Formal Case Analysis 1 Case 3 - Vodafone in Egypt: National Crises and Their Implications for Multinational Corporations

I am interested in a detailed analysis of the company's position, an exploration specific strategic recommendations (1) aligned with your analysis, followed by an emphasis on detailed tactics for implementation of the recommendations. Each analysis should be a minimum of 2 pages single-spaced and no more than 4 pages single-spaced. (3 to 4 pages is plenty).

Grading Rubric:

45-50% Position Analysis (Remember that SWOT, VRIO, PESTEL, SCP, etc. are just tools for analysis...you can use all of them or parts of them, but do not be restricted by them or just use them as fill-in-the-blank bullet points. Good analysis is not a summary, it does include facts, but additionally requires your interpretation of the facts. So, if you use these tools...once you are done then write your position analysis reflecting what they tell you, don't leave them for us to interpret.

5-10% 1-2 Strategic Recommendations. Make sure this aligned with your position analysis. (i.e., if someone read your position analysis the recommendations should seem intuitive and not contradictory or unrelated). A strategic recommendation should be specific when possible toward a larger strategic goal, preferably in line with 'global strategy' and how your perceive the company competes or should compete. Write it out clearly so I don't have to go looking for it.

45-50% - Tactical Implementation (Remember that recommendations are worthless if you cannot specifically explain how you will implement and describe how they are feasible). What resources will you dedicate, from where will they come, where will they be deployed, when...how will you monitor? When you write what you will do to implement something...ask yourself after, how? When you answer that...ask yourself how you will do your response again...do this a few times until you feel it is detailed enough. Numbers of people, costs, time, skills, technology, etc...

Remember that it is often easiest to look at a situation and decide what to do...the challenge in strategy is getting people who view the situation differently to get on board with you and supporting you with the resources you need to execute your strategy. Tactical implementation is the real core to planning and monitoring and some of this may require elements of cross-functional meetings and reports.

Intended strategy is what you intend to do if everything goes your way...emergent strategy is what you have to do after your first moves do not go exactly as planned, because resources are scarce and sometimes reallocated quickly, competition responds, and institutions and governments change.

These things below are tools for analysis...not the analysis itself. So, use them to support your description of the company position and do not simply write responses for each element and leave us to determine what it means.

SWOT- Strengths and Weaknesses (typically related to internal firm activities) Opportunities and Threats (typically in external environment like industry competition in domestic and global settings, governments, NGOs, etc.)

VRIO - More of an analysis of your competitive advantage position as firm. Do you do something the consumers find valuable and want to pay for. Are resources Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, or Organized specifically so as to create a competitive advantage.

In producing this value do you have something rare that other people just cannot acquire in the strategic factor markets (e.g., while Michigan wine is good...the land and weather for the vineyards will never be the same as in California...or all those other places that great wine is produced. Or not ever team has Tom Brady as QB :)

Can another firm imitate your processes, i.e. they see what you do and they replicate the process. Think Breaking Bad if you have seen it...

Are all your resources organized in such a way that maximizes their strategic synergy and fit. If you read the news on Bombardier you'd see that they don't feel they are organized well to compete in business jets anymore and are reorganizing to get leaner and more efficienct.

PESTEL - Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal...this is an external environment evaluation acronym.

SCP - Structure-Conduct-Performance Does the way you structure your organization affect your conduct in the way you want and does this conduct/behavior lead to the performance outcomes you seek? In other words, do you feel changing any of these areas will bring you into a better strategic fit?

Last but not least...remember what class this is in relation to your response.