Market strategy case study: Boston Matrix, segmentation and product lifecycle

A case study for AS/A-level Business students to help them understand product lifecycle, market segmentation, market mapping and the Boston Matrix.

Pupils are given a scenario where they are on the board of a company with a range of products at different stages in their lifecycle and asked to make and justify decisons about each product, including a potential new product still in development. They are encouraged to think about whether the Boston Matrix would be an appropriate tool to help decision-making and to consider market-mapping to help identify potential gaps in the market.

This is a very useful tool for teaching pupils how to break down case studies, analyse and evaluate information and reach and justify conclusions.