Starbucks

In the task, it is stated that star bucks is expanding into new markets. For this the marketing mix must be as follows: The additional target segments of Starbucks were retail centers, office buildings, university campuses, hotels, restaurants, airports, airlines. Starbucks positioning changed with the expansion in the target market. Starbucks established itself as a dominant specialty-coffee brand and its objective was “To become the most recognized and respected brand in the world. ” This was achieved through:

Product

Starbucks introduced a wide range of product variety including whole bean coffees, rich brewed coffees, Italian style espresso drinks, cold-blended beverages, premium teas, pastries, sodas, juices, sandwiches and salads. The product mix varied depending on a store’s location and size. The biggest driver of company’s growth was product innovation. New products were launched regularly and a new hot beverage was introduced during every holiday season. Brand name was established and this again contributed to the position of the company. Starbucks had the Size advantage over its competitors and its goal was opening 15000 stores world wide.

Service was the distinguishing factor and the employees were trained and empowered to provide good quality service, which was evaluated on service, Cleanliness, Product quality and speed of service criteria. Service innovations along with technology functionalities like T-Mobile HotSpot wireless internet service was an added advantage.

Price

Discounts were given at stores. Spilt drinks were replaced without any additional charge. Regular customers were given sample free drinks if they didn’t have cash and provide cheque. Starbucks established itself as a premium-priced player in the market but service overwhelmed price in this aspect.

Place

Channels were used very effectively and Starbucks opened licensed stores world wide. Nearly 77% of the sales came from these stores. Starbucks also sold its products through non-company operated retail chains called Specialty Operations which accounted to about 15% of net revenues. Starbucks operated domestic and international licensed stores. Starbucks also had a joint venture with Pepsi-Cola to distribute bottled beverages. Starbucks had plans to open 15000 international locations. This will ensure their position for a very long time.

Building the Starbucks Brand So far, Starbucks has spent very little money on advertising, preferring instead to build the brand cup by cup with customers and depend on word-of-mouth and the appeal of its storefronts. The company was, however, engaged in a growing effort to extend the Starbucks brand and penetrate new markets. In addition to expanding internationally, venturing into ice cream with Dreyer’s and into Frappuccino with Pepsi, partnering with licensees, and developing specialty and mail-order sales. STARBUCKS MISSION “To inspire and nurture the human spirit— one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time. EXPERIENCE is about these 3 P’s: 1. People- the baristas and their connection with customers. 2. Place – the physical stores, their design and aroma 3. Product – the beverages, food, and merchandise 4. Price – 5. Promotion – 6. Physical Evidence – 7. Process – •(People & Product) Customer connection and a fresh, hand-made beverage. The newer automatic machines that replaced the La Marzoccos are faster, but blocked the visual sight line the customer previously had to watch the drink being made, and for the intimate experience with the barista. It seems that the personal connection between the baristas and the customers is the core of their experience. •(Place) The Aroma. “… The loss of our people scooping fresh coffee from the bins and grinding it fresh in front of the customer, …” Some say the sale of hot food has detracted from the coffee aroma that customers attach to Starbucks stores. •(Place) Store Design. Design of their stores has taken on a more streamlined feel to gain efficiencies. But that resulted in the stores losing their charm and uniqueness. Starbucks has “stores that no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. he warm feeling of a neighborhood store. Some people even call the stores sterile, cookie cutter, no longer reflecting the passion their partners feel about our coffee. ” •(Product) Coffee related merchandise. As a purveyor of fine coffee and tea, Starbucks has struggled as of late to get their merchandise to reflect their brand and their history. “Some stores don’t have coffee grinders, French presses from Bodum, or even coffee filters. ” A more focused approach would be: (a)Participating in social media and (b) Gathering customer suggestions would be easier for a company with no meaningful social media experience to manage.

It would also make it easier for Starbucks customers to follow-along. The current MyStarbucksIdea website is already unwieldy — lots of wayward ideas have been suggested and many of the ideas suggested are repeated numerous times in various categories. This website will only get more unwieldy. Points of difference: 1. Starbucks provides its customers with a Starbucks Card through which they can have an easy and fast access to the menu items and discounts. These cards are customizable and can be designed by the customers themselves as per their likings. 2.

Starbucks follows an environment friendly drive in which every time a customer brings a reusable travel mug gets a 10 cent discount on any Starbucks beverage, anytime. Starbucks passion for reducing cup waste did not start with the Green Project. Since 1985, they have offered a discount to customers who bring in a reusable travel mug and will continue doing so. This is just one of the ways they are fulfilling their commitment to environmental stewardship while working towards a long-term goal of 100% reusable or recyclable cups by 2015. 3. It also offers its customers with various coffee and tea gifts.

Customers can register and participate in a 3 months program in which they are sent special exotic flavors of coffee from around the world. BARISTA As of today, Barista exists in over 22 cities, and operates over 140 outlets nationally. In the last 2 years, Barista has opened over 100 outlets in the country and with a new outlet opening nationally every 14 dates, Barista is currently experiencing phenomenal growth. With outlets opening in Sri Lanka and Dubai, Barista is looking at potential growth opportunities in Asia, making it highly competitive international brand.

Product Source: Barista sources its coffee beans from around the world, but a major supplier is TATA Coffee, part of the TATA Group that owns a large stake holding in Barista. These coffee beans are then sent to Venice, Italy where they are roasted into a blend exclusively for Barista. The food and desserts at Barista is exclusively catered to by the Taj, who ensures a high standard of quality with all its products. Barista also sells merchandise through its store, all of which is imported. The merchandise accounts for nearly 1/6th of Barista’s overall sales.

Barista has a check on the quality of its products every 14 days. Barista also incorporates TQM at its headquarters in Delhi. Since Delhi is the base for all its distribution, quality control measures are adopted there to avoid any poor quality products being distributed. Pricing: Barista has a ‘Skim Pricing Policy’. They began with a higher price, and skimmed the cream for the market. With the sudden spurt of growth in number of outlets, came the benefits of economies of scale. Because of this, they have been able to gradually lower their prices, and appeal to different segments of their target market.

Currently, their prices are the lowest they have ever been, and they can competitively match their prices against Cafe Coffee Day’s prices. The prices are constantly changing though, and the last 1-year has seen 3 changes (mostly reductions) in prices. This gradual price reduction meant that Barista could maintain its profit- maximization policy until it could earn large cost savings because of the benefits of high volume. The main factors that affect their pricing are their cost of goods sold. The costs are quite high because imports a majority of its products and product- sources. ? Process:

The order and delivery process at Barista is based on self-service, where a customer goes up to the counter to place his order, and goes back to the counter to pick his delivery once it is prepared. Brand Image: Barista positions itself as a brand for anyone who loves coffee. Their products, services and outlets are more like the traditional European cafes, where people would meet for the love of coffee, and for an intellectual appealing time. They position their outlets as a place “where the world meets”, and they look to appeal to anyone in the 14- 60 age group that loves good coffee and looks for a nice quiet time.

Products: Barista’s product mix constitutes a wide range of products that appeal primarily to traditional coffee lovers. Their products themselves are traditional products with traditional names. Food items like croissant, pastas, and sandwiches are complimentary to their coffee, and project a very classic image of Barista. Their merchandising also consists of primarily coffee related products like coffee beans, coffee machines, etc. Prices: Considering that Barista is trying to target a market whose age range is between 18 and 60 years, a pricing policy appealing to this segment is difficult.

Extremely low prices act as a deterrent to some customers who might regard it as an indicator or quality, while very high prices cannot be afforded by most of the youth. But since Barista’s current consumer profile is quite young, their prices are mostly inexpensive, and at par with their competitors. People: The people at Barista are characteristically trained to be Pleasant, Polite and Positive. They ensure you have a quiet, uninterrupted visit and provide an escape from the daily pressures of life. Their uniforms are in sober shades of brown and orange, and contribute to the overall laid-back feeling of the cafe. Physical Evidence: Logo, Colors, Images: Barista, since the beginning has looked to use colors in its cafe interiors, logos and images; to project a “warm, earth glow, synonymous with coffee”. Barista uses shades of Orange & Brown to good effect to promote its “laid- back” atmosphere. The logo is a combination of Brown, Orange and Light Yellow; with the word “Barista” written in an upward curve, and the word “Coffee” underneath. A simple logo that perfectly expresses Barista’s brand image, A traditional cafe for coffee lovers. Decor and Architecture:

Barista’s internal decor and architecture expresses the simplicity you would normally associate with traditional cafes. The furniture is made of light shades of wood, and there are comfortable sofas in bigger cafes. The walls are shades of orange, with various photographs of the love for coffee spread around each outlet. Literature: The literature provided by Barista is indicative of its brand image. The menus, posters, pamphlets are all traditionally designed, with a classic and simple look. One aspect of particular note is their magazine, which is privately circulated in the cafes.

The magazine encourages customers write, draw, make etc anything creative; and this is then published in the magazine. The magazine not only provides an avenue for advertising, but also an opportunity for Barista to express its brand image. ? Place: Barista looks to cater to their target market with strategically located outlets. Their outlets are generally located at High Street/ Family Entertainment Centers. Considering their generic appeal, there are Barista outlets in and around Malls, Cinemas, Colleges, and Offices etc. his endorses their brand image of a cafe that appeals to coffee lovers of all ages. Promotions: Barista currently carries out mass promotion campaigns. This is mainly in the form of promotions in the Press, TV and Radio Medias. At present, they do not rely heavily on advertising, but rely more on sponsorships and strategic alliances with other corporations. Barista also takes part in various sales promotion activities to help increase sales at their outlets. a) Sponsorships: Barista sponsors various events and festivals, which provides them valuable promotion directed at strategic markets.

The sponsorships are mainly in kind, although major events are sponsored in cash also. b) Sales Promotion: Barista uses a special “Barista Coffee Card” for its sales promotion activities. Barista Coffee Card entitles you to one complimentary hot beverage when you are done sipping seven. It is available to all Barista coffee regulars. No membership fees, no references required. Fill out the card and you are a member. As a Coffee Card holder, you earn one stamp on the card every time you purchase a beverage. Simply present the card to the cashier when you place your order at any of their outlets.

Once you have collected seven stamps, you can hand over the card to receive your complimentary hot beverage. Barista hopes this card can help drive sales growth, and increase customer retention. COSTA COFFEE When you walk into a Costa store you’ll notice it’s different to other coffee shops. First of all, there’s the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Then the great range of authentic coffee drinks. Next the Ferrari of coffee machines. And finally, the most passionate and well trained baristas around. It’s this unique combination that makes them stand out from the others.

Costa believes that Hand-making a cup of coffee is an art. It takes time and skill to perfect. That’s why every single barista, in every single Costa store is professionally trained in the art of coffee by experts. It’s a little thing, but it makes a big difference, because it means you’ll get a perfect cup of Costa coffee every time. •Costa Coffee has overtaken Starbucks as the leading coffee chain in the UK •The company has reported strong sales due to aggressive expansion •Costa now has more UK stores than Starbucks •Costa aims to double store numbers by 2013 Costa is to boost its UK growth through tie-ins with retailers and grocery stores •The company is planning an aggressive global expansion strategy, focused on under-represented countries •The company is expanding its India-located stores, aiming to make the country its third largest in terms of store numbers •Costa trains its coffee roasters at a special academy, highlighting its aims to create a premium coffee drinking experience •The company markets its traditional roasting methods as a key point of difference •The company has addressed ethical consumer concerns through new coffee sources and a coffee foundation •Costa is set to become the first major coffee chain to source its coffee through the Rainforest Alliance ? CCD CAFE COFFEE DAY VALUES- PRISM PRIDE – I take pride in my work and in my organization. RESPECT – I respect my customers, my subordinates, my peers and my superiors. INTEGRITY – I will show the highest level of integrity towards my work and my company under all circumstances. SELF – DISCIPLINE – I will imbibe and practice self-discipline in all my daily activities. MOTIVATION – I will always be motivated to give the best for my organization, my team and my customers. ? MISSION STATEMENT INTRODUCTION

Coffee Day sources coffee from 5000 acres of coffee estates, the 2nd largest in Asia, that is owned by a sister concern and from 11,000 small growers. It is one of India’s leading coffee exporters with clients across USA, Europe & Japan. With its roots in the golden soil of Chickmaglur, the home of some of the best Indian Coffees and with the vision of a true entrepreneur nurturing it, Coffee Day has its business pning the entire value chain of coffee consumption in India. Its different divisions include: Coffee Day Fresh n Ground (which owns 350 Coffee bean and powder retail outlets), Coffee Day Xpress (which owns 251 Coffee Day Kiosk), Coffee Day Take away (which owns 7000 Vending Machines), Coffee Day Exports and Coffee Day Perfect (FMCG Packaged Coffee) division.

Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) pioneered the cafe concept in India in 1996 by opening its first cafe at Brigade Road in Bangalore. Till about the late 1990’s coffee drinking in India was restricted to the intellectual, the South Indian traditionalist and the five star coffee shop visitor. As the pure (as opposed to instant coffee) coffee cafe culture in neighbouring international markets grew, the need for a relaxed and fun “hangout” for the emerging urban youth in the country was clearly seen. Recognizing the potential that lay ahead on the horizon, Cafe Coffee Day embarked on a dynamic journey to become a large organized retail cafe chain with a distinct brand identity of its own.

From a handful of cafes in six cites in the first 5 years, CCD has become India’s largest and premier retail chain of cafes with 251 cafes in 58 cities around the country. Cafe Coffee Day introduced the cafe culture in India with its first cafe at Brigade Road in Bangalore in 1996. There has been no looking back for their company from then till now, in fact they have grown from strength to strength. Cafe Coffee day is the regular meeting place for 18 to 35 year olds, both male and female, who are waited on by friendly and informed staff, and are offered the best made, hot or cold , in an invigorating ambience. They provide invigorating ambience and excellent customer service clubbed with excellent coffee to their customers. About the Logo

For a brand to stand out and be successful there has to be a personal commitment from staff at all levels. The target customers must identify with it. It should be vibrant and have a “life” of its own. Liveliness, growth, fun and passion depicts the brand, the customers, the staff and the future– this is embodied in this design and colour. Cafe Coffee Day, has unveiled its strategy to strengthen its leadership position with an all new brand identity that syncs with its vision to be the friendly and stylish social hub. Developed from in-depth dialogue with customers, coffee lovers and stakeholders, the new change entails an all new smart menu, changes in furniture design and placement, new uniforms, new cutlery and total cafe rebranding.

The famous Cafe Coffee Day squared logo in its fresh new avatar – a ‘Dialogue Box’ – with the words Cafe Coffee Day written in a distinct, specially created font. The new trendy dialogue logo symbolizes the essence of what a Cafe Coffee Day cafe is all really all about – a perfect place to ‘relax and dialogue’. And as we all know, a lot does happen over coffee! ? BUSINESS ASSOCIATION CCD has emerged as an interactive alternative media for brands to communicate with the ‘young at heart’. Other media, such as electronic, print and outdoor, offer brand communication through visual and audio modes to a large section of the populace, both relevant and irrelevant.

Cafe Coffee Day offers a much more interactive, targeted communication, sometimes adding even a taste dimension to a brand idea! Various in-cafe collaterals used to impart visibility to a brand inside a cafe or to add the element of interactivity to a campaign are Posters, Tent Cards, Danglers, Leaflets, Brochures, Coasters, Drop boxes, Contest Forms, Stirrers, Standees etc. Over the years, CCD has successfully promoted a number of brands/products/events through various innovative tactics and promo ideas. Cashing in on its mass captive audience. ? DEPARTMENTS AT CAFE COFFEE DAY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: The team decides upon a suitable site where the cafes can be set up. They identify, shortlist, and finalize a site by negotiating with property owners.

A significant effort is involved in getting legal clearances and statutory compliances. After all formalities are completed, the site is handed over to the projects team. The projects team comprises of some of the best designers who ensure that the coffee culture is spread across the country through beautiful outlets, They are in touch with a lot of property owners who are interested in franchising and licensing CCD. They normally take up places on long lease. All new cafes are built with a standardized design and the look of the cafe is in sync with the brand positioning. They aim to build cafes in the shortest possible time, at the least possible costs to capital outlay. OPERATIONS:

This team achieves their sales objectives and is responsible for the daily running of their cafes in a profitable manner. Customer interaction is very important for this team, as they are the ones who interface with the customer and provide them with a satisfactory service and product experience. Cafe managers train all their employees who are involved in day-to-day operations. The cafe staff is their brand ambassador. The brand image of cafe coffee day is and will be reflected through them by the way they dress, behave and carry themselves , both within the organization and outside. They are the face of the company since they will be the first point of interaction with the customer. FOOD AND BEVERAGES (F & B):

CCD are a lot more than coffee. Apart from serving the best coffee in the country they also serve a wide assortment of savories and desserts. The various coffee concoctions that they serve are the creations of their F&B team. They also ensure the highest level of hygiene and food quality. They impart training to the team on the preparation of the best quality of coffees and food at their cafes. The F&B team sources and manages vendors who supply food to the cafes. •Quality checks Quality checks take place all the time and in several aspects. The operational in-charge will go around checking business, record keeping, service and check the feedback forms.

The food in-charge will look at the way food is being stored, coffee is being made, what is the time take to extract the coffee and so on. Marketing person will go about checking displays, how the merchandise are displayed. MARKETING: The marketing team is responsible for the brand positioning and all brand building activities that result in increased sales and greater visibility. They are also responsible for the various sales promotion activities and tie-ups. This team designs and manages the merchandise category, which is displayed and sold at their cafes. They constantly track loyalty programs and promotions at the cafes to help maximize sales. HUMAN RESOURCE AND TRAINING:

The HR team deals with all matters pertaining to people within their team. They are responsible for recruitment and selection at all levels from team members to the management staff. They are responsible for employee salaries, career development and counseling. Constant efforts are made for employee up gradation in terms of improving skills and job satisfaction to meet the aspirations of all employees. FINANCE / ACCOUNTS: They look after the day to day accounting and financial activities and also provide them with the financial reports, which will help them, find out the profitability of the outlet. They help them reduce the costs and ensure compliance and fiscal discipline at the cafes. ?

QUESTIONNAIRE Name: Age: Occupation: Gender: Question 1: Name any three Cafe Chains that you know. 1. ________________________ 2. ________________________ 3. ________________________ Question 2: How often do you visit a Coffee Shop? ?2-3 times a week ?Once a week ?Once a Month ?Very Rarely Question 3: How much money do you spend on an average visit to a Coffee Shop? ?Less than Rs. 70 ?Rs. 70-120 ?Rs. 120-150 ?Greater than Rs. 150 Question 4: How much time do you spend at a Coffee Shop? ?Less than ? hours ?? to 1 hour ?1 to 2 hours ?Greater than 2 hours Question 5: Why do you go to a Coffee shop? ?Only for the Coffee ?To enjoy and have a Fun filled time To catch up with friends ?For group activities ?Specify if any Other:____________________________ Question 6: What do you look for when you choose a Coffee Shop to go to? ?Convenience ?Ambience ?Service ?Quality of Food ?Price Question 7: What factors according to you are applicable in case of Cafe Coffee Day? ?Convenience ?Ambience ?Service ?Quality of Food ?Price Question 8: Mark the Cafe brands known to you. ?Cafe Coffee Day ?Costa Coffee ?Starbucks ?Barista ?Beans And Brews Question 9: Rank the factors in order of your preference for the following Brands. COSTA COFFEESTARBUCKSBARISTA CONVENIENCE / ACCESSIBILITY AMBIENCE SERVICE QUALITY OF FOOD PRICE

This is to recommend that Struck to increasing the power of expand the international markets especially the countries that Struck has not been launched yet in order to gain more global market share thus generate more sales. Struck also need to reduce the power of expand domestic markets since the market in the US is approaching saturation and the marketing- warming expansion techniques has caused cannibalize existing store sales.

Based on my analyzes on the case Planet Struck (A), Struck Coffee remains a leader in the coffee business in the world for a long time because the perceived premium product’s cachet that they are offering customer something so far superior than customers’ expectations and their ubiquitous positioning strategy that providing ready access to customer foot traffic. These are the biggest strengths of Struck. Based on its existing successful del, Struck has indicated continuing increased gross operating income and operating income. See Appendix#l ) This huge success offers Struck more resources to expand its international market such as capital, existing business model, successful previous experiences and expert management team. At present, it is the great time for Struck to expand its international market, since the domestic market is approaching saturation. Even the marketing-swarming expansion techniques prevented competitor entry to the rake and helped Struck built strong brand awareness and recognition, it leads to downward trend in sales per store.

As an illustration, between 1 995 and 1 998, Struck had averaged $0. 69 million sales per store per year but until 2002, the sales has been decreased to $0. 559 million per store. This data reflected the domestic market has approached the saturation. However there is still an opportunity to increasing the globally market share, since in year 2002, there are total of 4574 domestic stores but the total number of international stores are only 131 2, which is only quarter of the number of domestic stores. See Appendix #4) Therefore, expanding international markets would lead to increasing the globally market share thus generate more sales and also will help the company to achieving its objective which is establish Struck as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. Struck has a pretty strong brand image to many of its customers as a “third place” where is a place between work and home that people can escape, reflect, read, chat and listen.

This niche positioning strategy has differentiated Struck from its competitors and this strategy has also become to Struck strongest competitive advantage that provided customers an atmosphere of both warmth and comfort. In conclusion, the main plan of action right now should be to focus on expanding international market instead of domestic markets. Thus the global market share will be increased if the marketing strategy is executed correctly and cooperated with right partner.

Starbucks, one of the largest and most visible corporations in the world, is again in the crosshairs of haters everywhere — or at least on social media. Fresh off recent controversies, such as last year’spumpkin spice controversy or this year’s widely criticizedRaceTogether campaign, the newest dissension seems to be far less contentious, though no less visible.

To introduce the dispute, understand that every year Starbucks welcomes the holiday season with the introduction of its red holiday cup. The event is so popular and anticipated, it has even given rise to countdown clocks. More impressively, according to Starbucks, “within the first 48 hours of red Starbucks cups launching last year, a photo of a Starbucks holiday cup was shared on Instagram every 14 seconds.”

That is as bad as selfies.

Related: 4 Mad Methods for Making Your Brand Stick Out

In previous years, the Starbucks holiday cup has been red with avariety of holiday designs. This year, however, Starbucks decided to pursue a fresh new design and feature a cup that was solid red. Together with its ubiquitous green logo, it made for a very festive, if not minimalist, holiday nod.

According to the Starbuck’s vice president of design and content, “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.”

Unfortunately, not everyone was so happy about the design, and Starbucks quickly got chastised on social media, accused of being overly politically correct and aiming to destroying Christmas. As the dissent proliferated, the issue also gave rise to as many Starbucks supporters, or at least enough people to express their apathy toward the issue.

It seemed as unimportant, yet as widely talked about, as the famousblue-dress debate.

And while “Red Cup Gate” will probably — and hopefully — fade fast, the entire affair provided a few valuable lessons for entrepreneurs.

1. Yes, all PR is good PR.

With a market cap of $92 billion, Starbucks is not what you call a small company. When you consider the company added $1.4 billion dollars to its gift and loyalty card platform this time last year, it’s clear that it has ample resources for marketing. The company employs some of the industry’s most creative marketers who clearly deliberated and understood the potential ramifications of this new campaign. So why would they undertake such a campaign if they knew it would get such a negative response?

Simple: Doing so turns millions of people into marketers and publishers.

Consider the fact that Ellen Degeneres, Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert chimed in on issue. That is amazing PR you can’t even pay for.

Related: Why You Should Be Fearlessly Authentic

Entrepreneurs understand that visibility of a business is key to success, and when you can garner that visibility with little effort or expense, even better. While some PR can be bad, talented and creative entrepreneurs understand how to turn it into a benefit.

2. Social media is awesome.

It took very little time for this so-called controversy to spread to every corner of social media, proving once again the immense power that occurs when you combine large swaths of people with unprecedented communication tools.

For a business, understanding the power of social media and its value for establishing your brand and raising visibility should not be overlooked. While it is impossible to really predict which campaigns will go viral or when, it should be clear that a well-planned digital and social-media strategy is key for success in today’s business environment.

3. Opportunities abound for opportunists.

While issues such as “Red Cup Gate” burn their wick of relevance rather quickly, entrepreneurs with the creativity and willingness to act fast can take advantage of these situations. Much like how brands jumped on the blue-dress buzz, other coffee brands got a boost from the issue, such as Dunkin Donuts with its holiday cup release. The subject has also created opportunities for small companies, YouTubers and creative types alike to ride the wave and get attention.

So whether you are offended by Starbucks’ holiday-cup campaign or found it to be an utter waste of valuable real estate on your Facebook feed, it is important for entrepreneurs to understand that this is how information and news gets proliferated these days — through tens of millions of people chatting about it on social media. More important, in addition to being prepared, successful entrepreneurs of tomorrow will know how to take advantage of this.

Now, back to my pumpkin spice latte in my pagan idol-adorned satin-sipper cup. Cheers.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com

Entrepreneur has affiliate partnership with TechBargains so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Thanks to our friends at , we’ve rounded up some can’t-miss deals. Check it out:

Happy National Coffee Day! Amazon has an excellent discount on a very high-end espresso and coffee maker. We’ve used a lower-end model and they make truly great coffee. It has an integrated professional quality burr grinder to use a fresh grind for each brew and it will consistently make excellent coffee at the perfect temperature each time. You can program this machine to remember your settings once you find your perfect cup. $500 is a great price for a high-quality automatic coffee and espresso maker and can easily save you money compared to going to Starbucks.

This is PCMag’s Editor’s Choice for its solid build quality, strong battery life and overall bang for your buck performance. It has a sharp display and this configuration has a powerful i5 processor that is more than enough for any office work. At its price this is a steal, especially with a Windows Pro license included which is perfect for any small business.

If you haven’t bought an Amazon Gift Card yet then today is your chance to get one and receive a bonus $10 Amazon credit when you do. This is one of the best deals you can get from Amazon since for many people it’s like cash in the bank if you shop a lot at Amazon as we do. Eligible users will be prompted with instructions on how to redeem this offer.

This body scale not only lets you monitor and track your weight through your smartphone, it can also measure your cardiovascular health with Pulse Wave Velocity measurements to track how fast blood is moving through your body. It can also measure and track your full body composition based on fat, muscle, bone and water so you can visually see if your training is increasing your muscle mass and burning off the fat.

For more great deals, check out .

Disclosure: This is brought to you by the Entrepreneur Partner Studio. Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Have a deal you want to promote? .

Is Globalization Americanization? In my opinion, I don’t believe an item’s history and origin make it inevitably American. This is partly because some items don’t gain the popularity here, but rather outside the country. In addition, some franchises are seen in so many countries that while it’s likely known that it originated in America, that’s the only “American” thing about it. Lastly, some For the fast food examples such as McDonald’s or Starbucks, they are probably best known in terms of their origin and the most popular in terms of being “American”.

Both chains have been around for decades – McDonalds, since 1955 (mcdonalds. com, 2012) and Starbucks, since 1971 (starbucks. com, 2012). Both chains have continued to grow and expand to immense proportions. McDonalds currently has locations in 119 countries (en. wikipedia. org, 2012), while Starbucks follows at a respectable 50 countries (starbucks. com, 2012). They are both good examples of “American” chains however I don’t think that simply originating in America created that label.

I think that if that were the case, there wouldn’t have been as much success in other countries. I think that these chains have been able to expand so much simply because they’re so popular. In theory, much of their popularity might come down to the attraction from tourists, whether famous and popular or unknown. One public message about a great restaurant is good press alone and can cause frenzy. For the television show example, I think Oprah says it all.

The Oprah Winfrey Show became its own in 1986 (en. wikipedia. org, 2012). Since then, she has become has become a household name both in American and internationally. At its height, the Oprah Winfrey show aired in 149 countries (en. wikipedia. org, 2012). I think that with the viewership in other countries, it just goes to show that while the Oprah phenomenon started in America, it has certainly branched out; therefore, America is only where she’s from, not who she is.

The musical example falls on the Beatles. I think they are maybe an especially important example of the American versus not question. The reason being is that although they originated in England, due to their talent of singing, if you didn’t already know where they were from, there was no immediate awareness as to their origin – at least for later generations such as myself who still love their songs years after the initial release. The point is that with the Beatles as n example, if the theory about popularity or globalization meaning American is true, then one could think they originated here because they became so popular. Obviously it has been well known for years that they originated in England; but if that knowledge was not immediately known, then they could have been from anywhere. In all fairness, the argument is probably strong both ways. I can absolutely see the point of view that Globalization can be perceived as originating from America.

However, I feel even more strongly, that when you take a closer look, it really doesn’t matter when an item actually originated; it all comes down to popularity. References: Our Heritage. (2012, January 9). Starbucks. com. Retrieved from: http://www. starbucks. com/about-us/our-heritage Our History. (2012, January 9). McDonald’s. com. Retrieved from: http://www. mcdonalds. com/us/en/our_story/our_history. html McDonald’s. (2012, January 9). McDonald’s Global Operations. Retrieved from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/McDonalds#Global_operations

Strengths

1. The entity did not establish a formal vision-mission statement. The only establishment that provides calibration service with merchandising calibration equipment.

2. Offers free service on any dissatisfaction feedback (if any).

3. Finish the Job on time.

4. Workers are equipped with skills to lessen calibrating time.

5. Good relationship with its supplier.

6. Good relationship with their customer.

7. Caters and accept on-call services

8. Offers free advice to customers.

Many customers and most of the time they could cater only a few portion of those emend.

1. The business has two workers only.

3. The location of the shop is small.

4. The business has difficulty in giving services to new Cars (advance technology).

5. The business is incapable of handling huge number of customer.

6. Workers did not undergo proper seminar and trainings.

7. The place is unsanitary.

Growing number of customer inside/outside Catboat City.

2. Satisfied customers become potential middlemen.

3. Existing advertising techniques

4. Introduction of new technology.

5. Growing number of vehicle users.

Opportunities

1. Remain the good relationship with suppliers and customers to satisfy the needs of possible customers that can be middlemen.

2. Present new offerings to soot analysis matrix By reorganizes

3. Satisfy customers by providing adequate and worthwhile calibration services. (SSL ,02)

4. Continue to fasten calibrating time and avoid failures so that customers would be satisfied.

Weakness

1 . Increase manpower to cater a greater number of potential customers. (WI ,WWW,WWW,01)

2. Maximize location and build additional branches outside Catboat City. (WWW,01)

3. Empower workers with higher level skills in calibrating new cars. (WWW,04) 4. Improve flexibility in giving services to a huge number of demands. (WI ,05)

Threats

1. New entrants with advance technology calibration service.

2. Shifting of loyal customers to new entrants

3. New cars with engine that needs advanced skills in calibrating.

4. High inflation rate of energy, gasoline, crude oil, etc.

5. Increasing rate of rent and income tax. Read  Siemens SWOT Analysis

SST

1. Boost the services provided by the business to have a competitive stand against new entrants. (SSL , TTL ,TO)

2. Strengthen the relationship with customers to avoid them to patronize the services offered by the new entrants. (SO,TO)

3. Conduct trainings and seminars to support workers in order to be more skillful in calibrating engines that needs advance skills. (SO,TO)

4. Conserve energy consumption by finishing the job on time. (SO,TO)

1 . Additional skilled workers to provide a large portion of customer’s demand. (WI ,WWW,TO)

2. Rent expense will increase due to expansion of location. (WWW,TO)

3. Avail advanced machines and upgrade the skills of workers in calibrating to compete with new entrants. (WWW,TO ,TO)