Competitive Analysis - Car Wash Industry Essay -- Business Analysis

Introduction The task of this assignment is to complete a competitive analysis of two of the largest competitors in the industry of chosen study. This researcher’s chosen field is the Car Wash industry. Unlike many industries, the Car Wash industry does not have dominant players or franchise names that rule across the country. Unlike other automobile related industries such as oil change (Rapid Oil Change), tires and batteries (Goodyear), and auto parts retailers (NAPA), where these types of name players may have thousands of locations throughout the country, there are no big name players in the Car Wash industry. Although there are companies that own and operate multiple car wash facilities, most of these multi-location owners operate multiple locations throughout a metropolitan or regional area and their overall location totals are nominal. Since there is a lack of dominant competitors to analyze, this researcher will focus on an analysis between the two main categories of car wash ownership: full service vs. unattended operations. Industry Overview and Description The Car Wash industry began to start and grow across the U.S. after the conclusion of World War II. America’s economic rebirth and prosperity created a boom in the housing and automobile industry. What began as a business to satisfy Americans’ love of the automobile has grown over the past several decades into an international industry. From washing one’s car in the driveway with a water hose and bucket of soapy water, to the do-it-yourself, unattended coin operated high-pressure wand locations, to today’s professional car washing businesses which feature complex automatic equipment and technological systems to wash cars more safely and effectively than ... ...ion wash bays are a huge competitive risk as these gas retailers usually offer discounted car washes with the purchase of gasoline. For the full-service wash model, they too have to be in tune with cheaper and less service options as in challenging economies, their services become more difficult to justify for the consumer who is worried about income. Competitive rivalry, threat of substitution, and threat of new entry are the forces that the full-service model is at most risk with. Poor service reputation and lack of a strong value proposition puts this car wash model at serious risk of substitution. The treat of new entry for both business models can be significant as there are many new innovations in car wash businesses such as mobile wash stations and new and used car dealerships that are adding this business in what has been a very difficult car economy.

Moments of life Essay

Basically, people have a different memorable socializing moment in their life. Every single minute of their life are valuable so that memorable situation might be happened anytime. Firstly, everybody likes to go to the party. There are different kinds of party which can make a nice moment such as graduation party or birthday party. To illustrate, when you are 18 years old you will have a big party from your people around you. They will create a surprising party for you. Particularly, the gifts will be amazing. Therefore, this event will be one of the best memorable socializing moments in your life. Secondly, some festivals might impress you which you will have a good experience. For instance, Christmas festival, it’s apparently everyone favorable holiday which everyone can do several things on that day namely enjoying a delicious meal or opening a secret gift which is a main tradition of Christmas Day. Hence, many people are going to memorize things they do on this day because it’s a spectacular day for everyone. Eventually, everyone has many friends such as high school friends, neighbors or even upcountry friends. Unfortunately, they are not with you all the time. They live separately from you. Reunion always makes memorable time for them. For example, you have not seen your friends long time ago, and one day they all come to meet you as a reunion party. Certainly, you are definitely going to remember this event forever. Thus, this is not difficult to see that reunion is a wonderful memorable socializing moment. Conclusively, memorable moment is able to happen in every situation. It is depend on you whether you satisfy it or not.

Claddagh Rings Essay

Today’s society is extremely fashion and style conscious. Most styles and trends are in one day and out the next, from clothing, jewelry, and accessories. However some trends are timeless and never go out of style, like the Irish Claddagh ring. But what is the origin of the jewelry and why is it still such a popular trend today? All these questions can be explained by looking at the origin, legends, meaning, and usage of the ring. The history of the Claddagh ring is surrounded in uncertainty due to the many popular folk stories that circulating around the origins of the ring. However what we do know for certain is that the ring originated from the Irish town of Claddagh(cite48). Claddagh was a small fishing village outside the city of Galway (cite48). This is where the name of the ring comes from. As with most story there are always many variations, in the case of the Claddagh ring and its origins there are numerous. One variation is how Margaret Joyce took the fortune inherited from her late husband, a Spanish merchant, and used it for charitable causes. She was reward for her charitably when a eagle one day dropped the the original Claddagh ring into her lap. cite48) The most likely legend of the rings origin is generally attributed to Richard Joyce. It goes that around 1675 Joyce was captured by Algerian pirates and sold as a slave while traveling to the West Indies. Joyce was sold to a Turkish goldsmith who taught him his craft. Joyce was released after William III was accession to the throne of England in 1689 and released all prisoners held captive by the Moors. Joyce served his master for fourteen years and when released his master offered half his wealth and his daughters hand in marriage if Joyce would continue to practice under him. Joyce declined this offer and returned to Claddagh where he married, had his on business as a silversmith and created the first Claddagh ring. The historical facts from this version of the story hold more truth to the origins of the ring then any other legend given that King William III did in fact release all Moors’ slaves. (cite 48 49) The Claddagh ring has a distinctive design. It features two hands clasping a heart that is surmounted with a crown. The ring itself is a symbol of love and marriage. Its believed that the heart represents love, the hand friendship, and the crown loyalty(cite 49). Going back to Richard Joyce if he is, and mostly likely was, the creator of the Claddagh ring the design itself depicts his loyalty and love of his country, since he did refused his masters offers to come home to Ireland. The Claddagh ring when created was used as a wedding or betrothal ring passed down from mother to daughter during a time of marriage (cite 49). This tradition it ensured the survival of the ring. (cite 49. ) The rings unique design also ensured its survival because it could be worn by both sex since it represents friendship and loyalty. Claddagh rings are still a expression of romance today. Today you can find the Claddagh symbol on different types of Celtic crosses, pendants, candles, and other jewelry. Its popularity in today’s society has been boosted threw media and pop culture, with celebrities wearing the ring and movies like Ladder 41, which describes how they way in which one wears the ring shows if they are in love or still open to friendship. Regardless of which legend of how the ring originated is true the facts is that the Claddagh ring has survived through history, keeping a symbolic meaning that is still significant.

How Is the Current Recession Acting Like

How is the Current Recession Acting like/unlike the Great Depression Nowadays, the economy of the world plunges into an awkward situation. The entire world meets a global economic crisis or recession, especially in the United States. After World War , this recession is the biggest recession for the America. Most of people express worried about this recession; absolutely they recall the memory about the Great Depression which was the most enormous economic crisis in the American history. They are anxious because it seems like the United States is going through another Great Depression or will go through another Great Depression. From the history, everyone knows how serious the result came out from the Great Depression; it baffled human beings’ development. No one wants to see another Great Depression happen again. However, there are sufficient reasons to support public people to worry about the Great Depression will happen again, because present recession and the Great Depression, both of them have some similar characteristics. Meanwhile, both of them have much unlike points also can prove the Great Depression will not happen again. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the current recession and the Great Depression, I will prove the current recession causes the effects will much less than the Great Depression, and the Great Depression will not replay. Back to 1929~1933, on October 29 1929, the â€Å"Black Tuesday† came to the United States. On this day, American financial world crashed, the stock’s price fell from top to bottom, fell 40 percentages from 383, also the Dow Jones stock index fell 22 percentages(Baidu, 2009). From this date to November 13th 1929, there was thirty billion disappeared in the market, this number equal to the total expenses of World War?. However, the crash of the stock market was just the beginning of a horrible economic crisis. Even through the Great Depression began at the collapse of the stock market; many experts still thought the influence from the collapse of the stock market was limited, because stock was just a little part of family’s property, it cannot affect Marginal Propensity to Consume(MPC) very much. However, the â€Å"Black Tuesday† was merely the beginning of the terrible issue, was just miniature of the Great Depression. The Great Depression caused a bunch of extremely serious social problem, for example, there were about 2 million to 4 million students had to drop their school. Even some people could not suffer the pain from mentality and physiology then suicide. The most significant problem was that 8. 3 million people lose their job; the unemployment rate reached such a high level which was 25%(Xu, 2009). Almost in every city, the poor people who were in line at the food bank as long as to several blocks. By the end of 1932, totally, there were about 2 million people roamed in the streets, there were no home for them. In September 1932, magazine Fortune estimated that 34 million people had no income; this population was 28% of the whole population of the United States. And at least 15 million people were looking for a job, but there was no job offer to them at that time (Baidu, 2009). Change the view to the economy. At the beginning year of the Great Depression, since the economy became weakness, it was hard for bank to get back of their loan, and the public people were anxious so that they went to the bank to withdraw their deposit. Therefore, at that time 50% was closed. The government took conservative measure, decreased the money supply so that more and more banks had to be closed. Consequently, 9000 banks had already closed and 130 thousands enterprises went to bankrupt. The total output of industry and nation income (NI) decreased 50%, the trade price of goods reduced one third and merchandise trade also cut two thirds (Techcn, 2009). In 1920s, the people’s confidence of the forward economy was expressed in the stock market. From 1921 to 1929, Dow Jones Indexes increased from 75 to 363, average growth rate (AVGR) was 21. 8% which was an incredible number (Su, 2009). Under this prosperous situation hided possibility which can cause the Great Depression. At the beginning of 1929, the stock market of United States of America was crazy, the price of stock raised times by times. As I mentioned before, rather than say black one day, I would like to say black week or black month. On October 24th 1929, the market of New York exchange suddenly got a crash, the speed of falling stock price too quick to catch up by the ticker. Even though some consortiums and the president came out to try to save the market, it did not work. On October 28th and 29th 1929, Dow Jones Indexes fell 38. 33, 13. 47% and on Tuesday fell 11. 73% (Black Tueday, 2002). During this short week, American people lose 10 billion dollars in stock exchange. Time went to the middle of November 1929, the stock’s price in New York Exchanges fell 40%, lose 26 billion dollars. Millions of public people lose their whole life’s money. During the Great Depression, the stock price of US steel fell from $262 to $22, and the stock price of GM fell from $73 to $8 (Techen, 2009). Gross domestic product (GDP) fell 25% during 1929-1933, and Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) of 1933 decreased 24. 6% compared to 1929 (Hexun,2009). â€Å"In economics, a recession is a general slowdown in economic activity over a long period of time, or a business cycle contraction. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way. Production as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment, investment spending, capacity utilization, household incomes, business profits and inflation all fall during recessions; bankruptcies and the unemployment rate rises. †(Wikipedia, 2009). This is the definition of the recession. Compared to the Great Depression, we can figure out some similarities. For example, GDP, employment, and investing spending fall in the current recession or the Great Depression. In current recession, GDP fall 2%, unemployment rate is 8. 1%, and Dow Jones Indexes decrease 52 % (Xu, 2009). From these data, we know that in current recession for the society, many people lose their jobs, also many enterprises go to bankrupt as well as some banks. For the stock market, the Dow Jones Indexes can tell us that the stock market do not in a nice situation. For the whole country, GDP fall so that American economy gets into recession. However, if we take a close look at these numbers, we can see these numbers are different from the Great Depression. As I mentioned, during the Great Depression, GDP fell 25%, unemployment rate was 25%, and Dow Jones Indexes fell 89%. These numbers in current depression are much smaller than the Great Depression; therefore, these numbers prove that the current recession effect will much less than the Great Depression. Reason of the current recession and the Great Depression is different. The current recession is caused by the subprime mortgage crisis. â€Å"The subprime mortgage crisis is an ongoing real estate crisis and financial crisis triggered by a dramatic rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures in the United States, with major adverse consequences for banks and financial markets around the globe. The crisis, hich has its roots in the closing years of the 20th century, became apparent in 2007 and has exposed pervasive weaknesses in financial industry regulation and the global financial system† (Wikipedia, 2009). The subprime mortgage crisis happened because of moral hazard. From our textbook we understand that the risk that one party to a transaction takes actions that harm another party called moral hazard. About the reason of the Great Depression, it seems like the stock market’s crash lead to the terrible issue, but the real reason is the unbalanced or unhealthy development of the economy. The strategies from the government to deal with these two issues are different. During the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve did not get the right strategy to deal with the market less liquidity, on the other hand, the current U. S. government decrease the interest, create some new strategies to activate the market, also try their best to save the economy. Also, the current government takes out 700 billion dollars to save banks and insurance companies. Totally, government plan to use 787 billion dollars to stimulate the economy and increase 3. 5 million chances of employing (Xu, 2009). Consequently, the Great Depression will not replay. However, even we can predict the current recession’s effect will less than the Great Depression, we also need pay enough attention to the current recession. In fact, the entire world’s economy is not a good condition, what we need to do is not just the save the economy but also prevent the recession happen again and again.

Micro-Teaching Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Micro-Teaching - Assignment Example (Gardner, 2000, 45) I got hold of some school text books as well as college books on mathematics and statistics. I studied these in depth. I made sure that I understood every word in the explanations. I did quite a few numbers in the exercises to practice. It was not possible to try every sum because they were in large numbers. I referred some experienced teachers on the subject. I also went online and studied pie charts in bona fide websites. In addition to this process, I tried many times to make the presentation more understandable to the level of age that the class I am to teach is under. This would help them realize the subject more practically. (Erickson, 2006, 76) I discussed pie charts and how they are to be taught to university students. I discussed this with one senior and experienced teacher of statistics in the university. I discussed the basic features of pie charts and their use. I also talked to a few students to get an idea of what they expected from teachers. I also learnt when pie charts are best used. These conversations allowed me to see through the process of learning that would most likely work on the students I am particularly dedicating the presentation to. (Gardner, 2001, 54) Through the advice and the perceptions of the people I talked to, I realized when is it best to utilize pie charts and rather give them a more practical sense of function in the class during certain conventional discussions may it be about math or other subjects. How did you select materials I talked to students in the second and third years of their college. I got wind of the text books that contain explanations and problems in pie charts. The teacher I spoke to in this regard also helped me. I also had an idea about the school text books that contained explanations of pie charts. I also went online and used key words to select website that had explanations on pie charts. Through these implicative understanding garnered through research, I made it a point that what I would be presenting to the class would not simply be a functional piece of aide for teaching, but it would also be something that would make learning an easier task for all the students in class regardless of whatever age or whatever level of learning they might be able to grasp.(Tyler, 2001, 54) This made my presentation more applicable to all ages and all learners both in secondary school and university school classes. What alternative approaches did you consider I did think about using audio visuals. Proper use of audio visuals impact students' minds rapidly and clearly. It also becomes easy to explain pie charts use thoroughly with the help of audio visuals. Audio visuals come in many forms. I prefer using my laptop for the purpose. I will have to prepare the notes and charts. I knew that this

The Total Gross External Area of the Building Research Paper

The Total Gross External Area of the Building - Research Paper Example Viewing the property from all directions the building is not been altered since construction, the walls are made of bricks and covered by a tile roofing which is still in good condition. The ground floor contains a kitchen, dining and living, and a garage attached to the side of the building. The first floor contains 4 bedrooms of which one is the master bedroom and bathroom. All the rooms in the house are fully furnished. The house is located within an already established residential estate. It is located at the junction of Worthing road and north road in the west of Sussex. The exterior walls, on the other hand, are made of brick and the inside is finished with solid concrete, the floor is made of thick concrete which is in good condition and no sign of dampness was evident. The reinstatement cost is the cost that may be incurred in the rebuilding of a house, Household insurance is calculated in two parts, this includes building an insurance and content insurance, building insuranc es cover the building and other building fittings, content insurance on the hand covers. There are various methods used in the valuation of buildings, in our case we have used the Gross external area method in estimating the value of the residential property, the residential property market price is 299,995 while the estimated value is 263,000 and given the condition of the house the market price is much higher than the estimated price, therefore the house is far overvalued in the market and purchasing the house may lead to resale problems in the future.

Daniel Gilbert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Daniel Gilbert - Essay Example Most of us agree when we say that college is one of the most beautiful parts of life. The endless giggles, the class bunking, the cultural concerts, every aspect of youth that we share with our friends turns out to be an experience that is to be cherished for a lifetime. Let us quickly take recourse to our youthful practices and check for the theory of super replicators that Daniel Gilbert so stoutly professes in his book. At the very start, he has suggested that the super replicator system works best in transferring beliefs from one person to another. Yes, this holds true for our school and college lives. In fact, our society is one in which we grow up believing what our parents and elders teach us ever since school. When it is time to start developing our own notions, friends and their preferences take over. Most of us like to look good amongst our friends, and the definition of â€Å"good† is also based on what they think is proper or successful. Gilbert suggests that just like genes replicate fast enough to govern our health requirements and tastes (Gilbert, 2007, p. 171), the super replicators inside us, also develop upon the existing psychology that is rampant in society. And we pick up new ones as favorable or unfavorable depending on what we observe (Gilbert, 2007, p. 172). The fact shows when we communicate with people adopting strategies of communication which will have the best favorable results with them. And if you take a quick look at college life around you, or go back to the days when you spent hours with your best buddies, you will find ample reason to agree with the theory. A friend wishes to go to an amusement park while another wants to check out the latest movie. You are stuck in between but the decision happens once you give a nod to one of the choices. As soon as there is a majority to one of the decisions, the third person falls in line freely. That is where super-replication takes place. College life is full of simple and