Business & Society

MGT3140 International Business Strategy

Mock Exam 2

1.5 hours

You are advised to spend at least half an hour reading the case study and making notes. The remaining time should be used to answer ANY two of the following four questions.

1. Apply Porter’s Competitive Advantage of Nations model to this case study. Why is Vodafone based in the UK? Does the Vodafone case draw attention to any weaknesses in Porter’s Diamond model?

2. Explain the Vodafone value chain from the details explained in the case study. Why do you think that Vodafone controls so much of the value chain and is so diversified? If you were CEO of Vodafone, what would be your next strategic step? Explain your answer with reference to other firms with which you are familiar.

3. To what extent does the resource based view of firms explain the structure and international strategies of Vodafone in the first twelve years of the twenty-first century?

4. As the article last states: “The challenge for mobile operators such as Vodafone is to be able to access these networks at a price low enough to allow them to continue to make substantial profits.”, what do you think are the potential opportunities and/or threats facing Vodafone in the near future? Compare the circumstances of Vodafone with other companies with which you are familiar. What are the potential implications for Vodafone in terms of its management and organisational structure?

Vodafone

As one of the world’s leading telecommunications providers, Vodafone had long been criticised as being too Eurocentric. It was not until 2005 that Vodafone made significant acquisitions in both South Africa and most importantly in Asia. However by 2013, it had established a significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the USA through mergers and acquisitions, international joint ventures, and other forms of foreign direct investment. In 2011 Vodafone sold assets worth billions in France, Japan and China to...