Customer involvement in lean startup principles: case of game development studio

The objective of this thesis is to better understand customer’s role in lean startup methodology. The aim is to find out how customers are involved in lean startup methodology implantation and increase the likelihood of new venture survival. This study emphasizes the usage of customers in shaping of new product development processes within companies, through iteration and constant communication. This communication facilitates the development of features that are requested by the customers and enhances the prospects of the new venture. The empirical part of the study is a single qualitative case study that uses action research to implement the lean startup methodology into a pre-revenue venture and examines its customer involvement processes. The studied case company is Karaoke d.o.o., developing a game called kParty. The study used the theory discussed in the literature review: customer involvement (in the survey and interviews conducted for the lean startup methodology), lean principles (through the implementation of lean startup methodology) and lean startup methodology, which are the central building parts of this thesis as a whole. The thesis contributes to the understanding of customer involvement in lean startup methodology, while giving practical implications of customer orientation and product market fitting.

An exploration of the lean startup approach among brazilian digital startups

Demais startups abortam por lançar produtos que ninguém compra e o uso de metodologiais tradicionais como o planejamento de negócios e o desenvolvimento rigoroso de produto não conseguiram diminuir o número de falhas de startups. É por isso que uma nova metodologia chamada "The Lean Startup" ganhou, por alguns anos, uma popularidade importante entre os empresários que buscam reduzir o risco de fracasso. A metodologia Lean Startup foi desenvolvida por empresários do Vale do Silício para ajudar startups encontrar o “product/market fit” sem gastar uma enorme quantidade de dinheiro. Além disso, o ambiente de startup brasileira foi crescendo nos últimos anos, na sequência dos últimos sucessos brasileiros. No entanto, poucas pesquisas acadêmicas têm sido realizados para explorar o fenômeno da Lean Startup no Brasil. O objetivo deste relatório é identificar quais são os conceitos da metodologia Lean Startup aplicados no Brasil e entender se a metodologia é adaptada em relação às especificidades do país. Os resultados deste estudo foram coletados por meio de entrevistas com empresários que operam no Brasil. A primeira conclusão é que os empresários brasileiros estão familiarizados com a metodologia Lean Startup e alguns deles têm aplicado os princípios fundamentais. Em segundo lugar, muitos empresários entrevistados encontraram dificuldades na aplicação da metodologia, em particular durante o "get out of the building" fase. Por fim, as entrevistas mostraram que a metodologia Lean Startup nem sempre pode ser relevante para o sucesso no Brasil para os empresarios entrevistados, devido ao tamanho do mercado eo alto nível de competição. Verificou-se que "running fat" em vez de "running lean" pode ser uma estratégia eficiente para vencer no mercado brasileiro em alguns casos especificos.

Why new business development projects fail : coping with the differences of technological versus market knowledge

Managing through projects has become important for generating new knowledge to cope with technological and market discontinuities. This paper examines how the fit between the creation of technological and market knowledge and important project management characteristics, i.e. project autonomy and completion criteria, influences the success of new business development (NBD) projects. In-depth longitudinal case research on NBD projects commercialised from 1993 to 2003 in the consumer electronics industry highlights that project management characteristics focusing only on the creation of technological knowledge contributed to the failure of those NBD projects that required new market knowledge as well. The findings indicate that senior management support and engaging in an alliance with partners possessing complementary market knowledge can offset this misalignment of the organisation of NBD projects.

Market orientation in the nonprofit sector

As the nonprofit sector moves into a more competitive environment it is being required by the community to become more efficient and effective. One response is for nonprofit organisations to become market oriented, which is the familiar response in the for-profit sector. Two components of market orientation, that is market segmentation and customer oriented products, fit well within the peculiarities of a nonprofit organisation. This is usually accompanied by the desire to obtain a competitive advantage causes problems for various stakeholders within the organisation. This paper contends that three factors, management, scarcity of resources, and conflict between organisational objectives and market orientation, are major influences on the adoption of a market oriented culture for a nonprofit organisation.

Renova black toilet paper: The creation of a glocal market space

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Growing globally: Is it reasonable for Logoplaste to enter the Colombian rigid plastic packaging market?

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Exact Skewness-Kurtosis Tests for Multivariate Normality and Goodness-of-fit in Multivariate Regressions with Application to Asset Pricing Models

We study the problem of testing the error distribution in a multivariate linear regression (MLR) model. The tests are functions of appropriately standardized multivariate least squares residuals whose distribution is invariant to the unknown cross-equation error covariance matrix. Empirical multivariate skewness and kurtosis criteria are then compared to simulation-based estimate of their expected value under the hypothesized distribution. Special cases considered include testing multivariate normal, Student t; normal mixtures and stable error models. In the Gaussian case, finite-sample versions of the standard multivariate skewness and kurtosis tests are derived. To do this, we exploit simple, double and multi-stage Monte Carlo test methods. For non-Gaussian distribution families involving nuisance parameters, confidence sets are derived for the the nuisance parameters and the error distribution. The procedures considered are evaluated in a small simulation experi-ment. Finally, the tests are applied to an asset pricing model with observable risk-free rates, using monthly returns on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) portfolios over five-year subperiods from 1926-1995.

Modeling Stock Order Flows and Learning Market-Making from Data

Stock markets employ specialized traders, market-makers, designed to provide liquidity and volume to the market by constantly supplying both supply and demand. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel method for modeling the market as a dynamic system and a reinforcement learning algorithm that learns profitable market-making strategies when run on this model. The sequence of buys and sells for a particular stock, the order flow, we model as an Input-Output Hidden Markov Model fit to historical data. When combined with the dynamics of the order book, this creates a highly non-linear and difficult dynamic system. Our reinforcement learning algorithm, based on likelihood ratios, is run on this partially-observable environment. We demonstrate learning results for two separate real stocks.

Plan de empresa Bambú Gurmet Fit

El presente escrito tiene como objetivo ilustrar la elaboración del plan de empresa y factibilidad para implantar el concepto de restaurante y vida gourmet fitness a través del establecimiento de Bambú Gourmet Fit. En este sentido, y con el fin de entrar a un mercado competitivo con las mayores posibilidades de éxito posibles, es necesario visualizar de antemano el panorama administrativo, técnico, financiero, de mercadeo y de competencia para planear las estrategias pertinentes del desarrollo del proyecto presente. Así, Bambú Gourmet Fit tiene como enfoque principal brindar una excelente atención al público, tener una ubicación favorable, ofrecer productos de buena calidad y precios competitivos. De manera que, sea un restaurante sobresaliente en el mercado local.

Improving hearing aid users' satisfaction through a market survey, instructional video, and booklet

This paper discusses an instructional video and booklet developed to improve hearing aid users’ satisfaction and to educate audiologists on the importance of proper post-fit counseling.

Can sentiment surveys pre-empt real estate market activities?

We evaluate a number of real estate sentiment indices to ascertain current and forward-looking information content that may be useful for forecasting the demand and supply activities. Our focus lies on sector-specific surveys targeting the players from the supply-side of both residential and non-residential real estate markets. Analyzing the dynamic relationships within a Vector Auto-Regression (VAR) framework, we test the efficacy of these indices by comparing them with other coincident indicators in predicting real estate returns. Overall, our analysis suggests that sentiment indicators convey important information which should be embedded in the modeling exercise to predict real estate market returns. Generally, sentiment indices show better information content than broad economic indicators. The goodness of fit of our models is higher for the residential market than for the non-residential real estate sector. The impulse responses, in general, conform to our theoretical expectations. Variance decompositions and out-of-sample predictions generally show desired contribution and reasonable improvement respectively, thus upholding our hypothesis. Quite remarkably, consistent with the theory, the predictability swings when we look through different phases of the cycle. This perhaps suggests that, e.g. during recessions, market players’ expectations may be more accurate predictor of the future performances, conceivably indicating a ‘negative’ information processing bias and thus conforming to the precautionary motive of consumer behaviour.

From harmonisation to better, smart and fit food law

As the European Union (EU) approaches its 60th anniversary, it is worth assessing progress towards a key objective – the abolition of barriers to the marketing of food in the EU. Food has always created particular problems for the EU as national differences in diets, culture and geography make standardisation impossible. Early attempts focussed on direct measures to harmonise requirements or, later, to create an ‘internal market’. Subsequently a changed emphasis brought about the need to focus more clearly on the harmonisation of food safety. More widely, the recent recognition that too much legislation can itself create barriers has led legislators to attempt to consider more carefully the impact of their efforts. This paper reflects on the various stages in the creation of harmonised food controls and considers how case law has impacted the process. Today there are still differences and complete barrier-free trade seems some way off.

When a local competitor (slightly) shakes up the global giant: a case on the soft drink market

As marcas globais mantiveram muita atenção no campo do marketing (Kotler, 1997; Holt, Quelch, e Taylor, 2004; Özsomer e Altaras, 2008), enquanto as marcas locais foram subestimadas (Ger, 1999; Schuiling e Kapferer, 2004). No entanto, o debate adaptação contra padronização foi amplamente discutido. Centra-se na definição de como uma empresa internacional deve construir a sua estratégia: ao padronizar sua estratégia de marketing ou, adaptando para melhor atender a cultura e às necessidades locais (Levitt, 1983; Subhash, 1989; Herbig, 1998; Holt, 2004; Melewar e Vemmervik , 2004; Heerden e Barter, 2008). No entanto, este assunto não foi discutido no contexto específico do consumo alternativo oferecido por concorrentes locais específicos. Hoje em dia, um aumento na oferta de produtos alternativos é observado. O consumo socialmente responsável está crescendo (Sen e Bhattacharya, 2001; Holt, 2002; Loureiro, 2002; François-Lecompte e Valette-Florence, 2006). O mercado dos refrigerantes de cola é de interesse particular. Colas alternativas são refrigerantes de cola que surgiram durante a última década em algumas regiões ou zonas específicas do mundo. Estas colas claramente posicionam-se como uma alternativa ao refrigerante global Coca-Cola. A alternativa não é baseada no preço mas nas características especiais dos produtos que constituem uma proposição de valor específica, diferente da Coca-Cola. Na França, desde uma década, o número de colas regionais aumentou, sendo mais de quinze hoje. O refregirante Breizh Cola foi lançado em 2002 e atinge quase uma quota de mercado de 10% na região Bretanha hoje. Em 2009, a Coca-Cola Entreprise iniciou uma campanha de marketing específica, na Bretanha, baseada em recursos visuais e parcerias regionais. Este caso de adaptação em um contexto de concorrência local específico é explorado nesta dissertação que incide sobre as razões da preferência para Breizh Cola, de um lado, e sobre as acções empreendidas pela Coca-Cola na Bretanha, do outro lado. Este estudo mostra que a Coca-Cola anda nos passos de Breizh Cola, a fim de melhor atender às expectativas local.