Thursday, 25 April 2013

Task 2 - Benefitsand Risks of online business

Project Extension Task 2


I will write about the possible benefits to the business and customer in developing an online business. I will list some the ideas down.

There are different benefits for an online business for the owner and clients, they are:
  • Saving money (less expenses)

    - You do not have to pay same amount of money if you have just warehouse (gas, electricity, water, council tax)
    - The start up costs will be low, because will need only a warehouse to keep the goods and will need to buy products
    - You do not need to rent/buy a premises to make it a shop
    - No decoration needed
    - Need fewer staff, even they can work at home front of the PC (depends on how busy is the business)

    - The producs online are cheaper than the producs in the shops (same product).
    - Can find offers/discounts
  • Time saving

    - All you have to do a create a web site, that will take few hours only
    - You have to just send the purchases which will take a minutes
    - Your business will work 24/7

    - Flexibility - You can run your business online,even while you are in holiday (same for customers, they can make shopping and they will have the product at the billing address

    - The customers can buy the product at any time
    - They do not have to waste their time on the way to go to the shop
    - Just order and will come to your house without wasting time
  • More options for shopping

    - You can offer to the customers all colou/size of the products
    - You can see what products people prefer
    - Different type of deliveries (1st class/2nd class/Economic way)
    - You can compare the items easily
    - Different methods to pay (Debit card/Credit card/Voucher/PayPal)
    - Better description of the product
    - Buying some old or unused producs cheap
    - Different brands (different choices)
    - Privacy, some people prefer to have some privacy for privat items

There are many benefits of a business to be managed online, even you don't need an office for it. Saves you lots of money, save you time and etc. As aslways something have good and bad points, that type of controlling have risk as well.

There are different risks like:

Legality: One of the biggest risks is that in some places the product you sell might be not illegal to use and that can make you lots of troubles. Shipping to these areas without knowking is legal or not will be one of the biggest mistakes you will do in your life. Some of areas require collection of sales tax on internet sales, that is for legality as well.

Fraud: Another big risk of Internet business is fraud and deception.There are few different way to verify the person who pays by credit card or bank account, you must check the person is it the owner of the bank account.You could send out a product to find you have been given false information, that can be bad and end up of both money and the item.

Startup Costs: While you are designing your website for yourself, many organisations spend lots of money to have a professional website designed by professionals and pay for copywriters to provide them with web copy. You have to pay for domain name and website hosting as well, if your business is not browsed to often or the competition is big or is not in the 1st few pages the chance to visit it is less then the 1st placed ones.

Internet Security: You need to know the potential security risks as well, because if your business needs to collect payment information, customer data your website could be in a risk of targetting by hackers or authors of malicious software.You need to make sure that you online business is safe if you need a security for it, you can protect with secure server and firewall in place

Monday, 22 April 2013

Task 3 - Evaluation

Task 3a

Personal S.W.O.T.


In this extension part of my coursework I will do a personal S.W.O.T. (Strengths/Weakness/Opportunities/Threats) analyse for myself.
 Strengths
  • I.T. Skills
  • Maths Skills
  • Honest
  • Good Leadership
  • Good organiser
  • Well Motivator/motivated
  • Rich knowledge of different languages
  • Good Punctuality
  • Mature
  • Good team worker (Prefer alone)
  • Serious
  • Good sense of humour
  • Good communication skills (speaking/listening especially)
  • Good negotiator
  • Self control
  • Responsible
  • Experience with cash handling (working with cash money)
  • Gentleman at all the time
  • Some business knowledge
  • Good listener
Weakness
  • Need to improve my English
  • Impatient
  • Lack of work experience
  • Not enough good punctuality
  • Can be easily distracted/angry (depends on the situation)

Opportunity

  • I have chance to improve my English at College, take extra lessons
  • I can start to work somewhere to have some more experience
  • I can read books and write some more staff to improve my punctuality
  • I can develop my skills from my strengths
  • Improve the other communication skills
Threats

  • I need to practise all of the languages that I know, because without practise the languages can be forgotten.
  • My weakens, that I can be easily distracted can develop if I don't control my emotions


Task 3b

Find 2 jobs I could do now


In this extension part of my assignment I need to find two jobs that I will be able to do them now with my skills and abilities. I need to describe what the jobs what me to could do and I will describe what I can do.

 https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/GetJob.aspx?JobID=1777221
http://www.legendfootwear.co.uk/

Warehouse Assistant Job

In this job place they need someone who can lift and carry the stock into the warehouse, that person will need to be able help to the customers to find what do they need. Good communication skills are needed and usual control of stock have to be done to maximise the availability
I have work in few places where has needed a physical skills (Construction area, fast food delivery companies,warehouses). Last all summer (2012) I have worked in a warehouse before I start college again, my employer was satisfied and let me work some holidays there.


The skills that I cover for that job

- I am good organised person
- I have good calculation skills (have qualifications)
- Good communicator with few different languages
- I am flexible person, I always can change my working hours/replace my mates position, when they are missing
______________________________________________________________


https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/GetJob.aspx?JobID=1773780&JobTitle=Coffee+Lounge+assistant&tjt=coffee&where=n17+0ll&rad=20&rad_units=miles&pp=25&sort=rv.dt.di&vw=b&re=134&setype=2&AVSDM=

Coffee lounge assistant.

They need a person who will work one day (Sunday) in a week, the assistant will provide services for the customers by making and selling sandwiches/tea/coffee and etc.

The skills that I cover for that job:

- I have some experiences of making a coffee/tea/sandwiches from my previous school and I have coffee/tea experiences from some jobs.
- My free time is perfect for that job, because I am student in college only 3 days a week and I can do that job in Sunday while I do another job for the rest of my free time.
_________________________________________________



https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/GetJob.aspx?JobID=1785269&JobTitle=Part+Time+Sales+Assistant+(Shopfloor%2fYard%2fCar+Park)&tjt=sale+assistant&where=n17+0ll&rad=20&rad_units=miles&pp=25&sort=rv.dt.di&vw=b&re=134&setype=2&AVSDM=

Part Time Sales Assistant (Shopfloor/Yard/Car Park)
Company: Selco Builder's Warehouse

The employee will need to have excellent customer skills (knowledge/organised/flexibility/communication skills). The job is almost physical because the employer will need to sell heavy items and need to carry items in/out of the warehouse. There no working hours are mentioned to cover. The person who will apply for the job at least needs to have some experience of similar job. They need someone with good memery to remember the order of items in the warehouse and need some math skills to calculate control the amount of the products.

The skills that I cover for that job:

- My maths skills are very well (have qualifications)
- I have experience as warehouse assistant for couple of months
- Good communication skills from job/college
- From experience I know how the manage the things at the warehouse


Task 3c

Career Development Plan


In this part of the coursework I will describe my career plan for the next few years. There will be included my education and my job that I want to do.

Currently I am student in WKC and I do business course and functional skills (Maths level 2 and English Level 1). Firstly I want to finish my education in Westminster Kingsway College (Kings Cross Centre) for Business Enterprise and ICT level 2 with good degree (Merit or Distinction). I would like to apply for next year course in Westminster Kingsway College (Victoria Centre) for Access to Higher Education Diploma Business level 3 and do Functional skills (English level 2).

I have no plans after this course, because I am considering to improve my knowledge about business in University or start my own original business I have planned in these days. I might keep studying in university and make a new target to develop myself in finance area, but I might start my own business that I have shared with my parents and took some ideas from people who have similar business.

If I do my business idea, after one or two years when I am sure that I survived with my small business, I will keep developing my business and open new branches to increase my profit. I would like to start to do some other course related with my education and do some other job while my own business run it self.

I plan to improve my languages that I know (Bulgarian, English, Turkish and retake Russian language courses), after undertood these languages properly I might take course for my dream language (Spanish). I dream is to learn this language, because sound lovely language, I have plenty Spanish talker friends and there are many countries that speak it (I have open branches in these country as well, if my business is successful)




Friday, 12 April 2013

Task 5 - Compare the web sites


Project Extension Task 5 



I will have to use 3 different business web sites. I have choose the websites from my Task 1 and I will compare these 3 sites by (images, videos, fonts and etc.)

The web sites are:

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/

http://www.superdrug.com/

http://www.redcross.org.uk/

Post Office's Web Site: The website of that business have simple few images, which are not with big size and open easily when you are in the site. There are no videos to complicate the site, they have used the home page cleverly to advertise different type of services. The font and the size are quite good, they are not coloured to make it to look beautiful, but they made it to look simple for the users. The navigation of the web site is with drop down boxes The purpose of the site is to provide services and help to make sales by Internet. 

Superdrug's Web Site: This web site also is simple to use, but not like the post office's one, because there are plenty of advertises. The images are with small size and it helps to the website to load fast, even without videos works more fast as that one is. The font is simple as the post office's is and the navigation of that site is also with drop down boxes. The purpose of that site is to make online sales for the clients.

British Red Cross's Web Site: This web have different type of images with different sizes to advert the happens, needs and etc. in the world. Normally this website have few videos to help the people to understand their purpose/target. One more time the font is easy to read. The colours are one of the most used colours in the web sites.


Superdrug's web site is more colourful than the other 2 websites, there have plenty of adverts but the others even do not have half of it. I think that the British Red Cross's web site is the most complicated one because there have different services like providing health and safety services, applying services, donations and etc. Post office's web site mainly is for providing information to the community, about what kind of services they do. They also have a sepparete site for shopping, for a different goods that superdrug doesn't offers.

 

Sunday, 17 March 2013

Task 2b - Business Plan

Task 2b

https://www.dropbox.com/s/41lqvaccj4ryvu6/task%202b%20Abridged%20HSBC%20Business%20Plan%20Template%20v3.0.doc


                                                         Business Plan

Your business logo
Business name: Balkan State's Sandwiches
Address 1: 286 HIGH ROAD
City/town: TOTTENHAM LONDON
Post code  N15 4UR
Mobile: 07428 590959
Web site: http://senel1994.wix.com/senel


Contents:                                                       Pages:


1. Summary ............................................................ 4

2. Business Overview ............................................. 5
- Introduction
- Competitive Advantage

4. Marketing ............................................................ 6
-SWOT analysis and Critical Success Factors
- Market Research

5. Team and Management Structure ...................... 7

-Skills, Experience, Training and Retention
- Advisors
- Management System


6. Financial Budgets and Forecast ......................... 8

- Profit and Loss Forecasting 
- Cash Flow Forecasting
- Break Even Analysis



Business Overview

  • Introduction:

My business will be a sandwich bar, which is named "Balkan State's Sandwiches". The location of my bar will be in Tottenham, North(east) London, the reason to be located there is simple because the rent is not expensive and have many people from the East Europe (where the Balkan State is located in). This business is in tertiary sector, because is kind of restaurant.

I have chose that kind of business because people love to eat, some people like to try different type of foods and some people just miss their country's sandwiches like me.

I decide to put some Aims and Objectives for my business to be achieved and they are:

Aims:
- To be still in the business for the next 1-2 years.
- To increase the sells by 20-30% after the surviving.
- Expand the business after 3-4 years maximum.

Objectives:
- Beat the competition with the other similar businesses.
- Add some more type of sandwiches.
- After making good profit expand the shop or open 2nd branch in different sensible place.

  • Competitive Advantages:
- The advantages of my business are simple, I will be the only seller of this type of food in that area. My sandwich bar will be located on the high road, where the station is and its in easy find-able place for the public. Around will have different schools and just 200-300 meter away have a college. The quality in the shop will be very well.


Marketing

  • Swot Analyses and critical success factors:
In this part of the assignment I will analyse my business by SWOT analyse system.
Swat= Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
Strengths:
- I love to eat either cook.
- I have tasted many type of sandwiches and I have some knowledge about sandwiches (especially in type sandwiches I will make)

Weaknesses:
- I have never run a business before.
- Have not worked with that amount products (sandwiches)
- I have no experience to make exactly that kind of sandwiches, because they are not easy to make at home and need someone with good experience.

Opportunities:
- Around my sandwich bar will have many students, which is a good opportunity for me to offer them take away meals.
- My premises is located in the High Road of Tottenham, there have many different type of shops which means there will have customers and will be near the employees working in the shops.

Threats:
- These sandwiches will be new to the people and they might NOT like them.
- The bar is in the High Road and there will have vehicles (noises, bad gas smells)
- I have to satisfy all the needs of the public if I want to beat the competition.
- There have a risk that the council to do not give a license for my business.


  • Promotion Strategy:
This is my marketing strategy for my business. By advertising my business in different ways I will make my business well known.
I have few ideas how to share my business by the cheapest way I found.
  1. Leaflet: I can use leaflet with small sizes to deal out to the houses around my business.
  2. Social networks – I can publish my business in Facebook, Twitter,etc.
  3. Word of mouth: That is the cheapest and a fast way to spread it.
  4. Posters: This way will catch the attention of the customers.
  5. Newspaper: My business is with Bulgarian sandwiches and I will publish my business in the Bulgarian newspaper.
After publishing my business I will not stop advertising it in the Social Network and in The Newspaper, because every year are coming hundreds, thousands new people which will not know about my business. Some people grow up and they won't know my business as well, that's why is a good idea to do not stop promoting it.

Team and Management Structure



  • Skills, experience and training


I will be the manager in my work place and that's why I will be the sale assistant, I have the next skills and experience:




- I have good maths skills.

- I have an experience with communication with the public.

- I am sensible person, that is good for my staff and they will be more comfortable.

- I am hard-worker as well.
- Good organisation skills





 In my Sandwich bar I will need a baker, who will work in the back side of the bar (cooking) and a sales assistant to in the front part.
Sandwich Maker:
- Hard-worker
- Good knowledge about the machinery used in.
- Punctual person
- Flexible
- To have at least 1 year experience
Sales assistant:
- Good maths skills
- Organised
- Honest
- Always smiley to show that to the customers
- Good communication skills
  • Job Description
The staff in my business will be always in the shop, they will not need to go somewhere (travel) for work. The baker will be on the back side of the shop, make sandwiches and the sales assistant will be in the front line. The baker will work to the afternoon till 2,3 maximum and the sale assistant will be there to 4,5 maximum. The salaries will be suitable for both of the positions and they will have holiday as well.
The sale assistant will work 6,7 days a week and Monday to Friday 07:00-17,18:00.

Sale assistant

The sale assistant will work 7 days a week from 06:00 to 16:00. The task of the sale assistant will be simple because the bar is not large, there will not have plenty productst that needed to be described to the customer if they want so. The annual salary will be £15,000 - £20,000, depending on their experience and skills the annual salary will be decided how much to be. Here is described what the sale staff will need to do in the workplace:
- Greeting customers who enter the shop
- Offer to the customers what do they want
- Be polly with the customers
- Answer queries from customers
- Being responsible for the processing cash.
- Dealing with customers
- Keeping the bar clean and tidy
- If a real problem comes up the sales assistant should to tell to the manager
The sandwich maker will work 7 days a week from 5:00 am to 12:00,13:00. The task of the sandwich maker will be to make enough sandwiches to sell in the a day. The sandwich maker's annual salary will be £20,000-£30,000. There are not many things that the maker needs to do and they are:
- Make sandwiches
- Keep the hygiene in the workplace
- Report the amount of the products which will be needed
- Come on time
  • Management and Legal Requirements
  • My small business is a Sole Trade business organisation and it is in the Tertiary Sector. It's in the Tertiary Sector because I provide selling service to the public.
    I will need to register my Sole Trader business name in the Local Business Register to ensure that the name is original (None business have the same name) and the name don't contain any none approved words. If there is any problem with the name, immediately will be token some actions (will be needed to choose another name).
    I have already decided what type of business would be (Sole Trader) and what will be the name of my business. I can register my name online or download the application to send it my post.
     



  • Financial Budget and Forecasting and Profit and loss forecasting


  • Break Even Analysis
I have made a break even analysis for the first 6 months of my business.
In the first 3 months the business will make less income, because it's not well known. My business start to make a profit in the 4th month. I have made £11,080.00 Net profit for 6 months.

My break even analysis graph shows roughly 8,000 sandwiches I need to sell to turn my loss into profit.



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.