Crips and Bloods

The movie Crips and Bloods: Made in America is about a cluster of neighborhoods in the heart of Southern California. It highlights young African American men in two separate gangs called the Crips and the Bloods. The Crips are one of the oldest and largest gangs in the United States and the Bloods are a street gang originating from Los Angeles, California. They have been involved in murders, robberies, and drug dealing in the Los Angeles area. The film interviews former gang members Ron, Bird, and Kumasi, while recount their experiences growing up in the neighborhood in the 1950s and discussing the dangers of their previous decisions. Throughout this movie, the director accurately demonstrated many social theories however the labeling theory and the differential association theory stand out in the film. Labeling theory â€Å"examines the ascribing of a deviant behavior to another person by members of society† (OpenStax College, 2013, n.p.). This theory applies to deviance situations, which is a violation that is a rule made up by society. For example, â€Å"a teenager who lives in an urban area frequented by gangs might be labeled as a gang member. Accordingly, the teenager might begin to behave like a gang member or become one† (Chegg, 2018). This labeling theory perhaps explains better why young black Americans fall into crime and criminal gangs and this theory is exemplified a number of different times during the movie. In the movie, young men were stopped by the police for no apparent reason. Black people were not even supposed to enter a white neighborhood. And if they saw a young white twelve-year-old boy they were expected to say â€Å"yes or no sir.† The black men did not feel as wanted or respected and caused them to do more criminal acts. ). Individuals that are arrested, punished or prosecuted are labeled as criminals and others view and treat the labeled individuals as criminals. And also the labeled people find it difficult to obtain any form of formal employment. This situation led them into drug abuse and trafficking for the sake of raising money for their daily needs. Differential association theory is â€Å"a theory that states individuals learn deviant behavior from those close to them who provide models of and opportunities for deviance† (OpenStax College, 2013, n.p.). Simply Edwin Sutherland's this theory proposes that people learn attitudes, techniques, morals, and motives for criminal behavior through their interactions with others. For example, â€Å"a child who grows up among professional thieves is more likely to learn to steal; such a person might learn not only to regard stealing as acceptable but also specific techniques for stealing. In this view, younger people are more likely to learn deviance than older people† (Chegg, 2018). Throughout this whole movie, most of the former gang members are describing their reasons for joining a gang. For example, any of the African American children were not allowed to be admitted to any type of youth organizations. Even though a mother of a former gang member tried to sign her son up for Boy scouts, he was also rejected. If they had let that boy sign up for the youth program that would have taken him out of gang-related activities and lives would have turned upside down.

A Review of the Literature Essay

Introduction Because the focus on market orientation has steadily increased over the last decade, academicians and marketing managers have begun to debate the effectiveness of market orientation as a profit enhancing strategy. Researchers and marketing managers are attempting to measure the benefits and costs associated with the implementation of market orientation. For researches and managers, the key questions that surround market orientation are whether or not it increases performance, and if so, in which circumstances should market orientation be implemented. In order for market orientation to become a cornerstone of business practices in years to come, these questions must be answered. This review will focus on three articles which address these key questions: â€Å"Market Orientation and Company Performance: Empirical Evidence from UK Companies† by Greenley, G (1995), â€Å"Market Orientation: Antecedents and Consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) and â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver and Slater (1990). Summary of â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver & Slater (1990) In â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† (1990), Narver and Slater address the lack of empirical evidence surrounding the effectiveness of market orientation. They begin the article by stating: â€Å"market orientation is the very heart of modern marketing management and strategy ? yet to date, no one has developed a valid measure of it or assessed its influence on business performance? as a result, business practitioners have had no specific guidance as to what precisely a market orientation is and what its actual effect on business performance may be. † Their study attempts to develop a valid measure of market orientation and its effect on the profitability of the firm. Narver and Slater’s study is designed to test the hypothesis that there is a strong correlation between market orientation and profit levels for both commodity and non-commodity businesses. Narver and Slater  hypothesize that market orientation is a one dimensional construct consisting of three behavioral components: customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination. Additionally, they hypothesize that there are two decision criteria: a long term focus and a profit objective. Based on these criteria, Narver and Slater developed a questionnaire which was given to a sample group of 140 strategic business units in the same division of a major Western corporation. They then used statistical analysis to try to determine the correlation between the adoption of market orientation and the increase in profit and overall performance. In order to obtain accurate results, the researchers attempted to limit the influence of the other forces that impact a business’s profit margin; by doing this, they were able to isolate two key variables and find the relationship between them. Based on their data and analysis, Narver and Slater concluded that there is a monotonic relationship between profit and market orientation for the non-commodity business, whereas the relationship with commodity business was only apparent above the stated median in market orientation. Narver and Slater also concluded that market orientation is economical in all environments, and the question was finding the optimal level of market orientation. Critique of â€Å"The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability† by Narver & Slater (1990). Narver and Slater’s study is one of the first major empirical studies on the subject of market orientation and its impact on the firm’s profit. This ground-breaking study offers empirical validation to theories that were unproven prior to the study. However, based on the results of Narver and Slater’s study, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. I found that the most significant problem with the study is that their sample was taken from a single corporation, meaning that the data they used was limited to only one industry and one region. As Narver and Slater noted in their conclusion, a sample this limited means that their results can be influenced and skewed by many variables, including corporate culture and regional practices. It is also possible that their findings are industry-specific and do not pertain to other companies outside of foresting. However, in the article’s conclusion, Narver and Slater acknowledge these shortcomings and are eager for others in different regions to conduct further research in this field. Although the limited nature of the study makes it difficult to draw any large scale conclusions about the effectiveness of market orientation, Narver and Slater have created a useful model for an empirical study of market orientation which can now be applied to other industries and regions. The most interesting part of the study is not necessarily the results, but the fact that they were able to design the first successful empirical study. Another problem with the study is that Narver and Slater concluded that an equilibrium existed: the point at which the level of market orientation reaches a point at which its cost is equal to its benefit. At this point, any increase of market orientation would only be detrimental to the firm’s profit margin. Although the study states that the equilibrium is present, the authors offer no guidance on how marketing managers can identify this critical point. Further studies should be dedicated to answering this question in order to make market orientation a more effective strategy for businesses. Additionally, in the article’s conclusion, Narver and Slater neglected to discuss a very key finding which surfaced in their data. Their study revealed that market orientation can have a detrimental effect on a company’s overall performance when certain market forces and internal conditions apply. In my opinion, this finding was largely ignored in the conclusion in order to validate their original hypothesis: that market orientation has a positive impact on the performance of an organization. Although this finding was acknowledged in the article, I felt the conclusion was somewhat misleading with regard to the outcome of the study in this respect. Summary of â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) In â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences† (1993) Jaworski and Kohli set out to empirically build upon Narver & Slater’s study. Jaworski and Kohli attempt to study the relationship between market orientation and its effect on numerous aspects of the firm. The authors lay out a series of 13 hypotheses which they attempt to prove within their study. The four hypotheses that dealt directly with the key questions noted in the introduction of this review are: A. â€Å"The greater the market orientation of an organization, the higher its business performance. † B. â€Å"The greater the market orientation, the greater the (1) esprit de corps and (2) organizational commitment of employees. † C. â€Å"The greater the market turbulence, the stronger the relationship between market orientation and business performance. † D. â€Å"The greater the competitive intensity, the stronger the relationship between market orientation and business performance. † The other nine hypotheses are related to the antecedents of market orientation, including management’s role on market orientation and the impact the organization’s structure and communication has on market orientation. Although these questions are important, I am primarily interested in Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusions on whether or not market orientation affects overall performance and profit/return on equity. Jaworski and Kohli set up two samples from which they derived their data. The first sample was made up of executives from 102 companies; the second sample was made up of 230 executives taken from the membership roster of the American Marketing Association. The authors gathered data via a questionnaire that was sent to participants by mail. Based on the data reviewed, Jaworski and Kohli concluded that market orientation is an important determinant of overall performance regardless of factors such as market turbulence, competitive intensity or technological turbulence. However in both samples, the authors found little correlation between market orientation and return on equity and market share. Jaworski and Kohli also found that the commitment of top management towards implementing market orientation is an important factor on the strategy’s overall performance, as are the levels of interdepartmental coordination and interdepartmental conflict. Critique of â€Å"Market orientation: Antecedents and consequences†, by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) Jaworski and Kohli’s study measures the value that market orientation creates for a business. In their introduction, the authors state their intentions quite clearly: â€Å"The purpose of this research is to address the voids in knowledge [in the Narver and Slater study]. † (Jaworski &Kohli 1993) In this study, Jaworski and Kohli build upon and answer many of the questions left unanswered in Narver and Slater (1990). In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of Jaworski and Kohli’s article is that they attempted to explain their study in an accessible manner by including a section that dealt with the implications of their findings for market managers. Unlike Narver and Slater, I felt that Jaworski and Kohli went to great lengths to try to answer the key questions that managers might have and attempted to lay down guidelines that managers could use in the implementation of market orientation. Jaworski and Kohli also realized the importance of one of the findings Narver and Slater neglected in their conclusion: that market orientation could be detrimental to a business in certain circumstances. Jaworski and Kohli explained the relationships between market orientation and certain environmental contexts including market turbulence and competitiveness. The aspect of the study that I found most interesting was Jaworski and Kohli’s discovery that there is neither an association between market orientation and return on equity nor a relationship between market orientation and market share. Although the two authors still concluded that market orientation was beneficial for overall performance, the finding that it does not help return on equity is very significant. Return on equity, for many firms, is the guiding factor in the decision-making process, especially for private equity groups and investment banking firms. Having worked for a private equity firm, where return on equity is the principal goal, I can confidently say these findings are a huge blow to the advocacy of market orientation. However, I would not feel comfortable ruling out market orientation based on one study; further research must be done on this topic. Additionally, I found one aspect of Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusion problematic: the authors concluded that market orientation had a direct relationship with overall performance, organizational commitment and esprit de corps, yet they stated that it did not influence return on equity and market share. This finding seems to be contradictory to common business beliefs, which would suggest that if market orientation had a positive impact on commitment, overall performance and esprit de corps, it would therefore have an impact on profit or return on equity. This finding is either misleading or it indicates that common beliefs regarding performance and employee motivation are incorrect. Summary of â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† by Greenley, G (1995) In the article â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† Greenley identifies a clear need for an  empirical study in the United Kingdom. As of 1995, no major empirical research had taken place anywhere but the United States. Greenley created his study based upon this research gap. His basic hypothesis, that market orientation is positively associated with performance, is taken from the aforementioned studies by Narver and Slater (1990) and Jaworski and Kohli (1993). Greenley also tested additional hypotheses from Narver and Slater’s 1990 study. The hypotheses Greenley tested dealt with the relationship between market orientation and cost, size of the company, market entry, customer power and competitive hostility in the market. Additionally, he tested hypotheses pertaining to market growth, turbulence and technological change. To obtain his data, Greenley used a slightly altered version of Narver and Slater’s 1990 questionnaire, adapted for UK business culture. The questionnaires were sent to 280 top level managers, mainly CEOs. Of those 280 questionnaires, he received 240 usable responses, which made up the data for his study. Based on the analysis he conducted, Greenley concluded that â€Å"market orientation does not have a direct affect on performance. † (Greenley 1995) He also concluded that with high levels of market turbulence, market orientation is negatively associated with return on equity, whereas with low levels of market turbulence, market orientation is positively associated with return on equity. Critique of â€Å"Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies† by Greenley, G (1995) Greenley’s study is the first major empirical study of market orientation in the UK, and quite surprisingly, his results were very different than the previous findings of studies conducted in the United States. Any reader of Greenley’s study â€Å"Market orientation and company performance† must immediately question whether or not business culture and practices in the UK are so different from their United States counterparts that one strategy empirically proven to work in the United States will be rendered ineffective in the UK. If Greenley’s results are accurate, multinational corporations using a centralized control method would have to rethink using market orientation. This, however, does not seem to be the case. Proctor and Gamble (P&G) appear to successfully implement global strategies, including market orientation, profitably. Therefore, I propose that Greenley’s inability to find a positive relationship between market orientation and performance is a result of a problem in his data collection process. As Greenley stated in his conclusion, his data was gathered during a recession, and therefore a manager’s thoughts on a long-term profit schemes such as market orientation might have been skewed. Also, Greenley obtained nearly 60 percent of his data from top level CEOs and Chairmen, a different sampling base than previous studies in the United States. For instance, Narver and Slater used CPUs and Jaworski and Kohli primarily used market managers for their samples. The difference in sample bases significantly impacts the results of Greenley’s study; typically, CEOs and top management, like those that Greenley questioned, are not as involved in the day-to-day implementation of market orientation and tend to be short-term profit oriented. Managers lower on the organization’s hierarchy, such as marketing managers, might have a more direct involvement with the implementation of market orientation. For future research, I think it would be more prudent to take a broader sample of managers at all levels, thereby eliminating any bias that can occur when only sampling a certain section of the managerial hierarchy. Another problem that I found in Greenley’s conclusion was the fact that he did not make the individual participants aware of the study’s purpose. Although he intended for this to be a tool for gathering accurate and unbiased data from participants, I believe this strategy actually had the opposite effect, given the timing of his article. During a recession, CEOs and Chairmen are attempting to regain short term profitability and/or attempting to scale down costs in order to survive until the recession ends. At such a time, market orientation would not be a viable option and it is unlikely that the top management Greenley questioned would consider it a useful strategy. Therefore, the data collected by Greenley during this period would have little or no relevance for the measurement of the effectiveness of market orientation outside of a recession. Conclusion All three of the articles discussed deal with the task of empirically studying the relationship between market orientation and its effects on businesses. Narver and Slater produced the first major study in this field and their research became a significant starting point for future studies. Narver and Slater’s article stated that they found a direct relationship between marketing orientation and performance; however, the study also brought to light many holes in their research and aspects of this relationship which needed further study. Jaworski and Kohli’s 1993 study attempted to answer some of the key questions that arose from Narver and Slater’s article. The questions Jaworski and Kohli addressed included why some organizations are more market oriented then others and whether or not the linkage between market orientation and business performance depend on the environmental context. The Greenley study in 1995 was the first major study done outside the United States. Greenley followed Narver and Slater’s model in his attempt to empirically study market orientation in the United Kingdom. While his methods were the same, Greenley’s research produced very different results than that of Narver and Slater, and only agreed with some of Jaworski and Kohli’s conclusions. In my opinion, Greenley’s research only added to the confusion that surrounds the study of market orientation; the differences in his results can be attributed to many factors, including gaps in previous research, differences between the United States and the UK, or differences in the economy at the time of the studies. The ambiguous results of this study confirm the need for more research in order to answer the key question of market orientation’s relationship with performance and profit. Therefore, after reading and critically reviewing the above articles, my conclusion is that further empirical research must be done in order for there to be any confidence in the use of market orientation as a performance-enhancing strategy. A multi-national study or the study of multiple multinational companies would provide valuable insight into whether market orientation is exclusively suited to companies operating in the United States or if its implementation in different countries can also be profitable. Further research must also be done in order to affirm or refute Jaworski and Kohli’s claim that market orientation has no positive relationship with market share and return on equity. I believe that if Jaworski and Kohli’s claim is true, managers, especially those operating publically traded companies, will inevitably need to rethink the use of market orientation within their corporations. List of References Greenley, G. (1995). Market orientation and company performance: empirical evidence from UK companies. British Journal of Management, 6:1-13. Jaworski, B. and Kohli, A. (1993). Market orientation: antecedents and consequences. Journal of Marketing, 57(July): 53-70. Narver, J. and Slater, S. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing 54(October): 20-35.

Gender stereotypes- choose an example of fashion or design that you Essay - 1

Gender stereotypes- choose an example of fashion or design that you feel is responding to stereotypical ideas of gender - Essay Example For instance, some of the clothes have evocative catchphrase (slogan) and a connotation of adult sexuality. These clothes comprise of bras, short skirts, and high heeled shoes with lace and animal prints (Challenge the media, 2014). In addition, gender- stereotyped clothes is the main concern due to classification; they are sorted out in pink or blue as well as the feminine clothes for little girls and the army or sports clothes for boys together with the make-ups and accessories targeting girls. This makes it difficult for parents as children mind are set in search a way that they can only accept what they think is right for them as a boy or a girl. They even go to an extent of refusing to wear some of the clothes that are bought for them and even mock each other depending on the type of a cloth they are wearing(Bailey and Great, 2011). According to John Berger in the ways of seeing â€Å"men act and women appear† Cited at Cranny, 2003 pg 140) .and so the manner and which a girl child will act matters most to her than how a boy child will be. In addition, the stereotypes have some conflicting factors especially when applied to certain social group due to their conflicting characters (Cranny et al, 2003). Therefore, the products and the clothing that have adult connotation are not so good for younger generations, and it is essential to put the parent concern at heart before marketing the clothes. Moreover, Gender studies and in design and fashion challenges certain beliefs and stereotypes and so the textile fashion and industrial design should be reconsidered in order to erase the conflicting issues creating concern for parents who have responsibility of raising children in the contemporary world (McDermott, 2007). Challenge the Media, (2014). End the Sexualization of Girls and Young Women in Mainstream Media: Retrieved on 5th of February 2014 from

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Troubled asset relief program - Term Paper Example espread opposition from the public and was quickly billed as ‘the Wall Street bailout.’ There was greater possibility that the implementation of the policy was largely influenced by the US financial sector. Beginning 2005, the housing prices in the US peaked and began to decline. The same trend happened in the value of mortgage-backed securities (MBS). This trend is known as ‘collateralized debt obligation (CDO). The CDO compromised a greater portion of many financial institutions’ asset portfolios. The situation worsened and this lead to the collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 2008. The proximal event led to the introduction of TARP. The Treasury injected approximately $250 billion in TARP program (Cornett, Li and Tehranian 731). The Treasury injected these funds directly into the US banking system through purchasing senior preferred stock and warrants in qualifying financial institutions. In the end, the total available funds were estimated to have amounted to $700 billion. This amount makes TARP the largest program ever promoted by the government of the United States (Garrica, Puddu and Walchli 7). The situation worsened such that on September 2008; Dow Jones Industrial lost 4.4 percent or 504 points. The crisis escalated resulting in more bankruptcies including AIG’s. Hank Paulson, who was the then Treasury Secretary, proposed that TARP be implemented. The objective of the implementation of TARP was to recapitalize the financial institutions with liquidity problems using federal funds. In general, the US Treasury intention was to use TARP in helping banks to improve their balance sheets and increase the robustness of the financial system (Garrica, Puddu and Walchli 1). Paulson introduced legislation to the Congress known as EESA. This legislation was an authorization of $700 billion for the purchase of troubled assets including MBSs from banks through TARP. The announcement of TARP by Paulson on September 19 resulted in many large financial

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Target costing - Case Study Example Thus the cost has never been a primary consideration for the company. But the changes which aroused the competitive environment of the company were cost competition and product innovation with its competitors. The invention of the new segment related to the sports utility vehicle and other market niches are the other factors of the competitive environment for Mercedes. Answer 2 The main changes that took place in the worldwide luxury automobiles were the introduction of the new products in the market which led to the rise in the competition of the company; partnering with the suppliers; reduction in the complexity of the system; new emphasis was being placed on the cost control of respective companies whereas Mercedes cost control was being led by engineers rather than accountants; the number of managerial level were being reduced which was still high with Mercedes; the concept of lead time were being introduced to tackle the costing of companies in an organised way but Mercedes lack ed accountants specifically assigned to look after the costing of the company. Answer 3 The factors based on which MB competes with the other automobile producers are pricing of the product ranging from mid to upper zone, quality and functionality of the product maintained at a very high level. The pricing of the product afore mentioned ranged as its target customer rangers from the higher middle class to the bourgeois of the society. Through this they are able to distinguish themselves as a luxury car which is also affordable by a section of the middle class of the society. This helps in expanding the customer base of the company. However, the quality and the functionality of the company are kept high for maintaining the world-class standard. Moreover, Mercedes does not produce the most expensive sports utility car unlike Land Rover. Furthermore, Mercedes does not strictly follow target costing as the cost control measure of the company so as to produce the lowest priced product in its class (Cooper 163). Answer 4 The product line expansion has occurred though its new expansion as the traditionally luxury-oriented manufacturer. The latest add-ons to the company are A-class, C-class, SLK, E-class and M-class. The recent introduction of the company includes off-road vehicles and new sports car. The C-class which is a mid-sized vehicle also referred to as the baby-Benz. The target costing of a company mainly comprises of three components namely, target cost which is obtained by subtracting target profit from the target selling price of the product of the company. So as to diminish the cost of the company it should focus on the customer group and comparable products both potential as well as existing. However the profit margin of the company depends on the critical volume of the company which is the production volume. Since Mercedes is an automobile manufacturing company, it is dependent on capital intensive structure which in turn is based on the NPV model. Furt hermore the NPV of the company is determined from the long-run profitability, cost of capital, sales volume by class and profitability across vehicle classes. Answer 5 The development of the index comprises of five steps namely, categorically ranking the consumer importance, target cost percentage by function group, categorising of the function group matrix, importance matrix and the target cost matrix. Development of the

Ethical Dilemma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Dilemma - Case Study Example Linet came alone to the clinic, though had been married for 7 years and the last born was 3 years of age. At the clinic, she stated that her husband did not know of her pregnancy as they had agreed 3 years ago not to have other children due to their financial difficulties. Linet was determined to have another child despite her husband’s ignorance on the issue. When it came to HIV testing recommended as part of routine prenatal care, Susan declined saying they had both been tested with her husband before entering their marriage 7 years ago. She claims that she her first three children had been home delivered, and it is because of her complication that resulted in her last pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, that she decided to start attending clinics. Several weeks later, the nurse practitioner receives another new patient, â€Å"Peter Wanyama.† The patient states that he is concerned about occurrence of thrush symptoms, which had originally been treated 4 months ago. Peter states that he is HIV positive and had discovered his status 2 years ago. He is a long distance truck driver and sometimes sleeps out. He states that he always has protected sex with his wife. He says that in the past 1 year, he had been visiting an infectious disease specialist who lived 150 miles from where he lives. He states that he had consulted his specialist about th e recurrence of his symptom, of which he recommended Peter to seek immediate attention in the town which he lived. 2. Include one ethical principle and one law that could be violated and whether the violation would constitute a civil or criminal act based on facts in the law. The nurse on pulling the file of Linet Wanyama realized that Peter Wanyama was indeed her husband. The nurse practitioner became torn on this scenario as she had an ethical responsibility of informing Linet Wanyama of her need to have an HIV test due to a risk of transmission from her husband who was HIV positive (Lipe, 2008). Furthermore, Linet was living in a world where she believed her husband to be faithful to her when he went on long distance journeys (Lipe, 2008). In addition, informing Linet would help her make a decision on whether to have the child or not as the risk of mother to child transmission would be existing. Furthermore, such a disclosure would help in protecting the unborn child (White, 2008 ). Next, in informing Peter of his wife’s secret and coming open about his status to his wife, would at least help them make a decision as a family whether to continue with the pregnancy or not (Timby, 2009). The nurse got herself in such an ethical dilemma as in doing one right thing, would resulting in breaking some of the ethical rules which the medical practice stood by (White, 2010). If the nurse decided to inform the Linet about Peter’s HIV status, then he would have gone against the medical code of ethics of confidentiality. Nurse practitioners are often required to keep information about their patient’s secret (Martin, 2010). Going against one’s confidentiality usually leads to civil lawsuit (Janie, 2012). A nurse can be sued and even lose her job and certificate from the medical board in case of such a lawsuit. But in this scenario, in trying to keep quiet, would only result to more harm to the family (Daniels, 2009). If Linet is not informed for instance, she may not know her HIV status and hence not get enrolled in taking HAART; therefore increasing the chance of HIV related

INMATE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

INMATE - Essay Example nto consideration the situation through which John is undergoing, it will be important not only to himself, but also to his family to be transferred to a medium security correctional facility, closer to his home area. However, when putting into consideration the degree and types of offences he was charged with, I will improve the security of the medium security correctional facility, closer to his home area so that he cannot escape from the prison. If I was a warden, I will have different search procedures for sentenced and awaiting trial detainees. This is because sentenced and awaiting trial detainees are governed by different laws and have different rights. However, both of them are not dangerous, but the chances of both of them to have weapons or other information are equally high (Siegel & Senna, 2009). In addition, I will use different search procedures for sentenced and awaiting trial detainees because the essence of searching each of them is different. For instance, a detainee awaiting trial is searched for evidence, and other harmful substances and weapons. On the other hand, a sentenced detainee is only searched for harmful substances and weapons. Thus, the two groups of detainees fall in different categories, which call for different search

Whats up New England Essay Example for Free

Whats up New England Essay Question: Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by of English origin, by 1700 the region had evolved into two different societies. Why did this difference in development occur? Thesis Statement: When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure. Thought New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled with a majority of English origin. By 1700 the region had evolved into two completely different societies. When talking about New England and the Chesapeake region, you have to consider the differences in motives and geography. Consider economic situations (reasons for settling where they did, reasons why they came to New England in the first place). One has to think about the family development and demographics, as well as the government structure. All these differences helped sculpt the colonies into their own significant and distinct ways of living. The geography of the New England Colonies was not the best. The soil was very rocky. This made agriculture for the New England colonist nearly impossible to achieve. Eventually the English brought pigs, horses, sheep, and cattle to the settlements. This required pastureland so the colonists were constantly clearing forests. The New England colonists were fed up with all of the rocky land, not being able to farm and plant, they moved towards the coast. The dense forests allowed a bounty of timber which was used for building ships that could be used for various. Also, there was an abundance of fish off the coast of Newfoundland, which made the New Englanders very wealthy. The Chesapeake region however, had very fertile soi

Special skills Essay Example for Free

Special skills Essay Moreover, employers are not just looking at our academic qualification to employ us as an accountant but also considering our other special skills, which will be advantage for us in getting a job among few hundreds of people. We can develop our special skills from young age and use it during interviews. Firstly, we should have excellent communication skills. Communications skills are the most important skill we need to have because it is a basic need in any field of jobs. An accountant cannot be good just at calculating numbers although accountancy involves numbers, sometimes we have to explain those numbers to clients with strong and clear voice. It will give a trust to our clients in the way we explain it. Furthermore, we can build up a friendly relationship with our fellow co-workers. This friendly relationship will help us during difficult times to solve our problems. In additionally, we can make friends with unknown people by having effective communication which will be useful in our future. Beverly D.  Flaxington, says, â€Å"When you are presenting to a board, an investor or a prospect, you need to know how to convey complex information in a way people can easily understand†. The next special skill an account requires is computer skills. Nowadays, almost all accountants will have to work with designed accounting software, which will make their work faster and simpler. Likewise, we can able to handle this job precisely if we are good with computers and can quickly learn new accounting software. Besides that, organizational skills are also significant skill for an accountant. Today, there are many group projects involving an accountant so there is necessary for an accountant to have organizational skills, which will bring success to the project. For example, in some projects, accountants need to schedule the time and manage budgets to complete the project magnificently. There are many other special skills such as an aptitude for math, strong analytical skills, a thirst for knowledge, a passion for detail. Today employers select or require at least a minimum a bachelors degree in accounting in order to employed as a staff accountant as accountant. A minimum of 3. 5 above CGPA is needed in order to be appointed as an accountant and with active involving in activities. Employers demand an individual to obtain at least 150 credit hours before becoming as a certified accountant. In an accounting related field, a masters degree is necessary for certain managerial positions as well as special certification. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is the largest and fastest-growing global professional accountancy body in the world. The ACCA is a famous requirement for huge organizations. Licensure such as Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is also useful when you could not pass the ACCA exam. Although basic skills are good enough to enter the accounting field, the higher the level education you have the better your chances of you enhancing in an accounting career. Nowadays, employers seek for accountants who have more than one year working experience. This happens because employers believe that the accountant with experience will understand the work better and finish the work faster and accurately. Consequently, fresh graduates like us will suffer to get job because we are do not have any experience excluding our practical training about 6 months. Sometimes, if we are lucky or we know people who are working accounting field will an opportunity for us to get a job easily. The traditional career paths for political scientists academe and law are increasingly crowded. Todays graduates are just as likely to consider employment in the private as in the public sector, but there are relatively few sources to help you as you make your choices. This guide is designed to fill the gap and supplement other materials of a more general nature that will assist you in your job search. It is aimed at political scientists (at the B. A. , M. A. , and Ph. D. levels) seeking a career outside of an academic or teaching environment. This is not because careers of the latter type (or law for that matter) are so congested that they are not worth considering. Most universities and academic counsellors are familiar with these paths and can give good advice on how to follow them. The interest in non-academic careers is more recent, and so is less familiar. Something you have probably asked yourself (and been asked by others! ) is what can I do with a degree in political science? . Political science is not an accredited profession and so even the most capable political scientist is not qualified to do any particular job in the same sense as an engineer or a physician is. Indeed, the discipline as a whole has traditionally been somewhat resistant to the idea of career training for government service or the private sector. Even the public administration and public policy fields, which come closest to an explicit training model, prefer on the whole to remain at arms length from governments and corporations. This does not mean, however, that you lack specific skills that might be of use on the job market. While it is probably best to think as broadly as possible about the background and skills that you can offer to an employer, your academic training has nonetheless focused on one discipline, and you should see that as a strength. This guide assumes that while political science is not a unique qualification for any one career, it does confer because of the core concerns of the discipline some advantages in seeking employment with government departments and agencies, public affairs departments in private firms, interest associations and for research positions. A senior official with the government of Canada, for example, notes that political science has given me a wide background in the parliamentary process and provided me with certain writing and research skills. I am at ease when talking with parliamentarians about issues of the day, perhaps more so than those of my colleagues who have not had training in political science. This is a career guide, but it is not careerist. You should not pursue political science simply because political science may help in some ways to get you a job. If you are a junior undergraduate, you should consider your academic options as carefully as your career options. You will do better in a field that interests and challenges you than in a field chosen only because you think it might provide future employment. This guide shows you (and your parents! ) that political science can lead to satisfying and interesting careers. You should only choose political science if you think that it will satisfy your intellectual needs. By the same token, realize that there are few non-academic jobs for specialists in 18th century French materialism! If your inclinations already lie in a predominantly non-academic career, maximize the benefit of your academic training by taking courses in cognate disciplines such as economics, and acquire some familiarity with public sector organization, management, budgeting and policy-making. The job market these days is intensely competitive, and the best jobs will go to the best-prepared and most-qualified. One word of caution. This is not a complete job search guide. It has a specific audience in mind and a specific purpose as well: to sketch out the most likely alternative careers for political scientists and provide some basic information on who to contact and how to get started. There is much more to finding a job than can be contained in a short guide like this one. You should consult with a faculty member on possible career paths and opportunities. As well, some universities offer job or career counselling and placement services. Many companies and government agencies try to come directly onto campus from time to time to interview and hire, and you should keep your eyes open for events of this type (they come as early as September, so begin checking at campus employment centres around that time). You might also wish to consult some of the following sources on employment market trends and job search techniques and skills.

Marketing Essays Starbucks Coffee

Marketing Essays Starbucks Coffee Starbucks Coffee Starbucks Coffee company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It began in 1971 with just one retail store at Seattles historic Pike Place Market. Now it has become the leading brand and retailer in the world. Starbucks went public on June 26, 1992. The main aim of Starbucks is to become the leading brand and retailer of finest coffee in each of its target markets nationally and internationally by selling the best quality coffee and related products, and by providing high class customer service. Starbucks purchases and roasts a high quality whole bean coffees to sell them with fresh, rich-brewed espresso beverages, different varieties of pastries and coffee related accessories and equipments (www.starbucks.com). Moreover Starbucks also sells coffee and tea products strategically through other channels such as supermarkets and non traditional retail channels such as United Airlines, Marriott International, Barnes Noble bookstores and Department stores. More than quality coffee, Starbucks features a variety of hand-crafted beverages, pastries and in some markets, a selection of sandwiches and salads. Starbucks merchandise includes exclusive espresso machines and coffee brewers, unique confections and other items related to coffee and tea. Some of the Starbucks products are as follows; Beverages: Brewed coffees, Italian-style espresso, cold blended beverages, roasted whole bean coffees, tea products, fruit juice, sodas, and coffee liqueur. Food: Sandwich, Salads, pastries and ice creams Non food items: Mugs, Travel tumblers, coffeemakers, coffee grinders, storage containers, compact discs, games, seasonal novelty items, Starbucks card, media bar. Starbuckss main mission is to be a global company. In order to achieve this it needs, the development strategy that Starbucks implemented to adapt with variety market and local need are: joint ventures, licenses and company owned operation. The total number of Starbucks stores are 15,011 which are operated and 3,891 are licensed operation in US which are spread out in 50 states. For the international location, Starbucks’ store can be found in 44 countries outside of the United States and 1,049 stores are company owned operated in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Singapore, Thailand and the U.K. and 6,506 are joint ventures and licensed operation. Internationally Starbucks opened their stores in the following countries; Starbucks open in Tokyo, Japan. Nowadays, there are more than 700 retails shops in Japan. Furthermore, Starbucks also open in Hawaii and Singapore. Starbucks open in Philippines Starbucks open in U.K., Taiwan, Thailand, New Zealand and Malaysia. Starbucks open in Beijing, Kuwait, South Korea and Lebanon. Starbucks open in United Arab Emirates, Shanghai, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Starbucks open in Switzerland and Austria. Starbucks open in Oman, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Southern China, Macao and Shenzhen, Greece and Indonesia. Starbucks open in Turkey, Peru, Chile and Cyprus. Expansion to France The latest expansion in Jordan 5 Ps for Starbucks Coffee Company Starbucks is not just a good cup of fresh coffee, but a better quality product, excellent customer service and better understanding of coffee culture. Starbucks has so far achieved unpredictable achievements in coffee chain industry. Now we will go through the strategies of 5 Ps, price, product, place, promotion and people. Price: The Starbucks prices continuously matches with its competitors competitively represents Starbucks an attractive combination of features, high quality, excellent service and other attractive attributes. Product: Starbucks is known very well in the market due to its high quality coffee, care in selection and expertise in roast. It purchases coffees that have been grown and processed which meets strict environmental, economical, social and quality standards, which is suitable appropriate for the market and the customers. Starbucks establishes its longer lasting and more profitable competitive advantages by broadly differentiating its coffee and coffee related products depending upon its competence and innovation. Place: The decisions of Starbucks about where to site its stores depends on reaching its potential customers and providing better service to its existing customers. Its stores are typically clustered in high-traffic, high visibility locations. When it opens a new store near an established Starbucks, it is generally intended to relieve long customer lines and improve service. It takes more than just location to be successful. Attracting customers to Starbucks happens by providing high-quality coffee as well as creating inviting, comfortable places located in convenient location. The store expansion strategy for Starbucks is by entering new markets wherever the opportunity exists to become the leading specialty coffee retailer. Its current location totals 8,505 worldwide by the year 2007. Promotion: There is not much conventional advertising because Starbucks found that there is too much competition for consumers attention in TV, radio and print media. Starbucks usually picks one or two charities or events that reach the community it serves. This will inspire people inside and outside the company and reinforce the companys value and image. For instance, after September 11, stores in New York, Washington D.C and Pennsylvania brewed coffee free of cost for relief workers. People: One of the strategy of Starbucks is to believe that the Company is in the people development business as well as in the coffee business. As stated in its mission Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity, Starbucks realizes that one of the most important resources contributing to success is their employees or partners as referred by the Company. Starbucks is attempting to imbed its values in the Company culture. They use these values to give employees a sense of meaning to their work even if it is just pouring a cup of coffee. The coffee chain provides medical, dental and vision coverage to all employees, even including part-timers. The part- time partners are also eligible for the companys stock program. The purpose is to instill in its partners a sense of purpose, commitment, loyalty and enthusiasm. Expectedly, what Starbucks benefits are the reduced recruiting and training costs. Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers ‘PESTLE’ Analysis for Starbucks Coffee Company Political: High taxation imposed on farmers in those countries producing the coffee bean will usually mean Starbucks pay a higher price for the coffee they purchase. Any fluctuations in taxation levels in the industry are almost certainly ultimately passed on to the consumer. Trade issues will affect Starbucks predominantly when exporting and importing goods. When another country’s government imposes a tariff it not only results in an efficiency loss for Starbucks but large income transfers can become inconsistent with equity. This extra charge can turn a bargain into a rip-off. Also, since 9/11, trade relations have been adversely affected between the USA and some other countries. Starbucks should thoroughly investigate the political stability of any country they plan to expand to. Changes in government can lead to changes in taxation and legislation. The American elections may have an effect on Starbucks as new legislation or new or existing government may bring in taxes. Also, those countries in political turmoil or civil war (e.g. Zimbabwe at present) should be approached with great caution when considering new ventures. The international economy must be brought into consideration as it can affect Starbucks’ sales and markets. The aftermath of 9/11 was an example of an economic downturn that affected the world market. A reduction in licensing and permit costs in those countries producing the coffee bean for Starbucks would lower production costs for farmers. This saving would in turn be passed on to the purchaser. Economic: A rise in interest rates means investment and expansion plans are put off resulting in falling sales for Starbucks and their suppliers. Also mortgage repayments rise so consumers have less disposable income to spend on luxury products such as coffee. Low interest rates will have the opposite effect of it. If growth is low in the nation of location of Starbucks then sales may also fall. Consumer incomes tend to fall in periods of negative growth leaving less disposable income. Consumer confidence in products can also fall if the economic situation is bad. Competitive pricing from competitors can start a price war for Starbucks that can drive down profits and profit margins as they attempt to increase, or at least maintain, their share of the market. Globalisation of the coffee market has meant farmers of the bean now earn less money than they used to. This can result in a decrease of people willing to do it for a living, which will mean a decrease in coffee produced, resulting in a drop in Starbucks supply levels and probably profits. Starbucks are affected by exchange rates when dealing with international trade. If the value of the currency falls in the country of a coffee supplier this enables Starbucks to get more for their $ or  £ when importing the goods to their country. This saving can be passed along to the customer. Exchange rates are forever changing throughout the world in today’s market. Social: Where income is distributed is another factor that Starbucks should look at as this also demonstrates the ideal place to aim their marketing or to locate their stores. Coffee is more of a luxury product so it is those people/places with the most amount of disposable income to spend that should be targeted the most intensely. Starbucks would not want to locate to an area where the local population have a poor attitude to work. Recruitment would be difficult, training arduous, and staff turnover would be high. Attitudes to work are important in other ways. Transport needs to the premises must be considered for both staff and customers. Easy access is vital to ensure there is no excuse for staff to arrive late or for customers not to visit. Research shows the average age of the population is getting older and birth rates are stagnating. Starbucks is presently aiming it’s product at young people but maybe these views will change in the long-term as the market proportion for young people diminishes. The most profitable way forward may be to widen their target market despite the risk of alienating present customers. Technological: Developments in the technology of coffee making machines and the computers that Starbucks use to run their cash registers will enable their staff to work more quickly and efficiently. This will result in customers being served quicker and create the potential to serve more customers in a day. In the short-term, Starbucks must identify the most efficient software upgrades to use to keep up with the competition. This applies to the improving the accessibility of their website (www.starbucks.com) and also improving the speed and quality of the service provided on the shop floor. As a multi-national business empire, Starbucks has the budget and the resources to have a cutting-edge RD department. The website is very accessible, the facilities are state of the art but more importantly new ideas are consistently being tried in terms of a constantly updating menu. The rate of technological change in the current world market is high, much higher than, say, thirty years ago. Much of this is down to the Internet and the speed with which information can be communicated around the globe. Starbucks will need to invest heavily just to stand still in their ever expanding and developing market, and even more so to try to stay ahead of competitors. Legal: Starbucks need to be aware of the trade laws in the various countries they occupy and do business with. They need to ensure they are not in violation of e.g., religious laws. Also, certain countries impose a tariff that has to be paid when goods are imported/exported so this must be taken into account. Each country has varying employment laws. Some may have a Sabbath day, some may have a limit on the number of hours an employee may work per week, and all will have varying levels of minimum wage. Starbucks should consider these factors when deciding on relocation. Starbucks may have to abide by local planning regulations when building shops or altering purchased sites, as certain areas of land may be protected or unsuitable. All matters would be addressed by the local government. Environmental: Starbucks customers create a lot of waste as they often leave the shop with their cup of coffee and then dispose of it in the street. The packaging for this cup must be carefully considered to make it as biologically degradable as possible. Certain other materials can be very harmful to the natural environment. Planning permission may not be granted if Starbucks wish to build in an area that could be harmful to the environment. The land may be protected. Starbucks need to carefully consider the methods in which they dispose of their waste as there are strict laws in most countries to ensure a firm trading in their country disposes of the waste that is created in their business in a specific and efficient way. Starbucks should be aware of the physical and influential power of groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work ‘SWOT’ Analysis for Starbucks Coffee Company Strength: Strong brand name and image The reputation of brand name and image of Starbucks allow brand recognition and consumer retention. Therefore, the expanding of stores to other countries is more proficient and easier. Healthy financial performance The financial performance of company has positive aspects. The revenues of Starbucks in 2007 were $9.411 billion, growing at about 30 percent. The exponential growth in revenue and profit creates the strong financial statement and reliability to shareholders. High-skilled management team Starbucks has highly skilled and professional Chief executive officers (CEOs), for example, Howard Schultz, Orin Smith and Howard Behar. These lead to the rapid and stable growth of Starbucks. High technology Starbucks brings the technology to use in the stores in order to attract more customers. For instance, there are high-speed internet, website and prepaid Starbucks card. It might be increase traffic in the stores particularly in new generation group. High quality and innovation of products Starbucks uses high quality of coffee beans and dairy goods. Furthermore, new products are usually introduced by Starbucks including coffee and beverage line. Both of them enable Starbucks to be able to maintain level of sales and keep competitors out. Weakness: High price Starbucks has increased the price due to rising cost of production, including cost of dairy goods and cost of rent. The increase of price might have an effect on the falling of sales and customer retention directly Clusters of store Because Starbucks has a lot of stores and also these are located in closed areas, it leads to the scramble of customers in each store. Clusters of store might cause inefficient performance of the company. Opportunities: Large consumer group China has the biggest world’s population. Coffee drinking is more popular among young generation, especially those who have overseas education, which influences the coffee consumption. Many of these teenagers have lived in western countries for a long time and they have familiar with the coffee culture. When returning to China they have carried on living in this fashion. Chinese teenagers also like to choose western style coffee shops as their favorite place. Lifestyle Modern lifestyle of Chinese teenagers and adults supports the proliferation of western coffee shops. Meeting and discussing business in a warm and nicely designed coffee shop have become more popular in China. Consequently, the teahouse’s domination has been challenged by the foreign coffee house. Threats: Competitors The global coffee market is a very competitive sector. Starbucks is facing the increase of competitions from other foreign players. The latest Starbucks’ competitor is Canadian chain Blenz Coffee, which plans to open a string of cafà © in China where consumers can smoke, while Starbucks is non smoke stores. Intellectual-property violation Starbucks filed a lawsuit for trademark infringement against Shanghai Xingbake which signs, logos and names similar to Starbucks. It would seem that chances of consumer confusion are high. Porters Five Forces Analysis Porter’s five forces analysis is an important tool for analyzing an organizations industry structure in strategic processes. It helps the marketer to contrast a competitive environment. It tends to focus on the single, stand alone, business or SBU (Strategic Business Unit) rather than a single product or range of products. Porter has identified five competitive forces that shape every industry and every market. These are: The threat of entry, The power of buyers, The power of suppliers, The threat of substitutes and Competitive rivalry. The threat of entry: The threat of entry covers: Economies of scale, The high or low cost of entry, Ease of access to distribution channels, Cost advantages not related to the size of the company, Whether competitors will retaliate? Government action and How important differentiation is. There will always be a continuous pressure for Starbucks to react and adjust to these new entrants. The easier it is for new entrants to enter the market the more competition there is within the market. Although this really should not pose too much of a problem for Starbucks as they have a very large share of the market that will be relatively immune to the threat of new entrants. Starbucks is a company that have years of experience in roasting specialised coffee, if a company was to enter the coffee industry it would be extremely difficult for them to offer the same quality of coffee at a competitive price. As a company’s volume increases, so does its experience and knowledge which tends to decrease the cost of their products The power of buyers: Buyer power is likely to be high if a number of conditions are in place. There is a concentration of buyers, particularly if the volumes of purchases of the buyers are high, the supplying industry comprises a large number of small operators, there are alternative sources of supply, the component or material cost is a high percentage of total cost, the cost of switching a supplier is low or involves little risk, there is a threat of backward integration by the buyer. This is high where there a few, large players in a market If there are a large number of undifferentiated, small suppliers The cost of switching between suppliers is low for Starbucks. The power of suppliers: If the market is dominated by few large suppliers rather than numerous fragmented sources, a suppliers bargaining power is likely to be high. Although suppliers do have certain amounts of power, it is limited. With Starbucks being ‘the most famous specialty coffee shop chain in the world’ and still expanding they should still be requiring coffee beans for some time. It is safe to say that the Suppliers need Starbucks, just as much, if not more so than Starbucks need their supplies. Fortunately for Starbucks they buy their coffee beans directly from producing countries: Latin America (50%), Pacific Rim (35%) and East Africa (15%). The threat of substitutes: This occurs where there is product-for-product substitution, where there is a substitution of need e.g. a bald head reduces the need for hair gel, where there is generic substitution and finally the attitude ‘we could always do without. An example for Starbucks would be if an alternative to coffee was offered e.g. a customer switching from coffee to tea. Competitive rivalary: Numerous factors contribute to intense rivalry between existing competitors in an industry. This is most likely to be high where entry is likely; there is the threat of substitute products, and suppliers and buyers in the market attempt to control. This is why it is found in the centre of the diagram. The extent to which competitors are in balance, this is where competitors are of an equal size which creates intense competition as one of the competitors tries to gain dominance over the other, high fixed costs in an industry may result in price wars, differentiation is important as in a commodity market where products or services are undifferentiated there is little to stop customers switching between competitors. Starbucks do not really have any competitive rivals that are of similar size to them so there are not any rivals in the market that would be considered in balance with them. However, they must maintain their excellent standards and always be on the lookout for new innovation s in order to stay as the market leader. Competitor Analysis Competition is steadily growing against Starbucks each year as the industry grows. Competitors look to gain an advantage by price cuts, launching a rival product, aggressive expansion of production to increase market share or inclusion of significant modifications to a product that other competitors must also undertake to keep up. The following are the current figures showing the market share of companies in the coffee industry. 35% Starbucks 20% Local Coffee Outlets 14% Internet Cyber Cafes 13% Caffe Nero 10% Costa Coffee 8% Coffee Republic Culture Model The culture of an organisation is the set of values that helps its stakeholders understand what the organisation stands for, how it does things and what it considers important. Under culture model, we are going to explain the communication and decision making of Starbucks. The Organisation its environment (Source: Davidson, 2002 pg. 73 Figure 3.1 In the diagram (above), owner created the company objective for Starbucks and the boarder of directors is going to lead company to achieve that company objective. Therefore, the boarder of directors has to choose the suitable organisation culture environment for Starbucks in order to achieve the company objective. The Value System The value system is the inter-organisational links that are vital in the creation of the product or service of a company. It follows the production of the service/product from raw material stage right through to the customer purchase. Each instruction for the development of the product is detailed and explained at each stage of the value system. The ‘firm value chain’ is the most important to a manager because that is their company, however, a good manager will understand the whole process and how to manage each individual link and relationship to maximise customer value. Managers should also need to learn the whole value system because most of the cost and value creation occurs in the supply and distribution chains. For Starbucks, the ‘supplier value chain’ deals with where they get the coffee beans from that they use to create their end product – a cup of coffee. Starbucks buy all their beans direct from the farmers in the producing countries cutting out any middle-man therefore keeping prices to a minimum. The countries that supply them can be found in Latin America, East Africa and on the Pacific Rim. Starbucks fully appreciate the need to oversee all aspects of the value system and we can see an example of this in their determination to obtain the highly sought Narino Supremo crop in 1992. This acquisition ensured some of the highest quality coffee supplies in the world would be reaped by Starbucks. The company has close relationships with their coffee exporters. They maintain this by working directly with them and training them. A good relationship here is essential and needs to be maintained. The ‘firm’s value chain’ consists of: The Firm’s infrastructure; which is about the ways in which Starbucks want their organisation to run and how it is best to implement systems of planning, finance, quality control and information management, it is also where they have made the decision to make high quality coffee from the best coffee beans as this is involved with the quality control. Human Resource Management; It is concerned with the activities involved in recruiting, managing, training, developing and rewarding people within the organisation. For Starbucks this is where they have made decisions about the fact that all employees are equal, even those on the shop-floor that are working over 20 hours a week receive bonuses like free coffee and health care coverage, this was to make sure that the members of staff felt as if they were valued by the company and would continue to provide a good service. Another implemented scheme is for all Starbucks store staff to have a comprehensive 24 hour training scheme before they were allowed on to work directly with customers. Technology development; Starbucks has a large number of areas where it uses technology from regulating their stock levels to the cash registers. There is also technology to enable customers can to order their coffee over the internet and then pick it up from the store when they get there. Some stores now also contain computers where customers can access the internet. Procurement; this refers to the processes for acquiring the various resource inputs to the primary activities. For instance, the method of obtaining the grade A coffee beans from suppliers to use in the Starbucks coffee. Inbound logistics; For Starbucks this means receiving the coffee beans and other products that they need to make the products in their stores from their suppliers and storing these until they are used to make the product that they are going to sell. Operations; this is the stage where Starbucks make the coffee in the store and package the other subsidiary products. Outbound logistics; this is collection, storage and distribution of coffee. A customer actually purchasing a cup of Starbucks coffee from the store. Marketing and Sales; This is how consumers become aware of Starbucks coffee and purchase it. Starbucks is a worldwide company and their brand is recognised all over the world, which means that marketing is not as necessary as it once was. Most people now recognise the name and associate the brand-image with high quality products. Service; this includes all the activities that enhance or maintain the value of the product, e.g. installation, repair and training. This area is concerned with the members of staff that deal with the customers, it focuses on the need to ensure the ‘customer experience’ of visiting a Starbucks store is all the more enjoyable due to the friendliness and efficiency of staff and consistently high quality product on offer.

Trinity Church :: essays papers

Trinity Church Henry Hobson Richardson designed his most famous building, Trinity Church in Copley Square, after winning a competition in 1972. James O’Gorman described Trinity as â€Å"a cultural even of the first importance in American history.† â€Å"The building both represents a departure of the Boston’s mind from its Puritan past, and emergence of American creativity as a force in architecture.† Born in 1838, Richardson was raised just outside New Orleans and surrounded by the colorful stucco buildings of New Orleans. He was from an American family but was greatly influenced by the French culture of his area. After being denied admission to West Point, Richardson graduated Harvard, class of 1859. After Henry Hobson Richardson graduated Harvard University, he decided to remain in the North to study rather than return to New Orleans. He had the opportunity to study in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, travel to London, travel through rural England, and through Southern France and Spain, making some trips with his friend Henry Adams. Richardson collected postcards throughout his trips that would eventually amount to over 3000 images. Later, he returned to the US and began practicing in New York. Richardson served on the Staten Island Commission, and then moved to Brookline, MA in 1874 after completing several commissions in Boston. Richardson then designed Trinity Church during his remaining twelve years that he spent in Massachusetts. Trinity Church is a prime example of revival architecture. When the â€Å"New Republic† of the United States gained its independence, the â€Å"New Democratic Citizens† wanted their place in history reflected in their architecture. The people of the 18th century were proud people, with rights, rights to build homes and communities of their own. And so, the revival style was born, a style built upon the perceptions of their predecessors, the Greeks and Romans. The difference was they had more freedom than their predecessors. This revival style continued into the 19th century when Trinity Church was designed in a Romanesque Revival Style. The primary difference was scale as churches grew dramatically in size. Furthermore, the construction of the Trinity Church brought about the Richardsonian Romanesque Style. This architecture style remained prevalent during the Victorian period, primarily as a result of the widespread influence of the Trinity Church that displayed bold stonework, complex roof patterns, and arched openings. One defining feature of Romanesque architecture is a round-headed arch. Trinity is articulated with many round-head arches that frame its windows and entrances.

Genderless Society, an Illusion or Reality Essay -- essays research pa

According to dictionary.com, gender is defined as â€Å"the condition of being female or male.† Gender and Sexuality conjure up images of the male and female and the roles that each sex is supposed to fulfill. Of the two forces (Biology and Environment) influencing human development, especially gender, environment is more influential. Environment is basically the surrounding conditions or forces capable of influencing a person or any entity, for example, family, culture, peers, society, etc. In view of this, let us now think about these thought provoking questions. Do you believe there will ever come a day when boys will play with dolls and girls will play with trucks and no one will notice? Suppose parents could successfully forget about the gender of their child. What would be the advantages and the disadvantages of this? These are the questions that would be examined and answered in this article. Reasonably, I opine that a day might come when boys will play with dolls and girls play with trucks, but people will take note of this, depending on their sense of perception and cultural backgrounds, and since neither this situation had ever occurred nor has it ever been that way from time being. Also, since the environment people live in could either positively or negatively contribute to their physical, spiritual, and social well being, so, gender should be seen more of a social structure that forms the basis for individuals’ norms which are anchored into the major societal organizations of our world today (Lorber 5). This might make one to ask again - Is a Genderless Society Attainable? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Apparently, parents, as a factor, have the power and the responsibilities to shape the gender identity of their wards from childhood. The socialization theory, in terms of gender, suggests that â€Å"children are taught to behave in a certain way according to their sex. Boys are taught to be masculine and girls to be feminine. For example, parents will often buy trucks or army toys for boys while girls will have dolls and playhouse sort-of toys† (Cohen and Ian, 78). So why would a genderless society be unattainable since the primary factor of childhood gender-shaping is the parents? In fact, from the socialization theory, it could be deduced that genderless society might be achieved if parents would act in other way round- allow boys to play w... ...A day might come when boys might play with dolls and girls might play with trucks, but people would surely notice this. Since our mode of life- morals, physical, social, gender, etc are being modeled, nurtured, and influenced by many factors of our immediate environment such as our family, culture, peers, society, education, community. If on the other hand, the environment nurtures or influences us the way the â€Å"fabulous baby X† was nurtured, there might be a success of a genderless society, but this will sound too strongly unattainable and an illusion of reality! WORK CITED PAGE Cohen, Jack and Ian, Stewart. â€Å"Our Genes Aren’t Us.† Discover Apr. 94, Vol. 15 Issue 4, p78, 7p, 6c Gould, Lois. â€Å"X: A Fabulous Child’s Story.† Mirror on America: Short Essays and Images from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Popular Culture. 2nd Ed. Mims, J.T and Nollen, E.M. NY: Bedford/ST. Martin’s, 2003:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  63-76. Lexico Publishing Group. â€Å"Gender.† Dictionary.com. (2003) 23 Jan. 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Lober, Judith. Paradoxes of Gender: sex role, gender identity, social theory, and feminist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  institutions. Yale UP: New Haven, 1994.

Winston Churchill :: essays research papers

Those eleven burning words summed up the nature of Britain's war, turned Britain's back on the weaknesses of the past, set her face toward the unknown future. Because of them the rest of that speech has been forgotten. It should not be forgotten, for it is not only a great example of Winston Churchill's eloquence, but the epitome of the movement which he leads. After a brief report on the formation of his Government, Winston Churchill said: "You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea and air--war with all our might and with all the strength God has given us--and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. "You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival. "Let that be realized. No survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge, the impulse of the ages, that mankind shall move forward toward his goal." December 31, 1940, was not only the end of a year; it was the end of a decade--the most terrifying of the 20th Century. The decade which ended in 1920 had seen a war that was to prove inconclusive. It had seen a revolution that was to lie quiescent after establishing itself in the largest country of the world. The decade which ended in 1930 was one of confusion and wasted energy--the wasted energy of gambling and gin-drinking in the U.S., of civil war in the Far East, of misdirected revolutionary effort from the U.S.S.R., of the attempt in Europe to hold resurgent peoples in check. The decade which ended this week saw the failure of that attempt and the unleashing of ruthless war. It saw the Far East's battle of warlords turn into a war for the supremacy of one people. It saw the U.S. turn to a feverish effort to protect itself and its neighbors. It saw, in the Battle of Britain, the life-&-death struggle of the greatest empire the world has ever known. The Candidates of 1940. No artist, no athlete, no scientist, only a man whose place was on the stage of world politics, could be Man of 1940--last and stormiest year of a stormy decade.

Economic progress in Russia in the years 1981-1982 Essay

Despite frequent changes in policy, Russian and Soviet governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in securing sustained economic progress in the years 1881-1982’. Assess the validity of this statement. Between 1981 and 1982, Russia underwent huge changes, particularly the in economy. Russian history is well known for its frequent changes in policy as the country faced revolutions, changes in regime, changes in leadership and not to mention its involvement in various conflicts. As a result, Russia’s economic policy was subject to major change apart from three key areas, industry, agriculture and the tertiary sector. These three areas of the economy remained a constant in its ever changing climate; however, many historians still argue that Russia’s economy was unsuccessful and poorly managed despite its frequent change in policy. Thus begs the question, ‘To what extent is this true?’ The Tsarist regime, for many Russians, was a period of economic instability as agriculture was seen as a secondary concern. Growth rate was not structured and growth rate fell considerably between the late 1890’s and 1905.[1] Meanwhile, other economies expanded leaving Russia struggling to catch up and some historians see agriculture as a reason for Russia’s economic decline. For example, Carol. S. Leonard argued that Russia’s grain production per capita GDP was lagged far behind that of America in 1913.[2] This argument shows how agriculture in Tsarist Russia wasn’t dealt with effectively and as a result, the economy suffered. On the other hand, some historians have pointed out that agriculture in Russia during the late Tsarist years were not so destructive. One argument maintains that actually, Russia’s agriculture grew and developed quite substantially pre- revolution. For example; from 1890 to 1913, cereal production per capita increased by 35%[3]. Although this evidence is hard to ignore, it is also difficult to turn a blind eye to the contrasting evidence which suggests that agriculture suffered under the late Tsarist regime and consequently, affected the economy as a whole. For example: â€Å"There was very little investment in agriculture in Imperial Russia and this lead to small yields and economic volatility when prices rose and fell†¦lack of investment in agriculture frequently caused grain prices to rise which caused famines†[4] Overall, although agriculture grew slightly during the Tsarist regime, ultimately it suffered greatly as did the Russian people. Looking at agriculture alone, Russia’s economy looked bleak however; industry had slightly more success during this time so perhaps the economy was not so bad after all. S J Lee puts forward a simple statement: â€Å"The periods of most rapid growth were in the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917) as a result of the economic reforms of Sergei Witte (1892-1903)†[5]. This is easy to see, when one considers that in 1914, Russia produced 35 million tons of coal, ranking Russia fifth amongst the main producers.[6] Building on Lee’s argument, there seems to be a lot of evidence pointing to Sergei Witte as the main reason for Russia’s industrial boom. Upon taking office, Witte raised massive amounts of capital by securing a loan from France and raising taxes and tariffs and interest rates.[7] However, it is the development of Russian railways which Witte is perhaps most remembered for. Under his guidance the railway network grew from around thirty one thousand km to around fifty three km worth of track.[8] With Witte at the helm, Russia’s industry continued to develop with growth rates comparing well next to those of the United States and Germany. Witte has often been credited with modernizing Russia to such a great extent that its industrial boom continued long after he left his post as Finance Minister in 1903. For example, in 1913, Russia’s steel production stood at 4.9 million metric tons next to France’s 4.7 million, with coal and iron not far behind.[9] On the other hand, Witte’s industrialization policies were not always so successful. For example, between 1890 and 1899, Russia’s industrial growth stood at 8.0% whereas between 1900-06, it reduced to 1.4%[10]. His aims of modernizing came with a heavy cost and it was consumers who had to pay the price. Taxes were raised but only for the lower classes, indeed the wealthier classes were spared from taxation although their money was needed for private capital. Tariffs also caused problems as, although they protected Russian industry, they added to the cost of living.[11] Whatsmore, although some historians have credited Witte’s decision to seek loans from foreign investors, some remain critical. This is because the interest added to the loans had to be paid in a secure medium meaning, in order to pay off their debts, Russia was forced to export grain regularly, including during the famine of 1891.[12] Overall, although Witte made huge strides in modernizing the Russian economy, he was not entirely faultless. Industry picked up, but there were still issues and it was the common man who had to pay. The economy still suffered, although, arguably, not as much as it would have done without Witte. However, the tertiary sector also contributed to the economy. Although some historians critique Russia’s dependence of Western investors, these ties had corresponding benefits in the shape of trade. [13] Business also boomed within Russia with eight large banks emerging in 1899 which owned more than half the total bank capital. This provided free access for foreign capital, controlling important branches of the Russian economy, including the fuel and metallurgical industries. [14] Moreover, according to Robert Service, domestic industrialists and banks were thriving too.[15] This argument can be supported by the growth in towns and cities between 1897 and 1914. For example; the population in St Petersburg grew from 1’300 thousand (1987) to 2’100 thousand (1914)[16]. This shows that the economic growth had a positive impact on society and the country was doing well under the Tsarist regime. However, although to the naked eye Russia seemed to be doing well, their growth wasn’t so great. Compared to the other Great powers of the period, Russia was lagging far behind. Between 1894 and 1913, Austria-Hungary had a 79% increase in national income whereas Russia was lagging far behind with only a 50% increase[17]. This clearly demonstrates that Russia’s overall situation was not so great and actually, Russian people did suffer. When Lenin came to power in 1917, he brought with him a change in regime and economic policy including the introduction of war communism. War communism aimed to socialize the economy through state involvement. Rural areas were subjected to grain requisition which was forcibly removed by the military.[18] This inevitably was unpopular and caused much suffering and peasants who stored their crops were often wrongfully prosecuted. It was not just agriculture which suffered. Factories were nationalized by November 1920 and were geared towards war production.[19] Additionally, private trade was banned and rationing was introduced on consumer goods including food and clothing. War communism was, effectively a self destructive policy. Grain requisitioning meant more than three million people died of starvation by late 1922.[20] Moreover, money lost its value and people got by through a system of barter. Inflation shot up and multiplied 1917 costs by four million in 1922. Additionally, in comparison to the growth in city population during the Tsarist regime, people fled the cities. For example; in December 1920 the population in Petrograd fell by 57.5%[21] Lenin knew that it was time for a change. War communism caused more harm then good so Lenin came up with an alternative, the ‘New Economic Policy’ (NEP). Peasants were allowed to sell grain for profit and they paid tax on what they produced rather than giving it up[22]. Things also changed industrially and in the tertiary sector. Businessmen could own small or medium sized businesses however large firms were still state owned.[23] The NEP basically gave the people of Russia freedom and Lenin hoped that it would boost economic growth as well. However, in 1924, Lenin died and Stalin came to power. Stalin also brought new ideas and his own ways of modernizing the economy. In November 1927, Stalin introduced his policies of industrialisation and collectivisation with the aim of modernising the economy. They were supported by a series of five year plans, the first (1928-32) aimed to improve living standards and the second (1933-37) and third (1938-41) aimed to highlight and thus, amend, Russia’s weaknesses[24]. Industrialisation was relatively successful as by the late 1930’s many workers conditions had improved and they had acquired better paid jobs and unemployment was almost non-existent. Accounts from the time support this view: â€Å"Good progress was made†¦4’500 new factories, plants, mines and power stations were commissioned, three times as many as the first Five-Year period’[25]. On the other hand, industrialisation was harsh and lateness for work often led to employees getting the sack. Many prisoners also paid the price by working on the grand engineering projects and working in appalling and dangerous conditions. For example; around 100’000 workers died building the Belmor Canal[26]. Collectivisation was ultimately unsuccessful and peasants were in a worse position than ever before. The concept of sharing farms and thus, sharing salary meant there wasn’t enough money to go around and crop production fell too. For example: â€Å"†¦Grain shortages, combined with continued forced procurements, led to rural famine†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [27] However, some people benefitted from collectivisation such as Bertha Malnick: â€Å"We have more than 600 hectares†¦our farmers have built 70 new houses for themselves during the last few years†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [28]. However, it is reasonable to conclude overall that collectivisation was unsuccessful given the various sources which provide figures of those who died or badly suffered during Stalin’s reign. Stalin died in 1953 and Khrushchev took over. Khrushchev focused on DeStalinisation, distancing the USSR as far away from Stalin as possible. Khrushchev was keen to adopt a different economic policy with the aim of building on the country’s previous economic growth and amending its weaknesses and one way he did this was by abandoning the five year plans and starting a new, seven year plan (1959-65) which aimed to take advantage of newly discovered mineral resources and fit in with industry[29]. Khrushchev pumped a lot of money into agriculture and overall 40% of investment was put into the neglected eastern regions of the USSR[30]. However, the seven year plan had similar flaws to the previous five year plans such as mistakes in resource distribution. Living standards got worse, the opposite to what Khrushchev had hoped to achieve. For example; only five in one thousand citizens owned a car and in 1963, the USSR was forced to import grain from the capitalist west to compensate shortages.[31] There were successes during this time such as the rise in foreign trade however this can’t compensate for the huge failures experienced during this time. Khrushchev made an honest attempt to improve the economy however his plans backfired and once again the country was left to clean up an economic mess. Eventually, Khrushchev was removed from power and in his place came Brezhnev who did little to change the economy. The era of Brezhnev has often been described as ‘a period of economic stagnation’ but some historians believe that this is not fair. Like Khrushchev, Brezhnev wanted to focus on improving agriculture and living standards in Russia. Historians Gwyneth Hughes and Simon Welfare support this view saying: â€Å"†¦After the terror of Stalin’s reign and the chaos of Khrushchev’s, the Soviet Union was in for a period of stability, and that meant everyone kept their job and their perks for life.†[32] Brezhnev allowed farmers to work on state own plots which motivated them to produce as much as possible in order to sell the surplus[33]. This, in theory, should have been beneficial and shows that Brezhnev was trying to improve the economy through new methods however, he was not so lucky. In 1975, the USSR suffered another poor harvest meaning Brezhnev had to increase foreign exports to keep everyone fed. This was just another disaster in Russia but Brezhnev did little to help. His aim to improve agriculture and living standards meant he neglected industry and production rates continued to rapidly fall[34]. However, arguably his biggest flaw was his inability to change the already ridged economy. Brezhnev had new ideas but couldn’t fight the system and by the end of his reign, Russia had made little improvement. Historian Dmitri Volkognov best sums up the Brezhnev period saying: â€Å"If Lenin and Stalin, and to some extent even Khrushchev, were able to enliven the moribund ideology of Communism, it was quite beyond Brezhnev†¦Ã¢â‚¬ [35]. In conclusion, between 1881 and 1982, Russia experienced much hardship especially surrounding the economy. After analyzing this one hundred year period it is hard to deny that the statement ‘Despite frequent changes in policy, Russian and Soviet governments were spectacularly unsuccessful in securing sustained economic progress in the years 1881-1992’. The economy under the Tsarist regime had its faults and during and after the 1917 revolution, it was widely believed that the country’s economic situation would improve. However, from Lenin to Stalin and Khrushchev to Brezhnev, it seemed that no leader was able to sustain a long-lasting and successful economic policy. The economy grew as quickly as it declined and it has taken many years to make any significant progress since. Therefore, this statement is valid. ________________ [1] Heinemann Advanced History: The Modernisation of Russia 1856-1985 [2] Agricultural Productivity Growth in Russia 1861-1913. From Inertia to Ferment by Carol. S. Leonard [3] The Penguin History of Modern Russia by Robert Service [4] www.historymadefun.co.uk/Tsarism [5] Overview from Russia and the USSR: Autocracy and Dictatorship (questions and answers in History) by Stephen. J. Lee [6] Stephen J Lee [7] http://www.slideshare.net/russeltarr/tsar-nicholas-ii-and-industry [8] The Industrialisation of Russia by M. Falkus [9] http://www.portalus.ru/modules/english_russia [10] M. Falkus [11] A2 History OCR: A Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 [12] A2 History OCR [13] S. J Lee [14] A History of the USSR [15] Penguin History of Modern Russia [16] M. Falkus [17] The Making of the Revolution, 1881-1905 [18] From Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991 by Evans and Jenkins [19] Evans and Jenkins [20] The Russian Revolutions 1914-1924 [21] Evans and Jenkins [22] The USSR, Germany and the USA between the wars [23] Russia and the USSR 1905-1941 [24] The USSR, Germany and Russia between the wars [25] A Soviet view of the second five year plan from History of the USSR by Y. Kukushkin [26] Stalin and the Soviet Economy [27] European History 1848-1945 by T.A Morris [28] Everyday Life in Russia by Bertha Malnick [29] AQA A2 History Triumph and Collapse: Russia and the USSR 1941-1991 by John Laver & Sally Waller [30] Russia 1855- 1964 Flagship History by D. Murray and T. Morris [31] The Soviet Economy 1917-80 by S J Lee [32] Red Empire. The Forbidden History of the USSR by G. Hughes and S. Welfare [33] www.ibguides.com/history/notes.ccom [34] Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991 [35] The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Empire by D.Volkognov