Reference no: EM133285557

In the calendar year 2016, Philips spun-off its healthcare division into a separate entity. It is known as Philips, manufacturing and selling healthcare and related products, while the lighting division is now Signify.

In 2016, Matsushita announced it would no longer manufacturer television screen panels and closed its last panel manufacturing plant in Japan. It sees batteries as a key driver to increased revenue and is presently a major supplier of lithium-ion batteries to Tesla in the ev (electric vehicle) market. On March 14, 2021, the outgoing CEO of Matsushita stated the company needed to diversify its lithium battery sales to other ev manufacturers. It also has entered into a joint-venture with Toyota to manufacture prismatic lithium batteries for the electric vehicle market.

Based on the limited financial data on the attached two slides, briefly consider whether either Philips made the right decision to spin-off its healthcare division or whether Matsushita is correct in focusing on the manufacture and supply of lithium-ion batteries.