Evolution Of Coffee Culture In United States

Evolution Of Coffee Culture In United States Introduction O Coffee! Thou dost dispel all care, thou are the object of desire to the scholar. This is the beverage of the friends of God. In Praise of Coffee, Arabic Poem (1511). Everyone knows what a coffee is. Especially since coffee became a essential drink in everyday for most of the people in the world. Nowadays when we walk down any street, we see at least two or more coffee shops with full of people drinking coffee. Since I was very little, I always wondered, how coffee made and how it become the coffee business became one of the most valuable commodity industry in the world. When you search it, you find that this commodity we call coffee is a basicly a berry containing seeds. Yet coffee is the second most valuable exported legal commodity on earth (after oil of course), providing worlds most widely taken psychoactive drug. Coffee provides a livelihood for over twenty million humans beings around the world. It is an incredibly labor-intensive crop, with all but very small percentage requiring the individual human hand. The irony of the coffee industry is that the vast majority of those who perfom repetitive tasks work in the most beautiful places on earth, with tropical volcanic peaks as backdrop in a climate thtat have a temperature of 27  °C but these laborers earn an evarage of 3 dollars a day. The coffee they prepare travels halfway around the world and lands on breakfast tables, officer and cafes of the England, Germany, United States and and other developed countries, where these cosmopolitan consumers pay half a days Third World countries wages for a good cup of coffee. People who make money from coffee doesnt stop in just producing. There are also the exporters, importarts, amd roasters. There are the expert slurping, savoring, and spitting coffee. There are the retailers, the vending machine suppliers, the marketers, the advertising copyrighters, the consultants. This is why it is the second most valuable commodity on earth because they are many opportunities to earn money just from a sack of coffee beans. Beginning as a medicinal drink for the elite group of people, coffee became the favored modern stimulant of worker during their break, the gossip starter in kitchens. Coffeehouses have provided places to plan revolutions, write poetry, do business and meet friends. For example United Statess first black presidents inaugural speech was written by a young man, age 27, in a Starbucks. Without noticing, he wrote a historical speech, which will probably be analysed in future,was written in a common coffeehouse. Around the world we are currently witbessing a coffee revival as miniroasters revive the art of coffee blending and customers rediscover the josy of fresh-roasted, fresh brewed coffee made from the best beans in the world. Coffee has assumed a social meaning that goes far beyond the simple black brew in a cup. The worldwide coffee culture is more than a culture-it is psychological addiction. There are newsgroup on the subject, along with countless number of sites on World Wide Web, and Starbucks outles populate every street corner, fighting for space with other coffeehouses and chains. And after all is said and done, its just a bag of berry from an Ethiopian shrub. This essay is about the coffee culture and its effect in United States. Coffee is a term used to describe a social atmosphere that depends heavily upon coffee shops, espressoin particular, to act as a social lubricant. It is a common tradition in American culture to spend their time in coffeeshops. I will explain the impacts of coffee and its culture in American people and media. History of Coffee Coffee makes us severe, and grave and philosophical Jonathan Swift, 1722 Possibly the cradle of mankind, now called Ethiopia, is the birthplace of coffee. Situated at the conjunction of the African and Arab worlds known as the Horn of Africa, the mountainous country has a biblical quality. There are lots of story of how coffee discovered with different perspectives thus we do not know exactly when or by whom coffee discovered. Between the various Ethiopian and Arab legends, the most appealing story involves dancing goats. A goatherd named Kaldi loved following the wandering paths made by his goats as they combed the mountainsides for food. His job didnt require him to do much, so he was free to make up songs and to play his pipe. In the late afternoon, when he blew a special, piercing note, his goats scampered from their browsing in the forest to follow him back home. One afternoon, however, the goats did not come. Kaldi blew his pipe again. Still no goats. Puzzled, the boy climbed higher, listening for them. Finally he heard bleating in the distance. Running around the corner of a narrow trail, Kaldi suddenly came upons the goats. Under the thich rain forest canopy, which allowed the sun to sift through in suddent bright splotches, the goats were running about, butting one another, dancing on their hind legs, and bleating excitedly. As he watched, one goat after another chewed doff the glossy green leaves and red berries of a tree he had never seen before. The goats refured to come home with hià ¶ until hours later. The next day, they ran directly back to the same grove and repeated the performance. This time Kaldi decided it was safe to him to join them. First, he chewed on a few leaves. They tasted bitter. As he masticated them, however, he experienced a slow tingle, mocing from his tongue down into his gut, expanding to his entire body. Next he tried the berries. The fruit was midly sweet, and the seed that popped out were covered with a thich, tasty mucilage. Finally, he chewed the seeds themselves. Soon, according to legend, Kaldi was dancing and playing with his goats. He felt that he would never be tired or grouchy again. Kaldi told his father about the magical tree, the word spread, and soon coffee became an integral part of Ethiopian culture. By the time Rhazes, an Arabian physican, first mentioned coffee in print in the tenth century, it probably had been deliberately cultivated for hundred of years. It is likely that, as in the legend, the beans and leaves of bunn, as coffee was called, at first were simply chewed, but the inventive Ethiopians quickly graduated to more palatable ways of getting their caffeine fix. Probably in the sixteenth century, someone roasted the beans, ground them and made a infusion. Coffee as we know it came into being. Once the Ethiopians discovered coffee it was only a matter of time until the drink spead through trade with the Arabs across the narrow band of Red sea. The Arabs took to the stimulating drink. They began culvivating the trees, complete wit irrigation ditches calling it qahwa, an Arab word for wine-from which the name coffee derives. At first the Arab monks adopted coffee as a drink that would allow them to stay awake for midnight prayers more easily.While coffee was considered a medicine or religious aid, it soon enough slipped into everyday use. As the drink gained popularity throughout the sixteenth century, it also gained its reputation as a troublemaking social brew. Many rulers decided that people were having too much fun in coffeehouses. In the end rulers and religious leaders denounced coffee during this century. But these bans didnt took long. Coffee provided an intellectual stimulant, a pleasant way to feel increased energy without any apparent ill effect. Coffeehouses basicly allowed people to get together for conversation, entertainment, and business, inspiring agreements, poetry, and irrevenrence in equal measure. So important did the brew become in Turkey that a lack of sufficient coffee provided grounds for a woman to seek a divorce. The Ottoman Turks occupied Yemen in 1536, and soon afterward coffee bean became an important export throughout the Turkish Empire. Then through the Ottoman traders coffee beans came to Europe. At first Europeans didnt know what to make of the stange new brew. In 1610 travelling British poet Sir George Sandys noted that the Turks sat chatting most of the day over their coffee, which he described as blacke as soote, and tasting not much unlike it. Then I can briefly that coffee beans went through many places. Coffee went to France through the Turkish ambassador. Later on coffee came to Vienna through Turkish army while threatening to invade Europe. When Turkish troops failed in the siege of Vienna, Franz George Kolschitzky took all the coffee and opened the first Viennese cafe. After coffee became a famous drink in Europe, the North American colonists emulated the coffe boom of the mother country, with the first American house opening in Boston in 1689. Here, over many cups of coffee and other brews, John Adams, James Otis, and Paul Revere met to foment rebellion, prompting Daniel Webster to call it the headquarters of the Revolution. This is the first proof of that coffees effect to American Culture. Coffee in America We have joined in many a march in old Virginia, when the days were long and hot, and the power of the soldiers to endure the fatigue of the march and keeop their places in the ranks was greatly enhanced by an opportunity to brew a cup of coffee by the wayside Captian R.K. Beecham- Gettysburg: The Pivotal Battle of the Civil War The American thirst for coffee was slow to develop in a new country whose citizens preferred booze. Most colonial drinking was utilitarian, with high alcohol consumption a normal part of personal and community habits observe the author of Drinking in America. Still, coffee was popular enough to cause over a hundred Boston women to raid a food warehouse in 1777. Throughout the first half of the 1800s the American taste for coffee swelled, particularly after the war of 1812, which temporarily shut off access to tea just when all things French, including coffee drinking, were stylish. By that time Brazilian coffee was easy to get and cheaper in anyway. Perhaps price was counted even more than political ideology when Americans came to choose their favorite caffeinated beverage, coffee. Once introduced to the black brew, Native Americans adopted it as well. Indeed, the Indians attacked many wagon trains specifically to get coffee- along with sugar,tobacco, and whiskey. On the other hand, white traders took advantage of the Indians, trading one cup of coffee for a buffalo robe. Thus the coffee became a trade item between two races. American coffeehouses, which continued the British coffeehouse traditions as penny universities and enhanced their feared and celebrated status as seminaries of sedition. At first they were simply taverns serving ale, port and rum, as well as coffee. But soon these coffeehouses featured in American official civic life in ways that had been unknown even in England. The Green Dragon, a coffeehouse tavern and inn established in 1697, which Daniel Webster called the headquarters of the Revolution, was frequented in the next century by other rebels and remained open in Bostons business center for 135 years. Throughout this time, the Green Dragon, remained a center of activity, hosting from the first, Red-coated British soldiers, colonial governors, bewigged crown officers, earls and dukes, citizens of high estate, plotting revolutionist of lesser degree, conspirators in the Boston Tea party, patriots and generals of the Revolution. The Grand Lodge of Masons, under the leadership of the fi rst grand master of Bostons first Masonic group, convened there as well. Today in the United States more than 80 percent of adults consume caffeine on a dailt basis. The average daily consumption among all adults is approximately 200 mg per day and among coffee consumers is approximately 280 mg. By appying the standards and definitions about caffeine, this would mean 75 million people fit the criteria for moderate caffeine dependence. How Coffee Evolved in America In many ways WWI marked the beginning of the modern world. It introduced the technological advanced weapons and the term shell shock but also accelerated a global outlook and increased international commerce. For coffee men, the war shifted the focus of Latin America to United States as its most reliable customer. While Euroe suffered through the war, U.S. roasters took full advantage of a favorable business situation created by the war. In the cofused wartime economy, the New York Coffee Exchange closed its doors for four months. In 1914 an editorial in a coffee trade journal called for American coffee men to act. Because the Europe were fighting for their home territories and independence, they were compelled to neglect established trade in South America. Moreover, coffee prices were bound to decline, since United Stattes now represented the only major market for the beans. The vending machine helped make the institutionalization of that most venerated American tradition, the coffee break. In fact the phrase was the invention of the Pan America Coffee Bureau in 1952. The bureau launched a radio, newspaper, and magazine campaigns with the theme, Give Yourself a Coffee Break- And Get What Coffee Gives to You. They used ads and fliers to encourage the spread of the coffee break beyond factories and offices. Hospitals started to use them. After Sunday worship services, people started to met for a coffee break with their pastors. The bureau also launched a Coffee Stop campaign on the roads to encourage motorists to pull over regularly for coffee as a safety measure. Role of Coffee in American Media Professor Prescott speaks of the influence of coffee as a beneficent exhilaration and as tending to increase the power of do muscular work as well as the power of concentration in mental effort In a sad word, and especially in a country like ours, recently and constitutionally deprived of wine the functions of coffee in bringing serene delight is an important one Boston Transcript -18 October 1923. While Brazil and other coffee growing countries vied to supply their share of caffeine to the the industrialized countries of the north, the jazzed-up North American entered a golden age of hustle in which business, advertising, and consumption defined a decade. Coffee emerged as a widely accepted drink, the scourge only of the most ardent health faddist, and it fueled the energetic decade of the twenties. Coffee consumption in fact did climb slowly through the 1920s. Even though the idea of coffeehouse was not expanded as rapidly as some anticipated, coffee cafes and lunch counters have supplanted hundreds of saloons. As Americans became more mobile with technological developments on expanding roadwats, they chose coffee as the drink for driving. At that time and still the truck stop means the coffee shop. Yet the most positive effect was by the first national adversiting campaign which was funded by the brazilian growers but executed by an American advertising firm. The campaign got under way in 1919 with spots in popular weekly magazines. Most of the ads were bland and predictable. Your Uncle Sam provided his boys with COFFEE. Coffee was the drink of intellectuals. All ended with the slogan, Coffee- the Essential drink. The national advertising campaign undoubtedly helped boost coffees image and sales. In the first few years of 1990s, the major roasters continued to battle one another without much to show for it, other than an innovative Tasters Choice campaign- and was even The commercials featured mini soap operas in which Tony, a soulful bachelor, meets By the mid-1990s it was clear to industry observers that major coffee roaters companies had lost their way, while small-scale coffees were booming. In 1995 Forbes summarized the fate of the big coffee merchants in a one-word healine: Oversleeping. The message the businesss magazine conveyed to Maxwell House, Folgers and Nestle: Wake up and smell the freshly ground coffee. Later on another company answered the call: Starbucks Starbucks Coffee Company According to legend, Merlin was born in the future and lived backward in time, moving toward the past. He must have often felt out of step with his contemporaries, filled as he was with unconventional notions of what might be. Im no sage, but sometimes I think I know how he must have felt. My vision for the future, my aspirations for what kind of company Starbucks should be, are so easily misunderstood Howard Schultz,1997

How is Benedick presented in the scenes leading up to this point?

In these two extracts, Shakespeare provides two very different presentations of Benedick. The first: misogynistic, marriage-fearing Benedick which he projects to his audience. Second: the warm-hearted, love-sick Benedick who, despite his fiery demeanour, is very much in love with Beatrice. In the first part, Benedick soliloquises about the man who â€Å"dedicates his behaviours to love† is a fool, and the irony of becoming the â€Å"argument of his own scorn.† This pre-empts the drastic change in Benedick's behaviour later in the scene. Already we see a confident flurry of long, complex declaratives, signalling a kind of gusto to Benedick's emotions: he clearly feels strongly about this issue. However, the fact that he must say these things to himself may serve to highlight his insecurity with himself. It is quite obvious from earlier points in the play that Benedick is wholly uncomfortable with his feelings towards Beatrice and tries (unsuccessfully) to hide these feelings. In the next few lines, Benedick contrasts battle imagery such as â€Å"good armour† with softer, more romantic objects, such as a â€Å"new doublet.† This serves to illustrate his contempt for Claudio's utter turnaround. His tripling in this section further emphasises both Benedick's views, and indeed his own issues. The fact that he must use persuasive techniques such as parallelism suggests that he himself cannot truly bring himself to believe his apparent viewpoint. Benedick ends with a long list of characteristics which he wishes to see in his dream woman. Although utterly fantastic in terms of realistic prospects, it nevertheless contrasts with Benedick's view earlier in the narrative, where he insists that he will â€Å"die a bachelor.† His dogmatic disposition is obviously being broken down in small steps. The comment suggests that Benedick is not as opposed to the notion of taking a woman as he may be trying to convey; it is more a reluctance to settle for less, as it were. As we shall see, Beatrice proves to be this catalyst for his transformation. The second extract follows the planting of the idea that Beatrice is in love with Benedick into his mind, by Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato. Once again, Benedick launches into an excitable monologues, consisting of a few very long declaratives. This certainly displays a lot of excitement on his part, and the fact that he uses an interrogative, a rhetorical question (â€Å"love me?†), shows a disbelieving sense of glee and does much to counteract the pessimistic Benedick from a few lines earlier. In conjunction with his earlier soliloquy, Benedick attempts to dismiss his earlier ideas, stating that â€Å"a man loves the meat in his youth, that he cannot endure in his age.† He seems to think that it is acceptable that he can change his views drastically over the space of a few minutes without any sort of continual repercussions. His metaphor serves as a hyperbolic piece of irony, the imagery not befitting the very short space of time that Benedick is describing. As Beatrice enters, we see Benedick misinterpreting her words in a very optimistic manner. He believes that her words truly confirm her feelings for him and fails to see the absurdity of his thoughts. The transformation, if you will, is complete. Benedick even goes so far as to recite some of the qualities listed and how they are apparent in Beatrice. Again, the use of tripling is effective, but here instead to show a rush of revelationary excitement that his slim hopes have been realised. Overall, the second extract serves to prove the insecurity conveyed in the first. Shakespeare presents Benedick as unsure and unnecessarily dogmatic, and this is confirmed by his behaviour in the second part. In the scenes leading up to this, we see the establishment of Benedick as the witty cynic, at odds with traditional values. I believe that Shakespeare's initial presentation of Benedick goes in stark contrast to his true character. In the first scene, he is called â€Å"a good soldier.† The later war of wits with Beatrice, and his misogynistic advice to Claudio and Don Pedro very much establishes Benedick as a â€Å"man's man,† if such a thing existed in Elizabethan times. However, I believe that this is merely a faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade, and that he does have a pretty clear motive. It seems to me like the reason for Benedick's disposition is, put simply, Beatrice. He is confused and frustrated at his feelings towards Beatrice, and attempts to counteract them through his words of scorn. Quite clearly, the other characters see through this, and this is what leads them to trick him later. Another aspect of Benedick's personality, his insecurity, also seems to stem from Beatrice. At the party scene, he shows exasperation at her description of him as a â€Å"jester† and â€Å"dull as a great thaw.† Benedick clearly cares about Beatrice's opinion of him, no matter what his exterior may suggest. His short monologue at the end of that scene is once again one where interrogatives are used in order for Benedick to reassure himself. Benedick is seen to have a sharp-tongued speaking style interspersed with witty metaphors and riddles. This singles Benedick out of someone with a high level of intelligence, but it also immediately identifies him as a counterpart to Beatrice. His militant anti-marriage stance is mirrored by hers, and his words of advice to Claudio convey his emotions in flowery prose, perhaps suggesting a reluctance to disclose any true information about himself. Overall, Benedick is presented as someone who is heavily influenced by Beatrice, and it seems that it is her actions that shape his personality, and define him as a character. Obviously, this is consistent with the narrative, and goes a long way to explain Benedick's sudden change of heart in Act 2 Scene 3.

Yves Saint Laurent

After a thorough study of your company and a meticulous analysis the information you have given me, I have concluded that if Yves Saint Laurent changes from a differentiation strategy to a differentiation focus strategy, it is possible for YSL to double its profit within three years. The upsides of the change are a 150-percent increase in profit and strong brand awareness in a niche segment whose profile will be described in details hereafter. On the other hand, there are downside risks, including high possibility that Louis Vuitton, Tods and Bulgari will attempt to replicate YSL products since they are close to the targeted positioning as well (See Appendix A). The specific goals for YSL in the next 3 years include focusing on a specific segment of the fashion industry. YSL’s current operations and net sales of $145 million are small, compared to Gucci and even YSL Beaute but they make differentiation focus strategy a suitable and viable option. Furthermore, the prospect of targeting a niche market also arises from YSL’s prominent image as sophisticated sexy and European-chic. Hence, I recommend that YSL develops a focus on men and women who are â€Å"thirty and thriving†. These clienteles are those who are beautiful and sophisticated with a promising career. They are quite successful for their age and seem to â€Å"have, but still want it all† such as young successful entrepreneurs or middle-management investment bankers. The benefits of focusing on clientele who are in their 30s are the solidity of their earnings which will drive stable sales and their tendency toward elegance and departing from pure chic and hip. The other goals that coupled with a targeted niche segment are improving operating margin and sales. With the declining trend in royalties, I recommend that YSL should discount them and focus mainly on operating margin excluding royalties. The milestones are 20% in the 2004, 24% in 2008 and 28% in 2005 which will bring YSL’s operating margin to Vuitton’s vicinity. However, increasing volume in sales should increase as in well in order to gain a more critical mass. The milestones are set as followed: at least $200, 300 and $400 in the first, second and third year respectively. These targets will uniquely reposition YSL since it has a higher operating margin than Hermes and its sales target is much lower than Vuitton which signifies its exclusivity (See Appendix B). Product: There are two products offering options that I would consider: ready-to-wear clothes or leather bags. Both products are desirable in the chosen niche market. Louis Vuitton has a leather-dominant product mix while Hermes would be a more appropriate competitor for read-to-make apparel. It is important that YSL only choose one product on which it can focus because a diverse product mix when implement a differentiation-focus strategy runs a dilution risk. The durability of leather is an advantage with lower product line turnover than apparel. Bags are often viewed as more versatile as a fashionable statement compared to the constantly changing trends in apparel. However, the habit of buying clothes when new season comes around can drive higher sales. In the case that clothing is chosen, it is recommended that the sizes should range from 0-2 and the fit should enunciate our clienteles’ confident figures. These factors contribute to the exclusivity. Also, there are a lot of opportunities for synergies in production. YSL can have production in Italy with the help of Gucci’s excellent suppliers relationship and expertise as well as its own factories in Paris. Price: In order to meet the targeted sales of $400 million after 3 years, if each item is has a premium price of $3000, YSL is aiming to sell 134,000 items in 2005. It is a reasonable estimate considering that after the acquisition of Mendes, YSL will have the capacity to produce and sell at such volume. However, it is recommended that YSL open additional stores (See Place/Distribution Channel). When buying raw materials from suppliers, YSL and Gucci need to collaborate to ask for better discounts. YSL should also sell off any unnecessary factories bought from Mendes in France if it is more economical to produce in Italy with Gucci. Place/Distribution Channels: Gucci and YSl can also share facilities including warehouses in Italy and factories in France. Another recommendation is that YSL should purchase all its licensees, sever contracts with other distributors and wholesale businesses even if they are bringing in earnings. YSL needs an exclusive distribution channel to match the nature of its products. YSL should only sell its products through directly operated stores. YSL need to work with Gucci’s recent revamp team in order to change their store layouts to have a lounge ambience, fitting with the sophisticated 30s. YSL also needs to ask Gucci to pick 15 new locations in Italy for additional stores. There should only be stores in Italy and France to preserve the European charm which is a big part of its brand image and identity. It must close down the distributor in Japan so it can have a complete control over what the stores look like, how the sales representatives dress and behave. Another distribution channel that YSL should explore is the budding e-commerce culture but YSL should retain exclusivity by restricting access unless existing customers have a code authorized by YSL to log in. Promotion: â€Å"A luxurious brand for the most fortunately beautiful people on earth† The phrase should be the tagline for any YSL advertisement and a benchmark to assessing the brand performance. Also, it is important to reiterate the â€Å"fortunately beautiful† in marketing campaign as to reinforcing the exclusivity of the clientele and to anchoring the brand with such clientele. Even the buying experience is unique. It is a negotiation between the salesperson and the customers to determine each other’s fit. Salespeople should be told not to rush a sale and customers are encouraged to make multiple visits to the store before purchasing. In addition, if Gucci has Tom Ford, YSL needs to use Yves’s revered figure in marketing. An image of the young Yves will add to the mystique of the brand and a linkage to a rich history. I hope these recommendations are helpful and I am looking forward to working with you.

Employee Assistance Programs Free Essay Example, 2000 words

This is generally because the company is too small to justify the expense, the employee’s physical location within the company is dispersed over long distances or if the employees are working on a contract basis. Professional organizations such as labor unions offer peer-assisted EAP’s to its membership. The AFL-CIO, as an example, has conducted qualified counseling services for more than 60 years. 2 Peer-assisted EAP’s could be utilized if the employees are dissatisfied with their current EAP provider which could include privacy concerns, lack of certain services or restrictions on services. 3 Integrated The Integrated EAP combines an in-house program with the services from an external EAP vendor. This type of program is commonly implemented by large labor unions or self-insured corporations. This method combines the evaluation process, actual services and employee benefits responsibilities together under one umbrella management group. This has proven to reduce conflicts and misunderstandings because these services, which remain separate in most companies, unify all aspects of an employee’s concerns regarding an EAP program. Integrating the programs reduces administrative costs and improves efficiency which lessens employer expenses. We will write a custom essay sample on Employee Assistance Programs or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now AT&T has utilized an integrated EAP for the past decade. 4 Compliance A Compliance EAP is designed to be a cost-effective way for employers to comply with government regulations generally regarding substance abuse in the workplace or the perception that systematic drug testing is needed in a particular job description at that company. The employer usually implements a Compliance EAP as a cost-savings measure with the focus being on counseling for known abusers, medical evaluation services and a testing program. 5 Wrap-Around Small employers use what is termed a Wrap-Around EAP to allow employees and their family’s access to clinical psychologist or other health care professionals at a preset price. This was developed by small employers as a reaction to limitations placed on services by managed care organizations (MCOs). â€Å"MCOs are increasingly restricting provider panels and networks, thereby imposing significant restrictions on the EAP-client relationship †¦ (and) insurance companies continue to dictate treatment protocol under the banner of cost efficiency. †6 This results in loss of access to many health care options by employees of smaller firms. Large businesses are better positioned to counteract restrictions placed on their benefit package by the MCO but have the financial and organizational resources to construct personalized benefit programs.