Stamford Dance Academy - Report Example

Creative arts project Stamford Dance academy Introduction Dancing is one of the major types of visual arts manifest in the contemporary society. The performing art just as any other is a form of expression that fits numerous situations. Dance has therefore evolved to become a fundamental aspect of the contemporary society thus an equally large global industry. Setting up a business in such an industry is prospective idea that requires effective analysis and consideration of factors that will help define both the business and the industry in order for the business to safeguard its profitability and longevity objectives. This includes appropriate market definition, research and analysis with the view of determining a potential niche for the company (Gentle, 2012). Additionally, a business must always strive to grow; this implies that the management of the business must strive to increase the business’ market share through continuous market research that helps the business diversify its products and services thereby extending to other regions. Stamford Dance academy will be one of such businesses; the academy will pride itself in the provision of dance lessons to prospective dancers before finding them market both locally and internationally. The academy will recruit appropriate talents from the society, train such talent thereby turning them into appropriate products. As explained earlier, the dance industry is currently among the largest in the performing arts (Shaffer, 2009). The growing global music industry creates a demand for dancers with the trend obviously increasing demand for professional dancers in different music genres. Coupled with the desire for dance in the country, the academy is an appropriate business that will recruit talent from the society, train them for a specified duration before releasing them back into the society as professional dancers. Additionally, the academy wills retain its official dance group as a way of diversifying its products. Through the dance group, the academy will offer varied services to the ever-growing industry. The academy, existing and operating as a business will hire professional dance coaches and choreographers to train and equip the students with appropriate skills in different music genres. The company will operate in tandem with the diverse consumption patterns in the society. The dance market in the world today is large and extends from the conventional music videos to television adverts and for live performances in different state or private events. The business will therefore have a dedicated marketing department mandated with market determination thereby growing the company depending on the nature of the demand from the market. As one of the most fundamental departments in the company, the marketing department will have professional marketers who understand both the business and the industry. The marketers will therefore seek to discover new markets for the company and develop working relationships with the company’s clients in a manner that safeguards the interests of both the business and the clients. With a dedicated dance groups as explained earlier, the academy will succeed in diversifying its services thereby possibly increasing its market share since it will offer both the training services to the eager students and offer varied services to clients who will demand varied dance services throughout the world. Additionally, the company will grow depending on the trending nature of the demand from the market. The marketing department will influence the nature of the growth based on their appropriate market researches in thereby ensuring that the company produces appropriate products and services. Among the dance genres that the academy will cover, include salsa, hip-hop and reggae among many others. Each of the above music groups has specific dance moves that will influence the marketability of either the academy or the products. The academy will therefore equip the dancers with the appropriate skills and chorographical training to enable the students diversifies their dance skills as well (Scoble & Israel, 2006). Among the fundamental factors that the academy will understand in order to operate appropriately, include the pattern of consumption in the dance industry. Professional dancing is an adult affair with particular products and occasions often demanding for children dancers. Additionally, since the company relies on talent the manager must therefore develop a strategy of identifying the talent in children thereby nurturing and growing such talents without exposing the children to unethical features of the industry. Some people appreciate dance but only as a part time activity, the academy will therefore consider such factors in order to develop an inclusive teaching and training plan in order to safeguard its longevity and profitability objectives. The company will develop effective teaching and training plans for children who will only attend such lessons after their day schools (Blackshaw, 2008). Besides the children, the company will have a similarly structured plan for teaching and training those who view dance as a part time activity and have an equally effective plan for teaching and training professional dancers. Additionally, the company will have a dedicated management team to manage the activities of the company’s professional dance group. Talent development requires effective understanding of both the individuals and the actual activity. The academy will therefore hire professional trainers and choreographers who will identify talents aptly and develop appropriate training plan for each talent in order to nature and develop such individuals into professional dancers who understand the features of their talents. While diversification is a vital business feature that increases the marketability of either a product or a service, understanding the influence of diversity in talent management and development is fundamental. Forcing dancers with a style of dance they cannot perform is catastrophic to their talents thus careers despite the diversity such may present. The professional teachers and choreographers possess effective understanding of the industry. They will therefore offer professionalism in growing and developing the individuals into appropriate products. Another equally important factor to consider in the operations of the academy is the ethics and morality. The entertainment industry is liberal with the demand often transforming to explicit content. While such features may often work for particular artists and consumer groups, they constitute unethical features that an academy cannot encourage. The trainers and choreographer will therefore offer professionalism often ensuring ethical operations in the academy. Ethics refers to the abstract ability of an individual to differentiate between wrong and right. This implies that the company must employ professional trainers who will identify the ethical features of the society thereby infusing such in their training and teaching plans. The need to maintain decorum both during training ad actual performance is vital for the growth and profitability of both the academy and the specific dancers (ONeill, 2002). Just as explained earlier, the dancers are products. This implies that their marketability relies on their ability to offer the content required by diverse market groups. While explicit portrayal of either romance or nudity may often work for particular consumer groups, such limit the market for either the dancer or the academy since not every musician and corporate will employ a dancer who poses nude in other genres. This therefore implies that the academy must maintain ethical operations and have dedicated classes for ethics and morality in the dance industry. Academy’s management The academy is a company with effective management organs that ensure that it safeguards both its profitability and longevity as discussed above. As the systems theory of management explains, the company will operate as a system with different components all of which must operate in tandem in order for the company to realize its profitability and longevity as espoused in its objectives (Surowiecki, 2004). The systems theory posits that organizations have semi-autonomous departments that manage their own affairs and enjoy a degree of independence from interference from other departments. While the systems theory provides a realistic managerial framework for the academy, other theories also provide effective ways of managing different situations in the academy. Contingency theory for example is an effective crisis management theory in the organization. The theory asserts that different situations are unique and therefore requires appropriate redress, one that considers the unique features of the crisis. The theory is appropriate for the dance academy especially given its young age (Kotler, 1997). The young academy is likely to face myriad challenges owing to the managers’ lack of experience. This therefore requires appropriate management of the company considering the developing features of the company. As the company grows, the managers will therefore diversify its production and develop other new departments to manage the new market and operational features. This way, the management approach becomes realistic and cognizant of the myriad challenges the company may face especially in its early years as it determines its market niche thereby positioning its series and products in the already developed industry (Shirky, 2008). The above discussion provides a realistic view of the academy thereby providing elaborate management theories. While such are realistic and relevant to the management of the company, human resource and employee, motivation is an equally important factor that will contribute to the performance of the academy. The fact that the company’s products are humans further compounds the need for motivation (Johnson, 2005). Theory X posits that employees hate work and are intrinsically lazy; the theory explains that employees will avoid work with every available opportunity. They therefore require dedicated supervision in order to sustain the productivity required by the copay. Theory Y on the other hand posits that employees love their work and will enjoy working often trying new ways of doing things with the view of improving their productivity. Among the departments that the academy will have include administration, teaching and training and sales and marketing among other realistic departments that the management of the business will develop in future as the company grows. The administration will make all the administrative decisions and is therefore among the most fundamental departments in the academy. The department will include the head of the institution mandated with making operational decisions at the academy on daily basis. The head of the facility will have a deputy to represent him in case he is absent from the academy. He training and teaching departments on the other hand will be mandated with the recruitment and training of students at the facility thereby pioneering the talent growth. The department will have professional dancers, choreographers and teachers who will equip the students with varied skills. In this context, the training and teaching department acts as the production department in most production companies since the departments seeks to develop the company’s products and services in the form of the professional dancers (Lardi & Fuchs, 2013). The sales and marketing departments on the other hand will employ professional marketers who understand the intricate features of the market. The department’s main objective is to discover new markets for the company thereby influencing the company’s production as it increases the company’s market shares. The departments will seek to meet the current market demand and grow the company’s market share through sustained market research and analysis. The marketing departments will therefore act as the intermediary between the market and te company. This implies that the marketing department is among the vital departments in the organizations that influence the company’s production (Van, 2013). Each of the above departments will enjoy independence, as they will all have their respective heads. This way, they will make their operational decisions a feature that will improve the efficiency of the organization. While they each enjoy a degree of independence, the different departments must operate in unison in order to ensure that the company operates as a unified whole. The unity of operation among the departments arises in the form of periodic meetings among the heads of the different departments as they share their findings in order to synchronize the operations of the company. Despite the independence of the department, the administration department remains the supreme organ in the company and therefore oversees the operations and growth of the company. The other department heads must therefore consult the administration in order to influence the operations of the entire company (Kent & Tara, 2011). The systems theory thus provides managers with an effective managerial framework to oversee the functions of the different departments within the organization. This way, the theory develops effective flow of both command and information within the company. The managers and department heads have an effective structure of communication a feature that ensures that the decisions reach the implementers within the record time in order to facilitate the operations of the academy. The other junior staff at the academy also has effective channels of communication thereby ensuring that they consult with the managers often sharing their concerns. The two contradictory theories provide managers with an unparalleled view of their employees thereby having the ability to anticipate every behavioral feature at the organization thereby instituting effective ways of overcoming such thereby streamlining the production of the company thus increasing productivity. The development of successive departments in the academy for example is an efficient way of overcoming any managerial shortcomings arising from employee motivation. Through such, the managers increase presence of the management in the organization thus enhancing corporation among the employees. Such is an effective way of overcoming the attributes fronted by theory X (Eisenstadt, 1973). The academy for example has myriad departments, which it further uses to motivate its employees. Through strategic departments, the company creates positions for promotions in the company thereby suing such to motivate its employees. Through such departments, the managers promise promotion to the most productive employees thereby increasing the productivity of the employees. The trainers and teachers must employs effective motivation of their students in order to increase their interests in dance thereby improving their productivity. Stamford Dance academy marketing As explained earlier, marketing is among the fundamental managerial features in a company. Stamford Dance academy will have a dedicated marketing team mandated with the determination, anticipation and satisfaction of customer demands. The marketing team will carry out effective market research and analyses in order to influence the development of products at the academy with the view of meeting customer demands. Additionally, the marketing departments will influence the development and growth of the company as it discovers new markets globally thereby championing the academy’s diversification objective. The operations of the marketing team rely on their understanding of both the industry and the products that a company produces. The strengths and weaknesses are features of the product that the company can easily manipulate in order to increase the productivity of the company. Opportunity and threats on the other hand are factors arising from the market and the company may not therefore influence such a factor that compels managers to change the operations of the company to conform to the two in order to safeguard the interests of the company. Among the strengths of Stamford Dance academy are its diverse products and reliance on professional choreographers and dancers. This implies that the academy seeks to produce high quality dancers. The quality of dancers relies on the professionalism exhibited by their teachers and trainers. Stamford Dance academy seeks to employ the best choreographers in the industry a feature that will result in the production of equally professional dancers. The fact that the academy will uphold high ethical standards portrays the value that the academy attributes to professionalism and the quality of their dancers. This way, the company will develop a desirable reputation for its products thereby improving its market share within the shortest time of operation. Product diversification is a marketing strategy that will increase the academy’s market share. As an academy, the business seeks to develop talent. However, the academy will develop a professional dance group will increase its market share by offering dance services to clients. This way, the company’s target market will include both the talented students and the corporate society and musicians who will seek the services of professional dancers (Mooney, 2013). This way, the academy safeguards its interests since the performance of any of the products safeguards the overall profitability of the company. The academy’s primary weaknesses include its young age coupled with its small size. This implies that the company lacks both the experience of the industry and the capacity to meet an upsurge in demand. However, the market opportunities include the large target market and the numerous music genres in the in the industry (Pickton & Broderick, 2005). The growth in the music industry has resulted in an increase in the demand for professional dancers a feature that will implies that the Stamford Dance academy has a potential market. The fact that companies hold myriad events and adverts all that require dancers further increases the target market for the academy. The academy must therefore develop its structures rapidly yet effectively in order to get operational within the shortest time possible in order to benefit from the large market (Kotler & Kevin, 2010). Additionally, the company requires an effective marketing departments that will not only determine that market but also corporate with the teaching and training department to ensure that the company meets the market demand. Additionally, the academy targets the global market. Music industry is rapidly growing with artists in different countries thus increasing the demand for professional dancers. This further increases the prospects of the Stamford Dance academy but demands an effective marketing department, one that will discover new markets for the company thus influencing the operations of the company in order meet such demands. As diverse as explained earlier, the academy will easily open up new campuses in different parts of the world in order to meet the rising demand from different parts of the world (Benkler, 2006). This makes management and marketing easier thereby improving the profitability of the company. Among the threats from the market are intense competitions from other dance academies and the unpredictability of the music industry. Intense competition limits a company’s market share while the dynamic nature of the music industry continues to change the demand for different styles of dance thereby influencing the operations of the academy and the type of its products (Ireland, 2008). The marketing mix is yet another appropriate marketing tool that provides marketers with an opportunity to analyze their products thereby determine appropriate markets. The tool provides marketers with seven fundamental elements that help influence the marketability of the product. The elements include the product itself, the price of the product, the place, promotion, and profit. Stamford Dance academy has numerous products including the dance group and the hundreds of its graduates. The company must produce appropriate products that will meet the specification of the demands (Homburg, Sabine & Harley, 2009). This compels the academy to train its students on different dance moves in order to equip them with the dynamism the market requires additionally, the academy has a dedicated dance group that will offer varied dance services to clients from all over the world most of whom will require varied product features. This underscores the need for dynamism and adaptability. The price of a product must cover both the cost of doing business and the profit that an organization requires. This implies that the academy must charge costs that will secure the profits required by the company and afford the cost of doing business in the different markets the company targets. Conclusion In a summary, Stamford Dance academy is a business that will target a specific market offering varied arts products. The development of such a business requires effective understanding of both the industry and the company in order for the company to develop appropriate products that will attract substantial market in order to safeguard its profitability. Additionally, the company must strive to safeguard both its profitability and longevity. Among the primary ways of ensuring this, includes diversification of its products with the view of increasing its market share. Additionally, the company seeks to grow and expand into new markets an objective that will help increase its profitability. Bibliography Benkler, Y. (2006). The Wealth of Networks. New Haven: Yale University Press. Blackshaw, P. (2008). Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Todays Consumer Driven World. New York: Doubleday. Eisenstadt, S. N. (1973). Tradition, Change, and Modernity. New York: Krieger Publishing Company. Gentle, A. (2012). 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