Outsourcing Information Technology at Dayton Public Schools
Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions (CBTS) has engaged with the Dayton Public School District to provide Managed Information Technology Services (MITS) to the staff and students. CBTS has been a partner of DPS since June of 2000. The existing contract, initiated on May 8, 2005, is a seven year contract. The program is just ending the first two-year option or year five. Sharing the DPS vision has forged a partnership that we value and look forward to continuing. However, current economic conditions have resulted in the need to reduce human resources and still position the MITS program to be a viable option for the district.
The purpose of this case analysis is to provide a framework for making strategic marketing decisions by: 1) documenting the internal and external environment, 2) understanding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, 3) identifying the opportunity, 4) developing and evaluating alternatives, and 5) make a recommendation based on organizational strengths.
Situational Analysis
In order to make a good decision, it is important to understand the general environment and the environment of the industry.
External Environmental Analysis
The general environment.
The Dayton Public School District has lost millions of dollars due to a declining tax base, default on mortgages and taxes, and the exodus of major employers like NCR. In an effort to reduce costs to meet budgetary constraints, the core competency of teaching and learning has suffered. The district receives state and federal funding and in order to maintain those dollars, certain technologies must be provided to the students. “Outsourcing in school districts is driven by the ...
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...ort payroll, end of year and tax preparation. The IT resources that are required to support this department are the equivalent of two (2) fulltime employees. In order to provide the same level of support, the Office of the Treasurer will need to provide funding for the cost of these recourses.
Conclusion
The effect of these tough economic times has touched the lives of many. Dayton Public Schools cannot receive the same level of service with fewer resources. However, the Department of Information Technology can survive the budget reductions by seeking funding outside the normal channels and reach out to other stakeholders for financial assistance.
Works Cited
Dayton Public Schools Managed IT Services Contract. RFP Nol. 04-009. (2004).
Dickinson, R. (2000). Outsourcing in K-Through-12 Education. Gartner.
Retrieved from http://www.ponitzctc.org/.
The American public school system faces an education crisis. According to Benjamin Barber, American children barely surpass the lowest standards set for education, especially in literacy, throughout the county’s history. Barber supports the existence of this crisis in his essay “America Skips School”, but argues against a solution to remedy the numerous problems facing the system. Although he acknowledges no solution, Barber suggests a smarter flow of financial resources will address many of the issues, however, he fails to acknowledge the distribution of this money. Barber’s suggestion for smarter financial resources for schools can be effectively implemented through a structured committee focused solely on the distribution of money.
School funding is a recurring issue in the modern era. Debates ranging from give schools more money, to get rid of the system in place and reform a new idea have been plaguing the world over the years. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed in 2009, provided more than $100 billion in education aid to offset budget cuts..” (School Finance). Later, “Congress provided an additional $10 billion in 2010 to avert mass teacher layoffs (Education Week, "Total Recovery Act")” (School Funding). These numbers are just a sample of the struggles in school funding, that is costing a ton of money to keep afloat. “There are many ways schools fund varying from state to state and even school to school. Income taxes, corporate taxes, sales taxes, and other fees provide 48 percent of the elementary and secondary school funds. 44 percent of local districts draw money from local property taxes. The federal government makes up approximately 8 percent of state education budgets. These funds are a dealt out on a per-student basis, and categorically to ensure enough resources for each special program or facility” (School Funding). These funds play a huge role in every student's education, either positive or negative. The three main areas that need to be addressed in the school budget are extracurricular funding, building and equipment maintenance, and last but not least staff funding.
The marketing environment for Baldwin represents astounding opportunities. These opportunities also bring some challenges that the firm believes it can meet successfully. The figure below illustrates a SWOT analysis of the company conducted by our marketing team to highlight Baldwin’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
A competitive analysis is an integral part of a marketing plan (Berry, 2005). Nevertheless, Neon’s Memories Diner marketing strategy does not include a competitive analysis. The analysis is an opportunity for Neon Diner to have insight into the market in which they are competing (Berry, 2005). It permits them to identify the main competition and know where they are located.
A marketer doesn’t just have a plan. Marketers now open up to a wider strategic plan and it’s based on steps that balance out what the market is offering consumers. These marketers must analyze their production with these steps, then make a portfolio of the growth and even their down falls therefore this keeps these marketers to continuously innovate and create even a greater amount of value for their customers. Marketing management functions are discussed along with the marketing mix and strategy.
By using this structured analysis, firms can more easily evaluate the attractiveness of an industry and gain a complete overview of all relevant competitive factors that have to be considered in the process of establishment. It helps to better understand the present market structure and to evaluate as a consequence of that external threats and opportunities. Unfortunately, the analysis established by Porter is not a guarantee for success and above that, it is often accused for limitations, lack of considerations and inoperative outcomes. The non-observance of a collaborative economic behaviour and of governmental influence, the inflexibility of the model and furthermore lack of application to rapidly changing market conditions are major limitations that have to be considered.
This work will determine the baseline of the current market situation for the company, which is essential for any further exercise and analysis. To understand how the business model correlates with the product marketing, need to see if there is any evident cause-effect relationship between product characteristics and the nature of the product company. If such correlation exists, it will be important to see the transition of such characteristics into the company marketing strategy. It can show how company’s strategies can be successfully addressed in a real-world scenario. Both internal and external analysis, SWOT matrix will help to determine the company’s current market position.
These issues could have been resolved if a proper market analysis was done. The outcome of this research could have suggested that it best suits highly populated areas. The objective of this research is to help a company or an entrepreneur understand the business environment better as well as customers’ needs and, therefore, make better business decisions. Once the market research data is compiled, it is then evaluated upon which recommendations and conclusions are drawn.
It is important not to put too many resources at the hands of the contractors.
Studies and analyses regarding variations between companies performing higher or lower regarding their marketing practices has helped out to assure that a central textbook marketing strategy principle; which is to achieve success regarding that in the long term the products and services of a firm have to be well ‘positioned’ in the market. This paper aims to highlight the common formulations or ‘anatomies’ for strategies and the isolation of some of the most important inclusions that were thought to be really important in achieving success. Just to bring some “flesh on the bones”, this article examines the method through which theory is translated into practice.
All throughout the United States for the past several years, states are “hurting because of falling state revenues,” (Emeagwali), and schools are trying to cope with tremendous budget cuts that are resulting in less funds provided for educational services. These cuts are putting pressure on everyone invested in the education system, including students, teachers and any other administration within them (qtd. in Johnson 2), and the reduced budget is not solely affecting any particular level of schooling either. All levels of education, ranging from primary learning to advanced, have been affected (Emeagwali). Additionally, it is not just one or two states having to adjust their budgets; by 2002, “at least 40 states [had] been forced to consider budget cuts,” and these cuts have taken their toll on the amount of funding designated towards educational opportunities (Feldman). As pressures hit hard on state governments, a rise in educational budget cuts has resulted in deleterious effects on the level of education provided to students. As a result, researchers and infuriated teachers and parents have begun supporting education as it is ignored by government administration.
For any successful business at any place on the globe, it is of utmost importance to understand the environment within which the business has to operate. Because the environmental factors influences almost every aspect of business, be it its nature, its location, the prices of products, the distribution system, or the personnel policies. The success and survival of every business depends on its ability to adjust and adapt itself to the environment within which it functions. For example, when there is a change in the government policies, then the business has to make the necessary changes to adapt it to the new policies.
For a marketing orientated business, the findings from any research will be put to use primarily to aid the business in satisfying the needs and wants of its customers; this type of business has become more popular since 1970, where prior to this business’ were production orientated (until the 1950’s) where the business was concerned with improving its distribution methods, and product orientated (until the 1960’s) where the business’ main concern was the product rather than the satisfaction of the customer. The idea of a marketing orientated business has been explored by Fahy and Jobber (2012) who concurred that a market orientated business is one that considers its customers and the external environment to be an intricate part of the business; This type of business will explore the different aspects of the external environment, and take from its observations ways in which it can continue to trade in an effective, profitable way. A marketing orientated business will also use its findings to help it take advantage of any opportunities in a market and to lessen any threats that could arise.... ... middle of paper ... ... 4th Ed. -.
When analyzing an organization’s target market, the first step is to understand the business and what they hope to achieve through their marketing strategies. Targeting and positioning strategies consist of analyzing and identifying segments within a given product-market, choosing which segment or segments to target, and developing and implementing a positioning strategy for each targeted segment (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). The company’s target market determines what customer group or groups the company wants to serve (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). Analyzing IKEA’s target market allows the company to determine if their marketing strategies have successfully targeted their intended customer group or groups. Discussing the company’s positioning strategy helps determine if the strategy is effective or if the company must make improvements strengthen their positioning strategy. The company must determine if their targeting and positioning strategies may be lacking. If the company’s targeting and positioning strategies are lacking, the company must determine what they must do to strengthen their targeting and positioning strategies.
The factors that have a great influence on marketing management, marketers’ business decision-making, and their relationship with customers include macro- and micro-environment, and the latter in turn includes the concept of so-called “4 P’s” (i.e., product, place, promotion, and price). Micro-environment is also referred to as “immediate environment” and stands for the factors that are literally “close” to a certain company: its suppliers, customers, intermediaries (e.g., advertising agencies), and competitors (“Marketing environment,” n.d.) Four P’s are also called “the marketing mix,” and their most widely used interpretation belongs to McCarthy (Blythe, 2008). The marketing mix indicates the four aspects of how to make your business profitable and yourself proficient as a marketing specialist. As Cannon (1992) pointed out, “The marketing mix is the set of controllable variables that the firm can use to influence the buyer’s response.” First, the business person needs to understand what the product of consumer’s desire is. It is obvious that “an undesired product” will not be sold. Producers, however, may invent something that consumers even did not expect to have but really wanted, at least, unconscious...