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Danny, a classmate of mine, recently published a blog post outlining Lenovo’s interest to purchase and take over BlackBerry. In the blog, Danny stated that partnering with Lenovo would be an advantageous move for the company. I agree with Danny’s viewpoint completely. In recent years, BlackBerry was unable to maintain a strong position in the mobile phone industry, due to increased competition from Apple and Android devices. By aligning with a large, multinational company, BlackBerry will have access to new technologies and markets. Ultimately, this provides BlackBerry with the option to further innovate and differentiate their product, along with opportunities to establish a stronger presence in the international market.
After reading a couple more articles discussing this topic, I discovered that the Canadian government is opposed to the foreign takeover of key Canadian businesses. In fact, Prime Minister Stephen Harper described Lenovo’s bid for BlackBerry as “hostile,” and argued that BlackBerry should “grow as a Canadian company.” Although large companies are encouraged to establish strong relationships with governments, this should not compromise the organization’s ability to make autonomous decisions. Personally, I believe that government intervention in business should strive to achieve a balance between national and corporate interests. The Canadian government’s intention to keep BlackBerry’s technologies a Canadian commodity is particularly alarming, as it essentially restricts BlackBerry from pursuing certain prospects (such as a takeover from Lenovo) that can potentially lead to greater prosperity in the long run.
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