Monday 14 January 2013

Task 1- Research and planning - Funding, Financial Issues, Rules and Regulations

Task 1, Project 1     Date: 03/02/2013

- Describtion of 3 different web sites
- Funding
- Financial Issues
- Rules and Regulation
- Job Roles
- Organisation Structures
  • Post Office - Public business
  • Superdrug - Private business
  • British Red Cross - NGO business

Post office - Public Business.

The Post office's website purpose is to provide information about their branches and explain what service do they have in their site and branches.

What do they do there - They have services like download forms or apply on line. They make sales in the website for the people which are not able to find in the branches like basic needs for studying. They make the post office services easier for the people.

Description - The home page is simple with easy usable adverts with images. They organised the website by separating the needs of the people in the drop down boxes, you don't need to click over the boxes to open them, you need just to go to over the drop down box and it opens it automatically. They have a on line shop service in separate box, by clicking there is sending you to separate web page. They have a Search box in easy findable place. On the bottom of the site have "about us" and quick links to make it easy for the people to find what exactly they want.

Colour - Mainly the site colours are very simple. The main used colours are red,white and black. The text is white/black, when you mark over is marking it with red or white and makes the text to the opposite colour to make it easy to read. The font is readable. All of the pages are not much long, with scrolling for 2 seconds you can go to the bottom of the page.
 The accessibility of the site is not so well, because the site is only in English language and have no sound-text speech for people with disabilities.
They have a logo of the post office in the left corner of the site, which can be used to go to home page.

The site is well organised, you are able to find whatever you want so easily. As usual they have information about the web site on the bottom of the home page.




Here is a link to the web site: http://www.postoffice.co.uk/






Superdrug - Private Business

The Superdrug website purpose is to provide information about their products and on line selling to the customers.

What do they do there - They provide information about the information like prices, describe the products. They provide services as well, like applying jobs, photo items and etc.

Description - The home page of the site is organised with different type of offers and advertise. They have used whole the empty space for advertising. They have organised the needs of the people in different sections, every section is made in drop down boxes. You wont need to click over the box to see what kind of product they have in that drop down box, you will have to go over it and will open you the box after that once you click over an item you will go to that page.
 In the site have few different search engines, have search box for products and information; there have a search engine named "Store Finder" to find the superdrug stores.

On the bottom of the site everyone can find some information about the company or the site. There have a box, where you can click and find a job suitable for you.

Accessibility - They have no text-sound speech or something similar for the customers. The language in the site is only English. They don't have at text resizing.

Colours - The main colours in the site are the pink and white colour. In part of the colours you can find green and black colours as well. The mark over colour is grey and the text is white.
There is a logo as well in the left corner of the site, which can be used for the home page.

The home page can be described with few words, they have used all the empty spaces smartly for adverts which the customers would like to see and keep them interested of the product.


Here is a link to web site: http://www.superdrug.com/




British Red Cross
- NGO

The British Red Cross web site's purpose is to provide an information about their company and provide services like applying volunteer jobs or donating.

What do they do there - Basically with few simple words I can say that there they are providing services like first aid, emergency response, preparing for disasters, finding missing family, health and social care, protect people in conflict, refugee services, teaching resources and provide information. There everyone is able to apply for volunteer job.

Description - The home page is not complicated, they have adverts with images, these adverts are about different services and advertises. They have a drop down boxes for each of their parts for services and information. The drop down boxes are opening by their self when you go over it. They have a search engine to find the needs of the people easier.

Accessibility: Their is accessibility is very well, because they have a text resizing to make the letter bigger than the normal for part sighted people. They provide: subtitles and transcripts to all video content,  include appropriate headings on larger pages to aid navigation by screen readers, provide a site map to aid those who have trouble using the main navigation system, make the language of the text plain and easy to understand so that the pages have good readability and ETC.

Colours: Their main colours are red and white, in part of the places they used grey and black colour to make a improvement in the text to make it easy for the readers. The mark over colour is blue as usually and the text is white when you mark it. The font is

On the bottom of the page a little part with quick links, to make the finding easier. There on the bottom have some information which can be useful as well.

The website of the British Red Cross is made quite good and well organised.

Here is British Red Cross's web site: http://www.redcross.org.uk/





Funding 

Here I will give few ideas about where can you find money to start a business. Everyone is able to find money from their personal saving, parent's money, borrow from friend, credit from a bank, partnership, make a deal with someone to land you money to start the business.


Personal saving - Everyone have some personal money saved somewhere. These money could be saved from job, utilities or somewhere else. There have no risk on that because if you lose money, it's your money and you will go back to the begin point.

Parent's money - Parents can always help to their child, they can land or give the money. There have no risk in that, even might be they would not want their money back.

Borrow from friend - It's not bad idea to borrow some money from your near friend because it's possible to have no deadline to give the money back.

Credit from bank - Most of the people are able to apply for credit from banks. The main problem with the banks is that, went your deadline came you have to pay it on time and with taxes, if you are late with the dead line they will add some more taxes to your credit. There have 2 different type of credit one of them is insured and not insured, in the insured one they can take your personal items from your company/house even your car to sale and make money to pay your credit.

Partnership - Partnership is easier to create, firstly you will spend 50% of the money and the other 50% your partner. The risk is little bit more because the partnership can be break.

Deal - Making deal is with someone to cover you financially, if you offer that person to hold 50% of the shares of the company if its limited company. By doing that he will be kind of partner. It's big risk as well, because he will hold half of the company.


Financial issues 

How the on-line businesses collect their money from the customers.

There are few ways to collect the payment. I will give some examples and explain about them.

Customers can pay their on-line shopping on-line by debit card, credit card, PayPal account. Some on-line businesses accept payment on the home address.

Debit card - Always you can make a shopping by your own debit card in which have your own saved money.

Credit card - Payments by the credit card is more complicated, because your credit card goes overdraft and you have to cover that overdraft to maximum a months. You can pay back on-line in the company's web site of your card or cash in the bank.

PayPal - You can pay by your PayPal account in some web sites, firstly you will need to register your debit card in their web site and create your own account. This is safe way to pay, because if you do not get the item or have a problem they will refund your money.

Some on-line businesses accept payment on delivery address as well. They send an invoice with the deliverer.


Rules and regulations

Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 stops traders from misleading, behaving aggressively or acting unfairly towards consumers. That means that rule protect the customers on safe product and keep them away from unsafe product. The seller should not lie about the description of a product or keep the product when is damaged and ETC.  If there is something wrong with the product, the consumer/customer must report it and they can be taken some actions. 

Of satisfactory quality - Last for the time you would expect and be free of any defects.

Fit for purpose – Fit for the use described and any specific use you made clear to the trader.

As described – Always match the description on package of the product or what the seller told you.


CRB checks (Criminal Record Bureau), that might be wanted from some jobs or voluntary jobs. Jobs like working with children, vulnerable people or working in health care. Employers want CRB  from the employee because they want to be sure the applier is suitable for the job.

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament, which protects men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. The Sex Discrimination Act make Equal Opportunities for women and men.

Race Relations Act 1976 was established to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race. It covers discrimination of the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic. Employers must not make troubles to employees about the race.

Disability and Discrimination Act 1995 was established in many countries. Its main aim is to reduce discrimination against people with disabilities.


Employment Right Act 1996 - Every employee has contract, in that contract says what are the rights of the employee. What it is allow and not allow to do. The contract must be given to the employee to 8 weeks of it's first work day.

Data Protection Act 1998.That Act protect the data information and identification of the employees, if any of the information be given to someone else or sold, that will be offense and must be reported.
National Minimum Wage Act 1998. Everyone should know the minimum wage they should get.

These are the wages in 2012

For Under 18 is £3.98
For Ages 18-20 is £4.98

For Ages 21 and over is £ 6.19
For apprenticeship is £2.68

People are able to work after their 16th birth day. Under 16 years old people can not work, if they are not doing working skills where they are sent from school.