This news item shows how strategic management is helped by surveys that evaluate relative competition.

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c11963) has announced the addition of Chocolate Confectionery Industry Insights: Future Profit Opportunities And Growth Indicators to their offering.

Companies that fail to innovate, look ahead or anticipate customers’ needs will not be successful in the current, competitive and highly saturated chocolate marketplace.

In general, NPD [new product development]

is viewed as holding the most exceptional importance out of the seven main issues addressed in the survey, with 71% of the vote.

Chocolate Confectionery Industry Insights:

Future profit opportunities and growth indicators is a strategic management report that analyses the chocolate market by sub-categories of

‘boxed’, ‘Moulded bars’, ‘Seasonal’,

‘Countlines’, ‘Straightlines’ and ‘other’ chocolate in each of the following countries: Belgium, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom and the United States.

The report analyses the chocolate confectionery market between 1998 and 2003 and forecasts the next generation of chocolate confectionery products to 2008 as manufacturers increase innovation levels. The report will enable you to increase your market share and turnover by identifying the sectors and countries that provide the best profit opportunities for your specific chocolate confectionery product.

Discussion points
1 Why is market share so important in strategic management for this industry?
2 How could any one company within the industry improve its profit performance compared to the others?