• 10 Marks

SCS – MAR 2024 – L3 – Q2 – Competitive advantage

Apply and appraise Porter’s three strategies for sustaining competitive advantage for Prestige Designers Ltd.

A strategic clock can be used to consider different business strategies for gaining competitive advantage, based on providing a combination of price and perceived benefits. Porter has suggested three strategies for sustaining competitive advantage over rival firms and their products or services. They are a cost leadership strategy, a differentiation strategy, and a focus strategy.

Required:
Apply and appraise how effective the suggested three strategies for sustaining competitive advantage over rival firms would be useful to Prestige. (10 marks)

  1. Cost Leadership Strategy:
    • Prestige must compete effectively on price by offering its housing stock at a lower price than rivals.
    • The company should have excellent cost control systems and continually plan for further reductions in costs to remain the cost leader in the market.
    • Prestige, being a large company, can benefit from economies of scale compared to smaller competitors.
    • To achieve reasonable profit margins, Prestige must sell large volumes of homes at a lower profit margin per unit.
  2. Differentiation Strategy:
    • Prestige’s products must be distinct from those of its competitors in a way that customers can recognize, potentially leveraging the “Vintage” brand which focuses on low-cost housing for young buyers.
    • The company could innovate and incorporate modern methods of construction (MMC) and sustainability-related methods to differentiate its products.
    • Customers might be willing to pay more for homes with unique features and higher perceived value.
    • Prestige should invest in delivering superior value to customers, even if that means higher upfront costs.
  3. Focus Strategy:
    • Prestige could focus on segmented consumer markets by selecting specific segments, such as the middle-class or younger first-time home buyers, as the primary market for their products.
    • The company could concentrate on serving a particular type of customer or region, allowing it to tailor its offerings to the unique demands of that segment.
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