Describe the type of business, purpose and ownership of two contrasting businesses free essay sample

The first business I will be investigating is Westons Cider. In 1878 Henry Weston came to the farm ‘The Bounds’ at Much Marcle, Herefordshire and continued the tradition of using the fruits grown on the farms fruit orchards to make cider. Two years later in 1880 Henry Weston started developing his cider commercial after the realisation of the treat from overseas imports created due to the British Empire but still knew it would be hard to achieve the standard of living he desired for his family. This decision was influenced by his neighbour, Mr C W Radcliffe Cooke of ‘Hellens’ in Much Marcle. Cooke was a Member of Parliament for Herefordshire and believed greatly in the development of West Country cider making, so that cider could then become a national drink, thus he was known as the ‘Member for Cider’. Henry Weston soon gained customers and slowly expanded the business formally known as ‘Westons Cider’. This slow expansion wasn’t achieved by advertising, it was achieved by recommendation. The tradition of the business was then established, a tradition which has been maintained by the company ever since. Westons Cider traditional product has won many awards and are not only available in the UK but in 25 countries around the world. Westons Cider employs more than 130 people, produces over 30 different ciders and perries, sells approximately 28 million pints a year and has a turnover of ? 24 million. They also have a Visitors Centre which is open to the public all year round. It contains an award winning courtyard garden, original features at the Hampton Court Palace Flower show in 2002, a traditional and are breeds farm park and orchard walk, a restaurant and a cafe and a gift and cider shop where you can sample every cider Westons Cider has to offer. Westons Cider is a Private Limited Company in Herefordshire, this is because it is a family owned business and therefore they don’t sell any shares of their business to the public. By not selling any shares of Westons Cider, they are full control of the business as there are not any influences by shareholders and as well as this, they get to keep all the profits to themselves. To buy shares from Westons Cider, you have to be a friend or a family and firstly have to be invited to buy them. A benefit of Westons Cider being an Ltd is that the business has limited liability, this means that the owners are separate from the business and don’t lose personal assets if the business was to go bankrupt or into debt. In comparison to a sole trader which has unlimited liability where they are the business and will lose personal assets to pay back any debts the business encounters. Westons Cider is a business is the private sector. This is where a business’ aim is to make a profit. Westons Cider’s purpose is to supply cider and they do this throughout the primary, secondary and tertiary sector. A business that operates in the primary is ones that collect raw materials. Westons Cider only collect and use top quality cider apples which are small, hard and inedible. They say that they only use two types of apples, bitter sweet and bitter sharp. By blending the fermented juices the apples produce that is that these two types of apples create the characteristic strength, flavour and aroma associate with Westons Cider and their cider. This is where they fall into the secondary sector. The secondary sector is where a business makes the final product using the raw materials. Westons Cider turns their own picked apples in cider at their factories as well as putting the cider into bottles ready to be sold. They start off by milling and pressing their apples to make the cider. The first step is to clean the apples; this involves removing the twigs, leaves or mud on the apples. The apples are then chopped to a pulp in the Bucher Mills where it can produce 16 tonnes per hour. Once the apples are turned into a pulp, they are the mashed to then be finally extracted for the juice. This is when it starts to begin fermentation. This is where the juices are left for a period of time so that they can mature to develop its full character. Some of Westons Cider’s cider is up to 200 years old but usually the common products are left to mature for around eight months. Following maturation, the cider is clarified, sweetened, chilled and then carbonated according to their requirements. A tertiary sector business is one that sells the product. For example, a business like Farmsfood would be in the tertiary sector solely because they buy products from businesses in the secondary sector and sell them to consumers. Westons Cider is in the tertiary businesses because despite selling to big retailers, Westons Cider’s cider can also be brought directly from their website where it is delivered to you. This is achieved by their distribution department. Their vehicles range from a 1? tonne van to seven articulated Lorries with the capacity to carry 28 tonnes each. Their delivery derives and distribution team will endeavour to get your cider to you promptly and efficiently, this is something that Westons Cider prides themselves with. The second business I will be investigating is Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research as by the name suggests is a business that does cancer research whilst spreading awareness in the UK. Cancer researcher is a business in the voluntary sector. The voluntary sector is any business that are not owned by the government and don’t aim to make a profit. They are also in the tertiary sector as they provide a service, being the research of cancer to find a cure as well as charity fund raising to help keep their research going. Cancer Research UK was founded in 2002 by the merge of the Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Trust. The Cancer Research UK’s research is almost entirely funded by the public. They raise money through donations, legacies, community fundraising, events and retailer and organisations operations and partnerships. For example, Morrisons could partner with Cancer Research and leave collection buckets at the end of tills for customers to put their lose change in or whatever amount of money they wish to donate. Cancer Research has over 40,000 people who regularly volunteer to help their research. As well as this they also have 3,985 employees that work for find cures using the research collected. The chief executive of Cancer Research UK is Harpel S Humar MA, MEng, MBA. Kumar gained a Masters in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and then received an MBA as a Baker Scholar from the Harvard Business School. After working for the UK Atomic Energy Authority as a research scientist, Kumar then worked in the London office of McKinsey and Co, specialising in advising pharmaceutical clients on strategic issues. Later afterwards he then became CEO of the Papworth Trust, this focuses on the pioneering rehabilitation and housing services for people with acquire and congenital disabilities. Kumar then left Papworth in 1997 to become founding CEO of Nexan Group, a venture capital backed medical device company, creating and marketing novel cardio-respiratory monitoring technologies. In 2002 Kumar joined Cancer Research Technology Limited as Chief Executive and then became Chief Operating Officer of Cancer Research UK in 2004 before becoming Chief Executive in 2007. One key way to help Cancer Research UK is to become a Trustee of the Charity. This is very similar to voluntary roles however, a voluntary role that is more challenging and is central to the working of the charity. This is like being a Director of a commercial company. Cancer Research currently has 20 Trustees that govern the business. These Trustees consist of people from scientific and non-scientific backgrounds. They must ensure that the organisation of the business has a clear strategic direction, it is properly managed and that is operates to a high standard of governance. The Trustees participate in informal events and serve on committees involve in specific areas of Cancer Research UK’s work to make sure the time commitment is up to a day a month. Appropriate training and induction are provided and Trustees are covered by the needed insurance. Being a Trustee requires good judgement, a commitment to the charities mission and the ability to work as a team with the correct skills. They also have to be sensitive to the issue as well and becoming a Trustee does require significant responsibilities, energy and commitment but it is also every rewarding and crucial element in the success of the charity.