So what influences the choice of positioning? Here are some of the key factors a business must consider.

COMPETITORS

How strong are the competitors a business faces in its chosen strategic position? What advantages, if any, do those competitors face?

A business considering positioning itself using a cost leadership strategy (Porter) will want to assess whether it is capable of achieving the same level of efficiency and productivity as key competitors who also adopt a cost leadership strategy. Can the business access the same economies of scale as competitors?

Similarly, a strategy of differentiation may be attractive, but are existing competitors already exploiting the market opportunities for a differentiated product or service? What are their market shares of the market segments a business might want to target?

CORE COMPETENCIES

A honest view about the ability of the business to compete is essential. Does the business has a unique selling point that might enable it to sustain a strategy of differentiation?

If innovation is key to positioning, does the business have the appropriate resources, organisational culture and reward systems to create a suitable flow of innovation?

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Careful and regular scanning of changes in the external environment is key to effective strategic positioning. For example, changes in the political and/or regulatory environment can create opportunities as well as pose threats to the existing positions of businesses in a market.

Similarly, changes in the economic environment can challenge existing positions. For example, a significant economic downturn might increase the attractiveness of businesses that are positioned as "low cost" operators if demand for such products and services increases at the expense of higher-priced and higher-cost alternatives.