Adjective Lesson Plan: Teaching with PPP Essay

It is important that advanced students’ vocabulary continuously progresses. This teaching plan explains how to teach new adjectives. Date: 14 July 2013 Class Level: Level 7 – Advanced Students Length of Lesson:1 hour 5 minutes Lesson Type & Subject:Vocabulary: adjectives. Materials Needed: Pictures of weather, realia (abnormally large fruit/object, flower) and worksheet. Lesson Objective: Students will learn about new adjectives and incorporate them. Descriptions of verbs will be verbal and non-verbal (writing). Assumptions:Students have a good understanding of adjectives and how to order them in a sentence. But students repetitively describe nouns with the same adjectives (describing something as â€Å"amazing† or â€Å"beautiful† frequently, without being aware of other adjectives like spectacular and gorgeous). Anticipated Problems & Solutions: Problem:Committing new adjectives to memory. Solution:Adjective drill – incorporating different nouns to describe. Problem:Students are struggling with sentence structure. Solution:Explain where the adjective is placed in a sentence. Give examples; SS repeat. Problem:Pronunciation of words. Solution:Pronunciation drill. Strategy 1: Interaction Patterns: T>S & S>T Timing: 20 minutes. Purpose of Procedure: To interest students; pre-teach new adjectives. Connect adjectives with nouns. Describe pictures and objects for a clearer meaning. Practice new vocabulary with guidance of the teacher. Presentation: * Introduce the topic in an interesting fashion and illustrate how students can apply it in their lives. Advanced adjectives that can be discussed: â€Å"stunning†, â€Å"gorgeous†, â€Å"spectacular†, â€Å"huge† and â€Å"immense†. * Hand out objects like flowers, an abnormally large fruit etc. * Cover the new adjectives, compare them with similar adjectives that they already know. * Teach necessary grammar and structures required to describe nouns. â€Å"The adjective is said before the noun.† * Elicit the names of the objects and model the use of adjectives, describing these objects. â€Å"This is a large apple.† â€Å"This is a gorgeous flower†. Students repeat and agree or disagree. * Introduce pictures of other objects like the weather. Elicit what the picture is depicting e.g. â€Å"sunset† or â€Å"rainstorm†. Model some basic sentences using the new adjectives, so that the meaning is clear. â€Å"What a stunning sunset!† â€Å"It is a spectacular rainbow.† â€Å"The immense cloud is covering the sky†. Ss repeat. Strategy 2: Interaction Patterns: T>S & S>T & S>S Timing: 25 minutes. Purpose of Procedure: Confirm new vocabulary through practice; identify written vocabulary. * In pairs, SS complete a fill-in-the-blanks (with options) exercise. The exercise is a conversation, with blank spaces that students need to fill in, requiring the language that was learnt in class. They will have a list of adjectives that they can use. E.g. â€Å"She has a _______ smile.†. * Students compare answers by answering them out loud: â€Å"The first answer is stunning.† * Game: Two teams are created. Each team is given a noun, and each team gets five minutes to write a list of sentences with adjectives describing that noun. The lists are compared when the time is up. The team with the most adjectives wins. Strategy 3: Interaction Patterns: T>S & S>S Timing:20 min. Purpose of Procedure: Students produce vocabulary independently and advanced adjectives are reinforced. Production: 1. Students see photos of famous sights – the Egyptian pyramids, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower etc. Elicit where these sights are found and why they were built – teacher assists students if they have never seen or heard about a site before. 2. Students choose their favourite sites. They shortly discuss why they like that particular site, using advanced adjectives to describe what they look like.

Sumerian Language

Sumerians Contribution Have you ever thought of where math, writing, and governments were invented? The Sumerians invented math, science, writing, and astronomy. The Sumerians were the first civilization on earth. Around 4,000 B. C. E the people called Sumerians moved into Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East. The Sumerians built massive city walls, Ziggurats (similar to pyramids but used for worshipping), canals, etc. Many people don’t know about how greatly the Sumerians have contributed to our society.Looking at math, writing, and governments we will see how the Sumerians have influenced today’s society. First of all, Sumerians were the first to invent math. The Sumerians used a â€Å"sexagesimal system,† which basically means that everything based on the number 60 (Krupp). The mathematician Duncan J. Melville from St. Lawrence University said that â€Å"the system is striking for its originality and simplicity. â₠¬  The reasons why the Sumerians picked 60 as their base remains unknown; however, the idea was developed from an earlier, â€Å"More complex system known from 3200 B. C. n which the positions in a number alternated between 6 and 10 as bases. For a system that might seem even more deranged, if it weren’t so familiar, consider this way of measuring length with four entirely different bases: 12 little units, called inches, make a foot, 3 feet make a yard, and 1,760 yards make a mile. Over a thousand years, the Sumerian alternating-base method was simplified into the sexagesimal system, with the same symbol standing for 1 or 60 or 3,600, depending on its place in the number, [†¦] just as 1 in the decimal system denotes 1, 10 or 100, depending on its place† (Wade).Then later on Babylonians adopted the system and used it to calculate time: the â€Å"1:12:33† on a computer clock means 1 (x 60 squared) seconds + 12 (x 60) seconds + 33 seconds, which we still use today. This is the reason why modern day civilization measures an hour in 60 minutes and 1 minute in 60 seconds. The sexagesimal system enabled the Sumerians to calculate roots, multiply into millions, and use fractions. Modern-day math still uses aspects of this system (Wade).Next, according to the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, writing emerged in many different cultures throughout the ancient world, it wasn’t the creation of one people; however, the Sumerians are credited with inventing the earliest form of writing around 3,500 B. C. E. The Sumerians writings on stone tablets started off as just simple pictures and pictograms that represented objects or ideas (see Figure 1). Soon after the Sumerians simplified the pictograms into wedge-shaped signs which is called cuneiform writing (â€Å"Ancient Mesopotamia: The Invention of Writing†). The invention of writing was the dawn of the information revolution. This great technological advance allowed news and ideas to be carried to distant places without having to rely on a messenger's memory. Like all inventions, writing emerged because there was a need for it. In Mesopotamia, it was developed as a record-keeping vehicle for commercial transactions or administrative procedures. There are also texts that served as â€Å"copy books† for the education of future scribes.Eventually, cuneiform script was used to produce some of the greatest literary works in recorded history† (â€Å"Ancient Mesopotamia: The Invention of Writing†). We got the alphabet that we used today because after the Sumerians in Mesopotamia started writing, it spread to Egypt, and by 1500 B. C. E. it spread to China, and from then on people were â€Å"scribbling, sketching, and telling [the] world about their culture in a very permanent way† (Whipps). As writing spread, people developed their own styles, forms, and way of writing.Another invention that we still use today is government. I le arned from studying world history that the Sumerians needed a way to maintain order, organize work forces, and keep crimes from happening because Mesopotamia was a very large city with many artifacts and valuables. The Sumerians were able to build large defensive walls, roads, canals, ditches, and dikes that ran throughout Mesopotamia because of the organized labor, which was possible because they had a government. â€Å"Now, government is what keeps the world from becoming a place of anarchy and chaos† (â€Å"government†).Government affects us now because we elect officials that represent out beliefs on how the United States should be run. America would be nothing without a government. We can thank the Sumerians because with a government America is a superpower and prosperous (â€Å"government†). In conclusion, without the inventions of math, writing, government, and many more we would have a chaotic world. Sumerians invented arithmetic, a number system, cuneif orm writing that many have adopted and changed, and a government to keep the Empire together.Without the inventions of the Sumerians we would be set back a couple thousand years today. Citations â€Å"Ancient Mesopotamia: The Invention of Writing. †Ã‚  The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. N. p.. Web. 13 Dec 2012. ;http://oi. uchicago. edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/MESO/writing. html;. â€Å"Government. †Ã‚  The World History Hall of Fame. N. p.. Web. 13 Dec 2012. ;http://worldhistoryfame. tripod. com/id8. html;. Krupp, E. C. â€Å"Going Like Sixty. †Ã‚  Sky ; Telescope. 2007: n. page. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. ;http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? [email  protected];vid=1;hid=28;bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ== Wade, Nicholas. â€Å"An Exhibition That Gets to the (Square) Root of Sumerian Math. †Ã‚  New York Times. 22 2010: n. page. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. nytimes. com/2010/11/23/science/23babylon. html? _r=0;. Whipps, Heather. â€Å"How Writing Changed the World. â€Å"LiveScience. 10 2008: n. page. Web. 13 Dec. 2012. ;http://www. livescience. com/2283-writing-changed-world. html;. Figure 1: Sumerian Tablets With Semi-Pictographic Writing

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Case Study Example ters, telecommunication products and a large variety of medical tools and equipment, and lastly, small â€Å"components† ranging from chips to batteries. If the Philips NV is considered with respect to its performance in these four potential domains, it can be stated that the enterprise has done good enough to be ranked among the big names such as the General Electric, Sony, Matsushita and Siemens which are well-known as the global competitors. This is partly evident from the fact that according to results of a survey conducted in the second half of the 1980s, which was about 100 years since the birth of Philips NV, the enterprise had spread so much that its subsidiaries were noticed to be functional in 60 countries worldwide which had offered job opportunities to nearly 300,000 employees from all over the world. (Hill, n.d. cited in Jones and Mathew, 2009, p. 523). However, in spite of the fact that the enterprise had multiplied its business and revenues manifolds since its s tart up to 1990, Philips NV found itself in big trouble in terms of financial losses that amounted to about $ 2.2 billion on a profit of $ 28 billion and declining revenues because of some hardships encountered in the 1980s. It might have happened so because of the dynamic and increasingly competitive nature of the global electronics industry that almost experienced a technological revolution in the period between 1970s and 1980s. World War II spanning from 1939 to 1945 had created many challenges and issues for Philips NV in a number of ways. Philips’ head office was located in Eindhoven in Netherlands. Because of the war, the enterprise had to organize its foreign activities outside its head office in Eindhoven since Netherlands was occupied by Germany during the war. Under such circumstances, the national organizations owned by Philips had no choice but to function on their own. This paved way for these organizations to develop themselves as independent companies each of them having its

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Research Paper Example The youth will opt to join this rebel groups and get a source of income no matter how low instead of having nothing. This leads to the growth of rebel groups that cause chaos and fight against the government’s regime causing political instability. Higher rates of youth unemployment lead to higher chances of rebel groups forming and rising against the government. Poverty has been noted to breed violent character. Unemployed youth will often find themselves in a state of poverty. This will force them to do anything to gain access to the resources they require such food, shelter, clothing, and money. Areas that portray high rate of youth unemployment also show an increase in crime. Unemployed youth will turn to robbery and looting to get what they do not have. This causes insecurity and unrest among the public and people will protest against the environment due to the insecurity. This can lead to political instability because people have lost faith in their governmentii. Unemployed youth look up to the government to create job opportunities for them. If the government fails to do this, the youth revolt and protest against the government for not being able to take care of the youths needs. This will lead to a need of overthrowing the government and putting into power people who will most likely look after the needs of the people. Many coups in history have taken place due to the people losing faith in their government. This leads to unrest and political instability. The labor market is directly related to youth unemploymentiii. If the labor market cannot absorb the sudden ‘youth bulge’, frustrations occur among the youth causing demonstrations and riots against the government. This will lead to disruption of economic activities and affect a country’s economical development. Employed people will also be affected and the whole country will generally move

Communication and Decision Making OB & T (Mod4 SLP) Essay

Communication and Decision Making OB & T (Mod4 SLP) - Essay Example 5. Planning tends to have better preference summary level plans focused on mission objectives. Tactical plans may be used, but are probable to be fluid. May lean to limit operational plans that is how to stipulate to the enormously necessary amount. 6. Coordination is pertinent to rely on casual, interpersonal methods such as impromptu meetings or impulsive interventions. It will probably rely on the self-initiatives of cluster members to harmonize necessary connections (Hirokawa & Poole, 1996). The Changer consists of the twin styles of the Relational innovator and Reactive stimulator. The chief distinctive of this prototype is the capability to spawn many ideas and then, shift to accomplishment devoid of delay. This style is idyllically matched when the atmosphere, processes, and machinery are undergoing hasty occurrences (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008). The overruling stimulus of the changer is vital exploit and outcome thus helping to advance business condition. The vulnerability of a changer is that sometimes he or she lacks the structure at work and detailed discharge the upcoming ideas (Del, Doust & Glasziou, 2007). Changers also affect communication and decision making at work because they most of the times do not stick to projects and new technologies after they are predicted. Changers make things happen at work thus bringing new innovations and ideas. Conclusively, both strategic patterns combine the distinctiveness of the tactical styles that compile them. This amalgamation then yields apparent and conformist behavioral patterns that eventually bring about positive effects at work since both reactive stimulators and relational innovators works toward a common goal that is changing at work that is why they are referred to as

Pharmaceutical companies and the supply of essential drugs to least Assignment

Pharmaceutical companies and the supply of essential drugs to least developed countries (LDCs) - Assignment Example of HIV/AIDS is used as an example for showing the level at which the firm is willing to promote ethics and to ignore the relevant effects on its profitability. The review of the firm’s practices in supporting the patients of HIV in South Africa has revealed the following facts: the firm has taken initiatives for promoting public health, or, else, public good, in the specific regions. However, the performance of the business in fully promoting CSR can be doubted, a view that it can be verified by the allegations that the firm has faced in the past for violating ethics. On the other hand, the measures that the firm took for supporting people in poor countries cannot be ignored. Thus, it could be concluded that the firm is willing to promote CSR but it could not achieve such target without making alterations in its CSR, as suggested below. The expansion of HIV/AIDS in South Africa is quite rapid. In the map in Figure 1 (Appendices) the infection from HIV globally is presented; through this map it is made clear that South Africa holds the first place, along with other African countries of the mid-Africa region, in regard to the infection from HIV. In South Africa the expansion of HIV seems to be related mostly to young girls who become victims of sexual exploitation by old men (BBC News 2013). The graph in Figure 2 (Appendices) presents the percentage of girls as compared to boys affected from HIV in Kenya; the difference between the two categories is clear. According to a report published in March of 2013 a percentage of about ‘25% school-girls in South Africa’ (BBC News 2013, par.1) has been infected by HIV/AIDS after suffering a sexual assault. The relevant research refers to young girls up to 14 years. In fact, in South Africa women are more exposed to the risk of HIV/AIDS than men: women in South Afri ca are infected by HIV/ AIDS at a percentage of 23.2% while for men the relevant percentage is significantly lower, about 18.8% (BBC News 2014, par.4). Today,

Did Elizabeth Lizze Borden murder her parents Essay

Did Elizabeth Lizze Borden murder her parents - Essay Example This question has puzzled many critics, researchers, writers and people associated with the legal punishments since the last century. The general public has also shown great interest in the subject that what had compelled a young daughter to kill her parents? Did she really kill them or there was someone else involved in the case that did not show up to the front screen. The events of a hot summer day in 1892 remained a mystery however; history has offered us some interesting facts which can prove to be helpful in solving this case of brutal killing. On August 4, 1892 Mr. Andrew Jackson Borden with his second wife Abby Durfee Gray was found brutally murdered in their house located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It was a hot sunny day and both were killed by a sharp axe (Watson, Elizabeth E.). Lizzie Borden was at home when the incident took place and was accused of the criminal act. But she was declared innocent after the trial. The town people believed that she had murdered her parents however even after more than 100 years the mystery has remained unsolved. Nobody knows about the actual murderer. Despite of her being indicted she inherited a considerable property from her father’s wealth. THE MYSTERY Critics and writers have a strong consensus on one point of the case that it was none other than Lizzie who murdered her father and step mother using a very sharp axe. The possible reason for such a brutal act is suggested to be the family disputes going on between Mr. Andrew Borden and his daughter Lizzie Borden in relation to the distribution of property among the family members of Lizzie’s step mother, Abby Gray. ... Whereas on the other side Lizzie was extremely disturbed after the death of her mother she never accepted the new family member, Ms Abby as her mother again. She was a well respected lady among the town members but the uncertainty going on within the family was known to everyone. It was a hot morning when Mr. Andrew was found dead in his room lying on the sofa. His body was showing the marks of heavy wounds including the poor condition of his head which was struck eleven times with a sharp instrument. His eye balls were cracked which clearly represented the extremely cruel nature of the murderer. On the other hand his wife’s body was found in the guest room. She was kneeled down on the bed which showed that she had been setting the bed when someone stabbed her head from the back using the same instrument nineteen or more times. Fortunately or unfortunately Lizzie was at home when the incident took place and she was the one who informed mates and servants. As soon as the news s pread out neighbors and town people also get in to see what has happened as the Borden family was considered one of the richest families in the town and that the murder was too much suspicious. Soon after the murder Lizzie was arrested as being accused of doing the criminal activity but was released after some months of trial (Kent, David). Her declared innocence put many questions in front of the critics and general public that either she was a real murderer or the court’s decision was a justified one? Argument Research shows that she had committed the crime because throughout the trial session she was continuously changing her statements, she was seen very nervous and frequently changed her answers about her position when his father came back home. First she said that she was in

I will send the question to writer direcly Assignment

I will send the question to writer direcly - Assignment Example The traditional marketing mix is considered to be the 4 Ps – product, price, place and promotion. For service industries, a further 3 Ps were added (McGrath, 1986) – people, physical evidence and processes. For the purposes of this essay, the focus will be on the four Ps, with their international variations considered as they apply to Tesco later in the essay. Keegan and Green (2011, p.399) define a product as â€Å"a good, service, or idea with both tangible and intangible attributes that collectively create value for a buyer or user†. One of the key attributes associated with a product is branding, which can be useful for organisations extending operations overseas. Price is defined as â€Å"a function of the demand for the product as determined by the willingness and ability of customers to buy† (ibid, p.365). For international markets, consideration must be given to price floors, price ceilings and optimum pricing. Place is â€Å"the availability of a product or service in a location that is convenient to a potential customer† (ibid, p.399) although it can also include the when and how products and services are available as well. Promotion refers to â€Å"all forms of communication used by organisations to inform, remind, explain, persuade and influence the attitudes and buying behaviour of customers and othersâ €  (ibid, p.431) and includes a wide variety of options, all of which should be used to convey and reinforce a consistent message. Tesco plc a leading food and grocery retailer in the UK operating out of 4,331 stores in 14 countries worldwide: the UK, other European countries, the USA and Asia (Datamonitor 2010b p.15). It is one of the major retailers within the UK food industry, within which hypermarkets, supermarkets and discounters hold a 61.3% by value of the market (ibid p.10). Within the UK, Tesco is perceived to have reached the extent of its expansion, so is now seeking overseas expansion to increase its

Superhero Morality Essay Example for Free

Superhero Morality Essay ?I intend to prove that superheroes are not immoral for not abiding by the law. I am defining immorality as going against was is accepted as good behavior. Superheroes are very simply people who defend and protect those in need with their extraordinary abilities. Superman, Batman, the Flash, Ironman, Captain America, Thor and many others have graced us with their entertainment in movies, comic-books, and television shows. Their purpose is to save mankind in ways that â€Å"ordinary† people can’t. Superheros are not ordinary so they should not have to abide by laws that ordinary people put into place. People are not supposed to go out and take the law into their own hands. Essentially that makes them criminals. But let me ask a question. If somebody has a broken arm and can’t open a door isn’t it your moral obligation to open the door for them if you can? The same thing applies to superheroes, when the law is incapable of stopping people that are hurting people who are unable to defend themselves and the superheroes can, isn’t it their responsibility to stop them? As Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben said â€Å"With great power, comes great responsibility. † Take Batman in the series the Dark Knight. For years gangs ran the city with the law being incapable of doing anything because everyone was afraid of testifying against the gangs. People were being killed, stores were being robbed, children were being forced to watch their parents die. Enforcers of the law were in the pockets of these criminals. Crime ran the city, until one citizen decided to do something about it, Bruce Wayne. Now Bruce was not a cop, he technically had no authority to go about eliminating crime lords but the people with the authority to take out the crime lords were incapable of doing it because of the law itself. Law is supposed to help keep order in the world, but in Gotham it was keeping the crime in order. So Batman rose. Superheroes are the only ones that can standup and make a change when the law is ultimately hurting the people it was designed to protect even if it is technically breaking the law. Some disagree with superheroes being exempt from the law. Especially in a land of democracy superheroes should be on the same ground as â€Å"ordinary people†. Saying that superheroes don’t have to abide by the law is welcoming chaos. If they can do it, why can’t ordinary people? Since Superman can fly into a hostage situation why can’t an ordinary man like John? John might think that he has the ability to negotiate or stealthily get the people out of the dangerous situation because he negotiates for his job or sneaks out of his house a lot to see his mistress without his wife ever knowing. He has a special skill set that someone on the police force might not have. Using the logic of â€Å"if you can do it you should do it† it would be John’s responsibility to go into that hostage situation to save those people. Saying that it’s okay for superheroes is hypocritical because anyone can be a superhero. It would be different if we were saying that only people with abilities no one else can attain could be a superhero. Superman and Thor are perfect examples. Both of these superheroes attained their powers from their lineage. They can do what normal humans cannot. But superheroes like Ironman and Batman are ordinary people with rich banks. So saying they can take the law into their own hands is giving the okay for everyone to take the law into their own hands which ends in chaos. The law was put into place to give structure to a naturally chaotic world. Ultimately if there is chaos more bad behavior is going on than good behavior. More immoralities than moralities. Most laws punish what isn’t good behavior like killing, stealing, or forging which i bad behavior. Bad behavior is breaking rule, in this case a law. Those actions are immoral, so law is a good compass for what is moral and immoral. We cannot hold people who break these law accountable if the very same person that brought them in broke laws as well. That’s why warrants and other measures exist for the people that are trained to enforce the law. Using Okham’ razor it simple. People that break the law are criminals. Superheroes break the law. Superheroes are criminals. The issue with that argument is that superheroes are not normal people. They are different hence the â€Å"super† before the hero. If John the unfaithful husband that has a job in negotiation went into the hostage situation and succeeded in getting the people out he would be considered a hero not a superhero. Superheroes achieve what should be impossible. Batman and Ironman are a different type of superheroes but they are superheroes because of their gadgets and genius minds. The men themselves a Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark are not superheroes because they cannot achieve superhuman acts without their gadgets. If, a men, they were to save people they would be considered heroes. But when these men put on their suits and use their genius minds to power them they become superheroes. Because superheroes are not normal people they abide by different rules/laws. A sort of superheroes code. One for example is not killing. I can say this and be correct because law is not the decider of immorality. Stealing to feed ones family is a good behavior, the act is not immoral but the person can go to jail for it because stealing is against the law. Lying is immoral, but there is no law against lying. The reasons for laws is the prevent chaos, but the reason superheroes rise is because there is chaos. In the Justice League cartoon show Wonder woman left her homeland to stand beside the other members of the Justice League because the world was in turmoil. If the law was doing what it was supposed to do, preventing chaos, superheroes wouldn’t need to exist. But the law fails at doing that, which is why superheroes have to step in. There I also an utilitarian view. Superheroes have a choice. Either they follow the law perhaps letting innocent people die or be harmed because the law prevents them from stepping in which would most likely hurt many or they step in and eliminate the issue which would probably only hurt a few (which would be the villains most likely). I have proven that superheroes are not immoral for not abiding by the law by explaining that superheroes are not normal people so the law applies to them in a different way. Superheroes have a responsibility to abide by their own moral compass and live up to the responsibility of their power. Normal people can be heroes but they have to abide by the law so chaos won’t arise. Superheroes rise because there is chaos that the law can’t control. And since immorality is being defined as going against what is being considered good behavior it immorality is relative not a law so the superheroes are moral however they choose to save people.

Academia and Classroom Essay Example for Free

Academia and Classroom Essay Question 1 1. 1 Conflict The practice of recognizing and dealing with disputes in a rational, balanced and effective way. Conflict is an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scare resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals. † 1. 2 Decision- making Is the choice of the most suitable way of solving a problem or handling a situation . 1. 3 Communication Is a means by which the teacher and pupils’ different needs, feelings and attitudes are conveyed to each other in order to establish cooperation and achieve goals. 1. 4 Motivation Is the process by means of which motives are provided by, amongst others, a manager or situation in order to bring about certain actions and thus to achieve certain goals. 1. 5 Leadership Leadership consists of actions that help the group to complete its tasks successfully and maintain effective working relationships among its members. Leadership is a set of skills that anyone can acquire Question 2 2. 1. 1 AUTOCRATIC CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STYLE When dealing with pupil behaviour the teacher will intervene and try to control the behaviour of the pupils. The teacher is mainly interested in the pupils completion of tasks and learning performance . Pupils participation in the classroom situation is limited to listening, working and doing. The following are some advantages of this approach: ? Some pupils may feel secure in this kind of situation. ? Because the teacher lays down fixed rules and procedures, pupils know what is expected of them and what they can expect in the classroom. The following are some disadvantages of this approach: ? The classroom atmosphere is characterised by competition, unwillingness to work together and poor discipline when pupils are left unsupervised. ? Creative thinking is suppressed. ? There is no cooperation. ? Pupils may develop a negative attitude towards the subject. 1 Student no : 43713009 EDA 201W Ass no : 2 719493 2. 1. 2 DEMOCRATIC CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STYLE A democratic style of classroom management correlates with an interactive teaching style. This teaching style requires that teachers should have a sound knowledge of their subject and of human nature so that they can encourage their pupils to participate actively and meaningfully in teaching and learning activities. The control of pupil behaviour in the classroom is jointly controlled by the pupils and the teacher. As a management style it requires the teacher to maintain a balance between the task aspect and the human aspect of the classroom situation. Teaching and learning tasks are completed with the pupils willing cooperation and co responsibility which are the hallmarks of democratic classroom management. The following are some advantages: ? ? ? Pupils participate confidently in classroom activities. It encourages initiative and creativity. The classroom atmosphere is relaxed, yet productive. ? Pupils feel that they are involved in teaching activities. 2. 2 Five styles of conflict management ? Avoidance: avoiding conflict is a short-term solution because the conflict will not go away. Sometimes, however, avoidance could be a temporary measure to calm emotions. ? Giving in or accommodating: teachers who badly want the pupils to accept them use this style. With this style the real differences are underemphasized. Sometimes teachers have to give in to avoid hostility in the classroom and to ensure that the work can get done. ? Domination: teachers who want to impose their will on pupils use this style. In the long run this style is seldom effective, although teachers sometimes have to dominate. ? Compromise or settle: this style is marked by a search for compromises and settlement. The teacher will try to meet everyone halfway and to let the majority view prevail. Because a settlement might not satisfy everybody, the dissatisfaction could again cause conflict at a later stage. ? Integrate or collaborate: this style is also known as the problem-solving approach. The parties cooperate in order to find a satisfactory solution. 2. 3 A proper balance between the: task-oriented and the human relations aspects, required in every teaching-learning situation , enables teachers to create a teaching-learning situation with a positive atmosphere. Maintaining a balance between the structural (formal) and human relations (informal) aspects requires a holistic approach to classroom management. The combination and integration of these two dimensions represent the actual structure of the classroom situation, which includes all areas of the teachers management task. These studies revealed a clear correlation between classroom atmosphere and pupil performance of grade 9 and grade 10 pupils in 12 secondary schools in Ontario as follows: ? Classroom atmosphere has a significant influence on pupil performance. ? Although the personal and social characteristics of pupils are important factors in their school performance, classroom atmosphere is sometimes more important. ? The psychosocial and academic aspects of teaching are interrelated. 2 Student no : 43713009 EDA 201W Ass no : 2 719493 ? Variables that relate directly to teaching-learning activities in the classroom have a special, unique influence on pupil performance. The following are the guidelines for teachers to cultivate positive attitudes in their pupils: ? Put the pupils in the centre. ? Respect pupils opinions and treat all pupils respectfully. ? Give pupils a group feeling. ? Help pupils to feel secure in school. ? Make sure that pupils understand their assignments. ? Realise that pupils are children, not adults. ? Deal with individual behaviour problems in private interviews with the pupil rather than in front of the whole class. ? Involve pupils in decision making where appropriate. ? Do not label pupils. 3 Student no : 43713009 EDA 201W Ass no : 2 719493 2. 4 CLASSROOM POLICY 1. In all instances, civility and respect for classmates and the instructor are expected. 2. Book bags, briefcases, etc. are not allowed on your desk during class. They must remain on the floor near your chair. 3. You may not use cell phones in class. a. All ringers must be turned off. b. You may not text message, place or answer calls. c. All earphones, headphones, headsets or any other accessory for your cell phone may not be used in class – that means, out of sight and not on your head or in your ear. 4. You may not use any device (for example, IPod, MP3 player) to listen to or view music or other programming in class. 5. You will be asked to leave class if you disregard classroom policy. ATTENDANCE / WITHDRAWAL POLICY 1. Since the course is conducted in a seminar format, your attendance is mandatory. 2. You will sign the Attendance Signature sheet at the beginning of each class. 3. Your class participation points may be reduced from if you are late in class. 4. You may be withdrawn from COS 133 if you are absent from 20% of the class. LATE WORK 1. No late work will be accepted. MAKE-UP QUIZ POLICY 1. There are no quiz make-ups. No exemptions. GRADING POLICY 1. Your grade for COS 133 will be based on the points you accumulate for assignments, quizzes, and class participation. 2. Your grade for COS 133 is calculated as follows: Topic 1. Assignments 2. Quizzes 3. Classroom Participation Weight 30% 55% 15% 4 Student no : 43713009 EDA 201W Ass no : 2 719493. Topic Weight A 94 -100 1. Assignments 30% A- 90 93 2. Quizzes 55% B+ 87 89 3. Classroom Participation 15% B 84 86 B- 80 83 C+ 77 79 C 74 76 C- 70 73 D+ 67 69 D 64 66 D- 60 63 F 60 1. Assignments = 30 Points COS assignments consist of a variety of activities designed to promote a successful college experience at MCC. Your assignments will consist of reading textbook chapters and answering related exercise questions. In addition, you may be using your MCC student email to submit Web assignments. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class. However, you may submit your assignments before the due date. Distribution of points are as follows: 10 textbook assignments (3 points each) = 30 points 2. Quizzes = 55 Points Quizzes are based on your chapter reading assignments. o You may use your textbook to answer the questions. However, be well prepared for a very challenging quiz. o If you are late for class and miss the quiz, you will receive a zero for the quiz. Distribution of points is as follows: o 11 textbook quizzes (5 points each) = 55 points 3. Classroom Participation = 15 Points Classroom participation points are earned by behaviors that demonstrate o prompt attendance for class 3 o active listening o positive involvement in small group work o thoughtful contributions during whole class discussions o civility and respect for classmates and the instructor Distribution of points is as follows: o 1 point per week = 15 points o You cannot earn classroom participation points if you are absent. MCC REGULATIONS AND POLICIES Academic Honesty Policy In the academic process, it is assumed that intellectual honesty and integrity are basic responsibilities of any student. However, faculty members should accept their correlative 5 Student no : 43713009 EDA 201W Ass no : 2 719493 responsibility to regulate academic work and to conduct examination procedures in such a manner as not to invite violations of academic honesty. Such violations consist mainly of cheating and plagiarism. For more details regarding MCC’s Academic Honesty policy regarding definitions, disciplinary action, and procedure for appeal check the MCC Catalog and Student Handbook or MCC Website. Policy Statement on Sexual Harassment 1. Monroe Community College strives to recognize human dignity and therefore does not tolerate sexual harassment or any other type of harassment within or connected to this institution. 2. Sexual harassment is illegal and unfairly interferes with the opportunity for all persons, regardless of gender, to have a comfortable and productive education and work environment. 3. We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and to discipline those who do harass. Code of Conduct The following actions or conducts are prohibited. 1. The obstruction or disruption of any College function or activity, including the classroom instructional environment, administration of the parking program and service functions and activities. 2. The detention, physical abuse or intimidation of any person, or threat thereof, or any 4 conduct which threatens or endangers the health, safety, or welfare of any person on College-owned or operated property or at College-sponsored activities. 3. The use of obscene or abusive language or any other means of expression, language, or action which may reasonably be expected to provoke or encourage physical violence by other persons. 4. The refusal to obey any reasonable or lawful request, order, or directive of a College public safety officer, a teacher, College administrator, or any other identified representative of the College. MCC LEARNING CENTERS 1. Monroe Community College has a number of Learning Centers at Brighton (for example, Accounting, Math, Psychology, Writing, the Electronic Learning Center, etc. ) and at Damon (for example, the Integrated Learning Center, Electronic Learning Center, etc.). 2. Learning centers are staffed with instructional personnel and may be equipped with computers and software to assist students. 3. It is recommended that students use the Learning Centers to get additional help with concepts learned in the classroom and with their homework. SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES 1. Students with a documented learning difficulty should make an appointment with the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities on the Brighton or Damon Campus to arrange for support services. 2. All deaf or hard of hearing students should contact the Counseling and Advising Center. 3. You must provide the instructor with appropriate documentation regarding accommodations within the first two weeks of class. EMERGENCY CLOSINGS 1. If the College is closed due to inclement weather or some other emergency, all Rochester area radio and television stations will be notified no later than 5:30 a. m. 2. In addition, the homepage on the MCC website (www. monroecc. edu) will display a message indicating the College is closed. 3. Please do not call the College to avoid overloading the telephone lines. 5 6 Student no : 43713009 EDA 201W Ass no : 2 719493 CLASS CANCELLATION To access a list of daily class cancellations, you may 1. Call the Public Safety Department (292-2066) at MCC, press 1 for a list of cancelled classes at Brighton and press 2 for a list of cancelled classes at Damon; 2. Go to the Internet, access MCC, go to the A-Z listing to C for Class Cancellations and see the list of cancellations; 3. Check your student email for a cancellation notice from your instructor 6 COURSE SYLLABUS AGREEMENT Detach and return this signed sheet to Professor Rodriguez. ______________________________________ M00______________________ Student’s Printed Name Student MCC College ID Number COS 133 Section Number: _________ Semester / Year: _____________ The Course Syllabus 1. The Course Syllabus (course information sheet) is a written legal covenant between you and your professor. 2. It clarifies the professor’s expectations and your responsibilities. Your professor expects you to meet deadlines for assignments, papers, projects and tests. 3. It is your responsibility to review the course syllabus and clarify any aspect of the syllabus. Therefore, read it carefully and ask questions you may have about its content. Check the appropriate box. I have read the course information sheet for COS 133 Introduction to College Studies. I understand my responsibilities for this course. I do not have any questions. I do not understand the requirements stated in the COS 133 Course Information Sheet. I will schedule an appointment to discuss my questions with my professor. List your questions for discussion here: ______________________________________ _____________________ Signature Date.

Environmental factors affecting the Starbucks company

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

Chinese Entrepreneurs in Singapore: Paths to Success Essay -- Business

Chinese Entrepreneurs in Singapore: Paths to Success Due to the economic hardships and threat of Japanese invasion in China in the first half of the 20th century, many men left their homeland in search of success and opportunities abroad. One of the places that many of them migrated to was Singapore. This new and foreign place was fraught with obstacles; however, some of these Chinese men eventually achieved great success. The success of these Chinese entrepreneurs in Singapore was not only due to their personal determination, but it was also contingent upon their social ties, and the economic and political conditions. In the following essay, the experiences of Ng Teow Yhee and Chew Choo Keng will be referred to extensively to illustrate the various combinations of complex factors that lead to their success. Firstly, I will begin with a discussion on the motivations and reasons why the men chose to depart from their families in China. Secondly, the necessity of initial social ties in Singapore will be discussed as well as their first work experiences, which helped to shape their perspectives and goals. Thirdly, the effects of the Japanese invasion on the development and viability of Chinese businesses in Singapore will be examined. Fourthly, the great business developments made by the Chinese, post-Japanese occupation, will be discussed. Lastly, I will compare Ng Teow Yhee’s and Chew Choo Keng’s management styles, strategies and beliefs in order to illustrate how their personal characteristics contributed to their achievement of success. The early 20th century was a period when China was wrought with wars and economic uncertainty. As a result, migrants were forced to uproot from their homeland to seek fortunes abroad. Thus, their motivation was fundamentally an economic one—that is, to earn money to survive and remit to their poor families in China as support. In other words, â€Å"the motivation for emigration seemed to arisen more from the push factors caused by China’s poverty and absence of opportunity than from the pull factors then existent in Nanyang†¦.† (Chan & Chiang, 40) Two prime examples of men who sought their livelihoods in Singapore due to their dreadful village conditions were: Ng Teow Yhee and Chew Choo Keng. Ng was forced to leave his home in 1938, at the age of 15, due to the impending Japanese invasion. Du... ...ial ties, and the economic and political conditions. This has been chronologically illustrated using the experiences of Ng Teow Yhee and Chew Choo Keng—from the time they decided to leave China, to their first jobs in Singapore, to the Japanese Occupation years, into the post-occupation period. It can be seen that their childhood experiences and the life experiences they gained along the way helped them to succeed by providing them with a strong knowledge base upon which to develop their businesses. Although these were prime examples of those who did succeed, it must be noted that there were many with the same determination that did not. Success is dependant on the combination of a number of complex factors. As such, success could not be guaranteed to all those who were innovative and risk-taking because they are not sufficient preconditions for successful entrepreneurship. (Chan & Chiang, 35) Bibliography Chan Kwok Bun & Claire Chiang. Stepping Out: The Making of Chinese Entrepreneurs. Singapore: Prentice Hall, 1994. Chew, Ernest and Edwin Lee. â€Å"Chapter 6: The Syonan Years, 1942-1945.† A History of Singapore. Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Catcher In The Rye :: essays research papers

CATCHER IN THE RYE The book, Catcher in the Rye, has been steeped in controversy since it was banned in America after its first publication. John Lennon’s assassin Mark Chapman, asked the former Beatle to sign a copy of the book earlier in the morning of the day he murdered Lennon. Police found the book in his possession upon apprehending the psychologically disturbed Chapman. However, the book itself contains nothing that might have lead Chapman to act as he did. It could have been just any book that he was reading the day he decided to kill John Lennon and as a result, it was the Catcher in the Rye, a book describing a nervous breakdown, that caused the media to speculate widely about the possible connection. This gave the book even more recognition. The character Holden Caulfield ponders the thoughts of death, accuses ordinary people of being phonies, and expresses his love for his sister through out the novel. So what is the book Catcher in the Rye really about? Superficially the story of a young man getting expelled from another school, the Catcher in the Rye is, in fact, a perceptive study of one individual’s understanding of his human condition. Holden Caulfield, a teenager growing up in 1950’s, New York, has been expelled from school for poor achievement once again. In an attempt to deal with this he leaves school a few days prior to the end of term, and goes to New York to take a vacation before returning to his parents’ inevitable irritation. Told as a monologue, the book describe Holden’s thoughts and activities over these few days, during which he describes a developing nervous breakdown. This was evident by his bouts of unexplained depression, impetuous spending and generally odd, erratic behavior, prior to his eventual nervous collapse. Some critics have argued that Holden’s character is erratic and unreliable, as he has many of the middle-class values that he claims to reject. Later on critics began to have praised the twisted humor of the main character. These critics have commented that the structure of the novel helps you understand Holden’s unstable state of mind. Alastair best remarked: "There is a hard, almost classical structure underneath Holden’s rambling narrativ. The style, too, appears effortless; yet one wonders how much labor went into those artfully rough-hewn sentences" (qtd. in Davis 318) A large field of critics took a positive view of the novel.