Strategic planning for commodities and specialties: A strategic industry study based on the example of the chemical industry

The objective of this paper is to identify general factors which are important to successful corporate strategic planning and to provide guidelines to requirements for successful entry into the specialty materials/products business. The study is based on the author's experience in the highly specialized Swiss chemical industry. While the concept of commodities/ specialties has been developed most intensively in the chemical industry, it has overall validity for all industries and services and the author gives many practical hints on strategic management.