Read the case study below and answer the question given

Nokia: The Collapse of Mobile Phone

Nokias loss of dominance in the mobile market after 2007 is one of the most significant failures in modern business history. For Finland, this was an economic catastrophe, when the largest company in the country lost grip on its core business. In 2007, Nokias mobile division was the leading mobile device manufacturer in the world, with a market share of about 40%. In 2011, its market share was only 25%, and the company started software collaboration with Microsoft. In 2013, it was announced that Nokia would be selling its entire mobile business to Microsoft. By this stage, the companys market share was only 14%. By 2015, the market share was a measly 1%. Microsoft, in turn, announced in spring 2016 that it will stop manufacturing mobiles it inherited from Nokia. Practically speaking, the companys mobile phone business crashed from the top position in the world to complete extinction within about eight years. A lot has been written about Nokias hardship and ruin. People are passionate about this topic, particularly in Finland after all, this company was the countrys first real world-class business, which at one point had the highest market value among European corporations. The descriptions of Nokias failures are often ideologically charged and tainted.

Nokias situation around the year 2008 could simply be described by stating that there was a paradigmatic change under way in the mobile business. The company had been successful by making reliable, techno- logically advanced phones costefficiently. Nokia was strong particularly in Europe and in developing countries. However, a significant thing happened in 2007; Apple launched the iPhone. This model was completely different from any other product on the market at the time. It had a touch-screen and only one function key. The phone was simple to use, and aesthetically unique. Apple was able to offer a large number of apps. Another front also opened up in 2007: the search engine Google presented their own operating system, Android, designed for smartphones. The Android system was open; that is, all mobile manufacturers were able to use it, regardless of their particular software resources. The appearance of Apple and Android on the mobile market meant that companies that were previously developing computers and internet services broke into an arena dominated by mobile device manufacturers. With Steve Jobs at the helm, Apple had brought home computers within everyones reach, and had recently also expanded into music distribution through the iPod device and the iTunes online service.

Google, in turn, had become the king of internet search engines. Nokias mobiles were reliable, and always advanced technologically, but now they looked pitifully old-fashioned, with their clumsy user inter- faces and limited range of services. A Nokia mobile was durable, but cumbersome. On the other hand, Apples iPhone was a beautiful trendy product, which was easy to use and whose touch-screen offered many innovative ways to use the phone; for example, for gaming. The Android OS provided a strong basis for new smartphones, while the capacity of Nokias own Symbian was starting to reach its limits in its current format (Cord, 2014). Nokia was unable to respond to iPhones challenge. It started losing market share. In principle, however, Nokia had every opportunity to accept the challenge of its new competitors. The company had an extensive product development organisation and a stable financial situation. It had already started developing a touch-screen in 2004. The technical features of the iPhone were not considerably more advanced than those of their competitors. Nokia had become a faceless machine, with information not flowing freely inside it and it therefore wasted energy on slow decision-making and the wariness of middle management. Source: http:// case study The Collapse of Nokia.com

Question 1 Based on the article above, as to your opinion, advice Nokias group on ways and ideas strategically to bring life to Nokias series of mobile phone as to the latest trend and to compete with those existing strong players in the industry currently. Justify your answer with relevant examples to support in not less than 1200 words. (100 marks)