paper 1
You Decide
Chocoberry Case Study
Idea Generation
1. What techniques will you propose to CB to generate ideas that can be developed into viable concepts?
There are three types of idea generation that could help into developing a viable concept:
* The evolutionary idea derives from somewhere else, taking something that already exists and improves on it. (1)
* Symbiotic: method of idea creation when multiple ideas are combined, using different elements of each to make a whole. (1)
* Computer-assisted discovery: uses a computer in order to widen possibilities of research and numeric possibilities. (1)
2. Of the many methods for ideation offered in contemporary literature, which represents the best for CB in this situation, and why?
The first and most important will be the evolutionary idea because Chocoberry should market chocolate products with basic health claims for the United States’ retail consumer market. They already make the base and distribute it so it is a great idea to get into that market.
After using the evolutionary method I would recommend using the computer-assisted discovery as a method of crowdsourcing that can give ideas that the customer need/wants.
These products are being developed by the technical departments as bar goods, such as one ounce or larger molded slabs of chocolate in dark, milk, inclusion-containing (nuts, fruit, etc.) products.
3. Who might be selected to perform the ideation, and why? Why might you not select certain groups to perform the ideation?
To perform the ideation all group should be together to brainstorm and concept screening. In the Chocoberry Company, the new product development team and the manufacturing team must be together. They can brainstorm and get a concept, then present the ideas to the CEO.
In this case, both teams know that the target group is adults who wish to indulge in chocolate, but who have been concerned with the health aspects. This group will be fit to its new product feature, lower calories, high antioxidants, and other similar benefits for adults. So, people dedicated to sports will be the best group to get ideas and concepts. Also nutritionist can give good ideas. In other words, just to know what the consumer wants.
I would not select groups that are not interested in chocolate as a healthy product and just consume it for fun. But at the same time they can give ideas to make the chocolate tastier.
4. Having screened the ideas to a select few, how are concepts generated from the ideas, and when?
Concepts are generated after brainstorming ideas. I can say that it is a focus group where the new product development team, the manufacturing team and the CEO get to a decision taking the idea to the next level.
Idea Evaluation:
1. Enumerate the criteria that might be applied to appropriately assess the ideas and to eventually rank them according to their potential for CB.
2. Who would conduct the evaluation and why?
The criteria that might be applied to assess the ideas are the quantity of votes that an idea has in the computer assisted voting area. In that way the Chocoberry Company is involving the customer with the process of ideation making it a crowdsourcing.
After some of the ideas are chosen, involving also the Companys “new product development” team and the “manufacturing” team is very important to double-check.
3. Focusing on the select few concepts, what are the evaluative criteria that might be used to isolate the one or two that should be recommended for further development?
4. Who would conduct the concept evaluation and with what tools?
An analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) is an old marketing stand-by and as such is a useful follow up to an evaluation matrix. “In the unlikely event you are unfamiliar with SWOT analysis, it is a simple form in which reviewers indicate the potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an idea. Because the SWOT analysis looks at an idea from different perspectives, it provides a more rounded review of an idea than some methods”. (2)
Chocoberry SWOT analysis approach will include a scoring system in which the reviewer give 0 to 5 points each for strengths and opportunities and take away 0 to 5 points each for weaknesses and threats. After the process of scoring, the ideas will be ranked according the number of points that each has.
The internal Chocoberry Company team will make the concept evaluation. Meaning that the CEO, the VP of new product development and the VP of manufacturing have to get together and examine all the concepts/ideas made and specially review the SWOT analysis and re-evaluate it with the criteria already checked.
Bibliography
1. Ideation the birth and death of ideas, Douglas Graham and Thomas T. Bachmann, 2004
2. How to evaluate Ideas, Jeffrey Baumgartner, May 18 2008 http://www.innovationtools.com/Articles/EnterpriseDetails.asp?a=316 paper 2
Chocoberry Case Study
Chocoberry Case Study
Idea Generation
The techniques that I would propose for CB would be Matrix Analysis (Creative Advantage, 2000), brainstorming (EinsteinDiva, 2010) and whiteboarding (Matimore, 2011). It is important to note that matrix analysis analyzes the situation based on a number of criteria that are then cross evaluated through the matrix, which is basically like a table that it used to represent a set of variables for the top row and another set of variables for the leftmost column. Through the use of the matrix analysis technique, CB could develop new ideas based on the possible combination of variables that are identifiable in the situation of CB. On the other hand, the brainstorming technique involves an in-depth discussion of ideas in a close group, such as the leaders in the case of CB. This discussion would be used to ensure that the different ideas of these leaders would be considered for the decision that would be made in order to make the changes that are needed in the organization so that the company could take advantage of the changes in the market. In contrast, the whiteboarding technique involves the use of a board or a whiteboard. In this technique, the whiteboard would be used to write or paste certain ideas onto the board for a given period of time. These ideas would then later be analyzed in terms of their connections to each other.
It is arguable that whiteboarding is considered as the most appropriate for the case of CB, because the company needs to be able to make the decision based on disparate ideas among the leaders of the organization. These leaders have different ideas that seem to be disconnected or not strongly linked to each other. It would be difficult to make use of the matrix analysis technique because this technique does not allow the organization to be flexible enough, as the matrix used limits the variables as well as the definitions of the variables of interest. Through the use of whiteboarding, CB could make sure that it would be able to make connections among the disparate ideas as well as the emerging ideas in the market, so that the leaders would be able to determine the best ideas that should be included in the decision later on.
It is arguable that the CEO should be selected to facilitate the ideation, but all of the leaders identified in the case text should be involved. For instance, the entire team for this ideation session should include the CEO, the VP for new product development, and the VP for manufacturing. In addition, market researchers and a consultant can be included into the session so that they could provide a more realistic set of inputs into the whiteboarding session. It would not be advisable to select IT persons because they are not directly involved in the development of the product and the manufacturing of the product. Other personnel, such as those in the accounting department or the finance department, should not be included in the whiteboarding session because they are also not directly involved. However, if CB is concerned about the potential costs and budget limitations of the company, the Finance Officer should also be included in the whiteboarding session.
The concepts can be generated from the idea by making the connections among the various ideas that would arise from the whiteboarding session. The whiteboarding session would yield various ideas, and the most important ideas could be selected and connected. The resulting connected set of ideas would then be used to determine the characteristics of the new product that CB should develop. The concepts should be developed at least a day after the whiteboarding session, so that the team would have time to get additional insights regarding the ideas that were presented via the whiteboarding session.
Idea Evaluation
In order to properly evaluate the ideas that are generated through the whiteboarding session, it is arguable that the team should focus on the use of the strengths of these ideas and compare these strengths against each other. In addition, a cost-benefit analysis could be used on each idea to determine how they would fare against each other. In this way, the best ideas for the actual situation of CB would not be lost.
The criteria that would be applied to evaluate the ideas would be (a) the business benefits of the idea in terms of financial value and non-financial value for the short and long term; (b) the costs of the idea in terms of financial value and non-financial value for the short and long term; (c) capacity of the organization to sustain the implementation of the idea in the short and long term.
The CEO, the VP for New product Development and the VP for manufacturing should be the ones who would evaluate the ideas, because they have the high level perspective of how these ideas would relate to the business. The evaluative criteria that these people could use would be the actual financial costs, the actual financial benefits based on market research, and availability of equipment and resources to support the development of the new product from such idea.
The same three officers could use such tools as cost-benefit analysis in order to evaluate the concepts. In addition, the team could use matrix analysis for the concept evaluation only to determine acceptability based on the criteria. The student would play the role of an additional input maker for the whiteboarding sessions, similar to the case of a consultant. The company could even select the student as the outside consultant for a fresher look into the situation.
References
Creative Advantage (2000). Matrix analysis. Retrieved November 5, 2011 from http://www.creativeadvantage.com/matrix-analysis.aspx
EinsteinDiva (2010). Great creativity techniques. Retrieved November 5, 2011 from http://einsteindiva.com/great-creativity-techniques
Matimore, B. (2011). Ideation techniques. Retrieved November 5, 2011 from http://www.innovativeideators.com/IdeationTechniques.pdf

paper 3
Chocoberry
A new product can take one of several paths to reach the consumer. Distribution options depend on the product, the market, the type of retail establishment, and the manufacturer’s sales skills. Retail trade channel offers its own unique opportunities and challenges and will be determined by our target audience. As our Target consumers are adults who have been concerned with the health aspects, such as calories, fat, dental caries. There are a lot options to reach the target consumers. A list of channel distribution options for CB Company, are as follows:
- Health food stores
A health food store is a type of grocery store that primarily sells health food, organic foods, local produce, and often-nutritional supplements. Health food stores often offer foods for people with special dietary needs, such as people with allergies and diabetics, and also for vegans, vegetarians, and people living entirely on raw food. For example, Whole Foods Market is listed as a Health Food Store; we know that Health food store sells high quality, natural organic foods to customers. Many items are new products that make it possible for people to eat a wholesome, healthy diet, low in fat, high in fiber. People who have been concerned with the health aspects they shop at health food stores. So company can market in Health food stores because our product feature and ingredient, which are claim, lower calories, high antioxidants, and health benefits are allowed into this channel. It also, helps company to meet the need of customer and target group.
- Specialty candy stores,
Specialty retail stores are targeted to categories of people buying specific types of products. Most specialty store retailers they sell on value rather than on price. Customers who shop in specialty stores are less price sensitive, so we can sell in high price because we offer a high premium chocolate with health profits. Even though prices might be higher, customers often prefer the expertise offered by small stores, usually opened by owners who are passionate about the products they sell. In large chain stores, assistance and product knowledge may not exhibit the same kind of quality as in smaller local stores. Exceptions do exist, and some chain stores are known for their high degree of customer service and product knowledge. Customers in specialty stores will be glad to pay the premium price for our products in exchange for the high quality, great taste, health benefits, and sense of prestige they receive. In fact, higher prices and exclusivity for some items may encourage higher sales - these kinds of customers eagerly accept the idea that higher prices equal higher health benefit, and want to buy only the best. However, the location should be in an area that will attract the clientele who are likely to buy our product. This channel gives company a more direct link with their customer set and company will receive more direct feedback.
- On-line mail order,
Selling goods in a B2C environment usually requires a website with an online shop. The web site could be a tool for strengthening company’s reputation and commitment to customers. This is a tool for creating and maintaining lasting relationships with customers and lays the basis for targeted marketing and product development.
The website offers enough space for detailed information display and improves the customer’s loyalty and support and therefore creates a competitive advantage. For end-consumer it is a convenient way of shopping by easy access and time saving. They have access to a greater assortment with detailed product descriptions. It is an easy way for customers who looking for healthy chocolate with lower calories, high antioxidants to order our products online and allows them to place orders any time at their convenience from any Internet device. Online ordering provides real-time access to information related to purchases shipments, pricing and products. The Company can keep track of evolving consumer behaviors in order to offer those products which best respond to their needs. Moreover, consumers worldwide can browse our online shop and view our products. There, shoppers can purchase the company’s core products as well as seasonal items, gift baskets and towers, and wedding/party favors. Thus, Online retailers provide benefits to both company and customer. So, company can increase sales and profits faster than a brick and mortar shop as selling online offers the advantage of having an open store, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
Company must develop a distribution plan for Chocobery new, “healthy” chocolate bar products designed for adults who want to enjoy the product with little guilt. Products designed are important components of an effective brand strategy. It can help to attract the customer attention and create a new customer. Packages and size are also important it would affect company, customer and reseller. For example, Resellers want to handle products as easily as possible and want their suppliers to ship and sell products in packages that fit within their system. For example, products may need to be a certain size or design in order to fit on a store’s shelf, or the shipping package must fit within the reseller’s warehouse or receiving dock space. Based on the concept of “healthy life with correct portions”. Chocolate Bar is a flat, thin candy bar with a standard size of 1.55 oz. (43 grams). The flat bar is made entirely from dark chocolate and it is divided into 12 rectangular “pieces”. These pieces are all attached to each other in a 3 by 4 fashion to form the chocolate bar. Our Chocolate bars offer a little bit less food by weight than other chocolate bars. This is due to the flat design. In fact, many consider this a positive quality because the smaller size means fewer calories. CB Chocolate Bars do have fewer calories than most other candy bars so consumers can eat a full bar without feeling too much guilt. Too much chocolate can lead to dental problems like cavities. Another concern of eating large amounts of sugar each day is the increased risk for diabetics. Eat only 3-4 small pieces of the chocolate bar is better than the entire thing, customer would be able to control their weight while fulfilling their chocolate craving. Another quality about CB Chocolate bars is the fact that the bars are divided into twelve small rectangular pieces. This design doesn’t affect the taste in any way. But it was a smart idea on the part of CB to manufacturer the CB Dark Chocolate Bar in this fashion because the small shapes make it easy to break the bar into smaller pieces, for sharing baking and eating.
Due to, chocoberry do not have the skills to promote and sell their new product. For them, the use of food distributors or brokers is the only way to obtain distribution. Many company go through a distribution channel to reach the end consumer, whether that consumer is a shopper in a retail grocery store or a supermarket. The advantage of using a distributor is distributors enable company to access markets while avoiding logistics issues and many trade-related risks. Distributor usually respond for the shipment of goods, inventory, transport, paperwork, and sell products to retail accounts. Moreover, many distributors carry a stock of the products they sell - so they buy in bulk, and take care of warehousing and inventory control in market. Most distributors provide strong manpower and cash support to the supplier or manufacturer's promotional efforts. They generally spend on marketing to support their sales effort, although they will sometimes expect company to make a financial contribution. Additional, they usually also provide a range of services (such as product information, estimates, technical support, after-sales services, credit) to their customers. It would be easier for a distributor with an established reputation and contacts list to introduce a new Health Chocolate Bar to the market than it would be for company. On the other hand, the disadvantage of using a distributor is companies sometimes don’t know who is buying the product so company can't establish as direct a relationship. In return for taking on your trade-related risks and burdens, distributors will expect heavy discounts and generous credit terms from company. The other disadvantage of using a distributor is control issues. Company may lose control of the way their products are marketed and priced. If we use a sales agent, they can use the commission structure to motivate them - there's no similar mechanism with a distributor. and direct appointted sales people and distributors may go out of business in the future.