Writing a report on E-Business Models

Developing a ‘Direct to Consumer’ Strategy for ex. Proctor and Gamble Proctor and Gamble (P&G) intend to use E-Business to go directly to their market (Direct to Consumer – DtC) and potentially bypass the main distribution channels that they utilize currently (e.g. the supermarkets). Produce a report detailing a proposal for this strategic proposition. There will be 3 main parts to this report aimed at a mixed technical and business audience justifying and explaining your solution. The first 2 parts will require you to examine the literature (especially the academic and case literature) to develop the general principles for your solution. The final part will detail your solution based on that analysis. Part 1 Analyse the academic literature surrounding e-business approaches of accessing a market – approx. 500 words Identify the weaknesses/threats associated with the ‘Direct to Consumer’ strategy. This should be based upon a discussion from within the academic/case literature and an analysis of P&G. Part 2 Analyse various case studies on accessing consumers through e-Business – approx. 750 words Identify and analyze a variety of case studies that address the weaknesses/threats identified in Part 1. Develop a set of guiding general principles from these case studies that will underpin your solution. Part 3 The Business Plan for Your Solution – approx. 1250 words Describe solution for the ‘Direct to Consumer’ strategy based on the general principles developed in Part 2. This business plan will detail: • The Business Concept o Discuss the basics of your solution showing how it will address the issues discussed in the first two parts. • Product/Service Description. You will need to know the P&G product offerings and decide which will be provided through your solution and how the solution will do this. Consider the implications for: o Operations, o Accounting and Finance, o Human Resources, o And any other function of the business that may be impacted by this proposal. • Market. For this section, you will need to make use of the market databases (e.g. Mintel) available through the library. o What is the target market for your proposal? Why this market? o Where is the competition for your proposal coming from? o What are the Competitive Advantages? o What are the Barriers to Entry? o And any other market-related aspects of your proposal. This structure allows you to build a strong line of reasoning around your proposal. You will be highlighting the kinds of problems that such a strategic direction may involve. You will provide a framework (the principles) that would address these problems. Finally, you will detail a solution that fits this framework that you have derived. All of the sections are, therefore, linked to demonstrate a coherent line of thought and reasoning stretching through various strategic layers. An effective proposition will demonstrate clarity and rigor of thought alongside good alignment to P&G. There should be between 12 and 20 references. The writing is Harvard style.