Strategic Management Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management Plan - Research Paper Example The core competencies of the company have also been discussed so that measures can be adopted in order to enhance the core skills and expertise of the company. The basic business strategies of the company have also been discussed and the new strategies were designed keeping in mind the basic strategies. An organization chart has been shown to have a clear idea regarding the hierarchy of the company. The significant role played by Information Technology (IT) in the company has been discussed and the advantages of it have also been highlighted. The study also throws light on the fact that the company actively uses the IT which makes the operations of the company much easier. It has also been seen regarding the advantages that can be derived from IT to help people access information about medicines and other related topics quite easily and that too without needing a prescription. The need for control systems in the company for quality check and the need for a crisis management plan have also been discussed. ... Strategic planning is a tool of management which facilitates an organization to keep its energy focused, make sure that the employees and other members are working keeping in view the common goal of the organization and assist to evaluate and amend the course of the organization in reacting to the environmental changes. Strategic planning is a closely controlled endeavor to generate basic actions and decisions that would help in shaping and directing an organization (Namac, 2009). Strategic planning is known to be a ‘game plan’ that helps in achieving competitive advantage and fetch in high profits. Therefore, it can be understood that strategic planning is an indispensable part of every business, irrespective of the size of business. Large businesses have more time and resources to dedicate to strategic planning whereas small businesses have the advantage to act quickly and be in close contact with the stakeholders (May, 2010). Strategic plan of an organization is consi dered to be the base on which each and every activity of business can be linked and associated with (Lawlor, n.d). To get a proper understanding, a strategic plan will be designed for the organization, Pfizer and the vital elements of the particular strategic plan will be discussed. Overview of the Company Two cousins named Charles Erhart and Charles Pfizer established Pfizer in the year 1849. It is a pharmaceutical company that is devoted towards developing and finding out improved ways to treat and resist disease. The company aims at improving well being and health of people across the globe. The company operates a website of medicine safety where all kind of queries related to medicines are answered and allows people to access information regarding important

Tinnitus and Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tinnitus and Noise-Induced Hearing Loss - Essay Example In this discussion tinnitus is defined as: "The perception of a sound that results exclusively from the activity within the nervous system without any corresponding mechanical, vibrating activity with the cochlea." Almost every known hearing problem is in someway associated with tinnitus. For approximately 40 million Americans, it is a permanent condition. It is considered a debilitating condition for around 10 million of those individuals (USACHPPM, 2010). It is important to know that tinnitus does not cause hearing loss. However, the two together can interfere with concentration, focus, and attention span within an individual. Noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus have even been associated with insomnia and depression (USACHPPM, 2010). So, what is the treatment for noise-induced tinnitus According to USACHPPM (2010), "The short answer is that chronic, noise-induced tinnitus is not treatable, but there are management strategies that attempt to control reactions to the tinnitus."

Promote Person Centred Approaches Essay Example for Free

Promote Person Centred Approaches Essay 1.1 Person centred planning (PCP) should encompass every aspect of a service users support. Effective PCP is designed to ensure that the individual’s needs are always central when creating an effective support plan. Aspects such as an individuals goals, history, communication requirements, likes, dislikes and personal preferences should all be dutifully incorporated to create a fair, effective and unique care plan. For example, we have to respect the choices of the User. If the spiritual believes could appear not adequate for us, doesn’t mean that we are right and they are wrong. We need to do everything we can for help to promote adequate and good care for this user respecting their choices, independence and privacy. 1.2 The Care Plan is our bible. It provide all the information we need to provide the care  that the Users desire. The person is at the centre of our work, this mean we need plan and let the person to maintain their independent. Care Plans need to be review regularly to fulfil the individuals needs. Using effective care plans that apply person centres values provides the service user the chance to create a plan that it directly linked to their values and needs. Nobody likes to feel as though a generic method of care is applied when considering his or her support needs. Everyone is unique with requirements that relate exclusively to them 2.3 It is important to remain flexible when considering a service users support needs. An individual will always be changing and growing so it is important that this is reflected within their care plan. For example when I have previously supported NP goals relating to his ability to gain confidence whilst walking outside had to be met in a way that made the goal attainable. At first a goal of independent walking had been included within his IPP however any strict detail as to why and how this were to be most effectively achieved had to be assessed whilst communicating with him during our 1:1 support sessions. It turned out hat this goal was advised so that he could gain the confidence to go to work independently  without the need to get a life from his relative. As we would commonly visit the supermarket we created a method whereby the journey to the local supermarket was broken into segments where he would walk independently, slowly managing a further and further distance each week. Had I said that he should walk the entire journey by himself without breaking it down into manageable steps this goal would have not been completed. Therefore the effective completion of this goal was only attained through the needs of the individual being met on a personal level. 3.1 Mental capacity can be a complicated and ever adapting benchmark when assessing a person’s ability to do what is best for themselves. People must always be allowed to make mistakes as this will always be an inalienable human right of any individual. Ensuring that people do not put themselves or anyone else in direct  and immediate danger is the reason behind why the mental capacity act has been created. Factors such as anxiety and tiredness can affect an individuals ability to express consent which is reflective of their true needs. When a care plan is created it is always best to do it at a time and place where a service user feels relaxed and able to express their needs in a manner that is in alignment with their true feelings. For example at time times when I have supported ES he has been unable to convey a true account of his feelings due to being anxious at the time. If this is the case it is best for ES to spend some time doing relaxation exercises so that he can effectively participate in the design of his IPP. 3.3 For example when we admin Medications Stop any other activities we are doing, check and read all the information we have (care plan, MAR chart, blister pack ) Log in the LogBook. If anything happen, report immediately to line manager, inform the user and report it in the LogBook. If consent cannot be readily established an assessment of the persons capacity would need to be carried out. Firstly it would have to be considered that the individual understands what they are being asked to do, why they are being asked to do it and to what the concequences of their  choices may be. It is worth considering if they are relaxed, tired or preoccupied at this time. It can be beneficial to implement relaxation exercises to try and calm down a service user or even getting in touch with their family to ensure that their needs are fully met. If they are putting themselves or anyone else in immediate danger it can at points be necessary to contact emergency services depending on the severity of the situation. However this should always remain a the last option available when trying to diffuse a situation. 4.1 Encouraging people to do as much as possible for themselves , settings goals and task. Listening and acknowledging someone strengths and weakness. Allow individuals time to think and evolve in what they want to do. Recognising achievements however big or small they have made. If they cannot understand or make decisions by their self, the next of kin will be informed and asked. The order usually is spouses, parents, children (this may change) 5.3 Risk assessments are a vital part to an individuals care plan. It ensures that they will not be putting themselves or anyone else in danger. Whilst being an important part of any care plan they should remain as non invasive as possible to ensure that a service users retains the right to make their own choices. Certain risk assessments will contain a higher risk factor than others. It is when risks such as crossing road in a dangerous manner are enacted that the service users choice can become secondary to the fact that they are putting themselves in immediate danger. Risk factors such as ones that relate to dietary factors often have a smaller risk factor making it more possible to fully involve the service user in the decision making process when trying to effectively manage the risk in question. 5.4 Ensuring they have the correct information and know when these decision were made on their behalf. Inform them of the rights that they have. Assisting on searching of more information which that may help them make their decisions. If they would  like to make a complaint, inform them the Company policy and help them in  making the complaint if necessarily 6.1 : Personal Identity is the way we see our self and is related to our self image. This is important because it we will affect the way we feel about our self ( self esteem ) Personal Identity includes: Who we are What make us unique What are our values Physical identity Internal Identity Personals Goals 6.2 Those can be very different for different reasons but everyone can reach a good level of fulfilment. For someone could be physical or mental health. Is important that everyone knows this fact because will improve well-being and therefore our level or care. For example one person is important be eating a health meal or for another is not important. Or for an individual is important go to church but for other is more appealing watching a TV show. 6.3 When supporting an individual it is important to make sure that you can meet their needs in a way that promotes their sense of identity, self-image and self-esteem. When I have supported MC he has explained about how he has felt unfairly treated at work. This was mainly due to his lack of career progression as well a request for a transfer not being met, although having been promised. To help with this we constructed an information leaflet about his condition, which we gave to his employers so that they were fully aware of how to best interact with him. I also started communicating with his employer about getting a transfer to a branch that was closer to where he lived. As a result of this he has now been transferred closer to where he lives as well as feeling more valued as an employee. This has helped with develop his self-identity and self image through an increased sense of self worth as well as helping to improve his self-esteem. 7.1 A Risk Assessment will be done depending on the circumstances and surrounding. Like if the user live in the community or live in a care home. The risks are different in those scenarios and different actions need to be taken for make the living area safe. Risk assessments help decipher whether an individual needs 1:1 support or 2:1 support. They can also allow health  care professionals to implement safeguarding techniques to guarantee that the service user will not come into harm. This can include procedures such as giving individuals location devices if they are prone to wondering of whilst not being fully aware of their actions amongst many other advantageous practices to ensure the individuals safety. 7.2 The purpose of risk assessment is to eliminate any risk that may cause harm or loss to both service user and carer worker. However, in relation to the service user is important to remember their human rights are respected. For example the right to choose. If they are assessed also for a Mental Health Capacity and the outcome show that they are able to decide they are allow to make unwise or eccentric decisions. However it is important to identify the risk or possible outcomes, inform the Service User which will support to make a decision that will possibly involve taking some risks. 7.3 : Everyone’s circumstances could change over time in better or worse. Is important to identify any furthers changes or risks so the care plan can reflect the person immediate needs. Also people opinions and what they wants may change. Is important to keep the â€Å"person centred care approach† in mind all the times and during reviews. Also keep in mind our duty of care. the goal of effective support is help empower service users to the point where they feel able to lead an independent and rewarding life. As this is the goal of any support provider they must be aware that for one to achieve this they need to learn to manage the risks that they are subjected to in an independent manner. Therefore as a person grows and develops towards a heightened state of independence it is important to let them take control of their own lives and that means realising that risks that they may have formerly posed a threat to their well being will be withdrawn as they will know how to autonomously manage these hazards themselves.

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan China Marketing Essay

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan China Marketing Essay This paper aims at outlining the strategic marketing approach of Costa Coffee for entering a new market . Costa Coffee is the British part or retail sales of Whitbread Family. Whitbread is a British Multinational Company and it has franchises worldwide. Whitbread includes Hotels, Restaurants [Household names like TGI Friday], Health and Fitness plus Other Businesses. The contents of this paper include the marketing strategy of Costa Coffee and its expansion plans in China. Introduction The Story The history of Costa Coffee began in a mountain town outside the region of Parma, where there was the house of Costa family. In the late 60s, the Italian brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa, hungry for success, traveled to England, seeking an opportunity for professional advancement. By arriving there, they found how simple the English coffee market was. Motivated by their Italian background and Sergios skills in the roasting of coffee beans, they decided to return to Milan to enrich their knowledge and technique in Italian coffee shops. In 1971, upon their return to London, they bought a three-story building in Lambeth, where they set up their own coffee shop. In the beginning, the Costa brothers worked as producers and wholesalers and were supplying high-class restaurants and specialty stores. Soon, they built their reputation for their dedication to excellent quality of their product. However, in 1978 they had to find some employment for their wives in order not to interfere in their business. Therefore, they decided to create their first coffee boutique in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, and assigned its management to their wives. This idea experienced tremendous success, and led the brothers to the expansion of Costa coffee boutiques and award their management to relatives and friends. Since the opening day of the first store to date, the same traditional method of slow roasting (18-22 minutes) of coffee beans is used, offering the delicious and fragrant blend Mocha Italia, from 6 Arabica beans and 1 Robusta. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Today, Costa Coffee owns 500 shops worldwide. Costa Coffee believes in its employees skills therefore, it provides intensive employee training at the Cost Coffee Academy. VISION: Costa Coffee vision is to provide the best hospitality to its customers since its range of hospitality products range includes restaurants, hotels and leisure clubs. MISSION: To serve the best coffee in the true Italian style. BUSINESS PORTFOLIO: Costa Coffee has built an unrivaled reputation for coffee excellence, and this is achieved by fully controlling the process, from harvest and selection of coffee beans, from the roasting of the Italian maestros, the choice of engines and compliance with the procedures of manufacture of beverages, ensuring this way that customers can enjoy the same excellent quality coffee at any of Costa Coffee in the world. The drinks are served in 3 different sizes Primo, Medio and Massimo, and the customer can choose between the unique blend of Mocha Italia, or decaf, whole or skim milk and add an extra dose of espresso, flavored syrup, cream, candy or chocolate. There are 15 factors that are combined and help to create the perfect Costa coffee. In addition, in every store worldwide regular controls take place, which ensure consistency and maintenance of quality. Every Costa Coffee has a Barista Maestro (coffee expert) responsible for maintaining the excellence of the drinks served. COSTA COFFEE AND STARBUCKS: Starbucks is the largest competitor of Costa Coffee. Starbucks is the leader in the coffee shop market. Its international presence is in 50 countries. On the other hand, Costa Coffee, is the third biggest coffee specialist in the market with shops in 25 countries. Both companies have an excellent financial performance up to 2005 but in 2008 there was a decrease in revenue and operating profit as a result of the global economic recession. However, in 2009. Starbucks has an improving in cost structure and therefore its liquidity is better than Costa Coffee since it has managed to pay its short term debts. A key factor for both companies is globalization since most leading players in the foodservice market expand their operations in other countries. So the future success of Costa Coffee will be based on its operations outside the UK. The same applies for Starbucks. . THE CHOICE OF CHINA: China is one of the biggest economic forces in the world. Its domestic market is larger so there is a lot of potential for multinational businesses. Its average GDP growth rate is more than 10% despite the global economic crisis (10.9% last quarter 2009) (BBC China economy 2009). International financial analysts believe that the growth of the Chinese economy will continue. Regarding the coffee industry in China, it should be noticed that competition is quite intense but sales in cafes has grown by 8% to RMB36billion (over  £3,487million). It should also be noticed that in 2009 coffee shops chains had a growth of 22% (Euromonitor International August 2009,Cafà ©s/bars China). However, the Chinese market for many international companies is considered a tough market since it is difficult to understand local culture and customeCNY. Therefore, many companies pursue joint ventures and strategic alliances in order to do business in China. In 1998, Starbucks entered China and it has 180 coffee shops. In 2006, Costa Coffee entered China in a different way i.e. through a joint venture with Yueda Group which is based in Jiangsu Province. This was done because a local partner knows the market better so market penetration for the new entrant is easier. However, this also means that Costa Coffee is heavily dependent on Yueda. Costa Coffee has a strong Italian aura that aims at attracting the Chinese market. Affluent Chinese customers want to taste a coffee that is represented by a global brand name. So far, Starbucks has been quite successful in this area. The risk is that by being a partner with Yueda, the brand will be customized too much therefore, Costa will lose its competitive advantage which is the Italian aura. Starbucks has very aggressive expansion plan in China. The crucial point is if Costa Coffee will maintain its brand essence and will not be customized. In this case, Costa Coffee will be a strong competitor to Starbucks. Future trends Strategy The main issue for chained coffee shops is to create a unique experience that cannot be easily copied. The consumers want to enjoy their coffee in a nice environment. The coffee shop space should be comfortable with an ambiente that will be inviting so the consumers will return to the shop again. People will want to live the espresso experience at home so the sales of equipment and coffee will increase as well as the demand for better and higher quality of coffee and beverages in coffee shops. Corporate social responsibility is another issue that chained coffee shops should take care on. They have to prove that they implement ethical practices. Regarding marketing, researchers predict that chained coffee shops will use mobile apps and have social networking tools in the very near future. COSTA COFFEE Financial Data Turnover:  £263.8m (2008:  £216.3m) Operating profit before exceptional items:  £22.7m (2008:  £20.8m) Number of outlets: 881 in the UK, 407 overseas Total Revenue  £ (m) Strategy Our target for Premier Inn during 2009/10 is to deliver around 2,000 new rooms in the UK and overseas. We have a strong pipeline of secured sites and will continue to develop a land bank. Internationally, our first hotel opened in Dubai during 2008 and we will build on this position, intending to open a further two hotels in the Emirates plus one in India. We plan to open around 100 new Costa outlets in the UK in 2009/10. We will capitalise on our strong Costa brand by focusing on new locations, as well as areas where we can replace existing operators, such as in supermarkets, hospitals and leisure facilities. Costa will also continue to strengthen its position across international markets, adding 100 net new stores in the year ahead. MARKETING OBJECTIVES: Enter Greek market and develop a significant market share; Increase product portfolio by new high caliber products; Bring more value to shareholders; Be a leader in its field for customer service; Develop alliances with commercial partners and the communities in which Costa Coffee shops operate. TARGET MARKET Costa Coffee offers a wide range of products suitable for all consumeCNY. So far, coffee in China is consumed in big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou). Coffee producers have targeted young professionals since they are the most westernized, affluent and open-minded. However, they see it as something that is in fashion rather than a regular habit. Another target group for coffee consumption are returnees i.e. Chinese that studied in Western countries and come back to China. They are also affluent and they are accustomed to visiting coffee shops. Ex- pats are another target group. Chinas economic growth has attracted a lot of investments from foreign companies. Ex-pats are used to drink coffee and their number increases every year. It has been estimated that businessmen from Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Westerners amount to 30% of customers at multinational chained coffee shops as Starbucks. The above customer base has been quite saturated so there is a need to increase customer base. However, coffee is considered a luxury good and the average Chinese cannot pay for a cup of coffee. The average Chinese annual income is RMB 8000 yuan whereas a small cup of Starbucks coffee costs RMS 12 yuan ($1.5 which is the same price as in USA). In the big cities the average annual income is higher however it is still difficult for someone to consume a cup of coffee. If coffee still goes on being considered as a luxury good, it will happen the same thing as in Japan i.e. it will take China more than 90 years to make coffee popular. Market Segmentation: Based on the above the following market segments were defined: Young / Mature professionals Returnees Ex-pats Students Middle Class Upper Middle Class Single Married Bus section and train/airplane passengers Marketing Strategy: Costa Coffee will follow Market Development strategy and the reason for choosing this strategy will be explained below: CURRENT NEW PRODUCTS PRODUCTS 1. Market Penetration Strategy 3. Product Development Strategy 2. Market Development Strategy 4. Diversification Strategy CURRENT MARKETS NEW MARKETS   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Coffee is considered a luxury good. This misperception hinders businesses in identifying customer groups and implement marketing strategies. This misperception also hinders the majority of the population to get acquainted with coffee. The same happened in Japan, where coffee was also considered as a luxury beverage with unreasonably high prices. It has taken almost 90 years for Japan to get acquainted with coffee and still per capita coffee consumption is quite low. This makes things worse since Japan sets the trend for Taiwan and South Korea.   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬In China coffee shops open every day in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. However, the average Chinese cannot afford a cup of coffee everyday. Multinational coffee companies have faced difficulties in developing the Chinese coffee market. Although they know how to penetrate mature markets but they see that they have difficulty in immature coffee markets. These companies need to understand better China and its people. Without understanding them all marketing campaigns will be in vain. A characteristic example is the marketing campaign of Nestle which was targeting at the young middle class Chinese although in reality this class does not exist or even if it existed they would not be heavy coffee drinkeCNY. Starbucks has increased awareness but it needs a different strategy for the Chinese market. Only KFC has been quiet successful. Starbucks success cannot be considered as sustainable since it was based on management, financial power and brand name whereas the Chinese market needs entrepreneurship to advance it and this is what Costa Coffee is planning to do. Coffee has been promoted by the Chinese government through festivals and fashion awards however these strengthened the misperception of coffee being a luxury good. Local coffee shops add too many side things such as food, spirits etc. Therefore, they dilute the idea of coffee. Coffee is a product that does not hurt health, stimulates the brain and it is addictive. Based on researches someone who has drunk coffee three times a week for two months in the row is addicted to coffee. Brain stimulation is important for personal wealth and intelligence. Coffee became popular because coffee shops were focused at making the customer accustomed with coffee. When people get accustomed then the market develops at an extremely fact pace. The coffee shop is important for this development and a coffee shop can be a seated place or coffee stands and carts. It is important to make people drink coffee and then offer them ground coffee. Many companies have found as an excuse the fact that tea is dominant in China and there is no place for coffee in a tea dominant country. However, there are no major tea companies that can compete international coffee giants nor is there a specific promotion to protect tea. On the contrary local society support the development of coffee houses and it is not negative to coffee. Costa Coffee will focus on making people drink more coffee. Its new coffee shops will be around areas where people gather such as Universities, stations and office buildings etc. This can be the best promotion since if one group of people becomes loyal to coffee then it will influence other consumer groups. Costa Coffee will focus specifically on these people and its promotions will be measurable and specific. Coffee has an unbeatable image in China and it is known to everyone. Costa Coffee will be based on the quick service restaurant (QSR) concept. QSR is based on the idea of offering cheap, clean and good food and its purpose is to sell to a wider range of population. Costa Coffee plans to adopt this concept. Coffee has a high profit margin but food is what attracts people to the coffee shop. Costa Coffee already offers more products than coffee; however it should plan to add more snacks that are better suited to local customers and a cheaper but good quality filter coffee for taking away. Many local Chinese coffee shops offer food however, they have not formulated a strategy so they cannot be considered as potential competitoCNY. So far in these shops the restaurant is separated form the coffee house something that it is not the case of Costa Coffee. In the next two years the aim is to introduce new product lines that will be offered at affordable prices for the average Chinese consume r. It should be noticed that this does not mean price cutting since this will hurt Costa Coffees brand name. The location of the new coffee shops is also an important part of Costa Coffee strategy. Up today, the coffee shops were opened at locations where population is dense and the income is high. As a result, the rental prices are quite high. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning to open new shops at bus stations and other busy intersections where rents are lower and the traffic is big. The marketing strategy that will be followed to China is important since it influences neighboring states such as South Korea which is also a new coffee consuming country. If the model of highly expensive coffee will be followed then the consequences will be similar to Taiwan and Hong Kong where there is a negative trend in coffee growth. à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths Weaknesses Established brand name worldwide Expensive prices for the average Chinese consumer Wide range of products Starbucks dominant position in the market Third ranked coffee shop chain in the world Coffee is considered a luxury good Know how of Yuda (local partner) Tea is the daily beverage of the average Chinese Opportunities Threats Big market potential a lot of Chinese Consumers that do not drink coffee Stagnant coffee growth due to high prices Unbeatable image of coffee Possible marketing enforcement of tea companies No competitors are located at bus intersections PESTEL ANALYSIS: Political China has a stable political environment that welcomes foreign direct investments. Economic The Chinese economic growth is impressive (10% per annum). Social Although the income of the average Chinese consumer is low, there is a growing middle class -190 million urban households, or 29%. According to McKinsey, middle class is expected to expand to 75% (372 million), by 2025 (DAltorio 2011). Technological New coffee machines are produced so making coffee at home is easier. Environmental There is a trend in producing organic coffee. Legal There are no legal issues involved. MARKET POSITIONING: The positioning strategy of Costa Coffee will be in line with its international strategy i.e. THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS. The competitive advantage of Costa Coffee is the quality of their coffee. The image of the company is that is has a UNIQUE coffee. Another positioning of Costa Coffee is that this excellent coffee quality can be offered with affordable prices (launch of the new take away filter coffee). THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS This is the tag line that will communicate the Italian aura of Costa Coffee to the mass audience. Since Chinese consumers perceive well the Italian atmosphere it is expected that it will attract more people to Costa Coffee. MARKETING MIX: Product: Brand Name: Costa Coffee is a well established brand that signifies luxury, perfection and excellence. Chinese consumers prefer established brand names. Image/Theme: Luxury Costa Coffee is related to luxury. The coffee shops ambiance is trendy and comfortable. Customers will have a nice time in a flashy environment. However, this luxury image should be cleverly related with the new, affordable, take away filter coffee. The message that will be transmitted is luxury can be affordable and can be taken with you. Color Scheme Costa Coffees shops are in warm tones having brown as the main color. Other colors that are used are green, black and white. The purpose of this color selection is the creation of a comfortable and trendy atmosphere. Service: Apart from coffee, Costa has a reputation of excellent service. Hiring and retaining talented employees and train them accordingly is a strategic goal of the company. Product variety: ESPRESSO A short, strong and black coffee, with no milk. ESPRESSO DOPPIO A double espresso shot. For those who like it strong. RISTRETTO An extra short coffee, even shorter than an espresso, with an even stronger flavour. MACCHIATO Espresso topped with just a dash of milk. Yum. AMERICANO Coffee, mixing shots of espresso with hot water. Add milk if you like. FLAT WHITE A rich, full-flavoured coffee with a velvety, smooth texture. Each Flat White is hand-finished with a distinctive pattern. CAPPUCCINO Coffee combining espresso with steamed, frothy milk. Chocolate on top if you have a sweet tooth. CAFFE LATTE Coffee made with steamed milk. Not as strong as a cappuccino, but just as good. MOCHA Espresso with hot chocolate, topped with steamed, frothed milk. (Source: Costa Coffee 2010) Costa Coffee products variety includes iced tea and coffees as well as cakes, pastries, Panini and sandwiches. Prices: Costa Coffee prices are generally higher than other coffee shops. High prices are related to the outstanding quality and taste of Costa Coffee. Therefore, the traditional customer groups of Costa Coffee are high and middle classes. Costa Coffee believes that a reduction in its prices will harm its brand name. However, it wants to increase its Chinese customer base so it will offer a filter coffee for takeaway at affordable prices. Chinese middle class growth rate is significant, it will reach 372 million by 2025, it is a social class that cannot be neglected. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning in the next three years to offer its products at affordable prices for the Chinese middle class without harming its brand name. Locale / Setting: The next Costa Coffee shops will be at busy intersections e.g. bus, train stations and at areas where office buildings and Universities are located. It will focus again on the big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. The aim for the next three year is to have 30 new coffee shops at both cities. Promotion: Costa Coffee will not do a lot of advertising since its brand name is recognized. However, there will be special sales promotions at its new shops for the new filter coffee that can be taken away. Costa Coffee is based on word of mouth advertising since reputation is very important. MARKET DEMAND It is important to measure the market before launching new products and shops. It is also important to measure the market after the launch of the new products / shops so as to see their effects and gain a larger market share. Growth Share Matrix There are two factors that are important for the expansion to new markets and these are : market attractiveness and the Business Strength. Market Attractiveness Business Strength Factors Rate Factors Rate Overall Market Size 70% increase (2004-2012) Market Share 5.0 Annual Market Growth Rate 7.8 Product Quality 5 Competitive Intensity 4 Brand Reputation 4.5 Technological Requirements 2.5 Distribution Channel 3.5 Inflationary Vulnerability 4.9 Promotional Effectiveness 4.5 Productive Efficiency 4 Managerial Personnel 3.5 Market Attractiveness As it is seen above, the attractiveness of the Chinese market is very high. The annual growth rate of the coffee market is high. There are no significant technological requirements since Costa Coffee already possesses advanced technology. Inflation is quite high and it seems that it will increase in the near future, however the targeted market groups remain unaffected (growing Chinese middle class). Partnership with Yuda will protect Costa Coffee from any possible dangers. Therefore, the Chinese market is very attractive and suitable for coffee shops expansion. Business Strength Costa Coffee is part of the well-known Whitbread Family. The quality of Costa Coffee is unquestionable. Costa Coffee owns more than 500 stores worldwide. Its outlets are in Europe, UK, Middle East, India, Pakistan and China. In order to maintain its excellent reputation, Costa Coffee will continue its policy of recruiting, training and retaining the best available employees in China. Business Strength High Medium Low High Medium Low Costa Coffees Business Strength is high and the overall position is ideal for further expansion into the Chinese market. Projected Sales in CHINA Costa Coffee projected sales are expected to rise to almost 97% in 2012 and this is due to the launch of the new takeaway filter coffee and the new shops at the busy intersections. This rate is expected to slow down (87%) in 2013 and this is because the one time visitors are expected to cease to visit the coffee shops and the existing customer base is expected to remain. An extensive marketing promotion through emails, customer clubs, social media etc. is expected to increase market share. The above numbers are very impressive and expansion seems ideals. Sales forecasts per customer groups are also very promising.: Market 2012 2013 2014 Total Students Youngsters CNY. 20,000,000 CNY. 23,00,000 CNY.6,300,000 CNY 49,300,000 Ex pats and returnees CNY 7,555,000 CNY 7,000,000 CNY. 12,800,000 CNY. 27,355,000 Families CNY. 9,700,000 CNY. 9,850,000 CNY. 17,200,000 CNY. 36,750,000 Professionals CNY. 17,750,000 CNY. 32,750,000 CNY. 92,000,000 CNY. 142,500,000 Totals CNY. 55,005,000 CNY. 72,600,000 CNY. 128,300,000 CNY. 255,905,000 According to the above table it can be seen that professionals is a group that has a lot of potential. This is because the Chinese middle class is rising and the coffee culture is mounting too. Another reason for the increase in sales in professionals is due to the location of the new coffee shops. There will be located in busy intersections where there are many office buildings. Newspapers and other electronic media have approached Costa Coffee and various interviews and programs have been made which boost Costa Coffees reputation even more. BUDGET FORECASTS: The forecasted budget for the upcoming three years is as follows; TYPE 2012 2013 2014 Total Accommodation CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 5,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 Training CNY. 1,500,000 CNY. 500,000 CNY. 4,000,000 CNY. 6,000,000 Transportation CNY. 250,000 CNY. 350,000 CNY. 1,000,000 CNY. 1,600,000 Fixtures CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 CNY. 9,000,000 Total CNY. 5,750,000 CNY. 850,000 CNY. 17,000,000 CNY. 23,600,000 Future promotion and expansion plans: Costa Coffee will be launching more coffee shops in the major cities of China (Beijing and Shangkai) but the plans are to expand all over China after having created a considerable market share in the above cities. The expansion has been planned for the next year that is 2012. In the next two years the next cities where new coffee shops will be located will include Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Costa Coffee is not in favor of extravagant launching campaigns. It supports the use of electronic and social media as well as corporate social responsibility programmes and actions. It also believes in the right location of its shops. So, the marketing activity will be low except the posters that will be in the shops, as sales promotion, advertising the new takeaway filter coffee. ANALYSIS: Costa Coffee has a lot of potential for further intensifying its expansion efforts in China. It already possesses a significant market share in the Chinese market. The reason behind it is the unbeatable image of Costa Coffee and the advertisement (word of mouth) done by people who have visited its outlets. Sales are expected to rise in the following years and they are expected to rise even more in the forthcoming years since Costa Coffee is focusing on the rising Chinese middle class. Students and youngsters in general set the new trends so their influence in increasing coffee consumption and visiting coffee shops is of outmost importance. By further using social media, Costa Coffee is expected to increase its market share in this group. Professionals always seek quiet place to do their official or unofficial meetings. Costa Coffee is an ideal place to do these meetings. Apart from that, Costa Coffees activation in social media will certainly increase its future revenue. In conclusion, it can be said that Costa Coffee has so far implemented an excellent marketing strategy and the new campaign that it will launch for the takeaway filter coffee as well as the location of its new shops will help it increase its sales and gain sustainable competitive advantage. RECOMMENDATIONS: Sales numbers are very promising however the local partner should follow all the below the line activities mentioned. Costa Coffee should continue with low promotional strategies. Apart from posters inside the outlets, Costa Coffee should consider the use of bill boards at the busy intersections.

Kant and Moral Values Essay -- Philosophy Essays Papers

Kant says that moral values are ‘good without qualification.’ This assertion and similar remarks of Plato can be understood in terms of a return to moral data themselves in the following ways: 1. Moral values are objectively good and not relative to our judgments; 2. Moral goodness is intrinsic goodness grounded in the nature of acts and independent of our subjective satisfaction; 3. Moral goodness expresses in an essentially new and higher sense of the idea of value as such; 4. Moral Goodness cannot be abused like intellectual, aesthetic, temperamental and other values; 5. Moral values are good in that they never must be sacrificed for any other value, because they are incomparably higher and should absolutely and ‘first’ be sought for; 6. Moral goodness makes the person as such good; 7. All three different modes of participation in moral values are linked to the absolute, most ‘necessary’ and highest good for the person; 8. Moral Values are go ods "in the unrestricted sense" by being pure perfections in the sense that "neither in this world nor outside it" can we find anything that could be called good unqualifiedly except moral goodness which is absolutely better to possess than not to possess. 9. Moral Values are unconditionally good because they are never just ‘means’ towards ends. 10. Moral values imply a new type of ought which elucidates the ‘absolute sense’ in which they are good. Conclusion: These distinctions allow a better grasp of Kant and Plato as well as of a central ethical truth decisive for the moral education of humankind. Kant calls moral values the only values that are ‘good without qualification,’ and thereby states something very profound about morality. Let us read his great text in which he expresses ma... ...1961. S. 58-84. (8) See John Finnis, Fundamentals of Ethics (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983); see also the same author, Natural Law and Natural Rights (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980). (9) See on this Anselm von Canterbury. Monologion, ch. 15. See also Josef Seifert, Essere e persona. Verso una fondazione fenomenologica di una metafisica classica e personalistica. (Milano: Vita e Pensiero, 1989), ch. 5. (10) Also in Anselm the deepest meaning of ‘maius’ is a moral one. Compare my Gott als Gottesbeweis (Heidelberg: Università ¤tsverlag C. Winter, 1996), ch. 11. (11) See on this Ethics, 2nd edn (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1978), ch. 17-18; Josef Seifert, Josef Seifert, Essere e persona, cit., ch. 9. (12) On a sevenfold motivation of moral acts see Josef Seifert, Was ist und was motiviert eine sittliche Handlung? (Salzburg: Univ.Verlag A. Pustet, 1976).

The Pastoral Ideal in Thomas Grays Elegy (Eulogy) Written in a Country

The Pastoral Ideal in Thomas Gray's Elegy (Eulogy) Written in a Country Churchyard Thomas Gray’s "Elegy Wrote in a Country Churchyard" portrays the pastoral ideal through many different images. The traditional pastoral notion of idyllic life changes in this poem to form a connection with people themselves. The speaker of this poem creates a process by which laborers come to symbolize the perfection of the pastoral through their daily toils. These people come to represent the ideal form of pastoral life. In this poem, however, Gray consigns these people and their lifestyle to darkness and death in order to save them from a world whose changing ideals support their idyllic lifestyle. This poem can be broken into four parts. These parts describe a kind of conversation between the speaker and the fading light of the traditional pastoral notion. The first part, ending around line 28, shows the ways in which the working people have integrated successfully into the pastoral lifestyle. The second, and longest part, ending around line 73, paints a portrait of an "urbanized pastoral" where people are no longer ignorant of their own potential, but strive to make changes in the world around them. Though this in itself is not necessarily negative, by desiring to change the world, the pastoral ideal of static bliss is directly challenged. The third section gives a kind of resolution to the situation by letting the pastoral tradition slide, safe and unmarred, into the comforting darkness of death. The opening stanza paints a portrait of the end of a day. The herds of farm animals walk away from the speaker to their home, just as a weary farmer "plods" (3) his way back home. All of these figures recede from the speaker into the appr... ... poet could the pastoral be kept alive. The speaker deals with this concept throughout "Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard." The "darkness" which is alluded to in the first stanza is the place the world has left the pastoral. As "The Plow-man homeward plods his weary Way," (3) he leaves behind the realm of the pastoral for the speaker to deal with. As society begins to turn its back from fanciful simplicity, towards commercial complexity, the poet’s duty falls to creating a place where the world of the pastoral is safe. For Gray, this is the darkness of death. This poem, however, does not create this "darkness" of death as an everlasting sleep. Rather, the importance of the pastoral is kept safe, and has the ability to influence generations of socially-influenced people that there is a world of peace and simplicity awaiting them, if they choose to look for it. Â  

Samsung Electronics Case Summary

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS SUMMARY Under Kun Hee Lee’s leadership Samsung has risen to become the world’s leading memory producer for all types of PCs, game players, digital cameras and other electronic equipments. In 1987, Samsung was a â€Å"bit player†, years behind its key Japanese rivals. In 2003 Samsung’s memory division is bigger than that of Japanese rivals in both size & profits. The memory chip industry was expected to face cyclical downturn in 2005 and Samsung survived two previous downturns still some outside believers believed that the Chinese entry would fundamentally change industry conditions in the years ahead.There has been a strong growth in economic importance of Semiconductor industry over the previous five decades. Semiconductor products were classified into two categories; Logic chips and memory chips. Logic chips were used for processing information/ control processes whereas Memory chips were further classified into DRAM (Dynamic Random A ccess Memory), SRAM (Static RAM), & Flash to store information. The case is focused on Global memory chip industry. DRAMs captured over half of the memory chip market in 2003. DRAMs were previously used in PCs, but their share declined from 80% to 67% between 1990 and 2003.Telecom & consumer electronics were growing consumers of DRAMs in 2003. Communications products were expected to grow from 3. 5% to 7. 9% in 2008 while TVs, set-top boxes, game devices such as Play station represented 7% of global market in 2003. In 2003, SRAM, a type of buffer memory which facilitated computer processing & mobile phone functionality, accounted for 10% of the industry sales and Flash memory, used in heavy digital cameras & mobile phones, is a hot growth area and account for 32% of the industry sales. The memory industry contained powerful suppliers and price conscious customers.Over time technology grew more complex and suppliers became more concentrated. Only 2-3 main players dominated the key se gments of equipment market. Suppliers of memory raw materials provided discounts of up to 5% for high-volume buyers. Customers were more fragmented with no single OEM controlling more than 20% of global PC market. Memory represented 4-12% of total PC material cost and 4-7% of mobile phone material cost. There was an intense competition in market but OEM would pay upwards of 1% average premium for a reliable supplier.In 2005 industry faced fierce rivalry and large-scale entry by Chinese firms. Samsung announced a decline in market prices of its cutting edge technological products in late 2004 but Chinese firms competing in older product lines traded off profit margins for market share. Chinese competitors had an easy access to local finance and talented local engineers but it lacked Organizational skills & used older technology. MAJOR COMPETITORS: The major competitors of Samsung in 2005 were: Elpida Memory Inc (Japan): Established as a joint venture between NEC and Hitachi.It produc ed memory products for mobile devices & consumer electronics goods. In 2004, it announced that it would start the construction on its 12 inch water fab production. Hynix Semiconductor, Inc. (S. Korea): founded in 1983 as Hyundai Electronics. It changed is name to separate itself from financially troubled Hyundai Group. During 1996 cyclical downturn the company dramatically increased its capital expenditure but in 1999 when market began to expand Hyundai had no resource to increase its capital expenditure and it ended up in decreasing its capital expenditure.In 1999 Hyundai acquired LG Semiconductor which resulted in more debt burden which together with the next cyclical doenturn brought the company at the verge of collapse in 2001-02. A multibillion-dollar bailout allowed the company to survive. It then entered into a joint venture with ST Electronics. Infineon Technologies AG: Germany-based company which spun off from Siemens. In recent years, it entered into the product purchase & capacity agreement with Taiwan-based DRAM manufacturer, Winbond. It also entered into the joint venture with Nanya Technology to build a new plant in Taiwan.In 2005, it had more than 25 R&D locations around the globe. Micron Technology: It is Idaho-USA based company founded in 1978, Acquired Texas Instruments, plants in Texas, Italy, Japan, &Singapore. It purchased Dominion Semiconductor from Toshiba and is backed by Intel. Nanya Technology Corporation: It is the fifth-largest DRAM, Taiwan based manufacturer. In 1998 it purchased DRAM technology from IBM. Nanya and Infineon formed a joint venture named Inotera producing 256Mbit DRAM starting in June 2004. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. SMIC): Established in 2000 and headquartered in Shanghai, China. It took designs from other firms and produced chips based on blueprints. In 2003, SMIC signed agreement with Infineon & and later with Elpida to license technology to SMIC in exchange for purchasing rights to much of th e output. It also bought production facility from Motorola. COMPANY OVERVIEW: In 2005 it was the largest conglomerate (called Chaebol) in South Korea. The total net sales of the group had reached $135 billion in 2004. In 2004 the goup had 337 overseas operations in 58 countries and employed 212,000 people worldwide.Three core business sectors were Electronics, Finance, and Trade & Services. Samsung Electronics was established in 1969 to manufacture black-and-white TV sets. At the end of 2004 the company had $78. 5 billion net sales, $66 billion in assets, 113,000 employees. The company brand value increased from $5. 2 billion in 2000 to $12. 6 billion in 2004. In 2005 Samsung consisted of five business divisions: 1) Digital Media – TV, AV, Computers; 2) Telecom; 3) HDTV; 4) Digital Appliances and 5) Semiconductor Business. DEVELOPMENT OF MEMORY BUSINESSKorea’s semiconductor industry started its wafer production in 1974. Kun Hee Lee, third son of Samsung Group’s founder Byung Chull Lee, bought Korea Semiconductor Company, using his own personal savings. Samsung Electronics was a producer of low-end consumer electronics goods. Kun Hee Lee merged the two companies to create global powerhouse. First semiconductor produced was the â€Å"watch chip,† used in wristwatches. From 1983 to 1985, even as global semiconductor market went into a recession & Intel left the DRAM business, Samsung allocated more than $100 million to DRAM development.At that time cost to produce 64K DRAM was $1. 30, market price below $1. 00. in mid 1980s Samsung built its first large manufacturing facility. To accomplish fast-paced construction, a target was set to build 4-kilometer road in 1 day to receive production equipment. Kun Hee Lee was made Chairman when father retired. Since 1992, semiconductors had been South Korea’s largest export. In 2004, exports totaled to $25. 1 billion that is 10. 4% of the country’s export volume. Samsung Group export ed 22% of Korea’s exports.Samsung Group represented 23% of total market value at the Korea Stock Exchange. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT: To design its first 64K DRAMs in 1980s with outside help the company found Micron in the US which accepted cash payment in exchange for teaching Samsung how to produce 64K DRAMs. To develop ‘frontier’ technology for next generation DRAM, Samsung used internal competition across global R&D sites. The company hired one team composed primarily of Korean-Americans with experience in semiconductor industry and located that team in California.A similar Korean-Americans team was located in S. Korea it was required to compete & collaborate and come up with its own solution. California team won competition for designing 256K DRAM while Korean team won competition for next generation 1Mbit technology. Due to market situations Hitachi took the lead and Samsung came to second Hitachi in the market. Early 1990s, Samsung decided to increase the siz e of wafers used to cut the DRAM chips to eight inches to become number 1 again and they were first to do so.They invested $1 billion towards mastering the new technology and became number 1 again in 1992 and retained leadership for 13 years. PRODUT MIX: In 2003, Samsung offered 1,200 different variations of DRAM products. Products ranged from â€Å"frontier products† (512Mbit DRAM) at the cutting edge of technology to â€Å"legacy products† (64Mbit DRAM). Within each product generation there were â€Å"specialty products† as well. Prices for new-generation products were high for a few quarters before plunging rapidly. â€Å"Legacy† products became high-value niche products.In 2004, Samsung also sought to create some advantages in Flash memory for digital cameras & camera phones. Because market expected to grow at double-digit for another five years in Flash memory while DRAMs would experience a single digit growth and Flash price were high relative to th at of the DRAM. DESIGN AND PRODUCTION: Unlike its competitors, Samsung created new uses for DRAMs. It launched new DRAM products with â€Å"product-specific† applications, for laptops, personal game players etc. Many of them shared a common core design.Even two seemingly different architectures, DDR DRAM & Rambus DRAM shared the same core design. Samsung main R&D facility and fab lines were located at a single site near Seoul whereas, competitors’ facilities were scattered across the globe. The benefit was of collocation and scale of fab which saved them an average of 12% of construction cost. At Samsung’s primary campus, R&D engineers & production engineers lived in the same company-provided housing. Samsung prided itself on the reliability of its products & ability to customize products.But in 1980s & 1990, Samsung was producing poor quality products. Thus in 1994, Lee wrote a book that was delivered to all employees and explained how the Group had lost sight of quality & argued that employees must now think of quality first. The result of this effort was that by the late 1990s, Samsung was routinely winning key industry competitions for reliability and performance. Samsung developed new Flash memory chip for Sony Ericsson & chip customized for Nokia. HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES: It was considered taboo at Samsung to ask a coworker about his or her university or place of origin.Prospective employees were given aptitude test covering language skills, mathematical knowledge, reasoning, & space perception. As a result of more meritocratic evaluation system, younger, high-potential, English-speaking managers were quickly promoted up the hierarchy. Samsung also place programs to invest in employees’ global business skills. Samsung claimed to have invested more in its employees that any other competitors in this industry. They also hired westerners & other foreign talents. According to the Chairman of the company, â€Å"At Samsung, we rewa rd outstanding performance; we do not punish failure.This is my personal philosophy and belief. † STRATEGIC CHALLENGES: In 2005, company faced new challenges from Chinese entrants who were attacking the DRAM market in the way Samsung did 20 years ago. These Companies were using partnerships with Infineon & Elpida with billions of dollars in outside financing to build state-of-art production facilities. Chinese producers have patience to endure years of losses to gain significant market share. China lacked critical infrastructure for cutting-edge semiconductor industry but the Government s firmly committed to subsidizing all infrastructure needs around Shanghai and Beijing.