research project assignment
kkrtiksjthia77
researchproject.docxINDUSTRY- Agriculture (precision farming)
Hypothesis to be developed- Precision Farming and its enabling technologies affecting the
fundamental agronomics and market structure that are central to
the world’s food systems.
INCUMBENT (RULEMAKER)- JOHN DEERE
DISRUPTER (RULE BREAKER)- CROPX
(drones, terrestrial sensors and cultivation bots)
OVERVIEW
We are living in an era of disruption. Massive changes are affecting the scope and the boundaries of conventional commercial activity. Some of these changes may indeed require new rules of engagement or ways of competing. Some may necessitate entirely new business models. Whole Industries are evolving at their core - dealing with shifting customer preferences, the globalization of supply chains and shrinking barriers to entry.
Research Objectives & Key Deliverables
You will research the industry and the governing beliefs reflected in the market’s competitive
structure and dominant business model. These may be shared notions of customer preferences, of cost drivers, or of the role of proprietary elements of differentiation such as branding or technology.
When these beliefs are broadly held they form a predetermined basis of competition among
industry players and underpin the dominant rules of the game.
However, Entrepreneurial Leaders are not necessarily bound by rules. Start-up activity often signals
that the market is challenging the conventions and shared beliefs of industry leaders.
Within their research on the assigned sector you must identify and examine
both 1) an incumbent (rule maker) and 2) a disruptive challenger (rule breaker). In addition,
you must demonstrate a deep understanding of the assigned industry and the
scope (& meaning) of the entrepreneurial activity challenging it.
Project Guidance
Written Report on Research Findings
To develop a defensible hypothesis will need to address most of the following in the written report. The report must include the Business Model Canvas reflecting the critical attributes of the incumbent company examined in the research and most vulnerable to disruption.
1. MARKETS. Who is the primary target audience for the incumbent and for the disruptor?
Who is going to respond most favorably to the value proposition and why? What are the
immutable external factors shaping customer behaviors that all industry players must
contend with? What are the 2 or 3 primary dimensions of competition (what firms
compete on)? How does this affect market structure (scope & competitive positioning of
relevant players)? In what ways is the conventional business model(s) that has evolved
vulnerable to disruption? What does the fundamental value proposition for incumbents
imply about customer preferences? In what ways does the emergent venture hope to
change these long-held preferences? Who is the primary target audience for the emergent
venture and for the disruptor? Who is going to respond most favorably to the value
proposition and why? What aspects of the incumbent marketing plan would likely require
modification; what brand equities should the new venture prove successful?
2. RESOURCES. What is the business model of the incumbent? That is, what is their value
proposition, how are they organized to fulfill it, and how does that drive their
profitability? What is the business model of the emergent challenger? Compare and
contrast the specific key resources (see Business Model Canvas) required and utilized by
the incumbent and by the emergent challenger in pursuit of success. What critical
changes need to occur in the market, the internal operations, or the supply chain
relationships in order for the emergent firm to successfully make money (and take profit
from the incumbent)? What evidence supports the proposition that these changes are
occurring or will occur? Is the incumbent capable of reallocating its strategic resources to
meet the challenge of those changes?
3. VALUE DELIVERY SYSTEMS. Describe the projected operating model for the
emergent venture. What trade-offs are implied in this model? Do these trade-offs
support or undermine your firm’s competitive position given the industry’s market
structure? Consider the social, environmental and economic value drivers. In what
specific ways – if any – does the company’s operational model help create shared
value? At scale, what new rules for value creation & distribution might the
emergent venture predict and what players in the value chain are most threatened
by these new rules? Under your hypothesis of the new rules and threats, which of
the incumbent’s primary management systems or beliefs impede the firm’s ability
to act in response to the emerging threat?
