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Case Study

MTN: Managing in Africa

5 pages

December 2000

Reference: IMD-3-0831

In early 2000, MTN continued to grow rapidly in its domestic market as well as in several African operations. Guiding its expansion in Africa was a vision of three regional hubs: Southern Africa, where it was already established in South Africa and Swaziland; East Africa, where it operated in Uganda and Rwanda; and West Africa, where it was in a strong position to secure a license in Nigeria. Other countries in these hubs could share resources–technical, marketing and human. Yet entering new markets, whether through new licenses or acquisitions, was hardly the end of the story. Following entry, MTN had to perform a wide range of activities, which called for a well-trained staff. It also had to devise the appropriate organizational structure to provide effective oversight without creating top-heavy duplication. These issues were an important topic of discussion in June 2000. This case can be used in conjunction with “MTN: Investing in Africa” (GM 830).

Keywords

Workforce Management, Organizational Structure

Settings

Africa, South Africa
2000

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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