Author Description

From the Executive Summary: This study focuses on the extent to which Canadian organizations are using each of the five widely known analytical portfolio techniques for evaluating business units or product lines in terms of their contribution to corporate objectives. Four of the techniques are based on two-dimensional matrices. They are the Boston Consulting Group Product Portfolio, the GE/McKinsey Industry Attractiveness-Business Strengths Array, the Shell Chemical Directional Policy Matrix, and the Arthur D. Little Life Cycle Matrix. The fifth technique, the Profit Impact of Market Strategies, is an empirical model of stratetic information....A survey of 216 Canadian companies was conducted to determine the frequency of usage and the degree of satisfaction with these analytical portfolio techniques, as well as to assess their role in the overall strategic planning process.