Market Expansion through Optimized Resource Placement

Abstract

A company's ability to expand its market presence by delivering value to emerging and immature markets is influenced by its ability to develop a rich and differentiated value net within these emerging markets. Techniques are disclosed for making resource placement decisions in an objective manner, using results from a value chain analysis. Geographies or locations that are candidates for the resource placement are analyzed in terms of a set of criteria which, in preferred embodiments, are directed toward identifying strengths and weaknesses of each location as part of an overall value chain.

1 . A method of validating placement of product resources in a selected location, comprising:
 using computer-readable program code executed by a computer to programmatically create a product profile for the product resources, the product profile comprising an importance value assigned to each of a first plurality of assessment criteria and to each of a second plurality of the assessment criteria, the assessment criteria usable for assessing placement of product resources for a product in an arbitrary location, as if the location had not been selected, the first plurality pertaining to local skills for the product and the second plurality pertaining to a marketplace of the product;   using computer-readable program code executed by the computer to programmatically create a geography profile for the selected location, the geography profile comprising a score assigned to each of the first plurality of the assessment criteria and to each of the second plurality of the assessment criteria, each score in each of the geography profile assigned to indicate how well the selected location meets the assessment criterion to which the score is assigned; and   using computer-readable program code executed by the computer to programmatically make a recommendation, based on the importance values in the product profile and the assigned scores in the geography profile, as to placing the product resources in the selected location.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using computer-readable program code executed by the computer to programmatically compute a skills gap score for the selected location, further comprising:
 computing a plurality of skills gap values for the selected location by subtracting, for each of the first plurality of the assessment criteria, the score assigned to the assessment criterion in the geography profile from the importance value assigned to the assessment criterion in the product profile; and 
 summing each of the computed skills gap values to yield the skills gap score; 
   using computer-readable program code executed by the computer to programmatically compute an opportunity gap score for the selected location, further comprising:
 computing a plurality of opportunity gap values for the selected location by subtracting, for each of the second plurality of the assessment criteria, the importance value assigned to the assessment criterion in the product profile from the score assigned to the assessment criterion in the geography profile; and 
 summing each of the computed opportunity gap values to yield the opportunity gap score; and 
   wherein the making a recommendation based on the importance values in the product profile and the assigned scores in the geography profile further comprises making the recommendation based on the programmatically-computed skills gap score and the programmatically-computed opportunity gap score.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising placing the product resources in the recommended location. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the product resources comprise information technology personnel. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the product resources comprise monetary investment in the selected location. 
     
     
         6 . A system for validating placement of product resources in a selected location, comprising:
 a computer comprising a processor and a memory;   instructions which are executable on the computer, using the processor, to implement functions comprising:
 creating a product profile for the product resources, the product profile comprising an importance value assigned to each of a first plurality of assessment criteria and to each of a second plurality of the assessment criteria, the assessment criteria usable for assessing placement of product resources for a product in an arbitrary location, as if the location had not been selected, the first plurality pertaining to local skills for the product and the second plurality pertaining to a marketplace of the product; 
 creating a geography profile for the selected location, the geography profile comprising a score assigned to each of the first plurality of the assessment criteria and to each of the second plurality of the assessment criteria, each score in each of the geography profile assigned to indicate how well the selected location meets the assessment criterion to which the score is assigned; and 
 making a recommendation, based on the importance values in the product profile and the assigned scores in the geography profile, as to placing the product resources in the selected location. 
   
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein functions further comprise:
 computing a plurality of skills gap values for the selected location by subtracting, for each of the first plurality of the assessment criteria, the score assigned to the assessment criterion in the geography profile from the importance value assigned to the assessment criterion in the product profile; and   summing each of the computed skills gap values to yield a skills gap score for the selected location;   computing a plurality of opportunity gap values for the selected location by subtracting, for each of the second plurality of the assessment criteria, the importance value assigned to the assessment criterion in the product profile from the score assigned to the assessment criterion in the geography profile; and   summing each of the computed opportunity gap values to yield an opportunity gap score for the selected location; and   wherein the making a recommendation based on the importance values in the product profile and the assigned scores in the geography profile further comprises making the recommendation based on the skills gap score and the opportunity gap score.   
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the product resources are placed in the recommended location. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the product resources comprise information technology personnel. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the product resources comprise monetary investment in the selected location. 
     
     
         11 . A computer program product for validating placement of product resources in a selected location, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media having computer-usable program code embodied therein, the computer-usable program code configured for:
 creating a product profile for the product resources, the product profile comprising an importance value assigned to each of a first plurality of assessment criteria and to each of a second plurality of the assessment criteria, the assessment criteria usable for assessing placement of product resources for a product in an arbitrary location, as if the location had not been selected, the first plurality pertaining to local skills for the product and the second plurality pertaining to a marketplace of the product;   creating a geography profile for the selected location, the geography profile comprising a score assigned to each of the first plurality of the assessment criteria and to each of the second plurality of the assessment criteria, each score in each of the geography profile assigned to indicate how well the selected location meets the assessment criterion to which the score is assigned; and   making a recommendation, based on the importance values in the product profile and the assigned scores in the geography profile, as to placing the product resources in the selected location.   
     
     
         12 . The computer program product according to  claim 11 , wherein the computer-usable program code is further configured for:
 computing a plurality of skills gap values for the selected location by subtracting, for each of the first plurality of the assessment criteria, the score assigned to the assessment criterion in the geography profile from the importance value assigned to the assessment criterion in the product profile; and   summing each of the computed skills gap values to yield a skills gap score for the selected location;   computing a plurality of opportunity gap values for the selected location by subtracting, for each of the second plurality of the assessment criteria, the importance value assigned to the assessment criterion in the product profile from the score assigned to the assessment criterion in the geography profile; and   summing each of the computed opportunity gap values to yield an opportunity gap score for the selected location; and   wherein the making a recommendation based on the importance values in the product profile and the assigned scores in the geography profile further comprises making the recommendation based on the skills gap score and the opportunity gap score.   
     
     
         13 . The computer program product according to  claim 11 , wherein the product resources are placed in the recommended location. 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product according to  claim 11 , wherein the product resources comprise information technology personnel. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product according to  claim 11 , wherein the product resources comprise monetary investment in the selected location.