C) GE/McKinsey portfolio is a portfolio matrix that measures market attractiveness and competitive position and they are measured on the scale from 0 to 100. Advantage of this portfolio is that it is able to measure multiple factors of market attractiveness (like buyer power, easy of entry, market size etc) and competitive advantage (like market share, cost per unit, ease of use etc). Moreover it is divided to 9 strategic positions that suggest strategic plans for the managers making it very useful.
Apple is one of the strongest brands on the market ever. It has very strong competitive position and relatively strong market attractiveness. Strong competitive position can be explained mostly by very high product quality and strong brand reputation which are parts of differentiation advantage, but it also has marketing advantage like market share and channel accessibility as Apple products are possible to buy on almost every corner. However, it starts loosing some of its market share by competitors where the biggest thread is Samsung. Based on the GE/McKinsey portfolio it is suggested for Apple to invest to growth, protect position and optimize position. Apple has the highest profits and sales which is obvious from the portfolio.
Samsung is slowly catching up with Apple and getting to the same position. At the moment it is between improve position/optimize position and invest to growth/protect position. Its competitive advantage is still substantially lower as the quality perceived is still not perfect and the same can be said about the brand reputation as Samsung used to be a low quality brand. The marketing expenses are really high compared to the competitors. Samsung’s profits are relatively still rising as it gets to better position.
Sony is the weakest out of the 3 competitors, but its position is improving as well. Its competitive position is weaker due to the lower market share, lower perceived quality etc. At the moment it