Tag Archives: Jacob Standafer

Services: Starbucks.

All Articles, Services & Settlements

Jacob Standafer

Services

It’s a lot of work to come out with a product that will appeal to consumers, but also have a significant profit from sales and total consumption. It takes even more work to take this product, maintain a chain of services, and distribute your product globally. The coffee chain of Starbucks is an idealized corporation that is growing rapidly, and will continue growing based upon their methods of distribution to their consumers. This paper will touch on how Starbucks’ methods are genius in how they cut cost not only for their business, but also their consumers around the globe.

Why is Starbucks so smart, and how did they come to create such a successful market? Let’s first start with the coffee process. The regular distribution of Coffee starts with a famer. The famer then hands his crop to a collector, collector to miller, miller o h exporter, and then finally the importer bring in the coffee. Once the importer has control, the coffee is then sold to various producers or roasters. Although many coffee chains take this route, Starbucks had something different in mind. Starbucks had the genius idea that they would only receive their coffee from one person, and that was the farmer. As long as Starbucks remained in good relations with the famer, they significantly cut ties with the middle expenses. Starbucks method of going straight to the supplier is an extremely smart decision; I believe the majority of Starbuck’s revenue is attained through their multi-channel system. Starbuck’s multi-channel system allows them to use more than one distribution method to their consumers. Their initial channel of distribution is importing heir coffee, processing in their own stores, and selling it with their brand name. However, Starbucks also distributes to grocery stores, Markets, and various other places that will have their service in another place of business. Another example of their genius ideal distribution is having their coffee readily available on airlines and in hotels.
Even though they portray a very powerful corporation, it doesn’t mean Starbucks has not had bumps along the way. In 2008 a man by the name of Gibbons was elected as Starbuck’s new senior vice president. The chain prices that year had rose 75 million dollars more than the year before. With his new position, Gibbons decided he would research why chain prices were rising significantly for that year.  A significant reason for why this inflation was occurring came from the fact that half of Starbuck’s product were arriving on time. Gibbons stated, “”My quick diagnosis was … that we were not spending enough attention on how good we were at delivering service to stores.” It was soon discovered that there were too many outlays when distributing their product globally. Outsourcing Starbuck’s product gave the company much of its revenue, but also caused hug inflation prices.

 ( Vice President Gibbons)

        It’s not every day you strike gold by attaining power of an extremely large company that generates millions daily by sales. However if I were one of these lucky one in a billions, I would look to Starbucks. They have amazing distribution methods and have learned from mistakes in the past. All the while Starbucks is increasing their outsource market for consumers, and they are smart about how their money is being spent and where it is going.

Works Cited

Editors:

Ellie Strandguist

Jason Miller

Araeli Garcia

Oren Paisner

captureaa gib star

Folk Culture in Spain.

All Articles, Folk Culture

Jacob Standafer

Pop culture in Spain

Pop culture can derive from many places throughout the world. The question is how did the pop culture spread, and who were its ancestors. The country of Spain is full of heritage that has derived from many places and ideas. In this paper I want to explore a little piece of Spain’s popular culture and how it has became what it stands for today. How did Spanish pop culture derive, and how much of its roots are embedded throughout Spain? These are some questions that will be discussed throughout this paper.

Spain’s European culture is very intriguing to me. I’ve never traveled there, but I have always wanted to see the beautiful architecture and amazing culture these people have to offer its tourist and inhabitants. Spain’s pop culture has derived from many places, and has a very distinct look when your examining it, one that not many other countries seem to have.  Most of the Pop culture in todays Spain had derived many years ago and basically has stuck ever since. Spain’s customs had a huge influence from pre Roman culture, and also the Iberians and Celts played a significant role in Spain’s Pop culture today. On a side note, seventy nine percent of all Spanish inhabitants are Roman Catholic, two percent remain another religious faith, and nineteen percent remain non religious. Rather this has any effect on Spanish pop culture today, it’s up in the air, however I do believe it shows the majority has stuck with the Roman Catholic church, which in turns makes me feel that Spaniards are loyal to their heritage as well as their country.

Spanish traditions are known widely among the world for their authentic appearance. In the image above you can clearly see a Spaniard in his traditional Bull fighting attire and this attire is full of vibrant colors that maybe display symbolism from his home town or for a certain cause. Bull fighting is one of the oldest tradition in Spain and has remained significant part of Spanish pop culture today. Bull fighting is a huge controversy anywhere else in the world, but in Spain its definitely apart of their cultural heritage and will forever posses a significant role in Spanish pop culture.  Another event that takes place in Spanish Pop culture is running with the Bulls. Ever since I became an adrenaline junky this event has appealed to me the most.  Although some may consider Bullfighting a sport, the main sport that most Spaniards stick to is football.  Among some of the more respectable teams remains Atlético de Madrid, FC Barcelona. Many people travel to Spain to watch this football (soccer) take place and so I’ve heard its quite a show.

The arts are remaining widely diverse in Spanish pop culture; however there is some that has stayed true from the beginning. The flamenco guitar, dance, song have stayed true to Spain and will forever be an idealized icon for people looking at Spanish traditional music. Gypsisies were credited for the birth of flamenco dance, and this is a wonderful event that stands true for Spanish pop culture as well.  This tradition Spanish art form has had a huge influence on other types of music as well, which includes Bossa nova, jazz, and salsa music.

To conclude this paper on Spanish pop culture I want to let be known that I respect Spain’s customs to the fullest. Not only do Spanish people remain true to their pop culture, but they have stayed loyal to their country and have kept their pop culture alive by staying loyal. In many countries today you tend to see a lot of forgotten traditions, arts, and fashions thrown away or tossed to the side, but not in Spain. So whether you’re going to run with the bulls or just enjoy a tapa, Spain’s pop culture remains favored among the many.

Works Cited

Seventeen Year Old El Juli BullfightingflamencoEP_spain_map

Aborigines’ Folk Culture.

All Articles, Folk Culture

Jacob Standafer

Aborigines

Australia obtains a folk culture, that I feel is not explored enough. Aborigines make up 2 percent of Australia’s population. The recent government statistics say that there are around four hundred thousand aborigines located in Australia. In this paper we will explore the depths of the Aborigine people, and how they have survived their folk culture over the years. Throughout the years of the Aborigines folk culture, they have strived to stay loyal to their land, giving back to their land, while also adapting to the changes around their environment.

“We cultivated our land, but in a way different from the white man. We endeavored to live with the land; they seemed to live off it. I was taught to preserve, never to destroy.”
Aborigine Tom Dystra

                       

                Over thirty thousand years ago, Aborigines migrated from Asia. Like Native Americans, the Aborigines are comprised of tribes or groups if you will. Although these “groups” are their own entity, they do possess many unifying traits.  Among these are traits that tie the aborigines to the land, tribal culture of storytelling and art, also a troubled colonial history. Australia’s indigenous culture is the oldest surviving culture known to man, dating back to at least fifty to sixty five thousand years ago. Most argue that the prominent reason that the Aborigines have survived for so long is their ability to adapt and change over long periods of time.  Australia. Gov produced an article called “Australian Indigenous Cultural Heritage.” In this article explains the heritage through a lens that somebody not of this culture can understand. In the Article it states “In Australia, Indigenous communities keep their cultural heritage alive by passing their knowledge, arts, rituals and performances from one generation to another, speaking and teaching languages, protecting cultural materials, sacred and significant sites, and objects.”

Land remains among one the most important things for the Aboriginal people. It’s not just some soil or rocks, but they view their surrounding environment that sustains and is sustained by people and their culture. For the indigenous people their land is the heart of all spirituality. All of the Aboriginal people were hunters and gatherers and each clan had their own territory. From this territory the Aboriginals were able to meet their tribal needs and provide. The “territories” were defined by geographical boundaries such a rivers, lakes, or mountains. Usually the National Parks and Wildlife service programs work with the Aboriginal communities to make sure that the involvement with aboriginal people is seen as respect, cultural awareness, and a contribution to the land around them.

In the aboriginal world tools and implements tend to reflect the location of different aboriginal groups geographically.  An example of this would be that costal tribes use fishbone for weapon tips and tribe from the desert use stone to tips their weapons. Although tools varied among certain groups, they all had knives, spears, vessels, and axe heads. This leads into the Aboriginal people being know for the founder of stone technology. Aborigines introduced “ground edges” on cutting tools, thus allowing the Aborigines to grind seed. Also they are widely known for using tools to make other tools, preparing meals and skinning hides from various animals.

Lastly The indigenous people from Austrialia are really connected to their dreams. The Aborigines believe that the dream world connects them to past and present. They also believe the world was created from their ancestors came to the earth in spirit form and created plants, animals, people, and relations among all of these various creations. After they were done they turned into trees, stars, rocks, watering holes, and other sacred places. This is one of the main reasons the Aborigines preserve the land.

Works Cited

  • “Australia.gov.au.” Australian Indigenous Cultural Heritage. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
  • Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

Editors:

Ellie Strandguist

Jason Miller

Araeli Garcia

Nathan Lee

aboriginedanceic_indigenous_protected_areas_ipa_map

Agriculture in India.

All Articles, Food & Agriculture

Jacob Standafer

Agriculture and Food in India

                Agriculture is a prominent defining aspect in ones culture. Agriculture not only shows the well being of culture, but also shows the growth of one’s particular culture as well. In this paper we will uncover India’s agriculture and how customs evolved into how they are now represented today. We will also uncover the how India has developed over the years and where it stands on a global scale.

There is about seventy two percent of India’s population that still make up the rural areas in India in all of its 1.1 billion inhabitants. Most of these inhabitants are extremely poor and are just trying to survive. Most of the poor inhabitants rely on rain fed agriculture and forestry to survive as well. India’s agriculture makes up about one quarter of India’s economy and employs about sixty percent of the labor force. It truly is sad, because even though this seems like a good amount of agriculture, it’s said that India’s agriculture is said to be extremely inefficient and will not even come close to solving India’s hunger crisis. Also on a side note India rids about one fifth of its annual agricultural income. This is due to inefficiencies in harvesting, lack of transportation, and storage of government – subsidized crops. Another problem that remains significant in India is the improper water management, and this affecting India’s agriculture tremendously. During periods of water shortages in India, rice crops are allocated a significant amount of water the is totally disproportionate. A huge result of the insufficient water use comes from the water tables in regions of rice cultivation are on the rise, but soil fertility is on the decline.

India’s agriculture is comprised of many crops, rice and wheat being their number one food staples.  Sugarcane, potatoes, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, tea, coffee, rubber, and jute are all also crops that are among India’s agriculture. As you can see the land agriculture is definitely of an undeveloped country. However something that surprises many is the fact that India obtains one of the biggest fisheries in the world ranking in the top ten. Per year India brings in a whopping three million tons.

(Commecial fishing boat in India)

When reading the article “India: Priorities for Agriculture and Rural Development” it states

“ The Government of India places high priority on reducing poverty by raising agricultural productivity. However, bold action from policymakers will be required to shift away from the existing subsidy-based regime that is no longer sustainable, to build a solid foundation for a highly productive, internationally competitive, and diversified agricultural sector.” (author unknown)

Recently in India the poorer countries as well as the more prosperous homes have seen a slowdown in their agriculture. Some of the possible reasons for this slowdown could be poor consumption of public expenditures, over regulation of domestic agriculture trade, and government interventions in land, trade, credit markets.  In conclusion India remains as an undeveloped country on the global scale. If India’s agriculture is one day able to sustain India’s economy, maybe there will be a shot at solving India’s desperate hunger situation.

Works cited

ricewindia-map-agricultural-labourersCommercial fishermen pulling aboard a Skip Jack tuna on a commercial fishing dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat), Indian Ocean, Maldives.