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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
(Revised from original 2011 version)
Bananas (A)
by
Eric Van den Steen
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Abstract
As owner and CEO, Wim Van der Borght had grown Bananas in 8 years from a 4.5 million euro company into a 40 million euro group of companies with a range of field marketing activities in Belgium and the Netherlands. The core of the group consisted of two companies - Bananas and Demonstrate - which were operationally completely independent and acted as competitors in the market. The two companies had different strengths and different cultures. In August 2008, Wim needed to decide on the right degree of interaction or integration of Bananas and Demonstrate. He also wanted to expand the companies' activities to a more comprehensive marketing offering and needed to consider international expansion opportunities.
Keywords: Competitive Advantage;
Organizational Culture;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Competitive Strategy;
Belgium;
Citation:
Van den Steen, Eric. "Bananas (A)." Harvard Business School Case 712-451, November 2012. (Revised from original December 2011 version.)