Business Economics
Reasons fuel prices is increased rapidly? * Because of the hurricane Katrina devastation which destroyed nine (9) oil refineries in the US Gulf Cost of Mexico which has resulted in less oil being refined. * Because of the high increase in air travel which has seen the number of passengers traveling in the last ten (10) years doubled. As a result of this passengers are being charged more as it cost airline operators more to fill up their planes due to the limited amount of oil supply available. * Because oil reserves are running out. * Because of China's rapidly expanding economy which has created a huge demand boost. * Because of greater need for crude oil suitable for processing into petrol for the fuel Sport Utility Vehicles. E.g. (SUVs) popular with US drivers. * Due to Global economic expansion which is driving what the International Energy Agency says is the "biggest increase in oil demand for 24 years". * Because as the world major oil consumers remain dependent on the Middle East for their oil, and due to recent violence in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, this has raised fears on interruption to supplies as Iraqi exports have been cut by sabotage attacks on their oil facilities. * Lastly analysts also view that political tension in non-Middle East states such as Nigeria and Venezuela are having the potential to disrupt exports and has a result in prices of oil driving
Sweet Homes Inc. was founded in 1978 by Diamond Inc. to bring the warehouse retailing concept to the home center industry. The company operated retail do-it-yourself (DIY) warehouse stores
SWEET HOMES INC. The difference between a company with a concept and one without is the difference between a stock that sells for 20 times earnings and one that sells for 10 times earnings. Sweet Homes Inc. is definitely a concept stock and it has he multiple to prove it- 27 to 28 times likely earnings in the current fiscal year. On the face of it, Sweet Homes might Seem like a tough one for concept managers to work with. It is a chain of hardware stores. These Hardware stores are huge warehouse outlets - 60,000 - 80,000 feet space. You can fit a awful lot of saws in these and still have plenty of room left over to knock together a very decent concept. The truth is, the warehouse notion is the hottest thing in retail these days. Sweet homes buys in quantum quantities which mean its suppliers are eager to keep within its good graces and hence provide it with lot of extra service. The company , as it happens is a master in promotion and pricing. It has 22 stores, all of them located where the sun shines all the time. Growth has been sizzling, Revenues are mere $22millon is fiscal '80 shot past the quarter billion mark three years later. As to earnings, they have climbed from 2 cnts in fiscal '80 to 60 cents in the fiscal year coming to an end [in Jan, 1985] They're confidently estimating 30% growth in the new fiscal year as well. COMPANY BACKGROUND Sweet Homes Inc. was
Business (Thames Water), Strenghts, Recommendations and Conclusion
Strengths: - The strengths refer to the competitive advantages and other distinctive competencies that a company can exert in the marketplace. My research has different strengths that include questionnaires, pupils who filled the questionnaires, communications with pupils, Interview with staff in the canteen, and Internet reports. The first strength of my primary research was questionnaires. I made approximately 28 questionnaires and distributed in four different year groups. The age range was 14-19 year old which means that I distributed the questionnaires in year 10, year 11, year 12 and year 13. The questionnaires were filled out by both Males and Females. The total numbers of females were 12. However the numbers of male compare to females were high but females filled out the questionnaire in every year. The most common were females. In the questionnaires there were questions about likes & dislikes, packaging and pricing. The questionnaires were the dominant factor for a successful primary research. The students were very helpful as I approach to them with questionnaires they filled it out happily with no bad communication. They filled out the questionnaires with hustling. They wrote truthful information about what they think of water. The secondary research includes two different types of researches. The first one was with the canteen staff followed by Internet
Unit 12 - International Dimensions of Business - Task 4
Task 4 For the final task of this unit, I will be critically appraising the advantages and disadvantages of the growth and influence of a MNC (multi-national company) of my choice. With this, I will be examining the strategic reasons for expansion whilst examining the impact it would have/has on a developing host country in terms of factors such as consumer's choice, employment rates, individuals/citizens, other businesses (competition), etc. Finally, I will also be assessing the impact it has on developed host countries and the impact it would have on their governments. The business I have decided to choose is Ryan Air because as I have been working on it throughout this unit, I believe I will find it easier to relate certain to topics and theories to it. Strategic Reasons why RyanAir Expanded For the first part of this task, I will be giving strategic reasons why RyanAir decided to expand internationally. First and foremost, most basic reason why RyanAir must have wanted to expand internationally is because that is the concept of what flight services are, going from one country to another consistently and safely and as this is RyanAir's service there was basically no other choice but to expand. However. Below are some other basic strategic reasons as to why they may have decided to expand. Geographic Diversion (RyanAir) Geographic diversion is a situation where
Tescos - types of stores, services offered and the people who worked there.
Introduction Tesco is the biggest private sector employer in the UK with over 250,000 employees and over 1,800 stores. Tesco works hard to meet its customers' needs and that's the only reason Tesco is successful. Tesco has four different store formats, each tailored to customers' needs, and these four store formats are as following: * Express (up to 3,000 sq ft) * Metro (approx. 7,000-15,000 sq ft) * Superstore (approx. 20,000-50,000 sq ft) * Extra (approx. 60,000 sq ft and above) Express Express stores offer customers great value, quality and fresh food close to where they live and work. Tesco opened its first Express store in 1994 and now they have over 650 stores selling a range of up to 7,000 lines including fresh produce, wines and spirits and in-store bakery. Metro store Tesco opened its first Metro in 1992, bringing the convenience of Tesco to town and city centre locations. Metros cater for thousands of busy customers each week and offer a tailored range of food lines, including ready-meals and sandwiches. Superstore Tesco began opening superstores in the 1970s and during the 1980s and 1990s built a national network, to which they are adding every year. Tesco has an ongoing programme of extending and refreshing its superstores to improve the overall experience for customers. In recent years Tesco has introduced a number of new non-food ranges into
Evaluate the costs and benefits for UK fashion retailers of sourcing products from India
Evaluate the costs and benefits for UK fashion retailers of sourcing products from India Outsourcing your company abroad involves buying in from another business inputs that were previously created in the firm. It is integral for both cutting costs and benefiting from high quality products as well as gaining from specialisation. Outsourcing part of your business opens up a world of opportunities such as the ability to maximize your revenue and minimize your expenses, the access to specialized skills and services, the prospect to concentrate more on your core business and to therefore save on money, time and infrastructure. Outsourcing to countries such as India can give you access to cost-effective services. The same services with the same level of quality are offered in India for a much lower cost! In the UK the labour cost for manufacturing clothes are extortionate due to government legislations such as the minimum wage and taxes etc, and by outsourcing to India you can help you save up to 60% of your total costs when outsourced! Outsourcing enables you gain access to high-quality services at a cost-effective price. Another benefit of outsourcing is that you can save on every aspect of your business and increase your profits. When you outsource, you can save on time, effort, infrastructure and manpower. Since you don't have to invest in infrastructure, you can also
Cadburys Aims and Objectives
Welcome to Cadburys, we are a very successful business. We currently have 59,000 employees working at Cadburys. This is a small introduction into our business, the new aims and objectives we have and would like to include you with us in helping the business grow and meet its aims and their objectives. This two-page document explains our aims and objectives and how we intend to meet them. Cadburys Aims and Objectives Aims Objectives Deliver superior shareowner performance -This aim was made to help Cadburys to deliver superior return to their shareowners. This will be done by increase in business performance. Cadburys measure shareowner returns by looking at the total return on their shares, or TSR (share price growth plus the value of reinvested dividends). Delivering superior business performance. In 2008 and 2009 we are hoping to increase our sales by another 5%. Execute Fuel for Growth and focus on Free Cash Flow - Our Cash Flow for the year was £200m, down from £400m we aim to raise it to 400m again. Profitably secure and grow regional beverages share. -This aim was made for Cadburys to increase the product that they supply all over the globe so that they can increase market share. Invest, innovate and execute - In the UK, there have been a increase of the rate of innovation and our marketing spend in the second half of the year with the creation of new
Domestic tourism is important to the UK because the more people that stay within the country to take their holidays means more money staying within the UK.
Unit 3 Assignment 4 Task 1 - P4 Domestic tourism is when people that live in the UK take a break or a holiday within in the UK. Domestic tourism is important to the UK because the more people that stay within the country to take their holidays means more money staying within the UK. According to Star UK, UK residents took 151 million domestic overnight trips in 2005 and they spent £14 billion. The £14 billion that was spent from domestic tourists meant that money stayed within the UK rather than going to other countries outside of the UK. There is a range of different domestic tourism markets, which the travel and tourism industry need to, provide for. These include: educational, families, business and couples. All of these tourism markets are looking for different needs within their holidays. Due to the recent recession more honeymoon couples are taking their honeymoons within the UK as it is cheaper than going abroad. Honeymoon couples will require different needs to general tourists, as they want to make their trip special. Honeymoon couples will be looking for a 4 or 5 star hotel to stay in. they will want to look at what facilities they have such as do they provide champagne on arrival to they have an area to relax in such as a spa and what type of meals do they provide. The location of the hotel will be important to the couple as they will need to be able to
How does Toyota Prius gain from Globalisation
Globalisation is the growth of a business to a worldwide scale. This allows them to trade anywhere in the world due to advancing technology and greater openness. This has made it easier for firms to buy their supplies from a wider range of businesses and sell their products anywhere in the world. Different governments and businesses have different views; many believe that freer trade between nations will offer prosperity and growth for all countries and businesses. The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric car, developed and manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation. The Prius was the first mass produced hybrid vehicle and was first sold in 1997 in Japan. It was later introduced worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in more than 40 countries and regions, with its largest markets being those in Japan and North America. Toyota announced in 2007 that it had sold 1 million hybrid vehicles globally, and 757,600 of those were Prius. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the 2008 Prius is the most fuel efficient car sold in the U.S. The UK department for transport also reported the Prius to be one of the least CO2 emitting vehicles on sale in the UK. The Prius has had a global effect as it has reduced CO2 emissions by 4.5 million tonnes as compared with the conventional vehicles they have replaced. Demand for the Prius in 1997 was low, because the product
Analysing Marketing Activities
Analysing Marketing Activities of Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club The marketing activities had to be improved, in order for Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness club to achieve their aims and objectives. These aims were to maximise the sales of the club and make profit. To survive and grow and most importantly improve their quality of service, therefore the club will be focusing directly on the needs and wants of their customers. The club carried out marketing activities after collecting qualitative information by running a primary research, which identifies their customer's needs that they can achieve so their members will be satisfied with the services they are providing. Market research is the systematic collection and analysis of data to enable a business to take better quality marketing decisions. The type of market research that the club conducts is mainly focus groups. This type of market research involves discussions with a selected group of individuals who answers questionnaires and fill out survey forms, to gain information about their views and experiences of a topic. The club's focus groups research was done with members of the club to record their views and opinions about the club and how it can be improved. The information that the club's focus groups collected are primary data that is categorized as qualitative information. Qualitative information cannot be
