Stages of faith by James W. Fowler Essay Example

Stages of faith by James W. Fowler Essay The stages of faith by which Fowler had devised were observed to be uniform and universally acceptable regardless where one is in his level of faith and religious context. It described man’s effort to seek to understand the finite sphere he finds himself in relation to transcendence. This in turn helped us discern our placements in the order of the grand scheme of things as we passed through different facets in our lives. The theory concerns more with the type of faith a person has from the basic convention that profound belief in God or disbelief may occur at any stage in our journey through life. Its simplicity in meaning allows therapist to resolve problems commonly encountered in psychology from the very resources of a person’s life: the foundation of belief and philosophy of faith. The way people construct their faith reflects the way they see and understand things in their own relevant perspectives. Marking the case of terminally ill people, faith turns out to be the prime factor in determining their quality of life believing that everything happens for a reason. And so there goes the open arms acceptance to anything that comes without the search for apparent reason of its existence. It attempted to connect a person’s word and ideals to faith. Faith being defined as having a language of its own encouraged mankind to seek better understanding of its realm and makes relating to other people easier. There is a perfect resemblance between the first stage and the last stage. The first stage gave the fact that children rely on their parents and environment’s authority as such as the hand me down basic faith teachings to mold their initial foundation on faith and knowing faith. The last stage gave us the paradigm of one’s growth and transformation in spirituality to an unexplainable childlike transcendence from humanity to divinity as exhibited by his selfless concern for others despite of color, measurement or creed. It’s a kind of lifestyle and commitment with no known certainty.   It is like looking to a person through their eyes of faith which is the center of their meaning and passion that moves them to words and action. How a person conceives his world directly relates him to his level of spirituality . And if we have a moment to peep to the doors of their lives, we can say that in some aspects of their lives they have entered the realm of the divine world by a share of their irrefutable faith experience. Coming to terms then with human nature is the object of the divine structure of faith. It is the absolute pronouncement of the meaning of our existence: fellowship with God. We will write a custom essay sample on Stages of faith by James W. Fowler specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Stages of faith by James W. Fowler specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Stages of faith by James W. Fowler specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Estimate vs. Guess

Estimate vs. Guess Estimate vs. Guess Estimate vs. Guess By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between estimate and guess? The distinction between the two words is one of the degree of care taken in arriving at a conclusion. Estimate is from the Latin word aestimare, meaning â€Å"to value.† That term is also the origin of estimable, which means â€Å"capable of being estimated† or â€Å"worthy of esteem† (but is more often used in the latter sense), and of esteem, which means â€Å"regard† (and is usually associated with high regard). To estimate is to judge the extent, nature, or value of something, with the implication that the result is based on expertise or familiarity. An estimate is the resulting calculation or judgment. (A related term is approximation, meaning â€Å"close or near.†) Bridging the gap between a guess and an estimate is an educated guess, a more casual estimate. An idiomatic term for this type of middle-ground conclusion is â€Å"ballpark figure.† The origin of this American English idiom, which alludes to a baseball stadium, is not certain, but one conclusion is that it is related to â€Å"in the ballpark,† meaning â€Å"close† in the sense that one at such a location may not be in a precise location but is in the stadium. To guess is to believe or suppose, to form an opinion based on little or no evidence, or to be correct by chance or conjecture. A guess is a thought or idea arrived at by one of these methods. Synonyms for guess include conjecture and surmise, which like guess can be employed both as verbs and as nouns. One might also have a hunch or an intuition, or may engage in guesswork or speculation. â€Å"Dead reckoning† means the same thing as guesswork, though it originally referred to navigation based on reliable information. Near synonyms describing thoughts or ideas developed with more rigor include hypothesis and supposition, as well as theory and thesis. In summary, a guess is a casual, perhaps spontaneous conclusion, whereas an estimate is based on some thought and/or data. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About Hands80 Idioms with the Word TimeList of Prefixes and Suffixes and their Meanings

Complete Plan When Should I Start Studying for the SAT

Complete Plan When Should I Start Studying for the SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Before you start thinking about which colleges to apply to or what you want to study in college, you need to take the right steps to get there. For many students, this means taking the SAT. You may be wondering when to start studying for the SAT. If you start too late, you won't get the highest score you're capable of. But if you start too early, you might struggle because you haven’t learned all the necessary content yet, plus you could forget things by the time the test rolls around. So what’s the perfect time to start studying? We will briefly explain the content you need to know for the SAT, and then give you a recommended plan based on your college goals. When Should You Take the SAT? Before you decide when to start studying for the SAT, first you need to figure out when you'll take the SAT. Given the content on the SAT and the college application timeline,you should aim to take your first SAT in the fall of junior year.This gives you time to retake the SAT in spring if you want a higher score. Then if you score well, senior year will be freed up for your college applications. Also,aiming for junior fall means your SAT studying won’t compete with AP or IB exams. You'll have to decide between a more intense study schedule (like ten hours a week for two months) or a more gradual one (four hours a week for five months). Either method can work and help you make huge score increases, so choosing a plan will just depend on your schedule and study style. When Should You Start Studying for the SAT? Working backwards from junior fall, it’s good tostart studying at some point during sophomore yearfor a longer, less intense plan or the summer after sophomore year for a more intense plan. Taking the PSAT (Practice SAT) orPSAT 10as a sophomore is a great way to get introduced to the test in a completely no-pressure situation –you aren’t qualified for the National Merit competitionuntil junior year, so you can just get an introduction to the test and get a sense of where you stand with your current skills. If your school doesn’t offer the PSAT or it's too late to sign up, you can also takea free SAT practice test online. Just remember to time yourself carefully to simulate actual test conditions! By taking a practice SAT or a PSAT, you'll have a baseline score which you'll use to determine how many hours you need to study for the SAT further on in this article. Where Do You Want to Go to College? The length and intensity of your study plan will strongly depend on your college goals. If you’re looking to go a decent in-state school, there is less pressure riding on your score than if you are set on the likes of Harvard, Stanford, or MIT. Use the three plans below to help you come up with your SAT target score. Ivy League/Highly Selective School SAT Study Plan If you’re aiming for highly selective colleges like the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, and MIT,getting a high SAT score is extremely important.Definitely plan to take the PSAT as a sophomore to see how you are shaping up to do on the SAT. You should consider taking a full SAT practice test as well, since the PSAT doesn’t include all of the content tested on the real SAT. You'll need an excellent SAT score to get into MIT! Once you have a starting score, decide whether you want to study during sophomore year at a more gradual pace or use the summer before junior year for a more intensive study schedule. Keep in mindyour target SAT score should be1500 or higher if you are aiming for top schools.This puts you in the higher end of admitted student score ranges for these schools, and thus improves your odds of admission. Next, take the SAT for the first time during junior fall. If you fall short of a 1500 (or whatever you set your target score at), plan to retake the SAT in junior spring and continue to study. (Learn more aboutwhy getting above 1500 is so important for top schools.) Selective School SAT Study Plan We are defining selective schools as schools that take less than half of admitted applicants (in other words, their admissions rate is below 50%). These schools are tough to get into, but not as competitive as the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, and MIT. For selective schools, we also recommend either taking the PSAT as a sophomore to gauge your base score or taking a practice SAT. Next,look up the SAT score ranges for your target colleges.You can find any college’s SAT score ranges by searching for â€Å"[Name of College/University] SAT scores PrepScholar†. Set your target SAT score based on the most selective school you are applying to.This way, if you make your score goal, you can comfortably apply to every school on your list. For example, if the most competitive school you’re applying to is New York University, you shouldset your SAT target score at 1350– the average score of admitted students. Take the SAT junior fall. If you are short of your goal, you can retake it in junior spring. Less Selective School SAT Study Plan Less selective schools are schools that admit more than half of their applicants. This is often the case with large public universities or lesser-known small colleges. Your SAT score here is important, but it likely won’t need to be sky high. Take the PSAT as a sophomore to gauge your starting point. If you seriously struggle – get any score below a 1000 – start doing some prep sophomore year so you can get at least an above-average SAT score. Otherwise, you can wait until after sophomore year is over and prep during the summer.Look up the SAT score ranges at your target schoolsand set your target score based on those ranges. For example, if you’re hoping to get into the University of Kentucky,you should set your target SAT score at 30for the new SAT, which is their average SAT score for admission. Take the SAT junior fall.If your score is way lower than your state school’s ranges, you can retake the test in junior spring. Otherwise, focus on keeping your grades up and devoting time to your extracurriculars. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! How Much Do You Need to Study for the SAT? How many hours you need to study for the SAT depends onhow large a point improvement you want to make.You'll determine this by figuring out the difference between the baseline score you got from your practice test and your target score for the schools you want to get accepted to. You can use the following hours per point improvement recommendations as a starting point. 0-50 SAT Composite Point Improvement: 10 hours50-100 Point Improvement: 20 hours100-200 Point Improvement: 40 hours200-300 Point Improvement: 80 hours300-500 Point Improvement: 150 hours+ (For more on scoring, see our post on how the SAT is scored.) As an example,if you get a 1200 on your practice test, and your target score is 1500, then you have 300 points to improve, meaning you should put in about 80 hours.You could space this out (say, three hours per week for six months) or study intensely over the summer (16 hours per week for five weeks). This guideline is just a starting point and exactly how much time you'll need to spend studying heavily depends on how much you've prepped before, your starting skill level, and your ability to learn new concepts quickly. If you're looking for a small improvement, like 50 points,you can do this by optimizing your testing strategy and possibly even just byretaking the test.But for serious improvements, 200 points and above, you likely still need to learn a lot of fundamental content. Little tricks and strategies won't be enough to raise your score - you will need to learn actual material and attack your test-taking weaknesses. Think about it this way: the SAT tests academic skills that you've been learning your entire life, like how numbers work and how to read.As a high school junior, you've completed over 20,000 hours of schooling and homework.An improvement of 200 or more points requires a serious retooling of your knowledge and skills. If you can't devote at least 80 hours to prepping, you will find it very difficult to make huge score improvements. What’s Tested on the SAT? In this section we go over the major topics you'll be tested on in each of three main sections of the SAT. You can use this information to figure out what material you already know and what you still need to learn for the SAT. Reading All questions on the SAT Reading section are based on passages with set topics. There will be one US or world literature passage, two history/social science passages, and two science passages. You will need to be able to read and understand the passages and then answer multiple-choice questions about them. The literature passage can use especially complex language, so you have to be able to break down complex language in a short amount of time five passages (and 52 questions) in 65 minutes, to be precise. The questions require you to define vocabulary based on context, use evidence, understand logical arguments, and even understand some basic scientific concepts. There are even a few questions about data analysis basically, you'll have to break down a graph or table. Finally, there are two-part "evidence support" questions: the first question asks you something about the passage, and the second question asks you where exactly in the passage you find your evidence. Check out this example to see what an evidence support question looks like: Via College Board's Test Specifications for the Redesigned SAT. Doing well on SAT Reading will require you to read difficult passages from different subjects quickly and break down their meaning. Essentially, the more advanced of a reader you are, and the more English, science, and social science classes you have taken, the better prepared you will be for this section. Having two years of high school English completed by the time you take the test junior fall will give you a sufficient base to study with. High school English classes both broaden your vocabulary and teach you to approach increasingly difficult texts. In addition, social science or science classes you take will further prepare you to tackle the social science and science passages. Any advanced reading you can do outside of class – either in terms of books or magazines like The New Yorker or Wired – will also be helpful. Read a detailed breakdown of the Reading section here. Math SAT Math tests the following math concepts: Numbers and Operations Algebra and Functions Geometry and Measurement Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability Trigonometry (You can read a full breakdown of how these concepts are tested here.) This means that once you have taken Geometry and Algebra II, you will have learned all the content you need for the SAT Math section. You don’t need to worry about pre-calculus or calculus concepts on the SAT. However, SAT Math will require you to work through story problems and real-life scenarios, with some science and social science concepts thrown in as well. This is why extra studying for the SAT Math section is very important. Definitely don’t attempt the SAT or a serious study regimen before you’ve completed geometry. But most students should be ready to tackle the SAT with the math they have learned before junior year. (If you want to read more about what it would be like to take the SAT without geometry, see our post on the subject.) Writing and Language The writing section of the SAT tests your ability to understand and apply grammar rules and English language conventions to both sentences and paragraphs. For this section, you will be asked to improve sentences (in terms of grammar and structure), identify errors in sentences (grammar and usage) and to improve paragraphs (organization and revision), all in the context of long passages. You can read a complete breakdown of this section here. The more familiar you are with English grammar rules, the easier this section will be for you. Additionally, the more experience you have writing and revising, the easier it will be for you to tackle these questions quickly. Again, two years of high school English should be sufficient preparation for most students, but reading and writing outside of class will help you get ahead. Also, you should definitely take the time to study the grammar rules that will be tested on SAT Writing. The Bottom Line: When to Start Studying for the SAT We recommend you take the PSAT (or an SAT practice test) sophomore year to get your base SAT score. Then, figure out your target SAT score based on the most competitive school you’re applying to. Finally, begin to study either during sophomore year or the following summer, and take the SAT junior fall. The intensity of your studying will vary by how selective the schools you want to get into are, your starting score, and how much you need to improve. But if you start during sophomore year by taking the PSAT or an SAT practice test, you will be on track to get your best possible score during junior year. This will free up your senior year for college applications. What’s Next? Are you aiming for a perfect or close-to-perfect score? Get tips from our resident full-scorer about how to get there. Learn what a good/bad/excellent SAT score is, and read about good scores for the Ivy League. Curious about how the PSAT qualifies you for the National Merit Competition? Learn how to qualify here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Answer this question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer this question - Assignment Example Those who earned more contributed more and hence will receive more. Those in the public sector either rely on their pensions or the 403(b) which is available for the church ministers, certain tax-exempt organizations as well as public school employees. The retirement money is provided through an insurance company, invested in mutual funds or a retirement account set up. The public employees’ retirement system is common in the state of Nebraska making it stand out from the other states such as Kansas as the retired public employees live comfortably on their retirement savings plan paid monthly (Fenge, De Menil and Pestieau 172). Americans have moved from the corporate sponsored retirement plan where the corporates were offering pensions. With the increase of people in this sector, the plan was simply too much to sustain and the employers moved towards the defined benefit (DB). The DB plan is sponsored by the employer in addition to employee contributions. The money is then pooled together with the available funding from government and other sponsors of the plan. Employees under this plan are therefore able to receive certain benefits based on their number of years in service as well as their average salary. The DB plan can also offer payment monthly for as long as the annuitants live instead of a lump-sum distribution option (Slesnick and Suttle, 115). There is also the retirement plan of defined contribution pension plan (DC) which works similarly like a regular insurance. The employer specifies the amount of money needed for the plan to be contributed on a regular basis. The money in invested and the performance of the investment over time as well as amount contributed will determine how much they will get in their retirement funds. Even though the plan provides more flexibility in payment, the investment risks are shouldered by the employee (Slesnick and Suttle,

Manfucturing quality sys Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Manfucturing quality sys - Case Study Example The changes in the departments will bring about a positive impact and this will help the company in succeeding in the airline industry. By changing the supply routines and the supplier, material management will become easier. Enterprise Resource Planning is one among the best ways to integrate the departments in the company. This will help in decision making and further improvement of the company. Toon Air has been operating the airlines for many years. They have been successful in this field with no specific competitors. The recent development in the airline industry has led to a situation where many other airlines operate at a lower cost. This has affected the development and growth of Toon air. This has proved to be a great disadvantage. To overcome this situation Toon Air has to adopt new strategies and plan accordingly so that the current situation can be improved. This will enable the employees and the customers to have a problem free environment. The spare parts are procured regularly form some of the manufacturers. Any purchased material has to be stored in a warehouse and it has to be maintained properly, failing which may leads to unforeseen circumstances. These spares have been stored at a warehouse which is located at a distance of 30 miles from the airport. Purchasing is the major event in the management of supply of spares. The main problem is the delay in the supply of parts. Whenever a part is required they must be readily available to the users and engineers. There should not be any time delay as this in turn affects the flight timings. This will result in an unexpected loss to the company since the aircrafts are kept at the airport. They manage the situation temporarily by flying the substitute planes. This is not a permanent solution. This may prove to be a problem when several planes are idle at the airport. The spares are supplied to the maintenance engineers as and when needed. As the people in the purchase de partment do not have proper authority to decide and procure spares, this delays the process of purchase and supply of spares to the engineers. Toon Air purchases the spares from a reliable supplier. The cost of the spares is costly when compared to the other suppliers. They must select a different supplier who can supply the parts at a much lesser rate. This will be of more help to the company as this amount can be used for some other purpose. If the supplier is changed they can procure the spares immediately. (Hitomi, 1996).They must select the supplier who can deliver the spares immediately after the order is placed. This will reduce the delay in the supply of the parts. This in turn will reduce the idle time of the aircrafts. Since the spares are delivered immediately, the substitute planes can be used for any emergency situation alone. There has been a practice of engineers getting the spares directly from the suppliers. They make an order to the supplier and they get the spares delivered as and when they require. This may be of help only in certain cases. To avoid such a situation, the company must change to a different supplier so that the spares are procured whenever needed. The company must appoint some responsible person who can handle the purchase department in an efficient way. This will ensure that the department does not

The success of starbuck

The success of starbuck Terms Of Reference This report was commissioned to examine the use of the marketing mix and the contribution of the design function in the success of Starbuck. This report is presented to Dr. Daniel Wade Clarke and the due date is 22nd February 2010. Recommendations are provided in the end. Procedure Organisations own literature has been used in this report. Online textbook and newspapers has been followed to complete this project report.   Nature Of The Organisation Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 15,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim wherever there is a demand for great coffee. In 1970 the first Starbucks was open. The name comes from Herman Melvilles Moby Dick, a classic American novel about the 19th century whaling industry. The seafaring name seems appropriate for a store that imports the worlds finest coffees to the cold, thirsty people of Seattle. In May 1998, Starbucks successfully entered the European market through its acquisition of 65 Seattle Coffee Company stores in the UK. The two companies shared a common culture, focussing on a great commitment to customised coffee, similar company values and a mutual respect for people and the environment. (Source www.starbucks.co.uk ) Marketing Mix And NPDs Relation To Starbucks? The marketing mix concept is one of the core concepts of marketing theory. According to Rafiq and Ahmed (1995, p.4) that in recent years, the popular version of this concept McCarthys (1964) 4Ps (product, price, promotion and place) has increasingly come under attack in different marketing contexts. Because 4Ps do not take sufficient account of people, process and physical evidence in service marketing. In particular Booms and Biters (1981) extension of the 4Ps framework to include process, physical evidence and participants, has gained widespread acceptance in the services marketing literature. Furthermore Jobber (2004, p.21) adds to this â€Å" In services ,people often are the service itself; the process or how the service is delivered to the customer is usually a key part of the service, and the physical evidence should be considered as a separate element in the services marketing mix†. Nevertheless, there is no absolute reason why these extensions cannot be incorporated w ithin the 4Ps framework. The elements of the marketing mix are the followings; (1) Product (2) Price (3) Place (4) Promotion (5) People (6) Processes (7) Physical Evidence Product The Product decision involves deciding what goods or services should be offered to a group of customers. Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.25) state that â€Å"it is about not only what to make, but when to make it, how to make it, and how to ensure that it has a long and profitable life†. Clearly product is the important element any company will needs to consider product features/ benefits, branding, packing and after-sales service after its development. Coffee is at the heart of Starbucks history. Starbucks sample coffees from around the world more than 150,000 cups a year. Coffee is the core product of Starbucks as defined by Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.268) â€Å"core product represents the heart of the product, the main reason for its existence and purchase†. It is coffee which provides the functional or psychological definition of Starbucks towards its customers. Below is the diagram of Strategic thrust model, which is effective in marketing planning. Starbucks is using two marketing strategies towards their products.   First one is Product development and second is Market development. According to Jobber (2004, p.47) that product development involves improving current products or developing new products for current markets. As we know Starbucks offer convenience and non durable products in the form of coffee, when it comes to product development they are continuously differentiating their product (coffee) in the form of mild, smooth and bold categories, which increases their product line although their core product is the same. Starbucks also offer merchandise and gifts and fresh food just to increase their product range or product mix for the competitive market. This type of newness can be called new to the company, a significant innovation for the market. Furthermore Jobber (2004, p.47) also explains market development when current products are sold in new markets. This may involve moving into new geographical markets, as Starbucks has done moving into European market segments. But sometimes thes e strategies can be costly for example they have divided their coffee into three categories and they are getting their product from different regions which can be more costly then the product itself. Guardian (18th February 2009) reported that in the second half of 2008 Britain and the US fell into recession because of the credit crunch, but that so many other countries tumbled in even quicker. Germanys economy contracted by 2.1% in the fourth quarter of year 2008, Italys by 1.8%, Britains by 1.5% and Frances by 1.2%. All are significant, the worst for decades and worse than the USs 0.9% fall in the same period. Starbucks seems heavily exposed in countries such as Britain and the US, where consumer confidence and spending have shrivelled. But it also has plenty of stores across mainland Europe so no doubt they have experienced a cooling off in demand as cash-strapped consumers opts for cheaper drinks. Price Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.392) explains price in a more interesting way according to them â€Å"price might seem to be the least complicated and perhaps the least interesting element of the marketing mix, not having the tangibility of the product, the glamour of advertising of the atmosphere of retailing†. Price however, play a very important role in the lives of both marketers and customers, and deserves as much strategic consideration as any other marketing tool because of it company receives some units for the actual product or service which is being marketed.   Starbucks main competitors are Costa coffee and Caffe Nero to compete with them Starbucks applies competition based pricing strategy. According to Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.452) its very dangerous setting prices without knowing what is happening in the market, particularly with respect to ones competitors. There are two aspect of competition that influence an organisations pricing. The first is the structure of the market and the second is products perceived value in the market. When a product is more differentiated then its competitors product the more autonomy the organisation has in pricing it. Hence Starbucks has a range of different product they have slight advantage over their competitors and for that reason buyers come to value its unique benefits. However sometimes setting a high price then your competitors is not a good tactics. According to Times (24th July 2008) Starbucks is peddling the worst coffee at the highest prices according to a survey of the big three coffee houses on Britains high streets. The Which? Magazine survey that choosing the worlds largest coffee chain (Starbucks) instead of an independent shop for your cappuccino three mornings a week will cost you  £126 a year. Coffee Prices Starbucks Medium cappuccino  £2.29; single espresso  £1.40 Costa Coffee Medium cappuccino  £2.27; single espresso  £1.33 Caffe Nero Medium cappuccino  £1.80; single espresso  £1.25 Clearly setting high prices will not only effect Starbucks position in the market but also it will result a down turn in the demand curve. In another example The Observer (18th October 2009) reveals that at Starbucks, a slice of chocolate cake costs  £2.30 and a small English breakfast tea is  £1.40. But a pack of four cupcakes costs  £2.99 from Marks Spencer and a box of 80 Fairtrade Extra Strong tea bags is  £1.89. So clearly it is not only the core product which is expensive but also the other product range as well. Place According to Jobber (2004, p.634) â€Å"product need to e available in adequate quantities, in convenient locations and at times when customers want to buy them†. Producing products that customers want, pricing them correctly and after that made them available, is necessary for any business. But for that accurate channel strategy is very important for any business. Starbucks has their own of distribution channel. A channel of distribution is very important element. All products whether they are consumer, industrial goods or services require a channel of distribution. Starbucks apply consumer channel strategy in which producers have a direct contact to consumer. According to Jobber (2004, p.637) producer use this strategy to cut out the distribution profit margin. The consumer and manufacturer deal directly with each other. Direct selling is more effective then involvement of a distributor. The following present direct supply channel or producer direct to consumer. Starbucks has more than 15,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. Starbucks has coffee stores in every part of the UK. Guardian (21st January 2010) reveals that Starbucks UK management reckons that the chain will end the year 2010 back above 700 stores compare to its current 661 stores. However intensive distribution of the product (Starbucks stores) is not a good strategy because Starbucks has to compete in all sorts of markets in the same time, which is very costly in the current economic climate. The second most important thing, which is Starbuck lacking, is the franchisees. According to Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.473) â€Å"A franchisee holds a contract to supply and market a product or service to the design or blueprint of the franchisor (the owner or originator of the product or service)†. Starbucks want to expand their business in the whole word a franchisee will be best available solution for them. McDon alds is an indication of the level of detail covered by a franchise agreement then why Starbucks are not following the same path as their other companies are following. National or regional advertising in addition to any undertaken by the franchisee can play an important role in building a stronger system brand identity. Promotion According to Jobber (2004, p.18) promotional mix involve advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, public relations, direct marketing, and internet and online promotion. By which we can easily made aware the target audience of the existence of a product or service, and the benefits it confers to the customers. Marketing communication is a very important element; no organisation can afford either the financial or reputational damage caused by poorly planned or implemented communication campaigns. Starbucks use all of the promotional mix ingredients to target their audience they made good use of internet and online promotion. They target their audience through social networking website such as FaceBook and Twitter. They also use YouTube for their promotion and other social campaigns. Starbucks is also using social and cultural aspect of the environment for their sale promotions and public relations. Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.587) explains that â€Å"Social and cultural a spects of the environment will mostly have an impact on the message element of communication†. According to Guardian (2nd September 2009) Starbucks has launched a multimillion-pound ad campaign promoting its ethical values as it makes the vast majority of its UK coffee Fairtrade. Clearly they are using a social issue to make public relation with their target audience, and also Shared Planet (Guardian 2008) the Starbucks initiative launched in year 2008. Its a collection of goals, by 2015 they promise to have all their coffee ethically sourced and all their cups recyclable. Starbucks is using these issues to defend their selves against the environmental campaigners. According to Guardian (2nd September 2009) at Starbucks millions of litres of water are wasted in its coffee shops every day, contradicting its much-boasted green credentials. An investigation by the Sun revealed that over 23.4m litres of water are poured down the drains of 10,000 outlets worldwide due to a policy of keeping a tap running non-stop; Which is totally unfair because on oneside Starbucks run its campaign to save the earth and on the other side they are doing things which are against their campaign. People Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.28) describes that services often depends on people to perform them, creating and delivering the product as the customer waits.   It is dependent upon people and interaction between people. Rafiq and Ahmed (1995, p.7) adds that â€Å"Marketing managers therefore need to manage not only the service provider-customer interface but also the actions of other customers†. For example, the number, type and behaviour of people will partly determine the enjoyment of a meal at a Starbucks coffee store. Therefore observation of everything in the surrounding of stores environment is very important for any organisations. Especially it is more important for Starbucks because they are their own producer and retailer so anything lacking in the consumer attraction can easily put a bad image on Starbucks brand name. If there is any need for training it will be the best solution for getting service delivery from employees. Processes Processes are all the administrative and bureaucratic functions of the organisation. In the process mechanisms there are flows of activities by which services are acquired. Marketers, therefore, have to ensure that customers understand the process of acquiring a service (Rafiq and Ahmed, 1995, p.7). Performance of the product can be separated from the customer but on the other hand, the customer cannot be separated from an experience good. Therefore his degree of involvement in the process of interaction is always high towards the final product (Moorthi, 2002, p.266). Adding to this by Brassington and Pettitt (2003, p.28) marketer also has to think carefully about how the service is delivered, and what quality controls can be built in so that the customer can be confident that they know what to expect each time they consume the service product. In Starbucks there are number of process mechanisms, which involve customer serving, telephonic customer services, online shopping, and Starbucks reward card. Well designed processes are needed as the service is delivered to ensure that the customer gets through with minimum fuss and delay and that all elements of the services are properly delivered. Process is all about quality improvement of any service which Starbucks provide. Physical Evidence   Physical evidence in the Booms and Bitner framework refers to the environment in which the service is delivered and any tangible goods that facilitate the performance and communication of the service. Physical evidence is important because customers use tangible clues to assess the quality of service provided (Rafiq and Ahmed, 1995, p.7). The physical environment itself is instrumental in customers assessment of the quality and level of service they can expect, for example in Starbucks stores. In fact, the physical environment is part of the product itself. The need for offering physical evidence is high. In the case of Starbucks the intangible (Service delivery) comes first and the tangible (final product coffee) later. Newness of the environment (Starbucks Stores) can also have a positive effect on customers purchase decision. Starbucks announcement to redesign its stores in UK will put a positive effect on their brand name as well as their customer involvement (Guardian October 20 09). Conclusion Starbucks Coffee Company is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 15,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim wherever there is a demand for great coffee. Starbucks exclusively divided their product in to three categories, which increases their product line, Starbucks also offer merchandise and gifts and fresh food just to increase their product range or product mix for the competitive market. This type of newness can be called new to the company, a significant innovation for the market. Starbucks is also involved into new geographical markets, as Starbucks has done in Europe moving into new market segments. But sometimes these strategies can be costly. Starbucks apply competition based pricing strategy. Hence Starbucks has a range of different product they have slight advantage over their competitors and for that reason buyers come to value its unique benefits. Starbucks is peddling the worst coffee at the highest prices according to a survey of the big three coffee houses on Britains high streets. Starbucks has their own of distribution channel. However intensive distribution of the product (Starbucks stores) is not a good strategy because Starbucks has to compete in all sorts of markets in the same time, which is very costly in the current economic climate. National or regional advertising in addition to any undertaken by the franchisee can play an important role in building a stronger system brand identity. Starbucks use all of the promotional mix ingredients to target their audience they made good use of internet and online promotion. Starbucks is also using social and cultural aspect of the environment for their sale promotions and public relations. Starbucks is using these issues to defend their selves against the environmental campaigners. Starbucks needs to focus on their because they are their own producer and retailer so anything lacking in the consumer attraction can easily put a bad image on Starbucks brand name. If there is any need for training it will be the best solution for getting service delivery from employees. Starbucks needs continuous improvement of their processes mechanism. Physical evidence is important because customers use tangible clues to assess the quality of service provided. Starbucks announcement to redesign its stores in UK is good strategy which will put a positive effect on their brand name as well as their customer involvement. References Booms, B.H. and Bitner, M.J. (1981), â€Å"Marketing strategies and organization structures for service firms†, in Donnelly, J.H. and George, W.R. (Eds), Marketing of Services, American Marketing Association, Chicago, IL, pp. 47-51 [Accessed: 20/02/2010] Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2003) Principles and Practice of Marketing: 3rd Edition: Pearson Education Limited [Accessed: 17/02/2010] Jobber, D. (2004) Principles and Practice of Marketing: 4th Edition: McGraw-Hill International (UK) Limited [Accessed: 17/02/2010] Kotler, P. (2003) Marketing Management 11th Edition: Pearson Education Limited [Accessed: 17/02/2010] Moorthi, Y.L.R. (2002), â€Å"An approach to branding services†, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol.16 (3), pp.259-274 [Accessed: 21/02/2010] Rafiq, M. and Ahmed, P.K. (1995), â€Å"Using the 7Ps as a generic marketing mix: an exploratory survey of UK and European marketing academics†, Marketing Intelligence Planning, Vol. 13 (9), pp. 4-15 [Accessed: 17/02/2010] The Story of Starbucks [online] http://starbucks.co.uk/en-GB/_About+Starbucks/ [Accessed: 15/02/10] Times Online, (24th January 2008) Best coffee on high street? Not Starbucks by Nico Hines [on-line] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3245914.ece [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Guardian, (6th October 2008) Starbucks wastes millions of litres of water a day by Angela Balakrishnan [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/oct/06/water.drought [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Guardian, (5th October 2008) Starbucks to redesign shops [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/sep/18/starbucks-rebrand-branding-coffee [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Guardian, (November 2008) Regular or decaf ? America decides [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/nov/04/foodanddrink1 [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Guardian, (18th February 2009) Starbucks row: Its off the boil almost everywhere by Ashley Seager [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/18/starbucks-britain-failing-economy [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Guardian, (2nd September 2009) Starbucks ads trumpet Fairtrade move by Mark Sweney [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/sep/02/starbucks-fairtrade-advertising [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Observer, (18th October 2009) Dinner party too costly ? Let them eat cake by Huma Qureshi [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/oct/19/dinner-party-costly-eat-cake [Accessed: 18/02/2010] The Guardian, (21st January 2010) Starbucks legend delivers recovery by thinking smaller by David Teather [on-line] http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/21/starbucks-howard-schultz [Accessed: 18/02/2010]

Data Base Management

Data Base:It is the collection of data regarding an individual, group of people working together, a department in an organization or an organization.[1]Types of Data Base:Depending on the number of people, database is classified into 4 types.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Personal Database:   It is for an individual or single user.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Workgroup Database:   If the employees number is in between 10-15 people.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Department Database: It is for 15-50 employees.4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enterprise Database: If the no of employees is more than 50 people.Database Model:A Database Model is a visual plan for building a database. It focuses on representing the data as the user actually sees it, bridging between the concepts that make up real-world events.Raw DataThis is the process in which, raw data is collected and is converted into information which is the filtered raw data. Then, the information is described in the proper form called as the meta data which is the data description and this data is collected to form a database. So, database is the organized collection of related data.Data Definition:One very important role of a database management system is to maintain the data definitions for each table and columns in the database.   Each piece of data must be assigned a name, a data type (e.g. date, alphanumeric, numeric) and a mandatory/optional status.[2]Architecture:There are three levels in the design architecture of the database.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   User design:   It can be used by any no of users. It is operational database.2.      Logical design: It is the logical structure of database. It is irrespective of the hardware or other things. It concerns only with logical structure.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Physical design: It concerns with the hardware requirements of the data base. It is not related to either the user or the logical structure.There are different types of DBMS products: relational, network and hierarchical etc but the most commonly used database management system by most of the commercial organization is the Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS).Data Structures: Data structures (fields, records, files and objects) optimized to deal with very large amounts of data stored on a permanent data storage device (which implies relatively slow access compared to volatile main memory).Database Project:The database project would be developed in different stages like1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Initiation which includes the gathering and defining the data and their types.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Planning of the requirement and how to generate the required outputs.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Design which includes two parts1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Physical Design: Gathering the hardware requirements.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Logical Design:   Designing the logical structure of database.4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Implementation in which we provide the required data to the database.5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maintenan ce: It includes the proper co-ordination of the input and the  Ã‚  Ã‚   requirement.Maintenance:The database project will be maintained using a repository server which provides all the required data and logical functions that are used in the project.Deploy:It is a process of delivery of the output obtained in the project to the client who sends the feed back depending on the report he receives.References:Encyclopedia:Data base management systems, Retrieved 12:06, 17 December 2007.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DatabaseBook:Robert V.Henry, Data Base Management System.Internet blog:1. Information Technology Toolbox, Inc. (1998-2007)2. Database Management systems.[1] Encyclopedia:  Data base management systems, Retrieved 12:06, 17 December 2007.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database [2] Information Technology Toolbox, Inc. (1998-2007)http://database.ittoolbox.com/