Question 1: You work in a conglomerate organisation and have been asked by your boss to analyse several companies owned by your organisation. Which tools would you use to analyse your corporate strategy across the portfolio of companies?

Question 1: You work in a conglomerate organisation and have been asked by your boss to analyse several companies owned by your organisation. Which tools would you use to analyse your corporate strategy across the portfolio of companies? Discuss examples of how you could apply those tools to analyse your organisation’s companies.

To cater for the task assigned by my boss I will utilize the following tools which would help me in preparing a detailed portfolio of the companies.

SWOT Analysis: Performing a SWOT analysis of each company owned by our organization, would identify the strengths of the company, reliability, customer-based establishment, and financial position.  The weakness would include any outdated technology, ineffective efforts that are no longer fruitful, weak position in the market. While opportunities would describe the market expansion route, development of new products, segmentation of the market and how these can be evaluated and prioritized based on the company's strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, Threats, such as increased competition or changes in market conditions, can also be evaluated.

Portfolio Matrix: By utilizing the portfolio matrix, I would classify the companies in the portfolio based on their performance and potential for growth. For example, a company in our portfolio that has the growth ability and shows potential but has a low market share would be classified as a question mark and would receive more investment and attention. Meanwhile, a company that has a high market share and a stable market would be classified as a cash cow and would be given restricted investment.

BCG Matrix: By utilizing the BCG matrix, the companies in our portfolio would be evaluated based on their growth rate and market share. As an example, a company that would have a high market share would have a high growth rate and can be classified as a star, moreover, it would receive more investment for its growth. While a company with a low market share and low growth rate would be classified as a dog and evaluated for divestment or restructuring.

Market Analysis: A market analysis of each company would provide a better understanding of the market dynamics and company positioning. For example, a competitor analysis can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and how they compare with the company, while a customer analysis can provide insight into the target market and their preferences.