Educational Software K-12 Business Plan

CCS has a focus on K-12 schools within the U.S. market, especially schools who:

• already own educational packages from large curriculum publishers who are CCS strategic partners
• owns software that has been recently developed by CSS.

The following chart and table summarize the total market potential for CSS products.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Metropolitan Schools

Metropolitan schools often have larger student populations, with more classes, requiring more extensive and comprehensive software packages. The installations are consequently more extensive in nature.

Rural Schools

Rural schools often have relatively smaller student populations, and fewer classes. Additional customization during installations is usually necessary, as the infrastructure for computer networks is either substandard or nonexistent.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

The target market for CCS is the urban/metropolitan educational market, as this market presents the highest level of opportunity in terms of revenues. Additionally, software installations and customizations in this market are much more feasible in terms of technical logistics and efficiencies. Thus, profitability is by far more likely in this market.

Relationships have been established with a large number of educational institutions and school districts across the U.S. Significant investments have been made by CCS to research and understand the specific needs and potential enhancements to the current educational process. By working closely with educational administrators in efforts to optimize the educational process, strong relationships have been established and a high sales closing rate has resulted.

4.3 Market Needs

CCS’s research has found that educators, as well as parents of K-12 children believe that the educational process is in need of significant improvements. Children, for the most part, have been found to strongly prefer an educational environment where they can learn “hands on” using the computer in conjunction with teacher facilitation, as opposed to teacher facilitation only.

4.4 Service Business Analysis

Major competition to CSS comes not from other software developers but from traditional book publishers. In fact, one of the goals of the company is to educate its clientele about the possibilities and features of the specially-designed software that assists in the educational process. The tool CSS provides teachers with will help them become more effective and efficient in classrooms. The company believes that the novelty and added value its products provide to educators will be key buying decision criteria for the customers.

4.5 Competition and Buying Patterns

Only a handful of other companies are competing directly with CCS in this market. CCS plans to develop a healthy level of market share, with a goal of 10% at the end of three years. With the exponential increase in computer and Internet usage among the public in the last five years, this is a relatively new market. CCS has taken a lead primarily due to its intense efforts both in research and development, as well as in establishing relationships in the educational community.

Educational institutions and school districts have not been active in searching out technical enhancements to the educational process. Rather, companies such as CCS have often utilized a more “push” type of marketing strategy. The educational community has had to be “educated” themselves on the opportunities of utilizing technical infrastructures to enhance learning processes.

The competitive marketplace includes only a handful of direct competitors within the learning information systems vendors segment, providing software products and installation and systems integration services to kindergarten through senior high (K-12) schools in the United States. Typical learning information systems consist of computer software and related training designed to improve student academic performance by increasing the quality, quantity, and timeliness of performance data available to educators and by facilitating increased student practice of essential skills.

There are a number of competing products covering a wide range of educational requirements. These include:

• Accelerated reading products–software for motivating and monitoring increased literature-based reading practice.
• Accelerated math–software aimed to increase a student’s competency across this discipline utilizing the latest techniques.
• Professional development training for educators.
• Test-generation software.

Software products offered by competitors also aim to improve student academic performance by intensifying skills practice and increasing the quality, quantity and timeliness of information available to educators.

CCS competes primarily against more traditional methods of education, training and testing, including pencil and paper testing. In addition, CCS competes with other companies offering educational software products to schools, such as International Business Machines Corporation, Apple Computer, Inc., and Mattel, Inc. Many other companies, including Microsoft Corporation and Walt Disney Company, provide educational software products.