Developing Pivots for Existing Businesses

Pivoting is not the end of the disruption process, but the beginning of the next leg of your
journey”
Jay Samit
Owing to the emerging innovative start-ups that are driving the increased move towards
acquisitions- for example the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook, Fitbit by Google, and
Beats by Apple.
Using ONLY one of the following recent acquisitions of WhatsApp by Facebook, Fitbit by
Google, and Beats by Apple- Conduct an evaluation of the acquisition and make
recommendations of how this can be optimised to drive new revenue streams that ARE NOT
currently being exploited. Here alternative value propositions, innovation gaps and disruptive
opportunities must be considered 
To do so, prepare a 3000-word report that analyses the selected acquisition, conduct a
situational analysis that will underpin the recommendations you make. Remember that you
MUST examine the current business model being adopted and make recommendations on
NEW revenue streams/ Expansion/or growth that are not being currently being exploited.
The Task identifies several aspects that SHOULD be considered within your analysis- These
include:-
1. Conduct an in-depth Situational Analysis of the selected company [Acquisition]  –
Results and finding should inform the narrative and any additional information placed
in the appendix 
2. Acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook. – Why was this acquisition of interest to
Facebook- How does this support the alignment of New Revenue streams
3. Acquisition of Fitbit by Google- Why was this acquisition of interest to Google. How
does this support the alignment of New Revenue streams
4. Whilst analysing one of the above- Have you determined any link between the two
acquisitions? If so, what, and why
5. Who are the primary competitors to Facebook- What was Facebook responding to?
Customer needs, Emerging Trends, or exploring new opportunities
6. Does the business model seek to explore alternative objectives from the core/original
objectives- If so, what are these
You are encouraged to use the theoretical aspects covered in class and the practical
dimensions that are prevalent in the market.
 Note.
It is vital for existing businesses to constantly seek to optimise their existing business
portfolios whilst looking to create, and/or exploit new innovation gaps.
Any identified causes of the challenge MUST be qualified with data and statistics
You are encouraged to use relevant frameworks to support your arguments- For example-
Business Model Canvas, Competitor Analysis framework etc

 
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit must be the student’s own
work. If you present, as your own idea, any material copied, paraphrased, or extensively
drawn upon, you are plagiarizing—unless you give full citations for your sources. Of course,
you may make full use of ideas, arguments, and information obtained from books etc. but you
must make clear which portion of your paper is not your own and provide a detailed reference
to the original source.
Assignments that violate Hult’s Honor code may not be revised. In the first instance of
plagiarism, the plagiarized assessment will be given a grade of zero and will result in
automatic Disciplinary Probation. You may also be required to rewrite the plagiarized
assignment for no additional credit.
Subsequent violations of the Honor Code are assessed on a case by case basis before the
Academic Standards Committee and may result in sanctions up to and including dismissal
from the program.
You are responsible for ensuring that you have read and understood the section entitled
“Academic Integrity” in the Student Handbook. If you have any questions about that
material, please speak to your instructor.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE REPORT
3000 words (±10%)
This word count is for the BODY of the assignment and does NOT include obligatory:
· Header page
· Executive summary
· Contents page
· Appendices (optional – but likely to be needed)
· References and Bibliography.
                      
Report Structure:
You are expected to include the following sections:
1. Title page
2. Executive summary (separate page)
3. Contents Page
4. Body (2000 words ±10%) ….
i) Introduction
ii) Selection of frameworks/theories to be used and the reason why
iii) Application of theory
iv) Results
v) Conclusions
vi) Recommendations
5. Appendices (Optional)
6. References
7. Glossary (if needed)

Additional specifications
1. Your Title Page should include:
a. Your name,
b. Course and Cohort
c. Professor
d. Title of your report
e. Assignment name
f. Date
g. Number of words
2. Your report should have page numbers
3. Your contents page should indicate all sections and sub-sections and their page
numbers.
4. Please make sure you include screengrabs of the web pages and charts showing the
analytics.
5. Appendices are optional. But if you use an appendix, make it a self-contained
section…do not simply put a diagram there.
6. Your References page should show all the sources you have cited in the report.
7. Copying and pasting of text are strictly forbidden. If you think you need to use a
direct quote, ensure it is important that we have the words of the person concerned
and you must cite them appropriately. It is usually unlikely that someone needs to be
quoted directly in a report of this nature, so far better that you incorporate their
thoughts and ideas into your own text and contrast them with other opinions.
Reference the thoughts and ideas