Impact of introduction of business intelligence tools in organization Research Paper

Impact of introduction of business intelligence tools in organization - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that ever changing newer technologies have transformed businesses all over the world and these technologies are actually determining the future viability of a said business in today’s competitive environment. An organization today is more or less global in some way or the other, therefore, the competition is not constrained to geographical boundaries. The effect of this threat is evident and companies are being more proactive in investing in software suites that would provide them with the competitive edge over their rivals. Economies in many ways are becoming more and more technology dependent these days and this means that the organizations performing business in these economies too should equip themselves with technology and use it to outperform their competitors. Many theorists have argued over the recent times that organizations should employ technology to make them more agile and flexible. To serve this purpose, many renowned business managers came up with the idea of using statistical measures to best translate the data they have. Data is only an asset if it can be transformed into some useful information by the means of which decision making could be made easier and business managers can forecast their production plans and marketing strategies. Companies therefore are moving away from conventional approaches to a paradigm where information management is a very important determinant. The researcher therefore aims to examine the information landscape of an organization before the implementation of a business intelligence tool and the after effects of the implementation. He will also look into the different technologies available and how each technology varies with the organization type and organization size. Moreover, he will also take into consideration the success stories of many different organizations that are reaping huge rewards with a successful Business Intelligence tool implementation! The researcher will look to fin d and interview concerned business managers such as Sales managers, Brands managers, Credit managers, Compliance managers and Technical managers. This array of managers don’t only show the diversity of application of Business Intelligence technology but also show the various set of departments can benefit from one Business Intelligence implementation in an organizations. 2. Objectives The objectives of this research are very well defined and cater to a very specific niche of applications. They are as follows: To examine what effect on organization’s performance can a specific Business Intelligence application bring To examine how organization can define certain Key Performance Indicators and use them to gain business edge How reporting and dashboards can simplify a manager’s job To assess the value of historic data and how can it be used to work like a decision support system To study if Business Intelligence applications are compatible with other information pr oviding software available in the organization? To differentiate between different Business Intelligence Technologies available and recommend the ideal match for a specific organization To calculate a typical ROI on Business Intelligence Suite Implementation To study how to streamline the general architecture of a BI implementation with the organization’s IT architecture 3. Background Organizations over the years have tried their best to forecast or predict things. In the recent past these studies were based on study of current happenings and events. Since the introduction of computers at the workplace, these studies became much more

Understanding Geospatial Data in Development Assignment

Understanding Geospatial Data in Development - Assignment Example A band ratio approach can be used by diving band 5 by band 2 in order to separate the water line from the clouds. The rate of change of the coastline can be calculated for transects greater than 16000 and generated at intervals of 50 m along the coastline and the main islands. This can be done using the End point Rate technique in the Digital Shoreline Analysis System in ArcGIS. Bangladesh is located at the mouth of Brahmaputra and Ganges which are the two largest rivers in the world flowing from the Himalayas. A large part of the country is located in the Bengal basin which is an extensive geosyncline and has a large population of about 14.2 million people. Most people live in the low lying plains floodplains and delta plains which are usually very vulnerable to flooding during the monsoon season (Alesheikh et al, 2007). As a result, Bangladesh is normally considered as one of the most risky countries in the world due to exposure to the effects of climate change and sea level rises. The coastline of Bangladesh covers an area of about 47,201square kilometers and this region is inhabited by about 46 million people. River Ganges drains about 1114000 square kilometers of catchment area and the River Brahmaputra drains 935000 square kilometers of catchment area and these supplies billions of tonnes of sediments every year in the Bengal basin. This rapid increas e in sedimentation results into a very rapid accretion in the estuaries (Goodbred, 2003). In other sections of the coastline where rapid erosion is experienced due to strong tidal currents and strong waves action, rapid subsidence can be noted with a recession of about 3-4 km of the shoreline from its original position. If we compare the Landsat images between 1973 and 2000, the recession rate of the shoreline and the time frame can be established (Benny, 2000). By comparing the satellite images

Kodak and Digital Revolution Essay Example for Free

Kodak and Digital Revolution Essay In 1976 Kodak controlled 90% of the film market and 85% of camera sales in the United States. By 1992 the share of film market decreased by 5%. In 1991 they launched the first professional digital camera. In 1998 they spent $1. 2 billion to two joint ventures with the Chinese government and by 1999 became number two in digital cameras in the United States with a 27% market share. In 2001it launched â€Å"Where it all clicks† theme to stimulate digital imaging and in 2002 launched the first mass-market product for digital film processing. By 2003 they controlled most photofinishing transaction in the United States with 15% unprofitable digital camera market. Digital imaging was a disruptive technology that was emerging in early 80’s and Kodak got blind sighted by its extreme focus on existing customers and their needs. They followed a customer focus strategy instead of taking digital imaging as a disruptive innovation. Their focus was to provide products that its existing clients want in a cost effective manner. Kodak’s strategy for digital imaging has been way off and its first digital product, the â€Å"Photo CD† which was a failure. It couldn’t leverage upon world’s first electronic image sensor that they launched earlier that was widely used by computer industry worldwide. They used all strategies to the disposal but its timing was way off. They used Radical to incremental innovation an example is their digital photography compared to Sony’s Then their strategy shifted from convergence of digital and film based imaging to selling hardware such as digital cameras and printers by alliancing with computer and electronic industry. This strategy also failed as competition was too fierce by 1995 and profit margins shrunk. Then strategy was changed to picture business and network consumables with at least 50% market share. These strategies were based to the changing market needs and competition especially from Fuji films Kodak is a showcase for failing to innovate; they missed the digital revolution because they were focused on protecting its core business, traditional photographic film. The reality is different, though. Kodak was in fact one of the first companies to have worked on digital imaging it’s not that they were ignoring the digital revolution! Today, Kodak is still leading digital imaging, as the company holds many patents in this field that are used in products such as HP printers. The painful Kodak factory closures that one can see nowadays are nothing but the price to pay to transition from one era to the other, from the era when Kodak was a chemist to an era when it is a software company. For all its mistakes, Kodak is doing what few companies have been able to do. Lessons Learned No doubt, Kodak was victim of the innovators dilemma. The most immediate takeaway from the fall of Kodak is clear: Don’t be afraid to cannibalize your own business in the name of progress. But Kodak’s inability to make any of its products stand out over the last decade is demonstrative of an overall reluctance to innovate.

Concepts Of Performance Management In Human Resources

Concepts Of Performance Management In Human Resources Abstract Performance management is becoming increasingly important in the department of Human Resources in recent years. It refers to a systematic instrument for improving the development of individuals, teams and organizations. With the wide acceptance of performance management to the organizations, how can it be understood, accepted and implemented by managers and employees effectively in practice? The paper makes a study on the performance management from the perspective of Human Resources, analyses the definitions and process of performance management and discusses the positive and negative effects of performance management. Overall, it will be argued that the positive effects of performance management outweigh its negative effects, but it is also necessary to pay attention to its disadvantages, such as judgement errors caused by distortion of performance information. Performance Management in HR à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚  . Introduction The concept of performance has been around for more than a hundred years, experiencing some remarkable changes in the process of performance developments and subsequently integrating into the Human Resources Management system. Performance management, as one of the most important parts in these development procedures, has attracted intensifying attention in many organizations. In addition, economical globalization, speedy development of technology and high capitalizations are conspicuous trends in this fast-paced society, people have to promote their performance and become more flexible to satisfy the needs of this fast-changing and competitive society. Hence, how to select employees, who are regarded as an organizations greatest assets, plays a dominant role in avoiding companies to fall behind their competitors. Simultaneously how to keep the talent and how to encourage them to give their maximum ability to improve the competitiveness of company are crucial issues to managers. Effic ient use of performance management can help the company to solve such problems. In this essay, a clear definition of performance and performance management will be given firstly by the analysis of different interpretations put forward by many scholars. Then from four steps, including planning, implementation, appraisal and feedback, it will introduce performance management process. Finally, this essay will attempt to demonstrate that the positive effects of performance management are more significant than the negative. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡. Defining the concepts A. What is performance? Performance management is obviously to do with performance, and what is meant by that word? There are two dissimilar views on the definition of performance. One is the outputs and outcomes of activities, Bernadin et al (1995, cited in Armstrong 2000: 3) states that performance should be defined as outcomes of work because they provide the strongest linkage to the strategic goals of the organization, customer satisfaction, and economic contributions. An alternative view contends that performance is behaviour, including working proficiency, literacy and efforts. Campell (1900, cited in Armstrong 2000: 3) believes that performance is behaviour and should be distinguished from outcomes because they can be contaminated by systems factors. Actually, in the practice of performance management in HR, managers usually intend to use a more comprehensive view of performance, which includes outputs and behaviour, because they have a mutual relationship of complementation, the behaviour is deemed to be one of the indispensable conditions to reach outcomes or outputs of performance. This view is concluded by Brumbrach (1988, cited in Armstrong 2000: 3) that performance is composed of behaviour and outcomes or outputs. Performer tries his or her best to turn abstract plans or behaviour into some concrete outcomes. In other words, behaviour is an instrument for gaining results. To summarize, an overall definition of performance should consist of behaviour and results, and these two elements need to be taken into account when measuring the performance of individuals and teams. B. Performance management Performance management is an essential part in HRM, which has become increasingly popular since the 1980s. Dransfield (2000: 69) states that performance management is a process which is designed to improve organizational, team and individual performance and which is owned and driven by line managers. According to Dransfields (2000) definition, currently, there are three different viewpoints on the definition of performance management. The first one is to be understood as organizational performance. It means that the implementation of organization strategies should emphasize on the adjustment of organizational structure, business process, technology and targets. The second viewpoint is that performance management is a means of getting better results from teams. Performance management applies to everyone in the business team, not just managers, but also employees. As stated by Armstrong (2000:5), It rejects the cultural assumption that only managers are responsible for the performance of their teams and replaces it with the belief that responsibility is shared between managers and team members. The third one claims that the core of performance management is developing individuals potential, and after that improving organizational performance through aligning individual and organiza tional targets. This essay is in favour of the third opinion, mainly because the inconsistent or missing information of target content is inevitable during the top-down transmission from organizational targets to individual targets. In order to make sure the staffs activities and outputs are congruent with organizational targets, it is widely believed that performance management should be focused on guiding and helping staffs to fulfil their tasks in the light of organizational target and requirement. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¢. The process of performance management In order to ensure the targets can be accomplished effectively and punctually, managers should follow a performance management process in an orderly way. An all-around definition is provided to reflect the performance management process, as a management cycle under which program performance objectives and targets are determined, managers have flexibility to achieve them, actual performance is measured , and this information feeds into decisions about programme funding, design, operations and rewards or penalties'(Curristine, 2005: 131). This section will introduce the standard Deming cycle applied in the performance management context and the Deming cycle refers to PDCA where P for plan ,D for do, C for check and A for action. During plan phase the goals and information are decided for employee or team. The do phase is for the implementation of plan and in check phase, supervisors will review and appraise the performance, then confirm the performance and gives feedback in the stage o f action(Evans Lindsay, 2008). A. Performance planning Performance planning is the starting point of performance management process, including three basic aspects-setting the direction, concluding performance agreements and agreeing personal development plans(Armstrong 2000:17-18). In other words, performance planning is deemed to be an activity of deciding what to do and how to do it. Compared to the other types of planning in traditional process and management activities, performance planning has the following characteristics: (1). The process of performance planning is a bidirectional communication between managers and employees. (2). All members, including managers and employees should be responsible for drawing up plans together. B. performance implementation Performance implementation is one of the most fundamental parts throughout the performance management. Undoubtedly, without this basic guarantee of performance implementation, plans cannot be put into practice. In essence, performance implementation is a process of delivering organizational targets or plans from managers to employees, and then people have flexibility to achieve them. C. Performance appraisal Performance appraisal is the focal part of performance management in which managers give assessment to individuals work and achievements in relation to the organizational targets. A useful definition of performance appraisal is set out by the Adivory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) which states that: appraisals regularly record an assessment of an employees performance, potential and development needs. The appraisal is an opportunity to take an overall view of work content, loads and volume, to look back on what has been achieved during the reporting period and agree objectives for the next'(cited in Dransfield, 2000: 71). Generally speaking, the main task of performance appraisal is to identify what the employee is to do and has it been done well. Hence, it is necessary to establish a standard for performance appraisal. If an employees behaviour can be in accordance with the following criteria, it is deemed that this is an effective performance: 1. Strategic Congruence, 2. Validity, 3. Reliability, 4. Acceptability, 5. Specificity (Baker, 1988). D. Performance feedback After being checked, individuals need to know whether their performance is good or not. So managers should provide feedback which needs to be concerned with actual performance and careful measurement. The good feedback is not simply warning employees what they have done wrong or successful, but also guiding a way for individuals future development and improvement. This feedback information is also the evidence that human resources strategy and feedback improve leadership capability and consequently affect organizational performance (Mabey Martin, 2001). In the practise of feedback, there are a number of methods to give feedbacks; one of the most famous systems is 360-degree feedback, which refers to a process in which employees receive confidential, anonymous feedback from the people who work around them, including managers, peers, subordinates and customers (Tyson Ward, 2004). To sum up, performance feedback can be collected from abundant information channels, ranging from superio rs to subordinates, colleagues to customers, and thereafter this feedback information will flow into decision about strategic adjustment, modification, rethinking operation and rewards or penalties. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ £. Performance management influences the development of HRM With the wide dissemination of performance concept, performance management has attracted intensifying attention in many organizations. Managers have placed a premium on the employees performance in their work. So the adoption of performance management not only can improve organizational performance, but also can be personally fulfilling and skill-enhancing. However, there are still some potential problems existing in performance management, which seems to undermine the organizational and individual development. This section will attempt to demonstrate that the functional effects of performance management are more significant than the dysfunctional. A comprehensive definition is provided to point out the functional effects, as In general term, we define a phenomenon as being functional if its consequences contribute positively to a larger structure (Van Dooren, 2010: 152). Performance management thus would have functional effects when it contributes to the whole target of organization. Firstly, performance management can stimulate learning and innovation among employees and inside the organization. In terms of employees, performance management provides a motivation for encouraging employees to improve their own skills, especially those who perform poorly; they are guided to meditate deeply on their working practice, the defects in particular, which is the pivotal to the improvement of their performance. So only keep learning, can employees ensure that they can hold the job position and follow the best career path for themselves. In terms of the whole organization, performance management may trigger changes and innovation. Accord ing to De Brujin (2004), it is obvious that the yearly growth in the number of employees is steady in a company, this means that the organization accumulate slack resources who do not make any contribution to organization. The managers in department of HR can therefore adjust and improve the standard of choosing and employing persons, and cut off the overstaffed offices. Moreover, performance management can create transparency in the organization. Managers or supervisors, who are used to having a lot of priority, may commit mistakes, such as judgement errors and bias. Performance management can make their performance more visible inside or outside the organizations. It is an effective way to supervise and keep managers from giving others unfair treatment. Despite the functional effects that performance management has, it is impossible to deny its dysfunctional effects, which can undermine the goals of the individuals and organizations. Deming (cited in Evans Lindsay, 2008) holds the view that performance management nourishes short-term performance at the cost of the long-term planning. In order to realize the short-term interests and personal achievement, employees may make a flimsy promises to their customers and overdraw organizational resources, at last, the development of the whole organization will be blocked. What is more, the negative effects of performance management can be often caused by distortion of performance information and outputs. In conclusion, despite the existence of drawbacks, the positive effects of performance management are more significant than the negative. Performance management is thus an evolutionary process in which individuals can obtain many opportunities for career development, such as receiving training and guiding, improving the development of capabilities, even attainment of full potential. Simultaneously, organizations can get generous profits in return from their professional performance management. It is likely that performance management will have a bright future in the department of HR. à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¤. Conclusion As mentioned above, this essay has discussed definitions, process and effects of performance management. It has emerged that the functional effects of performance management are more significant, despite the existence of dysfunctional effects as well. According to Hatry (2008, cited in Van Dooren 2010), performance management may not have a bright future, because some challenges remain to a certain degree and its problems are so thorny that can hinder the development of organizations. Nevertheless, now there are increasingly managers using performance management, as stated by Van Dooren (2010:175), practitioners, management consultants as well as academics have sought solutions in response to the paradoxical and often problematic nature of performance management. Accordingly, the foreground of performance management is still optimistic. An efficient way to solve these problems is to improve the quality of performance information, which can guarantee the reliability and equality of pe rformance appraisal and feedback. From the aspect of employees, adequate training and skills development should be applied in the performance management. In a word, performance management is an indispensable part in the department of HR and it is to be hoped that improvements and adjustments should be taken to deal with challenges and ensure to gain the greatest returns on professional performance management.

Hamlet: The Dionysian Character Essay -- GCSE Coursework Shakespeare H

Hamlet: The Dionysian Character      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet, from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, is the embodiment of the Dionysian man. Time and time again, Hamlet displays the traits of Frederick Nietzche's Dionysian individual: Hamlet's inability to think rationally, his illusion between his emotional reality and true reality, his rejection of pleasurable human desires, his impotent personality prevents action, and his realization that if justice is brought to his uncle, that will not change what has already happened (The Birth of Tragedy, section 7) (Dictionary.com, "dionysian"). Hamlet exemplifies these characteristics throughout the play, which ultimately bring about his own death. Had Hamlet's character embraced physical action rather Dionysian thought, the "something rotten" in the state of Denmark would not have led to his own self destruction (HAMLET, 1.4, 96).    Hamlet's inability to think rationally plagues him through the entire play. If Hamlet had not sworn to his father's ghost to avenge his death, he could have instead confronted Claudius about the matter instead of thinking irrationally by plotting and testing his uncle for guilt (1.5, 94-114). Earlier in the play, Hamlet has the first player "speak the speech" that he has told him to speak in "The Mouse-trap," which he uses to determine Claudius's guilt in his father's death. Hamlet believes that this modification to the play will incite a reaction from King Claudius, which it in fact does, but the king's words of "Give me some light: away!" is not adequate evidence to prove Claudius's guilt of his father's death nor does it appear to anyone, besides Hamlet, as a rational method for testing his guilt (3.2, 256). Shortly after the play in Hamlet, Hamlet proc... ...ented with a situation in which they need to take action, the Dionysian person is unable to take the correct action at the necessary time in order to do justice to the situation. Thinking about the situation and not acting will do nothing for the Dionysian individual except satisfy the indulgence of thought. This is Hamlet's downfall; he cannot act at the necessary time and change his own fate.    Sources Cited Dictionary.com Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Birth of Tragedy. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Hoy, Cyrus, ed.   Hamlet: An Authoritative Text, Intellectual Backgrounds, Extracts from the Sources, Essays in Criticism.   New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1963. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Updated Fourth Edition. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc., 1997.

Essay --

The article grants the macroeconomic indicators influences on profitability of firm’s earnings on KSE 100 index (construction and material).the macroeconomic indicators include FDI, INTEREST RATE, EXPORT, and IMPORT. In this study we are taking 19 companies regarding construction and materials listed in KSE 100 index. To check the effect of Profitability on firms earnings through EBIT, ROE, ROA. Fertility in construction and material sector market plays a vital role in the economy of Pakistan, thus profitability is important for responsive construction and materials sector in KSE 100 index. According to a paper done, whose intension to find out the effect of macroeconomic gages on small and medium enterprises effectiveness which indicates that In contemporary years, Lithuania applies considerable interest to SME’S productivity, but investigation associated to the valuation of complicated macro aspects and their impact on the concluding performance of Small and Medium Enterprises is not satisfactory. (Bekeris, 2012) It has been observed that FDI has positive impression on firms out...

Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks

Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks both have their own unique flavors of coffee. â€Å"More than 100 million people in the U. S. alone drink coffee every day. † (Information taken from The National Coffee Drinking Trends Study, 2004 ) Each of these people do have a preference to which chain of coffee makers they chose. It can almost be broken up into a red state blue state debate. These two are divided in coffee bean choice, style and even price. They both define our culture in a unique fashion. It all began with the simple invention of the donut.â€Å"Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory was the inventor of the donut with a hole in the middle. William Rosenberg, the food-franchising pioneer founded the Dunkin' Donuts chain. Rosenberg opened his first coffee and doughnut shop, called the Open Kettle, in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1948. The name was changed to Dunkin' Donuts in 1950. According to â€Å"Donuts and the Salvation Army† – While The Army may not have invented the f irst donut, it can certainly take credit for [helping] the popularity of donuts today. June 4-5 marks the 61st anniversary of Salvation Army ‘Donut Day† In Chicago.The tag day was established in 1938 to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army †¢'lassies' who prepared donuts for thousands of soldiers in World War I. † www. http://inventors. about. com/library/inventors/bldonut. htm The donut made way for a company based on the donut and of course their coffee. The first company to be started based on their coffee was Dunkin Donuts. â€Å"It all started in 1946 when Mr. William Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals and coffee break snacks to customers in the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts.The success of Industrial Luncheon Services led Rosenberg to open his first coffee and donut shop, the â€Å"Open Kettle†. Then, in 1950, Rosenberg opened the first store known as Dunkin' Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts. † (www. dunkindonuts. com) Massachusetts started it all. The branch grew from their little by little. Starbucks later opened their doors with their own unique take of Dunkin Donuts. â€Å"The story began in 1971 when the first Starbucks opened at Pike Place Market, which is Seattle's and the Nation's oldest Farmer's Market (opened August 17, 1907).But at this time the company was a local coffee roasting facility. That remained their core business until 1982 when Howard Schulz joined the company. He was the new marketing executive and began right away to convince more and more local cafes, upscale restaurants, and hotels to buy Starbucks coffee. The turning point for the company and the begin of writing coffee history should be one year later when Schulz traveled through Italy. He got inspired by the old Italian coffee bar tradition to serve fresh brewed Espressi and Cappuccini.He convinced the Starbucks founders to give his idea a chance and in 1985 he opened the first coffe e bar in Seattle and gave it the Italian touch by naming it ‘Il Giornale'.† (Credit: Starbucks Corporation; magazineUSA. com) Just like Dunkin Donuts the demand for more Starbucks arose. Dunkin Donuts known for its simplicity and unique colored orange and red cups. Starbucks however is known for many different qualities. â€Å"Without even paying for the publicity, the name Starbucks had become synonymous with fine coffee, hip hangouts, and upscale image.(Pendergrast 368) But the uniqueness of flavors is one of the most important things, when it comes down to who will by who. Dunkin Donuts just recently trying to keep up with Starbucks launched a new line of flavored drinks. â€Å"The fresh new flavors include Blueberry, Coconut, Raspberry, Marshmallow, Caramel, Toasted Almond and Cinnamon. Iced coffee enthusiasts will be given the opportunity to sample Dunkin' Donuts latest flavors in participating stores, and also when the Ice Lounge sampling van tour stops by severa l cities and towns in America. †(www. dunkindonuts.com)These flavors can be added or combined with various items such as Original Blend Coffee, Dunkin' Decaf, Iced Coffee , Iced Lattes, Hot Cappuccinos and Lattes, Hot Chocolate, and their Coolattas. This adds a lot of different variety to these drinks. Making everyone feel like an individual, having their own individual flavor and drink. Coolattas have become a growing trend among people as well. More and more people are trying iced coffee as a quick afternoon pick-me-up. According to the National Coffee Association, more than 41 million Americans switch to iced coffee during the spring and summer months.And millions of these iced coffee lovers turn to Dunkin' Donuts because they recognize the quality of their iced coffee stands apart from the competition, made with the same high quality Arabica beans used to make hot coffee. Although these are becoming a fast hit the most popular flavors sold at Dunkin Donuts are Original Ble nd, Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Cafe Blend and their Dunkin Decaf. Discovering your favorite Starbucks coffee begins with an understanding of where they are grown. They have a special roasted blend of coffee from a different section of the world.Examples, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The other uniqueness of Starbucks is that they take their unique flavors and sell them outside their stores. They sell iced drinks to ice cream in their flavors. They also have a unique blend and selection in their teas. Something Dunkin Donuts has not take advantage of. â€Å"Hot Teas (Filterbags and Full Leaf) Whether you are looking to soothe your psyche or revive your spirit, Tazo has a black, green or herbal tea to suit you. Bottled Iced and Juiced Teas These crisp and refreshing bottled beverages are a delightful departure from traditional teas.Artfully blended and freshly-brewed in the Tazo tradition, these bottled beverages are so invigorating, anytime becomes a good time for tea. Tea Lattes Tazo Tea Lattes expand the notion of what tea can be. Drawing from cultures, these exotic, full-flavored teas are lightly sweetened and served with other milk, and are delicious hot or cold. † (www. star bucks. com) Also Starbucks has its own special brand of liquor, which comes in coffee and in cream. Though both make coffee, they receive their beans from uniquely different places.â€Å"Dunkin' Donuts uses 100-percent Arabica coffee beans and has its own coffee specifications, which are recognized by the industry as a superior grade of coffee. Based on Dunkin' Donuts Quality (DDQ) specifications, coffee is milled and processed specifically for the company. † (www. dunkindonuts. com) In a slightly different area and less known about is Starbucks. â€Å"Because coffee grows in many different environments around the world, there is no one best way to grow coffee. But there is general agreement that utilizing shade trees for growing coffee can help sustain a healthier eco system and promote biodiversity.Starbucks on-going support for farmers who produce Shade Grown Mexico is a great example of helping farmers while preserving our natural environment. † (www. Starbuck. com) Starbucks always known for its environmental friendly attitude has made the growing of coffee beans into a cause. Besides the difference of beans, the number of stores and locations are also unique. Dunkin Donuts attaching itself to Baskin-Robbins and Togo, uses the different companies as an advantage to set up shop in various places.â€Å"Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Brands Inc. is part of U. K. -based Allied Domecq PLC and is responsible for the worldwide development and marketing of quick service restaurant brands including Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin-Robbins and Togo's. With the combined retail units of these three brands, Dunkin' Brands is one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies, represented by more than 12,000 worldwide points of distributio n, including approximately 7,600 units in the United States and 4,400 units in 46 countries around the world. † (www. Dunkindonuts. com) Starbucks also has an impressive amount of stores open also.â€Å"Starbucks operates and licenses more than 8,500 coffee shops in more than 30 countries. The shops offer coffee drinks and food items, as well as beans, coffee accessories, teas, and CDs. Starbucks operates more than 5,200 of its shops in five countries (mostly in the US), while licensees operate more than 2,800 units (primarily in shopping centers and airports). The company also owns and franchises the Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia chains in the US (more than 100 shops). In addition, Starbucks markets its coffee through grocery stores and licenses its brand for other food and beverage products.†http://www. hoovers. com/starbucks-corporation/–ID__15745–/free-co-factsheet. xhtml Both impressive in numbers. Dunkin donuts and Starbucks each make sure that they have stores everyone for the customers satisfaction. Their customers are their number one priority beside of course their profits. Each store gathers in large amounts of money for their business. Both have amazingly strong stocks and profits for being a coffee shop. Business Magazine says that Dunkin Donuts is the â€Å"largest coffee and donut shop chin in the world† (www. business.com) The brand itself has made a huge profit. â€Å"Dunkin’ Donuts delivered an 11% growth in global system-wide sales driven by a 5. 2% increase in US same store sales and a 7% increase in global distribution points. The strong growth in same store sales growth which continues to outpace the overall QSR industry has been driven by product innovation and effective marketing. The innovation program has successfully launched a new range of coffee offerings, which include latte, cappuccino and espresso products, in 1,800 stores in the New England and Mid Atlantic areas.The lau nch has been supported by the introduction of new high speed coffee machines which maintain Dunkin’ Donuts reputation for speed, quality and value for money. In addition, a new limited time offer hot apple pie product has been very well received and helped to extend Dunkin’ Donuts sales into the traditionally quieter afternoon period. Marketing campaigns have focused around the new coffee offerings and highly successful regional program with Curt Schilling, the Boston Red Sox All-Star baseball player.. (King) Just as well the Starbucks company has made a name of itself and benefits of its brand name also.â€Å"As anyone who bought stock in Starbucks in the last decade knows, business has been good. Starbucks’ share price has risen almost tenfold in 10 years, and the company has steadily raised retail prices while wholesale prices fell. Fair trade coffee was initially plagued by complaints about bad quality, yet producers have made great strides in improving the quality of the brew and it has found a comfortable niche in the specialty coffee market, alongside organic coffee and other similar labels, such as â€Å"sustainable coffee.†After years of public pressure from activists who singled it out because of its high visibility and yuppie clientele, Starbucks now sells fair trade coffee in all its stores and has given it prominent play in university markets. Rice, whose organization gets paid 10 cents a pound by Starbucks to certify its fair trade coffee, thinks it’s time that activists turn their pressure elsewhere. But when it comes down to it statistically and other wise Dunkin Donuts wins. â€Å"For years, the product lines of the major U. S. brewed coffee sellers have been well defined. On the high end there is Starbucks Corp., with 5,439 locations in the U. S. During the past decade, the chain has made its expensive cappuccinos, frappuccinos, espressos and lattes part of the regular lexicon. On the other end, there is D unkin' Donuts, which has 4,100 stores. Although concentrated in the Northeast, Dunkin' Donuts is the nation's largest seller of regular, nonflavored brewed coffee through fast-food outlets, with a 17% market share, compared with 15% for McDonald's Corp. and 6% for Starbucks, according to market-research organization NPD Group. † (Ball) Statistically Starbucks looks like it is much behind Dunkin Donuts.This maybe why it has become more abundant and more commercial over the years. Cost could be the big factor why Dunkin Donuts is the number one coffee brewery in the country. â€Å"On average, the new Dunkin' Donut drinks cost at least 20% less than Starbucks's offerings — and an espresso shot is just 99 cents, compared with $1. 45 at Starbucks. â€Å" (Ball) Dunkin Donuts keeps its prices low and offers a high quality product. It gives the people what they want at a price everyone can afford. But the uniqueness of flavor and the uniqueness of product is a huge factor. T he conclusion is the flavor you are craving is the on you are going to chose.Questions1. Does quality or cost matter more to you?2. Regular coffee or a fancy drink like a cappuccino or espresso?3. 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