Research Articles Base: Proposed Business Plan

Business Plan

The Coca-Cola Company     1.            Executive Summary 2.            The Business and its Managers   Introduction               The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches. Founded in 1886, the Company is the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, used to produce nearly 400 beverage brands. Its corporate headquarters are in Atlanta, with local operations in over 200 countries around the world.             Coca-Cola touches the lives of millions of people each and every day. From special occasions to exceptional moments in every life, Coca-Cola is there. The brand has become has special part of people’s lives.             Over the years, hundreds of people have sent stories about how Coca-Cola affected their lives. Whether it id a childhood memory, a reminder of family gatherings, or a recollection of good times with friends, Coca-Cola has impacted the lives of people all over the world.   Mission               The Coca-Cola Company aims to refresh the world in mind body and spirit; to inspire moments of optimism through their brands and actions; and to create value and make a difference everywhere they engage.             To achieve the mission, they have developed a set of goals, which they will work with their bottlers to deliver:             Profit: maximizing returns to shareowner while being mindful of their responsibilities.             People: being a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.             Portfolio: bringing to the world a portfolio of beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people’s desires and needs.             Partners: nurturing a winning network of partners and building mutual loyalty.             Planet: being a responsible global citizen that makes a difference.   Identity and key people               BOARD OF DIRECTORS                                       E. Neville Isdell                                     Chairman, Board of Directors, and                                     Chief Executive Officer                                     The Coca-Cola Company                                       Herbert A. Allen                                     President and Chief Executive Officer                                     Allen & Company Incorporated                                     (A privately held investment firm)                                       Ronald W. Allen                                     Consultant to, Advisory Director, and                                     Former Chairman of the Board, President,                                     And Chief Executive Officer, Delta Air                                     Lines, Inc.                                                 Cathleen P. Black                                     President                                     Hearst Magazines                           Barry Diller                         Chairman of the Board and                         Chief Executive Officer                         InterActiveCorp (IAC)                           Donald R. Keough                         Chairman of the Board, Allen & Company                         Incorporated                           Donald F. McHenry                         Distinguish Professor in the Practice of                         Diplomacy and Internal Affairs at the `                       School of Foreign Service,                         Georgetown University                             Sam Nunn                         Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer                         Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)                           James D. Robinson III                         Co-Founder and General Partner,                         RRE Ventures and President, J.D.                         Robinson, Inc.                           Peter V. Ueberroth                         Investor and Chairman, Contrarian Group,                         Inc. and Co-chairman, Pebble Beach                         Company                           James B. Williams                         Chairman of the Executive Committee,                         Former Chairman of the Board and                         Chief Executive Officer                         SunTrust Banks, Inc.     3.         Products and Services offered             The Company’s beverage products, including bottled and canned beverages produced by independent and Company-owned bottling and canning operations, as well as concentrates and syrups, include Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola classic, caffeine free Coca-Cola, caffeine free Coca-Cola classic, diet Coke (sold under the trademark Coca-Cola light in many countries outside the United States), caffeine free diet Coke, Cherry Coke, diet Cherry Coke, Fanta brand soft drinks, Sprite, diet Sprite, Mr. PiBB, Mello Yello, TAB, Fresca, Barq’s root beer and other flavors, Surge, POWERaDE, Fruitopia, Minute Maid flavors, Saryusaisai, Aquarius, Bonaqa and other products developed for specific countries, including Georgia brand ready-to-drink coffees, and numerous other brands. The Minute Maid Company, with operations primarily in the United States and Canada, produces, distributes and markets principally juice and juice-drink products, including Minute Maid brand products; Five Alive brand refreshment beverages; Bright & Early brand breakfast beverages; Bacardi brand tropical fruit mixers (manufactured and marketed under a license from Bacardi & Company Limited); and Hi-C brand ready-to-serve fruit drinks. Additionally, Coca-Cola Nestle Refreshments, the Company’s joint venture with Nestle S.A., produces ready-to-drink teas and coffees in certain countries. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Business Plan

The Coca-Cola Company 1. Executive Summary 2. The Business and its Managers Introduction ...

A Business Case for the Implementation of a Nurse Practitioner Role in the Student’s Local Environment

A Business Case for the Implementation of a Nurse Practitioner Role in the Student’s Local Environment   Executive Summary The decision was made to explore a school-based clinic within the [name of the city] school district at the high school level. The Advance Practice Nurse (APN) is in a pivotal leadership position from which to serve as the key individual to plan, develop and administrate the facility while using her health care delivery skills caring for student/patients. A business case was developed which explores the roles and status of the APN in relation to school nursing, the need for school-based clinics run by Advance Practice Nurses along with budgetary considerations. A plan was proposed that would enable the clinic to become self-sustaining using Medicare reimbursement for services provided by the APN as allowed by Medicare policy, Federal and State grants and other funds, such as for special needs children and through private donations from community and corporate sources. This will enable the APN and facility to be of benefit to the students and staff without drawing on funds necessary to support in-class educational opportunities and become a model for other school-based clinics as part of a pilot program within the state. A series of evaluations is outlined, both pre-development and post-development to be used for audit purposes, to assess program efficacy and measure original goals and objectives against current measures of success.   Introduction As a result of the growing prevalence of chronic conditions and the related cost burden, health promotion and illness prevention are increasingly becoming a top priority for schools. Spotlight is therefore given to school nurses who are first in line in watching over the health of school children. Approximately 50,000 licensed professional school nurses provide health services to children and youth in the school setting ( 2004). School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that facilitates the well-being, academic success, and lifelong achievement of students. School health services like school clinics have the goal of supporting educational success by enhancing the student’s health. Research tells us the school nurse must possess skills in more than theory and clinical knowledge, that skills in political awareness and activism, public relations and management are essential for today’s school nurse (2001). Competencies in “program planning, research and evaluation skills, management by objective techniques and statistical data collection and compilation” are additional skills required and are only found in the educational preparation and requirements consistent with the Advance Practice Nurse (APN) (2001). Let us first discuss what an Advance Practice Nurse is. The APN is generally the most independent functioning nurse ( 2004). APNs are usually nurses with a master’s degree in nursing (2005), advanced education in pharmacology and physical assessment ( 2004), and certification and expertise in a specialized area of practice ( 2004). The term APN is actually an umbrella term describing several nurses with different functions. It refers to advanced clinical nurses that include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives. The APN functions as a clinician, educator, case manager, consultant, and researcher within his or her area of practice, to plan or improve the quality of nursing care for a specific population (2004). APNs are state regulated relative to the services they can legally provide. Based on the combination of state legislation and federal recognition of their skills, several funding sources are available both to provide for funding as well as offer additional rebates or reimbursement for school nursing endeavors.             Research also tells us that school-based clinics serve as a pivotal healthcare function for many students who would otherwise miss school due to health reasons while not seeking or being eligible for medical attention (2003). A bigger problem is the tightening budgets seen by school administrations that require shifting funds from healthcare programs to academics ( 2006;  2005). Primarily in the large urban setting, APNs are in a pivotal position to develop effective school nursing programs. This business case presents a model of school-based healthcare developed with the APN in mind. Budgetary figures are provided, funding sources are explored and facility staffing, management and functionality are explored.   Background Changes in lifestyle and an increase in disease states common to school children such as asthma ( 2004) or mental health issues (2004), as well as the additional program potential that a school nurse can provide, indicate an advance practice nurse can be an essential addition to school-based healthcare programs. APNs are also in a unique position to assess families for child abuse or neglect estimated in excess of 900,000 children annually and provide programs through school districts to advance training for recognition of risk factors (2005). Additionally, APNs, by virtue of their training, would be in a position to develop other community outreach programs that further the goals of health education for students. APNs are empowered to both diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic disease and disorder states (2002). APNs are skilled in providing common diagnostic services such as taking a medical history, performing a physical assessment or ordering laboratory tests ( 2002). Additionally, APNs provide therapeutic management and health promotion activities with the authority to practice independently in 21 states as of 2002 ( 2002). In addition to patient care, APNs are highly skilled nursing professionals who have extensive training in developing and effectively administrating community health services and political activism, management and organizational strengths are required for developing a new model for effective school nursing (2001). Various federal and state programs are currently available to increase funding to school districts for school nursing and student health programs ( June 2004; 2006;  2006;2005;  2003;  2005). Federal grant programs are also becoming commonplace for the development of school-based clinics ( 2005). Additional sources can be developed through effective community outreach activities that a highly skilled APN performs within the natural scope of professional practice. Finally, the option of utilizing the school health facility as a formalized outpatient clinic from which to charge Medicare and Medicaid for reimbursement for professional services rendered ( 2002) are optional sources of funding to offset the cost of the APN and the educational model proposed herein.   Organizational Aims and Objectives Organizational goals are relatively simple: to ensure that every student, in the community has access to qualified medical care. In an era of declining enrollment, when school districts are apportioned funds on a per student basis, based on the student meeting attendance requirements, it is in the best interests of the school administration to ensure their students have access to quality health care. The use of an APN to develop an effective school-based clinic model would provide the diversity and breadth of healthcare, administration and community health knowledge to effectively design, develop and administer such a program. APNs are skilled at community health issues, are skilled and knowledgeable in fund-raising and acting as a corporate liaison, are highly skilled at collaborating and establishing collaborative services with other health care facilities in the community, understanding budgetary planning and facilities management. Therefore, when matching the skills outlined with the requirements of the school-based clinic model and goals outlined above, the APN is in the unique position to deliver more than health care to the community; she is ready to design, develop and implement this model. Description of Services Required  (2005) documents the model for a school-based health clinic that mirrors a small doctor’s office in size and scope yet offers students the privacy needed to seek services without drawing the attention of other students.(2005) states the school-based clinic must offer privacy “where the student can feel comfortable about counseling and sensitive medical treatments.” Too often school health centers are located in administrative areas that are high activity locations and counterproductive to providing confidentiality of student use (2005). The (2005) model called for a 1,200 square foot clinic sectioned off to provide a waiting room, conference room, two exam rooms and a holding area that can be curtained off to maintain student/patient privacy as well as room for administrative and support staffing. A facility of this size is designed to handle a student population of approximately 1,000 students (2005). As a pilot-program for the community, it is suggested that this model be adopted for use, however, the design should provide for expansion should clinic use exceed expectations.             Current usage expectations are that 65% of the student population will utilize the clinic for any one of a variety of services offered by the APN or other staff members.   Description of Services Provided A school nurse develops programs that foster children’s growth, positive life skills for successful coping, and acquisition of knowledge and skills for self-care, and that reinforce positive health attitudes ( 2004). The services performed by the APN and nursing or on-call adjunct staff will be outlined in the succeeding paragraphs. It will include the following that are listed, but should not to be limited to those only. A rationale for providing such services will also be given. ·         Diagnosing and treating infections such as strep throat, ear, sinus or other illnesses (2005). Infections account for the majority of all childhood illnesses; respiratory infections are the most prevalent (2004). The common cold also remains the chief illness of childhood ( 2004). These are common illnesses that could affect school children and it is therefore a must for school clinics to have the right medical devices to diagnose and treat such common infections; ·         Performing laboratory screenings as required (2005). This is not a usual procedure of school clinics and is usually done only in extreme conditions requiring results. School age children are also significantly affected by cancer, birth defects, and heart disease ( 2004) and should be screened for these also; ·         Assisting in treating students with chronic health issues such as asthma or diabetes ( 2005); ·         Provide dental health awareness programs emphasizing the importance of oral hygiene in the totality of good health; ·         Performing sports and/or other routine physicals required for school participation (2005). It has become increasingly clear that children are becoming less active with the result being an increase in childhood obesity (2000). Schools can be an excellent facilitator of physical fitness and exercise (2002). Strategies such as offering sports and other physical activities incorporated early into a child’s daily routine could provide a foundation for lifetime commitment to good health and physical fitness (2004). ·         Be the first line of treatment for sports related injuries that take place on school property (2005); ·         Write prescriptions on a limited basis for the treatment of an illness, such as antibiotics for infection ( 2005); ·         Perform assessments for risk behavior, such as substance use or abuse, sexual practices and nutrition/dietary habits ( 2005). Certain groups of children are more prone to disease and disability, often as a result to different barriers (2004); ·         Administer immunizations to the student body and faculty1( 2005); ·         Offer programs that promote healthy lifestyle habits, proper including nutrition. School age children should participate in educational programs that enable them to plan, select, and prepare healthy meals and snack; ·         Maintain comprehensive documentation compliant with HIPPA requirements; ·         File and follow-up on claims for Medicare reimbursement; ·         File and follow-up on documentation relating to reimbursements or rebates available from other Federal Education programs, such as the Individualized Education Program that pays for some healthcare services rendered to special needs children (2005); ·         Ensure that the school and its environment is one that could promote safety and good health in students; ·         It is important to note that although APNs can be skilled in their jobs and provide the highest level of care to the school children, there are some factors that could affect the state of health of the school children outside the school. One priority that should be specifically mentioned here is problems related to mental health of the child. This could spur from many things, on top of it dysfunctional families. Dysfunctional families could push a school child to certain addictions, withdrawal, or worse a negative view of self. The APN could therefore offer counseling services to school children as well as to the parents if the need arises; ·         Lastly, yet most importantly, APNs have the responsibility to provide health education to school children. The school-age period is a crucial period for the acquisition of behaviors and health practices for a healthy adult life (2004). Because cognition is advancing during the period, effective health education is therefore appropriate. Promotion of good health practices is a nursing responsibility (2004) and programs directed at health education should be frequently organized and conducted in the school. Some of these services provided will be summarized in a table below with the top school children concerns and health promotion interventions of the nurse explained briefly. SCHOOL AGE HEALTH CONCERNS HEALTH PROMOTION INTERVENTIONS PROVIDED BY THE APN Nutrition Provide nutrition education that promotes healthy lifestyle: food guide pyramid; limiting fat and saturated fat intake as these could lead to hypertension (Guyton & Hall, 2000), and other serious health complications. Provide assessment of nutritional status of school children. Oral Hygiene Review mechanics of dental hygiene: brushing and flossing. Stress the importance of regular dental check-ups. Infections Provide immunization services, information, and follow-up. Provide diagnosis and treatment. Teach infection prevention practices such as hand washing and care of minor skin injuries. Teach simple concepts of viral and bacterial illness. Tobacco, alcohol, and drug use Provide information regarding the hazards of use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Provide tobacco, alcohol and drug use assessment and prevention programs. Human Sexuality Provide information about sexual maturation and reproduction in age-appropriate manner. Provide risk assessments for sexual abuse. Safe Environment Educate school children about safety measures to prevent accidents and injuries. Encourage school children to take responsibility of their own safety. Table 1. Health Promotion for School-Children   Potential Benefits The benefits of the proposed school-based clinic are categorized as serving several target populations: the patient, the service level and the staff. Benefits to the patient population based on the addition of the APN to both the development of the program and through her participation as an active staff member providing patient care are multiple. The student population is expected to see the primary benefits of the proposed APN administrated school-based clinic. An increase in student health and well-being should correlate to an increase in student grades, student school attendance and a corresponding increase in health skills the students can carry with them into their college and adult years. An increase in student mental health awareness and availability of mental health services at the clinic is also expected to ameliorate potential issues related to abuse (2005) or depression and anxiety (2004) often missed in the student population. Research tells us that teens who fail to receive necessary health care are at a significantly increased risk for not only physical but mental health issues but that when these students visit their school-based health clinic for physical issues, mental health problems are frequently uncovered by the APN (2003; 2004). School staff and administration are expected to receive a number of benefits as well. As the school-based clinic evolves, it is anticipated that faculty and staff will receive healthcare from the facility on an as needed basis; however, for the first rollout, this will not be the case. But still, faculty and staff will experience higher attendance in their classes (2005), healthier and more attentive students who are more likely to be participative in classes and less disruptive. Clinic staff and collaborative associates, such as nearby hospital staff or on-call physicians for emergencies, will benefit from the experience of being led by the APN due to her wide range of administrative and practical abilities to work through the system. Immediate staff will benefit from her leadership and management skills at creating a functional yet comfortable environment and in her abilities to provide health care delivery options beyond that of the traditional school nurse. Taking care and ensuring that the school environment can promote wellness and good health in school children is one essential aspect of good health yet one that is oftentimes overlooked. Many school nurses develop plans for health promotion in school children, yet most often they focus on diagnosis, assessments, screenings, immunizations among others; and tend to forget the environment. It must always be remembered by the nurse that the environment is one of the primary determinants of health (2005). The environment, aside from being unclean, could be one that will present accidents and injuries to school children. Accidents and injuries are a major health problem affecting school-age children (2004). It is not enough to think solely in terms of self when one thinks of health promotion. What affects the environment has a ripple effect and could affect everyone in the school. To start, the APN could come up with a plan that could ensure a clean and healthy environment within the school. This could be considered a prevention strategy which is of course better than finding cures when school children get diseases. Also, the provision of guidance and counseling services is a task that should be appointed not only to school guidance services but also to the APN. After all, a healthy well-being includes a healthy mind. When the child goes through adjustments, the nurse assists in promoting health. This could be done by helping the parents and child to identify potential stressors and by designing interventions to minimize stress and the child’s stress response ( 2004). The nurse needs to direct school children toward normal developmental behaviors, assist them in maximizing their abilities and use them to cope; all of which could function under the service of guidance and counseling provided in the clinic. By helping children achieve a necessary developmental balance, the nurse promotes health.   Key Outcome Criteria The APN run school-based clinic is expected to meet the following outcome criteria: <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Decrease school absenteeism due to illness by 50% by June, 2008 and 65% by June 2009; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Decrease the rate of asthma exacerbations and/or need for treatment among students by 40% by June 2008 and 60% by June, 2009; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Reduce the rate of teen pregnancy through pregnancy awareness programs by 30% by June 2008 and 50% by June, 2009; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Increase the number of students seeking help for mental health issues by 30% by June 2008 and 65% by June, 2009; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Achieve a follow-up appointment rating of 85%; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Achieve an 80% parent consent rate for the school year beginning September 2007 and a 90% parent consent rate for the school year beginning 2008; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Achieve a 80% rate of student participation or willingness to participate for the school year beginning 2007 and a 90% rate for the school year beginning 2008; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Achieve a Medicare reimbursement rate of not less than 80% of all services performed by the APN; </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #333333; line-height: 200%"> Budget to assure clinic achieves 75% self-sufficiency by June 2008 and 100% self-sufficiency by June 2009. </li>   Audit and Research Plan Once initial funding is provided to start-up costs, a detailed audit will be conducted from which to assess final budgetary figures and confirm facility and staff planning as detailed in this business case. Separate questionnaires will be presented to teachers and school administrators, students and parents or guardians. Each survey will be tailored to the participant population; all will focus on items relating to the efficacy of a school-based clinic and planned utilization, perceived benefits, areas of concern and perceived limitations of the facility, staff or fee structure. A one-year time frame is expected from the time initial grant funds are received from which to distribute and analyze survey responses, confirm or alter plans according to results and initiate the re-build, obtain necessary funding and arrange for the build-out and all hiring and administrative functions for the school-based clinic to become fully functional. Therefore, the clinic is expected to begin seeing students in September 2007. A second round of surveys distributed to the same target populations will be conducted at the end of January 2008 and during the last week of school in June 2008. The January and June 2008 surveys will be correlated with results of clinic records for number of patients/students seen, number of return visits, number of students utilizing Medicare, rate of Medicare reimbursement along with types of services performed.   Position Description The APN will be responsible for all primary activities related to the school-based health clinic, such as performing all administrative functions, grant writing activity, facilities management and project management, establishing collaborative relationships with local healthcare institutions and emergency transport providers, hiring and firing practices, serve as liaison to the school board, provide health promotion programs, and even function as a mental health nurse providing guidance and counseling services to disturbed school children as well as their parents. Additionally, the APN will manage all Federal and State compliance issues relative to position compliance for self and staff as well as service compliance areas. The APN is responsible for assuring compliance with State and Federal healthcare regulations such as HIPPA and electronic medical record transmission. The APN will also be responsible for providing healthcare services to the student population, developing awareness programs, leading seminars, interacting with faculty to bring healthcare awareness into the classroom. The APN will be responsible for medication management and medication administration policies and practices.             To summarize, the APN provides specific nursing interventions in the school setting including health education, parent programming and counseling, communicable disease control, physical and mental assessment, crisis intervention, environmental safety, nutrition planning, and emergency care. Without the school nurse, an overall process of education within the school is not complete.   Budget for the Position According to research, the average salary for a school nurse is ,216 ( 2006). The average salary for an APN is ,203 (). Many districts, such as those in Alabama provide a state budgetary allowance that allocates a specific allowance for both salary and benefits for school nurses, in Alabama this amount is ,888 although actual salaries are determined at the local levels ( 2006). While many districts are struggling with insufficient funding to properly meet health care needs within the state and local districts, when funding that has been allocated is not used, unused funds must be returned to the state ( 2006). The APN in this model is more than just a school nurse; the APN will design, develop and implement the school-based clinic model, teach and mentor other RNs and staff members and act as a community liaison. The APN in this case therefore completes the role of educator, consultant, manager, researcher, and practitioner. Making recommendations, developing a plan of care, and performing specific advanced procedures as are appropriate in the school setting are all tasks the APN may do. As such, it is inappropriate for the APNs salary to be paid with resources allocated for the facility’s RN. Funding for the APN will be paid through the provisions of a Federal, state or corporate grant as part of the program development costs. Planned staffing for the facility includes the APN as full time coordinator, a nurse, nurse practitioner and a part-time administrative assistant. Healthcare related supplies are estimated at 0,000, although healthcare supply corporations will be solicited for tax-deductible donations through goods and materials to support the community effort. In the current model, the proposed school location has a 1,275 square foot building, off site, adjacent to the football field currently being utilized for storage. Adequate storage facilities have been ascertained as available within the school building to enable the school-based clinic to remodel and bring the building up to code as a health care clinic. It is anticipated that costs associated with a build-out will significantly reduce costs that would otherwise be incurred for a new-build. Current estimates are 0,000 with a turn around time expected at 6 months. Start-up costs associated with permits, filing fees and assistance in grant preparation, miscellaneous expenses related to seeking community support and the purchase of a laptop computer, printer and associated supplies, plus salary for the APN are estimated at ,000. Initial sources of funding are expected from private corporate or community sponsorship funds and are not expected to come from the school budget. School clinics, though located on school campuses, are run primarily by community-based healthcare providers who all tap the same funding pool: federal and state grants; private donations and in-kind contributions from local hospitals (2005). Also, the provision of proper nutrition to school children is often a component of major programs of the government. Governments that could afford such programs ensures proper nutrition of the young which is essential for the good health and physical growth of children at that critical stage, and hopefully producing healthier citizens as these school children grow older. This facility is expected to provide services that can be reimbursed through Medicare at a rate of 85% (2002). According to school district records, 97% of the student body is enrolled in Medicare compliant managed care programs. Based on anticipated patient/student flow through combined with Medicare reimbursements, it is expected that the facility will be self-sustaining after a two-year period. This does not include the cost of potential upgrades and remodeling should the patient/student flow exceed delivery of care expectations. Of course, in all these, the level of economic activity determines to a large extent how much resources and budget can be devoted by the country to help these types of activities.   Constraints             There are several issues that will hinder the APN from providing the services that were mentioned. Sometimes, clinics could not function well not due to the APN assigned but to other factors such as lack of funding. No matter how capable and APN is, if there are not enough resources to support him or her, then it is likely that the services provided will not be of good quality.             Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

A Business Case for the Implementation of a Nurse Practitioner Role in the Student’s Local Environment

A Business Case for the Implementation of a Nurse Practitioner Role in the Student’s Local Environment Executive Summary The decisio...

Business Plan

Draft Version of a Business Plan       Product Description     Outline of Operating Environment     Expected Source of Competitive Advantage   Product Description   The main objective of this business plan is to launch a new Kids & Child product for the purpose of company expansion. Kids & Child International, the product manufacturer, aims to introduce the first safety bracelet in China. This product has a number of distinct features that represents its competitive advantages. The safety bracelet is made into different sizes (small, medium and large) and colors suitable for children ages 1 to 5 years. The main part of the safety bracelet will be made of 100% plastic.  To create a smooth and easy to wear on the babies & children’s wrists, it will be also made with elastic. A wireless micro speaker powered by two button batteries will also be placed on the outside part of the bracelet which looks like a watch. The micro speaker will work by means of using an infrared device placed on the wrist section of the product. Safety bracelet also installs an electronic radio frequency to protect the baby & child from mosquitoes.  The mechanism behind the safety bracelet is similar to that of a baby monitor (2005). Kids & Child safety bracelet works like a radio transmitter which allows parents or home helper to keep a close watch on their children even without being near them. The product is made up of a transmitter (bracelet) and a receiver (infrared device); through these, sounds that babies make can easily be transmitted to the receiving device carried by the mother or home helper. In this way, parents can do something else at home without worrying about their children. 1 Outline of Operating Environment The manufacturing facility of Kids & Child will be established in Guangzhou Province, China. As Guangzhou Province is the country’s biggest province and has the most useful resources Kids & Child needs, this geographic location is most appropriate. Specifically, Kids & Child needs a business location were retailers are very accessible. In addition, the population in China is high compared to other countries, which in turn increases the number of potential consumers. The province is also a home for other baby product manufacturers implying the location’s efficacy. In addition, being a main province in China, Kids & Child will not have any problems on suppliers and deliveries.             In order to succeed, the company should have other key success factors. Hence, in addition to geographic location, the company also intends to employ effective strategies for superior customer satisfaction. Considering that brand loyalty is a major barrier in the baby product industry, Kids & Child should implement ways on how to obtain the interest of the target markets. In order to support this objective, the company will establish a customer service department where consumers can forward their inquiries and concerns about the product. The main distribution channel of the Kids & Child safety bracelet will be through retailers. In addition to the subsidiaries of the company, Kids & Child will also distribute its innovative product through major supermarkets. In this way, the company will be able to cover a higher level of market coverage. The level of profitability in this distribution channel is relatively high as products are directly made accessible to the consumers. In addition to retailers, the safety bracelet will also be distributed through online retailing. By developing a company website that will cater to purchases placed online, Kids & Child will be able to distribute its product at an even greater market range. This will also allow the active mothers target segment to be aware of the safety bracelet.   Expected Source of Competitive Advantage As the Kids & Child safety bracelet is a new product, the customer service of the company will focus on giving instructional guidelines to the consumers. This will ensure that the customers are using the product effectively. This will also help the company in marketing the product. The customer care system of Kids & Child will employ four channels: by telephone, post mail, online chat rooms and electronic mails. By increasing the customers’ access to the company, Kids & Child can provide its services to a larger market. Certain company standards will be developed by Kids & Child as well in order to create competitive advantages. One of these standards will focus on quality management and control. A quality assurance team who will ensure the quality production of the safety bracelet will be assigned. A quality reporting system will be employed so as to track down defective products, malfunctioning machineries or personnel shortage. For the human resource, screening policies will be employed. This in turn will help in selecting the right employees for specific job positions. All of these will be done in order to ensure the high level of satisfactions among consumers. In addition, these will also help the company overcome the competition in the baby product industry.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Business Plan

D raft Version of a Business Plan Product Description Outline of Operating Environment Expected Source of Competi...

Business Plan

Business Plan Kids & Child International         Executive Summary             Organizational success is dependent on the efficiency of the people involved. Often, people who are not really in the organization may have huge contributions for its development and success. The proposed business plan shall consist of the analysis for Kids and Child International and the review of related literature.             The study, taken from the journal MIS quarterly, delves into the world of enterprise resource planning and the process of knowledge transfer from consultants to clients. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a form of intricate data systems that exemplify essential organizational portfolio. In systems such as these, corporations often need the aid of external practitioners, or consultants, in order to disseminate complex informations such as this. Corporations, knowing that consultants have a high degree of knowledge in such things, expect them to properly disseminate information to their employees so that they can work on these complex information systems independent of external interference. The study from the journal MIS quarterly, which I used as reference for this paper, clearly observes the “antecedents of knowledge transfer in the context of such an interfirm complex information systems implementation environment.” From the above stated information, a theory may be developed that says, transfer of knowledge and information is clearly prompted by communicational, knowledge and motivational factors. This paper also reviews the potential benefits of consultancy, possible clients, barriers and strategic management for Kids and Child International. Table of Contents   Introduction Business Plan sections             Company Profile             Mission, Vision, Values, Purposes, Key to success Business Description Marketing Competition             SWOT Analysis Development, production, and location Management Financial plans & projections             Risk factors Harvest or exit Scheduling and milestones Conclusion   Introduction Despite the various challenges in which children’s products face, there is always an opportunity for e-business. It has been known today that even baby products and the Internet have a natural association. Kids and Child has the potential of this partnership and be successful in consumer e-commerce. Kids and Child forged ahead with an ambitious goal to become the world’s leading e-business children’s products company and promptly set up a new cross-functional department staffed by experienced people who have been dealing with the meticulous planning and production of baby products and newly recruited e-business professionals. Kids and Child International is committed to invest in services that enhance value to their customers while improving productivity and reducing information technology costs. With this, the company has leveraged to e-business.             Kids and Child International, known to be one of the world’s leading kid’s products producer, gives them the opportunity to acquire more customers and generate more revenues.     In addition, with Kids and Child International online selling, they give more convenience to their customer giving them the chance to attract more customers especially with people that have no time to go to shops and branches to buy such products.             The company also has an opportunity of technology advancement for easier transaction and operations and for more convenience for customers and employees. Moreover, with its recognition, the airline attracts more opportunities of expansion.             Furthermore, the company has design learning experiences for the employees to deliver consistent good services to customers. The company has encouraged a culture of self responsibility, courage to innovate and openness to collaborate within the organization.             Furthermore, in the year 2000, over 60% of companies and firms based in the United States of America adopted the use of enterprise resource planning. Because of the recent upheaval in the corporate industry, sales of the ERP software has reached to more that 150% increase year after year. Due to the sudden demand for the said software, sales per annum amounted to a total of billion in the year 2004 (2004). According to  companies who adopted the use of ERP’s were said to exhibit an increase on overall performance concerning finance related processes (2002). Still, continued adoption and implementation of complex information systems such as this greatly confronts the corporate industry who chooses to implement it. Researches pointed out different factors that contribute to unsatisfactory results such as deficiency in corporate and ERP know-how (1998), impoverished employee recall (1995), and obstacles concerning constantly forwarding technological advancements (1998). Due to the above-mentioned obstacles, external practitioners often are recruited to aid firms on the said issues (1998). Because ERp generally focus on giving out a certain level of pragmatic interoperability which is said to pose certain mechanical and financial obstacles which would be difficult to overcome ”with stand-alone custom-built systems” (2002), dependence on external practitioners is very much understandable ( 1998; 1999).With technological advancements and complexity of information being put out, greener pastures are opening up for external practitioners in the context of information systems. In recruiting the aid of external practitioner, organizations not only have operational success in mind but also goals such as training skills, information dissemination. Acquiring such needs often help and benefit the client organization in the long run (1998; 2000). Therefore, the research questions for this study are: What are the antecedents of knowledge transfer from a consultant to a client, and to what extent do these antecedents explain knowledge transfer in the context of ERP implementations? The approach taken to address these questions involves the integration of the theory of information systems implementation with findings regarding knowledge transfer in other domains.   Business Plan Sections Company Profile Kids and Child International is a company specializing in the production of children’s safety products.     Strategic Planning Strategic Framework for Client Relationships Development and Management             The definition of public relations in Australia according to  (PRIA) is: “the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.” In public relations, results are often preconceived as intangible by clients who pay good money for the service. At the minimum, clients appear to rationalize the purchasing of service with cliches such as “increasing awareness” and “it helps to underwrite the sales effort.” All the more reason why public relations consultancies have to make every effort to quantify results (1992). Clients will not appreciate the planning behind a public relations campaign, or the effort spent by the account team, unless they are made to understand how public relations work. Each client has the right to know the sequence of steps taken by the public relations agency to achieve results. Unfortunately, many public relations practitioners devote the majority of their time to the operational aspects of their services and tend to ignore the need to document and analyze the overall public relations campaign in concrete terms that a vice president of marketing, for instance, could relate to his overall marketing performance.             On the other hand, clients also often think their only responsibility is to hire the agency and then sit back and watch the public relations people “do their thing.” This attitude rears its ugly head in a variety of ways. True, the agency’s responsibility is to do its very best for the client. However, companies have to realize that they have responsibilities as well. These are relatively simple responsibilities such as: Define goals and objectives, and have a marketing plan; Maintain open lines of communications at all times; Respect the agency as a group of professionals who provide specialized service and deserve to be paid for those services; and Make a commitment to the agency (1997).   An Emphasis on Retention of Profitable Clients             Maximizing the lifetime value of a client is a fundamental goal of public relations consultancy. In this context it can be defined that the lifetime value of a customer as the future flow of net profit, discounted back to the present that can be attributed to a specific customer. Adopting the principle of maximizing customer lifetime value forces the organization to recognize that not all customers are equally profitable and that it must devise strategies to enhance the profitability of those customers it seeks to target (2005).             In any organization, not only in the public relations department, loyal clients are an intangible asset that adds value to the balance sheet. They represent the goodwill earned by the company. Loyal and repeat clients not only contribute revenue by returning again and again to avail of services from the same company, but act as advocates, referring new customers and reducing acquisition tools.             Continuous Improvement and Quality Control Model             The continuous improvement and quality control model most commonly used in manufacturing is a helpful analogy for establishing a system of measures to help public relations practitioners deal with his problem. Continuous improvement is a process of setting objectives, then measuring results through documentation that is then analyzed and reported. Final results are then measured against objectives ( 1992).             The public relations reporting tactics described below serve that function. They suggest ways to keep the client in the decision-making loop by establishing mutual objectives, by using meetings to educate and extend the credibility of the public relations consultancy, and by employing simple but effective techniques for regularly measuring and reporting results.             Clients need to participate in the crucial early stages by providing persuasive and substantial back-up data and thinking. Clients will find it worthwhile to participate in a program if the nuts and bolts of the public relations process in general–and their own campaign in particular–are explained in business terms (1997). Communication is the key to a mutually profitable relationship. Company management has to be willing to tell the agency its specific needs and desires. Without knowing management’s expectations, it’s impossible to meet the goals. To create an effective campaign, the agency has to know everything about the product or service how it works, its benefits and features, its shortcomings, its channels of distribution, as well as products and features offered by the competition. It’s impossible for the agency to learn this information by mind reading or through osmosis (1997).             The client doesn’t bear the sole responsibility for keeping the lines of communications open. The agency has to keep the client abreast of each project. If this is done, management is less likely to demand unreasonable deadlines or misunderstand the steps required to complete a project. On the other hand, clients cannot procrastinate in approving a project. Such delays prevent the agency from meeting deadlines – or worse yet, cause cost overruns.             Respect for the agency’s capabilities is also essential for a good working relationship between the consultancy and the client. An agency can be a valuable consultant – one specializing in communications as well as editorial, channel, analyst and consumer relations. But their job involves more than just release writing and distribution, press kits, trade shows and article and white paper production.             Commitment is the client’s final responsibility. They have to believe in the concept or product the agency is promoting. They must allocate enough money to market, position, and promote the product properly. Ad, promotional, and PR campaigns – even highly effective ones – don’t achieve instant success. If the agency has produced a creative, consistent campaign, the client has to be willing to see it through (Marken, 1997). Commitment also extends to the client-consultancy relationship. Right from the outset, both parties have to want to work together as a team, with the agency functioning as an integral part of the company organization.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Business Plan

Business Plan Kids & Child International Executive Summary Organizational success is dependent on ...