Tektronix Inc. Once the biggest employer in its home state of Oregon, Tektronix has been shedding businesses since the early 1990s. Tektronix thus reverts to its original business, making oscilloscopes and the like. In eight or 10 years, there'll be more of a conglomerate view again. Now, it's swinging to a lot of focus. Moody's Investors Service Inc. And Laidlaw Inc. of Canada recently put its ambulance business up for sale after concluding that the operation had more in common with health care than it did with the bus company's core transportation business.
Capital is abundant, and plenty of corporations of all sizes are up for sale.
Many healthy companies could double their size in a single stroke with acquisitions. In fact, consolidation is sweeping the telecommunications, energy, automotive and financial industries. Covering the waterfront is yesterday's approach. The question is especially urgent now because of the Internet. Internet classified advertising could steal the single biggest profit source of most newspapers.