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Scorecards is at a crossroads, trying to decide whether or not to adopt the disposable fixation device. This question has come about due to their market share erosion, as the company currently does not offer a restorable product line. Instant offers a restorable product (albeit, In the early stages of development) and gaining market share in both product lines. The decision of whether or not to enter the resolvable market now is a crucial question we should address.
This decision will not only impact the current line of business but also the well being of the company as a whole n the future. Resolution: Scorecards needs to enter the resolvable market in order to stay afloat due to the fact that the current fixation device industry is shifting towards this new technology. The segment of the resolvable market that we should dive into should be the pediatrics sector. Typically, the pediatrics market has been viewed as a taboo market to experiment in, however the benefits of successfully operating with resolvable is valued very highly by the child patients, the doctors, and the industry as a whole.
This market, If entered correctly, has a potential to have an extremely gig return. To begin with, the customers of the resolvable are already demanding the products from the manufacturers. The doctors literally are asking the CEO when this product will be available to use in surgeries. The demand thus far has been unmet, and this creates a huge opportunity for Scorecards. Additionally, doctors would prefer to buy all of their products from one supplier; thereby having resolvable in the product offering will help Scorecards entice purchases.
On an ethical level, If children can avoid having two surgeries to correct one Injury, this Is also seen as an achievement and will be highly regarded by doctors (as well as patient’s parents). That being said, testing products on children opens Scorecards up for many potential lawsuits. This technology is untested and it is considered a moral Issue to use untested products on children. However, Scorecards will not be able to help children without testing the product to begin with, moreover from a legal perspective the risk-benefit test demonstrates the benefits to society will outweigh the risk of using a new technology on children.
This is a new market that demands gig quality products that Scorecards will be able to deliver with the right implementation strategy (see exhibit 6 for our business model logic). Implementation: In order to implement the pediatric segment strategy, we need to analyze from both Internal and external perspectives. Internally, we need to align the board members, managers, and other employers under “one vision, one goal”. This vision, defined as being open to a disruptive technology, which will change the existing culture of the Company. Once everyone is on board, the Company will need to staff a new
R;D department that will be exclusively devoted to the resolvable as well as 1 OFF current R;D budget should be reallocated to support this new technology. Finally, in order to house this new branch of the Company, we will need to build a separate research facility. This will allow employees to “free think” without the risk of interfering management that is focusing on our current product line. Internally, there are big changes to be made and resources will need to be dedicated to this project, in order to lower the risk of implementation failure.
From an external point of IEEE, both doctors and patients need to be aware of this technology offering. The initial objective should be to get the product into as many doctors’ hands as possible; university hospitals would be the best place to start, in our opinion. Training hospitals are more open to new technologies, and the feedback published by those specific hospitals could help build brand awareness. Additionally, university hospitals can be involved in the further development of the product. In the same manner we provided training to our existing doctor network, we will utilize those teaching techniques with the new product.