One of the goals of the course is to develop your skills in presenting cogent arguments for a course of action in a marketing situation. You are to prepare a three page written (12 point, double spaced), not including Appendices, discussion and (Do Not write out the questions!). In developing your argument, you should consider the pros and cons of your position as well as the merits and limitations of other courses of action that you did not select. When appropriate, you should also include a discussion of the financial implications of your position. Calculations, if appropriate, can be included in (a maximum of five pages) of Appendices which do not count in the three-page limit.

Your position papers will be evaluated on three dimensions: (1) professionalism of the presentation, (2) the extent to which you integrated case facts to draw inferences, and (3) the soundness of your general logic.

A few helpful hints in writing your case position papers. While I do not wish to legislate a format for case write-ups, you may want to consider the following as you prepare your position papers: Begin with a succinct statement of the problem. Clearly define and discuss each possible course of action. Elaborate on what you feel are the merits and weaknesses of each course of action. In evaluating the merits and weaknesses of each option, draw inferences from case facts.

Question:

1. What changes are occurring in the non-disposable razor category? Assess Paramount’s competitive position. What are the strategic life cycle challenges for their current products as well as for Clean Edge?

2. How is the non-disposable razor market segmented? Examine consumer behavior for non-disposable razors

3. What are the arguments for launching Clean Edge as (a) a niche product and (b) a mainstream product. Which would you recommend? What are the strategic implications of that recommendation?