产业组织分析提纲

How has the industry responded to these challenges and issues? Your assessment of the industry’s history should include a time span sufficient to develop an overall historical perspective. The appropriate time frame will depend on the industry you are analyzing. For example, an analysis of the petroleum industry that focused on 1980-1985 would probably conclude that the industry is stagnant and unattractive. However, a brief historical review of that industry’s past 50 years would suggest that the fortunes of this industry ebb and flow over time and that recent history should be viewed from that perspective. On the other hand, the personal computer industry is much younger than the petroleum industry, so its historical review will cover much less time.
Choosing An Industry
An industry is a group of companies or organizations providing similar products and/or services to an identifiable set of customers or clients. We have provided a list of industries from which you may select. There were several criteria used to select these industries, including the availability of library resources and the potential availability of a representative of that industry for you to interview. If your team wants to analyze an industry not on the list, consult with your section leader. In most cases, you will need to segment the industry to make the project manageable. For example, if your team chooses broadcast media, you will want to narrow this to a particular medium (such as radio or network television) rather than trying to cover all media in the industry. (Segmenting does not mean, however, that you may analyze only one company in an industry.)
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS
Analyzing an industry is an important management skill. A formal strategic industry analysis—which includes an overview of strategic forces affecting a target industry, an analysis of strategies of various companies in the industry, and forecasts and recommendations —is useful in many strategic management and planning situations. First, such an analysis helps managers understand their company’s current strategic position. Second, an industry analysis pinpoints and analyzes the general threats and opportunities facing all companies in an industry, positioning managers better to capitalize on the available opportunities while minimizing or avoiding the threats facing firms in the industry. Third, a formal industry analysis aids managers in deciding whether to enter or leave a particular industry. Finally, preparing an industry analysis aids managers in understanding the strategies and behavior of specific competitors. The team project for this semester is to analyze an industry. The analysis that you will do is a scaled-down version of a full-blown strategic industry analysis. The analysis has been reduced in scope for your team project for two reasons: first, so that it is appropriate for your level of business knowledge and research skills; and, second, so that it can be finished comfortably in a semester where there are competing demands for your time and attention. The topics that follow provide a structure for your analysis. Please note, however, that their relative importance depends on the industry that you choose to analyze. Consult with your section leader for help in determining which topics are more important for your particular industry.
Reviewing An Industry’s History
Once you have defined your industry, the next step is to review and identify those issues that historically have been strategically important to the industry. Do not detail every historical event; try rather to develop a historical overview and an understanding of strategically important events, trends, and competitor actions. Your review of an industry’s history should answer the following questions: How was the industry created? What was occurring at that time? How has the industry changed and developed? What challenges and issues has the industry faced over the years?
Analyzing Industry Forces
A number of external forces influence strategies and the profit potential of an industry. They include: technological changes resource availability socioections
customer needs and actions In examining each of these forces, consider both the current status and likely future directions of the forces, and assess the importance of each for your industry. Be sure to consider these forces in the international context where appropriate. Technological changes. The first step in analyzing the current and future impact of technological changes on an industry is to identify what is occurring. You should specify the current level of technology (simple versus highly technical), the availability of technologies, and the rate of technological change. For example, changes in information processing technology, such as computerized grocery checkouts, have dramatically altered the technological assessment of the grocery retailing industry. The level of technology is sophisticated, and new technologies are widely available and rapidly changing. Technology has become a major force in that industry. The second step is to examine technological threats to the industry. For instance, changes in telecommunications technology pose a direct threat to the express mail delivery industry, including the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Express, organizations that move correspondence, financial data, and other types of printed information. The final step in analyzing technological changes is to assess strategic implications. You should ask: How will technological changes alter company strategies? In some instances, your research will clearly indicate how strategies will be altered. In many situations, however, you will have to deduce or infer them. Resource availability. All competitors in an industry are dependent on the same general pool of resources. The availability and control of critical resources can influence levels of output and company profitability. The first step in analyzing this external force is to evaluate what resources are critically needed for companies in the industry. These resources could include raw materials, energy sources, managerial skills, technical personnel, and transport and logistics capabilities. The relative importance of these resources varies from one industry to another. In the accounting industry, for example, raw material availability and energy considerations are of little importance, but managerial capabilities and technical personnel are critical resources. Your analysis should address the following questions: What are the critical resources? How available are critical resources? What are the trends in the availability of these resources?