International Business Plan Development for Saltworks Technologies

This assignment presents a comprehensive international business plan for Saltworks Technologies, addressing key aspects of website development and operational strategies. The plan explores competitor websites, online sales of products and services, and various operational activities that can be conducted through a website. It details the company's approach to online selling, payment methods, website traffic generation, and revenue-generating opportunities beyond sales. The assignment also covers website design, information updates, and cost implications. Furthermore, it outlines the company's telephone systems, computer system specifications, email handling, data backup systems, essential software, and hardware requirements. Finally, it addresses computer security measures and provides a list of relevant references.

Running head: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPMENT
Name of the university
Name of the student
Author Note

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Text Assignment #16
1. Do your competitors or other similar organizations have websites and if so what
functions are carried out there?
Yes, the competitors of Saltworks technologies such as Opus has their own website
for carrying out their business functions. The websites generally feature environmental,
transportation and water engineering options (Lightbown, 2015). Functions such as fully
integrated systems and customer specific solutions are offered for industrial waste water
treatment by these competitors in their websites (Loganathan, Chelme-Ayala & El-Din,
2015).
2. Will you sell some or all of your products and services on your website, and if so
which and why?
Saltworks Technologies will sell most of their services and products online via their
website but the customer specific solutions will be provided on sight to prevent unnecessary
misunderstandings between the service provider and the client.
3. What other operational activities could you carry out via a website?
Operational activities such as marketing of products and services and spending on
advertisements can be carried out by Saltworks Technologies via their website. The company
can also form a customer service forum on their website to take in customer grievances for
enhancing public relations.

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4. If you do plan to sell on the internet, will you sell yourself or through an intermediary
and why?
An intermediary will be used for selling the services and products online. This is
because Saltworks Technologies not only deals with businesses within the country but also
outsources their services to other countries such as India and China. Selling the services on its
own will put unnecessary overhead costs to the final product.
5. How will you get paid and fulfil web-based business?
Initially the web based business will be paid through online (digital) banking.
SecurionPay is a good payment platform for conducting the online transactions. BlueSnap
can be used too as it provides support for international credit cards as well as Visa Checkout.
6. What steps will you take to drive traffic to your website?
For driving traffic to the website, Saltworks Technologies can spend some revenue on
advertising to target customers. Saltworks Technologies can also spend their resources on
social marketing and should optimize their content as per social media optimization (SEO).
The pages should be technically optimized for faster loading.
7. Are there any revenue-generating opportunities other than selling that you can
pursue?
Saltworks Technologies can provide paid advertisements on the homepage of their
websites to create a passive stream of revenue. The company can launch their own blogging
channel or a YouTube channel and generate a side revenue from that. The company can also

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outsource customers to another wastewater treatment plant for solutions if they are unable to
meet the customer’s demands and charge a nominal fee for that (Minier-Matar et al. 2016).
8. Who will design your website?
Nirvana Canada is a web development and web design company that is located in
Canada and provides quality user experience at a reasonable price. Popular chains such as
Pacific Spirit and Gold’s Gym have used their services and are quite satisfied with their end
results. Saltworks Technologies will consult Nirvana Canada to design a user friendly web
design for them to navigating effortlessly and including the extra operational activities in the
website.
9. How will you upload new information to your website, keeping it current and topical?
For uploading new topical and current information to the website, the FTP login
details and FTP client information is needed. Saltworks Technologies can use Hostinger’s
File Manager to upload new information into the website. The company can also use FTP
clients like CoreFTP and SmartFTP. Another option is to use cPanel’s File Manager to
upload current information.
10. Have you incorporated the cost implications of building and running your website in
your financial forecasts?
Yes, the cost implications of creating and running the company’s website has been
incorporated in the financial forecasts.

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Text Assignment #17
What telephone and absent answering systems do you plan to use and why?
Access Direct provides virtual Pbx telephone answering systems at a reasonable price.
The absent answering system includes an IVR or Integrated Voice Response feature that can
be personalized according to the company’s requirements and is perfect for Saltworks
Technologies to utilize.
Determine the specification of your computer system.
The computer system will meet the IEC and IEEE industrial standards and will be
able to withstand harsh conditions (MA & BAI, 2013). Intel’s new processors such as i5
processors with the latest COTS technologies will be incorporated in the design and will have
a 5 years (or above) warranty support.
How will you handle your incoming and outgoing mail?
Outgoing and incoming mails can be labelled into categories and folders. Softwares
such as Pardot, RedCappi, Campaigner and Auto pilot can be used to handle email
efficiently.
What back-up systems will you use to ensure vital data is not lost?
Saltworks Technologies will utilize Cloud Technology to ensure that critical data is
not lost. The company will also invest in disaster recovery system and offsite storage
systems.

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Describe the software you will need to ensure your business can run effectively.
The software named EFOR is a modelling software that consists of a simulation
package for creating the model processes in the wastewater treatment plants (Xu et al. 2013).
The software can help in evaluating and forecasting the performance of the plant.
What hardware other than a computer will you require?
Besides a computer, other hardware such as PLC systems or Programmable Logic
controllers will be required to control the filter system and automatic backwashing system of
Saltworks Technologies (Kaplan et al.2017).
How will you ensure your computer system is kept virus free?
Flash drives will not be used in the company’s proprietary devices or computers.
Unskilled workers without proper knowledge of cyber security will not be allowed to access
the industrial devices. Subscribed antiviruses will be used and updated monthly to prevent
unnecessary external attacks.

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References
Kaplan, R., Mamrosh, D., Salih, H. H., & Dastgheib, S. A. (2017). Assessment of
desalination technologies for treatment of a highly saline brine from a potential CO 2
storage site. Desalination, 404, 87-101.
Lightbown, V. (2015). New SAGD technologies show promise in reducing environmental
impact of oil sand production. Journal of Environmental Solutions for Oil, Gas, and
Mining, 1(1), 47-58.
Loganathan, K., Chelme-Ayala, P., & El-Din, M. G. (2015). Treatment of basal water using a
hybrid electrodialysis reversal–reverse osmosis system combined with a low-
temperature crystallizer for near-zero liquid discharge. Desalination, 363, 92-98.
MA, B. H., & BAI, Y. H. (2013). Brief Analysis on Industrial Salt Production Using
Concentrated Seawater after Desalination [J]. Journal of Salt and Chemical
Industry, 4, 008.
Minier-Matar, J., Sharma, R., Hussain, A., Janson, A., & Adham, S. (2016). Field evaluation
of membrane distillation followed by humidification/dehumidification crystallizer for
inland desalination of saline groundwater. Desalination, 398, 12-21.
Xu, P., Cath, T. Y., Robertson, A. P., Reinhard, M., Leckie, J. O., & Drewes, J. E. (2013).
Critical review of desalination concentrate management, treatment and beneficial
use. Environmental Engineering Science, 30(8), 502-514.