Description
This case is the first of a three-part series on Circos.com, a Singapore-based company. Circos developed a proprietary sentiment analysis tool, which can mine the vast world of online reviews available on various social media platforms to create a dashboard of usable insights for luxury hotel brands. This tool, named the Brand Karma Dashboard, displays near real-time information on what people are saying about the property online, how the property stacks up against its competition, and what it can do to improve.
The case starts as Frederic Langlois, Circos general manager in Singapore, is set to pitch the Brand Karma Dashboard to hotel management at the country’s historic Raffles Hotel. Langlois has to sell the dashboard idea along with consulting services. It will not be easy as Raffles is a property known for being a historic landmark, rather than a hotel with the latest technological innovations. In pitching this idea to Raffles Hotel, Langlois will have to test the very concept of the Circos business model and convince the hotel management that his product can really help drive their bottom line.
This case asks students to review a business model based on proprietary technology, and in the A case understand its business implications.
Part B builds on the A case by asking how Circos can change and improve upon their business model based on proprietary technology. Information technology adoption and solution design choices will be key factors. In particular, the B case asks students to weight the risk factors associated with data storage and the implication of working with propriety information.
While the A and B cases are very specific, the C case gives participants a chance to plan the future for the young company.
Students must consider the larger business implications of the growth strategy for Circos. As they chart this course an understanding of how the Circos business model, the competitive climate and the very nature of social media will change in the years to come is absolutely critical. The C case then asks them to weigh the next steps for the company and what it would mean for them given their limited resources and core competency.
Inspection copies and teaching notes are available for university faculty. To receive an inspection copy and teaching note, please email cmpshop@smu.edu.sg with your registered faculty email ID and a link to your contact information on the faculty directory at your university as verification. An inspection copy and teaching note will then be sent to your faculty email account.