介紹—INTRODUCTION

 

This assignment is based on a marketing of “ALOHA”, in its all franchises which are located in different cities of Gujarat, India. I connected with this organisation from 2002 to 2009, as a counsellor and then course instructor.

 

 

ALOHA stands for Abacus Learning Of Higher Arithmetic. It is a Malaysian based company. It is a whole brain development centre. In this institution, children from 4 to 13 years are taught arithmetic on Abacus. Abacus is Chinese education tool used for fast and accurate calculations besides it helps in right brain development improving overall intelligence. After complete some levels of ALOHA, children can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fraction, percentage of any digits without use of abacus. They do mentally all the calculations. All over the world around 3000 centres of ALOHA. It is a training programme for children to enhance and develop brain power using mental arithmetic skills in them. The main mission of the company is to bring around complete brain development. There are ten types of different programmes available for the students. Tiny Tots, Mental Arithmetic, Power Plus, Speed Maths and English Smart are main aloha programmes, which are depends on age of the students. Mostly centres prefer these programmes. The time period of them is 2 to 3 years. Each course contains different levels. After completing certain level, student gets the certificate of international level. 

 

In India its main branch is in Chennai, they have their head offices in every state. Main branch gives all authorities to state level head offices like distribute franchises to that particular state and have a control over them. I worked in ROYAL ACADEMY, ALOHA, Ahmedabad. It is a franchise of state level head office “XPLORE ACADEMY, ALOHA” which is in Rajkot. Under Rajkot head office, there are 130 franchises working all over the Gujarat. 

 

In this assignment, I am going to explain how the marketing problems arise in all our franchises and describe the possible solutions from my point of view to make this assignment. I have used internet, some materials which provided by my lecturer, referred books on marketing management and also discussed with my Centre Director to get the information.

 

市場營銷問題和它的影響—THE MARKETING ISSUE AND ITS EFFECT

 

The organisation has always problems regarding marketing. The franchise where I worked always has some problems due to improper marketing still now. All franchises do marketing for same company but their own way. They go to schools for demonstration, distribute pamphlets surrounding schools or residential areas, they hire the persons who go door to door and explain parents of four to thirteen years students. Mostly every franchise does marketing same way. So, the expenditure of marketing for ALOHA to every branch is increasing. There are some other companies in same field therefore the franchises compete with them and also they compete with each other as so many ALOHA branches in a city. All branches spend a lot of money for the marketing. Because of competition, number of students is decreasing. The marketing of every branch is not well planned and also the head office has to come out with new marketing strategy, which helps its every branch. Today the parents become very conscious about their children’s future and they engage their children in different activities like dancing, painting, karate, mental arithmetic [ALOHA], scatting, and cricket. So, the current situation of the market is very good and competitive. Today the craze of mathematic based activities is increased among people in my state. If marketing of all the franchises would be well planned and together than it’s very beneficial for the head office and also for individuals, they would take the advantage of present market position. It is an opportunity for all.

 

The other reason for decreasing students is fees structure. The fees are very high compare with the other companies, which are in same field. So, the middle class does not afford it and the number of middle class families is more than the upper class family.

 

關鍵問題分析—CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ISSUE :

 

As I mentioned above that all franchises do marketing for their own branch, so sometimes in one place two different franchises do marketing for one brand ALOHA. I think both become competitor in this situation. We can say that the lack of communication between the franchises. If I say for particular my branch, we have not use new technology for the marketing also same situation for other branches. The scientifically prove that the concept and activities which are offered by ALOHA really best for the children to raise their confidence; to develop their imagination skill, visualisation skill, logical skill; to increase calculation skill and accuracy. Because of lack of knowledge parents cannot take full advantages of it for their children, so to reach this concept in front of people, the franchises have to concentrate on marketing. 

 

解決問題的方案—POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS OF ISSUE:

 

Marketing is the weakness of all the branches. Because of this weakness, they cannot take the opportunity of market position. The company should make a marketing plan. A marketing plan is a written document that details the required performances to achieve one or more marketing objectives. A marketing plan may be part of an overall business plan. The marketing strategy is the foundation of a well-written marketing plan.  There are three major dimensions of a marketing plan.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

市場營銷計劃—Marketing Plan

 

產品或產品服務發展—Product or Service Development:

 

A service is the intangible equivalent of a product. The benefits of such a service, if priced, are held to be self-evident in the buyers’ willingness to pay for it.  In the long term, product or service development is unlikely to be sustainable without developing or acquiring new competences. This can occur because customers become more experienced in judging value for money.

 

In this organisation, after completing such levels of course, students may become bored. They do not want to continue ahead; at that situation the course instructor should introduce new and exciting activities for students, which helps them in studies. She can make the subject very interesting so they might continue to next level. Sometimes the franchises should arrange the different type of competitions like drawing, singing, chess, dancing, mathematics, also arrange small picnic for students. So, they can feel something different and enjoy with studies. These types of competitions are helpful to come out their internal strengths and skills.

 

促銷—Sales Promotion:

 

A sales promotion is an attempt to communicate directly with potential consumers or distributors in order to encourage them to purchase or stock the product or service as well as to recommend it to others. It may involve both impersonal and in some cases personal channels of communication. Customer promotions are used to encourage potential consumers to try a product and hopefully to purchase it again. These may involve: free gift with product; discount coupons or vouchers; cash refund; prizes, bonuses and other inducements to sales forces.

 

In this organisation, The Directors of franchises should give some promotions to older students. They should give 10% to 15% discount on new registration. If parents pay the fees of three levels together than give more discount. If students continually doing very well than give those students scholarship or gifts, so they motivate and try to do improve their levels. Because of these the mouth to mouth publicity may be increased, which is beneficial for franchises.

 

廣告—Advertising:

 

Advertising is an important part of an organisation’s promotional activities. It is one of the most effective promotional tools and is used to inform, persuade, publicise and remind potential and existing consumers about an organisation’s products [Here Services] and activities. That’s why they have to do proper advertisement.

 

改變市場營銷的風格—Changes In Marketing Style

 

The head office would call the meeting for the all franchises directors. They should become a unity and keep the contacts with each other regularly. The head office should do marketing together for all the branches.

 

They should give advertisement of ALOHA not mention the name of branches in News papers, Television, Radio. These are the most common and effective media for advertisement. In the advertisement they should give only two or three common telephone numbers for all branches. When people call on that number at that time the receivers would give the details of their nearest branch. If they do marketing like this way and they distribute expenditure of advertisement among them.

 

They should also go for the marketing in schools which are only in their areas. They should give live demonstration in schools means the students of ALOHA who are going to complete this course, show other students that they are able to do any calculations mentally, speedy, without calculator.

 

The franchises should also make the CD or DVD of this live demonstration of their students, also in this CD or DVD they include interviews of parents. So, the other parents may show and listen to them and understand the benefits of ALOHA. They can distribute these CDs and DVDs to parents who would come for the inquiry. Also they can distribute them to parents who come to school for pick up their children. To do marketing like this they can introduce new technology.

 

The fees are very high so it’s very hard to join this institution for the students who come from middle and lower middle class families. The head office should do changes in the fees structure for all courses. The franchises also do one thing that they can give some discount to middle class families.

 

關于人力資源部的營銷策略—MARKETING RELATED WITH HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: 

 

This is educational institute, so the staff members always deal with students and parents. So, the Human Resource Department whenever recruits the employees, they have to look education qualification, smart, caring, honest, good sense of human, good teaching skills of the employees. Also they should not short temper. In sort, they should look all the qualities in course instructors and counsellors which can attract and treat the students and parents. The staffs are not well behaving with them than we can see its effect on the business. Students may drop out. The branch may lose its image, and it can see its negative reflection on publicity. The mouth to mouth publicity is also the part of marketing, if the customers are given satisfaction or not than they obviously aware the others about the company’s image as a human nature. So, the HR Department makes a big role in the organisation because they recruit the right people, right place and right time.

 

營銷策略組合—MARKETING MIX: 

 

The marketing mix is published by Neil H. Borden in article “The Concept Of Marketing Mix” in the year 1964. The four P’s Product, Place, Price and Promotion are the parameters that the marketing manager can control, subject to the internal and external constraints of the environment. The goal is to make decisions that centre the 4 P’s on the customers in the target market in order to create perceived value and generate a positive response.

 

The “ALOHA” also generate the concepts of marketing mix, which helps it to achieve its mission.

 

Product: - ALOHA is an international company. Its concept is proved by scientist. It is also ISO certified company. The course instructors of all branches are given good training and they have to give exam after training. So, teaching quality, structure of the course, atmosphere of all its branches are really very good.

 

Promotion: - The franchises can do some promotion on their own centres like if student pays all level fees together than one level free for him. They can arrange work shop of extra activities like dancing, painting, chess, etc free of charge for students during vacation period.

 

Price: - The price of all courses in ALOHA is very high, so it may become threat for all its franchises. So, they should think about it and try to minimise this threat.

 

Place: - The head office, which is in Rajkot decides whom to allocate the franchise. So, they chose the place where the franchise going to open the class. So, the head office should keep in mind that area wise only one ALOHA centre so the franchises don’t become competitors among themselves for one company “ALOHA”.

 

總結—CONCLUSION:

 

I have done analytical research on the marketing system of all ALOHA centres in my state. Their present style of marketing is not well planned so they should improve the strategy for the marketing. I have also mention my thoughts regarding marketing, which will help to progress the marketing strategy of company. The head office should concentrate at the marketing and human resource department and should gather all his franchises, and make the unity among them which helpful to achieve long term goal of the company.