Forecasting industrial competitiveness

This paper discusses, within the context of a large industrial corporation having an M-form organizational structure, a methodology to construct a framework in order to identify forecasting needs for the purpose of formulating competitive strategies. The construction of the framework is based on an industrial competitiveness model, where competitiveness of level of a firm is defined as a function of (i) the firm's industrial mastery, (ii) the firm's cost effectiveness, and (iii) the firm's political-economic environment compared to its competitors in the markets of interest. The framework thus obtained indicates that the forecasting needs for formulating competitive strategies are in the areas of (i) technology, (ii) input prices, (iii) political-economic environment, and (iv) market characteristics.