My Cyber Identity-Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

My Cyber Identity-Blog - Essay Example Edelson (2005) describes it in simple words as "just" a browser interface to web site publishing. Blogs are used by different sections of the society for different purposes. While the perceived benefits are many, so are the threats and risks to the society and its people. Mehan (2006) refers to the blogsphere world as colorful and varied as the animal world. There is an evolutionary struggle for supremacy amongst bloggers. A blog is ranked by the number of hits it receives and the number of outbound link that it has. Mehan clarifies that there are all levels of bloggers – ranging from those that have entered the world of bloggers and up to the founding fathers. To some blogging is merely a hobby but for many blogging can translate into very big business. There are some who blog almost everyday and they are able to attract advertisers or even product endorsement offers. There are different sites that offer tools to assist in meaningful blogging. For instance, Site Meter offers a free, basic hit count and link log in exchange for posting a logo-link to their website. And if this was not enough, there are software tools that boost the blog’s hit count. There is also an exchange program where people surf other blogs in exchange for others v isiting their blogs. It is now a part of the elite culture followed by the upper middle class – to read blogs. This is evident from the fact that many corporations have their own blogs. The marketing departments benefit too from such blogs. Rauchway (2007) reports in The New Republic that blogging have helped to marginalize scholarly Internet discourse. Blogging has helped a doctoral candidate Scott Eric Kaufman, to develop for himself a much higher profile. When he posted a chapter of his dissertation and sought advice, he received 66 commentaries from people of different disciplines. Blogging produces a truly better debate, opines another blogger but its practitioners do not

Drug Addiction and Service Training Program Essay Example for Free

Drug Addiction and Service Training Program Essay The National Service Training Program (NSTP) Law, RA 9163, also known as â€Å"An Act Establishing the National Service Training Program for tertiary level students, has three program components; Reserve Officer’s Training Corps [ROTC], Civic Welfare Training Service [CWTS], and Literacy Training Service [LTS] – aiming to enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth and developing the ethics of service and patriotism. Under the NSTP-MAPUA Office, which supervises the implementations of CWTS and ROTC, governed by R.A. 9163 of 2001, are MAPUA-CWTS and MAPUA-ROTC Offices. These two independent offices provide students a grading system, and different activities that endows students with theoretical and practical knowledge and experiences that are needed for community services. After finishing LTS/CWTS, graduates become part of National Service Reserved Corps; after finishing ROTC, graduates will be a part of Citizen Armed Forces. A human is a rational being, born free but are responsible for his own action, has his own identity for who he is, intrinsically a social being, and sexual in nature with uniqueness of expression – these are the characteristics of a person. Values are integrated in a person’s physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, social economic and political aspects. By understanding the character and the definition of a person, maximizing these characteristics are crucial to be able to create a positive result in realizing his competence and ability. There are many opportunities that await each person, but blind enough to notice it. A person himself is best qualified in changing and directing his life for he’s always been given an alternative whether to do or not to do an act, and is accompanied by responsibility. Understanding Filipino values are very important in realizing how Filipinos behave and act, for these values serve as a basis on which every individual’s s trength in facing the challenges of life should be directed. The positive side of the Filipino values should be put in use and disregard the negative ones to be able to bring out the best in the Filipino society in general and the individual in particular. Each Filipino I blessed inherently by a set of values – value of respect for life, concern for the family and the future generations, value of truth, of justice, of equality, of promotion of the common good, and of concern for the environment. These values are in need to be awakened in order to serve as a vehicle and reinforcement towards our goal of realizing social change and progress. A group is defined as a collection of individuals with different personalities acting and interacting with one another in the process of living. Within a group, a leader or a set of leaders is/are appointed; the one who guides his members and possess certain qualities on effective leadership. John C. Maxwell‟s book entitled â€Å"21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader† helps people recogn ize, develop and refine the personal characteristics needed to be a truly effective leader that people would want to follow. For every group, decisions are made. There are different kinds of decision-making, for instance, having only one person to decide or having a majority vote. Difficulties are also encountered but there are some conflict resolutions and styles used to solve the problem. National security is the protection to preserve the nation’s physical integrity and territory. National security has an objective of defending the territorial integrity of the state and the freedom to determine one’s own government while, human security aims the safety and survival of people, shorthand for the same is freedom from fear of physical violence. It responds to ordinary people’s needs in dealing with sources of threats. Disaster is a phenomenon brought about by either natural or man-made hazards that causes great damage and suffering – for instance, in life and property. The community, composed of its people in a state or country, takes extra-ordinary measures on how to survive when everything we take for granted is gone, when structures we depend on have failed. Disaster preparedness is an activity which complies with the preventive measures, ensuring that the community is in a state of readiness to contain the effects of a forecasted disastrous event in order to minimize loss of life, injury, and damage to property. Disaster management is a planned step taken to minimize the effects of a disaster. DRUG – any substance that brings physical, psychological, emotional and behavioral changes when used. There are many consequences when people use drugs; their behavior changes leading them to do bad things to others and their selves, and all sorts of health problems. Every classification of drug abusers – from experimenters, occasional, regular users to drug dependent people, corresponds to certain counter measures, depending on the degree of drug abuse. The Republic Act 9165, known as the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002, is the one that deals on cases which involve the use of drugs.

florida :: essays research papers

Lodging inside the Walt Disney World complex, Celebration City (owned by Disney) and Lake Buena Vista (which is a small resort community right next to Disney World) The Disney World complex and Lake Buena Vista are located along Interstate 4 (I-4) about 25 miles west of Orlando International Airport and about 20 miles southwest of downtown Orlando, Florida. Lodging near the Convention Center and Sea World This is the larger of two convention centers in Orlando. Both the convention center and Sea World are located along International Drive. Sea World is about halfway between downtown Orlando and Disney World, and about 12 miles west of Orlando International Airport. The Walt Disney Dolphin is a deluxe hotel, located between Disney MGM Studios and Epcot area. Inspired by world famous surroundings, this resort is unlike anything you've ever seen. A 5-story dolphin statue rests atop the building, colorful patterns of waves and banana leaves splash the facade, magnificent palms sway along the lakeside walkways- it's a view that only your imagination can top. At this Whimsical resort, guests will enjoy the magic inside, as you experience the entertainment architecture outside, where guests are surrounded by the magic of Walt Disney World. The hotel features 17 restaurants and lounges, for your ultimate dining pleasure. For the guests' entertainment there are 4 lighted tennis courts, 4 swimming pools, watercraft rentals, jogging trails, two health clubs, massage services, volleyball, 3 acre grotto pool and beach, supervised children's activities, saunas, whirlpools, 36 holes of miniature golf and aerobics. The multi-lingual staff is friendly and well trained, catering to your every need. florida :: essays research papers Lodging inside the Walt Disney World complex, Celebration City (owned by Disney) and Lake Buena Vista (which is a small resort community right next to Disney World) The Disney World complex and Lake Buena Vista are located along Interstate 4 (I-4) about 25 miles west of Orlando International Airport and about 20 miles southwest of downtown Orlando, Florida. Lodging near the Convention Center and Sea World This is the larger of two convention centers in Orlando. Both the convention center and Sea World are located along International Drive. Sea World is about halfway between downtown Orlando and Disney World, and about 12 miles west of Orlando International Airport. The Walt Disney Dolphin is a deluxe hotel, located between Disney MGM Studios and Epcot area. Inspired by world famous surroundings, this resort is unlike anything you've ever seen. A 5-story dolphin statue rests atop the building, colorful patterns of waves and banana leaves splash the facade, magnificent palms sway along the lakeside walkways- it's a view that only your imagination can top. At this Whimsical resort, guests will enjoy the magic inside, as you experience the entertainment architecture outside, where guests are surrounded by the magic of Walt Disney World. The hotel features 17 restaurants and lounges, for your ultimate dining pleasure. For the guests' entertainment there are 4 lighted tennis courts, 4 swimming pools, watercraft rentals, jogging trails, two health clubs, massage services, volleyball, 3 acre grotto pool and beach, supervised children's activities, saunas, whirlpools, 36 holes of miniature golf and aerobics. The multi-lingual staff is friendly and well trained, catering to your every need.

Procrastination: Anger and Unrealistic High Expectations

Procrastination Part 2: The T-method: * Benefits of overcoming procrastination * Peace of mind * Feeling and strength and purpose * Healthy feeling of being in charge * 4 reasons of procrastination * Difficult * Task is too hard * Tend to avoid difficult things * Time consuming * No time available * Lack of knowledge/skill * Don’t want to make mistakes * Will wait until they have learned how, then will start task * Fears * Everyone knows you screwed up * 4 complex reasons * Perfectionism * Unrealistic high expectations Must go right completely * Long on criticism, short on praise * High dissatisfaction and frustration * Should, must, out to , have to * Resolve by reassurance and praise what you have done * Anger and hostility * Angry with professor so you put off the work * Resolve by seeing how actions will look in long run * Low frustration tolerance * Situation un-fair * Whining, complaining * Put off till you feel better about doing the work * Resolve by getting help, and learn to postpone desires * Self-downing Minimize ability to succeed * Hard to accept praise * Seek to be less successful * Resolve by practicing accepting compliments, find out why you feel uncomfortable with success Questions: 1. What are the 4 complex reasons for procrastination? 2. How can you resolve self-downing? 3. Unrealistic high expectation is an example of what reason to procrastinate? Questions: 4. What are the 4 complex reasons for procrastination? 5. How can you resolve self-downing? 6. Unrealistic high expectation is an example of what reason to procrastinate? Summary:When you overcome procrastination you have peace of mind, feeling of strength and a feeling of being in charge with of your life. There are 8 reasons of procrastination and they are its difficult, time consuming, lack of knowledge, fears, perfectionism, anger, low frustration tolerance, and self-downing. Summary: When you overcome procrastination you have peace of mind, feeling of strength and a feeling of being in charge with of your life. There are 8 reasons of procrastination and they are its difficult, time consuming, lack of knowledge, fears, perfectionism, anger, low frustration tolerance, and self-downing.

Netflix Strategic Management

| Netflix| Heather Murdock, Brian Wynn, Joseph Casey, Samuel Faulkner, Allen Porter, Josh Blum| | The University of Memphis| 4/13/2013| | â€Å"Netflix, Inc. is the world’s leading Internet television network with more than 33 million members in over 40 countries enjoying more than one billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series. For one low monthly price, our members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen.Additionally, in the United States, our subscribers can receive standard definition DVDs, and their high definition successor, Blu-ray discs, delivered quickly to their homes† (SEC Filings, 2013). Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph established Netflix in 1997 in order to offer online movie rentals. In 1999, the firm launched its infamous subscription service that offered unlimited rentals for a monthly subscription, but it was not until the year 2000 that Netflix gave their firm a true comp etitive advantage when it implemented its movie recommendation algorithm. Within two years, Netflix made its IPO at a net value of $82,000,000 on NASDAQ.From the IPO to present, Netflix has amassed more than thirty-three million members. During this continual climb, Netflix opened its streaming service in 2007, created major partnerships from 2009 until 2010 which allowed for Netflix widgets on electronic hardware systems, and since 2010 has been establishing international operations in primarily English speaking countries (Company Overview: Netflix Timeline, 2013). Knowing the background of the company, the individuals responsible for managing the company can be discussed with an understanding of what they have achieved.At the center of everything, Netflix related is Reed Hastings, the Co-Founder, and CEO. Prior to Netflix, Reed founded one of the 50 largest software companies, Pure Software. Reed has additionally served on the California State Board of Education from 2000 to 2004. Reed’s long-term determination has resulted in the company’s endured success despite serious dilemmas. Kelly Bennet is the Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to Netflix, Kelly served as VP of Interactive World Wide Marketing at Warner Brothers for nearly a decade. Additionally, he has served executive positions in Dow Jones International and Ignition Media.Kelly’s wide range of media experiences has provided the company with the effective understanding of the company is marketing channels. Tawni Cranz is the Chief Talent Officer. Prior to Netflix, Tawni was the HR director of Bausch & Lomb. Tawni has worked with Netflix since 2007. Jonathan Friedland is the Chief Communications Officer. Prior to Netflix, Jonathan was the SVP of Corporate Communication for The Walt Disney Company. Before his executive position, he spent 20 years as a foreign correspondent and editor. Bill Holmes is the Chief Business Development Officer.Prior to Netflix, Bill served as Vice Presiden t Business Development & Strategy at DivX, Inc. Neil Hunt is the Chief Product Officer. Prior to Netflix, Neil served in various engineering and product roles at the software test tool companies. Bill has been with Netflix since 1999. David Hyman is the General Counsel. Prior to Netflix, David was the General Counsel of Webvan. David has been with Netflix since 2002. Ted Sarandos is the Chief Content Officer. Prior to Netflix, Ted was an executive at ETD and Video City. Ted has been with Netflix since 2000. David Wells is the Chief Financial Officer.Prior to Netflix, David spent six years in senior roles across Deloitte Consulting. David has been with Netflix since 2004. Finally, there is an illustrations board of directors who monitor Netflix to ensure that the executive’s vision for the company is aligned with the stockholder’s needs. The important individuals on the board of directors are Ann Mather, Reed Hastings, and Timothy Haley (Company Overview: Management, 20 13). The combined corporate experience of all the executive members has provided Netflix with an invaluable brain trust to power their dominant market share.Knowing who runs Netflix and knowing what the individuals share, as a common mission and value system, will help clarify the company’s situation in future paragraphs. Netflix does not have an official mission statement or series of values known to the public. However, the company hiring policy does list company culture qualifiers, which are rather similar to an ad hoc value system. In a company where efficiency and responsiveness is everything, Netflix does not carry very many policies or mission statement related items because they believe policies are largely ineffective at producing desired results.Their concept centralizes around the idea that the Netflix corporate brand sustains itself by creating the highest quality product and service with the highest quality employee. This undetermined result orientated mission st atement means that the employees and management hold a great deal of ethical and work autonomy. This autonomy has generated a clarified list of desired employee values: Judgment, Communication, Impact, Curiosity, Innovation, Courage, Passion, Honesty, and Selflessness (‘Top Reasons to Work at Netflix’, 2013).Knowing the motivation behind Netflix being a result oriented methodology, it will be relatively easy to understand the major goals of the company. The core strategy of Netflix is to grow their streaming subscription business domestically and internationally. Netflix has established streaming services to more than 40 countries outside of the United States. Netflix executives believe streaming content online is a large long-term growth opportunity. Due to an economy of scales, Netflix current controls the majority of the content streaming market.The other primary strategies for Netflix includes maintaining the highest customer satisfaction in the market, providing Ne tflix’ streaming service on every device, and transitioning a larger market portion into international markets. It is understandable why Netflix has been willing to venture into unexplored business ventures, such as the online content streaming, with full confidence that these new ventures will carry their company into the next generation of entertainment consumption mediums when you compare their ventures to their values and person-embodied technologies.Netflix’ intention to be usable on every device is the company’s stretch goal. The effort to become primarily a content streaming company is a long-term challenge due to the mentioned content licensing liability that would adversely affect the business if obstructed (SEC Filings, 2013). Regardless of any ambitions, there are difficulties that the company has had to face, forcing Netflix to change their long-term strategy. â€Å"Prior to July 2011, in the (United States) †¦ subscribers could receive both st reaming content and DVDs under a single ‘hybrid’ plan† (SEC Filings, 2013).The hybrid plan was broken into two different subscription services, and subscribers could choose which services interested them the most. That decision was an emergent strategy that developed due to the implementation of DVD kiosks by Red Box and Block Buster. The Stock peaked at an all-time high of 295 during July 2011, and the decisions resulted in an 80% loss in stock value (Yahoo! Finance Inc. , 2013). The company continued to recover with a primarily international and streaming strategy (SEC Filings, 2013). Netflix has successfully established itself in several related industries.They are a powerful online media provider and well as the leading online movie and game rental distributor. Several recent changes in these industries have occurred due to the competition of big business. Some changes have had a positive and negative effect on Netflix. On the political side, Netflix and other entertainment providers have benefited greatly from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security recent initiatives on the seizing of dozens of illegal streaming and torrent sites due to copyright infringement. Over the past several years’ websites such as torrentfreak, alluc. org, dvdcollect. om, and watchnewfilms. com have been seized or shut down by the U. S. government. These initiatives were a product of the growing concern of copyright infringement from the TV and film industry. Similar to the massive seizures of programs such as limewire and napster in the mid 2000 is forced by the music industry. This has also helped the Legal side of the industry that was much more complicated six years ago than it is today. Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents, and licensing have become easier to obtain for legitimate businesses due to the confidence and maturity of the industry as a whole.An unforeseen change in copyright law could have an effect on Netflix and its competitors. The econom ic factors that affect this industry are unclear. Logic suggests that entertainment spending would decrease during a recession due to a decrease in disposable income. However, DVD rentals have continued to grow. This may be because consumers are seeing DVD rentals and online streaming as cheap entertainment alternatives to their counterparts, such as visits to the movie theater or the purchase of an expensive DVD. The sociocultural factors that have affected the industry are mostly related to the advancement of technology over the last decade.Consumers are more tech savvy and thus are purchasing more products and services that enhance the speed, quality, availability, and price of what they watch. One demographic concern is the aging of the population. As baby boomers grow older they may begin to pursue less visual entertainment. There are no substantial ecological factors affecting this industry. The energy used to run the Netflix’ servers might be a concerning factor if not for the large reduction of domestic shipping and transportation that companies such as Redbox are using instead of streaming.If anything this industry’s emergence has had a positive effect on the environment because it is transforming what used to be physical product with a life cycle into timeless packages of data. The technological advances in video streaming since Netflix first decided to be an instant video provider are astounding. From what was just an emerging technology just a decade ago is now a major function of every major website in the world. The most significant entry into the market was actual TV networks designing their own websites for content streaming.Not only does this erase content that Netflix would be potentially able to offer their customers but also creates new competitors. In reference to Netflix’ other side of the business, there has been several changes in the way consumers rent DVD’s. Redbox has emerged as an industry giant by establ ishing kiosks all over the U. S. making DVD rental cheap and extremely hassle free. Traditional brick and mortar establishments are practically nonexistent due to the convenience and price of by-mail, kiosk, and instant viewing channels.The five forces model for Netflix is complicated because the DVD rental business and online media streaming are two very separate markets with different customers and competitors. The threat of new entrants on the DVD rental side of the company is not as great as it is on the online streaming side. DVDs are an older technology and a large amount of capital is required to enter this market. It is also difficult to classify exactly who and what Netflix’ direct competitors are as this industry is rapidly evolving and shifting. Netflix competes with companies on several levels of the video entertainment industry.Netflix and its competitors serve consumers on a number of alternative channels for in-home entertainment such as: brick and mortar renta l businesses, DVD vending machine services, DVD mail delivery, online rental, pay-per view rental, video on-demand services, online video purchasing, and brick and mortar retail stores. This collection of competition makes it difficult to assign a particular competitor to a specific strategic group. The threat of new entrants is low. Capital requirements to enter this industry are high and existing competition have established brands and developed unique echnology. The main concern for Netflix is if a large indirect competitor with recourses suddenly decided it wanted to enter the market. The power of suppliers is high in this industry. Netflix obtains its product directly from studios. A broken relationship could cost them an immense amount of viewing content and in turn provide their competitors with that same content. There are no viable substitutes for the content they purchase from the major film and television studios. Supplier can and are forwardly integration themselves into the industry.The most notable example of this is from the premium cable networks such as: Starz, Encore, Showtime, and HBO. These networks have all established their own premium sites for content streaming with a log-in available through a customer’s cable provider. The power of buyers is moderate to low. The customers are individual consumers so they do not present a great deal of buyer power as a purchasing group. However, Netflix’ revenue is obtained completely form individual customers that are price sensitive. As a whole they are not capable of backward integration which gives them only moderate power.The threat of substitutes is very high. There is an abundance of different channels a customer could go through to replace Netflix. Netflix customers could simply turn to Cable and satellite television networks, movie theaters, other streaming sites, free sites, rental kiosks and purchasing DVDS to replace Netflix. The switching costs are all relatively low. The riv alry among existing competitors is also relatively high and should only continue to increase. Partnerships are occurring throughout the industry that will put pressure on Netflix not only for its customers but also its content.Verizon is now partners with Coinstar’s primary subsidiary, Redbox, to launch their own on-demand video streaming site called Redboxinstant. Redbox will now compete with Netflix directly on both sides of its business. If Time Warner allows HBO to offer its website HBOGO to customers without a cable subscription then HBO will transform into a direct competitor of on-demand subscription. Amazon has jumped into the market with their launch of Amazon Prime. Users pay a yearly fee and have access to instant movies, television series, e-books, and a whole array of other value adding services.Wal-Mart has purchased VuDu, another streaming service that integrates into devices such as Sony’s Playstation 3 to provide instant viewing to subscribing members. Unlike other services Vudu offers titles available the same day they are released on DVD. Google, Apple, and BlockBuster have all also joined the market with their own version of on-demand entertainment. The competition remains high because these are all powerful companies with equal strengths striving for market leadership. Capabilities| Valuable? | Rare? | Costly to Imitate? Organized to capture value? | Competitive Advantage? | Mail-in DVD Rental| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Temporary due to product life cycle. Sustainable for now| Convenience| Yes| No| Yes| Yes| Sustainable/Temporary| Title Variety| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Sustainable| Online streaming| Yes| No| Yes| Yes| Competitive Parity/ Temporary Advantage| Instant queue | Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Sustainable advantage| Physical Distribution| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Temporary due to product life cycle. Sustainable for now| Strengths| Weaknesses| Opportunities| Threats|Instant queue system that makes movie recommendations to customers. | Potent ial liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement. | Investing in viewing material and streaming content. | Changes in consumer viewing habits| Content can be accessed via hardware applications i. e. Xbox, PlayStation, Ipad, Wii. | Declining subscriptions to domestic DVD rental service. | Adoption and growth of internet TV. | Online subscription-based entertainment video market segment saturation| Brand awareness| Customer information could be accessed by unauthorized personnel. Future of the Consumer Electronic Ecosystem: â€Å"Internet on Every Screen†| Content providers refusing to license streaming content upon acceptable terms. | Largest collection of premium content. | Operational failure in any of the key systems. | International streaming segment represents a significant long-term growth| Changes in U. S. postal rates| Netflix is confident that expansion into more markets worldwide will help the business continue to grow. This is evident because Netfl ix cites its expansive reach as a major component of its success, as well as, an important factor in the company’s plan for the future.A goal promoted on the company’s investor relationship website is the intention to provide Netflix video streaming services to any and all screens with Internet connection. So far, the company has managed to reach subscribers in 40 countries while supplying a library of over one billion hours of video (Netflix). This wide reaching and easily available nature of this service has been the source of much of Netflix’ success since the company began. Based on the statements included with the Netflix financial releases, the company views an economic perspective of competitive advantage and the industry as a whole.This perspective is less focused on accounting ratios and data than the fundamental value-added philosophy. The main concern from this perspective is value creation. Netflix has added value to the videos they license by provid ing a convenient system for streaming the video to the end user and then made that system available to individuals worldwide. The availability of Netflix in so many areas is the primary method being utilized to capture the value already created by the working system born here in the United States. Netflix holds a primary concern in the continuous presence in the technologically developing areas of the world.In these areas, the economic value added to videos is great. Far from electronic stores and Hollywood, the ease and convenience of Netflix video providing service becomes more and more significant. Netflix respects this philosophy and has responded by continuing to advance into new areas around the globe (Netflix). Triple Bottom Line Netflix has differentiated itself from the competition in both video streaming and rental. Netflix began by changing the video rental market. It entered the industry with the plan to dispense movies across America directly to its subscribers’ homes.Not long after, Netflix began adding on online method of viewing video instantly. According to the company website, members can play; pause; and resume watching, all without commercials or interruptions. There are many video-streaming services available, most of which are free. Hardly any competitor can match Netflix’ boast of no commercials because of their reliance on ad stream revenue. Netflix also differentiates itself in that the software remembers your video selections. With this memory of video selections, it can then recommend new videos that you have not seen.The most notable form of differentiation in the video streaming industry is exclusivity. This deals with what video is actually viewable by the users. The provider makes video available legally by contracting with the rights holders of the videos. This severely limits free services already available because they centralize their business model on revenue through advertising. This issue may provide Netflix with its biggest advantage. Because Netflix charges its members a subscription cost, it can then use the greater funds to negotiate with video rights holders.While Netflix cannot be considered a cost leader when compared to the free video streaming services available, it still utilizes cost management to compete with other pay services that may try to enter the market and those already available. The company advertises that for one low monthly price, Netflix members can watch as much as they want, anytime and anywhere. This low monthly price is due to four factors. One, Netflix has already overcome the cost of input. This regards the substantial investment required to launch a video streaming program on a massive scale and complete negotiations with video rights holders.Two, Netflix is also developing its economy of scale. The Netflix streaming service is spreading into 40 countries, and each new market can be reached with already developed software and without having to invest in a completely new process. Three, Netflix is further along the learning curve than competitors. The company has been ironing out kinks in the video streaming process much longer than most competitors. Four, Netflix experience gives it a viable source of advantage against industry newcomers. Netflix’ competitive scope is very broad in the video streaming market.The company is working to reach any and all potential customers with an Internet connected screen. The American market is somewhat segmented between the more tech savvy video streamers and delivery service recipients. For its video streaming service, Netflix is approaching the market with a fast pace, expanding into most areas where internet is available. Netflix’ generic strategy is integration though it leans more towards service differentiation than cost leadership. It strays from a cost position due to the many free video providers already available online.However, other pay services have difficulty competing b ecause Netflix’ success with economies of scale and experience in the industry. Many factors differentiate the Netflix service from the rest of the market. These videos are available to members on-demand without commercials. Netflix also provides its members with video recommendations based on the customer’s past selections. Furthermore, Netflix has been successful at reaching more and more developing areas that are beginning to go online. In these areas, Netflix’ product has even more differentiation due to the low competitor presence.There are positives and negatives to the Netflix business strategy. The negatives begin with the cost of premium video rights. It is difficult to differentiate via better video because they will cost more to distribute. This causes trouble because it becomes a tradeoff between more exclusive video selection and cost management. All the while, free services are looming putting together more and more comparable video selections. The benefits of Netflix strategy stem from its heightened revenue when compared to competitors.Because Netflix charges members, it can spend more on rights to show videos, and its lack of advertising diminishes the threat posed by free services. With Netflix current cost structure, it can benefit greatly from spreading to the markets becoming available due to the expansion of the Internet. A key suggestion to made for improvement to Netflix’ business strategy would be to move along the productivity frontier towards differentiation and away from cost leadership. With a higher price, Netflix can provide better videos that are more exclusive.This is crucial in order to take advantage of the vulnerability of video limitation within the free video-streaming services. Netflix’ already industry-leading experience should put to use in maximizing the already unique service it provides. It is also possible that segmenting the video-streaming service could benefit the company by div ersifying its competitive position. Netflix could provide a free service, with commercials for revenue and limited video offerings. It could then simultaneously offer a low cost subscription with no commercials but limited video offerings.Its final offering could be a premium subscription with a higher price. This membership would benefit from the higher cost because it would have a greater variety of video offerings afforded by the new revenue. This option continues to differentiate Netflix’ service while still offering low cost options to the price conscious customer. It will be very important that any raise in subscription cost be met with identifiable upgrades to video selection in order to retain subscribers. Netflix Inc. is still very much in the growth stage of the ndustry life cycle. Currently the company seeks to expand operations in Latin American countries, Europe, and South America. Their international subscribers grew from 4. 3 million in the third quarter of las t year to 6. 1 million in the fourth quarter (Forbes, 2013). In fact, with all of the success overseas,  Netflix has actually started to slow their international expansion, so that they may better analyze new potential markets before officially entering. Netflix uses the advantages of its long tail business model to overcome problems like thin markets.Through online services, Netflix has risen above competitors like Blockbuster, with advantages like unlimited inventory space through digitization and its multiple process innovations (Parr, 2010). Including such advantages as being available on multiple platforms (mobile, Xbox, Apple TV, etc. ), and having the ability to quickly add or remove products from its database. The technology utilized by Netflix to stream its products to consumers on multiple platforms has expanded rapidly. The online streaming service from Netflix was introduced in 2007, and in 2010 Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy (Parr, 2010).The technology is so widespr ead and compatible a subscriber can view a program from their office computer, to their mobile phone, and then to their Blue-Ray player or tablet. The speed of diffusion in the movie/television industries was due to the advances in internet services, similar to what is occurring in the music and book industries. Netflix’ internet streaming service is currently the dominant technology on the industries S-curve today. The remainder of its DVD mail order service is in the decline stage, even though Netflix still holds on to that service.The biggest paradigm threat that  Netflix faces is the emergence of Redbox and the ability to stream movies and TV shows from other sources like HBO Go. Netflix has several trademarks and copyrights that it protects vigorously. Its advantages like online software and no late fees have given it quite the competitive advantage. Netflix has even filed a lawsuit against Blockbuster in recent years for copyright infringement of their new online serv ices (Sander, 2013). Vertical value chain: Stage 1 raw materials: Netflix receives most of its product through the production of outside film studios such as Warner Bros. Disney, Viacom media networks, DreamWorks classics, 20th television, Hasbro studios, Saban Brands, The Weinstein Company, Open Road films, Relative Media (Reuters, 2013). The contracts made with each studio provide Netflix with the physical inventory necessary to meet the demand of consumers, and the rights to digital streaming for its online services. Netflix also participates in this upstream activity through the production of their very own television series. Stage 2 Component and Intermediate Goods: Philips and Sony jointly manage the patent for optical media cd manufacturing (CD Manufacture, 2013).Although, in North America the patent is expired, so any cd production in Canada or the United States of America is not subject to license fees. However, worldwide the patent still applies, so licensing fees would ap ply on arrival to any merchandise shipped internationally where the patent is still in effect (CD Manufacturing, 2013). After acquiring DVD’s for the still remaining physical distribution side of the business, Netflix must then package the merchandise appropriately so that its logo and trademarks are clearly visible when received by consumers. Stage 3 Final Assembly:For Netflix this requires the challenge of taking its finished product and delivering it with convenience and ease to subscribers. Outbound logistics plays a major role for success in customer satisfaction. Netflix must keep executing well in the delivery of their physical products if it wishes to maintain a key provider in mail order services. Stage 4 Marketing and Sales: Netflix has several mediums it can use to reach consumers. Of these, television commercials, internet ads, newspaper/magazine ads, and even video game consoles are crucial ways Netflix reaches its consumers.Netflix also utilizes discounts as a w ay to attract new customers, mainly its one month free trial if offers to new users. Netflix is also implementing strategies where they are now starting to offer individual service so that customers may choose which service to pay for (Schneider, 2010). The new service will provide the option for consumers to choose between the DVD rental by mail or the online streaming services. Progress is still being made on a combination package for users that use both services. Stage 5 After-Sales service and support:For Netflix, service and support may be the most crucial part to maintaining its customer base. The challenge for Netflix lies in that it must provide service and support for two completely different services. For mail order customers, Netflix must provide expedient deliveries consistently and be able to handle issues such as lost deliveries and theft. Online streaming customers have their own range of service and support that is required to accommodate. For example, Netflix must h ave a wide selection readily available for its users, and it must constantly update their library with new material.Netflix must also rely on Amazon for this portion if their business since Netflix uses Amazon’s web services (AWS) for online streaming. Netflix has a unique vertically/horizontally disintegrated system. In the past Netflix has used several horizontal integrated techniques that have led to their success by acquiring multiple studio contracts and controlling industries that deal in video distribution (Schneider, 2010). It is dynamic in the sense that most of its products where manufactured, created, and marketed at some point through an outside entity.This creates a marketing advantage where several consumers already have developed favorites and genre preferences leaving Netflix with the task of compiling the merchandise needed for shipment related services and securing the rights with major film studios to stock their digital library for online subscribers on mu ltiple platforms. On the other hand, Netflix has begun to produce and provide some of its own programming, like their new hit series â€Å"House of Cards† (Funding Universe, 2013).This for many is ground breaking because it is the first television show to bypass the cable network system, and the entire first season is available for viewing instantly which is also unprecedented for a television series. It would seem that Netflix is moving to be more fully vertically integrated with the increase of success it is having from its own studios, but for the time being taper integration would apply with most of their digital products being produced from an outside source. The only acquisition that Netflix has had in the past 3 years is with a company that is named DreamBox Learning.Netflix has not been interested in growing based on acquisitions and mergers thus far in their venture. The acquisition of DreamBox Learning is thought to be a philanthropic move for Netflix due to this de al involving a partnership with the non-profit organization known as The Charter School Fund (Dreambox, 2010). Dream Box Learning is a company that makes interactive schooling software for kids of all ages. Netflix saw this as opportunity to distribute learning throughout school systems while also boosting the reputation of Netflix. The software is also in use for kids from kindergarten all the way thru the 12th grade.This investment made by Netflix gave DreamBox Learning the ability to reach more kids and wider range of students. Netflix has a couple over very strong strategic alliances; one of their top strategic alliances is with a company we all know very well, Apple. The availability of Netflix on the iPad and Iphones has helped Netflix gain more users who are looking to watch movies or download shows onto their devices. Along with these devices, Netflix is also available on the Apple TV device so that users are able to watch the movies directly through their TVs.Blackberry and RIM tried entering an alliance but were never able to finalize a deal. This would most likely hurt blackberry since the amount of recent users of Netflix is on the rise. Another strategic alliance you have probably seen with Netflix is the availability of it on your TV’s, DVD players and Blu-ray Players. These all work over hardwire or wifi network allowing you to view movies and shows via the Internet through your TV and or players. Netflix has done this to gain the people who do not want to wait on the videos to reach them through the mail.This is the latest technology which includes smart TV’s and Blu-ray players which both have apps pre installed on them so all you have to do is hook them up to an internet connection and you are able to view the movies or shows that you would like (HD TV Test, 2012). This was a great opportunity for Netflix to enter the apps game and really push them to the top. This alliance has defiantly helped Netflix get to their goal of milli ons of users by making it easier to get the movies right in your home without having to wait.As the TV prices have dropped recently and more people buying smart TVs this was a great move for Netflix to really get their name out to the people who had not previously used them. Netflix does not seem to be a company who has an alliance management origination but is just looking at technology and developing ways to enter the market all the time. They are always looking for new and improved ways to get the product into the hands of their users more effectively and efficiently. Netflix is a company that has spread its seed internationally they just recently expanded into Latin America.This was their first international release of Netflix and has proven to be a hard market to corner because of the competition that is out there (LA Times, 2012). Since then they have now emerged in countries such as Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. They have also reached out to people in Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain. These markets, which already have companies supplying them with videos on demand, have proven to be harder for Netflix than originally anticipated. Is this going to discourage Netflix from entering the market in other countries is the biggest question people are asking right now.Growth in these regions has been slower for Netflix than anticipated and they are currently looking into new ways to distribute their videos in these countries. One of the main problems that Netflix has had in Latin America is that some of the DVDs were not carrying subtitles, making it undesirable for people to rent. In order to compete with their competitors in this market Netflix now makes sure that all of the movies or shows being distributed in Latin America have subtitles. So far, in Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain Netflix has been successful and is looking to spread out across Europe.The next question you ask yourself while doing research is how is Netflix going to reach the mar ket of China or Japan or when are they going to try. According to research, the time has not been much insight as to whether Netflix will even attempt to enter these markets. Just recently, the Chinese government launched a video service much like Netflix (Reuters, 2012). Trying to compete with the Chinese government is really going to be difficult and this might be one reasons that Netflix has decided not to enter those markets.Netflix is using an International Strategy based on the fact they have to have movies in different languages or with sub titles in order to reach these markets. They are doing their best to make sure that every market they enter is going to be a successful journey. This one of the main reasons people have stated they have yet to enter both the Japanese or Chinese markets due to the control the government has over what is entering their markets. The strategy has proven to be effective for Netflix and they have succeeded in the countries they have entered.The changes they have had to make in the markets show their willingness to succeed and just how driven Netflix really is. Netflix currently has two separate services that are DVD’s by mail and the online streaming of movies and shows. As of the fourth quarter of 2012, Netflix had 27. 15 million subscribers worldwide. Revenues for the Online streaming service were $589 million and $254 million for DVD’s by mail. However, the contribution profit/loss for the online streaming service was $-105 million and $125 million for DVD’s by mail.While the online streaming service brings in more revenue for Netflix, the costs of operating it surpass those of the DVD service. The DVD service has fixed costs, while the online streaming service must negotiate licenses with each individual company on a case-by-case basis. With this knowledge, it is obvious that Netflix must make a strategic change in order for the company to have a long life. The major issue the subscribers have with the online streaming service of Netflix is that it does not offer newer releases.If Netflix were to offer newer releases then they could then charge higher prices with justification and make more of a profit on the online streaming service. Considering the major competitors such as, Redbox and Amazon already offer newer releases, Netflix would need to make this change within the next year or they could go out of business. Netflix is collaborating with major media companies such as, Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate, and MGM, so they would be able to work out a deal with them in order to enact this change.Netflix has released statements about making this change and they say they do not want to offer newer releases and follow their competition (Daily Finance, 2012). The culture and values of the company is to have their low monthly rate of $7. 99 for unlimited streaming and they do not want to drive away potential customers by increasing the prices. An alternative for increasing the ove rall price would be to have tiered pricing where they can keep the original price but also have an option for newer releases plus the originals for either $8. 99 or $9. 99.This way they could still say that their prices start at $7. 99. This change could increase profits and bring in more subscribers. The resources that Netflix would need would be to have the rights to the majority of the new releases and the media companies, which is already in place. They have deals with some of the most known media companies in the business, so this would not be a problem for them. In addition, there would not need to be any new policies or procedures in order to implement this change. There are seven members on the Board of Directors, two of which are women.There are no minorities on the board. The CEO, Reed Hastings, is also the chairman and has been since inception. The largest direct shareholders of Netflix are all of the people on the Board of Directors. However, the largest institutional ho lders include Icahn, Vanguard, and Goldman Sachs. One of the latest legal issues Netflix has had has been a privacy violation of its customers. There was a class action lawsuit against the company because they were disclosing records of what the customers were watching. This is an ethical issue for the company considering it deals with a violation of privacy.Netflix made a $9 million settlement which resulted in a 14% decrease in the net income for the fourth quarter of 2012. The CEO, Reed Hastings, is not a Level 5 manager. He does not make good strategic decisions for the company or for the customers considering he is not willing to offer newer releases, which could eventually be what saves Netflix in the end. After all that has been discussed about Netflix, I would not invest in the company because the company could potentially not survive the next five years. Works Cited Company Overview: Management. (n. d. . Netflix. Retrieved March 8, 2013. https://signup. netflix. com/MediaCe nter/Management Company Overview: Netflix Timeline. (n. d. ). Netflix. Retrieved March 8, 2013. https://signup. netflix. com/MediaCenter/Timeline Yahoo! Finance Inc, NFLX: Summary for Netflix, Inc. – Yahoo! Finance. (n. d. ). Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News. Retrieved March 8, 2013. http://finance. yahoo. com/q? s=NFLX SEC Filings (Form 10-K). (n. d. ). Investor Relations: Netflix, Inc. Retrieved March 5, 2013. http://ir. netflix. com/sec. cfm Top Reasons to Work at Netflix. n. d. ). Netflix Jobs. Retrieved March 8, 2013. jobs. netflix. com/jobs. html Munarriz, R. (n. d. ). Netflix: No, We Won't Stream New Releases – DailyFinance. DailyFinance – News and Advice for a Lifetime of Financial Decisions. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://www. dailyfinance. com/2012/12/24/netflix-no-we-wont-stream-new-releases/ DreamBox Learning Acquired by Charter Fund in Partnership with Education Philanthropist and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings | DreamBox Learning ®. (2010, April 20). Intelligent Adaptive Learningâ„ ¢ | DreamBox Learning ®.Retrieved April 14, 2013, from  http://www. dreambox. com/press-release-20100420 Fritz, B. (2012, May 16). Netflix faces problems in Latin America – Los Angeles Times. Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from  http://articles. latimes. com/2012/may/16/entertainment/la-et-ct-netflix-latin-america20120516 Monday, R. C. , 2012, 1. J. , ; BST  , 1. p. (n. d. ). Netflix App Debuts On Samsung Smart TV Apps Store. TV Reviews – Best LED LCD, 3D Plasma ; Smart TVs. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from  http://www. hdtvtest. o. uk/news/netflix-app-samsung-smart-tv-201201161616. htm Zeidler, S. , ; Grover, R. (2012, June 28). China to launch Netflix-like movie service| Reuters. Business News – Indian Stock Market, Stock Market News, Business ; Finance, Market Statistics | Reuters India. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://in. reuters. com/article/2012/06/ 28/hollywood-china-jiaflix-idINL2E8HP1F420120628 â€Å"CD Manufacturing | Audio CD Manufacturing | CD Manufacturers | Music CD Manufacturing | CD Glass Mastering | Glass Mastered CDs | CD Pressing Services. CD Manufacturing | Audio CD Manufacturing | CD Manufacturers | Music CD Manufacturing | CD Glass Mastering | Glass Mastered CDs | CD Pressing Services. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. . FundingUniverse. â€Å"History of Netflix, Inc. â€Å" FundingUniverse. † Find Funding with Banks, Investors, and Other Funding Sources | FundingUniverse. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. . Parr, Ben. â€Å"The Fall of Blockbuster; the Rise of Netflix,

Paris Noir Essays - Bee Train, Funimation Entertainment, Neo-noir

Paris Noir Essays - Bee Train, Funimation Entertainment, Neo-noir Paris Noir Paris Noir One of Americas great dark periods of the 20th Century was the treatment of African Americans that lasted well after they had been freed. In a country that celebrated its freedom, its government of the people and by the people, a good number of its people remained enslaved by injustice. Blacks remained poor, uneducated, and segregated because whites needed someone to blame their troubles on and they needed someone to work for less. Its sad to think how and institute of hate can be so strong and how little people could to think for themselves. The book Paris Noir is refreshing and enlightening. Theres a lot of history out there that remains unsung, the greatest tragedy of history books is the lack of a unbiased view of whats important. Luckily we live in a time where history is being examined closer and more impartially, but theres still a long way to go. I think history books continue to really overlook this prevailing issue in the American Armed Forces in World War I. Its stunning to learn how black troops were treated and how little they were rewarded. They provided a great service for America a service that has gone largely unsung. Thankfully, there are places in such a sad world where blacks are not treated so harshly. In France and more specifically Paris, blacks found a place that resembled the near equal society they had hoped America to become. The French greatly appreciated their efforts and applauded their efforts even when America would deny them any recognition.

Best Online Courses for Students †Pro-Academic-Writers.com

Best Online Courses for Students The recent research has shown that nowadays students attitude to higher education has overcome a dramatic shift. Youngsters aged 18-24 studying full-time on a campus is not a standard model of student anymore. In our modern society people don’t see higher education as something unique and independent. Now we all try to combine it with jobs, travelling, and family. But still we try to do everything possible in order to obtain some degree in higher education, because in finding a prestigious position higher education is a must. For those who want to have time to do as much as possible, online education comes in handy. This way of studying is gaining popularity among all people of different age and social status. A lot of universities have different online courses where qualified teachers provide you with profound knowledge of your particular subject. Unfortunately, some people consider these courses a complete waste of time and money. Just because you have more conservative view s and got used to the old-fashioned way of studying at the university doesn’t mean that Internet education is only for lazy and unmotivated people. On the contrary, only advanced, active and highly motivated people give a priority to the online education and in this article you will see why it is so. Why is it good? In our fast-moving world and highly developed technologies people can receive a proper education everywhere and at any time. Online courses are extremely popular now. Let’s see why more and more people prefer this way of studying. Possibility to study at any time. The student who studies remotely can independently decide when is the most suitable time during a semester to dedicate to studying. He creates his individual schedule. Some educational institutions give students an opportunity to postpone studying for long term and to come back to it needlessly to pay again educational services. Possibility to create your own style of studying. Remote students don't have to worry that they will lag behind the classmates. It is always possible to return to studying of more difficult questions, to look at video lectures several times, to re-read correspondence with the teacher, and already known topics can be passed. The main task is to successfully pass intermediate and total certifications. Possibility to study everywhere. Students can study without leaving the house or office. To start the course you just need to have a computer and access to the Internet. Lack of necessity to visit educational institution daily is an undoubted plus for physically disabled people, for those who live in the remote districts or parents with small children. Combine studying with your primary activity. Online education gives you a chance to take up several courses at the same time or to get the next higher education. In this case it isn't necessary to take or to go to business trips. There are special educational organizations which will organize corporate training (professional development) for the office staff and civil servants. In this case study doesn't interrupt the seniority, and the studied material can be applied to work at once. High results. The research of the American scientists has shown that the results of distance learning don't concede or even surpass results of traditional forms of education. The remote student mostly studies independently. It improves storing and understanding of the covered topics. And opportunity to put knowledge into practice at once helps to consolidate them. Besides, the use of the latest technologies makes it more interesting and lively. Availability of materials. Remote students don’t face such problem as shortage of textbooks. The access to all necessary literature is opened to the student after registration on the site of university, or he may receive training materials by mail. Remote education is cheaper. If we compare internal and remote studying, the second will be cheaper. The student shouldn't pay the road, accommodation, and in a case with foreign higher education institutions it isn't necessary to spend money on visa and the international passport. Convenient for the teachers. Teachers and tutors who work remotely can dedicate time to the bigger amount of students and continue work even having a maternity leave. Individual approach. Usually teachers can’t provide their students with the descent attention during the class, but during the online education teacher will work with you individually and spend as much time as you need. Why is it bad? Of course, nothing is perfect and online courses have their own disadvantages, but they are not so terrible and you can live with them. The strong motivation is necessary. Practically the remote student masters all training material independently. It demands the developed will power, responsibility and self-checking. Not everybody manage to maintain the necessary rate of training without control from the outside. Lack of practical knowledge. Studying remotely the professions which assume a large number of a practical training is complicated. Even the most modern technologies won't replace to future doctors or teachers the "live" practice. Remote education isn't suitable for developing a communicative skill. At distance learning personal contact between students and teachers is very low, and sometimes it is even absent. Therefore such form of education isn't suitable for developing the communicative skill, confidence or team work. All in all, it is clear that online education is definitely a rescue for those who don’t have a chance to visit higher institutions due to lack of time, money or may be desire. So if you want to obtain a degree of higher education, you have an opportunity to do it even at home.

Citing an Online Video with Chicago Authorâ€Date Referencing

Citing an Online Video with Chicago Author–Date Referencing Citing an Online Video with Chicago Author–Date Referencing Previously, we looked at how to cite an online video using Chicago’s footnote referencing. But The Chicago Manual of Style also sets out an author–date referencing system. So to make sure we’ve covered all our bases, this time we’re looking at citing an online video author–date style. In-Text Citations First of all, citations. As with any source in Chicago author–date referencing, citing an online video means giving the creator’s surname and a date of publication in brackets: Some museums are now returning stolen artifacts (Colwell 2018). Here, we’re citing a TED Talk by Chip Colwell that was uploaded to YouTube in 2018. We’ve cited Colwell in this case because gives the presentation, but with some videos you may want to cite the writer or director instead. It all depends on who the main creator is. The main difference from citing a print source comes when quoting a video. In the absence of page numbers to cite, you’ll have to include a timestamp for the part of the video cited: Discussing these returns, he describes this as â€Å"plant[ing] seeds of hope in the ruins of the past† (Colwell 2018, 7:18). Here, for instance, we can see that the quote comes from 7 minutes and 18 seconds into the video. Additional source information will then be given in the reference list at the end of the document. Reference List When you add an online video to your reference list, you need to provide enough information for readers to find it themselves. This should include at least most of the following: Surname, First Name. Year of publication. â€Å"Video title.† Host website. Format, video length. Uploader name (if different from creator). Date of access (if required). URL. You might not be able to find all this information, but this is fine as long as the video is easy to identify (keep in mind that URLs sometimes change, so you need more than just a link). To see how this would look in practice, we’ll create a reference for the video cited above: Colwell, Chip. 2018. â€Å"Why museums are returning cultural treasures | Chip Colwell.† YouTube. Video, 13:01. TED. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUUP2MMz7PU. We cite Chip Colwell as the author above, but we also include TED as the uploader. This is because the video is hosted on the TED YouTube channel.

Strategic Management direction Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management direction - Case Study Example This product is known as "Funds Master". Mr. Phillip Hardeep owns the 60 percent of the total share of the company, while the other 40 percent is owned by the internal stakeholders, Ruth Simmons and David Jones, who are also working with Phillip Hardeep in this software company as the main marketing person and software engineer respectively. The additional side product sold by the company is the use of Internet facility wireless card which can be allotted to the customers coming to stay in hotels. The product Funds Master's selling performance was doing fine since the time of the company's establishment, until, its sale started to fall back within the time period of last two years because there is a competitive product in the market that is launched and taken care of by a multinational organization. Mr. Phillip Hardeep fears that the competitive software program of the multinational corporation has affected the sales and reputation of their company's product, "Funds Master"; and has lower down the sales graph of eventually. Now, the main task of this research report is to study and evaluate the strategic management direction for the guidance of the company and its future strategies so that Hardeep software company could improve its performance and position in the competitive marketplace by taking advantage of all those strategic planning, concepts, tools and models. Part#1 - Strategic & Functional Analysis of Hardeep Software Understanding Strategic Management Strategic management is a principle, science and art through which the management of a company implements, formulates, and evaluates cross-functional decisions and enables the organization to achieve its highest targeted and long-term decided objectives. With the help of strategic management, the management of the company successfully specifies its policies, procedures, values, goals, target markets, mission, vision, aims and objectives, plans, projects and programs, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and available resources along with the partner companies or stakeholders. It is considered to be the highest level of managerial activity through which the company determines its current and future position in the marketplace (Lamb, p27, 1984). Understanding Key Dimensions of Strategic Management - Strategic Planning, Strategic Tools & Strategic Models Strategic planning can be considered as the subsidiary branched tool and technique of strategic management which helps the management of the company to perform better and complete the given task with remarkable progress. The main focus of strategic planning is to emphasize on the energy provided to complete a task. Thus, it helps the company and its employees to give-in their best efforts and perform a good job in order to attain the targeted goals and objectives of the company. Strategic planning also assists the organization by guiding the right direction according to the changing environment. In short, strategic planning is a well-planned and disciplined policy or procedure to construct significant assessments and actions that

Interesting Topic on Decision making Research Paper

Interesting Topic on Decision making - Research Paper Example Critical decision making on critical issues that affect the performance of the whole organization is normally coordinated and made by the top leadership of the organization. Organizations that make weak or poor decisions show the kind of bad leadership they have. This always reflect negatively on the organization. On the other hand, organizations that make strong or good decisions normally show the competency of their leadership and that impacts positively on the organizational performance. Decision making can follow the bottom-up system. This way, the decision is made by the line management and it is applied to the top management of an organization. Similarly, decision making can come from the top management down the management ladder. There are also situations where decision making is centric as well as when it is horizontal which involves making decision on the same level of management. Organizations need to concentrate on decisions that are in line with its strategic mission and vision statements. Such decisions ones made, should be implemented in order for their effectiveness to be felt in the organization. This paper is therefore aimed at finding out how decision making as an organizational tool works to impact the performance and outcomes of the organization. Indeed, when good decisions are made in an organization, and the decisions are implemented quickly, the performance of an organization will rise to show the increase. When a survey was done on 350 company executives to establish their organizational effectiveness, only 15% of them stated that their organizations help their businesses perform better than their competitors in their respective industries (Paul & Marcia 2006). The article sets it out clearly that what leads to different performance is the quality with which they carry out their services, speed, and how they execute their decision making process. In this case, one

Medical surgical on discharge planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Medical surgical on discharge planning - Essay Example Discharge planning is about determining what a patient needs for a smooth move from one level of care to the other, as they shift from a hospital surgical ward to recover at home as an outpatient. It is certainly best to prepare a patient for recovery rather than to leave them in the dark to experience new things all by themselves because not knowing can have negative consequences. This write-up presents discharge planning for a patient who has had Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery performed on them in a surgical ward and is preparing to shift to their home. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery (CABG) is a surgical procedure that is performed to open blocked coronary arteries using grafts from a patient’s own arteries or veins located in the leg, arm or chest (Senagore, 2004, Pp. 346 – 352) and (Fuster, 2009, Chapter 65). The grafted arteries or veins replace blocked coronary arteries to restore blood flow to the heart and to present an improved performance by this vital organ, resulting in relief from chest pain, ischemia and an improvement in patient’s quality of life together with expectations of prolonging a patient’s life. However, CBGR is an invasive procedure carried out under general anaesthesia and the patient recovers under intensive care with assisted breathing administered by a mechanical ventilator. Prior to discharge, the patients usually spend a few days under observation in a non-surgical unit and are counselled and prepared for their discharge. Discharge planning refers to the process that is used to determine what a patient needs for a smooth move from one level of care to the other (Birjandi, 2009, Pp. 1 – 2). It is important to understand that discharge planning is not just about assisting patients to arrange for care after leaving a hospital. Discharge planning is about observing, analysing and deciding about how best to assist a patient to continue with their recovery at home after a physician has

Analytical Project Southwest Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analytical Project Southwest Airlines - Essay Example The industry facilitates world trade, tourism, international investment, economic growth. It is also a centre of the globalization that is taking place in many of the industries. In the past decades, worldwide, travelling has been taken place for both leisure and business. Therefore, per year air travel has grown by 7%. Approximately, about 1.5 billion people are travelling through airlines worldwide (The Airline Industry, 2000). Type of business: The airline is considered to be the tertiary industry that offers its services to all the people, directly or indirectly. When tourism is promoted in the country, it is the airlines that improves the economy and in turn affect every member of the society (Southwest, 2011). Form the airlines industry, the paper discusses Southwest airlines in detail. Size: The total number of employees in the southwest airline is about 3500. In the year 2010, their net income was $ 459 million. Moreover, excluding the special items, their net income turns ou t as $550 million. Throughout the year on the airline, a total of 88 million people have travelled. The statistics report of 2010 shows that their operating revenue of the year 2010 was $12.1 billion (Southwest, 2011). Service provided: Southwest airline is considered as the United States’ most successful high frequency, low fare, and point to point carrier. Every day they offer more than 34000 flights coast to coast. This makes it one of the largest domestic passenger airlines of the states (Southwest, 2011). Market served: Southwest airline is the domestic airline; it flies to 37 states; 72 cities. They serve these cities by using 548 Boeing and 737 jets (Southwest, 2011). Summary of SWA’s Strategy Mission: The mission of Southwest Airline is â€Å"dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.† The mission of the company is to provide their customer with the best qual ity that will force them to return to them more than once (Southwest Airlines, 2011). Organizational objectives: The objectives of the company are to efficiently deliver the basic services (Southwest Airlines, 2011). To achieve this goal they have divided this objective into a number of fundamental objectives. They want to provide their customers with safe, low price transportation with maximum convenience. Overall HR strategy: The HR strategy of the company is â€Å"recognizing that our people are the competitive advantage, we deliver the resources and services to prepare our people to be winners, to support the growth and profitability of the company, while preserving the values and special culture of Southwest Airlines† (Buller, 2006). Being a great place to work, the airlines is selective in hiring and looks out for the best employees that can satisfy the needs and wants of the company as well as the customers. Key strategies: The key strategy of the company includes bein g cost effective, so that they can capture greater number of customers. They are also specialized in short-haul flights to their customers. They tend to give their customers the best services in return of the price they pay. This strategy is considered to be their core strategy (Southwest

An Australian Airline (Qantas) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

An Australian Airline (Qantas) - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper is Qantas, an Australian Airline that had so far been enjoying premium brand equity but lately ash been experiencing declining sales and market share. Turnaround strategy should involve extension and expansion of the geographical region. Qantas plans to extend its services with an Asian hub and serve the underserved Asian markets. SWOT analysis had revealed that opportunities in this region are immense but they should focus on being a premium corporate airline. Earlier the recommendation was to focus on new product development, look for newer destination with fewer carriers and attract new customer base. Thus the first alternative to continue with Qantas brand and extend service in international sectors is not feasible and has inherent risks. Therefore, the airline should start its new carrier as a premium corporate airline with focused leadership having string corporate vision. They should be able to provide all on-board facilities based on an eval uation of customer needs and convenience. This strategy is in alignment with its corporate vision which is to operate the world’s best premium airline. This strategy would require 3-4 years to become effective as fresh agreements, landing rights, and delivery of new aircrafts would have to be obtained. This also requires training and development of the staff, better employee relationships and focus on profit maximization. This is an achievable strategy as the airline has abundance of experience in being a legacy carrier. They also have experience of dealing with the Asian clients because of Jetstar, their LCC. It is expected that this strategy would be able to provide the expected synergies. 2. Alternative recommendations Qantas Airlines, proposing to start a premium carrier with as Asian hub is subject to regulations imposed by the Australian government as they face charges against layoffs. It has been recommended that the new premium carrier should focus on Singapore as the hub and the strategy that has been recommended was to focus on product development and new market development. This strategy would disturb its agreement with Oneworld partners and especially Cathay Pacific. This paper analyzes the proposed recommendations and provides alternative strategy identification and discussion. 2.1 Alternative strategy 1 As of now the strategy is to start a new premium brand with a minority stake which would help them obtain landing rights in Asia and also feed the base hub with international traffic. However, this strategy could lead to fragmentation and dilution of its core brand as it already runs a low cost Jetstar subsidiary which operates in Asia. They should hence focus on the base brand and develop it. 2.1.1 Gap Analysis The airlines vision is to be the first 'next generation' premium carrier (Qantas, 2009). Brand Qantas is well established in the minds of the people and continuing with the existing brand instead of a new carrier would be a strategi c fit with their corporate visions, mission and goals. They have the necessary resources in terms of human capital such as trained pilots and operations staff. This strategy would eliminate the existing pilot agitation in Australia and they could save face against government opposition. 2.1.2 Changes in the current marketing strategy With this new strategy Qantas would not have to focus on new product development. However, their target segment, market positioning and the distribution channels would remain the same. They could continue to offer new destinations to the new segments through innovative strategy. To differentiate itself from other products, 2.1.3 Expected results This strategy would help in better allocation of resources and utilization of unutilized resources. At the same time, financially there would be cost savings as the new brand need not be promoted separately. Marketing efforts too would be

Research PaperCultural Intersections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Research PaperCultural Intersections - Essay Example Since the process if bettering oneself is just that - a choice, when the black sub group chooses to pursue another cultural path within the American culture, white America often shows little tolerance or understanding. For black America, the melting pot and land of opportunity images have never been allowed to become the cultural icons with which white American's co closely identify. The black experience of American culture did not begin with voluntary immigration in the pursuit of a better life. Black American's were forcibly taken from their homes and brought to America as slaves. Black American's, while no longer living as slaves, and living in a free country, still struggle to establish a distinctly American and successful identity. Their path was forced, not voluntary. Their emigration was from freedom to bondage, while white Americans, to a great extent, left religious and social bondage to establish freedom. From these two different paradigms, two different American cultures have emerged. At the seam where these cultures meet, friction and misunderstanding are the norm. As a result, a homogeneous America currently does not exist for either group, and both sub-cultures tend to carry a chip o n their shoulder, blaming the other as the source of the discord. For both of these cultures, the idea of choice should be taken into consideration so that the individuals can begin to move past their individual ideas of how America 'should' look. White Americans and black Americans each have made choices on how to perceive their country and culture. Each has come to an individual understanding based on their choices and personal experiences. Unfortunately, at the intersection of these two paradigms, the individuals often try to justify their perceptions as something bigger than choice. White America lifts up their own experience as 'how and what America is.' America is the melting pot, the land of opportunity, and any individual or people group that does not perceive it similarly is understood as attacking America. Black America similarly can understand the country as an oppressive culture, bent on taking from them their individuality and uniqueness as it tries to squeeze them into the white cultural mold. Working under this perception, black Ame ricans can easily turn aggressively hostile to the white paradigm, which leads to conflict, and disunity. Reike and Sillars, in their work on critical decision making (1993) address this phenomenon by accurately identifying it as the product of choice. They say that our individual belief systems are made up of two components, beliefs and values. Individuals settle on core values as both an individual and as a larger group. Often these values within a culture are similar, even though they are worked out in different ways. Americans as a group tend to hold the value of independence as a universal value. Individuality is also a shared cultural value. According to Reike and Sillars, built around these core values are individual belief systems which shape and affect our understandings of our values. Belief systems are most often learned behaviors. Belief systems are based on what is important to us, our values, but they also reflect our personal experiences, and our belief systems also shape our actions. We will rarely make decisions or choose a course of action which is in violation to our belief system, even if the belief system inaccurately reflects

An Australian Airline (Qantas) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

An Australian Airline (Qantas) - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper is Qantas, an Australian Airline that had so far been enjoying premium brand equity but lately ash been experiencing declining sales and market share. Turnaround strategy should involve extension and expansion of the geographical region. Qantas plans to extend its services with an Asian hub and serve the underserved Asian markets. SWOT analysis had revealed that opportunities in this region are immense but they should focus on being a premium corporate airline. Earlier the recommendation was to focus on new product development, look for newer destination with fewer carriers and attract new customer base. Thus the first alternative to continue with Qantas brand and extend service in international sectors is not feasible and has inherent risks. Therefore, the airline should start its new carrier as a premium corporate airline with focused leadership having string corporate vision. They should be able to provide all on-board facilities based on an eval uation of customer needs and convenience. This strategy is in alignment with its corporate vision which is to operate the world’s best premium airline. This strategy would require 3-4 years to become effective as fresh agreements, landing rights, and delivery of new aircrafts would have to be obtained. This also requires training and development of the staff, better employee relationships and focus on profit maximization. This is an achievable strategy as the airline has abundance of experience in being a legacy carrier. They also have experience of dealing with the Asian clients because of Jetstar, their LCC. It is expected that this strategy would be able to provide the expected synergies. 2. Alternative recommendations Qantas Airlines, proposing to start a premium carrier with as Asian hub is subject to regulations imposed by the Australian government as they face charges against layoffs. It has been recommended that the new premium carrier should focus on Singapore as the hub and the strategy that has been recommended was to focus on product development and new market development. This strategy would disturb its agreement with Oneworld partners and especially Cathay Pacific. This paper analyzes the proposed recommendations and provides alternative strategy identification and discussion. 2.1 Alternative strategy 1 As of now the strategy is to start a new premium brand with a minority stake which would help them obtain landing rights in Asia and also feed the base hub with international traffic. However, this strategy could lead to fragmentation and dilution of its core brand as it already runs a low cost Jetstar subsidiary which operates in Asia. They should hence focus on the base brand and develop it. 2.1.1 Gap Analysis The airlines vision is to be the first 'next generation' premium carrier (Qantas, 2009). Brand Qantas is well established in the minds of the people and continuing with the existing brand instead of a new carrier would be a strategi c fit with their corporate visions, mission and goals. They have the necessary resources in terms of human capital such as trained pilots and operations staff. This strategy would eliminate the existing pilot agitation in Australia and they could save face against government opposition. 2.1.2 Changes in the current marketing strategy With this new strategy Qantas would not have to focus on new product development. However, their target segment, market positioning and the distribution channels would remain the same. They could continue to offer new destinations to the new segments through innovative strategy. To differentiate itself from other products, 2.1.3 Expected results This strategy would help in better allocation of resources and utilization of unutilized resources. At the same time, financially there would be cost savings as the new brand need not be promoted separately. Marketing efforts too would be

The EU legislation and Labour movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The EU legislation and Labour movement - Essay Example Moreover, while there has been progress in the study of managerial leadership behaviour in various countries of the globe (Den Hartog, House, & Hanges, 1999; Kuchinke, 1999; Maczynski & Koopman, 2000), world wide research in leadership styles of entrepreneurs is minimal (Ardichvili, Cardozo, & Gasparishvili, 1998). Lastly, while there have been several studies that have been undertaken on psychological and behavioural distinctions between entrepreneurs and managers within a Western setting (i.e. the UK) (e.g., Brockhaus, 1982; Brockhaus & Nord, 1979; March & Sharipo, 1987), there is a dearth of literature on the comparison of leadership styles of Western and non-western entrepreneurs and managers. While there is a wealth of literature discussing leadership styles across countries, there is a dearth of research specifically tackling the topic of entrepreneurial leadership. The fact that legislation is a catalyst for economic growth and development is well known. Differing economic, cultural and political circumstances abroad also suggest the need for a better understanding of employees with a broad context is important. Fortunately, the ability to study the implications of policies on economic growth abroad is expanding rapidly as a result of the emergence of global private equity markets and micro finance. International entrepreneur ship spans cultural boundaries and involves a variety of stakeholders, including the entrepreneur, investors and policy makers (Asel, 2003). "Social considerations must be given the same status as economic, financial and environmental concerns in a holistic approach. It is time for global thinking and local action. The implementation of the Core Labour Standards and the laws and regulations that give effect to them at national levels can be significantly enhanced if the capacities of national labour inspectorates are buil t up and strengthened. Labour inspectors have a crucial role to play because they are the only ones with the authority to directly access and impose changes in the workplace."(Albracht, 2005) The European union was expanded in May 2004 having 25 members. The aim of the creation of the union was to create the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of substantial economic growth with more, and better, jobs and greater social cohesion (Elizabeth Hunt Recruitment). All the member states of the EU have to follow common trade and employment laws, which on the one hand provided them with the ease of free trade and larger availability of work force and a vast product market on the other. Working Time in Europe: "According to the EU Working Time Directive (93/104/EC), implemented on 23rd November 1993 and laid down the following: - There should be a minimum rest period of 11 consecutive hours for every 24-hour period. - There should be a rest break if the working day is longer than six hours. - There should be a minimum rest period of one day per seven-day period. - There should be a minimum of four weeks' paid annual leave. - There should be an average of no more than eight hours work per night in a 24-hour period. Although there are significant variations relating to paid holiday leave across the member countries; in all cases the average paid annual

Strategic Adaptability Essay Example for Free

Strategic Adaptability Essay Strategic adaptability is the ability of an organization to make changes in the way they conduct business and look at the various situations which arise. It is imperative that companies remain flexible enough to make adjustments that will beneficial to the well being of the company. There are many different aspects of the business world which can be benefited by the company remaining open to new ideas and options thereby being able to adapt their strategic plan to the current situation. In the case of Queen’s Hotel, changes in the hospitality industry create the need to stay current and flexible in order to maintain a competitive edge. By adapting to the changes in the hospitality industry, Queen’s Hotel will be able to attract customers by offering better customer service. SendOutCards is a company which conducts business solely online. With the growing popularity and convenience of the Internet, more and more companies are seeing a dramatic increase in the electronic side of their business. Because of the wider competition base, it is necessary for SendOutCards to find ways to set themselves apart from the other companies out there. By offering additional services, such as gift baskets, gift cards and e-cards, SendOutCards will be able to increase their sales and customer base by offering more options which will appeal to more people. 3M is a company which manufactures a wide variety of products and has a bigger opportunity to find ways to be adaptable. They can use the example of other companies which are in similar circumstances and learn lessons without the need to experience the event. By adapting in this manner, 3M will be proactive in making sure they are current with the trends and forces which may impact them. Odwalla is in the food and beverage industry and must look to the consumer for the trends which will affect their business. By staying on top of what people are looking for in their snack bars and beverages, Odwalla can provide products which will not only be natural and healthy, but they will satisfy the ever changing preferences of the health conscience consumer. The forces and trends which affect each of these businesses are many and constantly changing. We will address a few of these trends and discuss how these companies can adapt and improve their business by making strategic changes which will turn what could be a potentially difficult situation into a chance to grow and improve. Trends in the Hospitality Industry Every industry has trends and they play a big role in our society. The bell-bottom trend in clothing, the DVD player in an SUV in the car industry, the flat screen T. V. in your living room, but the most important trend is in the travel industry. What is a trend? According to dictionary. om, a trend is the general course or prevailing tendency; drift. If this is a direct quote it needs to be in parenthesis and not italicized! In marketing, it is the direction the market is heading . In economics, it is the behavior of the society. In this synopsis, three trends will be identified, their relevance in the hospitality industry explained, and how Queen’s Hotel has used the trends to strategically plan ahead. The tren ds-Travel, Internet, Casino hotels Travel: According to Plunkett, the travel business is now emerging as a more streamlined, efficient and focused industry. Many of the biggest, most successful firms are becoming extremely global in nature Is this another direct quote? (Plunkett, 2008). Many people are finding ways to travel, either for vacationing, business, or personal reasons. Internet: The information technology highway has found a way to help the consumer plan all their needs with the click of a mouse. The internet provides a simple way for consumers to shop in the privacy of their home. Casino hotels: Many hotels are now casino ready in most parts of the developed world. Casinos have become a trend that people have come to gamble with. Casinos have become part of the entertainment industry and provide a way for clients to book hotel with such amenity. Relevance of the trends in the hospitality industry Because the hospitality industry has become a way of life, many managers face unlimited opportunities to grow their businesses through the rapidly changing demands of their clients. Many hotels are partnering with travel agents to provide package deals for their clients. The travel agents are able to book hotels, tours, and attractions included with the plane ticket. Customers are able to use the internet to find deals. Not everyone prefers travel agents as they also come with a fee, therefore, many people are using the internet to package their travel needs. The internet has become a way to reward people for doing it themselves with online discounts, etc. According to a web article, 15 million people are addicted to gambling, casinos gross more than $30 billion dollars annually, 49% of 15 year olds, 63% of 16 year-olds, and 76% of 18 year-olds gamble (http://www. overcominggambling. com/facts. html Not correct citing) and this statistic is only in the U. S. Many people are attracted to casino hotels as it’s a form of entertainment. Queen’s Hotel Strategic Plan to the trends Queen’s Hotel realizes that travel, the internet and casinos are popular trends in the hospitality industry. The hotel has a website that allows customers to book online. If they do, they are given a 10% discount. The hotel has partnered with many online travel agents to provide package deals to customers. The hotel is looking to undergo a renovation to add a casino. Adding a casino in a third world hotel will give it an edge. Carlos Gift Basket Giving This trend of giving gift baskets has grown extensively in the 21st century. Gift baskets are easily available for purchase online and even more personalized than other items that you can give someone, such as flowers or candy. They allow the buyer to be more creative in their gift choice and they are a little more exciting for clients to receive. â€Å"They are beautiful and brimming with unique gifts and tasty treats. They are a more personalized gift than balloons, and more practical than sending flowers† (James). This trend has given corporate America other alternatives to market to clients, show appreciation or just to increase customer loyalty. It gives them the ability of giving something to their clients, or potential clients, which doesn’t come across as too over the top or too cheap. Relevance The reason why the trend of giving gift baskets has developed so quickly and has gained lots of popularity is that people feel they have more of a personal touch; and with the ease of ordering your gift basket over the internet, the convenience has made it easier for people to choose their options, on their own time frame, without having to go shopping at different stores or even package it nicely for the intended person. Since SendOutCards does all of their business online and offers a wide range of cards for different occasions at prices which are cheaper than those found at your local stores, the option to offer a service to clients other than cards just makes sense. Adaptability SendOutCards has decided to take the time to take advantage of this part of online business as well. Not only is their business based on the same concept of internet ease and options, they are now giving the option to send out a gift along with your card, in the form of candy, books, gift cards, gift baskets and other items. The gift basket, or gift giving industry, is a simple and convenient way to promote more business and to take advantage of a growing need for online purchasing of gifts. As Jennifer James states in her article on Fabjob. com, â€Å"Not only is the work fun and creative, but you can also start a gift basket business easily from home, by setting up a small space where you design and build your gift baskets† (James). Gift Cards The giving of gift cards has become an automatic option for business owners to give to their clients, or even as gifts. It has become so popular that people tend to give them to their family and friends for holidays and birthdays instead of taking the chance of purchasing something that may not be wanted or appreciated. Gift cards have become increasingly popular and can be found in almost any retail business. They are even found in grocery stores. It is almost to the point that people expect to find a gift card at their local retail store. Relevance According to an article in USA today by Rhonda Abrams in 2004; Two recent studies (by the National Retail Federation and by the accounting firm Deloitte and Touche) show the explosive size of the gift card market: †¢ 74. 3% of consumers will buy a gift card this holiday season †¢ 81% of consumers received a gift card last year †¢ 50. 2% of consumers would like to receive a gift card †¢ 12% of shoppers bought gift cards for their own use †¢ 11. 5% of the average consumers holiday budget will be spent on gift cards. (http://www. usatoday. om/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2004-12-10-cards_x. htm) This is not listed in References and is not correct citing! As we can see, there is a demand for gift cards and corporations are taking advantage of them. Not only do the companies use the gift cards as a selling point for people to buy gifts, they will have the opportunity to get new business from people using the cards and spending more money than what is actua lly on the card because they cannot cash out the card. According to Abrams article, â€Å"Customers buy more. 1% of gift card users spent more than the face value of the card. The average face value of a gift card in 2003 was $47. 20; those who spent more averaged a whopping $90† (Abrams, 2004). Adaptability This is an area that SendOutCards has tried to take advantage of. They do offer gift cards, but only from other businesses. They have not made the move to offer their own gift cards for their own products. It probably is not as feasible for them to do so as it may be more costly for them to pay for the cards and not have people use them since people could only use it for their products. Since most people don’t send themselves a gift or a greeting card, it would be like giving them a gift card so that they can give a gift to someone else, which defeats the purpose of giving a gift. SendOutCards has taken advantage of offering gift cards from other companies because they know there is a demand for them. They have negotiated a deal with these companies and buy them at a discounted price and have created a win-win situation for both them and the retailers who will see the extra revenue. E-Cards E-cards have developed ever since the internet has taken off. You can find about any card and in almost every language on the internet. According to an article by Keith Regan in the E-Commerce times in 2005, â€Å"According to Branch Internet Services, the first e-mail Christmas greeting cards were sent 10 years ago this season, when Dominos Farms Christmas Light Display worked with Branch to offer Web users the chance to e-mail photos of the holiday display. Fewer than 15,000 cards were sent that year, according to Branch† (Regan, 2005). Free E-Cards are offered all over the internet, but the businesses are not making much money. They were relying heavily on advertisement payments through banners and popup on their websites. Sally Babcock, of the e-card giant American Greetings Interactive said, â€Å"Since its inception, AGI, the online unit of the cards giant, has gone from a paid model to a free, ad-supported approach and has returned to a blended, mostly paid model once again† (Regan 2005). Many customers are seeing them as a real alternative to sending out a card in the mail and are even willing to pay the fees for the services. Relevance Ecards are still very popular amongst many internet users. The problem is that they still don’t have the personal touch that a physical card has. According to Babcock, â€Å"Even those who sell them for a living acknowledge that the day may never come when electronic greeting cards replace paper cards. But eCards are already far more than just a time-wasting diversion or a low-cost alternative to the real thing† (Regan, 2005). Some backers like the ecard approach because of the environmental friendly aspect of it. Adaptability The way SendOutCards has adapted to this industry is to offer a service that the online E-cards have not offered to this point. They offer to actually send out a physical card to a client, family, friend or acquaintance directly to the persons’ home. They have even offered the option for their users to send the card in their own handwriting, which personalizes the card that much more. They know that the e-card business is good for their target market, but the market which SendOutCards wants to target is those who want to make a bigger impression. AGI has tried this in the past but has not been successful in its attempts. Babcock admits, â€Å"Also gaining traction are online options to have cards personalized, printed and in some cases even mailed. In those cases, the customer is paying for convenience, said Babcock. â€Å"AGI also offers a print-at-home line of cards, she noted† (Regan, 2005). SendOutCards wants to be able to make a difference in people’s lives. They have the idea that it is more meaningful for people to go to the mail box, open it up and have the physical experience of reading the personalized card. SendOutCards has made it more affordable to be able to send out a card from your computer than it would cost you to go to the store, pick one out, stamp it and physically mail it out. They will do it for you, which takes about 60 seconds to do it all (Eliason, 2008). This is their niche that the industry has not caught up to as of yet. Being able to adapt to the economy and your competition is what will set you apart from others. SendOutCards has the difficult task to stay on top of its competitors by being able to offer a service that other businesses don’t have. They have taken the example of the gift basket industry and implemented what they could to be competitive in the gift giving industry. They know that they can gain clients who want more than just a greeting card. With this knowledge, they have implemented the procedure of offering other options besides just the greeting cards. SendOutCards also applied the example of the demand for the convenience of a gift card. This is an option which they developed in partnership with various retailers. They receive a discounted price for the gift cards in exchange for offering clients the option to purchase them thus allowing both to make money from the proceeds of the card. This also gives clients a larger variety of options. SendOutCards has an advantage over the E-Card industry by offering not only to package and send an actual card, but to do so in the handwriting of the client. They have developed a system which allows people to send the card without leaving their home to shop for the card and the hassle of finding a stamp to send it. They are trying to appeal to the people who still feel it more personal to send a card by traditional mail rather than by e-mail. Johnson and Johnson, Inc. Johnson and Johnson, Inc. s an example of an organization that has had to adapt with strategy to forces or trends that have surrounded the corporation. Johnson and Johnson recently fell into a safety predicament which required immediate action by the company to salvage its image. Johnson and Johnson found themselves losing customers and sales due to the danger of one of their products. Following the death by overdose of several individuals, including youth and child ren, Johnson and Johnson was forced to recall thousands of unsafe bottles of Tylenol (Macdonald, 2007). The primary changes that the company made were in relation to the bottle the Tylenol came in and the removal of a potentially deadly ingredient in the Tylenol. Immediately Johnson and Johnson recalled the entire defective product line and removed all existing product from the shelves. This act alone cost the company millions of dollars and substantial time in revamping the new bottle and new Tylenol formula. Despite this great challenge, Johnson and Johnson was able to seize the opportunity to remarket their product as a newly revamped and safer product. After recalling and removing the defective product, Johnson and Johnson set out a new marketing campaign to reestablish their public image as a safer and more consumer conscience product. The ad campaign worked. Tylenol is now viewed as one of the safest products on the market. 3M could benefit from such a marketing campaign. 3M is a company much like Johnson and Johnson. They both manufacture and distribute millions of different products used all across the globe. Because of the expanse of the market that 3M is targeting, the potential for safety concerns and problems is dramatically increased. M must constantly keep a watchful eye to be apprised of any issues that should arise. An environmental scan will also keep 3M apprised of any safety concerns which arise within the market that could affect their company. Strategic planners with 3M can learn from those at Johnson and Johnson because of the accuracy and timeliness which they responded to the challenge, thus turning it into an o pportunity. In the future, 3M is sure to encounter environmental factors that will place their products in the path of new regulations or circumstances that could threaten the success of the organization. M must act as Johnson and Johnson did by using accurate environmental scanning and acting in a timely manner to save the company. Southwest Airlines Another paramount example of environmental scanning used by strategic planners to help an organization thrive is Southwest Airlines’ use of fuel hedging. â€Å"Using some simple and some complex investment strategies, Southwest has for a decade locked in the prices it pays for large amounts of jet fuel months and even years ahead of time. Its success at that has protected it from run-ups in crude oil prices and dramatically cut its fuel expenses† (Reed, 2008). One area of grave concern in the U. S. economy is the cost of fuel. People all across the country are looking for alternative fuel and cheaper transportation as a means of saving money. The airline industry, on the other hand, has no other resource available. There is no hybrid airplane neither is there one which can run on alternative fuel. Therefore, airlines are forced to look elsewhere to save money. Southwest Airlines has used environmental scanning to conclude that fuel prices are constantly on the rise and can be locked in a contract to be purchased in mass quantities for a cheaper price. By allocating additional funds to pre purchase fuel at a lower cost, Southwest Airlines is placing themselves in a win-win scenario. The oil company would be glad to secure an agreement for guaranteed sales and the Airline Company will jump at the opportunity to save money on fuel that they are certainly going to use. Fuel hedging has proven effective for Southwest Airlines and a similar approach can be an effective money saving technique for 3M as well. 3M constantly manufactures millions of products. The company is constantly receiving supplies of materials from distributors. M must always be on the lookout for trends in the environment that could affect the prices of the products they use in manufacturing. If the company can accurately predict which products will rise in cost due to extenuating circumstances, they can either look for an alternative product or seek some sort of pre purchase order price for said product similar to Southwest Airlines’ use of fuel hedging. Toyo ta Toyota Motor Corporation is a classic example of an organization that is constantly scanning the environment for forces or trends that can affect their business. This strategy has enabled Toyota to become the number one automobile maker in the world (Liker, 2004). When a customer purchases a Toyota they are getting a quality product. Toyota has been successful in environmental scanning in several areas, but in particular they have excelled in a market that is increasingly concerned with fuel economy. Toyota has constantly been at the forefront of knowing what the customer wants and when they want it. Amid the crisis we are facing with the economy, and especially the rising fuel costs, Toyota is able to provide customers with a fuel efficient car. The difference between Toyota’s fuel efficient cars and those of the competition is timeliness. Toyota had anticipated the need for a fuel efficient car long before it became a priority for the competition. Now while the competition scrambles to make a vehicle similar to a fuel efficient Toyota, Toyota is focusing on bettering their product and placing themselves even further ahead of the competition. This is an example of how Toyota has done accurate scanning of the remote environment. The remote environment includes: economic factors, social factors, political factors, technological factors, and ecological factors. Managers must consider the availability of credit, level of disposable income, and the propensity of people to spend when considering economic factors. Other things to consider are the prime interest rates and the gross national product (Robinson, 2004). Toyota has taken into consideration these factors. They have accurately looked at the environment and what the consumer is dealing with and they have catered to the customer accordingly. 3M would do well to follow suit. Much like Toyota, 3M manufactures products for their customers and is not immune to environmental factors. Because of these facts, 3M must adopt an environmental scanning strategy that will enable them to adapt to forces in the environment and come out triumphant. ODWALLA Functional Beverages â€Å"Functional beverages are drinks that have been enhanced with added ingredients to provide specific health benefits beyond general nutrition†¦Consumers are seeking specific health benefits in their foods and beverages and these functional drinks fit neatly into the ‘healthiness-on-the-go’ market† (Sharon Palmer, 2008). Functional beverages are gaining popularity over soft drinks as more and more people are looking for healthier alternatives. These drinks have added ingredients which help to promote a healthy image. Some of these functional beverages have FDA approved claims while others have only minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals and do not provide any real health benefit (Sharon Palmer, 2008). Many companies are beginning to offer a wider variety of functional beverages. Even companies in the children’s beverage market are capitalizing on the turn towards better for you foods and beverages. ‘[A]s more parents seek healthier beverage options for kids, I foresee the continued trend toward more products being all natural, organic, lower in calories, lower in sugar, or having more specific fortifications within their formulations,’ predicts Phan† (Goldschmidt, 2008) senior brand manager at Hansen’s. With this trend gaining popularity among consumers of all ages, it is more than just a passing phase; it is the new way of thinking. Relevance Because functional drinks are quickly becoming an industry staple, Odwalla Inc. is constantly gaining new competitors. With the increase in the number of competitors, Odwalla must always be innovative in its product development. While Odwalla’s products are all natural and retain as much of the natural vitamins and minerals found in the ingredients used, there is a more pressing need for Odwalla to make these benefits known to consumers as the options available are becoming greater. Strategic Adaptability As Odwalla analyzes the growing competition, they will need to remain innovative with their marketing and advertising. They will want to make sure that consumers are aware of the many health benefits already available in their products. They will want to emphasize the fact that their products have always been all natural and fresh with the least amount of processing possible in order to maintain the inherent nutritional value of the ingredients which go into each and every product made. By highlighting these strong points, consumers will be able to see why paying a little more for a much better product really is a better value. Probiotics â€Å"Probiotics are a host of healthful bacteria that help break down and assimilate food† (Kane, 2008) and can be found in a wide variety of foods. Yogurt contains probiotics and many food manufacturers are adding probiotics to their products because of the great health benefit. â€Å"WITH BENEFICIAL LIVE BACTERIA CALLED PROBIOTICS. yogurt bolsters the bodys ability to fend off certain infections and helps keep the intestines healthy, allowing them to absorb more nutrientsand energy-from food† (Boone, 2008). Relevance Odwalla prides itself on providing its customers with fresh, healthy beverages and snack bars and they are always looking for new ways to make their products the best they can be. Probiotics are both healthy and natural and fit right in line with the goals of Odwalla. Since more and more companies are incorporating these bacteria into their products, probiotic additives are going to become better known by consumers and thus sought out because of their natural benefits. Strategic Adaptability Odwalla has the ability to develop a new product which would incorporate probiotics. This would enhance the benefits already afforded by consuming the all natural products of Odwalla. With more people being educated on the benefits of probiotic bacteria, there will be a demand for products which incorporate this. By adding probiotics, Odwalla would help to fulfill its mission of â€Å"soil to soul† (Odwalla President Discusses Strategy with GreenMoney Journal, 2004) because it would allow more of the natural goodness contained within each bottle of juice to reach the soul of the consumer. Specialty drinks in a declining economy The world’s economy has been stagnant and is now in a state of decline. In spite of a tough economy, consumer products manufacturers have continued to experience growth (CPG Industry: Sales Growth in Challenging Economy, 2008). The economy is not showing signs of improvement and things are only going to be getting tougher. With commodities’ prices continuing to rise, consumer products manufactures will need to adopt successful practices in strategic areas in order to continue to grow (CPG Industry: Sales Growth in Challenging Economy, 2004). Relevance The cost of commodities greatly affects the profit margin of Odwalla. They rely on having fresh products available at all times and can be crippled by shortages due to natural disasters as well as price hikes caused by the increasing cost of doing business. These things take a toll on the bottom line and can lead to financial struggle within the company as well as strained relationships with suppliers. Strategic Adaptability There are different options available to Odwalla to help them through the period of economic hardship. As they contract with suppliers, they can negotiate pricing which will benefit both parties. They have the option of purchasing farms which would produce the produce needed for their products, thereby eliminating the need for a middle-man supplier. Also, plans to produce new products can be put on hold until the economy recovers. By holding off the added expense of developing and marketing a new product, Odwalla would be able to focus on their better sellers and allow them to carry the company through the difficult times. Conclusion The world of business can be challenging and exciting. By staying on top of current forces and trends, managers are able to help their businesses thrive in an ever changing market. Change is not limited to one area or aspect of a corporation and by following the examples of other companies, change can provide a new opportunity for growth and development. Retaining the ability to adapt the strategic goals of the corporation can mean the difference in being an industry leader, or a company which has already had its day and is on its way out.