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StrategicDecisions
PartIIIdrawsontheanalyticalstructureinPartItoexamineeachmajortypeofstrategicdecisionthatoccursinanindustry:
•verticalintegration(Chapter14);
•majorcapacityexpansion(Chapter15);
•entry(Chapter16).
Divestment,theothermajortypeofstrategicdecision,isconsideredindetailinChapter12,whichanalyzestheproblemsofcompetingindecliningindustries.
EachchapterinPartIIIdrawsontheconceptsinPartIthatrelatetotheparticularstrategicdecisionunderexamination.Partillalsointroducesadditionaleconomictheoryandadministrativeconsiderationsofmanagingandmotivatinganorganizationthatrelatetoeachtypeofstrategicdecision.
PartIIIisdesignednotonlytohelpthefirmmakethesestrategicdecisionsitselfbutalsotogiveitinsightintohowitscompetitors,customers,suppliers,andpotentialentrantsmightresolvethem.ThusitreinforcesanddeepensconceptspresentedinPartsIandII.
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14
TheStrategicAnalysisofVerticalIntegration
Verticalintegrationisthecombinationoftechnologicallydistinctproduction,distribution,selling,and/orothereconomicprocesseswithintheconfinesofasinglefirm.Assuch,itrepresentsadecisionbythefirmtoutilizeinternaloradministrativetransactionsratherthanmarkettransactionstoaccomplishitseconomicpurposes.Forexample,afirmwithitsownsalesforceinsteadcouldhavecontracted,throughthemarket,anindependentsellingorganizationtosupplythesellingservicesitrequires.Similarly,thefirmminingtherawmaterialsitfabricatesintoendproductscouldhavecontractedanindependentminingorganizationtosupplyitsneeds.
Intheory,allthefunctionswenowexpectacorporationtoperformcouldbeperformedbyaconsortiumofindependenteconomicentities,eachcontractingwithacentralcoordinator,whichitselfneedbelittlemorethanadeskandasinglemanager.Infact,segmentsofthebookpublishingandrecordingindustriestakeapproximatelythisform.Manypublisherscontractforeditorialservices,layout,graphics,printing,distribution,andselling,retainingforthefirmlittlemorethandecisionsaboutwhichbookstopublish,marketing,andfinance.Somerecordingcompaniessimilarlycontractwithindependentartists,producers,recordingstudios,disc-pressing300
TheStrategicAnalysisofVerticalIntegration301
facilities,anddistributionandmarketingorganizationstocreate,manufacture,andselleachrecord.
Inmostsituations,however,firmsfinditadvantageoustoperformasignificantproportionoftheadministrative,productive,distributive,ormarketingprocessesrequiredtoproducetheirproductsorservicesin-houseratherthanthroughcontractswithaseriesofindependententities.Theybelievethatitischeaper,lessrisky,oreasiertocoordinatewhenthesefunctionsareperformedinternally.
Manyverticalintegrationdecisionsareframedintermsofthe"
makeorbuy"
decision,focusingonthefinancialcalculationssuchadecisionentails.1Thatis,theyarepreoccupiedwithestimatingthecostsavingsofintegrationandbalancingthemwiththeinvestmentrequired.However,theverticalintegrationdecisionismuchbroaderthanthis.Theessenceoftheverticalintegrationdecisionisnotthefinancialcalculationitselfbutratherthenumbersthatserveastherawmaterialforthecalculation.Thedecisionmustgobeyondananalysisofcostsandinvestmentrequirementstoconsiderthebroaderstrategicissuesofintegrationversususeofmarkettransactions,aswellassomeperplexingadministrativeproblemsinmanagingaverticallyintegratedentitythatcanaffectthesuccessoftheintegratedfirm.Theseareveryhardtoquantify.Itisthemagnitudeandstrategicsignificanceofthebenefitsandcostsofverticalintegration,bothindirecteconomictermsandindirectlythroughitsaffectontheorganization,thataretheessenceofthedecision.
Thischapterexaminestheeconomicandadministrativeconsequencesofverticalintegration,inordertohelpthemanagerdeterminetheappropriatedegreeofverticalintegrationinastrategiccontextandtoguidedecisionstoverticallyintegrateordisintegrate.Tofindthestrategicallyappropriateextentofverticalintegrationforthefirmrequiresbalancingtheeconomicandadministrativebenefitsofverticalintegrationwiththeeconomicandadministrativecosts.Thisbalance,aswellastheparticularcostsandbenefitsthemselves,willdiffergreatlydependingontheparticularindustryandontheparticularstrategicsituationofthefirm.Thebenefitsandcostsarealsoaffectedbywhetherthefirmadoptsapolicyoftaperedintegration(producingsomeofitsownrequirementsinternallyandcontractingfortherest)orfullintegration.Also,manyofthebenefitsofintegrationcansometimesbegainedwithouti