Costa Coffee Essay Example for Free

Costa Coffee Essay The remote environment comprises factors that originate beyond and usually irrespective and out of Costa Coffees control. Economic factors Since Costa Coffee is a multinational business, top-level managers must consider the economic situations on both the National (Egypt) and International levels. Currencies exchange rate (Forex) affects Costa Coffees final products prices as well as operation costs. Costa Coffee imports high quality coffee beans from rainforest farms where it pays for in local currency, and sells as coffee in another country with its local country. Hence, when the Egyptian Pound depreciates, the cost of beans relatively increases; therefore, causing a fall in profit margin and vice versa. If depreciation is too much, then Costa might increase its selling prices. Moreover, interest rate is vital for a business considering expansion as Costa Coffee. As interest rates increase, Costa Coffee’s ability and willingness to expand or open new branches decreases; due to the high cost of capital. Furthermore, the stock market plays a significant role in encouraging investors to invest in Costa Coffee due to the increasing profits and the good reputation. Finally, high economic growth rate of a country leads people to increase their consumption of Costa Coffees products; since they have more income. Social Factors Egyptians’ culture and lifestyle has dramatically changed in the last 10 years. People are more willing to go to cafes for lunch, dinner or simply a snack. Considering the Egyptian demographics of lifestyle and age groups, most of the Egyptian population falls in the youth age group. Hence, Costa Coffee plays music and offers an atmosphere that is convenient for all ages with special attention to youth. Costa Coffee respects the religion of each nation in which it operates. To clarify, Costa Coffee neither sells alcoholic drinks nor pork-containing food. In addition, Costa Coffees menu is written in both English and Arabic languages. English is the most widely spoken language, and Egypt is known as a touristic attraction. Plus, Egyptians like to come across a menu written in their own language for simplicity and showing cultural respect. Also, many people nowadays are concerned with their health; Costa Coffee is providing low-calorie food, a variety of fresh salads, sandwiches, and fresh fruit juice. Political Factors Governmental rules and regulations could affect the firms suppliers and the price of the raw materials. Imposed taxes or tariffs on the imported coffee beans add to raw materials cost. Rules regarding social insurance add to labor costs. Political instability and strikes do affect labor and consumers of Costa Coffee. Technological Factors Advanced machines affect the firms performance and efficiency through producing tasty coffee as quick as possible. High quality and speed of service affects customer satisfaction and loyalty. Costa Coffee uses highly advanced brewers and coffee makers for the best coffee cup. Besides, the use of the Internet to facilitate transactions between Costa and its suppliers lowers transaction costs and decreases lead time. As a result, stakeholders are more satisfied with increased profits and lower costs. Ecological Factors Costa Coffee uses recyclable paper bags and paper cups. And, it tries to reduce its energy consumption as steps towards a greener environment. It also ensures adherence to responsible farming practices, so that natural habitats are protected thereby reducing deforestation and carbon emissions. Furthermore, Costa is working to deliver green (LEED) certification for new stores beginning later this year and is working closely with its suppliers to develop more environmentally friendly packaging. Industry Environment Operating Environment A firm’s operating environment is related to environmental factors that directly affect the firm and its success in obtaining necessary resources. Yet, they are still factors beyond its area of control. 1. Competitors Costa coffee in Egypt faces high direct competition where around almost every corner in the cities, a coffee shop exists. Therefore, product differentiation is a must, and persistent high-quality is the way to keeping customers. Whichever Costa Coffee shop you enter, you are greeted the same, indulge in the same taste and pay what you see in the menu. Menu prices are tax inclusive which is different than most of other coffee shops. Competitors include, but are not limited to, Starbucks Coffee, Cilantro and Beano’s cafe. Creditors Costa’s past payment records and working capital position are the main attributes affecting creditors decisions. Considering the Egyptian markets, banks are not rare to find. Costa might be dealing with several banks, and may be granted loans from several areas. Hence, creditors have little leverage; since interest rates are controlled by central bank of Egypt as well. Customers Costa coffee is a service firm. Therefore, its utmost goal is customer satisfaction and loyalty to yield profits. Constantly monitoring Egypt’s demographics is essential in keeping a convenient atmosphere. For instance, Costa must always recognise what the youth are listening to these days to be able to play the optimum collection of songs in its branches while abiding by the brand’s image. Accessibility of location and parking spaces are of the main issues regarded by people when deciding on their hang-outs. And, the customer buyer behaviour of whether they prefer more salads and sandwiches rather than desserts; affects how much of each should be available at Costa’s branches. Labor Costa’s reputation and image is kept through its workers. Costa has to respect labor rights especially now that people are more aware of the rights than ever before. Also, Costa has to be selective in its waiters and baristas to keep the brand’s image and reputation. As a result of Costa’s reputation, highly-qualified workers apply for jobs at Costa Coffee. Suppliers Supplier relationships are as important as customer relationships. A good supplier relationships decreases yield time and enhances firm’s productivity. In Costa’s case, supplier power is not high as Costa has multiple suppliers, with low switching costs. However, supplier relationships are well-attended to at Costa Coffee; as part of its social responsibility towards coffee-growing countries.

feminaw Rebirth of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Rebirth in The Awakening The time Edna spends in water is a suspension of space and time; this is her first attempt at realizing Robert's impermanence. In a strange way, Edna is taking her self as an object of meditation, where at the extremity of self absorption, she should be able to see through her own selflessness. "As she swam she seemed to be reaching for the unlimited in which to lose herself[emphasis added]" (Chopin 74). Edna has left her earthly existence on the shore and looked forward to a new existence, with the "unlimited", or nirvana as a tantalizing prize on the other shore. Her mistake lies in looking back. When Edna looked back toward the shore, she notices the people she left there. She also notices that she has not covered a great distance. Then a "quick vision of death smote her soul" (Chopin 74), a sense of death that reaffirms her selfhood and reminds her of her clinging to Robert. Her meditation is broken by the wavering of her mind to other objects and senses. Her struggle to regain the shore becomes a kind of near-death experience, at the end of which comes an utter physical exhaustion, a stretching of her self's physical boundary. Edna's intellectual self, the mind, another creation of ignorance, awakens as well. She begins to "feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul" (Chopin 78). As Edna's fortified ego emerges ashore, her attachment to Robert is strengthened. The intimate moment they share at the end of the chapter bespeaks an "acme of bliss," where "no multitude of words could have been more significant than those moments of silence, or more pregnant with the first-felt throbbings of desire" (Chopin 63, 77). After Edna's rebirth from the sea, her sense of self blossoms. She pulls away from the crowd and begins to do as she pleases. LÃ ©once Pontellier's stern command for her to come inside after the swim goes unheeded. Edna realizes that her will has "blazed up, stubborn and resistant." In Buddhist philosophy, the concept of the will is one of the five aggregate that forms the self. Edna's recognition of her will is a good indication that her ego is fully formed, and that in a sense she has moved farther away from achieving nirvana.

Contingency Planning for a Healthcare Provider Essay

In this paper can be found a generic contingency plan for the health care industry, this paper shows how quickly things can change for health care providers, and what steps that need to be taken in case of a down ward spiral for the provider. This paper explains the seven steps of a contingency plan in detail to achieve maximum effectiveness. In this case, the contingency plan is for a surgical center. Contingency Planning for the Health Care Provider Background In this paper can be found a generic contingency plan for the health care industry, this paper shows how quickly things can change for health care providers, and what steps that need to be taken in case of a down ward spiral for the provider. This paper explains the seven steps of a contingency plan in detail to achieve maximum effectiveness. In this case, the contingency plan is for a surgical center, (The Author, 2014). Practice Overview There are many ways contingency planning can be defined. Contingency planning are steps, procedures, and policies for management that are created to keep business operations on track running and/or to restore them as well possibly during disaster or system failure. Disaster recovery is a number of processes that only pays attention to the processes of recovery. As defined by the Department of Health and Human Services, a contingency /disaster recovery plan is a strategic measure taken if there is a malfunction in a business product or if there is disaster such as flood, or fire or if things don’t go according to plan, (DHHS, n.d.). Contingency is just one part of a  large process for emergency preparedness that includes disaster recovery planning, business practices, and operational continuity. What is also often involved in repairing for such events are processes at a level of organizational processes and implementing policies that may require plans that are numerous and properly prepared for, recover from, respond to, and continue events that impacted by continued activities. What must also be considered by project managers are the disruptions and impacts of the plan, concurrently with organizational policies and standards, for such events. As part of a comprehensive risk management approach, a manager should identify threats and potential vulnerabilities for contingency planning and then he should implement approaches to limit potential impact or to prevent such incidents from happening, (DHHS, 2014). Contingency planning involves seven key factors to success. 1. Identify any regulatory requirements that involve contingency planning. Create a formal contingency planning policy statement. 2. Conduct a business impact analysis to recognize business processes and components, and systems that are critical to contingency planning. Mention the priorities to recovery and include impact events. 3. Identify and implement preventative controls and measures to increase availability, decrease the disruption effects, and reduce the cost of contingency. 4. Develop recovery strategies that make sure if something doesn’t go according to plan or if there is disaster, infrastructure critical systems and business can recover fast. 5. Develop contingency plans that include precise procedures and guidance for recovery from disruptions. 6. Plan testing, training, and exercises to practice and test contingency plans so that if there are and unfilled gaps or holes in the plan they could be filled. Also to make sure recovery personnel is prepared just in case of disruptions. 7. Maintain contingency plans. Update and add new factors to them to show the changes in the factors that influence them. The development of contingency planning is essential to implementing and developing an emergency preparedness program that is comprehensive. According to NIST, there are five main components of contingency plan. Best Practices 1. Concept of operations 1. Notification and activation 2. Recovery of operations 3. Reconstitution of normal operations 4. Supporting information as part as the plans appendices If success is wanted for contingency planning, it is essential for stakeholders to regularly re-look parts of operational importance. The types of contingency plans that should be included are, 1. Business continuity plan 2. Business recovery plan 3. Continuity of operations plan continuity of support plan 4. Crisis communications plan 5. Cyber incident response plan 6. Disaster recovery plan 7. Occupant emergency plan Conclusion In conclusion, contingency plans are created to protect responses to any disruptions or anything that may impact regular operations. The information the plans contain, the types of plans, and the responses all depend on the following factors, risk that a particular type of disruption may occur, resource availability to respond to different types of disruptions, organizational response capabilities, and readiness to deal with any type of disruption(DHHS, n.d.). References DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES(n.d.) ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE LIFE CYCLE FRAMEWORK Contingency Plan HHS EPLC Practice Guide Contingency planning. How to plan for disasters. Author Delisio ER http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/eds/detail?vid=2&sid=2bc0c2e0-b744-443†¦

Othello An Argumentative Essay - 1585 Words

Othello: An Argumentative Essay Inside each of us, there is a seed of good and evil since it is a constant struggle for us to determine as to which one will win, so that is why one cannot exist without the other. However, there are some whose emotions are unbalanced, which causes them to near towards one side more than the other one  ­Ã‚ ­ and many times the side a lot of people prefer to lean on is evil. Shakespeare’s play O thello is set in 16th ­century Venice and Cyprus. Othello, a noble black general from the Venetian army has secretly married Desdemona, daughter of Venice senator Brabantio. Othello chooses inexperienced Cassio to be his lieutenant, while he decides to give the ensign position to Iago, a malicious but very experienced man who, with his stealth and knavery, will ultimately ruin almost everyone’s life since for a long time, he was desiring the position of lieutenant just like Cassio. At the end of the play, Othello, Desdemona, Iago’s wife Emilia, and his sidekick Roderig o die due to his revenge against Cassio, for obtaining the position he wanted and Othello, for being the man who he hates the most. The play ends with Iago being told that he will be punished and tortured for his actions. However, despite the fact that Iago is punished at the end of the play for doing all of the malicious things he did, he still manages to wear down Othello’s relationship with Desdemona, get Cassio demoted from his lieutenancy, and cause Othello to show his cowardness byShow MoreRelated Shakespeare in Contemporary Movies Essay4875 Words   |  20 Pagesexample, she does not bother to study in her classes, but she knows how to argue and manipulate her teachers into acceptably high grades. Furthermore, her father, a high-powered lawyer, is as happy as if they were based on real grades because her argumentative skills are as useful in the world of modern, upper-class California as actually doing well in social sciences and gym. As in The Last Action Hero, schoo l is presented as a place where learning is the last thing anyone is doing and rightfully so