How can Starbucks react to the threat of McDonalds selling low cost Essay

How can Starbucks react to the threat of McDonalds selling low cost coffee - Essay Example I would be failing in my duty if I don’t thank all those employees of Starbucks and McDonalds who responded to the phone calls and e-mails sent to these organizations. Last but not the least, I would like to thank all my friends who have been supporting and helping me with this assignment. Table of Contents Contents Pages Executive Summary 4-5 Introduction 5 McDonald’s Vs Starbucks 5-6 Problem for Starbucks 6 Sources of Information 6-7 SWOT Analysis 7-8 Financial Analysis 8-9 Findings 10 Recommendations 10-11 Appendices 12-25 Works Cited 26 How Can Starbucks React to the Threat of McDonalds Selling Low Cost Coffee? Executive Summary Starbucks and McDonald's are big multinational companies that have made their presence felt in the businesses they operate in. Seattle based Starbucks was founded with the objective of providing Italian espresso bar experience in the United States. As a business strategy Starbucks operates by forming a personal relationship with its consumer s. On the other hand McDonalds is a family restaurant and attracts people from all age groups. Strictly speaking, both these behemoths have distinct target markets. Starbucks attracts the affluent while customers who are price sensitive are McDonald’s target market. McDonald’s has rolled out its low-priced coffee brand and in the process has started eating into the share of Starbucks. McDonald's appears well placed to become Starbucks’ biggest competitor in the specialty coffee segment in the coming years. Starbucks now has to devise strategies to counter McDonald’s move and not let its market share dip. The present paper is a commentary on ‘How can Starbucks react to the threat of McDonalds selling low cost coffee? To answer this question relevant information on both these companies has been collected from various primary and secondary sources. A comparison has been made on the business operations of both Starbucks and McDonald’s, SWOT analy sis has been carried out and finally a financial comparison has been made. Some alternatives that can be adopted by Starbucks to react to McDonald’s move have been suggested based on aforesaid analysis. I personally feel that Starbucks should not respond to McDonald’s move with a price cut, rather it should elevate the quality perception in the minds of the customer and build a set of loyal customers who are willing to pay a premium price in exchange of getting the ‘coffee experience’ that Starbucks has to offer. Introduction I have decided to write a commentary on ‘How can Starbucks react to the threat of McDonalds selling low cost coffee? I have chosen this topic since it involves two big U.S. based companies who have worldwide operations, have a huge set of loyal customer base and are well known for their quality products. Starbucks Vs McDonald’s Starbucks is Italian-style coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. The company was foun ded in 1971 and has more than 17, 000 retail stores in 60 countries. Since inception Starbucks has believed in serving the best coffee to its customers. In fact, the company delivers much more than a simple cup of high quality coffee; it ensures a wonderful experience for the customer. A look at the product portfolio of Starbucks clearly indicates that the company has a huge variety of coffee

Customer Service Essay Example for Free

Customer Service Essay Handout In this Session, you have learned about: The principles, policies and procedures of your organisation How your organisation communicates its principles to employees Your organisation’s policies and codes of practice Consultations on changes to principles, policies and procedures Issues of public concern relating to your industry and organisation. Principles, policies and procedures Principles are the foundation of a system of beliefs within an organisation. Principles are the philosophy of the organisation, illustrating how the organisation ‘thinks’. A policy is a definite course of action adopted by an organisation, which guides employees and helps them put principles into practice. Customer service policies are similar in many organisations, but some may be tailored to fit your organisation’s specific principles. A procedure is a series of steps to be followed to correctly answer the telephone, deal with complaints, give refunds etc. Organisations tend to have their own specific procedures. Communicating principles to employees An organisation may communicate its principles to employees in the following ways: The recruitment process Reading material Group discussions Appraisals and feedback Improving team performance Principles may be worked into the recruitment process. Interviewees asked about the organisation’s principles. Organisation handbook and vision statement include principles. This may be the first thing new recruits learn about the organisation. Printing out principles and posting them in the office ensures they feature in every employee’s day. Principles could be printed on commonly used items. Hearing principles read out is more effective for some. Managers and team leaders remind employees of principles. Discussion of whether an employee adheres to principles may be part of a formal review. Company awards are used to publicise principles. Company away-days and team-building exercises are opportunities to remind employees of principles. Team-building tasks could be centred on principles. Policies and codes of practice A code of practice is a set of written rules or standards outlining the responsibilities of, or proper practices for, an employee or organisation. An industry-wide code of practice is often defined by a trade association or professional body. Policies tend to be written by an organisation and based on an industry-wide code of practice. Your organisation might make you aware of its policies or code of practice by: Publishing the code of practice/policies on their website or the intranet Emailing updates to the code of practice and policies to all employees Including the code of practice and policies in the organisation handbook Basing appraisals or feedback systems around policies / code of practice Indicating the trade association/professional body who wrote the code of practice. Consultations on change If you are consulted on changes, your opinion is considered by those making the decision. Ways to consult employees on changes to principles, policies and procedures include: Small group meetings (face-to-face or via a video conference) Questionnaire Discussion with line manager/team leader Intranet bulletins or a FAQ page Email Team bulletins Monthly newsletter Letter A trade union/employee representative or staff council. How you are consulted depends on the size and structure of your organisation, employee work practices and the information being communicated. If your organisation has 50+ employees, you have the right to request an Information and Consultation arrangement. Issues of public concern Issues of public concern relating to your industry or organisation could include: Product recall and customer safety – is your product/service safe and reliable? Confidentiality – do you store customer information securely? Accessibility – is it easy to contact your organisation/use your services? Quality – is product/service equal to competitors? Responsiveness – how quickly will you respond to a customer and resolve problems? Value customers – do you value your customers and treat them appropriately? Finances – are accounts transparent and investments ethical? Wider concerns – public health, economy, environment, exploitation of workers etc. Your organisation may deal with issues of public concern by: Establishing stringent testing and health and safety processes Ensuring varied and easily accessed means of communicating with the organisation Investing in public relations to communicate effectively with the public Establishing clear customer service policies, making them available to the public and ensuring that staff adhere to these policies Publishing the organisation’s accounts Publishing a code of practice relating to the organisation’s economic, ethical, environmental responsibilities etc.

Practical Ways Of Promoting Resilience Young People Essay

Practical Ways Of Promoting Resilience Young People Essay Resilience as described by many writers is a complex term and therefore needs to be understood in the context. Resilience is normally sought in the child, family and community (Phillips, G. 2008). As professionals, attending training courses helps us to seek something that may assist us in our understanding of those areas. This keeps us in seeking mood and all the time, we tend to keep attention outside ourselves. When we as practitioners recognise resilience in ourselves, we can them be able to facilitate resiliency, thereby linking theory to practice (Phillips, G. (2008). DEFINING RESILIENCE There are many definitions of resilience by different authors. In this context therefore, resilience is defined by Share and Lowlor (2009: 269) as ability to thrive, mature and increase competences in the face of adverse circumstances. Overall, when loved ones absence or presence remains a mystery, meaning and purpose are essential to finding the health and life. After 9/11, some survivors believed that their loved ones being in the Twin Towers at the time of the attack was predestined or Gods will. Many who believed this continue to trust in God to see them through their travels while they move forward with their lives (Boss, P 2006:97). Some characteristics associated with resilient children include cognitive proficiency (especially intellectual curiosity and problem solving), autonomy, good social skills and internal locus of control (Share and Lowlor (2009: 269). Resilience is the capacity to transcend adversity may be seen as the essential quality with care planning and provision should seek to stimulate as a key outcome of the care offered (Gilligan, R. 1997: 14) It is suppressing how resilient people are despite having experienced high risk situation, such as war, disaster, loss, and adversity during childhood and adolescence (Waaktaar, T. Chrisrtie, H, J. Borge, A. Torgersen, S. 2004: 164). Adult who promote resilience make family and institutional supports available to children. They empower children to become independent, responsible, and empathic at altruistic and to approach people and situation with hope, faith and trust (John, M. 1997: 24). However, adults can help children identify resilience behaviours more easily in themselves and others, such as using vocabulary to reinforce these feeling and beliefs that promote resilience and to guide their own childrens behaviour. Therefore, the greater their opinion for acting in the ways that help children met situation such as crisis in their lives with greater strength and hope John, M 1997: 26). Therefore, the most critical key to resiliency is the ability to hold two opposing ideas at the same time. Whatever part is taken, the search for the meaning is much more difficult when the loss is unclear (Boss, P. 2006: 97). THREE THEORIES OF RESILIENCE (1) The Childs Sense of a Secure Base : The growth of a child is influenced by secure attachments which supply him/her with a reliable secure base (Bowlby 1988). Furthermore, it encourages and renders safe exploration of the childs inner world. A young persons sense of secure base therefore is cultivated by a sense of belonging within supportive social networks, attachment relationships to reliable and responsible people and by routine and structures in their lives (Gilligan, R. 1997: 15-16). However, I HAVE factors is one of the external supports and resources that promote resilience in children according to John, M. (1997: 26-27). I HAVE factors includes: trusting relationships, (parents, other family members, teachers, and friends who love and have the interest and welfare of the child), structures and rules at home, (parents who provides rules and routine expects the child to follow them, for example, the task the child is expected to perform, when the rule is broken, the child is helped to understand what he/she did wrong). Others includes: access to health, education, welfare and security services which is available to the child. (2) The Childs Self Esteem: this is based on persons sense of their own worthiness and competences. Rutter (1990) came up with two types of experience which is important in influencing self esteem in young children and they are, secure and harmonious love relationship, and success in accomplishing tasks by others as central to their interests. Also success in an endeavour which the person values may do much to combat a sense of failure in other spheres of ones life (Rutter, 1990 cited Gilligan, R. 1997:17). Therefore, factors such as I AM are the childs internal and personal strengths. These are feelings, attitudes, and beliefs within the child, for example, a resilient child would say: I am proud of myself: this means the child knows that he/she is an important individual and is proud of who he/she is and what he/she is capable of doing and can achieve. I am autonomous and responsible: the child can do a lot with his/her initiative and be responsible and accountable for his/her acti ons or mistakes. I am filled with hope, faith, and trust: the child knows and believes that he/she has hope and there are people and institution which he/she can trust and have faith in. Finally, the child will realise that he/she is loveable and his/her temperament is appealing, he/she is loving, empathic and altruistic (John, M. 1997: 28). (3) Sense of Self Efficacy: this is a situation were parenting style influences whether a child acquires a sense of internal control with regards to attaining desired outcomes. Some factors which promote childs self efficacy includes the parent / caregiver beliefs in the childs own sense of control, responsiveness, consistency, warmth, praise, support and encouragement to the childs to engage / participate in his/her environment (Sandler et al, 1989 cited Gilligan, R. 1997: 17). Moreover, I CAN factor helps to promote the childs sense of efficacy because; it is the childs social and interpersonal skills. Children acquire these skills by constant interaction with others and those who educate them, for example, a resilient child would say: I can communicate: at this stage, the child expresses thoughts and feelings, also be empathetic towards others. I can solve problem: the child can assess a situation of a problem, finds out what needs to be done to resolve the issues and if help is needed form others. Also I can manage my feelings and impulses; I can gauge the temperature of myself and others, and finally seek trusting relationship (John, M. 1997: 29). PRACTICAL WAYS OF PROMOTING RESILIENCE In promoting resilience, any work with children must be similarly in the contexts of their families, school, communities, and the large society (Grotherg, E, H. 2003: 5) Therefore, as a social care practitioner, it is important to know that we are only able to influence that portion of resilience that is amenable to influence through social experience. We cannot affect the degree of resilience that a person has temperamentally due to what they have inherited through their genes (Gilligan, R 2001: 6). As a Social Worker, we can encourage purposeful contact between the child, the family, and other key adults for the childs past, encourage positive school experience, encourage friendships with peers, actively foster interest, strong social network, involvement and talents in sports, music, hobbies or cultural pursuits, help the child to rehearse, and discuss problem solving and coping skills and strategies. Also, each of these I AM, I HAVE, and I CAN factors suggest numerous actions children, parent / caregiver, and practitioner can take to promote resilience (Gilligan, R. 1997: 18-21) This Scenario was adopted from the International Resilience Project by Grotberg, E, H. (2003: 30) A nine year old boy went out of the house even after his father told him not to go out. The father did not know about this until he realized it was late and the boy was not at home. You will promote resilience if you talk to him when he returns and ask why he broke the rules (I HAVE); if you make clear that his behaviour is not acceptable even with his excuses, and that he is responsible for what he did (I AM); and if you talk with him about what needs to be done to prevent this kind of behaviour in the future (I CAN). He will learn from his experience to use resilience to face this adversity, to learn from it, and to behave in a more responsible way in the future. You do not promote resilience if you yell at him or spank him when he comes home, and accuse him of being a bad boy. Then you make him feel guilty, but resentful, and you have given him a label of bad boy, which will influence his idea of himself in the future. He will have difficulty dealing with a future adverse situation, even one that he creates, because he lacks resilience and none is being promoted.

Mirror :: essays research papers

The Mirror Steam rose from the water and filled the bathroom with ghostly, swirling eddies, and phantasms of white, transparent ribbons of vapor. Tracy basked in the water, relishing the prickly fingers of hot water as it soothed the muscles of her body. Her red hair lay in wet, matted strings over her shoulders and breasts. Her eyelids were closed, hiding her deep, emerald green eyes. Tears squeeze from her eyes as the memory of the phone call echoed through her mind. It had been a woman’s voice on the other end of the line, and she had asked for Justin, Tracy’s husband. Tracy was high strung with emotions and the sound of that woman’s voice sparked the thought that her husband was cheating on her. The hardest part of it all for her to believe was that when Justin got home that night, Tracy confronted him with her fears. Justin didn’t hesitate in telling her that, yes, he was having an affair. She was so distraught over the news that she had kicked him out of the ho use after a lengthy screaming match. Now, Tracy sat in the tub, water to her chin, and her right hand on the ledge of the tub, fumbling lightly with a single edge razor blade. She opened her eyes and delicately ran her finger over the shinning blade. She’d teach Justin. One swipe of the blade and he’d be regretting ever sleeping around on her. She lifted the blade and brought it over to the opposite wrist. As her hand lifted off the edge of the tub, she notices something odd in the mirror. The mirror was completely steamed over with a white, hazy mist, and on the surface of the mirror, written in the condensation, was a short statement that made Tracy’s breath catch in her throat. DON’T DO IT, TRACY! Tracy jerked out of the water, splashing a bunch onto the floor. The statement was written in a loose, looping, and broken script, almost as if it had been written by a child. Before her eyes, the mirror steamed over again and the words disappeared. The razor drops into the water, forgotten. â€Å"Who did that?† she asked the room, knowing that nobody could have done it, she was alone in the house. â€Å"Who’s there?† She carefully gets out of the tub and wraps herself in a large, blue towel.

New Zealand :: essays research papers fc

NEW ZEALAND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The country that I am doing for my report is New Zealand. New Zealand is made up of two Islands. The north and the south islands. It is located in the south pacific by Australia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first people to settle New Zealand came over from east Polynesia by canoe during the 10th century. These people were called the Maori. According to a Maori legend, a man may have arrived in New Zealand during about 950 ad, but this can not be proven. The Maori people lived on the Island on native fruits and vegetables and animals, and they also brought over plants and livestock from Polynesia. The Maori were usually peaceful, but sometimes had wars over the best land. They lived in earth-made structures similar to the adobes of Mexico.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first European to sight New Zealand was Abel Tasman in 1642. The Maori people kept him from landing on the Islands. They attacked his ship by canoes and killed four of his sailors. He never returned to New Zealand. In 1769, an English explorer, Captain James Cook, was sent to New Zealand on a scientific investigation. He mapped all of the north and south Islands and made reports on trade and colonizing. These reports were good and attracted many people to New Zealand, including the French, Italian, and American explorers. By the 18th century, there were 180,000 Maori people on the north and south islands of New Zealand. During 1840, the treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and the Maori people. It gave the British a right to colonize the Islands and trade with the Maori people. In 1907, the Islands were declared a dominion of Great Britain. In 1935, It was declared an independent country and was named New Zealand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The present day government and standard of living in New Zealand is very much like that of the U.S. At one time the yearly income of New Zealanders was even better than the U.S. and Great Britain. The people of New Zealand have freedom of religion. The main religion in New Zealand is Christianity, even though there are Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, Amish, and many more. The Maori religion is also a major religion. The people of New Zealand have a mix between Britain and Australian accents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main exports of New Zealand are wool and dairy products. There are over 100,000 sheep in New Zealand.

Peter Voulkos Ceramist Essay -- Essays Papers

Peter Voulkos Ceramist The exhibition of recent stoneware vessels by Peter Voulkos at Frank Lloyd Gallery featured the sort of work on which the artist established reputation in the 1950s. The work was greeted with stunned amazement. However now it is too, but it's amazement of a different order -- the kind that comes from being in the presence of effortless artistic mastery. These astonishing vessels are truly amaising. Every ceramic artist knows that what goes into a kiln looks very different from what comes out, and although what comes out can be controlled to varying degrees, it's never certain. Uncertainty feels actively courted in Voulkos' vessels, and this embrace of chance gives them a surprisingly contradictory sense of ease. Critical to the emergence of a significant art scene in Los Angeles in the second half of the 1950s, the 75-year-old artist has lived in Northern California since 1959 and this was his only second solo show in an L.A gallery in 30 years.†These days, L.A. is recognized as a center for the production of contemporary art. But in the 1950s, the scene was slim -- few galleries and fewer museums. Despite the obscurity, a handful of solitary and determined artists broke ground here, stretching the inflexible definitions of what constitutes painting, sculpture and other media. Among these avant-gardists was Peter Voulkos.† In 1954, Voulkos was hired as chairman of the fledgling ceramics department at the L.A. County Art Institute, now Otis College of Art and Design, and during the five years that followed, he led what came to be known as the "Clay Revolution." Students like John Mason, Paul Soldner, Ken Price and Billy Al Bengston, all of whom went on to become respected artists, were among his foot soldiers in the battle to free clay from its handicraft associations. By the late 1950s, Voulkos had established an international reputation for his muscular fired-clay sculptures, which melded Zen attitudes toward chance with the emotional fervor of Abstract Expressionist painting. Some 20 works -- including five "Stacks" (4-foot-tall sculptures) as well as giant slashed-and-gouged plates and works on paper -- recently went on view at the Frank Lloyd Gallery. This non single show is his first at a Los Angeles gallery in 13 years, although a survey of his work was seen at the Newport Harbor Art Museum (presently carries a different... ... office of Tishman Realty. Despite this two-decade foray into bronze, Voulkos remained committed to pushing the boundaries of possibility in ceramics. From 1979 to 1984, he concentrated on firing plates and then the vessel-shaped "stacks" in an anagama, a Japanese wood-burning kiln. Inspired by the Haniwa figures and Momoyama period ceramics of Japan, Voulkos let the ash and soot from the firing process in the kiln decorate the irregular surface of the clay. "There was a certain kind of casualness about some of the Japanese ceramics that I liked. There can be a big crack in the pot caused by the kiln, and the piece becomes a national treasure," he says. The 1980s brought about a serious personal challenge, however. By mid-decade, he was forced to confront his addiction to cocaine and enter a rehabilitation facility. In 1989, he returned to his ceramic sculpture with a sense of renewed purpose and a more incisive and controlled sense of composition. During the '90s, he has regaine d the confidence in the process. Although retired from UC Berkeley, Voulkos still thrives as a teacher, spending about four months of each year on the road doing seminars. Bibliography: Peter Voulkos

An Essay on Vanity Essay

â€Å"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?† this ever so famous line quoted from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs sticks to the back of our minds more often than expected. Modern day witches gradually start to emerge in our world with the same intention, or shall we say insecurity, as the witch in the fairy tale – to have the satisfaction of being on top. Nowadays, more and more people, especially teenagers, begin to look in the mirror to see if they are satisfied with themselves. Vanity, which is being worthless and futile, causes this. When an individual feels worthless, he becomes insecure because he feels that he is not â€Å"worth it,† regardless if it’s true or not. This leads to even more troubling problems like fitting in the â€Å"in crowd,† attaining high self-esteem and self-confidence, and finding one’s true identity. The feeling of worthlessness or simply called vanity leaves teenagers to have the craving to fit in. When one feels that he is not worthy, he seeks the attention of others and he feels that he needs their approval. What happens after this? Then, he tries doubly hard to fit in the â€Å"cool crowd† by wearing the trendiest clothes, saying the coolest lines, and doing the meanest things. This may make him one of the â€Å"cool people,† but this evidently doesn’t’ make him commendable. Another common thing for trying-hard-to-fit-in teenagers to do is start the hazardous habit of smoking. Their very own peers may well become their very own adversaries because they are the ones who pressure them in taking up smoking. Eventually, these vulnerable teenagers lose their self-image in exchange for a place in the â€Å"cool crowd organization.† Being a teenager is indeed a very difficult part in the cycle of life. It can ruin your self-esteem and self-confidence in a second. For example, cool kids pick on the insecure ones for the fun of it. These kids laugh at nerdy-looking teens and snicker at try-hard-to-fit-in ones. Usually, the ones being laughed at and looked down upon are the ones having problems with vanity. Their sense of futility plus the kind of attention they get from others decreases their self-esteem to zero, thus, causing their self-confidence to drop. This shouldn’t be the case. The vainer a person is, the more he should do something about it, and the more he has to believe in  himself. In extreme cases, adolescents alter their very own persona just to please others. An evident example of this would be teens who steal so that their peers won’t think of them as inadequate. They would rather be called â€Å"conyo† than be of the standard class. The question here is why do they have to steal? People who steal aren’t contented with what they have that’s why they make use of other people’s belongings and mark them as their own. By doing this, they would gain attention because their peers would commend them on the objects that they stole, which usually are expensive and classy ones. This is one of the persona alterations that vanity can cause. These common Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of teens are pretenders. They live their lives superficially, pretending to be somebody that they’re truly not. This is a real problem among adolescents. Since they are on the stage where they are able to intellectually contrast themselves with others, they feel that they should show another personality aside from their own so that they wouldn’t have to worry about people’s reactions to their true personality. They cover their faces with masks to keep others from finding out their true identity and to protect themselves from rejection. Because of their insecurity, they may never be able to find their true selves. They should take out their masks and show the world their true selves so that people may accept them for who they are, and not for who they are trying to be. To all those teenagers with problems regarding vanity and insecurity, you should be able to face your own fear of rejection so that you wouldn’t be living in a superficial world. Be brave enough to bring out your true identity because you should always give yourself a chance to prove that you are indeed â€Å"worth it.† They say that it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. So dare to face your fears and dare to be true to yourself for it is only then that you would find inner peace and self-confidence.