Saturday, December 28, 2019

Global Factors Impact on Topshop - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1356 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Fashion Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Global factors impacting on UK business organizations Assignment 2 Task 1 Introduction Selecting an international UK company as an example to study and analyze the case. Topshop is my choice to illustrate the evidences that meet the criteria stated below. 4.1) Significance of international trade to UK business organizations International trade refers to the exchange of capital, goods and services across borders. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Global Factors Impact on Topshop" essay for you Create order Countries engage in trade only if the gains outweigh the costs. Significance of international trade to UK business organizations can be explained by the concept of comparative advantages. If each country has comparative advantage to manufacture products to be traded, the trading countries can be benefited mutually. International trade creates market opportunities of UK business organizations. If a British company only sells its products domestically and not introducing its product to foreign market, it would limit its potential. UK business companies are capable to maintain a steady sales performance from domestic market, as the brand has already established a goodwill in UK. In sight of this, Topshop set up branches in emerging economies, like BRICS. Therefore, under international trade, UK business organizations can have new market opportunity, which increases customer numbers and sales. The European recession began in the US. It spreads to Europe rapidly and most European co untries are suffering notable economic setbacks. In order to enhance competitiveness and increase market shares in both domestic and foreign markets, UK organizations establish their own brands worldwide through international trade. As a British organization, Topshop increases sales and profits by setting up branches globally. Since the domestic market of UK is small, Topshop expand its business in the countries that have larger purchasing power parity (PPP), like the US, Japan, Brazil, Germany and Indonesia, according to the IMF report (IMF, 2014). Topshop began its expansion in the mid-2000s; and set up retail stores, including those that are franchised, in the top 3 UKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s export partners (i.e. the US, Germany and the Netherland), leading to a double in sales performance. In sight of this, international trade is a key element for UK business organizations to expand its business, so as to enhance the sales performance. 4.2) Impact of global factors on UK business organizations Businesses can be affected by external environment. Global factors influencing business includes political, economic, social, technological and environmental. Political factor It refers to the changes in government and governmental policies. Political factors influence the operation of business greatly. Topshop considers the stability of the political environment and governmental policies, when it broaden its business. In order to have a steady development of business, it chooses politically-stable countries to set up branches, such as Ireland (14 retail stores), Singapore (5 retail stores) and Hong Kong (3 retail stores). Topshop does not expand its business in Afghanistan and Syria, those countries that are politically-unstable. Economic factor It involves changes in the global economy. This factor influences on decision-making and operation of an organization, and purchasing power of potential customers. A rise in living standard imply an increase in demand of products, and thus providing greater chances for businesses to make profits, since customers are willing to spend money on fashionable items. Also, changes in the interest rate, wage rates, and inflation rate can also affect business. In case of low interest rates and increase in demand, businesses are encouraged to expand and take risks. Since UK is a member of WTO, the proportion of imports into developed countries from all sources facing tariffs rates of more than 15% declines from 7% to 5% (WTO, 2015). For example, Japan, the US and Russia are developed countries. When Topshop desires to set up more stores in those countries, it can reduce its production costs because it can enjoy from the tariff cuts. Social factor It includes cultural aspect (e.g. religious, customs, lifestyle patterns) and demographic aspect (e.g. gender, structure of population, age distribution). In a global environment, the cultural and social differences are vary from country to country. In order to cater to different consumers, Topshop adopts localization to attract more potential customers in different countries by injecting different cultures during operation of the business. For instance, during New Year, Topshop in Hong Kong lunches a production line of red costumes, while Topshop in Thailand mainly lunches white costumes. Thai believes in Buddhism and white colour symbolizes Buddhism. Technological factor It helps the business to reduce costs and develop new products. Lots of information can be securely shared by means of databases and thus enabling vast cost reduction and improvement in service. The advancement of logistics results in lower costs of transportation. Topshop is able to provide free standard shipping on orders over a particular amount of money. It is a convenient way for customers to shop at home. They can purchase clothes or accessories through online-stores. With the rise of Internet, social websites are ubiquitous. Topshop utilize e-commerce to attract more potential customers. It is an effective way to develop close relationship between customers and Topshop. Customers can share their opinions or outfits on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr; and Topshop can broadcast fashion shows via those social websites. Also, Topshop creates a blog on Inside-Out, providing some fashion ideas to netizens. It produces fashion films and posts them on YouTube. Topshop perceives the latest relevant technological advancements for its business can help stay competitive. Environmental factor In this society, environmental protection is essential to businesses. Topshop is involved in a variety of community initiatives actively, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) banner. It has long-term relationships with suppliers and works with them to make improvements to social, working and environmental conditions. The program deals with issues that are important to stakeholders, like livelihoods of the workers along the production lines, working conditions, community involvement and the reduction of the environmental impact resulting from the manufacture, distribution and sale of the products. For example, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fashion targets breast cancerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  is the longest running charity collaboration of Topshop. Every year, it create an exclusively designed t-shirt, the proceeds of which go direct to the charity that gives help women who are diagnosed with breast cancer (Topshop, 2015). 4.3) Impact of policies of the European Union on UK business organizations The European Union (EU) is a politico-economic union consisting of 28 member states. Member states and business organizations operating in the EU have to adopt regulations and directives created by the EU. The EU promotes free trade between member states by imposing uniform tariffs, value-added tax (VAT), and consumption tax. Also, the EU operates a competition policy intended to ensure undistorted competition within the single market. As the competition regulator, the European Commission is responsible for antitrust issues, approving mergers, working for economic liberalization and breaking up cartels (Wikipedia, 2015). Therefore, Topshop can easily establish its business with little trade barriers to enter the European market. Some policies of EU are beneficial to UK business organizations, meanwhile, some policies bring disadvantages. The members of EU supposed to adopt Euro as the common currenc y, but there are 9 countries, like UK, Denmark and Sweden, have not adopted Euro. So, there is an exchange rate problem. When some branches of Topshop are located at Eurozone, the revenue from those retail stores needs to be converted into British Pound. This may involves additional transaction fees while converting Euro into Pound, resulting in an increase of its production cost. Conclusion International trade is beneficial to a MNC, as it helps increase its market opportunity and sales. Various global factors can affect an organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s decision-making and business strategies. The policies of EU can be advantageous or unfavourable to UK business organizations, however, the benefits outweighs the drawbacks. References IMF (2014). Report for Selected Countries and Subjects (PPP valuation of country GDP) [Online], Available: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2014/02/ [11 Feb 2015] Topshop (2014). About Us Topshop [Online], Available: https:// www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/about-us-80/home?cat2=273012intcmpid=W_FOOTER_%20ABOUT#fragment-1 [11 Feb 2015] WTO (2015). Understanding the WTO Tariffs more bindings and closer to zero [Online], Available: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/agrm2_e.htm [11 Feb 2015] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2015). European Union Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Online], Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union [11 Feb 2015] 1 |

Friday, December 20, 2019

Essay on The Endocrine System Billys Case - 1294 Words

Billys Remarkable Voice Introduction Billy is an elderly man who has experienced remarkable vocal changes throughout his life. Long-term growth and development occur as a consequence of hormone secration within the endocrine system. As an individual ages hormone secreation alters, changing how the human body is structured and functions. As a young boy Billy was a falsetto singer in a choir until he endured hormonal changes associated with puberty. He developed a broken tenor which was hard to control as well as his mood. During this period had also developed a larger muscle mass after taking up body building. After he participated in a choir, he engaged in rock and roll and country western singing. The current state his voice is†¦show more content†¦Table 1. Stimuli Mechanisms Example Humoral Secretion of a hormone is stimulated by changing blood levels of irons and nutrients. Parathyroid gland is stimulated by low calcium levels in the blood to release the hormone osteoclasts to break down bone and calcium Neural Secretion of a hormone is stimulated by nerve fibres. The adrenal medulla is stimulated by the sympathetic nervous system to release norepinephrane and epinephrine in response to stress. Hormonal Secreation of a hormone release is dependent on the secretion of another hormone. Gonadotropin is released from the hypothalamus. It travels through the hyposeal tract into the anterior pituitary lobe. The anterior pituitary lobe is stimulated by gonadotropin to release follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) and lutenising hormones (LH) into the blood to stimulate the gonads to produce sex steroids such as testosterone. Growth hormones also operate using this mechanism. (Table adpated from Porterfield (2001), Finlayson Sanders (2007) and Marieb Hoehn (2014). The Pituitary Gland and Hormone Secretion Figure 2: The figure below illustrates how the interior structure of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus facilitate for hormone secretion. The pituitary gland consists of the posterior and anterior lobe. It is lined with

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Pizza hut Essay Example For Students

Pizza hut Essay INTRODUCTIONPizza Hut began operation as a single pizza shop run by two brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, in Wichita, Kansas on June 15, 1958. The chain grew to 43 restaurants in 1963 and 296 in 1968. Pizza Hut went public in 1969 and was acquired by PepsiCo, Inc. in 1977. By 1981 Pizza Hut had become the largest pizza restaurant chain in the world both in sales and number of restaurants. At that time there were 5,025 domestic units and annual sales of almost $2 billion. Before 1984 Pizza Hut saw no real competition from Dominos in the overall pizza market. COMPETITION: NEED FOR HOME DELIVERYThe challenge of Dominos changed in 1985 when they opened 954 new outlets bringing their total to 2,839 which was the largest expansion which had ever occurred in the food service business. Since Dominos was essentially a delivery-only chain the pressure was placed on Pizza Hut to compete for the market. The expansion of Dominos had led to competition in the locations where Pizza Hut had been the o nly local pizza shop. After the aggressive competition by Dominos the market share of Pizza Hut declined by 3% to 15.4% in the $53 Billion fast food market. Another important reason for Pizza Hut to enter the Home Delivery market was to capture the fast growing market of Home Delivery that increased to $7 Billion from just $0.1 Billion in a span of 8 years. In the time span of 1984 and 1985 the home delivery of pizza grew to be the newest and fastest growing fast food concept. People who had enjoyed dining out for pizza were also ordering delivery pizza for additional meals or even evening snacks. The market was opening up and becoming very successful. Pizza Hut felt they needed to jump into this area of sales. By 1986 there was a surge of business in the pizza market. The main reason for this increase was the home delivery of pizza which had suddenly gained great popularity. FRANCHISING CONCEPT ; ITS DISADVANTAGESPizza Hut had a logistical problem with the delivery aspect of sales being added to the market. Franchising was done for each restaurant Pizza Hut opened. The initial fee was $15,000 for each system. The company or franchise also paid 4% of monthly gross sales to the company. An investment of $466,000 to $816,000 was made when the dine-in/carryout restaurants were set up. The delivery-only units required a much smaller investments estimated at $128,500 to $198,500. In 1967 the International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association was formed to provide a home group of companies which held a loyalty to their product and their sales. By 1986 the organization handled all advertising and promotions of the Pizza Hut stores. Market areas were also determined by this group and even accessed some local co-ops in prime market areas. CANNNIBALIZATION AND MAINTENANCE PROBLEMSThe delivery phase of Pizza Hut was difficult to add to the market place without confusion and what was referred to as cannibalizing of the other phases of Pizza Hut. Dine-in/ carry out establishments were not developed to add the delivery aspect. This meant that staffing had to be changed and the possibility of creating shortages in dine-in stores was a reality. When the delivery aspect was added, the idea of store owned delivery vehicles had to be considered. Not many of the stores wanted to handle this additional charge of owning and maintaining vehicles. This meant they needed to hire drivers who were willing to use their own cars and realize the wear and tear on their cars. In addition to the vehicles and drivers, there were other concerns about the addition of delivery to established stores or the set-up of delivery-only facilities which involved less cost and less land area. The delivery-only facilities did not need to maintain large pa rking lots. They only needed a small area for the employees, including the delivery people. The company tried using a computerized central ordering system called the Customer Service Center (CSC). The use of one single number to order pizza from Pizza Hut sounded good but it was less than efficient. EXPENSIVE AND INEFFICIENT CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTERThe principle was

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Music of My Life free essay sample

My Fender Sonoran acoustic-electric guitar sits still against the draped sheets of my bedpost. I rip out a page from my notebook and reach for my favorite pen. I make a few scribbling motions in the air, waiting for any sudden spur of thought or melody to come to me. As I glance toward the clock, I read 2 AM – not a great time for an all-honors, national merit scholar to be up, especially on a school night, but as always, music prevails. The clock ticks steadily, and suddenly, my grip on my pen tightens. Yes, inspiration is coming. I have heard it before. Ticking, closing in†¦ Closing walls and ticking clocks Tides that I tried to swim against Brought me down upon my knees Oh I beg, I beg and plead Coldplay I close my eyes. Almost like a long-forgotten dream, it all comes back to me. Time rolled back several years. We will write a custom essay sample on Music of My Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Anger flowed through me as I remember the beating, the pounding of fists, the yells. Junior High, a time I never want to remember. My head was more often shoved into my locker rather than into my books, and it did not help that all that was eye-level to me were chins and foul mouths. The lyrics pounded in my head. I beg and plead. I had pleaded even more when the news broke in 8th grade. Cancer. Not one, not two, but three members of my family began an invisible war with themselves. Closing walls and ticking clocks. Helplessness was my life’s theme, and that theme had a song. My page is now filled, and the written words have a recurring feature: brokenness. But no, my life is not broken. It is nearly the opposite. My eyes settle on my guitar, and I strum an E minor, my first-ever chord. Not too long after that, I had learned my first ever song. But now I’m rising from the ashes Finding my wings And all that I needed was there all along Within my reach As close as the beat of my heart David Cook I had found my wings, not realizing that I just had to look over my shoulder. Church. My friends. The amazing support was what saved me. There were people there that cared. There were people that respected me, as I learned to respect myself. Alone at first, I had only needed a glance from a pastor for a chance to lead, and as my physical and musical talents matured, so did I. The stage and lights became my friends, and those who gathered round looked up to me. But now I’m rising from the ashes. From ashes I rose, and my once-wilted confidence flowered. I let out a strum. The tones echo through my room. Through another succession of strums, I can’t help but smile. This is what matters: the ability to write my own story, to be in control of my own future. I let my voice ring out like none other, as if nothing else had ever existed or ever would exist. Once alone and lost, my wings were torn But heaven came, and captured a life forlorn Who knew those whiles which cause all strife Would frame and mold the Music of my Life? And so I come running back, alive and reborn And so I come running back, alive and reborn Greg Wan