Saturday, December 28, 2019
Animal Farm And 1984 George Orwell Analysis - 889 Words
George Orwell used the theme of betrayal to show how the society in both ââ¬Å"Animal Farmâ⬠and ââ¬Å"1984â⬠controls the people. Both books have a totalitarian government controlling everyone but in 1984 the government has people betray each other to gain power. People do as theyââ¬â¢re told and lose the relationships such as family, friends, or intimate relationships, all of which they would have in a normal society. The government does this so each individual becomes alienated from each other and feels like the only person they can trust is Big Brother. Historically, Big Brother could be referring to Joseph Stalin. During World War II Stalin was nicknamed ââ¬Å"Uncle Joeâ⬠or ââ¬Å"The Father of all Russiansâ⬠this is probably an attempt to connect with hisâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Winston is so desperate for love that he doesnââ¬â¢t think much about the consequences of this encounter. He goes from wanting to kill Julia to loving her within a fe w days. As their relationship grows, they both become more and more comfortable with rebelling and testing the limits of their freedom. The glass around the paperweight represents the limits of their freedom so when the paperweight was shattered they reached the limit. The coral represents Julia and Winstons hopes that one day they will join the brotherhood and defeat their totalitarian government. When the paperweight shatters all their hopes and dreams go with it. The paperweight symbolizes how fragile their hopes and dreams are. Unlike 1984, Animal Farmââ¬â¢s symbol doesnââ¬â¢t involve freedom. The farmhouse represents power, so whoever lives there has control over the farm. After Mr. Jones lost his power was forced to leave, he was slowly substituted by the pigs. From the start, they thought they were higher than the rest of the animals they ââ¬Å"did not actually work, but directed and supervised othersâ⬠(Animal 35). Almost right after the animals took over the fa rm the pigs took over the harness-room for their own educational purposes. Its like they had it all planned out like they wanted to dominate before they took over the farm. When the pigs moved into the farmhouse thats when things changed for real on the farm. They moved into a manââ¬â¢s home to become powerful as he.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of George Orwell s 1984 And Animal Farm 1401 Words à |à 6 PagesTitle/Author: 1984/ George Orwell Date of Publication/Genre: 1949/ Dystopian Fiction Biographical information about the author: George Orwell, who was originally Eric Arthur Blair was born in 1903 in British India. His two greatest novels include 1984 and Animal Farm. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelist of the 20th century. Historical information on the period of publication: During this period, the United Kingdom recognized the republic of Ireland. The United States claimed Israel asRead More Animal Farm as a Political Satire to Criticise Totalitarian Regimes4636 Words à |à 19 PagesAnimal Farm as a Political Satire to Criticise Totalitarian Regimes This study aims to determine that George Orwells Animal Farm is a political satire which was written to criticise totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalins practices in Russia. In order to provide background information that would reveal causes led Orwell to write Animal Farm, Chapter one is devoted to a brief summary of the progress of authors life and significant events that had impact on his political convictions. ChapterRead MoreThe Storu- Animal Farm2755 Words à |à 11 PagesThe story of Animal Farm is a political allegory of the situation of the communist Soviet Union. The author of the story George Orwell attempts to describe the events of the communist Russia and the bloody Revolutions through the characters of the Animal Farm. The novel introduces the story of a an animal farm which is being used to destroy the living of the animals by competing for the power in the governance of the farm which leaves the farm shattered in the end. It also depicts that how democracies Read MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s The Great Gatsby 1868 Words à |à 8 PagesBiography On June 25, 1903, George Orwell, originally named Eric Arthur Blair, was born. Born in Motihari, India, but moved to England with his mother, Ida and sister, Marjorie when he was one-year-old. Richard, his father was a British Civil Servant who stayed in India because he was stationed there. Growing up, Orwell did not see his father much until he retired in 1912. (Biography.com) When he was five years old, Orwell attended a parish school in Henley. A few years later, he received a partialRead MoreGeorge Orwells 19842185 Words à |à 9 PagesLiterary Analysis The author of the novel 1984, George Orwell, is a political critic. Therefore, he used very precise descriptions of situations and words to provide the reader a clear understanding of the entity he is criticizing. When Winston describes the destruction of past records to create new ones to Julia, he says: ââ¬Å"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every dateRead MoreCritics of Novel 1984 by George Orwell14914 Words à |à 60 Pages1984 In George Orwells 1984, Winston Smith wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a place where the Party scrutinizes human actions with ever-watchful Big Brother. Defying a ban on individuality, Winston dares to express his thoughts in a diary and pursues a relationship with Julia. These criminal deeds bring Winston into the eye of the opposition, who then must reform the nonconformist. George Orwells 1984 introduced the watchwords for life without freedom: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. WrittenRead MoreHistory of Social Work18530 Words à |à 75 Pages.........................................................................28 Mary Richmond.......................................................................................................................................................29 George Orwell, John Howard Griffin, Pat Moore, Tolly Toynbee, Gà ¼nther Wallraff, Barbara Ehrenreich ............30 Sir William Beveridge .........................................................................................................................Read MoreSantrock Edpsych Ch0218723 Words à |à 75 PagesProcesses, Periods, and Stages www.mcgrawhill.ca/college/santrock Page 34 Children are the legacy we leave for a time we will not live to see. Aristotle Greek Philosopher, 4th Century B.C. EXPLORING HOW CHILDREN DEVELOP Twentieth-century philosopher George Santayana once reflected, ââ¬Å"Children are on a different plane. They belong to a generation and way of feeling properly their own.â⬠Letââ¬â¢s explore what that plane is like. Why Studying Childrenââ¬â¢s Development Is Important Why study childrenââ¬â¢s development
Friday, December 20, 2019
Analysis Of Lee s We Gon Be Alright - 1607 Words
During the Civil Rights Era from 1954-1968, leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Bayard Rustin and many others utilized the strength of voice to empower the people they were representing. When they stood up to speak, their reason for speaking was not to make others change their minds, but instead, to encourage and inspire those who already believed in their cause and shared their hardships. Fast forward to today, and the same methods are being used. In Jeff Changââ¬â¢s book, ââ¬Å"We Gonââ¬â¢ Be Alrightâ⬠, he is constantly using examples and stories as the evidence to back up his ideas and his perspective. While most people think the reason for that is to change the readerââ¬â¢s way of thinking, Chang doesnââ¬â¢t try to persuade anyone. Hisâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Chang realized that there are people who get their information from their TVââ¬â¢s, phones and tablets. So they may be led on to believe that the point of the use of the term ââ¬Å "hands upâ⬠during protest was solely about Michael Brown, when in fact it was about the longstanding history of racial injustice in the U.S. The mainstream media doesnââ¬â¢t always tell the true story, and using TV as a source can distract people from the actual issues on hand. Rather than debating about why a movement is using a certain term during their protest, the debate should be over why race-based crimes are so frequent. Another example of Chang calling out media bias is on page 113, where he describes the night when a young man named VonDerrit Myers was shot down in an interaction with a police officer during a ââ¬Å"pedestrian checkâ⬠. According to the police, Myers had a gun and was killed in a one on one gunfight with the officer (Chang, 113), however, that wasnââ¬â¢t the end of the story. ââ¬Å"They [the police] noted Myers had been wearing a GPS ankle bracelet-- a consequence of being out on bail for recent charges of unlawful use of a weapon and resi sting arrest. The media was fed Instagram photos of Myers posing with guns,â⬠(113). Because the media was filled with pictures of Myers with guns, people who didnââ¬â¢t know all the details of the situation formed opinions on it based on something that isnââ¬â¢t even relevant to what the real problem is. In a Fox news article released after the shooting, the
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Monetary And Fiscal Policy Essay Example For Students
Monetary And Fiscal Policy Essay Monetary and Fiscal PolicyThe Monetary and Fiscal Policies, although controlled by two different organizations, are the ways that our economy is kept under control. Both policies have their strengths and weaknesses, some situations favoring use of both policies, but most of the time, only one is necessary. The monetary policy is the act of regulating the money supply by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, currently headed by Alan Greenspan. One of the main responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System is to regulate the money supply so as to keep production, prices, and employment stable. The Fed has three tools to manipulate the money supply. They are the reserve requirement, open market operations, and the discount rate. The most powerful tool available is the reserve requirement. The reserve requirement is the percentage of money that the bank is not allowed to loan out. If it is lowered, banks are required to keep less money, and so more money is put out into circulation (theoretically). If it is raised, then banks may have to collect on some loans to meet the new reserve requirement. The tool known as open market operations influences money and credit operations by buying and selling of government securities on the open market. This is used to control overall money supply. If the Fed believes there is not enough money in circulation, then they will buy the securities from member banks. If the Fed believes there is too much money in the economy, they will sell the securities back to the banks. Because it is easier to make gradual changes in the supply of money, open market operations are use more regularly than monetary policy. When member banks want to raise money, they can borrow from Federal Reserve Banks. Just like other loans, there is an interest rate, or a discount rate, the third tool of the monetary policy. If the discount rate is high, then fewer banks will be inclined to borrow, and if it is low, more banks will (theoretically) borrow from the reserve banks. The discount rate is not used as frequently as it was in the past, but it does serve as an indicator to private bankers of the intentions of the Fed to constrict or enlarge the money supply. The monetary policy is a good way to influence the money supply, but it does have its weaknesses. One weakness is that tight money policy works better that loose money policy. Tight money works on bringing money in to stop circulation, but for loose policy to really work, people have to want loans and want to spend money. Another problem is monetary velocity. The number of times per year a dollar changes hands for goods and services is completely independent of the money supply.., and can sometimes contradict the efforts of the Fed. The benefits of the monetary system are that it can be enacted immediately with quick results. There are no delays from congress. Second, the Fed uses partisan politics, and so has no ties to any political party, but acts in the best interests of the U.S. Economy. The second way to influence the money supply lies in the hands of the government with the Fiscal Policy. The fiscal policy consists of two main tools. The changing of tax rates, and changing government spending. The main point of fiscal policy is to keep the surplus/deficit swings in the economy to a minimum by reducing inflation and recession. A change in tax rates is usually implemented when inflation is unusually high, and there is a recession with high unemployment. With high inflation, taxes are increased so people have less to spend, thus reducing demand and inflation. During a recession with high unemployment, taxes are lowered to give more people money to spend and thus increasing demand for goods and services, and the economy begins to revive. .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac , .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .postImageUrl , .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac , .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:hover , .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:visited , .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:active { border:0!important; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:active , .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6934f1f05592a163cafd9babf0dc3cac:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Real Meaning of LIfe EssayA change in government spending has a stronger effect on the economy than a change in tax rates. When the government decides to fight a recession it can spend a large amount of money on goods and services, all of which is released into the economy. Despite the effectiveness of the Fiscal policy, it does have drawbacks. The major problems are timing and politics. It is hard to predict inflation and recession, and it can be a long period of time before the situation is even recognized. Because a tax cut can take a year to really take effect, the economy could revive from the recession and the new unnecessary tax cut could cause inflation. Politics are another problem. Unlike the monetary policy run by the partisan Fed, the fiscal policy is initiated by the government, and so politics play a key role in the policy. When the concerns of the government are viewed, it becomes obvious that a balanced budget is not the primary objective, anyway. The fiscal policy can also be used as a campaign tactic. If tax cuts are initiated and government spending is increased, then the president is more likely to be re-elected, but has first to deal with the inflation his tactic caused. Monetary and fiscal policies are what helps keep the nations economy stable. With them it is possible to control demand for services and goods and the ability to pay for them. It is possible to manipulate the money in private hands without directly affecting them. The policies are simply a myriad of tools used to prevent a long period where there is high unemployment, inflation, and prices, along with low wages and investment.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Organisational Behaviour Employee Underpayment
Question: Describe about the Organisational Behaviour for Employee Underpayment. Answer: Introduction The present assignment aims to evaluate and examine the scandal of 7-Eleven in which franchisee underpay their employees in Australia. It includes background, structure, problems and detailed analysis of the allegations made against the company of employee underpayment. Background Structure of Organization 7-Eleven Inc. is an international chain of convenience stores operating in approximately about 18 different countries. The company franchises and licenses about 55,000 stores worldwide and was recognized by the name of The Southland Corporation till the year 1999 The company is known to be the largest operator and franchisor of convenience stores internationally (7à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã¢â¬ËEleven Profile, 2016). 7-Eleven Stores Pty Ltd has become first choice of Australia in convenience stores. It is private owned company and has obtained franchise of 7-Eleven stores from the US based 7-Eleven Inc (About 7-Eleven Convenience Stores, 2016). Problems Issues 7-Eleven scandal occurred in the franchise convenience stores of Australia which highlighted the unethical practices prevalent in the company. The employees were underpaid and also get threatening from the senior management of the company if they raise their voices against their exploitation. The cash-back scheme of the franchisee forces the employees to pay back their wages (Karp, 2016). The employees were also enforced to stay in the office and work for late night hours. The employees of the company were mainly international students and accordance to their visa can work only for a time period of 20 hours to complete a given work. These students were threatened by the franchisees of breaking the visa regulations if they complain to Fair Work Australia about being underpaid (7-Eleven Scandal an Ethical Failure of Leadership, 2013).The employees were told that they would have to prove their underpayment in the court. The employees who were mainly international students believed in th em due to lack of knowledge. Also, there were evidences of physical violence with the students and threatening made to their families overseas by the franchisee (Karp, 2016). The main reason for the occurrence of 7-Eleven scandal was unlawful conduct from the franchisee. According to FWOs report, the main factors responsible for the misconduct in the franchisee was absence of auditing and monitoring by the franchisor. The head office of franchise convenience stores in Australia does not pay any attention to employee complaints (Stricter laws for franchisors? Responses to the 7-eleven wage scandal, 2016). The employees working in the franchisees were mainly international students who were threatened and as such were afraid of reporting the misconduct by their employers (Marginson et al., 2010). These all factors were responsible for the underpayment scandal of 7-Eleven. Analysis The Fair Work Ombudsman of Australia after the occurrence of employee underpayment scandal in 7-Eleven has scrutinized the duties of franchisors towards the franchisees. However, according to a franchisee agreement, franchisors and its franchisees are individual parties who are not connected with each other. Franchisors only provide their business model to the franchisee for carrying out its operational activities. Thus, as per the Franchising Code of Conduct, franchisors do not own any responsibility for the franchisees actions towards their employees (Rouse McKavanagh, 2016).The scandal of 7-Eleven has highlighted the importance of introducing changes in the present Franchising code of Conduct so that all franchisees carry out their business in an ethical manner. The franchisors should own a control over the business processes and procedures of the franchisee to restrict them for indulging in any type of unethical practices (7- Eleven, wages and the Franchise Code: The story so fa r, 2016) This can be done by conducting audit of the franchisees on a continuous basis to govern their organizational behavior. The auditing of franchisees on a regular manner would help in the identification of unethical practices prevalent in the organization. Also, strict employment laws should be enforced on the franchisee and also they should be made aware of the serious actions that can be taken against them in case of non-compliance with these laws (Rouse McKavanagh, 2016). The franchisors on identification of misconduct from their franchisee should terminate the franchisee agreement. The Labor Party of Australia are emphasizing on reforming the workplace laws for ensuring employees protection after the occurrence of 7-Eleven scandal. In this context, it is becoming highly important for the franchisors to analyze and examine the legal action that can be taken against them in case of unlawful practices inculcated by their franchisees (Stricter laws for franchisors? Responses to the 7-e leven wage scandal, 2016). As per the recent Coalition laws, franchisors are entrusted with huge responsibility of controlling and reviewing the franchisee business practices in order to ensure that they are in compliance with the workplace laws. The franchisee agreement should clearly state the duties and obligations of the franchisor and the franchisee in order to abide by the recent workplace laws. The disclosure of employee wages should be properly drafted and provided to the franchisee before entering into the franchisee agreement to avoid any discrepancy in future (Stricter laws for franchisors? Responses to the 7-eleven wage scandal, 2016). There was no monitoring and reviewing of employment reports by the franchisor in case of 7-Eleven scandal. This encouraged the employers of the company to underpay their employees and lead to their exploitation. Thus, franchisors should continually monitor and review the wages reports of the employees for ensuring that they are not underpaid. Also, franchisors must d esign a proper communication flow so that employees of the franchisees are able to reach the head office to report any type of issues faced by them. The franchisor should introduce necessary changes in the businessstructure of the franchisees on the identification of any type of problems encountered by them to pay out the employee wages (Rouse McKavanagh, 2016). Thus, the occurrence of 7-Eleven scandal has emphasized on the need of adoption of a proper regulatory framework to govern a franchisee agreement. The brand image of 7-Eleven Inc was negatively impacted by the employee underpayment fraud and it has to also provide compensation to the underpaid employees. The changes introduced in the Franchising Code of Conduct would also ensure the protection of good will of franchisors in a franchisee agreement. Thus, it can be stated after the analysis of 7-Eleven scandal that an organization should carry out its business ethically. The presence of Law of Conduct is necessary in each and every organization to govern its organizational behavior. Assessment 2: 1. Identification of problem Reports state that more explosive allegations have been leveled against Australias major convenience store chain with strong claims of a management cover-up of widespread exploitation. It has been reported that 7-Eleven is being investigated over several allegations of wage theft that have seen its network of convenience stores demonstrated as operating a sweatshop on every corner. Moreover, it can be seen a fresh claim has emerged that the alleged scam went all the way to the responsible senior manager as well as senior management (abc.net.au, 2016). Reports have revealed a fact that Fairfax Media has stated that it was in possession of thousands of leaked documents that allegedly implicate 7 Elevens head office in the scandal. It can be found from the news that the documents contain extracts of the interviews, conducted by 7-Elevens field inspectors, in a payroll compliance review of 225 franchisesacross the country. This allegedly found that the vast majority were underpaying the staffs. Most importantly, it can be stated that the alleged breaches of the laws of workplace were heldon the inside (abc.net.au, 2016). Several news have found out that this organization is accused for paying their employees only $10 per hour and almost two third of the stores are unashamedlyripping off the employees. This rate is half than the actual award, i.e. $24 an hour and there is no existence of overtime reward to motivate the employees. In response to this situation, the Ombudsman proclaimed that it had launched a clear legal proceeding against this organization that allegedly underpinned two migrant staffs near about $50,000 and untrustworthy their paperwork. The workers said that they do not have any sympathy for their bosses (abc.net.au, 2016). One employee was aggressivelyrobbed two times in the stretch of 18 hours. The company has anevidence of cash back scheme;where the employees are paid the exact money on papers, but at the same time, they were blackmailed to give back half of their payment. Most unfortunate part is that the system is still running in the organization. Several media investigation has found that this fraud organization wasaccused, as the staffs were paid as little as $5 an hour and often forced the workers to work for more than 60 hours a week (abc.net.au, 2016). Besides this severe issue, it has been found that 7-Elevens Australian franchised is one of the prominent examples of an ethical failure of leadership. Several investigations revealed the fact that the employees in the organization were forced to work for the long hours a day. Some of the employees were the international students and they were not even allowed to work for more than 20 hours a week (abc.net.au, 2016). The shocking thing in this case was that these international students were highly blackmailed by their respective franchisee and were said that if they complain to fair Work Commission, they would be severely dobbed in for violating their visa regulations. Therefore, it can be stated that the employees in this organization have been suffering a lot due to this overtime of the shift timing and comparatively low wages (abc.net.au, 2016). Apart from that, it can be found that the company has been severely accused for breaches of workplace laws along with the rampant wage fraud at this corporation. The company has been pointed out for wage fraud of more than $170 billion franchise industry. Adele Ferguson (2015) has stated in the news that the fraud case of 7 Eleven scandal focused not only on a business model that encourage systematic underpayment of the staffs, but also a brutal practice of franchisee to pay the employees below the promised rate. Most importantly, it can be said that this scandal has put emphasis on reinforcing the requirement for the parliament to work together as well as implement Coalitions measures to deliver meaningful penalties (afr.com, 2015). 2. Analyzing the organizational behavioral issues From the above discussions, it has been found that this leading Australian corporation has been accused several times from several reliablesources. Since, it is required to mention that the investigation has forced 7 Eleven to repay $26 million in back pay to 680 workers. However, the news has stated that more than thousands of underpayment claims are still being processed and this is the biggest back pay claim in the Australian history. Danckert (2016) has stated that 7 Eleven wage abuse incident has been one of the major lessons for all the directors. From severalreports, it has been observed that since the scandal came into the news, it has had a profound impact on the overall reputation of the brand along with the board of directors as well as the senior executives.This incident is one of the strong warnings to all the board members and the CEOs of the consequences of non-cooperation with the law by their business (Danckert, 2016). Therefore, it can be mentioned that for the remaining corporate Australia, it is one of the major wake-up calls to make sure that their business operations are in properly in order. Ferguson (2016) has opined in his research work that the surrounding scenario has been becoming less tolerant of rebelliousness to the laws. From these incidents, it can be seen that the organizational behaviors were hampered and the employees were morally as well as financially deprived (fairwork.gov.au, 2016). The scientific management theoryis one of the major theories that is required to mention here, as this theory puts focus on the research work to develop the best management system for the conditions in the workplace. The managers in this case are responsible to select, train as well as develop the employees with financial incentives as rewards. Here, it has been seen that the employees were highly deprived and not only that, they were blackmailed from their responsible authorities. French et al. (2012) have stated that planning, organizing, staffing the employees as well as controlling are some of the major primary functions of this type of organization and 7 Eleven has been accused due to lack of these major functions. Human relation approach is another major approach that was hampered here and thus the employees complained against the work culture of this organization. Inhuman approach towards the employees affected their performances as well and thus they were forced to complain a gainst the management (Haslam et al., 2014). Besides, it can be seen that the administrative management theory as well were not followed in case of 7 Eleven. In case of administrative management theory, a clear communication can be seen from top to bottom (abc.net.au, 2016). Here, in case of this scandal, there were no clear communications, as the head executives after being accused said that they were not at all well aware of this situation and thus the situation was drastic for the employees. Hassard and Pym (2012) have stated that the main objectives of the executives are to act as the major effective channel of communication and at the same time maintainsthe smooth organizational operations. 3. Preliminary recommendations Smith previously was the deputy chairman of 7-Elevan and now the chairman of this leading Australian organization and was highly shocked from the media investigation. This depicts the fact that he was failed to maintain his duty as an effective channel of communication among different parts of the organization and this ignited the situation (abc.net.au, 2016). Therefore, it is recommended that the Executive is required to be vocal enough to act as an effective communication channel. The chairman of any organization must have an in-depth knowledge of all organizational operations from top to bottom level; otherwise it would be tough to deal with any addressed issues in the organization. Therefore, much effectiveness of the chairman is recommended at first (news.com.au, 2015). Secondly, it can be stated that the employees were highly de-motivated and were blackmailed, so that they do not go the higher authority to explain their situation. They were paid less than the promised remuneration and thus it was the violation of basic human rights. The Fair Work Commission says that when an employee gets paid are supposed to rely on the industry and they must be paid the minimum amount. Here, it has been seen that the employees were paid much less than the promised amount and thus it was the violation of the human rights. They must get the payment properly as per the Fair work Commission of Ombudsman (news.com.au, 2015). Apart from that, it has been seen that the employees were forced to work for a long time and thus they were highly de-motivated at the workplace. Therefore, it can be recommended that the company must look at this part sincerely, so that the employees do not get agitated to work. Lack of motivation and incapability of the Chief Executive have dragged the situation of 7-Eleven into scandal (planforpersonalsuccess.com, 2016). These parts are especially required to focus on to deal with this scandal situation in this Australian organization. Most importantly, it is required to mention that the international students must not be threatened and forced to work for long hours. Assessment 3: Introduction: The aim of the final report is to reflect the view point of on the findings of the problems and the issues related to 7-Eleven. Based on the findings, a number of recommendations will be made along with the limitations of the approach that might hinder the operations undertaken by the organization. In this respect, it has to be mentioned that organizational communication plays an important part in shaping the organizational behavior (McShane Von Glinow, 2015). In order to fulfill these criteria, a number of organizational behavior theories will be discussed and on the basis of these findings, the recommendations will be made. It has been observed that the organization suffers from a number of problems and ethical issues that has created negative impact on the employees of the organization. The major problems were related to the treatment of the employees in the organization. The employees were treated very badly and they were not provided the fundamental rights given to employees (Pinder, 2014). These situations create a chaotic as well as resentful situation in the organization. If the same situation keep continuing then the company has to suffer badly in its business operation. Therefore, it is important that the organization will look into the matter and approach with a number of steps to improve the degrading situation. Recommendations: The organization greatly lacks on motivating the employees working in the organization. The employees do not find it reasonable enough to work with great effort and compassion. Therefore, it can be easily recommended that the primary thing that the organization might undertake is to motivate employees. Some of the motivation theories can be discussed in this respect. Motivate employees: According to the Maslows hierarchy of need, it is important for an employee to be motivated enough in order to increase their approach towards the organizational operation. In the view point of Miner, (2015), it is only when people are motivated with the help of a number of factors that might be in terms of rewards and recognition or in terms of money, employees are found to be motivated and as a result they are expected to give better result in terms of their roles and duties. Therefore, it can be easily said that one way to fight against the declining condition of the organization, the employees have to be motivate (Greenberg, 2013). It has been found that the employees are not given proper salary and they are in fact robbed. It is therefore, recommended to stop such mal practices and focus on such activities that would result in creating a better opportunity to the employees. In this way, the situation can be made better. Ethical approach towards working hours: Every country and organization has certain rules and protocols that states about the ethical approach that should be followed in an organization. It has been found that the employees at 7-Eleven are not given the appropriated value of their over timing (Wagner Hollenbeck, 2014). In fact, the employees are treated very badly. It has to be said that ethical approach is indeed important in an organization. It is recommended that the management should be careful enough to provide extra pay to the employees who will be responsible for doing over time (DuBrin, 2013). There should be a fixed tome of working and any employee working more than that should be eligible to extra pay. This is a very important concern and when people are given extra payment for their work, the employees are motivated as well. This way, better opportunities of shaping the organizational behavior is important. More audits and monitoring of the entire business operation: It is again recommended that the management should employee a good auditing group that will be responsible to undertake the monitoring process of the entire business (Hogg Terry, 2014). When the business operation and the working of the employees are audited and monitored, a detailed analysis of the entire working procedure is known. It is based on the understanding of the outcome of the monitoring process; the management might take responsibility to carry on better reaction towards the business operation. Cross-culture work environment for foreign employees and students: In the era of globalization and cross-culture work environment, it is important for the team of management to understand the needs and approaches that has to be made to undertake the cross-cultural environment (Robbins Judge, 2012). It is important to work with the people belonging to different culture and countries. It has been found that there are a number of students from the other countries who are the employees of the company. It has been found that these groups of people are threatened that their passport and the visas will be taken off and that they have to suffer (Nahavandi et al., 2013). These things are needed to be stopped and focus should be made to improve the cross cultural environment in the organization. In addition to these, it is also recommended that the problems and the difficulties faced by any employees should be addressed and immediate action has to be taken if any employee finds any kind of difficulty. It is only when employees are treated well in the organization, the management can expect to get better result from the employees. Following labor law to check unlawful practices: Every country has certain labor laws that respect the working culture of the employees. It has to be understood that the employees are hired in an organization and they are expected to perform their duties well in the organization (Hilbert, 2012). Therefore, it falls under the responsibility of the management of the company to understand the importance and the needs of the employees. The employees should be treated well and the basic necessity such as good wage, protection of health and safety approaches should be made to keep a balance in the organization. Any kind of unlawful or injustice practices should be neglected and whenever required, it is important that get feedback from the employees and make decision to improve the condition of the work place. Increasing security in the work place: When an employee comes to an organization, it falls under the responsibility of the employer to think of the security and the safety of the employees. One of the problems faced by the employees at the 7- Eleven was regarding the security of the workplace (Rupp et al., 2015). The employees were not at all safe at the work place and they were usually threatened with their life to the worst extent. It is therefore very important for the management of the organization to understand that serious steps should be taken in order to make the work place secure for the employees. In order to increase the security of the organization, it is expected that there will be a team who will be responsible to take care of the safety and the security of the employees. Any employee who finds that their life is at the verge of insecurity then strict actions can be taken to combat those situations (Hogg Terry, 2014). This is an important function of the organization and the management must be responsible to take action against any person who is responsible for not abiding the security guidelines of the organization. Reduce the work load of the employees: It has been evident that the employees were over burdened with the work. Moreover, the employees were not given the proper salary or wage that shall be given to them. It is for the same reason employees came out with their resent and aggression. It is for the same fact, it has been noticed that the organization faced some kind of limitations in terms of its business activities. Therefore, it is recommended that the burden of work on the employees shall be reduced and in case if they are made to do any kind of over work, they shall be paid the required amount to money to serve the employees. It falls under the responsibilities of the employees to take note of the condition of the employees and make proper arrangement that shall improve the condition of the employees. Assumptions made on the organizational behavior: With the detailed analysis of the case study, it has been understood that the management of the organization was not at all bothered about the employees. There was no such approach made from the side of the management about the security and safety as well as about the salary that the employees get. It can be assumed that the management of the company was not efficient enough and that there was lot of crisis in the organization. The company is very unethical towards its approach terms of serving the employees. The employees can be regarded that they remain in a situation where they can face any kind of difficult situation at any point of time. The organizational behavior and characteristics are not at all good enough to support the employees and to encourage them as well (Thau et al., 2015). It is expected that the employees are provided with such circumstances and offers that they shall find it comfortable as well as motivated to work in an organization rather than thinking about the negative impact of their position in the organization. In this aspect, it can be easily said that the organizational behavior is very poor in terms of managing people and lot of focus has to be made to improve the condition of the organization. It has to be understood that in the competitive era and increasing globalization, it is very important for an organization to understand the needs of the employees and make the business operations keeping the best of the values of the employees (Levine, Thompson Messick, 2013). However, no such approach is seen in the activities of the management of the organization and therefore, there is a great chance that the organization will suffer great loss in terms of its business activities. Limitations of the approach: With the complete analysis based on the different reports and the other findings, it has been clear that the organizational behavior of 7-Eleven is not at all relevant and that the management of the company is not at not efficient enough to manage the employees and their demand. It has been found that the employees are treated very badly and unethical approaches are taken to suppress the employees (Hogg Terry, 2014). It is for these reasons that the employees are to be treated well and that it falls under the management of the organization to think of better actions that shall improve the condition of the organization. Some of the limitations that the approaches to be undertaken by the management of the organization might face are: The actual requirement of the employees of the organization remains unknown to the actual requirement of the employees. As commented by Kanfer Chen, (2016), problems can be solved easily when the problems are known from the people who are facing the problem. In order to understand the actual situation of the employees, it is important to ask them about their problems and issues. It is based on their feedback the management of the organization is expected to take proper steps to improve the condition of the employees. However, with the analysis of the case study, it has been observed that the management was not at all interested in understanding the view point of the employees and then frame certain better solutions to tackle the problems of the employees. Another important limitation of the organization is that there is no such scope of the fact that supports the fact that the management of the company is ready to serve the employees with better opportunities or they might be spending good amount of money on the betterment of the employees. There are many instances that shows that the organization is not at all bothered about the comfort or the safety of the employees of the organization. There is no scope of motivating the employees in any term either by the means of providing incentives or by giving them rewards. In fact, the employees are being suppressed and they are not even served with the minimum requirement required to fulfill the objectives of the employees. Therefore, it can be easily assumed that the organization lacks the minimum approach made towards benefitting the employees and it is for the same reason, the employees are found to suffer. Importance of organizational communication: In the view point of Robbins and Judge, (2012), communication plays a vital role in shaping the relationship of people. In case of an organization, both ways communication; between the employees and the management is an important criterion for creation of a good work environment. In order to make things better and to create a balanced life in the work place, it is important that the management and the employees working in the organization shall have proper communication with each other. Increase of inter-personal communication: In order to understand individuals problems or challenges, it is important to increase the inter-personal communication among the employees and the management. Addressing the needs of the employees is important and it is by the means of understanding their consent that a better approach can be made to improve the situation of the operation of the organization. Increase number of meetings: By the means of regular meetings with the employees, the problems and the issues faced by the employees can be understood and it is based on the findings that proper actions could be taken easily that would help to improve the situation of the work place (Robbins Judge, 2012). Therefore, it is also recommended that the management team should call for frequent meetings either in groups or in personal to acknowledge the factors that affect the working of the employees. It is on the basis of the findings, the management might think of better actions that could help the employees to achieve what they want. Listening to the problems and the deficiency of the employees is the key factor that shall help the organization to understand the difficulties faced by each member. Based on the findings, it is important to take necessary action. Conclusion: With the detailed analysis of the case study of 7-Eleven, it has been observed that the company is do not pay any attention for the betterment of the employees in the organization. Lack of motivation and unethical approaches towards the employees happen to be the most critical issue in the organization. It has to be understood that the success of any organization depends on the work and function of the employees. Therefore, it is important to motivate the employees as well as take care of their needs so that they also take pride in working for the organization. Another important factor that has been highlighted in the report is the importance of inter personal communication in an organization. The role of communication to address the difficulties faced by the employees as well as to improve the situation where the situation of cross-culture situation rises. A number of recommendations have been made in the analysis. In this respect, it has to be said that motivating the employees and proper security of the employees are the most important factors that enhances the quality of the performance of the employees. In order to improve the condition and create a good image of the organization it is expected that the management will focus on these perspectives of employees performance and then work accordingly. Reference list: 7- Eleven, wages and the Franchise Code: The story so far. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://www.nra.net.au/7-eleven-wages-franchise-code-story-far/ 7à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã¢â¬ËEleven Profile. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://corp.7-eleven.com/corp/7-eleven-profile 7-Eleven Scandal an Ethical Failure of Leadership. (2013). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://planforpersonalsuccess.com/7-eleven-unethical/ abc.net.au,. (2016).7-Eleven cash-back scheme 'still alive and kicking', union claims.ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-16/7-eleven-hunter-cash-back-scheme-still-alive-union-says/7415940 abc.net.au,. (2016).7-Eleven: The Price of Convenience - Four Corners.Abc.net.au. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2015/08/30/4301164.htm abc.net.au,. (2016).ABC Newcastle NSW - Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Abc.net.au. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.abc.net.au/newcastle/ About 7-Eleven Convenience Stores. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://www.7eleven.com.au/about-us Adele Ferguson, S. (2015).Exploited #7Eleven worker expected to fight off armed robbers for $10 an hour.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/7eleven-investigation-exposes-shocking-exploitation-of-convenience-store-workers-20150828-gja276.html afr.com,. (2015).7-Eleven wage abuse scandal has lessons for all directors.Financial Review. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.afr.com/business/retail/7eleven-wage-abuse-scandal-has-lessons-for-all-directors-20151004-gk0rhp Danckert, A. (2016).7-Eleven wage bill may top $100m.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/7eleven-compensation-wage-bill-may-top-100-million-20160408-go1eo7.html Danckert, S. (2016).Worker's $270k 7-Eleven pay-day.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/7eleven-workers-who-helped-expose-wage-fraud-get-paid-20160212-gmss46.html DuBrin, A. J. (2013).Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. Fairwork.gov.au,. (2016).Welcome to the Fair Work Ombudsman website.Fair Work Ombudsman. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media-releases/2016-media-releases/april-2016/20160409-7-eleven-presser Ferguson, A. (2016).7-Eleven's wage fraud sparks $170 billion blow back.The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/7elevens-wage-fraud-sparks-170-billion-blow-back-20160826-gr264h.html Ferguson, A. (2016).Revealed: How 7 Eleven is ripping off its workers.Smh.com.au. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2015/7-eleven-revealed/ French, S. D., Green, S. E., OConnor, D. A., McKenzie, J. E., Francis, J. J., Michie, S., ... Grimshaw, J. M. (2012). Developing theory-informed behaviour change interventions to implement evidence into practice: a systematic approach using the Theoretical Domains Framework.Implementation Science,7(1), 1. Greenberg, J. (Ed.). (2013).Organizational behavior: The state of the science. Routledge. Haslam, S. A., van Knippenberg, D., Platow, M. J., Ellemers, N. (Eds.). (2014).Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice. Psychology Press. Hassard, J., Pym, D. (Eds.). (2012).The theory and philosophy of organizations: critical issues and new perspectives. Routledge. Hilbert, M. (2012). Toward a synthesis of cognitive biases: how noisy information processing can bias human decision making.Psychological bulletin,138(2), 211. Hogg, M. A., Terry, D. J. (Eds.). (2014).Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Psychology Press. Kanfer, R., Chen, G. (2016). Motivation in organizational behavior: History, advances and prospects.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,136, 6-19. Karp, P. (2016). 7-Eleven workers beaten and forced to pay back wages, Senate inquiry hears. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/05/7-eleven-workers-beaten-and-forced-to-pay-back-wages-senate-inquiry-hears Levine, J. M., Thompson, L. L., Messick, D. M. (2013).Shared cognition in organizations: The management of knowledge. Psychology Press. Marginson, S. et al. (2010). International Student Security. Cambridge University Press. McShane, S. L., Von Glinow, M. A. (2015). Organizational Behavior 7/e. Miner, J. B. (2015).Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Nahavandi, A., Denhardt, R. B., Denhardt, J. V., Aristigueta, M. P. (2013).Organizational behavior. SAGE Publications. news.com.au,. (2015).How much do you think convenience store workers get paid?.NewsComAu. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/the-7eleven-convenience-store-chain-has-been-accused-of-a-widespread-halfpay-scam/news-story/2223ec666aa55e516db3143786b5f67b news.com.au,. (2016).How long can 7-Eleven survive?.NewsComAu. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/panel-member-says-jury-is-out-on-whether-7eleven-can-survive-without-underpaying-staff/news-story/8f9545ba197f4b58482d05c260ba5586 news.com.au,. (2016).Theres nothing sweeter than the taste of victory ... Except maybe sipping a coffee that cost a whole days wages..NewsComAu. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/virtual-slave-paid-47-cents-an-hour-to-work-at-7eleven-store/news-story/3ffc332f3fbd0c5e42fe561690d8bd54 Pinder, C. C. (2014).Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press. planforpersonalsuccess.com,. (2016).7-Eleven Scandal an Ethical Failure of Leadership | Yes For Success.Planforpersonalsuccess.com. Retrieved 12 September 2016, from https://planforpersonalsuccess.com/7-eleven-unethical/ Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. (2012).Essentials of organizational behavior. Boston: Pearson. Rouse, P. McKavanagh, L. (2016). What the 7-Eleven Scandal means for Franchisees in Australia. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://rouselawyers.com.au/what-the-7-eleven-scandal-means-for-franchisees-in-australia/ Rupp, D. E., Wright, P. M., Aryee, S., Luo, Y. (2015). Organizational justice, behavioral ethics, and corporate social responsibility: Finally the three shall merge.Management and Organization Review,11(01), 15-24. Stricter laws for franchisors? Responses to the 7-eleven wage scandal. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://www.corrs.com.au/publications/corrs-in-brief/stricter-laws-for-franchisors-responses-to-the-7-eleven-wage-scandal/ Thau, S., Derfler-Rozin, R., Pitesa, M., Mitchell, M. S., Pillutla, M. M. (2015). Unethical for the sake of the group: Risk of social exclusion and pro-group unethical behavior.Journal of Applied Psychology,100(1), 98. Wagner III, J. A., Hollenbeck, J. R. (2014).Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
The American Bald Eagle Essay Example For Students
The American Bald Eagle Essay I chose the American bald eagle because it is one of thefastest and strongest species of eagles. It is the nationalsymbol. The Congress adopted it as the national symbol in1782. I think it was adopted as the national bird of theUnited States because the Roman soldiers used the eagleas a symbol of courage and power. In the early 1800s,Americans called the Bald Eagle, the American eagle. Hereis some of the biology of the Bald Eagle. Bald Eagles do avery good job at their part in the food web. Bald eaglesalso have an interesting name. The scientific name for baldeagles is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. The family order isaccipitridae and falconiformes. The young of bald eaglesare called eaglets or eyasses. Bald eagles arewarm-blooded and breathe oxygen from the air. A femalewill lay 1 to 3 eggs every five years, with at least 1hatching. We will write a custom essay on The American Bald Eagle specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Although all Bald Eagles are consumers, none of them eatplants to get their chemical energy. Some birds in the eaglecommunity are African fish eagle, Stelleris sea eagle,white-bellied sea eagle and the palm-nut vulture. Baldeagles, out of all eagles are carnivores; they eat fish, there isno such thing as a herbivore or even an omnivore Eagle. The young of a bald eagle are fully fledged (just like theirparents and ready to live in the world) at about the age of 4months. After hatching, newborn eagles are all white andblind. Male bald eagles generally measure 3 feet from theend of the beak to the tip of the tail, weighing about 7 to 10pounds, and having a wing span of 6 feet. Females, somelarger, reach about 14 pounds and have a wingspan of 8feet. Bald eagles live only in the United States and Mexico. Bald eagles will only live near lakes and rivers. A baldeagles nest is about 70 feet above the ground in tall pinesor deciduous trees. Nests are almost 7 feet wide and fivefeet deep. The territory of a Bald Eagle has a carryingcapacity of 10 to 40 square miles, per eagle. Eagles willlive in cold, warm and light temperatures. Bald eagles willeat just about anything; they have a large range in theirpredator/prey role. An eagles diet consists of fish, rodents,small snakes, and small game birds. It will also steal foodfrom other species of small birds or other eagles, includingits own kind! Sometimes it will even kill a bird to get food. It will also eat carrion, food that was already killed, whichmeans it is sometimes a decomposer. Bald eagles haveinteresting ways of protecting themselves. Bald eagles haveoil inside of their feathers to protect themselves from rain orsnow. Bald eagles also have special feathers that willinsulate them in the winter. A female eagle will outstretch itswings over the young to form a portable shelter. Once,several students went up to the Quabbin Reservoir, foundan active eagles nest, tore it apart and found 60 cat collars. Bald eagles were at homeostasis until they were put on theendangered species list from the 1950s up until the early1980s. Ever since, federal law has protected bald eaglesand whoever kills or tries to kill one will suffer a $500 fineand a year in jail. There are many biotic and abiotic factorsin an eagles environment, but none compare to there lovefor salmon, and there passion for high altitude; whether itbe them soaring and 10,000 feet, or them sitting in theirnest on the top of an incredibly steep cliff. .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab , .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .postImageUrl , .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab , .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:hover , .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:visited , .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:active { border:0!important; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:active , .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1ac219ad96d9d440f613e383a5b31cab:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Describe the adaptations of the human placenta and foetus to improve oxygen availability EssayCategory: Science
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Labor Demand Essays - Marginal Concepts, Production Economics
Labor Demand Essays - Marginal Concepts, Production Economics Labor Demand In light of the limits that have been placed on this answer I will only focus my comments on the demand for labor and on the other hand the supply of labor. First the demand for labor. This is to me by far the most interesting aspect of the course. Labor demand is derived from the firms desire to maximize profits. This is a basic assumption of labor demand. Will the firms continually try to make changes that will improve the profitability of the firm? We assume that yes they will. Firms are basically price takers. Now their main decision is what quantity of their product to produce. This is because as they hire more people they basically increase output so the decision hire more people and the decision to produce more are basically the same decision. The optimal output will equate marginal revenue with marginal cost. Marginal revenue is the product price in a purely competitive market. Marginal cost is therefore the cost to produce that unit. MPl is the change in output of the firm. What happens when a firm decides to produce more? They must hire more labor assuming that capital remains constant. If a firm could continuously hire more peole and increase their MRP then we would live in a utopian society with no unemployment and peace and happiness everywhere. But alas we live in a world with diminishing returns and as the firm highers more people it reaches a pont where each new person costs a little more when compared with their output then the person hired before them. A good example of this is digging a hole 4 feet by 8feet by 6feet . One person would do it in about half the time that two people could do it. But three people would not do it in one third of the time. This loss in efficiency is what I am talking about. In fact soon you couldnt fit all of he people into the hole and it would be so cramped that it would atually take longer to finish the hole. If this happened then they would have a negative marginal product of labor. So the firm should keep hiring people until its marginal revenue product exceeds its marginal expense. But can they get people to come to their camp? Some time scarcity in the labor force pushes the wage ratre up and this increases the marginal expense this will shift the employment level and reduce the amount that the firm is willing to hire unless at the same time marginal revenue product goes up. This will have the opposite effect and keep employment up. But under most circumstances one of these moves more than the other and a new equilibrium is found. What this can really be used for in my personal life is the determination of wages. Before this class I had no idea how I would decide how may people to hire. Now I know that if I hire two people for 10 dollars per hour then they had better be adding at least x*$10 per hour to my company. What a bonus it was to end up taking your class and have something that I can immediatley put to use in the real world. Now I will comment on the supply of labor. A lot of this is intuitive. I understood it without knowing why or how. It just feels right. If the salries for all markets except one are held constant and that markets average wage increases then we should see a rise in the supply of people willing to be secretaries. What I find intersting about this is that this increase in the supply of secretaries should lower the amount of money that the employer is willing to pay. What stabilizes higer wages are other factors. Such as the cost of training and finding new employees just to name a couple. Sometimes the labor supply will decrese while the demand for labor increases this will result in magnified wage increases. This is because the firms in that market have to compete more ferociously for labor and since demand for their product is high they are willing to
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Range of semiconductor devices and circuits Coursework
Range of semiconductor devices and circuits - Coursework Example A good diode should posses forward to reverse resistance ratio of 10:1 with others with the ratio up to 100:1. If a diode is open, it will show infinite resistance in both directions. On the other hand, a shorted resistance will show low resistance in both directions. The procedure for testing the diode using an ohmmeter only is as illustrated in the following steps. 1. The Ohmmeter is configured to measure on the lowest range. If itââ¬â¢s a digital ohmmeter, a 2-kohm range or the nearest equivalent is used. 2. The ohmmeter leads are connected across the diode with the positive red probe on the P-material and the negative black probe on the N- material as shown in the diagram below. 3. The measured resistance of the diode is measured; Rf is recorded after which the setup is disconnected. 4. After the disconnection, the leads of the ohmmeter are reversed and connected in the reverse direction i.e. the positive red probe is connected to the N ââ¬â material on the diode and the n egative black probe is connected to the P ââ¬â material on the diode as indicated in the figure below. 5. The measured reverse resistance RR (reverse resistance is recorded) 6. The forward and the reverse resistance ratio is calculated as RR/RF 7. If the reverse resistance ratio is equal to one or very close to one, then the diode is faulty. In the same way the polarity of the diode can be identified. When the diode shows infinite resistance the material connecting to the positive red probe of the ohmmeter is the P ââ¬â material of the diode. On the contrary, the part connected to the Negative black probe of the ohmmeter is the N ââ¬â material of the Diode. Question3 VRMS = Vm*0.7071 = 100*0.7071 =70.71 Question 4 a) Ripple factor = Vrms/Vdc Capacitance = 50micro Farad 50*80*10-6 =4000*10-6 4*10-3 (4*10-3)*2500 10 10*2 = 20 20* v3 = 34.64 34.64*4 = 138.56 1/138.56 = 0.0072 Ripple factor = 0.0072*100% = 0.72% b) 50*100*10-6 5*10-3 (5*10-3)*12000 60,000*10-3 =60 60*2 = 120 120* v3= 207.84 207.84*4 = 831.38 1/831.38 = 0.0012 Ripple factor = 0.0012*100% = 0.12% Question 5 Block diagram of a complete power supply Analyze the operation of different types of amplifier Summing up amplifier This type of amplifier is used to add two voltages. The output voltage is equivalent to the sum of the input voltages. With summing up amplifiers, the output voltage cannot be greater than the power supply in case of exceeding the power supply, the amplifier is damaged. Summing up amplifiers are of twp types, Non ââ¬â inverting and inverting amplifiers. Non ââ¬â inverting amplifiers does not have an effect on the polarity of t
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Methods of Raise Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Methods of Raise Capital - Essay Example Bonds are the best way to raise capital of large companies. Roughly about 25% of the capital comes through bonds. Companies get benefit greatly from the issuance of bonds because investors pay a lower interest rate than the rates of other types of borrowing. Also, because the interest paid on bonds is exempted from business taxes. Therefore, companies must make interest payments even if profits do not appear. If there is doubt from investors that the company does not have the capability to meet the obligations of interest, or it could refuse to buy bonds or that the demand for interest rate will be higher to compensate them for their increased risk. (U.S.Department, 2009). One of the most common methods of raising capital is through bonds , where we define bonds are loans made to governments and institutions by investors as the investor get a specific interest rate because he invests his money in good investment idea. In return, the borrower gets the money it needed, also the investo r gets the original amount invested (the principal amount or value of the bond issue) and can issue bonds for a long period of up to 20 and 30 years. Bonds are classified according to their quality bonds or prospects for reimbursement. Bonds do not usually find the same attention, such as equity from investors and the media. Since the bonds offer many advantages better than stock. In addition, safety of bonds is over stocks and more confident. (Mohammed, 2005). There are many companies planning to raise their capital. For example, Lloyds Bank announced that it will raise the bank's capital to 7.5 billion pounds, through the exchange of bonds. (Glover, 2009). The bond market can be divided into three parts: Domestic bonds: Shall be handled through the local currency and it is issued by domestic borrowers. Foreign bonds: Shall be handled by the local currency and is also trading in the domestic market but issued from foreign borrower and always common on the comprehensive follow-up of power. Eurobonds: Eurobonds is underwriting by multinational banks and these bonds are not taken by the trading in all markets and specific national or local markets, these bonds are currently has role in the production of some of the major currencies and some small currencies. There are many types of bonds are offered in the market. These bonds can be dividing it as follows: Straight bonds: Can be called fixed-income securities as they have a fixed price and are paid on time. Bonds paid in part: These bonds the same straight bonds, but there is a difference that the investor must pay a certain portion of the capital from 0 to 33 on the closing date and paid the remaining of the capital after 6 months. Zero-coupon bond: These bonds also the same straight bonds, but the difference is that it does not have a fixed time for the payment of benefits, but there is a problem in high-value discounts and must pay the original amou
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Hospital Acquired Infections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Hospital Acquired Infections - Essay Example According to the study both patients and healthcare providers should collaborative to alleviate favorability of the environment that allows HAIs to thrive. Resolutions to this problem should also focus on the likely implications that they create. Ethical, legal, financial, social, economic, and political implications are realized in the HAIs context. Every individual that these implications affect can actively constitute a resolution to the underlying problem. In other words, the collaboration of patients and healthcare providers at all levels serve as an adequate source of solutions to the problem of HAIs and subsequent negative implications. This paper outlines that healthcare organizations among other stakeholders in the healthcare sector already run measures and programs that are tailored towards alleviating the problem of HAIs and the implications it poses to the healthcare sector. In other words, there are some solutions that are already implemented in healthcare organizations. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities run preventative measures to minimize cases of HAIs, which consequently influences the manner in which HAIs implications are dealt with. Creating awareness about HAI and other related infections have exacerbated in the recent times. On the same note, addressing medical errors, HAIs included is not a cheap pursuit. Funds have been mobilized and still continue to be mobilized for healthcare pursuits that relate to medical errors. Interventions and intensive research into medical errors, and specifically HAIs continue to be undertaken, serving as a critical resolution pursuit to HAI and other medical errors problems.Ã
Friday, November 15, 2019
Netflix Business Model Analysis and SWOT
Netflix Business Model Analysis and SWOT 1 Introduction Netflix is the worlds largest online movie rental service with over 6.3 million members and a collection of more than 75,000 titles. They are known for both their excellent customer service and their convenient and user-friendly interface on their award-winning website. Though Netflix has received many criticisms, it has continually grown and thrived in the movie rental market. New technology has enabled Netflix to provide high quality streaming videos directly to their subscribers PCs. This service is being rolled out over the first six months of 2007, free of charge, to Netflixs current subscribers. In order to maintain its superior position in the in home filmed-entertainment, Netflix must enter the Video On Demand (VOD) market immediately. By entering the VOD market through offering streaming videos, Netflix will be able to differentiate itself from its competitors, and reduce the likelihood of price competition. Offering a movie streaming service as opposed to a movie downloading service will further aid it in differentiating itself. For the short run, Netflix needs to incorporate the service of streaming movies to complement its DVD rental service. In the long run, after the popularity of streaming movies has grown and the technicalities of this service are fixed, Netflix can separate the DVD rental and streaming movies services, offering two different sets of plans. Pursuing this strategy is vital to Netflixs future, because as new innovations in technology become popular, the DVD-rental subset of the home movie market will shrink, while the downloading and streaming of movies will eventually come to dominate the majority of this market. Therefore, the correct implementation of Netflixs entry into the VOD market, wi ll serve as a bridge strategy, aiding Netflix in its evolution from a DVD rental service to a distributor of digital entertainment. 2 A Closer Look at Netflixs History Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded Netflix in 1997. DVDs were a relatively new technology, with less than a thousand titles available at the time, but Hastings and Randolph believed it had potential to replace the VHS format. The company began operating in April 1998, offering 7-day rentals for about $6. Netflix, along with Magic Disc, DVD Express, and Reel.com, were the first few companies to rent DVDs by mail. Netflix differentiated itself by spending heavily in promotions. It created partnerships with companies selling the most vital complementary good, a DVD player. It offered free rentals with the purchase of DVD players from Toshiba and Pioneer and computers with DVD drives from HP and Apple. However, Netflix was in direct competition with Amazon.com in selling DVDs so they came to a compromise in December 1998: Netflix would stop selling DVDs in exchange for being heavily promoted on Amazons website[2]. Netflix began to partner with online movie information providers and promoted more features on its website to attract more customers. In September 1999, it began the Marquee Program, offering 4 DVDs rentals per month with no late fees or due dates for a monthly subscription fee[2]. In February 2000, it introduced CineMatch, a program that evaluates the rental patterns of customers, identifying which movies customers of similar tastes would enjoy[3]. Both programs were highly popular and soon Netflix did not rent out individual DVDs, relying fully on the Marquee Program. Continuing its aggressive marketing and networking campaign, Netflix signed a deal with major DVD produc- ers, such as Warner Home Video and Columbia Tri-Star. In exchange for cheaper prices on large quantities of DVDs, the movie studios received a portion of the rental receipts[2]. As the success of Netflix grabbed the attention of the media, competitors began to respond. In the summer of 2002, Blockbuster started its own unlimited rentals and no late fee subscription plan and bought out an online DVD rental company. Wal-Mart and Columbia House also tried to amass large volumes of DVD titles to compete with Netflix. However, Netflix already had a solid foothold in the market, fending off these major competitors. In re- sponse, it announced the opening of more distribution facilities. Five years after its debut, Netflix finally began to produce profits[2]. On January 16, 2007 Netflix issued a press release regarding a New Feature Will Be Included in Subscribers Monthly Membership at no Extra Charge. For every dollar a user pays for their subscription, they will be able to view one hour of streaming video from a selection of about 1,000 movies and TV series on their PCs. Netflix also announced that they plan to expand the technology to reach every Internet-connected screen, from cell phones to PCs to plasma screens[10]. 3 SWOT Analysis 3.1 Strengths Entry timing Netflix entered the market for DVD rentals at a time when there were few other competitors in the market, allowing them to establish their brand name and image for providing a unique service. They were the first to offer DVD rental by mail and this allowed them to offer a greater variety of DVDs to consumers as compared to their competitors at the time, as DVDs were relatively new to the market. Combined with its successful business model, Netflixs early entry has allowed it to maintain a high relative market share in the online DVD rental industry. Understands weaknesses of competitors: Customer Satisfaction From the start, Netflix understood what irritated many video rental store customers: late fees. Usually after renting and watching a movie from a store such as Blockbuster, the customer has to rush to return the movie on the subsequent day (before midnight) or pay a late fee comparable to the price of the rental. Although Blockbuster does get an estimated 18% of its total revenue from late fees, it leaves the customer annoyed, frustrated, and unsatisfied. On the other hand, Netflix lets the customer keep the DVD until the customer wants to see the next one in their queue, allowing the fredom to return the movie at ones convenience[1]. Networked connections with many partners and even potential competitors From the very beginning of its entry into the market, Netflix understood the importance of making partner- ships with the movie industry, the electronics industry, and retailers[1]. Netflixs name was spread widely through promotions with complementary products, such as DVD players and movie websites. When it saw Amazon.com as a competitor, it stopped selling DVDs to cease all tensions in exchange for being promoted on their website. Additionally, quality leadership has enabled Netflix to stay afloat despite the advent of powerful competitors like Wal-Mart. Not only was Reed Hastings able to fend off Wal-Marts attempt to bankrupt Netflix, he was able to convince Wal-Mart to encourage customers to switch to Netflix after the Wal-Mart service fell through[3]. By staying strong but cooperative, Netflix ended up profiting from many threats. Award-winning website Netflixs website boasts many features. Netflixs CineMatch implements an award-winning algorithm that can predict with surprisingly consistent accuracy what movies someone would prefer given their previous rental history, planned future rentals, and ratings of movies theyve seen in the past[4]. Furthermore, theyre constantly trying to improve the CineMatch program: Netflix is offering a prize of $1 million for a better algorithm[18]. Netflixs large subscription base has allowed a small type of network externality to take shape. More Netflix subscribers means more people rate movies, write reviews for movies, and recommend movies to one another. This also helps fine-tune the accuracy of the CineMatch program. Unique and very large selection of DVDs Netflix has the largest and most diverse collection of DVDs out of any competitor. They have more than 75,000 titles, including foreign films and independent films that are usually not carried by other distributors such as Blockbuster Video and Wal-Mart[7]. Foreign films such as those from Indias Bollywood are particularly successful at attracting customer attention[2]. This selection of movies taps into the underserved population of consumers who are solely with Netflix because the unique titles Netflix has to offer cannot be found for rent elsewhere in the United States. 3.2 Weaknesses Like most brick-and-mortar rental businesses, Netflix often has trouble providing enough copies of new, popular movies. As a result, a main cause of customer dissatisfaction is Netflixs inability to completely satisfy the initial rush for a new movie. However, the company knows it would be unprofitable in the long run to buy more copies just to serve the rush when a movie first becomes available, because the copies will not be rented with nearly as much frequency soon after the rush. Customers have caught on to the fact that Netflix only purchases a limited quantity of new releases right away, opting to wait a few weeks to buy the bulk of its supply at lower costs. While this might save Netflix money, it also has the tendency to drive away current and potential customers. Finally, Netflix does not have a direct connection to any movie studios so it must purchase its entire media through the consumer market[5]. One disadvantage of Netflixs rent-by-mail business model is that customers have to wait (often for several days) for the next movie on their queue to arrive in their mailbox. In many cases, by the time the subscriber receives the DVD, he or she may no longer be in the mood to see that particular movie. Likewise, a Netflix subscriber may feel like watching a movie on a night where all of the DVDs that are part of their plan are currently on route to or from a Netflix distribution center. In such a case, the customer will likely leave the home and rent a movie from a brick-and-mortar retailer, or perhaps order a movie from a service such as Pay-Per-View or iN DEMAND. 3.3 Opportunities Netflix is in a position to expand right now. Previously, sending movies to customers through the mail was a novelty in the rental industry. Now, delivering movies straight to computers of customers is likely to be the next revolution in how consumers view movies in their homes[6]. Luckily for Netflix, this service is only available as a per-viewing basis. Netflix can seize this opportunity if it is successful in efficiently providing streaming content to a customer on a time usage basis rather than a per-viewing basis. In addition, active management could possibly enable Netflix to absorb current providers of this service, such as Movielink, in a way similar to how it absorbed Wal-Marts DVD division. 3.4 Threats The clearest threat to Netflix is Blockbuster and other established rental businesses. Beyond this, customer satisfaction is the only aspect of this business that can make or break a company. If Netflix were to lose its wholesome, reliable image, it might not be able to retain enough of the market to survive. Also, companies like Apple can potentially harm Netflix if they are able to provide services through ones computer that can be easily ported to ones TV[6]. Netflix is less suited to compete with hardware innovations such as Apple TV because it has little to no experience in this area, though such innovations may eventually be complementary rather than competitive. Moreover, there is always the threat of entry by another firm, especially into the VOD industry, a closely related industry, which Netflix is about to enter. 4 Six Forces Analysis of the Video on Demand Industry By offering streaming movies through its website, Netflix is entering the Video on Demand (VOD) industry. This industry, along with DVD rentals (both from online providers such as Netflix, and cable services such as On Demand and Pay-Per-View), is part of the larger industry of watching movies in the home. However, since Netflix is already positioned in this market, with its online DVD rentals, we will examine the smaller portion of the market that is streaming online movies. This business is too closely related to the movie downloading service to be considered as a separate market. 4.1 Entry The Video on Demand industry requires a significant level of capital, so potential entrants face the large sunk costs of acquiring licenses to the movies they want to provide. Moreover, it is too expensive for a firm considering this market to merely test the waters. An established video rental retailer already has experience in marketing movies to people, giving them an experience advantage over potential entrants. Netflix, for example, invested over $40 million to launch its Watch Now streaming video service, shocking many shareholders[6]. These shareholders reactions only highlight the risk involved with such sunk costs. Netflixs Watch Now feature will be fully integrated with its normal online DVD rental website. A firm without the technological advantage of a website with movie-recommendation algorithms like Netflixs CineMatch program is at a significant disadvantage. Moreover, Netflixs website alreay has reams of user reviews and input, that a new firm would be unable to match for years. The technology to offer high-quality downloads is also a barrier to entry, but this barrier is small because such technology is available for licensing from third parties. In this market, product differentiation takes the form of varying quality in the downloaded movies, yet it should be noted that all firms will at least have to offer quality that is very close to DVD quality in order to ensure that discerning customers continue to use their service. Besides quality, differentiation exists in the type of service offered by a company: streaming movies, permanent downloads, or limited time downloads. In sum, this is an industry where entry is difficult for all but the most experienced firms with already established online movie rental/sale experience. These firms are more likely to thrive in this market due to their experience, reputation, and recognizable brand names. 4.2 Rivalry The movie download industry, like the online DVD industry, is not very concentrated[20], and so the few market leaders that share the market may engage in rivalrous price competition. A key example of this is Netflixs and Blockbusters recent price war[8], which lasted until both resolved to settle on a higher price through tacit collusion. A variety of services are being offered in the online movie industry. Amazon Unbox sells movies that one can download and keep on ones harddrive for one to two days[9]. Netflixs Watch Now feature ties in its streaming movie service with its online DVD rental service. Current Netflix customers will get this service for free, which will cost significantly less than Amazon Unbox. Because the product is not easy to differentiate, the competition focuses more on the services provided with the product than the price. An existing variety of movies is essential in this market because consumers will frown upon not finding a movie they want to see. The entry barriers mentioned in the previous section will prevent small and undifferentiated firms from entering the market, practically ensuring that the prices will not be competitive. With a low concentration of firms and emerging differentiation, this industry will not likely be especially rivalrous. 4.3 Supplier Power Netflix and its competitors buy their movies from the movie studios that create the films. The major studios have marginal supplier power in the online movie download market because they are the exclusive source of big name movies that customers desire. These highly popular movies have practically no substitutes in the rental market. However, buyer concentration in this new market is relatively high[20], so suppliers tend to want to sell their product to all of the companies in the market to maximize their revenue. This reduces competition for supply and therefore prevents supplier power from being very high. In this particular market, studios may be concerned with cannibalizing their own product[6]. By making inexpensive movie downloading available to customers, they may lose sales on the more profitable hard case DVD sales. Therefore, large studios may be more willing to withhold licensing agreements to movie download providers such as Netflix, thus strengthening their own supplier power. Overall, the suppliers to this market have only enough power to slightly control prices, but not enough power to influence the evolution of the market as a whole because they must sell their product to survive. 4.4 Substitutes The main substitutes to streaming movies are brick-and-mortar rental stores, online rentals, pay per view TV and theatres. Brick-and-mortar rental stores provide the same service with possibly a better selection of movies as compared to movies available for download by Netflix, but they do not provide the instant gratification of downloading or streaming them whenever a customer desires[3]. Furthermore, the streaming movies service provided by Netflix is more cost effective than these other substitutes because Netflix plans to allot its users a total amount of stream time. For instance, if a customer decides after 20 minutes of watching a movie that he does not want to watch it anymore, switching to another movie incurs no extra cost. Substitutes such as buying per download or traditional renting do not offer this convenience. For this reason, these are weak substitutes to streaming videos. 4.5 Buyer Power Buyer power is very low in this market because one customers decision to buy the service or not will not affect the overall market at all. Similarly, one customers dissatisfaction will not influence a significant amount of other customers. The source of dissatisfaction would have to be concerning an inferior product or service to incite such a widespread response. Clearly, this is not something an independent customer can control. There are substitutes for movie rentals, but these are weak substitutes. Buyers can rent movies from local brick-and-mortar businesses, but this is not nearly as convenient as the instant-gratification downloading of movies. In a broader aspect, a customer always has the option to not spend their free time watching movies, no matter what the source, so the price of rental services cannot climb much higher than they currently are. Overall, individual customers do not hold bargaining power over the price of products in this market; however, the prices themsel ves are regulated by the substitutes and preferences of customers as a whole. 4.6 Complements Technology is the main complement to streaming videos offered by Netflix. The basic complement required is high bandwidth. According to Netflix, a consistent bandwidth of 3 megabits per second is required[10] to watch streaming videos online at DVD quality. This bandwidth is already present in over 47% of US households, which means over 50 million households have broadband service available[14]. Because the required infrastructure is already well developed, Netflix has access to a large customer base. This figure is projected to grow to 55% by the end of 2007, making it a dependable complement. Apart from bandwidth, another possible complement is a product similar to AppleTV that allows users to watch streaming videos directly on their big-screen televisions[15]. Currently, users with S-Video capability can connect their desktops to their televisions but this does not provide the simple and elegant solution the average Netflix customer is looking for. With easy methods to view stream ing videos on the television, physical media (CDs, DVDs, etc.) would be much less functional in the movie rental industry. 5 Netflixs Entry into the VOD Industry via Streaming Movies In our analysis below we will examine Netflixs current business model to find that their business can suc- cessfully incorporate such VOD offering. Netflixs choice of providing streaming content as opposed to downloadable movies allows it to differentiate its service from others in the market, thus aiding Netflix in its strategic positioning. There are both advantages and disadvantages in tying in this new service with Netflixs current subscription plans as opposed to offering the services separately, but the two can complement one another at this early stage in Netflixs entry. These proposed strategies will place Netflix in a strong position in the newly developing market of VOD, and can act as a bridge to allow Netflix to leave the DVD rental industry as physical media becomes obsolete. 5.1 Business Definition The question arises, however, as to how streaming videos and DVD rentals can both fit within Netflixs business definition. There exist scale economies associated with the offering or bundling both of the services, as Netflixs good relations with the movie studios will help enable it to negotiate better prices for its streaming movies. Much of Netflixs existing infrastructure, including its award-winning website cited to be one of Netflixs keys to success, will also apply to streaming movies. The same page that allows one to add a movie to their queue will have a Watch Now button allowing the user to begin streaming the movie immediately. Moreover, a substantial proportion of customers who rent movies online will be open to watching streaming movies, as both are ways of watching movies at home. Streaming videos may be used as a way to sift through movies they are considering to watch on DVD. Since these two somewhat different services have a similar consumer base and share benefits in cost structure, they can both be successfully integrated into the same business model. On the downside, however, it should be noted that many of the elements that allowed Netflix to succeed in renting out DVDs via mail, will not carry over to the digital distribution market. For example, superior logistics in mailing out DVDs and processing receieved DVDs will not aid Netflix in addressing bandwidth problems. The business model will have to undergo some changes if Netflix decides to offer a stand-alone streaming plan in the future (see Tying-in DVD Rentals and Streaming Movies below). 5.2 Netflixs Choice of Streaming Video over Movie Downloads The Online Video on Demand industry has consisted of services such as Amazon Unbox and Movielink which allow users to download a movie for a fixed cost of about $3 and have 24 to 48 hours to view it. Recently, Starz launched Vongo, which allows users to download and watch movies for an unlimited amount per month, but are only allowed to choose from a catalog that is mostly representative of movies currently airing on one or more of Starzs cable television channels[11]. Therefore, Netflixs immediate entry into the VOD market will mark the arrival of one of the first monthly payment-based content providers that will allow viewers to watch their movies via streaming video files, similar to the format that has been popularized on websites such as YouTube and Google Video with higher quality. Perhaps the greatest advantage to streaming video is that it offers an even greater instant gratification incentive than downloadable VOD movies, as one can get the former up and running within a couple minutes with a modest connection speed, whereas a full movie download will often take about a half hour or more. A disadvantage of Netflixs business model has been the waiting times associated with the turn-around between DVDs. Netflixs competitors have been quick to make use of their infrastructure to exploit this disadvantage. Blockbuster frequently gives monthly in-store movie rental benefits to its online subscribers such as a speedier gratification bonus, where the customer can drive to the store and rent a DVD for free to watch for the night while the DVDs previously requested online are still in transit[12]. Now, Netflix can take the lead again in offering the fastest way to watch a movie in ones home. 5.3 One Subscription: Tying-in DVD Rentals and Streaming Movies Netflixs Watch Now will be available at no additional cost to all subscribes within the first half of 2007; there is no plan offering only the streaming download service without DVD rentals. The bundling of these two services is a necessary component of Netflixs strategy. By doing so, Netflix will differentiate its service from the services offered by its competitors and use these complementary goods to reinforce one another (as mentioned above in Business Definition). Netflix simply needs to consider this new bundled feature as just another method of delivering their product. Movie studios who supply films to Netflix are afraid that this Watch Now feature will contribute to cannibalization of their own DVD sales market. They are also concerned with the potential piracy of streaming and downloaded videos[6]. Due to the studios unusual supplier power in this particular matter, the catalog of movies that can be streamed with Netflix is much smaller than the size of their total DVD catalog. If Netflix offered a separate streaming plan, it would have a library of only about 1,000 films and television series to offer to its subscribers, making it difficult to satisfy a wide range of consumers. Variety of selection has always been one of Netflixs keys to success, so spinning off a half-hearted stand alone service could potentially harm its brand name. Tying the two services together allows consumers to see that Netflix is expanding its features since it offers it at no increase in price. It is providing existing subscribers a greater value and giving potential subscribers more incentive to try Netflixs services. By offering the new product as a tie-in, consumers are presented with a unique service that they can only get from Netflix. Consumers are given the opportunity to see a movie precisely when they want to, but can still order a DVD they feel like watching later. This gives consumers the opportunity to see more movies for a relatively lower cost than using only rental services or only temporary download services. The threat of price competition is reduced because the bundle of services makes Netflix appear to be less of a direct threat to download-only VOD services. The only firms able to replicate Netflixs bundling structure are those with an established DVD rental infrastructure. However, Blockbuster is such a firm capable of imitating Netflixs bundling model, especially as it has recently entered negotiations to acquire Movielink, a movie downloading service that offers both downloadable purchases and temporary downloads[13][20]. Blockbusters interest in Movielink suggests that it will more specifically attempt to integrate movie download rentals and sales into its online subscription plans[13], as opposed to streaming content. Should Blockbuster acquire Movielink, it will be able to offer a similar subscription plan to that being offered by Netflix. This apparently small difference reduces the threat of price competition because it will present consumers with a dilemma of preference, rather than an obvious choice of choosing the cheaper of two seemingly identical services. At this early stage in Netflixs attempts in the VOD industry, it is important that Netflix ties in its VOD offerings with its existing, time-tested DVD rental service. This ensures Netflix offers a unique and differen- tiated good, while not risking Netflixs brand name due to the lack of selection in the movies being offered, potential problems that may arise due to Netflixs lack of experience in the industry, and the relatively new and untested technologies being put to use to offer these services. 5.4 Positioning for the Future Over time, Netflixs bundling of DVD rentals with streaming movies will enable them to work out any kinks they have with their ability to distribute movies digitally, while continuing to build a large customer base of subscribers. Traditionally, Netflix has relied on a combination of word-of-mouth suggestions from their existing subscribers and an aggressive marketing campaign[1]. Should they continue to market their services effectively, their subscriber base will grow steadily, and Netflix will be able to collect more personalized user data and become even more proficient at being able to personalize [their] library to each subscriber by leveraging [their] database of user preferences[17]. Netflixs compilation of this data and their subsequent understanding of their customer base will serve a vital part in aiding their positioning in the coming future. However, the future of the DVD rental industry is very unclear as newer forms of media are developed. There are several factors that could hurt the industry that Netflix and other DVD rental outlets have been paying attention to. It is predicted that DVD and its successor formats (Blu-Ray and HD-DVD) will be more prevalent than digitally distributed movies in the short term[6][19]. Yet as complementary technologies grow that will allow for streaming of high definition movies directly to HDTV, VOD will continue to gain popularity and will eventually unseat DVD and other physical forms of media as the dominant format for watching rented movies at home[17]. Technology, however, is not the only barrier to the inevitable prevalence of VOD. As previously mentioned, the studios are wary of allowing the legal digital distribution of films to take place on a major scale, as they rely on DVD sales for a large portion of their revenues. Moreover, if the studios start reducing the window of time in which a movie is exclusively available on DVD after its major theatrical run or allow movies to be distributed in the home in other formats before they can be distributed on DVD, Netflix and other DVD rental firms will be adversely affected[17]. They will no longer have a significant advantage in allowing consumers to view new releases first through their services and more substitutes emerge for viewing those new releases (Pay-Per View, iN DEMAND, etc.). The fate of the DVD rental industry largely depends on factors outside of the hands of Netflix and its competitors. In order to prepare for the demise of the DVD industry, Netflix must make its streaming services available under a separate subscription plan of its own. This point will likely come at a time when the penetration of technology allowing for viewing streaming content on high-end TVs is substantially high. The technology already exists in some ways; the Apple TV is used to wirelessly connect to ones computer and retrieve movies downloaded from the iTunes store onto the computer, then play those movies on ones television[16]. However, it will be some time before this expensive technology is adopted by the mainstream population to such an extent that the digital distribution of movies onto those TVs will return large profits. It is also at this time that Netflixs experience with streaming under the previous tie-in structure will aid it in completely changing its business model toward eventually becoming a digital distributor of filmed entertainment as opposed to a DVD rental outlet. The o ne important factor it will maintain from its rent-DVDs-by-mail days will be the aforementioned personalized library available to its subscriber. Netflix will continue to benefit from the advantages associated with its superior understanding of its customer base through their databases, which they have acquired over the years and will continue to develop. Clearly, Netflixs competitors will be trying to do the same. As mentioned before, Blockbusters acquisition of Movielink only serves to signal that it is also pursuing a similar strategy in trying to survive beyond the death of physical media[20]. Yet, Netflix has historically been more adept at understanding its consumers and delivering easier to use cont
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)