This case study can be used as a stand-alone case or in conjunction with INSEAD case study Mimijumi". Frank Drummond the protagonist is a qualified medical doctor with vast experience in the healthcare sector. He leaves his native US to study for an MBA. Case A describes his first venture into product development. It traces the different stages Frank and the Bazile Telecom team go through in designing the actual phone hardware and the software, and developing the brand values. Just two years later the company is running successfully – a call centre has been set up and they have become a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Frank, however, has “itchy” feet and is getting weary of the complexities of the telecom industry. He is tempted by a new product development venture proposed by a fellow doctor friend in the US, Bill.
1) From an entrepreneurship viewpoint, this case series emphasizes the value of focusing on a specific user?s need (e.g. mobile communication for elderly people; transitioning of breast feeding to bottle in babies). It shows the value of focusing on a niche market to develop an innovative solution. It demonstrates the many advantages to starting small and growing one step at a time by creating value in novel ways for a specific market segment. 2) From a product development process viewpoint, these cases helps students understand the challenge of evaluating and selecting product concepts - a critical stage in the concept development phase.
- brand values
- telecoms
- niche markets
- product design and development
- innovative design
- start up
- RD0311
- AR2011
- AR1011