Product details

Product details
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Case
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Reference no. 9-920-561
Published by: Harvard Business Publishing
Originally published in: 2020
Version: 24 February 2020

Abstract

The case focuses on Amanda Tremblay, a recent MBA with a technical background who was recruited by Citrine Software Solutions (CSS). CSS, based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, develops, implements, and supports software-as-a-service (SaaS) products for human resource management and associated business processes. Soon after joining, Tremblay distinguishes herself through her work on a project that analyzed the possibility of accessing a lower-priced market segment through product standardization, and another study exploring opportunities in Southeast Asia by establishing an initial position in Vietnam. Tremblay is then sent to Hanoi to launch a Vietnamese subsidiary and implement the product and pricing strategies as recommended in her study. By offering basic software free of costly customization and by selling it on a 'pay-per-product-feature' subscription basis, CSS expects to be more competitive in this price-sensitive market. Tremblay's mentor in top management makes it clear that if this experiment succeeds, CSS intends to use this market-entry approach in other Southeast Asian countries. As Tremblay builds an organization and begins operations, a series of tests emerges that threatens to derail her efforts. When she tries to respond to these challenges, she must also navigate the cultural differences she encounters both as a woman in a male-dominated society and as a Canadian operating in Vietnam. This is a general management case suitable for use in undergraduate, MBA, and executive courses in strategy, leadership, organization behavior, operations, and international business.
Locations:
Other setting(s):
2018

About

Abstract

The case focuses on Amanda Tremblay, a recent MBA with a technical background who was recruited by Citrine Software Solutions (CSS). CSS, based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, develops, implements, and supports software-as-a-service (SaaS) products for human resource management and associated business processes. Soon after joining, Tremblay distinguishes herself through her work on a project that analyzed the possibility of accessing a lower-priced market segment through product standardization, and another study exploring opportunities in Southeast Asia by establishing an initial position in Vietnam. Tremblay is then sent to Hanoi to launch a Vietnamese subsidiary and implement the product and pricing strategies as recommended in her study. By offering basic software free of costly customization and by selling it on a 'pay-per-product-feature' subscription basis, CSS expects to be more competitive in this price-sensitive market. Tremblay's mentor in top management makes it clear that if this experiment succeeds, CSS intends to use this market-entry approach in other Southeast Asian countries. As Tremblay builds an organization and begins operations, a series of tests emerges that threatens to derail her efforts. When she tries to respond to these challenges, she must also navigate the cultural differences she encounters both as a woman in a male-dominated society and as a Canadian operating in Vietnam. This is a general management case suitable for use in undergraduate, MBA, and executive courses in strategy, leadership, organization behavior, operations, and international business.

Settings

Locations:
Other setting(s):
2018

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