Discussion Questions

Kova: Becoming a Vietnamese Household Name in Plant

1. What competitive strategy can Kova use in both domestic and international paint
markets?
2. Can Kova build a strong brand within and outside of Vietnam?
3. Identify the opportunities and challenges that the Kova Group is facing in the paint
market in Vietnam. How can Kova leverage its home ground advantage to beat
foreign competitors?
4. Will Russia be a good choice of export market for Kova, compared to the other
Southeast Asian countries? (A comparison of PESTEL factors between Russia and
Southeast Asia would be helpful in arriving it this decision).
KidZania: Spreading Fun Around the World
1. How is KidZania able to differentiate in the competitive entertainment market? What
is unique about KidZania’a offer?
2. Who are KidZania’s stakeholders? What do they contribute to the experience and
what do they receive in return?
3. Is KidZania’s current strategy sustainable in the long term given the competitive
landscape?
4. If you were Xavier Lopez Ancona, which one out of the four alternatives namely
opening more parks, developing a different type of indoor park, expanding into the
digital world, and developing media content based on KidZania characters would you
recommend to the board of directors to position, consolidate and differentiate the
brand? Discuss the pros and cos of each of these four options to help you arrive at a
decision. (Hint: Use Ansoff Matrix to assess and discuss the four growth options).

Valeant’s Battle for Allergan

1. Why does Valeant wish to acquire or merge with Allergan?
2. What potential value does Valeant believe it can create with the merger with
Allergan?
3. Is Valeant offering a premium to Allergan’s shareholders for the change of control?
4. If Valeant is offering a higher price for Allergan’s, why is Valeant’s business model
relevant to the decision? Isn’t it just whether the offer price is big enough to sell their
shares to Valeant?
5. What do you make of Allergan’s reluctance to talk to Valeant? Would there be any
harm in talking to the potential suitor?
6. Couldn’t Allergan shareholders just sell their Valeant shares in the open market for
cash if they didn’t believe in the growth prospects of Valeant?
7. Explain in detail the nature of the debate between Allergan and Valeant as to whether
Valeant’s business strategy is capable of sustaining business growth.
8. What was the role played by William Ackman and his firm Pershing Square in this?
9. Why weren’t Ackman’s actions considered insider trading?
10. Which one out of these three options will you recommend to the management of
Allergan: (a) stay single, (b) go with Valeant or (c) go with Actavis.