International Business - Research Paper Example

Introduction Vodafone Group Plc is the world’s leading mobile network operator which has deep roots in ‘Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United States (Vodafone). The British multinational mobile network operator has subsidiaries over 25 countries. According to the reports, it has developed a network of approximately 341 million customers by March 31, 2010. The company has great interests in India and Australia as these countries hold a potential market for the growth of mobile network operators.

The statistical data show that Vodafone serves 106.34 million customers in India, which constitute one third of their total customers. The Vodafone Group started its operations in India in 1994 through its Indian subsidiary Vodafone Essar. Vodafone Hutchison Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Vodafone group and they actively started operations in Australia in 1993. Vodafone claims that they have a wide network of 4.031 million customers across Australia (Facts & Figures). Company outline The mission statement of the company reads like this; “We will be the communications leader in an increasingly connected world” (Vodafone).

The company gives great emphasis on product strategy. After selecting a particular segment for the product launching, the company designs a big project for influencing the customers of the targeted area. The Vodafone largely employs media advertisements by which they try to communicate unique benefits of the brands with the public. The wide range of advertisements help people to assess various services offered by the Vodafone and thereby they can differentiate the company’s products from that of its competitors.

Likewise, the Vodafone group keeps some distinctive features in their distribution strategy also. The Vodafone Group has recently announced their plan to reorganize the activities of six service providers into another three new businesses. This reorganization intends to specifically concentrate on various market sectors such as corporate customers, small businesses, and the consumer. These different groups would have different needs and it would be possible to meet their varied needs efficiently only if the company has concentrated on specific sectors.

Vodafone’s theory in pricing process is that it should be ‘affordable to all’; but at the same time they do not compromise with product quality. Global business environment The rapid technological developments in telecommunication field have encouraged the entrance of large number of new service providers into the market. Although Vodafone is one of the world’s leading companies, it faces intense competition in India and Australia. In India, there are too many competitive service operators such as BSNL, Reliance, and Airtel.

However, the Vodafone Group could establish their position in Indian telecommunication market through the application of a wide variety of promotional techniques. Similarly, an extreme competitive environment exists in Australia also in the field of mobile network service providers. The business graph of Vodafone Australia indicates its fascinating growth during the last couple of years. In order to overcome the complexity of cut-throat competition, the Vodafone practices the method of target marketing.

They maintain separate team of researchers in order to valuate the potentials and threats of a selected