Innovation Management Case Studies

The final report contains two subjects. The length depends on you. Please use a word file.

1. Case Study – NKK

Which strategy should they choose? General switch maker or specialized maker?
General switch maker – serving a wide product line including touch panels in order to satisfy the maximum number of customers
OR
Specialized maker – targeting a limited market
Please explain your own strategy.

2. Transnational Example (Watch the video of IKEA).

There are options regarding product globalization; global integration or promoting a localized approach (Bartlett and Goshal, 1989)
They are categorized into four types, international, multi-national, global, and transnational.

・ International pattern

Knowledge and expertise are transferred from a headquarters in a developed country to subsidiaries in developing countries.
Subsidiaries focus on learning the knowledge and expertise. So, the quality depends on the capability of each subsidiary.

・ Multi-national pattern

Please imagine toiletry products. P&G and Unilever are producing many diversified products. Quality, price, or design is modified to satisfy the preferences in each country.

・Global

Please imagine automakers, Ford, and electronics maker, Apple. Those are seeking de fact standard products & mass production systems. They aim at manufacturing as many products as possible and result in getting scale merit and wide distributing channels.

・ Transnational pattern

Transnational is a desirable pattern, which includes advantages provided by the other three patterns. Each subsidiary has a mission to gather regional information and utilize local know-how so that it can find a new business chance. For example, the product line of Samsung’s smartphone is diversified in order to adjust specifications to country preferences.

Find a good example in which a firm tries to approach transnational type. Explain the strategy.