The case describes the approach used by Oerlikon Buhrle to bid for the contract for the new short-range air defence system for the Canadian Forces. In particular, the case describes how the company articulated its offer, and what arguments it emphasised in order to be 'short listed' and then selected by the Canadian Government. The case format allows various groups of participants to role play various parties: Oerlikon-Buhrle, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Aerospace Industry and Canada's Ministry for Regional Economic Development.
The case can be used to illustrate marketing concepts in the context of a complex system sale to a government, emphasising customer responsiveness, user orientation, and the understanding of purchasing decisions. The case can also be used to analyse the feature of Oerlikon's successful transition from being an anti-aircraft gun supplier to becoming a missile system integrator.
