The War of Americans

Over the course of the last half-century the U. S. has enjoyed unprecedented power in every aspect whether it be politically, economically, militarily, or by any other means. In its dominance of world politics since WWII, the U. S. has been able to cast its influence around the globe. However, the U. S. experienced a gradual decline in its sovereignty over the course of this era as well. A prime example was in 1973 when OPEC raised oil prices drastically over the course of the next two years. â€Å"OPEC†s ability to increase at will the world price of its precious product highlighted the industrial world†s dependence on foreign sources of energy. (Keylor, p. 346) Being a sovereign nation requires not being subject to external forces, being able to conduct an independent foreign policy, and being able to control events within your own borders. Today, U. S. sovereignty continues to decline for a number of reasons. The only question is whether it is healthy or harmful for the U. S. to do so. The first reason why U. S. sovereignty is declining is due to what is known as interdependence. This phenomenon developed after WWII with the creation of the UN, GATT, the IMF and other such intergovernmental organizations. All of these served to create linkages between the major nations of the world in the postwar era. Membership in such organizations makes the U. S. subject to international law. Rosecrance†s identification of the trading state signifies the shift away from geopolitical influence and towards a global economy. Both the roles of international trade and foreign investment have increasingly become a greater element of U. S. economic importance. Additionally, the tying together of economies from around the world has lead to an increase in economic warfare. The increased use of economic sanctions and other such measures can be contributed to their perceived effectiveness in obtaining foreign policy goals. The U. S. integration into the world economy leaves it susceptible to the economic decisions of its trading partners and providers of raw materials. Reliance on import and export goods is an essential part of the U. S. economy. This can be seen in every day life. Just think about how much gas prices have increased recently as the result of a few nations restricting their oil supplies in order to raise prices. While the countries responsible for this could all be readily defeated by the U. S. in war, the U. S. is powerless to combat their practices. Aside from its place in the world market, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction also serves to limit the sovereignty of the U. S. First off, new nuclear powers, which would likely include a number of aggressive authoritarian states, will lack the resources to manage the elaborate command and control capabilities required. â€Å"Even if hostile countries somehow catch up in an arms race, their military organizations and cultures are unlikely to catch up in the competence race for management, technology assimilation, and combat command skills. (Betts, p. 29) In addition to proliferation of nuclear weapons, there is also wide concern among U. S. leaders about the spread and development of biological weapons. The rise of religious nationalism and anti-U. S. sentiments in nations such as Iraq give cause for concern to the U. S. that an attack using biological weapons is possible. â€Å"One simple fact should worry Americans more about biological than about nuclear or chemical arms: unlike either of the other two, biological weapons combine maximum destructiveness and easy availability. † (Betts, p. 32) Even more threatening to U. S. sovereignty is the treat of terrorist attack to our nation†s soil. The proliferation of the aforementioned weapons is worrisome to U. S. officials that a horrendous nuclear of biological terrorist attack is feasible. The possibility of such and attack places a serious hindrance on the U. S. ability to protect its citizens within its borders. Conspirators of such an attack could be based within the U. S. or abroad, which makes it increasingly difficult to guard against. Additionally, it is impossible to deter such a course of action. When a nation is attacked, the government behind the attack is readily identified and a counterattack can be undertaken. However, when it is unknown as to who is behind the attack, it makes it impossible to deter it from occurring since â€Å"retaliation requires knowledge of who has launched an attack and the address at which they reside. † (Betts, p. 34) Such concerns have increased since the end of the Cold War as there is widespread doubt surrounding the degree of control Russia used in disposing of their nuclear weapons. The information revolution also poses a serious threat to U. S. overeignty. The increasing opportunities for interaction through technological advances in communications and transportation make information more readily accessible. The strong reliance on the behalf of the U. S. on information infrastructure makes it vulnerable to attack. (Wriston, p. 179) â€Å"The smallest nation, terrorist group, or drug cartel could hire a computer programmer to plant a Trojan horse virus in software, take down a vital network, or cause a missile to misfire†¦ The United States† increasing reliance on massive networks may make it more, not less vulnerable. † (Wriston, p. 80) As with the problem of an armed terrorist attack, it is extremely difficult to determine who is responsible for a break-in of a private, supposedly secure, U. S. government web page. Fortunately, we have not yet witnessed any such form of information warfare; however, imagining the form it might take and protecting against it has become the preoccupation of a presidential commission and numerous task forces. (Wriston, p. 179) Despite the erosion of U. S. sovereignty, it is still by far the most powerful nation in the world today. I for one would welcome the erosion of U. S. overeignty since it furthers interdependence in world politics and serves to perpetuate world peace. The greater the economies of the world are intertwined, the less likely it is that a nation will go to war with another that it is linked to by a web of transnational relationships. It may also be in the best interests of the U. S. to lose some of its sovereignty since the world is moving towards civilizational entities (Western, African, Islamic, etc. ) as identified by Samuel Huntington. (Huntington) If he is correct in his prediction, then the U. S. is better off belonging to one of these civilizations rather than standing alone.

A World Without Computer

I have once believed that the world would not change much because I’m not interested in computers at all, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. When I got up early in the morning, I found the sun still shining in the sky, the streets were still congested with cars. â€Å" Oh, I have said that, nothing will happen! † I murmured to myself. On my way to my school, everything was going in order. â€Å"Ha!It,s peculiar that there are still a lot of people living on computers while I cannot find the change they have brought to the society, you see, nothing changed at all!† A few minutes later, I arrived at the school safe and sound. Oh!†I was surprised by the new utensil in my familiar classroom when I took the first pave into the classroom. The place where the big computer in our classroom should have been is now put a new blackboard in. And the teacher stepped into the classroom with a thick pile of books instead of a laptop. â€Å"Oh, yes. †I began to realize that the computers have disappeared in our life. At 12 o,clock, when I finished my lunch ,I walked into the library as usual to go to translate the English book with a PC . To my surprise, I found several students looking up some words from the dictionary . They were sitting on wooden chairs in the room where computers used to be placed in. â€Å"God!†I uttered,â€Å" I will come to know it soon. † After spending the whole computerless day in the school, I went home with the feeling of something’s lose. I was not surprised to see the empty table where the computer had been putting for so long a time . when I entered my room, suddenly I realized that I should hand in some paper about the physic experiments. Soon, I was in a dreadful mass. For piles of books were placed in front of me, and I was buring my head into the paper. I was obliged to check it up all the books I had. Because I couldn’t click the mouse and browse through the ?any more. Finally, I managed to finish the papers and lay in the soft sofa. â€Å"Oh,I felt that I cannot stay alive without a computer ,Hope that it will show up tomorrow. †I was so tired that I quickly fall asleep. I dreamed of various kinds of computers. Oh, a world without computers is terrible!

Characteristics of Affective Communication Essay

Communication is the process exchange information of ideas, thoughts, opinions and feeling between two or more persons. It involves listening, questioning, explaining, clarifying and convincing. Effective communication entails a two way process it involves sending the right message and ensuring it is correctly received and understood by the other person. For effective communication to be complete one, has to get feedback as this ensures the status of conveying the message. For effective communication, it is essential to understand the people one is communicating. (Barnlund, 2008) Discussion Characteristics of effective communication include. I. Completeness For effective communication, one has to ensure that he/she does send incomplete message. Message sent should always be supported by facts and observation. The message should be well planned and organized to enhance understandability. The receiver should not make any assumptions about the message. (Roy, 2010) II. Clarity  Message to be delivered must be clear in the mind of the sender. The receiver and the sender should have the message clear in their minds. To enhance clarity of the message one should use easy words so that listeners can get it easily. In verbal communication, one should work a little bit in one’s accent and pronunciation. (Roy, 2010) III. Empathy Empathy among listeners is essential for effective verbal communication. When addressing, the speaker should understand his or her audience needs and emotions. This will enhance the speaker to understand from their perspective thus making communication more effective to him and the audience. (Roy, 2010) IV. Properly dressed Dressing properly gives makes one gain confidence from the audience and respect. One should be neat, clean, have decent hair style and avoid casual and unethical look. (Roy, 2010) Conclusion Communication acts as a bridge because excellent communication connects to lives through allowing exchange of information. Good communication brings people together by creating a link between people. On the other hand, poor communication leads to separating of people as it creates conflict among people.

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Political Science - Essay Example ssumed that, â€Å"in the face of a convergence in canons of taste, conceptions of work, recreation, and consumption, people would also take on a more international identity and thus render the nation-state less salient than in the past.† (140) However, as it turned out, neither communications nor the wonders of technology could significantly erode the nation-state. As a matter of fact, it appears to reinforce it. In the perspective of the realists, countries must deal with the challenges that globalization brings by expansive projection of national power such as through increases in military capacities and efforts to open its market to foreign trade. The realism approach to international relations is anchored on the idea that the current international system is inherently lawless that a nation can protect itself from the power of others through alliances and diplomacy if possible and military force if necessary. (Starr 2007, 114) Amid globalization, we have seen the reemergence of rampant nationalism as illustrated in the Balkan conflict, in the areas of the former Soviet Union and to some degree, the relationship of countries within the European Union, one of the success stories of global integration. The realist perspec tive fosters nationalism and the strengthening of national institutions to address the challenges that international economics, politics and security entail. In this theory, a higher level of integration is not necessary to address international challenges. The idea is that integration must be used as a tool to advance national interest and not the way around. Essay Question : Which of these theories - realism, liberal institutionalism, constructivism, and dependency theory- in your view, best explains the central themes and events of the post-Cold War world? While I may be tempted to choose liberalism or dependency theory to explain international contemporary relations, I feel that more recent developments requires us to examine the merits of

Event at Herrington country park ( Sunderland , uk ) Essay

Event at Herrington country park ( Sunderland , uk ) - Essay Example In addition, the park provides a good space for children entertainment as well as an ample space for open air concerts for most parts of the North East of Sunderland (Hoyle, 2002). Based on the possibility of the Herrington Country Park to host a myriad of events, this paper is going to propose and explore the possibilities of the park to host other new events. On this basis, the paper is going to present wedding events as a new type of events that should be hosted by Herrington Country Park. Weddings are the most cherished events by many people around the world. Wedding events always need to be conducted in pristine as well as serene environments (Jones, 2008). They always need to be conducted in places that have aesthetic values as well as beautiful environmental backgrounds. Wedding events always need places with cool atmospheres, spaciousness and lots of natural freshness. In this regard, it is always critical to conduct wedding events in such places where recreation activities are available. Herrington Country Park offers the best environment that meets all the above descriptions for a wedding event. However, it is critical to note that there are several issues that may present big challenges towards staging the wedding events in such an environment (Hoyle, 2002). One of the difficulties in staging such events is inadequacy of finances. This may limit a number of operations in the planning and management of the event. In addition, site zoning problems may also affec t the successful staging of the wedding events in the park. This may be a problem if an experienced and well trained personnel in event management was neither consulted nor hired. This may present staging challenges. However, it is critical to note that Herrington Country Park is an ideal place to hold wedding events. For the success of the park to hold wedding evens, there are several ways that people can be informed. The wedding events in the Herrington

Cultural Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Diversification - Essay Example For the selection of the class I would observe, I imposed two criteria: a) the class should have a cultural mix of Latino, Asian and African language minority students and b) the academic achievement of these students is profound. Communication between teachers and students and among fellow students was recognizably more than what might be expected in a regular classroom. Individualized activities such as worksheets and large group discussions were very minimal. The teacher employed a "learning center" approach where students are formed into groups not more than eight. Group projects are then given and the teacher travels about the room to assist the groups in their activity and to clarify the student's role in the assignment. This strategy provided a very informal family-like social setting where the teachers serve as the guiding head and each group member a reliable brother/sister to other members of the group. These observations made me appreciate Orkwis (2003) when he wrote that the teacher must adapt a teaching method that would include all students and answer to their differences, limitations and abilities. Culturally distinct students usually struggle when they are on their own and when taught in large groups. With the learning center approach, the teacher can assist them more effectively and the students have their group mates fill their limitations. Day 2 The method employed by the teacher for a controversial Science topic was highly interesting. Instead of the usual discussion to class and the worksheet exercises, the teacher initiated a student-to-student interaction. The students were made to ask other students hard questions and it was observed that done this way, other students were more readily to answer and challenge other answers. The teacher's only role was to make sure that the discussion does not go off the topic and that the students arrive at the right answers. I have observed that this was very effective in terms of increasing student participation and involvement with the subject at hand. Cummins (1991) wrote that effective education of culturally and linguistically diverse students could be enhanced by encouraging student-student talk in a collaborative learning context. As I have observed such measure was indeed very effective not only in increasing student involvement but also in interaction among students. They were more likely to seek assistance from fellow students and were more successful in obtaining it. In other words, this method was eliminating the feeling of alienation usually felt by culturally distinct individual. Day 3 Aside from the two previous observations, it was also observed that teachers were very open to cultural discussions. The teachers would even prod students to form a connection with the topic and their culture. Questions like what equivalent term do they have for a certain word or what they practice in their culture were being asked. The students undergo transition from writing in their native language to the English language without much pressure from the teacher. With regards to their literacy development, one can note that it was very high. This may be due to the increased appreciation of topics by

RESEARCH IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

RESEARCH IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - Essay Example t how to model, analyze, prototype, evaluate and implement various aspects of information technology systems and research methods (Narayanan & Armstrong, 2005, p. 97). The paramount emphasis that I learnt in these lessons included among them Information Technology systems and various research methods that are widely used in the field of Information Technology. My understanding was evidently widened in the area of the Information Technology whereas I also learnt on various contemporary issues that the Information Technology profession faces. Among these challenges are: consulting opportunities, reporting models, lack of appreciation of information technology in various companies, the few disadvantages of information technology in companies and privacy rights (Jakobs, 2008, p. 73). The lessons were immensely valuable as they opened my understanding on the efficiency, design and deployment of information technology systems and other related technologies within an organization. I learnt that information technology use computer applications in creating and managing computer based databases either on desktops or on connected computers within a network. Information technology has various usages that I came to learn about which included the storage of information using the personal information management (PIM) which can also be used in small businesses and managing data (Khosrowpour, 2010, p. 182). This lesson taught me that information technology consisted of particular software that included Access 2010 database that was a windows file. It primarily must have a location known also as a path. The path indicates how the file can be made available and retrieved. I learnt how to create a database on the root directory on a folder that is easily recognizable. Access 2010 is an application that is used in creating computer databases. The application is well equipped with every tool needed to start a project, to end it, and effectively distribute it. This normally the

Critical analysis of a contemporary environmental issue Term Paper

Critical analysis of a contemporary environmental issue - Term Paper Example It occurs due to irresponsible human activities that are associated with their social, political, cultural and economic activities. Its primary effects are the extinction of wildlife and human race over a period of a few years. People are the major contributor of the ecological degradations hence they should be held accountable to find solutions to this issue. It results from inappropriate laws and rules, which govern commons management. There are rules set both by the government and institutions on common land management, which are not effective in avoiding ecological degradation. For instance, there are no rules and laws that are set by these bodies to regulate populations’ expansion on the commons. This has resulted to rapid occupations of the commons by the increasing population. This in turn is resulting to depletion of natural resources such as forests and wildlife since settlements displace or kill wild animals and destroy forests. Some of the commons are managed by aut horities that do not comply with the law and push to the formation of rules that favour their destructive activities. Scarcity and populations have also led to the ecological degradation. The human population has increased tremendously in the past decades. This increasing population requires basic needs such as shelter, food and clothing, which are scarce and provided by natural resources. This results to diminishing and depletion of natural resources, which do not increase at the rate of population growth. This paper has used numerous bibliographies that include i. Tucker, R. P. (2007).  Insatiable appetite: The United States and the ecological degradation of the tropical world. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This booklet describes how pollution due to economic activities in US has led to the ecological degradation. It clearly outlines how these economic activities can be controlled and contained in order to conserve the environment. ii. Ravera, O., & Commission of the European Communities. (1989).  Ecological assessment of environmental degradation, pollution, and recovery: Lectures of a course held at the Joint Research Centre, Ispra (Italy), 12-16 October 1987. Amsterdam: Published for the Commission of the European Communities by Elsevier. This journal describes how pollution has prevailed all over the world leading to ecological degradation. It outlines the measures the governments could take conserve the natural resources. iii. Akinwumia, I. O., Oyebisia, T. O., & Salami, A. T. (n.d.). Environmental degradation in Nigeria: implications and policy issues†a viewpoint. Environmental degradation. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://www.tandfonline.com/. This journal explains how poor policies have led to the ecological degradation in Nigeria. It shows how different countries have implemented ineffective laws which facilitate depletions of resources in the commons. Draft/ Final Paper Ecological degradation refers to environmental dete rioration caused by depletion of resources and results to ecosystem destruction and wildlife extinction. There was a balanced ecosystem many years ago,

War and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

War and Technology - Essay Example During World War One, military officials realized the importance of having up to date weapons to win wars (Stewart 2001)2. During this period, armies used advanced weapons recognized as second generation warfare and realized that machinery and weapons are used to conquer and win battles and the only importance of military officials is limited to occupying the conquered areas. 1Harris, Brice F.  America, Technology and Strategic Culture: A Clausewitzian Assessment. London: Routledge, 2009. Internet resource. 2Neil, Stewart.  The Changing Nature of Warfare, 1700-1945. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2001. Print. During this period armies even realized the importance of transportation as these vehicles were used to transport men and machinery from one end to another. These improvements in technology clearly defined that to gain victory in war; you have to be sound technologically at both the operative and the tactical bases. The belief of technological soundness being the determinant o victory of war was clearly visible in different wars such as the Cold War and Current Wars that take place every now and then. Body After WWII, major nations throughout the earth started developing the technological side of their defense, they started developing and acquiring new kinds of air shuttles, sea transport and weapon, new form of larger missiles and bombs and machinery that is used while nation’s army is fighting in the land (Melko 2001)3. The continuous up gradation of the technological side led to the development of military aircrafts and air transports which had higher degree of accuracy and speed, researchers even developed new forms of surveillance systems to gain higher degree of accuracy during the process of acquiring information, for this purpose GPS systems came into existence. These developments in technological advancements were recognized as 3GW (Third Generation Warfare), these developments were utilized during the period of WWII and during Gulf War th at took place between Iraq and US and later even in different attacks conducted on Iraq starting from 2003 till present date. These wars clearly exhibited that those countries that were able to accept and create technological advancements are the victorious ones. 3Mathew, Melko.  General War Among Great Powers in World History. Lewiston, N.Y: Edwin Mellen Press, 2001. Print. Advanced Technology in Operational Level While creating a strategy before going to war, both the tactical as well as the operational bases of the war are taken into consideration and special importance is given to the technological aspect of these two bases. According to Giulio Douhet, one of the best strategies implemented is the use of air power to destroy the opponent civil population’s willingness to fight (Douhet 2010)4. This strategy was implemented in different wars, for example: during the period of WWI, this strategy was implemented by the German strategists while attacking London and NATO forc es even used the same strategy while attacking Kosovo. This strategic move increases the accuracy at which the war targets are attacked, thus this strategy obtains the optimum result while keeping the collateral losses at the lower end. Advancement in technology has been accepted as morally correct as these advancements increases the probability of armies gaining the accurate intelligence about the legal targets that need to be

Ashford Library Essay Example for Free

Ashford Library Essay Ashford Library has great value while conducting college level research. The Ashford Library, in my opinion, is a trove of valuable information. While searching for information in the library, you will find that Ashford is proprietary database, which is only accessible to someone who pays or belongs to an institution who pays. â€Å"The Ashford Library is not just one main database, but actually contains several† (Bowles, 2013). We will soon cover the variety of databases and their benefit, but first lets look at the difference between a scholarly resource and a popular resource. A scholarly resource is a source of information that has been properly vetted by a scholar and/or and expert in that particular field. There has to be some sort of analysis and evaluation of the actual events or ideas, which make them credible. Most scholarly resources are coveted and carefully cared for, which is why the information is only accessible with payment or subscription. A popular resource is one that usually covers general interest, primarily to inform and entertain the public. Its more focused on the culture and society, filled with popular opinions and beliefs (A few examples of this would be: Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, ESPN). Of the several databases included in the Ashford Library, I would like to focus on EBSCOHost. EBSCO is one of the world’s leading search tools for electronic journals and books (p. 162). There are over 4,200 journals in here with over 3,900 being peer-reviewed (or properly vetted), which make this a great asset when conducting quality research. While in this database or any of the databases within the library, try to remember different techniques of Boolean searching. This will allow you to narrow the scope of your search. At work we use databases to conduct research and this is a very helpful tool, as it allows it to limit our searches to specifics. The most common, for us, is listing a keep word with quotation marks to find an exact phrase or term. In conclusion, with the quality resources available to me in the Ashford Library, I am able to perfect and hone my college level research and writing skills.

Thin Layer Chromatography for Composition of Analgesics

Thin Layer Chromatography for Composition of Analgesics THIN LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY HALILI, Johanna Bernadette C. ABSTRACT In this experiment, a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used to determine the composition of different analgesic drugs which were Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Caffeine, Paracetamol, tea sample and an unknown substance. Chromatography takes advantage of the fact that different substances are partitioned between two phases. TLC is used to identify individual components in a mixture. These chromatography techniques focused on the fact that components of a mixture tend to move at different speeds along the flat surface from the paper used to separate from each other. The results obtained by comparing the spots and after performing the experiment, the unknown was identified to be Aspirin. INTRODUCTION Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is one of the most important techniques in organic chemistry and is used for the rapid separation and qualitative analysis of different substances (Pavia, et. al., 2010). This separation technique is accomplished by the combination of the mixture between two phases: the stationary and the mobile phase. The stationary phase or the absorbent, which is usually silica or alumina, is coated on a supporting material which is either a glass or plastic. The sample is applied to the layer of the adsorbent coated sheet or TLC plate. The mobile phase, or the solvent called the eluant, travels up the absorbent by capillary action (Ault, 1998; Miller, 2005). As the solvent passes through the sample or spot, it shows the effects of separation of the material in the spot. This separation technique is also used to identify if substances are pure and to compare it with other samples. Unknown substances can be also determined by comparing an unknown compound’s be havior with the other known substances. In this experiment, thin-layer chromatography is used to determine the qualitative compositions of over-the-counter analgesic drugs. The objectives for the experiment are to observe the different analgesic drugs, to perform thin-layer chromatography and calculate Rf values and to use thin-layer chromatography to identify the analgesic compound present in an unknown sample. METHODOLOGY The group prepared a chamber for the experiment of thin layer chromatography for analgesic drugs. The chamber consists of a filter paper wrapped around the 50 ml beaker with a small opening left for viewing. A 3 ml solvent mixture (25 parts ethyl acetate, 1 part ethanol, and 1 part acetic acid) was added to the chamber and was later covered using a watch glass to provide an atmosphere saturated with solvent inside the container. The filter paper was moistened for the solvent to rise equally. While the chamber was set aside, a silica gel coated TLC plate was obtained and using a pencil, a very light line was drawn across the sheet, about 10 mm from one end Seven small light marks were made along the line and labelled A to G. Each letter correspond to seven analgesic drugs which are aspirin, ibuprofen, caffeine, paracetamol, sample tea extract collected from one previous experiment, an unknown substance and co-spot respectively. Using a capillary tube, small spots of each sample was placed exactly in the intersection of the horizontal line and the tick marks for each letter to make sure it will not mix with the other samples. The capillary tube was cleaned by using Dichloromethane and it was done three times. For the sample E or the tea extract from the experiment â€Å"Isolation of caffeine from tea leaves†, the filter paper that contained the caffeine extracts was rinsed with dichloromethane to be able to place a spot to the TLC. The spots on the TLC plate were al lowed to dry for 1-2 minutes. As soon as the spots were dry, the TLC plate was dropped vertically to an upright position making sure that the chamber is on a stationary place and was covered again using a watch glass. The liquid slowly moved up the TLC sheet. When 80-90% of the solvent had already gone up of the TLC plate, the TLC plate was immediately removed taking note of where the solvent was last seen. Immediately, the TLC plate was marked where the solvent was last seen. The plate was air-dried and it was observed under UV light to point out where the spots are. While observing under the UV lamp, a light pencil mark was marked around each spot in the TLC plate. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results Figure 1. Silica Gel coated TLC plate results. Figure 2. Silica Gel coated TLC plate results under UV light. Table 1. Measurement of the distances of the spots in the TLC plate and computed Rf values. Distance travelled by the solvent: 30.0 mm Discussion The objective of this experiment was to perform thin layer chromatography to test a certain substance of its purity or impurity and also to know the analgesic present in an unknown substance. The results shows that 5 out of 7 analgesics had 2 or more spots which indicates that are impurities or there are different compounds in those analgesic drugs. The different analgesic drugs that were observed to have 2 or more spots were Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, the unknown substance and the co-spot. Rf values were also computed by the distance (in mm) travelled by the solvent was measured exactly from the horizontal line drawn up to where it was last seen when it moved up. The spots were also measured and for those samples that had 2 or more spots, each spots were measured individually. The equation used for solving the Rf value is: For accuracy, the distance travelled by the spot was measured from the horizontal line up to the center of the spot. Rf values were used to compare the substances and identify the analgesic compound present in an unknown sample. Similarities was observed between Aspirin and the unknown analgesic drug F since their spots are very similar and their Rf values are very close to each other with only a 0.004 mm difference. Also, the results show that the caffeine extracted from the experiment â€Å"Isolation of caffeine from tea leaves† is indeed caffeine since spot C or pure caffeine is very similar because the spot produced by the tea extract and this is evident since it is indicated in their Rf values that they are very similar to each other. In comparing compounds used in the experiment run, the group observed that compounds with the larger Rf are less polar because it interacts less strongly with the polar adsorbent on the TLC plate (Ault, 1998). The experiment went as expected with no unusual events that would have introduced error. The group was able to perform the thin-layer chromatography and to compute for the different Rf values. CONCLUSION Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was the technique used to determine the composition of various over-the-counter analgesics and the purity of the different substances which were Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Caffeine, Paracetamol, tea sample from one of our previous experiment and an unknown sample. With thin-layer chromatography, it was identified that compounds with the larger Rf are less polar because it interacts less strongly with the polar adsorbent on the TLC plate, and compounds with a smaller Rf values are more polar. It was also observed that the tea sample gathered from one of our previous experiment was indeed pure caffeine because of the similarities of the spots and Rf values of the spot C and pure caffeine. The different analgesic drugs that were observed to have 2 or more spots were Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, the unknown substance and the co-spot. Two or more spots were observed because of impurities or it contains different substances. Lastly, the unknown sample in the TL C plate was observed to be Aspirin because of the similarities of the measurement of the spot and Rf values which only had a difference of 0.004 mm. RECOMMENDATIONS To obtain a better result of the experiment, the different techniques can be done. One technique that can be done is a volatile solvent like 25 parts ethyl acetate, 1 part ethanol, and 1 part acetic acid. The TLC plate is very sensitive to different materials or compounds and it is important not to touch the TLC plate to avoid contamination of oil from the hands. In collecting different sample, one should remember to wash capillary tube with dichloromethane not less than three times to avoid contamination. To place appropriate size of each spot so it won’t mix with the other spots. For light/dull colored samples, it is recommended to place spots up to three times for it to be visible. In preparing the chamber, one should moisten properly the filter paper to have equal rising of the solvent and cover all the times the chamber since the solvent is volatile. Lastly, drop properly making sure it falls in an upright postion or the TLC plate should lean to the filter paper and remem ber not move the chamber in any way to avoid unequal rising of the solvent to the TLC plate. REFERENCES Ault, A. Techniques and Experiments for Organic Chemistry, 6th ed.; University Science Books, California, 1998. Miller, J. Chromatography: Concepts and Contrasts, 2nd ed.; John Wiley Sons, Inc. Publication, 2005. Pavia, D., Lampman, G., Kriz, G., Engel, R. A Small Scale Approach to Organic Laboratory Techniques, 3rd ed.; Cengage Learning, United States of America, 2010.

The use of Key Performance Indicators

The use of Key Performance Indicators Many companies are operating with the wrong actions, many of which are wrongly termed key performance indicators (KPIs). Only some organizations supervise their true KPIs.. The types of performance:- Key result indicators (KRIs) inform you how you have done in a viewpoint or critical success feature, Result indicators (RIs) tell you what you have done, Performance indicators (PIs) tell you what to do, KPIs tell you what to do to increase performance dramatically. Many performance measures used by organizations are thus an inappropriate mix of these three types. Onion analogies are used to depict the link of the three measures. We get more information as we strip the layers off the onion. The layers characterize a variety of performance indicators, and the core, the key performance indicators. 1.2 Key Result Indicators What are KRIs? KRIs are measures that often have been mistaken for KPIs. They include: Customer satisfaction, Net profit before tax, . The frequent feature of these measures is that they are the result of many actions. They provide an understandable image of whether you are going in the right direction.Neverthless you is not told what must be done to improve these results. Therefore, the information available by KRIs is best for the board (i.e., those individual who are not concerned with the day-to-day management.)Usually KRIs cover a longer time period than KPIs; they are evaluated on monthly/quarterly cycles, not on a daily/ weekly basis such as KPIs. Separating KRIs from other measures has an intense force on reporting, resulting in a partition of performance measures into those impacting governance and those impacting management. An organization must have a governance report (preferably in a dashboard system), containing of up to 10 procedures giving high-level KRIs. 1.3 Performance and Result Indicators The 80 or so performance measures that lie between the KRIs and the KPIs are the performance and result indicators (PIs and RIs). The performance indicators, while important, are not key to the business. The PIs help teams to align themselves with their organizations strategy. PIs are non-financial and complement the KPIs; they are shown with KPIs on the scorecard for each organization, team, division and department. Performance indicators that trigger KRIs could include: An increase in the percentage of sales with top 10% of customers, Customer complaints from key customers, Late deliveries to key customers. The RIs abridge action, and all economic performance measures are RIs (e.g., daily or weekly sales analysis is a very useful summary, but it is the outcome of the hard work of many teams). We must look at the performance that created sales (outcome) to understand completely what to increase or decrease. Outcome indicators that cause KRIs could include: Net profit on key product lines, Sales made yesterday, Complaints from key customers. 1.4 Key Performance Indicators KPIs stand for a set of method focusing on those aspects of organizational performance that are the most important for the current and future achievement of the organization. KPIs are rarely new to the organization. 1.4.1 Seven Characteristics of KPIs Mr. David Parmenter KPI workshops has done extensive analysis and discussions with over 3,000 participants, which has covered nearly every organization types in the private and public sectors, he has been able to identify the seven characteristics of KPIs. KPIs: Are nonfinancial measures (e.g., not expressed in dollars, yen, pounds, euros, etc.), Are measured regularly (e.g., 24/7, daily, or weekly), Are acted on by the CEO and senior management team (e.g., CEO calls relevant staff to enquire what is going on), visibly specify what action is necessary by staff (e.g., staff can be aware of the measures and know what to put right), Are measures that fix task down to a team (e.g., CEO can call a team leader who can take the required act), Have an important impact (e.g., affect one or more of the critical success factors [CSFs] and more than one BSC perspective), They promote appropriate action (e.g., have been experienced to certify they have a positive impact on performance, whereas poorly thought-through measures can lead to dysfunctional behaviour). Once a dollar sign is put on a measure, it has already converted into a result indicator (e.g., daily sales are an outcome of activities that have taken place to create the sales). The KPI lies deeper down. KPIs should be monitored 24/7, daily, or perhaps weekly for some. KPIs must be supervised 24/7, daily, or possibly weekly for some. A KPI is deep enough in the organization that it can be attached to a team. In other words, the CEO can call someone and ask why. Return on capital employed has never been a KPI, as it cannot be attached to a manager-it is an outcome of many activities under diverse managers. 1.5 Difference between KRIs and KPIs Frequently their is one question that comes forward time and time again: What is the difference between KRIs and KPIs, and RIs and PIs? A cars speedometer provides a useful analogy to show the difference between a result indicator and a performance indicator. The speed the car is travelling is a result indicator, since the cars speed is a combination of what gear the car is in and how many revolutions per minute the engine is doing. Performance indicators might be how efficiently the car is being driven (e.g., a gauge showing how many miles per gallon), or how hot the engine is running (e.g., a temperature gauge). KRIs KPIs Can be financial and non financial Non financial measures Measures mainly monthly or quarterly Measures daily or weakly As a summary of progress in an organizations critical success factor, it is perfect for reporting progress to a board Acted on by the CEO and senior management team It does not help staff or management because nowhere does it tell what you need to fix All staff understand the measure and what corrective action is required Commonly, the only person responsible for a KRI is the CEO Responsibility can be tied down to the individual or team A KRI is designed to summarize activity within one CSF Significant impact (e.g., it impacts on more than one of top CSFs and more than one balanced scorecard perspective) A KRI is a result of many activities managed through variety of performance measures Has a positive impact (e.g., affects all other performance measures in a positive way) Normally reported by way of a trend graph covering at least the last 15 months of activity Normally reported by way of an intranet screen indicating activity, person responsible, past history, so a meaningful phone call can be made RIs PIs Can be financial and nonfinancial Nonfinancial measures (not expressed in dollars, yen, pounds, euros, etc.) Measured daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or sometimes quarterly Same Cannot be tied to a discrete activity Tied to a discrete activity and thus to a team Does not tell you what you need to do more or less of All staff understand what action is required to improve PI Designed to summarize some activity within a CSF/SF Specific activity impacts on one of the CSFs/SFs Result of more than one activity Focuses on a specific activity Normally reported in a team scorecard Same 1.6 Management Models that Have a Profound Impact on KPIs The groundbreaking work of Kaplan and Norton (3) brought to managements attention the fact that performance needed to be measured in a more holistic way. Kaplan and Norton came up with four perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Process, and Learning and Growth. But two more perspectives need to be added. Employee Satisfaction is far too important to be relegated to a subsection within internal process. Informed directors know that happy staffs make happy customers who make happy shareholders. The measure employee satisfaction must be more sophisticated than a customer satisfaction survey every blue moon. The Environment and Community perspective has been managed brilliantly by some leading CEOs. Measurement in this area looks at increasing public awareness about being an employee of first choice, staff learning new skills through doing voluntary work in the community, reducing costs through minimizing waste, creating positive press, and increasing higher staff morale by implementing green initiatives. Leading CEOs intuitively work in this area. They realize that the community is the source of your current and future employees and customers. Kaplan and Nortons later work on strategic mapping(4) also alludes to the importance of employee sati sfaction and the environment/community perspectives. This modification is important because it means the BSC now incorporates all triple- bottom-line issues. 1.7 Definition Performance measure:- The term performance measure refers to an indicator used by management to measure, report, and improve performance. Performance measures are classed as key result indicators, result indicators, performance indicators, or key performance indicators. Critical success factors (CSFs):- CSFs are the list of issues or aspects of organizational performance that determine ongoing health, vitality, and wellbeing. Normally there are between five and eight CSFs in any organization. Success factors:- A list of 30 or so issues or aspects of organizational performance that management knows are important in order to perform well in any given sector/ industry. Some of these success factors are much more important; these are known as critical success factors. Balanced scorecard:- A term first introduced by Kaplan and Norton describing how you need to measure performance in a more holistic way. You need to see an organizations performance in a number of different perspectives. Senior management team (SMT):- The team comprised of the CEO and all direct reports. 1.8 Notes 1. Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996). 2. Jeremy Hope and Robin Fraser, Beyond Budgeting: How Managers Can Break Free from the Annual Performance Trap (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2003). 3. Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996).

The Odyssey :: essays research papers

PIERRE AUGUSTE RENOIR  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   'Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in this world'; This is one of many quotes that came from Pierre- Auguste Renoir. This famous French impressionist was born on February 25, 1841 in Limoges, France Renoir grew up in a poor family and was always considered the 'working class';. This is what inspired Renoir to leave school and seek work in Paris. His hopes came alive in 1854 when he began to work in a porcelain factory as a painter. During this job, not only did he learn the importance of good craftsmanship, but also gained knowledge of bright and fresh colors, which would later trademark his impressionist work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After studying works at the Louvre, in 1862, Renoir entered the studio of Gleyre and formed a promising friendship with Claude Monet (1840- 1924), Alfred Sisley (1839- 1899) and Frederic Bazille (1841- 1870). While working in this studio Renoir painted with them in the Barbizon district and became a leading member of the impressionists. In 1869 Renoir found himself becoming very close with Monet because their paintings showed similarities in technique and style. Like Monet, Renoir had a very rough and bumpy start in the early stages of his career, but by the 1870's Renoir had already received success as a portraitist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1881 he was freed from his financial problems as an art dealer named Paul Durand- Ruel began buying his work on a regular basis. By this time Renoir's style had changed dramatically. He used a crisper and drier style with duller coloring, opposed to his earlier works using light and fresh colors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the mid 1880's Renoir thought that he should take his art more seriously. In this time period he concentrated on nudes and sometimes young girls in unknown settings. As time went on Renoir's paintings became more plain and simple, and he soon became interested in mythological objects, such as fairies and cupid- like objects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1890 Renoir was suffering from rheumatism a problem where your muscles and joints stiffen and is similar to arthritis. The disease eventually crippled him in 1912, and he was confined to a wheelchair. Despite his handicap he continued to paint until the end of his life. He did this by, setting up a canvas, then tying paintbrushes to his wrists, dipping them in paint and then he painted.

Shakespeares Hamlet and the Devil Essay -- GCSE English Literature Co

   Hamlet and the Devil  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Hamlet, for reasons of trepidation chooses not to kill Claudius, his nemesis, in the altar room. This fatal procrastination results in the unnecessary deaths of Laertes, Ophelia, Gertrude, and Hamlet himself. This casts a most inauspicious light upon Hamlet, but only if the original premise is true. The obverse side of the argument is that Hamlet, because he desires all those who are in league with Claudius to suffer the same ignominious fate that his father suffers. Thus he delays his revenge in order to intensify the misery of the other characters. This also casts a most inauspicious light upon Hamlet, but only if the general premise of the book is true, that Hamlet is the hero and is not enslaved to evil. That general premise is false. For even the Prince admits that he may be under the thrall of the Devil, who is able to â€Å"assume a pleasing shape† and is â€Å"very potent with such spirits [of melancholy]†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first victim to fall under Hamlet’s preternatural wrath is Polonius. Hamlet, in rage that someone is spying on him, deliberately thrusts his sword for a mortal kill. When he discovers that it is Polonius, he shrugs and is not bothered in the least by it. Even though it appears that Hamlet is a ruthless murderer, Polonius is not totally blameless. Polonius, because he wishes to gain the favor of the new king by proving his own worth, is determined to find the reason for Hamlet’s madness. He thus spies on Hamlet and even forbids his daughter to see her. His connection to Claudius, and his spidery machinations are reasons for his downfall.   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nbs... ...nection with Claudius deserves to die and painfully if possible. Each character exhibits a tragic flaw that is fatal. Although it may seem unfair, Hamlet is the ultimate arbiter of life and death in the play.   Because Hamlet is possessed by the Devil, he chooses to let Fate decide what happens. Thus Fate/Devil tells him to duel with Laertes. This is the first step of the beginning of the end. Hamlet and Laertes both are fatally wounded, the Queen is poisoned, and finally the King is poisoned and stabbed. Instead of only killing the King, Hamlet directly and indirectly kills everyone. Only Horatio is not affected, for he remains true with Hamlet even to the very end when he tries to poison himself in order to accompany his prince to death. Horatio is the epitome of fidelity, even his stoic nature melts away when he witnesses the poignancy of the tragedy of Hamlet.

Noise Pollution and Its Effects

Noise has a big impact on people all day everyday. But with people not noticing it, makes it hard for anyone to do anyhting about it. It is causing many different problems to people mentally, socially, and physically. There are many ways to help or prevent it, but these changes are not immediately visible, so they are left unattended to. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Exposure to very loud sounds that are enjoyable, and not technically noise to the listener, can lead to hearing impairment.A survey of hearing was tested among youngsters between the ages of 6 and 19. They found that 1 out of 8 of them suffered a noise-related hearing problem. Teens attend dances, equip vehicles with systems, and even work in loud fast food restaraunts. Noises are especially bothersome at night when one is trying to sleep, which is vital to good health. Noise from snowmobiles, jet skis, and supersonic jets has also intruded on the environment, affecting animals’ abilities to communicate, protect their young, and mate.MENTAL HEALTH: Noise pollution is not believed to be a cause of mental illness, but it is assumed to accelerate and intesify the development of latent mental disorders. Some of theses cases would be : anxiety, stress, nervousness, nausea, headache, emotionally instability, argumentatives, sexual impotence, changes in mood, and increase in social conflicts. The news media reguraly report violent behavior arising out of disputes over noise which in many cases these disputes ended in injury or death. SOCIAL HEALTH:Noise is a prominent feature of the environment including noise from transport, industry, and neighbors. Exposure to transport noise disturbs sleep I nthe laboratory, but not generally in field studies where adaptation occurs. Noise interferes in complex task performances, modifies social behavior and causes annoyance. Studies of occupational and environmental noise exposure suggest an association with hypertension, where as community studies show only weak relationships between noise and cardiovascular disease. PHYSICAL HEALTH:Noise health effects are the health consequences of elevated sound levels. Elevated workplace or other noise can cause hearing impairment, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, annoyance, premature ejaculation, bowell movements, sleep disturbance, death and decreased sexual performance. Changes in the immune system and birth defects have been attributed to noise exposure, but evidence is limited. Elevated noise levels can create stress, increase workplace accident rates, and stimulate aggression and other anti-social behavior.PERSONAL GROWTH: It takes a role in everyones life to help lower noise pollution. 1. Noise proof rooms for music or people playing music 2. Don’t slam doors. 3. Turn tv or music off when not listening to it 4. Train your dog to not bark as much. 5. Don’t rev up motorcycle or vehicle unless it is actually needed I nthe drive. 6. Don’t beep your horn â€Å"just cause† only when you need to. 7. Don’t yell. Have civil conversations.

Netflix Case Study Essay

Company Overview The idea behind Netflix, the most popular provider of online and by-mail rental services, came from an unsatisfied, embarrassed customer. Reed Hastings, founder and current CEO of Netflix, was charged 40$ as a late fee because he returned the movie Appolo13 six weeks late (Zarafshar, 2013). This made him think creatively about an idea to transform the movie rental model into a more innovative business. In 1997, Hastings and Randolph started Netflix which was a DVD rental-by-mail business with no subscriptions. Later in 1999, and as a step further towards developing the business, Hastings launched the subscription-based business model which was based only on renting DVDs by mail with multiple plans dependent on the number of titles at a time. Netflix offered its subscribers to choose from its extensive DVD library with more than 120,000 titles for unlimited monthly DVD rental with free shipping as well as zero late and per title rental fees. It was very attractive for customers to mak e subscriptions on the spot as they were tempted with the incredible Netflix service. For example, Blockbuster subscribers found Netflix’s offers more appealing and it was easy for them to make the switch. (Wikipedia, 2014) Netflix has been always open to new opportunities that Hastings believes it will sustain the company’s competitive advantage. A new opportunity was captured when the streaming service was introduced in January 2007 where it enabled Netflix’s subscribers to instantly watch movies, TV-episodes, documentaries, series and much more on internet-connected devices such as smart TVs, PCs, DVRs, Blu-Ray players and special Netflix players. During that time, Netflix was leading the industry as it was the first company to offer paid streaming  services to its subscribers in US, Canada and Latin America. Today, Netflix is known as the largest provider of online streaming service with almost 44 million subscribers in more than 40 countries offered access to an ever-growing library of thousands of titles. (Netflix PR, 2014) Netflix executives were keen to devise flexible strategies accompanied by a profitable business model that gave them sustainable competitive advantages over their rivals. They constantly monitor their external environment and do the required amendments quickly and swiftly to leverage the emer ging opportunities and tackle the upcoming threats. Strategies ranging from growing its library content, service differentiation, very competitive DVD-by-Mail service, unique marketing plan and ambitious international expansion all made Netflix a leader in its industry. However, Netflix isn’t the only player in the DVD-rental and streaming services market. Blockbuster and Redbox are one of the many competitors in the DVD-rental market that use different competitive models to outcompete Netflix’s. Hulu Plus, Amazon and HBO GO have fueled the competition in the streaming service market. They all compete on acquiring more titles to expand their libraries and try to offer the best subscription plans in order to get more market share. Having this in mind, what should Netflix do next in order to outperform its competitors and sustain its competitive advantage. External Environment Analysis Macro Environment We will start our assessment of the external environment by examining the PESTEL factors in the Macro (General) Environment of the movie renting industry. Political Factors Network Neutrality is the principle that preserves the internet to remain free and open for all users. It defends against discrimination of the internet use based on the content or website services (Ala, 2014). Major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) would like to charge a company like Netflix more money because it’s website of online movie streaming is eating a lot of their internet bandwidth. According to the broadband internet service tracking firm Sandvine, Netflix alone is consuming 32.3% of the downstream traffic in North America, much more than any other site or service. (Protalinski, 2013) Major ISPs may well contemplate the idea of blocking Netflix from their service to release all that traffic or they  might demand increased internet subscription fees from Netflix to continue hosting their website; this would be a disaster for Netflix who is facing increasing content obligation costs and if ISPs opted for that step, they will have no other choice other than increas ing the monthly fees of their streaming service which will definitely not come to the delight of their customers. All of this is against the Net Neutrality rule, which states that all internet users will be under the same conditions to get space on the net whatever their website or content, is. â€Å"The possibility of regulations designed to mandate the neutrality of the Internet has been subject to fierce debate, especially in the United States† (Internet Cleaner, 2013) In an interview (Netflix Investor Relations, 2014), Reed Hastings says he is not concerned with the threat that ISPs might block Netflix since â€Å"it will fuel the fire for more regulation and no one is interested in this†. Environmental Factors Historically, the video rental industry was built on the idea of reusing the same stuff by different people over and over again and this concept is environment-friendly. Moreover, switching to the soft copies of media and streaming it through the internet reduces energy consumption and pollution levels due to a decrease in delivering DVDs by mail and also less manufacturing of DVDs. Socio-Cultural Factors People are expected to watch movies or play video games when they have more leisure time. However nowadays, many people are having 2 jobs to support their families which basically means less leisure time and less watching movies. In addition to that, people are now becoming more convenient watching movies at their homes instead of going out to the theaters since it is cheaper, less time consuming and is ideal after having a long tiring day; this emerging trend will boost the volume of the streaming media subscriptions. Moreover, the rapid acceptance of the society for technological advancements greatly benefits the online movie rental industry, this is particularly correct due to the new educational and pedagogical systems that stress more on computer learning making people more convenient when dealing with technology. Technological Factors The rapid technological advancements and production of electronic products such as Blu-ray DVD players, Video game consoles, smart phones, smart TVs and many other devices that can connect to the internet, made the concept of online rental and video streaming easier and more adaptable. As the internet services are becoming more popular and an important ingredient in people’s daily life, companies like Netflix will be able to increase its operations especially in the video streaming service. Therefore, the advancement in technology is an opportunity and enabler for the industry as a whole. 4K streaming is a new high-quality video technology that reduces compression rate and produces output in 4K/Ultra HD format. (Burns, 2014) Netflix started offering some of its content in this format, which signals their aim to go side by side with technological advancement. Of course, to be able to stream at this high resolution, you need to have a super speed internet (40-50 Mbps) so people now have a reason to upgrade and it means more profits to the ISPs. (Netflix Investor Relations, 2014) Economic Factors The industry depends on the consumers’ spending power and real income, which is affected by employment rate, interest rate, tax rate and inflation rate. When consumers have more money, spending on entertainment facilities rises and this is an opportunity for the industry. On the other hand, the spending power of households usually decrease in recession periods, so they will probably tend to sacrifice the theater ticket and may well reward themselves with some older movies available on streaming services such as Netflix’s. Legal Factors There is a considerable potential for legal actions to be taken against companies operating in this industry, actions related to the use of licensed material and customers’ privacy issues. Moreover, any company that operates in the international market should study well the rules and regulations specific to that market or else it will shortly fall in trouble or lose valuable opportunities. Some legal actions might have a positive impact on companies in this industry such as the amendment of the VPPA law discussed earlier. On the other hand, Netflix had some hard times in 2010 with lawsuits pertaining to privacy issues when an academic research suggested it exposed the movie preferences of its customers for the programmers who  participated in the Netflix prize to produce a better recommendation algorithm. (Buley, 2010) The issue was later resolved and Netflix cancelled the sequel â€Å"Netflix Prize II† competition. Competitive Environment In order to determine nature and strength of the competitor pressures in the movie rental industry Netflix is operating in, we use Porter’s five forces model of competition. Bargaining Power of Customers In the streaming market, customers have a high bargaining power; the reason behind this is that people are very well informed about other companies which are in the same line of business as Netflix. Customers are always in search for a better deal because buyers are very price sensitive when it comes to the video rental industry and they are always looking for the best quality, so they will leave Netflix as soon as a better offer is available since there is no switching cost. Customers always expect product differentiation, and if Netflix does not give it customers this variety, they will simply leave. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers is very high; Netflix relies on getting exclusive rights to certain television shows and movies so suppliers play a very big role in bargaining over what content is exclusively reserved for Netflix users. Also, there are only a number of studios who supply the movies and shows. Another reason bargaining power of suppliers is high is that Netflix can only get its content from those studios and there is no substitute for that content, also contracts with those studios are usually for a short period of time (1-3 years) and expensive; a good example of this is when Netflix was unable to renew its contract with Starz because they were demanding a much larger amount of money – $300 million instead of the $30 million paid in 2008. (Kafka, 2011) Threat of New Entrants Although entering the online movie rental industry needs a huge initial investment to get content and secure exclusive copyrights, we can say that the threat of new entrants is moderately high since it remains a growing market with a growing demand, and huge rich companies like Apple and Google may be tempted by its growth potential and might well enter the play stage  with generous budgets; and also the low exit costs in this market make this threat high. But in order to be profitable in this industry, companies need to achieve economies of scale and try it best to have a large volume of subscribers, which in Netflix’s case is how they achieve profitability, and also to have a large number of viewers if it is a VOD company. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes is relatively high since substitutes are available, such as Blockbuster On demand, Amazon Prime Instant Video and many other VOD streaming media. Rather than having a subscription of unlimited views, customers can switch to a pay per view option. Another reason is that there is no switching cost. In addition to that, the prices of substitutes are convenient and low which makes it relatively easy to switch. Customers might also choose to switch because companies working on a VOD bases have better features such as making certain television shows and movies available within a few hours of airing them on T.V, unlike Netflix where customers need to wait a few months. Intensity of Competitive Rivalry Competition is very high in the video rental industry; Netflix has many current competitors which include Blockbuster on demand, Amazon, Apple, Hulu Plus and many others. Also Netflix has to keep scanning the environment for new competitors since it is easy for new rivals to enter the market for there are low barriers to market entry and exit. Netflix must fear its competitors because they can easily lose customers to them since switching cost is very low and they have no loyalty programs to make it harder for customers to leave. VRIO Analysis Netflix’s top resources can be listed as follows: 1. The variety and big selection of titles (comprehensive library of movies and TV-episodes) 2. The unique software for streaming and recommendation 3. Nationwide distribution network 4. CEO Reed Hastings Resources must have enough competitive potential for the organization to outcompete its rivals. By applying the VRIO framework (see table 1), one of  the best strategic tools to evaluate the firm’s resources, Netflix is shown to be at a moderate sustainable position. Providing its subscribers a wide selection of titles has been always Netflix’s primary strategy. During the year 2012, its library has reached over 120,000 DVD-titles and more than 30,000 titles ready for streaming (Wikipedia, 2014). This extensive library is definitely valuable for Netflix to attract more subscribers to watch from a wide variety of titles. Moreover, this resource is rare as not all competitors are able to offer its customers a huge number of titles for both DVD-rental and streaming services. However, such a comprehensive library is not very difficult to imitate. Apple and Amazon, for example, are constantly working hard to gain license agreements to acquire new content and grow their lib rary of titles. An obvious example on this is when Amazon won over Netflix and secured the streaming rights of the whole 8 seasons of Fox’s award winning series ‘24’ (Cantisano, 2014). Netflix has shown to be organized to capture the value of its library by making it available for its subscribers when using both services. Thus, having a big selection of titles places Netflix at a sustainable competitive advantage as long as no competitor grows a more extensive library. Otherwise, it will become easy for Netflix subscribers to switch to another company that offers wider selection. Netflix had well developed and easy-to-use software that provides titles recommendations for each subscriber based on personalized ratings. This resource is an added value to Netflix’s business because it became convenient for subscribers to quickly view movies they like or place them on â€Å"instant queue† for watching them later. (Netflix, 2014) Netflix announced a 1 million-dollar compe tition to challenge programmers to create an algorithm that can beat its Cinematch system by at least 10% of enhanced accuracy (Netflixprize, 2009). In 2009, three teams of talented programmers combined forces and developed that algorithm and Netflix’s system was given a major boost. Since the software is customized only for Netflix and consists of complicated algorithms, such a resource is considered rare. Although Netflix had set the bars high for its rivals, another company can call for a competition or hire top programmers to develop their own software that may beat that of Netflix’s. There is always room for improvement, and for that reason, this software can be imitated. Nevertheless, Netflix is continuously prepared to capture the value out of its smart software and make the best  use of it. As a result, the recommendation software positions Netflix on a sustainable competitive advantage as long as no competitor develops similar or improved software. For its DVD-by mail service, Netflix had largely invested in developing its nationwide distribution network by establishing as much distribution centers as possible. Their strategy is to provide customers with the fastest shipping service by delivering ordered DVDs within one business day. This is of a big value for customers who used to wait several days to obtain a DVD. To make it more effective and efficient, Netflix util izes a distribution network system (logistics system) that saves a lot of time looking for the closest center that has the ordered DVD in stock. The combination of wide-spread distribution centers and effective logistics software makes it a rare resource. It’s still almost impossible for competitors, such as Blockbusters, to deliver any of its DVDs within 1 business day. Furthermore, it’s difficult to have a large number of shipping points close to every home. Therefore, this resource is considerably inimitable. Obviously, Netflix is doing a great job in regards to quick delivery. It has promised its customer to ship DVDs anywhere within 1 business day. Today, by effectively employing the distribution network system, the company leveraged its capability to reach 98% of its subscribers. Hence, Netflix is organized properly to capture the value of their distribution centers. It is worth noting that although this resource gives them an sustainable competitive advantage, the demand on this type of service (DVDs sent by mail) is on a continuous decline, and the service might completely vanish in the next few years. L ast but not least, Netflix’s CEO, President and co-founder Reed Hastings is considered one of the firm’s most valuable resources. In the most difficult times, this innovative and visionary man knew what he was doing and didn’t lose the focus. His vision was very clear since the very beginning back in 1997 when he named the company Net-flix and not DVD-by-Mail (Fortune, 2009); he saw what the industry will be like in the future and believed in the powers of the internet. an intangible asset, as we are interested in his vision, education, expertise, know-how’s, innovation and skills, is considered a valuable one. If you take a quick glance on what has happened in the past few years, you’ll find it clear how such influential people affect their organizations in every aspect. For example, when Steve Jobs died, Apple’s  stock price went down by 5% immediately (Kollewe,2011) which shows you how people believed that the tremendous success Apple had in the past few years was directly linked to the innovative out-of-the-box thinking of their ex-CEO, and future manifestations showed that that was extremely true. So these brilliant executives are so valuable to their firms and they are also rare. Blockbuster’s ex-CEO Jim Keyes had the chance to buy Netflix in year 2000 for as little as 50 million dollars (now it’s worth more than 20 billion dollars!), but he was so arrogant and refused to give any recognition for Netflix’s success claiming his firm can easily do anything Netflix does. (Zarafshar, 2013) Failing to see the opportunities, combined with many wrong asse ssments of the external environment led to the bankruptcy of Blockbuster in 2011. Many analysts were actually quite sure that Netflix will be sold after the 2011 missteps that caused the stock price to fall by about 80% ; however, at that same exact time Reed Hastings was confident and quite sure that Netflix â€Å"will not only survive but flourish† (Morrissey, 2013). Those same analysts didn’t see, at that time, anything of a value in Netflix other than its CEO, who previously one the â€Å"CEO of the year 2010† award (Hartung, 2013) and whom they had great respect for (Morrissey, 2013); and indeed he was able to turn on his company and return it back to the list of the most successful companies in the world and the stock prices went up by more than 700% between 2011 and 2014! (Google Finance, 2014) In an interview, Hastings clarified that he doesn’t see his firm just competing with the other companies in the media-entertainment industry, but he believes to be competing with all companies that offer any kind of product or service that a person can enjoy during his leisure time, whether it is a soccer match, a newspaper, a video game or even hiking with friends or family (Netflix Investor Relations, 2014). This gives you an idea of the high mindset of this man which explains the success his company is now enjoying. Such a reso urce is hard to imitate as they usually come through the hierarchy of the same company; that’s what explains their full understanding of the industry they’re working in and the core competences of their firms. Just moving one brilliant CEO from one company to your company doesn’t guarantee you any success at all since many complex factors take action in the whole mix-up. Proceeding from here, it is obvious that this resource is organized to capture value for the firm. By setting the  strategies and adjusting them whenever and wherever needed depending on the ever-changing environment, Mr. Hastings is the captain who controls the helm to take Netflix to the island of success. Therefore, this resource gives Netflix a sustainable competitive advantage as long as he’s on the helm. In the future, will Netflix face the same difficulties Apple faced after their CEO was deceased? RESOURCE Valuable Rare Inimitable Is the company organized to capture the value of the resource? Competitive Potential Big Selection of Titles YES YES NO YES Sustainable/Temporary CA Title Recommendation Software YES YES NO YES Sustainable/Temporary CA Nationwide Distribution Network YES YES YES YES Sustainable Competitive Advantage CEO Reed Hastings YES YES YES YES Sustainable Competitive Advantage Table : Conducting VRIO analysis on Netflix top resources Netflix’s Competitive Strength The Netflix Strategy Netflix’s strategy so far hasn’t been to just focus on one or two aspects of their customer base, but to focus themselves in a number of directions in order to build upon and capitalize on a growing subscriber base. Their main strategy has been to build and maintain the most comprehensive selection of DVD titles in the industry, and they have done so by creating mutually beneficial relationships with a number of entertainment video providers. Their second main strategy has been focused on service differentiation- not only how customers receive content and consume it, but also how customers choose what to watch. Netflix’s number one competitive advantage over Amazon and Blockbuster is their unique software that takes what a customer has seen or rated, and based upon that information builds a list of suggested titles similar to ones they have just watched. While other companies had begun to leak into the rent-by-mail niche category that Netflix had started, no othe r company had customer profiling software quite like Netflix. Between 2006 and 2009, the film rental market underwent a major shift. The in-store rental market declined, while vending machine rentals increased and by-mail rentals nearly doubled. However, VOD (Video on Demand) services through cable, digital, and subscription also saw major increases. All of these changes meant companies like Blockbuster had to either restructure and make a complete business model shift – or face bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the increases in by-mail rentals and online subscriptions, two services that Netflix offered, meant that the number of Netflix subscribers more than doubled in that same time frame. Purchase decisions from customers were focused on convenient access, price, variety of DVD offerings, and ease of return/return fees. Customers like variety; a video rental store that only stocks the newest releases will not appeal to all markets. Increasingly, customers are becoming more nostalgic in their movie preferences, searching for titles long past premiere. Customers have also become increasingly busy, often not having the time to go to a store to pick out a movie or remembering to return their rentals on time. We live in a world of instant gratification, where being able to click a few buttons and watch the latest  movie or an old clas sic is extremely important. Customers also do not like fees. More and more companies today are offering free shipping/return shipping, and the same is true in the DVD rental industry. Netflix’s third main strategy was to attract more subscribers using multiple marketing channels including online advertising, radio stations, regional and national television, direct mail, and print ads. One of these marketing strategies included participating in a variety of cooperative advertising programs with studios through which Netflix received cash for featuring a studio’s movies in its advertising. Moreover, Netflix worked closely with the makers of Netflix-ready electronics devices to expand the number of devices on which Netflix subscribers could view Netflix-streamed content (Thompson, 2012). This is considered Netflix’s second competitive advantage because it got ahead competitors by being the first to market with next-generation products. By 2012, with the aid of new technology, Netflix added another core strategy which was to grow its streaming subscription business domestically and globally. By doing so, executives expected that the number of members with DVD-by mail subscription would decline, as subscribers migrated from renting DVDs to streaming online and as subscribers with both DVD-by mail and streaming subscriptions opted to only streaming online. The company continuously improved its streaming experience by expanding the size of its content library, increasing the number of Internet-connected devices, and improving the ease of navigating Netflix’s w ebsite of locating and selecting content to watch. The result was a rapid growing customer acceptance and interest in the delivery of TV shows and movies directly over the Internet. Finally, a central element of Netflix’s long-term strategy was making Netflix’s streaming service available outside the US, in countries like Canada, Latin America, the UK and Ireland. (Thompson, 2012) Although this international expansion was expected to temporarily depress the company’s overall profitability and incur huge expenses of obtaining licenses from movie studios and owners of TV shows, Netflix’s entry into such markets would launch a preemptive strike to secure an advantageous position of being market leaders with high-quality suppliers via exclusive partnerships or long-term contracts (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). â€Å"We have to win the bidding for a big set of content, and then market ourselves effectively to start the membership growth† (Seave, 2013). How  long it takes for such a bold move to yield good results was not a major issue because Reed Hastings indicated that Netflix would take longer than eight quarter s after initial entry to reach sustained profitability. How Does Its Competitive Strength Compare Against That of Blockbuster and Amazon Compared with Blockbuster and Amazon, Netflix operates within the highly competitive media streaming market that has been forecasted to increase to $12.5 billion in 2017 (Bauman, Deal, Ishak, & Johnson, 2013). Netflix by far has the most comprehensive number of products and distribution channels, given that consumers can either rent DVDs by mail or stream them on their PC or TV. Its identity is valued greatly among consumers as a quick, easy, and available destination for streaming media. Additionally, the value of their brand has risen recently after the strong media attention for the success of its first original series, House of Cards. When it comes to competitors, Netflix’s main competitors were Amazon and Blockbuster. Operating as Amazon Prime Instant Video, it has three main advantages over Netflix; it offers subscription as a prime member for $79 a year which is $6.59/month, less than Netfl ix’s streaming price of $7.99/month, subscribers get free 2-day shipping on millions of items and its users can buy or rent a movie/show just after a few hours of it being broadcasted on TV, while Netflix subscribers needed to wait a few months in order to view the same movie or show (McGrath,2014). However, Netflix’s competitive advantage over Amazon is its library which has more variety and includes original content, thus making their library comprehensive in the streaming market. They also offer all their content to their subscribers for streaming through a very user friendly personalized interface and effective recommendation system that boosts the watching experience; in comparison, Amazon’s Prime Instant Video library have less categories and less straightforward search results, plus a significant portion of their online content cannot be streamed for free, you have to pay additional money to watch certain shows or movies. (Honorof, 2014) Blockbuster’s strategy was to keep expanding geographically by opening new stores in different locations, rather than switching to online streaming, thinking it would increase their market share. But due to the rise in competition from Netflix and Amazon, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and in January of 2014 they permanently closed all their stores and only operated through â€Å"Blockbuster On Demand† on a pay per rental  bases and operated only in the US (Netflix Alternative, 2013). The competitive advantage Netflix had over Blockbuster is the number of titles they offered. Because Netflix did not operate from a physical store, it made it possible to store thousands of titles, both old movies and movies which were on high demand, and thus satisfying the preferences of much more customers than Blockbuster. Blockbuster was restricted in the amount and titles they had to offer in their stores because of its limited storage space. Another advantage was convenience. Netflix made it very convenient for customers to get their DVDs without having to leave the house and having unlimited videos on a subscription basis without late fees, all of which are things Blockbuster lacked. With all this said, it is obvious that Netflix used offensive strategies that helped it build its reputation as a market leader and created a strong brand loyalty by binding customers to its service. As a first mover, Netflix was able to move down the learning curve ahead of rivals, so it now knows exactly what customers are expecting and learned a hard lesson not to do sudden strategic changes as it did in 2011 missteps of price changes and split of service. As a first mover also, Netflix was able to set the technical standard for the industry by adopting the advanced streaming player and recommendation program that customers now can’t imagine accessing huge movie libraries without it, and Netflix is ahead of its rivals in this and it’s building it over time. Back in its early stage of existence, Netflix had no chance to compete traditionally with the giant Blockbuster, so it chose a special kind of offensive strategy called â€Å"The Blue-Ocean Strategy† which dictates that a firm can â€Å"gain a dramatic and durable competitive advantage by abandoning efforts to beat out competitors in existing markets and instead inventing a new industry or distinctive market segment that renders existing competitors largely irrelevant and allows a company to create and capture altogether new demand† (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014) This is exactly what Netflix did as it didn’t go into the block and mortar business but focused from the very beginning on growing its online library and achieving its most important strategy back then which is to deliver DVDs by mail within one business day. This created a new segment of customers for its service and factors in the external environment started changing to its advantage wh ich shows that Hastings and his team where correct in reading their external  environment. Then in 2007 they started their streaming service which is also an offensive strategy that positioned Netflix far ahead of its competitors. Recommendations The past few years have shown how volatile the stock price of Netflix was as it fluctuated between as low as 53 dollars in 2012 to as high as 448 dollars in March 2014 (Google Finance, 2014). This is an indication that Netflix is operating in a very fast moving industry where innovation and continuous improvement are the keys for survival. Consequently, as professional consultants, we advise Netflix executives to learn from what has happened in the past and put new strategies or amend existing ones to tackle the future probable recurrence of the problems they have faced in the past few years. One of the major competitive advantages of Netflix over its rivals in the industry is having this huge and varied collection of title selections in its offering. First we advise them to convert all their DVD-version content, which is not available for streaming, to soft stream-able versions as statistics showed more customers are leaving the DVD-by-mail plan and registering for the more convenie nt trendy streaming service (Roettgers, 2013). Maintaining an increasing selection of title offering is vital in this respect, as in such an entertainment industry, we don’t see loyalty in customers as decreed by Marketing gurus; what we mean by this is, if another rival had a similar service with a richer content, many customers will switch with the blink of an eye. That’s why we are stressing on this point as it is a key for survival. Accordingly, Netflix should opt to create strategic alliances and cooperative partnerships with many movie studios to maintain its database of titles – retaining existing ones and adding new collections, and negotiating to reduce the wait time for streaming movies after they are out in the theaters. This will definitely create value to the customers, but Netflix’s harder job is how to create value for those suppliers, that is, how to convince them to add their productions in the Netflix service. This can be done by creating a win-win model that will persuade those studios to choose Netflix over other rivals, and hence can be achieved by highlighting a set of advantages they’ll get from the deal. An example of such an advantage, is to have the studio’s work available not only in US, but in all the 41 countries Netflix currently operates in, and  maybe make it available in local languages; this will increase the popularity of the studio’s work inter nationally and will basically mean more profits for future project releases. Catching up from this last point, it is vital for Netflix to find new smart ways to continuously increase their subscription base. By the end of Q1 2014, the number of subscribers went up to 33 million US subscribers and 11 million international subscribers (Welch, 2014). More subscribers simply mean more annual income which will lead to the ability to get richer content to their offering, which will in return link more customers in. This recursive cycle is so prominent and can be triggered by some smart tactics, to initially get more customers. Lowering the subscription price might lure many potential customers to register, but is not advisable to do that since the profit margin of the streaming service is already narrow (Roettgers, 2013). On the other hand, increasing the price of subscriptions is also risky and the crazy chaos that happened in 2011 will remain unforgettable. Hence, Netflix executives should devise new innovative ways to increase the value proposition of their service that will increase their customer base and enhance their reputation as a market leader. This can be achieved, for example, by doing the exact opposite of what they did in their 2011 missteps. What happened back then was to increase the price of their service for the sa me quality they offered; so let’s now try to increase the service quality holding the price fixed. One way of doing that, is to diversify their content; for example to start providing Live programs such as Sports events and News. This addition will get-in new customer segments – not only those who love to watch movies and TV series. So, if Netflix was able to secure the online broadcasting rights for a major soccer league matches, for example, and broadcasting Live CNN news, their customer base will be more fragmented and they will be moving in the direction of being an Internet TV provider with a variety of shows that suites all the different categories of viewers. Another technique to increase the quality of their service is to enhance their GUI (graphical user interface) by creating a new advanced online player for streaming media that can detect voice commands sent from the embedded microphone of the client’s personal gadget (laptop, Smartphone, tablet, etc†¦), analyze those commands and perform actions accordingly. For instance, â€Å"Volume Up† to increase player’s sound volume instead of using  your laptop’s mouse or going to â€Å"Settings† on your Smartphone/iPad; or the voice command â€Å"Action Category† to go to the list of movies in the Action category. Adding such a high-tech innovative feature in their player will amaze their happy customers and will leave their competitors contemplating in the shadows. Netflix can also enhance its online service by continuously challenging and rewarding bright programmers to come up with new algorithms that increase the effectiveness of their rati ng application. What they did with their one-million-dollar contest, which was won in 2009 by a team called BellKor’s Pragmatic Chao who were able to come up with an algorithm that overcame Netflix’s recommendation system by more than 10% (Netflix Prize, 2009), was very tidy and it really paid off; so they need to continue upgrading their systems – as it goes side-by-side with the ever increasing size of their database. Speaking about the content, it was very clear that the bargaining power of the suppliers, which are the TV shows producers and movie studios, are becoming increasingly high; and what happened with the Starz Entertainment deal is one example to mention here, when it announced it would remove it movies from Netflix streaming starting February 2012 (Young,2011). This leads us to what we believe is the most important recommendation for Netflix to consider, that is, invest more in original content. Going backward to the recursive cycle we previously explained, it is clear that getting new content goes in parallel with increasing the number of subscribers. For example, when Netflix secured the deal with Disney for exclusive rights to stream its movies starting 2016, many analysts assumed that the firm needs to get 4 million new subscribers to just breakeven with the cost of that deal (Morrissey,2013). One here might contemplate, that sooner or later, Netflix will reach a stage where it wil l cease to be able to increase its customer base, so its revenues will reach a kind of a slow moving ceiling, but their content obligations will continue to rise: to maintain the licenses for the current collection and to get new content in. Many movie studios are closely monitoring Netflix’s performance and stock prices, and they are demanding higher money for renewing their contracts, and this is a major threat for Netflix to consider. Unable to reach a renewal agreement with a major movie studio, will result in the disappearance of hundreds or  thousands of titles from their online library in a fortnight. This will really embarrass the customers. That’s why we recommend that Netflix needs to heavily invest in original programming before they reach the saturation stage, or a deadlock situation whereby they cannot enhance their content because it’s too costly and they need more money by growing membership, and they cannot grow membership because they aren’t able to enhance their content because it’s too costly! Reaching this stage means the firm is approaching its last days. The solution for this misery, and to avoid this tragic end, is to invest in original content right away. Netflix started distributing premier programs in 2011 and now has more than 10 exclusive TV shows in its offering (Wikipedia, 2014), one of which is â€Å"House of Cards† – an America political dram a television series – which â€Å"became the first TV series to win a primetime Emmy Award without ever broadcasting on a network or cable channel† (Neal, 2014). The success of the series encouraged Netflix to produce a second season of it in Feb 2014, and a third season is scheduled in early 2015 (Wikipedia, 2014). According to a study (Popper, 2014), one episode of such original content costs Netflix four million dollars; but although this is very expensive, allocating an important portion of the budget every year to produce such exclusive series will have its mark in the future. People can enjoy watching such series any time, as it is a permanent title in the online library, and Netflix doesn’t have to pay licensing or any other kind of expenses on originals once it is broadcasted. They can also make it available for their international customers by adding local language features (subbing or dubbing) to it. Growing internationally is still one of the main strategies that Netflix is counting on and although international expansion proved to be very costly, as Canada for example broke even after 2 years (Netflix Investor Relations, 2014); they are recommended to continue with it. It will give them more international recognition that will enhance their reputation and will pay off in their competition with rivals, and this is exactly what CEO Reed Hastings said in Netflix Q4 2013 Earnings Interview â€Å" we are treating international as a segment – for competitive reasons† (Netflix Investor Relations, 2014). As first movers in the streaming movie industry, it is advisable for Netflix to leverage their position as pioneers of the market by offering several loyalty programs that will increase the switching cost  of the customers to their existing and future rivals. One thing they can do is to create a points-based reward system which works as follows: every month you renew your subscription you’ll add 10 points to your balance, and if you’re a new customer you get 50 â€Å"free welcome points†. Then through time your balance will keep adding up points and you’ll have the choice to buy several valuable things with it. For example, one-month free subscription for 100 points, an original DVD movie (from a predefined list of titles) sent directly to your mail and that will cost you 200 points, and the chance to meet with the actors of your favorite TV-series (Netflix Original) for 300 points. Such a loyalty program will keep delight the customers and keep them hooked to the service. While many consumers have cut the cord and made the switch to Internet-only TV offerings, undoubtedly they’ve experienced frustrations as well. Netflix’s mobile app, while good, can be upgraded to present a much better and more seamless experience for those on tablets. We suggest added-value features like friendship connections, including the ability to see what friends on both Facebook and Twitter have watched, their recommendations, and share content with others. Another impre ssive change could be a ‘tagging feature’ when watching shows which we believe to be instrumental in expanding the social aspects of Netflix’s content. Viewers can tap the button at any time during a show to tag moments on the timeline relevant with quotes from the scene or make a comment regarding what they saw. Subsequent friends watching the content can see these tags, opening up dialogue between the partners and encouraging more social conversation through Netflix’s app. (The lab Blog, 2013). Compared to the current app’s design, this new proposal feels fresh and clean. Of course, those added features are optional and can be switched off whenever privacy is needed. By adding this feature, Netflix will be leveraging the benefits of the latest VPPA (Video Privacy Protection Act) law amendments President Obama signed which â€Å"facilitate social media sharing of video viewing preferences when users consent to disclosure of information via the Internet†.(McClellan, 2013) Moreover, integrating social media with customers’ viewing experience will give Netflix an important marketing tool that will help them detect which content is more appealing to their customers and will also give their customers a window to speak out what they like to see in the future. Finally we can say that the next step for Netflix  is to produce a Hollywood 100-million dollar movie that can be streamed same day it goes into the theater. This massive step of producing one movie eve ry year, of such a caliber, will be a major boost for Netflix in the coming years especially if they were lucky enough and those movies turn out to be a major hit. But here one has to say, is it wise for a company like Netflix, that reported 112 million dollars in net income by the end of 2013 (Google Finance,2014), to handle a project of this size? Isn’t it a crazy adventure? Or should Netflix go through a joint venture with other Pay-TV firms to reduce the risks of such a gigantic project? References Bauman, L., Deal, N., Ishak, P., & Johnson, S. (2013, February 3). Netflix Environmental Scan / SWOT Analysis. Retrieved April 22, 2013, from Memoirs of a Student: http://lisabauman.blogspot.com/2013/02/netflix–?environmental–?scan–?swot–?analysis.html Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., & Strickland III, A. J. (2014). Crafting and Executing Strategy – The Quest for Competitive Advantage – Concepts and Cases (19th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin – Ch:6, pgs. 151-152 Thompson (2012) – Netflix in 2012: Can It Recover from Its strategy Missteps? Thompson, A. A. (2012). Netflix Alternative (July,2013) Blockbuster on Demand – Retrieved from: http://www.netflixalternative.com/blockbuster-on-demand/ McGrath (Jan, 2014) Amazon and Hulu Could Slow Netflix Growth in 2014 – Retrieved From: http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2014/01/07/amazon-and-hulu-could-slow-netflix-growth-in-2014-morgan-stanley-sa ys/ (Seave, 2013) Netflix to Competitors: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid – Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/avaseave/2013/06/06/netflix-to-competitors-be-afraid-be-very-afraid/ NetflixPR – Netflix Media Center – Company overview – Retrieved April 19,2014 from https://pr.netflix.com/WebClient/loginPageSalesNetWorksAction.do?contentGroupId=10476&contentGroup=Company+Facts Kollewe (October,2011) Apple Stock Price Falls on News of Steve Job’s Death – Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/oct/06/apple-stock-steve-jobs Zarafshar (Nov,2013) Remembering Blockbuster Retrieved from http://deweydigest.com/tech/2547 Cantisano (April,2014) Netflix loses Fox