MARKETING STRATEGY

Vodafone - A Marketing Perspective

1. Introduction3

2. The external environment analysis4

2.1 Remote environment4

2.1.1 Economic factors4

2.1.2 Political Factors5

2.1.3 Technological Factors5

2.2 Industrial Environment6

2.2.1 Entry Threat6

2.2.2 Buyer and Supplier Power6

2.2.3. Threat of Substitutes7

2.2.4 Rivalries8

2.3 Operating Environment8

2.3.1 Competitive Position8

2.3.2 Human Resources8

3. Internal Analysis9

3.1 SWOT Analysis9

3.1.1 Strengths9

3.1.2 Weaknesses10

3.1.3 Opportunities10

3.1.4 Threats11

4. Strategy Formulation11

4.1 Long term Strategy11

4.1.1 Profitability12

4.1.2 Productivity12

4.1.3 Employee Development13

4.1.4 Technology Leadership13

4.1.5 Employee Relations13

4.1.6 Public Responsibility14

4.2 Generic and Grand Strategies Formulation14

4.2.1 Generic Strategy Formulation14

4.2.2 Grand Strategy Formulation15

4.2.3 Joint Ventures, Horizontal Integration and Strategic Alliances15

4.2.4 Turnaround Strategy Formulation16

4.3 Strategy Formulation - In a nut shell17

5. Strategy Implementation17

5.1 Short-term Objectives17

5.1.1 Drive Operational Performance18

5.1.2 Pursue the growth opportunities18

5.1.3 Excel in Emerging Markets18

5.1.4 Strengthening the capital discipline19

5.2 Outsourcing19

6. Conclusion20

7. References22

Appendix A: Company Profile24

Appendix B: Evaluating Vodafone Group's Differentiation Opportunities26

Appendix C: Evaluating Vodafone Group 'Customer focused locally, scaled globally'27

Vodafone - A Marketing Perspective

1. Introduction

The project serves to address the marketing strategy along with in-depth analysis of one of the most famous name, 'Vodafone'. The telecom company serves to be a central figure of today's telecom world, and therefore the company bears ample importance in the strategic as well as marketing sector. The core reason about taking Vodafone as the subject of my paper is that Vodafone has numerous schemes to address various products, as well as services in the telecom sector. Basically, Vodafone is the UK based company which was established in the 1982 which is considered the second largest mobile communication and telecom company that has managed to enlarge its operation span to over 31 different countries. Moreover, it is a part of more than 40 countries via various partnerships at hand.

The company has an influential presence in the regions of Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and the United States having a base of 404 million customers. Although, it has the largest geographical fingerprint impression using the horizontal incorporation of strategic alliances and joint ventures. Also, it has been facing severe competition in various developed as well as emerging markets. Due to this very competition in the worldwide telecommunication industry along with business acquisitions and disposals, and some foreign exchange rates does have a tremendous impact on most of the financial ratios which have suffered a setback as compared to that of industrial norm. Moreover, the company has incorporated the turnaround strategy so that it can focus on the bottom line performance and subsequent improvement by influencing the economics of scale and scope worldwide. Indian market offers the highest growth in the market of mobile related items (Vodafone, 2012, pp. 2, 6).

2. The external environment analysis

External environments have a tremendous impact on development of the company's marketing strategy as well as bears a management outlook. Moreover, external environment can further be “divided into three interrelated subcategories: factors in the remote environment, factors in the industry environment, and factors in the operating environment” (Pearce and Robinson, 2009, p. 94). How these factors influence the marketing and management strategies are discussed under this domain.

2.1 Remote environment

2.1.1 Economic factors

Under the current circumstances of volatility, most of the companies have been facing slower ...