Case analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case analysis paper - Essay Example Howard was of a humble background and little was known about him in his early years. He studied in a poor school and his life had financial challenges that at one point he was even selling blood and bartending just to make ends meet (Schultz 25). He later grew to become a great salesman and switched from his career as vice president of a Swedish kitchen equipment firm to help the Starbucks stores grow their business. He worked on expanding this business, which he successfully did until the owners sold the whole Starbucks Company to him. Howard has been a true inspiration of how hard work and determination are necessary requirements for the growth and expansion of any business (Schultz 30). He has endured threats and trying times but his company is still among the best to this day. Many critics opposed his expansion plans to cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles but his sheer determination and persistence saw him become a top brand countrywide in a few years. We see that this man was not only making a difference in his life but was also focused on improving the lives of all around him (Schultz 40). Howard Schultz has devoted much of his time to corporate responsibility and has been very keen on making sure that his employees are happy at the work place. To evaluate the performance of this highly successful company, we are going to use the SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Among its strengths is the fact that Starbucks has built its name to be a brand name in the coffee business in the United States and globally. This is due to its specialty in the coffee sector (Schultz 50). The company CEO Howard Schultz is also a barista. This is important due to the fact that this implies he has expert knowledge of the services he is providing to his customers. He is able to relate with his employees as well. Among the other strengths is the huge customer loyalty base the Starbucks has attracted. These customers are willing to

Virgin Atlantic A Premium Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Virgin Atlantic A Premium Brand - Essay Example Premium Economy class offered by Virgin constitutes a major chunk of its business that provides larger seats, priority in baggage reclaim, a cabin-exclusive crew, dedicated check-in and more that distinguishes them from the other airliners. Over these years, the VA brand is recognised as one of the most reliable and consumer-friendly air carrier that people have been ready to pay premium on their air travel; however, post 2008 financial crisis has caused major upheavals in the aviation industry. In last couple of years, numerous mergers have taken place among the major airliners and that has posed a grave threat to the VA. It becomes utmost necessary that Virgin forms a suitable merger or a strategic partnership with some other large airlines to improve its competitive edge over its rivals. Introduction Virgin airlines (VA) began its operations a way back in 1984 with a single route to New York; however, expanding its operations ever since then, currently, the Virgin flies to more th an 30 destinations with total 38 aircrafts at its disposal. At the home turf, Virgin competes with British Airways (BA) and holds number two position right behind BA beating many US carriers in the process. Competing with BA at all major routes is a big feat indeed! The paper aims at identifying and analysing the competitive strategy that Virgin Atlantic has deployed all these years against the formidable airlines of the world. Virgin Atlantic's Mission Statement Virgin Atlantic's mission statement is "To grow a profitable airline, that people love to fly and where people love to work" (Strategy and Policy, 2012). Objectives VA’s long-term objective is to grow and expand into a profitable airline creating a strong brand name in the aviation industry. In a bid to fulfill these objectives, the company moved to Heathrow in 1991. Since then the company has been able to push through many routes and several markets. Creating Competitive Strategy Lomax and Raman (2006) define compet itive advantage as the means that are necessary for the company to outperform its rivals in terms of earning higher than average profits. Hooley et al. (2008) argue that a well-formulated marketing strategy should be in place based on the competitive environment in which the company operates. Product positioning or niche marketing can derive benefits to the company when harnessed strategically (Johnson, 2011). Virgin competes with British Airways, Continental, American Airlines, United and Delta on transatlantic routes; BA, Cathay Pacific, ANA, and JAL to the Far East; SAA and BA to South Africa. Virgin has instituted a two class system for its passengers: Economy class and Upper Class. Economy class is further segmented into Premium Economy and Economy Class. Virgin employs several marketing techniques using its distinct logo to market its products and services that include print media, electronic media, taxi sides, outdoor posters. The sole purpose is to increase the awareness amo ng consumers about its products and services and inform the people about new routes. During off seasons, tactical promotional schemes are offered to increase the occupancy rates in air routes. Direct mail is another method used to inform about the new offerings and services. Frequent flyer programmes are used to increase the loyalty among existing customers.

Robin Hood Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Robin Hood - Case Study Example e the current modus oparendi is not sustainable given that the rich may altogether stop passing through the forest effectively killing their revenue stream. On the face of it, expansion looks like a good plan since it would allow the members to continue pillaging and hunting to sustain themselves with an increased base. However in the end this will likely put them at loggerheads with the community including the poor they are trying to help ergo this plans is simply a time buying ill-advised tactic. On the other hand, imposing a transit tax is a good idea since the rich are going out of their way to travel around the forest at a great cost to reduce the risk of losing their goods to the merry men (Lampel). Therefore, Robin should calculate approximately how much it costs to go round the forest and charge a transit tax of slightly less than that. In addition, he should enforce discipline and civility to ensure that the wealthy traders are not harassed, this way when they realize that going through the forest will be less pricy that circumnavigating it they will be more willing to resume their old route. The band will then have a marginally smaller but constant source of revenue, which is better than the unsustainable take all technique. On the up side of joining the barons in raising the money to free the king is that he would not have to live outside of the laws, in addition the sheriff and cruel king John would be no longer be a concern since the King Richard would dispose of them. In addition, the grateful monarch would likely pardon and perhaps reward the merry men. Nevertheless, there is a downside to this plan, for one, the king would mostly likely not let the men keep collecting taxes in his land and in the long run he may hunt them down and they end up becoming the same outlaws they were to start with. In addition, King John realized what was happening behind his backs, he could take drastic action and give the sheriff more reinforcements to attack the

Case analysis paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case analysis paper - Essay Example Howard was of a humble background and little was known about him in his early years. He studied in a poor school and his life had financial challenges that at one point he was even selling blood and bartending just to make ends meet (Schultz 25). He later grew to become a great salesman and switched from his career as vice president of a Swedish kitchen equipment firm to help the Starbucks stores grow their business. He worked on expanding this business, which he successfully did until the owners sold the whole Starbucks Company to him. Howard has been a true inspiration of how hard work and determination are necessary requirements for the growth and expansion of any business (Schultz 30). He has endured threats and trying times but his company is still among the best to this day. Many critics opposed his expansion plans to cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles but his sheer determination and persistence saw him become a top brand countrywide in a few years. We see that this man was not only making a difference in his life but was also focused on improving the lives of all around him (Schultz 40). Howard Schultz has devoted much of his time to corporate responsibility and has been very keen on making sure that his employees are happy at the work place. To evaluate the performance of this highly successful company, we are going to use the SWOT analysis on Starbucks. Among its strengths is the fact that Starbucks has built its name to be a brand name in the coffee business in the United States and globally. This is due to its specialty in the coffee sector (Schultz 50). The company CEO Howard Schultz is also a barista. This is important due to the fact that this implies he has expert knowledge of the services he is providing to his customers. He is able to relate with his employees as well. Among the other strengths is the huge customer loyalty base the Starbucks has attracted. These customers are willing to

Robin Hood Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Robin Hood - Case Study Example e the current modus oparendi is not sustainable given that the rich may altogether stop passing through the forest effectively killing their revenue stream. On the face of it, expansion looks like a good plan since it would allow the members to continue pillaging and hunting to sustain themselves with an increased base. However in the end this will likely put them at loggerheads with the community including the poor they are trying to help ergo this plans is simply a time buying ill-advised tactic. On the other hand, imposing a transit tax is a good idea since the rich are going out of their way to travel around the forest at a great cost to reduce the risk of losing their goods to the merry men (Lampel). Therefore, Robin should calculate approximately how much it costs to go round the forest and charge a transit tax of slightly less than that. In addition, he should enforce discipline and civility to ensure that the wealthy traders are not harassed, this way when they realize that going through the forest will be less pricy that circumnavigating it they will be more willing to resume their old route. The band will then have a marginally smaller but constant source of revenue, which is better than the unsustainable take all technique. On the up side of joining the barons in raising the money to free the king is that he would not have to live outside of the laws, in addition the sheriff and cruel king John would be no longer be a concern since the King Richard would dispose of them. In addition, the grateful monarch would likely pardon and perhaps reward the merry men. Nevertheless, there is a downside to this plan, for one, the king would mostly likely not let the men keep collecting taxes in his land and in the long run he may hunt them down and they end up becoming the same outlaws they were to start with. In addition, King John realized what was happening behind his backs, he could take drastic action and give the sheriff more reinforcements to attack the

Hurricane Charley Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Charley Essay Trees down every where, houses crushed, roofs gone, thousands of people without power, cars damaged, people dieing. Hurricane Charley was perhaps one of most devastating events that I have ever experienced, in my entire life. The next morning after hurricane Charley hit, we drove outside and saw the devastating remains that Charley left. The roads were full of chaos, with no traffic lights, and the gas lines were insanely long. I was very fortunate to only loose my power and cable, in comparison to some people loosing a loved one. This hurricane caused approximately $20 billion in damages, which is nothing compared the 19 lives it took. I learned to never underestimate the effects of a hurricane, always be prepared for a hurricane, and to always think and help the less fortunate. Hurricane Charley wasnt perceived as a very powerful hurricane to a lot of people as it progressed more towards Central Florida. I feel that a lot of people were not very prepared for Charley, just as I wasnt. When I heard about this hurricane coming I thought, Oh, another hurricane coming, there is going to be a lot of rain. I didnt think it was going to be a big deal at all. After the hurricane hit, I realized that I was completely wrong. One should always be prepared for a hurricane. I think that this statement is most definitely true, and should be carried out by everyone. Every household should have plenty of water, money, gas, batteries, flashlights, and many other things stashed away in their houses. There were major gas outages at the gas stations, because people were filling up their generators and cars. One of the major problems was that almost everyone was out of power, so you could cook or keep things cold without a generator. This lead to everyone needed ice to keep their very expensive groceries cold. When I looked back at what resulted from Charley, I actually feel fortunate. Yes, Charley did cause my dad lost business, left a lot of yard for me, left power and cable outages, and hundreds of dollars of meat to go bad. When I thought about this I felt kind of unfortunate but, when I thought about the people that starve day after day on normal bases in places like Africa, I feel fortunate. A lot of people in other countries dont ever have power, cable, or even houses for that matter. I think that after events like this,  we should all pull together and help one another. Volunteer to help your neighbors and people that had it worse then you, have free barbeques with your meat that is going to go bad anyway, and most of all give everyone moral support. I think that Charley was a very important learning experience for a lot of us and should be thought about in different views. If you think about it, were you that effected by hurricane Charley? Did you take your power for granted? Were you well prepared for this hurricane? Did you underestimate Charley? All of these are important things to think about as you look back on Charley.

Implementing Green Initiative In Malaysia Environmental Sciences Essay

Implementing Green Initiative In Malaysia Environmental Sciences Essay The main objective of this research proposal is to discuss how the research process will be carried out on the selected topic. The topic for this research is Service Industry (Food and Beverage industry) perceptive on implementing Go Green initiative in Malaysia. This topic is chosen due to the fact that there is a limited research that applies to the Malaysian FB market. The purpose of this proposal is to shows how the actual research will be carried out on the topic. However, due to the limitation of the research, the research content will contain background analysis of green practices in Malaysia as well as in other counties. An other aspects of the research are based on demographic, attitude and behaviour of how the service industry has perceived in implementing such concept from its dimension of awareness, understanding and acceptance. By breaking down and studying these aspects, it will help to provide the actual information that is useful for the service industry players to become a sustainable FB industry and take initiative on such practices. This proposal will later discuss how this concept has been implemented in other countries. This is to develop a theoretical framework of these aspects and form a Go Green framework. This includes comparison of current implementations of Go green initiatives. Moreover, the research will also look into whether the government should enforce regulations on the FB industry for Go Green initiatives as default practices. Introduction Irrespective of industries, a business is governed with the intension of being Profitable, Sustainable, Productive and aims at achieving the highest level of customer loyalty towards their products and services. Achievements of profitability in businesses are focused more on increased revenue, lower cost of operations and higher profits. Long term growth, consistent revenue and profits, low cost of labour and resources, and being self-sufficient is the focus of businesses in terms of sustainability. Optimal usage of resources, Better utilization and optimal usage of assets are the main focus of businesses for productivity. Increased customer loyalty and increase in customer traffic are the focus of businesses for customer loyalty. In the above mentioned context, sustainability and productivity is a major impact to the FB organization to achieve positive profitability. As a result of industrys major impact, Going Green concept focuses service industry to become sustainable and productive with low cost, and optimal utilization of both assets and resources. Research Problem The idea of going green is relatively new to the food service industry in Malaysia compare to other industry sectors. This is due to the fact that there is limited industrial research and government regulations undertaken on green restaurant concept implementation and its practices in Malaysian market context. Malaysian FB industry is not a highly regulated market by the Malaysian government. Licenses to operate a FB outlet is not a combined effort of various agencies but limited to Ministry of Health and other licensing agencies. Department of environment and other agencies are generally not involved. The legislations / rules and laws of Department of environment and other related agencies are more concentrated on environment issues that are generated by commercial establishments in terms of pollution control and not green initiatives. Therefore, this research focuses on understanding and comprehension of various processes, methodologies and best practices for a Go Green framework for the food and beverage industry in Malaysia. There are two reasons that this research has carried out on this specific topic. Green related articles were already published in Malaysia. Environmental concerned green programmes have been implemented in Malaysia since many years ago. And also many articles that related to its programmes has being published in various sectors like waste management, green building, recycle policy, organic food sectors, hospitality and tourism sector, and etc. Especially in service industry perceptive, there are very limited or almost none have been published green related articles. Provided government regulations are not clearly specify for service industry. There available data like environmental education, green building index, green technology guidelines and process, however, there are no clear information that are stated for service industry to follow. Appendix 1 shows that industry commitment in Green initiative has increased from 2008 to 2009, thus research was analyzed by restaurant industry forecast, 2010. However, such kind of focus has not been done in Malaysia restaurant industry. These shows that service industry in Malaysia has very limited research that give clear information on Go green implementation. From this research, industry will benefit the actual information of industry players perceptive and the best suitable framework of Go green implementation in Malaysian market context. Research Objective To measure the degrees of industry awareness towards the green restaurant concept in Malaysia market context. To identify and understand existing knowledge of green restaurant concept among Malaysia market. To discover the market acceptance ability of green restaurant concept. Develop a framework for the industry to accept Go Green concept to be implemented for long term sustainability. Objectives of the research aim to understand the used of Go green concept in service industry. This is due to limited research has not been done in this particular study area in Malaysia. The outcome of the research will not only benefits to the industry players but also will give a clear framework of how industry can sustain by developing this idea. Therefore, the research will carry out to investigate how industry perceived and identify needs of framework to implement the concept. Research Questions How good is the industry player aware of a green restaurant concept? What is their understanding of the Green restaurant concept, and what is their current contribution towards going green? What is their existing methods or processes of having a sustainable business? Is the Malaysian Food and beverage market willing to accept green restaurant concept practises? Is the food and beverage industry acceptable for the Go green initiatives to be a government regulation? Literature Review Definition Go Green or Going Green is a concerned with the protection of the environment (Oxford Advanced learners Dictutionary, 2000); steps to conserve energy, reduce pollution and save money ( The U.S. Chamber of commerce Small Business Nation). Caroline S. Tauxe (2009, Vol.5 No.1) mentioned that green practices as a cost-saving response to the effect of high energy prices on operations and on supply and distribution chains, and these measures are valued first in terms of efficiency gains. In restaurant industry, green restaurants may be defined as new or renovated structures designed, constructed, operated, and demolished in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient manner (Lorenzini 1994, 119) cited by Hsin-Hui Hu, H.G. Parsa, and Self.J, 2010. In Union for reform Judaism (2010) stated that going green defines as the activity of adding sustainability principles and considerations into the planning process of an event or organizational or personal lifestyle. According to Ministry for the environment of New Zealand defines a sustainable industry as an industry that anticipates economic, environmental and social trends to minimise risk and takes opportunities to improve comparative advantage. A research of Schubert.F (2008) mentioned that companies across all sectors try to develop products and practices with minimized environmental effect as part of social responsible practices, but also in order to establish themselves in a new niche for consumers with environmental concerns this is also true for the hospitality and tourism industry where businesses often rely on the integrity of the environment. Hotels located in natural areas such as mountains or beaches for example, are especially dependent on the healthiness of their sites, and therefore some have been engaging in green practices and eco-tourism for several years. Restaurants however, are often less dependent to such environmental factors and have therefore shown less care for these issues. Areas of green practices Green restaurant association (GRA) explained that fully transformed green restaurant provides a comprehensive and user-friendly method of rewarding existing restaurants foodservices operations, new builds, and events with points in each of the green restaurant associations seven environmental categories. Seven categories which compiled with water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food, energy, disposables, and chemical and pollution reduction. Hence, the restaurant who are pursuing for becoming fully integrated green restaurant from GRA are also require to use products like- chlorine-free paper products, nontoxic cleaning and chemical products, renewable power, and green building and construction (Wallace.A, 2005). One of the most popular going green concepts is done by practicing the 3R principle which is by reducing, reusing, and recycling the resources used, using organic products, and installing equipments with green technology. In the restaurant industry, small daily savings often make the difference between long-term profit and loss (Restaurant waste minimization guidebook, State of Havaii). In addition, a restaurants costs go up when it installs pricey equipment to make its operation more sustainable and pay extra to source ingredients that meet sustainability standards (Observer,2010). Furthermore, Schubert.F (2008) highlighted that the details of creating an Environmentally Sustainable Restaurant Industry- Green restaurant association (GRA) has also provides guideline for the following areas: Energy Efficiency Conservation: Energy efficient technologies and conservation practices exist for lighting, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, foodservice appliances, office equipment and transportation. Water Efficiency Conservation: Water efficient technologies and conservation practices exist for foodservice appliances, equipment, and landscaping. Recycling Composting: Recycling services exist for many waste products such as glass, plastic, metal, cardboard, mixed paper, grease, ink toner cartridge. Food waste can be diverted from landfills and made into nutrient-rich soil through the use of a composting service or an on-site system. Sustainable Food: Sustainable food products support the long-term maintenance of ecosystem and agriculture for future generations. Organic agriculture prohibits the use of toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge, and genetic engineering. Locally grown food reduce the amount of pollution associated with transportation primarily by fossil fuels. Plant-based food require fewer natural resources and create less pollution per calorie consumed. Pollution Prevention: Pollution prevention is achieved through source reduction, reuse, or improving operational practices. Recycled, Tree-free, Biodegradable Organic Products: Recycled products are made from materials that are collected from post-consumer or post-industrial waste sources. Tree-free products are made from alternative plant sources such as hemp or kenaf. Biodegradable products are capable of being decomposed by biological agents, especially bacterial. Organic products are grown without the use of toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge, and genetic engineering. Chlorine-Free Paper Products: Chlorine-free paper products are unbleached or whitened with alternatives such as hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, and ozone. Non-toxic Cleaning Chemical Products: Non-toxic cleaning and chemical products are biodegradable, free of hazardous ingredients, and are safe for people, animals and environment when used properly. Green Power: Electricity and power is available from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, small hydro and biomass. These energy sources cause dramatically less air pollution and environmental damage compared to fossil fuel, nuclear, and large-scale hydroelectric energy sources. Green Building Construction: Green design and construction practices significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment, occupants, and the local community. Education: Education of staff on the environmental impact of the restaurant industry and a path toward ecological sustainability. Benefit of Go Green Publicity The GRA and its certified green restaurants have been featured in the following media outlets: NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR) and etc (cited by dinegreen.com). Cut costs In dine-green website mentioned that some restaurants that are green certified save thousands of dollars each year, and through the help of the GRAs consultants, are able to access rebates, incentives and other money saving programs. Improve staff productivity and morale Staff awareness of going green due to the fact that the industry is currently run by young entrepreneurs who are aware of the environmental issues. GRA have reported that staff productivity and morale increase upon their certification. Restaurant employees have demonstrated that they want to work for businesses that are making real, credible and transparent environmental changes. Being a part of the solution to our worlds environmental problems goes a long way in gaining a restaurant employees loyalty. (Cited in dinegreen.com) Increase in new customers and customer loyalty Eating out has always been considered a splurge or extravagance in the average Americans budget. The growing trend in restaurant dining is that consumers want to feel as if they have done something good, other than just having nice meal. This fact alone can drive in new customers and create loyal ones. (Cited in dinegreen.com) Stay ahead of legislation Environmental legislation for restaurants is sweeping across the world, from plastic bag and Styrofoam bands, to recycling mandates. More and more cities are in the process of either considering or passing legislation relating to matters of restaurants and the environment. Because Certified Green restaurants have already completed these important environmental changes voluntarily, when legislation strikes, the GRAs restaurants are able to continue running their businesses while their competitors are scrambling to comply with the latest mandates. (Cited by dinegreen.com) Industry perception and acceptance of Go Green According to Oxford Dictionary for the Business World (1993), perception is an intuitive recognition of and an aesthetic quality; a way of seeing, understanding. Perception is the terms used to cover those processes, which gives coherence, unity and meaning to a persons sensory input. It involves all those processes we use to select, sort, organise and interpret sensory data to make meaningful and coherent picture of our world (Rice, 1993) cited by Kamal Izzuwan Bin Ramli, Noor Suhaila Binti Yusof, Muharis Bin HJ. Mohamed, 2004). A frequent research by Hu.H.H, Parsa.H.G and Self.J (2010) said that knowledge of sustainable restaurant operation is an important determinant of intention to patronize a green restaurant. Research Conceptual Framework Awareness of going green The following are some points that will be made during the awareness stage. Awareness of the businesses on the green initiatives, Availability of information for these businesses about going green Understating green objectives The following are some points that will be made during the understanding stage. Existing knowledge on going green Knowledge on the impact of the current environment on not going green. Knowledge on how they can be profitable and have a sustainable business by going green Acceptance of going green The following are some points that will be made during the acceptance stage. Weather they are willing to invest in going green initiatives Participation in going green by changing business processes Investments into resources to go green Methodology Methodology of this research will be used base on the primary data and secondary data. Primary data will be collected by using survey questionnaires to the restaurant managers and owners around Kuala Lumpur. Secondary data will be gathered from the relevant academic journals, books, published magazines and articles, and also internet sources. Basically, the survey questionnaires will be distributed to three different types of restaurant such as: fast food restaurants, casual dining restaurants and semi-fine dining or fine dining restaurants. Approximately 30 survey questionnaires will be distributed as sample. The questionnaires will be demonstrated in demographic, attitude and behaviour study on each type of restaurants. This is to ensure there is a balance in different types of service restaurants owner perceptive on Go green concept implementations in Malaysia. The outcome of this survey will give better understanding on how restaurant owners aware and deep analysis of their understanding on this concept. And also it will help to indicate the best options of practices needed for the Malaysian market context. Secondary data will be collected from academic journals, books, relevant magazines and articles, and internet sources. This will enhance the better understanding on theoretical framework of Go green concept practices. In additionally, local government data and non-government organisation data will also include in this research. This is to clarify such concept has been performed in other industry sector as well as to identify the availability of Green supply chain in Malaysia. From above mention data collections, this research will shows industry perceptive on implementing Go green concept and it will also show the best options of practices for Malaysia market which may or may not be an exact practices to compare to other country.