It School for Senior Citizens

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purposes of this report are to analyze the worthiness of introducing an I.T school for senior citizens in Kuching and recommend the choice of target market as well as marketing efforts that can be used throughout the business. The growth of internet is rapid and it is now taking over many aspects of everyone's lives. From entertainment to communication to news and even business, people now rely a lot on internet. I.T knowledge eventually plays an important role in everyone lives. Nevertheless, there are still many that are internet illiterate especially senior citizens. James and Helen who are retired I.T lecturer see that there is a need to educate those senior citizens whose are ignorant about I.T with basic I.T. skills and provide opportunities to grasp the benefits of information technology as a platform for family and peer-bonding. The learning centre operated by James and Helen is named as SCIT Learning Centre and located at tHe Spring. The targeted customer is middle-aged adults. This is because they are high income earner and need I.T knowledge to improve their working status. In this report, analysis of environmental and consumer behavioral, segmentation of market as well as recommendations of various marketing strategies for SCIT Learning Centre will be discussed in details.

1.2 INDUSTRY DEFINITION

Education Industry can be divided into 4 categories: primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational. Information technology, music and technical are under vocational category.

1.2 COMPETITOR OVERVIEW

There are three well-known IT learning centers that exist in Kuching: First IT Computing Center Sdn Bhd, Sarawak Information System Sdn Bhd and Pusat Kemahiran Pintar. These three centers basically offer the same courses for all ages and even provide computer services. However, they do not concern about the customers' benefits such as flexible learning duration and customers' personal welfare. Most of them offer limited course with high price and rigid learning duration. Their promotional strategy is more focused through internet and newspaper advertisement.

2.0 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

2.1 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

2.1.1 Opportunities

• Malaysia government currently focusing on e-learning for every members of society to meet the fast changing of I.T world (Daily Express 2005). Lifelong learning programs such as E-Learning for the elderly are highly encouraged by Malaysia government. This proposal is to get rid of IT illiteracy among the older generation and to develop a highly educated society in this technologically advanced age.

• The elderly can communicate with their loved ones who are far away from them with just a click of the mouse and can even talk to them face to face through webcam. Thus, IT learning is essential for the elderly to keep in touch easily and affordably with their families and friends.

• To meet the increasing requirements of certain job as there is a highly competitive working environment between the younger and older workers. Having enough IT skill can be one of the significant ways to avoid early retirement and more opportunities for them to get promoted.

2.1.2 Threats

• Government does provide I.T learning courses for all level of citizens particularly in the rural area. For example, Medan Info Desa which incorporated with Ministry Rural and Regional Development do provide ICT learning centre in most of the states in Malaysia (Infodesa 2009).

• An IT learning center is a new concept that might take a long period of time to be accepted by the society due to the conservational mindset of Malaysian senior citizens. Therefore, to open an IT learning center in Malaysia will be quite risky and less profitable.

• Changes in visual, perceptual, psychomotor, and cognitive abilities are the obstacles for the older adults to learn and use IT (Bo 2007). Most of the senior citizens who are facing such problem refused to learn IT because for them it is troublesome and make their life difficult.

2.1.3 Strength

• Knowing that Helen and James are former I.T lecturers in a public university, it will be unnecessary for them to employ a lot of people to fill up the teaching post in their center. Therefore, it is a viable way for them to use their teaching skills and another way to reduce cost.

• This IT learning center will focus mainly on training and learning without additional services