Case Study
The role of marketing during the design process depends on a number of factors. Among them are not just the market analysis, the attributes of the product, the financial projections, and the specific aspects of these that we have considered up to now in this course. One important aspect is also the scale of the product and the scale of operations of the company that is developing it.
For example, are there design and production teams that do only those functions, such as one might see in a large company such as the Dell Computers Case Analysis you did in Module 2? How is this process defined and who plays what roles in a small-scale enterprise such as a regional chain of cookware stores ($7.5m in sales, 50 employees) that is considering branching out its product lines to include a line of gourmet condiments?
From your own personal experience or observations of a small business that developed and produced a new product, write a short case study. Your case should include:
•Brief background of the company
•Description of the product (a good or a service)
•How the new product idea was analyzed before design and production
•The role of marketing in design and production
•The level of success of the new product
You may present your case in MS Word and/or PowerPoint format. Be sure to address each of the points above. As a general guideline, the case should total approximately 2–4 pages.
Feel free to choose whatever new product interested you that meets these guidelines.
