The Applicability of Porter’s Generic Strategies in the Digital Age: Assumptions, Conjectures, and Suggestions
- 31 October 2004
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Management
- Vol. 30 (5), 569-589
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jm.2003.12.001
Abstract
Because current management theories evolved in the context of brick-and-mortar firms, this paper examines three key questions raised by the advent of e-business: (1) Will the strategy types found among e-business firms resemble Porter’s (1980) generic strategies? (2) Will we find performance differences among e-business firms pursuing different types of strategies? (3) Will we find differences in the strategy-performance relationships of pure online firms (pure plays) and firms with both online and offline operations (clicks-and-bricks)? We conclude that integrated strategies that combine elements of cost leadership and differentiation will outperform cost leadership or differentiation strategies. We also argue that, regardless of business strategy type, clicks-and-bricks firms that closely integrate their on-and offline operations will enjoy performance advantages over their pure play counterparts.Keywords
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