As we read in our textbook, there are 4 dimensions of competitiveness that can affect a
company. These four dimensions are cost, quality, response, and flexibility. These 4
items can ultimately determine how successful a company is and can affect how they
are in comparison with their competition. Many companies have a strategy as to which
item or items they focus on more, or they focus on all these dimensions in order to help
with their success (Presutti, 2013).
The first dimension of competitiveness is cost. A great example of a company
that focuses on their costs is Costco. Costco, a store favorite in my household, has
many great prices on bulk items. Although a membership is required in order to shop
with and at this store, the amount of money saved annually is more than the price of the
membership you purchase, no matter the level. Due to research, I have done on this
company in the past I have learned that there are some products that are sold that are
sold under value. An example of this would be the rotisserie chickens. These chickens
are sold for about $5 anywhere you go. Although this is the price they are consistently
sold out, they actually do not make a profit. The reason the price stays consistent
though is because many times consumers will come to get a chicken and leave with
much more. Because they continue their shopping, Costco actually makes money and
as a result this offsets the cost of the money, they lose from selling the rotisserie
chickens at a lesser cost.
From personal experience I can say that United Airlines is a company that focuses on
quality firsthand. As someone who has flown to many countries and continents on
various airlines, I have never had a better experience than those I have had on United.
Although I tend to pay slightly higher prices flying this airline, there are never any issues
with the service I receive, even if there are issues. This in my opinion, and many others
that I know, is why we fly United as an airline. Knowing that any issue will be taken care
of as a customer add the quality of the experience and makes me want to be a returning
customer.
Now according to customer reviews, Trader Joe's, another company my household
loves, has one of the top response times of all major companies. This company has
become a crowd favorite due to the fact that they not only have timely online responses
but also have a great staff presence. With Trader Joe's having many seasonal specialty
items and new locations constantly as they grow, there are many items that are new to