Question
Where does the soft drink, Fanta, fit on the BCG portfolio management matrix in the Coca-Cola Company? Would it be considered a star with high
Where does the soft drink, Fanta, fit on the BCG portfolio management matrix in the Coca-Cola Company? Would it be considered a "star" with high relative market share and high market growth rate? A "cash cow" with high relative market share and low market growth rate? A "question mark" with low relative market share and high market growth rate? Or a "dog" with low relative market share and low market growth rate?
For reference:
Dogs. Dogs hold low market share compared to competitors and operate in a slowly growing market. In general, they are not worth investing in because they generate low or negative cash returns. But this is not always the truth. Some dogs may be profitable for long period of time, they may provide synergies for other brands or SBUs or simple act as a defense to counter competitors moves. Therefore, it is always important to perform deeper analysis of each brand or SBU to make sure they are not worth investing in or have to be divested. Strategic choices: Retrenchment, divestiture, liquidation
Cash cows. Cash cows are the most profitable brands and should be milked to provide as much cash as possible. The cash gained from cows should be invested into stars to support their further growth. According to growth-share matrix, corporates should not invest into cash cows to induce growth but only to support them so they can maintain their current market share. Again, this is not always the truth. Cash cows are usually large corporations or SBUs that are capable of innovating new products or processes, which may become new stars. If there would be no support for cash cows, they would not be capable of such innovations. Strategic choices: Product development, diversification, divestiture, retrenchment
Stars. Stars operate in high growth industries and maintain high market share. Stars are both cash generators and cash users. They are the primary units in which the company should invest its money, because stars are expected to become cash cows and generate positive cash flows. Yet, not all stars become cash flows. This is especially true in rapidly changing industries, where new innovative products can soon be outcompeted by new technological advancements, so a star instead of becoming a cash cow, becomes a dog. Strategic choices: Vertical integration, horizontal integration, market penetration, market development, product development
Question marks. Question marks are the brands that require much closer consideration. They hold low market share in fast growing markets consuming large amount of cash and incurring losses. It has potential to gain market share and become a star, which would later become cash cow. Question marks do not always succeed and even after large amount of investments they struggle to gain market share and eventually become dogs. Therefore, they require very close consideration to decide if they are worth investing in or not. Strategic choices: Market penetration, market development, product development, divestiture
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