Objective
To convince participants that in order to define their competition, they need to understand what business they are in. Only then can they develop an effective competitive strategy.

Content
Though the famous “Marketing Myopia” term was coined by Theodore Levitt in his article by the same name in 1975, I still believe that the idea behind this article is still very relevant even in today’s modern context. I also truly believe that this will become increasingly more important in the future as well because companies need to understand clearly what business they operate in, in order to survive. For example, the Indian railways, not too long ago, was doing poorly because it had narrowly defined its business operations as simply “railways”, when actually they were in the business of “transportation of people”. According to Levitt, most companies fail because they incorrectly define the business they are in, that is, they define it narrowly in terms of the product rather than the benefits the product or service provides to the customer. Why is it important to understand what business we are in? Well, the answer to this question will assist you in figuring out who your competitors are so that you can establish effective competitive strategies. 

Today, fast changing technology is bringing about a discontinuous change, that is, change which has no connection to the past. So where the competition will come from, one doesn't know. Fax machine have become obsolete because of email. Landlines are becoming obsolete because of mobile phones. You can watch movies on demand on your TV or mobile phone. You can take care of your customers all over the world from a single location cost effectively. We do not know where technology is going to take us. It is because of this that I say that it will increasingly become more and more important to define your business in a broad manner based on the benefit that your products of services provide to the end consumer. Exactly, what Levitt suggested in 1975. So before you sit down to develop any strategy, first establish "What business you are in?" and "Who are your competitors?" Remember, to define your business broadly based on the "benefit" it provides to the customer and not on the "product type." .

Format
The training program will be highly interactive, that is, participants will be involved in discussion. The Trainer will use examples from his own experience as a business executive and entrepreneur to illustrate and strengthen understanding of the subject.