Competitive strategies of the Turkish manufacturing enterprises: the case of Kayseri/Turkey

Abstract

The competition of firms and their strategies are important issues for the strategic management literature. This study investigates the competitive strategies adopted by the manufacturing enterprises in Kayseri, Turkey. In our research, we use the Porter’s generic strategies to evaluate firms’ competitive behavior. These competitive strategies developed by M.E. Porter are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. In addition to these strategies, this research also examines the internationalization strategy as a competitive strategy. Data was collected from manufacturing enterprises in Kayseri, Turkey by questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis within the context of the structural equation modeling (SEM) using LISREL was used to test the hypothesis. As a result the study suggests that while manufacturing enterprises adopt cost leadership, differentiation and internationalization strategies, they do not usually prefer the focus strategy in Turkey.