Information Systems Proposal

This course provides an overview of Business Information Systems. Students learn to apply Microsoft ® Office tools including work processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software to accomplish business objectives. Other topics include uses of application software and the Internet for effective problem solving, exploration of relevant emerging technologies, and how information is used across different industries. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. †¢Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read th e policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Grauer, R. T. , Poatsy, M. A. , Mulbery, K. , Hulett, M. , Krebs, C. & Mast, K. (2011). Microsoft ® Office 2010: Volume 1. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Rainer, R. K. & Cegielski, C. G. (2011). Introduction to information systems: Supporting and transforming business (3rd ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: Information Systems and Word Processing Tools DetailsDuePoints Objectives1. 1Explain the benefits of information systems in the work environment. 1. 2Describe ethical issues related to information technology. . 3Use word processing tools to communicate business objectives. ReadingsRead Ch. 1–3 & Technology Guide 1 of Introduction to Information Systems. Read Ch. 1 & 2 for Word in Microsoft ® Office 2010. Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. ParticipationParticipate in class discussion. 2 Learning Team InstructionsResources: Learning Team Charter Create the Learning Team Charter. Individual Information Technology Acts PaperSelect two of the following acts to research: †¢Do Not Call Implementation Act, 2003 Controlling the Assault of Non-solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, 2003 †¢Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), 2002 †¢Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (US Patriot Act), 2001, renewed 2006 †¢Children’s Internet Protection Act, 2000 †¢Financial Services Modernization Act, 1999 †¢Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), 1998 †¢No Electronic Theft (NET) Act, 1997 †¢Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), 1996 †¢Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 1991 Video Privacy Protection Act, 1988 †¢Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 1986 †¢Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 1986 †¢The Cable Communications Policy Act, 1984 †¢Electronic Funds Transfer Act, 1978 †¢Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 1974 †¢Fair Credit Reporting Act, 1970 Prepare a 350- to 1,050-word paper that answers the following question: †¢What were the advances in information technology that resulted in new ethical issues necessitating the creation of each act? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. 10

Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor Essay

The short story Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor, is didactic literature, with hefty character analysis to portray that people are not who they appear to be. Hulga, a 32 year old woman with a heart condition. O’Connor portrays Hulga as an experience and strong woman, but through analysis Hulga is well educated but childish and weak Hulga obtains a PhD in philosophy and is taught by highly intellectual people. Hulga has the impression of herself that because she has gone to school for many years and obtain her PhD that she is an experienced woman. In the beginning of the story that is how she appears to be. â€Å"Science on the other hand, has to assert its soberness and seriousness afresh and declare that it is concerned solely with what is. † A line underline in blue pencil, therefore it can be inferred that this quote is of importance to Hulga. Hulga, in this sense is to be thought of as well educated because of her exposure and open mindedness to her religious mother and scientific education leaving her to feel as if she is well experienced, when she is only educated. Her mother is religious therefore Hulga being exposed to religion and while in college educated with science and allowing her to make an informed decision on her beliefs, which is atheism. She has a more open mind for she sees what is in front of her and not what just is told to be true. Therefore she is not well experienced but just well educated. Also her lack of experience is evident when her first date is at the age of 32, when in society that happens when a person is an adolescent, therefore inferring that she has missed important stages in life that add to a person’s experience. Leading to the theme people are not who they appear to be. Hulga, appearing to be experienced is only a well-educated woman. Hulga is childish, thus rebuking the original thought of Hulga as experienced. Hulga falls for the multitude of compliments and lies the boy selling the Bible fills her head with. â€Å"You’re a brave sweet little thing and I liked you the minute I seen you walk in the door. † Hulga believes that this is how he truly thinks of her when in reality he is just using her. â€Å"During the night she imagined she had seduced him. † Hulga, holding such thoughts is seen to be childish because one who is not, understands and would realize deep feeling needs to be given time and does not happen overnight. Even though Hulga is portrayed as experienced because she is uneasy about the situation, she is in reality childish because she falls for the boy’s lies. Also she is seen to be a strong woman, but she is not because she did not stand her ground and fell for the boy’s lies. Therefore leading the reader to see that people are not who they appear to be, as Hulga is just as childish as she is educated. Hulga because of her heart condition is depicted to be a strong woman, but she is really a weak and vulnerable human being. She gave a little cry of alarm but he pushed her down and began to kiss her again. Without the leg she felt entirely dependent on him. † Her mental well-being is far from strong. She is weak because without her leg she is left to feel utterly weak and vulnerable and dependable on a boy who she vaguely knows. O’Connor from the beginning of the short story was portraying Hulga to be a woman that was strong, for she had a heart condition that could claim her life at any time but, she still continued on with her life in the form of education. Hulga reserved, spent most of her time alone, leading the reader to believe that she did not need anyone in particular in her life to make her feel as if she was important. But, with insight from this particular scene. the reader can see that she is a pure vulnerable and weak human being for she does not know how to conduct herself in such a situation out of her control; Leading to the theme people are not who they appear to be. Hulga appears to be strong and independent when in reality she is a weak human being. O’Connor’s didactic literature uses character analysis to portray the theme people are not who they appear to be using a 32 year old woman who is disabled and an atheist. O’Connor portrays Hulga to be experienced and strong but when placed in a situation that is unfamiliar to a person, her true colors shows and the reader sees her for who she really is. A well-educated but inexperienced, childish and weak human being, leading to the lesson, people are not who they appear to be.

The best place to live in the world – Montenegro

There are many beautiful places in the world that offer people a nice and comfortable life, regardless of some minor problems that exist even in the most developed countries in the world. One of those places where life is pleasant is Montenegro. Actually, it is not one of the nice places, but it is the best place to live among all of those beautiful places. Montenegro was a republic of former Yugoslavia, and it recently became a part of a new state called Serbia and Montenegro. Although it is a small place with about six hundred thousands people living there, Montenegro has everything that a big place can offer for living. Its schools, hospitals, public transportation, and various institutions that are important for making life comfortable are all organized as in any other developed country. But what this place distinguishes from all other places in the world are the following characteristics: climate, seaside, nature, sustainable development, mountains, and many other important factors that determine the attractiveness of Montenegro. The climate is the most significant factor that makes the life in Montenegro unique. There are all of the four seasons throughout a year. Winter, spring, summer and autumn are all equally important seasons. The whiteness of snow and the fresh air of a winter day, the exhilarating feeling of spring and melting of the white cover in spring time, the constant sunshine in summer, and the calm yellow color of falling leaves in autumn are all factors that determine the physical and the mental health of people. For example, winter brings fresh air and various snow sports can be played at this time to improve the physical condition, while the colors of spring can affect our mood and determine ones mental state. Although it seems that one place having four seasons is a widespread appearance, it is not the case very often. Many places have only one season, and many of them have two seasons, usually summer and winter combined. Definitely, the splendor and benefits of all of the four seasons cannot be replaced by any other advantage that any place in the world can offer to its citizens. Furthermore, the beautiful Montenegro is set on the Adriatic coast. All its beaches have kept their natural beauty; there is no artificial sand as it is the case with many famous beaches all over the world. The beaches vary from very long to quite small. Some of the largest reach up to three kilometers. Some of the main advantages of the long beaches are that entrance on these beaches is always free, price of food and beverage is lower, and the offer of sport and entertainment programs is wider. On the other hand, the small beaches can offer more privacy. Business people who want to escape from everyday duties and responsibilities, and who want to spend their holiday in a peaceful environment usually visit these more expensive and serene beaches. In addition, Montenegro has some very small beaches that are very difficult to reach, or they can be reached only by boat. They offer an extra quiet holiday for only a couple of people who want to be in a complete isolation. Thus the advantage of Montenegrin seaside is that there are different kinds of beaches created to meet needs of different people. Moreover, there are many foreign investors who recognized the potential of Montenegrin cost for tourism, and whose investments should make the cost even more attractive. Since the core consequence of the investments would be increased population (because of newly build facilities), the conservation of the environment could be in question. In order to protect nature from the consequences of the new investments, the government of Montenegro issued some regulations that protect natural beauties of Montenegro. Therefore, one of the main conditions for the foreign investors who want to invest in development of the tourism was not to destroy nature, but to make it better and more attractive. The investors will have to find out new ways of maintaining water, air, beaches and parks clean and unpolluted while building new facilities and bringing tourists into Montenegro. These environmental regulations are very significant because they help sustainable development of this wonderful place. Beside fabulous seaside, Montenegro has two mountains. On one of them, there is a ski center that is visited not only by domestic visitors, but by foreign tourists as well. The domestic guests benefit a lot from having the ski center in Montenegro. First of all, they do not have to travel abroad in wintertime when the trip can be unpleasant because of wet and slick roads. Than, prices are much lower than anywhere abroad, which allows people to stay longer for the same amount of money than they would stay anywhere else. Also, because of the convenient climate in wintertime, the quality of snow is mostly excellent, which means that artificial snow is never used. That is very important for skiers (especially for professionals), because quality of snow directly affect quality of skiing. To sum up, Montenegro is definitely the best place to live in the world. Some of the convincing reasons have already been mentioned, but there are many of them that could be further discussed and used as the supporting material. This small place that offers everything needed for pleasant and comfortable life, say enough for itself. Whoever visits it or comes to live there is amazed by its gorgeousness, and wish to stay to live there. Therefore, I have not been trying to convince readers that Montenegro is the best place, but to convince them to visit it. Once they visit it, the people will have their own opinion that can be nothing else but that Montenegro is the best place on earth.

Pollution pressing environmental problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pollution pressing environmental problem - Essay Example Community members should start with cleaning up their homes, and making sure that they are not contributing to the pollution we have currently. Preventing pollution is simply not cleaning up but ensuring that we are using environment-safe products. This way we are reducing the environmental risks it brings. Simple things like segregating the garbage and throwing them in its proper place will help significantly if we are able to attract other people to do it. Combined efforts of community members will eventually impact the society and it will significantly impact the reduction of pollution. We don’t have to think big in order to help our environment. We don’t have to plan major changes in our lifestyle. We don’t have to gather other corporations and organizations in planning out a big project for pollution reduction. All we need to do is to ensure that we are doing our part and encouraging other people to do the same and we can start a movement, a campaign that wi ll spread within the community, and out to our society and will inflict other nations. Eventually, our small combined efforts may, in fact, be more effective than the bigger, more grandeous plans set up to fight pollution.We also have to bear in mind that reducing pollution is not simply about garbage and not using harmful chemicals in our home. Pollution has many forms. It may be noise pollution, air pollution or water pollution. Eye sores can also be identified as pollutions as it irritates our eyes. Taking this into consideration., we can find more ways on how to help our environment. Noise reduction and waste reduction are ways on how we can help fight pollution. How can we do this? By making sure that we are not producing too much noise and too much waste. We can also take into consideration the technology we have today. We are in the midst of digital advancement. Companies took advantage of this by incorporating environmental projects with their advancements. Paperless billing is one popular project of many utility companies nowadays. They even go out of their way to include prizes when their clients and customers switch from paper billing to electronic billing. This has a significant impact not only in waste reduction but also in reducing the number of trees being cut for paper. We, as simple people, can help out the environment through these simple ways. We don’t have to pay anything, we don’t have to shell out money, we just have to use what we use daily, that is the digital

WAN Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

WAN Design - Essay Example On the other hand, prior to building a WAN we need to calculate the upholding and installation expenditures, network dependability, distributed applications consistency and operational capability of the novel network. Moreover, a WAN environment is used to establish connections among worldwide companies, university’s campuses, airports, banks, call centers, stock exchanges, telecommunication corporations, ISPs and business headquarters (NetworkTutorials, 2007) and (Nash, 2000). This report presents a detailed analysis of some of the main aspects and areas of new technology based WAN network establishment at Acme Manufacturing. This report presents the design of a new network for Acme Manufacturing Company. Acme Manufacturing Company has evolved to a huge business arrangement and it has considerably developed into a huge business framework. Thus, there is a dire need for establishment of WAN that can help the business to interlink the overall working and operational procedures of the business. In this scenario, our basic requirements is to connect different business offices and arrangements located in China as well as several other offices throughout the United States. For the headquarters located at Atlanta and Georgia we have chosen the business of Genx for the fast Ethernet Service. In this scenario, we will get the facility of connection like Point to Point Service, Gigabit Ethernet Service, DSL Service, Frame Relay Service, T3 Service, T1 Service, SIP Trunking, OC3 Service, OC1 Service, MPLS Trunking and much more (GenX10, 2002). For the business division located at Phoenix we have chosen the Verizon for leased line services. In this scenario Verizon business will offer us T3, T1, Ethernet, OC-12 or OC-3 committed access internet services. The basic reason of choosing this company is that it well-liked in the local market place (Verizon, 2011). For the New York leased line services I have chosen Phoenix Internet Service. This is a perfect solution for

The Persuaders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Persuaders - Essay Example One of the more obvious messages in the show was the attitude of competition. This was not just friendly competition, this was dog-eat-dog market warfare. The host talks of "preparing a guerrilla operation" as if going into battle. One of the advertising agents talks about the "fear in the agency business" and the players being "weakened and vulnerable". The tone is set and the message is that business is dead serious. They are not just selling soap; they are marketing high stakes business. In pursuing customers, they have discarded any pretense of the niceties of the fair deal. As one executive put it, "I am much more interested in how you feel than how you think". They are desperately trying to compete for your mind. Getting to the consumer's feelings means portraying a relationship with their culture and becoming more acceptable. This was done in one case by changing the words "estate tax" to the emotionally unacceptable "death tax". Understanding the culture, and what makes it act, prompted one ad executive to "Find out why people join cults and apply that knowledge to brands". Frank Luntz, political ad guru, says nothing in his ads are about political substance. He says, "Everything in here has a relationship to pop culture". Getting to the culture, without mentioning the product, is the advertiser's vehicle to branding. Getting the branding correct and ne

Climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Climate change - Essay Example This includes storms and heavy rains that may further be associated with floods. The country also experiences high temperatures that increase incidences of illnesses, some of which may arise from moderated air conditions such as air pollution that arise from dust. Increased significance of air bone illnesses is an example of such effects of high temperatures in Oman. Extreme case, if not monitored, leads to death. High temperatures, especially if accompanied by water shortage because of drought, also leads to dehydration with reported death cases in extreme cases. Heavy rain that sometime occurs with storms and sometimes leads to floods is another extreme weather event in Oman and causes death and destruction of property. The heavy rains destroy shelter and expose people to risk of cold and physical contact with drops of rain that can be life threatening in extreme downpour conditions. Floods from heavy rains also submerge people and property to identify threats of suffocation to dea th. Cases of floods sweeping away people in their vehicles and causing deaths are also notable in the country. In addition to direct effects of high temperatures and heavy rains on people’s lives, Oman suffers from indirect effects through burden on food supply (McMichael, Woodruff and Hales 2006, p. 860). High temperatures and drought reduces plants and animals growth potentials and may kill them or reduce their production. This implies low level of food supply, has led to famine in some areas and increased food prices, conditions that reduces people’s quality of life based on affordability of food (Charabi 2010, p. 223, 224). The adverse weather conditions also moderate potentials of vectors and pathogens. This effect increases incidences of some diseases during high temperatures or heavy rain falls in Oman. Malaria is an example of diseases whose incidence rates rise in flooded areas in Oman because of the breeding ground that mosquitoes find in flooded areas. Cases of tick bone and schistosomiasis, which McMichael, Woodruff and Hales identify with adverse weather conditions, have also been reported in Oman as a result of high temperatures and heavy rains that result from global warming. Changes in ecosystems, together with rising sea levels from global warming have also had negative effects on plants and animals’ yields and reduced levels of harvest from fishing. These have further led to food shortages in Oman with consequences of nutritional concerns. These effects of global warming on the environment have also led to mass deaths of domestic animals, displacement of people from their residences, and increased levels of poverty and malnutrition, especially in rural areas and among poor communities (McMichael, Woodruff and Hales 2006, p. 860). Empirical studies, from a global perspective, support the observed effects of global warming in Oman. Death cases that arise from increased temperatures occur in countries that lie in similar lat itudes as Oman and the United States is an example. The studies have further reported cases of allergies such as asthma as consequences of increased temperatures and this is likely to have occurred in Oman. Effects of global warming on agriculture, however, remains the most significant, with quantifiable monetary value of incurred losses that translate to quality of human lives.

Conflicting Obligations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Conflicting Obligations - Assignment Example In inquiry number 15, the psychiatrist has the obligation of informing the police of the crime committed by the violent man and the psychiatrist has the obligation of not informing the police of the crime committed by the potentially violent man. In inquiry number 16, the company president has the obligation of firing her executive following an angry letter from high government official that she criticized official policy positions and the president has the obligation of not firing her executive following an angry letter. In inquiry number 18, the carpenter has the obligation of doing the job though he is aware that the walls could warp due to architect’s specification violation and the carpenter has the obligation of not doing the job though he is aware the wall could warp due to the architect’s specification violation. The law of contradiction, also referred to as the law of the excluded middle, involves the law of thought that something can be and cannot be at the same phenomena. In plain terms, it states that two contradictory statements cannot be true at the same phenomena, or that something cannot receive an affirmation and receive a denial at the same time. The law is quite significant in ethical analysis and reasoning. The law helps one to think critically of the consequences of any actions pursued. It helps in determining the correct, ethical action by deciding the one that brings greatest balance of beneficial consequences over the bad consequences. This calls for critical consideration of a situation and classifying the negatives and the positives of the situation. When reconciling conflicting obligations, one has to identify the beneficial and the grave of each of the conflicting obligations. One should look at the positive consequences in choosing any of the obligations, and if the obli gation chosen fulfills the intended

Explain Plato's Method of Finding True Knowledge in Meno Essay

Explain Plato's Method of Finding True Knowledge in Meno - Essay Example His metaphysics speaks about his insight on theory of knowledge. He says that there are two worlds namely a world of opinion and world of permanence also called a world of true knowledge. He says that knowledge is possible through reason. True knowledge means reason elevated to the level of consciousness. Plato argues in the Meno that knowledge is innate. An illiterate slave-person is able to demonstrate knowledge of geometry and arithmetic. What is latent is simply invoked by teaching. Answer 2. Descartes methods of finding true knowledge stress emphasis on creating methodological doubt and practicing radical skepticism. He talks about several steps to discover the true knowledge. First of all, as he describes, a person has to be totally free from preconceived notions and opinions. A conscious effort is required that mind does not collaborate with the sense faculties otherwise the process to find the truth may get derailed. To create all doubts in its core and then thrash them is a way towards solid foundation to attain true knowledge. Descartes proposes three arguments- perceptual argument, dream argument and the evil genius argument. Our most beliefs come from external senses. But it is a common experience for all of us that these external senses have deceived us in several occasions. In a perceptual argument he says that learning through five senses could be deceitful. In a dream argument he says that dream can never discover true knowledge. In an evil genius argument, he argues that an evil genius is always out to deceive us about everything and our beliefs such as sky, the earth, air, sounds or shapes that we see or feel in our daily life. However, he is sure about his existence regardless of whether he believes or does not believe; or he is being deceived or not being deceived. The cogito argument reflects that he exists separate from mind and matter and that is the basis for his search of the self, a true knowledge. Answer 3. Plato’s and Descarte s’ methods both stress on non-dualist theories to find the true knowledge; however, Plato’s methods revolve around soul-body dualism and Descartes methods progresses through mind-body dualism. Plato accepts the assumption that the soul is identical with what forms the body. Descartes has rejected this idea completely. Both of them recognizes the self, the I. Descartes clearly distinguishes soul with mind. For him soul is the one which animates the body. For him mind thinks but does not contribute in any corporeal system. Descartes come to the conclusion that body and mind are separate from each other while for Plato soul's thinking faculty goes best when it is dissociated from the body. For Plato, soul is a driving force to create and maintain the life the way it desires. Moreover, Plato does not feel necessary to get doused with skepticism or doubting-all phenomenon to arrive at the true knowledge unlike Descartes who starts with the premise of doubt-in- all to reach at the true knowledge. Answer 4 Mankind has gained a lot through platonic epistemology. There are several things that can be gained from Plato’s insights and ideas. 1. The first and foremost idea that discerns Plato from others is that knowledge is nothing but recalling ideas as that

Shopping Malls in the UK Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Shopping Malls in the UK - Case Study Example The malls evolved in stages. In Mesopotamia city of Ur, by 1600 B.C someone decided to separate a street of shops from the town with doors which were closed at night. That is the first trace of the 'enclosed shopping promenade" evolved in more than a millennium. Then the ancient Greeks had their liking for the market and the market place was the center of debate and discussion. As the stoicism was named for the stop, it was a large roof structure; walled on three sides. Stoa, along with other purposes, was used for the marketplace. In the Roman Empire, Trajan decided to replace the crowded jumble of streets and small buildings with grand buildings with a formal plan. Aula Traiana was the two-story market with a vaulted roof. (Paquet, 2003 pp, 87) The early history of shopping mall dates back to 10th century A.D of Isfahan's Grand Bazar, largely covered and 10 kilometers covered Tehran's Grand Bazar has also a long history. Grand Bazaar of Istanbul which is still one of the largest co vered markets in the world with about 58 streets and almost 4000 shops were built in the 15th century. Saint Petersburg's Gostiny Dvor, the first purposely- built shopping mall was constructed in 1778, consisting of 100 shops with an area of 53,000 m. (New York Times. November 15, 1957). In 1774 the Oxford Covered Market was established in England and is still running. The Burlington Arcade was opened in 1819 in London. The United States owed the concept of shopping malls to The Arcade built in Rhode Islands in 1828. Shopping Malls in Britain: For the modern shopper, the shopping under one roof seems natural but for the medieval shopper, it was all strange. In medieval days many European countries were controlled by guilds that took care to see what was sold and made. It kept stores small and specialized. Mercers were the stores which sold grocery and fabric both and were the medieval shopping malls. Actually, until 1700 there were a few wealthy people in Britain who could afford to buy many goods. Even the rich paid 'cash on the barrel' because credit was the order of the day. Quakers leader George Fox complained about the absence of fixed prices in English stores.

International Marketing ..Rococo Chocolates Research Paper

International Marketing ..Rococo Chocolates - Research Paper Example However the island of Grenada being hit by a tremendous hurricane spell huge loss for the cocoa planters and farmers. Rococo chocolates helped the hurricane affected farmers and planters through the production and sale of a special variety of chocolates. The joint venture that took place between Rococo Chocolates and Grenada Chocolate Company helped in the formation of Grococo. The joint venture form focuses on the production of organically based products of chocolate, which bears the hallmark of quality and taste. Grenada Chocolate Company also looks forward to the betterment of the farmers working in cocoa plantations. Cocoa produced from these farms help in the production of chocolates. The company in this light operates as a cooperative firm that takes special endeavor to grant equal work and better opportunities for both the plantation and the factory workers (About Rococo, 2009). Marketing Environment of Rococo Chocolates The marketing or the business environment of a firm is d ivided along two sets of factors viz. internal and external. The directions and policy mechanisms of the company can control the internal set of factors. On the contrary the external set of factors are those, which cannot be controlled by the actions of the company. These factors belong to the external environment of a firm. ... Internal Factors of Rococo Chocolates Rococo chocolates through its marketing policies have taken a further step to expand its market share through the use of Internet marketing. The chocolate firm though operates on wide markets through big retail firms in a desire to increase customer traffic have started selling its products online through its websites. The company launches the Internet site during December 2009 to help enhance the idea of chocolates sold as gifts during Christmas (A new e-commerce platform for Rococo Chocolates, 2010). Further Rococo Chocolates has a huge product portfolio containing of gift boxes and hampers, confectionary products, art products of chocolates, gift bags and other chocolate products like bars and sweets to cater to the increasing needs of different customers (Products, 2009). The marketing policies for Rococo chocolates also reflect on the firm’s pricing strategies. Rococo Chocolates has devised products for different sets of customers by setting different prices, which ranges from below five pounds to more than fifty pounds. (Spend, 2009). External Factors for Rococo Chocolates With these internal factors in place, Rococo Chocolates aims to target a new market in United Arab Emirates. Thus the external marketing factors of the firm would be studied in that respect. The United Arab Emirates is presenting a widely encouraging market for the chocolate and confectionary producers. In times of economic unrest also the Middle East countries presented a demanding market for chocolate and confectionary products thus helping their manufacturers. During 2008 the market for such products in Arab Emirates increased

Interview with the first gentleman Essay Example for Free

Interview with the first gentleman Essay MANILA -My news editor asked me to interview the husband of the highest official of the land, Mr. Miguel â€Å"Mike† Arroyo. On the day appointed, I was whisked in to the Malacanang palace, where after the formalities, i. e. , being frisked by presidential guards in combat fatigues, I was shown in to the Philippines’ equivalent of the Oval Office. Mr. Arroyo rose to shake my hand. He was not tall, but immense, very fat, and had a bored air about him. With him was an old man wearing glasses, who introduced himself as Jess Santos, a lawyer and the First Gentleman’s spokesperson. The interview went on as follows: Q: I hear you’ve been busy these days, filing libel cases against some journalists. Jess: Yes, that is correct. You know these newspaper guys, they’re a pain in the ass. Always noisy. But of course you can’t help it. We live in a democracy, and the Philippines is the most democratic in Asia. I hope you’ll agree. But when they attack the First Gentleman, using all kinds of defamatory imputation, using the media to spread these lies and calumniate and slur him so as to blemish his clean and untainted reputation, he has to fight back. And there’s nothing wrong in using the courts to seek justice. (The First Gentleman nods gravely.) Q: Are there any truths to these so-called lies against the First Gentleman? Jess: Oh, no! None at all. This allegation about unexplained wealth, it’s absurd. It isn’t wrong to be rich, you know. But the main point here, which you must not miss, and should be emphasized in your column or whatever, is that Mr. Arroyo is a gentleman. I mean, a gentleman in the real sense of the word. You don’t see a gentleman everyday, do you? He is very dignified, punctilious of honor, the epitome of chivalry, gallantry, and respect. (The First Gentleman nods, dozing off. ) Q: Is it true he dared the lawyer of a defendant to a fistfight in court? (The First Gentleman opens his eyes, looks at me, but says nothing. ) Jess: Well, you know how it is with honorable men like the First Gentleman. They are very sensitive when their honor is brought to ridicule. And in order to preserve his honor and integrity, it is but normal for the First Gentleman to react in his defense by calling the offending party to a fight, which shows that the First Gentleman is not a pushover, nor is he a weakling, but a chivalrous man like the knights of old who were not afraid to do battle to defend their honor. Q: I see. What about his rumored liaison with a pretty woman, allegedly his secretary? Jess: (assuming a pained expression): Please, please, do not dignify such baseless, malicious accusations. The First Gentleman would never enter into an unchaste relationship with a woman other than his wife, the President, because a true gentleman will never entertain any immoral thought, much more an illicit affair with a woman. (The First Gentleman looks at the ceiling as if remembering something. ) Q: According to a columnist, the First Gentleman stayed in a $20,000 suite at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas when he went there to watch the fight between your Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales. Jess: That is not true. I doubt if you can find such a room in Las Vegas. And even if he did, the expenses may have been paid by friends. You know the First Gentleman, he has friends from high places. Q: Well, I admit I don’t know him that much. And I notice he isn’t saying anything. Can I interview him? Jess: Oh, sure. There’s nothing to worry about him. He is the perfect gentleman. Q: Well, sir, could you react to the accusation that you have a secret bank account in Germany? FG: (unsmiling)Who told you that? Q: Well, it’s on the papers, sir. Just trying to get your reaction firsthand. FG: Well, um, it’s a lot of shit, I mean, whoever wrote that article is an asshole, I mean, he must be an enemy of the state to say such matters. Why, I know, being the First Gentleman, that there are continuing threats to our national security. Q: I also hear this issue was brought up by a certain Congressman Cayetano who is now running for Senator. And this person has challenged you to issue a waiver so that he could prove who’s telling the truth. FG: (scowling). The worthless scumbag! Scoundrel! Bloody fool! Pardon me, but I can’t help myself. You see, this person has been using his parliamentary immunity to attack me at every turn. I’m sick of him. But I won’t be dragged into this controversy. Q: He also says you brought 50 million pesos in a helicopter in Mindanao to buy votes in the last election where your wife won as President. FG: That is a lie! Don’t believe the goddam son of a gun! Q: And he has just issued a public statement that he is daring you to engage him in a debate at Plaza Miranda to show who is telling the truth. FG: The nerve! I will not stoop down to his level. If he wants, I challenge him to a fistfight (rolls up his sleeves). Q: He also says you are crook and a liar and an adulterer. FG: (roaring). He said that? Tell him to just wait. Tomorrow I’ll file twenty counts of libel against him. I have fifty lawyers to work on that. Jess: Now there, there, please don’t get excited. A gentleman is never riled up. FG: Tell him I will get his goddam ass! Jess: Please sir, you’re a real gentleman. FG: I know that, I know. And I’ll prove to the #@! =* guy that I’m a *^%4# man of honor! (end of interview).

The Readymade Garments Industry Of Bangladesh

The Readymade Garments Industry Of Bangladesh The readymade garments industry of Bangladesh is the fastest growing export oriented industry of the country. Starting in late seventies, the ready made garment industry of Bangladesh now accounts for over 64% of the countrys total export earning. A close look at the composition of RMG export of Bangladesh over the last two decades reveals that the woven garments sub-sector constituted the lions share. In fact, the beginning of the development of RMG sector started with woven garments in 1985. In the first half the 90s, the share of woven garments was above 80%. However, the share gradually started to decline to about 70% in five years late and to 62% in 2004 and to 38.80% in 2005-2006 (Export Promotion Bureau Bangladesh, 2006). In addition, compared to its double-digit growth in the 90s, the woven garments export grew only about 8% in 2000. Such a declining growth rate and a steep decline of the share of woven garments export in the total RMG export makes it urgent to re-evaluate the status of the sector of Bangladesh vis-Ã  -vis with that of the competing countries. Moreover, with the dominance of the proponents of free market economy, some changes are taking place in the global trade regulations affecting the readymade gar ments sector of Bangladesh in general. One example of such change is the phasing out of the apparel quota on December 31, 2004. Under these circumstances, it is imperative to assess the competitiveness of the woven garments sector of Bangladesh in the global market place. Hence the researcher studied the overall woven garment industry in group and this study analyzes the woven garments industry competitiveness of a single organization from strategic management perspectives. 1.2 Rational of the Study The objectives of the enterprise analysis are the following. To identify the vision, mission, objectives, and values of the company. To identify the process of crafting and executive strategy. To analyze the companys resources and competitive position. To find out the application of the five generic competitive strategies. To find out the application of various complementary strategic options. To find out the fit of the strategies to the company and the industry situations. To identify various diversification strategies. To find out the application of ethics and corporate social responsibility. To identify the leadership styles and corporate culture. 1.3 Scope of the Study The study has some boundaries. The following points delineate those boundaries. Because of the highly fragmented nature of the industry even in the domestic market (with about 400 woven producers present in different parts of the woven garments value chain), aggregation of enterprises could not be provided. Rather, a whole view point of the enterprise has been taken. This limits the researchers of this study not to use financial aggregation as well since only a few woven garments industries (not more than 5) are enlisted with the stock exchange. The analysis has been confined to the key markets of the woven markets. The markets where Bangladesh occasionally exports or where the amount of export is very small, those markets are excluded from the scope of the study. 1.4 Methodology 1.4.1 Research design The study, given the nature of the objectives, has a descriptive research design. Since this study is going to be one of the earliest studies with similar objectives about the woven garments sector, the research would be of reporting kind. According to Cooper and Schindler (2003), at the very elementary level a reporting study is done to provide an account, or to make a summation of data, or to generate some statistics. They have also argued that a reporting study requires very little inference. However, the current study answers what and why of Macro environment, industry and competitive conditions, and thus, requires a great deal of inference. Hence, the current study would be more appropriately termed as a descriptive study. Therefore, the research design for the study is descriptive research design. 1.4.2 Data collection 1.4.2.1 Primary sources The researchers collected the enterprise data organizing and a number of key informant interviews (KII) with the key persons in Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. as I have selected this organization for the enterprise analysis. Due to time limitation, the participants were chosen through personal contacts and participants willingness to participate in the discussion. The key informants considered were senior managers of the selected organization and a few bankers related to the organization. 1.4.2.2 Key Informant Interview The researcher will select at least 7 owners or managers to interview as key informants. This interview will focus on the enterprise level information like the vision, mission, objective, current performance in both local and international markets, the competitors in both markets, products and so on. 1.4.2.3 Secondary sources The researchers have explored the following secondary sources to meet the objectives of the report. Data inventory of Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau Bangladesh (EPB) relating to readymade garments export. Data inventory of Bangladesh Garments Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA) On-line news archive of newspapers and news agencies home and abroad Annual report of the company Books and journals at the library of Institute of Business Administration and University Press Limited 1.5 Limitations of the Study The current study is limited by a number of factors. First, the participants for KII have been chosen conveniently. Second, the list of questions KII has been developed from the scratch by the researchers themselves. However, these limitations are not likely to invalidate the conclusions. The reasons are the following. First, the researchers will depend on both primary and secondary sources. Second, the primary sources have been bifurcated into managers of woven garments companies in Bangladesh. Third, the list of questions has been checked for recasting by the instructor of the course. The refinement of the list of questions following the suggestions of such an expert enhances the relevance and reliability of the questions asked. Hence, these two approaches ensure cross-validation of information needed to fulfill the objectives of the report. Strategic Planning process for Rahim Textiles Limited Mission and Goal SWOT External Analysis: Opportunities and Threats Internal Analysis: Strengths and Weakness Functional Level Strategy Business Level Strategy Global Strategy Corporate Level Strategy Corporate Performance, Governance and Ethics Implementing Strategy in a Single Industry Strategy Formulation Implementing Strategy across Industries and Countries 2.0 Company Profile 2.1 Vision The vision statement of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd is to create added value to the common wealth and to benefit the society. From the discussion with company managers, the researcher revealed that by the above stated vision statement they want to mean to improve the well being of valued equity holders, investors, employees and members of the society without interrupting or disordering the universal socio-ecological-economic position and the process of human civilization leading to peaceful co-existence of all the living beings. The vision statement of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. lacks the important characteristics of a vision statement. First of all, from the vision the kind of company cannot be identified. It is too much generic and fails to identify the business or industry to which it is supposed to apply. This vision can be applied to companies of any kind of industry. Secondly, the vision statement is not focused to provide managers with guidance in making decisions and allocating resources. The vision is also bland and lacks motivational power. Finally, the vision statement of the company is vague in meaning; no concrete objective is mentioned in the vision. 2.2 Mission Realize the vision; the mission of the company is to play a leading roll in export oriented textile sector through reasonable application of Knowledge and Skills. This mission is also very weak in meaning. There is no description of the companys present business scope and purpose in the vision statement. 2.3 objectives The objective Rahim Textile Mills Ltd is to maximize our productivity on strict ethical standards at minimum cost to ensure optimum growth of wealth of the company. This is basically falls in the type of strategic objective. Since the company is making profit satisfactorily and the existing financial condition is healthy enough, they are concentrating on the strategic objective. 2.4 History Rahim Textile Mills Ltd started its journey in 31 December, 1981. The company commenced production in the year of 1987. Initially the company was producing only woven garments, afterwards with the expansion strategy the company built its capacity in both woven and knit sector as well as in dyeing. They already established huge factory at shafipur, Kaliakar and Gazipur, all outside but very much near to the capital city. The company has four sister concerns. They are as follows: Malek Spinning Mills Ltd. Knit Asia Ltd. New Asia Ltd. Salek Textile Ltd. Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. enlisted in Dhaka stock exchange on 29 March, 1988. 2.5 Products The main woven products of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd are shirts, trousers, hats and jackets, mostly made from cotton. Recently the company are enlarging its product width and producing inner wears for different worldwide famous brands. On the other hand, the company also produces knit garments products, e.g. sweaters and socks. Products Cotton products Shirts, trousers, hats and jackets Knit garments products Sweaters and socks 2.6 Export Volume and Destination As we discussed with the key persons of the company, the informants were declined to disclose the exact quantity of exports from their production, but they mentioned the proportion of export to total production. They mentioned that the company exports about 92% of its products. Most of the export is sent to USA as well as the other major portion in EU countries. From figure 2.3, it can be concluded that earning per share of the company is consistent and higher in the last year. In the last year Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. diversified its business in knitting sector and the result is increased earning per share in the last year. 3.0 Internal Analysis 3.1 Core competencies By the definition of core competence, it is a competitively important activity that a company performs better than other internal activities. In case of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. its core competence is the quality of its products. In production the company has been using its highly experienced and skilled professional in its manufacturing process. Therefore it already gained loyalty from its buyers. The company not only concentrates in quality, but also maintains the cost of the product so that the cost becomes competitive among the rivalry in the industry. 3.2 Distinctive competencies From literature, distinctive competence is a competitively valuable activity that a company performs better than its rivals. The researchers tried to identify distinctive competence of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. through key informant interview with the top level managers of the company. But from the response of the KII participants, it has been revealed that the company has no distinctive competence to attract the vigorous buyers in the market. 3.3 Key resources Key resource strengths of a company generally form the cornerstones of strategy and make the company competitive in the industry. From the KII with the top level managers of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. the researcher identified that key resources of the company are: Highly experienced professional Better technology Better market access 3.4 SWOT Analysis In order to accomplish SWOT analysis the researcher followed the steps below. Figure 3.2: Steps of SWOT analysis. 3.4.1 Resource strength and competitive capabilities From primary data of KII and secondary data, the researchers identified the following resource strength and competitive capabilities. Highly experienced and skilled workforce as its intellectual capital relative to rivals which provides the company learning and experience curve advantages. Better product quality compared to the medium size competitive rivals Better customer base as compared to the small garments companies Technology is on average updated, but not like that of Square textile or Bex-tex Capacity is well-matched with its production volume. 3.4.2 Resource weaknesses and competitive deficiencies Potential resource weaknesses and competitive deficiencies of the company, as identified by the researcher, are mentioned below. The company has no clear strategic vision to direct the company towards specific targets Behind rivals is using e-commerce for their promotion purpose whereas the company even has no website for the convenience of information gathering by the foreign buyers. Its product line is narrow compared to the other rivals in the industry. It has no brand image in local market and very weak influence of brand in the global market, only with the selected suppliers. Long lead time is another crucial factor for which the foreign buyers are declined to buy its products. 3.4.3 Market opportunities Although Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. had been running their business in woven sector only, they are now expanding their business horizon in the knit sector also. The company realized that its skilled and experienced workforce can be utilized in the knit sector effectively and efficiently. We foresee a brighter future for us. Print and dyeing orders shall increase overall. We must continue to strive to achieve more orders which shall ensure greater progress and prosperity. It has become essential for us to embark upon capacity enhancement and balancing of our dyeing printing machineries urgently to meet the stringent quality assurances imposed by the buyers. We need to improve labor productivity and consistency in quality. We will face tougher competition both from within and outside. We need to resolve issues related to bond and customs to ensure faster disposal of imported raw materials. We need to work extensively and pursue the government to have provision of subsidy and other incen tives at different stages of production and process to remain competitive in the international market. The concerted and coordinated efforts will ensure higher production, better quality to make the production year 2007-2008 the year of greater progress and prosperity. 3.4.4 Threats to the future profitability Day by day the strong rivals are capturing the markets available to the industry in Bangladesh. Another threat is coming from technological change. Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. is not large enough to regularly update its technology to compete with other key rivals and so losing market share gradually. Besides, the company is facing cost cut competition from the rivals. 3.5 Prices and costs competitiveness The rise in the price of chemicals and dyes by over 30% also affected the order acceptance and overall production. Exporting countries of dyes, Chemicals and Colors especially China, India increased their prices making the market very competitive and difficult. Buyers took advantage of the competition amongst similar dyeing printing Factories and offered lower price. Despite such a situation we could improve both export and local market prices. Dearth of the trained manpower had led to poor labor productivity and inconsistency in the quality of textile products. 3.6 Business model A companys business model relates to whether the revenue-cost-profit economics of its strategy demonstrate the viability of the business enterprise as a whole. In case of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. business model of the company is not only viable but also it shows its success in many consecutive year as the company is making huge amount of profit regularly. The business model of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. is a proven model which ensures the companys viability in the market for a long period- from 1986. 3.7 Value chain of the company The value chain of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. is similar to the following value chain model. Absent Figure 3.3: Value chain model for Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. On the value chain model, Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. lacks efficiency in sales and marketing. Therefore the company is loosing market share to the competitive rivals. Also there is no R D department in the company. This is why they are lacking in product innovation and product differentiation. 3.8 Dimensions of organizational culture Culture of an organization consists of the characteristics as described in the following figure. Figure 8.1: dimensions of organizational culture From the perspective of the woven garments industry in Bangladesh, most of the employees in the industry come from inferior background in terms of both academic and social status. Almost all the workers educational background is either SSC or below SSC. They are mostly unaware about the culture of the organization. Even the managers are very little concerned about the culture of their organization. From our focus group discussion, the discussants give importance on the following characteristics of organizational culture: Aggressiveness The managers are aggressive with their workers rather than easygoing. The managers always give pressure to the workers about their performance. Even a worker is performing satisfactorily; she or he is not given any kind of motivational incentive or compliments to continue his performance. Team orientation In this industry team orientation among the employees is nearly absent. The managers, in most of the cases being unaware about synergy, do not bother about the performance of team, rather always prefer individual performance. People orientation People orientation reflects the degree to which the management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization. By definition and comments of the discussants of FGD, this characteristic of organizational culture is rarely practiced by the managers in planning, design and implementation of production. Outcome orientation Outcome orientation measures the degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve those outcomes. In most of the woven garment industry the production managers are outcome oriented. They attach importance to the quality of the products rather than their production process and technology used in production. Attention to detail Attention to detail is the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail. Since most of the workers in the garment industry are unskilled and even they are not provided any kind of training, they must follow the guidelines of their work literally as mentioned by the managers. 4. External Analysis 4.1 Competitor Analysis Major competitors of the Rahim Textile Limited is given below Monno fabric, Babylon Garments, Desh garments and Viella-tex Square Textile Mills Beximco Textiles The factors of similarity are mostly activism in marketing and selling, availability of local raw materials, delivery reliability, and level of backward linkage. 4.2 Competitive Positioning In order to identify the competitive position of the company, the researcher used strategic group mapping considering the selected 7 companies by the group. In strategic group mapping researchers has given importance to the cost of the products, product quality, active marketing, lead time, delivery time, and export quantity. The figure above shows that Monno fabric, Rahim textile, Babylon Garments, Desh garments and Viella-tex have similar ranking on the basis of the two attributes. All these five companies have higher quality while they are low in price. So, these five companies emerge as a strategic group. On the other hand, Square and Bex-tex have average performance on each of the considered factors of the mapping and hence, they can be said to fall in the same group. 4.3 Textile Industry: The textile industry in Bangladesh occupies a prominent position within the countrys industrial structure. It is the largest manufacturing sector, providing jobs for some 50% of the total industrial workforce and contributing 9.5% of the countrys GDP. Also, it accounts for almost 77% of total exports, making it Bangladeshs leading foreign exchange earner. In the early 1980s exports were dominated by jute while garment sales were insignificant. But today garment exports are by far the leading export category. In 2001/02 the clothing sector generated as much as US$4.58 bl in foreign exchange. The industry benefits from special access to markets in the EU, Canada, Norway and Japan. Because Bangladesh is a least developed country, its textile and clothing exports enter these countries quota-free and duty-free. This concession, together with low labour costs, provides the garment sector with a strong competitive advantage. But in order to produce garments for export, the sector has to purchase a large share of its yarn and fabric needs from abroad, especially woven fabrics. Few local textile firms are able to produce materials of the required quality or in adequate quantities. The Bangladeshi government is attempting to remedy this situation. To reduce the countrys import bill, it is offering tax concessions and incentives aimed at encouraging investors to develop the necessary backward linkages. Profitability of a market/industry depends on strength of five threats to profitability: 4.4 Porters Five Factor Analysis: 4.5 Industry life cycle Analysis: A useful tool for analyzing the effects of industry evolution on competitive forces is the industry life model, which identifies five sequential stages in the evolution of an industry that lead to five distinct kinds of industry environment: embryonic, growth, stakeout, mature and decline. Embryonic Shakeout Decline Maturity Growth Textiles industry is at maturity stage in the industrial product life cycle stage. 5.0. Strategy Analysis 5.1 Generic Competitive Strategy A competitive strategy concerns the specifics of managements game plan for competing successfully and achieving a competitive edge over rivals. A company achieves competitive advantages whenever it has some type of edge over rivals in attracting buyers and coping with competitive forces. There are countless variations in the competitive strategies that companies employ. Mainly because each companys strategic approach entails custom-designed actions to fit its own circumstances and industry environment. The mostly used five competitive strategies are shown in the following figure: Figure 4.1: Five generic competitive strategies 5.2 Low-cost provider strategy Among the five mentioned competitive strategies, Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. achieve overall low-cost provider strategy. The company is the lowest cost provider rather than just being one of perhaps several competitors with comparatively low costs. The companys strategic target is meaningfully lower costs than rivals but not necessarily the absolute lowest possible cost. 5.3 Fitness of the strategy Ready made garment industry is moving very fast, new competitors are emerging in the market frequently; growth rate is decreasing year after year. To cope with changes Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. must tailor its strategy so that the company can become profitable and competitive to surrounding rivalry establishing a distinctive competence. 5.4 Strategies for entering the market More and more companies are finding themselves in industry situations characterized by rapid technological change short product cycles because of entry of important and fast-evolving customer requirements and expectations -all occurring at once. Due to the entrance of new competitors the market for Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. is shrinking. To compete with these fast moving changes, this company has to be technologically sound, product innovative to attract the change-demanding customer and product diversification. 5.5 Strategies for coping with rapid changes It is very important to understand the key driving forces of an industry to decide upon the strategy of any company inside the industry. By searching the internet, reviewing related literatures, implementing key informant technique, and by organizing focused group discussion the following key forces have been identified. Growing use of internet technology and applications Increasing globalization Changes in the buyers requirements Changes in cost and efficiency Changes in global regulations in the textiles and apparels industry In Bangladesh internet technology and web applications play a vital role in establishing collaboration between importers and buyers abroad. Exporters communicate with Importers though internet where buyers put their proposal and ask for bidding. Prospective sellers bid through the internet and the lowest bidder is rewarded with sales contract This is how internet technology acts as a bridge in connecting business people across different parts of the world. In domestic market there is no such seller who uses websites as a part of their supply chain. Amazon uses website as a competitive tool in gaining customers. But such facilities havent yet gained prominence in a developing country like Bangladesh. So Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. can take an initiative eto develop website for buyers and suppliers. The overall global trade is increasing phenomenally every year and after. In business the process of going global is largely marked by increasing volume of export and import and greater number of licensing, franchising, strategic alliances, joint venture and setting up of foreign subsidiaries by business houses. Thomas Friedman while describing the trend of globalization summed it up in one sentence that globalization is farther, faster, cheaper, and deeper.(Hossain and Sandhir 2004) Key informant interviews reveal that trade liberalization has made it much easier for entering into new market and carry out manufacturing activities by out sourcing them. Brands like Reebok, Marks Spencer, Denim, Wall Mart, Levies, Nike etc. out source their manufacturing activities to countries like Bangladesh where they can get value chain activities done cheaper than any other part of the world. Although the ready made garment sector is not so much speedy changing, it has to be proactive about the market demand and thereby make itself prepared for the market demand. Other option is the company can react with the change. Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. is considering the latter approach. It is reacting with the changes. When the other companies are fighting to reduce lead time and improve delivery time, this company also trying to walk in the same way. The company is trying to incorporate new technology for its production process. 5.6 Strategies for sustaining rapid company growth As Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. is medium size company in the woven sector industry in Bangladesh, the company is following horizon 1: short-jump for sustaining rapid company growth. By this technique, the company is adding new items to the companys present product line, expanding into new geographic areas where the company does not yet have a market presence and launching offensives to take market share away from rivals. The objective of this short jump is to capitalize fully on whatever growth potential exists in the companys present business arenas. The sustainability of exports of woven garments in Bangladesh remains under question as the sector lacks backward linkages far from the requirements. At present, around 20 to 25 per cent of the raw materials required for the woven garments are supplied domestically whereas the same for the kit garment is 75 to 80 per cent. The manufacturers depend on the international market for the rest of the raw materials required for both the sectors. Given the pattern of growing demand for TC in the international market and the increasing competitiveness from the major exporting countries it would be difficult for Bangladesh to stand in the competition with her limited supply-side capacity. Bangladesh may supper a serious setback in outsourcing raw materials from the international market. 5.7 Diversification Strategy The big risk of a single-business company is having all of rhe firms eggs in one industry basket. If the market is eroded by the appearance of new technologies, new products, or fast-shifting buyer preference, then a companys prospects can quickly dim. For these reasons the company takes diversification strategy to broaden its business horizon. In the researchers case analysis, Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. has also realized the risk of single-business Company and also realized that the existing potential resources can be utilized efficiently if the business is broadened with the similar sectors. From this view point, Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. has extended its business in knitting sector as well as spinning. 5.8 Strategies for entering new businesses From the view point of input side, Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. considered the following factors in expanding its business horizon in new businesses. Existing technologies and expertise complement to the expanded business Existing competencies and capabilities are same valuable competitive assets for the expanded business New business in spinning and knitting is closely related to existing woven garments and so opens new avenues for reduction of cost The existing suppliers expanded their supply in spinning and knitting raw materials as well as buyers demanding products of knitting garments. Besides the management of Rahim Textile Mills Ltd. has thought about the outcome and the benefit of shareholders so that value is added to them.. There were three different choices for the company to diversify in the new business. The choices are as follows: Acquisition of an existing business

Googles Human Resource Management

Googles Human Resource Management James Bushor Many organizations want to be able to retain their employees because it benefits their organizations in the long run. Today, there are many organizations with high employee turnovers. High employee turnover can be a huge problem for most organizations because employee turnover is the number of employees they have to constantly hire to ensure that their organizations are operated consistently with their goals. High employee turnover can cost organizations at high expenses and can demonstrate a negative outcome on organizations. Ignoring this particular problem can lead to a destruction of an organization. Therefore, developing employee retention techniques is a best way to ensure that a needed number of employees remain employed while maintaining work performance and productivity. If employees are happy with their jobs at their organizations, it can lower their turnover rate. There are many organizations that successfully maintain its number of employees by its recruitment, selection, and retention practices. Google is going to be used as an example during discussion on this paper. Google has successfully maintained its retention of high quality employees by its retention program. Lombardo (2017) stated that Googles success is based on its high quality human resources. The company generally emphasizes smartness and excellence among its employees. Googles human resource management also includes carefully selected strategies, methods, and techniques for recruitment and selection, and for the retention of high quality workers. The firms recruitment practices and selection process ensure an adequate workforce. The retention programs at Google are designed to retain excellent employees. These programs also attract employees to the firm. The next section discusses how Google successfully maintains its number of employees by using its strategies, methods, and techniques for recruitment and selection, and for retention of high quality employees. Lombardo (2017) stated that Googles human resource management uses a mixture of internal and external recruitment sources to maintain the adequacy of its human resources. The company uses promotions, transfers, and trainees/interns as the main internal recruitment sources for HR needs. On the other hand, the external recruitment sources at Google include educational institutions and respondents to job advertisements. Google ads are mostly posted on Googles Careers website and on various websites through search engines and institutions. Also, Google sends their high-skilled recruiters to various educational institutions to give a presentation about its opportunities. Google successfully enables a constant arrival of qualified employees with these recruitment practices. Googles human resource management has settled the most significant criteria for the selection of applicants, which are smartness, creativity, drive for excellence, and alignment with the organization. Google does not view work experience as a major criterion for the selection process. Google mostly seeks potential applicants that strive for excellence and innovation. Google has goals to maximize innovation to support its broad differentiation strategy. That explains how Google successfully created a wide variety of applicable products and services that they provide to the world. Googles selection process commonly involves background checks, preliminary screening, on-the-job tests, and interviews. Googles human resource management uses various procedures and steps for various positions within Google. Google provides compensation packages to retain high qualified employees, which is one of the main Googles HRM tool to ensure that Googles operations are consistent with its goals and activities. Googles compensation packages are competitive and above average. Google provides high salaries and wages, free meals, incentives, and benefits to employees. The typical design of Googles offices highlights fun and creativity, which attract and retain high qualified employees. Googles HRM provides coaching and mentoring program to retain and develop employees with leadership potential (Lombardo, 2017). With those strategies, methods, and techniques that Google uses, organizations can achieve their desired goals to retain a number of employees. Also, those practices can reduce the costs of hiring process dramatically. Each organizations HRM should seek best practices that are shared widely by many organizations and also, they should create a new practice that supports their goals. Each organizations HRM should be encouraged to share their best practices with other organizations even though they may be in a competitive recruitment. Reference Lombardo, J. (2017). Googles HRM: Recruitment, Selection, Retention. Retrieved from  http://panmore.com/google-hrm-recruitment-selection-retention

steroid testing :: essays research papers

Steroids   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Picture this. You’re watching your favorite baseball player at the plate and the pitch comes and he absolutely crushes the ball strait out of the park; but the next day there is a big investigation and your favorite player is caught having used an illegal steroid to enhance his play. You hope the news isn’t true but the evidence is over whelming. Your favorite baseball player broke the rules and is a cheater (Brown). This terrible scenario can easily be a future reality if steroid testing doesn’t begin regularly. In baseball the owner is allowed to test for steroids once a season and that’s all that is mandatory (Shaikin). This interests me because some of my favorite athletes in several sports are being accused of cheating the game and I just simply want the truth. Fans over the country agree that there should be more steroid testing, to get rid of the cheaters, but more importantly people believe they need more testing to help save li ves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For instance, many people will be in favor of more steroid testing because they want all the dishonest players out. People want the competition and the level of play fair. Nobody wants to have a league where 90% of the players follow the rules and workout and mold there body bodies by using hard work, and see the other ten percent just simply take a quick injection of some steroid and have there bodies bigger and faster than the rest (Shaikin). Next, and overwhelmingly people want previous records and accomplishments stricken from the record if that person is taking steroids. For example,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   take a player like Sanfrancisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, who had 73 home runs in a single season a few years ago and people want him tested for steroids (Brown). It raises a good point. If players have nothing to hide then why not test them. The players seem to have all the control on if they should be testes or not, but people forget that it’s the owners and the league that decide the policies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Still, and most importantly the main reason athletes should be tested is for their safety. For example, if a player uses steroids there a number of side effects. They can get liver cancer, cardiovascular problems, sterility, and testicular atrophy (Miller). In fact, withdrawal from steroids is almost as bad as taking steroids.

Geologist :: essays research papers fc

Geologist The goal in mineral exploraion is to find imperious meatless. It’s what they call Ore. Ore is a mineral that have a lot of value. To find ore you want to identify target areas. Overtime narrow it down and pin point the ore of the minerals. The way geologists do this is first they would look at geological maps that show worth different rock types. Sometimes they use maps that people have already made. Geologist also uses geophysical maps to find out the different properties of rocks. Geologist use magnetic instruments to find out were magnetic rocks are. The rocks that have metal in them are magnetic. Gold and silver have different electrical signals then rocks without gold and silver.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Step two is to go in the field and try to find the rocks. Then geologist would pick different types of soil, and rock samples. Then they would take the samples to the lavatory an analyze them. If they are a high amount of gold, silver, and zinc. Geologist would call that a good area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the site looked promising then the next step is they would bring in a drill. And they would drill through the rock anywhere from 100 to 500 feet. Then a geologist would look at the rock samples from drilling and have them tested at a lab.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The educational requirements for a geologist are a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in geology. The average salary for a year is anywhere from 25,00 to 70,000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Right now there are a lot of job opportunities for geologist in South America. That’s why I would choose to live and work in South America. The geography in South America is rugged mountain terrain. Some leisure activities are skiing,snowboarding, and mountain climbing. That’s why I think South America would be a great place to live for my type of job.

Makerbot: The way forward Essay

The Objective of this paper is to recommend a market strategy and target market for MakerBot industry to gain better competitive advantage in the 3D printing market. The company has done greatly by focusing on the open innovation approach which incooperates the customers in the task of creating what they are going to consume. However, this could have serious hiccup on the growth of the company because sharing a patent free innovation could result in copycat machines. But the advantages of Open sources far outweighs the disadvantages as it is large enough to sustain the growth and profit of the firm. Market segmentation should be in the United State where industrialization is at its peak and the respect for innovation and invention is imminent. The survey in Exhibit 1, revealed the prospect of concentrating on two major target market for the 3D printing industry. MarkerBot should include in its target market those that uses 3D printers for commercial purposes such as manufacturers/entrepreneurs, and should also continue to focus on the hobbyist who derives contentment by creating and sharing technological invention. However, the company can decide to shift it market target to the government and non-governmental institutions in the long run. The consumer level 3D printing industry has grown very rapidly and thus, becoming intensely competitive over the last couple of years and this is in part to the open source approach by the players in the industry. MakerBot can distinguish itself by shifting it market target in the future to government institutions and NGO’s such as American Composites Manufacturers association (ACMA) and top manufacturing industries in the U.S. The government is getting more robust after the recent economic depression and so is the opportunity for the 3D printing industry. President Obama spoke recently about a possible Public-Private partnership to revive  the crumbling manufacturing city of Youngtown in Ohio using the 3D technology as a tool to meet developmental demands. The Objective of MakerBots is to build an inexpensive open-source 3D printer. If the company can continue to focus on the low end DIY’s, the market share could turn favorably to them as it has the potentials of attracting plenty of industrial customers. Strong commitment to Research and Development with targeted customers is also very important in other to keep abreast with present societal demands. The pursuit of low cost printing materials like the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is the right step in other to reduce overhead cost for end users. MakerBot has lived up to its mission statement by making it brand accessible to all. Exhibit 1 Reference: Doug Gross â€Å"Obama’s speech highlights rise of 3-D printing† Wed, February 13, 2013 (source:http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/tech/innovation/obama-3d printing/index.html)

Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal Essay

PURPOSE OF THE TEXT: Jose Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere during the time of the Spanish occupation in the Philippines. The novel is a reflection of what the Filipinos were going through during that time. He wrote it to open the eyes of the Filipinos to the reality that they were being oppressed. Rizal’s book persistently unmasks contemporary Spaniards in the Philippines of every kind. He exposes corruption and brutality of the civil guards which drive good men to crime and banditry. He focuses on an administration crawling with self-seekers, out to make their fortune at the expense of the Filipinos, so that the few officials who are honest and sincere are unable to overcome the treacherous workings of the system, and their efforts to help the country often end up in frustration or in self-ruin.The Noli is Rizal’s exposà © of corrupt friars who have made the Catholic religion an instrument for enriching and perpetuating themselves in power by seeking to mire ignorant Filip inos in fanaticism and superstition. According to Rizal, instead of teaching Filipinos true Catholicism, they control the government by opposing all progress and persecuting members of the ilustrado unless they make themselves their servile flatterers. STYLISTIC FEATURES: Rizal exaggerated a bit, as in his portrayal of characters like the friars Damaso, Salvi, and Sibyla; the two women who were preoccupied with prayers and novenas, and, the Espadaà ±as but, on the whole, the novel follows the basic rules of realism. Humor worked best where a more serious presentation of the general practices of religion during that time (and even up to present time) would have given the novel a darker and pessimistic tone. Rizal’s description of the lavish fiesta showed the comic antics at church and the ridiculous expense for one day of festivities. TONE: The superstitious and hypocritical fanaticism of many who consider themselves religious people; the ignorance, corruption, and brutality of the Filipino civil guards; the passion for gambling unchecked by the thought of duty and responsibility; the servility of the wealthy Filipino towards friars and government officials; the ridiculous efforts of Filipinos to dissociate themselves from their fellowmen or to lord it over them–all these are ridiculed and disclosed. Nevertheless, Rizal clearly implies that many of these failings are traceable to the misguided policy of the government and the questionable practices of the friars. TITLE: â€Å"Noli me tangere† is a Latin phrase that Rizal took from the Bible, meaning â€Å"Touch me not.† In John 20:13-17, the newly-risen Christ says to Mary Magdalene: â€Å"Touch me not; I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.† STORY/CONTENT: The first of two canonical 19th-century novels, Noli Me Tangere revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra who, after a seven-year stay in Europe to study, comes home to his town of San Diego, brimming with the desire to contribute to the development of the townspeople. More specifically, as a reformist, he aims to make education accessible to more people. His idealism, however, cannot bear fruit because of insidious forces bent on destroying him. Ibarra learns that his father, Don Rafael, had been embroiled in a conflict with Padre Damaso, who eventually causes his humiliation and death. It is not only political power that the friar wields; he has also used power to seduce the mother of Maria Clara, Ibarra’s sweetheart. Ibarra has another enemy in the person of Padre Salvi, who lusts after Maria Clara. It is also Padre Salvi who almost causes Ibarra’s death at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the school. Things come to a head when Ibarra is implicated in a failed uprising instigated by Padre Salvi. The young man is imprisoned but is eventually rescued by Elias, whose life Ibarra has saved in the past. As the novel ends, the thoroughly disillusioned Ibarra sees a bleak future. CHARACTERS: * Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the main character, is a young illustrado who has been studying in Europe for 7 years according to the wishes of his father. Influenced by his father, his studies and his observations of other countries, he has developed patriotic and progressive ideas which he wishes to put into action in his country. He is very much like Rizal himself. Quoted as saying that to achieve liberation, they need the â€Å"catuiran ng lakas† , or the use of force. * Marà ­a Clara de los Santos is Ibarra’s faithful, pure and modest sweetheart. She is the portrait of an ideal woman, partly drawn perhaps from Rizal’s love Leonor Rivera. * Padre Dà ¡maso was once a good friend of Ibarra’s father. He was, until the start of the novel, the domineering and condescending curate of San Diego, where the property of the Ibarra family is located, and continues to be a powerful figure in San Diego. Biological father of Marà ­a Clara, as he takes adva ntage of Doà ±a Pia, mother of Marà ­a Clara and wife of Capità ¡n Tiago * Padre Salvà ­ is the new parish priest of San Diego, who lusts after Maria Clara. * Elà ­as, a common laborer whose family has suffered much, dreams of revolution. He may be said to represent another side of Rizal. * Pilosopong Tasio is an old man who received an excellent education in his youth but was persuaded into discontinuing his studies, which he was told would lead him away from his faith. The character is based on Rizal’s older brother, Paciano. * Sisa is the mother of two young boys who disappear. With her mother love, her grief and her frustration, she is thought to represent the suffering motherland. * Crispà ­n- brother of Basilio. Dies at the hands of the â€Å"sacristan mayor† and Padre Salvà ­. * Basilio- brother of Crispà ­n and son of Sisa and Pedro. Last person to see Elà ­as alive. * Capità ¡n Santiago de los Santos – also known as Capitan Tiago, he accepts Marà ­a Clara as his own daughter. * Doà ±a Victorina is a native woman who desperately tries to look like a Spaniard. She was so determined to marry a Spaniard that she was willing to settle, late in life, for a toothless stuttering man. She convinces him to pretend to be a doctor to raise their status and society. * Don Tiburcio is a former customs official who pretended to be a prestigious medical doctor in town as his bread and butter. He is the lame, stuttering husband of Doà ±a Victorina. * Doà ±a Consolacià ³n is the muse of the cuartel. She is the violent wife of the Alferez and has treated Sisa cruelly. * Alfonso Linares is the godson of Padre Damaso and a distant cousin of Don Tiburcio from Spain. He is hard pressed to be Maria Clara’s fiance instead of Ibarra. * Padre Sibyla is a Dominican friar who is the curate of Binondo. His character is a stark contrast to that of Padre Da maso. PROBLEM: There was a cancer in the time of our national hero Jose Rizal that he elaborately depicted through his novel â€Å"Noli Me Tangere,† metastasized in every fiber of Philippine society back then, having its roots in the prolonged oppression of the Filipinos by our Spanish colonizers. Today, we see cancer in the Philippines again, and our people and environment have shriveled badly from this cancer, which is on its terminal stage. What is the main problem with the Philippines? Put in another way, what is Philippine society’s cancer today? The main problem with the Philippines can be seen from the perspectives of different sectors; and thus, there can be many answers to this question. From the point of view of the citizens, the main problem is the dirty politics of traditional politicians. There is no end to election fraud and accusations of election fraud. Then there are also politicians in power who bicker and accuse endlessly. Some even kill their political opponents, and the murders they commit to keep themselves in power are barbaric. Thus, our nation is in a constant mode of being destabilized from all sides – from those in power and those who are not in power. From the point of view of entrepreneurs or the market, the main problem is graft and corruption in government offices. It has become abnormal not to pay â€Å"under-the-table† to get a business permit or a government clearance. From the point of view of politicians, the main problem is a personality-based politics, wherein celebrities without any platform nor preparation for public service win by a landslide at the polls and end up mismanaging their public office and the public funds. From the point of view of public administration employees or civil servants, the main problem is their low pay such that they need to earn extra from extortions and sideline-selling to adequately provide for their families. From the point of view of the Church, the main problem is the Government’s interference on matters of faith as it pushes bills that undermine morality and one’s religious beliefs, although advocates of those bills see them as timely remedies to socio-economic problems. Just like the Indian tale of â€Å"The Blind Men and The Elephant,† wherein not one of the six blindmen saw the elephant, but rather one claimed it was a wall, another a spear, another a snake, another a tree, another a fan, and the last one a rope, because each of them experienced only a part of the elephant and not its entirety, so also each sector of our society see but facets and symptoms of the cancer that has kept us way behind the nations that used to learn at our heels. What is our cancer? What cannot we touch? Rizal’s writings and martyrdom sparked the hearts of the Filipinos towards a fight for freedom from our foreign oppressors. But ironically, whereas our people’s struggles before were against foreign domination, our modern-day â€Å"Noli Me Tangere† is about the Filipinos’ struggle against fellow Filipinos entrusted with the role to lead and serve the nation. This is our cancer today: Filipinos are against fellow Filipinos. MESSAGE: Noli Me Tangere or Touch Me Not†¦ was the a controversial novel of Rizal aside from the predicaments he encountered just to publish this novel. He did it to ridicule the friars and let the Filipinos be awoke of the oppression and learn to fight. It contained all the immoralities of the spaniards. So I think the messege we can get from it is learn how to fight in a peaceful manner, fighting doesnt need a bolos, a sumpit or lantakas but it can also be possible using your pen, your wisdom. As a Filipino we should learn to be united in deeds and be educated and learn to argue rationally.

Netflix Project

NETFLIX INC FORMReport) 10-K (Annual Filed 02/01/13 for the Period Ending 12/31/12 Address 100 WINCHESTER CIRCLE . LOS GATOS, CA 95032 408-540-3700 0001065280 NFLX 7841 – Video Tape Rental Broadcasting & Cable TV Services 12/31 Telephone CIK Symbol SIC Code Industry Sector Fiscal Year http://www. edgar-online. com  © Copyright 2013, EDGAR Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distribution and use of this document restricted under EDGAR Online, Inc. Terms of Use. Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20549 FORM 10-K (Mark One)ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 OR TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from to Commission File Number: 000-49802 Netflix, Inc. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) 77-0467272 (I. R. S. Employer Identification Number) 100 Winchester Circle Los Gatos, California 95032 (Address and zip code of principal executive offices) (408) 540-3700 Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Name of Exchange on which registered Common stock, $0. 001 par value Preferred Share Purchase Rights The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None (Title of Class) Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.Yes No No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the precedi ng 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T ( §229. 05 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files. Yes No Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a no n-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of â€Å"large accelerated filer,† â€Å"accelerated filer† and â€Å"smaller reporting company† in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer Non-accelerated filer (do not check if smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act) Yes NoAs of June 30, 2012, the aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing sales price for the registrant’s common stock, as reported in the NASDAQ Global Select Market System, was $3,278,134,336. Shares of common stock beneficially owned by each executive officer and director of the Registrant and by each person known by the Registrant to beneficially own 10% or more of the outstanding common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliate s. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for any other purpose.As of January 31, 2013, there were 55,993,477 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0. 001, outstanding. DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE Parts of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for Registrant’s 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Table of Contents NETFLIX, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PART I Item 1. Item 1A. Item 1B. Item 2. Item 3. Item 4. PART II Item 5. Item 6. Item 7. Item 7A. Item 8. Item 9. Item 9A. Item 9B. PART III Item 10. Item 11. Item 12. Item 13. Item 14. PART IV Item 15.Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 39 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance Executive Compensation Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director In dependence Principal Accounting Fees and Services 38 38 38 38 38 Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities Selected Financial Data Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk Financial Statements and Supplementary Data Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure Controls and Procedures Other Information 17 19 20 34 35 35 35 37 Business Risk Factors Unresolved Staff Comments Properties Legal Proceedings Mine Safety Disclosure s 1 5 15 16 16 16 Table of Contents PART I Forward-Looking Statements This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws.These forwardlooking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: our core strategy; the growth of Internet delivery of content; the gro wth in our streaming subscriptions and the decline in our DVD subscriptions; the market opportunity for streaming content; contribution margins; contribution profits (losses); liquidity; free cash flows; revenues; net income; legal costs; operating cash flows; impacts relating to our pricing strategy; our content library and marketing investments, including investments in original programming; significance of future contractual obligations; realization of future deferred tax assets; seasonality; method of content delivery; and international expansion. These forwardlooking statements can be identified by our use of words such as â€Å"expects†, â€Å"will†, â€Å"anticipate†, â€Å"may†, â€Å"could†, â€Å"would†, â€Å"should†, â€Å"intend†, â€Å"continue†, and derivatives thereof.These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ. A detailed di scussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from such forward-looking statements is included throughout this filing and particularly in Item 1A: â€Å"Risk Factors† section set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on information available to us on the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to revise or publicly release any revision to any such forward-looking statement, except as may otherwise be required by law. Item 1. About us Netflix, Inc. â€Å"Netflix†, â€Å"the Company†, â€Å"we†, or â€Å"us†) 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 nea rly any Internet-connected screen. Additionally, in the United States (â€Å"U. S. â€Å"), our subscribers can receive standard definition DVDs, and their high definition successor, Blu-ray discs (collectively referred to as â€Å"DVD†), delivered quickly to their homes. Our core strategy is to grow our streaming subscription business domestically and internationally.We are continuously improving the customer experience – expanding our streaming content, with a focus on programming an overall mix of content that delights our customers, including exclusive and original content, enhancing our user interface and extending our streaming service to even more Internet-connected devices while staying within the parameters of our consolidated net income (loss) and operating segment contribution profit (loss) targets. Contribution profit (loss) is defined as revenues less cost of revenues and marketing expenses. We are a pioneer in the Internet delivery of TV shows and movie s, launching our streaming service in 2007. Since this launch, we have developed an ecosystem for Internet-connected devices and have licensed increasing amounts of content that enable consumers to enjoy TV shows and movies directly on their TVs, computers and mobile devices.As a result of these efforts, we have experienced growing consumer acceptance of and interest in the delivery of TV shows and movies directly over the Internet. In September 2010, we began international operations by offering our streaming service in Canada. In the past two years, we have continued our international expansion and now also offer our streaming service in Latin America, the United Kingdom (â€Å"U. K. â€Å"), Ireland, and the Nordic countries of Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Prior to July 2011, in the U. S. , our streaming and DVD-by-mail operations were combined and subscribers could receive both streaming content and DVDs under a single â€Å"hybrid† plan.In July 2011, we separa ted the combined plans, making it necessary for subscribers who wish to receive both DVDs-by-mail and streaming content to have two separate subscription plans. Business Segments Beginning with the fourth quarter of 2011, the Company has three operating segments: Domestic streaming, International streaming and Domestic DVD. The Domestic and International streaming segments derive revenues from monthly subscription services consisting solely of streaming content. The Domestic DVD segment derives revenues from monthly subscription services consisting solely of DVD-by-mail. For additional information regarding our segments, see Note 10 of Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data . Domestic Streaming 1 Business Table of ContentsThe Domestic streaming segment provides our more than 27 million members with access to a broad range of exclusive, non-exclusive and original content delivered over the Internet to a host of connected devices – including PCs and Macs, game cons oles such as PlayStations, smart TVs, Blu-ray players, home theater systems, Internet video players such as Apple TV and Roku, digital video recorders, and mobile devices. We have a leading market position in domestic streaming, having grown by more than 5 million subscriptions in 2012 – an increase of 25% from 2011. International Streaming The large numbers of pay television and broadband households outside the U. S. provide our International streaming segment with a large long-term growth opportunity through significantly expanding our base of potential subscribers. From our initial international market launch in Canada in September 2010, our international streaming service has grown to be available in more than 40 countries outside of the U. S. as of December 31, 2012.We believe that international markets will be a significant source of growth and cash flow in the long term, and as a result we are strategically investing internationally today. Our focus in international ma rkets is to provide a compelling service offering to subscribers, which allows us to gain market share in the near term. We view long-term international success as consumer adoption and contribution margins at the levels of our domestic market. Domestic DVD Our Domestic DVD business launched in 1999 with DVD-by-mail subscription plans. As technology has changed and consumer preference has shifted, we have seen subscribers move away from DVD rental and toward streaming their video content. Competition The market for entertainment video is intensely competitive and subject to rapid change.Many consumers maintain simultaneous relationships with multiple entertainment video providers and can easily shift spending from one provider to another. Our principal competitors vary by geographic region and include: †¢ Multichannel video programming distributors (â€Å"MVPDs†) with free TV Everywhere applications such as HBO GO or Showtime Anytime in the U. S. and SkyGo or BBC iPlayer in the U. K. , and other on demand content from cable providers, such as Time Warner and Comcast; direct broadcast satellite providers, such as DIRECTV and Echostar; and telecommunication providers such as AT&T and Verizon â€Å"Over-the-top† Internet movie and TV content providers, such as, Amazon. com's Prime Video, Hulu. om and Hulu Plus, LOVEFiLM, Clarovideo, Viaplay, and Google's YouTube Transactional content providers, such as Apple's iTunes, Amazon's Instant Video, GooglePlay, and Vudu DVD rental outlets and kiosk services, such as Blockbuster and Redbox Entertainment video retailers, such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Amazon. com †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Competitive Strengths Netflix differentiates itself from the competition and has been able to grow its business through the following demonstrated unique competitive strengths: Leading Scale Advantage Builds Compelling Content – Leveraging our substantial scale and significant content budget, Netflix has bu ilt a broad and deep content library.Our licensing teams are expert programmers informed by more than a decade of rich data on viewer preferences and viewing habits which uniquely enables them to license a compelling mix of TV and movie content to efficiently provide Netflix members with compelling content. To further differentiate our content offering from our competitors, we have increasingly licensed exclusive and original content. Outstanding Member Experience Attracts and Retains Subscribers – We provide our members with innovative and effective user interfaces that enhance their Netflix experience and help increase engagement. Netflix leverages its large global scale and billions of hours of subscriber viewing data and algorithms in order to tailor the Netflix recommendations and merchandising to each individual user.We believe that, our user experience, driven by our focus on innovation and technology, help drive subscriber viewing, engagement, retention, and overall c ustomer satisfaction. Relative to the competition, we believe we are further along the experience curve when it comes to improving our user interface and delivering great quality streaming. Brand Clarity and Focus Increases Pace of Innovation for Members – We are focused on making subscription streaming video great. Nearly all of our notable competitors in the space today have many other product lines and services that require management attention and resources. We believe that our focus on streaming video will help us innovate faster and 2 Table of Contents satisfy our consumers better than our competition.We also believe that our focus will provide a level of clarity to our brand that will help consumers more easily discover, understand and appreciate our service offering. Growth Drivers Our core strategy is to grow our streaming subscription business domestically and internationally, and is built upon the following drivers: Investment in Streaming Content – We belie ve that our investments in streaming content lead to more subscriber viewing, delight, and positive consumer word-of-mouth. This, in turn, leads to subscriber acquisition and revenue growth, which allows us to invest in more streaming content, which enables the growth cycle to continue. With more than 33 million global ubscribers and our increasingly exclusive and original programming that differentiates us from competitors, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize upon this virtuous cycle. Continuous Service Improvements – We've found that incremental improvements in our service and quality enhance our member satisfaction and retention. We continue to refine our technology, user interfaces, and delivery infrastructure to improve the customer experience. For example, using our â€Å"adaptive streaming† technology we automatically and constantly optimize the streaming bit-rate to each user's Internet speed. This minimizes loading and buffering times, delivering t he best click-and-watch experience.We have added programs in Super HD and with Dolby Digital Plus 5. 1 surround sound for a high quality, immersive entertainment experience. We believe that improvements such as these will help us build a great streaming service Overall Adoption and Growth of Internet TV – Domestically, cable and satellite pay TV subscriber numbers have stagnated, while DVR penetration has continued to climb. We see this as indicative of consumers desiring more control and freedom in their ability to watch what they want, when they want, where they want, and how they want. We are leading this wave of consumer change and growth of Internet TV by providing broad, click-and-watch video entertainment video.Future of the Consumer Electronic Ecosystem: â€Å"Internet on Every Screen† – We intend to broaden our already expansive partner relationships over time so that even more devices are capable of streaming content from Netflix. By making Netflix acc essible on a broad array of devices, we believe that we enhance the value of our service to subscribers as well as position ourselves for continued growth as Internet and mobile delivery of content becomes more popular. We are pioneering the use of tablets and smartphones as second-screen choosing devices for TV viewing, and are actively engaged with all of our device partners in evaluating how Netflix can enhance and improve the user experience in conjunction with their product innovations.International Market Expansion – The international streaming segment represents a significant long-term growth opportunity as people around the world discover the benefits of Netflix. We plan to continue our international investment strategy of upfront investment in content and marketing to build out scale required for profitability. We believe that scale advantages increase barriers to entry for our competitors. Today, 18% of all of Netflix's global streaming subscribers are outside of th e US. Operations We obtain content from various content providers through streaming content license agreements, DVD direct purchases and DVD revenue sharing agreements.We market our service through various channels, including online advertising, broad-based media, such as television and radio, as well as various strategic partnerships. In connection with marketing the service, we offer free-trial memberships to new members. Rejoining members are an important source of subscriber additions. We utilize the services of third-party cloud computing providers, more specifically, Amazon Web Services, and utilize both our own content delivery network (â€Å"Open Connect†) and third-party content delivery networks, such as Level 3 Communications, to help us efficiently stream content in high volume to our subscribers over the Internet. We also ship and receive DVDs in the U. S. from a nationwide network of shipping centers.Seasonality Our subscriber growth exhibits a seasonal pattern that reflects variations when consumers buy Internet-connected devices and when they tend to increase video watching. Our domestic subscriber growth is generally greatest in our fourth and first quarters (October through March), slowing in our second quarter (April through June) and then accelerating in our third quarter (July through September). We expect each market in our international segment to demonstrate more predictable seasonal patterns as our service offering in each market becomes more established and we have a longer history to assess such patterns. Additionally, the variable expenses associated with shipments of DVDs are highest in the first quarter due to the seasonal nature of DVD usage. 3 Table of ContentsIntellectual Property We regard our trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, domain names, trade dress, trade secrets, proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property as important to our success. We use a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws and confidential agreements to protect our proprietary intellectual property. Our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights is subject to certain risks and from time to time we encounter disputes over rights and obligations concerning intellectual property. We cannot provide assurance that we will prevail in any intellectual property disputes.Employees As of December 31, 2012, we had 2,045 full-time employees. We also utilize part-time and temporary employees, primarily in our DVD fulfillment operations, to respond to the fluctuating demand for DVD shipments. Our use of temporary employees has decreased significantly due to decreased DVD shipments in 2012, as well as increased automation of our shipment centers. As of December 31, 2012, we had 384 parttime and temporary employees. Our employees are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good. Other information We were incor porated in Delaware in August 1997 and completed our initial public offering in May 2002.Our principal executive offices are located at 100 Winchester Circle, Los Gatos, California 95032, and our telephone number is (408) 540-3700. We maintain a Web site at www. netflix. com . The contents of our Web site are not incorporated in, or otherwise to be regarded as part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, â€Å"Netflix,† the â€Å"Company,† â€Å"we,† â€Å"us,† â€Å"our† and the â€Å"registrant† refer to Netflix, Inc. Our investor relations Web site is located at http://ir. netflix. com. We use our investor relations Web site as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.Accordingly, investors should monitor this portion of the Netflix Web site, in addition to following press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls an d webcasts. We also make available, free of charge, on our investor relations Web site under â€Å"SEC Filings,† our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing or furnishing those reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 4 Table of Contents Item 1A. Risk Factors If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Risks Related to Our Business If our efforts to attract and retain subscribers are not successful, our business will be adversely affected. We have experienced significant subscriber growth over the past several years. Our ability to continue to attract subscribers will depend in part on our ability to consistently provide our subscri bers with a valuable and quality experience for selecting and viewing TV shows and movies. Furthermore, the relative service levels, content offerings, pricing and related features of competitors to our service may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain subscribers.Competitors include multichannel video programming distributors (â€Å"MVPDs†) with free TV Everywhere and other on demand content, Internet movie and TV content providers, including both those that provide legal and illegal (or pirated) entertainment video content, DVD rental outlets and kiosk services and entertainment video retail stores. If consumers do not perceive our service offering to be of value, or if we introduce new or adjust existing features or change the mix of content in a manner that is not favorably received by them, we may not be able to attract and retain subscribers. In addition, many of our subscribers are rejoining our service or originate from word-of-mouth advertising from exis ting subscribers.If our efforts to satisfy our existing subscribers are not successful, we may not be able to attract subscribers, and as a result, our ability to maintain and/or grow our business will be adversely affected. Subscribers cancel their subscription to our service for many reasons, including a perception that they do not use the service sufficiently, the need to cut household expenses, availability of content is unsatisfactory, competitive services provide a better value or experience and customer service issues are not satisfactorily resolved. We must continually add new subscribers both to replace subscribers who cancel and to grow our business beyond our current subscriber base.If too many of our subscribers cancel our service, or if we are unable to attract new subscribers in numbers sufficient to grow our business, our operating results will be adversely affected. If we are unable to successfully compete with current and new competitors in both retaining our existi ng subscribers and attracting new subscribers, our business will be adversely affected. Further, if excessive numbers of subscribers cancel our service, we may be required to incur significantly higher marketing expenditures than we currently anticipate to replace these subscribers with new subscribers. If we are unable to compete effectively, our business will be adversely affected. The market for entertainment video is intensely competitive and subject to rapid change.New technologies and evolving business models for delivery of entertainment video continue to develop at a fast pace. The growth of Internet-connected devices, including TVs, computers and mobile devices has increased the consumer acceptance of Internet delivery of entertainment video. Through these new and existing distribution channels, consumers are afforded various means for consuming entertainment video. The various economic models underlying these differing means of entertainment video delivery include subscrip tion, transactional, ad-supported and piracy-based models. All of these have the potential to capture meaningful segments of the entertainment video market.Several competitors have longer operating histories, larger customer bases, greater brand recognition and significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. They may secure better terms from suppliers, adopt more aggressive pricing and devote more resources to technology, fulfillment, and marketing. New entrants may enter the market with unique service offerings or approaches to providing entertainment video and other companies also may enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions. If we are unable to successfully or profitably compete with current and new competitors, programs and technologies, our business will be adversely affected, and we may not be able to increase or maintain market share, revenues or profitability.The increasingly long-term and fixed cost nature of our content acquisition licenses may limit our operating flexibility and could adversely affect our liquidity and results of operation. In connection with obtaining streaming content, we typically enter into multi-year licenses with studios and other content providers, the payment terms of which are not tied to subscriber usage or the size of our subscriber base (â€Å"fixed cost†) but which may be tied to such factors as titles licensed and/or theatrical exhibition receipt. Such contractual commitments are included in the Contractual Obligations section of Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations .Given the multiple-year duration and largely fixed cost nature of content licenses, if subscriber acquisition and retention do not meet our expectations, our margins may be adversely impacted. Payment terms for streaming licenses, especially programming that initially airs in the applicable territory on our service (â⠂¬Å"original programming†) or that is considered output content, will typically require more up-front cash payments than other licensing agreements. To the extent subscriber and/or revenue growth do not meet our expectations, our liquidity and results of operations could be adversely affected as a result of content licensing commitments and accelerated payment requirements of certain licenses.In addition, the long-term and fixed cost nature of our streaming licenses may limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to changes in our 5 Table of Contents business and the market segments in which we operate. As we expand internationally, we must license content in advance of entering into a new geographical market. If we license content that is not favorably received by consumers in the applicable territory, acquisition and retention may be adversely impacted and given the long-term and fixed cost nature of our commitments, we may not be able to adjust our content offering q uickly and our results of operation may be adversely impacted.Changes in consumer viewing habits, including more widespread usage of TV Everywhere or other similar on demand methods of entertainment video consumption could adversely affect our business. The manner in which consumers view entertainment video is changing rapidly. Digital cable, wireless and Internet content providers are continuing to improve technologies, content offerings, user interface, and business models that allow consumers to access on demand entertainment with interactive capabilities including start, stop and rewind. The devices through which entertainment video can be consumed are also changing rapidly. Today, content from MVPDs may be viewed on laptops and content from Internet content providers may be viewed on TVs. Although we provide our own Internet-based delivery of content allowing our subscribers to stream ertain TV shows and movies to their Internet-connected televisions and other devices, if other providers of entertainment video address the changes in consumer viewing habits in a manner that is better able to meet content distributor and consumer needs and expectations, our business could be adversely affected. If we are not able to manage change and growth, our business could be adversely affected. We are currently engaged in an effort to expand our operations internationally, scale our streaming service to effectively and reliably handle anticipated growth in both subscribers and features related to our service, as well as continue to operate our DVD service within the U. S. As we expand internationally, we are managing our business to address varied content offerings, consumer customs and practices, in particular those dealing with e-commerce and Internet video, as well as differing legal and regulatory environments.As we scale our streaming service, we are developing technology and utilizing relatively new third-party Internet-based or â€Å"cloud† computing serv ices. We have also chosen to separate the technology that operates our DVD-by-mail service from that which runs our streaming operations. If we are not able to manage the growing complexity of our business, including maintaining our DVD operations, and improving, refining or revising our systems and operational practices related to our streaming operations, our business may be adversely affected. If the market segment for online subscription-based entertainment video saturates, our business will be adversely affected.The market segment for online subscription-based entertainment video has grown significantly. Much of the increasing growth can be attributed to the ability of our subscribers to stream TV shows and movies on their TVs, computers and mobile devices. As we face more competition in our market segment, our rate of growth relative to overall growth in the segment may decline. Further, a decline in our rate of growth could indicate that the market segment for online subscrip tion-based entertainment video is beginning to saturate. While we believe that this segment will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, if this market segment were to saturate, our business would be adversely affected.If our efforts to build strong brand identity and improve subscriber satisfaction and loyalty are not successful, we may not be able to attract or retain subscribers, and our operating results may be adversely affected. We must continue to build and maintain strong brand identity. We believe that strong brand identity will be important in attracting and retaining subscribers who may have a number of choices from which to obtain entertainment video. To build a strong brand we believe we must continue to offer content and service features that our subscribers value and enjoy. We also believe that these must be coupled with effective consumer communications, such as marketing, customer service and public relations. If our efforts to promote and maintain our brand ar e not successful, our ability to attract and retain subscribers may be adversely affected.Such a result, coupled with the increasingly long-term and fixed cost nature of our content acquisition licenses, may adversely affect our operating results. From time to time, our subscribers express dissatisfaction with our service, including among other things, our title selection, pricing, delivery speed and service interruptions. Furthermore, third-party devices that enable instant streaming of TV shows and movies from Netflix may not meet consumer expectations. To the extent dissatisfaction with our service is widespread or not adequately addressed, our brand may be adversely impacted and our ability to attract and retain subscribers may be adversely affected.In 2011, we made a series of announcements regarding our business, including the separation of our DVD-by-mail and streaming plans with a corresponding price change for some of our customers, the rebranding of our DVD-by-mail service , and the subsequent retraction of our plans to rebrand our DVD-by-mail service. Consumers reacted negatively to these announcements, adversely impacting our brand and resulting in higher than expected customer cancellations, which negatively affected our operating results. While we have seen significant improvements to our brand since the events of 2011, we nonetheless believe that it will continue to take time to repair our brand to the levels we enjoyed prior to the events of 2011. 6 Table of Contents With respect to our expansion into international markets, we will also need to establish our brand and to the extent we are not successful, our business in new markets would be adversely impacted.Changes in our subscriber acquisition sources could adversely affect our marketing expenses and subscriber levels may be adversely affected. We utilize a broad mix of marketing programs to promote our service to potential new subscribers. We obtain new subscribers through our online marketi ng efforts, including paid search listings, banner ads, text links and permission-based e-mails, as well as our affiliate program. We also engage our consumer electronics partners to generate new subscribers for our service. In addition, we have engaged in various offline marketing programs, including TV and radio advertising, direct mail and print campaigns, consumer package and mailing insertions.We also acquire a number of subscribers who rejoin our service having previously cancelled their membership. We maintain an active public relations program, including through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, to increase awareness of our service and drive subscriber acquisition. We opportunistically adjust our mix of marketing programs to acquire new subscribers at a reasonable cost with the intention of achieving overall financial goals. If we are unable to maintain or replace our sources of subscribers with similarly effective sources, or if the cost of our existing sourc es increases, our subscriber levels and marketing expenses may be adversely affected.We may not be able to continue to support the marketing of our service by current means if such activities are no longer available to us, become cost prohibitive or are adverse to our business. If companies that currently promote our service decide that we are negatively impacting their business, that they want to compete more directly with our business or enter a similar business or decide to exclusively support our competitors, we may no longer be given access to such marketing channels. In addition, if ad rates increase, we may curtail marketing expenses or otherwise experience an increase in our marketing costs. Laws and regulations impose restrictions on or otherwise prohibit the use of certain acquisition channels, including commercial e-mail and direct mail.We may limit or discontinue use or support of certain marketing sources or activities if we become concerned that subscribers or potentia l subscribers deem such practices intrusive or damaging to our brand. If the available marketing channels are curtailed, our ability to attract new subscribers may be adversely affected. If we become subject to liability for content that we distribute through our service, our results of operations would be adversely affected. As a distributor of content, we face potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we distribute. We also may face potential liability for content used in member reviews. If we become liable, then our business may suffer.Litigation to defend these claims could be costly and the expenses and damages arising from any liability could harm our results of operations. We cannot assure that we are indemnified to cover claims of these types or liability that may be imposed on us, and we may not have insurance coverage for these types of claims. If studios and other content prov iders refuse to license streaming content to us upon acceptable terms, our business could be adversely affected. Our ability to provide our subscribers with content they can watch instantly depends on studios and other content providers licensing us content specifically for Internet delivery. The license periods and the terms and conditions of such licenses vary.If the studios and other content providers change their terms and conditions or are no longer willing or able to license us content, our ability to stream content to our subscribers will be adversely affected. Unlike DVD, streaming content is not subject to the First Sale Doctrine. As such, we are completely dependent on the various content providers to license us content in order to access and stream content. Many of the licenses provide for the studios or other content providers to withdraw content from our service relatively quickly. Because of these provisions as well as other actions we may take, content available throu gh our service can be withdrawn on short notice. In addition, the studios and other content providers have great flexibility in licensing streaming content.They may elect to license content exclusively to a particular provider or otherwise limit the types of services that can deliver streaming content. For example, HBO licenses content from studios like Warner Bros. and the license provides HBO with the exclusive right to such content against other subscription services, including Netflix. As such, Netflix cannot license certain Warner Bros. content for delivery to its subscribers while Warner Bros. may nonetheless license the same content on a transactional basis. Conversely, content providers may license the same content to multiple subscription-based services and may do so on different terms and conditions.As such, Netflix and its competitors may offer consumers many of the same content titles but license these at different rates. As competition increases, we may see the cost for programming increase. As we seek to differentiate our service, we are increasingly focused on securing certain exclusive rights when obtaining content. We are also focused on programming an overall mix of content that delights our members in a cost efficient manner. Within this context, we are selective about the titles we add and renew our service. If we do not maintain a compelling mix of content, our subscriber acquisition and retention may be adversely affected. 7 Table of ContentsIf we are unable to secure and maintain rights to streaming content or if we cannot otherwise obtain such content upon terms that are acceptable to us, including on an exclusive basis in some cases, our ability to stream TV shows and movies to our subscribers will be adversely impacted, and our subscriber acquisition and retention could also be adversely impacted. We rely upon a number of partners to offer instant streaming of content from Netflix to various devices. We currently offer subscribers the ability to receive streaming content through their PCs, Macs and other Internet-connected devices, including Blu-ray players and TVs, digital video players, game consoles and mobile devices.We intend to continue to broaden our capability to instantly stream TV shows and movies to other platforms and partners over time. If we are not successful in maintaining existing and creating new relationships, or if we encounter technological, content licensing or other impediments to our streaming content, our ability to grow our business could be adversely impacted. Our agreements with our consumer electronics partners are typically between one and three years in duration and our business could be adversely affected if, upon expiration, a number of our partners do not continue to provide access to our service or are unwilling to do so on terms acceptable to us, which terms may include the degree of accessibility and prominence of our service.Furthermore, devices are manufactured and sold by entities other than Netflix and while these entities should be responsible for the devices' performance, the connection between these devices and Netflix may nonetheless result in consumer dissatisfaction toward Netflix and such dissatisfaction could result in claims against us or otherwise adversely impact our business. In addition, technology changes to our streaming functionality may require that partners update their devices. If partners do not update or otherwise modify their devices, our service and our subscribers' use and enjoyment could be negatively impacted. If subscriptions to our Domestic DVD segment decline faster than anticipated, our business could be adversely affected The number of subscriptions to our DVD-by-mail offering is declining, and we anticipate that this decline will continue.We believe, however, that the domestic DVD business will continue to generate significant contribution profit for our business. In addition, we believe that DVD will be a valuable co nsumer proposition and studio profit center for the next several years, even as DVD sales decline. The contribution profit generated by our domestic DVD business will help provide capital resources to fund losses arising from our growth internationally. To the extent that the rate of decline in our DVD-by-mail business is greater than we anticipate, our business could be adversely affected. Because we are primarily focused on building a global streaming service, the resources allocated to maintaining DVD operations and the level of management focus on our DVD business are limited.We do not anticipate increasing resources to our DVD operations and the technology used in its operations will not be meaningfully improved. To the extent that we experience service interruptions or other degradations in our DVD-bymail service, subscribers' satisfaction could be negatively impacted and we could experience an increase in DVD-by-mail subscriber cancellations, which could adversely impact our business. If U. S. Copyright law were altered to amend or eliminate the First Sale Doctrine, our business could be adversely affected. Under U. S. Copyright Law, once a DVD is sold into the market, those obtaining the DVD are permitted to re-sell it, rent it or otherwise dispose of it. This is commonly referred to as the First Sale Doctrine.While the vast majority of our DVD content acquisitions are direct from content providers, the First Sale Doctrine provides us with an option to acquire content from other third parties should the content providers refuse to deal with us on acceptable terms. If Congress or the courts were to change or substantially limit this First Sale Doctrine, our ability to obtain DVD content and then rent it could be adversely affected. Increased availability of new releases to other distribution channels prior to, or on parity with, the release on DVD, and/or the delayed availability of such DVDs through our service, could adversely affect our business. Ove r the past several years, we have seen content providers adjust and experiment with the various distribution channels and content release timing.Further, our licensing agreements with several studios require that we do not rent new release DVDs until some period of time after such DVDs are first made available for retail sale. These shifting distribution channels, their associated timing and/or the delayed availability of such DVDs through our service may negatively impact subscribers' perception of value in our service, which could adversely affect our business. Moreover, if we are unable to negotiate favorable terms to acquire DVDs, our contribution profits may be adversely affected. Any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third-parties that we utilize in our operations could result in a loss or degradation of service and could adversely impact our business.Our reputation and ability to attract, retain and serve our subscribers is dependent upon the reliable performance of our computer systems and those of third-parties that we utilize in our operations. Interruptions in these systems, or with the Internet in general, could make our service unavailable or degraded or otherwise hinder our ability to deliver streaming content or fulfill 8 Table of Contents DVD selections. From time to time, we experience service interruptions and have voluntarily provided affected subscribers with a credit during periods of extended outage. Service interruptions, errors in our software or the unavailability of computer systems used in our operations could diminish the overall attractiveness of our subscription service to existing and potential subscribers.Our servers and those of third parties we use in our operations are vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions and periodically experience directed attacks intended to lead to interruptions and delays in our service and operations as well as loss, misuse or theft of data. Any attempt by hackers to disrupt our service or otherwise access our systems, if successful, could harm our business, be expensive to remedy and damage our reputation. We have implemented certain systems and processes to thwart hackers and to date hackers have not had a material impact on our service or systems however this is no assurance that hackers may not be successful in the future. Our insurance does not cover expenses related to such disruptions or unauthorized access.Efforts to prevent hackers from disrupting our service or otherwise accessing our systems are expensive to implement and may limit the functionality of or otherwise negatively impact our service offering and systems. Any significant disruption to our service or access to our systems could result in a loss of subscribers and adversely affect our business and results of operation. We utilize our own communications and computer hardware systems located either in our facilities or in that of a third -party Web hosting provider. In addition, we utilize third-party Internet-based or â€Å"cloud† computing services in connection with our business operations. We also utilize our own and third-party content delivery networks to help us stream TV shows and movies in high volume to Netflix subscribers over the Internet.Problems faced by us or our third-party Web hosting, â€Å"cloud† computing, or content delivery network providers, including technological or business-related disruptions, could adversely impact the experience of our subscribers. In addition, fires, floods, earthquakes, power losses, telecommunications failures, break-ins and similar events could damage these systems and hardware or cause them to fail completely. As we do not maintain entirely redundant systems, a disrupting event could result in prolonged downtime of our operations and could adversely affect our business. We rely upon Amazon Web Services to operate certain aspects of our service and any disruption of or interference with our use of the Amazon Web Services operation would impact our operations and our business would be adversely impacted.Amazon Web Services (â€Å"AWS†) provides a distributed computing infrastructure platform for business operations, or what is commonly referred to as a â€Å"cloud† computing service. We have architected our software and computer systems so as to utilize data processing, storage capabilities and other services provided by AWS. Currently, we run the vast majority of our computing on AWS. Given this, along with the fact that we cannot easily switch our AWS operations to another cloud provider, any disruption of or interference with our use of AWS would impact our operations and our business would be adversely impacted. While the retail side of Amazon competes with us, we do not believe that Amazon will use the AWS operation in such a manner as to gain competitive advantage against our service.If we experience difficultie s with the operation and implementation of Open Connect, our single-purpose Netflix content delivery network (â€Å"CDN†), our business and results of operation could be adversely impacted In addition to general-purpose commercial CDNs, we have enabled Internet service providers (â€Å"ISPs†) to obtain our streaming content from Open Connect, a single-purpose Netflix content delivery network that we have established. Given our size and growth, we believe it makes economic sense to have our own specialized CDN. We will continue to work with our commercial CDN partners for the next few years, but eventually we expect the vast majority of our streaming bits will be served by Open Connect. Open Connect will provide the Netflix bits at no cost to the locations the ISP desires, or ISPs can choose to get the Netflix bits at common Internet exchanges.To the extent ISPs do not interconnect with Open Connect or if we experience difficulties in operating the Open Connect CDN serv ice, our ability to efficiently and effectively deliver our streaming content to our subscribers could be adversely impacted and our business and results of operation could be adversely affected. Failure to implement Open Connect could require us to engage third-party solutions to deliver our content to ISPs, which could increase our costs and negatively affect our operating results. If we are unable to effectively utilize our recommendation and merchandising technology or develop user interfaces that maintain or increase subscriber engagement with our service, our business may suffer. Our proprietary recommendation and merchandising technology enables us to predict and recommend titles and effectively merchandise our library to our subscribers.We also develop, test and implement various user interfaces across multiple devices, in an effort to maintain and increase subscriber engagement with our service. 9 Table of Contents We are continually refining our recommendation and merchand ising technology as well as our various user interfaces in an effort to improve the predictive accuracy of our TV show and movie recommendations and the usefulness of and engagement with our service by our subscribers. We may experience difficulties in implementing refinements or other, third party recommendation or merchandising technology or interfaces may become more popular with or useful to our subscribers.In addition, we cannot assure that we will be able to continue to make and implement meaningful refinements to our recommendation technology. If our recommendation and merchandising technology does not enable us to predict and recommend titles that our subscribers will enjoy or if we are unable to implement meaningful improvements thereto or otherwise improve our user interfaces, our service may be less useful to our subscribers. Such failures could lead to the following: †¢ †¢ our subscriber satisfaction may decrease, subscribers may perceive our service to be of l ower value and our ability to attract and retain subscribers may be adversely affected; and our ability to effectively merchandise and utilize our library will be adversely affected.We rely heavily on our proprietary technology to stream TV shows and movies and to manage other aspects of our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively could adversely affect our business. We continually enhance or modify the technology used for our operations. We cannot be sure that any enhancements or other modifications we make to our operations will achieve the intended results or otherwise be of value to our subscribers. Future enhancements and modifications to our technology could consume considerable resources. If we are unable to maintain and enhance our technology to manage the streaming of TV shows and movies to our subscribers in a timely and efficient manner and/or the processing of DVDs among our shipping centers, our ability to retain existing subscribers and to add new subscribers may be impaired.In addition, if our technology or that of thirdparties we utilize in our operations fails or otherwise operates improperly, our ability to retain existing subscribers and to add new subscribers may be impaired. Also, any harm to our subscribers' personal computers or other devices caused by software used in our operations could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Changes in U. S. Postal rates or operations could adversely impact our operating results and subscriber satisfaction. We rely exclusively on the U. S. Postal Service to deliver DVDs from our shipping centers and to return DVDs to us from our subscribers.Increases in postage delivery rates could adversely affect our Domestic DVD segment's contribution profit. The U. S. Postal Service increased the rate for first class postage on January 23, 2013 to 46 cents. It is expected that the U. S. Postal Service will raise rates again in subsequent years, which would result in increased shipping costs. If the U. S. Postal Service were to change any policies relative to the requirements of firstclass mail, including changes in size, weight or machinability qualifications of our DVD envelopes, such changes could result in increased shipping costs or higher breakage for our DVDs, and our contribution margin could be adversely affected.For example, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently instructed the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to remedy discrimination by the Postal Service in the processing of DVDs by mail, or to explain adequately why such discrimination is reasonable. While we do not anticipate any material impact to our operations arising from this case, if the PRC institutes a remedy that results in an increase in postage rates or changes the manner in which our DVD shipments are processed, our contribution margin could be adversely affected. If the U. S. Postal Service were to imple ment other changes to improve its financial position, such as closing mail processing facilities or service reductions, such changes could lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction and our results of operations could be adversely affected.If government regulations relating to the Internet or other areas of our business change, we may need to alter the manner in which we conduct our business, or incur greater operating expenses. The adoption or modification of laws or regulations relating to the Internet or other areas of our business could limit or otherwise adversely affect the manner in which we currently conduct our business. In addition, the growth and development of the market for online commerce may lead to more stringent consumer protection laws, which may impose additional burdens on us. If we are required to comply with new regulations or legislation or new interpretations of existing regulations or legislation, this compliance could cause us to incur additional expenses or alter our business model.The adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth, popularity or use of the Internet, including laws limiting Internet neutrality, could decrease the demand for our subscription service and increase our cost of doing business. For example, in late 2010, the Federal Communications Commission adopted so-called net neutrality rules intended, in part, to prevent network operators from discriminating against legal traffic that transverse their networks. The rules are currently subject to legal challenge. To the extent that these rules are interpreted to enable network operators to engage in discriminatory practices or are overturned by legal challenge, our business could be adversely impacted.As we expand internationally, government regulation concerning the Internet, and in particular, network neutrality, may be nascent or nonexistent. Within 10 Table of Contents such a regulatory environment, coupled with potentially significant politi cal and economic power of local network operators, we could experience discriminatory or anti-competitive practices that could impede our growth, cause us to incur additional expense or otherwise negatively affect our business. Changes in how network operators handle and charge for access to data that travel across their networks could adversely impact our business. We rely upon the ability of consumers to access our service through the Internet.To the extent that network operators implement usage based pricing, including meaningful bandwidth caps, or otherwise try to monetize access to their networks by data providers, we could incur greater operating expenses and our subscriber acquisition and retention could be negatively impacted. For example, in late 2010, Comcast informed Level 3 Communications that it would require Level 3 to pay for the ability to access Comcast's network. Given that much of the traffic being requested by Comcast customers is Netflix streaming content stored with Level 3, many commentators have looked to this situation as an example of Comcast either discriminating against Netflix traffic or trying to increase Netflix's operating costs.Furthermore, to the extent network operators were to create tiers of Internet access service and either charge us for or prohibit us from being available through these tiers, our business could be negatively impacted. Most network operators that provide consumers with access to the Internet also provide these consumers with multichannel video programming. As such, companies like Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have an incentive to use their network infrastructure in a manner adverse to our continued growth and success. For example, Comcast exempted certain of its own Internet video traffic (e. g. , Streampix videos to the Xbox 360) from a bandwidth cap that applies to all unaffiliated Internet video traffic (e. g. , Netflix videos to the Xbox 360).While we believe that consumer demand, regulat ory oversight and competition will help check these incentives, to the extent that network operators are able to provide preferential treatment to their data as opposed to ours or otherwise implement discriminatory network management practices, our business could be negatively impacted. In international markets, especially in Latin America, these same incentives apply however, the consumer demand, regulatory oversight and competition may not be as strong as in our domestic market. Privacy concerns could limit our ability to leverage our subscriber data and our disclosure of subscriber data could adversely impact our business and reputation. In the ordinary course of business and in particular in connection with merchandising our service to our subscribers, we collect and utilize data supplied by our subscribers. We currently face certain legal obligations regarding the manner in which we treat such information.Other businesses have been criticized by privacy groups and governmental bodies for attempts to link personal identities and other information to data collected on the Internet regarding users' browsing and other habits. Increased regulation of data utilization practices, including self-regulation or findings under existing laws, that limit our ability to use collected data, could have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, if we were to disclose data about our subscribers in a manner that was objectionable to them, our business reputation could be adversely affected, and we could face potential legal claims that could impact our operating results.As our business evolves and as we expand internationally, we may become subject to additional and/or more stringent legal obligations concerning our treatment of customer information. Failure to comply with these obligations could subject us to liability, and to the extent that we need to alter our business model or practices to adapt to these obligations, we could incur additional expenses. Our reputa tion and relationships with subscribers would be harmed if our subscriber data, particularly billing data, were to be accessed by unauthorized persons. We maintain personal data regarding our subscribers, including names and, in many cases, mailing addresses. With respect to billing data, such as