1.0  Business structure

My business name is Elite computer training center. The business offers Computer training services which are the resources, and services dedicated to helping educate users on computer-related topics. Computer training professionals instruct and help users acquire proficiency in a wide array of areas, including software, hardware, database management, programming, networking and more. To provide an expertise in computer mentoring that will the most advanced computer technology, and to train people who want to learn computers (Lane and Ready, 2016).

For the teaching of computer software, cultivating students ‘creative thinking and creative ability has a positive role in improving students’ practical ability and technical level. At the same time, cultivating computer software creative talents also has a very important social significance for the IT industry (Lane and Ready, 2016).

The business will in the form of a sole proprietorship which involves one individual who operates and owns the enterprise (Abrams, 2017). The sole proprietorship is the best structure for this kind of business since it is a small enterprise. For this kind of formation, there are no corporate taxes to be paid as well as minimal legal costs. On the other hand, there are minimal formal business requirements thus it is easy to form.

1.1 Legal requirements

State any 3 legal requirements for this business.

1. Registered business Name-This means that the business has to have a name for recognition in the federal or local government. This process is essential in letting the state know the name the business is operating under.
2. State and local taxes-The business is required to pay local or state taxed. These taxes will depend on government policies based on the business structure.
3. Business permit and licenses-Like any other business, the computer training business will have to obtain permits and licenses that will allow the operation of the business in accordance with the state or local permits and licenses required.

The designer of the logo will get to sign a simple form of agreement that will include the picture of the logo and that will assign the intellectual property right to the business. After the agreement, the business will register the trademark for the logo as a way of protecting the logo from intellectual property theft (Butler, 2014).

2.0 PEST analysis

2.1 Political

Changes in government policy, regulations and rules have greatly influenced the operation of the business. Relatively, the political stability has affected the operation of the business. The increase in tax and political decisions have influenced the economic environment. On the other hand, the politicians have impacted the acceptance of new innovations and technologies which have impacted the rate of emergence of new technologies.

2.2Economic

The economic environment has influenced the performance of the business. The normal economic life cycle has affected the business cyclicality with impacts on the staffing needs, capital needs, physical capacity and resources needs as well as the magnitude of the market trend. For instance, economic fluctuations have had effects on the business activities hindering the business from achieving its objectives.

2.3 Socio-cultural

Some of the trends in the society that have influenced the business include the rise of the internet market which has influenced the traditional way of learning. With the continuous deepening of quality education, the requirements for teachers are constantly improving. Only teachers with high quality can cultivate high-quality students. In order to meet the needs of work, teachers must constantly learn and constantly improve to adapt to today’s education. The developments in computer technology have been of great attention with many television educators that have changed the social organization.

 

2.4 Technological

Increased technological advancement have influenced the operation of the business. Ideally, the emerging technologies have had great influences on how the business is operating in terms of software and hardware developments. The new communication methods, the speed of technology transfer and R&D efforts have influenced the business strategy perspectives.

3.0 SWOT analysis

3.1 Strengths

1. Having advanced resources such as enough computers that can accommodate those looking for training programs.
2. The location of the business have drawn more students seeking the training programs
3. Highly skilled professionals who have experiences in running the computer training programs have boosted the business into a success.
4. The business has concentrated on giving solutions to students in a friendlier manner.
5. An effective online presence of the business has promoted its success in computer training.

6 Positive perceptions of the community.

3.2 Weaknesses

• Distance/online learning opportunities and resources
• Slow adoption of the marketing trends
• Long registration and application process

3.3 Opportunities

• There is an on-demand access to computer training services
• The social media and IT require the development of different computer skills
• Aligned computer programs depending on the student needs and level of computer literacy
• Technological advancement that increases computer interface

3.4 Threats

• Competition within the computer training market-The computer training services have increased thus great competition from computer training institutes with advanced resources and greater presence for college students
• Political instability and Risks-Political decisions have influenced technology and learning experience thus affecting the development and training needs
• Economic fluctuations thus reduced resources for the business operation
• The growth of online education trends. The online businesses and e-learning education have influenced the computer training services thus posing a greater risk for the business in the market
• Computer studies are being offered in institutions of higher education thus affecting the number of college students demanding computer studies.

4.0 Business values

4.1 Core values

• The three core values of the business include:
• Reliability-The business is committed to sustainability and will act in an environmentally sustainable way.
• Loyalty-The business is committed to building strong communities by offering computer training education.
• Efficiency-The business is committed to excellence and innovation embodied by thinking different from its competitors.

Reliability, loyalty, and efficiency are the three core values that the business rely upon to determine whether they are wrong or right. The business is built on the foundation of these values to ensure that they create a strong, durable and credible reputation within its market.

4.2 Sustainable business development

To facilitate the development of a sustainable business, there is a need to aim at measures of sustainability for business practices (Wolf and Floyd, 2017). In this case, the three measures of sustainability include

-Focusing on reinvention to deliver more value

-Focusing on renewable energy in the operation of computer training

-Asset recycling for training resources such as computer accessories and old computers.

 

4.3 Goals

The main goals for the business include:

• Meet computer training needs for computer users- Deliver a rewarding career by offering expert computer skills that are reliable for clients that do not know how to use the computer effectively
• Gain Proficiency-This will aim at gaining expertise in the subjects being offered at the training in order to create more opportunities for the clients

5.0 Market research

To gain a better understanding of the industry clients and business growth, it will be essential to carry out primary research through surveys from different clients. This will boost an understanding of the market from the target market who are the potential customers. The importance of the primary research is that there is specific and exploratory research whereby the information is obtained from the chosen respondents (Butler, 2014). On the other hand, secondary research will also be used to gather information from internet sources. The information obtained from the secondary research will be essential in making decisions on the kind of training services that will boost the performance of the company (Burns, Bush, and Sinha, 2014).

The three methods of primary research will include face to face survey, telephone interviews, and questionnaires for the target market.

5.1 Survey

The survey will be issued to the target market to mine data about the market, the clients and their preferences. The online survey will be in a form or document that could be completed online on the business’ website. The survey designed will be outsourced from a statistics professional who will offer information on how the company can effectively conduct a survey that is accurate and with a valid market research (Brace, 2018). The survey will include 8 questions that will be used to define the nature, size, and extent of the market to offer a basic understanding of the market.

6.0 Market analysis

6.1 Primary competitors

The main competitors for CTE are the local universities, colleges, and computer training institutes. The primary competitors chosen are important in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses so that the business can effectively make knowledgeable decisions to beat the competitors and avail more opportunities or the business in the market.

6.2 Secondary competitors

The secondary competitors include the e-learning programs and computer education consultants. Distance learning and computer training centers have also offered services that are almost similar to the services being offered within the business. The secondary competitors will be essential in determining the opportunities that will enable the company to stand out from the competitors.

6.3 Target market

The target market has been segmented into to demographic and behavioral segments who are new computer users. The behavioral segments include clients that have the same needs in terms of computer skills and wants. The demographic segment includes clients at a similar age group. The behavioral segment includes home pc users and small business owners, institutions and government agencies in need of staff with computer skills. On the other hand, the demographic segment includes college students and high school students. For the training business to succeed there is a need to ensure that the target market receives adequate computer skills.

6.4 Marketing strategy

The most suitable marketing strategy for the business will be the undifferentiated market which involves different marketing strategies for different market segments (Butler, 2014). In this case, the business will market to the high school students about the computer skills being offered while the promotion of sales to the other markets will be done on the use of computer skills obtained from the training programs and the efficient use of computers. The marketing strategy is important in focusing on the customer demands and shaping the training and development to the strategies of the business.

6.5 Position statement

Our computer training center will differ from other traditional computer training services offered by training institutes, universities, and colleges because of our added intelligence and personal touch.

7.0 The marketing mix

7.1 Product

Computer training is a service that is dedicated to helping educate computer users and instructing them to acquire proficiency in a wide variety of areas including hardware, software, database management, networking, and programming. The core curriculum will be designed to offer training to the clients from basic computer skills to certification competencies.

7.1.1 Product classification

Computer training education can be classified among the unsought goods that clients don’t often think about. These are services or products that have no brand recognition. For the unsought goods, it is challenging because the customers have to be convinced that they need the service. On the other hand, the customers or clients have to be convinced to buy the service from the business and not another competitor.

7.1.2 Product levels

Customer core value: The customer core value is the computer skills that they gain from the training.

Actual product: The product offers proficiency in hardware, software, database management, programming, networking and computer packages.

Augmented product: The computer training programs are adjusted according to the customer needs skill level as well as effectiveness.

Unique selling proposition

CTR offers quality training that differs from traditional learning environments that are overwhelming to new students through smaller classes that are more attentive to the needs of the students and personalized services.

7.2 Pricing

The students will be charged flat fees except for certain situations where they will be required extra fee for special students on an hourly basis. Pricing for the services offered on the training and assessment of computer skills and training programs will be based on each element of service. This means that the pricing will ground upon the overlapping phases in the training. For the first phases, the computer training will include the Microsoft based training, the second phase includes the occupational skills training and the intermediate phase which includes the specialist certification.

7.3 Distribution

Generally, the services will be offered in the training centers as well as the client homes or their place of work and business. The direct distribution strategy is important in reaching the clients directly as a way of developing efficient and effective training styles to appeal to the clients

7.4 Promotion

The main objective of promotion is to attract new customers and increase awareness about the services being offered by the business. For promotion and advertising, a pronged approach will be utilized for the promotion and advertising campaign. The business will rely on two promotional mix elements which include advertising and direct marketing. These will include social media advertising, posters, brochure, reward programs, flyer and special offers to clients as a way of promoting the business product. These elements will communicate directly to the client about the service making the promotion more effective through gaining more customers. Additionally, the promotion campaigns will be aimed at updating and advising customers on computer related needs and issues that will attract more clients to the training center.

References

Abrams, R. M. (2017). Entrepreneurship: A Real-World Approach. Planning Shop.

Brace, I. (2018). Questionnaire design: How to plan, structure and write survey material for effective market research. Kogan Page Publishers.

Burns, A. C., Bush, R. F., & Sinha, N. (2014). Marketing research (Vol. 7). Harlow: Pearson.

Butler, D. (2014). Business Planning for New Ventures: A guide for start-ups and new innovations. Routledge.

Lane, W. F., & Ready, A. Y. C. (2016). Advanced Technology Training. Cell, 919, 0362.

Wolf, C., & Floyd, S. W. (2017). Strategic planning research: Toward a theory-driven agenda. Journal of Management, 43(6), 1754-1788.