In Porter's generic strategies, what does 'focus' emphasize?

• A. Niche market, with either cost focus or differentiation focus.
• B. Global cost leadership.
• C. Broad differentiation across all segments.
• D. Partnership-based strategy.

Answer: (A)

Focus in Porter’s framework means concentrating your efforts on a narrow market segment and tailoring your offering to that group. It involves choosing a specific set of customers and then pursuing either a low-cost position within that segment (cost focus) or a differentiated offering within that segment (differentiation focus). This specialization lets a business meet the particular needs of the segment better than rivals who try to serve the broader market. The other options describe broader strategies (global cost leadership or broad differentiation) or a different approach altogether (partnerships), which don’t capture the idea of narrowing the target and optimizing for that niche.