Vodafone international strategic development Essay

Vodafone international strategic development - Essay Example The initial acquisition move of the company was a merger with AirTouch Communications Inc. of the United States in a $61 million deal. The company briefly renamed itself as Vodafone AirTouch in a gradual move towards aligning AirTouch to its global strategy (Johannes and Ashok, 2009, P.263). The company’s North American branch was integrated into a new entity branded Verizon Wireless together with Bell Atlantic’s mobile business with the company retaining 45% stake in the new venture. Verizon wireless was the largest mobile phone operator in the North American market with 36 million customers and 24% market share in 2003. The targeting of large firms is in line with literature that suggests that large scale acquisitions provide potential scale economies and are expected to outperform small scale acquisitions (Risberg, 1999, P.76). The targeting of large firms is also observed in the acquisition of Mannesmann in a deal that helped it own D2 mobile phone business, which w as the private market leader in Germany. This deal made Vodafone one of the 10 largest companies in the world helping it achieve scale and scope economies (Johannes and Ashok, 2009, P.264). ... was a good strategy as mobile companies shared some similarities with Vodafone in capabilities and were likely to exhibit some level of homogeneity with its structure. Such acquisitions also helped Vodafone secure a platform for acquiring the existing business position (Risberg, 1999, P.82). Unlike its competitors, the company used shares for its acquisitions. This strategy helped the company emerge from the telecom crisis relatively early so that it could concentrate on growth while virtually all of its competitors were preoccupied with debt reduction (Johannes and Ashok, 2009, P.264). The company had acquired other businesses along with the mobile phone business as was the case of Japan Telecom and Mannesmann where it owned fixed line operations. Vodafone had an explicit desire to concentrate on its core business of mobile telecommunications, and this made it look for ways to dispose of the other non-core businesses. Vodafone insisted that it was mobile focused and intended to stic k to that strategy in all of its acquisitions and subsidiaries. The emphasis on only retaining those operations in the acquired firm that were core to its expansion strategy is in line with literature that suggests that strategic fit is important in creating shareholder value (Risberg, 1999, P.81). Vodafone’s strategy was to increase revenue growth and margin improvement by providing enhanced services to its customer base. This principle had three tenets. The company would increase voice and data revenues through increased marketing focus on its established high-quality customer base. It intended to extend its operational leadership of the mobile industry through maximizing the benefits of scale and scope by using partner network agreements, increasing equity investments in firms where

Percy bysshe shelley Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Percy bysshe shelley - Research Paper Example The discussion becomes easy if a look at his poetic ideas is done first. Shelley is of the opinion that a poet is a moral teacher. He does not agree that a poet is merely an imitator. At the same time, he asserts that a poet is a creator, who not only creates but also provides ideas to the society, guides the people, and in a way teaches what should be done to improve one’s life. He rejects Thomas Love peacock’s remark that a poet is a â€Å"semi-barbarian†. He not only counters this negative remark about the poet but also declares that â€Å"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world† (Defense). In his essay defending poetry, he explains the true role of a poet in his society and states that†Poetry turns all things to loveliness; it exalts the beauty of that which is most beautiful, and it adds beauty to that which is most deformed; it marries exultation and horror, grief and pleasure, eternity and change; it subdues to union under its li ght yoke all irreconcilable things† (Defense). Unlike Keats for whom poetry means beauty, Shelley finds poetry as a form of intellectual beauty. He treats politics, love, and nature on equal scale. He looks sometime melancholic, but his melancholy is closely related to his ideas. â€Å"Ode to West Wind† can be taken as an ideal poem to study Shelley as a poet and revolutionary. As a poem, it is very remarkable because in it the poet treats everything in nature as an instrument of melody. The poet becomes totally spellbound by the power of the wind, the cloud, the sun, the ocean, and all these in nature for him become the right subject for poetry. He is so much inspired that he prays, â€Å"Be thou, Spirit fierce, / My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!† (Ode). The poem deals with the regenerative power of nature. It praises how everything that is old and dead in nature is driven out to leave space for the birth of new and beautiful. In other words, it speaks abou t the likely situation in which the world has to exist with everything unwanted and decayed, if regeneration does not take place. The poet feels that this unfortunate situation is avoided in nature because of the support of the sweeping powers of west wind: â€Å"Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead/ Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing† (Ode). It is with similar spirit that the poet wants changes in the political situation in his society. However, he does not possess the sweeping powers seen in the west wind to drive out the old and conventional ideas in his society to pave the way for the new and creative ideas. That is how the poem becomes significant as an example of the poet’s political perspective. As Sydney Waterloo says, â€Å"He was a dreamer, but he never dreamed merely for the sake of dreaming; he always rushed to translate his dreams into acts† (Sydney). â€Å"Ode to the West Wind† shows how Shelley tries to translate his poetical and political dreams into reality. The poem, â€Å"Ode to the West Wind†, is in the form of a prayer. It is addressed to West Wind, and not to any particular God, as Shelley finds in the invisible power in nature what man generally finds in God. The political idea with which he was obsessed is identified with the power of the wind. Though he tried to impress his philosophical ideas upon the people through many pamphlets he found very poor response coming from the people. So he was disappointed.