TOP 3 // Market Strategy
The best cases on market strategy from the Case Writing Centre
MBA students with ambitions of doing business in Africa are bound to face a variety of difficult decisions related to market strategy. Whether it's about how to introduce and produce new products in an African market, globalising an indigenous enterprise, or bringing an international brand into an African market, there are no right answers for the African business leaders of tomorrow. Fortunately, the GSB Case Writing Centre has dozens of cases on these topics and more to acquaint students with the opportunities and challenges for developing a winning market strategy. Here are just three of our top cases on the subject.
1. “Medical cannabis: Afriplex’s diversification and integration strategy in an undefined market”
by Stefan Christiaan Nel, Professor Mikael Samuelsson, Sarah Boyd
Afriplex is a South African pharmaceutical manufacturer specialising in complementary and alternative medicines derived from indigenous plants, inspired by traditional African botanical remedies. After South Africa legalised medical cannabis in 2018, Afriplex formed an executive task force to officially explore options for incorporating cannabis products into their offering. As of 2019, Afriplex had a range of in-house capabilities and expertise: plant cultivation, lab testing, manufacturing, and packaging. But in this newly developing market, where regulations are new and evolving, and market conditions are volatile, Afriplex faces uncertainty about what cannabis products to pursue and how to manage the cannabis value chain. The case – which is the winner of the 2020 EFMD Case Competition - African Business – follows the CEO, financial manager, and senior scientist as they discuss and debate various strategies for product diversification and vertical integration. Students are left to put themselves in the CEO’s shoes to decide which strategy will win over Afriplex’s investors.
2. “Drink the Duchess: Marketing challenges and opportunities encountered when SMEs internationalise”
by Fran Heathcote & Professor Geoff Bick
The Duchess was a newly launched alcohol- and sugar-free bottled beverage in 2019. Just 18 months after its debut in South Africa, The Duchess drinks were available in the UK and Belgium. This was a period when craft gin was peaking in popularity across the global market, while demand for zero-alcohol adult beverages was growing. The case focusses on market strategy for born-global companies in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market as the South African founders, Johannes le Roux and Innes Smuts, figure out how to create a brand that is equally competitive at home and abroad. This case, which was the winner of the 2019 CEEMAN/Emerald Case Writing Competition, raises questions around entrepreneurial marketing and how new companies leverage digital marketing to manage a global brand strategy with limited resources.
3. “Toyota Hilux: How SA’s top pickup battled market challenges”
by Samenthea Pheko, Professor Geoff Bick, Claire Barnardo
Toyota South Africa Motors has been South Africa’s largest vehicle exporter since opening in 1960. By 2015, with 19.9% market share, they had been South Africa’s market leader for 36 years running, owing largely to the popularity of their Toyota Hilux pickup truck. The case finds TSAM in a tense moment in 2014 as the Hilux has just been displaced from its “#1” spot by the new generation Ford Ranger. The case then follows sales and marketing manager Calvyn Williams as he “goes to war” to get Toyota’s top spot back. But it isn’t just Ford he has to worry about; there are a long line of competitors waiting to challenge Toyota for South Africa’s pickup market, each offering a fresh brand image in response to the Hilux brand, which is all about “heritage” and “toughness”. Williams’ concerns about the future of Hilux sales highlight the pressures for market leaders to maintain their position, and the strategies they can employ to stay on top.
Read the cases
You can find these and more cases on leadership from the GSB Case Writing Centre at Emerald and The Case Centre.
