Strategically, do you think Healthy Berry Crunch should become the company’s first “Eurobrand” and be introduced in a coordinated manner throughout Europe? Or should the new product introduction be limited to a single or small group of countries? Support your response.
I strongly believe that Healthy Berry Crunch should be rolled out in Europe, with its starting point in France, with support from Jean-Luc Michel, with supervision of Mrs. Brill, and seeing that the launch and acceptance receives a positive reaction from the market, migrate its next roll out phase into Spain, due to geographic proximity, and closeness of cross-cultural patterns, which could prove successfully. After these two phases of development, the product should be rolled out to England.
The team structure has to be integrated gradually in order to avoid major conflicts as seen in the past, still ensuring that the respective country managers still hold a position of power and freedom in development, and don’t feel that their position has been challenged. By having the CMs from France and Spain by Mrs. Brill’s side, the management structural changes could be done in a less painful process, and emphasizing cross-country training, in order to slowly adapt future country markets, could present a solution to the complexity problems found by James Miller.
In essence, United Cereal has to be proactive and act before the competition, introducing a staple product, and profiting for the short competitive advantage that could be established before Cereal Partner enter the market, and through the knowledge of the European Technical Team, re-develop nutrition facts and tastes, following the first feedbacks received, as well as after the competition launch.
In my opinion changing the company’s structure on a coordinated and gradually fashion, the potential for success and adaptability is higher. Since all the European CMs presented a great entrepreneurship trait, the adaptation to the