The first years of PosteMobile.

This case discusses the gradual transformation of a national postal operator, from being a loss-making government agency to becoming a profitable government-owned company. It illustrates this transformation by focusing on how the company has recently diversified into mobile communications. The case should allow students to:
• gain an understanding of the particular strategic context of a highly regulated network industry, subjected to important changes in the external business environment;
• examine how a company can successfully engage in seemingly un-related diversification;
• appreciate the importance of resources and competences in market entry;
• identify alternative competitive strategies in a highly competitive market;
• understand how emergent and planned approaches to strategy may co-exist and be influenced by changes in top management.
The case has been written with a broad audience in mind, which could include advanced bachelor, master or MBA students. A number of questions for class discussion are suggested in the accompanying teaching notes, along with a related discussion. The list of questions is not exhaustive and further topics could easily be discussed, depending on the needs of the particular student audience. Questions 1, 2 and 3 should be adequate for both undergraduate and postgraduate strategy students, whilst questions 4, 5 and 6 may be more adequate for postgraduates. However, this will largely depend on the curriculum of the particular course on which it is used. The postal industry is typical of a highly regulated industry, and is in the midst of being transformed into a competitive industry. The case will thus provide an opportunity for lecturers and students to familiarize themselves with a particular context, and to apply strategic thinking to that context. This should benefit students as they will gain a richer picture of strategy and its application.