Dear writer,
First of all I really appreciate it that you are helping me, I*m so stressed that I’m stuck with writing my thesis. I started it but its so hard! I have all the material you need and will send it to u, before you start writing I will prefer it if we could discuss it before so you know exactly what this topic is going to be.
First let me introduce me I’m Esra and 30 years old I’m doing my master in Buisness administration- Business relationship management. And my topic ist Competitor Analysis. I’m writing my thesis with correlation with a company Danfoss power Solution. The request feom them was to anlyse their four mein competitors and put the information on their sharepoint site.
My professior said that I cannot stat a competitor analysis with just the four main competitors. I need to do a competitor identification (framwork/analysis) first for the pupose I should make use of Bergen and Peterafs framework.
So that I find out not only the direct competitor but also the potential as well as the future competitors.
Once that is done the actual analysis will be done only on the four main competitors, just to limit the scope and to meet the request from Danfoss.
That’s just for the beginning.
The main goal of the thesis is to create a suitable Competitor Analysis Framework for DPS to meet the objectives from DPS as well a the objectives from a thesis.
I think competitor analysis is a tough topic its so confusing and deceiving some models and frameworks are promising to achive an competitor advantage and to come up with the best strategy by predicting their moves. I thinks predicting is impossible couse we can not predict the future. And predicting competiors attack and suggestion on counteratack sound more like war than actually doing business. There are so many ways of doing an competitor analysis and so many possibilities. There are over 50 different Competitor analysis models/framework/ techniques. I had a hard time choosing the right one but I guess there is no right no wrong rather seeking for the best suitable one for our own needs and objectives.
That’s why I thinks porters 5 forces is a good starting point after competitor identification is done. But its out of date and need some adjustments and at this I agree with Downes (1997) that 3 forces have to be added and that in this case innovativeness plays a huge role! Therefore I think using and applying proters 8 forces would be more effective.
But before that I think applying a swot analysis would be preferable at least it would be a really help for brainstorming when it comes to use the information of the competitor but here I would also make an adjustment by dividing the strength and weeknesses into internal and external parts like it is here suggested
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_89.htm
last but not least I was thinking of applzing this http://www.academia.edu/2918009/A_framework_for_competitor_analysis
Porter Competitors response profile. Here I think its good as it is.
These all I was considering to use it to build a frame work, since I thiks its good starting for competitor analysis. Its not a complete one sicne there would be a lot more to ally and consider in order to build a good strategy but it will serve as a good informations source once it been applied and it can be used over and over again for DPS.
The structure of my thesis or rather the body is supposed to be tike this:
1 Introduction
2Fondation of Competitor analysis
Here I introduce all the frameworks and models/ techniques which I’m going to work with
3critical review of the frameworks and models/techniques
Here wirte about the flaws the usability and functionality of them and at the beginning a crtical review of the books and journals which have been used the most.
4)Proposal of the new framewok of competitor analysis
5) applying the new framework on DPS
The application of the framework will be done on the four main competitrors!
Methodology ist not so important its totally enough to write about it 1-2 pages in the introcuction part.
I think that’s quiet enough for the start. I’m looking forward to talk to you about it for more details! I will send to you everything about it, what I have written so far the journals as well as the links to the internetpages.
and please let me know as soon as something is uncleas and if you need more information! I’m counting on you! Thanks a lot!
Kind regards
Esra
Before I forget the most important sources which I will send to you as well are
Peteraf and Bergen Competitor Identification and competitor analysis: A broad based managerial approach
And scanning Dynamic Competitive Landscapes
Ming-Jer Chen: Competitor Analysis and Interfirm Rivalry: toward theoretical Integration
And I guess their suggestion on competitor analysis should be also introduced in this paper framework.
