Google has brought many products and ideas to market that have been unsuccessful and ultimately pulled back. Forbes recently published an infographic that illustrates many of these. This is valuable to point out the uncertainty surrounding new products and services and how a real option portfolio might be an appropriate tool for making investment decisions. Ultimately, the process may look a bit like a venture capital portfolio. Given Google’s successes, we may forget their many ideas that have not worked well in the marketplace. There are a number of other resources here that help to focus on real options as a strategic tool.

Contributed by Russ Coff