Examining Islam In Malaysia Religion Essays

Examining Islam In Malaysia Religion Essays Examining Islam In Malaysia Religion Essay Examining Islam In Malaysia Religion Essay Malaysia is modern Muslim state where more than half of its 26 million people have embrace Islam as their faith. Halal is an Islamic spiritual usher to how Muslims should populate their lives from the manner their nutrient is prepared to how their personal and societal relationships are conducted. In Malaysia Halal is a construct accepted by all, by both Muslims and non- Muslims. The bulk of concerns in Malaysia sells merchandises or offer services that are Halal endorsed. The Malaysia Halal Certification is globally respected. In our of all time progressive universe, it has become progressively disputing for Muslims to find whether the nutrient or drinks they consume are sacredly acceptable or Halal. This Halal and non-Halal job is non merely limited to nutrient and drink but besides to other merchandises and services. For Muslims life in a wholly Muslim state like Saudi Arabia, the Halal inquiry is non an issue at all. For those life in a multiracial Muslim state like Malaysia, although Halal nutrient or services are readily available and easy to obtain, there is a demand for the authorization to supervise and implement criterions to guarantee Halalness peculiarly when the merchandises or services are made, sold, prepared or provided by non-Muslims. However, the existent challenge is for Muslims life in a state whose population is preponderantly non-Muslims. Excess diligence is needed for these Muslims to bask everything Halal. Most contact is that there are about 1.9 billion Moslems in the universe who are consumers of Halal nutrients. As such the Halal nutrient market is the largest nutrient market in the universe. Among the Halal importation states are those which have one of the highest per capita incomes in the universe, have the fastest turning in-between categories in the universe, import a important proportion of their nutrient demands and have the highest rates of population growing in the universe. Malaysia will be developed International Halal Food Hub for monitoring and standardisation the Halal nutrient merchandise. The Halal enfranchisement will be gives if the nutrient ingredients are Halal. This enfranchisement of Malaysia Halal criterion are besides will be strengthened and sharply promoted internationally. HALAL BEEF PRODUCT Halal merchandises are fast deriving world-wide acknowledgment as a new benchmark for safety and quality confidence. Merchandises that are produced with Halal enfranchisement are readily acceptable by Muslim consumers every bit good as consumers from other faiths. This credence is due to the wholesomeness construct of Halal, which covers non merely the Shariah demand, but besides the hygiene, sanitation and safety facets. Halal enfranchisement is a powerful selling tool for both the Muslim and non-Muslim manufacturers, as there are an increasing consciousness on the portion of Muslim consumers all over the universe on their duty to devour Halal nutrient. The Arabic word ( Halal ) means lawful or permitted. In the Holy Quran, Allah commands Muslims and all of world to eat of the Halal things. Basically, Allah Al Mighty knows what is best for us to eat. And usually all the Halal nutrient are really clean and safe from any disease. But for non-Halal nutrient, you ever can happen some interesting facts associating to sickness. This undermentioned merchandises are decidedly Halal such as milk ( from cattles, sheep, camels, and caprine animals ) , honey, fish, workss which are non intoxicating, fresh or dried fruits, legumes A ; nuts like peanut, Anacardium occidentale nuts, Pomaderris apetala nuts, walnut, grain such as wheat, rice, rye, barley, and oat. Basically, all nutrient is Halal except meat from swine such as porc, jambon, pork-based merchandises and byproducts such as sausages and gelatin. Animals improperly slaughtered or already dead before slaughtering is due to take topographic point. Animals killed in the name of anyone other than Allah ( for illustration, by anyone other than a Jew, Christian or Muslim, or as portion of a heathen forfeit ) , alcohols, blood and blood byproducts, nutrients contaminated with any of the above merchandises. Most of the sweets use non-Halal Gelatin that comes from hogs. Focus about the beef, they are merely Halal if they are slaughtered harmonizing to Islamic Law. The processs that we must make at the beef are the carnal must be slaughtered by a Muslim. The animate being besides should be put down on the land or held it if it is little. The pharynx of the animate being must be sliced with a really crisp knife to do certain that the 3 chief blood vass are cut. While cutting the pharynx of the animate being ( without break uping it ) , the individual must articulate the name of Allah or declaim a approval which contains the name of Allah, such as Bismillahirahmannirrahim, Allah-u-Akbar . Islam prohibits the meat of animate beings that are slaughtered without declaiming the name of Allah and those that are slaughtered whilst articulating a name other than Allah. Mentioning the name of Allah during slaughter is really a manner of seeking permission from God for taking the life of the animate being for the exclusive intent of nutriment. The prohibition to declaim a name other than Allah during slaughter Acts of the Apostless as a precaution to a Muslim s religion. Islam is a faith which promotes monotheism and rejects any signifier of polytheism. Mentioning a name other than Allah is regarded as a polytheistic act, therefore such act is non allowable during slaughter. For more information, they lead the cow into an country, line its caput up with where the Piston comes out, and BAM! The cow is unconscious, hung by its mortise joints, and sent to where the slaughter takes topographic point. Sing domestic fowl, a common pattern is to render them unconscious by electrocuting them before slaughter. Butchering is to be done from the forepart of the cervix, between the pharynx and the caput of the chest bone ( Libba ) . The throat/oesophagus ( Mirree ) , windpipe/trachea ( Halkoom ) and the two jugular venas ( Wadijan ) are cut in the cervix without break uping the spinal cord. This cut severed the arterias to the encephalon of the animate being, therefore striping the encephalon of blood supply. As a consequence, the encephalon loses consciousness due to deficient O. This renders the animate being unconscious, doing the animate being the least sum of pain.A By contrast, the Islamic method of butchering does non let for animate beings to be killed in forepart of other animate beings. It requires an highly crisp blade and the fleet scratch of the major venas in the cervix to ease in a painless, speedy blood loss and decease. Before the slaughter takes topographic point, the animate being is examined for overall wellness. If the animate being is deemed unhealthy, it can non be slaughtered for nutrient. The animate being is slaughtered in such a manner that most of the blood exits the organic structure. The end is to butcher the animate being, restricting the sum of hurting the animate being will digest. DEPARTMENT OF ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT MALAYSIA ( JAKIM ) History In 1968, the Conference of Rulers Pakistan has decided that the demand for a organic structure to mobilise attempts for development and promotion of the Muslims in Malaysia, in line with Malaysia s position as an Islamic state that has strong international and universe attending. Acknowledging this, a secretariat to the National Council of Religious Affairs was established, to keep the pureness of religion and the instructions of Islam. Secretariat was later developed as the Religious Department of the Prime Minister who was subsequently promoted once more to the Islamic Affairs Department ( BAHEIS ) . On January 1, 1997, in line with the development and advancement of Islam in the state has stabilized, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia ( JAKIM ) is established by the Malayan authorities took power and the function ( BAHEIS ) . FUNCTION OF JAKIM Formulation and standardisation of Islamic jurisprudence Formulate, reappraisal and amend Torahs for the standardisation of Islamic provinces. Streamline and standardise the Islamic jurisprudence throughout Pakistan. Act enacts Islamic jurisprudence and the federal districts. Enforcement of Islamic jurisprudence provinces Organizing the execution and conformity opinion. Coordination in the disposal of Islam Streamline the disposal of Islamic personal businesss and the provinces. Construct a strong Islamic idea among Muslims based on the retention of the Sunnah Wal Jamaah. Produce cells Islamic sermonizers and bookmans through preparation in developing establishments of Islam. Establishing benchmarks and patterns of Islam through the preparation of service criterions Hadhari Referral centres and consultative services associating to Islam authorities and private bureaus. Increasing coaction with the missional web non-governmental organic structures at national and international Strengthening endurance of Muslims in Sabah and Sarawak in educational, missional and social-economic Strengthening integrity among Muslims to the Ummah. To authorise the non-Muslim, autochthonal peoples and minority groups. Expand the plan and programs Islamic through wireless and telecasting Stationss. Expanding the plan elements of Islamic values and personality to cover with societal ailments. Coordination and development of Islamic instruction Developing a squad of experts in assorted Fieldss of Islamic cognition. Make Malaysia a hub for higher instruction and research al-Quran and al-hadith in regional and international degrees. Develop and organize the direction of the province spiritual school of Islamic instruction and Islamic schools. Develop and co-ordinate plans and categories al-Quran mass Ain ( Kafa ) in the current national instruction policy. Strengthening the function of establishments and plans prosperity mosque as a centre of scientific discipline and civilisation of the community development that involves all walks of life. WHY ISLAM FORBIDS PORK Pork is the most normally eaten signifiers of meat around the universe, there are over 100 million metric dozenss of porc is consumed throughout the universe. And porc can be served in different signifiers such as cooked or signifier of sausages. However, we know that Islam non eating porc but what is the ground they forbids porc. So now, we go to discourse about it. We know that nutrient and drink have a direct consequence on our wellness. That is why Islam prevents to unhealthy nutrient. Because they believe both physical and moral wellness are every bit of import for a healthy society. Therefore, the abstinence from eating porc is one of the stairss taken by Islam to pattern hygiene and to achieve pureness of psyche. To cultivate our inner modules, Islam insists upon the cleanliness of organic structure and the purification of psyche through Salaat ( supplications ) , Zikr ( recollection of Allah ) and other devotional responsibilities. Islam teaches us how to achieve the virtuousnesss and how to give up bad wonts because both good and bad grow in the adult male harmonizing to his upbringing, instruction and environment. A human being has natural desires: nutrient, slumber and sex being the three primary 1s. He has besides natural emotions: sorrow, felicity, love, fright, disgust and greed etc. Islam does nt urge the complete repeal of these urges but offers a method of commanding them through spiritual instruction and subject. The prohibition of eating porc in Islam is relevant in this context. There is a stating in English that a adult male becomes what he eats. Harmonizing to doctors and medical experts, porc is a harmful diet. Consumption of swine-flesh creates lowliness in character and destroys moral and religious modules in a adult male. Despite Islam allows Muslims to eat clean thing. However, in the ingestion of meat, Muslims are required to be selective and separate the Halal nutrients. Dr. E. Kazim. M.D, in his article Medical facets of out nutrients in Islam ( July 1981 issue of Muslim Journal ) has described diseases carried or caused by the flesh of swine. He writes: The hog is a scavenger. It is an omnivorous animate being. It eats everything. There are many diseases carried from swine to adult male, peculiarly parasite infestations. Recently extended research has been focused on senility-old age is characterized by indurating of interior liner of the blood vass of the bosom, encephalon etc. a procedure called coronary artery disease. When a coagulum signifiers, it consequences in coronary thrombosis or a bosom onslaught, intellectual thrombosis or shot. Dr. Glen Shepherd wrote the following on the dangers of eating porc in Washington Post ( 31 May 1952 ) : One in six people in USA and Canada have sources in their musculuss trichiniasis 8 from eating porc infected with Trichinella spiralis worms. Many people who are infected show no symptoms. Most of those, who do hold, retrieve easy. Some dice ; some are reduced to lasting shut-ins. All were careless porc caters. He continued: No 1 is immune from the disease and there is no remedy. Neither antibiotics nor drugs or vaccinums affect these bantam lifelessly worms. Preventing infection is the existent reply. After reading the statement of Dr. Shepherd, one can recognize that there is no existent warrant of safety when eating porc that one would non be affected by trichina worm. That is why modern physicians advise three prohibitions during unwellness: no spirits, no porc and no smoke. At the terminal we know that Muslim forbids porc because they respect their faith. They believe their GOD will care for them. But if they are under dearth, they still can eat porc to last, it s no wickedness. Decision At the terminal, we found that Halal nutrient have many benefits and that s why many people either Muslim or non Muslims, would wish to take Halal nutrient. Halal meat is good for nutrition and wellness. Merely healthy animate beings can be slaughtered. It is done by Moslems who are trusted and experienced. The meat itself will hold no blood coagulums within the veins-giving it a longer shelf life. Animals will be treated with clemency and regard and will be blessed with the name of God ( Allah ) prior to slaughter. Cultural and spiritual considerations are non the lone grounds why consumers are taking kosher- and Halal-certified nutrients. Many perceive the excess supervising implicit in the certified nutrients assures higher quality and safer nutrient merchandises. Harmonizing to Packaged Facts study, Market Trend: Kosher- and Halal-Certified Foods in the US , resonates with a similar study from Mintel released earlier this twelvemonth, which concluded that the bulk of US consumers who buy kosher nutrients do so for sensed quality and safety grounds, instead than for spiritual 1s, and there is no ground to presume things are any different in Australia and New Zealand. They study found that three in five people who buy kosher nutrient do so because they perceive it to be better quality, Halal nutrient besides have a batch of nutrition and they feel safe to eat it, and it free from any disease other that, handiness to acquire Halal nutrient is easier. The two most popular markets for Halal nutrient are South-East Asia and the Middle East. By traveling through the Halal enfranchisement procedure, nutrient processors will open up the possibility of extra patronage and frequently they will non even have to do alterations to their merchandise to acquire such enfranchisement. There are four stairss in processing of Halal nutrient that is: application, entry, treating enfranchisement and station enfranchisement. And what s the of import in the stairss of processing is certification attests that a product/service is suited for Muslims and finished merchandises which adhere to Halal fabrication processs carry a Halal symbol on the label. We know that all equipment used in the production of Halal nutrients must be free from taint with non-Halal points and comply with the necessary hygiene and sanitation demands. All ingredients must all be Halal as good. Favorable perceptual experiences Many consumers believe that Halal and kosher nutrient is produced under stricter supervising than is provided by authorities review and for many consumers the Halal and kosher symbols warrant that the nutrient is free of contaminations or disease and no preservatives added. The research indicated that more than half of consumers who purchased kosher merchandises did so because they considered them to be safer than merchandises non certified as kosher. Mintel s research has shown that kosher was the most often used claim on nutrient and drink merchandises launched in the US in 2008 which, as the Judaic population is non increasing, suggests that the turning involvement may be more to make with nutrient safety than faith. Aside from spiritual demands, kosher and Halal supervising adds another degree of quality control in reacting to the demands of the discerning consumer. Simply by adhering to the kosher and Halal demands and holding nutrients certified, processors will broaden their market.

Business plan for mobile convenience store Coursework

Business plan for mobile convenience store - Coursework Example However, due to its projected expansive nature, the business will cover regions such as Al Falah, Al Shamkha and Yas. The business will be expected to expand outside Abu Dhabi Emirate in future catering to embrace domestic customers. Mobile Baqala is a convenient retail store that provides merchandising business to retailers at convenience location without been required to go for long distances to find physical markets for goods and services that they need. The business is mainly designed to stock a variety of consumable items such as soft drinks eggs and milk amongst other products that are used by customers on a daily basis. It has been pointed out that most families experience difficulties in accessing basic commodities especially in areas such as Al shamka thus the need for such kind of a business. Apparently, majority of societal members have had problems in making their daily purchases of consumable items especially around Al Falah, Al Shamkha and Yas. As such, the population has agreed that such areas are of high suitability for the store and more perfect to stock a variety of both local and imported produce. Mobile Bagala is meant to operate as mobile store within the United Arab Emirates and some parts of Abu Dhabi as a grocery revolutionary storey that moves like a mobile unit in different locations. The business is planned to be unique in nature with effective and efficient design serving both local population and visitors. Having embraced a strategy to serve customers around the clock, the business is projected to achieve its objective as the future leading grocer in the United Arab Emirates serving the Arab population with a consistent supply of daily consumables. Besides, the business is designed with an initiative that would ensure consistency in supply of products to customers while creating job openings around its trading zones. Having engaged the

Protein structure and function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Protein structure and function - Essay Example nce is responsible for the activities of the different subunits, for example, the exonuclease and excision activities in DNA polymerase I of prokaryotes (Gilbert 2000). The alpha helices in DNA polymerase organize themselves in the form of coiled coils, which are bundles of alpha helices that form superhelices. Hydrogen bonds and Van der Waal forces of attraction play a significant role in the tertiary structure of DNA polymerase. This gives a 3-D appearance of a clamp. For example in Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, DNA polymerases sustain nearness with nucleic acid templates by means of contact with sliding clamps, which enclose DNA thus connecting the polymerase and the substrate of the DNA (Argiriadi et al. 2006). DNA polymerase has several non-identical subunits depending on the type of organism in question. In eukaryotes, there are five different subunits namely alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon (Gilbert 2000). These subunits interact in the process of DNA replication with each subunit playing a distinct role. DNA polymerase also has several domains such as the zinc finger domain and the DNA binding domains. The zinc fingers comprise of interactions between sulphide, nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the neighbouring peptides with a zinc ion. These regions influence the function of DNA polymerase by enabling the binding of the enzyme to the template strand of DNA at the replication fork before the process of replication can commence (Styrer et al. 2002). Argiriadi, M. A., Goedken, E. R., Bruck, I., ODonnell, M., & Kuriyan, J 2006, â€Å"Crystal structure of a DNA polymerase sliding clamp from a Gram-positive bacterium,† BMC Structural Biology, vol.6 no. 2, pp.

Describe & evaluate the effects of 2 drugs on the functioning of Essay

Describe & evaluate the effects of 2 drugs on the functioning of neurotransmitters - Essay Example It is four times stronger, than morphine. But the feeling, to which drug addicts strive, is just a side effect for medicine. This ‘side effect’ is displayed through better mood – euphoria, accompanied by the feeling of indifference to the environment, drowsiness, feeling of warmth, heaviness and relaxation in body and extremities. ‘Heroin – is the warmth, sweet warmth, which seems to be growing out of your body. At first it seems you are pregnant with this warmth, it is like a tender life under your skin, and this ‘live warmth’ fills your body with heaviness, the wish to move disappears together with all other wishes, the only wish is to lay and listen to this warmth†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Carnwath 2002, p. 23) Fast and powerful effect of heroin on the nervous system is connected with the fact that it penetrates to it easier, than other drugs do. The thing is, that nature has created a special barrier for the protection of the main human organ – brain, and this barrier allows far not all substances to reach the nervous cells (in medicine this barrier is called ‘blood-brain barrier’). The structure of heroin’s molecule allows it to easily penetrate though this blood-brain barrier and quickly accumulate in brain. As soon as heroin appears in the brain, it as if ‘throws down’ its capsule and turns into morphine. It appears that the main difference of heroin from morphine is in its transport capsule, which allows it to instantly penetrate into the nervous system, causing the abundance of electromagnetic impulses. (Carnwath 2002, p. 49) The thing is that some parts of heroin’s molecules are similar to those of natural substances, produced by the nervous system – the so-called endorphins. In the normally working brain such substances work as delicate regulators of emotional and intellectual human activity. The content of these substances in the drug is much higher, than the nervous system needs for normal activity. And the main thing is that it is

Coffee and Starbucks Essay Example for Free

Coffee and Starbucks Essay ?Introduction Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee company and coffee house chain headquartered in Seattle, Washingston. Starbucks was founded in 1971, when three academicians, began a specialty coffee store called Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice in Seattle (Starbucks Corporation, 2009). In 1996, Starbucks operated its first international store expansion in Tokyo, Japan. With current approximately 19,500 stores in 58 countries (Location xcelerated, 2012), Starbucks is quickly becoming one of the best known brands and the largest specialty coffeehouse company in the world. The Market Demand of Coffee The demand of coffee in the United States has rose 2 percent in 2011(Perez, 2011). Americans drank 77. 4 billion cups of coffee during a year (Perez, 2011). A statistics showed that â€Å"the average consumption among coffee drinkers in the United States is 3. 1 cups of coffee per day† (E-Imports, 2012). With gathering the information and statistics, it has proved the demand of coffee market in the US is extremely high. Also, the coffee market is the potential market for rivals entering into. Hence, Starbucks has to attain strong competitive advantages and market demand with its resources and capabilities. Starbucks’s Resources and Capabilities An organization has the ability to identifying and determining the competitive power of their resources and capabilities to create competitive advantage. Business resources are the productive input or competitive asset that is owned or controlled by the organization (Thompson, 2012). In the case of Starbucks, the resources and capabilities are coffee bean, store ambience, employee culture, and brands and reputations. Coffee Beans Coffee beans are the natural resources of Starbucks. They are one of the most valuable resources for coffee industry. Starbucks was a purveyor of specialty coffee – it has seemed top-notch coffee beans to produce high quality of coffee. High quality of coffee beans was usually sourced directly from coffee-producing countries, for instance Kenya, Guatemala and Indonesia. Starbucks was usually acquired the coffee bean at a premium price for suppliers who suited the Starbucks’ standards, socially and environmentally responsible farming. Starbucks has committed the long term contracts with the supplier in order to protect both party with the price and quality of coffee beans. The Starbucks’s coffee beans provided a sustainable competitive advantage in the face of active competition. It is due to the high quality and premium coffee beans sourced from other country were uncommon and costly to imitate for competitors. Store Design and Ambience Starbucks was positioned as a â€Å"third place† between beyond home and work with the store design and relaxing ambience. The design of store is provided a comfort and relaxing environment for its costumer. Each detail of likes the style of fixtures, the edges of countertops and the texture of slate floors was examined to enhance the unique ambience and mood of the Starbucks store. With blended the colorful banners and artworks, the merchandise displays, the music and the aromas, Starbucks has created an attractive, consistent and stimulating environment that provided comfort of a home for customer, excellent customer service and quality products as the concept of â€Å"third place theme† (Moon Queich, 2003) cited by (Harveywallbanger, 2012). These elements made the Starbucks experience key in retaining its customers with the competitive advantage and capture new markets. The store design is valuable by providing a third place theme, a relaxing and conform atmosphere. Besides, it was rare design in United States as Starbucks is the first mover to replicate the Italian style coffee store. Competitors are difficult and costly to imitate as the Starbucks has an exclusive In-House architects and designers to ensure the right image and character for each store. Employee Culture A vital dynamic in Starbucks’s growth was the human resources, its employee. Starbucks has provided a great work environment around its employees, one of its most important resources and sources of sustainable competitive advantage (Gates et al. , 2011). Schultz believed that a plentiful employee benefits package was a key competitive advantage. Starbucks was the first company to offer all employees, even part-timer, were qualified to get healthcare benefits, participate in the Bean Stock program for stock option grants. Besides that, Starbucks has offered an extensive training program to each employee that includes a commitment to customer service experience and the knowledge of products (Balaban et al. , n. d). All employees of Starbucks were trained to have good customer experiences for retaining customers. For example, they were trained â€Å"just say yes† to customer requests. Starbucks’ approach towards employees benefited to company has maintained the turnover rate at 60-65 percent, while the other national industry turnover is about 150-400 percent a year. The plentiful employee benefit package provides a sustainable competitive advantage to Starbucks. It is added value to Starbucks because employees will have the better job performance due to the motivation and courage. It was rare as the Starbucks was the first company provided healthcare benefits and stock option plan. And also, it is costly to imitate for Starbucks’s competitors. Brand and Reputation Brand recognition and reputational are essential resources and capabilities to Starbucks’s competition advantage. According to Starbucks Strategy Fortune, â€Å"Starbucks store traffic has risen between 6 percent and 8 percent a year even in a down economy†. Starbucks reputation was growing mostly by word of mouth rather than spending on advertising. Schultz believed that opening numerous stores helped to build the brand to Starbucks by increasing awareness of the brand. On the other hand, Starbucks also strengthened its brand and reputation with Fair Trade Certified coffee and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The company collaborated with CARE and Conservation International to encourage environment responsible methods of growing coffee. These activities would be created the attention and attraction of its customers on the brand of Starbucks. Due with the strength of brand and reputation, Starbucks was achieved sustainable competitive advantages in the specialty coffee segment. Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model One of the powerful and widely assessment tools of an organizations industry’s competitive forces is the five forces model, created by Michael Porter. This model embraces that the competitive forces affecting industry success go beyond rivalry among competing sellers and include four coexisting sources (Thompson, 2012). The Michael Porter’s five forces are the threat of entry, the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of supply and rivalry among competing sellers. I will identify the competitive environment of Starbucks in coffee industry by using Michael Porter’s Five Forces Model. 1) Industry Rivalry The industry competition among the existing firms is positioned at the center of Porter five forces model. Rivalry is gradually growing against Starbucks each year as the growing of industry. The growth of industry rivalry has increased due to introduce the new products into the market and differentiate products based on quality, service and selection (Gamble Thompson, Jr. , 2011) cited by (Brown, 2011). With this point, Starbucks has introduced a new way of having premium coffee and new product of Frappuccino, was greatly differentiated from the competitors. Starbucks also served coffee with the highest freshness standards with FlavorLock bags. Starbucks compete to against two strong orgationation in the fast food industry who have operated coffee beverages and stepped into coffee market, McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts. The competitive threat distributed by McDonalds to Starbucks was referring to the Consumer Reports magazine in 2008 , which rated that the McDonalds the quality of coffee is better and the price is cheaper as compared to Starbucks. The industry’s growing has slowed down while the industry competition is increasing among existing firms. In short, the force of industry rivalry formed by the competition among coffees industry is characterized very strong. 2) The Threat of New Entrance The second competitive force of Porter’s model has significant differenced in the late of 80s and the recent competitive environment of Starbucks, is no barriers to entry. According to Porter (2008), barriers of entry are low in the specialty coffee industry. The coffee houses in the United States were about 585 in 1987 and 25000 in 2007. It showed that the new entrants of specialty coffee market was increasing speedily in 20 years. Besides that, the specialty coffee market had grown from $11. 5billion (2005) to $12. 27 billion (2006) in the United States. Due to the market demand growing rapidly, it was attracted a number of fast-food retailers, such company as McDonald and Dunkin’ Donuts. In addition, the product differentiation (included coffee selection, roasting and brewing) is considered weak. With these elements, it can be established that the threat of new entrants in coffee industry is moderate. However, Starbucks has a strong competitive advantage with a well-known brand and image, the quality service and diversity products, and a strong market in the segmentation. 3) The Threat of Substitutes Another competitive force of Porter’s model is the threat of substitutes. The force of substitutes is significant decreased in the coffee market. This is because, there are only little of substitutes product, such substitute as soft drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices. The principal substitution of products has posed a slight threat to coffee industry were carbonated soft drinks which introduced by the Pepsi and Coca-Cola company. In the past few years, studies have done that coffee has increasingly obtained the preference of consumer more than carbonated soft drinks. This is probably concentrated the healthy related with carbonated soft drinks, and evidenced that coffee is a relatively healthy preference. (Harding, 2000) cited by (Larson. , 2008) Based on the information and evidence, the threat of competitive substitute products is considered to be weak for Starbucks Corporation. 4) The Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of supplier has changed in several ways through the widely growing in the coffee industry. Starbucks was purchased it premium coffee beans from the farmers that were numerous, small and unconnected during the late 1980s. In the recently years, coffee beans suppliers were joint by Fair Trade Certified coffee and acted like a large entity. Specialty coffee companies were making the coffee beans suppliers gradually important by seeking greater quality of coffee to compete the competitors in the market. The coffee beans suppliers today are more power, with increased joint and increased importance upon high quality coffee beans. Starbucks has work out with the coffee beans suppliers into continuing fixed-price commitments in order to ensure an adequate supply, which decreased the supplier bargaining power. (Larson, 2008) 5) The Bargaining Power of buyers The last element of five forces model is the bargaining power of buyers. The force of the buyer’s bargaining power is defined to the buyer’s capability to force down prices, and seek for higher-quality products and services (Porter, 1998, p. 24) cited by (Larson, 2008). The bargaining power of buyer in specialty coffee segment is considered high, since two strong competitor of Starbucks, McDonalds and Dunkin’s Donuts have offered the lower prices. However, Starbucks has introduced the several new products and high quality of coffee, highly differentiated to maintain consumers satisfied and away from competitors in the coffee market. Thus, the buyer bargaining power has offset and became moderate. The Summary of Michael Porter’s Five Factor In summary, the coffee market faces very strong forces from the industry rivals but it obtains weak forces from the threat of substitutes. Besides, the other three forces are considered as moderate. Generally, the impact of the five forces is moderate in the specialty coffee industry. Therefore, Starbucks is able to obtain the ideal revenues in the coffee market with operated effectively and efficiently. Starbucks’ Generic Strategy. There are three successful generic competitive strategies that organizations can apply to achieve their competitive strategies, included overall cost leadership, differentiation and focus, defined by Michael Porter. Overall cost leadership strategy implies an organization to apply lower overall costs to attract consumers. The differentiation generic strategy contains the creation of service and product as being valuable and unique for the industry. Focus is the last generic strategy, which aims a certain market of a product line (Porter, 1998, p. 38) cited by (Larson, 2008). However, Starbucks are suitable the broad differentiation strategy of the five generic competitive strategies nowadays. This strategy allows Starbucks to serve a broader customer base with the differentiation of product and service (Grant, 2009) cited by (Brown, 2011). This approaches to retain and attract as many consumer with the generally product mix. Starbucks had the unique skills, products and services reputation with the distribution segment of specialty coffee industry. For instance, Starbucks was developed an icy-blend of dark-roasted coffee and milk, named Frappuccino. This drink was a hit with $54 million sales in the first year on the national market. In addition, the high-quality standards and strong employee culture of Starbucks were known well in the specialty coffee industry. The high-quality coffee beans are purchased from Fair Trade Certified, considered a differentiation product to other competitors. The employees of Starbucks were also trained to have strong customer experience. In the differentiation strategies, Starbucks have strengthened the brand and reputation for quality and creative flair. Starbucks’ Strategy Options. Starbucks is able to create three strategic options for sustaining competitive advantage and further growing the business by having evaluated its forces. The three strategic options for Starbucks are that diversification, expansion and merger. 1) Diversification The diversification of a business is that introducing new products and offering new services to the industry. There are two way of diversification for business, be related or unrelated. Starbucks is suited to attempt related diversification, reflecting more association with the specialty coffee industry. Schultz believed that the company has lacked on blockbuster products, only the variations of products. Starbucks has a successful product diversification in the history with launched coffee and tea beverages, brewing and serving equipment, roasted coffee beans, music and gifts. The introduction of savory products such as cake, donut and muffin is a successful diversification as it can be combined with the existing product and core product, coffee. The diversification strategy is a good option for enhancing Starbucks’ growth and competitive advantage. 2) Expansion The expansion of an organization can be within a country and into an overseas market. Starbucks should reduce their expansion efforts in the United States and focus to expand its business into new countries to further internationalize it. The Economist stated, â€Å"While Starbucks has expanded so have its rivals. The firm’s home market seems to have reached saturation point. † With the rapid expansion, Starbucks is oversaturated in the United States. Therefore, this strategy option is suitable for Starbucks as the United States coffee market is reaching saturation point. If Starbucks has to go further growing and expanding, the international expansion is one of the best strategies for Starbucks. 3) Merger and Acquisition According to Investopedia, it defined as â€Å"a merger is an alliance of two organizations while an acquisition is the attaining of one organization by another. † The strategy of merger and acquisition sets out to accomplish the same goal, by increased broad customer base, market share and corporate strength of business. In the history, Starbucks has merged with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream to develop super premium ice cream and acquired a premium tea company, Tazo LLC. In the case study of Starbucks, there states that there were about 25000 coffee houses in the United States in 2007. The merger and acquisition of small specialty coffee retailers will enhances the market position, market share and competitive advantage of Starbucks. This is a strategy that will exploit opportunities whilst avoiding threats to further growing and expansion of Starbucks. Recommendations The first and most important process which Starbucks should take is to diminish the efforts expansion in the United States. According to Starbucks’ strategy Fortune, a new store will often cannibalize about 30% of the sales of a nearby Starbucks. The continuing aggressive of expansion in the United States by opening as many new stores of the same area is an act to cannibalize store sales. The reason why Starbucks should diminish their expansion plan is the coffee market has reached the saturation in the US. The overcapacity of expansion plans in a location will be met with failure to an organization. On the basis of all the evaluation and evidence referred for the strategy options, the recommendation is to further expand internationally. Starbucks can convey the remained investment into international development plans by reducing the expansion plans in United States. The expansion of international market offers a supreme target with three fundamental objectives. The first reason is the lack of awareness of coffee market in many countries which represent the prospective market share. For instance, Starbucks currently opens approximately 20,000 stores with 13,000 in the US and 7000 in foreign countries. The total coffee consumption per person in the US has lowered much than many countries, such country as Finland and Italy. With gathering the information, this proves that expand internationally, there is a massive coffee drinking population and potential market share to be selected. (Starbucks Corporation, 2008) cited by (Larson, 2008). Another reason that international expansion offers an ideal prospect is that the expansion of product innovation. For example, Starbucks has announced their Tazo tea brand into the Japanese market. And, Tazo was brought into the United States market as it was a successful trial in Japan. Tazo green tea has brought a success to Starbucks as it was a national drinks and showed that the power of brand in North America. Starbucks could have to evade the risk of brand reputation as more innovative products should run a trial in international markets. Since the markets have yet visible to Starbucks for a period time, it is possible to avoid a great risk with affecting the brand reputation. Therefore, Starbucks has great competitive advantage in the markets with expand intentionally. The last reason of international expansion is to increase the brand reputation. Building brand image is key factor to an organization as the brand will affects an organization’s sales and position in the market. For example, in case of Starbucks, the company has increased revenue from $7. 8 billion in 2006 to $9. 4 in 2007, along with an increase in brand value. In order to recover the exclusivity of Starbucks brand, Schultz would focus the expansion of international countries and slow down the expansion of the United States. Therefore, the international aggressive expansion will help to strengthen its brand image and regain a strong competitive advantage for Starbucks. In a nut shell, I am highly recommended a strategy decision to Starbucks is that expanding into international markets. International countries have represented the ideal potential market shares with the high demand of specialty coffee. By applying this strategy, Starbucks will continue to be the leader in the specialty coffee industry and further regain and strengthen its competitive advantage. Furthermore, it also gains the customer satisfaction in the international markets. International expansion is the way to move forward. Reference Balaban, S. et al. (n. d) â€Å"Management 600† Starbucks Coffee Company. http://cobweb2. louisville. edu/faculty/regbruce/bruce/cases/starbucks/starbucks. htm [Accessed on 7 April 2012]. Brown, H. (2011) â€Å"External Environmental Analysis of Starbucks and the Coffee Industry† Strategic Management MGMT 4340 http://www2. uhv. edu/chapao/MGMT4340/Samples/Project%20Sample%203. pdf [Accessed on 9 April 2012] E-Imports (2012) â€Å"Coffee Statistics† Espresso Business Solutions. http://www. e-importz. com/Support/specialty_coffee. htm [Accessed on 5 April 2012]. Gates, R. et al. (2011) â€Å"Strategy Analysis MGMT 562† http://freedownload. is/pdf/strategy-analysis-mgmt-562-2925711. html [Accessed on 6 April 2012]. Harveywallbanger. (2012) â€Å"Starbucks’ Customer Retention Strategies 89† HubPages. http://harveywallbanger. hubpages. com/hub/Starbucks-Customer-Retention-Strategies [Accessed on 6 April 2012]. Heavey, J. (2012) â€Å"Starbucks a Strategic Report†Scribd. http://www. scribd. com/doc/27614539/Starbucks-a-Strategic-Report-by-James-Heavey [Accessed on 8 April 2012]. Larson, R. (2008) â€Å"Starbucks a Strategic Analysis† Past Decisions and Future Options http://coe. brown. edu/documents/StarbucksaStrategicAnalysis_R. Larson_honors_2008. pdf [Accessed on 8 April 2012]. Location Excelerated (2012) â€Å"How many Starbucks are they? † Location Excelerated. http://loxcel. com/sbux-faq. html,

Dell Computers :: Computers History Historical Essays

Dell Computers Dell Computers was founded by Michael Dell, who started selling personal computers out of his dorm room as a freshman at the University of Texas. Michael Dell would buy parts wholesale, assembled them into clones (exact replicas) of IBM computers, and sold them by mail order to customers who did not want to pay the higher prices charged by retailers. Michael Dell was soon making 80,000 dollars a month profit and in 1984 Michael dropped out of university to found Dell Computers. Michael formed in his dorm room the underlying principles, which he would follow throughout the 80’s and 90’s as CEO of Dell Computers. Since their inception in 1982, dell has had a consistent rise in sales. Dells built to order strategy has enabled them to become a very efficient producer of computers and profitable company. The WebPages for dell computers has enabled dell to be able to reduce expenditures and become more efficient in their overall production and distribution of their products. Dell has been the only company to become an efficient maker of computers using the built-to-order system. Dells stock has become increasingly more valuable to investors over the past five years. Dell’s built-to-order strategy has made them successful in growth, development and stock valuation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book â€Å"Direct from Dell† gave a lot of background information on, Dell’s strategy, and mail order system as well as statistics on company sales and growth. The book goes into depth when analyzing Dell’s built-to-order system, and mail order system. The book was written before the WebPages became popular so it talks only about what the company expects from it and not about how the web page has performed. The Charles Shwabb investment web page gave a lot of information, which would suit potential investors on Dell. The web page allowed me to view Dell’s financial statements and analyze just how profitable Dell Computers has been and in which areas they showed the most or least profit. The book â€Å"The Market Share Reporter† gave me information on how much of the market Dell controls for each product they sell and how they compare to other companies. The book has many graphs, and charts to make it easier to see how much co ntrol a particular company has in that area in relation to other competing companies. Selling computers over the Internet enables Dell to become a more efficient distributor of computers.

Essay on school uniforms Essay

Imagine being able to wake up every morning, roll out of bed, put on the same thing you wore the day before, and head off to school. Not only would you be able to do such a thing, but all of your friends were doing it, too! Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s becoming more common in our society as school uniforms have gone beyond private schools to public schools. Uniforms have a positive effect on students’ self-esteem, attendance, discipline, and test scores. They have also been proven to decrease the rate of crime and violence in public schools. Most students and even parents will argue that SCHOOL UNIFORMS stifle individualism. The teenage years are a time when adolescents try out different personas, often experimenting with different styles of clothing during this phase. Opponents argue that uniforms take away an individual’s freedom of expression. However, the clothes that people wear, or can afford to wear, often define the group by which they are accepted. As a result, many teens are outcast due to the fact that they cannot afford the top-of-the-line, name-brand clothing. This rejection can lead to several problems for the outcast teen: depression, inability to concentrate on schoolwork, or just a general feeling of inferiority. School uniforms put everyone on the same level because no outfit is more stylish or expensive than another. Linda Moore, principal at Will Rogers Middle School in Long Beach, California, states, â€Å"Uniforms reduce the differences between the haves and have-nots† (Ritter, 1). Uniforms allow students to interact with one another without experiencing the socioeconomic barrier that non-uniform schools create. More importantly, children are not judged on how much they spent on clothes or how stylish they look, but rather for their talents and personalities. School uniforms not only break down socioeconomic barriers, but they also increase the safety of the students. In 1996, President Bill Clinton encouraged the use of school uniforms as part of an education program that sought to improve safety and discipline (Hoffman, 1). If students are all wearing the same type of outfit, it becomes much easier to spot outsiders  who may wander onto the campus. In addition, uniforms decrease the number of incidences of students being attacked or beaten for items of clothing such as shoes and jackets. Also, members of gangs frequently have a color or style of clothing used to identify themselves. Unsuspecting students who wear gang colors or gang-related attire might be threatened or intimidated by members of opposing gangs, students wearing expensive or fashionable clothes might become victims of theft, or certain fashion accessories or attire may be used as a means of concealing weapons, or even as weapons (Paliokas, 1). At a school in Long Beach, California, after only the first year that uniforms were implemented, overall school crime decreased 36 percent, fights decreased 51 percent, sex offenses decreased 74 percent, weapons offenses decreased 50 percent, assault and battery offenses decreased 34 percent, and vandalism decreased 18 percent (Manual, 3). Schools with uniform-clad students are also proven to have fewer disciplinary problems and increased attendance than non-uniform schools. Dr. John German, principal of South Shore, located in Seattle, Washington, reports, â€Å"This year the demeanor in the school has improved 98 percent, truancy and tardies are down, and we have not had one reported incident of theft† (Manual,4). Ruffner Middle School, located in Norfolk, Virginia, reports a 47 percent decrease in students leaving class without permission (Manual,5). With the implementation of uniforms, students no longer spend hours deciding what they are going to wear to school. This fear of looking â€Å"uncool† will often cause kids to decide that they do not feel well enough to go to school because they can’t find anything to wear. Uniforms allow students to focus more on their academics, and less on what everyone else is wearing. According to Long Beach police chief William Ellis, â€Å"Students concentrate more on education, not on who’s wearing $100 shoes or gang attire† (Manual, 3). Elementary Guidance Counselor Sharon Carter of Memphis, Tennessee states, â€Å"The tone of the school is different. There’s not the competitiveness†¦about who’s wearing what† (Manual, 5). Many families worry about not having enough money to buy uniforms. Due to the fact that no child can be denied an education because of economic  disadvantage, all schools requiring uniforms must include provisions to assist low-income families. For example, the Long Beach School District solved this problem by setting up a boutique shop, funded by private donors, where needy students can shop (Paliokas, 5). In addition, community and business leaders provide or contribute financial support for uniforms, and students who have graduated often donate their used uniforms to incoming students (Manual, 3). However, uniforms are considerably cheaper to buy than non-uniform clothes, and the students can wear them every day and it isn’t considered unusual. Parents can buy a few pairs of pants, shirts, or other variations of a uniform for under $100, while parents of non-uniform-wearing students can spend from several hundred up to $1,000 a year on clothing. Parents find that buying two or three uniforms is ultimately cheaper than buying clothes to follow the fads, and it stops arguments at home in the mornings about what to wear (Oland, 1). Pop culture increasingly sends young girls the message that the smaller and tighter the clothes, the more readily they will be accepted. These outfits, which flaunt navels and bra straps, are not only distracting, but detract from teaching time as teachers argue with students about what is considered acceptable attire. With uniforms, there are only a few acceptable variations of the outfit, no questions asked. A less well-known theory concerning the pros of school uniforms is the â€Å"halo effect.† According to researcher Marc Posner, the â€Å"halo effect† refers to the idea that while uniforms may not change student behavior, the uniforms may change the way teachers and other adults perceive the students who wear them. In a study of the correlation of student clothing and teacher and student perceptions, Dorothy Behling of Bowling Green University found that students and teachers alike believe that uniform-clad students not only behave better, but also do better academically than those who don’t wear uniforms. While this may be an illusion, these positive perceptions can help create a self-fulfilling prophecy that teachers and administrators raise their discipline and grading standards to reflect their more positive image of students, who, in turn, behave better. (School Discipline, 1). While research on the effectiveness of uniforms is still ongoing, they have been proven to raise test scores, boost self-esteem, reduce violence and crime, and create a sense of newfound pride in students. They help children to focus on learning and schoolwork, not on what everyone else is wearing or whether or not they fit in. Uniforms are not the solution to all of the problems that teens, teachers, and schools face today, but research and statistics suggest that they may be a step in the right direction.