CHAPTER 8 Strategic Analysis and Choice in the Multibusiness Company: Rationalizing Diversification and Building Shareholder Value

Chapter Topics The Portfolio Approach The Synergy Approach: Leveraging Capabilities and Core Competencies Strategic Analysis and Choice in Multi-business Companies: The Corporate Parent Role

The Portfolio Approach BCG Growth-Share Matrix Industry Attractiveness-Business Strength Matrix BCG’s Strategic Environments Matrix Life Cycle-Competitive Strength Matrix

Ex. 8-1: The BCG Growth-Share Matrix Cash Generation (Market Share) Description of Dimensions High Low Market share: sales relative to those of other competitors in the market (dividing point is usually selected to have only the two-three largest competitors in any market fall into the high market share region) Star Problem Child High Cash Use (Growth Rate) Cash Cow Dog Low Description of Dimensions Growth Rate: Industry growth rate in constant dollars (diving point is usually the GNP’s growth rate)

Ex. 8-3: Factors Considered in Constructing an Industry Attractiveness-Business Strength Matrix (Industry Attractiveness) Nature of Competitive Rivalry Bargaining Power of Suppliers/Customers Threat of Substitutes/New Entrants Number of competitors Size of competitors Strength of competitors’ corporate parents Price wars Competition on multiple dimensions Relative size of typical players Numbers of each Importance of purchases from or sales to Ability to vertically integrate Technological maturity/stability Diversity of the market Barriers to entry Flexibility of distribution system

Sociopolitical Considerations Ex. 8-3 (contd.) Economic Factors Financial Norms Sociopolitical Considerations Sales volatility Cyclicality of demand Market growth Capital intensity Average profitability Typical leverage Credit practices Government regulation Community support Ethical standards

Ex. 8-3 (contd.) (Business Strength) Cost Position Level of Differentiation Response Time Economies of scale Manufacturing costs Overhead Scrap/waste/rework Experience effects Labor rates Proprietary processes Promotion effectiveness Product quality Company image Patented products Brand awareness Manufacturing flexibility Time needed to introduce new products Delivery times Organizational flexibility

Ex. 8-3 (contd.) Financial Strength Human Assets Public Approval Solvency Liquidity Break-even point Cash flows Profitability Growth in revenues Turnover Skill level Relative wage/salary Morale Managerial commitment Unionization Goodwill Reputation Image

Ex. 8-4: The Industry Attractiveness-Business Strength Matrix High Medium Low Description of Dimensions Industry Attractiveness: Subjective assessment based on broadest possible range of external opportunities and threats beyond the strict control of management Business Strength: Subjective assessment of how strong a competitive advantage is created by a broad range of the firm’s internal strengths and weaknesses Selective Growth Grow or Let Go Invest High Selective Growth Grow or Let Go Harvest Business Strength Medium Grow or Let Go Harvest Low Divest

Terminology is less offensive and more understandable Advantages of the Industry Attractiveness-Business Strength Matrix Over the BCG Matrix Terminology is less offensive and more understandable Multiple measures associated with each dimension tap many factors relevant to business strength and market attractiveness Allows for broader assessment during both strategy formulation and implementation for a multibusiness company

Ex. 8-5: The Market Life Cycle-Competitive Strength Matrix Stage of Market Life Cycle Description of Dimensions Stage of Market Life Cycle: See p. 146 Competitive Strength: Overall subjective rating, based on a wide range of factors regarding the likelihood of gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage High Invest Aggresively Push: Competitive Strength Invest Selectively Caution: Low Danger: Harvest Introduction Growth Maturity Decline

Ex. 8-6: BCG’s Strategic Environments Matrix Fragmented apparel, house building, jewelry retailing, sawmills Specialization pharmaceuticals, luxury cars, chocolate confectionery Many Sources of Advantage Stalemate basic chemicals, volume-grade paper, ship owning, wholesale banking Volume jet engines, supermarkets, motorcycles, standard microprocessors Few Small Big Size of Advantage

Contributions of Portfolio Approaches Convey large amounts of information about diverse businesses and corporate plans in a simplified format Illuminate similarities and differences among businesses, conveying the logic behind corporate strategies for each business Simplify priorities for sharing corporate resources across diverse businesses Provide a simple prescription of what should be accomplished – a balanced portfolio of businesses

Limitations of Portfolio Approaches Does not address how value is created across business units Accurate measurement for matrix classification not as easy as matrices implied Underlying assumption about relationship between market share and profits varies across different industries and market segments Limited strategic options viewed as basic strategic missions Portrays notion that firms need to be self-sufficient in capital Fails to compare competitive advantage a business receives from being owned by a particular company with costs of owning it

Ex. 8-7: Value Building in Multibusiness Companies (Market-Related Opportunities) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Shared sales force activities or shared sales office, or both Lower selling costs Better market coverage Stronger technical advice to buyers Enhanced convenience for buyers Improved access to buyers Buyers have different purchasing habits toward the products Different salespersons are more effective in representing the product Some products get more attention than others Buyers prefer to multiple-source rather than single-source their purchases

Ex. 8-7 (contd.) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Shared after-sales service and repair work Low servicing costs Better utilization of service personnel Faster servicing of customer calls Different equipment or different labor skills, or both, are needed to handle repairs Buyers may do some in-house repairs Shared brand name Stronger brand image and company reputation Increased buyer confidence in the brand Company reputation is hurt if quality of one product is lower Shared advertising and promotional activities Lower costs Greater clout in purchasing ads Appropriate forms of messages are different Appropriate timing of promotions is different

Ex. 8-7 (contd.) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Common distribution channels Lower distribution costs Enhanced bargaining power with distributors and retailers to gain shelf space, shelf positioning, stronger push and more dealer attention, and better profit margins Dealers resist being dominated by a single supplier and turn to multiple sources and lines Heavy use of the shared channel erodes willingness of other channels to carry or push the firm’s products Shared order processing Lower order processing costs One-stop shopping for buyer enhances service and, thus, differentiation Differences in ordering cycles disrupt order processing economies

Ex. 8-7 (contd.) (Operating Opportunities) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Joint procurements of purchased inputs Lower input costs Improved input quality Improved service from suppliers Input needs are different in terms of quality or other specifications Inputs are needed at different plant locations, and centralized purchasing is not responsive to separate needs of each plant Shared inbound or outbound shipping and materials handling Lower freight and handling costs Better delivery reliability More frequent deliveries, such that inventory costs are reduced Input sources or plant locations, or both, are in different geographic areas Needs for frequency and reliability of inbound/outbound delivery differ among the business units

Ex. 8-7 (contd.) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Shared manufacturing and assembly facilities Lower manufacturing/assembly costs Better capacity utilization, because peak demand for one product correlates with valley demand for other Bigger scale of operation improves access to better technology and results in better quality Higher changeover costs in shifting from one product to another High-cost special tooling or equipment is required to accommodate quality differences or design differences

Ex. 8-7 (contd.) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Shared product and process technologies or technology development or both Lower product or process design costs, or both, because of shorter design times and transfers of knowledge from area to area. More innovative ability, owing to scale of effort and attraction of better R&D personnel Technologies are the same, but the applications in different business units are different enough to prevent much sharing of value Shared administrative support activities Lower administrative and operating overhead costs Support activities are not a large proportion of cost, and sharing has little cost impact (and virtually no differentiation impact)

Ex. 8-7 (contd.) (Management Opportunities) Opportunities to Build Value or Sharing Potential Competitive Advantage Impediments to Achieving Enhanced Value Shared management know-how, operating skills, and proprietary information Efficient transfer of a distinctive competence – can create cost savings or enhance differentiation. More effective management as concerns strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and understanding of key success factors Actual transfer of know-how is costly or stretches the key skill personnel too thinly, or both. Increased risks that proprietary information will leak out

Ex. 8-9: Six Critical Questions for Diversification Success What can our company do better than any of its competitors in its current market(s)? What core competencies do we need in order to succeed in the new market? Can we catch up to or leapfrog competitors at their own game? Will diversification break up our core competencies that need to be kept together? Will we be simply a player in the new market or will we emerge a winner? What can our company learn by diversifying, and are we sufficiently organized to learn it?

Places to Look for Parenting Opportunities Size and age Management Business definition Predictable errors Linkages Common capabilities Specialized expertise External relations Major decisions Major changes

The Patching Perspective Patching is the process by which corporate executives routinely remap businesses to match rapidly changing market opportunities. Patching can be Adding Splitting Transferring Exiting, or combining businesses Patching is more critical in turbulent and rapidly changing markets, than in stable, unchanging markets

Ex. 8-10: Three Approaches to Strategy Position Resources Simple Rules Strategic logic Identify an attractive market Locate a defensible position Fortify and defend Establish a vision Build resources Leverage across markets Jump into the confusion Keep moving Seize opportunities Finish strong Strategic question Where should we be? What should we be? How should we proceed? Source of advantage Unique, valuable position with tightly integrated activity system Unique, valuable, inimitable resources Key processes and unique simple rules

Ex. 8-10 (contd.) Works best in Duration of advantage Risk Slowly changing, well-structured markets Moderately changing, well-structured markets Rapidly changing, ambiguous markets Duration of advantage Sustained Unpredictable Risk It will be difficult to alter position as conditions change Company will be too slow to build new resources as conditions change Managers will be too tentative in executing on promising opportunities Performance goal Profitability Long-term dominance Growth

Ex. 8-11: Simple Rules, Summarized (Adapted) Type Purpose How-to rules They spell out key features of how a process is executed – “What makes our process unique?” Boundary rules They focus managers on which opportunities can be pursued and which are outside the pale. Priority rules They help managers rank the accepted opportunities. Timing rules They synchronize managers with the pace of emerging opportunities and other parts of the company. Exit rules They help managers decide when to pull out of yesterday’s opportunities.