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Market Research
Case Study
Celebrations of Turriff (May 2004)
Celebrations is the largest furniture and giftware
store in Turriff and it has also a flourishing coffee parlour
and restaurant. They currently employ 20 full-time and 40
part-time staff. The Managing Director asked Ideas In Partnership
to carry out a comprehensive market research exercise amongst
current clients and in neighbouring towns to gauge the following:-
| Examples: |
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Perceptions of store |
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Knowledge of services and products available |
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To find out more about competitors |
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To look for new ideas that would give store competitive
advantage |
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To find out what current customers think of the store |
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To look at the national marketplace through secondary
research to identify trends and opportunities |
In total nearly 500 interviews were carried out and a comprehensive
report with recommendations given to the client.
In the next few months the report is going to be the focus
of strategic management discussion and will be used as a
business tool for the company going forward.
Market Research
Case Study
The Entrepreneurship Event for Disabled People was an event
run jointly by The Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise
and Careers Scotland as part of The European Year of Disabled
People.
People with disabilities make up a large proportion of
Scotland’s working age population, with 26% having a long
standing illness, health problem or disability (Scottish
Executive 2002), but continuing to form a large part of
the population who are socially and economically excluded.
Unemployment rates for people with disabilities remain high
– entrepreneurship offers an important route into economic
activity.
Careers Scotland launched the Get into Enterprise initiative
in November 1999 and this has attracted many organisations
whose clients have a disability An interim evaluation of
the initiative has highlighted the positive benefits of
the enterprise experience. Evidence from America suggests
that the entrepreneur with disabilities is at least as successful
as the entrepreneur with no disabilities.
Scottish Enterprise and Careers Scotland are addressing
the need to promote self-employment as a real option for
people with disabilities. The high profile event on the
20th November was a platform to demonstrate their commitment
and support for enterprise for all people in Scotland with
a disability.
The event featured keynote speakers and was opened by the
Rt. Hon. Jim Wallace QC MSP, Deputy First Minister and Minister
for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.
Ideas In Partnership were involved as project and event
managers. They worked closely with the partners and designed
a conference to satisfy all the aims and objectives. They
set up database, designed marketing material, sourced speakers,
developed a conference video, designed the workshop and
brought together standholders who were representative of
the sector.
Their role involved supplying staff and AVC equipment, and
most importantly resources to support certain disabilities
such as hearing loops, speed to text writers, signers, and
they also provided a disability lift.
The transcript for the conference was also available in
Braille and Audio Tape.
On the day Ideas In Partnership staff made it happen and
carried out a thorough post event evaluation.
A number of barriers had been highlighted at a series of
Focus Groups and these barriers were addressed at the event
in a series of workshops. The workshop topics were as follows:-
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Motivation |
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Eureka (Get Into Enterprise) |
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Working from Home |
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Networking |
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Finance |
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How Can We Help (Business Gateway) |
There were also a number of stands which gave out more
information. Ideas In Partnership were the key contacts
in sourcing the relevant standholders.
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