Concepts on the fields and weapons of the competition model

Abstract

Up to now, the Fields and Weapons of the Competition Model has been publicized as a theoretical framework for many studies and, as such, it has appeared in a fragmented manner. Due to the level of consolidation the model has achieved, now is the time to present it integrally, so as to expose it to the appreciation of the scientific community dedicated to Corporate Strategy. Belonging to the Competitiveness theory and having scientific validity, the model is both qualitative and quantitative, and therefore presents some advantages over Porter’s model, as well as over the RBV and the Balanced Scorecard models. A simple idea has originated it: according to the customer’s interest, separating the so-called competitive advantages, so as to sort out those that interest him/her from those that do not. The first group consists of the fields of the competition; the latter corresponds to the weapons of the competition. The fields of the competition relate to the business´ competitive strategy, and the weapons of the competition related to the operational competitive strategies. This is the first of a series of three articles.