{"id":18700,"date":"2024-08-06T11:03:20","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T09:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/49.13.112.60\/blog\/?p=18700"},"modified":"2024-08-06T11:03:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T09:03:21","slug":"how-to-get-value-chain-analysis-done-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/how-to-get-value-chain-analysis-done-right.html","title":{"rendered":"How to get value chain analysis done right"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The value chain is the set of activities a business undertakes to move a product or service through its life cycle, including design, marketing, distribution, and customer support. The ultimate goal of a company is to create value, especially profit. By understanding each step of the value chain, a business can realize greater profits by making necessary changes to the process. With so many activities and suppliers, the value chain has many facets. So, what is a value chain, and how do we conduct value chain analysis properly? Let\u2019s discuss.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Value Chain Definition and Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A product&#8217;s value chain details the various stages a business goes through to deliver a product or service to a customer. The chain includes the activities, workers, and outsourcing firms involved in bringing a product from concept to distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harvard Business School economist Michael Porter developed the value chain concept to focus on how effective each stage is for a company&#8217;s bottom line. The goal of using a value chain is to create an effective combination of activities that generate higher sales prices at a lower cost to the business. Analyzing your company&#8217;s value chain allows you to add value at each stage to deliver a higher-quality product, impress customers, and earn more profit. You can then reinvest in specific value chain links and continue growing your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defining your value chain is important to understanding your business\u2019s profit margins and operating profitability to ensure that your lowest costs drive the highest results. Having a detailed value chain outline will help you quickly see where an expensive part of the process may be eating into your profits and take steps to reduce costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starbucks is an example of a corporation that uses the value chain to expand its international sales presence. Starbucks operates in over 60 countries, but each location has the same universal appeal. Starbucks uses the value chain to identify the most and least expensive activities, then uses that information to make changes, create more value for the customer, and increase profits for the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starbucks\u2019 value chain is relatively simple so small businesses can use it as a model. A Harvard Business School case study identified the coffee chain\u2019s core activities, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Inbound Logistics: Building strong relationships with coffee bean suppliers worldwide to get the best prices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operations: Operating more than 30,000 stores in 83 countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outbound Logistics: Selling products in stores and through licensed dealers using point-of-sale systems, the Starbucks mobile app, and Starbucks cards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketing and Sales: Focusing on the \u201cStarbucks experience\u201d to create loyal customers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After-sales: Training team members to serve customers and create recognizable and memorable cafe experiences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secondary activities contributing to Starbucks\u2019 annual revenue, which exceeded $23 billion in 2020, include employee benefits, well-designed products, and an easy-to-use mobile app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, even small businesses can identify the activities that make up their value chain, allowing them to focus on lower-cost methods and higher profits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/prnews.io\/sites\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"281\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-1024x281.png\" class=\"wp-image-14535\" alt=\"Need articles in the media?\" srcset=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-1024x281.png 1024w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-300x82.png 300w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-150x41.png 150w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-768x210.png 768w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-1536x421.png 1536w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1-480x132.png 480w, \/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/banner-1.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of Value Chains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your business&#8217;s production and distribution process can fall into one of two different types of value chains: a generic value chain or a global value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A generic value chain records business activities and participants within a single geographic location or firm. For example, a small business operating exclusively in one city would use a generic value chain, as a larger company operating within a single country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Duke University describes a global value chain as having activities and key players distributed across multiple firms and countries. As described above, Starbucks is an example of a global value chain because it sources coffee beans from multiple countries and ships them to Starbucks stores worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Value Chain Analysis?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Value chain analysis helps businesses improve each product or service production stage. It involves creating a product or providing a service from start to finish. Businesses divide this into two areas: primary activities and secondary (or support) activities. So, it is a way to examine each of these activities. The analysis examines cost and value and how to optimize them to meet the company&#8217;s plan. It also examines how these activities are related to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Value Chain Analysis Example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take McDonald&#8217;s, for example, whose goal is to offer affordable food. Value chain analysis helps them find ways to improve and add value to their offer. Here&#8217;s a look at the cost leadership strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Core activities:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Inbound Logistics. McDonald&#8217;s chooses low-cost suppliers for food items like vegetables, meat, and coffee.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operations. McDonald&#8217;s isn&#8217;t just one big company. It&#8217;s a bunch of smaller ones owned by different people. There are over 39,000 McDonald&#8217;s restaurants worldwide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Outbound Logistics. Unlike fancy restaurants, McDonald&#8217;s is all about quick service. You can order at the counter, serve yourself, or walk through the register.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketing and Sales. McDonald&#8217;s tells people about its food through advertising. This can be in magazines, social media, and big signs on the road.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Services. McDonald&#8217;s wants to achieve a high quality of customer service. So, they train their workers well and give them benefits so customers will have a good time during their visit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secondary (support) activities<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Corporate infrastructure<\/strong>. McDonald&#8217;s has top and regional managers who oversee the company and handle legal issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human resources<\/strong> hire people for office and restaurant work. They pay them hourly or in addition to their salary. To attract good workers, they also offer help with educational expenses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technology development<\/strong>. They use touchscreen kiosks to make ordering and work faster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Acquisition<\/strong>. McDonald&#8217;s uses Jaggaer as a digital company to connect with important suppliers worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Conduct a Value Chain Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s consider several general steps to conduct a value chain analysis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step #1: Identify all the activities in the value chain.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As mentioned above, the value chain comprises primary and secondary activities. So, list all the steps involved in creating your product. You start with the primary ones and then look at the secondary ones. Be sure to explain each step in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step #2: Analyze the cost and value of each activity.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The value chain analysis team should consider how each step helps customers and the business. Check if it enables you to achieve your goal of being better than your competitors. Then, look at the costs. Is the activity labor-intensive? How much do the materials cost? Asking these questions will show you which steps are worth it and which are not. This is how we find where we can improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step #3: Check your competitor\u2019s value chain.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look at what your competitors are doing to make something. Value chain analysis makes you better than them. So keep that information to yourself. You probably won\u2019t find a detailed view of your competitors&#8217; actions at all stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step #4: Recognize your customer\u2019s perception of value.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The customer\u2019s perception of your product or service is the most important factor in your competitive advantage. So, you need to recognize what they think about what your business offers. Also, remember that customers are always right. Use methods to study your customer\u2019s perception to conduct a complete analysis. You can conduct surveys to ask them questions and determine their thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step #5: Identify opportunities to decide on a competitive advantage.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once the analysis is complete, key stakeholders can see an overview of their business. They will be able to see where they can excel and what improvements can be made. Then, start with small changes that make a big difference. Once you understand these, you can work on the more significant issues that are slowing you down. This analysis helps businesses understand how to act better. The main goal is to make customers happy and earn more profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A value chain documents the activities and business players moving a product or service from concept to distribution. Value chains include the primary activities involved in creating products and the secondary activities that support that creation. Understanding your value chain and conducting a value chain analysis allows you to estimate profit margins and determine how to make more value at a lower cost.<\/p>\n\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/prnews.io\/get\/questionary.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/prnews.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/newbanner.png\" style=\"width: 100%;padding-bottom: 30px;padding-top: 30px;\"><\/a> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The value chain is the set of activities a business undertakes to move a product or service through its life cycle, including design, marketing, distribution, and customer support. The ultimate goal of a company is to create value, especially profit. By understanding each step of the value chain, a business can realize greater profits by making necessary changes to the process. With so many activities and suppliers, the value chain has many facets. So, what is a value chain, and how do we conduct value chain analysis properly? Let\u2019s discuss.&nbsp; Value Chain Definition and Examples A product&#8217;s value chain details<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-marketing"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18700"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18758,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18700\/revisions\/18758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}