Structural analysis of engineering consulting and design industry

Strategic management models have been evolving in the business domain on a continuous basis but the overwhelming majority of works in this field gives the impression that it is only the manufacturing industry that needs strategy and strategic models, or that the strategy in the professional services industry is the same as in the manufacturing industry despite their distinctive characteristics and managerial implications. By using the Porter’s Five Forces framework for industry analysis, which evaluates a certain industry based on five parameters each focusing on different challenges a company can potentially face with, the paper aims at analyzing the strategic landscape of engineering consulting and design companies. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an interpretation and adaptation of Porter’s Five Forces model to professional services industry, and in particular to engineering consulting and design industry.