Research in entrepreneurship has traditionally focused on established firms within the market. How they were created is as important as how they survive, information that is often taken for granted and not adequately studied. However, Koetter Woodworking has provided me with great insight to the entire process. They have provided me with information about entrepreneurship and capital venturism first-hand. However I have been asked to express my opinion based around three fundamental questions: What are the firm’s distinctive competencies? Is there evidence that the firm earns rents, and innovates? Do opportunities to improve in any functional area exist? A competitive analysis is a statement of the business strategy and how it relates to the competition. The purpose of the competitive analysis is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors within one’s market, strategies that will provide you with a distinct advantage, the barriers that can be developed in order to prevent competition from entering the market, and any weaknesses that can be exploited within the product development cycle. When analyzing Koetter Woodworking to observe their distinctive competencies, first and foremost would be their efficiency. With more than 6 acres under one roof, the Koetter Woodworking rough mill is unequaled in the industry. It is amazing how Koetter’s rough mill transforms logs to beautiful trims and moldings, with not a speck of sawdust wasted. Their 900-kilowatt per hour co-generation plant supplies electricity by burning sawdust from the manufacturing plant. This is environment-friendly technology that is second-to-none. Forty-two tons of sawdust from the manufacturing process is burned to create electricity to power the plant everyday. In addition to producing electricity, the boiler generates heat used in the kilns during the wood-drying process. It is also the source for the heat pipes under...
