What is Porter’s Five Forces Model?
Porter’s Five Forces Model is a strategic tool developed by Michael E. Porter, a Harvard Business School professor. This model is used to analyze the competitive environment within an industry. It helps businesses understand the strengths of their current competitive position, and the strength of a position they are considering moving into.
With a clear understanding of where power lies, a company can take fair advantage of a situation of strength, improve a situation of weakness, and avoid taking wrong steps. This makes it an important part of any business strategy.
Components of Porter’s Five Forces Model
The model is based on the idea that five forces determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market. Porter’s five forces include the following:
1. Competitive Rivalry
This force examines the intensity of the competition currently in the marketplace. Factors such as number of competitors, pricing competition, product quality, and marketing campaigns can influence this rivalry.
2. Supplier Power
This force analyzes the power that suppliers hold over a business. When suppliers have more control, they can charge higher prices or demand more favorable terms.
3. Buyer Power
This force looks at the power of customers to drive down prices. It is influenced by the number of buyers, importance of each individual buyer to the organization, and cost to the buyer of switching from one supplier to another.
4. Threat of Substitution
This force refers to the likelihood of your customers finding a different way of doing what you do. For example, if you supply a unique software product that automates an important process, people may substitute it by doing the process manually or by outsourcing it.
5. Threat of New Entry
This force considers how easy or difficult it is for competitors to join the marketplace. If an industry is profitable and there are few barriers to enter, the threat of new entrants is high.
Using Porter’s Five Forces Model
The Porter’s Five Forces Model is used to identify an industry’s structure to determine corporate strategy. The model can be applied to any segment of the economy to search for profitability and attractiveness.
The model should be used on a regular basis to assess the evolution of the competitive environment and to help the company develop its competitive advantage.
Benefits of Porter’s Five Forces Model
The Porter’s Five Forces Model provides several benefits:
- It helps businesses understand the competitive forces within their industry.
- It allows businesses to identify strengths and weaknesses of their industry.
- It provides a framework to anticipate competitors’ actions and industry changes.
- It aids in aligning company strategy with the competitive landscape.
Limitations of Porter’s Five Forces Model
While the model offers many benefits, it also has some limitations:
- It assumes that companies are classic capitalist companies that aim to maximize wealth.
- It may not accurately reflect the dynamics in rapidly changing industries, such as technology.
- It does not consider the possibility of creating a new market rather than competing in an existing one.
Despite these limitations, the Porter’s Five Forces Model remains a valuable tool for understanding the competitive forces that influence a company’s profitability in a given industry.