Meaning of Life and Success Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life and Success Essay Success is a person or thing that desired aims and achieves or attains fame or any form of accomplishment which will always make them proud or happy at the end of either the day, month or year. The word success was originated in the mid-16th century from a Latin word successus and a verb succedere meaning come close after. When I hear of the word success there are two things that come in mind, hard work and determination. Hard work is one of the main and most important building blocks in my success foundation. Working hard is one of the best and most accurate ways to think about being successful. Success cannot be earned unless you strive and work hard for it, because it is a word that comes with work and if work is not done then the meaning of the word can’t be accomplished. Like Einstein said â€Å"If A is a success in life then A equals x plus y plus z. work is x; y is play and z is keeping your mouth shut† for instance to me as an athlete working hard and in playing hard rather than running my mouth are the best way of being successful in game point stands in my career. Determination is a very critical and important aspect when it comes to success. To be determined to achieve any goals or aims is a very important choice of being successful. Bertrand 2 Determination can to be physically, spiritually and emotionally which all combines with hard work and if you combine both hard work and determination together you will always get a good result of success. Being successful in life can be one of the precious and happiest moments in life that can last for a long time if and only if you do what is expected of you to keep the success going on. Success can be advantageous in many ways; Accomplishing a goal, moving on to a new goal, brings happiness and fulfillment, set new and personal records, inspire, motivate and give you strengths to aim high and set bigger goals. But it’s not always everybody that’s successful that is happy or satisfied with their success. The isn’t that much difference being successful than being a failure, like the good old quote that say â€Å"the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength not a lack of knowledge, but rather the a lack in will† this quote is very simple and well understood and the quote’s point is clearly pointed out, which state the main difference between a successful person and others which is the will to be the successful person that they are. To be successful person there should be some sought of guidelines to help you achieve or attain success. Thinking about success also brings about the thought or idea of failure â€Å"In order to success your desire for success should be greater rather than your fear of failure†. An important and inspiring quote as this from one of the favorite, idol and inspiring actor in the movie industry and in the society should and is been considered by a lot of fans to be very important in achieving success rather than having the fear of failure because his path of success has given or got him to where he is at the moment.

The stages of early reading development

The stages of early reading development The sequence of teaching phonic knowledge and skills should be such that children should have every opportunity to acquire rapidly the necessary phonic knowledge and skills to read independently Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 86, page 28. The model below demonstrates the mechanism for early word recognition by using phonic rules of language and the memory of known words. However, as I often observe in class, pupils can read words but are often unaware of their meaning and so cannot fully comprehend or absorb knowledge from a text.(relates to Q10) http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/images/clip_image006_0002.jpg Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 50, page 86 Children tend to develop comprehension skills by first building an expansive vocabulary of words and their meanings through repeated exposure (visual or auditory) to a wide range of words. By understanding words in context with one another the reader can understand the meaning of the text. Comprehension occurs as the listener builds a mental representation of the information contained within the language that a speaker is usingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the listeners general knowledge and level of cognitive development will have a bearing on the comprehension of the message. To generate an accurate mental representationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the listener has to process the language and the concepts. Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 61, page 88 In 1998 the Searchlights Model describing reading was introduced as a way of explaining how a reader processes and comes to comprehend a text. The Searchlights model was incorporated into the National Learning Strategies framework (relates to Q3 and Q15) and designed to provide a simplified way to understand the teaching of reading. It formed the basis for much of the theory of reading which was to follow. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmeduski/121/12102.gif Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 2, page 73 The model indicates that a text is read by use of four areas of knowledge which act as searchlights to illuminate the text. However, the model indicated that all searchlights were of equal use and deficiency in one area would be compensated for by ability in another. Later findings indicate that both good language understanding and accurate word recognition are required if a reader is to understand the text. Clays model builds on and modifies the Searchlight model by identifying the four cues required for comprehension as phonological (the sound of the oral language), syntactic (sentence order), visual (graphemes, orthography, format and layout) and semantic (text meaning) (Clay, 1985; Clay and Cazden, 1990). Clay highlights that each of these cues are necessary to facilitate reading and understanding of text. Good readers have developed a number of strategies which focus on unlocking meaning of the text whilst poor readers have very few strategies to cope and they tend to have a lack of integration with the text. With the aid of an increasing pool of research into the cognitive processes of reading, the Simple View of Reading indicates the most recent description of understanding of a text. There are two necessary components which must be fulfilled to allow a child to read; Word Recognition (including understanding and pronunciation of words) and Language Comprehension (including understanding sentences and texts) The two elements are interdependent and often facilitate the other e.g. word recognition does not guarantee understanding of those words (ergo nor the text), whilst comprehension is useless without word recognition. Understanding sentences then provides the reader with context to recognise words which follow and subsequently the meaning of the text. The two components of reading have four outcomes in this model by Gough and Tunmer 1986. http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/images/clip1.jpg Rose (2006), Independent review of the teaching of early reading, paragraph 31, page 81 This simple view of reading helps teachers to understand where there students are on the model and what strategies need to be applied to increase their capabilities in either or both areas to help them become good readers. To develop word recognition skills the teaching of phonics is important. Synthetic phonics is taught because our written system is alphabetic, so to be able to read you must first learn the alphabet and the single or combination of letters sounds (spoken letters sound). Children should then learn how to (i) segment words into their component sound to enable spelling and understand the meaning of words and (ii) the complementary process of blending sounds to read words in a process known as synthesis. Success here is clearly impacted by the childs recognition and understanding of the letters of the English alphabet and their corresponding pronunciation as a sound. It is equally important to teach and repeat high frequency words which cannot be sounded-out using phonics; this allows the word to enter the sight memory word bank. To develop language skills, the best ways are through speaking and listening activities, so that students have an opportunity to hear and speak words and understand their meaning in the context of the discussion, increasing their vocabulary and language skills. Considering the above, the Rose review 2006 provides a number of recommendations for best practise in teaching children to read which can be categorised into 5 main area (relates to Q14,15), as follows; Best practiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The national strategies framework sets out guidance for the development of childrens speaking and listening skills and should be used as a guide for best practice should be expected in the teaching of early reading and synthetic phonics. Quality teaching of phonics would enable the student to develop the ability to decode and encode which is critical to reading and writing/spelling. Phonics work should be cross-curricular using all the strands speaking, listening, reading and writing. Cross curricular phonics teaching also aids students in accumulating a greater stock of words. The teacher must be able to assess progress and react accordingly to maximise the development of each child as an individual with individual needs. The Early Years Foundation Stageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Parents should be encouraged to read with their child before their child enters EYFS. Phonics should be taught from the age of five and should be a multi-sensory approach which captures pupils interests, is delivered in a motivating way by a competent pedagogue capable of reinforcing learning. Greater significance should be placed on word recognition and language comprehension as the key components of learning to read (as a development of the Searchlights model). The EYFS and the National Literacy Framework must work together to create a progressive continuous programme for delivery of phonics which is transportable throughout all years. Intervention if a child struggles to read, including those with SENà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. If a child is experiencing reading difficulties, it is important to check whether they have a sight or hearing problem which makes learning more complex. Provision of intervention should follow the Primary National Strategy three wave model for students with literacy difficulties. The first wave involves effective inclusion of all students with quality first teaching especially in phonics, wave 2 covers extra intervention to make sure that the student is working at age related expectations with small group intense phonics groups, wave 3 individual interventions make sure that students with extra needs are accommodated e.g. school action and school action plus. It is important to ensure that pupils are not excluded from the main learning goals and progress made during intervention sessions is maintained. Strong leadership and management should be provided in tandem with high staff competency, in terms of subject knowledge and skillsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Head-teachers and staff should make sure that phonics is given a priority within the planning for early teaching to read; staff training should be compatible with this ethos. Staff training must make sure that the phonics programme is delivered to a high standard. To aid this, a head of literacy with specialised knowledge would be beneficial. Passing on knowledge in this way improves phonics teaching overall, is cost effective (due to a dilution of course costs) and allows a specific individual to monitor for consistency of phonics teaching. Those who manage the school should be responsible for instilling an effective continual professional development programme for all staff. With phonics in mind they should oversee the consistency of phonics delivery and provide feedback to improve practice. Management must also monitor pupil progress and instil teaching policy which benefits all pupils by ensuring that they are able to achieve realistic learning goals. Furthermore, Rose suggests that initial teacher training should provide a demonstration of the need to focus on early-years phonics to bring about reading. When observing phonics in my base school I have found that children are grouped by ability for all sessions, with smaller intense groups provided for EAL children. The planning and teaching is undertaken in line with the Letters and Sounds resources in the following way (relates to Q25): First you review and revisit the previous weeks letters and sounds to ensure retention; sometimes the teacher will review the first 100 words using flashcards which the children race to read as many as they can in a minute. Next a new sound is taught, the teacher models how to write the sound and explains the phoneme family (other letter combinations with the same phonetic sound). Practise the new sound by first modelling the writing of a word using the subject sound and then instructing children to write different words which contain that sound. Applying the sound just learned, the teacher writes a sentence (normally something funny) which pupils are asked to read and write their own if time allows. This provides an understanding of the word in context (process two of Simple View of Reading). To bring about word recognition and comprehension the key features of the Simple View of Reading I have observed a number of methods in school; Children are given reading books to take home and practise reading with parents; comprehension and reading accuracy are checked before a child is allowed to change their book. Children are also encouraged to activity use the library facility to take home an extra book they wish to read themselves. This is to encourage them to foster the attitude that being able to read brings many benefits. Daily phonics lessons, taught according to the method described above. Children are given spellings to learn which relate to the phonics they are learning about. Guided reading groups are done regularly to teach the children how to decode and comprehend texts. The children are encouraged to sound out words to find the phonemes when spelling and reading. I have observed many sessions of phonics teaching which have been taught well by effective teachers. This has had a clear benefit to the children being taught and will allow them to become competent readers, an essential skill for success as an adult and fulfilment of the ECM goals which I should strive to satisfy for all pupils in my care. I will draw on the high quality teaching I have observed to provide such quality teaching. The simple view of reading provides a clear framework for success in teaching children to read. Considering Gough and Tunmers (1986) model in relation to a childs ability will allow me to modify my teaching to the needs of each child (relates to Q29). An on-going commitment to understanding research into the best ways for children to learn, and its effect upon best practice, will allow me to deliver teaching which caters for pupils for whom I am responsible. Unfortunately there has not been any indication from the current government regarding their opinion o f and for Literacy teaching. With this in mind, I will carry on with the phonics that I have started to teach. It is clear that I must plan Literacy sessions to include phonics lessons and build on the early learning provided by EYFS teachers. This should be undertaken in collaboration with parents as it is clear that reading from a very early age is most influential upon the childs ability to understand and grasp new knowledge i.e. a successful reader will find future learning easier. My planning and delivery must harness this ethos and the benefits of reading be highlighted to pupils. To allow pupils to gain this benefit, I must create an environment in which I can deliver content in an interesting way which captures the interest of pupils. This environment should also foster a welcoming feedback (relates to Q27) process to allow children to highlight areas where they are struggling and know that help will be provided; learning is best undertaken as a collaborative process by all involved. Bibliography and Reference list Clay, Marie M. (1985). The Early Detection of Reading Difficulties. Third Edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (ED 263 529) Clay, M., Cazden, C. (1992). A Vygotskian interpretation of reading recovery. In L.C. Moll (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of socio-historical psychology (pp. 206-222). New York: Cambridge University Press. Gough, P. B. Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10. Rose, J (2006). Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading. Annesley: Department for Education and Skills.

Climate Change and The Rise in Sea Level Essay -- Environment Environ

"On a recent afternoon, Scott McKenzie watched torrential rains and a murky tide swallow the street outside his dog-grooming salon. Within minutes, much of this stretch of chic South Beach was flooded ankle-deep in a fetid mix of rain and sea. â€Å"Welcome to the new Venice,† McKenzie joked as salt water surged from the sewers." ----- Michael J. Mishak, Associated Press June 7, 2014 at 4:24 PM EDT According to the World Bank Development Report 2013 there has been an increase in global surface temperature of 0.4 to 0.9 Celsius (C) in the past 100 years. This change in temperature largely caused, according to the IPCC, by the release of GHGs through human activities. There are several effects associated to the change in global temperature, mainly affecting ecosystems and populations worldwide. Among these effects or consequences are sea-level rise, drought, floods, loss of mangroves, and the intensification of storms and climate processes such as El Nino and La Nina. Recent studies have focused on sea-level rise and the global effects. Over the past 100 years, sea levels have increased by 10 to 20 centimeters (World Bank, 2003). Moreover, arctic sea-ice has continued to shrink up to 10 percent or more of its total mass and by 40 percent of its thickness. Glaciers and small ice caps are rapidly melting, causing several changes in the flows of rivers and ecosystems, as well as adding to the increase of sea levels. Sea level rise will most likely severely affect unprepared, developing countries and their populations. Concomitantly, developed industrial countries with higher levels of GDP are likely to cope more efficiently with the effects of sea level rise. This paper will focus on the prognosticated socio-economic costs of s... ... Policymakers Wembley, United Kingdom, 24-29 September 2001.    World Development Report 2013. Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World. Trnasforming institutions, growth, and quality of life. A copublication of the World Bank and Oxford University Press. New York, NY 2013.    Entering the 21st. Century – World Development Report 1999/2000. World Bank 2000. Oxford University Press. New York, NY 2000.    1998-1999 World Resources: A Guide to the Global Environment. Environmental Change and Human Health. A Joint Publication by the World Resources Institute, the World Bank, the United Nations Environmental Programme, and the United Nations Development Programme. Oxford University Press, New York, NY 1998. IPCC Report 2003 – Overview of Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability to Climate Change. 1 page 365 – IPCC report 2003 1[1] page 365 – IPCC report 2003

Affirmative Action Essay -- Affirmative Action Essays

Affirmative action- a plan to offset past discrimination in employing or educating women, blacks etc. (Websters New World Dictionary.) The history of affirmative action has its roots in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and stems from the United States Supreme case of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. In 1965, President Linden B. Johnson issued Executive Order #11246 at Howard University that required federal contractors to undertake affirmative action to increase the number of minorities that they employ. President Johnson wanted to ensure that minorities were recruited to have real opportunities to be hired and then eventually get a promotion. (Internet www.sru.edu) In 1969, the department of Labor exposed widespread racial discrimination of the Construction Department so President Nixon decided to incorporate a system of "goals and timetables" that provided guidelines for companies to follow and comply with affirmative action regulations. During the presidency of Gerald Ford, he extended affirmative action to people with disabilities and Vietnam veterans but there were no goals or timetabl es for these two groups. This type of affirmative action required recruitment efforts, accessibility, accommodation and reviews of physical and mental job qualifications. President Jimmy Carter consolidated all federal agencies that were required by law to follow the affirmative action play into the Depar...

Trouble With Chechnya Essay -- essays research papers fc

On September 1, 2004, the world was shocked and horrified by the terrorist attack of Chechen rebels on a Middle school in the Russian town of Beslan. Nearly 1,200 children, teachers, and parents were taken hostage on the first day of school, and held captive for 53 hours. In the aftermath of the explosions and gunfire, over 360 people were killed, and hundreds more were left injured (Kaplan, 2004). The siege of the school was the latest of a dozen bloody attacks – on targets such as airliners, trains, government buildings, hospitals, and a movie theatre - that have claimed nearly 1,000 lives in Russia over the past two years, and yet another chilling reminder of the festering tensions between Russia and Chechnya (Kaplan, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of the conflict between Chechnya and Russia is a result of many factors; a tumultuous history between the two neighbours, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, Russia’s attempts to dominate the Caucacus regions, oil exploitation, human rights, and international attitudes. The following discussion aims to explain the background and reasons for the perpetuation of the trouble in Chechnya, and explore the reasons for Russia’s military intervention in the region. As well, the discussion will attempt to forecast what the future may hold for Chechnya, and Russia’s relations with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Chechens are an ethnically distinct, traditionally clan-based group with a long history of resisting Russian expansion in the Northern Caucasus† (Yasin, 2002). The hostility existing between the Chechen people and Russia, however, predates both the Russian republic and the Soviet Union, going back to the late 18th Century, when Russia’s drive to the South, initiated by Peter the Great in 1722, â€Å"led to the incorporation first of the Transcaucasus and only later of the rebellious North Caucasus† (Cornell, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Forced relocations of the Chechens and other peoples have been undertaken at several points in history by the Russian rulers. The deportation of the Chechen, Ingush, Karachai, and Balker peoples took place in three waves between November 1943 and February 1944, during World War II. â€Å"The ‘pacification’ was to be final†¦and the nationalities involved were struck out of all Soviet official documents† (Lieven, 1998, p. 319). This deportation to Central Asi... ..., C. (2002, October 14). Is Putin Looking to Expand the Chechnya War?.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Newsweek, 6. Cornell, Svante E. (1999). International Reactions to Massive Human Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violations: The Case of Chechnya. Europe-Asia Studies, 51, 85-100. Gall, C., & de Waal, T. (1997). Chechnya: A Small Victorious War. London:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macmillan. Kaplan, David E. (2004, September 20). Tangled Roots of an Atrocity. U.S. News   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and World Report, 137. 28. Lieven, Anatol. (1998). Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power. New Haven:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yale University Press. MacKinnon, Mark. (2004, September 25). Shoot First and Ask Questions Later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Globe & Mail, p. A1. Politkovskaya, A. (2001). A Dirty War. London: Harvill Press. Russia & Chechnya. (2004, August 28). The Economist, 372, p13. Watson, William. (1998). The Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Westport: Greenwood Press. Yasin, Tariq. (2002). Chechen Chagrin: Human Rights in Chechnya. Harvard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International Review, 24, 6-8.

High School and William R. Dy Essay

Born in a beautiful place in Isabela on July 25, 1994, it was my beginning of my journey through life. I was the oldest son of Engineer William R. Dy and Eleanor I. Dy. William, a hardworking man, raised his four children in a much disciplined way. It was from here that I’ve learned much of his punctuality. When I was small, like every child I had a dream, well more like many dreams. Like every little boy I either fantasized about becoming something like a king or a super hero. As I grew up, I began to realize that life isn’t a fantasy and that I have to answer my true calling and eventually led to discovering my real passion. Like any kid going to school, they have to learn, but to me it was something that made me explore all the techniques how to study and the way others use so many methods of studying. As I prepared myself going to school my first school was in Saint Ferdinand College walking distance in our house. I study there for how many years from kindergarten until I graduated Elementary. My kindergarten experience was so sad because in kindergarten, I was separated from our parents for the first time and I am so nervous at that time, first thing that comes in my mind was, there are a few things that I should be introduced to. First, I should know the name of the kindergarten teacher, the principal’s name, and if possible, where my kindergarten room is. I became overwhelmed at first because of the new situation and the new people. And also I may not immediately like school, but with encouragement, I adapt and hopefully begin to enjoy their very first year of school. Making friends in that very first year in the kindergarten is a very important issue associated with transition to school. Then the time will come I was in Elementary, it seems everything gets bigger. The classrooms, the garden even the green space where students play – are all noticeably larger. The children themselves have grown and acquired a greater need to interact in groups, so their furniture and materials have been appropriately designed and sized as well. Mr. Maximo was my favourite teacher made learning fun. I also remember his reading voice and he always accepting my â€Å"creativeness†. I can remember other elementary teachers scolding me for my ideas. But still I enjoyed my elementary experience but sad to say I will leave my elementary life and start my high school life I will miss my other classmate who will transfer to other school especially if you only spend with them for only a year. But we will never know maybe there will be more excitement, more challenge, and meet new friends. When I began high school in Isabela National High School, I became more afraid because I knew I was entering in to a new world that will shape me to become the person I want to be as an adult. I knew that I was going to have many challenges in school, but I felt that being in my class, I never felt like I would fail. My class helped me and challenged me to decide what I truly felt was my calling. As I progressed in school, I became more in tuned with my writing and other stuffs that made me feel even more positive and gave me even the more confidence to continue. When the graduation day came, I was so sad because I will miss those happy days, emotional days and especially those bonding days with my friends and teachers. For me high school life was the best, I’ve learned many crazy things in life. Unfortunately, my â€Å"maturity† did not arrive when expected. I never fully realized in the earlier grades how important high school success is. To go from being coddled and having everything sugar coated, to the treachery of â€Å"real life† certainly affected me, and my entire outlook on life. But still it was the best experience in my life. And now here I am taking up Nursing as my profession, College is a lot different than high school. You may decide to commute from your home to a local campus. It was like kindergarten I was separated to my parents for the second time. But these are supposed to be some of the best years I have so I will make it that way instead of allowing the stresses of college ruin my experience. The trials and tribulations, success and failures, are all part of what will make me as a responsible, mature, & educated young adults. The experiences I gain from these years will stick with my life and make them worth remembering. And by the way my name is Wilson Elibert I. Dy. Signing off.

Mini Case Starbucks Essay

1.How did Starbucks create its uniqueness in the first place? Starbucks create its uniqueness by offering premium coffee beans, thus creating an amazing image. Every store is a unique place with a wide range of products and a special homely ambience, emphasized by relaxing music and comfortable seating furniture. Other than that, customers can use the free wireless hotspot or just visit with friends. The high quality of the products connected with a fair price attracts many coffee lovers. Starbucks also offer a wide range of products for example 30 different blends of coffee and first supplier of beverages â€Å"to-go†. The special flavor of the coffee beans in every Starbucks reflect the high standard of quality by providing high quality beverages and food, combined with superior customer service in a friendly and welcoming environment. They can create unique experience among their customer, thus will increase their loyalty level. 2.Was Starbucks’s uniqueness a VRIO resource? Did it help Starbucks gain and sustain a competitive advantage? Why or why not?  YES Valuable : Starbucks is competence in creating a unique customer experience the world over. This is becaue they are not only paying for a cup of coffee or tea but also can enjoy the good ambience. Rare : The Starbucks possess the resource or can or can perform the capability in the same unique way. It also on the path to competitive advantage when it possesses a valuable resource that is also rare. Starbucks build its initial sign through barista and through its ambience where music and comfortable chairs and sofas cannot be find in other places. Costly to imitate : Their potential competitors seems like hard to produce the same idea as what they do. They might able to open a coffee house business but with no baristas and other uniqueness. Organized to capture value : Starbucks have an effective organizational  structure and coordinating systems to fully exploit the competitive potential of its resources and capabilities. So, Starbucks has gain and sustained competitive advantage. 3. Why and how did Starbucks lose its uniqueness? Starbucks lose its uniqueness when baristas used to grind beans throughout the day whenever a new pot of coffee had to be brewed which was at least every eight minutes. Many baristas began to grind all of the day’s coffee beans in the morning and store the rest of the day. Baristas now use push-button machines to make espresso drinks. That stores no longer smell like coffee and that every store looks cookie-cutter. 4.How is Starbucks attempting to re-create its uniqueness? Do you think it will be successful? Why or Why not?  Starbucks attempting to re-create its uniqueness by introduced many new products such as instant coffee. These new products undercut the integrity of the Starbucks brand for coffee purists. They also challenged the baristas who had to wrestle with an ever-more-complicated menu of drinks. With over half of customers customizing their drinks, baristas hired for their social skills and passion for coffee, no longer had time to dialogue with customers. The brand experience declined as waiting times increased. Moreover, the price premium for a Starbucks coffee seemed less justifiable for grab and go customers as McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts improved their coffee offerings at much lower prices. Second, the early adopters who valued the club-like atmosphere of relaxing over a quality cup of coffee found themselves in a minority. To grow, Starbucks increasingly appealed to grab and go customers for whom service meant speed of order delivery rather than recognition by and conversation with a barista. Starbucks introduced new store formats like Express to try to cater to this second segment without undermining the first. As a result, Starbucks is successful in creating their uniqueness because since then they are able to increase their outlets for more than 18000 stores around the world in 2013. 5.Explain Starbucks’s ups and downs using (a) strategic activity systems and (b) the dynamic capabilities perspectives. What implications can you draw? (a) Strategic activity systems is the conceptualization of a firm as a network of interconnected activities. – grinding beans – second home – friendly service – relaxed atmosphere – beverages ( desserts, sandwiches), books, music – more than 30 blends of coffee (b) Dynamic capabilities perspective is a model that emphasizes a firm’s ability to modify and leverage its resource base in a way that enables it to gain and sustain competitive advantage in a constantly changing environment. The implications can we draw from this is :- (i) Starbucks forgot what made it unique (ii) Intangible resources were forgotten (iii) Lost appeal that made it special, its unique culture 6.What recommendations would you give Howard Schultz? Support your arguments.