Mydrone: A Personal Assistance Drone with Umbrella and Selfie Capabilities

Drones are being developed to provide personal assistance in a variety of ways. MYDRONE has developed a drone that can both take photos like an extension of a selfie capability, and also hold an umbrella that is integrated with the drone. The drone stays appropriately positioned to shield the owner from the weather, sun shade or rain protection. The photo capability means there are far more possibilities for selfie photos than are possible when a camera device is held by the owner, an aid to provide interesting and creative photos. The notion of selfie is being redefined, the drone is an extension of self. The umbrella function is possible because the drone carries an umbrella folded and ready to be deployed at all times, in a few seconds the umbrella can be erected when rain starts, a great advantage in changeable Auckland weather, but not limited in usefulness in Auckland.

The drone has a sensor device that not only senses the rain but also the wind velocity so the drone can position itself over the owner taking account of the angle of the rain and therefore providing maximum shelter. Similarly, the drone is able to sense the position of the sun and provide shade. Either function can be deployed depending on the weather situation. The drone also senses where there are obstructions such as trees and is able to adjust its flight path as needed. The owner keeps a proximity device with them at all times so the drone is fully aware of the exact position of its owner, including sensing when the owner changes speed, enters a car or building, or makes any change of direction, in this way providing maximum protection, or folding down the umbrella as appropriate. Very precise GPS technology is required. The drones fold down to be only a little larger than a mobile phone and can therefore be carried in a small bag when not in use and then deployed rapidly as required. The better models will unfold themselves when required.

The drones are designed to fly a variety of distances, some up to 20km so they can stay with you for a long period of time. Models vary depending on the size of the umbrella, functionality, and colour/design of the umbrella. The drones must have very precise navigation. A high level of robustness is required so that the drone can cope with gusts, hail and objects that suddenly arrive in its flightpath. It is accepted that in extreme weather, such as hurricanes the drones may need to be grounded in the interests of public safety. Speed and noise level will also be important elements of the specification.

Business Processes

Mydrone, a New Zealand company, intends to import the component parts for drones and assemble the drones. There will be several base models, each with different capabilities. Customers will have the option of customising their own product with several mix and match options. The product is expected to be supplied into both the New Zealand and Australian markets.

Mydrone are manufacturers of the drones and also run a hiring service as a way of demonstrating the full potential of the products, to help sceptical customers develop confidence in the product.  There are a variety of service and distribution aspects to the hiring part of the business that require thoughtful design.

There is some maintenance required for the hired drones to ensure a high level of reliability. A regular testing programme is needed to ensure that the drones are in good condition at all times so that the service delivery is reliable. There are also some civil aviation requirements that need to be complied with. Mydrone are working closely with the civil aviation authorities on codes of practice for drone activity.

The Managing Director is concerned that the product launched on the local market is of a consistent and high quality, but he is also concerned that the price points will position the product within the grasp of the market segments selected.

The models to be assembled locally will vary as discussed above in size, features, speed, noise level, and capacity. There will be a variety of models to suit different types of user requirements. Each market will require different key product features.

The price of components is important, but there are other criteria that need careful assessment before entering into relationships with suppliers. The drones will have different price points in the different markets that reflect the different products with features designed to meet the requirements of the different customer groups. In addition to the technical features referred to above it will also be important that the branding on the drone is clearly visible as the drone will also effectively be a flying billboard. Some customers may pay a premium to have the branding not visible. Some interesting opportunities exist for the drones to be lit during night flying.

The business is expected to be highly competitive, and there will be competitor product that are entirely made overseas with lower labour costs than is possible in NZ. It will be essential that a good reputation in the market is quickly established.

Marketing Strategy

The Managing Director is very concerned that the storage costs are kept to a minimum at all points in the supply chain; the supply of finance is limited so the level of working capital is lower than the Managing Director would like.

It is expected that the largest New Zealand market will be in the Auckland area, though there are significant market opportunities outside of Auckland. Initially, it is intended to establish the market in New Zealand (probably Auckland) and then expand in about two years to the east coast of Australia focusing on the Sydney area. There are issues to be considered about where stocks of finished product should be held.

There is a need to make the product available for prospective customers to view and in some cases trial. This is because of the novel nature of the product at this stage in the product life-cycle; the new technology needs to be operated to build confidence.  There is a concern about how a product that has been trialled should be stored and maintained when it is returned and held for subsequent customer trials.

It is important for Mydrone to move quickly to ensure a first mover advantage in the market. Because the competitors have existing manufacturing capability it is expected that they will be able to achieve a very competitive cost base.

The internet is going to be important as an advertising medium and also as a means for prospective customers to view technical data, view pictures of the product, and place orders.

The CEO is focused on ensuring the overall effectiveness of the business. The CEO needs recommendations that are innovative and practical for the ebusiness world.

Choose for your group weekly discussion from the material suggested below. I do not recommend that you cover all the content suggested below, be selective based on the interests of your group.

1 The questions on the weekly PowerPoint not discussed in class or where there are additional useful perspectives to the questions. 

2 Exercises identified below in Chaffey at the end of the relevant chapter.

3 Research any other exercises of interest at the end of the relevant Chaffey chapter.

4 Choose any Mini case study of interest from the relevant Chaffey chapter.

This assignment is designed to give you practical exposure to some of the key aspects of e-business management. All of the assignment relates to the case study below, ‘My Drone’. It is a continuation of the first assignment.

You are required to prepare an e-business management report. This report is expected to be supported with diagrams wherever appropriate and structured according to the headings below; 

Describe and discuss the functionality of the digital presence you are proposing including a discussion of the business processes supported. This is likely to include information dissemination, sales, fulfilment, returns, customer-My Drone interactive communications, CRM, marketing, supply chain support etc. Draw detailed flow chart(s) of the functionality supported by the digital sites and discuss the key features.

Design a digital presence for ‘My Drone’ that supports customer, supplier and staff activity with the ‘My Drone’ organisation.

Internet, extranet, intranet, apps, social media design will need to be included.

Explain the key features of the digital presence. You will need to consider how the business will interact with customers, suppliers and partners using multiple channels. What would each channel be used for. Consider for example Linkedin, Facebook, specialist apps for mobiles etc.

A diagrammatic presentation of the digital presence / sites and digital environment is needed and mock ups of some of the web presence will be needed.

Identify key measures of success that you recommend for use to assess the total business digital presence. This will include how you would cost justify your proposal, which parts of your digital presence are more likely to be cost effective than others. Where possible apply your measures to your proposed digital presence, and for others that are not possible to apply discuss how you would use them in the context of this case study.

This will include report layout, headings as requested, integration of concepts, length, grammar, spelling, sentence construction, paragraphing, clarity of expression, referencing APA format, 1.5 spacing, easily red diagrams and compliance with instructions, creativity.