The 134-year-old Tata Group with 95 operating companies (31 of them publicly traded) and 230,000 employees, it is India's largest private-sector employer, its biggest taxpayer, and its greatest foreign-exchange earner.
1. IILM Graduate School of Management
Group Submission on a Case
House of Tata: Acquiring a Global Footprint
Submitted by: -
Submitted to:-
Abhigyan
Prof. Vinay Chirania
Dipandita Kar
Himali Kulshrestha
Mridul Tiwari
Priyanka Aggarwal
Subhashree Roy
Vaibhav Singh
2. Summary ofHouse of Tata: Acquiring a Global
Footprint
The 134-year-old Tata Group with 95 operating companies (31 of them
publicly traded) and 230,000 employees, it is India's largest privatesector employer, its biggest taxpayer, and its greatest foreign-exchange
earner. It operates India's one of the largest private steel manufacturer,
its largest chain of luxury hotels, and its largest private power utility”
(Ellis, 2002). Tata Group is one of India's most prominent and esteemed
business groups. Tata Group's cite is substitutable with India's
industrialization. The Group dedicated The India her first steel plant,
hydroelectric plant, inorganic chemistry plant and produced a reservoir
of scientific and technological workforce for the nation. Today, Tata
Group constitutes 96 functioning companies in seven business sectors
such as, information systems and communications,
engineering,materials, services, energy, consumer products, and
chemicals. The Group has operations in more than 54 countries across
six continents, and its companies export products and services to 120
nations. The Tata family of companies, shares a set of five core values:
integrity, understanding, excellence, unity and responsibility Tata Group
has played a pioneering role in a variety of areas after India's
independence. Tata is trust, credibility, excellence in whatever they do,
ethical business practice, fairness to all and respect, stated by Dr.
Jamshed J Irani, Past President CII & Director Tata Sons Ltd. Tata
group's strategy to enter overseas markets is mainly driven by "We want
to expand into geographies where, as a group, we can have a meaningful
presence". And further he added that “the group is looking at
opportunity to invest in steel industries, because of Tata’s belief that
owners of steel are going to rule the industry”. In addition; he assured
that “we are making sure that, “we have secure access of raw material.”
According to the case studies, articles and the history of the group; there
is no doubt that the Tata Group is packed with both tangible and
intangible resources and with the help of these resources they are able to
3. perform at the level required to survive. The strategic positioning of an
organization admits the inventing the desired future position of the
organization on the groundwork of present and predictable exploitations,
and the constructing of programs to realize that positioning. In case of
the Tata group, the strategy is to position them as a global brand.
However, to achieve the position of global branding the question need to
be asked such as, how the future looks like? How can the opportunities
be ceased and threats can be met? In addition; Stacy (1993); Robson
(1997); the other need also arise to analyze the business model and the
macro environment in order to step forward to strategic positioning and
achieve the visionary objectives and goals. Tata’s recent announcement,
of launching the cheapest cars for the Indian market for the target market
of two wheeler owners such as motorcycle and scooter. The group
developed the effective distribution channels to reach customers to offer
the value proposition and to establish the relationship with the
customers. The group uses the core capacities needed to make the
business model possible, and effectively configure the activities to
implement the business model. An excellent business model should be
able to generate the effective competitive advantage and the value chain
of a company, in order to fit with the company’s strategies. In case of
Tata automobile parts industry, the standardization of product will help
the group to achieve the lowest cost of products and while adopting the
cost focus strategy. Cost focus strategy will also help the group to sweep
out the highest cost producer competitors from the market. In
differentiation strategy the group will succeed only if they take a broad
approach and differentiate its whole range of products; for example
Tata’s Automobile; the launch of lowest cost car in Indian market. No
frill strategy; “a low frill strategy combine a low price and low value
added, low perceived product/services benefits and a focus on a price
sensitive market segment.” The group is using the strategy in Oil
industry. A Low price strategy seeks to achieve a lower price than
competitors whilst trying to maintain similar perceived product or
service benefit to those offered by competitors. The Group is trying to
achieve the low price strategy in markets such as automobile industry in
order to provide lowest price cars and achieve a high share in the
4. market. A hybrid strategy seeks simultaneously to achieve
differentiation and a price lower than that of competitors. The hybrid
strategy is used by the company in various industries, it involved a
higher degree of organizational excellence and integration of all the
departments. Here the strategy of the group is to maintain the cost of raw
materials as lowest as possible and to achieve the lowest cost of final
products. The group also invested a huge amount in research and
development in order to achieve the highest degree of quality at the
lowest price.
Questions & Answer: Ques.
What is your assessment of the globalization strategies of the Tata
Group operating companies, particularly Indian Hotels, Tata Tea and
Tata Steel?
Ans.
Indian Hotels is the earliest among the all other group companies to
being globalizing its business. Overall the company’s preference was
small equity positions with management contract for international
properties. As they did not enjoy profit rather than they faced losses
from their acquired properties outside the home country. So they
divested and shifted to small equity with management contract, to gain
profit and for globalization, in this hotel groups of Tata
Globalization strategies of Tata group in Indian Hotels: First the company purchased few properties in London, New York,
Chicago and Washington DC. But when they faced loss few of
these they sold their stakes and also divested them.
The strategy then they used is to focus on higher end properties.
5. They shifted their preference and started concentrating on
management contract with small equity positions in properties
instead of outright ownership.
They build their presence in “gateway “cities in advanced markets
with its management contract.
Tata tea was facing slow growth of the tea industry in India so they
move to international markets to pursue growth and profit. Tata tea
wanted to globalize themselves by acquiring a well-known brand Tetley
which is much more larger than Tata tea, as the market of India is slow,
later it also acquired many other company to expand its market outside
India like it acquired good Earth, when the demand for flavored and
herbal tea was expanding to capture the market also.
Globalization strategies of Tata Group in Tata Tea: Acquire UK based Tetley in 2000, one of the largest overseas
acquisition by any Indian company at that time.
Tata decided to transform itself into a branded company and to
seek new growth and globalization selected M&A as the best
route.
In 2004-05 it also acquired other companies like US based Czech
tea, Good earth which sell herbal fruit flavored tea though out the
us and also other companies.
Tata Steel acquired many steel companies to globalized it not only help
Tata to stand as a global competitor, it also made Tata to be the 6th
largest steel maker from 56th. So the strategies of acquiring Corus and
acquiring companies in more advanced market helped TATA to improve
its research and development capabilities as well as its operating
process.
6. TISCO faced problem when in 1990’s after the Indian’s government
program of liberalization began. Then they have taken many strategies
like: Acquired the steel business of Singapore based Mat Steel Asia in
February 2005
To increase its market and globalization it also acquired
millennium steel and thus they increased its presence in Australia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and importantly China as their
per capita income was more than six times greater than in India.
It also established a joint venture shipping company with MYK
line of Japan in December 2006.
By acquiring Corus, Tata steel became the 6th largest steel maker
in the world from 56th.
Conclusion: The strategy of Tata group operating companies are more in terms of
market extension merger.
Ques.
What is your assessment of the role of the Tata Group center in
Globalization?
Ans.
Role of the Tata Group center in Globalization
They hired Mr. Alan and Mr. Arun Gandhi
Established offices in key market to coordinate government and
media relation
Tata brand promotion and procurement
Bring together representatives of different operating companies
working in the same country
7. The group also helped Tata operating company as well as the
acquired firm during the process
Internationalization of common business processes
Integration committee after acquisition.
Centralization of Tata Group
They need to acquire firms bigger than operating Tata companies
Project Prune
Economies of scale
Cost saving initiatives Project Prune to look at procurement cost
across group companies and negotiate with providers to supply the
best deals to all Tata companies.
Conclusion:The role of Tata Group center in Globalization helps to increase the
visibility of Tata Group as a whole, to smoothen the Mergers and
Acquisition and to provide the financial muscle power during acquisition
of a larger firm.
Ques.
Should Tata Motors bid for Ford's Land Rover and Jaguar units as part
of its Globalization efforts? What are the pros and cons?
Ans.
Pros: Easy entry into US market
The acquisition would bring in a global footprint for Tata Motors
Portfolio enhancement
o 2 well known global brand
o Advance technology
o Better market distribution channels
Cons:-
8. Jaguar was the biggest contributor to losses
Difficult conditions for acquiring
o Ford would maintain a minority stake after the sale
o Common factory and business processes for both the brands
The primary objective for Globalization was mitigating the risk,
which was not the case in this acquisition
Poor operating profitability might lead to long pay back periods
Tata’s expertise in passenger car is limited
High cost of maintaining existing infrastructure
Unlike Tata’s focus on medium they are premium brands.
Conclusion: The acquisition would involve a lot of risk
No complete autonomy as Ford would still have a minor stake in
the company
Acquisition might not be beneficial
-*-Thank You-*-