Thursday, October 17, 2019
Congress Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Congress - Coursework Example If not, the whole process will be repeated again. It is, therefore, estimated that only 10 percent of the bills are processed ahead and becomes a law. It is necessary for a bill to go through three houses such as committee consideration, floor debates and conference committees. Bill Every new bill is passed to committee consideration with a subject matter. The government officials and experts give their opinion on the particular. Later, the committee decides to forward the bill further to the floor. Floor debate is liable to set time and rules for the debate. Senators are allowed to speak on their desired bill without any time limit. Therefore, this rule is considered as a filibuster for stretching the duration of a bill. When the bill is controversial or important then it is moved forward to steering committee which is the third step. The bill is then passed to upper house and lower house again after which it moves to the president for final signature (ushistory.org, 2015). On March 30, 1995, Larry Pressler introduced a bill of telecommunication in American Senate. The Senate committee of commerce, science and transportation considered the bill and it was subsequently passed by the senate on June 15, 1995. On 12th October 1995, the House also passed the bill. The Bill of Telecommunication was signed by the president William J. Clinton on February 8, 1996 (Paglin, Hobson, & Rosenbloom,
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Congress, the bulk of work on legislation consists of what members do Essay
Congress, the bulk of work on legislation consists of what members do in committees - Essay Example Similar to the Senate, Congress has four major categories of committees; standing, conference, select, and joint committees. Standing committees are the most important as they deal with the vast majority of legislative concerns. Within each standing committee are sub-committees tasked with the responsibility of dealing with specific areas of a legislative issue; for example, the Ways and Means committee. Contrastingly, conference committees specifically deal with Bills, and comprise of members from both the Senate and Congress. By reconciling differences of members in the committee, conference committees are able to form a single Bill, which can then be forwarded to the President for his assent. Select committees are short-term in nature and are formed to deal with a specific issue when it arises; for example, Intelligence committee. Finally, joint committees resemble conference committees in structure; however, they are need-based; formed to address specific issues; for example, joi nt committee on taxation (Independence Hall Association). Committees wield a great deal of influence in the US legislature; as such, the majority party chooses the Chairman of each committee in the US Congress. However, it is important to note that all committees comprise of members from all political parties with representatives in the Congress. There is no specified criterion used by committees to choose its members; however, legislators earn their place based on political favors earned due to loyalty, power and seniority in the Congress. Due to this, legislators in Congress are always cautious of their dealings with each other, as they are aware failure to do so would cost them favorable committee assignments. The number of members serving in the various committees varies. Besides the Chairman, the Ranking Member also holds a high status in the committee. This position is reserved for the senior most member of the minority
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
A Proposed Health Promotion Campaign Against Obesity Assignment
A Proposed Health Promotion Campaign Against Obesity - Assignment Example The factors of the accessibility of junk foods and the trend of â€Å"supersizing†meals, not to mention the availability of high caloric foods of low nutritional value but are highly appealing to children because of its rich taste are mainly responsible for them getting less physically fit (Buchholz, 2005). Also, the environmental progress of eradicating some parks and natural playgrounds for children to build buildings for industry and residences may not benefit the physical health of children due to the fact that they have less access to locations where they can expend their excess physical energy (Frieden, Galvez. & Landrigan, 2003). However, the most common cause of the decrease in physical activity of children is that technology has made it easier to fall into a sedentary life. Children are more than adequately entertained by the multitude of choices on television shows, internet sites, computer games, etc. Nowadays, most children are homebound, engrossed in computer games, watching videos, surfing the web for hours, etc. Children find less need to play outside because there are a lot of available conveniences and entertainment indoors for them. Hence, playing games, running around, climbing trees, bicycling, etc. are slowly becoming activities of the past. Physical exercise for these children is not given much priority anymore. Many parents enroll their children in dance classes, sports, etc. just for them to have physical activity. Obesity in children has been on the rise and one factor is lack of physical activity. Experts agree that the combination of the availability of energy-dense processed foods and lack of physical activity may be the culprit of obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide data that suggest that the number of children attending daily physical education classes declined from 18.3% in 1995 to 12% in 2001.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Subjective exam Essay Example for Free
Subjective exam Essay A) Selling price of bond The determination of the selling price of bonds is important because it helps the bondholders know the yield they will receive if they were to purchase the bond. Bonds can be issued at par, premium and at a discount. A Bond is said to be issued at par if the yield is equal to the coupon rate. If the current market yield is more than the coupon rate stated on the bond, then, that bond has been issued at premium. If the coupon rate is more than the yield rate currently earned by similar bonds in the market (Sheth, 2007, Slide 23, chapter 12). Bondholders receive periodic payments of interest amount, which is constant over the life of bond. Therefore the price of the bond is arrived at by discounting all these payments i.e. the selling price is the present value of all periodic payments plus the present value of the maturity amount, which is the principle amount of the bond. (Englard, 1992, Page 6, chapter 1). The formula for calculating the price of the bond is as shown below. Bond price= (PV) =p (1+r)-2 + p (1+r)-2 +†¦. +p (1+r)-n + m (1+R)-n Where =p= period receipt/payment r=required yield –effective M=maturity value (principle amount) The periodic receipts of interest amount are constant over the bond period and therefore are annuity in nature. Therefore to calculate the present value of the interest payments the annuity formula is used. Present value interest payments=                    Constant interest receipts* (1-(1 +r) –n The maturity amount (principle) is received as a single amount at the end of the bond period, thus is a single amount discounted using the single amount formula. Present value maturity value =m (1+r)-1 Therefore, the total selling price is the sum of present value of interest and principal amount. 2) Presentation of bonds in balance sheet When a bond is issued, the following factors are considered in accounting for the bonds. Recording the issue or purchase of the bond Recording the interest received during the life of the bond. -Accounting for the retirement (through calling, refinancing or conversion) of the bond. (Sheth, 2007, Slide 16, Chapter 12) Issuer’s books As seen earlier bonds can be issued at par, discount or premium. Bond issued at par- the bonds were issued between interest dates. Long-term liabilities. Bond payable                                     xxx Current liability Interest payable (1 month)                  xxx Current assets Cash (amount of bond)                      xxx Bond issued at a discount Long-term liabilities Bonds payable                                   xxx Discount on bonds payable                 xxx Current assets Cash (less discount on bond)              xxx Bonds issued at a premium Long-term liabilities Bonds payable (plus premium) xxx Current assets Cash (including premium)                    xxx Investors books The buyers’ balance sheet will be as follows At par Assets Investments in bond                            xxx Current-asset Interest accrued (1 month)                  xxx Cash (amount of bond)                       xxx At discount Assets Investment in bond (less discount)       xxx Current assets Cash                                                  xxx At premium Assets Bond investment (plus premium)         xxx Current assets Cash               (plus premium) xxx B) Income statement items The items that will be included in the income statement of Norris co. for the year 2008 include -Interest expenses -Adjustment to interest expenses (amortization) Interest expenses The amount of interest is determined using the par value and the coupon rate and not effective rate. (Englard, 1992, page 2-3) Illustration At par Using the example of Norris co. bond assuming that it was issued at par, then the interest will be 1000*xx%= interest. At discount Payment- interest = xx%*1000 Interest amount = yy% *(1000-discount) The difference between the interest payment and interest amount is amortization of discount. At premium Interest payment =xx% * 1000 Interest amount= yy% * (1000 +premium) The difference between the interest payment and the interest amount is the amortization of premium.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
The Validity of Creationism and Evolution Essay -- Science Creationism
The Validity of Creationism and Evolution Abstract: This paper discusses the validity of both creation and evolution and examines whether they can interact with each other. Besides doing my own research, I have chosen to interview four people extensively involved in either Christianity or biology. I specifically picked interviewees who strongly supported either evolution or creation to get both sides of the issue. Two of the people were from United Christian Fellowship (UCF): Andrew Larratt-Smith, leader of UCF, and Ricardo Dawkins, UCF small group member. I also interviewed two biologists: Paul Matsudaira, MIT Biology professor, and Bettina Bauer, a post-doctoral fellow in the HST department. Paul considers his religious beliefs in between agnosticism and Catholic. He was baptized in the Roman Catholic church but has not thought about God extensively. Bettina is neither religious nor anti-religious. She says that if God really exists, it would not change her life. From these interviews, I hoped to gain a better understandi ng of creation and evolution and examine whether they can co-exist. Creationism is based on the belief that God is the intelligent Designer who created our universe and the natural things in it. It is derived from the two stories of Genesis. The first of the stories (Genesis 1:1-2:3) states that God created the heavens and the earth, light, water, vegetation, animals, and then man in the image of him. In the second account (2:4-2:9), God made the heavens and the earth, water, man from the dust, and then vegeta-tion and animals. Clearly these two accounts differ from each other in terms of order. The response I received from creationists (Andrew) was that the Bible must not always be taken literall... ...onists want to put the hand of God behind various scientific processes, scientists cannot show that they are incorrect. His reasoning is that religion is dogmatic and not scientific in its nature. In conclusion, history has shown that religion and science can interact, and that reli gion has adjusted to the renewing knowledge of science. Therefore, the claim that science and religion are in separate spheres is not solid reasoning to avoid interrelating the two. However, religion as a whole does not need to obey scientific laws, nor can it be proved through repeatable experiments. It may never be disproved by science because its strength is gathered from the faith of its followers. Hence when scientific theories such as evolution extend itself to answer questions of why humans were created and what began life, it will ultimately fail in its attempts.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
grendelbeo Epic of Beowulf Essay - Beowulf from Grendels Perspective :: Epic Beowulf essays
Beowulf from Grendel's Perspective One night, as Grendel was sleeping soundly in his home in the swamplands, he was suddenly awakened by the sound of music. The music angered Grendel because he had been up late the night before entertaining his monster friends and was in need of his beauty rest. So he headed out the front door and headed to see what the commotion is all about. ] Upon arrival at the mead hall, Grendel notices the door is much to small for him to enter through it easily. This does not make him happy because it happens everywhere he goes in the little human towns. So he squeezes his shoulders through the small opening and manages to ask the man at the nearest table what was going on. The man, being exhausted from his own celebrations, was to tired to even notice the beast standing over him. Monsters of Grendel's type are not used to be ignored and see it as disrespectful and so do not like to be ignored. Which is why Grendel pulled his head from the doorway and reached his claw in to snatch up unsuspecting man. Everyone else in the room was too busy to even notice the man being lifted from his place behind his drink. With the first man out of the way, Grendel decided to try a different approach. Again, scrunching himself down partway through the door, Grendel looked for someone to tell him what was going on. He cleared his throat an d said with a rough, gravelly voice, "Excuse me!" No one noticed. So he said it louder, "Excuse me!" A few heads turned. After a number of astonished gasps, more turned to see. Detecting he was now the center of attention, Grendel asked what they were all doing making so much noise so late at night. The men only stared at him. So he asked more simply and slowly, not knowing if they were intelligent or not, "What are you doing?" The only response this time was an echoed "Get him!" This surprised Grendel because they seemed to say it in unison. He jumped slightly and hit his head on the doorway. He stood up and rubbed his head and knocked over a horse and its cart with his foot.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Costa Coffee Strategy
MMS assignment: Costa Coffee STRATEGY: 1. Identify, analyse and discuss Strategic issues in Costa Coffee. â€Å"Costa has flourished in a recession which has claimed many victims in the industry,†says Whitebread company. 1The reason for this success is its strategy. Using the PESTEL framework will help identify, analyse and discuss Costa’s strategy. Despite the importance of political, environmental, technological and law factors, for the purpose of this essay we will focus on the economic and social factors affecting Costa Coffee. We will first see how economic factors such as the recent raise of coffee beans price influence Costa’s prices. We will then use social factors such as consumer trends to identify the different trends today and explain how Costa is reacting to them. Through this essay we will have then explained how â€Å"Costa has flourished in a recession which has claimed many victims in the industry,†2 The main economic factor affecting the coffee market today is the raise of coffee beans price. Due to heavy rains brought on by Caribbean storms in the coffee producing 1 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 2 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] countries from Central America, coffee prices have increased3. Coffee futures have gone up 35% since June 2010 to reach the highest price for a pound since December 1997: $1. 848. 4 This is a significant problem because coffee beans are raw materials for coffee shops. Hence if shops do not have coffee beans or not enough, their sales will plummet. As John Wolthers, a trader at coffee exporter Comexim in Santos reports: â€Å"It's a great time to be a producer, and a difficult time to be a roaster. 5 Because these prices are due to natural disasters, it is possible that they will not change until at least end of 2010 or 2011. A normal consequence would therefore be to raise prices in order to retain money. However, Whitbread PLC, owner of Costa Coffee, announced November 10th 2010 that â€Å"it has no plans to increase beverage retail prices , even as it remains concerned over escalating wholesale costs. †6One of the reasons for this action is because Costa had already bought many coffee beans before the storm hence has enough to provide the outlets with enough beans during this period of increased prices. This shows that Costa â€Å"plans†its purchases well because as we 3 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 4 Danby, T. and Sellen, T. 2010. No Relief in Sight for the Coffee Market. [online] 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Available at : [Accessed on 23 December 2010] 5 Danby, T. and Sellen, T. 2010. No Relief in Sight for the Coffee Market. [online] 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Available at : [Accessed on 23 December 2010] 6 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Available at: ; http://www. tradingmarkets. com/news/stockalert/sbux_wtbrf_-update-whitbread-s-costa-coffee-plans-no-retail-price-rises-1297481. html; [Accessed 23 December 2010] 7 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Available at: < http://www. tradingmarkets. com/news/stock- can see, thanks to its bulk-buying in coffee beans, it is now unaffected, unlike the other coffee shops, by the coffee bean market. However this could be a risk because one can never know exactly how many beans are consumed per day and Costa does not know for certain how long these prices will remain high. Another reason Costa would not want to raise prices could be because in a period of recession, where consumers are being more and more careful with the way they spend their money8 they will not want to buy a drink at Costa if it is too expensive. Moreover if it is therefore cheaper at Starbucks or Caffe Nero for example why would they want to pay more for the same drink? Hence a third reason for Costa’s decision is due to the competitiveness with the all the other coffee stores. The final reason is â€Å"With total sales growing at 33% year on year, and like for like sales up 9%†9, and with over 1,100 outlets in the UK and 130 new shops to open within this year in the UK10 perhaps Costa is not too affected by the increase of coffee beans price. Hence, with the increase of coffee beans, Costas strategy is not to increase prices for different reasons which demonstrate Costas strength in the coffee industry which therefore explains why it has flourished during the recession: Costa stops at nothing. lert/sbux_wtbrf_-update-whitbread-s-costa-coffee-plans-no-retail-price-rises-1297481. html> [Accessed 23 December 2010] 8 Rodenberg, J. , n. d. Costa Coffee vs Starbucks. [online] Templates Wise. Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010] 9 Hospitability And Catering News. , 2010. Costa Coffee has wins „Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain?. [onl ine] Available at: [Accessed on 23 December 2010] 10 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Moreover, social factors such as consumer trends enable us to see how Costas strategy is brilliant. According to CJ Bobrowski, Head of Costa Systems, â€Å"With greater insight into trends we can adapt more quickly to any changes in consumer needs, helping us to stay ahead of competition in a crowded marketplace. â€Å"11 Hence identifying and explaining the trends and how Costa adapts to them explains its success. For this essay, we will focus on three trends. With prices that cannot increase due to competitively another way in which companies can now compete is through quality. As more and more coffee shops open in the UK, demonstrating high quality is an important aspect for consumers today. With each one providing the same type of product, they need to know which one is the best quality-wise. One of Costa’s advertisements promotes its cappuccino by saying: â€Å"Sorry Starbucks, the people have voted. †12 This advert clearly shows the consumers concern for quality. Through this advert Costa shows it has clearly adapted to consumers new trend. The thirst for an experience is another trend. It has become so important that a word for consumers searching for an experience was invented: â€Å"Transumers†13. Consumers no longer look for simple coffee but for an experience. Costa provides this by training its baristas at official training academies opened by Costa. In fact in 2009they invested in a third Training Academy. Therefore, each of their barista have been professionally trained to provide each 11 Bobrowski, CJ,. [online] Torex Retail Holdings Limited. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] 12 Rodenberg, J. , n. d. Costa Coffee vs Starbucks. [online] Templates Wise. Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010] 13 Trend watching. , 2006. Transumers. [online] Trendwatching. om. Available at: < http://trendwatching. com/trends/transumers. htm> [Accessed 23 December 2010] customer with the best coffee. 14 This is important for no other coffee shop has invested in training academies which makes Costas drinks even more of an experience for consumers. The â€Å"Nintendo Wii Fitness†is increasingly bought which shows consumers’ concern for health. They are especially more t roubled about the amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar in their food. 15 Hence health has become a trend. In order to respond to this, Costa has different techniques. The first is to provide consumers with different types of milk: soya or skimmed for no extra cost. 16However, Costa does not advertise enough this aspect hence many customers are not aware of these options. They need to increase the marketing for this aspect in order to be fully responding to this trend. The second technique is working with the Food Standards Agency to reduce salt and saturated fat and indicate their quantities. 17This way, the products stay the same with less fat and consumers know how many calories they absorb. This is very risky for Costa. Many consumers are not aware of how many calories there are in their beverages and could be 14 The Food and Drink Innovation Network,. 2009. Costa Opens third training academy in Newburry. [online] Food & Drink Innovation Network. Available at: http://www. fdin. org. uk/2009/06/costa-opens-third-training-academy-in-newbury/ [Accessed 17 December 2010] 15 Foods Standard Agency, 2008. Consumer confidence rises around many food issues. [online] Crown copyright. Available at: [Accessed on 16 December 2010] 16 Morgan, J. , 2008. Fast food menu is recipe for obesity. [online] Cambridge Newspaper Ltd. Available at: [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 17 Food Standards Agency, 2010. Healthy catering commitments. [online] Crown Copyright. Available at: [Accessed on 14 December 2010] shocked like Rebecca: â€Å"It's lethal! I don't want it now [†¦] I know there's a lot of fat in them too. â€Å"18 By observing the trends and adapting to them despite possible negative consequences, Costa proves that â€Å"[great] insight into trends [helps costa] to stay ahead of competition in a crowded marketplace. 19 Costa has been able to â€Å"make it through†the â€Å"rough patches†despite the increase of coffee beans price and its ability to identify and adapt to consumer’s trends. However will they have to increase their prices soon? With such sales growing 33% year on year20 will this firm be able to be at the top of the coffee shop list? 18 Sky News HD, 2009. Cancer Fear Of Calorie-Laden Iced Co ffees. [online] BskyB. Available at: [Accessed on 14 December 2010] 19 Bobrowski, CJ,. [online] Torex Retail Holdings Limited. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] 20 Hospitability And Catering News. , 2010. Costa Coffee has wins „Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain?. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 23 December 2010] MARKETING: 2. Analyse Costa’s Marketing; and then reflect on how it compares to the marketing of Starbucks. Deborah Dougherty, professor of Management and Global Business at Rutgers Business School, and Cynthia Hardy, professor of Management and Marketing at the University of Melbourne, agree that it is difficult for old organisations with a big history to innovate due to the challenges of new technology and global competitors. 1 Costa Coffee being a new organisation hence should not have many problems innovating its products and processes. Being part of the young rising coffee shop industry, Costa Coffee’s number one competitor is Starbucks. Dr. Robert G. Cooper, expert in the field of innovation, published The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation in which he establishes â€Å"Eight Actionable Critical Success Factors†for innovation. 22 In this essay we will only use certain factors to explain how Costa’s service and product innovations are better than Starbucks but how, despite this; Costa is still a little behind for the future. In order to be competitive in today’s UK coffee shop industry, service innovation is vital. Costa and Starbucks have therefore launched a new loyalty card because as Jeffery Young, managing director of Allegra Strategies notices: â€Å"Electronic loyalty cards provide an 21 Dougherty, D and Hardy C,. 1996. Sustained Product Innovation in large, mature Organisations: overcoming innovation-to-organization problems. Academy of Management Journal, 39(9, pp. 1120. 22 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] opportunity to engage in rich dialogue with customers and track their behavior. †23 Hence this card will not only improve the dialogue between customers and firm but also will enable the companies to innovate their manufacturing process or services in order to adapt to the changing behavior. 24 Although the service is the same, are the reasons behind this innovation the same? One of Cooper’s critical innovation success factors is the justification of the project. 25 For Costa, this new card is a positive sign; its use is to replace the successful old card. According to a year-long trial in Scotland, one in three transactions was using the old card26. Hence in order to thank the customer’s loyalty, Costa wanted to add â€Å"rewards†and innovate the card so that one no longer had to top-up money on the card in order to purchase but would simply pay with money and then receive points that would transform into rewards. 27 The justification for Starbucks’s loyalty card is not for the same positive reasons. For them, with â€Å"sales decline and customers brew at home or visit competitors†, this new loyalty card is a 23 Thomas, J,. 2010. Costa Coffee rolls out customer loyalty card. online] Haymarket Business Media. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 24 Thomas, J,. 2010. Costa Coffee rolls out customer loyalty card. [online] Haymarket Business Media. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 25 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] 26 EatOut,. 2010. Costa Launches New Coffee Club. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] 27 EatOut,. 2010. Costa Launches New Coffee Club. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] echnique to hopefully rebound profits by attracting customers back to the store for its benefits with the card. 28 Therefore, this innovation shows that although both companies propose the same service through their loyalty cards, the reasons behind this same service differs which shows that Costa is raising compared to Starbucks who is struggling against its competitors. Another example that shows that Costa’s innovation is better than Starbucks’s is the launch of a new drink: The Flat White. Although Starbucks is the first to have inaugurated this drink, Costa is the one who has the biggest impact in the UK29. Costa Coffe is the only one to have followed Cooper’s fifth critical innovation success factor : â€Å"A well-planned, adequately-resourced and proficiently-executed launch. †30 Indeed, Starbucks only launched the drink in London whereas Costa, several weeks after, launched it nationally. By launching nationally, Costa was able to sell its new product everywhere whereas Starbucks, only in London31. Hence out-of-London people could believe Costa is the â€Å"founder†of the Flat White, which could therefore lead them to a competitive advantage. Starbucks is the perfect example for Cooper’s statement: â€Å"In some businesses, it’s almost as though the launch is an 28 Startz, S,. 2009. Starbucks Boosts â€Å"Rewards†With Revamped Loyalty Program. [online] 2001-2010 brandchannel. Available at : [Accessed 14 December 2010] 29 Westfield London. n. d. Costa Coffee. [online] 2008 Westfield Group. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 30 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] 31 Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? ationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] after-thought – something to worry about after the product is fully developed. †32Moreover, Costa says to have invested â€Å"more than twelve months’ research, involving the training of 6,000 baristas, at a cost of ov er one million pounds. †33This also shows they followed Cooper’s fifth factor. However, Starbucks says that their baristas had trained themselves due to customers’ requests and that the â€Å"education in the making of the drink was anyway already readily available from a number of barista trainers†. 4 Perhaps Starbucks is right, but according to an independent survey by Tangible Branding Limited consumers prefer Costa’s Flat White to Starbucks’s. 35 This could be explained by the twelve months research and training of 6,000 baristas with a cost of one million pounds. Furthermore, both companies follow Cooper’s second innovation success factor: â€Å"the voice of the customer†. According to Costa's core skills trainer Tim Douglas the Flat White â€Å"will attract some of our latte drinkers who are looking for a milky drink with a broad strength of flavour, and cappuccino drinkers who want a milkier drink with a much richer coff ee 2 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] 33 Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? nationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 34 Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? nationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 35 Westfield London. n. d. Costa Coffee. [online] 2008 Westfield Group. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] flavor. 36 Hence this drink will be able to satisfy the gap between lattes and cappuccinos. Costa is purely reacting to the customers’ need for this â€Å"gap-filling-space†. On the other hand, Starbucks is innovating this drink due to their very negative â€Å"customer’s voice†. Their consumers find their coffees â€Å"too bland and milky†37 w hich is why, the Flat White is the perfect drink to launch because it is â€Å"Stronger, smaller and less milky†than most of their drinks. 38 Therefore, although Costa and Starbucks are using the same product innovation, they have different reasons which show that Costa is becoming more competitive than Starbucks. Although this essay has proved that presently, Costa is innovating for more positive reasons than Starbucks, this state might change in the near future. During a period of recession it is important that firms react to this economical problem. Starbucks, as opposed to Costa, has seemed to understand this and has innovated in â€Å"at-home†machines. The Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine39 or the Barsita Aroma Grande coffee machine enable consumers who do not necessarily want to go out to have a Starbucks coffee to stay at home 36 Williams, A,. 2010. Great White Hope. online] William Reed Business Media Ltd 2010. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 37 Wallop, H,. 2009. Starbucks to sell ‘flat white' for those fed up with milky coffee. [online] Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010. Available at : [Accessed 17 December 2010] 38 Wallop, H,. 2009. Starbucks to sell ‘flat white' for those fed up with milky coffee. [online] Copyright of Telegraph Media Gr oup Limited 2010. Available at : [Accessed 17 December 2010] 39 Justin,. n. d. Starbucks Barista Espresso Marchine. [online] Coffee-Mker-Review. net. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] and make one. Costa should look into this innovation for the future, especially with this economic crisis that continues to worsen. However, Costa may not want to produce these machines because consumers drink their coffees not only for the beverage itself but also for the environment Costa provides, for the â€Å"experience†and unique touch each Barista has when they make one. Hence, perhaps selling these machines would not be of great utility for them. Starbucks is a great competitor for new and rising coffee shops such as Costa. But through this essay we have seen that Costa Coffee is becoming the â€Å"number one†competitor with Starbucks due to its respect to Cooper’s â€Å"Eight Actionable critical success factors†. However, Costa must not forget that Starbucks may be a little weak in the UK but is very strong internationally and that Costa’s next step to compete with Starbucks could perhaps be to have a bigger and stronger position internationally. Referencing List: Bobrowski, CJ,. [online] Torex Retail Holdings Limited. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] Bottonwood,. 2010. Productivity and Coffee Shops. [online] The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010. Available at: [Accessed 13 December 2010] Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? nationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Bowers, S. , 2008. John Derkach: Singular vision fuelled by double macchiato. [online] Guardian News and Media Limited 2010. Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] Danby, T. and Sellen, T. 2010. No Relief in Sight for the Coffee Market. [online] 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Available at : [Accessed on 23 December 2010] Dougherty, D and Hardy C,. 1996. Sustained Product Innovation in large, mature Organisations: overcoming innovation-to-organization problems. Academy of Management Journal, 39(9, pp. 1120. EatOut,. 2010. Costa Launches New Coffee Club. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] Foods Standard Agency, 2008. Consumer confidence rises around many food issues. online] Crown copyright. 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Available at: < http://trendwatching. com/trends/transumers. htm> [Accessed 23 December 2010] Wallop, H,. 2009. Starbucks to sell ‘flat white' for those fed up with milky coffee. [online] Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010. Available at : [Accessed 17 December 2010] Westfield London. n. d. Costa Coffee. [online] 2008 Westfield Group. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] Williams, A,. 010. Great White Hope. [online] William Reed Business Media Ltd 2010. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Ava ilable at: ; http://www. tradingmarkets. com/news/stockalert/sbux_wtbrf_-update-whitbread-s-costa-coffee-plans-no-retail-price-rises-1297481. html [Accessed 23 December 2010]
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