Major League Baseball - Essay Example

It uses a unique video editing information system as a product differentiation strategy that allows employees to produce highlights in just a few minutes, sending out about 200 highlights a day during the regular season and meeting a wide range of customer needs. The buyer’s volume and importance of the product are evident from its sales levels and demands for the MLBAM (Case Study 2). The product generates around $ 450 million a year in revenues, out of which fifty percent comes from fans with the balance generated from advertising that comes with online content.

Supplier power Supplier strength for MLBAM is visible in its strong command and concentration in the online sports content business that has been hugely successful judging from the impressive revenue performance, satisfied users given the amount of information, updates received and convenience. The company has also succeeded in product differentiation because it offers the product in a unique way and targets niche market. It also uses different technological platforms that apply a plug or a battery such as computers, laptops, and mobile phones to send clips of streaming video and text, thus creating utmost convenience informing viewers and fans about what they need to know.

The product has capabilities to tap into the base by presenting multiple (camera) angles, on-demand video, and stats. Another aspect of supplier power for MLB is its specialty in providing a large amount of online information that is unavailable anywhere else or on any other device. Further, online content business has become a popular source of information for many users, thus creating immense business viability for suppliers who offer unique products and services with the objective to meet the needs of the different online customers.

MLB has identified these needs and perfectly tried to meet them through their product. Increasing customer loyalty To maintain and/or increase customer loyalty, MLBAM should employ strategies that jealously guard its existing market share and also explore ways of expanding the customer base to grow revenue and increase business performance. Product differentiation based on customer segments is one of the strategies the company can use. Though it targets to introduce customized applications for certain models of cell phones, it can expand the scope to cover other handsets and also include other non-phone gadgets such as iPads.

The company should also explore the strengths and limitations of its competitors by interrogating the soft spots of alternative products to strengthen its products. Other strategies may include going an extra mile to know its customers better, meet and exceed customer expectations, increase value derived by customers from its products, and endeavor to distinguish between needs and wants. Which of Porter's three generic strategies is MLBAM following? Porter’s generic strategies are: segmentation strategy (focus) for a narrow market scope, differentiation strategy for a broad market scope with competitive advantages of uniqueness and competency, cost leadership strategy for a broad market scope with advantages of low cost and competency.

MLBAM seems to have adopted the differentiation strategy targeting a broad market but ensuring uniqueness and competency as the selling points. How can MLBAM use efficiency IT metrics and effectiveness IT metrics to improve