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Theories of business growth strategies
Vertical integration pros and cons
Vertical integration pros and cons
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FIRM- A firm is a kind of business, or partnership or any corporation. There are different types of many firms in the industry. They are private, public, nationalized firms VERTICAL INTEGRATION- When a company is expanding its business into areas that are at different points on the same production path, like when a manufacturer owns its supplier and/or distributor. It can also help companies reduce costs and improve efficiency by minimizing the transportation expenses and reducing turnaround time. However, sometimes it is more effective for a company to rely on the expertise and economies of scale of other vendors rather than be vertically integrated. The degree to which a firm owns its upstream suppliers and its downstream buyers is referred to as vertical integration. Because it is having a significant impact on the business unit’s position in its industry with respect to cost, differentiation, and other issues, the vertical scope of a firm is an important consideration in corporate strategy. Vertical Chain- The concept of vertical chain can be visualized using value chain. The two major issues considered while deciding whether to vertically integrate or not is cost and control. The cost aspect depends on the cost of transactions between firms vs. cost of administrating. The second main issue of concern is the impact of the assets control. Benefit of Vertical Integration- 1. Improves supply chain coordination 2. Reduce transportation costs 3. Leads to expansion 4. Increase entry barriers to potential customers Drawbacks of Vertical Integration- 1. Developing new competencies may compromise existing competencies 2. Decreased flexibility 3. Decreased ability to increase product variability. Alternatives to Vertical Integration- 1. Franchise agreements 2. Joint ventures 3. Long term explicit contracts When a company acquires its input supplier it is called backward integration. When it acquires companies in its distribution chain it is called forward integration. For example, a vertically integrated oil company may end up owning oilfields, refineries, tankers, trucks, and gas (petrol) filling stations. HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION Horizontal integration is used to finish competition between businesses and to maximize profit or create a monopoly. Horizontal integration is the opposite or reverse of vertical integration which is investing in natural resources used to manufacture the product instead of merging similar companies. Example of horizontal integration would be a business that normally manufactures televisions merging with another business that sells the same product, such as Zenith merging with Sony. Advantages of horizontal integration- 1.Reduces Lowers the cost structure- Creates increasing economies of scale The duplication of resources between two companies 2. Increases product differentiation- Product bundling – broader range at single combined price Total solution – saving customers time and money
Technological advancement is another condition that enhances complex linkage. The Apple Company should employ modern technology to link its suppliers. The method of coordinating the suppliers sho...
The evaluation of the strategic alliance from a TCE perspective has identified bounded rationality and opportunism as sources of potential economic hazards that could create inefficiencies in the vertical chain. Further investigation would be required to identify the extent of these efficiencies.
Horizontal integration brings organizations under one organization, and system. Vertical integration brings together all or part of a production procedure under one management, the fundamental principle of vertical integration is supplying a set of health care services to satisfy the needs of individuals in a specific group.
This organization belongs to the oligopoly market structure. The oligopoly market structure involves a few sellers of a standardized or differentiated product, a homogenous oligopoly or a differentiated oligopoly (McConnell, 2004, p. 467). In an oligopolistic market each firm is affected by the decisions of the other firms in the industry in determining their price and output (McConnell, 2005, P.413). Another factor of an oligopolistic market is the conditions of entry. In an oligopoly, there are significant barriers to entry into the market. These barriers exist because in these industries, three or four firms may have sufficient sales to achieve economies of scale, making the smaller firms would not be able to survive against the larger companies that control the industry (McConnell, 2005, p.
The Meaning of Vertical and Horizontal Integration Horizontal integration is where an organisation owns two or more companies, on the same level of the buying chain. An example of this is the First Choice Group; they own First Choice Travel Agency and First Choice Hypermarket, both of which are on the same level of the buying chain. The advantage of horizontal integration is that it can increase the company’s market share. Another good example of this type of integration is when EasyJet purchased the airline Go from British Airways. Now EasyJet and Go both operate under the company name of EasyJet.
The oligopoly market is a few relatively large firms that have adequate to significant market power and that they recognize their interdependence. Each firm know that their choice of actions or changes in their outputs will have an effect on other firms and in response to the change, other firms will take actions accordingly to adjust therefore will affect its sales and revenue. (Thomas 428) To closely define, the oligopoly characteristics consist of (a) a few large dominant firms; (b) a product or services either standardized or differentiated; (c) firm’s decision on price and output affect the demand and marginal revenue of other firms in the market and vice versa; and (d) the entry barriers to become a dominant firm consist of substantial involvement of technology and economical terms. With these characteristics, there are usually as few as two and as many as ten firms that make up large market shares in any one particular industry.
· There is the possibility of the supplier integrating forwards in order to obtain higher prices and margins. This threat is especially high when
The vertical merger happens when a company moves up or down its own product line. The sensible reason for merging with or acquiring a company is that it makes financial sense.
To be a successful entrepreneur, there are steps that one must follow when starting a new enterprise. These steps are termed as the process of entrepreneurial which is the systematic method of preparation of an enterprise that consists of four steps. The four steps are fundamental to the success of an entrepreneur venture. The four entrepreneurial processes includes discovering, assessing and opportunity, developing a business plan, establishing resource needs, and managing the resulting enterprise (Barringer & Ireland, 2010). Each individual step is vital for the start of an entrepreneur venture and for an entrepreneur to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. This paper will discuss the four steps of the entrepreneurial process,
As director of Supply Chain Systems, I have decided to implement the new supply chain strategy of Virtual Integration, and model its supply chain after companies like Dell. Although there are several key differences between the companies, Dell’s direct business approach can be applied to every facet of Ford’s operation. Special care will need to be taken to address the unique dependency of our custom “tier- one” suppliers. A modification of the virtual integration system currently used by Dell could be applied to Ford’s dependent supplier base, while the management of lower tier suppliers of general or generic components would be more effectively suited by the standard procedures used by Dell.
Growth strategy is the organisation formulating their plan to accomplish their objectives and goals to grow in revenue and size of the business. However according to (Bridge, O’Neill and Cromie 2003), she defines growth strategy as a “...the movement of the business into bigger premises, taking on more staff, significant increases of turnover, taking on a new product line or lines, buying another business, and so on” Growth Strategies are important for businesses as they allow the business to move in a formal direction. Businesses can easily be affected by the smallest of changes for example new customers or the arrival of new competitors which could have a negative impact, so planning is very important and takes care of additional effort and resource for faster growth. With these growth strategies, organisations try to achieve numerous things for example, obtaining economies of scale, attaining market leadership and retaining talented staff.
First, companies identify interrelationships among already existing business units in order to seek for any opportunities to transfer skills or share activities. Second, companies select the core businesses that will be the foundation of the corporate strategy by determining the attractive industry and sustainable competitive advantages. Third, companies create horizontal organizational mechanisms to facilitate interrelationships among the core business units by strong corporate identity, mission statement emphasizes integration, and incentives for business-wide success. Fourth, companies pursue diversification opportunities that allow shared activities. Fifth, companies pursue diversification through the transfer of skills if opportunities for sharing activities are limited or exhausted. In other word, it is the stepping stone for sharing activities in the future. Sixth, companies pursue a strategy of restructuring if this fits the skills of management or no good opportunities exist for forging corporate interrelationships. At last, companies pay dividends so the shareholders can be the portfolio
Strategic management is important to acquisitions because how a product is procured, manufactured and shipped is an integral part of a business. A weak supply chain can lead to excessive costs due to wasted time and fuel while shipping if routes and transportation methods are not properly selected. Also, if deliveries are not made on schedule, customers will be dissatisfied with the service. If a warehouse is not properly managed and organized, orders may not be filled in a timely manner or products could be damaged leading to excessive waste. Companies who enter into contracts to obtain or provide products or services need to be able to effectively negotiate so that they receive the best value for their company. To do this, they need to be aware of what their company’s advantages and disadvantages are as well as what goals and benefits they are trying to gain. Companies need to analyze how well their acquisition process works so that they can be sure that it adds to the competitive advantage of the industry as a
Entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development are the key factors of a successful business. These concepts are inter-linked and this essay will further explore and elaborate the relationship they have with each other. Additionally, sustainability also plays a role in this relationship and contributes greatly to a business’ success and reputation.
Vertical integration is the process in which several steps in the production and/or distribution of a product or service are controlled by a single company or entity, in order to increase that company’s or entity’s power in the marketplace. Vertical integration differs across industries, firms within the same industry, and transactions within the firm. A company may expands its operations backward into industries that produces inputs to its products or forward into industries that utilize, distribute or sell it products.