Four Points Kingston Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Four Points Kingston - Case Study Example The target of the Four Point Kingston is that to give the correct reaction and administration to the individuals or the clients who comes there and to give them rooms an ostensible and a sensible tax contrasted with different retreats or the lodgings. Aside from that they additionally give the individuals a decent gear room and part of unwinding games and the exercises that are available there. Additionally to give the clients an upbeat and a dependable memory loaded with satisfaction about the stay in the retreat. Four Point Kingston is giving a ton of highlights to the client however it additionally have some different issues and issues they are only the issues because of the rivalries and the future arranging. This must be considered and ought to be managed in an ability way so as to maintain a strategic distance from the harsh outcomes in light of the fact that the serious spots are additionally the presumed ones and they do give a decent client care. The primary issue is that the serious spots have a completely prepared touring place that is from the spot the Kingston harbor is obvious and can give the clients a decent touring place similarly four point likewise gives the touring of a lake which counts the other. Aside from this master Aside from this difficult Four Point additionally endures some other issue which is the opening of the rooms. The greater part of the clients who show up to Kingston come predominantly to be loose and to get some joy. So the greater part of the rooms get booked distinctly in the season timing and for the most part they are all top around then. In any case, at different timings a large portion of the rooms are left simply like this is the other issue looked by the Kingston gathering. Present moment and LONG TERM The Four Point Kingston is a decent spot for the sightseers to remain and appreciate having joy yet additionally certain things needs to get upgraded in light of the fact that there are sure places that has been created in a more noteworthy degree to draw in progressively number of individuals. So it needs to focus on the benefits and the upgraded administrations that must be given in the unimportant future. Proposal Part of suggestions can be given for the advancement in the transient the primary concern that must be expanded is the incomes to the worry or at the end of the day the benefit to the four focuses. This can be accomplished by allocating the vaccant rooms to a least advantage by giving certain concessions and simultaneously through some straightforward improved administrations rather than the expensive ones. Like as opposed to giving espresso machines can give espresso to the people legitimately two times per day or, in all likelihood giving some better than average yet less expensive beverages. So the empty rooms additionally will be involved and simultaneously the lesser cost will be counted utilizing this framework. Likewise making the meeting lobbies well prepared. Be that as it may

Marketing demographics Essay

The profile for the potential clients of Bob Bicycles comprises of the accompanying geographic, segment, and conduct factors: It is said that the quick geographic objective of the organization is London. Regarding socioeconomics, the company’s advertise section incorporates male and female whose age ranges from 25 above. In an examination directed, it is noticed that worker cycling in the city is for the most part ruled by white guys with ages extending from 25-44; this is on the grounds that ladies is confronting a bigger number of hindrances in cycling than men (See Figure 2). Most cyclists are likewise bosses and workers who have seen the advantages of cycling with their wellbeing, financial and individual components. As can be seen, kids are not considered as a potential market since London isn't permitting kids to utilize bike for transport. Beside this, different components to be considered in the socioeconomics of the potential clients of Bob incorporates the degrees of bike utilization, explanations behind use, conduct factors and geodemographic factors. Figure 2 Profile of Commute Cyclists 2006-2007 Behavior Factors. As far as conduct and social angles, it tends to be said that Bob bikes can be considered to have a major potential in London in light of the top notch bikes of Bob which meets the present patterns in the bike showcase. What's more, there is a worth credited to the utilized of bike as a methods for transport. There are different perspectives to cycling that ought to be considered by Bob in the London showcase (See figure 3). This outcome depended on the investigation directed by TFL Omnibus Survey in 2007. The vast majority of the impression of the people concerning cycling is its financial, individual and medical advantages. Figure 3 Attitude towards Cycling. In light of the examination, it very well may be said that Bob’s plan of extending his business in the London advertise, is truly doable and potential dependent on the present patterns in business condition and the pool of socioeconomics and potential objective markets. Reference Automatic Traffic Count Data (2007). London Travel report 2007, 2007, TfL. Online accessible http://www. tfl. gov. uk/resources/downloads/corporate/London-Travel-Report-2007-last. pdf. Recover October 6, 2008. Heywood, C (2004). The Near Market for Cycling in London. Online accessible at http://www. tfl. gov. uk/resources/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-showcase report. pdf.retrieve October 6, 2008 Cycling Action Plan (2004). Making a chain response †The London Cycling Action Plan. Online accessible http://www. tfl. gov. uk/resources/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-activity plan. pdf. Recover October 6, 2008 Cycling and Motorbikes (2008). Online accessible at http://www. bbc. co. uk/london/content/articles/2005/06/14/cycling_inlondon_feature. shtml. Recover October 6, 2008 Synovate Ltd (2008). TfL Omnibus mentalities to cycling, 2007, Synovate. Online accessible http://www. tfl. gov. uk/resources/downloads/businessandpartners/cycling-preparing adequacy results-synopsis 2008. pdf. recover October 6, 2008.

Chapter Two: Design

Part Two: Design 2.1 Chapter Overview This part presents a rundown of the survey of writing in regards to the subject of structure and catches different perspectives and contemplations on this. Different considerations, procedure and research especially identified with the plan procedure are investigated. This part envelops the definitions, qualities, conversations and uses of structure. It is expected that this section should give some free foundation on the comprehension from the structure procedure and its improvement in todays universe of configuration look into. While the writing survey gives a valuable foundation of momentum inquire about in the material, procedure and RM frameworks, the writing accessible on the structure perspective for RM items is seriously constrained. Initial an audit of the writing for meaning of the term configuration is introduced. A conversation of the demonstration of planning at that point follows. Next, the kind of information related with configuration has been talked about. At last, different musings of procedure of configuration have been evaluated. This presentation ought to give the peruser a setting for deciphering the rest of the parts of this report. The full form of this part can be alluded to Appendix 3. 2.2 Chapter Summary Configuration is a mind boggling movement, including antiques, individuals, instruments, procedure, associations and the earth in which this happens. This part has investigated and talked about the subject of structure and catches different perspectives and considerations on this. Different considerations, procedure and research especially identified with the plan are investigated. Notwithstanding, the suspicion that there exists a lot of all around acknowledged structure process is a zone that can be additionally investigated. Decisively, structure is viewed as a potential yet emotional procedure. This prompts various arrangements of translation being utilized by various analysts. While there might be some contest about the exact meaning of the term plan, it is perceived as a deliberate and imaginative movement. In rundown, structure tries to make things to fulfill certain necessities in new manners that improves the nature of lives. In item plan, an assortment of prerequisites must be viewed as running from usefulness and convenience to delight. Nonetheless, structure is something other than deciphering a lot of prerequisites into an item. Additionally, and all the more critically, it includes finding new necessities. Subsequently, plan includes discovering issues and arrangements at the same time, and this is the place imagination is significant. Structuring an item includes a consistent dynamic procedure that incorporates critical thinking in a successive design and examination of limitations at each progression. Item fashioners conceptualize and assess thoughts, making them substantial through items in an increasingly precise methodology. The job of an item architect incorporates numerous qualities of the promoting director, item supervisor, mechanical originator and configuration engineer. The job of the item architect consolidates workmanship, science and innovation to make unmistakable three-dimensional products. This advancing job has been encouraged by computerized devices that permit planners to impart, picture and break down thoughts in a way that would have taken more noteworthy labor previously. (This shows up in indistinguishable structure in Wikipedia!) Various conventional structures and systems to all the more likely comprehend the plan procedure have been recommended from a wide range of controls by numerous specialists. The greater part of them have joined upon the general structure proposed by Pahl and Beitzs. Pahl and Beitz (1996) diagram a model of the structure procedure for mechanical plan that considers the arrangement of stages, yet additionally what the yield of each stage. They isolated the structure procedure into four stages that incorporates arranging and explanation of the errand, applied plan, encapsulation plan and detail structure. Be that as it may, this exploration is worry with the comprehension of the structure procedure for Rapid Manufactured items. One of the goals is to see how the structure procedure functions and how it is found out and performed by expert and master fashioners. The point of the exploration is to help the structure procedure with the guide of PCs. At long last, this section has given some foundation on the comprehension of the plan procedure and its improvement in todays universe of configuration examine. Section Three: Computer Support Tools for Design 3.1 Chapter Overview This section presents an outline of different instruments to create CAD models for RM forms and the choice emotionally supportive networks, apparatuses and procedures used to help the structure procedure. The full report of this section can be alluded to Appendix 4. 3.2 Chapter Summary Computational apparatuses assume a fundamental job in offering help for the fashioner, due to their speed and ability for dealing with immense measures of data at genuinely low expenses. There are different techniques to help planner to create CAD models, for example, CAD virtual products, figuring out and haptic gadgets. Computer aided design customarily alludes to PC instrument to envision, depict, alter and test made curios, which are currently a basic piece of all assembling and creation forms. Computer aided design frameworks regularly includes something other than shapes. Computer aided design has advanced to consolidate a few different utilizations of PC coordination with building, assembling and reproduction. Computer aided design presently offers the capacity of freestyle surface displaying and strong demonstrating tasks that permits client to make practically any mind boggling geometry and photograph sensible rendered pictures. Figuring out is a significant instrument to produce CAD models. To figure out a section, the part is estimated by an organize estimating machine (CMM) or a 3D laser scanner. The utilization of figuring out innovation builds the general exactness, yet in addition improved the efficiency of assembling process. There are different zones of utilizations of haptics gadgets. In assembling, haptics can help plan for get together and for quick structure and prototyping. In PC supported structure, fashioners can encounter constant subtleties with their hands, for example, needed or undesirable antiquities of a plan which are hard to show outwardly. It is additionally conceivable to survey human viability of complex frameworks before they are constructed . The expanding intensity of PC has lead to the advancement of programming, devices and methods to help the structure movement especially to settle on plan choices. The vast majority of the choice help instruments are identified with the information base frameworks or frequently called as master framework. Master frameworks are PC programs that are gotten from a part of software engineering research called Artificial Intelligence (AI). AIs logical objective is to comprehend insight by building PC programs that display clever conduct (Boyle 1989). It is worried about the ideas and techniques for emblematic induction, or thinking, by a PC, and how the information used to make those surmisings will be spoken to inside the machine. The fundamental attributes of the Expert Systems can be quickly depicted as: decreased dynamic time, upgrade of critical thinking capacities, a catch of constrained mastery and its dissemination, an expanded yield, profitability and quality; availability to info rmation, capacity to work with deficient data and arrangement of training(Ziemian, Crawn 2001). There are a few strategies used to help the dynamic procedure, for example, Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), fluffy rationale, Artificial Neural Network, Rule Base System and Ontology. CBR is a critical thinking strategy dependent on the adjustment of past models that are like the current problem(Maher, Balachandran Zhang 1995). An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is a data handling worldview that is roused by the way organic sensory systems, for example, the cerebrum, process data (Moridis, Economides, 2009). Fluffy are created utilizing the strategy for fluffy rationale, which manages vulnerability. This strategy, which utilizes the numerical hypothesis of fluffy sets, reenacts the procedure of ordinary human thinking by permitting the PC to carry on less decisively and coherently than traditional PCs (Shu-Hsien Liao 2005). Rules are presumably the most widely recognized type of information portrayal and they are available in most Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, for example, Expert Systems and Decision Support Systems (Obot, Uzoka 2009). Rule base framework utilizes leads as the information portrayal for information coded into the framework for example information is put away as rules. Rules commonly appear as in the event that, at that point proclamation. Philosophy in both software engineering and data science is a proper portrayal of a lot of ideas inside an area and the connections between those ideas (Shu-Hsien Liao 2005). Metaphysics is an arrangement of jargon, which is utilized as a central idea for portraying the undertaking/area information o be recognized. This jargon is utilized as a correspondence premise between area specialists and information engineers. Then again, there are various choice instrument for RP framework has been created since 1993 (Masood, Soo 2002). The determination of the most appropriate RM process is reliant on components, for example, fabricate envelope, exactness, material, form speed and other machine related parameters. This part has investigated and examined the general outline of the different apparatuses to create CAD models for RM forms and the choice emotionally supportive networks, instruments and strategies to help the structure procedure. Different CAD information advancement frameworks and device have been investigated. Moreover, different master frameworks innovations that help the dynamic procedure have additionally been investigated. Decisively, CAD and figuring out innovation are the most notable CAD information advancement frameworks. Furthermore, master frameworks are the most notable choice help apparatus that have been utilized for different applications. Having gotten generally utilized for a wide scope of utilizations, som

IDENTITY THEFT essays

Wholesale fraud expositions With the open rise and overall blast of the web, Identity robbery has gotten one of the most quickly expanding violations. What was at one time an individual wrongdoing expecting hoodlums to have some type of contact with the person in question, if just scrounging through the rubbish, should now be possible from as close as nearby or as distant as over the world. Nobody is excluded from the likelihood that they could be a casualty. Wholesale fraud has progressed so quickly that administration and law authorization offices have not had the option to stay aware of new governing body. Numerous states despite everything don't see Identity robbery as a wrongdoing. The casualty needs to demonstrate misrepresentation exists. The legal framework that as of now exists in this nation expresses that any one blamed for a wrongdoing is honest until demonstrated blameworthy. This isn't the situation with Identity burglary. These individuals are viewed as blameworthy until such time as they can dem onstrate their blamelessness. One of the issues experienced in the progressing fight against Identity robbery is that as of now no standard definition as of now exists. Character is characterized by Merriam Webster on-line as the distinctive character or character of an individual distinguishing proof; the state of being the equivalent with something portrayed or attested. ie build up the personality of taken merchandise. Meriam Webster on-line likewise characterizes Theft as: the demonstration of taking; explicitly : the felonious taking and expelling of individual property with aim to deny its legitimate proprietor. The best clarification of Identity robbery was by one site which characterizes it as: Wholesale fraud includes gaining key bits of somebody's recognizing data so as to imitate them and carry out different wrongdoings in that individual's name. Other than essential data like name, address and phone number, character criminals search for social protection numbers, driver's permit numbers, Mastercard and additionally financial balance numbers, just as bank cards, phone c... <! Fraud papers Instructions to Prevent Identity Theft and Credit Fraud Clients might be in a situation to forestall potential wholesale fraud by intently guarding their own information. For instance, never give out your Social Security number via telephone except if you know the organization you are managing and have started the call. Additionally, if your moms original last name isn't probably going to be a safe secret word, consider transforming it to something somewhat more hard for a cheat to acquire. Additionally, convey just the cards you are really going to utilize, and leave official archives like Social Security cards, identifications and birth testaments at home or in a wellbeing store box. Shred your significant papers. Don't simply toss them out or tear them into pieces. Destroying is the most ideal approach to keep dumpster jumpers from getting charge card offers, receipts and other individual data from your refuse. Quit. Credit revealing offices make billions of dollars every year by offering your data to charge card organizations. You can have your name expelled from the rundowns by calling (888) 5-OPT-OUT, or mail Frank's pre-composed letter to the credit offices. Compose letters to the organizations you manage asking that they don't share, exchange, or sell your own data. Your own data changes hands all the more as often as possible now that the Glass-Steagall Act has been canceled. Get your credit report from each of the three credit detailing organizations at any rate two times every year. You may get false movement before you get a call from lenders. In case you're as of now a survivor of extortion, you can get the report for nothing, in any case the report costs close to $8.25. To discover more, read BRM-101: How to get a credit report. Ensure your Social Security number. Try not to have the number imprinted on your checks. Likewise, don't change your Social Security number if your personality has been taken. You'll lose the credit you've developed, and it look... <!

How to Bring Clarity to Business Writing

Step by step instructions to Bring Clarity to Business Writing Lucidity in business composing permits your plans to be effectively seen, liberated from add-on words that make a sentence dinky and tangled. There are a few expository procedures to accomplish lucidity, however here are three methods that best breadth away the swell to allow your plans to sparkle. Business Writing Clarity Strategy #1: Unsmother Your Verbs Concentrate on verbs.They are the activity of a sentence, and the best chance to upgrade lucidity. Envision viewing a Bruce Willis film that shows Bruce resting or weaving or shaving on a recreation center seat for an hour and a half... Exhausted at this point? So too are perusers if your composing has little activity or weak action words. Unsmother your action words. Covered action words are so normal in business composing that they feel right when you use them. Be that as it may, a covered action word includes only swell and the tone feels both tentative and exhausting to a peruser. This article will clarify covered action words in detail. You will cut in any event 25% of superfluous words by just unsmothering action words. Let the action word carry out its responsibility in a sentence without covering add-on words. The effect on business composing clearness is astounding. Business Writing Clarity Strategy #2: Avoid Adverbs Pick amazing action words that hint meaning, which needn't bother with a second changing word to carry out their responsibility! For example: The chaperon yelled uproariously. The chaperon yelled, is an ideal sentence. Uproariously is surmised and incidental. The official ran rapidly into the meeting room. Ran rapidly is inefficient. Pick a superior action word. The official ran into the meeting room is compact, visual, and exuberant. Business Writing Clarity Strategy #3: Recognize the Power of Short Words. A long time back, some business journalists felt they passed on their knowledge more by dropping long words, when short words really worked better. Logically, this has never been acceptable composition. Long words don’t make you sound savvy except if utilized dexterously and wisely. In an inappropriate circumstance they’ll have the contrary impact, making you sound self important and haughty. They’re likewise more averse to be comprehended and progressively cumbersome to peruse. I've constantly adored Hemingway's reaction when Faulkner censured him for his constrained word decision: Poor Faulkner. Does he truly prepare to stun the world feelings originate from enormous words? He thinks I don’t realize the ten-dollar words. I know them okay. Be that as it may, there are more seasoned and less complex and better words, and those are the ones I use. Model: Fine, yet can be improved: It has never been a decent composing practice to utilize huge words unpredictably. Better: It has never been a decent composing practice to utilize large words unnecessarily. (Unnecessarily is shorter and more straightforward than unpredictably.) Best: It has never been a decent composing practice to swell with huge words. (All the more impressive action word swell rather than dubious action word use wipes out the requirement for altering verb modifier unnecessarily.) Recollect this maxim:Write to communicate, not to intrigue. Great business authors utilize short words well. Richard Lederer sings the gestures of recognition of the short word to upgrade clearness in his book, The Miracle of Language: Here is a sound guideline: Use little, old words where you can. On the off chance that a long word says exactly what you need to state, don't dread to utilize it. However, realize that our tongue is wealthy in fresh, energetic, quick, short words. Make them the spine and the core of what you talk and compose. Short words resemble quick companions. They won't let you down. Peruse increasingly about the force ofshort words. An unmistakable business report permits an official to effectively comprehend a proposal. A clearbusiness email permits all the perusers to rapidly comprehend. A suggestion that obviously communicates your worth successes the deal. Apply these clearness standards, and we're all ready to see each other better. Appreciate this article? Buy in to this blog.

Customer Association and the Success of the Branding Strategy of Starbucks Coffee - Free Essay Example

‘The Way I See It: Customer Association and the Success of the Branding Strategy of Starbucks Coffee Introduction Maintaining an effective brand image is a challenging task, where a company needs to maintain the sense of momentum without losing a sense of continuity (Cagan and Vogel, 2001). The power of the Starbucks brand is exceptionally strong and has been imitated by numerous related and unrelated products and companies around the world (Knapp, 1999: 199). The expansion of Starbucks from just a small coffee provider into a global brand was swift and effective (Schultz and Yang, 1997). Behind this global explosion lay the concept of a Starbucks brand, one which bombarded the customer on all five senses from the smell of the coffee, the modern artwork on the walls to the contemporary music soundtrack and polished pinewood tables (Bedbury and Fenichell, 2003: 107). By February 2008, however, the brand had suffered 40% decline in share price and owing to the current recession is being forced into a programme of store closures (Smales, 2008). Several reasons lay behind this, such as the s uccess of rival coffee houses, the saturation of some areas with Starbucks coffeehouses and the decline in consumer spending at a time of economic hardship. However, this decline in sales was not simply due to exogenous factors: it represented the decline in the brands effectiveness. For the first time, the Starbucks brand has been forced onto the back foot. In many previous examples of a strong brand suffering a decline in sales, brands often suffer because the company fails to take stock of the associative aspects of branding – the elements added by the customer to the brand or product based upon their own experiences (Ries, 2004: 196). A company cannot control what the consumer associates with the brand, it can only point them in the right direction. This research will therefore aim to investigate if the Starbucks decline resulted from a failure of strategy that led to negative associations being made with the brand. It is important to see how close the feedback loop is kept in Starbucks, in the extent to which the company tracks and reinforces customer perception of the brand. Put simply, this research will aim therefore to examine the extent to which what Starbucks wants customers to think of them is matched by what customers really think of them. Though sounding simple, it represents a vital part of the branding exercise that can sometimes be overlooked by some, often very popular and successful, companies. Research objectives To examine and analyse the branding methods used by Starbucks that created the hugely successful global company To conduct primary research to establish the associations with the Starbucks brand made by a plethora of consumers, from actual Starbucks customers to a more random sampling to glean a general perception of the associations of Starbucks. To establish whether the brand of Starbucks has been watered down and lost its brand impact, or whether it simply face increased competition from imitators a nd a weak global economy. To analyse the extent to which attempts being made to find a new avenues for development for Starbucks seem like based on an effective appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the brand. Background The first Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971 (Michelli, 2006: 2). Originally only set up to roast and sell beans, the first significant step towards their development into a global brand began when Howard Schultz was appointed director of marketing in 1982. On a trip to Milan, Italy, Schultz encountered European Coffee bar culture and aimed to attempt to associate psychosocial meaning of coffee to the stores (Schultz and Yang, 1997). However, this was initially rejected and Schultz thus founded his own chain called Il Giornale. In 1987 Starbucks was sold to Schultz who, after renaming all his Il Giornale stores Starbucks, began its initial period of expansion (Clark, 2007). By 1992, Starbucks had grown to 165 coffeehouses and their first store outside North America was opened in Japan in 1996. After a acquiring a number of other coffeehouse chains, Starbucks expanded quickly and after being initially floated on the stock market in 1992, expanded by 5,000% by 2006 (Michelli, 2006: 3). Schultz retired as managing director in 2000 but returned in 2008 to attempt to return the chain to its initial philosophy and success, claiming that the brand had become diluted and blaming store ‘cannibalisation where the fast expansion had resulted in too many stores in some areas. On 1st July 2008, the company announced it was to sell 600 outlets and in the same month the company cut approximately a thousand jobs (Smales, 2008). In January 2009, 300 more stores were announced to close. Schults innovation to the branding was to see an opportunity to ‘transform the traditional American coffee experience from the ordinary to the extraordinary (Michelli, 2006: 2). ‘The true size of the Starbucks brand is more subjec tive than quantifiable, (Knapp, 1999: 197). A key component of the Starbucks identity has been the rigid focus on establishing brand loyalty through customer experience (‘one cup at a time) rather than through aggressive marketing and advertisement. Schultz argues that in the 1990s, Starbucks spent more money on training than on advertising (Schultz and Yang, 1999). The construction of the Starbucks brand took account of the fact that brands tend to absorb all associations around it and therefore was constructed from the very basic aspects of staff training to create a friendly atmosphere to the dà ©cor on the walls. It does not franchise its stores in order to maintain full control (Michelli, 2006). It was seen as a company philosophy, not simply a marketing exercise and as such pervaded all departments, each employee, and every aspect of design. For example, Starbucks coffee machines are fixed at a lower level and on the counter allowing the coffee server to maintain eye contact with the customer rather than turning their back on them (Schultz and Yang, 1997). This holistic philosophy was vital for establishing Starbucks as a significant and fundamental coffee retailer. It represented a heightened awareness of brand environmentalism before it had become more mainstream (Bedbury and Fenichelli, 2006: 111). The company even banned smoking from its stores long before smoking bans developed in North America and Europe, simply in order to maintain the aroma of freshly roasted coffee and avoid any inadvertent negative associations of their brand (Michelli, 2006). Starbucks attempts to offer not just an especially well-brewed cup of coffee, but to reinforce their expertise as researchers, purveyors and professionals in providing the perfect cup of coffee for the customer (Bedbury and Fenichell, 2006: 108). Schultzs attempted to not only transfer the taste of freshly roasted coffee, but to transfer the entire welcoming social experience from Med iterranean culture to North America and beyond. The astonishing success of the experiment means such branding was evidently enormously successful. However, the plight Starbucks has found itself in the last two years suggests that such innovative thinking may well have lost its momentum and a question mark now hangs over its potential for future success. It is not certain if the brand needs more or less innovation: whether changes made in the last decade has made the customer lose sight of the original benefits of the brand (as Schultz maintains), or whether, in fact, the original idea only had a limited mileage. It has been maintained that the company expanded too quickly in a period of global economic health and thus finds itself stranded when faced with a global economic downturn. However, it is not simply that it expanded too quickly – if it could maintain the market it developed, it would likely find the level of expansion more sustainable than it appears. For a com pany which became an enormous global brand in a very short space of time through an innovative form of thinking, Starbucks now faces significant challenges to maintain and reinforce its dominance of the coffeehouse industry. Literature Review A fundamental question of this research is essentially: what has gone wrong with the Starbucks brand? Has negative customer association taken place, or has the positive brand image undergone a dilution and lost its original impact? Branding encompasses more than simply semiotics and imagery, and embraces a plethora of media and psychology (Ries, 2004: 7). Put simply, a product is something which a company sells but a brand is something which a customer buys. Although the history of branding seems relatively short, emerging as a conscious objective in the Nineteenth Century, elements of association can be seen in the Port of Portugal or tea from China from at least the Seventeenth Century. However, branding exercises became an obsessi ve form of marketing in the mid to late Nineteenth Century, resulting in some of the most longstanding brand-names such as Cadbury, Schwepps, Bovril and Oxo. Branding became very significant after 1869 when Heinz offered successful pickles that were then trusted and enjoyed by consumers, eventually becoming the brand itself. One a brand loyalty has been secured, consumers seem to be reticent to avoid developing and switching loyalties; a factor pointed out in the Heinz slogan ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz (Rooney, 1995). Where many identical products existed, attempts were made to increase the value to the consumer. A number of techniques were developed for this method, and many brands were reinforced through sponsorship of expeditions such as Robert Scotts Antarctic expeditions, were the photographs showing intrepid explorers munching on Cadburys proved to be an important new avenue for reinforcing a brand (Cubitt and Warren, 2000: 118). A strong brand can anticipate longevity in the marketplace: in 1923 the brand leaders in motorcycles and soft drinks were Harley Davidson and Coca Cola and so it is today (Kathman, 2002: 27). Branding is traditionally seen as receiving its first definition in a memorandum issued by the firm Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati in 1931 (Kathman, 2002: 25). This articulated the basic principles of brand management as research, development and communication. Branding received a boost by the development of large-scale supermarkets where similar products would be displayed next to each other meaning the package no longer similar encased the product, it had now to sell it. Manufacturers gradually began to develop the principles of creating the image of a brand from visual means. Contemporaneously, Louis Cheskin developed the ‘Principle of Sensation Transference which demonstrated that consumers tend to assign expectations and associations of products based on the design, shape, colours of the packages of a product (R ies, 2004). This increased the role of the designer in product development to one selling a product in addition to simply a practical solution. This was exacerbated by the increase of self-select environments in the retail environment. At the core of a branding exercise lies the product itself. This can be surrounded by a primary mantel of branding, the packaging, name, and ways in which the product is presented. The outer mantel is the warranty, the delivery credit, after-sales service and other factors that can augment the product beyond its initial use (Ries, 2004). Almost anything can be branded and it is seen as comprising four main factors: the attributes, benefits, values and the personality. Different brands can focus on different aspects, such as a banking service focusing on the values provided by the product. The characteristic of a strong brand is that it offers significant financial and perceptual benefits, is consistent and focuses on quality and uses a full mar keting mix to consolidate performance and position. As Schmitt (2000: 165) notes, ‘products are no longer bundles of functional characteristics, but a means to provide and enhance a users experience†¦ consumers want to be stimulated, entertained, educated and challenged. The theoretical perspective of branding has undergone resurgence in recent years. Rather than being understood simply as a ‘name, term, sign, symbol, or a design or simply a ‘major issue in product strategy, (Kotler, 2000: 396, 404), brands have become holistic and sophisticated entities (Keller, 2003). For Kapferer (1997), the brand is simply seen as a sign that uncovers the qualities of the product. Whereas branding traditionally was under the control of the marketing department, the strategy now appears to be much more than this, to the extent of being seen as representing not only the product but the company philosophy (Aaker and Joachmisthaler, 2000). Recent contributions to the literature have included Aaker and Joachmisthaler (2000) who posit the theory of brand leadership model as one which embraces notions of strategy rather than the traditional model of tactics (Urde, 2003). They see the building of branding as encompassing the four challenges: organizational, brand architecture, brand identity and position and brand building. An alternative model is provided by Davis (2000) which sees the brand as an asset. He defines this as a fiscal approach, which attempts to build the ‘meaning of the brand, communicating it internally and externally (Davis, 2000: 12). This conception of a brand is one which fits the Starbucks model well, from its staff training to its corporate philosophy, the company sees its brand as having a tangible meaning rather than simply a means to sell a product (Michelli, 2006). This ‘corporate branding has received attention also by Aaker (2004) and Schultz and Hatch (2003). The theoretical and analytical debate of branding in the literature has tended to lag behind the practical success of branding strategies, and so it appears Starbucks company philosophy was developed ahead of its theoretical articulation. Starbucks is often used in marketing and business textbooks as a clear example of a successful brand (Knapp, 1999: 199). Given that a brands success results in imitation and further theoretical and strategic articulation, it would seem paramount that if the Starbucks example of what can be dubbed a successful ‘holistic brand is to be retained, then it would be a significant and important contribution to the debate to establish ‘what has gone wrong with what was a runaway success story of effective branding in the 1990s. If the success of this branding strategy is to be imitated then the potential for its longevity should be established. Put simply, are people just bored of Starbucks now the novelty has worn off and there are a plethora of imitators, or can this be seen simply as a ‘blip for a brand which holds the potential to be around for as long as Heinz? Rationale for study This study in partial fulfilment of the degree will contribute to the branding debate by investigating and analysing a vital aspect of the Starbucks brand. Brand strategy can only manipulate customers associations and emotions with regard to a product so far, and a feedback loop is essential to ensure that the intended associations are made by the customers (Aaker and Joachmisthaler, 2000). Furthermore, it will contribute to an understanding of the coffeehouse industry and the extent to which the Starbucks phenomenon shows signs of longevity as with other brands. Resources Required No extraordinary resources will be required for this study beyond a PC, photocopier and time. The fiscal resources required will be kept minimal. Methodology A questionnaire research strategy will be devised in order to ensure a stratified sample. Extremely short quest ionnaires will be used to establish the associations of Starbucks with a number of individuals. This will be semi-structured questionnaires where it is anticipated that the responses can be graded and coded according to positive or negative associations. A number of research locations will be considered in order to establish the most effective spread of respondents. For example, Starbucks customers will be used in order to provide an index of responses (it can be presumed associations will be largely positive) and then respondents sought from locations where their relationship with Starbucks cannot be seen as being unduly effected by any environmental or temporal variables. Research Design Using a short questionnaire such as this means the research will sit between a quantitative form of collecting data and a qualitative in that the results will be analysed using quantitative techniques but little guidance is provided to frame the questions. This means time will need be spent coding the responses and entering them into a spreadsheet program such as Excel. An important dimension of the research strategy includes establishing the sampling procedure. At least part of this research will come from asking individuals in the street, and the location of the researcher and the time at which the research is carried out are all likely to have an effect on the results. The importance of this factor is not just in asking ‘the average man on the street but establishing as wide a sweep as possible to examine the associations not just with product users (coffee drinkers) but to examine the effectiveness of the Starbucks brand in maintaining an association with all individuals. A negative response is therefore as important in this case as a positive response and the questionnaire must be carefully structured to ensure that even non-coffee drinkers can consider what they associate with Starbucks. By conducting this research using a variety of media and a variety of locations, it is hoped the potential exists to compare and contrast the different samples, but also to build up as wide a picture of the public perception of the Starbucks brand in the UK as a whole. This can then be compared to the Starbucks brand as represented in Schultz and Yang (1999) and its corporate literature such as ‘The Green Apron Book, their website and publicity material, and analyses made in the secondary literature. It is important to recognise that this, in itself, does not signify the success or the failure of a brand, but it may offer some clues into the downturn experienced by the Starbucks brand. Ethical Issues It is vital, of course, to receive the consent of the individuals who will respond to the questionnaire. Although each respondent may be given a code, no identifying data will be taken. Unlike brand strategists, the researcher is at great pains not to affect the way in which the customer might view Starbucks and so it is vit al to ensure that the respondents are aware that the researcher does not in any way represent the company. It would, however, be courteous to liaise with a Starbucks coffeehouse, particularly if attempts will be made to secure a sample of bona fide Starbucks customers, and attempts will be made to ensure that attention is paid to copyright and intellectual property. Contact will be made with Starbucks, informing them of the intentions of this research and requesting any further information that may come in useful but for reasons of independence it would be prudent to maintain a respectable distance from the company itself. Most data regarding the company will be taken from publicly-available sources and published works and confidentiality issues will not pose a problem in this case. Anticipated Problems and Solutions The construction of the questionnaire is likely to represent on of the most time-consuming aspects of this study and attempts will be made to ensure that â €˜test drafts are used and enough time is maintained to make effective evaluations and revisions to the content. Furthermore, establishing a suitable sampling technique is liable to be a difficult task and the number of respondents is likely to vary depending on time of day, day of week and other factors that might make establishing a firm unbiased empirical foundation difficult. Great pains must be taken to ensure that as many respondents are sought as possible, and the temptation to tend to approach those who might appear to the researcher to proffer the greatest likelihood of answering questions is avoided. However, this is a key factor in Social Science research and one that is always difficult to sidestep – even if a more anonymous data collection method was used, the respondents would tend to be self-selecting (Crouch and Housden, 2003: 138). Selecting suitable locations to conduct the research is important and the relationship of the researchers location to an y Starbucks (or other) coffeehouses must be carefully and fully considered as factors that might well have an effect on results. However, it is this researchers opinion that the greater the number of respondents and the greater the number of locations and methods of data collection, the greater the likelihood that any random bias will tend to balance itself out as long as no systematic selection factors are at work. Bibliography Aaker, D. A. and Joachimsthaler, E., 2000. Brand Leadership, London: Free Press. Bedbury, S. and Fenichell, S., 2003. A new brand world: 8 principles for achieving brand leadership in the 21st century. London: Penguin. Behar, H. with Goldstein J., 2007. Its Not About The Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks. London: Portfolio Budd, M. amd Kirsch M. H., 2005. Rethinking Disney: private control, public dimensions. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. Cagan, J. M. and Vogel, C. M., 2001. Creating breakthrough products: i nnovation from product planning to program approval. London: FT Press. Clark, T. 2007. Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce and Culture. New York: Little Brown. Crouch, S., and Housden M., 2003. Marketing research for managers (3rd edn.) New York: Butterworth-Heinemann. Davis, S. M., 2000. Brand Asset Management: Driving Profitable Growth through Your Brands, San Francisco: Josey Bass. Kapferer, J., 1997. Strategic Brand Management. London: Coogan. Kathman, J., 2002. ‘Brand Identity Development in the New Economy.Design Issues, 18.1,24-35. Knapp, D. E. 1999. The Brandmindset. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Kotler, P., 2000. Marketing Management. Chicago: Northwestern University Press. Michelli, J. A., 2006. The Starbucks experience: 5 principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary, New York: McGraw Hill Professional. Ries, L., 2004. The origin of brands: discover the natural laws of product innovation and business survival. L ondon: HarperBusiness. Rooney, J. A. 1995. ‘Branding: A Trend for Today and Tomorrow, Journal of Product Brand Management, 4:4, 48-55. Schmitt, B. H., 2000. Experimental Marketing. London: Free Press. Schultz, H. and Yang, D. J., 1997. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built A Company One Cup At A Time, New York: Hyperion. Schultz M. and Hatch, M J., 2003. ‘The Cycles of Corporate Branding: The Case of the LEGO Company, California Management Review, 46:1, 6-26. Smales, W., 2008. ‘Why Starbucks Sales Have Gone Cold, https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/ 7219458.stm Urde, M., 2003. ‘Core Value-Based Corporate Brand Building, European Journal of Marketing, 37:8, 1017-1040. Warren, A., and Cubitt, G., 2000. Heroic reputations and exemplary lives. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Find out more from UK Essays here: https://www.ukessays.com/services/example-essays/marketing/success-of-the-branding-strategy-of-starbucks.php#ixzz3 EEbwDhyb

How to Take Good SAT Prep Notes

Photo by  Marco Arment As you study for the SAT, certain note-taking approaches are especially helpful. Check out this comprehensive plan for note-taking strategies that has been tried and tested, which will help you on your way to SAT success! Notes on academic content vs. notes on test strategy As you learn how to take good SAT prep notes, its important to differentiate between the two kinds of things that youll take notes on. Some of your notes will focus on academic content, such as math operations, English grammar rules, and the meaning of SAT vocabulary words. Other notes will cover tips and tricks about SAT test strategy how to approach multiple-choice questions, pacing on math problems, ways to build SAT Reading comprehension skills, and so on. Learning academic content and developing test skills are very different activities, and they require different note-taking skills. In this post,  well go over suggestions for taking good SAT prep notes for both areas. Taking good SAT prep notes for academic content The academic content of the SAT is really a list of concrete facts. You have your SAT Math formulas and procedures, your SAT Writing and Language rules (grammar, punctuation, etc) and vocabulary for both SAT Math and Verbal (math terms, vocab for reading comprehension, transition words for writing, and so on). As you try to remember all of these academic facts, theres a risk that youll memorize them only through  rote memorization. Rote memorization happens when you remember facts simply by repeating the exact same words, phrases, and sentences over and over. This kind of memorization gives you a very shallow understanding of academic content. When you memorize by rote, you focus on getting the words right rather than truly thinking about  underlying academic concepts. So how you can make those underlying concepts stick? Revise your notes several times By revising your SAT academic content notes a few times, you get a chance to paraphrase and rethink the important academic info  the SAT. Write all of your notes about SAT Math and Verbal content once. Then go back through your notes and write them again but make sure you change the wording in  everything from  your original notes. Restate each academic concept in a different way. By changing the words you use to describe these academic facts, you force yourself to think about the underlying meaning behind the concepts. And you shift your focus away from  just memorizing words and phrases. Example of how to revise your notes Let me give you an example of how this kind of note revision works. In one set of SAT Math notes, you could write: A number to the power of 1/2  is the same as  the square root of that number And then your next revision of   your SAT notes, you could restate this SAT math principle as: X, with  1/2 as its exponent= the square root of  X. Then, in a third revision, you could express this same concept in pure mathematical notation, as follows: If you find it hard to change up your wording when you  revise your  notes, theres another trick that can help you reinterpret your notes. You may have an easier time coming up with paraphrases if you alternate between writing your notes by hand and typing them. Handwrite your notes once, then make a typed revision. Then revise your typed version in a third hand-written revision. From there, in your fourth revision, type your notes into a computer again. Changing your physical method of note-taking can help you shift your whole perspective and think of fresh new ways to word the academic content of your SAT prep. As you revise your notes on the SATs academic content over and over, two things will happen. First, youll find that youre able to remember the academic content  of the SAT  more and more clearly with each revision. Second, youll find that each set of notes gets shorter and shorter. This is because you find simpler and more elegant ways to explain academic content as your understanding increases. Your notes will also get shorter because youll start to know some SAT academic facts so well that you dont have to write them down at all. Of course, this is just one approach to taking good SAT prep notes for academic content. There are other approaches that may work for you as well. But Ive seen the multiple revision note-taking technique work for a lot of my students. And this approach has also allowed me to score well on several standardized tests, including the SAT. Taking good SAT prep notes for test strategy As you prepare for the SAT, be sure to record important things you learn about the exam. This includes basic facts about the SAT that you can get from the College Board, such as the number of questions in each section, the academic topics that come up on the test, SAT section time limits, rules for calculator use in SAT Math, and so on. This test knowledge is the foundation for your notes on test strategy. Test strategies that you take notes on can come from the College Board or from third party sources like our very own  Magoosh SAT.  But a lot of the SAT strategies you write about in your notes will come from  you.  As you prepare for the SAT, youll notice your own strengths and weaknesses and start making a personal  SAT success plan. This brings me to one recommended  approach to taking good SAT prep notes about test strategy. Treat your notes like a journal I always encourage my students to keep a journal of their progress as they prepare for the SAT. This journal is not like a diary where you write your experiences in narrative form. Instead, its a series of self-observation notes. To inform your SAT strategies, take notes on how you do with practice question sets. Ask yourself questions like: How many answers are you getting right and wrong? What parts of the SAT are easiest for you? Which sections are the hardest? What question types, academic content, or skills are you the strongest and weakest in? Jot down the answers to these questions as you continue to build your SAT skills. As this journal of your SAT skills progresses, the answers to the questions above will change. By reviewing your notes on your practice performance, youll be able to see the ways you are improving as an SAT test taker. Reflect on these improvements, and make note of the strategies that are working for you. Recording useful SAT strategies as you discover them will help you create a final list of strategies that youll use on test day. Taking good SAT prep notes: Visual note-taking for both academic content and test strategy The visual note-taking approach is especially useful for notes on SAT test strategy. But visual notes are also helpful for recording SAT academic content. So what is visual note-taking? Its the use of graphic organizers to connect, highlight, and illustrate ideas from your notes. If you have some artistic ability, or at least a love of amateur doodling, your visual notes can include pictures that act as memory aids. (Lucas touches on this in his post about how to take notes on the SAT.) But if you dont feel comfortable drawing, dont worrythe two best visual techniques for SAT prep notes do not require you to be an artist. Use visual notes to create your test day strategies On the home stretch to test day, look back on your SAT journal notes. Review the SAT strategies that worked the best for you. A final set of strategiesone you can use on the test itselfshould come into view. This is when youll want to take a new set of notes, outlining your test day game plan. As you take notes on the strategies youll use when you actually sit for the SAT, I recommend using  visual note-taking methods. In visual note-taking, concepts are organized graphically on a page, so that you can picture the way that ideas connect to each other. Think of each tip, trick, and strategy as part of a bigger picture, a picture of the approach youll use to beat the SAT. There are a number of different methods for visual note-taking. Two methods that work especially well for notes on SAT test strategy are mind maps and flow charts. Lets see how these work and why they can help you take good SAT prep notes. Taking good SAT prep notes: Creating a mind map Mind maps are good for showing how different ideas and activities are linked together, such as ideas and activities related to SAT Reading comprehension. A mind map places the most important idea in the middle of your notes. From there, you draw lines that connect other less important ideas to the main ideaand to each other. Here is an example of some mind map notes for SAT Reading strategy: In the mind map above, the main conceptthe SAT Reading sectionappears in the middle of the map, circled. Lines lead out to other three other circled ideas (OK, theyre actually squared) that connect to SAT Reading. These branch ideas on the mind map are  vocabulary, structure, and author.  Ã‚  Then the map shows the elements of these three big SAT Reading ideas. Vocabulary has elements of word definitions and contextual meaning, the structure of an SAT reading passage involves main ideas, themes, and paragraphs, and so on. Taking good SAT prep notes: Creating a flowchart Flow charts show how a process is completed, and can be used to illustrate things like the steps to solving complex algebra in SAT Math. Flowcharts use arrows to show steps in a process. In your SAT prep notes, flowcharts are very useful for showing how to select  the right multiple choice answer. Below, you can see a flowchart for  SAT multiple choice strategy. As you can see, the arrows show two different paths to getting the correct answer on an SAT multiple choice question. Taking good SAT prep notes: Combining mind map and flowchart techniques The visual elements of mind maps and flowcharts can be blended for dynamic visual note taking during SAT prep. Check out this page of SAT prep notes that combines mind map branches and flowchart arrows: Here, we see a mapped connection between SAT math and its two sections (the calculator and no-calculator sections). And we see further mapping of mental math and estimation strategies, as they connect to the no-calculator section. We also see the way certain activities in the calculator section of SAT math flow into calculator use. And we see the way that mental math and estimation techniques  flow into multiple choice strategies. How to use visual note-taking for academic content In the examples above, I focus on notes related to SAT test strategy rather than the academic content of the SAT. However, you can use these kinds of visual notes for academic content, too. You could make a flowchart, for instance, for the steps in a geometry operation from SAT Math. And a mind map could be used to show an SAT vocabulary word and its branches of meaning: different definitions, parts of speech, connotation, etc. There are really many possible ways to use these visual devices to take good SAT prep notes. Be flexible, use your imagination, and your notes for the SAT can become powerful visual memory aids. Interested in more strategies for taking notes? Check out our video below!