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Strategic Formulation for Competitive Analysis

My Takeaways

Strategy is about speed, timing and window of opportunity.Strategy might change constantly in relation to changes in the environment.  

What Makes an Issue Strategic?

  • Strategic issues are important 
  • They affect the organization as a whole 
  • They can be apparent or below the surface 
  • Strategic issues can be internal or external 

A Good Business Model Answers the Following

  • Who is the customer? 
  • What does the customer value? 
  • How do we make money in this business 
  • How can we deliver value to the customers at an appropriate cost? 

A Good Business Model Should Include

  • What does the firm invest in, or reinvest in to generate revenues 
  • What does the firm invest in, or reinvest in to establish its cost position 
  • How do the activities of the firm impact its overall volume? 
  • How do revenues, costs, volume combine to generate the firm’s margin 

Environment = Why
Tech, market, policy and discontinuities

Strategy = What
Choices and Tradeoffs

Organization = How
Translate strategy to action, to the right organizational structure

The goal is to align, fit, the environment and the strategy and the organization structure. 


Internal Fit

  • First order fit: are activities internally consistent?  
  • Second order fit: are activities mutually reinforcing? 
  • Third order fit: eliminate redundancies and inefficiencies 

Good To remember…

  • About disruptors: when an incumbent is challenging a core belief – it’s harder for firms in the industry to understand that the incumbent might be a real threat!  
  • Value proposition needs to be translated to capabilities, assets and economic model