Improve Human Resources Practices in Abu Dhabi Government Entities Literature review

Improve Human Resources Practices in Abu Dhabi Government Entities - Literature review Example So, it becomes essential to have a set of HR rules and policies to implement it. There have been many activities undertaken by the Abu Dhabi government in HR practices to improve the efficiency of their work force. A workshop was organized by The Abu Dhabi Group for Best Practices in Human Resources Management in association with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI) recently. The workshop intended to present the best practices that can be applied in performance management. A presentation was made on the recruitment system of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company (ADNEC) that highlighted the application part of different recruitment methodology and the type of questionnaires used in recruitment and selection. The group was created to present a common forum for HR practitioners, specialists and also the workers related with training and development. The forum also included directors of human resources of the local departments at the Abu Dhabi governments in order to help them exchange their expertise and identify the best practices in HR practices that can contribute to achieve the corporate visions of the Abu Dhabi governments (Abu Dhabi Group for Best Practices in HRM Organizes a Workshop on the Best Practices in Performance Management and Recruitment Systems, 2012). Another article on the human resource practices in Abu Dhabi explained how HR theories helped to combine the economies in the Middle East which led to the process known as Emiratisation (Randeree, 2009). This article explained how the government in Abu Dhabi emphasized in the training and development programs including the women too. It stated that the Emiratisation strategy has led the Abu Dhabi government to include the European style of training system like apprentice schemes, mandatory in house trainings and conducting local or regional training events (Randeree, 2009). A seminar was conducted in Abu Dhabi by JCCP on human resource development programs. The seminar that was held for five days emphasized on the HRM techniques that were employed by a Japanese oil company (Customized Program on â€Å"Human Resource Management (HRM)† in Kuwait (KNPC) and UAE (TAKREER), 2008, p.1). Such practices and developments in human resource activities will contribute significantly in completing the anticipated corporate vision 2030 of the Abu Dhabi government. Human resource system - traditional to modern outlook Human resource that was treated as an added cost before is now emerging to be accepted as an asset for an organization. It was mostly regarded to be a support function in organizations, an extra cost that an organization can do away with. According to some definitions by the experts human resource is defined as a specific approach to execute proper employment management in order to achieve competitive advantage by deploying an efficient and capable workforce. This can be achieved by integrating the cultural, structural and personnel techniques (Armstr ong, 2006, p.31). Human capital represents the human aspect in an organization. It is the knowledge, skill and creativity of an individual that can add value and improve productivity in a firm (Armstrong, 2006, p.33). In recent times, a new aspect of human resource management has developed which is the strategic aspect. This includes human resource related decisions and facts while framing the strategic decisions. It is known as strategic human resource ma

The Literature of Realism Essay Example for Free

The Literature of Realism Essay I. Background †¢ 1. three fundamental issues: 1) conflict between the agrarianism and the industrialism 2) the conflict between the South and the North 3) the conflict between the East and the West †¢ 2. reaction against â€Å"the lie† of romanticism and sentimentalism †¢ 3. battle between â€Å"idealists† and â€Å"realists† †¢ 4. more attention to the immediate facts of life 5. the year 1865 an important shift from Romanticism to Realism a most significant event the holocaust or destruction of the Civil War ? a notable impact on American literature and art ? a profound emotional and philosophical impact on thinkers and writers ? some changes 1) putting to rest the romantic concept of war Romantics: a glorious, grand and noble encounter, something heroic Realists: a way of destroying romantic outlook on life a negative review of war — its destruction 2) changing the romantic concept of man Romantics: man as â€Å"the noblest work of God† Realists: man as a product of the environment, of his heredity, of fate or chance. 3) stimulating industrialization A. an explosive growth of business and industry a period of amazing engineering achievements, a period of frantic building and expansion B.  the emergence of an urban civilization a period of great plunder and exploitation, of greedy materialism and political corruption C. the miserable social ills the voices of criticism and voices of anger. 4) becoming the â€Å"melting-pot† society the influx of millions of immigrants — more freedom or a better living, or both — a land of opportunity 5) changing the concept of reality Romantics: the romantic concept of reality, the spiritual reality Realists: the visibly concrete world, the physical reality II. Major Features of American Realism †¢ 1. truthful treatment of material 1) examining characters in depth A. the individual — highly B. the function of environment — shaping character C. characterization — the center of the story D. the effect of action on characters E. the psychology of the people in the story 2) open ending †¢ 2. commonness of the lives of the common people 3. objectivity; an objective view of human nature and human experience †¢ 4. moral visions 1) the problems of the individual conscience in conflict with social institutions †¢ 2) focusing on the dilemma III. Local Color Fiction 1. Background 1) the shift of the publishing center: A. a new freedom B. a greater openness. 2) the growth of communication and transportation 3) the rapid growth of local magazines †¢ 2. Local-color Realism or Regionalism 1) a quality in literature fidelity to a particular geographical section and a faithful representation of its habits, speech, manners, history, folklore, or beliefs 2) a subordinate order of realism unique in his or her living section 3) more popular after the Civil War 4) a new freedom 5) much more interested in learning about life in other parts of the country 6) the desire to preserve distinctive ways of life and to come to terms with the harsh realities †¢ 3. Representatives women: Mary E. Wilking Freeman, Sarah Orne Jewett and Harriet Beecher Stowe: New England Kate Chopin: Louisiana men: Bret Harte: the Far West O. Henry: New York City Mark Twain: the Mississippi River †¢ 4. Local Color Fiction 1) a form of regionalism: local colorism A. people’s realization B. asserting their unique identity and seeking understanding and recognition C. the frontier humorists’ preparation D. the appearance of a lot of magazines 2) a quality of circumstantial authenticity A. not only an authentic surface but also the depths B. strong sketches of an environment C.simplicity: characteristic of vernacular language and satirical humor †¢ 5. Basic Features 1) a locale distinguished from the outside world the local character of their particular region 2) the exotic and the picturesque A. not common in other regions B. an attempt at accurate dialect reporting C. a tendency toward the use of eccentrics as characters D. the use of sentimentalized pathos or whimsical humor in plotting 3) the past A. not merely as nostalgia but also as realism in the social criticism B. the world of agrarian life a. the farms b. the people who were soon going to leave the farms c. the small towns d. a life that was vanishing 4) a great contradiction A. how things are right now B. how great the past had been 5) the influence of setting on character the diversity of America IV. Naturalism †¢ 1. Background 1) Charles Darwin’s ideas A. the struggle for existence B. survival of the fittest C. natural selection 2) Herbert Spencer’s theory of social Darwinism the weak and stupid would fall victim in the natural course of events to economic forces 3) the way of the development of the society 4) Darwin’s natural selection: a way to explain human behavior †¢ 2. Emergence 1) Emile Zola: the purpose of a novelist A. to be a scientist B. to place his characters in a situation C. to watch the influences of heredity and environment destroy them, or, to watch them overcome the inimical force of heredity and environment 2) some American writers A. human beings: no longer free and strong B. human life: governed by the two crushing forces of heredity and environment C. Howellsian realism: too restrained and genteel in tone †¢ 3. Major Features 1) the application of the principles of scientific determinism 2) three major concepts of literary naturalism A. humans: controlled by laws of heredity and environment naturalist fiction: no evidence of effective choice, or free will, or autonomous action B. life: a struggle for survival the naturalist’s concerns: a. social systems that destroy and dehumanize b. individual experience of loss and failure C. a major difference between the literary naturalists and the realists a. the violent, sensational, sordid, unpleasant, and ugly aspects of life b. all the aspects of life that are not too pleasant to consider 3) naturalist characters: A. being unable to resist the conditions that press upon them B. more or less combinations of innate traits and socialized habits †¢ 4. American Naturalistic Writers 1) not as pessimistic about life as the French 2) an optimistic feeling 3) a great regard for rugged individualism 4) similarities in theme and technique A. the forbidden subjects B. in a daring, open, and direct manner C. original and experimental in their respective styles 5) two examples of American literary naturalism: Stephen Crane and Theodore Dreiser A. an optimistic strain B. the influence of pessimistic determinism †¢ 5. Comparison With Realists and Romantics. 1) naturalists: reduce to nil the human chances of winning on their own terms realists: stress freedom of choice with large provisos concerning the power of outside forces romantics: stress the possible triumph of the human will 2) naturalists: see human beings no more than a physical object under the control of biological and environmental forces realists: see human beings just human beings romantics: see human beings almost as a god †¢ 6. Decline of Naturalism 1) the growth of psychological science and of psychoanalysis 2) the tendency to turn into the mythic through sheer immersion in the typical 3) disappearing with World War I 4) reviving during the period of the Great Depression in the 1930s The Literature of Realism (2) Some Leading Writers †¢ 1. Mark Twain (1835-1910) 1) Life A. born in Florida, Missouri B. a journey man printer at the age of 18 C. a pilot on the Mississippi River â€Å"Mark Twain†: â€Å"safe water† or â€Å"two fathoms deep† D. in 1865, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County 2) Literary Achievements A. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867) a collection of short stories B. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)  · C. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)  · 3) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1) the idea of lost boyhood (2) the first person narration (3) Mark Twain’s greatest achievement A. the world’s view of America; a profound impact onthe development of American writing B. his influences on American writers of the 20th century a. his presentation of native American material b. his art of the vernacular idiom c. his departure from the tradition of the 19th century gentility d. his sense of alienation (4) Satire A. Twain’s satire on southern culture before the Civil War a. two different subjects: ? the experience of westward expansion ? the experience of southern slavery b. attitudes toward the South and the West ? much less pleasant ? the problem of slavery the problem of mistreatment of humans by humans c. condemning racial discrimination d. making fun of typical American values e. a brooding pessimism about American values and life itself B. Twain’s satire on the poor whites their ludicrous idea: they were white and they were better than black slaves C. Twain’s satire on the genteel upper-class southerners a. a very aristocratic life b. being violent accepting their violence as right (5) Style A. vernacular language: unpretentious, colloquial, and poetic style; the directness of the language B. local color: descriptions of local places and people; playing tricks on the reader; C. cracker-barrel philosopher: the moral stance of a cracker-barrel philosopher (someone who understand folk wisdom, has a pretty good common sense of view of life, and is pretty realistic about social problems) (6) Significance A. the major achievements of his art: a. the carefully controlled point of view, with its implicit ironies expressed through the voice of a semiliterate boy b. the masterful use of dialects c. the felicitous balancing of nostalgic romanticism and realism, humor and pathos, innocence and evil B. his ability a. to capture the enduring, archetypal, mythic images of America b. to create the most memorable characters in all of American fiction 2. O. Henry (1862-1910): one of the most prolific modern American short story writers 1) LifeA. born at Greensboro, North Carolina B. named William Sidney Porter C. using the penname â€Å"O. Henry† in his creative writing D. died at 48 2) Literary Achievements A. a great master of the art of fiction B. popular mainly for his short stories a. typically American b. self-sacrificing member of a family c. the surprise ending C. illustration of his styleoriginal conception, exaggeration, simile and metaphor, humor, and surprise ending D. the list of his short stories: about 300 titles Cabbages and Kings The Gift of the Magi The Cop and the Anthem A Municipal Report †¢ 3. Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) 1) Life A. born from a large, poor, religious, immigrant family at Terre Haute, Indiana B. bitter poverty, lacking education, skill and status C. against the poverty and narrowness of life D. direct personal experience and independent reading and thinking E. Spencer’s social Darwinism F. various jobs G. writing short stories. H. one of the first American writers to come from the lower level of society 2) Literary Career A. in September of 1899, Sister Carrie a. a landmark novel b. virtually ignored for more than a decade: the heroine transgresses the sexual code — a breach of proper moral conduct c. republliation in 1907: very popular, one of the key works in the Dreiser canon d. a female character, the new woman — more freedom in society, more independence, more ability to run her own life without being tied to a family, or without being tied to a husband — the beginning of women’s liberation movement e. Carrie: no control, no freedom of will, a slave to her heredity and to her environment B. Dreiser’s second novel Jennie Gerhardt (1911) C. â€Å"The Trilogy of Desire†: The Financier (1912) The Titan (1914) / The Stoic (1947) and an aptly autobiographical novel: The Genius (1915) a. financially successful people are of high sexual energy b. the chaotic nature of life prevents spiritual satisfaction c. normal and right for one to get the most from a society’s economic system D. Plays of the Natural and Supernatural (1916) The Hand of the Potter (1918) : a tragedy E.  An American Tragedy (1925): his masterpiece F. political activism and polemical writing a. Dreiser Looks at Russia (1928) b. â€Å"Tragic America† (1931) â€Å" † America Is Worth Saving (1941) G. attending International Peace Conference H. awarded the Merit Medal for Fiction I. joining the American Communist Part J. The Bulwark (1946) 3) Major Features A. stressing determinism: a. unable to assert their will against natural and economic forces b. pathetic in their inability to escape their fates c. subject to the control of the natural forces of heredity and environment B. society’s effect on a person  a. truthfully reflecting the society and people of his time b. treating human beings scientifically c. finding the explanation that man is the product of social evolution. C. narrative method: natural and free from artifice a. his tone: serious, never satirical or comic b. powerful narrative based on large quantities of material and detailed descriptions c. his powerful frankness widens the social and sexual range possible for literature in America d. striking at the American myth that success and famewere to be achieved by work and virtue e. dramatizing chance as a means of compelling characters to pay or gain for actions f.  characteristic of journalistic method of reiteration, word-pictures, sharp contrast, truth in color, and movement in outline g. its stubborn honesty and realism D. â€Å"the wheelhouse of American naturalism†, â€Å"chief spokesman for the realistic novel† and â€Å"a profound and prescient critic of debased American values†. a. American naturalism came of age b. recording the course and the vulgar and the cruel and the terrible William Dean Howells founder of American Realism; the most prominent critic of the entire realistic period Henry James a most prominent critic; an early psychological novelist one of the fathers of the psychological novel.

Ethics of Full Disclosure of Security Holes Essay -- Hackers Internet

Ethics of Full Disclosure of Security Holes Introduction Security breaches are making big headlines nowadays, and Microsoft is leading the charge. Its flagship operating systems and office suite are so bulky and complex, that it is impossible to be bug-free. The system administrators (the white hats) are up to their noses plugging all the holes from super hackers (the black hats). Yet they are also facing attack from another front – those that post vulnerabilities on the internet (the gray hats). The gray hats are hackers that find security vulnerabilities and post them on the internet, forcing system administrators to patch up the holes. Usually, they inform the vendor ahead of time. Then, if they deem the company is not taking them seriously, and malicious hackers will exploit the threat, they post it on a forum. Though acting in good faith, the ethics of full disclosure of security holes are in debate, including: how full disclosure can cause more harm then good, how long vendors should be allowed to fix the problem, and liabilities for posting on the internet. Issue 1: Full disclosure of security-related information can inflict more damage than good. You are showing people how to break into systems. The debate about vulnerability-disclosure policies involves two main parties. Researchers at security companies say they want to get their latest findings out quickly to hasten software makers' response to bugs. Software makers, on the other hand, say they aren't given enough time to deal with a problem, and that publicizing it simply alerts malicious hackers to an opportunity. There are super hackers out there who find security vulnerabilities, then write a script up on the internet, with one or two l... ...on't publish code, 17 Oct. 2001, CNet News.com, 11 Mar. 2004, 6. Lemos, Robert, Microsoft developers feel Windows pain, 7 Feb 2002, CNet News.com, 12 Mar. 2004, < http://news.com.com/2100-1001_3-832048.html> 7. Lemos, Robert, When is Hacking a Crime? 26 Sept 2002, ZDNetNews, 15 Mar. 2004, 8. Fried, Ina, Attack concerns slow Microsoft's pace, 16 Mar. 2004, CNet News.com, 16 March 2004, 9. Shankland, Stephen, Governements to See Windows Code, 14 Jan 2003, CNet News.com, 14 March 2004, 10. Lemos, Robert, New laws make hacking a black-and-white choice, 23 Sept 2002, CNet News.com, 14 March 2004,

Psychological Principles of Advertising: Perception in Advertising Ess

Psychological Principles of Advertising: Perception in Advertising Have you ever seen a commercial or an ad and been instantaneously motivated to go out and purchase that product or service that is being advertised? Ever wondered why? I’m sure it’s crossed over a few minds! There is in fact an explanation for the reasoning behind what it is in advertisements that consumers find appealing. Kenny & Associates highly trained analysts give one explanation. They have conducted research in consumer psychology and have come up with â€Å"the right brain analysis†. It explains the â€Å"why† aspect behind consumer decisions and behaviours. First and foremost, we must distinguish the right brain from the left- brain. The right side of the brain is responsible for emotions, creativity, motivation and long-term memory. The advertising stimulus acts on emotions and barriers that drive consumer decisions and behaviour. The left side of the brain is responsible for logic, language and reasoning for behaviour and decision- making and â€Å"[balances] to control and explain actions that begin in the right brain†. (Kenny & Associates, 2000, â€Å"para.† 2) This in fact led them to develop â€Å"The Right Brain Approach†People see a commercial for a product and ration the idea of buying that product through logic and reasoning done by the left brain. However, it is what goes beyond consumer rationalization that makes the basis for strategic direction and decision-making. It is the emotion that makes the decision not the rationalization. For example, someone going to buy a car would go to a Ford dealership first because one finds it to be attractive, reliable and honest. It’s all in the advertisement!! On the other hand, you co... ...4). How big is a chunk? Science, 183, 482-488.  · Webb, P.H., & Ray, M.L. (1979). Effects of TV clutter. Journal of Advertising Research, 19(3), 7-12.  · Kenny & Associates. (1998) The Right Brain Approach. Retrieved March 17, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.rightbrainpeople.com/links/the_right_brain_approach.html  · Kenny & Associates. (1998). The Right Brain. Retrieved March 17, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.rightbrainpeople.com/brains/right_brain.html  · Kenny & Associates. (1998). The Left Brain. Retrieved March 17, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.rightbrainpeople.com/brains/left_brain.html  · Retrieved March 26, 2001 from the World Wide Web: (http://www.crest.com/).  · Retrieved March 26, 2001 from the World Wide Web: (http://www.ford.com)  · Retrieved March 26, 2001 from the World Wide Web: (http://www.absolutad.com)

Coffee Cafe Business Plan Essay

Cafà © Vancouver is a new coffee shop at Granville and Robson Street in Vancouver Downtown. The hustle and bustle of downtown need a quiet, fast-paced life make people feel tired, we want our customers to relax while enjoying a coffee. Cafà © Vancouver’s team will make the best effort to create a unique place where customers can get together with each other in a comfortable and relaxing environment while enjoying the best-brewed coffee or espresso and breakfast style treats in town. We will be in the business of helping our customers to relieve their daily stresses by providing peace of mind through great ambience, convenient place, friendly customer service, and products of consistently high quality. We welcome guests of all ages; we can guarantee each guest to enjoy high-quality coffee. Vancouver Downtown has many companies, offices and shopping centers, with a strong customer base and revenue opportunities. Meanwhile, 365 days a year we will have no holiday leave, to make sure that we have opportunity to serve guests at any time. We also have a pragmatic management team. Head is the General Manager; he has a degree in Economics from the Russian Far Eastern University, and has more than six years of experience in business operations. He is the general manager, and a cafe investor. Team1 supervisor is Supervisor1 with four years of broad experience working at coffee shops and restaurant industry. Team2 supervisor is Supervisor2; he has 2 years of experience in the restaurant industry. We provide training for up to three months, including company culture, coffee brewing, food safety, and so on. All employees of our company will be well-trained and enthusiastic moderator. The financial position of the company is essential to develop the company’s financial data, including investment, net profit and so on. After the financial position and profitability assessment, in three years of operation, we expect to have profit of about 818,700 dollars (net profit after tax), with average annual net profit of 272,900 dollars will give adequate funding for our company. Compared with other coffee brands in the industry, we expect to grow faster. In the long-term, we will consider opening new cafes in different locations throughout Canada. The Company and Industry Business goals Coffee is more than a beverage; however, it is a memory, anticipation, and a lifetime of consoling moments of modest pleasure woven into our lives. Coffee’s success as a beverage undoubtedly owes both to the caffeine it harbors and to its sensory pleasure. Coffee lovers come to associate the energizing lift of the caffeine with the richness and aroma of the beverage that delivers it. Our Business goal is â€Å"to make our customers return to the simple concept of coffee, quietly enjoying every cup of coffee.† We are planning to open two stores in the Vancouver area within three years. The company Mission statement â€Å"We want our customers to return to the simple concept of coffee, quietly enjoying every cup of coffee.† Vision Statement â€Å"To grow the business and protect the rapid development of the enterprise.† The Industry Although Canada does not have the proper climate for growing coffee, Canadian-based firms do import raw materials for processing and resale into domestic and export markets. Coffee manufactured for retail and Food service markets has been an important part of food and beverage processing in the country for many years. Coffee is the most popular hot beverage in Canada with a total of 14 billion cups consumed annually. An estimated 64% of Canadians drink coffee each day, which is equal to 6.8 kilograms of green coffee or 12.7 pounds of roasted coffee per head, with 86% of adult coffee drinkers consuming the beverage in the morning or for breakfast. In-home continues to be the dominant place for consumption with just over half of Canadian consumers (51%) drinking coffee at home. Among adult coffee drinkers, the share of cups (80%) of traditional coffee made at home is eight times higher than the share of cups purchased from the market (11%).  57% of coffee purchased at coffee shops. The coffee is also the top beverage in the Canadian Foodservice category. Canada has a highly developed away-from-home coffee market and is second only to Italy in highest percentage of total cups of coffee consumed outside the home. Other consumer demands include information on the origin/source, and locally grown, fair-trade, organic, and green coffee products. The coffee industry has been quick to respond to this lucrative market, worth about $650 million a year in Canada. Products and Services The Cafà © Vancouver will proudly offer its customers the best tasting coffee and tea beverages with breakfast style treats in the area. Our highly trained staff with a passion and talent combined will provide the best customer service in competition. The friendly and polite staff will also provide a cozy environment for customers to make them feel home, and every staff member will be required to give million dollar smile to our customers. In future, we will be looking forward to train our employees in further customer and coffee-making services. The products we offer will taste better than anything in the competition. This will be achieved with the high quality ingredients and products, by strictly believing in providing quality. The menu will cover coffee, steeped specialty teas, espresso latte and beverages, classic hot beverages, cold beverages, espresso on ice, sweet baked goods, yogurt, and grilled sandwiches and wraps. The Cafà © will be offering free books; magazine, daily newspaper and WI-FI for eating in clients to make them feel entertained and relaxed. By keeping in mind the importance of internet, we will provide speed WI-FI for our customers. There will also be four televisions at display in the cafà ©, which will be playing channels on popular demand. During the normal working hours of our cafà © there will always be entertaining music playing for our customers. In future, we will be updating our product and services with the popular demand. With the business plan there is a menu given below which will provide further details about the products we will offer. MARKET ANALYSIS Coffee business in recent years has been a bright spot for those who want to start-up their own business. While there are a number of other businesses out there many categories facing poor sales, negative balance sheets but coffee cafes are continuing to show strong growth. It’s very clear that Canadians love coffee continues throughout the year. Target market The place for our Cafà © Vancouver business is located at the intersection of Robson Street and Granville Street, which is in the downtown and one of the best locations for our coffee-house for opening up our cafe. Downtown is the main part of Vancouver and remains busy all throughout the year. According to our research we found that there is year round tourist activity all across Vancouver plus there are lots of businesses nearby our place. Robson Street is famous for its shopping stores all over Canada. In target market, we will target people from young to senior citizens. At the intersection, there are excellent auto and pedestrian traffic by the place which will give some customers each day. There are busiest areas and Sky train stations near to our place so we can attract local people or travelers passing through Downtown. Market size and trends: According to the census 2009 The Robson Street is regarded as a 3rd BIA (business improvement area) in Vancouver. The retail and service business is really higher on Robson street because of its popularity and there are 29% eating and drinking places on the Robson street. The retail business is 69% on Robson and 24% in the rest of Great Vancouver. It is one of the biggest shopping destinations in Vancouver. As the target market for our product and service is mainly tourists, local residents, business people, and students. There are 79,140 residents and 145,000 daytime employee bases; population density is triple than Vancouver average. The growth for the market had increased from last year because of the innovation; lots of people emigrated there because of business opportunities. According to the census there are 39 commercial properties and 222 businesses on the Robson Street. By targeting all market segments, Cafà © Vancouver will not focus on one segment  of market like for ma ny other coffee shops. Cafà © Vancouver will avoid these barriers in business with a customer mix of all segments and in coming years we expect to increase our market share in coffee business. Competition Cafà © Vancouver will uniquely place itself in the most competitive area of Vancouver downtown. The place chosen for a cafe has competitors such as Blenz coffee, Starbucks, cafe crepe, Tim Horton’s, Waves coffee, 7 eleven and David’s tea. It will be challenging to compete with well-established business, but cafe will give most delicious products at very reasonable prices. Our prime competitors (see Appendix # 1): Blenz coffee (www.blenz.com): Blenz opened their first coffee shop in February 1992 on Robson and Bute Street. They are famous for handmade coffee. They have 61 stores in British Columbia. They also are doing business internationally like in Japan and Philippines. Their store cost range from $225,000 to $400,000. Tim Horton’s (www.timhortons.com): The Tim Horton’s chain was found in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. The chain’s focus on top quality, always fresh product, value, great service and community leadership have allowed it to grow into the largest quick service restaurant chain in Canada specializing in always fresh coffee, baked goods and home-style lunches. Wave’s coffee (www.wavescoffee.com): The Waves Coffee House franchise was founded in 2005 at Hastings and Richards Street in downtown Vancouver British Columbia. In 2008, Waves coffee was recognized by the Brand Coaches as the â€Å"Hottest Brand in Canada†. They have also been recognized as the â€Å"Best of Brands† by over 1,500 coffee retailers. Today there are 31 Waves across British Columbia and Alberta – with more to come. Starbucks (www.starbucks.ca): Starbucks is one of our prime competitors located near intersection of Robson and Granville. Starbucks is one of biggest coffee companies in North America with headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks has 20891 stores in 62 countries and 1324 of them are in Canada with generating revenue around $13+billion. Cafà © crepe (www.cafecrepe.com): Established in 1999; cafe crepe imports tradition of the classic European cafà © to North America, Cafà © Crà ªpe specializes in Parisian sweet & savory crà ªpes, French baguette sandwiches, and grilled Italian Panini. As an  international cafà ©, Cafà © Crà ªpe also offers world classics like a half pound certified Angus burgers, pommes frites (French fries), thin crust pizza, and a full traditional breakfast menu that includes Eggs Benedict and an exciting variety of omelets, among other specialties. In addition to serving exceptional Italian roasted Lavazza coffee, Cafà © Crà ªpe is fully licensed, offering a vast choice of alcoholic beverages and cocktails, along with select beers and wines. 7-eleven (www.7-eleven.com): Since 1927, 7 Eleven has grown and evolved into the world’s largest operator, franchisers and licensor of convenience stores. The company operates franchises and licenses more than 8,600 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Of the more than 7,800 stores the company operates and franchises in the United States, more than 6,200 are franchises. Estimated sales and market share: With the targeting mix that we are focusing on, we expect the average of 400 to 600 persons per day during the first year. We have estimated our customer expenditure about $3.5 due to premium pricing on some of the items. We presume that the total cost of sales would be about 14%. We expect the growing of our sales to 700+ customers per day for the second year of operations. And when the business will be stable and well-known we can reach the level of 800+ customers per day. The Marketing Plan Pricing There are various aims of pricing that we will focus on Survival Profit maximization Market share goals. Pricing Depends on various factors: Internal Factors- Marketing mix strategy Costs External Factors- Nature of the market Competition Competition Based Pricing- We will also be using this strategy at some stage when we get a stable number of customers in the market and then we can look at a prices level among our direct competitors, so we can adjust our prices according to that. Marketing Penetration strategy- We can charge slightly less what our direct competitors are charging for the same product. The Penetration strategy is usually used for quickly achieving a high volume of sales and to attract customers. Under this strategy product is widely promoted and price is kept comparatively low. As we will be new in the market, we will definitely go for a penetrating, this way we can have a bond with regular customers and can attract new customers. We created a detailed list of prices which we are going to start-up the cafà © with (see Appendix # 2). Advertising and Promotions Newspaper and Magazines- This will also be a good way of advertising of our product to market. We can promote our latest product in daily or weekly newspaper to give our customers as an offer for the first day of new product. We will be giving ads in local newspaper 45 days before the opening of our Cafà ©. The newspaper charges about $6 per column inch, so an ad that is two columns wide and two inches tall would be $24 for each day. Putting up Signs in Neighborhood- This is also a unique way to attract customers. The signature of our coffee shop will be placed in different locations, so people can see the ad of new coffee shops and they might come to try something new. For 100 boards it will cost around $900. Hand out values cheque- We will attract customers by giving value cheque worth $10 to first 100 customers. They will be eligible to redeem the money at any giving point of time. When we open the store, it will create a big attraction to customers. Hand out flyer discount offer - We will distribute flyers by dropping it to mail boxes, attaching any discount offer on their first coffee, sandwich or any snack. We will make our flyers on Closest to DL (95mm x 210mm) so it will be inexpensive to make 50 flyers will cost $9.74+ tax. So 1000 flyers will cost $194.80+tax. Social Media- We will also  promote our cafà © through social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We will tweet the promotional offer on twitter, so customers can have an access to discount coupons online. Website- We will create our website and advertise all our products there, so people can know about our products. There will be some discount coupons on the website, the customer could print it and redeem at any point in the store. It will cost us for a basic website $2500 to $3000 and to manage the website and to develop it $75 to $100 per hour. So this will be less expensive than social media and own company website can give people better option to have a look at our menu and daily or weekly promotions. Development plan: Development status: Our business plan is on developing stage. We have a very good plan to start our business, having the past experience of some partners will help us managing the coffee-house. We are going to lease the place in Vancouver Downtown on the intersection of Robson and Granville. We are planning to start the construction work first, after that we will give priority to the interior work. Next, we will arrange and fit the machines and dishwashers according to our layout. Along with the customer service we are providing customers with free WI-FI hotspot, cable TV and comfortable chairs and couches. So our customers can enjoy their coffee while sitting and watching TV or surfing the Internet. Proprietary issues: This is the trademark for our cafà ©. It is going to distinguish our service from those who are doing the same business in the market place. The registration of trademark is not mandatory but we are going to register it before the opening, because it gives us obvious proof of ownership. Furthermore, we are going to test our products like coffee and other eatable items through the CISPR EMC testing laboratory under the Canadian standard association plus we will test our cafà © under UL testing laboratories for safety. After getting the approval, we will give some free samples to potential customers for promotion and feedback. Operations plan Location The coffee shop will be at Granville and Robson Street in Vancouver Downtown (see Appendix # 3). It would be an excellent place with constant shoppers during the week plus business people and people who work in Downtown during weekdays. The coffee shop will be conveniently in the heart of the most popular shopping area in Vancouver and close to the Vancouver City Centre Sky Train station, which would allow attracting more transit people. Due to the enormous market size, the growth at this area rate would be considerable. The Vancouver Cafà © will give highly comfortable seats for 24 customers with hours of operation from 6AM to 8PM. Facilities The total space available for the cafà © of 600 sq. feet will offer the space for a lounge seating area, fireplace, bookshelf, back room, handicap-accessible washroom, and kitchen (See Appendix # 4). The premises are available for lease at an asking rate of $30 per square foot, net. The total annual rent would be equal to $180,000, which equates to $15,000 per month, as the listing agent informed us that the lessor is willing to reduce the monthly payment from $18,000 to $15,000. We will be eligible for the discount in case of a lease contract for at least three years term. The lessee will be expected to give a personal guarantee together with a security deposit of $10,000. Equipment To start-up our business, a variety of equipment are required. As mentioned in the â€Å"Development† section, we will need to buy a list of equipment costing in total of $ 28,344 (see Appendix # 5). All the equipment will be brand new and prices listed include delivery and setting in place. All the items will be purchased from Stealth Coffee Systems Inc. As we already negotiated, we would be eligible for an additional discount of 5%, if the amount will be paid within 90 days after the purchase. So, the estimated amount with discount will be paid for the equipment equals to $26,927. The installation of the equipment will cost us additional $ 25,000. Lead time for the delivery of the equipment is three to four weeks. The equipment will be amortized by using the straight-line method with an estimated useful life of 15 years. Supply Chain Pacific Coffee Roasters has been chosen to be the primary supplier for the best specialty coffee. The company is conveniently located in Downtown, close to our coffee shop. Pacific Coffee Roasters is a broad line coffee distributor which will satisfy all our supply needs. The inventory will be checked twice a week to make sure that we have enough in back stock. The entire inventory will be placed by dates of receiving to follow the â€Å"first in first out† system. We are expecting to place orders and receive new inventory on a weekly basis. Human Resources To operate the coffee shop we will need to hire six cashiers to split them up in two teams (see Appendix # 6). The previous restaurant experience will be required, but exceptions can be made. All the hired employees will receive an extensive training. Later, for new employees we will use on-the-job training technique to increase their performance and decrease the time of the training. A starting wage for a cashier will be $10.25 per hour; also we will use a bonus system based on the employee’s performance. Management team Is the Manager of the Vancouver Cafà © and will be responsible for overall operation of the business. Head received a degree in Economics from the Russian Far Eastern University in 2006. In addition, he is currently pursuing a Business Management Diploma at Douglas College and he will graduate from the program in December 2014. Head has an extensive experience in strategic planning, as he had been working for a production company in Russia from 2006 to 2012 as a Planning Manager. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. is the Vancouver Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Supervisor of Team 1 and will be in charge of running day-to-day operations. During peak hours, he will be helping to his staff. Supervisor1 currently studies at Douglas College on Business Management program and will graduate  in December 2014. He has 4 years’ experience in the restaurant industry, as he worked at coffee shops in Vancouver. His experience varies from a cashier to a supervisor of the coffee shop. Through the work experience he recei ved a sufficient amount of expertise to run the cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operations. He will be responsible for the hiring and training all the cafà © employees. At this position, Supervisor1 will report to the Cafe Manager. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. is the Vancouver Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Supervisor of Team 2 and will be in charge of running day-to-day operations. Supervisor2 currently studies at Douglas College on Business Administration program and will graduate in August 2014. He has 2 years’ experience in the restaurant industry. He will be supervising his staff and helping out during peak hours. He will be responsible for the purchase of supplies and management of the supply base. At this position, Supervisor2 will report to the Cafe Manager. SWOT Analysis Opening a coffee cafà © is not about knowing the difference between mocha, latte, and cappuccino but much more than this little part. Creating a SWOT analysis — identifying the good, bad and potential ugly, our customers, overcoming the competing coffee shops and strengthening our marketing plan — for our business is essential before moving forward. Strengths Easy to get financing. Easy to start up business. New talents from partners. Extensive beverage menu. Cost leadership. Value based customer service. Location. Weaknesses Lack of experience. Unknown company history and background. Divided authority. Number of competitors in the market. Too many products to start with. Opportunities Continuously expanding. Bring in different types of drinks from different parts of world. Expand into franchisee based business. Joint venture with different business organizations (e.g.: Gas stations, grocery stores, cinemas and many more that can allow our coffee shop in their business ). Involve keen investors into the business to expand. International markets. Online market. Threats High risk of failure. Conflicts might occur between partners in the future. Status as an independent coffee shop. Change in coffee trends. Recession. Rises in the price of raw materials. Shortage of specific coffee beans from suppliers as demanded by the market. Change in technology in operating coffee making equipment’s. Change in government policies. Implementation schedule An implementation schedule ensures the accomplishment of each stage of the business plan. The development plan was divided into four phases: the initial phase, commencement phase, semi completion, and final phase. The team was successful in creating a business plan after a month’s collective effort. The commencement phase will begin after the initial stage. During this phase the business will be registered and thus the company becomes eligible to take financial help from a financial organization. Semi completion stage will begin after two weeks. During this phase, the process of staff recruitment, menu preparation, marketing and advertising strategies will be carried out under the guidance of experts. This phase takes a month and a half. The final phase will begin immediately after the semi completion phase. This phase consists of deciding the interior theme, furniture, appliances and other facilities to be provided at the cafà ©. Financial plan Funding Requested In order to start our business, the capital cost would be covered under the fixtures and equipment, installation of the fixtures and equipment and decorating which are 26,927, 25,000, and 10,000, respectively, for a total of 61,927. Basically, we are doing our financing from debt and equity investment which The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has agreed to finance a large portion of this expenditure. Our 90 % of the Capital cost is covered by CIBC by using the government-granted Canada Small Business Financing Act (CSBFA) program. Interest rate would be prime plus 4.25 per cent, which includes a 1.25 per cent administration fee paid to the federal government. We will do monthly payment up to seven years in order to pay all the debt. CIBC has agreed to a loan for $ 178,090 which covers renovation expenses, personal guarantee from the owner for 25 % of the loan amount. The owner is planning that the balance of the funding will come via a $ 19,787 remaining balance, allowing him a 100 % of the common shares in the corporation. Financial Projection Cafà © Vancouver is expected to make a profit of $ 168,200 in its first year of operations, which is a good indication for the company. The $657,000 is estimated for the first year sales figures falls way above the breakeven point by $186,787(where as B-even is $470,213). Not only this, as indicated  in the cash flow projection, the initial CIBC loan and $19,787 equity investment give the operation more than adequate cash flow. This gives an opportunity to our business to repay the loan faster. Risk Factors In order to start a new business venture, there are many risks that must be taking into consideration. Below are the some of the risks associated with cafà © business: 1. Fire Safety: Cafà © Vancouver will limit the impact of a fire by ensuring the business has compensation, insurance protection, including adequate business premises insurance as well as business interruption insurance. 2. Inadequate Capital: Despite of a solid business plan many Cafe fails because they lack adequate funding and planning. So to decrease these risk Cafe Vancouver is planning to have several months of funding to cover the costs of salaries, food and bills. 3. Food Safety Concerns: If any customer becomes injured on the premises or where an illness is attributed to product the $ 1,000,000 compressive general liability insurance coverage will insure the business has adequate liability. 4. Shortage of supply: This risk is considered as not important because there are wide variety of suppliers in downtown might be chosen in case of shortages with supply. Divestiture/Harvest Strategy In case of any quarrel, any partner wants to exit the business or if sales cannot be made then the assets of the business will be sold off individually. Firstly, company will try to sell this commercial coffee making equipment locally but if the quenched arranged cannot be made locally then the equipment will be sold over the internet. The money from selling this equipment will be used to pay off the debt obligation of the business and remaining money will be paid to the owner. However, this is not supposed to happen because the concept has significant upside latent, builds good market share. If everything goes according to the plan, it is expected to attract the attention of large national. The owner would sell the business only and only if a healthy profit is given by a buyer.   

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