Finland and Nokia

2443 Words10 Pages
SA BUSINESS & GLOBALISATION (MAN 865) Group Case Study 1 Finland and Nokia: Creating the World’s Most Competitive Economy Group: Anton Solomons - Chadrick George - 2103372 Charl de Morny - 2624488 Clive Davies - 8832904 Lecturer: Prof Philip Hirschsohn, PhD (MIT) Due date: 12 February 2013 Plagiarism statement: I hereby declare that the work that I submit is my own and that it has been handled ethically with considerations pertaining to, but not limited to, the citing of quotations and referencing of sources. Signed: AS__________________________CG____________________ CDM________________________CD_____________________ Question 1: What were the primary sources of locational competitive advantage of Finland that enabled Nokia to build a global leadership position in mobile phones? Part 1: Nokia is a Finnish company. It is made up of a diversified group (Finnish Cable Works and Finnish Rubber Works). In 2001 Finland had become one of the fastest growing and most competitive economies in the world, and was also known for fiscal stability. Most of the Finnish population can speak English, which could easily be the most widely spoken language in business today. This would allow Swedish business people to communicate with businesses all over the world. The Finnish government placed great value on education, resulting in almost 13% of the population having obtained a degree. As a country, Finland had a sophisticated public education and university system (they boast with 20 Universities and a student total of 270 000). The quality of their education was/is considered good- this would guarantee a highly skilled labour force, exactly what might be needed for the telecommunications industry. A large number of specialised suppliers and contract manufacturers for example, emerged in Finland, making it easy for companies like Nokia to
Open Document