Netflix Case Study free essay sample

If suppliers run out of stock or decide to cut supplies short, there are not many alternatives to obtain DVDs or right to a movie. The seller has the power to control distribution and prices. Rivalry among Competing Sellers There are very few competitors in the movie rental industry of which consist of Netflix, Blockbuster, and small businesses. These few control overall market share of the industry. The main competition is between Netflix and Blockbuster. Blockbuster is currently the leader in movie rentals until Netflix introduced their DVDs by mail program and subscription based business model. Buyers Buyers have limited powers and options. An avid movie renter is limited to the selection available in store or library on line. The movie rental companies are limited to the supply they can purchase and stock their stores with. They are unable to control prices, but larger companies do have the upper hand since they can order larger quantities to get a better deal. We will write a custom essay sample on Netflix Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Potential New Entry There are little to no potential entrants into this industry. A recent entry into the movie rental industry is Red Box; they are a vending machine style movie rental. This market requires entrants to have large capitals to acquire movie rights along with fresh new ideas of movie delivery options. 2. What forces are driving changes in the movie rental industry? Are the combined impacts of these driving forces likely to be favorable or unfavorable in term of their effects on competitive intensity and future industry profitability Many renters are forced to choose from Blockbuster, Netflix or Red Box and this I believe is favorable because it will help these companies control the market share over video rentals. Convince consumers are always looking for easier and more convenient ways to do things. With all movie renal industry competitors moving in the same direction, it will ensure that there are choices for everyone. 3. What does your strategic group map of this industry look like? How attractively is Netflix positioned on the map? Why? On my strategic group map, Netflix is best positioned due to the lack of having a large physical inventory like Blockbuster, to supply its physical stores. Although Blockbuster has the advantage when it comes making sales on other items aside from video rentals. They also offer games and other perishables which has contributed a percentage of their revenues. Blockbuster also has another slight advantage because not everyone knows how to use a computer. Netflix is can only be accessed via computer with at the very least, broadband connection. Netflix also has more subscribers than Blockbuster does at the end of 2007. It also seems like they both offer similar rental plans, except that Blockbuster offers games and in-store returns and exchanged. Overall, I believe that Netflix is best positioned due to the lack of venturing with different areas and excess liabilities with physical locations. 4. What key factors will determine a company’s success in the movie rental industry in the next 3-5 years? How quickly will technology and availability of a product drive a company’s success? There are limited amount of competitors, and since most consumers are decision are made through the idea of convenience and price. No one wants to pay neither high prices nor do they want to make sacrifices. Technology is and has been used to extend the reach to attain more ubscribers and at farther distances. Netflix and Blockbuster are no longer limited to retailing within the U. S. Â ± Blockbuster also has over 1,000 locations out of the U. S But as streaming as well as having a large quantity of available media has helped these companies prosper. 5. What is Netflix’s strategy? What type of competitive advantage is Netflix t rying to achieve? Netflix’s strategy is something so simple yet perfect. For a low flat rate, customers have the ability to rent an unlimited amount of movies without the need to even leave the house to pick one out. Movies are received over night and sent back in prepaid envelopes. Allowing customers to rent as many movies as they desire for one flat rate saves customers tons of money and also allows them to do this from the comfort of their own home. Netflix’s competitive is that they were the first to realize a changing world where people are always buys, looking for more convenient options and trying to save money. So they created a product that people didn’t even know they needed and fulfilled all of those needs. Picking movies out from the comfort of your home (meaning you don’t have to take time to drive to the store) and being able to rent as many movies as you want for one flat rate (which saves money) was what Netflix provide to the people and the people loved it. 6. What does a SWOT analysis of Netflix reveal about the overall attractiveness of its situation? StrengthsWeaknesses * Small Inventory- Limited products * No large debt- No physical locations * Good prices * No Late fees OpportunitiesThreats * Potential to grow- On demand * Offer more products- Internet streaming 7.

The Relationship of the American TV Family versus the real life essays

The Relationship of the American TV Family versus the real life essays The Comparison of the TV family to the everyday real life family can take many avenues to explore, but I'll try to keep it as basic as possible. First I'll break down the animated TV family "The Simpsons", and then I'll break down a real life middle class family that I know all to well. I. The Simpsons; Father, Mother and three children. The various daily problems they encounter in their middle class suburban lives. a) The Father. Hopeless fool. Everything he attempts turns into total chaos, from his job, home life, to hanging out with his buds. b) The Mother. Hard working sensible women trying her hardest to maintain some form of sanity in her insane world. c) The children. The broad spectrum from the rowdy to the innocent. II. The real life middle class family Father, Mother, and three children. The somewhat different, but similar problems they encounter in their real middle class suburban lives. a) The Father. Typical father figure trying to juggle a million things at once. b) The Mother. Homemaker and confidant', going in every which direction to fulfill everyone's needs. c) The children. Intelligent know it all's. "Been there done that " attitude. To summarize the we look at the comparison of the American Family portrayed on TV and the real life family living in the in the suburbs. Now we must wonder if our friends and neighbors see our families as "The Simpsons" or as well-adjusted functional members of society. The Comparison of the TV family to the everyday real life family can take many avenues to explore, but I'll try to keep it as basic as possible. First I'll break down the animated TV family "The Simpsons", and then I'll break down a real life middle class family that we might know all to well. The Simpsons: a family that consists of a father, mother and three children. The various daily problems they encounter in their middle class suburban lives. Makes you wonder ...

Salem Witch Trials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Salem Witch Trials - Essay Example There were even those who were wrongfully accused but were able to save their lives as they accepted that they had indulged in the act. These incidences took place in the region of Salem and these incidences were recognized as Salem Witch Trials. On the front the main reason for executing individuals was witchcraft, but the main reasons that are rational in nature are quite different. The rational reasons for the incidences of Salem Witch Trials include: post traumatic stress and disease called ergotism. Body The main cause of Salem Witch Trials was that two girls named Betty Parris along with her cousin accused an Indian slave named Tituba for practicing witchcraft on them and due to her practices; they ended up acting in an abnormal manner. There are various theories that explain why the girls were acting in an abnormal manner. Linda R. Caporael in her article titled as â€Å"Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?† states that those girls who resided in the region of Salem wer e acting in abnormal manner because they were experiencing a disease recognized as ergotism (Caporael 1). These girls were experiencing ergotism because they had consumed bread that was affected by a fungus called ergot. The bread they consumed was made out of the rye grains on which the fungus had spread and these grains mostly grow during summers as well as warm springs. The symptoms of the disease called Ergotism are similar to the manner in which the girls who were thought to be under the control of the devil were experiencing. These symptoms includes: experience of something crawling inside the skin, headaches, experience of hallucinations and others. Since the behavior exhibited by the girls is similar to the symptoms experienced by those who experience ergotism, it is plausible that the girls were not under any spell and were experiencing ergotism. Another possible explanation of the events of the Salem Witch Trials has been provided by Mary Beth Norton in her article titled as â€Å"They called it Witchcraft† (Goss 63). She states that issues experienced by a human in their everyday life are quite commonly associated to witchcraft and similar practices. She further argues that these events are a response to the issue of post traumatic stress disorder experienced by the individuals as they were exposed to the war that took place between the American Indians and the Puritans. This is possibly a rational reason because those who were first held responsible for witchcraft mostly included Indian women including Tituba. Tituba and other American Indians were held responsible because Puritians did not like them due to the war and because the puritans were of the idea that these Indians were people who were chosen by God. The girls who accused Tituba as well as other Indian slaves might be holding a grudge against the Indian because they might be holding them for the death of their loved ones in the war. Another possible reason that can be attributed to the events of Salem Witch Trials is boredom (Roach xxiv). Those who are said to be under the spell were mostly young teenage females who had little or no entertainment and were always practicing religion and were not allowed to experience entertainment because of the rules of the Church. These teenagers might have thought that accusing Indian slaves of indulging in the act of Witchcraft might bring entertainment to their lives and they might become the center of attention of others. The outcome of these accusations was that several individuals were sent to prison and several of them were even executed for being a part of witchcraft. Conclusion Salem Witch Trials

Is Nationalism a Rational Phenomenon Coursework

Is Nationalism a Rational Phenomenon - Coursework Example Nationalism turns out to be involuntary when a member of a country is born in a particular nation. It was not a choice to be born there so it becomes involuntary. People who permanently change their citizenship and get that of another country are voluntary, members of their country of choice. Thus, voluntary. The concept of nationalism is deeply intertwined with questions like; - What does a nation refer to and what is the meaning of national identity. - What does it mean to belong to a nation? - Is this nation membership non-voluntary or voluntary? - Is nationalism rational? - Is it appropriate to always care about one’s national identity? - How much should one care about nationalism? Nationalism is also viewed as a doctrine that believes that a nation which is at this point defined as a culture or ethnicity is entitled to be an autonomous or independent political community that has its basis on a common destiny or a shared history. Those who are very extreme about nationalism define it in terms of genetics or even race. Nationalism highly influences the history of the world. Over the past years, nationalism has been written off from philosophic debates. It has however surfaced in the philosophy arena especially as a result of the constant troublesome nationalists' clashes for instance in Yugoslavia. The rush of nationalism normally presents an ambivalent that is moral and creates a very interesting picture. The fight for political independence and national awakening is known to be cruel to humanity but at the same time heroic.It leads to the creation of a full and free state that passionately responds to deep sentiments. However, in the process of attaining this, inhuman and violently explosive mechanisms are used to clean the nation off of the non-nationals even to the tune of well organized and executed mass murder.

Chagas Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chagas Disease - Essay Example More commonly, it is referred to as paleoparasitology (Ferreira et al., 2000). The discovery of the presumed parasite in the human remains is then extrapolated to the present relationship between the host and the parasite Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. The reservoir exists in wild amongst various animal species constituting the sylvatic cycle (Afuderheide et al., 2004). The vector for its transmission is reduviid bug (family Reduviidae, subfamily Triatominae). These insects hide in the crevices, nests or human dwellings in case of domestic cycle and emerge at night to feed upon the blood of their prey (Afuderheide et al., 2004). The infection is caused by rubbing of the bitten area where the parasite deposits the faecal matter (Afuderheide et al., 2004). This leads to entry of the parasite into the blood stream from the breached skin or conjunctiva. Parasitemia may lead to acute manifestations of myocarditis or meningoencephalitis that have a mortality rate of 10% (Afuderheide et al., 2004). The disease may progress to a chronic stage characterised by flare up of febrile episodes and progressive damage to myocardium or gut leading to dilated cardiomyopathy or segmental paralysis of parts of gastrointestinal system respectively (Afuderheide et al., 2004). Researchers to study the archaeological remains for the evide... These findings were supplemented by discovery of dwellings made of mud bricks, which is a common habitat of these bugs.Molecular studies included immunochemical methods and electron microscopy. Histological sections have also demonstrated the parasite even in desiccated mice tissue (Bastos et al. 1996). However, the most vital tool that has enabled the authors to draw important inferences regarding the evolution and epidemiology of Chagas disease is the extraction and amplification of DNA segments of T. cruzi from mummified tissues.Origin of samples: Atacama Desert with its dry hot winds and arid climate has been a source of mummified tissues for many researchers (Ferreira et al., 2000; Afuderheide et al., 2004; Guhl et al., 2000). This type of climate favours the preservation of body tissues in a dehydrated form and nearly arrests its decomposition. Moreover, this geographical region coincides with the distribution of the disease, along coastal region of South America in Peru and Chile. South American natives buried their dead in shallow sandy soils that led to preservation of tissues in a desiccated mummified form Laboratory techniques: This desiccated tissue is rehydrated and pulverised and DNA is extracted. The extracted DNA is then amplified using the Polymerase chain reaction. The amplified DNA participates in the hybridization process with standardised primers and probes under controlled conditions. Hybridisation of the DNA extracted from the mummified tissue samples with the probe nucleotides constitutes a positive test result. Hybridisation can be identified by gel electrophoresis and analysis of bands by radioisotope techniques. Authentication and sources of error Concern has been raised

The Ins and Outs of Organ Donation

The Ins and Outs of Organ Donation Courtney Williams The â€Å"Ins† and â€Å"Outs† Abstract Organ donation, in simplest terms is the donation of viable tissues or organs from one human being to another. Organ donations are received in two ways, living donors and cadaver donors. Donations such as, bone marrow, blood and blood components help enhance another’s life, while vital organs like the liver and kidney can save another’s life. Organ donation is a unique and controversial situation for each individual and their family involved. The controversy throughout the world related to organ donation has specifically been impacted by all aspects of ethical, legal, organizational and societal views. The two programs in debate are opt-in and opt-out programs. Even though the two programs are completely different in how they work the main goal would be to increase potential donors. Organ donation has been a wide spread controversial issue throughout the world, involving all aspects of ethical, legal, organizational and societal views. Most of the issues surrounding organ donation are consent and ways to increase potential donors to awaiting transplant recipients ratio. Given the lack of organ donors, not just in the UK but across the world, society needs to face up to the fact that, if we want more people to have transplant surgery, organ donation after death has to be discussed more openly (Tantam, 2007). The two programs are concluded to the opt-in and opt-out programs. Even though the two programs are completely different in how they work the main goal would be to increase donors. This type of program hopefully would reduce the number of people on waiting lists and individuals that are dying every day. More and more people die today waiting on an organ transplant. More than 110,000 Americans are on organ-transplant waiting lists, and demand for kidneys, lungs, hearts and other donated organs far exceeds the supply due to rising incidences of obesity, hypertension and diabetes (Mantel, 2011). The population needs to be better educated on all aspects of the transplant programs, hopefully increasing the number of the population willing to donate organs. Any decision a person makes without experience or knowledge causes distress and anxiety. Then when you throw in something as personal and terrifying as death, the decision can become much more difficult. Who should have to make that decision? There are many questions concerning this process that the Powers-That-Be have given simple yes and no answers to. This almost makes the whole thing to surreal. The medical field needs to have programs devoted to educating the population in a friendly an informative way. Most everyone who donates goes to the Secretary of State to get their license to drive. While up at the counter with all the paperwork required for a plate the state employee asked the question, â€Å"Would you like to be an organ donor?† The answer is going to be a simple yes or no without even knowing how the whole process works. Education would have the benefit of more, not less donors. Humans can live for example with one kidney, only part of one lung, part of the pancreas, part of the intestines or part of the liver. The body will compensate for the missing parts making it possible to live a long and healthy life. Any surgical incisions left because of removal will be sutured shut and only a scar will be left behind. The deceased will be able to be viewed at their funeral. The family will not have any expense due to this procedure. All costs incurred will be paid by the recipient or through an insurance policy. As a registered donor you will still receive the same life saving medical care. Those are all the pros connected with saving someone. On the negative side surgery can be dangerous and cause death. Any minor operation carries risk such as; bleeding, infection, blood clots, allergic reactions, or damage to other organs nearby. Organ donation is major surgery therefore can be life-threatening. There is pain and recovery time associated with this procedure. Also there may be scars and any complications that could develop later won’t be covered by insurance. Once a patient has been referred by a doctor they are evaluated through a transplant program as a potential candidate. In order to get a doctor’s referral a person must be at end-stage organ failure. The website organdonor.gov created by the Health Resources Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services list a number of diseases that can lead to end-stage such as; Cardiomyopathy, Cirrhosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Hepatitis, Hypertension, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Polycystic Kidney Disease, and Short Gut Syndrome. There is much research to be done at this point. The person should obtain from the Health Resources and Services Administration a pamphlet that gives an overview of the process. This is free of charge for the donor or recipient. Next the person starts looking for a transplant hospital. Things to consider are the location, compatibility with the patient’s insurance company, financial arrangements and the availability of a support group. Once the hospital has been chosen an appointment is made and an evaluation is done by the hospital personnel. This is necessary to see if the patient is a good candidate for a transplant. A successful candidate is then added to the OPTN National Transplant Waiting List. Usually within ten days this person is notified in writing giving the date and time they were put on the list. Now it is time to figure the tremendous cost and how to afford to pay it. A lot of insurance companies cover most if not all the costs that can be occurred during this procedure. All insurance companies vary in what they cover so the candidate must contact their company to determine what they will pay. The website organdonor.gov lists numerous cost occurring procedures such as; laboratory tests, organ procurement, transplant surgeons, and other operating room staff, in-hospital stays, transportation to and from the transplant hospital for surgery and check-ups, rehabilitation, and medications (including immunosuppressives or anti-rejection drugs). According to organdonor.gov the on average cost in 2008 ranged from $259,000.00 for a kidney transplant to $1,200,000.00 for a heart-lung transplant. The median wait depends on what organ is being transplanted. The waiting period can be from the minimum of 100 days up to a year or longer. Waiting for that call can be terrifying and heartbreaking because someone has to die in order for another person to live. Organdonor.gov implicates a chart breakdown for the waiting period of certain organs as follows; a heart 113 days, lung 141 days, liver 361 days, kidneys 1219 days, pancreas 260 days and intestine 159 days. Now that the patient is on the list he or she must keep in touch with the transplant hospital at all times. They make sure the hospital can reach them at all hours. Also all traveling plans have been made including alternate means. Some organs can only live outside the body for 4-6 hours such as the heart and lungs, but kidneys can survive up to 36 hours. In order for an organ to be considered a match the medical field takes into account blood type, the size of the individual, severity of the medical condition and distance between donor and recipient’s hospital. In the case of a heart transplant the person is given a status code designating the severity of damage to the heart. Since a heart can only live outside a body for 4-6 hours a recipient living closest to the donor’s hospital is chosen first. Sometimes there isn’t anyone close and at that point the transplant team searches a greater distance from the donor’s hospital. Also the heart or lung must fit inside the patient’s rib cage so then size match comes into play, and evaluation for prolonged survival following the transplant. Other organs like the liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines have other considerations that need to be met besides the listed common elements. As stated above most people register as a donor through their state registry at the Department of State or by telling a family member. Unfortunately this is not always the case since accidents do happen. Most of these people are left with a diagnosis of brain death due to other medical issues occurring. Along with problems with diagnoses, medicines technical interests in transplantable organs (hearts) can bias the brain death test, raising serious ethical concerns (Gough, 2012). At this point the hospital does a series of tests to determine if the potential donor has any brain activity. Lack of agreement on determination-of-death criteria has been a roadblock to the development of sound ethical protocols for donation after cardiac death in particular (Grasser, 2007). These people make the best donors because the hospital will keep these folks on life support.. When the patient has been pronounced brain dead a transplant surgeon will then receive a call that they are always prepared f or and immediately depart for that hospital. Time becomes critical since the organ may have only a small window to stay valuable. On a compassionate note the donor’s family is in mourning and you do not want to add to their pain by a long drawn out process. In time they will be happy knowing their loved one gave someone else a chance at a normal life. Every hospital in the country reports to the local Organ Procurement Organization whenever a patient is nearing death or has died. A representative then checks to see if that person has registered as a donor. When the patient is listed in the registry or permission granted the representative goes to the hospital and obtains the patient’s medical and social history. At this point he contacts the OPTN and the hunt is on for a recipient. Donor and recipients are matched through a database based on certain characteristics. This database finds a recipient that matches the common elements listed previously plus distance between the two hospitals. Since one donor may have several useful organs his body may actually help numerous people live. Therefore the database finds all potential recipients that match the donor. Then the surgical team takes off for the donor’s hospital and they remove all and any healthy tissues and organs, using the same sterile and careful method as in a ny surgery. These body parts have to be transported to the recipient’s hospital immediately since they can only survive for a short time. Finally after all these preparations one person dies but helps another live! Money and power have a way of creeping into any good program. Therefore the danger exists that the wealthy and powerful will miraculously appear at the top of the list whether they belong there or not. There is no way the average person would ever know if it is operated fairly. In some of the poorer countries people are already selling a kidney or part of a lung or liver. Medical Science has reached glorious heights but also sometimes dehumanizes because of greed. This type of program has the potential to generate enormous profit. References Gough, J. (2012, March). Henderson, D. Scott. Death and donation: rethinking brain death as a  means for procuring transplantable organs. CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic  Libraries, 49(7), 1299. Retrieved from  http://go.galegroup.com.ez.lakemichigancollege.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA282213612v=2.1u=lom_lakemichit=rp=ITOFsw=wasid=185fc4d91a4760a3621736a6a444e343 Grasser, P. L. (2007, Fall). Donation after cardiac death: major ethical issues. Issues in Law   Medicine, 23(2), 206+. Retrieved from  http://go.galegroup.com.ez.lakemichigancollege.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA173187663v=2.1u=lom_lakemichit=rp=ITOFsw=wasid=a48199e4eeced619b300ac6d3fbc2944 Mantel, B. (2011, April 15). Organ donations. CQ Researcher, 21, 337-360. Retrieved from  http://library.cqpress.com.ez.lakemichigancollege.edu/cqresearcher/ Tantam, K. (2007). Dying to give? Talk about it: should everyone be regarded as a potential  organ donor when they die, unless they have previously opted out? We asked our readers  panel. Nursing Standard, 21(51), 26+. Retrieved from  http://go.galegroup.com.ez.lakemichigancollege.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA168820665v=2.1u=lom_lakemichit=rp=HRCAsw=wasid=1270d24d80928e36655fee62b5fab12c Health Resources Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  Retrieved from http://organdonor.gov/about/transplantationprocess.html  

Falstaffs Role in Henry IV, Part One Essay -- Henry IV Henry V Essays

Falstaff's Role in Henry IV, Part One      Ã‚  Ã‚   Henry IV, Part One, has always been one of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, maybe because of Falstaff. Much of the early criticism I found concentrated on Falstaff and so will I. This may begin in the eighteenth century with Samuel Johnson. For Johnson, the Prince is a "young man of great abilities and violent passions," and Hotspur is a "rugged soldier," but "Falstaff, unimitated, unimitable Falstaff, how shall I describe thee? Thou compound of sense and vice . . . a character loaded with faults, and with faults which produce contempt . . . a thief, a glutton, a coward, and a boaster, always ready to cheat the weak and prey upon the poor; to terrify the timorous and insult the defenceless . . . his wit is not of the splendid or ambitious kind, but consists in easy escapes and sallies of levity [yet] he is stained with no enormous or sanguinary crimes, so that his licentiousness is not so offensive but that it may be borne for his mirth."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Johnson makes three assumptions in his reading of the play:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. That Falstaff is the kind of character who invites a moral judgment mainly that he can answer to the charge of being a coward.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2. That you (the reader) can detach Falstaff's frivolity from the play and it can exist for its own sake apart from the major theme of the drama.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3. That the play is really about the fate of the kingdom, and that you (the reader) do not connect Falstaff's scenes with the main action. This means that the play has no real unity.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Starting with Johnson's first assumption, I do agree with this. Any discussion of Fa... ...ributes to Hal's maturing process, and it does.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, every age of man has and will continue to judge Falstaff's role based on the morals and the thinking of the day. His frivolity is necessary to make the play amusing and interesting enough to hold the reader's/viewer's attention. However, that Falstaff's scenes are needed should go without question leaving the critics and us only to debate his motivation and his tactics.    Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Henry IV, Part One: Bloom's Notes. New York: Chelsea House, 1996. Cruttwell,Patrick. Hernry IV. Shakespeare For Students, Vol. II. Detroit: Gale Publishing, 1999. Kantor, Andrea. Henry IV, Part One. London: Baron's Education Series, Inc, 1984. Princiss, G.M. Henry IV Criticism. Shakespeare For Students, Vol.II. Detroit: Gale Publishing, 1999.   

Medium enterprises in the society

Globalization has turned the status of the small and medium enterprises in the society. They have raised their standards to achieve the target market, promoting the business operations, perfecting their values, brands and images in the market. Research indicates that the correlation appears to be evident between the business entities and efforts help to boast the opportunities and the image of these small enterprises in the economy. The progress has further been indicated to shift upward from the ability to assimilate high technological demands that are at par with the global standards at all times of the modern consumers.Walnut club is one of these enterprises, in which the brand image is tremendously given the prestige in UK and EU hotels and motels. The restaurant has started the business just recently but has managed to open several outlets in the area. The main branch of the club is in Hathersage, while services of catering music and other traditional arrangements of functions a nd meals are provided by the club. (Walnut Club, 2008). The club provides services to all the categories and class of people and so many people are attracted towards the club.The club deserves the resonance of the people and provides satisfaction to all its members. The club has many international clients and it has observed the movement of these clients for the sake of fame and image. b) Aims and objectives of the study To effectively determine how small and medium enterprises are able to promote the value and brand image for higher productivity and profitability amidst the highly dynamic global competition, this study seeks to attain the several aims and objectives.To begin with, using Walnut Club as one of the most successful business in the group of small and medium enterprises, this paper will seek to establish the best management practices for achieving such high levels. In this respect clear evaluation of Walnut management will be undertaken in all of its management units in UK. To add to that, the study will seek to establish the actual methods that Walnut Club and indeed other small and medium enterprises use to promote their value and brand image. The decision of the consumer is influenced by the role of the brand image of the Walnut club compared to the other clubs in the area.Finally, the study aims at finding out possible missing links in promotion of value and brand image in Walnut and conclude possible ways of enhancing and promoting the same demands in small and medium enterprises. Chapter Two Literature review a) Introduction The overview of the chapter related to the literacy materials is given in this chapter and the brand image promotion related to the small and medium enterprises. It therefore seeks to support the main theoretical principles of consideration in line with the objectives of the study.b) Small and medium size businesses operations Small and medium enterprise is a term mainly used to categorize the size of business units depen ding on different criteria. These businesses are categorized to have the amount of having 50-250 people in the firm in the countries of Europe. In Europe and particularly in EU has standardized the reference of SME while many of other countries globally use different ratings. It is worth noting that globally, SMEs form over 90% of the total number of business units in existence.In EU, about 65 million people are employed by SMEs operating in different sectors. As a comparison with larger business enterprises, SMEs have much higher flexibility both in their internal and external operations when compared to other enterprises. Indeed, this flexibility has been linked with their increased capacity to offer highly personalized services making them to easily win the consumers affection (Tsoukas and Robert, 2002, 74-76; Wren and Storey, 2002, 335-338; Ryan and Hiduke. 2003, 78-81). c) Customer value in small and medium enterprisesSMEs managed over the following years to create its place in the market and compare it with the other personal operations and the management interlinks. Customer value is perhaps the most important aspect of management as it defines a business unit's ability to apply different aspects of management to suit each of the consumers demands at all times. Accel (2004); Bushe (2001, 104-105) indicate that due to the fast rising ability to apply technology at all levels of management, their role in managing consumer demands has greatly increased.The ability to respond to the consumer demands with minimal bureaucracy increases their grip on the customers' loyalty. The core of the SMEs application is the due to the reduced costs and the large amount of credit owing to attract more customers to define the trend and the growth. This has particularly been important in the hospitality industry where consumers are highly sensitive not just to the size of the business unit; the quantity is deferred by the size and quality. The brand is considered as one of the key pillars in determining the road map to success for the different SMEs.Creation of the effective brand helps in creating positive perception and image to the consumers and therefore generate the required competitive capability for the SMEs (Robbins, 2005; Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004, 103; Kennerley et al, 2003, 65-69). Though this aspect application is hard as Fox (2005, 45-48); Donegan (2002, 56-57) indicate, it is mainly based on the overall ability of the management to relate the different aspects of the business operations and the dynamic market demands.At this point, the management should be able to leverage the enterprises' strengths and derive the core values for the staff and the consumers (DuBrin, 2006, 99-102; Goh, 1998, 15-22; Kuratko, 1997, 24-33; Roper and Hewitt-Dundas, 2001, 99-117). This ensures that interlinks between different products and services offered by the business unit are established. The establishment of the brand image for the SMEs is much more e asier and due to the simple strategic decision making and the communications the planning and the decision becomes more easier in both ways for the organization and as well as the management.d) Culture management and change demands for SMEs The organization culture is very essential in the modern business operations. Business image and value is indeed considered to be part of the overall culture where interplay of management and employees’ views, beliefs and trends in their operations dictate the ability to effectively attract customers and maintain high quality of the services offered and customer service.Through operating as a small or medium business unit, it is possible to operate in fewer teams and therefore create a highly cohesive unit to address all the demands for growth It is indeed much easier to cite areas with need for change and view change as part of the overall continuous demand to grow and move rapidly by assuming the names of small and medium. Business opera tions have recently seen a major turn in demand for diverse application of the concepts of management techniques to enhance higher levels of compatibility with the fast growing divergence needs of the consumers.The ability to enhance great levels of diversity that fits the different consumers in particularistic niches creates a competitive advantage over other similar businesses. The notion is indeed very complex with the consumer demands fast evolving with time. However, SMEs have been cited to have an upper hand in their ability to assess and re-invent their products and services to fit their different consumer needs.Though in the past researchers have generated divergent views and failed to establish a standard method for promoting diversity among the SMEs, it is clear that all lines affiliated to consumer products and services design should operate hand in hand to respond to the different consumer needs. e) SMEs and Diversity In bid to effect greater levels of diversity to attra ct and retain the consumers in Walnut, the management established ‘super' ingredients that gave all the foods prepared it a highly organic outlook that has made a must stop center.The general manager of Walnut Sean OToole points out that the diversity of the meals as it has come to be understood about Walnut, always have a new setting that reflects its different dishes that are served at any meal (Walnut Club, 2008). In addition, the management indicates that though consumers may not have the actual taste of the dishes served by the Walnut especially for the first visitors, the display and the setting of the restaurant have left them wishing to get back for similar diverse services.However, the management indicates that careful resources application should be articulated to ensure that funds are employed only to promote profitability (Engwall et al,2005, 228-431; Fan and Phan, 2007, 1121-1125). f) Leadership in SMEs Leadership for small and medium business enterprises is one o f the most important aspects that not only dictates the proposition of value and brand image, but determines their application at different instances. As indicated earlier, the direct notion of an enterprise as a small or medium business derives the necessary impetus to grow and move to the higher levels possible.Clifford (2008, 41-42) and Dettmer, (2003, 51-53) point out that leadership creates the necessity to improve the value of consumers and staff as a major facet that dictates the overall intrinsic image that later manifests itself to the outside community. Taking into consideration the need to stay atop of others and mainly constrained by the resources' availability, leadership of SMEs seeks to enhance better highly integrated system where emergent leaders assimilate different offices with minimal residual effects.It is in this view that SMEs leadership encourages instantaneous skills promotion that seeks relegation, innovation and creativity, and also networking that derives the necessary niche for establishing the best image for the consumers. g) SMEs and Technology demands Technological advancements have been cited as one of the most important tools for the 21st century businesses progression. However, it has been cited to be even more important to the SMEs in that it dictates their ability to widen their general scope within the colonization areas of target.Presently, most of the consumers in the different countries like Britain focus their status on the basis of the image of a given business enterprise (Krake, 2005, 229-331; Merrliee, 2007, 405-409). Under this consideration therefore, use of technology becomes a facilitating instrument and also an element for assessment. Technology as a facilitating agent is used in advertisements that reflect effectively on the types of services and products being offered by the business units and therefore easy value and image assessment by the consumers.On the other hand, the nature of different advertisements directly curves the necessary brand image and value of the consumers. To effectively raise the overall image of the company, the managements of SMES have sought to integrate both high technology and personalized systems to invoke holistic customer satisfaction as part of the overall value in the business unit. Chapter Three Methodology a) Introduction This chapter forms one of the most important sections of a dissertation. It is the actual basis upon which the major objectives of the study and the research question will be evaluated.Johnson (2000, 54-57) points out that the methodology section acts as a major assessment tool for determining the authenticity of the research. In this case, the Walnut club management, employees, and the consumers will form the main consideration which will be used to ascertain the viability of the hypothesis statements. To add to that, this section will offer an inclusive critique of the techniques that will be applied in the study. The major aspects o f this section will include. b) Purpose of the studyPromotion of value and brand image application in the small and medium size enterprises enables them to realize their missions and effectively trace their strategies for profitability and subsequent growth and development (Wong Ho, 2005, 155-162; Mikulecky, 2007, 45-47; National Defense University (N. D. ). 2008; Senge, 1998, 11-12). This application is reflected as a matter of different direct and indirect functions explicit in management through staff operations, perceptions, culture, and customer views.The methodology section will therefore seek to collect the major views and perception from all the stakeholders on the relationship between promotion of value and brand image of Walnut club with its enviable progress. c) Research scope and time frame As indicated earlier in the objectives of this study, the researcher will seek to establish how value and brand image can be promoted in small and medium size enterprises to raise the ir productivity and profitability in their major operations.Therefore, the study will delimit itself to affect the demands of this study to Walnut club in and its main branches in UK. With businesses’ overall value and brand image being indeed very complex, the study will further concentrate its considerations to the staff of Walnut club, and its main consumers to seek their views in relation to the objectives of the study. To effectively cover all the objectives of the study, the researcher will take a period of six months from the day of commencement for the study.Though the time appears to be long, it may turn out to be just enough or indeed much less depending with the cooperation of the respondents. d) Data and data collection Effective research according to Mikulecky (2007), is the one that has the highest capacity to apply the necessary theoretical framework and major demands of modern development with the actual field aspects to assimilate the necessary position for e ffecting growth and development. Data collection methods that are applied by the researcher indeed are the main determinant of the efficiency that will be assimilated by the study.To ensure that this research aligns with the guideline of the research questions and further steered by the objectives, the data collection methods will be designed in a manner that appreciate the nature of the research itself to assimilate the highest possible acceptable outcome. ? Primary data The data will be collected from the staff and then from the customers of the Walnut club, its members and others. The main point of the research is that on the basis of this data and the survey of the primary data conducted the data shall be the main source of information and the only link of the customers and the management.The consumers' role shall also be defined by the survey conducted. Questionnaires shall be constructed and will be used for the different levels of management and the stake holders which shall be assessed in such a manner that that basic information is reserved. It is worth noting that though observation will not be used as part of the data to be analyzed by the study, it will be a key element in supporting the major views and orientation of the study in the discussion section. Â ¦ Secondary dataThe secondary information is required to complete the initiative step of the research and to draw the result effectively of the first phase of the analysis of the survey. Though the main data counted will not be analyzed of the Walnut club, it will still serve as the major outline in the terms of promotion and the brand image in these small and medium enterprises by giving the overall view and picture of the other regions and areas globally. As a result, secondary information will be presented as a form of literature review in chapter two and three of the main dissertation.Particularly, this literature will be assimilated from major libraries, institutions, and other related smal l and medium sized enterprises websites. The literature view acts upon as the major source of the view and this helps in analyzing the data carefully. e) Samples and Sample Selection Due to the size of the Walnut club in nature and categorization, the sample will be small in size and focused to Walnut and its customers only. Therefore, the samples will include the top management, the middle level managers, and the lower level Walnut employees.To ensure better and higher viability of the results, the researcher will employ strategic sampling methods to reduce the levels of bias in the main results. However, it will leave room for random sampling method to adjust or cater for different non responses. f) Measurement and analysis of the results As indicated earlier, this study is qualitative in nature as it will seek to establish how value and image brand can be effectively promoted among the small and medium sized enterprises for growth and development of the business unit.It is from t his notion that the measurements will be developed in a format that is harmonic with the research objectives while taking into consideration of the model that will be employed during its analysis g) Limitation of the study To effectively complete the study, the researcher expects to get the following limitations. To begin with, there is a possibility of non response and late responses from different respondents. This may delay the whole study out of the expected time frame of six months.To address such problems, the researcher will schedule the questionnaires issue and interviews to start early enough during the study. Follow up will also be applied to non response and late responses. The time frame of six months that the research is expected to take is considered to be limiting in that understanding of value and brand image promotion may require more time to intrinsically comprehend its dynamics at all levels.Indeed more time for this research could assist in inclusion and use of a larger sample and review of more literature to give more accurate results. The researcher will ensure that all the available time is utilized maximally to ensure that all aspects of the study are covered. Finally, taking into consideration that Walnut club is an extremely busy business, the researcher expects to get a hard time fixing into their programs to ensure that the study do not interfere with the normal running while maintaining the necessary research standard.

The eNotes Blog The Pale King David Foster Wallaces Unfinished Novel To BePublished

The Pale King David Foster Wallaces Unfinished Novel To BePublished Try to learn to let what is unfair teach you. ~  David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest Indeed it is unfair that the literary world lost one of its most  unique and inspiring  voices when David Foster Wallace committed suicide in  2008, but he may still have something to teach us.   At the time of his death,  Wallace had been working on a novel  with which he had struggled for nearly eight  years. He had speculated  in 2007 that  only about a third of the  manuscript was completed. Before he died,  Ã‚  Wallace organized what he could of the work for his wife, Karen Green,  and left it where she would discover it. The New Yorker reports that   there were hundreds of other pages- drafts, character sketches, notes to himself, fragments that had evaded his attempt to integrate them into the novel.   All in all, there are about a thousand pages to the work,  but Wallaces widow and his editor at Little, Brown, and Company, Michael Pietsch, speculate that the published version will likely be about four hundred. The release date of April 15, 2011 is probably tongue-in-cheek, for this is Income Tax Day and the novel is about an evil group within the I.R.S. [that] is trying to steal the secrets of an agent who is particularly gifted at maintaining a heightened state of concentration. Commenting on the theme, editor Michael Pietsch explains that the novel takes agonizing daily events like standing in lines, traffic jams, and horrific bus rides - things we all hate - and turns them into moments of laughter and understanding.† Karen Green, Wallaces widow, has designed the cover art.

Free Essays on A Hope In The Unseen

The world is not promised to young men like Cedric Lavar Jennings. But sometimes they find a way to make it deliver. Such is the inspirational story of A Hope in the Unseen, by Wall Street Journal writer Ron Suskind, a remarkably intimate work that documents the talents, frustrations and aspirations of a poor but determined black teenager before and after his successful bid to attend a top-notch college. All that Cedric wants is a shot at the American Dream: He wants to go to school, work hard, and make something of himself. Not an easy task for a kid from Southeast Washington, D.C., whose mother is an input clerk at a federal agency and whose drug-dealing father is pulling time in a Northern Virginia prison. Harder still at Frank W. Ballou Senior High, where Cedric, a junior, is the curve-wrecker the guy whose name means nerd. Students mock him as "whitey" because he excels in a special math-and-science program and takes his grades seriously. In a school plagued by shootings, knifings and drugs, it's amazing that Cedric survives. Surely his success is an act of faith, right? That question not only propels this intriguing celebration of spirit, it also exposes the crack in Cedric's otherwise galvanized existence. He doubts. And with each success, the doubts sound louder. Still, for most of his 16 years, Cedric lives in a triangulation among home (a 19-inch television is a treasured possession), school, and the Scripture Cathedral a strict, largely blue-collar, Pentecostal church that preaches sacrifice, faith and devotion. His mother Barbara, ever attentive to the provident Bishop Long, is a churchwoman in good stead. She tithes the expected 10 percent of her hard-earned minimum-wage salary, cooks for church functions, and attends weekday evening services. Cedric prays, sings well, and knows scripture so well that when a teacher misquotes Hebrews 11:1, saying: "The substance of faith is a hope in the unseen," Cedric corr... Free Essays on A Hope In The Unseen Free Essays on A Hope In The Unseen The world is not promised to young men like Cedric Lavar Jennings. But sometimes they find a way to make it deliver. Such is the inspirational story of A Hope in the Unseen, by Wall Street Journal writer Ron Suskind, a remarkably intimate work that documents the talents, frustrations and aspirations of a poor but determined black teenager before and after his successful bid to attend a top-notch college. All that Cedric wants is a shot at the American Dream: He wants to go to school, work hard, and make something of himself. Not an easy task for a kid from Southeast Washington, D.C., whose mother is an input clerk at a federal agency and whose drug-dealing father is pulling time in a Northern Virginia prison. Harder still at Frank W. Ballou Senior High, where Cedric, a junior, is the curve-wrecker the guy whose name means nerd. Students mock him as "whitey" because he excels in a special math-and-science program and takes his grades seriously. In a school plagued by shootings, knifings and drugs, it's amazing that Cedric survives. Surely his success is an act of faith, right? That question not only propels this intriguing celebration of spirit, it also exposes the crack in Cedric's otherwise galvanized existence. He doubts. And with each success, the doubts sound louder. Still, for most of his 16 years, Cedric lives in a triangulation among home (a 19-inch television is a treasured possession), school, and the Scripture Cathedral a strict, largely blue-collar, Pentecostal church that preaches sacrifice, faith and devotion. His mother Barbara, ever attentive to the provident Bishop Long, is a churchwoman in good stead. She tithes the expected 10 percent of her hard-earned minimum-wage salary, cooks for church functions, and attends weekday evening services. Cedric prays, sings well, and knows scripture so well that when a teacher misquotes Hebrews 11:1, saying: "The substance of faith is a hope in the unseen," Cedric corr...

Management Information System Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Management Information System - Coursework Example The network has also helped the company to better manage its finances because clients do not pay in cash, but through credit cards. Finally, the network, especially GPS, has helped the company to track its bicycles, which is useful for operations management and security purposes. The main challenge is that clients who want to steal bikes may remove the RFID tag from the bicycle, which would disconnect the bicycle from the company’s database and/or prevent the company from tracking the bike. Another challenge is that wireless network does not provide a way of checking the condition of the bike when a client is returning it. This way, clients might be returning damaged bikes so long as the network will allow bike return. The company should have a mechanism of charging customers who are late to return bikes. To achieve this, the company’s database should record the ID tag of the bicycle that has left its dock, the credit card number of the client and the return date based on the time the client has hired the bike. Once the hiring period is over with the bike having not been returned (ID tag missing in the database) the system should start charging the client based on an agreed policy. Once the bike is returned, the system should check in the bike using its ID tag to complete the transaction. The company should also use wireless payment system that facilitates payment via mobile phone. This will help the company increase its customer base since not all customers will are able to pay via the allowed systems. wireless payment system is whereby a customer pays for a bike via mobile phone. The company sends the client a code via short message service (sms) that the client can use to unlock the

Organization external operating environment reflection paper Essay

Organization external operating environment reflection paper - Essay Example In addition, the technological consideration is an intense area of concern due to the advancing technology in Apple’s industry due to the prevailing tough competition in it. As a response to this, Apple remarkably settles not just for less, but tries to be the top innovator in its industry, in as much as possible. On the other hand, the ecological consideration has also influenced the decision of Apple with respect to its sustainable growth in its industry. In as much as possible, Apple is adhering to the prevailing environmental concerns affecting the ecological balance. In this case, Apple is one of the myriads of companies out there advocating the value of ecological sustainability and balance. After all, it is from the environment where the raw materials are generated and if the nature stops to supply all these essential requirements for product development, a company’s sustainable production may have to be put to a halt, and some businesses may cease to exist at some