Purpose of 1. Enterprise Research

The purpose of enterprise research is to answer the following four questions:

Benchmarking enterprises include not only direct benchmarking enterprises, that is, enterprises that provide the same or similar products or services, but also indirect benchmarking enterprises, that is, enterprises that provide alternative products or services, and potential benchmarking enterprises, that is, enterprises that may enter our market. The identification of benchmarking enterprises needs to consider the market size, segmentation, growth, trends, demand, supply and other factors, as well as the resources, capabilities, objectives, strategies and other factors of benchmarking enterprises.

What are our benchmarking enterprises doing? The behavior of benchmarking enterprises includes the characteristics, price, quality, channels, promotion, innovation, research and development, investment, acquisition, cooperation, expansion and other aspects of their products or services. The behavior of benchmarking firms reflects their strategic choices and execution, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

What will our benchmarking enterprises do? The future trend of benchmarking enterprises is the speculation based on their historical behavior, current situation and future goals, which involves their strategic intentions, motives, assumptions, beliefs, expectations, preferences and so on. The future movement of benchmarking companies affects our market opportunities and threats.

How should we deal with our benchmark enterprises? The ultimate goal of enterprise research is to formulate effective competitive strategies, that is, how to use our advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking enterprises, how to avoid our disadvantages and advantages of benchmarking enterprises, how to create and maintain our competitive advantages, how to deal with the existing and potential threats of benchmarking enterprises, how to seize the existing and potential opportunities of benchmarking enterprises, how to cooperate or compete with benchmarking enterprises, how to influence the behavior and expectations of benchmarking enterprises.

Methods of 2. Enterprise Research

The main methods of enterprise research are as follows:

Public information analysis: Public information analysis is to use the information publicly released by benchmarking companies, such as annual reports, financial reports, websites, news, advertisements, recruitment, patents, trademarks, etc., to understand the basic situation, financial status, market status, and product status of benchmarking companies., Technical status, organizational structure, human resources, strategic planning, etc. The advantages of public information analysis are that the information comes from a wide range of sources, easy access, low cost, and legal compliance. The disadvantage is that the information may be incomplete, inaccurate, untimely, inconsistent, and biased.

Market survey: market survey is to collect information from customers, suppliers, distributors, partners, employees, former employees, industry experts, industry associations, government agencies and other relevant people of benchmarking enterprises by means of questionnaires, research, observation and experiment, To understand the market demand, market share, market satisfaction, market loyalty, market penetration, market growth rate, market competitiveness, etc. The advantages of market research are that the information is more direct, truer, deeper and more valuable, while the disadvantages are that it is difficult to obtain information, time-consuming, costly and has moral and legal risks.

Information analysis: information analysis is the use of various analytical tools and techniques, such as SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, value chain analysis, core competitiveness analysis, strategic group analysis, competitive situation analysis, competition early warning analysis, etc., to organize, summarize, analyze, evaluate and predict the information of benchmarking enterprises, so as to obtain the strategic intention, strategic choice, strategic implementation, strategic effect, etc. The advantage of information analysis is that the information is more systematic, more comprehensive, more profound and more insightful, while the disadvantage is that the information may have errors, biases, uncertainties and instabilities.

Steps to 3. Enterprise Research

The steps of enterprise research generally include the following stages:

Determining research objectives: Determining research objectives refers to defining the subject, scope, content, requirements, duration, etc. of the research in order to develop research plans and allocate research resources. Research objectives should have the characteristics of feasibility, measurability, relevance, clarity and timeliness.

Identifying benchmarking enterprises: Identifying benchmarking enterprises refers to determining the type, quantity, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking enterprises according to the market scale, segmentation, growth, trend, demand, supply and other factors, as well as the resources, capabilities, objectives, strategies and other factors of benchmarking enterprises, so as to select research objects and determine research priorities. The identification of benchmarking enterprises should consider the characteristics of benchmarking enterprises, such as dynamics, diversity, complexity and uncertainty.

Collection of benchmarking enterprise information: Collection of benchmarking enterprise information refers to the use of public information analysis, market research and other methods to obtain benchmarking enterprise information from the benchmarking enterprise's customers, suppliers, distributors, partners, employees, former employees, industry experts, industry associations, government agencies and other relevant persons, including the basic situation of benchmarking enterprises, financial situation, market situation, product situation, technical situation, organizational structure, human resources, strategic planning, etc. The collection of benchmarking enterprise information should pay attention to the validity, accuracy, timeliness, consistency, completeness and other characteristics of the information.

Analysis of benchmarking enterprise information: Analysis of benchmarking enterprise information refers to the use of information analysis and other tools and technologies to organize, summarize, analyze, evaluate and predict the information of benchmarking enterprises, so as to obtain the strategic intention, strategic choice, strategic implementation and strategic effect of benchmarking enterprises. The analysis of benchmarking enterprise information should pay attention to the characteristics of information system, comprehensiveness, depth and insight.

Formulation of competitive strategy: Formulation of competitive strategy refers to the determination of the objectives, contents, methods, steps and measures of competitive strategy based on the results of information analysis of benchmarking enterprises, combined with their own resources, capabilities, objectives and strategies, in order to achieve competitive advantage and competitive success. The development of competitive strategy should pay attention to the feasibility, effectiveness, flexibility, innovation and other characteristics of competitive strategy.

Implementing competition strategy: Implementing competition strategy refers to organizing, coordinating, guiding, supervising and evaluating the implementation of competition strategy according to the requirements of competition strategy, and adjusting the content and mode of competition strategy in time according to the changes of competition environment. The implementation of competitive strategy should pay attention to the consistency, synergy, continuity, improvement and other characteristics of competitive strategy.

The Case for 4. Enterprise Research

In order to better illustrate the practical application and value of enterprise research, this paper will show the process and results of enterprise research in combination with the specific cases of Shangpu consulting service customers.

Case 1: Enterprise Research of an Automobile Manufacturer

An automobile manufacturer is an internationally renowned high-end automobile brand, and its products are favored by consumers for their high performance, high quality, high safety, and high environmental protection. The automaker's main benchmark companies are other high-end car brands, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volvo, etc. The automaker commissioned Shangpu Consulting to conduct corporate research to understand the strategic intentions and actions of benchmarking companies, predict the future trends of benchmarking companies, and formulate effective competitive strategies.

According to the research objectives of the automobile manufacturer, Champ Consulting adopted the following methods and steps to conduct enterprise research:

Determine the research objectives: Shangpu Consulting communicated with the automobile manufacturer and clarified the theme, scope, content, requirements, and time limit of the research. The theme of the survey is the strategic intentions and actions of benchmarking companies. The scope of the survey is other high-end automobile brands. The content of the survey is the products, prices, channels, promotion, innovation, research and development, investment, acquisition, cooperation, expansion, etc. The requirement of the survey is to provide information analysis and competitive strategy suggestions of benchmarking companies. The survey period is three months.

Identifying benchmarking enterprises: Shangpu Consulting has determined the type, quantity, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking enterprises according to the market scale, segmentation, growth, trend, demand, supply and other factors, as well as the resources, capabilities, objectives, strategies and other factors of benchmarking enterprises. The type of benchmarking enterprises is direct benchmarking enterprises. The number of benchmarking enterprises is four. The characteristics of benchmarking enterprises are that they have their own brand positioning, target market, product characteristics, technical advantages, market strategies, etc. The advantages and disadvantages of benchmarking enterprises are different. Some are leading in product performance, some are outstanding in brand image, some are extensive in market channels, and some are strong in innovation ability.

Collect benchmarking enterprise information: Shangpu Consulting uses public information analysis and market research methods to obtain benchmarking enterprise information from customers, suppliers, distributors, partners, employees, former employees, industry experts, industry associations, government agencies and other relevant persons of benchmarking enterprises, including the basic information, financial status, market status, product status, technical status, organizational structure, human resources, strategic planning, etc. Shangpu Consulting pays attention to the validity, accuracy, timeliness, consistency, completeness and other characteristics of the information, and conducts screening, verification, integration, and storage of the information.

Analysis of benchmarking enterprise information: Shangpu Consulting uses the tools and techniques of information analysis to organize, summarize, analyze, evaluate and predict the information of benchmarking enterprises, so as to obtain the strategic intention, strategic choice, strategic implementation and strategic effect of benchmarking enterprises. Champu Consulting pays attention to the characteristics of information, such as systematicness, comprehensiveness, depth and insight, and classifies, compares, evaluates and infers the information.

Formulate competitive strategy: According to the results of benchmarking enterprise information analysis, Shangpu Consulting has determined the objectives, contents, methods, steps and measures of competitive strategy according to the resources, capabilities, objectives and strategies of the automobile manufacturer, so as to achieve competitive advantage and competitive success. Shangpu Consulting pays attention to the feasibility, effectiveness, flexibility, innovation and other characteristics of the competitive strategy, and designs, plans and optimizes the competitive strategy.

The findings of the corporate study by Champ Consulting are as follows:

The strategic intention of benchmarking enterprises: influenced by their historical background, current situation and future goals, their strategic intentions are also different. Some pay more attention to the promotion of brand image, some pay more attention to the leading of product innovation, some pay more attention to the expansion of market channels, and some pay more attention to the establishment of partners.

Strategic choice of benchmarking enterprises: Shangpu Consulting found that the strategic choice of benchmarking enterprises is to choose different competitive strategies according to their own resources, capabilities, advantages and disadvantages, such as product differentiation, cost leadership, market concentration, market segmentation, market development, product development, diversification, etc. The strategic choice of benchmarking enterprises also focuses on, some pay more attention to the quality and performance of products, some pay more attention to the design and style of products, some pay more attention to the price and profit of products, and some pay more attention to the service and experience of products.

Strategic implementation of benchmarking enterprises: Shangpu Consulting found that the strategic implementation of benchmarking enterprises takes different actions according to their own strategic choices, such as product research and development, production, sales, promotion, innovation, etc., channel establishment, management, expansion, Optimization, etc., promotion planning, implementation, evaluation, improvement, investment decision-making, implementation, supervision, income, etc, the selection, negotiation, integration and coordination of acquisition, the search, establishment, maintenance and deepening of cooperation, and the direction, mode, speed and scale of expansion. The strategic implementation of benchmarking enterprises is also different, some pay more attention to efficiency and effect, some pay more attention to innovation and change, some pay more attention to stability and sustainability, and some pay more attention to cooperation and win-win.

Strategic effect of benchmarking enterprises: Shangpu Consulting found that the strategic effect of benchmarking enterprises is based on their own strategic implementation, resulting in different results, such as market share, market satisfaction, market loyalty, market penetration, market growth rate, market competitiveness, financial income, financial cost, financial profit, financial return, financial risk, brand awareness, brand image, brand reputation, brand loyalty, brand value, etc, technical level, technological innovation, technological patents, technological transformation, technological competitiveness, etc., organizational structure, organizational culture, organizational atmosphere, organizational efficiency, organizational effectiveness, etc., human resources, talent training, talent incentive, talent retention, talent competitiveness, etc. The strategic effects of benchmarking companies are also pros and cons. Some have outstanding performance in some aspects, some have poor performance in some aspects, some have average performance in all aspects, and some have unstable performance in all aspects.

Suggestions on competitive strategy: based on the strategic intention, strategic choice, strategic implementation and strategic effect of the benchmarking enterprise, combined with the resources, capabilities, objectives and strategies of the automobile manufacturer, the following suggestions on competitive strategy are put forward:

Adhere to its own brand positioning and product characteristics: the brand positioning of the automobile manufacturer is high-end cars, and its product characteristics are high performance, high quality, high safety, high environmental protection, etc., which is the core competitiveness of the automobile manufacturer and its unique value in the market. The automobile manufacturer should adhere to its own brand positioning and product characteristics, do not change or give up at will, so as not to damage its own brand image and market position, and do not blindly follow or imitate the brand positioning and product characteristics of benchmark enterprises, so as not to lose their own differentiation advantages and market recognition.

Strengthen its own product innovation and technology research and development: the product innovation and technology research and development of the automobile manufacturer is an important means to maintain and enhance its own product characteristics and competitive advantage, and also an effective way to deal with market changes and the threat of benchmarking enterprises. The car manufacturer should strengthen its own product innovation and technology research and development, continue to introduce new products that meet market demand and consumer preferences, continuously improve product performance, quality, safety, environmental protection, etc., and continue to master and use advanced technologies and patents, Continuously increase its own technical barriers and technical competitiveness.

Expanding its own market channels and partners: The automaker's market channels and partners are an important way to expand and consolidate its own market share and profit margins, as well as an effective way to seek new growth points and competitive advantages. The automobile manufacturer should expand its own market channels and partners, constantly open up and enter new markets and regions, constantly establish and manage its own sales network and service system, constantly seek and establish cooperative relations with other automobile brands, auto parts suppliers, auto financial institutions, auto media institutions, etc., and constantly increase its own market coverage and market influence.

Flexible adjustment of its own price strategy and promotion strategy: the price strategy and promotion strategy of the automobile manufacturer is an important factor to influence and attract consumers' purchase decision-making, and also an effective means to deal with market competition and benchmarking enterprise action. The automobile manufacturer should flexibly adjust its own price strategy and promotion strategy, reasonably formulate and adjust its own product price and profit margin according to the market supply and demand situation, consumers' purchasing power and willingness to buy, and the price behavior and promotion behavior of benchmarking enterprises, reasonably plan and implement its own product promotion and brand promotion, and reasonably balance its own market share and profit margin.