Critical Analysis of the Trends in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the Term Paper

Critical Analysis of the Trends in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the United States - Term Paper Example The context factors act as Vehicle Mile Travelled (VTM) growth drivers. They include legal/political climate, family structure, social/cultural conditions and technological, economical and institutional structure of the American society. The discussion provided for the impact of the outlined factors is one-sided. Most of factors such as decentralization of companies can have either effect. Travel requirements decreases as a person ages due to the decrease in the activity level and decrease in work related travels. Contrary to the earlier arguments, the aging factor does not increase or reduce the VMT. This is because the decreased levels caused by the aging population are countered by the increasing travel levels caused by the maturing young adults. However, the improved health, wealth and higher licensing rates for the elder women have curtailed the reduction in the rates of mobility for the older generation. The argument on the aging factor overlooked the impact of the economic gro wth on the VMT. This reduces the rate of VMT. Changes in the nature of work will reduce VMT because most of the employment agencies and individuals are applying the use of computer technology to enhance production. Most of the workers can work from home and avoid travelling to their work places. Most institutions of higher learning are also leaning towards introducing online lessons. This will reduce the travel requirements for most students. Decentralization of companies to rural areas can also contribute into the reduction in the VMT because companies may be located near the workforce thus, negating the travel necessity. Finished goods will be brought near retailers and consumers negating the necessity of travelling over long distance to acquire them. The impact of the aging population is reasonable because the travelling tendency of a person is dependent on the activity level. The travel frequency increases as a person matures to middle age. Children may not directly produce VMT but they increase the travel demands for their parents. The middle aged adults would directly increase the VMT as they are in the peak levels of the work related travel. It is notable that the prevalence of dispersed suburban environments and more working parents have made many teenagers rely on auto-travel to and from school. The rise in the fuel prices will generally lead to the reduction in the VMT. However, changes will be insignificant because most people are forced to drive to and from work regardless of the oil prices. Stabilization of workforce participation rates may have either impacts i.e. it can reduce or increase VMT. The increase of women workforce may lead to the increase in the need for travel. However, the rate may still reduce because the involvement of women does not signify an addition in the work force. They just fill the vacancies that would have been filled by anyone, meaning that the number of the workforce is preserved as well as their travel needs. The impa ct of most of the outlined factors is dependent on the changes in other factors. For instance, changes in the increase in the cost of driving may increase VMT in case of the future growth in the economy and income levels (Ewing 2007). Changes in manufacturing and distribution and trends in the cost of real property are the two opposing factors that can lead to increase in VMT. The decentralization of industries due to the enhancement of new

The Critical Success Factor Report for Oriental Mart Nottingham Coursework

The Critical Success Factor Report for Oriental Mart Nottingham - Coursework Example This growth in business prompted its expansion into traditional retailing by opening its first store in 2008 locating it in the busy city centre. The reason for this move was to provide a convenience store for people at the city and for people who are visiting it on a daily basis. 1.2 `Research Objectives The significance of carrying out this Critical Success Factor Report (CSF) was to establish the factors that contributed to the success of a business. This report is aimed at researching on the factors that made orient mart to be successful in the online retail business sector. This is to be achieved through collecting feedback from customers and asking the management questions relating to the strategies and practices that make the company a success. This is in order to determine what makes the business a success in its area of specialization. The rationale of this study was to gather information regarding the company’s success in the retail sector. 1.3 Methodology In carryin g out the research process, the use of questionnaires was employed to get the required data from customers. This research process involved the printing a total of 200 questionnaires that were distributed to the public. Half of these questionnaires totalling 100 were given to regular customers who were willing to take part in this survey. The other half was distributed among the public consisting mostly of the people passing near the store. This was to ensure that the individuals participating in the study were aware of the store. This was necessary for the research to collect accurate data. The research was done for a period of one week, and the participants came from the different parts of the city. For this research, 165 of the 200 questionnaires were valid, and their feedback was relevant to the exercise. The remaining 35 were discarded since they were invalid. It was important that the customers took part in the exercise since the data will give a reflection of the customersâ₠¬â„¢ thoughts and perceptions in the subject. Out of the 165 questionnaires that were valid, the customers filled only 62. The number was relatively lower compared to the 97 forms questionnaires that were filled by the public. In addition to the data collected, the manager of the store participated in an informal interview to give added information that was useful for the research. This was to get information from the management’s perspective. This provided a balance in the data collected in that it was all inclusive of both the consumers and the convenience store. 2. The Retail Audit The retail audit is carried out to determine the target market and the factors that affect this market in relation to the business. These factors influence how the market responds to the retail business. This is essential since markets are dynamic in that their needs and preferences change over time (Bullen, 1995, p14). . 2.1 The Market The market refers to the section of the population have a d emand for the goods or services of a business. For any business to be flourishing, they require to have the capability to attract and maintain their market. If a business realizes this, it will have a profitable turnover leading to further growth and expansion of the business. Nottingham’s market consists of the city dweller and visitors that come to the city. Their market is broad since a convenience store offers products that are needed by the public in