Functional and Competitive Strategies

Understanding Competitive Advantage

Competitive Advantage in nutshell is the outcome of Strategic Planning a company performs in an attempt to gain industry leadership through enhanced products and services not present in their competitors.  Companies are striving continuously to be leaders in their industry and it is important that they find differentiation strategies that sets them apart.  Consider the below companies.  With a little research and your general knowledge, identify three Competitive Advantage each that they possess over they direct and indirect competitors.  To best identify these advantages, you would need to know who their competitors are (companies selling the same or substitute products). Note: I intentionally grouped companies to make this exercise easier and more transparent to you.

See the example of what I am looking for in red for #1 and #2.  Give one more for each.

1. Delta Airlines
   1. Travel extended to more U.S. and International Cities than lower cost airlines.
   2. Atlanta, GA hub is the largest in the U.S. Most flights in and out than any other airline or airport.
2. Southwest Airlines
   1. Free checked bags
   2. Lower cost tickets than major airlines
3. Walmart
4. Home Depot
5. Keurig
6. Medelco
7. Verizon Wireless
8. Sprint Wireless
9. A Community College
10. Yale University
11. Payless Shoe Source
12. Foot Locker
13. Urgent Care
14. Primary Care Physician
15. OneLife Fitness Center
16. Planet Fitness
17. Rolex
18. Seiko
19. Mazda
20. Mercedes Benz