Many of us believe we really know our business situation without an MBA consulting group telling us where we are. This mind set is like saying the customer IS always right. They aren’t always right … “customers are always right… sometimes.”

Since you and I can agree on many things, one of them is would certainly be, to make the description of your business very meaningful but also very simple to understand at the same time… is a worthwhile objective. So let’s try to make a 2-demintional simple and meaningful diagram as a starting point. Once we have all the elements displayed in the chart, we can then determine what are the very important ones and then we what strategies we can use to maximize them. 

First, using the XYZ Corporation MAPPING diagram, place the elements that best describe your business along the various axis… described as… Products, Types, Forward Integration, Channels, Capabilities, Customer Segments, Geography, Backward Integration, Technology…

Once this is completed, we could have a diagram like this one with almost all the possible elemental selections we need to then start corralling those which best defines your business.
From the MAP we can see that your company business offers a very strong set of technologies in combination with an exceptional array of products in combination with an excellent set of resin backbone types as a formulator that serves its global customers through both a direct as well as through well-paced distributors to satisfy OEM end-users.

We then can add into this 2-dementional MAP comments that describe core competencies that are not easily quantified but add immeasurably to the potential success of your business.
Leadership, vision, resources, adaptability and focus are relative terms. That is, when MAPPING out your competition in this same manner (along with a SWOT analysis) you will see how your business compares to your chief competitors, thus providing target opportunity gaps for growth.

M&A considerations can initially be MAPPED in this manner as can be seen by overlaying PINK target candidates position over yours in the following manner. Depending what your acquisitive objectives are . . . . . exact product line expansion; adjacent market growth; complimentary product line expansion, etc. . . . . . you are able to gain a quick insight view of the target acquisition candidates’ offerings and how they meet your objectives, or not.

This type of MAPPING to create simplicity in sorting through the many aspects of strategic decision-making is one of many and certainly is one of the more simplistic screening techniques you can use.
Your comments are welcome.

Phil Phillips is owner and managing director of CHEMARK Consulting Group, a global Management Consulting firm with a highly dedicated staff specializing in coatings, paints, adhesives, sealants and specialty chemicals industries. For more inforation go to www.chemarkconsulting.net.