Porter, a Harvard University professor, developed an article in 1979 which discusses the five competitive forces that shape strategy within a particular industry (Porter, 2011). Porter makes the assumption that all industries are not the same in terms of profit potential and some may be much more attractive than others (Coulter, 2010). He created the five forces model to help businesses further understand all aspects of an industry beforehand, so that the best possible strategic decision can be made (Porter). (Porter) states that “industry analysis and looking at the competitive environment is the starting basic discipline of any strategy formulation process”. The five forces that evaluate the opportunities and threats in greater detail within an industry include current rivalry, potential entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and substitute products (Coulter). The mobile operating system (OS) industry is a very complex technological industry, which already includes the existence of four superpower companies. Using Porter’s five forces model, the mobile OS industry will be evaluated, specifically highlighting Android, iOS, Windows Phone (WP) and BlackBerry
Porter, a Harvard University professor, developed an article in 1979 which discusses the five competitive forces that shape strategy within a particular industry (Porter, 2011). Porter makes the assumption that all industries are not the same in terms of profit potential and some may be much more attractive than others (Coulter, 2010). He created the five forces model to help businesses further understand all aspects of an industry beforehand, so that the best possible strategic decision can be made (Porter). (Porter) states that “industry analysis and looking at the competitive environment is the starting basic discipline of any strategy formulation process”. The five forces that evaluate the opportunities and threats in greater detail within an industry include current rivalry, potential entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and substitute products (Coulter). The mobile operating system (OS) industry is a very complex technological industry, which already includes the existence of four superpower companies. Using Porter’s five forces model, the mobile OS industry will be evaluated, specifically highlighting Android, iOS, Windows Phone (WP) and BlackBerry