DocuSign:  in preparation for your site visit to DocuSign, DocuSign is a start-up from Silicon Valley in California that has evolved into one of the world’s leading e-based document signing technology companies.  As the linked article shows, DocuSign has serious expansion plans for the Dublin office and hopes to hire 1,000 additional workers.  Based on your quick review of the article on DocuSign’s expansion to Dublin, identify one commercial opportunity and one commercial challenge they are addressing in this expansion.

One commercial opportunity Docusign could take advantage of is the increase in the amount of space the company occupies. They have the ability to expand their business and increase revenue by hiring new employees which will enable them to take on more clients. A commercial challenge Docusign faces is the increase in need for advertising to expand their business and consumer base. Docusign is still a fairly small company, which means that they need to inform more of the population about their services and why they are an important business to take advantage of.

Google EMEA Headquarters in Dublin: In preparation for your site visit to Google’s Headquarters in Dublin for its Europe, Middle East and Africa division, this is an excellent example of how a firm is responding to opportunities and challenges in generating digital advertising revenue in its broader social environment by recognizing and addressing opportunities and challenges related to digital advertising revenue in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  Based on your quick review of the article on Google’s 15 years in Ireland, identify one commercial opportunity and one commercial challenge they are addressing in the EMEA headquarters.

One commercial opportunity Google took advantage of was the ability to expand their presence in Europe, specifically in Ireland. While Google is a large corporation in the United States, its influence didn’t necessarily spread to Europe as much as they would have liked. Therefore, they took advantage of the young and educated population in Europe to expand their business. A commercial challenge for Google was their inability to take advantage of shared value. For them, maximization allowed for the most amount of profit, which is all they really needed. However, they have recently started a program where they showcase “non-profit innovators and social entrepreneurs in local communities around Dublin”. This demonstrates shared value because not only are they gaining new ideas and insights into their company, but they are also helping local communities showcase their creative thinking and innovative ideas.

Questions For The Site Visits:  Finally, acting as members of consulting teams that might choose to write a group paper about the commercial opportunities and challenges connected to DocuSign or Google EMEA Headquarters in Dublin, what specific questions do you have about the business model for DocuSign that relate to our course material (Triple Bottom Line and sustainability, market segmentation, maximization versus shared value, etc.)?  What specific questions do you have about the business model for Google EMEA Headquarters in Dublin that relate to our course material (Triple Bottom Line and sustainability, market segmentation, maximization versus shared value, etc.)?    Give us specific questions for each of tomorrow’s visits.

DocuSign: Who is your intended market? What types of people do you see using this service in the future?

Google: Do local community members receive any type of compensation if they come up with an innovative idea for the company? What are some ideas that people have come up with in the past? Why did Google choose Dublin for a new building site?