Hotel Reservation System

Online Hotel Reservation System Supervisor Mr. G. J. K. November 2012 Abstract Our project is carried out to develop a web-based application called Online Hotel Reservation System. The purposes of building the Online Hotel Reservation System are for guests to make online reservations and for hotel personnel to manage reservations, housekeeping matters and content of the web application. Problems with the current system which were discovered during business studies are time-consuming reservation process, ambiguity view of hotel condition, static content in online system and lack of housekeeping management system.The Online Hotel Reservation System is significant to optimize the potential of the system, which offer the speed and convenience of one-stop availability check, instant purchase and confirmation in reservation process. The system to be developed would also allow staff to manage housekeeping matters and update all data on the Internet, 24 hours a day, without involving a web d esigner. Research on this project is conducted by visiting the websites of various hotels and material on hotel reservation all from the internet.The methodology applied in developing this system is Waterfall Paradigm. In conclusion, this automated system is aimed to save time and money for users thus resulting in high profit to the hotel and better services to the customers. Hotels will need low maintenance cost to maintain the system. The system to be developed would also provide an economical way for the customers to do room or meal booking, or to obtain information. Contents Figures Tables Part1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 PreambleThe online Hotel Reservation is developedfor COE 497 PROJECT 1 which is one of the final year courses offered in the Computer Engineering programme. The hotel referred to in this project is the KwamengaHotel located in Fumesua, Kumasi. After studying the current system for reservation at the hotel, it discovered that the system did not provide a way for hotel pe rsonnel to manage the content of the website. The content of the website is managed by the web designer. The system did not provide housekeeping feature for the housekeeper to keep track their daily work.Potential guests are also unable to view full picture of the room their going to reserve. The purposes of developing Online Hotel Reservation System for the hotel are to manage the online hotel reservation and contents of the hotel’s website. The application will be divided willbe divided into two core functions. The first function is developed for the online transaction via Internet, which is mainly used by the hotel’s guests whereas the second function is developed for the hotel’s staff to manage the content of the website and housekeeping matters in hotel.The guests may access the hotel’s official website to get information about the hotel, such as room rates, hotel facilities, location of hotel, and virtual tour on hotel rooms and to make the online h otel reservation that is room booking via the internet. Meanwhile, this application will enable hotel’s administrator to manage the online room reservation,online meal reservation, and housekeeping of hotel rooms. This application is aimed to provide solutions for current system in order to give better services to hotel’s guest.The application also will become a good tool for the hotel staff to manage the reservations, content of portal and housekeeping matters. 1. 2 Problem Statements The problems that influences the motives for creating a new system for the hotel are stated below a) Time consuming reservation process Online guests have to spend more time to confirm or guarantee their reservations b) Ambiguity view of hotel condition There is not much information provided in current system for guests to know the condition of the hotel that they are going to stay in. c) Static content for online systemThe content of their website is static and hotel personnel have no w ay to control content themselves. They are required to contact with system developer or programmer to update their website. d) Lack of housekeeping management system Current system did not provide feature to deal with housekeeping matters. 1. 3 Objectives * To develop an internet based system that results in significant competitive advantage for the hotel in a highly competitive market by effective advertising and promoting over the internet * To maximize the hotels sales and room occupancy by empowering customer to book their hotel rooms online. To support highly integrated processes and services that cross many business functions and reach out directly to the worldwide customers. * To provide improved services for existing customers while creating new business opportunities for the hotel. * To increase the productivity of the staff by automated shared information and simplified booking process. 1. 4 Scope In this project, an online room reservation, meal reservation, package reser vation, managements for reservations, management of system’s content and management for housekeeping is developed.The guest’s will use the online room reservation, meal reservation and package reservation facilities for room, meal and package booking respectively. Guests will use the application to get information for hotel and may have virtual tour on hotel rooms. The authorized hotel staff will access the ‘back office’ to manage room, meal, package reservation and maintain information about the hotel such as room rates and hotel specific offers. This system would also provide schedule for hotel housekeeping.For the online room reservation, the scope for the guest’s usage will be focused on the instant room reservation. Meaning that, the guest may reserve the room in advance. The guests may check for room availability and choose the room type they preferred. Guest’s booking will have an instant confirmation. Guests can guarantee their reserv ation by giving the credit card details in reservation form or by cash deposit. For online meal reservation, guest may reserve their meal from hotel’s restaurant in advance.They can view the set meal available in the restaurant online without calling to the restaurant. For the ‘back office’, the scope for staff usage will be focused on management works. They can manage the room, meal and package reservation by reading the reservation records made by the guest. Staff will have a complete control of the system’s contents through the ‘back office’. They can instantly update the hotel’s room description, availability, rates, news, special promotions and more at any time, at no cost.The housekeeping feature will be providing housekeeper a monthly schedule for their work. Housekeeper Manager may easily generate schedule from the system. This is for the reference of housekeeper in order to keep the hotel rooms’ clean every day. The onli ne Hotel Reservation System will upload to the server so that visitors can browse through this system via Internet. Meanwhile, hotel staff can access ‘back office’ via local area network to manage the system’s content, reservation and housekeeping. 1. 5 Contributions 1. 6 Expected Output Part 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Forever New Case Study Essay

Indian Retail Sector India is one of the most desirable retail destinations in the world. India’s twin growth engines of economic growth and demographic profile set it apart from other nations and present a compelling business case for global retailers looking to enter the market. PwC research indicates that India’s retail sector is worth US$ 350 billion and has a low organised retail penetration of 5 to 8%. Modern trade emerged during the 90s, primarily in the food and grocery sector, and is now growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15 to 20%. A large market potential for a range of categories is indicated by low ORP, increasing urbanisation, growing incomes, increasing consumer confidence, etc. India’s retail sector comprises organised and unorganised participants. Given the size of the country’s retail market, PwC research and other reports suggest that the 12 million mom-and-pop stores comprising India’s unorganised market can co-exist with modern trade players. Recognising the long-term growth potential of India’s retail market, some of the country’s largest conglomerates have allocated billions of dollars to launch large scale retail initiatives that span cash-and carry, food and grocery, books, music and leisure, gems and jewellery, footwear, apparel, accessories, etc. India-based retail incumbents are expanding their presence across a range of categories, experimenting with formats, launching private labels, strengthening supply chain systems and more. Global retailers are also assessing the Indian market with keen interest. They have recognised that the next wave of growth in terms of generating revenues, reaching new customers (including the large number of middle-class consumers) and harnessing research and development (R&D) and innovative skills. An aspiring middle-class of 300 million consumers, a large demand-driven population of 500 million young consumers and a relatively untapped rural population of 700 million people constitute the growth story. Besides, a strong GDP growth, rising consumer confidence, consumption-based behaviour, increasing incomes and a large pool of consumers have made India one of the world’s most attractive retail destinations. Major demographic groups are driving purchases across categories: Sources: PwC analysis Capgemini, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management India’s Retail Fundamentals: Market Size Compound Annual Growth Rate Unorganised Sector Organised Retail Penetration Retail Density Contribution to GDP US$ 350 Billion 15-20% 12 million mom and pop stores 5-8% 6% 14% Indian economy displays resilience in the midst of global crisis. Source: Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, Government of India Demand drivers Demanding consumers: Indian consumers are demanding access to products and services that delight and excite them, are of good quality, and provide value for money. Increasing incomes: Strong GDP performance, capital market growth and the emergence of new industries are creating new millionaires and boosting income levels. This acts as an incentive for consumers to spend more on products. They are also experimenting with brands, trying new products, etc. Evolving consumption patterns: Traditionally, the focus of Indian consumers was on saving. However, positive macro-economic fundamentals, an evolving retail market, lifestyle influencers, etc. are ensuring that consumers spend more across categories. Other aspects, like the emergence of double-income households, easier access to credit and society’s acceptance of self-indulgence, are changing purchasing habits. Supply drivers Expansion: The growth of modern trade and expansion plans are enabling consumers to easily access retail products and services across urban, Tier II and Tier III cities and towns. Growth opportunities: Some high growth categories in the retail sector include children’s wear, accessories, consumer durables, leisure, apparel and footwear. New entrants: Some of the world’s largest and most prestigious brands and retailers have a presence in India. Those who have not yet entered India are assessing the market with interest. The central government recently took a decision to allow up to 51 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail and raise the limit for overseas investment in single-brand retail to 100 percent. Benefits of FDI Consumers: plethora of options with better quality. Government Exchequer: Payment of indirect taxes through the supply chain by the modern trade players, primarily service tax. Farmers/Producers: Establishes efficient supply chains that links farmers and small manufacturers directly with retailers which maximises value for stakeholders. Together with back-end infrastructure, this will minimise wastage (especially of fresh foods and vegetables), increase farmers’ realisations, encourage best practices in crop management and improve food safety and hygiene. Unorganised Trade: Mom-and-pop stores can exist alongside modern trade players and can explore partnership models (e.g., sourcing, franchise partners) in a rapidly changing retail environment . India’s retail sector is an evolving market. The sector will grow and develop over the next four to six decades, since consumers will earn more, those below the poverty line will cross over, the gains from economic growth will be felt more inclusively, etc. Pune Retail Scenario The retail sector in Pune was earlier confined to a few markets which were unorganised, chaotic and crowded. In the last two years, however, the rise in modern retail outlets can be seen across the city. Koregaon Park Plaza, Inorbit, Phoenix Market City, Pulse, Kumar Pacific Mall and Amanora Town Center are the new ones that have joined the already existing malls like S.G.S Mall, Mariplex and Central to name a few. Source: CBRE India Retail Market View 2011 Source: CBRE India Retail Market View Source: CBRE India Retail Market View Pune has come a long way in recent times. The IT market, automobile boom, student community, thriving service sector, robust real estate market and increase in the number of professionals have led to an expansion of the city. This rapid urbanisation, and the new demands of Pune’s global citizens, has led to a rise in the number of malls, offering high-end brands. Introduction Forever New is a fashion clothing and accessories brand founded in Melbourne, Australia. It was started by Dipendra Goenka and Amanda Goenka, an Indian-South African couple in 2006. The brand celebrates the feminine beauty of women, a signature style flowing through every creative element. Collections are inspired by global trends in art, film, music and theatre as well as haute couture runway shows in Paris, London, Milan and New York. It was started as Dipendra Goenka saw an obvious gap which was not only restricted to the Australian market but all over the world. With Forever New, the Goenka’s targeted daughters who are willing to shop with their mothers, a group that flies well under the cultural radar. Normally it gets very difficult for a woman who is on her far side of 40s to struggle with hot pants and play suits of her daughter’s choice, and hence Forever New is a one of a kind store which makes women of all age groups comfortable and creates an environment for all ages groups who prefer ethereal to edgy range. Forever New has created a fashion empire based around the frilly and feminine It is one of the fastest growing Australian brands, Forever New emerged in late 2006 as a start up retailer and now trades over 250 stores in 11 countries globally. The company was restructured in 2010 to support it’s growth which values it at about $108 million, although the ownership remained unchanged. While Forever New is best known as an Australian retailer, the 250-store chain already includes outlets in China, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and Turkey. While Forever New’s restructure meant that it was impossible to say how much the chain made in 2011. Accounts filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission showed that between June 25 and July 31 in 2011 it cleared $480,000 profit on about $1.9 million worth of sales. It had assets of almost $50 million and employed about 700 people. Forever New in India Forever New was launched in India soon after it was launched in Australia. It has its head office in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It also has its branches in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning In the Indian scenario the segment for Forever New will be women of almost all age groups starting from 15 years. They can be teenagers or college going students, fashion conscious girls, celebrities, elite class of women or house wives involved many in social activities etc. The target audience for frilly, ultra feminine products of forever new ranges from 15 to 60 years as the designs are on the classics edge. Along with that it does make collections inspired from the runway for the fashion conscious women. For the teenagers it has edgy, cute and girly designs. It has different price ranges for women of the elite class and celebrities and provides them with luxurious fabrics and designs. For the women aged 40-60 it has frilly, elegant clothes with a soft pastel palate so that it suits their age and style and doesn’t look flashy. Overseas it positions itself as a middle range brand which caters exclusively to women of all age groups primarily from 15 to 60, but in India generally after the age of 30-35 women do not prefer it. Hence in India it has positioned itself as a very chic, feminine, high fashion expensive brand which caters to women of age group from 15 to 35. The Marketing Mix Product: The products of Forever New are exclusively for women and have a wide variety under them. Under the clothing section they have dresses, tops, pants, skirts, denims, shorts, knitwear, coats and jackets. They widen their range with a beautiful collection of bags, sunglasses, shoes, jewellery, hats, belts, scarves and gloves. The products are very feminine, frilly, and classy and generally have soft colours. The quality of the products is very good especially the choice of fabrics or materials for each piece. Design-wise the products are according to the latest fashion forecasts or they are just plain simple classics. Price: Different products have different price ranges, starting from Rs 800 to Rs 15,000. Promotions: Forever New in India promotes itself through hoardings in malls. It also gives away its products for shoots in fashion magazines for which it gets due credit, hence displaying its latest collection through print media. Exhibitions are put up in Mumbai to create brand awareness. They also do mobile marketing by sending an SMS to every customer informing them about their new offers and sales. It gives away free catalogues to people who enter their stores to increase its brand awareness. It has an online shopping website which displays and sells the latest collections. Place: It sells through 2 different channels. Stores and Online. In India Forever New doesn’t have stand alone stores. They are located in malls. The head office is in Noida but the inventory is shipped from Australia to each store in India separately, even though the products are manufactured in China. Forever New, Pune Forever New is located in 2 different malls in Pune: ï‚ · Town Centre Amanora, Hadapsar Town Centre Amanora in Pune is a lifestyle retail centre, spread across 20 lac sq. ft. It is set according to world class standards, it is destined to be the retail and cultural epicentre of Pune, catering to both Western and Indian sensibilities, it has everything from premium to mass retail, cinemas, quick service restaurants, cafe’s and fine dining options. Town centre is destined to get a steady stream of customers, keeping them engaged throughout the day and create a profitable equation for retail partners. The location is an advantage for Forever New as it has almost all kinds of people coming to the mall out of which a majority are young women from the age group of 15-35 because the mall is situated right at the entrance of Amanora Township spread across 450 acres and is near the Magarpatta area, the hub of IT professionals. ï‚ · Koregaon Park Plaza Koregaon Park Plaza built on European concept, launched on 2nd March 2012 is a world class attraction with a premium retail mix and the epitome of â€Å"shop entertainment† where visitors will find a host of wonderful, engaging activities. The retail positioning of the mall is mirrored by its location in the heart of Pune, at Koregaon Park. This combination of centralised location and the mall’s world class architectural features positions Koregaon Park Plaza as an appealing destination for tourists & shopaholics of Pune. The location should’ve been an advantage for Forever New had the mall been as successful as promised but unfortunately Koregaon Park Plaza is not doing so well, but loyal and regular customers of Forever New do visit often and shop from there. Since the mall is isn’t doing well, it is very difficult to form new customer relationships leading to less brand awareness. Forever New in Town Centre Amanora, Hadapsar It is a small store in a rectangular format. Size: 375 sq ft. Approximately. The customers that come to this store are mostly young girls (teenagers), IT professionals or housewives of the upper middle or high class. Store Layout: The store in Town Centre Amanora is a small, congested store. It has very less space to move around. The focus does not go on the primary wall. The nesting table at the entrance takes up too much space. The trial rooms are big and well accommodating. There is no proper defined space for accessories. There is no defined path for the customer Forever New in Koregaon Park Plaza This store is in rectangular format with a fairly good size. Size: 400Sqft Approximately. The customers that visit this store are mostly loyal customers and are located far away from the Magarpatta area. It also has college going girls coming in to store. Women/girls from upper middle class or high class also come here to shop. Store Layout: The store in Koregaon Park Plaza is comparatively bigger and spacious. The store provides a well defined path for the customer. It has been put up in such a way that the focus goes on the right places. The store is very spacious and welcoming. It attracts attention. Common Features: Almost all the International stores have a Visual Merchandising guideline from their country head office that they have to follow. Some of them are: ï‚ · The collection stories and their display criteria. For instance, the way the story for is be spring it collection has to Tropical Fantasy and the displayed on the primary wall is already decided and ï‚ · ï‚ · The sent window by the display Australian head office. design too comes from the Australian head office. The basic store characteristics, like the humungous beautiful mirror behind the cash counter, the chandeliers, the white walls, the fixtures, nesting tables, trail rooms with maroon curtains, the chic and fun soundtracks, the comment book, the catalogues etc. Whatever things do not get sold off after a particular period of time are sent back to Australia. The collection is updated every month. Everything each store. Sales happen twice a year. This brand wants to ensure that the customer have a first class experience while visiting their store. So that when they walk out they form an image of the brand in their head and position it as a classy, feminine and delicate place. comes from the Australian head office directly to Brand Portfolio Like mentioned before, Forever New is an exclusive women’s wear brand. It has an ultra feminine style and the designs are inspired by classics and latest runway shows of New York, Paris, Milan and London. In India it is considered as an expensive brand. It uses expensive and delicate fabrics like silk and lace for its products. It provides a good visual experience when one enters its store. groups of women. The products are like the brand itself, delicate and beautiful. It has a wide variety of products and sizes for all the age Sizes Women’s Sizing Chart Measurement Point Bust Circumference Waist Circumference Hip Circumference 4 74 57 83 6 79 62 88 8 84 67 93 10 89 72 98 12 94 77 103 14 99 82 108 16 104 87 Clothing International Size Conversion XS S M L 4-6 8-10 12-14 16 Footwear International Size Conversion Australia US UK Europe 5 5 3 36 6 6 4 37 7 7 5 38 8 8 6 39 9 9 7 40 10 10 8 41 Ring Size Guide (measurement is the diameter of the ring) S/M M/L 17mm 19mm Product examples: Dresses: The stores comprised of almost 25 different types of dresses: Some of them were: 1. Cassie Embellished Strap Dress 2. Yvette Skater Dress 3. Ella Low Back Dress 4. Poppy Strapless Waterfall Dress The dresses had a very wide price range starting from Rs 2000 to Rs 15,000. The sizes varied from the kind of dresses available. In general the fastest selling sizes were 6 and 8. The slowest selling sizes were 12 and 16. Tops: The store comprised of almost 45 different kinds of tops Some of them were: 1. Trixie High Low Top 2. Koko Studded Pocket Tee 3. Chelsea Printed Tank 4. Mackenzie Roll up sleeve The prices of the tops ranged from Rs 1200 to Rs 6000. The sizes varied according to the different kinds of tops. The fastest selling sizes were 8, 10, 12 and 14. The slowest selling size was 4. Pants The store comprised of almost 20 different kinds of bottoms: Some of them were: 1. Isobella Draped Pant 2. Leya Casual Skinny 3. Arla Tuxedo Shorts 4. Oslo Piped Pocket Jegging The prices of the pants ranged from Rs 1200 to Rs 4000. The sizes varied according to the different kinds of pants. The fastest selling sizes were 8, 10 and 12. The slowest selling sizes were 6 and 16. Bags The store comprised of almost 15 different kinds of bags: Some of them were: 1. Lori Satchel 2. Ava Grace Small Bag 3. Ariela Hard Case Clutch 4. Lucy Stud Coin Accessories The store comprised of a lot of accessories: Some of them were: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · Tilly Pearly Statement Ring Heather Beret Vanessa Lace Scarf Jaylyn Enamel Torque The store comprised of almost 15 different kinds of shoes: Some of them were: 1. Prianne Platform 2. Sonia Embellished Sandal 3. Candice Diamente Pump 4. Lolita The prices of the pants ranged from Rs 2500 to Rs 6000. The sizes varied according to the different kinds of shoes. The fastest selling sizes were 6, 7 and 8. The slowest selling size was 10. After studying the assortment of both the stores, it can be concluded that: The size 4 clientele in the Pune sector is less. The most common sizes are 8, 10 and 12. Oversized people generally do not prefer Forever New for dresses and shoes but they prefer the tops. Competitive Analysis According to the Pune Retail Scenario, the direct competitors of Forever New would be: ï‚ · ï‚ · Mango Zara Even though they have different styles and they all are from different parts of the world still in the Indian market these brands are competing against each other. Mango: Mango clothing is a Spanish multinational based in company Barcelona. It designs, manufactures and markets clothing garments and accessories for women and men. Mango opened its first shop in 1984. What started out as a small team began to grow as a result of an ambitious production system based on the philosophy â€Å"justin-time†, which defined product concepts, store design, quality standards, price and brand image. This solid approach has turned Mango into a Spanish fashion leader. Mango can be differentiated for having a highly-defined concept. The Mango concept is based on an alliance between a quality product, with an original design and a coherent and unified brand image. Dressing the modern, urban women for her daily needs is the formula they have analysed, adapted and applied in all the countries in which Mango is present. Zara: Since the moment the first Zara store’s doors were opened in 1975, the growth of the Zara fashion line has built a been unstoppable. In Zara famous the has brand competitive successfully clothi ng industry, worldwide thanks to their premium locations as well as a unique management system of design, production and supply chains. Unlike other fashion brands, it takes Zara only 10 to 14 days from the time they design new clothing until it arrives in stores. This â€Å"fast fashion† concept and operation allow Zara to always provide the most fashionable clothes to their customers, and the ever-renewed collections definitely help build brand loyalty. Brand Positioning: Factors Quality Variety Sizes Assortment Value for Money Price Design Style Forever New Good Fair Good Poor Fair High Good Good Mango Good Poor Fair Good Fair High Fair Poor Zara Poor Good Poor Good Poor Medium Good Good Mango in Pune has established itself only as a women’s wear brand. Unlike Forever New it has a very good assortment of products. It has a category of products which can be affordable by middle and upper middle class women and another category which can be affordable by elite classes. It has better quality but less variety. Zara in Pune opened up recently in 2011. It has great style and is up to date with fashion, but unlike Forever New it has sizing issues and most of their products are sold out or not available in proper sizes. It has poor quality goods when compared to Mango or Forever New. It is cheaper than both the brands but it doesn’t provide value for money. Forever New SWOT Analysis Strengths ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · Filled in the brand gap of mother daughter shopping together. Unique Products Brand name Customer Loyalty Online Market Weakness lot of Indian consumers are not able to relate with the brand. Very expensive Weak Promotion Strategies Less brand awareness Emerging Markets Increasing Economy New Products Innovation New Technology Threats Intense Competition Substitute Products Substitute Market Losses due to low acceptance rate of consumers Strengths Forever New is a big brand name and a lot of consumers will be directed towards it cause of that. It has a USP of filling in the gap of mother daughter shopping together. It has exclusive products for women. It has high customer loyalty rate. Forever new has established itself in the online market which is the latest trend in the retail business. It ships to India free of cost which adds on to the rest of the advantages. Weakness A lot of Indian ‘mothers’ who go out shopping with their daughters won’t be able to relate to the brand. Another weakness is that due to the high prices of the products a lot of people do not prefer buying from there. It has poor promotional strategies and hence the consumers don’t notice it much and hence less brand awareness. Opportunities With the new technology coming in it would be easier to design and produce goods leading to faster innovation and new products. The economy is increasing and hence more and more people will be willing to spend on such brands. Threats There is intense competition from a lot of International brands as they are also looking forward to invest in the Indian Retail Sector. Substitute products and substitute markets at better deals will pose a threat to Forever New. Since the Indian consumers are not accepting the brand properly the company might go into a loss. Data Analysis and Interpretation Why do people shop from Forever New? Sizes Quality Pricing Design Style 0 Why do people shop from Forever New? 2 Style 12 4 Design 9 6 Pricing 1 8 10 Quality 5 12 Sizes 1 14 A majority of people shop from Forever New because of its style followed by its designs. Preferred Mall 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Town Centre Amanora Koregaon Park Plaza Preferred Mall According to my sample size the mall preferred to visit Forever New is Koregaon Park Plaza. What do people prefer buying? Tops Bottoms Dresses Shoes Accessories 3% 13% 37% 34% 13% Almost 37% of people buy tops from Forever New which is closely followed by Dresses (34%). How often do people visit Forever New? 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Weekly Fortnight Monthly Once in 6 months Yearly How often do people visit Forever New? According to my sample size a majority number of people visit Forever New monthly while hardly anyone visits it weekly. How much do people spend? 9% 18% 500-1500 1500-2500 32% 2500-5000 5000-10000 41% In this sample size 41% of people spend Rs 1500-2500 and 32% spend Rs 25005000 on Forever New. Which other brand do you prefer? 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Mango Zara Promod Other Which other brand do you prefer? Maximum number of people prefer Zara if not Forever New. Problems faced 4% 4% 8% Style Designs Pricing 46% 38% Quality Sizes Other 0% According to this sample size the major problems faced in Forever New are sizes and prices. Preferance: Store or Online 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 Preferance: Store or Online 0 Online Store Many people prefer visiting stores over online shopping. Membership Card? 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Yes No Membership Card? A majority of people prefer a membership card for Forever New. Recommendations and Conclusion Forever New is moving at a very slow rate in Pune. It caters only to a limited clientele and many people are not aware of it as a brand. People who are aware of this brand and shop from it are not very happy with the sizes and the prices it offers to them. Along with that a lot of people complained that it has limited variety and goes out of stock fast. Despite all these issues, Forever New does have a brand loyalty and some people do follow it regularly, generally on a monthly basis because of its designs, style and quality. A lot of people are not aware about the online shopping facility of this brand and hence do not take advantage of it. The major backing of the online shopping market is that people prefer going to stores because they like the overall experience of actually touching the product and then deciding on whether to buy it or not. International Brands like Forever New are currently going through a bad phase in Pune because consumers are still in the middle of accepting such expensive brands. Growth Opportunities Even though the women’s wear apparel is booming right now, it still is a little congested. But if there is a proper gap like mother daughter shopping together in one store (similar to Forever New), it can easily fit in the Indian scenario, one just needs to work on the styles and sizes a bit so that the Indian mothers accept it more openly. Indians as consumers are still not ready to shell out a lot of money on apparels so if one can work on the prices and they come down a bit for a brand like this, it will be successful in the Indian market. References and Bibliography Winning in the Indian Retail Sector Indian Retail Report: Opening more Doors CBRE India Retail Market View 2011 http://www.forevernew.com.au/ http://www.canalwalk.co.za/shop.htm?shopMGID=35523 http://www.waterfront.co.za/shop/shopcontent/Pages/ForeverNew.aspx http://www.google.co.in/search?rlz=1C1LENP_enIN472IN472&sourceid=chrome&i e=UTF-8&q=globalhttp://www.zendesk.com/why-zendesk/customer/forever-new http://pune.mallsmarket.com/malls/koregaon-park-plaza-pune http://pune.mallsmarket.com/malls/town-centre-amanora-hadapsar

The painting A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace

Adriaen van de Venne `s painting   A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace: An AnalysisThe painting A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace is a small painting by the Dutch artist Adriaen van de Venne.   The beauty of this painting is spectacular.   The picture presented is busy with many people in the depiction as well as many activities.At first the eye is drawn to the palace.   Even though it is in the country, it is ornate and impressive with its spires and cupolas.   Faded into the background is the image of a silhouette of a village.   The sky is littered with birds, and dogs dominate the crowd scene.Bordered by an elegant fountain and garden on one side and a forest with goats and deer on the other, there is a game of ball taking place.   Many people of all classes and backgrounds are entertained by watching the game.   In the left hand corner there are lovers who are oblivious to the rest of the excitement.   The one character that stands out is the middle age d, hefty man in the front who is dressed as a country gentleman.   There is a sense of frivolity in the mood of this painting.  A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace was painted in sixteen fourteen.   The oil on panel is six and one half by nine inches.   This painting and its companion, A Merry Company in an Arbor, were part of a series of four landscapes representing the seasons. This painting probably represents summer. (A Jeu de Paume Before a Country Palace)   The painter, Adriaen van de Venne, was born in 1589 in Delft, Netherlands, and died in 1662in The Hague, Netherlands.

Self leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Self leadership - Essay Example The intention of this study is self-leadership as a process in the course of which people influence themselves to attain the self-direction and self-motivation required to perform. Self-leadership engrosses behavioral as well as cognitive strategies that are imagined to positively manipulate consequences. Self-assessment can direct to the recognition of behaviors that ought to be changed, enhanced, or eliminated. This foundation of self-assessment empowers the individual to become more effective in outlining personal goals that may show the way to improved performance. Self-rewards, however, can be used to strengthen desirable behaviors and goal accomplishment. Desired behaviors can be shaped by self-rewards and self-punishment predominantly when used cautiously and reserved for critically negative behaviors. Finally, the continuous practice of desired behaviors prior to actual performance can permit the correction of problems and the prevention of pricey miscues. In short, self lead ership allows encouraging constructive, desirable behaviors that lead to winning outcomes, while holding back negative, unwanted behaviors that go ahead to unsuccessful results. A lot of individual performance tribulations result from dysfunctional thinking. Such vague and distorted thoughts usually result from underlying dysfunctional assumptions and beliefs that are repeatedly prompted by stressful or traumatic situations. Thought self-leadership implies that a self-analysis procedure one can not only identify dysfunctional beliefs and assumptions but can also confront and replaced them with more rational ones (Burns, 1992). What we stealthily tell ourselves can be defined as Self-talk or self-dialogue (Manz, 1992). Since individuals assess, tutor, and react to themselves mentally therefore this self-talk more often than not takes place at unnoticeable stages (Manz, 1992). In the course of the effectual employment of self-talk strategies, individual can find out to suppress and de ject pessimistic and negative self-talk while encouraging optimistic self-dialogues (Seligman, 1991). Replacing dysfunctional and negative self-talk patterns with constructive inner dialogues can enhance the performance (Manz & Neck, 1999). Optimism has a positive relation with physical and mental health, and at the same time it grants one the ability to muddle through stressful situations (Fahey, 1998). According to Scheier and Carver (1992) an optimistic point of view bequeath benefits on what people accomplish and what people are competent to pull off in times of adversity. In short, self-leadership suggests that an individual’s performance levels can be improved if he possesses optimistic, opportunity-focused and constructive though patters rather than pessimistic, obstacle focused and dysfunctional thought patterns. To sum up self-leadership theory asserts that behavioral and cognitive strategies tend to have a

Kodak and Fujifilm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Kodak and Fujifilm - Essay Example The founder of Kodak, George Eastman, an American, was dedicatedly fascinated on still photography and cameras. He patented photographic film to be stored in a roll in 1884 and after four years he had developed the first camera in the world of his invention and started operating in London. Subsequently, gradually the company became the global leader and started to dominate in the global market which has transcended beyond a century. In 1975, firstly, the company brought in significant change in the world of photography inventing digital camera. However, after 1984 in the photographic industry Kodak noticed profound changes in relation to the behavior of customers but still it remained indifferent about the changes in technologies and marketing strategies. As a result, in the 21st Century, it had to stop to manufacturing of a number of products one by one for being unable to sustain and owing to a lack of demand of the products. Finally, in the year 2012, the company filed for bankrup tcy (Beaudette & Palank, 2013). Fujifilm, a Japan based company was established in 1934 and within a decade it spread its landmark in the global market with the incorporation of effective strategies and continuous modernization of technology. In 1980, in keeping with customer requirements and to ensure its sustainability in the global market, the company made a switch from the film to digital market. As a result, it was able leverage huge amount of money from the film business and gradually reached the pinnacle of success in the photographic segment (Fujifilm Europe, n.d.). Core Business of Kodak and Fujifilm Kodak is a well known organization in the photographic film products, equipments, materials, digital imaging and services. Another principal business of Kodak is Kodak international-financial & banking business (Francis & Nias, 2012). The primarily business activities of Fujifilm entail to be involved in the development, production, sales and services of the color photographic film, digital cameras, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, graphic arts materials and equipments, medical imaging equipments, optical devices, photocopiers and printers. By the availability of these varied products, segmentation and innovation, it has captured a big global market after 1990s and has become a market leader in the photographic world in recent times (Fujifilm Europe, n.d.). Compare And Contrast About The Approach Of Management Of Both The Companies To Embrace Innovation And Management Differences That Have Impacted The Relative Success Of Kodak And Fujifilm In the global market perspective, the key dimensions of ‘change’ and ‘innovation’ are the key determinants of success to sustain in the competitive business world. These two factors are the main reasons for the downfall of Kodak and pinnacle of success for Fujifilm in the photographic market. Though Kodak entered in the market of Japan in 1905 but the management of the organization did n ot take the market seriously for strengthening the distribution system, marketing strategies, segmentation, and for making customers needs and demands assessment. After a long period in 1977, it started to focus to strengthen the marketing chain, distribution system and advertising. As a result, it became one of the best photographic product producers of the year in Japan by

Discussion 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Discussion 7 - Essay Example A number of experimental research designs are available for use in general social research (Srinagesh). A quasi-experimental study is a type of experiment that examines outcomes. However, they do not involve randomly assigning participants to treatment and control groups. A quasi experiment study might compare outcomes for individuals receiving program activities with outcomes for a similar group of individuals not receiving program activities. This type of study might compare outcomes for one group of individuals before and after the group’s involvement in a program. Quasi experimental designs are very useful because of their ability to inform the discussions of cause and effect; however, unlike other experimental approaches such as true experimental studies, they cannot definitively establish this link (Creswell). In this discussion two articles are used one using the experimental approach and the other using the quasi experimental approach. In the first article titled Learning social studies through mastery approach. The study involved two groups the experiment group and the control group. There were two independent variables in this case and they include: mastery learning strategy and conventional strategy. The dependent variable was only one and this was performance in social studies (Adeyemi). In the second article titled an analysis of the interactive behaviors of self-learning management in a web-based Moodle e-learning platform. The independent variables in this case were the Moodle learning platform and the traditional instruction. The dependent variables included obtaining the basic energy concept, submission of homework through the homework section and submission of project reports through homework section (Liao and Lin). In the first article, treatment involved the researcher obtaining course contents in social studies. These were then formed into one

Argument essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument - Essay Example For example, media nowadays are eventually used for product promotion, company endorsement, popularizing a personality, and many more (Hardy, 100). In other words, there can be many things to be done by simply taking media into one’s hand. Most of them are creative in nature. To cite an instance, it is important to substantially consider the case of product promotion or other relevant endorsement just to gain sympathy or attention from the target audience. Most often, it is viewed in television and other relevant media how creative these strings of endorsements could turn out. For example, using the concept of viral marketing, there is a need or consideration of speed. Just to be able to hit this objective, creative means are substantially employed along the process. At some point, creative methodological approaches are substantially included just to be able to hit specific objectives. In the case of Burger King for instance, its idea about viral marketing was substantially ap plied in order to gain remarkable attention about its product or service offerings. In this way, media have become productive tools in order to help a specific party to reach its competitive edge over the other or obtain specific objectives. ... Others on the other hand were applauded due to remarkable showcase of something what they got. For instance, the creation of Youtube and other social networking sites allow an individual to create something that would make a difference in the world. In fact, many personalities have paved their way through the ladder of success because of the media. In whatever point it may serve, the bottom line was to intentionally inform the public so as the same would create impression, response or opinion on the subject matter. This is a remarkable proof that the media could not only bring forward creative strategies only at the other side of the coin. They could potentially establish any relevant issues, situations, concerns or any possibilities of everything because they all have the power to inform the public and connect to people’s lives, in almost every walk, provided they would be allocated at some point in a highly creative way. In fact, media have become elemental components on how the elected officials in the US were able to successfully gain popular votes in the election. It is therefore clear that taking the media into the people’s hands could become susceptible to manipulation, exploitation in either good or bad intentions, which could provide either good or bad results. Some good results of the media however would include keeping the public informed with the right information. The people deserve to know the truth, and in many years the media have proven effective tools in doing so. For example, the fight against terroristic acts was dominated by the media when it comes to information dissemination. In fact, there were various terroristic attempts

Housing Pre and Post Recession Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Housing Pre and Post Recession - Lab Report Example From figure 1, we see that the data starts off from the middle of a recession in 1982. It lasted only till the 4th quarter of the year. The percentage of GDP growth since then rose sharply until the 2nd quarter of 1982 and then started gradually moderating. The ensuing period was characterized by some volatility until the 1st quarter of 1991 from where the GDP growth dipped sharply and the second recession initiated. This recession also lasted only for two quarters. The decade of the 1990s marked a steady climb in the GDP growth rate and signs of the next recession were observed only in the first quarter of 2000 since when it started decreasing rapidly. This third recession lasted from the 1st quarter of 2001 to the last quarter of the same year. There was a small climb in terms of GDP growth since then until 2007. From the last quarter of 2007 the recent recession set in and it lasted for seven quarters making it the longest recession in the time horizon under consideration. Figure 1 Housing Starts Turning to the Housing markets, we start by looking at housing starts in Figure 2. Interestingly, apart from a steady dip a few quarters ahead of the current recession, inter-temporal movements in housing starts have been moderately stable. The recessions do not seem to have affected housing starts to any considerable extents and we find only small dips in the first two recessions. Strangely during the third recession, we find that housing starts actually increased. However, it can also be seen from the graph that housing starts exhibit a marked decline from around the 3rd quarter of 2005 onwards well into the recent recession. Figure 2 Average real housing prices The next housing market indicator considered is the real average housing price. As can be seen from figure 3, housing prices exhibit smooth but evident cyclical movements. Comparing these movements with figure 1 reveals that in terms of trends the housing price movements particularly in the latter half of the time horizon match those of the real GDP growth although real GDP volatility is considerably higher. The peaks and the troughs in the average housing price time plots are clearly distinguishable and there are substantially lesser reversals making the series a lot smoother. Although resemblances in trend are not so clear in the quarters before 2000, since then the GDP growth and housing prices seem to follow very similar patterns. Figure 3 Months’ supply Finally, in figure 4 below, we look at movements in months’ supply of housing across the duration considered. In between the first two recessions here, the series seems to have been substantially volatile though stably so, around a mean of 2. Thereon, the movements of the series have been relatively less volatile. Figure 4 We see from the figure that months’ supply has declined in periods subsequent to the 1st, 2nd and 4th recessions. After the 1982 recession, housing supply exhibits a small decline in the ge neral trend although it as mentioned earlier fluctuated around an average. A more pronounced decline in the series occurred following the 2nd recession in 1991. The strong declining trend during this phase continued on through the onset of the third recession. There was a surge in early 2005 reflecting what we know now as the gradually forming housing bubble. The series attained its maximum halfway into the fourth recession. The housing supply series seems to reflect a lagged

Classical Mythology - Odyssey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Classical Mythology - Odyssey - Research Paper Example He considered himself as having the same status with King Oedipus (Schefold & Giuliani, 29). This meant that people had to get to the king through him. He appeared to have the capability to be a bother to the people if he was the king. However, Creon argued that he was the one who made Oedipus the king. After Laius death, the king of Thebes was Creon. However, after his city was tormented by the Sphinx, he announced that anyone with a solution would get both his sister, Jocasta, and his crown. He never went back to that promise.  Creon and Odyssey tend to share a number of similarities. None of the characters seems to be entirely good or bad. Creon is known to have come up with a harsh law that discouraging people from mourning Polyneices. The punishment for breaking that rule would be death. According to Creon, burying and mourning Polyneice was considered to be a criminal act. The penalty was death by stoning in a public square. However, after discovering Antigone was involved in burying Polyneices, he issued a different punishment to her. This revealed that he is not as terrible as he appeals. He ordered that both Antigone and Ismene be guarded well (Marks et al, 53). Creon appears to be stubborn with regard to the harsh law he had proposed. Odysseus, who was the king of Ithaca, appeared to be victorious for ten years. He effectively defended Ithaca in the period of the Trojan War. Although he appeared to be a noble person, it indulged in adultery and forsook his wife, Penelope. This revealed that he was not as respectable as many might have thought. Odysseus lay with his wife every night but was insensitive to her desire.  Creon and Odysseus appeared to be flawed in their character. Creon appeared to have excessive pride. He claimed to have exclusive power to give orders in the entire city. As the king, he was the only one issuing orders in the city. His character came out as domineering and insensitive (Beye, 17).  

Amy Grace Academy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amy Grace Academy - Essay Example On going through the appropriate websites, AGA has come to know that government grants are announced each year to release grant money of up to $30,000 for new projects (Ron Wainrib). AGA is also aware that this fund is accessible to lots more people. Hence, to make a case for winning the grant it is necessary to write a concrete proposal with information concerning the need and other details and make these as accessible as possible to the grantor. The need for digital technologies is to supplement facilities for testing speaking skills. Today, there is great need for trained workers with speaking skills and abilities. The communication business is doing well and we wish to give our students the means to take a look at something that they may be involved in at some point in the future. An article on "Delivering a Quality Grant Proposal" (Don Peek) provides some ideas on writing a proposal. The article is well written but it does appear that the grantor need details of the way the money will be spent from the time it is disbursed to the moment of success when the digital technologies are installed and are successfully used by the students. Details about the information that must be provided in the proposals do not appear very encouraging. First, there are the objectives to be listed followed by another list explaining how they are proposed to be achieved. Next, there are goals and the timelines when the goals are likely to be achieved. What is petrifying is the fact that after having provided all details in the proposal, the end result could be a damp squib. But, on second thoughts, is it worth taking all the trouble to see if the grant would be available After all, there are other ways and means to raise the required funds. AGA could use these means to raise funds. It is in better position to make a general proposal and circulate it among the parents and other well-wishers. There is no question about the funds coming in. Although AGA does not have any idea how much money could be collected in this fashion, it is better to follow this route where there is a guarantee of raising funds (D.M. Mithani, p253). Of course, AGA could alter information somewhat to make the proposal appear meaningful to the grantors. AGA could mention in the proposal that the digital technology is for use in the Science department (Science and Technology). But this would not be fair or ethical. Ultimately, the purpose of making a proposal for the grant will not be defeated if it is made alongside a general fund raising campaign. It is like having the cake and eating it too. Nonetheless, this is a better approach than solely depending on the grant which may or may not come (Damodar Gujarati & Sangeetha, p496). Conclusion Each part of the source supports specific aspects of the grant application requirements. D.M. Mithani outlines loans provided by banks to make high-cost purchases with low-interest loans. Loans are no equivalent to grants but they are quick means to have funds and can be repaid on easy installments. Damodar Gujarati and Sangeetha explains the means for forecasting. Description of the NIH Guide for Grants, Contracts and Recovery Act and

How Critical is the Critical Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How Critical is the Critical Period - Essay Example It means that if the input of language does not take place after this particular time the individual will experience difficulty in obtaining a complete language. The proof for such a time is restricted, and assistance stems extensively from hypothetical disputes and similarities to other significant stages in biology like visual development, but nevertheless is accepted widely. Such a critical periods nature has however been the fiercest issues debated in cognitive science and psycholinguistics for decade. A Few writers have proposed an "optimal" or "sensitive" time other than a critical one. Some other writers dispute on the reasons that include cognitive mind of language factors and physical maturation. The critical periods duration varies as well greatly in various accounts. In animals, a critical period refers to the biologically determined period during which learning must take place in order for development to happen. During a small window of time, the juvenile bird listens to and copies the song of a tutor; after the critical period closes, such copying is not possible. Blindfolded kitten do not develop normal vision but if the blindfold is removed before eight weeks normal vision can be restored. In humans, if strabismus (crossed eyes) is not corrected in early childhood that is before the age of three a child will not develop normal binocular vision. The critical period for susceptibility to strabismus begins soon after birth and shows continued susceptibility to at least 4.6 years. According to Eric Lenneberg, language acquisition is not possible at the age of two because the human brain is not sufficiently mature. After puberty normal language acquisition is not possible because the brain is physically mature. Lenneberg says that there exists maturational limitations on the period that a primary language can be obtained. The acquisition of the first language depends on neuroplasticity. If the acquisition

Pay Equity In Labor Force Movement Essay Example for Free

Pay Equity In Labor Force Movement Essay Debates about women’s rights at work and the gendered dimensions of employment inequality were notable and contested features of Canadian political discourse throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Concern about these issues took root during the 1940s, when women experienced dramatic shifts in their employment opportunities as a result of being drawn into and later jettisoned from the reserve army of wartime labor. Pressure to improve women’s employment conditions, particularly in the burgeoning public sector, recurred in the mid-1950s. However, it was in the 1960s, once the second wave of feminism took root in Canada, that women began to develop a sustained critique of the employment inequalities they experienced and pressure their governments to address the problem through policy innovation and change. (Westhues, 45-58) From the outset of second-wave feminism, women advanced analyses of employment inequality that took account of their labor in both the public and domestic spheres. As Brockman noted, activists â€Å"drew attention, as had never been done before, to the fundamental incompatibility between reproductive labor and child care, on the one hand, and paid work on the other, as well as to the profound consequences of this incompatibility. † (Brockman, 78-93) While liberal, radical, and socialist feminists approached this issue from different ideological vantage points, they shared a common belief that the causes of gender inequality in employment were not rooted solely in the workplace. Only, they claimed, if questions about women’s employment in the public sphere were addressed in tandem with questions about their labor in the domestic sphere would the gendered dimensions of employment inequality be fully understood. In particular, feminists thought that women’s maternal work had to be recognized in discussions about promoting gender equality in the workplace. As Westhues, a well-known socialist feminist, once argued, â€Å"As long as women have the primary responsibility for maintenance of the home and for child care, we will be less than able to pursue job opportunities and our domestic commitments will be used to justify discriminatory employment practices. † (Westhues, 45-58) Growing awareness of the need to link questions about production and reproduction in analyses of women’s economic position was by no means unique to Canadian feminism. It was, for example, well established in the early writing of second-wave feminists in Britain and the United States. What did, however, distinguish Canadian feminists from their counterparts in these other liberal democracies was an ability to work together, despite ideological differences, in order to advance this double-edged critique of gender inequality in employment. Right from the start of the contemporary women’s movement, Canadian feminists engaged with the state, demanding policies that recognized the link between women’s employment opportunities and the provision of child care. Canadian feminists lobbied both federal and provincial governments about the need to improve women’s employment opportunities and expand the provision of child care. It was in the federal arena, however, that women (outside Quebec) focused their demands for the development of policies that acknowledged the link between these two issues. In some respects, this federal focus was surprising. After all, only one-tenth of the Canadian labor force is regulated by the federal government, and even at the start of second-wave feminism both federal and provincial governments had been involved in employment opportunity and child care initiatives. Moreover, even though the federal government has the constitutional capacity to use its spending power to underwrite the provision of state-subsidized child care, it is the provinces that retain constitutional control over the delivery of this service. The federal focus of women’s campaigns was encouraged by the fact that the renaissance of Canadian feminism occurred within the context of a broader social project to achieve universal welfare guarantees, assured by the Canadian state. It was reinforced by the government of Canada’s decision to establish the 1967 Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) to inquire how best the federal government could ensure that women enjoyed â€Å"equal opportunities with men in all aspects of Canadian society. † It has since been sustained by the work of activists in national organizations, in particular the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), founded in 1972, and the Canadian Day Care Advocacy Association (CDCAA), established in 1982 and renamed the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada (CCAAC) in 1992. However, despite a long history of feminist engagement with the federal state, women’s repeated campaigns for the development of policies to address the double-edged nature of gender inequality in employment, and the clear recognition of these demands in reports of royal commissions and task forces, the federal policy response has been uneven. Policies to eradicate sex discrimination at work and promote women’s employment opportunities have been developed and implemented in the federal policy sphere. By contrast, the federal government has not developed policies to promote a publicly funded system of child care in order to enhance women’s employment opportunities, save as emergency measures during the Second World War or as an element of broader initiatives to get â€Å"welfare mothers† out to work. Instead it has treated child care as a fiscal issue for which parents can receive subsidies through federal taxation. This paper examines why a double-edged interpretation of women’s employment inequality, which recognizes the public and domestic dimensions of women’s work, has not been fully absorbed into federal policies to promote gender equality in the sphere of employment. The analysis follows the development of debates about women’s rights at work from the period of reconstruction after the Second World War, when questions about eradicating employment discrimination against worker-citizens first emerged in Canadian political debate, through to the close of the twentieth century. It examines federal policy developments under Liberal and Conservative governments, showing that even though the reports of federal royal commissions and task forces encoded feminist demands for a double-edged attack on employment inequality, questions about promoting women’s employment equality and child care were continually driven apart in the federal policy process. Women’s Paid and Caring Work  While this is by no means the first time that scholars have considered the relationship between Canadian women’s work inside and outside the home, it is noticeable how the link between these two aspects of women’s labor was explored by historians and sociologists before being addressed by analysts of public policy. In the late 1970s, members of the Women’s History Collective at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Clio Collective in Montreal pioneered research in Canada on how women’s labor had shifted from the unpaid domestic sphere into the world of paid employment. In the process, they unearthed textual and oral histories that demonstrated how, despite this transition, women still faced the double bind of a double-day in which they went out to work for pay and home to work for love. Their findings were reinforced in late 1970s and 1980s by sociological analyses of women’s work arguing that because women so often entered employment while maintaining primary responsibility for the care of their children, they frequently found themselves concentrated in low-paid, low-status employment. Despite the fact that historians, sociologists, and feminist activists drew attention to the â€Å"double ghetto† of women’s working lives, discussions about policies to promote women’s employment opportunities and improve the provision of child care evolved as distinct scholarly debates. The literature on policies to promote Canadian women’s employment opportunities emerged within the context of broader discussions and debates about the development of policies to root out discrimination in the workplace. By contrast, the literature on Canadian child care policy evolved around questions about the development, cost, and politics of implementing public policies to promote the welfare, education, care, and development of young children. In recent years, however, policy analysts have paid much greater attention to the link between women’s paid and caring work. Jacobs, 120-128) Nonetheless, no one has yet considered why Canadian government policies to promote women’s employment opportunities and improve the provision of child care have been developed at such different rates and, despite repeated calls to the contrary, not linked in the design of public policies to promote gender equality in federally regulated employment. This pattern of inquiry is understandable, given the discrete historical development of policies concerned with child care and those concerned with women’s employment. However, it unduly limits our understanding of the gendered dimensions of employment inequality in Canada and fails to capture the empirical reality of many women’s working lives. Double-Edged Nature of Women’s Employment Inequality Why did women’s double-edged demand for equal employment opportunities and child care emerge in Canada in the 1960s and 1970s? After all, from the mid-1950s Canada experienced one of the fastest rates of labor force feminization in the Western industrialized world. The decline of manufacturing industries and the concomitant growth of the tertiary sector in the 1950s and 1960s meant that while industries that had traditionally attracted men closed down, those demanding support skills that had long characterized women’s traditional domestic roles expanded. Moreover, in countries like Canada, where welfare states were being established, the growth in women’s employment intensified most quickly. The much trumpeted rise in female labor force participation rates did not, however, mean that women engaged in paid employment on the same terms as men. The occupational segregation of Canadian men and women persisted in both horizontal and vertical forms. In fact, this process intensified with the increased participation of women in the paid labor force. As a result, the vast majority of women found themselves working in poorly paid occupations, situated in the lower echelons of private companies and public sector organizations. Moreover, as Jacobs have noted, although the creation of welfare states meant that â€Å"women as a group had more employment opportunities open up for them than men† in the mid-twentieth century, the growth in women’s employment was in the part-time sector of the labor force, which was increasingly dominated by women in all OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. Jacobs, 120-128) This simply intensified the inequalities of employment opportunity that women experienced because part-time work is concentrated in the least-skilled, lowest-paid, and most poorly organized sections of the labor force, where benefits are usually more limited than in the full-time sector. The rapid growth in women’s participation in part-time rather than fulltime employment reflects two other factors about the feminization of the Canadian labor force. On the one hand, it relates to the type of work that the service sector has generated and to the increasing flexibility demanded of its employees. On the other hand, it reflects the fact that the greatest increase in female labor force participation rates since the 1960s has been among women with young children. In the early 1960s, most female employees in Canada would leave the workforce when their first child was born and return only when their youngest child had entered school. By the mid-1980s most women with young children went out to work. Indeed, as Pendakur have noted, â€Å"By 1991 all traces of the reproduction function had disappeared with female labor force participation rates peaking in the major family-rearing age categories†. The double burden that women experience from juggling their employment while continuing to care for their children has been reinforced by the limited provision of subsidized child care spaces in Canada. In the late 1960s, when women began to pressure the federal government to address the minimal provision of child care for working women, federal subsidies for child care were limited to support for welfare mothers under the 1966 Canada Assistance Plan. This pattern changed very little in the course of the twentieth century, although federal subsidies to support child care for low-income families became increasingly tied to efforts to get mothers receiving welfare out to work. Although recent federal publications on the status of day care in Canada boast â€Å"a twenty-five-fold increase† in child care spaces since the government first gathered these data in 1971, in fact the proportion of children of working mothers who have access to regulated child care remains very low. As a result, most working parents remain highly dependent on informal, unregulated child care. Indeed, as Brockman noted, in the mid-1990s â€Å"children in informal child care arrangements accounted for eighty per cent of all child care used by parents in Canada. † (Brockman, 78-93) The federal state in Canada has addressed questions about promoting equal employment opportunities for men and women in the public sphere with relative ease but has failed to recognize that this project cannot be achieved without addressing the questions of child care that affect so many women’s working lives. While the reasons for this are complex, some insights from feminist theory may help us to begin this exploration. In recent years, a number of feminist theorists have discussed how the concept of worker-citizenship that took root as welfare states were developed in countries such as Canada did not take account of the different contexts in which women and men often assumed employment. (Pendakur, 111-120) As a result, when questions about promoting equal employment opportunities for men and women began to emerge in the 1950s and ’60s, they were framed in terms of women achieving the same opportunities as men. Indeed, Canadian have tried to develop a more nuanced concept of worker citizenship that not only respects the objective of equality of opportunity but also takes workers’ particular circumstances into account and, in the case of women, enables them to integrate their paid and caring work better. In the process, women have argued that a state that upholds the principle of gender equality must develop policies that take account of the interconnectedness of the public and domestic spheres and recognize the different contexts in which men and women often assume employment. Conclusion Nonetheless, although Canadian feminists have a long history of active engagement with the state, developed through a â€Å"visible and articulate women’s movement† that has successfully placed issues on the political agenda, the result, more often than not, has been that their demands have been contained within a limited set of reforms. As a result, those aspects of gender discrimination in the workplace that concern practices within the public sphere have been acknowledged through the introduction of anti-discrimination and employment equity policies. By contrast, women have had more difficulty getting their proposals for policies that transcend the public/ private divide, by linking questions of equal employment opportunity with those of child care, acknowledged in the federal policy arena. Despite their efforts to forge these links through two major royal commissions and other government inquiries, problems of gender inequality in employment are still primarily defined as issues located within the public sphere of employment. Without doubt, over the past thirty years there have been clear improvements in the position of women in the federally regulated section of the Canadian labor force. Nonetheless, women continue to cluster in the lower echelons of companies and organizations and remain under-represented in more senior positions. While this persistent pattern of inequality has many causes, paper shows how it reflects a federal policy process that concentrates on ensuring the comparable treatment of male and female employees once they have entered the labor market, yet, for complex reasons, repeatedly stalls on developing a more expansive approach to child care. As a result, federal policies to promote gender equality in the sphere of employment neglect the inequalities of access and participation that many women experience as they continue or resume employment once they have dependent children.

Starbucks Strategic Management

Starbucks Strategic Management The Strategic Management provide an indepth knowledge of the process for developing and enacting business plans to reach a long-term goal that takes into account the internal variables and external factors in the business environment. It encompasses an integrated, future oriented managerial perspective that is outwardly focused, forward thinking and performance based. Strategic managers identify long-range targets, scan their operating environment, evaluate their organization structures and resources, match these to the challenges they face, identify stakeholders and build alliances, prioritize and plan actions and make adjustments to fulfill performance objectives over time. This module will provide detailed explanation on how the balancing of strategic managements outward, inward and forward looking functions would be used to develop a vision and strategies to move forward. The five key facets of strategic management namely, goal setting, strategy analysis, strategy formation, strategy implementation, and strategy monitoring will be introduced in stages. These are the integral elements that, when applied together, would distinguish strategic management from less comprehensive approaches, such as operational management or long-term planning. In 1971 Starbucks opened operations in Seattles Pike Place Markets with the future aim of providing coffee to a number of restaurants and surrounding bars. With the recruitment of Howard Schultz who led the marketing and retail efforts of Starbucks. * In 1982, the company took a change in direction through the views of Schultz, who after visiting Italy tried to adapt the same principles in order to a strong bar culture. Schultz then utilized Starbucks ability to provide quality coffee beans and opened up a new store called Il Giornale, which brewed coffee from these particular beans. * In 1987, Giornale had decided to take over the assets of Starbucks and also, further changed its name to Starbucks Corporation. By the end of the year, Starbucks had increased the number of stores to 17 and furthered its location span by entering Chicago and Vancouver. * In 1990, the company took further steps forward with expansion of the Seattle headquarters and an increase in resources with the opening of a new roasting plant. Relationships and other ventures also took off during the early nineties as the company looked to development organizations to further its progress. *In 1995, the company really established its name with the opening of the 676th store as well as increasing the products in store with the addition of compact discs a result of a previously popular experiment with in-house music. * In 1996, the company kept on stretching its reach by entering into the market of Japan, Singapore and Hawaii. This was achieved through joint ventures including the one formed with Sazaby Inc., which pushed through the development of coffee houses in Japan. In 1971 Starbucks opened operations in Seattles Pike Place Markets with the future aim of providing coffee to a number of restaurants and surrounding bars. With the recruitment of Howard Schultz who led the marketing and retail efforts of Starbucks. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In 1982, the company took a change in direction through the views of Schultz, who after visiting Italy tried to adapt the same principles in order to a strong bar culture. Schultz then utilized Starbucks ability to provide quality coffee beans and opened up a new store called Il Giornale, which brewed coffee from these particular beans. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In 1987, Giornale had decided to take over the assets of Starbucks and also, further changed its name to Starbucks Corporation. By the end of the year, Starbucks had increased the number of stores to 17 and furthered its location span by entering Chicago and Vancouver. * In 1990, the company took further steps forward with expansion of the Seattle headquarters and an increase in resources with the opening of a new roasting plant. Relationships and other ventures also took off during the early nineties as the company looked to development organizations to further its progress. *In 1995, the company really established its name with the opening of the 676th store as well as increasing the products in store with the addition of compact discs a result of a previously popular experiment with in-house music. * In 1996, the company kept on stretching its reach by entering into the market of Japan, Singapore and Hawaii. This was achieved through joint ventures including the one formed with Sazaby Inc., which pushed through the development of coffee houses in Japan. Current situation The current international situation for Starbucks seems to be an emerging part of their business and the reorganization of this is proved by their aim to become a leading global company through making a difference in peoples lives all around the world. This goal is quite close to being achieved as proved the Starbucks current locations in international markets and the successfulness of these ventures. The current countries in which Starbucks are located in are: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Peoples Republic of China, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, United Kingdom, and the United States. Current performance Overall, the aim of becoming a worldwide global brand seems to be working in favor of the company and is helping it to attract the attention of many major companies who would like to share a partnership. This is all positive news for the company because it provides a strong basis for future development of international markets, which further strengthens the mission to become one of the leading specialty coffee retailers in the world.However, the net revenues increased 3 percent to $2.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to $2.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2007. For the 13-week period ended September 28, 2008, Starbucks reported net income of $5.4 million, which included $105.1 million of restructuring charges and other transformation strategy costs. Net income was $158.5 million for the same period a year ago. The company actions announced in July of 2008 to close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. and 61 company-operated stores in Australia, and reduce approximately 1,000 open and filled positions within its leadership structure and non-store organization. Strategic posture 1- mission To inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time The mission of Starbucks is to establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow. None of this success would have been possible without a set of goals that the company aimed to achieve and a set of principles, which governed the decision making process. The six principles of Starbucks are stated as: 1-Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. 2-Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business. 3-Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing. 4-Roasting and fresh delivery of our coffee. 5-Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time. 6-Contribute positively to our communities and our environment, and recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. Application of these principles can be used as a guideline for all employees from managers to workers to aim to achieve the companys goals, while maintaining a certain type of standard. However, the net revenues increased 3 percent to $2.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to $2.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2007. For the 13-week period ended September 28, 2008, Starbucks reported net income of $5.4 million, which included $105.1 million of restructuring charges and other transformation strategy costs. Net income was $158.5 million for the same period a year ago. The company actions announced in July of 2008 to close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. and 61 company-operated stores in Australia, and reduce approximately 1,000 open and filled positions within its leadership structure and non-store organization. This mission statement along with the set of guidelines provides a focus for employees as they make strategic decisions. It not only supports the employees, but supports the customers as well, making a note that they should be satisfied all of the time. The mission shows alignment with the vision by stating how the company plans to reach the broad goals set by the vision statement. Another supporting sentence in the mission statement is that the company applies the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of its coffee. This statement supports the idea thatStarbucks uses the best available resources to give it a recognized and respected name. Objectives Strategies: Here are the following objectives ofStarbucks: Our Coffee It has always been, and will always be, about quality. Were passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done. Our Partners Were called partners, because its not just a job, its our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard. Our Customers When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. Its really about human connection. Our Stores When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. Its about enjoyment at the speed of life-sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity. Our Neighborhood Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action- bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility-and our potential for good-is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead. Our Shareholders We know that as we deliver in each of these areas, we enjoy the kind of success that rewards our shareholders. We are fully accountable to get each of these elements right so that Starbucks -and everyone it touches-can endure and thrive. From all what mentioned above that Starbucks is aiming to success through quality of product, diversify in business and place, to satisfy customers and shareholders, through pleasant and nice existence nearly to everyone. Financial Analysis The general financial performance for Starbucks in 2008 was declining from the previous years dramatically. The following analysis will show this fact. Investment Returns % Company Industry Return On equity 12.6 25.8 Return On Assets 5.6 13.2 Both the ROE and ROA are lower than the industrys average, which means that the company is not using both the equity and their assets properly to increase their revenue. Profit margins % Company Industry Gross Margin 16 27 Pre-Tax Margin 4.4 13.2 Net Profit Margin 3.03 8.5 Starbucks margins are lower also that the industrys average, especially in 2008 where the net profit margin reduced to 3.03 from 6.3 in 2007. Financial Condition Company Industry Debt / Quity Ratio 0.4 0.46 Current Ratio 0.8 1 Quick Ratio 0.48 0.7 Starbucks generally manages their debs and liabilities wisely, and this considers a financial strength for the company. Year 2008 2007 2006 2005 sales 10383000 9411497 7786942 6369300 Net income 315500 672638 564259 494467 Corporate governance Board of directors As part of Starbucks mission they are committed to maintain their uncompromising principles while they grow. In this regard, their Board of Directors has adopted governance principles and committee charters to lead Starbucks governance practices. Currently, the board has 9 directors, a substantial majority of whom meet all of the independence requirements of NASDAQ ® and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Of the nine members of Starbucks board, one is Latino, two are African American (one of which is female), and one other female also serves on the board. Starbucks president and CEO Howard Schultz chair the board. In Starbucks there are well-defined criteria for the selection of new board members, foremost being a clear demonstration of their own personal integrity and ethics. Board diversity is sought in terms of members personal and professional backgrounds, gender, race, ethnicity or other differentiating characteristics, enabling a wider range of opinions and perspectives to be considered. This criterias of selection affected the company in a very good way that gave it the opportunity to succeed in the international market. That the diversified background, education, culture and gender in the board was one of the greatest Starbucks strong points. There are three committees of the board are comprised of independent directors and have specific charters: Audit and Compliance,Compensation and Management Development and Nominating and Corporate Governance. In November 2007, the board amended the companys bylaws to include majority voting to allow shareholders to play a more meaningful role in the election of directors. Director nominees must receive more for than against votes to be elected in an uncontested election. Additionally, the term of a nominee who does not receive a majority of the votes cast will end on the earliest of either: (1) 90 days after the date election results are certified; (2) the date the director resigns; or (3) the date the board of directors fills the position. This change demonstrates Starbucks ongoing commitment to strong corporate governance practices. Shareholders and partners (employees) can provide recommendations and feedback to the board through the Business Conduct Helpline and the Audit line. In addition, written correspondence can be sent to the board, an individual director or to any of Starbucks independent board committees. Committee charters, governance principles, director nominations policy (including criteria for board membership) and profiles on each board member are available in the corporate governance section of Starbucks.com. Starbucks formed a Policy Governance Council in fiscal 2006 to oversee and approve governance tools at the global enterprise level, and to ensure they are well-defined, consistent with each other, current, stored for easy retrieval, and effectively communicated to partners. The Council is comprised of company leaders who represent multiple business units and functions, and is supported by Starbucks Policy Office and staff.Starbucks stakeholders include partners (employees), customers, suppliers, farmers, shareholders, governments, community members, environmental groups, activists and many others. The company engaged them to be able to understand their concerns and gain their input on topics of mutual importance. External Environment: Opportunities and Threats Starbucks international operation was one of the major aspects of their success. , in the mid 1990s, with the market reaching saturation, Starbucks could no longer depend on the U.S. market for growth. To maintain its growth rates and to boost revenues, Starbucks had to venture abroad. Starbucks international presence is now in more than 25 countries and the United States of America. This presence is formed in three modes in entry that are Joint venture, licensing and wholly owned subsidiaries. This became a burden on the mother company in a later stage. That those types of entry moods need a lot of training, supervising, management assistance and technology transfer for the partner. This is along with inability to engage in global strategic coordination. However, the success of Starbucks is not only to its aggressive expansion but also to its product innovation. Starbucks came out with new products to attract customers on different periods. Also diversification was one of the factors that Starbucks started to apply even on a small initiated base. That along with serving coffee, Starbucks also sold merchandise. In 1995, it started selling CDs of its famous in-house music program. It also entered into alliances with various players such as Canadian Airlines, United Air Lines, Starwood Hotels, and Barnes Noble, Inc., to serve Starbucks coffee. Michael Porters five forces Michael Porter defines five forces impacting a firms competitiveness- threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants in the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, and the intensity of competition within the industry. A firms strategic decisions to respond to these five forces are a source of risk also. The company is facing a real threat of substitution from many other companies that producing the same product that is satisfying the same need. This is in its domestic market and even in the international market specially Europe and Middle East. Also Starbucks is facing a real problem of rival competition due to its uncompetitive price all over the world and even in its domestic market. Also the taste of Coffee had been judged by customers as an artificial taste especially in Japan. Suppliers bargaining power is really represent a threat for Starbucks. That they decided to deal with a 51% women or minority owned suppliers. Also they are not dealing with suppliers who dont follow the same environmental ethics that are for Starbucks. This may lead them to lose a good opportunity or deal with a supplier that they will not deal with him. Also dealing with small suppliers instead of dealing with limited number of big power full suppliers is not giving them real good deals for facilities and prices. Societal Environment Economics Economic factors are an important aspects that concern the nature and direction of the economy in which a firm operates Starbucks also faced criticism from Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that urged the company to acquire certified coffee beans,ensuring that those coffee beans were grown and marketed under certain economic and social conditions. Furthermore, Starbucks faced problems due to economic recession in countries such as Switzerland, Germany, and Japan in the early 2000s, where it experienced declining sales and revenues. Moreover, a real expectation of huge recession during the next year due to the worldwide financial crisis may affect the companys results badly. Technological Starbucks is continuously searching for ways to better a customersexperience. With the introduction of the Starbucks Card for example, the Company has created the opportunity to improve customer service, shorten lines and make a customers visit at Starbucks quicker and more convenient. Most if not all Starbucks location has WI-FI for consumer needs. Political/Legal Increasing tensions between the United States and the rest of the world, the business environment, especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, was becoming increasingly volatile. After U.S. declaration of war on Iraq in early 2003 matters became worse for the company. This created serious problems for Starbucks. In July 2002, Arab students called for a boycott of American goods and services, due to the alleged close relationship between the United States and Israel. The boycott targeted U.S. companies including Starbucks, Burger King, Coca-Cola and Estee Lauder 2-In addition to these incidents, Starbucks topped the list of companies to be boycotted due to Schultzs alleged closeness to the Jewish community. Till now in the Arab countries Middle East a lot of rumors that Starbucks is sponsoring the Jewish community against Palestinian crises. Due to increasing security threats, Starbucks closed down its six stores in Israel. Starbucks had two class action suits pending since 2001. The lawsuits entitled Carr vs. Starbucks and Sheilds vs. Starbucks are challenging the status of Starbucks California store managers and assistant managers as exempt employees under California wage and hour laws. Starbucks is denying all liabilities in these cases, however; the company has agreed to the settlement in order to take care of all of the plaintiffs claims without having to get involved in any protracted litigation. Starbucks only imports all their coffee beans, so possible threats could include a change in import laws. A change in the status quo as far as imports go could greatly affect numerous areas of production for the company. For example, if it costs more to import or the process is made more difficult the result could ultimately be a change in price, which would affect the level of consumption for Starbucks coffees. Social/Cultural Environmental Mission Statement (Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business) As a result of Starbucks closely following their objectives, the company has installed a list of principles that further outline the companys willingness to make sure that its affect on the environment is as positive as possible. These principles are stated as: 1-Understanding of environmental issues. 2-Sharing information with our partners. 3-Developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change. 4-Striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products. 5-Recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future. 6-Instilling environmental responsibility as a corporate value. 7-Measuring and monitoring our progress for each project, and encouraging all partners to share in our mission. Those can only be seen as a positive for the image of the company and shows that they are willing to utilize their resources in order to more than satisfy requirements. Task Environment Not only this but also, Starbucks organizing activities such as neighborhood clean-ups and walk-a-thons. Many examples are available on the web site of the company. Policies that also have been implemented are the buying policies, which only allow the company to purchase from those other businesses (suppliers) who follow the same environmental strategy as Starbucks. This may push the company to lose an opportunity of good deal, because the supplier doesnt follow the company environmental policiesFinally, to integrate these policies to new employees, Starbucks has employed the services of a few partners which congregate together to create a Green Team, which installs the environmental views into trainees as well as coming up with inventive ways of helping the environment. Summary of External factors TO However, it was found that the success of Starbucks was due to its profitable domestic operations. It was reported that most of Starbucks international operations were running into losses. In May 2003, Starbucks Japanese operations reported a loss of $3.9 million (Japan constituted the largest market for the company outside the United States), and the company also performed badly in Europe and the Middle East. Analysis pointed out that Starbucks international operations were not as well planned as its U.S. operations. It was also observed that the volatile international business environment made it difficult for the company to effectively manage its international operations. Internal Environment: Strengths and Weaknesses Corporate Structure Starbuck has no formal organization chart and does not work with hierarchy structure. It consists of to main departments, functional department consists of marketing, supply chain, operations, finance and human resources, and cross functional teams, consisting of local store marketing and marketing campaigns. The decision making process in Starbucks is bottom up process, where the employees are empowered even to take decisions without referring back to the management. There is a conflict in the corporate structure where some employees are reporting to two different divisions which in some cases causing confusion and over lapping. Corporate culture The Chairman of Starbucks, Schultz decided to treat employees as family, and called them partners. Both full time and part time employees could benefit from training and health insurance. Starbucks paid some more salaries than competitors to gain highly qualified employees. Starbucks relied on its baristas and other frontline staff to a great extent in creating the Starbucks Experience which differentiated it from competitors. Employees had option to stock chare according to their base salaries. Also Starbucks had shared values with their employees who made them proud to work in such successful company, and this created good culture. Schultz decided also to be open and honest with his employees, and let them share in the decision making process. He gave extensive training to employees especially barista employees to give careful attention to customers. Environment was important to Starbucks. Using this concept Starbucks gave good attention to their suppliers by helping them technically and financially as part of their corporate social responsibility. Also it encouraged all partners to share in the companys mission. Starbucks has deep tacit knowledge, which is difficult to be imitated by competition. Functional strategies Marketing The main marketing strategy and position for Starbucks is for customers to consider it as their place after home and work, this will guarantee customers visiting the shops several times. However it also customizes its positioning for each store individually according to the specific location it is in. Another important part of Starbucks positioning over competition is that they are environmentally friendly. Starbucks does not generally offer promotional prices on its products. It has a reputation for having pricey drinks; furthermore, Starbucks brand is too expensive. The company mainly depends on the brand for their high revenues, which could be risky from competition. However it seems to be the market leader when it comes to new products and ideas. Starbucks has found more success advertising on a local level rather than to the nation as a whole. The Company advertises a lot through print mediums, as Starbucks target market tends to be educated people who do more reading than the average person. In 2005, Starbucks spent $87.7 million on advertising, or 1.4% of revenues. Starbucks also market itself as environmentally friendly and focus on its corporate social responsibility, one example is buying Ethos-Water Company and they also plan to donate $ 10 million to help countries under developed lacking clean water. RD The RD role in Starbucks is to make a RD mix and mainly consists of the following activities: Ä ±Coffee Science Ä ±New Technology Ä ±Equipment Technology Ä ±Product Development Ä ±Menu Development Ä ±Coffee Quality Assurance Ä ±Sensory Science The introduction of the Starbucks Card for example, Starbucks has created the opportunity to improve customer service, shorten lines and make a customers visit at Starbucks quicker and more convenien. Starbucks is continuously searching for ways to better a customers experience. The company spent 7.2 Million in 2008 for new technologies related to food and equipment. Operations and logistics The main operation for Starbucks divided into local operation in USA and international operation. Starbucks depended mainly on their employees to manage operation, thats why they focused on training employees as they are the main asset in the company. They are managing all stores in USA, however, they are in the international operation sometimes manage their store, or give licenses, or get into joint ventures with existing companies. But they focus on their operation on the quality of their coffee Starbucks deals with international small suppliers. Starbucks made good deals with their suppliers to supply coffee with fixed prices rather than using the Fair Trade Coffee. They mainly use non-smoking restrictions in their stores, however in some countries because of culture conflicts they had to have either smoking rooms or smoke areas in the air. One of the main advantages Starbucks has is the accumulative experience of their employees in operation, this is due to the low turn over they have and their focus on employee satisfaction. Human Resources Starbucks paid considerable attention to the kind of people it recruited. So the company hired people for qualities like adaptability, dependability and the ability to work in a team. Starbucks was one of the few retail companies to