Ownership and location of Tesco and McDonalds Essay

There are many different types of business ownership. The four main privately owned enterprises are: Sole traders – owned and run by one person. Partnerships – owned and run by two or more people. Private limited companies – often a business run by a family protected by limited liability. Public limited companies – large organisations whose shares are floated on the stock exchange. In addition there are two other types: Co-operatives – where a group of people run the enterprise together and share the profits or loses. Franchise – where a large organisation allows a person to sell its products and use its name in exchange for a fee and a share of the profits. All privately owned enterprises are able to be divided into two groups: Those with unlimited liability – sole traders and partnerships Those with limited liability – all companies, some franchise and some co-operatives. Unlimited liability means that the owners are responsible for all the debts. They may even have to sell personal possessions to pay them. If this is not possible then they will declared bankrupt. Limited liability restricts the responsibility of being responsible for all you debts. You only have to pay the debts to the limit of what was invested. Not usually do they have to sell their personal possessions. There are many different advantages and disadvantages to all different types of ownership: Sole traders – owned and run by one individual. Advantages: * The owner has full control of the business and all of its profits. * All profits go to the owner. * The owner can make decisions independently without the need to consult anybody else. * Can easily create a report with customer. * Has the ability to exploit niche market. * No Set up for procedures. Disadvantages: * The owner has unlimited liability. * The profits get ploughed back into the business. * To expand the business, financing needs to be found. Partnerships – Owned and run by two or more people. Advantages: * The responsibility of running and managing the company is shared between the two partners. * Access to a wider range of skills. * More ideas and strategies. * Capitals from the partners can bring in more capital and expansion is possible. * Greater ability to gain bank loans/ financial backing. * No need to file accounts for the public. Disadvantages: * Partnerships have unlimited liability. * If a partner leaves or he/ she is not for filling his/ her position it could affect the business. * A decision has to be made a partner can take it upon his/ her self to make the decision and not consult the other partners. Private limited companies – Often a family run business with the protection of limited liability. Advantages: * Shareholders who own the company may have limited liability. * Business finances and the owner’s finances are separate. * Can take more risks due to limited liability * Usually shareholders are closely involved with the running of the business. * Can raise capital more easily. * More professional appearance: more internal structure. Disadvantages: * Shares can only be sold with the permission of the shareholders. * Shares cannot be sold to the public. * Due to their internal structure more formalities arise. * Larger overhead costs of running the companies. Public limited companies – large organisations whose shares are floated on the stock exchange. Advantages: * Shareholders who own the company have limited liability. * Business finances and the owner’s finances are separate. * Shares can be bought and sold on the stock exchange. * Greater ability to raise further capital and expand resources. * Additional shares can be issued for more funding. * More professional appearance. Disadvantages: * There is a danger of being taken over by another company with the trade of shares. * Less flexible in structure. * More formalities when dealing with decision making. * Larger overhead costs of running the company. Franchise – this is a large company who you pay to use the name of. Advantages: For the franchisee * You will own a business that is already running which means it is nearly a guaranteed success. * You will own an already established company. * Capital should be easier to raise because you will be operating under a well known name. * The franchiser will give advice foe the business running and equipment. For the franchisor * They have the possibility to expand very quickly. * It is easier to expand in foreign countries because you would be selling a franchise to somebody that knows the location, language and people. Disadvantages: For the franchisee * Start up cost so you can use the branded name is very expensive. * A set percentage of your profit will go to the franchiser and you will have to buy your equipment and products from them. * You have to stick to the business’ core activities. For the franchisor * They do not have full control over the organisation. Ownership of Tesco. Tesco unlike McDonalds is a public limited company (PLC). Tesco is a PLC because it is on suck a large scale. A group of partners would not be able to afford funding the company and it is highly unlikely they could get big enough loans, because Tesco is a PLC the shareholders fund the company. The shareholders fund the company by simply buying shares. Investors buying shares in Tesco would feel safer buying because they will get limited liability. This means that only money that has been invested can be lost if Tesco fails. The shareholders do not get a profit from Tesco; they make their money buy selling that shares for more than they originally paid. The advantages that Tesco have of being a PLC are; there is a limited liability for Tesco and all shareholders and it is much easier for Tesco to raise funds. The disadvantages are; Tesco cannot make business decisions instantly because they need to confront company directors and major shareholders and the business can be taken over if somebody buy 51% of shares. I think that this type of ownership is the most appropriate for Tesco because they may need to raise capital fast and they don’t need to be making rash decisions. Ownership of McDonald’s. McDonald’s is a franchise company which is completely different to Tesco’s PLC ownership. A franchise company allows people who currently have nothing to do with McDonald’s to buy a restaurant and use the already well established McDonald’s name. This means that McDonalds do not need to fund their own company, the franchisees will do this. McDonalds have limited liability just like Tesco, meaning that McDonald’s and franchisees can only loose investments. The advantages of McDonald’s having this type of ownership for the franchisor are; having the possibility to expand rapidly and the advantage for the franchisee are; you will own a business that is already running which means it is nearly a guaranteed success, you will own a business that is already established, capital should be easier to raise because you will be operating under a well known name and you will have free business advice from the franchisor. The disadvantage for the franchisor is; you do not have full control over the business and the disadvantages for the franchisee are; start up cost so you can use the branded name is very expensive, a set percentage of your profit will go to the franchiser and you will have to buy your equipment and products from them and you have to stick to the business’ core activities. I think that this type of ownership is a good choice of ownership for McDonalds because they do not have to do research on locations because franchisees will do this. Also McDonalds will be expanding rapidly and they do not have the risk of failing their business. They will be making profits when they aren’t even setting up there restraints. Location. Tesco Location. To investigate Tesco’s location I am going to select a small town and a large city to compare how Tesco locate their stores under different circumstances. Some of the different circumstances I am going to look at are; the size of the area in hand and the population. The town I have selected is Pembroke Dock and the city I have selected is London. Populations: Population of Pembroke Dock: Population 8,676 Post town PEMBROKE DOCK Postcode district SA72 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembroke_Dock] Population of London. Population – Total – Density Ranked 2nd 7,512,400[1] (mid-2006) 4,758/kmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (mid-2006) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_London] Tesco locate their stores where there is a good ratio between population and competing stores. This is because it is highly unlikely Tesco could run a successful store next to an Asda store where the population of the town is 500 people. So it is important that Tesco choose their location wisely because building unsuccessful stores can be very expensive for Tesco. Tesco generally locate their stores on the outskirts of towns, as you can see on the below maps. Land in this area can range from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½60,000 for a plot of land where Tesco would not be able to fit a store on up to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½250,000 where you still wouldn’t be able to fit a store. Offers in Excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½60,000 Building Plot at Cannons Lane, Pennar, Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Pembrokeshire à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½250,000 Plot 15 Barnlake Point, Burton, SA73 Because I cannot find land that is big enough for Tesco to build a store on with adequate room for parking as well as loading bays I don’t feel as though I can comment on the cost of land in this area. Another Tesco stores location; when I typed in London on the Tesco store locator it came back with 110 stores. This tells me that Tesco locate many stores in big cities to meet the needs of big populations. McDonalds Location. McDonalds is a franchise so it is not actually McDonalds that choose the locations of all restaurants. But the franchisors will try to locate in busy shopping areas. I am going to pick a good and a bad example of McDonald’s location and explain why I feel they are bad. On the below maps I am showing where McDonald’s have recently set up a new restaurant in Pembroke Dock next to the Tesco store. On both maps on the previous page you can see that the locations McDonalds have chosen both are competitor free. By this I mean that in both locations there are no other competing restaurants. This is good because McDonalds do not have to worry about losing custom to other restaurants. Also on the maps on the previous page the McDonalds stores are in the middle a community. This means it should be relatively easy to find employees. This is because they are in the middle of two large populations. The populations of Haverfordwest and Pembroke Dock are: Population of Pembroke Dock: Population 8,676 Post town PEMBROKE DOCK Postcode district SA72 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembroke_Dock] Population of Haverfordwest: Population 10,808[1] Post town HAVERFORDWEST Postcode district SA61, SA62 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haverfordwest] The populations of these towns are on a reasonably large scale, so I think that it would be easy for McDonald’s to find employees. As you can see from the maps on the previous page these stores are very close to raw material and have good travel systems around them. I think that they are in prime locations for travelling and raw materials. McDonalds will have a lot of choice for land because of the area in hand. It has a lot of undeveloped areas in the towns. In Pembroke Dock there is now a new plot that already has a building on that McDonalds could take up. I think that this would be a more suitable location because they will be attract the custom that comes across the bridge. The ring on the left of the above map is where McDonalds currently have a restaurant. The ring on the right of the above map is where property has become unoccupied. I think that McDonalds could relocate there restaurant here because there is a lot of traffic that come across the bridge and heads away from where the current restaurant is currently located. Although some traffic heads towards town more heads away. I have conducted my own survey to see how many cars that comes across the bridge head towards Carew and Pembroke and how many head toward Pembroke Dock over a one hour interval. Below is my table of results that I recorded. Towards Pembroke Dock. Towards Pembroke and Carew. [http://www.thedock.org.uk/Council%20Data/Pem_Dock_Traffic_Generators_2008%5B1%5D.pdf] Both Tesco and McDonalds could use this

Various theoretical movements

Like other social scientists, systematically looking for general patterns in human behavior is the main work that anthropologists take on. They also develop theories and use scientific methods to test their research as they struggle to determine their differences and similarities in urban, industrial and cross-cultural societies.Its important feature is always its emphasis on the insider’s view of a society. It aims to provide an understanding of the various cultures as it determines how people of a culture view the world. Thus, discoveries and studies in anthropology ultimately contribute to international harmony and with respect to the beliefs and values each one possess.Theories in AnthropologyVarious theoretical movements have been identified and studied and most of the principles frequently overlap or contradict each other altogether.   Some concentrate on past civilizations while some study on present ones (McGee, 2004).In the book of Thomas Kuhn, several theories were â€Å"stimulated† and were based on a positivist epistemology. Historical Particularism, Culture and Personality, Structuralism and Functionalism as well as many others comprise the broad spectrum of Anthropology.But there are theories as well that alter the premise that dichotomizes the relationship between reality and theory and these are the theories that are influenced by post-modern perspectives such as the theory of Interpretivists and Constructivists. To further breakdown and understand how each school of thought works, defining the main themes and how they differentiate from one another will categorize each movement and its impact, if any, to present studies.Evolutionism in the Nineteenth Century claims that societal groups developed according to one universal order of cultural evolution (McGee, 2004).   Stated simply, the proponents of this theory identified â€Å"universal evolutional stages† and have classified different societies as savage, barbarian civ ilization.They came to this conclusion by studying the data they have collected from traders and missionaries in the study of the various cultures they were interested in.Although most theorists rarely went to the societies they were analyzing, they organized the data they have collected, albeit second-hand data, and applied a general theory to all societies. Thus was born the train of thought placing Western Societies with rather advanced technologies and placing these societies at the highest rank of civilization (Erickson, 2008).The main theme that categorizes this movement is the assumption that human minds share similar characteristics all over the world (Moore, 2004). Does this mean that all people and their societies will go through the same processes of development? It seems so for another underlying assumption is all that belong to Western Societies are superior to other societies in the world.This assumption may be based on the fact these same societies possess the militar y and economic power against technologically simple societies (McGee, 2004). But can this then apply to other aspects of societies, such as kin systems, religion and childrearing customs? There is a logical progression that cannot be denied and this can be observed in the use of simple tools to using complex technology in most Western Societies.However, this train of thought offers a rather simplistic explanation on the development of Western Societies. Generally, it became too racist and during that time, Henry Morgan believed that evolution only moved from early societies to the Western societies.He also argued that intelligence is not a valid point to be raised for all people in various societies have different levels of intelligence and supported as well by Burnett Tylor.This theory was strongly attacked by supporters of the Historical Particularism for they see this theory as too speculative and ethnocentric and at the same time, approaches as too materialistic and the views on the various cultures are influenced by the Marxist Anthropology (McGee, 2004).Historical Particularism’s main point is to focus its research on a specific society, its whole and its own history richly detailing the cultural traits and characteristics into its descriptive technology (Erickson, 2008). Franz Boas primarily led other theorists to support ethnography method instead of the comparative method, stressing the importance of a solid and intensive ground work research.He was considered the Father of American Anthropology because he openly challenged the proponents of the previous theory who he believed are overtly racist in nature and is responsible for influencing a large number of ethnographers who include Kroeber, Lowie, Spier, Wissler, Mead, Radin, Bunzel, Sapir, Benedict, Herskovits, Hoebel and many others like him ( Moore, 2004).The problem however with this theory is that it has very little stimulation resulting in a static view of cultures and did not develop a sense of cultural dynamics and continuities. It however laid the ground work for systematic field work and research.Structuralism is best exemplified by a leading intellectual of the age, published extensively his writings and revolved his theory around the basic question, â€Å"what are the human patterns of thought that bring order to the world?† bringing to the forefront the other question, â€Å"how does man deal with chaos?†Levi-Strauss’ stressed the main points of this theory that the mind takes varied and potentially chaotic experiences to attempt to logically structure this experiences in binary configurations, and incorporating these with dominant images and symbols we come across in the world (McGee, 2004). Levi-Strauss believed that these configurations is an unconscious process devoid of being developed and articulated but instead deeply rooted from the structures of the mind.He argued that since all people of all cultures utilize binary principles t o organize and structure the experiences they encounter daily, the manner of comprehending the meaning to any quality must logically have an antithesis or opposite. This explains the rise of various symbols in human societies that run through symbolic polarities like right-left, moon-sun, female-male, life-death, and good-evil.The major contribution of this theory is the logical study of myth and thinking where knowledge communicate a significant message about how things are organized and specifically mediate or lessens experiential contradictions (order to chaos) and introducing an anomalous element – virgin mothers, garden of eden ( Evolutionism, 2008).This theory used a non empirical approach in its methods where most positivists ague and they believed that the structures of thinking should be based on binary principles. They also believed that all forms of thinking are logical and not less significant and the tools are just the things that differ at the way one processes the information around him.

Determined and Free Will Essay

At this point in my life I believe there is a balance in how many of our choices are determined and how many are free. The things that are determined for us are factors like what we are born into such as our ethnicity and social status. Also, if your parents are religious, you are raised under the influence of that religion. Most children embrace that faith as their own. These are life factors that you can change eventually, but usually due to societal influences you stay with these predetermined decisions. Certain determined things won’t ever be able to be altered. The color of your skin, and how you are treated because of it, is determined by where we are placed in life. Whether we are born with a medical condition or disorder is something we have no control over. Also, whether we have access to higher education or opportunity to move social classes. Many circumstances we don’t have power over are situational. The free will choices in our lives are day-to-day decisions that we make. However, these choices can have a major impact in our lives. I think there are many influences that can affect your free will, but the final decision lies in your own hands. You decide what social and personal influences infiltrate your decision, and in that is power. Things like your faith and morals shape who you are, so to make a decision with absolutely no influence is not necessarily of your own â€Å"free will†. Free will is having a say in your own decisions, it doesn’t matter what influences you unless you feel it limits you. I also believe that people differ in the amount of free will they have. The predetermined factors are generally the same for everyone, but the free choices are different. This is because people choose to let certain factors limit them, and others do not. If someone cares whether others judge him or her, they are less likely to decide to do something they really want if it is odd or embarrassing. Same method works if someone cares if their parents approve or not of their choices. These are limitations to your free will that you choose to adhere to.

Analysis and Interpretation of The Cove

Analysis and Interpretation of The Cove That’s what those call it around here, where traveling long distances though wooded scenery is the norm. After a dozen or so miles north of Caribou, Maine, traveling over hill and down into valleys coming around a few wide turns you have only traveled half of your journey to Van Buran Cove. Turning onto a road unpaved by industrial means, through closer knit cedar trees and mud holes that can swallow your vehicle if you are not careful. Only then do you find The Cove, a break of sun in the middle of a forest with slightly murky waters on a rocky beach. It could be a popular place If it was a little easier to get to, though the other side of the lake is dotted with cabins of which you could easily decipher which was from the higher class then others. Though that isn’t the view that really catches your eye, what can really put your mind into wonder are the 7-foot-long skeletons of whatever marine life that hides below the waters of the cove. Ducks peddle along across the top of the water with their duckling seemingly peaceful, and the sound of the waves lapping against the rough shores. You can see children paying across the lake, boat skimming across the top, but by the cove is a graveyard of the mysteries of that same lake. Hidden by the balsam fir and the white cedar, you can be the fly on the wall to the secrets of the lake, or you can take you time enjoying the sun and water in your solitude in a place where no human life treads often. Albeit the bones of the deceased monsters of the deep or rocky path that can ruin a car or truck which leads there, no one seems to come often and it is a place you can really remember.

Organisational performance development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Organisational performance development - Essay Example To improve their financial performance, businesses have been expanding their operations to foreign markets. One such company is IKEA, whose story is captured in a case study developed by Kippenberger (1997). In this article, Kippenberger (1997) extols the IKEA’s virtues and ethos and its business models. In a similar article, Jonathan (1988) discusses the IKEA’s pricing strategies and compares it with other flat-pack retailers based in the UK. This paper examines the IKEA’s key attributes and suggests ways through which they can be enhanced to create wealth and improve shareholder value. 2. Background IKEA is one of the privately held companies operating worldwide, and it sells flat pack furniture, and bathroom accessories.. The company is renowned for its flat-pack design furniture, which it sells at affordable prices. The IKEA’s origin can be traced to 1943 in Sweden, but it has since grown to 301 stores most of which are located in Europe, North America , Asia and Australia. The name IKEA is an acronym of the originator Ingvar Kamprad and the farm and village where he grew at. The growth of the company has been phenomenal starting in the 1950s, the company printed its first advertisements which were aired on different mass media platforms. The 1960s saw the company expand its presence in the neighbouring countries: Norway and Denmark. In 1970s, the company continued with its rapid expansion program by opening up stores in Germany, Australia, Canada, Austria and the Netherlands. In the UK, the company opened its first store in 1990s, then followed by Poland, Czech Republic, UAE, US, Spain and China. At the turn of the 21st century the company sought to increase its influence by opening retail stores in Russia and Japan. Throughout the years, the company has weathered stiff competition to emerge as one of the greatest furniture manufacturer and provider. It uses the hybrid strategy to provide its clientele with a wide variety of prod ucts and services. In order to control its costs, IKEA has embraced a standardized process and such strategy has helped the company maintain solid financial performance even after the 2008 financial turmoil. According to Ivarsson and Alvstam (2001) the company financial success can be traced to a confluence of many factors including: innovation, efficient supply chain management, ability to respond fast to the market conditions and customers’ needs. This report seeks to examine some of the key features of the IKEA’s business operations while suggesting ways through which it could be strengthened. The company’s vision is to ensure customers enjoy better life while its mission is to provide buyers with well designed furniture at affordable prices. Beside providing customers with affordable goods and services, the other objective of the company is to ensure that the customers receive standardized services in all its stores. To be able to serve its growing clientele , IKEA has a well established organizational structure headed by the CEO and its corporate structure is divided into two: operations and franchising. 3. Innovation and organizational stability 3.1 Innovation Through the one-suit model the company has been able to improve the popularity of its offerings all over the

American beauty and Existentialism Movie Review

American beauty and Existentialism - Movie Review Example The continual struggle of Lester Burnham regarding the meaning of life eventually endows him with the freedom to assume total responsibility for his life, thereby taking the onus to give a meaning to his life, which though did not affiliate to any organized and systematic philosophical discipline is of immense importance and concern, so far as the life of Lester Burnham is concerned. Hence, eventually in the climax, Lester Burnham arrives at a meaningful conclusion that corroborates the essential existential theme that any valid philosophical quest ought to stand on a foundation comprising of the actual experiences of an individual. The eventual demise of Lester Burnham is not only satisfactory and well deserved in the context of his individual struggle, but is also indicative of the possibility of soliciting happiness by proactively engaging in an existential crisis. The existential themes inherent in the movie American Beauty could only be grasped by having a relevant insight into the actual plot and contexts. The central character in the movie that is Lester Burnham is shown to be up against a midlife existential crisis. In the movie Lester Burnham is shown to be a middle aged American male who is both a husband and a father. Lester is shown to be trapped in a marriage that is of no relevant meaning or interest to him. He happens to be the father of a daughter who actually seems to hate him. Lester is also shown to be trapped in a job that not only devoid of any motivation or interest, but also happens to be morally and ethically debasing and from which Lester Burnham intends to escape for the sake of personal peace and well being. It is only after Lester Burnham gets attracted to her daughter’s young and beautiful friend that he begins to assume responsibility for his life, thereby getting actively engaged in asking questions and making decisions that lead to his eventual sad but personally edifying death. In that context, the movie American Beauty f acilitates a deep insight into the actual motivations behind the so called modern life and the commensurate human struggle to seek meaning and personal contentment. The movie presents to the viewers the varied existential themes marking the contemporary life through the existential struggle of the central character Lester Burnham, at the same time shedding light on the vacuity and inanity of the individuals and organizations surrounding Lester Burnham. The plot of the movie thereby serves two purposes, one to unravel the absurdity and ludicrousness hidden behind the conformist notions of life, and second the possibility of seeking happiness and fulfillment in the small things marking the human existence. One existential theme that continually pops up while being engaged in the unraveling of the seemingly banal and mundane life of Lester Burnham is that of authenticity. In a quest for personal meaning and goal, the existential struggle engaged into by the central character that is Le ster Burnham, the character is shown to be living Sartre’s notion of authenticity, thereby practically symbolizing the fact that â€Å"authenticity implies the assumption of one’s moral responsibility, the recognition that one has to decide what is good (Schilpp 96).†Through his existential struggle, Lester Burnham actually establishes that authenticity is possible that even while being numbly engaged in an existential struggle, there does is a personal unity of consciousness, a personal capacity to be a proactive

Religion - Theology of the book of relevations Essay

Religion - Theology of the book of relevations - Essay Example of all, there is discernment of the modern situation by prophetic insight into God’s nature and purpose, and the Revelation has dominant prophetic concern for exposing the truth of things. The second element of Revelation as a prophecy is prediction, which consists in seeing how God’s ultimate purpose for the coming of his universal kingdom relates to the modern situation as it is perceived by the prophet. It is fundamental fact that the coming of God’s kingdom takes place and prophecy as prediction reveals how the modern situation must change for the God’s kingdom to come. â€Å"Thirdly, prophecy demands of its hearers an appropriate response to its perception of the truth of the contemporary world and its prediction of what the working out of God’s purpose must mean for the contemporary world. It is the third element that ensures that the predictive element in biblical prophecy is not fatalistic.† (Bauckham, 149) Therefore, Richard Bauckham offers an insight on the three closely related elements of Revelation as a prophecy in his The Theology of the Book of Revelation and he indicates how biblical prophecy can be relevant for both its original audience and later readers. According to him, biblical prophecy gives room for human freedom and it is relevant in the contemporary world, just as it was significant to the original readers. In the final section of the chapter, the author offers a significant explanation of Revelation’s relevance today and it becomes clear that the readers may find their own routes from engaging with Revelation’s theology to contextualizing it in a contemporary situation. Bauckham lists eleven ways in which Revelation is relevant today, at the end of the chapter and these are essential ways in which one can realize the importance of Revelation in the contemporary world. The first of these eleven ways seems to be most fundamental today. Thus, the author maintains that one of the fundamental functions of Revelation is to purge