BGMT 495 Disc ***Zeek the GEEK only***

1)  Over 30 years ago Michael Porter identified a holistic approach to understanding how competitive forces shape strategy.  He stated that the only way to truly insulate an organization from underlying economic volatility is by understanding the 5 competitive forces and how they relate, fundamentally, to the organization.  The five forces are:

Rivalry among existing competitors

The bargaining power of Suppliers

Threat of New Entrants to the market

The bargaining power of Buyers

Threat of Substitute Products/Services

Select ONE of the industries below and identify a specific company in that industry and identify the key drivers of competition for that industry and specifically for the selected company.  Explain how those external competitive forces are affecting the industry and company and the effect of those forces on the overall strategic planning processes uniquely for that company and generally for that industry.  offer supporting rationale for your explanation and be sure to reference your statements using proper APA formatting.

Industry:

Airline, Banking, Healthcare, Retail, Fast Food.

Learning Activity # 2

2)  Utilizing the industry/company selected for Learning Activity # 1 and your comments regarding the key drivers of competition based on Porter's 5 Competitive Forces, what do you believe is a limitation to only evaluating those competitive forces for that selected industry/company.  In other words, what implications are NOT considered when only utilizing Porter's 5 Competitive Forces and how might you identify those additional external factors?  

Offer supporting rationale for your explanation and be sure to reference your statements using proper APA formatting.