The author examines the choice of strategic marketing thrust for business units in multiproduct firms. In a survey, 86 managers in six firms provided their perception of several product/market and organizational context factors thought to influence strategic choice. The variables which best differentiated among business units with build, hold, or pull back strategies were the attractiveness of the market, the business unit's relative competitive strength, the level of entry barriers, and the organization reward system's relative emphasis on short-run business unit performance.
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