Monday, September 30, 2019

African Migration Essay

The African origin of early modern humans 200,000–150,000 years ago is now well documented, with archaeological data suggesting that a major migration from tropical east Africa to the Levant took place between 130,000 and 100,000 years ago via the presently hyper-arid Saharan-Arabian desert. The path out of East Africa leads across North Africa, through the Nile corridor, and across the Red Sea, or across the Indian Ocean and the strait of Bab el Mandeb to the Arabian peninsula and beyond to Eurasia. Most of this interconnected landmass of the so-called Old World, the continental area encompassing Africa, Europe, and Asia, received migrants from East Africa by about 1.5 million years ago. This migration was dependent on the occurrence of wetter climate in the region. Whereas there is good evidence that the southern and central Saharan-Arabian desert experienced increased monsoon precipitation during this period, no unequivocal evidence has been found for a corresponding rainfall increase in the northern part of the migration corridor, including the Sinai-Negev land bridge between Africa and Asia. The major feature of world populations through time is their increasing numbers. It is likely that many early human migrations resulted from the pressure of such demographic increases on limited food resources; disease, drought, famine, war, and natural disaster figure among the most important causes of early human migrations. Approximately 100,000 years ago, the first migrations of Homo sapiens out of their African homeland likely coincided with the ability to use spoken language and to control fire. Over the next 87,000 years humans migrated to every continent, encompassing a wide variety of natural environments. The Americas were the last continents to be reached by Homo sapiens, about 13,000 years ago. Why these earliest migrants left Africa to colonize the world is a complex, important question. The answer is likely to be found in a web of interrelated factors centered around human behavior, specifically behavior selected to reduce risk and increase the individuals’ fitness for survival. Calculated migration must have resulted from information sharing, alliance building, memory, and the ability to negotiate— all skills that necessarily accompanied increasingly complex social and cultural groups. The increasing complexity of existence inevitably led hominids out of Africa, resulting in a global distribution of diverse human groups. Increasing population may have prodded the migration of some groups. Armed with the attributes of culture, the distinctive, complex patterns of behavior shared by human groups, humans eventually adapted to and conquered virtually all global environments. Whatever the nature of human origins, whenever or wherever human societies and cultures first appeared, the peopling of our globe has been a product of migration from place to place. Given the small numbers of people and the vast distances they traversed, and considering their technologically limited modes of transportation, the movement of people around the globe seems miraculous. The examples of global colonization described below depended on interactions between people and between people and their environments. Gradually, sometime during the Middle Stone Age (perhaps 100,000 to 200,000 years ago), distinct patterns of interaction among humans and between them and the landscapes in which they lived emerged. Because the distinctive physical and social environments to which humans adapted were themselves constantly changing, cultures too continually changed. That early humans acquired technological and social skills can be inferred from widespread evidence of their material culture—stone tools and utensils, carved figurines, rock and cave art, and the like, dating from about 40,000 years ago—which has been found in most parts of the globe. The development of language unquestionably furthered the social and technological evolution of humans and facilitated systems of reciprocity and social exchange. For example, the division of labor in food production and the exchange and transportation of goods and products were greatly expedited by speech. Being able to assign different tasks to different individuals furthered cooperation and fueled the processes of social and cultural evolution. http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/unit_readings_3.html http://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/unit_overview_3.html

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Race and Ethnicity Essay

?â€Å"ASSESS THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL FACTORS SUCH AS RACISM AND PUPILS RESPONSES TO RACISM IN CREATING ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT†. (20 MARKS) Ethnic differences concerning education achievement arise from numerous factors these including internal and external school factors such as racism, pupil responses, material and cultural deprivation which is faced by some ethnic groups and are the main reasons to explain why certain ethnic groups perform the way in which they do. Within this essay I will look at the previously stated factors and assess the importance of them and how much they actually impact on the educational achievement of these ethnic groups. Labelling and teacher racism is a factor of racism which creates an impact in educational achievement amongst ethnic groups for example teachers label Black and Asian pupils as being far from the ‘ideal’ pupil, as Black pupils are seen to be disruptive and Asian pupils as passive. These negative labels may lead to teachers treating ethnic minority pupils differently, Therefore disadvantages them and resulting to their failure. Gillborn and Youdell found teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same before, this is due to teachers ‘racialised expectations’, found teachers expected black pupils to present more discipline problems and misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening or challenging to authority. They also found that African Caribbean’s as the best starters but became worst during their GCSEs found that attaching negative labels to different ethnic groups had negative effects, this link in with the self-fulfilling prophecy for those who conform to this role and those who reject it and are in turn successful. Pupil responses to racism also determine educational success this supported by Heidi Safia Mirza who studied ambitious black girls who faced teacher racism. Girls in Mirza’s study failed to achieve their ambitions because their coping strategies restricted their opportunities and resulted in under-achievement. Mirza found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of advice they gave them about careers and option choices. In contrast to the Mirza’s study, the Fuller and Mac an Ghaill came to the conclusions through their study, that pupils may succeed even when they refuse to conform and that negative labelling does not always lead to failure as the girls from the study were able to reject the labels placed on them and they remained determined to succeed. This suggests that educational achievement is reliant on the pupils response to racism and how it is dealt this either by acceptance and conforming a anti school culture hence creating a self-fulfilling prophecy or by working against the label and achieving to a high standard without attracting the negative aspects of the schooling environment. Other factors such as material and cultural deprivation have been seen to make create ethnic differences in educational achievement. The material deprivation aspect can be explained through statistics showing children entitled to free school meals, by ethnic group. The highest ranking ethnic groups are Bangladeshis and Pakistanis entitled to free school meals, these inequalities parallel those seen in educational achievement. For example Indians and whites generally have a higher social class position than Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, who often face high levels of poverty. The material deprivation explanation argues that such class differences explain why Bangladeshi and Pakistani pupils tend to do worse than Indian and white pupils. Cultural deprivation is also said to cause differences within achievement as intellectual and linguistic skills, attitudes and values and family structure all play key role in determining educational success. Intellectual and linguistic skills are valued to be the most important as without this essential tool children are most likely to under-achieve as they unequipped for the school as they have not been able to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Bereiter and Engelmann consider language spoken by low-income black American families as inadequate for educational success. See it as ungrammatical, disjointed and incapable of expressing abstract ideas. There has also been concern that children who do not speak English at home may be held back educationally. Nevertheless, the Swann report found that language was not a major factor in under-achievement, while Gillborn and Mirza note that Indian pupil do very well despite often not having English as their home language. Attitudes and values perceived by black children are seen as unsatisfactory by many cultural deprivation theorists as their lack of motivation is the major cause of their failure as they are socialised into subculture which does not value education and has fatalistic attitude. Most other children are socialised into the mainstream ideology which instils ambition, competiveness and willingness to make the sacrifices for long term goals essentially equips them for success in education. Family structure and parental support, Ken Pryce sees family structure as contributing to the under-achievement of black Caribbean pupils in Britain. From a comparison of black and Asian pupils, he claims that Asians are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self-worth. By contrast, he argues, black Caribbean culture is less cohesive and less resistant to racism. As a result, many black pupils have low self-esteem and under-achieve. Argues difference is the result of differing impact of colonialism on the two groups. Experience of slavery was culturally devastating for blacks they lost their language, religion and entire family system. Asian family structure remains intact as, languages and religions were not destroyed by colonial rule. Sociologists argue racism in wider society is a factor which restricts educational achievement of certain ethnic groups this is supported by David Mason who puts it, ‘discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of Britain’s citizens of minority ethnic origin’. It is also argued by sociologist John Rex who shows how racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and how this in turn worsens the poverty faced by ethnic minorities in housing for instance. There are links to employment also as on a basis of last names determine ethnicity and from that some are biased towards e. g. when being chosen for a job and the last names ‘Patel’ and ‘Evans’ have the same set of qualifications, the company would be interested in recruiting ‘Evans’ the white candidate more than ‘Patel’ who is from an Indian background. This explains why member of ethnic minorities are more likely to face unemployment and low pay, and this in turn has a negative effect on their children’s educational prospects. The concluded judgement suggests that the ethnic differences which arise within educational achievement are down to a mixture of material and cultural deprivation as these are most influential in determining educational success and addressing ethnic differences. Some pupil responses to racism and racism also have the ability to suggest why ethnic differences arise overall but are mostly dependent on the individual and how he/she perceives the educations system e. g. either negatively or positively due to experience or upbringing. This would then initially give an insight onto how well the pupil would perform. Criticism which occur are of internationalist who argue that you cannot generalise a whole ethnic group as all the different experiences, therefore any suggestions made about the whole ethnic groups education achievements may or may not reflect a true image.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

ITSM implementation success Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

ITSM implementation success - Assignment Example The application of this approach also recognizes that the information technology systems cannot work independently without accountability. Appropriate management of the Information technology systems using the ITSM approach also helps organization to discover strategize that can be used to offer the IT services at reduced competitive costs. The ITSM design was made up to respond to the tests that were encountered by medium and small sized organizations in an attempt to adapt an IT model that is centered to the views and opinions customers. This approach has also developed affordable applications that apply expertise skills helping the organization to obtain all the benefits related to ITSM. Most organizations put all efforts and best practices in place to give their customers the goods and services yet they do not reap the maximum benefits from their activities in relation to their efforts (Leonardi, 2007). These organizations fail to get all the benefits because they do not implemen t the appropriate cost effective approaches in their activities. The traditional practices in return consume more resources in terms of capital, labor and time. As compared to the traditional operation management practices, the ITSM approach reduced the operational costs greatly mainly due to the use of advanced information technology systems as well as applying expertise skills in the use of the approach. Another major aim of the application of Information Technology Service management approach is to enhance the delivery of IT related services to customers based on the process oriented approach. This involves examining and optimizing all services provided to the customers to ensure that they meet the interest and the values that the customers require. ITSM introduces the focus on the delivery of end to end services by applying the best practice process models while the traditional approaches focused on managing on Information technology as a stack. ITSM also aligns the IT services with the new changing trends of the organizations. Some of the changing patterns and emerging trends in most organizations include the size or the organization, advancement of the IT systems change of the organizations goals and the change of the organizations goals and visions. For an organization improve service delivery to their customers, some factors should be considered. These factors include quality planning, efficient project management and commitment by the staff to service delivery and the involvement of the organization in providing Information Technology systems. The ITSM approach similarly helps the organizations to effectively plan and create strategies that enhance quality planning as well as improve the service delivery to customers. Quality and strategic planning which is enhanced by the ITSM approach is the ability of the organization to collectively have control and manage the future and destiny of the organization. Project management as a factor for enhancing ser vice delivery to the customer is defined as the formal approach to changes in the organization such some of the projects organizations may be involved in include system development, procurement and implementation and cultural changes among others. According to Van, B. J et al (2008) Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) has gained popularity in both public and

Friday, September 27, 2019

Intellectual Property Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Intellectual Property - Coursework Example On the payment of profits to Raybok however, Reedbok has a cause to defend itself against the payment because it is not counterfeiting the shoes of Raybok with that same name but then producing the shoes under different name. This is in light of the law, which states that â€Å"a company must not use a trade name, trade mark and/or geographic indication belonging to another entity as its company name† (In the House Lawyer, 2010). Of course, the name Reedbok is not the same as Raybok. Consumer vigilance has never been the duty or responsibility of owners of companies or copyright holders of names of products. Consumers are liable for their own choices. For this reason if any consumer out of ignorance or carelessness refuses to critically examine the shoes and buys the shoes thinking they are Raybok instead of Reedbok, Reed would not be the one at fault here and so would not be held accountable to pay any earnings to Raybok.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Individual report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Individual report - Essay Example Online operation has also enabled the Sky PLC to effectively communicate the features and other factors relating to their services to their customers and potential customers. On their website customers can create their own accounts making it easier for customers to access any information that they want regarding the company’s services. Development of a tailored user interface and activities enables Sky to support and enrich its sustainable business practices. The entertainment industry is a difficult industry to penetrate and as much difficult for a company to maintain its hold on the market. Sky faces a lot of competition from equally able companies such as Virgin Atlantic. To keep its hold on the market and more so to maintain its hold of its present customers, it becomes exigent to diversify its marketing techniques and such way is through the use of electronic media, especially the internet (Miletsky 2009 p. 217). The advent of satellite made it possible for Sky to boost its market position. The marketing objectives for Sky have always been to create fresh interest and demand for Sky and to make sure potential customers understand the benefits that come along with using Sky’s products. However, as much as this is necessary or seems necessary in keeping a business going, an extra component of awareness is added to complement this. The campaign and communications have also become an integral part of Sky Digital’s marketing mix embracing public relations (PR), sponsorship and consumer promotions, in-store marketing, branding and direct marketing activities (Whalen 2009 p. 172). Focus on e-marketing has proved to be important in most industries, with the target market carving the direction the company takes. For Sky, the major part of its business is aimed at providing digital content. Their target market is divided depending on the content. For example, films would suit film lovers and couples, home banking would suit busy, career minded people and

The Basis for Public Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Basis for Public Health - Essay Example There is an estimated 16 million orphans. Aids has marched across the US killing more people than all the wars put together including World War II. This paper will discuss efforts to control this epidemic as well as other public health issues. Aids was first identified in the United States in 1981. It is now in all sections of society. More than 1 million people are living with aids in the US and more than 1/2 million have died. Statistics show that 44% are African American, 35% are white, and 19% are Latino. Men make up 75% of adults and adolescents. There are an estimated 3,792 children under the age of 13 who have AIDS. The majority of them acquired HIV from their mothers. There has begun to be a dramatic drop in the numbers of deaths and infections with combination antiretroviral therapy being used more widespread. Accurate surveillance does not take place in the US and the CDC recommends that the US find a way to do a better job of this. Therefore many of the statistics mentioned may be higher. There is also a delay in the diagnosis and the actual reporting of the disease causing a delay in treatment in this country (cdc.org) Nurses in Zambia have been working together with Norwegian nurses to create a program which includes workplace facilitators that assist with HIV/AIDS training. These facilitators help the nurses get the information out faster and to more patients and families (Jefferson, 2006). The ZNA is also partnering with the Ministry of Health to help prevent aids transfer from mother to infants. They have worked with Boehringer-Ingelheim to help provide free testing to pregnant nurses and other health workers to prevent the transmission of aids to their babies. The program is working well enough that they will be expanding this program to include healthcare workers families (Oulton, 2004). The nurses in this country contract the virus often but if they are treated, they can continue to treat the public and protect their children. Switzerland had a controversial program which they have been very successful with. Their belief was that they needed to increase condom use in the country, reduce discrimination for those that have the virus and address injectible drug abuse problems. They provided condoms for free and gave syringes to those that brought a dirty one to trade. They have been very successful in reducing the numbers of new aids cases in their country (Jefferson, 2006). The Global Aids Alliance attempts to attack the link to social justice and poverty as well as gender equality. Their goals have been to treat the people, educate the people and protect the children. They hope to get antivirals to as many people as possible. Education is key but the virus is moving so fast that they must treat as many as possible to try to stop it. Here in the United States, there are many attempts at decreasing the numbers of infected and treating those that are. The Walk for AIDs campaign was very successful this year providing research money. Some cities such as San Francisco provide syringes and condoms in their attempt to reduce the numbers of aids cases locally. Poverty and homelessness in the United States is often part of this epidemic as well as so many others. One method of diagnosis and treatment might be a mobile clinic in the largest homeless areas in each city. Testing as well as treatment could be

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Marketing Communications Plan and Press Release for Viejas Essay

Marketing Communications Plan and Press Release for Viejas - Essay Example In this essay, the researcher develops a marketing communication plan for the Viejas Outlet Center in order to increase visitor numbers to the center so that it can survive the current recessionary downturn. The marketing plan includes such strategies, which will play their role in creating awareness among the public about the facilities and entertainment provided by Viejas Outlet Center as well as the new stores’ opening. The creation of a marketing plan is very vital for any business enterprise because it helps to create the entire business plan which is like the route map of the business. The major goals and objectives regarding development of marketing plan include increase in market share, achievement of market dominance, gaining competitive edge over the rivals, seasonal promotions, market penetration, and creating awareness among the public about the facilities and entertainment provided by the outlet. The researcher of this essay prepares a well structured marketing pl an, which will eliminate all flaws that exist in the existing marketing plans of Viejas Outlet Centre. Such modes of advertising will be used which will make every person aware of the new facilities and entertainment stuff provided by the centre. The researcher then concluds that in order to let the public know about the entertainment facilities to be provided by the Viejas Outlet Center, we will use different forms of media, such as, television, social websites, and radio regarding the openings of the new stores throughout the year.

Monday, September 23, 2019

DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE - Essay Example Nevertheless, one main issue remains to be satisfactorily resolved and it involves accurate measurement of the occurrence of plagiarism. Scholars have relied on student reporting of their own and their peers’ plagiarising behaviour in obtaining such measures. Although, scholars may obtain useful data this way, the method develops its paradox because it requires survey participants to offer honest reports regarding their dishonesty. Moreover, although self-reporting in any behaviour is problematic, self-reporting of dishonesty behaviour is extremely challenging and studies show that student responses are not congruent to their employed behaviours; nevertheless, the advent of plagiarism detection software made the task easier. The use of software that detect plagiarism by university lecturers enables the lecturers to perform what was previously difficult or impossible namely obtaining a clear picture of the extent of plagiarism in student assignments; moreover, the use of plagia rism software has deterrent effect on plagiarism. Despite the potential usefulness of the various plagiarism software and their unequivocally acceptance by the community of academicians, a backlash against their use seems to be underway as academicians consider the use of such software to control students. The scholar’s goal is to fill the gap between what students actually do instead of what they say they do with regard to plagiarism in assignments. The main strength in the research includes a collection of records on the form and extent of plagiarism over a period of five years in two main university assignments. However, the study had several limitations one of which is over reliance on Turnitin, which only matches material found on the internet. Materials of the university textbooks cannot be matched unless the material gets online in some form like through lodging a student’s assignment in the software’s database. Moreover, the database of Turnitin may be u nable to detect material within invisible web sources like password-protected databases or even customised assignments produced by writing companies. Another disadvantage is that the measurement process relied to a certain extent on the interpretation of the original report in conjunction with checking of the assignment script; hence, absolute objectivity cannot be claimed in the data. The disadvantage of the of a convenient sample like non-randomness and potential absenteeism in generalization are acknowledged; in addition, the study is limited to New Zealand where the data was derived and the findings indicate that they may not be generalised. The findings confirmed the established view that international students have high rate of plagiarism compared to domestic students because they not only topped in rates across students, but also were at the top of rating regarding verbatim plagiarism and were among students with high rate of extensive plagiarism. The notion that students wit hout experience are more prone to plagiarism was not fully supported in the study findings because students in year one submitted the smallest percentage of plagiarised script in the year of enrolment, while students in their fourth year of enrolment plagiarised extensively. From the present6ed data in the study, it is possible to develop a profile of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

European Single Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

European Single Market - Essay Example The first two treaties are the ‘Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)’ (Moens & Trone, 2010, p.2). Article 54 of the 2010 Official Journal of European Union requires that commercial firms be treated as natural persons who are citizens of the Member States. The challenges faced The need for the states to come together and surrender part of the sovereignty was initiated by that urge to have some strong decision-making body that could collectively empower the member states (Barnard & Scotts, 2002, p.136). The union has bodies charged with enacting certain policies that are common to the member states and ensure that the policies are followed accurately. Some of these policies regulate the trade in the area. It thus serves to protect the member states against any irregularities and this explains why our country had to be a member. The policies enacted by the governing bodies of the union regulate our operation as a comp any that trades in the region. Zandia is a sovereign state found in Eastern Europe and is a member of the European Union. Our trade operations in the area thus fall under the policies of the European Union. However, the government of Zandia has imposed certain restrictions to our trade in the country, some of which are not conforming to the laid treaties. One challenge that we have experienced is that, there is a charge levied on the importation of film for production purposes. The net earning from such charges is aimed at supporting the actors in the country who are jobless. This is contrary to the provisions of the EU treaty in several ways. Chapter 2 of Title VII of the 2010 Official Journal of European Union clearly explains the terms under which the Member States can impose taxes on both imported and exported goods within their borders. In particular, article 110 of the chapter states that ‘no member state shall impose, directly or indirectly, on the products of other mem ber states any internal taxation of any kind in excess of that imposed directly or indirectly on similar domestic products’. The article further asserts that no such taxes are supposed to be levied on imported commodities to serve the interest of the domestic producers. This creates a competitive disadvantage on our side. While it is the role of the union to promote the economic development in areas with low standards of leaving and serious underemployments, article requires that such an aid by the State should not distort competition by favoring others. Besides, the unemployment witnessed in Zandia among the actors is not a serious one to obtain the assistance from the state resources. Secondly, there is a charge for inspecting imported DVDs standards for quality under a mandatory EU scheme. This is also not conforming to the provisions in the above Chapter 2 concerning charges levied on goods within the internal market. Article 112 in this chapter requires that any charge t hat can be imposed on any imported or exported products within the member states shall be approved only by the European Council in conjunction with the Commission. The article 112 states that: â€Å"In the case of charges other than turnover taxes, excise duties and other forms of indirect taxation, remissions and repayments in respects to other Member States may not be granted and countervailing charges in respects to imports from Member States may

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Foundational Accounting Principles and Terminology Essay Example for Free

Foundational Accounting Principles and Terminology Essay We all know how important the accounting aspect of any business/organization is. It is basically the most important way to manage finances. Without proper accounting for all expenses and finances, a company and/or organization will definitely have a hard time being financially stable. In this paper we will discuss some foundational accounting principles and terminology that are basic but quite essential to the accounting practice. Now let’s discuss some accounting terms beginning with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is a codification of how CPA firms and corporations prepare and present their business income and expense, assets and liabilities on their financial statements. GAAP is not a single accounting rule, but rather the aggregate of many rules on how to account for various transactions. GAAP are more like accounting standards (Wikipedia, 2009). Next we have Contra-Asset Accounts, which is defined as an account which offsets another account. A contra-asset account has a credit balance and offsets the debit balance of the corresponding asset. A contra-liability account has a debit balance and offsets the credit balance of the corresponding liability (InvestorWords, 2009). Let us move on to Historical Cost, which is a measure of value used in accounting in which the price of an asset on the balance sheet is based on its nominal or original cost when acquired by the company. The historical-cost method is used for assets in the U. S. under generally accepted accounting principles (Investopedia, 2009). Okay, now there is the Accrual Basis vs. Cash Bonus Accounting. This is the difference between the two. In Accrual basis accounting, income is reported in the fiscal period it is earned, regardless of when it is received, and expenses are deducted in the fiscal period they are incurred, whether they are paid or not. Basically, you record both revenues and expenses when they occur. In cash basis accounting, revenues are recorded when cash is actually received and expenses are recorded when they are actually paid (Ward, 2009). Last but not least, there is the Accounting Standards Codification. Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) is a major restructuring of accounting and reporting standards designed to simplify user access to all authoritative U. S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) by providing the authoritative literature in a topically organized structure. ASC disassembled and reassembled thousands of nongovernmental accounting pronouncements (including those of FASB, the Emerging Issues Task Force [EITF], and the AICPA) to organize them under approximately 90 topics. The ASC are those that oversee that all accounting and reporting standards are adhered to (Wikipedia, 2009). It is now time to move on to discuss and describe three sets of financial statements that are part of financial statements of companies /organizations. The three sets of financial statements we will be describing are The Balance Sheet, The Income Statement and The Statement of Cash Flows. The balance sheet also known as the â€Å"Statement of financial position† reveals a company’s assets, liabilities and equity (net worth). The balance sheet is divided into two parts that must equal each other, or balance each other out. The formula of the balance sheet is: Assets= Liabilities + Shareholder’s Equity. What this formula means is that assets, or the means used to operate the company, are balanced by a company’s obligations along with equity investment brought into the company and its retained earnings (Investopedia, 2009). Next we have the income statement, which measures a company’s financial performance over a specific accounting period. The financial performance is assessed by giving a summary of how the business incurs its revenues and expenses. It also shows the net profit or loss incurred over a specific accounting period, which is typically over fiscal quarter or year (Investopedia, 2009). Moving on to the last one, which is the cash flow statement. The cash flow statement allows investors to understand how a company’s operations are running, where its money is coming from, and how it is being spent. The cash flow statement is also a mandatory part of a company’s financial report, and has been so since 1987 (Investopedia, 2009). Now I will describe which is more useful, Net Income or Cash from Operating Activities? I believe that Cash from Operating Activities is more useful to companies because they can generate cash in several different ways. Three different ways to be exact, they are cash flows from operating activities, from investing activities, and financing activities. Cash from Operating Activities, in my opinion is the most useful because it paints the best picture of how well a company’s business operations are producing cash. After looking over the annual financial reports for Samsung, RTL Group and Lockheed Martin, I make the prediction that each company will continue to improve its net income as well as see a significant spike in their cash flow. As far as relevant information in regards to conglomerates, such as the IDOLS segment of the Fremantle Media North America, I was not totally sure how to get this information but I eventually continued to read the investor portion on the RTL Group website where I found out more information. All in all, I learned some new definitions when it comes to accounting and decision making. I thought this assignment was intense due to a lot of reading and research, but I believe I got through it well. I look forward to learning more about how accounting and decision making come together. References http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/033104.asp http://www.investopedia.com/articles/04/031004.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/incomestatement.asp http://www.investorwords.com/5476/contra_account.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generally_Accepted_Accounting_Principles

Friday, September 20, 2019

Critical Thinking For A Successful Student

Critical Thinking For A Successful Student Critical thinking is an important element of all qualified fields and academic disciplines (by referencing their respective sets of permissible questions, evidence sources, criteria, etc.). Within the structure of scientific skepticism, the process of critical thinking involves the careful acquisition and reading of information and use of it to reach a well-justified conclusion. The concepts and principles of critical thinking can be applied to any context or case but only by reflecting upon the nature of that function. Critical thinking forms, therefore, a system of related, and overlapping, modes of thought such as anthropological thinking, sociological thinking, historical thinking, political thinking, psychological thinking, philosophical thinking, mathematical thinking, chemical thinking, biological thinking, ecological thinking, legal thinking, ethical thinking, musical thinking, thinking like a painter, sculptor, engineer, business person, etc. In other words, though critical thinking principles are universal, their application to disciplines requires a process of philosophical contextualization. The key to seeing the significance of critical thinking in academics is in understanding the significance of critical thinking in learning. There are two meanings to the learning of this content. The first occurs when learners (for the first time) construct in their minds the basic ideas, principles, and theories that are inherent in content. This is a process of internalization. The second occurs when learners effectively use those ideas, principles, and theories as they become relevant in learners lives. This is a process of application. Good teachers cultivate critical thinking (intellectually engaged thinking) at every stage of learning, including initial learning. For students to learn content, intellectual engagement is crucial. All students must do their own thinking, their own construction of knowledge. Good teachers recognize this and therefore focus on the questions, readings, activities that stimulate the mind to take ownership of key concepts and principles underlying the subject. Critical thinking employs not only logic (either formal or, much more often, informal) but also broad intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness. One good advantage in critical thinking for university students is that ideas or information could be easily gotten from anywhere and anyone. It shouldnt be a surprise to know that even a madman could be responsible for the provision of valuable information needed in an important project. This means that anyone could be a source to unanswered questions that has proved difficult to find. Students who neglect peoples ideas end up missing a whole lot of valuable points which could have been of great assistance to them. Universities are known to be resourceful places where people could easily communicate with each other, meaning that it wont be difficult to extract information from people. Students could have group discussions, quiz and other social activity to extract knowledge from one another. So far, this aspect of critical thinking has critical thinking skills have helped a lot of students. In the process communicating with people, critical thinking can help students get along with each other. This is because if a person can evaluate a situation from a point of view other than his own, he or she will get a better knowledge on why people do what they do. Social conflict that is gotten from poor areas joining heads together can be avoided by this. This could widen a students social life and lead to better discussion with others. Conversely, the strong-sense critical thinker skillfully enters into the logic of problems and issues to see the problem for what it is without egocentric and/or socio-centric bias. Thus conceived, the strong-sense mind seeks to actively, systematically, reflectively, and fair-mindedly create insight with sensitivity to expose and address the many obstacles that compromise high quality thought and learning. Using strong critical thinking we might evaluate an argument, for example, as worthy of acceptance because it is valid and based on true premises. Upon reflection, a speaker may be evaluated as a credible source of knowledge on a given topic. Critical thinking can occur whenever one judges, decides, or solves a problem; in general, whenever one must figure out what to believe or what to do, and do so in a reasonable and reflective way. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening can all be done critically or uncritically. Critical thinking is crucial to becoming a close reader and a substantive writer. Expressed in most general terms, critical thinking is a way of taking up the problems of life. Critical thinking seems to be very important and relevant in every aspect of a students learning in a university institution. This is so because a university is a place where learning and discussions of different sort takes place. It is necessary to make every enquiry and research needed for a sound education and not just depending on the teachers lectures. Most students accept all they hear because of the laziness they bore and do not bother to make researches, ask questions or make appropriate inquires for more knowledge. This is a very wrong approach for tackling issues or learning because not everything one is being told or thought is hundred percent right. Teachers tend to make mistakes sometimes and its the job of the student to make researches after every lesson to assure that everything thought in the lecture class is fully right. In the process of doing that, one could have the opportunity to learn new things and not just hanging on or sticking to what is being thought in le ctures classes. Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he knows, and he knows how to make use of information to solve problems, and to seek relevant sources of information to inform himself. Critical thinking should not be confused with being argumentative or being critical of other people. Although critical thinking skills can be used in exposing fallacies and bad reasoning, critical thinking can also play an important role in cooperative reasoning and constructive tasks. Critical thinking can help us acquire knowledge, improve our theories, and strengthen arguments. We can use critical thinking to enhance work processes and improve social institutions. Some people believe that critical thinking hinders creativity because it requires following the rules of logic and rationality, but creativity might require breakin g rules. This is a misconception. Critical thinking is quite compatible with thinking out-of-the-box, challenging consensus and pursuing less popular approaches. If anything, critical thinking is an essential part of creativity because we need critical thinking to evaluate and improve our creative ideas. When you ask students to define critical thinking, they will often refer to this type of puzzle or brainteaser. And although developing critical thinking skills will help students solve this puzzle, critical thinking skills will also help students as they face crucial decisions in education and in life. Students, and all of us, are bombarded with ideas and with people trying to persuade us to accept the ideas they are promoting. You only have to turn on a television talk show to see this in action. At least when watching a talk show, the viewer is given some background information about the speakers credentials or lack of credentials and is usually aware of the personal bias that the speaker brings to the topic. The advent of the computer information age has presented us with a new challenge: a wealth of information distributed with few restrictions and often limited information about the author of the material. With the increasing use of web-based technology to gather and interpret information, teaching critical thinking skills to students is even more important. Critical thinking skills can help nurses apply the process of examination. Nurses through critical thinking skills can question, evaluate, and reconstruct the nursing care process by challenging the established theory and practice. Critical thinking skills can helps nurse problem solve, reflect, and make a conclusive decision about the current situation they face. Critical thinking creates new possibilities for the development of the nursing knowledge. Due to the socio cultural, environmental, and political issues that are affecting healthcare delivery, it would be helpful to embody new techniques in nursing. Nurses can acquire critical thinking skills through the Socratic method of dialogue and reflection. Critical thinking also is considered important for human rights education for toleration. The Declaration of Principles on Tolerance adopted by UNESCO in 1995 affirms that education for tolerance could aim at countering factors that lead to fear and exclusion of others, and could help young people to develop capacities for independent judgment, critical thinking and ethical reasoning

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Bonds of the Soviet People Essay -- Stalin, history of the USSR

Elena Gorokhova explains in her memoir that â€Å"The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they're lying, they know we know they're lying, but they keep lying to us, and we keep pretending to believe them.† The novel, A Mountain of Crumbs, depicts the hopelessness, opression and deception of life behind the Iron Curtain during the 70s and 80s. Many rights of the people within the Soviet Union were violated and unacknowledged. In ages past, there were no human rights but the idea evolved after a while. It was at the end of World War II that the United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with the purpose of saving future generations from devastating internal conflicts. Human rights are the rights one has simply because one is a human being. There is no distinction between who can exercise and obtain their rights. Some of these obvious rights include that all humans are born free with the promise of life, liberty and security of person. The above right s should be protected and respected by everyone. However, the rights of the communist nations in the USSR were not kept safe. Specifically, the rights to emigrate and move freely as pleased, the freedom of consciousness, thought and religion and the ability to express oneself as they wish. Essentially, people’s rights were being restricted within the Iron Curtain, many of them uncovering their voices and pleeing for change at once, but instead they encountered armed forces prepared to erase anyone in defense of the status quo. Even though there were not many alternations in the socialist regime of the Soviet Union, there were plenty after World War II. The Big Three, U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premi... ....org/history/1953-the-east-german-uprising>. â€Å"The Potsdam Conf. 1945.† U.S Departments of State; Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. . Ray, Rob, and John S, eds. â€Å"1956: The Hungarian Revolution.† Libcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. . â€Å"Universal Declaration of Human Rights.† Human Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. . â€Å"What are human rights and how do they function?† Mount Holyoke. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. . â€Å"The Yalta Con, 1945.† U.S Department of State. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. .

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Look into Tailgating :: Personal Narrative Sports Papers

A Look into Tailgating I slouch back in my blue canvas-folding chair. My legs are crossed neatly in front of me, making a sturdy table for my notebook. I positioned myself between two tan RVs they both are decorated in their own special ways. My back was facing the Stone building, which is right on the edge of campus. The RV on my right has a garnet flag hanging on the back window with FSU sewn on in gold letters. The RV to my left chose a white a flag with the Seminole emblem, it was hanging from the over hang. People honk as they pass. Strands of my hair blow softly across my face in the cool breeze, and getting into my eyes occasionally. There are so many questions race through my mind as stare at the crowd in front of me. Every Saturday as I walk by the thousands of parked cars I wonder why they are here. What compels these men and women who have real jobs and live in exciting cities to come back here and tailgate? So I sit amongst them, and try to understand them. They talk and eat all around me. We h ave some camaraderie, but we are different. Maybe because I can't imagine myself in their shoes ten years from now. I don't know anyone around me but they all look familiar. The dad who is dressed in jeans and a garnet pollo shirt stands behind a small Webber grill. He glances up occasionally moving his attention from the cooking meat to watch the miniature TV sitting on the table. His wife is busily at work setting up the assortment of goodies and chatting with the wife of the other RV. Every now and then she peers out from under her gold visor to make sure what the children are doing. The kids, who range from all ages, play football on the one patch of the grass that is unoccupied (which is actually part of a ditch). I watch them as they go about their routine. We have a few things in common. I am also wearing a Garnet shirt. We cheer for the same football team. But there are also so many things that separate us. To begin with, I live Tallahassee. My house is one block from where they set up their RV and portable grills. Every morning I walk past this same spot where we all sit now.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

John Lennon :: essays research papers

Two summers ago, I was in a bit of trouble. My parents grounded me and kept me indoors for a majority of the break. I had little contact with friends, besides my job and the occasional visits. Though I do not look back at this period of my life happily, I now realize I benefited greatly after surviving through it. My internet access had been taken away, but I still used my computer. I had a stash of mp3's I had downloaded in the past few months, which consisted mainly of Beatles songs. I had downloaded just about every album they ever made, from the pop-influenced "Please, Please Me", to the mellowed out, psychedelic "Magical Mystery Tour". My musical taste shifted pretty much overnight from hip-hop to classic rock. A new era of my life had begun. All four members of the Beatles are influential. However, John Lennon, through his lyrics, views, and musical genius stood out to me. I started simply by just listening to their music, but found myself researching the life and accomplishments of John Lennon. His character influenced me to change my ways of thinking. By the middle of this summer I noticed my personality had changed from depressed and angry to loving and caring. A true love for everyone had developed inside of me. Maturity definitely plays it's part in these changes, but John Lennon's music jumpstarted this transformation. Songs such as "Imagine" and "In My Life" had me feeling and thinking in ways I had never before. My musical taste has since moved on from the Beatles, but I will always have a place in my heart for their music as long as I live.

Local Literature of Sales Inventory System Essay

Computerize sales and inventory system Computers began from a wild imaginative idea to the world’s highly prioritized tool. Computers today are now used as a substitute to manual processes and other past inventions like the radio, television, etc. It is now used by people for much simpler, easier and faster way to do things. Some used it as a hobby, and some use it as a job. Technology has never stopped from advancing through the years. Its new innovations helps answer the people’s further complex questions. Why not use these advantages to benefit ourselves? Many people use computers in their daily lives. Some use it for transactions, some use it for educational purposes and others use it for data storage. Though it might sound unnecessary but in some cases when storing a file for such a big company, can you manage it properly? Organizing, finding a file, etc. With computers, it can help you simplify the process of storing and managing the files you need for future use and make finding files easier than the manual process. A Proposed Sales and Inventory System In business like merchandising, Sales and Inventory system plays an important role. It is used to track all the transactions made by the business and responsible for monitoring the items supplies. All the business transactions must be properly recorded and must be fully secured by password. A Computerized system is the best solution and most innovative answer for their needs. The researchers had been motivated to do a study on this topic according to the above observation. The result may help others to understand more about computer-generated data processing, especially on how to deal with computers in terms of speed, accuracy and data security. Monitoring the transactions and other significant information regarding the customer is the main concern of this study. Also covered in the study are saving of information and transaction records with the customers. The Sales and Inventory System is concern with the processing of the transactions of the customers and owner and saving the sales records at the same time. These saved records area filed and stored for future use. This computerized system is important to a company because through it, the owner can easily assist the customers and store data safely. And also the monitoring of stocks is the most important part of this system.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Money Bring Happiness

â€Å"It is not money that brings up happiness but what we do and how we do it† 309 Money is most often cited as a crucial material for people to satisfy their needs ranged from the simplest to the most complicated desire. Hence, many people spend their whole life seeking for money which offers them utmost happiness and super power. In contrast, I honestly believe that it is not money that brings up happiness but what we do and how we do it.Speaking of mentality, money is not necessary and sufficient condition leading us to happiness. What is happiness? Simply speaking, happiness is the way people feel satisfied with what they have. Let’s me back it up by some illustrations. A poet will definitely feel sublimated when he finishes composing a masterpiece of poem. A stamp collection will obviously happy with looking and treasuring his stamps. Even an old man can smile for whole day if he wins a game of chess.Doubtlessly, in such cases, money plays no role in the humans fe eling. Hence, I completely believe that people can feel extremely pleased and happy without any interference from money. Moreover, to tell the truth, being absorbed in earning money can result in the loss of happiness of the people in life. In the materialized world, people keep on intending which is the best way to invest their money, what the most profitable market segment is worthy to be put money in and who is the most suitable person who will control the portfolio.The people obsessed with money can easily forget their actually meaningful tasks such as caring for their families, having time with their friends†¦etc. They trap themselves in the materialized ambition and lose what are important to their life. How can they feel happy? To wrap up, in my perspective, happiness can’t be built up solely on money. That’s the reason we should care for many facets of life rather than money.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 13

Do You Like Foreign Films? Cliff asks about Veronica's dinner party in a way that lets me know my mother has already discussed it with him – probably in an effort to get me to wear the collared shirts she bought me at the Gap, which Mom loves and I do not love. As soon as I sit down in the brown recliner, Cliff broaches the subject, pinching his chin the way he does every time he asks me a question my mother has already answered. Even though I now recognize Cliff's tell, I am excited to let him know he was right about wearing the shirt my brother had given me. Surprisingly, he does not want to talk about what clothes I wore; he wants to talk about Tiffany, and he keeps asking what I thought about her, how she made me feel, and if I enjoyed her company. At first I am polite and answer by saying that Tiffany was nice and well dressed and had a pretty good body, but Cliff keeps pushing for the truth like therapists do, because they all have some sort of psychic ability that allows them to see through your lies, and therefore they know you will eventually tire of the talking game and will offer up the truth. Finally I say, â€Å"Well, the thing is – and I don't like saying this – but Tiffany is kind of slutty.† â€Å"What do you mean?† Cliff asks me. â€Å"I mean she's sort of a whore.† Cliff sits forward a little. He looks surprised, and uncomfortable enough to make me feel uncomfortable. â€Å"On what do you base your observation? Did she dress provocatively?† â€Å"No. I told you already. She wore a nice dress. But as soon as we finished our dessert, she asked me to walk her home.† â€Å"What's wrong with that?† â€Å"Nothing. But at the end of the walk she asked me to have sexual intercourse with her, and not in those words.† Cliff removes his fingers from his chin, sits back, and says, â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"I know. It shocked me too, especially because she knows I'm married.† â€Å"So did you?† â€Å"Did I what?† â€Å"Have sexual intercourse with Tiffany?† At first Cliff's words don't register, but when they do, I become angry. â€Å"No!† â€Å"Why not?† I cannot believe Cliff has actually asked me such a question, especially since he is a happily married man himself, but I dignify the inquiry with an answer anyway. â€Å"Because I love my wife! That's why!† â€Å"That's what I thought,† he says, which makes me feel a little better. He is only testing my morals, which is perfectly understandable, because people outside of mental institutions need to have good morals so that the world will continue to work without any major interruptions – and happy endings will flourish. Then I say, â€Å"I don't even know why Tiffany would ask me to have sex with her anyway. I mean, I'm not even an attractive guy; she's pretty and could do a lot better than me for sure. So I'm thinking now that maybe she's a nymphomaniac. What do you think?† â€Å"I don't know whether she is a nymphomaniac or not,† he says. â€Å"But I do know that sometimes people say and do what they think others want them to. Maybe Tiffany really did not want to have sex with you, but only offered something she thought you would find valuable, so you would value her.† I think about his explanation for a second and then say, â€Å"So you're saying that Tiffany thought I wanted to have sex with her?† â€Å"Not necessarily.† He grabs his chin again. â€Å"Your mother told me you came home with makeup on your shirt. Do you mind if I ask how that happened?† Reluctantly, because I don't like to gossip, I tell him about Tiffany's wearing her wedding ring even after her husband died, and the hugging and the crying we did in front of her parents' house. Cliff nods and says, â€Å"It seems like Tiffany really needs a friend, and that she thought having sex with you would make you want to be her friend. But tell me again how you handled the situation.† So I tell him exactly what led us to the hug and how I let her get makeup on my Hank Baskett jersey and – â€Å"Where did you get a Hank Baskett jersey?† he asks me. â€Å"I told you. My brother gave it to me.† â€Å"That's what you wore to the dinner party?† â€Å"Yeah, just like you told me to.† He smiles and even chuckles, which surprises me. Then he adds, â€Å"What did your friends say?† â€Å"Ronnie said that Hank Baskett is the man.† â€Å"Hank Baskett is the man. I bet he catches at least seven touchdowns this season.† â€Å"Cliff, you're an Eagles fan?† He does the Eagles chant – â€Å"E!-A!-G!-L!-E!-S! EAGLES!† – which makes me laugh because he is my therapist and I did not know therapists could like NFL football. â€Å"Well, now that I know you too bleed green, we'll have to talk Birds off the clock,† Cliff says. â€Å"So you really let Tiffany cry her makeup onto your brand-new Hank Baskett jersey?† â€Å"Yeah, and it's one with stitched-on numbers, not the cheap iron-ons.† â€Å"Authentic Hank Baskett jersey!† he says. â€Å"That was certainly very kind of you, Pat. It sounds like Tiffany only really needed a hug, which you gave her because you are a nice guy.† I can't help smiling, because I really am trying hard to be a nice guy. â€Å"Yeah, I know, but now she's always following me all over town.† â€Å"What do you mean?† So I tell Cliff that since the dinner party, whenever I put on a trash bag and leave my house for a run, Tiffany is always waiting outside in her little running outfit and pink headband. â€Å"Very politely, I told her that I do not like running with other people and asked her to leave me alone, but she ignored my request and simply jogged five feet behind me for my entire run. The next day, she did the same thing, and she keeps on doing it. Somehow she's figured out my schedule, and she's always there when I leave my house an hour before sunset – ready to shadow me wherever I jog. I run fast, and she stays with me. I run on dangerous streets, and she follows. She never tires out either – and just keeps running down the street when I finally stop in front of my house. She doesn't even say hello or goodbye.† â€Å"Why don't you want her to follow you?† Cliff asks. So I ask him how his wife, Sonja, would feel if some hot woman shadowed him every time he went for a run. He smiles the way guys do when they are alone and talking about women in a sexual way, and then he says, â€Å"So you think Tiffany is hot?† This surprises me because I did not know therapists were allowed to talk like guys do when they are buddies, and I wonder if this means that Cliff thinks of me as his buddy now. â€Å"Sure, she's hot,† I say. â€Å"But I'm married.† He grabs his chin and says, â€Å"How long has it been since you've seen Nikki?† I tell him I don't know. â€Å"Maybe a couple of months,† I say. â€Å"Do you really believe that?† he asks, grabbing his chin again. When I say I do, I hear the yelling in my voice and even allow the f-word to slip out. Immediately I feel bad because Cliff was talking to me like a friend, and sane people should not yell and curse at their buddies. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I say when Cliff starts to look scared. â€Å"It's okay,† he says, and forces a smile. â€Å"I should believe that you really mean what you tell me.† He scratches his head for a second and then says, â€Å"My wife loves foreign films. Do you like foreign films?† â€Å"With subtitles?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I hate those types of films.† â€Å"Me too,† Cliff says. â€Å"Mostly because – â€Å" â€Å"No happy endings.† â€Å"Exactly,† Cliff says, pointing a brown finger at my face. â€Å"So depressing most of the time.† I nod wholeheartedly in agreement, even though I haven't been to see any movies for a long time, and won't until Nikki returns, because I am now watching the movie of my life as I live it. â€Å"My wife used to beg me to take her to see these foreign films with subtitles all the time,† Cliff says. â€Å"It seemed like every day she would ask me if we might go to see a foreign film, until I broke down and started taking her. Every Wednesday night we'd go to the Ritz movie theater and see some depressing movie. And you know what?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"After a year we simply stopped going.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"She stopped asking.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I don't know. But maybe if you take an interest in Tiffany, ask her to run with you and maybe to go out to dinner a few times – maybe after a few weeks, she will grow tired of the chase and leave you alone. Let her get what she wants, and maybe she will not want it anymore. Understand?† I do understand, but cannot help asking, â€Å"Do you think that will really work?† And Cliff shrugs in a way that makes me believe it will.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Starbucks Hrm Paper

An Analysis of Actual Personnel Policies for the Starbucks Coffee Contents Environmental Challenges †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Mission Statement †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Organizational Structure †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 External Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 Internal Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Personnel Needs †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Job Descriptions †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Recruitment and Selection †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Employee Training †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 0 Tuition Reimbursement †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 Total Compensation System †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 Union vs. Nonunion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 Work Life †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14 Benefits †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15 Performance Appraisal †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 Personnel and HRM Policies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 HR Improvements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 19 Appendix †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 25An Analysis of Actual Personnel Policies for the Starbucks Coffee Starbucks is one of the renowned coffee companies in the world today. Starbucks is known for its great customer service, inviting atmospheres, and excellent coffee. It all began in1971 in Seattle Washington when they opened their first store located in Pikes Place Market. Starbucks progressed through the many years and now Starbucks is one of the lead coffee stores in the world. They do not only offer coffee but the stores offer a place to work, study, think and even meet new people, which is widely known as Starbucks experience.Starbucks is more than just coffee. The aim of this paper is to examine and evaluate the most important aspects and policies regarding the human resources management of Starbucks by addressing key issues and influencing factors. Environmental Challenges Mission Statement As part of the strategy, CEO Howard Shultz has taken steps to invigorate the staff and ensure the best customer experience. These measures include retraining the staff and holding conferences called leadership labs to inspire its managers who he considers as the â€Å"ambassadors of brand, merchants of romance, and disciples of delight† (Kessler, 2012).Starbucks has also changed its mission statement. Starbuck’s first mission was drafted in 1990 and reflected its goal of being the number one provider of the best coffee you can find in the world (Stanley, 2002). Their new mission statement, as stated on their website is â€Å"to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. † Starbucks has announced plans to change its leadership structure in order to accelerate global growth. The company will be divided into 3 regions, The Americas, Europe, and Asia.Each region will be led by a president that reports to the CEO. The company is also expanding into the tea market as part of its goal to become a $1 billion dollar business (Starbucks Newsroom, 2011). Organizational Structure Since its establishment in 1971, Starbucks has seen many changes to its external & internal environment. As a result, Starbucks has made changes to its human resource management policies with regard to its mission, strategy, and organizational structure. Since Starbucks opened 42 years ago, coffee consumption in the US has steadily increased.Th e 2012 National Coffee Association's National Coffee Drinking Trend Survey that coffee consumption has increased in all categories since 2010. The largest increase has been observed in gourmet coffee beverages which increased by 8% since 2010. This upward trend is in line with the center’s other surveys that show a continual increase for coffee, which is the leading non-alcoholic beverage in the U. S. over soft drink consumption and other beverages (National Coffee, 2012). Starbucks is a massive company with numerous departments. All of the operations are managed from the headquarters in Seattle.District managers oversee the regional clusters of Starbucks stores and they report to the headquarters. Regional managers report to district managers. Store managers oversee the store operations and report to regional managers. Within the store organization one can descend to lower levels of position from store manager to assistant store manager to shift supervisor to barista. (Starb ucks Career Advancement, 2013) One can say that Starbucks has a divided and diversified organizational structure. The structure can be examined in two places.First part is the retail stores, where the physical contact is made with the customers. Since this part of the company solely works on satisfying the customer needs, contains high involvement of employees, and has relatively lesser layers of management, the organizational process resembles a flat organizational structure. (Gomez-Meija, 2012, p. 54). When moving to the corporate sector, one could say that this part resembles a bureaucratic organizational structure as employees are more specialized and there is a top-to-down approach among the ladders. Gomez-Meija, 2012, p. 54). External Environment These demographic changes for coffee has prompted new entrants into the consumer coffee market. The quick-service restaurant sector, including McDonalds, Wendy’s, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Jamba Juice have started lines of pre mium coffee. In addition, Starbucks faces new competitors in the grocery aisles since technology has made single serve coffee makers more popular for home use (National Coffee, 2012). In the global environment, the coffee industry is also seeing an expansion.Coffee is already the world’s most popular beverage, and has consistently ranked in the top five most traded commodities since the 1990s (Pendergrast, 2009). Internal Environment The internal environment is based around Starbucks’ mission to create a third place between home and work. As Starbucks has grown and expanded it has attempted to control quality by not franchising. As Starbuck’s environment has changed, the company has made several adjustments to Starbucks’ Human Resource policies. CEO Howard Shultz retook the helm of the company in 2008 with a goal of returning to the core values of producing the best cup of offee (Wertheimer, 2011). Personnel Needs The personnel that comprise the retail de partment are the Baristas and Shift Supervisors. Baristas prepare coffee and serve customers. Shift Supervisors assist the store manager with store operations. The Shift Supervisor is also a team leader responsible for delegating tasks and assisting with staff member training. Starbucks has about 18,000 stores worldwide, with 72% of them in North America (Loeb, 2013). Although the coffee giant has over 200,000 employees, each stores retail staff averages less than 9 members (Naydenov, 2013).The company recently demonstrated its procedure for handling personnel needs relative to demand. Between 2009 and the end of 2012, 39,000 employees were laid off as the global giant closed more than 600 stores. This downsizing was a result of a restructuring effort during the recession which brought economic uncertainty. Now that the company is experiencing recovery, CEO Gary Shultz has announced plans to hire 3,500 baristas by the end of 2013 (Allison, 2013). The expansion is a result of increas ed demand due to Starbucks new product launches which include a new line of coffee and the venture into the tea market.The company’s growth is also aided by continuous high sales in China. Job Description Starbucks as a big entity with over 200000 employees (Simon, 2008) is a massive global company employing people within a wide variety of positions. They have baristas who are the public face of the company, both interacting with the customers and preparing their coffee and lattes. They have shift supervisors who are veteran baristas overseeing the overall Starbucks store experience for customers. Starbucks hires a big number of people, mostly for their retail stores.These retail jobs have a more general description. When looking at the job description at the Starbucks career page, one can see that this position might not be a technical one but is explained in great details. Because this position requires focus on multiple tasks with light focus, one could define it as a gene ral position. In the upper levels of the careers, there are many kinds of management positions from store managers to district managers to regional managers. Job descriptions at Starbucks tend o get more specific towards the upper ladders as the company starts to resemble a bureaucratic organizational structure. For example, Critical positions such as managers are described in much greater detail when compared to retail store positions. A product manager has many tasks and duties but the responsibilities stay focused. The job description for the product manager is comprised of (1) a title, (2) a location, (3) a job summary (4) key responsibilities, (5) qualifications (6) required knowledge, skills ; abilities and (7) core competencies (Starbucks | Careers, 2013).This job description matches and even exceed the content of the ones described in the textbook as the textbook suggests that a job description should include a summary, duties and responsibilities, requirements and qualifica tions. One can say that Starbucks has executed creating of job descriptions very professionally in accordance with today’s standards. Two job descriptions, one for a barista and one for a product manager, are provided in the Appendix section, where one can picture the differences between a general job description and a specific job description.The barista has many duties in a great variety. They should provide customer service, be in constant communication with their supervisors and maintenance the cleanliness of the place. A product manager has greater responsibilities such as marketing, management and product innovation but the duties and tasks are are described with a greater precision when compared to the barista’s job description. One reason for this difference might be the fact that the baristas are focused and that’s a dynamic task subject to change at all times. Recruiting ; SelectionRecruitment is the gathering of capable people who might be a fit to th e position and selection is a process where the decision makers use specific tools and methods to choose the better candidates within that pool. (Bratton ; Gold, 2007, p. 239) Recruiting and selection of employees are important milestones in hiring a candidate for a position. It is usually conducted by a member of HR or a manager. Starbucks obviously utilizes job design and job analysis methods for positions from all levels because their job descriptions at the career web-site are very well structured.Starbucks HR uses both internal and external recruitment. In the case of internal recruitment, there are a few ways to lead this process. Candidates can be selected in the intranet on the website where only the staff and the employees have access. Additionally candidates can be selected through staff meetings or recommendations from other employees (usually the ones in higher positions in the ladder). In the case of external recruitments, Starbucks utilizes conventional recruitment met hods and accepts only online applications: To attract candidates Starbucks uses ads, word of mouth and internet to reach out to people.Even though Starbucks uses methods besides the internet to reach out to potential candidates, they select candidates from the pool that receives applications from the career web-site. First they eliminate the ones who do not have the qualifications. After that they do phone interviews to select the ones who are interested in the position. The ones who the pass phone interviews undergo a face to face interview with district and regional managers. (Starbucks Interview Questions, 2013) Their sources of recruitment process provide all the aspects of traditional and non-traditional methods described in the textbook (Gomez-Meija, 2012, p. 74). Starbucks had some out of the box thinking and has incorporated social media very nicely into its recruiting and selection process. Positions and applications can be reached out through the Twitter and LinkedIn. (Soc ial Recruiting, 2010) This way Starbucks increases the chances of interactive conversations and encourages more potential candidates to apply for positions to increase the size of the recruitment pool. Employee Training Starbucks has a unique and successful approach to the training the company offer to employees, new and tenured.The training regimen of a Starbucks Employee consists of a multitude of strategies including but not limited to Customer service training, Cross-functional training, team training, and On-the-job training (OJT) (Reese, 1996). Training/lessons are creatively named so as to keep with Corporate Cultures i. e. â€Å"Brewing the perfect cup†, â€Å"coffee knowledge†. These different methods of training are systematically set in place and usually take about 24 hours, of which the majority is to be completed within the first two weeks of employment.Once an employee has â€Å"cleared† all different levels of training, the employee should be well rounded, educated, and skilled to service customers/clientele (Reese, 1996). Tuition Reimbursement Starbucks offers tuition reimbursement based on the employees eligibility, position, and length of continuous service from the beginning of each calendar year. Taking into consideration that 85% of Starbucks â€Å"Partners† have education beyond high school and the average age is approx. 26, the benefit of tuition reimbursement is as lucrative as the wages themselves.The idea of getting a degree and having your â€Å"employer† pay for it fits as a strategic benefit/lure for the principle demographics of Starbucks employees. (Life at Starbucks, 2006) The eligible expenses consist of tuition fees, books, class requires supplies and required fees. Another eligibility criterion is that the education the employee wishes to get must aid the employee in his/her career path in Starbucks. Many degrees are supported in the program such as Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Mas ters, Doctoral, and Certificate degrees. Employees can apply through internet, fax or e-mail. There is also a limit to this tuition reimbursement amount.In the Appendix, a tuition reimbursement application sample form is attached. Total Compensation Starbucks hires around 200 people per day and has one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry. Starbucks aims to imbed its values in the company culture. Starbucks use these values to give employees a sense of meaning to their work even if it is just pouring a cup of coffee. The firm belief has been that if you take care of your employees, employees will take care of customers and be engaged in their work. They offer a comprehensive benefits package including healthcare coverage, stock options and discounted stock purchase programs.Their benefits package is branded â€Å"Your Special Blend† and is available to employees in its full capacity after only ninety days of employment. To go a step further, Starbucks implemented a pl an called Partner Connection to help the workforce with health and fitness and to link employees with shared interests and hobbies. This program is funded by sales of logo merchandise to partners. They also have a program called the CUP Fund that helps employees with financial assistance during times of crisis or hardship and a Total Pay package that offers discretionary bonuses.Finally, Starbucks offers its employees a program called Mission Review which allows the employees to communicate thoughts and feelings to management and receive answers to their questions. The formal rewards are certainly not very attractive. Most of the so-called partners are paid less than what primary school private tutors get per hour. Starbucks is a challenge for its employees, learning something new, and a good way of earning some extra money. The partners make work fun, and employees like to mess around with coffee. One could say that informal rewards would play a larger part than in these intrinsica lly driven motivations.Employees are free to take any drink from Starbuck sand they do it very openly. When a former employee turned up to visit everybody,  they were given a warm welcome, and not to mention helped to a free drink. It does seem that working in Starbucks made the employees and former employees feel good as they were able to drink free coffee which other consumers pay. Starbucks, as a popular culture icon, also made it cool and hip to work in. A certain amount of social status is conferred thus, and this is another hidden reward. It makes sense why these people were so intensely motivated in their work behavior.A 20% discount would be available for any employee when he visits another branch, even when he or she is off duty. All that the employee has to do is to key in his or her Identification Card Number. The interesting thing is that this attractive discount also applies if the employee orders on behalf of accompanying friends. The privileges of working for Starbu cks Coffee extend beyond normal working times. Only the employees are able to understand the benefits and such small benefits add up to actually becoming quite substantial. Union vs. NonunionThe employee-employer relationship is complicated at Starbucks. Starbucks was unionized in the 80s and provided health-care even to the baristas besides a share of the profit. In 1992 Starbucks became union-free with the worker’s own will because The CEO Howard Schultz claimed that he really cared about the workers, calling them â€Å"partners† and he would listen to their problems. (Fellner, 2008, p. 144) There are contradictory comments about the issue. Even though baristas still receive health benefits as much as higher-level management employees, they are not happy about the payrolls.For example, the baristas in New York City complain that the wage they get is not enough to make a living. (Maher-Adamy, 2006)There have been disputes between managers and baristas in public (Inter national Labor, 2008). There are also neutral commentators who believe that the truth lies in between as some think that Starbucks is treating their employees still better than many other restaurants (Fellner, 2008, p. 70). Starbucks is already unionized since 2006, founded by a previously fired employee, Daniel Gross (Simon, 2008). Facts point out that Starbucks should stay unionized.Even though when research indicates that Starbucks treats its employees with more dignity than many other restaurants by calling them partners (Fellner, 2008, p. 142), it does not necessarily prove that they are treating their employees fairly. The management claims that they have been treating the employees fairly and providing them with benefits, good wages, and stock options but the company has been accused of union bashing and a National Labor Relations Board Judge ruled that Starbucks violated federal labor law by trying to stop union activities at four Manhattan locations in New York. James, 2009 ). Wagner Act states that management should not interfere with, restrain or coerce employees from exercising their their rights to form unions. (Gomez-Meija, 2011, p. 506) The Taft-Hartley Act, and the Landrum-Griffin Act were amended in order to balance the power distribution but one can say that Starbucks unions are not overpowered at all. Work Life The quality of work life for Starbucks employees actually is really good for them. Starbucks has a great outlook on employee relationships, and they offer such benefits that it does keep the employees happy.The benefits offered help relieve normal every day stresses so you can focus more on working at your best. Starbucks creates a happy environment with the help of having happy employees. The Quality of work life is related to high job satisfaction it is known to have less â€Å"absenteeism and turnover† (Gomez-Mejia, 2012, p. 20). Employees feel satisfied in a job when a few different needs are met. There is the environment in which they work the other employees around them, and the benefits that come from the company that all help employees to want to feel as they are a part of the company and are appreciated. BenefitsStarbucks offers the usual benefits most company’s give out and then some. They have competitive pay, Insurances for Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and disabilities. Starbucks also offers the employees Bonuses, paid time off, and a retirement savings, which is very valuable because everyone is worried about getting older and to have a retirement plan, helps you look to the future with less worries. The list continues with equity in the form of Starbucks stock and discounted stock purchase plan, and employees like to be a part of the company they are working for especially if they do feel happy with the company.Another -not so much heard- benefit is the Adoption assistance which is an amazing gift for the families who are helping the homeless children in the world. Domestic partner benefits are also a large helper because then it helps secure families more. Emergency financial aid can take a stress off your back, and a referral and support resources for child and eldercare is another help with the stress reliever. On top of all the benefits, you even get a free pound of coffee each week (Huang, 2011). One method they use to have productivity enhancing techniques is they offer â€Å"Perks for Partners†.An example is that while on work breaks any tea, or coffees are free of charge. Being an employee and having free beverages on the break is a nice incentive, and would help enhance productivity because happy employees produce good work productivity (Starbucks. com, 2013). Performance Appraisal Policies The performance management system at the Starbucks revolves around each employee; it puts the individual as the focus where every person who is in direct interaction with him will evaluate him. All his peers, subordinates, supervisors and ev en externally interacting parties such as the customers, and suppliers belong in this group of people.This is related to the 360 degree concept where employees provide their own evaluation along with their evaluation by those surrounding them. At Starbucks each employee’s evaluation influences the employee’s future on whether he should be rewarded, promoted or even fired. But at the same time there is a controversy attached with the 360 degree evaluation system as it has a great tendency to be biased towards an individual, the evaluation can be easily manipulated with a simple understanding between the employees.But Starbucks believes in the goodness of the human beings it is believed that the employees will be honest and evaluate themselves and others with utmost integrity. The number of orders fulfilled by the employee in a given amount of time, the number of orders that had errors and were given back, employee’s behavior around customer and others, the feedba ck from customers this management system is an all-round technique. Personnel ; Human Resource Policies Overall Starbucks human resources have focused on overall wanting to be the most known brand there is in the coffee industry.They have Cultural Diversity by respecting the surrounding local cultures, and they utilize globalization principles at the same time. Starbucks has expanded so much since they first opened in 1971, in Seattle Washington’s Pike Place Market. Choosing this location for their first store was a tiny piece of the success, Pikes Place is already known to be famous because of Starbucks’ reputation. Starbucks used the help of another brand name to get their name out there. Since Starbucks is expanding its growth at all times, it is very important to keep in mind the diversity in order to globalize (Allison, 2012).Starbucks would have no success in growing if they did not properly accept the ways of local culture. Customers only keep coming back if you make them feel comfortable and that needs considering and taking all cultures into account at all times. Starbucks has a very important recruitment process when hiring new candidates and this is one of the most effective policies that the human resources put into action. The Development process helps them hire good employees so it is very important probably the most important to the company, and creates good customer service.They have great targeted training, certification programs and performance evaluations. The management team gets evaluated by the district managers annually. The baristas have regular evaluations every 6 months after they are hired and they have three outcomes to label these employees; needs improvement, meets expectations, exceeds expectations (Huang, 2011. ) Customers First Motto is very important, this helps keep customer loyalty and keeps the door open for new customers from good word of mouth. This is one of the most effective policies there is because with no customers there is no growth, no revenue and could demolish the brand name.Starbucks has a competitive advantage and offers the partners many things to keep them enthusiastic towards the Starbucks Company. One of the least effective policies would be the Starbucks rewards program for the customers; where you can get a free coffee for your birthday  (Huang, 2011). Even though the benefits from these rewards are small and only exciting for some customers, others just want to feel comfortable where they go or fast pace with good customer service. Starbucks tries to position itself higher than other companies with all the perks and benefits and how the whole company is run.Starbucks creates a good image of the company, and this image will only help them grow and continue to be a great company in the industry. HR Improvements If Starbucks could improve anywhere in their human resource policies, it would have to be in the training area and the performance evaluations they perform. T hese evaluations can help ensure the employees are staying positive and being an a part of the company. Too many evaluations would be a waste of money, but they should perform the Barista evaluations at every 3 months until an employee has been with them for one year.This would help Starbucks make sure they hire the proper employees and can weed through the ones who are not proper for the job. Also with Starbucks becoming so worldwide and opening stores in places such as United Kingdom and Russia they need to make sure people are properly trained in the cultures around them as to where the Starbucks is located. All the different states and countries Starbucks has offered special products to please the surrounding customers in their own geographic areas. In United Kingdom they added an extra shot of espresso to their 12 ounce drink (Allison, 2012).Human resource policies should be the same throughout the company no matter what continent they are on but they do need to make sure prope r training happens in each culture so that the company can keep expanding. Conclusion Starbucks overall has a great company that still to this day is growing and will continue to grow worldwide. The company has their human resources policies planned and organized in a very helpful and successful way. Starbucks understands the important aspects that make a company whole, and the needs of what to accomplish in order to have a growing successful Company.Starbucks strategy has proven year after year they are on the right track that a company should be on to generate revenues and a pleasant environment for the employees, employers and consumers. There are some issues with the employees in terms of wages, benefits and unions and Starbucks should keep the promises that has been given personally by the CEO, because it has been observed many times that happier employees means a better service and this results in happier customers. References Allison, M. (2013). Starbucks cranks up its own jo bs plan. The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://seattletimes. om/html/businesstechnology/2016665838_starbucks02. html Allison, Mellissa. (2012, August 13). Starbucks has Eye on Worldwide Growth. Seattle Times, C. 3 page1. Retrieved from  http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. fau. edu/docview /1033248131/13C590CCC0E3E2F274D/1? accountid=10902 Barbash, J. U. S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management. (n. d. ). Unions and rights in the space age  . Retrieved from website: http://www. dol. gov/oasam/programs/history/chapter6. htm Bratton, J. , ; Gold, J. (2007). Human resource managment: Theory and practice. (Fourth ed. ).New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Company Information. Starbucks web-site. Retrieved from  http://www. starbucks. com/about-us/company-information Effective Brands. (2008). Starbucks: Abuzz about local growth. Retrieved from http://www. effectivebrands. com/downloads/bulletin_starbucks . pdf Fellner, K. (2008). Wrestling With Starbucks. New Brunswick: Rutgers Press University. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://web. ebscohost. com. ezproxy. fau. edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/nlebk_243103_AN? [email  protected];vid=1;format=EB Gomez-Mejia, L. R. , Balkin, D. B. ; Cardy, R. L. (2012). Managing human resources. (7th ed. ). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Global actions target starbucks union-busters (2007). Industrial Worker. Retrieved from http://ezproxy. fau. edu/login? url=http://search. proquest. com/docview/195446184? accountid=10902 Huang, Connie. (2011, November 21). Starbucks: A Premium Blend of Human Resource Policies. Prezi. com. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://prezi. com/c8gqvfpfno6k/starbucks-a-premium-blend-of-human-resource-policies/ Not a creditable source James, A. (2009), Starbucks spars over union. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. starbucksunion. rg/news/starbucks-spars-over-union-seattle-pi? language=fr Kessler, S. (2012). Inside St arbucks's $35 Million Mission To Make Brand Evangelists Of Its Front-Line Workers. Fast Company. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. fastcompany. com/ 3002023/inside-starbuckss-35-million-mission-make-brand-evangelists-its-front-line-workers Larson, R. (2009). Marketing Strategy and Alliances Analysis of Starbucks Corporation. Liberty University. Retrieved April 14 2013 from: http://digitalcommons. liberty. edu/cgi/viewcontent. cgi? article =1005&context=busi_fac_pubs Life at Starbukcs (2103). Tuition Reimbursement.Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://lifeat. sbux. com/NR/rdonlyres/FB31ADAF-D465-468C-A81A-18C0AC290517/0/TuitionReimbursementPoliciesandProceduresPlanDescriptionAug12006. pdf Loeb, W. (2013). Starbucks: Global Coffee Giant Has New Growth Plans. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. forbes. com/sites/walterloeb/2013/01/31/starbucks-global-coffee-giant-has-new-growth-plans/ Maher-Adamy (2006) Do Hot Coffee And â€Å"Wobblies† Go Together? Th e Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 14 from http://online. wsj. com/article/SB114290666494303693-email. html Morrison, M. (2011). Starbucks Forges ‘Moments of Connection' By OfferingExperience. Retrieved April 14 2013 from  http://adage. com/article/special-report-marketer-alist/marketer-a-list-starbucks/230837/ National Coffee Association. (n. d. ). National Coffee Drinking Trends 2012. Retrieved April 14 2013 from: http://www. ncausa. org/i4a/pages/Index. cfm? pageID=731 Naydenov, D. (2013). Will the Economy and Employee Costs Put Pressure on Starbucks? The Motley Fool. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://beta. fool. com/didiooodotcom/2013/03/04/evaluating-potential-economic-and-employee-cost-pr/25586/ Obloja,  Elena. (2011, December 15). Starbucks HR policies and practices. scribd. com. Retrieved from  http://www. cribd. com/doc/75800799/Starbucks-HR-Policies-and-Practices. Not a creditable source Pendergrast, M. (2009). Coffee second only to oil? Is coffee really the second largest commodity? Mark Pendergrast investigates and finds some startling results. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. thefreelibrary. com/Coffee+second+only+to+oil%3F+Is+coffee+really +the+second+largest†¦ -a0198849799 Reese Jennifer. (1996, Decemeber 9). Starbucks, inside the coffee cult. Cnn. Money. com. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1996/12/09/219373/ Seaford, Bryan C. , Robert C. Culp, and Bradley W.Brooks. (2012) Starbucks: maintaining a clear position. Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies; 2012, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p39 Simon, B. (2008). Consuming lattes and labor, or working at Starbucks. International Labor and Working Class History, 74(1), 193-211. Social Recruiting the Starbucks Way. (2010, March 23). Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://blog. sironaconsulting. com/sironasays/2010/03/social-recruiting-the-starbucks-way-. html Stanley, A. (2002). Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks Cof fee Company. Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Retrieved from http://mba. tuck. dartmouth. edu/pdf/2002-1-0023. df Starbucks Career Advancement (2013). Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. starbucks. com/career-center/starbucks-career-advancement â€Å"Starbucks Corporation. † International Directory of Company Histories. Ed. Jay P. Pederson. Vol. 77. Detroit: St. James Press, 2006. Business Insights: Essentials. Retrieved from URL Here Starbucks Interview Questions (2008). Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. glassdoor. com/Interview/Starbucks-Interview-Questions-E2202. htm Starbucks Newsroom. (2011). Starbucks Announces New Leadership Structure to Accelerate Global Growth. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://news. starbucks. com/article_display. fm? article_ id=547 Static Brain. com. (2012, September 9). Starbucks Company Statistics. Retrieved April 14 2013from http://www. statisticbrain. com/starbucks-company-statistics/ Wertheimer, L. (2011). Starbucks CEO: Ca n You ‘Get Big And Stay Small'? NPR. Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. npr. org/templates/transcript/transcript. php? storyId=134738487 Why are starbucks workers joining a union? (n. d. ). Retrieved April 14 2013 from http://www. starbucksunion . org/about-starbucks-union/why-are-starbucks-workers-joining-union Appendix I. Job Description of a barista Barista (US) Location:  Boca Raton, FL (5250 Towne Center Circle)Location Details Starbucks 5250 Towne Center Circle Boca Raton,  FL  Ã‚  33486 P: 561-347-9710  »Ã‚  See all jobs at this location Job Description As a Starbucks Barista, you will create the Starbucks Experience for our customers by providing legendary customer service with prompt service, quality beverages and products, and maintaining a clean and comfortable store environment. You will be responsible for modeling and acting in accordance with Starbucks guiding principles and best of all, you’ll be part of a company that is consistently rated as a great place to work and the people here love what they do.Summary of Key Responsibilities Responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to the following: * Acts with integrity, honesty and knowledge that promote the culture, values and mission of Starbucks. * Maintains a calm demeanor during periods of high volume or unusual events to keep store operating to standard and to set a positive example for the shift team. * Anticipates customer and store needs by constantly evaluating environment and customers for cues. * Communicates information to manager so that the team can respond as necessary to create the Third Place environment during each shift. Assists with new partner training by positively reinforcing successful performance and giving respectful and encouraging coaching as needed. * Contributes to positive team environment by recognizing alarms or changes in partner morale and performance and communicating them to the store manager. * Delivers l egendary customer service to all customers by acting with a customer comes first attitude and connecting with the customer. Discovers and responds to customer needs. * Follows Starbucks operational policies and procedures, including those for cash handling and safety and security, to ensure the safety of all partners during each shift.Maintains a clean and organized workspace so that partners can locate resources and product as needed. * Maintains regular and consistent attendance and punctuality. * Provides quality beverages, whole bean, and food products consistently for all customers by adhering to all recipe and presentation standards. Follows health, safety and sanitation guidelines for all products. * Recognizes and reinforces individual and team accomplishments by using existing organizational methods. Summary of Experience * No previous experience requiredRequired Knowledge, Skills & Abilities * Ability to learn quickly * Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions and request clarification when needed * Strong interpersonal skills * Ability to work as part of a team * Ability to build relationships Physical Requirements * Constant standing/walking * Occasional stooping, kneeling or crawling * Occasional pushing, pulling, lifting or carrying up to 40 lbs * Occasional ascending or descending ladders, stairs, ramps * Constant computer/POS Register and bar equipment usage Frequent, continual, intermittent flexing or rotation of the wrist(s) and spine * Constant reaching, turning, and performing precision work around bar area * Constant receiving detailed information through oral communication * Constant talking, expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word * Occasional Distinguishing, with a degree of accuracy, differences or similarities in intensity or quality of flavors and/or odors   * Constant clarity of vision at near and/or far distances Link to the page: https://wfa. ronostm. com/index. jsp? LOCATION_ID=289517 9514&locale=en_US&applicationName=StarbucksNonReqExt&SEQ=postingLocationDetails&POSTING_ID=667441924 II. Job Description of a Product Manager Description Job Summary & Mission This job contributes to Starbucks success by supporting the transformation of Starbucks food, a critical strategic initiative for our company and an area of tremendous change and opportunity. Role is a unique combination of category work + strategic support of high impact special projects.Description:  drives the successful rollout of our new La Boulange platform across the United States by ensuring the engagement of store Partners. Works with cross functional teams to create new engagement plans and protocols, design special events and otherwise ensure the sustained success of our food program within stores. Proactively identifies and resolves potential challenges, facilitates cross-functional communication, and manages the product performance against operating plans and budgets to achieve Starbucks financi al and business objectives. Models and acts in accordance with Starbucks guiding principles.Summary of Key Responsibilities Responsibilities and essential job functions include but are not limited to the following: Business Management: – Manages the product line business against operating plans and budgets. Tracks, analyzes and communicates product and program performance vs. expectations. Provides meaningful insight and recommends action plans to address variances in performance against annual plan. – Manages cross functional team to deliver integrated launch programs for products, including product direction, marketing plans and store operations and supply chain requirements.Communicates product direction to internal and external partners. – Develops and manages product line business plans. Creates and presents the business case for new programs to support growth strategies and profitability targets. Makes recommendations regarding product objectives and strat egy, positioning, pricing, packaging, and product lifecycle. May provide information and direction for planning, forecasting and managing inventories. – Supports qualitative and quantitative research to develop key findings and recommended actions (e. . develops proforma models and runs sensitivities). – Merges trends and other primary and secondary forms of research with fact based business insights to arrive at sound strategic recommendations. Uses data to tell a logical story. – Manages project teams and timelines to deliver products and programs. May work with cross-functional partners to ensure the best available costs, terms and quality. – Provides input into the strategic plan for product(s) they manage. Marketing & Promotions: Develops and manages multi-channel, integrated marketing plans for promotions, brand initiatives, or product. Creates and presents the business case for new programs to support growth strategies and profitability targets. Cr eates and/or provides input to recommendations regarding marketing plan objectives, strategy, messaging, marketing mix, and tactics. – Develops, manages, and tracks marketing budgets, timelines, and processes from kickoff to execution. Establishes and maintains processes to ensure effective and timely development and execution of programs within defined