Analysis and Corporate Strategy

Analysis is to conduct a systematic, methodical and detailed investigation of something with the aim to explain things that may have an influence on something else. For example:

• A slow economy will influence sales levels
• A product or service of superior offering can impact positively on sales despite a slowing economy
• Staff morale can be influenced by management style and attitudes

Companies do not exist in a vacuum or isolation. They are part of a ‘symbiotic network’ that is characterised by “internal and external” factors. These factors influence the company’s actions and reactions.

Analysis being a detailed investigation attempts to:

• Discover trends, impulses or signals that could influence the way a company does things
• Group the above into common themes
• Divide common themes into internal and external categories
• Examine how the common themes influence the company positively or negatively