Time Warner Cable

Large-scale mergers between media companies are becoming more and more commonplace in recent years causing alarm to consumers and industry analysts. The result of these mergers has been a consolidation of market competitors causing media ownership and influence to be controlled by a smaller and less diverse group of firms, the essence of anti-competitiveness. Most recently, Compact announced its intent to acquire Time Warner Cable (ETC) which, if approved, will unite the two biggest companies in the cable television market (Steelers, 2014).The merger would give unprecedented power to the newly merged company which would over 30 percent of the pay television subscribers (Baker, 2014). The fact is that separately, Compact and ETC already have market power in numerous local geographic markets. Compact is the nation's largest provider of pay television with 22 million subscribers (41 percent of all homes and businesses in the geographic areas in which Compact operates). ETC is the second largest cable television company with 1 1. 2 million subscribers.After the merger, approximately one third of all cable television bickerers will be Compact customers sparking concern about the amount of leverage and influence one company should control (Rhombohedra & Camilla, 2014). There are varying opinions about the kind of economic industry cable television market operates in. Many argue that cable television is a â€Å"natural monopoly' (source). Economics professor, Thomas Delivered, explains, natural monopolies occur when production technology, such as relatively high fixed costs, causes long-run average total costs to decline as output expands.In such industries, the theory goes, a single reducer will eventually be able to produce at lower cost than any two other producers, thereby creating a ‘natural' monopoly. Higher prices will result if more than one producer supplies the market. (Delivered, 1996, p. 43) Natural monopolies are created when the initial investment in the framework and infrastructure required to enter the market are so high that it discourages other firms from coming into the market. Installing cable lines is an example of the high cost of starting a business in the television industry and a â€Å"first come, first serve† mentality for natural monopolies.Implementing the cable lines is considered a sunk cost and is one reason why there are such overwhelming difficulties to entry in the cable industry. With natural monopolies, economies of scale are also very significant so that minimum efficient scale is not reached until the firm has become very large in relation to the total size of the market allowing it to recoup its investment. The graph below shows the demand curve of a natural market economy (Economics Online, 2014). When price is allowed to be set by the company (P), it results in higher levels of profit and manipulation of the market.The company's main concern is in the bottom line and maximizing its profits. The chart also shows a potential price (Pl) that would result if there was some regulation; for example, government imposes a price cap and the company operates at a loss. The cable television industry has also been described as a â€Å"patchwork of micro-monopolies† (Honda, 2011, p. 1). Since there are a small number of large companies that compete on the national scale, some argue that the industry cannot be classified as a monopoly or natural monopoly.However, the market structure, permitted and/or encouraged by the government, is set up so that Hess companies do not compete on the local level which results in small scale monopolies and little to no choice for the consumers. A 2011 survey by the Federal Communications Commission concluded that 61. 5 percent of customers had only one choice of cable provider in their neighborhood (Marten, 2012). The theory is that through local government legislation and result in nearly non-existent competition on the local level between c able companies has led to a non-competitive oligopoly (Shafer, 2014).Although the cable industry natural monopoly may have made sense initially, the companies that have been able to benefit from this market structure have exploited the consumer and been able to charge high prices for mediocre products. Many of the government regulations that were initially implemented at the onset on the industry were controversial; firms paid franchise fees enabling them to obtain decisions through offers of building public access studios and regulating the rates of the politicians' Jurisdiction (Shafer, 2014).Notwithstanding the exact classification, there is a general consensus that too few companies in the cable television industry hold too much power. It is evident when comparing the service that the American public receives in terms of cable television and broadband from these companies to other developed nations that we consumers receive far less. Americans pay more for their personal service that in any other industrialized country except Chile, Mexico and Turkey (Crawford, 2014).In the United Kingdom, the government forces the cable companies which dominate the market to lease their networks to competitors at cost. This weakening of one of the major barriers to entry in the system has created competition and brought prices down considerably to the UK population (Caddis, 2014). There are many negative consequences for consumers when industries operate in monopolistic or near monopolistic competition. This is especially true when the industry is related to the media and has a great deal of influence on what the public is seeing and hearing.First, the media market will be too reliant on and loyal to large corporate sponsors. The industry will become singularly focused on what it can get from the consumer rather than concern with public interest. Second, a small number of colossal companies will represent the interests of their stockholders, usually America's upper-class. Third, there is a lack of competition in the marketplace which leads to higher prices to the consumer and a lack of innovation in the products offered. These problems are exemplified by both ETC and Compact.In 2012, ETC spent Just 9 percent of its $41 billion revenue on maintaining and upgrading their equipment and networks (Hilt, 2013). Compact spent even less, 3. 7 percent of its $118. 3 billion revenue. There is little reason to believe that two companies spending such a small percentage of their revenue on making improvements to their products and services would change their strategy cost-merger. Consumers are already troubled with the possibility that the merger will be approved. Cable television companies already have critically low satisfaction scores among their clients.ETC and Compact are the two worst offenders in the industry. In 2013, the American Consumer Satisfaction Index gave the two companies the dubious distinction of having the lowest rated television and interne t services in the United States (Ezra, 2014). According to Yogurt's Barehanded, Americans do not want ETC and Compact to merge (Including, 2014). The television cable industry is notoriously retrieved by consumers in general and the announcement of the merger has caused the perception of the two companies to drop even further. The following chart shows how consumers are reacting to the $45 billion deal.In many cases, customers have no recourse other than cutting the cable cord completely if they do not choose Compact or ETC. There are many non-cable media options for the public to patron however, one major section of the population has no choice but to subscribe to cable: sports fans. This is of particular concern to the Dodgers and Lasers fans in Los Angles. Currently, ETC spent billions to obtain eradicating right to both massively lucrative sports franchises (Baker, 2014). This allows ETC to extract steep subscriber fees to its non-cable competition.When the negotiations between the companies stall or are incomplete, ETC blacks out the games to those who do not subscribe to ETC. This is especially problematic for sports fans who do not have the choice to become customers of ETC since the company does not even offer services in their region. Additionally, those customers who cut the cable cord are likely only able to access internet through the same company that was already overcharging for their television service. They will be able to watch Nettling or Hull instead of cable television but will still have to pay Compact in order to do so.It creates a catch-22 in the industry and very little choice for consumers in terms of who they select as their service provider. The merger between Compact and ETC will have a much greater impact than simply in the cable television industry alone. There will be a ripple effect in internet and phone service as well as the other media that these companies own such as NBC Universal and Sportsmen. The merged company's control will be more widespread because of their various endures making it all the more potentially harmful to the consumer.

Equal Opportunity in Education Essay

The whole object of education is†¦to develop the mind. (Sherwood Anderson) The United States of America has developed a system to educate its youth by a publicly funded system. It is the law and born civil right of each citizen to attend some form of education by a particular age. The public school system is set in place for those who choose not to send their offspring to private, religious, or charter schools. This is the present incarnation of the public school system. It is said to be equal in all manner throughout the country. That has not always been the case in this nation. That has brought forth numerous laws and enactments to grant those who find themselves on the lesser side of gaining knowledge more of an equal footing where education is concerned. In this land of opportunity, there is an expected level of availability that is expected. In a world of intense competition from within and outside of the country education one of the few ways of balancing the scales of the socially or monetarily disadvantaged is proportionate education. In this nation children have at one point or another in history been systematically held back for one reason or another. The reasons differ in the once beliefs that they were not able to learn or personal thought of not being worthy to be taught. In 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson granted the states the right to uphold the separate but equal doctrine that ruled the land. This was a great lost to all those that held a hope those later generations would do better than those who came before. Education began to become more balanced when separate but equal was pushed aside by the landmark case of Brown vs. The Board of Education. In 1954 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Henry Billings Brown. This would begin the integration of public school which was the first step into equal opportunity for students nationwide. The Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was the next big step creating a system that would seek a fair learning experience for all. Its basic notion is that state and local funds for schools should be equitable before federal Title I funds are added to schools with large concentrations of low-income students. (americanprogress.org) The Title I funding has a slight problem in its workings that has been a detriment to the children who attend these schools. The amount of money allocated to the schools is based on the salaries of the teachers. That is a problem for schools with a high turnover ratio. Schools that have moderately younger staff that is relatively new to the task of educating young minds make less than the veterans of the better school districts. This translates into less money per teacher and that equals less money for the school and the children. It is unfortunate that less money ultimately means less of educational opportunities. The fact is that children in low income areas do not receive a fair share of money. The student need is not met by the standards laid out by the government. Money is the root of a proper education in this high end technological world. Without proper funds the simplest of supplies cannot be purchased. Computers, books, calculators, or simple printer ink is not available on a scale that is considered suitable. The eventual sharing of materials is a detriment to the students who are not allowed to have their own because of lack of equipment ready for use. The civil rights case would eventually open the door for other minorities. One that would take advantage of the Brown ruling was those with disabilities. In Brown the Court declared that it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. (web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu.) They would use this to rally their forces and demand equal opportunities for cognitively i mpaired children. Mills vs. the Board of Education of the District of Columbia and the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children vs. Pennsylvania were two cases that brought the plight of these students to the light of day. The law would be changed to give them the rights that they so richly deserved. The newest in leveling the field of education has come through the No Child Left Behind Act which was signed into being by former President George W. Bush in 2002. These reforms express my deep belief in our public schools and their mission to build the mind and character of every child, from every background, in every part of America. (George W. Bush, 2001) No Child Left Behind puts an emphasis on improving the quality of public education. It calls for increased accountability, more choices for parents and students, putting reading first, and a higher emphasis on standardized testing. However the standardized testing is one of the biggest problems of the act. The majority of teachers has a problem with the testing and calls it bias. They also put forth that the testing takes away from the true teaching of knowledge, rather they now teach to test. This makes the education of the nation less than competitive with other countries. To combat these problems in our ever changing world we must go back to the beginning. In that thought process society must rethink its past transgressions. The country must avoid the same mistakes of the past. Politicians are not the ones who should make the decisions to lead the future of United States of America. Educators should be in charge of educating the youth. Those who have spent their lives gaining knowledge to teach the children of their world should be tasked with the job of finding a way to educate equally. This task should be given to those who best fit the job description. The assignment should be outsourced if it is needed. Other countries excel in education and this nation could learn from those who educate on higher levels. Educating the masses on a more equal platform will only add to greatness. Reference Quotes on Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/eduquote.htm Ensuring Equal Opportunity in Public Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/06/comparability.html Plessy v. Ferguson (n.d.) Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson OVERVIEW Executive Summary (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html The Need for Equal Opportunity and a Right to Quality Education (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/detail? Equal Opportunity (n.d.) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer An American perspective on equal educational opportunities (2002) Retrieved May 21, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

History of the US before 1877 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of the US before 1877 - Research Paper Example There was also American interest to expand west, which was currently owned by Great Britain as well as blockades against America due to the war with France. Many historians consider the War of 1812 to be the second American Revolution due to the fact that once the war started; America was again fighting for its right to be a sovereign nation. Unlike the American Revolution, the fighting took place by both land and sea. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1815. One of the many changes that occurred both during and after the war was the political system of the United States. This change is important due to its step in the progression of United States politics (Grodzinski 2008, 28-51). The development of politics prior to the war of 1812 was a crucial step once the United States achieved its independence from Great Britain. Under George Washington, there was no real party system, however some of the main arguments about the constructs of government existed, which wo uld still radiate through the history of the development of the United States. Since the country had just fought a war from independence from a monarchy, this was the last type of system of government that they wanted. The biggest debate was the idea of states’ rights and power versus the power of the federal government. Each side had a different attitude as far as how the country should be run, how the economy should develop, and how we should deal with foreign nations. This difference in attitude is what leads to the development of the first party systems in the United States, which carry on to current day. The other main problem that George Washington addressed when he left office was his advice to stay away from partisanship. Nevertheless, a two-party system emerged in American politics. Prior to the War of 1812, the two main political parties in the United States were the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalist Party favored a strong centrali zed government, whereas the Democratic-Republican Party was in favor of states’ rights. One of the newest ways in which political information and propaganda was through newspapers, which could now be mass-produced using the printing press. As a result, the people were more involved with events happening in the legislature. This furthered the growth of political coalitions and support. The Democratic-Republican Party was extremely anti-European in that they wanted nothing to do with Great Britain and supported the war. The Federalist combated this with the Jay Treaty, which was a way of trying to forestall war, which inevitably came (Hickory 1989, 72-100). After the United States won the War of 1812, the era known as the â€Å"Era of Good Feelings† came about over the United States. This is one of the only times in United States history in which there was only one main power player in the political system, which was the Democratic-Republican Party. The Federalist Party, which had opposed the war, lost a majority of its support and eventually became non-existent. The lack of partisanship was ushered by President Monroe, who like Washington, was not in favor of partisanship in government. Even though the majority of the period between from 1817 to 1825, attitudes were starting to shift would eventually lead to the debate over whether slavery should exist or not. Unfortunately, this crisis was only averted for a short amount of time with the passing of the Missouri Compromise, which

Phil Company Limited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Phil Company Limited - Essay Example The company belongs to the Electronics and Information technology industry. Currently, the company is owned by Phil Samuel, Dick Harry, and other eight partners. The company uses cutting edge technology in designing and manufacturing electronic products like television sets, microwaves, radios, computer hardware and cell phones. Phil has been in the electronic manufacturing industry for the last four years. Improved market share in both the domestic and international consumer environments is as a result of the company's performance and experience in the manufacturing process. Phil manufactures electronics based on orders placed by retailers in the market. The company’s total employee population stands at 2000, both in the US and Jamaican manufacturing sites. Phil’s Mission Statement Phil’s vision is to become the leading manufacturer and marketer of electronic products both in the US and all over the world. We strive to respond to the market demands and consumers ’ needs by adjusting appropriately to the technological dynamics prevailing in the industry. We are aiming at responding to consumers’ needs by considering the dynamics and fluctuations in the economic sector. The company’s financial objectives are to maximize profits, optimize the net worth, increase share value and plough back the earnings into initiating wealth growth. Phil works towards providing excellent and outstanding services in terms of product and service qualities. The company will stick to the ethical code of conduct at all times and strive to perform their social responsibilities in one heart (Philip & Michael, 2009). Potential International Market Africa is one of the potential foreign markets for the company’s electronic products. In the recent past, African countries have come to embrace information technology products in their markets. International market research statistics shows that Africa is the leading market of electronic products in the world. In addition, the political systems in the continent have improved over the past years. Most nations in Africa have a functioning democratic government. Therefore, this market has a favorable political climate. African countries are highly populated. Therefore, the high population signifies a potentially large market for the company’s products. Moreover, African nations are at the stage of discovering and mining their natural resources like oil and other minerals. This has improved their macro-economic aspects of living standards and employment rates. Therefore, a substantial percentage of the continent’s population has a high purchasing power. These factors make the continent a potential market segment for the company’s products (Philip & Michael, 2009). Marketing Plan Audience The general public and the shareholders are the potential audiences for the company’s marketing plan. Since the company belongs to 10 individuals, it would be approp riate to supplement a marketing plan to  these stakeholders. In addition, government authorities and financial institutions are the other potential audience of the marketing plan. All these three audiences have different needs concerning the contents of the marketing plan. The disparity in their needs is as a result of the different roles played by the three parties during the implementation of the plan. In this case, the ten shareholders need to evaluate the feasibility of the identified segment in terms of profits from the market (Dennis, 2010). In addition, the shareholders want to

The Nollywood Entertainment Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Nollywood Entertainment Company - Essay Example The popularity of the show business has shifted view to include commercially performing arts. These arts include musical theatre, film, comedies and music. These varieties of entertainment are produced and distributed to the masses (Allen 2005, pp 30). Background of the Company All my focus will be shifted to the film industry and specifically Nollywood. Nollywood is a Nigerian cinema company largest in Africa that grew quickly in the 1990s and 2000s.It is one of the best film industries in the world. A British daily newspaper The Guardian has rated Nollywood as the third largest in the world in terms of earnings and estimated the industry to bring in 200 million US dollars per year. This success can be attributed to Ghanaian movies too. Nollywood is an African success story (Ukadike 2003, pp20-40). Nollywood is termed to be second to only India’s Bollywood in distribution. The Nigerian film industry is popular throughout Africa and the Diaspora. Production Line Unlike music, production of movies does not take place in the studio. Movie shooting takes place in hotels, homes, and offices rented by their owners and appearing in the credit. Most popular locations are major cities and towns like Lagos. However, distinct regional variation appears between different movies. Nollywood mainly produces African films stared by African actors. Actors from other countries and continents do appear though not very often in some movies. These films range from, soap operas, comedies and even action movies television programs. The production arena is majorly towns in Nigeria though some movies have been shot in other towns in Africa as well as other continents. Operations Nollywood provides visuals about Africa for the world to see. These features include weddings, birth ceremonies, colorful fabrics, visuals of a culturally vibrant continent .Nollywood movies have tackled topics on issues such as resource control, armed robberies, corruption, HIV/AIDS and other matters t hat have a far reaching impact on the continent (Jumoke 2012, pp60-70). Nollywood most prolific auteur is Chico Ejiro who has managed to direct 80 films in a period of eight years. He even brags to be capable of directing a movie that can be ready in three days. His brother is the best-known director of the films outside the country. Many other Nollywood talents include actors and designers of the films (Wasko 2003, pp 40). The scriptwriters are also not to be forgotten. The films are produced with interest of the consumer at heart. Supply chain While Nollywood is largely separate from global cultural industry networks of production inputs and distribution it is an industry that is still globally liked in a number of ways (Madichie 2013, pp 604). Nollywood industry is constantly evolving with innovations and ideas to suit and fit the market. Once movies are produced, they need a perfect channel of reaching the market. While majorities of Hollywood films are shown in theatres and cin emas around the country, Nollywood movies are released to the internet daily to be watched free. The most popular place to watch Nollywood movies in the internet is a popular video sharing site called You Tube. There exists a channel dedicated to Nollywood movies started by Jason Njoku called Nollywood Love. The channel has dedicated itself to providing links to the best and latest Nollywood movies for its users. Lately, the Nollywood market has shifted over to the Africans in the Diaspora. The challenge is to how to curb every customer in the west, which has turned out to be the largest Nollywood market. Today though a majority of Nollywood movies

Nokia Managing problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Nokia Managing problems - Essay Example Nokia is facing some serious issues regarding its operation management and research & development. This study is designed to determine those issues that are causing the downfall of Nokia in the global market. The main concern of the report is to highlight those issues that are the reasons for declining in the performance of operation management department of Nokia. The analysis declares the main problems and results stated the areas of improvement in the functions of operation management and research & development department. INTRODUCTION In the last few years Nokia has been facing several problems in different areas of the organization in competing in the global market. The global market is changing day by day especially in the line of technological advancement (Chief Supply Chain Of?cer Insights, 2011). New inventions are being discovered by the leading manufacturers regularly. Continuously innovation has been made in the smart phones by some of the rivalry companies like Samsung a nd Apple Inc (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky, & Simchi-levi, 2007). There are many other competitors all around the globe which give tough competition to Nokia in different markets of different countries. This competition created problems for Nokia in many portions of the business. This study is designed to discuss the issues or problems faces by Nokia in the last few years. These issues brought a great impact over the Nokia’s financial position in the year 2012. According to the report sales of Nokia have dropped by 29% in the international market and net cash has decreased by 24% in one year period (Gassee, 2012). This report analyses the performance of Nokia. After conducting the research the problem faced by Nokia has been identified that has resulted in declining market of Nokia. The consistent decline in the performance of operation managements of Nokia has been one of the major reasons for the decline in sales of the company. As the operations of the company are analyzed then i t can be found that three main departments are responsible for this declining phase and these departments are production department, research and development and supply chain management. The production department has potential and capacity to produce to meet the demand but still the production does not meet the demand. This gap of demand and supply is the main cause of declining market ok Nokia. The second issue is innovations in their phones. Smart phones introduced by Nokia are not completely grabbing the interest of customers as they are not able to fulfill the needs of the consumers. The third issue is regarding the less efficient supply chain management process in some big markets of Nokia. For example, According to the Bloomberg, in China Nokia Lumia 920T was facing serious supply chain management issues. The price of Nokia Lumia in China was 4,599-yuan ($738), the distributors of China claimed that they do not have a stock of Nokia Lumia 920T. For this reason Nokia has droppe d the holiday session of next week because of its delivery issue. According to the statement of China Mobile spokeswoman, they ordered 90000 units of Nokia Lumia 920T but Nokia has just supplied 30000 units which is 1/3 of the whole demand. This situation gives the understanding that Nokia is going through a serious problem in the area operation managem

Rolls-Royce Corporation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rolls-Royce Corporation - Assignment Example The richer airlines which can afford its huge price tag will get tremendous fuel savings (by flying non-stop 8,000 miles), a higher efficiency (fewer crew needed as each plane can carry up to 550 passengers), less stop overs and thereby save on airport landing fees that results in greater economic viability. The savings derived can thus be used to counteract budget airlines which operate on lower costs. For the poor countries, creative financing schemes can be made available for them, like barter (part cash and part payment in kind, such as mining or agricultural commodities). Financing can also be arranged for them, such as through the World Bank at very concessional rates or through its private subsidiary, International Finance Corporation (IFC). For both types of customers (rich airlines and newer but poorer airlines), a main drawback or disincentive is the price which can run into several million dollars. To help address this concern, Rolls-Royce can help them obtain financing at favorable terms, either by syndicated loans, leases (wet, dry, operating, option, walk-away, etc.) or direct government guarantees (U.S. ITC 9). It can manage these various stakeholders based on the degree of interest and power it wields on the particular project, based on the four quadrants as shown in Figure 1 below. This simple yet effective tool is for creating a sense of priority amid the jumble of conflicting and often contradictory demands and maps the several stakeholders; it can simplify the task by the order of priority based on the classification of their individual concerns (Bourne 65). In a final analysis, what keeps all stakeholders together is open, timely and accurate information as it is now considered a necessary prerequisite for corporate success because not only goods and services are exchanged in return for money but also