Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • March–April 1979
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review

How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy

By: M. E. Porter
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:9
ShareBar

Abstract

Many factors determine the nature of competition, including not only rivals, but also the economics of particular industries, new entrants, the bargaining power of customers and suppliers, and the threat of substitute services or products. A strategic plan of action based on this might include: positioning the company so that its capabilities provide the best defense against the competitive forces; influencing the balance of forces through strategic moves; and anticipating shifts in the factors underlying competitive forces. McKinsey Award Winner.

Keywords

Competition; Strategy

Citation

Porter, M. E. "How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy." Harvard Business Review 57, no. 2 (March–April 1979): 137–145.
  • Find it at Harvard

About The Author

Michael E. Porter

Strategy
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • August 2020
    • Faculty Research

    PayPal: The Next Chapter

    By: Michael Porter, Mark Kramer and Annelena Lobb
    • May–June 2020
    • NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery

    The Agenda for the Next Generation of Health Care Information Technology

    By: Thomas W. Feeley, Zachary Landman and Michael E. Porter
    • 2019
    • Faculty Research

    A Recovery Squandered: The State of U.S. Competitiveness 2019

    By: Michael E. Porter, Jan Rivkin, Mihir Desai, Katherine M. Gehl, William R. Kerr and Manjari Raman
More from the Author
  • PayPal: The Next Chapter By: Michael Porter, Mark Kramer and Annelena Lobb
  • The Agenda for the Next Generation of Health Care Information Technology By: Thomas W. Feeley, Zachary Landman and Michael E. Porter
  • A Recovery Squandered: The State of U.S. Competitiveness 2019 By: Michael E. Porter, Jan Rivkin, Mihir Desai, Katherine M. Gehl, William R. Kerr and Manjari Raman
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College