Approaching and identifying markets
You’ll have an article about Soylent – a product designed to provide all nutritional needs outside of traditional food. You’ll be able to see the design process the creator went through and how he approached the problem he was facing like an entrepreneur. After Soylent, you’ll have a video about spaghetti sauce that speaks about approaching and identifying markets, and how customers don’t always know what they want.
For this week’s case analysis, you have an actual case study that was published in Harvard Business Review. For the first case, I wanted you to be introspective and determine what your strengths and weaknesses were in terms of working and leading small businesses. Everyone did a great job on that, and everyone appeared to be honest with themselves, so everyone was awarded full credit. However, for this case study and beyond, grading will be different from the first case.
Specifically, you will be graded on the following:
(1) Decision for the case (there are no right or wrong answers, but you must make a decision).
(2) How thoroughly you defend that decision (this is quality, not length)
(3) How well reasoned your defense is
Case studies are designed to leave it open for you to make a decision. I do not care what that decision is. As a manager you will face many decisions that could be seen as both right and wrong. What I care about is how well you prepare yourself, how well you inform your decision, and how well you sell to me that your decision was reasonable to make. In the marketplace, decisions are made without perfect certainty. What is important is sticking by your decision (if it was well reasoned and justified in the first place) and living with the consequences if it turns out to be a poor decision. The case studies in this course are designed to give you practice informing your decisions and learning to logically defend them.
Soylent – The End of Food
https://www.newyorker.com/
