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Strategies that can lead to increase of contracts
Get PDFThe research aim is to identify strategies to increase the number of acquisition customers by using quantitative research methods and observations. Three theories were used, of customer loyalty, acquisition, and retention. The method included 100 door-to-door surveys with questions of duration, pricing, comfort, providers, and change options. The results show that a majority of those surveyed are concerned about saving money on power bills
Gaining a competitive advantage in hospitality
Get PDFTo expand a business and gain competitive advantage, it is necessary for every organisation to implement new strategies that help the company to grow and survive for a long period. The number of restaurants and other food outlets are increasing. This will directly influence the growth of individual businesses. The selected organisation offer dine-in, takeaway, and catering services to the community. The purpose of this research is to identify current strategies of competitors and to examine potential capabilities and resources of the organisation to gain strong competitive advantage in the market. To complete this study, mixed methods have been used to gain deeper understanding of the community. The results show that more than 80% of customers are satisfied with the quality of food and become regular users of services by the business. In the qualitative research, the manager and staff provided information about their capabilities and resources that are different from those of their competitors. To conclude, the restaurant should use more pricing strategies and combo deals to attract more customers. They could also use more sources to communicate with the community to attract new customers and promote a loyalty programme to gain competitive advantage
Challenges of the multicultural workforce which effect business growth and service
Get PDFThis research is based on the multicultural workforce of a local cleaning organisation. The main question of the research is what are the challenges faced by this multicultural organisation for making good relationships between employer and employee? The aim of the research is based on the challenges and effects of multicultural organisations on the growth of business and quality of services. The research methodology used is qualitative and the data collection method was interviews. Results of the research are based on thematic analysis methods and direct toward communication barriers, teamwork, cultural values or thinking of diverse employees. The multicultural workforce helps in the growth of the business and improves the service quality of the business
The challenge of sustainability in small event enterprises
Get PDFThe impact of human activities is increasingly affecting today’s lifestyle and endangering the capacity of future generations to access natural resources. The need for sustainable practices in business has risen and is becoming a popular trend in the event field. However, the manner in which enterprises around the world embrace sustainability depends on several cultural, economic and political factors. Chile is a developing country that is shifting towards sustainability, but still faces many challenges. This study focuses on two Chilean small event enterprises and aims to investigate and compare their main limitations, mindsets and business models. It analyses their point of view on the future of sustainability in Chile. The method used for the research was a semi-structured interview directed to the managers of these enterprises, designed to gather quantitative information about their perception and business culture. The results were analysed by theme, identifying two areas of conflict. Firstly, a lack of public awareness and environmental education. Secondly, the shortage of governmental auditing tools that are necessary to ensure that environmental laws are met. Consequently, an implementation plan, with both short and long-term goals, was proposed to the enterprises, based on the findings as well as on four model theories. The tentative suggestions are tools for enhancing the culture of collaboration between small enterprises, and to change the environmental awareness of their stakeholders. These recommendations intend to help the small enterprises navigate through Chile’s cultural and political challenges, and meet the country’s sustainability needs
Waste management
Get PDFModern society is generating a negative effect on the environment. In New Zealand, most SMEs face a serious struggle with waste reduction, and currently New Zealand’s waste recycling and reuse products are reduced because of political issues. This research clearly explains the cause and effect of waste production in an organisation internally and externally, and how the organisation is controlling it. This research result shows a major environmental change in New Zealand society
Board diversity and performance of microfinance institutions
No full textMicrofinance Institutions (MFIs) are important service providers of finance for unbanked people and have experienced a high growth over the past decades. Alongside the staggering growth of microfinance around the world, there have been some serious complaints of unfair practices and low transparency in their affairs. Therefore, it is questionable whether microfinance contributes to a true reduction in worldwide poverty in the short or long terms. This study examines the corporate governance practices of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India and their relationship with both financial performance and outreach for the period 2007 to 2012. Using unbalanced panel data for 575 firm-year observations, we report that the financial performance and outreach of Indian MFIs improves when they have international/donor representation on their board. Independent directors and client representatives on board perform favourably on financial performance but no impact on outreach. However, female directors on the board increases outreach to the poor people but decrease the financial performance. This study significantly contribute to a better understanding of board diversity of microfinance sector by providing empirical evidence from one of the dominant countries in South Asian region
Project vital: Community revitalization industry report
Get PDFViTAL (Vitality Through Active Living) FIJIAN PROJECT
The ViTAL project aims to aid in the reduction of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through investment in the health and well-being of women by increasing the level of participation in physical activity (PA) and health eating across the community. Women are agents of change in families, communities and countries. The ViTAL program aims to support, other community-based programs such as community gardens, healthy cooking classes, healthy cookbooks, walking groups and other ongoing physical activity programs
International conference on software engineering and knowledge engineering: Session chair
Get PDFThe Thirtieth International Conference on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering (SEKE 2018) will be held at the Hotel Pullman, San Francisco Bay, USA, from July 1 to July 3, 2018. SEKE2018 will also be dedicated in memory of Professor Lofti Zadeh, a great scholar, pioneer and leader in fuzzy sets theory and soft computing.
The conference aims at bringing together experts in software engineering and knowledge engineering to discuss on relevant results in either software engineering or knowledge engineering or both. Special emphasis will be put on the transference of methods between both domains. The theme this year is soft computing in software engineering & knowledge engineering. Submission of papers and demos are both welcome
The shifting sands of transparency: Sustainability reporting in New Zealand
No full textBy 2013, nearly 95% of the 250 largest companies in the world, and 71% of the top 100 companies across the Asia Pacific region used sustainability reporting as a tool to inform and manage the impacts of their activities on society, the environment, and the economy. There are now over 400 sustainability reporting instruments being used in 64 countries, 80% of which are introduced by governments. However, by the end of 2013, only 17% of the top 100 companies in New Zealand were providing a corporate responsibility report and, by the end of 2017, this number had not grown much. This is particularly significant when sustainability reports are widely viewed as a proxy for corporate transparency.
This thesis examines the ways in which some of the largest companies in New Zealand perceive and react to stakeholders’ expectations for non-financial disclosure, and the factors that may have caused the current lack of sustainability reporting in this country. It also looks critically into the relative power of shareholders and other stakeholders to influence the publication of sustainability reports. The thesis draws on a theoretical framework that combines Mitchel, Agle, and Wood’s (1997) Salience Model with Zygmunt Bauman’s (2000) concept of liquid modernity, to explain how different stakeholders have different impacts on target companies, and why that differentiation tends to run counter to theoretical, market based expectations.
Twenty-eight interviews, including those with key representatives of 21 public companies (reporting and non-reporting), and seven sustainability professionals, were the primary sources of data. Secondary data was gathered from the participating corporate reports, reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), government regulations in New Zealand, and formal organisational documents, policies, and regulations. This study applies thematic analysis to identify the most important themes to emerge from the interview transcripts and other documents.
The results of the study demonstrate how leading corporations in New Zealand perceive different stakeholder groups and their expectations, and how that perception affects the way they publish corporate reports. While some companies view the lack of stakeholders’ expectation as a barrier for non-financial reporting, the findings of this study suggest that there may have been little to no communication between these organisations and their stakeholders in practice, and that, therefore, company perceptions may have little substance
The Development of an Aerodynamic Body System for the Existing Single Seat Electric Vehicle.
Get PDFThe Report goes through the works done by the student before November 2018 for developing of an aerodynamic vehicle body shell, which includes the project background, design features, design outcomes and drawings, conclusion and recommendations