Futures - Essay Example

Futures Answer Door to door transport business is one unique type of public transport business. This type of transport service are generally developed targeting the communities around major cities or downtown of urban and semi urban areas. This service allows the people from these communities to go to their workplaces, local shops, hairdressers, and local doctors, local banks etc. these services are basically aims for the people with physical disabilities and senior citizens who do not able to go to specific transport stand or high road to cities to avail transport services.

They need to register with these businesses as membership and first service are given free. They offer journey anywhere within the specific operating area (NIdirect, p.1). Answer 2 Door to door transportation services have prospects customers in the city surrounding community based areas. People living in these areas need to go to downtown of their cities various necessity. Their workplaces are generally located in the downtown industrial areas of the cities. Apart from work they need to go to cities for purchase of goods, doctors, banks and for many other reasons.

They also avail these services to meet their relatives and friends staying in the city or at other community. Operational area of this business is generally in the community based areas that located within 10 to 15 miles from the downtown of cities. Answer 3 There are no exact competitors of this business though service providers of rented car affect some extent of their business. Especially rented car service is generally availed by the people with comparatively higher income level and these types of households are less in these city-side areas.

General public transport services that provide transport services through these areas around cities to main detonation to the city are also some extent of their competitors. Answer 4 As this is door to door transport service business, channel partners refers to the service providers and agents who generate the customer base in each communities. Therefore, distribution channel from service providers to the end user is very small consists of business and agents only. Answer 5 To streamline the distribution channel in future, this business needs to provide online access to its customers to get this service.

It needs to provide online ticketing systems though own website and this activity will reduce cost of operation in terms of brokerage charges in each locations. Reduction in operating cost might results reduction price of service which can attract more potential customers. Answer 6 To develop a mortar and brick business, best suitable category of business would be mobile fast food business. A small kitchen in a van that will roam around in the urban community based areas where a single stop can access more numbers of households.

Though cost of transportation is high but it would get more number of customers than a restaurant located in a single location. Answer 7 This business also can provide online order placing service to its customers. The customer can track the current location of the mobile restaurant and also can place order through online to get faster delivery (Lieber & Syverson, p.8). They do not need to wait for the mobile van to come to their locality. This strategy would be cost effective for the business as it would track the location of potential customers through internet and would travel only through the potential areas of the communities.

Work cited Lieber, E. & Syverson, C. Online vs. Offline Competition. 2011. Web. 09 October, 2012. < http://home.uchicago.edu/syverson/onlinevsoffline.pdf>. NIdirect. Door-2-Door Transport. 2010. Web. October, 2012. < http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/door-2-door-transport>.