You have been hired by the Cloud Buds^TM Music Company as the director of business development. Cloud Buds^TM sells an innovative cloud-based MP3 player. More specifically, Cloud Buds^TM are lightweight ear buds that use sophisticated satellite based transmitters and Internet technology to deliver the customer's preprogrammed playlists of music. In addition, Cloud Buds^TM sell for $69 a pair (plus an optional $10 a year insurance policy to automatically replace one or more lost ear buds) -- substantially less than the most established competitor, High Notes MP3 players (that sell for $99 per player).

As the director of new business, your first assignment is to accompany BILL-I-AM (of the Sweet Peas Band) to New London where he will perform with the New London artist Paprika Spice (of the Spicy Girl Band). Cloud Buds^TM is sponsoring BILL-I-AM's and Paprika Spice's joint performances -- in the hope of laying the foundation for introducing the Cloud Buds^TMproduct to New London consumers (and especially the consumers in the demographic of 13-24 year-olds). In the same way celebrity endorsements are one of the mainstays of the U.S. marketing campaign for Cloud Buds^TM, your boss expects New Londoners will be influenced by the celebrity endorsement from BILL-I-AM and Paprika Spice.

More specifically, while in New London, your boss wants you to find out what you can about New London, including:

-- Economic factors (read: current conditions and outlook);

-- How easy it is to do business in the city;

-- What is the state of the available technology infrastructure (including how robust are the local data centers, transmission control systems, and system security measures);

-- Demographics (including the age distribution of the city residents);

-- Political and cultural factors;

-- Other competitors in the market; and

-- Any other factors of relevance.

Also, your boss has been told retail space rents for about $45 a square foot per month (on average) and the company would require at least a 1,500 square foot shop to open a new Cloud Buds^TM store. Also, based on a square foot rental of $45 (times the 1,500 square foot size of the shop times 12 months a year), the highest hourly salaries Cloud Buds^TM could afford for the two clerks needed to run the shop will be $10 an hour for the store manager and $8 an hour for the assistant manager (with each salary times 40 hours a week and 52 weeks a year).

As further background, your boss provided you with some comparison information from the market for MP3 players in the United States. In turn, your boss suggests comparing what you learn about New London to what you know about the U.S. market -- to make an assessment of whether New London would be good market for Cloud Buds^TM.