Business Cycles and Concepts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Cycles and Concepts - Research Paper Example Hence, the rate of unemployment can be referred to as the number of people who are actively looking for work divided by the workforce. Changes in the rate of unemployment mostly depend on the inflows made up of unemployed persons who are beginning to look for jobs, of employed persons who lose their work and look for new ones and of people who stop looking for employment. Related terms are the labor force, the rate of participation as well as the rate of employment. The labor force is referred to as the number of persons employed plus the number of people unemployed, although looking for jobs. The non-labor force entails those who are not currently searching for jobs, people who are institutionalized like in psychiatric wards or prisons, children, stay-at home spouses, and those serving in the military. The rate of participation on the other hand is the number of people currently in the labor force divided by the population of working age group that are not institutionalized. Hence t he rate of employment referred to as the number of persons currently employed divided by the working age population (Timmons, 2008). The rate of unemployment is South Africa has increased in the third quarter of 2012 to 25.50 percent from 24.90 percent in the 2012 second quarter. The rate of unemployment in South Africa is reported by the Statistics South Africa. ... The graph of the trend of rate of unemployment in South Africa According to studies, the reason for high rates of unemployment is more of internal than external. This is what Hart, chief economist at Investment Solutions, said in Johannesburg while speaking at a Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry breakfast. Hart compared the rate of unemployment in South Africa to that of Brazil. Both the countries began decreasing in 2002, then the global financial crisis in 2008. Many jobs were created between 2008 and 2002. Although the rate of unemployment in Brazil decreased, the same could not be said for South Africa. Hart asserted that the rates of unemployment means that the country needs to look at it as a priority of the nation. This is because job creation appeared to be one of the lowest policy priorities. He continued to say that the countries who have the same unemployment levels with South Africa are Spain and Greece who at that time were in deep crisis. Small businesses ma de difference in these countries including Brazil. Therefore South African policies need to be changed and more than three million small businesses need to be created to cater for the ever increasing rates of unemployment (Timmons, 2008). References Timmons, J. (2008). Causes and Effects of Unemployment Rates. London:

Marketing Plan of John Lewis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Plan of John Lewis - Research Paper Example This essay describes marketing scenario as ever changing and with changes come unprecedented challenges, the retailer companies are facing several challenges and the need of the hour is to come up with new marketing plans which are capable of tackling these never seen before challenges. John Lewis is one of the biggest departmental stores in UK; it was founded by John Spedan Lewis. John Lewis had to enter into a partnership to compete against the other biggies like Tesco in the UK. â€Å"The John Lewis Partnership's 76,500 Partners own the leading UK retail businesses - John Lewis and Waitrose. Our founder's vision of a successful business powered by its people and its principles defines our unique company today. The profits and benefits created by our success are shared by all our Partners.† (John Lewis). John Lewis is one of the biggest players in the market only behind Tesco, Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour. It is the fourth major player should its revenue be conside red, it is in the top five for sure should profitability be considered. John Lewis is a much diversified organization, it is doing quite well. The company operates in televisions, travelling, electrical so on and so forth. It is fair to say that John Lewis has been doing well into its divided segments but the need of the hour is to have a competitive marketing plan in place which would further improve the profits and compete against the likes of Tesco, Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour.... It is the fourth major player should its revenue be considered, it is in the top five for sure should profitability be considered. John Lewis is a much diversified organization, it is doing quite well. The company operates in televisions, travelling, electrical so on and so forth. It is fair to say that John Lewis has been doing well into its divided segments but the need of the hour is to have a competitive marketing plan in place which would further improve the profits and compete against the likes of Tesco, Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour. Marketing plan for the organization is as follows: Market Demographics One of the most crucial parts of a marketing plan is situational analysis; important factors like SWOT analysis, organizational strategies, marketing effectiveness, and customers are discussed under situational analysis. It is ideal to apply the FEPOS approach under situational analysis, FEPOS approach will shed light upon functions, environment, productivity, systems, organizations and lastly strategy will be discussed. Functions: Operating in diverse areas that are profitable for the company is very useful, for instance more and more people are opting to buy LCD and LED TVs, John Lewis sells these HD TVs in its store as well as online, this is very helpful and should be continued in the future. Electronic goods are also sold by the company which is again really good. Consumer electronics is in demand these days, the disposable income in the hands of the people has increased and as a result of which they have started buying electronic goods, this is a wonderful opportunity for John Lewis to capitalize upon. Environment: The environment is