...Kylie Lewis 4/9/14 Block 3 Segways: Terror Causing Torture Devices Treasured recollections with your best friend scrapbook themselves as terror-and-pain-free moments. Well, they should anyway, but with my best friend Alexis’s and my aptitude for disaster, my most memorable memories with her elicit injury-and-terror-filled life- flashing-before-my-eyes-moments. Thanks to our never-failing clumsiness, the four day trip I took with her and her eccentric family to St. Louis last fall break included slips down staircases, tumbles into rooftop ponds, and an accidental masterpiece resulting from a dropped pumpkin. Despite all of these unfortunate accidents, one escapade trumped all of them: The Great Segway Fiasco. Eerie, early morning fog shrouded our car on the morning it all began as we drove down the St. Louis streets toward the Segway rental place; Alexis’s mom had signed us up for a Segway tour. As we arrived at the Segway place, the tour leader presented us with a very clear set of rules. “Now, since your age of 12 doesn’t reach our city-street age requirement of 16, we’ll be taking you guys in the woods today. This means that the path will be considerably thinner, so you need to ride single file. If your tires bump against anyone else’s, you guys will crash. Remember, Segways are designed to continue moving along even after you get off of them, so make sure to lean your Segway against a tree or rock when you step off.” He barked loudly. After a century of learning how...
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...The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation device that consists primarily of a set of tall handlebars on top of two disc-like wheels. There are no chains or visible mechanical workings. Riders lean forward to move forward and back to move backward. Turning is done mechanically via hand controls. The device is driven by a quiet, nonpolluting electric motor and can travel up to 10 miles per hour. The name "Segway PT" stands for "Segway Personal Transporter. " The Segway was built in secrecy and was unveiled on December 3, 2001 , on the ABC program Good Morning America. The initial reaction to the Segway PT was enthusiastic. Venture capitalist John Doerr predicted that it would be as important as the Internet. Apple's Steve Jobs predicted that cities would be built around it. To cope with the expected demand for the product, Segway's factory in Bedford, New Hampshire, was designed to build up to 40,000 units per month. Initial sales were targeted at between 10,000 and 50,000 units during the first 12 months. But, after 21 months, only 6,000 units had sold. What went wrong? Feasibility Analysis While the Segway was a technological marvel, in retrospect there were fundamental flaws in both its product feasibility analysis and its market feasibility analysis. When reviewing Segway's prelaunch and postlaunch behavior, one has to wonder how so many critical issues seemingly weren't analyzed or were missed. It provides lessons for future entrepreneurs to be more...
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...In December 2001, Dean Kamen of Segway LLC unveiled the Human Transporter HT. With lofty ideas of replacing the automobile and unrealized sales forecasts, Kamen's Segway HT has not moved mankind nearly as much as Kamen had expected. With an annual CEO change since start-up, it is apparent that Segway's lack of a stated vision and mission is haunting the organization. The lack of "a way ahead", coupled with a less than well-defined marketing strategy, has caused Segway to fall short of Kamen's expectations. Kamen, while a definite asset to Segway, could be a detour or even a dead end on the company's road to success. Historically, Kamen's successes have been based on his abilities to be innovative in research and design, while at the same time being able to pass the developed product off to a partnering company that is able to take the product to market. Kamen's emotional attachment to Segway is preventing its success. As if these problems were not enough, combined with the fact that there was no pent up demand for such a product, Segway's future success will be dependent on an organizational make-over. Segway Value Chain In order to highlight Segway's situation, I have broken down their value chain into two simple classes. Firstly I will focus on "what is working" and secondly on "what is not working" for Segway. What is working Technology: Segway uses their patented design to produce a socially responsible (green product), environmentally friendly mode of transportation...
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...Paul Baptista Critique 2 New Product Planning SEGWAY In this critique I will be analyzing the product failure of the Segway PT a two wheeled (Personal Transportation) device that is battery powered that utilizes self-balancing technology. It is propelled by simply standing on the device and pitching your weight forward or backwards. The technology in the base of the Segway utilized motors and sensors to adapt to the angle or pitch the rider commanded and set forth the speed and direction, turning the Segway worked in the same manner by leaning with the handle bars to turn left or right which changed the speed of the wheels to turn in either direction. Segway was considered to be a game changing innovation in the way the regular person would get around, endorsed by big names like “Steve Jobs” from Apple and “Jeff Bezos” from Amazon, Segway seemed to be the new thing with a Blue Ocean approach in personal transportation market . In this critique I will be elaborating on the missteps taken by Segway’s entry to new transportation market facing regulatory transportation barriers, followed by the shortcomings with the quality of the product, and why the Segway failed to appeal to the market, lastly some suggested improvements. Barriers to Entry Segway had a plan to develop and change the way people moved around from point A to point B by creating a device that would be environmentally friendly and economically useful for everyday use. The problem the firm faced was once introduced...
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... First Semester 2015 – 2016 What Segway Learned About the Value of Feasibility Analysis the Hard Way Web:www.segway.com Introduction The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation device that consists primarily of a set of tall handlebars on top of two disc-like wheels. There are no chains or visible mechanical workings. Riders lean forward to move forward and back to move backward. Turning is done mechanically via hand controls. The device is driven by a quiet, nonpolluting electric motor and can travel up to 10 miles per hour. The name "Segway PT" stands for "Segway Personal Transporter. " The Segway was built in secrecy and was unveiled on December 3, 2001 , on the ABC program Good Morning America. [pic] [pic] The initial reaction to the Segway PT was enthusiastic. Venture capitalist John Doerr predicted that it would be as important as the Internet. Apple's Steve Jobs predicted that cities would be built around it. To cope with the expected demand for the product, Segway's factory in Bedford, New Hampshire, was designed to build up to 40,000 units per month. Initial sales were targeted at between 10,000 and 50,000 units during the first 12 months. But, after 21 months, only 6,000 units had sold. What went wrong? Feasibility Analysis While the Segway was a technological marvel, in retrospect there were fundamental flaws in both its product feasibility analysis...
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...The segway What has changed witht the invention of the segway? Steve Jobs said it would be bigger than the PC. Today, it used everyday with police departments, security companies, and golf courses. But the segway didnt revolutionize these departments. The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle. It was marketed as a balance-sensitive machine that could transport a human at about 13 m.p.h. and last for a day on only 5 cents-worth of electricity. This brought the glamour of the segway, but it do anything new for these departments. People believed we needed it as a faster way to travel around in pedestrian areas, where vehicles were not allowed. This was the first of its kind, and did not replace a product, simply creating its own market. Invented by Dean Kamen, it is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire, USA. This is a new technology, but merely an improvement in transportation. There were a couple problems with why the segway did not revolutionize transportation. Since Segways could go up to 13 m.p.h., they were not allowed on most sidewalks. However, they also went too slow for many roads, leaving customers unsure of where to ride them. Plus, the $4,950 debut price put the machines far out of budget for the average consumer. With such a high price, it could not become an item that everyone had, and why would you spend so much on an item you were unsure of where to ride it. There was also the problem of injury. In 2003, Segway...
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...Ayakoz Assemova (20120382) Anastassiya Mun (20120226) Artur Guk (20111760) Anuar Gabdulkhair (20120789) Marzhan Zhenissova (20123497) Serikzhan Sadakbayev (20131206) Feasibility Analysis – Segway [pic] Q1. Why do you think Dean Kamen and his team didn’t do a better job of anticipating the problems that beset the Segway? Feasibility analysis is the preliminary evaluation of a business idea, conducted for the purpose of determining whether the idea is worth pursuing. Dean Kamen and his team didn’t do a better job of anticipating the problems that beset the Segway because: • They did not do the market research before they sell this product. Thus, only based on the technological success and innovation, they overestimated the sale for the product – problem of PART 2 – A) INDUSTRY ATTRACTIVENESS. • Rather than identifying niche markets to penetrate and build from, the company saw its product as a solution in all markets – problem of PART 2 – B) TARGET MARKET ATTRACTIVENESS. Solutions of how Segway would do a Better Job of anticipating the Problems that beset the Segway: • Avoid overhyping: When the super-secret project got big corporate names like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos to sign off, the hype machine went into overdrive. The inventors' secrecy, the prominence of the endorsements, and the beyond-bold claims that this new product—whatever it was—would revolutionize our lives of course combined to skyrocket expectations into the stratosphere...
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...COPONENT 1: CONSUMER RESEARCH & TARGET MARKET Primary | Tours of downtown for men and women (ages 13-35), families and couples | Secondary | Option to purchase the product (mini Segway boards) | Untapped | Adventurous tours to places tourists don’t usually go to (parts of downtown that more known to locals)Parts of the city that are more private or not exposed to the common tourist | CONSUMER DEMOGRAPHICS | PSYCOGAPHICS: VALUES, BELIEVES & CULTURE | Male & female | Need for speed and adventure | Ages 13 - 35 | Looking for a fun way to tour the city in a small amount of time | Open for all races | | No need for a specific level of education | | Open for anybody from any occupation | | Income $35K+ | | The consumer must weigh under 220 lbs. | | COMPONENT 2: MARKETING MIX Product & Package | Core Product & appearance | Value added | We give the opportunity to tourists and locals to tour downtown San Diego on a mini Segway boards with the option to purchase the board.It’s a two-wheel board which moves backward and forward, powered by electricity stored in a lithium battery, very similar to a skateboard. The board is about 25 inches long and it weighs about 22 pounds, speeds up in average 8 mph. Its moved by subtle pressure from ones’ feet and body. The board responds accordingly as you shift your balance on the board, rolling forward and backward as you lean in the desired direction.We add value to the board by using...
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...displays sales capability. The study will show conclusive evidence of appeal to retailers. * Market Research steps Marketing Research Steps: 1. Establish the need for marketing research: * Determine whether or not the displays are capable of increasing sales. * Determine if the displays will be appealing for retailers as well as consumers 2. Define the research problem: * Conduct the required research to determine the sales capability of the displays * Microsoft needs to assess the amount of appeal the displays provide for consumers * Microsoft needs to assess the amount of appeal the displays provide for retailers 3. Establish research objectives: * Determine who would purchase a Segway and what they would pay for a Segway from regular consumers, workers, and industrial venues through various forms of media. These forms of media include telephone interviews, email, and direct response questionnaires. 4. Determine the research design: Descriptive * Identify which retailers find the display appealing * Among the identified retailers select locations to test run the displays. * Use selected products for the displays to determine sales volume of products with displays compared to those without displays * Identify sample of 500 potential industrial venues (Ex. Distribution center). 5. Identify information types and sources: * Primary data * Data is collected specifically for problems being evaluated 6. Determine...
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...Jenkins trying to distract Bill Brasky? Because she had snuck out from Bill Brasky's with the iPad only two days prior. It was a enchanting little iPad... how could she resist? It didn't take long before Bill Brasky got back to the subject at hand: his iPad. Leroy Jenkins sneezed. Relunctantly, Leroy Jenkins invited him over, assuring him they'd find the iPad. Bill Brasky grabbed his hippopotamus and disembarked immediately. After hanging up the phone, Leroy Jenkins realized that she was in trouble. She had to find a place to hide the iPad and she had to do it fearlessly. She figured that if Bill Brasky took the nappy, busted-out hatchback, she had take at least eight minutes before Bill Brasky would get there. But if he took the Segway? Then Leroy Jenkins would be exceedingly screwed. Before she could come up with any reasonable ideas, Leroy Jenkins was...
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...A cruise-ship passenger gets robbed at gunpoint by thugs in the Bahamas, raising the important question, How safe are you while on vacation? Offending Party: Bahamian criminals What's at Stake: a few hundred dollars The Complaint: As reader Carly Milne found out, nothing can ruin a holiday faster than armed robbery. (Though dysentery and street mimes run pretty close behind.) Last November, Milne says, she and 17 other Bahamas cruise-ship passengers were accosted by gun-toting criminals during two separate onshore excursions in Nassau. The passengers, who were traveling aboard Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line ships, were all scooting around the island on Segways (on ship-sponsored tours) when they were robbed of their money, passports and cell phones. Milne reported the incident to the police and later contacted the Avenger, hoping to get the word out about the rising crime rate in a popular stop for American tourists. The Outcome: None of the passengers were injured, and all were compensated by the cruise lines. But it seems they are not alone in being victimized in the Bahamas. The national crime rate has been rising there in recent years, alarming the government and its tourist board. The Bahamian murder rate hit record highs during two of the past three years, and the country's crime rate appears to be ascending in 2010. Crime was up 17% in the first quarter of this year, with an 18% jump in armed robberies (to 224, up from 190 in the same period in 2008)...
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...convertibles. Starting in a little shop in downtown Lisbon, the fouders quickly realized the GoCar to be a lucrative venture, recording first-quarter profit beyond their wildest dreams. However, the nature of the tourism industry quickly became apparent when nearing wintertime, as profits shrunk month by month, eventually to below the break-even point. At this point the founders reasoned that they had to either change their operations to ensure their survival, or face the inevitable end to their newly found business. Needless to say, they did everything in their power to revive the diminishing cashflows during the low-season. The answer was to partner up with a similarly innovative sightseeing company already operational in Lisbon, called Lisbon by Segway. Both companies keeping their own brands, but...
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...Marketing Research Project Types and Examples 1. Satisfaction Studies: Obtain measures of satisfaction for different attributes of products and services, and relate this to customer type or segment, experience, demographics etc. Data/Methodology: Satisfaction studies typically require a mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches. At an early stage, qualitative research techniques such as focus groups or one-on-one customer interviews might reveal unexpected dimensions of customer dissatisfaction. Usually customer satisfaction measures and information on customer type are collected by use of a survey. A satisfaction survey frequently includes items dealing with importance and performance of various attributes, and some information on customer type (heavy/light user, experience and other segmentation variables). In addition to simple tabulation, analysis could include cross-tab and regression analysis to understand predictors of satisfaction. Are all segments equally satisfied? Why/why not? Is performance adequate on the most important attributes? Why/why not? EXAMPLE PROJECT: Research Purpose: Find areas of improvement in the order experience for an online retailer selling specialty dog chew-toys. Research Objectives: Using a sample of current customers, measure importance of key dimensions of the purchase experience, and current performance along these dimensions and relate these to purchase frequency, customer type and demographics. Possible Recommendations: Redesign the...
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...Cannock Chase, first of all the Birches Valley Forest Centre is an excellent starting point for an exhilarating day out on Cannock Chase. Cannock chase has the best bike trails in the Midlands, and the best woodland walks to have an adventurous experience and Go Ape. Visitor Centres in Cannock Chase http://www.visitcannockchase.co.uk/Do.htm Birches Valley Forest Centre Birches Valley Forest Centre is an exciting starting point in Cannock Chase. It consists of the best bike trails in the Midlands and a woodland adventure play and Go Ape. The activities includes he Route to Health Sculpture Trail, tourists will be allowed to follow the Dog and the Monkey bike trails, the adventure play area, Go Ape tree top adventure course and Forest Segway Experience. Birches Valley Forest Centre is also home to Birches Valley Café and...
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...Twheel Marketing Plan Juan Carlos Vargas March 30, 2011 Keller Graduate School of Management MM522 Marketing Management Zach Yabs 1.0 Executive Summary The Twheel is an innovation on the pneumatic tire that uses an internal structure of spokes instead of air pressure to hold a tire together. The Twheel will provide value to customers via increases in performance, safety, and durability, as well as decreasing maintenance times, and environmental and personal costs. There are issues to contend with such excessive vibration and safety concerns that must be corrected. The Twheel will be introduced to the U.S. market in a three phase roll-out. The Twheel will gain acceptance in the market through an initial deployment into auto-racing, which will showcase the effectiveness of technology to the masses. Coinciding with the auto-racing deployment will be heavy advertising and promotions budgets, as well as celebrity endorsements that will establish the brand image. The roll-out will then proceed to the luxury car segment at premium pricing, and then conclude with mass retailers and most car manufacturers at reduced prices. The time frame of the initial roll-out will be approximately 5 years. Future targets will include military, construction, and specialty personal transportation vehicles. 2.0 Situational Analysis 2.1 Market Summary The tire industry is well developed, yet the emerging Twheel will have its own industry...
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