Week 6 Reading Reflection

The thing I found most interesting from the reading was that a fast-growing industry is not necessarily very profitable because normally, the fast-growing industries are the most popular to investors, which implies profitability. One thing I found confusing was the bargaining away of value through the power of suppliers. If I could ask Michael Porter two questions, I'd ask which of the five competitive forces is most influential in determining a company's long-run profitability. I'd also ask him to give more information on his classic work of strategy formation. I don't agree that eliminating competition through mergers/acquisitions can reduce profit potential because, in one given industry, the loss of competition would be absorbed as increased market share and therefore more profit.