Case Study: Balancing Business Interests and Host Nation's Security Concerns.

In 2010, the UAE government imposed a ban on the BlackBerry. The smartphone created a furore in countries like India, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia, among others, as well. The governments of these countries considered the phone a national security threat due to the strong encryption built into the design of the BlackBerry system that blocked security agencies from tracking communications carried over through these devices. This encryption system was developed by RIM to guarantee customers privacy – a major USP of RIM. The case study enables a discussion on the remedial measures available to RIM to answer such security concerns without compromising privacy.

1. Who are the stakeholders in this case study? What are their problems and concerns?

2. How might these problems and/or concerns and the specific questions posed in the case study may be answered by reference to concepts, theories, models and /or research findings?