PA568 Assignment 1 Social Sciences Essay Research Paper

Strategic Competitiveness in the Public Sector: Assignment 1
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Strategic Competitiveness in the Public Sector: Assignment 1
Introduction
Competitiveness or the ability to foster strategic competition in the public sector forms the basis for the achievement of sustainable growth and development as well as the delivery of quality services to the public. The transition of urban centers and local cities into global cities, for instance, is dependent on their abilities to establish their competitive edge over other cities that share in the same ambition. The successful transitions or transformation of the cities into global economic, political, and socio-cultural cities thrives on the effective implementation of competitive strategies. Michael Potter’s book, Strategic Competitiveness, outlines the primary strategic strategies for enhancing or rather managing competition for sustainable growth and development that are applicable across the diverse sectors of the global economy. Understanding the unique elements of the different competitive strategies for sustainable growth and development requires the evaluation of their efficacy as witnessed or observed from their application in the public sector. Richard Longworth’s work on Global Cities provides an excellent framework for the analysis of competitive strategies and the evaluation of their efficacy in enhancing strategic competitiveness in the public sector. Provided herein is an evaluation of Potter’s competitive strategies and their efficacy in promoting sustainable growth and development of the public sector through Longworth’s account of the cities that succeeded to transform into global cities while others bask in their former glories across the different civilizations.
According to Michael Potter, the ability of an entity within the public sector to develop a competitive edge over other players in the sector is dependent on differentiation and cost leadership as the two underlying factors. Differentiation refers to the ability of a given entity to establish itself as a unique brand through the products and services offered to its consumers. Cost leadership, on the other hand, focuses on the production of high valued products and services at the lowest coats for maximum profitability. In essence, an industry player establishes a competitive edge over its competitors by creating value that is lower than the cost incurred in the production of the same. Michael Potter further identifies market segmentation as another strategic approach for the development of a competitive edge across different economic sectors. The effective implementation of the outlined competitive strategies allows for the establishment of competitive advantage by a given entity, which determines their success or failure in the public sector. Such was the case in the transformation of some of the major cities such as London, New York, Chicago, and Tokyo into global cities while famous cities such as Venice retained but the glory of their former days in the early civilizations.
According to Longworth cities develop from their economic power and ability to integrate their political, social, and cultural dimensions in the sustainable growth and develop...