Start-Up for Reduction in Childhood Obesity - Case Study Example

?Introduction One of the most prominent issues that affects the current generation is with regards to the high levels of obesity that are evidenced within adolescents and children of the current time. Beyond merely impacting upon the overall weight of the child, a high level of obesity within the current demographic portends a litany of different health issues within the coming years as these children and adolescents grow into adulthood. Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and a litany of other illnesses specifically attributed to high levels of obesity threaten the function and effectiveness of the entire healthcare system as well as portend a fundamental threat to the health and longevity of society as a whole. As a direct function of this, a litany of different programs and initiatives have been discussed and analyzed as a means of promoting health and healthful living to these young members of society. It has become painfully evident within the past several years that school programs alone art ineffective as a means of promoting such a change. In such a way, it is the belief and recommendation of this particular author that one of the most successful means by which a reduction in childhood obesity can be accomplished is with regards to utilizing many of the government owned and community operated playgrounds and parks as community centers that during key times of the week offer play activities, exercise, and help instruction to both parents and their children as a means of seeking to affect a positive influence upon the overall level of obesity that is noted within current society. Establishment of Feasibility: Ultimately, the low startup cost that is engendered with regards to the specific plan is one of the reasons that make it highly feasible for startup. Moreover, as the facilities already exist within the extant environment, it is not necessary for such a program to purchase and/or outfit a new or existing facility as a means of hosting such programs/courses (Landow & Ebdon, 2012). Furthermore, as has been mentioned briefly in the introduction, the overall need and demand for such programs has only increased as the overall incidence of childhood and adolescent obesity has subsequently increase within the environment. Accordingly, from a cursory overview of existing programs, both state and private, it can be inferred that a deficit in supply for such programs exists within the current market as compared to the demand. Naturally, the overall feasibility goes far beyond the place required to perform such programs and/or the level of interest that might be exhibited within the community (Liessmann, 1987). A litany of other startup costs and potential problems that must be face will be discussed in a certain level of length within the preceding sections. Competitor Analysis: One unique factor of the current market with regards to programs specifically targeting the exercise and health of adolescent to struggle with obesity is the fact that these almost invariably leverage government funding and operate as a public partnership. Although such a business model almost invariably defines the current market, it is the belief of this analysis that a public/private partnership could effectively leverage many of the existing strengths of current demand without necessarily reducing the overall level of demand that might be exhibited. Whereas the broad majority of these programs for public, private entities of also sought to engage with the need that is been reference; however, the degree and extent to which this unable to be accomplished has been limited due to the aforementioned limiting factors of purchasing a specific place and outfitting it to meet the needs of the stakeholders concerned. Financing One particular aspect of the public-private partnership that has been discussed above which will be beneficial is with regards to the issue of financing. Previous ventures into this field have noted that it is difficult if not impossible to achieve a level of sufficient funding based solely upon the public’s interest in such an offering. However, if one considers the fact that a litany of governmental grants and programs support such activities, it is not only possible but feasible for such a startup to engage in a public – private partnership that would leverage both of these entities as a means of successfully creating a sustainable business program to the community. Whereas it is difficult to place an actual monetary figure upon the percentage of money that will be derived from the government as compared to the percentage that will be derived from the public, it can be stated that the goal of such an approach would be approximately 6040; with 60% of all resources being derived from the government with 40% would be derived from the individual participant and/or their families. Although it may seem reasonable at this particular juncture to seek to specify where the actual funding for the project entailed will derive, it must be noted that a firm level of understanding with regards to this will not be able to be gleaned until such a time that the public-private partnership is in operation. Accordingly, even the most relevant and pertinent information that can be gleaned during the current time will only serve as a means of reference with regards to the actual differentials between government and private funding. Operational Issues: With regards to some of the pertinent operational issues that exists, perhaps the most important is with regards to the fact that a litany of legal constraints and issues must be considered prior to any such service offering reaching the end consumer. Due to the fact that the actual land which will be utilized for these programs his government all, a thorough legal analysis of liability and the means by which profits are derived must be thoroughly analyzed (Velotti et al., 2012). Moreover, existing agreements with both the local and federal government, as well as a thorough analysis with regards to health and safety must be implemented prior to any of these programs being offered. A failure to perform any of this due diligence could necessarily result in a monstrous legal issue that could threaten to derail the entire process that is thus far been defined (Sabau-Popa, 2013). Moreover, due to the fact that a public-private partnership is the most realistic and effective means of implementing the service program under discussion, approaching this from the legal perspective of both a private operating entity as well as a publicly operating governmental agency must also be employed. In this way, a robust level of focus and funding for a legal team capable of analyzing all of these constraints must be provided prior to any further levels of discussion or implementation taking place. Pricing Strategy As with any new service or product offering, a delineation of other pricing strategy is a fundamental complement of seeking to integrate the product or service with the community. As has been noted above, the level of public – private partnership that will be evidenced as a means of furthering this program to the community will help to defray some of the initial cost that the individual stakeholder might necessarily be required to pay (Kaur, 2013). Whereas it is true that such a pricing strategy might not be in or effective with regards to meeting the financial needs that such a program may exhibit, any shortfalls that might be exhibited through such a pricing strategy can necessarily be addressed with regards to the grants and federal funding that will necessarily exists. Although it is dangerous to place the survival and/or failure of the particular program upon governmental grants and funding, due to the fact that these have the potential to dry up and cease to exist during shortfalls in the budget, it is one of the only means through which such a public-private partnership can ultimately be successful and seeks to turn a profit with regards to the extant environment (Brockman, 2008). Although a definition of the exact pricing strategy has thus been rather difficult in ascertaining, a fair model by which this can and will be decided will necessarily be dependent upon whatever federal requirements might exist with regards to grants or pass-through funding that is allocated to such a project. This serves as a worrisome factor as a unique level of cost per individual cannot be definitively determined until such a time that a full level of knowledge is derived with regards to what role the local and federal government will play in such a project; thereby necessitating the legal department, discussed in the previous section, of even further importance. Conclusion/Recommendations As a result of the information that is thus far been presented, it is the belief of this particular researcher that the potential for a public-private partnership to focus and promote the needs of the extent environment while at the same time garnering a degree of profitability is the most effective approach which can be implemented. Naturally, there are a litany of issues that stand in the way of this actively being engaged and must be addressed prior to further implementations being made. With regards to recommendations that can be made from the preceding units of analysis, it must be primarily understood that due to the nature of the conceived public-private partnership, it will be of paramount importance for the legal department or consulting services which will be employed as a means of determining whether or not the venture can be successful to be engaged in the earliest stages. Moreover, depending upon the overall level of finance that might be required in the initial stages, it might also be beneficial to engage a cross section of the community stakeholders as a means of determining whether or not they would be amenable to such a service offering within their community as well as what pricing structure they might come to expect. Finally, such a sampling could also be useful in helping the entity to define and differentiate what courses and other services they may plan on offering initially. Although each of these recommendations can be utilized by this particular public-private partnership, it is not a course of action that should be seen as specific to such an entity; rather, it is something that could be utilized regardless of what product or service might be engaged with a given group of individuals. Naturally, the public private partnership, discussed above, has an added level of complexity that necessarily requires a heavier level of focus not only upon the individual societal stakeholder but also with respect to the extent to which the government will be willing or able to sponsor such a program over the long run. References Brockman, K 2008, 'How to perform a feasibility study and market analysis to determine if an ancillary service makes sense', Orthopedic Clinics Of North America, 39, 1, pp. 5-9, CINAHL Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 August 2013. KAUR, S 2013, 'ROLE OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION', Indian Streams Research Journal, 3, 5, pp. 1-7, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 August 2013. Landow, P, & Ebdon, C 2012, 'Public-Private Partnerships, Public Authorities, and Democratic Governance', Public Performance & Management Review, 35, 4, pp. 727-752, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 August 2013. Liessmann, OW 1987, 'How to Perform an Economic Feasibility Study of a Proposed Hotel/Motel (Book Review)', Appraisal Journal, 55, 4, p. 624, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 August 2013. Sabau-Popa, L 2012, 'ADVANTAGES AND RISKS OF USING THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN ROMANIA', Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 21, 2, pp. 505-510, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 August 2013. Velotti, L, Botti, A, & Vesci, M 2012, 'Public-Private Partnerships and Network Governance', Public Performance & Management Review, 36, 2, pp. 340-365, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 14 August 2013. Read More