The Role of RNA Polymerase and the Death Cap Mushroom Essay Example for Free

The Role of RNA Polymerase and the Death Cap Mushroom Essay Being a health care worker, the role of how substances affect the body are always fascinating and intriguing. The role of the Death Cap Mushroom, which is appropriately named, is one that is simple but can have fatal implications. In Britain, the Death Cap Mushroom is attributed to 75% of all fatalities that are caused by ingesting mushrooms (Kibby, 2006). These are deaths that are certainly avoidable, but yet continue to happen. The Death Cap Mushroom scientific name is the Amanita phallodes. When it is ingested, it causes a deadly reaction in the human body. The major toxin mechanism is the inhibition of RNA polymerase II in DNA reproduction. The reason this becomes deadly is that this is a vital enzyme in the synthesis of the messenger RNA and without it, protein synthesis cannot happen and new cell production ceases. (Karlson-Stiber C, Persson, H (2003). When the human body is no longer able to recreate the template for new cell reproduction, the old cells die and new ones can no longer be reproduced and this quickly causes system failure in the body and the organs begin to fail rapidly. Due to the onset of symptoms taking between 12 and 30 hours to be visible, the damage has already taken place and is irreparable and can quickly lead to death. (Elpel, T (2011). The two vital organs that are affected first are usually the liver and the kidneys. This can quickly become a life threatening process. Although there is no cure for the toxicity, it has been treated with large doses of penicillin and Vitamin C, but there this is not a proven treatment and the only prevention of the ingestion of these mushrooms is safe. In most cases, if the person actually survives, a liver transplant would be needed to allow the person to live. Education on how deadly ingesting the Death Cap mushroom is sorely needed to prevent the unnecessary deaths that it causes each year. References 1.Kibby, Guide to mushrooms of Britain and Europe, Octopus Publishing, (2006) 2.Karlson-Striber C, Persson, H, (2003)Cyto toxic fungi overview-Toxic 3.Elpel, T (2011) Amanitaeac: The Deadly Amanita Family

The EMU and the Euro :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movement towards the European Monetary Union and the creation of the euro lasted many years, complete with key personalities and major governmental treaties. When finally organized and implemented, it lead to a historical event that will forever change international economics. Of course with a change this tremendous comes the good and the bad, but if the economic welfare of the people is improved, everything was worth all the hassle.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The beginnings of the movement for European monetary unification go back at least to the founding of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (which then became the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD) in 1948. One of the OECC’s first accomplishments was the European Payments Union, established in 1950 and accomplished by the end of 1958, where the nations of Western Europe put their international reserves together and coordinated their policies with the intent of reestablishing current account convertibility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1962 the Commission of the European Communities produced its first plan for a monetary union, which included a deadline for completion of nine years. Obviously, this deadline was a little overambitious for a group of countries whose only collective achievements had been the European Coal and Steel Community, an atomic energy community (Euratom), a customs union (the European Economic Community), and the Common Agricultural Policy of farm-product subsidization. The only accomplishment of the 1962 effort was a Committee of Central Bank Governors which was set up in 1964 but did not actually operate until the 1970s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the Hague Summit in 1969, European governments delegated a committee headed by Pierre Werner, then Prime Minister of Luxembourg, to devise a new plan. The Werner Report, finished in 1970, called for monetary unification within ten years. The plan scheduled a transition to happen in stages. In the first stage, exchange rate fluctuations would be limited, and governments would start to integrate their monetary and fiscal policies. In the second stage, exchange rate variability and price discrepancies would be further reduced. In the third stage, exchange rates would be fixed permanently, capital controls removed, and an European Community(EC) system of central banks (somewhat modeled on the U.S. Federal Reserve System) would take control of the monetary policies of the member nations. The size of the EC budget would be greatly increased and the EC would coordinate national tax and spending programs. The makers of the Werner Report were not attached to a single cu rrency.

A Cybernetic Approach to Controlling Health Problems

For several decades, health issues have increased by more than 8.5% each year. According to a recent study conducted by the center for Disease Control and Prevention, 65% of US adults are either overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes are increasing in the United States, with a 27 percent increase seen in the last five years. The high cost of health care also poses a major threat to the nation's economy. However, health problems can be prevented to a large extent by controlling people's lifestyle. Group discussions and conversations may help people to adopt a healthy way of living. Therefore, Cybernetics which is the study of conversation/communication and control/regulation can be used to help solve this problems. This study aims at using cybernetics as a model for controlling health problems. Addiction In developed countries of the world like USA, where the literacy rate is above 95%, people know that leading a healthy lifestyle removes the risk of chronic health issues to a considerable margin. However they most times do not adopt a healthy way of living. Why? Addiction has ruined the healthy life style of people. For example- people may be addicted to sleeping and do not exercise, addicted to eating foods with high calories that causes them obesity and make them prone to heart problems. Addiction is a condition in which a consistent desire/craving to repeat an addicted behavior exceeds the ability to rationally stop doing so. When the more you have, the more you seem to need to achieve the same effect or result. This effect can be displayed as a positive feedback loop where the want continues expanding within the loop.Some background about feedback loops – Feedback loops are of two forms: negative feedback loop and positive feedback loop. Negative feedback loops strives towards balance and stasis by subtracting error with each cycle. A good example of negative feedback loop is homeostasis, the body's system for keeping itself chemically and temperature balanced. Positive feedback loops, by comparison, add the variations of each cycle. As a result they can become potentially dangerous as their effect mount with each event. Hypothermia, shock, heatstroke are examples of positive feedback.Figure-1 models addiction (nicotine addiction) as a positive feedback. The desire for smoking continues to increase in the loop for achieving the same level of satisfaction. The first day, Bob needs to smoke once and get satisfied. The second day, he needs to smoke twice to get the same level of satisfaction. Gradually, his cravings and urge to smoke increases along with the frequency.Controlling the Uncontrollable(addiction)The graph above (Figure-1) indicates how the addiction continue to expand in a positive feedback loop. Also, Bateson's examination of alcohol addiction contended that the very attempt to regain discretion, to be a â€Å"commander of one's own spirit†, added to the heightening of the alcoholism. Moreover, the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous-which has been effectively adjusted to a huge number of addictive practices, offers recuperation by â€Å"surrendering† that is, by stopping to deliberately try to stop the addiction. Subsequently, the person who is addicted does not have an essential variety to control addiction.At the point when Addiction becomes uncontrollable, how can it be controlled? Ludwig's research on Alcoholics mind demonstrates that â€Å"developing the right mind frame† (sufficient inspiration) for sobriety improves the probability that an individual can figure out how to resist his addiction .Sufficient inspiration or adequate motivation can solve the puzzle of addiction as an uncontrollable event. The diagram beneath demonstrates the cybernetic approach to deal with controlling health issues by inspiring individuals to follow a sound way of life (work out, yoga, healthy food and so on.), that is abstaining from an unhealthy way of life.Reward/Incentive SystemPeople have various needs including monetary needs, physiological needs, safety needs and esteem needs. An individual can be motivated for performing an activity using proper incentives which may help in fulfilling some of his needs. A reward system could be a web application like Weight Watchers or an organization such as a health club. Below is a model of an incentive system used in motivating a person to exercise regularly. The model also shows that the system can keep refining or modifying the incentive system to make sure that the user is always motivated.Group Affiliation/FriendsGroups, friends and circle of relatives assist in controlling addictions and regulating the manner people live. People develop trust, care and similarity in a group that offer intellectual strength for controlling their cravings. It has additionally been proved that the group association programs offer long- term remedy for addiction in comparison to short-term remedy provided through medication therapy. Self-assist programs like Alcoholics anonymous, rational healing or women for Sobriety, assist in gaining control over addiction through assisting the affected person to integrate into a self-assist group. Trust Trust is a system-related concept and that is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. Figure-4 demonstrates the system model of trust between two actors (trustor and trustee). The trustor continually accesses the behavior of the trustee against his mental model of trustworthiness, which results in increased trust if the behavior matches with his mental model otherwise decreased trust. Trustworthiness relies on three variables which relate to perception about the person to be relied on: competence, integrity and benevolence. ‘Competence' is the perceived potential of the trustee, as measured through indicators which includes training or credentials, experience, and reliable past performance. ‘Integrity' is the degree to which the trustee is considered to perform with honesty, fairness, and consistency of actions and words. ‘Benevolence' concerns the extent to which the trustee demonstrates care and consideration for people he or she interacts directly or indirectly. In addition to the above-recognized antecedent variables, trust also relies on the ‘context' within which the trustor and trustee are embedded. It could affect the extent to which the trustee is rated on antecedent variables particularly competence. For instance, a person may be perceived as competent in one context but no longer in another. Furthermore, it is essential to differentiate between Interactions among unfamiliar others and ongoing interactions among familiar others for trust. In a social system, trust could be unidirectional or bi-directional. Also, trust may be commutative.After the developement of trust, the trustor (Alice) feels confident and becomes willing to take actions based on the suggestions, actions and decisions of the trustee (Bob) to an extent proportional to the trust level in the trustee. Now, when Bob says that he controlled his blood sugar level by following the recipes from the diabetic cook-book, Alice feels confident the same recipes in the diabetic cook-book works and she is now motivated to follow them too. It also gives her a social proof of the reliability of the recipes from the diabetic cook-book. Figure-6 is the conversation model of this trust and social proof scenario between Alice and Bob.CareCare is also a continously evolving state of information aquisition, processing and feedback.Similarity, trust, understanding and reciprocity make the important variables. It is also dependent on context and familiarity/relationship between individuals. Below is a figure which shows a model of care between Alice and Bob and how care helps them for abstinence. Bob's behavior is matched to Alice's mental model of a person she would like to care for. If there is a positive match,then the care for Bob increases otherwise it decreases. When there is a match, she cares about what Bob's expectations are from her. She feels a sense of responsibility/accountability for Bob's expectations because she does not want to disappoint him. Similarly, Bob also does a behavior assessment of Alice against a mental model of a person she would like to care for. Its also important to note that both may have different perceptions or mental models of the persons they may like to care for. Also, care may be unidirectional as well. Now when Bob makes a suggestion to Alice about losing weight, she feels responsible/ accountable for losing weight as she cares about Bob. Similarly, Bob feels responsible/accountable for not smoking when Alice asks him to quit smoking.Figure 7: Care/Accountability/ResponsibilitySimilarityIn comparism to trust and care, similarity also is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. The antecedent variables for similarity might include mental attitude, behavior, hobbies, age gender and race.The figure below shows how similarity motivates Bob for exercising frequently because he gets competitive and inspired by Alice.The table below summarizes Trust, care and similarity. Antecedent Variables MotivationTrust Competence, Integrity, Benevolence Willing to act on the basis of words, actions anddecisions of anotherCare Similarity, Understanding, Trust, Reciprocity Accountability,ResponsibilitySimilarity Mindset, hobbies, age, gender, race Competitiveness,InspirationFigure 9: Summary for Trust, Care and SimilarityAlternative model for Accountability, Responsibility, Competitiveness and collaboration in a self-help group.

Can netflix recover from its strategic mistakes?

Introduction and company overview Netflix is the world’s leading provider of online streaming media and movie rentals with more than 50 million of online subscribers.[1] It is the most prominent provider of online streaming media in the world with operations in the US, Canada and in 42 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In fact, Netflix is the single largest source of internet traffic in the US, consuming 29.7% of the peak downstream traffic.[2] Since its inception, this giant provider of online streaming media has gained increasing popularity. The company was first founded by Reed Hastings in 1997.[3] Netflix began its operations with the selling of DVDs and offering of rental services by mail. The demand for DVD by rental services quickly outweighed the demand for buying DVDs which led to the company focusing their business model on dvd rentals.[4] Over the years, the company’s growth quickly gained momentum to the point that it passed its 500,000 subscriber mark.[5] The company continued to experience a rapid growth and by 2003, the subscriber base had already tripled to 1.5 million.[6] In 2007, Netflix launched the online-streaming services and positioned itself for the imminent transition to digital media by partnering with companies such as Microsoft, LG Electronics, Samsung and Roku and negotiating agreements with the biggest entertainment companies such as CBS, Starz Entertainment, and Disney for streaming of media content.[7] Throughout 2010 and the first half of 2011, the company experienced an unprecedented growth. The number of online subscriptions in the US alone doubled from 12.3 million to 24.6 million.[8] The quarterly revenue rapidly increased from $445 million to $770 million and the stock price increased reach an all-time high of $304.79.[9] However, a series of strategy changes implemented in mid July 2011 tarnished the company’s image and led to a steep decline in profitability and stock price. In mid-July 2011, Netflix implemented a new pricing plan which raised the monthly subscription by 60%. Customers reacted negatively to these price changes with more than 600,000 Netflix subscribers cancelling their subscription.[10] Towards the end of 2011, the company implemented another strategic change by creating Qwister and splitting the DVDs-by-mail business from internet streaming business. This sparked a second furore leading to a further decline in its stock prices. Netflix’s decl ine in the industry can be attributed to such kind of strategic mistakes. With these in mind, can Netflix can recover from its strategic mistakes? External analysis Netflix’s performance in the industry is affected by a number of external factors. An external audit of the industry reveals some of these political, economic, social and technological factors.PESTLE ANALYSISPolitical and Legal factorsAmong the various factors affecting the performance of Netflix in the industry are the political and legal factors, particularly legal battles, trademark, copyright and patent issues. Netflix faces ongoing legal battles with several companies including Comcast and Time Warner Cable.[11] This began with complaints from Comcast customers that the connection speed for Netflix streams had dropped significantly. Netflix’s own data showed a massive decline in connection speed as shown in the figure below. Fig. 1 Netflix’s own data showing a massive decline in Comcast’s connection speed.[12] More recently, Netflix filed a petition with the US Federal Communications Commission challenging the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable.[13] Netflix argues that the merger should not be allowed under the FCC’s public interest standard as it would stifle the competitive internet market and could potentially cause public harm by making the already expensive high definition (HD) even more expensive for video companies and consumers.[14] However, the petition to deny the proposed merger may not succeed as the commission has already determined that Comcast has the right to discriminate against online video distributors. The commission also determined that the public harm claim that Netflix raised was merely speculative and highly unlikely. The approval of the proposed merger points to the difficulty that Netflix may face in future. Comcast has already shown its willingness to discriminate against online video distributors by manipulating internet traffic at inte rconnection points with the aim of harming Netflix.[15] Social factorsFrom the social perspective, Netflix relies on the popularity of its media content among consumers. Even though Netflix has raced to become ubiquitous having pioneered online streaming, its main weakness has been the inability to feature the latest releases. It should be remembered that consumers want the most recent content. This is a particular area where Netflix has always been lagging behind. According to a recent consumer report, 81% of the respondents were found to stream media from Netflix, making it the most popular.[16] However, these respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with the service citing Netflix’s movie line up as the biggest issue of concern. Respondents were displeased with the limited selection of movies especially the latest releases.[17]EconomicIn terms of economic factors, Netflix operates in an industry characterized by large entry costs, low prices and a very competitive envir onment. To maintain an edge in the market, firms have to price competitively against rivals.The industry is still at its infancy and many companies appear to be experimenting their business models. For example, YouTube recently reached an agreement with Lions Gate Entertainment which secured it rights to mainstream movies from the entertainment company.[18] Apple recently unveiled its plans to develop an upgraded Apple TV that allow consumers to stream video from TV Sets. Hulu recently begun a new subscription plan that allows customers to watch some TV shows that are not available for free at the cost of $10 per month.[19] With streaming becoming more competitive, Netflix will have to improvise in order to continue to thrive in the industry.TechnologicalTechnology is rapidly changing and for Netflix to continue to thrive, it must contend with the constantly evolving and competing technology. Even though Netflix gained its initial competitive advantage from its business model which capitalized on the weakness of the tradition brick and mortar businesses, it continues to face the challenge of adjusting to new technological pressures.[20] Already some of Netflix’s competitors are offering additional innovative services to its customers. For example, Amazon Prime provides users with services such as free two-day shipping and free kindle book in addition to instant video streaming. HBO has made its online content available for purchase without the need of cable subscription. Vudu is releasing many titles the same day they out on DVD compared to Netflix which releases them 28 days later.[21]Five forces frameworkRivalry among firmsThere is no doubt that competition is becoming more intense in the industry. Netflix faces many rival competitors in the industry from Blockbuster to Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Comcast, Google TV, Apple TV and many others (Indiviglio, 2010). The intense rivalry is due to the large consumer market in the movie rental industry. Th e rivalry is also increased by the different methods that consumers can obtain a movie from in-store rental to mail delivery to online streaming and video on demand. The switching costs remain relatively low which perhaps contribute to the fierce rivalry in the industry. A large number of the rival competitors have large levels of capital and greater economies of scale which makes competition in the industry very fierce.Threat of new entrantsWhile Netflix faces intense rivalry from competitor firms, the threat of potential new entrants is relatively low due to the large entry costs in the market. Most of the existing firms have already established a well-known brand such as Hulu plus, Red box and Amazon instant video.[22] This makes it increasingly difficult for new players to thrive in the market. A potential new entrant would have to incur a lot costs in marketing and advertising to establish its brand and become competitive. Threat of substitution Similarly, the threat of substation is relatively low as many consumers prefer online streaming to physical DVD rentals. While there is no much of a threat to Netflix online streaming model, there is an existing threat from illegal pirating. Some websites provide customers with free access to most media content. However, most of these websites are illegal. Further, these websites are somewhat complicated and are not nearly intuitive as Netflix’s service.[23] While it remains government’s responsibility to enforce anti-pirating laws, it may be in Netflix’s best interest to lobby for tighter enforcements of these laws.[24]Bargaining power of consumersIn terms of the bargaining power, consumers seem to have a higher ground. Consumers have a higher bargaining power since there are many options in the industry with little or no switching costs. Netflix currently charges its customers an affordable monthly fee of $7.99 but since customers are not locked into contracts, they can easily switch from one online streaming company to another with minimal or low switching costs.[25] High consumer bargaining power implies that the company must be very careful in implementing its strategies. This can be seen with the price changes that Netflix imposed on its subscribers in 2011. A new pricing plan announced by the company in mid-July 2011 which increased the subscription price by 60% sent the company’s stock price in a tailspin.[26]Bargaining power of suppliersContent remains a key input in Netflix’s business strategy. Since there are very few media content providers that offer high quality content, the bargaining power of suppliers remain relatively high. Suppliers can impose a price increase or offer low quality content and this could have an adverse impact on the company’s profitability.[27] Recognizing the relatively high supplier’s bargaining power, Netflix recently begun developing its own content, some of which have rece ived acclaim in the industry such as the â€Å"House of cards† and â€Å"Hemlock Grove†.[28] However, despite these efforts, Netflix’s survival is largely dependent upon the variety of its content. Netflix still has to rely on its content providers to meet the needs of its large consumer base. II Internal analysis An analysis of the internal environment of Netflix is also important as it identifies the competencies that currently exist for the company to compete effectively. The VRIO framework and value chain model is going to be very useful in the analysis of the internal environment.Distinctive competencies: the VRIO frameworkQuestion of value: are the company’s resources and capabilities enabling it to capitalize on opportunities and neutralize external threats?In terms of distribution, Netflix has a sustainable advantage. It has several distribution channels from the physical distribution of titles through physical stores to distribution by mail.[29] However, this is a temporary advantage as blockbuster is posing a huge threat to the physical distribution of titles. Perhaps the biggest sustainable advantage lies with their online streaming capabilities. Being the first company with the capability to offer online video streaming service, it undoubtedly ranks at the top of video comp anies with the most widely streamed content. However, Apple is posing a huge threat having established presence in online streaming through iTunes.[30]Question of rarityAre there only a few numbers of firms with these capabilities?In some certain capabilities, Netflix have a sustainable advantage over competitor firms whereas in other capabilities, the company has only a temporary advantage. For example, in DVD rental and Blue Ray rental; Netflix only has a temporary advantage since many firms have the capabilities to produce these items.[31] However, with regard to online streaming, title variety, and convenience to consumers; Netflix has a sustainable advantage. This is because many other firms in the industry do not have the internal capabilities to innovate in these particular areas. Question of inimitability?The industry is characterized by large entry costs. Many firms lack the necessary resources and internal capabilities to offer similar content. It is quite expensive and ex tremely difficult to form agreements with content providers. Netflix has a temporary and sustainable advantage in this particular area having engineered the online streaming business model and formed agreements with several content providers including warner Bros and CBS among many others. Netflix’s possess key resources and capabilities that provide it with advantages that are not easy to imitate.[32]Question of organization?An important part of the internal analysis is examining how the policies and procedures are organized and whether this organization supports the company’s use of its valuable resources. Netflix has a functional centralized organizational structure in which the CEO has direct control over its six departments.[33] Netflix’s embraces a culture of freedom and innovation. Employees have the freedom to remain innovative and productive. This shows how the company’s organization policies are organized to support its valuable resources. Part III: Issues and challenges However, even with these resources and competencies, Netflix faces some challenges/impediments in its drive to remain competitive. One major challenge is its reliance on content providers. The company still has to depend on other content providers such as CBS and Time warner in order to continue to maintain the breadth and variety of their products. Such form of dependence can have dire consequences on the company especially where there are disagreements. For example, in mid July 2011, Netflix was forced to implement a new pricing plan that raised the monthly subscription by 60% after Starz, one of its content providers, demanded $300 million for renewal of its license with Netflix.[34] Initially, Netflix had been paying this premium movie channel $30 million annually. This was a huge step back and led to a steep decline in its stock price. Recently, Netflix was forced to remove some of its content after losing its contract with Viacom International, a leading provider of children sh ows.[35] While the huge subscriber base may give Netflix some sought of leverage in negotiating terms, much of its survival is still at the mercy of its content providers. Another challenge facing Netflix lies with the stiff competition in the movie industry. Even though the threat for potential new entrants is relatively low, there is an intense rivalry in the industry among key players such as Blockbuster, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Comcast, Google TV, and Apple TV.[36] With the battlefront shifting online, Netflix is going to be in direct competition with some of the well-financed and innovative companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon.[37] Netflix will have to be savvier than ever by negotiating better agreements for online streaming in order to take on these giant companies.[38] Part IV: Generation of strategic growth option Netflix’s overall situation is fairly attractive and somewhat sustainable. However, there are a number of Strategic Options that the company could pursue in its efforts to continue to grow and develop. The Ansoff matrix tool below will be used to describe these options. Ansoff matrix tool[39]Ansoff MatrixMarket developmentInternational expansion is one of the strategic growth option. Netflix has already entered into regional license agreements to stream media content from 42 countries in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.[40] However, this international expansion need to be implemented very cautiously. While this has allowed Netflix to expand its subscriber base, the company is spending so much that it doesn’t actually profit from this international expansion. For example, in the last quarter of 2012, international losses hit $105 million despite the gain of 6 million new subscribers.[41]Product developmentThe company could also benefit from developing its own original content and focusing on the online streaming business. Developing its own original content will reduce their dependence on content providers. There is also an imperative need to phase out the â€Å"DVD mailing option† from Netflix’s business model. The movie industry is quickly shifting online, yet Netflix continues to develop millions of DVDs which have high operating costs. Despite its huge revenue, Netflix’s margins are eaten up by its huge production costs.[42] With the movie industry shifting online, Netflix may lose out on major profits if they take too long to phase out the DVD mailing option.Market penetrationIn terms of market penetration, Netflix need to increase its domestic market. Growth in online streaming has resulted due to the increasing broadband penetration, growth in connected devices, faster download speed and the broader trends of media consumption.[43] A large part of the purchasing and usage of Netflix’s content come from existing customers in the US. However, there is still a larger market in the US that Netflix can benefit from. Netflix can leverage its first mover advantage to expand more rapidly in the US.DiversificationNetflix is currently in competition with rivals in the market in t wo main product lines: dvd rentals and online streaming. With virtual rivals such as Amazon, Hulu and cable TV companies among many others, competition in online streaming is going to be intense. In the product line of DVD rental, competitors such as Blockbuster and Red-box pose a huge threat.[44] To maintain an edge in the market, Netflix need to diversify its product line to include video and computer games. Part V Evaluation of strategic growth options With these strategic options identified, it is important to evaluate each option in terms of suitability, accessibility and feasibility. SAF framework will be very useful in this evaluation.SAFe frameworkSuitability criteriaSuitability criteria will evaluate whether these strategic options support Netflix’s mission and values, whether they are suitable for industry life cycle stage and whether they strengthen Netflix’s competitive position. Netflix’s mission statement is to grow the streaming subscription business both domestically and globally and to improve customer experience while staying within the parameter of their consolidated income and operating profit.[45] Strategy optionsSupports Netflix’s mission and valuesSuitable for industry life cycle stageStrengthens Netflix’s competitive position Expanding subscriber base internationally – market developmentyesYes – it is important to expand internationally currently in the industry.Yes. In the long term, this will consolidate their position in the industry Expanding rapidly in domestic market – market penetrationYesYes – market penetration is also important.Yes, in the long run. Focusing squarely on online streaming business and producing some its content – product developmentYesYes – the shifting market environment makes this strategy very effective.Yes – the industry is moving online and this strategy will significantly improve Netflix’s competitive position Diversifying product line to include video and computer games.yesYes – suitable for industry life cycle stageYes – this strategy will distinguish Netfl ix from competitorsAccessibility criteriaThe accessibility criteria is assessed based on customer reactions, risks of losses and returns on investments. Strategy optionsReaction of customersRisk of lossesReturns on investments Expanding subscriber base internationally – market developmentNo effect on customer reactionHigh – margins from international segment so far remain very low compared to domestic levels. Already the company has incurred huge losses from this expansion.Low – Broadband infrastructure is very poor in many international countries and pricing strategy may be seen as high in developing economies. Expanding rapidly in domestic market – market penetrationNo discernible effectLow – margins from domestic segments are very highHigh – the current low pricing policy is very attractive for new customers and entertainment consumption remains high Focusing squarely on online streaming business and producing some its content – product developmentPositive impact – provides customers with the convenience they need.Low – the industry is shifting online and customer su bscription for online streaming is increasing.Very high – market shifting online and broadband infrastructure allows for streaming of high quality hence improving customer experience. Producing its content will reduce its dependence on content providers. Diversifying product line to include video and computer games.Positive – it will enhance customer experienceRelatively low due to lack of differentiation between competitorsHigh – the added feature will increase customer experience among consumers who like video games. Feasibility criteriaFeasibility criteria involves examining whether Netflix has the internal capabilities and resources to support implementation of these strategic options Strategy optionsDo existing technological assets support this strategy?Does Netflix have enough financial resources to support implementation of this strategy?Is there enough information available for implementation of this strategy? Expanding subscriber base internationally – market developmentTechnically, Netflix’s content delivery network is able to support this strategy.Netflix still has enough financial resources to expand internationally, however, huge losses have been incurred in implementation of this strategyYes, there is enough information to implement this strategy, however, the losses incurred so far raises the question of whether it is a feasible option? Expanding rapidly in domestic market – market penetrationYes, Netflix’s content delivery network is able to support this strategyYes, the company still has enough funds for market penetration.Yes, Netflix has enough information to ensure success of this strategy. Focusing squarely on online streaming business and producing some its content – product developmentYes, Netflix has exceptional tools with intelligent analysis that enable it to detect faults in systems, improve on customer experience and handle increasing data traffic.There are enough financial resources to implement this strategy.Yes, Netflix has enough information. For example, when it created its original TV series â€Å"House of Cards†, Netflix knew that it would be a hit based on examining consumers viewing habits. Diversifying product line to include video and computer games.No, Netflix may not have the technical capabilities to produce computer games.However, there are enough financial resources to implement this strategy.Also, there might not be enough information to implement this strategy. Netflix may not have enough history data to base on since most consumers subscribed to watch movies and not play computer games. PART VI Description of Selected Strategy Netflix need to focus squarely on the streaming business and phase out the DVD mailing option from its product portfolio. It should be noted that movie industry is quickly moving online and the DVD business is bound to declines. This can be seen with the decline in Netflix’s domestic subscribers. Declining number of DVD subscribers while domestic streaming subscribers increase.[46] This is also very much consistent with Netflix’s generic business strategy of differentiation, cost leadership and providing customers with convenience. While the DVD business has in the past been very profitable compared to the online streaming business; there is a slow but inevitable decline in the DVD business as the industry moves towards online streaming.[47] The huge costs associated with production of physical discs, packaging costs and the high costs of running the DVD distribution centers will adversely affect the DVD business. Netflix contributing profit, DVD vs domestic streaming.[48] Focusing exclusively on online streaming will without doubt enhance these generic strategies by differentiating Netflix from brick and mortar stores such as Blockbuster and Redbox, and providing customers with the convenience that they need. Netflix has the internal capabilities and resources to carry out this strategy successful. For the company to successfully carry out this strategy, it has to be vigilant in supporting millions of connected devices used by consumers in online streaming.[49] From the operational perspective, Netflix has large, complex and highly distributed systems environments. The company has exceptional tools with intelligent analysis that enable it to detect faults in systems and improve on customer experience and handle increasing data traffic.[50] Also, Netflix need to pay more attention on creating its own original content. This will decrease its dependence on content providers. Netflix is guaranteed success in content creation since they have enough information about the content that customers are desperately in need of. This can be seen with its original TV series the â€Å"House of cards† and â€Å"Hemlock Grove†, both of which have received acclaim in the industry.[51] Netflix is able to determine if a particular TV series or movie is going to be a hit based on consumers viewing habits. This provides them with a huge advantage in content creation. However, this does not mean that Netflix should abandon its providers as its survival is largely dependent upon the variety of its content. Netflix still has to rely on its content providers to meet the needs of its large consumer base. Conclusion In conclusion, while Netflix is the most prominent provider of online streaming with operations in the US, Canada and in 42 countries in Latin America and Caribbean, it faces a number of political, economic, social and technological factors in the industry. From legal battles emerging form trademark, copyright and patent issues to social and economic factors such as the inability to feature the latest releases and stiff competition in the industry. The main issues and challenges that Netflix faces are the high bargaining power of suppliers and stiff competition from well-financed and innovative companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon. However, the company could pursue various strategic growth options to further consolidate its position in the industry such international expansion, domestic market penetration, product development and diversification. Based on the SAF framework, Netflix is better positioned to focus exclusively on online streaming business and developing its own ori ginal content. This will provide the company with the sustainable advantage that it needs in terms of reducing the suppliers bargaining power, consolidating its competitive position in the industry and increasing customer experience. Netflix’s overall situation is fairly attractive and somewhat sustainable. It remains the single largest source of internet traffic in the US, consuming 29.7% of peak downstream traffic. However, given the inevitable decline of the DVD business, the company should consider focusing their business model on online streaming and creation of original content. With the growing capabilities of broadband communication, which allow for faster downloads and streaming of content, the industry is quickly moving online. This does not mean abandoning its content providers. It should be remembered that Netflix’s survival is dependent on the variety of its content. Netflix should be savvier than ever by negotiating better agreements for online streaming, increasing the selection of titles and making it possible to stream more content including the latest releases. Reference Adhikari, V.K., Guo, Y., Hao, F., Varvello, M., Hilt, V., Steiner, M. and Zhang, Z., Unreeling Netflix: understanding and improving multi-CDN movie delivery. University of Minnesota. 2012. Carrol, H., Menenberg, A. and Kwok, I., Strategic report for Netflix, Inc. OASIS Consulting, 2009. Culp, C., Friedman, M., Lincoln, G., Reeve, Q and Matt, A., Netflix: past, present and future innovation. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Strategy, Available from http://faculty.tuck.dartmouth.edu/images/uploads/faculty/ron-adner/11EIS_Main_Project_-_Netflix_Paper.pdf, 2012. [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Datastax, Netflix gives users exactly what they want – every time. California, Datastax. 2014. Davis, R., Netflix, Amazon sued over web media patent. Law 360. New York Times. Available from http://www.law360.com/articles/81037/netflix-amazon-sued-over-web-media-patent, 2008. [Viewed on 13th December 2014] Doughty, M., Strategic management and organizational culture: how Netflix survived disaster. Lethbridge College, 2013. Erickson, M.C., Stallman, E., Kalt, D.J., and Guhr, A.W., Petition to deny of Netflix, Inc. Washington DC. Available from http://apps.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/view?id=7521819696, 2014. [Viewed on 22nd December 2014] Favaro, K., Strategy and Business: Netflix wasn’t all wrong. Available from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/cs00003?pg=all, 2012. [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Gaines, A., Accounting: Netflix, Inc.: a financial analysis. Available from https://www.lagrange.edu/resources/pdf/citations/2009/03Accounting_Gaines.pdf, 2009. [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Haberfellner, R., General management and organization lecture notes, Institute for General Management and Organization, Graz University of Technology, 2009. Hitt, M., Ireland, D., Hoskisson, R., Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization, cases. Cengage Learning, 2008. Vol. 2 Indiviglio, D., 3 big challenges facing Netflix. The Atlantic. Available from http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/09/3-big-challenges-facing-netflix/63637/ 2010, [Viewed on 19th December 2014] Kopytoff, V.G., Shifting online, Netflix faces new competition. The New York Times. Available from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/technology/27netflix.html?_r=0 2010, [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Krengel, A., Dudek, A., Momboisse, R., Paik, T. and Martin, T., Netflix: a company analysis. Santa Clara University. Available from http://mgmtclarity.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/capstone_final_report.pdf 2010, [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Lew, J., Bowers, T.P. and Weiss, J., Netflix, Inc. Client report. Available from http://economics-files.pomona.edu/jlikens/SeniorSeminars/Likens2014/reports/netflix.pdf, 2014, [Viewed on 16th December 2014] Lieberman. D, Netflix Says it WillLet ViacomDeal Expire, Available from http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/netflix-viacom-networks-dealexpire/ 2013, [Viewed on 20th December 2014] Mavinkurve, R., Becker, J. and Christensen, B., Improving Netflix’s operational visibility with real-time insight tools. The Netflix Tech Blog. http://techblog.netflix.com/2014/01/improving-netflixs-operational.html 2014, [Viewed on 23rd December 2014] Mick, J., Netflix accuses Comcast of ripping off customers, files to block merger. Daily Tech. Available from http://www.dailytech.com/Netflix+Accuses+Comcast+of+Ripping+Off+Customers+Files+to+Block+Merger/article36453.htm 2014, [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Mourdoukoutas, P., Can Netflix correct its strategic mistakesForbes. Available from http://www.forbes.com/sites/panosmourdoukoutas/2011/10/10/can-netflix-correct-its-strategic-mistakes/ 2011, [Viewed on 12th December 2014] Netflix, Netflix company profile. 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the remains of the day essays

the remains of the day essays The Remains of the Day" is a book that reveals the fact that Lord Darlington was an unintentional sympathizer of the Nazis. He believed that their intentions for Germany were honorable, yet he was quite mistaken. He called a meeting at his home between German and British heads of state in an attempt to bring peace to Europe on a whole not realizing that Nazi Germany was bent on destroying the lives of millions of innocent people. One factor that was significant to the development of the novel was the relationship between Stevens, and Lord Darlington. For three decades, Stevens worked for Lord Darlington as a head butler in Darlington Hall until the day Lord Darlington died he held Stevens on a pedestal and treated him more as a friend than simply a butler. Stevens and Lord Darlington both shared the self-evaluation of making remorseful decisions in their lives. By Stevens's psychological depression for years of not expressing to anyone his feeling and putting full trust into Lord Darlington, he learns his choice of path in life. Even though for a majority of the book Stevens was proud to serve this noble and old fashion gentlemen, in the end he reveals his passion of not expressing the ideology of his viewpoints and experiences. Another identified contribution of the mystery was his culpability of not being able to express his feelings for Miss Kenton. Working together for years and arguing about household affairs, Miss Kenton displays the personality that Stevens failed to expose .In addition, the continuing feud of nagging by Stevens and the declination of not letting his shared sensation of her lead to the undiscovered love he had. She is a character who is equally intelligent to Stevens but does not mend on Lord Darlington's values showing greater personal integrity and dignity. Through his brief meeting with Miss Kenton, he accepts his true emotional bond with her and is able to move on with his life. ...

A Plan for Preparing for a Test in Four Weeks

A Plan for Preparing for a Test in Four Weeks If youre preparing for a test thats one month away, it must a big one. Like the SAT or GRE or GMAT or something. Listen. You dont have too much time, but thank goodness youre preparing for a test one month in advance and didnt wait until you only had a few weeks or even days. If youre preparing for a test of this kind of magnitude, read on for a study schedule to help you get a good score on your test. Week 1 Make sure youve registered for your exam! Really. Some people dont realize they have to do this step.  Buy a test prep book, and make sure its a good one. Go for the big names: Kaplan, Princeton Review, Barrons, McGraw-Hill. Better yet? Buy one from the maker of the test.  Review the test basics: whats on the test, length, price, test dates, registration facts, testing strategies, etc.Get a baseline score. Take one of the full-length practice tests inside the book to see what score youd get if you took the test today.Map out your time with a time management chart to see where test prep can fit in. Rearrange your schedule if necessary to accommodate test prep.Review online courses, tutoring programs, and in-person classes if you think that studying on your own will not be ideal! Choose and purchase it, today. Like right now. Week 2 Begin coursework with your weakest subject (#1) as demonstrated by the test you took last week.Learn the components of #1  fully: the types of questions asked, amount of time needed, skills required, methods of solving types of questions, knowledge tested. Acquire the knowledge necessary for this section by searching on the Internet, going through old textbooks, reading articles and more.Answer #1 practice questions, reviewing answers after each one. Determine where youre making mistakes and correct your methods.  Take a practice test on #1 to determine the level of improvement from baseline score. You can find practice tests in the book or online many places, as well.  Fine tune #1 by going over questions missed to determine what level of knowledge youre missing. Reread information until you know it! Week 3 Move on to next weakest subject (#2). Learn the components of #2 fully: types of questions asked, amount of time needed, skills required, methods of solving types of questions, etc.Answer #2 practice questions, reviewing answers after each one. Determine where youre making mistakes and correct your methods.Take a practice test on #2 to determine the level of improvement from baseline.Move on to strongest subject/s (#3). Learn the components of #3 fully (and 4 and 5 if you have more than three sections on the test) (types of questions asked, amount of time needed, skills required, methods of solving types of questions, etc.)Answer practice questions on #3 (4 and 5). These are your strongest subjects, so youll need less time to focus on them.Take a practice test on #3 (4 and 5) to determine the level of improvement from baseline. Week 4 Take a full-length practice test, simulating the testing environment as much as possible with time constraints, desk, limited breaks, etc.Grade your practice test and cross-check every wrong answer with the explanation for your wrong answer. Determine what youve missed and what you need to do to improve.Take one more full-length practice test. After testing, figure out why youre missing what you’re missing and correct your mistakes before test day!Eat some brain food – studies prove that if you take care of your body, you’ll test smarter!Get plenty of sleep this week.Plan a fun evening the night before the exam to reduce your stress, but not too  fun. You want to get plenty of sleep!Pack your testing supplies the night before: an approved calculator if youre allowed to have one, sharpened #2 pencils with a soft eraser, registration ticket, photo ID, watch, snacks or drinks for breaks.Relax. You did it! You studied successfully for your test, and youre as ready as youre going to be! Dont forget these  five things to do on the day of the test!

Music and the society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Music and the society - Essay Example The lyrics therefore fuses with the instruments to resulting a holistic peace that does not only entertain but also communicates the basic aspects of the society. Set in the society and targeting the same society for audience, musical compositions limit their creativity to the similar attributes of the society. This implies that the themes in the songs and the musical instruments used in the songs must come from the societies in which either the composers or the audience belong. Songs therefore portray the social, political, economic and cultural aspects of the society. In doing these, the draw lyrics from the specific features of the above elements that affect the society daily (Chris, Gerald and Allen 44). Through time, societies develop their technologies and cultural behaviors alongside other pertinent attributes. Songs and other works of art should therefore communicate the constant change in their presentation. This includes the type of instruments they use and the level of cre ativity in composing the songs. Songs must therefore reflect the changes through time. This implies that songs produced in different times should portray the difference in the features of society. The difference should be easily evident in the lyrical composition of the songs and even the instruments used. The technological changes often result in improvements in the instruments and other technological aspects of the composition. Songs should therefore always have better quality owing to the fact that they subsequent song productions employ better technologies. Due to the modern telecommunication developments, the world has eventually become a global village denoting that people easily trade cultural products key among which are songs and other works of arts. With such developments, any work of art that targets the global audience must address issues that are familiar to the global market. This compels detailed researches to identify the prominent aspects of the global society. Song s determine the trends in the global popular culture, composers of songs and other global works of art therefore have increased responsibility of regulating their cultural products to limit their compositions to uphold the values and virtues in the wider global society. From the above discussion, it is obvious that comparing to musical compositions is synonymous to comparing the different times of production for the two or more songs. Through the themes in the songs, the instruments used and the composition styles, the social, economic, political and technological state of the times become evident. Two of such songs composed and produced at different times in history but are still classical master pieces are The Four Seasons by Antonio Vilvadi in 1723 and Music for the Funeral of Queen Marry written by Henry Purcell in 1965. The time differences between the two songs is more than three centuries a time within which the society changed its structure. Political, social, economic, cult ural and even technological factors all changed thereby creating a big difference in the nature of the songs. They both have a representation of each of the five aspects of the society and the nature of representation in the two communicate the difference in the time lines. As its name suggests, The Four Seasons describe the seasons in the year and the activities in them. In his composition, Vilvadi composes and produces four concertos to represent he four seasons. Published for the first time in 1925, the four were part of the twelve concerti named the contest between harmony and invention. Each of the four concerti has unique composition structure and uses different instruments to create the difference in the tempo and therefore the general composition. The first two represent the warm seasons of