Abstract

The case “Blackberry – Set for a Turnaround?” talks about the efforts of John Chen (Chen) — CEO of the financially struggling Blackberry Ltd. — to bring about a turnaround in the company’s fortunes. The case starts out with a brief mention of the history of Blackberry and its gradual rise to become the market leader of the global smartphone industry, by 2008. It then traces the fall in the company’s fortunes after it failed to adapt to the changes sweeping through the global smartphone market. The case elaborates on the various strategies undertaken by Chen to prevent a further fall in the company’s fortunes and to put it back on the path of growth. The case ends with an analysis of the future prospects of the company.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• To understand the impact of a dynamically changing competitive environment
• To recognize the need to understand customer requirements and bring about appropriate strategy changes
• To identify the measures needed to contain the downward spiral of a company in trouble
• To appreciate the need for strong leadership to bring about a turnaround

Keywords

Turnaround,Smartphone,Leadership,Takeover Bid,Innovation,New Product Development,Blackberry,Competition,Distressed company,Customer-centric,Buying Power,Customer segmentation,Complementary service,Management Change,Outsourcing