Saturday, August 22, 2020

Sociology: Privilege :: Sociology Essays

1. (a) Privilege is characterized act of kindness some help or right conceded to certain individuals, however not to everybody. (b) Power is characterized as quality, capacity, or a main thrust. (c) Difference is characterized as the manner by which two things are not the equivalent. (d) According to MacIntosh there are two kinds of benefits. The first depends on what she calls â€Å"unearned entitlements,† which are things that all individuals ought to have. A few models are having a sense of security in an open spot or working in a spot where they feel that they have a place and are esteemed for what they can contribute. The other sort of benefit is the thing that MacIntosh calls â€Å"unearned advantage,† and happens when â€Å"unearned entitlements† are limited to specific gatherings. A model would be a white individual inclination strange at a midtown club. (e) The mystery in benefit is that people are the one’s who experience benefit or its absence, however people are not what are really advantaged. Rather, benefit is characterized corresponding to a gathering or a social cla ss. For instance, race benefit is more about white individuals than it is about white individuals. Benefits are possibly allowed in the public eye when individuals recognize the person as having a place with a particular class, race, sex, or social foundation. By saying that abuse is the other side of benefit the creator implies that for each social class that is advantaged, at least one different classifications are mistreated corresponding to it. Abuse highlights the social powers that â€Å"press† upon individuals and keep them down, therefore hindering their quest for a decent life. 2. (a) Capitalism is characterized as a monetary framework dependent on responsibility for by people or organizations and not by the state. Private enterprise as it identifies with human science has to do with the way that it produces gigantic measures of riches, however that it makes extraordinary degrees of imbalance among social classes and social orders. Free enterprise likewise has made the rich more extravagant and the poor more unfortunate and has opened the hole in the U.S. class framework. The network of control says that every specific type of benefit, regardless of whether dependent on race, sex, sexual direction, class, religion, or ethnicity, exists just as an a lot bigger arrangement of benefit. It works by streamlining and explaining the hazy areas that we experience in benefit. It permits us to see that each type of benefit exists just comparable to all the rest and shields us from attempting to make sense of which is the most noticeably awful or generally abusive.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Bye Bye Boomers Who Will Fill your Workforce Gap

Bye Bye Boomers Who Will Fill your Workforce Gap Were you born between 1946 and 1964? If so, then you’re the subject of much discussion.It’s becoming clear that your generation is about to leave a huge gap in the workforce due to the ongoing retirements.Baby boomers is the name of your generation. The name comes from the “boom” in child birth right after the end of the World War II. With an improving economy, many children were born in the period between 1946 and 1964.As of 2019, the oldest boomer is 73 years old with the youngest being 55. Some have already retired while others are on their way to retirement.According to a studies, approximately 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every day. This is a big number and many vacancies are being created on a daily basis as they retire.There are several concerns arising from this situation. But for businesses, the major one is in regards to filling those vacancies.Looking at the current workforce in general, the gap being left behind is not an easy one to fill.A DEEPER LOOK AT TH E BOOMERS’ RETIREMENT SITUATIONSome companies allow employees to work past their retirement age for various reasons. One of those reasons is discussed below as part of the solution to this situation.It happens that as employers become more anxious about the future of their companies, those retiring are also anxious. You would expect this generation to be eager to stop working after so many years, butthat is not the case.There are at least three reasons:Lack of enough savings â€" baby boomers, at least a majority of them, do not have enough savings. They either didn’t save enough, or they started saving late. As a result of this, they heavily rely on social security.Obviously, this is not enough and that is why they’re working to supplement that income with a salary.Source: Voya FinancialPending debts â€" many in this generation are still struggling with debt in their old age. Much of this debt is mortgage. To keep their homes, they have to pay up. Since social security alone c annot sustain the payments plus other expenses, working ends up being the only solution.High costs of healthcare â€" healthcare costs have been a big challenge for baby boomers. Although they planned for it, they largely underestimated the costs involved.Many assumed that Medicare will handle everything. It then becomes a shock to later learn that Medicare doesn’t handle long-term care and other expected aspects of medical care. What do they do? The easiest thing to do is continue working.Continued working may be viewed by others as being unfair and being unwilling to make room for younger employees.But the truth is that employers are also afraid of letting boomers go.HOW THE BABY BOOMER RETIREMENT IS AFFECTING ORGANIZATIONSIf an employer is part of the majority who aren’t sure how to fill the impending gap, then he is worried.As a boomer, for all the years you’ve worked in the company, you have gained a lot of experience. This experience and expertise is what will be lacking after you leave. Apart from the skills you possess, there are other great character traits you have which have benefited the company.These are largely connected to the uniqueness of your generation. These center on work ethic, a sense of responsibility, self-discipline and mental focus. These are some of the identifiers of a baby boomer.These qualities have dominated the top positions in many companies as well as other important positions. The absence of these attributes without a fitting replacement spells danger.Here are some ways in which the impact is being felt.Loss of an Extremely-Dedicated WorkforceAs a baby boomer, you’ve been working for a long time. Apart from the number of years, your generation is also known to willingly work long hours. This is because it believes in working hard.This trait is part of the definition of your work ethic. You stand out as employees who will go the extra mile to ensure the work gets done well and on time.You’re also credited with the ab ility to work well under pressure. This is a desirable trait in many companiesâ€"whether a product or service-based company. As you’ll see below in the section about possible successor generations, not everyone shares this trait.Loss of Loyal EmployeesWhereas millennials are known to be job hoppers, boomers are known to be loyal employees. You are likely to have worked in a maximum of two different companies.Instead of seeking growth through working for several employers, you have grown through promotions in the same company. With your characteristic loyalty, your employer definitely likes you.So, what does your departure mean to him?He will have to embrace different types of employees. Though this is not a bad thing, the problem is that change is not always welcome. Change is disruptive and disruption pushes you out of your comfort zone.Being out of your comfort zone is often seen as a dangerous thing since you have no control.Loss of Experienced EmployeesYour long tenure at the same company and hard work gave you another badge: that of great experience.This is one of the biggest losses your employer is staring at. It’s unfortunate that not enough skills have been transferred from your generation to the others. This has a big impact.The tasks which need some form of hands-on specialization will soon be challenging to complete.It’s going to be a situation of going back to the drawing board. And considering that other generations are not as patient to learn as you are, it’s definitely going to be an uphill task.Change in Workplace CultureEvery generation has its own way of working. An office full of baby boomers has a different atmosphere compared to one full of millennials.Traditionally, younger employees have had to adapt to the work environment dominated by older staff. It seems that now the tables are turning. Not against the older generation but against what has been long labeled as the norm.If you remain in the workplace, you’ll be experiencing some nostalgia.You’ll be wishing the good old days were here with you. You might even be telling those stories to your younger colleagues.Hoping they don’t find those days weird, organizations will have to make changes. And as an employee, you’re going to need to adapt.A beautiful thing about changing workplace culture is that anyone can drive the change. It doesn’t have to be started by the top management even though they’ll need to be deeply involved.That means that an employee who sees the dangers of the workplace culture not changing can start the conversation. And if he does it well enough, promotions are always available.Watch the below video for tips on this. WHICH INDUSTRY IS MOST AFFECTED?There is one industry that stands to feel the biggest impact in this departure.That is the manufacturing industry. This is arguably one of the biggest industries still employing many boomers.Manufacturing has for long been known as a mechanical and manual job.And considering that current job seekers are not very excited about that kind of job, there is a big problem on the horizon.Just how do you get someone who has grown up playing with tablets and smartphones to work using metals and plastic? And if there are absolutely no other job opportunities and this is picked, how much enthusiasm will there be in the job?Manufacturers are facing a trying time.Another problem is the perception of many about factories being dirty and noisy places.Who really wants that?But as you may know since you’ve worked there, manufacturers have also embraced technology.You don’t even need to go far to see this. In any case, hasn’t there been a debate about how machines will take over jobs?These machines are however there to help make the work easierâ€"maybe even more fun. At the end of the day, it may be just an issue of the mindset one has.All the same, mindset or not, manufacturers know too well the challenges lying ahead.FILLING THE GAPIt’s already happening and no amo unt of continued work into the golden years will stop boomers from leaving the workplace.The challenges at hand are many and business owners and managers know that solutions are needed.So, what’s to be done?There are only two generations which can fill the gap left behind by baby boomers. These are the generations X and Y.As much as generation Z already exists and some of them are already in the workplace, those cannot really fill the gap.First of all, they’re still very young and compared to generation Y, there are differences which make their adaptation even more difficult. Any employer seeking to use them to replace the boomers will face a more difficult task.The gap and differences in character traits are simply too big. That will require a very big change in a very short time. For that reason, we will only look at the candidacy of generations X and Y.Generation XThis generation is also known as Gen Xers.This is the generation that has received very little attention. All ove r the internet, you will find news and articles about baby boomers and millennials but very little about this generation.Born between 1965 and 1980, the oldest is currently 54 years old while the youngest is 39 years old. The older ones may have some characteristics similar to those of the boomers since they were born almost at the same time.This generation is however quite different in some ways.Here are some of their characteristics:work-life balance â€" this generation is the one that is championing the push for a better work-life balance. Most of them have families and need time to spend at home. They want to be part of their children’s lives and for the married ones, they want to spend time with their spouses.Because of this push, some employers have started developing policies to allow for it. There are now work-from-home options with some even allowing shorter work hours during the weekdays.Adaptive to technology â€" although they were not born when tablets and smartphones were common, at least the internet was coming of age. This means that they grew up knowing what the internet was as well as having access to a mobile device.This has helped them adapt to technology. As much as they may not be the first to embrace new technology, they easily adapt and make use of it where necessary.Loyalty â€" Generation X has some level of loyalty to their employers. Although it is not to the level of boomers, they are certainly more loyal than millennials. This is one reason we believe they are the best fit for some of the positions being left vacant by retiring boomers.Loyalty has many benefits to the organization. One benefit is that loyalty breeds flexibility.That means that this generation can make some personal changes so as to take up roles they weren’t really looking for.The organizations will however need to create conducive environments.Rewards, higher salaries and overall motivations will also need to be put in place to make them more willing to make th e changes required. Training will also be necessary for some positions.Self-reliance â€" this is another trait shared with the boomers. This generation grew up taking responsibilities thus developing this trait of putting in the required effort. Although they appreciate teamwork, they are also able to make sacrifices to finish what needs to be finished.Skeptical and suspicious â€" gen X employees have a characteristic skepticism and will not always be quick to embrace new ideas. This is especially when the change is a big one. In fact, most of the people skeptical of automation are the Gen Xers.Organizations seeking to raise this generation to fill the boomer vacancies need to introduce change gradually. They should communicate it well in advance and even collect opinions before implementing new measures.Generation Y (Millennials)Now to the most popular generationâ€"the millennials. These are the people born between 1981 and 1995.Millennials have been discussed all over the media an d the comments made have not been very positive. You may have heard of them being described as lazy, disloyal, feeling entitled, arrogant etc.As much as such conclusions are usually based on observations, the truth is that these conclusions are not very balanced. Labeling a whole generation as lazy only means that you haven’t really understood it.To fully understand a generationâ€"and this is the reason they are categorized by birth yearsâ€"you have to look at what defined their upbringing.The people labeling millennials often wonder why they aren’t fitting into the “norm” which is defined by the boomers and Xers. However, the millennials are at the same time wondering why these generations can’t be “normal.”So, whose “normal” should we adapt to?Here are some traits which employers need to keep in mind when dealing with millennials.They expect transparency â€" in contrast to the Gen Xers who are skeptic and suspicious, millennials are quite trusting. This opens the m up to potential exploitation. But woe unto you if they discover that you’re not genuine.Once you lose their trust, it’s very difficult to regain it. And being the well-connected generation, the news will spread faster than you can say sorry. This is one of the reasons online reviews are powerful and well guarded by brands.In dealing with millennials, do your best to keep your word. When drafting agreements, minimize the number of terms and conditions and use simple and clear language. Do not tell them one ting then later claim something else. Just be open.Information availability â€" the digital age has made information available and that is what millennials are used to. Companies used to keeping information only available to top management will have a hard time coping with this generation.Millennials want to have information available so they can look at it and make the decisions which suit them. To them, failing to provide information means you are trying to hide something.O bviously, not all information can be made available. But whatever helps employees make more informed decisions should be availed. It will even be better if the information is provided before it’s requested for.Multi-taskers â€" whereas they may be seen as those with very little concentration power, millennials see themselves as multi-taskers. And indeed they are.Multitasking happens at all levels. From work to social. It’s not difficult to see one speaking with a friend while chatting with another on the phone. For millennials, this is a productivity hack and it works well for them.They even wonder why others aren’t adopting it.Check out this video of a millennial teenager multitasking. He’s doing his homework, playing therapist, ordering pizza while also solving computer problems. His baby boomer mother, aware only of the homework, wonders why the millennial isn’t going to the library. Quickly and easily embrace change â€" navigating change is not a problem at all for mil lennials. This is largely due to their social nature. They often get to know about new trends from their friends and in order to stay connected, will quickly embrace the new.Since technology is the driving force behind much change, it has also contributed to their ability to quickly adapt. New technology is increasingly being designed to be easy to use. This enables millennials quickly adopt the new.In any ever-changing environment, millennials are the best fit. You will find them in the technology industry due to this trait.Seek inclusion and diversity â€" since they are very connected, millennials have interacted with many people even from different parts of the world. They also happily embrace diversity and expect the same from the companies they work for.Since their friends embrace them, they expect to be embraced even when donning clothes and hair styles others deem unfit for the office. For them, it’s a show of freedom and they expect to be allowed to enjoy it.BRIDGING THE G AP BETWEEN THE GENERATIONSThis section will show you how to bridge the gap between the generations. And after reading it, you’ll see that it’s very possible for the different generations to co-exist peacefully.The only requirement is mutual understanding.These generations are very different from the boomers and they’re the ones organizations will have to pick from in filling job vacancies. For that reason, it’s important to learn how to bridge the gap.For organizations already working with these three generations, they have the opportunity to prepare in advance. If your boomers are already retiring, make the best of the remaining time.If you still have some time before they retire, then move with speed and implement the below measures. They will help you manage the situation better and you’ll avoid unnecessary challenges.Change Your Workplace CultureAs already seen, the biggest challenge with multi-generational workplaces is that they don’t understand one another.Failing to understand the story behind the generation brings about confusion and misunderstanding.The best way to deal with this situation is to create an environment conducive for mutual respect.The older staff should hold the view that being young doesn’t mean millennials have nothing to offer. Likewise, millennials should understand that being old doesn’t mean boomers can’t get the job done.Both of these generations, if left to themselves and asked to prove their worth, they will do the required work. The only difference will be the means of achieving their goals.A workplace culture of mutual respect and appreciation should be entrenched in the company policy. The implementation should however not be a legal issue but more of a fun experience.The management can have, as part of the onboarding process, time for describing the background of the workforce.New employees can be told of the benefits of the diverse workforce. They can also be asked what they will do to blend in and sugge st more ways of benefiting from the diversity.Implement Two-Way Mentorship ProgramsMentorship is often seen as the training of a younger person by an older experienced person. This is very okay. But if we consider the part about experience and ignore the age part, we can have a unique take on mentorship.This is referred to as the two-way mentorship program.In the work environment, boomers are the more experienced in terms of the work itself and the industry in general.The millennials, and the Gen Xers to some degree, are experienced in new innovative solutions. If these solutions can be implemented, the organization will enjoy improved efficiency.Since the work, industry as well as technology expertise and experience are required, everyone can learn from the other.As long as the right environment has been created, the younger tech-savvy staff can train the older ones. In doing this, they’ll be helping their older colleagues catch up with new trends and the whole company will move together in unity.At the same time, the older ones can teach their younger colleagues how specific operations are done. While at it, they can also explain why the procedures used are preferred and whether changes can be done.It’s all about having an open mind and willingness to learn.Create Cross-Generational TeamsHaving learned and now appreciating others, the next step is to form teams consisting of staff from different generations.If there is a project to be worked on, it should not just have younger employees simply because they are fast and energetic. It should be inclusive enough to accommodate all age groups as much as possible.If you need the work to be finished fast, this will obviously not happen. But would you rather finish a project quickly or have your employees enjoy the work and learn from one another as they work?If you stick to preferring maximum productivity, it will cost you in the long run. The rushed deadlines will make people only interact when necessary and with limited time.Those who are slow (boomers) will be shunned by those who are fast (millennials). In the end, the experience and knowledge which the boomers have will be missing in the Gen Xers and millennials who remain.The whole idea of having a work environment suitable for genuine and friendly interactions is to facilitate skills transfer. The friendships formed will cause an increase in productivity since teamwork will be improved.Provide Onboarding for Younger LeadersLastly, just as new employees go through an onboarding process, so should the young leaders taking the reins at the various levels. Keep in mind that onboarding is different from orientation.They should be helped to understand why things are done the way they’re done. In case they have any questions or suggestions for changes, they should be listened to. Their ideas should also be considered.This is because people have different leadership styles.Gen Xers will lead differently from millennials. Still, among bo th generations, there will be different perspectives and motivations since people are unique.Young leaders should feel comfortable and know that they have the support of the leaders at the higher levels.CONCLUSIONAlthough it may seem a difficult time for many organizations, it can also be seen as an opportunity to improve.Creating a work culture where all employees are valued despite their age will greatly benefit the company. And with information about the characteristics of the generations likely to fit the vacancies, it’s easier than ever to plan ahead.Use the above tips for bridging the generational gap at work and see your transition process becoming simpler.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Young Girls And Girls An Effect On Self Motivation And...

Girls are also more likely to succumb to the pressures of having a label of academic success in early schooling which can, in some cases, impact their motivation. Little and Garber (2004) found that this is common in American teenage girls who have just transitioned from middle school as there is often a decrease in GPA after this change in schools which has a staggering impact on self-motivation and confidence in their academic abilities.. This suggests that even if young girls have high aspirations, some may give up on them due to setbacks and believe that they are failures. If students are supported through this strenuous period of time where school can effectively ‘make or break’ a child’s future, then maybe there would be higher achievement in both boys and girls. This labelling can impact boys as well as girls, Schultz (1983) argues that the expectations that teachers have of their students has an effect on the way that they interact with them and leads to a change in the student’s attitude to school and behaviour. This is supported by Harris (1991) who found that teachers drastically changed the way they responded to either a ‘smart’ or ‘less able’ child with either warm or cold feedback, the amount of material taught, and they gave fewer opportunities to ‘less able’ children to answer questions. This limits children with negative labels and means that they are less likely to grow academically and decreases the likelihood of their in-class participation.Show MoreRelatedRoyal Role Models : Why Disney Princesses1555 Words   |  7 PagesWHY DISNEY PRINCESSES ARE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE TO YOUNG GIRLS Are tiaras, dresses, princes, and castles destroying the minds of our youth? 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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The War Over Marijuana - 1862 Words

In Bill Steigerwalds words, the drug war is the 36-year-old, $40 billion-a-year rogue elephant in the game room everyone running for president pretends not to see. (Steigerwald) The present works aim is to analyze the concerns which revolve around the marijuana state and federal legalization debate, with special emphasis on its positive outcomes. The majority of clinical research studies concerning marijuana use and its effects unravel the uncertainty which surrounds the subject and present the common pattern of insisting that further clinical enquiry is necessary. Measurable immediate effects generally translate in a temporary alteration of perception, as colors and sounds may seem more intense, and time appears to pass very slowly. The users mouth feels dry, and s/he may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty (Yacoubian). Admittedly, these manifestations hardly seem to pose any social danger. However, the overall objection to marijuana is based on negative long-term effects, which seem to be carcinogenic, harmful to human immune, respiratory and reproductive systems, and compromising of short-term memory and cognitive capacities. The Consensus Conference convened by the National Institutes of Health in 1997 concluded that THC, the active substance in cannabis, would be useful in the medical treatment of chronic pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea during cancer treatment. Additionally, the consultants present at the conference unanimously concurred that medicalShow MoreRelated Marijuana as a Gift from Mother Earth Essay1017 Words   |  5 PagesMarijuana as a Gift from Mother Earth When and where will the senseless persecutions of America’s Marijuana users end? These Marijuana smokers are typically middle class males, between the ages of 17 and 39, and one in three have no prior felony charges on their records. 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Some people believe that the only use of marijuana plant is that it can get you high, which is far from the truth. The Marijuana, cannabis, or hemp plant is one of the oldest psychoactive plants known to man. Many people fail to acknowledge that marijuana has a history of more than 8000 years and it has only been illegal for a short period of time. Its history dates back as farRead MoreThe Harrison Narcotic Act Of 1914881 Words   |  4 Pagesdrug-taking behavior gained federal awareness in the early 1900s, due to the lack of drug control regulations. Moreover, Levinthal (2012) mentions f our major drug control laws which were established, including: (1) The Harrison Narcotic Act 1914, (2) The Marijuana Tax Act 1937, (3) The Boggs Act 1951, and (4) The Controlled Substance Act 1970. The drug control laws formed help regulate importation, manufacture, selling, or distribution of drugs within the United States (Levinthal, 2012). The Harrison NarcoticRead MoreLegalizing Marigjuana in the United States766 Words   |  3 Pagesin the 1930s detrimentally distorted the view of marijuana ever since it was declared illegal. Marijuana has and still continues to be looked down upon due to the unexplainable psychological effects of the human mind. Futhermore, the American society has viewed marijuana in such a negative way that it holds people to the reputation as a loser or stoner. This skewed perception of a lazy and unmotivated marijuana users in America is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation spreadRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1581 Words   |  7 Pages Although there has been a â€Å"war on drugs† since the late 1900’s, the legalization of marijuana has been a popular topic within the past couple of years. This topic is very controversial due to the fact that many people are unable to see past the bad rap that cannabis has accumulated over past years. Among t he other aspects that have already given marijuana a bad reputation, some people are trying to find more and more reasons to postpone the legalization of marijuana. Since the legalization of cannabisRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Should Qualify Trillions Of Dollars For The Government848 Words   |  4 PagesThe legalization of Marijuana could earn trillions of dollars for the government. â€Å"As governments struggle with decreased revenue and rising costs, the legalization of Marijuana will boost income to fund projects, such as new parks and road repairs† (â€Å"19 Primary Pros and Cons of legalizing weed† 2015) . Since 2006 more than one hundred thousand people have been estimated to have died in the drug war. This happens due to the lack of supervision in handling drugs with distribution, and use

Yahoo †Strategic Management Analysis Free Essays

string(94) " ready to adapt to change in market trends and respond with calculated and responsible steps\." EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Yahoo! Inc. , over its journey of almost 17 years has become the world’s largest online network integrated services provider with users exceeding 500 million in numbers worldwide (Yahoo FAQ, 2012). It has a presence in more than twenty markets and regions across the globe and is best known for its search engine and host of other services like finance, e-mail, advertising and social media. We will write a custom essay sample on Yahoo – Strategic Management Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Yahoo! Inc. was started as a personal website directory by two doctorate candidates at Stanford University named David Filo and Jerry Yang. Filo and Yang realized the potential of generating revenue from their web directory by allowing companies to advertise their products on their online directory. Soon, Yahoo was notable enough to gain the attention of Sequoia capital, a venture capital firm. Sequoia provided much needed capital to Yahoo and Tim Koogle, a Motorola executive was hired as Yahoo’s Chief Executive Officer. Koogle’s excellent management skills and vision took Yahoo to the new heights of success i. . Yahoo! Inc. ’s stock price rose from $5 a share to almost $244 a share in 1999 (Jones, 2007) However, despite the leadership that the company enjoyed in its initial years, the company over the past years seems be losing market share to its arch rival Google Inc. Google has been outdoing Yahoo for the past many years now, gaining market share and increasing its customer base manifolds. Over the course of past few years, Yahoo! Inc. ade a slew of changes in its objectives, business model and t o its external, internal environment and strategy to shore up its performance and regain lost ground to its main competitor Google. Herein, we shall take a close look at some of such factors through defining the company’s mandate, internal analysis as well as external analysis. INTRODUCTION The company under consideration Yahoo! Inc. (referred to hereinafter as â€Å"Yahoo†) is one of the world’s largest online network integrated services provider with a combined user base in excess of 500 million. Yahoo provides a whole host of network based services, however over its existence of past 17 years, many such similar service providers have shored up especially after the dot com boom. Some of these new players took the path of specializing in a particular form of service while others brought a whole gamut of new services with the old ones. World Wide Web has grown exponentially over the past years giving rise to the intense rivalry between companies involved. This intense rivalry especially with the likes of Google is one of the biggest challenges for Yahoo. In this case study, we try to first understand the backdrop in which the company is operating including its mission and vision for the future, its ultimate goals and philosophy regarding its business, its business model, external analysis based on Porter’s five forces model and finally internal analysis based on distinctive competencies, competitive advantage and profitability. This document is prepared based on the information provided in the case, â€Å"Yahoo† (Jones, 2007) as well as numerous external sources such as Yahoo’s website and its annual reports circa 2011. COMPANY OVERVIEW Yahoo was incorporated as an Internet service provider that would serve both the users and the businesses globally. Yahoo was founded by two Stanford PhD candidates in January 1994 named Jerry Yang and David Filo. However, today Yahoo has become one of the world’s largest global online network integrated services provider. Yahoo today has a user base of 500 million per month. It has a presence in more than 30 countries worldwide and provides services in more than twenty different languages. The company presently operates out of Sunnyvale, California in the United States. Yahoo first went public on the NASDAQ (YHOO) in the April of 1996. The stock had opened for $ 13. 00 per share of the company and by the very day’s end; it had reached a closing of $ 33. 00 per share (Yahoo Overview, 2012). In Dec 1999 the company was also added to the SP 500 index. Recently, in early 2012, Yahoo had appointed Scott Thompson as the new CEO who was then replaced by Marissa Mayer in the month of May (Perez, 2012). Also in June 2012, the company also hired the former director at Google, Michael Barrett, as its Chief Revenue Officer. In April 2012, the company announced a cut of about 14 % of its workforce. This was expected to save the company around $ 375 million annually and is scheduled to be completed by end of this year (Liedtke, 2012). MANDATE The mandate of a company sheds light on why it exists, what it hopes to achieve in reference to the expectations of the stakeholders. Yahoo changed it mission statement from just â€Å"focusing on being a search portal† to â€Å"want to connect people to their passion, communities and world’s knowledge† (Baker, 2007). Yahoo’s mission Statement refers to the fact that the company envisages to achieve two major objectives; first one is to provide personal digital experience to their customers so that they remain happy doing things they like especially in the web and secondly to provide a unique way to the advertiser to connect to the consumers and help to build their business (Yahoo FAQ, 2012). In simple terms, as Yahoo enables people to connect with their passion in various fields i. e. sports, music etc. , it will in turn provide Yahoo with an excellent opportunity to generate advertising revenue from music and sports companies etc. The core values of the company provide a sense of direction that the company adheres to and the way it is going to do it, and the goals it wishes to achieve via the same. The company on its website has outlined six Core values that drive the company forward. These are namely (Yahoo Values, 2004). a. Excellence: The Company mentions of it always seeking quality and knowing that the success should never be taken for granted and hence learn from own mistakes. b. Innovation: The Company believes in creativity and is ready to adapt to change in market trends and respond with calculated and responsible steps. You read "Yahoo – Strategic Management Analysis" in category "Essay examples" c. Customer Fixation: The Company is always looking to maintain the trust of the customers and respond to the customers need and try to exceed them. d. Teamwork: The Company believes in and tries to encourage the best of the ideas from the entire organization and to foster collaboration and yet maintain individual accountability. e. Community: The Company seeks to serve both communities globally and the Internet Community as a whole in general. f. Fun: The Company also possesses a sense of humour and believe that the same is essential to the success of the company and also do appreciate and celebrate their achievement. From the aforementioned Core Values and the present scenario of the company, it seems Yahoo’s main challenge is keep up with its two very important core values namely Innovation and Customer Fixation which are integral for it to be the market leader in web portal industry. The main stakeholders of Yahoo are; its stockholders that invest their capital in the company, customers that use Yahoo’s web portal, advertisers that market their products through Yahoo’s online services and employees who provide it intellectual capacity leading to the creation of innovative new online products and services. Yahoo’s employees want a fair, ethical treatment and a stable job, advertisers expect to connect to their market segment by advertising on Yahoo, customers want enjoyable and innovative products that make their daily life easier and most importantly stock holders have an expectation that Yahoo will pursue strategies that increase company’s revenue and profitability maximizing shareholder value. EXTERNAL ANALYSIS COMPETITIVE FORCES Yahoo operates in â€Å"the Internet products, services, and content markets, which are highly competitive and characterized by rapid change, emerging and converging technologies, and increasing competition† and that their most significant competition is from â€Å"Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and AOL (Yahoo 10K, 2011). Yahoo is a part of web portal industry where revenue generation is dependent on online advertising which in turn requires a large number of user base to generate any significant revenue. Advertisers prefer to advertise their products through web portals that have a large user base and offer products and tools which help them reach their target audience. In web portal industry, degree of rivalry amongst competitors is quite high, competitors compete aggressively against each other through innovative new product offerings and/or by lowering prices for advertising but Product differentiation is becoming increasingly difficult due to the fact that over the years industry has gone through consolidation and main players such as Google, Yahoo, MSN etc. ave gained a significant amount of market share creating an oligopoly. Industry has entered a mature stage in the western hemisphere such as Europe and North America but a lot of potential is available in emerging markets of Asia and South America where it is in growth stage. Due to the nature of internet, entry in to the web portal industry is relatively easy but based on the amount of capital, innovative skills and technolo gical knowledge required to attract and maintain a large user base in the web portal industry, the threat of new entrants that can compete directly with Yahoo is quite low. Yahoo does charge some fees for certain premium services but generally its main services such as email and search are free of cost which is common amongst competitors in web portal industry. The range of services offered in web portal at little or no cost means that switching cost for users is quite low. Buyers also include those advertisers who would buy ad space on the website. Even though Yahoo’s revenue stream is not concentrated at any individual advertiser or user but low switching costs for users combined with the intense rivalry in the industry to gain advertisers puts bargaining power of the buyers at medium. Yahoo’s search engine essentially is a mechanism that provides users with an ability to search through content present on the internet. This content is freely available on the internet for Yahoo to collect and categories hence supplier power for Yahoo’s search engine is quite low. Web portal industry in which Yahoo operates does not have a lot of substitutes. Some possible substitutes for Yahoo’s products and services are; postal service is substitute of Yahoo’s e-mail service, financial newspapers are a substitute for Yahoo’s financial section, etc. but most importantly there are no efficient substitutes for search engines on web portal industry in both online or offline world. Because of the lack of efficiency of substitutes to products and services offered by web portal industry, the threat of substitutes is low. Recently Web portal industry has gained a possible complementor in the form of latest smart phones with high speed mobile internet acce ss which gives user an ability to be online at any place at any given time. Smart phone technology combined with the web portal industry gives both parties involved a better opportunity to satisfy customer demands. MACRO ENVIRONMENT Aforementioned analysis was based on Porter’s five forces model which is subject to macro-environment. We shall now analyse different forces in the macro-environment. Economic conditions might affect Yahoo as it derives most of its revenue from businesses and individuals who advertise their products and services on the internet. Any slump in the economic growth may lead to a reduction in advertising budget of businesses which will eventually affect Yahoo. In the emerging markets such as those in Asia and South America, Yahoo is presented with an excellent opportunity to expand its business. Along with the opportunity, Yahoo may also face stiff competition in emerging markets such as China where local competitors have gained considerable market share i. e. Baidu, Inc. in China has 63% of the market share and is Yahoo’s main competitor in that region (Barboza, 2010). Political and legal forces tend to affect businesses operating in the web portal industry especially in the emerging markets. Regulations on the internet service providers generally vary from country to country i. e. in certain countries local providers enjoy special protection through regulations giving them competitive advantage over Yahoo. Yahoo was successfully sued in France for its failure to keep Nazi memorabilia off its Web pages as it is considered a crime in France (Claburn, 2006) and in 2010 Google pulled out of China after failing to negotiate with Chinese government (Carlson, 2010). Internet is a rapidly growing industry, and with low barriers to entry and low switching costs, technological forces heavily influence Yahoo. With the advent of new technologies, competition and rivalry between players in web portal industry is likely to be more intense driving down revenues as a result. Development in technology may give rise to newer forms of advertising media which can potentially take away revenue from Yahoo. Yahoo mainly operates in the online world and number of users with access to internet is growing rapidly and user base in the developed countries is very well spread out across all demographics. More and more people in the developing countries are getting access to the internet which is likely an opportunity for Yahoo. INTERNAL ANALYSIS We shall now discuss the internal environment of the company and how can it have any sort of material impact on the performance of the company. The internal Analysis of the company would include the distinctive competencies of the company, the competitive advantage and the profitability of the company. The first and foremost distinctive competency of the company is the ability to enable people relate to their passion. This is as per Yahoo’s mission statement and is also reflective in the product portfolio. The company is probably the leader in the industry in terms of the number of services and products that the company offers. This range of product offering has not been observed to be present with the other competitors i. e. Flickr, a omprehensive imaging database, Yahoo Finance provides accurate financial Data in almost real time, etc. The second distinctive competency of the company is the brand name of the company, which has helped it retain its users despite its consistent problem in bringing new innovative products like its competitors Google and Facebook. The third and most important is the efficiency of Yahoo marketing services and its ability to attract customers and publishers. Since its beginning the business model of Yahoo has been heavily reliant on contextual advertising and offering premium services. And this segment of business of Yahoo has still kept it in business. And not to forget the next competency of the company is its famous search and portal. Though the search algorithm used by the company has gradually been updated to the changing demographics of the business, but still some work needs to be done on it to make it a sheer strength for the company. Yahoo still possesses some competitive advantage as compared to its rivals. Firstly, Yahoo’s directory is very well-structured and authenticated business library and it can be developed and customized to act as a new and good source of revenue. Second is the ability of Yahoo to provide customized and contextual advertising. Another very important competitive advantage of the company is the hold of Yahoo in the mobile segment with its auxiliary products and even partnerships with third party service providers. And probably last but not the least is the employees of the company, who proved tremendous support, and technical knowhow, that helps Yahoo shore up with customized solutions for its customers and also help in maintain a virtually glitch/hassle free website quality. As far as profitability is concerned, this is something that has not been going right for the company. Over the past four quarters, the company has not seen any significant growth in its revenue and has in fact witnessed a decline in the operating profitability due to a rise in non-recurring expenses (Yahoo Income Statement, 2012). However since the new CEO took over in the month of July, she has embarked on a new strategy of Brownfield expansion via the MA route and other critical decisions, that is set â€Å"to revive growth and boost profitability† which is a very positive and ncouraging news for investors (Womack, 2012). Yahoo’s decision to hire executives Michael Barret as a CFO and Marissa Mayer as a CEO seems to show that Yahoo understands the threat that Google poses as both Barret and Mayer were executive at Google prior to joining Yahoo. From the above analysis, it seems that the company is better poised on its internal environment than external environment. A nd it needs to improvise on its assets and brand to shore up its market share and performance. Yahoo’s recent layoff of 14% of its work force seems to be beginning of new strategy of refocusing the company towards its core competencies, product innovation and growth. REFERENCES Yahoo FAQs. (2012). Investors FAQs. Retrieved from http://yhoo. client. shareholder. com/faq. cfm Jones, G. R. (2007). Yahoo. In C. W. L. Hill G. R. Jones (Eds. ), Strategic Management An Integrated Approach (8th ed. , pp. C102-C114). Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Yahoo Overview. (2012). Overview. Retrieved from http://pressroom. yahoo. net/pr/ycorp/overview. aspx Perez, J. C. (2012, 07 16). Yahoo picks google’s marissa mayer as ceo. Macworld, Retrieved from http://www. macworld. com/article/1167728/yahoo_picks_googles_marissa_mayer_as_ceo. html Liedtke, M. (2012, 04 04). New yahoo CEO Scott Thompson cuts 2,000 jobs The Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved from http://www. csmonitor. com/Innovation/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0404/New-Yahoo-CEO-Scott-Thompson-cuts-2-000-jobs Baker, L. (2010). Yahoo ; google’s mission statements: Do they connect?. Search Engine Journal, Retrieved from http://www. searchenginejournal. com/yahoo-googles-mission-statements-do-they-connect/4924/ Yahoo Values. (2004). Yahoo! we value. Retrieved from http://docs. yahoo. com/info/values/ Yahoo 10K. (2011, 12 31). Yahoo 10k Annual Report. Retrieved from http://files. shareholder. com/downloads/YHOO/2120211742x0xS1193125-12-86972/1011006/filing. pdf Barboza, D. (2010, 01 13). Baidu’s gain from departure could be china’s loss. The NewYork Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2010/01/14/technology/companies/14baidu. html? _r=1 Claburn, T. (2006, 01 13). Yahoo loses lawsuit over nazi memorabilia sale. Information Week, Retrieved from http://www. informationweek. om/yahoo-loses-lawsuit-over-nazi-memorabili/177100347 Carlson, N. (2010, 03 22). Breaking: Google pulls out of china. Business Insider, Retrieved from http://articles. businessinsider. com/2010-03-22/tech/29990556_1_google-com-hk-google-s-china-googlecn Yahoo Income Statement. (2012). Income statement. Retrieved from http://in. finance. yahoo. com/q/is? s=YHOO Womack, B. (2012, 08 10). Yahoo strategy review may result in changes to cash plans. Bloomberg, Retrieved from http://www. bloomberg. com/news/2012-08-09/yahoo-ceo-strategy-review-may-result-in-changes-to-cash-plans. html How to cite Yahoo – Strategic Management Analysis, Essay examples

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Software Licensing Agreements Essays - Computer Law,

Software licensing Agreements Software license agreements emerged as the most popular means of protection of proprietary rights in computer software. They coexist with other forms of intellectual property rights as patent and copyright. Software license agreements serve several functions in transactions involving the transfer of computer technology. One of the most important legal functions is the protection of the proprietary rights of the licenser in the transferred software.(SPA) Other functions include controlling the revenue generated by licensed software and determining the rights and responsibilities of the parties regarding the performance of the licensed technology. Issue related to these functions include the applicability of Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code, including offer and disclaimer of warranties, determining the appropriate types of licenses to utilize, such as single users C.P.U. licenses, site enterprise licenses and network concurrent licenses.(SPA) In 1993 worldwide illegal copying of domestic and international software cost $12.5 billion to the software industry, with a loss of $2.2 billion in the United States alone. Estimates show that over 40 percent of U.S. software company revenues are generated overseas, yet nearly 85 percent of the software industry's piracy losses occurred outside of the United States borders.(Bueger, 1994) The Software Publishers Association indicated that approximately 35 percent of the business software in the United States was obtained illegally, which 30 percent of the piracy occurs in corporate settings. In a corporate setting or business, every computer must have its own set of original software and the appropriate number of manuals.(BSA) It is illegal for a corporation or businesses to purchase a single set of original software and then load that software onto more than one computer, or lend, copy or distribute software for any reason without the prior written consent of the software manufactur er. Many software managers are concerned with the legal compliance, along with asset management and costs at their organizations. Many firms involve their legal departments and human resources in regards to software distribution and licensing. Information can qualify to be property in two ways; patent law and copyright laws that are creations of federal statutes, pursuant to Constitutional grant of legislative authority.(SPA) In order for the government to prosecute the unauthorized copying of computerized information as theft, it must first rely on other theories of information-as-property. State law creates trade secret laws, and most jurisdictions have laws that criminalize the violations of trade-secret holders rights in the secret. The definition of a trade secret varies somewhat from state to state, but commonly have the same elements. For example, the information must be secret, and not of public knowledge or of general knowledge in the trade or business, a court will allow a trade secret to be used by someone who discovered or developed the trade secret independently or if the holder does not take adequate precautions to protect the secret. In 1964 the United States Copyright Office began to register software as a form of literary expression.(SPA) The office based its decision on White-Smith Music Co. v. Apollo, where the Supreme Court determined that a piano roll used in a player piano did not infringe upon copyrighted music because the roll was part of a mechanical device. Since a computer program is textual, like a book, yet also mechanical, like the piano roll in White-Smith, the Copyright Office granted copyright protection under the rule of doubt.(SPA) In 1974, Congress created the Natural Commission on New Technological Uses (C.O.N.T.U.) to investigate whether the evolving computer technology field outpaced the existing copyright laws and also to determine the extent of copyright protection for computer programs.(Gibbs, 1993) C.O.N.T.U. concluded that while copyright protection should extend beyond the literal source code of a computer program, evolving case law should determine the extent of protection. The commission also felt copyright was the best alternative among existing intellectual property protective mechanisms, and C.O.N.T.U. rejected trade secret and patents as viable protective mechanisms. The C.O.N.T.U. report resulted in the 1980 Computer Software Act, and the report acts as informal legislative history to aid the courts in interpreting the Act.(Gibbs, 1993) In 1980, the Copyright Act was amended to explicitly include computer programs. Title 17 to the United States Code states, it is illegal to make or to distribute copies of