A Clockwork Orange - Calculated Captivity :: essays research papers

Calculated Captivation "Goodness comes from within, 6655321. Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man." In Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, a sadistic adolescent of the not-so-distant future is ‘rehabilitated’ of his violent nature by a special conditioning treatment. This fifteen year-old hoodlum Alex McDowell is ‘cured’ of his savage activities but when released back into a still violent society, he is a misfit. Anthony Burgess’ skillful art of manipulation is able to change the reader’s opinion from hating Alex for his malicious ways, to feeling captivated by him, as he becomes a ‘victim of a modern age’. To understand how this deception is accomplished it is important to examine the major turning points in Alex’s life, and how Burgess presents them. To begin, Burgess displays Alex’s villainous disposition, which causes the reader to hate and resent him. Through the aid of the State’s treatment Alex is reformed, at which point Burgess allows the reader to determine and develop an opinion of whether this treatment is morally acceptable or not. In the end however it is obvious that Alex has become a true "Clockwork Orange’ and despite the previous opinion of the reader, Burgess reveals the outcome in a way that causes a sense of relief and is pleased to see Alex back to ‘normal’. It is fascinating to consider that Burgess may have written A Clockwork Orange as a prophetic view of warning to future societies. He was a peaceful person who didn’t want the stark consequences of the fictional Alex to become a grim reality. Through the first of three parts in the novel Burgess displays Alex as the embodiment of all that society would like to ignore or eliminate - but can’t. This first person narrative is told by Alex a youth of fifteen, who spends his nights with his "droogs", terrorizing the public with their bits of "ultra violence" and engaging in the old "in-out in-out". He beats the elderly, fights other gangs with his "britva", robs stores, breaks into houses, rapes young girls, drinks milk laced with drugs (moloko) and is eventually convicted of murder. Burgess portrays the immature Alex, as a mixture of good and evil possibilities with evil taking the upper hand. As the reader is taken deeper into Al ex’s morbidly exciting world, he/she begins to feel complete hatred towards Alex. Not only does Burgess permit Alex to commit such heinous crimes, he describes them in a very disturbing manner.

Ethnography - Inter-team Conflict with the Coach :: Ethnography

Ethnography - Inter-team Conflict with the Coach Recently, two strong sophomore players quit the varsity women’s water polo team. They said that they were no longer having fun, one saying that the time commitment â€Å"just was not worth it anymore,† while the other said that playing polo at Oxy was making her more and more unhappy.† Earlier in the season, one of the players who was named first team All American and MVP of the National Tournament, also almost quit the team for good. Again, her reasoning was that the game was not fun for her anymore. She also expressed that she felt unappreciated by the coach for her efforts at Nationals, as well as for her leadership on the team on a regular basis. These withdrawals reminded me of the last two years when I was on the team. I recall how often I would hear the other players express their discontent about being on the team. However, the problem did not lie in the team in itself, but rather in the coach and his ways. Interestingly, although I was a member of the team, I truly was not aware of the problem at hand. I, above and beyond, was a novice player and almost never received anything but positive encouragement from the coach. It is important to realize that I had never played, or even seen, the game of water polo before coming to Oxy, and therefore learned a lot by coming to practice and watching and learning from the reminders and criticism that the coach would give. Nevertheless, I did have a lot of experience swimming under various coaches—some of whom where the meanest of the mean. It is for this reason that I felt that the other players were often being overly sensitive to the criticisms (which I viewed more often than not as constructive) that the coach would give. Of course, there would betimes that I felt that he would pick on (or yell more at) certain players. But I believe that there are few coaches that specifically try to bring down moral and cause players to hate the game. Yet, despite the fact that the coach may not mean to bring down moral and cause players to hate the game, it seems he has done something to cause two, almost three, players that played in the National Championship tournament to quit the team.

People work because they need money to live

People work because they need money to live. What are some other reasons that people work. Discuss one or more of these reasons. Use specific examples and details to support your answer. By devochkacluny People work because they need money to live. What are some other reasons that people work. Discuss one or more of these reasons. use specific examples and details to support your answer. Some people work because they need money to live. I do not agree with this idea. In my opinion, to Improve myself, broaden my perspective and discipline myself are what I expect from work.As these will be ingrained in me forever, It does not like money which is finally used up. Nowadays, business is highly competitive. Companies have to produce goods and services rapidly. They require competent employees who are able to work effectively. Competent employees should be a fast-learning person who can work Immediately without much training. They need to put their time and energy to finish their Job respo nsibility correctly and quickly. As a result, we have to Improve ourselves to be competent employees who are able to work in todays world. Moreover, I work in order to broaden my erspective.In working life, we come Into contact with many people such as customers, supervisors, colleagues and subordinates. We have to communicate with people having different backgrounds and behaviors which enable us to learn and try to adjust ourselves to work with the differences. Very often, I need to work as a team In order to brainstorm ideas. I usually get many new ideas from others which I have never thought about them before. It significantly helps me widen my perspective. Working also helps us to become more disciplined. Workers have to follow corporate rules and regulations.They have to work continuously during work time. Furthermore, they have to be evaluated their job performance whether they should be promoted or whether they are unqualified for such position causing them to maintain their performance well all the time. These kinds of behavior will finally become a habit because we do It In everyday definitely helping us to develop self- discipline. In sum, from my perspective, I work in order to improve myself, broaden my perspective and discipline myself because these things will help me to be a valuable person. It cannot definitely happen, If we do not work.

Laertes to be cordial with everyone Essay

This line tells us once again that the man who listens more but talks less is more prosperous and successful. He also tells Laertes to control his temper if anyone rebukes him. Even here Shakespeare has used personification as he describes ‘ear’ and ‘voice’ as things that can be given. When he says ‘take each man’s censure’ he is telling Laertes to hear out everybody’s opinion but not to voice his own regarding anything. Shakespeare uses the words ‘give’ and ‘take’ almost everywhere in this speech. Polonius also says, ‘Beware of entrance to a quarrel. ‘ This is an important lesson for Laertes and for the reader too. It is important to Laertes because he is going away to a foreign country where he does need friends not enemies. The word, ‘beware’ signals a warning, which shows us the importance of the usage of this word. The word, ‘entrance’ means starting. It is important it highlights the way Shakespeare highlighted certain actions by using more figurative language. He tries to tell us and Laertes that it is not not not not important not to start a quarrel nor should anyone ‘enter’ a quarrel. This can be compared to the next phrase in which he also tells Laertes to be cordial with everyone. Polonius also asks Laertes to stay away from the common folk when he says, ‘Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar. ‘ This line means that he should be familiar with everyone’s habits and thoughts but not be too friendly. He is also trying to tell Laertes to be pleasant with his dealings with people but not to be too cheap among common people. It is this moral value that we can only partly accept and learn. It is correct that we should be pleasant in our dealing with people but the fact that we should not mix with the common people is wrong. It shows us that the higher class of people in the Victorian era did not respect or accept the commoners as a part of society. This is in fact the only place where we have to learn the opposite. We should learn that it is not a disgrace to blend in with people who have less money or less food. We can see that Shakespeare has used a strong word, ‘vulgar,’ in describing the lower class of people. The use of this word shows us the feelings of the aristocrats. It tells us how we should respect all kinds of people however poor they may be. It also adds to the lesson that if he has to stay away from all kinds of quarrels and fights he should be warm and cordial in his dealings with everyone. During the speech Polonius also communicates the importance of saving. This is expressed when he says, ‘Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy For the apparel oft proclaims man. ‘ In this line we come to learn a very important lesson that is even important in our daily lives today. Polonius imparts to his son not to wear any attire that is expensive, extravagant flamboyant ostentatious. He should always be moderate reasonable in his spending and only buy things that are within his limits or that which his â€Å"purse can buy†. We see Shakespeare use of figurative language in this line as he personifies the purse to something that is capable of buying things. However it is important to understand that Polonium also meant for his son to dress well â€Å"For the apparel oft proclaims man† as the quote signifies. Further in the speech, Polonius also tells Laertes something that has become one of the most famous lines in our time. Laertes is advised by his father to be, ‘neither a borrower nor a lender is. ‘ This, of course has a lot of moral value whether it be in the Victorian era or the modern era. It shows us that Polonius tells Laertes to guard against excessive spending. He should never spend money to an extent that he will be in depth and will need to borrow money. He should not even help anyone during their times of need. This shows us that Polonius was indeed a very selfish character and also tries to tell his son to be so too. In a way he is noble also because he lives within the limits of what he can buy and imparts this knowledge to his son. This can be compared to the previous lesson in which he tells Laertes not to buy fancy or rich things so as to spend all his wealth. We can see how Shakespeare links the two ideas to seem as though they are the same. The word, ‘costly,’ in the first idea and the word, ‘borrower’ in the next makes the association. It is important for us to realize the importance of wealth in our lives as Shakespeare does and tries to convey this to us. He also tries to show us the consequence when he says, ‘For loan oft loses both itself and friend. ‘ This piece of knowledge tells us just how one must socialize. It also shows us that borrowing or lending money can be disastrous for a friendship. It is quite obvious that Shakespeare is trying to convey to us the importance of a good friendship that is not plagued by money. Another lesson that Polonium gives to his son is- ‘this above all: to thane own self be true,’ and also says that if Laertes does follow this then he ‘canst not then false to any man. ‘ This piece of wisdom is quite important in society today. It is our conscience that we should answer to at the end of the day and not any one else. If we are true to our conscience then we will be true to everyone around us. Here again Shakespeare stresses on the fact that we should not lie, quite contrary to the opinion that he promotes lying when Polonius tells Laertes to keep silent about certain aspects. This truly displays the way he has portrayed his genius. He manages to tell us to be diplomatic but not to lie. The lessons learnt from these speeches apply to our everyday life also as they highlight how we should act and our moral values and conscience also comes into question here. Both Laertes and Hamlet are loving sons to their parents. In fact Laertes is a foil to Hamlet. Both are young men who have had their fathers murdered and both seek revenge. The difference between them is that while Laertes is hot blooded , active and seeks immediate revenge Hamlet thinks over the moral rightness and wrongness of his actions but the end result is the same-that by seeking revenge, by taking God’s justice into their own hands and by seeking to destroy another human life both young men are killed . So what is Shakespeare’s message and advice to us? Not to seek revenge? Not to take the law into your hands however justified it may be? But to avenge your father’s death and to destroy the murderer of your father, is it not the duty of a son and a matter of honor? This is something that Shakespeare does not give a conclusive solution to. He leaves it to us, people of different societies and different periods to make our choices and decisions based on our moral rules and the traditions and practices and conventions of the society that we belong to. But what Shakespeare seems to underline is that destroying another human life whether justifiably or not will have its consequences. Hamlet also explores the theme of friendship and loyalty. Among the hundreds of young men that Hamlet could have as his friends he finds that only Horatio is to be trusted and valued. He has complete faith in Horatio. It is to Horatio alone that Hamlet confides all his secrets. Even on his return secretly from England after tricking Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; it is to Horatio that Hamlet narrates the whole sequence of events. At the end of the play when Hamlet lies dying and Horatio shows his loyalty to his beloved friend by preparing to die with him â€Å"I am more an antique Roman than a Dane. Here’s some liquor left. † Hamlet lays upon him the duty of clearing his â€Å"wounded name. † He enjoins upon Horatio the sacred task of making the world aware of why and how Hamlet came to meet his end â€Å"If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, Absent thee from felicity awhile, And in this hash word draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story. † In contrast Hamlet’s friendship with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are shown as false and contemptible. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are young men who tried to take advantage of their friendship for Hamlet. They turned out to be Claudius’s spies and professed friendship with Hamlet for self advancement. And so Hamlet when he discovered the nature of the message that they were carrying to the king of England he substituted Claudius’s order with a fake one according to which it was instructed that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be put to â€Å"sudden death , Not shriving time allowed. † Hamlet shows no regret or remorse for his deed. Infact he declares â€Å"they are not near my conscience. † Thus what Shakespeare is perhaps trying to teach us is that true and loyal friends are rare and precious. They are to be valued and honored. For every true friend that we have we may have double the number of false friends who will plot our downfall if it is to their advantage. Shakespeare’s message is therefore is to be wary of such false friends. â€Å"Hamlet† also contains lengthy discourses on man and how he is in every way the crown of creation. Shakespeare has used his wealth of poetic genius and shows his incredible mastery over poetic expressions when he describes the beauty of the earth and man as an exquisite piece of art. Looking at the star studded sky he waxes poetic. He calls the sky â€Å"This most excellent canopy,† â€Å"Brave o’erhanging firmament,† â€Å"This majestically roof fretted with golden fire. † Man itself is a â€Å"piece of work† that is to be admired and appreciated. Hamlet is full of admiration of this exquisite creation of nature and exclaims † What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form, and moving how express and admirable, in action how like and angle , in apprehension how like a god. † Later in a discussion with Horatio Hamlet talks of who is an ideal man. According to him the perfect man is in whom passion and reason â€Å"are so well co meddled that they are not a pipe for fortune’s finger to sound what stop she please. † Hamlet considers Horatio as such an ideal man and through Hamlet’s intelligent, detailed and perceptive analysis Shakespeare is telling us about how man can become a â€Å"paragon of animals† by balancing emotions and reason. Hamlet is greatly empresses by Fortinbras and his adventures when he is told of how the Norwegians risked the lives of 20,000 men for â€Å"a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name. † Hamlet comes to the conclusion â€Å"Rightly to be great, is not to stir without great argument, but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honor’s is at stake. † Hamlet’s character changes during the course of the play. Towards the end especially after his violent confrontation with his mother we see the mellowing of Hamlet and how he slowly seems to be at peace with himself. Perhaps it is the fact that Gertrude and Hamlet has reached something of a better understanding that has given him this peace, because after the closet scene we see Gertrude being more supportive of Hamlet. She does not confide in Claudius the truth about Hamlet’s madness that he is not really mad but â€Å"Only mad in craft. † Hamlet acknowledges the presence of a higher power in our lives. It may have been his escape from death not once but twice that has built up a stronger Christian faith in him. He had on an impulse â€Å"rashly, And praised be rashness for it- let us know our indiscretion sometimes serves us well,† opened the official document entrusted with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and made the astonishing discovery that Claudius himself has passed the order â€Å"That on the supervise, no leisure bated, No, not to stay the grinding of the axe, My head should be struck off. † On the same voyage he had escaped death a second time from the hands of the pirates. It is these experiences that had also had a chastening effect on him. Through Hamlet Shakespeare invites us to strengthen out faith in the omniscient when he says â€Å"There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will. † Later in the same scene Hamlet reaffirms this that â€Å"There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. † This faith is established when he continues by saying â€Å"the readiness is all† which means that since no one knows what happens after death , it does not matter whether we die early or not. In a way Hamlet was committing himself in God’s hands and he shows an extraordinary wisdom, humility and maturity which are a lesson to all of us. In Act 5 Scene 1 Hamlet is seen in a mood of contemplation with the skull of Yorrick. Through the image of the skull Shakespeare conveys a powerful message. The picture of the young prince contemplating Yorrick’s skull is a universally recognized icon. The singing grave digger has a profound impact both on Hamlet and on us. He is amusing and terrifying at the same time because he is so full of life and so at home with death . His profession is dealing with something that we would not want to think about and very often struggle to make sense of. The grave digger is the one who has dug grave in which Ophelia is to buried. Soon he will deal with Hamlet, Laertes, with the king and the Queen and finally he will deal with us all whether we are somebody or nobody . Thus the grave digger is the assistant of that Great Leveller- Death. Hamlet says â€Å"Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust; dust is earth; of earth we make loam. † Long before Alexander and Caesar, Claudius and Hamlet came into the world. The grave digger was busy and he will be at his work long after their brief exits and entrances. He has been there from the beginning of human history and will be busy until the final trumpet. Thus through the image of the skull and the grave digger Shakespeare presents a reminder to us about our mortality. â€Å"Hamlet† is the longest as well as the most complex of all Shakespeare’s plays. Hamlet the introspective, contemplative, intellectual and highly perceptive university scholar offers us a deep and profound examination into the nature of human life. The play deals with such eternal themes as death, the meaning and purpose of man’s life, the choices that are available to him and the choices that he should be able to make. Shakespeare does not offer any solutions either foe us or for Hamlet’s own problems. What he does is point out the strength and draw backs of each of the choices that Hamlet and we have made or are likely to make. In this way the play is not simply a plot with characters enacting certain specified rules but it is a manual about life providing us with knowledge, information, wisdom and values that would be an education for life through the medium of drama and therein lies Shakespeare’s greatness.

Exclusionary Rule

Contemporary Issues Paper: The Exclusionary Rule Jennifer Howell November 6, 2010 The Exclusionary Rule and Its Exceptions Introduction: The Exclusionary Rule The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by law enforcement personnel. (US Const. amend. IV) Though the Amendment â€Å"forbids unreasonable searches and seizures, it does not provide a mechanism for prevention or a remedy. (Jackson, 1996) After passage of the Fourth Amendment, courts began to make laws regarding the rule against unreasonable searches and seizures.The courts designed a rule known as the Exclusionary Rule, which provided a remedy for the violation of a suspect’s Fourth Amendment privileges: any evidence seized in violation of the suspect’s rights and protections may not be used against the suspect in a criminal prosecution. The courts have been working and refining the exclusinary rule since its introduction in the 1900 ’s. (Exclusionary Rule, n. . ) The first case that applied the exclusionary rule was the case of Weeks v. United States, 232 U. S. 393, in which the Supreme Court â€Å"held that the Fourth Amendment barred the use of evidence secured through a warrantless search. † (Exclusionary Rule, n. d. ) The exclusionary rule requires an illegal action by a police officer or agent of the police, evidence secured as a result of the illegal action, and a â€Å"casual connection between the illegal action and the evidence secured. † (Evaluation, n. d. ) Exceptions to the Exclusionary RuleSince the introduction of the exclusionary rule, courts have found that it can not be enforced across the board, and have carved out a number of exceptions. These are: * The Impeachment Exception This exception allows the Government to offer illegally-seized evidence on cross-examination of the defendant to impeach the defendant after the defendant takes the stand and perjures himself. It sho uld be noted that the exception applies only to the testimony of the defendant, and not to any other witnesses. * The Independent Source ExceptionThis exception is a way of protecting the government’s case when the evidence was found â€Å"through an independent source sufficiently distinguishable to be purged of the primary taint. † (Jackson, 1996) That is, the evidence was seized not only illegally, but also legally. * The Inevitable Discovery Exception The inevitable discovery exception was established to allow the admission of illegally-seized evidence that, though it was discovered unlawfully and in violation of the Fourth Amendment, would have inevitably been discovered anyway, through lawful means. The Good Faith Exception When an officer acts on a search warrant and discovers evidence, and the search warrant is later determined to be invalid, the evidence can still be used as long as the officers acted in good faith that the warrant was valid at the time of its execution. This exception was developed because the purpose of the exclusionary rule was not designed to punish the errors of judges and magistrates, but to deter police misconduct. (Exclusionary Rule, n. d. ) * The Harmless Error ExceptionThe harmless error exception allows introduction of evidence as long as the evidence is determined to be â€Å"harmless† evidence – that is, it applies to immaterial issues. The evidence and circumstances are reviewed by the court, and the evidence has to be found harmless by a reasonable doubt. (Jackson, 1996) * The Rule of Attenuation The Court established the â€Å"rule of attenuation,† which allows the introduction of illegally-seized evidence when â€Å"the Fourth Amendment violation is sufficiently far from the discovery of the evidence as to dissipate the taint. (Jackson, 1996) The Courts have provided three factors for Courts to apply to determine if the rule of attenuation applies: â€Å"(1) the length of time betw een the illegality and the seizure of evidence, (2) the presence of additional intervening factors; and (3) the degree and purpose of the official misconduct. † (Jackson, 1996) Legal Implications of the Exclusionary Rule The exclusionary rule and the development of its exceptions are of vital legal importance to the people of the United States.The courts have reasoned that illegally obtained evidence can not be used in a trial to do so would be to condone unconstitutional behavior, thereby â€Å"compromising the integrity of the jury. † (Jackson, 1996) The Fourth Amendment is a constraint on the power of the police officers, and gives the officers an incentive to control their power. The exclusionary rule has great legal implications in that it protects American citizens from officers and other State actors who have personal motivations that â€Å"may otherwise be in conflict with Fourth Amendment compliance. (Jackson, 1996) In fact, the Supreme Court has held that the abuses that gave rise to the exclusionary rule featured intentional conduct which was patently unconstitutional. (Herring, 2009)Political & Financial Implications There are political adversaries of the exclusionary rule, who argue that the rule protects criminals. However, studies show that the actual societal cost of the exclusionary rule is relatively small. The cumulative loss in felony cases attributable to Fourth Amendment violations and the subsequent exclusion of evidence is between . 6% and 2. 5%. (Davies, 1983) The exclusionary rule, while seemingly necessary to deter police misconduct, has financial implications in that when evidence is suppressed, the State may be unable to prosecute the case, and not only wastes the time and costs of the police department involved, but also the time and efforts of judges, court employees, and jurors. Interestingly, Mialon found in his study that the exclusionary rule directly reduces searches by police (in that it reduces chances of a s uccessful conviction) and it also indirectly increases them (via an increase in crime).The exceptions that have been carved out help deter these costs by ensuring that the only cases that are affected by the exclusionary rule are those that truly violated the Fourth Amendment rights of the defendant.Sources: Davies, Thomas (1983) A Hard Look at What We Know (and Still Need to Learn) About the â€Å"Costs† of the Exclusionary Rule: The NIJ Study and Other Studies of â€Å"Lost† Arrests. 1983 American Bar Foundation Research Journal 611,622 Evaluation of the Exclusionary Rule. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from http://www. essortment. com/all/exclusionaryrul_rmlx. htm Exclusionary Rule (n. . ). Retrieved November 3, 2010, from http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Exclusionary+Rule Herring v. United States. (2009) 129 S. Ct. 695 (via scholar. google. com)Jackson, Heather. (1996) Arizona v. Evans: Expanding Exclusionary Rule Exceptions and Contracting Fourth Amend ment Protection. The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, Vol 86, No. 4. Northwestern University School of Law. Mialon, Hugo and Sue Mialon. Abstract on The Effects of the Fourth Amendment: An Economic Analysis. Retrieved November 6, 2010, from http://jleo. oxfordjournals. org/content/24/1/22. abstract

Competition in the Movie Rental Industry in 2008

Competition in the Movie Rental Industry in 2008: Netflix and Blockbuster Battle for Market Leadership Although the corporate strategies implemented by Netflix and Blockbuster have allowed them to become leaders of competitive advantage in the movie rental industry, they sometimes encounter strategic issues that slow down their product and services process. My research of Netflix and Blockbuster will enable me to present a SWOT analysis and recommendations for each company. Netflix, founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings, has achieved its goal of becoming the largest online movie rental service in the world. By the end of 2007, Netflix recorded revenues of $1. 2 billion. With a library of 100,000 movie titles and a subscriber base of over seven million, they had become the leaders of the movie rental industry (Gamble & Thompson, 2011). Netflix’s business model of internet subscription enabled them to compete in the movie industry. Consumers love going to the movies, but with increasing theatre prices found it too expensive to attend public viewings. Netflix provided an inexpensive way to view movies which could be done from the comforts of home. According to the text, (Essentials of Strategic Management, 2010), â€Å"Netflix’s success is due to its six-pronged strategy of providing comprehensive selection of DVDs, easy way to choose movies, fast delivery, no return due dates, and convenient drop in mail movie returns† (Gamble & Thompson, 2010). In an online survey by Nielsen Online, Netflix was rated number one for three years and for nine consecutive periods by Forsee/FGI Research (Netflix, 2009). Netflix Strategic Issues Blockbuster, Netflix’s fiercest competitor, experience many rental issues until 2007 when they regained market shares forcing Netflix to reduce subscription prices. Not only did Blockbuster gain presence, other competitors like Redbox also gained presence in the market due to new technologies (VOD & DVR) that are influencing the business environment. The business model used by Netflix caused a stir in the market industry. However, the damage control strategies of competitors and competitor recapture of market shares is threatening Netflix’s competitive advantage. Netflix has to change with the times. Competitive Forces Netflix and Blockbuster are affected by the five forces of competition which are potential new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of substitutes, and rivalry among existing competitors (Gamble & Thompson, 2010). The companies must understand how these forces work and affect their operation. Threats of New Entrants -In the home video/game industries, new entrants must own large amounts of movies/games for rental or sale to fulfill customers' demands. Meanwhile they have to build up various distribution channels for products to reach customers in a very quick way (Xie & Lin, 2008). Bargaining Power of Suppliers -The inputs of suppliers in the home video/game industries are very important and since there are only a few qualified suppliers in the industry, their bargaining power is high. Netflix acquires its movies from movie studios and distributors, buying DVDs on a fee-per-DVD basis, paying license content fees, and signing revenue sharing agreements. Blockbuster also has revenue sharing agreements with its suppliers. To some extent, these agreements reduce the bargaining power of suppliers. In terms of the computer system, Blockbuster is using Provia's Viaware warehouse management system (packaging, sorting, and distributing rental products) in its supply chain management to keep costs down (Xie & Lin, 2008). Threats of substitutes -Substitutes include movie theaters, satellite TV, and cable TV. Customers can go to movie theaters and enjoy the vivid atmosphere. Alternatively, they can order â€Å"pay-per-view† or subscribe â€Å"on-demand† from satellite TV and/or cable TV providers to watch movies at home. Users can watch anytime they want. Satellite and cable TV offer sufficient selections of new releases and are is easy to watch with just click on remote. Netflix and Blockbuster compete for customers by offering various kinds of movies and internet access (Xie & Lin, 2008). Rivalry among industry competitors – Netflix and Blockbuster are in a highly competitive industry. Competitors include merchant retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target; video and game store like Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, and Game Stop; supermarkets, convenient stores such as Publix, and McDonald's. The significant rival is Hollywood Video which offers movie and game rentals (Xie & Lin, 2008). Bargaining power of buyers -Buyers are not in concentrated groups and do not buy in large amounts. However, within the entertainment industry, customers have a lot of alternatives and have no switching cost. However the introduction of DVDs, influenced customers to purchase DVDs since the cost is almost the same cost of rentals. This makes buyer power moderate (Xie & Lin, 2008). The five forces of competition of the movie rental industry presents little force against a competitor’s market position based on buyer power, supplier power, and new entrant threats. However, threat of substitutes and rivalry among competitors can affect the amount of profits a company will gain and retain. Netflix SWOT Analysis The presence of Netflix and Blockbuster in the movie rental industry has assisted me in developing this analysis of each corporation’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as followed: Netflix’s strengths are: Good reputation, unlimited movie rental subscription, no due dates or late fees, easy website access, and large movie selection. Netflix’s weaknesses are: Limited to internet rental access, and long waiting period for new releases. Netflix’s opportunities are: To provide Video on Demand media access, music and movie download, and acquire partnership with gaming industry. Netflix’s threats are: Low DVD rentals, government regulation of rental distribution, high level of competition, and new movie media technology. Blockbuster SWOT Analysis Blockbuster’s strengths are: national and international recognition provides movie and game rentals, various vices for rental access (i. e. stores, kiosk, and internet), offers snacks and beverages for purchase in stores, and accommodates all customer types. Blockbuster’s weaknesses are: Poor distribution process, increased operating expense, decreased reputation, limited new released video games, unable to compete with game distributors (i. e. GameStop), and constant rental policy changes. Blockbuster opportunities are: Unlimited access to downloadable media libraries, increased production of brand movie rentals, and partnership with gaming system industry. Blockbuster’s threats are: New video formats, decreased DVD movie rentals, increased competition, and government regulation of movie rentals. The SWOT analysis shows that Netflix and Blockbuster have strong strengths and opportunities, however in order to Netflix to maintain its competitive advantage there needs to be an upgrade in innovation and technology that will strengthen their reputation and reliability. Blockbuster’s loss in reputation will continually plague their ability to remain competitive and maintain the customer base that they have. Blockbuster will continually face challenges until they upgrade their innovation and technology to level where they will enter into recovery mode. As I studied the financial information presented in the text, it appears that Netflix has been able to offer customers the benefit of low rental fees because they have been able to maintain a low level of expenses. The benefits offered to customers have increased the amounts of net income and movie rentals. Netflix prides itself on promoting customer satisfaction and meeting demands of its internet base. According to the numbers presented by Internet World Stats, the percentage of internet penetration by the North American population was 74. 2 percent in 2009, which was a 134 percent increase from 2000. At this rate, Netflix could secure an internet rental customer base of 74. 2 percent which would strengthen its success (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2009) Blockbuster’s biggest challenge is development of a viable strategic approach to price setting. When Netflix entered the game, Blockbuster began to lose profits. In an attempt to recoup some of its losses, Blockbuster presented campaign where the rental policy constantly changed leaving customers confused and unsure of the rental process. Although Blockbuster has a large selection of movie titles and global presence, its reputation of dissatisfied customers and inefficient distribution has caused its overall cost to rise significantly. Blockbuster’s competitive advantage is that it offers various channels by which customers can access entertainment media. According to Blockbuster, â€Å"The same customer can choose different ways to access media entertainment on different nights† (Blockbuster, 2010). Recommendations In order for Netflix to maintain its competitive advantage there must be an adjustment of their strategy. Customer satisfaction should be a key factor of its strategy. I recommend that they base their marketing promotions on increasing customer awareness of the variety of accessible content offered. They should also implement the availability of music content and digital media to their library. The development of an award program for customers with lengthy memberships would influence word of mouth recommendations. Most of all, Netflix must continue to offer their customers the benefit of more titles at modest cost subscription memberships. In order for Blockbuster to regain its competitive advantage and reputation there must be the development of a strategy that will increase their profit. They have to become more innovation in internet and in-store rental process. There should be monitoring devices placed on scanner registers and mailed movie rentals to better track returns in order to keep their cost at a minimum. Staff should be trained and monitored on a constant basis to ensure that customer satisfaction is the key priority. Blockbuster must implement policies that will be enforced and understood by customers. They should also team up with gaming system producers to ensure that they will be supplied with current games and possibly offer gaming system rentals. Most of all they should find their own niche market which will provide them with a specialized competitive advantage. The information researched on Netflix and Blockbuster has enabled me to conclude that competition in the movie rental industry is highly competitive. There are new companies entering the market that have a competitive advantage whether it consist of internet rental, vending machine rental access, or in-store rental access. Netflix and Blockbuster have taken the lead in providing thousands of movie title to be viewed in the comfort of our own homes without the expense of movie theatres. Although both companies have a competitive advantage, they each have a following of dedicated customers who will stay with them because of familiarity. Through my research I have learned that consumers are the controllers in the movie rental industry. If consumers dislike the way they are serviced or the cost of movie rentals they will most certainly move on to a company which will cater to their movie wants and needs. However, the movie rental industry must stay up on new innovations and technologies in order to remain competitive, profitable, and maintain modest levels of overall costs.

Portfolio 04232 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Portfolio 04232 - Essay Example When I was 6 years old, I experienced difficulty in attending primary school. My classmate used to speak fluent local language; I understood what they said but could not speak, which was a bit embarrassing for me. However, with the passage of time as I was admitted to high school, the students were from different parts of the country. They also spoke their local language, which I came to understand after a while. Slowly I could also speak the local language. There are many differences between city and country side education. I always lived in the city, where the educational standard is higher than that of country side. There is no particular rule in the countryside, whereas, in city the rules related to communication with other students are strict; local language cannot be used. Hence, I had to learn English, when I was in primary school. I was not interested to learn English but I had to because of the English class. Among the five incidents, I chose the second incident to provide my views regarding the critical incident. Culture plays a pivotal role in everyone’s life as it directs their behaviour and beliefs regarding any particular issue. We are guided by culture since childhood. Since birth our parents teach us what to do and what not to; this is culture. Hence, our parents are our first teacher, who makes us aware of our culture and also share their views regarding other cultures. Since our childhood, we are taught to follow few guidelines, which are directed to us. In few societies, male and female are not treated equally. In fact in many societies the male are dominating and they feel that females cannot achieve a higher position in the society by receiving higher educational degrees. In the second incident, I have observed that the female member of the organisation was not respected at all by the male colleague, who was surprised to hear that she is a professor. This thought has c rippled the