The case company is an international electronics manufacturer. Its products are sold and delivered to global markets. The products consist essentially of standard electronic components, mechanical parts and pieces of software. There is some configurability and scalability in the mechanical and electronic assemblies; however most of the product variation is done in the software side.

Large corporations are all but homogenous what comes to their ways to operate, processes and culture. Companies have evolved through organic growth, business acquisitions, strategic investments and expansion to new markets. In practice this means that a corporation usually consists of number of business areas, geographical areas (or sites) and product areas.