Human Resource Management †Business Research Paper (300 Level Course)

Human Resource Management – Business Research Paper (300 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers Human Resource Management Business Research Paper (300 Level Course) In 1999, John B. Smith had become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SMC. It was under his leadership that the company engaged in its negotiations to restructure and strive for a stronger balance sheet with a new focus on growth. In 2000, SMC had two primary operating companies Broyhill and Lane in furniture manufacturing. In late 2001 SMC acquired Thomasville Furniture Industries, Inc. Foreseeing the future as SMC is manufacturing globally, they believed for future opportunities and growth they would need to change their name. In March 2004, in recognition of its new focus, and its new status as a leader in the furniture industry, the company changed its name to SMC International, Inc. The company’s next major acquisition over the next two years will be the purchase of Andari Furniture Industries as of October of 2005, JD Heritage Furniture Industries, and Ashby’s Furniture Industries by the last business day of 2006. These companies provided the company with a dominant presence in the high end of the furniture marketplace, and broadened the company’s offerings to include furniture at all price points. SMC International, Inc. is now established as the one of the largest residential furniture manufacturer in the country with six of the industry’s most recognizable brand names, positive recommendations from leading industry analysts, and bright prospects for continued future growth. As the company pursues opportunities in offshore sourcing and strengthens its dedicated distribution - particularly single-branded stores - SMC International, Inc. is transforming itself from a mere furniture manufacturer to a branded consumer products compan y, with a heightened focus on its brand names and on its direct relationships with the furniture consumer. The company’s stated mission is to become the industry’s undisputed leader by offering exceptional product and at the same time to deliver outstanding shareholder value. With an unwavering focus on driving brand awareness and growing the business through an aggressive expansion of our dedicated distribution network of stores and galleries the company is demonstrating it has the vision and management talent to set itself apart as the undisputed industry leader. With an equally unwavering focus on financial performance the company has positioned itself well for sustainable earnings growth in the years to come. SMC International Inc. is dedicated to â€Å"World Class† positioning in our domestic and international markets by continually providing end users with products that enhance their comfort, safety and productivity in an evolving workplace. Along with the growth of SMC International, Inc. came reorganizing of SMC International Inc. John B. Smith announced that he would be leaving the company by the end of 2005 due to illness. Smith would consult until new leadership would be in place. With this announcement SMC International Inc.’s board felt that they needed strong leadership especially if one were to leave of any reason. Effective as of June, 2006, SMV International, Inc. under the leadership of its new Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, William K. Kuipper, and President and Chief Operating Officer, Margaret M. Jones. Other key leadership positions would start to be in place by August 2005 through transitions. Effective immediately, Renee A. Mack, PHD will move to the role of Senior Vice President of Human Resource Management. Mack will be a key player in the acquisitions along with recruiting and/or retaining executive and senior leadership positions. With SMC International Inc. now a global company, Mack brings the experience and knowledge of international business, and the understanding of other countries culture. She has lived in various countries that we now manufacturing furniture in, and has build strong relationships with other executives and government personnel for possible recruiting purposes. Dr. Mack will also build a strong foundation in Human Resource Management, and integrate â€Å"Best Practices† for both domestically and internationally. She will lead a team that will be responsible for all company training in business ethics, understanding diversity and cultures, and leadership/employee development. Dr. Mack was part of a â€Å"Demographic Research Study† in 2004, which gave her some insight on minority group’s growth over the next five years. The study showed that ethic and racial minorities will grow as much more rapid pace than Caucasians. Asian Americans, though much smaller in absolute numbers, are the fastest growing segment of the population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one out of ten people living in the United States is foreign-born representing the highest rate in more than 50 years. World population is growing at a higher rate, although growth is slowing. Then there is the Baby-Boom Generation that will define retirement. Better health and longer lives are redefining attitudes towards work and retirement. Employees say they plan to work longer, and/or work part time during their retirement years. With this in mind, a workforce comprising of a larger percentage of older workers will require unique employment benefits needs including age-specific health care coverage such as prescription drug benefits, and long term care coverage. Ethics and Human Resources Ethics commonly refer to the rules or principles that define right and wrong conduct. In the United States, many believe we are currently suffering from an ethics crisis (Ricklets, Robbins Coulter, 1996). Behaviors that were once thought unacceptable lying, cheating, misrepresenting, and covering up mistakes have become in many peoples eyes acceptable or necessary practices. Manager’s profit from illegal use of insider stock information and members of Congress write hundreds of bad checks. Even college students seem to have become caught up in the wave where studies show significant increases in cheating on tests (Robbins et al.). Concern over this perceived decline in ethical standards is being addressed by organizations, and companies are relying on Human Resource (HR) to build an ethical culture. Human Resource departments are creating codes of ethics, introducing ethics training programs and hiring ethics officers. Why is ethics important to Human Resources? When employees in organizations make decisions to act unethically, they affect not only the company itself, but also its shareholders, employees and customers. Employees make a myriad of choices every day in businesses, if unethical, they can damage a companys productivity, profits and reputation. Unethical decisions can come in many forms: the employee who conducts personal business on company time to the line worker who fails to report a product flaw just to meet a deadline, and even more serious, the manager who profits from illegal use of insider stock information. All these incidents lack ethics. In most companies today, the competitive advantage rests on the shoulders of its employees. These employees must be trusted to do the right thing, especially when no one is looking. It is up to HR to train, educate and communicate with employees on rights and wrongs in the workplace. After all, ethics is one topic that begins and ends with peo ple and you cannot separate standards of behavior from HR. Human Resources and ethics are linked and must be integrated. In todays high-pressured environment, HR must spell out for employees that ethics come before deadlines or bottom lines. Its a message that can easily be overlooked in the work rush especially if employees feel pressured to violate company policies in order to achieve business objectives. In an April 1997 study by the American Society of Chartered Life Underwriters and Chartered Financial Consultants and the Ethics Officers Association, it was found that 56% of all workers feel some pressure to act unethically or illegally. The study also revealed that 48% of workers admitted they had engaged in one or more unethical and/or illegal actions during the last year. Among the most common violations: cutting corners on quality, covering up incidents, lying to supervisors, deceiving customers, and taking credit for a colleagues ideas. (Greengard, 1997). Its good to dispel even the slightest impression among employees that management encourages unethical behavior in obtaining business objectives. In the empowered workplace where decisions are being forced down to the very lowest level, the employee must unders tand the importance of making that decision right the first time. Ethics are becoming more and more important, and HR departments are vital in establishing ethics guidelines. As we celebrate this growing empowerment of employees, companies must ensure these employees always act ethically. Ethics should be instinctive when making decisions, and a good ethics program can successfully guide employees through the decision making process. Where once managers called the shots and employees followed suit, employees now need that support system to clear up any questions they have, questions that managers are no longer around to answer. Well-communicated guidelines help set the standards for employees. An important part of an ethics program is just increasing awareness levels. Companies with ethics programs find that many unethical decisions are not of deliberate commission, but of ignorance. An effective ethics program can be an important tool in an organization because as employees learn to use this tool, they become more confident in the self-regulating atmosphere of the new workplace. A clearly explained code of ethics plays a pivotal role in employee empowerment by clearing up any questions on their own. Codes of ethics are suggested means for institutionalizing ethical behavior. A code of ethics is a formal document that states an organizations primary values and ethical rules it expects employees to follow. It has been suggested that codes should be specific enough to show employees the spirit in which they should do things, yet loose enough to allow freedom of judgment. Human Resources must be careful when establishing a code of ethics. In order for the code to be effective, HR should be careful not to omit important issues such as personal character matters, product safety, product quality, environmental affairs, or civic and community affairs. Ethics are becoming more and more important, and HR must continually revise the code of ethics to address issues that come up in the changing workplace. Corporations must ensure the code of ethics is used effectively and not just as window dressing. Their effectiveness depends heavily on whether management supports them and how employees who break the codes are treated. When management considers them important, regularly affirms their content, and publicly reprimands rule breakers, codes can supply a strong foundation for an effective ethics program. However, winning the ethics battle isnt only about how an organization punishes those who engage in unethical behavior, but how the company rewards both good and bad behavior. For example, a company can provide ethics guidelines and detailed conduct codes; HR can offer superb training and establish an ethics hot line for questions and problems, but its the reward system and the organizational behavior that let people know the real story. If a manager turns his/her head and looks the other way when it comes to a top salesman who cheats on an expense account or accepts inappropriate gifts, that sends a powerful message. The desired behavior must start from the top and work its way through the entire organization. This means managers must be honest and expect honesty from their employees by establishing clear-cut policies, guidelines, and rewards. It is up to HR to make sure employees fully understand the repercussions of ethical misconduct and that such behavior will not be tolerated. Ethics guidelines must be easy to use and even inviting to employees. A good ethics program provides both verbal and written reinforcements and offers a variety of packages for employees to learn about or discuss ethics. Although a usable ethics code and an accessible ethics officer will help get the message out, a successful effort requires active communication, education and training; a key role of the HR department. More and more HR departments are setting up hot lines, seminars, workshops and similar ethics training programs to try to increase ethical behavior. Recent estimates indicate 33% of companies provide some ethics training (Robbins et al.). The primary debate is whether or not you can actually teach ethics. Critics stress that the effort is pointless since people establish their individual value system when they are very young. However, supporters note that several studies have found that values can be learned even after early childhood. Evidence shows that teaching ethical problem solving can make an actual difference in ethical behaviors (Weber, 1990); that training has increased individuals level of moral development (Penn, Boyd, Collier, 1985); and if it does nothing else, ethics training increases awareness of ethical issues in business (Boroughs, 1985). How can HR teach ethics? Human Resource departments across the U.S. are coming up with innovative ways to teach ethics to employees. Texas Instruments gives their employees a quick test. This test teaches employees steps to determine if a decision is ethical. They believe the test allows employees to see a decision more objectively and ethically (Flynn, 1995). Texas Instruments has worked hard to create an environment in which the ethics office and HR personnel work closely with one another to resolve problems. If a question arises about sexual harassment or discrimination, its up to HR to resolve it and the ethics office will pass along any phone call or inquiry that pertains to those issues. On the other hand, if an employee asks a HR manager whether a gift from a client is appropriate, the manager will refer the matter over to the ethics department. Human Resources also play a role in briefing new hires about the ethics program and works with the ethics department and other company officials to refine policies and procedures. Some may believe HR plays a tangential role in the ethics debate, but that simply isnt true. Human Resources can help design programs, advise on strategy and consult on investigations, as well as play an ongoing role in educating and training workers about ethics. The basic values of the company must be visible. H uman Resources insure they are visible and communicated during the selection process, employee interview, orientation sessions and performance reviews to create a culture that emphasizes ethics. Therefore, whether an organization relies solely on HR for an ethics program or has a separate ethics office, the HR department is depended heavily upon to provide support for the underlying structure. Approximately 37% of all ethics inquiries involve HR issues, and that means ethics officers must consult with HR and use their expertise to interpret regulations, resolve disputes and consult on ways to reduce future problems. In some cases, HR is able to resolve specific ethics problems on the spot avoiding the time and expense of a full-scale inquiry. (Greengard, 1997) Hoffman, of the Center for Business Ethics, says that the most important aspect of an education program is to teach employees to think independently about ethically sensitive issues (Flynn, 1995). In this day and age, employees need desperately to have opportunities to think through ethical situations. The training programs provided by HR must provide them with tools to think through those issues successfully. Ethical training sessions can provide a number of benefits. They reinforce the organizations standards of conduct; they are a reminder that top management wants employees to consider ethical issues in decision-making; and they clarify what practices are and are not allowed. Across the board, when managers and employees discuss common concerns among themselves, they are reassured they arent alone in facing ethical decisions. This can strengthen their confidence when they have to take ethically correct stances, which may not be popular. As discussed throughout this paper, an exhaustive communicative effort is the key to getting the word out. The message must permeate the entire company from the top to the bottom. We know that communication must also be supported by educati on and training. A strong ethical reputation can give a competitive edge to an organization, improve recruitment, and help retain current employees. It encourages morale because a good ethics program supports such morale builders as openness and honesty. It can improve employee interaction and build a workplace atmosphere based on candor, fairness, integrity and trust which in turn will lower the barriers in communications. Bottom line, an effective ethics program builds morale of employees because most employees like to work for corporations they think are ethically intended. Ethics are free the HR department has to put forth the effort to communicate, educate, and train its employees on the importance of their decisions. An effective program costs very little, but the absence of ethics can be extremely costly. Companies that find ways to change the system are far more likely to succeed than those that do not. As one Texas Instruments executive so accurately stated, Trust I the foundation for any solid business relationship. You cant form a close and candid relationship with suppliers, customers, and the public if you dont have a track record of integrity or ethics. (Greengard, 1997) Research Papers on Human Resource Management - Business Research Paper (300 Level Course)Analysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductDefinition of Export QuotasMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperRiordan Manufacturing Production Plan

Eygpt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Eygpt - Essay Example One can see an attempt from the part of the writer to draw the attention of the readers towards the malicious intentions of the western world, though it seems rather baseless to blame others for ones own inability to handle crisis. The writer points out that in Arab nations like Jordan and Iraq, the rulers appointed by the western world had no roots. In addition, the divisions of the Arab world after the fall of Ottoman Empire were aimed at creating conflicts rather than solving them. Another allegation is against US for its failure to solve the Arab-Israel conflict, and also for its supporting the Egyptian and Saudi Arabian governments which were not at able to handle their internal affairs. The writer also points out that some of these dictatorial governments have close links with America; thus an attempt to show the western malicious intentions (Shadid). Here one can see an attempt to dig into history to show how France and Britain exploited the area through Sykes Picot Agreement of 1916. However, the wrier admits that the western states could not be blamed for the inability of Arab nations to solve their problems themselves. Moreover, the Arab states forgot looking into their own internal affairs and instead, the rulers thought engaging in relentless conflict with Israel would appease their citizen, which has gone wrong as is evident from the recent state of affairs. The eruption of problems started in Egypt, which was considered an epitome of foreign relations to be adopted by other Arab nations. However, it seems rather surprising that even so many years could not solve any problems in the country it gave birth to new issues like Christian-Muslim divide. In Sudan, the blacks fight against the Arab rulers and in Iraq, the Shiites are preparing a return to power. Tunisia witnessed another fall of dictatorship due to the extreme frustration faced by people over joblessness and corruption. In total, the Arab world is fuming; wars against dictatorships, jobles sness, poverty and clashes among interest groups are all shattering the Arab world. It is warned that the coming years will face a great deal of destruction and devastation as a result of the anarchies existing in the Arab world and the absence of powerful leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser who could cover up the issues. Shadid provides the example of Tunisian leader Habib Bourguiba to show how foolishly the new Arab leaders engage in unpopular activities, facing the wrath of people. He appeared drinking juice on television in the month of Ramadan, and the protest he will face in a Muslim community is clear. Thus, the article is an attempt to look into the reason behind the unrest that is shaking the entire Arab world. However, the writer, like all others, fails to predict the future. The issues in the Arab world starting from the fall of Iraq, and now very evident in many other Arab nations, reveal the fact that the people there are eager to achieve total freedom, democracy, developme nt and transformation. However, the pathetic thing is that due to lack of powerful social reformists, possibly due to the harsh regimes of Islam religion-centrism, people in the Arab world are still hopeless, aimless and irrational. The only thing they want to achieve is the kind of freedom people enjoy in other parts of the world. However, the ones who exhibit the power to lead are monarchs as is evident from Iraq and Egypt who do nothing for the welfare of the people or to control religions extremism. The Arab world is unlikely to

Bipolar Disorder Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bipolar Disorder - Term Paper Example Center of discussion in this paper is bipolar disorder as a disease with subtle specificity and sensitivity. With the widening of the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder comes the loss of specificity and danger of overdiagnosis due to the increase in sensitivity of the subtle manifestations of bipolar disorder. As a result, overdiagnosis poses substantially greater potential for harm as desired treatment may not be appropriate and may lead to induction of hypomania, mixed states, rapid cycling, and worsening of preexisting agitation. Bipolar disorder is difficult to distinguish from other disorders because of mood variations in hormones, personality disturbances, personal stress, sleep problems, ingestion of drugs or alcohol and diseases of the brain, trouble in getting accurate histories because of difficulty in describing mood states to others, and inadequately trained professionals in the recognition of the subtle form of the disorder. These factors, together with the diagnos tic criteria itself, create confusion in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder as certain symptoms can occur in other disorder. Clinicians, researchers, and allied health practitioners are challenged to prevent the over/misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder through different studies and literature, differentiating the subtle forms of bipolar disorder from the true bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder and its subtle forms gained attention during 1983 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) verified the existence of relatively mild and subtle spectrum of bipolar disorders.... iseases of the brain, trouble in getting accurate histories because of difficulty in describing mood states to others, and inadequately trained professionals in the recognition of the subtle form of the disorder (Miklowitz, 2011, 43). These factors, together with the diagnostic criteria itself, create confusion in the diagnosis of bipolar disorder as certain symptoms can occur in other disorder. Clinicians, researchers, and allied health practitioners are challenged to prevent the over/misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder through different studies and literature, differentiating the subtle forms of bipolar disorder from the true bipolar disorder. Review of Literature Bipolar disorder and its subtle forms gained attention during 1983 when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) verified the existence of relatively mild and subtle spectrum of bipolar disorders (Grinspoon, 1983, 281). The subtle forms of bipolar disorder manifest psychomotor, interpersonal, and vocational dimension, rath er than alterations in mood which is the core symptom of bipolar disorder. According to Grinspoon (1983), the subtle forms of bipolar disorder range between cyclothymic disorder and dysthymic disorder (281). Cyclothymic disorder starts during teenage or early adulthood years and may often be diagnosed as a personality disorder. Cycles are short and last for only a few days and may not meet the category for hypomania due to biphasic course. On the other hand, dysthymic disorders are subaffective and subtle hypomania is present. Onset is indeterminate and cardinal symptoms often occur at age 21. A full range of depressive symptoms occurs at subsyndromal level, and a patient is categorized in the subtle forms of bipolar disorder if patients do not have any diagnosable nonaffective disorder

Mobile Grocery Store Business Plan

Mobile Grocery Store Business Plan Business Plan Table of Contents (Jump to) Executive Summary Section 2 – Business Summary 2.1. Business Description 2.2. Business Objectives 2.3. Current Situation and Background 2.4. Financial Situation and Legal Requirements Section 3 – Industry Analysis 3.1. Industry Description 3.2. Industry Growth 3.3. Future Industry Developments Section 4 Market Summary 4.1 Market Analysis 4.2 Market Segmentation 4.3 Market Research 4.4 Competition Analysis 4.5 Competition Strengths 4.6 Competition Weaknesses Section  5 Sales and Marketing 5.1. Marketing Strategies 5.2. Unique selling point 5.3. Media, promotion strategy and advertising campaign 5.5. Budget Section  6 – Financial considerations 6.1. Pricing strategy 6.2. Projected sales 6.2. Other financial considerations Cost Appendices Appendix 1 – Cash Flow Forecasts Section 2 – Business Summary Due to the impact of supermarkets growth and rising costs the numbers of local and convenience stores are declining[i], particularly in rural areas. This means consumers in many of the rural areas of Wales are finding themselves having to travel further afield for their basic grocery shopping requirements, which can present difficulties, particular for the older age segment and those in single families or with busy lifestyle. It is therefore seen that there is an opportunity for the introduction of a mobile grocery business to service these consumers needs on a regular basis, bringing convenience store benefits and prices to their locale. This business plan presents the case for a business that will fill this niche market sector. Provisionally named North Wales Mobile Grocery (NWMG) the business, whilst not a new concept, is innovative in that it brings all of the benefits of convenience shopping close to the door of the consumer whilst at the same time eliminating many of the shopping difficulties experienced by consumers in rural areas, particular those in the older age segment, single families and with busy lifestyles. The business plan is being presented with the intention of seeking a partnership with a branded grocery organisation that will provide the capital investment to assist with its development and future growth programme. 2.1 Business Description NWMG will operate two mobile shops offering convenience store shopping close to the homes of those who live in the rural areas of North Wales that are not adequately serviced by local stores. The two stores will be of different sizes, with the larger on being based upon a refurbished coach, with the smaller vehicle being either a reasonable sized van or smaller coach version. The advantage of the former is that, with its low level access, it will allow elderly shoppers to board and browse. The smaller vehicle will be operated on the basis of the consumer having their requirements served personally by the vehicle operators, and will be better able to service the more remote locations where accessibility would be difficult for the larger vehicle. It is anticipated that the vehicles will be able to carry a range of between 100 and 200 products, with the larger vehicle having the ability of offering a small range of frozen items. This will include all of the staple and basic grocery and food items that are always in demand by consumers. The mobile shops will operate on a time slot basis at convenient locations that will serve between one and three streets. Dependent upon demand, each area will be allocated between one or two slots a week. It is anticipated that each slot will cover a time period of one and a half hours. With hours from 7.30 am to 9.00 pm, and allowing for thirty minutes travel between slots and six day opening, this provides the business with seven retailing slots per day, equalling 42 retail slots per vehicle per week. To enable the business to operate on the basis of offering competitive prices, it is the intention of the proprietor to develop a partnership relationship with an existing grocery distribution or retailing brand so that the business will gain low cost competitive advantage[ii] from the economies of scale that partner can offer. The will enhance the ability of the business to deliver consumer satisfaction and at the same time assist in the development of a loyal customer relationship. 2.2 Business Objectives The objective for the business is to create a quality alternative convenience shopping experience for the consumer, one that will bring quality service at competitive prices. In addition, this experience will address the true meaning of convenience, being located a few steps away from their door at a time when they need to avail themselves of the products being offered for sale. Following the successful establishment of this pilot business, for the longer term the proprietor is considering commencing a franchise operation that will expand into other rural locations throughout the UK and Ireland. 2.3 Current Situation and Background The growth of supermarket chains within the past few decades, with their share of the grocery market rising to 75% in 2006[iii] together with the increased costs of running a local business, has led to the demise of many local stores during the course of the past few decades, a position that experts expect to continue[iv]. In many rural areas this has created a situation where consumers have been left with no local stores, forcing them in some instances to travel reasonable distances to do their daily and weekly shopping in out of area stores. Of itself, this presents difficulties for the elderly, single parent families and those with business rural lifestyles. Valuable time and money is having to be spent by these consumers in having to arrange for transportation or to take time off work in order to do their shopping at distant supermarkets. Furthermore, there is a need to purchase additional supplies during these visits as they have no convenient store from which to satisfy sudden extra need or impulse buying requirements. The disadvantage of this situation is that any price benefit gained from their shopping is eroded by the extra cost and inconveniences they experience. It is these problems that our mobile service is intended to address. Between once and twice a week our mobile stores will bring convenience back to the local area. It will reduce the trauma of having to make time consuming and difficult trips for the elderly and those who have time limitations. Furthermore, the small price differential between our products and those offered by distant stores will be more than offset by the cost saving of the travel involved. 2.4 Financial Situation and Legal Requirements As this is a new business, there is no financial background to rely upon. However, a detailed financial plan has been constructed and is attached within the appendices at the end of this plan. This shows that the business requires funding of  £X,XXX,XXX to complete its programme. To facilitate the attractiveness of the investment, it is intended to set the business up as a limited company, which will provide the investor with formal shares, which will pay out dividends as well as having the potential for capital gain return. In terms of legal requirements, the owners are aware that the business will need to comply with all the health and safety regulations relating to food retailing. In addition, if the product range is to include alcoholic, tobacco and other legally controlled products, the relevant licences will need to be applied for. Section 3 – Industry Analysis 3.1 Industry Description Latest statistics show that the numbers of local and convenience stores, particular those that are independent, are continuing to decline[v], and there is little sign of this situation being reversed within the foreseeable future. The statistics also show that the position in respect of independent stores is being exacerbated by the increase in the share that supermarkets and multiples are taking of the convenience retailing market. For example, Tesco now has a 6% share of the convenience store market[vi]. However, the supermarkets and multiples, despite the inroads they are making into this market segment, still have catchment area criteria that need to be met before they will consider opening a convenience store in a specific location. This means that consumers in the less densely populated and more rural areas of the country, as is the case in North Wales, are the losers, as these larger organisations do not consider the replacement of closed down stores in these areas as being ec onomically viable, which thus leaves consumers in these areas bereft of the convenience retailing services available to their suburban neighbours. Indeed, a recent report showed that between 2002 and 2006, 7,337 or 4 independent retailers a week were forced to close this businesses, which shows the significant scale of the problem that has been created[vii]. However, demographic statistics show that the consumer segmentation is changing. The UK consumer population is aging, particularly in rural areas[viii] as are the general lifestyle and social habits of the population as a whole. Similarly, there is increasing pressures being seen to affect long distance shopping experiences, which includes the rise in traffic congestion problems, environmental concerns, both in terms of climate and the degeneration of local community life. As a result of these issues, consumers are increasingly turning towards convenience shopping as being a more appropriate alternative. By bringing a mobile service to rural areas, our business offers the consumer in those areas the ability to have that choice. 3.2 Industry Growth Despite the decline in the number of independent retail outlets, and a slow down in the growth of supermarket growth over the past few years[ix], one area of industry grown that has maintained a fairly consistent level of increase is the convenience store sector. The IGD[x] report in 2007 shows that there was a growth of 4.9% in this sector in 2006, which took its revenues to over  £26 billion, with expectations that this figure will exceed  £35 billion by 2012. 3.3 Future Industry Developments A Datamonitor report in 2007[xi] shows that the grocery market is perhaps the most competitive in UK retailing. This report confirms the research conducted by IGD in terms of the consumer’s control over the development of this sector, forecasting that in the next five year it is the changes in consumer perception and demand that will drive the market segmentation and, as has been seen, this is moving more towards convenience and local shopping as is predicted by IGD. However, neither of these reports, or other market observations, see the independent store sector recovering. With the decline of independents expected to continue, this provides additional opportunities for a business such as the one NWMG is proposing to develop in an area that is expected to suffer significantly from this decline. Section 4 Market Summary 4.1 Market Analysis The grocery retailing market can be divided into three main segments. These are the supermarkets and multiples, who between them now how a share approaching 90% of the total market, leaving the co-operatives and independents with the balance[xii]. However, as a recent economic report produced by Defra[1] in (2003, p.18)[xiii]reveals, the situation is different in Wales, which has the highest number of non-superstores per 100,000 of population in the UK. It can thus be deduced that the continual closure pattern of independent stores is likely to affect North Wales, a more rural area of the country, to a greater degree than other areas of Wales and the UK, increasing the gap in the marketplace for the consumer orientated local store provision to be filled. However, with the problems of cost, competitive pricing and market share penetration affecting local stores the most, the meeting of consumer demands can be seen to be more appropriately filled through the introduction of the more fl exible mobile store business model that is being proposed by NWMG. 4.2 Market Segmentation In terms of segmentation of the North Wales market, the Defra report mentioned in section 4.1 also reveals that, in comparison with the rest of the UK, a high proportion of the Welsh population employment is concentrated in rural areas. Another report conducted by Swansea University also show that the age demographics in Wales is changing, with an above average growth of population in North Wales between 1981 and 2001 and an 88% increase in the numbers of people aged 75 and over in the three decades to 2001[xiv] These statistics show the potential for the increased need for convenience grocery retailing in the area, and a need that is set to continue to rise during the coming decades. 4.3 Market Research Undertaking the market research, the results of which have been presented within this business plan, has helped the Proprietor of NWMG to identify the potential for the mobile grocery concept envisaged. For example, it has determined that there is a gap in the market that provides opportunity for business growth and also that the segmentation of population and the market performance are conducive to enabling the business to achieves its goals and objectives, both in terms of market share and financial projections. Furthermore, this research has confirmed that the consumer perception and demand is continuing to focus upon convenience â€Å"time limited† shopping rather than the â€Å"marathon† shops that were prevalent in the early days of supermarket expansion, which also fits in with the structure of the mobile store concept. 4.4 Competition Analysis There is no doubt that the UK retail grocery sector is dominated by supermarkets and multiples and these represent a formidable force of competition. However, the Defra (2003, p.12) report referred to previously shows that in Wales, these retailers control under a third of the retailing stores per 100,000 people, when compared with independent stores. The geographical and widespread demographics of North Wales also make supermarket growth and penetration more difficult than it would be in a more suburban area. Another area of competition may also occur from smaller independent stores within close proximity to the areas that the NWMG business will be servicing, although it is considered that the price differentiation will limit the response from this sector of the market. Therefore, it is considered that, although competition from these sectors would be strong, some of that strength would be dissipated by these demographic obstructions. 4.5 Competition Strengths Irrespective of the last comment made within the last section, the competition to NWMG does have some considerable areas of strength. Some of their main strengths emanate from their position of size and market dominance. For example, the economies of size[xv]and brand awareness give these businesses the financial and loyalty ability to be able to react positively and aggressively to any new market entrant. It is partly for these reasons that NWMG is seeking a partnership with an established brand to assist with the development of its business model. 4.6 Competition Weaknesses However, as has briefly referred to earlier, there are some weaknesses that attach to the competition as well. Foe example, the low area concentration of the North Wales population and the geographical structure of the region make it more difficult for theses larger stores to be able to find suitable stores to fulfil the standard criterion that is needed before development is commenced. Similarly, the governments current determination to regenerate rural communities is also having a restrictive impact on the major chain development programmes. Finally, the supermarket growth is particularly constrained by the regulatory conditions laid down by the monopolies commission in terms of limits to market share positions. These issues will assist NWMG by muting any negative response form these competitors to its entry into the convenience market sector. The proprietor of NWMG has used the market research conducted, in conjunction with other efforts, to endeavour to closely define the target market for the business. The result of this research conclusion is that the target market will be concentrated upon three main types of consumers. The first, and perhaps primary market segment will be the older age segmentation. The inherent difficulties in terms of cost and transportation that these people experience as a result of the loss of their local stores. This is in addition to the desire these people have to reviving local facilities. Secondly, there is the large segment of the population that is employed in rural areas. Because of the constraints of their employment, these people do not have the ability to be able to access distant stores with the same ease as those who are employed within a more suburban or town location. Whether they are employed or self-employed, this sector of the population do not afforded the luxury of being able to pop to the local store at lunchtime or during a break. The final segment of the population being targeted is the singles market. This includes single parents who cannot afford to spend the time travelling to distant stores due to their child commitments, such as school runs etc., an d those people who live on their own and do not wish to spend the time or expense travelling long distances to purchase a ready meal of few items of grocery needs. The local position of the North West Mobile Grocery mobile stores together with their ease of accessibility, predetermined time slots that will be maintained on a regular basis and the price competitiveness of the products is seen to be addressing the concerns and demands of all of these target segments. As seen from the attached cash flows, the owner intends to spend the first month organising the refurbishment and conversion of the vehicles used for the service, the estimated costs for which have already been provided. In addition, this time will also be spent in putting into place all of the other capital expenditure items and implementing the supply, administrative and management systems that are required for a business of this nature. From a retailing aspect, research will be conducted to enable the development of the initial time slot calendar and location rota, which will need to be established to ensure an efficient deployment of staff and vehicles. From the human resource aspect, the employees selected will need to have HGV licences but, as customer service is also an integral part of their duties, it is intended to that the necessary training is undertaken by these employees to ensure they can interact with the customers in an effective and appropriate manner, thus building a relationship that will enhance the business product and create a loyalty factor that will continue to improve customer retention. Another step in the initial development process for the business will be to address the issue of location parking. In addition to public parking availability it is also intended to enter into discussions with owners of Public Houses, elderly care homes, local farmers and local village community centres to assess the viability of these sites being used where appropriate. These have the added advantage of potentially attracting custom from those who frequent those establishments. As the business grows, the product range is likely to increase. Additionally, as customer relationships develop it is intended to introduce a limited request service that ensures the product range continues to reflect the products that customers require. Section  5 Sales and Marketing 5.1 Marketing Strategies As the intention is for the business to position itself as a time determined local convenience store, a major part of the marketing strategy is to deliver the vehicle to specific locations at time slots that equate to local needs. For example, in areas of higher employment, these would be prior to office hours, lunchtimes and after office hours. Similarly, for areas with a high concentration of elderly and family residents, the mid-morning and mid-afternoon time slots are perceived to be more appropriate. 5.2 Unique selling point The unique selling points of this particular business model, apart from the intention for the retailing opportunity to be where the consumer needs it at the time it is needed, is to maintain a competitive price, service and product range advantage. The partnership connection is particularly important in regards to the first and last of these advantages in that it will enable NWMG to keep prices at a level where the differential between these and distant store prices will be offset by the cost and time saving of making such a trip. 5.3 Media, promotion strategy and advertising campaign Because of the nature and geographic area of the business, the media and promotional strategy will be localised, using newspaper, local radio and TV stations to promote the business. The approach will be further enhanced with the delivery of direct flyers, which will introduce the service and market research conducted through local questionnaires and interviews. This type of direct consumer feedback is considered to be essential for both the establishment of and future growth of the business. It also allows for the employees to begin to develop a customer relationship, whilst at the same time assisting the business in determining that it’s strategy is delivering to customer needs and satisfaction. 5.5 Budget The budget details for the sales and marketing programme are addressed in more details within the cash flow projections. However, because of the localised nature of the business and the direct interaction with customers that will be achieved during retailing activities and the market research programme, it is not considered that a substantial budget will be required for this area of the business overheads. In this area also, in addition to comparing actual with budget coats, a system for monitoring the return on marketing expense will be maintained The predominant owner of this business will the author this report, who intends to invest  £30,000 of his own capital into the project. With the objective of forming a partnership with large grocery brand distributor or retailer, it is anticipated that this partner will be offered a position on the board of the limited company. The responsibility will be shared by these board members in the following manner. With regard to the day-to-day business activities and development, the author will be responsible for this areas. The new board members will have responsibility for product development and assisting in the development of the business retailing strategy for the future. In addition to senior management, the business will employ four full time personnel. All of these employees will be required to have HGV licences and, as previously indicated, undergo customer relationship training. The employees will work in pairs on the two vehicles, dividing the responsibility of driving and retailing appropriately, with required rest periods being taken during the times when the vehicles are at a static location. To ensure that the required hours of employment are maintained the proprietor, who has an HGV licence, will act as a relief driver for part of the week on each vehicle. It is anticipated that the above management and employee structure will serve the business during the course of the first year years of operation. Where required, other expertise will be engaged on an â€Å"as and when† required basis to deal with legal, accounting and taxation issues that affect the business. Section  6 – Financial considerations 6.1 Pricing strategy Although, due to the additional costs of transportation, staff, economies of scale and other overhead cost that attach to the type of business being operated by NWMG it will not be possible to maintain prices as low as those offered by supermarkets, as mentioned earlier, through the facilities offered by the intended partnership connection, including the economies of scale this provides, the pricing of products will be maintained at a competitive level for the local consumption and will largely by offset by savings that consumers achieve from lessening distant shopping trips. 6.2 Projected sales In terms of the projection for sales, it is anticipated that the business will experience a reasonably significant rise in sales revenue within the first six to nine months of operations. From the position at the end of the first year the objective is to achieve an annual sales increase of around two and a quarter times in year two and approximately a third in year three. Although part of these sales progressions will come from product range and price increases, most of the increase will result from the business attracting an increased customer bases and encouraging additional purchases. The progression from year four onwards is likely to demand an increase in the number of routes covered, which will require additional vehicles and staff levels. All of these intentions have been incorporated within the projected cash flow forecasts and account statements that are attached in appendices one to three at the conclusion of this plan. 6.2 Other financial considerations As can be seen from the cash flows, the majority of the capital investment for the business will be required within the initial months of trading. In total, these capital costs can be identified as follows: Retail equipment includes chip and pin and remote stock control programmes. Of this capital  £27,000 of the vehicle is intended to be met through the provision of a six year hire purchase agreement, with the balance of the funding being achieved through the initial capital investments. As a point of interest, it is also intended to replace the business vehicles on a four year cycle, using the asset replacement fund, as this will maintain the professional image of the business and reduce the amount of maintenance costs expended during their usage. The total financial requirement of the business is  £75,000, which is anticipated to be met by a  £25,000 investment from the proprietor and the remainder from the partnering organisation. In exchange for the partner’s investment, they will receive 45% of the business shares and the remainder of their investment will form the basis of the share premium account noted on the balance sheets. Appendices Appendix 1 – Cash Flow Forecasts Notes to the cash flow Number of weeks is counted by reference to the number of Saturdays in the month No account has been taken for VAT and Corporation tax at this stage Product price increases have not been taken into account as it is considered that these will be offset by increased costs A contingency amount of 1% has been allowed to account for any unexpected expenses North Wales Mobile Grocery Service Cash Flow Forecast Year to April 2009

Rene Descartes is a Rationalist :: Rationalism vs Empiricism

There is a distinct difference between rationalism and empiricism. In fact, they are very plainly the direct opposite of each other. Rationalism is the belief in innate ideas, reason, and deduction. Empiricism is the belief in sense perception, induction, and that there are no innate ideas. With rationalism, believing in innate ideas means to have ideas before we are born.-for example, through reincarnation. Plato best explains this through his theory of the forms, which is the place where everyone goes and attains knowledge before they are taken back to the â€Å"visible world†. Innate ideas can explain why some people are just naturally better at some things than other people are- even if they have had the same experiences. Believing that reason is the main source of knowledge is another clear distinction of rationalism. Rationalists believe that the 5 senses only give you opinions, not reasons. For example, in Descartes’ wax argument, he explains how a candle has one shape to begin with- but once the candle is lit, it begins to melt, lose its fragrance, and take on a completely different shape than it had started with. This argument proves that our senses can be deceiving and that they should not be trusted. Deduction is the third characteristic of rationalism, which is to prove something with certainty rather than reason. For example, Descartes attempted to prove the existence of God through deductive reasoning in his third meditation. It went something like this: â€Å"I have an idea of a perfect substance, but I am not a perfect substance, so there is no way I could not be the cause of this idea, so there must be some formal reality which is a perfect substance- like God. Because only perfection can create perfection, and though it can also create imperfection- nothing that is imperfect can create something that is perfect. Unlike rationalists, empiricists believe that sense perception is the main source of knowledge. John Locke explained this by dividing ideas into 2 parts: 1) simple, and 2) complex. Simple ideas are based only on perception, like color, size, shape, etc. Complex ideas are formed when simple ideas are combined. Another belief of empiricists is that ideas are only acquired through experience, and not through innate ideas. Empiricists reject the concept of innate knowledge because, for example, if children had this knowledge, why do they not show it? Like why does a baby need to learn to walk or talk, why does he or she not have this knowledge at birth?

Hatshepsut vs Ramses Ii

RamsesII V. S Hatshepsut 2012 ashley P = 6 Ms. Fiorante 1/1/2012 RamsesII: The great pharaoh 1279 B. C – 1213 B. C Hatshepsut: The first women pharaoh 1479 B. C – 1457 B. C Intro If someone were to ask me to name a famous pharaoh of ancient Egypt, some of the names that would come to mind would be Hatshepsut & Ramses II. Why would these names cup up in my mind it’s because Hatshepsut was the first women pharaoh. Next, Ramses II came up to my mind because he was buried with most of his items.If you wonder what is RamsesII of Hatshepsut . I recommend you to sit back and read on. I sure you will find your answer. Body#1 Hatshepsut Hatshepsut was famous for many things. Do you know why she is famous well if you don’t know its okay? She was the first women pharaoh!!! Hatshepsut was willing to even wear man clothing and a false beard so the Egyptian people take her seriously. Also, Hatshepsut increased trade too. She dies in the year 1457 B. C, no one knows how she really dies but it was between murders or died of old age.The cause of us not knowing how she dies was, because ThumoseIII trying to erase the name in history but it was a fail. Body#2 RamsesII RamsesII was famous for many things. Do you know why he is famous well if you don’t know its okay? He was a Great War leader!!! RamsesII defeated 40,000 Hittites. Also, RamsesII sign the peace treaty with the Hittites until his death. Legend says that he had 100 children. He die in the year 1213B. C, he die at the age 86. RamsesII was a great leader. Body#3 My Pharaoh Who is the better pharaoh for me you may ask.Well for me I think it will be Hatshepsut. Well I chose Hatshepsut because she is a lady. Also, she increase & trade with order tribes. Lastly she is willing to do many thing for the people take her seriously . concluding Hatshepsut is a better leader for me. Conclusion Today we learn about two pharaohs Hatshepsut & RamsesII. Examples, Hatshepsut was the first women pharaoh . A another example is RamsesII defeated 40,000 Hittites. Also, RamsesII sign the peace treaty with the Hittites and lasted until his death. Today we learn many thing and I have to say good bye and thank for reading.

Why We Can t Wait By Martin Luther King - 902 Words

Martin Luther King’s work, â€Å"Why We Can’t Wait,† describes the struggles of being an African American in the United States in the 1960s. He opens the book with a brief comparison of two young black children, a boy living in Harlem, New York, and a girl living in Birmingham, Alabama. Both children live in poverty and in a world with limited opportunities. By drawing this comparison, King confirms that racism is a national problem and not only a problem present in the South. King illustrates throughout the book that racism and discrimination not only affects African American families, but also white families. He describes opportunities that both races miss because of discrimination. The missed opportunities include: park closings because of the refusal to abide by a court ruling to have them integrated, baseball teams disbanded instead of letting black players join, and lastly, an orchestra refusing to come to Birmingham to perform for a segregated audience. Tw o very important themes that are illustrated throughout the book are hatred and moving forward. These themes are expressed and examined by King throughout the book and provide insight on the damaging effects of racism and what Americans should do to improve these conditions. Throughout the book King describes the hatred that African Americans endured in the 1960s. King states, â€Å"The newspaper of May 4 carried pictures of prostrate women, and policemen bending over them with raised clubs; of children marching up to theShow MoreRelatedWhy We Can t Wait By Martin Luther King Jr1254 Words   |  6 PagesIn Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King Jr, Martin describes the weather and also implies that the civil rights movement were like the severe weather in 1962-63. He compared the harsh weather with the discrimination that black people were trying to overcome. In addition, black people were facing judgment, unfairness, poverty and lack of education. However, today black peo ple often can get what they want and they come together and fight for their freedom and justice. Martin defines the year betweenRead MoreWhy We Can t Wait By Martin Luther King, Jr.994 Words   |  4 PagesIn the narrative Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr., published in 1964, King describes the struggles African Americans faced to receive equal rights. During the 1960s the Civil Rights movement was in full swing. The year 1963 is referred to as the beginning of the â€Å"Negro Revolution†. In the introduction of this narrative King compares the lives of two African American children. By using one child from Harlem, New York and one from Birmingham, Alabama, King explains how they faced similarRead MoreWhy We Can t Wait By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.918 Words   |  4 Pages Why We Can’t Wait, a book by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gives insight on the matters that occurred in Birmingham, 1963. 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