Team FME Strategy Skills Boston Matrix www.free-management-ebooks.com ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 Copyright Notice © www.free-management-ebooks.com 2013. All Rights Reserved ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 The material contained within this electronic publication is protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and treaties, and as such any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is strictly prohibited. You may not copy, forward, or transfer this publication or any part of it, whether in elec- tronic or printed form, to another person, or entity. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work without the permission of the copy- right holder is against the law. Your downloading and use of this eBook requires, and is an indication of, your complete acceptance of these ‘Terms of Use.’ You do not have any right to resell or give away part, or the whole, of this eBook. ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 1 BOSTON MATRIX Table of Contents Preface 2 Visit Our Website 3 Introduction 4 The Boston Matrix 6 Classifying Products and Business Units 11 Stars 13 Question Marks 14 Cash Cows 16 Dogs 18 Using the Boston Matrix at Brand Level 20 A Balanced Portfolio 22 Summary 25 References 26 ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 2 BOSTON MATRIX Preface This eBook describes the Boston Matrix, an approach to product portfolio planning based on relative market share and market growth. You will learn:  How the Boston Matrix can be integrated with other strategic planning tools  Why this tool is so controversial and why it has been removed from many mar- keting courses  How to categorize your products depending on their relative market share and market growth  Why it can be dangerous to use this tool at brand level  How it can be used to help ensure a balanced portfolio of products and services ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 3 BOSTON MATRIX Visit Our Website More free management eBooks along with a series of essential templates and check- lists for managers are all available to download free of charge to your computer, iPad, or Amazon Kindle. We are adding new titles every month, so don’t forget to check our website regularly for the latest releases. Visit http://www.free-management-ebooks.com ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 4 BOSTON MATRIX Introduction            faster than ever before. The process of analyzing the implications of these changes and modifying the way that the organization reacts to them is known as business strategy. ‘Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long term, - tion of resources and competences’ Johnson et al. (2009). While your role as a manager is unlikely to require you to make decisions at the strategic level, you may be asked to contribute your expertise to meetings where strategic con- cerns are being discussed. You may also be asked to comment on pilot schemes, presen- tations, reports, or statistics that will affect future strategy. Meetings Pilot Schemes Presentations How you participate in strategy Statistics Reports Whether you work in a large multinational corporation or a small organization, a good understanding of the appropriate business analysis techniques and terminology will help you to contribute to the strategic decision-making processes. ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 5 BOSTON MATRIX • Defi ning the strategy • Internal capability to respond • Implementation of the strategy • External environment Analyze Assess Aid Assist Typical scenarios where you could be asked to provide information and data for your organization’s strategic decision making include:  Analyzing the organization’s external environment.  Assessing the organization’s internal capabilities and how well it can respond to external forces.    Aiding in the implementation of the organization’s strategy. Strategic Defi nition Strategic Analysis Strategic Planning Internal Capability External Environment SWOT, Ansoff PESTLE, Porters 5 Forces Boston Box - tegic planning process. This series of eBooks will give you a solid understanding of how these tools can be used, as well as an appreciation of their limitations. ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 6 BOSTON MATRIX This knowledge will enable you to take an active and productive role when asked to par- ticipate in the strategic decision-making process. KEY POINTS 4 You may be asked to contribute your expertise to meetings where strategic concerns are being discussed. 4 Typical scenarios where you could be asked to provide information for stra- tegic decision making include: analyzing the organization’s external environ-  in the implementation. The Boston Matrix A key role of management within the strategy planning process is to provide market in-  capabilities of the organization, an essential part of strategy development and imple- mentation. Whatever your management role, you may sometimes be asked for market intelligence that can be used in the strategy planning process. The types of data that are fed into a marketing information system (MIS) cover all areas of the organization—production, operations, sales and marketing, etc. The more accurate and up-to-date an MIS is, the greater your competitive edge will be. An MIS also helps your organization to identify and respond to the opportunities  www. free-management-ebooks • Provides a method to analyze business units, product lines and services Boston Matrix ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 7 BOSTON MATRIX The organization’s response can only be effective if it has a clear understanding of its  these is the Boston Matrix. Bruce Henderson developed this business analysis technique in 1970 for use within the Boston Consulting Group. It was designed for use by its consultants to help corporations with analyzing their business units or product lines. This technique has become known by several different names including: B-Box, BCG Analysis, BCG-matrix, Boston Box, Boston Matrix, Boston Consulting Group Analysis and the Portfolio Diagram. It is important to be aware of these names because you may hear the technique referred to by any one of them. Boston Matris is also called Portfolio Diagram Boston Consulting Group Analysis B-Box Boston Box BCG Analysis BCG-Matrix The Boston Matrix is used to help the organization decide how to allocate resources to each product or service it sells depending on how that product or service is positioned in the market. It is often used by people responsible for brand marketing, product manage- ment, strategic management, and portfolio analysis.  from certain contemporary marketing textbooks. Nonetheless, it can be helpful in con- - tions are acknowledged. The Boston Matrix helps to facilitate discussions on the value of the contribution made - ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 8 BOSTON MATRIX sions to be made as to which ones should be maintained, which should be withdrawn, and which should be developed further. The matrix consists of two axes: one showing market growth and the other showing market share. The resulting four quadrants form the categories by which an organization can classify its business units or products. The analysts then plot a scatter graph within the matrix that ranks either business units or products and services on the basis of their relative market shares and growth rates. Market Share Low High Question Marks Stars Dogs Cash Cows Market Growth High Low This provides an initial and high-level way to screen your organization’s opportunities. It provides a mechanism that enables you to think about how best to allocate resources  of products and services. This matrix considers the two strategic parameters of market share and market growth when it allocates a priority to a product in terms of organizational focus and activity. In order to appreciate how this prioritization is assessed you need to understand how mar- ket share and market growth are interrelated. [...]... The Boston Matrix also makes a big assumption in its interpretation of market share and being well established and knowledgeable about the market, and having attained the advantages of the economies of scale case today There are many reasons why a product may be a market leader but not nec- For example, The leading manufacturer of desktop printers may have the largest market share but they may be prepared...BOSTON MATRIX Market Growth Market Share To use the Boston Matrix you need to understand the relationship between Market Share Market share is the percentage of either revenue or volume of sales that your organization has of the total market In other words, the higher your market share, the bigger the ings rise as your market share does This is not always the case... www.free-management-ebooks.com 13 BOSTON MATRIX Question Marks This category of the Boston Matrix has several common names It is usually known as ‘Question Mark’ but can sometimes be referred to as a ‘Wildcat’ or ‘Problem Child.’ This eBook refers to it as ‘Question Mark’ throughout A Question Mark has a low market share in a fast-growing market Whilst this type of product is likely to generate some revenue it may not be enough... especially important if the emerging market could replace your established market in the near future Question Mark product in order to gain market share This type of decision requires more sophisticated analysis than the Boston Matrix can offer and an organization may need to invest heavily to transform a Question Mark product changing market conditions Two well-cited marketing examples of this are: Levi... occurring at an ever-faster rate KEY POINTS 4 Successful products or services in mature markets are referred to as Cash Cows 4 4 They have low marketing costs and require minimal investment ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 17 BOSTON MATRIX Dogs Dogs are found in slow-growing or shrinking mature markets and their market share from the organizational perspective they represent a drain on... select to make further investments, either to maintain the market share of a Star, or make a Question Mark into a Star Harvest Divest can be invested in your Star and Question Mark products and business units ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 22 BOSTON MATRIX The Boston Matrix can also be used to understand how well your current portfolio matchin order to achieve a balanced portfolio... a low growth market you will face intense competitive activ- Boston Matrix uses Cash Flow to categorize your products by: Market Share Market Growth or service portfolio It uses market share to illustrate how well a product or service can generate cash and it uses market growth to indicate how much future cash is required ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 10 BOSTON MATRIX KEY POINTS... rapid growth and it may become a net consumer of cash as it struggles to retain its market share to become a Star and eventually a Cash Cow is critically important to the future of any organization Question Marks Low market share Fast growing market Question Marks require careful analysis to determine whether or not they are worth the investment required to grow their market share This may be especially... Boston Matrix is used to allocate resources depending on how a product or service is positioned in the market 4 It can be used to analyze business units, product lines, and services 4 The matrix consists of two axes: one showing market growth and the other showing market share 4 Market share is the percentage of either revenue or volume of sales that your organization has of the total market 4 Market... earlier, the Boston Matrix consists of two axes (market growth and market share) that are split between high and low The resulting four quadrants form the categories by which an organization can classify its business units or products High Stars Dogs Cash Cows Market Growth Question Marks Low Low Market Share ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com High 11 BOSTON MATRIX The four categories . understand how mar- ket share and market growth are interrelated. ISBN 978-1-62620-952-7 © www.free-management-ebooks.com 9 BOSTON MATRIX Market Growth Market Share To use the Boston Matrix you. Marks Low market share Fast growing market Question Marks require careful analysis to determine whether or not they are worth the investment required to grow their market share. This may. including: B-Box, BCG Analysis, BCG- matrix, Boston Box, Boston Matrix, Boston Consulting Group Analysis and the Portfolio Diagram. It is important to be aware of these names because you may hear the