The Virgin Group

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Assignment Type Case Study
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Academic Level Undergraduate
Citation Style Harvard
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Word Count 288

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The Virgin Group
The main focus of the Virgin Group, as expressed in its name, was a “fierce external diversification strategy”. The point was to be a “virgin” in every business it owned. This paralleled Richard Branson’s desire to remain creative and challenged. The company’s goal was to make a global name for itself, which required expanding into a variety of global markets. As a result, they obtained a “number of core businesses with global potential”.

Yes, there are. In 2001, Branson described the Virgin Group as “a branded venture capital house” that invested in a series of brands and ventures, which were expanded at the expense of short-term profits. Each business was “ring-faced,” meaning that if one business went bankrupt, it would have very little effect on the other businesses Virgin owned. Each business ran its own affairs, but was tied to their other businesses through shared ownership and shared values.

Yes, but mostly through the same brand name of the Virgin Group. It’s one of the best known and trusted corporations in the world, and its founder, Robert Branson, is one of the most recognizable businessmen in the world. A 1996 survey in the UK found that 96 percent of UK consumers were award of the brand Virgin, and 95 percent could name Branson as its founder.

One of Virgin’s biggest challenges comes with its commitment to diversification. Although the company downplays it, many commentators say that Virgin’s failure in one business could negatively affect the reputation of other businesses. Branson’s high profile and connection with the Virgin brand could also be detrimental if some of his high-profile personal ventures failed. There was also some concern about what the company would do “after Branson.”