Is Rock Music To Blame For Violence?

Another day and a new crime committed by pupils in an American High School involving firearms. No longer does this event shock society, but instead it is seen as a problem that needs to be solved. The public can only guess what it is leading teens into carrying out such unthinkable actions at their age. What is it in their youth culture that is causing them to turn into murderers? One thought is that perhaps the rock music of today and its often violent and disturbing lyrics and videos may be partially to blame, but can this argument be justified? Is it the music steering people to violence or do vulnerable minds just turn to dark music as they associate with the often-sinister lyrics and the repulsive images portrayed? Music has many well-known benefits; most are associated with helping to control emotion. It is at the heart of most social gatherings and there is a song or tune for every mood. By learning to play music it has been proved that better academic potential and skills can be achieved. Because of music providing entertainment, there are many social benefits that come from liking a particular genre as friends can be found with a common interest, the music. Rock music is a very strong and passionate form of music that tends to draw mainly those in early to mid teens yet unlike many other genres it seems to be able to hold on to its followers throughout the fans' lifetimes. What is it that draws in so many youngsters? Why do they feel the need to get involved in what is seen to be a dark world of outrageous behaviour? It is a simple answer; they feel the need to associate with the others feeling the same strain as they do as they struggle to gain freedom and identity in a confusing world. The lyrics are real and don't hide from the bad parts of life, the passion is so strong people know that the performers have felt what they're singing about. It is a world about being you and being able to escape from growing pressures. Emotionally adolescence is very tough indeed and many fans feel rock music helps them to cope with the feelings rather than it causing them to become yet more incontrollable. â€Å"It gives me more of a relief of tension than actually making me angry† Alisha (19) – Dum Dums Message Bored â€Å"If I need to chill or have a little cry the music helps† Kate (18) – Dum Dums Message Bored â€Å"It helps because you know other people have had the same experiences as you – you are not alone† Ivy Brandybuck – Dum Dums Message Bored Yet there is a thought that the music could be twisting the young's minds and turning them to unmoral behaviour especially as rock music has always had its roots in shadowy circumstances. It is thought many of the images portrayed in the early days of psychedelic rock come from hallucinations caused by drugs such as LSD. The lyrics became confused and dream-like. The progression from this was to music associated with Satanism and the rock world portrayed this as a move against religions, particularly Christianity and today we have artist such as Marilyn Manson who are publicly Anti-Christ (â€Å"Hopefully I'll be remembered as the person who brought an end to Christianity† – Manson August 1996) and members of the church of Satanism. Such changes in the style of music gave artists a more individual rebel image that is often idolised by the young as they fight society to gain freedom and search for their own identity. It is also thought the rise in interest in this brand of music may be down to an overall rise in society of interest around fantasy, black magic and surrealism as the gothic image became popular in the late 70s and since then the obsession with the ‘darker side' and Satan has grown causing production of music that is pushing the teachings of the devil: â€Å"We all praise the devil He is so fine We all praise the devil Till the day we'll die!† Sad Iron The appearance rock music has been given begins with the appearance given out by the performers themselves. Covered in dark and sinister make-up and dressed in Halloween type outfits, just by looking at rock stars you can see where the concern is coming from. Notorious for wrecking hotel rooms as well as abusing alcohol and recreational drugs and often having criminal records or accusations behind them. They stand out as individuals, what youngsters in their early teens want to be like. They idolise this life wishing they could lead the lives of the stars they follow, like the majority of their peers. It isn't unnatural for them to want to be like the performers but the appearance, attitudes and actions of the performers can be so extreme they become dangerous for a vulnerable adolescent to copy. â€Å"I don't think it's the music itself the affects the way people act but the attitudes of the people who sing them. They should be careful about what they do and say because there's always some people who will think what they're doing is fine and go ahead and do it themselves† ~dum girl~ – Dum Dums Message Bored The most worrying rock genre is the most hardcore type that seems to many to be pushing the use of drugs and violence, particularly against women. It is this aspect of rock that is the most controversial with many opponents who fear it is damaging the minds of the young. Lyrics constantly refer to abuse against women; sexual violence, self-harming and drug abuse and contain a large amount of blasphemous or offensive language. The following is a classic example of violence and sexual abuse being expressed in a song: â€Å"I am a big man (yes I am) and I have a big gun, got me big old dick and I like to have fun, held it against your forehead, I'll make you suck it, maybe I'll put a hole in your head; you know, just for the f**k of it†¦. i'm every inch of a man, and I'll show you somehow; me and my f**king gun; nothing can stop me; shoot shoot shoot†¦.† Nine Inch Nails – Big Man with a gun It is not always clear what the lyrics are but now with the age of the music videos the scenes can be acted out so the public has constant access to the true horror the musicians are trying to portray through the lyrics and music itself. It is angry music written about anger and intended to alert minds. The dramatic images of sick actions are there to draw in the audience, to bring them into a disturbed world of mental torture. By glorifying these images and ideas it is thought the performers are encouraging violence in society, particularly in the young as they struggle to be noticed. The most worrying thought is that maybe these images are causing people to accept such actions as part of life. The move away from Christianity so far that it causes anti-religion is also an area for concern. Religion gives society many of its morals and if people are seeing no faith in it then why should they follow its beliefs? Also it is seen as good to be going against the bibles teachings so the more the church condemns the rock world, the more likely the rock world is to fight back harder against it. The problem lies with Christian rock music as some extreme evangelists believe even the beats are from the devil but many Christians believe this is a crazy view: â€Å"these anti-rock people claimed that not only were the lyrics leading teenagers to damnation, but the beat of the music was evil itself as it came from tribes affiliated with Satan†¦This theory struck me as harder to swallow than subconscious messages we allegedly received from ‘secular' music† Taryn – Crafy Gal Stump What many people seem to not understand is that the images and lyrics are there to represent the state of society and where the performer sees it is heading, kind of like a warning to the world. The trouble with this is do we know if society is naturally going in that direction or if it's the music steering us that way. Rock music has always set out to cause controversy and portray the darker occult society. It could not survive if people did not feel associated with the statements it makes. Maybe youth is drawn into it simply out of rebellion against the society they grow up in or maybe they see rock as the only form of art that reflects how the world is changing or the real passion behind emotions they often feel. The ideas are new and fresh and give teens a sense of individuality. People who are angry at life and are naturally aggressive are more likely to turn to gaining an image that portrays that so fall straight into the rock world. The anger against religion is simply a fight back because many fans feel let down by the disappointment of not receiving a happy life but believing in a god. In the world there are many fans of all levels of rock and the proportion of these who turn to violence is not exceptionally high. Yes maybe the amount of violent young offenders who listen to hardcore rock may be high but perhaps this is because they have always been unnaturally fascinated by the world of the occult sinisterism and the music they listen to simply portrays this. The majority of fans know that what seems to be very evil anti-society behaviour is in fact just a go at all the critics and the critics themselves by apposing the rock world is simply making it more popular. There has always been a problem with rock music and its sinister side. It seems the violence portrayed was made worse by the introduction of videos where performers could add disturbing visualisations to their already violent lyrics. I do not however feel that these images alone can turn a mind to violent crime. In society we are all made fully aware of what is morally seen to be right and wrong and we cannot hide from that. Most followers of the hardcore rock genres are just like everyone else only they dress differently. All in all it depends on how a listener portrays what the performer is saying. Most realise they are not trying to convert everyone into criminals. In conclusion I feel that it is not the music and in particular rock music that is causing violence among the teens in America but I feel that the extreme hardcore rock may not be helping to solve the problem and its violent lyrics and videos may be putting ideas into the heads of the already disturbed. It is a free passion form of music and to most people it helps them cope with difficult emotions and helps them to understand pain by comforting them with reassurance they are not alone. As for the religious aspect, why should people be scorned at for not believing in a certain way? The world if free and there is no proof rock music is causing great harm so it, like the rest of society, should be free to be expressed.

Netflix Strategic Management

| Netflix| Heather Murdock, Brian Wynn, Joseph Casey, Samuel Faulkner, Allen Porter, Josh Blum| | The University of Memphis| 4/13/2013| | â€Å"Netflix, Inc. is the world’s leading Internet television network with more than 33 million members in over 40 countries enjoying more than one billion hours of TV shows and movies per month, including original series. For one low monthly price, our members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen.Additionally, in the United States, our subscribers can receive standard definition DVDs, and their high definition successor, Blu-ray discs, delivered quickly to their homes† (SEC Filings, 2013). Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph established Netflix in 1997 in order to offer online movie rentals. In 1999, the firm launched its infamous subscription service that offered unlimited rentals for a monthly subscription, but it was not until the year 2000 that Netflix gave their firm a true comp etitive advantage when it implemented its movie recommendation algorithm. Within two years, Netflix made its IPO at a net value of $82,000,000 on NASDAQ.From the IPO to present, Netflix has amassed more than thirty-three million members. During this continual climb, Netflix opened its streaming service in 2007, created major partnerships from 2009 until 2010 which allowed for Netflix widgets on electronic hardware systems, and since 2010 has been establishing international operations in primarily English speaking countries (Company Overview: Netflix Timeline, 2013). Knowing the background of the company, the individuals responsible for managing the company can be discussed with an understanding of what they have achieved.At the center of everything, Netflix related is Reed Hastings, the Co-Founder, and CEO. Prior to Netflix, Reed founded one of the 50 largest software companies, Pure Software. Reed has additionally served on the California State Board of Education from 2000 to 2004. Reed’s long-term determination has resulted in the company’s endured success despite serious dilemmas. Kelly Bennet is the Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to Netflix, Kelly served as VP of Interactive World Wide Marketing at Warner Brothers for nearly a decade. Additionally, he has served executive positions in Dow Jones International and Ignition Media.Kelly’s wide range of media experiences has provided the company with the effective understanding of the company is marketing channels. Tawni Cranz is the Chief Talent Officer. Prior to Netflix, Tawni was the HR director of Bausch & Lomb. Tawni has worked with Netflix since 2007. Jonathan Friedland is the Chief Communications Officer. Prior to Netflix, Jonathan was the SVP of Corporate Communication for The Walt Disney Company. Before his executive position, he spent 20 years as a foreign correspondent and editor. Bill Holmes is the Chief Business Development Officer.Prior to Netflix, Bill served as Vice Presiden t Business Development & Strategy at DivX, Inc. Neil Hunt is the Chief Product Officer. Prior to Netflix, Neil served in various engineering and product roles at the software test tool companies. Bill has been with Netflix since 1999. David Hyman is the General Counsel. Prior to Netflix, David was the General Counsel of Webvan. David has been with Netflix since 2002. Ted Sarandos is the Chief Content Officer. Prior to Netflix, Ted was an executive at ETD and Video City. Ted has been with Netflix since 2000. David Wells is the Chief Financial Officer.Prior to Netflix, David spent six years in senior roles across Deloitte Consulting. David has been with Netflix since 2004. Finally, there is an illustrations board of directors who monitor Netflix to ensure that the executive’s vision for the company is aligned with the stockholder’s needs. The important individuals on the board of directors are Ann Mather, Reed Hastings, and Timothy Haley (Company Overview: Management, 20 13). The combined corporate experience of all the executive members has provided Netflix with an invaluable brain trust to power their dominant market share.Knowing who runs Netflix and knowing what the individuals share, as a common mission and value system, will help clarify the company’s situation in future paragraphs. Netflix does not have an official mission statement or series of values known to the public. However, the company hiring policy does list company culture qualifiers, which are rather similar to an ad hoc value system. In a company where efficiency and responsiveness is everything, Netflix does not carry very many policies or mission statement related items because they believe policies are largely ineffective at producing desired results.Their concept centralizes around the idea that the Netflix corporate brand sustains itself by creating the highest quality product and service with the highest quality employee. This undetermined result orientated mission st atement means that the employees and management hold a great deal of ethical and work autonomy. This autonomy has generated a clarified list of desired employee values: Judgment, Communication, Impact, Curiosity, Innovation, Courage, Passion, Honesty, and Selflessness (‘Top Reasons to Work at Netflix’, 2013).Knowing the motivation behind Netflix being a result oriented methodology, it will be relatively easy to understand the major goals of the company. The core strategy of Netflix is to grow their streaming subscription business domestically and internationally. Netflix has established streaming services to more than 40 countries outside of the United States. Netflix executives believe streaming content online is a large long-term growth opportunity. Due to an economy of scales, Netflix current controls the majority of the content streaming market.The other primary strategies for Netflix includes maintaining the highest customer satisfaction in the market, providing Ne tflix’ streaming service on every device, and transitioning a larger market portion into international markets. It is understandable why Netflix has been willing to venture into unexplored business ventures, such as the online content streaming, with full confidence that these new ventures will carry their company into the next generation of entertainment consumption mediums when you compare their ventures to their values and person-embodied technologies.Netflix’ intention to be usable on every device is the company’s stretch goal. The effort to become primarily a content streaming company is a long-term challenge due to the mentioned content licensing liability that would adversely affect the business if obstructed (SEC Filings, 2013). Regardless of any ambitions, there are difficulties that the company has had to face, forcing Netflix to change their long-term strategy. â€Å"Prior to July 2011, in the (United States) †¦ subscribers could receive both st reaming content and DVDs under a single ‘hybrid’ plan† (SEC Filings, 2013).The hybrid plan was broken into two different subscription services, and subscribers could choose which services interested them the most. That decision was an emergent strategy that developed due to the implementation of DVD kiosks by Red Box and Block Buster. The Stock peaked at an all-time high of 295 during July 2011, and the decisions resulted in an 80% loss in stock value (Yahoo! Finance Inc. , 2013). The company continued to recover with a primarily international and streaming strategy (SEC Filings, 2013). Netflix has successfully established itself in several related industries.They are a powerful online media provider and well as the leading online movie and game rental distributor. Several recent changes in these industries have occurred due to the competition of big business. Some changes have had a positive and negative effect on Netflix. On the political side, Netflix and other entertainment providers have benefited greatly from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security recent initiatives on the seizing of dozens of illegal streaming and torrent sites due to copyright infringement. Over the past several years’ websites such as torrentfreak, alluc. org, dvdcollect. om, and watchnewfilms. com have been seized or shut down by the U. S. government. These initiatives were a product of the growing concern of copyright infringement from the TV and film industry. Similar to the massive seizures of programs such as limewire and napster in the mid 2000 is forced by the music industry. This has also helped the Legal side of the industry that was much more complicated six years ago than it is today. Copyrights, Trademarks, Patents, and licensing have become easier to obtain for legitimate businesses due to the confidence and maturity of the industry as a whole.An unforeseen change in copyright law could have an effect on Netflix and its competitors. The econom ic factors that affect this industry are unclear. Logic suggests that entertainment spending would decrease during a recession due to a decrease in disposable income. However, DVD rentals have continued to grow. This may be because consumers are seeing DVD rentals and online streaming as cheap entertainment alternatives to their counterparts, such as visits to the movie theater or the purchase of an expensive DVD. The sociocultural factors that have affected the industry are mostly related to the advancement of technology over the last decade.Consumers are more tech savvy and thus are purchasing more products and services that enhance the speed, quality, availability, and price of what they watch. One demographic concern is the aging of the population. As baby boomers grow older they may begin to pursue less visual entertainment. There are no substantial ecological factors affecting this industry. The energy used to run the Netflix’ servers might be a concerning factor if not for the large reduction of domestic shipping and transportation that companies such as Redbox are using instead of streaming.If anything this industry’s emergence has had a positive effect on the environment because it is transforming what used to be physical product with a life cycle into timeless packages of data. The technological advances in video streaming since Netflix first decided to be an instant video provider are astounding. From what was just an emerging technology just a decade ago is now a major function of every major website in the world. The most significant entry into the market was actual TV networks designing their own websites for content streaming.Not only does this erase content that Netflix would be potentially able to offer their customers but also creates new competitors. In reference to Netflix’ other side of the business, there has been several changes in the way consumers rent DVD’s. Redbox has emerged as an industry giant by establ ishing kiosks all over the U. S. making DVD rental cheap and extremely hassle free. Traditional brick and mortar establishments are practically nonexistent due to the convenience and price of by-mail, kiosk, and instant viewing channels.The five forces model for Netflix is complicated because the DVD rental business and online media streaming are two very separate markets with different customers and competitors. The threat of new entrants on the DVD rental side of the company is not as great as it is on the online streaming side. DVDs are an older technology and a large amount of capital is required to enter this market. It is also difficult to classify exactly who and what Netflix’ direct competitors are as this industry is rapidly evolving and shifting. Netflix competes with companies on several levels of the video entertainment industry.Netflix and its competitors serve consumers on a number of alternative channels for in-home entertainment such as: brick and mortar renta l businesses, DVD vending machine services, DVD mail delivery, online rental, pay-per view rental, video on-demand services, online video purchasing, and brick and mortar retail stores. This collection of competition makes it difficult to assign a particular competitor to a specific strategic group. The threat of new entrants is low. Capital requirements to enter this industry are high and existing competition have established brands and developed unique echnology. The main concern for Netflix is if a large indirect competitor with recourses suddenly decided it wanted to enter the market. The power of suppliers is high in this industry. Netflix obtains its product directly from studios. A broken relationship could cost them an immense amount of viewing content and in turn provide their competitors with that same content. There are no viable substitutes for the content they purchase from the major film and television studios. Supplier can and are forwardly integration themselves into the industry.The most notable example of this is from the premium cable networks such as: Starz, Encore, Showtime, and HBO. These networks have all established their own premium sites for content streaming with a log-in available through a customer’s cable provider. The power of buyers is moderate to low. The customers are individual consumers so they do not present a great deal of buyer power as a purchasing group. However, Netflix’ revenue is obtained completely form individual customers that are price sensitive. As a whole they are not capable of backward integration which gives them only moderate power.The threat of substitutes is very high. There is an abundance of different channels a customer could go through to replace Netflix. Netflix customers could simply turn to Cable and satellite television networks, movie theaters, other streaming sites, free sites, rental kiosks and purchasing DVDS to replace Netflix. The switching costs are all relatively low. The riv alry among existing competitors is also relatively high and should only continue to increase. Partnerships are occurring throughout the industry that will put pressure on Netflix not only for its customers but also its content.Verizon is now partners with Coinstar’s primary subsidiary, Redbox, to launch their own on-demand video streaming site called Redboxinstant. Redbox will now compete with Netflix directly on both sides of its business. If Time Warner allows HBO to offer its website HBOGO to customers without a cable subscription then HBO will transform into a direct competitor of on-demand subscription. Amazon has jumped into the market with their launch of Amazon Prime. Users pay a yearly fee and have access to instant movies, television series, e-books, and a whole array of other value adding services.Wal-Mart has purchased VuDu, another streaming service that integrates into devices such as Sony’s Playstation 3 to provide instant viewing to subscribing members. Unlike other services Vudu offers titles available the same day they are released on DVD. Google, Apple, and BlockBuster have all also joined the market with their own version of on-demand entertainment. The competition remains high because these are all powerful companies with equal strengths striving for market leadership. Capabilities| Valuable? | Rare? | Costly to Imitate? Organized to capture value? | Competitive Advantage? | Mail-in DVD Rental| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Temporary due to product life cycle. Sustainable for now| Convenience| Yes| No| Yes| Yes| Sustainable/Temporary| Title Variety| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Sustainable| Online streaming| Yes| No| Yes| Yes| Competitive Parity/ Temporary Advantage| Instant queue | Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Sustainable advantage| Physical Distribution| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes| Temporary due to product life cycle. Sustainable for now| Strengths| Weaknesses| Opportunities| Threats|Instant queue system that makes movie recommendations to customers. | Potent ial liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement. | Investing in viewing material and streaming content. | Changes in consumer viewing habits| Content can be accessed via hardware applications i. e. Xbox, PlayStation, Ipad, Wii. | Declining subscriptions to domestic DVD rental service. | Adoption and growth of internet TV. | Online subscription-based entertainment video market segment saturation| Brand awareness| Customer information could be accessed by unauthorized personnel. Future of the Consumer Electronic Ecosystem: â€Å"Internet on Every Screen†| Content providers refusing to license streaming content upon acceptable terms. | Largest collection of premium content. | Operational failure in any of the key systems. | International streaming segment represents a significant long-term growth| Changes in U. S. postal rates| Netflix is confident that expansion into more markets worldwide will help the business continue to grow. This is evident because Netfl ix cites its expansive reach as a major component of its success, as well as, an important factor in the company’s plan for the future.A goal promoted on the company’s investor relationship website is the intention to provide Netflix video streaming services to any and all screens with Internet connection. So far, the company has managed to reach subscribers in 40 countries while supplying a library of over one billion hours of video (Netflix). This wide reaching and easily available nature of this service has been the source of much of Netflix’ success since the company began. Based on the statements included with the Netflix financial releases, the company views an economic perspective of competitive advantage and the industry as a whole.This perspective is less focused on accounting ratios and data than the fundamental value-added philosophy. The main concern from this perspective is value creation. Netflix has added value to the videos they license by provid ing a convenient system for streaming the video to the end user and then made that system available to individuals worldwide. The availability of Netflix in so many areas is the primary method being utilized to capture the value already created by the working system born here in the United States. Netflix holds a primary concern in the continuous presence in the technologically developing areas of the world.In these areas, the economic value added to videos is great. Far from electronic stores and Hollywood, the ease and convenience of Netflix video providing service becomes more and more significant. Netflix respects this philosophy and has responded by continuing to advance into new areas around the globe (Netflix). Triple Bottom Line Netflix has differentiated itself from the competition in both video streaming and rental. Netflix began by changing the video rental market. It entered the industry with the plan to dispense movies across America directly to its subscribers’ homes.Not long after, Netflix began adding on online method of viewing video instantly. According to the company website, members can play; pause; and resume watching, all without commercials or interruptions. There are many video-streaming services available, most of which are free. Hardly any competitor can match Netflix’ boast of no commercials because of their reliance on ad stream revenue. Netflix also differentiates itself in that the software remembers your video selections. With this memory of video selections, it can then recommend new videos that you have not seen.The most notable form of differentiation in the video streaming industry is exclusivity. This deals with what video is actually viewable by the users. The provider makes video available legally by contracting with the rights holders of the videos. This severely limits free services already available because they centralize their business model on revenue through advertising. This issue may provide Netflix with its biggest advantage. Because Netflix charges its members a subscription cost, it can then use the greater funds to negotiate with video rights holders.While Netflix cannot be considered a cost leader when compared to the free video streaming services available, it still utilizes cost management to compete with other pay services that may try to enter the market and those already available. The company advertises that for one low monthly price, Netflix members can watch as much as they want, anytime and anywhere. This low monthly price is due to four factors. One, Netflix has already overcome the cost of input. This regards the substantial investment required to launch a video streaming program on a massive scale and complete negotiations with video rights holders.Two, Netflix is also developing its economy of scale. The Netflix streaming service is spreading into 40 countries, and each new market can be reached with already developed software and without having to invest in a completely new process. Three, Netflix is further along the learning curve than competitors. The company has been ironing out kinks in the video streaming process much longer than most competitors. Four, Netflix experience gives it a viable source of advantage against industry newcomers. Netflix’ competitive scope is very broad in the video streaming market.The company is working to reach any and all potential customers with an Internet connected screen. The American market is somewhat segmented between the more tech savvy video streamers and delivery service recipients. For its video streaming service, Netflix is approaching the market with a fast pace, expanding into most areas where internet is available. Netflix’ generic strategy is integration though it leans more towards service differentiation than cost leadership. It strays from a cost position due to the many free video providers already available online.However, other pay services have difficulty competing b ecause Netflix’ success with economies of scale and experience in the industry. Many factors differentiate the Netflix service from the rest of the market. These videos are available to members on-demand without commercials. Netflix also provides its members with video recommendations based on the customer’s past selections. Furthermore, Netflix has been successful at reaching more and more developing areas that are beginning to go online. In these areas, Netflix’ product has even more differentiation due to the low competitor presence.There are positives and negatives to the Netflix business strategy. The negatives begin with the cost of premium video rights. It is difficult to differentiate via better video because they will cost more to distribute. This causes trouble because it becomes a tradeoff between more exclusive video selection and cost management. All the while, free services are looming putting together more and more comparable video selections. The benefits of Netflix strategy stem from its heightened revenue when compared to competitors.Because Netflix charges members, it can spend more on rights to show videos, and its lack of advertising diminishes the threat posed by free services. With Netflix current cost structure, it can benefit greatly from spreading to the markets becoming available due to the expansion of the Internet. A key suggestion to made for improvement to Netflix’ business strategy would be to move along the productivity frontier towards differentiation and away from cost leadership. With a higher price, Netflix can provide better videos that are more exclusive.This is crucial in order to take advantage of the vulnerability of video limitation within the free video-streaming services. Netflix’ already industry-leading experience should put to use in maximizing the already unique service it provides. It is also possible that segmenting the video-streaming service could benefit the company by div ersifying its competitive position. Netflix could provide a free service, with commercials for revenue and limited video offerings. It could then simultaneously offer a low cost subscription with no commercials but limited video offerings.Its final offering could be a premium subscription with a higher price. This membership would benefit from the higher cost because it would have a greater variety of video offerings afforded by the new revenue. This option continues to differentiate Netflix’ service while still offering low cost options to the price conscious customer. It will be very important that any raise in subscription cost be met with identifiable upgrades to video selection in order to retain subscribers. Netflix Inc. is still very much in the growth stage of the ndustry life cycle. Currently the company seeks to expand operations in Latin American countries, Europe, and South America. Their international subscribers grew from 4. 3 million in the third quarter of las t year to 6. 1 million in the fourth quarter (Forbes, 2013). In fact, with all of the success overseas,  Netflix has actually started to slow their international expansion, so that they may better analyze new potential markets before officially entering. Netflix uses the advantages of its long tail business model to overcome problems like thin markets.Through online services, Netflix has risen above competitors like Blockbuster, with advantages like unlimited inventory space through digitization and its multiple process innovations (Parr, 2010). Including such advantages as being available on multiple platforms (mobile, Xbox, Apple TV, etc. ), and having the ability to quickly add or remove products from its database. The technology utilized by Netflix to stream its products to consumers on multiple platforms has expanded rapidly. The online streaming service from Netflix was introduced in 2007, and in 2010 Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy (Parr, 2010).The technology is so widespr ead and compatible a subscriber can view a program from their office computer, to their mobile phone, and then to their Blue-Ray player or tablet. The speed of diffusion in the movie/television industries was due to the advances in internet services, similar to what is occurring in the music and book industries. Netflix’ internet streaming service is currently the dominant technology on the industries S-curve today. The remainder of its DVD mail order service is in the decline stage, even though Netflix still holds on to that service.The biggest paradigm threat that  Netflix faces is the emergence of Redbox and the ability to stream movies and TV shows from other sources like HBO Go. Netflix has several trademarks and copyrights that it protects vigorously. Its advantages like online software and no late fees have given it quite the competitive advantage. Netflix has even filed a lawsuit against Blockbuster in recent years for copyright infringement of their new online serv ices (Sander, 2013). Vertical value chain: Stage 1 raw materials: Netflix receives most of its product through the production of outside film studios such as Warner Bros. Disney, Viacom media networks, DreamWorks classics, 20th television, Hasbro studios, Saban Brands, The Weinstein Company, Open Road films, Relative Media (Reuters, 2013). The contracts made with each studio provide Netflix with the physical inventory necessary to meet the demand of consumers, and the rights to digital streaming for its online services. Netflix also participates in this upstream activity through the production of their very own television series. Stage 2 Component and Intermediate Goods: Philips and Sony jointly manage the patent for optical media cd manufacturing (CD Manufacture, 2013).Although, in North America the patent is expired, so any cd production in Canada or the United States of America is not subject to license fees. However, worldwide the patent still applies, so licensing fees would ap ply on arrival to any merchandise shipped internationally where the patent is still in effect (CD Manufacturing, 2013). After acquiring DVD’s for the still remaining physical distribution side of the business, Netflix must then package the merchandise appropriately so that its logo and trademarks are clearly visible when received by consumers. Stage 3 Final Assembly:For Netflix this requires the challenge of taking its finished product and delivering it with convenience and ease to subscribers. Outbound logistics plays a major role for success in customer satisfaction. Netflix must keep executing well in the delivery of their physical products if it wishes to maintain a key provider in mail order services. Stage 4 Marketing and Sales: Netflix has several mediums it can use to reach consumers. Of these, television commercials, internet ads, newspaper/magazine ads, and even video game consoles are crucial ways Netflix reaches its consumers.Netflix also utilizes discounts as a w ay to attract new customers, mainly its one month free trial if offers to new users. Netflix is also implementing strategies where they are now starting to offer individual service so that customers may choose which service to pay for (Schneider, 2010). The new service will provide the option for consumers to choose between the DVD rental by mail or the online streaming services. Progress is still being made on a combination package for users that use both services. Stage 5 After-Sales service and support:For Netflix, service and support may be the most crucial part to maintaining its customer base. The challenge for Netflix lies in that it must provide service and support for two completely different services. For mail order customers, Netflix must provide expedient deliveries consistently and be able to handle issues such as lost deliveries and theft. Online streaming customers have their own range of service and support that is required to accommodate. For example, Netflix must h ave a wide selection readily available for its users, and it must constantly update their library with new material.Netflix must also rely on Amazon for this portion if their business since Netflix uses Amazon’s web services (AWS) for online streaming. Netflix has a unique vertically/horizontally disintegrated system. In the past Netflix has used several horizontal integrated techniques that have led to their success by acquiring multiple studio contracts and controlling industries that deal in video distribution (Schneider, 2010). It is dynamic in the sense that most of its products where manufactured, created, and marketed at some point through an outside entity.This creates a marketing advantage where several consumers already have developed favorites and genre preferences leaving Netflix with the task of compiling the merchandise needed for shipment related services and securing the rights with major film studios to stock their digital library for online subscribers on mu ltiple platforms. On the other hand, Netflix has begun to produce and provide some of its own programming, like their new hit series â€Å"House of Cards† (Funding Universe, 2013).This for many is ground breaking because it is the first television show to bypass the cable network system, and the entire first season is available for viewing instantly which is also unprecedented for a television series. It would seem that Netflix is moving to be more fully vertically integrated with the increase of success it is having from its own studios, but for the time being taper integration would apply with most of their digital products being produced from an outside source. The only acquisition that Netflix has had in the past 3 years is with a company that is named DreamBox Learning.Netflix has not been interested in growing based on acquisitions and mergers thus far in their venture. The acquisition of DreamBox Learning is thought to be a philanthropic move for Netflix due to this de al involving a partnership with the non-profit organization known as The Charter School Fund (Dreambox, 2010). Dream Box Learning is a company that makes interactive schooling software for kids of all ages. Netflix saw this as opportunity to distribute learning throughout school systems while also boosting the reputation of Netflix. The software is also in use for kids from kindergarten all the way thru the 12th grade.This investment made by Netflix gave DreamBox Learning the ability to reach more kids and wider range of students. Netflix has a couple over very strong strategic alliances; one of their top strategic alliances is with a company we all know very well, Apple. The availability of Netflix on the iPad and Iphones has helped Netflix gain more users who are looking to watch movies or download shows onto their devices. Along with these devices, Netflix is also available on the Apple TV device so that users are able to watch the movies directly through their TVs.Blackberry and RIM tried entering an alliance but were never able to finalize a deal. This would most likely hurt blackberry since the amount of recent users of Netflix is on the rise. Another strategic alliance you have probably seen with Netflix is the availability of it on your TV’s, DVD players and Blu-ray Players. These all work over hardwire or wifi network allowing you to view movies and shows via the Internet through your TV and or players. Netflix has done this to gain the people who do not want to wait on the videos to reach them through the mail.This is the latest technology which includes smart TV’s and Blu-ray players which both have apps pre installed on them so all you have to do is hook them up to an internet connection and you are able to view the movies or shows that you would like (HD TV Test, 2012). This was a great opportunity for Netflix to enter the apps game and really push them to the top. This alliance has defiantly helped Netflix get to their goal of milli ons of users by making it easier to get the movies right in your home without having to wait.As the TV prices have dropped recently and more people buying smart TVs this was a great move for Netflix to really get their name out to the people who had not previously used them. Netflix does not seem to be a company who has an alliance management origination but is just looking at technology and developing ways to enter the market all the time. They are always looking for new and improved ways to get the product into the hands of their users more effectively and efficiently. Netflix is a company that has spread its seed internationally they just recently expanded into Latin America.This was their first international release of Netflix and has proven to be a hard market to corner because of the competition that is out there (LA Times, 2012). Since then they have now emerged in countries such as Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. They have also reached out to people in Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain. These markets, which already have companies supplying them with videos on demand, have proven to be harder for Netflix than originally anticipated. Is this going to discourage Netflix from entering the market in other countries is the biggest question people are asking right now.Growth in these regions has been slower for Netflix than anticipated and they are currently looking into new ways to distribute their videos in these countries. One of the main problems that Netflix has had in Latin America is that some of the DVDs were not carrying subtitles, making it undesirable for people to rent. In order to compete with their competitors in this market Netflix now makes sure that all of the movies or shows being distributed in Latin America have subtitles. So far, in Canada, Ireland, and Great Britain Netflix has been successful and is looking to spread out across Europe.The next question you ask yourself while doing research is how is Netflix going to reach the mar ket of China or Japan or when are they going to try. According to research, the time has not been much insight as to whether Netflix will even attempt to enter these markets. Just recently, the Chinese government launched a video service much like Netflix (Reuters, 2012). Trying to compete with the Chinese government is really going to be difficult and this might be one reasons that Netflix has decided not to enter those markets.Netflix is using an International Strategy based on the fact they have to have movies in different languages or with sub titles in order to reach these markets. They are doing their best to make sure that every market they enter is going to be a successful journey. This one of the main reasons people have stated they have yet to enter both the Japanese or Chinese markets due to the control the government has over what is entering their markets. The strategy has proven to be effective for Netflix and they have succeeded in the countries they have entered.The changes they have had to make in the markets show their willingness to succeed and just how driven Netflix really is. Netflix currently has two separate services that are DVD’s by mail and the online streaming of movies and shows. As of the fourth quarter of 2012, Netflix had 27. 15 million subscribers worldwide. Revenues for the Online streaming service were $589 million and $254 million for DVD’s by mail. However, the contribution profit/loss for the online streaming service was $-105 million and $125 million for DVD’s by mail.While the online streaming service brings in more revenue for Netflix, the costs of operating it surpass those of the DVD service. The DVD service has fixed costs, while the online streaming service must negotiate licenses with each individual company on a case-by-case basis. With this knowledge, it is obvious that Netflix must make a strategic change in order for the company to have a long life. The major issue the subscribers have with the online streaming service of Netflix is that it does not offer newer releases.If Netflix were to offer newer releases then they could then charge higher prices with justification and make more of a profit on the online streaming service. Considering the major competitors such as, Redbox and Amazon already offer newer releases, Netflix would need to make this change within the next year or they could go out of business. Netflix is collaborating with major media companies such as, Paramount Pictures, Lions Gate, and MGM, so they would be able to work out a deal with them in order to enact this change.Netflix has released statements about making this change and they say they do not want to offer newer releases and follow their competition (Daily Finance, 2012). The culture and values of the company is to have their low monthly rate of $7. 99 for unlimited streaming and they do not want to drive away potential customers by increasing the prices. An alternative for increasing the ove rall price would be to have tiered pricing where they can keep the original price but also have an option for newer releases plus the originals for either $8. 99 or $9. 99.This way they could still say that their prices start at $7. 99. This change could increase profits and bring in more subscribers. The resources that Netflix would need would be to have the rights to the majority of the new releases and the media companies, which is already in place. They have deals with some of the most known media companies in the business, so this would not be a problem for them. In addition, there would not need to be any new policies or procedures in order to implement this change. There are seven members on the Board of Directors, two of which are women.There are no minorities on the board. The CEO, Reed Hastings, is also the chairman and has been since inception. The largest direct shareholders of Netflix are all of the people on the Board of Directors. However, the largest institutional ho lders include Icahn, Vanguard, and Goldman Sachs. One of the latest legal issues Netflix has had has been a privacy violation of its customers. There was a class action lawsuit against the company because they were disclosing records of what the customers were watching. This is an ethical issue for the company considering it deals with a violation of privacy.Netflix made a $9 million settlement which resulted in a 14% decrease in the net income for the fourth quarter of 2012. The CEO, Reed Hastings, is not a Level 5 manager. He does not make good strategic decisions for the company or for the customers considering he is not willing to offer newer releases, which could eventually be what saves Netflix in the end. After all that has been discussed about Netflix, I would not invest in the company because the company could potentially not survive the next five years. Works Cited Company Overview: Management. (n. d. . Netflix. Retrieved March 8, 2013. https://signup. netflix. com/MediaCe nter/Management Company Overview: Netflix Timeline. (n. d. ). Netflix. Retrieved March 8, 2013. https://signup. netflix. com/MediaCenter/Timeline Yahoo! Finance Inc, NFLX: Summary for Netflix, Inc. – Yahoo! Finance. (n. d. ). Business Finance, Stock Market, Quotes, News. Retrieved March 8, 2013. http://finance. yahoo. com/q? s=NFLX SEC Filings (Form 10-K). (n. d. ). Investor Relations: Netflix, Inc. Retrieved March 5, 2013. http://ir. netflix. com/sec. cfm Top Reasons to Work at Netflix. n. d. ). Netflix Jobs. Retrieved March 8, 2013. jobs. netflix. com/jobs. html Munarriz, R. (n. d. ). Netflix: No, We Won't Stream New Releases – DailyFinance. DailyFinance – News and Advice for a Lifetime of Financial Decisions. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://www. dailyfinance. com/2012/12/24/netflix-no-we-wont-stream-new-releases/ DreamBox Learning Acquired by Charter Fund in Partnership with Education Philanthropist and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings | DreamBox Learning ®. (2010, April 20). Intelligent Adaptive Learningâ„ ¢ | DreamBox Learning ®.Retrieved April 14, 2013, from  http://www. dreambox. com/press-release-20100420 Fritz, B. (2012, May 16). Netflix faces problems in Latin America – Los Angeles Times. Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from  http://articles. latimes. com/2012/may/16/entertainment/la-et-ct-netflix-latin-america20120516 Monday, R. C. , 2012, 1. J. , ; BST  , 1. p. (n. d. ). Netflix App Debuts On Samsung Smart TV Apps Store. TV Reviews – Best LED LCD, 3D Plasma ; Smart TVs. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from  http://www. hdtvtest. o. uk/news/netflix-app-samsung-smart-tv-201201161616. htm Zeidler, S. , ; Grover, R. (2012, June 28). China to launch Netflix-like movie service| Reuters. Business News – Indian Stock Market, Stock Market News, Business ; Finance, Market Statistics | Reuters India. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://in. reuters. com/article/2012/06/ 28/hollywood-china-jiaflix-idINL2E8HP1F420120628 â€Å"CD Manufacturing | Audio CD Manufacturing | CD Manufacturers | Music CD Manufacturing | CD Glass Mastering | Glass Mastered CDs | CD Pressing Services. CD Manufacturing | Audio CD Manufacturing | CD Manufacturers | Music CD Manufacturing | CD Glass Mastering | Glass Mastered CDs | CD Pressing Services. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. . FundingUniverse. â€Å"History of Netflix, Inc. â€Å" FundingUniverse. † Find Funding with Banks, Investors, and Other Funding Sources | FundingUniverse. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. . Parr, Ben. â€Å"The Fall of Blockbuster; the Rise of Netflix,

Push Pull Factors Influencing International Education Essay

The purpose of the article is to happen the influencing factors on international pupils ‘ determination in choosing establishments and host states.While related cognition are good developed, the purpose of the article mentioned above is non clearly specified. The article discusses the ground why pupils select to analyze overseas. There are two grounds: one is that, positive outlook of instruction for raising the economic and societal position, peculiarly higher instruction. The other is that less developed states do non hold adequate educational installation and pupils can non easy acquire higher instruction. Education industry started from 1960s in western advanced states. To capture the forms of international pupils flow globally, the writers endeavor to explicate it by a combination of â€Å" push and pull † factors that may promote pupils to analyze abroad. â€Å" Push † factors are those runing in the pupils ‘ place state. These will impact pupils ‘ determination to analyze abroad or non. While â€Å" pull † factors are those caused in the host state, these are seeking to pull international pupils. Though the grounds taking to analyze abroad were presented briefly in the debut subdivision, the writers fail to supply an enlightening lineation to explicate what they want to look into in this research paper.Literature Review For Past researchTo understand international instruction market, the writers review old research and place a group of seven major factors that may act upon the demand for international instruction. These factors include 1 ) deficit of higher instruction particularly in Asia and Africa 2 ) the particular relationship in history between host and place states, 3 ) the common linguistic communication between the place and host states 4 ) the advanced development in scientific discipline and engineering 5 ) the little distance from place to host states 6 ) people ‘s sentiment about the third instruction system in the beginning state and 7 ) last but non least, the writers find out that the wealth and the GNP growing rate both have some influence on the demand for international instruction by mentioning to Lee and Tan ( 1984 ) the comparative wealth of population and the GNP growing rate in the place state. By mentioning to Agarwal and Winkler ( 1985 ) , the writers farther identified four principal drivers, i.e. , the mean income per individual in the place state, the assorted sorts of analyzing cost, the handiness of educational chances in the place state, and the expected return of analyzing abroad. The writers besides refer to McMahon ‘s ( 1992 ) testing of push and pull theoretical account. In the push theoretical account, it illustrates that the degree of wealth in one economic system, the universe position of the underdeveloped state, the grade of the importance of the instruction in place state, and the instruction handiness all play of import functions on the demand for international instruction. In the pull theoretical account, the factors in the host state that could act upon international pupils are the comparative economic system size between the two states, the economic connectivity between place and host states, the political involvement of the host state to the place state, and the scholarship provided by the host state. The writers besides summarize the determination of two paper published by the first writer Mazzarol in 1997-98. When choosing a concluding survey finish, pupils by and large go through at least three distinguishable phases, i.e. , make up one's minding to analyze overseas, taking a host state, and happening a host establishment. Push factors play an of import function in doing the determination of analyzing abroad, whereas pull factors may hold impact on taking the host state and establishment. The pull factors for doing a host state attractive include 1 ) the general recognition of the host state, 2 ) recommendations obtained by the pupils, 3 ) instruction cost, 4 ) the environment of the host state, 5 ) the advantage of geographics, and 6 ) societal links. The pull factors for doing a host institute attractive include 1 ) an establishment ‘s repute for quality, 2 ) market profile, 3 ) scope of classs, 4 ) confederations or alliances, 5 ) offshore learning plans, 6 ) staff exp ertness, 7 ) grade of invention, 8 ) usage of information engineering, 9 ) resources, 10 ) size of the alumni base, and 11 ) publicity and selling attempts. The writers have presented a comprehensive literature reappraisal, covering most of the of import factors act uponing the international pupil flow. In peculiar, by mentioning to a pull-push theoretical account, the writers have identified a set of push factors promoting pupils to seek to set about survey overseas. They besides have ascertained two sets of pull factors, doing a peculiar host state and host establishment attractive.Research Results Reported Including Research Method and Data CollectionThe survey involved largely quantitative method but besides use some qualitative method. Questionnaire informations aggregation method is used in the survey. In this survey, three stairss of the informations aggregation were used. The first is appraising Indonesian and Chinese pupils. The 2nd is appraising Indian pupils. The 3rd one is appraising Chinese pupils. The writers collected informations through questionnaires. All the questionnaires were distributed to the research workers as their first linguistic communication. All the three studies used the same inquiries in order to do a comparing. Before the formal probe, focal point group treatments were carried out. In this subdivision, the writers try to determine factors act uponing international pupils to take host establishments through a discriminate analysis which was used to compare international and local pupils ‘ sentiments. At least, two concerns are identified. First, the writers mention that a seven point evaluation graduated table is a metrical graduated table, which is non right. Technically, it is an ordinal graduated table. Second, although the survey includes 17 variables which will act upon the pupils ‘ pick of establishment, a few of import factors that were of importance to international pupils have non been highlighted and discussed by the writers. These factors include â€Å" offering a wide scope of class and plans † , â€Å" doing usage of the latest Information technology † , and â€Å" a repute for being antiphonal to student demands † , â€Å" good known for invention in research and instruction † , and â€Å" a big campus and excellent installations † . The writers seem to disregard to discourse them in this subdivision, merely because these factors are every bit of import to local pupils. The research consequence was besides reported by the writer by placing the four most of import â€Å" push † factors that affect the pick of international instruction. These four factors are pupils ‘ apprehension of the abroad class, the trouble of come ining to local plans, pupils ‘ involvement of western civilization, and the motive of migration. The writers think that these factors are of import issues for educational establishments to see when developing an international selling scheme. The paper besides discussed other act uponing elements in the pupils ‘ pick of the host state, such as the recognition of one state, the recommendations, alumnas influence, the assorted sorts of analyzing cost, and the natural environment. In general, the treatment fail to give much practical deductions as what a good research paper should accomplish in the treatment portion. The writers seem to reiterate what they have presented in the old subdivision. Very seldom, the writers discussed the findings of the study and presented their deductions to the Australian international instruction market. For illustration, when societal costs and better cognition consciousness of a host state were recognized as of import factors, the writers fail to discourse how the Australian authorities should use these findings and act to pull more international pupils to analyze in Australia. Marketing schemes such as painting Australia as a safe survey finish and advertisement Australia and Australian universities in prospective abroad markets would be really helpful. The same jobs besides took topographic point in the subdivision that the writers discussed factors act uponing the attraction of a peculiar host establishment.Remark on the Au thors ‘Conclusion Drawn from the Literature Review and informations CollectedThe writer provinces in his decision that the authorities and their establishments need to pay peculiar attending to the â€Å" push-pull † factors because they play of import functions in the pupils ‘ pick of host state. This is clearly drawn from the literature reviews and informations collected. Then the writer mentioned that the supply of the international pupils is increasing in the Asiatic states. The traditional â€Å" push † factors will less of import than earlier. This is non mentioned in the literature reappraisal and non drawn from the research of informations. But the author measure frontward reasoning based on this fact stating that the host states should pay attending to the â€Å" pull † factors. Further, the writers remind that the personal recommendation and quality instruction are the cardinal factors in the pupils ‘ determination of host state and establishments. Of these, we think it is merely a sensible but non high quality decision drawn from the literature reappraisal and the information collected.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics - Essay Example The people and neighbours nearby the plant were in great dilemma. The Corporation blamed the Indian workers and managers for such incident. Various cases were filed against the corporation and the chairman at Indian courts (Browning, 1993). In this paper, a study has been conducted based on the Bhopal gas leak disaster. One of the prime objectives of the paper will be to analyse the role of the former chairman of Union Carbide Corporation, Mr. Anderson regarding his fault in the dreadful explosion of MIC from the plant. The paper also deals with the stakeholder theory and corporate citizenship of the plant administered by Union Carbide in Bhopal, India. Furthermore, the paper will discuss about whether the corporation was successful or failed in their responsibility towards society. The stakeholder theory of the Corporation will also be highlighted by referring to the theoretical framework. 2.0 Is Anderson to blame at all for this accident? Union Carbide Corporation’s parent c ompany Dow Chemical Company is one of the biggest producers of chemical in the United States. The corporation is operating in various countries throughout the world. The plant had started its operation in Bhopal in the year 1969 with $25 million manufacturing facility. The plant was named as Union Carbide of India, Ltd (UCIL). Since its headquarters is in the US, technical and financial operations of the plant were performed in the US. Government of India also owned a certain part of the plant. Due to the incident of Bhopal disaster in 1986 as well as pressure from the US judges, the corporation approved to pay $425 million for the victims of the incident. Later the Union Carbide changed their opinion towards the victims. Mr. Warren Anderson, who was the chairman of the corporation, visited India after such incident and said everything would be done for the victims of Bhopal tragedy. He offered $1million for such dreadful disaster and to build hospital, orphanage as well as vocation al schools (Gupta, 2002). The incident was caused since proper safety measures were not adopted in the plant. The chairman was responsible to manage all the operations but he did not conduct them properly. The Carbide engineers were involved in the final design as well as construction of the plant. Due to possible limitation in the designing of plant such incident had occurred. There was inadequacy from the Union Carbide Corporation in safety measures, deficient in cooling facilities, defective alarm systems, poor maintenance and storage of excessive amounts of toxic materials. However, the corporation was not willing to admit their shortcomings and were rather blaming the workers for such damage. Various homicide charges were also filed against the top nine officers of the Corporation besides Chairman Anderson. In the US, the corporation had installed all the safety measures for the individuals working there. However, in one of the third world country, i.e. in India, Union Carbide did not adopt adequate safety measures for the workers in the plant (Browning, 1993). The deadly Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) was imported to India from the US in order to stimulate foreign direct investment. From that period onwards, the Bhopal plant

Conflict Management_M7_A1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Conflict Management_M7_A1 - Essay Example It evaluates the role of team leadership and the overall effectiveness of teams in preventing and actively managing conflict. Additionally, it assesses the importance of maintaining relationships with stakeholders throughout significant organizational change. Finally, it recommends strategies that the organization can use to prevent and actively manage foreseen and unforeseen conflicts among internal and external stakeholders that may negatively affect the organizations attempt to downsize. The paper asserts that although downsizing could be inevitable and beneficial to the organization, failure to manage perceived and actual conflicts with stakeholders could affect the firm negatively. Interpersonal conflicts influenced by political factors may arise between the government, the labor unions and the organization. The government makes labor laws that define the procedure and rules on how firms should lay-off employees. For example, labor law prohibit discrimination in the downsizing process and state that employees should be given enough notice and benefits upon termination. If the firm doesn’t observe these rules, it faces conflicts with the government and labor unions that fight for the rights of unionized employees. The firm faces interpersonal conflicts of economic nature with clients, suppliers, creditors if upon downsizing, it is unable to honor its contractual obligations (Ramsbotham & Woodhouse, 2011). For example, the inability to honor debts when they fall due and offer products/services to its clients. Social conflict with the local community may arise from downsizing. Laid-off workers may strain the community’s resources if they are not com pensated. They may become stressed and develop psychological problems, making them dependent on the communities. The conflict arises because the society expects the company to take care of the laid-off workers by giving them sufficient send-off benefit

IT Shoes Business Plan PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

IT Shoes Business Plan - PowerPoint Presentation Example The present research has identified that IT Shoes business is as well popularly known for supplying high quality materials which is used to manufacture high quality shoes. The company’s shoes sizes ranges from 5 to 10. The IT Shoes company long term plan is to become the world leader in the supply of ladies shoes. The company current popularity and increased sales and profitability is to a great extent brought about by its reputation in offering convenient means of selling its shoes to local customers. Therefore, to become the world leaders in the contemporary multifaceted global market, the company ought to have an effective business plan which incorporates views and options of all players. Moreover, based on the available financial statistics, the business requires some external financial assistance to facilitate its long term development plan. Moreover, the level of the company market competition is relatively low compared to other global markets. The subsequent essay there fore offers and effective IT shoes business. The IT Shoes business intends to be the world leaders in ladies shoes. The company also intends to develop a good reputation in providing convenient means of selling goods through all marketing means including online marketing. Moreover, to effectively compete in modern market, the organisation ought to develop a good reputation for reliable delivery in local and international market. The organisation as well has a vision of becoming overall shoes dealers in European market. Products The company long term plan is to be in a position of providing convenient, trustworthy, and safe means of selling its products in local and global markets. A part from its current variety, the IT Shoes Company also plans to increase its variety by including other several emerging types of shoes. In the next five years, the IT Shoes Company is therefore planning to increase the variety of fashionable shoes, widen the variety of its shoes styles and colours, in crease the quality of shoes which is used to manufactures shoes, as well as selling half size shoes (Reuters 26). Expected Annual Sales and Profit for the year Sales $ 500,000 Expenses $ 450000 Profit $ 50000 Form of Payment IT Shoes business is planning to avail all forms of payment including EFTPOS and cash. The aim of this plan is to enable the company’s customers to purchase their products in large quantity at any time. On the other hand, the company is planning to ensure that, it fully abides by the existing regulations in their plans to introduce new payment mechanisms. At present, the IT Shoes Company relies on several forms of payments including cheques, money orders, master cards and visa. Key Partners The main aims of the involvement of partners in the business plan is to enable the company reduce its operation cost and increased the general profitability. Being the main targeted market areas, IT Shoes company key partners are night clubs and bars. Night clubs and b ars help the IT Shoes business to effectively market its products to its potential customers. On the other hand, vending machine providers are also the major partners of the company. In its plan, IT Shoes plans to distribute readymade products to its products to new markets areas. Value Proposition and Customer Relationship At present, the IT Shoes Company has successfully identified the existing value addiction gap in shoes industry. In its operations and marketing strategy, the IT Shoes Co

RA #6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RA #6 - Assignment Example Several possible solutions, including technical issues, computer failure, sick relatives, and acceptance of the mistake were presented. We agreed on accepting our mistake and seek for additional time. The other creative problem solving technique in a group set-up is the excursion technique. It is very useful for triggering group members to develop innovative thought patterns for formulate strategies. This method takes place in four five basic stages. In the first step, the consultant asks members to go for an imaginary excursion and take note of what they see. The second step involves creating analogies to what they saw with the problem at hand. Thirdly, each of these group members has to try and develop a solution from the analogy they created with what was seen in step one. In the fourth step, the participants share their experiences of the excursion: what they saw, analogies created, and solution. The final stage is more or less like brainstorming where the most suitable solution is

Iphone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Iphone - Essay Example With the latest iphone, they have a personal assistant assigned in the phone that can do functions of the phone with the user voice control. It is durable and has a great physical design which is the reason many are attracted to buy it. The unique design of this product makes it a unisex phone – it looks equally attractive with all. To top it off, apple provides all its amazing services in one product: the ipod music player, amazing camera, and a phone that can have applications customized according to your needs (Amit, 2007). One of the biggest disadvantages that the phone has is affordability. For majority of the population, buying the phone directly from Apple becomes a problem, but they can buy it from telecommunication companies on contracts for a lower amount. Another issue is Apple’s reluctance to introduce Flash in its system, barring the use of this amazing facility in the phone. It does not have a detachable battery that becomes an inconvenience sometimes to the user and no slot for expanding memory if

Statement of Purpose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Statement of Purpose - Essay Example Based on this, I am applying for the MSF at FIU. I am a Senior Finance major with experience and committed to improving my knowledge in financial strategy and solidifying my technical skills in order to return to my country and help in its financial development.   My strong interest to pursue a graduate degree emerged when I transferred to FIU after getting my AA degree from Miami Dade College. At Miami, I learned English in 6 months and went straight to MDC where I left with a GPA of 3.20 and were admitted into the undergraduate Finance program at FIU. While at MDC, I got a chance to go to China for a month during the summer, where I took Macro and Microeconomics and learned how to deal and socialize with people in an extremely different culture. Furthermore, I have been a member of ALPFA and AMA organizations from where I have learned how to build relationships and equip myself with what I need to be a successful professional. Many people find it unusual that I do not work while studying and that I want to get my graduate degree right after graduating from my undergraduate studies. I ascribe to the Luanda culture, of which people generally do not work while studying, but it is a personal choice to get my graduate degree right after my bachelor’s program. I chose to do this so that I can get an internship while pursuing my MSF in order to get hands-on experience before I go back to Angola. I am strongly convinced that I am ready and well prepared for this graduate program. It will expand my knowledge in finance, certainly equip me with experience working with financial software, and help me interact with knowledgeable and skillful people from different backgrounds. All these will make me more marketable and will probably help secure a good job in Angola. I believe that my background and goals are satisfactory for a master’s degree of Science in Finance at Florida International

Swimming pool policy evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Swimming pool policy evaluation - Essay Example The regulation states that I am sure that the other users of the facility will agree with me when I say that shutting down the facilities for 15 minutes 4 times a day takes away from the enjoyment that we expect to get when we come to the pool. In fact, the facilities are closed up to 6 times a day, depending upon the number of babies and children present at the pool on that day. This is not to say that we do not appreciate the concern of management towards the health safety of the pool users. It is after all, a well known fact that water borne illnesses are most often transferred through ingested pool water. With the prevalence of cryptosporidosis, the water borne diarrhea in most swimming water facilities, one can never be too cautious. Our community would of course, hate to see the facility shut down together with the other 12.1% of pools that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) shut down for health safety violations ( Spivey, 2). Closing the pool 4 times a day for cleaning is obviously part of the zeal and protectiveness that the pool administrators feel for the bathers. However, closing the pool 4 times a day to add chemicals and disinfectants to the water may not be the proper way to insure the cleanliness of the general pools. It may instead, be removing from the enjoyment of the swimmers and their family members. Even the Hyperchlorinization of the pool once a week does not improve the water enjoyment of the members. Instead, it poses a different kind of water borne health threat due to the Chloramine levels in the pool which cause mild to severe eye and respiratory inflammation among those exposed to it. As concerned members of this facility, we would like to suggest that certain changes be undertaken be in the cleaning policy in order to add instead of hinder the water enjoyment of the bathers. We would like

Anti Tobacco and No-Smoking Essay Example for Free

Anti Tobacco and No-Smoking Essay When you smoke or use smokeless tobacco, your risk of oral cancer goes through the roof. In fact, tobacco use accounts for most oral cancers. Smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes; using chewing tobacco; and dipping snuff are all linked to oral cancer. Heavy smokers who use tobacco for a long time are most at risk. The risk increases for tobacco users who drink alcohol heavily. Even the slickest of tobacco executives cant deny the statistics. The bottom lineis that three out of four oral cancers occur in people who use alcohol or tobacco, or both alcohol and tobacco. 1 Tobacco in any form is the enemy of good dental health. This is serious business–dont wait. Schedule a checkup and cleaning with the dentist or hygienist. It’s not an option—dental examinations that include a screening for oral cancer save lives. Oral cancer screening that is part of a dental checkup catches oral cancer early. As with most cancers, the earlier oral cancer is detected, the better a person’s chances for survival! 2 The laundry list of problems associated with smokeless tobacco is long enough—bad breath, stained teeth, loss of taste and smell, mouth (canker) sores, failure of dental implants, and oral cancer. Yet smoking and chewing tobacco are also the main suspects in gum recession, bone loss, and tooth loss associated with periodontal (gum) disease. Smokers who smoke less than a half a pack of cigarettes per day are almost three times more likely than nonsmokers to have periodontitis, according to a study by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 3 Now that we have your full attention, we’d like you to check the warning signs of oral disease: * Bleeding gums during brushing * Red, swollen, or tender gums Gums that have pulled away from the teeth * Persistent bad breath * Pus between the teeth and gums * Loose or separating teeth * A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite4 The theme of Dental Hygiene Month 2012 is Keep them healthy. Keep them clean. It highlights easy ways to fit first-rate oral health into an active and busy life. If you are thinking about quitting smokeless tobacco or smoking, you’ve actually taken a step toward keeping your mouth clean and healthy by reading this article! If you want to have a confidential chat with a trained professional about taking tobacco out of the picture,  you’re only a click away. You are young, strong, and able! Don’t give  smokeless tobacco  or cigarettes an inch, or they will take your smile. Celebrate Dental Hygiene Month or take action for healthy teeth and gums at any time by making your appointment for a check | Images of some people suffering from different diseases caused due to eating tobacco or smoking – | | | | | | | Stop eating tobacco and smoking†¦. Thank you

Ethical Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Ethical Decision Making Essay This is to bring to your kind notice that recently we have received a report from the quality assurance department regarding the toy collection which has been recently been made for elementary schools for our South American client. The toys made did not pass the quality check as it includes a metal whistle, which contains high percentage of led which is highly harmful for the children. The shipment needs to be left by the end of the week. There are three different alternatives that I would like to propose: Firstly, we should send the toys neglecting the quality report. This is not an ethical alternative as we are ignoring the quality report of the toys; this decision will highly impact the health of the children. Also, it is disadvantage of company in terms of financial and legal consideration because It is illegal sending unhealthy/uncertified thing as a brand new toy without notifying customer. Advantage is: This alternative would enable us to send the order on time and would save the cost to reproduce the toy. It is going to be advantage of company. Company has to do something in long term process. You can send the product and neglect the quality but if other part realized this issue, you will be lose your credit. Significant thing is realizing that it is going to disadvantage of company. Maybe your advantage will be saving money but it is going to just for this time. 100% make sure that they will realize this issue and give negative feedback about you. I want to give nice example about this situation. Last year Toyota Company called all its customers and informed that there is something wrong with new released cars` breaks. It needs to be fixed as soon as possible. It is fact that Toyota lost millions dollar but he saved his all customer and gain respect from all over the world. People saw that if any product goes wrong with this company they will be informed. This is important example for company that neglecting quality is going to earn you nothing. Your product is your responsibility. Ethics involves the community politics at the level of values–not just what can be achieved or how to achieve it, but more what should be fairness. Ignoring customers and neglecting quality is not the ethical way Secondly, we must reproduce and repack the toy collection with the assured quality and send to the customer. This alternative will lead to extend of the delivery of the toy to the customer and will entail the cost of $100000. This way is the best one. It will have some temporary disadvantages but you will get customers` respect. They will see that you are behind of your product and giving guarantee. It will cost huge money to company and some negative effects of extend deliver time but as I said in previous section best companies choose this way to satisfy their customers. Definition of ethic is: being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession. Breaking the profession is not ethical Way. This method is the ethical way you inform the company about your products and asking for extra time to reproduce. The last option is to cancel the order. This will affect the relationship with the customer. Also, it will affect the company negatively for future orders because since you cancel the order last minutes, your value on customer is going to be negative because time is money and company lose time because of you. Additionally, possible that they can post negative feedback about your company on website and it is going to very negative idea about your company on existed or new customers. Advantage is customers will see that this company does not sell any unhealthy or uncertified products. Also, selling unhealthy product is illegal and possible company may sue you. It will cost you thousands dollar. I mean it can affect you negatively in terms of financial. Customer maybe not going to buy anything from you again but they will see that you are producing brand new quality product. Possible they will refer you to other customers since you are behind of your product. Among the three alternatives, the best option is to choose on reproduce the toys again. Social Responsibility refers to operating a business in a manner that accounts for the social and environmental impact created by the business. It means a commitment to developing policies that integrate responsible practices into daily business operations. Social responsibility is not just about managing, reducing and avoiding risk, it is about creating pportunities, generating improved performance, making money and leaving the risks far behind. High performance workplaces that integrate the views of line employees into decision-making processes It is an ethical ideology that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. This responsibility can be passive, by avoiding engaging in socially harmful acts, or active, by performing activities that directly advan ce social goals. Businesses can use ethical decision making to secure their businesses by making decisions that allow for government agencies to minimize their involvement with the corporation. (Kaliski, 2001) Company has responsibility to produce quality product and spread it to market area. When company makes decisions, it should be long term decisions. Those steps must be considerate: Improving interpersonal communication. Differentiate the decision conditions of certainty, risk, and uncertainty. Understand why managing is a synonym for decision-making. Though it will entail huge cost but it will help in making the decision ethically and will build a strong relationship with the client and the company will have a stand in the market. The decision needs to taken considering ethical constraint and ethical issues. Report: Codes of ethics are in part designed to protect practitioners against charges of malpractice, for practitioners who practice within these accepted guidelines can use them as some creditable measure of defense in cases of accused malpractice. Generally in legal cases, a practitioners behavior is judged by comparing it to the behavior expected of other practitioners in the same profession and in similar situations in accordance with accepted standards of practice. This reflects the community standard, which is what practitioners actually do, as opposed to the ethical standard of what they should do. Compliance with the code of ethics establishing ethical (not merely actual) standards of practice has some measure of validity in legal proceedings. When faced with an ethical conflict it benefits practitioners to think in terms of formal codes of ethics as providing the first (but not the last) line of assistance in the decision-making process. Responding to Siebers conditions that result in ethical problems, and acknowledging that they may share similarities, several writers have developed models for ethical problem solving and decision making. Tymchuk (1981) developed procedural guidelines that can be used as an ethical decision-making model. The model begins with a thorough description of the situation and involves obtaining information from all relevant sources including the parties involved, sources in the literature, and collegial consultation. From the information that has been obtained the critical issues involved are ferreted out and defined. The codes of ethics or other professional guidelines may be helpful in seeking a possible resolution. These guidelines may include state or federal guidelines or laws, licensing statutes and other educational and resource material such as published case studies that are similar to this situation. This process may not provide the right answer and might expose contradictory information; however, failure to find and acknowledge appropriate policies may have consequences later. With this additional information, evaluation of the rights, responsibilities, and welfare of all affected parties (including the community and the profession) may be assessed. When the issues have been defined and the affected parties identified, alternative decisions regarding each issue may proceed. This should proceed without regard to feasibility; the decision not to make a decision should also be included at this time. This process is analogous to a brainstorming session where ideas are generated and judgment is reserved for a later stage. This allows for the development of an array of options, possibly including the best-fitting one of all. Allowing for the possibility of each decision is followed by critical evaluation of the consequences of each proposed action and the time and resources necessary to effect each decision. The consequences should also be viewed from the standpoint of both short-term and long-term effects and their relevance to all parties identified. Benefits of a code of ethics: A code of ethics is a very important part of an organizations Social Responsibility. A code of ethics is a set of rules or moral guidelines that define and govern principles and actions in an organizational environment. Ethical behavior is beneficial for everyone because it protects the interests of the company or organization and the interests of everyone who comes into contact with the organization. Mutual Respect and Integrity: A code of ethics promotes an environment of respect based on integrity. When people know the code of ethics and follow it, this creates an atmosphere of trust, respect and confidence in the actions of each person involved in the organization or group. In the presence of a written code of ethics, employees at a company, for instance, are expected to behave a certain way toward each other and toward customers Trust and Honesty: Another benefit of a code of ethics is trust. Rules promote trust, especially when they are followed consistently. Management, who take the code of ethics seriously, gains the trust of their fellow employees. Those who work for the organization know that they will be protected in any situation Responsibility: When people take responsibility for their actions, everyone benefits. Responsibility is accountability and honesty, and holding yourself accountable promotes these good character traits in others who see them in you. This helps to create a cohesive and productive work force Code of Ethics Analysis: A code of ethics holds the mutual respect, honest, time, profession accountable to the public. If all employees commit to following a common code of ethics, it will produce mutual respect, honest and coherence among coworkers and organizations. I want to approach the situation with an example below: Presently Nokia is the world’s largest mobile telephone device manufacture. It is the most admired brand, ranking 5th position. Initially Nokia started as pulp industry in 1865 then in next 100 years it emerged as a powerful industrial conglomerate. The purpose of code of ethics for Nokia is to deter wrongdoing as well as promoting the standard of good corporate practices in the industry. The code of Ethics of the company applied to its CEO, President, CFO and Corporate Controller. The code of conduct of the company reveals that it aspires towards becoming the most aspired and loved brand in the world by considering not just what the company does but also how it does. The code of ethics of Nokia sets its approach towards ethical and sustainable business practices which is based mainly on the high ethical standards. The company respects and promotes human rights as well as fair workplace practices, equal employment opportunities, sustainable business in accordance with the environment and lastly zero-tolerance policy towards bribery and corruption. As the company products are technologically driven, so the user requirements are highly volatile. Nokia has to keep the pace and satisfy the consumer . There is always a progressive and continuous increase in customer involvement with technology and communications globally. The corporate practices of the company includes honest and ethical conduct, ethical handling of conflicts of interest, fairly and timely disclosures regarding all necessary information including the effectiveness of company’s control and procedures, compliance with laws and regulations of the state in which it is operating, and reporting of illegal as well as unethical behavior by any official of the company. When we look at the top companies, they always based mainly on the high ethical standards Importing thing is taking most improving companies as an example and implement their nice ideas in our companies. Finally, the probability of the actual occurrence of any of the identified consequences should be carefully weighed. Following the above process to completion results in as full a disclosure as is possible pertaining to the facts and circumstances relevant to the situation. Based on this, a decision is rendered. Ideally, this information (decision) should be shared with all parties involved to the extent possible. The decision that needs to be taken should highly focus on ethical issues and constraints.

Female Foeticide In India

Female Foeticide In India India is a country of incredible ironies. It is a land where people worship myriad forms of female Shakti in quest of wealth, wisdom and power. In this country it is a common sight to see thousands of couples making arduous journeys every year to shrines of goddesses in order to be blessed with a child. But strangely enough, in this country, a couple is said to be ‘blessed only when it has a male child; for a girl is never considered a blessing in our society. Her birth seems to cast a pall of gloom over the entire family. Her birth is not rejoiced, instead the entire family moans. Gender biasness had been the typical attitude of the patriarchal Indian society since time immemorial. The Vedas contained passages which emphasized the necessity of son. ‘May you be the mother of a hundred sonshave always been a popular blessing by elders to young brides. It is indeed an undeniable fact that despite differences in social and intellectual status, almost all the sections of the society do stand on the same platform so far as their craving for male child is concerned. On the other hand, daughters are unwanted, they are considered burdensome and people who do not dare to carry this ‘burden for long dispose them off as quickly as possible, for in Incredible India, ‘killing of the girl child is no sin. Initially the girl child was put to death brutally, being throttled, poisoned or drowned in a bucket of water right after her birth. These had been the common practices followed particularly in the rural areas. However the evil of killing the girl child no longer remained confined to the rural people but equally attracted the urban population too who, despite being educated, seem to show a strong preference for the male child and the subsequent avoidance of the female child. The rapid advancement of science and technology proved a boon for these people as this had made the diabolic slaughter of the female child much easier and more sophisticated than before. The benefits of science, as usual, has again been misused by mankind and today by dint of the pre-natal sex determination tests, the female fetuses are selectively aborted. Hence we can say that in the modern era another shameful chapter has been added to the saga of oppression and exploitation meted out to women, in the form of ‘Female Foeticide. It is indeed heartening that in recent times when India boasts of its scientific achievements and discoveries, when the pages of textbooks are flooded with slogans of ‘Shining India, women in India are not only facing inequality and inequity in every sphere but they are denied even the right to be born. What is Female Foeticide? As a medical term, foeticide is destruction of a fetus. The term ‘Female Foeticide may be defined as the elimination of a female foetus at any stage of pregnancy, after determining its sex. It is also defined as killing of female foetus through induced abortion.Hence ‘Female Foeticide refers to the process of aborting a foetus if, after undergoing sex determination tests or pre-natal diagnostics tests, it is revealed that the foetus is female. In other words, it implies the barbarous act of killing the girl child in the womb itself, unseen and unheard, only for the fact that she is female. The misuse of medical science has facilitated the rapid growth of this heinous crime in the society today. A number of medical procedures are carried out to determine the sex of the unborn child such as : Amniocentesis Ultrasonography Foetoscopy Chorionic villi biopsy Placental tissue sampling etc. Out of these the most commonly used sex-determination test is amniocentesis. It was meant to be used as an aid to detect any abnormality in the unborn child. But over the years, especially since 1978, amniocentesis has become a widely used test by doctors to determine the sex of the foetus between 14-18 weeks of pregnancy. The ultrasound technique has also gained huge popularity. The trans-vaginal sonography has enabled to determine the sex of a foetus within 13-14 weeks of pregnancy and through abdominal ultrasound, sex determination is possible within 14-16 weeks. Whatever be the method employed, the reality is that these methods have made sex determination quite easier and cheaper, thereby encouraging the growth of Female Foeticide at a high rate. Reasons for High Rate of Female Foeticide in India: It has been widely accepted nowadays that girls are emotionally more attached to parents, more responsible in society and by no means less competent than boys. However withstanding all this, the typical orthodox Indian attitude accompanied with several socio-economic-cultural factors pervading in the society has always upheld the need of male child and disfavored the birth of girl child in the family. This has immensely contributed to the rampant growth of female foeticide in the country, thus making India one of the worst nations in the world plagued with skewed sex ratio. The most prominent factors encouraging Female Foeticide in India are listed below: i) Religious factors: The Hindu religion lays great stress on the birth of a son. In a Hindu patriarchal society it is the son who continues the family lineage or ‘Vansh. According to Manu, a man cannot attain moksha unless he has a son to light his funeral pyre. Also, it says a woman who gives birth to only daughters may be left in the eleventh year of marriage.Such gender biased customs and practices in the traditional Hindu society has over-emphasized the birth of sons and discouraged the birth of girl child in the family, thus paving the way for Female Foeticide. ii) Evil of Dowry:Dowry is essentially one of the factors which has encouraged the practice of Female Foeticide to a great extent. Parents find it a better option to avoid the female fetuses itself than to pay exorbitant rates in the form of ‘dowry while marrying off their daughters. Hence in order to escape from dowry people desperately go for sex selection tests and eliminate the female foetus. To most of the couples, especially the middle-class ones, it appears that ‘paying Rs. 500 at present is better than to pay Rs.5,00,000 in future.Conversely, the boy is viewed an asset to fetch fabulous dowry for the parents. Hence boys are naturally preferred to girls. iii)Financial Dependence of Females on Husband or In laws: In India, the socio-economic background has also been the villain behind the tragic female foeticide. Certain communities want to get rid of female child compelled by the circumstances of dehumanizing poverty, unemployment, superstition and illiteracy. iv) Secondary status of women in society: It is generally expected that sons would carry the family lineage forward, provide security and care to parents especially in old age, enhance family wealth and property and perform the last rites and rituals. Whereas daughters would go to anothers house draining out all the family wealth. Moreover they always need to be protected, defended and taken care of , thus imposing an extra burden over the family. Such conservative attitude of the Indian society which essentially regards women a ‘burden is one of the most potent factors which has induced strong son preference and hence encouraged Female Foeticide. All this factors clearly point out that the ever existing gender biasness in our country favoring the male and the stereotype notion of women as ‘burden is the primary cause acting behind the shocking statistics of Female Foeticide in India. Genesisand Growth of Female Foeticide in India: The Chilling Reality The devil of Female Foeticide first crept into the Indian society through the corridors of the northern states which engaged in gross misuse of amniocentesis.Amniocentesis first started in India in 1974 as a part of a sample survey conducted at the All India Institute of Medial Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to detect foetal abnormalities. These tests were later stopped by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), but their value had leaked out by then and 1979 saw the first sex determination clinic opening in Amritsar, Punjab. Even though women organizations across the country tried their best to put a stop to this new menace, but were helpless because of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971 which permitted the amniocentesis test as it claimed to be used for detection of foetal abnormalities,. According to the MTP Act, if any abnormality is detected between 12 to 18 weeks of gestational period in the foetus, an abortion can be legally carried out up to 20 weeks of pregna ncy. [5] Owing to this provision, amniocentesis could not be banned and its gross misuse continued. Although responding to the situation certain legal steps had been initiated by the government, however, the evil of Female Foeticide could not be curbed out but rather with the passage of time it has become all the more sdangerous. Today the issue of Female Foeticide in India is no longer only an issue of violation of womens rights only but rather it has become a chronic disease. It has become so widespread all over the country today that day by day we are actually inching closer to a nation without women. Weird it may sound, but the shocking statistics revealing the distorted sex ratio in our country compel us to accept this truth. According to the United Nations an estimated 2,000 unborn girls are illegally aborted every day in India. Another glaring example is the demographic profile of India which clearly indicates the profoundness and wide spread prevalence of female foeticide. India is a country of 102.7 crore population, out of which 53.1 crores is of males and 49.6 crores is of females, clearly indicating a deficit of 3.5 crore women. The sex ratio is 933 women /1000 men and child sex ratio is 927 girls for 1000 boys[6]. The intensity of this heinous crime in our country is revealed by the following figures: Sex Ratio(females per thousand males),India: 1901-2001 Year Sex-Ratio 1901 972 1911 964 1921 955 1931 950 1941 945 1951 946 1961 941 1971 930 1981 934 1991 929 2001 933 Thus as per these statistics reveal, the overall sex ratio in India is 933 females for every 1000 males, showing a marginal increase of 4 points from the 1991 census of 929. However, this is a very sorry state indeed and we are doing much worse than over a hundred years ago when the sex ratio was 972 in 1901, 946 in 1951 till the 933 today. The Trend of sex ratios in the age group of 0-6 years all over India Years Sex Ratio 1961 976 1971 964 1981 962 1991 945 2001 933 The above table clarifies that more and more baby girls have either been aborted or killed as infants since 1961 and that this trend continues strong even today. The intensity of sex ratio imbalance in the 0-6 age group in some states of India is indeed horrifying. In Punjab the sex ratio is (793 F: 1000 M), in Haryana it is (820 F: 1000 M), in Himachal Pradesh it is (897 F: 1000 M), in Gujarat it is (878 F: 1000 M). Recent government figures show that in South Delhi, the sex ratio is 762 females per 1000 males, while in Mumbais Borivalli its 728 females per 1000 males. In Jaipur itself, an average of 3500 instances of female foeticide is supposed to be carried per year. These figures undoubtedly point out that the country, is witnessing today the systematic extermination of the female child on a large scale. All most the whole of the country is under the grip of this menace. The following table estimates the intensity of Female Foeticide in the various states of India: States Showing High Foeticide Percentage State Female Foeticide ( percent to All India) Maharashtra 45.1 Madhya Pradesh 15.4 Haryana 14.3 Rajasthan 9.9 Andhra Pradesh 8.8 From the above table we find that ironically the developed and the richest states of India are the toppers in the list where female foeticide is extensive. According to UNICEF study done over 3 years (1994-1996), there are only five states in India where no case of foeticide or infanticide have been reported which are Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Jammu Kashmir. An improvement in the child sex ratio whatsoever has only been marked in one state, Kerala, and two Union Territories, Lakshwadeep and Pondicherry. The reports published by various agencies also throw considerable light on this grim reality. The UN reports reveal that between 35 to 40 million girls missing from the Indian population. According to a study conducted recently in India, the first systematic study on female foeticide by an Indo-Canadian team, 10 million female foetuses have been aborted in India, What all the more shocking is according to its report every year, about 50,000 unborn girls-one in every 25-are aborted in India . The UNPFA report on â€Å"India Towards Population and Development Goals† published in 1997 also expressed its concern over the issue. It is estimated that 48 million women were ‘missing from Indias population. The report states â€Å"If the sex ratio of 1036 females per 1000 males observed in some states of Kerala in 1991 had prevailed in the whole country, the number of would be 455 million instead of the 407 million (in the 1991 census). Thus, there is a case of between 32 to 48 million missing females in the Indian society as of 1991 that needs to be explained.† It further stated that, â€Å"The 1991 census is only indicative of this disturbing trend when elsewhere in the world women outnumber men by 3 to 5 percent. There are 95 to 97 males to 100 females in Europe; the ratio is even less, 88 males to 100 females, in Russia, mainly due to causalities of World War 2†. According to the UNICEF report, 40 to 50 million girls have gone missing from Indian population since 1901 as a result of systematic gender discrimination in India. Thus in consideration of all these facts it is quite evident that Female Foeticide has taken a disastrous shape in India. It is the distressing reality of Shining India that the mass depletion of the fairer sex is being carried on boldly without any hesitation, without any fear. Laws in India to Check Female Foeticide : In India in order to stop the indiscriminate abortion of female fetuses several laws have been enacted. The essential provisions relating to the prevention of Female Foeticide are laid down in: Indian Penal Code 1860 The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act,1971 The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 a) Indian Penal Code 1860:Under the IPC adequate provisions have been made for the protection of mother and unborn child. Under Section 312, 313and 314, the IPC provides to save the women from miscarriage. Miscarriage means the expulsion of the child or foetus from the mothers womb at any period of pregnancy before the term of gestation is completed. Though the term â€Å"miscarriage† is not defined in the I.P.C in its popular sense, it is synonymous with abortion, and consists in the explosion of the embryo or foetus, i.e. the immature product of conception. The stage at which pregnancy has advanced and the form which the ovum or embryo may have assumed are immaterial.Any act intended, not in good faith to cause miscarriage is punishable under IPC. The punishment for this offence is further enhanced if the woman is ‘quick with child. The term ‘Quickening refers to the peculiar sensations experienced by a woman about the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. The symp toms are popularly ascribed to the first perception of the movement of the foetus. According to Section 312 if any person causes a miscarriage of woman, he shall be punished with the imprisonment up to three years or fine or with both, and if the woman be quick with child, he shall be punished with imprisonment up to seven years and fine also. Under this section a woman who causes her miscarriage or gives consent to miscarry is also liable for punishment. Section 313 provides the punishment for life or ten years and fine, who causes the miscarriages of a woman without her consent. In the case of Tulsi Devi v. State of U.P, the accused women kicked a pregnant woman in her abdomen resulting in miscarriage. She was held to be convicted under Section 313. Section 314further provides that if the act directed to cause miscarriage results in death of the pregnant woman, the offender is punishable with imprisonment of ten years as well as with fine. However the IPC permits abortion for saving the life of the pregnant women. Section 312 allows the termination of pregnancy in good faith for saving the life of the pregnant woman. The term good faith, however, is not a constant term but it is varied from case to case. The General Clauses Act 1897 defines good faith as, â€Å"A thing shall be deemed to be done in good faith where it is, in fact done honestly.† IPC defines good faith as â€Å"Nothing is said to be done or believed in good faith which is done or believed without due care and attention†. In addition to these, Section 315 and 316 provides for protection against injuries to the unborn child. Section 315 lays down that any person doing an act without good faith with the intention of preventing a child to be born or to cause it die after birth is punishable with imprisonment of ten tears or fine or both. Section 316 provides if a person causes the death of a quick unborn child by an act amounting to culpable homicide he shall be punishable with imprisonment for ten years as well as be fined. Like the Indian law, protection to the unborn child has also been recognized and guaranteed in other countries too. Such as in the United States thirty-five states currently recognize the unborn child or fetus as a homicide victim. 25 of those states apply this principle throughout the period of pre-natal development while 10 establish protection at some later stage, which varies from state to state. For example, the Supreme Court of California treats the killing of a fetus as homicide, but does not treat the killing of an embryo (prior to approximately eight weeks) as homicide. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act enacted in 2004 recognizes the ‘child in utero as a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb. This ‘child in utero is recognized as a legal victim if he or she is injured or killed during the commission of any of 68 existing federal crimes of violence and offered legal remedy as per the state laws. However, the f ederal and state courts have consistently held that these laws do not apply to apply to legal induced abortions and do not contradict the U.S. Supreme Courts rulings on abortion.But unlawful abortion however may be considered foeticide, even if the pregnant woman consents to the abortion..Similarly the English law also gives protection to the unborn child. It recognizes ‘Child Destruction as a crime. ‘Child destruction refers to the crime of killing a child capable of being born alive, before it has a separate existence. The Crimes Act 1958 defined capable of being born alive as 28 weeks gestation, later reduced to 24 weeks. b)The Medical Termination Of Pregnancy Act, 1971: The MTP Act is another attempt to prevent high rate of female foeticide in India. This Act aims in preventing large number of unsafe abortions. The Act clearly states that an abortion can be termed legal only when- Termination is done by a medical practitioner approved by the Act Termination is done at a place approved under the Act Termination is done for conditions and within the gestation prescribed by the Act Other requirements of the rules regulations are complied with. It permits termination of pregnancy only when Continuation of pregnancy constitutes risk to the life or grave injury to the physical or mental health of woman or there is a substantial risk of physical or mental abnormalities in the fetus as to render it seriously handicapped or if pregnancy caused by rape (presumed grave injury to mental health) or due to contraceptive failure in married couple (presumed grave injury to mental health).However termination of pregnancy is possible Upto 20 weeks of gestation period only With the consent of the woman. If the woman is below 18 years or is mentally ill, then with consent of a guardian With the opinion of a registered medical practitioner, formed in good faith, under certain circumstances With the opinion of two RMPs required for termination of pregnancy between 12 and 20 weeks. Also such abortion is to be conducted either at a hospital established or maintained by Government or at a place approved for the purpose of this Act by a District-level Committee constituted by the government with the CMHO as Chairperson. Thus this Act on one hand positively aims to improve the maternal health scenario by upholding the validity of legally induced abortions and negatively, on the other hand, seeks to reduce illegal abortions. Also it is to be noted that such strict principles laid down by the Act for the regulation of abortion is a bold attempt by the Indian Legislature to check Female Foeticide. The Act seeks to put an end to the menace of illegal abortions carried out primarily for the elimination of female fetuses. c) The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulations and Prevention of Misuse) Act 1994:The PNDT Act is the outcome of the realization of the Parliament that a central piece of legislation had become mandatory for stopping the abuse of pre natal diagnostic techniques. When it was quite evident from the mushroom growth of clinics all over that the pre-natal diagnostic techniques were not restricted for the purpose of detection of genetic disorders or chromosomal abnormalities or congenital abnormalities or sex-linked diseases only but was actually leading to female foeticide, for the first time in India, in 1986, a social action group in Mumbai namely the Forum Against Sex Determination and Sex Pre-selection (FASDSP), initiated a campaign. On its pressure the Maharashtra government enacted the Maharashtra Regulation of Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act 1988, which was the first anti sex determination drive in the country. This was followed by a similar Act being introduced in Punjab in May 1994. However both these Acts were repealed by the enactment of a central legislation, i.e. the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act 1994, which came into effect from 01.01.1996, banning sex determination tests all over the country. This Act was renamed in 2002 as the Pre- Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 (PCPNDT Act) which came to effect from 14.02.2003. The PCPNDT Act chiefly provides for : Prohibition of sex selection, before and after conception. Regulation of prenatal diagnostic techniques (e.g. aminocentesis and ultrasonography) for detection of genetic abnormalities, by restricting their use to registered institutions. The Act allows the use of these techniques only at a registered institutions .The Act allows the use of these techniques only at a registered place for a specified purpose and by a qualified person, registered for this purpose. Prevention of misuse of such techniques for sex selection before or after conception. Prohibition of advertisement of any technique for sex selection as well as sex determination. Prohibition on sale of ultrasound machines to persons not registered under this Act. Punishment for violations of the Act. This Act requires that all diagnostic centres must be registered with the authorities. They are required to maintain detailed records of all pregnant women undergoing scans there. These records must include the referring doctor, medical and other details of the woman, reason for doing the scan, and signatures of the doctors. These records must be submitted to the authorities periodically. For implementing the Act, â€Å"appropriate authorities† are appointed at the state level and work with the director of health services, a member of a womens organization and an officer of the law. At the district level, the appropriate authority is the medical officer or civil surgeon. Advisory committees consisting of doctors, social workers and people with legal training assist appropriate authorities. Supervisory boards at the state and central levels look at the implementation of the Act. The appropriate authority may cancel the diagnostic centres registration, make independent investiga tions, take complaints to court, and take appropriate legal action. It may demand documentation, search premises, and seal and seize material. Courts may respond only to complaints from the appropriate authority. Under the Act the following people can be charged-everyone running the diagnostic unit for sex selection, mediators who refer pregnant women to the test, and relatives of the pregnant woman. The pregnant woman is considered innocent under the Act, â€Å"unless proved guilty†. So far as penalties under the Act are concerned, it consists of imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to Rs. 10,000. This is increased to five years and Rs. 100,000 for subsequent offences. Doctors charged with the offence will be reported to the State Medical Council, which can take the further necessary action including suspension. These are the three chief legislative measures initiated in India for combating the evil of Female Foeticide. Judicial Response to Female Foeticide in India: The Indian Judiciary has from time to time come up with ingenious ways to provide protection to the fairer sex and this essentially includes the group of unborn girls too. The Supreme Court in the case of â€Å"Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT) and others v.Union of India† which was filed under section 32 of the Constitution of India under PIL issued directions to Central Supervisory Board, all State Governments and Union Territories for proper and effective implementation of the PCPNDT Act which mandates that sex selection by any person, by any means, before or after conception, is prohibited. Since 2001, the judiciary has been closely monitoring the implementation of its various orders passed regarding the ban on the use of ultrasound scanners for conducting such tests. Subsequently, it had sought status reports from all states and Union Territories. The Supreme Court also directed 9 companies to supply the information of the machines sold to various clinics in the last 5 years.. Addresses received from the manufacturers were also sent to concerned states and to launch prosecution against those bodies using ultrasound machines that had filed to get themselves registered under the Act. The court directed that the ultrasound machines/scanners be sealed and seized if they were being used without registration. The Supreme Court also asked three associations viz., The Indian Medical Association [IMA], Indian Radiologist Association [IRA], and the Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Societies of India [FOGSI] to furnish details of members using these machines. It is to be noted that since the Supreme Court had issued such directives, 99 cases were registered and in 232 cases ultrasound machines, other equipment and records were seized Today there is an estimated 25000 ultrasound machines in the country, of these 15000 have been registered, owing to the efforts of the Judiciary. The Supreme Court in the case of Mr. Vijay Sha rma and Mrs. Kirti Sharma vs. Union of India the Supreme Court has recently quoted that â€Å" foeticide of girl child is a sin; such tendency offends dignity of women. It undermines their importance. It violates womans right to life. It violatesArticle39(e) of theConstitutionwhich states the principle of state policy that the health and strength of women is not to be abused. It ignores Article51A (e) of theConstitutionwhich states that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women. The architects of the MTPA, 1971, have not taken into consideration the fundamental rights of the foetus to be born. It is submitted that ‘life exists in the foetus while in the womb of the mother and in this context Article 21 of the constitution of India is applicable to unborn person as well.† Current Scenario of the extent of Female Foeticide in India subsequent to the Legislative initiatives and Judicial attempts: It is quite unfortunate that in India despite enactment of effective laws there has been a little change in the psychology and behavior in the people who still have a damn care attitude in causing the death of that most vulnerable being in India the female foetus. The PCPNDT Act has not been successful to curb out this menace completely but has somewhere or the other contributed to the mushroom growth of private clinics all over the country where people desperately visit for conducting sex selective abortions. Another shameful picture which has come out is that of the doctor community, more often labeled as Gods in our country, are seen to commit a blatant violation of law as well as medical ethics. The zeal with which Female F