1. EXT 504 Joanna Wiebe (Summary of Paper on Porter) Low Cost Leadership (Porter)

2. The critical focus in successfully implementing a cost- leadership strategy is on efficiency and cost reduction.

3. Overview Cost-leadership strategies are all about standardized products (no differentiation) with cost/price as the key differentiator. Understand cost-reduction strategies (e.g., building efficient-scale facilities) and emphasize maintaining constant efforts (or, as Porter would say, activities) to keep costs low in order to create value for customers “Companies following cost leadership strategies cannot completely ignore sources of differentiation that customers value when producing standardised products. These include styling, minimal levels of service, and product quality” (Porter)

4. Negatives of Low-Cost Leadership Strategy Risks with cost-leadership strategy: Tech innovations by competitors eliminate low-cost advantage Too much focus on process efficiency = less awareness on environment & shifting customer preferences Competitor imitation of low-cost + better value in other areas When competitors imitate (successfully), low-cost strategy must shift to increase value to customers Customer resistance to corresponding price increases

6. Have a minimum level of differentiation

7. Have a customer base that is price-sensitive

9. Establishing tight control over production

10. Establishing tight control over overhead costs

11. Minimizing the costs of:

12. Sales

13. Product research and development (R&D)

14. Service

16. Porter’s 5 Competitive Forces Rivalry with existing competitors Bargaining power of buyers/customers Bargaining power of suppliers Potential new entrants Product substitutes

17. Rivalry with Existing Competitors “Achieving the lowest cost position means that a company's competitors will hesitate to compete on the basis of price because, in the event of a price war, the low cost company will continue to earn profits after its competitors compete away their profits.”

18. Bargaining Power of Buyers/Customers “Achieving the low cost position provides some protection against powerful customers who attempt to drive down prices. If customers attempt to drive prices below the cost of the next most efficient company, that company might choose to exit the market (rather than remain and earn below average profits), leaving the low cost company with a monopoly position. If that happens, customers would lose any bargaining power, as the monopoly company would be in a position to raise prices.”

19. Bargaining Power of Suppliers “Because they have achieved the lowest cost position in the industry, the cost leadership strategy enables a company to absorb a greater amount of cost increases from powerful suppliers before it must raise prices charged to customers. This may enable the company to be alone among its competitors in earning above-average returns. In addition, a low-cost leader that also has a dominant market share may be in a position to force suppliers to lower prices or to hold down the level of price increases, and thus reduce the power of suppliers.”

20. Potential New Entrants “Companies successfully following cost leadership strategies generally must produce and sell in large volumes to earn above-average returns. And, with a continuous focus on efficiency and reducing costs, low-cost leadership companies create barriers to entry. New entrants must either enter the industry at a large scale (large enough to achieve the same economies of scale as the next lowest cost company) or be satisfied with average profits until they move sufficiently far down the experience curve to match the efficiencies of the low-cost leader.”

21. Product Substitutes “The low-cost leader is in a more attractive position relative to substitute products than are other companies in the industry. To retain customers, the low-cost leader can more easily reduce prices to maintain the price-value relationship and retain customers.”

22. Examples Today… Low-Cost Leader …And Not