5 Steps to Write a Strong Position Paper

5 Steps to Write a Strong Position Paper In a position paper assignment, your charge is to choose a side on a particular topic, sometimes controversial, and build up a case for your opinion or position. You will use facts, opinion, statistics, and other forms of evidence to convince your reader that your position is the best one. To do this, youll collect research for your position paper and craft an outline in order to create a well-constructed argument. Select a Topic for Your Paper Your position paper centers around a topic that is supported by research. Your topic and position have to hold up when challenged, so its helpful to research a few topics and pick the one you can best argue, even if it may not reflect your personal beliefs. In many cases, the subject matter and your topic are not as important as your ability to make a strong case. Your topic can be simple or complex, but your argument must be sound and logical. Conduct Preliminary Research Preliminary research is necessary to determine whether sufficient evidence is available to back up your stance. You don’t want to get too attached to a topic that falls apart under a challenge. Search a few reputable sites, like education (.edu) sites and government (.gov) sites, to find professional studies and statistics. If you come up with nothing after an hour of searching, or if you find that your position doesn’t stand up to the findings on reputable sites, choose another topic. This could save you from a lot of frustration later. Challenge Your Own Topic You must know the opposite view as well as you know your own stance when you take a position. Take the time to determine all the possible challenges that you might face as you support your view. Your position paper must address the opposing view and chip away at it with counter-evidence. Consider having friends, colleagues, or family debate the topic with you to get alternative points of view that you might not have readily considered yourself. When you find arguments for the other side of your position, you can address them in a fair manner, and then state why they are not sound. Another helpful exercise is to draw a line down the middle of a plain sheet of paper and list your points on one side and list opposing points on the other side. Which argument is really better? If it looks like your opposition might outnumber you with valid points, you should reconsider your topic or your stance on the topic. Continue to Collect Supporting Evidence Once you’ve determined that your position is supportable and the opposite position is (in your opinion) weaker than your own, you are ready to branch out with your research. Go to a library and conduct a search, or ask the reference librarian to help you find more sources. You can, of course, conduct online research as well, but its important to know how to properly vet the validity of the sources you use. Ensure that your articles are written by reputable sources, and be wary of singular sources that differ from the norm, as these are often subjective rather than factual in nature. Try to collect a variety of sources, and include both an expert’s opinion (doctor, lawyer, or professor, for example) and personal experience (from a friend or family member) that can add an emotional appeal to your topic. These statements should support your own position but should read differently than your own words. The point of these is to add depth to your argument or provide anecdotal support. Create an Outline A position paper can be arranged in the following format: 1. Introduce your topic with some basic background information. Build up to your thesis sentence, which asserts your position. Sample points: For decades, the FDA has required that warning labels should be placed on certain products that pose a threat to public health.Fast food restaurants are bad for our health.Fast food packages should contain warning labels. 2. Introduce possible objections to your position. Sample points: Such labels would affect the profits of major corporations.Many people would see this as overreaching government control.Whose job is it to determine which restaurants are bad? Who draws the line?The program would be costly. 3. Support and acknowledge the opposing points. Just be sure you arent discrediting your own views. Sample points: It would be difficult and expensive for any entity to determine which restaurants should adhere to the policy.Nobody wants to see the government overstepping its boundaries.Funding would fall on the shoulders of taxpayers. 4. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter-arguments. This is where you can work to discredit some of the counter-arguments and support your own. Sample points: The cost would be countered by the improvement of public health.Restaurants might improve the standards of food if warning labels were put into place.One role of the government is to keep citizens safe.The government already does this with drugs and cigarettes. 5. Summarize your argument and restate your position. End your paper focusing on your argument and avoid the counter-arguments. You want your audience to walk away with your view on the topic being one that resonates with them. When you write a position paper, write with confidence and state your opinion with authority. After all, your goal is to demonstrate that your position is the correct one.

Woodstock Festival Essay examples

Woodstock Festival Essay examples Woodstock Festival Essay examples Kim Novick MUS-150-SL History of Rock ‘n Roll May 12, 2015 Three Days of Music, Peace and Love In 1969 the most memorable music festival and art fair in America happened on August 15 thru August 18. This three day long gathering was called Woodstock Art and Music Festival. This event was not just about the music, it was an event that changed America. In the early 60’s the United States was in turmoil over the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Civil Right Movement. There was also assassinations of four influential men such as Robert Kennedy, J. F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King. Sick of the violence and millions of deaths, many young men and women of their late teens to mid-twenties took their stand by rallies, protests, and attending concerts. It appeared to this young generation that the world their parents had made for them was a world full of hate and war and they wanted to distance themselves from it, creating a hippie counterculture. Calling themselves hippies because to be hip was one who is aware. They believed that they were fully aware of what they wanted, what they believed in and how they perceived the world. They wanted egalitarianism between races, peace among men and its country, and they wanted to be heard without being persecuted by the â€Å"The Establishment† which was any sort of government institution that ordered them to fight for a war they did not believe in. In 1964 the draft began for the Vietnam War. The youngest age for the draft was eighteen. It bewilder these young people that at the age of eighteen they were old enough to die for their country, but could not vote until the age twenty-one. This led to many antiwar protest. These rebellious hippies turned to music and drugs. Their choice of music was folk music and psychedelic rock. They used drugs that gave those means to explore alternate state of conscious such as LSD and marijuana. They used the â€Å"crow’s foot† designed by Gerald Holtom in the 1950s that protested against nuclear arms, as a symbol of the antiwar movem ent which by the end of the decade became the international symbol of peace. Their means of transportation was the VW bus, it was big enough to pile many friends and hitchhikers in, and so they could attend protest, concerts, and festivals. These VW buses were always painted with bright colored flowers, peace signs and messages of love or antiwar. With the introduction of birth control in the 60’s, it helped women to explore their sexual liberation. All these events helped pave the way to the three days of peace and love that become known as Woodstock Music and Art Festival an Aquarian Exposition in White Lake, New York. Michael Lang was one of the co-founders, age twenty-five, while in New York to promote a band he was managing, met and quickly become friends with fellow Brooklyn native, Artie Kornfeld. Artie Kornfeld, age twenty-six, was the youngest vice-president of Capital Records. These two self-motivated men had big ideas, one wanted to open a recording studio in Woodstock, New York and the other wanted to have a series of concerts to finance it. The only thing holding them back was neither one had the capital for such events. This is where John Roberts, age twenty-three, an inheritor of a wealthy family-owned business and Joel Rosenman, age twenty-six, whose background was in law, came into play. These two friends had ideas of their own. They wanted to write a television series about two pals with more money than brains, which every week would get into some nutty business ventures. The only problem was they could not think of any plots of their own, so they decided to put an ad in the Wall St reet Journal and in the New York Times that read: Young man with unlimited capital looking for legitimate investing opportunities and business propositions. This ad was to only look for ideas and plots for their television series. However, Lang and Kornfeld saw the ad in Wall Street Journal and though this might be

Critically examine British government policies directed towards Essay

Critically examine British government policies directed towards prostitution - Essay Example The problem of prostitution in the UK is often more than just the expansion of the sex industry; it is integrally related to the increase of trade on the street and the crimes associated with it. In February 2003, 31 policemen in Glasgow arrested women in an anti-prostitution clampdown ranged over 48 hours as a result of their provocation by the angry residents. In this operation, no men were arrested. A vast majority of the women engaged in the act of street prostitution are either crack cocaine addicts or are on heroin or both. Most of the prostitution in the UK happens in the outdoors city and the indoor scene is small. Women that are engaged in the street prostitution are exposed to sexual or physical violence in the disproportionate levels. Prostitution is one of the leading causes of suspicious deaths and assassination of women in the UK. Acceptance of the lap dancing among the celebrities and the businesses as well as broadcasting of the lap dancing in the television programs provides evidence for its relative success. Normalization has placed emphasis upon the aspects that were more acceptable like small brothels and escort agencies. Regulation can be understood as a half-way house arrangement that constitutes different approaches and regimes, that include but are not limited to a reactive nuisance response with the resident clampdowns upon customers and especially women, and a blind eye approach in which reigns informal tolerance. â€Å"The legal regulation of prostitution in the UK was set out in the Sexual Offences Act 1956, which reflected the findings of the Wolfenden Committee investigation into prostitution and homosexuality that took place around that time† (politics.co.uk, 2012). Prostitution in the Wolfenden Committee was treated as a moral issue as was evident from the Act’s text. This became the basis of the popular debates between Herbert Hart and Lord Devlin. By the end of the year 2003, the Home Office declared its plans to revise

'Effective Finance Management in Small Business Restaurant in Ireland' Dissertation

'Effective Finance Management in Small Business Restaurant in Ireland' - Dissertation Example The literature review section reveals a comprehensive discussion on financial management and its role in small restaurant business. The role of The Restaurant Association of Ireland has been also included in order to several its contribution in context of financial management. The research methodology section has evaluated the ways of data collection for this study. For this research, questionnaire survey and focus group discussion has been used for collecting primary data from the financial managers in the chosen restaurants of Ireland and restaurant owners. It was found that these restaurants do maintain systematic accounting statements and the restaurant owners closely monitor the financial statements, transaction records, and inventory that remains in the restaurant. Due to fewer funds, the owners forecast sales per unit and cost and accordingly allocate their funds. Though it was found that the small restaurant owners in Ireland do follow financial management approaches to make the business a success, but it was recommended that yearly audit is done through external auditor to maintain transparent financial records and also involve the employees while taking financial management decisions, which affects all the other departments in the restaurant. ... The problem statement of this research study is related to the financial management framework of small restaurant during this financial crunch. 13 1.4 Rationale of the Study 13 Restaurant segment like the other sectors is a lucrative area of revenue generation for Ireland, where around â‚ ¬6 billion is spends by people annually in eating out (Kumar, and Subramaniam, 1997). However, during the financial crisis the profits have diminished considerably because of increasing level of unemployment in the country. It has been noticed that the small restaurants in Ireland were successful in reaping steady profits compared to the multinational food chains. This was an issue to be curious about, and research could be conducted on this aspect (Munro, 1997; Crick, 1997). It has been seen that in case of small businesses such as small restaurants, financial management framework is not so strong like that of big businesses such as big hotels or restaurant chains. 13 However, financial manageme nt binds every other segment in small businesses, unlike bigger ventures. In bigger ventures financial management is equally important like several other aspects, so the financial management approaches of small restaurant businesses of Ireland should be explore (Kumar, and Subramaniam, 1997). Efficiency of financial management in small business can be identified through comprehensive analysis of their financial management framework and strategies. This is the reason why focus has been made towards financial management of small restaurants as it forms the core of the business strategies in small strategies. 13 1.5 Research Question 14 1.6 Research Objective 14 1.7 Outline of the Study 14 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 15 2.1 Introduction 15

Advantages and disadvantages of E-business

Advantages and disadvantages of E-business Using Internet technology to provide improved customer service, make more efficient business processes, increase sales, and reduce wastage is called E-business. E-business uses the internet tools such as websites, online banking, and web based customer relationship. Advantages of E-Business: There are many benefits an organisation can get with having an E-Business solution for the business. Worldwide Presence: The major advantage of engaging business online, to have presence nationwide or worldwide. IBM uses the e-business term to provide services to the customer and was one of the first companies uses this term. Dell Inc. and Amazon are the other success stories using E-Business to flourish their business. Cost Effective Marketing and Promotions: using internet to market products is a very nominal method which guarantees the worldwide reach. Pay per click advertising is a effective technique which ensure the business only pay for the advertisement that actually viewed. Better Customer Service: E-Business has change the customer services image enormously. Number of customers can visit or the website at same time. Some website have online chat feature to help the customer to find out more about the product they are interested in. moreover orders can be placed online by processing payments securely over the internet and products can be shipped to the customer. In this case customers even do not have to leave the house. Disadvantages of E-Business: Even above mentioned advantages there are some disadvantages of the E-Business. Some of them are listed below. Sartorial limitation: the main disadvantage of E-Business is lack of growth in some sectors i.e. food. Consumer prefers to look the food products physically before buying. Costly maintenance: substantial recourses are required to setup online business which requires computer upgrade, personnel trainings and website upgrade. This can be a disadvantage for some organisation. Security concern: The security concerns also lead to privacy issue. There are many examples of contact lists and personal details were hacked or exposed due to weak E-Business system security. Virus threat. Physical products constrain. Perishable goods. Types of business organisation: There are two major types of the business. Private sector: Private firms are owned and run by private individual. There is further classification in private sector firms. Sole traders: A sole trader owns and runs a business. They contribute capital to start the enterprise, run it with or without employees, and earn the profits or stand the losses of the venture. Sole traders are found mainly in the retail trades (local newsagents), small scale service industries (plumbers), and small manufacturing and craft industries. Advantages: Easy to setup Can keep all the profits Make key decision. Flexibility Disadvantages: Unlimited liability Limited access to capital Pressure of being solely responsible. Partnership: Partnership is defined as the relation who subsists between persons carrying on a business in common with a view of profit. A partnership is not a separate legal person distinct from its members; it is merely a relation between persons. Each partner (there must be at least two) is usually personally liable for all the debts of the firm. Advantages: Greater access to capital Shared responsibility Easy to setup. Disadvantages: Unlimited liabilities All partners liable for the debt of each other. Partnership dissolves on death of one partner. Potential of conflict. Limited companies: Limited companies are essential to be register at companies house. Company must issue a memorandum of association that includes nature of business and structure of the company. Limited companies also called Limited Liabilities Company. Shareholders have limited liabilities, if company winds up shareholders do not have to pay anything. Limited companies are further categorised in two types. Private limited company (LTD) A private limited company is one where the liability is limited to the value of the shares issued. This means that any debts are debts of the company, not of the owners. Company is owned by 1 to 50 shareholders and must have at least one director. Accounts have to prepare and submit to the companies house annually. Legally company can sue and can be sued. Public limited company (PLC) A Public limited company the one which can issue and trade their shares in the stock exchange for general public. Therefore ownership is open to anyone who wants to buy shares. There can be minimum two owners but no maximum numbers. Company must have at least two directors and a fully qualified company secretary. Public sector: Public sector businesses are owned by government. Government holds majority of the stakes in public sector industries. In last twenty years number of government owned firms reduced massively. Very few examples remain for instance: Royal mail, Royal Bank of Scotland. Aims of an organisation: An aim for any business organisation is a long term goal, something to be achieved over a significant period of time. These aims based upon a planned management strategy. For instance for a private company, aims might include To survive To achieve profitability by a certain time To increase profits To achieve technical excellence To improve quality of our products To be leader in the market To improve market share To enter global market. P 1.2: Stakeholders: Stakeholders are group of people who have an interest in a business organisation. There are a number of groups and individual who can be describe as stakeholders in any business. The Business Owners Managers Staff Customer Suppliers Community Government Figure above shows the possible stakeholder in a business activity. Some of the stakeholders are internal, some are external. Internal Stakeholders: Internal stakeholders are those who are members of the business organisation. For instance: Owners Manager Staff and employees External Stakeholders: External Stakeholders  are not a part of the firm and have an interest in the business. For instance: Customers Suppliers Community Government I will discuss the stakeholder in respect to my business later on in my business plan. P 1.3: Organisational Functions: Organisations arrange their resource recourses into different business functions. All organisations, whatever their business nature is have to manage the following business functions. Finance Human Resources Sales and Marketing Administration Research and Development. Each of the function needs to work tighter so the organisation can achieve their goals. Finance Function The financial section of the organisation will keep manual/electronic records of money received and paid out by the organisation. This information will then be used to produce various financial statements for tax purposes and to comply with legal requirements. The information will also be used to produce management accounts to enable senior managers to plan and review business strategy. The finance department or unit may also be responsible for administering employee expenses and salaries. For payment of wages the finance department will need to take into account statutory deductions such as tax, and employee contributions such as pension or loan repayments. Human Resources Function Human resources or Personnels main responsibility is the recruitment, selection, training and development of staff. This will involve developing staff to maximise their potential in a manner that furthers the organisations objectives.   Human resources may also need to comply with legislation applicable to the country in which they are based. For example in the  UK  employers will need to maintain accurate personal records in a manner that is compliant with the UK Data Protection Act 1984. Human resources often adopt a welfare role which includes looking after employees whilst they are at work. They may also create policies that balance organisational needs with those of the employee. They will also interpret employee welfare legislation and ensure that the organisation is complying with the applicable legislation. Sales and Marketing Function The marketing department will research customer needs to develop strategy and product to satisfy that customer need. In its research, the marketing department will investigate the market they are aiming at; the type of consumer making up the market (age, background sex etc) and the preferences of the consumer within that market. The marketing department will then need to marry consumer preferences with producing a product that is profitable. Once the product has been designed by the production department marketing will then need to package, advertise, and promote the product. Sales are responsible for persuading the consumer to purchase the end product, manufactured through marketings research. The Sales Departments selling strategy could involve  mailshots, travelling sales representatives, telephone sales and devising the sales interview. Administration This involves dealing with all administrative tasks including mail handling, dealing with enquiries/complaints, catering, and computer services. They will also produce documents (eg  forms, stationary, and newsletters) for the organisation and maintain the organisations premises and equipment. This function although not always recognised is vital, as it is the glue that holds the organisation together. Without an administrative department, customer complaints would not be resolved, customer orders may not be processed, and the workforce may not have the tools they need to complete their tasks. Research and Development Function The aim of research and development is to improve existing products, create new and better products, improve production methods, and create effective processes. This will enable the organisation to reduce costs, increase profitability and remain ahead of the competition. As not all research will lead to new/improved products/processes companies will need to allocate a specific portion of their budget to research and development activities. P 2.1: E-Business impact on consumer: E-Business brings the merchandise information to the online consumers home wherever they are. The choice available through E-Business to the consumer is enormous. Usually visiting a store physically means trek around, looking for the item consumer wants. E-business made it easy for the consumer to access the stores online to find their relevant item. Online shoping websites like theonlineshoppingtown.co.uk illustrate how e-business provides the consumer vastly increased verity of products available 24/7, both physical goods as well as services such as finance and insurance. P 2.2: E-Business impact on Business: E-business has made a deep impact on society. People can now shop online in the privacy of their own homes without ever having to leave. This can force larger brick and mortar retailers to open an online division. In some cases, it can also force smaller businesses to shut their doors, or change to being completely online. It also changes the way people look at making purchases and spending money. E-business has changed the face of retail, services, and other things that make our economy work. Undoubtedly, it will continue to influence how companies sell and market their products, as well as how people choose to make purchases for many years to come. P 2.3: Market Research: Market research is the procedure of using a variety of methods to collect, analyzes, and report data about possible consumer groups. Market research is used as a marketing strategy. Formal market segmentation requires comprehensive market research. The market research will helps to identify  quantitative  and  qualitative  patterns in consumer groups.  Quantitative  consumer data  refers to numbers such as age,  income, and family size while qualitative data relies on characteristics such as  education, occupation, and personality.  There are several ways you can go about segmenting  a population to target a market. Some are more relevant to your business than others. The  following describes different aspects of market segmentation used for marketing research that will help you in identifying a niche and maximizing business marketing. Types of Market Research: Surveys are the most commonly used  and least expensive market research method available. They can be conducted online, in person, or by phone. Focus groups are a method by which companies gain feedback on products by asking questions in an interactive group setting. This method might also be used to gain feedback on  services,  concept, advertisement, ideas, or packaging. Technology: Apart from surveys and questioners there are few tools available on internet that are used to collect data of the consumers accessing specific business over the web. I tried to access the tools to collect current data of particular business but all of them where required to have a paid membership. I used Google web analyser to analyze website traffic. Another tool which can help finding information about the anchor text used by the linking sites is SEO Books Back Link Analyzer http://tools.seobook.com/backlink-analyser/). It Supplies multiple output data including backlink status, link text, page title, outbound links, links on page, IP address, link type and Google information. P 2.3: Market Research impact on E-Business: Today we are living in vibrant world where numbers of things are changing very rapidly. Therefore it has become very complex to predict anything. Business is also a part of this rapid changing world and it is very difficult to predict any next move of market or customers respectively. However, to achieve success in the business world, it is very significant for any business to have full information about the market progress and the customers behaviour. Therefore, business requires a solution which can help them to gather these facts and figures. A most effective solution for this problem resides in the form of market research, that provides a great possibility to identify the numerous trends in the market and customers need. Market research is a combination of few methods like surveys, analysis, trends, prediction. Adopting the effective market research method can help business to identify new market trends, their competitor activities, acceptability of their products in market, scope for new products, and reason behind failure of products. A large numbers of business organisation have made market research an essential part of the organisation. However, many others take the help of external agencies and advisors. Mode of doing market research may be whatever but one thing is clear that market research significantly help organisations in making right moves at the right time. By making market research an integral part of companies work structure, companies can easily avoid number of shocks coming from market and increase their success rate considerably. Therefore, in simple words we can say that by getting the help of market research, it is possible for any organisation to succeed in the business world. Chapter 2: Online Business Development: Introduction: Handyman online is a website which will provide wide range of repair and maintenance services around the home. This idea for the e business is not unique but in a way it is different from recent trend of customer services. The idea comes through my mind when I required some paint and patch work need to be done around the house. It was not a very large area so there was no need to hire professional contractors as a most people are fear of lengthy process and expensive labour. In search of the person who can carry out this small job I search in the local yellow pages, unfortunately I could not find any person. I browse the internet to search for the right person for the job. I narrowed down my search to 3 persons who carry out this kind of jobs in that area. When I called 2 of them refuse to come and visit the site due to lack of time and one of them promised to visit and never turned up. I have a degree in civil engineering in which I spent three years to learn about construction and its requirements before I come into the IT field. As per my pervious knowledge in the specific area I visited the (do it yourself) DIY stores like Homebase and BQ. I browsed for my required material and the actual work didnt take not more then 3 hour to finish. This draws my attention to the market potential and lack of required skilled staff in this area. People like me spend enormous amount of time over the internet to search person to carry out such a small tasks like assembling a cupboard, hang out a curtain or change the lock. In my case I was very disappointed about the response of the persons to carry out my required work. In my opinion there is a lot of potential in this market which I will discuss later in my report. Mission Statement: Mission is to reach and provide the customer high standard handyman services in quick and efficient way and creates employment opportunities. Goals: Create over 20% of business from repeat customers. Generate  steady revenue per year by the end of year two. Develop the business into full-time employment within 12 months. P 3.1: The Market research: Handyman Onlines target market has been divided into two segments: home owners and property managers. There are 1,340 potential customers in the property manager segment.  This group is growing at a 4% annual growth rate. There are 25,190 potential customers in the home owner segment. This  group has a 5% annual growth rate. Competition Handyman online will receive competition from several sources. The most well-known competitors are detailed below: Handymen Fix-It-Up: This is a one man company that is specialized in electrical problems and plumbing. Painting and patios are not serviced. When speaking with the customers regarding their experience with this company their expression was mixed. Handymend.com: This is a handyman company that employs three different workers as handymen. This is a large company (for handymen) with a far less intimate customer experience. If a customer used this service on four different occasions, they are likely to receive four different people on the service calls. Contractors (General) Raj Contractors: This is a full-service general contractor. The organization is large with 17 employees. This company does a mixture of commercial and residential work. This company has an eight hour minimum contract. MF Contractors: This is a small sized contractor of five employees. They concentrate on residential jobs and have a smaller minimum of four hour projects. P 3.2: Market Analysis Summary Handyman online has identified two different market segments, home owners and property managers. As I discussed earlier, like in my case the most important segments as they are the customers who often have small repairs. These repairs are too small for to hire a contractor and complicated enough for the owner to perform themselves. Customers often call the service provider who they are familiar with, regardless of the suitability. For this reason, word of mouth referrals will be very important. Possible customers normally ask neighbours or friends and any other property managers for advice on handyman service providers. Handyman online will take advantage of word of mouth marketing by providing exceptional services to keep customers satisfied. Excellent service will result in new and repeat business. Market research outcomes: As I discussed earlier, I divided the potential market into two distinct customer groups: Home owners The value of the homes ranges generally between  £160,00  £655,00. 48% of home owners try to make small repairs themselves; they often start the repair and later realize that they do not have the appropriate skills to complete the repair. The remaining 52% do not attempt to repair it, they call a professional person to perform the repair. 62% have owned their home for more than two years. 73% of the customers wait until several small problems accumulate before they call a handyman for repair. This behaviour can be explained by not wanting to incur a large upfront charge just to have someone fix one thing. Property managers: Typically do not have their own in-house repair man in an effort to reduce overhead expenses. The range of monthly rental costs of their units is  £350- £675. Market Analysis Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Potential Customers Growth CAGR Home owners 5% 24,090 25,295 26,560 27,888 29,282 5.00% Property managers 4% 1,234 1,283 1,334 1,387 1,442 3.97% Total 25,324 26,578 27,894 29,275 30,724 P 3.3: Company: Handyman online will be formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) by myself. i will be the sole employee and owner of the company and I will hire the staff time to time according to the nature of the job. The company will incur certain start-up costs, primarily tools, detailed in the Start-up Summary section. Start-up requirements: Handyman online will incur start-up costs related to start of the business. The following table details the start-up costs as well as indicated the needed capital for initial operations. Stan will be using his personal tools for jobs but will need to purchase the following additional equipment/tools: Assorted plumbing tools including: slip wrenches, snakes, teflon tape, and assorted caps, nuts, and bolts. Electrical tools including: electrical gauge meters, wire cutters, various wires and wire caps, and soldering iron. Painting material including: paint brushes, paint roller, pneumatic paint sprayer, air compressor, sand papers, spackle tools and masking tape. Pressure washer. Various general tools. Assorted power tools (drill, saw, sander, Dremel). Assorted nails, bolts, screws, and fixtures. Laptop with portable printer for mobile invoice printing and submission. Mobile phone. Start-up Expenses Legal  £800 Accountant  £600 Brochures  £250 Insurance  £250 website registration  £25 Website hosting  £75 webpage development  £500 Total Start-up Expenses  £2,500 P 3.4: Details of cost: Start-up Assets Cash Required  £20,500 Other Current Assets  £0 Long-term Assets  £8,000 Total Assets  £28,500 Total Requirements  £31,000 Start-up Funding Start-up Expenses to Fund  £2,500 Start-up Assets to Fund  £28,500 Total Funding Required  £31,000 Assets Non-cash Assets from Start-up  £8,000 Cash Requirements from Start-up  £20,500 Additional Cash Raised  £0 Cash Balance on Starting Date  £20,500 Total Assets  £28,500 Liabilities and Capital Liabilities Current Borrowing  £0 Long-term Liabilities  £31,000 Accounts Payable (Outstanding Bills)  £0 Other Current Liabilities (interest-free)  £0 Total Liabilities  £31,000 Capital Planned Investment Investor 1  £0 Other  £0 Additional Investment Requirement  £0 Total Planned Investment  £0 Loss at Start-up (Start-up Expenses) - £2,500 Total Capital - £2,500 Total Capital and Liabilities  £28,500 Total Funding  £31,000 Loan required  £31,000 P 4.1: Company Services Handyman online will provide repair and maintenance for home owners and property managers. All type of services will be provided from just  £40 per hour plus parts. Handyman online will give every customer at least one hour of work at their property. All work is handyman work, for larger nature of jobs that require a contractor; Handyman online will search an experienced service provider free for the customer. By providing only handyman services, handyman online will always attempt to repair the problem first, replacement is only an option if the item cannot be repaired. This differs from a contractor philosophy which is generally to replace everything first. Repairing items is far less expensive for the consumer. Handyman online will offer a one year guarantee for all of their repair and maintenance work, The goal is to not have any unsatisfied customers. Offered services include: Minor plumbing Leaky faucets, repair/replace fixtures, sprinkler repair, minor drain problems, garbage disposal install, install ice maker lines. Minor electrical Ceiling fan repair and install, electrical plugs and switches, vanity lights, motion lights, cable and phone line installation. Fence repair Metal and wood fence repair and install, electric dog fences, gate and latch install. Window, wall and door repairs Small hole repair, door installation, window maintenance and repair. Decks and patios Deck repair and maintenance, chemical cleaning, pressure washing, wood replacement, handrail installation. Painting Interior and exterior (short of an entire exterior of a house). Weather proofing Weather stripping, caulking. Flooring Carpet and hard wood repair Company Ownership: I am the founder and owner of Handyman online. The company will remain a one-man operation for the foreseeable future. P 4.2: Market Analysis Summary Handyman online has identified two different market segments, home owners and property managers. As I discussed earlier, like in my case the most important segments as they are the customers who often have small repairs. These repairs are too small for to hire a contractor and complicated enough for the owner to perform themselves. Customers often call the service provider who they are familiar with, regardless of the suitability. For this reason, word of mouth referrals will be very important. Possible customers normally ask neighbours or friends and any other property managers for advice on handyman service providers. Handyman online will take advantage of word of mouth marketing by providing exceptional services to keep customers satisfied. Excellent service will result in new and repeat business. Marketing strategy: Website Marketing Strategy The marketing strategy will employ two distinct mechanisms: Search engine submission: This will be most useful to people who are unfamiliar with handyman online but are looking for a local handyman. There will also be searches from customers who may know about handyman online but are seeking additional information. URL on all printed material: For every printed piece of material that we offers, the sites Web address will be listed, encouraging a visit to the site. Website Development Requirements The site will be developed by me because I have an experience to develop a website. I will seek help from a friend to develop some aspect of the website. The value of the development will not increase more then  £600, it will not have to be listed as a payout of 1099 income for tax purposes. P 4.3: Sales Forecast The sales forecast has been developed in a conventional way to increase the possibility of achieving the sales goals. The forecast sales breaks down is based on the activities that Handyman online will perform. Required parts to replacing the faulty ones will be invoiced separately, there consumables such as nails, caulk, and etc., that will be used will be included in the  £40 hourly fee. These consumables are captured in the direct costs of goods as a percentage of the overall service charge. The different services have different percentages assigned to each type of service. Handyman online will perform a wide range of jobs, that will be billed at the same hourly rate. The competition typically bills out electrical work at a higher rate, and painting at a lower rate. Company has chosen a single hourly rate to encourage customers to use the services for more then one repair on the same visit. Sales Forecast Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Sales Plumbing  £4,250  £12,500  £16,550 Electrical  £3,698  £10,875  £14,399 Fences  £782  £2,875  £3,807 Windows  £1,360  £4,000  £5,296 Decks  £945  £4,500  £5,958 Paint  £2,508  £7,375  £9,765 Weather proofing  £1,403  £4,125  £5,462 Parts  £850  £2,500  £3,310 Floors  £1,615  £4,750  £6,289 Total Sales  £17,410  £53,500  £70,834 Direct Cost of Sales Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Plumbing  £298  £875  £1,159 Electrical  £185  £544  £720 Fences  £23  £86  £114 Windows  £109  £320  £424 Decks  £38  £180  £238 Paint  £226  £664  £879 We

Landcare Revegetation :: essays research papers

Rehabilitation is the process of reclaiming land for economical or conservation purposes. This process usually involves re-vegetation. The main aim in rehabilitation is to either return the land to a self-sustaining ecosystem or prepare the land for human use, i.e. crops, pastures and plantations. Rehabilitation should take place at a rate that is significantly higher than natural succession. Several principles are implemented for successful rehabilitation. Of these principles includes the need for preventing disasters and anticipating problems before they arise, if this is taken to consideration then rehabilitation will be less costly and trouble free. When rehabilitating a site, all the components making up the ecosystem need to be looked at individually. They include soil, climate, vegetation, time and animals. These components need to interact at certain rates in order for the desired effect to be achieved and so might need to be altered. There are other principles of rehabilitation, which will be discussed, in greater detail. There are many methods and strategies involved in rehabilitation which, are specific to a site. In this case, surface mine reclamation and farmland will be looked at. A step by step illustration of the processes involved will be covered. When rehabilitating mine land, it is important to first prepare a plan before mining takes place. Researching and obtaining data on the floral and faunal elements of the ecosystem by conducting surveys of the upper, mid and under-story species present. If the aim is to restore the land to its original ecological balance and to conserve the species present, then further studies should be conducted on the ecology of the native species, i.e. seed biology of all species. Propagation techniques and the order of re-establishing species should be studied. When rehabilitation work was conducted on the bauxite mines in the southwest of W.A., special research was conducted on the germination requirements of sown seed. The aim in this case was to re-establish a self-sustaining forest, which maintains water, timber and all the valued qualities of forest. The timing component was carefully considered when removing topsoil in summer to ensure maximum seed store this was achieved when the forest was cleared after seed set took place. Hand seeding was done soon after ripping in order to ensured that the seeds other propagules were well established before germination. When conducting mining operations it is generally desirable that rehabilitation work takes place at the same rate as mining occurs. The soil component in this case needs to be removed in layers (topsoil and overburden) and stock piled during the mining process. The topsoil is very important because is contains most of the seed, propagules and micro-organisms which are needed for

Happy Life – Essay

What Is a successful life? Is it a life without concern about money, without caring about interpersonal legislations, or without suffering any discomforts? To me, if it were a life without caring about others, people would not feel happiness. If it were a life of just working hard, people would lose their family. If it were a life of being selfish all the time, people would not feel the taste of love. Therefore, In order to have a happy life, we need to control our willpower, have a good relationship with others and then live with any pains.Will power plays a very important role in one's life. When we were born, everything looks interesting to us. Or in some other cases, we are looking for troubles that we are not intended to. That is why kids need to be educated. Facts such as failing to control one's Impulses, low frustration tolerance, and failing to plan ahead always happen for a young kid. That Is why young children need constant supervision from our parents or teachers. In thes e cases, most of the will power Is established In one's childhood.As an example from the reading, † Don't, the secret of self-control†, Joana Lealer explain well why our young generation needs a good self-control to be successful in our life. His article summarizes research on self-control in children and how this factor will predict success later in their life. In his articles, researchers showed four-year-old kids a marshmallow, and told them that they â€Å"could eat one marshmallow right away, or If they were willing to wait while he stepped out for a few minutes, they could have two marshmallow when he returned. (Lealer 2009) some kids ate one marshmallow very soon, while 30% were able to wait until the researcher returned 15 minutes later-?a very long time in the life of four-year-old. Interestingly, the researchers also followed up these kid twenty years later, they found that the kids who could delay 15 minutes had an average S. A. T score that was 210 points ra ter that those who delay 30 seconds or less. (Lealer 2009) To their credit, those kids who could delay longer had fewer behavioral problems, dealt with stressful situations and maintain friendship better.I am not saying those well behave kids would be successful in the future, but at least they can control their will power, which will help them build their life better. As I was in my high school year, I met some friends who are extremely out of self-control. In their cases, they prefer having troubles with teachers and school disciplines rather than studying. They didn't come to school on time, and do the homework by themselves. I think they are In a bad they told me they feel so regret at their high school years. From them I know some of their fellows went to Jail after.That is the reason why we need a good self-control, no one want to spend the rest of his or her life in Jail. Besides having a strong will power, we also need to communicate well with others. The scale of being succ essful or happy is not measured by how much cash is in your pocket, but the relationships with others. More precisely, a good mental health really matters in one's life. In the article, â€Å"What makes us happy', Joshua Wolf Sheen argues the how interpersonal allegations effects one's life. Sheen s article is based on the Grant Study.The grant study was longitudinal research by subjects had been followed for about 70 years. The subjects were all Harvard male student from the classes of 1942, 43 and 44. The main researcher of this study, George Villain, thought, â€Å"the only things that really matters in life are your relationships to other people†. (Cheekiness) Villain regards the relationship to other people as the most important factor of people's life. It is very important to maintain close interpersonal relationships not only with our family, but also with our friends and other people.Sandra Bullock, for an example, explains us well why we need to maintain good interp ersonal relationships. In the article, † The Sandra Bullock Trade†, David Brooks persuade his audiences that, † marital happiness or interpersonal relationships is more than an accomplishment in a profession. † (Brooks 2010) In the article, Brooks discusses two things that happened to Sandra Bullock in one month, she found out that her husband was cheating on her and she won an Academy Award. Although as a normal person, we don't have a clue how Bullock feels, we know that Bullock doesn't have a happy family.Although Bullock is so successful in her career, she has no support from his family. In my opinion, I think she put too much effort into her career and she loses her family. Once one's family is not on their back, their success will not count. Besides having a good self-control and interpersonal relationship, we also need to face our pains. The more difficulties we have met, the more experiences we will have for life, and the more successful we will be in our life. From Sheens article, † What makes us Happy', he illustrates how pains related to one's happy life.I really like his mint about interpersonal relations. However, I disagree with what you said about â€Å"your feeling of how happy your life was depended on how you think, not on how many difficulties you had met. † (Sheen 2007) In my opinions, life is based on how many difficulties you have met. Because the more pains you suffered, the more experienced you will be, and the easier we will learn how to deal with them. In my family, my dad always gives me advice upon any difficulty I have met. Because he suffered those pains before, and he Just doesn't want to come through with them again.But there must be one day he can't advice me any more, because my dad and I are in a different mode of life. Thus, I need to be fully experienced to build my family. With good self-control, maintaining good interpersonal relation, and living with any pains are the ways to build a successful life. Different people suffer different lives. From the time we were born, we will face the questionnaire upon how our life will be. No one can answer this question, no one will know how one's life will be, and no one can conclude whether the life is successful or not. We start, and we should