Tyco International (NYSE:TYC) is a manufacturing and industrial services conglomerate. Its largest subsidiary is the electronic security company ADT Worldwide, which provides safety devices like fire and burglar alarms and monitoring services. Tyco's other subsidiary divisions include Fire Protection Services, Flow Control, Safety Products, and Electrical and Metal Products.^[1] The company earned $17.2 billion in revenue but incurred a net loss of $1.2 billion in net income in 2009.^[2]

In each of its five main industries, Tyco is the largest player among a highly fragmented group of smaller competitors. This gives the firm a great advantage in controlling costs and funding research, and its large capacity helps it land major contracts to distribute its products. Tyco's Fire Protection Services segment, for example, benefits from a vertical market approach, meaning the company sells large contracts to organizations that operate in multiple locations, such as the health care, government, education, and commercial sectors.

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