What are the strategy elements—product and service attributes, operational approaches, resources, and competitive capabilities—that are essential to surviving and thriving in the industry?

• A. Key success factors
• B. Core competencies
• C. Critical performance indicators
• D. Primary revenue streams

Answer: (A)

Key success factors are the elements a company must excel at to compete and win in an industry. They are the external requirements the market rewards—the product and service attributes customers care about, the operational approaches that enable delivering those attributes efficiently, the resources a firm can deploy, and the competitive capabilities that differentiate a company from rivals. When a business aligns its strategy with these factors, it satisfies customer needs, sustains performance, and withstands competitive pressures, helping it survive and thrive over time.

This focus differs from other concepts: core competencies are internal strengths a company leverages to create value, critical performance indicators are metrics used to track how well the business is performing, and primary revenue streams describe where money comes from rather than what drives success in the market.