BA 311 Marketing Management: Company/BCG Matrix

Places to Start Research (is it public, private/subsidiary, or nonprofit?)

  1. Company/Organization Website: history, mission/vision/value statements (if available),10-K (for public companies) and annual reports (if available), other policy type documents (e.g., CSR/sustainability reports), media/news/press releases.
  2. Public companies: library databases contain company profiles (e.g., history, news, financials, competitors, analyst reports, etc.)
  3. ​Private Companies: information on public companies is much more readily available than info on private companies or subsidiaries.
  4. Nonprofits: check out the PSU Nonprofit Sector research guide and the Library of Congress Nonprofit Sector resource guide.

Company Profiles

Recommended

Others

Annual Report & 10-K

While the term "annual report" is often used to describe either a Form 10-K or an Annual Report to Shareholders (or ARS), there is a difference.

A public company's 10-K (or 20-F for certain foreign companies) is an excellent source of information on its business, strategies, risks, financials, and more. It presents the company's point of view on its current condition and future direction. Other SEC filings reveal important information as well. ** Private companies or subsidiaries are not required to release detailed financials, and therefore don't need to file 10-K (annual report), 10-Q (quarterly report), etc.  

Frequency Analysis of Press Releases

Company press releases are available on the company website under Media, News, or Press (particular terms might differ). Or google [company name such as Apple] Press release to get to the correct section on the company website. 

"Frequency Analysis", as described in your syllabus, simply means "categorizing these press releases as examples of Market Development, Product Development, Market Penetration or Diversification." This is based on the growth strategy tool The Ansoff Matrix. Here are some detailed examples (by Prof. TC Dale):

  • Market Penetration: selling more of current stuff to current customers, releases would announce loyalty programs, value add benefits, etc..
  • Market Development: taking current products to new markets, releases would indicate launching in a new country or expanding.
  • Product Development: creating new products to sell to current customers, releases would indicate new lines, line or brand extensions.
  • Diversification: creating new products for new customers, releases would indicate new lines of business, acquisitions, etc..

If you cannot find any official press releases on your company, check their social media channels and see what they are "saying" about themselves. 

Constructing a BCG Matrix

Depending on the company, BCG Matrix can be easy to construct (e.g., consumer products are covered extensively in Mintel and Passport), or challenging due to the limited information on certain types of businesses or products. If you don't find specific data, broaden the search, or use existing information and make an educated estimate.

To construct the BCG Matrix, you need the following information:

Products/Brands -- usually product and brand information is readily available on a company's website or in their annual report (if it's a public company). They are also listed in company profiles in library databases. Sometimes the company itself is the "brand."

Market size/growth -- "growth rate" refers to the growth of the market (e.g., bottled water or juice), i.e., the % change of revenue/sales/market size from year to year. It can be positive (growth) or negative (decline). 

Market share -- "market share" refers to share of the specific product/brand (e.g., Dasani or Minute Maid). If you can't find brand shares, use company shares.

Other Ways to Find/Estimate Market Size and Market Share: 

Try other industry profile databases (e.g., SMA is great for researching the sporting goods market).

Census information: for market size 

Article search in Business Source Premier or Nexis Uni; try keyword search like [industry name or product name] AND [grow* or grew]

Google: industry associations (may have free data), general Web search (numbers may have been mentioned in newspapers and trade publications). 

Estimate:

  • If your company operates in only one industry, divide company revenue by industry revenue to get an estimated company share.
  • If your company operates in multiple industries, find its revenue for that specific segment (e.g., the Beauty segment for P&G, usually segment info can be found in company 10-K if the company discloses it; there may also be estimates in news articles and analyst reports if the company doesn't disclose it), and divide it by industry revenue. 

Earnings Conference Calls - Transcripts

Earnings Conference Calls provide insights on a public company's strategies, responses to issues, as well as industry environment and competition. Transcripts may be freely available on company website along with audio and presentations, or through a Google search. Main sources for transcripts: