Strategic Plan Initiative Essay Example for Free

Strategic Plan Initiative Essay Starbucks is a fast growing coffee distributor around the globe. Starbucks is challenged to manage its business with strategic initiatives. This paper will discuss the relationship between strategic and financial planning efforts of the Seattle-based barista and initiatives outlined in the latest annual report. Also, how these initiatives affect the organization’s financial planning and what risks are associated with the initiatives will be reviewed. Understandably, in the highly competitive market of supplying customers with the best coffee products calls for calculated strategic and financial planning. Strategic Vs. Financial Planning Starbucks began as a lone coffee shop in Seattle, Washington; just 40 years later, Starbucks is now a leading competitor of coffee confections around the world (Starbucks, 2012). Because the ultimate goal is to be the best supplier of good coffee to coffee enthusiasts, having strategic and financial plans in place is crucial, since one is the basis for the other. Strategic planning is the guide for which all financial planning will follow suit. A â€Å"strategic plan defines, in very general terms, how the firm plans to make money in the future† (Titman, Keown, Marin, 2011, p. 564). The strategic plan is the backdrop that drives and guides financial planning. â€Å"Financial planning is all about allocating finite resources such as money, employees and equipment over time, to reach the broad goals set out in strategic planning. To do so involves measuring current performance against past data and trends for the future† (Boone, 2013, para. 3). There are four key compo nents to developing a financial plan which engages many different players. The four steps are: collect historical financial data, identify trends, adjust projections, and revise estimates (Titman, Keown, Marin, p. 564, 2011). But strategists cannot forget that financial planning can be divided into two components, short and long term planning. Long term planning is typically three to five years, whereas short term looks only one year ahead. Starbucks outlines both short and long strategic planning initiatives each year in annual reports and in turn gives the public and stakeholders the short and long term company initiatives. Starbucks Strategic Planning Initiatives and Financial Effects Starbucks has a number of creditors, investors, shareholders, and all around stakeholders that have a vested interest in viewing the success and vision of the company regularly. The latest annual report, 2011, speaks to these initiatives in great detail, outlining the successes and risks of chosen strategic path. According to the Starbucks Annual Report 2011, (2011), the c ompany â€Å"reported the highest annual revenue ever: $11.7 billion† (Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report, 2012, p. 1). Clearly, the Starbucks leaders and family are doing something right, and most assuredly, the strategic initiatives are working. One key initiative was to increase earnings per share and return millions to shareholders; not an easy task given the troubled economy in the United States. Starbucks â€Å"ended fiscal 2011 with record earnings per share of $1.62, up 31 percent from last year’s $1.24 per share. Through share repurchases and dividends, we returned approximately $945 million to shareholders, more than doubling the amount returned in fiscal 2010† (Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report, 2012, p. 3). According to Titman, Keown, Marin (2011), one key principal of the valuation of investment opportunities is made available through cash flows (p. 333). Looking at the cash flows data from 2010 to 2011, Starbucks decreased approximately $.1 billion cash flows from operations and increased capital expenditures by approximately $92 million (Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report, p. 21, 2012). Starbucks actively manages these as short-term investments. Another feather in the Starbucks cap is payment of cash dividends to shareholders. In 2011, $.13 per share totaling $390 million was paid (Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report, p. 21, 2012). Studies have shown that use of cash in this manner, paying cash dividends and share repurchases, has grown significantly from stating that â€Å"the proportion of firm earnings distributed through both approaches has grown from about 40% in the 1970s to near 80% by 2000† (Titman, Keown, Marin, 2011, p. 537). These Initiatives of this nature can affect the organization’s financial planning lending better cash revenues and fiscal statistics. More specifically, reducing the number of stocks increases the earnings per share. This was evident with the price per share increase of $.38 per share from 2010 to 2011, as noted above. However, companies cannot operate without caution; risks are associated with every financial planning endeavor and the initiative to pay out millions to shareholders is not without exception. Risks associated with the initiative. When conducting financial risk management, leadership and financial planners cognizant of market risks associated with the financial planning efforts and the long term effects of these short term goals. â€Å"Market risk is defined as the risk of losses due to changes in commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates, equity security prices, and interest rates† (Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report, 2012, p. 37 ). Companies today must closely monitor market trends and risks alike. Starbucks is no exception, and significantly due to its dealings overseas and across varied currency rates and cultures. Although, market risks are not key player when discussing cash dividends and share repurchases. The main risk here is the long term impact of the payout strategy. It is commonly believed that just increasing earnings per share does not necessarily mean company success. â€Å"Companies shouldnt confuse the value created by returning cash to shareholders with the value created by actual operational improvements; moreover, a companys fixation on buybacks might come at the cost of investments in its long-term health† (Dobbs Rehm, 2005, para. 1, 3). Management must understand the pitfalls of creative financing and keep the benefits to shareholders as a key focus and paramount for longevity. Conclusion The Starbucks Corporation is committed to profiteering with short term investments and long term focus to remain competitive. Starbucks understands the relationship between strategic and financial planning and many initiatives are outlined in every annual report. In particular, the financial planning was clearly defined by a number of incentives, and the incentive to utilize cash flows to return a substantial allocation to shareholders and reduce shares through share buybacks created success story for the company. The coffee market is not without major competitors, however, the strategic vision, financial planning, and monitoring of financial risks allows Starbucks to not only stay afloat, but lead the coffee frontier. References Boone, B. (2013). What’s the difference between strategic and financial planning? Retrieved from http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/strategic-and-financial-planning.htm Dobbs, R. Rehm, W. (2005, August). The value of share buybacks. McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_value_of_share_buybacks_1630 Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report. (2012). Retrieved from http://investor.starbucks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=99518p=irol-irhome Titman, S., Keown, A.J., Marin, J.D. (2011). Financial management: Principles and applications (11th ed.). Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Whippets :: essays research papers

In this research paper I will attempt to explain what whippets are. I will try to give the necessary information to show the benefits and possible side effects. I will discuss a brief history of the gas and how young adults obtain the chemicals to make â€Å"whippets†. Whippets are charge dispensers that deliver nitrous oxide as (en.wikipedia.org) describes. Nitrous oxide is a colorless, non-flammable gas. It has a slightly sweet taste and odor. It is non-toxic and non-irritating and when inhaled in small quantities can produce mild hysteria and giggling or laughter. That is why it is also referred as the "laughing gas". When inhaled in pure form it will cause death by asphyxiation because at atmospheric temperatures and pressure, the oxygen in nitrous oxide is not available to the body. (www.idavette.net) Nitrous Oxide gas was first discovered by English scientist in 1772 and was first published about in 1776. Through his experiments he discovered Nitrous oxide's analgesic effects in 1800. From 1800 to 1840, Nitrous was primarily used for recreation at traveling public shows, but in 1844-1845 Nitrous was recognized as having some medical use in dentistry. In the late 1800's William James published some accounts of his work with Nitrous Oxide and called its effects of "some metaphysical significance". Nitrous has remained popular throughout the 20th Century and is sold over the counter in small cartridges ("whippets") for making whipped cream and in large tanks for industrial and medical purposes. Whipped cream dispensers are the most common used by young adults. The nitrous oxide is then inhaled. Many people use nitrous oxide for the benefit of its psychological effects. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia and neuropathy. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect and ease of access. Its use is thus restricted in many districts such as California. (en.wikipedia.org) Nitrous oxide causes euphoria, dizziness, and, in some cases, a mild aphrodisiac effect. It can also result in mild nausea or dizziness if too much is inhaled in a short time. The anaesthetic function of nitrous oxide is not completely understood, but it is thought that the gas interacts with the plasma membranes of nerve cells in the brain and thus affects the communication among such cells at their synapses. Nitrous oxide induces a state of behavioral disinhibition, analgesia, and euphoria. Unless the compound is administered with at least 20 percent oxygen, hypoxia can be induced.

Nannie Doss

Nannie Doss From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Nannie Doss| Background information| Birth name| Nancy Hazle| Also known as| The Giggling Nanny, The Giggling Granny, The Jolly Black Widow, The Lonely Hearts Killer| Born| (1905-11-04)November 4, 1905 Blue Mountain, Alabama, United States| Died| June 2, 1965(1965-06-02) (aged 59)| Cause of death| Leukemia| Penalty| Life imprisonment| Killings| Number of victims| 11| Country| United States| State(s)| Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma|Date apprehended| October, 1954| Nannie Doss (November 4, 1905[1] – June 2, 1965[2]) was a serial killer responsible for the deaths of 11 people between the 1920s and 1954. [3] She finally confessed to the murders in October 1954, after her fifth husband died in a small hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In all, it was revealed that she had killed 4 husbands, 2 children, her two sisters, her mother, a grandson, and a nephew. Contents[hide] * 1 Early life * 2 First marr iage * 3 Second marriage * 3. 1 Grandchildren * 3. Death of Frank * 4 Third marriage * 5 Fourth marriage * 6 Fifth marriage * 7 Confession and conviction * 8 References * 9 External links| [edit] Early life Doss was born in Blue Mountain, Alabama as Nancy Hazle to Lou and James Hazle. Nannie was one of five children; she had one brother and three sisters. Both Nannie and her mother hated James, who was a controlling father and husband with a nasty streak. There is evidence that Doss was conceived illegitimately, as James and Lou married after 1905; census records also show that in 1905 she and her mother were living on their own. [4] She had an unhappy childhood.She was a poor student who never learned to read well; her education was erratic because her father forced his children to work on the family farm instead of attending school. When she was around 7 years old, the family was taking a train to visit relatives in southern Alabama; when the train stopped suddenly, Nannie hit her head on the metal bar on the seat in front of her. For years after, she suffered severe headaches, blackouts and depression; she blamed these and her mental instability on that accident. During childhood, her favorite hobby was reading her mother's romance magazines and dreaming of her own romantic future.Later, her favorite part was the lonely hearts column. The Hazle sisters' teenage years were restricted by their father; he forbade them to wear makeup and attractive clothing. He was trying to prevent them from being molested by men, but that happened on several occasions. He also forbade them to go to dances and other social events. [edit] First marriage Doss was first married at age 16, to Charley Braggs. They had met at the Linen Thread factory where they both worked, and with her father's approval they married after 4 months of dating.He was the only son of a never-married mother, who insisted on continuing to live with her son after he married. Doss later wrote I married, as my father wished, in 1921 to a boy I only knowed about four or five months who had no family, only a mother who was unwed and who had taken over my life completely when we were married. She never seen anything wrong with what he done, but she would take spells. She would not let my own mother stay all night†¦ Braggs' mother took up a lot of his attention, and she often limited Nannie's activities. The marriage produced 4 daughters from 1923 to 1927.The stressed-out young mother started drinking, and her casual smoking habit became a heavy addiction. Both unhappy partners suspected each other–correctly–of infidelity, and Braggs often disappeared for days on end. In early 1927, they lost their 2 middle girls to suspected food poisoning; suspecting that Nannie had killed them, Braggs took firstborn daughter Melvina and fled, leaving newborn Florine behind. Soon after, Braggs' mother died and Nannie took a job in a cotton mill to support Florine and herself. Braggs b rought Melvina back in the summer of 1928; with them was a divorcee with her own child.Braggs and Nannie soon divorced and Nannie took her 2 girls back to her mother's home. He always maintained he left her because he was frightened of her. [edit] Second marriage Living and working in Anniston, Nannie soothed her loneliness by reading True Romance and similar reading material. She also resumed poring over the lonely hearts column, and wrote to men advertising there. A particular advert that interested her was that of Robert (Frank) Harrelson, a 23-year-old factory worker from Jacksonville. He sent her romantic poetry, and she sent him a cake.They met and married in 1929, when she was 24, 2 years after her divorce from Braggs. They lived together in Jacksonville, with Melvina and Florine Braggs. After a few months, she discovered that he was an alcoholic and had a criminal record for assault. Despite this, the marriage lasted 16 years. [edit] Grandchildren Nannie's eldest, Melvina, g ave birth to Robert Lee Haynes in 1943. Another baby followed 2 years later, but this died soon afterward. Exhausted from labor and groggy from ether, Melvina thought she saw her mother, who had come to help, stick a hatpin into the baby's head.When she asked her husband and sister for clarification, they said Nannie had told them the baby was dead–and they noticed that she was holding a pin. The doctors, however, couldn't give a positive explanation. The grieving parents drifted apart and Melvina started dating a soldier. Nannie disapproved of him, and while Melvina was visiting her father after a particularly nasty fight with her mom, her son Robert died mysteriously under Granny's care on July 7, 1945. The death was diagnosed as asphyxia from unknown causes, and 2 months later Nannie collected the $500 life insurance she had taken out on Robert. [edit] Death of FrankIn 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allied powers at the end of World War II, and Harrelson was among the most robust partiers. After an evening of particularly heavy drinking, he raped Nannie. The following day, as she was tending her rose garden, she discovered Harrelson's corn whiskey jar buried in the ground. The rape had been the last straw for her, so she took the jar and topped it off with rat poison. Harrelson died a painful death that evening. [edit] Third marriage Doss met her third husband, Arlie Lanning, through another lonely-hearts column while travelling in Lexington, North Carolina, and married him 3 days later.Like his predecessor, Harrelson, Lanning was an alcoholic womanizer. However, in this marriage it was Nannie who often disappeared–and for months on end. But when she was home she played the doting housewife, and when he died of what was said to be heart failure, the whole town supported her at his funeral. Soon after, the couple's house, which had been left to Lanning's sister, burned down. The insurance money went to Widow Nannie Lanning, who quickly banked i t, and after Lanning's mother died in her sleep, Nannie left North Carolina and ended up at her sister Dovie's home.Dovie was bedridden; soon after sister Nan's arrival, she died. [edit] Fourth marriage Looking for yet another husband, Nannie joined the Diamond Circle Club and soon met Richard L. Morton of Emporia, Kansas. He didn't have a drinking problem, but he was a womanizer. Morton met his death in April 1953–3 months after Nannie's mother, Lou, had come to live with them and ended up poisoned to death. [edit] Fifth marriage Nannie met and married Samuel Doss of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June 1953. A clean-cut, churchgoing man, he disapproved of the romance novels and stories that Nannie adored.In September, Samuel was admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. The hospital diagnosed a severe digestive tract infection. He was treated and released on October 5. Nannie killed him that evening in her rush to collect the 2 life insurance policies she had taken out on him. T his sudden death alerted his doctor, who ordered an autopsy. The autopsy revealed a huge amount of arsenic in his system. Nannie was promptly arrested. [edit] Confession and conviction Nannie confessed to killing 4 of her husbands, her mother, her sister Dovie, her grandson Robert, and her mother-in-law Lanning.The state of Oklahoma centered its case only on Samuel Doss. The prosecution found her mentally fit for trial. Nannie pleaded guilty on May 17, 1955, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. The state did not pursue the death penalty due to her gender. Doss was never charged with the other deaths. She died of leukemia in the hospital ward of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1965. [edit] References * Wilson, Colin. The Mammoth Book of True Crime. New York: Carroll ; Graf Publishers, 1998. ISBN 0-7867-0536-1 * Nannie Doss the Lonely Hearts Husband Killer. [1] 1. Manners, Terry, Deadlier than the Male, 1995. Page 76 ISBN 0-330-33711-4. 2. ^ Tulsa World: Oklahoma Centennial Stor ies 3. ^ Nannie Doss: A Who2 Profile 4. ^ Nannie Doss on TruTV's Crime Library [edit] External links * Nannie Doss at the Crime Library * [2] The Giggling Grandma at the Malefactor's Register Authority control| * VIAF: 172021019| | Persondata| Name| Doss, Nannie| Alternative names| | Short description| | Date of birth| November 4, 1905| Place of birth| Blue Mountain, Alabama, United States| Date of death| June 2, 1965| Place of death| | Retrieved from â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. rg/w/index. php? title=Nannie_Doss&oldid=543731678† Categories: * 1905 births * 1965 deaths * People from Anniston, Alabama * 1927 crimes * American serial killers * Female serial killers * American female murderers * Deaths from leukemia * Cancer deaths in Oklahoma * American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment * Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oklahoma * American people who died in prison custody * Prisoners who died in Oklahoma detention * American people convicted of murder * Peop le convicted of murder by Oklahoma * Murderers for insurance money * PoisonersHidden categories: * Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers * Persondata templates without short description parameter Navigation menu Personal tools * Create account * Log in Namespaces * Article * Talk Variants Views * Read * Edit * View history Actions Search ————————————————- Top of Form Bottom of Form Navigation * Main page * Contents * Featured content * Current events * Random article * Donate to Wikipedia * Wikimedia Shop Interaction * Help * About Wikipedia * Community portal * Recent changes * Contact Wikipedia Toolbox * What links here * Related changes Upload file * Special pages * Permanent link * Page information * Cite this page Print/export * Create a book * Download as PDF * Printable version Languages * * Francais * Italiano * Magyar * Nederlands * * Edit links * This page w as last modified on 13 March 2013 at 00:44. * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. 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Effects Of Alcohol And Academic Achievement - 2319 Words

Introduction Overview University students are synonymous with drinking and testing their limits. Maybe it’s some kind of rite of passage or merely peer pressure but when you consider the average age of students these days it hard to gain some kind of perspective. According to the most recently available data, the median age of college students is 21.6 years, while for university students; the median age is 22.8 years (see Appendix A). (Dale, 2012) The question needs to be asked; why young adults of this age find it necessary to binge drink and also what the effects of this is on their academic achievement. According to the research conducted for this report, there is most definitely a connection between Alcohol and Academic achievement and based on the websites studied there are three areas where alcohol affects student’s grades: Firstly, drinking excessively has a negative effect on class attendance and therefore leads to the students falling behind in their studies. Secondly, the amount of time and the quality of time spent on studying is negatively affected by alcohol use. Thirdly, there is a direct inverse relationship between drinking and grades. Studies have shown that the majority of students who are at risk of failing admitted they fell into the heavy drinking category. Please refer to Appendix B for a complete explanation of these three areas. This report will look at the culture of drinking at University, the reasons students give for drinking, health relatedShow MoreRelatedPrenatal Alcohol Exposure And Ability, Academic Achievement, And School Functioning Essay1238 Words   |  5 PagesIn the study titled Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Ability, Academic Achievement, and School Functioning in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Follow- Up, there is a study conducted in order to show the correlation of academic problems to prenatal alcohol exposure, in which some of the children in the study had fetal alcohol syndrome and others did not. The main theory is that â€Å"Prenatal exposure to alcohol is associated with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) as well as other alcohol- related neurodevelopmentalRead MoreSubstance Abuse And Its Effect On Education1348 Words   |  6 PagesSubstance Abuse and its Effect on Education Drug abuse is a serious public health problem that affects almost every community and family in some way. Each year drug abuse causes millions of serious illnesses or injuries among Americans. A study done in John Hopkins University School of Medicine, found that individuals who are unemployed have higher rates of substance abuse than those who are regularly employed. Five hundred and fifty nine participants, who were unemployed, at least eighteen yearsRead MoreThe Link Between Social Interactions Among Peers And School And Academic Outcomes For Over 40 Years Essay1619 Words   |  7 Pagessocial interactions among peers in school and academic outcomes for over 40 years (Coleman, 1961). 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