conglomerate

A large corporation formed by merging several different firms operating in unrelated industries — a single company that owns businesses in diverse sectors.

• conglomeration/kənˌɡlɒməˈreɪʃən/(n)集团化

• business conglomerate
• conglomerate merger
• industrial conglomerate
• media conglomerate
• conglomerate structure

1. 1.Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate owning businesses in insurance, railroads, energy, retail, and food — Warren Buffett's portfolio of unrelated companies managed under one umbrella. (diversified corporation)
2. 2.The 1960s conglomerate craze — companies acquiring unrelated businesses for growth — eventually collapsed when investors realised that diversification didn't create value, it just obscured poor performance. (corporate strategy)

• holding company (a company that owns controlling shares in other companies)
• multi-industry corporation (a company operating in many sectors)

from Latin "conglomerare" (to roll together into a ball) — "con-" (together) + "glomerare" (to wind into a ball) — from "glomus" (ball of yarn) — businesses wound together