The Boston Tea Party Essays - British East India Company

The Boston Tea Party The importance of the event The Boston Tea Party was the key-event for the Revolutionary War. With this act, the colonists started the violent part of the revolution. It was the first try of the colonists, to rebel with violence against their own government. The following events were created by the snowball effect. There, all the colonists realized the first time, that they were treated wrong by the British government. It was an important step towards the independence dream, which was resting in the head of each colonist. They all flew from their mother country to start a new life in a new world, but the British government didn't gine them the possibility by controlling them. The causes for the Boston Tea Party The events leading to the Boston Tea Party began already ten years before ( 1763 ), when the English won the French-and-Indian War. The king of Britain passed taxes on the colonies to make up for the loss of money because of the war. He did it in a line of acts, called the Sugar Act ( tax to protect and secure the colonists ) and the Stamp Act ( tax on all licences, newspapers and business papers ). The colonists reacted with protests against those acts, what made the British Parliament to repeal the taxes within 5 months. Then they (the government ) passed taxes on lead, paint, paper and tea. These acts were called the Townshed Duties, but the colonists called them the Insidious Acts. Mass meetings were held and people tried to influence others not to buy English imported goods anymore. In the end the parliament removed all the taxes except for tea. Actually the colonists easily didn't want to accept, to pay taxes to a government, they don't really belong to anymore. Although this tax on the tea cost a colonial family just pennies a year. Sam Adams, a kind of leader of the colonists, figured out, that the tax could be raised or lowered by the parliament at will. ( Sam Adams: The power to tax is the power to destroy! ).He also pointed out, that the colonists had no representation in the Parliament, and that they can't be taxed without having a representation in there, to care for their interests and wills. However, most people drank tea smuggled in from the Netherlands, so they didn't care very much whether the parliament raises or lowers the taxes. When the East India Tea company realized, that the colonists were drinking cheap, smuggled tea, the Parliament gave them ( the company ) the monopoly to export tea without paying duties. That way the tea could be much cheaper than the holland tea, even with the taxes. This act was called the Tea Act, which was of great importance for the following Boston Tea Party. The colonists reacted to this act by holding meetings to discuss it. Supporter of the revolution ( just to name some of them: John Adams, John Hancock, Dr. Joseph Warren ) wrote letters of protest to the government's officials, but they didn't achieve anything. The tea ships arriving in Boston still had to pay the full British tax. The event ( its getting exciting ) In September, 1773, a radical group of colonists found out, that three East India tea cargo ships, laden full with tea, were heading for Boston under full sail. They knew, that if the ships got unloaded and the tax would be paid, it would be a crushing defeat. The same radical group wanted to make the agents of the East India Company resign from their job in front of a big crowd, but this part didn't work. Over the following weeks speeches in form of propaganda were made, to get all colonists informed about the events. People even quitted drinking tea ( what they did for their whole life ) and started drinking coffee. The actual event On November 18th, 1773, the ships arrived. Pamphlets were posted to arrange a meeting between the citizens and the governor ( Hutchison ), called the Committee of Correspondence. They wanted him to call the ships back to Britain. When he didn't agree, a bunch of men, disguised as Indians, went and stormed towards the harbor, planning to throw the tea into the bay. They divided in three groups, each of them with one leader. After they made the captain and his crew getting down below, they grabbed all the boxes of tea, opened them and threw

SWOT Analysis Essays - Consumer Behaviour, Business, Free Essays

SWOT Analysis Essays - Consumer Behaviour, Business, Free Essays SWOT Analysis BUS/210 SWOT Analysis De Kliek Style Studio is an upscale womens clothing boutique. The boutique is expected to open in July of this year. De Kliek will be located within the Los Angeles area. The focus customer will be women aged 30-55 with a household income of at least $100,000 annually. After performing a SWOT analysis the companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were able to be identified. One of the strengths the business has is that the owner and manager, Vrootje Mager, has 12 years of retail and marketing experience. In addition, the advisory team holds a combination of expertise in; retail accounting, retail merchandising, legal contracts, fashion, and design. De Kliek carries foreign designer lines that are not available in many other stores throughout the United States. Because the business focuses on women with busy working schedules who have little time to shop, personal stylist assistants are offered to help customers save time. In addition to saving women time this will also help women chose clothing that builds confidence. Women with more confidence are more likely to shop and spend money. The company also has well designed marketing strategies. Marketing will be dependent on word-of-mouth, fashion magazines, local ads, travel and shopping books and websites. Finally, the business also plans to take on special orders. Special orders can be especially prosper ous as full-price mark-up is charged and no floor space is needed. Along with strengths the business already posses, many opportunities are presented. Projections show inventory turns at 5, which is high than the industry average of 4. There is also the opportunity to produce revenue other than clothing and accessory sales because the store offers alterations, gift wrapping, styles assessments, and workshops. Opportunity is apparent for this business because clientele are primarily women. Women are continuing to hold higher positions in the workforce, leading to higher average incomes for women. This will lead to women spending more money on apparel. Focus groups believe luxury consumers see apparel and accessories as more of a necessity than a luxury. Even in a down economy women will continue to buy apparel as it is a necessity. Another promising aspect is that retail sales continue to grow from year-to-year. Another opportunity for profit is lower interest rates and easy accessibility to credit. This will lead to more frequent purchasing with hig her check averages. Finally, an opportunity for the company to further grow would be online sales. The company already has a website. Giving customers the option to buy online will not only add sales of more items but also alleviate floor space, allowing for more items to be displayed. Although the business model offered many strengths of the company, weaknesses could be identified as well. The first noticeable weakness is that the start-up capital is largely reliant on loans. With such high expenses there will be minimal room for profit to be made. Also, will the company be able to maintain a quality-price ratio that is acceptable? At this time the company does not offer an online sales option. This could mean lost sales to competitors that offer an online sales option. A problem often encounter by up-scale boutiques is offering the same level of customer service to each and every customer. It is unapparent if the company will be able to offer service without showing bias to customers that do not fit the model client. This could lead to an uncomfortable shopping environment causing shoppers to go elsewhere. The store has not chosen a specific location. Without an exact cost for rent it is hard to predict exactly how much operating costs will be. Also, the company prides itself on providing many different services to women; with only 3 employees will the business be able to provide the ideal level of customer service stated in the business model. The company also projects very low salaries. This could also impede the level of customer service the business is hoping to offer as it is questionable if employees with an adequate level of expertise will apply for positions. Finally, although the owner has expertise in retail and marketing it is unclear if the owner possesses proper money management skills. Will the owner be

Elements of Success in Lloyds TSBs Total Rewards Programme Assignment

Elements of Success in Lloyds TSBs Total Rewards Programme - Assignment Example Online banking at Lloyds TSB offers a multitude of opportunities for customers, giving a more streamlined and much faster method of banking, which in turn facilitates an employee's ability to do his or her job. In the process of expansion, the company has combined with Xbridge, the UK's leading online business finance analyst to develop Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance, the biggest brand for commercial finance in the online medium. The most recent programme introduced within the company to improve business practices is called Total Reward, and its basic principles call for more than a financial package as an employee incentive. It calls for non-financial rewards such as the opportunity to develop skills and have input into the work schedule. What are the elements that make up Total Reward and how do they apply to Lloyds TSB Total Reward is defined as a programme that "brings learning and development together with aspects of the working environment into the benefit package" (CIPD, 2005). The concept is that when employees are included in organisational decisions, they will feel more connected and more responsible for improving the working environment. ... 2. Non-financial rewards, including recognition, opportunities to develop skills, upper-level opportunities and increased quality of work day. In Total Reward it is necessary to align HR and business needs with employee needs, acknowledging tangible and intangible rewards within the wider context of work experience. It is a new program, not fully embraced in the marketplace (CIPD, 2005). The concept is that when employees are included in organisational decisions, they will feel more connected and more responsible for improving the working environment. Because relatively few companies in the UK are successfully operating flexible benefits plans, there is no off-the-shelf package that companies can begin using immediately. The question here is the way in which Lloyds TSB is utilizing Total Rewards. What obstacles, if any, are they facing as they build a new programme for their company Management as a Balancing Act In today's employment market, a broader view of how to acquire and retain the best employees is no longer a matter of simply offering a competitive salary and benefits. A business that keeps up with current needs and new procedures has an advantage. Management has to know how to implement the employee pool in a way that creates harmony throughout the company (Hay Group, 2005). In addition, the public must feel that their interests are being addressed in the best possible way. This balancing act is difficult to achieve, but if the company is willing to learn from past mistakes and meet new challenges as they arise, a workable system can be achieved. Has Lloyds TSB Bank plc evolved in a way that will keep their organisation in a growth mode, keeping up with changes as they occur The ongoing debate is where to draw the line between personal