GB570 Unit 3 - Discussion Question 1 (350-500 words max)

GB570 Unit 3 Discussion Question 1 (350-500 words max)

Competitive Advantage and the Value Chain

Write a 350-500 word response (formatted to APA style and including references and citations).

Address the following questions:

• Is the concept of a value chain intrinsic to all businesses and if not, why not?
• How does a Value Chain assist in creating competitive advantage?
• Can competitive advantage be achieved without a value chain?

In your reply also discuss the meaning of the comments made by Lu and Hung (2010) in their article in the Unit 3 readings i.e.” the competiveness of the individual firm depends upon the competitiveness of the value chain to which it belongs” (p. 1155).

• Is this statement valid, and is cost reduction the only purpose of a value chain?

Apply and cite at least three relevant and respected resources [one of the applied and cited references should be the Lu and Hung (2010) article] within the response and list the references at the end of the response. Use APA formatting.