Blog
Samsung - the World’s Biggest Diversified Company?
Jim Riley
9th February 2013
We probably now Samsung best for its smartphones, tablets and televisions. However, Samsung's business activities and operations are spread much wider than just those two important markets.
The electronics giant also makes military hardware, apartments, ships and operates a Korean amusement park! Imagine how complicated it would be if you were asked to compose a Boston Matrix for Samsung's entire product or business unit portfolio!
The business currently has around 350,000 employees and in 2011 reported revenues of $220 billion and economists estimate that Samsung's revenues account for about 20% of the value of South Korea's economy!
Whilst there are plenty of highly diversified businesses out there in the global economy (conglomerate multinationals). I'm struggling to think of one of such scale and diversity. Tata Group, for example, doesn't come close despite its extensive takeover activities in recent years.
But might Samsung be too diversified? Does this reduce the risk of innovation in the business?
Samsung and Apple battle rumbles on (BBC news, August 2013)
Samsung unveils their new smart watch