【正文】 s). For example, if a mailorder pany wants to reduce its orderprocessing costs, it would want to pare its order processing costs with those of other mailorder panies, breaking down its costs for each part of the process (including ordertaking and shipping) and paring them with industry averages. It can then pinpoint those areas where its costs are higher than average for the industry. A related concept is best practices: once you39。s business processes perform on a set of raw materials or other inputs. Most can be easily copied by other petitors, but there is usually a unique subset that represents the valueadded qualities only the pany under scrutiny possesses. This set is that pany39。s overall business processes and identifying where that pany actually adds value to a product or service. The total margin of profit will be the value of the product or service to buyers, less the cost of its production, as determined by the value chain. In most cases, a petitive advantage is only temporary for many of today39。s experience curve? Will increased production lower cost? Capabilities What resources can the client draw from? How is the client anized? What is the production system? The Five Cs This framework is mostly applied to financial cases and to panies (although it can be applied to individuals). You may employ it in other situations if you think it is appropriate. Character Evaluate the dedication, track record, and overall consumer perception of the pany. Are there any legal actions pending against the pany? If so, for what reason? Is the pany progressive about its waste disposal, quality of life for its employees, and charitable contributions? What sort of impact would this have on the case you are evaluating? Capacity If you are dealing with a manufacturing entity, are its factories at, above, or below capacity, and for what reasons? Are there plans to add new plants, improve the technology in existing plants, or close underperforming plants? What about production overseas? Capital What is the pany39。s one way to think about the choice between being the lowestcost provider or carving out a higherend market niche what consultants call differentiation. The Four Ps This is a useful framework for evaluating marketing cases. It can be applied to both products and services. The Four Ps consist of: Price The price a firm sets for its product/service can be a strategic advantage. For example, it can be predatory (set very low to undercut the petition), or it can be set slightly above market average to convey a premium image. Consider how pricing is being used in the context of the case presented to you. Product The product (or service) may provide strategic advantage if it is the only product/service that satisfies a particular intersection of customer needs. Or it may simply be an extension of already existing products, and therefore not much of a benefit. Try to tease out the value of the product in the marketplace based on the case details you have been given. Position/Place The physical location of a product/service can provide an advantage if it is superior to its petition, if it is easier or more convenient for people to consume, or if it makes the consumer more aware of the product/service over its petition. In the context of a business case, you may want to determine the placement of the product or service pared to its petition. Promotion With so much noise in today39。ve heard increasingly is How would you create barriers to entry as an Inter Startup? Product life cycle curve If you39。s). How attractive is the copy store market? Potential entrants: What is the threat of new entrants into the market? Copy stores are not very expensive to open you can conceivably open a copy store with one copier and one employee. Therefore, barriers to entry are low, so there39。s Five Forces, a pany can begin to develop a thoughtful answer. Consultants frequently utilize Porter39。s Five Forces framework helps determine the attractiveness of an industry. Before any pany expands into new markets, divests product lines, acquires new b