Criminal Investigations Essay Example for Free

Criminal Investigations Essay 1.The methods of inquiry is divided into 2 distinct categories. One category is archeologist, historian, journalist, epidemiologist, and criminal investigator. The second category is scientist in general including artist. Fusing these categories together allows the reconstruction of the past. Methods of inquiry use techniques common to both science and art. During an investigation is it important to figure out what took place before the crime was committed to give the police a better understanding of where it took place, why it took place, how it took place and all the events that lead up to the crime. Osterburg, J. W. Ward, R. H. (2010). Criminal investigation, A method for reconstructing the past (6th ed.) 2.The optimal mindset of an investigator should be open minded and investigative. It is manifested by going into a scene looking at scene from all angles not by having it in your head it was done one way and there is no other possibility. The investigative mindset comes from experiencing it hands on or by practicing. Some people are born with this mindset. An investigative mind gives us the ability to see what a naked eye wouldn’t. It also allows us to see evidence others may not think would be related to the scene. With both mindsets we come in with the questions of who, what, why, when, where? Osterburg, J. W. Ward, R. H. (2010). Criminal investigation, A method for reconstructing the past (6th ed.) 3. Scientific method is observing, thinking about and solving problems. Investigators will use these methods throughout the entire investigation. Once the investigator arrives on scene they will make note of what they see in regards to bullets, tools, impressions, motive, blood spatter, and how it compares to other unsolved crimes. The investigator will use observation and thinking about the scene to lead him to solve the crime. These methods will also lead to catching the perpetrator. A reason may even be drawn to conclude as to the cause of the crime. Osterburg, J. W. Ward, R. H. (2010). Criminal investigation, A method for reconstructing the past (6th ed.) 4. The primary sources are used to reconstruct the past and the events leading up to the crime. The sources are records, physical evidence, and people. The people may be victims or eyewitnesses of the crime. The records would be use of stolen credit cards, forged checks, or ransom notes. The physical evidence would be shoe impressions, tool impressions, if barefoot it would be foot impressions, fingerprints, fibers or hair. People can be of value as well. They may know a wealth of information as to who committed the crime, the location of the perpetrator. They may be able to lead you to a person of interest. If nothing else the can give you valuable evidence such as a description. Osterburg, J. W. Ward, R. H. (2010). Criminal investigation, A method for reconstructing the past (6th ed.)

The integration of global economies Essay Example for Free

The integration of global economies Essay Globalisation is a controversial issue. It has generated large protests around the world, by people who feel that it benefits only the rich. Yet there are others who claim that it offers real solutions to global poverty. There are arguments for both sides. In practice, globalisation has the potential to do both good and harm. The World Bank defines it as „the growing integration of economies and societis around the worldâ€Å". It sounds simple but processes of globalisation involve changes to many different aspects of society: from communications, to travel, to economics, to government. Globalisation represents a particular economic theory based on the belief that a liberalised, free market is desirable. Supporters of a free market economy believe that this approach promotes healthy competition. Countries can specialise in producing the goods they make most efficiently and export therese goods to other countries without restrictions. Only those who produce goods efficiently and at a competitive price will survive. Globalisation impacts virtually very aspect of life including religion, culture, diet and family life. One of the most striking impacts of globalisation is the increasing connection of economies and cultures, making the world seem smaller. A decision made in Japan can employ thousands in another country, or render them jobless. A flu virus in Asia can affect tourism and business worldwide. Economic and technological change are the major forces driving globalisation. Worldwide, trade is increasing as global markets become more closely linked through improved communication technologies like the internet. These same technologies are bringing distant communities together, and making it easier for corporations to move their operations to areas where costs are low. Cheaper air travel because of technological improvements means more people are travelling for business or pleasure, making workers more mobile. The integration of global economies provides enormous potential for all economies to expand into different parts of the world to both sell and buy new products and services. While it can be difficult to enter new global markets, globalisation is giving poor countries some chance of gaining the benefits of world trade. If poor countries could get access to just one percent more of the value of world trade, it would lift well over 100 Million people out of the poverty through the economic growth and jobs created. As multi-national corporations move production to benefit from cheaper labour costs in poorer countries, they are creating jobs for people who previously had few oppurtunities. Technological advancements mean quick and affordable worldwide travel is now available, particularly to people from wealthier nations. This is helping to boost tourism in many developing countries. The internet and other improved telecommunication facilities enable information to be sent from one corner of the planet to antoher seconds. This has brought together people from vastly different backgrounds and cultures. Ideas are shared, business is conducted internationally and those affected by a disaster can call for, and get, help faster than ever before. One concern is the effects of constant pressure from large corporations to lower prices and shorten production times for goods. Although jobs are created, poor labour standards and cost cutting processes in developing countries mean wages can be low, conditions are often dangerous and workers rights are violated. Critics of free-market economics note that industries in developed countries did not develop in these open conditions. Instead, they were protected locally (often with subsidies) and their markets were closed to outside competition until new industries became established. Yet poor countries are now expected to perform and survive in new global markets without first starting from an established base and without adequate support or concern for local interests. This makes it difficult for developing nations to benefit from the increased trade oppurtunities offered by globalisation. Rich countries primarily produce manufactured goods for the world market, which hold their value and command good prices. Developing countries generally produce commodities raw materials like cotton, coffee, cocoa, metals and minerals cheaply and efficiently, but do not have the current capacity to produce manufactured products. Unlike manufactured products. Unlike manufactured goods, commodities are extremely vulnerable to wide price swings whenever there is a shortage or oversupply. Countries which depend on only a few vital commodities for income may struggle if the global price suddenly plummets.

Managing Service Operations

Managing Service Operations Raised in Tokyo, Hiroaki Aoki managed to launch his first business in the United States. Taking advantage of his origin, he opened a Chinese-Japanese cuisine restaurant offering a unique experience to its customers. The food process was transformed to an exceptional food experience and with the opening of a chain of in total 15 restaurants Hiroaki Aoki proved to be a pioneer in the restaurant industry. The way he managed to succeed this, was through revolutionary moves regarding restaurants environment, financial operations and service structure. By decorating his restaurant with Japanese elements and employing Japanese chefs as showmen, the perception of dining at Benihana changed. This new perspective was further supported by reducing the kitchen-room as to have more space for tables and fully adapt the Japanese philosophy as well as creating an unparalleled image for his business. Due to the uniqueness of the Benihana restaurants, franchise as a growth strategy brought upon many problems: starting from a lack of communication between managers and the Japanese speaking personnel, to inexperienced managers in franchised businesses abroad. This led Hiroaki Aoki to reconsider his options and deciding to expand through other models (joint-venture and hotel-corporation) and in other areas of food industry (retail and quick service food sector). Whether this is a sustainable move or not will be identified within this report. Benihanas concept is based on an authentic Japanese atmosphere. The use of American food favourites (chicken, steak, etc.) combined with the hibatchi method of presentation makes this restaurant very different from others (Sasser, 2004). Glushko and Tabas (2008) state that service management and design success depend on the interaction between employees and customers. Thus the quality of the service experience relies on the front stage activities displayed in a restaurant. Furthermore, Frei (2006) adds that the line of visibility is the factor that separates the front stage and the back stage (Appendix 3). If Benihana was to compare with a McDonalds and a Gourmet Restaurant the service encounters would be very different (Appendix 4) (Frei, 2006). In the case of McDonalds the line of visibility for the front-stage is very small and depends on waiting lines and self-service, whereas all the production lines occur in the back stage, thus the customers experience is very limited (ibid.). A customers experience in a gourmet restaurant has a balance between the front-stage, dining room experience, and the kitchen-backstage-area (ibid.). Compared to both of these, Benihana enhances the experience of their customers by treating the chef as a showman and having a different production line to service (ibid.). The front stage is the largest part of the operations with the chef cooking and serving the dishes together with the waiter, whereas the kitchen preparation is a very small part of their process (Sasser, 2004). This different concept increases customer satisfaction: 9 As seen in Figure 2, customer satisfaction is rated as excellent, which implies that the Benihana service concept is successful. In order to further develop this aspect of their business, Benihana also developed several other concepts in relation to their design, their bar and their customer batching in groups, which will be further discussed in Chapter 3.2.2 Benihanas Restaurant Design. 10 Benihana created a concept that includes food, atmosphere, entertainment and hospitality, while trying to be consistent, with their Japanese heritage. Furthermore, the owner is planning expansion steps to appeal to a wider range of clientele. However, Hiroaki Aoki has two major concerns. The first issue is how to sustainably expand and upgrade his product and services to cater a wider range of audience, while keeping the quality and the Japanese traditional atmosphere. The second issue is how to define what Benihana is selling. Data Analysis Benihanas Strategy Considering the growth of Benihana from a humble 40-seat unit to a chain of 15 units across the country, Hiroaki Aoki had a very successful strategic planning behind the concept of his restaurant (Figure 1) (Sasser, 2004). Strategic planning can be defined as an organizational process of allocating its resources in order to pursue a strategy that includes its capital, employees and most important its clients (Haines Schmidt, 2005). The owner, Rocky, approached a combination of inputs (operations), customers satisfaction and outcomes (financial results) in order to provide a new idea behind the strategy of a normal restaurant, maximizing its strengths and diminishing its weaknesses (Appendix 2) (Heskett, Sasser Schlesinger, 1997). Figure 1 : Benihana Strategic Planning Note: Adapted from Heskett, Sasser Schlesinger, 1997 Benihanas strategic planning took into consideration five important aspects: Construction, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources and Operations (Heskett, Sasser Schlesinger, 1997). They provide the framework for understanding how the firms operational investment is translated into its profit. Furthermore, Benihanas concept and cost-structure will be presented in relation to this model in order to understand the true authenticity behind this different restaurant management approach. Benihanas Concept Benihanas concept is based on an authentic Japanese atmosphere. The use of American food favourites (chicken, steak, etc.) combined with the hibatchi method of presentation makes this restaurant very different from others (Sasser, 2004). Glushko and Tabas (2008) state that service management and design success depend on the interaction between employees and customers. Thus the quality of the service experience relies on the front stage activities displayed in a restaurant. Furthermore, Frei (2006) adds that the line of visibility is the factor that separates the front stage and the back stage (Appendix 3). If Benihana was to compare with a McDonalds and a Gourmet Restaurant the service encounters would be very different (Appendix 4) (Frei, 2006). In the case of McDonalds the line of visibility for the front-stage is very small and depends on waiting lines and self-service, whereas all the production lines occur in the back stage, thus the customers experience is very limited (ibid.). A customers experience in a gourmet restaurant has a balance between the front-stage, dining room experience, and the kitchen-backstage-area (ibid.). Compared to both of these, Benihana enhances the experience of their customers by treating the chef as a showman and having a different production line to service (ibid.). The front stage is the largest part of the operations with the chef cooking and serving the dishes together with the waiter, whereas the kitchen preparation is a very small part of their process (Sasser, 2004). This different concept increases customer satisfaction: Figure 2 : Customer Satisfaction Note: Own design according to Exhibit 4, Sasser, 2004 As seen in Figure 2, customer satisfaction is rated as excellent, which implies that the Benihana service concept is successful. In order to further develop this aspect of their business, Benihana also developed several other concepts in relation to their design, their bar and their customer batching in groups, which will be further discussed in Chapter 3.2.2 Benihanas Restaurant Design. Benihanas Cost Structure In terms of Benihanas cost arrangement the owner implemented a strategic cost structure to the business by lowering the cost of labour and food and beverage. The cooking labour is cost efficient due to the cost reduction that was done through their chefs; they did not only prepare the food, but also served it (Sasser, 2004). With concerns to the food and beverage costs, due to their limited menu, inventory reduction also occurred (ibid.). Taking into account all the mentioned measures, the results have a direct impact on the financial statement of the restaurant. Figure 3: Benihana ´s Partial Income Statement Note: Sasser, 2004; Bank of America, 1968 As seen in Figure 3, Benihana ´s Earnings Before Income Tax and Depreciation (EBITDA) is on average between 15 and 35% higher than ones of a typical service restaurant (Sasser, 2004). It is observed that there are two factors, which increase profitability: lower food and beverage cost (limited menu, fewer inventories) as well as lower labour cost. The lower labour cost is the influential reason behind this high difference in marginal profit. Analyzing the employee that plays the most important role in the restaurant, the Benihana chef, an employee profile was created (Appendix 5). PayScale (2010) provides an immediate accurate snapshot of the job market and gives facts of employees salary data in the world. Thus it was used as a source to calculate the annual average salaries of the food and beverage segment as well as the job specification of a chef in 1964 (Appendix 6) (ibid.). The average annual salary of a Benihana chef can be analyzed through the figure below. Figure 4 : Benihana ´s Chef Annual Average Salaries 1964 Note: PayScale, 2010 It can be noticed that the Benihana master-chefs have a slightly above average income compared to the market. As the success and the reputation of the restaurant depend on these employees, it is very important to keep them motivated and this further demonstrates that the owner, Rocky, also has a human resources operation strategic planning as seen in Figure 1. Benihanas Restaurant Capacity Managers are continuously challenged with balancing customer demand and service capacity (Klassen Rohleder, 2002). The capacity of a business can be seen as their ability to meet the demand; for the production of goods this can be easily done, but for services it is very difficult as four critical factors have to be taken into account: time, labour, infrastructure and equipment (ibid.). Thus capacity has to be planned ahead in order to achieve cost effectiveness and the customer satisfaction. In the case of Benihana, an estimation of the maximum demand rate for an evening dinner period was calculated in order to foresee the capacity to sustain it: Figure 5: Benihana ´s Capacity vs. Demand Rate Note: Own design; Sasser, 2004 It can be noted from Figure 5 that in a case of maximum demand rate, Benihanas capacity will not be able to fit 360 clients in one night. Although the restaurant has already a limited menu, Benihana also took into consideration a decrease in dining time. The chefs also plays an important part by offering the guests the ultimate gastronomic experience and politely annoucing them that their dinner is over by bowing at the end of the meal-presentation (Sasser, 2004). Benihanas Production Process System Before a company can actually decide on which customer target market it will serve, it has to define its value proposition and its position in the market (Kotler Armstrong, 2010). The positioning of a company is defined as a consumer`s appreciation of the product compared to competing products (ibid.). As one can see in Appendix 7, Benihana has a high customer value and a differentiated position in the market. Hiroaki Aoki achieved this position, through an unprecedented service experience and design (Sasser, 2004), which will be highlighted in the following chapter. Benihana`s Service Design Every service idea starts with a service concept, where the purpose, target market and the customer experience are defined (Russell Taylor, 2009). By opening an authenticable Japanese restaurant in the United States, Hiroaki Aoki focused on two main criteria, Americans enjoy when they are going out for dinner: an exotic surrounding and a place where they can watch the preparation of their food (Sasser, 2004). Referring to the previous chapter, out of this observation, he created a completely new service concept: the Benihana dining concept, where the food is prepared by professional chefs on hibachi tables right in front of the guests. This newly developed concept was both, revenue- and cost-effective (Heskett, Sasser Schlesinger, 1997). A service package is a mixture of physical items, sensual benefits, and psychological benefits (Russell Taylor, 2009). The specialty of a Benihana restaurant is their design according to historical authenticity. All the physical items (walls, ceilings, lights, etc.) are from Japan and the materials are originally shipped to the United States (Sasser, 2004). Sensual benefits are supported by the highly trained native Japanese chefs whose form of cooking is mainly showmanship (ibid.). The psychological benefits in a Benihana restaurant are the exotic surroundings and authenticity of the place. The combination of all three components concludes in an effective service design (Russell Taylor, 2009). Therefore, the connection is presented in the service design process: Figure 6: The Service Design Process Note: Adapted from Russell Taylor, 2009 Derived from the service package, specifications for performance, design and delivery are specified. Based on the customer expectations (exotic surrounding), the design (original materials from Japan) and delivery (downtown Manhattan) are created (Russell Taylor, 2009). Benihana`s Restaurant Design The design of a typical Benihana restaurant is created to increase efficiency and profitability. A typical Benihana restaurant design, which presents the floor plan of the Benihana West restaurant on West 56th Street in Manhattan (Sasser, 2004), is shown in Figure 7. It is comprised of 112 to 120 seats in the dining area as well as 55 to 60 seats in the cocktail lounge and the typical operation has between 5,000 and 6,000 square feet (ibid.). Figure 7: A typical Benihana Floor Plan Note: Sasser, 2004 Once guests enter the restaurant, they first pass the cocktail lounge. The bar in the first Benihana restaurant only seated eight guests as the design was concentrated on food-service sales (Sasser, 2004). Along the openings of new restaurants, the founder realized, that the small space was insufficient and enlarged the bar space with every opening. He found out, that in peak times, the bar is well used as a buffer and therefore increases the beverage sales (ibid.). When all the 14 tables in the dining area are occupied, the guests are waiting here for an aperitif, until there are seats available. In the bar, the guests are batched in groups of 8 and are leaded to the dining area. The main attractions in the dining area are the teppanyaki tables, which cover eight diners per table and are served by one chef and a waitress (Sasser, 2004). Due to the hibachi tables, the conventional back-stage kitchen can be reduced as the cooking itself takes place front-stage at the customer`s table. This leads to shorter serving distances and one team of chef and waitress can handle two tables at once. The arrangement of the tables (see also Figure 6), also results in lower cost of labour (Sasser, 2004). Examination of the Production System The design of the production process comes along with the design of the restaurant space. The whole production line moves towards the service of the customer. It starts in the bar, where the guests are grouped together in batches of eight before having their dinner (Verweire Van den Berghe, 2005). It has to be taken into consideration that the combination of batches is satisfactory for smaller groups arriving, since they do not know each other (Appendix 8). This batch concept leads to higher beverage sales and allows using the whole provided capacity in the restaurant. According to Russell and Taylor (2009) design simplification reduces the number of parts, subassemblies, and options in a product. Benihana`s menu consists of four main food items (filet mignon, steak, chicken and shrimp) accompanied by unvaried side dishes (zucchini, onions, bean sprouts, fresh mushrooms and rice), which can be combined as entrees or main dishes (Sasser, 2004). As seen in Figure 4 this standardization of ingredients cuts the food costs down to 30-35% of food sales and leaves nearly no waste (Sasser, 2004; Russell Taylor, 2009). This also minimizes the space for food storage, which results in less space in the back stage of the restaurant. Since services are defined as front-stage activities, the dining room of a restaurant is the service part, whereas the kitchen is classified as the production part (Teboul, 2006). Through the preparation of the meal in front of the customer, not only the service experience is greater, but also a conventional kitchen is not necessary anymore. This enlarges the productive dining area and reduces the back area (preparation areas, dressing rooms, storage and office space) of about 22% of the total space (Sasser, 2004). According to Verma and Boyer (2010), the aim of successful process design is to maximize the output. To identify possible limitations, a bottleneck analysis is helpful. A bottleneck in a process is the step with the slowest cycle time in a given process (Verma Boyer, 2010) and verifies the process productivity. Figure 8: Process Flow Diagram of the first Benihana Restaurant in Manhattan, 1964 Note: Adapted from Verma Boyer, 2010 While analyzing the process flow diagram (Figure 8) of a Benihana restaurant, one can see that the bottleneck hereby is the dining time of 60 minutes. This bottleneck determines the pace of the whole system even though the waiting time at the bar in peak times is only 12 minutes (Verma Boyer, 2010). As identified in Chapter 3.1.3, Figure 9 the demand of a Benihana restaurant exceeds capacity. To resolve the problem of the bottle neck, Benihana decreased the dining time and enlarged the bar capacity to cover more waiting customers. Over the years, Benihana first doubled the bar area to 16 seats and eventually reached up to 55-60 seats (Sasser, 2004). Figure 9 shows some scenarios for different bar and dining area arrangements and waiting times. The maximum dining capacity of 120 seats allows a bar capacity of 48 seats (Figure 9). Figure 9 : Scenarios for different Bar and Dining Area Arrangements and Waiting Times Note: Own Calculations Concerns regarding Diversification Plans According to Ansoffs Growth and Expansion Matrix, one can find four different options of development: market development, diversification, market penetration and product development (Campbell Craig, 2005). Benihana took into consideration the following strategies: Figure 10 : Expansion Plan of Benihana Note: Adapted from Campbell Craig, 2005 The first one, market development (1), is the growth of an existing product into new market sectors (Campbell Craig, 2005). Regarding their diversification plans, Benihanas attempt is to expand in other countries where they have to take into consideration the customs of each nation, its rules and regulations. The same principles cannot be applied for all regions, so in order to develop successfully the restaurant chain these concerns should be well evaluated. Furthermore, it is very difficult for the company to be franchised, since not all owners have previous experience in the restaurant business (Sasser, 2004). Communication with the staff is also very difficult, since the majority is Japanese. Moreover, it is very demanding to supervise and keep control of what is happening in restaurants around the world. Hence, Rocky decided for the near future, instead of attempting to franchise his restaurant business, to move either into a joint-venture or into hotel-corporations and expand in two areas: Japan and overseas (ibid.). Diversification (2) is known as an approach of involving new products in new markets (Campbell Craig, 2005). Rocky also decided to widen his business into other fields connected to the food industry. A first attempt in the retail production and selling is under discussion. Entering the retail-sale-market is time consuming and has high advertising costs, so Benihana should probably re-evaluate their advertisement budget and more likely reduce the promotion funds for the restaurants, which is a risky move (Restaurant Worx, 2010). If someone is not satisfied by the quality of the product he/she will probably create a negative idea about the company and never visit a Benihana restaurant. It is also uncertain how unique the product is or how likely it is for other similar products to be created in the near future (ibid.). Product development (3) is known as increasing the market share by developing new products (Campbell Craig, 2005). In general Benihana restaurants have middle-income customers as its target group (Sassa, 2004). This is linked directly to the quality of the services offered, restaurants atmosphere and prices. Alternatively, they have no young audience in Benihana restaurants. This is one of the reasons why Rocky is considering of opening a quick service restaurant as to be able to satisfy younger crowds needs as well (ibid.). To put this project into action, firstly a market research was made about the restaurant needs of the people, the food that will be provided in these restaurants, deciding on a combination of Asian cuisine Chinese and Japanese and their location. Furthermore, cooperation between Rocky and an oil company will be formed as to provide small gas units to his new restaurants (ibid.). Even though a thorough research was conducted for this expansion a very significan t element was neglected; the culture of the locals. Maybe the proposal of a Chinese-Japanese quick service restaurant was innovative for that time, but not all the neighbourhoods were prepared to welcome that idea (ibid.). The last one, market penetration (4), is known as the use of existing products in existing markets, which are already served (Campbell Craig, 2005). The United States therefore give three areas for growth: primary markets (New York, Los Angeles), secondary markets (Pennsylvania, Harresburg, etc) and Suburbia. Due to the already mentioned inefficient franchise strategy, Benihana will not only expand internationally but also domestically through joint-ventures and hotel-affiliations (Sasser, 2004). Concerns regarding the loss of identity Benihana is selling to its customers a whole new perception of food consumption. Starting its business in 1964 in the U.S., it introduced to the market an innovative procedure of food preparation and presentation to the customers (Sasser, 2004). Instead of cooking the food inside a spacious kitchen, they used more room for the restaurant area as to prepare meals in front of the customers on a teppanyaki table with the hibachi cooking method. Benihana created a culture for the chain based on Japanese cooking method by well trained chefs and Japanese design. The environment of Benihana restaurants decoration and atmosphere is of vast importance for the company, since the philosophy of Benihana is to make people happy through the food experience (Bitner, 1992; Sasser, 2004). However, the environment is important not only for the customers who should feel satisfied, but also for the employees. In turn for the employees to feel motivated and perform their best, their working surrounding s should support their needs, as to be able to enhance companys values to the customers (ibid.). Consequently, Benihana should continue providing such services and facilities to its customers and employees as to sustain the chemistry between them and therefore continue to be a successful company. Presentation of Solution and Recommendations Benihana had a very successful strategy so far due to its construction, finance, marketing, human resources and operations management. They were able to translate market trends into their concepts and adapt them efficiently. Furthermore, they managed to reduce the back stage kitchen area into a front stage environment that displayed cooking and entertaining as one. The concept was so innovative that Rocky was actually able to reduce expenses. According to the diversification plan, Rocky intended to expand his business into more fields of the food industry. To develop his company, he tried to take advantage of the Benihana recognition, as to enter further markets, but on the other hand this step would be risky, because if the new concepts would fail, it could damage Benihanas reputation. Sasser (1976) states, that good planning is the key to successful management of supply and demand in service industries. As discussed in this paper one of the biggest problems that Benihana is facing, is how it will sustainably expand, while keeping their quality and their concept (limited menu, chef as a showman, Japanese atmosphere). Furthermore, as seen in Figure 10, Rocky has made a lot of plans regarding the growth and diversification of the Benihana restaurant. It is recommended that before attempting to implement all his ideas, a development strategic plan should be developed in order to best fit this expansion. Therefore the supply and demand matching concept should be taken into consideration: Figure 11 : Strategies for Matching Supply and Demand for Benihanas services Note: Adapted from Wisner, Leong, Tan, 2005 Lovelock (1994) further states that this can be accomplished through shifting demand to match capacity or adjusting capacity to meet demand (Appendix 9). In order to resolve the second issue, Benihana should focus on selling Japanese food and promoting their philosophy. One of the main key points of Benihanas achievements is the unique food experience it sells to its customers. Therefore, the basic elements of this successful recipe should be included in any other expansion step the company and Rocky decide to take. Without the fear of being imitated, they should take advantage of their uniqueness and develop in other areas of food industry. Through this move they would also be able to focus on other target groups, such as younger audience, which currently are not part of Benihanas targeted clientele. In this way Rocky will be able to launch his restaurant name and not only become a current trend, but also establish his brand in the hospitality industry, by providing Japanese authentic services. Action Plan Evidence Of Success Evaluation Process : Increase in Demand Increase in Profitability Customer Satisfaction Survey Employee Satisfaction Survey References: Benihana (2010). About Benihana. Retrieved 18.09.2010, from: http://www.benihana.com/about Benihana Training Guide (2004). Benihana Training Guide. Al Bustan Rotana Hotel Bitner, M. J. (1992). Servicescapes The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees. Retrieved 18.09.2010, from: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=585119 sid=3Fmt=3clientId=45065RQT=309VName=PQDuserid=008BW87KK7passwd=WELCOME Campbell, D.J. Craig, T. (2005). Organisations and the Business Environment. Burlington: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Glushko, R.J. Tabas, L. (2008). Bridging the Front Stage and Back Stage in Service System Design, in: Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences Big Island, Hawaii: IEEE Computer Society Press, January (2008), p. 106 Frei, F.X. (2006). Breaking the Trade-Off between Efficiency and Service. Boston: Harvard Business Review, Vol. 84, No. 11, page: 93-101 Haines, S.G. Schmidt, T. (2005). ABCs of Strategic Management The Systems Thinking Approach to Creating a Customer-Focused, High Performance, Learning Organization. San Diego: System Thinking Press Heskett, J.L., Sasser, W.E. Schlesinger L.A. (1997). The Service Profit Chain How Leading Companies Lead Profit and Growth to Loyalty, Satisfaction, and Value. New York: The Free Press Ivy Thesis (2010). Executive Summary Benihana International Restaurant. Retrieved 18.09.2010, from: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/09/executive-summary-benihana-international-restaurant.html Klassen, K.J. Rohleder, T.R. (2002). Demand and Capacity Management Decisions in Services, How They Impact One Another. Bingley: International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Emerald: Vol. 22, No. 5, p. 527-548 Kotler, Ph. Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of Marketing. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Lovelock, C. (1994). Getting the Most Out of Your Productive Capacity. Boston: McGraw Hill PayScale (2010). Free Salary Report based on Job Title, Location, Education, Skills and Experience. Retrieved 19.09.2010, from: http://www.payscale.com Restaurant Worx (2010). Restaurant Retail Sales. Retrieved 18.09.2010, from: http://restaurantworx.com/services-2/restaurant-marketing-solutions/restaurant-sales-solutions/retail-sales/ Retail Fix (2010). Features Benihana. Retrieved 19.09.2010, from: http://www.retailfix.com/ featured_benihana.cfm Russell, R.S. Taylor B.W. (2009). Operations Management Along the Supply Chain. Upper Saddle River: John Wiley Sons Sasser, E.W. (2004). Benihana of Tokyo. Boston: Harvard Business School Teboul, J. (2006). Service is Front Stage- Positioning Services for Value Advantage. New York: Palgrave MacMillan Verma, R. Boyer K.K. (2010). Operations Supply Chain Management World Class Theory and Practice. Mason: South-Western Verweire, K. Van den Berghe, L. (2005). Integrated Performance Management- A Guide to Strategy Implementation. London: SAGE Wisner, J.D., Leong, K.G. Tan, K.C. (2005). Principles of Supply Chain Management A Balanced Approach. Mason: South-Western

A Comparison of Biographic Features in The Sun Also Rises and The Great

A Comparison of Biographic Features in The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby The writers F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway included biographical information in their novels The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises that illuminated the meaning of the work. Although The Sun Also Rises is more closely related to actual events in Hemingway's life than The Great Gatsby was to events in Fitzgerald's life, they both take the same approach. They both make use of non-judgemental narrators to comment on the "lost generation". This narrator allows Fitzgerlald and Hemingway to write about their own society. Fitzgerlald comments on the jaded old-wealth society of the Eastern United States and the corruption of the American Dream. Hemingway comments on the effects of World War I on the "lost generation" and the hope for the future in the next generation. By adding biographical features into their novels both Fitzgerald and Hemingway are able to give their novels that extra depth because the plot of the novels are more realistic and accurately reflect the society of the times. The story in Fitzgerald's book contains basic ideas from his life, not nessesarily actual events. Several characters have biographical characterization and the novel reflects his own experiences. Hemingway's novel, however, is almost entirely based on actual events that happened to Hemingway and a group of his friends. This enhances the realism of The Sun Also Rises. Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby In his novel, The Great Gatsby Francis Scott Fitzgerald includes many autobiographical features to enhance and illuminate the themes of the work. Certain main characters like Daisy Buchannon, Jay Gatsby, and the narrator Nick Carraway are repre... ...emingway are able to enhance the meaning of their work and provide extra credibility and realism into their plot. Fitzzgerald takes a rejection from his life and uses that idea to expand off from to write a social commentary on the corruption of the American Dream by the old-rich of the Eastern United States. Hemingway takes actual events from his life and used that as a basis for the plot of his novel. This enhanced the theme by describing the effect of World War I on Hemingway's generation. Bibliography: Works Cited Baker, Carlos. Ernest Hemingway, A Life Story. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1969 p147-155 Donaldson, Scott. Fool for Love. New York: Dell Publishing, 1983 Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1980 Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1986

Essay --

Thomas Peden Mr. Schoon World History 4 December 2013 Spartan Life In 7th century, Ancient Greece a fierce group of warriors called the Spartans were the best in warfare. But life for the Spartans was not easy. As infants their strengths were tested. Babies would be bathed in wine rather than water to test their reaction and the belief it will make them strong. If a baby were ill born it would most likely be left on a nearby hill or used as a slave. If the baby passed the inspection to see if it was healthy, it would be kept to soon become a warrior. The babies were taught to not fear the darkness or solitude, and frequently ignored when crying. At age seven Spartan males were taken away from home and put into military barracks, the young soldiers were instructed in scholastics, warfare, stealth, hunting and athletics. At age 12, recruits were deprived of all clothing except for a red cloak and forced to sleep outside on beds they made by themselves from reeds. To ready them for a life in the field, the boy soldiers were also encouraged to scavenge and even steal their food, though if detected they were punished. Spartans were encouraged to fight and inflict pain to fellow recruits. At age 20 Spartans had to a difficult test to graduate and become citizens. The soldiers received the aristocratic citizenship. If they failed the test they became middle class. Classes were based on accomplishment rather than birth. If the young men passed, they continued to live in the barracks and train as soldiers but were required to wed to produce new young Spartans. The state gave them land, which was tended by slaves. At age 30 the Spartans could finally live with there families, but they still had to train. Finally at age 60 a Spartan ... ...nd peace was maintained. The Lacedaemonians were not content with simply sending aid to Sicily; they also resolved to take the war to the Athenians. The Corinthians, the Spartans, and others in the Peloponnesian League sent more reinforcements to Syracuse, in the hopes of driving off the Athenians; but instead of withdrawing; the Athenians sent another hundred ships and another 5,000 troops to Sicily. Under Gylippus, the Syracusans and their allies were able to decisively defeat the Athenians on land; and Gylippus encouraged the Syracusans to build a navy, which was able to defeat the Athenian fleet when they attempted to withdraw. The Athenian army, attempting to withdraw overland to other, more friendly Sicilian cities, was divided and defeated; the entire Athenian fleet was destroyed, and virtually the entire Athenian army was sold off into slavery. Essay -- Thomas Peden Mr. Schoon World History 4 December 2013 Spartan Life In 7th century, Ancient Greece a fierce group of warriors called the Spartans were the best in warfare. But life for the Spartans was not easy. As infants their strengths were tested. Babies would be bathed in wine rather than water to test their reaction and the belief it will make them strong. If a baby were ill born it would most likely be left on a nearby hill or used as a slave. If the baby passed the inspection to see if it was healthy, it would be kept to soon become a warrior. The babies were taught to not fear the darkness or solitude, and frequently ignored when crying. At age seven Spartan males were taken away from home and put into military barracks, the young soldiers were instructed in scholastics, warfare, stealth, hunting and athletics. At age 12, recruits were deprived of all clothing except for a red cloak and forced to sleep outside on beds they made by themselves from reeds. To ready them for a life in the field, the boy soldiers were also encouraged to scavenge and even steal their food, though if detected they were punished. Spartans were encouraged to fight and inflict pain to fellow recruits. At age 20 Spartans had to a difficult test to graduate and become citizens. The soldiers received the aristocratic citizenship. If they failed the test they became middle class. Classes were based on accomplishment rather than birth. If the young men passed, they continued to live in the barracks and train as soldiers but were required to wed to produce new young Spartans. The state gave them land, which was tended by slaves. At age 30 the Spartans could finally live with there families, but they still had to train. Finally at age 60 a Spartan ... ...nd peace was maintained. The Lacedaemonians were not content with simply sending aid to Sicily; they also resolved to take the war to the Athenians. The Corinthians, the Spartans, and others in the Peloponnesian League sent more reinforcements to Syracuse, in the hopes of driving off the Athenians; but instead of withdrawing; the Athenians sent another hundred ships and another 5,000 troops to Sicily. Under Gylippus, the Syracusans and their allies were able to decisively defeat the Athenians on land; and Gylippus encouraged the Syracusans to build a navy, which was able to defeat the Athenian fleet when they attempted to withdraw. The Athenian army, attempting to withdraw overland to other, more friendly Sicilian cities, was divided and defeated; the entire Athenian fleet was destroyed, and virtually the entire Athenian army was sold off into slavery.

Computer Systems Analyst :: essays research papers fc

Computer Systems Analyst   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I push the button, I hear a noise, the screen comes alive. My computer loads up and starts to process. I see the start screen for Windows 95, and I type in my password. Even though this takes time, I know that I will be able to do whatever I want to do without any trouble, without any glitches, without any questions. My computer is now easier to use and more user friendly because computer systems analysts have worked out the problems that many computer systems still have.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It appears to me that a career choice needs to contain a number of different features. The first being: Will this area of interest mentally stimulate me as well as challenge me? The second being: Is there a way of making a living in these areas of interest? And finally: Do I enjoy the different activities within this area of interest? From the first day that I started my first computer, I have grasped the concepts quickly and with ease. But the computer as well as I will never stop growing. I have introduced myself to all topics of word processing to surfing the web. After reviewing a number of resources, I have noticed a relatively high demand for technologically integrated hardware and software positions available with companies that wish to compete with the demand for â€Å"networking†. (â€Å"Computer Scientists† 95) This leads me to believe that future employment prospects will be high and of high quality pay within the next eight to ten years. The past, present, and future have and will see the computer. Since I have seen the computer, I have enjoyed the challenges and countless opportunities to gain in life from this machine. From school projects to games; from the Internet to programming languages; I have and always will feel like that little kid in the candy store.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Job Description   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Computer Systems Analyst decides how data are collected, prepared for computers, processed, stored, and made available for users. (â€Å"Computer Systems† COIN 1) The main achievement as a systems analyst is to improve the efficiency or create a whole new computer system that proves to be more efficient for a contracting company. When on an assignment, the analyst must meet a deadline. While striving for a deadline, he must create and comprehend many sources of information for the presentation. He must review the systems capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations (â€Å"Systems Analyst† 44), to determine if certain parts of the system must be modified for a new program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, a computer programmer writes a program that he thinks will be

The Marketing Strategy Analysis of Starbucks Corporation

Under today’s ever-changing market, strategic marketing planning has become more and more significant whether of the functional or the fundamental. Especially, although financial crisis leaded economy growth slowdown, it did not cause a serious influence for chain coffee shop. As Howard Schultz said, CEO of Starbucks, â€Å"I don't think we had a business plan for the severity of what has taken place. History demonstrated to us that a downturn in the economy would not affect us, and in fact, we would be recession-proof. (Katie Couric, 2008) Based on Financial Times, Starbucks revealed that strong earnings of $242m of 2008, a jump from the $64m it recorded during the comparable period last year and total revenues for the quarter were $2. 7bn, up 4 per cent from the $2. 6bn recorded during the comparable quarter at the end of 2008. It illustrated that consumers will still pay premium prices for its coffee even in uncertain economic times. Greg Farrell 2010) In this essay, besides demonstrating the concept of strategic marketing, I will take Starbucks Corporation, United States for a case to define its position in this turbulent chain coffee shop market. Then, identify the â€Å"customized mass production† and evaluate how the organization affect and communicate the market. Next, the strategic importance of Starbucks Corporation, United States will be analyzed by various tools such as demand chain approach, SWOT and TOWS, PESTLE, pricing policies and so on with practical examples. Finally, based on these strategic analyses, the recommendations will be available for the organization to improve the competitiveness over this competitive market in the future. Brief history of Starbucks Corporation Starbucks Corporation, United States (NASDAQ: SBUX), the largest international coffeehouse chain company over the world, opened in 1971 by Gerald Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl in Seattle, Washington, United States. In 1982, Howard Schultz, the present CEO of Starbucks, joined the company as Director of Retail Operations and Marketing. In 1987, Howard Schultz purchased Starbucks chain and rapidly started to expand. The first location outside Seattle was established at Waterfront Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Chicago, Illinois. In 1992, its initial public offering (IPO) on the stock market with common stock being traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol â€Å"SBUX. † In 1996, Starbucks opened first store outside of U. S in Japan. Today, there are more than 15,000 stores in 50 countries all of the world, including with over two thirds in the home market in the United States. The products sold include coffee, beverages, merchandise, and fresh food and consumer products such as coffee beans, Starbucks cups and so on. Besides, Starbucks engages in gaining the brands add value such as business responsibly nowadays that earn the respect and trust of the partners and customers. They claimed that two areas including ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement would be focused on. For example, the plan of Starbucks Corporation is that by 2015, all of the coffee will be grown using ethical trading and responsible growing practices. Besides, they also said that by 2015, 100% of our cups will be reusable or recyclable. So, what Starbucks Corporation emphasized is not only the tangible products, but the intangible assets such as brand image or the add value. The development and concept of the Strategic Marketing First of all, I want to define what is ‘market’ and ‘marketing. ’ The word ‘market’ can be referred to the process of exchange controlled by supply and demand, and the price involved. The word ‘marketing’ is the relationship between supply and demand and now favors demand and consumer choice. (Chapman and Cowdell, 1998) Trace back to the origins of modern marketing, it is from the Industrial Revolutions in Britain around 1750 and in the Germany and USA around 1830. The emphasis earlier was on â€Å"how to do it,† with a focus of the technique of marketing. As time goes by, people pay more attention on the philosophy of marketing and influence on stakeholders and society as a whole. Jobber and Fahy, 2009) Therefore, the strategic marketing becomes more and more significant since it can help organizations to find its own position of the competitive market; thus, they just can justify their strategy against whether the existing or the potential competitors. Therefore, organizations should classify the marketing environment including competitive environment (its immediate competitors and customers) and the macro-environment (the wider social, political and economic setting they operate. In order to develop the right strategy whether for short-term or long-term, organizations not only need to know the concept of strategic marketing but also how to use it within the competitive marketing. In addition, fundamental to strategic thinking is the concept of ‘strategic fit. ’ It indicates how organizations match the internal resources and capabilities with the opportunities in the external environment. The strategic model used to evaluate the appropriateness of the vision or decision making of the organizations (Hooley G et al 2008). A competitive advantage can be developed successfully by a suitable and unique combination of capabilities and resources. Nevertheless, organizations should pay more attention to classify the differentiation between resources and capabilities. Capabilities are focused on the learning effect of the organizations’’ possesses, whereas resources is connected to the inputs to production owned by the organizations. In other words, they should seek the appropriate balance between the marketing of functionalism and fundamentalism under this ever-changing market actually. Black Box Method Kotler et al. (2009) explain that the consumer is regarded as a ‘black box' in the sense that the consumer’s behavior is a conditioned response to marketing stimuli. After consumers making decision of purchase, the black box concept in behavior science responses. Because of the external stimulation, the consumers’ decision making process will be affected by the marketing planning and environment. The significance and the strengths of the model is that after consumers processing the various stimuli in their mind, they will react in specific ways. Generally speaking, in the model, the external elements to the consumer will move to behavioral stimuli; however, before a specific behavioral reaction is created, the consumer's decision-making process and personal characteristics will interact with the stimuli. On the other hand, in the ‘black box' model, people can’t get much information about the way human mind operates. The weakness of this model is people still cannot get the ideas of what goes on in the brain and have no ideas about what goes on in there. In other words, through the ‘black box' model the main internal process and influences of consumer’ behavior can be identified when consumer behavior operates, but the way how consumers convert the data, together with the stimuli, to act specific responses cannot be available. So, it is just called the ‘black box' model. (Kotler et al. 2009) The figure is shown the content and process involved in the ‘black box' model. Therefore, in order to understand consumers’ behavior in the market, organizations need to realize the fundamental process of perception and motivation. Through economic analysis and behavioral adds value can help organizations to make the marketing planning (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). Take Starbucks Corporation for example, last year (2009) in order to to maintain its brand image as a premium customer experience, it revealed â€Å"a long term, multi-million dollar† advertising campaign in the US, as it seeks to combat perceptions that its products are over-priced. As Howard Schultz, chief executive, said that they indicated the new â€Å"value focused† offerings had improved customers’ perception of the value of its products and it is based on the company’s research (Jonathan Birchall 2009). Source: Keegan et al. (1992, p. 193) Marketing Demand Chain Approach Demand is the relationship between needs and wants and also can be inferred to producer/supplier and consumer. Whole markets are motivated by demand; consumers can exercise demand by choice freely (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). A demand chain is composed of the organizations which sell products or services. For example, from the customer perspective, the demand chain may be composed by the customers who lead the sales transaction and the suppliers who sell or create the goods. Or from the supplier perspective, the suppliers create or offer the products and the customers buy it. In addition, the market for specific products or service can be defined by a three-dimensional box. The three sides of the box are product purchase, buyer group and buyer location (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). For example, the demand for Starbucks Corporation can be defined using this method. Buyer group could be identified by age, education or salary characteristics – such as students, white collar workers and retired people. Product purchase could identify the range or type the products offering such as beverage, pastries, whole coffee beans, coffee-related retail items and so on. Then, buyer location could be described the locations of buyer groups. Under this complicated and competitive coffee market, the demand chain approach is appropriate for managers to use the concept of identifying the market segmentations. Once the demand is identified, the necessary change and strategic marketing planning of the business environment could be evaluated effectively. The competitive position and market segmentation of Starbucks Corporation ‘Position’ describes the characteristic place in the market and becomes important more and more in a competitive market because it makes the comparisons to be set between organizations, products and services. It also makes the market segmentation to be classified and the competition analysis and market analysis to be connected to an organization’s strategy. The market segmentation is produced by the differences in customer’s needs, wants and attitudes (Chapman and Cowdell, 1998. Take Starbucks Corporation for a case, numerous cheap coffees are available, what is its attraction under this competitive coffee market? The idea can be also referred to â€Å"the role of positioning is to support that process, not to be it. † (Mintzberg et al 2009) The advantage of defining the position is to help Starbucks Corporation both defending itself and attacking the existing or potential competitors by utilizing the strategic tools such as Porter’s generic strategies, Porter’s five forces and so on. For example, using Porter’s generic strategies for the strategic tool shown below, differentiation focus is Starbucks Corporation’s position compared with other competitors. Hence, the suitable strategy could be set by it. Through identifying the position of the market, not only analyzing the competitors but creating competitive advantages is necessary to organizations. Competitor identification is the purpose of competitor analysis and it investigates competitor strategies, objectives, capabilities and prediction of response patterns. In addition, the process is to offer a foundation of competitive advantages, defining their future strategies. Competitive advantages are the resources and skills of the organizations; classification of the organization’s core competences could be available by analyzing those factors (Jobber 2001). â€Å"Customized mass production† of Starbucks Corporation For Starbucks, it is very important that it provides mass customization to their customers. They obey the conception which is every customer is unique. Therefore, both products and services are created to be a unique experience and atmosphere for the customers individually. So, what customer pay for is not just the products or services but including the unique experience and atmosphere. As B. Joseph Pine (1999) said, â€Å"We have shifted from a goods economy (coffee beans in a can) to a service economy (hot coffee at a diner) to an experience economy (coffee sold in a special mug, in comfortable surroundings – Starbucks). † In other words, under an ever-changing economy, what trend the organizations should follow is that converts products into services and then services into a unique and memorable experience. The unique and memorable experience is the differentiation between Starbucks and its existing or potential competitors. Starbucks Corporation’s Strategic Marketing Planning Strategic Marketing Planning includes the competitive position creating of both the organization and its offerings, core strategy decision making and implementing that strategy. The significance of planning marketing strategies for organizations are to make sure that the organizations’ capabilities are appropriate or not and it is not just for short-term but for the long-term (Hooley et al, 2008). Besides, organizations also need the market audit to model and understand the key factors in the marketing environment. A marketing audit could be defined that â€Å"it is an essential tool for the periodic reassessment of any organization’s marketing effectiveness. † It is the way to analyze organizations’ environment, activities and strategies critically, and improve them (Chapman and Cowdell, 1998. ) Starbucks Corporation’s strategic marketing planning starts with marketing audit and it could be divided to three parts, macro environment, internal environment and external environment. Macro environment is examined to recognize the directions and patterns; inter environment is scanned to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses and opportunity and threat is involved in external environment. * PESTEL analysis For macro environment, it could start with PESTEL analysis (an acronym for Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Ethical and Environmental and Legal factors) of the organizations’ environment. Starbucks Corporation tends to classify main drivers which play important role in the strategic marketing planning by its PESTEL analysis. Take the socio-cultural environment for example; identifying the difference such as consumer preferences could shift from coffee to other beverages can help Starbucks Corporation finding the target groups by setting the suitable marketing strategies. In addition, increasing usage of community networks such as Facebook in the technological environment can provide Starbucks Corporation the efficient way to promote the brand on the popular channel nowadays. In other words, organizations can understand the macro environment by using strategic tools and then set the appropriate marketing strategies for not only now but for the future. Appendix-A provides the summaries of Starbucks Corporation’s PESTEL environment * SWOT analysis For internal environment (strengths and weaknesses) analysis, its purpose is to make organizations to get valuable chances and then to enable them taking advantages of them. For external environment (opportunity and threat) analysis, a marketing opportunity is a field of buyer interest and need that organization with high possibility of beneficially satisfying. In addition, an environmental threat is a danger by a negative development or trend that would lead to decrease profit or sales (Kotler and Keller 2009. According to the information of the internal environment and external environment, Starbucks Corporation develops SWOT analysis to classify the key strengths and weaknesses related to opportunities and threats (Appendix-B). Consider this case, the strengths such as strong global coffee brand, differentiated atmosphere and customer base loyalty would let Starbucks Corporation to grow the market share in new markets such as some specific cities with high population density in China. Besides, take the other care for example, facing the threat of more and more competitors are from various channels such as McDonald in the competitive market, Starbucks Corporation develop new strategy to defense it. Last year (2009), Starbucks Corporation embraced customer research surveys and ran its first major advertising campaign (Claire Cain Miller 2010). * TOWS Matrix The SWOT analysis provides the identification of organizations’ strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Nevertheless, according to such an nalysis, it is rarely and static of the development of definite substitute strategies. Hence, the TOWS Matrix is instituted for analysis the competitive situation of organizations or lead to the evolution of four different sets of strategic alternatives. In addition, the TOWS Matrix is a conceptual structure and begins with the threats since organizations try to make strategic marketing planning under the pressure of perceiving danger, crisis, or threat (Koontz and Weihrich 2007). Appendix-B shows the example of TOWS Matrix. Starbucks Corporation plans to spend the majority of its $40m marketing budget to promote its Via brand of instant coffee and Frappucino drinks through grocery stores (Greg Farrell 2010. ) This is the example for the SO strategy of Starbucks Corporation based on the strength of strong global coffee brand and the opportunity of New products/services/ distribution channels. In addition, take the other case for example, in 2009 the New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the results of a study about the ordering habits at 115 Starbucks stores in the city. The study, which was conducted in 2007, found that the average blended drink had 239 calories. The average cup of coffee had 63 calories. â€Å"The popularity of blended coffee beverages has grown in recent years,† Dr. Thomas A. Farley, the city’s health commissioner, said in a statement. â€Å"Unfortunately, many of these drinks are loaded with calories. Your afternoon pick-me-up may be weighing you down. † After that announcement, Valerie O’Neil, a vice president at Starbucks, said in a statement: â€Å"We offer wholesome food and beverage options for our customers, including blended coffee beverages less than 100 calories. Looking forward, we continue to find helpful ways to deliver information for our customers to make more informed choices. † (A. G. Sulzberger 2009) This is the example for the ST strategy of Starbucks Corporation based on the strength of product diversification and the treats of healthy issue (calories). In other words, by using the TOWS Matrix, organizations can know that how to take advantages of the opportunities. Meanwhile, the impact of weaknesses could be minimized and defense them against threats. By clearly identifying the analysis of threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strength, organizations can make the appropriate strategic marketing decisions actually. Pricing strategies of Starbucks Corporation â€Å"Price may be defined as the value (measures by whatever means is appropriate) given to a product or a service by a market. The price of a product or a service refers to the term by which it can be acquired, and may be expressed in monetary or non-monetary terms (Chapman and Cowdell 1998). In organizations, designing pricing strategies effectively not only needs a systematic approach but also a complete understanding of consumer psychology and then just can set or adapt prices appropriately (Kotler and Keller 2009). Consider the case of Starbucks Corporation, last year (2009) they announced a new pricing scheme. It included the price decreased of many of its popular products such as brewed coffees and lattes. This action is in order to confront the danger of the other organization with offering lower price coffee such as McDonald’s stealing price sensitive customers (Claire Cain Miller 2009). However, in this article written by Claire Cain Miller in the New York Times, it also mentioned Starbucks increased some drinks’ price including Frappuccinos and caramel macchiatos. The reason is that Starbucks thought there are less competition from rivals in higher-end more complex drinks. Starbucks is attempting to make the most profit from its loyal customers who are desired on its products and expecting they will patronize Starbucks continually. Jobber and Fahy (2009) stated that positioning strategy is one of the key factors influencing price-setting decisions. Positioning strategy includes the creation of a differential advantage and the preference of target market. These factors affect price enormously. In addition, price is the main element to make great influence to the marketing strategies since it is the only factor of the marketing mix that impact on the generates revenue directly. Indeed, the pricing strategy plays a very important role of organizations because it is can be a good indicator of its future growth potential.