Poetry and the World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Poetry and the World - Essay Example Learning institutions are interested on inventing the most effective ways of preparing students for future social responsibilities. Teachers have also felt the need of offering fewer lectures, integrating modern technology in the learning experience, employment of collaborative learning strategies when appropriate and to making the learning environment more favorable and interactive (Bonwell and Eison 47). This paper aims at reviewing a series of previous lessons that demonstrate significant promotion of pupil learning strategies in the curriculum area of literacy. The review will extensively analyze the entire activities in the poetry training lessons. The sequence of the study will begin by a rationalized explanation of the selection of certain ideas in lessons as well as identification of order in classroom lessons. This is followed by the description of the lesson’s implementation plan and the identification of lesson goals and objectives. The most effective way of actuali zing pedagogical method will also be discussed in line with the acquired knowledge after full execution of the method. Finally, the study will undertake an evaluative reflection on the lessons. This will necessitate the evaluation the strengths and weaknesses training approach. The factors that have led to the success of the lesson will equally be discussed in the essay. The study will commence by reviewing the first lesson in the sequence of six lessons taught in literacy, which entailed working with a lively and chatting group of pupils in Primary 6/5. The aim of the interactive participation was to incorporate writing in teaching poetry. According to facilitation learning theory, effectively learning is in most cases facilitated by teachers serving as facilitators to pupils by creating an atmosphere where students will feel comfortable to discuss their past activities and experiences (Phillips 43). Therefore, I decided to use this approach to facilitate the development of the pup il’s literacy skills by giving pupils opportunities to communicate, collaborate, and build relationships. The incorporation of students in class activities is incredibly vital in facilitating active learning. As defined, active learning is the introduction of a favorable environment that gives an opportunity for students to listen, write, reflect, and read. Active learning is necessitated by role playing, cases study, problem-solving exercises, as well as formation of informal group discussion (Carson 97). Recent studies have as well confirmed that, active learning is extremely decisive motivating learning among students. Through active learning, pupils developed creative writing practice in prose. As a result of employing active learning approach, I did not encounter much trouble in handing pupils assignments that involved individuals and collaborative writing. Moreover, pupils under study were in the second level of Literacy in A Curriculum for Excellence (CFE). According t o CFE guidelines, after every lesson, pupils are expected to have developed the ability to create their own stories, poems, and plays with appealing structures, characters, and settings. ENG 1-31a We as well employed communication mechanism in the lesson by sharing past experiences form teachers and students. Through effective communication,

Role and Functions in Law Essay Example for Free

Role and Functions in Law Essay What is law? Law is a system of guidelines and rules that have been set in place to maintain order and conduct. In order to be successful in society or a business the Law plays a significant role in regulating behavior whether in school, home or work. This paper will discuss the functions and role of law in society as well as business, along with the functions and role of law in the Healthcare industry of which I’ve been a part of thru employment for the past 23 years. Functions and Role of Law in Business and Society Whether in Business or Society, the functions and role of law, serves the same purpose, to peacefully resolve disputes, maintain control over a situation, as well as to protect. In businesses, whether corporate America or a family owned business the employees consist of a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and cultures with their own cultural beliefs. With Such a diverse group of individuals there is bound to be conflict not just with the employees but management as well. In businesses there are unethical acts that take place, however, some rules are violated unknowingly, not because the individual is unethical, it is simply because they did not know what the rules were. One way to make sure the Laws are enforced, and the business is in compliance is for Management to go thru training not only to learn the law which are known as policy and procedures and to teach the law but also to be able to handle certain situations that could possibly create a lawsuit such as sexual harassment issues, inappropriate language, misuse of the company’s equipment and/or confidential information Functions and Role of Law Healthcare Being in healthcare for over twenty three years, there are many laws that exist, one that stands out is the Health Insurance Portability Act of 1996 (HIPPA). HIPPA protects patient confidentiality and their privacy which allows the provider to be cautious as to how they share as well as with whom they share patient information with. HIPPA is divided into five rules or standards: The HIPPA Privacy Rule which mandates the privacy and protection of health information, The HIPPA Security Rule mandates the security of electronic medical records, The Transactions and Code Set Rule addresses the use of codes, The HIPPA Unique Identifiers Rule identifiers are used for covered entities to promote efficiency, standardization and consistency and finally The HIPPA Enforcement Rule increase the penalties for HIPPA violation. Diagnosis, treatment, medical records and payments are some of the things that are considered private information. In order for one to be HIPPA compliant the law is broke even if the patient is a family member because at this point, they are a patient. There are penalties for breaching the HIPPA laws, the penalties range from $50,000.00 to one year in jail to $250,000.00 and 10 years in jail along with not ever being able to work in the healthcare industry again. For example, there was a young lady who handled posting patient payments whether it was check, cash or credit cards. While working, The FBI showed up and was taking pictures then seized everything that was on her desk. Come to find out she was a part of a huge identity theft ring and was stealing patient’s credit card information and ordering online as well as using their credit to create other lines of credit. She violated over 200 patients. She now is awaiting trial due to the fact the hospital pressed charges as well as the patients and they are seeking the maximum sentence. Conclusion In conclusion without any type of laws, rules, or policy and procedures in place, there would be no type of order in society as well as at work. True enough, there are those that break the law some by choice and some not but the fact remains, you break the law, you pay the price. References Bagley, C. E., Clarkson, G., Power, R. M. (2010). DEEP LINKS: DOES KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW CHANGE MANAGERS PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROLE OF LAW AND ETHICS IN BUSINESS? Houston Law Review, 47(2), 259-295 Anderson, W. L. (2010). The HIPPA Example of How Privacy Laws Should Work. Business Journal for Entrepreneurs, 2010(4), 35. Benefield, H., Ashkanazi, G., Rozensky, R. H. (2006). Communication and records: Hippa issues when working in health care settings. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 37(3), 273-277. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.37.3.273

Environmental factors affecting the Starbucks company

Environmental factors affecting the Starbucks company The Starbucks is being affected by the environmental influences/factors and to analyze these influences, we need to apply the Pest Analysis and Michaels Porters Five Forces: PEST ANALYSIS1: POLITICAL2: The Starbucks business environment especially in Middle East and South Asia was changing rapidly and unpredictably towards worse for the company, due to the declaration of the war on Iraq in early 2003 by the United States. In July 2002, the Arab students called for a boycott of American goods and services, due to the close relationship between United States and Israel, caused the U.S Company Starbucks sales swift downwardly. Moreover, the Starbucks was boycotted at the top list due to Shultz close relationship to the Jewish Community and the rumours sponsoring the Jewish Community against the Palestine crisis. Thus, cause the Starbucks to closed down six stores in Israel for security threats. Starbucks had two class action suits pending since 2001. The lawsuits entitled Carr (Store Manager) and Sheilds (Assistant Manager) at California as exempt employees under California wage and hours laws. The Starbucks is ignoring all its liabilities in these cases, but the company has accepted to the settlement in regards to take care of all of the plaintiffs claims without involving in any protracted litigation. Starbucks is based on importing all their coffee beans, so other possible threat could be change in import laws, could affect the various areas of process and production for the company and could finally lead to change in price, which might impact the level of consumption or sales for the company. ECONOMICAL: The Starbucks also experienced the criticism from Non Government Organizations that wanted the company to get certified beans and those coffee beans should be grown and marketed under some economic and social conditions. In addition, the economic recession in European countries such as Switzerland, Germany, and Japan in the early 2000s and worldwide financial crisis affected the sales and revenue declining for the company. SOCIAL: In regard to the Starbucks Environment Mission Statement that Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business On the basis of their objective, the Starbucks has announced a list of principles that reflects the companys willingness to make sure its impact on the environment is positive as possible. These principles are: Understanding of environmental issues. Sharing information with our partners. Developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change. Striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products. Recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future. Instilling environment responsibility as a corporate value. Measuring and monitoring our progress for each project and encouraging all partners to share in our mission. The above Environmental principle reflects that the company is more conscious and interested in utilizing their resources in regards to the friendly environment operations. TECHNOLOGICAL: The Starbuck, to earn the profit rapidly and serve more customers quickly rather than focusing on the quality enables the management to replace labour operated machine La Marzocco (which required baristas to grind press coffee for every cup) with the Verismo automatic machine (where the baristas work was reduced to pressing a button) and later baristas grinding complained of being de-skilled. Thus, the coffee quality result in poor coffee house experience, customer experience and overpriced coffee than competitors led existing and potential customers coming through its doors felt down rather than rising. Shultz to achieve the best result spend ten millions of dollars on new coffee machine namely Clover (for making brewed coffee that requires both more beans and more labour) and another machine namely Mastrena (smaller and prettier than the Verismo machine, for making espressos where baristas are still required to push a button for grinding and for each fresh cup of the coffee). The Starbucks needs to re-evaluate what the brand stands for, what it sells and what the consumer experience and values should be. MICHEAL PORTERS FIVE FORCES OF COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES3: THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS: Starbucks is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world operating about 40 countries in the world. The Starbucks key success is innovating, modernizing, aggressive store openings and strong product differentiation in the coffee industry that limits the new entrants entrance in the coffee industry. For instance, free Wi-fi access to enable customers to surf internet4, prepaid Starbucks card, card rewards and Starbucks gold card5 , improving its coffee line to offer smaller, cheaper cupsxiv w, using new technology that create one cup at a time individually so that the taste remains the freshxv. Whereas the Starbucks has the major threats from fast food chain like McDonalds, Burger Kings and Dunkin Donuts where the capital requirements are not the big problem could be the potential entrants. The economies of scale within coffee industry have risen as the size of fast food chains has varied. The fast food chains (McDonalds, Burger king, and Dunkin Donuts) have very low cost national distribution channels in comparison to the new entrants whose distribution system is not such developed. This group of fast food chain is able to maintain its economies of scale by negotiating long term contracts with farmer buying the coffee beans in the large quantities at discounted prices. There is various cost disadvantages for the new entrants. For instance, the stabilized company in the market tries to get the high quality coffee beans and for new entrants to access those distribution channels is very difficult. The favourable larger metropolitan store locations have already been occupied by the current specialty coffee industry (Adamy, Venti Changes at Starbucks, 2008). The specialty coffee company primary objective has entirely changed from their root direction and distinct in terms of taste of the coffee, stores availability everywhere and charging prices. Ambience of the store, social responsibility and brand identification are now the traits of the company. Due to these new traits the company have gained the loyal customers from their past experience, customer service and fulfilment of the objective i.e. product differentiation and aggressive opening of the store. Thus, all these factors make difficult for new entrants to gain customer loyalty (Gulati, 2007). To conclude, the threat of new entrants is low and barrier is high due to the no substantial capital requirement. BARGAINING POWER OF BUYTERS/CUSTOMERS: Starbucks set the price according to the purchasing power of its customer and the prices at their competitors coffee houses. At Starbucks the prices are not negotiable due to its high product differentiation, enormous selection of coffees, uniqueness and high quality perception perceived power. This is the reason the opportunity for the Starbucks may sell at higher prices (starbucks 2008 another file). Whereas, there is no switching cost to customers to switch due to enormous selection of coffee houses except the minor indirect cost and may take away the patrons from Starbucks. Secondly, the customers have the ability to make their own coffee and Starbucks is trying to remove this threat by offering directions on how to make the perfect brewed cup of Starbucks Coffee at home, known as the Four Fundamentals of Coffee (http://www.academicmind.com/unpublishedpapers/business/marketing/2002-04-000aag-catching-the-starbucks-fever.html) or (www.Starbucks.com) OR http://news.starbucks.com/about+starbucks/global-consumer-products/packaged-coffee-tea/how+to+brew+the+perfect+cup/. Starbucks 20% sales lowered by 2008 in the store located within surrounding area of mom-and-pops coffee store. (Review, Is Starbucks a Broken Brand? , 2008) (starbucks08full) Thus, it is clear that the customers bargaining power have been increased due to the availability of information in regards to market variables and Starbucks should focus on the product competition rather than focusing on the consumer demands to exist in market leadership (starbucks 2008 another file). BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS: The Starbucks being the world largest importer of the coffee beans may face the rise in prices of coffee beans due to the unmatched between the twin market forces i.e. high demand and low supply, overcrowded market and high quality coffee sought may result in favour of suppliers bargaining power. There is no substitute for the coffee beans that Starbucks may buy. For Starbucks, this is the huge threat because coffee quality sought by the Starbucks is high and previously Starbucks has paid premium on green coffee about $1.20 per pound (starbucks.com). In 2001, Starbucks announced coffee purchasing guidelines for suppliers, developed in partnership with The Centre for Environmental Leadership in Business (starbucks.com) and were based on the grounds of the quality baselines, environmental concerns, social conditions and economic issues. Recently in 2005, the company paid 23% more than the market price for the coffee xvii to abide by the rules and commitments in purchasing the Fair Trad e CertifiedTM Coffee (Farmers who sells the coffee are united by an initiative known as Fair Trade Certified Coffee, organized by the TransFair USA to assess the farmers are paid fairly for their crops and that has exert more bargaining power over the buyers). Thus, there are more substitutes available in the competitive saturated market for the coffee beans except the technological innovations (such as automated coffee machine, latte and espresso machines has more bargaining power) if Starbucks agrees to buy at different rates and this is true that the Starbucks power lies in the hand of the suppliers. THREAT OF SUBSITITUTES: The Starbucks has quite good range of competing substitutes in beverages and food product line like soda, juice, smoothies, fruit, beer, alcoholic drinks, burritos, sushi, burgers and snack food etc. It is necessary for the Starbucks to innovate and differentiate its coffee, beverage and food product line simultaneously in the competitive landscape. Whereas the majority of coffee consumer does not easily substitute away from coffee or coffee related beverages like blended drinks or espresso and the closest substitute of coffee is the tea which is being sold out by Starbucks under Tazo Tea Brand. Moreover, the Starbucks is offering its own branded coffee at many grocery stores locations to hedge the threat of substitutes. The recent study has shown the consumer preference that the beverages like carbonated soft drinks consumption has declined in contrast to the coffee. This gradually gained preference over carbonated soft drinks shows the health concerns and coffee is healthier choice (Harding, 2000). To conclude, Starbucks focus on fresh and tastier baked goods and Starbucks does not need to diversify its food selection as its enough to satisfy the customers (starbucks 2008 another). COMPETATIVE RIVALRY: Porters first force that Porter describes is current rivalry among existing firms. In the specialty eateries industry, Starbucks current and direct U.S competitors are Diedrich Coffee, Seattles Best Coffee, and Einstein/Noah Bagel Corporation (hoovers.com). The competition, however, is not equally balanced. Diedrich Coffee operates 370 coffeehouses in 37 states and 11 countries (hoovers.com). Seattles Best Coffee operates 160 coffee cafes and 20 Italian coffee cafes in 17 states and 8 countries (hoovers.com). Einstein/Noah Bagel Corporation operates 460 bagel cafes in the U.S (hoovers.com). Starbucks has 4,709 locations in over 20 countries (hoovers.com). It is clear that Starbucks has few major competitors, and the competition has nowhere Starbucks volume of operations. Starbucks is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world. Smaller competitors, however, pose potential threats to the company. For example, the average Starbucks location draws on a popul ation base of 200,000 (msn.com). In San Francisco and Seattle, Starbucks draws on population bases between 17,000 and 19,000 (msn.com). In cities where Starbucks does not draw on small population bases, smaller competitors can attract some of Starbucks 200,000 person population base. A slowing industry market growth is another threat facing Starbucks. According to the market research firm Allegra, compound market growth between 1997 and 2001 was 57% (hoovers.com). From 2002 to December 2004, the market it estimated to grow 14%. (hoovers.com). Competitors are selling similar products, including specialty coffees as well as high quality foods. In this slowing market, competition is high.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Other coffee chains. Examples include Coffee Bean Tea Leaf, Gloria Jeans Coffee, Peets, and San Francisco Coffee House à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Smaller privately owned coffee houses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Secondary coffee providers. Examples include McDonalds, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts As the specialty beverage industry only grows more competitive, Starbucks dominant positioning with a large market share is continuously under pressure. Since its inception, Starbucks has stimulated the overall market, creating a positive spill over effect that increased the demand for quality coffee beverages. Therefore, even though Starbucks has rapidly expanded, so have local coffeehouses and momà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ pop stores. Thus, elasticity has increased with the variety of substitutes available to consumers offering the same product: premium coffee, friendly staff, and a comfortable milieu. For this reason, recent trends indicate industry stagnation within the domestic market as coffeehouses are now ubiquitous. Though the trend has peaked domestically, coffee and coffeehouses are still ingrained in the American culture leaving this market profitable. Fragmented rivalry is due to the nature of the industry, which is split between national, regional, and local competitors domestically and abroad. Within the U.S., key national competitors include Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and other fast food chains sprucing up and diversifying their beverage menu. However, the targeted customer base differs as Starbucks caters to highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ end customers with its gourmet drinks. Nonetheless, the Starbucks Corporation must be conscious of its price point, so as not to exclude too many potential patrons. Regionally, the industry may be divided as follows among top rivals: West coast: Coffee Bean Tea Leaf and Peets Coffee and Tea Midwest: Caribou Coffee and Panera East coast: Tim Hortons These companies are better direct competitors to Starbucks than the national fast food chains as they appeal to the same consumer base and offer similar product selections. Caribou Coffee is the second largest corporation within the domestic specialty beverage industry. However, as of September 30, 2007 Starbucks operated 6,793 stores domestically and 1,712 stores internationally while Caribou Coffee operated 447 stores domestically and 17 internationallyxi. Lastly, local competitors such as siteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ specific proprietorships and momà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ pop coffeehouses vie with Starbucks as well. While they are not threats to general empire Starbucks has created, they do reduce profit margins as they appeal to many coffee drinkers with their more personal character. These smaller proprietorships are Starbucks greatest competitor abroad, which is Harkness Consulting 6 why recent expansion plans have focused on capturing international markets. Clearly, there are a large number of rivals within the specialty beverage industry creating a rather competitive landscape. Customers do not incur a monetary switching cost in the specialty beverage industry; nonetheless, an emotional attachment to image and reputation keep them loyal to certain brand names. Even though only a superficial difference exists between coffeehouses, firms differentiate their products to capture customers from rival brands. The Starbucks name has acquired a significant status and has ranked as one of the most influential brand names in the American culture. With its wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ trained baristas, comfortable atmosphere, and quick service, Starbucks has incorporated important characteristics appealing to customers. In the Starbucks business model, customers are more important than product. However, even though Starbucks is able to sell its goods at a higher price point, it must be conscious of the elastic market. For example, after increases in dairy costs -an input good every coffeehouse model- Starbucks stores felt the need to announce the reason for price increases so a s not to shock customers. The company informed its customers of the pricing discrepancy because it did not want to lose their future patronage due to the economic circumstances at the time. This example illustrates the point that even though Starbucks has brand name loyalty, the company is still susceptible to the elastic nature of the market. Starbucks is able to remain competitive within the market due to its sheer size and business model. As Starbucks takes advantage of economies of scale and scope, it follows a different cost structure than other corporations in the market. First, Starbucks pays less for the products it is able to buy in bulk such as dairy goods, syrups, paper goods, etcxii. For this reason, the company reaps higher margins with its specialty drinks, which also help differentiate itself from other coffeehouses. As customers know they can customize their drinks and the quality of the drink is guaranteed based upon reputation, Starbucks is always in their evoke set. Next, as no cooperative pricing exists in this industry, Starbucks prices its drinks based upon the elasticity of its target customer. Appealing to conspicuous consumption, Starbucks prices are higher than its competitors, lending toward its high trend status. Last, Starbucks is able to differentiate itself due to its commitment to reduce its environmental impact. Again, its size enables the company to seek, incorporate and market these environmentally friendly endeavors. For example, the company replaced cups and cup sleeves with ones that used postà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ consumer recycled materialsxiii. Also, Starbucks adheres to purchasing guidelines, The Commitment to Origins, which promote economic transparency in not only buying the best coffee, but also at premium prices to help farmers. These practices further differentiate Starbucks from many of its competitors. The dynamics of the industry rivalry within the specialty coffee industry has changed dramatically since 1987. Unlike the early days of the specialty coffee industry when Starbucks competed primarily against other small-scale specialty coffee retailers they now compete against companies of varying sizes and different exposures to specialty coffee. Starbucks competes with a variety of smaller scale specialty coffee shops, mostly concentrated in different regions of the country. All of these specialty coffee chains are differentiated from Starbucks in one way or another. Caribou Coffee is a Minneapolis-based specialty coffee chain that competes with Starbucks. They are similar to Starbucks in their attempt to create a third-place but distinguish themselves by creating an entirely different atmosphere. Where Starbucks strives to create an upscale European atmosphere, Caribou coffee tries to implement a more American feel to their coffee houses. They do this by modeling their coffee houses after rustic Alaskan lodges. (Quelch, 2006) Often they will use knotty pine cabinetry, numerous fireplaces and soft seating. Also they offer a barrage of magazines and newspapers as well as the guarantee of speedy service and free refills. In addition, they offer free WiFi, drive through accessibility and meeting rooms for rent. Founded in 1992, Caribou coffee now operates roughly 500 stores, employs over 6000 people and grosses roughly $230 million in revenue a year. (Caribou Coffee, 2008) A Canadian-based company, A.L. Van Houtte, operates roughly 100 corporate out lets and franchises, serving nearly 3 million cups of coffee per day. Through their subsidiary VKI technologies, they have become the world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of coffee making equipment and related products. They also operate the largest coffee services network in North America serving roughly 71,000 different workplaces in major cities throughout the United States. (A.L. Van Houtte, 2005) As the original inspiration for Starbucks, Peets Coffee and Tea Company which originated in Berkeley, California still poses a serious competitive threat. The three founders of Starbucks purchased Peets Coffee and Tea Company in 1984 from Alfred Peet and later sold the assets of Starbucks to the now CEO, Howard Schultz. Although much slower to expand than Starbucks, in fact, ironically Schultz originally separated from the then owners of Starbucks, later purchasing the company from them because he could not persuade them to undertake an aggressive expansion, Peets has recently opened a new roasting plant in Alameda, California which will enable them to double their current annual sales of $250 million. They currently operate 166 stores in the US and have recently moved into the Seattle metropolitan area, home of Starbucks headquarters and the original Starbucks store. (Peets Coffee Tea, 2008) In 2007, the three Peets locations in the Seattle metropolitan area outperformed all Starbucks stores in the nearby vicinity in same-store sales, store revenue and total customer receipts per store. Peets strategy is to differentiate themselves from Starbucks by creating a super premium brand by offering the freshest coffee in the market. They ensure the freshness of their coffee by delivering roasted to order coffee, which involves roasting small batches of coffee and shipping them to the retail shops within 24 hours of roasting. (Review, Despite Growth, Starbucks Cant Dislodge Local Rivals, 2007) In addition to these smaller scale specialty coffee companies, Starbucks must now compete against two of the largest companies in the fast food industry who have recently entered the specialty coffee segment. The first of these competitors is Dunkin Donuts, who claims to be the worlds largest coffee and baked goods chain. Currently, Dunkin Donuts operates about 5,500 franchises around the United States, 80 stores in Canada and 1,850 throughout the rest of the world. Dunkin Donuts had revenues of roughly $5 billion in 2007. In the past couple years the franchise has put enormous emphasis on their coffee beverages. They serve coffee beverages in an assortment of types and styles including espresso, cappuccino and latte. They also serve their coffee in an assortment of flavors including French Vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon and numerous others. When 37 Starbucks recently temporarily shut down 7,100 of their stores to retrain their baristas, Dunkin Donuts responded by extending their hours of operation and offering small lattes, cappuccinos and espresso drinks for $.99. (Adamy, Starbucks Upgrades Espresso Machines, 2007) The largest industry rival currently facing Starbucks is the McDonalds restaurant fast food chain. McDonalds originated from a single San Bernardino, California hamburger stand, which opened in 1948, and has turned into what is now the worlds largest restaurant chain with over 14,000 restaurants in the United States alone and gross revenues in excess of $22 billion. The key to McDonalds success has been the consistent quality standards they achieve for their food, coupled with their quick service and low prices. (Adamy, McDonalds Takes on Starbucks, 2008) 10 years ago Starbucks and McDonalds were at complete opposite ends of the spectrum in the restaurant industry. However, McDonalds, encouraged by the success of it s upgraded drip coffee, began testing numerous drinks sold under the name McCafe. Starbucks meanwhile, with its rapid expansion, was adding drive-through windows and numerous breakfast sandwiches, similar to the Egg McMuffins served at McDonalds, to their stores. These measures have drawn the two companies closer together as competitors due to an encroachment into the demographic consumer base made by each company. (Review, Is Starbucks a Broken Brand? , 2008) The McCafe, first conceptualized in Australia during 1993, was brought to the United States in 2001. The concept took a quarter of the typical McDonalds restaurant and added leather couches and a decorative counter on which cappuccinos and sweets were sold. The McCafes did not take hold initially, not making it past their first trial 38 period, primarily due to the poor conditions of the stores in which they were placed. Now, seven years later, McDonalds has invested $700 million in its plan to win strategy, initiated in 2003, which has led to the remodel of thousands of US locations. The project has led to the gutting of many dilapidated franchises by tearing out the molded plastic booths and replacing them with extra large leather chairs. The company has also improved the ambience and atmosphere in many stores by replacing the bright color schemes with more contemporary muted tones and softer lighting. (Adamy, McDonalds Takes on Starbucks, 2008) With a rejuvenated brand image, McDonalds is preparing for the biggest addition to its menu in 30 years. The company will be installing coffee bars along with baristas who will serve cappuccinos, lattes, mochas and the Frappe, a knockoff of the Starbucks ice blended Frappuccino, throughout 2008 and into the beginning of 2009. The initiative is expected to add $1 billion to McDonalds annual sales. McDonalds, which has never displayed food assembly devices, will place the Espresso machines at the front counters in an attempt to engage their customers with the theatrics involved in creating mochas and frappes. Unlike Starbucks, the baristas at McDonalds will not steam pitchers of milk and combine them with shots of espresso but rather will wait for a single machine to make all components of each drink. The competitive threat posed by McDonalds can be summarized by referring to the February 2008 edition of the Consumer Reports magazine, which rated the McDonalds drip coffee as better tasting than Starbucks. (Adamy, McDonalds Takes on Starbucks, 2008) The specialty coffee industry has experienced explosive growth over the past 20 years. As a consequence, many companies have recognized the potential for profit and 39 have tried to capitalize by entering the industry. This has resulted in a drastic increase in competition within the specialty coffee industry. The diversity among these competitors still remains very high but the grounds on which companies are differentiating themselves are changing. As larger and larger companies enter the industry the strategic stakes become higher, pushing some companies such as Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds to differentiate themselves through price superiority. (Adamy, At Starbucks, Too Many, Too Quick? , 2007) In summary, the current impact of the industry rivalry force created by the competition between specialty coffee retailers is very high, especially as contrasted to what it was at the time of Starbucks rapid expansion twenty years ago. The growth of the industry has slowed while the number of competitors within the industry has increased. Both of these factors, in addition to Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds high strategic stakes in the specialty coffee industry , have caused this change from weak to strong industry rivalry. The Starbucks is being affected by the following environmental influences/factors: Customers: Nowadays customers are more fastidious about their needs, requirements, experience and taste. The Starbuck, to earn the profit rapidly and serve more customers quickly rather than focusing on the quality enables the management to replace labour operated machine La Marzocco (which required baristas to grind press coffee for every cup) with the Verismo automatic machine (where the baristas work was reduced to pressing a button) and later baristas grinding complained of being de-skilled. Thus, the coffee quality result in poor coffee house experience, customer experience and overpriced coffee than competitors led existing and potential customers coming through its doors was falling rather than rising. The Starbucks needs to re-evaluate what the brand stands for, what it sells and what the consumer experience and values should be. Competitors: The competitors like McDoanlds and Dunkin Donuts both harmed the Starbucks deliberately by running the websites like dunkingbeatsstarbucks.com and unsnobbycoffee.com to draw the more customers by selling good coffee. Most of the people visited the website and soon Starbucks led to the caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Declining Sales: Economic Crisis: The Starbucks stock price drop to $7 a share and most of its stores in Australia faced closure and thousands of jobs were lost. B. C.

Cults Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word cult is defined as an alternative religion. Most cults are started because someone doesn’t like the way the world is, and feels that his/her church isn’t doing anything to make it better, so they leave and create what they believe to be the perfect religion. Then this person strives to make others believe as they do so they will join (Miller, 1991, p. 15). There are somewhere around 3,000 to 5,000 of these cults throughout the United States, but only 75 to 100 are documented (Miller, 1991, p. 15-16). Satanism is the oldest form of such cults. A few other commonly known cults are Reverend Jim Jones and the People Temple, Heavens Gate, and Charles Manson and the Family. In the early 20th century, Allistar Crowly, AKA â€Å"The Black Pope†, started modern Satanism. It is said that Anton Lavey brought Satanism to the United States. Anton believed that he was the reincarnation of the â€Å"Black Pope†. He set his church up in San Francisco in 1966. Within one year Anton’s cult grew to more than 200,000 members (Miller, 1991, p. 28-29). Anton then went to Hollywood to help make movies about Satanism. He succeeded in doing so and was involved with the making of many movies including Rosmary’s Baby (Miller, 1991, p. 29). During this time Lavey and his assistant Michael Aquins wrote The Satanic Bible, which instantly became a best seller. The Satanic Bible told of the main concepts of Satanism. Basically, it is the reverse of Christianity. The main idea projected is â€Å"Do what thou will† (Miller, 1991, p. 31). One of the peculiar rituals of Satanist is the sacrifice of a newborn child. They believe that the newborn has a special power, and if they sacrifice the baby immediately after birth, that its power will go into the coven (Miller 1991, p. 33).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reverend Jim Jones was the leader of The Peoples Temple. Jim thought of himself as the reincarnation of Jesus and Lenin. His vision of world domination was nuclear war, and the only cities that would survive are Ukiah, California and Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Because of this belief, he moved his cult to Ukiah and awaited the war (Cults R Us, 2000, September 27, p. 1). After awhile he grew tired of waiting for what he claimed would be â€Å"WW 3†, so he relocated his church to San Francisco. There he practiced a ritual know as â€Å"White Nights†. In this ritual members prepare... ...ly where to go first. Manson’s first victim was Terry Melcher. Several members of â€Å"The Family† went to his house and killed him. When they were finished they wrote â€Å"POLITICAL PIGGY† on a wall to make it look like the Black Panthers had committed the murder. The next victim was Cielo Drive. Once again several members of â€Å"The Family† went to her house and killed her. They killed five other people. One of the members wanted to cut a baby from the stomach of a pregnant woman they had killed and take it to Charles. She also thought about cutting out the baby’s heart and eating it (Cults R Us, 2000, p. 1). Manson’s antics were put to an end one day while â€Å"The Family† was out in the desert riding dun buggies where marshals arrested Charles and other members of the Cult (Cults R Us, 2000, p. 1). Statistics have shown that most Satanist lack self-confidence. They enter the religion because of the false sense of power and security it offers. Although   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cults R Us (2000, September 27) [online] Available: www.mayhem.net/crime/cults1/html 2. Miller, M (1990). Coping With Cults. Rosen Publishing Group, INC. New York.

Disadvantages of Part-Time Job

the development and the expansion of the economic system, there are more and more options for students to obtain part time jobs. There are numberous reasons that students should experient some part time jobs, however the negative effects should be considered, too. Look on the bright side, as Miss Lan Phuong said above, we will harvest many things via working such as finance, chance to more mature, widen the relationship, and better understanding our self.However, it doesn’t mean that all the students should immediately get out of the house and get a job, there are some disadvantages should be considered: studying and health. Firstly, opponents of students taking part time job insist that such these students will face a decline in our studies. We have 24 hours per day, however, vast of boys and girls who work were being affected by the lack of time. Because it will occupy student’s precious time for college work, we will have no longer time to finish homework assigned by teachers or widden our knowledge through reading books.Consequently, we will fall behind the class schedule. In other word, if we don’t know how to banlance and manage time, we will receive a bad study results. The most important tasks we have to remember is studying. Secondly, studying in university and taking part time job take us most time of day, we will always busy and feel exhausted because each day we have the defined amount of energy. After attending class for most of the day, we do research for projects and do homework.Naturally, we don’t have enough 8 hours to sleep, which lead to being sick. In conclusion, each coin has two sides, although having part time job can lead students to get in touch with some disadvantages, it is still necessary for us to learn much more than only theories from books and universities because it takes important role in helping us engage in the future. Just only make sure if we totally understand what we are doing and know how to b alance between working and studying well.

Colorado River Pollution Essays

Colorado River Pollution Essays Colorado River Pollution Paper Colorado River Pollution Paper Essay Topic: Water pollution River supplies water to most of the southwestern United States and despite this fact, pollution levels are continually rising and in some cases above acceptable limits. The Colorado River supplies and runs through five states and during some parts of the year to the Mexican border. During the rivers journey various types of pollutants come into contact to with it degrading the water quality downstream. The river water benefits humans in multiple ways the first obvious answer is by drinking it. Farming and other agricultural uses demand 60% and sometimes as much as 90% of its water. Using polluted water for irrigation passes the contaminants into the crops and ultimately onto our dinner tables. Water is scarce in the southwestern United States and water is essential for human survival. The Colorado River is the primary reason why the southwest can sustain the massive population in the region. Without this lifeline? of freshwater, we must find another means of supplying water to millions. Desalinating the water from the Pacific Ocean is not yet cost effective enough to handle the demand although about 8% to 10% of the water applied to Southern California comes from desalination plants. Every year the government allocates more water from the Colorado River that is unrelated to human survival. According to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune Oil and natural-gas drilling in Colorado requires so much water that if its annual demand were satisfied all at once, it would be the equivalent of shutting off most of Southern Californians water for five days. (Hastener, 2008). During his term, President Bush authorized more drilling in Colorado than at any time since 1984. With these types of policies taking hold f the river one must ask the question, what is more important energy or life? The construction of the various dams along the Lower Colorado River system allowed small boomtowns to thrive along the banks of the now tamed river. Small towns and industrial facilities built close to river to take advantage of a good supply of water, and some used the rivers current to carry away pollutants. Of the many pollutants the river absorbs three are worth noting they are nitrates, percolate, and radioactive waste. Nitrates come from excessive human waste; this waste encounters the river wrought the ground when septic tanks become overloaded. Lake Haves, AZ, is the lake that supplies water for the California Aqueduct; moon tutoring wells routinely test for nitrates and other pollutants. High concentrations of nitrates in drinking water can decrease the oxygen carrying ability of hemoglobin. This intensity of this effect increases in babies; the common term is blue-baby syndrome. The nitrate levels found in the Lake Haves wells are four times higher the recommended EPA levels. Small town development cannot shoulder the blame for percolate pollution, as it is a chemical found in rocket fuel. However, lax industrial standards in a small budding town might be the cause for this pollution issue. A factory in Henderson, NV, in the suburbs of Alas Vegas, manufactures rocket fuel for the military. The company that operates the rocket fuel plant has already spent over 80 million dollars to reduce the amount of percolate flowing in Lake Mead. Despite these efforts approximately 400 pounds of percolate flows into the lake daily. The EPA or FDA has yet to identify acceptable levels of percolate, but the chemical has shown to cause thyroid and hormonal deficiencies. The next type of pollution is by far the most dangerous, radioactive Waste at any concentration is dangerous. In Mob, UT, along the Colorado River is a former uranium mill; 16 million tons of tailings from this mill have accumulated along the riverbanks. These tailings leach over 1 00,000 gallons of radioactive water into the river each day. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) water containing uranium is usually safe to drink but in elevated amounts can cause kidney defects and some types of cancer. In 2005, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADAGE) formed he Clean Colorado River Alliance (The Alliance) under a recommendation from then Governor Janet Neapolitan. The Alliances first task was to develop recommendations for dealing with current water problems in the Colorado River. Next, address the water quality of the river for human sustainability now and into the future. Lastly develop an action plan for dealing with the pollution issues of the river; The Alliance delivered the final report to Governor Neapolitan in December 2005. The preliminary report outlined a partnership plan modeled after the Chesapeake Bay Program. Although major differences exist between the Colorado River cleanup project and the Chesapeake Bay reclaim project, the fundamental principles of a successful program are similar. The final report delivered to Governor Neapolitan is a detailed look into the major pollutants contained in the river system. The Alliance detail seven pollutants devoting a chapter to each one, including an action plan for dealing with the pollutant individually. The six pollutants covered are nutrients, metals, endocrine disrupting compounds, percolate, bacteria and pathogens, salinity/total solved solids, and sediments and suspended solids. The Alliances report gives a comprehensive action plan for reducing the amount of pollution in and river and improving overall water quality. The well- written report effectively follows the key lessons learned from the Chesapeake Bay Program. However, there is an overabundance of managing entities, too many hands in the pot extends deadlines effectively stalling any effort for actual physical cleanup. Eliminating certain entities from the mix would streamline the process of achieving a noticeable improvement in river water quality. Determining which entity to remove from the deciding process could be interesting the federal agencies carry more weight but the local agencies are at the frontline of the problem. The following sustained plan takes aim at Colorado River pollution from the source. Target main sources of pollution and develop strategies for elimination. Reduce the amount of water allocations for purposes not related to human survival. Increasing the amount of Water flowing through the river will decrease the concentrations of contaminants in the river. Lastly educate municipalities about the type of contaminants to look for and educate industrial facilities on how to dispose of polluting materials properly. Action Items Action Steps I Timeline I Target pollution at the source I Using the report from the Clean Colorado River Alliance to determine where the highest concentrations of pollution encounter the river. Eliminating the source will at least result in a substantial decrease in pollution. I Months 0-6 | Review Water Allocations I Identify and prioritize water allocations in order of human importance. Impose stop work penalties on industrial facilities that do not meet the predetermined incineration levels. I Months 6-14 Educational Educate the various state and local governments about what type of contaminants to look for and best practices for removing the pollution. Teach management of local water facilities how to interpret findings from well test reports. Educate industry professionals about how to dispose of hazardous or potentially hazardous materials that affect water quality properly. I Month 14-ongoing I The benefits of this plan are that it takes a proactive approach to pollution reduction. We know where pollutants come from but most other sustained Lana attempt to clean already polluted water. This plan targets pollution where it first encounters the river instead of attempting to deal with the aftermath. The amount of water the Colorado River can generate is limited; sending water to where it is needed the most is common sense. This plan proposes not monetary penalties but stop work penalties, when the economy is strong companies are able to pay fines for over pollution and continue degrading the downstream water quality. Eliminating fines leaves no other alternative but to change destructive work practices that pertain to the river. Education is the key for any issue, and this issue is no exception. Educating local water municipalities will ensure water quality standards set forth by the EPA are met consistently. This plan also contains numerous challenges, since this river flows though multiple states and affects numerous industries it undoubtedly meet resistance. Targeted polluters would have to change current business practices to eliminate pollution; often a substantial cost would be involved. Some companies simply do not have the capital for such change and risk going out of business. Water allocations are determined at the federal level wrought congress, so getting changes in allocations would take costly lobbying and extended legislation. However, one alternative could be to lobby the President to declare the river endangered. Although education is the key, everyone learns different and developing a curriculum that appeals to everyone is difficult and costly. Society has an obligation to itself to preserve life; with water, a necessity for life the decision to support any type of water sustained plan is eliminated. The people included in any American society all have the ability to use their voices for change. Elected officials in the federal government hear their voices that in turn develop new laws and regulations. To make any type of sustained plan a successful endeavor requires support from the federal government. The government either controls or at least heavily influences most of the affairs concerning the Colorado River. The fed can only introduce and put new laws into effect the local and state authorities must enforce the laws and regulations. Americanizes. Org named the Colorado River Americas most endangered river.