 Optimizing New
Strategic Alliances in
Emerging Markets
Multinational ICT
companies hoping to
develop innovative,
relevant solutions for
developing
economies need a different lens to
view strategic
partnerships in those
markets.
Strategic
Partnerships Lead to
Business Growth
As information and
communications
technology (ICT) reaches
a point of
commoditization and
saturation in mature
markets, successful ICT
companies are turning
their attention to new
markets in developing
countries. Many
companies have learned,
however, that the
dynamics of these
emerging markets demand
a fresh look at all
business practices, from
market research to
product design and
partnerships.
The development
community
influences how
aid resources
are allocated |
One leading IT
company,* in
pursuit of
business growth
in developing
economies,
sought to better
understand and
engage the
essential market
participants,
including the
international
development
community. The
members of this
community –
non-government
organizations
(NGOs),
multi-lateral
and bi-lateral
organizations,
foundations and
social venture
groups – command
a significant
presence and
role in these
new target
markets.
They also
influence how
billions of
dollars in
development aid
are allocated.
These groups can
provide private
sector partners
with valuable
insights and
on-the-ground
experience for
strategic
planning and
product
development. |
Converting
Information into
Actionable Data
The IT company engaged
Vital Wave Consulting to
provide them with a
solid working knowledge
of the international
development community
and actionable data and
recommendations for
building strong and
focused relationships
with community members.
While ample information
about international
development
organizations is
publicly available,
turning this information
into strategic business
decisions requires
critical analysis and
customization.
Vital Wave Consulting
first defined and
segmented the diverse
types of organizations
within the development
community. The company’s
analysts then filtered
thousands of potential
partners to propose key
organizations in each
segment that merited
further investigation.
Managers at the client
company point out that
Vital Wave Consulting
helped them to
understand the
importance of the
international
development community to
their business in
emerging markets. Vital
Wave identified the
major players, defined
their roles and their
influence on IT
spending, and explained
how a multinational
company and the
development community
can help each other
pursue their respective
goals.
Strategic
Recommendations for New
Alliances
Vital Wave Consulting
produced an analysis of
the international
development community,
illustrating its overall
landscape, key sponsors
and constituencies, as
well as the
interdependencies
between its segments.
This report:
-
described the direct
market size, funding
flows and the
influence of the
development
community on ICT
policies and
initiatives in
emerging markets;
-
included an action
plan for approaching
potential partners;
and
-
provided concrete
recommendations for
how to gain insights
on relevant program-
or
geography-specific
topics from
development
community members.
Vital Wave Consulting
also created a
customized evaluation
tool to assess the
attractiveness of
specific development
organizations for
partnership. This tool
provides a system for
gauging and ranking
organizations based on a
thorough, multi-source
analysis.
By applying the
evaluation tool, along
with deep experience and
knowledge, Vital Wave
consultants produced
detailed profiles of
over 40 key NGOs,
multilateral and
bilateral organizations,
foundations and social
venture groups. Each
profile included:
-
the organization’s
history, leadership
and key contact
information;
-
the main activities
and geographic
coverage of the
organization, with a
focus on their
relationship to
information
technology (IT);
-
estimated annual
budgets, including
IT expenditures; and
-
summary
recommendations for
potential
partnership.
These reports and
profiles saved the
client significant time
and resources by
pinpointing specific
organizations and the
particular value they
could bring to a private
sector partner. Vital
Wave Consulting combined
its understanding of the
client's business goals
with the objectives and
dynamics of specific
development
organizations, thereby
accelerating the
establishment of new and
valuable partnerships in
developing countries.
Vital Wave Consulting
provides business
managers with a variety
of services to
illustrate the unique
characteristics of
emerging markets and to
ensure that clients have
a realistic and credible
business plan before
investing in new
markets. The company
consults with ICT
companies on a number of
topics related to
business growth in
emerging markets,
including business
planning, forecasting
and market intelligence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Vital Wave Consulting
respects the
confidentiality of its
clients. Company and
individual names have
been omitted from this
case study.
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