Analyse Staff Turnover, Its Cost and Effects on the Business and Develop Strategies to Improve Retention.

Analyse staff turnover, its cost and effects on the business and develop strategies to improve retention. Subject: Human Resource Management MGT 201 Student Name: Brenda Lai (YUN-CHU LAI) Student Number: 00038680T Lecturer: Alison Knight Staff turnover, or labour turnover, is a percentage of a number of employees that leave a firm in a period of time. Reasons for leaving can be voluntary, such as resignation, relocation to another company or any other personal reasons that cause the employees unable to continue the job.It may also be involuntary such as being terminated due to poor job performance, absenteeism or violation of work policies. Companies that have too low or too high turnover rate are generally inefficient and low-productive. Firms that have high turnover rate will have an overall decreasing in competency and productivity because the frequent replacement of workers as well as increasing in costs. However, it is not necessarily true that the lower the turnover rate, the b etter for the business. Businesses that have very low turnover rate could result in a tiring, inactive and demotivating work environment.As employees form the backbone of every organization, it is critical for managers to analyse the causes for high or low turnover rate, develop retention practices and maintain a steady, satisfied workforce. Turnover costs for many organizations are high and can have significant impacts on the financial performance of an organization. Turnover costs can be categorized into two kinds, direct costs and indirect costs. Direct costs include recruitment, selection and training of new employees, expense of advertising positions, and costs of temporary replacement of employees.Indirect costs, which refer to loss of efficiency and productivity, can be caused by a variety of reasons such as inefficiency and lack of experience of the newly appointed employees, breakage of tools caused by mishandling of equipment by new employees, lack of cooperation and coord ination between old and new employees, costs of increased supervision and support for the new employees, the time used for reading resumes and interviewing the candidates. The costs mentioned above are only general ideas that can be found in most businesses, however turnover costs can vary from different industries.For example, as a sales company, losing one sale could mean losing more than one important client at the same time. If the business is service-based, employers need to make sure they keep key employees. If employees leave, the company can face serious problems due to lack of professional services resulting in high staff turnover which could cost the business more than anything else. Smart companies pay attention to retaining of employees and minimize the act of turnover, which will then be discussed more in details in the following paragraphs.In a human resource perspective, for most organizations the goal is to lower staff turnover, maintain consistency in the workforce and train more skilled employees. High staff turnover can be costly to the business financially and also create problems internally. Internal problems include low employee morale, low employee royalty and stressful employees. This can then lead to decrease of productivity and efficiency. On the other hand, companies that have a low staff turnover rate are generally more productive and successful. (This is not an assumption; low voluntary turnover might sometimes be a negative for organizations.Details will be discussed at the next paragraph. ) Reasons being are that the employees trust each other, respect their leaders and feel a sense of belonging while working in the company. Employees in a positive and motivated work environment are normally more loyal and willing to dedicate their personal energy to the job. In addition, an organization that offers a better payroll system compared with others with similar jobs is likely to have lower turnover rate. Companies that offer satisfyin g bonuses and incentives tend to entice their employees to stay longer.Another reason for companies that have low turnover is that they help the employees to see the career benefits that lie ahead for them to achieve. Ultimately people search for settlement and a long-term career that helps to reach their goals. Therefore a well thought out career plan for employees is always a good way to keep them engaged. For instance, most hotels offer management training programmes for employees who have worked in the establishment over 1-2 years. It encourages employees who desire a long-term career goal to remain, and to continuously dedicate their skills to the hotel.Hotels also offer department transfer opportunities for employees who have been in the firm over 6 months or 1 year. By doing so, the hotel can keep the workers that are loyal to the company, and reducing some of the costs of training if they are transferred or promoted to or within a similar department. Overall a low staff turn over means a more productive, positive and efficient work environment and in some cases, successful business. It is important for companies to keep the staff turnover rate down, however according to Dr.John Sullivan who is an expert in recruitment management says that from his experience, voluntary turnover rate below 4% is not a good sign and should be taken into serious discussions by the company. (Dr. J. Sullivan, 8/8/2011, Final Thoughts, http://www. ere. net/2011/08/08/a-low-turnover-rate-could-mean-that-you-have-ugly-employees/). The article says that a low voluntary turnover rate could at the same time mean the employees in the firm are unskilled therefore seemed unattractive to other competitors or unambitious to seek external jobs.A very low voluntary turnover could sometimes be caused by inactive management or a lack of courage to terminate unsuitable employees. It is also crucial for companies to receive exit or a post-exit interview for feedback from departing employees. With almost no circulation in human resource, companies will find it difficult to understand its problems that could cause failure of the business. Companies that have zero or very low voluntary turnover rate is like a stagnant pool of water, with no fresh and clean water coming in, implying lack of new ideas, skills and competitive intelligence that are brought in by new employees.It is always good to recruit on a regular basis. Having skilled new employees input can make the current employees feel threatened and having to compete with them, as a result of creating a motivated and competitive environment. Eventually the lazy and unambitious employees will be forced to leave. Well-managed companies with exceptional management and retention practices generally maintain low voluntary turnover rates, but higher involuntary rates to keep development processes running and avoid talent decay.One of the key ways to prevent high employee turnover is to instill in them a sense of belonging, loyalty and commitment. The following are some ideas to accomplish this. Initially, human resources or recruitment managers want to ensure they recruit the â€Å"right people†. The right people meaning candidates who share similar values, principles and goals with the company. This ensures long-term employee loyalty and retention, because they have the commitment before they start working in the organization. Secondly, providing employees with opportunities for advancement help them to view what they will be in, in the following years.Most employees feel motivated if they have clear vision of what potential positions are available for them in the future at a higher level. To value employees’ voice and contribution and give them praise, helps to build up trust and loyalty between employers and employees. Thirdly, companies with a well-developed compensation package create a favorable environment for employees. The package should include variety of pay scale, incentives , bonuses, welfare and benefits. Additionally, leveling the workload and being flexible with working hours have become a critical issue for employers to look at.Employers should recognize the quality of work life is getting more important for employees. Most importantly, having an exit interview is always a good way to find out the reasons why employees leave and issues that should be addressed to reduce a high staff turnover. Retention practices assist organizations to keep their key employees from leaving to work for other competitors and maintain a healthy turnover rate. To develop a retention strategy, managers firstly need to understand the reasons why people leave. It can be environmental or motivational problems.Low performers tend to leave more often than high performers. However high performers could also leave due to lack of promotional opportunities, training or recognition for effective performance. By implementing exit and post-exit interviews can help managers to under stand what employees need and things they can improve on. Job satisfaction plays an important role in retaining employees. It gives employees a sense of belonging, prestige, a status or authority and power in the organization. Feeling satisfied within their position generally creates motivation.When staff are motivated, they are more likely to perform a higher quality of work. Employees who have good work performance deserve rewards. Businesses often use bonuses, commissions, compensation or employee benefits to reward staff to make sure they keep up the good work. Companies with a substantial reward system and employee welfare are more likely to retain their key employees from leaving the company and work for other competitors. For example, Google offers a list of employee benefits that is called â€Å"I-bet-you-don’t-have-that-where-you-work†.It includes flexible hours for nearly every professional employee, casual dress everyday, pets allowed to work, onsite dental care, free massage and yoga, free drinks, free meals and many other benefits that most employees desire. (HCA Online, 25/07/2006, http://www. hcamag. com/article/a-look-inside-the-google-talent-machine-112999. aspx). Retention and recruitment of key employees will be more critical in the following years as the baby boomer generation moves towards retirement, which leads to shortage of skills in the industry. Managers that recognise their staff as their greatest asset generally are more successful than others who don’t.A successful business requires several factors; one of the most important and most irreplaceable things is its competitive advantage(s). By retaining key employees, the people that create or help to maintain competitive advantages, companies are more likely to achieve its long-term goals and make desirable profits. For example, Google is well known for its special recruitment system and attractive retention strategies that every employee dreams about. One of Goo gle’s interesting programmes is called â€Å"Working with 20 per cent time†. (HCA Online, 25/07/2006, http://www. hcamag. om/article/a-look-inside-the-google-talent-machine-112999. aspx). It means that the employee works one day a week on their own to research individual selected projects that the company funds and supports. Google have crafted every position and element in the workplace so that all employees are working on projects that interest them, continuously learning and being challenged positively to do more. This programme makes the work itself become an attraction and retention force, a driver of motivation and innovation, and a feeling that the employees themselves are adding value to the company.What Google have done is not only make their employees want to remain and work for them but also continually create and develop skilled people. With Google’s perfect retention strategies, they are confident to retain valuable employees and create a positive c ycle. In conclusion, it is essential for organizations to understand staff turnover rates and analyze the cause and effects of turnover, in order to maintain it in a healthy and favorable level. This paper has discussed the costs, causes and effects for high staff turnover, and also the negative impacts on businesses with a very low turnover rate.It has also mentioned a diverse range of ideas on how to prevent a high staff turnover, as well as develop a thorough retention strategy that encourages key employees to remain within an organization. Some successful real life examples have been provided from the company ‘Google’ have been mentioned and referenced. Overall recruitment and retention are substantial factors for a successful business. Reference List: â€Å"A Look Inside the Google Talent Machine†, â€Å"HCA Online†, , assessed date: 28/03/2013 Dr. J.Sullivan, 8/8/2011, â€Å"A Low Turnover Rate Could Mean That You Have Ugly Employees†, â€Å" RER. net†, < http://www. ere. net/2011/08/08/a-low-turnover-rate-could-mean-that-you-have-ugly-employees/>, Assessed date: 27/03/2013 F. John Reh, â€Å"The High Cost Of High Employee Turnover†, â€Å"About. com Management†, < http://management. about. com/od/money/a/The-High-Cost-Of-High-Employee-Turnover. htm> Assessed date: 27/03/2013 K. May, â€Å"Causes & Effects of High & Low Staff Turnover†, â€Å"Demand Media†, â€Å"Chrone†, < http://smallbusiness. chron. com/causes-effects-high-low-staff-turnover-33939. h

Do environmentalists overstate their

Do Environmentalists Overstate Their Case? The very interesting article â€Å"Do Environmentalists Overstate Their Case? † is included in an academic book â€Å"Taking sides†. In the article writer provides articles for and against the motion. Both the sides are well addressed and are very convincing. However, I personally think that, environmentalists do overstate their case. According to environmentalists the world is going to hell in a handbasket but I disagree with the statement because Various individuals organizations and nations re taking initiatives to improve the condition of the environment.Like for instance, according to the article published in Japan Times in Feb 23, 2013, Tokyo and Beijing are cooperating to decrease the air pollution and it's menace. Similarly, according to article published in Delhi(lndia) government site various steps have been taken to reduce pollution like: ban of vehicles older than 15 years, ban in vehicles driven in conventional fue ls etc. These rules are being effectively implemented though transportation enforcement team.These are few among many examples of initiatives taken to improve the environment thus world is definitely getting better and not worse in days to come. Furthermore, environmentalists are focusing too much on environmental degradation and totally ignoring about the improvement in environmental condition. They fail to address the cases of environmental improvement. For example: according to â€Å"The economist† in the article â€Å"The east is gray† America and Europe combined are cutting down their emissions by 60m tones a year in spite of increase in industrial activities.The above shown chart as published by world bank clearly shows that sulphur- dioxide concentration in all the major places are in decreasing trend. These are some of the facts that environmentalists forget to mention. Most importantly environmentalists have to understand that environment is a dynamic and not static. If it's degraded today, it can always get better tomorrow. We don't really have to make a fuss out of it and exaggerate to the extent that it makes people panic. We can also notice it in our real lives that the environment is actually dynamic.For example: My father told me that â€Å"The Bagmati river† which is one of the most important river of my country Nepal was very clean when he was a child. However, as a child I saw only the polluted version the river. But, as the time passed by various measures were taken to clean up the river. At local level people started cleaning it up and at national level various policies were set up. Now, I can see it for myself that the river is cleaner than it used to be. Similarly, the western countries have followed the pattern of â€Å"grow first, clean up later†.During the process of development and progress the environment is affected adversely. However, later they take the initiatives and clean up the environment. In this way, the environment is changing, sometimes for bad and sometimes for good. Thus, environmental degradation is not a big issue. TO the environment is improving every passing day. The government policies and rules indicate that, the statistics proves that and our own experiences assures the point.

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Postwar Vietnamese Film - CYCLO - Essay Example Tran Anh Hungs brilliant film exposes to light how poverty and inexorable pressure of robber capitalism in high-crime area make ordinary people face ethical dilemma and experience problem of choice in a vibrant urban environment of modern Vietnam. Tran Anh Hungs Cyclo is a sophisticated poetic tale of Ho Chi Minh City. It opens the door to a gloomy world of turbulent 90s in the Vietnams largest city, where misery runs in the family from generation to generation and hellish toil does not mean decent life. The movie focuses on times of so-called "doi moi" or market liberalization in Vietnam, when the government of the country took measures to make a transition from a command economy to a market-driven economical system of Western type (Narkunas 148), which was a huge challenge for the nation. During these transition times portrayed in the movie the corruption of state apparatus and hyperinflation of national currency were a commonplace, while unemployment and crime rates soared and caused social unrest in big cities. A great number of Ho Chi Minh City inhabitants were foredoomed to be trapped in a vicious circle of hard poverty and moral decadence, incoming crime waves and abrupt eruptions of street violence, gender bias and ho peless lack of opportunities for younger generation. The protagonists of the movie represent the lower class of Vietnamese society that struggles hard to escape from grasp of misery. Each of them makes morally questionable choices all the way down in hope for better life. However, despite the fact all of the protagonists are tangled in a shady business, they are more to be pitied than censured. The story is told in a somewhat dismal strain. Its chronological narration is far from having a linear progression and often intermingles with colorful surrealistic scenes. The film is rich with vivid imagery, when

Just a question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Just a question - Essay Example When one would actually count the number of new terms up to 100, one could determine that there are 28 new terminologies to learn counting from 1 to 100 using the English language. This therefore makes it challenging and difficult for young children. In contrast, Chinese language and the structure of their words are relatively shorter. For math terms, the Chinese apparently structured the successive numbers with the effective use of logic by just repeating the first 10 numbers. The numbers of new math terms from 1 to 100 in Chinese language were deemed to be just 11, in contrast to the 28 new terms for the English language. Therefore, the shorter structure of the words, the logic in repeating them (ten-one for eleven; ten-two for twelve, etc.), and the significantly lower new terms make learning math using the Chinese language easier. Overall, the structure of the English language in its complexity and expectation to adhere to grammatical rules made the language more complex than Asi an language. In no way was it intended to create discouragement; since English has been proven to have vast advantages far beyond its use in understanding

Quiz show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quiz show - Essay Example They told them to choose topics that they were well versed with and at times provided answers to the questions. They choose one who was to be on the lead and the questions they were to get right or deliberately wrong themselves. In 1957 the producers set to put a new figure into the limelight of the show. In this case, they had to fail the current top contestant Herb Stempel by asking to deliberately get a question that he knew the answer wrong, in order to disqualify him. They wanted to bring in the new top contestant Charles Van Doren. Doren was considered to be more handsome and young. He was also a bit famous because he was the son of a famous politic family known in the academic circles. In this light, how would bring more vigor and drama to the show, hence maintaining is popularity. Many people in the studio thought that he was not going to accept but when the time came, he â€Å"took the dive†. Although he was against the decision, he never wanted to go against the studio, he did it in good will. Kantian Ethical principles state that the only thing that is intrinsically good is â€Å"good will†. This principle owes its existence to the Enlightenment rationalism from where it was coined. It is there possible to judge the actions of both Herb Stempel and Charles Van Doren based on the above theory. One thing that is clear is that Stempel was not willing to lie on a question that he very well knew the correct answer. However, since he was a sacrificial lamb he had no option but to play along and cheat in order to put Doren in the top position. He did in good will so as to ensure the success of the studio and the famous program. However, it was not right of Doren to take his brothers position as the top contestant, knowing that he rightfully earned it. Despite this, he had to accept the chance since he was going to be on top of the game and all the focus was to

The most viable foreign market to invest in between China and UK Essay

The most viable foreign market to invest in between China and UK - Essay Example The paper tells that the world is rapidly being converted into a global village. It is rapidly becoming cheaper and faster to communicate and transact business worldwide. Many companies are seizing the opportunities that arise from the technological advances occurring worldwide. Companies are expanding beyond their local zones and investing in other lucrative markets overseas and making huge profits running into billions of US dollars. These they achieve by acquiring new foreign markets for their products and taking advantage of cheaper production costs that may be in that foreign country and eliminating transport costs that would arise from transporting products from the original country of production. The firms are also better placed in accessing other markets that are close to the new market. This Canadian firm is no different. There are ready foreign markets overseas which would see the firm increase its profit margins and market share. It is therefore of great importance that th e company acquires new markets and increases its profit margins. In choosing the best foreign market in which to invest, Porter’s diamond model was used. According to the model, there are four attributes of a nation that shape its business environment in which firms compete for market share. They include: factor endowments (conditions); demand conditions; supporting and related industries; and firm’s structure, strategy and rivalry. Foreign market analysis revealed that; China has a booming economy with good infrastructural development while UK has falling business investment and rising unemployment rates. ... oduction costs that may be in that foreign country and eliminating transport costs that would arise from transporting products from the original country of production. The firms are also better placed in accessing other markets that are close to the new market. This Canadian firm is no different. There are ready foreign markets overseas which would see the firm increase its profit margins and market share. It is therefore of great importance that the company acquires new markets and increases its profit margins. c) Choice of market In choosing the best foreign market in which to invest, Porter’s diamond model was used. According to the model, there are four attributes of a nation that shape its business environment in which firms compete for market share. They include: factor endowments (conditions); demand conditions; supporting and related industries; and firm’s structure, strategy and rivalry (drypen, 2010). 1) Factor Endowments While examining factor endowments it i s worth noting that any company can obtain certain non key factors like raw materials and unskilled labour rending these factors useless when generating a competitive advantage. Certain specialized factors like technology, communication infrastructure are more useful while creating a competitive advantage in the new market. This is because these specialized factors are more difficult to duplicate (drypen, 2010). Both China and UK have well developed transport and telecommunication infrastructure. According to human Resource Management Guide (2012), UK’s unemployment rate has from by 0.4% over the year to 8.4% up from 8.0%. The Chinese economy on the other hand is booming. According to Morison (2011), China is one of the fastest growing economies emerging as both a trade and economic power. The

Anthropologists Understanding of Human Health Essay

Anthropologists Understanding of Human Health - Essay Example However, the concern of medical anthropologists is to understand how communities understood the concept of health. Medical anthropologists have explored various ways, which different cultures used to understand the concept of disease and health. First is ecological or epidemiological view. Its concern posits the interaction between natural environment and culture to create pattern of diseases and health (Parker and Harper, 2005:123). Second is the critical (applied) medical anthropology view that focuses on how politics and economics affected human health. Third is interpretive view, which concerns with how culture related some symbolic meaning to understand and describe a disease. Epidemiological Perspective Epidemiology concern is to understand how factors within human population would affect human health. The concern of epidemiologists is to investigate cultural factors that contributed to diseases. These cultural factors include eating habit, sexual activity, medical practices, w ork, social interaction and geographical location (Bhasin). The paradox of this anthropological approach is that it cannot be able to identify the causing factors of these illnesses. However, traditionalists advised their people on what practices were best suitable in relation to health or disease risk. Epidemiologists’ research across cultures indicated that illnesses differ (Sharma and Gautam, 2006:143). For instance, blood pressure research conducted across cultures has indicated that pressure differs. The outcome of the study suggests differences across cultures might be the likable cause. The assumption made through medical ecology is that universal approach is applicable in categorising diseases. Measuring of diseases can take geographical dimension, where changes in pattern of settlement could project the anticipated disease or health outcome. For instance, medical anthropologists believe that measuring and mapping of haemoglobin is possible in relation to a given geog raphical region (McElroy, 2002:9). The study of disease in such area would focus on human physiology in relation to the environment. For instance, a disease such as malaria occurs in a given geographical area. The understanding of this condition is very important when it comes to diagnosing of the disease. It is not surprising that the colonial masters that arrived in Africa faced the challenge of Malaria. Ethno medicine The focus of ethno medicine is to explore practices and health beliefs, social roles, and cultural values. The perspective originally focused on the primitive system of life in relation to folk medicine. Today ethno medicine means health maintenance in the society (Elmer, 2004:27). Understanding the concept of ethno medicine, the beliefs, values, and knowledge of specialists in various communities is important. Since ethno medicine encompasses a number of factors, it gives detailed information on how communities interpreted illnesses and the techniques applied in me eting the effects of the illnesses. Traditional healers in Indian culture practice the activities alongside biomedicine that a patient in India would seek (Williams, 2006:215). The role played by the specialists in the traditional times has not faded, as one would think. Some communities demonstrate inclination to traditional methods as much as they would seek biomedicine. Interpretive Perspective Cultures a cross the globe associate different meaning to issues that

Understand the role of the Sales Manager and to gain knowledge Essay - 1

Understand the role of the Sales Manager and to gain knowledge - Essay Example eet who was a Dutch trader specializing in the importation of coffee beans to the U.S which he would roast and crush them resulting in a delicious flavor. The trader owned a coffee kiosk that attracted a sizeable number of customers including the three founders of Starbucks. They opened a coffee store in Settle in 1971 through personal and borrowed capital. The brand name Starbucks was associated with traditional coffee traders and the legend of the high seas. Basically, the company deals with processing and selling differentiated coffee products such as roasted coffee beans, coffee and tea beverages, cold blended beverages as well as beverage-related accessories and equipment. The company promotes the livelihoods of the public especially in the coffee growing regions. It promotes environmental conservation through tree planting activities with coffee growing communities. It also supports wildlife conservation in the poor coffee producing countries as well as educating farmers on better methods of coffee production. The company supports education and community development in poor rural communities. Its policy on ethics supports the global business ethics and is implemented through established regulations that each member of the organization should follow on day to day basis. Currently the company directly employs 137,000 workers and more than 100,000 indirectly employed through its products supply chain. The company is a multinational with subsidiaries established in 55 countries globally. Diversity in the workforce is a strategic human resource management practice that allows integration of various competencies and talents disregarding racial and ethnic background or gender among employees. It helps to avoid discrimination in the workplace. The company engages in best human resource human resource practices and attaches great value to its human capital. Working conditions, remuneration and professional ethics are held with high regard. It is the best company

Are Stem Cell Treatments Effective Research Paper

Are Stem Cell Treatments Effective - Research Paper Example The embryonic SCs (ESCs) are â€Å"pluripotent† cells which can produce tissues of all embryonic germ layers namely, endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The adult SCs (ASCs) are â€Å"multipotent† cells having the capacity to generate a limited subset of cells (Lodi et al., 2011). of The characteristic ability of the stem cells to renew themselves continuously for long periods and differentiate into specific cell types under appropriate conditions (Zhong, 2008) make them good candidates for cell-based therapies in regenerative or reparative medicine, especially to treat conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and several neurodegenerative diseases. Research on and application of ESCs for clinical use is a raging controversy. No regular human ESC therapies are available yet. According to the latest literature on the topic, the only on-going clinical trials employing ESC are being conducted on patients with spinal cord injury (Aznar and Sanchez, 2011 ). However, numerous trials have been/are being conducted with ASCs. ... The human heart muscle damaged by a heart attack does not heal naturally. The primary treatment protocol involves a rapid reperfusion of the infarct related coronary artery in order to curtail the ischemic area and reduce tissue damage (Lodi et al., 2011). Also, angioplasty is required to be conducted soon after, to effectively reestablish the coronary flow. A new strategy of restoring damaged heart tissue is through facilitating repair or regeneration of the tissue. Using ASCs as well as ESCs for heart muscle repair is, currently, an active area of research (stemcells.nih.gov). Autologous skeletal myoblast transplantation undertaken as a major multicenter study for MI treatment did not show any improvement especially with regard to the echocardiographic heart function (Menasche et al., 2008) but improvement in the ejection fraction (EF) was noted (Hagege et al., 2006). Adult human stem cells therapy (AHSCT) could successfully improve EF without causing adverse left ventricular remod eling (Schachinger et al., 2009). Also, in a multicenter double-blind study, intracoronary infusion of HSCs into the infarct artery of 204 patients with acute MI following successful reperfusion therapy was found to significantly reduce MI recurrence restenosis or arrhythmia which are two major adverse post-MI cardiovascular events (Schachinger et al., 2006). Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells introduced with a catheter into the heart of 21 patients with severe heart failure in a nonrandomized, open-label study appreciably improved myocardial blood flow with associated enhancement of regional and global left ventricular function (Perin et

Internal and External Factors of Management Essay Example for Free

Internal and External Factors of Management Essay Introduction Businesses rely heavily on the four basic functions of management Planning, Organizing, Directing, and Controlling; however, the skilled management of internal and external factors will ultimately determine the longevity of the company. Management teams are measured on how quickly they can build a company over a short period. However, the real measure is how well a company can continue to grow. Company success is continually evolving as the world changes, making it difficult on management teams to adapt as internal and external forces mold new paths. Google is a prime example of a leading company who must constantly evaluate their business objectives to keep up with the changing technological landscape. Traditional business models use a top down approach may leave the company unable to change, as the business leader is unable to change. â€Å"It is noteworthy that neither Larry Page nor Sergei Brin, Googles founders, has proclaimed himself chief software architect, the badge Bill Gates wears at Microsoft† (Hamel, 2006) Instead the founders have designed a concept the makes every idea stand on its own merits. Internal and external factors such as Globalization, Technology, Innovation, Diversity, and Ethics carry large weight in management strategies and the method in which ideas are executed. Planning Planning is the first of the four management functions. Google manages to plan for their future by recognizing that planning requires research and development. Investing in new technologies takes time and money, and not every cent or minute can be dedicated to research without other sources for income. This is why Google invest in smaller companies to fund the evolution of change in the technological world. So even though the company’s overall growth may experience slow periods the overall income will continue to grow with the acquisition of these multiple smaller companies. Organizing Organizing is attracting people to the organization as well as assembling and coordinating the human, financial, physical, informational, and other resources needed to achieve goals. â€Å"Google is famously elitist when it comes to hiring. It understands that companies begin to slide into mediocrity when they start to hire mediocre people. Googles grueling hiring process, akin to a Mensa test, values nonconformity nearly as highly as genius.† (Hamel,  2006) Google also allows their employees 20% creative time, which is off budget, and off project. This off shift time can attribute to some of Google’s most profitable ideas and software implementation. Providing the creative outlet for the company’s highly creative employees has yielded great results and is part of Google’s overall planning model. Hamel, G. (2006, Apr 27). Management a la google. The Wall Street Journal Asia. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/315425991?accountid=35812 The ultimate test of any management team is not how fast it can grow its company in the short-term, but how consistently it can grow it over the long-term. In a world where change is relentless and seditious, this demands a capacity for rapid strategic adaptation. In many cases, companies havent been changing as fast as the world around them.What the laggards have failed to grasp is that what matters most today is not a companys competitive advantage at a point in time, but its evolutionary advantage over time. [Google] gets this. While Googles growth will inevitably slow, theres a good chance that its revenues will arc upward for years. Why? Because its novel management system seems to have been designed to guard against the risk factors that so often erode an organizations evolutionary potential: When power is concentrated at the top, a tradition-bound executive team can hold a companys capacity to change hostage to its own ability to adapt. Thats why it usually takes a financial meltdown and leadership change to set a company on a new course. It is noteworthy that neither Larry Page nor Sergei Brin, Googles founders, has proclaimed himself chief software architect, the badge Bill Gates wears at Microsoft. Rather than assume theyre infallible seers with a divine right to dictate Googles next strategy and the one after that, Messrs. Page and Brin have created a Darwinian environment in which every idea must compete on its merits, not on the grandeur of its sponsors title. Google understands that even as its ramping up todays business model, it has to be buying options on the future by creating a lot of little Googlettes. Evolution demands a lot of new experiments; but experimentation takes time and money, scarce commodities when every hour of time and every dollar of capital have already been  allocated to some mission critical project. Thats why every Google developer can spend up to 20% of his time working on off-budget, out-of-scope projects. This time is more than a perk; its Googles seed corn for the future. The payoff? In one recent period, more than half of Googles newly launched products could trace their origins to a 20% project. You have requested on-the-fly machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Show full disclaimer Neither ProQuest nor its licensors make any representations or warranties with respect to the translations. The translations are automatically generated AS IS and AS AVAILABLE and are not retained in our systems. PROQUEST AND ITS LICENSORS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES FOR AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, NON-INFRINGMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Your use of the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in your Electronic Products License Agreement and by using the translation functionality you agree to forgo any and all claims against ProQuest or its licensors for your use of the translation functionality and any output derived there from. Hide full disclaimer Translations powered by LEC. Translations powered by LEC.

Creation Of The Starbucks Experience Marketing Essay

Creation Of The Starbucks Experience Marketing Essay Started up in 1971, Starbucks is one of the worlds largest chains of coffee houses. Starting out as a single shop that specializes in high quality coffee and brewing products, the company grew to be the largest roasters with multiple locations in America the early 80s. From there it expanded its operations and growth to North America, Europe, Middle East, Latin America and the Pacific Rim. Worldwide there are approximately 35 million customers that visit a SB Coffee house each week. Starbucks is all about purchases and roasts high-quality whole bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment primarily through its company-operated retail stores.   In addition to sales through their company-operated retail stores, Starbucks sells whole bean coffees through a specialty sales group and supermarkets.   The Companys objective is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. The company grew from 17 stores in 1987 to more than 16,000 worldwide today (ONeill, 2008); see Table 1. The stores are all company owned except for the licensing arrangements for kiosks in places such as airports and hospitals. Recently, Starbucks was in the news for shutting down 500 of its stores and laying off 7% of its work force (Adamy, 2008). The reason for the store closings were that earnings were down and the stock price has tumbled since late 2006. Other than the economic recession in the U.S. and around the world, the downslide in Starbucks earnings is also attributed to a slowdown in consumer spending and an increase in competition from other coffee and restaurant chains, especially McDonalds (Adamy, 2008). Today, Starbucks is working to regain market share, and improve productivity and profitability without sacrificing the quality and reliability of its products and service. 2. Starbucks Experience (Process Technology) Starbuckss strategy in targeting its customers is to position itself as a third place in the lifestyles of its customers. That is to say, the prototypical Starbucks customer will spend their time at home, at work, and at Starbucks. To encourage this idea, Starbucks locations are furnished with comfortable seating, provide outlets for electronic equipment, and a blanket no-smoking policy ensures that all customers are comfortable in the environment, refer to Figure 2. Coffee Drinks Menu Promotions Pastries Espresso Bar Cashier Magazines Products Condiments Entrance Figure 2. Basic Starbucks Coffee Store Layout in a Penang, Malaysia Making customers more comfortable while spending time in the stores causes them to stay longer and, in doing so, indulge in more of what Starbucks has to offer. As customers linger, they are more likely to buy a second cup of coffee or a snack, to pay for wi-fi internet access, to burn a CD, etc. In addition to diversify its product offerings, Starbucks is also looking to broaden its customer base beyond just young urban professionals and college students. Many of the more recent adjustments to how Starbucks conducts its business are aimed at accommodating the varied lifestyles of the not-so-traditional Starbucks customer. The Coffee (Capacity Management Supplier chain strategy) 3.1 Managing Operations Early On at Starbucks: Today, Starbucks is a publicly traded company, more than a retail store; its an importer, a manufacturer, a wholesaler, and a direct mail business organization. However, in the beginning, before going public in 1992, the roasting plant and headquarters were located next to each other in the city of Seattle, Washington. This close proximity allowed Howard Schultz, to be involved in the operational planning and control of this enterprise on a day-to-day basis (Schultz and Jones, 1997).. 3.2 Early Supply Chain: A supply chain (SC) is the network of activities that deliver a product or service to the customer. It is the sourcing of raw materials, assembly, warehousing, order entry, distribution, and delivery. In other words, a supply chain is the sequence of organizational facilities, functions, and activities that are all involved in the production and delivery of a quality product or service at an affordable and competitive price (Gates Gill, 2007; Wisner et al, 2005). By facilities meaning warehouses, factories or plants, processing centers, distribution centers, retail outlets, and offices. By functions and activities we mean demand forecasting, purchasing, inventory management, information management, quality assurance, scheduling, production, delivery, and customer service (Russell and Taylor, 2011). It is no wonder that supply chains are also referred to as value chains, because the ultimate value of a product or service takes place along this chain from raw ma terial purchasing to receiving to storage to operations and finally through the distribution system to the end user (Stevenson, 2009). Supply chain management (SCM) is the business function that coordinates all of the network links, thereby, coordinates efficient movement of goods through the supply chain from suppliers to manufacturers to distributors, and promotes sharing of information such as the demand forecasts, sales data, and sales promotions along the chain (Stevenson, 2009). The main reasons for supply chain management are twofold: (1) a total systems approach to managing the entire flow of information, materials, and services from raw-material suppliers through factories and warehouses to the end customer; and (2) the strategic coordination of business functions within a business organization and throughout its supply chain for the purpose of integrating supply and demand management and creating a balance between supply and demand (Wisner et al, 2005). Effective supply chain management is a key component of competing successfully in todays cutthroat global marketplace. Without effectively managing the flo w of goods, supplies, and even services, no company can hope to maintain control of their quality, costs, or meet their customers needs. Starbucks learned early on that the quality of the coffee that ends up in the customers hands can be easily ruined by mishandling activities in the supply chain. To control process quality, Starbucks had to manage its own supply chain. Simply put, if the farmer does not get a good price for the green coffee beans, they then would not invest in fertilizer and the maintenance involved in growing quality coffee beans (Schultz and Jones, 1997; Wikipedia II). The coffee can be under or over roasted. If the coffee beans sit on the shelf for too long they go stale, so the right amount of inventory is a crucial factor, which in turn relates to the effectiveness of supply chain management. Starbucks prefers to handle its own supply chain, open company-owned stores, and has resisted franchising in fear of giving up its control over selling a high-quality product. 3.3 Why Dark Roast: The highest quality coffee beans have always been dark roasted which is what differentiates Starbucks from other coffee sellers. By roasting the coffee beans dark, Starbucks gave up a way to improve the productivity of the roasting process; the lighter the roast the more money is saved (Schultz and Jones, 1997). Starbucks has always struggled with maintaining its value of serving high-quality dark roast coffee even though there are many non-customers who think the dark roast tastes like burnt coffee. 3.4 Instability in the Supply Chain: Purchasing green coffee beans from developing countries brings several risks such as bad weather, political risk, and inconsistent quality. There were times when the weather affected the price of green coffee beans. Starbucks managed supply chain costs by locking in the price of green coffee through long-term contracts at a fixed price which ensured a constant flow of inventory. In June of 1994, the cost of green coffee had been locked in at 0.50 cents a pound. Then a severe frost in Brazil caused the price of green coffee beans to increase 330%. A decision was made to pass the incremental cost on to the customers rather than replacement cost as the gasoline stations are doing today each time the price of oil goes up. Immediately, profitability was affected by an adverse effect in the supply chain. An unstable supply chain can cause an immediate reaction from Wall Street when profits for a company are expected to be affected by adverse conditions (Carier, 2007). 4. Customer Service (Lean Production) Each Starbucks store has customer comment cards available at the condiment stations. The comment cards help Starbucks management keep in touch with what customers want from the coffee products and The Starbucks Experience. The cards give the customer a chance to judge the experience they just had and make suggestions on new products. Starbucks has a guarantee statement posted in the store as Our Promise that states the customers can get a coffee drink the way they want it. If the customer is not satisfied with a drink another one will be made to their satisfaction. If a customer wants to try the taste of the coffee before purchasing, the barista will offer a sample. The Starbucks guarantee statement is as follows. Our Promise: Your drink should be perfect, every time. If not, let us know and we will make it right. 4.1 Customer Requirements: Starbucks continuously solicits feedback from customers via a wide variety of means. These include but are not limited to: direct feedback at the counter; customer feedback through the Starbucks Customer Connections (SCC) website; and questionnaires on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report (Starbucks Company Timeline). Customer requirements are considered when designing the quality and reliability of the coffee drinks and the experience at Starbucks. As the stores became popular as a third place for the customers, Starbucks responded by finding ways to respond to the requirements of the customers and enhance the spirit of the stores. See Table 2, Starbuckss Quality Table, for an organized list of customer requirements, appearing in the rows of the table, gathered from research and talking to people who drink coffee. The corresponding solutions, appearing in the columns of the table, describe how Starbucks is responding to meeting the customer requirements. It is suffice to say that Starbucks has attempted to meet all the requirements of the customers. The Quality Table also demonstrates the relationship between the customer requirements and the Starbuckss solutions. The strength of relationships is determined using the conventional symbolism of the quality function deployment (QFD) process. What follows next are some highlights on how some of the requirements were met. sbucks.jpg Strength of relationships: Strong , Medium , Weak 4.2 Training Improves Customer Service Reliability: The coffee drinks are inert (Schultz and Jones, 1997). Its the people that work at Starbucks that pass on the passion and knowledge about coffee. Because baristas are expected to be more than transaction handlers, the skill involved is higher than is required from a server at McDonalds, for example. Starbucks has traditionally invested more on training than on advertising. Employees, partners as they are called, all go through 24 hours of training on making a quality cup of coffee and learn about the all coffee varieties that are served at Starbucks. At Starbucks, the customer is in control of the process, thus, the baristas are trained to prepare a drink the way the customer wants it. This can make the order process take longer time, but improves the sales opportunity. One thing a barista will not do, for sanitation reasons, is make a drink with milk that customers may bring in to the store with them (Schultz and Jones, 1997). In addition to training, there are other ways that Starbucks guarantees a reliable coffee drink. A poka-yoke (error-proofing) technique is used to help relay an espresso drink order to the barista behind the espresso bar (i.e., callout order, repeat order), see Figure 2. A typical service blueprint of the order process at Starbucks is shown in Figure 3. To start the order process, the barista behind the cash register gives friendly service by looking the customer in the eye and then greeting the customer. The customer gives the order. If the order is for an espresso drink, the barista repeats the order, out loud, and states the ingredients in a predefined order (size, type of milk, type of coffee, etc.) (Gates Gill, 2007). The barista behind the espresso bar repeats the drink ingredients in the same order. This simple poka-yoke technique helps to guarantee that the drink will be made correctly the first time (Gates Gill, 2007). This process was observed at the Michigan store with one addition, the barista asked for the customers name and repeated it with the drink order. In the early days, the baristas were trained to ask the customers name. Howard Schultz has brought this step back as another way to differentiate Starbucks from the other coffee shop s; this act, in turn, has had a positive impact on improving market share. 4.3 Benefits Reduce Partner Turnover: Starbucks employee turn-over rate is 120% less than the industry average for retail coffee shops (Michelli, 2007). There are three reasons for this low-turnover rate: (1) hourly wages are higher than the industry average, (2) partners are offered health care benefits, and (3) a company stock plan is given if they work more than 20 hours per week. Starbucks employees tend to be young and healthy which keeps the cost of health benefits low. The benefits package at Starbucks is a key competitive advantage. The wage, health benefits, and company stock plan have all helped to reduce Starbuckss employee turnover; in turn, low partner turnover has reduced training costs. In 1997, research showed that the average customer returned 18 times per month (Schultz and Jones, 1997). Customers develop a relationship with the baristas serving coffee. One may reasonably assume that low-turnover contributes to a reliable Starbucks Experience and customer loyalty. The Starbucks Experience (Performance improvement strategy) 5.1 Stores Location Selection Decision: Location decisions are not easy and many factors affect them. Location decisions are closely tied to an organizations strategies, low-cost, convenience to attract market share, effect on capacity and flexibility, represent a long-term commitment of resources, effect investment requirements, operating costs, revenues, and operations, impact competitive advantage, and importance to supply chains. Definitely a multivariate constrained optimization problem. Location decisions arise for a variety of reasons such as addition of new facilities, as part of a marketing strategy to expand markets, growth in demand that cannot be satisfied by expanding existing facilities, depletion of basic inputs which requires relocation, shift in markets, and cost of doing business at a particular location which makes relocation attractive (Stevenson, 2009; Wisner et al, 2005). Starbucks uses its own real-estate strategy for locating company-owned stores. When enterin g a new market, analysis is made to determine if multiple stores will survive in order to take advantage of economies of scale. A major customer complaint is the long lines waiting for coffee drinks at Starbucks stores. Starbucks opens new locations close to busy locations in order to relieve the wait in lines and increase service rates. The downside to this strategy is the new location tends to cannibalize sales from the busy store. To establish a new store, Starbucks also experiences resistance from rural communities who feel a Starbucks store will put the local coffee shops out of business and change the character of the rural community. There have been times that Starbucks declined to move into a new community because of this local resistance sentiment (Schultz and Jones, 1997). Starbucks management is sometimes able to reverse this sentiment by becoming involved in the community with donations and charitable events or contributions. There are many jokes about Starbucks becoming ubiquitous. Traditionally, when a new store would open the customers would come by word-of mouth without spending large amounts of money on advertising. 5.2 Store Layout Evaluation: Layout is about the configuration of departments, work centers, and equipment, with particular emphasis on movement of work, customers or materials, through the system (Jacobs and Chase, 2011; Russell and Taylor, 2011). Facilities layout decisions arise when designing new facilities and/or re-designing existing facilities. Basic layout types are product layouts, process layouts, fixed-position layout, and combination layouts which contain hybrid layouts and cellular layouts ((Jacobs and Chase, 2011; Stevenson, 2009). From the beginning the idea behind the Starbuckss stores layouts was to recreate the experience in the espresso bars in Italy where customers come in daily and stand to enjoy an espresso drink (Schultz and Jones, 1997). Over time, Starbucks has become a third place for customers to go to get away from daily hectic, enjoy a cup of coffee, listen to music, do some work using the Internet service, socialize with friends, and even hold a business meeting. Young customers drink lots of coffee and enjoy having a place to go where alcohol is not served. Before moving into a new location, research is done to understand the culture, and art work is displayed in the stores that reflect the communitys culture. The store layout shows that Starbucks mainly uses the product layout approach where customers stand in line, going from station to station so to speak, to be served while interacting with the baristas to place an order. No credit cards or checks are taken which helps keep the lines moving. During busy times, at this store, one or two baristas take the order and payment while one makes the basic coffee and tea drinks and another fills orders at the espresso bar. Everything happens in view and in control of the customer. The customer watches the barista grind fresh coffee beans before brewing which is a change that Starbucks has recently made to re-introduce the spirit of the Italian espresso shops. This spirit or Starbucks Experience is more important than the mere productivity improvement of, for example, the quick opening of a package of pre-ground coffee. The customer watches a drink order being made while, concurrently, having a conversation with the barista. This high-degree of c ustomer contact is enhanced in two ways: when a barista walks around the store offering samples of products or when a master barista is holding a coffee seminar or demonstration. The espresso bar is separated from the area where the drink order is taken, so the customer must walk to the bar to pick up the specialty drink. One of the changes that Starbucks plans to make is to replace the espresso machines with the old style machines that sit lower. The downside to this decision is that the old style machines are not as efficient; however, the customers will be able to see the barista as the drink is being made which adds to the ambiance of the Starbucks stores and provides the spirit of the Italian espresso shops. Future Trend and Changes Going Green and creating awareness Starbucks, appearing to be an agent of environmental protection, has been busy promoting responsible environmentalism by minimizing their carbon footprint. Starbuckss evaluation their infrastructure too has led the company to implement their own initiatives by dialoguing, building a foundation called Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), collaborating with representatives supporting environmentalism, designing and constructing green storefronts and utilizing the conservation of natural resources within their operations. Back In 1992, Starbucks became a publicly traded company. Shortly thereafter, a cross functional team of Starbucks partners adopted an environmental mission statement. What evolved was an Environmental Affairs team that seeks to develop environmentally responsible policies and procedures. As new environmental issues arise, this group examines our current measures and identifies opportunities for improvement. Environmental Footprint Analysis To determine our environmental impact, or footprint, as a company, in fiscal 2001 Starbucks worked with The Natural Step, a nonprofit consulting and education group helping organizations take steps toward sustainability. We analyzed Starbucks supply chain-from coffee bean to coffee cup-looking for opportunities to make our footprint smaller. Throughout the process, we focused on achievable measures that could significantly reduce our footprint or environmental impact. Some solutions were obvious, such as addressing packaging, energy, waste, and recycling issues. Other measures are more challenging but necessary if we are serious about demonstrating environmental leadership. Thus, our efforts are focused on four areas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Coffee, tea and paper sourcing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Transportation impacts (people and goods) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Electricity, gas and water use à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Store design and operations Starbucks identified ways to measure our performance for each focus area and developed specific initiatives to improve our resource efficiency. Our store recycling metric measures the percentage of stores with established recycling programs. Starbucks goal is to offer recycling in all of our company operated stores. Achieving this goal is determined by the availability of commercial recycling services in each community, and the support of our property managers. In fiscal 2002, we will collaborate with other like-minded retailers to encourage our mutual property managers participation in recycling programs. For commuter mug usage, we measured the percentage of beverages served in reusable commuter mugs against fiscal 2000. Although Starbucks provides a $0.10 commuter mug incentive discount to customers, our data indicated a decline in usage. In fiscal 2002, we will take measures to raise awareness of this waste reduction opportunity to our partners and customers. Embracing Change The key to fulfilling our environmental mission rests on our ability to make changes within our operations.With the commitment of Starbucks senior leadership team to make meaningful progress, and the adoption of an action plan that is communicated throughout our organization, Starbucks is moving in a direction that will minimize our environmental footprint. 1.9% Another important step Starbucks has taken is to cultivate an active Green Team, which consists of retail store managers across North America. The Team was created in 1994 and has been instrumental in identifying environmental opportunities, creating solutions, and communicating those solutions to our retail partners. The Green Teams efforts have been critical to our efforts to conserve energy, reduce waste and involve our partners some of our initiatives for fiscal 2001 included the following: Energy Conservation Starbucks established a Utility Task Force in fiscal 1999 to identify conservation measures, such as modified lighting and adjusted thermostats. In fiscal 2001, the Utility Task Force piloted several measures aimed at conserving energy while providing cost savings. We rolled out the Utility Task Forces recommendations in our North American company-operated stores at the end of fiscal 2001. Waste Reduction Starbucks Green Team first promoted the idea of offering coffee grounds as compost in spring 1998, and now it is an annual event. This initiative has helped reduce waste in our stores and provided many customers with nitrogen-rich material for their gardens. Earth Day To celebrate Earth Day 2001, last April more than 600 Starbucks partners contributed nearly 3,000 volunteer hours helping to improve the environment. For Earth Day 2002, Starbucks will support the Earth Day Network (www.earthday.net), an on-line resource for environmental information and opportunities to get involved on a local level around the world. We will raise awareness about this valuable resource to our partners and customers who seek to get involved in their communities. Future Decades in Operation Growth Using E-Commerce and customer loyalty programs to generate constant demand and growth, Starbucks Converting Browsers into Buyers: Visitors to a Web site often look over the site without purchasing anything. Recommender systems can help consumers find products they wish to purchase. Increasing Cross-sell: Recommender systems improve cross-sell by suggesting additional products for the customer to purchase. If the recommendations are good, the average order size should increase. For instance, a site might recommend additional products in the checkout process, based on those products already in the shopping cart. Building Loyalty: In a world where a sites competitors are only a click or two away, gaining consumer loyalty is an essential business strategy (Reichheld and Sesser, 1990; Reichheld, 1993). Recommender systems improve loyalty by creating a value-added relationship between the site and the customer. Sites invest in learning about their customers, use recommender systems to operationalize that learning, and present custom interfaces that match consumer needs. Consumers repay these sites by returning to the ones that best match their needs. The more a customer uses the recommendation system-teaching it what he wants-the more loyal he is to the site. Even if a competitor were to build the exact same capabilities, a customer . . . would have to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy teaching the competitor what the company already knows (Pine et al., 1995). Creating relationships between consumers can also increase loyalty, for consumers will return to the site that recommends people with whom they will like to interact. The Starbucks success story Starbucks jumped into the social media arena with My Starbucks Idea Starbucks own version of a social network where customers are asked to share their ideas on anything related to Starbucks. Starbucks also started a blog entitled Ideas in Action. This allows them to reach many more customers across a wide social media landscape, recognizing that not all consumers use the same social networking sites. Starbucks increased its online brand presence with these additions: Starbucks on Twitter Starbucks on Facebook Starbucks on YouTube In a blog post, Starbucks Formula to Social Media Success, marketing consultant Ayelet Noff analyzes Starbucks highly-visible social media footprint across the web, the secret for its success. Overall Starbuckss social media strategy integrates many different elements into the mix and combined together, these elements create a social media plan that works beautifully to create millions of fans for the brand and keep them involved in the brands doings. The brand has created a digital dialogue with its customers, enabling people to give their feedback and receive a response back from Starbucks addressing their concerns/comments. Starbucks is showing its customers and potential customers hey, we care about what YOU have to say. I am certain that if each one of these elements was done alone then the strategy would not have been as successful and complete as it is when done like this in integration with the rest of the elements on board. Starbucks has over 705,000 followers on twitter and over 5,428,000 fans on Facebook. I guess you could say that theyre doing something right on the Web. Ayelet Noff, aka Blonde 20, 1/11/10 A post by Clark Fredricksen offered this insight. While the classic mantra on social media may be all about conversation and no up sell, the reality is that a mix of promotion and interaction can yield results, as companies like Dell, JetBlue, and Starbucks show. More to the point: Consumers even those on social networks really arent that offended if you give them a good deal. As we wrote in a recent newsletter article, those polled for the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study were interested in brands that would keep them informed, provide product information and give incentives-and generally use new media to help solve consumers problems. Tracking Twitter Success at Dell posted by: Clark Fredricksen December 11, 2009 Starbucks has selected Square to process mobile payments at its approximately 7,000 stores nationwide in the United States, in a move that could shake up the nascent mobile payments market in the country. The coffee company had introduced the first mobile payment via iPhone app in 2009. It took mobile payments nationwide in January 2011 after testing its app for iPhones, the iPod touch and BlackBerries. At a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz told reporters the company had been approached by all the mobile payment processors in the market over the past six months. It selected Square after meeting with that firm. The evolving social and digital media platforms and highly innovative and relevant payment capabilities are causing seismic changes in consumer behavior and creating equally seismic disruptive opportunities for business, Lisa Passe, Starbucks director of global brand public relations, told the E-Commerce Times. Both Starbucks and Square take a similar approach when building products and running our business, and together we can bring the best possible payment experience to Starbucks customers, Passe continued. We also expect to reduce our payment processing costs as a result of this agreement.

Divisibility Argument :: essays research papers

DIVISIBILITY ARGUMENT This paper will discuss the dualism’s Divisibility Argument. This argument relies on Leibniz’s Law and uses a different property to prove the distinctness of brain states of mental states. Mary, who is a materialist, presents several objections to that argument. Her main objection corresponds to the first/third-person approach. She believes that Dave presents that argument only from the first-person approach, which is introspection, and totally disregards the third-person approach, which is observation of another mind. Mary’s objections will follow by the Dave’s response on them from the dualist’s point of view. The purpose of the Divisibility Argument is to prove that mental states are different from the brain states. My body, which includes my brain, is divisible. However, I cannot conceive of my mind as divisible. Therefore, my mind is distinct from any part of my body. Descartes was the first who established the Divisibility Argument. He held that the two components which constitute man had an independent origin and are of a fundamentally different nature. The body is divisible, since it can be separated for example, my leg or my hand can be cut off; my brain can be cut on half. However, the idea of the divisible mind is inconceivable. This argument relies on the Leibniz’s Law. It is a principle about identity, which says, â€Å"if an object or event X is identical with an object or event Y, then X and Y have all of the same properties.† So if X and Y have any different properties, then X can not be identical with Y. Divisibility Argument uses a different property to prove the distinctness of brain states and mental states: the property of being indivisible. In this case, the mind has a property and brain lacks it. The body can be divided, however, it cannot be done with the mind. Mary has several objections to this argument. First, she believes that the mind is an entity, which is composed of several mental states: thoughts, beliefs, memories, desires, etc. Mary strongly disagrees with Descartes’ claim that the mind employs itself in its different properties: willing, desiring, understanding, and so on. Secondly, she clarifies the meaning of the word â€Å"conceive† in the Dave’s argument. The term â€Å"conceive† might mean either â€Å"imagine† or â€Å"understand.† Imagining literally involves â€Å"forming an image of† or â€Å"picturing† in one’s mind, whereas understanding is more â€Å"conceptual† and does not require the ability to picture something.

Traditions of Child Parenting in China Essays -- chinese mothers, amy c

Have you ever thought about having kids and raising them in a way where your family, friends, and even your own kids judge you and see you as this monstrous savage of a being? Being raised by the Chinese style of parenting or better known as â€Å"Tiger Parenting† I understand what it was like being put through what Amy Chua put her kids through. Therefore, I understand completely what Amy Chua is trying to explain in her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The advancements and traditions of child parenting have significantly impacted society by their many techniques of parenting. For example Chinese style parenting or better known as â€Å"Tiger parenting†. In this essay I will examine three issues; two points of disagreement, and one point of agreement to Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The argument article I will be referring to is Tiger Mother: Popular and Psychological Scientific Perspectives on Asian Culture and Parenting by Perdue Universit y’s P. Priscilla Lui and David Rollock. David Rollock is a Clinical Associate Professor at Purdue University who received his Ph.D. at Yale in 1989. Lui is also a Professor at Purdue University that specializes in Psychology treatment and research. Amy Chua is a law professor and author of two books on international affairs, even though readers of Tiger Mother get only a little tiny glance of that part in her life, with weird, thrown off-lines such as "Meanwhile, I was still teaching my courses at Yale and finishing up my second book" (7) while also "traveling continuously, giving lectures about democratization and ethnic conflict." (7) Her third book points away from global concerns to focus intensely on Amy Chua's attempt to raise her two beautiful daughters in the way that her ... ...ended up finding common ground. Indeed, there are indications of stereotypically Asian beliefs about the quest of prestigious careers and expected academic accomplishments may elevate risks to self esteem and internal mental health issues, as does identification with only high status groups by people with multiethnic heritages. Ending a parenting story when a child is only 15 years old seems too short; in fact, it might not be entirely possible to really understand the complete impact of Chua's efforts until her daughters have kids of their own.â€Æ' Works Cited Chua, Amy. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. New York: Penguin, 2011. Print. Rollock, David. "Tiger Mother: Popular and Psychological Scientific Perspectives on Asian Culture and Parenting." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry Oct. 2013: 450-56. Print. Chang, Elizabeth New York: Penguin Press, 2011. Print.

Film Essay - Cultural Turmoil in Francis Ford Coppola’s Movie, Apocalyp

Cultural Turmoil in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now The era of the 1960’s was one of change, just like so many of the enduring songs say. With words like revolution and freedom being used to promote movements that changed our society forever. The most important being the Civil Rights movement, and arguably the most influential: the sexual revolution. While great new ideas and beliefs were starting to take root, morals and social constructs that had been established were endangered of being lost in the mix. The moral code that had endured for so long was suddenly overlooked, or overpowered by a generation that was not interesting in listening to the older, conventional generations. The pressure to find new ways of thinking made it hard to know what was right and what was wrong, to know which beliefs to hold on to and which ones to replace. Francis Ford Coppola’s â€Å"Apocalypse Now† reflects the cultural turmoil that developed in the 1960’s. Coppola uses the knowledge of a person who lived in that time to magnify musical, cultural icon, Coppola uses Willard to show the content of the film surpasses the content of the meaning. Captain Kilgore is the tyrannical irresponsible leader, and Lance is the youth who is a victim of his time. Coppola’s portrayal of the Vietnam War could be considered amplified by his artistic imagination. What sets the Vietnam War apart from previous war--the World Wars-- is that this was the first war that was televised. For the first time in history true to life visuals were broadcast into the homes of American civilians as the war was happening. The perspective of war changed forever. When Coppola set out to recreate the events in Vietnam in 1979, he did it with this knowledge th... ...lings, funneled through the immature emotional matrix of soldiers. This is more than just a movie, it's an exploration of the cultural ramifications that came during the 1960’s, in part because of the Vietnam War. Works Cited Brantlinger, Patrick. â€Å"Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism, or Impressionism?†: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford, 1996. Conrad, Joseph. â€Å"Heart of Darkness† Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford, 1996. Coppola, Francis Ford. â€Å"Apocalypse Now†. Omni Zoetrope Studios, 1979. Grieff, Louis K. â€Å"Soldier, Sailor, Surfer, Chef†: Conrad’s Ethics and the Margins of Apocalypse Now. Lit-Film-Quarterly. 20.3(1992): 188-98. Miller, J. Hillis. â€Å"Heart of Darkness Revisited.†: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford, 1996.

The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 14. You Know Things Are Bad When …

14. You Know Things Are Bad When You Feel Guilty For Being Rude To Vampires VAMPIRES When I got back to the house, there was no one waiting outside for my report. Still on alert? Everything's cool,I thought tiredly. My eyes quickly caught a small change in the now-familiar scene. There was a stack of light-colored fabric on the bottom step of the porch. I loped over to investigate. Holding my breath, because the vampire smell stuck to the fabric like you wouldn't believe, I nudged the stack with my nose. Someone had laid out clothes. Huh. Edward must have caught my moment of irritation as I'd bolted out the door. Well. That was†¦ nice. And weird. I took the clothes gingerly between my teeth – ugh – and carried them back to the trees. Just in case this was some joke by the blond psychopath and I had a bunch of girls' stuff here. Bet she'd love to see the look on my human face as I stood there naked, holding a sundress. In the cover of the trees, I dropped the stinking pile and shifted back to human. I shook the clothes out, snapping them against a tree to beat some of the smell from them. They were definitely guy's clothes – tan pants and a white button-down shirt. Neither of them long enough, but they looked like they'd fit around me. Must be Emmett's. I rolled the cuffs up on the shirtsleeves, but there wasn't much I could do about the pants. Oh well. I had to admit, I felt better with some clothes to my name, even stinky ones that didn't quite fit. It was hard not being able to just jet back home and grab another pair of old sweatpants when I needed them. The homeless thing again – not having anyplace to go back to. No possessions, either, which wasn't bothering me too bad now, but would probably get annoying soon. Exhausted, I walked slowly up the Cullens' porch steps in my fancy new secondhand clothes but hesitated when I got to the door. Did I knock? Stupid, when they knew I was here. I wondered why no one acknowledged that – told me either to come in or get lost Whatever. I shrugged and let myself in. More changes. The room had shifted back to normal – almost – in the last twenty minutes. The big flat-screen was on, low volume, showing some chick flick that no one seemed to be watching. Carlisle and Esme stood by the back windows, which were open to the river again. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett were out of sight, but I heard them murmuring upstairs. Bella was on the couch like yesterday, with just one tube still hooked into her, and an IV hanging behind the back of the sofa. She was wrapped up like a burrito in a couple of thick quilts, so at least they'd listened to me before. Rosalie was cross-legged on the ground by her head. Edward sat at the other end of the couch with Bella's burrito'ed feet in his lap. He looked up when I came in and smiled at me – just a little twitch of his mouth – like something pleased him. Bella didn't hear me. She only glanced up when he did, and then she smiled, too. With real energy, her whole face lighting up. I couldn't remember the last time she'd looked so excited to see me. What was with her? For crying out loud, she was married] Happily married, too – there was no question that she was in love with her vampire past the boundaries of sanity. And hugely pregnant, to top it off. So why did she have to be so damn thrilled to see me? Like I'd made her whole freakin' day by walking through the door. If she would just not care†¦ Or more than that – really not want me around. It would be so much easier to stay away. Edward seemed to be in agreement with my thoughts – we were on the same wavelength so much lately it was crazy. He was frowning now, reading her face while she beamed at me. â€Å"They just wanted to talk,† I mumbled, my voice dragging with exhaustion. â€Å"No attack on the horizon.† â€Å"Yes,† Edward answered. â€Å"I heard most of it.† That woke me up a little. We'd been a good three miles out. â€Å"How?† Tm hearing you more clearly – it's a matter of familiarity and concentration. Also, your thoughts are slightly easier to pick up when you're in your human form. So I caught most of what passed out there.† â€Å"Oh.† It bugged me a little, but for no good reason, so I shrugged it off. â€Å"Good. I hate repeating myself.† â€Å"I'd tell you to go get some sleep,† Bella said, â€Å"but my guess is that you're going to pass out on the floor in about six seconds, so there's probably no point.† It was amazing how much better she sounded, how much stronger she looked. I smelled fresh blood and saw that the cup was in her hands again. How much blood would it take to keep her going? At some point, would they start trotting in the neighbors? I headed for the door, counting off the seconds for her as I walked. â€Å"One Mississippi†¦ two Mississippi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Where's the flood, mutt?† Rosalie muttered. â€Å"You know how you drown a blonde, Rosalie?† I asked without stopping or turning to look at her. â€Å"Glue a mirror to the bottom of a pool.† I heard Edward chuckle as I pulled the door shut. His mood seemed to improve in exact correlation to Bella's health. â€Å"I've already heard that one,'7Rosalie called after me. I trudged down the steps, my only goal to drag myself far enough into the trees that the air would be pure again. I planned to ditch the clothes a convenient distance from the house for future use rather than tying them to my leg, so I wouldn't be smelling them, either. As I fumbled with the buttons on the new shirt, I thought randomly about how buttons would never be in style for werewolves. I heard the voices while I slogged across the lawn. â€Å"Where are you going?† Bella asked. â€Å"There was something I forgot to say to him.† â€Å"Let Jacob sleep – it can wait.† Yes, please, let Jacob sleep. â€Å"It will only take a moment.† I turned slowly. Edward was already out the door. He had an apology in his expression as he approached me. â€Å"Jeez, what now?† Tm sorry,† he said, and then he hesitated, like he didn't know how to phrase what he was thinking. What's on your mind, mind reader? â€Å"When you were speaking to Sam's delegates earlier,† he murmured, â€Å"I was giving a play-by-play for Carlisle and Esme and the rest. They were concerned – â€Å" â€Å"Look, we're not dropping our guard. You don't have to believe Sam like we do. We're keeping our eyes open regardless.† â€Å"No, no, Jacob. Not about that. We trust your judgment. Rather, Esme was troubled by the hardships this is putting your pack through. She asked me to speak to you privately about it.† That took me off guard. â€Å"Hardships?† â€Å"The homeless part, particularly. She's very upset that you are all so†¦ bereft.† I snorted. Vampire mother hen – bizarre. â€Å"We're tough. Tell her not to worry.† â€Å"She'd still like to do what she can. I got the impression that Leah prefers not to eat in her wolf form?† â€Å"And?† I demanded. â€Å"Well, we do have normal human food here, Jacob. Keeping up appearances, and, of course, for Bella. Leah is welcome to anything she'd like. All of you are.† â€Å"I'll pass that along.† â€Å"Leah hates us.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So try to pass it along in such a way as to make her consider it, if you don't mind.† â€Å"I'll do what I can.† â€Å"And then there's the matter of clothes.† I glanced down at the ones I was wearing. â€Å"Oh yeah. Thanks.† It probably wouldn't be good manners to mention how bad they reeked. He smiled, just a little. â€Å"Well, we're easily able to help out with any needs there. Alice rarely allows us to wear the same thing twice. We've got piles of brand-new clothes that are destined for Goodwill, and I'd imagine that Leah is fairly close to Esme's size___† â€Å"Not sure how she'll feel about bloodsucker castoffs. She's not as practical as I am.† â€Å"I trust that you can present the offer in the best possible light. As well as the offer for any other physical object you might need, or transportation, or anything else at all. And showers, too, since you prefer to sleep outdoors. Please†¦ don't consider yourselves without the benefits of a home.† He said the last line softly – not trying to keep quiet this time, but with some kind of real emotion. I stared at him for a second, blinking sleepily. â€Å"That's, er, nice of you. Tell Esme we appreciate the, uh, thought. But the perimeter cuts through the river in a few places, so we stay pretty clean, thanks.† â€Å"If you would pass the offer on, regardless.† â€Å"Sure, sure.† â€Å"Thank you.† I turned away from him, only to stop cold when I heard the low, pained cry from inside the house. By the time I looked back, he was already gone. What now? I followed after him, shuffling like a zombie. Using about the same number of brain cells, too. It didn't feel like I had a choice. Something was wrong. I would go see what it was. There would be nothing I could do. And I would feel worse. It seemed inevitable. I let myself in again. Bella was panting, curled over the bulge in the center of her body. Rosalie held her while Edward, Carlisle, and Esme all hovered. A flicker of motion caught my eye; Alice was at the top of the stairs, staring down into the room with her hands pressed to her temples. It was weird – like she was barred from entering somehow. â€Å"Give me a second, Carlisle,† Bella panted. â€Å"Bella,† the doctor said anxiously, â€Å"I heard something crack. I need to take a look.† â€Å"Pretty sure† – pant – â€Å"it was a rib. Ow. Yep. Right here.† She pointed to her left side, careful not to touch. It was breaking her bones now. â€Å"I need to take an X-ray. There might be splinters. We don't want it to puncture anything.† Bella took a deep breath. â€Å"Okay.† Rosalie lifted Bella carefully. Edward seemed like he was going to argue, but Rosalie bared her teeth at him and growled, â€Å"I've already got her.† So Bella was stronger now, but the thing was, too. You couldn't starve one without starving the other, and healing worked just the same. No way to win. Blondie carried Bella swiftly up the big staircase with Carlisle and Edward right on her heels, none of them taking any notice of me standing dumbstruck in the doorway. So they had a blood bank and an X-ray machine? Guess the doc brought his work home with him. I was too tired to follow them, too tired to move. I leaned back against the wall and then slid to the ground. The door was still open, and I pointed my nose toward it, grateful for the clean breeze blowing in. I leaned my head against the jamb and listened. I could hear the sound of the X-ray machinery upstairs. Or maybe I just assumed that's what it was. And then the lightest of footsteps coming down the stairs. I didn't look to see which vampire it was. â€Å"Do you want a pillow?† Alice asked me. â€Å"No,† I mumbled. What was with the pushy hospitality? It was creeping me out. â€Å"That doesn't look comfortable,† she observed. â€Å"S'not.† â€Å"Why don't you move, then?† â€Å"Tired. Why aren't you upstairs with the rest of them?† I shot back. â€Å"Headache,† she answered. I rolled my head around to look at her. Alice was a tiny little thing. ‘Bout the size of one of my arms. She looked even smaller now, sort of hunched in on herself. Her small face was pinched. â€Å"Vampires get headaches?† â€Å"Not the normal ones.† I snorted. Normal vampires. â€Å"So how come you're never with Bella anymore?† I asked, making the question an accusation. It hadn't occurred to me before, because my head had been full of other crap, but it was weird that Alice was never around Bella, not since I'd been here. Maybe if Alice were by her side, Rosalie wouldn't be. â€Å"Thought you two were like this.† I twisted two of my fingers together. â€Å"Like I said† – she curled up on the tile a few feet from me, wrapping her skinny arms around her skinny knees – â€Å"headache.† â€Å"Bella's giving you a headache?† â€Å"Yes.† I frowned. Pretty sure I was too tired for riddles. I let my head roll back around toward the fresh air and closed my eyes. â€Å"Not Bella, really,† she amended. â€Å"The†¦ fetus.† Ah, someone else who felt like I did. It was pretty easy to recognize. She said the word grudgingly, the way Edward did. â€Å"I can't see it,† she told me, though she might have been talking to herself. For all she knew, I was already gone. â€Å"I can't see anything about it. Just like you.† I flinched, and then my teeth ground together. I didn't like being compared to the creature. â€Å"Bella gets in the way. She's all wrapped around it, so she's†¦ blurry. Like bad reception on a TV – like trying to focus your eyes on those fuzzy people jerking around on the screen. It's killing my head to watch her. And I can't see more than a few minutes ahead, anyway. The†¦ fetus is too much a part of her future. When she first decided†¦ when she knew she wanted it, she blurred right out of my sight. Scared me to death.† She was quiet for a second, and then she added, â€Å"I have to admit, it's a relief having you close by – in spite of the wet-dog smell. Everything goes away. Like having my eyes closed. It numbs the headache.† â€Å"Happy to be of service, ma'am,† I mumbled. â€Å"I wonder what it has in common with you†¦ why you're the same that way.† Sudden heat flashed in the center of my bones. I clenched my fists to hold off the tremors. â€Å"I have nothing in common with that life-sucker,† I said through my teeth. â€Å"Well, there's something there.† I didn't answer. The heat was already burning away. I was too dead tired to stay furious. â€Å"You don't mind if I sit here by you, do you?† she asked. â€Å"Guess not. Stinks anyway.† â€Å"Thanks,† she said. â€Å"This is the best thing for it, I guess, since I can't take aspirin.† â€Å"Could you keep it down? Sleeping, here.† She didn't respond, immediately lapsing into silence. I was out in seconds. I was dreaming that I was really thirsty. And there was a big glass of water in front of me – all cold, you could see the condensation running down the sides. I grabbed the cup and took a huge gulp, only to find out pretty quick that it wasn't water – it was straight bleach. I choked it back out, spewing it everywhere, and a bunch of it blew out of my nose. It burned. My nose was on fire†¦. The pain in my nose woke me up enough to remember where I'd fallen asleep. The smell was pretty fierce, considering that my nose wasn't actually inside the house. Ugh. And it was noisy. Someone was laughing too loud. A familiar laugh, but one that didn't go with the smell. Didn't belong. I groaned and opened my eyes. The skies were dull gray – it was daytime, but no clue as to when. Maybe close to sunset – it was pretty dark. â€Å"About time,† Blondie mumbled from not too far away. â€Å"The chainsaw impersonation was getting a little tired.† I rolled over and wrenched myself into a sitting position. In the process, I figured out where the smell was coming from. Someone had stuffed a wide feather pillow under my face. Probably trying to be nice, I'd guess. Unless it'd been Rosalie. Once my face was out of the stinking feathers, I caught other scents. Like bacon and cinnamon, all mixed up with the vampire smell. I blinked, taking in the room. Things hadn't changed too much, except that now Bella was sitting up in the middle of the sofa, and the IV was gone. Blondie sat at her feet, her head resting against Bella's knees. Still gave me chills to see how casually they touched her, though I guess that was pretty brain-dead, all things considered. Edward was on one side of her, holding her hand. Alice was on the floor, too, like Rosalie. Her face wasn't pinched up now. And it was easy to see why – she'd found another painkiller. â€Å"Hey, Jake's coming around!† Seth crowed. He was sitting on Bella's other side, his arm slung carelessly over her shoulders, an overflowing plate of food on his lap. What the hell? â€Å"He came to find you,† Edward said while I got to my feet. â€Å"And Esme convinced him to stay for breakfast.† Seth took in my expression, and he hurried to explain. â€Å"Yeah, Jake – I was just checking to see if you were okay 'cause you didn't ever phase back. Leah got worried. I told her you probably just crashed human, but you know how she is. Anyway, they had all this food and, dang,† – he turned to Edward – â€Å"man, you can cook† â€Å"Thank you,† Edward murmured. I inhaled slowly, trying to unclench my teeth. I couldn't take my eyes off Seth's arm. â€Å"Bella got cold,† Edward said quietly. Right. None of my business, anyway. She didn't belong to me. Seth heard Edward's comment, looked at my face, and suddenly he needed both hands to eat with. He took his arm off Bella and dug in. i walked over to stand a few feet from the couch, still trying to get my bearings. â€Å"Leah running patrol?† I asked Seth. My voice was still thick with sleep. â€Å"Yeah,† he said as he chewed. Seth had new clothes on, too. They fit him better than mine fit me. â€Å"She's on it. No worries. She'll howl if there's anything. We traded off around midnight. I ran twelve hours.† He was proud of that, and it showed in his tone. â€Å"Midnight? Wait a minute – what time is it now?† â€Å"‘Bout dawn.† He glanced toward the window, checking. Well, damn. I'd slept through the rest of the day and the whole night – dropped the ball. â€Å"Crap. Sorry about that, Seth. Really. You shoulda kicked me awake.† â€Å"Naw, man, you needed some serious sleep. You haven't taken a break since when? Night before your last patrol for Sam? Like forty hours? Fifty? You're not a machine, Jake. ‘Sides, you didn't miss anything at all.† Nothing at all? I glanced quickly at Bella. Her color was back to the way I remembered it. Pale, but with the rose undertone. Her lips were pink again. Even her hair looked better – shinier. She saw me appraising and gave me a qrin. â€Å"How's the rib?† I asked. â€Å"Taped up nice and tight, i don't even feel it.'7 I rolled my eyes. I heard Edward grind his teeth together, and I figured her blow-it-off attitude bugged him as much at it bugged me. â€Å"What's for breakfast?† I asked, a little sarcastic. â€Å"O negative or AB positive?† She stuck her tongue out at me. Totally herself again. â€Å"Omelets,† she said, but her eyes darted down, and I saw that her cup of blood was wedged between her leg and Edward's. â€Å"Go get some breakfast, Jake,† Seth said. â€Å"There's a bunch in the kitchen. You've got to be empty.† I examined the food in his lap. Looked like half a cheese omelet and the last fourth of a Frisbee-sized cinnamon roll. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. â€Å"What's Leah having for breakfast?† I asked Seth critically. â€Å"Hey, I took food to her before I ate anything† he defended himself. â€Å"She said she'd rather eat roadkill, but I bet she caves. These cinnamon rolls†¦ † He seemed at a loss for words. ‘Til go hunt with her, then.† Seth sighed as I turned to leave. â€Å"A moment, Jacob?† It was Carlisle asking, so when I turned around again, my face was probably less disrespectful than it would have been if anyone else had stopped me. â€Å"Yeah?† Carlisle approached me while Esme drifted off toward the other room. He stopped a few feet away, just a little bit farther away than the normal space between two humans having a conversation. I appreciated him giving me my space. â€Å"Speaking of hunting,† he began in a somber tone. â€Å"That's going to be an issue for my family. I understand that our previous truce is inoperative at the moment, so I wanted your advice. Will Sam be hunting for us outside of the perimeter you've created? We don't want to take a chance with hurting any of your family – or losing any of ours. If you were in our shoes, how would you proceed?† I leaned away, a little surprised, when he threw it back at me like that. What would I know about being in a bloodsucker's expensive shoes? But, then again, I did know Sam. â€Å"It's a risk,† I said, trying to ignore the other eyes I felt on me and to talk only to him. â€Å"Sam's calmed down some, but I'm pretty sure that in his head, the treaty is void. As long as he thinks the tribe, or any other human, is in real danger, he's not going to ask questions first, if you know what I mean. But, with all that, his priority is going to be La Push. There really aren't enough of them to keep a decent watch on the people while putting out hunting parties big enough to do much damage. I'd bet he's keeping it close to home.† Carlisle nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"So I guess I'd say, go out together, just in case. And probably you should go in the day, 'cause we'd be expecting night. Traditional vampire stuff. You're fast – go over the mountains and hunt far enough away that there's no chance he'd send anyone that far from home.† â€Å"And leave Bella behind, unprotected?† I snorted. â€Å"What are we, chopped liver?† Carlisle laughed, and then his face was serious again. â€Å"Jacob, you can't fight against your brothers.† My eyes tightened. â€Å"I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard, but if they were really coming to kill her – I would be able to stop them.† Carlisle shook his head, anxious. â€Å"No, I didn't mean that you would be†¦ incapable. But that it would be very wrong. I can't have that on my conscience.† â€Å"It wouldn't be on yours, Doc. It would be on mine. And I can take it.† â€Å"No, Jacob. We will make sure that our actions don't make that a necessity.† He frowned thoughtfully â€Å"We'll go three at a time,† he decided after a second. â€Å"That's probably the best we can do.† â€Å"I don't know, Doc. Dividing down the middle isn't the best strategy.† â€Å"We've got some extra abilities that will even it up. If Edward is one of the three, he'll be able to give us a few miles' radius of safety.† We both glanced at Edward. His expression had Carlisle backtracking quickly. â€Å"I'm sure there are other ways, too,† Carlisle said. Clearly, there was no physical need strong enough to get Edward away from Bella now. â€Å"Alice, I would imagine you could see which routes would be a mistake?† â€Å"The ones that disappear,† Alice said, nodding. â€Å"Easy.† Edward, who had gone all tense with Carlisle's first plan, loosened up. Bella was staring unhappily at Alice, that little crease between her eyes that she got when she was stressed out. â€Å"Okay, then,† I said. â€Å"That's settled. I'll just be on my way. Seth, I'll expect you back on at dusk, so get a nap in there somewhere, all right?† â€Å"Sure, Jake. I'll phase back soon as I'm done. Unless †¦Ã¢â‚¬  he hesitated, looking at Bella. â€Å"Do you need me?† â€Å"She's got blankets,† I snapped at him. â€Å"I'm fine, Seth, thanks,† Bella said quickly. And then Esme flitted back in the room, a big covered dish in her hands. She stopped hesitantly just behind Carlisle's elbow, her wide, dark gold eyes on my face. She held the dish out and took a shy step closer. â€Å"Jacob,† she said quietly. Her voice wasn't quite so piercing as the others'. â€Å"I know it's†¦ unappetizing to you, the idea of eating here, where it smells so unpleasant. But I would feel much better if you would take some food with you when you go. I know you can't go home, and that's because of us. Please – ease some of my remorse. Take something to eat.† She held the food out to me, her face all soft and pleading. I don't know how she did it, because she didn't look older than her mid-twenties, and she was bone pale, too, but something about her expression suddenly reminded me of my mom. Jeez. â€Å"Uh, sure, sure,† I mumbled. â€Å"I guess. Maybe Leah's still hungry or something.† I reached out and took the food with one hand, holding it away, at arm's length. I'd go dump it under a tree or something. I didn't want her to feel bad. Then I remembered Edward. Don't you say anything to her! Let her think I ate it. I didn't look at him to see if he was in agreement. He'd better be in agreement. Bloodsucker owed me. â€Å"Thank you, Jacob,† Esme said, smiling at me. How did a stone face have dimples, for crying out loud? â€Å"Urn, thank you,† I said. My face felt hot – hotter than usual. This was the problem with hanging out with vampires – you got used to them. They started messing up the way you saw the world. They started feeling like friends. â€Å"Will you come back later, Jake?† Bella asked as I tried to make a run for it. â€Å"Uh, I don't know.† She pressed her lips together, like she was trying not to smile. â€Å"Please? I might get cold.† I inhaled deeply through my nose, and then realized, too late, that that was not a good idea. I winced. â€Å"Maybe.† â€Å"Jacob?† Esme asked. I backed toward the door as she continued; she took a few steps after me. â€Å"I left a basket of clothes on the porch. They're for Leah. They're freshly washed – I tried to touch them as little as possible.† She frowned. â€Å"Do you mind taking them to her?† â€Å"On it,† I muttered, and then I ducked out the door before anyone could guilt me into anything else.