Chapter Ten Corporate-Level Strategy: Formulating and Implementing Related and Unrelated Diversification

Corporate-Level Strategy Corporate-Level Strategy should allow a company, or one of its business units, to perform the value-creation functions at lower cost or in a way that allows for differentiation and premium price. Corporate strategy is used to identify: Businesses or industries that the company should compete in Value creation activities which the company should perform in those businesses Method to enter or leave businesses or industries in order to maximize its long-run profitability Companies must adopt a long-term perspective Consider how changes in the industry and its products, technology, customers, and competitors will affect its current business model and future strategies. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Corporate-Level Strategy of Diversification Diversification Strategy is the company’s decision to enter one or more new industries (that are distinct from its established operations) to take advantage of its existing distinctive competencies and business model. Types of diversification: Related diversification Unrelated diversification Methods to implement a diversification strategy: Internal new ventures Acquisitions Joint ventures Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Expanding Beyond a Single Industry Staying inside a single industry allows a company to: Focus its resources  ‘Stick to its knitting’ BUT a company’s fortunes are tied closely to the profitability of its original industry: Can be dangerous if the industry matures and goes into decline May be missing the opportunity to leverage their distinctive competencies in new industries Tendency to rest on their laurels and not engage in constant learning To stay agile, companies must leverage – find new ways to take advantage of their distinctive competencies and core business model in new markets and industries. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

A Company as a Portfolio of Distinctive Competencies Reconceptualize the company as a portfolio of distinctive competencies . . . rather than a portfolio of products: Consider how those competencies might be leveraged to create opportunities in new industries Existing competencies versus new competencies that would need to be developed Existing industries in which a company competes versus new industries Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Establishing a Competency Agenda Figure 10.1 Source: Reprinted by permission of Harvard Business School Press. From Competing for the Future: Breakthrough Strategies for Seizing Control of Your Industry and Creating the Markets of Tomorrow by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad, Boston, MA. Copyright © 1994 by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad. All rights reserved. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Increasing Profitability Through Diversification A diversified company can create value by: Transferring competencies among existing businesses Leveraging competencies to create new businesses Sharing resources to realize economies of scope Using product bundling Managing rivalry by using diversification as a means in one or more industries Exploiting general organizational competencies that enhance performance within all business units Managers often consider diversification when their company is generating free cash flow – with resources in excess of those needed to maintain competitive advantage. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Transferring Competencies Transferring competencies across industries: taking a distinctive competency developed in one industry and implanting it in an EXISTING business unit in another industry The competencies transferred must involve activities that are important for establishing competitive advantage Tend to acquire businesses related to their existing activities because of the commonality between one or more value-chain functions For such a strategy to work, the distinctive competency being transferred must have real strategic value. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Transfer of Competencies at Philip Morris Figure 10.2 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Leveraging Competencies Leveraging competencies: taking a distinctive competency developed by a business in one industry and using it to create a NEW business unit in a different industry The difference between leveraging and transferring competencies is that an entirely NEW business is created Different managerial processes are involved Tend to use R&D competencies to create new business opportunities in diverse areas Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Sharing Resources Sharing resources and capabilities across two or more business units in different industries to realize economies of scope. Economies of scope arise when business units are able to effectively able to pool, share, and utilize expensive resources or capabilities: Companies that can share resources have to invest proportionately less than companies that cannot share. Resource sharing can result in economies of scale. Economies of scope are possible only when there are significant commonalities between one or more value-chain functions. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Sharing Resources at Procter & Gamble Figure 10.3 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Using Product Bundling Use product bundling to differentiate products and expand products lines in order to satisfy customers’ needs for a package of related products. Allows customers to reduce their number of suppliers for convenience and cost savings. Increased value of orders gives customers increased commitment and bargaining power with suppliers. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Managing Rivalry Manage rivalry by holding a competitor in check that has either entered its industry or has the potential to do so. Multipoint competition is when companies compete with each other in different industries. Companies can manage rivalry by signaling that competitive attacks in one industry will be met by retaliatory attacks in the aggressor’s home industry. Mutual forbearance from signaling may result in less intense rivalry and higher industry profits. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Exploiting General Organizational Competencies General organizational competencies are skills of a company’s top managers and functional experts that transcend individual functions or business units. These capabilities help each business unit perform at a higher level than if it operated as an individual company: Entrepreneurial capabilities – encourage risk taking while managing & limiting the amount of risk undertaken Organizational design – create structure, culture, and control systems that motivate and coordinate employees Superstrategic capabilities – effectively manage the managers of the business units and helping them think through strategic problems These managerial skills are often not present, as they are rare and difficult to develop and put into action. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Types of Diversification Related diversification Entry into a new business activity in a different industry that: Is related to a company’s existing business activity or activities and Has commonalities between one or more components of each activity’s value chain Based on transferring and leveraging competencies, sharing resources, and bundling products Unrelated diversification Entry into industries that have no obvious connection to any of a company’s value-chain activities in its present industry or industries Based on using only general organizational competencies to increase profitability of each business unit Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Commonalities Between Value Chains of Three Business Units Figure 10.4 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Disadvantages and Limits of Diversification Conditions that can make diversification disadvantageous: Changing Industry and Firm-Specific Conditions Future success of this strategy is hard to predict. Over time, changing situations may require businesses to be divested. Diversification for the Wrong Reasons Must have clear vision as to how value will be created. Extensive diversification tends to reduce rather than improve profitability. Bureaucratic Costs of Diversification Costs are a function of the number of business units in a company’s portfolio, and the Extent to which coordination is required to gain the benefits. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Coordination Among Related Business Units Figure 10.5 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Choosing a Strategy The choice of strategy depends on a comparison of the benefits of each strategy versus the cost of pursuing it: Related diversification When company’s competencies can be applied across a greater number of industries and Company has superior capabilities to keep bureaucratic costs under control Unrelated diversification When functional competencies have few useful applications across industries and Company has good organizational design skills to build distinctive competencies Web of corporate level strategy May pursue both related and unrelated diversification As well as other strategies that improve long-term profitability Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Sony’s Web of Corporate-Level Strategy Figure 10.6 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Diversification That Dissipates Value Diversifying to pool risks Stockholders can diversify their own portfolios at lower costs than the company can. This represents an unproductive use of resources as profits can be returned to shareholders as dividends. Research suggests that corporate diversification is not an effective way to pool risks. Diversifying to achieve greater growth Growth on its own does not create value. Business cycles of different industries are inherently difficult to predict. Based on a large number of academic studies: Extensive diversification tends to reduce, rather than improve, company profitability. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Entry Strategies to Implement Multibusiness Model Various entry strategies may be employed based on the company’s competencies and capabilities: Internal New Ventures Company has a set of valuable competencies in its existing businesses. Competences leveraged or recombined to enter new business areas. Acquisitions Company lacks important competencies to compete in an area. Company can purchase an incumbent company that has those competencies at a reasonable price. Joint Ventures Company can increase the probability of success by teaming up with another company with complementary skills. Joint ventures are preferred when risks and costs of setting up a new business unit are more than company can assume. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Pitfalls of New Ventures Scale of entry Large-scale entry is initially more expensive than small- scale entry, but it brings higher returns in the long run. Commercialization Technological possibilities should not overshadow market needs and opportunities. Poor implementation Demands on cash flow Need clear strategic objectives Anticipate time and costs Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Scale of Entry and Profitability Figure 10.7 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Guidelines for Successful Internal New Venturing Structured approach to managing internal new venturing: Research aimed at advancing basic science and technology Development research aimed at finding and refining commercial applications for the technology Foster close links between R&D and marketing; between R&D and manufacturing Selection process for choosing ventures Monitor progress Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 The Attractions of Acquisition Acquisitions are the principle strategy used to implement horizontal integration: Used to achieve diversification when the company lacks important competencies Enable a company to move quickly Perceived as less risky than internal new ventures An attractive way to enter a new industry that is protected by high barriers to entry Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Acquisition Pitfalls There is ample evidence that many acquisitions fail to create value or to realize their anticipated benefits: Integrating the acquired company Difficulty in integrating value-chain and management activities High management and employee turnover in acquired company Overestimating the economic benefits Overestimate the competitive advantages and value-added that can be derived from the acquisition Pay too much for the target company The expense of acquisitions Premium paid for publicly traded companies Premium cancels out the prospective value-creating gains Inadequate preacquisition screening Weaknesses of acquisitions’ business model are not clear Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

 Guidelines for Successful Acquisition Target identification and preacquisition screening for: Financial position Distinctive competencies and competitive advantage Changing industry boundaries Management capabilities Corporate culture Bidding strategy Avoid hostile takeovers and speculative bidding. Encourage friendly takeover with amicable merger. Integration Eliminate duplication of facilities and functions. Divest unwanted business units included in acquisition. Learning from experience Conduct post-acquisition audits. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Joint Ventures Attractions: Helps avoid the risks and costs of building a new operation from the ground floor Teaming with another company that has complementary skills and assets may increase the probability of success Pitfalls: Requires the sharing of profits if the new business succeeds Venture partners must share control – conflicts on how to run the joint venture can cause failure Run the risk of giving critical know-how away to joint venture partner Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Restructuring Restructuring is the process of divesting businesses and exiting industries to focus on core distinctive competencies in order to increase company profitability. Why restructure? Diversification discount: investors see highly diversified companies as less attractive Complexity and lack of transparency in financial statements Too much diversification Diversification for the wrong reasons Response to failed acquisitions Innovations in strategic management have diminished the advantages of vertical integration or diversification Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.