Results and Discussions - Mauritian SMEs - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2537 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? 5.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 5.1 INTRODUCTION The study of Mauritian SMEs was done with particular reference to the following 3 sectors: Leather and Garments Wood and Furniture Paper products and Printing Both face to face interview and questionnaires were used to obtain the required information. The data collected were entered into SPSS 20 and the results were analysed using the figures and tables obtained. 5.2 COMPANY DATA (a) Age of entrepreneurs Figure 5.1: Age Group of Owner/Manager It is disturbing to note that only 5% of the entrepreneurs surveyed were below 30 years and only 32.5% below 40 years. This is a matter of concern and indicates that not many young people are prepared to take risks in entrepreneurship and to deal with administrative hassles associated with the setting up of an enterprise. The difficulty in having access to finance in the absence or insufficient collateral at a young age may also be a cause. During discussions, a few of them have indicated that their children, after having pursued higher education, have stayed abroad and are not interested in taking over the business although the parents have succeeded in the enterprise. (b)Year s in operation Figure 5.2: No. of years company is in operation Only 10% of enterprises have been established within the last three years whereas 65% have more than 15 years. This is rather worrying. A partial explanation may reside in the fact that some of the new enterprises are in the infant stage and are still micro enterprises. With adequate support, many of them will grow. In Mauritius and elsewhere in the world, there are instances where micro enterprises have grown into large and even very large enterprises. (c) Family members working in the enterprise Figure 5.3: Family members working for the company 28 SMEs i.e 70% have family members working in the enterprise either full time, part time or during peak periods only. Of these, 19 SMEs have family members working full time, 3 SMEs having family members working part time and 6 SMEs having family members working during peak periods only. The 6 SMEs having family members working during peak periods only are probably not paid or paid below market rate. This suggests that they have recourse to bootstrapping finance at times. 5.3 MARKETING (a) Budget for marketing Figure 5.4: Budget for Marketing Marketing is an expensive activity. 42.5% of SMEs do not provide a budget for marketing. Often, they are well established in the locality where they operate and do not seek to enlarge their market. They do not have a clear vision of their business in the medium and long term and possibly lack ambition too. The opportunity for growth is greatly reduced in the absence of marketing. Owing to the size of the enterprise and the limited financial resources, 23.5% of them find marketing too expensive and 58.8% does marketing by word of mouth only. (b) Marketing/Promotional tools 57.5% of the SMEs have a marketing budget. Of these,43.4% participates extensively or moderately in regional or international trade fairs. The Government refund scheme per SME to the tune of Rs 200 000 per annum for participation has been an encouraging factor. Table 5.1: An indication about how the marketing/promotional tools are used. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Results and Discussions Mauritian SMEs" essay for you Create order Extensively % Moderately % Irregularly % Very little % Not at all % Local advertising (TV, radio, newspapers, billboards, leaflets etc) 4.3 39.1 30.4 4.3 21.7 Local trade fairs 26.1 34.8 13.0 4.3 21.7 Regional or International Trade fairs 21.7 21.7 8.7 13.0 34.8 Professional Marketing Services 8.7 13.0 8.7 13.0 56.5 Personal Selling/Direct Marketing 60.9 21.7 4.3 0 13.0 Web Page/ Email/ Facebook/Twitter/ Sms etc. 34.8 8.7 17.4 4.3 34.8 (c) Effect of marketing budget on level of sales 21 SMEs answered this question. Of these, 15 respondents considered the marketing budget have a moderate effect and 6 respondents as having a high effect on level of sales. (d) Product concept v/s Conventional Marketing Product concept: The product is developed first and then the firm searches for market. Conventional marketing: The customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ needs and preferences are identified first and the product is developed accordingly. Figure 5.5: Concept adopting for marketing 8.7% of SMEs surveyed adopt the product concept compared to 34.8% adopting the conventional marketing and 56.5% using both of them. It is encouraging to note that 91.3% adopt the conventional marketing for at least part of their production. This is indicative of the awareness of entrepreneurs on the necessity to continually innovate and to satisfy the needs and tastes of customers and to follow the market trend. FINANCE Finance to start business 41% of SMEs surveyed reported that they started their business with either their personal savings or their personal savings plus help from friends and relatives. It is indicative of a strong equity base and risk takers who do not hesitate to venture into enterprises with their own funds. Figure 5.6: The source of finance of surveyed SMEs Awareness of loans offered at concessionary rate Table 5.2: Awareness of loans offered at concessionary rate Sector operating * Awareness of loans offered at concessionary rates by Government agencies Crosstabulation % of Total Awareness of loans offered at concessionary rates by Government agencies Total Not informed at all Not well informed So/So Moderately informed Well informed Sector operating Leather and Garments 5.0% 2.5% 10.0% 12.5% 12.5% 42.5% Wood and Furniture 2.5% 2.5% 10.0% 7.5% 7.5% 30.0% Paper products and printing 2.5% 2.5% 12.5% 10.0% 27.5% Total 7.5% 7.5% 22.5% 32.5% 30.0% 100.0% Table 5.2 indicates the degree of awareness of loans offered at concessionary rates. It is noted that only 62.5% of SMEs surveyed stated that they are either moderately informed or well informed. The activities of Government agencies should be further advertised through the media and through talks in various localities. Their services should be made known to entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs. Access to Finance Table 5.3: Access to Finance Sector operating * Rate access to finance for SMEs Crosstabulation % of Total Rate access to finance for SMEs Total Easy Reasonable So/So Difficult Very difficult Sector operating Leather and Garments 2.6% 15.4% 2.6% 20.5% 41.0% Wood and Furniture 10.3% 10.3% 10.3% 30.8% Paper products and printing 5.1% 5.1% 5.1% 10.3% 2.6% 28.2% Total 7.7% 30.8% 17.9% 41.0% 2.6% 100.0% It is somewhat worrying to note that 41% of SMEs surveyed consider access to finance as difficult. The Leather and Garments sector is particularly affected and it is indicative that the financial institutions are rather pessimistic about the business prospects in this sector. Loans from Commercial Banks Figure 5.7: Main obstacle for obtaining loans from Commercial Banks Almost half of them considered the high interest rate as the main obstacle. Since commercial banks are very cautious in advancing loans to SMEs, Government has set up in the 2014 budget a scheme whereby it will guarantee loans to SMEs directly to commercial banks up to 70% of any amount of loss incurred. This will be of help to them. Different loan schemes offered by DBM Ltd Figure 5.8: Different loan schemes offered by DBM Ltd Figure 5.8 indicates that 68.8% consider the different loan schemes offered by DBM Ltd as either satisfactory or very good. Time required for approval of loan by DBM Ltd Figure 5.9: Time required for approval of loan by DBM Ltd. It is distressing to note that 76.6% of SMEs surveyed consider the time required for disbursement of loans from DBM Ltd to be long or very long. This is a major hurdle to entrepreneurs and would be entrepreneurs. SMEs may encounter a temporary problem with cash flow/working capital and may need financing rather quickly. On the other hand, most would be entrepreneur cannot afford to wait long and at the end may set aside their projects. Cost of finance for SMEs Figure 5.10: Cost of finance for SMEs 44.4% of SMEs consider the cost of finance as reasonable, 36.1% as expensive and 16.7% as very expensive. Leasing as an alternative source of finance Table 5.4: Leasing as an alternative source of finance Sector operating * Are you prepared to consider leasing as an alternative source of financing? Crosstabulation % of Total Are you prepared to consider leasing as an alternative source of financing? Total No Yes Sector operating Leather and Garments 22.5% 20.0% 42.5% Wood and Furniture 7.5% 22.5% 30.0% Paper products and printing 17.5% 10.0% 27.5% Total 47.5% 52.5% 100.0% 52.5% are prepared to consider leasing, particularly in the wood and furniture sector. Summary of financial problems encountered by SMEs Although 62.5% are moderately or well informed about loans at concessionary rates by Government agencies, only 17.9% turns towards DBM Ltd compared to 38.4% for Commercial banks, although the latters charge higher interest rates. SMEs view the bureaucratic procedures at DBM Ltd as burdensome and the long time for disbursement of loans as discouraging. On the other hand, commercial banks view SMEs as higher risk clients and demand relatively high collateral. Consequently, 43.6% of SMEs surveyed consider access to finance to be difficult or very difficult. 5.5 IT, TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (a) Production process Figure 5.11: Production process of SMEs The study reveals that only 12.5% of SMEs are using high tech and computerised equipment in their production process. The use of obsolete machines with inefficient technology affects productivity, product quality and output. Although 90% of the SMEs surveyed are aware of the advantages of IT and te chnology innovation, only 62% are taking advantage of them. As for the rest, investment in equipment is considered too expensive and lack of knowledge in using IT is an impediment. (b) Investment in IT or technology improvement as a percentage of total assets Figure 5.12: Investment in IT or technology improvement as a percentage of total assets for the past 5 years. (c) Foreign technical advice or consultancy 41% of the SMEs benefitted from foreign technical advice or consultancy during the past 5 years. Of these more than three quarters was the result of their personal initiative. (d) Technical advice or technical assistance from local support institutions 36.4% of SMEs benefitted from technical advice or technical assistance in technology improvement from local support institutions during the past 5 years. (e) E-commerce and website 36% uses e-commerce and 54.5% have a website for their business. To promote the visibility of SMEs and to help in the marketing and export activities, Government has announced that it will provide a free basic website for all SMEs. 5.6 COMPETITIVENESS AND EXPORT Nature of market Figure 5.13: Nature of market The survey shows that most of the product as destined to the domestic market as shown in Figure 5.13. Some SMEs do export from time to time, principally to the region but not on a regular basis. Difficulties encountered in the export market. Figure 5.14: Difficulties encountered in the export market Only 18 respondents answered this open-ended question and the 6 reasons given are presented in Figure 5.14. Logistics hurdles were the most frequently mentioned followed by uncompetitive prices on the export market. The risk of default in payment is also an important factor that SMEs take into consideration in view of their relatively modest financial resources. A number of SMEs are not interested in export activities. The figure is indicative of the rather low competitiveness of Mauritian products as a result of expensiveness of imported raw materials compounded with high transportation costs and probably with relatively higher wages. Some SMEs have stated that even in the SADC and COMESA market, the advantage of the relative proximity is nullified by the high charges claimed by the freight forwarders and shipping lines and the higher cost associated with modest volumes of exports. Competition Figure 5.15: Competition SMEs view imported goods as the strongest competitor in the domestic market as shown in Figure 5.15. Trade liberalisation and the lowering of tariffs as per WTO regulations have benefited big foreign producers with economies of scale. Lowering of transportation and communication costs in general have also been beneficial to them. One SME in the wood and furniture sector mentioned that foreign companies established in Mauritius manufacturing furniture to measure as its strongest competitor. The preliminary works and measurements are done by the local subsidiary, the production done overseas and subsequently installation done by the local subsidiary. The major drawback is the time taken to complete the work. Foreign partner Table 5.5: Working with a foreign partner (a)Are you already working with a foreign partner? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid No 38 95.0 95.0 95.0 Yes 2 5.0 5.0 100.0 Total 40 100.0 100.0 Table 5.6: Considering to join with a foreign partner (b)Are you considering to join with a foreign partner? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid No 32 80.0 80.0 80.0 Yes 8 20.0 20.0 100.0 Total 40 100.0 100.0 Tables 5.5 and 5.6 are self-explanatory. However, during discussions, it is noted that SMEs are aware of the advantages of such venture in terms of equity participation, access to new markets and acquisition of innovative technology. A number of them do not wish to join with a foreign partner because they are satisfied with the current situation, want to retain their independence or are too old. Clustering Table 5.7: Clustering Sector operating * Do you favour the concept of clustering? Crosstabulation % of Total Do you favour the concept of clustering? Total No Yes Sector operating Leather and Garments 17.9% 25.6% 43.6% Wood and Furniture 17.9% 12.8% 30.8% Paper products and printing 15.4% 10.3% 25.6% Total 51.3% 48.7% 100.0% Table 5.7 shows that 48.7% favour the concept of clustering. The higher percentage in favour comes from the leather and garments sector. From discussions, it is felt that there is a lack of trust among Mauritian SMEs. Some fear that the other SME may become a potential competitor if they get a better idea of: Their production process Their volume of production Their markets And make acquaintance with their workforce. While acknowledging that clustering can be beneficial to SMEs, they believe that it will take years before Mauritians will put this concept into practice. However, one of the respondents is already engaged in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“International Clusteringà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  whereby the raw materials and semi-finished product is from a foreign country and the rest is completed in Mauritius. Sub-contracting Figure 5.16: Sub-contracting Only 25% of SMEs benefit sub-contracting works from large Mauritian firms. This is unfortunate as SMEs usually have lower overheads. They have a greater flexibility, can specialise in some types of production and be useful in peak periods to help large companies to meet tight deadlines. To encourage large businesses to sub contract work to SMEs, the Ministry of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives will come forward with a National Inclusive Business Award to reward and recognize efforts made by large enterprises in this direction. Export potential Figure 5.17: Export potential Whereas some of the SMEs have learnt about export potential through their business contacts and some through SMEDA, most of them turn to Enterprise Mauritius as shown in Figure 5.17. Although EM caters for both SMEs and large enterprises, the perception is that EM is more focused on bigger volumes of export from large companies. Since the volumes of export from SMEs are limited, EM had recourse to groupage of cargo from different SMEs for export. Achieving ISO/Various National Standards Figure 5.18: Achieving ISO/National Standards Only 15.4% of SMEs did receive help from national support institutions to improve their product quality. The Mauritius Standards Bureau only tests the conformity to specific standards. 5.7 MISCELLANEOUS Industrial space Figure 5.19: Renting industrial space Only 10% of SMEs surveyed are renting industrial space from Government agencies. Half of them find the rental rate expensive. Some even find that private industrial spaces are cheaper. To address this issue, Government will grant a rent subsidy of 50% on new industrial units for the first three years. Time to start operations Figure 5.20: Time to start operations Only 42.5% consider the time to start operation as reasonable. It is indicative of the bureaucratic procedures and administrative hurdles encountered by SMEs before setting up a business. There is a need to simplify and streamline all the procedures so as not to discourage the potential entrepreneurs. Additional service Figure 5.21 Only 15 SMEs answered this open-ended question. Of these, more than half would like to have additional support in the export market as shown in Figure 5.21. Business prospects for the next 3 years Figure 5.22: Business prospects for the next 3 years This question has been answered by all participants. The figure speaks by itself and reflects the mood of the SMEs at the present time.

Should Kids At Middle School Students Wear Uniform

Should Kids in Middle School Students Wear Uniform? In the best interest for students, I strongly believe that our children in Middle school should wear uniforms. Uniforms are an easy way to distinguish who your children are. Parents spend more money on school clothes for their kids to look nice each year. It is not easy being a parent of a child that worries so much about what people think of them. There would be no possible way for kids to get bullied by what they are wearing because everyone looks the same. Also, the staff will be able to have more respect from students and not allow them to sag their pants or wear baggy clothes. There are many reasons for schools to force uniforms for the young kids in middle school, such as self-discipline, less distractions in class and school spirit. In other words, self-discipline is the suppression of base desires and self-control. Discipline allows the teachers to stick to their decision and put their foot down. 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Comparing Machiavelli to Hitler free essay sample

This paper discusses how Machiavelli would have evaluated the leadership qualities of Adolph Hitler and what, if anything, he would have criticized, endorsed, or refined about Hitlers leadership. The following paper summarizes Machiavellis theory of politics, what Machiavellis thoughts might have been on being compared to Hitler and whether or not the writer agrees with Machiavellis assessment of Hitlers leadership and politics. In addition, the writer looks at how Machiavelli may have advised Hitler on his leadership skills. Machiavelli would say Hitler certainly appeared to possess these qualities that is why a large percentage of the German people supported his Nazi regime. As far as attempting to do good Hitler believed that what he was doing, by exterminating the Jews and other so-called lower races, was good and moreover that the German race was superior. According to his writings in Mein Kampf, Germany was the mother of all life (Hitler,459). We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Machiavelli to Hitler or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page According to an Encarta article, he hoped to conquer the entire world, and for a point in time his Nazi regime dominated most of Europe and much of North Africa. He instituted sterilization and euthanasia measures to enforce his idea of racial purity among German people and caused the slaughter of millions of Jews, Sinti and Roma (Gypsies), Slavic peoples, and many others, all of whom he considered inferior.

NeuroPhsioEX 3 free essay sample

1. What was your observed threshold voltage? The voltage at which I first observed an action potential was 3.0V 2. How does this tracing compare to the one that was generated at threshold voltage? The small increase in voltage causes a small increase in the height of the action potential peak. 3. What reasons can you give for your answer? Recruitment of the nerve’s neurons. Increasing the voltage will cause most of the neural fibers to experience depolarization. 4. At what voltage did you no longer observe an increase in the peak of the action potential trace? Maximum voltage or the point beyond which no further increase occurs in the peak of the action potential trace was 4.0V Activity 2-4: 1. What did you observe when the glass rod contacted the nerve? An action potential is generated as I touch the rod to the nerve. 2. How does this tracing compare with the other tracings you have generated? The tracing is identical to the tracing generated at the threshold voltage. We will write a custom essay sample on NeuroPhsioEX 3 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3. What did you observe when the heated glass rod contacted the nerve? An action potential is generated when you touch the heated rod to the nerve, through a thermal stimulus. 4. How does this trace compare to the trace that we generated with the unheated glass rod? The tracing shows the action potential peaking slightly higher than the peak generated by the unheated rod. 5. What did you observe when you added sodium chloride and hydrochloric acid solutions to the nerve? Dropping hydrochloric acid on the nerve generates an action potential, through a chemical stimulus. 6. Summarize your experimental results: What kinds of stimuli can elicit an action potential? Electrical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimulation are all capable of generating an action potential in a nerve. Activity 5: 1. What are the effects of ether on the nerve? The screen displays a flat line, indicating no nerve response. The nerve has been anesthetized by the ether, thus preventing any impulses of the nerves. 2. How long did it take for the nerve to return to normal? It required about 2 min to return to normal. Activity 6: 1. What effect did adding curare have on the action potential? There is no overall effect, still an action potential. 2. Explain this effect. Nerve transmission is unaffected because curare works on the synaptic ends of the nerve. 3. What do you think would be the overall effect of curare on an organism? Curare would eventually kill the organism by blocking nerve transmission. More specifically, stunt the nerves in their diaphragm, preventing respiration. Activity 7: 1. Does adding lidocaine to the nerve generate an action potential? No action potiential with the addition of lidocaine. 2. Explain why lidocaine has this effect on nerve fiber transmission. It is a local anesthetic, which closes the Na+ channels, preventing depolarization. Activity 8: Record Your Data: Nerve Earthworm (small) Frog (medium, myelinated) Rat nerve 1 (medium, unmyelinated) Rat nerve 2 (large, myelinated) Threshold voltage Elapsed time from stimulation to action potential Conduction velocity 1. Which nerve in the group has the slowest conduction velocity? Earthworm 2. Which nerve of the four has the fastest conduction velocity? Rat 2, myelinated. 3. Explain the relationship between nerve size and conduction velocity. Larger diameter is faster than smaller diameters. 4. What are the physiological reasons for this relationship? Unmyelinated = continuous conduction 5. What are the effects of myelination on conduction velocity? Myelinated fibers are faster than unmyelinated fibers 6. What are the physiological reasons for you conclusion? 7. What are the evolutionary advantages achieved by the myelination of neurons? Mylein: less current leakage, insulation, faster conduction of impulse. Larger diameter more electricity can flow, less resistance, faster conduction.

Age Restrictions on Alcohol Relative to Military Eligibility Essay free essay sample

This is a topic that was near and dear to my husband’s heart. As he is in the military, it comes up often during mobilizations for deployment. I drink very little, so I hadn’t given it much consideration until he was deploying himself. I think that military personnel under the age of 21 should be allowed to consume alcoholic beverages under supervision. We have two sons that joined the National Guard at the ages of 17years and 19 years old. The legal age to purchase and consume alcohol in this state is 21 years of age. Our sons were pretty quickly deployed to Iraq. Granted, they didn’t drink at the time, but under the circumstances: I think that if their squads and platoons had offered them beer before going away to war, there should be no qualms about it. If they are able to go off and risk their safety or their lives, then there should not be a problem with having two beers with their buddies. We will write a custom essay sample on Age Restrictions on Alcohol Relative to Military Eligibility Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Compared to college freshmen, there is a lot of supervision and control in a military environment. On campuses around the country, binge drinking is prevalent and sometimes problematic. This is not to say that it doesn’t happen in the military but there is so much more structure to the lifestyles of soldiers, sailors, etc. College and high school campuses provide much more independence. Teens often sneak into their parents bars when their away and imbibe without supervision, and most often without parental consent. My husband entered military service in 1985 and he says that then it was the norm for the military to have two beers during lunch. It was being phased out, but the older soldiers held to the tradition. There were quite a few Vietnam vets still in at that time. When he went to Germany, they would have beer tents set up after exercises and all of the soldiers would be allowed to drink their fill. During the nineties, the policy changed to the State’s legal age, based on the location of the particular Post or Base. Currently, the military is campaigning to deglamorize the abuse of alcohol. They have â€Å"Don’t Be That Guy† awareness posters, playing cards, and even a website; along with regularly required training sessions. If anyone has an alcohol related incident, that soldier is counseled. If there is another incident, the soldier is then referred by the Commander to the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program (ASAP). Based on the length of time in the military, a younger soldier is allowed one misstep or mistake. More experienced soldiers and those with rank and responsibility aren’t given such leeway. For instance, a Driving under the Influence (DUI) charge is a career ender for a non-commissioned officer, but a lower enlisted soldier will be given a chance to rehabilitate. There have been cases of parents here in this State having closed door parties for graduation and proms. Those parties caused a lot of controversy. The parents were there to supervise in most cases, but there were a couple of cases of no supervision. Those parents argued that as long as they were there to oversee what was going on, there shouldn’t have been such an outrage. Those that argued against it felt that they were being enablers. I can see both sides of the argument. I wouldn’t host such an event personally, but I won’t frown upon those parents who chose to do this for their children. In Europe, it is common for teenagers to have a glass of wine with their dinner in a family setting. There doesn’t seem to be any of the stigmas of consumption of alcohol there. Given the supervision and the amount of reinforcement in the military, I believe that young people in uniformed services should be allowed to have limited consumption of alcohol under direct supervision. If they are old enough and eligible to serve our country, then there should be an exception to policy or a waiver of some sort.

The Difference Between Plug-In and Standard Hybrid Cars

The Difference Between Plug-In and Standard Hybrid Cars A hybrid vehicle uses two or more distinct types of power, such as a gas-powered, internal combustion engine plus an electric motor on a battery pack. There are two primary types of hybrid cars on the market, a standard hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. Neither requires that you plug in the car to an electric source, however, with a plug-in hybrid you have the option to do so. The beauty of hybrid cars over gasoline-powered  cars is that they run  cleaner with fewer emissions, they get better gas mileage, which makes them more environmentally friendly, and depending on the model, you may be eligible for a tax credit. Standard Hybrids Standard hybrids are very much like regular gasoline-powered cars. The only difference is internal- the car can recharge its batteries by reclaiming energy through a process called regenerative braking or while driving on engine power. Standard hybrids do not need to be plugged in. A standard hybrid uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor to help offset fuel costs and increase gas mileage. When the battery is heavily taxed by a lot of electric motor usage without a lot of braking, the internal combustion engine picks up the slack while the battery comes back up to charge. Hybrids still use gasoline as the primary source of power, you fill up the tank as you normally would. Popular standard hybrid models are the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. Luxury car makers like Porsche and Lexus in recent years have added hybrids to its fleet of vehicles. Plug-In Hybrids In order to increase electric motor cruising time, some manufacturers are creating plug-in hybrids that have more powerful batteries which can be recharged by â€Å"plugging in† the vehicle to normal household current. This feature allows the vehicle to perform more like a true electric car and less like a conventional gasoline car, all the while delivering exceptional fuel mileage. Plug-in hybrids, like the Chevrolet Volt, operate in much the same way as a hybrid by providing an all-electric driving range using a battery pack. Once the battery has been depleted, the vehicle can slip back to being a regular fuel-fed hybrid and recharge its batteries using the gasoline-powered motor as a generator. The big difference here is that you can also plug it in and recharge the electric motor instead of using the engine to charge it up. Depending on your driving needs, if you can plan your trips and just drive on electricity and then charge back up, you can go a very long time without having to gas up. All Electric Vehicles Although they are not considered hybrids since they run solely on electricity and are not a hybrid of anything, all-electric vehicles are worthy of mention if saving on gas is what you want to accomplish. All-electric cars like the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Ford Focus Electric, and Chevy Spark EV run on electricity and use electrons as their solitary source of energy. The more you drive, the more of the battery charge is depleted. The biggest disadvantage is that there is no gas engine built in to rescue you if you run out the battery completely. All electric vehicles must be recharged either at your home or at a charging station.

Recruitment and Selection Process in Elite Careers Dissertation

Recruitment and Selection Process in Elite Careers - Dissertation Example Recruitment and selection is a key management process which involves in the formation as well as transformation of organizational resources into elements that can enhance the performance of the organization. The aim is to produce a good pool of applicants and select the best out of these to fit the job. Employers are in need of responsible and reliable employees who are capable of solving problems and possess social skills and attitudes to work together as a team. In that direction, optimal recruitment process is the key. In that direction, Elite Careers is carrying out a recruitment and selection process, in which prospective candidates apply through various modes. In a survey done on the staffs of Elite Careers as well as prospective candidates, a lot of perspectives emerged regarding the various facets of the recruitment and selection process. That is, the current practices of providing adequate information and support to the candidates received thumbs up from both the staffs and the candidates. When it comes to publishing of the job vacancies, the staffs and the candidates favored the mode of internet and social network websites. In addition, they favored the same mode even while applying for the jobs. So, this paper will provides a discussion of the key recruitment and selection processes inside Elite Careers, focusing on its current process and practices, then how it takes care of the prospective candidates, importantly how internet options makes an impact, finally ending with suggestions for some improvements. Recruitment and Selection process in Elite Careers Project Aim and Objectives Recruitment and selection is a wholesome process, which constitutes the identification and the attraction of the potential candidates, who may come from within and outside any organization, for evaluation for future employment. As Schein (2004, p.261) said, â€Å"... best way to build an organization was to hire very smart, articulate, tough, independent people and then give them lots of responsibility and autonomy†. Thus, an effective recruitment and selection process can provide the organizations a constant supply of effective employees, and this is where recruitment organizations or agencies like Elite Careers come into the picture. Elite Careers by conducting as well as facilitating the recruitment and selection processes, provides skilled and equipped employees to various organizations. The processes they use to ‘corner’ in the on the apt employees is the subject of this project and so the main aims and objectives of this project are- To analyse the recruitment and selection process adopted by the Elite Careers. To understand what the expectations of the candidates when they register with Elite Careers. To analyse the use of internet such as websites, direct mails, social net works and newspapers, radio advertisement, outdoors and text messages in the recruitment and selection actions of elite careers. To suggest an improvem ents in the selection of upper level positions through training and development process. Project plan and approach In order to study the effectiveness of the existing system of Recruitment & Selection Practices at Elite Careers, number of steps has to be taken as part of the project plan. The project involves a series of steps starting from Literature review, exploratory interviews, data collection and finally the evaluation of the data. The literature review involves collecting data from secondary sources and that includes books, journal articles and websites, using which an overview of the recruitment and selection process will be done. In addition, information about the process in Elite