1. Chapter 7 Strategic Management
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

2. LEARNING OUTLINE Follow this Learning Outline as you read and study this chapter.
The Importance of Strategic Management
Explain why strategic management is important.
Discuss what studies of the effectiveness of strategic management have shown.
The Strategic Management Process
List the six steps in the strategic management process.
Describe what managers do when they do external and internal analyses.
Explain the role of resources, capabilities, and core competencies in the internal analysis.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

3. LEARNING OUTLINE (cont’d) Follow this Learning Outline as you read and study this chapter.
Types of Organizational Strategies
Explain the three growth strategies.
Discuss the BCG matrix and how it’s used.
Define strategic business units and business-level strategies.
Describe the role of competitive advantage in business-level strategies.
Explain Porter’s five competitive forces.
Describe three competitive strategies.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

4. LEARNING OUTLINE (cont’d) Follow this Learning Outline as you read and study this chapter.
Strategic Management in Today’s Environment
Discuss the implications of dynamic and uncertain environments on organizational strategy.
Describe strategies applying e-business techniques.
Explain which strategies organizations might use to become more customer-service oriented and more innovative.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

5. Strategic Management
The set of managerial decisions and actions that determines the long-run performance of an organization
The role that the environment plays has influenced managers in developing a systematic means of analyzing the environment, assessing their organization’s strengths and weaknesses, identifying opportunities that would give the organization a competitive advantage, and incorporating these findings into their planning. The value of thinking strategically has an important impact on organization performance.
1. Strategic management is that set of managerial decisions and actions that determines the long-run performance of an organization.
2. It entails all of the basic management functions—planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

6. Why Strategic Management Is Important
It results in higher organizational performance
It requires that managers examine and adapt to business environment changes
It coordinates diverse organizational units, helping them focus on organizational goals
It is very much involved in the managerial decision-making process
1. One reason strategic management is important is because it can make a difference in how well an organization performs.
2. Another reason has to do with the fact that organizations of all types and sizes face continually changing situations.
3. Strategic management is also important because of the nature of organizations. They are composed of diverse divisions, units, functions, and work activities that need to be coordinated.
4. Strategic management is also important because it’s involved in many of the decisions that managers make.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

7. Exhibit 7.1 The Strategic Management Process
SWOT Analysis
Identify the
organization's
current mission, goals,
and strategies
Internal Analysis •
strengths
weaknesses
External Analysis
opportunities
threats
Formulate
Strategies
Implement
Evaluate
Results
The strategic management process is a six-step process that encompasses strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation (see Exhibit 7.1).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

8. Strategic Management Process
Step 1: Identify the Organization’s Current Mission, Objectives, and Strategies
Mission: the firm’s reason for being
The scope of its products and services
Goals: the foundation for further planning
Measurable performance targets
Step 2: Conduct an External Analysis
The environmental scanning of specific and general environments
Focuses on identifying opportunities and threats
Step 1: Identifying the Organization’s Current Mission, Objectives, and Strategies.
1. Every organization needs a mission, which defines the purpose of the organization. What is the organization’s reason for being in business? Exhibit 7.2 describes some common components found in organizational mission statements.
2. It’s also important to identify the organization’s current objectives and strategies.
Step 2: External Analysis.
1. Managers in every organization need to do an external analysis. Factors such as competition, pending legislation, and labour supply could have an impact.
2. After analyzing the environment, managers need to assess what they have learned in terms of opportunities and threats. Opportunities are positive trends in external environmental factors; threats are negative trends.
3. The same environment can present opportunities to one organization and pose threats to another in the same industry because of different resources and capabilities.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

9. Exhibit 7.2 Components of a Mission Statement
Customers: Who are the organization’s customers?
Products or services: What are the organization’s major products or services?
Markets: Where does the organization compete geographically?
Technology: How technologically current is the organization?
Concern for survival growth, and profitability: Is the organization committed to growth and financial stability?
Every organization needs a mission, which defines the purpose of the organization. What is the organization’s reason for being in business? Exhibit 7.2 describes some common components found in organizational mission statements.
Source: Based on F. David, Strategic Management, 8th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001), pp. 65–66.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

10. Exhibit 7.2 Components of a Mission Statement (cont’d)
Philosophy: What are the organization’s basic beliefs, values, aspirations, and ethical priorities?
Self-concept: What is the organization’s major competitive advantage and core competencies?
Concern for public image: How responsive is the organization to societal and environmental concerns?
Concern for employees: Does the organization consider employees a valuable asset?
Source: Based on F. David, Strategic Management, 8th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001), pp. 65–66.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

11. Strategic Management Process (cont’d)
Step 3: Conduct an Internal Analysis
Assessing organizational resources, capabilities, activities, and culture:
Strengths (core competencies) create value for the customer and strengthen the competitive position of the firm
Weaknesses (things done poorly or not at all) can place the firm at a competitive disadvantage.
Steps 2 and 3 combined are called a SWOT analysis. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats)
Step 3: Internal Analysis.
1. Should lead to a clear assessment of the organization’s resources and capabilities.
2. Any activities the organization does well or any unique resources that it has are called strengths.
3. Weaknesses are activities the organization does not do well or resources it needs but does not possess. If any of the organizational capabilities or resources are exceptional or unique, they’re called the organization’s core competencies.
4. Organizational culture is important in internal analysis. It can promote or hinder an organization’s strategic actions.
5. Combined external and internal analyses are called SWOT analysis because it’s an analysis of the organizations’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

12. Exhibit 7.3 Identifying the Organization’s Opportunities
Opportunities in
Resources/Capabilities
Opportunities
the Environment
Based on the SWOT analysis, managers can identify a strategic niche that the organization might exploit (see Exhibit 7.3).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

13. Strategic Management Process (cont’d)
Step 4: Formulate Strategies
Develop and evaluate strategic alternatives
Select appropriate strategies for all levels in the organization that provide relative advantage over competitors
Match organizational strengths to environmental opportunities
Correct weaknesses and guard against threats
Step 4: Formulating Strategies.
1. After the SWOT, managers develop and evaluate strategic alternatives and select strategies that are appropriate.
2. Strategies need to be established for corporate, business, and functional levels.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

14. Strategic Management Process (cont’d)
Step 5: Implement Strategies
Implementation: effectively fitting organizational structure and activities to the environment
The environment dictates the chosen strategy; effective strategy implementation requires an organizational structure matched to its requirements
Step 6: Evaluate Results
How effective have strategies been?
What adjustments, if any, are necessary?
Step 5: Implementing Strategies.
1. A strategy is only as good as its implementation.
Step 6: Evaluating Results.
1. How effective have the strategies been? Are adjustments
necessary?
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

15. Types of Organizational Strategies
Corporate-level Strategies
Top management’s overall plan for the entire organization and its strategic business units
Types of Corporate Strategies
Growth: expansion into new products and markets
Stability: maintenance of the status quo
Retrenchment: addresses organizational weaknesses that are leading to performance declines
Corporate portfolio analysis: involves a number of businesses; guides resource allocation
There are three different and distinct levels of strategy: corporate, business, and functional (see Exhibit 7.4).
A. Corporate-level Strategy: The corporate-level strategy seeks to determine what businesses a corporation should be in or wants to be in.
1. Growth. A growth strategy seeks to increase the organization’s business by expanding the number of products offered or markets served.
2. Stability. A stability strategy is characterized by an absence of significant change.
3. Retrenchment. Retrenchment strategies are deployed when the organization is in trouble. Retrenchment strategies reduce the company’s activities or operations.
4. Corporate Portfolio Analysis. Corporate portfolio analyses are used when an organization’s corporate strategy involves a number of businesses.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

16. Exhibit 7.4 Levels of Organizational Strategy
Research and
Development
Manufacturing
Marketing
Human
Resources
Finance
Strategic
Business Unit 1
Business Unit 2
Business Unit 3
Multibusiness
Corporation
Functional
Level
Business
Corporate
There are three different and distinct levels of strategy: corporate, business, and functional (see Exhibit 7.4).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

17. Corporate-Level Strategies
Growth Strategy
Seeking to increase the organization’s business by expansion into new products and markets
Types of Growth Strategies
Concentration
Vertical integration
Horizontal integration
Diversification
1. Growth. A growth strategy seeks to increase the organization’s business by expanding the number of products offered or markets served.
a. Types of Growth Strategies
1) Concentration: Focusing on a primary line of business and increasing the number of products offered or markets served
2) Vertical Integration: Attempting to gain control of inputs or outputs
3) Horizontal Integration: Combining operations with another competitor in the same industry to increase competitive strengths and lower competition among industry rivals.
4) Diversification: Expanding operations
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

18. Growth Strategies Concentration Vertical Integration
Focusing on a primary line of business and increasing the number of products offered or markets served
Vertical Integration
Backward vertical integration: attempting to gain control of inputs (become a self-supplier)
Forward vertical integration: attempting to gain control of output through control of the distribution channel and/or provide customer service activities (eliminating intermediaries)
Concentration: Focusing on a primary line of business and increasing the number of products offered or markets served.
Vertical Integration
Backward vertical integration: attempting to gain control of inputs (become a self-supplier).
Forward vertical integration: attempting to gain control of output through control of the distribution channel and/or provide customer service activities (eliminating intermediaries).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

19. Growth Strategies (cont’d)
Horizontal Integration
Combining operations with another competitor in the same industry to increase competitive strengths and lower competition among industry rivals
Diversification
Related Diversification
Expanding by merging with or acquiring firms in different, but related industries that are “strategic fits”
Unrelated Diversification
Growing by merging with or acquiring firms in unrelated industries where higher financial returns are possible
Horizontal Integration: Combining operations with another competitor in the same industry to increase competitive strengths and lower competition among industry rivals.
Diversification
Related Diversification: Expanding by merging with or acquiring firms in different, but related industries that are “strategic fits.”
Unrelated Diversification: Growing by merging with or acquiring firms in unrelated industries where higher financial returns are possible.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

20. Corporate-Level Strategies (cont’d)
Stability Strategy
A strategy that seeks to maintain the status quo to deal with the uncertainty of a dynamic environment, when the industry is experiencing slow- or no-growth conditions, or if the owners of the firm elect not to grow for personal reasons
A stability strategy is characterized by an absence of significant change.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

21. Corporate-Level Strategies (cont’d)
Retrenchment Strategy
Reduces the company’s activities or operations
Retrenchment strategies include:
Cost reductions
Layoffs
Closing underperforming units
Closing entire product lines or services
Retrenchment strategies are used when the organization is in trouble. Retrenchment strategies reduce the company’s activities or operations.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

22. Corporate-Level Strategies (cont’d)
Corporate Portfolio Analysis
BCG Matrix
Developed by the Boston Consulting Group
Considers market share and industry growth rate
Classifies firms as:
Cash cows: low growth rate, high market share
Stars: high growth rate, high market share
Question marks: high growth rate, low market share
Dogs: low growth rate, low market share
Corporate Portfolio Analysis. Used when an organization’s corporate strategy involves a number of businesses.
BCG Matrix helps to identify which businesses offer high potential and which are a drain on organizational resources.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

23. Exhibit 7.5 The BCG Matrix Stars Heavily invest Question Marks
Sell off or
turn into stars
Cash
Cows
Milk for cash
Dogs
liquidate
High
Low
Market Share
Anticipated
Growth Rate
The first portfolio matrix—the BCG matrix—developed by the Boston Consulting Group, introduced the idea that an organization’s businesses could be evaluated and plotted using a 2 x 2 matrix (see Exhibit 7.5) to identify which ones offered high potential and which were a drain on organizational resources. The horizontal axis represents market share, which was evaluated as either low or high; and the vertical axis indicates anticipated market growth, which also was evaluated as either low or high. Based on its evaluation, businesses can be placed in one of four categories.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

24. Business-Level Strategy
A strategy that seeks to determine how an organization should compete in each of its SBUs (strategic business units)
A business-level strategy seeks to determine how an organization should compete in each of its businesses. For organizations in multiple businesses, each division will have its own strategy that defines the products or services it will offer, the customers it wants to reach, and the like.
When an organization is in several different businesses, these single businesses that are independent and formulate their own strategies are often called strategic business units (SBUs).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

25. The Role of Competitive Advantage
An organization’s distinctive competitive edge that is sourced and sustained in its core competencies
Quality as a Competitive Advantage
Differentiates the firm from its competitors
Can create a sustainable competitive advantage
Represents the company’s focus on quality management to achieve continuous improvement and meet customers’ demand for quality
Competitive advantage is what sets an organization apart, that is, its distinct edge. These come from the firm’s core competencies.
Quality as a Competitive Advantage. If implemented properly, quality can be a way for an organization to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

26. Exhibit 7.6 Forces in an Industry Analysis
Substitutes
Buyers
Bargaining
Power of
Threat of
Suppliers
New
Entrants
New Entrants
Intensity of
Rivalry Among
Current
Competitors
Porter says there are five competitive forces at work in an industry (see Exhibit 7.6).
Source: Based on M.E. Porter, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors (New York: The Free Press, 1980).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

27. Five Competitive Forces
Threat of New Entrants
The ease or difficulty with which new competitors can enter an industry
Threat of Substitutes
The extent to which switching costs and brand loyalty affect the likelihood of customers adopting substitute products and services
Bargaining Power of Buyers
The degree to which buyers have the market strength to hold sway over and influence competitors in an industry
Competitive strategies developed out of the work of Michael Porter. His framework suggests that managers can choose from among three generic strategies. Porter’s major contribution has been to carefully outline how managers can create and sustain a competitive strategy in order to earn above-average profitability.
a. Industry analysis is an important step in Porter’s framework. He says there are five competitive forces at work in an industry (see Exhibit 7.6).
1) Threat of new entrants is determined by barriers to entry, which are factors that determine how easy or hard it is for new competitors to enter an industry.
2) Threat of substitutes is a factor that determines whether or not customers will switch their business to a competitor.
3) Bargaining power of buyers is a factor that determines the amount of influence that buyers have in an industry.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

28. Five Competitive Forces (cont’d)
Bargaining Power of Suppliers
The relative number of buyers to suppliers and threats from substitutes and new entrants affect the buyer-supplier relationship
Current Rivalry
Intensity among rivals increases when industry growth rates slow, demand falls, and product prices descend
4. Bargaining power of suppliers is a force that determine the power that suppliers have over firms in the industry.
5. Current rivalry includes factors that determine how intense the competitive rivalry will be among firms currently in the industry.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

29. Exhibit 7.7 Pursuing Porter’s Competitive Strategies
Porter proposes that managers select a strategy that will give the organization a competitive advantage, which he says arises out of either having lower costs than all other industry competitors or by being significantly different from competitors.
On that basis, managers can choose one of three strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, or focus.
Which one managers select depends on the organization’s strengths and core competencies and its competitors’ weaknesses (see Exhibit 7.7).
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

30. Competitive Strategies
Cost Leadership Strategy
Seeking to attain the lowest total overall costs relative to other industry competitors
Differentiation Strategy
Attempting to create a unique and distinctive product or service for which customers will pay a premium
Focus Strategy
Using a cost or differentiation advantage to exploit a particular market segment rather than a larger market
Stuck in the Middle
Organizations that are unable to develop a cost or differentiation advantage
Porter then goes on to state that management must choose a strategy that will give it a competitive advantage over its rivals. There are three generic competitive strategies. Which one managers select depends on the organization’s strengths and core competencies and its competitors’ weaknesses.
A. A cost leadership strategy is the strategy an organization follows when it wants to be the lowest-cost producer in the industry.
B. The differentiation strategy is the strategy a firm follows when it wants to be unique in its industry along dimensions valued by buyers.
C. The focus strategy is the strategy a company follows when it pursues a cost or differentiation advantage in a narrow industry segment.
D. Porter proposed that a firm could not successfully pursue a combination of these competitive strategies and used the term stuck in the middle to describe organizations that cannot compete through cost leadership, differentiation, or focus strategies. However, a growing number of research studies have shown that a dual emphasis on low costs and differentiation can result in high performance. This approach isn’t easy to implement, however.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

31. Functional-Level Strategy
Functional-level strategies support the business-level strategy
i.e., Marketing, human resources, research and development, and finance all support the business-level strategy
Problems occur when employees or customers don’t understand a company’s strategy
The functional-level strategy seeks to determine how to support the business-level strategy.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

32. Strategies in Today’s Environment: Applying E-Business Techniques
Cost Leadership
Online activities: bidding, order processing, inventory control, recruitment, and hiring
Differentiation
Internet-based knowledge systems, online ordering, and customer support
Focus
Chat rooms and discussion boards, targeted web sites
Strategies for Applying E-business Techniques
1. Cost Leadership. Online activities: bidding, order processing, inventory control, recruitment, and hiring.
2. Differentiation. Internet-based knowledge systems, online ordering, and customer support.
3. Focus. Chat rooms and discussion boards, targeted web sites.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

33. Customer Service Strategies
Giving the customers what they want
Communicating effectively with them
Providing employees with customer service training
Customer Service Strategies. These strategies give customers what they want, communicate effectively with them, and provide employees with customer service training.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

34. Innovation Strategies
Possible Events
Radical breakthroughs in products
Application of existing technology to new uses
Strategic Decisions about Innovation
Basic research
Product development
Process innovation
First Mover
An organization that brings a product innovation to market or uses a new process innovation
Innovation Strategies. Can focus on breakthrough products or then can include the application of existing technology to new uses. An organization that is first to bring a product innovation to the market or to use a new process innovation is called a first mover.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

35. Exhibit 7.8 First-Mover Advantages–Disadvantages
Reputation for being innovative and industry leader
Cost and learning benefits
Control over scarce resources and keeping competitors from having access to them
Opportunity to begin building customer relationships and customer loyalty
Disadvantages
Uncertainty over exact direction technology and market will go
Risk of competitors imitating innovations
Financial and strategic risks
High development costs
An organization that’s first to bring a product innovation to the market or to use a new process innovation is called a first mover. Being a first mover has certain strategic advantages and disadvantages as shown in Exhibit 7.8.
Chapter 7, Stephen P. Robbins, Mary Coulter, and Nancy Langton, Management, Eighth Canadian Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.