Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 26

Case Study Example This can however be analyzed using the SWOT method (Lussier, 2012).   Trademarks, patents and copyright –Starbucks has numerous copyrights for items like packaging and patents on certain products and designs. This gives them complete autonomy on these products, brands and internet domains that cannot be owned by other companies. Global Responsibility- the company is focused on reducing negative environmental impacts and contributing positively to the society. It has created employment globally and established youth leadership initiatives. They have established a green program that is aimed at recycling and reusing waste materials and reducing water usage. Profitability-Starbucks is one of the fastest growing brands globally, it has opened numerous stores all over and its profits have been on the rise outmatching their close opponents and getting returns on their investments Quality experience- the selling point of Starbucks is in its quality of products that enhances the customers experience, with a wide range of products the customers are spoilt for choice and the quality and customer service is deemed excellent. Employee management- Starbucks has created employment opportunities worldwide in their stores and support facilities. Most of the employees have joined unions that represent them and offered a wide range of benefits and a pay rate that is higher than that offered by the competitors. Negative publicity- The Company has received some negative reviews regarding its treatment of employees and suppliers, there has been some lawsuits filed against them that does not portray them positively. There has also been criticism about its green program and tax evasion scandals. Emerging economies-Starbucks has the opportunity to expand its operations to the emerging economies all over the world especially in Africa and Asia. This will increase its customer base and maximize its profits because of less or

Characterisation material physical properties of porous materials Article

Characterisation material physical properties of porous materials - Article Example According to this theory, three different kinds of waves propagate within the porous material. One is the compression wave propagating in the fluid phase, the second is the compression wave travelling in the solid phase, and the third is the shear wave propagating in the solid phase (Pan & Jackson). The Biot model for predicting sound propagation in porous materials is based on five material properties, also called Biot parameters, of the material. These five parameters include the porosity of the material, its airflow resistivity, tortuosity, thermal characteristic length, and viscous characteristic length. The present review discusses the current methods for measuring and predicting these five Biot parameters. 2 Material Physical Properties in Biot Theory This section details the characterization of the material physical properties, i.e. the five Biot parameters, of porous materials. A review of the properties themselves along with the methods for measuring and predicting them is p resented. 2.1 Porosity (?) The porosity of a material is the â€Å"relative fraction, by volume, of the air contained within the material† (Fellah et al. 2003, p. 296). ... Other non-destructive methods have been applied for the estimation of porosity. Beranek (cited in Leclaire et al. 2003) gave a very simple method, in which the porous material is saturated with water and placed in an airtight chamber that is linked to a manometer. This method was based on Boyle’s law and was helpful in estimating the open porosity of the material having surfaces with open-pores. Another method that utilised Beranek’s principle was that by Champoux et al. (cited in Leclaire et al. 2003), which had a very elaborate system involving a micrometer and a differential pressure transducer. Recently, many different methods have been proposed and applied by various investigators to measure the porosity of materials. For instance, the method by Connolly (cited in Yang 2011) uses a thermographic method. In this method, the correlation between porosity and thermal diffusivity is derived by analysing the heat diffused in the sample upon heating with a laser. Other me thods include the use of X-ray computed tomography, microwaves etc to measure porosity. ASTM D6226-05 test standard describes another method that uses a gas pycnometer for measuring porosity (Pan & Jackson 2009). This method uses an apparatus consisting of calibrated expansion and sample chambers. The porous sample is placed in the sample chamber and subjected to a certain predetermined increase in pressure. This method is also based on Boyle’s law and measures the open pore volume of the sample. Another method given by Salissou and Panneton (cited in Pan & Jackson 2009) was based on the experimental determination of the solid phase volume of the material. Four tests for measuring the masses with and without the sample at