Outline a background of the case below. (Please note that this is not an essay question.)In June 2011, Steve Katsaros, founder and CEO of Nokero, was contemplating how to build on his company's accomplishments during the last 12 months. Nokero, a marketer of solar bulbs, has emerged as a successful born-global social enterprise. CHAPTER 17Global Manufacturing and Supply-Chain Management70Boys at an orphanage inKisii, Kenya, use the Nokerasolar light to read at night.While the brightness of theN200 light is not the sameas traditional LED lighting,it's brightness is five timesbrighter than that of akerosene lantern, which iscommonly used in developincountries where electricity isscarce or nonexistent.Source: Institute for IntermationalBusinessthe past year, Nokero had sold more than 150,000 solar light bulbs to over 90 countries.The company has also started to attract significant media attention. CNN, The NewYork Times (online), The Washington Post, Fast Company, Popular Mechanics, PopularScience, The Denver Post, and Engadget, to name just a few, have featured Nokero'sstory of doing well by doing good as a provider of environmentally friendly solar lightingto the world's poor.While Katsaros was very pleased with his company's overall performance during thepast year, he was concerned with three fundamental questions. First, what market segmentsshould the company focus on for profitable growth? Several opportunities had propelledNokero's sales in recent months. The company has made tens of thousands of dollars insmall and sample order sales through the company's website from thousands of customersin North America and abroad. Additionally, Nokero has entered into or is in the process ofsigning distributorship agreements in about a dozen countries. For example, Nokero has en-gaged Westinghouse Lighting Corporation to distribute its solar lights in selected markets inLatin America. Finally, governments, international agencies, and non-governmental organi-zations have partnered with or approached Nokero on collaborative social programs relatingto environmental sustainability, renewable energy, poverty alleviation, and disaster and reliefprojects. Katsaros wanted to make sure that Nokero explores the best pathways for growthin both the social enterprise sector and commercial channels.Second, where should the company grow? Currently, Nokero has pursued an opportu-nistic sales approach. The company's major customers are in diverse and dispersed loca-tions in Ghana, South Africa, Fiji, Mexico, India, Nigeria, Vanuatu, Haiti, Kenya, and othermarkets. Although practical business sense may dictate that international new ventures likeNokero focus on a few markets at a time, Katsaros was hesitant to pursue this approachsince it contradicted the company's social mission of reaching out to as many people aspossible that could benefit from Nokero's solar light bulbs.Third, how should Nokero manage its supply chain to support the company's growth?Katsaros understood that the company's future success hinges on its ability to reach its cus-tomers. In turn, this requires Nokero to address critical global supply chain issues effectively.How can the company serve different market and customer segments that are dispersed inmany countries? How can Nokero bring down distribution costs to make the product moreaffordable to its customers? What should the company do to address the "last mile issue" ofreaching customers in the most remote locations? The Nokero StoryIdentifying the OpportunityNokero (short for "No Kerosene") was established by Steve Katsaros in order to deyslopsafe and environmentally friendly solar products that eliminated the need for harmf ndpolluting fuels used for light and heat around the world and are affordable to the cust versthat need them. Katsaros saw a significant opportunity in developing a solar light prodt toreplace kerosene and diesel lanterns. Katsaros described the opportunity as follows:In many parts of the world, non-electrified dwellings and workplaces are illuminateby kerosene or diesel lamps, candles or wood. There are electric options but most a texpensive, or fragile, or don't have replaceabie, rechargeable batteries.More than 1.6 billion people live without electricity. Of these, 704 million people are inSouth Asia, 550 million in sub-Saharan Africa, and 225 million in Southeast Asia. Many ofthese people live in remote areas and rely on kerosene and diesel-fueled lanterns for theirlighting. By substituting solar light bulbs for kerosene lanterns, these people are able to re-coup their purchase price within a period of 12 days to two months, depending on marketforces. Moreover, the replacement of kerosene lanterns with solar light bulbs generates sig-nificant environmental and health benefits. Every solar light that replaces a kerosene lanternsaves three-quarters of a ton of CO2 emissions over the five-year lifetimeAccording to the World Bank, daily exposure to emissions from kerosene lanterns is likesmoking two packs of cigarettes per daythe product.Inventing the Solution: The N100 and N200Katsaros invented the first Nokero light bulb (the Nokero N100) on January 24, 2010, ming a sketch of the idea on a notepad. Four days later, he filed a U.S. patent on the N10 4was eventually granted in February 2011. Production on the light bulb commenced in2010 and a new model, the N200, was introduced in November 2010.The Nokero solar light bulb is a small, lightweight, portable light, shaped like abulb for easy identification. The bulb hangs in the sun to charge and can be hung oron its side at night. A "pivot" feature allows users to swivel the solar panel toward thesun to maximize charge capability. The bulb can be swiveled at night to direct light wneeded. The LED lights are enclosed in the shatter-resistant bulb, do not get hot, andduce an even light.The Nokero solar light bulb isa small, lightweight, portablelight, shaped like a lightbulb for easy identification.The bulb hangs in the sunto charge and can be hungor laid on its side at night. A"pivot" feature allows users toswivel the solar panel towardthe sun to maximize chargecapability.Source: Iratitute for InternationalBusiness

Here the case study is about the invention of solar bulb in the year 2010 and how the journey of the…

Outline a background of the case below. (Please note that this is not an essay question.) In June 2011, Steve Katsaros, founder and CEO of Nokero, was contemplating how to build on his company's accomplishments during the last 12 months. Nokero, a marketer of solar bulbs, has emerged as a successful born-global social enterprise

Outline a background of the case below. (Please note that this is not an essay question.) In June 2011, Steve Katsaros, founder and CEO of Nokero, was contemplating how to build on his company's accomplishments during the last 12 months. Nokero, a marketer of solar bulbs, has emerged as a successful born-global social enterprise

Understanding Business

12th Edition

ISBN:9781259929434

Author:William Nickels

Publisher:William Nickels

Chapter1: Taking Risks And Making Profits Within The Dynamic Business Environment

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1CE

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