A chiropractic office Essay

A chiropractic office lost all of its computer data, and I was hired for the amount of time that it would take me to type up all of their hard copies into their new computer system. It took me a total of two weeks to type up a three-foot stack of papers. The skills required were mainly typing and editing skills, and sometimes I had to be able to read the doctor’s handwriting. I felt that no further motivation was necessary regarding skill level, since I am a quick, accurate typist and I enjoyed learning about various alternative health remedies as I went along. I completed the entire stack of papers by myself, and I found the solitary work to be relaxing and enjoyable. I felt that my job was, indeed, meaningful since many of the papers were standard legal forms or alternative health information or recipes for kidney stones or other ailments. At any given point in time, I was either directly assisting the chiropractic office or the patients thereof. Since I was a friend of the chiropractor and a trusted member of the staff, I was given full autonomy to complete my assignment on my time, at my discretion and on my schedule. That motivated me to do a stellar job in a short amount of time. Afterward, everyone was impressed by the quality of work I did, but especially the short amount of time in which I did it. I felt satisfied and like I accomplished something worthwhile and in an efficient manner. Â  I will use this same chiropractic office as my next example. An example of strategic planning is when the chiropractor refers the patient to their next appointment, telling them what needs to be checked up on or corrected next time. In this manner, he is not leaving it up to the patient to decide, but recommending a timeframe for when they should return. In this manner, for as long as the patient needs his help, he is providing himself continuing clientele. An example of functional-level planning is when he hired me to type up his paperwork or hired a receptionist to take care of patient evaluation and scheduling of appointments. In this manner, he is allowing himself to give the patients his full, undivided attention which will heal them faster, and allocating other work responsibilities to other people. In this way, he remains organized and punctual. The differences in decision making between the chiropractor and, say, his receptionist is drastic. If the receptionist were to determine when a patient was finished with treatment, a patient could be over-treated or under-treated and lose a lot of money, which would be spread by word-of-mouth and cost the business lots of money. And if the chiropractor made it his responsibility to take care of the tax reports, he would spend hours away from his treatment table, when he could be taking walk-ins or checking the status of a patient’s healing.

Determining Lung Capacity

Determining lung capacity Experiment: This is the experiment of determining lung capacity. All the students in the group measured three types of different parameters: vital capacity, expiratory reserve and tidal volume. â€Å"Lung volumeizing refer to physical differences in lung volume, while lung capacities represent different combinations of lung volumes, usually in relation to inhalation and exhalation. The average pair of human lungs can hold about 6 liters of air, but only a small amount of this capacity is used during normal breathing. Several factors affect lung volumes, some that can be controlled and some that can not. Lung volumes can be measured using the following terms[1]: Table 1 Larger volumes |Smaller volumes | |males |Females | |taller people |shorter people | |non-smokers |smokers | |athletes |non-athletes | |people living at high altitudes |people living at low altitudes | The results that were measured during the experiment are showen in the table. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1. Vital capacity is the amount of air that can be forced out of the lungs after maximal inspiration. The precise formula for measuring vital capacity is: Inspiratory reserve volume( IRV) + Tidal volume( TV) + Expiratory reserve volume (ERV). 2] My calculations showed next values of diameter of the balloon: First measurement = 19 cm Seco nd measurement = 20 cm Third measurement = 21 cm Fourth measurement = 21 cm Average one is = 20. 25 However, the only formula that we used in this experiment to calculate the volume in balloon is next one: VOLUME = 1. 33 [pic] r[pic], where r = [pic] of the average diameter of the balloon and [pic]= 3. 14. So in this case, vital capacity is: r = 10. 125 V= 1. 33 [pic] 3. 14 [pic]( 10. 125)[pic] V= 4334. 77 2. Expiratory reserve capacity is the amount of additional air that can be breathed out after the end expiratory level of normal breathing. 3] Expiratory reserve that was measured showed next values: First measurement =13. 5 cm Second measurement = 14 cm Third measurement = 13. 5 cm Fourth measurement = 14 cm Average one is = 13. 75 r = 6. 875 V = 1. 33 [pic] 3. 14 [pic]( 6. 875)[pic] V = 1357. 06 3. Tidal volume is the amount of air breathed in or out during normal respiration[4]. Tidal volume that was measured showe next results: First measurement = 15 cm Second measurement = 15 . 5 cm Third measurement = 15. 5 cm Fourth measurement = 15 cm Average one is = 15. 25 r = 7. 625 V = 1. 33 [pic] 3. 14 [pic]( 7. 625)[pic] V = 1851. 402 Conclusion: It is possible to deduce that each of the volumes is bigger in males than in females. This is because of the construction of the body, where men need larger lung capacity than women. In this way we proved the statement is the Table 1. The other thing that was proved is that athlets have much bigger lung capacity than those who don't play any sport. This is better shown in female example in this experiment. We can see also that the vital capacity is the largest because it represent the amount of air exhaled after maximum inhalation. Tidal volume is smaller, because it is the air exhaled during normal respiration. However, it is also shown that Expiratory reserve is the smallest, because it represents the amount of air exhaled right before next inhalation. Evaluation: We could extend this experiment by measuring other values such as: 1. „Total Lung Capacity (TLC). The formula for calculating TLC is = IRV + TV + ERV + RV. This is the volume of gas contained in the lung at the end of maximal inspiration. 2. Forced vital capacity. This is the amount of air that can be maximally forced out of the lungs after a maximal inspiration. 3. Residual volume (RV). This is the amount of air left in the lungs after a maximal exhalation. 4. Inspiratory reserve volume ( IRV). The formula for calcutaing IRV = VC- ( TV + ERV). This is the additional air that can be inhaled after a normal tidal breath in. 5. Functional residual capacity (FRC). The formula for calculating FRC = ERV+ RV. This is the amount of air left in the lungs after a tidal breath out. 6. Inspiratory capacity ( IC). The formula for calculating IC = TV + IRV. This is the volume that can be inhaled after a tidal breathe-out. †[5] In this way, it would be possible to calculate all the values using the right formulas. In this experiment, we might have some errors. During the measurement of the diameter of the balloon, it is possible that the values read on the ruler were wrong. [pic] Graph showing vital capacity of the students [pic] Graph showing expiratory reserve of the students [pic] Graph showing tidal volume of the students | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ———————– [1] www. wikipedia. com [2] www. wikipedia. com [3] www. wikipedia. com [4] www. wikipedia. com [5] www. wikipedia. com

Installing and Upgrading Software Essay

There are a number of reasons for upgrading software, generally the main reason is that the software has been improved or security problems have been addressed, or it offers new functionality. You may also install or update software when a new piece of hardware is installed in order to make it compatible. Other reasons may include software which is no longer supported by the manufacturer. If the software in question brings new functionality to the computer system in day to day life and makes that task easier, then you should consider updating. You also upgrade when you need to or when you want to upgrade or when your system is not working properly, existing software fails to run correctly and when additional functionality required. Sometimes, your pc crashes, freezes, your PC runs very slow, Having Problems Shutting down the computer and Shutting down applications and sometimes its shutdown while you are doing something or you may just get blank screen. If you find that you need more power in your machine and then you can upgrade your components, when your computer stops doing what you need it to do, then it is time to consider upgrading or replacing the computer. You upgrade when your existing system is not work properly, when you need new hardware or new software for your system and sometimes it may be company policy that you upgrade systems. You upgrade to fix programming bugs and security holes. Describe the potential prompt that initiate new or upgrade software: When you upgrade the software it might not work because it may not be suitable for the system specification, so in that situation you will need to upgrade the system to allow that software to work. Upgrading new software is used in computing and user electronics, generally meaning replacement of software with a newer version, in order to bring the system up to date to improve its characteristics. When installing or upgrading you should be aware of all the different types of risks that can occur risks such as prompts. Explain the advantage and potential disadvantage of the installation or upgrade of new software: The advantages of the installation or upgrades of the new software are that it may allow you to install different applications and also it may add new features to your current software. The disadvantages is that the upgrade may not be successful or even cause problems to other software which are currently installed and also it may stop other applications from running. It also may cause problems to existing system.

Nursing theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing theories - Research Paper Example The philosophical claims of this theory are based on the facts that people or individuals must always give meaning to every experience they face in life; like in our case, we have patients in intensive care units. Their families may experience anxiety, depression and even signs of post-traumatic stress as they get worried of their loved ones in the critical conditions and sense making philosophically demands that meaning be given to this (Davidson, 2010), philosophically sense making integrates aspects of identity, retrospection and enactment. Others include; the social, ongoing and extracted cues not forgetting plausibility where an individual needs to know enough to enable them make informed acceptance hence achieve relief accumulated in them by way of fear and experienced horror (Dervin, 1983). This is the main concept behind the woman Garcia who has gone to visit their husband in the hospital ICU. It talks about facilitated sense making to help the woman avoid sever psychological outcomes of the realities that may result from the fact that the husband lies in the ICU (Davidson, 2010). The assumptions of the theory include identity and these will require the woman to define who she is because of the situation she faces as well as how and what she thinks. Retrospection comes in as the second assumption and this requires the woman to learn what she thinks looking back into their stand about the same issue earlier. Then enactment of the object in terms of making something out of the situation will be required (Dervin, 1983). This is closely linked to the socialization assumption that demands that another party within the same context must have influenced whatever someone says or believed, the talking also ought to adopt the mechanism of spread across time giving it an ongoing assumption (Brenda, 1998). In addition, the assumption of extracted cues requires that it is only a small portion of the content gets derived for public consumption and lastly we have plau sibility, this will require that Garcia knows enough of the outcomes she expects out of the situation. These assumptions are much testable since they indicate the roots of all the variations and the content of the article all indicate the aspects defined (Brenda, 1998). The definition of all the concepts explained are much consistent with the theory since the theory demands that individuals must always create a common ground for an understanding to enable them land on the position of acting with principles on grounds of information. This explains the need for through research from relevant sources of information about concepts information, which is often stored for future reference (Dervin, 1983). In explaining facilitated sense making, we would apply Roy’s adaptation model, this is a model that mainly and in most cases apply to the sense making model in the nursing practice hence the choice as illness can cause several disruptions in life which requires a period of compensat ion and hence a prospect of adaptation. Based on the duration that the compensation takes, the

HR Strategy for HSBC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HR Strategy for HSBC - Essay Example This paper aims to provide an overview of the business strategy of HSBC Holdings plc and to develop the HR strategy that will fit the new company’s strategy. HSBC retail banking segment targets premium market, focusing on customers with medium to high incomes. Thus, the company is capable to earn good profits and to minimize risks associated with high-risk borrowings (Uvais, 2015). Recently, the company has updated its business strategy aiming to be â€Å"where the growth is, connecting customers to opportunities† (Hsbc.com, 2015). HSBC introduced a two-part strategy comprised of the following two elements: (1) a network of businesses connecting the world, and (2) wealth management and retail with local scale (Hsbc.com, 2015). Therefore, on the one hand, the company aims to achieve global reach and develop its business operations in the international arena, achieving thus economies of scales, and on the other hand, it aims to capture opportunities in wealth management and retail markets with a focus made on growth markets (Hsbc.com, 2015). Strategically, the company aims to expand its business in Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East as the markets with huge potential. Currently, the HSBC is restructuring its operations worldwide and in the UK. The company aims to improve its profitability and to reduce costs. In order to achieve this goal, the management is planning to cut the number of jobs significantly in the UK and across the globe. According to the most recent information, the company has introduced a cost-cutting strategy whereas its management aims to cut costs by $4.5 billion ( £3 billion) to $5 billion ( £3.3 billion) a year by 2017 (ITV News, 2015). However, in order to dampen the overall effect of this cost-cutting strategy, the company also has a plan to create more than 2000 new positions (Uvais, 2015).  

Week 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 4 - Research Paper Example Mixed methods research augments both methods in order to establish relationships between variables and to look for causes behind these relationships. A quantitative study preceded the qualitative study consisting of four groups of 250 women each. Participants were assigned to groups randomly such that the assignment replicated the Cherokee and Lumbee tribes. Pre-tests were administered to 500 women while the rest were administered interventions. All of the participants were administered post tests. The qualitative study augmented the quantitative study be reflecting on areas that the quantitative study failed to explain. The qualitative study established causes related to intervention failure, program causes, determinants, and context sensitivity. The qualitative study relied on in person interviews and observational data to augment the existing and analyzed quantitative data. The quantitative study revealed major differences in the behavior of Cherokee and Lumbee populations in dealing with pre-test information. The researchers had not anticipated this and this finding produced a large inconsistency. In order to bridge up this gap in understanding it was decided to launch a qualitative study. Cultural context and sensitivity had been assumed as being uniform for both tribal populations but the results of the study proved otherwise. The qualitative study revealed how intervention produced different effects in both tribal population sets. The quantitative study indicated gaps and the qualitative study bridged these gaps. Data collection for the quantitative study relied on the participation of the respondents alone. The respondents were provided with a pre-test, two interventions and a post test to collect data. Data collected in this manner was analyzed statistically to test the formulated hypotheses. The qualitative study relied on interviews with the participants, healthcare workers and the principal

Personal and Professional Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal and Professional Development - Essay Example Times have changed and are continuing to change as the gauntlet is transferred from one form of learning expertise to another. While previously it was enough for a teacher to be able to handle simple routine tasks, this definition has passed into oblivion in recent times. Above everything else, a teacher must be possessed with a vision to go forward and to explore new turf. Modern life is all about integration and modern teaching and learning are following the same path. Consider for example the state of communication that we exist in today. Only a few years ago it was common to have a phone at the office, a cellular phone in the pocket, a fax machine on the desk, a desktop computer and other such articles to deal with communication. Today all of these things have disappeared altogether. Everything is integrated. It is extremely common today to find all of this communication equipment and more (such as GPS, location tracking and the like) in a simple Smartphone that sits in your pocket. This trend of integration has not been limited to high end executives and CEOs alone. Instead integration has been sweeping the entire socio-economic strata from end to end. A Smartphone is as common in the Corner Office as it is with children attending high school these days. The key thing to take note of here is integration. Much similar to communication equipment, teaching and learning are becoming more and more constrained to integrate with other things in order to drive the efficacy and success of both. Modern careers are coming under increasing pressure to obtain individuals who have more than one area of expertise. The modern manager for a car repair business for example may need to know how to handle people, how to mix paint, how to repair fenders, how to create budgets and other such functions all at the same time. This situation is different from the specialization that was offered under the Fordist model of growth that calls for specialization. Instead a manager and a lead er today need to have essential skills in their bag to deal with the competitive nature of the market. This is only possible if the learning offered to the modern student is enough to handle the strains of modern careers. Modern learners need to be offered various avenues to explore their own potential in order to produce individuals who are ready to pick the gauntlet and walk with it. Traditional methods of learning including blackboards and hard printed books are all but things of the past. The modern learner is far more interested in finding the information they require using digital methods rather than having to search through volumes of printed material. It could be expected that children would need to be taught how to extract information. However, in the modern day this situation is nowhere to be found. Instead the teacher is at times learning from students as to extracting information from the internet. Modern students are well equipped and prepared to handle the information t

Critically assess the postwar consensus thesis Essay

Critically assess the postwar consensus thesis - Essay Example There was however, some conflicts noted between the parties concerning the postwar consensus. The parties had consent to similar principles as well as aims but had differences in styles and emphasis (Bogdanor, 2011, para 1-9). This paper therefore has the focus of analyzing the concept of post war consensus with attention on the policies inside this concept as well as understanding the collapse of the concept as reviewed through scholarly works. Much of the evolution in the concept is attributed to in differences postulated by partisan political parties as well as the administration over the period. The concept of welfare state comprehensive in Great Britain dates back to mid Second World War as was developed in the reposts of William Biveridge in 1942. This is therefore the postulated foundation upon which the concept of postwar consensus is claimed to be built. Therefore, the policy formulations that resulted from the government of the labor party formed a basis on which the consen sus was formed on. The government undertook and implemented various policies which were distinct to the leadership history of the country. The conservative party had great influence in the industrial charter, which followed the successful formation of the previous government by the labor party. Moreover, the acknowledgement of the various policy frameworks by the party as they were designed and implemented by the party in power made the conservative party to reserve many of the policies during the 1947 industrial charter (Anon, nd, p. 217-222). Great Britain categorizes the historical perspective into two phases which span through the consensus period as well as the period after the consensus was broken and the period runs to today. The consensus period spun the years 1945 to 1979 after which the post consensus period set in and has been up to the current period (Matthijs, 2008, p. ii). After the end of the Second World War, the consensus that settled in and had a guiding commitment to full employment, industries were nationalized, government undertook to control the economic demand through application of the Keynesian techniques. Moreover, the government adopted the social welfare in a system of self-sponsored technique. The period after the election in 1945 saw the labor party form the government and adapted reformation policies and not revolutionary policies (McCulloch, 1985, p. 465). Economist and other analysts interpreted the system of government adopted by the labor party government as reformists as against revolutionalists. Non-revolutionary alliances of trade unions as well democratic socialists were the foundations, which formed the Labour party. The governance structure that succeeded the election of the Labour party to office mainly comprised of the political class of persons who had gotten into politics in the early 20th century. This period, which span across the years 1945 to 1951, was a characteristic period in the history of the country as it is credited to be the period in which many of the legislations in Britain were formulated. The government also placed policies which oversaw many industries nationalized until the 1980s. The welfare state as was a characteris

Creating a Memo and Annotated Bibliography for a research topic Paper

Creating a Memo and Annotated Bibliography for a topic - Research Paper Example There are both benefits and drawbacks to working at home. First of all, let us list some benefits. There is no commute, individuals can spend more time with family and friends, schedules tend to be more flexible allowing employees to do things such as run errands and go to doctor appointments on a much easier basis, the pay is often higher, one does not have to dress up to go to work, the work can often be completed in a fraction of the time with the same or more amount of pay, and employees can often take breaks at their leisure. However, there are some drawbacks to working at home. First of all, it can be harmful socially. A person may have a hard time making friends, networking, or become easily bored working and living in the same location. Oftentimes, working at home means buying extra equipment that will need to be used during the course of employment. It is often hard to distinguish your superiors from your co-workers and communication throughout the company may be hindered. P aydays and other appointments tend to be less reliable. Important dates and appointments may be put at risk because of communication problems and the lack of knowing who to go to for what. A person can find him- or herself working all hours of the day and night because of the much-needed breaks, and there is a lack of personal relationships and contacts. Perhaps worse of all, there are many â€Å"employers† out there who set up scams to recruit at-home workers and end up ripping them off. The main point here is that you have to know what to look for. There are legitimate sites out there dedicated to sifting through all of the work-at-home â€Å"job offers† and only pulling back the ones that they, in their best opinion, feel to be legitimate. Two good sources for these are www.wahm.com and www.craigslist.com. Both of these sites tend to list legitimate sources of work-at-home employment rather than scams. You still have to be careful, though.

Ongkas Big Moka Essay Example for Free

Ongkas Big Moka Essay His moka as the culmination of feasts ending a particularly bitter war Lessons from the Film: *Illustrates the Big Man as hero but also as persuader, not commander *Complexity of competitive feasting, rival Big Men on all sides *The guests are not transformed, they remain enemies or rivals *The huge quantities of goods given away – does it seem strange to you? *Both redistribution and balanced leading to negative reciprocity here. General Notes: *Headmen can only persuade, not order people around. If he pushes too hard, people will not go along with him. *Ongka lives in the mens house which is communal. He has 4 wives and 9 children. Each wife has her own residence in which she lives with her children. *Cassowary – birds captured in the forest – given in Moka much like the Chinese give pandas to foreign dignitaries *Sweet potatoes are the food of humans and pigs. Food/shelter/clothes/tools come from the gardens and the forest, but to get ahead in life, one must have pigs. *Only 8-10 full grown pigs can be taken care of at a time. so, one must invest in other peoples pigs to gather together enough for a Moka. *Ongkas great skill is his speech-making abilities. He also has $1800 Australian dollars in a Mt. Hagen Savings Bank from the sale of coffee that comes from the mountains and the Kawelka. *Dressing up for Ongka meant to put on traditional garments, Bird of Paradise feathers, Cassowary feathers, etc. *What do they need money for? False teeth; transportation services; some clothes *Before the Moka, Ongka found an extra wife just because of her capacity for work to help Rumbicore with the pigs for the final Moka. *Riema upset the date for the Moka by saying that he and his group had done sorcery on a neighboring headman that caused him to die suddenly. Some of his pigs were killed and he had to go into hiding. The Moka finally happened and included:Ongka says it is the biggest Moka ever given.

Uninterruptible Power Supply

Uninterruptible Power Supply In the United Kingdom over the past half century, the use of electricity has been increasing year on year (Figure 1). This increase in demand means that the supply of electricity is becoming more critical to the consumer and how much everyday life requires the use of electricity. Disruption to the supply can cause major issues and potential financial difficulty to many consumers who require a constant supply. Electricity disturbances can come in many different arrangements which affect the AC waveform and influence electrical loads in different ways. Common disturbances are shown in Figure 2 Depending on the criticality of the load devices can be placed between the supply and the load to eliminate these issues. Common devices used to eliminate disturbances are Uninterruptible power supplies Power Filters/Conditioners Different UPS systems can be used to eliminate disturbances through different configurations and setups. Power conditioners operate to illuminate certain aspects of the disturbances but wont eliminate disturbances like interruptions UPS systems can incorporate power conditioners to eliminate all these common disturbances to help give a constant supply for consumers. 1.1 Aims The principle aim of this final year individual project is to design and build an Uninterruptible Power Supply to eliminate interruptions up to 5 minutes. On failure of the supply, the system will pick up the load and continue to provide power until the main supply has returned after 5 minutes 1.2 Objectives Research and develop an understand of existing UPS configurations Design and build a standby UPS system including An AC to DC rectifier to supply an input to a DC Buck Charger A DC to DC converter to reduce input voltage to charge retrospective batteries A DC to AC inverter to make an AC voltage of 24V RMS An AC to AC converter to transfer between the duty and standby supply Develop an Arduino interface to control and display UPS parameters including Control of the switching of the DC to AC inverter Control of the AC to AC transfer switch Manual Control of UPS Display of UPS circuit position Voltage parameter readings for AC and DC AC load current and voltage readings Battery Temperature readings Evaluate UPS and discuss further work 1.3 Motivation The motivation for this final year project has come from time spent on placement at Phillip66 Humber Refinery working on the maintenance of primarily double conversion and rotary UPS systems. Through this experience, it has given an understanding of the systems and an interest to design and build a UPS. 2.1 UPS Configurations An uninterruptible Power supply is a system designed to maintain power or provide power when the input power fails or is disrupted. A UPS can be designed as a DC or AC back up, but most common UPS systems in the UK are designed to give AC because this is how electricity is supplied through the grid. [3] An AC UPS output can be produced using either a rotating machine (Rotary UPS) or a semiconductor based inverter (Static UPS). Batteries are the main energy source for both systems but for rotary systems, other rotating energy sources can be used. The UPS configurations as shown in Table 1 shows the different arrangements of a UPS 2.2 UPS Operation 2.2.1 Rotary UPS The rotary UPS generally consists of a motor and generator set but how these are configured depends on of the type of rotary UPS. Fixed Flywheel UPS (Figure 3a) [3] [4] Mains electricity operates an AC motor that is connected through a specially designed flywheel to an AC generator to produce an AC output. While the motor is driving the generator the flywheel rotates which stores kinetic energy.ÂÂ   When the main supply fails the kinetic energy in the flywheel continues to turn the generator for a short duration until another supply is provided by a backup generator. Battery backed (Figure 3B C) Mains electricity is converted to DC to charge a battery bank this DC is then used to operate a DC motor directly or through an inverter to an AC motor depending on the configuration. The motor is then directly coupled to a generator to supply the load. Diesel Backed (Figure 4) This UPS operates similarly to a flywheel UPS in normal operation an AC motor rotates a flywheel to store energy while a generator is producing power to the output. Instead of an external diesel generator set being used a diesel engine is coupled directly to the AC generator to produce power when the main supply fails. 2.2.2 Static UPS A static UPS generally comprises of a rectifier, inverter and a battery bank, how these are configured depends on the type of static UPS. Standby (Figure 5) [5] [6] In normal operation, a rectifier charges a set of batteries and the input is fed to the output through a transfer switch when the mains fails the transfer switch changes to take the supply from the batteries through an inverter. Standby-Ferro (Figure 6) [5] [6] This configuration is very similar to the standby UPS but has a ferroresonant transformer to reduce the time loss of power on a changeover from main to inverter supply, this transformer stores energy in a resonant circuit which supplies up to a half cycle of power to allow time for the inverter to start up and provide power. Double Conversion (Figure 7) [5] [6] In normal operation, mains electricity is converted to DC to charge the batteries which is then inverted back to AC filtered and supplied to the load. When power is lost the batteries supply the AC through the inverter. The static switch is used in the event that if the rectifier or inverter fails the load can be supplied directly from the load. Delta Conversion (Figure 8) [5] [6] In normal operation two converters are used to regulate current and voltage, the series converter is used to control current and a parallel converter to control the voltage. The converter operates to maintain a constant voltage and current output. When the supply is less than the load requires the batteries are used make up the difference. When too much power is provided the extra is used to charge the batteries through the bi-directional inverter. Line Interactive (Figure 9)[5] [6] In normal operation, the mains is supplied to the output while the bi-directional inverter is charging the batteries. When the main supply fails the inverter changed direction and supplies the load from the batteries. 2.3 UPS Comparisons To gain a better understanding of the UPS configurations and their capabilities a compassion was conducted as illustrated below (Table 2). UPS Configuration Power Rating Range (kVA) Cost per VA Efficiency Application Standby 0 0.5 Low Very High Interruptions Standby-Ferro 3- 15 High Low-Medium Interruptions Double Conversion 5-5000 Medium Low-Medium Transient, Interruptions, Sag/Swell, Distortion Delta Conversion 5-5000 Medium High Transient, Interruptions, Sag/Swell, distortion Line Interactive 0.5-5 Medium Very High Interruptions Flywheel Rotary 25-2500 Medium Medium to High Transient, Interruptions, Sag/Swell, Distortion Battery Backed Rotary Medium Medium to High Transient, Interruptions, Sag/Swell, Distortion Table 2: UPS Configuration Comparison [5] 2.4 Project Reasoning A standby UPS system was chosen due to its low cost, its simplicity and because it covers a single disruption. This type of UPS is basic to remove loss of power and to bridge the gap between power loss and back up operation starting 3.1 Work Breakdown Structure and Network Diagram A WBS is a key project deliverable that organises work into manageable sections and is the foundation of any project plan. All the project deliverables are selected and organised into key areas of activity. [7] A network diagram shows the sequence of activities which are in the WBS in order of time, these are then used to develop a Gantt chart. The WBS (Appendix 9.2.1: WBS) separated the project into 5 main sections which were then subdivided to develop a network diagram (Appendix 9.2.2: Network Diagram) Research Design Programming Build testing Report/ Presentation 3.2 Project Plan A project plan was developed as a Gantt chart from the network diagram, the time scale for the project was set to begin in September and complete the development of the UPS by December. This giving two months before the deadline to complete final checks and adjustments. The project plan was reviewed weekly and updated as the progress of the project developed. 3.3 Monthly Reports A monthly report was conducted to record and document my project progress on a regular basis, each monthly report is attached in Appendix 2 Project Planning. This report involved a document of the work I had conducted the month before and also a plan of what I would be doing for the next month including a number of hours that would be spent. 3.4 Project Progress Review A PPR was conducted on Friday 2nd December by Dr Joe Cole this was designed as For the design and building of this standby UPS, it has been split into individual circuits to ease the understanding and to show the importance of each aspect of the UPS. The UPS has been divided as follows AC Rectification DC Inverter Battery Charging Transfer Switch Control of the UPSÂ   4.1 Bridge Rectifier (AC >> DC) 4.1.1 Calculation Theory An AC to DC converter is required to utilise the mains AC voltage to charge a set of batteries for use when the AC signal is lost. A rectifier circuit can be designed to utilise either full or half of the AC waveform, this can be achieved through the use of diodes or thyristors. Figure 10 shows the circuit configuration of a bridge rectifier which can use either component. The difference between using diodes and thyristors is the control over the voltage on the output, diodes give an output equal to the peak voltage of the AC waveform and thyristors voltage depends on the firing angle used to turn the thyristors on. To achieve a pure DC voltage filtering is required to remove the ripple of the sinusoidal waveform. Figure 11 shows how the DC can be filtered to give a pure DC voltage through the use of a capacitor. For this project, a constant DC voltage equivalent to the peak AC waveform can be used to supply the Buck Battery Charger because this will reduce the DC voltage to the required voltage to charge the retrospective batteries. For the purpose of this project, a diode full wave bridge rectifier can be used to supply 34V to the buck battery charger. 4.1.2 Simulation The circuit in figure 4.1.1 was modified to add a smoothing capacitor then it was built in Multisim as shown in Figure 9which gives the output as shown in Figure 13. 4.1.3 Building and Testing After simulation was complete the circuit was built on a breadboard so that its operation could be tested in practice before a PCB was designed. The practical testing is shown in Figure 14. It can be seen that the incoming 24V AC supply is changed to DC through the bridge rectifier which is shown as the peak voltage on channel 1 as 31.5 V DC Once the circuit was tested on a breadboard it was then produced on a PCB, this was soldered using the same components and tested to give the same results as in Figure 14. The PCB design and finished PCB can be observed below (Figure 15/16) 4.2 Inverter (DC >> AC) 4.2.1 Calculation Theory To convert the DC voltage stored in the batteries to make AC voltage a DC to AC inverter is required. There are three main types of DC to AC inverter which depend on the AC output waveform, these are square, modified sine and pure sine wave. The difference between the modified sine and the pure sine wave is that the modified sine rests on the 0 line for a small amount of time then either rises or falls whereas the sine wave goes straight through the 0 line. (Figure 17) For this application, a sine wave as close to the mains is required so a modified sine wave will be produced which will be filtered to make a sine wave. To change DC to AC an H bridge is required similar to that of an AC to DC converter. As can be seen in Figure 19 the switching of the H Bridge changes the current flow through the load and so creates AC. The issue with this circuit is that it will give an AC square wave, to adapt this to make a modified sine another bridge is required Figure 18to introduce a voltage step and make a multilevel inverter. Each bridge is use to add a square wave on top of each other so that an output Figure 20 can be produced. With an increase in H-bridges, this means an increase of switches and DC sources. The DC sources are required to make an AC RMS voltage equivalent to that of the mains input (24V RMS). The peak voltage of the AC waveform has to be matched by the total voltage of the DC, this means that a total DC voltage can be calculated by equation 1 which gives a value of 33.94 V. To achieve this voltage exactly through the use of DC sources would be hard so a voltage higher would be best through the use of four 9V or six 6V batteries used to get 36V, this would mean that by using six 6V batteries smaller steps are achieved but more bridges are required which would be more accurate than using 9V steps and having fewer bridges. To eliminate the repeated use of bridges a modified multilevel inverter circuit (Figure 21) can be developed to use 1 bridge and switch on each source as required so that switch numbers can be reduced from 24 switches to 10 switches. The reduction of switches can be observed through a comparison of the conventional and modified H-bridge. (Figure 21). For this inverter, it will be designed as a 13 level modified multilevel inverter which requires 8 control signals to switch on each 6V source and also to change the polarity across the load. 4.2.2 Simulation A 13 level modified cascaded inverter was built in Multisim using 8 pulsed signals that represent the signals obtainable from the microcontroller. This gives a modified sine wave output that is operating at 50Hz with a peak to peak of 72 V. 4.2.3 Testing 4.3 Battery Charger (DC >> DC) 4.3.1 Calculation Theory To charge the six 6 V batteries for the inverter and single 12-volt battery to supply the Arduino it is required to reduce the 34V produced from the AC rectifier to a suitable level for the retrospective batteries to charge. This is normally 1.15 times the voltage of the rated battery voltage which gives 6.9 volts and 13.8 volts which are confirmed in the datasheet for each battery. To reduce the DC voltage a chopper circuit is required, these can be categorised as either switched or linear, and to understand the characteristic a comparison of both is shown below [8] (Table 3). Linear Switched Function Can only reduce voltage Can increase or decrease voltage depending on design Efficiency As difference in voltage increases efficiency decreases High efficiency Complexity Low usually only requiring a regulator and capacitors Medium to high due to inductor, capacitor calculations Cost Low Medium to high depending on design Output Ripple Low Medium to high due to switching rate Table 3: Chopper Comparison [8] For best efficiency a switched inverter will be used, this is required to give each battery half an amp of current at 6.9 Volt and 13.8 volts. 4.3.2 Simulation 4.3.3 Testing 4.4 Transfer Switch (AC >> AC) 4.4.1 Calculation Theory An AC to AC converter is required to change the supply to the output between mains voltage and back up supply from the DC AC inverter. This type of AC converter works as a switch to turn either AC source on respectively when it is required (Figure 23), other types of AC to AC converter can be used to change aspects of the AC waveform but this is not required in this application. A contactor or a semiconductor device circuit can be designed to make this transfer switch, each of which has its advantages but for this project, a semiconductor device was used, the common devices use to make an AC AC converter are SCRs or thyristors. To utilise either device a double circuit of back to back devices is used so that each half of the cycle is seen at the output. (Figure 24). To prevent using 2 SCRs or thyristors back to back, a triac can be used to do this job instead. This means that the use of two triacs with a common output and separate inputs can be used as a transfer switch. (Figure 25) 4.4.2 Simulation To show the operation of the transfer switch 2 different AC signals of different frequencies are used to show the transfer. (Figure 26). When the control signal is supplied to Triac 1 the output waveform is shown as 25Hz but when the control signal is changed to Triac 2 the output changes to 50Hz. (Figure 27) To isolate the Triac from the microcontroller an optocoupler will be used so that in the event of a fault the microcontroller doesnt come in contact with the AC voltage 4.4.3 Testing The transfer switch was built on a prototyping board using two TIC246M Triacs which are then operated through two MOC3021 triac optocouplers, these use the AC signal to turn on each triac. To test the transfer switch a method similar to that of the simulation was adopted, but instead of using 2 different frequencies, 2 different phases where used then the output was compared to each to show that the transfer switch is operational. Due to the risk of shorting two phases if an issue occurred each side of the transfer switch was tested for operation individually. Once this was tested and operational the input signal for each phase was placed on channel 1 and 2 of the oscilloscope and the output positioned on channel 3. (Figure 28). This meant that as each triac was turned on it could be compared with the corresponding input to ensure the triac was operating as required. As we see below figure 4.4.3.2 shows the output when triac 1 is operating and figure 4.4.3.3 shows when the second is operational. When the transfer switch was tested and operational a PCB design was developed on circuit wizard, this also incorporated a CT to measure the output current and a bridge rectifier chip to take a reading of the output voltage peak voltage. These would be sent to the microcontroller to display.

The Effects Of Farming On The Environment Environmental Sciences Essay

The Effects Of Farming On The Environment Environmental Sciences Essay By 5000 BC the Sumerians had developed core agricultural techniques including large-scale intensive cultivation of land,  mono-cropping, organized  irrigation, and the use of a specialized labour force. Intensive farming or  intensive agriculture  is an agricultural system that aims to produce maximum yield from available land. Besides, its also an  agricultural  production system characterized by the high inputs of  capital,  labour or heavy usage of technologies such as  pesticides  and chemical  fertilizers  relative to land area. You could say food is produced in large quantities with the help of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The products such as eggs, meat and many agricultural products available in many supermarkets are produced using modern intensive farming. Intensive farming is practiced widely by many of the developed economies of the world. Sustainable intensive farming, intensive aquaculture, intensive live stock farming and managed intensive grazing fall under intensive farming. Environment issues of Intensive Farming Intensive farming may bring some issues to the environment. For instance:- Intensive farming includes the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.  It is also associated with overpopulated animal farms, which are often associated with pollution and animal sickness. And even more disturbing is the fact that the majority of working farms use intensive farming. This means more chemicals on our plate at each meal. The use of such massive amounts of nitrogen based fertilizers contaminates the area lakes and rivers. Forests are destroyed to create large open fields and this could lead to soil erosion and affects natural habits in the forest. The pesticides sprayed on crops destroy pests, contaminate the crops and kill good insects. Eventually, these chemicals are passed on to the human beings.   The fruits and vegetables bought from farms that promote intensive farming are covered with invisible pesticide. These are not easily washed off. The residue of the pesticide affect the health of human beings.   Use of pesticides has numerous negative health effects on workers who applied those, people that live nearby the area of application or downstream from it and consumers who eat the pesticides which remain on their food. INTENSIVE FARMING IN MALAYSIA Livestock farming in Sabah once seen as backyard farming and pose no threat to the environment, but with the rapid development in the livestock industry, particularly in monogastric subsector, coupled with rapid expansion of urban and peri-urban area, livestock farming has become the critical issue. Excessive livestock waste as a result of intensive farming system need to be addressed. Although animal waste can be utilized as a manure to improve the physical and chemical properties of soil, it can also cause environmental hazard if not managed properly. It can caused malodour or odour nuisance to environment, surface water contamination, secondary pollution and also religious sensitivity. Table 1. Estimated Livestock Population of Sabah, 1999 Species Number (Head) Cattle 44,837 Buffalo 50,741 Goat 37,285 Sheep 1,900 Pig 100,000 Chicken 3,400,000 Duck 113,000 Source: (Anon.1999b) Livestock Species Population Waste Produce (m.t.) per Year Poultry 2.4 millions 178,000 Duck 0.5 millions 55,000 Pig 85,000 248,000 Cattle/Buffalo 97,000 1,416,000 Goat/Sheep 38,000 70,000 Total 1,967,000 Source: (Mokhtar and Chia, 2000) Table 2. Total livestock population and the wastes produced per year The rapid growth of the livestock industry caused on environmental problem-related to the livestock waste generated from the intensive farming system. Livestock waste generated from an extensive or semi extensive farming system does not seem to cause any major environmental problem as shown in table 2, cattle or buffalo wastes amount to 1.4 million metric ton compare to pig wastes about 248,000 metric ton. The problem is further aggravated with the rapid development of the urban and peri-urban area where most of the livestock farms are situated. The total livestock population and the waste produced per year for selected animal is illustrated in Table 2. Environmental problems cause by livestock farming Water Pollution Main environmental problem cause by livestock farming is water pollution, according to The Malaysian Environmental Quality Report, 12 rivers in the state were polluted with ammoniac nitrogen (NH3-N) due to livestock farming and domestic wastes in 1997. Water pollution cause by livestock farming occurred due to malfunction of waste lagoon or accidentally spill over from flooded lagoon or deliberate flushing of wastes directly into river system. Water may turn reddish brown and may destroy the fragile ecosystem. Pollution from nutrients contained in animal manure, namely phosphorous and nitrogen is one of the most serious problems, leading to excess algae growth, robbing water of oxygen which may lead to mass destruction of fish. Air pollution The anaerobic decomposition of stored animal wastes generates various volatile metabolic compounds of which a dozen contributes to odour, in particular hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and ammonia. These can cause continuous source of strong, persistent and unreasonably offensive hog/poultry odours. The resulting of air pollution is interfering with surrounding areas. Air pollution in the form of ammonia nitrogen can cause respiratory illness in the neighborhood up to two miles away from the site. Potential source of diseases Beside serious environmental problem, animal waste also may become a source of various diseases such as infectious worm larvae hatched from the worm eggs passed out with the faeces; contamination encrusted with organic matter is an ideal breeding ground of harmful bacteria. Arthropods such as flies, lice, fleas that are attracted by animal waste may trigger outbreak of infectious diseases, because they are the vectors to transmit diseases such as viruses, rickettsiae, protozoa and helminthes. WAYS TO PREVENT There are several ways to prevent Environmental problems cause by livestock farming, fr instance:- To minimize environment problem caused by pig waste there should be proper animal waste management system such as improving the housing adopting by the Pit Recharge System and Concrete Floor unit.   The adoption of the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBBR) with an Automation, which is waste water treatment system with the function of stirring, aeration and settling.     To reduce the odour emitted from farm, a close housing system with regulated ventilation is used. Thats mean, by using high efficiency fans at one end of the building; fresh air is sucked ion from outside environment passing through the cooling pad to reduce the temperature before being delivered into the building. Livestock Farming Rules, 2001. In the meantime the Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry is well aware of the need to control and rectify irregularities in the livestock farming practices. Base on this, Livestock Farming Rules, 2000 (Draft) was introduced. This regulation was created under the existing Animal Ordinance 1962 (Amended 1998). Under this legislation, all livestock farms shall be operated under the permit of Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry, Sabah (DOVSAI). CONCLUSION Intensive farming or  intensive agriculture  is an agricultural system characterized by the high inputs of  capital,  labour or heavy usage of technologies such as  pesticides  and chemical  fertilizers  relative to land area. Intensive farming is practiced widely by many of the developed economies of the world. However, it may bring disadvantages to our environment. Livestock farming has become the critical issue. The rapid growth of the livestock industry in Sabah caused on environmental problem-related to the livestock waste generated from the intensive farming system. Excessive livestock waste as a result of intensive farming system need to be addressed. If not managed properly, it can caused malodour or odour nuisance to environment, surface water contamination, secondary pollution and also religious sensitivity. RERERENCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intensive_farming http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-for-intensive-farming.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-for-intensive-farming.html http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5019e/y5019e0l.htm http://kb.rspca.org.au/RSPCA-Policy-B2-Intensive-farming-practices_165.html http://www.sabah.gov.my/jpas/news/SITE/SITEppr12.pdf Water pollution in a rural stream due to farming activity APPENDIXC:UsersEnd_UserPicturesuntitled.bmp photo06.jpg Pesticides drift The use of pesticides in agriculture C:UsersEnd_UserDesktopimage.jpg

Symbols and Symbolism Essay - Characters as Symbols in The Great Gatsby

Characters as Symbols in The Great Gatsby   Ã‚  Ã‚   People hold different things to be symbolic. Dove and peace, a rose and love; they are simple things yet widely symbolic. Symbolism is commonly used in literature to change or deepen meanings or instill a different meaning to the mind of the readers. The reader is forced to think, make connections, and succeed in adding a new meaning to the novel. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses symbolism in the form of his characters and to develop the theme, the corruption of the American Dream.    All of the characters are symbolic of different classes in American society, from the richest to the poorest. Through the characters, Fitzgerald characterizes all the hopes and dreams of people living during the Jazz Age. As is typical of humans, none of the characters are satisfied with what they have. Each character wants more than what they are getting out of life. Tom and Daisy Buchanan represent "old money"; they seem to have it all: wealth, place in high society, a family, and all the advantages that come with being wealthy. On the surface they appear to be what the American Dream is all about; however, they are both dissatisfied with their lives, themselves, and each other. They are a classic example of the Dream's corruption because in spite of all they have, they are still seeking the true luxuries that each person wants from life: love, peace, and true happiness. Both Tom and Daisy are indifferent to the suffering hopes and dreams of all those around them. "They were careless people....they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money...and let other people clean up their mess" (Fitzgerald 188). A clear example of their careless... ...ife were for all the wrong reasons. It is here that he really begins to appreciate Gatsby and the purity of his dream. In Nick's opinion, Gatsby is "worth the whole damn bunch put together" (Fitgerald 162). Nick offers insight into a world in which the true American Dream is all but extinct.    Fitzgerald successfully used his characters as symbols to develop the corruption of the American Dream. Individually, the characters are symbolic of the various classes in American society; collectively they represent the dissatisfaction of achieving the American Dream. Each class defines the Dream differently, but the material aspects are all the same. The American Dream is increasingly corrupt; and it is harder to find individuals who realize its true meaning.    Work Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Penguin Books, 1990.   

Aspects of Probation Essay -- essays research papers fc

There are times when almost everyone wonders exactly what the purpose of probation is, what kinds of conditions can be imposed if someone is put on probation, and what roles the probation officer and the court systems play in the scheme of things. If you know someone that is on probation it may not hurt to know a little bit about the way it works and that is exactly what we will be talking about here. Probation is one of the least restrictive penalties among the alternatives confronting a sentencing judge. Probation is the conditional release of an individual by the court after he has been found guilty of the crime charged. In the case of probation then, the individual has not been sentenced to prison, although he may, in fact, have been incarcerated in jail following his arrest and awaiting trial. Probation is in fact a charge and not a dismissal of charges, as many people believe. Many people believe that putting a person on probation is just a â€Å"slap on the wrist† and that it will not stop the person from committing further crimes but the term of probation is supervision and if it is broken punishment will follow for the probationer. Probation is a basic tool of rehabilitation for first time offenders and very few if any person who has more than one offense will receive probation. These offenders are more likely to receive jail or prison time for their offenses. Even first time offenders revert to crime during probation, which in turn embarrasses the court that gave that person probation rather than a jail or prison sentence. One helpful aspect of probation is the indication of a certain trust and confidence placed in the offender by the judicial order or probation officer. Another helpful aspect of probation is that there is actual supervision and guidance by a probation officer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Probation is an extension of powers of the court over the future behavior and destiny of the convicted person by showing them ways to keep themselves out of trouble later and hope that they will learn their lesson the first time. It helps to avoid the shattering effect upon the individual’s personality which so frequently follows imprisonment. Probation manages to keep the person in his old moorings: it makes no sudden and violent wrench in his daily habits; it does not destroy his family relations, his contact... ...the probationer has not broken his probation. After researching probation to a fairly good extent in my opinion, I believe that it really is an easy way out of being in trouble. This is especially true if the convicted person’s offense was not something that was done intentionally. I feel that probation is also a better way to handle people who are mentally unstable or people that have a drug or alcohol problem rather than just throwing them into the frying pan for a mistake.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bibliography Weston, Paul B. 1977. Administration of Justice. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. xiv. 337 pages Pursley, Robert D. 1977. Introduction to Criminal Justice. Encino, California: Glencoe Press. vi. 553 pages Rubin, Sol. 1963. The Law of Criminal Correction. St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Company. xxv. 728 pages United States, Wickersham Commission. 1968. No. 9 Report on Penal Institutions, Probation, and Parole. Montclair, New Jersey: Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation. United States Sentencing Commission. 1990. Policy Statements for Violations of Probation and Supervised Release. Washington, D.C.: The Commission. i. 40 pages

Case Study of Starbucks

When the announcement was made in mid 2008 that Starbucks would be closing nearly three-quarters of its 84 Australian stores there was mixed reaction. Some people were shocked, others were triumphant. Journalists used every pun in the book to create a sensational headline, and it seemed everyone had a theory as to what went wrong. This case outlines the astounding growth and expansion of the Starbucks brand worldwide, including to Australia. It then shifts focus to describe the extent of the store closures in Australia, before offering several reasons for the failure and lessons that others might learn from the case. . Background Founded in 1971, Starbucks' first store was in Seattle's Pike Place Market. By the time it went public in 1992, it had 140 stores and was expanding at a breakneck pace, with a growing store count of an extra 40-60% a year. Whilst former CEO Jim Donald claimed that â€Å"we don't want to take over the world†, during the 1990s and early 2000s, Starbucks were opening on average at least one store a day (Palmer, 2008). In 2008 it was claimed to be opening seven stores a day worldwide.Not surprisingly, Starbucks is now the largest coffee chain operator in the world, with more than 15,000 stores in 44 countries, and in 2007, accounted for 39% of the world's total specialist coffee house sales (Euromonitor, 2008a). In North America alone, it serves 50 million people a week, and is now an indelible part of the urban landscape. But just how did Starbucks become such a phenomenon? Firstly, it successfully Americanised the European coffee tradition – something no other coffee house had done previously.Before Starbucks, coffee in its current form (latte, frappacino, mocha, etc. ) was alien to most US consumers. Secondly, Starbucks did not just sell coffee – it sold an experience. As founding CEO Howard Schultz explained, â€Å"We are not in the coffee business serving people, we're in the people business serving coffee† (Schultz and Yang, 1997). This epitomised the emphasis on customer service such as making eye contact and greeting each customer within 5 seconds, cleaning tables promptly and remembering the names of regular customers.From inception, Starbucks' purpose was to reinvent a commodity with a sense of romance, atmosphere, sophistication and sense of community (Schultz and Yang, 1997). Next, Starbucks created a ‘third place' in people's lives – somewhere between home and work where they could sit and relax. This was a novelty in the US where in many small towns cafe culture consisted of filter coffee on a hot plate. In this way, Starbucks positioned itself to not only sell coffee, but also offer an experience. It was conceived as a lifestyle cafe.The establishment of the cafe as a social hub, with comfortable chairs and music has been just as important a part of the Starbucks brand as its coffee. All this came with a premium price. While people were aware that the beverages at Starbucks were more expensive than at many cafes, they still frequented the outlets as it was a place ‘to see and be seen'. In this way, the brand was widely accepted and became, to an extent, a symbol of status, and everyone's must-have accessory on their way to work.So, not only did Starbucks revolutionise how Americans drank coffee, it also revolutionised how much people were prepared to pay. Consistency of product across stores, and even national boundaries, has been a hallmark of Starbucks. Like McDonald's, Starbucks claims that a customer should be able to visit a store anywhere in the world and buy a coffee exactly to specification. This sentiment is echoed by Mark Ring, CEO of Starbucks Australia who stated â€Å"consistency is really important to our customers †¦ a consistency in the product . . . he overall experience when you walk into a cafe . . . the music . . . the lighting . . . the furniture . . . the person who is working the bar†. So, whilst th ere might be slight differences between Starbucks in different countries, they all generally look the same and offer the same product assortment. One way this is ensured is by insisting that all managers and partners (employees) undergo 13 weeks of training – not just to learn how to make a coffee, but to understand the nuances of the Starbucks brand (Karolefski, 2002) and how to deliver on its promise of a service experience.The Starbucks formula also depends on location and convenience. Starbucks have worked under the assumption that people are not going to visit unless it's convenient, and it is this assumption that underlies their highly concentrated store coverage in many cities. Typically, clusters of outlets are opened, which has the effect of saturating a neighbourhood with the Starbucks brand. Interestingly, until recently, they have not engaged in traditional advertising, believing their large store presence and word-ofmouth to be all the advertising and promotion t hey need.Starbucks' management believed that a distinctive and memorable brand, a product that made people ‘feel good' and an enjoyable delivery channel would create repeat business and customer loyalty. Faced with near-saturation conditions in the US – by 2007 it commanded 62% of the specialist coffee shop market in North America (Table 1 ) – the company has increasingly looked overseas for growth opportunities.As part of this strategy, Starbucks opened its first Australian store in Sydney in 2000, before expanding elsewhere within New South Wales and then nationwide (albeit with 90% of stores concentrated in just three states: NSW, Victoria and Queensland). By the end of 2007 Starbucks had 87 stores, enabling it to control 7% of the specialist coffee shop market in Australasia (Table 1 ). By 2008, consumer awareness of Starbucks in Australia was 90% (Shoebridge, 2008), with each outlet selling, on average, double the number of coffees (270 a day) than the rest of Australia's coffee shops (Lindhe, 2008). . Expansion into Asia Starbucks currently operates in 44 markets and even has a small presence in Paris – birthplace and stronghold of European cafe culture. Beyond North America, it has a very significant share of the specialist coffee shop market in Western Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America (Table 1) and these regions make strong revenue contributions (Table 2). It is in Asia that they see the most potential for growth as they face increasing competitive pressure in their more traditional markets.Half the international stores Starbucks plans to operate in the next decade will be in Asia (Euromonitor, 2006; Browning, 2008). Indeed, Starbucks has done well in international markets where there has not traditionally been a coffee drinking culture, namely Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and China. In effect it has been responsible for growing the category in these markets. The first Starbucks outside the US opened in Tokyo in 1996, and since then, Starbucks' Japanese stores have become twice as profitable as the US stores.Unsurprisingly then, Japan is Starbucks' best performing overseas market outside North America. More than 100 new stores open each year in Japan, and coffee is now more popular than tea in terms of both volume and value (Lee, 2003; see also Uncles, 2008). As opposed to their entry into the Australian market, Starbucks made small changes to its formula for the Japanese market; for example, the invention of a green tea frappucino, and the provision of smaller drinks and pastries to conform to local tastes.Starbucks arrived in China in 1998 and by 2002 had 50 outlets, and 165 outlets by 2006 (BBC News, 2006), quickly becoming the nation's leading coffee chain. Starbucks now sees China as its key growth market due to the size and preferences of the emerging middle class. In the Asia-Pacific region, Starbucks command of the specialist coffee shop market grew from 15% in 2002 to 19% in 2007 (refer to Table 2). The total market for cafes in China grew by over 135% between 1999 and 2004 to reach US$2. 6 billion.It is projected to grow another 144% by 2008 to reach US$6. 4 billion in sales. More specialty coffee shops are opening across China as a middle class with strong purchasing power emerges, although this rise in coffee consumption is highly concentrated in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Starbucks has said that it expects China to become its biggest market after the US and the plan is to open 100 stores a year (Euromonitor, 2006). Significantly, certain Western brands are valued by Chinese consumers and Starbucks appears to be one of them.A growing number of China's 500 million urbanites favour Starbucks for its ambience, which is seen as an important signal of service quality, and Starbucks' design concept rests easily with China's consumers, who tend to lounge with friends while sipping coffee. Its outlets in China frequently maintain larger seating a reas than average outlets in other countries, and plush chairs and davenports are provided to accommodate crowds that linger. However, success for Starbucks in China is not a given, and they will face several challenges in the coming years.China's accession to the WTO has led to the gradual relaxation of the policy governing foreign-owned retail outlets, and this will lead to more foreign investment and thereby competition (Lee, 2004). Several multinationals are engaged in selling coffee (including KFC, McDonald's, Yoshinoya, and Manabe), and a number of local brands have recently emerged, some even imitating Starbucks' distinctive green and white logo and its in-store ambience (notably Xingbake in Shanghai). Furthermore, the reduction of import tariffs on coffee will also encourage foreign investment in coffee. . The Australian retail coffee industry Australia's taste for coffee is a by-product of the waves of immigrants arriving on the country's shores following World War II. Euro pean migrants, predominantly Greeks and Italians, were the first to establish the coffee culture, which was later embraced more widely in the 1 980s. For decades Australians enjoyed a variation of the ‘lifestyle coffee experience' that Starbucks created from scratch in the US. Australians did not need to be introduced to the concept of coffee as many other countries did.Savouring a morning cup of coffee was already a ritual for many consumers. It is fair to describe Australia's coffee culture as mature and sophisticated, so when Starbucks entered Australia in 2000, a thriving urban cafe culture was already in place. This established culture saw Australians typically patronise smaller boutique style coffee shops, with people willing to travel out of their way for a favoured cup of coffee, especially in Melbourne where coffee has developed an almost cult-like following.For Australians, coffee is as much about relationships as it is about the product, suggesting that an impersona l, global chain experience would have trouble replicating the intimacy, personalisation and familiarity of a suburban boutique cafe. Furthermore, through years of coffee drinking, many Australians, unlike American or Asian consumers, have developed a sophisticated palate, enjoying their coffee straighter and stronger, and without the need to disguise the taste with flavoured, syrupy shots. This love of coffee is easily quantified. The Australian market is worth $3 billion, of which $1. billion relates to the coffee retailing market. For every cup of coffee consumed out of home, two cups are consumed at home (AustraIAsian Specialty Coffee Association, 2006). Per capita consumption is now estimated at 2. 3 kg-twice as much as 30 years ago. Whilst Australians are among the highest consumers of instant coffee in the world, they are increasingly buying coffee out of the home (Euromonitor, 2008c). More than 1 billion cups of coffee are consumed in cafes, restaurants and other outlets each year, representing an increase of 65% over the last 10 years.Even between 2000 and 2005, trade sales of coffee have increased about 18%. In 2007, the growth in popularity of the cafe culture resulted in trade volume sales growing at an annual rate of 5%. Some 31% of the coffee sold through foodservice is takeaway, and it is thought that ‘fast coffee' will be a growth area in future years (Euromonitor, 2008d). There is also a trend towards larger takeaway sizes, with 400 ml cups increasing in popularity (Euromonitor, 2008d). One might argue that Starbucks drove these trends, especially in regards to larger sizes.There are almost 14,000 cafes and restaurants serving a variety of coffee types in Australia, and during 2006/07, they generated $9. 7 billion in income (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). However, despite these statistics, the coffee business does not guarantee success. As Paul Irvine, co-founder of Gloria Jean's notes, â€Å"Australia is a tough retail market a nd coffee retailing is particularly tough†. According to official statistics, the cafe business is not always profitable, with the net profitability of cafes falling to about 4%.For a cafe to be successful, it has to offer marginally better coffee than local competitors, and do so consistently. Coffee drinkers in Australia are discerning, and they will go out of their way to purchase a good cup of coffee. They are not as easily persuaded as people from other countries simply to visit their nearest cafe. Secondly, for a cafe to make a profit, it needs to turn over 15 kg of coffee a week The national average is 11 kg, so a cafe has to be above average to begin with to even make a profit. Any newcomer needs to understand this before entering the market.The other significant constraint on profitability is the cost of hiring baristas, with a good one costing between $1000 and $1500 a week (Charles, 2007). However, it seems that this is a necessary cost in order to deliver a superio r product. The question that then begs to be asked is: How well did Starbucks understand this existing coffee culture? Did they under-estimate the relational aspect of coffee purchasing in Australia, as well as the importance of the quality of ingrethents and the skills of the person making each cup?Did they overestimate the value consumers attach to the in-store experience and the ‘third place' concept? Or did they just look at the statistics regarding coffee consumption and think that operating in Australia was a license to print money? Did they simply see Australia as the next logical step to global domination? Starbucks has 87% of the US specialty coffee shop market, and only now is it beginning to feel pressure from non-traditional competitors such as Dunkin Donut, 7 Eleven, McCafe and Krispy Kreme (Burritt, 2007).However, in Australia, the competitive landscape is different. Gloria Jean's dominates the high-street part of the coffee retailing market and McCafe dominates the convenience end (Shoebridge, 2008). Other significant competitors include The Coffee Club and Wild Bean Cafe (an add-on to BP petrol stations) and Hudson's Coffee (see Table 3). All offer a similar in-store experience to Starbucks, with McCafe from 2007 onwards refurbishing many McDonald's stores to imitate the Starbucks' experience, albeit at the economy end of the market. 5. Growth grinds to a halt . . . store closuresIn recent times however things have started to go wrong for Starbucks. Internationally, company earnings declined as cashstrapped consumers faced record petrol prices and rising interest rates meaning they have had to pull back on gourmet coffee and other luxuries. Sales fell 50% in the last 2 years, the US share price fell more than 40% over the past year and profits dropped 28% (Bawden, 2008; Coleman-Lochner and Stanford, 2008; Mintz, 2008). Consequently, Howard Schultz, the founder and chairman of Starbucks, resumed the position of CEO in 2008 with the aim of revitalising the business.He slowed the pace at which stores were opened (and in fact closed more stores than he will open in the coming year), introduced key performance targets (KPTs) and an employee rewards system in the US, and simultaneously shut down every store in America for three and a half hours of staff training (Muthukumar and Jain, 2008). Customer-oriented initiatives have included the addition of more food, the launch of the Starbucks card and Starbucks express, and the provision of high-speed wi-fi internet access (Hota, 2008).Notably, Schultz acknowledges that the company's focus has been more on expansion than on customer service – the very thing that was at the heart of its unique value proposition. However, it seems that these measures were too late for the Australian operation. On 29th July 2008, Starbucks announced that it would be closing 61 of its 84 Australian stores (i. e. , 73%) by August 2008, resulting in a loss of 685 jobs. All of these stores had been under-performing (8 were in SA, ACT and Tasmania, 28 in NSW, 17 in Victoria and 8 in Queensland).This decline of Starbucks in Australia was not as sudden as many would have us believe and in fact some reports (Edwards and Sainsbury, 2008; Shoebridge, 2008) indicated that by late 2007 Starbucks already had: * accumulated losses of $143 million; * a loss of $36 million for that financial year; * lost $27. 6 million the previous financial year; * loans of $72. 3 million from Starbucks in the US; * was only surviving because of its US parent's support. These closures saw 23 stores kept open in prime locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. But this begs the question: can a 23-store chain be viable for the brand in the long-term?Based on the approximate numbers in Table 3, Starbucks had a 6% share of stores in Australia before the closures; this has now fallen to a share below 2%. Even before the closures, Australasia represented only 1% of company sales (Table 2) and now the f igure is expected to be much lower. This may not make much commercial sense as it will be difficult to achieve economies of scale in terms of marketing and purchasing, and such small numbers are totally out of step with the clustering strategy adopted in its strongest markets -the US, Japan and China.However, it could also be argued that with Starbucks' strategy of global domination, it is unlikely that it will ever close its Australian business entirely. Whilst Starbucks' management have been keen to suggest that â€Å"this decision represents business challenges unique to the Australian market and in no way reflects the state of the Starbucks business in countries outside of the United States†, the US market has also suffered. By September 2008, 600 stores had closed (or were due for closure), with about 12,000 workers, or 7% of Starbucks' global workforce affected (Mintz, 2008).It should be noted that the situation in the US has only worsened as a result of the global fina ncial crisis. 6. So what went wrong? Opinions abound as to why Starbucks failed in Australia. Our research suggests there is some truth to many of these opinions. Whilst the troubled economy might seem an easy scapegoat, with people tightening their belts and eating out less, it is unlikely that this was the core problem as evidenced by the continuing growth of their competitors. Indeed, coffee is no longer considered a luxury item by many Australians, but rather an affordable part of their daily routine.Instead, there is substantial evidence to suggest a number of factors combined to bring about Starbucks' demise. 6. 1. Starbucks overestimated their points of differentiation and customer perceived value of their supplementary services â€Å"I just think the whole system, the way they serve, just didn't appeal to the culture we have here† Andrew Mackay, VP of the Australian Coffee Traders Association, in Martin (2008) Whilst there was initial curiosity and hype about Starbuck s, after trying it, many Australians quickly found that it failed to offer a particularly unique experience that was not offered by other chains or cafes.Given the strong established coffee culture and discerning palates of Australians, the core product – coffee – was not seen as particularly different from, say, a latte or short black from a good suburban barista, Gloria Jean's or Coffee Club. Its point of difference in Australia, where a coffee culture already existed, had to be in its supplementary or value-adding services – i. e. , its unique servicescape, engaging customer service, brand image and so on (Lovelock et al. , 2007).But was this worth a premium price, especially as the competition began replicating Starbucks in-store experience? Starbucks has since been harshly criticised by Australian consumers and the media. Their coffee has been variously described as ‘a watered down product', ‘gimmicky', and consisting of ‘buckets of milk'. These are not the labels you would choose to describe a coffee that aspires to be seen as a ‘gourmet' product. It has also been criticised for its uncompetitive pricing, even being described as â€Å"one of the most over-priced products the world has ever seen† (Martin, 2008).Even the idea of the third place has come under criticism – â€Å"why would you want to sit around a pretend lounge room drinking a weak and expensive coffee when you can go around the corner and have the real thing? † (Wailes, 2008). It seems that Starbucks' rapid expansion, its omnipresence, somewhat standardised store design and recent insistence on staff achieving various sales KPTs (key performance targets) such as serving ‘x' customers per hour, all combined to diminish the instore experience. The introduction of sales targets for front-line employees, for example, meant staff and baristas had less time to engage with customers.It began to stray too far from its roots and the very values upon which the brand was built. Some of these actions were forced upon Starbucks by emerging competitors seeking to imitate the brand, and thus gain a slice of the ever growing lifestyle coffee market. Starbucks' points of differentiation were systematically being eroded and, in a sense, the brand that taught the world that coffee is not a commodity was itself becoming one. 6. 2. Declining service quality The brand has also come under fire for declining customer service as it continued to expand.For example, the quality of baristas is said to have declined as Starbucks widened its pool of applicants in order to meet demand at new stores. Can a 17 year old high school student really compete with a boutique trained barista with a passion for coffee? By not offering a better experience and product than emerging direct competitors, Starbucks found itself undermined by countless high street cafes and other chains that were selling stronger brews at lower prices and often offering better or equal hospitality.Whilst they may have pioneered the idea of a ‘third place', it was an easy idea to copy, and even easier to better by offering superior coffee, ambience and service. Now, with so many coffee chains around, Starbucks have little point of differentiation, even wi-fi internet access has become commonplace across all types of cafe. Furthermore, while customers were offered promotional rewards for returning to Starbucks, the card-based scheme is no more sophisticated than equivalent me-too cards at Gloria Jean's, Coffee Club, Hudson's and many independent cafes.And as noted earlier, one of the things that set Starbucks apart from the competition – i. e. , acknowledging customers (often by name for regulars) within a few seconds of entering the store and seriously engaging with them, began to unravel when Starbucks imposed both customer service and sales targets for its cafes. The imposition of these targets plus an ever widening range an d complexity of coffees to remember and make to perfection, meant staff morale and inevitably customer service levels declined. In fact in the USA some staff were so disillusioned with the imposition of sales targets because it meant they simply didn't have time to engage with customers) they posted blogs openly stating that Starbucks had lost its way. Finally, it appears that Starbucks were not even delivering on their core promise of serving superior coffee in comfortable surroundings, thus justifying its premium price. By switching to vacuum packaged coffee, consumers are denied the store-filling aroma of the coffee beans. The switching of traditional coffee machines to automated espresso machines (which can make coffees 40% faster and move customers through the lines more quickly), has also resulted in a loss of ‘theatre' (Grove et al. 2000) for people wanting to see their coffee made that way and has also had implications for taste. In-store, it has been noted that there are fewer soft chairs and less carpeting, and Starbucks recently lost ground in the ‘service and surroundings' category of the Brand Keys 2007 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (Cebrzynski, 2008). It seems that Starbucks is now less about the quality of the coffee, and is more about the convenience of faster service and being on every corner – whilst still charging a premium. 6. 3. Starbucks ignored some golden rules of international marketingIronically, it seems that the very thing that made Starbucks successful in the first place, its ability to adjust the original (European) business model and coffee tradition to local (US) conditions, is the thing that let it down. Whilst Starbucks has made minor changes to its menu in countries such as Japan and Saudi Arabia, it generally offers the same products all around the world. When the company came to Australia, it brought its ‘American' offering, simply bringing what worked in the US and applying it here, without rea lly understanding the local market.But with more than 235 ethnicities speaking more than 270 languages and dialects, companies wanting to get ahead in Australia need to be aware that they are not dealing with one homogeneous market. Unfortunately what worked in the US was â€Å"bitter, weak coffee augmented by huge quantities of milk and sweet flavoured syrups. Not so much coffee, as hot coffee-based smoothies†. For the Australian consumer raised on a diet of real espresso, this was always going to be a tough sell (Mescall, 2008) As McDonald's Australia chief executive Peter Bush noted, US retailers that have had trouble making it work in Australia (e. . , Starbucks, Denny's, Arby's, Taco Bell) are those that have â€Å"introduced formulae developed for US palates and for the US way of doing business . . . These formulae have, at best, modest relevance in Australia†. Peter Irvine, co-founder of Gloria Jean's, also noted that â€Å"US retailers often arrive in Australi a thinking the size of their overseas chains and the strength of their brands in other markets will make it easy for them to crack the local market. Their focus is on global domination rather than the needs of the local consumers†.Further, there is a strong sense in Australia of buying local, supporting the community, having relationships with the people you buy from, and supporting ethically-minded businesses. Starbucks clashed completely with that, whereas local stores can differentiate themselves as being local and non-corporate. Furthermore, some would argue that Starbucks has become a caricature of the American way of life and many Australians reject that iconography. Many are simply not interested in the ‘super-size' culture of the extra-large cups, nor want to be associated with a product that is constantly in the hands of movie stars. 6. 4.Expanding too quickly and forcing themselves upon an unwilling public In the US, Starbucks started in Seattle as a single sto re. In a nation bereft of a genuine cafe culture, that single store captured people's imagination, and soon became a second store, quickly followed by a third. Before long, Starbucks had become a demand-driven phenomenon, with everyone wanting a Starbucks in their local area. McDonald's grew exactly the same way in Australia, opening just one or two stores in each city – nowhere near enough to meet demand – thus creating an almost artificial scarcity, which created huge buzz around the brand experience.Krispy Kreme did the same. But when Starbucks opened in Australia, they immediately tried to impose themselves with multiple store openings in every city – adopting the US-model of expansion through store clusters. Australians were not given a chance to ‘discover' it. As Mescali (2008) points out â€Å"they took key sites, hung huge signs, made us order coffee in sizes and gave the coffees weird names. Starbucks said to us – ‘that's not how you drink coffee. This is how you drink coffee'†.They took the Coca-Cola strategy of being available wherever people looked, but this quickly led to market saturation. Their expansion did not hurt their competitors so much as themselves, and they found themselves cannibalising their own stores. Furthermore, by becoming too common, the company violated the economic principles of cultural scarcity and the novelty wore off. By having too many outlets, becoming too commercial and too widely used, it began to lose its initial appeal of status and exclusivity. It began to have a mass brand feel, certainly not the warm feeling of a neighbourhood cafe.Furthermore, they became more reliant on less affluent consumers who now, with a worsening economy, are spending less, making Starbucks more vulnerable to economic fluctuations. 6. 5. Entering late into a highly competitive market â€Å"In America, Starbucks is a state of mind. In Australia, it was simply another player. † Barry Urqu hart, quoted in Delaney (2008) From Day I1 Starbucks got off on the back foot. They lacked the first-mover advantage they had in the US and Asia, finding themselves the late entrant in an already very developed, sophisticated and competitive market.Indeed, the competitive landscape in the Australian retail coffee market is very different to that of other countries. Here, Starbucks found themselves competing with hundreds of independent cafes and speciality coffee chains (see Table 3), where the coffee was generally better and the staff knew their customers by name. Significantly, they were also the last of the major chains to gain a presence in Australia. 6. 6. Failing to communicate the brand Worldwide, Starbucks rarely employs above-the-Iine promotion, and this was also the case in Australia.Instead, they maintained that their stores are the core of the business and that they do not need to build the brand through advertising or promotion. Howard Shultz often preached, â€Å"Buil d the (Starbucks') brand one cup at a time,† that is, rely on the customer experience to generate word-of-mouth, loyalty and new business. But in a market as competitive as Australia, with a consumer whose palate is discerning and whose loyalty often lies with a specific barista, advertising and promotion was essential to communicate the Starbucks message.The issue is not so much about building awareness – which, at 90%, is high – but to communicate what the brand means and to give consumers reasons for patronising Starbucks. Their lack of advertising made this branding issue even worse, with many people unable to articulate why they should be loyal to Starbucks. At the same time, competitors were communicating their messages very effectively – McDonald's, for instance, is a heavy spending, award-winning, advertiser in the Australian market.Added to which, more subversive counter-messages were coming from those who saw in Starbucks a ‘brand bully' ri ding rough shod over the nuanced tastes and preferences of local cultures (Klein, 2000; Clark, 2008). In other words, a range of strong contrary messages were undermining Starbucks' own very limited communications. 6. 7. Unsustainable business model Starbucks' product line is limited primarily to coffee. Sometimes a new product idea will be developed, such as the Frappucino, but these tend to have limited product life cycles and/or are seasonal.For example, the Frappucino has traditionally made up 15% of (summer) sales, but recently sales have been down, suggesting that customers are already bored with it (Kiviat, 2008). Furthermore, in the instance where other products were offered, people failed to purchase them as they only really associate Starbucks with coffee and generally seek food elsewhere. This is a very different model to The Coffee Club which has much more of a cafe feel to it, or McDonald's which has a full range of breakfast and lunch/dinner items that can be complemen ted by a McCafe latte.Hence the average transaction value at Starbucks is lower than its competitors, and therefore more customers must pass through its doors to reach the sales and profit levels of its competitors. It also creates conflict with the Starbucks ethos of the third place (and allowing people to sit around for 30 minutes sipping lattes and reading, talking or surfing) versus the need to get people in and out quickly and not take up valuable ‘real estate' (which in itself means that the average Starbucks store needs to be much bigger than the average cafe).Unlike most of the other retail coffee chains, Starbucks does not use a franchise model, preferring to lease and fit-out its own outlets. This means more cash is being spent upfront, and in Starbucks' case, more debt accrued. But adopting a franchise model would have numerous other advantages than just minimising this. It would mean that local investors, with a good sense of the local market, put their own money i nto the business and take an active role in running it and shaping its direction. 7.What are the main lessons from this case study? Several key lessons emerge that should be of interest to both domestic and international marketers. 7. 1. Crossing international borders is risky and clearly Starbucks did not do their homework, or ignored their homework Well conceived market research involving both primary and secondary data, including qualitative and quantitative approaches, would have uncovered the extent of the ‘coffee culture' that existed in 2000 when Starbucks entered the Australian market.It seems inconceivable that Starbucks management, or at least its Australian representatives, were not sufficiently apprised of the extent to which many consumers were already well acculturated in terms of buying and consuming European styles of coffees such as short black, lattes and cappuccinos, nor the extent to which many customers were in fact loyal to their suburban cafe or competit ive brands such as Gloria Jean's. As a late market entrant, Starbucks clearly failed to do thorough homework on the market before entry – this is a failure in terms of due diligence.Alternatively, they chose to ignore the messages that were coming from any due diligence that they had undertaken. This may or may not have been due to some arrogance on the part of Starbucks, or due to the fact that they considered they had a strong global brand which would meet with universal acceptance. An example of where Starbucks did do its homework, and act on it, was in France when it entered that market in 2006, establishing a cafe in the middle of Paris.Research had clearly shown the American way of consuming and socialising over a coffee was an anathema to many French, so Starbucks held back from entering the French market and when they finally entered it was with great trepidation, expanding at a very slow pace and testing the market at every step. 7. 2. â€Å"Think global but act loc al† This familiar maxim in international marketing should be well understood. While Starbucks had brand awareness as a major global brand, it failed to adapt the product and the customer experience to many mature coffee drinkers in Australia.As noted earlier, all the evidence suggests that it simply tried to transplant the American experience into the Australian market without any adaptation. In particular, it failed to adapt either its core product or its supplementary services to create the intimacy, personalisation and familiarity that is associated with established boutique cafes in Australia. 7. 3. Establish a differential advantage and then strive to sustain it A question of strategy that Starbucks perhaps failed to address was, â€Å"Is our product differentiation sustainable in the long term and does it ontinue to justify a price premium? † As noted earlier, it can be argued that the core product in this case, that is the coffee itself, is essentially a commodit y, and that Starbucks' coffee, according to many consumers, was no different to the competition, and in some cases inferior. Then Starbucks' points of difference clearly revolved around its brand image and supplementary services. It was these supplementary services, such as its unique servicescape and excellent customer service, that they used to justify a premium price. However, as competitors (e. g. The Coffee Club) quickly imitated the ‘Starbucks experience' (i. e. , their supplementary services, ambiance, etc. ), by providing premium coffee and an intimate casual experience, Starbucks' value proposition began to fade. In other words, their key points of difference could be easily imitated and were not sustainable. Faced with this scenario, the onus was on management to re-fresh and evolve any lingering differential advantage that Starbucks might have had or, at the very least, give customers reasons to continue patronising Starbucks through its communications. 7. 4.Don't l ose sight of what made you successful in the first place As more and more competitors emerged, both individual cafes and chains such as Gloria Jean's and The Coffee Club, competitive pressures forced Starbucks to impose rigid sales targets on their frontline staff including baristas to increase store productivity. However, the imposition of these KPTs and the pressure to serve more customers more quickly meant that Starbucks forgot the very thing that made it unique in the early days, namely, to provide a customer experience in an intimate casual setting that set it aside from competitors.As more pressure was placed on staff to have higher throughput, this meant that baristas and other employees had little time to engage with customers. In other words, Starbucks forgot about the very things that made it unique in the first place. This is akin to the Wheel of Retailing hypothesis (Hollander, 1960) where a no-frills retailer gradually moves upmarket in terms of variety of product, pri ce and more services and within several years finds itself competing with the more established premium supermarkets that were the very competitors that they tried to distance themselves from in the first place.The only difference with Starbucks is that it reversed the direction of the Wheel – by gradually moving downmarket it brought itself into direct competition with cheaper operators and lost sight of what made it successful in the first place. 7. 5. Consider the viability of the business model It has to be questioned whether the Starbucks' business model is viable in the long term, or even the medium term. A business model that uses a premium price to justify the excessive floor space and elaborate servicescape, and allows customers to sit in this environment for an hour sipping one latte, has to be questioned.Given that Starbucks do not have the array of products that, say, a McDonald's might have and, as documented earlier in this case, therefore do not generate the sam e sales volumes and revenues, it is hard to see how the Starbucks' model is financially viable. 8. Conclusion In summary, it appears on all the evidence that Starbucks not only misjudged the Australian coffee culture but also misjudged the extent of the competition, and failed to adapt its offering to the local market.Furthermore, with the advent of high quality barista training, the availability of premium coffee beans and the technology to produce a high quality cup of coffee (at a modest cost), sole operators who knew their customers by name, were able to set up business as viable competitors. 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