Quiz 1: BUS 221 Total points 10/10

Read questions carefully; do not cheat. 18 minutes.

Full Name *

Samin Khan Chowdhury

Student ID *

22304060

Which of the following best describes an entrepreneur’s role in the *1/1

economy?

Managing existing business operations to ensure stability

Identifying and exploiting market gaps with innovative solutions

Reducing financial risks for large corporations

Acting as intermediaries between investors and businesses

What does the term "entrepreneurial intensity" measure in a corporate *1/1
setting?

The speed at which a startup scales its operations

The level of risk-taking and innovation in an established firm

The degree to which a company relies on external investors

The amount of capital required for a new business venture

Why is the “window of opportunity” a critical concept for startups? * 1/1

It determines the amount of funding a startup can secure

It refers to the period during which a business idea can succeed before market
saturation

It ensures that an entrepreneur has legal protection for intellectual property

It measures the competitive advantage a company has over time

A startup founder uses the VRIO framework to assess her company’s *1/1
strengths. What does "I" stand for in VRIO?

Investment return

Industry positioning

Imitability

Innovation
Which of the following scenarios best represents a company applying *1/1
"corporate entrepreneurship"?

A retail company enters a new international market with the same business model

A CEO reduces costs by outsourcing production overseas

A new venture receives funding from a venture capitalist

An established firm launches an internal innovation lab to develop new

products

A founder observes that seniors struggle with mobile apps and decides *1/1
to create a simpler version with large fonts. Which approach to
opportunity recognition does this represent?

Economic force alignment

Finding gaps in the marketplace

Solving a problem

Observing trends
Which of the following is a key difference between market feasibility and *1/1
industry feasibility?

Market feasibility determines supply chain logistics, while industry feasibility

assesses customer preferences

Market feasibility looks at existing competitors, while industry feasibility

determines pricing strategies

Market feasibility focuses on legal requirements, while industry feasibility

considers funding availability

Market feasibility assesses customer demand, while industry feasibility

examines competition and entry barriers

A business has strong investor backing but lacks a skilled management *1/1
team. Based on feasibility analysis, which is the biggest concern?

Organizational feasibility

Financial feasibility

Industry feasibility

Market feasibility
Which statement about ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) *1/1
principles is true?

ESG principles only apply to public companies, not startups

ESG is primarily about reducing environmental pollution, with no impact on

governance

ESG considerations do not influence a company’s profitability

Strong ESG performance can help companies attract investors and customers

Why do entrepreneurs rely on weak-tie relationships for new business *1/1

ideas?

Weak ties increase the likelihood of securing government grants

Weak-tie relationships allow entrepreneurs to avoid intellectual property theft

Close friends are more likely to support financially, making them less useful for new
ideas

Weak-tie connections provide access to novel information outside one's close

network
1. Imagine you are launching a new venture in an industry dominated by large *
competitors. Using Mullins’ Seven Domains Model, identify two specific areas
where a startup could gain an advantage over established players.

In Mullins’ Seven Domains Model, two key areas where a startup could gain an advantage
over large, established competitors are:

1. Market Domain (Customer Segment & Unmet Needs): A startup can focus on identifying &
serving niche or underserved customer segments that the large competitors might overlook.
By understanding specific unmet needs of these customers, the startup can provide more
personalized, tailored solutions, offering a unique value proposition that larger competitors
may not be agile enough to address.

2. Industry Domain (Barriers to Entry & Industry Attractiveness): A startup can leverage
innovative business models or technologies to lower barriers to entry that large competitors
face. For example, by adopting new digital tools, platforms, or operating at lower costs, the
startup can disrupt the industry in a way that large companies cannot easily replicate. This
approach can lead to a competitive advantage in an otherwise challenging industry.
2. A group of university students wants to develop a sustainable business aligned *
with ESG principles. Outline a brief business concept that integrates
environmental, social, and governance factors effectively.

A group of university students can launch a business that develops and manufactures eco-
friendly, biodegradable packaging materials for small businesses and e-commerce
companies. This business will integrate Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)
principles by creating products that reduce waste, support local communities & operate with
transparent governance practices.

1. Environmental: The packaging is made from sustainable materials such as recycled

paper, plant fibers, or mushroom-based products that decompose easily and leave no
harmful residue. The business will promote a circular economy, where packaging is reused,
recycled, or composted.

2. Social: The startup will work with local suppliers, providing jobs & economic opportunities
for underprivileged communities. The company will also engage in social outreach
programs, such as educational campaigns to raise awareness about sustainable
consumption & packaging.

3. Governance: The business will implement transparent, ethical decision-making processes,

including regular audits of environmental impact, labor practices & product quality. It will
ensure that all products meet high ethical standards and comply with industry regulations to
maintain trust with customers, investors & partners.

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BUS 221 Quiz Total points 10/10

Maintain academy integrity. 20 minutes.

ShobaiPay, a digital wallet startup in Dhaka, earns a commission from *1/1

merchant transactions. Which business model component does this
revenue stream reflect

Recurring Revenue

Platform Revenue

Licensing Revenue

Transactional Revenue

Cost-Plus Revenue

Niramoy HealthTech offers low-cost telemedicine for rural areas. What *1/1
strategic risk might it face as it scales into urban markets?

Technological obsolescence

Cannibalization of brand identity

Overreliance on government contracts

High supplier switching costs

Supplier bargaining power

GoChalk, an EdTech startup, holds a strong patent on its Bengali AI tutor *1/1
but hasn't converted that into market share. Under VRIO, their IP is:

Unused Competitive Advantage

Rare and Organized

Valuable but Not Inimitable

Not Valuable

Temporarily Advantageous

KrishokBondhu, an agri-platform in Rajshahi, connects small farmers to *1/1

buyers but lacks distribution control. What business model block is
weak?

Core Strategy

Revenue Model

Key Partnerships

Customer Segments

Channels
RideJatra offers van-pool transport subscriptions in secondary cities. This 1/1
reflects what kind of revenue model?

Usage-based

Freemium

Licensing

Subscription

One-time Transaction

In its pitch deck, MeghCafé, a cloud-kitchen venture, highlights its social *1/1
media engagement. This is most relevant under which feasibility type?

Product Feasibility

Market Attractiveness

Organizational Feasibility

Industry Feasibility

Customer Validation
PolliTech, a renewable energy startup, uses perception mapping to *1/1
position itself between solar giants and local diesel alternatives. This is
an example of:

VRIO analysis

Competitive benchmarking

Perceptual mapping

Cost structure optimization

Product validation

Shebai, a service-on-demand app, faces customer churn despite 1/1

aggressive onboarding. What should it test next?

Scaling costs

Industry rivalry

Product/Service feasibility

Customer loyalty model

Brand equity value

Chattogram Courier Co. wants to enter the same-day delivery market. *1/1
Which of the following would most indicate low entry barriers?

Strong incumbents

Lack of delivery regulations

High branding costs

Dependence on unionized labor

Dominant tech infrastructure

In the Barringer/Ireland template, the unique logistics network of 1/1

PathoPort, a rural pharma delivery service, falls under:

Channels

Core Strategy

Key Assets

Operations

Differentiation
ShudhdhoPani, a rural water purification startup in northern Bangladesh, has *
developed a proprietary filtration tech that is inexpensive, rare, and difficult to
replicate. However, it lacks a trained team to expand production and distribution.
Using the VRIO framework, analyze this scenario and explain whether the
company currently holds a sustainable competitive advantage.

To analyze ShudhdhoPani's situation using the VRIO framework, let's assess each
component:

1. Value: The proprietary filtration technology is valuable because it offers a solution to a

critical problem—water purification in rural areas—and is inexpensive, which makes it
accessible to a large population. This is crucial in the context of northern Bangladesh, where
access to clean water may be limited.

2. Rarity: The filtration technology is rare, as it is described as difficult to replicate, giving the
company an edge over competitors who may not have access to similar technology.

3. Imitability: The technology is difficult to imitate, which suggests it has some degree of
inimitability. If competitors cannot easily copy or develop similar technology, this would give
ShudhdhoPani an advantage, at least in the short to medium term.

4. Organization: This is where ShudhdhoPani faces a challenge. It lacks a trained team to

expand production and distribution. This indicates a weakness in organization, as they do
not currently have the internal capabilities or structure to leverage their valuable and rare
technology effectively.

Based on the VRIO framework, ShudhdhoPani does not currently hold a sustainable
competitive advantage. While the technology is valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate, the
company's inability to organize and scale its operations due to a lack of a trained team
hampers its ability to capitalize on these strengths. For the company to achieve a
sustainable competitive advantage, it must address this organizational weakness and build
the necessary capabilities to expand production and distribution effectively.
Chashabondhu, an agritech platform, connects marginal farmers to urban buyers *
via a mobile app. Despite strong onboarding, transaction volumes are low, and
customer retention is poor. Based on the Barringer/Ireland Business Model
Template, identify two potential weak blocks in their model and suggest how
improving them could address the retention issue.

Based on the Barringer/Ireland Business Model Template, the two potential weak blocks in
Chashabondhu's model could be:

1. Customer Relationships

Weakness:
i) Chashabondhu's customer retention is poor, which suggests that they may not have a
strong enough customer relationship strategy.
ii) If users are not engaging with the platform beyond the initial onboarding, it could indicate
a lack of personalized communication, incentives, or value-added services that encourage
repeated use.

Improvement:
i) To improve retention, Chashabondhu could implement personalized follow-up
communication, loyalty programs, or features that add ongoing value.
ii) This could include notifications about market trends, regular promotions, or educational
content to help farmers optimize their product offerings.

2. Channels

Weakness:
i) While there is strong onboarding, low transaction volumes indicate that the current
channels (mobile app) may not be fully optimized for continued engagement.
ii) The app might not be the most accessible or user-friendly for the target market, or there
may be a disconnect in how the platform facilitates transactions between farmers and
buyers.

Improvement:
i) Chashabondhu could focus on improving the app's usability, ensuring it is intuitive for
marginal farmers who may have limited access to technology.
ii) They could also explore adding more communication channels like SMS or voice
messages to keep farmers engaged.

By strengthening these two areas—customer relationships and channels—Chashabondhu

could create a more engaging, user-friendly platform that encourages both retention and
higher transaction volumes.

This form was created inside of BRAC UNIVERSITY.