Rabble rouser (Denis O’Brien of Digicel Group)

Citation

Condon, B. (2009), "Rabble rouser (Denis O’Brien of Digicel Group)", Strategic Direction, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2009.05625aad.004

Rabble rouser (Denis O’Brien of Digicel Group)

Article Type: Abstracts From: Strategic Direction, Volume 25, Issue 1

Condon B. Forbes11 August 2008, Vol. 182 No. 2, Start page: 72, No. of pages: 5

Purpose – highlights the high-risk strategy deployed by Denis O’Brien to sell his cheap cell phone handsets to the world’s poor. Design/methodology/approach – outlines how Denis O’Brien’s company Digicel Group is offering cell phone services in some of the world’s major hotspots. Looks at how this high-risk strategy has paid off and enabled O’Brien to provide his cell phone services to the poor in these countries. Profiles O’Brien; provides his biographical details and charts the growth of his business; outlines how his business models involves selling cheap handsets which are activated with codes on prepaid phone cards. Describes how he is going head-to-head with Mexican mobile chief Carlos Slim in El Salvador and Honduras and reports on his business expansion in the US and Europe. Provides the example of Jamaica and Haiti to illustrate how O’Brien sets about dominating the cell phone market and records the fight he had with the government in Papua New Guinea. Originality/value – identifies those countries where O’Brien provides handsets for over a third to half of the population.ISSN: 0015-6914Reference: 37AT008

Keywords: Business development, Financial performance, Financial performance, Leadership, Market entry, Mobile communications, Strategy