Ompetitive_Advantage_Paper

Competitive Advantage Paper Riordan Manufacturing is a global plastics manufacturer founded in 1991 that specialize in making plastic products ranging from water bottles to Medical Stents and heart valves. In 2000 the company expanded operations to China allowing them to specialize in manufacturing at their various locations in Michigan and Georgia. The headquarters is in San Jose, which serves as the location for most of their research and development in which they focus on identifying market trends. The focus of this paper is to examine the competitive advantages that Riordan has in comparison to other organizations such as Wal-Mart and Sprint. The paper also overviews the strategies affect sustainability of long-term organizational performance. Last the paper also focuses on how the global market affects Riordan’s business strategy. Competitive Advantages Similarities to Previous Researched Companies By researching other companies such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Sprint, HP, and Apple, Riordan can determine which competitive advantages they have in common with these companies. To start some competitive advantages Riordan has are the patents they hold with processing polymers into high tensile strength plastic substrates. Sprint also holds many ViOP patents, along with many other patents they control, which hinder other companies from using the particular product or service. In addition, Apple also uses patents to gain a competitive advantage over their competition with the products and features of the products they sell. “Firms have come to use patents to gain a competitive advantage in a variety of ways” (Rao, 2005, p. 1). All the organizations mentioned use patents to remain leaders in their respective industries. Competitive Strategies Riordan Can Use to Improve Innovation and Sustainability One competitive strategy that Riordan can use to improve their innovation and sustainability is to form strategic alliance with other organizations, like organizations such as Sprint. By merging their ideas and other pertinent materials both can gain and could even construct a new product that would benefit both organizations. For example, Riordan can form a strategic alliance with a company that deals with another form of plastics. Riordan can gain useful information that can help them expand their Research and Development to develop new innovations in manufacturing their plastics. Riordan can also use some competitive strategies that Wal-Mart uses regarding sustainability. Wal-Mart has strategies in place for their organization to use 100% renewable energy and provide their consumers with sustainable products as well for the environment. Riordan can use their Research and Development to develop ways to produce a more sustainable plastic for their products because they supply plastics to a variety of industries including the DOD, automotive, beverage, aircraft maintenance, and appliance manufacturers. Competitive Strategies and Sustainability Affects of Long-Term Performance Riordan can choose to use strategic alliances because this will allow the organization to work with various other organizations at the same time and use their knowledge to gain competitive analysis. Riordan can create a new product or obtain ways to improve on the organization. Riordan can create a new form of plastics parts from other products Riordan could not create without the strategic alliance. Riordan can choose to use renewable energy and recyclable parts because this can save the organization money in the long-term and help the organization become more efficient. Both of these competitive strategies can help the organizations sustainability of long-term organizational performance because by using the strategic alliances, they can partner with other companies and create new products as well branch out with other possibilities such as joint ventures. Last the renewable energy concept can affect Riordan’s organizational performance because with most consumers wanting products environmentally safe, companies are purchasing sustainable products from suppliers and Riordan can provide products that their customers can market as environmentally safe and sustainable. Affects of Global Market on Business Strategies When a company like Riordan Manufacturing decided to operate overseas, they need to make sure that they analyze every aspect of the move including sales, marketing, advertising, cultures, economic, technology, and the need of the product or service. They also need to research what region would benefit from the sale of their product. By not doing an adequate research survey the global market can have an effect on any relocation decision they may make. The global markets are different from the markets in the United States so Riordan’s needs to have a clear concept of each market. Riordan has developed a business strategy that worked in the United States, but these strategies make not work on a global level. The company will not have the same strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and treats (SWOT) overseas as they would in the United States. Each county has different SWOT, and because of that the benefit would be different. Riordan’s business strategy has been a big part of their successful and what they stand for. Riordan Manufacturing Company would not have profit 64 million dollars if they did not stand on their mission statement. The mission Riordan has in place focus on customer relationships, employees, and the future of the company. Riordan strives to ease the process the consumers face not to add to the dilemma. Concerning the employees, they sustain a modern and team-oriented workplace. Riordan should concentrate to achieve and sustain realistic objectives to ensure assets are available for sustainable developments, and if they can accomplish that, the global market would not have an effect on their business strategy. Conclusion This paper overviews the competitive advantages of Riordan to other successful organizations in the United States such as Wal-Mart and Sprint. Identifying such competitive advantages can ultimately help lead the way toward a long-term organizational success within their markets, in both the United States as well as globally. In addition, the paper also focuses on how the global market affects Riordan’s business strategy. When a company like Riordan Manufacturing decided to go global, they need to first analyze every aspect of liability before making the first move. Such areas of liability include sales, marketing, advertising, cultures, economic, technology, as well supply and demand. In the end, for Riordan to be successful in the global market and have strong competitive strategies, the organization needs to establish new innovations for their products and be open to new ideas to help the organization grow. References Rao, P. (2005). Sustaining competitive advantage in a high technology environment: A strategic marketing perspective. Retrieved May 6, 2011, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sustaining+competitive+advantage+in+a+high-technology+environment%3a+a...-a0138408286