Olympic Group Acquisition of IDEAL

Olympic Group (OG) is an Egyptian white goods giant that produces different products such as water heater, fans, cookers etc. In 1997, OG decided to buy IDEAL, state-owned white goods giant. Being a monopoly in the market, IDEAL had a strong brand name and market share, which made it very attractive for OG. Also, the products that IDEAL produced, which were refrigerators and washing machines, complemented OG products. A year after the acquisition, OG had to deal with several issues such as integrating the employees of the two companies, boosting employee's productivity, changing IDEAL brand image and improving IDEAL products. Accordingly, within one month, the CEO had to decide whether to start by changing IDEAL brand image or integrating the employees of the two companies? He also had to consider how and when to integrate the employees of the two companies without affecting the overall performance. What methods should he use to boost the employees' productivity especially at IDEAL? What areas needed to be worked on in order to improve the IDEAL brand image without affecting its market share? What changes in IDEAL products were required to sustain its competitiveness and market share?