Porter's Five Forces

Start with an overview

Begin with the mind map “Porter's Five Forces”. It brings together buyer power, supplier power, competitive rivalry, new entrants and substitutes. Use its branches to organize your study before looking more closely at individual forces. The map also describes how customers can influence the price an organization can charge.

Next, open “The Five Forces Framework (Porter)”. It presents the framework as a way to assess the attractiveness of industries. Compare its layout with the first map and note how each resource groups the forces.

Study the forces in detail

The “Porter 5 Forces” mind maps include details on suppliers and buyers, such as their number and size. One also discusses the cost of changing suppliers. The mind map “Porter's 5 forces” looks at entry barriers, including switching costs and economies of scale.

For another format, use the flashcard deck on Porter's forces and the external environment. It lists the forces and includes cards on entry barriers and the power of suppliers and buyers. Work through the cards after looking at the maps, then return to a branch when you want to review a term.

Use the quiz and examples

The page also lists a quiz called “Chapter 5”. You can take it alongside the maps: keep a note of anything you want to study further, then look for a relevant branch or flashcard. The listed resources also include “Walmart Five Forces Analysis” and the note “McDonald's Porter Five Forces” if you want to explore company examples.

Explore the wider unit

This topic is one section of the wider unit. Within the resources listed here, “External Analysis” and the flashcards on strategic groups offer ways to connect the forces with broader external analysis. Choose a map or flashcard deck to continue your study.