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Description
Part I - Introduction:

As of January 2016, the IT Garage Montague Department has been tasked with research and development concerning a new app for the consumer market. Over the past couple of weeks, our group has been researching and brainstorming ideas for a new product. After a presentation and consultation with industry professionals, we have decided to develop a pickup sports app with unique features not shown by potential competitors, the product name yet unknown. This is a brand-new business start-up venture.

The purpose of our app is to build an online community for sports enthusiasts ton participate in team sports, and providing an improved alternative to relying on problematic methods of spreading awareness of such events, such as word-of-mouth or Facebook pages. This would be particularly helpful in the setting up of practices and tournaments. Our pickup sports app will provide a centralized place where users can play on their own, one-on-one, or create a team with members of their community, matching them with others of a similar skill level. A user-based rating system will be available through leaderboards. We will offer the creation of login user profiles and a thorough messaging system to enhance communication between participants, as well as a comprehensive matchmaking system. This product is meant to be released on a modular basis.

We have decided for our business to be a corporation, to protect the owners and their personal property if legal trouble comes upon us. Yet, we will seek partnerships with institutions like Holland College and UPEI and sporting venues like the Simmons Area for the product’s expansion into other communities. Using proper legal advice, we can look into establishing a wagering system between teams or individuals or further abilities on this app. At the end of three months of research and development, we seek to possess and display a prototype model of our app for further business considerations.

Part II - Macroeconomic Analysis:

Demographics:

In 2015, the total population of Prince Edward Island was 146,447, with 71,333 inhabitants being male, and 75,114 being female. This is attributed to high rates of immigration, and interprovincial migration due to varying economic factors. Population growth has averaged to about 0.6 percent consistently from 1973 to 2013. Birth rates have decreased significantly, with 1087 births in 1978, to 153 births in 2013. The current fertility rate is 1.64 births per family unit, also lower than previous generations.

In 2012, the 15-64 working age population (our target group) was 98,096. This will steadily decline in intervals to 87,936 by 2053. This demonstrates a reducing workforce and aging population. In 2013 the median age was 43.1 years, compared to 25.6 years in 1973. The population of seniors is expected to double by 2033, as the population of persons aged 65 years or older went from 25,076 to 34,220 in the 2012-2013 period alone.

PEI’s population will peak to around 157,450 by 2034, and then steadily decline to reach 152,936 by 2053. PEI has a relatively low population with high aging and migration rates, yet a market can still be created for our product. Each province has different migration patterns, birth-rates and population amounts. Trends are never the same through different regions.

Economics:

The web application industry has all but exploded across Canada in the last decade. About 13 million users spend $675 million annually on apps and related products. Canadians spend 16 percent of their time in apps twice the amount of time spent by their American counterparts. Most of Canadians’ time on apps is spent on social media or games, while only three percent is spent on health and fitness products. Worldwide, the mobile app industry rivals the abilities of other major entertainment centres such as Hollywood.

In 2014, 51,700 Canadians were employed in apps development jobs across Canada, with the most jobs being held in British Columbia (28,700) and Quebec (14,000), while the Atlantic provinces held about 3100 jobs, or 5 percent of the quota. As of 2015, 64,000 have been employed in apps-related careers, with the numbers expected to grow to 110,00 jobs by 2019. These jobs have grown by 25 percent in 16 months. Revenue from apps in Canada stands around $1.7 billion this year and should grow to $5.2 billion by 2019.

Despite these profit numbers, funding is still hard to get. A little over half of enterprises rely on personal or family funding (51 percent), 26 percent get their funds from other business streams, six percent of funds come from venture capital, and four percent comes from public funding. Two-fifths of Canadian app developers focus on developing service-related apps commissioned by service companies. Others focus on original (IP) apps and a combination of both said apps. Most developers are medium-sized businesses that hire 10 to 50 people, and issue products for clients like healthcare providers or government agencies.

Most of the money made by apps is generated in the province of its creation, to the tune of 40 percent. Apps from other provinces take in 17 percent of profit, and 28 percent of profits come from apps made in the US. More marketing is done through digital means thanks to apps, as companies have been kept aware of supply/demand analyses done on consumers. This interest is sure to grow as time moves on.

On PEI, the IT industry has been experiencing sustained growth across many fields including healthcare, finance, etc. Whether it be research projects or app development, companies can start anywhere on PEI. Key opportunities lie within interactive media and E-health products, two of the fastest growing industries in the world. For IT roles like analysts and consultants, employment outlooks look fair to good in PEI. Growth is set to be moderate, and small numbers are set to retire. In the 2014-2015 year, careers in IT could pay from minimum wage to nearly $40.00 an hour. These higher wages could be used to draw business development roles into the IT industry, providing an ideal location to establish a startup which seeks a positive future.

The province offers a cost-effective and business-friendly environment, and a highly-skilled and educated labour force earning their skills from quality post-secondary
institutions like Holland College and UPEI. PEI has also implemented strategic infrastructure, breathing new life into old, abandoned facilities, as seen in Slemon Park. The province has access to major international markets, like the European Union (EU) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). A low crime rate and lower prices and taxes allow for business success and potential expansion. Some business organizations that could help out entrepreneurs include the Eastern PEI Chamber of Commerce, the Rural Action Centre, and numerous others. Innovative thinking and technologically-advanced infrastructure have fused together to promote the growth of emerging sectors in PEI (e.g., sports, information technology), and alleviate the employment rate.

However, these occupations can see moderate to high unemployment levels, particularly with developers due to a lack of people with proper qualifications. No employment outlook has been assigned to sports-related roles in PEI due to low levels of employment. The increasing consumer demand for apps adds distortion to marketing models, reflecting unequal distribution and customers who do not want to pay for products. Industry experts have began to discuss an app market bubble due to its ongoing rise to the top, and the possibility of it bursting is high.

The money and opportunities present should be enough to make sustainable business. To cut costs, the employment of third-party developers and hitting the market at the right time are the best choices to succeed. There is plenty of growth for the most clever developers. The app economy employs substantial amounts of workers and measures that are accurately targeted can create a better functioning app ecosystem to benefit from competition, strengthen the business environment, and improve efficiency using business strategies with solid, crucial foundation.

Natural Forces:

Gender distribution and player skill issues are a factor dealing with our product. Handling this matter displays equality of opportunity and more fair distribution of talent and social reputation amongst teams. Enhanced diversity allows for more players to display their skills, and allow people to choose a wide range of different sports based on their preferences. This allows for users’ selective tendencies to maximize the user’s playing experience.

Delays can be an issue as well, whether it be injured or unavailable players, scheduling issues due to weather or available time, or other reasons. Our product is to utilize social cohesion and teamwork, establishing new relationships and maintaining personal health and fitness. Seasonal factors can present issues, especially regarding winter. Ice rinks and ski hills are only available once a year our app has to be modified by the sports available per season. Keep in mind the presence of excessive heat or cold outdoors, rain days, and general storm days.

Sports have to be determined by in what environment they are played, such as courts, gymnasiums, and fields. Of course, availability of such areas is regularly pending, though certain sports can use any environment to conduct games (e.g., basketball). Overall, the natural forces that could affect the marketing and distribution of our product are largely social and environmental.

Technological Forces:

Open-Street (OSM) and GPS maps establish the routes to, distance between, and locations of sporting events to attend. Sports statistics analysis software should be used to keep check on scores and other information, to select exceptional players to add to a team or league’s ranks. Applications that are built on providing sports statistics analysis are a great way to acquire engaged, interactive users. A cloud-based messaging service can enhance player and league communication sending messages immediately when circumstances need be.

With this messaging system, users can send out various notices, reminders, and other issues need addressing. It allows for an affordable, unlimited usage with private accounts available when users sign off. Our development team can consider the addition of customized statistics for individual players, group-based privileges and other capabilities to display user integration. We will seek to keep adding updates in the module or software the further the app can develop.

To aid in creating a stable technical or communications infrastructure, a website should be created with an attentive Help Centre, with proper contact information available if users encounter any problems. The best apps work with the convergence of telecommunications or digital capabilities (e.g., data and video) into a universal interface, particularly displayed on smartphones. Convergent services tend to replace older technologies, making them gradually obsolete, and can disrupt the market. IP-based convergence is inevitable and will create new service demands in the app market, as the openness of the Internet allows for multiple duties to be completed in one program with a layered model format.

New IT and networking technologies and solutions are emerging, requiring changes to current design and sourcing capabilities. Through proper planning and strategy, one can establish governance amongst developers and keep their eyes open for improvements, errors to fix, and other issues that could come up in app operations. This is the initiative to keep in mind when working in the mobile app industry.

Political Forces:

The major government organization that could aid us with our app’s development is the PEI Department of Health and Wellness. Two of its various funding grants include the Amateur Sports Funding and Physical Activity Project Support Programs. These grants range in award totals from $500 to $3,000, requiring no fees to apply. These grants are to create initiatives to increase physical activity, recreation and sports, and allowing the capacity and profiles of sports to increase within Island communities.

The Department of Health and Wellness supports the PEI Regional Sport and Recreational Councils, led by volunteers in three separate regions (Western, Central, and Eastern), Sports PEI, go!PEI and others. These other organizations all seek to increase sports participation in which people can excel in their talents and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. Several Acts have been put in place to monitor app businesses like ours the Business Practices Act, the Electronic Commerce Act, the Recreational Development Act, and the Sports Commission Act, which was repealed in 2001. Sports distribution and participation is something that the PEI government is starting to take seriously and promote for societal benefit.

Judging by research, there is no further changes or new legislation in development for the next year regarding aspects of our product or the app industry in general. This indicates a great deal of freedom in the creation and management of sporting events. Rules and regulations regarding sports conduct is most often governed by sports organizations themselves, like Hockey PEI, and educational and recreational institutions. Sports boards would have more say in the implementation of our product than members of the government.

Cultural Forces:

Islanders enjoy sports like many other societies across the globe. Hockey is the most popular of sports, followed by baseball, basketball and soccer, which is becoming more popular on PEI due to a rising immigrant population. Curling is also popular on PEI, and in Canada in general. In fact, curling is more popular here than in any other country. Children are admitted into sports activities at a young age through school and community organizations.

Sports inclusion fosters communication between individuals and a healthy competitive spirit. Charities rally for the less fortunate to participate, providing assistance with registration costs and acquiring equipment. The European ancestral lineage is reinforced with the annual celebration of the Highland games, and organizations like the Gaelic Athletic Association, who teach Hurling (a sport similar to field hockey) and Gaelic football sessions regularly.

The calm, safe environment of Island culture allows plenty of room for sporting activities for locals and tourists alike to come as one and enjoy. Sports culture continues to thrive on PEI and has grown greatly in diversity of activities and individuals over the past few decades. With current technology at one’s disposal, especially apps, sports culture and organization is sure to embark on a new direction in its evolution.

Sources:

www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/…
www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/…
www.opportunitiespei.ca/workin…
www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_report_b…
www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_report_a…
www.opportunitiespei.ca/choose…
www.innovationpei.com/peiadvan…
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/whyfund…
www.androidheadlines.com/2014/…
www.ictcctic.ca/wpcontent/uplo…
www.itbusiness.ca/news/mobilea…
www.thestar.com/business/tech_…
www.appsflyer.com/blog/aspects…
www.sportstracker.com/
techcrunch.com/2015/10/10/4rea…
www.rainedout.com/send_msgs_le…
www.sportssignup.com/leagues/f…
www.teamsnap.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technolo…
www.gov.pe.ca/health/index.php…
www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/ind…
www.peianc.com/content/lang/en…

Description
Part I - Introduction:

As of January 2016, the IT Garage Montague Department has been tasked with research and development concerning a new app for the consumer market. Over the past couple of weeks, our group has been researching and brainstorming ideas for a new product. After a presentation and consultation with industry professionals, we have decided to develop a pickup sports app with unique features not shown by potential competitors, the product name yet unknown. This is a brand-new business start-up venture.

The purpose of our app is to build an online community for sports enthusiasts ton participate in team sports, and providing an improved alternative to relying on problematic methods of spreading awareness of such events, such as word-of-mouth or Facebook pages. This would be particularly helpful in the setting up of practices and tournaments. Our pickup sports app will provide a centralized place where users can play on their own, one-on-one, or create a team with members of their community, matching them with others of a similar skill level. A user-based rating system will be available through leaderboards. We will offer the creation of login user profiles and a thorough messaging system to enhance communication between participants, as well as a comprehensive matchmaking system. This product is meant to be released on a modular basis.

We have decided for our business to be a corporation, to protect the owners and their personal property if legal trouble comes upon us. Yet, we will seek partnerships with institutions like Holland College and UPEI and sporting venues like the Simmons Area for the product’s expansion into other communities. Using proper legal advice, we can look into establishing a wagering system between teams or individuals or further abilities on this app. At the end of three months of research and development, we seek to possess and display a prototype model of our app for further business considerations.

Part II - Macroeconomic Analysis:

Demographics:

In 2015, the total population of Prince Edward Island was 146,447, with 71,333 inhabitants being male, and 75,114 being female. This is attributed to high rates of immigration, and interprovincial migration due to varying economic factors. Population growth has averaged to about 0.6 percent consistently from 1973 to 2013. Birth rates have decreased significantly, with 1087 births in 1978, to 153 births in 2013. The current fertility rate is 1.64 births per family unit, also lower than previous generations.

In 2012, the 15-64 working age population (our target group) was 98,096. This will steadily decline in intervals to 87,936 by 2053. This demonstrates a reducing workforce and aging population. In 2013 the median age was 43.1 years, compared to 25.6 years in 1973. The population of seniors is expected to double by 2033, as the population of persons aged 65 years or older went from 25,076 to 34,220 in the 2012-2013 period alone.

PEI’s population will peak to around 157,450 by 2034, and then steadily decline to reach 152,936 by 2053. PEI has a relatively low population with high aging and migration rates, yet a market can still be created for our product. Each province has different migration patterns, birth-rates and population amounts. Trends are never the same through different regions.

Economics:

The web application industry has all but exploded across Canada in the last decade. About 13 million users spend $675 million annually on apps and related products. Canadians spend 16 percent of their time in apps twice the amount of time spent by their American counterparts. Most of Canadians’ time on apps is spent on social media or games, while only three percent is spent on health and fitness products. Worldwide, the mobile app industry rivals the abilities of other major entertainment centres such as Hollywood.

In 2014, 51,700 Canadians were employed in apps development jobs across Canada, with the most jobs being held in British Columbia (28,700) and Quebec (14,000), while the Atlantic provinces held about 3100 jobs, or 5 percent of the quota. As of 2015, 64,000 have been employed in apps-related careers, with the numbers expected to grow to 110,00 jobs by 2019. These jobs have grown by 25 percent in 16 months. Revenue from apps in Canada stands around $1.7 billion this year and should grow to $5.2 billion by 2019.

Despite these profit numbers, funding is still hard to get. A little over half of enterprises rely on personal or family funding (51 percent), 26 percent get their funds from other business streams, six percent of funds come from venture capital, and four percent comes from public funding. Two-fifths of Canadian app developers focus on developing service-related apps commissioned by service companies. Others focus on original (IP) apps and a combination of both said apps. Most developers are medium-sized businesses that hire 10 to 50 people, and issue products for clients like healthcare providers or government agencies.

Most of the money made by apps is generated in the province of its creation, to the tune of 40 percent. Apps from other provinces take in 17 percent of profit, and 28 percent of profits come from apps made in the US. More marketing is done through digital means thanks to apps, as companies have been kept aware of supply/demand analyses done on consumers. This interest is sure to grow as time moves on.

On PEI, the IT industry has been experiencing sustained growth across many fields including healthcare, finance, etc. Whether it be research projects or app development, companies can start anywhere on PEI. Key opportunities lie within interactive media and E-health products, two of the fastest growing industries in the world. For IT roles like analysts and consultants, employment outlooks look fair to good in PEI. Growth is set to be moderate, and small numbers are set to retire. In the 2014-2015 year, careers in IT could pay from minimum wage to nearly $40.00 an hour. These higher wages could be used to draw business development roles into the IT industry, providing an ideal location to establish a startup which seeks a positive future.

The province offers a cost-effective and business-friendly environment, and a highly-skilled and educated labour force earning their skills from quality post-secondary
institutions like Holland College and UPEI. PEI has also implemented strategic infrastructure, breathing new life into old, abandoned facilities, as seen in Slemon Park. The province has access to major international markets, like the European Union (EU) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). A low crime rate and lower prices and taxes allow for business success and potential expansion. Some business organizations that could help out entrepreneurs include the Eastern PEI Chamber of Commerce, the Rural Action Centre, and numerous others. Innovative thinking and technologically-advanced infrastructure have fused together to promote the growth of emerging sectors in PEI (e.g., sports, information technology), and alleviate the employment rate.

However, these occupations can see moderate to high unemployment levels, particularly with developers due to a lack of people with proper qualifications. No employment outlook has been assigned to sports-related roles in PEI due to low levels of employment. The increasing consumer demand for apps adds distortion to marketing models, reflecting unequal distribution and customers who do not want to pay for products. Industry experts have began to discuss an app market bubble due to its ongoing rise to the top, and the possibility of it bursting is high.

The money and opportunities present should be enough to make sustainable business. To cut costs, the employment of third-party developers and hitting the market at the right time are the best choices to succeed. There is plenty of growth for the most clever developers. The app economy employs substantial amounts of workers and measures that are accurately targeted can create a better functioning app ecosystem to benefit from competition, strengthen the business environment, and improve efficiency using business strategies with solid, crucial foundation.

Natural Forces:

Gender distribution and player skill issues are a factor dealing with our product. Handling this matter displays equality of opportunity and more fair distribution of talent and social reputation amongst teams. Enhanced diversity allows for more players to display their skills, and allow people to choose a wide range of different sports based on their preferences. This allows for users’ selective tendencies to maximize the user’s playing experience.

Delays can be an issue as well, whether it be injured or unavailable players, scheduling issues due to weather or available time, or other reasons. Our product is to utilize social cohesion and teamwork, establishing new relationships and maintaining personal health and fitness. Seasonal factors can present issues, especially regarding winter. Ice rinks and ski hills are only available once a year our app has to be modified by the sports available per season. Keep in mind the presence of excessive heat or cold outdoors, rain days, and general storm days.

Sports have to be determined by in what environment they are played, such as courts, gymnasiums, and fields. Of course, availability of such areas is regularly pending, though certain sports can use any environment to conduct games (e.g., basketball). Overall, the natural forces that could affect the marketing and distribution of our product are largely social and environmental.

Technological Forces:

Open-Street (OSM) and GPS maps establish the routes to, distance between, and locations of sporting events to attend. Sports statistics analysis software should be used to keep check on scores and other information, to select exceptional players to add to a team or league’s ranks. Applications that are built on providing sports statistics analysis are a great way to acquire engaged, interactive users. A cloud-based messaging service can enhance player and league communication sending messages immediately when circumstances need be.

With this messaging system, users can send out various notices, reminders, and other issues need addressing. It allows for an affordable, unlimited usage with private accounts available when users sign off. Our development team can consider the addition of customized statistics for individual players, group-based privileges and other capabilities to display user integration. We will seek to keep adding updates in the module or software the further the app can develop.

To aid in creating a stable technical or communications infrastructure, a website should be created with an attentive Help Centre, with proper contact information available if users encounter any problems. The best apps work with the convergence of telecommunications or digital capabilities (e.g., data and video) into a universal interface, particularly displayed on smartphones. Convergent services tend to replace older technologies, making them gradually obsolete, and can disrupt the market. IP-based convergence is inevitable and will create new service demands in the app market, as the openness of the Internet allows for multiple duties to be completed in one program with a layered model format.

New IT and networking technologies and solutions are emerging, requiring changes to current design and sourcing capabilities. Through proper planning and strategy, one can establish governance amongst developers and keep their eyes open for improvements, errors to fix, and other issues that could come up in app operations. This is the initiative to keep in mind when working in the mobile app industry.

Political Forces:

The major government organization that could aid us with our app’s development is the PEI Department of Health and Wellness. Two of its various funding grants include the Amateur Sports Funding and Physical Activity Project Support Programs. These grants range in award totals from $500 to $3,000, requiring no fees to apply. These grants are to create initiatives to increase physical activity, recreation and sports, and allowing the capacity and profiles of sports to increase within Island communities.

The Department of Health and Wellness supports the PEI Regional Sport and Recreational Councils, led by volunteers in three separate regions (Western, Central, and Eastern), Sports PEI, go!PEI and others. These other organizations all seek to increase sports participation in which people can excel in their talents and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. Several Acts have been put in place to monitor app businesses like ours the Business Practices Act, the Electronic Commerce Act, the Recreational Development Act, and the Sports Commission Act, which was repealed in 2001. Sports distribution and participation is something that the PEI government is starting to take seriously and promote for societal benefit.

Judging by research, there is no further changes or new legislation in development for the next year regarding aspects of our product or the app industry in general. This indicates a great deal of freedom in the creation and management of sporting events. Rules and regulations regarding sports conduct is most often governed by sports organizations themselves, like Hockey PEI, and educational and recreational institutions. Sports boards would have more say in the implementation of our product than members of the government.

Cultural Forces:

Islanders enjoy sports like many other societies across the globe. Hockey is the most popular of sports, followed by baseball, basketball and soccer, which is becoming more popular on PEI due to a rising immigrant population. Curling is also popular on PEI, and in Canada in general. In fact, curling is more popular here than in any other country. Children are admitted into sports activities at a young age through school and community organizations.

Sports inclusion fosters communication between individuals and a healthy competitive spirit. Charities rally for the less fortunate to participate, providing assistance with registration costs and acquiring equipment. The European ancestral lineage is reinforced with the annual celebration of the Highland games, and organizations like the Gaelic Athletic Association, who teach Hurling (a sport similar to field hockey) and Gaelic football sessions regularly.

The calm, safe environment of Island culture allows plenty of room for sporting activities for locals and tourists alike to come as one and enjoy. Sports culture continues to thrive on PEI and has grown greatly in diversity of activities and individuals over the past few decades. With current technology at one’s disposal, especially apps, sports culture and organization is sure to embark on a new direction in its evolution.

Sources:

www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/…
www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/…
www.opportunitiespei.ca/workin…
www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_report_b…
www.jobbank.gc.ca/LMI_report_a…
www.opportunitiespei.ca/choose…
www.innovationpei.com/peiadvan…
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/whyfund…
www.androidheadlines.com/2014/…
www.ictcctic.ca/wpcontent/uplo…
www.itbusiness.ca/news/mobilea…
www.thestar.com/business/tech_…
www.appsflyer.com/blog/aspects…
www.sportstracker.com/
techcrunch.com/2015/10/10/4rea…
www.rainedout.com/send_msgs_le…
www.sportssignup.com/leagues/f…
www.teamsnap.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technolo…
www.gov.pe.ca/health/index.php…
www.gov.pe.ca/law/statutes/ind…
www.peianc.com/content/lang/en…