Strategic Management Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management Process - Essay Example Origin Energy Limited is a company that sees her self-be more than an energy retailer. Rather, the company claims to â€Å"find and produce gas, generate electricity and invest in renewable energy opportunities including wind, hydro, solar and geothermal†. As a fast-growing company in the energy industry (Australian Security Exchange, 2011), Origin Energy is endowed with a number of distinctive competencies that have been the reason behind the company’s performance and growth on the Australian Stock Exchange over the past years. Quoting Bianco from Kenneth R. Andrews’ 1971 definition of distinctive competencies, it can be said that distinctive competencies refer to â€Å"the set of activities that an organization could perform especially well in relation to its competitors.† This definition was given as an elaboration of the original theory of distinctive competencies developed by Philip Selznick in 1957 after he studied â€Å"vastly differing organizatio ns, from the Communist Party to the Tennessee Valley Authority†. Judging from the definition, it can be pointed out that Origin Energy’s foremost distinctive competencies are in the areas of diversity of business orientation.Origin Energy operates in several sectors of the energy industry. Among these sectors are oil and gas exploration and production, of which the company has several oil and gas reserves across Australia. This is, of course, a competitive advantage for crisis moments when oil and gas may be in adverse shortage. The fact that the reserves are spread across Australia in regions such as the Cooper Basin of South Australia, the Bass Strait, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania means the company is assured of nationwide constant supply. This is because there is reduced need for transporting oil over long distances to get various parts of their oil stations with oil and gas supply. Still on oil and gas, the company has a gas field in Australia (Sustainability R eport, 2009). This makes Origin an International company that enjoys the benefits of foreign exchange. Apart from oil and gas exploration and production, Origin Energy is into wholesale and retail of gas and electricity (Silo Breaker, 2011). Silva (2011) observes that retail marketing especially â€Å"helps increase the revenues of stores and aims to improve the experience consumers get when they visit their favorite shops.† This is of course a benefit that Origin Energy is not exempted from. By wholesale and ret