Abstract: Expatica.com: 10 Years of a Dutch Born-global

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Abstract

Expatica.com: 10 Years of a Dutch Born-global

Ref: 9B10M029

Author(s): Christopher Williams

In December 2009, the management team at Expatica.com was undertaking a strategic review of the progress of the company and of the future opportunities for growth. The management team needed to take stock: the external environment was rapidly changing and threats from competitors were on the rise. Expatica.com was founded 10 years earlier to provide English language information and news to the expatriate community in Europe, delivering its services primarily over the Internet. Over the course of the 10 years, Expatica.com had experienced significant challenges in its organization and environment. The central issue was how to make its core business effective across multiple markets. The company had made tremendous progress over the decade but now needed to re-evaluate its position and identify new opportunities for growth. The management team realized that it needed to make a number of critical decisions, especially in the areas of internationalization and product development. 1) How should Expatica.com now internationalize into new markets? Which markets should it consider? How should it select new markets? Should it pull out of any existing markets? 2) What product development strategy should it adopt? What line extensions should it make to existing products? What kinds of more radical innovation could be appropriate? Should it phase out any existing products? 3) What else should the company do to drive success?

Keywords: Media; Product Development; Internet; Internationalization

Level of difficulty: 4 - Undergraduate/MBA

Industry and settings: Business Services - Media; Product Development; Internet; Internationalization - Netherlands - Small

12 page(s)

Teaching note available

Event year end: 2009