abhishreshthaa
Abhijeet S
a21, Inc. (OTCBB: ATWO) aggregates visual content from photographers, photography agencies, archives, libraries, and private collections; and licenses that content for its customers. The company's customers include advertising and design agencies, publishing and media entities, in-house communication departments and outside corporate communications firms, small and home office businesses, and the general public. The company sells its products directly and through a global network of 150 distributors in over 100 countries. It also markets its products through print advertising, direct mail, Web mail, and telemarketing.
a21 was formed as in investment company in 2000 and acquired the stock photography agency SuperStock in 2004. They moved into SuperStock's headquarters in Jacksonville, FL and used SuperStock as a vehicle for further expansion. In 2005 they acquired Ingram Publishing Ltd., a UK-based provider of subscription and Royalty-Free images as well as vector graphics and fonts, vehicle outline templates, and print price guides. The following year they acquired ArtSelect, an Iowa-based provider of online technology and fulfillment infrastructure for retailers in the custom framed Art and Wall Décor market. In late 2007 they announced plans to launch a new Royalty-Free only brand named MediaMagnet; however the brand was not successful. MediaMagnet images are now only available for sale through SuperStock.
In 2009, it auctioned off SuperStock, MediaMagnet, Ingram, and ArtSelect due to bankruptcy.
Publishing Limited
The specific market segmentation does consist of detecting, evaluating and selecting groups of individuals whether they are consumers or not as with the purpose of designing and directing competitive strategies towards them. A review of academic research reveals the scant attention paid to the evaluation and selection of segments. Most of the studies merely evaluate the sales potential, the attractiveness, or the stability of each segment, with no reference to management needs. On the other hand, the creation, application and verification of quantitative methods which would build these groups have been the main target of academic efforts (Wind, 1978) as detecting better segments is of such great importance that it has very frequently been considered as a goal in itself.
Methodology
The companies which perform segmentation studies in their marketing and research departments, the principal companies working in this field are market research through telecoms as there covers survey questionnaire/interviews and from the interviews there is qualitative information about segmentation research design. There are two main objectives first, to assess the level of evaluation and selection of segments tasks of UK telecom market segmentation process. Second, to discover frequency with which the industry assess and select segments and the research methods used. The interviews were required to indicate the degree of difficulty they found in the performance of the different stages of the process. The possible answers were structured following a five-point Likert scale (1 = very low level of difficulty; 5 = very high level of difficulty). Aside, it is very important to make use of management support systems, which allow the identification and evaluation of alternative segments (Reeder et al., 1987). The full co-operation of all the company departments involved in segmentation study and strategy is fundamental. The evaluations must be able to detect deviations and discordances between the detected segment characteristics and the objectives of the market segmentation strategy.
The telecommunication industry has undergone considerable restructuring for many years now thus, involving mobile telecoms success in UK telecoms have become opportunistic seekers within the mobile business and its market stance. The marketing environment is becoming competitive, international market is expanding and telecoms are returning to profit valuation wherein costs are considered and market segments are applied within ideal grounds (Betts, 1994; Skapinker, 1995). Then, market opportunity implies better market context wherein access to customers and market chain solutions are adopted as well as executed with emphasis on strategy formulation such as providing ample market base for market mix and segmentation (Driver, 1999).
Moreover, competitive advantage is outcome of strategy capable of helping UK telecom business to maintain and sustain favorable market position and translated into higher profits compared to those obtained by competitors operating in the same industry. The implementation of telecom strategy develops consistent system of strategic objectives, adopting complex of coherent functional policies. Then, the system of objectives and policies must be kept consistent with the external conditions of the market in deciding strategies and policies. Nevertheless, UK telecom adaptation to industrial environment requirements has to be seen in dynamic form, in which there constantly adapts its action to external and internal changes in changing pattern. Furthermore, there intends to replicate past strategies in a sort of cycle whereby inertia and lag mechanisms operate to maintain the same conduct, beyond and sometimes in opposition to pay-off evaluation results. In this sense, firms can be locked-in or locked-out of some strategy choices, losing the opportunity of being more flexible in their decision process. In this way, telecom industry should recognize when it would be better to change strategy and when to continue the strategic process (Toh and Hu, 1990). Furthermore, the need for segmentation understanding of market resources and competencies into a useful approach does improve service quality image by communicating market attributes done efficiently.
Furthermore, formulating effective market approaches for achieving segment in such market survey application wherein certain marketing objectives are deemed possible. (Doganis 2001) Aside, market approach in line to Porter's theory that there can be ideal strategies; UK telecom can adopt to achieve marketing advantage over others such as the following:
- Cost leadership wherein UK telecom seeks to be the lowest cost producer by selling standard, mass products
- Differentiation where telecom industry introduce unique dimension that is considered to be important to the market
- Focus that involves targeting certain segment of the market and to be adopted by the UK telecom
The UK telecom should have detailed plan for their strategic moves in the market and be able to provide good customer services to the customers like by having discounted flights and value promotion to keep the competitive advantage at stable mode within its competitors and will need to focus more on the core competencies that allow business to practically and wisely design suitable airline operations within the bracket of their marketing network services in a market standard-based perspective.
The need to be goal oriented and must not stop to rejuvenate and change their marketing plan strategies from time to time in order to re-invent the performance process upon the upgrading of rules and regulations for segmentation of the market leading to stable market sales and profit (Doganis 2001). UK telecom need to segment customers using value-based and needs-based approaches and must be proactive in pursuing initiatives that respond to the needs of their customers and also provide high rate of return also, the need to pursue an organizational design allowing value-based segmentation to satisfy every customer (Cited from, Elliot, 1990 p. 28). The dynamism of telecom industry makes it a challenge for any one player to respond to various market innovations as possible. UK telecom will have to continue their efforts to build complete and integrated market strategy planning and decision support software solution combining the major revenue and cost drivers and the proficiency coupled with a strong knowledge based service offering as it can be essential to any idea of expansion of services.
a21 was formed as in investment company in 2000 and acquired the stock photography agency SuperStock in 2004. They moved into SuperStock's headquarters in Jacksonville, FL and used SuperStock as a vehicle for further expansion. In 2005 they acquired Ingram Publishing Ltd., a UK-based provider of subscription and Royalty-Free images as well as vector graphics and fonts, vehicle outline templates, and print price guides. The following year they acquired ArtSelect, an Iowa-based provider of online technology and fulfillment infrastructure for retailers in the custom framed Art and Wall Décor market. In late 2007 they announced plans to launch a new Royalty-Free only brand named MediaMagnet; however the brand was not successful. MediaMagnet images are now only available for sale through SuperStock.
In 2009, it auctioned off SuperStock, MediaMagnet, Ingram, and ArtSelect due to bankruptcy.
Publishing Limited
The specific market segmentation does consist of detecting, evaluating and selecting groups of individuals whether they are consumers or not as with the purpose of designing and directing competitive strategies towards them. A review of academic research reveals the scant attention paid to the evaluation and selection of segments. Most of the studies merely evaluate the sales potential, the attractiveness, or the stability of each segment, with no reference to management needs. On the other hand, the creation, application and verification of quantitative methods which would build these groups have been the main target of academic efforts (Wind, 1978) as detecting better segments is of such great importance that it has very frequently been considered as a goal in itself.
Methodology
The companies which perform segmentation studies in their marketing and research departments, the principal companies working in this field are market research through telecoms as there covers survey questionnaire/interviews and from the interviews there is qualitative information about segmentation research design. There are two main objectives first, to assess the level of evaluation and selection of segments tasks of UK telecom market segmentation process. Second, to discover frequency with which the industry assess and select segments and the research methods used. The interviews were required to indicate the degree of difficulty they found in the performance of the different stages of the process. The possible answers were structured following a five-point Likert scale (1 = very low level of difficulty; 5 = very high level of difficulty). Aside, it is very important to make use of management support systems, which allow the identification and evaluation of alternative segments (Reeder et al., 1987). The full co-operation of all the company departments involved in segmentation study and strategy is fundamental. The evaluations must be able to detect deviations and discordances between the detected segment characteristics and the objectives of the market segmentation strategy.
The telecommunication industry has undergone considerable restructuring for many years now thus, involving mobile telecoms success in UK telecoms have become opportunistic seekers within the mobile business and its market stance. The marketing environment is becoming competitive, international market is expanding and telecoms are returning to profit valuation wherein costs are considered and market segments are applied within ideal grounds (Betts, 1994; Skapinker, 1995). Then, market opportunity implies better market context wherein access to customers and market chain solutions are adopted as well as executed with emphasis on strategy formulation such as providing ample market base for market mix and segmentation (Driver, 1999).
Moreover, competitive advantage is outcome of strategy capable of helping UK telecom business to maintain and sustain favorable market position and translated into higher profits compared to those obtained by competitors operating in the same industry. The implementation of telecom strategy develops consistent system of strategic objectives, adopting complex of coherent functional policies. Then, the system of objectives and policies must be kept consistent with the external conditions of the market in deciding strategies and policies. Nevertheless, UK telecom adaptation to industrial environment requirements has to be seen in dynamic form, in which there constantly adapts its action to external and internal changes in changing pattern. Furthermore, there intends to replicate past strategies in a sort of cycle whereby inertia and lag mechanisms operate to maintain the same conduct, beyond and sometimes in opposition to pay-off evaluation results. In this sense, firms can be locked-in or locked-out of some strategy choices, losing the opportunity of being more flexible in their decision process. In this way, telecom industry should recognize when it would be better to change strategy and when to continue the strategic process (Toh and Hu, 1990). Furthermore, the need for segmentation understanding of market resources and competencies into a useful approach does improve service quality image by communicating market attributes done efficiently.
Furthermore, formulating effective market approaches for achieving segment in such market survey application wherein certain marketing objectives are deemed possible. (Doganis 2001) Aside, market approach in line to Porter's theory that there can be ideal strategies; UK telecom can adopt to achieve marketing advantage over others such as the following:
- Cost leadership wherein UK telecom seeks to be the lowest cost producer by selling standard, mass products
- Differentiation where telecom industry introduce unique dimension that is considered to be important to the market
- Focus that involves targeting certain segment of the market and to be adopted by the UK telecom
The UK telecom should have detailed plan for their strategic moves in the market and be able to provide good customer services to the customers like by having discounted flights and value promotion to keep the competitive advantage at stable mode within its competitors and will need to focus more on the core competencies that allow business to practically and wisely design suitable airline operations within the bracket of their marketing network services in a market standard-based perspective.
The need to be goal oriented and must not stop to rejuvenate and change their marketing plan strategies from time to time in order to re-invent the performance process upon the upgrading of rules and regulations for segmentation of the market leading to stable market sales and profit (Doganis 2001). UK telecom need to segment customers using value-based and needs-based approaches and must be proactive in pursuing initiatives that respond to the needs of their customers and also provide high rate of return also, the need to pursue an organizational design allowing value-based segmentation to satisfy every customer (Cited from, Elliot, 1990 p. 28). The dynamism of telecom industry makes it a challenge for any one player to respond to various market innovations as possible. UK telecom will have to continue their efforts to build complete and integrated market strategy planning and decision support software solution combining the major revenue and cost drivers and the proficiency coupled with a strong knowledge based service offering as it can be essential to any idea of expansion of services.