Preview

Competitive advantage of IKEA

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1584 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Competitive advantage of IKEA
INTRODUCTION

In this modern hypercompetitive marketplace, a company must be a powerful competitor to survive. A company must possess a powerful strategy in order to become a powerful competitor. But what makes a good strategy for the company?

A good business strategy would be that to attain a competitive advantage over other competitors. So what is a competitive advantage? And how company can be able to have a competitive advantage over other competitors? This essay would now discuss what a competitive advantage is and how a company can build a competitive advantage over other competitors in the same industry by using two furnishing stores, Ikea and Courts as examples.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Definition

A company is said have competitive advantage over its competitors when the company earns profits that are above the normal average in the industry where it competes.

Types of competitive advantages

According to Michael Porter, there are two basic types of competitive advantage, namely:

Cost Advantage- A cost advantage is the ability of the firm to deliver the same product or services at lower cost than competitors. This can be achieved through using economies of scale, production efficiencies, low labor cost or better access to raw material and etc.

Differentiation advantage- A differentiation advantage is the ability of the firm to deliver products or services that are different from the product mix of competitors. Due to the added costs in achieving differentiation for the product or services, differentiated products or services are often marketed at premium prices.

Model of Competitive Advantage

Source: www.quickmba.com

Competitive advantage derives out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm's cost of creating it. Value is what buyers are willing to pay, and superior value stems from offering lower prices than competitors for equivalent benefits or providing unique benefits that reduce the price sensitivity of the buyer.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Rize Documentary

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages

    So what is Strategy? Strategy is how an organization matches its own capabilities with the opportunities in the marketplace to accomplish its objectives.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    MGMT 434 Outline

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Competitive Advantage- A firm has this advantage when it implements a strategy that creates superior value for customers exclusive to the competition because they cannot duplicate or its too costly to imitate…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    itm-100 chapter 1 notes

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Competitive advantage – a product or service that an organization’s customers place a greater value on than similar offerings from a competitor…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mktg Exam 1

    • 2318 Words
    • 10 Pages

    4. A competitive advantage is some unique aspect of a firm’s offering, or of the firm itself, that causes target customers to patronize the firm rather than its competition. TRUE…

    • 2318 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A competitive advantage can be described as condition or a factor that enables an organization to offer real or perceived value better than its competitors. (Porter 2008) The first major strength is its product differentiation, the food chain focuses on organic foods by ensuring that its meat is naturally raised and the ingredients are organic. This is in line with current trends where customers are more aware and advocating for healthy foods.…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Competitive advantage occurs when an organization acquires or develops an attribute or combination of attributes that allows it to outperform its competitors. These attributes can include access to natural resources, such as high grade ores or inexpensive power, or access to highly trained and skilled personnel human resources. New technologies such as robotics and information technology can provide competitive advantage, whether as a part of the product itself, as an advantage to the making of the product, or as a competitive aid in the business…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    5 porter

    • 1835 Words
    • 8 Pages

    To survive and thrive, an organization must create a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is a product or service that an organization’s customers place a greater value on than similar offerings from a competitor. Unfortunately, competitive advantages are typically temporary because competitors often seek ways to duplicate the competitive advantage. In turn, organizations must develop a strategy based on a new competitive advantage.…

    • 1835 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    A competitive strategy concerns the specifics of management’s game plan for competing successfully and achieving a competitive advantage over rivals.…

    • 4409 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    adms 4900

    • 2913 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Competitive advantage: is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices.…

    • 2913 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    To survive and thrive, an organization must create a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage is a product or service that an organization’s customers place a greater value on than similar offerings from a competitor. Unfortunately, competitive advantages are typically temporary because competitors often seek ways to duplicate the competitive advantage. In turn, organizations must develop a strategy based on a new competitive advantage.…

    • 3929 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “Competitive advantage occurs when an organization acquires or develops an attribute or combination of attributes that allows it to outperform its competitors. These attributes can include access to natural resources, such as high grade ores or inexpensive power, or access to highly trained and skilled personnel human resources. New technologies such as robotics and information technology either to be included as a part of the product, or to assist making it. ' Information technology has become such a prominent part of…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Broadway Cafe Case Study

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I will share ways to a competitive advantage and how it incorporates with Michael Porter’s Five Forces model and the Three Generic Strategies. Competitive advantage is a feature of a product or service on which customers place a greater value than they do with similar offerings from competitors. Competitive advantage provides the same product or service either at a lower price or with additional value that can fetch premium prices.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Southwest Airline case study

    • 2348 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Competitive advantage is a position of a company in a competitive landscape that allows the company earning return on investments higher than the cost of investments. Competitive advantage should be relevant, unique and sustainable. Therefore sustainable competitive advantage, it’s a long-term competitive advantage that a company own over others in the same sector that is not easily duplicated or surpassable by its competitors (wikipedia, 2009). Competitive advantage can also be seen as a superiority gained by an organization when it can provide the same value as its competitors but at a lower price or can charge higher prices and providing greater value through differentiation (Porter, 1985)…

    • 2348 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Three ways a company can gain a competitive advantage is there organizational structure, the type of strategic strategy the company implements and how well an organization can motivate its employees to work.…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions designed to exploit core competencies and gain a competitive advantage.…

    • 4673 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays