Value Chain

Map industry value chain to understand where value is created and captured. Use for industry analysis, vertical integration decisions, and identifying strate...

Security Scan

The skill is an instruction-only value-chain analysis helper and its requested/installed artifacts and instructions are consistent with that purpose.

Purpose & Capability

Name and description (value-chain analysis, industry mapping) match the provided SKILL.md instructions. The skill declares no binaries, env vars, or config paths, which is proportionate for a purely analytic instruction set.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md contains only guidance for mapping stages, identifying players, estimating margins, and analyzing power dynamics. It does not instruct the agent to read local files, access credentials, call external endpoints, or exfiltrate data. The guidance to 'use data' is generic and does not mandate data collection from the user's system.

Install Mechanism

No install spec or code files are present; this is an instruction-only skill. Nothing will be written to disk or executed as part of installation.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables, credentials, or config paths. That is proportionate given its stated analytic function.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not set to always:true and uses default agent invocation rules. It does not request persistent or elevated privileges.

Assessment

This skill is instruction-only and coherent with its stated purpose. Before using it, consider: (1) do not paste sensitive corporate secrets into prompts—analysis should rely on non-confidential inputs or sanitized figures; (2) the quality of outputs depends entirely on the data you provide or the external sources the agent may consult, so verify facts (margins, market shares) from trusted sources; (3) if you plan to let an autonomous agent invoke this skill, be aware it may produce recommendations based on the input it’s given—limit access to sensitive systems or credentials. Overall low technical risk, but exercise normal caution about the inputs you share.

Value Chain Analysis

Metadata

• Name: value-chain-analysis
• Description: Industry value chain mapping and analysis
• Triggers: value chain, industry structure, vertical integration, upstream downstream

Instructions

You are a strategic analyst mapping the value chain for $ARGUMENTS.

Your task is to identify where value is created, who captures it, and strategic implications.

Framework

Porter's Value Chain (Company Level)

                    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
                    │           FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE           │
                    │     (Planning, Finance, Legal, etc.)    │
┌───────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┐
│  HUMAN RESOURCES  │                                         │  TECHNOLOGY       │
│  MANAGEMENT       │                                         │  DEVELOPMENT      │
└───────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                    │                                         │
┌───────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┐
│  PROCUREMENT      │                                         │  PROCUREMENT      │
└───────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                    │                                         │
                    ▼                                         ▼
            ┌───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬───────────┐
            │ INBOUND   │           │ OUTBOUND  │ MARKETING │ SERVICE   │
            │ LOGISTICS │ OPERATIONS│ LOGISTICS │   & SALES │           │
            └───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴───────────┘
                         ▲                                       ▲
                         │                                       │
                    MARGIN                                   MARGIN

Industry Value Chain (Extended)

RAW           COMPONENT        ASSEMBLY/        DISTRIBUTION      END
MATERIALS  →  MANUFACTURING → MANUFACTURING →  & RETAIL      →  CUSTOMER
  ↑               ↑                ↑                ↑             ↑
Supplier 1    Supplier 2       OEM/Brand        Wholesaler     Consumer
Supplier 2    Supplier 3       Contract Mfg     Retailer        Business
...

Analysis Dimensions

1. Value Creation (Where is value added?)

Stage	Value-Added Activities	Typical Margins
Raw Materials	Extraction, basic processing	Low
Components	Specialized manufacturing	Medium
Assembly	Integration, quality control	Medium
Brand/Design	R&D, marketing, IP	High
Distribution	Logistics, customer access	Medium
Services	Support, maintenance	High

2. Value Capture (Who gets the profit?)

• Concentration: Few players = more bargaining power
• Differentiation: Unique capabilities = higher margins
• Switching Costs: Lock-in = pricing power
• Regulation: Barriers = protected margins

3. Power Analysis

For each stage, assess:

• Supplier Power: Can they raise prices?
• Buyer Power: Can they demand lower prices?
• Competition: How intense?
• Substitutes: Can this stage be bypassed?

Output Process

1. Map the stages - From raw materials to end customer
2. Identify players - Who operates at each stage?
3. Estimate value-added - What margin does each stage capture?
4. Assess concentration - How concentrated is each stage?
5. Analyze power dynamics - Who has bargaining power?
6. Identify opportunities - Where can value be captured or created?

Output Format

## Value Chain Analysis: [Industry/Company]

### Industry Value Chain Map

Stage 1 → Stage 2 → Stage 3 → Stage 4 → Stage 5 [Name] [Name] [Name] [Name] [Name] │ │ │ │ │ Players: Players: Players: Players: Players:

• A - D - G - J - M
• B - E - H - K - N
• C - F - I - L - O

### Value Distribution

| Stage | Revenue Share | Margin | Value-Added | Concentration |
|-------|---------------|--------|-------------|---------------|
| [Stage 1] | X% | Y% | [Description] | High/Med/Low |
| [Stage 2] | X% | Y% | [Description] | High/Med/Low |
| [Stage 3] | X% | Y% | [Description] | High/Med/Low |
| [Stage 4] | X% | Y% | [Description] | High/Med/Low |
| [Stage 5] | X% | Y% | [Description] | High/Med/Low |

### Power Analysis

| Stage | Supplier Power | Buyer Power | Competition | Overall Power |
|-------|----------------|-------------|-------------|---------------|
| [Stage 1] | H/M/L | H/M/L | H/M/L | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| [Stage 2] | H/M/L | H/M/L | H/M/L | ⭐⭐ |
| [Stage 3] | H/M/L | H/M/L | H/M/L | ⭐⭐⭐ |

### Key Insights

1. **Where is value created?** [Analysis]
2. **Who captures value?** [Analysis]
3. **Where is power concentrated?** [Analysis]

### Strategic Implications

1. **Vertical Integration**: Should we move up/down the chain?
2. **Partnership Opportunities**: Who should we ally with?
3. **Competitive Threats**: Who might disrupt the chain?
4. **Margin Opportunities**: Where can we improve profitability?

Tips

• Start broad, then add detail for critical stages
• Use data: margins, market shares, pricing trends
• Consider geographic differences in the chain
• Don't forget adjacent industries that might converge
• Update regularly as industries evolve

References

• Porter, Michael. Competitive Advantage. 1985. Chapter 2.
• Ghemawat, Pankaj. Strategy and the Business Landscape. 1999.