What the Numbers on the Periodic Table Mean

What the Numbers on the Periodic Table Mean Are you confused by all the numbers on a periodic table? Heres a look at what they mean and where to find important numbers on the table.   Element Atomic Number One number you will find on all periodic tables is the atomic number for each element. This is the number of protons in the element, which defines its identity. How to Identify It: There isnt a standard layout for an element cell, so you need to identify the location of each important number for the specific table. The atomic number is easy because it is an integer that increases as you move from left to right across the table. The lowest atomic number is 1 (hydrogen), while the highest atomic number is 118. Examples: The atomic number of the first element, hydrogen, is 1. The atomic number of copper is 29. Element Atomic Mass or Atomic Weight Most periodic tables include a value for atomic mass (also called atomic weight) on each element tile. For a single atom of an element, this would be a whole number, adding the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons together for the atom. However, the value given in the periodic table is an average of the mass of all isotopes of a given element. While the number of electrons does not contribute significant mass to an atom, isotopes have differing numbers of neutrons, which do affect mass. How to Identify It: The atomic mass is a decimal number. The number of significant figures varies from one table to another. Its common to list values to two or four decimal places. Also, the atomic mass is recalculated from time to time, so this value may change slightly for elements on a recent table compared with an older version. Examples: The atomic mass of hydrogen is 1.01 or 1.0079. The atomic mass of nickel is 58.69 or 58.6934. Element Group Many periodic tables list numbers for element groups, which are columns of the periodic table. The elements in a group share the same number of valence electrons and thus many common chemical and physical properties. However, there wasnt always a standard method of numbering groups, so this can be confusing when consulting older tables. How to Identify It: The number for the element group is cited above the top element of each column. The element group values are integers running from 1 to 18. Examples: Hydrogen belongs to element group 1. Beryllium is the first element in group 2. Helium is the first element in group 18. Element Period The rows of the periodic table are called periods. Most periodic tables do not number them  because they are fairly obvious, but some tables  do. The period indicates the highest energy level attained by electrons of an atom of the element in the ground state. How to Identify It: Period numbers are located on the left-hand side of the table. These are simple integer numbers. Examples: The row starting with hydrogen is 1. The row starting with lithium is 2. Electron Configuration Some periodic tables list the electron configuration of an atom of the element, usually written in shorthand notation to conserve space. Most tables omit this value because it takes up a lot of room. How to Identify It: This isnt a simple number but includes the orbitals. Examples: The electron configuration for hydrogen is 1s1. Other Information on the Periodic Table The periodic table includes other information besides numbers. Now that you know what the numbers mean, you can learn how to predict periodicity of element properties and how to use the periodic table in calculations.

Business plan unit Essay Example

Business plan unit Essay Example Business plan unit Essay Business plan unit Essay Essay Topic: The Birthday Party The business that will be starting is a catering business. The business will be called The Peoples Catering Co. The business will be located in a villa near Salwa Road. This is because the company can rent out a villa with a big kitchen and will be able to produce more food for the catering. The reason why I have chosen this area near Salwa road is because it is an inexpensive area and is close to the main residential areas of Qatar. Also it is a reasonably accessible area. It is an ideal location for a business because a lot of businesses are located in this area. Therefore people will come into this area. It is a main connecting road in the centre of Doha and is a main highway. The catering business will produce foods for all social occasions, such as buffets, customer required foods to order, delicacies and other foods that are required for catering. There will be some fully qualified chefs hired from Asia and India because it would make the business more profitable and more efficient service for the customers. I think that the business will succeed because there is a gap in the market for this type of service. This is because there are few places which supply this service in Qatar. The places which supply this service are the hotels around Doha. I think that the service provided by the hotels would not be as good as a private small business catering company. This is because big businesses dont need every customer because they are so big around the world where as a small business needs every customer it can get. Another reason is because it is in high demand, this is because people in Qatar entertain a lot and they usually require some from of catering, also there is a limited amount of catering companies in Doha. Also other factors which help in this in that people in Qatar have a high level income amongst the Expatriates and the Qataris. the catering in Doha at the moment Is only supplied by hotels. I think this is because Qatar is such a small place that people may not have thought to open a small catering business. This is a mistake because I believe that people would be more inclined to use a private catering business other then a hotel. This service is also expensive because there are not many places to go and the hotels charge unreasonable prices because they are so high in demand and there is a limited supply. People do not have the time to prepare meals and food for guests when they are having a social event. This means that they are resorting to using catering companies for preparing and delivering the food for the function. My catering business will be aimed at the middle to upper class people. This is because of the price that will be asked for the catering. The price range for the catering business is aiming for depends on how much food is needed to be supplied, but for the average function it would cost any where between 1000 to 2000 riyals. The service would include a variety of choices for the customer to choose from in the way of food. There will be free delivery to where the function is held by the customer. There will be help for the customer as to choosing how much food would be needed. Also the customer will have the choice of getting someone from the business to come to them to help with choosing the food. Also if the food is not to the standard the customer wishes the business will provide a 50% discount for their next order. I believe that people are more likely to use a small business caterer because the quality needs to be good in order to succeed. This is because they need to acquire as many customers as possible in order to expand. Where as a bigger catering businesses such as hotels dont need every customer to keep coming back for repeat business because they have such a large range of customers and they are also earning money from people staying in the hotel. My long term vision for the catering business is to have grown to have many offices in easy to find locations such as in shopping centers, and to be operating in many locations around Doha and in cities surrounding Doha. Aims and Objectives All businesses must consist of a mission statement this is important because it states what they are aiming to provide for the customers. the mission statement for The Peoples Catering Co. is To provide the a satisfying quality and efficient service for all customers. Aims and objectives are goals that the company sets in order for it survive and to be successful. Aims are long term goals which the business hopes to achieve in 5 to 10 years time. Where as objectives are short to medium term targets which need to be reached in order to achieve the aim of the business. In order for the objective to be successful it must follow the S.M.A.R.T objectives guide lines and in order for the objective to be legitimate and useful. If the objective does not follow this procedure it is more likely for the business to become unsuccessful, in achieving its aims. S.M.A.R.T objectives stands for: * Specific: This means that the objective is specific to what the business is trying to achieve, and so that the objective can not be misread or misunderstood. If for example a businesses aim was, to earn money by the end of the year. This is not a specific objective. It isnt even an objective. It is more like an aim because it isnt specific but is something that the business wants to have made money. It doesnt specify how much they roughly want to make, it just says they want to have made money. A specific objective is one such as by the end of the financial year the business needs to have made at least 50000 QAR in profits. This is specific because it defines and specifies how much they want to make and in what time period. * Measurable: means for the objective to have specific measurements. An example of this is one such as within 1year of trading the business needs to have made at least 10000 QAR in profits and to have paid off the sufficient amount of the loan that is needed to have been paid. This is a specific measurable objective, because it has a specific time, amount of money and is a measurable objective. Therefore the business is able to see if they are on track and heading towards meeting the objective. * Agreed: This means that the objectives have been discussed with the staff. This will help with the achievement of the objectives because the staff would have had their input. This is better then forcing the aims of the business onto the staff, because their may be more determination to help the business if the staff feel as though they are having some input into the businesses future. * Realistic: is to be set to a level that is achievable/realistic, e.g. If the objective is to make 100000 riyal in one month, this would be an unrealistic objective if the business was just starting up and was a pizza place. This is because there is a lot of pizza business that are established in Doha. Therefore it would take a while for people to want to use their pizza place because they might not know of the place and may already have a specific place in which they got to get their pizza. * Timed: is the time limit you have set to complete a task/objective by. An objective must have a time limit in order to be legitimate. An example of this is, the business needs to have paid off the loan that was consumed in order to start the business within 2 years. If it is not a timed objective then the objective isnt worth having because it does not set a rough or specific date as to when something needs to be achieved. The objectives of the business, is to have made enough profit to have paid off the loan that was received in order to start the business within 4 years. It will be dispensed on expanding the business to increase profits and then whatever isnt spent will be the employers income. The relevance of this objective is so that the business is successful. Another objective is to break even within the first year and be able to start making profit in the second year in order for the business to be successful. If this is not achieved the business is not worth running and will be shut down or sold to an interested party. Some of the aims of The Peoples Catering Co. are in 10 years to have opened up another two The Peoples Catering Co. locations in Doha and to have opened a The Peoples Catering Co. in Dubai. This is so the business would have been expanded and be operating in more then one country therefore it would achieve a higher reputation because it is operating in more then one country. Also another aim is that in five years The Peoples Catering Co. wants to have satisfied all of its customers and to have a lot of repeat business from customers. This is so the business is successful and it is cheaper to keep old customers then it is to gain new ones. The reasons why I have chosen these aims and objectives is so it helps the business to grow and increase profit margins. This is important because for the business because if they are not achieved by the business this would mean that the business is not succeeding and making enough profit in order to expand and grow. Stakeholders Stakeholders are any one who has an interest in the business whether they are customers or share holders or someone who is interested in the business they are considered to be stakeholders. There are two types of stakeholders they are internal and external stake holders. An internal stakeholder includes a person such as employees, managers, and trade unions. Internal stakeholders are people who directly deal with the company and look after its welfare and keep it running. They may have an interest in the business because they are directly linked to it and involved with it. If the business starts failing then it will effect all of the businesses employees and owners. Such as if The Peoples Catering Co. was to start failing as business then it would cause the business to be unable to afford to employee as many people as they do. This can cause redundancies, sometimes this can be avoided through starting off with a high efficiency work ethic and quality. This causes people to go to the business and can often cause the customers to return for repeat business. They can also be external stakeholders which are people such as customers, competition, the community, shareholders, government, the media, suppliers, and shareholders. They are all external because they do not have anything to do with the direct running costs of the business, but are people who benefit from the business such as gaining funds for their business to help it grow. The stakeholders which The Peoples Catering Co. have include employees, managers, and trade unions. This is important that they are satisfied in order for them to keep their interest in the business also in order to avoid problems which may be caused by them. Such as trade unions can have the business shut down in the U.K if they are not satisfying the promises which have been made and the rules and regulations arent followed which have been set by the unions. Also it is important to keep staff happy and satisfied with their work. This is important because if the staff arent enjoying and/or satisfied with their jobs then it can cause the Legal Form There are many types of business structures available such as partnership, private limited company, public limited company and sole trader are the options that The Peoples Catering Co. has. The form I have for my company The Peoples Catering Co. is a partnership. This is because it helps increase the range of skills we have as a business and we would have our specialist areas. There is more liability for the business if it is set up as a Ltd but as a partnership all the profits made are split up within the partners there will only be myself and one other owner of the business. If the company was to be set up as a private limited company all the profit would be spent on increasing the share prices this is money which the business has to put in to be shared out evenly amongst the shareholders. This would mean that all the major decisions made by the business would have to be put through the shareholders as well as through the people who are directly involved. This would delay a lot of the processes and can cause problems. Another reason why a partnership was chosen is because in Qatar you need to have one GCC resident in the partnership in order to be able to open a business. In a business there is a lot more work load and it is harder to obtain a loan because you may not have many assets in order for you to be able to acquire the loan. Also if the business is set up as a partnership the business would raise better capital then a sole trader. As a sole trader there is more liability for the owner and is not spread out between partners where as a partnership reduces the liability for each owner. It can also make decision making easier and have more ideas brought up to improve the business. This is because it is joint decisions and if an idea is brought up it can be discussed and alternated if it is wrong, this is because the other partner can pick up on what is wrong with it. There are also disadvantages of a partnership, such as the control and profits must be split between the partners. There are often arguments between partners this can cause a partner to decide to pull out of the business due to the working conditions. There is also still a shortage of capital. There is also an unlimited liability this is also a disadvantage in a small business. Also if a partner is to leave the partnership their share of the partnership must be bought by someone else or by yourself. This means that the partner who takes over the other partners half of the business may not be very qualified and know what they are doing. If you are to buy the other share of the business from the partner who has left this means that you need to obtain money from the partner in order to be able to buy their share. Personal statement: I am Jake Schober I am an enthusiastic person who likes to get things complete and on time. I also like to get the most out of life. I am big on success I will not accept failure and I will keep on trying until I get it right. I will apply this to my business so it will succeed. I have an idea and I will strive to achieve that idea or objective. When I start something I see it out till it is finished or until the objective or aim is achieved. I am customary to change and will accept things as they come. I am very good with making useful decisions for the company and overall making of decisions. All of my decisions are to help improve something such as a business. When I was working for the Hilton hotel in Perth Western Australia I upgraded the star rating to a 5* from a 4*. This was my objective when I first entered the Hilton hotel it was my aim to make sure it had made the 5* rating before my contract had finished. I achieved this objective 2 years into my contract. I had a year le ft of my contract, at the end of my 3rd year my contract was extended for 2 years. I was offered another job at another Hilton hotel but I decided to look for work else where in a different field. Then I found out about a head chef position at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Doha. I went for the interview and I got the job position. While I was working at the Ritz I was planning on opening my own business at the end of my contract. So when my contract had finished I left and now I am planning on opening my own catering business. Name: Jake Schober Address: villa 8 Al Nuajia Complex Nuajia East D.O.B: 20th July 1971 Qualifications: * Earnt a chef diploma at T.A.F.E. Western Australia from 1993 to 1996 * 1987 to 1993 earnt a management degree at University of Western Australia Work Experience: * Worked as a head chef from January 2002 to June 2007 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Doha * Worked as manager for Hilton Hotel Perth Western Australia from December 1996 to December 2001 Market Research I am undertaking market research for my area of the market I wish to enter. This is to determine what the demand for catering is and if there is a demand. Also to find out the pricings of how much the consumers/customers expect to pay, what sort of catering customers require. Such as what type of foods such as finger foods, buffets etc. it is also to find out where the most successful way and the best places to advertise my business. It will help my business by finding out what areas in the market the business will succeed in and what the customers will prefer from the business. It will also discover if this type of business is in high demand or there is a gap in the market for it to enter in. There are two types of research primary and secondary research. Primary research is research that is conducted and specified for your business. It is important that this type of research is conducted if you want accurate facts and information regarding your business and the demand and what people would be expecting from your business. Primary research is conduct by a business or by the people or person who is wishing to start up a new business or find out progress information about the business. Secondary research is research which is conducted for another business that is in the same field of the market and/or is providing the same service. This research can be found on the internet and can be useful to find out general requirements by the stakeholders in the market. This type of research is not sufficient enough to base your businesses way of setting up and the way the service is provided. This is because this research is conducted and set up to suite another business which may not be the same as the business you are trying to set up. Therefore it is best for my business to use primary research to set up the business. This is because I am setting up my business in a country which has limited business providing the same service as mine is. This means that there would not be much if any secondary research which has been obtained by other business or supplied for the use of other people. Question Total Percentage Age Group * 10-15 * 15-20 * 20-25 * 25-30 * 30-35 * 35-40 * 40-45 * 45 and over 5 15 2 2 5 3 5 13 10 30 4 4 10 6 10 26 Gender * Male * Female 25 25 50 50 Do you Have in house parties that require catering? * Yes * No 32 18 64 36 If yes how often do you have in house parties that require catering each month? * 1-2 * 2-3 * 3-4 * 4-5 * 5 and over 17 3 2 13 10 34 6 4 26 20 What type of catering do you prefer? * Home Style * From a hotel * From a fast food outlet 24 16 10 48 32 20 Is there any specific time of year that you require catering? * Yes * No 22 28 44 56 If yes what time of year do you require catering?(you can choose 1 or more) * Holidays * Special events (such as Ramadan, eid, Christmas etc.) * Birthdays * Once a Month * Or frequently not at any specific time 20 42 36 12 35 40 84 72 24 70 Are you interested in trying out different caterers? * Yes * No 43 7 86 14 Would you use a home catering business? * Yes * No 43 7 86 14 Or would you prefer the caterer to come to you? * Yes * No 50 0 100 0 What sort of food would you purchase from a caterer for a party or social event? * Buffet * Finger food * Snack buffet 36 4 10 72 8 20 How much would you expect to pay for a fully catered function? * 500-1000QR * 1000-1500QR * 1500-2000QR * 2000QR and above 14 20 10 6 28 40 20 12 Do you watch television? * Yes * No 45 5 90 10 Do you read the paper? * Yes * No 36 14 72 28 Do you read the billboards that are up around Doha near traffic lights and intersections and on the side of the road? * Yes * No 47 3 94 6 Analysis of market research The questions I have chosen for my survey are to help work out what sort of target market my business is suited to. The results are telling me the following: 1. Gender: this was to determine which gender a catering business would appeal to. This was a 50, 50 split between male and female. This was so that there was an even number of male and females taking the survey in order for the answers to be more useful. 2. Do you have in house parties that require catering? This was to determine if people either entertain at home or go out to entertain. This showed that 64% of the people surveyed to have in house parties, and that only 36% dont have in house parties. This means that people require catering for these events, and there is an opening in the market and there is a high demand for the service which I am wanting to supply. 3. If yes how often do you have parties/functions that require catering each month? This question is to determine how high the demand for my company is each month. The results for this showed that 34% had catered functions 1to 2 times a month, 6% needed it 2 to 3 times, 4% needed it 3 to 4 times a month, 26% needed it 4 to 5 times a month and 20% required catering more then 5 times a month. This shows that my business would be high in demand due to the fact that over 46% of the people surveyed require catering 4 or more times a month. 4. What sort of catering do you prefer? This was to determine what sort of style my catering business would provide. This showed that 48% of the people surveyed preferred to have home style cooking over food from a hotel or from a fast food outlet. 32% preferred hotel style cooking, and 20% preferred fast food. This means that my business is in higher demand then what a hotel catering business and fast food businesses are. Although it is just below half the people surveyed said that they prefer home style catering it has the highest percentage of people who would prefer it over other types of catering. 5. Is there any specific time of year as to which you need catering? This question was to determine when the peak times for business are and when there is low need for catering in the market. This showed that 44% of the people surveyed said that there is a certain time when they require catering and 56% said that there was no particular time where it was needed. This means that there may be a down fall in sales in particular time of year but there is a large percentage which will still need catering during the time where others may not. This is to see if there is any specific times as to when there may be less demand and when there is higher demand. Such as if there is a specific time of year when the demand for the business may not be there. Such as in the summer there may not be many orders if any, this is because everyone leaves the country to go on holidays. 6. If yes what time of year do you require catering?(you can choose 1 or more) The question was to discover specifically which time of year catering is required more. The people surveyed could select more then 1 option therefore it gave me a broader answer and more direct rather then them having to choose an answer. The largest time for when catering is specifically required is around festive events such as Eid, Ramadan, Christmas and other festive seasons. The percentage of the people surveyed that said they specifically require it at these specific times of year is 84%. The following time is at birthdays this is a very broad criteria because birthdays occur all year round therefore business would continue all year round. 7. A6re you interested in trying out different caterers? This showed that 86% said that they would be interested in trying out new caterers this means that when the business will start trading it will be easy to gain customers because they enjoy trying out new caterers. 8. Would you use a home catering business? Also in this question 86% would use a home catering business. This is another positive for my business due to the fact that they would use a home caterer. 9. Would you prefer the home caterer to come to you? All of the people surveyed said that they would prefer the caterer to come to them. Therefore I will provide that service so I will need to purchase or rent vehicles to do so. 10. What sort of food would you purchase from a caterer for a party or social event? This showed that 72% of the people surveyed said that they would prefer a buffet style catering. Only a small minority said that they would prefer a snack buffet or finger food. Therefore my business will specialize in buffets. 11. How much would you expect to pay for a fully catered function? 40% of the people surveyed suggested that they would expect to pay between 100 to 1500qr for a fully catered function. Only a small minority said other figures that were not in this range. 12. Do you watch television? This was to determine if it was useful to advertise on television because people are watching it. This showed that 90% of the people watch television. 13. Do you read the paper? This was also to determine if it was useful to advertise in the newspaper. The results showed that 72% of people read the newspaper therefore it would also be an effective place to advertise. 14. Do you read the billboards that are up around Doha near traffic lights and intersections and on the side of the road? This showed that 94% of people did look at these signs therefore if an advertisement was to be placed on a billboard it would be effective. Competition analysis There are two different types of competitors, both direct and indirect competitors. A direct competitor is a business, company or product that is in competition with your product. That is in the same market as you. A direct competitor provides the same product or service that your business, company or product does. An indirect competitor is a business, company or product that appeals to the same target market as your service or product. It is not the same as your service or product as what you are providing but an alternative to what you are providing. An example of this is the option of going to a water park or to a theme park or a club. A direct competitor and threat to my catering business includes catering businesses such as the Marriott, Ritz, Ramada and any other hotels and restaurants and hotels which provide catering. This is because they provide the same service and are an alternate option to my business and service. Hotels such as the Ritz, Marriott and the Ramada provide the same service and are offered in the same price range of between 1000 and 2000qr. Therefore they will be more competition for my business then a cheaper option. This is due to the fact that they are trying to obtain the same target market as my business. They are all aimed at the middle to upper class market in Qatar who wishes to entertain. Other direct competitors include home cooking and take away places. This is because people may not wish to spend so much money on entertaining. The other type of competitor that exists in the market is indirect competitors. Indirect competitors are competitors who dont necessarily provide the same service but are an alternate option to the service your business. An example of this is if someone was to go away. They may choose a cruise over going to another country on a plane. This is an indirect threat because it is an alternate option. Indirect competition is one of the main threats that a business will come across especially in the travel and entertaining business. This is because there are many different options that dont provide the same service but are used for the same purpose. An indirect competitor for my business The Peoples Catering Co. includes places such as dine in restaurants. This is because they do not provide the same service but a similar service. Instead of people entertaining at home they go out for dinner. Other indirect competitors that exist for my business include places such as pubs and clubs. This is because they provide an entertainment and people who wish to entertain their friends go out to these places instead of entertaining at home. An indirect competitor for my business includes places such as the rugby club, cloud 9 and other pubs and clubs around Doha. I believe once my business is up and running and is a profitable busoiness and is acquiring good business I think that the competitors will respond accordingly. I dont believe that they will alter their prices and their way of marketing once my business has entered the market, this is because the business is only a small business and is not of a great threat to multinational companies. I think that my competitors such as the hotels may not even worry about the loss of business in the way of catering in Doha, because they are such large businesses the loss that they will be making from the catering may not make a difference in the end of the years trading profit. However if the catering businesses in the hotels are separately owned to the hotel which their premises are in I think that they may react to the up rising of my catering company. In conclusion I believe that there is a lot of direct and indirect competitors. Therefore I will need to do a market analysis every 3 or 4 months to make sure that my business is making progress and to work out when the quiet times of business are and when the business is becoming high in demand. Marketing Plan A marketing plan is used to find out if your business will be successful and to discover and explain ways of making it successful. A business plan states ways as to which the business will use the four Ps. They are Product, Place, Price and promotion. This is what a companies use as a basis for their marketing plan. The market plan has a large effect as to whether or not the business will be successful. If the market plan shows that the business will be in debt or that the ideas as to where and when the product will be placed there would be no point in trying to start up the business. This is where pricing strategies are needed, it is a way of working out different ways of pricing and marketing your product. There are many different pricing strategies available to businesses, they include strategies such as: * Psychological pricing: this is a way of making your product seem cheaper when you are only taking a small margin of the price off. For example charging $99.95 instead of $100 you are charging the same price but it does not look like $100, when actually it is. * Premium pricing: is when the product is considered to be of a high quality brand or is high in demand where the customers do not mind paying a high price for it. This means that the price can be increased and the customers will still want the product and may not hesitate to buy the product if it is a well known and wanted brand. Such as Billabong and Quicksilver, they are of a high price because they are known as a good quality brand and are a fashion brand which is considered to be cool to wear. This is why they charge such a high price because people are willing to pay these sorts of prices. * Marketing Penetration: this is when a business introduces a product or service at an extremely low price in order to gain interest amongst the market. Therefore they gain some of their competitors customers and then as the product or business grows it gradually increase the price. * Market skimming: is where a business or product enters the market and sets their price at a high margin and then gradually until it gains the sales which are required the company will lower the price of the product slowly. * Loss Leaders: this is when a business decides to have promotions and to have cheaper prices. This concentrates on obtaining customers and sometimes can cause the company to make a loss rather then a profit. Although this may happen the company would gain the customers and once they have reached the sales figures which they had aimed for they would then end the promotion and increase the prices. This can cause a small loss of the customers which they had gained but if the customer thought that the products and/or services were of good quality then they would keep purchasing the product over other products. When my business enters the market it will use market penetration. This is because it is the best way to be able to read the market and gain customers when the business is first starting up. Also it is the easiest way to find a price to have the products and services set up and to be able to gain customers while doing this. Where as market skimming the business may not acquire any business until the price has dropped enough and therefore may not acquire the full capacity of customers and may limit them selves as to how many people are interested in the business. Such as customers will notice a product or service if it is a cheaper price then the others if it is not a well known company, instead of purchasing the more expensive unknown brand or company. There is many different ways of promoting my business catering for you. An example of this is if a customer is to spend over 1000qr on their catered function they would get 5% discount on their next lot of catering which they will require. This would help draw in repeat business for the company. Or depending on how well the 5% discount attracted customers the promotion may need to be changed to 10% discount on the next purchase of over 1000qr, but at least 1000qr must be spent on the previous purchase in order to gain this discount offer. This helps attract new and keep new customers. This is important in order for the business to grow and maintain that growth rate, also it is important in order to gain repeat business so the business is able to survive and cover its running costs. Other promotions can include free desert buffets after their 5th visit of spending over 1000qr per service required. This will encourage the customers to return to the business more then once or twice. Thi s is because for every 5th round or catering they require which is over 1000qr they receive a desert buffet free of charge. The place which the business first premises will be located will be on or near Salwa rd. This is because this is a large business area for all different kinds of businesses, ranging from food providers to car sales and servicing. This is one of the largest and most popular main roads in Doha. This is because the high range of variety in which this area provides. People come along this road for various reasons and because of this if the business is located on the side of the road it is highly likely that people will not only discover the business through advertising in other places other then the shop itself, this is because when people are driving around they tend to look around and notice new things, such as a new store. the store will not only gain attention after it has been finished but whilst it will be under refurbishment to compensate for the business. This will mean that it should be relatively easy to find if it is located on or near Salwa rd. this is important in order for customers to be more inclined to look for the store because it is easier to find and more convenient for the targeted market. Human resources Human resources are the staff that is required in order to run the business. There will be 5 cooks that will be employed. One of which will be trained in order to be able to drive the truck to deliver the goods to the customer. They will be employed from the Philippines. Their job will require them to be able to cook and clean, also two of the workers will be required to be able to drive . the cost of them getting their license will be covered by the business. Also they will be required to clean the kitchen at various times throughout the day. At the beginning of the day in the morning and at the end of it. They will be paid 500qr a month. Their wage is so low because all of their accommodation will be provided and they will not need any transport to get to and from work. Also all of their needs for their accommodation will be provided such as beds and other furniture. For the cooks visas it will cost 2000qr for each cook. Once the business has grown then I will employ more cooks and their wages will be increased. The total amount for the first year of running the business for their wages will be 40,000qr all together. This includes their visa costs. The cost for each employee will be 8000 Qatari riyals this includes the cost of the visa and the cost of employing them for 12months. I will be managing the day to day running of the business, this includes supervision of the production of the products, the financial and ensuring that the quality of the businesses products is up to standard. Physical Resources Some of the physical resources required by the business include things such as stoves, benches and the villa fit out. The physical recourses are very limited due to the fact that land is unable to be purchased by a non-Qatari resident or person. Also because it is a home delivery catering service. It will also only need minimum physical resources because the premises is only a kitchen and an office down stairs and will have accommodation for the staff up stairs. The following is the physical rescourses of the business: Oven 5 2500 12 500 Floor coverings 10000 10 000 Kitchen Benches 7000 7 000 Fridges 5 2000 10 000 Cooking equipment 15000 15 000 Vehicle 1 69276 69276 Deposit on rental villa. Plus first months rent 1 40000 40000 Total 163776 Quality Quality is an extremely important aspect for any business. This is because if your quality is not to standard then your product or service will not be successful. To ensure that my company has its quality up to standard it will have checks on the product after each stage of the production process. If the product is not to the quality and standard required it will be disposed of and the product will have to be re-cooked. An example of this is if the spring rolls have not been cooked for long enough or not cooked correctly then they will be disposed of. There will be Strict Quality control of the produce of the business and what leaves the business to be supplied to the customers. There will be strict standards as to how the products are made, how the appearance of the products looks. There will be specific standards as to how the premises of the business is to be kept it is to be cleaned regularly in order to make sure the products are of a healthy standard. Quality assurance is what a company gives its customers to assure that its product is of a good quality. An example of this is money back guarantee if the quality of the product is not as good as what the business said it would be. For my business The Peoples Catering Co. it will have a money back guarantee or the next catered meal will be free up to the value of the previous meal. Also another way to make sure that my products are of good quality is through having feedback cards for the customers. These will have questions on them such as, what did you think of your catered meal for your function? What could The Peoples Catering Co. do to improve your catered meal next time you order? These customer feedback cards will be entered into the computer and into the customers file. This is so next time the business caters for the customer it will be able to make their order as to how they want it. Financial Resources There are only a few places for a person to gain finance for starting their own business. It can often be hard to get finance also because the bank or who ever you are seeking finance from may think your business is a risky business. Therefore they may choose not to finance your business. The main place where people seek finance to start their own business is from the banks. If they are unsuccessful in gaining finance from the banks they usually seek finance from business angels. Business angels are people or companies that loan money to someone starting up a new business. In return they usually expect a share of the business. The following are different ways of acquiring finance: * Bank loan is a borrowed amount of money and is repaid with interest in fixed installments over a fixed period. Bank loans are the most common types of loans. This is because you receive money quickly and makes it easier to budget. There are also disadvantages of bank loans. Such as the interest rates, this is because they may be high therefore the person or business that gets the loan may have to pay back a large amount more then what they borrowed. * Owners savings: usually is used to fund some of the business but another loan is usually taken out to fund the rest of the business. If the business is solely opened on owners savings takes along time to build the business up and takes the owner a long time to start the business. An advantage of this is that the owner does not repay the money and does not pay interest. * Money From friends and family: money from friends and family is usually used as a last resort for money. This is because it can cause problems with friends and family. Also usually they lend you the money expecting a share of the business and/or expecting it to be repaid. * Venture Capital/ business angels: are business people who are willing to invest in new businesses. The businesses are usually risky or are businesses that are unable to acquire a loan. In return they usually expect a share of the business. Some advantages of this are that you dont have to pay back the loan, there is no interest, and also they can be used as a last resort if you are unable to acquire a loan elsewhere. A disadvantage is that you loose a share of the business therefore you may loose some of the control of the business. * Government Grant: is money received from the government. It is only received from the government to encourage small businesses and to try to reduce unemployment. Also a main time in which they are handed out is when there is a high rate of unemployment. An advantage of this is that there is no interest and there is no need to repay the loan. A disadvantage of this is you must fit the criteria to receive the loan also it is very bureaucratically. It is a very long process to apply for the loan, because it is issued from the government and are very strict on following the government money. * Bank over draft: Is a short term way of financing. It is where the borrower takes out more money out of their account then what actually exists in their bank account. It is only a small loan and is paid off at the end of the month when new funds are deposited into the account which the overdraft was taken from. Some advantages of this are that you only pay interest when you are overdrawn ober your overdraft. Also it is a facility in which you can use on demand if you wish to use it once it is approved. Some disadvantages of Bank over drafts is that if you exceed your over draft limit very high charges will be incurred. Also the bank can ask for the money back at any time. * Trade credit: Is a short term from the supplier of the goods that are received by the company and are invoiced and are to be paid back in the future after a certain time period, such as 30 to 60 days. An advantage of this is that you do not have to pay for the goods up front, you are given a certain amount of time to retain the money for selling the goods and then being able to pay for them. A disadvantage of this is that this is a loan therefore you may be charged interest on the payment. Also then you areliable in having to sell the goods in the given time period in order to be able to pay for the goods you have received from the supplier. Only a few of these options are available to my business. Such as a bank loan, owners savings, money from friends and family, bank overdraft and trade credit. This is because government grants are unavailable in Qatar. Although there is still venture capital available it would not be suited for my business because it will be in a very low profit margin to start with therefore it would be harder to split the funds amongst different owners. Although this is true if there is no other option of gaining finance then the business will seek finance from venture capital. The Peoples Catering Co. will try to seek finance from the bank because it is the best option and is a more stable option. Also I will be able to keep more control over the business then I would if I was to use venture capital. One of the reasons a bank loan is more suitable for me is because of the availability of it. it is easier to obtain and also being able to find someone who provides venture capital the sources are lim ited. If a bank loan is acquired I am able to own a 100% share of the business. Where as with Venture Capital the person supplying the finance for your business would usually expect a 51% or more share of the business. This would mean that they would acquire the majority of the businesses profits and would have more control over how the business spends its money. Costs Start up costs of the business: Start up costs of a business is the costs that are incurred by the business. They are the costs of the set up of the premises. What is to be paid for quantity Price of product in QR total oven 5 2500 12 500 Floor coverings 10000 10 000 Kitchen Benches 7000 7 000 Fridges 5 2000 10 000 Cooking equipment 15000 15 000 Rent 25000 25 000 Deposit for rental property 10000 10 000 Advertising 12500 12 500 Insurance 3740 3 740 Motor Expenses 1 62976 6 2976 Working visas for cooks 10000 10 000 Overall total 178 716QR Running costs of the business: Running costs are the day to day expenses of keeping the business running and to draw in customers. The following are some of the running costs of the business: What is to be paid for quantity Price of product in (QR) Total(QR) Rent 25000 25 000 Electricity and water 1000 1 000 Insurance 2240 2 240 Supplies 1500(February), 1000*3(March-May), 500*4(June-September 6 500 Wages 2500 2 500 Total 37 240 For the cash flow I have discovered my figures from various sources. The information is from the internet, insurance places and from previous experience. Sales income: I have worked out my sales income based on that the customers will be paying 1500qr for the catering service for each function. I have gathered the pricing information on how much the customers expect to pay through my market research. For the first month I am working the sales income on having 10 customers for the first month. Then for the following month I have based the increase on 6 people for the second month of trading and then small increases of customers. Then in the summer which is the quiet times where not many people stay in Qatar the inflow of income is much less. Then at the end of this time period the sales increase dramatically to how they were before the summer due to people returning to Qatar. An example of this is during Ramadan for the evening meal of Iftar. This is because a lot of people tend to entertain for this meal. Also during the Christmas time period because people entertain and order catered food. Wages: The wages are based on the rate of pay that a Filipino cook would get in Qatar which is a minimal wage. It is 500qr a month for each cook. For the first month that the cooks arrive there is a fee of 1500qr for each cook for their workers visa which will be paid by the company. The cost is based on having 5 cooks working in the business. Also one of the cooks will need to have their drivers license so they are able to deliver the catering to the premises of the customer. The accommodation for the cooks would be provided also all the bills for the electricity and water and bedding will be provided. Monthly Rent: The monthly rent is based on the rental price of a villa in the West Bay area near Rainbow Roundabout. It will have a monthly cost of 25000qr. I have found out this information through previous experience and what I have heard from friends and what they are paying. The reason I have chosen this area is due to that there are large villas in this area that consist of up to 13 bedrooms. This would be ideal for the business because the cooks could live upstairs of the villa. Therefore I will not have to find other accommodation for them. Also it is in an ideal area due to there is many middle to upper class residents living in this area. It is also near the main shopping centre in Doha. Loan repayment: The loan that will be acquired will be of an amount of 400 000qr. This will be secured on a 7 percent interest rate which has been provided by HSBC. This will be paid back in lump sum payments of 10 000qr. This will start to be paid back in may after 3 months of trading when the business is has secured enough money to be able to cover the costs of running the business. If the interest rate is 7% the annual interest rate would be 28000, the loan will be paid off over 4 years. Therefore there will be monthly repayments of 1000qr starting from May in the first year of trading. It will be paid off within 49 payments after the first repayment. Electricity and water: The electricity and water was based on the average house price for the electrical and water bill. The average household electrical and water bill is 850qr. Therefore I have added an extra 250qr onto this cost due to the fact that the villa is larger and there will be a catering business running from the villa, also there will be 5 cooks living in the villa aswell. Therefore there will be more use of the water and electricity. Advertising: The price is based on what I have found on the internet that advertising companies charge in Qatar. It will be paid in 2 lump sum payments of 12500qr at the beginning of the year and in June. Motor expenses: The motor expenses are based on the price of purchasing a Chevrolet pick up. It will cost a total of 69 276qr I have found this information from the local Chevrolet Dealer. It will be paid off during the year each month of evenly distributed repayments. There will only be one company vehicle because this is all that is needed to make deliveries. I have chosen this vehicle instead of van because it is more practical for Qatar. I found out this price from the dealer. Cost of sales: I have worked out that for every sale the business makes that it will cost 500qr for the supplies to produce the product. this is because each meal set of meals will cost around 1500qr and I worked out that it would only be about 500qr. Fit out of villa: The fit out of the villa will cost around 40 000qr. I found this figure through adding all the costs of what is needed to fit out the villa and it added up to just under 40 000qr. So I rounded it up to allow for any damages to equipment needed for the fit out such as tiles and bench tops and other fixed assets for the villa. Supplies: The supplies include things such as cooking utensils and other items that are needed to provide the catering service. The start up cost of the supplies will be 15000qr. This is because all of the initial cooking utensils and accessories need to bought before the business can start trading. Then in February the cost of the supplies will decrease down to 1500qr. Then in the following month it will decrease to a 100qr a month from March through till May. Then from June till September the cost of the supplies will decrease again to 500qr. Cashflow analysis A Cashflow is used to determine the financial expenses over a certain period of time. It can be used by businesses and for personal finance structures. It can also be used as an estimation as to what the business or person thinks they will spend their finances on over a certain period. It can be used to determine how much finance is needed to be gained through a loan or to budget what finances you currently have. My Cashflow shows that the business will use all of the loan that is to be obtained. It will be used to get the business up and running. Once the business is established it will be earning enough money to keep the business running in a profit margin. The Cashflow shows that in the first year of trading the company would gain 325 000qr in sales. This figure is predicted to increase in the second year of trading, due to the fact that the business will be better known around Doha due to it would have been running for a year. Profit and loss account A profit and loss account is used to determine if the business will be making a profit or loss without external funding other then sales. it is used to determine if the business will be successful or not. In the first year of trading businesses are expected to be in a loss. This is because there is a lot of extra cost involved such as getting the premises fitted out in order for it to be appropriately equipped to run the business in. also there is a lot of advertising involved in order for the public to gain awareness of the business and its services. It is at the end of the second year that business are usually expected to either break even or to be making a profit. If not the business is usually closed down. This is due to the business is considered to be unworthy of being able to make profit and to be successful. ICT There are many different ways that a business may use ICT to improve efficiency. This can be done through using programs such as Microsoft word, excel, access, publisher, power point and Sage. Also programs such as flash and Dream Weaver Mx can be used to create websites to advertise your company. These programs are all used to improve the efficiency of the business. These programs are specially designed for creating spreadsheets, advertisements, letters, official documents and records. Microsoft word: Microsoft word is used for creating documents such as records, letters and progress reports of businesses. It is a program for creating written documents. It is a computer based program that was created on the basis of the typewriter. It is more useful then a type writer because you can save your work and if you make a mistake you dont have to retype the whole document. Microsoft Excel Microsoft excel is used for creating spread sheets such as cashflow forecasts, breakeven charts and balance sheets another official documents. It is useful to create documents such as these because it is simple to use and there is functions in the program that can alter the data with a small change if you change 1 cell it will automatically change the rest if it is required. It is highly used in businesses both small and large. Publisher: Publisher is a computer application that is used to design or create business flyers to advertise the business, also to create official business letters. This can be useful due to the fact that the business can keep a standard letter head with their logo and business details on it and can create the letter at the bottom and do not have to redesign the letter head every time they create a letter. Power Point: Power point is used to create a slide show or visual aids for when a presentation is held. For instance it may be used as a visual aid for a presentation produced to the bank in order to acquire a loan or to a potential supplier who may be interested in supplying to your business. Sage: Sage is a computer program that is designed specifically for the use of businesses. This helps with the accounting that a business may have to do. Also it works as a computerised filling system for the business which can be used to keep the business organised and keep customer and employee profiles. Flash: Flash is a program where you can create animated logos and animation clips which can be used on the companys website or in their advertisements that are on television. Dream Weaver MX: Dream Weaver MX is a program which is used to create websites. This can be useful for a business because they can have information about their business. Also things such as customer feedback sheets can be placed on the site and many other details that you wish your customers to be able to view. The above programs can be very useful to the business if they are used in the correct way. My business The Peoples Catering Co. will use Microsoft word, excel, publisher, power point, Dream Weaver MX and Flash to help run my business. These are the basic programs which are required in order to run the business efficiently. These programs will improved efficiency through making it easier to sort out documents and to find documents. Without these programs the business would have to sort out its customer logs and do all of its reports by hand. If this was to be done one simple mistake in the document would mean it would have to be thrown out and started all over again. Where if a mistake is done on the computer you can simply go back and change the error. Also by using programs such as word creating general letters is much easier due to you can have the letter typed up and just edit the names, dates and amounts on it and then hand it out to your customers, suppliers or who ever is in ne ed of the document to be handed to them. If this was not to be done on the computer the letter or document would have do be written out fresh every time one is needed to be handed out. I will not use programs such as Sage to begin with because it is a very expensive software program and is unnecessary for a new business to be using it. Once the business is making a profit and develops and becomes a large business that is a leading competitor and has hold of a large majority of the market then specialist programs such as Sage will be purchased.

Compare Contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Compare Contrast - Essay Example They both argue that the technological evidences, for example, the DNA evidence is indisputable because their validity is on the basis that the advancements are a science (Fishman Web). Similarly, both the generations bear huge social, economic, and ecological deficits that their members struggle to come out of. For instance, in both the generations, the members continue to cause global warming which has hazardous environmental and economic effects. In addition, both members of these generations are hard working. They get engaged in programs and activities that are useful for themselves and their countries (Friedman Web). For example, they participate in building their homes, engage in politics, and also offer volunteer services to the poor. Finally, terrorism which is a global issue has not stopped the members of both generations from moving around the world (Friedman Web). The members of these generations freely move from one part of the globe to another. However, there are contrasting issues between these two generations. Friedman’s generation Q has huge budget deficits, social security deficit, and ecological deficit. Its members spend their entire adult lives struggling to come out of these deficits. From the New York Times news paper dated Oct. 2, the generation Q members have continued to trigger global warming (Friedman Web). However, Friedman’s generation tries to look into the techniques of handling the challenges of global warming and other social, economic, and environmental concerns coming as a result of the technological advancements which Rob Fishman’s generation does not care about. Moreover, the members of Friedman’s generation Q are less radical compared to the Rob Fishman’s generation of generation Q members. They put their energies into popular national service programs at their respective home countries. An example is the â€Å"Teach for America.† Furthermore, the

Spartan Women Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spartan Women - Term Paper Example This paper aims to analyze the historical, social and economic perspectives of Spartan rituals, practices and laws to prove that apparently the Spartan woman seems to have achieved a significant level of accomplishment maintaining their status equal if not higher to that of men, but a closer scrutiny of the same laws and other coherent practices imply that a woman`s status in Sparta is not a reflection of modernization but a reflection of the need of that time. Nonetheless some of the practices reveal the iniquitous practices imposed on woman even in the age of Spartan woman enlightenment. The paper will be divided into three sections, the first section will address the prevalent conditions of Sparta in that century and the apparent socio-political system dominating the state`s apparatus during that era, the second section will deal with various laws favoring woman which were enacted at that time along with a critical analysis of all those laws per se, and the third section will aim at analyzing the dire criticism woman enlightenment has to face in the context of downfall of Sparta. Sparta was the Greek city state of Peloponnesus which was created as an attempt to formulate a Hellenic society with a strong virtue. The historic moment that led to a drastic change in the constitution of this state was its victory over a small territory named Messenia. The ulterior motives behind the conquest for this territory are still unknown, as Cartledge (1981) puts it, but the results were definitely very productive. There were two major milestones that were achieved by Spartans at that time; firstly, they acquired a highly fertile piece of land suitable for agricultural practices and, the second achievement was a hold over an incarcerated labor force which was attained as a result of enslavement (Hanssen 2007). Thus, now it becomes crucial to analyze the social and political implications of war and

Milk and Supermarkets Essay Example for Free

Milk and Supermarkets Essay Introduction In recent years, the relationship between supermarkets with UK farmers that called oligopsony is a heated topic in the society. Some people hold the view that the advantages of oligopsony overweigh those disadvantages. Nevertheless, others believed that it is one way that UK farmers controlled by the supermarkets. It is natural that people come from different backgrounds will have various attitudes to the same issue. In the report, the advantages and disadvantages of oligopsony for both supermarkets and UK farmers are discussed. In addition, nowadays the supermarkets in the UK in order to increase the profit, they use different types of marketing methods. Such as intense price competition, loyalty schemes and provides non-food products and service. The smaller retailers were influence by those marketing methods also reported as follows. 1. 0 Oligopsony Oligopsony is â€Å"similar to an oligopoly (few sellers), this is a market in which there are only a few large buyers for a product or service. This allows the buyers to exert a great deal of control over the sellers and can effectively drive down prices. †(www. investopedia. com A good example of an oligopsony would be the UK supermarket industry, in which a small number of large buyers (such as Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s) control the UK farm market. Such control allows these supermarkets chains to dictate the price they pay to farmers. 1. 1 The effect on supermarkets According to the BBC news (http://news. bbc. co. uk), Tesco account the UK supermarkets share is 31. 6%, Asda took over 17% in the UK supermarkets share, which is ranked second. The third biggest one is Sainsbury’s, which accounted 15. 8%. (Appendix 1) The total percent of big three supermarkets took over more than 50% in all the UK supermarket industry. These supermarkets owned market power in two ways which are selling to consumers (oligopoly power) and buying from producers (oligopsony power). in another words, It means that the few firms have considerable market power in paying low price for inputs and makes it more difficult for the farmers to make a profit. For example, a big supermarket could contract with a dairy producer that the big one will buy all of product. The farmer agreed with the contract and started to supply the dairy to the big supermarket. Nevertheless, maybe the supermarket pay less and less later, and the farmer just can accepted lower price because the farmer produce too much dairy to supply to the big supermarket and it is not too easy to find a new buyers. Farmers who produced milk, vegetables, or other agricultural products have limited choice range, because in the UK, most of agricultural goods are bought by the big supermarkets. Oligposony gives the big supermarkets bargaining power in use lower prices with farmers. In this relationship, the big supermarkets have the absolute advantages over the farmers. They can made it possible that lower the price of agricultural goods, so that these supermarkets can give a reasonable price for the customers which will help the big supermarkets improve the competition with others competitors. In addition, they also can ask the special requirements for the product quality, the farmers are controlled and forced to accept a lower price of their product. 1. 2 The effect on the farmers. Oligopsony this relationship between supermarkets with UK farmers is ensures the agricultural goods can sell to the big supermarkets. Famers have the fixed buyers so they are need not worry about to find new buyers. However, due to most agricultural goods are bought by big supermarkets, the farmers have less choice. Famers used to have some bargaining power on the basis of seasonality. Because there are other competitors, they do not know what price has been offered by other producers and this forced them to offer their produce at a low price to ensure a sale. Especially the perishable foods. The supermarkets â€Å"dictate not only how much they will pay, but also how the produce will be packaged, stored and delivered. †(www. corporatewatch. com) â€Å"The small number of companies dominating both dairy processing (currently six processors control 93% of the industry) and retailing (six supermarkets control 65% of liquid milk and 70-85% of dairy produce sales) means that there is a significant imbalance of market power in the UK dairy sector.. †(â€Å"Supermarkets under fire†, February, 2003). It is easy to know that supermarkets have power in dairy industry in the UK. Though supermarkets have brought buying power to the dairy farmers, however, the big supermarkets in order to increased their power in the dairy sector, they developed own brand milk products. Since 1995, the price of fresh milk has declined; supermarkets have maintained their selling price and increased their profits at expense of both farmers and consumers over the same period. (Appendix 2) â€Å"The National Farmers’ Union has been particularly concerned about the plight of the UK’s dairy farmers. They claim that of the ? 1. 70 which a supermarket customer may pay for two liters of milk, less than 50p will go to the farmers. †(http://www. anformeresources. com) Charles Peers who are an Oxford shire organic farmer, he has said â€Å"There are two hundred thousand farmers, dealing with, basically speaking, three supermarkets, two grain merchants, four fertiliser companies. Not a chance†¦.. They’ve got power, real power. † From these, we can seen that oligopsony made it is possible that the farmers are forced to accepted a low price to sell their products, and the big supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda or Sainsbury’s are have the power in the UK market. 2. 0 How the supermarket to boost profits. In the past 40 years, the small independent shops shifted to huge supermarket chains. â€Å"In 1960 small independent retailers had a 60% share of the food retail market. By 2000, their share was reduced to 6% while the multiples share increased to 88%. †(Institute of Grocery Distribution, Grocery Retailing 2002) Andrew Simms, who works for the New Economics Foundation, says that: â€Å"we are witnessing the death of small and independent retailers and new retail feudalism is emerging as a handful of brands take over our shopping. † (http://www. corporatewatch. org.uk). Though the supermarkets have the market power in the UK, as a business organization, how to increase the profit is the first thing should be considered. In recent years, the huge supermarket chains use various types of marketing methods to increase the profit and the loyalty. Such price competition, loyalty schemes and provide non-food products and service. Supermarkets use various ways to convey price information to consumers, The price promotions including price reduction, a percentage discount, a voucher. In 2009, there was a new price war among the big supermarkets in the UK. Tesco planned to launch a new advertising campaign, which will â€Å"compare the cost of customers baskets of shopping against the prices of its competitors. †(http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) Asda has already hold a new wave of discount on thousands of products that including fresh food and household products. And â€Å"100 frozen food products and 200 everyday health and beauty lines, such as shampoo and deodorant, would be sold for ? 1. †(http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) Andy Bond, the retailer’s president and chief executive officer, said: â€Å"2009 is going to be a very difficult year. Sainsbury’s, the third biggest supermarket in the UK, also joined the price war, â€Å"Vowing to grow its Basics range to more than 600 products by the end of January, The supermarket said more than half of these products would be priced at less than ? 1. †(http://www. belfasttelegraph. co. uk) Except the price war, some of the supermarkets in the UK also offer loyalty schemes to attracting potential consumers. Tesco is a good example, every time when they shopping in Tesco, they will get points according to how much they spend. Sometimes, Tesco also listed products that buy one can get 500 points more to increase the demand of this product. Every month, Tesco will sent voucher or coupons to the loyalty card member’s home. The more you spend, the more you get. Using loyalty schemes not only will attracting potential consumers especially female, but also it is a low cost way to know the customer’s lifestyle. When the customer registers the loyalty card, they should fulfill the personal details. Tesco will well know what is popular among the customer depend on these details. Since 1995, the major supermarkets in the UK start provide the non-food product and services such as pharmacies, clothes stores in Asda, petrol retailers, and banking and financial in Tesco. The effect on the supermarkets will be dramatic, especially due to the growing consumer propensity for the â€Å"one-stop† shop. Non-food products and services will help the big supermarkets increased the market share in the UK, and improve the competition itself. What is more, it is also function as reduce the risk of products, as the proverb said: â€Å"do not put all your eggs in one basket. It is means that for a supermarkets, non-food products and services will share the risk with food products. 2. 0 The effect on the smaller retailers.

The Vision of Perfection Essay -- Technology, Human Need for Perfectio

We, as humans, live in a world today where the dust of improvement never completely settles in the air. With every year that goes by, some new piece of technology emerges that will seem to make our lives easier and thus making our lives ultimately seem perfect. Every blackberry, laptop, iPod, High Definition television and convertible has been proclaimed by the media as necessities; therefore, items one cannot live without and must own. The more technologically advanced one is, the more perfect his or her life becomes. This factor, this need for perfection, has evolved rapidly over the course of human history and may be in for a head-on collision course for disaster and confusion. Lauren Slater’s, â€Å"Dr. Daedalus† and David Brooks’s, â€Å"Our Sprawling, Supersize Utopia†, share this aesthetic notion of perfection in action. No matter how â€Å"unnatural† or over-the-top these changes may be, it seems impossible now to turn back to how we once li ved: horse driven carriages instead of Ferrari’s, live classical music instead of hip hop and R&B blasting in our headphones, children playing outside instead of gluing their eyes to the television for hours at a time, and going over to visit a friend instead of sending a two worded text consisting of â€Å"what’s up?† Perfection has consumed the lives of many and has caused Americans to make drastic changes in order to keep up with the vision of perfection even though it hasn’t come into existence. Americans have been so blind-sided by all the shiny gadgets and the commercialization of â€Å"necessities† around them that they have confused the idea of what they want with what they need. This need for perfection is a want—a secret desire in disguise. We trick our minds into thinking we need that $50,000 brand... ...en one goes as far as spending all their money in order to attain this vision of perfection. What appears to be a want for one individual can end up being interpreted as a need for another but confusing one’s wants with one’s needs may come at a high cost and one must take precaution when watching commercials that tell one otherwise. America has come a long way in the subject of technology but has also grown too dependent on it as well. We, as Americans, can never go back to how we once lived with horse drawn carriages or going out to see the world if technology were to cease to exist. This vision of perfection that Americans have can spiral out of control to changes that don’t need to be changed and irreversible surgery that scars us for life, but we continue in pursuit of our perfection because it is the only way we know how to live—to live for a perfect future.

Downtown Beirut, Response on Mohsen’s Article Essay

Downtown Beirut: a spot pour les bourgeois In his article Downtown Beirut: A City of Ghosts? , published in the Alakhbar English journal on Saturday, January 7 2012, Ahmed Mohsen describes the heart of Beirut as an empty, fake, artificial hanging spot for the elite, so distant and alienated from the culture and the civilization of the good old Beirut known for its diversity among different social classes. Mohsen considers rebuilding the capital after the traumatizing war have indeed its true identity and covered its alleys with fake architecture that destroyed the historical beauty of what once was known as â€Å"the Paris of the Middle East†. For many, what’s known today as † Solidere â€Å", projects the new post war era, the era of a flourishing economy and an original society. In fact, the new buildings are indeed nothing more than an overpriced imitation of other countries’ architecture leaving the old Beirut and its rich Middle Eastern history nothing more than a memory along with its social traditions. Mohsen pointed out in his article that after rebuilding the center of the capital, the original citizens in Wadi Abu Jamil and its surroundings are no longer there. According to the author’s article â€Å"Wadi Abu Jamil’s original residents and owners have vanished. † (Page #120) I personally believe that the old Beirut with its old, wrecked buildings and crowded dirty alleys is a unique haven of coexistence between the various religious sects and the different social classes unlike the new â€Å"Down Town† or â€Å"DT† with its new original buildings inhabited by only one social class. The â€Å"High† class. The reconstruction of Beirut put money and artificial beauty over the unity of the classes and the unity of the different peoples that lived for centuries in Lebanon and their reunification after the devastating war. In his article, the author criticized the fact that only rich people can shop or hang out in the â€Å"DT† saying â€Å"For those who can afford it, the place to shop in downtown is â€Å"Beirut souks†. â€Å"(Page # 119). In fact, all the shops present in downtown are indeed expensive for the average citizen. But the problem is that even the most basic things in a small shop are much more expensive than any other place in the country. Buying a simple cone of ice cream will cost you something around 2000 L. L in Lebanon, but buying it from downtown will cost you about 7000 L. L. All the artificial beauty that is supposed to encourage the Lebanese around the world to go back to their country is in fact, a repulsive, ugly place reserved for the elite and rich tourists from neighboring Arabic countries.

Organisation and Behaviour Essay

Organizational structure can be described as the framework in which an organization operates. There are three main types of organizational structure: functional, divisional and matrix structure. A functional structure is set up so that each portion of the organization is grouped according to its purpose. In this type of organization, for example, there may be a marketing department, a sales department and a production department. The functional structure works very well for small businesses in which each department can rely on the talent and knowledge of its workers and support itself. However, one of the drawbacks to a functional structure is that the coordination and communication between departments can be restricted by the organizational boundaries of having the various departments working separately. A divisional structure typically is used in larger companies that operate in a wide geographic area or that have separate smaller organizations within the umbrella group to cover different types of products or market areas. For example, the now-defunct Tecumseh Products Company was organized divisionally–with a small engine division, a compressor division, a parts division and divisions for each geographic area to handle specific needs. The benefit of this structure is that requirements can be met rapidly and more specifically; however, communication is inhibited because employees in different divisions are not working together. Divisional structure is costly because of its size and scope. Small businesses can use a divisional structure on a smaller scale, having different offices in different parts of the city, for example, or assigning different sales teams to handle different geographic areas. A matrix structure is a hybrid of divisional and functional structure. Typically used in large multinational companies, the matrix structure allows for the benefits of functional and divisional structures to exist in one organization. This can create power struggles because most areas of the company will have a dual management–a functional manager and a product or divisional manager working at the same level and covering some of the same managerial territory. Organizational structure is closely related to culture. Culture refers to the deep-seated beliefs, values and norms that represent the unique character of an organization and also the shared goals and visions for the people in the organization. Organizational structure and culture are difficult to separate as they are intertwined and dependent on each other. Arguably, Greenscape operates a matrix structure. Organizational structure can be described as the framework in which an organization operates. How its tasks are delegated and its leadership structure i.e. its lines of authority and communication. ‘Organization structure determines how information flows between different levels of management and employees. How roles, power and duties are delegated controlled and coordinated.† The structure an organization chooses is dependent on its objectives and the strategy employed to achieve them. Pre-globalization most organizations had a centralized structure where the power was concentrated at the top. With globalization we has seen a shift in many organizations to a more decentralized structure where decision making is more participative and decision making is power is shared and more autonomy is given to divisions and departments. The motivation of the individual’s goals and aspirations, needs met in one, and not the organization: what drives us in life and in business i n particular, managerial tasks to recognize the individual motivations and management tools are linked to organizational goals with individual can move resources to achieve organizational goals. Lawler (1981) argue that the factors determining the balance motivation the efforts and expectations concerning performance relationship and the perceived attractiveness of reward. These factors are simply related links to each other, where each link is irrelevant. If an employee receives a job, which is calculated as a challenge to your skills, and be able to complete this task successfully with very nice rewarded, so trying to maximize the performance. If, however, the challenges we face are too big or too small, it will not sufficiently able to feel, or to solve the problem for the reward is not attractive enough, and it will not be effective enough. You’ll be motivated and do not feel the job is important it is not going to make an effort to get the best out of the employee. Leadership is the backbone for the success of an organization. Normally there are four types of leadership styles, which are Autocratic, Participative, Delegative and Free Reign. These leadership styles have different effectiveness in different circumstances. Differences and similarities between the leadership styles of Max Worthy and Brenda Hogan We can argue that Max Worthy was operating in a free reign/autocratic leadership styles where everyone had to mind its own business. Brenda Hogan was a manager using a participative management approach. The participative approach will promote integrity, great observation skills and high emotional intelligence. It also promotes openness to effective communication. Hogan wanted to involve everyone in taking part at the formulation of decisions that affected them. She created the environment for the staff to learn from each other and acquire new skills, especially managerial. In contrast, Max Worthy dictated what needed to be done to staff from a distant office. Employees became accustomed to his practices and were reluctant to adopt the new approach from Hogan. Hogan leadership style can inspire her entire team to achieve excellence by example. Her hard work and caring nature set an example for all her coworkers. Management takes place within a structured organisational setting with prescribed roles. It is directed towards the achievement of aims and objectives through influencing the efforts of others. Below is a discussion of three well known management theories. Classical management theory: It puts emphasis on structure and prescriptive what is good for firms. One of the advantages of the classical management structure is a clear organizational structure with distinct management levels. Each management group has its own objectives and responsibilities as there is division of labour. Projects are broken down into smaller tasks that are easy to complete and employees’ responsibilities are clearly defined. This approach allows workers to specialize in one specific area and leads to increased productivity. Employees are motivated by monetary rewards (‘a fair day pay for a fair day work’). The leadership style is autocratic. Managers direct the employees and all decisions are made at the top level and communicated down. This is the case for the management style adopted by Max Worthy. Human Relations Theories: Classical theorists were concerned with structure and mechanics of organizations. But human relation theorists were concerned with the human factors at work. This was undoubtedly the management style adopted by Brenda Hogan. The human relations theory focus is on motivation, group motivation and effective leadership. At the heart of this theory is the relationship between employer and employee. According to the Human relation theory people’s needs are decisive factors in achieving an organisation’s objectives. Individuals cannot be treated in isolation, but function with group members. Contingency Theories From the late 1950s, a new approach to organisation theory was developed which became known as contingency theory. According to this theory, there is no one best way to structure an organisation. When deciding on how it should be structured, how it should be organized and how it should be managed, an organisation will face a range of choices. Successful organisations adopt appropriate structures in response to a number of variables, or contingencies, which influence both the needs of the organisation and how it works. Theorists in favour of the contingency approach recommend a diagnosis of people/ task/ technology/environment – then suggest the development of appropriate solutions (e.g. Pugh).

Chinese-Americans and the Transcontinental Railroad

Chinese-Americans and the Transcontinental Railroad The Transcontinental Railroad was a dream of a country set on the concept of Manifest Destiny. In 1869, the dream was made a reality at Promontory Point, Utah with the connection of two railway lines. The Union Pacific began construction of their rail in Omaha, Nebraska working toward the west. The Central Pacific began in Sacramento, California working toward the East. The Transcontinental Railroad was a vision of a country but was put into practice by the Big Four: Collis P. Huntington, Charles Cocker, Leland Stanford, and Mark Hopkins. Benefits of the Transcontinental Railroad The benefits of this railroad were enormous for the country and the businesses involved. The railroad companies received between 16,000 and 48,000 per mile of track in land grants and subsidies. The nation gained a quick passage from east to west. A trek that used to take four to six months could be accomplished in six days. However, this great American accomplishment could not have been achieved without the extraordinary effort of Chinese-Americans. The Central Pacific realized the enormous task ahead of them in the construction of the railroad. They had to cross the Sierra Mountains with an incline of 7,000 feet over only a 100-mile span. The only solution to the daunting task was a great deal of manpower, which quickly turned out to be in short supply. Chinese-Americans and the Building of the Railroad   The Central Pacific turned to the Chinese-American community as a source of labor. In the beginning, many questioned the ability of these men that averaged 4 10 and only weighed 120 lbs. to do the work necessary. However, their hard work and abilities quickly allayed any fears. In fact, at the time of completion, the vast majority of workers from the Central Pacific were Chinese. The Chinese worked under grueling and treacherous conditions for less money than their white counterparts. In fact, while the white workers were given their monthly salary (about $35) and food and shelter, the Chinese immigrants received only their salary (about $26-35). They had to provide their own food and tents. The railroad workers blasted and scraped their way through the Sierra Mountains at great risk to their lives. They used dynamite and hand tools while hanging over the sides of cliffs and mountains. Unfortunately, the blasting was not the only detriment they had to overcome. The workers had to endure the extreme cold of the mountain and then the extreme heat of the desert. These men deserve a great deal of credit for accomplishing a task many believed impossible. They were recognized at the end of the arduous task with the honor of laying the last rail. However, this small token of esteem paled in comparison to the accomplishment and the future ills they were about to receive. Prejudice Increased After the Completion of the Railroad There had always been a great deal of prejudice towards the Chinese-Americans but after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, it only became worse. This prejudice came to a crescendo in the form of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which suspended immigration for ten years. Over the next decade, it was passed again and eventually, the Act was renewed indefinitely in 1902, thus suspending Chinese immigration. Furthermore, California enacted numerous discriminatory laws including special taxes and segregation. Praise for the Chinese-Americans is long overdue. The government over the last couple of decades is beginning to recognize the significant achievements of this important segment of the American population. These Chinese-Americans railroad workers helped to fulfill the dream of a nation and were integral in the improvement of America. Their skill and perseverance deserve to be recognized as an accomplishment that changed a nation.

Writing Styles How to Find Yours With Writing Style Examples

Writing Styles How to Find Yours With Writing Style Examples Writing Styles: How to Find Yours With Writing Style Examples Writing styles as authors can differ from person to person. As a writer, you have a gift of creativity in using your art as something that can elicit feelings. Writing a book may make people laugh, take people on a journey or fill them with knowledge. Writing is and can be an art form if you use it to express yourself and learn the art of doing it well. Most writers will find themselves falling into a specific style of writing. That could be writing poetry, non-fiction, writing a novel, children’s literature or even screenplays. This will usually happen around your interests, your education, knowledge of writing and the books you read. Heres what youll learn about writing styles: What is writing style?Types of writing stylesWriting styles examplesHow to find your writing styleRead a lot to find your writing styleBe honest about yourselfWrite what comes with easeExpress yourself to show your writing style NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it here What is writing style? Your writing style is the way in which the narrative of your writing comes across to other readers, including your sentence structure, syntax, and overall voice in order to provide your writing with an overall tone or mood. Each writer has their own, natural style and this can change from project to project. However, you may find that certain authors typically maintain a cohesive writing style. Essentially, an authors writing style can be recognized from work to work. Types of Writing Styles There are a few different ways to think of writing styles as an author. Firstly, you have your personal writing style as an author, which is what we explained above; its the specific way your writing reads. Here are some examples of how an authors writing style may vary: Wordiness How much your narrative uses longer, run-on sentences versus short and choppy ones.Syntax The structure of your sentences, the emphasis, pauses, word order and general style of writing typical sentences.Word choice This can mean swearing or not, using more complex words versus simpler ones, and more. The word choice in your writing style can help readers understand the perspective of the narration.Tone The tone in writing is like the attitude the author has toward a subject matter. If they dislike something, the tone could be short and negative, the opposite if they enjoy what theyre writing about.Mood The mood differs from tone because its the overarching feeling readers take away through the writing. The mood can be altered through the use of tone, word choice, and other literary devices. However, writing style also refers to the intent of what youre writing. Here are the 4 main writing styles: Expository Writing This is the most common type of writing. This blog post is an example of expository writing, as Im explaining a concept and providing information. However, expository writing often doesnt include the authors opinions.Descriptive Writing Youll most often find descriptive writing in fiction (and creative non-fiction too!), as its when authors write in a more descriptive style, creating more of a visual rather than just relaying facts.Persuasive Writing This writing style is mostly used in order to persuade others to take some sort of action and includes cover letters, reviews, advertisements, web copy, and more. The goal is to convince the readers of something one way or another.Narrative Writing This type of writing style is usually exclusive to fiction and is when the writer is constructing a story and plot by using descriptive writing to help you visualize it. These different writing styles arent typically exclusive to one project. You can use various of them in a single work, which is often what books are. Well cover some specific examples to help you understand further below. Writing Style Examples Sometimes its easier to understand through examples than just simply reading a definition. Here are some examples of the different types of writing style to help you get the gist for understanding what writing style is and how you can use that to adapt and create your own. Expository Writing Style Examples: As stated above, expository writing is the most common type and basically just relays necessary information. Here are some examples of expository writing: TextbooksRecipesHow-tosInstructions Technical writingBusiness writingScientific writing Descriptive Writing Style Examples: You can write in a number of different ways with descriptive writing. Even expository writing can include descriptive within it. Here are examples of descriptive writing: Fiction novelsPlaysSongs PoetryJournaling or DiariesNature/Animal descriptions Persuasive Writing Style Examples: Remember when you had to write a persuasive essay in school in order to learn how to make an argument? Thats what persuasive writing is. You want your readers to leave agreeing with you on some matter. Here are examples of persuasive writing: Resumà ¨sCover LettersProduct/service reviewsLetters of recommendation Newspaper articlesAdvertisementsWebsite sales copyLetters of complaint Narrative Writing Style Examples: When you think of books, theyll typically fall under this writing style. If youre trying to discover your personal writing style, youll likely be writing in the narrative style. Here are examples of narrative writing styles: Short storiesNovelsPoetry AnecdotesOral historiesNovellas This writing style is the type were really going to focus on in this next section all about how to develop your own writing style and find your natural flow as a writer. How to Find Your Writing Style I myself, like to write in two different styles to express who I am as a person and access my creativity. For these two styles, I actually own two separate blogs; one on travel parenting and one on my faith. My travel/parenting blog allows me to express myself with humor. This allows parents to identify with me by seeing the lighter side of parenting. My faith blog is a more serious destination where readers can come to learn more about the bible. I enjoy writing in both styles. The two blogs allow me to enjoy these writing styles without confusing my readers. So how do you, as a writer, find your place in the writing world and develop a writing style that suits you? Here a four ways that you can find and develop your own writing style: #1 Read a lot Why is reading so important? Reading allows you to learn from other people’s knowledge and lets you immerse in their world. It allows you to develop your own writing style. Reading other people’s work will influence your own writing. This is because we tend to write in a similar way to what we read on a regular basis. If you aren’t currently reading every day I would encourage you to do so. Find something that interests you and start reading, whether it be in a book, via a website, or another place. Make it a daily habit to spend at least half an hour devouring someone else’s work. As you read more and more, your own style of writing will deepen. It will develop based on your own experiences and the influences you have had. You can broaden your own horizons as an author by reading various styles of writing. Reading will show you new ways of wording sentences and creative ideas you hadnt thought of. #2 Be honest to who you are When you write, remember to stay true to who you are. Writing is an art-form that allows you to express yourself from within. Trying to be someone you are not will hinder your writing journey, not help it. When I say be honest with who you are, I mean staying true to yourself. This will include your own values, your beliefs, your feelings and who you are as a person. Trying to write a comedic piece when you dont usually use humor will be difficult and often not read well. This is because you may be forcing this writing and the piece will not flow. When you write something that is not from who you are, it can confuse your reader. This is because it will be difficult to sustain your voice as a writer. When your style changes or doesnt flow well, it makes it harder for the reader to identify who you are. As a result they may not want to read more of your work. When you writes from within, the reader is able to see parts of who you are as a person and can get to know you better. I read a book a while back on business growth. It was a good book and I learnt a lot from it. As a result I then followed the author and starting reading her other books. Shortly after this she changed styles. The trend at that time was beginning to bring in swear words to make someone seem †kick ass†. This author jumped on that trend and began swearing through all her books. I don’t mean one or two swear words dispersed throughout. One of her books had so many swear words in it that her book would have been several pages shorter if she had left them out. This writer delighted in telling her readers that this particular book had only taken her four hours to write. The problem was you could tell that it didnt have the flow or content of her other books. It felt forced and more as if she created it to make money rather than give to the reader. To me as a reader I felt like she was trying to be someone she wasn’t and I lost interest in her work and didn’t bother after that. It felt a bit sad because she had some good information to share but appeared to lose sight of who she was as a writer. When you write from who you are you will not need to change your style part way through. Find your own style of writing and own it! #3 Write what comes with ease Writing as part of who you are should come to you naturally and not feel weird or be a huge struggle. You may have times that you feel like you have writer’s block, or struggle to come up with what you want to say but this shouldnt be the norm. If you find that writing in general is difficult it could be for several reasons: You have not created a writing habit to allow it to flow for youYou are lacking in inspiration for your topicYou are not writing in a style that is true to you If you have created a proper writing habit and you are stuck, try getting inspiration. This could mean reading other forms of writing to refresh you or taking a break from writing. A half hour walk while you listen to music may be all it takes to put you back on track. If you are still struggling, then chances are, you are not writing in a style that is congruent to who you are. #4 Express yourself naturally I’m an extrovert and I thrive from the people in my life who I spend time with. As you can tell I love to use a conversational writing style when I put pen to paper. For me it feels like I am able to share my thoughts and feelings with someone like I would if they were sitting next to me. That style of writing comes naturally to me and flows easily. When you write, choose a style that allows you to express yourself. That may be in expressing yourself through creative writing, allowing the poet in you to come alive or sharing your life experiences in a helpful how-to form. Whatever it is, it should leave you feeling like you have shared what you want to. You should feel energized and excited about your work, not drained and struggling to create more. Once you have found your style the only other thing you can do is write, write, and keep writing. The more you write, the easier it will come to you and the better you will become at expressing yourself through your words. You have a gift to write and you need to use it to share your message with the world. Today plan your daily habit of reading and writing and watch your life grow and move you to the next level of your writing career. Are you ready to find your style and finish your book? If youre ready to discover your writing style in your newest book, let us help you get it done better and faster With your FREE training!