Costa Coffee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Costa Coffee - Essay Example This is to ensure it will acquire brand recognition as a true global brand like giant Starbucks but at the same time maintain its brand essence in a highly-competitive premium coffee market that no longer relies on price or differentiation as key success factors. Key industry drivers like the 4 Ms are briefly mentioned in relation to the coffee industry. Management theories and models like the Boston Consulting Group’s market matrix, Gap-needs Analysis and Ansoff’s product-market model are utilized to illustrate some of the key concepts in strategy analysis and formulation. Based on the last model by Ansoff, market development, product development and increased market penetration were thought to be viable alternatives. However, a closer analysis would reveal a branding strategy is the most suitable for a brand like Costa Coffee that is situated in a mature market dominated by only a few big players. This is because a brand is not only a functional concept but also an em otional one with regards to coffee drinkers, who not just drink it but to experience the ambiance as a symbol of affluence, social identity and new lifestyle patterns (Elliott & Percy, 2007:25). There are three coffee house chains competing for preeminence in London and all over the United Kingdom and these are Starbucks, Caffà © Nero and Costa Coffee. There is a smaller Coffee Republic and there are other coffee houses which are not part of a franchise (Edward, Cortinovis, Eggleton, Lee & Hermitage, 2007:110). After several years of very fast growth, the so-called premium coffee market is now in its mature stages. This means new sources of revenue growth has to be found before market share stagnates. A company has to be proactive rather than reactive and there are three possible sources of growth assuming it is alert enough: new opportunities presented by the changing external environment, develop a new strategy by monitoring emerging trends and how

Is there a benefit in bonding amalgam restorations to remaining tooth structure Essay Example for Free

Is there a benefit in bonding amalgam restorations to remaining tooth structure Essay The use of bonded amalgam in restoring the teeth began as early as the 1990’s when a few practitioners began to use certain substances to bond the amalgam restorations directly to the tooth. These practitioners began to bond the amalgam directly to the enamel and/or the dentin. The process of bonding amalgam to the tooth was fairly simple. First, the cavity was prepared and the surface of the cavity was thoroughly cleansed, washed and dried. An etchant was applied to the surface of the cavity, and etching was done for certain period of time. Then, a bonding agent was applied to the surface of the prepared cavity. This bonding agent was chemically cured. After this, amalgam can be condensed into the cavity. The resin can whilst curing, bond the magma to the tooth. A mechanical interlocking between the amalgam and the resin would develop. Such restorations would have a lot of advantages over conventional amalgam restorations. However, the evidence available currently regarding bonded amalgam is rather insufficient, as the results of long-term studies are lacking. Studies for a period of two years following the insertion of bonded amalgam have been conducted, and benefits predicted on a long-term basis needs to be thoroughly tested (Bryant, 1998). The use of bonding agent for dental amalgam was first thought of immediately after composite resins were successfully bonded clinically. One of the most frequently utilized agents for bonding amalgam to the tooth structure is 4-META. This enables bond shear strength of about 10 MPa. On the other hand, if the same agent is utilized to bond composite resins to the tooth structure, a bond strength of about 20 MPa is achieved (Graig, 2002). One of the main reasons why dental researchers began to work on the use of bonded amalgams for clinical use was because the newer restorative material have not been very successful in replacing dental amalgam. During the early days when bonded amalgams were initially tested, researchers were able to notice that bonding helped to provide certain benefits against unbonded amalgams (Zbynek, 2002). Bonded amalgam restorations claim several benefits:- 1. The retention form of a cavity may be improved following use of bonded amalgam (Bryant, 1998). However, some researchers feel that the bond retention offered by bonding amalgam be very less or even negligible. This is because the bonding agent may not adopt in a proper manner to the surface of the cavity or the amalgam (Graig, 2002). 2. There is no much of need to cut the tooth extensively and to prepare several retentive features such as grooves, dove tails, undercuts, etc. 3. As the tooth is prepared conservatively, the resistance form of the tooth is improved. This means that the restoration can tolerate stresses better that could fracture the cusps. The clinical evidence available for this in the form of clinical trials is rather insufficient in this regard (Bryant, 1998). Studies have shown that in a MOD (class VI) cavity prepared with amalgam, the resistance to fracture was more than doubled when a bonding agent was utilized, compared to in situations when a bonding agent was not utilized. The case of the improvement in the facture strengths of bonded amalgam was comparable to that of bonding composite resins. The fracture strength achieved by bonding composites was similar to that of bonding amalgam in case of MOD restorations. However, in both cases, the resistance to fracture was as not as high as that of normal tooth material. The fracture resistance depended on several factors such as the amount of tooth material cut, the width of the proximal box, etc. Studies have shown that as the width of the restoration is increased, the resistance to fracture decreases. Research has also demonstrated that the retention obtained by bonding amalgam for MOD cavities was similar to that of placing pin-retained restorations. Hence, the potential to use bonded amalgam instead of pin-retained restorations could be considered. However, long-term studies in this regard have not been considered (Graig, 2002). Some other situations in which bonded amalgam restorations could be useful include large cavity preparations in posterior teeth (as the extent of the cavity preparation would reduce) and in class V cavities in which the occluso-gingival height is reduced, as the need for pins is eliminated (Zbynek, 2002). 4. As the tooth is cut to a conservative extent, and the need to build several retentive features is reduced, the chances of the patient developing post-operative hypersensitivity are greatly reduced. Besides, the resin bonding agent tends to seal the dentinal tubules and prevent the excessive drying (Zbynek, 2002). However, several other factors plays a very important role in preventing the development of hypersensitivity including the extent to which the amalgam is condensed, excessive drying of the tooth, the experience and the technique utilized by the dental practitioner, etc (Bryant, 1998). 5. Bonding agents help to improve the marginal seal and reduce the microleakage in a dental amalgam restoration. The gap present between the tooth and the amalgam is reduced thus lowering the microleakage (Zbynek, 2002). The fluid flow into the cavity is either abolished to decreased (Graig, 2002). Besides, the dentinal tubules are sealed to a greater extent, which could reduce and prevent damage to the pulp (Bryant, 1998). The microleakage is frequently measured using the dye leakage technique (Cenci, 2004). 6. The bonding strength between the tooth surface and the restoration is increased when an amalgam bonding agent is utilized. Studies have shown that the bond strength that develops when no bonding agent is utilized is about 4 to 8 MPa. However, when a bonding agent is utilized, the bond strength shoots up to about 20 MPa (Graig, 2002). 7. The rate of secondary caries is reduced (due to better marginal integrity and reduced marginal leakage) (Zbynek, 2002).

Deconstruction and Multiplicity of Self through Modern Technology :: Technological Essays

Deconstruction and Multiplicity of Self through Modern Technology The Internet has allowed a postmodern view of self to dominate and serve as the solution to a dilemma that modernism has perpetuated surrounding self perception. Such a dilemma includes the identity crisis. Having only one self is restricting and can be dangerous, especially if the self is viewed as â€Å"bad† by the individual/self or others. It becomes critical, in the modernist view of self, to like oneself or else one will have to either self-hate or self-destruct. Self destruction would mean to kill off or eliminate the self-defining characteristics that one dislikes. My Mother always told me: â€Å"It’s never to late to be who you really are†. This advice functions to encourage combat against negative self-image that modernism cultivates. For some, this process is like clearing the slate. Starting from scratch will hopefully be refreshing to one’s self-esteem and self-value, but starting over as the â€Å"new you† can be a difficult an d scary adjustment as well. For the same reasons, labels and stereotypes control and shape one’s identity. The postmodern, technological world loosens the powerful grip of modernism’s resulting restrictions on selfhood. Modernism promotes an either-or option for self being one thing or another (and, hopefully, that dichotomy is not the dangerous good-bad ultimatum). On the other hand, postmodernism allows for fluidity and does not condemn or pollute the entire self with one portion of self-identity. Additionally, the worry about a â€Å"new you’s" role in society will never arise as the â€Å"new you† is just â€Å"another you† in a postmodern self concept. No one has one true self nor control over others’ perceptions of one’s selves. Therefore, one must come to terms with the fragmented, multiplicities of their own identity. Their self exists in the here-and-now, and is much less definable in simple categories. While others, then, cannot grasp and categorize your identity, the possibility exists, that neither can the self which is you. This presents a freeing and frustrating capacity for any individual worried about control. The postmodern, technology-age self is not contained. It is a limitless region abounding with environment-sensitive traits. We can imagine such a concept through the unlimited Internet—in the vast expanse called cyberspace. Viewing ourselves through, or actually as composed like, a machine unlocks such infinite possibilities in identity.

I’m Not an Imitation of Someone Else, I’m Latina :: Personal Narrative Writing

I’m Not an Imitation of Someone Else, I’m Latina As I sat at the kitchen table on those chilly winter evenings in Kenner, Louisiana, I could feel my mother staring at me from where she was. I was busy doing my homework, and she was preparing that night's supper. She would always start off by asking me what I was doing and the only thing I would ever answer was, "Oh, nothing. Just homework." Then I would turn away and sort of look in the other direction as if to tell her to leave me alone, because I had a lot to do. At the time I was only eight years old, in my second complete year of schooling in the United States. I had already fully grasped the English language, and it had been a year and a half since I had been removed from the bilingual program. In actuality, I had become Americanized quiet easily. Although this was a process that involvedgive and take, because although I did adapt to my new environment very well, I never let go of what I had already learned in my previous environment. I can recall that at the same time that I was learning to read and write in English, I was also learning to do so in my native tongue, Spanish. In school, as I sat in the small wooden house, which was the bilingual classroom, I could clearly remember wondering why it was that "Spot" was so important. For more than a month we had been learning about this brown dog and about seeing him run. This experience was very strange for me, not only because it was in a totally new language but because I never did really see spot run. I only saw him painted on an oversized illustrated notebook. After a long and confusing day at school, I would come home to do my assignments; alone. It wasn't that my mother did not want to help me, but she couldn't. She knew little about the assignment , and knew even less about the language. At first I didn't mind. The assignments were easy for me to figure out, and if it was really hard I would just tell the teacher the next day that I couldn't figure it out. Sh e would ask me why I didn't ask my mother for help, and I would have to respond to her, "because she didn't know either.

Matching Dell Case Analysis Essay

The PC industry can be analyzed using Porter’s Five Forces. The first force is threat or barriers of entry. Here, the threat is high and barriers are low. Although certain brands own the majority of the market, the costs to manufacture are extremely low, and the prices of these components are declining yearly at 25% to 30%. The capital required is relatively inexpensive, as well. Also, unbranded â€Å"white box† PC makers have become prevalent overseas; showing anyone who can make a PC could make sales. In Buying Power, consumers have great power. There are a high number of users but consumers have a wide variety of brands to choose from and have put much pressure on companies to make satisfactory products at good prices. Customers also have low switching costs. This force along with high demand was also partly responsible for the â€Å"vigorous price war† as many companies cut prices to match one another and satisfy consumers. Supplier power was also high. Intel and Microsoft ran near-monopolies in supplying microprocessors and operating systems, respectively. By 1998, 96% of all PC’s ran on â€Å"Wintel.† These two suppliers drew profits from all PC companies and minimized differentiation, as there were few substitutes and little options of switching to another supplier. The industry’s degree of rivalry reflected its fierce competition. As computers became more common, demand rose, prices decreased, and demand grew stronger, boosting competition between manufacturers. This rivalry is essentially what sparked Dell’s competitors to try to emulate their business model and attempt to gain a competitive advantage for the future. Lastly, the threat of substitutes was low but growing. Consumers were becoming reliant on PC’s as they became commodities but new technologies such as laptops, PDA’s, and smartphones among others were slowly emerging. Business Model Although Dell sold to a diverse range of customer segments, they generally targeted the â€Å"educated consumer,† people knowledgeable about computers. Dell targeted them and wanted to avoid the â€Å"inexperienced Transaction buyer.† Because Dell sold customized PC’s directly to the customer, they needed to know each computer’s specifications, thus making it difficult for inexperienced users to specify their needs. Dell’s close location to its suppliers served as a large advantage. Dell arranged for suppliers to  locate their production facilities close to Dell’s to maximize the efficiency of operations. This allowed Dell and suppliers to work closely with one another, integrating the organization and minimizing buffers. Dell’s unique production process is the part of the model that may deter most imitators. Dell had the advantage of handling fast and large orders and even having suppliers send shipments straight to customers in som e cases. Performance Dell’s success with the Direct Model led to rankings among the top of its competition in user ratings (Exhibit A), a ranking first in ratings for high-end PC’s, and allowed them to obtain the second and third spots for market share in the US and world, respectively. The financial statements that best measure Dell’s advantage are their inventory level ratios. Specifically, Dell’s days of inventory is significantly lower than competitors. Their low days of inventory ratio correlates to a very high return on invested capital and return on equity. Comparisons with competitors can be seen in the appendix (Exhibit B). Principal Issue Dell’s success in financial returns and rapid growth has caused rivals to try to emulate their Direct Model in attempt to gain a competitive advantage and similar success. What is difficult to emulate in Dell’s model and how can they keep itself in this position and leverage sustained growth for the future using this model? Alternatives Dell is the originator of the direct model and knows the formula for success. Dell’s integrated production process with suppliers on a global scale, sole focus on distributing directly to customers, ability to effectively serve a diverse customer base, and ability to provide high quality PC’s at relatively low prices, has put them in a strong position ahead of competitors. Dell knows their capabilities, their customers, and knows exactly to focus on direct distribution. IBM ranks alongside Dell in domestic and worldwide market share. As the first to recognize Dell’s threat of distribution, they took initiative immediately, responding with a joint operation with distributors and resellers called AAP. Many major distributors and resellers each invested tens of millions of dollars into  this program, which could result in powerful partnerships if successful. Compaq owned the largest market share in the industry for some time and are reliable to a number of segment s. They also responded with their own model, ODM, which is also in conjunction with distributors and resellers similar to IBM’s, and DirectPlus, selling directly to small and midsize companies. The company also recently acquired DEC, in which they would leverage their relationships to sell directly to DEC customers and accounts. HP created their own direct model with ESPP. Although their model was similar to IBM and Compaq’s involving distributors and resellers, they specifically aimed to please these partners. HP offered incentives and would make resellers and distributors a larger part of the process. In result, 59% of resellers reported they were more willing to promote HP products than IBM and Compaq. Gateway may have been Dell’s largest threat as the world’s second largest direct seller behind Dell. They even briefly surpassed Dell in sales in 1994 and their days of inventory was at 10 days, only 3 behind Dell’s 7 in 1998. Gateway served mostly pe rsonal users but began serving large corporate accounts with Gateway Major Accounts, Inc. in 1997. But in 1998, the company scaled this operation back as they could not afford to keep it up. Criteria Dell’s Direct Model had a competitive advantage rivals could not easily emulate through their relationship with large enterprise customers and their unique production process that involves a close relationship and location with suppliers. Recommendation Dell is in a strong competitive position against its rivals because of the criteria of advantages in their model. Dell’s production process and close location and collaboration with suppliers on a global scale is a standard that is very difficult to emulate. IBM, Compaq, and HP tried their own versions of direct distribution models but failed to produce anywhere near the same efficiency with financial returns as Dell (Exhibit B). Also, these companies attempted to branch into Dell’s lane while continuing retail sales, which showed it is difficult to focus on both methods and see the same success. Gateway was arguably their biggest threat but could not compete due to their inability to serve large enterprise customers similar  to Dell. Plan of Action Dell should continue to focus on relatively low cost, quality customized products through direct distribution. As technology and computers evolve with more computer alternatives, they should adapt to producing a more diverse product line but continue the same production and distribution process that has brought the firm so much success thus far.

Free Essays on Paradigms

Sociology is the systematic study of human society, so when sociologists begin thinking about issues and how to connect facts they developed the theoretical paradigm (Macionis 14). Sociology has three major paradigms: the structural- functional paradigm, the social-conflict paradigm, and symbolic-interaction paradigm. The structural-functional paradigm is â€Å"a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability† (Macionis 14). The idea is that we have a stable social pattern most of the time, and that social structure gives our lives shape. This paradigm also looks for social functions. Rituals and simple courtesies keep society going (Macionis). The main characteristic of the structural-function paradigm is that society is stable. The conservative side of this paradigm is that we focus on stability even when there is conflict, which also led sociologists to develop the social-conflict paradigm. The social-conflict paradigm is â€Å"a framework for building theory that sees society as an area of inequality that generates conflict and change† (Macionis 15). Sociologists in this paradigm link such things as race, gender, age, social class, and ethnicity to inequality among money, power, and education. Thus, leading to dominant people striving to stay on top, while the subordinate try to gain more for themselves. The problem with this paradigm as well as with the structural-functional is that everything is in such broad terms, so a third paradigm was developed which represents society in everyday experiences. The symbolic-interaction paradigm is â€Å"a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals† (Macionis 17). In this paradigm sociologists believe that society is nothing more than when people interact with each other. That is, human beings live in a world of symbols attaching to ever... Free Essays on Paradigms Free Essays on Paradigms Sociology is the systematic study of human society, so when sociologists begin thinking about issues and how to connect facts they developed the theoretical paradigm (Macionis 14). Sociology has three major paradigms: the structural- functional paradigm, the social-conflict paradigm, and symbolic-interaction paradigm. The structural-functional paradigm is â€Å"a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability† (Macionis 14). The idea is that we have a stable social pattern most of the time, and that social structure gives our lives shape. This paradigm also looks for social functions. Rituals and simple courtesies keep society going (Macionis). The main characteristic of the structural-function paradigm is that society is stable. The conservative side of this paradigm is that we focus on stability even when there is conflict, which also led sociologists to develop the social-conflict paradigm. The social-conflict paradigm is â€Å"a framework for building theory that sees society as an area of inequality that generates conflict and change† (Macionis 15). Sociologists in this paradigm link such things as race, gender, age, social class, and ethnicity to inequality among money, power, and education. Thus, leading to dominant people striving to stay on top, while the subordinate try to gain more for themselves. The problem with this paradigm as well as with the structural-functional is that everything is in such broad terms, so a third paradigm was developed which represents society in everyday experiences. The symbolic-interaction paradigm is â€Å"a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals† (Macionis 17). In this paradigm sociologists believe that society is nothing more than when people interact with each other. That is, human beings live in a world of symbols attaching to ever...

Roadhog essays

Roadhog essays According to the SUV info link website, Roadhog is any of several vehicle type exhibiting excessive size, creating dangerous highway condition, and emitting increased pollution, also formally known as SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) These are the enormous looking vehicles that I constantly have to seek refuge form while I am driving on the road. For some reason, all the SUV drivers seems to have this urge to run over small cars such as my modest Corolla. Surprisingly enough, the number of these people is rapidly growing. From the downtowns to the winding highways, people are having a love afire with these monsters. Last year Americans purchased a record number of 3.36 million of them, most of which were domestic made. This year foreign made such as BMW and Honda Acura are reporting record number of sale. This is a concerning matter when SUV proven to be most inadequate vehicle for the consumer. The purpose of this paper is to establish the fact that SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) are the most inadequate vehicle for the consumer. The three reasons that support this argument are, first the safety concern, second its damage to the environment and third its excessive cost. The cleaver marketing and overstated advertisement has made an impression that SUVs are the safest vehicle on this planet. There is increasing evidence that SUVs are not as safe as they appear. Recent studies show that SUVs pose a significant threat to drivers and passengers of other cars on the road. In addition, there are indications that safety problems threaten passengers and drivers of SUVs themselves. The propensity of sport utility vehicles to roll over is a major safety concern. Sport utility vehicles are more than three times more likely to roll over in crash than normal passenger cars. SUVs are built on the base of the pick truck platform. This meant that a taller and heavier body would be riding on a frame designed for a pick-up truck. The result is ...