Porter's Five Forces  Tags: porters-5_forces suppliers buyers substitutes target strategy  

Porter's Five Forces (*Michael Porter, Harvard Business School) is a standard business tool used to analyze industries. 

For a brief, excellent description, check out Quickmba.com's page on this subject.   For a brief demonstration of how the forces work, see the "Quick Tutorial" in the upper left hand box on this guide.

*For a complete introduction to the Five Forces, see the article:

How competitive forces shape strategy.  Preview By: Porter, Michael E.. Harvard Business Review, Mar/Apr79, Vol. 57 Issue 2, p137-145, 9p, 1 diagram; (EBSCOhost AN 3867673)