Figure 1, Distribution of Starbucks Customers Worldwide, 2009 was derived from the company's filings with the Security and Exchange Commission and their annual reports. The most brand-loyal customers on average spend $4.42 per visit and also have loyalty cards and Starbucks credit cards as well (Seiler, 2005).
Figure 1: Distribution of Starbucks Customers, Worldwide 2009

Market Segment

Share

Males 18-45

37.0%

Females 18-45

28.0%

Males 45

2.0%

Source: Based on Analysis from http://investor.starbucks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99518&p=irol-irhome

Competitor Targets

Starbuck's faces a very wide variety of competitors, from the smaller independent coffee shops to the regionalized chains including Caribou Coffee, Peet's Coffee & Tea and their most entrenched competitor, Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin' Donuts operates in 38 states and has over 3,800 stores. Starbucks' differentiates against all these competitors with the experience their stores provide and the attention unique customer requirements for customized drinks (Nolan, 2007).

A statement of core strategy

The core strategy of Starbucks is to deliver an exceptional customer experience and provide the greatest flexibility…...

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References

Carolina Marahao, & Alexandre de Padua Carrieri. (2007). Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 213-215.

Sara Nolan. (2007). The STARBUCKS EXPERIENCE. Strategic Communication Management, 11(3), 3.

Stanley C. Plog. (2005). Starbucks: More than a Cup of Coffee. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 46(2), 284-287.

Marianne Seiler. (2005). High performance. Marketing Management, 14(6), 18-23.

Thus, all content will be designed to avoid such data collection (no signups or memberships, for example) (Aftab, 2005).
The company will also engage in a public relations strategy. The company will actively seek appearances on talk shows and other media to spread the word about our new squeezable colored peanut butter. The public relations program will emphasize the dual messages of fun and nutrition with which we want to associate ow Butter. The public relations program will largely be targeted during the launch -- by the end of the calendar year (four months after the school year has begun) the public relations program will draw to a close.

Direct marketing and personal selling will be focused on the school lunch program administrators. At first, this element of the marketing program will be focused on direct marketing rather than personal selling. The cost of maintaining a traveling sales force is likely…...

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Works Cited:

NetMBA.com. (2007). Pricing strategy. NetMBA.com. Retrieved May 25, 2010 from  http://www.netmba.com/marketing/pricing/ 

Bovay, K. (2008). When to use a product line pricing strategy. EZine Articles. Retrieved May 25, 2010 from  http://ezinearticles.com/?When-to-Use-a-Product-Line-Pricing-Strategy&id=1341523 

Aftab, P. (2005). The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). Aftab.com. Retrieved May 25, 2010 from  http://www.aftab.com/coppainanutshell.htm 

Infotrends.com (2010). Distribution strategies. Infotrends.com. Retrieved May 25, 2010 from http://www.capv.com/public/Content/MRD/Projectdescriptions/distributionstrategies.html

Glo-Bus Games
Product strategy: Differentiation

Differentiation is an important part of Glo-Bus Games strategy regarding the marketing of its cameras. The product strategy is currently divided into two groups: entry level cameras for new users and cameras with multiple features for more experienced users. The entry-level cameras are at a lower price point because they offer fewer product capabilities and less sophisticated designs. Not only is the technology less complex, thus supporting a lower price point, but it is less likely to intimidate new users with more accessible design features.

However, the camera brand is not solely directed at new users. The overall product strategy is to entice people to use the brand when they are just beginning to explore photography as a hobby and then gradually move on to the more expensive and complex designs. For more advanced users, the product offers more features and the target user is more willing…...

Personnel plays a critical role in defining what the most critical priorities are in terms of skill sets as well, defining the hiring strategies going forward. When the product is a service being delivered the hiring decisions is the most critical one there is. Secondary only to training (Norton Pine II, 2009). Finally there is a passion a person must have about what they are doing working for De Mar. The personnel department has to find people with a passion for service if they are going to excel over the long-term as well (Gopalani, Shick, 2011).
Marketing is critically important in that it sets the expectation levels of customers and explains what they will be getting as an experience (Gopalani, Shick, 2011). This is where many services businesses fail as their marketing overcommits and their services department under delivers. De Mar has turned this around and under commits then over-delivers…...

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Reference

Anees Gopalani, & Kevin Shick. (2011). The service-enabled customer experience: a jump-start to competitive advantage. The Journal of Business Strategy, 32(3), 4-12.

David W. Norton, & B. Joseph Pine II. (2009). Unique experiences: disruptive innovations offer customers more "time well spent." Strategy & Leadership, 37(6), 4-9.

Part of the reason for this, is because these dresses have a number of advantages over formal gowns to include: they are affordable, can be utilized for a variety of events, they are comfortable and they look amazing. This is important, because it shows how a shift has occurred in consumers demand. (Xu, 2010)
The Product Line

To be successful in this new market requires that Nordstrom's engages in a strategy of offering a wide variety of: informal dresses and other wedding accessories at affordable prices. Where, they must be able to provide consumers with: high quality and the kind of styles that are most in demand. As a result, the different wedding shops that the company has been opening are offering a number of different choices to customers to include: Monique Lhuillier, Notte by Marchesa, Kate Spade, Nicole Miller, Milly, Trina Turk and CGMAXAZRIA. At the same time, the prices…...

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Bibliography

Nordstrom Joins the Bridal Business. (2010). Zankyou. Retrieved from:  http://www.zankyou.com/us/magazine/p/nordstrom-joins-the-bridal-business 

Brown, B. (2011). Nordstrom's New Wedding Sweet. NW Source. Retrieved from:  http://www.nwsource.com/shopping/fashion/blog/nordstroms-new-wedding-suite-rolls-out-red-carpet-open-house 

Jones, S. (2010). Nordstrom Falls in Love. Seattle Times. Retrieved from:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013570781_nordstrombridal02.html 

Xu, T. (2011). Informal Wedding Dresses are in High Demand. Sooper Articles. Retrieved from:  http://www.sooperarticles.com/shopping-articles/clothing-articles/informal-wedding-dresses-high-demand-272135.html

EI's commitment to being the trusted advisor in the sports areas they concentrate on is a proven strategy in its industry as North Face has successfully implemented this same approach to gain consumers' and sports enthusiasts' trust (Kusterbeck, 2008). Of the two companies, EI has been more successful therefore in transforming their expertise into a competitive advantage, and supporting an effective multichannel selling strategy too.
Assessing the Impact of an Expert-Driven Multichannel Strategy

Where Sports Authority has centered its marketing overall and website specifically on product features and a product line grouping by demographics, EI has centered their multichannel strategy on becoming the trusted advisor in snowboarding. The difference is that EI drives its product mix based on knowledge of the buyer and creates channels to inform and sell at the same time. The kiosks in their stores have access to all 78,000 items in their catalog, creating a virtual trusted…...

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References

Kusterbeck, S.. (2008, November). Knowledge is Power for the North Face. Apparel, 50(3), 22.

Jordan K. Speer. (2006, April). REI Continues its Transformation with PLM. Apparel, 47(8), 40-42.

Laurie Sullivan. (2004, November). E-Commerce: Promise Fulfilled. InformationWeek,(1013), 70-74.

For Apple, this strategy has translated into market dominance in the smartphone and tablet PC markets. The success of that company continues to underscore the inherent value in synchronizing these three elements of an HM framework, transformational leadership, and a continual supply of disruptive innovation for heavy investment in &D.
The Practicality of Agile HM Frameworks and Their Impact on Long-Term Financial Viability

The creation of an effective HM framework, continual improvement of transformational leaders and their skill sets, and the infusion of innovation can transform a company much like these approaches worked at Apple. For the majority of companies however the practicality of how best to manage these three areas and attain profitability remains a challenge. The majority of companies struggle with creating an agile HM framework that can balance the urgent need to get employees hired and accomplishing tasks quickly using transactional leadership vs. getting employees to buy into…...

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References

Ann, G. & Pamela, D. & Jerry, W. 2008. 'Characteristics of leadership effectiveness: Implementing change and driving innovation in organizations' Human Resource Development Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 2, pp153. (Online Pro-quest)

Avolio, B. & Walumbwa, F. & Weber, T. 2009. 'Leadership: current theories, research and future directions', Annual Review of Psychology, vol. 60, no. 5, pp. 421 -- 449. (Online Pro-quest)

Brown, M. & Trevino, L. & Harrison, D. 2005. 'Ethical leadership: a social learning perspective for construct development and testing', Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 117 -- 134. (Online Pro-quest)

Cshawn, B. & Dana, E. & Sims, E. & Eduardo, S. 2007. 'Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration'. Leadership Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 6, pp 606 (Online Pro-quest)

The use of metrics to measure the effectiveness of indirect channel strategies in conjunction with a sales territory assignment by distributors and dealers requires a fundamentally different skill set than the two other approaches that rely on a direct selling strategy. Within the territory assignments of distributors and resellers it's more critical to focus on support for the selling processes by these partners and less about expertise in a given geographic or vertical market.

Summary

As the HVAC industry is by nature highly complex, which often leads to longer sales cycles and the need to have a sales representative focused on an account for an extended period of time, the second approach of defining sales territories by size of company and vertical markets makes the most sense in the long-term. As a strategy for getting sales started in new regions, the use of indirect selling strategies makes sense as the HVAC company…...

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References

Allen (2001) - Maximize your territory coverage, increased sales and higher profits will follow, by, Daryl Allen, Selling Magazine, June 2001

Duetscher, Burgoyne, Grundman, Marshall (1982) - Managing a Sales Territory; Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. November, 1982. Volume 2 issue 2-page 24.

Dutta, Mergen, Heide, John (1995) - Understanding Dual Distribution: the case of Reps and House Accounts. Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization; 1995 Vol. 11, p189-204, 16p

Kelly and Hise (1979) - Industrial and Consumer Product Managers Are Different. Industrial Marketing Management, 8, 325-332.

Strategy of E-Procurement and IT Architecture
1a) Planned Strategy in E-procurement

A large number of organizations adopting electronic commerce (e-commerce) have identified e-procurement as an effective strategy that can be used to enhance the competitive market advantages. In a business environment, a traditional procurement faces challenges of a paperwork workload associated that includes a purchase order, delivery order, and statement of work, invoice, and payment. All these process increase an organizational cost of production. Typically, e-procurement eliminates this workload by assisting management purchasing or supplying goods and services electronically at lowest possible costs using the paperless transactions.

A report carried out by the CIPS (2013) reveals that the goal of e-procurement is to use the latest information technology to link suppliers and customers thereby improve the value chain process. In essence, the e-procurement is a critical component of e-commerce, and the major goal of an e-procurement process is to enhance the speed…...

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Resources Management in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Shrinivas P. 1 Winai, Wo. (2015). Information technology (IT) outsourcing by business process outsourcing/information technology enabled services (BPO/ITES) firms in India: A strategic gamble. Journal of Enterprise Information Management. 28 (1):60-76.

Jerome, B. (2001). The hidden costs of IT outsourcing: lessons from 50 IT-outsourcing efforts show that unforeseen costs can undercut anticipated benefits. Understanding the issues can lead to better outsourcing decisions. MIT Sloan management review.

Schaefer, S. (1999). Product design partitions with complementary Components. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. 38 (1999) 311-330.

Software Engineering Institute (2013). Unintentional Insider Threats: A Foundational Study. Department of Homeland Security.

Product Costing systems (ABC, job costing, put costing, .) advanced topic managerial accounting the thesis statemenit a position body paper show evidence support position. The paper discuss opposite point view discuss position valid.
Product costing systems

Product costing system is a management tool which identifies the actual cost of producing each product. It identifies the profits and loss which can be gained or incurred on each product, hence giving companies the opportunity of identifying and promoting of profitable product while dropping, re-pricing or redesigning of unprofitable products Brierley, 2008.

Product costing is a highly sensitive area for managerial accountants, recently, most of them have changed their focus such that they give their attention to appropriate treatment costs which are directly associated with resources that are committed to support activities, which within the company do not vary proportionally to production once the initial capacities have been set. In such as an event, it is…...

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References

Brierley, J.A. (2008). Toward an Understanding of the Sophistication of Product Costing Systems. [Article]. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 20, 61-78.

Brierley, J.A. (2010). The determinants of overhead assignment sophistication in product costing systems. [Article]. Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance (Wiley), 21(4), 69-75. doi: 10.1002/jcaf.20597

Brierley, J.A. (2011). A Comparison of the Product Costing Practices of Large and Small- to Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Survey of British Manufacturing Firms. [Article]. International Journal of Management, 28(4), 184-193.

Drudy, & M. Tayles. (2005). The British Accounting Review Explicating the design of overhead absorption procedures in UK organizations, 37(1), 47 -- 84.

Products Liability esearch:
Mattel Inc. is a company that was founded in 1944 by Elliot and uth Handler that designs, manufactures, and markets a huge range of toy products. The firm is headquartered in California with its core product lines including Hot Wheels die-cast vehicles, Barbie fashion dolls, Disney toys, Fisher-Price preschool toys, and games like Scrabble. While Mattel also manufactures its toy products based on license agreements with movie makers, most of its toys are produced outside its huge market in the United States i.e. Southeast Asia. Actually, the firm's principal manufacturing facilities are located in several countries in Southeast Asia like Malaysia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and even Mexico. Since its inception, the company has continued to experience significant growth that enables it to generate huge revenues. By 2007, its revenues had grown to $5.97 billion with its three largest customers accounting for 41% of sales across the globe. However,…...

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References:

Andersen, M. (2009, October 16). Mattel Settles Lawsuit Over High Levels of Lead in Chinese

Toys. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from  http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2009-10-14-mattell-lead-in-toys-settlement_N.htm 

"CPSC Overview." (n.d.). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Retrieved from Consumer Product Safety Commission website:  http://www.cpsc.gov/about/about.html 

Lacorte, V.L. (n.d.). Mattel, Inc.: The Lead paint Recall. Retrieved from Tuck School of Business

Product Marketing
easons for product line expansion

Product line is a group of related products manufactured by a single company and the products are closely related in one way or the other. There are several reasons that can puch a firm towards the expansion of a product line.

Increase sales; Some firms expand their product lines with an intension of increasing the firm's overall sales. This is because when the company expands its product lines, it increases its production and therefore more products will be produced hence increasing the company's sales. (Mc Grath Michael, 2010).

Profit growth; Some firms expand their product lines to increase their profitability through greater sales volume which might be obtained from new products since most people prefer purchasing products from brands which they are familiar with. The expansion of the product lines may be with an aim of enabling a specific item in the firm gain value hence generate…...

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References

Ecofine.com, (2011). Differentiation strategy. Integrated knowledge. Retrieved October 26, 2010

from strategy.htmlhttp://www.ecofine.com/strategy/Differentiation%20

Kim. T. Gordon,(2004). Pros and Cons of expanding your product line

Retrieved October 26, 2010 from  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/71094

Strategy Management
Current Situation

Home Depot is a "category killer" retailer, selling supplies for home and garden. Home Depot operates with a cost leadership strategy, as it seeks to use its buying power in particular to offer customers a low price. Home Depot also incorporates a service element to its business model, something it hopes will give it a competitive advantage. Home Depot is currently undergoing a change in terms of its structure and culture, and this has caused some disruption. That said, Home Depot is the second-largest retailer in America behind Wal-Mart and has experienced strong sales improvements during the Nardelli years.

The competitive situation is intense. Home Depot is a dominant competitor in the industry, but faces strong competition from Lowe's, which is almost the same size. These two competitors operate as something of a duopoly, although in other businesses there are specialist firms that are strong competitors. Home Depot believes…...

Product and Supply Chain
Because of globalization world economies are increasingly becoming interdependent. The global market forces have made some business enterprises more vulnerable to economic crisis. Manufacturers have to take cognizance of the fact that global food prices are soaring because of supply constrains occasioned by bad weather. Surge in interest rates for investors who depend on bonds to provide a steady yield is an aspect of global market forces. Periods of long ultra-low interest rates steadily erode these investors income. ising interest rates also erode these investors principal. obust growth in emerging markets is a boon for the entire global economy. However, it comes with a price. Soaring inflation in emerging markets is majorly caused by ultra-low interest rates and strong capital flows. This is something that manufacturers in emerging economies have to be wary of. The global economy is becoming more connected. With the complex flows of capital,…...

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References List

Cetinkaya, B., Cuthbertson, R., Ewer, G., Klaas-Wissing, T, Piotrowicz, W. & Tyssen, C.

(2011). Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Practical Ideas for Moving Towards Best

Practice. New York: Springer.

Deloitte (2013). Supply chain risk strategies for emerging markets: Understanding the importance of risk. Retrieved from http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-

Product Mix: Old Spice
Old Spice is a line of products that meet personal needs of people, providing varied services. Initial Old Spice products were for women, and they had the brand name of Early Old Spice. The product came into the market in the year 1937, with an extension occurring in 1938 that introduced Old Spice for men. The products of Old Spice initially were after shave lotions, shaving soaps, deodorants and perfumes, which later incorporated other products such as soaps, detergents among others. This product creates a presentable opportunity to understand the development of products, growing from simple one line production of product to a mixed product line of production. The products in the Old Spice mix are for fragrances, skin care and antiperspirant and deodorant products.

The Old Spice brand is a company of its own, from the time of establishment. Initially, the product production belonged to a company…...

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Works cited

Hoffmann, Stefanie. Are the 4 P's of International Marketing of Equal Importance to All Firms?

What Factors Might Cause Some to More or Less Important Than Others?: A Short

Article. Mu-nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008. Internet resource.

Tocquigny, Rick, and Andy Butcher. When Core Values Are Strategic: How the Basic Values of Procter & Gamble Transformed Leadership at Fortune 500 Companies. Upper Saddle