Case - General Electric launches a new LIS product line
Using their annual reports and/or 10k filings (www.annualreports.com, EDGAR at https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), the technology press, the business press (mostly archives of the WSJ, Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, etc.), company web sites, and whatever else you find useful report on the following.
1. Very briefly describe the business model of GE (mainly revenue stream and cost structure) and the market environment it operates in.
2. You are the new CMO of GE. Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, has just walked into your office and said, "We are introducing a new line of Load Interrupter Switches (LIS) with improved arc-flash suppression. ( https://www.geindustrial.com/products/switches-disconnects/breakmaster-v-medium-voltage-lis-secovac-breaker). I want you to examine this marketplace and tell us what our marketing efforts should focus on."
He walks out and you start wondering about the viability of this product. Using the marketing concepts discussed in class, build a case in support of either introducing or not introducing this product. Regardless of which position you chose, you must build a compelling case.
You may wish to indicate: what key marketing questions you need to consider to build your case, what type of data would you need in support of your case, and how would you collect and analyze the data.
Make sure your case follows a rational process.
3. At a meeting the next month you lay out your marketing plan to Jeffrey Immelt and the management team. They approve and task you with creating a set of metrics to keep track of the product line over time. Suggest a set of metrics from the Farris book to accomplish this and explain why this is a complete and well-chosen set.