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The BCG Matrix method is the most well-known portfolio management tool.
It is based on product life cycle
theory. It was developed in the early 70s by the Boston Consulting Group.
The BCG Matrix can be used to determine what priorities should be given in
the product portfolio of a business unit. To ensure long-term value creation,
a company should have a portfolio of products that contains both high-growth
products in need of cash inputs and low-growth products that generate a lot
of cash. The Boston Consulting Group Matrix has 2 dimensions: market share
and market growth. The basic idea behind it is: if a product has a
bigger market share, or if the product's market grows faster, it is better
for the company.
 The
four segments of the BCG Matrix
Placing products in the BCG matrix provides 4 categories in a portfolio
of a company:
- Stars (high growth, high market share)
- Stars are using large amounts of cash. Stars are leaders in the business.
Therefore they should also generate large amounts of cash.
- Stars are frequently roughly in balance on net cash flow. However
if needed any attempt should be made to hold your market share in Stars,
because the rewards will be Cash Cows if market share is kept.
- Cash Cows (low growth, high market share)
- Profits and cash generation should be high. Because of the low growth,
investments which are needed should be low.
- Cash Cows are often the stars of yesterday and they are the foundation
of a company.
- Dogs (low growth, low market share)
- Avoid and minimize the number of Dogs in a company.
- Watch out for expensive ‘rescue plans’.
- Dogs must deliver cash, otherwise they must be liquidated.
- Question Marks (high growth, low market share)
- Question Marks have the worst cash characteristics of all, because
they have high cash demands and generate low returns, because of their
low market share.
- If the market share remains unchanged, Question Marks will simply
absorb great amounts of cash.
- Either invest heavily, or sell off, or invest nothing and generate
any cash that you can. Increase market share or deliver cash.
the BCG Matrix and one size fits all strategies
The BCG Matrix method can help to understand a frequently made strategy
mistake: having a one size fits all strategy approach, such as a generic growth
target (9 percent per year) or a generic return on capital of say 9,5% for
an entire corporation.
In such a scenario:
- Cash Cows Business Units will reach their profit target easily. Their
management have an easy job. The executives are often praised anyhow. Even
worse, they are often allowed to reinvest substantial cash amounts in their
mature businesses.
- Dogs Business Units are fighting an impossible battle and, even worse,
now and then investments are made. These are hopeless attempts to "turn
the business around".
- As a result all Question Marks and Stars receive only mediocre investment
funds. In this way they can never become Cash Cows. These inadequate invested
sums of money are a waste of money. Either these SBUs should receive enough
investment funds to enable them to achieve a real market dominance and become
Cash Cows (or Stars), or otherwise companies are advised to disinvest. They
can then try to get any possible cash from the Question Marks that were
not selected.
Other uses and benefits of the BCG Matrix
- If a company is able to use the experience curve to its advantage, it
should be able to manufacture and sell new products at a price that is low
enough to get early market share leadership. Once it becomes a star, it
is destined to be profitable.
- BCG model is helpful for managers to evaluate balance in the firm’s
current portfolio of Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks and Dogs.
- BCG method is applicable to large companies that seek volume and experience
effects.
- The model is simple and easy to understand.
- It provides a base for management to decide and prepare for future actions.
Limitations of the BCG Matrix
Some limitations of the Boston Consulting Group Matrix include:
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It neglects the effects of synergy between business
units.
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High market share is not the only success factor.
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Market growth is not the only indicator for attractiveness
of a market.
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Sometimes Dogs can earn even more cash as Cash Cows.
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The problems of getting data on the market share and market
growth.
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There is no clear definition of what constitutes a "market".
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A high market share does not necessarily lead to profitability
all the time.
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The model uses only two dimensions – market share and growth
rate. This may tempt management to emphasize a particular product, or to
divest prematurely.
-
A business with a low market share can be profitable too.
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The model neglects small competitors that have fast growing
market shares.
Book: Carl W. Stern,
George Stalk - Perspectives on Strategy from The Boston Consulting Group -
BCG Matrix Special Interest Group
 Visit the Special Interest Group
Recent User Comments
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M. B. Khan - Pakistan
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Not Useful for A Company Having Only One Product |
"A company entering the market with one product only, how they can use it for planning their strategies to promote its product or to compete with competitors having variety of products in the same industry?
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Trishit Chatterjee - US
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Direction of arrow between cash cow and star appears incorrect |
"I think the Cash Cow (with excess dollars) should fund the star which is cash hungry (high working capital needs). So I think the arrow should flow from the cash cow to the star." |
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Shreya - India
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BCG Matrix in India |
"Which industries or Firms in India are using the BCG Matrix?" |
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Srinivasan Kannan - UAE
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Use of the Model |
"This model is extremely useful if adapted suitably, to address a particular situation. For example, for a portfolio of products in a firm, one can locate them in a 2 by 2 matrix on the Market Share vs Growth rate variables. The variables can then be changed to margins vs growth rate and the products relocated. If we notice a shift in the location of a product from say,'?' to star(between the two matrices), we may like to explore the possibilities of investing in it's growth. Similarly, if a low share/low growth product, has high margins and consequently shifts between matrices, the strategy should be appropriate. Likewise, if a cash cow in the market share matrix shifts to dog in the margin matrix, we may decide to closely observe the product and restrict support for the same. This model is a useful tool if used appropriately. It does not replace our thought process but certainly structures the process of decision making." |
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arya - Indonesia
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Not useful for Competitive Analysis |
"i am not sure if this matrix works to create a competition map, it does not work like swot chart. It's merely plotting the products you have within your company for evaluation purpose... It will depend on your analysis though where you'll take it forward but for most cases it's totally junk for competition mapping." |
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Best User Comments
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Rob - Netherlands
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10% limit in BCG Matrix |
"Generally in the BCG Matrix, when the market growth is more than 10%, it would be considered a star. Can anyone explain why they have chosen the (fairly high) limit of 10%??" |
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Manish Sijaria - India
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Superb explanation of PLC and BCG Matrix |
"This explanation of BCG matrix is superb, in terms of penetrating the market as start ups. Clearly layouts the structure of SBU's and their expectations in the business product life cycle. "Very Good"!" |
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Nyle - USA
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Lack of Question Marks? |
"If a business has no Question Marks (or just one), what should it do?" |
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Thijs - Netherlands
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Cola & Pepsi |
"The matrix is misrepresenting in some cases. Example: Coca cola and Pepsi. Coca cola is market LEADER, as a result of which the relative market share of Pepsi is always smaller than 1. When the relative market share is smaller than 1, you will be at the right-hand side of the matrix. In that case, Pepsi will automatically be a Question mark or a dog. Everyone understands that Pepsi is a cash cow or star!" |
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Wallace G. - USA - NY
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The BCG Matrix: Reloaded |
"(How) could the the BCG Matrix be adapted to include synergy effects between business units?" |
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John T. - Greece
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BCG Matrix is useless! |
"Totally useless (as a contemporary business tool)." |
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Manoj Sinha - India
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BCG Matrix |
"Use it for a basic analysis.But other metrics are required if a deeper insight in business is needed." |
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Marty - Korea
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Real business |
"One important thing in business would be how to allocate and manage limited resource to achieve maximum results.
In that sense, the matrix is a good tool to see where is the business that a company should focus on to grow. But one thing that we need to consider using the matrix is that real business is not simple to be explained by a 2x2 matrix.
For example, a business can make more money and be more profitable than other businessses in a company's portfolio even if the market growth and the relative market share of the business is low." |
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Shridesh - India
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Stages may be Different |
"It's not alway mandatory that a product goes through all of these four stages; there are many examples where a product comes up for launching and after that goes away as a 'Dog'." |
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Salahudin Bhutto - Pakistan
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BCG Graph |
"Basically the BCG-share matrix displays the various businesses on a graph of the market growth rate vs. the market share relative to competitors." |
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BCG Matrix Education & Events
Compare with the BCG Matrix: McKinsey
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