Games Workshop Group Plc Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Games Workshop Group Plc - Coursework Example There is a significant increase in ROE from 1.51% in 2008 to 14.3% in 2009. The reason behind this huge change is the amount of profits in two years. The company successfully generated ?5,432,000 in 2009 in comparison to ?446,000 only in 2008. Overall distributable profit/ loss from continued and discontinued operations is ?5,550,000 in 2009 and loss of ?446,000 in 2008. This net loss in 2008 is due to the fact that the group sustained loss from discontinued operation in 2008. Extraordinary Items As mentioned in the Note 11 in the financial statements, Games Workshop Group plc discontinued some operations in 2008 for which the group sustained a heavy loss of ? 1,186,000. The revenue from this operation was only ?1,308,000, and the total expenses were ? 2,414,000 excluding tax of ? 80,000. Contrary to this, the group in 2009, not only avoided loss on discontinued operation, but also successfully generated ?118,000 profit from these operations. Operating Profit Margin Operating profit margin has increased to 7.17% in 2009 from 2.31% in 2008. Major reason behind this increase is the boost in profit in 2009. The company earned ?9,014,000 operating profit as compared to ?2,552,000 in 2008. Although the sales have increased by 14% ((125,706-110,345)/110,345=14%), but the increase in operating profit is greater than the increase in revenue ultimately improving the operating profit margin. Gross Profit Margin The group has reasonably high gross profit ratio is both years. It has improved to 71.43% in 2009 as compared to 69.43% in 2008 which represent 2% change. The group has made efforts to control the cost of sales. It is very important to note that, there is a huge decline from gross profit to operating profit. Gross profit declined by 64.26% and 67.12% in 2009 and 2008 respectively and also the company is operating with significantly high operating costs. Group’s operating cost is ?84,244,000 and ?75,798,000 in 2009 and 2008 respectively. Assets Turnover Asse ts Turnover indicates how efficiently the company has used its assets in generating profits. It has increased to 1.79 times in 2009 from 1.63 times in 2008. This is because the sales volume has increased by a net of ? 15,361,000 in 2009 representing 14% increase, while the total assets have increased by a net of only ?2,414,000 which represents 2% increase. Interest Cover Due to improved profitability, Interest Cover has reached 5.17 times in 2009 from 1.55 times in 2008. There is a slight decrease in total finance cost in both years. It has decreased by a net of ?110,000. This is due to the fact that the group has lesser financial liabilities than previous years. The cost of loans and over draft has decreased from ?1,644,000 to ?1, 2,201,000 from 2008 to 2009 because the group has repaid ?5 million for the long term debt during the year. Balance Sheet Gearing Balance sheet gearing describes the degree to which the Group’s business activities are finance by the owner’s equity and the creditors (Ogilvie, 2008). It is good to see that the financial gearing has decreased from 37.6% to 24% in 2009. The reasons for this decrease are the increase in equity due to net profits and other reserves, and the decrease in financial liabilities because the group has repaid ?5 million against long term liabilities. Total financial liabilities decreased to ?12,002,000 in 2009 from ?17,792,000 in 2008. Similarly total equity increased to ?37,991,000 in 2009 from ?29,526,000 in 2008. Current Ratio Current ratio indicates the availability of the current assets to pay the current liabilities when they fall due (Brigham Eugene Foster, 2009). This is one of the commonly used indicators of the liquidity. In both years the group has very high

Recruitment in the workplace Essay Example for Free

Recruitment in the workplace Essay In this report, I am going to describe and explain the recruitment and selection process and the different stages that the business has to go through when filling a vacantly Recruitment is when an organisation identifies a vacancy and from the range of applicants that require a job, the organisation employ the best candidate from the application forms received to fill the vacancy in order for the business to run efficiently. Selection is when all the applicants are shortlisted and from them, the employer chosen the best candidate for the job role. The human resources (HR) department are required to work for the organisation by recruiting, training staff also motivating them to work hard in the business. If the employees are trained and recruited correctly, it would show that the business is successfully operating. There are also many other tasks the HR department do such as giving employees promotions and a wage/salary boost, annual appraisals and other employee benefits. Recruitment can be internal or external depending on the job role and the vacancy being filled. Internal recruitment is when an employee already within the business fills a vacancy rather than employing someone outside the business. The vacancy for internal recruitment can be advertised by putting up notice boards, on the intranet and it can also be discussed during staff meetings on who would be the best person to fill the vacancy. The advantages of recruiting internally in the business are that when performing an induction for them, it will not be as difficult because the employee would be familiar with the business workplace and surroundings also it is quicker and less expensive than recruiting someone externally because the amount of candidates is already been narrowed down to certain employees inside the business. The disadvantages if recruiting internally is that the person filling the vacancy from inside the business may not have all the required skills and qualifications to perform the job effectively and by recruiting someone externally offers a versatile range of skills, qualities, experience and qualifications. External recruitment is when someone from outside the business is employed to fill a vacancy. This is a more common approach when recruiting as there is a larger range of candidates that have different skills and abilities. There are many ways to recruit externally. Most businesses will advertise using media such as the internet, newspapers, company newsletters and magazines. Another way to recruit is to go to the job centre and tell them that the company has a vacancy and eventually there will be a range of different candidates with different levels of experience, qualifications and skills. The advantages of using external recruitment are that a wider audience can be reached which increases the chance that the business will be able to recruit the skills it needs also the disadvantages mentioned for internal recruitment are advantages of external recruitment. The disadvantages of external recruitment are firstly even if the new employee has all the experience and skills required for the job, he may not be able to adapt to the businesses system and therefore will take longer to familiarize with the workplace and the employees however with internal recruitment, you would not have this problem. During the recruitment process, candidates must go through seven different stages before a suitable candidate can be chosen and made an employee in the business. This applies to both internal and external recruitment. The seven stages are: 1) Identify a vacancy This is when the business makes it known that a job is available and currently vacant so this could be because an employee has either left the business and this could be for a number of different reasons for example One reason could be that they have had a disagreement and there has been conflict between them and the owner or manager or another reason could be because they have had a better offer from a different business and they are receiving a better wage or salary. Recruitment does not have to be permanent as female employees could be on a maternity leave or an employee could be sick for a long time so they will need someone to cover for them while they return to their job and in these cases, most businesses would internally recruit someone and the advantages of this are its quicker and causes less hassle. Human resources will need to formally agree with the department that is requiring an employee to fill the vacancy so a replacement can be searched for immediately. Since recruiting employees cost a large amount of money, the business will only hire employees if it is absolutely vital for their business to run efficiently as the money could be spent on other parts of the business such as paying off any bills or ordering stock. 2) Draw up a job description This is when the job is described in detail so firstly, the name of the job or job title. This is important because it gives a brief ideas of what the job involves e. g.if the job that is a marketing director, the candidates applying for the job will know what they are applying for just from the name. Marketing means to advertise the products and make sure the customers are aware of what products the business offers and persuade them to buy it. Some job titles may change over time such as in schools, the head teacher may chance to principal or head master to give a different feel to the job and possibly increase the prestige and responsibility of the job. Job description also includes employment conditions such as how much the employee will get paid and how many hours a work so for example a cashier could get i 5. 50 per hour so if they work 8 hours a week for 6 days then they will receive ai 264 a week. The employee will also need to know how much pay they will receive and that depends on whether the business pays an annual salary or wages every week. If the employee is temporarily working then they may receive the same pay as the employee they are covering for e. g. john is a cashier who earns i 7 an hour and he is off sick long term so an internal employee is recruited and will receive the same pay until john is healthy and fit enough to work again. The business will be looking to recruit someone that not only matches the job description but also has additional qualities which will make them be more conspicuous. Finally, the job description will include duties and responsibilities that are involved in the job and have to be performed on a daily basis so the applicants will understand how important the job is and how hard they will have to work. Job security is another element in the job description which will tell the employee how long they are being employed for because not all jobs are permanent as mentioned before, employers can just temporarily fill a vacancy and once that person returns to their job, the temporary employee will have to leave the job. The job description will also have a large variety of candidates all after the same job with different skills and traits. This is an example of a job description. It shows what the job is (which is a technical support engineer), the required skills but also useful and desirable extra skills which could be the difference to whether they are recruited or not and the qualifications and experience are required also. The desired skills mention what experience they have so has the candidate worked before and if so how long for, education is their school, college and university placements and what they have achieved in the time they have spent there also the work status is what type of job they like as there is part- time which is only a couple of hours so no more than 30 hours in a week. full-time work is over 30 hours a week and this shows that they may in the job for a long time and the befits of working full time are that the organization will provide you with annual leave, sick leave and health insurance also the hours they work are more flexible however, the most popular and more rewarding benefit is the fact that full time workers will get paid more money that part time workers because they are dedicating more time to the business. 3) Draw up a person specification This is when the employer entails the physical, mental and any other requirement requirements that a candidate needs in order to perform the tasks effectively and successfully such as training and experience e. g. if the business was to be a chauffeur, the person applying for the job would probably need a long driving career which would show that they have a lot of experience and also be able to drive under pressure and quickly. P000rofessional qualifications such as GCSEs and A-level qualifications such as GCEs will also be required to show they have a thorough understanding of the job and may make it easier for them to perform the job e. g. an accountant will need a range of different qualifications so the requirements may be that they will need a Degree, preferably in maths, accountancy, business studies, economics or finance. However, it is possible to become an accountant with lower school qualifications. Without A Levels it is possible to acquire the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification, which is fully recognised in the trade. Office juniors can work up to accountant level, but you have to have GCSEs and preferably A Level to begin with. Qualifications show that the candidate has been studying in recent years and are prepared for them job they are going to apply for. Experience is also required in the person specification as it could be the different to whether a candidate is employed or not. Having a high level of experience in a certain field of work will show that the candidate is well trained and has the acquired skills for the job and also shows that they will require less training e. g. if the job being applied for was a cashier, someone who has already worked in other businesses undertaking the same job role will know what they are doing so they dont need a very detailed induction and require less training also they may be able to generate a higher income perform their tasks more efficiently. A candidate new to the field of work may find it more difficult to get the job will sufficient experience as they may have never done this job before however they me able to bring new ideas or if they have performed similar jobs then they can use that knowledge to perform the job as a cashier. Candidates must also have competence which is the ability of a person to perform tasks and take on certain responsible. The more competent a person is, the better they can perform their duties e. g.a business would rather have a more competent employee that can do their job to a high standard by producing quality output results such as high sales or revenue because it would prove more successful in the long run also having a incompetent employee would require the business to waste their time and money training them especially if they are young candidates who have possibly just finished their education or have finished a degree. The advantages of having a competent employee are that they are reliable for getting their task done efficiently and are resilient to their job. The disadvantage could be that since they may be extremely good at one job but if told to perform a different task they may struggle as it may not play to their strengths e. g. if the job was a reporter, and the employee was very competent in their job but then their manager asks them to illustrate their findings in a more abstract such as creating a presentation, this does not work well for them as they may be so accustomed to writing reports that they dont have a clue how to create a presentation and this is a disadvantage for competent employees as they dont offer that versatility. Essential skills will have to be met in order to get the job such as in a call centre, the person will definitely need fluent communication and also be responsive to customer calls. Essential skills are what an employee should have in order to complete the job and if they dont have the essential criteria then they may be rejected. They can also have personal or desirable skills such as being able to work a computer effectively so they can type up emails quickly rather than constantly calling or being able to co-operate in a team and possibly even lead a team to successfully complete a task or assignment. They are not absolutely necessary but will help them and make them look like a stronger candidate so they may be a possibility that they are shortlisted and interviewed. The criteria from the person specification are important when shortlisting the candidates as only the best will be put through to the interview stage and then finally accepted. This is an example of a person specification for film co-ordination and development. It shows what skills are compulsory or essential and what skills are optional or desirable and can help candidates when it comes to shortlisting as they are more likely to be chosen than a different person who has fewer additional skills. Candidates must be versatile and not just resilient for the job. The job shows that in the qualifications category they need a couple of A-level or equivalent qualifications but there are also desirable skills they could have such as GCSEs in the field of work possibly drama. It shows that the candidate must have a minimum of 2 years experience and be able to manage finances and use ICT well however they can also have desirable skills such as being able to manage and supervise staff. Personal aptitude and skills are general skills that a candidate should have or either picked up from past jobs and experience such as communication and teamwork skills. Disposition is something that would be useful to have and would possibly make their job more enjoyable. Any other requirements can be helpful as it would also make them a stronger candidate. 4) Advertise the Vacancy This is when the vacancy is publicised and the business try to get unemployed people to apply for the job. One way to advertise the job is to put it on a local newspaper as they are read by many business men and women so the business can receive a few applicants that are in need of a job and have scanned through a newspaper and found one. The advantages of this are that it will be read by a variety of people and hopefully attract more candidates. The job advertisement is written by the personnel department similarly when marketing a product. The presentation of the advertisement is important as the candidates will receive their first impressions from it and will judge whether it is good or not and also whether they would like to work for the business. On the advertisement it should include the description of the job and mention the main requirements, where the job is going to be located so the candidates know where they will work, how much salary they are expected to receive however it may not be the exact amount on the advertisement as it may vary, address and contact numbers if necessary and the company logo. The more detail that is put into the advertisement the better and more informative it will be however making the advertisement too long can make it look unprofessional. This is an example of a job advert for royal mail and as a job advert should, it includes all the important details such as the job title, company name, contact details and their salary. However it may not look very appealing. This advert is just to make sure that the general public is aware of the job and if anyone is interested and they meet the requirements then they may apply and possibly get shortlisted for an interview. 5) Shortlist the applicants when short listing, the applications that were most appealing and may be considered for the job are listed by the human resources department. It is drawn up by using criteria from the person specification such as qualifications and experience that the candidate has to see if it is enough for them to be able to handle the new job they are applying for also any other skills and attributes they have acquired through other job would be helpful for the candidates. The selection process will begin and the employer will be looking to fill the vacancy with the best candidate amongst the applications. They will then all be individually contacted so an interview can be arranged. The candidates can be informed in many different ways such as letters of initiation in which a brief document is sent to notify the candidates about whether they will be called up for an interview. The suitable candidates will be those who meet the exact criteria of the job description so for example if the job was to be a IT technician and the job description required them to have 5 years experience working in a ICT related firm and also the business may ask for certain qualifications such as a degree in computing and A-Levels in Maths and IT to a grade B standard. Those who meet these requirements will be shortlisted as suitable candidates because they meet the exact requirements or are slightly above these requirements however they are not guaranteed to get the job but have a good chance. There is then possible candidates which may meet some of the requirements such as they may have the qualifications but not enough experience which could then mean if they are employed, they will have to go thorough a comprehensive induction programme and be well trained by a more experienced technician and this could cost the business a lot of money but on the other hand they may have some characteristics that other candidates dont have such as they may be more able to speak multiple languages which could be helpful because the business may communicate with other countries on a regular basis with suppliers an customers. Finally those candidates who do not meet the requirements will be rejected and can no longer continue in the recruitment process. This can be down to a number of reasons with the most obvious being that they do not meet the requirements or they have provided false details. The job description and person specification must be used as the basis for short-listing. 6) Interview the applicants The interviewer must also be prepared when interviewing the candidates that have been shortlisted. They will need to come up with a set of questions to ask the candidates and this can either be done themselves or they can get a panel of from the human resources department to do interview. The questions that are set must be asked to all candidates in the same manner as it states in the equal opportunities requirements policy. Since this will be the first time that the employer and candidate meet face-to-face, they will need to make a good impression by greeting them with a warm welcome and shaking hands is a good way to start a mutual relationship with the employer since the interview may be appointed the vacancy. The interviewer or panel will have a list of criteria to see how the candidate compares to the requirements for the job. It is essential that the interviewers carry copies of the candidates application forms, curriculum vitae and to support this, a covering letter will be required. To get the best out the candidates being interviewed, they must be relaxed and be able to answer questions calmly and correctly so the interview knows everything they need to know about the candidate and their personality. Questions in the interview should be have a mixture of open and closed questions and will be predetermined and should be all-round such as asking about previous jobs or company such as: 1) What do you think of the last company you worked for? 2) Why did you join your previous company? 3) Did they live up to your expectations? 4) Why are you leaving now? 5) What did you earn in your last job? Also asking questions relating to the new job / company such as: 1) Why do you want this job? 2) What qualities do you think will be required for this job? 3) What can you contribute? 4) What interests you about our product (or service)? 5) What can we (the new company) A list of questions could be asked relating to the candidate such as: 1) How do you handle criticism? 2) How would you describe yourself? 3) How would others describe you? 4) Do you consider yourself successful? 5) What was your greatest success? Body language and posture is also important during an interview as candidates are not just judged on their communication skills. The interviewer and the candidate want it run as smoothly as possible and both should sit in the correct way such as having their feet firmly on the floor and using gestures with hands if necessary For it portrays that youve difficulties controlling your anxiety about the interview process if the candidate is not seated comfortably. Making good eye contact with the candidate being interviewed is very crucial. The feeling of not getting the interviewees attention can be frustrating and will give the wrong impression to the interviewer. When asked a question that the candidate finds difficult and requires time to think, it is not good to frown. Facing the question with a smile proves that youre composed at stressful situations. When closing the interview, the candidate should possibly raise any questions they have for the job role or about the business they will be working for however, there shouldnt be a long time spent asking questions as can get tedious. The interviewer should then politely thank the candidate for appearing and answering the questions they have been asked and hope they have a safe journey home. 7) Select and Appoint the Best Candidate this is the final stage of the recruitment process were candidates have been interviewed everything is taken into account and the interview is then evaluated. The employer will select the candidate that has been exceptional throughout the process and has been rated highly in all areas. The candidate will be contacted via a telephone call to notify them that they have got the job and then it is up to the candidate on whether they would like to fill the vacancy and if they accept, they will have to make a formal offer and if it goes according to plan, the candidate and the employer will meet formally to finalise the process of recruitment and formally agree on the job however, the employer will want references before the candidate takes on the job. This is known as the appointment stage. Once they have been contacted and recruited into the business, They are expected to start their new job however, if the chosen candidate should refuse the job then the business will require the second best candidate to step forward and they will be contacted immediately to inform them of what has happened and why the decision has changed. For the unfortunate candidates that have not got the job and have been rejected, the will be provided with feedback on why they have not been employed and how well their interview went.

Company Profile of Sainsbury

Company Profile of Sainsbury SAINSBURY is one of the leading food retailers in UK. It is a public limited company and is registered with LSE and FTSE 100. The company is the oldest food chain retailers in UK being established in 1869 by J.J Sainsbury. At present the company owns around 800 stores including supermarkets and convenience stores. The company is the third largest food-retailer in UK and has a share of around 16.3 percent of the total market. The company after leading the UK food retail market for decades faced a downfall during the 1990s. At present, the company is trying to retrieve its position in the UK market and expand its global market share. In this report, an attempt has been made to analyse the different business strategies used by the company at different times and to compare its strategies to that of its competitors in order to assess the effectiveness. The first section of this report deals with the company profile of Sainsburys and a recap of its early establishment. This will help in understanding the activities of the business and the business strategies adapted by it. The second section analyses the different strategies adapted by the company. The third section deals with the competitors of Sainsburys i.e. Tesco and Asda and a short analysis of the strategies adapted by them. And finally, the report has been concluded in line with the different activities carried on by Sainsburys and the strategies that should be followed by it in order to be more competitive. REPORT ON BUSINESS ANALYISIS In this report, an analysis of the business strategy of an organisation is required to be carried out. Business strategy refers to the various activities carried out by an organisation at different stages of its growth and expansion plan. (Tayeb, M. 2000) All the stages of a business growth commencing from the start up involves some type of business strategies. A business strategy can be defined as a long term plan designed to attain a specific organisational goal. The strategy acts as a guide for the business to reach its target. A successful business strategy will design and plan all the activities to be or required to be carried out in order to reach the organisational goal successfully. (Source: Rapid Business Intelligence Success; http://www.rapid-business-intelligence-success.com/definition-of-business-strategy.html, Accessed on 23.05.2010; 16:15hrs). Therefore, from the above discussion on business strategy it can be concluded that a business strategy plans the growth of a business and describes the pathway for attaining it. Business strategy involves analysis of various factors involved with the organisation (i.e. external and internal organisational environment, market size, organisational structure, economy of the market, local and regional economy, target customer, income of the local people, customer preference, socio-cultural issues etc.). All these factors help in forming a business strategy suitable for an organisational. A business organisation aiming at growth, expansion and value creation is an outcome of the vision of an entrepreneur. Once the entrepreneur locates the opportunity in a society, he/she tries to implement some innovative ideas in order to exploit that opportunity and gain profit. The process relating to the implementation of the innovative idea and bringing the opportunity into reality is termed as business. (Kuratko, 2009) A business plan is required in order to bring the business into reality. Similarly, a business strategy is required for attaining the business goal. The strategy gets involved from the beginning of a business i.e. early start-up. But the strategy involved in the different stages of organisational growth will be distinct from the other. The following diagram will help us in further understanding the different business strategies involved in different stages of organisational growth. (Adapted from: HIT; Business, organisation and information architecture; http://www.hit.nl/Product_BusinessStrategy.asp) In this report, I am going to analyse the various business strategies of Sainsburys and have made an attempt to compare those strategies with that of Tesco and Asda, the two famous competitors of Sainsburys. I have chosen Sainsburys, Tesco and Asda for this report. An attempt has been made to analyse and compare the different strategies adapted by these companies. All the organisations dealt with in this report are multinationals based in UK and are continuously growing. Moreover, Sainsbury has been selected because of its diversified ownership structure, different strategies adapted by it in the recent days which have helped it to gain its market share and increase its profitability besides being a sluggish growth in the economy and the main reason being its history. COMPANY PROFILE: SAINSBURYS is a public limited company registered in the London Stock Exchange and FTSE 100. It is one of the leading UK food retailers and had been part of the financial and property sector. The retail food chain is the main business accounting for the major turnover of the company. Sainsburys group employs more than 145,000 people and therefore, is one of the major players of the economy. Sainsburys its known for its quality and service besides its price. Sainsburys success can be traced back in 1869 when the company was founded by J. J Sainsbury. It started with the aim of providing its customers the ‘best butter in the world at an affordable price. Sainsburys started with the fresh foods and later enter the market for packaged food products. It mainly focused on the dairy products, however, it was the first retail food chain to improvise, petrol stations, fresh food and poultry counter in their retail stores. Since inception, Sainsburys tried to aim at providing best quality at low prices. At present Sainsburys retail food chain consists of more than 800 stores including supermarkets and convenience stores. It started its journey from London and is now spread all over UK with stores in Scotland, Ireland, Belfast and North east United States. Sainsburys used to be the largest grocery chain in UK till 1995 whereby, Tesco overtook the first position and Asda became the second largest chain in 2003. The company started its activities in 1869 as a business owned and operated by the Sainsbury family. It carried on its culture till 12 July, 1973, when the organisation became public. However, the major shareholding of 85% was with the family and therefore, after becoming public also, the organisation carried on its legacy and the traits of a family business. But, the company started facing some managerial issues with the new management in 1993 and since then, the family has divested their ownership. At present, Qatar Holding LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qatar Investment Authority is the major stakeholder owning around 26 percent of the companys share. (Sainsburys Corporate Website; http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=229, Accessed on: 25.05.10, 10:15hrs) Sainsburys was among the first few organisations, which hired women employees during the World War, since most of their male employees had to b there in the war front. They develop a separate and exclusive training programme for their women employees who will help them work effectively in this new environment. Though, Sainsburys has lost their position of being the market leaders but still it is one of the biggest names in UK food retail chain and moreover, in the recent years it has achieved a remarkable growth. ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES The business strategies as discussed before, is an inseparable part of a business and is linked with all the activities of a business organisation. The companies adapt several strategies for the start-ups, entering a new market, growth strategy, marketing strategy. COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES Sainsburys started its journey as a grocery chain aiming at producing quality goods at affordable price. The organisations aim of producing â€Å"quality goods at affordable prices† can be treated as its market entry strategy. On further analysis of this strategy, it has been noted that its market entry strategy possess the qualities of a low-pricing strategy. Low-pricing strategy is an integral part of the business-level strategy. It helps the organisation enjoy a competitive advantage over its competitors. Low-pricing strategy aims at producing quality goods but at lower prices than offered by its competitors. It is mainly followed in a competitive commodity market where the products are more or less similar. The low-pricing strategy leads to lower profit margin and therefore, it is not adapted by all the organisations. The business has to be confident about the product and service offered by it. Moreover, has to develop a cost structure which will help the business sustain in this low price strategy. Low prices and lower product quality is something normal, and thus can easily be followed by the competitors. However, producing similar quality goods at a lower price is a challenge as it requires a developed cost structure. Moreover, the cost structure has to be developed in such a way that the competitors cannot easily follow it. Therefore, the key challenge lies in structuring the cost in a manner that will help the organisation to enjoy a sustainable advantage following the low pricing strategy. In regard to this scenario, Sainsburys has developed a unique cost structure by developing close relationships with its suppliers and by irradiating the agents in between. Both these policies helped the organisation enjoy a cost advantage over their competitors. Moreover, the companys manufacturing and packaging cost are developed in a way to keep the product cost lower than its competitors. The company being the market leader also enjoyed the volume of the quantity produced and thus, enjoy the economies of scale. (Johnson, G., 2002) Low-pricing strategy adapted by Sainsburys helped the organisation to become the market leader whereas, its in-house product variants helped it to develop a wide market and attract customers from all the strata of society. The product variants are the result of the product differentiation policy adapted by the company. Sainsburys has a varied chain of in-house products. Moreover, it has also differentiated its in-house products and brands in such a way that it can reach all the segments of the market, this strategy helps Sainsburys to capture a large share of the household market. Sainsburys differentiation strategy helped it to come up with different lines of similar products. The differentiation was done on the basis of the cost and the product quality. The product differentiation was done in several stages. The company came up with a basic product line followed by superior quality products. The basic line of product is cost effective but maintains the quality. With the higher line of product the company brought in higher variants of similar by adding value to it. The higher variants not only has added value in respect of the quality of the product, but also the product packaging and marketing. For the basics, Sainsburys has adapted minimalistic packaging cost and marketing structure. The differentiation strategy is really important for an organisation aiming at growing its market share. The differentiation strategy helps the organisation to provide products and services different from those offered by its competitors in terms of quality, uniqueness and value addition. The differentiation strategy helps the organisation to increases its market share and thus enabling it to enjoy a cost advantage. Therefore, cost function can be termed as a function of product differentiation. (Johnson, G. et. al, 2002) Sainsburys product differentiation has enabled it to gain a major market share of the lower and the middle income group. It has introduced product differentiation in all the product lines offered by it, may it be, dairy products, meat and poultry products, fresh and packaged vegetables and fruits, spices, household products etc. For e.g. The oatmeals and cornflakes comes in several variants. The range of basic oatmeals and cornflakes range between 48 pence and 64 pence whereas the higher end product variants of the similar line range between 150 190 pence. The above example, helps us to understand not only the product variants and product differentiation but also that the company follows a focused differentiation strategy. In order, to aim the higher strata of the society, the company came up with products with better packaging, added quality and thus adding on to the value of the products. Moreover, the higher variants not only come up with added quality but also innovative products which them to differentiate from the similar kind of products offered by its competitors. For e.g. Sainsburys raisin-filled oatmeals, raspberry-filled oatmeals differentiate its products from the other competitors The company with its own differentiated line of products comes up with several other products offered by leading retailers and therefore, gives its customers a varied choice of products. The varied products attract customer base and thus enabling it to increase the market share. In addition, the company has incorporated several innovative ideas in its supermarket model like petrol stations, fresh bakery items, fresh meat, cooked meat and fish selling counters which makes them different from its competitors. This idea has not only differentiated them from their competitors but as helped them to act according to their value of providing healthy and quality foods. The different competitive and strategies in order to be competitive and gain the market share has enabled it form a hybrid strategy comprising of the main elements of low pricing, differentiation and focussed differentiation strategy. All these strategies merged together helped the business grow at a faster pace. LOCATIONAL STRUCTURAL STRATEGIES Since early period, Sainsburys built in the concept of departmentalisation in its stores. Its early food stores were divided into 6 departments, dairy products, ham and bacon, poultry and game, fresh meats, cooked meat and groceries. It was an unique concept at the 1900s which shows its innovative thinking from its inception. The use of mosaic floors, marbled topped counters, uniformed staffs, white tiles background not only enabled to have a comprehensive and similar looks through the stores but also shows their innovativeness and capability of thinking ahead than others.(The Sainsbury Archive; Accessed on 25.05.2010; The Design Journal 1966. Further, a companys store location plays an important role in its business. In the case of Sainsburys, it has always chosen a central position in the parade for a larger display and better connectivity to overcome the constraints relating to limited vehicles for home delivery. It was the first retail store chain to bring in home delivery service in UK. All these strategies helped the business to grow and become a pioneer in its field. The organisation also pioneered in the self service supermarket in UK between 1950s and 1960s. All these add up to the locational and structural strategies adapted by the company since its inception to be a market leader. ORGNISATIONAL STRUCTURAL STRATEGY The organisational upbringing of Sainsburys has been pretty different from that of its competitor e.g. Tesco. Unlike, Tesco, Sainsburys relied on the family mode of business. The company went public in 1973; however, the major shareholding has always been within the family till 1990s when the major shareholdings by the family were divested following a strategic downfall. Unlike Tesco, which was mostly depended on the market wealth and capital generated from the equity market for its expansion and growth, Sainsbury mainly focussed at the inner source of capital and reserves for its expansion. Following the diversification of the shareholdings in 1995, the major share holding is with QIA, a foreign investment company. The companys early strategy of not involving market equity capital has helped the organisation to maintain cohesiveness in the organisational activities and has enabled the initial growth and expansion. Employee employer relationshiphas always been an advantage for the company. The company has always given preference to the organisational and personal requirements of its employees. The employee policy designed by the organisation has helped it in its success. It is rated as one of the leading recruiters of UK at present. It has a very large yet strong organisational base which has evolved with time. The organisational structure of the company has always been subjected to a change. The hierarchal set-up during the early stages evolved into a much flatter organisational set up with time and changing society. This proves the adaptive strategy followed by the company. Supplier retailer policyadapted by Sainsburys since its inception, has helped the organisation to enjoy a lower cost and better quality. The supplier management strategy is very essential for a growing transnational organisation like Sainsbury. The company has always aimed at maintaining a good relationship with supplier, thus enabling them to be a market leader. However, the companys downfall during the early 1990s has been an effect of a major relationship difference between the reailer and supplier. Building up a supplier-retailer relationship and maintaining it is the role of a successful organisation. STORE FORMATS The company adapted the hyper-market policy during the early 1970s following its competitors. The company operated this format of stores through bigger outlets (over 45000 sq.ft ) and varied range of products under the brand Sainsbury Savacentre. But, later it got incorporated into the main channel being a part of the integrated sales and back office operations unlike, Tesco. The product distribution followed the policy of equal distribution between groceries and non-food items as followed by Tesco. The supermarket (average of 34000 sq.ft) the hypermarket store format only differ in the size and the quantity of product variants offered by the two types of stores. The company also followed the concept of convenience stores followed by the other food retailers like Tesco, The Cooperative store, etc. This store format is also be termed as local store and is meant for a local market, much smaller in size (between 2000-6000 sq.ft) with limited variants offering top-ups and go and grab deals. Asda, did not follow the concept of convenience stores. The store formats helped us analysing the customer serving strategy and the customer base of the organisation. FRANCHISING Unlike its competitors, Sainsburys does not involve franchising. Tesco recently has planned to go for a franchising in order to enter further into this multi-billion dollar market of retail groceries. Its considering the franchising scope followed the step taken by its French competitor Carrefour. Franchising will help Sainsbury to reach a broader customer base and reach further corners which is no possible through direct acquisitions and mergers. Further, acquisitions involve managerial constraints which can be easily avoided in case of franchising. MERGER ACQUISITION In line to the discussion Mergers and acquisitions it can be rightly pointed out that the company is rightly catching up the growing model of business UK and worldwide. Its acquisitions of Bell supermarkets which operate in north east England and a merger with Shell stations will help it to grow the number of convenience stores and petrol stations in UK. (Food Drink Europe.com http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/Retail/Sainsbury-s-image-takes-another-knock). The company went for a merger with Shaws Supermarket Inc. a leading super-market chain in U.S and later acquires the company accompanied by its acquisition of Star Markets. These acquisitions have helped Sainsburys to control competition in the foreign market. However, a detailed analysis has pointed out that the business acquisition decisions and deals have not been of much success and therefore, affecting its worldwide turnover. OTHER MODES OF OPERATION Sainsbury has started providing financial services through Sainsbury Bank which is joint venture between Sainsbury and Lloyds Banks. Its property management team is helping its property management business to reach new heights. The company has started diversifying its portfolio and its activities bt it will take time in attaining the aimed success. COMPETITORS Sainsbury is the UKs third largest food retail chain trailing behind Tesco and Asda. TESCO, the leading retail food chain has started its operation since 1919 as a surplus grocery store in East End of England under Jack Cohen. The first TESCO store came into existence in 929 after being a limited company in 1924. Tescos growth was mainly through acquisitions along with organic growth. During early 1970s TESCO group owns around 700 stores nationwide. Tesco was the pioneer in offering the customers several facilities like customer rewards and club points which were previously unheard of. It introduced in internet shopping for the customers that help in growing the business and building up its brand image among its customers. During 1980s and 1990s it went through couple of successful takeovers including that of William low, a Dundee based firm competing with Sainsbury. In 1997, Tesco also went into a business alliance with esso in order to get a lease of its several petrol filling stations. In July 2001 Tesco became involved in Internet grocery retailing in the USA when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks.In 2002 Tesco purchased 13 HIT hypermarkets in Poland. It also made a major move into the UK convenience store market with its purchase of T S Stores, the owner of 870 convenience stores in theOne Stop, Dillons and Day Nite chains. At present, Tesco is leading the UK retail food chain though its 27 hypermarkets all over UK. Tesco and Sainsbury growth structure mainly differs. Tesco has mainly focused on the growth through takeovers, acquisitions and mergers on the other hand; Sainsburys growth was mainly based on organic growth. Growth through takeovers, acquisitions and mergers has helped Tesco to gain better and more market knowledge, technological knowledge and management knowledge. Whereas, organic growth for Sainsburys has taken through a longer period of time and through the evolution of the own management and acquired knowledge. On analysing, the growth factors, it can be pointed out that the growth strategy adapted by Sainsbury has been a major reason for its slower growth rate. ASDA STORES LIMITED was founded asAssociated Dairies Farm Stores Limitedin 1949 in Leeds. However, the present name of Asda came into existence following a merger with Asquith chain of three supermarkets and Associated Dairies in 1965. The company however, parted with its dairy department on a management buyout. The company followed the growth policy similar to that of Tesco in order to grow and provide different kinds of products. The newly focused food retail group in order to expand its activities beyond the north England, went for buyout in the south where it took over the large format stores ofGateway Superstoresin 1989. On 26 July, 1999 Asda was purchased by the US retail-giant Wal-Mart. Since then the company, has operated as a subsidiary of the Wal-Mart group. However, Asdas management has gone though a restructuring when it was sold to a Leeds based investment subsidiary of Wal-Mart, Corinth Services Limited in 2009. Asdas marketing campaigns has always been in limelight. The major strategic similarity between Asda and Sainsbury is that, both the organisations aim at low pricing. Therefore, the low pricing strategy that helped Sainsbury, to attract more customers and a major share in the market needs to be revised. Moreover, being an US subsidiary, it also followed several managerial set-ups those were previously unknown. A global growth of the Wal-Mart group, helped Asda gain its position as the second largest food-retailer in UK. Both Tesco and Asda have structural, organisational and managerial differences with Sainsburys but on comparing the whole set-up, it can be concluded that Tesco and Sainsburys have some structural similarity. On the lines of structural strategy, it can be concluded that Tesco follows a more diversified activities by using several variants like, Express, Metro, superstore, Extra and Homeplus which helps them to reach larger number of customers with different kinds of variants.   CONCLUSION While concluding this report, it can be said Sainburys has several strategical differences with its leading market leaders Tesco and Asda, however, it has started working on its set back and is currently responding to the organisational and social needs in a better way. Instead of a sluggish growth of the economy post 2008 it has recorded an increase in the total turnover thus, showing its organisational and managerial strength. On analysing the retail food market and the activities of the major market leaders, it can be predicted that Sainsburys will enjoy a fast and steady growth following the path of organisational mergers, takeovers and most recently franchising. All these will help Sainsbury to grow at a faster pace. All the discussions, that have been done in this report are not absolute and are subject to limitations regarding the information, word limit and time.

The History of Cantonese and Putonghua Essay -- Chinese History, Chine

The varieties of Chinese According to Bernard Comrie (1990: 83),’ there are more than 1,000,000,000 people are speakers of some form of Chinese.’ By seeing this figure, Chinese should have appeared long enough for its evolution and let it spread to different areas in which Chinese or its form can become the dominant language. The origin of Chinese is studied through bone and tortoise shell inscription because the earliest records were marked on them in around 1300B.C. (Chou Fa- Kao 1986:1) They are the earliest recorded founded that can be used for analysis, the development of Chinese is also base on these findings. Chinese is one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages. It is said that there are seven major languages in Chinese languages (Joseph 2004:7) . They are Cantonese (Yue), Fukiense (min), Gan, Hakka, hunanese (Hsiang), Mandarin, and Wu. Basically, there are three stages in the development of the Chinese language. They are Old Chinese, Middle Chinese and Modern Chinese . For each stage, it can be further divided into different intervals (Fig 1). Within different intervals, varieties mentioned above occur. However may be some of the bones and tortoise shells were not perfectly preserved that inadequate information was available for analysis, there is discrepancy between different references concerning time and therefore no exact boundary could be made between each development stage. There is only a rough estimation made by those who studied the history of Chinese Language. Besides, Joseph (2004:16) also said that due to the lack of data, most descriptions of family relationsh ip among Chinese languages are based on impression. There was a long story of the historical development of the Chinese Lang... ...ing object, noun adverb, etc, these elements in fact are being placed in different position in a sentence in Cantonese and Putonghua. As mentioned in the second part, they get different order in a sentence. Also, even the same symbol are used, the vocabularies is different from each other in certain extend. Therefore, I consider this grammatical difference attribute to their mutual unintelligibility. As we know, there is no exact answer on how to classify Cantonese and Putonghua, whether they are languages or dialects. When we discussing this problem, there are actually things depend on what extent. To what extent is the size large enough? To what extent is the status is high enough to be a prestigious one? These all depend on which angle we consider. Base on the points mentioned so far, I would consider Cantonese and Putonghua as languages instead of dialects.

What Determines Are Destiny

It can be difficult to understand and realize what determines our destiny. There are Contradiction determining if our characteristics and behavior are primarily due to Genetics or the environment in which we live. Many factors and aspects of Lives influence us daily. These factors create different circumstances that lead us to determined our path. Dr. Judith Rich Harris states in the video that the similarity of children to their parents in personality, is entirely genetic†. In the video Dr.  Stanley Greenspan said that if parents feel they have no influence and everything is genetically determined, then they may not do what they need to do to help the babies be flexible, healthy and good capers. The video states that we are born with a set of genes that never change. When we are conceived, two sets of genes are joined into one. From that moment, DNA determines certain characteristics. We can now readily accept that genes determine our eye color, height, blood type, gender and other biological factors. But science has only begun to explore the role that genes play in human behavior. Some People believe that the power of genes, determines all consequence in our lives. But other people say that genes do not determine everything in a person life. There have been countless studies to find out if our destiny is written in our genes or determined by circumstance. Dr William R. Clark thinks that â€Å"Gene may well, determine how we behave in given situations. This way, the behavior can be caused from the Genes, and not by habits or education. Some features and of a person will never change, and other can be easily changed. The male speaker states that one of UCLA immunologist Dr.  William Clark says, that genes help to control how we interpret our environment. In many cases genes can be very useful and there can be a lot of similarities in gestures, talking etc. In many cases this similarities are done by children without knowing that their parents do these things the same way. It is the opinion of Dr. William R. Clark, â€Å"You’re dealt a particular hand of neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters receptors and again together, with other things of course in your biology and in your history, it’s to play out differently in different people. As fact, everything is very ndividual. There are children that are not similar to their parents and very different in character and features. Let consider what Dr. Steven Pinker said , â€Å"There has to be some kind of innate circuitry in place that allows us to create culture and acquire culture and do the learning. It was suggested that they do not operate without some input. Dr William R. Clark thinks that what you choose to learn, how hard you try to learn, and what you do with what you learn, you do some input. The ability to modify our behavior is what allows us to overcome genetic predisposition. In opinion of Dr.  David Moore, different genes are turned on and off in different circumstances. Personally I agree with that and I think that sometimes people act not by the rules made up by society, but by the genetic rules. They do this unconsciously. Speaker also states that â€Å"those circumstances thought maybe very subtle. Consider identical twins born with the same DNA; though raised alike, Nancy and Jenna are quick to point out they are individuals. Jenna says that Nancy was always very pretty spirited, and that she was a little bit more responsible. For each person their individuality is very important. It means being different from each others, doing something special and something that will surprise others. All individual have different interested, characteristics, and skills. People use creativity, through knowledge and new ideas, and implement them in their daily lives. Many people appreciate changes, as they bring a lot of new things. New things always have the upper hand, always attracting people and keeping them motivated. According to Dr. Stanley Greenspan, â€Å"Proper upbringing will depend on lots of nurturing interactions in your all years of life. † Dr Steven Pinker thanks that â€Å"Parents aren’t the only aspects of the environment? There is also the surrounding culture. As a fact, some people believe that in reality, the strongest social influences exist outside the home. Dr. Judith Rich Harris presumes that â€Å"Children live in separate worlds and each world is very important, but there is very little carry over from one world to the other. And what is carried over is whatever is genetic. As stated by Dr. Judith Rich Harris, â€Å"we get our genes from our parents but are guided by our peer. Nature vs. nurture purists believe that we are either molded entirely by our surroundings or our genetic makeup. Personally I think that upbringing is extremely important, and it determines the future character of a person. The children of immigrants do not resemble their parents in the language they’re speaking even in their culture. They resemble the people they grew up with. In a recent study, all that Dr. Judith Rich Harris said was back-up. The greatest influence was found on weather teen drink or smoke, has to do if weather their friends do. External influence can make a great different, as everything depends on the company and friends, who surround the particular person. Dr Judith Rich Harris thinks that â€Å"as long as you are within the normal range of parenting, how your child turns out is not up to you is up to the child. All in all, children and their perception of the situations and the world as a whole determine their habits, their communications skills and abilities. The whole future depends on what child experiences, who he communicates with who these people are. As was stated by child psychiatrist Dr Stanley Greenspan, this attitude can create irresponsible parenting. We encourage parents to be either passive or hopeless or helpless in the phase of certain challenges that they were assumed are genetic. Consequently, the genes and environment are like a dance, working together to make as who we are. Dr Stanley Greenspan thinks that maybe the environment sets the constraints, just as much of genes do . Dr David S. Moore stated that â€Å"if you throw Einstein in a closet, when he’s a baby because he had some insane parent, he would not grow up to be smart, He would wind up like one of those tragic kids who get’s found in a closet. â€Å" To sum it up, it can be stated, that whether it’s parents, peers or genetic predisposition, it seems our destiny our destiny is determined by a blend of factors. Dr. Greenspan is convinced, that â€Å"nature is a lock and nurture has provided the key for that lock. † In the present, scientist continue to study the nature of our DNA and how it reacts to environment as they think they will gain better understanding of the diseases and behaviors that affect our lives. All in all, it is almost impossible to determine our destiny, as the influence on the person’s life is unpredictable and there are many possibilities to change everything and to make a choice. I think both sides of the issue are correct to varying degrees depending on the issue. Obviously we are not able to change our height, shoe size, or natural hair color, but if we are plagued with a trait that is not considered â€Å"normal† that we want to change and do so, by all means we should. I think that upbringing and behavior, and our belief determine our destiny. It comes down to what is in our entire character makeup, and our ability to overcome the negative influences of our environment and take steps to modify the glitches in our personalities. It can be said for sure, that education plays the most important part in a person’s life and it determines the future and success of a person.

Free Essays on Gender Influence Of Fairy Tales

Fairy tales have always been a part of children’s lives. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and so on – we all know them off by heart, but have we ever stopped to think what messages they are sending to society? What kind of influence they have on the structure of social and gender roles? â€Å"Male/female roles have been ground into us since the day we were born, in the disguise of innocent little fairly tales†.1 It is amazing how many of us don’t realise what fairy tales teach us until we closely examine the way females are portrayed in each story and what roles have been assigned to them. I have chosen to deconstruct Cinderella and Snow White as I have found them to be sexist and to be portraying women in a subordinate light, which oppresses them. Both stories perpetuate stereotypical thoughts on the â€Å"ideal virtues† of women. They are shown naturally beautiful, vulnerable, passive and obedient. â€Å"These tales teach us our little girls that the only way for them to get anywhere in life is to be beautiful, obedient and passive. They should be quiet, always smile and be friendly, and of course take responsibility for their actions and others†.2 Furthermore, both Cinderella and Snow White provide another example where the heroines of the stories must be â€Å"rescued† by Prince Charming who is by coincidence handsome, powerful, and good. It is sending a false message to girls that â€Å"Man is God’s gift to women†, â€Å"He will rescue you from all your troubles and take you away from a critical situation, where he will then marry you and make you his Queen, who will have to do nothing much but preserve beauty. If you follow his instructions you will live happily ever after†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Having all these ‘fantastic’ attributes (in the view of men), both females of each story happily accept the role of a housewife. When Snow White finds shelter in a dirty little house in the woods, she immediately cleans it fr... Free Essays on Gender Influence Of Fairy Tales Free Essays on Gender Influence Of Fairy Tales Fairy tales have always been a part of children’s lives. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and so on – we all know them off by heart, but have we ever stopped to think what messages they are sending to society? What kind of influence they have on the structure of social and gender roles? â€Å"Male/female roles have been ground into us since the day we were born, in the disguise of innocent little fairly tales†.1 It is amazing how many of us don’t realise what fairy tales teach us until we closely examine the way females are portrayed in each story and what roles have been assigned to them. I have chosen to deconstruct Cinderella and Snow White as I have found them to be sexist and to be portraying women in a subordinate light, which oppresses them. Both stories perpetuate stereotypical thoughts on the â€Å"ideal virtues† of women. They are shown naturally beautiful, vulnerable, passive and obedient. â€Å"These tales teach us our little girls that the only way for them to get anywhere in life is to be beautiful, obedient and passive. They should be quiet, always smile and be friendly, and of course take responsibility for their actions and others†.2 Furthermore, both Cinderella and Snow White provide another example where the heroines of the stories must be â€Å"rescued† by Prince Charming who is by coincidence handsome, powerful, and good. It is sending a false message to girls that â€Å"Man is God’s gift to women†, â€Å"He will rescue you from all your troubles and take you away from a critical situation, where he will then marry you and make you his Queen, who will have to do nothing much but preserve beauty. If you follow his instructions you will live happily ever after†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Having all these ‘fantastic’ attributes (in the view of men), both females of each story happily accept the role of a housewife. When Snow White finds shelter in a dirty little house in the woods, she immediately cleans it fr...

How to Self-Publish a Graphic Novel

How to Self-Publish a Graphic Novel How to Self-Publish a Graphic Novel Crowdfunding the graphic novel on KickstarterKickstarter is a fantastic platform but it's an incredible amount of work. Aside from the lengthy setup, I spent 50 days busting my backside to reach my funding limit, broadcasting tweets, securing guest blogs, sending emails and generally pestering people to help me raise the money. If I could convey any advice on crowdfunding it's not to underestimate the effort it takes to reach your goal.With the help of 166 backers, I was lucky enough to raise  £5,617 for The Written Graphic Novel. As you can imagine I was incredibly pleased, even though the real work was now to begin.The first step was to get the artwork done. This was down to Mike Shipley, my fantastic artist. With the help of a dozen mood-boards, we spent several months plotting out how the artwork could sit alongside the story. After storyboarding each page, all 130 of them, Mike got stuck in.A year and five months after we launched the project, we hit the preparation stage. Eve n though I'm an expert in self-publishing and tour the UK teaching fellow authors how to self-publish books, publishing a graphic novel was new territory for me. As I do all the typesetting for my print books, there was a steep learning curve, consisting of ink densities, DPIs, CMYK versus RGB, PDF compression, and all the other aspects that come with moving from black and white print-ready files to full-color printing. However, it was a rewarding process. It taught me a lot, and I was especially glad for the experience as I was able to pass the knowledge onto the authors that I help self-publish.Formatting and self-publishingNow publishing the print version, even though it took a bit of back and forth with  Ingram Spark, a very helpful and major print-on-demand company, was relatively straight forward. It took a few months to process but by December the paperback was out across the globe in a range of stores. It was now time to turn my attention to creating the eBook version â₠¬â€œ the more technical of the two.With eBook formatting, there are a few more aspects to consider compared to typesetting. There are two major eBook formats, multiple types of eReaders, screen sizes and even orientations to bear in mind. I always recommend working with a professional when it comes to the technical job of formatting. The reading experience is very important indeed, and you want to get it spot on for your esteemed readers. That's why I took my own advice and turned to Reedsy to find myself the perfect technical formatter for the job.You can find The Written Graphic Novel and the rest of Ben Galley’s fantasy books at www.bengalley.com, His is self-publishing advice service can be found at www.shelfhelp.info.  Ben can be found being loquacious and attempting to be witty on Twitter (@BenGalley) or Facebook (/BenGalleyAuthor).Have you ever thought about  adapting your novel into a graphic novel? If no, what's stopping you? Let us know your thoughts, or any que stions for Ben, in the comments below!