pbs配方,长颈鹿公交站,施莉宝
新西兰assignment：商业环境中规划的重要性
Importance of Planning within the Business Environment
这个作业的目的是展示对建设和财产方面的商业环境和管理的理解。为了实现这一点,两个核心要素与将要被检查的管理联系起来并与现有的建筑公司相比较，如威尔默特迪克逊，它正努力与当前经济气候相斗争。本研究将讨论计划的实现，使用创新管理策略和工具，为企业的可持续增长做了更好的准备。
商业环境的定义
据帕尔默&哈特利(2006)商业环境可以被定义为任何事物都环绕着一个系统。例如，如果我们以业务为系统工作的核心，那么周围将会有影响，因而导致这个系统在宏观环境中的运作。对于一个业务，很难识别环境中的元素是什么。我们可以使用PESTEL模型，证明有关的商业环境中的重要因素如图1.0所示。
企业生存通过输入转化为商品和服务的方式，是当今顾客所处环境想要去购买的。当前气候表明我们还处在一个走下坡路的市场。参照维尔莫特(2011)一次独家采访中，他认为2011年将是非常艰难的一年，由于飞涨的成本与供应链和材料相关。另一个政治话题和增值税的增加有关。根据联合会建筑大师(2011)，增值税的从17.5%上涨到20%，可能导致在建筑业未来十年中超过有11000人失业。这样的增长趋势可能阻止许多企业开始增加新项目，阻止项目的开展，承包商甚至不打破。从中这一例子可以与Willmot Dixon相关，主层承包商预测在房地产市场将出现放缓现象。
The objective of this assignment is to show the understanding of the business environment and management in construction and property. To achieve this, two core elements associated with management will be examined and compared with an existing construction company such as Wilmot Dixon, which is struggling with the current economical climate. This study will discuss the implementation of planning using innovative management strategies and tools required to assist companies to be better positioned for sustainable growth.
对商业环境的定义——Defining the Business Environment
According to Palmer & Hartley (2006) the business environment can be defined as everything which surrounds a system. For example, if we take a business as the core of a working system, there are surrounding influences which contribute to the workings of this system within the macro environment. For a business it can be difficult to identify what the elements are within the environment. We can demonstrate important factors relating to the business environment using the PESTEL model as illustrated in Figure 1.0
Businesses survive by turning inputs into goods and services which customers in the environment want to purchase. The current climate suggests we are still in a down turn market. With reference to Wilmott (2011) in an exclusive interview, he suggests that 2011 will be an extremely tough year due to the soaring costs associated with the supply chain and materials. Another politically associated topic is the increase in VAT. According to the Federation of Master Builders (2011), increasing VAT from 17.5% to 20% could lead to over 11,000 job losses in the construction industry over the next decade. Such an increase may deter many businesses from starting new projects and where projects are starting, contractors are not breaking even. An example of this can be related to Willmot Dixon, a primary tier contractor where they have forecast a slowdown in the property market. According to Willmot (2011) "Firms are pricing below cost because they are talking themselves into believing the market price for materials and supply chain will continue to fall so then they can recover the difference".
A fundamental issue with companies facing such a troublesome year would be to implement a business management plan looking to read the environment and understand how the business system will evolve in the future. Such a strategic move would involve essential planning.
计划——Planning
3.1 计划的目的——3.1 The purpose of planning
Essentially, the purpose of planning is to contemplate future actions whether this is economic, political or environmental. According to Brews & Purahit (2007), as business conditions become additionally unstable, companies tend to adapt a planning strategy. Change in the business environment creates uncertainty. It enables companies and people to adapt by establishing goals and objectives and sets out how to achieve them by implementing a business plan.
With reference to figure 1.1, the initial approach would be to identify the purpose of planning, identifying the company's current position in the market and identify where they want to be. Once this has been established it will offer a clearer direction to employees. This will enhance motivate to increase control by allowing people to measure their progress against set targets and allow the company to use its resources efficiently. With reference to one of Wilmot Dixons senior partners, Willmot (2011) announced one of the companies key objectives due to the politically associated development of re-furbishing un-occupied housing Willmot Dixon is diversifying into new areas such as private residential and mixed-use regeneration development. We can associate this back to the PESTEL model where we can look at the political issues and demographics of the current economy. A major issue is that there is a shortage of housing with an ever increasing population. The government is looking to re-furbish un-occupied properties scattered around the UK and put these properties back to council housing, an area Willmot Dixon has proposed to target.
3.2规划的内容——3.2 Contents of planning
Companies expanding in business or are looking to adapt to change in the business environment, prepare a business plan. According to Mckeever (2010), a business plan is a document that sets out the markets the business intends to serve.
There are different plans which a business will decide upon, for example:
A strategic plan sets out the overall direction for the business. It is broad in scope and covers all the companies' major activities.
A strategic business unit consists of a number of closely related products, which is meaningful to formulate a separate strategy.
An operational plan details how the overall objectives are to be achieved, by specifying what is expected from senior management experts from specific departments or functions.
Annual plans are common amongst most companies focusing on finance and setting budgets for the coming year.
What is common in all business plans is focusing on the direction of the business in short and long term planning.
Key aspects of planning include the strategy of the company and the development of the business to enhance profit. A planning hierarchy can be seen in figure 1.2, showing how the characteristics of plans changes at each level.
According to Mathews (2011), a government plan to cut the cost of public construction projects by a fifth, through standardising buildings, was published alongside the recent Budget. With the property market having been so affluent and now with the market and the country progressively slipping into further recession, it would seem that more construction companies would be looking to plan long term, using a more strategic option rather than plan for the short term.
3.3规划的过程——3.3 The Process of planning
The process of planning relates to how plans are produced for a business or organisation to succeed. According to Jennings (2000), companies change their approach to planning as conditions change. There are seven iterative tasks which can be performed when making a plan as shown in figure 1.3.
Figure 1.3 Seven iterative tasks in planning.
Any plan depends on gathering information. Reverting back to the PESTEL model is 'good practice' when sourcing information such as market trends, formal analysis of the political and legal factors, current economy, socio cultural factors, technology and issues relating to the environment. Whether the company is a centralised company where the decisions are taken at the centre of the company, or a decentralised company, where the decision-making is delegated to lower levels of management, within the organisation casual encounters with colleagues is a major influence in gathering information. Once all of the information has been accumulated a mission statement can be compiled showing the organisations direction and overall goal in the construction market. It will guide decision making and should inspire and motivate the workforce to accomplish the desired result. As a result of the mission statement, a SWOT analysis can be used to evaluate the company in the current economic climate.
Conducting a SWOT analysis as defined in figure 1.4 will enable companies such as Willmot Dixon to define their key strengths and weaknesses. Completing a SWOT analysis integrates the external opportunities and threats, as example, according to Lowery (2011), the economy is shaping to be a tough year for the construction sector. VAT increases and higher employer National Insurance contributions combine with government spending cuts to spell a year of contraction.
Articles such as this are a means of monitoring progress externally as well as internally. By evaluating how the economy will effect an organisation and by completing a SWOT analysis,
allows companies to set their goals and objectives
Goals and objectives give focus to a task such as what will be achieved and when. Setting goals is difficult for companies as they have to look beyond their present status and predict how their role as a business will fit in with the changing economy. The criteria for assessing goals is to be realistic and this can be achieved using the SMART acronym. |
