215235 1 Case Study
Mensa, INC.
(A fictional company)
Mensa, Inc. was a firm with a long and uneven history. It was started in 1974 and at one time or another had been a competitor in more than two dozen industries with varied success. Each of the several CEOs had developed a different strategy and over the decades the firm had had many manifestations. The only real constant in Mensa’s strategy had been a commitment to the packaging business in its several forms. But, even in this business there had been any number of changes in direction which diluted the impact of capital spending and had the effect of Mensa never achieving a strong position in any of the packaging segments although, briefly, in the early
1980s Mensa’s total packaging revenues made it the largest packaging company in the world.
The lack of a competitive advantage in any of the large packaging segments resulted in Mensa being pushed into producing commodity products which had them penned between powerful steel and tinplate suppliers and powerful food and beverage producers as customers. Also, as their large customers grew there was pressure for them, especially in the low margin food business, to build their own packaging facilities, especially can plants. The long term effect of this was to cause Mensa’s packaging profitability to lag its better positioned competitors.
At one time or another during the 1980s and 1990s the company produced auto parts, electrical equipment, power equipment, electric motors, metal alloys, airplane wings, furniture, appliances, communications equipment, specialty chemicals, and consumer products, to name only the most important of their many businesses. They also bought several regional retail chains. None of these businesses worked out well and all were either sold or liquidated at a loss. The financial and human capital devoted to these businesses was largely lost. Further, the problems they caused diverted capital and management attention from better opportunities.
NEW STRATEGIES FOR
(A fictional company)
Mensa, Inc. was a firm with a long and uneven history. It was started in 1974 and at one time or another had been a competitor in more than two dozen industries with varied success. Each of the several CEOs had developed a different strategy and over the decades the firm had had many manifestations. The only real constant in Mensa’s strategy had been a commitment to the packaging business in its several forms. But, even in this business there had been any number of changes in direction which diluted the impact of capital spending and had the effect of Mensa never achieving a strong position in any of the packaging segments although, briefly, in the early
1980s Mensa’s total packaging revenues made it the largest packaging company in the world.
The lack of a competitive advantage in any of the large packaging segments resulted in Mensa being pushed into producing commodity products which had them penned between powerful steel and tinplate suppliers and powerful food and beverage producers as customers. Also, as their large customers grew there was pressure for them, especially in the low margin food business, to build their own packaging facilities, especially can plants. The long term effect of this was to cause Mensa’s packaging profitability to lag its better positioned competitors.
At one time or another during the 1980s and 1990s the company produced auto parts, electrical equipment, power equipment, electric motors, metal alloys, airplane wings, furniture, appliances, communications equipment, specialty chemicals, and consumer products, to name only the most important of their many businesses. They also bought several regional retail chains. None of these businesses worked out well and all were either sold or liquidated at a loss. The financial and human capital devoted to these businesses was largely lost. Further, the problems they caused diverted capital and management attention from better opportunities.
NEW STRATEGIES FOR