1) Briefly introduce your company (GOOGLE) and what it does. Any historical information should be succinct. The overview should not exceed half a page double-spaced.
2) Discuss whether the company (GOOGLE) operates as one or multiple business segments, list any business segments, and explain which business segment will be the focus of your paper (see below). Cite your source.
○ If your company operates as one segment, state so (with a citation). If your company operates as multiple business segments like most large and global companies (e.g., Amazon, Apple, GE, Tencent, Disney, Alphabet, Microsoft, McDonalds, Inditex …), it is important that you just focus on only one business segment for this assignment. Almost any sizable company has more than one business segment. The business model canvas and revenue models are business-level, not corporate-level, frameworks.
○ You can usually find information regarding the company’s business segments in their Annual Report, Reuters.com, or in high-quality business sources and you can just start by Googling (Company name AND “business segments”). If you find the Annual Report, you can usually just search for the word “segment” (Ctrl + F) and it will bring you to the right section. You can also look at the income statement (also called profit/loss or operation statement) and see if they report their revenues altogether or for separate business segments.
○ Please note, business segments are NOT the same as market segments.
○ Examples (information found in Annual Reports):
■ Chipotle: “We manage our operations based on eight regions and have aggregated our operations to one reportable segment.”
■ J&J: “The Company is organized into three business segments: Consumer Health, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices.”
■ Facebook: “Our chief operating decision-maker is our Chief Executive Officer who makes resource allocation decisions and assesses performance based on financial information presented on a consolidated basis. There are no segment managers who are held accountable by the chief operating decision-maker, or anyone else, for operations, operating results, and planning for levels or components below the consolidated unit level. Accordingly, we have determined that we have a single reportable segment and operating segment structure.”
Overview
1) Briefly introduce your company and what it does. Any historical information should be succinct. The overview should not exceed half a page double-spaced.
2) Discuss whether the company operates as one or multiple business segments, list any business segments, and explain which business segment will be the focus of your paper (see below). Cite your source.
○ If your company operates as one segment, state so (with a citation). If your company operates as multiple business segments like most large and global companies (e.g., Amazon, Apple, GE, Tencent, Disney, Alphabet, Microsoft, McDonalds, Inditex …), it is important that you just focus on only one business segment for this assignment. Almost any sizable company has more than one business segment. The business model canvas and revenue models are business-level, not corporate-level, frameworks.
○ You can usually find information regarding the company’s business segments in their Annual Report, Reuters.com, or in high-quality business sources and you can just start by Googling (Company name AND “business segments”). If you find the Annual Report, you can usually just search for the word “segment” (Ctrl + F) and it will bring you to the right section. You can also look at the income statement (also called profit/loss or operation statement) and see if they report their revenues altogether or for separate business segments.
○ Please note, business segments are NOT the same as market segments.
○ Examples (information found in Annual Reports):
■ Chipotle: “We manage our operations based on eight regions and have aggregated our operations to one reportable segment.”
■ J&J: “The Company is organized into three business segments: Consumer Health, Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices.”
■ Facebook: “Our chief operating decision-maker is our Chief Executive Officer who makes resource allocation decisions and assesses performance based on financial information presented on a consolidated basis. There are no segment managers who are held accountable by the chief operating decision-maker, or anyone else, for operations, operating results, and planning for levels or components below the consolidated unit level. Accordingly, we have determined that we have a single reportable segment and operating segment structure.”
Example for paper write-up:
○ General Electric (GE) operates in five business segments, namely Power, Renewable Energy, Aviation, Healthcare, and Capital. In this paper, I will focus on the Aviation segment, which provides jet engines & turboprops for commercial airframes, maintenance, component repair, and overhaul services, as well as replacement parts, additive machines & materials, and engineering services (CNN Business, 2020).
BIBLIOGRAPHY (this would appear at the end of your document).
CNN Business. (2020). GE – General Electric Co Company Profile. Retrieved on 10/23/2020 from https://money.cnn.com/quote/profile/profile.html?symb=GE.
● Review the “Revenue Models Lecture and Materials” section in the “Module: Paper and Presentation” IN ATTACHMETNS
○ Which revenue model(s) does your company currently use? Discuss.
○ If your company uses more than three revenue models, consider using a table that you can refer to in the text.
Revenue Model Recommendation
● Come up with one creative idea for your firm to use a different revenue model.
○ If your company is currently selling a product, selling another product is NOT a new revenue model (they both belong under the product sales revenue model).
● Discuss how your new idea is different from the current revenue model(s) and how it will help your company.
● Do not say: “My company already uses all appropriate revenue models.” If you do not provide a recommendation, you will not earn credit.
● Add your new revenue model under the revenue streams section of the BMC in blue.
● Please note that oftentimes students will add the ad-based revenue model as a cost factor instead of a revenue stream. Increasing advertising to increase revenues in existing models is a cost, not a new revenue stream.
Business Model Canvas
● Review the “Business Models and Business Model Canvas Lecture and Materials” section in the “Module: Paper and Presentation” on Blackboard.
● Complete a Business Model Canvas (BMC) for your company and include it as a Figure.
● An editable Business Model Canvas Template at the end of this document.
● Single space the BMC.
● Acknowledge your sources
Business Model Narrative
● Describe your company’s business model by walking the reader through it in a logical fashion and make sure to make reference to the Figure you developed.
● While the Business Model Canvas Figure should have all 9 elements completed, in your narrative you should focus on 3-4 areas that are critical to the company or set it apart from competitors.
● Do not waste valuable space explaining the Business Model Canvas elements. Focus on application only.
Business Model Recommendation
● Choose an element of the business model canvas that may need improvement (identify a weakness)
● Why does it need improvement
● Suggest a change to address the weakness.
● Provide reasoning behind why this would be an improvement
● This needs to be a different idea than the new revenue model idea!
● Add your recommendation where appropriate in the BMC in blue.
Conclusion
Summarize your main ideas and how they can be beneficial to the company you are analyzing.
References/Bibliography
A list of your cited sources. Make sure you cite your sources in your text, so it is clear which content can be attributed to which source.
