Things do not look well for Mazda in the South African market. Since they introduced the new series (Mazda 3, Mazda 6 and Mazda BT-50), the market did respond as they did with the old Mazda 232 and the Mazda B25. Despite several attempts to get to the top again, sales have generally remained suppressed. This is the exact opposed of what is happening with Ford, their former partner. On the truck side the Ford Ranger has dominated the market prompting them to introduce its SUV (sporting utility vehicle) series. On average, Hyundai, Toyota and Isuzu are performing well despite there being many new car makes (such as JAC, Havaal, Forton) that have entered the market. These new makes come in at a time General Motors is exiting the market.

2.1.What evidence (signs) can be gathered in the market to prove that Mazda is not performing well and is losing business to its competition?[10 marks]

2.2.Suggest one company/industry-specific competitive strategy that Mazda can adopt in the South African market. Justify your choice. Under that strategy, elaborate what strategic initiatives the company can take.[5+10=15 Marks]

I suggest a best cost provider strategy. Many

2.3.When crafting the strategy in 2.2 above, describe the role of the following;

a.Mazda`s Board of Directors

Responsible for setting the strategy

b.Mazda`s executive management

c.Mazda`s functional team

d.Mazda`s operational team[4*3=12 Marks]

2.4.Outline the likely pitfalls of the strategy selected in 2.2 above.[8 Marks]