Read Two Case Studies Harvard Case Solution & Analysis

Part C: P&G’s Connect & Development Program Versus Open Innovation Methods (350 words)

a.       Connect and Development Program: Open Innovation Methods

The open innovation method is about accumulating or outsourcing expertise from outside the organization. This helps the company in generating novel ideas to improve on an issue rather than relying on the old sold obsolete ways of problem solving. The ideas stay fresh and market oriented to solve an existing problem with the help of co-creation/ crowdsourcing/ open innovation. The company can expand their technology without any need to inject money excessively in the R&D that takes time and works on the wait and see approach. Moreover, it involves people from every segment of consumers to experts, which help the company see the issue and the proposed solution from every perspective. (Prahalad, 2000, 14)

Connect and Develop is P&G’s open innovation edition, which has helped the company in tapping intellects outside the organization to speed up the internal processes.

        i.            Earlier Sources to Generate Ideas:

1. Reliance on internal capabilities and intellects that stagnated innovation.
2. Developed fewer products with fewer success rates in the market.
3. Weak networking with compelling external partner.
4. P&G’s intellect and technology usage were restricted to manufacture its own products and wasn’t licensed to other companies.
5. The ideas are diverse in nature and work in two dimensions: inbound and outbound alike.
6. Helped in bolstering the earlier stagnant growth
7. Helped the company in realizing growth opportunities and market gaps to be filled
8. Helped the company in developing products first which then becomes a consumer’s need.

ii.            Later, after Connect & Develop was adopted:

iii.            CRUX:

The world is going global and so are the businesses. Therefore, success lies at the heart of diversity. Diversity in opinion helps the organization look every nook of the problem and solve it in an efficient manner. Furthermore, it helps in identifying gaps in the market place that can be filled by a new product offering (Payne, 2008, 83). As the connect and develop program is not restricted to expert opinion only, but also helps in voicing consumer concerns too, the companies like P&G can assess market trends too. In essence open innovation at P&G is portrayed by the implementation of a Connect & Develop Program and which had helped the organization in:

1. Enables innovation in areas where P&G lacks extended reach.
2. Ample of ideas to choose from and move forward to implementation phase.
3. Helps transform competitors into collaborators.
4. Helps faster monetization of the value that R&D takes years to monetize. (Payne, 2008, 83).

Part D: P&G’s Approach to Customer Research versus Voice of the Customer (350 words)

a.       P&G’s use of Customer Research in Developing Markets

P&G’s efforts to gain consumer insights helped it furnish its product offering, according to the demands of the consumers in a particular region. It has succeeded in offering customized product formulations for the developing markets. Furthermore, it helped the company in the rational allocation of resources through the consumer research by making six lessons crucial to the success. The two examples discussed in the case where the company has conducted consumer research are discussed below:

1.      Gillette Guard Razor in India:

The strategic intent behind the research was to develop a cheap and effective razor that uses less water. This idea clinged when the observers of the customer research sought the rural areas where men used to shave outdoor without water and don’t have to shave every day. Therefore, the single razor blade with minimal stubble was developed and accepted by a margin of 6 to1 by consumers who earlier used doubled edged razors. Given the affordabilbity and breakthrough price the product paved its way to grow rapidly in the target market.

2.      Transition from Cloth to Disposable Diapers

Market research on disposable diapers showed that babies who wore disposable diapers slept 30% faster and longer versus babies in cloth diaper.   This insight helped in developing an emotional advertisement campaign targeting mothers, which communicated the research findings concisely. Due to this, Pampers become one of the preferred disposable diaper brand.

b.      P&G’s Approach to Customer Research versus Voice of the Customer

The voice of the consumer is a market research tool that helps tap consumer preferences at present. Moreover, it also helps in organizing the needs and aversions in a hierarchal order, depending on the intensity and relative satisfaction each reveals, when mixed and used as hybrid to current alternatives (Freed, 2008, 9). It is both quantitative and qualitative in nature, and requires the new product development to show ownership and full engagement in the process without manipulating results. They include, in-depth interviews, observation techniques, focus groups, ethnographic techniques, etc. (Morrison, 2010, 8............................

This is just a sample partial case solution. Please place the order on the website to order your own originally done case solution.

Related Case Solutions & Analyses:

J. C. Penney: Reinventing Fair and Square Deals B Steven Carpenter at Cake Financial The Wright Brothers and Their Flying Machines Joe Smiths Closing Analysis (A) Performance Pay at Safelite Auto Glass (B) Kinder Morgan Incorporation Banco Espírito Santo Braddock Industries Inc. Midwest Regional Hospital West Paw Design: B Corp Certification And Growth