Business-Level Strategy
Business-level strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions the business uses to gain a competitive advantage by exploiting core competencies in specific product markets (WiZiQ). In Google’s case, for them to be successful they must develop, enforce, and concur their rivals which in Microsoft, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines. Developing a business-level strategy can be broken down into three main parts: costumers’ needs, customers’ groups, and distinctive competencies (Hill p.158).
The firm must first evaluate the company and then decide “what are customers’ needs?” What do consumers desire that is not being met? The reason Google has customers is because there is a need that needs to be filled, so after discovering what is that need was, they had to tackle the next level. Next, Google had to develop a customer group, so now that Google knows there are needs that must be satisfied, they must determine who needs the service that Google supplies. Lastly, Google must have distinctive competencies, in other words decide how they will satisfy these customers. By answering all of these questions Google has started building a business-level strategy to exploit any weaknesses their rivals may have, and turn them into competitive advantages. The business-level strategy can be very useful to Google, especially for long term success. If Google continues to revise and reassess these question they can easily adjust their direction, marketing, and customer diversity by knowing if there is a new need, can they satisfy it, and if so how can they satisfy the new need.
A generic business level strategy gives a company specific form of competitive position and advantage vis-à-vis its rivals that results in above-average profitability.” (Hill p.160). Hill also describes “generic” as “all companies potentially pursuing the different strategies regardless of the type of industry they are: manufacturing, service, or...