Opportunity Analysis Note: Company, Consumers, Competitors, and Collaborators

Numerous factors impact assessing a firm's best opportunities; almost every facet of business--ranging from customer demand to a firm's competencies and capabilities to the competitive environment--play a part. The challenge is to maintain a balanced perspective when considering these factors, which are often categorized as falling into broad areas known as the three (or four when "collaborators" are considered separately) "Cs." Frequently, companies over-emphasize one of the areas. For example, while considering a company's capabilities is important, it is possible to become too internally focused. In recent history companies have tended to focus internally as they have embraced such initiatives as total quality management programs and/or re-engineering. The challenge for managers is to ensure that these programs do not become all encompassing and result in lack of attention to external considerations. As one executive put it, "It's difficult to shrink your way to greatness."