Business planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business planning - Essay Example For formation of a successful business plan all the internal key players of the organization should be involved. Their suggestions and ideas should be valued by the top level management and the business head’ as they are more involved in the on field tasks and can give an insight of on field operations. Also all the core components of the business i.e. all the departments of the business should be actively involved in the business process of planning as they specialize in their respective departments. They know what their strengths and weaknesses are and through this the business can extract its strengths and weaknesses as a whole. By consulting and getting a vote of majority on which goals and objectives to pursue the business functions as a whole and the departments will make efforts for achievement of these goals and objectives later on in the execution stage as they were involved in the planning process and their opinions and suggestions were valued. As most of the busines s plans in the industry which have been successful had the inclusion of the internal stakeholders of the business in the planning process this indicates that the claim made by Stutley was quite true in the sense that if in the start all the internal key players of business from the start are involved in the business activities , this makes a sense of ownership and loyalty prevail amongst the members of the organization and each player feels as an important member of the business hence working for the good of business is taken up as a responsibility by the members of the organization which is quite necessary for business to expand and succeed. A business plan in simple words can be stated as those set of activities or the line of action which is needed to be followed or taken by an organization or a corporation to identify its goals and objectives. It can be termed as the backbone of firm’s business i.e. it guides the company or the organization to the right path so as to adhe re to its vision and stay put on its mission along with catering to the organization’s need for arrangement of resources and have certain contingency measures available at all times in case of problems and troublesome situations. For many people there is a certain misconception that a business plan is formed only while starting the business as it indentifies the short and long term objectives the business wants to achieve over a period of time. That is a structured presentation of business goals and objectives, along with the inclusion of financial statements through which business can approach investors for investments and loans. But in reality a business plan is a framework for running the business and according to certain situations or scenarios faced , the plan can be changed and new additions or modifications can be made in the original plan later on in to business. Not everything can be included in the business plan from the start as you cannot perfectly predict how muc h investment and resources will be required and how will the market trends change or shift from time to

Designing a Diversity Workshop for University Faculty Incorporating Research Paper

Designing a Diversity Workshop for University Faculty Incorporating Multicultural and International Objectives - Research Paper Example Diversity, in years gone by, was not embraced. In fact, it was often shunned to the point where the country saw many colleges and universities rise to the level one race, one religion, and one culture. To continue with this practice would not only be an injustice to students around the world who have come to cherish our individual freedoms and liberties, but it would service to deny faculty and the student body alike the privilege of learning in a multi-cultural environment. Understanding and accepting people of other cultures and beliefs do not have to be a daunting task. It simply requires compassion and a desire learn from and embrace others. Our university might be small in number, but we have the capacity to develop a cultural awareness that rivals institutions much larger than our own. Our own faculty is diverse, yet we have failed to tap into this reality. We should be making use of our broad range of professional and military experience in order to better understand the diver sity existent around us and to use the knowledge to impact our student body as well. This training program has been developed with our faculty in mind. It will focus on the instructional methodologies inherent in multicultural education, and it will create a sense of global awareness amongst us all that we must be conversant with the latest educational issues, diversity, and multicultural theory. It is in so doing that we will truly become a global institution who can make a positive impact in the field of education, while embracing multicultural diversity and becoming more accepting of each student and staff member who passes through our illustrious halls. Purpose There is no mistaking that the world is becoming increasingly diverse, yet this same diversity has not been reflected in the field of higher education. According to Hill, et. al (2011), only 10% of earned Doctorates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are represented by minority groups (p. 2 0). This not only leaves a great gap in these critical fields, but it indicates a troubling trend. If universities cannot embrace multicultural education, then society will be losing out on valuable learning opportunities moving forward. This purpose of this training workshop is to reverse this trend by providing faculty members with the tools necessary to incorporate multicultural education into the classroom, thereby encouraging diversity and an exchanging of scholarly and academic ideas across cultures. Embracing the diversity amongst us, a further purpose of this workshop will be to share various pedagogical techniques with one another that will serve to enhance our own multicultural understanding. Our students are increasingly coming from a diverse background and we must work together with all students to foster an atmosphere of understanding and respect. This begins with the faculty, each of who has valuable experience to draw from in the field of diversity education. Embracin g all people does require, to some extent, a shift in our way of thinking and the methods that we employ in our disciplines. It has been noted by some faculty members at other institutions that, â€Å"Fundamental and sustainable change is possible, given the right combination of vision, compromise, and commitment† (Grogan & Vaz, 2003, p. 35). It is this primary need for change that forms the basis for this

Hybrid electric vehicle Essay Example for Free

Hybrid electric vehicle Essay 1) Who is the target market for each of the following cars? What do you think motivates them to purchase these cars? A)Toyota Prius B)Toyota Prado The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric car which is one of the first of its kind to be mass produced and marketed. The unique feature of the Prius is its Hybrid Synergy Drive which makes use of both the traditional petrol driven engine and an electric motor. This electric motor allows the Prius to switch off its petrol engine when stationary; and recharge the electric motor using the kinetic energy produced when braking. This not only conserves a lot of energy and petrol, and also allows for a smoother drive in the city areas which tend to have greater road congestion. Toyota’s largest target market would be educated working adults in developed urbanised countries especially in the West where there is a subculture of environmental concerns and issues which are relatively more active compared with the rest of the world. Thus the educated working class in these countries would be attracted to the Prius’ energy and fuel savings, and automatic battery recharging which would not only be a lot more environmentally friendly, but would ensure a more smoothly-powered ride to work in a congested city morning. Furthermore, the affordability of the Prius as compared to other Toyota vehicles coupled with even greater cost savings on fuel – cuts fuel consumption by 40% is an added incentive for these environmentally conscious consumers as they might worry that specially designed green technology might be expensive One of the factors that could motivate these consumers to purchase the Prius is lifestyle. These consumers would be largely influenced by social needs which would in turn shape their own beliefs and attitudes. With the constant reminders of depleting energy resources and global warming in society today, people’s attitudes are changing as they become more willing to adopt new approaches to conserve energy – an environmentally friendly car for the purpose of travelling. Furthermore, as the target market’s lifestyle patterns would be to get to work efficiently and economically, they would want a car that is affordable. Hence these are the factors motivating them to purchase the Toyota Prius. 1b) The Toyota Prado is one of Toyota’s newest SUVs with a four wheel drive and a powerful engine that aims to give its driver an edge above the usual car. The main strengths of the Prado aside from its power is the spaciousness inside and also the stability of the vehicle. The main target market of the Prado would be the sports and outdoors inclined consumers. These buyers will be looking for a car that has enough space and gadgets to transport large sports equipment like bicycles, scuba-gear, surfing†¦ among others. Lifestyle is an influential factor in the buyer’s choice of car. An upper/middle working class executive might choose the Prius for its sleekness and elegance, whereas a buyer who spends much of his time in the outdoors would choose the Prado. The 4 wheel drive that is powered by a strong engine is a significant advantage for buyers who frequently travel on rough terrain. Also the enhanced control and traction that the Prado provides would allow for a smoother ride for the buyer on such ground. Another factor that could motivate these buyers is their own personalities or self-concepts. While some buyers might not be that involved in the outdoors or be so sports-inclined, they might want to portray a more rugged and masculine side of themselves. An example would be in Singapore where there is hardly any road conditions that require the all-terrain drive of a 4 wheel drive vehicle; however, SUVs are a common sight. These could be the manifestations of a psychological need of some buyers who feel a connection with the ‘tough’ and sporty image that a Prado would give. In conclusion, I can see how Toyota has successfully chosen its target markets and analysed their motivations to help them develop different types of cars to cater to each market. This would allow them to appeal to a greater share of the consumer pie, and hence might allow them to gain greater market share.

Property Prices in Sydney

Property Prices in Sydney Sydney Property Prices Executive Summary In early March 2014, the governor of Reserve Bank, Glenn Stevens, warned house owners that Sydney property prices including houses will keep rising. For this reason, he cautioned home buyers never to borrow so much debt because, like the house prices are anticipated to continue rising, they can equally fall. Foreign investors have been moving to Australia at a very high rate especially those from China. The business people increasingly buy houses in Australia particularly those at the hot Sydney market. This has caused Sydney house prices to shoot up at a very rapid rate. This rapid rise in Sydney house prices has also been caused by few homes in Australia that only leave the cashed-up foreign investors with the opportunity to purchase those that are available. This situation creates a big problem to first home buyers who do not have as much money to purchase such expensive houses. Table of Contents Executive Summary Table of Contents Introduction Sydney house prices The key stakeholders that are impacted by the rise in Sydney house prices Economic theories Other relevant issues in the article Conclusion References Appendices Introduction Since 1983, house prices in Sydney have been increasing and this trend has been constant for over thirty years. The rapid rise in Sydney house prices is contributed by an increase in house demand by foreign buyers, as well as the low supply of houses in Australia. The purpose of this report is to present the causes and impacts of the rapid rise in Sydney house prices, and to provide possible solutions to the problem. The report begins by analyzing the present situation in Sydney as far as house prices are concerned, including major contributors and possible impacts. This is followed by description of the stakeholders that may be impacted by the rise in Sydney house prices. The report also explains the present problem in Sydney in terms of economic theory and concepts of demand and supply. The last section of the report focuses on possible solutions to the rapid rise in Sydney house prices. Sydney house prices Sydney house prices have rapidly increased over the recent past. Home buyers increasingly move to Australia to look for new homes for residential purposes and for investment. The rapid increase in prices is attributed to an increase in demand for Australian real estate from foreign buyers that have resulted into several bidders quoting very huge prices (Macken 2014). Home owners have raised house prices in Sydney because foreign investors, especially from China, increasingly buy local homes. These foreign investors are attracted to Australia by the Australian significant investor visa. The significant investor visa attracts prominent investors and business people to Australia and increase innovation and economic growth (Nicholls and Macken, 2014). Additionally, the Canadian government has cut its Federal Immigrant Investor Program and the recent change in the Canadian Visa scheme is expected to attract even more investors and business people to Sydney (Macken 2014). Australian houses are also expensive because of low supply of the stuff (Nicholls and Macken, 2014). Many Australian families increasingly buy new residential homes resulting into the rapid increase in house prices. This form of demand is driven by education as well as lifestyle. Highly educated people believe that they should stay in executive homes. They are therefore attracted to purchase such homes that are available in Sydney at high prices. Again, many Australian men point out that they want quality lives for their wives and families and since price is equated to quality, they end up buying Sydney houses at high prices which keeps these prices high. Foreign investors from China are likely to keep Sydney house prices high as they move to establish industries in Australia concerning the fact that China has strict policy against pollution (Macken 2014). It is anticipated that a consistent rise in Sydney house prices will soon render new home buyers homeless because they will not be able to cope w ith the high prices (Johnstone 2014). However, the Reserve Bank brings back hope to such people by stating that Sydney house prices are likely to fall in the near future due to low interest rates that have encouraged Australians to build new homes (Hutchens 2014). The key stakeholders that are impacted by the rise in Sydney house prices The rapid rise in Sydney house prices may impact a number of stakeholders including home owners, upgraders, foreign investors, local investors, first home buyers, second home buyers, the society and the Australian government. Home owners will have to increase the quality of their houses and build them in different architectural designs to attract home buyers. In addition, the rapid increase in Sydney house prices will compel home owners to consider building varieties of executive houses suited for investment and residential purposes (Macken 2014). As more and more foreign investors come to Australia, the upgraders will want to sell off their present houses in order to build new ones that will meet the current demands of families and businesses (Nicholls and Macken, 2014). Foreign investors are likely to be impacted by the rapid rise in Sydney house prices as they will be compelled to dig deep into their pockets and give out the required amounts before they can be allowed house owners hip. Like the foreign investors, local investors will also have to pay for the houses as per the prevailing market price. Unfortunately, some local investors might not afford to pay these prices, leading to market domination by the foreign investors (Macken 2014). First home buyers are those individuals who are purchasing homes for the first time. This group of customers lacks home purchasing experience and they may not have as much money to pay for the expensive houses. Eventually, they might soon become homeless if the current situation persists. Second home buyers on the other hand have bought homes before and can easily adapt to the rapid rise in Sydney house prices. They would thus have an advantage of house ownership at the prevailing prices as opposed to first home buyers (Johnstone 2014). With many foreign investors acquiring new residences in Australia as a result of rapid rise in house prices, the Australian population will obviously increase. Increase in population is ass ociated with environmental pollution and scarcity of resources. The Australian government must therefore make a change in its policy to ensure that these foreign investors are peacefully accommodated in the country. Even though all these groups will be impacted by the rapid rise in Sydney house prices, the first home buyers will be impacted the most because they will not be able to purchase new houses if the house prices increase further (Johnstone 2014). Economic theories The two main factors causing the rapid rise in Sydney house prices are; increase in demand of houses from foreign buyers and low supply of homes. According to the law of demand, the quantity of commodity demanded decreases with increase in price and vice versa, all other factors remaining constant. This can be plotted graphically in form of a demand curve showing the relationship between price and quantity demanded of a product (Sakovics and Steiner, 2012). Supply curve is a graphical representation of the quantity of goods that suppliers are willing to bring to the market at the prevailing market prices, with all other factors remaining constant. The point of intersection of demand and supply curves is the equilibrium price and quantity (Liu and Agbola, 2014). All these three relationships are shown in figure 1. Other factors such as changes in consumer tastes and preferences can cause a shift in demand curve thereby changing the price of a particular commodity (Liu and Agbola, 2014 ). From the media report, an increase in demand for executive houses is Sydney is derived from the increase in number of foreign investors, education and lifestyle (Macken 2014). These factors cause a positive shift in the demand curve where the demand curve shifts to the right (Liu and Agbola, 2014). This shift generally causes an increase in house prices as presented in figure 2 in the appendices section. At the same time, there is low supply of houses in Sydney causing the rise in house prices (Nicholls and Macken, 2014). This causes the supply curve to shift to the left as shown in figure 3. These shifts in demand and supply curves contribute to the high house prices in Sydney. Other relevant issues in the article The fact that first home buyers are the stakeholders that are likely to be impacted the most with the rapid rise in prices of Sydney houses, I would ensure that they are not disadvantaged through abolishment of stamp duty for first home buyers and reintroduction of first home buyers incentives for houses. This will give first home buyers the opportunity to meet the expenses of purchasing new homes. In addition, I would encourage first home buyers to form partnerships and share mortgage costs. This is cheaper because those involved in the partnerships can formulate policies that govern their practice. They can also extend these houses and lease the extra portions to others who will in the process assist them in meeting costs (Johnstone 2014). Other alternate actions that can be taken to solve the economic problem in Sydney include building of more homes to increase their availability to foreign investors and Australian residents. Building more homes will mean an increase in supply of homes (Hutchens 2014). This will cause the supply curve to shift to the right thereby lowering the house prices as shown in figure 4. Conclusion In conclusion, both local and foreign home buyers in Sydney are faced with the challenge of rapidly rising house prices. The current trend observed in Sydney house prices occurs as result of scarcity of houses and the increasing demand from foreign buyers. If these prices continue to rise over the coming years, first home buyers will be rendered homeless as they will not be able to afford houses in Sydney. The increase in demand as well as low supply of houses cause a shift in the demand and supply curves respectively, which causes prices to rise. First home owners can acquire houses at the prevailing prices through formation of partnerships. Additionally, they can be assisted to fit in the current market through reintroduction of first home buyers’ incentives for houses. Consequently, building more homes in Sydney will increase the supply of houses and house prices will come down. References Hutchens, G 2014, ‘House Prices Can Fall Too, Warns Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens,’ The Sydney Morning Gerald, March 8, also available from http://www.smh.com.au/national/house-prices-can-fall-too-warns-reserve-bank-governor-glenn-stevens-20140307-34cr5.html Johnstone, T 2014, ‘No Joy For First Timers at Auction: Upgraders Win in Lilyfield as Sydney Records Another Strong Clearance Rate of 82.5 %’, The Sydney Morning Gerald, March 8, also available from http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/no-joy-for-first-timers-at-auction-20140308-34dud.html Liu, WS Agbola, FW 2014, ‘Regional Analysis of the Impact of Inward Foreign Investment on Economic Growth in the Chinese Electronic Industry,’ Applied Economics, Vol. 1, no. 26, pp. 2576-2592. Macken, L 2014, ‘Property: Sydney Expected to Gain Foreign Buyers as Canada Closes Visa Scheme,’ The Sydney Morning Gerald, March 8, also available from http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/property-sydney-expected-to-gain-foreign-buyers-as-canada-closes-visa-scheme-20140307-34cr6.html Nicholls, S Macken, L 2014, ‘Upgraders Keep Sydney Property Market Bouyant,’ The Sydney Morning Gerald, March 8, also available from http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/upgraders-keep-sydney-property-market-buoyant-20140314-34rqe.html Sakovics, J Steiner J 2012, ‘Who Matters in Coordinating Problems? American Economic Review, Vol. 102, no. 7, pp. 3439-3461. Appendices Figure 1: Demand and Supply curve showing market equilibrium Price S PEMarket Equilibrium D QE Quantity S Supply curve PE Equilibrium price D-Demand curve QE Equilibrium quantity Figure 2- An increase in demand for houses raises the price of Sydney houses Price Supply P1 P0 D1 D0 Q0 Q1 Quantity Figure 3: A decrease in supply of houses raises the price PriceS1 S0 P1 P0 Demand Q1 Q0 Quantity Figure 4: An increase in supply by building more houses lowers the price PriceS0 S1 P0 P1 Demand Q0 Q1 Quantity 1

The Fellowship Of The Rings :: essays research papers

The Fellowship Of The Rings BOOK I J.R.R Tolkien As the story begins we find the lovable Bilbo Baggins having his going away birthday party. He would leave his precious magic ring behind him and leave for Alderaun. 17 years would pass and the ring remains under the safe- keep of Bilbo's nephew, Frodo Baggins. Gandalf Stormcrow has returned and has need of one from the shire. The both discuss the workings and the history of the ring. And conclude that one thing must be done. Frodo and his party must journey to the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie. And destroy the ring by which the very fires from which it was once forged. And so the quest begins, steered by Gandalf and Frodo's party of Sam, Mary, and Pippin. Together they travel the winding roads and through a great blizzard until nightfall. Where warmth and comfort are found in a local tavern. The Hobbits were well to entertain and were taken notice by a man, a warrior by the name of Strider. He took aim on their quest and was reluctant to aid in their cause. Gandalf had departed them to seek the wisdom of another wizard. With Strider and the remaining party they traveled the broad expanse if terrain. Where they would befriend new adventurers along the way. Many a time would they be tempted to misuse the ring. But Frodo's will held strong. Up unto the climax of events, when the ring raids came to take what once belonged to them. In a moment of weakness, Frodo placed the ring on his finger. He vanished from his party's sight. "Take the ring off Frodo!", they yelled. But he was frozen in his steps. Determind to get it they approached him. In a brave attempt to protect the ring, Frodo ran up to them, held the sting high in the air, attempting to strike one of them. But he failed. And instead he took a wound in his side. He then somehow managed to mount back on his horse and ride away across a shallow stream. All that separated them now was the stream. "The ring, the ring..", carried through the crowd of riders. Frodo was weary, he shouted out, "By all the Shire you will have neither I nor the ring! Go back to the

How Magnets Affect Computer Disks :: essays research papers

How Magnets Affect Computer Disks BackGround One of the most commonly used Computer data storaged mediums is a Computer Disk or a Floppy. These are used in everyday life, in either our workplace or at home. These disks have many purposes, such as: Storing data: Floppies can be used to store software/data for short preiods of time, Transferring data: Floppies are used to transfer/copy data from one computer to another. Hiding data: Floppies are also sometimes used to hide sensitive or confidential data, because of the disk's small size it can be hidden very easily. Advertising: Because floppies are cheap to buy, they are used to advertise different types of software, such as: Software for the internet advertised on America Online Floppies. Floppies are also considered to be very sensitve data storage mediums. These Disks have numerous advantages and disadvanteges. Even though floppies are used so commonly they are also not very dependable. They have numerous conditions under which they should normally be kept. For example: the actuall magnetic disk inside the hard cover of the disk must NEVER be touched, the magnetic disk inside, must be protected by the metallic sliding shield, the disk must always be within the temperature of 50Â ° to 140Â ° Fahrenheit and the disk must never be bought near a magnet! (3M Diskettes) There are many such hazards to computer disks. Problems caused by magnets are very common. A floppy can be damaged unknowingly if it is kept near a magnet, that may be in the open or inside any device, such as a speaker phone in computer speakers or stereo or a telephone. And becuase of the common use of magnets in everyday life, more and more floppies are damaged everyday. Even though protective coverings against magnets and other electrical hazards, are available for floppies, they are not used very commonly. Therefore, floppies are not a very safe media for storage, even though they are convienient. Some of the most commonly used diskettes are by 3M and Sony and other such companies. The floppies are sold in boxes with instructions on them to not to bring floppies near magnets and other instructions of DOs and DONTs. These instructions must always be followed. Floppies have different capacities such as 720 KB (kilobytes) and 1.44 MB (megabytes). Floppies also have different sizes, 3.5" and 5.25". The most commonly used floppy is usually 3.5". It is not soft and cannot be bent, where as a 5.25" disk is soft and can be bent! A floppy is a round, flat piece of Mylar coated with ferric oxide, a rustlike substance containing tiny particles capable of holding a magnetic field, and

How does Golding present his characters in the opening chapter? Essay

Ralph is the first character to be introduced; he is introduced as being ‘the boy with fair hair’. Here Golding has played with the idea of Hitlers ideal, fair hair, blue eyes, etc. to show that Ralph has a seemingly perfect physique. His fair hair also shows that Ralph is a seemingly good character, because the idea of his hair being light in color contrasts any boy who has dark hair. This is a very conventional way of representing characters which is used due to the time in which Golding was writing; nowadays writers would try to stray away from this idea. One of the first actions which Ralph performs is to pull up his socks; this symbolizes the idea that he still retains the rules and regulations of being in a school environment. When Piggy places his trust in Ralph, Ralph uses this to gain the respect and friendship of Jack. This suggests, along with him being voted as chief and the way he handles Piggy when he confronts him about his nickname, that he is the politician of the group. Ralph is quite immature in the way he expresses joy, standing on his head, which suggests that he is not the most adequate leader. He is also not as intelligent as Piggy and without Piggys help with the Conch he could have never become Chief. Piggy is introduced as ‘it’ then the ‘voice’ and then ‘fat boy’. His physical body is also unattractive he is the fat boy or ‘Fatty’. He is introduced this way so that we immediately dislike him, and take the side of the other boys who bully him. Later on in the chapter we realize Piggys importance, he is always right, so when Ralph suggests they will be rescued soon and Piggy believes that they won’t, we know that they will not be rescued soon. Although we know that the ridiculing of Piggy is a natural thing for boys to do we still blame the boys for doing it as we believe we would not do the same. When Piggy meets with Ralph Piggy immediately offers Ralph friendship by asking his name, but Ralph rejects Piggy because of his appearance, as we would expect. But Piggy continues to place trust in Ralph as he does not want to be the social misfit which he is used to being, as suggested by his continual mentioning of his Auntie which suggests a sheltered home life. He places his trust in Ralph by firstly telling him his nick name and secondly by exposing himself to Ralph. As revenge Piggy does all that he can, he with holds his vote for Ralph for a short period when the vote for chief is occurring. This expresses his anger. Piggy asks everybody’s name as it gives him some security and allows him to enter a social group, but only the younger children tell him their names as they do not see him with the same prejudice and so look up to him as a ‘bigger boy’. But when Jack arrives Piggy is intimidated, because of Jack’s appearance and authority. He shows this by cowering behind Ralph, which also expresses his respect and trust in Ralph. Jack is introduced as â€Å"the boy who controlled them†. Jack looks smart and impressive and so Ralph wants to become his friend. When Jack informs us of his name he tells the group that he wishes to be called Merridew. This is because this is the name which he has been called at school and been held in high regard allowing him to have authority, but what he does not yet realize is that his ‘title’ means nothing now. Ralph on the other hand is happy with his identity and so doesn’t mind being called Ralph. Jack is a stereotypical bully which explains why Ralph is intimidated by him. He shouts, orders, and is usually aggressive. Jack is used to being in control and so when he joins the group he automatically tries to take control. However when it comes to the vote, only the people in the choir who still respect his authority, unwillingly vote for him. When Ralph is voted to be chief, Jack is mortified, but Ralph realizes that Jack could be a powerful ally and so consoles him by offering the title of Hunter. This gives Jack some authority outside of the choir and gives him the chance to undermine everything which Ralph says.