Going Global Case Study

Vodafone (B): Sarin Finds His Desi Routes?

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Abstract:
Stalled growth in major markets amid declining profitability could no longer justify Vodafone’s investments in acquisitions. Hence, the new CEO, Arun Sarin’s immediate task in hand was to integrate the far-flung empire. A sequel to the case study, Vodafone (A): Sarin Gets Stumped!, this case study emphasises Vodafone’s foray into emerging markets like Turkey, Romania, Africa and India. At a time, when Vodafone was eager to make a mark in India – world’s fastest-growing mobile market – Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd. (HTIL)offered to sell off its majority stake in Hutchison Essar. With a backdrop of a chronology on Indian telecommunications industry and Hutchison Essar’s presence in India, the case study highlights Vodafone’s dilemma in joining the race for HTIL bid. Should it wait for increasing its minority stake in India’s leading telecom operator, Bharti AirTel or join the race for HTIL’s bid? Amid this situation, it remains to see whether the Indian-born CEO routes Vodafone’s new growth map to his home country or find out a new way to flourish in the market.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the intricacies of operating in an emerging market
• To examine Vodafone’s foray into emerging markets and its way of handling the challenges
• To discuss the development trends in the Indian telecom industry and its growth potential
• To examine the growth strategies of Hutch in India
• To analyse whether Sarin’s Indian nativity would help him chart Vodafone’s new growth map in India
• To resolve Vodafone’s dilemma – whether to bid for HTIL offer or to wait for further stake in Bharti AirTel.

Contents:

• Vodafone's Foray into Emerging Markets
• Indian Telecom Industry – The Development Trends
• Hutchison Essar in India
• Hutchison Essar Bid

Keywords : Fast food; Russian economy; Collapse of the Soviet Union; Economic reforms; Liberalisation; privatisation & globalisation; Ruble inconvertibility; George Cohon; Khamzat Khasbulatov; Russian financial crisis and its impact; Russian bureaucracy and communism; Market Entry Strategies Case Study; McDonald's flawed expansion strategy; McComplex; Competition from local and global rivals; Growth plans for Vodafone (B): Sarin Finds His Desi Routes?; McDonaldl's at Pushkin Square