Corporate Strategy Foundations of Strategy

1. Team 5 Corporate StrategyFoundations of Strategy

2. The scope of the firm Concepts for analyzing firm scope Diversification Vertical integration Managing the corporate portfolio Objectives

3. Range of product/market activities the firm undertakes • Product scope- how specialized the firm is in terms of the range of products it supplies. Ex. Coca Cola is engaged in a single industry sector. • Vertical Scope- the range of vertically linked activities the firm encompasses. Ex. Nike • Geographical scope- the geographical spread of activities for the firm. Whether a company operates globally or in a certain area. • What Business are we in? This question is the basis for defining the firm’s identity Scope of the firm

5. Change scope to continue to create value for shareholders • Southwest during the 2008 recession • “With the weak domestic economy and unprecedented jet fuel prices, we are pleased to report our 69th consecutive quarter of profitability. Although we have prepared ourselves well for today's challenging environment and are proud of our ability to sustain profitability, we cannot stand still. We must continue to make the necessary adjustments to adapt to higher jet fuel prices and restore our profit margins." • 3 concepts for analysis • Economies of Scope • Transaction Costs • Costs of Corporate Complexity Key Concepts for Analyzing Firm Scope

6. Put out more of multiple products to decrease unit cost or resource use Good for multi-business firms to gain cost-advantage Tangible Resources Intangible Resources Licensing Economies of Scope

7. Costs associate with participating in a market • Market Mechanism • Adam Smith • “invisible hand” • Administrative Mechanism • Alfred Chandler • “visible hand” • Decisions concerning production & resource allocation are made by managers Transaction Costs

8. Incurring additional management costs Administrative costs may outweigh potential cost savings Diverse businesses may require various strategic planning to avoid profit loss Costs of Corporate Complexity

9. Unrelated: takes place when the additional product line is different from the firm’s core business AKA: Conglomerate Diversification Related: occurs when a firm expands into a similar field of operation AKA: Concentric Diversification Diversification

10. Horizontal: the firm moves into the same stage of production Vertical: occurs when a firm undertakes successive stages in the production of a good or service Diversification

11. Growth Risk Reduction Value Creation Exploiting Economies of Scope Internal Capital Markets Internal Labour Markets Not all motives are consistent with the creation of shareholder value. Motives for Diversification

12. Without diversification, firms will remain stagnant. Low-growth, cash flow-rich industries are susceptible to diversification. Investments in diversification take away from shareholder returns. Growth

13. Reduce risk by pooling profits from different businesses under one common owner. Many incomes create stable profit earnings. The primary beneficiaries tend to be managers because stable profits means job security. Risk Reduction

14. Value creation occurs through the exploitation of linkages between businesses. Links can be operational, strategic, technical, etc. To fully exploit the value creation of diversified activities, administrative costs should be low Value Creation

15. Commonly done through the trading or licensing of a firm’s resource. Easily traded resources do not require entry into new businesses. Exploiting Economies of Scope

16. Corporate headquarters will allocate capital through a capital expenditure budget. Advantages: avoid costs associated with borrowing cash or issuing equity Access to better internal financial information than external. Internal Capital Markets

17. Diversified companies have a pool of employees and can respond to specific labor needs with employee transfers. Eliminates costs associated with hiring and firing people. Detailed information on employee competencies can be collected and shared easily between businesses. Internal Labor Markets

18. Michael Porter’s three essential tests: • The attractiveness test • The cost-of-entry test • The better-off test When does diversification create value?

19. The industries chosen for diversification must be structurally attractive or capable of being made attractive Industry attractiveness is insufficient on its own. The Attractiveness Test

20. The cost of entry must not capitalize all the future profits. Barriers to entry can counteract the attractiveness of an industry. Acquisition or Corporate Venture are the two ways to enter an industry. The Cost-of-Entry Test

21. The new unit must gain competitive advantage from its link with the corporation or vice versa. In most diversification decisions, it is the better-off test that dominates. The Better-Off

22. Empirical studies associate high levels of diversification with lower profitability. There are benefits to moderate diversification - “a strategic sweet spot between focus and broader diversification.” Findings reflect that turbulence of the business environment increase the costs of managing diversified companies. Diversification and Performance

23. Diversified companies have began divesting their non-core businesses. Highly diversified business groups dominate many emerging countries: India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. Firms are beginning to acquire “growth options.” Recent Trends in Diversification

24. Refers to a firm’s ownership of vertically related activities. Vertical Integration can be backward or forward. Vertical Integration can be either full or partial. Vertical Integration

25. Strategies towards vertical integration have been shifting fashions. Many of the coordination benefits traditionally associated with vertical integration can be achieved through collaboration between vertically related companies. Benefits and Costs of Vertical Integration

26. The Incentive problem- Vertical Integration changes the incentives between vertically related businesses. Flexibility- Both vertical integration and market transactions can claim advantage with regard to different types of flexibility. Transactions costs in vertical exchanges

27. Vendor Partnerships Franchising Recent trends in vertical integration: Growing diversity of hybrid vertical relationships A massive shift from arm’s length supplier relationships to long-term collaboration with fewer suppliers. Different types of Vertical Relationship