Value analysis is a systematic review of the production, purchasing and product design processes to reduce overall product costs. This can be accomplished through a variety of activities, including the following:
- Designing products to use lower-tolerance parts that are less expensive
- Switching to lower-cost components
- Standardizing parts across product platforms in order to achieve volume discounts
- Altering production processes to minimize the amount of production cycle time, thereby reducing labor costs
- Introducing automation to strip labor costs out of the production process
- Altering product packaging to lower its cost while still protecting the product The process is not a wholesale attack on costs. Costs are only reduced when the result will not im-pact the perceived level of quality experienced by customers, or the level of customer satisfaction.

Industry rivalry-or rivalry among existing firms-is one of Porter's five forces used to deter-mine the intensity of competition in an industry. Other factors in this competitive analysis are:
- Barriers to entry
- Bargaining power of buyers
- Bargaining power of suppliers
- Threat of substitutes
Industry rivalry usually takes the form of jockeying for position using various tactics (for example, price competition, advertising battles, product introductions). This rivalry tends to increase in intensity when companies either feel competitive pressure or see an opportunity to improve their position.
In most industries, one company's competitive moves will have a noticeable impact on the competition, who will then retaliate to counter those efforts. Companies are mutually dependent, so the pattern of action and reaction may harm all companies and the industry.
Some types of competition (for example, price competition) are very unstable and negatively influence industry profitability. Other tactics (for example, advertising battles) may positively influence the industry, as they increase demand or enhance product differentiation.
References
Porter, M. (1998). Competitive Strategy. New York: Free Press. pp. 17-23.
CIPS study guide page 86-87
LO 2, AC 2.2

Detailed Explanation:Analyzing both direct and indirect costs helps buyers understand cost structures and negotiate effectively. Indirect costs, like overheads, can be identified through supplier data and market benchmarks, aiding in cost transparency. Reference: CIPS Level 4, Cost Management and Negotiation.

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a method to transform qualitative user demands into quantitative parameters, to deploy the functions forming quality, and to deploy methods for achieving the design quality into subsystems and component parts, and ultimately to specific elements of the manufacturing process.
Kano model of excitement and basic quality (Kano et al, 1984; Berger et al, 1993; Matzler et al, 1996) brings a different perspective for the analysis of improvement opportunities in products and services because it takes in consideration the asymmetrical and non-linear relationship between performance and satisfaction. The Kano model classifies customers requirements in five categories: basic requirements, performance requirements, attractive requirements, indifferent requirements and reverse requirements.
Mendelow's Matrix is a tool that may be used by an organisation to consider the attitude of their stakeholders at the start of a project or when they are setting out strategic objectives.
The Thomas Kilmann model identifies two dimensions when choosing a course of action in a con-flict situation, these are assertiveness and cooperativeness. Assertiveness is the degree to which you try to satisfy your own needs. Cooperativeness is the degree to which you try to satisfy the other person's concerns.