Dynamic strategic groups' analysis and identification of mobility barriers in the European mobile phone industry

摘要

This paper studies the dynamic aspects of strategic groups in the European mobile phone industry. We study the evolution of the groups between the years 2006 and 2011, i.e., before and during the economic crisis. We also attempt to identify those competitive variables which act as mobility barriers in the industry. The results reveal that although the number of groups remains the same, some of these groups change in their internal composition and characterisation. A low level of firm mobility is found. Mobility was higher between similar groups than between dissimilar ones. The main mobility barriers between groups are the size and the economies of scale. The mobile operators have not changed their strategy throughout the periods, and consequently the economic decline has not influenced their generic competitive strategies.