Globalization and competitive advantage:

A case of MTN NIGERIA LIMITED

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My research supervisor, my family and my friend provided me utmost support during this proposal and without that this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], herby say that this research is my own work and it has not been submitted for any educational purpose earlier. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

Globalization is an inconsistent concept, and definitions of it abound. However, most anthropologists agree that, experientially, globalization refers to a reorganization of time and space in which many movements of peoples, things, and ideas throughout much of the world have become increasingly faster and effortless. Spatially and temporally, cities and towns, individuals and groups, institutions and governments have become linked in ways that are fundamentally new in many regards, especially in terms of the potential speed of interactions among them. Examples of these interactions are myriad: The click of a mouse button on a Wall Street computer can have immediate financial effects thousands of miles away on another continent, and events like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 or footage of the 2005 tsunami in southern Asia can be televised internationally, whereby millions of viewers interpret the same images concurrently.Beyond these shared perspectives on and approaches to globalization, anthropologists disagree with one another in important regards. The first concerns the “what”: Does globalization name a more-or-less singular and radical transformation that encompasses the globe, in which techno economic advancements have fundamentally reorganized time-space, bringing people, places, things, and ideas from all corners of the world into closer contact with one another? Or, is globalization a misnomer, even a fad, a term too general to describe a vast array of situated processes and projects that are inconsistent and never entirely “global”?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Theoretical perspective1

Problem statement1

Objectives2

Research Question/Hypothesis2

Gantt chart3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4

Earlier Attempts to Grasp Trans local Phenomena4

Contemporary Anthropological Approaches to Globalization5

The Global Political Economy5

The Global Cultural Economy5

Questioning “Globalization”6

Development6

Successful global strategy of service industry6

The reasons for choosing Nigeria7

Pro & Cons of being located within this specific region7

Competitors (local and private)8

The local government and its regulations and policies regarding foreign firms9

Risk factors9

The Current International Environment10

Ethical Issues Regarding Business Operations10

Porter's Five-Force11

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY13

Mixed Research13

Classification of research methods13

Multi-method studies14

Mixed method studies14

Research Design14

Literature Search15

Instrument for data collection15

Data analysis15

Reliability/Dependability16

Validity16

Ethical Considerations16

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION17

MTN Group Vision18

Products and services18

MTN Blackberry18

International roaming19

Banking19

Strategies of MTN19

Foundation of MTN Nigeria19

Consolidation and diversification20

Leveraging MTN footprints and intellectual capacity20

Convergence and operational evolution20

Prospects21

The Telecommunications Industry in Nigeria21

The form of the competition21

Technology Advancement22

Privatisation22

Liberalisation23

Globalisation24

Advantages of globalization24

Implication for customers25

Economic rent26

Governmental role in the industry26

Future forecast27

Data analysis27

Demography of Data27

Summary49

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION51

Reflective Statement52

Recommendations53

REFERENCES57

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background

MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group, Africa's leading cellular telecommunications company. On May 16, 2001, MTN became the first GSM network to make a call following the globally lauded Nigerian GSM auction conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission earlier in the year. Thereafter the company launched full commercial operations beginning with Lagos, Abuja and Port ...