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Product cover image for Sabena Belgian World Airlines (A)

Sabena Belgian World Airlines (A)

Mary M. Crossan; Barbara Pierce

Product #:9A94M003
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:General Management, International Business
Setting:Belgium, 1991
Details:Case (PDF) • 15 pages • 1994-11-15 (Rev: 2010-02-25)

Subjects:

Strategy formulationChange managementStrategyLeadership and managing peopleBusiness managementManagementInternational business

Industries:

Transportation and distribution

Geography:

BelgiumEurope
Your Price:$9.71

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This case, the first in a six-part series, describes the situation Pierre Godfroid encountered when he took over as Sabena’s CEO in 1991. At that time, Sabena was in crisis, facing imminent bankruptcy. On the strength of a restructuring plan developed by Godfroid and his staff, the Belgian government had agreed to bail out the airline in return for assurances that this would be the last time government assistance would be requested. Godfroid’s task was to transform the company into a viable private enterprise. The case provides the opportunity to evaluate the viability of Godfroid’s strategy and more generally to explore strategy formulation in a global industry. More importantly, it sets the stage for a sequence of follow-up cases (9A94M004, 9A94M005, 9A94M006, 9A94M007, 9A94M008) dealing with the implementation of the strategy. (Sabena Belgian World Airlines - Video which is broken into segments to coincide with the case series, can be purchased with the case.)

Learning Objectives

Although the case series provides an excellent opportunity to examine issues of strategy formulation in a global industry, its unique strength is in demonstrating the reality of strategy implementation. The (A) case deals with strategy formulation from the CEO’s perspective and the follow-up cases deal with strategy implementation from the perspective of a manager. As such, this case series is positioned to bridge the gap between strategy cases from the perspective of CEOs and those from the perspective of operating managers. It is one of a select few case series that deals with strategic analysis and action from the perspective of a new manager who must operate in “real time.” Sabena Belgian World Airlines - Video is essential in enabling students to connect with the situation.
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Case Study: Sabena Belgian World Airlines (A) (English version) | Ivey Publishing