New Business Model Operations Analysis
In this option, you will develop a business plan for the launch of a WWW-based company. The e-Service that you plan to offer, and the target market, are totally at the discretion of your team. However, the planned company must use the WWW (or another digital channel) to carry out a significant aspect of its business (i.e., WWW-based digital content must be one of the "core" attributes of the "service-product").

The objective of this assignment is to create a "Service Blueprint" that concentrates on the operational elements of a WWW-based e-Service. While most classes would have you concentrate on mapping out the Business Model, Marketing Strategy, and Financials (based on the objective of obtaining VC funding, quick growth, and IPOing), I want you to concentrate on Business Model, Marketing Strategy/Technology, and their relationship to Operations/Supply Chain (based on the premise of building e-Service operations that create value for the ongoing [internal or external] customer relationship, and maintaining a high level of service quality).

The level of detail in your description and architecture of the new company should be appropriate for understanding the steps that will be required to build and operate the company.

A skeleton for a business plan might be as follows (but your paper need not include all of the following topics):

I. Executive Summary
I.A. Description of the Business Concept and the Company
I.B. Overview of the Opportunity and the Business Strategy
I.C. Target Market and Projections
I.D. Competitive Advantages
I.E. Financial Highlights

II. Business Concept and Strategy
II.A. The Company
II.A.1 The Company's Product
II.A.2 The Business/Revenue Model
II.B. Industry and Competitive Environment
II.C. Entry and Growth Strategy

III. Market Research: Competitive Analysis
III.A. Target Customer Classes
III.B. Total Expected Market Size and Market Trends
III.C. Existing Competition and Their Market Share
III.D. Company's Competitive Advantage and Strategy for Differentiation
III.E.  Estimated Market Share Target

Note: I am not greatly concerned about this section being thought out in elaborate detail (unless it would be helpful), except that you should make sure to identify issues that have implications for the e-Service operations. For example, several distinct customer classes can affect some of {e-Service Service-Product; Envisioned Service-Process, Capacity Management, etc.}.

IV. Marketing Research: Implementation Plan
IV.A. Marketing Strategy and Product Positioning
IV.B. Initial Pricing and Sales Tactics
IV.C. Advertising and Promotion
IV.C.1. Digital Channel Relationships
IV.C.2. Physical Channel Relationships
IV.D. Online Marketing Research Approach & e-Service Marketing Technology

Note: I am not greatly concerned about this section being thought out in elaborate detail (unless you feel it would be helpful), except that you should identify issues that have implications for the e-Service operations. For example, pricing strategy and sales tactics affect demand, which affect some of {Envisioned Service-Process,  Capacity Management, etc.}. Service-Product may be interrelated with Channel Relationships. Also, Marketing Research can affect the e-Service Service-Process.

V. e-Service Operations Management
V.A. e-Service Service-Product
V.B.1. e-Service Value Proposition for the Customer
V.B.2. e-Service Quality Measurement and Management
V.B.3. Relevant Regulatory and Legal Issues
V.C. e-Service Design & Ongoing Re-Design Strategy
V.D. Envisioned Service-Process
V.D.1. Process Technology Configurations
V.D.1.a. Facility Requirements
V.D.1.b. Staffing Requirements
V.D.2. Necessary Process Flexibility Areas
V.D.3. Capacity Management Approach: Online Service Process
V.D.4. Inventory Management Strategy and Technology
V.E. Supply Chain Management
V.E.1. Digital Supply Chain [Third Party Services and/or Alliances]
V.E.2. Physical Supply Chain
V.E.3. Geographic Location(s)

VI. Management Team
VI. Description of the Management Team (i.e., your team members)

VII. Financial Overview
VII.A. Start-Up Costs and Anticipated Sources of Funding
VII.B. Profit and Growth Potential
VII.C. First Year Summary of Expenses/Revenues, Three Year Revenue Projection, Breakeven Analysis

Note: I am not greatly concerned about this section being thought out in elaborate detail (unless you feel it would be helpful), except that this section should summarize the costs of the service operation in some detail.

Advanced Technology Oriented e-Service Operations Analysis
In this option, you can choose a specify type of electronic service, and concentrate solely on the e-Service operations issues inherent to that type of service. This should allow your team to delve into the complex technology issues of these services, and you should feel free to go as deep into the technology issues as you feel are necessary.  For example, you might consider (i) a consumer-oriented peer-to-peer component-based e-Service, (ii) a "software-as-services" service, (iii) a supply-chain service based on "machine-to-machine" transactions to coordinate the supply chain, (iv) an inventory-oriented e-Service that interfaces the real-time inventory counts to the "service-product" presented to the consumer, and so on.

The outcome of this exercise documented in your paper should be along the lines of a "Service Blueprint" or an "Architecture" of the e-Service. Feel free to include pictorial diagrams to describe the e-Service you have designed. Because a lot of the underlying technology in this area is now just emerging, it will be understandable if some of the components of such an e-Service are represented as "black-boxes" in your report.

A skeleton for this analysis might be as follows:

I. Executive Summary
I.A. Description of the e-Service Concept and the Company
I.B. Overview of the Opportunity
I.C. Target Market and Projections
I.D. Competitive Advantages

II. Operations Management
II.A. e-Service Service-Product
II.B.1. e-Service Value Proposition for the Customer/End-User/Alliance Partner/etc.
II.B.2. e-Service Quality Measurement and Management
II.B.3. Relevant Regulatory and Legal Issues
II.C. e-Service Design & Ongoing Re-Design Strategy
II.D. Envisioned Service-Process
II.D.1. Process Technology Configurations
II.D.1.a. Facility Requirements
II.D.1.b. Staffing Requirements
II.D.2. Process Flexibility Aims
II.D.3. Capacity Management Approach: Online Service Process
II.D.4. Inventory Management Strategy and Technology
II.E. Supply Chain Management
II.E.1. Digital Supply Chain [Third Party Services and/or Alliances]
II.E.2. Physical Supply Chain
II.E.3. Geographic Location(s)