An essential part of corporate strategy is choosing the right portfolio of business to compete in especially when it concerns growth strategy and over the years this has become one of the key challenges faced by managers. It is highly imperative for business leaders to understand the different strategic options suitable for operating in various types of industries or markets. Suffice is to say that the business environment, which includes the competitive activity also plays a deep-seated role in deciding which strategic choice is most appropriate for the company or firm.
According to Macmillan et al (2000), "choice and strategic choice refer to the process of selecting one for implementation."
The essay has been structured into four parts: Firstly a brief definition of diversification and types with examples from IBM and Virgin Empire, Secondly, why companies decide to diversify and the implications with examples from Virgin Empire, British American Tobacco, Philip Morris and Lego, Thirdly, theorist views on diversification and why it is deemed as a poor strategy and concludes with that the success or failure of diversification depends on the prior performance of the company.
Diversification (marketing strategy)
Euro Sunset on Cyprus with Vladimir Putin diving f...
English: The Globe House, headquarters of British ...Companies usually decide within the course of their business which products or services they offer in which market (Macmillan et al 2000).Different matrixes are used to determine which objectives they may use to achieve their desired outcome during the product life cycle. One of the objectives includes the Ansoff matrix, which entails four product/market combinations but our focus is on the last of the combinations which is the high-risk diversification strategy (Ansoff 1968 pg 99).This form of strategy is viewed as different from other strategies because, it moves the company away from its original products and services into new ones.
(Pearce et al 2002) defines "diversification as representing a "distinct departure" from existing...