Build wins over buy for one insurer, and the DDBA 8161 Week 9 memo says why: an analytics firm bought today is one a larger rival matches by buying the next. Searches like "ddba 8161 week 9 assignment example", "ddba8161 week 9 sample" and "ddba 8161 week 9 example" land here.
What a finished DDBA 8161 Week 9 build or buy memo looks like
Four pages, headed as a memo to the insurer's chief claims officer. The recommendation arrives first: build a claims-analytics team inside the claims function over two years, licensing standard tools rather than acquiring a vendor. The case for buying is stated next at full strength, since an acquisition would deliver working models within months. The memo then applies Barney's argument about strategic factor markets, that a resource bought in a competitive market is priced near its expected value, so the buyer earns little beyond that price unless it knows something other bidders do not. A comparison table sets the two routes against speed, cost, and how a national carrier could match each. Capron and Mitchell's build, borrow or buy framework sets out the options, including a licensing middle path.
How a DDBA 8161 Week 9 example is structured
Recommendation, then the strongest objection, then the argument: the memo is ordered so the claims officer meets the case for buying before the case against it. The factor-market section carries the central claim. It explains why an acquired analytics firm would give no protected edge, since the national carrier could bid for a comparable firm, and the price paid would absorb most of the value. The build section argues the other path's protection: models trained on the insurer's own claims history and embedded in adjusters' daily routines cannot be bought by the rival, because neither the history nor the routines are for sale. A section on speed concedes the two-year gap and estimates what it costs in claims leakage. The licensing option is treated as a bridge, not a destination. Review milestones close the memo.
The objection granted early
An acquisition would put working fraud and severity models in place within months, and the memo concedes it in the paragraph after its recommendation. Readers who favor buying find their case stated before it is answered.
What the market price absorbs
An analytics firm sold in a competitive auction is priced near what bidders expect it to earn. Barney's factor-market argument explains why the insurer would pay away most of the value unless it knows more than the other bidders.
A rival that can bid too
A national carrier with larger reserves could buy the next analytics firm on the market. The memo treats that as the decisive fact: a bought capability is one the rival can match by writing a check.
What cannot be purchased
Twenty years of the insurer's own claims, and adjusters trained to act on model output, are not for sale to anyone. The build path compounds those two, and the memo estimates how long a rival would need to accumulate an equivalent history.
Licensing as a bridge
Standard tools are licensed for the first year so adjusters can begin working with scores while the internal team trains. The memo sets an end date for the license so the bridge does not become permanent.
Where marks go in DDBA 8161 Week 9
This memo is scored on whether the choice follows from an argument about imitation rather than from cost alone. A comparison of price and speed, however careful, answers a procurement question and leaves the course's question open. Credit accumulates in the factor-market section when Barney's logic is applied to this acquisition specifically: who else would bid, what the price would capture, what private knowledge the insurer might hold. The build section is rewarded for naming the resource the rival cannot purchase and explaining why it is not for sale. Conceding speed openly is rewarded, and memos that pretend building is fast lose credibility with a doctoral reader. Memo form, an executive-ready opening and consistent APA citation take the remaining share.
Get a DDBA 8161 Week 9 example written to your instructions
Hand over the Week 9 memo prompt and rubric, plus the capability and the candidate acquisition if your case names one, and a build or buy memo is delivered inside 24-48h, the first free. If the prompt adds a partnership option, say so, and it is argued alongside the other two.
DDBA 8161 Week 9 questions, answered
Does make-or-buy reasoning settle this?
Not on its own, because the question differs. Make-or-buy reasoning usually weighs transaction costs and control. This memo asks which route leaves the firm with something a rival cannot match quickly. The two can point in opposite directions, and a memo that notices the tension and says which question governs the recommendation tends to come across as the stronger argument.
Can the memo recommend buying?
Yes, when the target holds something other bidders cannot see or cannot use as well, since that is the condition under which Barney's argument allows a buyer to profit. The memo would then have to show that private knowledge or that unusual fit. Recommending acquisition because it is fast, without that showing, concedes the advantage to whichever rival buys next.
How long should the build timeline be?
Long enough to be credible and no longer. The example uses two years because models need a year of adjuster feedback before they improve on licensed scores. Your case may justify a shorter or longer period. The requirement is that the memo prices the delay and says what the firm loses while waiting.