Research Methods For Business Coursework - 1375 Words

Research Methods For Business (Coursework Sample) Content: RESEARCH METHODS FOR BUSINESSby (Name)CourseInstructorInstitutionThe City and State where it is locatedDateResearch Methods for BusinessIntroductionThe university was known as the University of North Wales before its name was changed to the Bangor University. The institution was founded in October 18, 1884, as a result of campaigns in North Wales for a new college. Residents of North Wales had been really instrumental in its establishment including quarrymen who subscribed over 1,200 pounds to the university. The quarrymen also organized a procession during the opening ceremony whereby the Earl of Powis, who was also the first college president, graced the event and gave an opening speech.In 1885, the university was incorporated with Royal Charter where the students of the University of Wales received degrees from the University of London; this continued until the year 1893 when the UCNW took over and founded a constituent institution of the federal University of Wale s.The name of the university changed from the University of Wales to the Bangor University after a decision that it was no longer going to be a federal university. This meant that they no longer wanted to collaborate with other institutions such as the University of London, and were determined to begin offering their own degrees just like the University of London. The university took on the name Bangor University soon after the decision. Students who graduated after 2009 received degrees from the University of Bangor, while those who enrolled or graduated after 2009 could choose if they wanted the University of Wales or the Bangor University name in their degree certificates.Method of ResearchThe best way to identify university characteristics is through studying rankings. Various magazines, newspapers, and journals published by different companies carry out regular survey on universities around the world and rank them according to various characteristics. The Bangor University is a mong the globally ranked universities. For instance, according to the "Times Higher Education Ranking" carried out in 2015, the institution was among the top 100 international universities.Another way of carrying out an analysis or research on a university is by visiting the universityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s website. Bangor University has a website that presents detailed description of the university including the courses it offers, accommodations, and other information about the institution. Through the website, one can also contact the university representatives and get more information. Besides, the website of the university also publishes a university journal whereby it gives information on the progress of its students and development of institution; this is another source of information for the research.FindingsCampus BuildingsThe first university building that hosted only 58 students and 12 members of teaching staff was an old coaching inn at Penrhyn Arms Hotel. In 1911, it was moved to an arts building which was significantly larger than the first building that was designed by Henry Hare. The move was seen as a significant and the king of the time, King Edward VII graced the ceremony and laid a foundation stone on the 9th of July, 1907, however, the university was later on officially opened by King George V in 1911. The building does not only have an exceptional design but also an exceptional view. It has a highly visible view of Bangor including the Bangor Mountain. In addition, it is actually positioned on a hill hence the nickname "the college on the hill." In 1949, the building became a Grade I listed structure. In 1969, it also went through an improvement whereby a quadrangle on the college roadside of the building was completed (Miller 1995). The extension was considered modern and is now referred to as the Main Arts building.AccommodationThere are some considerations in the provision of accommodation to various students. For instance, unmarried first year u ndergraduate students are guaranteed accommodation at Bangor soon after admission. The University has over 2,000 rooms in buildings known as the halls of residence within the university. The halls of residence are within a walking distance from the university. They are in four different sites but all in close proximity to the university. Ffriddoedd site is the universityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s largest accommodation site. Moreover, it is close to the city center and the Science Site, and has seventeen en-suite halls. Another big site is the Neuadd Reichel, which has a coffee shop, a convenience shop sport center, bar, and launderettes.OrganizationThe university has five different colleges that have divided into institutes or schools. The different institutions of the university are top rank (Miller 1995). The five schools include the College of Business, Law, Education, and Social Sciences; the College of Arts and Humanities; College of Health and Behavioral Sciences; the College of Physical an d Applied Sciences; and the School of Natural Sciences. These different colleges offer various degree courses, for instance, the college of Art and Humanities has eleven schools, which offer different courses.How to Extend the StudyAnother best method of learning about the university is through visiting and carrying out interviews. During the visit, the focus should be on the student life and the following could be found: there is a Studentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s Union that offers support, entertainment and various co-curriculum activities to students of the university. Students of Bangor University are all automatically members of the union unless one chooses otherwise. In the university committee, there is a provision for student union heads and officials. Leaders and officials of the studentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s union are elected yearly, and only students of Bangor University could be elected on the positions. The candidates are allowed to campaign and seek votes but once they are in office, their t ask is to putting the union in order because if anything happens in the name of the union or any action by the students, then the union officials are held accountable (Roberts 2009).Students have a department called the Student Volunteering Bangor, which is in charge of organizing volunteer services for the students. The students through the department manage to offer over 600 volunteering opportunities in over 30 community-based programs. In total, it has been estimated that the students dedicate over 600 hours on volunteer work per week. This department has developed a volunteer culture in the university and this has earned the institution a good reputation not to mention the several awards including the 2012 Queenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s Award for Voluntary Service. The oldest event organized by the department was a tea party for local elderly residents in 1952, which became part of the culture that still goes on to date.Another program that has made a mark in the university is the Nightline . This program is an information service, listening service and support service that is run by students...

The Career And Profession Of Nursing - 1864 Words

Abstract Throughout almost the entire history of nursing, it has been most closely associated with being a field or profession for women. However, men have played a significant role in the history of nursing, though this is not as discussed or taught about nearly as frequently as other female figures in history, such as Florence Nightingale. Men have had a firm presence since the very beginnings of this profession, dating as far back as the times of the bubonic plague. In addition, men also had their beginnings in nursing with religious affiliations. Clearly, gender roles and gender identification play a major role in this perception of nursing as primarily a woman’s career and profession throughout the years. Today, there have been significant changes in the field of nursing in regards to men and their presence in this profession, meriting further discussion. History of Men in Nursing: Then and Now While it may be true that the field of nursing is comprised of mostly women, men do have a long-standing history of working in the field as nurses. However, gender roles play an important role in the history of men in the nursing field, as well as the present status of men in the field. To further investigate this issue, the history of men in the nursing field will be contrasted with the present-day status of men working as nurses within the medical field. Evans explored the history of men in the field of nursing by investigating the countries of Canada, the UnitedShow MoreRelatedThe Career Of A Nursing Profession876 Words   |  4 PagesEven though a nursing profession is a time consuming and stressful career, the longing and desire to be a nurse has always remained in me. There are many different professions in the medical field that I considered at one point and worked different jobs. 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The Impact Of Finance On Real Estate Assets And The...

From my previous work experience within real estate private equity, accounting and debt strategies, I knew what they all had in common and what I really enjoyed doing. I realized that what fascinated me was the influence of finance on real estate assets and the economic outlook of the entire world economy. Studying modules such as, Financial Markets, Multinational Financial Management, Financial Statistics, Mathematics and Economics at university level was the revelation that perfectly matched my ambition in what I wanted to do. Studying the different factors that influence financial markets, organisations and entire nations is combining my interests for Finance to the balance I aimed for. I consider myself fortunate in having the†¦show more content†¦My average grade from my 2nd year is 74% and I achieved an average of 1.5 from my year abroad in Germany. Furthermore, I have achieved an average of 76% for the first semester of my final year; as such I am predicted to graduat e with a high 1st class degree in International Business and Finance. Moreover, I have an innate interest in quantitative subjects, which has been demonstrated by the excellent results achieved in subjects such as, Collecting and Using Business Data (80%), Understanding Business Data (82%), Macroeconomic Analysis (79%) and Quantitative Techniques (87%). With more than 50 Credits in quantitative modules coupled with practical financial modelling experience, I believe I am equipped with the necessary background to cope with the requirements of the MSc Finance at LSE. I believe that what is being looked from applicants is ambition to develop the field of Finance in innovative ways that can help the discipline to move forward. Moreover, The MSc Finance Part-time will require individuals that are able to balance both academic and work commitments. In relation to that I am enthusiastic, committed, positive and an independent learner who is able to demonstrate initiative and creative thought. I have developed extremely efficient time management skills while successfully balancing my academic life

New Sources of Development Finance

Question: Discuss about the Report on New Sources Of Development Finance? Answer: Sources of finance available to a business Identification of sources of finance Internal sources Owners investment: This is personal funds or savings of a business owner or his or her family and friends which is invested in the business. Retained profits: Retained profits are earnings that remain after payment of all sorts of obligations and get reinvested in the business (Bodie and Merton, 2011). Sale of assets: An organisation can sale its assets such as product inventories, unused lands and equipments for raising funds. External sources Bank loans: Bank loans are funds borrowed from banks against set rate of interest and set date of repayment. Purchase of shares: Public limited companies have the option to sell shares via stock exchanges to raise funds from the public (Jarrow et al., 2011). Grants: Some business has access to local and central government grants for purchasing certain types of businesses. Assessment of implications of sources of finance Sources of finance Advantageous implications Disadvantageous implications Owners investment Quick access, no interest burden, no application forms Money cannot be used on other items Retained profits No need to borrow funds and hence, no question of interest payment, no loss of control or ownership (Bishop, 2004). Money is not available or scarcely available for alternative spending Asset sale Quick and easy access, no loss of ownership or control Sale of too much assets may reduce company assets and hamper operations Bank loan Asset guarantees and interest obligations removes pressure from the borrowing organizations as well as from the bank. The organisation retains ownership and control Presence of interest burdens and obligation to pay the principle on fixed date. Considerable high credit score is required (Newlyn, 2005) Shares Large funds can be obtained with no interest burden Loss of ownership and control Grants No repayment is required Only available under highly necessary conditions Evaluation of appropriate sources of finance For evaluation of appropriate sources of finance, an expansion project has been selected that involves public limited company retailing grocery products opening of two new stores in London. Upon evaluation, it has been found out that the most suitable sources of finance for the company are bank loan which is a debt finance and sale of shares, which is equity finance. These two sources of finance has been considered as appropriate sources because of the flowing reasons Bank loan Bank loan is a cheaper source of finance and more debt provides cost advantage (Newlyn, 2005). Moreover, it does not lead to loss of ownership or control and the time required to use the loan fund can be kept within the loan period. However, taking in to consideration the fact that debt financing is associated with interest obligation and put the company on to interest rate risk, it has been decided to keep debt financing below 40% in the capital structure of the expansion project. Shares Issue of shares is costlier than debt financing and leads to dilution of ownership and control. However, taking in to consideration the fact that it is easily available, free from interest burdens and a large amount of fund can be obtained, the company has decided to cover 60% of its capital structure with equity financing. Implications of finance in a business Analysis of costs of sources of finance Owners investment: The main costs of owners investment are costs of providing financial reports, conducting audits, share flotation and administrative and legal costs. Retained profit: Retained profit is connected to opportunity cost i.e. cost of losing the opportunity of using the funds for alternative expenditures (Groppelli and Nikbakht, 2011). Sale of assets: Sale of assets is costly in the sense that it leads to loss of company value and organisational efficiency. Bank loan: The main costs associated with bank loan are interests, factor charge and costs of providing lender information Sale of shares: Costs associated with sale of shares are issuing costs and dividends. Grants: The major costs connected to grants are administrative, fund application and application form filling costs (Groppelli and Nikbakht, 2011). Assessment of importance of financial planning Financial planning is helpful to an organisation in many different ways. Financial planning aids an organisation in appropriately funding its own activities through identification of financial priorities, allocation of funds for meeting expenses, reduction of credit use, uncertainty and financial affairs related conflicts and facilitating investments and savings to reach financial goals. Along this line, it can be stated that financial planning streamlines the process of management and monitoring of incomes and expenses, creating investment opportunities, saving funds and creating a long term capital base. Assessment of information needs of different decision makers Internal decision makers Shareholders: Shareholders of an organisation require considerable amount of information regarding profitability, asset base, net worth and cash availability. Managers: Managers require wide range of information regarding profit performance, growth, planning, controlling and organizing activities. External decision makers Government: The government needs wide range of information to know whether an organisation complies with regulatory bodies, creates employment, contributes to economic growth, supports environment addresses green issues and climate change and pays income tax. Funding organizations: These organizations require considerable amount of information regarding profitability, liquidity, fixed and current asset base, interest cover and gearing ratios. Customers: The information requirements of customers are lesser in comparison to that of others however; they require considerable information regarding quality of goods and services of an organisation and extent of ethical compliance. Analysis of impact of finance on financial statements Finance Impact on balance sheet Impact on income statement Owners investment Increases owners equity fund Increases net income Retained profits Increases owners equity Increases net profit after tax Asset sale Decreases current on long term assets depending on the type of asset sold (Atkinson, 2005) Increases non operating income Bank loan Increases short term long term asset and liability by the same amount liability depending upon the type of loan taken (Finney, 2011) Increases interest expense Shares Increases owners equity Increases non operating income Grants Increases short term long term assets Increases non operating income Financial decision making using financial information Analysis of budgets with appropriate decisions Calculation of cash budget The following cash budget has been prepared for forecasting cash inflows and outflows from a new grocery soap during the first six months of its operation Particulars () April May June July August September Cash inflow Credit sales 693000 762300 838530 922383 1014621 1116083 Cash sales 77000 84700 93170 102487 112736 124009 Total cash inflow 770000 847000 931700 1024870 1127357 1240093 Cash outflows Cash purchases 650000 520000 416000 332800 266240 212992 Credit purchases 60500 48400 38720 30976 24781 19825 Rent payment 30000 30000 Bank loan repayment 16500 13200 10560 8448 6758 5407 Other expenses 88000 70400 56320 45056 36045 28836 Total cash outflow 845000 652000 521600 447280 333824 267059 Net cash flow -75000 195000 410100 577590 793533 973034 Opening cash balance 50000 -25000 170000 580100 1157690 1951223 Net cash flow at the end of the month -25000 170000 580100 1157690 1951223 2924257 Analysis of cash budget Analysis of the above cash budget reveals that in the month of April, there will be a cash deficit of -25000. This cash deficit can be managed and converted to cash surplus by stringent credit policies, bank reconciliations and negotiation of flexible credit terms with suppliers. Analysis also reveals that after the month of April there will be cash surpluses for the next five months and the figures are expected to be 170000, 2924257, 1157690, 1951223 and 580100 for the months of May, June, July, August and September respectively. This surplus cash can be used for paying current debts and for investing in profitable projector expansions. Calculation of unit costs and pricing decisions Unit cost Unit cost is the total cost incurred in the process of manufacturing and delivering one unit of a product. The formula for calculation of unit cost is Per unit cost = (total variable cost + total fixed cost) / total number of units sold Another formula is Per unit cost = (Selling price profit) / number of units sold. From the above formula, it is clear that unit cost is obtained by deducting mark up profit from selling price. Pricing decisions Since variable costs change as per changes in level of operations and fixed cost do not change as per the same, variable cost is more relevant in the context of pricing decisions. This is mainly because of the fact that variable cost act as an important determinant of breakeven point i.e. the point at which income and expense is same for a business. Assessment of project viability as per investment appraisal techniques Different investment appraisal techniques Some of the most important project appraisal techniques have been described below Project appraisal technique Definition Decision rule Advantages Disadvantages Net present value (NPV) NPV is present value of future cash flows present value of initial investment (Johnson, 2009). A project is accepted when NPV is positive Time value money and entire life cycle of a project is considered Method is complex and sensitive to cost of capital (Wilkes, 2010) Payback period It is the time taken to recover initial investments A project is accepted when calculated payback period is shorter than targeted payback period Simple and easily understandable technique. Over simplified and ignores time value of money Internal rate of return (IRR) It is the rate of return at which initial investment is equal to present value of future cash flows A project is accepted when IRR is greater than cost of capital (Johnson, 2009). Takes in to consideration time value of money Fails to give accurate results in case of mutually exclusive projects. Application of the NPV technique In the following table, NPV of an expansion project has been calculated Cash flow () Project A Discounting rate Discounted cash flows Investment (cash outflow) 143000 Year 1 - cash inflow 38500 1 34997 Year 2 - cash inflow 49500 1 40887 Year 3 - cash inflow 60500 1 45436 Year 4 - cash inflow 71500 1 48835 Total discounted cash flow 170154 NPV 27154 Since NPV of the project is positive, the project can be considered feasible and profitable and thus, the same should be accepted. Financial performance of business Discussion on the main financial statements Balance sheet: Balance sheet is important because it is the statement of financial position on a particular date. It aids in depicting what is claimed and owned against assets. The main elements of a balance sheet are assets, liabilities and owners equity (Foulke, 2006). Profit and loss account: Profit and loss account is important in the sense that it depicts income and expenditure (Fridson and Alvarez, 2007). It serves the purposes reflecting earning capacity. Main elements of this statement are incomes and expenses. Comparison of formats of financial statements of different businesses Criteria Sole trader Partnership Limited company Representation Financial statements reflect age records and audit trail Financial statements represent profit, loss and capital contributions Main forms of financial statements are balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement Focus Financial statements depict income tax and NI Cash balances of partners are represented Profitability, liquidity, efficiency and solvency Complexity Least complex Moderately complex Highly complex Requirement Not mandatory Not mandatory Mandatory Ratio analysis and interpretation Calculation, analysis and interpretations of ratios have been done in the context of BA Ratio Calculation 2012 2013 2014 Analysis Interpretation Profitability ratios Gross profit margin Gross profit / net sales x 100 16 15.4 15.4 Gross profit margin shows a decreasing trend Overall profitability of BA is decreasing Net profit margin Net profit / net sales x 100 4.77 5.29 6 The trend of net profit margin is increasing Profit from operating activities and pricing strategies of BA is increasing (Horrigan, 2010) Liquidity ratios Current ratio Current assets / current liabilities 1.27 1.26 1.2 The trend of current ratio is decreasing Short term liquidity position is deteriorating Quick ratio (Current assets - inventories) / current liabilities 0.43 0.42 0.37 The trend of quick ratio is also decreasing (Palmer, 2006) Short term liquidity position is deteriorating Gearing ratios Debt to equity ratio Total debt / total equity 1.53 0.54 0.94 Debt to equity ratio shows a shows a decreasing trend The percentage of debt in capital structure of BA is decreasing thereby indicating reduced exposure to interest rate risk and bankruptcy risk (Weston and Brigham, 2006). References Atkinson, A. (2005). New Sources Of Development Finance. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bishop, E. (2004). Finance of international trade. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Bodie, Z. and Merton, R. (2011). Finance. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Finney, R. (2011). Office finances made easy. New York: AMACOM. Foulke, R. (2006) Practical financial statement analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill. Fridson, M. Alvarez, F. (2007) Financial statement analysis. New York: John Wiley Sons. Groppelli, A. and Nikbakht, E. (2011). Finance. 3rd ed. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's. Horrigan, J. (2010) Financial ratio analysis. New York: Arno Press. Jarrow, R., Maksimovic, V. and Ziemba, W. (2011). Finance. 3rd ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Johnson, R. (2009) Capital budgeting. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Pub. Co. Newlyn, W. (2005). Finance for development. 4th ed. [Nairobi]: East African Pub. House. Palmer, J. (2006) Financial ratio analysis. New York, N.Y.: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Weston, J. Brigham, E. (2006) Managerial finance. Hinsdale, Ill.: Dryden Press. Wilkes, F. (2010) Capital budgeting techniques. London: Wiley.