Competitive advantage

The competitive advantage audit enables senior managers to consider whether their organisation is undertaking innovation in those key areas that are required to deliver a distinctive competitive strategy. The approach builds on the ‘uniqueness drivers’ framework, originally developed in the Harvard Business School.

For further information, email Dr Dave Francis. 

Dr Dave Francis in discussion with someone

Objectives

The objectives of the competitive advantage audit are:

  • To relate innovation to competitive strategy
  • To focus resources for innovation in areas that enhance an organisation’s strategic differentiation
  • To establish goals to re-focus an organisation’s high-level innovation development agenda.

Types of use

The competitive advantage audit is

  • Primarily used as a top team assessment process.
  • Also used in executive training programmes and corporate strategy workshops.

Benefits

The benefits of the competitive advantage audit is that it

  • directly relates innovation to corporate strategy
  • assesses whether investment in innovation is being wisely spent
  • provides a means for increasing competitive differentiation
  • puts innovation on the top team’s agenda.

The audit process

The audit process is as follows

  1. Orientation to questionnaire and assessment process (by CENTRIM staff or DVD)
  2. Training of a nominated assessor (if required)
  3. Assessment questionnaire undertaken (either by CENTRIM staff or company assessor).
  4. Chart produced that shows the degree of alignment between the company’s strategy and investment in innovation.

Costs

For an assessment conducted by CENTRIM with companies that already have a developed competitive strategy, with analysis and consulting support, the guide price is £5500 (excluding VAT, if applicable).

If a competitive strategy needs to be developed, the guide price for the additional service is £3000 (excluding VAT, if applicable).

For supply of the questionnaire, explanatory materials and telephone support from CENTRIM with a licence to use it in a single organisation, the price is £2000 (excluding VAT, if applicable).

Other service variations are available.

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