McDonaldization Essay -- essays research papers

People At Work Coursework Question   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To what extent do you consider this concept of the McDonaldization of society disturbing, expected or inevitable, for employees in the twentifirst century. Also the possible consequences for theories of human motivation and whether the concept applies equally to all jobs. In this paper I will be analysing the effects McDonaldization has on society and the employees of the twentifirst century. I will be discussing whether McDonaldization is to be expected, accepted, rejected or is inevitable. I will also be arguing that McDonaldization does effect employee motivation, and how it fits in the numerous theories on motivation. McDonaldization as defined by George Ritzer is â€Å"the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of society†. This concept originally stems from the concept of bureaucracy, which was a type of organisational structure that aimed to rationalise and standardise its products and services and the processes it took to produce them. McDonaldization differs somewhat from bureaucracy as it concerns itself with its five main points: Efficiency, Calculatability, Predictability and Control. For the emphasis to be on these points it has an effect on employee’s jobs. Often it involves the de-skilling of the employees, under McDonaldization employees do not need a wide range of skills, In fact just to be productive they only need to know how to complete a single task. This has numerous benefits for the organisation, primarily it cuts down on training costs as it does not cost much to train for low skilled jobs, and as these jobs are so low skilled employees can be paid minimum wage. It also leaves employees with little bargaining power as staff can be replaced so easily. Jobs often become standardised and continually repetitive and leave room for little or free thinking or initiative to be employed. Staff are often replaced or governed by technological changes. However it is argued that the effects McDonaldization has on employees depends on the many variables surrounding your job i.e. public or private, Blue collar (professional) or white collar (menial) jobs or simply the type of industry retail, service or tertiary. Public sector jobs tend to be as less affected by McDonaldization than pr... ...n, Supervision, Working Conditions, Relationships, Salary, Status and Security. As I outlined in previous paragraphs that McDonaldization has a negative impact on all these things. Herzbergs model also names motivators as being achievement, recognition, interest in tasks, responsibility and advancement. McDonaldization by design makes it more difficult to make big achievements and even harder to be recognised for them. With the standardisation of many jobs interest in the tasks are unlikely to play a big part in motivation. Increased responsibility, growth and advancement have also been negatively effected by McDonaldization and opportunities for either of these motivators is become bleak. Overall one can see that the effects McDonaldization have had on society and its employees tend to be negative ones. But the reason it is so widespread is because huge organisations rely on it as a means to maximise profit. But is the price too high for the rest of us to bear. It plays as a de-motivator, effects our everyday thinking. References George Ritzer ‘The McDonaldization Of Society’ Abraham Maslow Fredrick Herzberg Dr Ellen Langer Mullins Buchanan & Huczynski

Island :: essays research papers

I came to the conclusion that Langston was writing about te struggle to freedom for blacs. Lanston Hughes wrote about racism often in his poems, and this particular poem seems to follow that pattern. Hughes gives the feeling of loneliness and dismay at the fact that he is not considered equal to white people. The poem represents the struggle for freedom and to be considered equal. The speaker conveys a feeling of sadness and loneliness in the tone of their voice, as stated in the opening sentence of the poem. "Wave of sorrow", expresses the sadness, by the speaker who I interpret to be a black person caught up in the struggle to have equal right. Hughes uses language that is used in everday life. There are no obsolete of slang words incorporated in the course of the poem. The author uses static imagery, painting a picture of an island standing alone by itself off in the distance. I see a sunny, smoothe sandy island surrounded by cal waters and a warm atmosphere. Langston Hughes uses four stanzas which are all couplets written in closed form. The rhyme scheme is an end rhyme with the pattern ab cb cd ad. This is a unique poem structure with the first line reapeating itself again in line seven, and the third line repeating itself again in line five. This is a lyric poem, meditation, which in this case th physical object is the island. The rhythm is set to be short quck verses with pauses to lead into each couplet. The word choice of the poem is use to keep the poem's structure short and compact. The word order is slightly different from normal use. The unconventional syntax is used to create a rhyme scheme. I decided to do this poem because of the versatility of the meaning. The way Hughes writes "Island" it leaves the reader to develop their own opinions of the author's meaning. This poem can be interpreted in many different ways, for instance: I also thought that this poem could mean a person is close to reaching their goal and by saying "Wave of sorrow, Take me there", I interpreted that as meaning they needed some sort of motivation to point

Discussing Business and Communications

When someone mentions the word communication, one†s thoughts turn to a newspaper, the radio, television, or another more common means of mass-type communication. One does not usually make the connection between communication and other institutions such as business. Good business, however, goes hand in hand with good communication. Good managers and professionals realize that the ability to communicate is not a silly frill; it†s a necessity that helps all accomplish their work (Murphy 2). Therefore the question is often posed: Are these problems of poor communications that face managers and professionals becoming more and more critical? The evidence suggests the answer to be yes- these problems are serious and are growing more and more serious everyday. John O. Morris, a Management Communications Consultant consolidates this problem into a single statement called the Morris Maxim. It states that â€Å"Communications problems grow much faster in any organization than the organization itself grows† (Morris 3). This maxim emphasizes the need for better communication in organizations such as big business through the implication of what would happen if that organization did not fix it†s structure to better handle increasing communication needs. However, before dealing with a solution to the problem of communication in business, (frequently dubbed business speak) it is important to understand how big business operates. Big business was created in the mid-1800†³s to organize corporations such as the railroad, oil and steel industries. At that time, the only other organizations that had a similar size and structure were the Roman Catholic Church and the United States Army. These organizations are extremely authoritative in nature, and use a system of hierarchical communication. This translates into a business organization/communication style which is basically condescending in nature and is based primarily on status . Business speak is often straight, to the point, and beneficial to the individual speaking first, and to others second. This shows its hierarchical origins in that very often, the speaker is one who will use one or more power strategies, mostly the perception that someone can inflict negative consequences. Other issues in business communications include lack of responsibility in the upper ranks of the hierarchy, lack of training in good communications for the majority of employees, and lack of honest, direct conversation between business and it†s customers. These problems need to be fixed for a business to truly succeed, and can be fixed if managers and high-ranking officials take the initiative and implement a few simple and straightforward techniques into their business styles. Current problems facing business communications deal mainly with the apparent lack of functional inter-level communication. That is, communication employees as well as customers can understand. One of the main reasons behind this lack of understandable communication is that there are some many ways to avoid good communication and maintain the status quo for the short term. These mostly pertain to issues brought to a company from outside sources. These include letters of complaint, inquiries from government bodies such as the Federal Trade Commission, and published evaluations (i. e. editorials, product reviews). Instead of addressing these issues head-on and dealing with them, companies are more likely to dodge responsibility. There are 2 main ways to dodge accountability: denial and evasion of responsibility (Benoit, 90). In using denial, a corporation or employee refuses any wrong-doing, and usually transfers blame to another company or employee, often one that is lower on the â€Å"corporate ladder†. This is similar to evasion of responsibility, which often names scapegoats. In addition to that, evasion tactics often claim that any wrong-doing was an accident, or that the intentions behind their actions were good. These tactics allow for excuses to be made and for responsibility to be forgotten. Lastly, some companies will refuse to accept any wrongdoing, and simply fix the problem. This was the case when Tylenol was accused of allowing their merchandise to be tampered by not putting a safety seal on their product†s bottle. This prompted Tylenol†s executives to start sealing their bottles, but they never accepted responsibility for not sealing them in the first place (Benoit 92). This is just one example of a company distancing itself from blame. In order for there to be good communication, corporations must begin accepting responsibility for their actions, and begin making sound business decisions based on what the customer wants and needs. This would be most advantageously served with clear communication between a company and it†s customers. On the whole, communications between companies and customers are based on a â€Å"need to know† basis. There are exceptions to this rule, however. One company has done an increasingly good job in maintaining good communications lines with it†s customers. Intel, Inc. s a computer micro-processor firm that controls over 90% of the computer chip-set industry (Yahoo Tech Headlines). In their annual report, Intel†s top executives announced the creation of a â€Å"sort of R&D lab and strategic think tank to the industry† in which â€Å"we (will) work with PC makers, software developers and PC users to understand their future needs and wishes, and work intensely with industry leaders to develop products or specifications that meet those needs†. In doing so, Intel has opened a direct link to it†s customers, allowing for direct customer impact on some of Intel†s management and directional decisions. However, even the most open and direct company is not without it†s business speak. The following was taken from the same annual report, under the heading â€Å"Taking responsibility for our own growth†: We know we can't wait for growth to come to us. We are responsible for our own future and work to make it as successful as possible by removing roadblocks to PC platform growth, developing preference for the Intel Inside(R) brand among PC users and supporting emerging PC markets around the world. Together, these strategies build value for our stockholders, which is, after all, our most important goal. While this may look like a positive, non-aggressive statement, one finds a different meaning when looking at it from a business speak point of view. The most obvious example of business speak is the phrase â€Å"removing roadblocks to PC platform growth†. Basically stated, Intel wants to buyout or take-over any companies that might stand in the way of allowing Intel to control the industry. If Intel were to come right out and say this, there would be massive investigations from government and consumer groups that would plague Intel for years. Therefore, by tailoring what they tell their customers and stockholders, they are dodging a bullet and enforcing a hierarchical position over it†s customers and stockholders. However, customers are not the only one†s often left in the dark on business decisions. Sometimes, even high ranking officials are not consulted and are left to adapt to a change they had no say in. Such was the case with James Bennett, CEO of Picadilly Cafeterias, Inc. In 1986, then chief financial officer Bennett sat in a meeting and listened as Picadilly†s CEO announced plans to change the recipes of some of their most popular items. These changes were to be unannounced and were never tested or approved internally. There was no communication between the CEO and the company. James Bennett quit later that week and Picadilly†s sales plummeted from $11 a share to $6 (Forbes, 63). In 1992, Bennett was back in action, this time as CEO. He began a comprehensive overhaul that brought back the â€Å"good home cooking† that was the Picadilly tradition. â€Å"I†m just going back to ways that have always worked† (Forbes, 63). Those ways included clear communication between customer and company, as well as between employer and employee. That difference has translated into profit: shares in Picadilly are now worth $14 a piece (Forbes 64). He proved that a business can not be run on a spreadsheet alone. Knowledge in the area of communication, even if at the most elementary level is one of the key factors in a successful employment history. In a survey of 13,586 of its college graduates, General Electric Company found that the great majority of its employees cited written and verbal communication as the college training that had contributed most to their success in business (Zelko 7). It for this reason that many colleges have reported an increase in enrollment in communications classes. In addition to college courses, companies are now beginning to take the initiative and teach their current employees communications skills. This in-service of sorts can be accomplished very efficiently if a few guidelines are met. These include the establishment of an informal and permissive climate, the establishment of the value and importance of the training, and general across-the-board participation- that is, contributions to the group from all of it†s members (Zelko, 8). These guidelines ensure that the environment will be right to help educate the employee that is not versed in communication. This training can be a catalyst in the growth of a business, as well as helping to create a work-friendly environment that encourages productivity (Murphy 9). The American Management Association calls the ability to communicate a â€Å"vital skill of management†, and declare that â€Å"progressive companies now recognize (this ability)†. It is important to improve not only downward communication , but upward communication as well. Values of good downward communication include the ability to help a manager†s authority to be accepted, an evocation of cooperation that helps to solve problems, and a general expression of a more friendly atmosphere that builds morale everywhere (Murphy 281). Values of enhanced upward communication include the ability to forewarn top management of employees† reaction to policies, clarification of directives, and ability to offer valuable ideas to supervisors (Murphy 281). These values can help improve business exponentially, mostly due to the combined efforts of employees and their supervisors. When upward and downward communication has been established, the major problems dealing with communications in business will be eliminated. The hierarchy that is big business will become less prominent, and the business will function much better. A basic analogy that sums up hierarchical structure in business is this- when times are rough, a car that uses both the front and rear tires to move will make out better than a car that uses just the front wheels. Business should be considered a vehicle that has four-wheel drive, not a vehicle with front-wheel drive. In conclusion, communicating in business is one of the leading restraints that a corporation has to deal with in it†s advancement up the ladder of success. However, if a business chooses to hone it†s ability to communicate and increase the level of productivity due to the sharing of ideas all across the corporate ladder, employee and consumer alike will share the increase in quality of a business products, be it computer microprocessors, or cafeteria food. In short, good communication makes good business.

How Are the Themes of Loneliness in “of Mice and Men”?

How are the themes of loneliness and isolation explored in â€Å"Of Mice and Men†? Born in 1902, John Steinbeck, author of ‘Of Mice and Men’, set his book in the 1930’s. The novel revolves around two hard-working men dependant on one another during the Great Depression, a time when most were alone. Many themes are explored in the novel such as racism, loneliness, disability, isolation and friendship. This essay will be talking about how the themes of loneliness and isolation are explored in ‘Of Mice and Men’. Gender is one way in which Steinbeck illustrates loneliness and isolation.The character of Curley’s wife is used to portray this. Throughout the book Curley’s wife is never referred to her name which is unknown. This suggests that she is a possession belonging to Curley. By not having her name mentioned; Curley’s wife remains distant even though she tells Lennie her life story as without a name she remains mysterious. Her marriage to Curley causes for her to be rejected by the ranch workers when she seeks out their attention and friendship. Therefore she is not only lonely but also isolated as there are only men on the ranch who turn away from her.Critics may argue that Steinbeck was too harsh in not giving a name to Curley’s wife but in my opinion John Steinbeck was only portraying the reality of that particular time period. Steinbeck also uses age to explore the themes of loneliness and isolation. Candy, an old ranch worker, is used to display these themes. As the oldest man on the ranch Candy is the most insecure of the men as he knows that if he was to be fired from his job he would have no other place to go to, what with having no family or friends. This knowledge isolates him from the others as there’s no one whom he can relate to this about.Critics may say that John Steinbeck is stereotyping old people as useless. Another way in which the two themes are explored is through ra cism. For this John Steinbeck uses Crooks. As a stable buck and a black person, Crooks is isolated from the other characters. He has his own room which may be fortunate but only further alienates him from the other workers. Crooks shows that he is lonely while talking to Lennie, he says, â€Å"I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. † He talks of how he wakes up in the night and sees something but doesn’t know if he was just dreaming, if had a friend he would have asked him.Because of his race Crooks has many disadvantages one of them being that he is not allowed to enter the bunkhouse. Another being that he is abused by the other workers. Crooks is not given a chance to befriend anyone and is therefore both physically and mentally isolated. Lennie shows how disability can lead to loneliness and isolation. His child-like mentality distances him from the other workers. Though he talks to and is talked to by other characters he is isolated in his mind be cause there is still a separation. His disability causes the other characters on the ranch to treat him as inferior.Lennie was told both Crooks’ and Curley’s wife’s life story but it doesn’t mention in the book whether or not he was really listening when the two confided in him. This makes you doubt whether or not Lennie is actually as he is described. Critics may say that Lennie’s character was too unrealistic and overdrawn. Euthanasia is used to explore the themes of loneliness and isolation. Again Lennie is used to display this along with Candy’s dog. Both of them were in a similar situation where their death was what was best for them. Throughout the book Lennie is described as animalistic which further connects him to Candy’s dog.Lennie was killed by someone who cared about him, George, while Candy had wished to have been the one who had killed his dog. Without his dog Candy was left as lonely because though he still had the othe rs, his dog was the one who was always by his side. It shows that Lennie was truly lonely because when he died though George was shaken he had Slim as a friend to replace Lennie. John Steinbeck uses dreams to show loneliness and isolation. George’s character is used to show this. Although most of the ranch workers like George, he is mentally isolated. This is because of his dream which distances him from the other characters.His dream acts as a burden because in the end he knows that it will never come true. His awareness causes for him to be isolated, lonely and unreachable. Financial status also displays loneliness and isolation. For this the character of Curley is used. Curley can be viewed as the villain in the novel because of the abusive way he treats the other workers. He uses his small size as an advantage. The main difference though between him and the workers is money. Curley is married and yet because he is the boss’s son he doesn’t have to work like the others characters do.He uses the fact that he has authority and dominates the ranch workers. But being the boss’ son only further alienates him from the other characters and causes him to be lonely. Curley’s wife would constantly flirt with the other ranch-hands. This made him a subject of ridicule and further isolated him. Another way in which John Steinbeck uses to explore the themes of loneliness and isolation is through marriage. Curley and his wife are used to depict this. Both of them are stuck in a loveless marriage. Curley’s wife revealed to Lennie that she didn’t like Curley.Ways that you can tell Curley doesn’t love his wife is like the fact that he went to a cat house with the other men. In addition, when his wife was killed he set out to punish Lennie instead of mourning her; this shows that he was more interested in getting back at Lennie for personal reasons instead of losing his wife. Curley and his wife are therefore viewed as l onely. Their title as a married couple also isolates them from others on the ranch as there are expectations of how they should act and who they should talk to. Friendship is used by John Steinbeck to display loneliness and isolation.There are many forms of friendship in â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, the main one being George and Lennie’s friendship. The two of them are dependent on one another for different reasons. Lennie needs George to help him because of his mental disability. While George needs Lennie for company. Critics may argue that Steinbeck showed their friendship as abusive and forced. Another friendship brought together by loneliness is Curley’s wife and Lennie. This shows that they were all lonely as they settled for each other purely because they wanted companionship and someone to talk to. John Steinbeck also used other features to display loneliness and isolation.The novel began with a lonely atmosphere as he described the setting. This indicated tha t there was no-one around to describe or mention which gave you the feeling of isolation. Also the name of the city, Soledad, means solitude and loneliness in Spanish. In conclusion, John Steinbeck explored the themes of loneliness and isolation in many ways, using other themes and features. Although Steinbeck doesn’t allow you to clearly see his characters so you are unable to discern whether they are really lonely and isolated or if they are just portrayed and viewed as lonely and isolated.

It is hard to define the words true American Essay

It is hard to define the words true American. There are many different qualities in an American that don’t always make them a good person. Good people are loving and caring. There not always concerned about if they are going to be rich and famous. Good people care about others and accept people for who they are not based upon race gender or class. A true American possesses none of these qualities. Although not all of the qualities in a true American are bad many of the qualities are not favorable for a person looking to be a good all around person. True Americans are greedy, class conscious people, and have a vary large amount of self confidence. Confidence is a large part of American culture and many true Americans pride them selves on the ability to block out fear. Having little or no fear can only improve the lifestyle of a true American. A true American is a hero. An American hero is someone that saves lives and makes the world a safer place. There are types of jobs that can make one a hero, such as a lawman and a soldier. To become a hero, one must face his or her problems head on. It is not easy for anyone to face there fears head on. Not very many people can face them. Then again, it’s not easy to become or be a true American. True Americans are hard to come by and have rare heroic qualities like putting others in front of themselves. Although being a true American takes no fear, most real Americans have a taste for money. True Americans are entrepreneurs. True Americans are entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are go-getters in American society. They are looked upon as great people with great ideas. Entrepreneurs are people who want to be famous and or make a lot of money. Entrepreneurs take full advantage of being an American. They never take no for an answer, and always try to get what they desire. Entrepreneurs grasp and fully embrace the concept of what it means to be an American. Entrepreneurs are key to being an American, but being an entrepreneur also means you must be one thing, greedy. Greed is something people face every day. Everyday people can choose to either embrace greed, or people can fight it. In American culture it is widely accepted to fully embarrass greed as a part of your life. It is also normal for a person to choose work over play, and let money be more important than family. Money is more than just a type of currency in America. Currency is a symbol, a symbol of what a person is. If someone has a fast car, a big house, a boat, and still wants more he or she is a true American. If they have the drive to keep working to get what they want they are a true American. Although greed is a main part of American culture its importance is trumped by the way society works. The use of classes in peoples everyday life. Most Americans are very aware of class. Class is a very important part of the U. S. society. It is hard to escape society’s rules, so most people just let society run their lives. Suburban women have never been able to get away from society running their lives. TV, books, magazines, and movies show that women are supposed to marry a rich guy and have a nice kitchen. If a woman does not have a nice kitchen or look like a woman on TV, she is not living the American dream. Although being class conscious can help define you as a true American. Having some sort of relationship with God and being religious is key to being a true American. Many people who call themselves true American’s say they have a good up-standing relationship with God. God plays a very large part in American’s lives. God runs peoples lives, affecting a person’s decision on a day to day basis. God makes Americans seem more proud about there country. People have bumper sticks and flags saying god bless America. Every president in the history of the United States has openly stated that he believes in God. Important Americans always seem to connect with God somehow, or at least say they do. God has always played a large role in American history. People always seem to gravitate towards people that have religion be a large part of there life. God always offers people with a set of mostly good morals and values but that doesn’t necessarily make you a true American. In conclusion, it is very difficult to really define a true American with just one trait. People may never be able to define the words true American. A true American is a collaboration of many different things. Being a true American doesn’t exactly make anyone a good person, but being a patriot in any country will always have its positive and negatives. It is good to be proud of a country but some people seem to take it over board. If anyone wants to be called and viewed as a true American they have to take it overboard. To be a good person you don’t need to have money. In America the whole goal of existence is to become rich, not further your growth as a person. Americans are also very aware of what other people think of them and often wonder how they are viewed. There are problems with the way social structure is set up in the United States. People are more concerned with moving up in social status than helping out people that need help. Being a true American isn’t all bad at all. There is a great deal of American heroes that have done wonderful feats not just for the country but for the whole world. The idea of spreading democracy around the world was wonderful idea. I don’t agree with the way it was spread, but it needed to be done. Americans have many bad qualities but they also have many good qualities. It is hard to become a true American and figure out if those traits are something you posses. If people don’t people have to dig deep down and over come many things in life. People have to become a hero, people have to matter to there country if they want be a true patriot. A lot of people have had wonderful lives being true Americans, some not so much. True American are in many places in the United States and will continue to turn up because this is America.

An Extraordinary Touchdown Essays

An Extraordinary Touchdown Essays An Extraordinary Touchdown Essay An Extraordinary Touchdown Essay The fan essentially Lulls with a passion a passion at the end of the tied game Is kicked In the sacral. In this short story An Extraordinary Touchdown by Jorge lulls, satire Is used to prove American culture Is hypocritical. Moreover the characteristic of Ms. Hialeah is extremely hypocritical. For instance, the lady is being hypocritical because she acts like a kind person until she finds out the narrator is for the opposing team. This passage shows irony because she finds out the narrator is for opposing team. This passage shows irony because hen you need a philanthropist there is no one to help them then she suddenly appears. An example from the text is, well them, come with me. I have two of the best tickets and well watch the game together (P. 131) . This evidence is proof off hypocritical widow. On one hand she gives-but with another limb she kills. Obviously the widow is pretending to feel distraught for her husbands death; Irony Calla , she feels vengeful rather than San. This proves she feels accomplished in killing him. A specific example is, well anyway. Ay, it was in the sacral that day my Cubans was kicked on the day of one of these games (p. 131) . This evidence in An Extraordinary Touchdown proves the widow is hypocritical because she is telling him like if it was very bat what her husband pas true. On the other hand the widow feels she is right to kick her victim of the opposing team because he is like her husband and seeks revenge. Again this irony proves that the widow tri es to feel sad because her husband wasnt with her. This evidence shows that the widow doesnt care about who killed, she Just want to take revenge no mare who Is It. Timely in Jorge Laics short story An Extraordinary Touchdown uses more Irony that satire to prove America culture Is hypocritical. For example the widow acts Like she Is a good person, but at the end she commits the same crime to men who watch a football as her husband did. All this Is proving the story contains Irony because she does the exact same thing over and over ageing. All In all, Irony was very clear In An Extraordinary Touchdown. An Extraordinary Touchdown By Jeaneries A football game sometimes makes an extraordinary change in a fans life marks an issue. A fan way impose his position in a football game is kicked in the sacral, In An Extraordinary Touchdown by Jorge Alicia a philanthropist gives a ticket to a fan so Hialeah victim. The widow hates that the narrator for the opposing team like her husband and seeks revenge. The fan essentially Alicia with a passion a passion at the end of the tied game is kicked in the sacral. In this short story An Extraordinary Touchdown by Jorge Alicia, satire is used to prove American culture is hypocritical. Killing him. A specific example is, well anyway, it was in the sacral that day my isnt care about who killed, she Just want to take revenge no mare who is it. Ultimately in Jorge Laics short story An Extraordinary Touchdown uses more irony that satire to prove America culture is hypocritical. For example the widow acts like she is a good person, but at the end she commits the same crime to men who watch a football as her husband did. All this is proving the story contains irony because she does the exact same thing over and over ageing. All in all, irony was very clear in An Extraordinary Touchdown.

Tivo 2008 Strategic management

Tivo 2008 Strategic management History and growth TiVo Company is an American corporation with a basic duty in the advertising and promotion services for its Tivo marked digital video recorder. TiVo mainly functions in the US and as well in New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, the UK, and Canada among other countries. Barton together with Ramsay established TiVo Inc. in 1997 as Teleworld Corporation. They were experts from digital video organisations.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Tivo 2008: Strategic management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Teleworld started the initial free tests of the TiVo tool and provision in 1998. Subsequent to the presentation at Consumer Electronics Show in early 1999, Mike Ramsay declared to the corporation that the initial edition of the TiVo digital recorder could embark in 1999, in spite of an approximated four months of operation left to complete the tool. Teleworld Corporation was changed to TiVo Inc. before 20 00. TiVo Company had its initial public offering (IPO) in late 1999. The initial TiVo tool digitised and condensed analogue video from all bases. At the beginning of 2000, the TiVo Company joined hands with Thomson who was a producer as well as a newscaster with Sky Broadcasting to convey TiVo services in the United Kingdom. This joint venture brought about PVR10UK, which is a detached receiver that came into the market in late 2000. Before the close of 2000, the very first DirecTV receiver that incorporated TiVo DVR entered into the market, thus bringing about a novel gadget that was named DirecTiVo. This novel gadget hoarded digital signals received straight from DirectTV. Following reduced transactions, TiVo withdrew from the markets in the United Kingdom in early 2003. Formally, their production agreement ended; nevertheless, the withdrawal was more probably owing to the introduction of a DVR invention similar to the TiVo by Sky, which was the sole dispenser of TiVo in the Unite d Kingdom. The DVR invention started by Sky was given the name Sky+ and was intensely advertised to their clients. This product by Sky is up to now dominant in the United Kingdom and the market currently has more than 6 million customers. In mid 2004, TiVo filed a case against EchoStar Company for copyright violation. EchoStar Company was producing DVR components. In 2011, the two companies were able to reach a consensus where EchoStar gave TiVo Company a fee for employing its expertise.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In mid 2005, expert media director, Tom Rogers, was taken up as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and the chairman of TiVo Company. Tom, who was a member of the board of directors from 2003, succeeded Mike Ramsay (a co-founder of the company). In the course of the headship of Tom, TiVo was in a position to advance from a mere DVR producer into a full in-home televise, cable, as well as wideband media centre and a supporter of the conventional media industries with its novel promotion resolutions and TV capacity services. In 2006, the Tivo Company was the proud winner of an Emmy Award due to exceptional novelty and accomplishment in sophisticated media expertise. In late 2009, TiVo Company re-gained access in the United Kingdom markets through declaration of an association with a cable corporation in the country, Virgin Media. This association turned out to be the special supplier of Top Box software program in addition to consumer interface package for the next cohort TV platform for Virgin Media. In late 2010, there was a publicised affirmation by Virgin Media of the availability of their initial PVR operating TiVo software system, which is obtainable in even over 500GB designs. From 2012, Virgin Media boasts of more than 678,000 customers of TiVo in the United Kingdom markets (Hill and Jones 224). This aspect represents an increase of more than 243,000 when judged against the preceding quarter, equivalent to almost 20 per cent of the entire customer base of TVs by Virgin Media. In early 2010, Microsoft registered a case against TiVo Company for copyright violation. Nevertheless, the two corporations agreed to terminate the case in 2012. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths TiVo Company boasts of an incomparable reputation in addition to powerful brand name identification since even the expression â€Å"Tivoing† is now the applicable expression for DVR recording employed by clients despite the gadget being utilised. The TiVo interface is identified as the most customer-friendly and it encompasses the most developed attributes of the market in the present day. TiVo has established several licensing accords internally as well as externally with different corporations for the application of its expertise as well as services. TiVo has as well exclusive patents on its expertise and has curr ently managed to win significant legal wars initiated by its competitors (Hill and Jones 224).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Tivo 2008: Strategic management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, TiVo has all it takes to take its services to Asia, the United States, and Europe since the international market is an unexploited one leaving room for new advancement. Since a lot of DVR disk drives are produced in Asia, a lot needs to be done in the quest to decrease transport as well as production costs in the markets in Asia. Additionally, TiVo Company will significantly gain from the acquirement of smaller competitors since it will boost its operations. Weaknesses The products and services of the TiVo Company have proved to be more costly when judged against those of its competitors. The competitors of TiVo Company now supply DVR without any cost for the initial year of subscription, and sometimes at very ch eap prices. The clients of TiVo Company are forced to buy a DVR and cater for a subscription charge for every month. The competitors of TiVo Company have a benefit since they can produce a gadget encompassing both the receiver and the coordination with low charges for the clients. This aspect has brought about a reduction of about two million subscriptions for the year 2012 as well as enormous losses in the annual financial statements. Court cases have as well had an impact on the profits of the company and have restricted new licensing accords with corporations that chose to wait for the results of the cases pertaining copyrights to prevent legal jumble. High-speed Internet in conjunction with new expertise has brought about optional grounds for clients to have an access to the media. Upcoming expertise has led to the upshot of new rivals generating additional difficulties in the operations of TiVo Company (Hill and Jones 226). Competitors keep on initiating new gadgets as well as software that greatly affects the sales of TiVo Company as well as its reputation as the leading company internationally. External environment surrounding TiVo The external surroundings of TiVo present different concerns that could have significant influences in the strategic inclination of the company. The external influences to the company are explained below.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Political/Legal With respect to the capacity to change the conveyed shows, there exists a lot of unresolved intellectual property. Moreover, there exist outstanding legal matters with the Internet, mostly with YouTube, presenting patented material devoid of the authorisation of the possessor (Hill and Jones 227). Copyright cases are presently proceeding in expertise with regard to copyright implementation and the way corporations are capable of disclosing them. In brief, the political as well as the legal environments around TiVo Company functions are normally in an instable mode and demands persistent checking and scrutinising. Economic The greater section of the globe is at a downturn thereby translating into minimal income to afford a lavishness gadget like a DVR. All the merchandise supplied by TiVo Company are classified as extravagance items since a DVR is not required to utilise or watch a TV, or have access to the materials in the Internet. As revealed, clients have to pay a minimum of 100 US dollars in the initial gadget and continue to pay a standard charge of 20 dollars for every month as the amount for subscription. When acquired via a cable supplier, the client is required to subscribe with about 3 dollars each month in addition to the price for acquiring the DVR. Even if the current economic estimates have affirmed that the economy of the United Kingdom is in a rising inclination, growth will be sluggish to average in the near future. Socio-cultural and Demographic The period of the rising population is approximately 45 years. In addition, this population is less technically knowledgeable when compared to cohorts below it. The largest user demographic of the merchandise of TiVo Company is aged between 25 and 45 years (Hill and Jones 228). TiVo particularly centres on those aged around 35 years when introducing new products and services. From the foundation of TiVo Company in 1999, the targeted population has turned out to be a very advanced exper tise user and has in turn compelled TiVo to raise the profundity and extent of expertise in their services and merchandise. Technological The application as well as comprehension of DVR is extensive all through the US and the United Kingdom. Some other nations are stuck in the introductory stages of the same. Expertise has made even the standard home setting computerised in a bid to imitate the necessary DVR practicality. In addition, the TV buy phase has shortened due to modernisations in expertise, kinds of offers, and quicker reductions in costs. The expertise presented in a separate TV component usually depicts practicality set in a computer (Hill and Jones 228). Porter’s Five Forces Influence of Buyers With the current availability of hardware and software, there has been swapping convenience for buyers. More suppliers of cable services offer the products and services like the ones offered by TiVo and at a better rate. This has generated severe rivalry. This has proved t hat buyers do not just go for high quality when it comes to better rates. Influence of suppliers Forward incorporation by manufacturers currently exists. There exists many suppliers in the marketplaces that are supplying hardware that is similar to the one offered by TiVo. Threats of entrants The ranges of operation of TiVo are two fold. These are namely: hardware and software operations. The enactment of the company on its copyrights has played a key role in keeping off the treats of new entrants with respect to hardware design and expertise. With regard to software, there are low capital demands thus making the threat of new entrant higher when judged against hardware. Nevertheless, TiVo has maintained its strength in the market and has retained a great market share. Threat of Substitutes The market has turned out to be very fragmented with competitors providing products that vary slightly with those of TiVo. Nevertheless, these products are taken to be similar by the buyers since they serve the same purpose. Force of competitive rivalry The saturation in the market has brought about high competition, which in return translates to reduced profits since suppliers demand cost effectiveness. The copyright lawsuits are sluggish and expensive ad has therefore led to creation of partnerships and alliances. Nevertheless, the expression â€Å"TiVo† has turned out to be changeable with DVR and thus the company has managed to retain competitive advantage. SWOT analysis The brand name for TiVo Company is internationally identified for excellence and novelty. Nevertheless, the setting of the industry has noticeably revolutionised in the recent past and the company encounters difficulties as it keeps on loosing clients, money, and market dominance. Fresh expertise has come up offering optional stages for accessing media through the Internet as well as competitors supplying products and services at extremely low prices comparing to the prices offered by TiVo Compan y (Hill and Jones 229-236). The SWOT analysis below underscores the strengths and weaknesses of TiVo Company and shows where to concentrate its precedence to guarantee financial achievement. Strengths Customer service Good brand image Product quality Versatile High client increase rates Joined forces with a lot of large reputable players for fast entry and growth in the United States and United Kingdom Several possible income streams Still capable of drawing fresh capital Weaknesses Financial support Monthly pricing plan Promotion Electronic trade High market development Market research statistics Replay is attracting most legal consideration Subsidised content Opportunities Distinctive attributes Interactivity Overdependence on partners Single suppliers for major product elements Threats DVD recorders imitate) Legal difficulties Legislative plan could limit opportunities Low barricades to entry (expertise is simple to ReplayTV Reputable players in long-established ma rkets are rooted and will execute defensive schemes to defend their market dominance (eroding traditional tactical fragment obstacles) UltimateTV VCR Numerous competitors – a lot of them are heavy weights Corporate-level strategy Currently, the vision of TiVo is â€Å"to be a leading provider of technology and services for advanced television solutions, including digital video recorders and in the future non-DVR set-top boxes and connected televisions.† Its mission is â€Å"to redefine home entertainment by providing consumers with an easy and intuitive way to record, watch, and control television and receive videos, pictures, and movies from cable, broadcast, and broadband sources.† With the varying customer tendencies, this statement is exceedingly constricted. In a bid to increase its information base and assist in changing its corporate-level strategy, TiVo Company should expand its mission and vision statements and increase the degree of skill of its board. The company has started pursuing this strategy by increasing its board members from 6 to 9. Additionally, the company is looking for and choosing board fellows from the software sector to assist in boosting its knowledge profoundly and make improvements. Board members that have prior experience are as well being hunted from hardware providers (such as Motorola) to help with incorporation (Hill and Jones 229). Moreover, it could be useful to hire a board member who has experience in promotion and particularly in the Asia Pacific area with knowledge in international growth into the upcoming markets. With TiVo Inc. starting the execution practice, the meetings of the board members will have to increase with greater frequency (for instance, after a fortnight) to undertake discussions in a bid to remain abreast of the execution progression and scrutinise competition more strongly. Visits being carried out by members of the board to various facilities and meeting workers in person will go a long way in enhancing a sense of worth and assurance all through the change and disruption period. Lastly, to generate a feeling of confidence, the company is seeking to augment its degree of transparency of management judgments and tactical trend. Business-level strategy For single-business companies like Tivo, their â€Å"business-level strategy is identical to corporate- level strategy† (Hill and Jones 216).The poor sales encountered by the company in 1999 became precious lesson to its promotion team. This encounter acted as the medium that generated the necessity for a novel communication approach by the company. Nevertheless, describing this novel promotion campaign was difficult, particularly subsequent to the response obtained concerning the products that illustrated issues like restricted responsiveness and difficult to communicate practicalities. The major objective of the novel promotion campaign is to choose a positioning policy that will quicken the acc eptance of TiVo and its products and services by customers (Hill and Jones 233). The promotion team could position the company as the excellent VCR that offers customers an exceptional television experience. The potential of the company surpasses the initiation of a novel product as it has the capacity to alter the routine of the way the people in the United Kingdom watch TV. As at this point, the company’s penetration has been tremendously restricted. Several customers do not know that it exists, and in this regard, the sales team is facing challenges in explaining the advantages of the products of the company. Furthermore, TiVo represented a fully new novel product that aimed at the enrichment of watching TV that was previously not in anybody’s list of priorities. In a bid to explain the benefits of TiVo’s products, the promotion team has taken into consideration application of dissimilar promotional sources for various reasons. Nevertheless, this move eradica tes the chances of delivering a constant message to every potential customer. In the absence of a constant message, there will be confusion amongst customers concerning what TiVo actually stands for. As TiVo advances, it is critical to enlarge its objectives past TV solutions to becoming the leading supplier of software expertise of optical media. This adjustment will translate into increases in customer consumption of media and assist in reflecting both a bigger market of potential as well as present customers (for instance, the ones who watch media just from computers in addition to other gadgets). In this regard, TiVo will permit for better understanding of TiVo’s increased dealings. For instance, TiVo offers the capacity to download pictures as well as other media into electronics. The present mission statement of TiVo fails to reveal such differentiation and is not extensive enough to include additional novelty. Any tactical aims referring to hardware or improvement ther eof will be erased and replaced with novel software invention (Hill and Jones 234). Finally, a proposed inclusion to the company’s business-level strategy could as well be to forge fresh tactical joint ventures. Tivo’s structure and management and the way they strengthen its strategy The value chain of the company recognises the unique mainstay effectiveness of sales and promotion, novelty, service, civilisation, and intellectual property protection. The critical roles of the value chain whether inward or outward logistics, in addition to roles are adequate. Nevertheless, the Department of Sales and Marketing (DSM) assumes the responsibility to form joint ventures and the effectiveness of the Marketing Department that are critical to TiVo. TiVo possesses a standard structure, by employing Broadcom as the only provider of the structure manager for the company’s DVR. TiVo does not presently have a lasting written provision accord with Broadcom. Additionally, the t wo lack a lasting provision accord with numerous other providers for major constituents in their value chain. In a bid to provide services associated with record administration, order accomplishment, and sales operations, Tivo relies fully on third parties (Hill and Jones 224). The failure to manage operations accurately in the company could bring about unwarranted risks to Tivo. The products of the company that have gained reputation include the original DVR provision with incomparable software, and their powerful image keeps on inspiring assurance in their merchandise. It is vital that promotion service keep on insisting on the company’s reputable icon. The support operations that are essential to TiVo include management, finance, and a powerful legal section that has been critical in defending the intellectual property of TiVo in the court cases. These court cases include the aforementioned one that TiVo had with EchoStar concerning patent infringement. The human resource management (HRM) of TiVo has been powerful in retaining a culture of novelty, upholding a research and development department that keeps on establishing additional attributes and practicality to the initial DVR expertise. A resource-anchored perspective of TiVo discloses concrete resources like sufficient money accounts and copyrights. The worker base of TiVo is strong, having a huge sum of experienced computer package experts as part of the personnel. The intangible assets of the company encompass a reputable brand name connected with recognition for excellence and service (Hill and Jones 234-236). TiVo bears a key organisational ability of a resilient kind, thus rejecting copyright violations while maintaining the support of every business operations. An assessment carried out in the company demonstrated that TiVo lacks a consistent competitive advantage. Nevertheless, with the termination of the court cases, TiVo will gradually attain a competitive advantage. Financial analysis R eturn on total assets (ROA) The ROA calculates the profit obtained on the deployment of assets. For TiVo, the ROA as at October 2006 is as follows: ROA= Net profit Total assets: ROA= $ 201,750 $ 28,244 ROA= 7 Liquidity Ratios The liquidity for TiVo is its capacity to satisfy short-term requirements. An asset is considered liquidity in case it can effortlessly be turned into cash. This case study looks into the current ratio for TiVo. Current ratio calculates the degree to which assets can be swiftly changed into cash to cover the claims of short-term creditors (Hill and Jones 227-232). Current ratio= Current assets Current liabilities: Current ratio= $117,427 $171,185 Current ratio= 1 Recommendations In a bid to retain a competitive advantage, get back market dominance, and expand its client base, TiVo has to establish new international markets, decrease expenditure on lawsuits, and obtain acquisition of smaller companies to boost its operations. TiVo must advance research and devel opment (RD) to maintain its international leadership status in software expertise, and create fresh internal ad external licensing accords for utilisation of its technology. TiVo should as well direct its corporate strategy on mainstay capability of software advancement to boost its technology TiVo should embark on promoting its brand and enlightening customers concerning the benefits of its products and services for additional development. In this regard, the company should hire trained personnel that can communicate in different languages to operate efficiently with organisations and clients across the globe. Responding to the inquiries of the clients using electronic mails and blogs could as well help in satisfying the requirements of customers. A decrease in the payment of the executives of the company is necessary as it could translate into decreased costs for the company’s products and services, which could lead to increased sales and thus motivate the employees in guar anteeing excellence. Hill, Charles, and Gareth Jones. Theory of strategic management with cases, Stamford: South-Western Cengage learning, 2009. Print.