ClusterWeb 
July 27, 2018 
─Business Strategy  

SooMin Woo 

   

 
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Market Analysis 2 
Industry Analysis 2 
Customer Demand 2 

Product Description 2 
Issues with current application process 2 
ClusterWeb 2 
Profit 3 

Start-up Plan 4 
Start-up Cost ($) 4 
Price 4 
Production Process 5 
Production method 5 

Marketing Strategy 5 
Promotion 5 

Management Plan 6 
Internal Management Team 6 

References 8 

  

   
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Market Analysis  

Industry Analysis  
Customer Demand  
Number of applications increases steadily as there is an increasing number of students 
graduating from high schools and more applying to various universities. In those many 
parts of the application, there is a rise in interest in activities and especially group activities. 
According to university reports, there is an increase in demand for collaborative group 
work in applicant’s activity lists.  
In order to meet those university demands, some students who lack group projects when 
compared to others sometimes come up with an imaginative group project. This is violating 
honors code in the application process. To prevent students from getting an advantage by 
an unfair act, there needs to be a reliable way to make an activity list reliable.  
 

Product Description 
ClusterWeb is a cluster group joining platform where group projects done in and outside of 
school can be recorded together with every team members. This platform will connect to 
school email account and with college application platforms, such as common app.  

Issues with current application process 

This is a fundamental platform for admission officers because there are a lot of issues 
about not qualified or made-up projects. In order to better fit their concept, students 
sometimes make non -existing projects. Students who only focused on academics and 
therefore lack co-curricular activities also make up activities to look them like a “perfect” 
student. Therefore, it is hard for admission officers to make a “fair” decision. This website 
service can be used in multiple application processes. Middle school students applying to 
boarding schools, high school students to universities, university graduates to graduate 
schools, and even applying for a job. 

ClusterWeb 
When a school subscribes to the platform or the website, it will connect to all student, 
faculty, and counselor’s email address. When a group of students does a project together, 
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they register or “add project” on the website. This will include the name of the project, short 
description, and names and email addresses of students involved, advisor, and their 
college counselor. Students can add their process and important documents that can prove 
their activity in the project. At the end of the project, students can add a project summary 
that includes who contributed to what part of the project and what percent to the project. 
Students write the end report together, so they cannot make it up or state about 
something they did not do. After the project ends, the project advisor reads what students 
wrote on the platform including process, important documents, and end report. The group 
project only gets to enter into the college resume list automatically after the advisor 
approves and this can be viewed by the counselor as well. This can be done also for 
individual projects and outside school projects. For the group project to be viewed by 
supervisor and college counselor, all group members need to revise and check a box below 
the description that indicates, “I have reviewed the description above and it matches with 
what I did.” Individual projects will work same as group projects. The student will record 
their project the same way as he or she does for the group project. If the project requires 
no supervisor, they need to add their advisor or tutor as their supervisor in order to get 
approved. For outside school projects, students work same as group in-school project, but 
they need to also attach series of evidence, such as pictures, videos, and a short 
description of what the student did from the outside school advisor. These individual 
projects are going to be in “individual project” list and also can be revised by a university 
counselor.  

Profit 
This platform can be profit driven because admission officers and high schools will pay for 
this platform in order to simplify their application process by not worrying about activity list 
for students and university counselors and trustworthy list for admission officers. High 
schools and universities are willing to pay to use the platform in order to make a reliable 
application process.  
The website service is based on subscriptions. Schools or organizations who use the service 
who is willing to use the service need to upgrade their subscription if their application size 
changes. Because they change their subscription every month, the service is profit driven. It 
is because they need to pay more as soon as the number of applicants changes. 
Moreover, on the website, a small space for advertisement will be available. These 
advertisements can make some profit for the platform. These advertisements will all be 
academically related. Therefore, students who seek academic help can visit the advertiser, 
which will also be beneficial for the advertiser.  
Because this platform works for benefit of both high schools and universities, it will be easy 
to get government subsidies and grant compared to other services. Therefore, insufficient 
fund when starting up will not be a big problem for this website service.   
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Start-up Plan  

Start-up Cost ($) 

 
Legal Fee  Office  Recruitment  Market  Website Setup  
(Patent)  Research 

1,500  750  10,000  15,000  $50 – $200 

Website Design  Website  Cost for  Miscellaneous  Advertisement 

Maintenance  Production 
(laptops) 

$5,000–  $5,000–  4,500  5,000  100,000 

$10,000  $10,000 

Total: 146,800 ​–​ 156,950 

This table is based upon the market average. The average cost of market research, building 
a website, renting an office, laptops, and advertising. Start up cost is one of the crucial 
information when opening up a business since it indicates how much money a company 
needs to get or which source of finance should they choose. There is a limit on the 
maximum cost that each source can provide. The table gives a big idea of which source of 
finance to choose and how much do each potential investors need to spend in order to 
make the service successful.  
 

Price 
The price of subscription will depend on the number students in high school and number 
of applications received from for the universities. The subscription payment will be 
upgraded annually. High schools need to pay according to their student size at the start of 
the academic year. Universities and colleges will pay for subscriptions at the end of the 
academic year. Economies of scales are obtained because the individual price ratio declines 
as the number of students and applications increase. This website service can be used in 
multiple application processes. Middle school students applying to boarding schools, high 
school students to universities, university graduates to graduate schools, and even 
applying for a job. 
 
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Number of Students  1-1,000  1,000-5,000  5,000 + 

Price (USD)  10,000  30,000  50,000 

 
Number of  1-1,000  1,000-7,000  7,000 + 
Applications 

Price (USD)  10,000  30,000  50,000 

Production Process 
Production method 
The production method of the platform service is programming and designing a website. 
There will be a total of 4 people working for the platform service, one general 
administrator, two designing and programming managers, and one advertisement 
manager. 
After the production of the website, the website will go through a beta-test period where 
five high school that is chosen uses the website service to give feedback. Then, it will go 
through a developmental process based on the feedback received and then offer the 
service to the public.  
 

Marketing Strategy 

Promotion 
As clustering platform website is an online based service, the best way of advertisement 
will be through the internet, such as a banner advertisement in Facebook, Instagram, 
Google, and college-related website and video advertisements in youtube. Social media 
such as Facebook and Instagrams are where people, especially students, spend to kill their 
time and a place where they get useful, daily-life effective pieces of information. By 
advertising on social media, it will be very effective because it is cheap when compared to 
other websites and is a place where many people visit. Likewise, youtube advertisement is 
effective because it is a place where many people spend their time. It is also cost-effective. 
College-related website, such as websites that give tips about college application or 
standardized testing, is a place where high school students go to seek information. If 
clustering platform website advertisement is on the side of the website, students will 
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definitely look at the advertisement and think about it: a website that lists up my activity 
automatically and it is connected with colleges and common app.  
The website will also have their own official social account in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, 
and other social media to advertise the website. By having these accounts, it will provide a 
direct communication pathway between website users and managers. Also, the platform 
can advertise the benefits by uploading the updated features of the website. Moreover, 
advertising in those social media can be another way to advertise rather than just a banner. 
Another method of promoting the website is to give additional money to universities and 
announce that that university will only receive activity lists that are listed on the website 
because of the reliability of activity lists. Therefore, students who are willing to apply to that 
school will need to use the platform service. In order for students to use the service, they 
need to ask their counselor or head of high school to subscribe to the platform service. This 
method makes students use the platform service. Some students may choose to not apply 
to those universities. However, if those schools are the students’ target or dream schools, 
they will need to use the service. If it is beneficial to them, they will encourage other 
students to also use the service. If those universities present a positive result to the public, 
there will be more schools that require students to use the service.  
The most effective promotion method can be evaluated using a short survey when creating 
an account asking “which route did you get to use this website service?” Depending on the 
response, unuseful promotion method can be stopped and more effective ones can 
continue.  

Management Plan 

Internal Management Team 

Role  Responsibilities  Salaries  Work Contract  Number 
Paid  of 
(USD,  Member
Monthly)  s 

Board of  Provide the  3,000  - Contract duration: 3 years  2-20 

Directors  direction for the  per  - Attendance at minimum of 5 
organization.  member  board meetings 
- Work in office 
- Keep-up to date on the 
business of the company 
- Take full responsibility for 
making decisions 

Marketing  Produce marketing  4,000  - Contract duration: 3 years  1 

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Department  plan every quarter.  - Work in office 

  - Present creative and 
Monitor social  accurate marketing plan on 
trend and conduct  the user group 
customer and  - Work week consists of 40 
market research.  hours 
- Should put best effort in 
market research 

Finance  Produce financial  3,500  - Contract duration: 3 years  1 

Department  plan every month.   - Work in office 
  - Work week: 40 hours 
Monitor special  - Should put best effort in 
trend in potential  producing financial 
competitors and  documents 
change schools per  - Attend to every BOD 
subscription.  meeting 

Operations  Update errors on  3,500  - Contract duration: 3 years  1 

Department  website.  Work in office 
  - Review qualities of the 
Update website  product 
service based on  - Communicate with 
customer and  technicians to improve quality 
market research.  - Should consistently study 
about customer trend 
- Work week consists of 40 
hours 
- Manages products’ quality 
control test in a regular basis 

HR  Responsible for  2,500  - Contract duration: 3 years  1 

Department  recruiting new staff  - Work in office 
members.  - Review qualities of the 
  product 
Responsible for  - Participate in every BOD 
recruiting new  meeting 
technicians if 
necessary. 

 
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References 
Carnegie Mellon University. “What Are the Benefits of Group Work? - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon 

University.” C
​ ulture and Environment​, 

www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/benefits.html​. 

Flavin, Brianna. “Brianna Flavin.” ​Rasmussen College - Regionally Accredited College Online and on 
Campus​, 3 July 2018, 
www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/importance-of-teamwork-skills-in-work-and-school/​.