Writing Sample--Executive Summary
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*Please note that due to confidentiality requirements and sensitivity to client requests, the name of the client and the company's current industry is redacted.
Please note, regarding formatting: The client received a formal Microsoft Word document with tables, full color, and graphical illustrations. The excerpt below is for content/substance sampling purposes only. Please disregard formatting abnormalities.
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Study Objectives This study was designed to answer the following chief strategic question: Is bioinformatics—the application of computer technology to the life sciences—a commercially viable "fit" for XXXXXX* existing product technology and if so, what type of product and business model would allow XXXXXX to achieve suitable returns in this competitive marketplace? This study was commissioned by XXXXXX to explore avenues for future growth. It comes in early 2002 as the company’s traditional markets have rapidly matured. [Industry name redacted], while extremely lucrative for XXXXXX, is approaching saturation, and new streams of revenue related to [technology type redacted] are sought.
Study Logistics and Methodology The study was organized into two distinct phases of work: Phase I, completed by the study’s mid-point in December 2001, had four objectives: (1) to define and size the bioinformatics market; (2) to segment the vast bioinformatics space; (3) to eliminate from further research consideration all bioinformatics segments that would be unworthy of XXXXX’s attention; and (4) to identify the most promising segment(s) for further research and to present such to XXXXXXX management with a recommendation that research proceed more deeply into one specific segment in Phase II. Phase II, undertaken from December 2001 to February 2002, focused on the bioinformatics segment called pharmacogenomics—abbreviated in this paper as "PCG." PCG is defined as the use of genetic data and bioinformatics technologies to discover commercially valuable drug targets and to explain the complex factors that produce different responses to the same drug across different human beings. Phase II had three objectives: (1) to identify and analyze potential PCG market sub-segments, based on market needs; (2) to determine whether any PCG sub-segment(s) could fulfill the promise generated by the macro-level analysis completed in Phase I; and (3) to examine findings and present strategic and tactical recommendations to XXXXXX Company about market entry or abstinence. The research methodology applied to this study was detailed exploratory research, and included information gathered from over 100 sources including 19 custom-tailored interviews.
Analytic Tool Developed/Employed The writers of this report interpreted the data through a custom-developed analytic matrix, which is explained thoroughly in this report. In summary, this tool allowed the field study team to convert unstructured incoming qualitative information about bioinformatics into structured data cells—allowing for meaningful quantitative comparison and ranking across discovered segments. The matrix guided research and analysis by filtering data through six key criteria: (1) need for sophisticated pattern-recognition software; (2) XXXXXX’s capability to meet a segment’s specific type of pattern-recognition requirements; (3) nature of competitive environment in a segment; (4) access to necessary data; (5) market size, including projected future growth of market; and (6) political climate. The scoring model prioritized the top three bioinformatics segments for further study. A joint decision with XXXXXXX was made on December 31, 2001 to focus our deepest research efforts in the field of PCG. [To protect confidentiality, remainder of this Executive Summary is not available] |