Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Jennifer Parks at PillarPoint Home Loans...

Liedtka, Jeanne M....

Case

Jennifer Parks at PillarPoint Home Loans: Developing a New-Growth Initiative

Liedtka, Jeanne M.; Glinska, Gosia

ENT-0102 | Published September 20, 2008 | 2 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Product Details

Jennifer Parks, a newly appointed business development officer at PillarPoint Home Loans, is given a mandate to identify and develop a new-growth initiative for her company, a small mortgage division of one of the largest U.S. credit card issuers. The company has more than 60 million accounts worldwide and a reputation as a leader in direct marketing and online services. After studying the industry, Parks identifies what she believes is a high-potential growth opportunity: a home mortgage product aimed at high-net-worth customers of the parent company. As she gets ready to present her idea to PillarPoint's executives, what should she propose as the next steps for moving the initiative forward?

This case affords students an opportunity to develop a new organic-growth initiative for their company by designing a "learning launch," which allows a new business idea to be tested and validated (or invalidated) quickly with a small-scale launch in the marketplace.