The Salim Group: The Art of Strategic Flexibility

This case describes the rise and fall of the Salim Group, a large Asian family business conglomerate based in Indonesia with a turnover of US$20 billion prior to the Asian financial crisis. During the Asian crisis, the diversified and international Salim Group was barely able to survive. The present CEO and president, Anthony Salim, was faced with the task of developing the new strategy for the Group. Rather than focussing on core businesses, he insisted on remaining flexible in order to capture whatever opportunities might arise in the Asian region, regardless of the products or services. The case is useful for the examination of strategy in a changing environment.