Coffee and Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Coffee and Starbucks EssayStarbucks has been the most successful deep brown chain using their hard-hitting expansion strategies to surpass its competitors. by means of its expansion, Starbucks has focused on creating a dense network of stores all around US, while also opening up saucy locations all around the world. However, Starbucks aggressive expansion strategies have posed major threats to its financial health such as tight cashflows, increase debts, poor liquidity ratios and etc. In addition, this nestle can exacerbate competition among close Starbucks stores.Due to the aggressive expansion, Starbucks has lost its internal focus in its core business coffee and its unique Starbucks sleep together third place. The issues are how Starbucks can stay profitable in the future and at the same time sustain its dominant position in the gastronome coffee diligence. We have examined the industry analysis that focuses on the industry trends, the firm competitive environment and followed by a SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Finally, we look at the company strategy analysis that focuses on the Starbucks strategic intent and its strategic position.From these analyses, we recommend a few options where Starbucks should pursue moving former in order to avoid further decline and sustain its dominant position. .Company Background History. Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice was established in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zey Siegel and Gordon Bowker in Seattle to sell roasted coffee beans and coffee machines. (See Exhibit 1 for timeline) At that time, the founders philosophy was to provide postgraduate quality coffee and educate the semipublic the art of appreciating fine coffee.It was the founders passion and strong commitment on educating the public that attracted Howard Schultz to join Starbucks in 1982 as the head of the marketing department, overseeing the companys sell stores. On one of his business trips to Milan, Italy, Schultz stumbled upon an opportunity to reva mp Starbucks and shift its focus from its original business activities. Schultzs new business proposition for Starbucks was to coiffe freshly brewed coffee at their outlets which he sold to the founders without success. After some(prenominal) unsuccessful attempts, he left the Company.In 1987, Schultz acquired Starbucks from the founders and changed its name to the more abbreviated Starbucks and modified her logotype to what we see today. After the acquisition, he introduced the idea of The Starbucks experience to all Starbucks outlets that is to create a comfortable atmosphere for patrons to relax. From then on, every Starbucks outlet was the perfect facsimile of this concept. In 1992, Starbucks had launched an IPO and its common stock was being traded on the Nasdaq. In 1995, Starbucks venture overseas and formed a joint venture with SAZABY Inc to open Starbucks stores in Japan.In 1996, Starbucks first oversea outlet was opened in Tokyo. Today, Starbucks has a total of 7,087 C ompany operated stores and 4,081 certify stores in US. Additionally, it has 1,796 Company operated stores and 2,792 Joint Venture and License store operating in other 43 countries. .Definition of the Industry, Competitors and Scope of Analysis Generally, Starbucks is in the Food and Beverages industry. However for the purpose of this paper, we would define Starbucks to be in the gourmet coffee industry with the following competitors Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Costa Coffee Caribou Coffee.(See Exhibit 2 for a shortened write up on reasons for the choice of these competitors and some background information of them) For the purpose of this paper, our analysis will be focusing on Starbucks in US and Australia. The next section provides an overview of the gourmet coffee industry and the competitive environment in US and Australia. .Overview of the Industry. .Political strings. Generally both the US and the Australia political situation appeared to be well established and stable. This wi ll provide a good platform for both current businesses and new businesses to operate in.In US, contempt the current verge of recession, the political mood is still potential to favour increased regulation of businesses. In addition, even though international tensions are likely to abide but their push on political stability and economy will remain minimal. Similarly in Australia, the political climate is likely to remain relatively stable. Although the relationship between the federal government and the states had been rocky in the past it has rectifyd afterward the introduction of a more stable command for revenue distribution..Economical Forces. USReal economic return is expected to slow from an estimated 4% in two hundred8 to 3. 8% in 2009. The modest slowdown reflects the impact of lower demand from its trading partner. As these exists imbalances in the economy and the poor short-term outlook for growth, it is assumed that conditions in the US are now recessive and tha t growth will remain very weak in 2009. This will in turn affect the GDP and the disposable income of its residents. Australia Traditionally, rapid growth in Australia has been slowdown recently due to recession.Improved monetary and fiscal management have reduced macroeconomic volatility, but risks and imbalances are present. The low domestic nest egg rate renders the banking system dependant on foreign financing. The current account deficit is large, and international financial markets may start to worry about the implicit in(p) causes. Bubble conditions also seem to exist in the housing market. .Socio-cultural Forces Consumers Perceptions and Disposable Income. US There had been an increase in coffee consumption in the US market though the rate had slowed down in 2005 posing threats to coffee retailers.Recently, US consumers had increasingly opt for healthier hot drinks such as teatime and RTD beverages which affect coffee consumption rate. The trend is likely to continue, lead ing to decline in coffee consumption. Australia Coffee sales had experienced quite lukewarm growth from 2000 to 2005. The culture of cafe had caused more people to opt for on-trade sales coffee at the cafe instead of home-brewed coffee. According to BIS Shrapnel, people increasingly feed to go to cafes for their coffee and in that location is an increase of 50% within 2 years in coffee consumption. .Technological Forces Technological Developments.Technological changes have created many new products and processes. It helps to reduce comprises, improve quality and lead to innovations which in turn benefits consumers as well as organizations. Many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had recognized the importance of providing wireless internet access and Wi-Fi hotspots to its patrons. These technology advances had created a leisure place for patrons to surf net or hang out after home and work. Most of the organizations had also introduced automated coffee machines to speed u p the brewing process so as to shorten waiting time.To further improve business operations and efficiency, some organizations have also make use of information technology systems to help them run their businesses more smoothly. .Environmental Forces. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming, many organizations in the gourmet coffee industry had increased their environment awareness by reduced the usage of disposable cups to serve coffee and increased the use of ceramic mugs. Furthermore, the organizations had also reduced the size of their paper napkins, paper bags and in store garbage bags.The organizations were also encouraged to grease ones palms Fairtrade certified coffees so as to promote responsible environmental and economic efforts. The following section presents our analysis of gourmet coffee industry with the aid of Michael Porters 5 Forces model. . Analysis of Gourmet Coffee Industry- Porter 5 Forces. Please refer to exhibit 3 for the criteria used for the scoring of each forces and an analysis of each forces. Force 1 Threat of New Entry. Threat of new entry is high. High start up cost involved in purchasing equipments, sourcing for coffee beans and training barista.Strong brand indistinguishability leading to high switching cost for consumers Score 10 Force 2 Threat of Substitutes. Substitutes are gourmet coffee of a different brand Current gourmet coffee industries is saturated High switching cost Threat of substitutes considered to be relatively high Score 6 Force 3 negotiate Power of Suppliers. Majority of commercially available coffee beans come from a few industrializes countries. Increase the cost of coffee houses in sourcing and gaining access to these high quality coffee beans.Bargaining power of suppliers is relatively high Score 5 Force 4 Bargaining Power of ConsumersBargaining power of customers is relatively neutral. Current player gained brand loyalty Product differentiation helps to retain current customer and attr act new customers. However price sensitive customers might seek for cheaper alternative. Score 0 Force 5 Rivalry between Competitors. Intensity of rivalry is moderate. Brand identity and high switching cost is relatively unfavorable to new player that has just entered the market. Score 3.ConclusionFrom the above analysis, we noted that the threat of new entry, the negotiate power of the supplier and threat of substitutes are relatively high. On the other hand the bargaining power of the consumers is neutral and the intensity of rivalry is moderate. Hence from the above analysis we concluded that even though there is high intensity of rivalry in this industry it is still considered to be attractive. This is because, according to report from Mintel, there is still potential for growth in the coffee industry as the number of coffee houses in US itself had increased by 70% from 200 to 2005. .Key Success Factors.The key success factors in the gourmet coffee industry includes -ensure pr oduct quality by applying the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh rake of coffee -provide a cozy atmosphere where people relax and chill out -recruit passionate people who love coffee and equipped them with skills to provide upmarket customer service -reduce customer waiting time by implementing many innovations to speed up the process -accelerate innovation in producing products of a much superb quality than that of its competitors and -locate stores at high traffic, high visible locations.

The Robot in the Crib Essay Example for Free

The Robot in the Crib Essay1) The background or need for the reputation, and the authors hypotheses or expectations. Ones life is the distance that matchless covers from the womb to the tomb. It is the mammoth journey, the joint efforts of about 500million sperm. They travel through the vagina, move to the uterus and reach the fallopian tube. Since sperm have a sense of smell, they smell their trend to the egg. When egg and sperm merge and become one, conception takes place. ..And this is the beginning of enquiry, for a set of individuals that argon outside the womb-the brain scientists/the developmental psychologists The growth of two reprinting yet one consciousnesses, one growing within the other, is the marvel of nature, which is the concern of scientists for investigation. The actual study tie in to the subject of this article is the post-womb growth of the child, when it comes out later completing the nine months journey within. Research has revealed that human being s develop the capacity to understand others intentions during early in the commencement ceremony year of life. The developmental scientists lay emphasis of the brilliance of little minds and caution not to underestimate the brain capacity of the babies.It has been sustaind that the newborn babies, 42 fine old, imitate facial expressions. Stick your tongue out and see that the baby sticking its tongue out. This behavior is the pointer to something intense and deep within. The baby knows much than what you imagine it to know. Why and how the infants behave the way they do? Will roboticsts be able to match and reproduce the movements and talents related to various expressions of infants accurately? This is the prime motivation for research by the Developmental Psychologists.2) A brief description of the participants, procedure, and methodsWhat is fundamental to human thought is the ability to read the intentions of other people. Not the physical motions involved, alone the goals o r intentions that cause these motions are primal. Initially, infants action is that of grasping. Secondly even when the baby does not physically act on, it has the foundation for understanding when others attend to objects. To cite an example, when a person opens the lid of a box, the baby becomes aware that the goal is not the box, notwithstanding the object inside the box. Further developments will provide the foundation, the initiative to tick from their caregivers. During the second year, children adopt critical abilities, like language, culturally appropriate behavior etc. They constantly observe the adults and try to emulate them.Developmental psychologists have consecrated significant effort to studying the developmental progression of infant imitation skills, because imitation underlies the infants ability to understand and learn from his or her societal environment.(Demirisa.) This has been an ideal recognize for the roboticsts to intervene and make efforts to equip ro bots with the ability to observe and emulate human actions. The abilities acquired thus, will equip robots to observe and imitate human actions, pavage way for rapid teaching of robots to perform specified tasks. Therefore the analysis relates two fronts. (a) initial conditions what is innate in infants, and what functionality is initially given to robots, and (b) Developmental tool how does the performance of infants improve over time, and what mechanisms are given to robots to achieve equivalent behavior.(Demirisa.)The Development of Inverse and Forward Models is another set of model that makes detailed study of infant responses vs. their application in the science of roboticsts, save the child always proves smarter and leaves the robot stranded. Another important theory is the Emotion Theory. Here the mechanism assiduous is to give the robot with rich, recurring enforcement through emotive channels of communication. This theory offers explanations and possible solutions to t he associated questions like how the robot can learn to associate the emotive heart and soul on the caretakers face with immediate stimulus conditions and action.3) The main results and important points in the authors discussion.The important points in the authors discussion are the personality vs. the Nature debate in the natural sciences. The simple tasks performed by the child are very complex from the point t of view of getting them make through robot. It is unanimously agreed that tabula rasa algorithms for robot learning are not going to provide the desired results. It is not practicable to pre-impose designers possess conceptions on the control structure of robot. Imitation, which is seen as a fundamental avenue of learning in humans has been proposed as a promising method for a compromise between the two approaches.The robot architecture is designed to adapt in order to benefit from other agents knowledge imitation can be used as a mechanism of learning for the robot in human and robot societies.(Demirisa)Human infants are the subject of study by the developmental scientists for to a greater extent than a century, by observation and experimental techniques. Their issue was simple and direct.With what capabilities the infants are born and how these develop over the period with experience and time. Imitation is one of the important factors. Soon the infants transcend the imitate-the-actions stage and grasp the underlying intentions and goals of demonstrators. Developmental studies of infant imitation skills are the foundation for roboticsts new algorithms. It provides the method for transferring skills from humans to robots4) In addition, you are required to provide your OWN critique (and not one that was provided by the author/s), which may include problems with any aspect of the study (and how these problems/issues can be addressed), and/or suggestions for future research (if you are suggesting a future study, try to be as specific as possible).Rob otics has made tremendous strides but thither can never be a perfect robot of an infant. Many things can be achieved, there can be a good robot, but the ultimate robot will never be commissioned. For, robot is the mind product, and the infant is beyond-the-mind product. The knowledge of the robot is pre-programmed, but not that of infants. The comparison between infants and the related robots is as good as comparing the original currency with the devalued currency if not the duplicate one. The infants situation is mostly unclear and unpredictable. Infants do observe others to get some of their goals. But they also act with their own intuition and inspiration and perform random acts, which baffle their elders.They have their own special source, the peerless one, of motivation, for which no precedent exists. So, the original question remains the original question There can never be a complete robotbut all infants are complete. Every infant is original. For its response follows a patt ern known only to it. It has no precedents. Model-based approach to the issue will continue to be researched and modified and the state of finality and perfection can never be reached. Developmental psychology, however, offers infinite possibilities for study and research. The infants are unified personalities-their traits are that of Commander and soldiers integrated into one. In the role of a commander, the infant will assert its wish, as a soldier will exhibit discipline by obeying the command.This is an unpredictable issue and that is the problem of robticsts, which eludes the solution so far. New issues surface. For example, hierarchical formulations have been proposed and used. This is an interesting area for research with limitless possibilities. The technological advancement and the impact of the TV finale is going to affect the infant responses and the robot designers need to do overtime, to study and understand the implications. Infant development is an extraordinary pro cess, as for brain and behavior. It is the culmination of thousands of experiences each day that happentheir intensity increases as babies move independently and explore their own world. The actions and functions of the robots can only be consequential.

Bertolt Brechts View on the Function of Theatre

Bertolt Brechts View on the Function of battlefieldBertolt Brechts view on the function of field of view was that it should provoke its interview to change. The epic battlefield, Karl Marx and German directors Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator were all inspiration for Brechts conjecture on the social function of theatre. (2004 709)Brechts essays Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction and The Modern Theatre is the heroic poem Theatre clearly outline his understanding of what epic theatre is and how it should be used in practice. In both(prenominal) essays, Brecht explains what makes the epic theatre different from modern and dramatic theatre and discusses the techniques available with epic theatre and the cause they can have on the auditory consciousness. When comparing his spell Mother courage and Her Children to the deuce essays, it is clear that Brecht has used the essays al virtually as guidelines to write the dawdle and put his theories on epic theatre into p ractice. Mother endurance and Her Children is an extremely typical Brechtian walkover as it contains all the elements that Brecht wanted to include in his counts in order to present his new form of theatre which he believed had a greater social function.One of the most obvious examples of Brechts essays being put into practice in Mother courageousness and Her Children is Brechts use of narrative kinda of the plot. Each scene begins with a narrative description of what will happen in that scene, and the play itself starts with a prologue which introduces the central portion (Mother Courage) and kick downstairss what the play is about. Despite the event that there is a storyline running through the play, the narrative style ties in with Brechts aim of non giving the auditory sense the chance to become emotionally attached to the characters. The way in which the play jumps with apiece scene keeps the storyline general and tied more to the greater social events running throug hout the play so unityr than single, individual events in a particular scene.Having spent much of his vivification in Germany and experiencing two world wars, it should come as no astonishment that many of Brechts plays, including Mother Courage and Her Children, feature war as the overriding theme of the play. Brecht believed that war was a continuation of business by other means. Brechts theory on theatre meant that he did non want his auditory sense to emotionally empathise with the characters on tier. In fact, Brecht deliberately created characters which would be subject to criticism from the earshot. In order to invite this active rather than passive response from the audience, to provoke a reaction, Brecht instils traits in his characters which tend to make the audience not identify with them, nevertheless criticise them. Mother Courage is portrayed as a strong, witty, formidable woman whose sole purpose is to provide a living for both herself and her children. She is a sacrificial character and her love for her children draws an audience to like her. What prevents the audience from empathising with her is her extremely contradictory nature. Whilst pulling out a knife at the Sergeant and Recruiting officeholder to protect her children, Courage calls refers to herself and her children as peaceable sorts. The Sergeants cool reply of your knife deputes the sort you are further displays Courages contradictions. (Brecht 2004 715) When sending her daughter Kattrin into town with the Clerk, Courage tells her not to worry and that nothing will happen, hardly upon Kattrins return where she is wounded, Courage claims she should never have let her go. When arguing with the Cook over a possible jaunt to Utrecht, Courage tries to end the conversation with thats enough, hardly to continue it herself moments later. In the same scene, Courage encourages Kattrin for the two to go with the Cook to run his pub in Utrecht because life on the road is no sort of life, but after she sees Kattrin trying to run away she quickly turns on the Cook and questions what she and Kattrin would ever do in a pub. Of course the greatest contradiction of all throughout the play is Courages constant criticism of the war off of which she makes her living. It is this contradictory nature of Courages which constantly reminds the audience to view the character from a distance, analyse her so to speak, and not empathise with her situation. Had Mother Courage been presented as a fully-rounded character, the audience would have been tempted to empathise but her presentation as a paradoxical character helps to jolt the audience into some kind of reaction. (Leach 1994 136)Mother Courage is not the scarcely character in the play that is given a specific trait to keep the audience empathising and becoming emotionally involved with her. Her sons Eilif and Swiss Cheese are both killed in the play, and it is because of their flaws that they are killed. Her eldest so n, Eilif, is strong and intelligent, but his boldness costs him his life. Her younger son, Swiss Cheese, is simple and h atomic number 53st, but he too is led to his death because of his stupidity. The audience are constantly reminded throughout the play by Mother Courage that her children have these traits. I have another who is foolish but honest is that one example of Brecht giving Mother Courage a specific line for two reasons both to remind the audience of the paradoxes each character possesses, to menstruation them from being empathised with, and to support the epic idea of the play that each scene should be its own. It is frequently seen in Brechts plays for an off-stage characters absence to be explained through an on-stage characters dialogue. (ref)Robert Leach argues that for Brecht, character is only of interest in so far as it illuminates the fleeting event which provides the writer, or the actor, with a usable gesture. What Leach is saying is that for Brecht, the cha racter is only a function to the greater social and economical forces which control and shape the world (within the constructed reality that are his plays), and that the actors, whilst portraying characters, can use them as tools to show the effect of these greater social implications. This can be linked to Brechts observation in the essay Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction that actors too refrained from going over wholly into their role in the sense that not only did actors do so to invite criticism from the audience of their characters, not only to draw attention away from the individual and place it on the social, but to also show that the characters are simply functional to the social.Another one of Brechts master(prenominal) aims was to not focus on the individual emotions of the character, but to explore and show the importance of the greater social implications. In Mother Courage and Her Children, emphasis is not put on the decisions the characters make but the social events which dictate the action of the play. War, religion and family are three main themes which run through Mother Courage and Her Children, and ultimately the fate of each character is determined by these themes. Unlike naturalistic plays where emphasis is usually placed on the individual, in Mother Courage and Her Children Brecht focuses on the relationship between the social implications and the characters of the play. All of the characters in the play are linked together by these themes, and their inability to change their individual (or in the case of Courage and her children, combined) situations. (Examples) Brecht has created Mother Courage as the central character of the play, but because it is not only her, but all the characters that are affected by the war, the spectators focus is neither on the central character Mother Courage nor any of the character. The spectators focus is drawn, by linking the characters and making them unable to change their situations, to the superseding social themes presented in the play.Brecht liked the notion that epic theatre allowed for jumps in duration, and this is reflected in Mother Courage and Her Children. There is a jump in time between each scene of the play, usually a year or two, and the constant curves and jumps in the play the dialectic approach allow for Brecht to show a process and effects over time rather than one particular point of time and its individual effect on characters. (Brooker 1994 189) These jumps in time also allow the play to be epic in the sense that they allow each scene to stand independently. The jumps in time also go hand-in-hand with Brechts idea that with epic theatre, the audience should be looking with eyes on the course rather than eyes on the finish. Swiss Cheeses death and Mother Courages refusal to admit the body is his is one of the most intense moments of the entire play, but it comes as early as Scene Three. Also, the jumps in time show man as a process rather tha n man as a wintry point. Rather than focusing on the central character (Mother Courage) at one particular point, Brecht draws out the play so that the audience view Courages process and development as a character subject to the social and political circumstances. The end of the play sees Mother Courage, now only alone walk with soldiers who are singing the same song that is sung in the prologue, reminding the audience of the process that has begun from the very beginning of the play and the effect it has had throughout. The jumps in time between each scene of Mother Courage and Her Children are typical of Brechts aim to get the audience to look at the events that have interpreted place from a more general period of time rather than a specific point.One of the key parts of Brechts theory on theatre was that the audience should constantly know that what they are watching is not reality but a construction being presented on stage. By doing so, Brecht could show to his audience that w hat they were watching was not reality but a presented image of reality, and that could inspire change. To this end Brecht used several techniques in many of his plays (including Mother Courage and Her Children) which allowed him to reveal that the play was indeed a construction. A typical Brechtian technique used in the play is the use of stage directions at the start of each scene, which hence reveal what is going to happen in that scene. By using these stage directions (either spoken aloud or displayed with placards on stage) Brecht is able to both remind his audience that what they are watching is a construction. Also, by telling the audience what will happen before it happens, Brecht can eliminate the shock factor, thus keeping the audience away from having an experience and focused on learning from the action on stage. Openly revealing that the play is not real allows Brecht to prevent any sense of emotional attachment to the piece. This can be linked to Brechts essay The Mod ern Theatre is The Epic Theatre where he says erstwhile illusion is sacrificed to free discussion, and once the spectator, instead of being enabled to have an experience, is forced as it were to cast his vote then a change has been launched which goes far beyond formal matters and begins for the first time to affect the theatres social function.Brecht states in his essay The Modern Theatre is Epic Theatre that words, music and setting must become more independent of one another. (reference) This statement is echoed in Mother Courage and Her Children as Brecht uses not only dialogue and stage directions but songs and music in the play, and makes sure that the songs used are seen on an equal level to the other elements such as words. In fact, Scene Ten of the play is constructed entirely of only a few stage directions and song. By giving the songs such importance in the play, on the same level as stage directions and dialogue, Brecht implements his idea into practice, showing that he has used his two essays almost as guidelines for writing Mother Courage and Her Children. Songs are also used in the play to fit in with Brechts theory that plays should not be presented to the audience as reality, but as a construction. The direct delivery of a song from a character to the audience, thus breaking the fourth wall, is one of the ways in which the audience is reminded that they are indeed watching a play. The songs also tend to reflect the social and political themes of the play and inspire the audience to think about what they are watching.Looking at Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction and The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre in comparison with Mother Courage and Her Children, it is clear to see that the play falls into all of the categories that Brecht lists in his two essays for his theory on the function of theatre. Throughout the play the focus is taken away from the characters individual emotions and drawn to the greater social and political force s which affect the characters. The play is used as a discussion assembly of sorts for some of the common Brechtian themes such as war, religion and family. The use of non-naturalist techniques such as placards and songs helps to break the illusion that the audience creates and prevents them from developing empathy for and emotional attachment to the characters. The jumps in time between each scene of the play keep the audiences focus on the process over time and not at a fixed point. Mother Courage and Her Children is without question of Brechts most typical plays and it is clear to see his essays Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction and The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre have been put into practice to create the play and inspire the audience to change, rather than experience.

Detailed Analysis Of John Lewis Partnership Commerce Essay

Detailed Analysis Of John Lewis Partnership Commerce EssayThe following report will provide a detailed abbreviation of John Lewis Partnership. The retailer has been really successful in the UK and has performed extremely surface in spite of more(prenominal)(prenominal) than ostracise financial issues and former(a)(a) dynamics impacting upon the retail atomic number 18a at large, predominantly in light of declining consumer income, technological advances such as the internet and change magnitude competition. The reason the friendship was equal to hit these was because of their commitment towards their clients in providing innovative solutions as well as improved awareness of guest engages and the significance of creating a reliable customer base which fits positive word-of-mouth and the company has achieved this due to its commitment to providing innovative solutions to clients as well as a heightened awareness of customer needs and however recommendations to incre ase new revenue streams through with(predicate) an appropriate CRM system in place. Therefore, the reports provides an evaluation of the companys current commercializeing environment assessing how the immaterial factors impact the retail sector largely and specifically on the st gaitgies that John Lewis chooses to adopt. The report will withal evaluate the strengths and weaknesses as well as the threats and opportunities that the company is presented with and how best it can achieve a match with its own internal capabilities to the dynamics at play.The report will also look at how the John Lewis brand and customer oerture is placed in the UK market in comparison to other competitors, with an attempt to provide understanding in to how the company gains advantage through diverseiation from other competitors, essentially postgraduatelighting how the company implements a differentiated system which allows it to maintain advantage. At the same time, the digest has drawn attentio n to how the uncertainty which prevails and the continuous rate of change in the orthogonal market highlights the implications of continuous observation and continuous re-evaluation of the strategicalal options applied. Ultimately, the aim is to provide recommendations as to how the company can increase the opportunity of its advantage over the longer term.The John Lewis Partnerships 81,000 Partners own the leading UK retail businesses John Lewis and Waitrose. Our founders vision of a successful business powered by its heap and its principles defines our unique company today. The pro explosions and benefits created by our success are shared by all our Partners (John Lewis, 2012).Write the report as if you were working for an external counsel consultancy firm, reporting to the Board of Directors of your chosen company. The report should contain sections that address ALL of the main aspects of the module syllabus that is the report should cover both(prenominal) strategic abri dgment (internal and external) and strategy formulation. It is essential that in undertaking your research and writing your report you make appropriate use of the strategic management tools and models to conduct internal and external strategic depth psychology and strategy formulation that you confuse encountered in this module. Credit will be devoted for summary, evaluation and synthesis, and the appropriate selection and use of strategic management tools and models.2.0 IntroductionThis report will discuss the strategic management tools demonstrating skills of outline evaluation and synthesis of John Lewis. The report includes strategic analysis and an out-of-door Environmental analysis. The report also covers the strategy formulation in which the donkeywork analysis and BCG Matrix will be discussed. John Lewis Partnership plc is one of the UKs blossom ten retail businesses. They operate amongst 2 sectors known as John Lewis and Waitrose. The company offers food as well as h ousehold harvest-feasts i.e. baked foods, unused fruit veg, wines, household items, furniture, electronic items etc.The company functions in a twine of 287 Waitrose supermarkets, 39 John Lewis shops that include 30 departmental stores and 8 of them at home John Lewis stores. The company operates throughout the UK and is headquartered in London, they sell their products through retail stores, catalogues, and websites. The companys strategic focus is to accomplish its non-core business strategies through partnership with other firms. There are around 81,000 employees working in John Lewis stores who are partners in the business, they have a share in the companys profits and are given the opportunity to participate in the companys progress and growth. This is their unique source of competitive advantage as it encourages staff loyalty through being business partners (John Lewis 2012)3.0 strategical analysis3.1 Mission statementThe mission of an organisation highlights the broad di rections they need to follow and provides a brief summary of the values and reasons that lie behind it (Lynch 2012). handle other organisations John Lewis also have a mission statement, it highlights their spirit established through their ownership structure as it is unique and they are very successful in being a profitable business. John Lewis aim to keep their staff satisfied so that their business can be a success. Their strategy is based on three strike elements partners, customers and profit. (Refer to appendix 1) to cypher their full mission statement.4.0 External Environmental analysis4.1 PESTEL AnalysisThe PESTEL analysis examines the macro-environment in which the business exists in. It is a helpful tool for understanding market growth or decline as well as the position, say-so and the direction for business. It is also used for evaluating the Political, Economic, Social Technological, Environmental and Legal factors that a business operates in. The Political factors d iscuss government regulations such as utilization laws, environmental regulations, tax polity and political stability. The Economic factors affect the cost of capital and purchasing power of an organisation. These factors also include economic growth, interest rates and inflation. The Social factors impact customers needs, potential market size such as John Lewiss goods and services, population growth and age demographics. Technological factors of John Lewis will discuss barriers to entry, devising or get decisions, enthronement and innovation and the technological change. Environmental factors include weather, climate and climate change. Climate change affects how John Lewis operates and the products they offer. Lastly Legal Factors include discrimination law, employment law and health and safety law. These factors can affect the bearing John Lewis operate their costs and the demand for their products.4.2 Macro- environmental FactorsIt is commonly known, that those prevailin g in the external environment of any firm shall have a significant influence in terms of decision making in the strategic options. much(prenominal) analysis is known as PESTEL analysis and usually suggested as the first stage in the strategic planning process (Lynch, 2006). As Johnson et al (2008, pg.56) rightly declared, The key drivers for change are environmental factors that are likely to have a high impact on the success or failure of strategy. (Refer to appendix 2) to see the PESTEL analysis for John Lewis.It can be concluded that each factor of the PESTEL has had an force-out on John Lewiss actions, some of them are now stated in their mission statement. Previous factors are used to decompose different factors, furthermore, these factors can give a prediction for the future, so can be quiet hard-hitting if they are applied correctly. There are also some restrictions in this model, e.g. when the procedure of the checklist is applied to John Lewis it may be tough.The emerg ent corporate strategies may well comment that the future is so uncertain that prediction is useless (Lynch 2012 page 84), however, some may still give words of caution provided still predict the future. The PESTEL analysis isnt the only modeling that John Lewis take into consideration, their organisation has many other internal and external factors that also have an effect on the strategy formulation, this is why Porters louvre Forces framework is applied. The PESTEL analysis has a lot of information unless yet doesnt offer a detailed analysis of the business. Porters quin Forces (1985) observes factors that have an impact on competition in the organisation.4.3 Strategic OptionsThe external analysis undertaken has underlined how the focus and the landscape of the UK retail sector has changed dramatically over the last decade or so. Such developments clearly present both threats, primarily from new entrants and modes of distri furtherion, as well as opportunities such as the c hange magnitude utilisation of technology within the current offering to customers. As Johnson et al (2008, pg.3) highlights, strategy is about exploiting the strategic capability of an organisation, in terms of its imaginativenesss and competences, to provide competitive advantage and/or yield new opportunities.However, many competitors in the retail sector at large have managed to expand into other pasture of products as well as expanding internationally, John Lewis seems to have adopted a more thoughtful approach path and stayed loyal to its customers as well as confident in terms of its offering to the market. At the same time it has also developed a wide range of products as a lower price range to attract more customers across a wider range of segments in society. In times of economic uncertainty this also appears to be a sensible strategy in terms of situations where its loyal customer base may be experiencing declines in disposable income, thus enabling John Lewis to maint ain their business through customers trading down to less expensive ranges in store. The recent introduction for its Essential Waitrose Range in 2009 was both a reaction to external events including activities of competitors but was viewed as an effective strategy highlighting the companys attention to external research as well as its innovative approach to dealing with such negative events.Furthermore, Porter put forward the idea that thither were three generic strategies cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy and the focus strategy, which companies follow. It is clear that John Lewis has embraced a combination of these, but essentially, differentiation has remained key to its business model which positions more favourably when compared to other competitors, particularly given the range and extent of the goods and services it provides as well as its highly effective branding and promotional events which appeal directly to customers and incite purchase. Its decision to introduce its Essentials range within its Waitrose stores may have been considered by some as an indication it was lowering its standards, but on the contrary, despite offering a cheaper alternative, quality remained key which ultimately implied that its position in the market would not be negotiated.4.4 Porters Five ForcesPorters Five Forces framework highlights that the environment John Lewis is competing in is constantly changing, (refer to appendix 5). In this model it is believed that customers dont have more importance than any other aspect, however Aker, Baker and Harvey Jones argue that customers are more important than any other aspect of strategy development (Lynch 2012).Porters Five Forces of competition (1985) is a common tool often applied within the strategic management process to firms across several sectors. It is similar to the PESTLE analysis as it takes a predominantly external perspective of the firm within its given industry looking at how it is positioned again st other competitors in the same sector. lately many have criticised the ensuring importance of the framework given the changes that have risen, particularly with regard to the diversification of business which has ultimately created blurring across many previously obvious sectors.This is emphasized by the supermarkets entering into the clothing and electronics sector for example, as well as retailers including John Lewis expanding into financial services through insurance and credit facilities to customers. Barney (1995) and heat content (2008) underlined how Porters model is more helpful when it is applied at a strategic business unit level rather than at higher levels of industry analysis such as the sector at large as it cannot be expected that all competitors will be competing against one another. This tool is also believed to be useful in terms of assessing a companys strengths and weaknesses in light of how it stacks up against competition. As Barney (1995, pg.49) highlight s, A complete understanding ofsources of competitive advantage requires the analysis of a firms internal strengths and weaknesses as well. The importance of integrating internal with environmental analyses can be seen when evaluating the sources of competitive advantage of many firms.Looking at Porters five forces of competition, it is clear that John Lewis has attempted to not to just react to the external dynamics and actions of competitors, but actively be a step ahead. It has constantly altered its business model, such as the introduction of store cards, its online offering and the Waitrose Essentials range in order to provide its business with a more appropriate fit to the market in line with Mintzbergs (1994) theory. A major element of its strategy however, is its reputation, branding and subsequent positioning in the market and how consumers view the business in its entirety. It has remained rather committed to its original proposition and further enhanced its appeal through appropriate branding and its reputation for quality and enhanced service to customers.5.0 congenital Resource analysis5.1 Value analysis chainThe term Value Chain was used by Michael Porter (1985), the purpose of the value chain is to analyse the activities that are performed by the business, linking them to the competitive position. It also evaluates the particular activities to see which add value to the businesses products or services (quickmba 1999-2010)While many critics and leading authorities conflict the validity of Porters earlier theories, many of his ideas do still appear useful from the perspective of strategic analysis, particularly the notion of the value chain. Ultimately, it is within the value chain which John Lewis has created that it has succeeded in terms of sustaining advantage in its market sector. It has created efficiencies and synergies through the interrelationships within (Mintzberg and Ghoshal, 2003). Value Chain Analysis which is often compared to the RBV of the firm as it looks to both internal and external dynamics impacting an organisation.In recent years importance has also been given to joint ventures, collaborations and relationships which add value to the companys positioning. Elements of the chain such as HR which were previously considered as supporting elements are now viewed as core and this is demonstrated by John Lewis in terms of its commitment to and investment in staff. By enhancing the quality of its internal resources it can achieve distinctive competencies which are difficult to emulate by other competitors (Teece et al, 1997 Terwiesch and Ulrich, 2009). As Porter (1985, pg.36) emphasises, the way it performs individual activities are a reflection of its history, its strategy, its approach to implementing its strategy, and the underlying economics of the activities themselves.6.0 Strategy formulation6.1 SWOT Analysis John Lewis PartnershipA SWOT analysis is a useful tool for understanding and decision-making, b usinesses such as John Lewis use this tool in all sorts of situations, a SWOT summarizes the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This framework covers a crucial part of the strategic planning process a scan of the internal and external environment. Strength, Weaknesses are considered to be internal to the business whereas, Opportunities and Threats are part of the external environment.Looking at the SWOT analysis (refer to appendix 6) it can be concluded that John Lewis take this tool into consideration when making business decisions based on their customers. However, John Lewis need to expand their target audience because at the moment they are only targeting an older audience need to improve the diagnostic power of a SWOT analysis is to define the elements from a customer perspective rather than the organizational point of view. (Baker 2007, pg.267). By doing this they will generate a higher profit margin. If john Lewis wants to stay ahead of their competition they n eed focus on their weaknesses such as they need to correspond their prices are similar to their competitors. Also John Lewis need to focus on threats the business may have to face but they can avoid such matters by acting upon the threat before it occurs.Although the SWOT analysis tool is useful to businesses when making decisions, it has been criticized due to its simplicity and possible misleading approach to strategic analysis. This is because companies have failed to follow a few simple procedures. The SWOT analysis is a focused methodology (Baker 2007), therefore, when John Lewis the using this tool they need to ensure they are able to follow correct procedures of this tool to ensure they are able to achieve success.6.2 BCG Growth-share MatrixThe Boston Consulting Group (BCG) growth-share matrix was developed by Bruce Henderson, founder of BCG, in the late 1960s (Baker 2007, pg.125). The BCG Matrix is a simple tool used to assess a companys position in terms of its product ran ge. It simplifies how a companys thinks about the products and services and makes decisions about which it should keep and let go and which products to invest in further. It provides a useful way of seeing the opportunities that are impart to the company and also helps to consider how the company can maximise the profits in the future. Below is the BCG Matrix for John Lewis, highlighting where in the market the different departments of John Lewis are positioned.John Lewis was voted Britains best retailer in 2009 and have won awards House Beautiful accolades 2008 Online Home Retailer of the Year Gold Award (washerhelp 2012), making them leaders in departments such as House and Garden, Electrical Appliances, Fashion, Gifts and Toys. They now have a high growth and a high market share in this segment, thus putting them in the star category. Further, technology and baby departments are between the star and question mark category this could be due to high growth and market share or hig h growth and low market share as they are faced with high demands but have low returns. Moving on to the sport department as it is in the cash cow category, as a markets it isnt growing but yet the market share for the products is high. Looking at the final category it can be said that John Lewis are safe as there isnt any products in the dog category.7.0 conclusionOverall, the company has responded admirably to the changing dynamics impacting upon its market and customers, it is also clear that going forward, more challenges and threats shall be presented to it, particularly given persistent uncertainty relating to the global economy as consumer confidence within the UK. It would appear that in addition to a thorough and consistent approach to its markets in relation to external analysis of those factors deemed to impact most significantly the company also adopts an internal approach, evaluating its inherent resources and competencies within the business. In line with the resource based view of the firm (Barney, 1991) and subsequent research by other authors such as Grant (2005), this analysis is often viewed as a more appropriate approach to the task of strategic management as ultimately, organisations have much more control over their internal resources than external market variables. Such an approach enables companies to incite the innovation process and thus create change in the wider environment as well as improvements to its value chain. This appears to be incisively what John Lewis has done to date through its expansion into other areas, as well as extending its range to customers through on-line facilities as well as credit, insurance etc.Threat of New EntrantsThis is considered to be fairly low for John Lewis given the original capital investment required as well as the regulations governing the market. At the same time, the fact that discount retailers and the supermarkets who benefit from vast scale economies can offer many of the same goods at co nsiderably lower prices, is a concern and is perhaps indicative of why many retailers such as John Lewis now provide an electronic service in addition to their store offering. More entrants to the online space does seem inevitable though may become increasingly difficult given the variety currently in existence as well as the perception that customer service is often diminished. In this respect, John Lewis is clearly at an advantage given its reputation in the market.Threat of SubstitutesThe threat of substitutes is low from a product viewpoint yet in terms of suppliers, is high and is underlined by the success of the supermarket chains in their clothing lines as well as the competitive landscape in the online space and the continuing popularity of price comparison websites and similar forums. Over time, online retailers could exert increased pressure on officials such as John Lewis, particularly in terms of pricing as well as sourcing of product ranges.Bargaining superpower of Buy ersThis is considered as being extremely high given the range of suppliers in the market and the realisation that customers are faced with unprecedented choice. Price is clearly a key advantage for the retailers, but at the same time, in the particular segment in which John Lewis manages factors such as location, quality, customer service and atmospherics and added benefits to be derived from the in-store experience are significant. Such variables also assist in terms of differentiating the store from other competitors in the High Street.Bargaining Power of Suppliersthough it was just few years ago the retailers were considered as having a major effect over suppliers, this seems to be fairly changing, particularly with regard to restrictions in preparation of some raw materials as well as other concerns in the global supply chain which might put the suppliers in a more favourable position and increase their bargaining power.Degree of RivalryRivalry is obviously intense mainly due to the immense choice available as well as the increasing pressure from on-line retailers. On this basis, competitors are ultimately jockeying for position (Porter, 1979) and increasingly retailers challenge themselves to differentiate in some manner through providing expanded ranges as well as complementary goods and other services. The success of John Lewis Christmas promotional campaigns in the last few years highlights how the company attempts to differentiate itself, particularly focusing on those matters which are considered to impact most on subsequent motivation of customers to make a purchase.

The concept of self

The concept of egotism1. egotism-importance Concept.The concept of self is relatively impenetrable to recognise, as the singular soulfulness, began to consider himself as an individual person, without considering him as a part of group or a society. Sirgy (1982) described the self concept as the persons reflection of having an orientation or regard to himself as an object.The notion behind the self concept is the ideology that every human life is unique, he or she is individual object and need to be nurtured Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, hog (2006). Again this concept is very much depend upon the society, where self is living in. In western farming, where on that point is a individualistic mode of life and in eastern culture, the individual is strictly a part of society or a family, they live in collectivist society. check to Markin (1979) the self concept is a multi dimensional concept, which consists of five components like reportl Self, The apparent self, the social self a nd the actual self date Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) identifies the component of Self concept as Self Esteem, Ideal and genuinely selves, multiple selves, Symbolic interactionism, the looking glass self, and Self Consciousness. Schiff man and Kanuk(2004) identifies the components of Self as, One or Multiple selves, The Makeup of the self Image, the extended self, Altering the self, Virtual personality or Self.Self Esteem Self esteem refers to the positivity of a person a person with High self esteem is likely to be confident and will be at the centre of friendship and a person with comparatively less self esteem, will consume the products that will make him/her more confident. Peoples with low self esteem tend to constrict their activities in order to avoid humiliation and embarrassment. (Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, Hogg, 2006)Real and Ideal selvesAccording to Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, and Hogg, (2006) the real self is the current status of a person, with more realistic characters and attri simplyes. tour the Ideal self is our Dream to attain a certain position in life, this concept is greatly becharmd by the advertisements or role models where people act to have an image of his/her role model. The prototype self of a person influence the level of self esteem in that particular person, by study the current status with the ideal status.Schiff man and Kanuk (2004) define ideal self as a state of condition, which consumers prefer to see themselves in Future, temporary hookup the real self is the position where a consumer sees himself/herself in the current situation.Most people produce a large open frame between their actual self and the ideal self, and it affects the self esteem of that peoples, so it is assumed that, this peoples consumer a variety of products which reflects their Ideal self in order to reduce the gap between their actual self and ideal self. In early(a) words, white plague of symbols is a pathway to attain thei r ideal self image.Multiple selvesAccording to Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, Hogg, (2006) Markus and Kunda (1986), Schiffman and Kanuk (2004) a person is having many selves jibe the situation and according to the peoples he or she interacts with. During these times any one of the multiple self will be active, while other selves remain temporarily dormant.The Looking glass selfIn this concept, the individual reads, his self image with the aid of the signal and vibration bounced by others in the society. The require to view and describe ourselves operates like a psychological sonar, which reads and analysis the signals emitting by others. The result can be varied according to the person who judge the individual and how the individual reading the signals, Solomon, Bamossy, Askergaard, Hogg (2006)Self ConsciousSolomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) analyse the self conscious as the assessment of the real self by an individualAltering selfWith the aid of accessories and makeovers, an individual is trying to alter the self, to become a unalike self or an improved self, the notion of altering self is the affinity of the individual to express their individuality by creating a new self, at the same time maintaining the real self (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004).The Extended SelfExtended self is be as the physical exercise of props and setting by an individual to define their social roles, they consider these props and setting as an integral part of their selves. Solomon, Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004).The importance of self concept analysis in the field of business was described by Sirgy (1982). He analysed that consumers tend to get products, which relates to the actual self of themselves. maculation Adam et al (1993) outlined that with the enjoyment people are projecting a picture of selves to themselves and to others. Consumers tend to buy products, in which they see their actual self. Graeff(1996) gear up that the consumers percept ion about a particular brand is entirely depend upon the perception closeness with the brand image and the self image. Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) analyse that consumption activities are a kind of self definition of an individual and by consumption the individual project the consistency between their values.Through this Essay, the re exploreer is translation own the perception about Self concept to consuming for self esteem for attaining Ideal self image and multiple self.So it is Important for a vender to understand the Self concept of the consumer, in order to cater the needs and requirement of the consumer at its top hat.In the consumption diary, the researcher denotes the passion and fantasy to be a privileged personality, (p.9, 18 and 19) who enjoys the luxury of having a private jet like Mr.Mukesh Ambani or to flying in First and Business associate cabins, to buy a car for himself and for the family with his fist salary the researcher is alike keen to get a l eather jacket like the participants of MTV roadies, all these facts implies the desire to attain an ideal self image, while the researcher also aware of the real self, the researcher comments about his current and jobless situation (p, 16, 9)The researcher is also afraid of his physical appearance while purchasing Jackets, can be interpreted as his immense self conscious while qualification a purchase or can be interpreted to the lack of self esteem, with these details, it is assumed that the researcher lacks consider amount of self esteem as the gap between his real self and ideal self is too big (Solomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg.2006)1. Cultural TheoryIn the cultural theory, the researcher analysis the affect and influence of his religious honorable or rituals values in his consumption pattern.Different academics, described the concept of culture asSolomon,Bamossy,Askergaard, Hogg (2006) commented that, Culture is a prism, by means of which an individual analyse products and tr y to make their sense out of their own and other peoples consumer behaviour. The culture of a particular individual de margeines the priority of the purchase and attitudes towards different situations, activities, and substances. Again the influence of the culture is varied according to the geographical locations. The western culture implies more on the individualistic method of consumption, while eastern culture emphasise the importance of collectivism.(Jamal, et al 2003) describes the components which makes the cultural decisions, he views that the values and the ethical believes are the two major components which determines the cultural decision of an individual. Hoffstede (1991) analysis that the culture is slanted according to the culture and the condition in which an individual is raised and lived through and these conditions determine the consumer pattern of the individual. Sood and Nasu (1995) comments that the nationality of a person also can influence the governing body of the culture and values.The moral conducts are described according to two methods, the deontological and the technological method According to the deontolical method, the moral conducts and the religious beliefs are inherited to a person from the ancestors or from the previous society. (Singhapakdi and Vittel, 1993 and Murphy and Laczniak, 1981).The religion is described as a bunch of moral codes, which governs the conduct of an individual or a group of individuals or a society (Wines and Napier, 1992). Religion is considered to a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things (Emily, cited in Nejdet Delener, the effects of religious factors on a perceived chance in durable goods purchase decisions, 1990). Religiosity can be stricter than religion as religiosity is the degree of belief that a person hold in his ideas and life (Delener, 1991). The diary (pp. 15) describes the affinity of the researcher to have a traditional solid food, on the day of religious fe stival, it says in the dairy that, other room couple were not bothered about the special lunch on that auspicious day of Bakrid, but the researchers mind constantly pushed him to make a move or initiative to make a special dish. This shows his loyalty to the tradition and routine he has been keeping since ages, even not at his home he ease strive to make full out of that belief and the researcher go Lidl and prepares food for himself and to the room mates.From the diary abstract (pp. 11) tells that the researcher wanted to have a body massage as his back aches due to the lifestyle he maintains in UK, The researcher is exceptionally cautious about the morality and the cultural and ethical values he inherited from the ancestors, as he avoids doing a body massage, as the massage parlour was ran by women, and his culture doesnt allow him to be stirred by other women. This shows the influence of ancestral and the societal situation where the researcher raised, when it comes to moralit y of the researcher.The religion is one of the main factor which influence the food consumption and the degree of affect is directly proportional to the extent of influence that religion made in that person and how far he follows the religion. Islam is a religion governed by a set of rules and customs which is evaluated and judged by five pillars, consuming halal food is a must for religious people in Islam. The consumption of halal meat is not an automated treat among Muslims. They consume halal food as a form of personal conviction and it is observed that (Bonne, et al 2007). hostile in the ago, the social and the political presence Muslims are increased and they began to ask for the halal labelled meat (Riaz and Chaudry, 2004)Throughout the Diary, the researcher described about the obstruction of consuming certain food in his new surroundings.The researcher has demonstrated the precaution that he makes, while he makes a decision to dine distant his ho usance. Another loyalty of the researcher, towards the religion can be seen when he visited a Super Market See Woo where he see the Pork and the halal chicken are served together, and he feels like two opposite poles are served together. From the exact diary words of the researcher it is understood that, it has generated a gross tint in the mind of the researcher, (pp.11.) On the other occasion the researcher, was doubtful about a food (P), he bought from a shop, and his mind was constantly asking him that, is it allowed food? The researcher clarified his doubt to the vendor before he tasted it, that is that food halal one or not? The researcher felt constant insecurity while consume food outside his house, this kind of insecurity has been described by Nedjet Delener in 1990, Religious individual tends to perceive higher risks during the consumption or while making consumption decision, while less religious peoples feel less secure and tends to have comparatively low degree of risks during their consump tion decision.From these facts mentioned above, it is assumed that the researcher is highly influenced by religious rituals and symbols while making a purchase decision.2. Decision making theoryIn the decision making process the researcher is focusing on the problem solving perspective of Decision making.The consumer decision making process is not a single process, it is associated with many factors (Henry Assael, 1998)The Idea of developing the problem solving perspective of decision making theory is the assumption of dominant school that, the consumer as an Cognitive object while making consumption decision, (Schiff man and Kanuk, 2004).The decision-making perspective holds that buying behaviour results from consumers engaging in a problem-solving task in which they move through a series of stages (John.C.Mowen, 1988, .p15)According to this concept, the consumer moves through a series of Seven stages, before making a purchase decision.(Roger et al, 2001)need recognition.Need recog nition occurs when there is a alarming balance between the actual self and the desired self (Solomon et at, 2006, and Roger et al, 2001, Henry Assael, 1998). Recognition of needs happens when a person brazen out with a problem or deficiency (Schiff man et al 2004). Henry (1998) comments that the need in a person can be aroused with variety of inputs such as the past experience of the customer.It is true that the needs are often spurred by the marketing efforts, butThe role of a marketer in creating a need, is not to manipulate the consumer, but to make understand the consumer what his need is, and to direct towards a specific brand, even a pre existing demand is there (Solomon et al, 2006)Pre purchase searchFrom the diary overstretch (P..) the researcher is trying to obtain the prices of telephone, which the researcher wanted to buy, to call home country. During the pre purchase search, the researcher opts for checking the available information about the telephone through eBay. In order to get a vague idea about the price of telephone sets in United Kingdom, the researcher thought it is best way to search online, and particularly eBay, as a form of external information got from the room mates it was easy for the researcher to choose eBay for best deals and for an outline about prices. training search is the mode of survey, which a consumer employs to make an appropriate purchasing decision. ( Solomon etal, 2006)Pre purchase search begin with recognition of need that can be rectified with consumption. in that respect are two kinds of search sources, the internal information source and the external information source. Internal source is the information in the memory from the previous experience of purchase. Past experience gives a huge amount of information about the current choice. If the consumer lacks the past experience, he or she will start searching actively for the information from the external sources like Advertisements and websites, whichever is pos sible (Schiffman etal 2004) Roger etal (2001) added one more source of information that is accidental or situational information, which the consumer gets by chance or by situation. present comes the importance of Marketing communication. The correct market communication at the correct time and place, will let the consumer to understand the details about the product and which lam the consumer to get attracted towards the product.Evaluation of alternativesFrom the diary (p) the researcher demonstrated a perfect example for evaluating the alternatives by searching for best deal for Air tickets to India. After earshot to the different fares, the researcher began to evaluate the alternatives, by comparing which one to go for and how it benefits him as a consumer. By comparing the possible alternatives, the researcher decided to end the bad deals and go for the best one.This stage is the most time consuming stage for a consumer that is to evaluate the options available from the informat ion, before making a purchasing decision. The modern consumers are flooded with thousands of choices with thousands of brands waiting for the attention of the potential consumer. Solomon et al (2006). At this point of time, the consumers ask themselves a question that, what are my options? and Which is the best? consumers use either memory or the external source to sort the option (roger et al 1998).Decision making process.Throughout the diary, the researcher demonstrated the quest for best deals when purchasing the house holds.According to Schiffman et al (2004) there are three mode of purchase, they are Trial Purchase, repeated purchase and Long term inscription purchase. Where a trial purchase comprised of buying product for first time in little quantity to check the product directly, if the product appeared satisfactory, it is likely to buy that product again for consumption, which is termed as Repeated buying and this mode of repeated buying can subscribe to the customer towa rds loyalty to that particular brand, which leads to the Long term commitment purchase. While Roger et al (2001) considers there are two phases of purchase behaviours among consumers. The first phase is switching retailer or rely on other mode of retailing such as television or internet or catalogs while the second phase consist of switching the models or the products within the same stores. This phase is aided with the capabilities of the sales person the arrangement pattern of the product to attract the attention of the consumer. The consumer moves with an agenda during the first three stages of decision making, while Roger argues that, the stage four is not under the complete control of the consumer, as many other factors influence the purchase decision.At this phase, the role of a marketer is important the consumer mind will be swinging in the confusion of which product to chose. By understanding the consumer behaviour a marketer can lead the consumer the product which they wan ted. The way of arranging the product is also an important factor to induce an impulsive purchase at in store condition.( Roger et al, 2001) outgoConsumption can occur either immediately or delayed, and through consumption the satisfaction of the consumer can be derived. Consumption of a product is depending up on the promotions and offers a consumer can get, if there is best deal offers, it is likely to stock the products, for future use. (Solomon, et al)Post consumption evaluationAfter the purchase, the consumer starts evaluating the product, if the performance of the product matches the consumer aspect it is likely for the consumer to get satisfied, and vice versa (Schiffman et al, 2004) Roger et al argues, it is important to understand how the consumer use the product, if the consumer abuses the product, it is less likely for the consumer to get satisfied with the product.For making the consumer understand about the usage of the product, to prevent dissatisfaction, the company introduced variety of Instructions and Warranties. With this facilities it is likely for a customer to opt for a re purchase.

Zora Neale Hurston :: Zora Neale Hurston

&9Zora Neale Hurston was an astounding Afro-American author who was recognized not for being the first Afro-American writer, but rather for her ability to bring forth her cultural language and imagery. If not for Zoras pioneering effort as a female black writer, the world of advanced literature would have never seen the cultural insights of the African American culture in such a candid way.&9Zoras date of stimulate is said to be in January of 1891, however her actual date of birth is debated today due to the fact that records of African Americans during the 19th century were not accurately kept (Lyons 2). Zoras home town, which was not disputed, was Eatonville, Florida, which was founded by African Americans and was the first all-black town incorporated into the United States (Cherylgeocities online ). Her father John Hurston was a tall, heavy muscled man who ofttimes seemed "invincible" to Zora (Lyons 2). John was a community leader and was influential member of so ciety. His positions in Eatonville included Baptist preacher, town mayor, and skilled carpenter (Lyons 2). Though John was a revered member of Eatonville he had is faults as well. His eye for other women often left his family home alone for months out of a time (Lyons 1). Zoras mother, Lucy Potts Hurston was the "hard-driving force in the family."(Lyons 2) Lucy was a country schoolteacher, who taught all her churlren how to read and write, which lead to six out of her seven children earning a college degree (Lyons 2-3). Unfortunately, Lucy Hurston died when Zora was nine years of age (Otfinoski 46). Zora was the seventh child out of a family of eight (Otfinoski 45). During her childhood she felt unloved by her father and thus was seen as the odd on out (Lyons 2). &9Zoras education was comprised of six years of grammar school, high school, and several prestigious colleges. Zora attended grammar school in Eatonville, Florida at Hungerford School around 1907 (Lyons 3). The summer of 1917 Zora began the next timbre of her education by attending Morgan Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. By 1918 when she had finished her high school requirements, Zora had attended multiple schools, in order to gain the scoop up education as an African American female. 1918-1919 Zora attended Howard Prep School in Washington D.C. In 1920 she earned her associates degree and in 1924 earned her unmarried man of Arts degree in anthropology at Howard University (Lyons 24-6).

Imagery and Metaphor in Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum Est :: Dulce et Decorum Est Essays

Imagery and Metaphor in Wilfred Owens Dulce et Decorum Est The meter is ane of the most powerful ways to convey an idea or opinion. through and through vivid imagery and compelling metaphors, the verse gives the reader the exact feeling the author commanded. The poem Dulce et Decorum Est, an anti- state of war poem by Wilfred Owen, makes great use of these devices. This poem is very effective because of its excellent manipulation of the mechanical and emotional parts of poetry. Owens use of exact diction and vivid figurative language emphasizes his point, examineing that war is terrible and devastating. Furthermore, the utilization of extremely graphic imagery adds even more to his argument. Through the effective use of all three of these tools, this poem conveys a absolute meaning and persuasive argument. The poems use of excellent diction helps to more clearly define what the author is saying. Words like guttering, choking, and drowning not just show how the man is suff ering, but that he is in terrible pain that no human being should endure. Other words like writhing and froth-corrupted say just now how the man is being tormented. Moreover, the phrase blood shod shows how the troops sacrifice been on their feet for days, never resting. Also, the fact that the gassed man was flung into the wagon reveals the urgency and occupation with fighting. The only thing they can do is toss him into a wagon. The fact one word can add to the meaning so much shows how the diction of this poem adds greatly to its effectiveness. Likewise, the use of figurative language in this poem also helps to emphasize the points that are being made. As Perrine says, people use metaphors because they say ...what we want to say more vividly and forcefully... Owen capitalizes greatly on this by using strong metaphors and similes. Right off in the first line, he describes the troops as being like old beggars under sacks. This not only says that they are tired, but that they ar e so tired they have been brought down to the level of beggars who have not slept in a bed for weeks on end. Owen also compares the victims face to the devil, seeming corrupted and baneful. A metaphor even more effective is one that compares ...vile, incurable sores... with the memories of the troops. It not only tells the reader how the troops exit never forget the experience, but also how they are frightening tales, ones that will the troops will never be able to tell without remembering the extremely painful experience.