7031-AS2-1
Sa1_Jyyy
Assessment2.docx
Case study - WearWorld plc
In Autumn 2022, Joe Smith, Chief Engineer of WearWorld, led a cameraman around the product development labs of WearWorld’s R&D facility just outside Oxford. Like all labs of the company, they were off limits to protect from intellectual property theft. WearWorld has been working on a new product, The Zonna. A device with headphones and a face visor.
Zonna - The Product
The Zonna is a hybrid headset, utilising Bluetooth technology, and an air-purifying visor. A post covid-19 development of a product category. WearWorld has been known to break down product boundaries through innovation with several success stories in the past. Part of their success was attributed to previous air purification efforts. Joe Smith has been at the forefront of innovation, having invented office equipment, GPS devices, etc. Zonna is a test for Joe. The market for such, wearable, devices is uncertain and appears to be directly affected by the vagaries of the market including the economy and the impact of the recent pandemic, which is lingering on still.
WearWorld has been burned in the past when they tried to enter the market for vehicle air purification. They had installed 250 engineers in their facility in Oxford and invested £300 million on the development of an air purifying system (pollen, brake and airborne dust etc.) for car manufacturers to offer as an optional accessory to car buyers. The product failed miserably largely due to the high manufacturing cost and the heavy burden on car battery power requirements.
Zonna - The design
The WearWorld engineers deployed ingenuity and all their experience in developing the smaller appliance needed for air purification. Internal canals running from each headphone transport a continuous stream of purified air to the nose and mouth within a mouthpiece that does not touch the face. Through many prototypes, engineers finally arrived at a contact-free visor design that covered the nose and mouth. The more air is required, the more power is drained from the gadget’s battery. To achieve a high level of air purification, the engineers developed tiny motors inside the headphone cavity that sucked in outside air, purify it and send it down to the visor. The air filters are capable of removing ultrafine dust particles and pollutants down to 0.1 microns. The visor, connected to headphones, was another breakthrough achieved after substantive testing and R&D investment. The battery was designed to provide effective power for up to 3 hours (music, external noise cancelling and air purification) under normal use (say when commuting). During sports pursuits, with the increased exertion, the battery could only last for about 1 hour. The rechargeable battery is replaceable and WearWorld is thinking to offer replacements on a subscription basis. Joe was working on an improved battery but this would probably take 18 months or so.
Having invested £25 million in product development, they need to launch urgently…
Finally, the product’s manufacturing cost would depend heavily on the production levels. The engineers have costed Zonna as follows:
|
Production (units) |
Cost per unit made (£) |
|
10,000 |
450 |
|
50,000 |
370 |
|
100,000 |
325 |
|
500,000 |
250 |
|
1,000,000 |
145 |
Zonna – Your Brief
WearWorld plc invited you - as a Business Strategy Consultant - to prepare a Business Plan specific to the Product.
The Board will meet and review your proposal after 25th September 2024.
The CEO of WearWorld plc wants to know the following, specifically ( See Marking Scheme below):
· The specific customer segment(s) for the products (quantified in terms of numbers and profiles)
· The clear value proposition (how different is the product) for each segment
· The competitors (direct and indirect)
· Marketing Strategy – e.g. Porter's generic strategy (Product, Pricing, Promotion & Distribution Channels)
· Promotional Strategy
· Product-specific financial forecast for 3 years (Sales Units, Revenue streams, Costs production and marketing)
· Spin-off products or services (like battery subscriptions, extended warranties etc.)
Group size: Individual Work
Weighting: 80%
Word count: 2,500 +/-10%
Submission Date: 13 November 2024 at 1159 hours
|
Assessment Method
|
Description of Item |
% weighting |
Due on |
Outcomes |
|
Coursework |
Group Presentation (ppt slides maximum 10 to 15)
|
20% |
6 September 2024 |
1,2,3 |
|
Coursework |
Individual Student Report (maximum 2,500 +/- 10% words)
|
80% |
13 November 2024 |
1,2,3,4 |
Marking Scheme
|
Individual Essay |
70+ |
60-69 |
50-59 |
40-49 |
below 40 |
|
Background
An academic discussion of marketing and operational requirements in a chosen context Demonstrate an understanding of key marketing and operational academic concepts applied to practice
Demonstrate a critical awareness of own self-reflection within organisation |
Extensive critical awareness of learning style and additional areas demonstrated Key theory identified
Demonstrate a high level understanding of key marketing and operational academic concepts and provide a detailed, critical review of relevant academic area chosen and use to justify/ enhance answers
|
As 70+ but level of understanding of key marketing and operational academic concepts may not be so thoroughly applied or discussion of findings may lack depth (does not go far beyond reiterating what is in a general background introduction
|
As 60+ but understanding of key marketing and operational academic concepts generally lack depth of information and the discussion is rather superficial. There may be a sense that one or perhaps two theories/ models are not well understood. |
As 50+ but there is limited understanding of key marketing and operational academic concepts, or models, poorly applied. There may be very limited discussion of findings |
At 40+ Key marketing and operational academic concepts are not really understood and concepts, or models, poorly applied. There may be very limited discussion of findings.
There may be a strong sense that the student has not read the brief carefully enough or has missed some key aspect of it. |
|
Scholarship: evidence of wide academic reading
A record and critical discussion of theory applied to practice Revisions made as a result of formative feedforward
Practical application
Using the theory demonstrates evidence of evaluating and improving organisational performance and development
Self-reflection |
Good evidence of wide academic reading (at least 8 different academic sources). Citations are relevant and integrated well with the leadership issue i.e. not just citing things without connecting it to their discussion
Excellent evaluation of critical incident and self-reflection – Also considers how theory can inform practice. Evidence of an integrative approach of theory to practice
A number of relevant , practical solutions to improve organisational performance -informed by theory
Excellent self reflection including detailed action plan |
As 70+ but one of the sources might be an internet source or a different version of the same book. Citations might not be as well integrated e.g. a quote but with no real discussion of its relevance to the issue
As 70+ but slightly less evidence of how theory can inform practice. Evidence and citations may not be as well integrated.
As 70+ but slightly less evidence of detailed self-evaluation
|
As 60+ but with less evidence of wide academic reading. There is at least one good academic source e.g. the core text book
As 60+ but with less evidence of how theory can be used to inform practice. Generally lacking depth of information, discussion, and application – somewhat superficial. Some solutions – limited practical application
As 60+ but with less evidence of how theory can be used to inform practice.
|
As 50+ but with limited evidence of academic reading. A small number of references or an over-reliance on internet / non academic sources for theory e.g. Wikipedia or businessballs.com.
As 50+ but with limited evidence of the application of theory to practice
Not really informed by theory
As 50+ but with limited evidence of the application of theory to practice
|
As 40+ but may have only internet references or no references at all.
As 40+ but with very poor information on how theory can inform practice.
performance –not informed by theory
Limited self-reflection |
|
Presentation
Report/ Presentation: follows recommended structure. Logical and persuasive writing style. Well presented with good grammar and spelling. Harvard referencing style throughout. Submitted on time. |
Excellent standard of presentation. Logical, articulate and scholarly writing style. Clearly conforms to the recommended structure. Good use of Harvard referencing throughout. |
As 70+ but there may be one or two minor referencing errors or some minor spelling, presentation or grammatical errors |
As 60+ but the writing style or presentation is weak in places. There may be a number of referencing errors
|
As 50+ but the writing style or presentation is weak. There may be a lot of referencing errors. |
As 40+ but the writing style and presentation is poor and does not follow the recommended structure. Harvard referencing is poor. |
Simplified Description
