Frank Wang did his undergraduate studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He first impressed his professor during a classroom project on a helicopter flight control system. Frank was part of the 2005 HKUST team that came in third in an Asian-Oceanian robotic competition. As a result, the university provided grants for him to conduct his post graduate research on developing unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones.

Frank first started to build flight control modules from his HKUST dormitory and sold them to make some money. All these provided the springboard for Frank to start his company in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen DJI Sciences and Technologies Ltd (DJI) started modestly in 2006, selling flight control modules for drones. The company’s breakthrough came in 2009 when a drone, using modules from DJI, successfully piloted around the Mt. Everest’s peak. That drone was able to cover long distances in a harsh environment for a significant period of time.

Then, Frank went onto attract key personnel in Finance and Marketing to further grow DJI. By 2012, the company was ready to introduce their complete drones such as the Flame Wheel F330 and Flame Wheel F550. Then came the drone named S800 with its Zenmuse Z15 camera gimbal to hold a Sony digital camera. A gimbal helps to prevent shake during moving shots to produce a more professional video. Its Phantom drone series in North America quickly became a favourite amongst everyday consumers. Moreover, the Television, Film and Music industries quickly adopted drone videography as part of their production process. All these helped DJI to cement its position as the market leader for drones that are capable of aerial photography and videography with image stabilisation.

In 2015, DJI introduced the DJI OSMO. DJI OSMO is a small handheld camera with gimbal capabilities that can be used on the ground level to produce professional looking videos. The accompanying tagline for this product – Reimagine Movement.

You are strongly encouraged to carry out the necessary research in order to answer the following questions.

(a) Appraise Frank Wang’s entrepreneurship journey by using the Cyclic Innovation Model. Based your answer on:

(i) the creation of the drone’s technical capabilities,

(ii) the creation of the drone’s technical functions,

(iii) the customer’s values for flying drones, and

(iv) the corresponding consumer behaviour/social insights in the 2010s that are relevant to DJI’s drones. 

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Stepbystep explanation The Cyclic Innovation Model CIM is a patented brand by A J Berkhout 2007 The model shows that open innovation is not linear but ... View the full answer