A version of this article appeared in the Autumn 2015 issue of strategy+business. “Owning the value chain” was a favorite strategy in the early part of last century. Companies sought advantage by ...

This is especially relevant for suppliers. For example, many large companies outsource to low-cost suppliers, making them difficult to compete with. If you decide that vertical integration is right ...

This writing is in response to the article recently written by SA contributor Ashraf Eassa titled Samsung is Apple's Worst Nightmare. In the article Ashraf argues that Apple (AAPL) should suspend ...

Business phrases like "due diligence" and "leverage" are common and well-known, but some newer ones, like forward integration, can be unfamiliar. The forward integration definition shared on ...

A vertically integrated business refers to a business that has expanded into different steps along production, manufacturing, and supply. In other words, a vertically integrated business controls some ...

Vertical integration is the degree to which a firm owns its upstream suppliers and its downstream buyers with the goal of increasing the company's power in the marketplace. There are three varieties ...

Discover how Apple Inc. and Carnegie Steel Co. leveraged backward integration to control supply chains and enhance efficiency ...

Vertical integration is the merging together of two businesses that are at different stages of production—for example, a food manufacturer and a chain of supermarkets. Merging in this way with ...

Since its modest beginnings in a California garage in 1976, Apple Inc. has aimed to “Think Different” not only about its products but about something equally important: its supply chain. While ...

Discover how horizontal integration can grow your business through mergers, acquisitions, and expansions to increase market share and competitive advantage within the same industry.