Mind and Hand Associates, LLC

Strategy and Growth

Market Scan

A publisher readying a revolutionary new product for market sought to understand the nascent trends and emerging competitors in the textbook publishing arena, particularly those in the micropublishing space.  For this project, we investigated ongoing and emerging trends in the academic micropublishing/self-publishing marketplace, investigated areas ripe for unbundling or disintermediation, created a high-level competitive map showing many of the traditional and emerging competitors and where in the self-publishing space they engage, and profiled 50 competitors.

Product Assessment

Major textbook publisher was planning the next generation custom publishing product and wanted to understand from their sales team what they perceived the product strengths and weaknesses to be, how internal processes were helping or hindering sales and order fulfillment, and what features and functionality should be prioritized for future product enhancements and to aid in future product and market development activities.

Presentation: Strategy and Competition in Higher Education

Presented at the 2010 American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education on Strategy and Competition in Higher Education.  Presentation focused on forces impacting the higher education industry, and how organizations can think about the evolving higher education landscape and improve their position within it. 

Market Intelligence

Academic Discipline Market Assessment

To become a more formidable competitor in a specific discipline within the education market, our client wanted to better understand how changes in the education and professional services markets might provide opportunity for new products and services and a reordering of competitors in the market for this educational discipline.  Project entailed research on the discipline and how it is evolving, including market size, issues, curricular trends, labor market trends for graduates, and potential opportunities for products and services to address faculty and student needs. 

New Market Analysis: Professional Education

A publisher wanted to better understand the professional and vocational education market in two countries - one a mature market and the other an emerging market.  Project focused on market size and growth, nascent trends, regulations, professional certification requirements, existing players, and potential distribution partners or acquisition targets within these markets.

New Market Analysis: Exam Preparation  

A publisher with a large amount of academic materials and assessment expertise was interested in understanding whether these materials could be repackaged and positioned toward a professional exam preparation market.  Project included research on degree trends, exam-taking trends, the exam preparation market, competitors, offerings and pricing to aid in the development of products and services to support the professional degree preparation market.

Product Research

An educational test provider wanted to better understand how, where and why a competitive product was taking share.  In partnership with another firm, Mind and Hand Associates conducted a series of focus groups with students, parents, admissions officers, and educational counselors to determine what attributes of each test were considered preferable and why. 

Market Intelligence: Trends in Graduate Management Education

For a not-for-profit education association, provided research for the inaugural edition of a Trends in Graduate Management Education suite of products to better connect the association with business school decision-makers.  The project involved secondary market research on global economic and management education trends including demographic, test-taking and international management education supply, demand, and competitive trends.

Executive Briefings and Due Diligence

Executive Briefing: Business School Market

A publisher wanted to understand the "lay of the land" in the business school marketplace to be better positioned to address current management education needs and emerging opportunities for new products and services.  Briefing addressed degree, enrollment and employment trends, the proliferation of programs and formats, curricular trends and innovations, and current pain points and future opportunities. 

Executive Briefing: Online Educational Services

An investment firm considering a deal in the online education space requested a briefing about trends in online education and what top schools consider when deciding whether or not to offer online degrees. 

Executive Briefing: Admissions Services

An investment management company was considering an investment in the higher education service-provider market and requested an executive briefing on trends in college admissions, including outsourcing trends and vendors.

Presentation: Trends in Higher Education. 

For the Strategic Advisory Group meeting for a major higher education service provider, delivered a presentation on Trends in Higher Education, including the global market for higher education, demographics, enrollments, economic pressures, and competitive forces.