Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Planning - Assignment Example With this concern, this paper intends to discuss about how Starbucks managed to come to its current position with respect to record earnings in the context of a SWOT analysis. Discussion SWOT analysis is a method or a study which is usually adopted by an organization to evaluate its internal strengths along with weaknesses and external opportunities as well as threats (United States Department of Agriculture, n.d.). The following discussion has been made within the circumstance of SWOT analysis of Starbucks which would reveal about how Starbucks has managed to come to its current position with respect to record earnings. Strengths: Strength is usually considered to be the internal factor which helps an organization towards efficiently achieving its expected organizational goals. In comparison to other coffee house chains in the world, Starbucks is pretty much known to almost every one. The company is renowned to serve its customers with quality as well as standardized products which eventually made the company to earn record earnings in this present day context by a certain degree. In terms of strength, it can be viewed that the company has been listed in the 7th position as one of the finest companies to work for in the year 2008. Though it has been viewed that the number of competitors are increasing at a rapid speed, certain aspects like superior brand awareness, attractive financial position and its strategy of expanding into new business are considered to be vital strengths of the company (SlideShare Inc., 2013). Weaknesses: While most people think Starbucks coffee as a luxury good and is ready to pay any price for it, but the increasing cost in its products has been debatable amid several customers. It has been viewed that there is a constant change in the price of its coffee based products. The main weakness of Starbucks can be apparently observed as that its entire business is mainly dependent on its coffee based products. Whereas, it’s one of th e competitors named Dunkin’ Donuts is involved in performing various sorts of businesses. In addition to its increasing cost of the products, it has also been viewed that the company has also lacked in handling international relations in the past. It is worth mentioning that coffee is duly regarded as a substitute product denoting that people are willing to change their preferences, if there lay high increase in the price level of the products (Higbee, Liaw, Ting, Tjho & Ton, n.d.). Opportunities: One of the best opportunities which is helping and would help Starbucks to maintain its leading position in the coffee industry is technology. The company has been viewed to implement new technologies that not only help to enhance its overall performance but also to come to its current position with respect to record earnings through making continuous research and development (R&D). Specially mentioning, acquisition of certain renowned companies such as Seattle’s Best, XM Caf e, and Tazo Tea has also helped Starbucks to expand itself in various parts of the world resulting in strengthening its current position with regard to record earnings by a significant level. Furthermore, acquisitions of certain other companies like Bay Bread and its La Boulange bakery can also be considered as providing major opportunities for Starbucks by a certain degree. The strategy of Starbucks to

International business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International business ethics - Essay Example Virtue ethics is a philosophy that de-emphasizes rules and concentrates its focus on the 'nature' of the person acting. It does not argue that an act is good or bad but instead puts the moral fiber of the person under the microscope. To say an act is virtuous does not mean anything. There is no context for analysis. A person is virtuous, not the action itself. To say that a person acted out of virtue rather than fear of consequences and did the right thing or made the right choice in keeping with his morals better describes the philosophy of Aristotelian virtue ethics. He or she made the choice they did because they personally thought it the right thing to do, regardless of the rules or the opinions or advice of others in their society. They had the intestinal fortitude, responsibility, and accountability to themselves to make what they considered to be the right decision. Perhaps the phrase "I couldn't sleep with myself if I did it any other way" or, as the great bard William Shakes peare put it; "to thine own self be true". These everyday phrases describe the ethical nature of this philosophy. On the other hand, there are other philosophies out there as well. One of which deals with the nature of personal and societal group ethics. Jeremy Bentham's Principle of Utility founded on the philosophy of eighteenth century David Hume is one that has stood the test of the ages with, granted, some modifications. But for all intents and purposes it has survived mainly intact and is based on four fundamental pillars: Utilitarianism "(1) Recognizes the fundamental role of pain and pleasure in human life, (2) approves or disapproves of an action on the basis of the amount of pain or pleasure brought about i.e, consequences, (3) equates good with pleasure and evil with pain, and (4) asserts that pleasure and pain are capable of quantification (and hence 'measure')" (Cavalier p1). From these four pillars, Bentham developed utilitarian calculus as a way of measuring whether an act gave more pain than pleasure or vice versa. If it was demonstrated that the action was more pleasurable than painful then it was in keeping with the utilitarian philosophy and the action should be undertaken. This was modified over the years by philosophers such as John Stuart Mills and Ludwig Von Mises to come to mean the greatest good (or happiness/pleasure) for the greatest amount of people. There are a variety of utilitarian philosophies that have evolved since the time of David Hume. Two of those have bearing here. Act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. The first is whether an act itself is morally good defined as meeting the four rules. The second is an action taken by evaluating a rule and then following the rule that brings the most good or happiness to the most people. This appears to give the notion that there are good and bad rules. The question arises that if we follow utilitarian principles how can we make bad rules Aren't we following Act utilitarianism in making those rules Can bad rules come into being even with the best intentions These two philosophy's, virtue ethics and utilitarianism, have at their core one basic fundamental difference: individual versus society. Virtue ethics proposes that the person should make the right choice because they have considered all necessary things, been brought up right, were