A company of my choice Essay Example

available items so that they won't need to visit the shop and then find that the company doesn't sell what they're looking for. * I will use advertisements of any special offers or sale etc. This will be beneficial for the customers as they can see any current information with all the offers the shop is promoting.I will make the background colourful and personalised.

I can do this by producing a wedding-themed background. This will be used by our company and will be personalised. * I will provide a visitor account/guestbook Every time you go online you can enter your visitor number into the guestbook so that when you reserve a dress or order one you will not need to enter all the details. Report I am producing a website to advertise a shop, called "Belle du jour" so that everyone can be provided with the information needed across the Internet. This will help them to increase their business.The disadvantages of advertising using traditional methods are .

It can take a lot of time .Its expensive .Not many people listen to adverts. The advantages of advertising using the internet are .

Has a wider audience . Lots of picture to use This website will improve the company's advertising campaign as it is very sufficient because anyone with the internet can get hold of this website. Using the internet gives everyone an advantage to see all the advertisements being showed, this will develop their advertising campaign as it can be viewed world-wide and it will produce more customers.The advantages of using the spreadsheet to handle the figures are:  It does the calculations for you .

Its

clearer  You can show data in chart format Using a spreadsheet to handle the figures is an advantage as it has special keys that are excellent for using figures, such as the auto sum key. I expect this webpage to be an interactive link for everyone. The layout will be attractive and informative. It will have the Basic features of a website e. g.

a header, footer, main page, and a index bar. I will have to research the company's sales and stock list.I will get a catalogue containing the different types of dress outfits and their prices. I will also need to interview the company's managers and co-workers about what they would like to see on their website. Investigation and Analysis of the problem Belle du jour - Background information Belle du jour is a single business that sells dresses for special occasions and bridal accessories. It was first established in 1994 and since the year 2000 they feel that sales have been lacking and they would like the opportunity to increase their business.

Here are the details of the shop. Shop Address category Store parking Manager Belle du jour 13 Clarence Street, Staines, TW18 4SU High street store No Josh Brown The shop sells dress outfits for different occasions but it mainly sells wedding dresses which you can also hire. But now they have expanded their stocks and sells hair accessories along with the dress and other accessories like the jewellery and shoes. The range of dress items include most occasions such as, wedding, prom and evening. The dress range contains most accessories, which have connection with the outfit.Location of the store Belle Du

Jour is located near Staines High Street.

Unfortunately there is no store parking as the store is only small and due to the busy roads outside the shop it is not safe and there is also very little room for this. However, there are plenty of Car Parks situated throughout Staines, the nearest is opposite Debenhams Department store and "Belle Du Jour" are just a few minutes walk away in Clarence street. To access the company by road take the M25 junction 13 or A30 directly into Staines town.There are plenty of Car Parks situated throughout Staines, the nearest is opposite Debenhams Department store.

The nearest main line station is Staines, or underground is Hatton Cross. The nearest bus station is opposite the Blue Anchor pub. Directions from: Sainsbury Store, The Causeway, Staines, TW18 3AP Depart on A308 The Causeway. At the first roundabout that you approach keep going forward.

At the next roundabout take the right lane leading to Clarence Street. Keep going until you arrive at the shop along the left-hand side of the road. By train:If you take the train to Staines station you come out of it ,turn right and walk through Laleham road then you turn right towards the iron bridge and keep walking until you get to Debenhams then cross the 2 roads and turn right again keep walking until you get to the chip shop and cross the road there. Then turn right and walk on until you see the shop on your left.

Interviews with the key personnel Josh brown, manager of belle du jour As manager of "Belle du jour" I believe that it is my

responsibility to give my company the opportunities to improve the standard of success.At the moment we are looking to expand our advertising campaigns as we need extra business so that we can expand that company into a chain shop. I have been searching for different methods that will develop our advertising campaigns further and as a result it appears that producing a website for the company will not only help us with are new target but it will gain more customer from worldwide at a low cost. I would like to see a website that includes a catalogue of our products. The catalogue should have pictures of the products and the prices. It should be updated frequently, showing all the new offers.

This would let eager customers to browse through our catalogue without picking it up from the shop. I would also like to add a customer information page where they can search for details of the shop. On there will also be all different ways of contacting us for example; telephone number, email address, fax number and possibly the manager's mobile number. This will provide customers with a positive attitude towards the website as they are aware of how to contact us. It will allow them to ask questions or comment on the shop, this will help us as a company to improve our services.

Colin smith - Technical Director Belle du jour Inc. I have been conducting research about the idea of producing a website and our staff working at "Belle du jour" is all very enthusiastic about the whole idea. I think that the website will be a success and give us a way

forward into the future targets that we will face. We will be aiming to expand our business. The information I have been researching relates to the facilities of the website.

I have found out that the majority of the people will be put off by the slow speed of the websites and I understand the customers will want to see quality websites of high standard.So I would like to see the webpages load relatively quickly. I also noticed that they like to have a personal account for websites so it saves them time when they go to ordering things. They don't like time consuming tasks! I would like there to have a guest book service on there to save us the problems of losing business. I have discussed with my partners the jobs that will need to be performed. I will be in charge of updating the site whenever it is needed.

I will put in a checking system so that if unrecognised data is typed in it will be easy to able and I can alter the data to correct it. Mr D Houston - purchasing managerI have been given the responsibility of purchasing the supplies for "Belle du jour". My job involves me to decide how much stock I will need to purchase. The amount varies depending on the product and the occasion.

I think that the website should have the prices of the product and in the future I would like to see a stock checker facility so that customers will be able to check that we have the product they we are looking for in stock as they could run out

easily. The survey I have created a survey for "Belle du jour" the first survey I have created will help me to produce the website as of the expectations of the public.It will show me the features of people's computer systems so that I know what programmes and type of network they have. This will allow me to find out what I can include on the website. The second survey is shorter and it is asking the public what sort of features they would like to see on the webpages. 1.

Do you have access to the internet? Yes No 2. Have you ever use an online ordering system? Yes No 4. Do you feel secure paying over the internet? Yes No 3. Are you prepared to wait at least 15 seconds for each web page to load up? Yes No 4.Do you like to have your own account to sign in, on the website? Yes No 5.

Do you think that it is important for the company's logo to appear on the website? Yes No 6. Do you prefer a website to have its own personalised theme? Yes No 7. Do you want to be able to see links to all pages at all times? Yes No 8. Do you prefer pictures to writing? Yes No 9. Do you like websites to have frames? Yes No 10.

Does your computer have acrobat reader so you can read downloaded information? Yes No 12. Would you like the website to have a help section? Yes No 13.Would you like contact details of the company? Yes No 14. Is your computer connected to a printer? Yes No

15. Do you have a colour printer? Yes No 16. Would you like to receive emails informing you of the latest offers? Yes No Please select what other features you would like to see on the site Details on the products and items sold Yes No Pictures of the products and items in the catalogue section Yes No Links to other wedding websites Yes No A webpage about the company's services Yes No A webpage about forthcoming events A page about caring for your dress Yes NoA comment page where you can tell us what you think about the company Yes No Results of survey one Here are the results of the survey, I have produced separate graphs for each question so that you can see clearly how each question has been answered.

Question one shows that the majority of people do have access to the internet. This means that the setup of their new website would be very useful and effective for use of potential customers. Question two shows that a lot of people have used an online ordering system. This means that including an online ordering system would benefit the company.

Question three shows that there is little variance between the two answers, some customers do not feel secure using an online payment system and others do. This suggests that I will need to consider different methods of payment. Question four shows that most of the people asked are prepared to wait 15 seconds for a webpage to load up. This means that we have to put a limit on the amount of space of each webpage. Question five shows that the majority of

the people would like to have their own account to sign into. This means that a guestbook should be available to people so that details can be saved and stored.

Question six shows that most of the people think it is important for the company's logo to appear on the website. This would be beneficial for the company as it will help to personalise the company's website. Question seven shows that nearly all the participants of the survey would like the website to be personalised. I think this is because it would be easily recognised.

I think this would be an advantage to the company and its customers as they will be able to identify who the website belongs to. Question eight shows that nearly everyone thinks that having links to all pages at all times is a good idea.I think that this is because it will prevent confusion and it would mean that the customers will not need to search for the links. I think this will be beneficial for the company as it will make the website simple and easy to use. Question nine shows that there is little variance between the two answers, this shows that customers would like pictures and writing available on the website instead on just having everything on one chosen format i.

e. pictorial format. Question ten shows that most of the responses would like the website to have frames.I think this is because it is more structured and there is a simple layout so it will make it easier to use.

Question eleven shows that a lot of the interviewees do have a software program called acrobat reader

that allows them to read downloaded information. Question twelve shows that the majority of people would like a help section. I think this would be really useful for the staff as they need to know how to use the website. Question thirteen shows that nearly all the responses would like the website to have contact details so that they will be able to get in touch with the company.This would be beneficial for the customers as this means they can have different options of contacting the company.

Question fourteen shows that most of the people are connected to a printer so they can print off any information they need from the website instead of having to go directly to the shop to get the details they need. Question fifteen shows that the majority of the responses show that the people who are connected to a printer have a colour printer. This means that the colour on the webpage will print out and it will make everything look personalised. Results of survey 2Here are the results of the second survey. To show the results of this survey I will be using a combined bar graph. I have decided to use this type of graph as we can compare the demands for different features more easily.

Question one and two shows that all of the people asked would like a catalogue page with pictures and details of the products and items that are sold in the shop. Question three, four and five show that the majority of people would like to be informed about the company's services and events through the website. They would also like to

see links to other wedding companies.Question six shows that all of the participants of the survey would like to know about how to care for the dress. I think this would be a really good idea as it would be very helpful for the customers to know how to look after their dresses carefully. From this survey I would say that it has given me an advantage because now I know what type of expectations for the website.

I think that I will include all these features on my website as the results of my survey have been very successful and it shows that most people would like these features to be included. Stock informationHere are the details about the products and items "Belle Du Jour" purchase for there shop. Belle du jour inc. -stock control Branch: Belle du jour, Staines Product: Product style: Price to buy: Price to hire: Description: Wedding dresses Ball Gown i?? 700+ i?? 400-i?? 700 Available colours: Cream, Ivory or White A-line i?? 600-i?? 1,000 i?? 350-i?? 700 Available colours: Cream, Ivory or White Empire i?? 500-i?? 1,000 i?? 300-i?? 600 Available colours: Cream, Ivory or White Column i?? 500-i?? 1,000 i?? 300-i?? 600 Available colours: Cream, Ivory or White Mermaid i?? 500-i?? 1,000 i?? 300-i?? 600Available colours: Cream, Ivory or White Fishtail i?? 500-i?? 1,000 i?? 300-i?? 600 Available colours: Cream, Ivory or White Bridesmaid / Prom dresses Ball Gown i?? 200-i?? 400 i?? 100-i?? 200 Different colours and decorations A-line i?? 150-i?? 350 i?? 100-i?? 200 Different colours and decorations Empire i?? 100-i?? 300 i?? 50-i?? 150 Different colours and decorations Column i?? 100-i?? 300 i?? 50-i?? 150

Different colours and decorations Mermaid i?? 100-i?? 300 i?? 50-i?? 150 Different colours and decorations Fishtail i?? 100-i?? 300 i?? 50-i?? 150 Different colours and decorations Tiaras One size i?? 20-i??40 i?? 5-i?? 10 Different colours and decorations Veils One size i?? 30-70 i?? 10-i?? 50 Different colours and decorations "Belle Du Jour" order in about 50 stocks of each product and item listed above. This will vary according to the high or low season.

Summary of investigation When I surveyed the staff at "Belle du jour" I found out what they would like to see on their website: Source of data Wish list Comments Josh brown, manager of belle du jour Advertising special offers at low cost The new deals will be advertised globally over the internet, on their personal website as this is cheaper and more efficient.Online catalogue An online catalogue will be easy for customers to access but the speed of the WebPages must be fast. Contacts page This should have lots of different methods of contacting the staff and also the address of the shop Colin smith - Technical Director Belle du jour inc. Facility to E-mail orders Product ordered on line will be processed in the same manner as telephone and fax orders. This order will be confirmed by return email and dispatched and charged as usual, at general prices. High Speed The website will need to be relatively quick to load up otherwise customers will be put off.

GuestbookA personal account for each member who registers or orders with us is required for the customer database. The guess book should allow customers to sign in to their account whenever

they visit the website to save them time when ordering products. Mr D Houston - purchasing manager A page about the stock sales This will allow customers to view the different stock that the company sell A stock checker This allows customers to enter in the product code to find out if we have the product they're looking for in stock. Results of survey All of theses suggestions will be considered in the process of making this website.

We will take into account the comments made so it will improve our website. Specification Analysis and overview The different pages that I will create for the website are: A main page - this is like an introduction to the company's website it has details about the origin of the company. This will be beneficial to the customers as they will have some sort of knowledge about the company they are buying from. A guestbook - where people can enter register with the company and sign into their account so that when you reserve or order a dress you will not need to enter any details in.

A catalogue - this will show all the items and products sold along with the details of each item. This page will be broken down into two other pages one page will be for the dress section and the other will be for the tiara and veil section. A search page - this will allow the customers to search for a certain product. This would be an advantage to the users of this website as they can look for specific items and products instead of browsing through the whole website to find

what they are looking for. A comments page - where customers can ask questions and tell the company any problems which have occurred.

They will also be able to make suggestions to help improve the company's service. This page would be appreciated by many people as they know the company are making effort to change their service. A contacts page - this will have all the information of the manager's e-mail, telephone number, fax number, and the location of the shop. An order form - this will allow customers to order online rather than going directly to the shop to order. A survey page - where customers can fill out the company's survey and send it to the company.

This is sort of like a census and it will help the company to expand. A stock page - this page allows you to check the stock availability. This means that they don't need to contact the company directly to check that the product they want is currently in stock. An item care page - this page tells you how to care for your product.

It gives you some tips on how too stops creases and stains from staying in the product. I think this page would be very useful as it shows that the company take pride in their service and customers know how to handle these dilemmas.An offers page - this page will be updated frequently with the latest offers. This will show the company's advertisements. An events page - this page will have all the details about any forthcoming events that are related to the company. A services page - this page gives information to

the customers about the services "Belle Du jour" offer to their potential clients.

This page will give background information about the company and the services they hold. A Links page - this page will have link to other bridal companies that share a partnership with "Belle Du Jour".This will be useful for the customers as they can browse other products that "Belle Du Jour" is not currently selling. The layout of the website: Links to Webpages This diagram shows the brief layout of my website. I will have the name of the company at the top of the website so that people will immediately know what website it is. On the left hand side of the website I will an index frame where you always have access to the links so that you won't need to search for them and on the right hand side I will have the main page where all the linked webpages will appear.

This part of the website will have the largest amount of space so that the pages can be seen clearly, as this is the most important part of the website. The special features I will include on my website are: Frames - this will help to keep the website neat and clear so that the users will not get confused. Button links - this will help to personalise the company's website and make it look more professional. Pictures - this will make the website more appealing and interesting for the users.

The maximum file size for each of the webpages on the website is 20 KB. The maximum file size for pictures are 5KB.Evaluation Criteria The features which

will be included in my website are: * An index frame - this is for easy control on the website and so that the users have access to all links at all times. This means that you don't need to search for the links. * The company name/logo - this is to personalise the webpage so that people will know who owns the website and what website they are visiting.

* Links between the pages - this gives easy navigation to the users so that they will be able to see pages in a click instead of having to search through loads of different pages that are not linked.* A comments page - this is for customers to let the company know what they think of the website. IT allows you to make complaints, suggestions, problems and praise. * A search page - this is to help customers find what they are looking for instead of going through the catalogue to see if the product they are looking for is sold at the company.

This helps the user to save time and makes the website more efficient. * Quick downloading pages - this is so that customer's wont get frustrated waiting for pages to download. Design of solutionThis is a development of the diagram of the website completed in the investigation and analysis part. It shows a clearer view of what my final design of website will look like. I have used frames on the website because it will make the website easy to use with access to the links at all times. I decided to put it on the left hand side because it

can be found easily and it looks clearer.

For the links I used Yellow/Gold buttons so it looks presentable and professional. I decided to use the gold swirl theme as it reminds me of celebrations and weddings. I used that theme because it represents the theme of wedding.The gold colour symbolises Valuable things this is why I have used this colour as a wedding is one of the most valuable events of someone's life.

The yellow colour I have used symbolises happiness as this is the emotion you have when you celebrate your marriage. Other colours I have used in some of the webpages are blue and pink. I used these colours as blue is sometimes associated with relaxation and pink is a feminine colour which represents love and romance. The company name is written in gold writing because this is how it was first created when the company had been established.

The gold colour was originated from this. There will be use of text and pictures as both these things are important. The text helps to explain things and the pictures help to show what the text is describing. Layout of links and pages I have spilt the site into these sections because it is more organised and easy to control, so that the users can just click on the page they want instead of searching through different links that are no use to them.

It will make the website more systematic. At the bottom of each website I have included linked buttons to the home page, the page back and the page forward.These are just for extra assistance. I think this will be beneficial

for someone who isn't computer literate as this means that they are many links available for them to use. Some of which do the same function. I have made it easy for customers to browse through the internet by using a frame on the website so it is organised and easy to find what you want.

The links can be seen at all times which make it easier to browse through the website. The maximum file size is 20 KB for each webpage. I have worked out that the maximum file size for the whole of the website will be 78MB.I decided on this file size because I found that 75MB was too small to store lots of information and pictures on and 75MB was about right but I decided that I will give it 3 more megabytes of storage just in case it will be necessary. Hardware Resources I would recommend the following computer for users to run my website on: Here are some of the features this computer system has.

* 2. 8GHz Intel Celeron Processor * 256Mb DDR RAM * 80Gb Hard Drive * DVD RW Drive * 64Mb GeForce4 Graphics * Firewire * 56K Modem * 17" CRT * Windows XP Home Operating System The total cost for this hardware package is i?? 499.99 including VAT. I think that I would also need to include a printer and scanner as this will be needed to upload images onto the website. I have chosen to use an all-in-one printer because this means that you can have all 3 functions in just one printer. It allows you to print, photocopy and scan.

Model

- HEWLETT PACKARD PSC1110 Product Code - 978213 This costs i?? 69. 99 I recommend this computer system because it uses the standard operating system and it also has a large storage space to save the files in. it has a graphics card so you can view special graphics. This hardware system will cost i??569.

98 including VAT. Software Resources Here is a list of programs that I can use for completing my project website design with: Software Package Features Chosen Easy Web Editor A fast, instructive and powerful web design program with added templates for assistance. Has advanced functions to create a professional looking website. Drawbacks: Quite expensive and not a lot of people have heard of this website software program. No Microsoft FrontPage Enhanced tools to produce high standard websites.

It includes dynamic web templates so you don't have to start from scratch.Drawbacks: Very expensive software program Yes Softline Namoweb editor Advanced webpage creation creating a dynamic, cutting-edge Web site with advanced web design tools. Drawbacks: Quite complicated to use, it is for more advanced people to use. No Serif internet design suite A cheap software program with easy-to-use features. It is an award wining program. Produces outstanding webpages.

Drawbacks: Some of the tools are limited. No I have chosen to use Microsoft FrontPage because it is a very popular type of software program which enables you to produce sophisticated websites.This software program is used by many business people and a lot of people know how the functions of this program works as it is very similar to the functions in word. Data collection, data capture and input I chose these questions for

my customer survey and stock control tasks because I believe that the questions will help me to collect research information to give me ideas on how I should produce this website.

The information will give me an average of people's opinions and if the majority of people own a computer with connection to the internet. This survey will allow me to obtain information from the public. 2.Do you have access to the internet? Yes No 2.

Have you ever use an online ordering system? Yes No 4. Do you feel secure paying over the internet? Yes No 3. Are you prepared to wait at least 15 seconds for each web page to load up? Yes No 4. Do you like to have your own account to sign in, on the website? Yes No 5. Do you think that it is important for the company's logo to appear on the website? Yes No 6. Do you prefer a website to have its own personalised theme? Yes No 7.

Do you want to be able to see links to all pages at all times? Yes No 8. Do you prefer pictures to writing? Yes No 9. Do you like websites to have frames? Yes No10. Does your computer have acrobat reader so you can read downloaded information? Yes No 12. Would you like the website to have a help section? Yes No 13. Would you like contact details of the company? Yes No 14.

Is your computer connected to a printer? Yes No 15. Do you have a colour printer? Yes No 16. Would you like to receive emails informing you of the latest offers? Yes No

Please select what other features you would like to see on the site Details on the products and items sold Yes No Pictures of the products and items in the catalogue section Yes No Links to other wedding websites Yes No A webpage about the company's servicesYes No A webpage about forthcoming events A page about caring for your dress Yes No A comment page where you can tell us what you think about the company Yes No This is the survey that I conducted. The first survey helped me to find out the type how many people own a computer with internet connection and it also helped to find out what type of computer systems people have. The second survey helped to find out what type of webpages they would like on the website. The shop sells dress outfits for different occasions but it mainly sells wedding dresses which you can also hire.

But now they have expanded their stocks and sells hai