Community Health Nursing Essay

Identification of Community Nestled in Southern Indiana just west of Louisville, Kentucky and south of Indianapolis, Indiana is Dubois County, Indiana. Dubois County is comprised of the towns of Birdseye, Ferdinand, Holland, Huntingburg and Jasper. Of those towns, Jasper is the largest and is the county seat (Kelly School of Business, 2014). Over fifty-two percent of the population consists of adults ranging from 25-64 years of age (Kelly School of Business, 2014). The leading cause of mortality in this county is heart disease, cancer, suicide and injuries (Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). According to the 2011 health rankings of the county, Dubois County was higher in the benchmark of poor health, adult obesity, adult smoking, excessive drinking, motor vehicle crash death rate and teen birth rate than the national benchmarks (Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Industry overview consists of manufacturing, transportation/warehousing, health care, and finance/insurance with manufacturing providing the majority of the jobs at an average wage per job of $54,000 in 2010(Memorial Hospital And Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Obesity in the county grew to 28.9% in 2008 compared to 26.8% in 2006(Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Physical inactivity also increased in the two year span growing from 20.9% in 2006 to 24.5% in 2008(Memorial Hospital And Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Summary of Tools Population Economic Status Assessment The Population Economic Status Assessment of the county was utilized to obtain the population estimates, cultural diversity, income levels, poverty among children and unemployment rates. In 2013 the population estimates of 42, 361 were found in Dubois County (United States Census Bureau, 2014). Of  these, the cultural demographics of 98% were white and 6.4% were Hispanic or Latino (United States Census Bureau, 2014). In 2011, Dubois County provided only 0.6% of the births in Indiana and 0.7% of the deaths (Kelly School of Business, 2014). The median household income was $54,168 and 7.9% were below poverty level wen the span of 2008-2012 was studied (United States Census Bureau, 2014). The rate of poverty among children in Dubois County was under 10% in 2010(Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). A 7.5% unemployment rate in 2010 was seen as well as an increase in families receiving temporary assistance (Memorial Hospital and Health Care Ce nter & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory Environmental safety hazards present in Dubois County range from air pollution, invasive animal species, climate, and resources. Air pollution is a byproduct of the manufacturing industry. The Particulate Matter measurement in 2010 was 27.2ug/m3 which contributes to the asthma and cancer rates in the community (Air Quality, 2012). Another environmental concern is the possible conversion of a coal-fired plant into an incinerator of biomass which also threatens to worsen the respiratory issues of the population (Healthy Dubois County, 2014). Invasive animal species of the county include the Emerald Ash Borer and Gypsy moth who could deforest the trees and shrubs thereby threatening our environment (Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District, 2014). The climate is humid and the annual precipitation is spread throughout the year (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2014). The soil is flat and provides poor drainage thus placing the county at risk for flooding (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2014). Cultural Assessment Tool The primary cultural groups of Dubois County are whites with German ancestry and a growing Latino population. The numbers of females to males of both cultures is approximately 50:50(Dubois County, n.d.) Religious affiliations of the community include Catholics, Lutheran, Methodist and Mormon with Catholics being approximately 71% of the population (Onboard Informatics, 2013). Disaster Assessment & Planning Guide Dubois County’s disaster preparedness plans and resources are maintained by the county health department. The four major areas of focus include: acts of nature, such as floods and tornados; disease outbreaks, such as influenza and Hepatitis; accidents, including chemical spills; and terrorist acts (Dubois County Health Department, 2012). With such disasters the most vulnerable populations are the young and old, who are the most likely to be affected by a disaster. Public agencies such as the Red Cross, Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, Dubois County Health Department are a few of the local agencies that can offer resources and aid to those individuals during times of crisis. Ethnicity issues related to disaster are language barriers of those who have recently traveled to the area. Windshield Survey The environment of Dubois County is a mix of urban and rural areas that are rich in history. In Jasper, IN there are eighteen parks located in this county seat of Dubois County. They are well maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the town. The homes in Jasper overall are well maintained and landscaping includes a mix of trees, shrubs and flowers. The home lot size ranges from small to large as you progress away from the downtown area. Older homes are more focused in the downtown area and newer homes are being developed in the outer areas of town. Not all of the homes have access to sidewalks or walking trails within walking distance. The Patoka River flows through the town and a recreational railway also passes through the town. Residents take advantage of the river front area with a river walk pathway that passes 2.1 miles along the river. The river walk and pavilion area along the river and parks provide common areas for families and fitness enthusiast. Other gathering places include a number of restaurants and bars in town. These restaurants are fast food, fast-casual and bar/grill type establishments. Transportation includes personal vehicles and public transportation. Schools include five primary education schools, one high school and one community college. There are over 50 dentists, 18 family practice, 5 pediatricians and 38 nursing homes/skilled/assisted living agencies in Jasper. The community business owners work hard to build up the town and county through such organizations as Dubois Strong and Greater Downtown Jasper Business Association. Dubois Strong’s focus is to support business growth through marketing to access to capital to help new  and existing business to thrive. Diversity can be seen in the growth of Hispanic churches/mass times, Hispanic food stores, and restaurants. Population Health Scavenger Hunt The Dubois County Health Department’s target population is the residents of Dubois County and to support the health of the county. The county website promotes the health department and the health department advertises in the local news media with regards to upcoming events and programs. The Jasper Chamber of Commerce promotes local businesses, new resident information, recreation activities, recycling programs, and more. The director of the chamber is also active in promoting the improvement and activities within the city through news media and working with various committees. Both the fire and police department are housed within the city center of Jasper and both provide programs for children in addition to keeping our city safe. The police department provides schools with the DARE program for drug prevention. The City of Jasper, through the service of various agencies, houses a community food bank, energy assistance program, foreclosure prevention services and health family promotion program for those who qualify. Description of Selected Community Dubois County is a community built with German ancestry that has diversified over the years to include a Hispanic/Latino population. Individuals within the population are proactive in keeping the community thriving in this ever changing environment. Growth of the various cultures can be seen in the development of Hispanic churches and food stores. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of mortality in 2006-2008(Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Health disease prevention is provided through programs through the hospital and availably of outside activities found in the river walk and parks in the area. Interpretation of Data When comparing the number of births and deaths in Dubois County to Indiana as a whole, the numbers are even, in comparison. Yet in international migration, the county ranks 23 out of 92 counties (Kelly School of Business, 2014). In examination of the leading causes of death in the county, most young people die due to injury and older people die from either cancer or heart disease. Conclusions could be made from this data. A population who is primarily employed by manufacturing facilities could be the source of the accidents in the young and the environmental agents from these plants may cause death in the elderly after multiple years of exposure. Also, another causative factor to consider is the availability of fast food linked to the increased mortality from heart disease. Problems in the Selected Community When the leading causes of mortality in Dubois County with regards to the Healthy People 2020 goals are examined, the topics of Heart Disease and Stroke, Nutrition and Weight Status and Cancer appear to be the top three problems for this community. Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of mortality in America and therefore lend themselves to an increase in healthcare cost (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Prevention of these events can start with control of blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco use, improved diet and increase in physical activity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Controlling these risk factors is therefore one of the goals of Healthy People 2020 as they attempt to ameliorate the health of the nation through health promotion and prevention. Not only does improving one’s nutrition and weight decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke, but it will also aid in the prevention of other diseases including cancer. The Healthy People 2020 goal of Nutrition and Weight Status not only looks at an individual’s diet, but increasing household food security and eliminating hunger (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). With the accessibility of fast food, increased physical inactivity and environmental safety concerns over the past few years, these goals for health promotion and prevention are applicable to this community. The resources in the community along with the community’s desire to care for its members should help this community thrive. Problem in Relation to Goals Healthy People 2020 are science based goals for â€Å"improving the health of all Americans† (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). It â€Å"established benchmarks and monitored progress over time in order to encourage collaboration across communities and sectors, empower individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activities† over a ten year period( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Through the identification of a community’s health needs, a community can determine the health priorities and opportunities for improvement† (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). This process helps the community to live â€Å"longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury and premature death† (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). Therefore looking at the Dubois County community’s health concerns for heart disease and stroke, the goal of nutrition and weight status is a great starting point for improving the health of the community. As the individual lives of the community members improve so will the county. A healthy community is a thriving community. Poor nutrition has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Not only is nutrition an individual’s choice, but resources must be accessible for proper nutrition and exercise. Fresh produce through Farmer’s Markets, health promotion through work, and accessible healthy activities for the public are a few solutions to support the community as they strive to ameliorate their lives. Availability of Community Resources A variety of organizations throughout the community provide services to improve the nutrition and health of those it serves. The Greater Downtown Business Association hosts a Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning from May through October. Not only does this provide locally grown produce to the community, but it also offers a positive social gathering for families and those interested in improving their nutrition. Many of the local churches and organizations offer 5K run/walk opportunities throughout the county as well. Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center offers fitness and nutrition classes for the community as part of their mission to ‘Be for others.’ Primary Prevention Topic My primary prevention topic is the prevention of overweight and obesity by means of healthy nutrition and physical activity. Amelioration of health will reduce the disease risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer in our community. A successful community starts with healthy individuals. Use of Questions The largest contributor to morbidity and mortality in Dubois County is poor nutrition either through lack of education or resources. The businesses and organizations are trying to improve the nutrition/physical fitness of the community by offering classes, walk/runs and other means of health promotions through media promotion. The local physicians have discussed services on local radio programs, through seminars at the hospital and in articles in the local papers. There is also a community food bank and farmer’s market. The most recent controversial community health concern published by the news media is that of the proposed biomass plant to be initiated in the old power plant location. There has been community involvement by community leaders and individuals to keep this from happening due to the concern of air quality. As it stands, the company that was going to initiate the transition to biomass has recently revoked their commitment to the project. Most people in the community are concerned about staying healthy for a better quality of life, but they may just not realize all the free or low cost resources available to them. Local news media advertise the hospital programs available and promote the local fitness activities available. Education needs to remain a constant to inform the community of the opportunities available to them. As mentioned previously, most of the emergency room visits are due to injuries/accidents, but cardiology issues is the top hospital inpatient discharge diagnosis (Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011). Therefore focus on prevention and treatment of heart disease is of paramount importance. Focusing on prevention will improve the longevity of this community. Quality of life in the community is reduced by the prevalence of multiple factories in the area. As previously mentioned, the air quality has impacted the community’s rate of asthma and cancer. Im proving quality of life needs to include improving air quality. References 2011 Dubois County Health Needs Assessment (Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center & Dubois County Health Department, 2011) Retrieved from www.duboiscountyin.org/stories/2011dchealthassess.pdf Air Quality. (2012). Indiana County of Dubois Government Website. Retrieved from www.duboiscountyin.org City Data: Dubois County, Indiana. (Onboard Informatics, 2013). Retrieved April 22, 2014 from www.city-data.com/county/Dubois_County-IN.html Dubois County. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/DuboisCounty,Indiana Dubois County Health Department (2012). Indiana County of Dubois Government Website. Retrieved from www.duboiscountyin.org Dubois County Indiana Profile (Kelly School of Business, 2014). Retrieved from www.stats.indiana.edu Flood Insurance Study: Dubois County, Indiana and Incorporated Areas (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2014). Retrieved from in.gov Healthy Dubois County (Healthy Dubois County, 2014). Retrieved from www.healthyduboiscounty.org Invasive Animal Species Information (Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District, 2014). Retrieved from www.duboisswcd.org State & County Quick Facts: Dubois County, Indiana (United States Census Bureau, 2014). Retrieved from www.quickfacts.census.gov. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). About Healthy People. HealthyPeople.gov. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). Nutrition and Weight Status. HealthyPeople.gov. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=29 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). Heart Disease and Stroke. HealthyPeople.gov. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=21

Core Business Skills

1. 0 INTRODUCTION This particular assignment's aim is to discuss the application of the strategic management process in a retail industry. I have chosen Starbucks Coffee as my food and beverage industry to research on, and to thoroughly explain the strategic management process implied by them. Starbucks Coffee Company was founded by English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker back in year 1971 Seattle, Washington. Starbucks Coffee Company is known as the world's leading coffee retailer, roaster and last but not least brand of specialty coffee.Apart from providing only coffee, Starbucks Coffee also cater light snacks like sandwiches, delicious pastries, healthy salads and etc. Since Starbucks Coffee is the world's leading brand in coffee, they serve up to 35 million customers from all over the world weekly. Because of their great reputation, they have successfully opened up to 17,000 stores worldwide. The company's mission statement is to ‘ inspire and nurture human spirit'. Firstly, Starbucks Coffee focus to provide a ‘great work environment' to their members so that they are treated with ‘respect and dignity'.Secondly, Starbucks Coffee also believes that conducting business ethically is the main key to be successful in a business. As a worldwide and leading-brand company, Starbucks Coffee insists strongly on upholding a culture where diversities are well valued and respected. These diversities include ‘inclusion: human connection and engagement', ‘equity: fairness and justice', ‘accessibility: ease of use and barrier free' so that employees with diverse background are fairly treated and respected to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable workplace (www. starbucks. com 2011). . 0 Strategic Analysis 2. 1 Internal Analysis 2. 1. 1 Strength: One of the main strength possesses by Starbucks Coffee is the strong brand image they have. In terms of the coffee industry, they are considered to be most reputable compared to Coffee Beans, Gloria Jeans, and other competitors among the industry. Starbucks Coffee manage to prove themselves as a highly resorted brand by getting rated as the top 100 most seeked after brand. Apart from having a high brand value, Starbucks Coffee has managed to globalise their target market in to all parts of the world.This opens up the opportunity for Starbucks themselves to monopolise the foreign market as well. 2. 1. 2 Weaknesses: No matter what industry a firm is in, they will face certain weaknesses that they have to always try to improve on. As for Starbucks Coffee, one of their main weaknesses is the product price. In many countries, Starbucks Coffee is considered as a premium product where the prices of their products are higher compared to other coffee shops (Lee S, 2007). Another weakness that Starbucks Coffee has is that they are too focused in their domestic market which is the United Stated of America.This will lead Starbucks Coffee into a vu lnerable position where it is hard for them to predict unforeseen changes in the industry's market at other countries. 2. 2 Stakeholders in Starbucks Coffee: Stakeholders in Starbucks Coffee includes all the workers which are known as partners. This is because Starbucks Coffee wants to create an environment where all their employees would feel comfortable and relaxed (Kembell B, 2002). The second stakeholders for Starbucks Coffee Company would be their highly valued customers. These customers play an important role in Starbucks Coffee because they are the ones who visit the coffeehouse almost everyday.In order to feel connected to Starbucks Coffee, customers can easily hear and engaged with the employees and products of Starbucks anytime, anywhere (Hanft A, 2005). The other crucial stakeholder in Starbucks Coffee will be their coffee farmers. These coffee farmers are actually the backbone to Starbucks Coffee because Starbucks rely mainly on coffee products. In order to uphold the so cial and economic well-being of their coffee farmers, they have decided to pay a premium price for high quality coffee beans from them (Robertson H, 2006). 2. 3 Core Competencies:As we all know, core competencies in any industry is actually their comparative advantage. As for Starbucks Coffee, one of their core competency is human resource. Firstly, Starbucks Coffee is a company that values their employees greatly. Starbucks shows their appreciation to their employees by giving them the opportunity to receive full healthcare benefits, stock options/discounted stock purchase plans (Weber G, 2005). Starbucks Coffee's tangible resources will be their high-quality coffee beans called the Narino Supremo Beans. The Narino Supremo Beans have the highest quality and is the largest bean in Columbia (www. melita. om, 2011). In a recent report, it is said that the president of the Columbia;s National Federation of Coffee Growers have confirmed the purchase of 6 to 7 percent of Starbucks shares (Castaneda S, 2009). This shows that Starbucks Coffee has sole ownership over the high quality beans which is an advantage for them. Starbucks Coffee has a good reputation and is well accepted throughout the world. This reflects on their intangible resources to attract customers. Having a good brand name, friendly employees and high quality coffee beans are the main traits possessed by Starbucks Coffee. 2. 4. 0 External Analysis 2. 4. 1 OpportunitiesStarbucks has always use their opportunities to expand their business in to a whole new level. Firstly, Starbucks has created an opportunity for themselves to expand their brand name to foreign countries. It is reported that Starbucks are planning to open up to 15,000 new stores across the world in the years to come (Datamonitor, 2005). Apart from that, Starbuck's technological advancements has given them a good opportunity to conveniently distribute products to customers through the internet. Starbucks has also equipped all their loung es with WiFi services to accommodate their valued-customers to boot (Elgan M, 2008). . 4. 2 Threats One of the threats that will be faced by Starbucks coffee is the price fluctuation of diary and coffee products. The price of theese products can also be affected by the income levels of customers in upcoming or developing country as goods over there are highly inflated (Pinkasovitch A, 2011). In every industry that we are in, there will always be competitors trying to penetrate the market . Competitors for Starbucks Coffee would be other coffehouses that sells coffee. Coffeebean, San Francisco Coffee, and Gloria Jeans are direct competitors for Starbucks. 2. 5 PEST Analysis 2. 5. 1 Political Factor:One of the political factors that posses as a major issue for Starbucks is the unstability of political issues that would directly affect the growth rate of Starbucks Coffee. From a recent report, it says that up to five Arab states have decided to boycott American goods with their primary target being Starbucks Coffee shops (Antievil, 2008) 2. 5. 2 Economic Factor: Apart from that, Economic factor is also a very important matter to look into when executing a strategic analysis. One of the economical problems that affected Starbucks was the recession in Switzerland, Japan and Germany in the early 2000s.In a more recent report, the Company had revealed a 70% drop in their quarterly profits to only $64. 3m. Apart from that, they are also planning to close down up to 300 stores (Clark A, 2009). 2. 5. 3 Social Factor: Starbucks has always prioritise on their social issues and responsibilities. Starbucks always participated in upholding the importance of the environment. A move by Starbucks to create a partnership with the Conservation International, mainly to put their attention on environmental protection such as waste reduction and energy and water saving programs (David, 2009).A move like this proves that Starbucks are cautious about the social responsibilities. 2. 5. 4 Technology: In terms of technology, Starbucks has always been up to date. All of Starbuck's outlets are fitted with Wi-Fi services. Another move to be technologically involved will be the creation of music CDs that will suit the specific moods of customers. They are available for purchase at any Starbucks outlet (Lodi K, 2006). 2. 5 Porter's Five Forces Framework: The Porter's Five Forces framework is applied to go in to a more in depth analysis of an industry.The five forces usually includes industry competitors, new entrants, suppliers, customers, and substitutes. In all industries, companies will have to face strong competitors in order to dominate the markets. For Starbucks, their main rivalries would be Coffee Bean, San Francisco Coffee, and other coffee lounges that falls into Starbuck's category. They do not only compete domestically, but also internationally. Sometimes, rivalry from other industries can also be a threat. For example, McDonalds could pose as a threat to St arbucks because they are a fast-food chain yet they still provide coffee in their menu.They could be one of the strongest competitors for Starbucks to face (Gregory S, 2009). Another forces that Starbucks faces is the emergence of substitute products. Because Starbucks is a premium product, therefore their prouct prices are usually very high. During a recession, there is a high possibility that customers from Starbucks look for a substition to lower down their expenditure. Products like Coca-cola or Pepsi-cola could be one of the substitues for high quality coffee beans. However there is a big difference in the taste and smell when it is being consumed. Therefore the main substitute for Starbucks will be basic coffee.This will be a threat to Starbucks because they are an organisation that caters to high-income earners. One other factor that might affect an industry will be the customer's buying power. However, this depends on the organisation itself. If they are an attractive organi sation then the bargaining power of buyers will be low and poses no threat to the company. For Starbucks, the bargaining power of its buyers are low. Althought prices of Starbucks are high, customers still buy it because of its differentiated and outstanding products. The other forces that will directly affect an industry is the supplier's bargaining power.The supplier's bargaining power will rise when there is a rise in demand of the product that they supply. Starbucks could be facing this threat because they rely on central american to produce the coffee traded. Since there are more demand in high-quality beans, main suppliers will naturally have a stronger bargaining power. â€Å"An over-crowded market will give the coffee suppliers bargaining power. There are no substitute products for the coffee beans Starbucks must buy. This is a potential threat to the company,† (Hanft A, 2005). 3. 0 Strategy Formulation 3. 1 BusinessLevel StrategyFor all the industries, they have to c hose a business strategy that can successfully dominate the market. The formulation of this strategy is very crucial in a busines because it helps to find customers. One of the tools that can be used to formulate an industry's business level strategies is the porter's generic strategies. Starbucks uses the focused differentiated strategy derived by Michael Porter to run their business. As we all know, Starbucks is known as a food and beverage company. But to be specific, Starbucks is a food and beverage company that focuses on coffee brewing.They are well known for their high-quality beans and comfortable lounges. Starbucks chooses a segment to market their products to. This includes coffee fanatics and people who are looking for a place to relax. However, Starbucks caters their products to mostly high-income earners because their products are expensive. This shows that the focused differentiation strategy is used to seek their competitive advantage in the market through uniqueness of their products (Campling J, 2007). The advantage of Starbucks' focus on a single market can give them the chance to handle all managerial, financial, technological, and capabilities in one business.Starbucks has always been trying to come out with more creative and innovative products to be differentiated among their competitors. This has certainly made them the biggest winner in the coffee based industry (Guarriello T, 2008). Although the prices are high in Starbucks, they are very differentiated in terms of the coffee beans they use and they way the serve. This shows that the focus differentiation startegy that Starbucks uses is an effective way to attract customers since they are the world leading brand in its industry. Another way to formulate a business-level strategy in an industry is to apply the product life cycle method.The first stage of a product life cycle is introduction, followed by growth, maturity, and decline (Campling J, 2007). 3. 2 Corporate-level Strategy The corporate strategies are used by industries to direct their organisations towards a sustainable competitive advantage (Campling J, 2007). The main purpose for the use of this strategy is to set a target and control resources allocation for an enterprise. The first approach to formulate a corporate strategy is the portfolio planning approach. The portfolio planning approach are designed to help managers to decide on investing scare organisational resources among competing business opportunity.This straregy is very useful for multibusiness enterprises like Starbucks. Growth strategy can be used as one of the corporate level strategy to effectively expand and increase the size of a company's operations, through store expansion and global market penetration. In order for Starbucks to successfully expand their stores, it is required for them to have full concentration on their products (Campling J, 2007). Starbucks has been very aggressive in store expansion, this includes them opening u p to a dozen of stores in China in year 2007 (Yan Z, 2008).In addition to that, Starbucks has also put their main focus on diversifying their growth to other products. 4. 0 Strategy Implementation 4. 1 Organisation Structure: An enterprise's organisation structure is the mixture of task and reporting relationships that allows the company to control its lines of authority and communication at the same time allocating rights and duties. There are three types of organisational structures, the divisional structure, matrix organisation and hybrid structure. Starbucks has adopted the matrix organisation structure to focus on.All the employees in this firm would report to both a functional and divisional manager and lastly to a project manager. Failures of strategic planning happens most of the time. The most common strategic planning failures are failures of substance and failures of process. Failure of substance happens because there is inadequate attention being paid to major strategic planning elements. Failures of process will be caused by poor handling of strategy implentation like lack of participation error and goal displacement error. Therefore, the organisational structure in a company is very important to avoid unwanted uprising problems. . 2 Corporate Governance: The corporate governace is the system of control and performance monitoring of top management (Campling J, 2007). This task is usually done by the boards of directors, and other major stakeholder in the company. For Starbucks Coffee, they currently have 9 directors including the CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz. These directors of Starbucks are responsible for ensuring goals and objectives in the company are met. The directors are well aware of their responsibility to provide a stable managing process so that the company's goalds are met (www. starbucks. com). 4. Strategic Leadership Strategic management is a leadership responsibility. Whereas strategic leadership is the capability to prepare othe rs with the ever-changing strategies in the market. Michael Porter says that the strategic leader of an enterprise has to be the CEO of an organisation (Campling J, 2007). One of the most crucial task for a strategic leader is to be a guardian of trade-offs. Countless commitment and disipline has to be put in by a strategic leader in order for the business the be successful. Another trait that a strategic leader must posses is the ability to create a sense of urgency.By having a sense of urgency, the strategic leader is able to give out a strong message to its organisation and their members that the need for consistent improvementwill always persist. A strategic-chief will also have to ensure that everyone related to the organistion understands the strategy that they are using. Leaders in an organisations will have to keep their members updated with their latest business strategy. Furthermore, the task of a strategic leader also includes being a teacher and a good communicator. 5. 0 Conclusion 5. 1 Importance of Strategic Management In conclusion, strategic management involves many processes.This includes identifying the mision, objectives and strategies of an industry. Strategic management is very important for a business as it is used to derive the main strategy for your business. With good strategic manangement skills, leaders are able to adopt to the sudden change in the market and they can also prepare themselves to the different needs and wants of their customers. An industry with a good strategy will always be succesful. Strategic management can also be applied to analyse the internal and external environment of an industry which can give leaders of an industry a better understanding of the market.

Effects of Brand Local and Nonlocal Origin on Consumer Attitudes - The Thesis

Effects of Brand Local and Nonlocal Origin on Consumer Attitudes - The Case of Oil Change behavior of Passenger Cars Owners in Egypt - Thesis Example This is because studying and understanding the consumer behavior and purchasing habit of a group of consumers gives a marketer an idea of what to trade in. There are times that two marketers have traded in the same kind of product. However, one marketer experiences higher patronage than the other. In such a situation, it means that even with the same kind of product they are dealing in; there are some consumer preferences attached to certain aspects of the product. The oil marketing industry in Egypt is one market that has a lot to do with consumer preference for oil products. Investigations have shown that the country of origin of oil product is a major aspect of consideration for consumers. This paper is therefore being written as a research paper to study the consumer behavior of automobile users in Egypt to identify aspects of oil products that they have preferences for and the ones they less have preference for. Specifically, the aspect of oil product to be considered will be country of origin. More specifically, the paper shall investigate factors and conditions that inform their line of purchase and how marketers can take advantage of this line of purchase. Even though works of literature portray general preference for nonlocal products in most Arab and developing countries, the specific country of consideration in this paper is Egypt. Even in Egypt, the line of product to be considered is refined oil product; though the writer admits that there exists preference for other lines of product such as food, clothes and textiles. The general trend and attitude behind the way and manner consumers make purchases of products and services is very crucial to marketers. It serves as indicators for what a marketer should trade in and why. Perner (2009) explains consumer behavior as â€Å"the psychological processes that consumers go through in

Adolescents Motivation Toward the Environment Assignment

Adolescents Motivation Toward the Environment - Assignment Example Adolescents face lesser control over environment behaviors than academic behaviors. The present study postulates three hypotheses: first, increased environmental motivation clubbed with frequent environmental attitudes, second, it is greater in an environment than academic, third, it is more in older than younger students. All these studies were tested considering gender; however, the study has not examined gender differences in older students’ motivation toward the environment. In this research, a total of 200 students split into 5 age groups were chosen for the study. Out of these 200, a section of 74 has already participated in a similar study a year ago. The study found that adolescents reported a higher autonomy in their environment than academic behaviors and autonomous environmental motivation was higher in older than younger students. The study has certain limitations as all the samples were from a suburban, French-speaking middle-class white student. The sample was in very small scale to be precisely it is only 126 students. The findings say that the youth have better environmental behavior but increasing alienation from school. The research paper clearly states that there is a need to study whether the adolescents are motivated to adopt environmental behaviors and says that self-determination theory (SDT) put forward the fact that people engaged in environmental related behaviors have developed autonomous motivation towards those behaviors. The present study poses three hypotheses like increased environmental motivation correlates with frequent environmental behaviors, it is greater in environmental than education and autonomous environmental is higher in adolescents than in younger students. Though these hypotheses were tested considering the gender, no study was conducted on gender differences in adolescents motivation through the environment. Earlier researches in this field have been mentioned, but not included in the study

World War I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

World War I - Essay Example Since Germany and Austria wanted a quick attack on Serbia, so that other countries would not get involved, an ultimatum was sent. When the ultimatum was sent to Serbia in July 23, 1914, which demanded Serbia to abolish all 'anti-Austrian activities', and allow Austria to investigate the assassination of Francis Ferdinand. Serbia accepted to the ultimatum, but did not allow Austria to investigate the murder. This caused Austria to declare war on Serbia on July 28. When Austria attacked Serbia, as the German leaders had anticipated, Russia prepared to attack Austria. Germany warned Russia to stop the preparation, but because Russia did not listen, Germany attacked Russia on August 1. Two days later, Germany also declared war against France, which was Russia's ally. Germany planned to invade France through Belgium, but unfortunately, Belgium refused this. On August 3, Germany invaded Belgium. The British then became involved in the war, for they had promised Belgium could be neutral, and not get involved in wars.1 In addition, the British had to join in the war because if they did not, Germany would control the continent of Europe. In less than six weeks, the domino effect had caused Serbia, Russia, France, Belgium and Britain to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary. The WW1 fi... The WW1 finally broke out in June1914 because of an accident in Bosnia. It was the Sarajevo incident, the immediate cause of WW1. It took place on June 28, 1914. On that day, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife were shot dead by a young Serbian student at Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital. Austria considered the murder of the heir to the throne an open Serbian attack.2 Austria would be left without an heir. Although she could not find any evidence that the Serbian government was connected with the assassination, Austria still declared war on Serbia. Within two month, the war became a world war. Finally, the war ended in 1918. The Central Power included Germany had lost. The First World War lasted from 1914 to 1918 and was called The Great War or the war to end all wars until World War II started. Some scholars believe that the First World War was simply the first phase of a 30-year-long war that entailed the period of 1914 to 1945. The outbreak of the clash is often ascribed to the European alliances. Germany-Austria-Italy formed an alliance against France-Russia; Britain and Serbia supported France and Russia. In fact, none of the alliances was initiated in the early outbreak, though Russian general mobilization and Germany's declaration of war against France were motivated by fear of the opposing alliance being brought into play. By 1882, Germany was allied with Austra-Hungary and Italy, in an alliance called the Triple Alliance. Then, in 1887, they signed the Reinsurance Treaty with Russia. Thus, Germany was allied with three major European nations and France was left isolated. In 1890, the German Kaiser set out to make Germany a major world power. He aimed to increase the number of Germany's overseas colonies.3 To do

Gulf Cooperation Council's Foreign Policy Essay

Gulf Cooperation Council's Foreign Policy - Essay Example This paper aims to examine the GCC’s changing foreign policies towards leading players in the region, especially, the GCC’s primary mandate being to promote, protect and pursue the interests of its member states. The Gulf Cooperation Council is an alliance of countries with similar political and economic interests, whose primary focus is to foster the political and economic development of its member states.1 The GCC seeks to strengthen the regional relations through increased collaborations between national states in the gulf; unity in political and economic associations between national states within the region is just a means to an end for the member states- the end itself is political and economic prosperity that is backed with strong currencies and a host of natural resources. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), as a political and economic alliance, has been in existence for over 30 years now since its inception; the alliance dates back in history to 30 years ago when it was founded in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 1981.2 The GCC alliance has been operational since then up to date, and the founder countries converged based on two main strategic reasons- promotion of political stability and economic prosperity. In other words, the alliance was formed purely out of the need by member states to join efforts to becoming politically and economically stable; the alliance was thus a strategic move to strengthen the political and economic stability of the region. The Gulf Cooperation Council is made up of six Middle Eastern countries that are found in the gulf region; these six countries include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.3 Being a regional alliance, all the member countries have a number of things in common, and are subject to similar socio-economic, political, environmental and

Effective recruitment and selection of employees Essay

Effective recruitment and selection of employees - Essay Example 1. Starbucks introduce the recruitment and selection based on equal opportunities policies. They include racial and national diversity of the staff, fair treatment of all recruiters in spite of their religion, sexual orientation, social background, marital status, age and disability. The main advantage of Starbucks Coffee HR management is that it does not consider recruitment and selection in isolation, but in the context of the overall manpower plan and personnel management action program. For example, it investigates the potential of the persons appointed for training, development and future promotion; and their flexibility and adaptability to possible new methods, procedures or working conditions. In anticipation of a suitable applicant being selected, Starbucks have also prepared an orientation script and training proposal to assist both with their smooth transition into the role, together with their future development and advancement (Armstrong, 2003). The first step includes position requirements, needs and skills identification, selection of the tools to be used. During this process, strategic areas of competency are identified. These are broken down into number of clusters and a series of specific individual competency requirements. For example, the strategic competency business knowledge and skills, had marketing as one of the items in its cluster, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of competition as one of the individual competency requirements (Stone 2005). Starbucks Coffee uses both online and off line recruitment which helps to attract wider target audiences of job seekers. One of the critical differences among Internet recruiters is the method by which their service matches candidates with jobs. Bulletin boards allow employers to search using key words they choose but do not participate actively in making matches. Other types of services take advantage of computer technology to varying degrees in the method they use to match candidate characteristics with the requirements of open jobs (Stone 2005). For off line recruitment, Starbucks uses recruitment agencies and advertising in press. The recruitment and selection practices are based on the interview structure and practical assessment of skills and knowledge of employees, his/her psychological peculiarities and ability to work in teams. The main types of practices are: "behavior-based interviews, training and experience evaluations, ability tests, biographical data, motivational fit inventories" (Armstrong 2003, p. 338). In Starbucks, the practices are based on collecting, measuring and evaluation of the information about recruiters and their skills. Usually, the selection process is based on the interview method. Interview consists of two stages (HR manager's evaluation and interview with the department manager). During interviews, two distinct strategies for selection are used by Starbucks. One strategy, used for managers and leadership positions, suggests that in an environment of rapidly changing job demands, selection based on general abilities such as intelligence, conscientiousness, or adaptability will con tribute most to the overall effectiveness of the organization.