TIMWE : Born Global Firm : case study

Abstract

TIMWE is the Portuguese based company chosen to illustrate and serve as background to support the creation of a teaching case in Strategy, exploring the internationalization of a real company and the challenges undertaken by the process of being a born global firm, followed by a Teaching Note that can be used as a tool to help solving the case. TIMWE is a Portuguese owned company, founded in 2002, that offers mobile monetization solutions and services (entertainment, marketing and money) to its global clients (brands, end-consumers, media groups, mobile carriers and governments), by leveraging its in-house developed intellectual proprietary technology, wide network of connections, mobile expertise and local presence. The main focus of the business strategy always has been B2O (business-to-operators), and since the beginning of its foundation the company aimed to build a global reach. In 2011, it had 26 offices, employing more than 300 people, operating in 75 countries across the 5 continents, as well as partnerships with over 280 mobile carriers spread all over the world giving access to 3 billion mobile subscribers. The case was prepared with the intent of providing useful insights about an IT services Portuguese company that managed to internationalize and operate in several countries, on top of giving a generic overview of the industry where it acts and is doing business. This case can be used as a basis for class discussion, where students have the possibility to analyze the growth and expansion strategy of the company, assess the overall industry by backing-up their decisions using all the gathered data and accurate information presented and explained in the case.