Increasing Prefabrication Methods

Sample details Pages: 25 Words: 7544 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Would the Increasing Use of Prefabrication Methods in the Construction Industry Significantly Reduce the Housing Shortage Within the UK? Chapter 1 Problem Specification There is a widespread belief that a housing shortage exists in the UK. Although all regions are expected to see growth in household numbers, the greatest pressure will continue to be felt in Southern England (i.e. London, the South East, South West, and Eastern regions.) For example, the population of the South East region alone is expected to increase by 50,000 a year about 1 million extra homes in the next twenty years or so. While 70% of population growth is in London and the south of England only about 50% of house building takes place there. The housing industry has in recent years been under severe pressure to meet the increasing population. For this reason the UK is presently suffering from a high housing shortage, which is likely to rise over the next 15 years, due to the high volumes of migrant workers from the EU and the increase in population. The total number of people living in the UK grows whenever there are more inward migrants than people leaving the country. Interna tional inward migration is a significant contributor to population growth. Recently the Government Actuarys Department increased its figures for net inward migration to the United Kingdom from 95,000 to 135,000 people per year for the period to 2021. It is therefore necessary for the construction industry to dramatically increase production in house building in order to reduce the effect this shortage will have on the UK such as consequent impacts on house prices, conditions, overcrowding and homelessness. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Increasing Prefabrication Methods | Constuction Dissertations" essay for you Create order Despite the strong economy, housing production by both private developers and social housing providers has been falling. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of homes built during each of the past five years has remained static at 154,000. It is for this reason that house prices continue to soar. It is clear that the construction industry must build faster and more efficiently to meet the increasing needs of the UK housing market. The UK construction industry has been known for its lengths and costs in completing construction projects therefore leading to slower completion of developments. This is a wide spread problem that needs to be addressed for the housing demands to be met. Household projections, based on 1998 figures from the Government Actuarys Department and past trends in household formation, suggest that between 1996 and 2021, England will need to accommodate an extra 4.3 million households. Estimates suggest that the backlog in 1996 was approximately 650,000 households. It seems likely that the figure has increased over the last five years because supply has not matched demand. There are difficulties within the UK construction industry to which attention has been drawn by the Latham and Egan reports. Structural, technical and cultural change in the years ahead may lead to a sector better able to respond to the demands upon it. With the use of better management techniques and the implementation of new technologies in new housing markets, projects lengths (i.e. Construction time) and costs could be significantly reduced. There are many ways of rapidly reducing completion time of construction. In this day and age these approaches are known as Modern Methods of Construction, such as prefabrication. A radical approach for cutting project time by using different techniques, such as off-site construction and factory conditions. Pre-fabricated homes One area highlighted to improve the current situation by the Government and others within the industry, is that of off-site construction. Prefabrication was used to provide quick and cheap homes after the Second World War where nearly 160,000 homes were prefabricated, and is being proposed again as a solution for providing affordable homes. Off-site construction has made huge advances since the Second World War and even more over the last couple of decades, offering methods which have been proved to be quicker and cheaper than traditional house building methods. One of the major issues associated with prefabricated homes is the stigma attached to them, with many people seeing them as a poor alternative to traditional construction. A MORI poll in 2002 indicated that 90% of people would prefer to live in a traditional home rather than a prefabricated home, showing that the UK population along with the construction industry is still slightly reluctant to place thei r faith in prefabricated homes. The benefits of prefabrication are well known, with off-site construction offering a controlled environment where building elements can be produced quicker than traditional methods, and at a supposedly lower cost. At its best, prefabrication can see some 40-week building programmes being reduced to 16 weeks, which if used on a wide scale could see rapid growth in the UKs housing stock. There is also an advantage held within the factory environment, offering greater safety for workers than on-site and also the controlled environment makes it possible for a consistent, high quality finish to be achieved. With skills shortages on-site, the opportunity to produce standardised building elements in factories could also further improve standards and quality. Built in clean, efficient, factory conditions not in the often chaotic circumstances of construction sites, in unpredictable and inclement British weather may make for higher standards, faster construction as well as a safer industry. Better procurement methods may mean less friction between clients, professionals and builders. Shortages of sufficiently skilled labour may also be remedied, to some extent, by factory. Therefore this method of construction could be seen as a potential solution to the housing shortage in the UK. Currently prefabrication is not a common approach for most contractors to use. The main reason for this is because off-site manufacture (OSM) of house building components currently has the capacity to produce around 40,000 homes a year, far short of the figure needed to meet official housing projections. As such, the Government is promoting pre-fabrication and off-site manufacturing techniques, looking to methods such as steel and timber frame to help solve the housing shortfall, particularly in relation to quality and site skills shortages. Even with prefabricated homes having been produced for the past 100 years, they are still relatively untested in the UK on a large scale, and therefore the verdict is still out on whether they are suited to the UK and its construction industry. There are already companies in the UK trying to build affordable housing by using off-site construction methods, such as BoKlok, Ikeas biggest idea yet. Having seized the market for affordable home furnish ings in the past decade, the Swedish retail giant is now planning to provide the homes themselves. Planning permission was approved for the first British BoKlok development: 36 flats in St James Village, Gateshead, due for completion within a year. More will follow many more, probably, since BoKlok is quick to build, energy efficient and aimed at households earning between 15,000 and 30,000 a year. Currently they tend to use more traditional methods, and therefore this issue has to be tackled to bring prefabricated construction further into the lime light of construction. The affordable housing sector represents a prime area of growth for the prefabricated buildings market. The benefits of rapid build times and the cost efficiencies resulting from the volume production of cellular units incorporated in the overall structure tend to result in affordable rents and value for money for the public housing sectors. A wide range of house builders such as Bellway, Westbury, Bovis, Lovell, Willmott Dixon etc, are using prefabricated buildings in affordable housing projects and their use has increased substantially during 2003-05. If every household is to have the opportunity of a decent home, some fundamental changes will be needed not just to the mechanisms we use to deliver new homes with reforms to the effectiveness of our planning system and our house-building industry. In conclusion, the issue of housing shortage within the UK may become one of the most significant social and economical problems being faced over the next twenty years. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to explore whether the implementation and use of Prefabricated Construction on a wide spread scale could have a significant positive impact on the housing Shortage currently being seen in the UK. There is a concern that in a number of critical areas, the emerging policy framework is based on unrealistic assumptions. It is questionable whether it will in practice deliver the necessary supply of houses to meet the UKs economic and social requirements over the next twenty years. Literature Review Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of house building is dramatically increased, according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). The UK has been known for its shortage on housing over the past 10-15 years, and therefore there are many sources of literature relevant to the study. Such sources are Government Policies, reports, articles, books, surveys and case studies that outline the scale of the problem and give statistics, such as the number of homes that need to be built in order to relinquish this status in the UK. The shortage of housing is making house prices soar from year to year, making it much harder not only for general house buyers but especially for first time buyers. This issue does not seem to be focused on in any literature as there doesnt seem to be any long term solutions for it, making this topic an ever growing problem. Government Report The Barker Report (2003) Review sets out a series of policy recommendations to address the lack of supply and responsiveness of housing in the UK. The report further goes on to outline a number of key factors which are to blame for the housing shortage, including the lack of houses being built as well as the extra provision of land by local authorities to make it viable for developers to achieve the build targets to decrease the housing shortage. The report argues that a UK housing Shortage is having widespread economic and social consequences. The government estimates that by 2016 there will be 3 million new UK households. It recently published the Sustainable Communities plan outlining a major new house building program to help meet the growth. The government is said to be encouraging Modern Methods of Construction, which it says can achieve a step change in the construction industry to produce the quantity and quality of housing we need. Housing completions are expected to steadily increase in the longer term in line with proposals and initiatives to address the general housing shortage, particularly the provision of more affordable housing in key urban areas. However, a significant increase in completions is largely dependent on the overall economic environment, consumer confidence levels etc, in addition to land availability and the planning approvals process, which remains a key barrier to growth at present. While this was focused on in the Barker Review in 2004, house builders are reporting few improvements to date in the planning process and the availability of land for development is a key long term issue. On her follow up to the 2003 report, Barker 2004 states that planning authorities and processing of applications need to be improved, whilst also the availability of land is becoming increasingly harder. She pinpoints reforms to the planning system; incentives for local authorities to support development, and a higher turn around from the construction industry, including completing site developments as quick as possible. These issues need to be focused on as they are key elements that could be contributing to the current shortage in the housing market. Barker (2004) encouraged the government to change its planning policies to allow more houses to be built on Greenfields, as she claims at present there is not enough land available for the housing demand to be met. Barker also called for a substantial increase in productivity from the construction industry. She states in her review that to reduce the current rate of housing inflation from 2.4% to the EU average of 1.1%, an extra 120,00 0 houses will need to be built per annum on top of the current output. The overall message from both Barker reports (2003/2004) is the clear need for more houses to be built in the UK, especially the large problem areas such as the South-East and London in order to become any closer to achieving larger number of homes available in the UK. However there are no recommendations on how it might be possible to reduce programme lengths and costs. This is a key area that needs to be identified within the dissertation. Mathiason (2003), already claimed that as long as inflation continues to rise, house builders will be under no obligation to build as they will be profiting from the land that they already own, as the price is ever increasing due to shortage. Perhaps the use of MMC and faster construction times would drive the developers to building on these lands, but they will never be fully implemented unless planning policies are also reviewed. Prior to the Barker review the Government drew up a Sustainable Communities Plan (OPDM, 2003) to tackle several issues, including the urgent requirement for affordable homes. The plan aims to set out a long term programme of action for delivering sustainable communities to both urban and rural areas. One of the vehicles highlighted for delivering these sustainable communities is off-site construction, with modern methods of construction earmarked for additional investment. It also suggests heavy investment in public transport and rail links in particular, to help with the decentralisation of London, which will combat the lack of available land and high demand for housing in the South east. The Sustainable Communities Plan (OPDM, 2003) also provides the Housing Corporation with an extra 100m for its 200m Challenge Fund for encouraging modern methods of construction. The Challenge Fund, run by the Housing Corporation offers incentives to developers using innovative methods for building communities. It is however, one of the only initiatives running to encourage the use of modern methods of construction. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2002a) predicted that Britain was heading for a housing shortage of more than a million homes by the year 2022. As well as launching Land for Housing, the report from a JRF Inquiry, the conference is debating Britains housing in 2022, the first in a series of working papers examining the long-term measures needed to tackle social disadvantage. Both warn that the impending housing crisis will hit hardest in London and the South. Although these regions contribute 70 per cent of the rising demand for new homes, only 50 per cent of new homes are currently being built there. By contrast, in the Midlands and the North, there are growing problems of low demand in some areas, and of empty and abandoned property. Lord Best, Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and author of the working paper, said: We estimate that the difference between housing demand and supply will have widened into a yawning gap of 1.1 million homes in England alone by 2022: most of i t in London and the South East. This genuinely shocking statistic shows why the time has come for policy makers to recognise that a plentiful supply of new and affordable homes is of the greatest importance the nations future health and prosperity. AMA Research has published the Fifth Edition of the House building Market UK 2006. Recent changes in the overall housing market and corporate activity amongst house builders have renewed interest in the house building market. The fifth edition of this report focuses on the recent developments in this specific sector along with the characteristics and corporate activity of the leading suppliers to the sector. The report provides information on national and regional suppliers within the house building market and provides a comprehensive review of the major aspects of the new house building sector. Off-site construction has a reputation of producing drab, uncharacteristic boxes for homes within the UK population. However, the face of prefabricated homes has changed for the better with Dyckhoff (2003) commenting that they have been transformed into the speedy, affordable loft-style saviour of Britains housing market. What the literature above demonstrates is that there is a clearly growing problem with the housing market. Shortage of housing is increasing and still nothing has been pinpointed as the route cause, this seems to be an ever growing problem and a clear solution has not been found. Certain claims made by authors in previous articles and reports will need to be looked into for there validity, so that a clearer understanding can be brought across as to the route cause. In conclusion to the above, this dissertation will therefore be focusing on the following Research question: Methodology It is necessary to begin the dissertation by looking into the theoretical ideas behind the emergence of the shortage in the housing market. It is important to ensure that key information and research is collected using different methods of gathering data. Collecting relevant data will continue to develop my understanding of the housing Shortage in the UK and will overall develop the strength and success of the dissertation. The data collected will also suggest whether any previous attempts have been made to tackle this problem, and if so, are there any solutions that have already been put forward. The opening chapter will focus on the time where non-traditional constructions methods were called for. Special attention is given to how the Government and Local Authorities acted at the time. This will help in developing an understanding of when Modern Methods where first used and the reasons why they came about, which will follow on into the next chapter. Acknowledging the reasons for there use, and developing a detailed background on the housing sector, Chapter 3 analyses the state of the current housing market and the scale of shortage being experienced. Taking into account the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and its perceptions for the next twenty years, I will look into how many new homes are required to be built over the next coming years so as to rectify the current issue. This section will be implemented with the use of surveys, and data collected over the years that show the current yearly house building rate, and the prospective increase needed. I will also be taking into account the population increase due to migrant influx, higher number of divorce rate, higher life expectancy, and the birth rate. This information can be compared with the projected number of houses being built so that I can get an idea of possible key issues that are contributing to housing shortage. In conclusion this dissertation will focus on comparing the findings between traditional and modern methods of construction, which in whole will then be applied to the housing Shortage and possible methods of rectifying the problem. As well as comparing these methods of construction, it is also necessary to ascertain whether or not house builders today are building at their optimum rate. Once this is identified, the potential advantages of the scheme can then be applied to the rate at which they could be working. This will identify the possible gains from using MMC, and whether or not a significant reduction in house shortage can be adapted from this approach to construction. Chapter 2 Background Research Two features dominate the history of housing in Britain in the 20th century: state intervention in the mass production of housing for the working class, and the prolific suburban expansion of towns and cities. To some extent, the two overlap, but both emerged from a situation at the beginning of the century, when housing provision and quality of life had failed to keep up with the frantic pace of Victorian industrial development. Before the 1890s, the dire state of working-class housing had been improved by trusts and societies, who produced grim but safe and sanitary tenements, and there was little direct state intervention. The 1890 Housing Act empowered local authorities to purchase and demolish slum dwellings, and re-house their inhabitants. At the end of the First World War, there was an acute housing shortage. Beginning with Lloyd Georges Homes Fit for Heroes policy, four million new homes were built during the interwar period, 1.5 million of them directly by local councils or with the aid of state subsidy. During the war construction projects came to a halt, progressively worsening the housing shortage that had already existed before the war. The government already set plans to reconstruct and renovate sub-standard housing that where out dated, this and many other projects where all affected. 1919 brought in the Town and Country Planning Act which imposed obligation on local authorities to plan housing provision for their local towns. During the same period, given the situation of materials and skilled labour shortage, the local government board appointed a standardisation and new methods of construction committees to consider the question of standardisation in regard to materials, structural fitting and methods of construction (BRE, 1987). Bye-laws were also modified to allow the wider use of non traditional methods and materials (Ley, 2000). As well as this many other institutes, including British Research Satiation which has now become British Research Establishments, were also founded under the governments initiative to look for and trial new alternative materials and methods (Davenport, 1990). Between the First World War and Second World War various types of housing systems (prefab) were approved by the committees. At first, pressure applied to local authorities to provide houses in such a short space of time, with no direct incentive to economies, would encourage the use of those new methods regardless of their costs. However, detailed arrangements of subsidies changed several times after 1921 (Cornish and Clark, 1989) and local authorities could no longer disregard cost factor when considering new developments. In addition, the materials and skilled labour for the traditional construction methods came back on stream sooner than the government initially expected. As a result, construction of houses using new methods had virtually ceased by 1928 (Yates, 2001). The main contribution of the attempt was, therefore, providing a small number of additional houses, probably less than 250,000, compared to the total 4,500,000 buildings erected between 1919 and 1938 (Ross, 2002). The economic depression of the 1930s slowed the pace of house building, but the Second World War caused much greater damage: by 1945 nearly half a million homes had been destroyed, a quarter of a million were seriously damaged, and another three million suffered lesser damage. The immediate crisis was partly met by the rapid construction of 125,000 cheap pre-fabricated homes, but it was followed by a housing boom that equalled and exceeded that of the 1920s. As previously discussed in Chapter 1, after the world wars had ended in the UK and between the early 1950s and late 60s the construction industry experienced an extreme shortage within the housing sector which led to a great need of re-building. Due to the extremities the war created, traditional build was not an efficient enough method, leading to the introduction and use of Mass Production Methods. Following the Second World War there was an even greater demand for the rapid construction of dwellings. In 1942, well before the war had ceased, the government had appointed the Burt Committee which brought together people from different parts of the building industry, government departments and building research station (Bullock, 2001). The aim of the committee was to seek alternative materials and methods of construction suitable for the building of houses and flats, having regard to efficiency, economy and build ability, to be able to make recommendations for the post-war program. Post-War, the government planned new construction projects for the redevelopment of the housing sector, one of which was the development of 500,000 new dwellings with a completion time of 2 years (Davenport 1990). In the twelve years after the war, two and a half million new dwellings were constructed, three-quarters of them by local authorities. However, the construction of new housing was outpaced by the decay of existing housing stock. By 1963, 3 million people were still living in substandard housing, and official housing policy moved once again towards slum clearance and redevelopment. Prefabricated housing has been used in the UK during periods of high demand, such as after the World Wars and during the slum clearances of the 1960s. In total about 1 million prefabricated homes were built during the 20th century, many of which were designed to be temporary. However, problems arose over the quality of building materials and poor workmanship, leading to negative public attitudes towards prefabrication. Nevertheless it has continued to be used in the UK for hospitals, hotels and schools, as well as for housing in other countries. Although this is the case, prefabrication must be used in greater quantities widely, merely to see if it can make a difference to the housing shortage currently being experienced within the UK. MMC is a new term intended to reflect technical improvements in prefabrication, encompassing a range of on and off-site construction methods. The 20th century saw an enormous improvement in everyday housing conditions. Even in the early 21st century, local authorities are demolishing remaining high-rise blocks to make way for low-rise, high-density housing. During the early 60s the Government set up the national building agency in order to urge local authorities to take up industrial system building (Rovetz, 2001). Local Governments and the Ministry of Housing also held a series of conferences to encourage and support industrial prefabricated system building in the mid 60s (Jones, 2000). Additionally under the Housing Subsidy Act 1956, the arrangement of subsidies was changed in order that local authorities could receive more subsidies per flat if they built higher blocks of flats. The arrangement of this progressive height subsidy was abolished in the 1969 Housing Act. By the end of the 60s, both high-rise and industrialised system building lost ground in the construction industry. Chapter 3 The Housing Shortage at Present Britain is heading for a property shortage of more than a million homes by 2022 unless the current rate of house building is dramatically increased according to reports from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). There are a series of short and long-term factors playing their part. The government wants to steady the UKs runaway housing market, and end its boom and break housing cycles. House prices in the UK have almost doubled since 1995 and many people are now unable to get a footing onto the housing ladder. There is also a lack of affordable or social housing. This problem of high house prices is compounded by the shortage of houses being built. In 2001 house building fell to its lowest level since 1924 excluding the war years and its immediate aftermath. New housing accounts for less than 10% of residential property transactions in England and Wales compared to 40% in 1965. The circumstances are likely to get worse before they get better. According to estimates, there are between 220,000 and 230,000 new households being formed annually (OPDM). Yet, only 165,000 homes were built in the year of 2002. If this was the case 5-6 years ago, then how is the housing shortage coping now? The population is increasing, while the average size of households is declining. This is caused by a range of demographic factors, such as increasing life expectancy, and more divorces. All in all, it adds more pressure to housing supply. The report lays much of the blame at door of the UKs planning authorities. Many who have tried and failed to obtain planning permission in recent years may echo the reports findings that the system is complex and takes an unacceptably long time. All in all, the report calculated that refusals for planning permissions in major housing developments increased from just 15% in 1996-1999 to 25% in 2002. The report also points out that if house building was to take-off in the UK skills shortages are likely to come into play. At present more than eight out of ten construction firms report skill shortages even modest growth would require 70,000 new workers the report concludes. As a result thousands of badly needed homes are not being built. However, at this stage the report makes no recommendations as to how the planning process can be quickened up. Housing shortages are set to become one of the most significant social issues of the next 20 years. Unless we act now, shortages will lead to overcrowding and homelessness. But they will also have knock-on effects for the whole of society, driving up house prices in areas of high demand, inhibiting economic growth and making it harder for good quality public services to be delivered. Property insiders, politicians and young people looking for homes in Britains thriving cities are united on one point: the country is in the grip of a serious housing shortage. But opinions are widely divided when it comes to placing the blame for a situation where, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the number of homes built during each of the past five years has remained static at 154,000, with the number of low-cost social houses being built falling from 16,999 in 2000-2001 to 13,601 in 2002-2003. As the buck is passed between housing professionals, planners, builders and the government, first-time buyers are left desperately trying get on the property ladder. Slow planning is stifling. The government says councils should decide on most planning applications for 10 or more new houses within a maximum of eight weeks. But only 16% of decisions come in that time, (House Builders Federation, HBF), which accuses councils in the north of England of deliberately preventing new homes from being built. The councils say that they already have enough new homes under construction, but the HBF disagrees. The Barker Review of Housing Supply was commissioned by the chancellor, Gordon Brown, to discover why Britain, the worlds fourth wealthiest economy, has a housing shortage with property prices beyond the reach of many. House building is at its lowest level since 1924; the gap between supply and demand widens by 60,000 annually an average of 219,000 new households is created each year through longer lifespan, more solo-living from choice and an increasing divorce rate and will exceed 1.1m in England by 2020; and the number of low-cost homes being built for housing association tenants is lower than at any time since 1995. Meanwhile, the government targets for about 225,000 new homes each year until 2016. The HBF says there is excessive public consultation and claims councils want ever-higher cash payments to improve the infrastructure in return for planning permission. It also says planners want so much social housing that it threatens the economic viability of some developments. Others blame the developers. The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) says Britains 15 largest house builders own enough empty land with planning permission to accommodate an estimated 300,000 new houses, also known as Land Banking. Using data from builders annual reports, the CPRE says this is 17.6% more than in 1998. The council claims this indicates a deliberate slowdown on building in order to create a shortage and force up prices. House builders special pleading for more Greenfield land to build upon is not borne out by the facts. Far from there being a land shortage, too much countryside is still in the pipeline for development, (CPRE). The government has been careful not to criticise developers openly, but insists that planning decisions are getting quicker. It has given extra funds to planning departments to train new staff but accepts most councils are missing deadlines, and despite being vocal in their criticism of public authorities, developers are doing well out of the housing shortage. The Barker report calculated that refusals for planning permissions in major housing developments increased from just 15% in 1996-1999 to 25% in 2002, this problem is still seen today, as planning officers become more stringent on the standards that need to be met. So who should take the blame for our national housing shortage? Slow planning has a lot to answer for, but its too easy to blame everything on that. Developers dont do their homework on complicated Brownfield sites before making applications. Therefore planners come back and ask questions thats why there are lots of delays, which contributes to the yearly targets of house building not being met. The Barker reports being launched draw on new estimates of the number of extra homes needed in the next 20 years. These are based on population projections published by the Government Actuarys Department at the end of last year and include revised figures on net inward migration to the UK which is estimated at 135,000 people (43,000 households) a year, compared with 95,000 (30,000 households) a year previously anticipated. Demand for extra homes in England is now estimated at around 210,000 properties a year, compared with average output from house builders and social housing providers of 154,000 extra homes a year over the past five years. The accumulating gap between demand and output points to a shortfall of 1.1 million homes in 20 years time. Although all regions are expected to see growth in the number of households, the reports note that the greatest pressure will continue to be felt in Southern England. Population changes resulting from internal migration from North to South will be relatively small compared with migration out of London placing added demands on housing in the rest of the South East. However, natural growth in the population and the level of international migration into London will mean continuing pressure on the capitals housing supply. The effects of housing shortages in the South fall most heavily on the poorest families who cannot afford to buy and have no access to the oversubscribed rented accommodation provided by local authorities and housing associations. Recent figures show a sharp rise since 1996 in the number of homeless households housed by local authorities in temporary accommodation. The working paper highlights a long-term decline since 1980 in the provision of subsidised, social housing and insists there can be no substitute for greater public investment in achieving a revival. It points out that both the subsidies to housing providers (such as Social Housing Grant to housing associations) and to individuals (such as Housing Benefit and Income Support for mortgage interest payments) have diminished in recent years. The Land Inquiry report identifies an increased need for intermediate housing markets in areas where property prices are high, to provide homes for lower and middle-income staff. It argues that schemes could be supported by land pooling arrangements similar to those operating in France and Germany, where landowners have incentives to make land collectively available for housing. Another innovation that could help to protect the value of land and ensure its availability when needed for social housing would be the introduction of Community Land Trusts that are widely used in the United States. The working paper, in addition, emphasises the scope for institutional investment in the private rented sector to generate new homes at market rents, particularly for single people. House price inflation in England and Wales dropped sharply in December, according to the Land Registry. Average prices fell by 0.4% in December, bringing the annual inflation rate down from 8.1% in November to 6.7% last month. If house prices fall, it will lead to a decline in household wealth, and an increase in negative equity. The effect on consumer confidence is likely to be more significant than for rising house prices. People expect rising house prices, therefore, if house prices fell it would be a real shock, and could adversely affect consumer spending. Therefore, falling house prices will lead to lower economic growth; It could cause a recession, a period of negative economic growth for 2 quarters. However, if house prices do fall, it will reduce inflationary pressure in the economy. Therefore the Bank of England will be able to cut interest rates; this reduction in interest rates may maintain positive economic growth. It is worth remembering that in 1991, house prices fell 15% and this was a major factor in the recession of 1991-92. In 2002 around 183,000 houses were built in the UK, 138,000 were built in England, though taking account of demolitions and conversions, net additions totalled 134,000, a 0.6 percent increase in the stock. Official projections of household formation specify that the number of households in England is expected to increase by an average of 155,000 a year over the 1996 to 2021 period. Chart 1.3 sets out these projections. Over the ten years to 2000 household formation is estimated to have been an average 196,000 households a year. Increases in the number of households are in part the result of higher household formation rates, where people are less likely to be part of a couple. But with rising incomes there is no certainty that smaller households will necessarily demand smaller houses as they can afford more. (Source: Barker Review Report, 2003) Currently, most house builders do not see the commercial sense in a rapid expansion in OSM or MMC. Indeed, there may be risks, as well as opportunities, from going down this route. Dedicated technologies may require specifically skilled labour. When demand increases, production costs are likely to rise more steeply than with more flexible, but less sophisticated techniques. As Table 6.2 shows, on some measures, UK house building costs have risen less steeply than a number of major competitors over the past decade. This suggests to some observers that the organisation of the UK house building industry may be relatively efficient in controlling construction costs and that growing skill shortages might be less of a threat to increasing output than has been feared (Source: Barker Review Report, 2003) UK house builders have avoided using proprietary OSM schemes. As a consequence many UK house builders adopting OSM have set up their own joint venture companies, in order to control the production process. This increases the problems of economies of scale, as each house builder must achieve sufficient scale to make their own processes commercially viable. Increasing volumes, through the increase in house building set out in the Report, may well make OSM or MMC more attractive propositions. Further consolidation in the industry, should this occur, and hence increasing scale, could make OSM viable for some house builders. Over time, it is likely that the commercial pressures will change and the economic rationale for MMC and OSM will become clearer. As a result, the Review does not consider that direct, ongoing financial incentives for MMC are warranted. But it is important that the industry is ready to take up this opportunity, as and when it arises. The industry, therefore, should work with all of its stakeholders to ensure that any barriers to the adoption of OSM and MMC are removed. The Review supports the continuing funding of OSM and MMC demonstration projects by ODPM and the Department of Trade and Industry, which help to overcome informational market failures, by identifying the benefits of such techniques and establishing best practice. For example, it is Government policy that 25 per cent of new build in the RSL sector should use MMC/OSM, and often applications for projects using OSM or MMC are considered more favourably. It is also reasonable to expect, that with continuing improvements in efficiency and through developments in construction techniques, the industry should be able to reduce construction times and therefore speed up the release of completed homes. The House Builders Federation, in conjunction with NHBC, and other interested parties, should develop a strategy to address barriers to modern methods of construction. This strategy should be developed to fit alongside existing initiatives, working closely with Government to identify further measures that can be taken. A range of approaches should be explored, in particular actions by industry, and changes to NHBC policy and practice, as well as representations to Government on areas such as changes to building regulations. Housing has a huge impact on individuals quality of life. Being adequately housed, and living in a pleasant environment is fundamental to well-being. The housing market also has a major effect on the economy. An inadequate housing supply, or a poorly-functioning housing market, constrains economic growth. Demand for housing in the UK continues to grow. Population growth, changing patterns of household formation and rising incomes are all fuelling demand for homes, yet in 2001 the construction of new houses fell to its lowest level since the second world war. Over the ten years to 2002, output of new homes was 12.5 per cent lower than for the previous ten years (Fig A.1). There is considerable evidence that a shortage of housing exists in the UK, but the nature of this shortage is complex (Source: Barker Review Report, 2003) The above figure suggests that the UK has been under delivering in terms of house building per year. As the years have gone by it seems that numbers have fallen considerably, ever worsening the condition of the housing shortage. Looking at statistics relating to new home completions for 2007, they seemed to show little change on the previous year, according to the statistics released by NHBC. There were 186,500 new homes completed by NHBC registered builders in the UK last year, compared to 184.960 in 2006. Of that total, 1257,500 related to private sector activity, showing a one percent decrease on 2006. Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC Chief Executive said: Overall, new home completions increased by7 just one per cent in 2007 compared to the previous year and currently key housing market indicators, such as ability to buy, reservations and mortgage approvals show a downward trend. In addition, house builders face a multitude of other challenges, including meeting government targets to build zero carbon homes and increase housing supply, alongside ongoing uncertainty in the UK housing market amid fears of a recession in the US. More investment in the clean up of Brownfield sites is needed if the government is to fill the gaps in the UK Property Market, the Town and Country Planning Association has claimed. According to the TCPA, the existence of Brownfield sites in area where demand for housing is already high often offers a ready made solution for developers. Furthermore construction of homes on such sites is vital if the government is to meet targets of 60 percent of new housing on Brownfield sites by the end of 2008 (ODPM). The government must ensure that enough money is spent on these types of land, in order to clean up contamination and Brownfield sites to turn them into the kinds of places where people would want to live. Although this is the case, it is inevitable that green field sites will be increasingly used, as not all sites will be able to have sufficient cleaning to use for construction sites. It is obvious that there will always be a need for green field development if we are to meet the increasing demand of new homes. In recent years applications to start new homes in the UK have decreased by 22 per cent year-on-year from December to February (NHBC, 2007). There were a total of around 35,800applications to start new homes around this period, down from 45,600 in the previous year. It seem that planners are being too stringent on there requirements, and as described previously in the report this is contributing to the shortfall of houses in the UK. Hot Property, https://news.hotproperty.co.uk/Brownfield_sites_key_to_UKs_housing_shortage_18135722.html Bibliography Wilcox S (2005) Affordability and the Intermediate Housing Market, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Barker K (2004) Review of housing supply. Delivering stability: securing our future housing needs. Final report recommendations. HM Treasury, London, UK. https://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/media/0F2/D4/barker_review_report_494.pdf ODPM/HM Treasury (2005) The Governments Response to the Barker Review, London: The Stationery Office. Evans A and Hartwich O M (2006) Better Homes, Greener Cities, London: Policy Exchange. Monk S, Crook T, Lister D, Rowley S, Short C and Whitehead C (2005) Land and finance for affordable housing: the complementary roles of Social Housing Grant and the provision of affordable housing through the planning system, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Cornish, W.R. Clark G.N. (1989) Law and Society in England, [Internet] Cambridge, University of Cambridge Available from: https://www.law.cam.ac.uk/docs/view_doc_info.php?class=12doc=2624 [Accessed 26/02/08]. Davis, C (2005) The Prefabricated Home. Chicago, Reaktion Books. Davenport, H. (1990) Business in the Depression and War. Abington, Routledge. Dagenholm, C McAllister, L Yates, A (2001) Prefabricated Housing in the UK. BRE Information Paper 16/01. Watford, Construction Research Communication Ltd. Egan, J (1998) Rethinking Construction. Report of the Construction Task Force. London, HMSO. Barker K (2004) Review of Housing Supply Delivering Stability; Securing Our Future Housing Needs, London: HM Treasury. Defra: https://www.defra.gov.uk. S Emmet, C Gorse, (2005) Barrys Introduction to Construction of Buildings, Blackwell Publishing, S Emmet, C Gorse Barrys (2006) Advanced to Construction of Buildings, Blackwell Publishing, ODPM: https://www.odpm.gov.uk. SMi/AMA Market Research (June 2002). Clarke, L Wall, C (2000) Craft Versus Industry: the division of labour in European housing construction. Construction Management Economics. Volume 18, 689-698. Bullock, N (2001) Building the Post-War World, Abrington, Routledge. Barlow, J (1999) from craft production to mass customisation. Innovation Requirements for the UK house building industry. Housing Studies. Volume 14 No.1 P23-42. Barlow, J et al (2003) Choice and delivery in house building: lessons from the Japan for UK house builders. Building Research Information. Volume 31(2) P134-145. BRE (1982) Airey Houses: Technical Information and Guidance, BRE Report. Watford, Construction Research Communication Ltd. References Joseph Rowntree Foundation, (2005) Wilcox S, Affordability and the Intermediate housing market AMA Market Research (June 2002)

The Disney Company Organizational Culture - 1542 Words

The Walt Disney Company is a diversified multinational entertainment organization with five business sectors encompassing media networks, resorts and parks, studio entertainment, consumer products, and interactive media (The Walt Disney Company, 2014). Starting in 1923 as a simple cartoon studio, The Walt Disney Company has since evolved into a powerful, international, media enterprise employing nearly 180,000 people in over 40 countries (The World’s Most Valuable Brands, n.d.). Walt Disney asserts that their values: innovation, quality, community, storytelling, optimism, and decency, drive their business strategy (Disney Careers, n.d.). The purpose of this analysis is to show the importance of organizational culture through a case study of the Walt Disney Company. Corporate culture consists of organizational values, norms, and beliefs that affect the thoughts and actions of employees. Flamholtz and Randle (2011) state that, â€Å"corporate culture is a guide to behavior as well as a way to create expectations with respect to rewards and actions,† (p. 27). Change and innovation represents a fundamental dimension of corporate culture. The current analysis will detail how the Walt Disney Corporation committed to change and innovation through its hiring and training practices and how those practices positively impacted financial performance. In addition, an analysis, evaluation, and recommendations are given on how these changes could be used in a company whose culture fostersShow MoreRelatedWalt Disney Company954 Words   |  4 PagesWalt Disney Company Angela Pursel University of Phoenix COM 530/ Communications for Accountants Brent Smith March 21, 2011 Walt Disney Company Walt Disney is a well-known name in today’s society. 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Euro Disney Free Essays

Case Study: 1 The Not-So-Wonderful World of Euro Disney BONJOUR, MICKEY: In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney Company (Disney) had built to date – bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disney World in Oralando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to â€Å"go goofy† over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. We will write a custom essay sample on Euro Disney or any similar topic only for you Order Now Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night. Financial losses became so massive at EuroDisney that the president had to structure a rescue package to put EuroDisney back on firm financial ground. Many French bankers questioned the initial financing but the Disney response was that their views reflected the cautious. Old world thinking of Europeans who didn’t understand U. S. -style free market financing. After some acrimonious dealings with French banks a two-year financial plan was negotiated. Disney management rapidly revised their marketing plan and introduced strategic and tactical changes in the hope of â€Å"doing it right† this time. A Real Estate Dream Come True : The Paris location was chosen over 200 other potential sites stretching from Portugal through Spain, France, Italy, and into Greece. Spain thought it had the strongest bid based on its yearlong temperate and sunny Mediterranean climate, but insufficient acreage of land was available for development around Barcelona. In the end, the French government’s generous incentives, together with impressive data on regional demographics, swayed Disney management to choose the Paris location. It was calculated that some 310 million people in Europe live within two hours’ air travel of EuroDisney, and 17 million could reach the park within two hours by car – better demographics than at any other Disney site. Pessimistic talk about the dismal winter weather of northern France was countered with references to the success of Tokyo Disneyland, where resolute visitors brave cold winds and snow to enjoy their piece of Americana. Furthermore, it was argued, Paris is Europe’s most-popular city destination among tourists of all nationalities. Spills and Thrills: Disney had projected that the new theme park would attract 11 million visitors and generate over $100 million in operating earnings during the first year of operation. By summer 1994, EuroDisney had lost more than $900 million since opening. Attendance reached only 9. 2 million in 1992, and visitors spent 12 percent less on purchases than the estimated $33 per head. If tourists were not flocking to taste the thrills of the new EuroDisney, where were they going for their summer vacations in 1992? Ironically enough, an unforeseen combination of transatlantic airfare wars and currency movements resulted in a trip to Disney World in Orlando being cheaper than a trip to Paris, with guaranteed good weather and beautiful Floridian beaches within easy reach. EuroDisney management took steps to rectify immediate problems in 1992 by cutting rates at two hotels up to 25 percent, introducing some cheaper meals at restaurants, and launching a Paris ad blitz that proclaimed â€Å"California in only 20 miles from Paris. An American Icon : One of the most worrying aspects of EuroDisney’s first year was that French visitors stayed away; they had been expected to make up 50 percent of the attendance figures. A park services consulting firm framed the problem in these words; â€Å"The French see EuroDisney as American imperialism – plastics at its worst. † The well-known, sentimental Japanese attachment to Disney characters contrasted starkly with the unexpected and wides pread French scorn for American fairy-tale characters. French culture has its own lovable cartoon characters such as Asterix, the helmeted, pint-sized Gallic warrior who has a theme park located near EuroDisney. Hostility among the French people to the whole â€Å"Disney idea† had surfaced early in the planning of the new project. Paris theater director Ariane Mnouchkine became famous for her description of EuroDisney as â€Å"a cultural Chernobyl. † In fall 1989, during a visit to Paris, French Communists pelted Michael Eisner with eggs. The joke going around at the time was, â€Å"For EuroDisney to adapt properly to France, all seven of Snow White’s dwarfs should be named Grumpy (Grincheux). Early advertising by EuroDisney seemed to aggravate local French sentiment by emphasizing glitz and size, rather than the variety of rides and attractions. Committed to maintaining Disney’s reputation for quality in everything, more detail was built into EuroDisney. For example, the centerpiece castle in the Magic Kingdom had to be bigger and fancier than in the other parks. Expensive trams were built along a lake to take guests from the hotels to the park, but visitors preferred walking. Total park construction costs were estimated at FFr 14 billion ($2. 7 billion) in 1989 but rose by $340 million to FFr 16 billion as a result of all these addons. Hotel construction costs alone rose from an estimated FFr 3. 4 billion to FFr 5. 7 billion. EuroDisney and Disney managers unhappily succeeded in alienating many of their counterparts in the government, the banks, the ad agencies, and other concerned organizations. A barnstorming, kick-the-door-down attitude seemed to reign among th e U. S. decision makers. â€Å"They had a formidable image and convinced everyone that if we let them do it their way, we would all have a marvelous adventure. One former Disney executive voiced the opinion, â€Å"We were arrogant – it was like ‘We’re building the Taj Mahal and people will come – on our terms. † STORM CLOUDS AHEAD Disney and its advisors failed to see signs at the end of the 1980s of the approaching European recession. Other dramatic events included the Gulf War in 1991, which put a heavy brake on vacation travel for the rest of that year. Other external factors that Disney executives have cited are high interest rates and the devaluation of several currencies against the franc. EuroDisney also encountered difficulties with regard to competition – the World’s Fair in Seville and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona were huge attractions for European tourists. Disney management’s conviction that it knew best was demonstrated by its much-trumpeted ban on alcohol in the park. This proved insensitive to the local culture because the French are the world’s biggest consumers of wine. To them a meal without unverre de rouge is unthinkable. Disney relented. It also had to relax its rules on personal grooming of the projected 12,000 cast members, the park employees. Women were allowed to wear redder nail polish than in the United States, but the taboo on men’s facial hair was maintained. â€Å"We want the clean-shaven, neat and tidy look,† commented the director of Disney University’s Paris branch, which trains prospective employees in Disney values and culture. EuroDisney’s management did, however, compromise on the question of pets. Special kennels were built to house visitors’ animals. The thought of leaving a pet at home during vacation is considered irrational by many French people. Plans for further development of EuroDisney after 1992 were ambitious. The initial number of hotel rooms was planned to be 5,200, more than in the entire city of Cannes on the Cote d’ Azur. Also planned were shopping malls, apartments, golf courses, and vacation homes. EuroDisney would design and build everything itself, with a view to selling at a profit. As a Disney executive commented, â€Å"Disney at various points could have had partners to share the risk or buy the hotels outright. But it didn’t want to give up the upside. â€Å"From the time they came on, Disney’s Chairman Eisner and President Wells had never made a single misstep, never a mistake, never a failure,† said a ormer Disney executive. â€Å"There was a tendency to believe that everything they touched would be perfect. † The incredible growth record fostered this belief. In the seven years EuroDisney opened, they took the parent company from being a company with $1 billion in revenues to one with $8. 5 billion, mainly through internal growth. Telling and Selling Fairy Tales: Mistaken assumptions by the Disney management team affected construction design, marketing and pricing policies, and park management, as well as initial financing. Disney executives had been erroneously informed that Europeans don’t eat break fast. Restaurant breakfast service was downsized accordingly, and guess what? â€Å"Everybody showed up for breakfast. We were trying to serve 2,500 breakfasts in a 350 – seat restaurant (at some of the hotels). The lines were horrendous. And they didn’t just want croissants and coffee, they wanted bacon and eggs. † In contrast to Disney’s American parks where visitors typically stay at least three days, EuroDisney is at most a two-day visit. Energetic visitors need even less time. One analyst claimed to have â€Å"done† every EuroDisney ride in just five hours. Typically many guests arrive early in the morning, rush to the park, come back to their hotel at night, and then check out the next morning before heading back to the park. Vacation customs of Europeans were not taken into consideration. Disney executives had optimistically expected that the arrival of their new theme park would cause French parents to take their children out of school in mid-session for a short break. It did not happen, unless a public holiday occurred over a weekend. Similarly, Disney expected that the American-style short but more frequent family vacation, usually taken in August. However, French office and factory schedules remained the same, with their emphasis on an August shutdown. In promoting the new park to visitors, Disney did not stress the entertainment value of a visit to the new theme park; the emphasis was on the size of the park, which â€Å"ruined the magic. † To counter this, ads were changes to feature Zorro, a French favorite, mary Poppins, and Aladdin, star of the huge moneymaking movie success. A print ad campaign at that time featured Aladdin, Cinderella’s castle, and a little girl being invited to njoy a â€Å"magic vacation,† at the kingdom where all dreams come true. Six new attractions were added in 1994, including the Temple of Peril, Storybook Land; and the Nautilus attraction. Donald Duck’s birthday was celebrated on June 9 – all in hopes of positioning EuroDisney as the No. 1 European destination of short duration, one to three days. Tomorrowland: Faced with falling share prices and crisis talk am ong shareholders, Disney was forced to step forward in late 1993 to rescue the new park. Disney announced that it would fund EuroDisney until a financial restructuring could be worked out with lenders. However, it was made clear by the parent company, Disney, that it â€Å"was not writing a blank check. † In June 1994, EuroDisney received a new lifeline when a member of the Saudi royal family agreed to invest up to $500 million for a 24 percent stake in the park. The price has an established reputation in world markets as a â€Å"bottom-fisher. † Buying into potentially viable operations during crisis when share prices are low. The prince’s plans included a $100 million convention center at EuroDisney. One of the few pieces of good new about EuroDisney is that its convention business exceeded expectations from the beginning. MANAGEMENT AND NAME CHANGES Frenchman Philippe Bourguignon took over at EuroDisney as CEO in 1993 and has navigated the theme park back to profitability. He was instrumental in the negotiations with the firm’s bankers, cutting a deal that he credits largely for bringing the park back into the black. Perhaps more important to the long-run success of the venture were his changes in marketing. The pan-European approach to marketing was dumped, and national markets were targeted separately. This new localization took into account the differing tourists’ habits around the continent. Separate marketing offices were opened in London, Frankfurt, Milan, Brussels, Amsterdam and Madrid, and each was charged with tailoring advertising and packages to its own market. Prices were cut by 20 percent for park admission and 30 percent for some hotel room rates. Special promotions were also run for the winter months. The central theme of the new marketing and operations approach is that people visit the park for an â€Å"authentic† Disney day out. They may not be completely sure what that means, except that it entails something American. This is reflected in the transformation of the park’s name. The â€Å"Euro† in EuroDisney was first shrunk in the logo, and the word â€Å"land† added. Then in October 1994 the â€Å"Euro† was eliminated completely; the park is now called Disneyland Paris. In 1996 Disneyland Paris became France’s most visited tourist attraction, ahead of both the Louvre Art Museum and the Eiffel Tower, 11. 7 million visitors (a 9 percent increase from the previous year) allowed the park to report another profitable year. THEME PARK EXPANSION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY With the recovery of Disneyland Paris, Disney embarked on an ambitious growth plan. In 2001 the California Adventure Park was added to the Anaheim complex at a cost of $1. 4 billion and Walt Disney Studios Theme Park was added to Disneyland Paris. Through agreements with foreign partners, Disney will open Disney-Sea in Tokyo and plans are underway for a theme park in Shanghai that Chinese officials hope will open in time for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and a park in Hong Kong is to open in 2006. A decade after being slammed for its alleged ignorance of European ways with EuroDisney, Disney is trying to prove it’s gotten things right the second time around. The new movie-theme park, Walt Disney Studios, adjacent to Disneyland Paris, is designed to be a tribute to moviemaking – but not just the Hollywood kind. The Walt Disney Studios blend Disney entertainment and attractions with the history and culture of European film since French camera-makers helped invent the motion picture. The park’s general layout is modeled after an old Hollywood studio complex, and some of the rides and shows are near replicas of Disney’s first film park, Disney-MGM Studios. Rather than celebrating the history of U. S. Disney characters, the characters in the new theme park speak six different languages. A big stunt show features cars and motorcycles that race through a village modeled after the French resort town of St. Tropez. Small details reflect the cultural lessons learned. â€Å"We made sure that all our food venues have covered seating,† recalling that, when EuroDisney first opened, the open-air restaurants offered no protection from the rainy weather that assails the park for long stretches of the year. On the food front, EuroDisney offered only a French sausage, drawing complaints from the English, Germans, Italians, and everyone else about why their local sausages weren’t available. This time around, the park caters to the multiple indigenous cultures throughout Europe – which includes a wider selection of sausages. Unlike Disney’s attitude with their first park in France, â€Å"Now we realize that our guests need to be welcomed on the basis of their own culture and travel habits,† says Disneyland Paris Chief Executive. Disneyland Paris today is Europe’s biggest tourist attraction – even more popular than the Eiffel Tower – a turnaround that showed the park operators’ ability to learn from their mistakes. The root of Disney’s problems in EuroDisney may be found in the tremendous success of Japan’s Disneyland. The Tokyo Park was a success from the first day and it has been visited by millions of Japanese who wanted to capture what they perceived at the ultimate U. S. entertainment experience. Disney took the entire U. S. theme park and transplanted it in Japan. It worked because of the Japanese attachment to Disney characters. Schools have field trips to meet Mickey and his friends to the point that the Disney experience has become ingrained in Japanese life. In the book, Disneyland as Holy Land, University of Tokyo professor Masako otoji wrote: â€Å"The opening of Tokyo Disneyland was, in retrospect, the greatest cultural event in Japan during the ‘80s. † With such success, is there any wonder that Disney thought they had the right model when they first went to France? The Tokyo Disney constitutes a very rare case in that the number of visitors has not decreased since the opening. While Disney Japan was a success the company also admitted making a major financial error when the park was launched. It had licensed its name and image to another company that actually owns and operates the park as well as the land where it sits. Disney collects only a small fraction of the revenues that run into hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Since they were not certain of the success of the first international venture, it was the price they were willing to pay; however, it vowed never to repeat that error and to never have its hands tied again. As a consequence, when they began the jParis Park, they were fanatically intent on owning and controlling the park as well as enough adjacent property for its own exclusive hotels – â€Å"they were sure they had the right model and they were going to own it all. † Thus, they began planning EuroDisney. QUESTIONS 1. You as Disney’s Chairman Eisner Present the Euro Disney project as success of Global marketing. 2. To what degree, you as Eisner,consider the disturbing factors were (a) foreseeable and (b) controllable by the parent company, Disney? 3. What then you think as the factors that stop standardized marketing practice. How to cite Euro Disney, Essay examples

Galileo Galilei free essay sample

This short biography of Galileo talks about his early years and his achievements. This paper explains why Galileo Galilei, one of the most well-known astronomers and mathematicians, was one of the most controversial people of his time. In the years to follow Galileo contributed much to the mathematic and scientific field. In 1609, Galileo was able to observe a Dutch mans invention, which Galileo would much be remembered for. This was the first telescope. Using his great technical and mathematical skill Galileo improved the telescope greatly. He also began to look at the sky with it. He wrote down his observations in a book he called Message From the Stars. Galileo also did much on free fall and even published some books on the subject. In his later years Galileo studied motion and strength of objects. He wrote a book on this called Discoveries on Two New Sciences. The book had to be smuggled out of Italy because at this time Galileo was forbid by law to publish any more books. We will write a custom essay sample on Galileo Galilei or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Henri Bourassa Canadian Politician Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Henri Bourassa ( Canadian Politician ) Essay, Research Paper Henri Bourassa ( Canadian Politician ) For the continuance of Henri Bourassa # 8217 ; s political calling, he was viewed bymany as a great pedagogue and a stable critic. Although Bourassa was non anintelligent adult male, he succeeded in doing a assortment of thoughts a ground fordebate for about 30 old ages, which would raise the chance for himto become a good known political leader. Subsequently, Bourassa # 8217 ; s positions andopinions were sometimes deemed as unethical and negative. Many Canadiansviewed him as a proud Canadian patriot, as others labeled him anunpatriotic treasonist. If anything, Henri Bourassa in many heads, should beviewed as a reformist, alternatively of the mass sum of trademarks that havesurrounded him. Basically speech production, Henri Bourassa should be perceived asa Canadian patriot due to his positions on muster, hisanti-imperialistic mentality, and his battle against Canadian appropriation tothe United States. First of all, Henri Bourassa is suitably viewed as a Canadiannationalist due to his positions on muster. We will write a custom essay sample on Henri Bourassa Canadian Politician Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Bourassa # 8217 ; s greatest campaignwas evident on the issue of muster, which he was recognized outsideof his ain state of Quebec, for contending for Canadian nationality. Theconscription of Canadians into the First World War, was due to the smallsize of the British professional ground forces, which was one time labeled by Germany # 8217 ; sKaiser Wilhelm # 8220 ; that contemptible small army. # 8221 ; As the combat draggedon, more and more work forces were slaughtered, and Canada was foremost introduced toconscription. Bourassa was speedy to counter the usage of muster in thewar, although he did non oppose Canada # 8217 ; s engagement, but was in favour ofthe equal proportion of Canadians in the war. Canada, one time conscriptiontook topographic point, had raised an ground forces of 420 000 work forces, from a entire population of 7000 000. The equivalency of such, would bring forth an ground forces of 2 700 000 forBritain, due to it # 8217 ; s population and size. Besides, Bourassa opposed theincrease in revenue enhancements, which helped pay for such muster issues, whichconclusively meant Canadian work forces, adult females and kids paid $ 100 in revenue enhancements, asoppose to the $ 7 that Americans were passing. Bourassa felt that # 8220 ; To askCanada to make more, would be an indignation # 8221 ; , and should be treated as such.Another period, when Bourassa was forced to cover with muster, wasduring the Second World War. Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and hisinfamous motto # 8220 ; Not needfully muster, but muster ifnecessary # 8221 ; , proved to be a factor which pulled Bourassa out of retirementto conflict. The National Resources Mobilization Act, gave the Canadiangovernment full rights to order muster for service overseas. Whenthe demand for supports in the war overseas was needed, King adoptedconscription, taking 16 000 work forces from the National Resources MobilizationForce and placed them overseas. The Canadian populace decided to b ack up thecontinued war attempt, and hence, fought more possibilities ofconscription due to the volunteering of Canadians. Bourassa one time once more hadengaged in a conflict with muster, which he felt would destruct Canadianunity, and coerce a civil war. Bourassa besides felt that if Canada was forcedinto muster, that many Canadians would be unhappy and unpatriotic totheir state. Bourassa in bend, fought against muster to provideCanada a more stable base, in which she could spread out upon. Second, when Wilfrid Laurier was crowned Prime Minister, he immediatelynamed Bourassa the # 8220 ; Gallic speech production secretary of the Canadian delegationto the joint high committee # 8221 ; and his occupation was to decide Canadian-Americandifferences. After a short difference with his ain party, Henri was in theprocess of the Boer War of October 1899. When the voluntary forces sentin, the demand for more military personnels were obvious. Bourassa was unhappy anddisagreed with Laurier # 8217 ; s programs of directing Canadian military personnels back to Britainto defend, and hence, resigned his place in the Parliament. Henri feltthat if Canadian military personnels were sent into Britain, so in furtherconfrontations, Canada would be expected to direct military personnels to help Britain.Such mental promises set Forth by Canada would make an imperialisticlabel towards Canada, ever necessitating their # 8216 ; Mother Country # 8217 ; to be of aid.Bourassa kept this in head during the Britain-Canada naval negotiations, andagain, stated that engagement by Canada in the naval negotiations wouldmentally insure them to be at the side of Britain in any otherconfrontations. Bourassa besides showed anti-imperialistic positions during theBoer War. Bourassa disagreed with the thought of directing Canadian military personnels intoSouth-Africa due to the war # 8217 ; s importance or deficiency thereof towards Canada.Bourassa once more felt that if they participated with Br itain, that it wouldonly set up more demands and favours asked by Britain, which in bend, wouldkeep Canada imperialistic. When Bourassa decided to oppose traditional imperialistic ties with Britai n, he felt that Canada was turning to be astrong, autonomous state, which did non necessitate to perpetrate herself toanything that was considered to be related to Britain’s demands. Thesovereignty that Canada possessed, could perchance be tarnished, if theuncertainty of Canada puting herself in a struggle which did notnecessarily see her. These feelings and positions expressed forth byBourassa proves that he is caring for Canada and her people, and besides herparticipation in any farther wars, which could destroy a nation’s power, political relations and rights.Finally, Henri Bourassa felt that Canada was being carefully watched andevaluated by her American neighbours. Bourasssa had already held strongopinions, and as he progressed in political relations, came to fear the giganticUnited States, which threatened Canada’s independency. Bourassa wantedself-government and autonomy for Canadians without intervention from eitherAmerica or Britain. Bourassa became real ly nervous when Wilfird Laurierannounced that a common free trade understanding between the United States andCanada was being considered, Bourassa reacted upon the subject with truepassion. Bourassa felt that the true intent of the reciprocality pact, was camouflaged by the American authorities as a evidences for equal trade. Inreality, Bourassa felt that appropriation was in the hereafter for Canada. Thereciprocity trade, which was proposed by President Taft, of the UnitedStates, granted both Nations equal trade without import revenue enhancements, or duties, on natural merchandises. The trade trade was created to organize a lower cost offarm green goods, and the close extinction of the duties on manufactured goods, there was seemingly no fright of that the developing Canadian manufacturingindustry would be taken over by it’s American rivals. Unfortunately, Laurier viewed trade with America as an timeserving manner to improverelations and hike the Canadian economic system. T he Imperial Nationalists ofEnglish speech production Canada and Henri Bourassa were against it, make up ones minding thatthe merely ground America wanted to bring on trade was to easy derive controlof Canada. This was evident when Champ Clark stated â€Å"We are fixing toannex Canada, and the twenty-four hours is non far off when the American flag will floatover every square pes of the British North American ownerships clear tothe North Pole.† Bourassa expanded on the position of Clark, â€Å"Canada is notyet a state and is heading towards annexation.† Both of these quotation marks showthe misgiving that Bourassa had toward the Americans. Bourassa tried toinform the authorities of such schemes by the American’s to seek andpreserve Canadian sovereignty, and after the autumn of the Lauriergovernment, the reciprocality negotiations were ceased and nationality was saved. Henri Bourassa’s proposals for a more stable and productive Canada showedgenuine involvem ent by Bourassa to maintain Canada independent. Bourassasuggested that the Grand Trunk Railway should be in private operated butowned strictly by the province, the province pregnant authorities owned. Besides, Bourassa and F.D. Monk adopted the fright that any north-south trade via theCanadian Pacific Railroad, would destroy the attempts of east-west trade withinCanada. This thought would seemingly make more money, maintain the involvement ofthe railroad by the people, and organizing a higher degree of trade withinCanada, which seems to be critical with respects to the reciprocality tradeagreement. Besides, Bourassa wanted to stop the ordeal involved with Canadaand the stock market, claiming that the stock market was America’s evil.Immigration wise, Bourassa felt that the immigrants deducing from Americainto Canada, were traveling to Western Canada for the money, and it’sindustry, alternatively of for a pure love of the state. Bourassa felt thatthis type of in-migratio n should non be allowed, and was another minordetail in the appropriation of Canada. In decision, these thoughts show howBourassa brought Forth specific positions to seek and maintain Canada independentfrom America, which at the clip, was a big issue, that was non beinginterpreted exactly to the Canada populace, by the Canadian Government. .In decision, Henri Bourassa’s reign in authorities proved to be avaluable one. His manner of predicating other states demands, helped himdecide that the first trueness of Canadians should be to Canada and non theEmpire. This can be perceived by measuring his positions on muster, hisanti-imperialistic mentality, and his battle against Canadian appropriation tothe United States. Henri Bourassa, in his positions on patriotism andpatriotism was quoted â€Å"There is Ontario nationalism, Quebec nationalism, orWestern patriotism†¦but there is no Canadian nationalism, and we can haveno Canadian state, when we have no Canadian patriotism.â⠂¬  In the quotestated, Henri Bourassa has inclined many people to believe that Bourassahimself to the terminal of his life, was committed to the Canadian province andCanadian nationhood, and that’s why he was a Canadian Nationalist as opposeto an disloyal treasonist. 34f

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International Student Accommodation Services When Studying Overseas Education Essay The increasing a number of those students whose are studying abroad to gain a better education. Basically, the students are unfamiliar with their new environment. Students are used to be more rely with the overseas education agent service centre that are managing those international students in form of school placements and accommodations services while they are studying overseas so they can gain the information in detail regarding to that country they are going to. In form of the accommodation, those international students are tending to find the accommodation according to their accessibility, comfortable regarding their individual needs. The informations that the students most likely to find out are regarding to the facilities, environment of the resident, and the guardian attitudes. The purpose of this research is to investigate an understanding of the overseas accommodation services standard and the quality on managing the students. Through this research paper, the researcher can gain more information in depth on overseas accommodation services to improve the quality of the services to provide the students good home stay. In the other hand, those overseas agents are expected to taking a good care of those students who are under take by their accommodation sector. The accommodation/ hostel are granted a guardianship services to those students to control and monitoring them. The guardians have a responsibility to concern into those students well being and academic progress to lead them and to encourage them on those students studies. Literature Review As the increase the number of international students, some of the major changes in the program that impacted on the standard and quality services of the accommodation for students. According to Richardson,K. (2003), the language of the communication may cause some effect and the difficulties of the student to communicate to each other due the cultural differentiations. The accommodation provider has to concern more in depth about the quality of the accommodation and care services that provided to their students. Furthermore, overall the level of the accommodation satisfaction is decreases as it increases their cost (Sauer, S., CreationWorks Director and Brian Robb., and AFS NZ National Director., 2006) and offering wide-ranging of living standards for students accommodation. Moreover, the accommodation provider lowers their standard requirements to gain adequate homes to provide the essential accommodation needs of the home stay. A number of the young students are requiring the adult / guardian to taking care of them (Richardson,K., 2004) while they are studying abroad. The students are most likely to choose to live close to their institution for their own convenience and safety due they are unfamiliar with the information regarding the surrounding suburbs and transportation options (Smith, S., 2007). Furthermore, according to Smith, S. (2007), the management of the accommodation facilities regarding the distance between the accommodation and their institute are not monitored well by the agent. Most likely the problems that those students are facing currently is regarding to the cultural problems, cuisine, and the suitability and the sufficient living environment. Moreover, the accommodation provider are insufficient provide the services which are expected by those students (Richardson, K., 2004) so it may cause the decreases of the satisfaction level. The less communication between the providers and the students cause the problems within the home stay services as well. The communication between the providers and the students is the most important key to improve the satisfaction level of the services on the accommodation. Brown, G. and Lin, Tzu-Ching. (2010) stated that gaining income was not as important as a desire to offer the student and to assist the student with their educational development. The study increases understanding of the complex relationship that emerges during extended service encounters. Most important in the context of educational home stay although the way they are operationalized reflected the distinctive characteristics of the service setting. The findings are of direct relevance to a service centred approach to marketing in which relationships. The process for students begins in their home country, usually by referral from an education agent. It is also becoming increasingly common for students to request a home stay as compared to hostels. Communication between the home stay provider and the student is perceived as one of the most important aspects of the home stay experience. The major concern expressed by accommodation providers was communication difficulties because of lan guage barriers between the students and the hosts. Research Design According to Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., (1998), Research design is the plan and structure that investigate and to obtain the result to research questions and it also express the issues of the research and basically it can be used to obtain the evidence of the problem in the research paper. The researcher has conducted a schedule of the research proposal. The effectiveness of this approach is to assist the researcher to control and manage the finding progress to complete the research report punctually. Schedules of the research proposal. The table has shown below is the planning of the researcher by conducting the time table to manage the researchers research paper in order to show the sequences of the efficiency of the finding progress. Date Detail 20th December 2010 Registration and discussion of the research report topic with the instructor. 21st December 2010 22nd December 2010 Researching information regarding the research proposal topic. 23rd December 2010 Designing and investigate the questions of the survey. 30th December 2010 1st draft check with the instructor regarding the questionnaire survey. 31st December 2010 2nd January 2011 Preparing the research proposal and modifying the questionnaire survey paper. 3rd January 2011 2nd draft check and confirmation with the instructor regarding the format of the questionnaire survey 4th January 2011 Sending out the survey papers to the respondent. 5th January 2011 Collecting back the survey papers from the respondents. 6th January 2011 Analyzing the survey papers. 7th January 2011 9th January 2011 Preparing and modifying the research report. 10th January 2011 Final draft check with the instructor regarding the entire research proposal. 11st January 2011- 13rd January 2011 Modifying the entire research proposal. 14th January 2011 Submission date of the research proposal. Figure 1: Schedule of the research proposal. Research Method The researcher is using the quantitative research method to conduct this research paper which is conducting a questionnaire survey it always involves the numerical on the analysis data section (Johnson, P. and Harries, D., 2002). The questionnaire survey was used to investigate the quality and the standard of the services. The focus group was conducted to gain information into the issues which are concerned about the accommodation services. The researcher is doing the survey to improve the quality and the standard of the international students accommodation services by conducting the literature review section which is to study in more detail regarding this topic issues. The researcher conducting the questioning section it is because by using the questioning section is much more efficient but there are a weakness on the questioning section regarding the quality and quantity of the information are depends on the respondents ability and the willingness to participate the questioning survey (Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., 1998). The researcher conducting the questioning survey in the network home stays of the international to get all the outcomes. Those information have been collected can be carried out the trusted outcome in the end of the research. Sampling Sampling has define as the population that can draw a conclusion of the entire research paper topic focus area by using measurement through selecting some of the elements outcomes (Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., 1998). The researcher is using the single stage procedure of the sampling which by the researcher has access to the population and able to sample the respondents directly (Creswell, John W., 1994). The researcher is using the rating scale to measure the outcome of the survey and it provide an opportunity on extraction variance in the measurement (Copper,Donald R. and Schindler,Pamela S., 1998). The researcher conducted a survey and the target network is those students who are staying in the hostel to gain the information in furthermore and provide a valid and reliable outcomes. The sampling of this research paper is concern about the international students accommodation and definitely the researcher more target those students who studying overseas and staying in th e hostel to participate on the survey to result the valid and reliable outcomes. Limitation of data The researcher has a good understanding regarding to this topic focus area and conducting a survey to gain the best results of the questions that has been asked by the researcher to write a research proposal and more focus on the main issue of the topic. The researcher facing some problem while conducting the research paper because of the limitation of the time to do the finding more in depth. Obviously, in this limitation of time it may cause the researcher may not be able to get good responses from the respondents regarding the questionnaire paper so probably the researcher is facing the difficulties to conduct the researcher because of the limitation of the data. Therefore, the researcher has to more concern about the understanding of the respondents regarding the survey questions and makes it easier for the researcher to get a better result on researchers finding. Design of Questionnaire According to Johnson, P. and Harries, D. (2002), the researcher conducting the questionnaire survey paper have consider the respondents abilities and information level to answers of the questions which are conducted by the researcher so the respondents able to answer the questionnaire adequately and participate the survey and able to give such a helpful answers to help the researcher to conduct the research paper. In the other hand, the questionnaire that conducted by the researcher are more concern about the students accommodation accessibility, accommodation facilities and the guardianship of the students. The purposes of the questions which are conducted by the researcher in term of the accessibility to measure how good and important are the accommodation location according to those students who are staying in the hostel. In term of accommodations facilities, the purpose of the researcher is focus on this area is to measure how good the quality of the facilities of the accommodation is. To gain the feedback from the respondents so that the agents could able provide a better facilities and to improve the usability of the facilities that the agent should provide for the students. To satisfy the students individual needs and make the students feel more comfortable of the accommodations facilities that have provided. In term of the guardianship, the purpose of the researcher finding is to investigate how well is the guardian attitude while they are responsible on taking care of those students who are staying on the accommodations. The researcher conduct the questions focus on the communication between the students and the guardian, how well the guardian concern and monitoring their students personal well being and their academic progress and able to clarify any doubt that the students facing on. After all the questionnaire survey has been done by the researcher, the researcher has conducted the rating scale to evaluate the outcome of the survey so that the researcher could able to measure the quality and standard of the services in furthermore. Moreover, through this research paper the researcher could able to give a recommendation to improve the level of the satisfaction of the students regarding to the homes stay quality and makes the accommodation more comfortable for those who are staying. Data Analysis Based on the research survey, numbers of volunteer totally 20 people. Among the 20 people 8 of them are male and the rest 12 of the people are female. The level of accommodation comforts to those international students is basically involved how accessible is the place and as well as security level. Accessible level of the accommodation is often considered by those students when they are finding the accommodation which is involved them convenient on their transportation, easy for getting daily stuff, and easy access facility around the area. The level of comfort and accessibility Figure 2 Measurement the level of the accommodation consideration From the data gathered, it seems that most students prefer comfort over accessibility. Statistics show that 60% would rather have comfort within their accommodation location, rather than it being accessible. Age Figure 3 Comparison of age between female and male students The above chart depicts the age group of my respondents. The chart shows that most of my respondents are females between the age of 15 to 25 years old. The quality of guardianship Figure 4 Measurement of the level of services and communication Most students feel that the language barrier is not as difficult to overcome as compared to having a guardian who does not fulfil his or her responsibilities well. The students would appreciate if the guardian would constantly check in on their well-being and academic progress. Conclusion and Recommendations As a conclusion of this research report, the standard and the quality of accommodation services that provided by the agents are often unreliable. Nowadays, the agents tend to lower the quality and standard of the home stay and thus provide a low quality home stay service without much consideration towards international students. The outcome of the researchers finding based on the students age, shows that 90 % of the students who are staying in hostel are in between 15 25 years old. These students who reside in hostel would much prefer home stay accommodation as compared to staying in a hostel, as they feel that home stay provides a more comfortable atmosphere for them and they are willing to forgo convenience in terms of accessibility of location, just for comforts sake. To provide the comfortable accommodation for students, the provider has to consider the four main points which contributes directly to the comfort level in order to fulfil the students individual needs. The accessibility level of the accommodation is also considered important to the students but as mentioned, comfort is more important. Moreover, the level of the guardianship in form of the guardians responsibility on monitoring, encourage, concern about their students needs and communicate well to understand those students needs is to improve their quality on providing the services and the standard of accommodation living.