Questions: Does Maytag Corporation have what it takes to succeed in this increasingly competitive industry? Is this a good time to buy or to sell Maytag stock?
Answer:
I would like to start the answer of this question through a small summary which will show how and why these questions are appeared? and since, giving precise answer to the questions need a detailed environmental analysis ,so I try to explain internal and external factors , and through analyzing the current strategy I aim to recommend some strategies for Maytag company to succeed in his increasingly competitive industry and finally as a result of mentioned analysis I answer the first and second questions.
Part1)How and why these questions are appeared?
As I read in the Maytag Corporation case ,In the beginning, Maytag was extremely competitive and popular. The company made its mark as the high quality, high price home laundry appliance maker. It was successful with making it self leader in washing machines. As time passed, Maytag began to lose its competitive advantages. Maytag was slow to develop new innovations and models which cost the company to lose its leadership of the industry. This loss was very hard to recover from due to new competitors beginning to arise in this industry. That is why the situation caused above mentioned questions in share holders minds. and These doubts were created due to the fluctuating profits, market share, and stock prices over the past years. Stock prices was at a high of $70 in mid 1999 but dropped to under $30 during the fourth quarter of 2000. Currently the stock was selling at $46.07. This fluctuation had the shareholder worried.
These changes over the years were due to many things:
1-Maytag tried to become an international competitor, but it was not as successful as they had hoped.
2- Maytag had acquired many companies during its acquisition of companies such as