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The Advantages Competitive Strategies

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The Advantages of Competitive Strategies

Abstract
This paper will look at Competitive Strategies as they are described by Michael Porter. It will define and describe how Competitive Strategies create a competitive advantage.

The Advantages of Competitive Strategies According to Michael Porter, an organization preparing to enter the market place must have in its core competencies the ability to create a competitive advantage (Robbins & Coulter, 2009). Yet, if an organization is to remain a viable entity throughout the turbulent terrain that accompanies the ever evolving market place, it will not suffice for an organization to just create or have a competitive advantage; the organization must be able to maintain a “long-term, sustainable competitive advantage” (Robbins & Coulter, 2009, p. 171). An organization can obtain this goal by discovering the niche that gives them a “distinctive edge” (Robbins & Coulter, 2009, p. 170). Robbins and Coulter noted in their 2009 work, that an organization’s “distinctive edge comes from the organizations core competencies because the organization does something that others cannot do or does it better than others can do it.” Once this distinctive edge is established, the organization now has a competitive advantage, “which is what sets an organization apart” (Robbins & Coulter, 2009, p. 170). An organization can gain a competitive advantage by providing its customers with some level of convenience. “Southwest Airlines” was able to create a competitive advantage over its competitors by the developing their “skills at giving passengers what they want – convenient and inexpensive service” (Robbins & Coulter, 2009, p. 170). Competitive advantage can also be established if a company uses its “resources” to develop and implement “something that its competitors do not have” (Robbins & Coulter, 2009,

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