Chinese bank's potential to set up a new market in UK Essay

Chinese bank's potential to set up a new market in UK - Essay Example This paper will perform a feasibility study to evaluate a Chinese bank’s potential to set up a new market outside the country. Introduction Bank is one of the most common forms of financial services in an economy. The major function of a bank is to receive deposits from people and to lend money to potential customers. In every country, there is a central bank to manage the state’s currency rate, money supply, and interest rates. Economists unanimously propose that strength of the banking sector is a direct determinant of a country’s economic feasibility and sustainability. In order to attain greater level of operational efficiency and to sustain their operations, banks need to attract huge amounts of deposits. Although lending is a potential way to improve the profitability of banking operations, careless and excess lending would challenge the long term sustainability of banks. Thoughtless mortgage lending led to a series of bank failures in the United States ove r the last decade. Since then, banks all over the world have been giving increased focus to the repayability of loans granted. Many well established banks consider international operation as an effective strategy to spread risk elements and to achieve greater future certainty. New market in United Kingdom The feasibility study will be about setting a new market for the Chinese bank in United Kingdom. Evidently, UK is one of the most economically rich countries in the world and hence there is a greater scope for banking business in the UK market. In addition, UK stands well ahead of other developed countries in terms of industrial operations. Furthermore, the country is one of the strongest members in the EU. Hence, at the initial look it seems that UK is a potential market for the Chinese bank to promote its overseas operation. PESTLE analysis Political factors In the United Kingdom, the government exerts increased control over the banking industry blaming that thoughtless interfere nces of politicians caused a downturn in banking sector in the country recently. The government is likely to introduce stricter regulations in the near future so as to reduce the power of the banking institutions. Despite such regulations, increased political interferences still affect the flow of UK banking sector. According to PwC’s UK banking leader John Hitchins, growing political interferences coupled with stricter regulations have taken the banking sector’s future out of its control (Moore 2010). Economic factors While analyzing the economic landscape, it is clear that UK’s economic growth rate is lagging behind many other developed countries since the global financial crisis 2008-09. It must be particularly noted that the UK banks have significantly reduced the volume of lending over the last few years in response to a number of bank failures in the last decade. In 2011, four leading banks in UK including Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC , and Barclays restricted their property lending by a combined total of ?17.2 billion. Even though the Bank of England had announced an attractive plan to foster bank loans to medium sized businesses and home buyers, UK banks still hesitate to sanction property loans. Undoubtedly, this situation can be very helpful for the Chinese bank to set up its new market in UK. In addition, reports indicate that UK economy is

Isalm, the West, and Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Isalm, the West, and Democracy - Essay Example hammed, the Prophet of Islam, started his preachings of true and one God, ALLAH, almost 1400 years ago on a very small scale when he was called upon on the duty to be a Prophet by God. However, the subsequent battles, the increase in the strength of Muslims, the so called followers of Islam being called, provided enough manpower to start a spree of conquests and establish one of the largest empires of the world. However, due to its uniqueness, it failed to find a match with the governance styles prevalent in the world at that time. Based on Khilafa, which is the system of governance where few good and pious men choose the Khalifa or King, does not match in its entirety with the democratic systems of government where collective self governance is done through a popular election. This compatibility of democracy and Islam is one of the most debated topics in academic as well as non-academic circles especially in the aftermath of 9/11 and the subsequent re-defining of world order and the war on terror. The history of Islam suggest that the concept of election was present but to a very limited level. As discussed above that the Kalifa was chosen with the consent of the pious men of the society does indicate a certain level of crude electoral school present in the primitive Islamic society. It must also be noted that the earliest Islamic society was very limited and Medina, where the Islamic empire begun comprised only few thousands inhabitants. Islamic therefore necessarily do not advocate any particular form of governance therefore to argue that democracy and Islam are two incompatible issues is basically a flawed argument. All the earliest evidence of Islamic society and its teachings do not point towards a single system of governance in the country. Caliphate does not mean an Islamic system of governance as it was not the chosen method of governance. The issue of democracy and Islam need to be traced back to its origin. As Feldman has started to trace the

Environmental engineering report- flocculation Assignment

Environmental engineering report- flocculation - Assignment Example Proper designing, construction, and minimizing mechanisms are essential for protecting the environment and thus, the process of flocculation is regarded as a significant environment engineering techniques that helps to provide purified water. Thus, the report postulates that the flocculation technology is one of the superior environmental engineering processes to reduce the perilous and harmful substances that are generally present in the water, but the chance of errors remain in the process due to utilization ineffective chemicals. Environmental engineering is the application of science and engineering technology in order to respond to the challenges imposed to the environment. Besides, with the growing population, the extensive land-uses, modernization of technology, increasing operational activities and other factors has led to a significant threat to the environment. However, through this growing concern various environmental engineers are engaged in the activities to develop and provide most noteworthy and technical solutions in order to effectively deal and resolve the environmental problem and issues through the optimum utilization of necessary resources. The main object of the environmental engineering is to improve the condition of the natural environment through providing healthy air, water and land supporting the human habitation as well as a prospering ecosystem. In this regards the flocculation is an indigenous engineering mechanism to treat the wastewater. This mechanism is used to neutralize as w ell as aggregate the various ‘colloidal particles’ that are present in the water. Moreover, this mechanism is utilized to reduce the hazardous substances, color, phosphorous, organic substances, and metal traces including iron, chromium and manganese present in the water. Moreover, due the significant characteristics of colloidal suspension present in the water, it is difficult to separate through the conventional

Business Case Analysis for Virgin Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Case Analysis for Virgin Group - Essay Example The history and milestones of Virgin Group (Virgin) is a portrait of how companies make strategic decisions in response to change. In a lot of situation, we can see the company's management altering the course of the business operations. However, it is notable that all the changes in Virgin is in direct response to new opportunities and threats. This report will look at the major strategic changes at Virgin Group as well as their respective motives and impact. The first section will give a brief description of Virgin. In order to fully evaluate the scenarios where strategic changes are made, this paper will draw insights from the different theories and principles in strategic management. The use to these tools and techniques is expected to give an accurate account of how the company comes up with its various decisions. The paper will conclude with its findings. The origins of Virgin Group can be directly traced to the Richard Branson's foremost business endeavor in 1968, the Student Magazine. In its pursuit of saving the magazine from financial crisis, Branson ventured into selling music records which were then significantly overpriced. From this humble beginning, the company has risen to integrate 24 businesses (as of 2000) where the major lines are Virgin Travel, Virgin Atlanta, Virgin Entertainment, Virgin Holidays, Virgin Retail, Virgin Express Holdings, Virgin Direct, Virgin Direct Personal Finance, Virgin Rail, V2 Music, and Virgin Net. How the company which started as a mail order operation venture into these diverse business operations is a direct result of the strategic changes that Virgin has decided to embark in. The firm had really explored uncharted waters as it recognizes various business opportunities in other markets. The first decision which signaled the company's willingness to go into other business lines was its move to establish Virgin Retail from its mail order operation. 3.0 From Mail to Retail In 1971, the company was pressured to seek a new way of distributing its products. This dilemma was triggered by the national postal strike which plagued the whole nation. It can be seen that this event significantly threatened the firm into bankruptcy. Recognizing that Virgin needs a distribution system apart from mail ordering, Branson opted to establish a physical distribution system. Virgin rented space where clients can visit and buy records. In this decision, the company exposed itself into new challenges. It should be noted that in terms of marketing, mail order operation only requires tailoring significant strategies for the three Ps-product, promotion, and price. The creation of distribution outlet necessitates a strategic decision on the other P which is place. Basic marketing tells us that in order to efficiently market a product, companies should strike a balance among the different factors in the marketing mix. Thus, the place where Virgin's customers pick up their favorite records should compliment the products sold, the promotion launched, and the price charged for the products. The case stated how Virgin designed the distribution outlet in order for it to be appealing to its target market: "True to the

Bacteriology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bacteriology - Case Study Example difficile microorganisms. The selected methods must be affordable for the organisation undertaking the testing. Since the different methods require different testing durations, the number of samples and the time results expected also determine the testing methods to be utilised (DuPont 2011). To ensure that all these factors have been met, optional methods can be utilised either singly or by combining two methods. The best option for testing would be combining Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) assay with enzyme immune-assay (EIA). The combination of these methods would enhance the limitations experienced by each method and increase the reliability of results. Samples would be prepared and each sample tested using both methods, and results recorded separately. A comparison of the results would then be undertaken to establish the various attributes being analysed by the results. The GDH method has been identified as having high sensitivity, but very poor specificity. The method can, therefore, accurately rule out the presence of clostridium difficile, but cannot ascertain the presence of the microbes (Goldenberg et al. 2010). The method rarely produces a negative for samples labelled true-positive using the EIA testing method. In most testing processes, GDH produces 100% specificity result because of the lack of false positive result, from the testing. The combination of these methods would enhance findings since GDH produces high sensitivity, and EIA produces relatively high specificity. Combining these methods, therefore, presents researchers with a capacity to have reliable results from the laboratory testing of clostridium difficile. GDH accurately tests the presence of enzymes produced by these microorganisms, but cannot ascertain the presence of C. difficile since similar enzymes are produced by other bacteria (Eastwood et al. 2009). The method can, therefore, rule out the presence of the microbial

Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Coursework Example The government also wants that the economy function at the full employment level, so that all the people who are capable and willing to work would be able to attain a job, however the natural rate of unemployment will never be zero due to seasonal, structural and other reasons. (McConnell & Brue, 1996) Zero inflation is considered bad for the economy; however, the inflation rate shouldn’t be too high or even too low in the economy and shouldn’t change rapidly. The government wants to sustain the inflation at a moderate and sustainable level. The prices and accordingly the demand of goods and services will vary according to the price level and therefore it is important that the general price level remain stable in the economy. Lastly, the government also aims at keeping their finances sound as well as the balance of payments account. (McConnell & Brue, 1996) However it is difficult to classify the objectives in order of their importance. And this makes the task of the go vernment difficult due to clashing objectives and a tradeoff needs to be made. Such as a policy that would perhaps stimulate overall demand or aggregate demand in the short run may reduce unemployment but that may increase inflation in the long run and go against the government’s objective of maintaining moderate inflation rate. This may also lead to a worsening of the balance of payment position and the government needs to make a choice as to what is more important. At the same time, growth and inflation are considered to be of utmost importance because growth is what improves the standard of living for people and controlling inflation also leads to general price levels being stable and thus attaining the goal of sustainable growth. Inflation is supposed to be the most important goal to achieve since it is believed that the other aims would be difficult to achieve in the long run if the sustainable inflation rate is missed. (McConnell & Brue, 1996) Governments can employ two policies in times of a recession, that is, a decline in GDP as well in times of expansion, that is, a rise in the GDP level. And these are: fiscal and monetary policies. Fiscal policies involve government expenditure and taxes to increase or decrease the economic activity. There are two types of fiscal policies: contractionary and expansionary fiscal policies. Contractionary fiscal policy is when the government spends less that the tax revenue, that is, the taxes are higher and government spends less on the economy to finance their debt. They also try to increase public sector borrowing requirement. An expansionary fiscal policy is used to expand the economy when it is in recession by the government spending increasing and a reduction in taxes. This leaves people with more disposable income and consumption and spending in the economy increases overall. The figure for an expansionary fiscal policy is shown below: A situation where G=T is one where the overall tax revenue funds the o verall government spending and this is called a neutral fiscal policy and is applied in an economy which is in equilibrium. Fiscal policies can help with the objectives of achieving a stable growth rate, full employment and price stability. However, government spending and borrowing can also lead to high interest rates, and when a debt is incurred, it may need to be facilitated from overseas, monetization or public borrowing. This can actually

Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Buddhism - Essay Example Thus, Buddhism is a philosophy that can also be a religion. One of the passages that relates to personal ethics is this: â€Å"Wakefulness is the way of life†¦How happy he is! For he sees that wakefulness is life!...† (from the Dhammapada translated by Byrom as qtd. in Kornfield 1). When I am wakeful, I am aware of who I am and what I am doing in relation to the effects of my actions to others and my environment. Wakefulness is important to being mindful of my impacts on others. In addition, this passage is related to professional and public ethics: â€Å"A person of wisdom should be truthful, without arrogance, without deceit, not slanderous and not hateful† (adapted from the Sutta-nipata translated by Saddhatissa as qtd. in Kornfield 3). This is related to professional ethics because it emphasizes the importance of truthfulness in doing our jobs. It reminds people of the wisdom in being honest in all our roles and responsibilities as professionals. It is also related to public ethics because public employees should serve without malice and deceit. They should do their jobs with honesty and integrity. The moral framework of Buddhism works within some of our public topics because it highlights moral responsibilities for truthfulness and mindfulness that are important, such as when voting and public policy. For example, we have to be mindful when voting and be critical of whom we are selecting as our public officials because they are going to make important decisions with our taxpayers’ money and the power we give to them. Public policy also needs truthfulness in being sincere in serving people’s real needs and mindfulness in being aware of how every decision impacts different stakeholders. The moral framework of Buddhism can help citizens and politicians become more aware of their roles and responsibilities and how they can work together in solving social Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4 Buddhism - Essay Example Buddhism, as a few people know, is not as much a religion as it is a meditative inner power of sorts. Contrary to other religions, Buddhism does not bestow upon its followers a doctrine or set of instructions that one must follow if they do not want to be banished to eternal hellfire. In fact, Buddhism’s primary principles are based on the human psychology, something many people can and do relate to. Unlike a god that cannot be seen and that must be envisioned as being eternally powerful, Buddhism’s mantra revolves around inner finding, and inner peace with oneself (Hanh, pp.4 – 11). This lack of external factors incites people to come towards it and share in this belief. As it is human nature to be alpha dogs of society, this is ultimately the perfect combination of belief and human psychology since now man is satisfied that there is no factor outside his influence as far as life is concerned, and that, crude as it may sound, is a proposition that brings about s atisfaction to man today. The secret to Buddhism’s success lies within its principles; most ideas that conflict with man’s autonomous nature have been discarded by Buddhism. For example, Buddhism by and large rejects the tedious existence of God, angels, heaven and hell. So now, instead of feeling confined, forced and, in a way, threatened to believe in a religion, people are told that if they follow, they will be doing so only for their inner peace, and that equation settles well with most cynics and rebels of society. This lack of ultimatums makes man feel less violated and less forced; in short, it is a religion that actively allows man to practice according to his free will. In addition, thus, as a progressive religion that adapts to man’s nature, it has done pretty well in terms of acceptance on a global level, as can be seen from its increasing numbers. Transformation of consciousness is one of the primary aims of a Buddhist. In America, freedoms of