Business Challenges

We present a collection of critical questions and strategic issues encountered by businesses across multiple industries. These challenges, previously addressed and resolved by companies using the VCW methodology, provide a structured framework for fostering innovation and driving sustainable value creation.

Source: Lages, Luis Filipe & Ricard, Antonin & Hemonnet-Goujot, Aurélie & Guerin, Anne-Marie. (2020). Frameworks for innovation, collaboration, and change: Value creation wheel, design thinking, creative problem‐solving, and lean.
Strategic Change. 29. 195-213. 10.1002/jsc.2321.

  • 1. How to convince resistant customers to switch to the new technological platform?

    Finance, media

    Technology, I.T., Engineering, Big Data, Customer Retention, Marketing, Communication, Branding

  • 2. How to find the value proposition for our 10 million € project?

    What should be the right target market?

    How to communicate the message to the final target market?

    Consortium of 27 partners, across 13 countries

    VCW innovation ecosystem, governance, engineering, managing partnerships, creation of innovation ecosystems, value proposition, target market, communication, IT platform, human aspects, culture, earth observation, H2020, European Commission

  • 3. How can our consortium of partners ensure commercial sustainability after EU funding ceases in September 2020?

    Oceanographic, Marine sector

    Sustainability, engineering, value proposition, segmentation, targeting, positioning, marketing mix, government, public authorities, industry, research, technology maturity, scalability, communication

  • 4. Which companies can we partner with in order to enter new industries?

    Aerospace

    Sustainability, engineering, coopetition, partnerships, collaboration, new markets, market diversification, consulting

  • 5. Which new market applications are there for our technology X?

    After selecting the one with the highest potential, which path shall we follow to guarantee a sustainable market launch?

    Aerospace, Agriculture

    Lab to market, technology to market, tech-transfer, science-market challenges, engineering, data science, big data, programming, organizational change, culture transformation, technological capabilities, marketing capabilities, financing, funds for science, market-pull, tech-push, hybrid organization

  • 6. What is the most appropriate ground-based application for our technology K?

    Satellite

    Lab to market, technology to market, tech-transfer, science-market challenges, engineering, data science, big data, from idea to commercialization, market-pull, tech-push, oceanographic, marine sector, agriculture, land use, shipping, long-term sustainability

  • 7. How to increase group acceptance about a project reporting tool?

    Gaming

    HRM, project management, monitoring, control

  • 8. How to find and attract highly qualified and experienced candidates for this highly competitive function?

    Banking

    HRM, hiring

  • 9. How to keep the long-term job satisfaction for our sales team?

    Pharma

    HRM, employee satisfaction, employee retention, trust

  • 10. Which efficient ways and strategies can we apply to become attractive in the long-term as an employer for the young generation?

    Diesel, gasoline & alternative fuels, lubricants & additives

    HRM, millennial, employee satisfaction, employee retention

  • 11. Which salary package should be given to X in order to keep her motivated and interested in the long term?

    Clinical trials

    HRM, salary, incentives, ethics

  • 12. How to attract software engineers for our organization?

    How to retain them after the interviews?

    Aerospace

    HRM, engineering, innovation, work environment, salary and benefits, graduates, millennial generation, company values/culture, progression, feasibility, financial resources

  • 13. Which HRM solution should be used to replace our outdated information system?

    Energy

    HRM, IT, consulting

  • 14. How to prepare our operations to deal with the additional volumes and time spent on data entry processing resulting from Brexit?

    Insurance

    HRM, services marketing, leadership

  • 15. Who are the best candidates to form the team of the new digital marketing department?

    Retailing

    HRM, digital, marketing, services marketing

  • 16. How to ensure standardized reporting across different countries?

    Gaming

    HRM, change, reorganization, leadership, knowledge transfer, internationalization

  • 17. How to offer a unique flying experience and revamp the business class cabin in order to become the top priority over other options?

    Airline Services

    Marketing, services marketing, unique selling point, value proposition, competition, customer expectations, catering, benchmarking, business class services

  • 18. Which new international market is the most appropriate for our satellite technology for farming solution?

    Satellite, farming

    Marketing, R&D, technology development, paradox of choice, glocal paradox, technology-push, market-pull, space engineering

Explore a collection of strategic challenges and resolved using the VCW Methodology. These studies highlight how businesses tackled complex issues such as technology adoption, market expansion, and HR management, achieving tangible results through structured problem-solving and innovation.

Source: Lages, Luis Filipe & Ricard, Antonin & Hemonnet-Goujot, Aurélie & Guerin, Anne-Marie. (2020). Frameworks for innovation, collaboration, and change: Value creation wheel, design thinking, creative problem‐solving, and lean.
Strategic Change. 29. 195-213. 10.1002/jsc.2321.

  • 1. Which should be the next region in China with the highest growth potential to enter?

    Retailer

    Marketing, services marketing, retailing, guanxi, trust, domestic expansion, new market, incense products

  • 2. How to increase market penetration of this foreign motorcycle in the local market?

    Distributor

    Marketing, market penetration, sales, distribution, brand image

  • 3. Which new organizations should we reach in order to enlarge our portfolio of projects and clients?

    After identifying the organizations, how can we engage the new clients?

    Earth observation

    Marketing, market penetration, targeting, technology transfer, communication, trust, loyalty, engineering, space program, World Bank

  • 4. What is the best strategy to enter into the HoReCa channel?

    Retailing, hotels, restaurants, cafes (HoReCa)

    Marketing, services marketing, market innovation, market segmentation, distribution, growth, strategy, business development, HoReCa

  • 5. What is the best strategy to add a new category of products into our distribution portfolio?

    Retailing

    Marketing, strategy, distribution, new product development

  • 6. How to design attractive experiences for business clients in order to increase income during the low season market?

    Hotel services

    Marketing, services marketing, international business, transference of knowledge to local markets, disseminative capacity, seasonality

  • 7. How to take advantage of the fact that we have our spa staff available during the whole day and this service is only being used a small portion of the time?

    Hotel services

    Marketing, services marketing, productivity, market penetration, transference of knowledge to local markets, disseminative capacity

  • 8. How to please the young people and families in my franchisee simultaneously, while keeping inside the limits imposed by the master franchise?

    Food

    International business, relationship building, trust, young generation, franchising

  • 9. Which innovative and affordable service that does not exist in our industry should be created to generate revenue?

    Retailing

    International business, innovation, new service development, franchising

  • 10. In which international trade fairs should we participate?

    Education

    International business, international marketing, sales, communication, stakeholders

  • 11. Which new services shall we develop for country X?

    Finance

    International business, new service development, innovation, headquarters-subsidiary relationship

  • 12. How to use late-adopters to develop new services for our partnership in country Y?

    Telecommunications

    International business, new service development, innovation, headquarters-subsidiary relationship, lag-user method

  • 13. Which geographic market has the highest potential to sell one more satellite and grant sustainability of SBU W?

    Which business model should be used to enter the final market?

    Satellites

    International business, international market selection, targeting, positioning, value proposition, business model

  • 14. Which criteria to use to find the best subcontractor for our company?

    Aircraft maintenance services

    Knowledge transfer, supply chain management, partner selection, coopetition

  • 15. Which entity has the best fit as a challenge promoter for our service X?

    Aerospace

    Communication, B2B, engagement model, visibility in society and social media, social impact

  • 16. How to increase our production capacity in order to meet the demand and satisfy different stakeholder?

    Industrial manufacturing

    Growth, production, supply, operations management, shareholders, stakeholder orientation

  • 17. How to create a VCW innovation ecosystem in our company?

    Aerospace

    Innovation, value creation, problem solving, governance model, board, steering committee, internal and external stakeholders, technology, market, innovation committee

Challenges by field

    • Which new market segments to enter?

    • Which new international markets to enter?

    • How to grow via existing customers?

    • How to grow via new products?

    • How to educate and motivate consumers to order the original brand instead of a white label?

    • Which companies shall we acquire in the long-term?

    • How to grow via acquisition of new brands?

    • How to keep the previous clients before the merger and/or changing our brand?

    • How to manage growth in a fast-growing organization?

    • How to simplify processes, optimize results, increase revenues, and acquire new customers?

    • How to cut costs while increasing value?

    • How to get funding to finance the expansion of our business?

    • How to create a marketing and communication department transversal to the whole group of companies?

    • How to improve human resources efficiency while having all stakeholders aligned with the organization's vision?

    • How to build the best team for our department?

    • How to obtain gender balance?

Industry-specific challenges

    • How to integrate the inputs from techies, majority, and late-adopters into the NPD process?

    • How to ensure customer loyalty in the presence of constant tech-innovations?

    • How to overcome barriers to adoption of an innovative service for cancer prevention and diagnosis, in a society with low cancer awareness and screening?

    • How to increase the number of daily downloads and percentage of retention for a mobile app?

    • How to optimize time and costs, and simplify efforts required in processing legal files?

    • How the Air Traffic Control Service of a European country can reduce airplane delays?

    • How to attract new agents and/or distributors into our business?

    • How to increase the sales of frozen food in a market that values fresh food?

    • How to identify the right partners?

    • How to convince authorities to become quicker in providing visas to highly qualified individuals?

Source: Lages, Luis Filipe (2016), “VCW—Value Creation Wheel: Innovation, Technology, Business, and Society“, Journal of Business Research, 69(11): pp. 4849-4855.