The English Heritage New Model - Essay Example

The English Heritage New Model Introduction The English Heritage has the purpose of helping both the local people and visitors have a remarkable experience or England’s unique heritage. If the people experience the heritage, they are more likely to appreciate it and take measures of protecting it. The English Heritage actively participates in running of 420 sites as well as monuments that define the national heritage collection. The English Heritage has developed a new model proposal in order to address some of the challenges that have emerged in the recent years. There has been a deficit in the conservation efforts of the national heritage collection. There is a risk of losing the fabric of historic assets if no measures are taken. In an effort to introduce a long-term sustainability program, the English Heritage has developed a business plan that will be implemented to address the emerging issues. The new model has the capacity to address some of the problems affecting the national heritage collection. However, a close analysis of the business plan reveals that it has some weaknesses that require immediate addressing if it is to be successful. This paper will analyse some of the weaknesses evident in the business plan. Weaknesses of the Business Plan The government and the English Heritage have focused on the benefits associated with the new business plan, especially the aspect of reversing the current condition of the national heritage collection. The government has committed itself to allocate a total sum of £80 million. Moreover, the English Heritage will rely on third parties who will contribute towards the conservation of the national heritage collection. However, a close analysis reveals that the government support of providing £80 million will not be sufficient to support the business plan. Notably, the viability of the business plan determines whether the English Heritage will register remarkable outcomes.1Any successful business plan must have realistic financial planning. If the budget allocation and financial planning are inappropriate or insufficient, the viability of any business plan is limited. Evidently, the £80 million set aside by the government do not surface to address all the conservation costs that are likely to resulteffectively. There is a possibility that the project may fail because of insufficient funds. Although the government believes that the business plan is self-sufficient and realistic, there is a need for concern because financing the projects sufficiently will determine the expected outcomes. The government may be compelled to allocate more funds if English Heritage is to succeed in its new venture.2 The reliance on third parties for further funding is not an assurance, therefore, the English Heritage cannot confidently count on such funds. The project requires more than the £80 million if it is to be successful. The business plan developed by the English Heritage outlines the expected income from visitors and members, which is expected to be the ground for self-sufficiency throughout the eight years. A critical analysis and a realistic approach to calculating the expected earned income in the e8 years proves that there are numerous difficulties. It is almost impossible to determine the number of visitors and members, and how much income they can bring in. There are numerous factors affecting the outcomes as well as the long-term targets for both the number of visitors and members and the earned income.3 The developed business plan does not consider the diverse factors that may affect the total income earned. On the contrary, the business plan seems to assume that there is a definitive way of determining the number of visitors and the earned income. In real life, it will definitely prove difficult and may affect the viability of the business plan. Since it is impossible to determine the specificallyearned income, the project may not prove to be self-sufficient in the long-term. From the break-even model presented, it is evident that the English heritage is overly ambitious. The fact that the figures are ambitious introduces a measure of doubt on whether they are achievable in real life. The approximations seem to be on the upper side. However, experts in the development of business plans have highlighted that the projections should be on the low side so that any surpluses may promote the self-sufficiency of the project. In this case, the ambitious figures reduce the viability of the business plan. Although the government has the conviction that the ambitious figures are achievable, there is a measurable fear that the business plan is not realistic.4 There is a salient need for proper testing and challenging of the targets highlighted in the business plan if the English Heritage does not want to encounter financial challenges in the course of the eight years. The government has the conviction that the English Heritage has the capacity to overcome the unforeseen circumstances that may alter the expected visitor and members targetseffectively. However, the plan does not detail how the heritage plans to address such challenges. Therefore, the viability of the business plan is questionable because of the unrealistic approach used in risk assessment. A close analysis of the business plan also highlights that it has ambitious figures expected from the third party funding. The English Heritage intends to rely on funding from both corporate and commercial sponsors. The aspect of introducing corporate and commercial sponsors as part of the third party sponsors introduces the risk of privatizing the heritage assets. Currently, the English Heritage assets are public and introducing the aspect of privatization by inviting different corporates may introduce a conflict of interest. The business plan does not outline how the English Heritage will ensure that all the assets are public while expecting funding from private entities.5The government and the English Heritage have the conviction that a conflict of interest will not exist because the national heritage will be recognized as a charity that seeks funds from other organizations. The reality of this is yet to be seen when the business plan is implemented. The business plan relied on 2013 statistics to calculate the expected total conservation deficit. Although a bottom-up survey program was used, the 2013 statistics are not realistic because they will have increased by the time the project begins. Therefore, there is an underestimation of the total conservation deficits to be funded. A more realistic approach to calculating the conservation deficits needs to consider to the increasing deficits prior to the implementation of the plan. There is no evidence that the national heritage critically analysed the costs that will be incurred in the maintenance and repair of each single site. Therefore, it is possible that there is an underestimation of the total conservation deficits and the associated costs of repair.6 The purpose of the English Heritage is to promote the conservation of England’s unique heritage. The fact that the business plan developed has too many ambitious commercial factors may contribute to a decline in the value associated with the heritage assets. If the sites do not deliver the expected earning income, they may be viewed negatively.7 The English Heritage should not focus on maximising profits,or commercial benefits. The underlying focus should be on the conservation of the England Heritage. Although the government highlights that the English Heritage will focus on all the sites irrespective of the size and significance, the highly ambitious figures may prompt it to focus only on the sites that promise financial benefits. The business plan does not outline the objectives of promoting education so that the people may appreciate the heritage more. The only aspect highlighted in the plan is the fact that English Heritage will provide educational facilities. If the project is to be successful, members of the public need to have adequate knowledge of the charity organisations developed. With such knowledge, the expected outcomes can be easier to calculate without providing any unrealistic objectives. The business plan does not create a visible link between the charitable objectives and the success criteria highlighted in the business plan. With the lack of such an expected link, the business plan becomes less viable. An effective business plan ensures that all the objectives conform to the success criteria highlighted.8 The business plan does not outline how the English heritage can maximize services irrespective of limited funding. The 8-year plan will definitely present unforeseen challenges.9 The plan should highlight how the national heritage can successfully overcome the challenges by highlighting some of the strategies that could be applied when there is limited funding. Conclusion Without a doubt, the English Heritage as well as the government have consulted widely in an effort to develop a viable business plan. However, the8-year business plan is based on certain assumptions that prove to be highly ambitious. For example, the calculations of the expected earned income as well as the expected number of members and visitors do not seem to be realistic. The government also needs to set aside more funds because the £80 million does not prove to be enough to support the entire project for eight years. It is impossible for the English Heritage to accurately calculate how unforeseeable circumstances may affect the viability of the plan. The assumptions may prove to be very costly if the expected sources of funding fail. There are also concerns surrounding the increased reliance on third party sponsors, a factor that may introduce asset privatization in a public institution. Therefore, many of the targets in the business plan need to be reassessed and tested in order to determine their viability. The objective of English Heritage is to address the decline in the conservation of different sites. Therefore, a reconsideration of the business plan will help in the achievement of the objective. Bibliography English Heritage, New model proposal summary business case, 2015, retrieved 4 June 2015. 'English Heritage', Third Sector, vol. 783, 2014, pp. 8-9. Harvey, D, J Perry, The Future of Heritage as Climates Change: Loss, Adaptation and Creativity Key Issues in Cultural Heritage, Routledge, London, 2015. 'Heritage: eight-year licence', Third Sector, vol. 783, 2014, p. 4. Larkin, J, 'Safely into the Unknown? A review of the proposals for the future of English Heritage', PIA: Papers From The Institute of Archaeology, vol. 24, 2014, p. 1. 'New model seeks to reinforce national heritage protection' Planning (14672073), vol. 1995, 2014, p. 38. Nick, C, 'Plans to divide English Heritage put historic sites' future 'in peril'', Independent on Sunday (UK), 1 December, 2013, p. 1. Rimmer, A, & D Ainsworth, 'Part of English Heritage will be a charity by 2015', Third Sector, vol, 759, 2014, p. 4. Seldon, A, M Finn & M Finn, The Coalition Effect, 2010–2015, Cambridge University Press, London, 2015. Read More