This is the first in a three-case series (IMD-5-0488 to IMD-5-0490). In 1994, Sony's European operation moved to centralise its organisation to improve operating efficiencies, implement pan-European marketing, and develop a unified position vis-a-vis Sony headquarters in Japan. In this transition, the powerful local country organisations lost much of their autonomy in key decision areas. Informally referred to a 'Big Bang', the radical organisational change ran into trouble almost from the beginning. The (A) case provides the background to the organisational change, including important market forces that are re-shaping the consumer electronics market in Europe. The Sony Europa series illustrates the management challenges involved in moving from a de-centralised country management structure to a pan-regional centralised organisation and also raises issues having to do with the management of radical change. It is an excellent basis for discussing global marketing, marketing implementation, and change management. There is a video (IMD-5-0488-V) available to accompany the case series. **1999 EFMD European Case Writing Competition Category Winner**.