Lobbying and litigation in telecommunications markets – reapplying Porter’s five forces

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider extending the Porter “five forces” model for business strategy to encompass nonmarket actions in the telecommunications sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The Porter five forces model is reviewed in terms of a heavily regulated sector, examining each force in turn, with examples of the use by market players of lobbying and litigation to affect market outcomes.

Findings

The “five forces” model is a useful tool in analysing advocacy, lobbying and litigation by players in a heavily regulated market.

Practical implications

The extension opens the way to research in a number of areas to examine issues of structure and strategy, effectiveness in coupling market and nonmarket strategies.

Originality/value

Business strategy is infrequently analysed in the telecommunications sector and only rarely considers lobbying and litigation. This article provides a framework for such analyses and opens up new areas of research.

Citation

Sutherland, E. (2014), "Lobbying and litigation in telecommunications markets – reapplying Porter’s five forces", info, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1108/info-03-2014-0018