international strategic plan Zipcar

Zipcar is a highly successful new company specializing in a brand new model for automobile rental services, allows their customers long-term and flexible access to shared vehicles on a daily or hourly basis. Zipcar's innovative model allows those who sign up for their membership services to share cars with other members on a flexible basis, creating a cost effective alternative to car ownership. Since its founding in 2000, it has grown to become a major player in the U.S. automobile rental market and has expanded internationally to Canada, the U.K., Spain, and Austria and offers rental services to almost one million customers.

Case Assignment

Read the following two articles and do some of your own additional research on Zipcar

Tice., C. (2012) Zipcar: Two Moms, a Business Idea and $68 in the Bank, Entrepreneur.com, http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/223692

Zipcar Expands in Sacramento Becoming 26th Major Metro Market: Based on strong demand, Zipcar increases number of vehicles, will open office (Nov. 6, 2013) PR Newswire (available on Proquest)

Zipcar (July 11, 2012) World's Leading Car Sharing Network Continues European Expansion in Top Growth Market, http://zipcar.mediaroom.com/2012-07-11-Zipcar-Acquires-Leading-Car-Sharing-Service-in-Austria-CarSharing.at

Now suppose you have been hired by Zipcar to come up with a international strategic plan. Write a four to five page strategic plan for Zipcar that addresses the following issues:

1. Should Zipcar expand into other countries beyond the current five countries that they operate in? If so, which countries should they enter first?

2. What kind of strategy should they use? For example: multidomestic, international, global, transnational, or other?



Helpful Tips:

Please first read in-depth the background materials for module 2.

Identify key concepts in the background materials write a list, and study them

Read the case in-depth and conduct additional research, if necessary



Case 2 Assignment Expectations

Answer the assignment questions directly
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don't go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to general background materials
List supporting references and cite sources in proper format
Use appropriate writing style in essay form (organization, grammar, & spelling- see Writing Guidelines).