Posts Tagged ‘business’

Question by Loveme: It is my dream to be a federal agent. I have a bachelor’s degree in Business. What other credentials would…
help make me more competitive in the selection process? I am interested in investigative work and am fond of the CIA,FBI,Secret Service,and Intelligence jobs.

Best answer:

Answer by minx_heart
Check with a college and find out how many of your existing credits will transfer over to the new program to get at least an associates in community corrections , a 2 year will get your foot in the door. I know some of them should. Then go to school get your associates , and get your foot in the door. Get some time in the field , and go to your supervisor and inquire about how to get promoted up. Good Luck.

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Question by 500taylor: How to write an effective business plan. How to perform market research on local marinas?
I am writing a business plan to open a new marina. I have been to S.C.O.R.E. and I am having a difficult time with market research and what the expectations of a business plan really are.

Best answer:

Answer by Sequim PC
As a computer business consultant, I have had the privilege of helping quite a few online companies go through the business plan phase of start up. I recommend this software package from Palo Alto as it does a great job for a do it yourself-er. It has 500 templates to choose from.

They even have state and county wide market research on marinas in your area. http://www.paloalto.com/market_research/?affiliate=sequimpc

I am making the assumption that if you are going to put out the money to open a marina, $ 300 is within your budget.

TOP TEN DO’S

1. Prepare a complete business plan for any business you are considering.
2. Use the business plan templates furnished in each session.
3. Complete sections of your business plan as you proceed through the course.
4. Research (use search engines) to find business plans that are available on the Internet.
5. Package your business plan in an attractive kit as a selling tool.
6. Submit your business plan to experts in your intended business for their advice.
7. Spell out your strategies on how you intend to handle adversities.
8. Spell out the strengths and weaknesses of your management team.
9. Include a monthly one-year cash flow projection.
10. Freely and frequently modify your business plans to account for changing conditions.

TOP TEN DON’TS

1. Be optimistic (on the high side) in estimating future sales.
2. Be optimistic (on the low side) in estimating future costs.
3. Disregard or discount weaknesses in your plan. Spell them out.
4. Stress long-term projections. Better to focus on projections for your first year.
5. Depend entirely on the uniqueness of your business or the success of an invention.
6. Project yourself as someone you’re not. Be brutally realistic.
7. Be everything to everybody. Highly focused specialists usually do best.
8. Proceed without adequate financial and accounting know-how.
9. Base your business plan on a wonderful concept. Test it first.
10. Skip the step of preparing a business plan before starting.

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Question by Private Person: Market research for a start-up casino party business?
I want to start a casino party business but need advice on how to do market research that shows what the demand is for this type business. I know several of the businesses that are always busy so that leads me to believe there is plenty of business but I need to quantify it.

I appreciate any help. Please don’t suggest asking the other businesses as they are very secretive and do not encourage entry into the marketplace.

Best answer:

Answer by Don S
I don’t know how you would get any empirical data but there should be plenty of anecdotal data available. Cultivate a relationship with some of the dealers and employees of the other casino companies. They should be able to tell you about the volume of business they do.

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Question by Andre L: Question for BUSINESS GURUS…Need help with ENTREP. 101?
1. How is the demographic make up of entrepreneurs changing the US? What do these changes account for?
2. Describe several examples of the impact that entrepreneurial films have on a society.
3. What is the purpose of an idea bank? Describe how an idea bank can be set up in a firm?
4. What ar the three main steps to protect ideas from being lost or stolen?
5. What’s financial feasibility?
6. 3 issues to consider when conducing financial feasibility analysis.
7. What’s a liquidity event? Why are investors interested when a new venture thinks that a liquidity event will occur?
8. Why is it important for a business plan to address critical risk factors?
9. Idenfiy 3 sources of competitive intelligence?
10. What’s the purpose of a competitive analysis grid?
11. What’s customer interface? Explain how Dell and Hewlett Packard differ from each other on this core dimension?
12. Describe the impact of a firms pricing structure on it’s business model?
2 minutes ago – 3 days left

Best answer:

Answer by rat_race_ditcher
Homework time!

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Question by Abby: Business Management questions?
Robert Downs has just completed a Master of Science degree in computer science at Major State University. He now wants to begin a new Internet business selling his services as a Web site maker for companies in his home city, St. Louis. He estimates that, if his business idea is a success, within one year he will be employing at a minimum 10 programmers and two analysts.

1. To make his business successful, Robert will first have to develop what type of plan?
A. Tactical
B. Specific
C. Directional
D. Strategic

2. To clarify how the overall goals are to be achieved, Robert will have to develop a
A. Tactical plan
B. Specific plan
C. Directional plan
D. Strategic plan
3. To ensure that the organization’s objectives are clearly defined and do not leave room for interpretation, he will have to develop what type of plan?
A. Tactical
B. Specific
C. Directional
D. Strategic
4. To provide the programmers and analysts general guidelines about the efficiencies that are desired, he will have to develop what type of plan?
A. Tactical
B. Specific
C. Directional
D. Strategic

CASE 2—XYZ Planning
At organization XYZ, the plans are made at the top, and then those managers meet with their subordinates at the next level and mutually agreed-to goals are established with them. The mid-level managers then meet with their first-level managers and mutually agreed-to goals are established with them. Finally, the first-level managers meet with each of their employees and mutually agreed-to goals are established with them.

5. The planning approach used at the XYZ organization is ____________________.
A. Management by Objectives
B. Directional planning
C. Specific planning
D. Traditional planning
CASE 3—Dollars to Donuts
Ralph Friedgrin is the owner of a chain of five donut shops in Smalltown, MD. Smalltown is located along Interstate 95, about half-way between Lost and Nowhere.

6. Mr. Friedgrin demands that the five store managers during their weekly meeting discuss what the customers in their stores are requesting. Mr. Friedgrim always reads the monthly donut-industry magazine, Holey Mazole. He always attends the Annual National Conference of Donut Makers and updates his managers when he returns. These activities are examples of_________________.
A. Competitive intelligence
B. Benchmarking
C. Environmental scanning
D. Global scanning

7. On occasion, Mr. Friedgrin goes to nearby, larger towns such as Lost and Nowhere to visit big chain donut shops. Mr. Friedgrin purchases donuts and chats with these customers about their donut likes and dislikes. He also will “peek” into the kitchen to view the equipment, or when he can, he will watch through the customer observation window to see the whole process. Mr. Friedgrin is performing which planning technique?
A. Competitive intelligence
B. Environmental scanning
C. Benchmarking
D. Global scanning

8. Mr. Friedgrin recently went on a well-deserved vacation. While at the beachfront resort, Mr. Friedgrin took many notes regarding the excellent service he received. On the flight home, he reviewed his notes to see what lessons he could apply to his donut shops. When Mr. Friedgrin is out looking at the “best practices” of the other donut stores in these towns, he is performing which of the following?
A. Competitive intelligence
B. Benchmarking
C. Environmental scanning
D. Strategic planning

CASE 4—SWOT Analysis
As a process of self-examination during her senior year of college, Casey decided to develop a SWOT analysis of her prospects relative to getting a job.

9. Casey realizes that she has a personal characteristic that suggests she is not comfortable interacting with strangers. She interprets this as a(n) _________is she is to get a job as a salesperson.
A. Alternative
B. Strength
C. Weakness
D. Opportunity
10. Casey majored in marketing and really enjoyed studies in market research. Through research on the Internet and in the university library, she discovers that this industry appears to have significant positive external trends. She interprets this as a (n)______.
A. Alternative
B. Strength
C. Weakness
D. Opportunity

11. Casey has been involved in _____________at a personal level
A. Opportunity analysis
B. Risk avoidance
C. Strategic planning
D. Stage decision making

CASES 5—Un Taco Pequeno
Imagine that you are the president of Taco Rocket, a new and successful chain of 100 Mexican fast-food restaurants. The success you have experienced in the last 5 years has you thinking of what to do with the business next. Should you expand the business at the current rate? Open new and different restaurants? What?
2, You decide to concentrate on Taco Rocket’s primary business by only increasing the menu to include new items such as enchiladas and rice bowls. This is an example of what type of growt

Best answer:

Answer by customer specifics
It is safe to say that nearly everything about managing customer specific requirements is a hassle. If you’re an auditor, how do you know what customer specific requirements exist so that you can audit against them? If you’re the customer, how do you distribute them efficiently? If you’re a supplier, how do you get them? How do you know if you have the latest version?

Customerspecifics.com was founded as a way of improving the management of customer specific requirements for registrars and quality personnel. The idea started when a member was surprised to find that his revision of a customer specific requirement had become obsolete just days before his audit, resulting in a finding.

Really?
This person wasn’t notified of the release of a new revision. If suppliers are required to notify their customers of changes to processes, shouldn’t customers return the favor and notify their suppliers of changes to requirements? If something is important enough to be a requirement for a supplier, it’s just good business practice to make sure that your suppliers are aware of these requirements.

These are the issues that customerspecifics.com is attempting to solve. We thank each of our users for your valuable document submissions and welcome any and all feedback. We look forward to hearing from you!

D. Matthew Morris

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Business Market Research – Tools for collect Business Data

Free market research analysis tools have made is easy for business owners to collect data required to carry out surveys to help improve their business and understand it better. Market research analysis is a well organized way to know your customer needs, satisfaction and what they think about your products. Business market research analysis is one of the main parts in leading a business successfully. With the results of the research analysis you can know how to best market your products or services. Questionnaire and focus group discussion surveys are the main part of the market research. These are available online and can be easily downloaded from the internet.

Primary agenda for free market research analysis

Primary market research survey is done to know about some specific reasons or to resolve a problem. It is generally time taking but more effective than the secondary market research. Primary research surveys are generally carried out through interviews, mystery shopping, focus groups, product tests or projective techniques. Primary market research schedule can be downloaded from the internet for free. This may help a business owner to assign time for different phrases of primary research.

Primary market research survey template

As primary market research surveys are cheap and can be conducted easily, also new and small company can benefit from these surveys. These research surveys give out extra ordinary output which comes direct from the target point of view. Even international market research can be conducted using these surveys. Sending out survey to customers and regular clients, can be an effective way of getting informative data for specific questions. Start the research survey by directly asking for the techniques that can help improve your services serve better. All the questions in the survey must point to the main objective of the survey.

You may also download any free primary market research template to know more in detail. You will find many market research companies online. Primary market research template enables a business owner to easily print or e-mail survey questions and send to his potential customers. It would be difficult to find out when you gained more profit and when you gained loss during a period of time in your business, especially when your business is new. In such cases you will have to get the details and data from various potential customer and customer segments. Only collecting data is not all. Target market, competitors, customers, products, marketing effectiveness should also to be monitored.

Find More Market Research Articles

Market research involves the process of collecting important and useful data concerning the demand for a particular product, its market trend, customers and competitors. Today companies are faced with tough competition and this has propelled them to conduct an in depth research about their target markets.

Some companies conduct the researches with the help of a team whereas some may approach market research consultants to do the same. Irrespective of the team that conducts the researches, it is very essential to have proper research outlines before proceeding with the task. Organisations and companies find these researches very useful as it helps to evaluate the demand of the product launched or the opportunities to tap the existing market with new products.

Necessity of a Market Research

An effective research is considered the best way to communicate with the consumers directly. It helps to analyse their preferences and requirements.  The different factors that affect the business of a company can be easily identified with a good market research. Companies can thereby alter their strategies and devise plans to improve their products.

Through such researches it is possible to evaluate the business opportunities available in the market. The company can adopt marketing techniques targeting the consumers. The potential of a particular market may differ due to various factors and with the help of these researches it is possible to identify the demand of a product in the market.

Known to be an effective business tool, market research helps to identify different phases and trends prevailing in the market. It helps to reduce potential losses to an extent. The researches conducted before the launch of a particular product helps to evaluate the possible problems and loopholes involved in the marketing of the product. Thereby proper plans can be executed to reduce the loss and increase the profit margin.

With the help of such researches it is possible to evaluate the progress of your own company as well your competitors. It is considered one of the best evaluators.

Different Types of Market Research

The primary research and the secondary research are the two types of research methods that are usually adopted.

Primary Research: this type of research involves collection of data directly from the consumers to understand the demand of a product. This is mainly done through interviews, group sessions and surveys. However, this method requires both time and money. The method is further divided into quantitative and qualitative research.

The quantitative research involves collection of numerical data. This is done through surveys which include questionnaires. These surveys are conducted through telephonic sessions, postal mails or emails. It requires lesser time and is less expensive. The qualitative research involves collection of data through interviews. This type of market research is expensive and time consuming.

Secondary research: this research involves the usage of data which is collected for other purposes like from the internet, government publications, libraries, magazines and so forth.

Both primary and secondary researches are vital for a successful business venture. In short, market research has transformed to be one of the most important and integral part of any business.

Question by dbahabaha: What is the best way to conduct market research for a computer repair business?
Me and a friend are considering starting our own computer repair business, however we’d like to carry out some market research before deciding to invest any money. The only strategy we have thought of so far is to stand in a crowded shopping mall and ask people to complete a survey but we doubt this will be effective.

I would appreciate any suggestions on other types of market research or confirmation that surveying is a good method and also how many people we should survey to make our data credible.

Best answer:

Answer by catface
target small businesses that use computers eg salons, grocery stores etc? since you are starting off .

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Question by Daniel: What are the best ways to conduct market research for a business on a small budget?
I am starting a business that has not been started yet, and I need to conduct some market research to answer some of the questions about the business. I was thinking about just going to the mall and giving people a questionare, but there has to be an easier way. Are there any websites that offer market research solutions for small businesses?

I need to create a survey/questionare and have a few hundred people answer it. Does anyone know how I can do this. Thank you very much.
Yes I am on a budget, but I can spend about $ 1,000. If I could spend less that would be great, but I do have a little money to spend.

Best answer:

Answer by virtualadmin
If you’re on a budget, then actual footwork is the best way to go. Dress nicely, then develop a very short but concise questionnaire. There are websites available but they are pricey, as well as there’s nothing like developing relationships with the public.
Also, the interviewee might be willing to give you their contact information, which you can use when you’re finally in business.

What do you think? Answer below!

Business expansion across global limits, it becomes inevitable to study global markets in greater details and specifics. As each one of us knows it is through international market research findings and analysis crucial decisions take shape.

Most Business firms rely on International market research on for the following reasons :

1.Get valuable insights with regards to new market developments abroad especially in developing economies

2.Provide useful information with regards to diverse market environments and conditions

3.Take maximum advantage of technological advancements in collecting, retrieving and analyzing market findings and offer highly accurate and relevant results.

International Marketing Research is carried across all verticals ranging from social sectors, healthcare sector, financial markets, IT sector, business to business markets and many more.

With the active presence of International marketing research agencies, the availability of required market research reports can be done in a desired manner. Considering the various manners in which research is conducted, the client company could go for –

Telephone research
Focus group
Online studies
One to one face interviews

In International Market Research the areas of conducting research activities could be in reference to

Customer satisfaction
Image and awareness tracking
Brand Positioning
Product Development
Market Development
Strategy Development
Employee Satisfaction
Usage and Attitude

Most research agencies have known to conduct research on verticals such as mobile phones, software, professional AV, consumer electronic and domestic appliances, food products, coffee, alcohol, ICT, engineering, utilities, boats, telecoms services, IT consultancy, security, radar, waste disposal to name a few prominent ones. These research reports include economies and markets across East, Western Europe, America – both North & South and even Asia.

Healthcare Market Research is widely conducted across the globe by many market research agencies. Healthcare Market research includes study and research on

Pharmaceuticals
Medical Equipment
Medical Consumables
Healthcare Associations
Alternative Therapies

Companies who go for healthcare research reports wish to ascertain the performance of competing brands, user experience of existing procedures and treatments, feedback from medical professionals’ i.e doctors, consultants and nurses. Healthcare research reports could be related to developed countries or developing countries. In case of companies wishing to expand to wider horizons, more and more reports relating to developing countries are asked for.

The core areas of healthcare market research include Gynaecology, Oncology, and Cardiology, Contraception, Optometry, Rheumatology, Alzheimer ‘s disease, COPD, Smoking cessation, Diabetes, Insomnia, Obesity, Wound care and HIV Based on trends and analysis revealed from these research reports, Healthcare companies are in a position to put forth new products and market them in a desired manner ensuring its successful acceptance across the markets.

In today’s world, International Marketing Research has a key role to play. In fact it accelerates the process of business expansions and guides industries to take the path forward and bask in success and limelight all the way.

Conducting market research involves investigating a specific group for a specific reason. Find out how to conduct market research withtips from a marketing professional in this free video about creating a marketing plan. Expert: Peggy Morgan Collins Contact: www.powercurvecommunications.com Bio: Peggy Collins is a marketing executive with more than two decades in the media. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz
Video Rating: 4 / 5