Coffee Shop Business Plan In Australia †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Coffee Shop Business Plan In Australia. Answer: Introduction: Organizational Structure Location The Sunrise Coffee Shop will be located in the prime section of the commercial, shopping, entertainment, and tourist district of the downtown Queensland. The caf will be located on the ground floor in a location which offers a beautiful view of the busy district and is still away from the hustle and bustle of the downtown. Its a busy place throughout the year and offers an opportunity for generating good business all the year round (Hu, 2014). Renting the shop During the start up phase we plan to rent the premises and a beautiful 2500 square foot space has been leased for a period of 2 years, which was earlier occupied by a book caf. The place has an eclectic feel to it and the woodwork and interiors are aesthetically suitable for the atmosphere we would like to create in our coffee shop (Ruta, Saul, Tomasz, 2012). Management Team In the coffee business the staff and the team make a huge difference to the sales as people look for a coffee culture and not just the beverage. Themanagement team of the Sunrise Coffee shop would be led by a manager who already has a five year experience in themanagement aspects of the beverage industry and is well versed with the inventory requirements of a Coffee shop and will devise business strategies and look after other marketing and managerial functions and the daily operations of the Sunrise Coffee (Bouncken, Kraus, 2013). Besides the manager there will be three full time baristas who would be in-charge of the coffee preparations. To meet the other staffing needs, six more employees would be hired on a part-time basis in the first year of the operation. Looking at the sales volume the strength of the part time employees would be increased accordingly in the second year (Hu, 2014). Mission and vision The Sunrise Coffee shop would like to create a unique place in the busy world today, where the people would like to come, sit down, and read or socialize over a cup of their favourite coffee and a bite of the best pastry in town. It will be a place where we hope to provide an ambience, a customer friendly serving staff, and some of the best coffee. We want the Sunrise Coffee to be a place where people can get rid of their tension and stress and enjoy a leisure time with their coffee (Xie, Zhang, Zhang, 2014). Objectives The main objectives for the Sunrise Coffee in the first year are: To make it to the list of the Best Coffee Shops by the local coffee bar and restaurant guide book and be the most preferred destination for a coffee experience in the district. To achieve a 20% profit margin towards the end of the first financial year and increase the profit margin by a minimum of 5% every subsequent year (DaSilva, Trkman, 2014). Products and Services The main product offering of the Sunrise Coffee will be roasted gourmet coffees with varieties like espresso, cappuccino, candy-bar latte, carmelicious, Mocha, White mocha, and brewed coffee. The coffees will be offered with skimmed and whole milk and also an option of soy milk. Along with the coffee line we also plan to offer teas, some other refreshment beverages, and pastries and sandwiches to go along with the beverages. We also plan to sell coffee beans to our gourmet clientele (Xie, Zhang, Zhang, 2014). External environmental factors affecting business There is high rate of both entry and exit in the coffee shop business because there are very few entry barriers to the industry in Australia. However, the coffee shops and caf industry in Australia has reflected a strong growth and is expected to grow even further as the economy of the country strengthens further. The industry revenue forecast for the industry predicts a growth rate of 4% every year over the period of the next five years starting from the year 2016-17 (Cafes and Coffee Shops in Australia, n.d.). The demand for good quality gourmet coffee has increased in Australian consumers to such a level that even during the phase of global economic recession the coffee industry continued its growth in profits as compared to the other sectors of the food and hospitality industry. This has increased the demand for smaller coffee shops and gourmet coffee houses in the different locations in the city where consumers have a quick reach to their favourite blends of coffee (Caf or coffee shop - Business ABLIS, n.d.). The start up costs of a coffee shop is pretty low as compared to the other industries. The coffee machines can be a costly equipment to be purchased by a new entrant and the best models can cost anything near $ 10000. However, coffee machines along with the other equipment and fittings can be leased, making it much more cost effective in the initial years. The industry is very fragmented and the coffee shops have a much lower share of market concentration in comparison to the other industries (Cafes and Coffee Shops in Australia, n.d.). Risks confronting the business A coffee shop is a very customer service oriented business and therefore the risk that the services might not live up to the standards perceived by the customers can prove to be bad for the business. The industry suffers from a high rate of employee turnover especially in the casual staff and this may affect the services being offered by the coffee shop adversely. Since the coffee industry has very few entry barriers, therefore it is very important to maintain the high quality of the products being offered at prices which are competitive (Salerno, DaSilva, Bagno, et al, 2015). The coffee shops face a lot of competition not just from the local cafes but also from the big national and international chains like Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and much more. Therefore, one has to plan the marketing and advertising campaigns effectively and aggressively and top up the menu with new product offerings to tap into the target market (Souto, 2015). The pricing of the final products is dependent on the supplier costs. Therefore, the menu has to carefully planned and regulated so that our products can be competitively priced and to ensure that the cost of raw materials does not exceed the cost of sales and the quality is also maintained (Souto, 2015). Business practices to enhance performance The Sunrise Coffee Shops strategy will be to target new customers, retain the old customers, and getting the existing and new customers to come back repeatedly and more often. The USP of the Sunrise Coffee Shop is providing its customer with not just a coffee of their preference but also an ambient environment in which they would like to spend some leisure time. Comfortable sofas instead of chairs and soft music will help the customers feel relaxed and will differentiate The Sunrise Coffee shop from the other competitors in the market (Salazar, Soto, Mosqueda, 2012). The baristas have been all handpicked and have a high level of professionalism along with passion for coffee which reflects in their beverages. The marketing and advertising strategy plans to use this point as a selling point in its promotional campaigns. Sunrise Coffee shop plans to promote the message of environmental awareness through its marketing and advertising campaigns. We also plan to enter into collaboration with the local environment preservation groups and promote both health and environmental awareness on our product packaging and displays in the coffee shop (Velu, 2015). Critical Functions for the business One of the key factors which affect the success rate of a coffee shop business is the target market that you select and devising a business strategy to focus on that particular segment. Another factor is to manage the cash flows and quality controls in the coffee shop and to hire not just skilled baristas but also good business managers. The other crucial element is to operate the coffee shop at full capacity and also be flexible enough to adjust the products and services according to the changing dynamics of the target customers (Saeed, Henk, Ilan, 2017). References Bouncken B. Ricardo, Kraus Sascha (2013). Innovation in knowledge-intensive industries: The double-edged sword of cooperation. Journal of Business Research, Volume 66, Issue 10, pp. 2060-2070. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296313000568 Cafes and Coffee Shops in Australia. (n.d.). Retrieved August 09, 2017, from https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry-trends/market-research-reports/accommodation-food-services/cafes-coffee-shops.html Caf or coffee shop - Business - ABLIS. (n.d.). Retrieved August 9, 2017, from https://ablis.business.gov.au/QLD/resource/ DaSilva M. Carlos, Trkman Peter (2014). Business Model: What it is and What it is not. Long Range Planning, Volume 47, Issue 6, pp. 379-389. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024630113000502 Hu Baoliang (2014). Linking business models with technological innovation performance through organizational learning. EuropeanManagement Journal, Volume 32, Issue 4, pp. 587-595. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263237313001254 RutaAidis, Saul Estrin, Tomasz Marek Mickiewicz (2012). Size matters: entrepreneurial entry and government. Small Business Economics, Springer Publication, Volume 39, Issue 1, pp. 119-139. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11187-010-9299-y SaeedKhanagha, HenkVolberda, IlanOshri (2017). Customer co-creation and exploration of emerging technologies: The mediating role of managerial attention and initiatives. Long Range Planning, Volume 50, Issue 2, pp. 221-242. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024630115000953 Salazar L. Alejandra, Soto C. Ricardo, Mosqueda E. Rafael (2012). The impact of financial decisions and strategy on small business competitiveness. Global Journal of Business Research, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 93-103. Retrieved from: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1945906 Salerno S. Mario, daSilva O. Debora, Bagno B. Raoni, et al. (2015). Innovation processes: which process for which project.Technovation, Volume 35, pp. 59-70. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166497214001072 Souto E. Jaime (2015). Business model innovation and business concept innovation as the context of incremental innovation and radical innovation. Tourism Management, Volume 51, pp. 142-155. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517715001120 VeluChander (2015). Business model innovation and third-party alliance on the survival of new firms. Technovation, Volume 35, pp. 1-11. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166497214001291 Xie L. Karen, Zhang Zili, Zhang Ziqiong (2014). The business value of online consumer reviews and management response to hotel performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, Volume 43, pp. 1-12. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027843191400125X

Matts Ethical Dilemma People and the Standards

Question: Mini-case study: Matts Ethical Dilemma(Adapted from Management Accounting, 4th Edition, D.R. Hansen and M. M. Mowen, 1997, South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati OH)This mini case study is designed to encompass the following graduate skills/capabilities: written communication in the form of a brief written report, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, information literacy and ethical awareness and of course, improving your basic understanding of professional accounting practice. Feedback will be given on your assignment and your grade will be available in the Grade Book on LMS.Stephanie Birchgrove, manager and owner of an advertising company in Melbourne, Victoria has arranged a meeting with Matt Rankin, the chief accountant of a large, local competitor. The two are lifelong friends. They had grown up together in a small Victorian country town and attended the same primary and secondary schools and university.Matt was a competent, successful accountant with FCPA designation but currently was experiencing some personal financial difficulties. The financial problems were created by some investments that had turned sour, leaving him with a $100,000 personal loan to pay off just at the time his eldest son was scheduled to commence his secondary education at an expensive private school.Stephanie on the other hand, was struggling to establish a successful advertising business. She had recently required the franchise rights to open a branch office of a large regional advertising firm, headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. During her first two years, she managed to build a small profitable practice, however, the chance to gain a significant foothold in the Melbourne advertising community hinged on the success of winning a bid to represent the state of Victoria in a major advertising campaign to attract new industry and tourism. The meeting she had scheduled with Matt concerned the bid she planned to submit.Stephanie: Matt, Im at a critical p oint in my business venture. If I can win the bid for the states advertising dollars, Ill be set. Winning the bid will bring in $6,000,000 to $7,000,000 of revenues into the firm. On top of that, I estimate that the publicity will bring in another $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 of new business.Matt: I understand. My boss is anxious to win that business as well. It would mean a huge increase in profits for my firm. Its a competitive business, though. As new as you are, I doubt that youll have much chance of winning.Stephanie: You may be wrong. Youre forgetting two very important considerations. First, I have the backing of all the resources and talent of a regional firm. Second, I have some political connections. Last year, I was hired to run the publicity side of the Premiers election campaign. He was impressed with my work and would like me to have this business. I am confident that the proposals I submit will be very competitive. My only concern is to submit a bid that beats your firm. If I come in with a lower bid and with good proposals, the Premier can see to it that I get the work. Matt: Sounds promising. If you do win, however, there will be a lot of upset people. After all, they are going to claim that the business should have been given to a local advertising firm, not to some out-of-state firm. Given the size of your office, youll have to get support from Adelaide. You could take a lot of heat.Stephanie: True. But I am the owner of the branch office. That fact alone should blunt most of the criticism. Who can argue that Im not local? Listen, with your help, I think I can win this bid. Furthermore, if I do win it, you can reap some direct benefits. With that kind of business, I can afford to hire an accountant, and Ill make it worthwhile for you to transfer jobs. I can offer you an up-front bonus of $15,000. On top of that, Ill increase your annual salary by 20 per cent. That should solve most of your financial difficulties. After all, we have been friends since day one at primary school and what are friends for?Matt: Stephanie, my wife would be ecstatic of I were able to improve our financial position as quickly as this opportunity affords. I certainly hope that you win the bid. What kind of help can I provide?Stephanie: It is simple. To win, all I have to do is to beat the bid of your firm. Before I submit my bid, I would like you to review it. With the financial skills that you have, it should be easy for you to spot any excessive cost that I may have included. Or perhaps I included the wrong kind of costs. By cutting excessive costs and eliminating costs that may not be directly related to the bid, my bid should be competitive enough to meet or beat your firms bid.Required:Matt is very worried about the situation he is in. He has asked you to write a very brief confidential report addressing the following: Are Matts instincts correct should he feel some reservations about analysing Stephanies bid? Would it be ethical to analyse Stephanies bid? By analysing Stephanies bid would Matt be violating any the fundamental principles of APES 110 Revised Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (effective 1 July 2011 with early adoption permitted) issued by the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board? The revised APES 110 is available at the following address:https://www.apesb.org.au/issued-standards What would you advise Matt to do? Answer: The matter here mainly deals with the instincts of Mr Matt and reaction that he will take from his side on the request made by Stephanie; the proposals made by Stephanie clearly act towards the negative intention which is the winning of the bid by taking the help of Matt as he is the employee there. The major reason is to reach at a price that Mr Matt can help him to reach with his 00professional qualities but this might lead to a problem in professional ethics rules formed by the code. Therefore then the thinking of Matt was reasonable as he could not decided where to do any such actions within the prescribe code of ethics prescribe by the law. One of the fundamental principles being Confidentiality it becomes important for the member of the institute as Matt is to follow the code and do such actions that are prescribed by the board. The decision taken by Matt would be based one of the most important factors being the confidentiality that the profession teaches and the work way that is also taught by the professional codes. So the codes and ethics used by the professional dont allow of this request to be accepted ad it might affect him in a positive manner. Hence APES 110 talks about the codes and displays the principle of Confidentiality with others giving protection to the government directly. The advise that would be given to Matt is that he makes some efforts in the due course to make the matter and make them understand that that is wrong and this practice should not be followed otherwise could lead to hard practice from Stephanie so that he cannot approach any one from the profession of trust nicely. The decision of Matt should be based on proper knowledge of section of the APES 110 so that such no such cases arise. References https://www.google.co.in/search?q=APES+110+and+sections+110-150oq=APES+110+and+sections+110-150aqs=chrome..69i57.956j0j7sourceid=chromees_sm=122ie=UTF-8

The Brick Tower †a Speech by Justin Hudson Essay Essays

The Brick Tower - a Speech by Justin Hudson Essay Essays The Brick Tower - a Speech by Justin Hudson Essay Paper The Brick Tower - a Speech by Justin Hudson Essay Paper Essay Topic: 8th Grade Ladies and gentlemen. household. module and my fellow schoolmates of the category of 2010. before I begin I would wish to thank those instructors who chose this modest address among the outstanding aggregation of addresss written by my extremely competent equals. I would besides wish to thank all the people who have expressed their support for me and their expectancy for this address. To be told â€Å"You are the best individual in the class to give this speech† . or some fluctuation of that statement. more than one time is truly humbling. and you all are either the most polite people I know. or the kindest people I know. It is a great award to give this reference. and I promise I do non take it lightly. I have chosen every word rather carefully because I am to the full cognizant of the duty you all have bestowed upon me. Today. I stand earlier you as a personification of conflictedness. I find myself on this dais sing legion warring emotions. and I am certain many of you here empathize with me on that point. Firstly. and possibly most evidently. I am filled with a great sense of felicity and achievement. My equals and I have put much attempt for the last six years- a tierce of our lives therefore far- into being able to stand here today and say that we’ve earned the right to stand here. It was by no agencies easy. and there were many times when I thought I would non make this finish line. But those battles have merely made this minute sweeter. The people who are on this phase survived four old ages of Latin. or 8th grade swim category. or English with Ms. D’Amico. or BC Calculus. or the 25 % regulation. and I think all of us can take some pride in that. Yet. my ambivalency on this twenty-four hours stems from the really fact that this ceremonial is the terminal of an backbreaking journey. While I am ready to go on my academic enterprises. cognizing that Hunter has exhaustively prepared me for them. I am besides filled with a deep sense of anxiousness and unhappiness. Hunter has been my 2nd place for the last six old ages. and it has bordered on going my first place. Between my clip diligently taking notes in the schoolroom. playing Chinese Poker in the hallway. taking a sleep in the G. O. office. madly practising for a cultural show or theatre production in the auditorium. heartening for an undefeated hoops squad in the secondary school. or merely sitting outside on the senior stairss. istening to a roar box and basking nice conditions in the courtyard. Hunter has genuinely become a sanctuary for me. My life has revolved around the fourstory brick edifice that stands on East 94th Street and Park Avenue. and Hunter’s intimate category size means that I have become as affiliated to the people of this school as I have to the edifice itself. It may sound artful to state that I will lose each and every one of you. but all of you in some little manner have shaped me into the individual I am today. so I thank you all for that. Of class. the comfort that I have attained at Hunter makes this going a instead dying one. but with anxiousness comes excitement. and the terminal of this journey signifies the start of a trade name new one. As I leave behind the heat that I have experienced at Hunter to come in a immensely new and quite terrorization terrain. I can merely assist but believe back to the last clip I was in this state of affairs. as a fresh-faced. childlike twelve-year old come ining the premonition. windowless Brick Prison for the first clip. Every facet of my life since that point has been overpoweringly positive. so all my frights about what lies in front are somewhat tamed by the thought that I will at least come near to sing in my hereafter what I have already experienced at Hunter. However. ladies and gentlemen. more than felicity. alleviation. fright or unhappiness. I feel a really strong emotion that I can non disregard today. More than anything else. today I feel guilty. I feel guilty because I don’t merit any of this. And neither do any of you. We received an outstanding instruction at no charge based entirely on our public presentation on a trial we took when we were eleven twelvemonth olds. or four twelvemonth olds. We received superior instructors and extra resources based on our position as â€Å"gifted† . while childs who of course needed those resources much more than us wallowed in the quag of a broken system. And now. we stand on the precipice of our lives. in control of our lives. based strictly and merely on fortune and circumstance. If you truly believe that the demographics of Hunter represent the distribution of intelligence in this metropolis. so you must believe that the Upper West Side. Bayside and Flushing are per se more intelligent than the South Bronx. Bedford-Stuyvesant and Washington Heights. and I refuse to accept that. It is surely non Hunter’s mistake that socioeconomic factors inhibit the educational chances of some kids from birth. and in some ways I forgive colleges and universities that are forced to reexamine 18 year-olds. the terminal consequences of a broken system. But. we are speaking about 11 year-olds. Four year-olds. We are make up ones minding children’s destinies before they even had a opportunity. We are playing God. and we are losing. Childs are losing the chance to travel to college or obtain a calling. because no 1 taught them long division or colourss. Hunter is perpetuating a system in which kids. who contain unchecked and untapped mind and creativeness. are discarded like garbage. And we have the audaciousness to state they deserved it. because we’re smarter than them. As pupils. we throw around empty cliches like â€Å"deserve† and â€Å"earn† . most likely because it makes us experience better about ourselves. However. it merely isn’t the instance. I know for a fact that I did non work every bit difficult as I perchance could hold. and I think the same is true for everyone on this phase. Nevertheless. people who work much harder than we of all time could conceive of will neer hold the chances that lie in forepart of us. I apologize if this is non the address you wanted to hear. but you will hold the remainder of your lives to observe your achievements. I apologize if I have non inspired you. or uplifted you. but we have failed to animate and elate an full coevals of kids. That being said. allow me do it really clear that I am non giving anyone here a moral talk. for I am as complicit in the system we are a portion of as anyone else in this room. If anything. I merely make these comments to farther stress how much Hunter has meant to me. because I am acutely cognizant of where I would be now without it. As receivers of luck. we more than anyone else should be able to understand and esteem what our high school experience has meant to us. and has done for us. My guilt finally stems from my consciousness of the academic. societal. emotional and psychological tools that Hunter has blessed us with. Therefore. I believe the best manner to pacify this guilt is to utilize those causeless tools to non merely better myself. but besides better the society that surrounds us outside these oh. so narrow walls. I do non cognize the capacity in which I will be able to do this universe a better and more merely topographic point. but I strongly believe that instruction is the most effectual agencies of making societal betterment. which is exactly why this is a conflict we can non profess. My experiences at Hunter have left me with one concluding emotion ; the last sentiment I will portion with you today is hope. I hope that I will utilize the tools that Hunter has given me as a means to supply chances to others. non out of a sense of paternalistic philanthropic gift. but out of a sense of responsibility to give to other people what Hunter has given to me. I besides hope that you all will make the same. in whatever manner you see fit. Even more so. I hope that in the close hereafter. instruction itself will non be a privilege for the few in this universe. I hope that a quality instruction will non be a privilege for the few in this state. I hope that the Hunter community will fall from its tusk tower made of brick. and administer its tools equally to the mass of humanity that is the City of New York. I hope that. despite its jobs. Hunter can turn out to be the regulation. and non the exclusion. to what can be as a school. Finally. I hope from the underside of my bosom that omeday a category talker can stand on this dais and look into an audience of his closest and dearest friends whom he neer would hold met without Hunter and whom he’ll neer bury. an audience of module members he has a deep regard and esteem for. an audience of household members who have supported him throughout his full life without inquiring for anything in return. I hope this kid can stand on this really phase. expression at the most of import people in his life. and experience happy. sad. relieved. scared. accomplished or whatever his bosom desires. without experiencing guilty about a damn thing. Thank you for your clip.

Nigersaurus - Facts and Figures

Nigersaurus - Facts and Figures Name: Nigersaurus (Greek for Niger lizard); pronounced NYE-jer-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of northern Africa Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (110 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and five tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Relatively short neck; hundreds of teeth in wide jaws About Nigersaurus Yet another Cretaceous feather in the cap of the globetrotting paleontologist Paul Sereno, Nigersaurus was a rather unusual sauropod, possessing a relatively short neck compared to the length of its tail; a flat, vacuum-shaped mouth packed with hundreds of teeth, arranged in about 50 columns; and almost comically wide jaws. Putting together these odd anatomical details, Nigersaurus seems to have been well adapted to low browsing; most likely it swept its neck back and forth parallel to the ground, hoovering up any vegetation within easy reach. (Other sauropods, which had much longer necks, may well have nibbled on the high branches of trees, though even this remains a matter of some dispute.) What many people dont know is that Paul Sereno didnt actually discover this dinosaur; the scattered remains of Nigersaurus (in northern Africas Elrhaz formation, in Niger ) were described by a French paleontologist in the late 1960s, and introduced to the world in a paper published in 1976. Sereno did, however, have the honor of naming this dinosaur (after studying additional fossil specimens) and publicizing it to the world at large. In typically colorful fashion, Sereno described Nigersaurus as a cross between Darth Vader and a vacuum cleaner, and also called it a Mesozoic cow (not an inaccurate description, if you ignore the fact that a full-grown Nigersaurus measured 30 feet from head to tail and weighed up to five tons!) Sereno and his team concluded in 1999 that Nigersaurus was a rebbachisaurid theropod, meaning it belonged to the same general family as the contemporary Rebbachisaurus of South America. Its closest relatives, however, were two intriguingly named fellow sauropods of the middle Cretaceous period: Demandasaurus, named after the Sierra la Demanda formation in Spain, and Tataouinea, named after the same bleak Tunisian province that may (or may not) have inspired George Lucas to invent the Star Wars planet Tatooine. (Yet a third sauropod, the South American Antarctosaurus, may or may not have been a kissing cousin as well.)

Fords marketing strategy The Way Forward Case Study - 1

Fords marketing strategy The Way Forward - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that Ford is one of the top ten leading global brands in terms of revenue.   In 2008 to 2009 however, Ford and the automotive industry, in general, experienced difficulty. Its competitors Chrysler and General Motors declared bankruptcy and the company itself is in danger experiencing a substantial decline in sales of 23.4 percent in 2008 to 2009. In an attempt to jump-start sales and save the company, Ford’s new CEO, Man Mulally the former EVP of Boeing (who incidentally helped saved the company’s declining sales after 9/11 attack) implemented a marketing strategy dubbed â€Å"The Way Forward† which served as the company’s blueprint to overcome the 2008-2009 crisis. There are several marketing issues in Ford’s marketing strategy â€Å"The Way Forward†. These are market segmentation, refocused marketing effort and pricing in addition to cutting costs. Perhaps what saved Ford from bankruptcy during the very difficult time of 2008-2009 crisis was its decision to refocus its marketing efforts towards emerging markets. Not only did the company experienced an increase in sales during this difficult time but it also saved on cost when it sold its Volvo subsidiary to leave its maturing market in Europe. As it turned out, it had to keep up with the challenge of the increasing demand rather than get anxious about declining sales.  

Ecpnomics for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ecpnomics for Business - Essay Example The economy showed signs of a slowdown, though not to the point of recession. The GDP growth of only 1.1% took many economists by surprise and was the lowest rate of growth in three years (Porter & Bajaj, 2006). The GDP reported disappointing end-of-year results for the automotive industry in the U.S. Economists believed this to be the result of high gas prices and the expiration of deep discounts from the summer and fall seasons, which automakers instituted to improve domestic sales. Many U.S, economists predicted a normalization of sales and economic growth within the first half of 2006. Though some experts were not so optimistic. Robert J. Barbera, chief economist at Investment Technologies Group, Inc. and Charles Dumas, the chief international economist at Lombard Street Research in London predicted a slowdown, if not an outright onset of a recession by the end of the year (Porter & Bajaj, 2006). According to Steve Goldstein (2006), "Home Depot rose 3% in the pre-open after it earned $1.3 billion, or 0.60 cents a share in the 4th quarter of year 2006. This rise was up from 0.47 cents a share or $1 billion within the last year. The revenue for Home Depot has risen 16% while store sales were up. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis had a slow-down in the fourth-quarter growth. This primarily reflected a deceleration in consumer spending (2006). The annual growth for GDP was 3.5% which was unchanged from the estimate in February. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in April 2006 was 5.10 % in Texas 4.6% in San Antonio, Texas, and 4.7% nationally, which was comparatively the lowest rate since 2001. The relationship between supply and demand became precarious as unemployment affected the industry in several ways as Bureau of Economic Analysis showed a rise in personal income

Media Representations Of Mental Illness Sociology Essay

Media Representations Of Mental Illness Sociology Essay Mass Media plays an important role in the way society perceive mental illness and the people suffering from it. This essay will examine how mass media in the United Kingdom reports and portrays mental illness and how this representation negatively and positively affects societys perceptions of people suffering with mental illness. There are various definitions of mental illness. Judge Lawton (1974 ) describes mental illness as a word without proper definition linked to legal significance. Rogers and Pilgrim (2005) outlined that there is no proper definition brought by the legal framework of psychiatry. This frame emphasise mental disorder as linked to various criminal acts. The meaning of mental illness has become a controversial debate, with some sociologists arguing that it is about illness rather than being social deviance. In British law the notion of mental illness has come from the notion of mental disorders. The British Law does not give a clear definition regarding mental illness. It defines mental illness as a mental disorder as† an impairment of or disturbance in the functioning of the mind or brain resulting from any disability or disorder of the mind or brain† (Department of Health, 2004, p3, 5 cited in Rogers and Pilgrim2005, p8). Baker and Menken, (2001) cited in Rogers and Pilgrim (2 005) argue that reject the notion of regarding brain disorders as being a mental illness as misleading people to acquire knowledge about some brain disorders which are not physical ailment. Mass media refers to a range of media which convey information to the general population including radio, television, newspapers and all forms of publications in global age. Giddens (2006) distinguishes variety forms of mass media such as the press, cinema. In the report by Harris (2004), Anderson (2003), a British sociologist, claims that there has been an increase in mass media interest on issues relating to community care for the past decade and that there has been a growth of mass media interest on the institutionalisation of people with mental illness. He argues that newspapers have a great influence when reporting violent incidents of people with mental illness. Philo et al (1994) emphasizes that media has an impact on the public view of mental illness as people beliefs are based on their past experiences and judgements. Mass media has significant role to play in the stigmatisation of people with mental illness. Theoretically, the current mass media give a very bad image to people with mental illness by labelling them as being dangerous, violent and criminals. Cutcliffe and Hannigan (2001, p315) argues that the inappropriate representation of mental illness in mass media increases stigma, harassment and victimisation of individuals by the public. This has led to some theorists like Goffman, (1961) cited in Busfied (2001. p10) to define mental illness as â€Å"process of rejection, stigmatisation and social exclusion. Mass media may provoke strong passions which lead to a number of homicide over last forty years (Clutcliffe and Hannigan ( 2001). They also argue that government policy such as legislation concerning care has no clear provision of the care of people with mental illness in the society. As a result people with mental illness remain institutionalised. According to Anderson (2003, p298) sur vey shows that there is high incidents of homicides involving a person suffering of mental illness. He claims that mass media is the most powerful form in portraying those incidents. The newspaper report in 1994 of Stephen Laudat‘s case who was suffering from schizophrenia is one of the example how media portrays people with mental health. The media identifies him as â€Å"killer who should not have gone to jail†( Anderson, 2003, p298). Anderson claims that newspapers have great influence to the wider society when reporting violent incidents of people with mental illness. Some of the studies and researches carried by some psychiatrics draw the idea that people are strongly influenced by the language the mass media use in reporting incidents of people with mental illness. Apple and Wessley(1988) cited in Cutcliffe and Hannigan (2001) suggest that situations as real have a linkage to the style the information is represented and they become real in their consequences. Mass media represent negative effects of mental illness to the wider society, mainly dominated by episodes of violence (Giddens 2006). Violence can be defined as â€Å"a threat or use of force directed against the self or others in which physical harm or death is involved†. Harns (2004, p19). He argues that there are imbalances of press coverage of mental health issues reinforcing stigma and disempowering the quality of life to the sufferers. MIND , one of the leading organisation of people with mental disorders in the UK also argues that press coverage such as in the Sun newspaper convey strong messages to the public and give biased information which gives people negative view of people with mental health problems. According to a 1993 survey carried by Scottish Mental Health Working group it has been found that within five categories of mass media,† violence to others was 62%, harm to self 13%, sympathetic to others 18%, criticism of accepted definition of mental illness (1%) and comic images 2%† (Cutcliff and Hannigan2001 p316). It can be noted that in the above survey, violence coverage came up with the highest percentage which significantly means that peoples beliefs are based on what the media convey to them. However, Mackeown and Clancy (1995) cited in Anderson (2003)) emphasize that media have different degree of intensity on people who once have mental illness. Media may provoke strong passions and lead to violence. On the other hand it maybe relative minor information conveyed by media and have only limited relevance to every day life. In addition, Signorielli (1989 and Wahl 1992 cited in Cutcliffe and Hannigan 2001) claims that media labelling people with mental illness as dangerous and violence gives a bad reputation to mentally ill people and reinforces the public view of fear and anxiety ( Busfied 2001). The media interpretation of people with mental illness has a strong impact on the general public because of negative reports contribute to different attitudes towards the mental ill ( Anderson 2003). Bhugra (1989) believes that mental illness is linked to negative attitudes such a cruel treatment of mentally ill people. Negative attitude which the media portrays encourage pessimis tic attitudes to the public. Repper (1997cited in Busfied 2001) outlined three things which some of the public are ignorant in understanding mental illness. For instance, people do not have strong background knowledge of the diagnoses, ignorant of the types of behaviours and emotional attitudes which are acceptable towards people with mental illness. Mass media therefore plays a pivotal role in filling this gap of ignorance and people tend to learn mental health illnesses from reports from the media therefore making them vulnerable to negative reports which emanate from the media. According to Giddens (2006) there is now a wide variety of mass media in the United Kingdom but newspapers have become one of the biggest forms of media. In fact, newspapers have become a subsequent link between criminality, violence and mental ill health (Ward, 1997 cited in Andrew, 2007). Focusing on the newspapers which are dominating cultural interactive in the United Kingdom in this modern time, research reports it have proved that news reporting in newspapers has strong predominates coverage about mental illness (Busfied, 2001). Essentially, newspapers do not focus on the clear meaning of the undifferentiated terms, such as lunatic ,psycho, schizo, mental patient, mental ill, all these meanings become different when general public interpret them ( Harris, 2004). Most newspapers report incidents of people with mental illness using terms such as dangerous and violent. Harris (2004) describes the reports in newspapers as a classical institutional trait which has common norms, rule s, beliefs, and knowledge and that they all share behavioural patterns on the concept of dangerousness. According to various sociologists the notion of dangerousness is used to characterise situations. This notion of newspapers constructing meanings represent negative attitudes to mental ill people. Busfied (2001, p135) refer dangerous† as harm to self or others†. This dangerousness reveals to the public that mental ill people should stay away from the society. To the society point of view this particularly brings a close link between badness and illness. Newspapers interpret deviant behaviour, which is a behaviour that people so label. According to (Haralambos and Holborn) 1991, labelling is an â€Å"act of naming, the development of language to confer and fix the meaning of behaviour and symbolic internationalism and the phenomenology†. Moreover, according to Fulcher and Scott (2007), labelling theory claims that deviance and conforming result not much from what people do but from how others respond to those actions, it highlight social responses to mass media and deviance. Murder is one way that individual is labelled in a negative rather in a positive way (Anderson, 2003). Apple and Wesley (1988 cited in Anderson, 2003) cited the Hungerford massacre which outlined the story of Michael Ryan who committed a horrific homicide but there was no diagnosis of mental illness. Therefore sometimes people have wrong interpretations of horrific incidents and assumptions that violent incidents are only done by people with mental illness and their beliefs are constructed by the language used by newspapers. This leads to stigmatisation of people with mental illness and this is a negative social label which changes a persons self concept and social identity. According to Scheff (1984) stigmatising people often leads to retrospective labelling which he describes as the interpretation of someones past consistent with the present deviance. Retrospective labelling distorts a persons biography in prejudicial way guided by stigma than attempt to be fair. In order to reduce and tackle this stigmatising the Department of Health (1999b) initiated current mental healthcare policy which works towards promoting health to people with mental illness. (Anderson, 2003). Signorielli (1989) pointed out that films are another form of mass media which is culturally dominated in portraying the public life. Many films give a negative view of people with mental illness, for example films such as the Hollywood broadcast some vivid images which reveal negative effects to the public( Hyler,1988). In addition, films such as â€Å"psycho, (1960), One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest (1975) remained the greatest example in presenting madness (Hyler et al, 1991). The main issue in all these films is mainly based on the experience of mental ill people. Byrne (2000 cited in Anderson, 2003) mentioned some films such as â€Å"Shine (1989), Voices (2000) outlined that the synopsis of these films have great consequences to the lives of people with mental illness. For example the film Jack Nicolsons R.P MacMurghy (1970) refused to admission to mental institution as he was not having any problems related to mental illness but later lived in a mental institution. This shows h ow societys viewpoint can impact on each individuals view. The contemporary films draw people to fear resulting in a change of behaviour towards people with mental illness. Watching films like â€Å"Halloween (1978)and Psycho(1960) have horrific themes† which arouse peoples anxiety and create fear of people with mental illness because violent actions influence the way people see things (Anderson 2003,p229). Cutcliffe and Hannigan (2001) argue that films stereotype people with mental illness which in turn contribute to the stigmatisation of people with mental illness. This is supported by Hyler,et al.(1991) who points out that film stereotypes and illness linked to violence and psychiatry and mental illness still dominates synopsis in films. Films present wrong interpretation to the public about mental illness by showing images of violence and dangerous people. Philo, et al (1994) also says that the images of mental health people which the film broadcast and the emotional language seem to have a lot of stereotypes. Therefore, films publications help to give mental illness its shape. Although there are various forms of media, television is the main worldwide source form of media which produces information mostly in images across different countries, especially in economically developed countries (Cutcliff and Hannigan (2001). Television also broadcast images, dramas, cartoons and international news, presenting clearly mental illness in the context of violence and harm to others. (Anderson, 2003). According to the survey carried out by Glasgow Media Group in Scotland, 1993, it has been found that television is a typical form of mass media which primarily focus most of its programmes on people with mental illness. Furthermore, it has judgemental attitudes which have negative impact towards people with mental health problems and the wider society. In a nutshell, television has great consequences to mentally ill people and draws attention of the wider society to exclude them in social life. From the above analysis, it is evident that mass media is enormously influential in directing attention towards the relative and somewhat arbitrary nature of dominant definition of mental illness in Britain. There is uniformity in the way mass media represent people with mental illness. Different forms of media have great impact to the public by the way they convey their message to the public. Mass media is therefore misleading people by relating mental illness to violence and dangerousness.