关于价格战外文文献翻译.docx

关于价格战外文文献翻译.docx

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关于价格战外文文献翻译

一、外文原文

（一）标题：

HowtoFightaPriceWar

原文：

Inthebattletocapturethecustomer,companiesuseawiderangeoftacticstowardoffcompetitors.Increasingly,priceistheweaponofchoice–andfrequentlytheskirmishingdegeneratesintoapricewar.

Creatinglowpriceappealisoftenthegoal,buttheresultofoneretaliatorypriceslashingafteranotherisoftenaprecipitousdeclineinindustryprofits.Lookattheairlinepricewarsof1992.WhenAmericanAirlines,NorthwestAirlines,andotherU.S.carrierswenttoe-to-toeinmatchingandexceedingoneanother’sreducedfares,theresultwasrecordvolumesofairtravel-andrecordlosses.Someestimatessuggestthattheoveralllossessufferedbytheindustrythatyearexceedthecombinedprofitsfortheentireindustryfromitsinception.

Pricewarscancreateeconomicallydevastatingandpsychologicallydebilitatingsituationsthattakeanextraordinarytollonanindividual,acompany,andindustryprofitability.Nomatterwhowins,thecombatantsallseemtoendupworseoffthanbeforetheyjoinedthebattle.Andyet,pricewarsarebecomingincreasinglycommonanduncommonlyfierce.Considerthefollowingtwoexamples:

∙InJuly1999,Sprintannouncedanighttimelong-distancerateof5centsperminute.InAugust1999,MCImatchedSprint’soff-peakrate.Laterthatmonth,AT&Tacknowledgedthatrevenuefromitsconsumerlong-distancebusinesswasfalling,andthecompanycutitslong-distanceratesto7centsperminuteallday,everyday,foramonthlyfeeof$5.95.AT&T’sstockdropped4.7%thedayoftheannouncement.MCI’sstockpricedropped2.5%;Sprint’sfell3.8%.

∙E-Tradeandotherelectronicbrokersarechangingthecompetitiveterrainoffinancialserviceswiththeirextraordinarilylow-pricedbrokerageservices.Theprevailingpricefordiscounttradeshasfallenfrom$30to$15to$8inthepastfewyears.

Thereisalittledoubt,inthefirstexample,thatthemajorplayersinthelong-distancephonebusinessareinapricewar.Pricereductionsper-secondbilling,andfreecallsaretheprincipalweaponstheplayersbringtothecompetitivearena.Thereislittletalkfromanyofthecarriersaboutservice,quality,brandequity,andothernonpricefactorsthatmightaddvaluetoaproductorservice.Virtuallyeverycompetitivemoveisbasedonprice,andeverycountermeasureisaretaliatorypricecut.

Pricewarsarebecomingmorecommonbecausemanagerstendtoviewapricechangeasaneasy,quick,andreversibleaction

Inthesecondexample,thecompetitivesituationissubtlydifferent–andyetstillverymuchapricewar.E-Trade’ssuccessdemonstrateshowtheemergenceoftheInternethasfundamentallychangedthecostofdoingbusiness.Consequently,evenbusinessessuchasCharlesSchwab,whichusedtocompeteprimarilyonlow-priceappeal,arechantinga“quality”mantra.Meanwhile,MerrillLynchandAmericanExpresshaverecognizedthattheemergenceoftheInternetwillaffectpricingandarechangingtheirpricestructurestoincludefreeonlinetradesforhigh-endcustomers.Thesecompaniesappeartobeengagedinmorefocusedpricingbattles,unlikethe“globalized”pricewarinthelong-distancephonemarket.

Mostmanagerswillbeinvolvedinapricewaratsomepointintheircareers.Everypricecutispotentiallythefirstsalvo,andsomediscountsroutinelyleadtoretaliatorypricecutsthatthenescalateintoafull-blownpricewar.That’swhyit’sagoodideatoconsiderotheroptionsbeforestartingapricewarorrespondingtoanaggressivepricemovewitharetaliatoryone.Often,companiescanavoidadebilitatingpricewaraltogetherbyusingasetofalternativetactics.Ourgoalistodescribeanarsenalofweaponsotherthanpricecutsthatmanagerswhoareengagedinorcontemplatingapricewarmayalsowanttoconsider.

TakeInventory

Generally,pricewarsstartbecausesomebodysomewherethinkspricesinacertainmarketaretoohigh.Orsomeoneiswillingtobuymarketshareattheexpenseofcurrentmargins.Pricewarsarebecomingmorecommonbecausemanagerstendtoviewapricechangeasaneasy,quick,andreversibleaction.Whenbusinessdonottrustorknowoneanotherverywell,thepricingbattlescanescalateveryquickly.Andwhethertheyplayoutinthephysicalorthevirtualworld,pricewarshaveasimilarsetofantecedents.Byunderstandingtheircausesandcharacteristics,managerscanmakesensibledecisionsaboutwhenandhowtofightapricewar,whentofleeone-andevenwhentostartone.

Thefirststep,then,isdiagnosis.Considerasmallcommoditiessupplierthatsuddenlyfoundthatitslargestcompetitorhadslashedpricestoalevelwellbelowthesmallcompany’scosts.Oneoptionthesmallercompanyconsideredwastoloweritspriceinatit-for-tatmove.Butthatpricewouldhavebeenbelowthesupplier’smarginalcost;itwouldhavesuffereddebilitatinglosses.Fortunately,afewphonecallsrevealedthatitsadversarywasattemptingtodrivethesupplieroutofthelocalmarketbyunderpricingitsproductslocallybutmaintaininghighpriceselsewhere.Thesuppliercorrectlydiagnosedthepricingmoveaspredatoryandelectedtodotwothings.First,themanagercalledcustomersinthecompetitor’shomemarkettoletthemknowthattheprice-cutterwasofferingspecialdealsinanothermarket.Second,hecalledlocalcustomersandaskedthemfortheirsupport,pointingoutthatifthesmallersupplierwasdrivenoffthemarket,itscustomerswouldbefacingamonopolist.Theshort-termpricecutswouldturnintolong-termpricehikes.Thesupplieridentifiedsolutionsthateschewedfurtherpricecutsandthusavertedapricewar.

Intelligentanalysisthatleadstoaccuratediagnosisismorethanhalfthecure.Theprocessemphasizesunderstandingtheopportunitiesforpricingactionsbasedoncurrentmarkettrendsandrespondingtocompetitors’actionsbasedontheplayersandtheirresources.Notonlyisitnecessarytounderstandwhyapricewarisoccurringormayoccur,italsoiscriticaltorecognizewheretolookfortheresourcestodobattle.

Gooddiagnosesinvolveanalyzingfourkeyareasinthetheaterofoperations.Theyarecustomerissuessuchaspricesensitivityandthecustomersegmentsthatmayemergeifpriceschange;companyissuessuchasabusiness’scoststructures,capabilities,andstrategicpositioning;competitorissues,suchasarival’scoststructures,capabilities,andstrategicpositioning;andcontributorissues,ortheotherplayersintheindustrywhoseself-interestorprofilesmayaffecttheoutcomeofapricewar.（Foramoredetailedexplanationofsuchanalyses,seethesidebar“AnalyzingtheBattleground.”）

Companiesthatstepbackandexaminethosefourareascarefullyoftenfindthattheyactuallyhavequiteafewdifferentoptions-includingdefusingtheconflict,fightingitoutonseveralfronts,orretreating.We’lllookatsomeofthosestrategiesandhowcompanieshavedeployedthemsuccessfully.

StoptheWarBeforeItStarts

Thereareseveralwaystostopapricewarbeforeitstarts.Oneistomakesureyourcompetitorsunderstandtherationalebehindyourpricingpolicies.Inotherwords,revealyourstrategicintentions.Pricematchingpolicies,everydaylowpricing,andotherpublicstatementsmaycommunicatetocompetitorsthatyouintendtofightapricewarusingallpossibleresources.Butfrequentlythesedeclarationsaboutlowprices,oraboutnotengaginginpricepromotions,aren’tlow-pricestrategiesatall.Suchannouncementsaresimplyawaytotellcompetitorsthatyouprefertocompeteondimensionsotherthanprice.Whenyourcompetitorsagreethatsuchcompetitionwillbemoreprofitablethancompetingonprice,they’lltendtogoalong.ThatispreciselywhathappenedwhenWinn-DixiefollowedtheBigStarsupermarketchaininNorthCarolinaandannouncedthatit,too,wouldmeetorbeatmutualrivalFoodLion’sprices.Aftertwoyears,thenumberofequipricedproductsamong79commonlypurchasedbranditemsatthesupermarketshadmorethandoubled.Further,theoverallmarketpricelevelhadincreasedfortheseproducts.Whathappened?

Thestoresstoppedcompetingonprice.Infact,thedatasuggestthatFoodLionraiseditspricesafteritscompetitorsannouncedtheywouldmatchFoodLion’sprices.

Tactic

Example

NonpriceResponses

Revealyourstrategicintentionsandcapabilities

Offertomatchcompetitors'prices,offereverydaylowpricing,orrevealyourcostadvantage

Competeonquality

Increaseproductdifferentiationbyaddingfeaturestoaproduct,orbuildawarenessofexistingfeaturesandtheirbenefits.Emphasizetheperformancerisksinlow-pricedoptions.

Co-optcontributors

Formstrategicpartnershipsbyofferingcooperativeorexclusivedealswithsuppliers,resellers,orprovidersofrelatedservices

PriceResponses

Usecomplexpriceactions

Offerbundledprices,two-partpricing,quantitydiscounts,pricepromotions,orloyaltyprogramsforproducts

Introducenewproducts

Introduceflankingbrandsthatcompeteincustomersegmentsthatarebeingchallengedbycompetitors

Deploysimplepriceactions

Adjusttheproduct'sregularpriceinresponsetoacompetitor'spricechangeoranotherpotentialentryintothemarket

出处：

HarvardBusinessReview,Sept01,2000

（2）标题：

StrategiestoFightLow-CostRivals

原文：

It’seasiertofighttheenemyyouknowthanoneyoudon’t.Withgale-forcewindsofcompetitionlashingeveryindustry,companiesmustinvestalotofmoney,people,andtimetofightarchrivals.Theyfindittough,challenging,andyetstrangelyreassuringtotakeonfamiliaropponents,whoseambitions,strategies,weaknesses,andevenstrengthsresembletheirown.CEOscaneasilycomparetheirgameplansand