces.
• The firm’s competitive position in its industry vis-à-vis its rivals.
• The firm’s competence in performing the industry’s key success factors.

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