Case Write-Up | Nivea

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Read and prep Nivea (A) case for Week 10 for discussion in class in Week 11. This is in your Harvard course pack

  • Submit your case write-up by March 23
  • Do not make a cover page and do add page numbers down at the bottom, centered
  • Use the 5 pages allocated or your grade on this assignment will be negatively impacted
  • Include your three minute pitch as a one-two page appendix following your five page case analysis. Any case write-up without the appendix with the three minute pitch will result in a failing grade

CASE: Nivea (A) HBP No.9-614-02
Corporate Entrepreneurship and the Role of the Intrapreneur

Nivea (A)

The case studies the efforts of Dr. Stefan Biel, a scientist within Beiersdorfs research and development organization, to get approval for a product based on a user need, armpit staining, that he personally experiences and that he believes to be common, which so far has not been prioritized by the marketing research team. After failure to gain traction for his idea thorough Niveas typical product development process, Biel uses his own methods to prove that armpit staining on white clothing is a common need of enough importance to users to have commercial impact. The case provides a great opportunity to discuss innovation processes in companies. Traditionally, companies isolate the process of need identification (which involves outreach to users) from the process of finding solutions (which is done in-house by researchers and engineers). Please consider the following:

  1. What differentiates Biels approach from traditional market research?
  2. What are your biggest concerns about Biels approach?
  3. How can internet-based research be integrated into traditional product development?
  4. Please prepare a three minute pitch that Dr. Biel would make to his colleagues about the merits of his project and his belief that Nivea should invest in developing an anti-staining deodorant. Please make sure you include evidence to support your pitch and anticipate potential concerns his colleagues may have

I also left an example of what the paper should look like (TelePizza)