Design-ICT Modelling CW Essay Example for Free

Design-ICT Modelling CW Essay I have completed my analysis of the current system; therefore I will be interviewing, observing and identifying the user requirements. In addition, the success criteria have been successfully accomplished. These steps will help me with the design of my new system before it is implemented: Worksheets: Most of the system will be based around worksheets. Here is a list of the ones that I will produce. * Main Menu This will be the menu giving access to all the worksheets stored in the system. * Ordering- This worksheet will be the most frequently used one because it is where customers choose the halls, the decorators, caterers, music artists, venues, bars. They want to buy as well as give their personal details and available budget. This worksheet will also give the individual costs of each item available for purchase and allow calculations to be made by the spreadsheet based on the products that are chosen. * Venues This will display details of all the different venues available that are available in different areas in London * Decorators- This will display details of all the different decorating companies available with the different designs available and at the different prices. * Caterers This will display details of all the different caterers company available with what food types are available. * Music Artist- This will display details of the different music artist available and the types of music they play and how much they will charge. * Drinks (Bar)- This will display details of all the different the drink the bar sells and how much they will cost. Graphs and charts: The new system will be used to display the results of the calculations it makes in an easy-to-read format. This is why graphs and charts will need to be made. They will be used to show the number of bookings in every month and the amount spent on refurbishing the venues and the bars. These will be used to give the profits made by the business every month so they know how they are progressing as a business. Macros: The macros will be used to navigate between different worksheets can be done faster if buttons are formed within every worksheet. These buttons will be the names of every worksheet so the user can click on the name of the worksheet to open it up instantly without having to open up a list of all worksheets as they will already be listed. Algorithms: Many calculations need to be made by the spreadsheet and this is only possible when formulae are programmed into cells. Formulae are needed because without them, the staff would need to make every calculation themselves which would take a lot of time. Therefore, formulae are the solution to this problem as they work out the calculations. Testing: Once the new spreadsheet system has been made and everyone is pleased with the worksheets, graphs, macros and formulae created, I will need to test my new system in order to check whether it accomplishes all the success criteria given. User documentation: When the new spreadsheet system has been implemented, successfully tested and I am sure that it works, I will need to create a user guide that will make it easier for the staff at JJ party planners to use the new system. The user guide will include instructions on how to program certain cells with formulae for making calculations and how to select items and change them according to a given budget. It will also come with a technical guide to help with troubleshooting in case the users face technical difficulties with the system. Evaluation: The last thing I will do will be to evaluate the system by checking how it works according to my specifications. Inputs These are the inputs that need to be put into the system for it to work: * Customers name, date of birth, address and contact number * Venue, decorator, caterer and music artist wanted , budget * Date of booking Processes The system should be able to produce the outputs by carrying out the following processes: * Search for the Venue, decorator, caterer and music artist available * Calculate total prices and recalculate when the booking is changed * Increasing the quantity of the Venue, decorator, caterer and music artist available * Collecting information and calculating the profits based on the number of sales and costs. Outputs The system should be able toproduce a number of outputs from this information: * An invoice for every sale which the company keeps. This invoice should give the name of the customer, the customers contact number or address and the bookings made and total price of the booking sold as well as the date of the sale. * A receipt after a booking is made to give to the customer. * Graphs showing profit made at different times so my client is aware of how the business is progressing. * Reports showing models that have been newly bought venues or contract with new decorator, caterer and music artists

Relationships and Marriage - Couples Should Live Together before Getting Married :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Couples Should Live Together before Getting Married      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my mother's house it was never discussed whether I should live with someone before marriage. In my culture, you are not allowed to live together until after you are married. Since I did not have the chance to live together with my husband while we were dating, it was difficult during our first year of marriage. We argued a lot, mostly because we were afraid of the unknown and the possibility that we had made a mistake. Living together before making our vows would have reassured us about a lifelong commitment. From my own experience, I believe that couples should live together before getting married, so they can start to know each other on a closer, more personal level; moreover, they can start thinking about the compatibility of their future spouse.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Couples start knowing each other on a closer, more personal level when they live together, which prepares them for a married lifestyle. For starters, you learn what your partner likes and dislikes, although this isn't always easy. There is a lot to discover about your partner and from your partner; the only way to do this successfully is to move in together. For example, does he like broccoli, female mud wrestling, sleeping with the windows open? Maybe he likes to spend the whole weekend on the couch watching basketball! Believe it or not, it's little details like these that can often make or break a relationship. Second, you learn what kind of bad habits you and your partner have and whether or not you can get rid of them. I really don't like it when my husband forgets to fill the ice trays, forgets to replace the empty toilet paper holder, or leaves the toilet seat up; I, on the other hand, tend to forget to put perishables in the refrigerator after I take them out for cooking, and I leave the clothes in a pile, all wrinkled, when they come out of the dryer. Moreover, you can see how much fun you have with each other and realize how much you would miss by not getting married. Try to plan a vacation in advance, have a dinner date in town after work, or go to the movies on a Wednesday night when you know you have to get up for work the next morning.

Managing High Growth Brand-Starbucks

Submitted To Mahbub Hossain Course: brand and product management American International University – Bangladesh (AIUB) Submitted By Khan Samara Salsabeel #07-09162-2 . | | Mr. Mahbub Hossain Course Instructor Brand and Product Management, sec-A Subject: STARBUCKS CORPORATION: Managing high growth brand. Dear Sir, We are grateful to you for giving us the chance to work on this case study.We would also like to express gratitude to you for your gracious cooperation and valuable guidance for preparing the report. Sincerely, Khan Samara Salsabeel (07-09162-2) Sadia Rezwana (07-09013-2) Kazi Masum (08-09933-1) Mohammad Abdul Kader (08-11783-2) In 1971, Seattle entrepreneurs Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker and Zev Siegl first opened Starbucks in Pike Place Market. At that time, Country’s major coffee brands were engaged in price war, therefore they were forced to use cheaper beans in their blends to reduce costs.As a result there was a decline in coffee consumption. To harness t he potential of the gourmet coffee trend in the Seattle area, the founders of Starbucks experimented with the new concept of a store dedicated to selling only the finest coffee beans and coffee brewing machines. This emphasis on quality whole-bean coffee retail was fairly unique. Starbucks placed quality as its top priority. The Starbucks management dedicated a great deal of their time and financial resources to establishing strong relationships with coffee growers from around the world.In 1982, Howard Schultz, current CEO of Starbucks recognized that the conservative business plans of early Starbucks management hindered the company from reaching other potential coffee lovers. Hence he transformed Starbucks from a coffee retailer into a cafe business. He had a vision of expanding the scope and reach of the Starbucks brand. In addition to selling only ‘best of class’ coffee, Starbucks worked to fill its stores with only the highest quality of everything, from coffee maki ng equipment to the fixtures and furnishings to the music and artwork.Each Starbucks store is carefully designed to enhance the quality of everything the customer see, touch, hear, smell or taste. The stores are designed in such a manner that it gives a warm, inviting environment essential for giving Starbucks a pleasurable coffee centered experience. The keys for success for Starbucks in building the brand are: 1. Starbucks was the first to introduce Coffee house with premium coffee to American market. 2. Consistent premium coffee. 3. It placed quality as its top priority. 4. Starbucks established strong relationships with coffee growers from around the world. . Formation of dynamic management team with highly innovative and creative employees. 6. Profitable partnerships and joint ventures with some of the nation’s strongest corporations such as Host Marriott, United Airlines, Pepsi Co, Dryers and others. Brand values of Starbucks: 1. Top priority is the quality of its produ cts 2. Premium coffee experience 3. value simplicity over technology 4. Investing in innovation 5. Employees as partners and viewed as the most important assets of the corporation. The sources of equity of Starbucks are Brand awareness and brand image.Brand awareness and image are collectively known as brand knowledge. Brand awareness has been established through word-of mouth, partnership and selective and fruitful location of Starbucks outlets. Brand image is established through: 1. premium coffee beans 2. brewing techniques 3. store designs, artwork and music 4. Consistently good customer service 5. Classy, romantic atmosphere with consistent store design that meets five senses. Pivotal to Starbucks high growth strategy was the carefully planned expansion of its specialty coffee stores to new markets throughout North America and eventually worldwide.Hence geographical market expansion, joint ventures and partnerships are some of the strategies the corporation followed to grow the brand. However these strategies had both merits and demerits for Starbucks which have been discussed later in the report. There are several things which are needed for a corporation to become a world class global brand which are also discussed in the report. For Starbucks to become a world class global brand, it must overcome some major hurdles. In addition to hurdles, Starbucks has many challenges which they need to meet in terms of American market. All these are discussed in detail in the report. SI |DESCRIPTION |PAGE | |01 |Objective Of The Report |07 | |02 |Methodology of The Report |08 | |03 |Limitation Of The Report |09 | |04 |Starbucks Corporation At A Glance |11 | |05 |Success Keys For Starbucks In Building Brand |12-13 | |06 |Starbucks’ Brand Values |14 | |07 |Sources Of Equity For Starbucks |15 | |08 |Evaluation Of Starbucks’ Growth Strategy |16-18 | |09 |Starbucks’ Challenges In Becoming A World Class Brand. 19 | |10 |Recommendation |20 | |11 |Conclusion |21 | |12 |Reference/Bibliography |22 | 1. It reflects a brief description of the corporation. 2. To know the following: †¢ Success keys for Starbucks †¢ Starbucks’ brand values †¢ Starbucks’ sources of equity †¢ Starbucks’ growth strategies †¢ Starbucks’ hurdles and challenges in becoming a world-class brand. We have collected almost all data from the case study. Moreover, we have collected data from Annual Report published by the corporation. Reference books, study materials and the internet were also of great aid for the preparation of the report.The first and foremost limitation was the time constraints. Gathering information on various aspects of the corporation was quite difficult. This is the reason we could not go to the in depth analysis within the limited time frame. In less than a decade, Starbucks was transformed from a fledgling whole bean coffee retail chain into a globally recognized brand. In 2002, Sta rbucks was comprised of more than 5400 stores located throughout North America, Latin America, the Pacific Rim, Europe and the Middle East. Growth of the corporation’s coffee retail business continued at a steady pace of one store opening a day on average, and annual revenue for 2001 topped $2. 7 billion.Moreover, joint ventures with some of the nation’s strongest corporations including Pepsi, Kraft, Dryer’s and Capitol Records, allowed Starbucks to launch a lucrative consumer product division to complement its cafe business. Licensing partnerships with other companies such as United Airlines, ITT Sheraton and Host Marriott further added to the growth of the Starbucks brand. Indeed, Starbucks rose to become one of the most impressive high growth brands in the 1990s. Despite this remarkable growth, some questioned whether Starbucks began to lose focus as the company strove to constantly reinvent itself. Critics wondered if perhaps the brand grew too quickly rapid ly to remain focused on its core values and business objectives.In less than a decade Starbucks was transformed from a fledgling whole bean coffee retail chain into a globally recognized brand. By 2002 Starbucks was comprised of more that 5400 stores located throughout North America, Latin America the Pacific Rim, Europe and the Middle East. There were some success keys which accelerated the growth of the company, some of which are given below: 1. The company had a strong and dynamic management team. The creative and highly innovative team monitored the problems of the customer and the employees. They also found out effective solutions to the problems the company encountered at different stages of its operation.In other words, the key to the company’s success and widespread appeal among loyal customers had always been the employees, whose knowledge and dedication attracted customers to continue returning to the store. 2. joint ventures with some of the nation’s stronge st corporations including Pepsi, Kraft, Dryer’s and Capitol Records, allowed Starbucks to launch a lucrative consumer product division to complement its cafe business . 3. Licensing partnerships with some other companies such as united airlines ITT Sheraton and host Marriott further added to the growth of the brand. 4. Use of improved and new technology was another key to the success of the brand. This made it easier for the company to maintain the quality of the products.Innovations such as the FlavorLock bags prevented harmful air and moisture from seeping into the coffee thereby preserving the quality and saving the company from much more significant costs. 5. Starbucks was the first to introduce Coffee house with premium coffee to American market. 6. It placed quality as its top priority. To distinguish their coffee from the bland and tasteless store brands, Starbucks only purchased Arabica beans from a carefully selected network of suppliers across the globe, from places like Sumatra, Kenya, Ethiopia and Costa Rica. Arabica beans were selected because the bean’s chemistry is such that it can withstand high roasting temperatures, resulting in richer flavor. 7. Starbucks established strong relationships with coffee growers from around the world.Starbucks sought vendors who sold products that would protect and even enhance the arabica’s flavor. This required the formation of partnerships across the globe with coffee brewing equipment suppliers who provided products that captured the essence of the coffee brewing tradition. The brand values of the company are given below: 1. The company placed quality at its top priority they emphasized on quality and never compromised with it. The Starbucks founders realized that if they wanted to enhance Seattle’s appreciation for fine coffee, they had to provide the best ingredients and brewing equipment to ensure that customers had the most enjoyable coffee experiences possible. 2.Employees are viewed as the most important assets and partners of the corporation. They were adequately educated and trained to provide the best customer service. The knowledge and dedication of the employees attracted customers to continue returning to the stores. The employees played a vital role. This is because word-of-mouth publicity can only be achieved if the company continues to recruit and retain talented individuals who can lead the company to new markets and communicate Starbucks’ strong values to the communities who knew little about the brand. 3. Another brand value for Starbucks was investing in innovation. It made easier for the company to maintain the quality of the products.Innovations such as the Flavor Lock bags prevented harmful air and moisture from seeping into the coffee thereby preserving the quality and saving the company from much more significant costs. The source of equity for Starbucks is Brand knowledge. Brand knowledge is the key to create brand equity becau se it creates differential effect that drives brand equity. Brand knowledge has two components: †¢ Brand awareness †¢ Brand image – Brand image is the impression in the consumers’ mind of a brand’s total personality. Brand awareness is again consists of: †¢ Brand recognition – relates to consumers ability to confirm prior exposure to the brand when given the brand as a cue. †¢ Brand recall – Relates to consumers’ ability to retrieve the brand from memory when given the product category.Brand awareness for the company has been established through word-of mouth, new channels partnerships and selective and fruitful location for Starbucks outlets. Brand image is established through: †¢ premium coffee beans †¢ brewing techniques †¢ store designs, artwork and music †¢ Consistently good customer service †¢ Classy, romantic atmosphere with consistent store design that meets five senses. Starbuck’s growth strategy mainly comprised of Geographical Market Expansion, Diversification and Partnerships. Pivotal to Starbuck’s high-growth strategy was the carefully planned expansion of its specialty coffee stores to new markets throughout North America and eventually worldwide.The first phase of the Starbucks expansion strategy focused on securing a major foothold in the Pacific Northwest while experimenting in other key markets that were farther away, but had a high potential for rapid growth in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D. C. Successful expansion throughout Florida, Hawaii and Tokyo showed that fine coffee could be a hit in warmer climates as well as in the cold cities. The Starbucks management team agreed of the company’s massive expansion program by owning the operation by itself instead of pursuing franchising. This was a smart move because franchising runs the risk of a possibility of ruining the brand’s ima ge to some extent. Other disadvantages of franchising are: †¢ Franchisees are self-employed there may be problems in ensuring that they all adhere to the operational methods that are designed to achieve uniformity.Failure by an individual franchisee will reflect badly on the whole franchise operation. †¢ The franchisee may have different objectives from those of the franchisor. In the long run, they may begin to resent the control exercised by the franchisor. This may cause problems in terms of ‘policing the franchisee’ Diversification means developing new products for new markets. Some of the reasons why it is advantageous for companies like Starbucks are: †¢ Diversification promises to be especially profitable †¢ To avoid dependence on a single product †¢ To strengthen existing products by synergy †¢ To compete on all points with a rival firm †¢ To take advantage of byproducts.Although diversification strategy is risky, the company r uns the risk of neglecting the existing products and introduces new products to new markets which are a desperate move. Starbucks diversified with new products namely †¢ Frappuccino, a popular bottled cold coffee beverage using extracts from Starbucks famous Arabica beans. Frappuccino put the Starbucks brand into supermarkets for the first time. †¢ In November 1999, Starbucks launched Barista Aroma thermal coffeemaker which was positioned as a ‘durable, convenient and consistent way to brew coffee. †¢ Two new lines of proprietary products were launched in 1999: chocolates and hot cider. †¢ Starbucks also introduced a line of coffee blends, called Milder Dimensions that aimed at capturing demand for lighter roasted coffees. Starbucks purchased Tazo Tea, an Oregon tea retailer, indicated a potential new trend for Starbucks to acquire companies as a means extending product lines. With Tazo Tea, Starbucks hoped to attract new customers who were looking alternat ives to coffee. With Starbuck’s geographical market expansion proceeding at a phenomenal rate and with much success, many companies across the country began to approach Starbucks with partnership proposals. But selecting the wrong partner company or the wrong product to introduce with a partner could have devastating consequences for the brand. As a result, Starbucks entered into partnerships with companies who maintained the same commitments to quality such as Kraft, Dryer’s, Pepsi, Host Marriott, and United Airlines.These partnership arrangements provided the company with a number of benefits given below: †¢ Increased brand awareness †¢ Broader range of potential customers †¢ Exposing to new customers helped the company to cultivate stronger brand image †¢ Partnership is a way so that consumers regard Starbucks as a world class brand. †¢ Partnership resulted in innovative product development. †¢ The Dryer’s joint venture with Star bucks led to the creation of six popular Starbucks coffee ice cream flavors that are marketed under the Starbucks name but produced and distributed by Dryer’s. Sales of these ice creams surpassed others such as Haagen-Dazs and increased to 54% in the year becoming the market leader. By partnering with Kraft, the second largest packaged-foods company in North America, Starbucks was able to benefit from Kraft’s extensive distribution network. The Kraft partnership also left the door open for Starbucks to explore the possibility of marketing food products with the help of Kraft’s distribution and marketing expertise. Despite of the above benefits the partnerships were providing to Starbucks, they also had problems: †¢ There was a risk that the partner companies will not maintain the same quality, customer service and commitments because Starbucks was allowing an outside source to brew its coffee. †¢ Staffs and bartenders may not be well trained and may no t provide adequate information to customers regarding Starbucks. In case, bad tasting coffee was being served to thousands of customers, then the brand would develop a negative connotation. For the above problems, Starbucks were able to solve these problems so that Starbucks’ brand image would be harmed in the partnerships. The partnering companies were quick to remedy coffee quality problems by working with Starbucks to install more effective filtering devices in aircraft brewing equipment, and to better educate staffs of the partnering companies on how to protect on how to protect the quality of the coffee. Therefore, since Starbucks could overcome the problems, partnerships have proved to be beneficial.To make Starbucks a world-class global brand the followings are needed: †¢ Production and distribution (saving costs and coffee quality). †¢ Marketing costs ( packaging and promotion ) †¢ Power and scope ( credibility, acceptance, social status, high quality, etc ) †¢ Consistency in brand image. †¢ Sustainability of core competences †¢ Uniformity ( controlling and coordination ) The hurdles which Starbucks must overcome are given below: †¢ Consumer needs and wants in different cultures. People in different countries may have different coffee drinking behavior and coffee consumption. †¢ Consumer response of marketing mix (attitudes and opinions). †¢ Legal environment (different labor policies between countries). Administrative procedures. In terms of American market, Starbuck’s biggest challenges are: †¢ Biggest threat : Dunkin’ Donuts †¢ Increasing of direct competitors †¢ Aggressive global marketing strategies †¢ Focus on overseas growth and brand development Despite Starbuck’s remarkable growth, it began to lose focus as the company stove to constantly reinvent itself. The brand was growing too rapidly to remain focused on its core values and business objectives. St arbucks developed non related or other products, such as in November 1999 it launched Barista Aroma Thermal coffeemaker which was positioned as a durable, convenient and consistent way to brew coffee.In case of this coffeemaker the problems were, it was blocking the sightline and the traditional coffee taste was being lost. Hence in this case it can be recommended for semi-automated coffee machines and designing of proper layout for the coffee machines so that the machines do not block the sightlines. It also launched non related products such as custom made CDs and other entertainment products. Although these have the advantages of increased brand awareness, improved brand image and enhanced parent brand, these products have the demerits of losing brand identity, core values and the company may end up with frustrated and confused customers.So it can be recommended to pull out unrelated diversification and focus on being number one in the coffee business. Starbucks’ meteoric rise from a tiny local retailer to an international coffee powerhouse as one of the great success stories in American business in the last decade. The fact that Starbucks’ garnered such media and investor attention in the midst of the Information Age without an ounce of ‘tech’ in its product made this growth all the more remarkable. Incredibly, Starbucks achieved its market leader position largely without aid from advertising campaigns. Instead, the company built the brand by relying on the quality of their products and services to induce free word-of-mouth ‘advertising’ from customer to customer.As Starbucks’ continued to push for new product innovations and business opportunities as a way to differentiate itself from its competitors, the company ran the risk of straying too far from its original focus of spreading its passion for fine coffee. The ballooning size of the corporation suggested that the quality of Starbucks’ products and services, and the strength of the company’s relationships with its most valued people, would need to be closely monitored. A larger, global Starbucks’ had to find the right balance in pursuing product- driven, people- driven, value- driven and sales- driven objectives. www. starbucks. com www. hoovers. com www. businessweek. com Strategic Brand Management, Keller, 2006 Best Practice Cases in Branding written by K. L. Keller ———————– STARBUCKS |BRAND & PRODUCT MANAGEMENT | Acknowledgement Executive Summary Table of Contents Objective of the Report Methodology of the Report Limitation of the report Starbucks at a glance STARBUCKSSuccess keys for Starbucks’ in brand building Brand values of Starbucks’ SRAR Sources of Equity Growth Strategies Starbucks- A Global Brand Recommendation Conclusion STARBUCKS | |STARBUCKS | [pic] References STARBUCKSssS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBU CKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS STARBUCKS ———————– Brand & Product Management

Robert Hanssen Free Essay Example, 1250 words

The affidavit lays out in detail the mechanism for the system through which Hansen communicated this information. It lists how he transferred information of highly classified national security interests and counterintelligence in exchange for cash and diamonds worth over $600,000. Hanssen was also involved in earlier espionage and national security cases. According to the affidavit, the cases such as Aldrich Ames and Felix Bloch also point to Hansen as the chief suspect. Hansen had left packages on purpose for the KGB and its successor SVR on more than 20 separate occasions (FBI, 2001). Hansen also gave them more than two dozen computer disks that contained additional information. In all of these instances, Hanssen collectively gave over 6000 pages of sensitive documents (FBI, 2001). According to the affidavit, Hansen compromised many human sources of the United States intelligence. His shared many classified US government documents that were of "Top-Secret" or "codeword" importance. Technical operations of high importance were also included in Hanssens plan. He also shared secret information about FBI counterintelligence investigative techniques. The methods, operations sources of these techniques were communicated to the KGB. We will write a custom essay sample on Robert Hanssen or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The KGB got to know about Felix Bloch, which the FBI was investigating for espionage charges. The loss done could not be formally assessed before arresting Hansen. It would have jeopardized the whole investigation. However, by the nature of the charges it can be quickly determined that the damages done would be grave. Arrest: Joint Efforts of FBI and CIA When Hansen started dabbling in illegal activities against the state he was at operating at the counterintelligence position in New York and Washington. Because of his post he had direct access to huge volumes of sensitive information about FBI’s programs and operations. The complaint suggested that Hansen used his skills and training that he had learned at the FBI Office to go unchecked. He avoided the tradecraft, his identity and his workplace from the Russians he was working with. To answer if it was sheer luck or hard work that Hansen got caught is difficult because it was a mix of both. Because an investigation by the FBI identified an American spy who appeared to be working for the FBI had matched the profile of Hanssen. The investigation against Hanssen and his ultimate arrest was the result of the combined effort of FBI and CIA. They tracked down Hanssen for years trying to identify the foreign penetrations the US intelligence.