Chapter 3

Feasibility Analysis
Bruce R. Barringer
R. Duane Ireland

Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education Ltd. 3-1

 Chapter Objectives
1 of 3

1. Explain what a feasibility analysis is and why it’s

important.
2. Discuss the proper time to complete a feasibility
analysis when developing an entrepreneurial venture.
3. Describe the purpose of a product/service feasibility
analysis and the two primary issues that a proposed
business should consider in this area.
4. Explain a concept statement and its components.
5. Describe the purpose of a buying intentions survey and
how it’s administered.
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 Chapter Objectives
2 of 3

6. Explain the importance of library, Internet, and

gumshoe research.
7. Describe the purpose of industry/market feasibility
analysis and the two primary issues to consider in
this area.
8. Discuss the characteristics of an attractive industry.
9. Describe the purpose of organizational feasibility
analysis and list the two primary issues to consider
in this area.

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 Chapter Objectives
3 of 3

10. Explain the importance of financial feasibility

analysis and list the most critical issues to consider
in this area.

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 What Is Feasibility Analysis?

• Feasibility analysis is the

process of determining whether
a business idea is viable.
Feasibility Analysis • It is the preliminary evaluation
of a business idea, conducted
for the purpose of determining
whether the idea is worth
pursuing.

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3-6
3-7
3-8
Who
is
HE?

3-9
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 Originally established in 2012 as MyTeksi in Malaysia,
GrabTaxi is a Southeast Asian focused taxi-booking app
founded by Harvard Business School graduates Anthony Tan
and Tan Hooi Ling.
 The idea for GrabTaxi first started when Anthony Tan was a
student at Harvard Business School and a classmate pulled
him aside to gripe about how hard it was to hail a cab in
Malaysia.
 Tan drew up a business plan for an Uber-like service that won
backing from angel investors, leading the youngest of three
brothers to quit the family business in 2012 to start GrabTaxi,
a mobile application that assigns available cabs nearby to
commuters using mapping and location-sharing technology.
 Tan pitched the idea to the panel of the 2011 Harvard
Business Plan Competition, that led to them being placed
second, making them the first all-Asian team to have
succeeded in many years. 3-11
3-12
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 When To Conduct a Feasibility Analysis

• Timing of Feasibility Analysis

– The proper time to conduct a feasibility analysis is early in
thinking through the prospects for a new business.
– The thought is to screen ideas before a lot of resources are
spent on them.
• Components of a Properly Conducted Feasibility
Analysis
– A properly conducted feasibility analysis includes four
separate components, as discussed in the following slides.

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 Feasibility Analysis

Role of feasibility analysis in developing business ideas.

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 Forms of Feasibility Analysis

Industry/Target Market
Product/Service Feasibility
Feasibility

Organizational Feasibility Financial Feasibility

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 Outline for a Comprehensive Feasibility
Analysis

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 Product/Service Feasibility Analysis
1 of 2

Purpose
• Is an assessment of the overall
Product/Service appeal of the product or service
Feasibility Analysis being proposed.
• Before a prospective firm rushes
a new product or service into
development, it should be sure
that the product or service is what
prospective customers want.

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 Product/Service Feasibility Analysis
2 of 2

Components of product/service
feasibility analysis

Product/Service Product/Service
Desirability Demand

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 Product/Service Desirability
1 of 3

First, ask the following questions to determine the basic

appeal of the product or service.

• Does it make sense? Is it reasonable? Is it something consumers

will get excited about?
• Does it take advantage of an environmental trend, solve a
problem, or take advantage of a gap in the marketplace?
• Is this a good time to introduce the product or service to the
market?
• Are there any fatal flaws in the product or service’s basic design
or concept?

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A good idea that can save lives
The milk
carton
that
changes
color
before
expiring
Underwater diving
without getting wet
 Simple
Innovative
Ideas
A new, thief-proof chair
Take a seat wherever you like
with this portable seat
 The suitcase
that becomes
a scooter.
Forget
running
around the
airport.
 The
brilliant
idea of the
3-D plug
Pajamas that can tell if
your baby has a fever
 Product/Service Desirability
2 of 3

• Second, Administer a Concept Test

– A concept statement should be developed.
– A concept statement is a one-page description of a business
that is distributed to people who are asked to provide
feedback on the potential of the business idea.
– The feedback will hopefully provide the entrepreneur:
• A sense of the viability of the product or service idea.
• Suggestions for how the idea can be strengthened or
“tweaked” before proceeding further.

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 Product/Service Desirability
3 of 3

New Venture
Fitness Drink’s
Concept Statement

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 SAY…
Product is Desirable…..
But will there be
demand???

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 Product/Service Demand
1 of 6

• Product/Service Demand
– There are two steps to assessing product/service demand.
– Step 1: Administer a Buying Intentions Survey
– Step 2: Conduct Library, Internet, and Gumshoe research
(investigation)

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 Product/Service Demand
2 of 6

• Buying Intentions Survey

– Is an instrument that is used to gauge customer interest in a
product or service.
– It consists of a concept statement or a similar description of
a product or survey with a short survey attached to gauge
customer interest.

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 Product/Service Demand
3 of 6

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 Product/Service Demand
4 of 6

• Library, Internet, and Gumshoe Research

– The second way to assess the demand for a product or
service is by conducting library, Internet, and gumshoe
research.
– Reference librarians can often point you toward resources
to help you investigate a business idea, such as industry-
specific trade journals and industry reports.
– Internet searches can often yield important information
about the potential viability of a product or service idea.

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Product/Service Demand
5 of 6

Gumshoe Research
Explanation
• A gumshoe is a detective or an
investigator that scrounges around
for information or clues wherever
they can be found.
• Be a gumshoe. Ask people
what they think about your product
or service idea. If your idea is to
sell educational toys, spend a week
volunteering at a day care center
and watch how children interact
with toys.
3-38
 When It Comes
to Children’s
Technology,
Content Is as
Important as
Design

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 Product/Service Demand
6 of 6

One of the most

effective things an
entrepreneur can do to
conduct a thorough
product/service
feasibility analysis is to
hit the streets and talk to
potential customers.

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Industry/Target Market Feasibility Analysis
1 of 2

Purpose
• Is an assessment of the overall
appeal of the industry and the
Industry/Target Market target market for the proposed
Feasibility Analysis business.
• An industry is a group of firms
producing a similar product or
service.
• A firm’s target market is the
limited portion of the industry it
plans to go after.

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Industry/Target Market Feasibility Analysis
2 of 2

Components of industry/target market

feasibility analysis

Target Market
Industry Attractiveness
Attractiveness

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 Industry Attractiveness
1 of 2

• Industry Attractiveness
– Industries vary in terms of their overall attractiveness.
– In general, the most attractive industries have the
characteristics depicted on the next slide.
– Particularly important—the degree to which environmental
and business trends are moving in favor rather than against
the industry.

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 Industry Attractiveness
2 of 2

Characteristics of Attractive Industries

• Are young rather than old (“green field” not “brown field”)
• Are early rather than late in their life cycle
• Are fragmented rather than concentrated
• Are growing rather than shrinking
• Are selling products and services that customers “must have” rather than
“want to have”
• Are not crowded
• Have high rather than low operating margins
• Are not highly dependent on the historically low price of key raw materials

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3-48
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 Target Market Attractiveness

• Target Market Attractiveness

– The challenge in identifying an attractive target market is
to find a market that’s large enough for the proposed
business but is yet small enough to avoid attracting larger
competitors.
– Assessing the attractiveness of a target market is tougher
than an entire industry.
– Often, considerable ingenuity must be employed to find
information to assess the attractiveness of a specific target
market.

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3-51
“To young, active soft-drink consumers who have little
time for sleep, Mountain Dew is the soft drink that gives
you more energy than any other brand because it has
the highest level of caffeine. With Mountain Dew, you
can stay alert and keep going even when you haven’t
been able to get a good night’s sleep.”
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 Organizational Feasibility Analysis
1 of 2

Purpose
• Is conducted to determine
Organizational Feasibility whether a proposed business has
Analysis sufficient management expertise,
organizational competence, and
resources to successfully launch
a business.
• Focuses on non-financial resources.

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 Organizational Feasibility Analysis
2 of 2

Components of organizational
feasibility analysis

Management Prowess Resource Sufficiency

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 Management Prowess

• Management Prowess
– A proposed business should candidly evaluate the prowess,
or ability, of its management team to satisfy itself that
management has the requisite passion and expertise to
launch the venture.
– Two of the most important factors in this area are:
• The passion that the sole entrepreneur or the founding team has for
the business idea.
• The extent to which the sole entrepreneur or the founding team
understands the markets in which the firm will participate.

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 Resource Sufficiency
1 of 2

• Resource Sufficiency
– This topic pertains to an assessment of whether an
entrepreneur has sufficient resources to launch the
proposed venture.
– To test resource sufficiency, a firm should list the 6 to 12
most critical nonfinancial resources that will be needed to
move the business idea forward successfully.
• If critical resources are not available in certain areas, it may be
impractical to proceed with the business idea.

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 Resource Sufficiency
2 of 2

Examples of nonfinancial resources that may be critical

to the successful launch of a new business
• Affordable office space
• Lab space, manufacturing space, or space to launch a service business
• Availability of contract manufacturers or service providers
• Key management employees (now and in the future)
• Key support personnel (now and in the future)
• Ability to obtain intellectual property protection
• Ability to form favorable business partnerships

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 Financial Feasibility Analysis
1 of 2

Purpose
• Is the final component of a
Financial Feasibility comprehensive feasibility analysis.
Analysis • A preliminary financial assessment
is sufficient.

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 Financial Feasibility Analysis
2 of 2

Components of financial
feasibility analysis

Total Start-Up Cash Financial Performance of

Needed Similar Businesses

Overall Financial
Attractiveness of the
Proposed Venture

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 Total Start-Up Cash Needed

• Total Start-Up Cash Needed

– The first issue refers to the total cash needed to prepare the
business to make its first sale.
– An actual budget should be prepared that lists all the
anticipated capital purchases and operating expenses
needed to generate the first $1 in revenues.
– The point of this exercise is to determine if the proposed
venture is realistic given the total start-up cash needed.

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 Financial Performance of Similar
Businesses
• Financial Performance of Similar Businesses
– Estimate the proposed start-up’s financial performance by
comparing it to similar, already established businesses.
– There are several ways to doing this, all of which involve a
little ethical detective work.
• First, there are many reports available, some for free and some that
require a fee, offering detailed industry trend analysis and reports on
thousands of individual firms.
• Second, simple observational research may be needed. For example,
the owners of New Venture Fitness Drinks could estimate their sales
by tracking the number of people who patronize similar restaurants
and estimating the average amount each customer spends.

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 Overall Financial Attractiveness of the
Proposed Venture
1 of 2

• Overall Financial Attractiveness of the Proposed

Investment
– A number of other financial factors are associated with
promising business start-ups.
– In the feasibility analysis stage, the extent to which a
business opportunity is positive relative to each factor is
based on an estimate rather than actual performance.
– The table on the next slide lists the factors that pertain to
the overall attractiveness of the financial feasibility of the
business idea.

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 Overall Financial Attractiveness of the
Proposed Venture
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Financial Factors Associated With Promising Business

Opportunities
• Steady and rapid growth in sales during the first 5 to 7 years in a clearly
defined market niche
• High percentage of recurring revenue—meaning that once a firm wins a
client, the client will provide recurring sources of revenue
• Ability to forecast income and expenses with a reasonable degree of
certainty
• Internally generated funds to finance and sustain growth
• Availability of an exit opportunity for investors to convert equity to cash

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 First Screen

• First Screen
– Shown in Appendix 3.1 (page 127) is a template for
completing a feasibility analysis.
– It’s called “First Screen” because it’s a tool that can be
used in the initial pass at determining the feasibility of a
business idea.
– If a business idea cuts muster at this stage, the next step is
to complete a business plan.

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