The Kirin case data analysis can be done using Enginius and answer the following nine questions:

KIRIN CASE BACKGROUND: The case describes the strategic situation facing Kirin brewery inJapan. You are challenged to come up with a product design (beer!) that will deliver the desiredincremental volume, net of cannibalization of the current product. Also, because Kirin is a nicheproduct, it probably does not appeal to everyone. Therefore, your analysis should also includeconsideration of segmentation and targeting issues. The case involves multiple data sets and ME tools:segmentation, targeting and positioning as well as product design/conjoint. A complete analysis of thecase will use cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, perceptual mapping and conjoint analysis.

Note: the Kirin case in Enginius provides 9 different data blocs.

FORMAT: Answers should be submitted in a WORD or PDF file that simply states answers to all parts of the questions as asked. I do NOT want to receive Enginius output files, but it may be helpful to insert selected key parts from the output into your written answers, such as a perceptual map, dendrogram, or other parts of the conjoint analysis or segmentation analysis that show how you developed your answers. If you do the correct analysis and answer the questions directly, a complete set of answers should be about 3 pages (single space).

Questions:

1. Briefly describe the strategic situation facing Kirin in Japan and the U.S. marketat the time of the case. Why is it important for Kirin to increase its sales and market share in theU.S.? How large of an increase does Kirin need to achieve in order to be successful? Explain.

2. What types of data did Kirin collect to analyze this situation? Who did theycollect data from? What decision do they need to make?

3. Conduct a traditional needs-based segmentation analysis (includingdiscriminant analysis) to determine if the U.S. import beer market can be segmented in auseful way. How many segments are there in the market? (Enginius identifies a default of 3segments, but you should also compare a 2-segment and 4-segment solution to a 3-segmentsolution – you can easily run these analyses by manually forcing Enginius to identify either 2,3, or 4 segments). Are there any distinct and targetable segments that emerge from thisanalysis? Briefly describe the size and characteristics of each segment you found in the 2, 3,and 4 segment solutions. What is similar or different in these three solutions? Which shouldKirin use?

4. Create a perceptual map of the import beer market. How many dimensionsshould you use, and why this number? Describe where Kirin is located on the map. Who are itsclosest competitors? How does Kirin’s positioning compare to Sapporo?

5. Run a conjoint analysis to identify a product design that will enable Kirin toincrease its existing market share in the U.S. and sell enough additional cases of beer to achieveits strategic goals. Which choice rule makes the most sense to use in this analysis, and why?What market share can Kirin achieve with the new product it is planning (Kirin’s “Newproduct profile” compared to Kirin’s “Existing product profile”)? Can Kirin do even better, i.e.,achieve an even higher market share, with a more “optimal” product design? Explain.

6. Use the conjoint preference partworths to conduct another segmentationanalysis to explore if there are distinct segments (as opposed to the overall market) that wouldprefer the new Kirin product you designed. [Note: In Enginius, you need to first run theSegmentation tool on the Preference partworths, then send the output to an Excel spreadsheet,then copy the Preference partworths to the “Segment” tab in the Excel file, then sort the tableby segment number, then carefully copy/paste the partworths from each segment separatelyback into Enginius to run a conjoin analysis on each separate segment to identify the bestpossible product for Kirin to introduce to each segment ]. Should you standardize the data when running this segmentationanalysis? [why or why not]. How many segments do you find when you segment the Preferencepartworths? Which segment do you think would be most promising for Kirin, and what marketshare could Kirin achieve in this segment? Is it worthwhile for Kirin to design a brandspecifically for this segment? Explain.

7. Compare and contrast the results of the two segmentation analyses you conducted in Questions3 and 6 above (one using traditional needs-based “Segmentation data” versus the other usingthe “Preference partworths”). How are the results different? What can you conclude from thisanalysis about the market for beer?

8. BOTTOM LINE: From your combined answers to Questions 3-7 above, do you believe thatKirin can reach its strategic objective by introducing a new product to the U.S. market? If so,which new product would you recommend that Kirin introduce to the market (describe thenew product design), and to which segment or segments should Kirin target this product?

9. Briefly describe the logic andsequence of steps you followed in answering Questions 3-8 above. I am looking for a straightforwardverbal description of the steps you followed in running these analyses.