defines the value the customer will experience
an organization can either focus on differentiation or cost
differentiation
anything that a customer considers valuable
eg. better experience, better quality, faster service, more choice
cost
sacrifice in terms of
- money
- time
- energy
that the customer must make to satisfy their need
Model: business strategy vs operations strategy (src: Book: This is LEAN - Niklas Modig & Par Ahlstrom)