1. You have been appointed CEO of Procter & Gamble, which owns many businesses ranging from laundry detergents to shaving products, skin care products, hair care products, dental products, and perfumes. Your VP of strategic planning has asked for your advice on which portfolio matrix-the McKinsey matrix, BCG matrix, or Ashridge matrix-she should use for analyzing P&G's portfolio of businesses. What advice would you offer her?
2. Different automobile companies have internationalized in different ways. Toyota has expanded organically, establishing subsidiaries in overseas markets. Ford went through a phase of acquisition (buying Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and a major stake in Mazda). General Motors has favored strategic alliances (Figure 15.1). What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of GM's alliance-based international strategy?
3. How would you concisely characterize the emerging trends in strategic management and what are the implications for relevant course curriculum for current MBA students?