Nokian Tyres: Getting a "Flat Tyre" from Geopolitics

Exam assignment Nokian Tyres: Getting a "Flat Tyre" from Geopolitics

The exam assignment for the IB course consists of a seventy-two-hour take-home assignment. The exam is based on the case 'Nokian Tyres: Getting a "Flat Tyre" from Geopolitics'.

The case describes the complications faced by Nokian, a Finnish tyre manufacturer, following Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in twenty twenty-two. It highlights Nokian's strong dependence on Russia through a state-of-the-art production facility near Saint Petersburg, and the subsequent pressure the company faced to divest from the Russian market.

In addition to the exam case and its exhibits, the exam material includes a letter by the Ukrainian ambassador to Finland (Appendix One) and an organisational value statement (Appendix Two).

In your assignment, please answer all questions below, drawing on concepts and readings from the IB course curriculum. The page limit is ten pages. Specific details on the formal requirements for written exam papers at CBS can be found on my.cbs.dk.

Please note that the assignment consists of four exam questions, and that the following restrictions on the use of Al apply, as specified in the course description:

. You may use GenAI tools for proofreading your written product - for example, to check spelling, grammar, punctuation, or formatting. This kind of use does not need to be declared.

. You may not use GenAI to generate ideas, conduct analysis, or develop conceptual arguments on your behalf. However, you are welcome to use Al as a conversation partner to reflect on your own ideas or test your understanding, as long as the core analytical work and formulation of recommendations remain your own. This is because the ability to independently analyze and evaluate strategic challenges and formulate theoretically grounded recommendations is a central learning objective of the course.

EXAM QUESTIONS

Question One (max. five points)

The case provides insight into Nokian's strategy and the company's challenges since the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war in twenty twenty-two.

a. Based on the case and the exhibits at the end of the case, how would you characterise Nokian's market strategy? Motivate your answer.

b. On page nine, the case authors describe Nokian's manufacturing plant at Vsevolozhsk in Russia as "[the company's] competitive advantage". How do you evaluate this statement? Do you agree?

c. The Vsevolozhsk tyre plant was newly constructed in two thousand five to primarily serve the Russian market. How do you evaluate Nokian's decision to build the plant from scratch rather than acquire a domestic tyre producer in Russia at the time?