A Critique of Blue Ocean Strategies: Exploring the Limits of Creating Uncontested Markets

Abstract

Blue ocean strategies aim to shift an organization's competitiveness to significant heights of market creation, business growth, and confidence. This paper critically examines the Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) model proposed by Kim and Mauborgne (2005). While captivating for its promise of creating uncontested markets and achieving significant competitive advantage, the model exhibits limitations in its implementation protocol, scientific validation, and practical applicability. This critique analyzes the core BOS concepts of value innovation, humanness, competitor elimination, and customer acquisition, highlighting their theoretical deficiencies and practical challenges. The study concludes that the Blue Ocean strategic model lacks a clear implementation protocol and procedure in general, which has presented practical doubts over its applicability. Drawing from existing research and empirical evidence, this paper recommends further research and refinement of the BOS model to enhance its rigor and practical utility.