Challenge in Internationalization and Outsourcing

Challenge in Internationalization and Outsourcing Introduction Internationalization and outsourcing refers to the elements of interest in global aspects with contextual respect to business. With the spread of globalization theory, institutions have sought to obtain their resources as well as sell their products in a global perspective.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Challenge in Internationalization and Outsourcing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More International trade and outsourcing of an organization’s resources have therefore become fundamental of large as well as medium companies. This paper seeks to discuss challenges facing Coglin clothing company in relation to internationalization and outsourcing. The paper will explore external environmental conditions of Coglin clothing. Case study Coglin is a clothing design and manufacturing company in Australia. The firm has been in existence for twelve years and under one chief executive officer. The compan y has experienced a considerable level of growth though it is currently faced with a number of threats. Its recent growth has led to changes such as increased level of recruited staff and expenditure on management. The company is also facing increased competition from the global market following the government’s move to liberalize the local market to international trade. The company is thus faced with the task of copping with the external environment in order to handle its current and future contracts (Case Study, n.d., p. 1). External Environment facing Coglin Clothing External environment facing an organization refers to forces that emanates from outside the organization which has the capacity to affect the operations of the particular organization. Factors such as competition facing an organization as well as issues that pertains to regulations and natural factors therefore constitute an organizational environment. The environment with respect to Coglin Company can be view ed from two perspectives: â€Å"task environment and general environment† (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 83). Task environment refers to the organization’s immediate factors such as its â€Å"suppliers, distributers, customers and competitors† (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 83).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These factors are immediate in the sense that they face the organization in every aspect of its operations. The other category of environment, general environment, consists of widely extensive factors that include â€Å"economic, technological, sociacultural, demographic, political and legal, and global forces that affects the organization† (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 83). Suppliers to an organization are the parties that make the organizations provisions for resources. Such parties are occasionally subject to variations with respect t o elements such as â€Å"nature, number and type† (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 83). The organization’s suppliers can for example change their structures and terms or relation with their contracting partners such as coglin or their number could change due to closures or entry of more firms in the supplier market. Any change with respect to the organization’s suppliers will call for adjustments by Coglin’s managers in order to maintain the company’s desired and planned operations. This is because any of such changes will either have an advantage or a disadvantage to the organization calling for a move to either capitalize on cases of opportunities or to counter any form of threat. A reduction in number of suppliers is, for example, associated with a stronger bargaining power by the remaining parties over the company. Coglin might therefore be forced to endure dictated terms from suppliers if the number reduces to levels that can have monopolistic or ol igopolistic influences. An increase in the number of suppliers on the other hand gives more power to the company through its increased options in seeking supplies. Competition among the suppliers will also lead to moderated terms which will be advantageous to Coglin. Similarly, distributers have a significant level of impact in a producer company such as Coglin. As a link between the company and its customers, the effectiveness of the relationship between the company and distributers will be reflected in its level of sales.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Challenge in Internationalization and Outsourcing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A reduced number of distributers will have a negative impact on the company in terms of more bargaining power by the remaining distributers together with a threat of reduces consumer servicers in cases where the number of distributers cannot reach all customers. The company may therefore suffer from reduced sales. An increased number of distributers will on the other hand give more advantage to the company with respect to relatively increased power by the company over the distributers and subsequent customer coverage (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 87).  Customers refer to the parties that purchase products from an organization. Being a clothing design and manufacturing industry, Coglin’s customers include â€Å"individuals, small companies, large companies, government agencies and educational institutions† (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 83) that might be interested in the company’s textile products for final use in houses and office premises. The products from the company can be used by these parties for clothes or furnishings. Changes with respect to consumers also affect the decisions made by management of the company. Unlike suppliers and distributers, customers exhibit a wide variety of changes that can include fashion, taste, and income , complimentary and supplementary products among others. The changes in consumers will also be realized in either an advantageous or a disadvantageous perspective. Competitors also shape the direction of the organization’s decision making in terms of moves to gain or maintain market control (Wadolell et al., 2007, p. 88). The general environment surrounding Coglin Company is on the other hand diverse in nature and is mostly out of control of the company’s management. Coglin is therefore in response forced to adopt decisions that will align the company to its best advantage following the environmental conditions. Being a profit oriented organization; the company is highly affected by economic factors in its surrounding. Elements such as â€Å"interest rates, inflation, changes in disposable income, share market fluctuation and the general business cycle† are some of the economic factors that affect the company (Robbins et al., 2009, p. 86).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The economy with respect to individual customers is for example directly associated with the level of demand for products in any market. Economic factors such as reduced incomes or increased unemployment rates therefore cause negative effects on the company’s capacity to generate revenues. This is because such changes causes customers to either reduce or suspend expenditures on non basic commodities in which category, clothing may fall. This effect is also felt with respect to institutions that will be forced to control their expenditures and concentrate on necessities. Inflation which affects elements of the company such as the prices of its resources also has direct impacts on its management. When the economy realizes inflation prices of resources shoots up raising production costs of the company’s commodities. Consequently, the management is forced into the dilemma of whether or not the increased costs should be transferred to customers in the form of increased prod uct cost. More complications are realized in cases where production costs in external markets are not affected by inflation and cheaper products are availed through importation (Robbins et al., 2009, p. 86). Political and legal requirements in a business set up also drives the operations of organizations in their territories. Political stability, for instance, has both direct and indirect impacts on the operations of organizations. Political instability induces negative impacts on environmental factors such as security, economy and even investor confidence. Instances of politically instigated violence can, for example, disrupt production processes and even distribution of finished products due to curtailed movements of employees, distributors and even customers to Coglin. Compromised investor confidence due to political instability can also lead to reduced levels of productions in order to avoid loses due to economic instability. Legal issues also significantly affect the organizati on. Laws that cover elements such as: â€Å"practices regulations, environmental protection laws, anti discrimination policies and industrial relation legislations† (Robbins et al., 2009, p. 86), play a direct role in shaping management decisions making. Every decision by the management that relates to sourcing of raw materials, recruitment and management of human resource, production processes and relations with other parties are conducted in line with constitutional requirements and bi-laws. Regulations such as antidiscrimination laws and rights of employees significantly affect decisions with respect to actions against employees who might not be performing or behaving to the expectation of the organization. Managements may be forced to compromise on the company’s principles and objectives just to avoid legal actions that can be instituted by certain disciplinary actions are taken against employees. Social and cultural factors such as â€Å"crime, violence, religion and spiritual activities and lifestyles† (Robbins et al., 2009, p. 86) also affect the organization. The products of the firm are directly related to religious and traditional believes that are evident on people’s clothing. Lifestyles and fashion in dressing codes and premises’ furniture and decorations are also directly related to the organizations products. Coglin’s management is therefore obliged to yield to pressure as caused by these factors and align the company accordingly (Robbins et al., 2009, p. 87). International aspects The company’s operations especially with respect to international trade are also dependent on forces in foreign countries that affect business transactions. One of the forces in international trade is the fluctuation of currencies of the countries which the trading parties come from. When the Australian currency rises against currency of an importing country, Coglin experiences a disadvantage with respect to global compe titiveness. This will negatively affect and even limit the company from exploring foreign markets. A fall in value of the domestic currency relative to foreign currencies on the other hand favors the company with respect to international trade. The economic stability of Australia which categorizes it under developed countries also influences its impact in the international market following the recognized flow of goods from developed countries to developing countries (Bartol et al., 2009, pp. 65, 519). International business refers to the trade activities that are conducted between countries. With the emergence of globalization, international trade has been realizing a growing trend in terms of the amount of commodities that are moved across boarders in terms of trade. Data revealing the trend in volume of international trade from the year 1995 to 2004 indicates a general increase in the volume of trade especially after the year 2001. The percentage increment in volume of internation al trade has also been significantly increasing (IFCBA, n.d., p. 2). Administrative measures of exploring international markets, identifying and capitalizing on factors such as â€Å"mergers and acquisition† are some of the steps to internationalization of business (IFCBA, n.d., p. 7). A company’s involvement in international trade however enlists more responsibility with respect to managing â€Å"delivery of goods and money, bureaucratic hick ups and distance and travel time† (Sercu P., n.d., p. 8). Factors that would impact Coglin in Vietnam and Thailand External environmental factors in Vietnam such as cheaper labor and cost of locating a business enterprise, â€Å"intellectual property threat† and poor infrastructure contributes to task environmental factors. Consideration of factors such threat to intellectual property and poor infrastructure in Vietnam can overweigh factors such cheap labor to influence investors away from the country (Nieuwoudt, 20 10, p. 1). The market in Thailand which has a wide advantage with respect to general environment such as government policies is on the contrary not favorable with respect to task environmental factors. The Thailand textile market is also already saturated with both export and import activities that might not make it very attractive for new investments (Report, 2010, p. 1). Control measures to challenge in Vietnam and Thailand The challenges in Vietnam and Thailand include both general and task environmental forces that include factors driven by government policies and market forces for resources and finished products. A firm in these locations will therefore enact decisions to capitalize on the advantages that are offered by market forces such as cheap labor and market liberalization effects as well as adopting policies that are in line with the country’s legislations (Nieuwoudt, 2010, 1). References Bartol et al., (2009).  Management. Sydney: McGraw Hill. IFCBA.  New tre nds in international trade, emerging business models, and the needs of small and medium-sized businesses in preparing the Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade. Web. Nieuwoudt, T., (2010).  Vietnam’s textile industry: Opportunities and challenges. Web. Report., (2010).  Prospects for the textile and clothing industry in Thailand. Web. Robbins et al.,  (2009).  Management. Sydney: Prentice Hall. Sercu, P.,  Managing credit risk in international trade. Web. Wadolell et al., (2007).  Contemporary management. Sydney: McGraw Hill.

Deception in Criminal Justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deception in Criminal Justice - Term Paper Example But we can assume that criminal investigation might have started from the period of Adam itself. In any case, one thing is clear that the deception tactics also started along with the criminal investigation. Crime punishment is one of the core elements of criminal justice system along with giving suitable crime prevention programs. Despite of the severe punishments associated with crimes, the criminal behavior seems to be increasing in the current world. In other words the severity of punishments is not influencing the criminals much. This is purely because of the loopholes in criminal justice system procedures for the criminals to escape from punishments. No criminal wants to be punished for their criminal activities and they will try all type of tactics to influence the Investigative, Interrogative and Testimonial Processes. The criminal justice system is malicious in most of the countries because of the over influence of criminals on the criminal justice system. Deception can main ly occur at three levels of the crime detecting and punishment process; criminal investigation, interrogation and the testimonial process. Investigation of the criminal activities is mainly conducted by the crime investigation agencies like police. In many cases, the criminals are more influential than the police officers. They might have influences at the top levels of the political and judicial systems which controls the criminal justice system. Sometimes instead of the criminal, the investigating police officer will get punishment because of the higher influences of the criminals. Morality and ethical values are rapidly disappearing from most of the segments of human life and human profession and criminal justice system is also not an exception. In short, police officers are also human beings and they are also living in this corrupted world. Criminals can influence the investigating officer using bribes and

Case study, a road map for natural capitalism Study

, a road map for natural capitalism - Case Study Example The term ‘Natural Capitalism, stresses on the weakness of industrial capitalism as it is practiced in contemporary society. It’s is perceived as unnatural and the one that lacks logic in all aspects. The article What should we do: A Road Map for Natural Capitalism (2007), Harvard Business Review, Lovins, A.B., Lovins, L. H. & Hawken, P. Jul/Aug 2007, Vol. 85 Issue 7/8, p. 172-183 provides an insight of what for years has been ignored and the dangers that the ecosystem is in and humankind in the long run that is often ignored. One fundamental idea, that the article offers, is the need for companies and government to rethink their operations that hurt the ecosystem (Lovins et al., 2007). The companies and the government should set a strategy rooted in these principals and global work consistently towards their eventual implementation. Furthermore, the key to the community successfully employing these practices need our governments and companies to start placing a value on earth’s natural capital or ecosystem services. Simply put, economy is always dependent and fed by the same earth’s natural environment and for many of these services there exist no replacement. According to the article, by quantifying the expenses of the ecosystem and having them in their company balance sheets, firms can begin to minimize their wasteful depletion of the resources and eventually seek innovative ways to make changes in their production processes that will not lead to stretching these natural resources more than ever imagined. The perceived shift to this modern paradigm give a competitive edge to industry and lower expenses by increasing their bottom line and assist to start to stabilize the endangered earth’s climate while starting to replenish the earth’s biosphere. Through this the article claims that it is a win-win situation for both the humankind in the future and the ecosystem. The articles

See instructions Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

See instructions - Research Proposal Example Furthermore, in terms of my primary resources, I will conduct interviews with students, teachers, and the police, regarding what they think the motivations of vandalism are and what proper situational (school management and police) and offender-centered resolutions are. I will also conduct a survey in class regarding the prevalence, motivations, and resolutions to vandalism in College Park. I will ask another teacher and student first for the pilot testing of the interview and survey questions to improve my instruments’ validity and reliability. For the final project, I will conduct interviews with students, teachers, and the police, regarding what they think the motivations of vandalism are and what proper situational (school management) and offender-centered resolutions are. I will interview three from each group- students, teachers (including Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, Director of Community Engagement, and Andrea Goodwin, Director of Student Conduct), and the campus police- using convenient sampling. I will ask them these questions: Besides this interview, I will also conduct a survey in class regarding the prevalence, motivations, and resolutions to vandalism in College Park. I will ask another teacher and student first for the pilot testing of the interview and survey questions to improve my instruments’ validity and reliability. The survey questions are: I will prepare for these interview and survey through asking for participants this week and conducting them as soon as possible. I will contact the target audiences too beforehand to acquire their permission. I will ask them to read the interview questionnaire beforehand if they have time and to tell me if there is anything I need to

Starbucks International Entry Methods and its Global Marketing

Starbucks International Entry Methods and its Global Marketing Introduction In 1971, in Seattle’s Pike Place Market two teachers and a writer opened the first Starbucks retail shop, as a roaster and retailer of bean and ground coffee, tea and spices (Roos, 2010). Today, with over 20,000 stores across the world, from Monaco to Colombia and many in between, Starbucks is a name that stands for innovation beyond its industry and constant growth (Chen, 2014). From ethical sourcing initiatives to the employee stock options and health benefits, Starbucks is a unique company, in a continuous evolution across the world (Hincha-Ownby, 2013). The company is a global marketing phenomenon, reinventing its operations to suit their growth ambitions, but remaining true to the passion of serving coffee in a friendly atmosphere (Thompson Arsel, 2004). Starbucks has been a pioneer in the coffee house industry in many geographical regions, having virtually introduced this concept to various countries in the Asia-Pacific region (Otmazgin, 2008). In addition to this, the company is continuously reinventing itself in European countries where the coffee house culture is more sophisticated (Patterson, Scott, Uncles, 2010). It is mandatory to analyse their strategy for market entry mode selection, as their success suggests they have found the golden middle between adopting distinct tactics and allowing local influences to shape their product, whilst keeping their core business values intact. In addition to using secondary sources to analyse the global expansion of Starbucks, this paper also outlines how the global marketing strategy of the company compromises between standardisation and adaptation to local target audiences’ preferences (Alderman, 2012). From the product-price-place-promotion marketing mix adaptation tactics to the use of loyalty card that reward loyal customers and the encouragement to share Starbucks moments via social media, the company continuously seeks the view of their customers through crowd-sourcing and creating a sense of community (Misener, 2014). However, similarly to their entry mode selection, the coffee house giant manages to preserve their core values in all the regions where it operates. Entry mode of Starbucks Globalisation and technology as the two core macro environmental elements of the 21st century business settings have imposed and aided companies’ international expansion strategies and tactics (Daft, 2010). As such, success beyond the national borders of a corporation is not only an indicator of success, it has ultimately become necessary for survival in a competitive market (Zahra, Ireland, Hitt, 2000). Whether through Joint Ventures (JVs), Exports, Franchises, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), take overs or any other strategies, everyone, from SMEs to large corporations is jumping on the bandwagon of international expansion (Kim Hwang, 1992). However, beyond the need to expand internationally, companies need to carefully evaluate all factors influencing the decision regarding the area of expansion and the entry mode of the company in the new region. A timeline of the geographical evolution of Starbucks over the last decade (Figure 1) shows that the company aims to increase their global presence, becoming the coffee shop of choice of all the coffee aficionados (Starbucks, 2014). Figure 1 Geographical expansion of Starbucks. Authors own, adapted from Starbucks (2014) Root (1994) defines the entry mode as a strategic decision making process in which the company’s products, technology, human skills and all other resources are evaluated in relation to the country of destination where the organisation is planning to extend its operations. In addition to this, the characteristics of the market that a company intends to penetrate are also taken into account for the purpose of selecting the most suitable entry mode (Canabal White III, 2008). The capital and human investment of a corporation towards expansion in new geographical areas is ultimately decided in correlation with profitability potential for the organisation. The factors influencing the entry mode of a corporation in new markets were divided by Chen and Mujtaba (2007) into three categories: firm specific factors, country specific factors and market specific factors. Although their categorisation of factors is valid in the strategic management of internationalisation of firms, it can be argued that market specific factors can be integrated in the country specific factors and another category called industry specific factors can be added to the mix. Figure 2 below presents a new theoretical framework developed by the author of this paper, which presents the changes enumerated, underlining the importance of trends and particularities of the overall industry in which a company operates. Figure 2 Factors influencing Selection of Entry Mode. Authors own, inspired by Chen and Mujtaba (2007) Although not exhaustive, the list of elements presented above indicates the variety of elements involved in the selection of markets where Starbucks can extend its chain of stores and the best strategy to ensure success in the new region. According to Root (1994) and Koch (2001) the factors influencing the entry mode selection can also be divided into external and internal factors. Political, economic and socio cultural dimensions of a foreign country are crucial external elements that determine the profitability of marketing the products offered by a company (Koch, 2001). Starbucks is marketing a social product beyond its coffee offerings, having positioned itself in the industry as a company that offers a great environment where people can enjoy ethically sourced beverages and snacks (Schultz, 2011). As such, it is crucial to evaluate the socio-cultural environment of a target foreign country and the marketability of such an offering within that particular geographical area. The key to success lies within the ability to match the product offerings of a company with the demands of the local foreign market, without compromising the firm’s business model. Partnerships with local firms through a joint venture or penetrating the market through licensing or franchising offer a company low risk solutions (Yoshino Rangan, 1995). However, when Starbucks decides to licence or franchise their product offerings, the extent to which they can monitor the quality of the products or operations of coffee shops that trade under their company name is significantly lower than in the case of joint ventures or wholly-owned subsidiaries. Joint ventures are often necessary due to political reasons, as is the case with some Middle Eastern countries that demand part ownership of local companies or residents within a foreign business (Terblanche, 2009). In addition to this, sharing the risk and costs with a partner in a local region can be advantageous for the company that extends their operations in a foreign market, due to lower capital investments (Root, 1994). However, there are disadvantages to be taken into account when opting for a joint venture, as sharing the technology with a potential competitor in the industry can lead to a conflict of interests and a potential loss of competitive advantage (Doz Hamel, 1998). Although wholly-owned subsidiaries eliminate the risks associated with all other entry modes, offering exclusivity over the profits and technology control, a company runs the risk of misunderstanding the cultural aspects of the country of destination and decreases its chances of succeeding in a new market (Makino Delios, 1996). Successful companies, such as Starbucks, are able to determine the best mix of entry modes specific to the regions where the expansion is taking place in order to become global leaders. The table below (Figure 3) shows that the company’s internationalisation strategy allows flexibility depending on country specific factors in the countries of destination. Figure 3 Starbucks Entry Mode Type and Partners in each region. Authors own, adapted from Starbucks (2014) In May 1998, Starbucks expanded its operations into the first European country, the UK, as part of a long-term internationalisation strategy (Bintliff, 2009). The company acquired sixty-five Seattle Coffee Company stores, a company founded and managed by two Americans (Scott and Ally Svenson) with a similar coffee culture as the American giant Starbucks (Simmons, 2012). The cultural gap between the US and UK attitude to coffee shops and the resistance of British consumers to American products was taken into account by Starbucks, who waited one year before they completely rebranded the existing Seattle Coffee Company stores, therefore allowing the consumers to adapt to the concept and products of Starbucks prior to the rebranding. At present, Starbucks has 549 company operated stores in the UK, with an additional 125 licensed and 57 franchised stores across the country, making it one of the industry leaders in the country (Campbell, 2014). In October 1998, Starbucks extended its operations in New Zealand, through licensing its store concept to Restaurant Brands New Zealand, an authorised licensee of KFC and Pizza Hut brands at the time (Morrison, 2013). Due to its enthusiasm of bringing the Starbucks experience to consumers in the country, Restaurant Brands New Zealand was the ideal partner for Starbucks in positioning itself in the Asia Pacific market in an incipient stage of the coffee industry in this geographical region. The relatively low popularity of the coffee shop industry at the time in the region was a risk that could have deterred the success of a wholly owned market entry (Field, 2011). The leading position and market knowledge of the partner firm that Starbucks licensed its store concept to ensured the minimal risk and lead to the success that the brand is enjoying in New Zealand presently, operating 22 stores in the country, with a $25.1 million sales annually (Morrison, 2013). Global Marketing Strategy Although globalisation has allowed large multinationals to expand across the globe increasing their popularity and profits, this phenomenon has been widely criticised and Starbucks was also the victim of anti-consumerism and anti-globalisation movements (Klein, 2009). The growth experience by the company and its current world dominance has generated many negative discourses, primarily criticising Starbucks’ ascendancy at the expense of local coffee shops. As a multinational brand that aspires to be a recognised global leader, Starbucks’ marketing strategy requires a degree of standardisation. To start with, the company hardly advertises in the traditional sense via TV, radio and print adverts, â€Å"instead relying on their ubiquitous cafà ©s to do the talking† (Kiley, 2006, p. 56). In addition to this, the company has developed and perfected their social media marketing strategy, using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other platforms for competitions and promotional offers for their customers (Moth, 2013). It can be argued that Starbucks’ success in the social media sphere is also highly dependent on the anti-Starbucks movement, as this generates increased coverage of the brand name, allowing the company to counteract the accusations and promote their ethical behaviour even more (Holden, 2012). The involvement of consumers in product development and range (i.e.: new drink flavours) as well as the encouragements to share personal experiences are now an integral part of Starbucks’ international marketing strategy (Shayon, 2013). The company often prides itself on the fact that it creates a community sense amongst individuals from distinct countries through the recognisable brand name Starbucks (Batchelor Krister, 2012). The company uses social media to encourage its consumers to create a sense of belonging to a community and rewards its loyal customers through My Starbucks Reward, using polls to ensure a maximum potential of crowd sourcing (Schoultz, 2013). Through this, the company demonstrates loyalty on its own part to its customers, focusing on transforming their consumers in brand ambassadors, rather than investing time and large budget shares in aggressive marketing tactics aimed at accumulating large shares of new consumers. Levitt (1983) sustains that standardisation of a marketing programme needs to have a positive impact on the performance of the organisation. Being able to maintain a consistency across the marketing strategy and tactics in operations that span across the globe can have a positive impact on a company’s financial performance, as the budget for developing the marketing program is significantly lower (Samiee Roth, 1992). However, the cultural differences between different geographical markets make it difficult to distinguish the profitability and impact on performance of standardised marketing plans (Porter, 2011). Studies suggest that, irrespective of general traits of global marketing for brand recognition purposes, multinational corporations need to take into account any cultural aspects of the countries where their subsidiaries are. As such, Starbucks adapts their food and beverage offerings in their cafà ©s in order to suit their customers’ taste (Bussing-Burks, 2009). Below (Figure 4) is a list of products that are exclusively available in specific geographical areas as evidence of adaptation tactics used by the company. Figure 4 Country Specific products. Adapted from Misener (2014) In China, Starbucks has adapted their product offerings in order to be able to introduce the coffee shops in a market which was loyal to a long-lasting tradition of tea. Despite the concerns expressed by many in regards to the potential success of an American coffee-house chain in a country where other multinational food and beverage brands like Dunkin Donuts and Burger King have failed, Starbucks opened 500 stores across China (Fellner, 2008). The company licensed its brand name to Mei Da Coffee Co. and entered a JV with Shanghai President Coffee Co. (Figure 3). Instead of trying to force the products that appealed to Americans and made the company successful in their mother land, Starbucks launched green-tea flavoured coffee drinks and relied less on takeaway orders due to their lack of popularity in China (Rein, 2012). More importantly, through charging premium prices for their beverages, instead of adopting the general strategy of under-pricing their products in the Asian market, Starbucks cups have become a status symbol in the urban areas of Beijing and Shanghai (Schiavenza, 2013). Unlike many of its competitors, Starbucks prefers investing the money that companies spend on advertising into the benefits and training of their staff members (Kessler, 2012). In line with this philosophy, the company became one of the very few to extend their full health policy to their part-time workers (Schultz Yang, 1997). This philosophy applies even in their overseas stores, and employees in China reported a high level of satisfaction with their job benefits, indicating that this is one of the core values of the company and even through licensing and JV, Starbucks ensures that the contentment of all employees under the Starbucks brand name is indistinguishable across the globe (Rein, 2012). The Chairman of the company, Howard Schulz, believes that the training and satisfaction levels of the Starbucks baristas represent one of the best marketing tactics. He discovered that the attitude and skills of Italian baristas in coffee shops from Rome is what created the atmosphere within a cafà © (Bussing-Burks, 2009). In addition to this, the leadership team that sits in the head offices of Starbucks have a weekly exercise of reading consumers’ feedback, keeping them in touch with the realities of the consumer experience, not allowing them to lose sight of the end user of the services and products of Starbucks (Gulati, Huffman, Neilson, 2002). Although Starbucks has ventured into markets where the coffee culture was in its incipient stages, like countries in the Asia-Pacific area, the most difficult task that the company has had to date is strengthening its market position in nations with a strong coffeehouse culture, like France or the UK (Rudarakanchana, 2013). Their marketing strategies require more creativity in these geographical areas, particularly because Starbucks is up against well established coffee houses that offer a more unique and tailored cultural experience to its customers. However, the company is not oblivious to this issue and Starbucks inaugurated a coffee shop in Amsterdam in 2012 with an avant-garde architecture and a stage for poetry reading (Alderman, 2012). Howard Schultz is planning on expanding the plans for introducing more concept stores across Europe, in order to increase the appeal of the coffee house for consumers beyond the young hip customer, who sees Starbucks as a product that stands for the American lifestyle. Conclusions The company that reinvented the way in which people enjoy their traditional cup of coffee, Starbucks has conquered the globe in less than half a century, since the first store opened. The pace of growth and geographical reach of Starbucks is an undeniable reality that has sparked debates over the past decades. Most of the elements that have contributed to this successful expansion and brand recognition can be associated with the entry mode selection, the marketing mix adaptability and promotional strategies used by the company. Starting with the successful collaborations with local companies in the countries of destination through JVs or licensing through to the slight alterations made to the menu to suit the taste of local consumers, the company displays an exquisite cultural awareness. American giants in the food and beverage industry like Dunkin Donuts or Burger King have attempted to penetrate Asian markets preserving their business model and menu offerings. They encountered resistance from the local consumers, as their culinary and beverage preferences were not met by the menu of the American companies. Whilst it is understandable that MNCs desire to preserve their business model and should avoid making big compromises for each geographical region where they extend, as this would incur additional operational costs for product development and marketing, organisations need to demonstrate a willingness to take into account the culture of the host country. Starbucks’ main philosophy revolves around the atmosphere they can create in their coffee shops and the manner in which the company values its employees, rather than their product offerings, therefore allowing the organisation to expand, adapt and yet, stay true to their core values. Carefully selecting its international partners whose values match the Starbucks passion for great customer focused services, Starbucks seeks the necessary help from well-established local retailers. Although the whole-ownership market entry mode guarantees immediate higher profitability, Starbucks’ focus is on creating long-lasting relationships with consumers in every geographical region, seeking and rewarding the loyalty of the brand’s customers. As such, JVs, licensing or partly-owned subsidiaries are the entry modes of choice for Starbucks in their pursuit to establish themselves as market leaders. The company is clearly not seeking short term goals through aggressive tactics, rather focusing on a well-established strategy that promotes a steady continuous growth, which has so far proved to be a successful approach to internationalisation. References Alderman, L. (2012, March 30). In Europe, Starbucks Adjusts to a Cafe Culture. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/business/starbucks-tailors-its-experience-to-fit-to-european-tastes.html?pagewanted=all_r=0 Batchelor, B., Krister, K. (2012). Starbucks: A case study examining power and culture. PRism, 9(2), 2-11. Bintliff, E. (2009, October 26). Rivals take the froth off Starbucks. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0bd45f7a-c253-11de-be3a-00144feab49a.html#axzz3G7F67u57 Bussing-Burks, M. (2009). Starbucks. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Campbell, P. (2014, April 25). Sales slide as Starbucks feels tax backlash: Coffee chain axes six shops after  £14m drop in business during the past year. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2612668/Sales-slide-Starbucks-feels-tax-backlash-Coffee-chain-axes-six-shops-14m-drop-business-past-year.html Canabal, A., White III, G. O. (2008). Entry mode research: Past and future. International Business Review, 17(3), 267-284. Chen, L. Y., Mujtaba, B. (2007). The choice of entry mode strategies and decisions for international market expansion. Journal of American Academy of Business, 10(2), 322-337. Chen, X. Y. 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I consider my ultimate strength that I bring to the classroom is the desire and eagerness that I have for teaching children. A dynamic part of being a teacher is to motivate the students to know that the skills and information they are learning is worth learning and are valuable lessons to be used in the future. If I can convince the children that the material is enjoyable, powerful, and beneficial then they will want to make the effort to learn. I make it a significance priority to convey drive and enthusiasm to the classroom. It is difficult to learn if you are uninterested and almost not difficult to learn if the learning method is enjoyable and appealing. Additionally it is imperative for the students to appreciate why they are learning and what the importance of learning is. My objectives for teaching in the classroom are limited but crucial ones. I want my students to learn the materials taught in an extensive, everlasting way. I want them to apply the thoughts of these ideas t o all subject material taught. I will use the means that I have learned and continue to learn to get the maximum learning potential of my students as a whole. Secondly, I inspire to transform lives so that they determine life paths that have not ever been reflected on before. Reassurance is important and I aim to be their biggest fan. Thirdly, I want to reinvent the practice of teaching. Often teaching is regarded as an art, an uqualifiable expertise, to be practiced and understood by each new generation of teachers. By familiarizing new concepts and practices the doors are exposed to tangible advancement to permit us to learn new and more effective ways of using classroom time, so that the succeeding generation of teachers can be sincerely better and more effective in teaching then even we are today in the world of modernisms and increased use of technology. I don’t always know the greatest ways to teach but I am willing to try different approaches until I reach a place where I know what I am doing will effect upcoming generations of students and educators. Lastly, and most selfishly I want to have an exciting journey and make the classroom a fun and exciting place to learn. I delight in the opportunity of getting to know my students and their families and develop strong lasting relationships that can be seen years down the road. There are great joys of becoming a teacher and knowing that you impact lives each and every day. Our students learn when they are energetically figuring things out, trying to teach themselves, not inactively wandering through busy work and handouts, expecting to be taught. I design my lesson plans and classroom material not around what I do but what the students will do. I let them take command of their own education and to teach them as much as imaginable about the realm around us.