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Business Plan Essay

Our last assigment for this module was to write a business plan essay. This involved actually analysing each section of a business plan and determining how each aspect of a business plan could prove to be of value or use in the future and in other types of employment.

 I found this quite difficult at first as I couldn’t quite get my head around what value I saw in each section but the more I thought about it I was able to pick certain skills out that could be used in other jobs. Once I got the hang of it I found it interesting to think more in depth about each aspect of a business plan and what exactly they entail and why they are an important.

I also included ideas and examples from my own business plan concept which was to build/buy a property with kennels for rescued  or retired greyhounds as I am very passionate about greyhounds (I have one of my own and have been besotted ever since!) I think tey deserve a life of care and comfort once they come off the racetrack. This gave me the opportunity to pick it apart and look at how it would work in more detail as well as how these ideas would be useful in other aspects of employability such as numeracy skills for the financial aspect could also be used for jobs that include handling money such as in tourist attractions like a zoo where employees may have to do other work as well as the zoological side of things. 

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CV assignment

The first assignment we were given to begin the module (Employability and Bioenterprise) was to create our own CV and cover letter.

I did already have a CV so it was simple to use as a foundation to build on and tailor towards the job I had chosen. We had to find our ideal job on an online job forum and I didn’t have to look far before I saw an advertisement for a veterinary care assistant position; a job I’ve had in my mind’s eye for a while now and one I am considering in persuing after I graduate. It was quite easy to tailor my CV to fit this job as I have relevant work experience and skills needed for the job as well as good qualifications so I wasn’t lost in what to include, in fact I struggles more in keeping it at 2 pages!

With regards to the cover letter, I found this a bit more difficult so asked friends for advice and looked online and used our module slides for extra information and good examples and was able to write what I considered to be a competent, professional cover letter! I was pleased with what I had done and when receiving an A grade for it, I was pleased my extra research and work paid off and it made me feel positive for future applications!

I found this exercise particularly useful as it gave you the opportunity to look more in depth at the jobs that are out there for Biology graduates at the moment and what they are looking for in an employer. It gave me the time to improve and enhance my CV as well as give me experience in writing a good cover letter which will no doubt be of use and will probably be a template for job applications in the future!

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Snake bites in India by Gerry Martin

On 25th March I attended a talk by Gerry Martin about the snakebite dilemma occurring in India. Deaths of around 40,000 to 50,000 people occur annually in India due to venomous snake bites and around 150,000 to 20,000 people are seriously harmed by snake bites which can lead to limb loss.

The major problem of snake bites is the fact treatment is limited due to it the economic implications and there is only one legal anti-venom available in just one region of India. Venom can vary across species and across the country.

Challenges

There are several challenges that need to be overcome which include:

  • Government inertia
  • Obsolete understanding of the situation (A guide written in 1943 was by someone who had not even visited India!)
  • Scale
  • Diversity – there is no universal solution
  • Lack of resources
  • Obstinate perspectives

Species of snakes with medical significance

There are said to be four species of medical importance known as the ‘Big Four’; however at least ten other species have now been added. They are local anomalies and their morbidity has not been labelled medically significant, just the fatalities.

These include:

The Russel’s Viper  (Daboia russelii) – This snake is the biggest problem in India and has a rather nasty bite. It is an ambush predator so stays hidden most of the time. There is a vast variation in its venom (clinicaly) and if you are to survive a bite from this snake extensive plastic surgery will be required therefore causing high expenses.

Daboia russelii

Image taken from – http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0604+0062

Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus) – There are two sub-species of this species and have very different venom, but it is not as dangerous as the Russel’s.

File:Echis carinatus sal (edit).jpg

Image taken from – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Echis_carinatus_sal_(edit).jpg

Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja) – If a patient gets to hospital in time, the bite from this snake is relatively easy to treat. This species of snake is very common.

Naja naja

Image taken from – http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0705+1078

Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus) – This snake is very common in rural areas. It has a pre-synaptic neurotoxin (this shuts down signals from the Central Nervous System). After a bite there is no visible wound but the victim will feel drowsy and experience stomach pains.  It has been suggested that this snake’s bite may just be a feeding response as it doesn’t usually bite if it is handled.

Image taken from – http://rivughorai.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/how-to-differentiate-between-common.html

There have been some new additions to this list which include pit vipers, kraits, monocled cobra and also sea snakes (very rare). There are more than 21 species of pit viper in India.

What is being done about this problem?

Scientists and researchers can be studying the venoms in India by finding out where the venoms occur, their potency and how well an anti-venom works, therefore understanding local scenarios. There is a need to determine species distribution, venom variation and anti-venom efficacy. There is likely to be a focus on the Russel’s viper due to it being the biggest problem.

Education is a major necessity to combat this problem as the people of India need to know more about the snakes, their venom and their treatment. It is the real solution to making sure people check for snakes. There is work being done at the Forest department to educate the educator  and to spread awareness through snake club communities.

There are 150,000 to 200,000 permanent cases of morbidity but data on snakes in India is very unreliable.

I agree that education is vital in this situation in order for the people to deal with the problem more economically friendly efficiently. With more awareness people can avoid snake bites or be able to recognise one and get to a hospital quickly, therefore reducing costs of treatment.

 Some papers of interest: 

http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19142900077.html;jsessionid=4EA94BB408512DB14B58A340649ACDB8

Click to access bullwho00388-0084.pdf

Click to access 358.full.pdf

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Dragon’s Den workshop

On 17th Febraury, as part of my Bioenterprise and Employability module, I took part in a Dragon’s Den workshop. What is this I hear you ask? Well, to clarify, yes we did have to speak in front of some ‘dragons’ but not as scary as the ones off television!

To begin with we were sorted into groups and given a choice between developing a business plan to expand the university natural history museum or Treborth Gardens. Our group chose the museum and decided to expand it by including more rooms, a cafe, a gift shop and a in-door petting zoo along with interactive boards and activities as well as special events. The purpose for this was to enable us to understand the workings of a business plan, which is our current assignment.

Working in groups, we went through section by section of a business plan and wrote our ideas down, such as marketing, funding, potential competition, target audience etc. Upon completion, we had the fun acitivity of creating our own 20 second promotional video for our chosen buisness. Our group worked together well, and ideas flowed and we soon had a script and a direction. We completed this task quite quickly overall and were pleased with the results.

Following this and retuning to our business ideas, we were to come up with a talk to promote our business to last 4 minutes in front of 3 ‘dragons’ who then asked questions. This was the final activity and we finished about 4pm after an 11am start. To complete the workshop, the group the dragons chose to be best won a prize as well as those that had the highest grade from evreyone else (everyone’s talk was peer reviewed by the remaining groups).

For me, I found the experience quite long and tiring due to the length of the day, but due to the amount of work we had to do in what was actually quite a short period of time, seemed apt enough and we were permitted breaks etc which I personally found helpful. The group work worked out better than I first imagined; I ended up with a decent bunch of people and we worked well together and equally which I believe helped in taking off individual pressures and helped develop skills in team working, problem solving and ommunication. I think the overall experience will be useful when I write up my business plan and will hopefully be an asset if I ever set up a business of my own. If I had to make any improvements for the day, I would suggest splitting the time across two days so it is not so long. Also better recording equipment would have been better and less stressful to use! I did not really like the ‘competition’ aspect of the day either, our group unfortunately was not one of those chosen to win a prize (not being a sore loser here!) but I believe we worked just as hard and had some orginal ideas. Perhaps everyone should have had a prize!

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Landscape scale Grey squirrel control: Lessons from the UK. By Craig Shuttleworth

Taking to island life: populations of the red squirrel on Anglesey are starting to increase

Red squirrel – Image taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

earth/outdoors/6338669/Red-squirrels-fight-for-survival.html

A New Forest grey squirrel

Grey squirrel – Image taken from: http://www.new-forest-national-park.com/grey-squirrel-fact-file.html

On 21st February I attended a interesting talk by Craig Shuttleworth; a founder of the Red Squirrel Trust that was established in 2008 of which Prince Charles is a patron of.

Grey squirrels are a reknowned pest in the UK and were introduced to the UK in1876 from N. America. They are the biggest cause of Red squirrel decline due to being carriers of the squirrel pox virus. Grey squirrels also damage roofs, wiring and tree bark and predate on nests. Greys are bigger and longer than reds (500-700g), less arboreal and their diet overlaps that of the reds causing competition in which reds lose due to the greys’ more aggressive and resourceful nature. They also suppress the reds’ juvenile success rates. According to a survey done by NEMS Market Research, 69% of the public said yes to conserving red squirrels by controlling the greys (n=1001 adults). Schedule 9 on pest species also allows anyone to kill grey squirrels at any time of year as long as there is no unnecessary suffering.

Shuttleworth then went on to explain by showing us maps to visualise the decline of the reds by comparing maps of the UK in 1945, when red squirrels were nearly all over the UK and there were less greys and 2010 where it was clear there was a huge difference in the wayof  increases in grey numbers and crosses between greys and reds and vast decreases in red numbers.

Distribution Map

This map shows a similar one to what I saw. Image taken from: http://www.britishredsquirrel.org/

In Anglesey in 1998, there were reported to be apporximately 40 reds and 3000-4000 greys. The project to eliminate greys from Anglesey completely involved trapping which has been very successful. On the inland side of the bridge to Anglesey there is still a huge number of greys infected with the squirrel pox virus which is risky becuase if one infected grey squirrel gets over the bridge into Angelsey it will cause extreme problems. It is also the same for if a red squirrel gets onto the mainland aand picks up the virus and returns to Anglesey, spreading the infection. There were a number of different schemes to try and prevent this but none have been entirely successful (tiger dung, sonic, community servers).

In 2005, there were 0 reported sightings of reds but 150 in 2012 which shows an obvious improvement in red squirrel numbers. Public reports are a great help in order to determine an approximate number of squirrels on Anglesey and elsewhere.

To summarise, Shuttleworth stated that greys can be eradicated through trapping and killing and it has been successful, but whether this will ulitmately help the red numbers improve has been debateable. But this is the best, most successful scheme up to date and the hope is that red squirrel numbers will continue to improve with the decline of greys.

I believe that since grey squirrels are a invasive, pest species that is causing problems for th environment, people’s housing and other species, especially one as charismatic and as aesthetically pleasing as the red squirrel, then there is a need for them to be eradicated. There is a part of me though that can’t stand harm to animals but I do see why it is necessary, as much a sit pains me! I quite like grey squirrels as well as red squirrels; I think from a few that I have encountered, it is quite easy to give them human-like qualities and see them as ‘cheeky’ and micheivous’!

Here is an article by the Telegraph also commending Craig Shuttleworth’s work in red squirrel conservation: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/outdoors/6338669/Red-squirrels-fight-for-survival.html