Harvard Business Review Competitive Forces Paper Essay - 1

Harvard Business Review Competitive Forces Paper - Essay Example In the context of each organization IT can be both an advantage and a disadvantage in regard to a firm’s competitiveness. The specific role of IT is presented below using examples, as appropriate, for making the relevant views clearer. 2. IT and Porter’s Five Forces on competition 2.1 How IT is intertwined with the effects of Porter's "Five Forces" on competition in a company's industry The Five Forces theory of Porter promotes the idea that in order to survive in its industry a company should identify a strategy for facing effectively five forces: a) the threats related to new entrants, b) threats from substitute products, c) the pressures from suppliers, d) the pressures from customers and e) the increasing competition within the industry (Roy 2011, p.26). In practice, it has been proved that in each organization IT could be intertwined with the effects of these Forces. IT could play this role in two different ways: it could either set in risk a company’s compe titive advantages or it could promote these advantages securing the competitiveness of a company. In fact, it seems that in each company IT can influence the performance of the company in regard to the management of all Forces, as including in the Porter’s Five Forces model. Reference should be made primarily to the potentials of IT to provide to firm critical information in regard to the local or the global market (Roy 2011, p.7). By having access to such information managers can identify strategies that can help the firm to face effectively all industry’s forces, as these forces are included in Porter’s Five Forces. For example, information on substitute products available in the market can lead a firm to make appropriate improvements on its existing products so that its market competitiveness is secured (Roy 2011, p.7). 2.2 Description of five specific areas where IT represents a risk to a company's competitive advantage - how IT affects these advantages IT c an set a firm’s competitive advantages into risk. Reference can be made, as an example, to the following areas of an organization: a) Internal communication networks; in most organizations, internal communication is based on IT systems (Naunheim 2011, p.1). The phenomenon is more intensive in organizations of medium/ large size where e-mail is used as the key tool of communication in the workplace (Naunheim 2011, p.1). Ineffective IT systems can cause severe communication problems among employees resulting to the delay or even the failure of organizational tasks (Naunheim 2011, p.1); b) Development of new products/ services; the competitiveness of all organizations is depended on their ability to create products/ services that will have an advantage compared those to the competitors’ (Dosi, Teece & Chytry 1998, p.216). However, in practice not all firms are able to develop such products/ services especially in the long term (Dosi, Teece & Chytry 1998, p.216). This weak ness has been made clear in the following case: IBM had been already a successful company when Apple appeared (Dosi, Teece & Chytry 1998, p.216). Still, it was Apple that managed to conquer the global market by emphasizing on personal computer’s capabilities, even more than IBM, the firm that first introduced the specific device (Dosi, Teece & Chytry 1998, p.216); c) Manufacturing process; today, the major part of each firm’s manufacturing processes is based on IT systems; however, the IT systems used in such activities are not always

I-HRM & Performance Management and Strategic Management Assignment

I-HRM & Performance Management and Strategic Management - Assignment Example However its importance becomes multi fold in global scenario due to the variable and dynamic nature of market. Success in IHRMs is akin to success of overall operational activity undertaken. Introduction: Organizations are a collection of different individuals and different processes that are grouped together into one unit in form of larger entity. Each of these has a clear role defined and responsibility assigned to them. Without the clear definition of the roles, the processes cannot excel. A special domain is in place that ensures that all these personnel are adjusted according to the requirement, and according to their skill and abilities. This is covered in the domain of Human Resource management. Assigning the right kind of role to the right kind of person in the right manner. The scope of HRM is quite a broad one and it entails almost all the activities of the personnel involved (Ristow, et al. 2009). No organization can survive without the presence of apt Human resource manag ement. Human resource management may exist in various forms. It can be of local level and/ or international level. The International human resource management is applicable in cases when the organization performs its activities and provides its services off shore and across the border. Like the domestic human resource management, IHRM is subject to the compliance of structures like performance management and strategic management. While each society has its own characteristic ways and patterns, and as a result of this, the individuals go about different functions in a different manner, it becomes imperative to adjust and accommodate these individuals and these functions according to their inspirations and in result yield the best deal out of the scenario and situation. They dynamic nature of I-HRM: Human resource management in the international context is the most dynamic concept since these trends vary from society to society, and country to country. While the basic concepts of huma n resource management remain the same, which are based on the basic principles of ensuring that the right kind of person is employed and inducted in the right place, yet in global context, the culture, the overall aptitude, the global patterns, the governmental factors and considerations also must be taken into account (Haris, et al. 2003). In the global scenario, the IHRM aims at creating a correlation between the nature of work and nature of people. Since a totally different culture and society is involved thereby variations are bound and adjustments ought to be made in accordance. The need: The need for human resource management in international scenario becomes more important than ever because different aptitudes, difference surroundings, and different variables are involved. In domestic domains, the natures and aptitudes can be easily comprehended, but in international scenario, the trends and patterns are totally different based on different set of values, cultural norms, folk ways, in such cases, understanding the human resource functions is an indispensible concept and it serves as the backbone towards the organizational success. Mishandling and it could lead to the overall failure of the organizational venture undertaken on international shores (MacCourt 2003). Literature Review: The early 19th century and middle 20th century has seen massive change in the manner in which businesses were being conducted earlier (Shuman & Twombly 2001 19). The global trends have prevailed since then with every individual and every organization in touch with