What are your thoughts of a business that has a very widespread variety of products/services?

I'm sure you may have heard quotes that basically point out that you can't be good at everything and that it is better off to specialize in one thing. Despite the great people who believe this, I seem to stand defiant. Imagine that Pepsi was not only a producer of soda. Pretend that it also produced medical supplies and fabric softener, that there were restaurants and grocery stores, that it had it's own military defense and plumbing service. To some people I bet it sounds like those video games and movies that are set in the future in which the corporation is corrupted. Keep those thoughts, but also don't feed off of one point of view alone. Think of the pros and cons, tell me if and why it scares you or inspires you. I can imagine you'd feel strange about drinking a soda from the same organization that does your plumbing(yet hopefully they don't work within the exact same building =P). I feel as though that if I were to start my own business, I wouldn't want to stay with only one product or service despite it being out of the norm, but there are a few things I'd like to know(Try to separate your facts from opinions!). Not that this question is confined to one country, but for example in the United States, would an organization that started 'doing' as much as it could be illegal? I've heard about a "monopoly" and am wondering if this is similar or if there is another word for it, but my idea of this business isn't to be so competitive that no one will buy other products. I know that this may sound unrealistic, but please take the question seriously. I believe that organizations like this may happen in the future anyway if and when we start thriving in space and begin colonizing other planets, so in that sense it is realistic to me(Once that happens, I'm sure entire nations will arise depending on how the Earth's governments deal with... universal security. xD).

2 months ago - 1 answers