John Rawls' Theory of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

John Rawls' Theory of Justice - Essay Example This social contract is the basis in which people can live in harmony and is necessary because humans are social animals and the absence of any social contract will tend to destroy any society as there will be deviants in it. A theory of justice as propounded and conceptualized by John Rawls depends on two things: the original position which is highly hypothetical in that the principles of justice are selected and implemented from his so-called â€Å"veil of ignorance† in which people lack any ulterior aim or motive and therefore presumed to act in the best interests of everybody in that society. In his theory, the original position assumes everyone starts out being equal initially and gradually in turn seeks out the best possible solutions in which possible gains are maximized and possible losses are minimized (the maximin principle) in a heuristics fashion (a trial and error method). Everyone works for the betterment of everyone and disregards any probable gains for oneself (without hidden agendas or ulterior motives whatsoever). The veil of ignorance presumes a lot in a world in which men are naturally greedy and works against the principle of basic instinct in which the rule of self-preservation often prevails. I would dare say it is not a workable idea at all since it assumes complete innocence and conflates all people into one (Freyenhagen

Summary, Analysis, and Response Paper for Media Studies Assignment - 1

Summary, Analysis, and Response Paper for Media Studies - Assignment Example The film explores the impact of technology on the generation born in the age of the internet and other similar technologies. The film examines how people have changed their lives in the face of the new technologies. This includes examining issues such as multitasking and the impact that overreliance on technology has on human development. Essentially, the documentary is an investigative report on the impact of technology on human life in the 21st century. The movie is organized in terms of various episodes that report on different matters regarding the implications of technology. There are five episodes discussing issues such as living faster as a result of relying on technology, the implications that technology has on human relations, the impact of technology on military development and wars, the emergence of virtual worlds, and finally the impact of technology in education and the learning process. The directors of the film interviewed different professionals in various fields including psychologists and technology experts, as well as delving into the lives of specific correspondents who relied on technology for most of their lives. In the first episode, the main argument raised is that people are increasingly spending more time on the internet and other similar technologies. Surprisingly, most of the people who spend the most time on the internet are children aged between 8 and 18. Therefore, this episode poses the question as to where the future of man is headed to if such children continue to spend an average of 50 hours on the internet. In the second episode, the documentary argues that technology has changed relationships among human beings in terms of how people view parenting and the concept of love. The film follows up in the third episode by discussing the impact of technology on waging war in the contemporary world.

Nursing Home Reflection of Behaviours

Nursing Home Reflection of Behaviours Latoya Mckie Abstract There are numerous of behaviors to observer in a nursing home. Many of the behaviors are related to mental impairment, loss of memory or aliments such as dementia, delirium, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s diseases. A lot of residents have been diagnosed with aliments; these various mental impairment conditions are concurrent conditions which may overlap. In many cases the impairment gets misdiagnosed outside a nursing home care facility because normally people do not know the symptoms or trained to differentiate the diseases or conditions. Therefore, it is essential that the caregivers and all other professionals are knowledgeable and fully aware of the residents’ cognitive levels to effectively assist them with their daily living. Many seniors and family prefer to go to nursing home facilities due to personalized care seniors receive. It is also difficult for some seniors that are not in nursing home or retirement facilities or neighborhood that are not tai lored to their needs. Behaviors exhibited by the residents I witnessed an array of behaviors at the nursing home, intern site. Most of the residents were energetic and full of life, despite their age. In the department that I mostly worked with consisted of people with memory loss. The group mostly was consisted of women, and had only two men. The women were all on different cognitive levels, but they all were well educated and lived successful lives in their younger age. One of the residents use to be a school teacher, how seemed to lose her memory and it seemed to be very difficult for her to recall any activities she did earlier that day. She and I would do puzzles or art activity. On one occasion I asked her to sign the back of a sheet we were working on. An hour after she left went to her room and came back and could not recognize the picture as the one we both completed earlier although I showed her the back and explained to her that I assisted her to complete it that day. What I realized with her and other residents in that group is that although they had memory loss they were still very intelligent and able to complete mathematical computation when tested. It was also remarkable that most of the residents I worked with can recall early memories from their lives although they had a hard time recollecting what they did earlier that day. There was also one lady who loved to listen to old music from the 60’s and classical music all day; she also walked around with a toy doll most of the day. This lady also never spoke much and not social with the other residents, she liked keeping to herself. The men on both sides of the facility did not come out much except for when they went to the dining area to eat, go to church services, exercise class or outings on the town. The residents were primarily engaged in fun activities and socials. They enjoyed having other people to talk to and having family member visiting them. A number of them were particularly concerned with their health and exercise most mornings, as a result the seemed more energized and happier than the residents who stayed in their rooms all day. I exhibited only two residents who seemed lonely. One of the two was always saying nobody cares about her and she is always walking around all day. At times the other residents look at her and regard her as a c razy person. The other lady who seems to be a loner has had her husband passed away recently, she seems to be sad at times, but she keeps herself occupied with engaging in activities and helping other residents who are on a lower cognitive and physical level than her. Another female resident in the dining room that is always shaking; I believe she has Parkinson disease her behavior varies a lot with the day. She can start arguing for any reason, then nice the next minute. Nobody normally sits at her table at the dining area when it is time to eat. One day someone came in late and sat there and she started to curse the other lady out and the whole time she was shaking the table. Her hand shacking is so bad that most of the time she has to ask one of the dietary aides to assist her in pouring out condiments because she often makes a mess because she cannot control her hands from shaking due to her having Parkinson disease. Explanation for the residents’ behaviors Most of the residents in nursing home suffer from memory loss diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and delirium. They also experience other ailments such as Parkinson’s disease. A significant proportion of this elderly population will have dementia (Hartwell, 2013). One in five people over the age of 65 has dementia. The number is expected to double every 20 years (Hartwell, 2013; Potocnik, 2013). Dementia. Dementia is incurred mass impairment of a person’s memory, personality and intelligence who is normally attentive (Potocnik, 2013). It is adequately acute to interfere with social and occupational functioning. In the lack of a stroke or quickly growing cerebral tumors among other factors, the onset is normally progressive and the cognitive decay is always gradual (Potocnik, 2013). In the absence of a remedy for the disease, non-pharmacological concoctions and the careful use of pharmacotherapy may not solely aid the person and ease the stress on the caregiver (Potocnik, 2013). Residents with dementia almost always show neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), such as disturbances in mood with psychotic and vegetative symptoms among other spectacles. Dementia affects a large portion of the senior population. Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type is characterized by memory impairment, the inability to learn anything new or recall information which was previously acquired, and one or more cognitive disturbances such as aphasia, apraxia, agnosia or executive function disturbances (Potocnik, 2013). The resident who could not recall the artwork she and I worked on earlier in the day suffers from dementia of the Alzheimer’s type. Alzheimers and dementia is presents in 90% of seniors who expressed their feelings of being lonely or socially isolated (Wilson et al., 2001). The resident who was always walking around saying nobody cares about her suffers from dementia. The characteristic she exhibits was loneliness and isolation from the other residents. This explains why she might have developed dementia. People with early Alzheimer’s disease can benefit from exercise. The hippocampus of the brain plays a vital role in memory (Birmingham, 2008). Brain scan research shows that seniors who are physically active have less brain shrinkage; while those who are less active have up to four times brain shrinkage (Birmingham, 2008). Therefore, exercise is important to counteract Alzheimers disease in the residents. The senior residents behavior to exercise is accepting. They like to engage in physical activities because they know it improves the way they feel, their physical health as well as their mental health. Parkinsons disease. The female resident who is always shaking the dining table and screaming at other resident for no reason has Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons disease is a gradual and degenerative neurological disease, one of a group of conditions called motor system disorders (Carruthers-Czyzewski Dewar, 1998). The four primary symptoms are shaking or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw and face; firmness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk; bradykinesia or slowness of motion; and postural instability or impaired balance and co-ordination. As these symptoms become more prominent, patients have complexity walking, moving or accomplishing other regular activities. They may additionally experience migraines, joint pain, periodic respiratory problems, back ache, allergy symptoms, insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, distortion and chronic ailment such as digestive difficulties and arthritis. Modified diet is helpful to seniors with Parkinson disease. Their diet typical includes chlorella, milk thistle, kyolic garlic, and vitamin C (Carruthers-Czyzewski Dewar, 1998). I suspect that is they reason why the lady in the dining hall never misses meal time and she take her nutrition very seriously. Someone with Parkinson disease can also benefit from detoxification as her behavior is normally characterized as confused, fatigue and having mood swings (Carruthers-Czyzewski Dewar, 1998). Delirium. Delirium is a medical crisis characterized by severe onset and impulsive course that is displayed by incisive changes in a person’s cognitive level and function (Gillis MacDonald, 2006). Symptoms includes allayed attentiveness of surroundings with diminished capability to focus or sustain attentiveness; changes in cognition; collapse of higher order functions; psychomotor changes varying from hyperactivity to hypoactivity; emotional turbulences; sleep/wake duration disturbances; nocturnal spasm; hysterical affect, mood and behavior; perceptual disruptions comprised of delusions and fallacies; paranoia; and multilayered etiology (Gillis MacDonald, 2006). The lady who is always walking around at all hours has exhibits the characters of delirium. Although she is diagnosed as having dementia, people with similar behaviors can have delirium as well. Therefore, delirium is often misdiagnosed. Approximately 70 percent of elderly patients hospitalized have delirium althoug h expert nursing care facilities typically are able to identify the symptoms (Gillis MacDonald, 2006). There are three classifications of delirium which are: hyperactive, hypoactive, and mixed. Hyperactive, also referred to as agitated delirium, is described as being anxious and delusion. Hypoactive delirium (quiet) is regarded as a declined sensorium or amplified sedation. The mixed delirium interchanges between the frantic and the sedated type. Nevertheless, no matter how it is exhibited, delirium may be difficult to distinguish, as it can be multifactorial and easily mixed up with dementia, restfulness, and near-death awareness. In many circumstances, delirium is reversible, thus careful assessment is necessary (Rogers, 2006). Judicious nursing observation of a resident’s capabilities to execute activities of daily living can reveal much about the resident’s mental level. A variety of assessment tools are available. A common tool is the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) (Inouye et al., 1990), which takes about five minutes to conduct, it is steadily reliable and is ap propriate in a number of settings, including acute care (Rogers, 2006). . Aging Typical alters the bodys ability to metabolize medications, tally to the threat for drug reactions. Although any medication may add to delirium in seniors, sedatives, antipsychotics, histamine receptor antagonists and anticholinergics raise the risk for delirium (Hanley, 2004) (Rogers, 2006). Furthermore, seniors have body fat percentage is higher and lower water which effects the fat-soluble drugs by being more concentrated and lasting longer (Rogers, 2006). Environmental adjustments should encourage optimal cognitive functioning, a realism between calmness and activity and consistent nursing care. A numerous of environmental modifications decrease the risk of delirium incidences and facilitate resident independence such as: maintaining the physical surroundings constant and sustain routines, allowing conformity of staffing for accurate assessment of the residents health status and continuous patient care, including family in care and having orientation done often to promote a good perception of well-being. Visits should be declined if hyperactive delirium appears to be onset by the visits, use volunteer sitters if family members are not available. Avoid bedroom changes whenever possible, Use a no-restraint or least-restraint procedure to reduce deterioration of cognitive loss. Remove unnecessary hospital devices, such as urinary catheters and IV pumps. Make sure that the call bell, personal items, glasses and hearing aids in easy reach. Encourage the use of personal items, such as pillows and bed set, to promote familiarity and reduce stress. In addition Have the rooms well-lit, sustain room temperature between 21.1 C and 23.8 C. and diminish noise levels on the nursing unit. Why people go to nursing home Seniors with mental ailment frequently have complicated needs because of the many co-complex needs because of disability, physical illness and social issues (Reynolds et al., 2000). Effective evaluation of long-term and multiple issues may be long-term and multiple problems may be particularly complex without standardized approaches intended at inclusive and methodical assessment of needs. However, certain needs are proposed to be `collective to all humans in general (Maslow, 1954), diverse areas of the population will have more specific kinds of need (Reynolds et al., 2000). Isolation is a difficult problem; the solutions need to be individualized (Owen, 2007). Even seniors who have a widespread social network of friends and family are at jeopardy of being isolated. Anything can easily happen; a senior can slip or fall, loss of their hearing or sight (Owen, 2007). They can also lose a loved one which can completely diminish their self-assurance in and cause conflicts in doing their daily activities. Over a period, social isolation and loneliness can bring on depression and withdrawal. This can also cause an intense drop of self-esteem and confidence (Owen, 2007). Active effort is needed to support seniors to discover the solutions to their social isolation and rejoined with their friends and family socially. Many senior engage in going to day centers, lunch clubs and home visiting services as they provide them with vital way to interact with other people (Owen, 2007). Caregivers and family often resort to nursing home facilities because of the time, cost and stress dealing with an elderly whose memory has deteriorated. Some seniors might feel neglected by their families. Some may exhibit low self-worth as a result of being alienated by their family. Caregivers and family often resort to nursing home facilities because of the time, cost and stress dealing with an elderly whose memory has deteriorated. Some seniors might feel neglected by their families. Some may exhibit low self-worth as a result of being alienated by their family. Some seniors also live in the assisted living section of the nursing home because they want to feel secure as the age that someone is there to help them if they need assistance with anything whether it is health needs or social ones. Living in regular communities tends to make life complex as local services for the seniors might not be available. Most nursing home facility offers numerous benefits such as companionship, availability of services tailored to the seniors, access to around the clock heath care and numerous activities. Benefits of Internship and Supervision Completing the internship course provided a guideline on what I should expect and what should expect to gain from my experience from the intern site. The supervision I received from the intern supervisor and workers were great. They were very detailed in what I needed to get done and how to carry out the task most of the time. Other tasks were self-explanatory. Recommendations for future interns and professionals in the setting I believe education is always good. I think it is especially important when it is to benefit others. Therefore, it is imperative for healthcare professionals and other workers in the nursing home facility to be educated and current on all the new advancement that can benefit the elderly such as therapeutic techniques, and other health related advancements. It is also good to know all safety procedures when in a nursing facility like wearing protective gloves, how to properly disguard hazardous objects, and wearing proper shoes for your safety. The only drawbacks as an intern was not being able to do as much activities as I would have hoped, but that was fine. I assumed senior residents liked to do things they are accustomed better than trying new activities. Although it is not my choice, I would incorporate some new activities for the senior residents who are more active. It seems that all the people who work with the residents are fully aware of their conditions and know how to deal with them. Therefore, I assume they are educated on their mental disorders and cognitive level. Personal Growth Experienced The internship has opened my eyes to all that goes on in a nursing home. Before going in to complete my internship, I thought that the operation of running a nursing home was easy. After having arrived, and starting to get in the routine I found out it was not so easy after all. There are numerous residents to care for with different kinds of needs. It is also challenging to get everyone where the need to be and having a variety of activities to cater to each individuals preferences. That is also the case with almost everything with these residents from their dietary needs to their religious services. Everything has to be done in a multiple or diverse way to ensure everyone is catered to, and their needs are meet. I thought overall I had an enriched experience at the nursing home site. What I have gained from this internship is to be patient, how to multitask and use my time wisely. I also have learned to take initiative and to be a team player, helping out in whatever way I can in order to make things run smoother at the worksite. With the exposure I received I think I am now capable and comfortable working at a health care facility or similar setting. References Birmingham, K. (2008 ). Exercise slows Alzheimers progression. Nursing Older People,  20(7), 4. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com Carruthers-Czyzewski, P., Dewar, J. (1998). Seniors health: Parkinsons  disease.CPJ.Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal,131(3), 34.  Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com Gillis, A. J., MacDonald, B. (2006). Unmasking delirium. The Canadian Nurse,  102(9), 19-24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com Hartwell, H. (2013). Dementia.Perspectives in Public Health,133(3), 134.  doi:10.1177/1757913913485334 Owen, T. (2007). Working with socially isolated older people.British Journal Of  Community Nursing,12(3), 115-116. doi:10.12968/bjcn.2007.12.3.23038 Potocnik, F. C. V. (2013). Dementia. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 19(3), 141.  Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com. Reynolds, T.,Thornicroft, G., Abas, M.,Woods, B., Hoe, W., Leese,M., Orrell, M. (2000).  Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE): Development, validity and reliability BJPsych 176, 444-452. doi:10.1192/bjp.176.5.444 Rogers, S. K. (2006). Delirium in the Home Care Setting. Home Healthcare Nurse: The Journal  for the Home Care and Hospice Professional, 24(6), 366–367.  doi:10.1097/00004045-200606000-00006 Wilson, R. S., Krueger, K. R., Arnold, S. E., Schneider, J. A., Kelly, J. F., Barnes, L. L.,   Bennett, D. A. (2007). Loneliness and Risk of Alzheimer Disease. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64(2), 234. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.64.2.234

Rise of Professionalism in Sports Essay -- Basketball Football Money G

Sports, in the context of our present day society, cover a vast range of activities, such as athletics, bowling, basketball, soccer, etc. Any game or competition that is designed to test physical skill is considered a sport; hence the list of sports can go on endlessly. In the past, all these were only very simple games, but they have evolved tremendously over the years and now, have become very professional sports, with many high-tech equipment to boost the sportsman’s performance. Bowling provides an excellent example; it dates all the way back to 5200 BC in Egypt, where kids literally take a ball-like object to throw at marble bars, resembling pins. It then slowly spreaded to other countries, where the game was gradually modified to today’s ten-pin bowling. Unlike the ancient times, there are bowling alleys now, equipped with wooden or synthetic lanes with varied oiling patterns. With the advancement of technology, various equipments such as wrist-guards, bowling shoes and personal bowling balls have been invented to aid bowlers in their game. Apart from all these, there are even various techniques and skills required to achieve excellence. Therefore, these sports have indeed proved themselves to have changed significantly over the years. Nowadays, sports have rise beyond national to international level of competition. Events, like the Olympics, SEA games, World Cup, etc. are held for countries to compete against each other in sports. Countries take special effort...

Food waste Essay

FOOD WASTE Fresh vegetables, ready-to-cook meals, and cheap meat is what a modern consumer’s supposed grocery list comprises of! Dump it all into your fridge full of deals, discount offers and feel happy. This is how the shop keeper gets a loyal customer. At the end o the story, it’s the food industry’s creed that the customer is always right†¦.. If food became it s own pungent country, it would be the world’s third biggest contributor to climatic changes. According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of the world’s total food is wasted around the world, literally to fork direct from the farm. In West, most of the food waste occurs because usually the leftover ingredients are tossed out. The major reason for food wastage is that the harvest of a farmer does not meet the retailer’s specific demand. Considering tomatoes, if too small or even too big to be sold to retailer will be left to rot in fields. Whilst, in developing countries the scenario is a little different because the food rots between fields and markets due to shortage of storage capacity. Awareness campaigns regarding food waste have already begun in the Western part of the world. Organizations are educating people about the waste of food at household level and how can it be eliminated or reduced to an extent. This is just the bit of the whole chunk. Even supermarkets are playing their part by producing recipes to use leftover food and pamphlets to store your food in the best possible manner. Likewise, many grocery stores have initiated redistribution of unsold stocks and excess to charitable organizations. Looking at food waste in local context, Pakistan is also the culprit for this wastage in spite of the fact that underfeeding and food shortage are areas of serious concern. Although we produce adequate food for our nation but still the wastage level is at its peak. This is because of careless attitude of our state and our society’s love for excess food. When we talk about consumption of food, negligence by society also needs to be tackled. At social events as well as weddings, it is quite usual for people to pile up a mountain of food on their plates and eat just a portion of it as if this is the last time they  are eating food. Much is needed to done to store perishable items such as fruits and vegetables. State needs to look into this matter with utmost care and also to preserve grains by creating extra facility for storage purpose. On collective basis, way of thinking needs to be changed. It is not only unethical but also an act of being socially irresponsible to waste food when millions around the world sleep empty stomach. According to Tim Lang, professor at City University London, food waste is a symptom, not a problem. So to eradicate these symptom governments, non-governmental organizations like UN can discourage wasteful exercises by producers of the food, farmers, consumers and grocery stores. Food spoiling and wasting is causing physical destruction to mother earth. So let’s join hands to exterminate wastage of food for those who starve and are under privileged.

Competition in the Movie Rental Industry in 2008

Competition in the Movie Rental Industry in 2008: Netflix and Blockbuster Battle for Market Leadership Although the corporate strategies implemented by Netflix and Blockbuster have allowed them to become leaders of competitive advantage in the movie rental industry, they sometimes encounter strategic issues that slow down their product and services process. My research of Netflix and Blockbuster will enable me to present a SWOT analysis and recommendations for each company. Netflix, founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings, has achieved its goal of becoming the largest online movie rental service in the world. By the end of 2007, Netflix recorded revenues of $1. 2 billion. With a library of 100,000 movie titles and a subscriber base of over seven million, they had become the leaders of the movie rental industry (Gamble & Thompson, 2011). Netflix’s business model of internet subscription enabled them to compete in the movie industry. Consumers love going to the movies, but with increasing theatre prices found it too expensive to attend public viewings. Netflix provided an inexpensive way to view movies which could be done from the comforts of home. According to the text, (Essentials of Strategic Management, 2010), â€Å"Netflix’s success is due to its six-pronged strategy of providing comprehensive selection of DVDs, easy way to choose movies, fast delivery, no return due dates, and convenient drop in mail movie returns† (Gamble & Thompson, 2010). In an online survey by Nielsen Online, Netflix was rated number one for three years and for nine consecutive periods by Forsee/FGI Research (Netflix, 2009). Netflix Strategic Issues Blockbuster, Netflix’s fiercest competitor, experience many rental issues until 2007 when they regained market shares forcing Netflix to reduce subscription prices. Not only did Blockbuster gain presence, other competitors like Redbox also gained presence in the market due to new technologies (VOD & DVR) that are influencing the business environment. The business model used by Netflix caused a stir in the market industry. However, the damage control strategies of competitors and competitor recapture of market shares is threatening Netflix’s competitive advantage. Netflix has to change with the times. Competitive Forces Netflix and Blockbuster are affected by the five forces of competition which are potential new entrants, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of substitutes, and rivalry among existing competitors (Gamble & Thompson, 2010). The companies must understand how these forces work and affect their operation. Threats of New Entrants -In the home video/game industries, new entrants must own large amounts of movies/games for rental or sale to fulfill customers' demands. Meanwhile they have to build up various distribution channels for products to reach customers in a very quick way (Xie & Lin, 2008). Bargaining Power of Suppliers -The inputs of suppliers in the home video/game industries are very important and since there are only a few qualified suppliers in the industry, their bargaining power is high. Netflix acquires its movies from movie studios and distributors, buying DVDs on a fee-per-DVD basis, paying license content fees, and signing revenue sharing agreements. Blockbuster also has revenue sharing agreements with its suppliers. To some extent, these agreements reduce the bargaining power of suppliers. In terms of the computer system, Blockbuster is using Provia's Viaware warehouse management system (packaging, sorting, and distributing rental products) in its supply chain management to keep costs down (Xie & Lin, 2008). Threats of substitutes -Substitutes include movie theaters, satellite TV, and cable TV. Customers can go to movie theaters and enjoy the vivid atmosphere. Alternatively, they can order â€Å"pay-per-view† or subscribe â€Å"on-demand† from satellite TV and/or cable TV providers to watch movies at home. Users can watch anytime they want. Satellite and cable TV offer sufficient selections of new releases and are is easy to watch with just click on remote. Netflix and Blockbuster compete for customers by offering various kinds of movies and internet access (Xie & Lin, 2008). Rivalry among industry competitors – Netflix and Blockbuster are in a highly competitive industry. Competitors include merchant retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target; video and game store like Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, and Game Stop; supermarkets, convenient stores such as Publix, and McDonald's. The significant rival is Hollywood Video which offers movie and game rentals (Xie & Lin, 2008). Bargaining power of buyers -Buyers are not in concentrated groups and do not buy in large amounts. However, within the entertainment industry, customers have a lot of alternatives and have no switching cost. However the introduction of DVDs, influenced customers to purchase DVDs since the cost is almost the same cost of rentals. This makes buyer power moderate (Xie & Lin, 2008). The five forces of competition of the movie rental industry presents little force against a competitor’s market position based on buyer power, supplier power, and new entrant threats. However, threat of substitutes and rivalry among competitors can affect the amount of profits a company will gain and retain. Netflix SWOT Analysis The presence of Netflix and Blockbuster in the movie rental industry has assisted me in developing this analysis of each corporation’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as followed: Netflix’s strengths are: Good reputation, unlimited movie rental subscription, no due dates or late fees, easy website access, and large movie selection. Netflix’s weaknesses are: Limited to internet rental access, and long waiting period for new releases. Netflix’s opportunities are: To provide Video on Demand media access, music and movie download, and acquire partnership with gaming industry. Netflix’s threats are: Low DVD rentals, government regulation of rental distribution, high level of competition, and new movie media technology. Blockbuster SWOT Analysis Blockbuster’s strengths are: national and international recognition provides movie and game rentals, various vices for rental access (i. e. stores, kiosk, and internet), offers snacks and beverages for purchase in stores, and accommodates all customer types. Blockbuster’s weaknesses are: Poor distribution process, increased operating expense, decreased reputation, limited new released video games, unable to compete with game distributors (i. e. GameStop), and constant rental policy changes. Blockbuster opportunities are: Unlimited access to downloadable media libraries, increased production of brand movie rentals, and partnership with gaming system industry. Blockbuster’s threats are: New video formats, decreased DVD movie rentals, increased competition, and government regulation of movie rentals. The SWOT analysis shows that Netflix and Blockbuster have strong strengths and opportunities, however in order to Netflix to maintain its competitive advantage there needs to be an upgrade in innovation and technology that will strengthen their reputation and reliability. Blockbuster’s loss in reputation will continually plague their ability to remain competitive and maintain the customer base that they have. Blockbuster will continually face challenges until they upgrade their innovation and technology to level where they will enter into recovery mode. As I studied the financial information presented in the text, it appears that Netflix has been able to offer customers the benefit of low rental fees because they have been able to maintain a low level of expenses. The benefits offered to customers have increased the amounts of net income and movie rentals. Netflix prides itself on promoting customer satisfaction and meeting demands of its internet base. According to the numbers presented by Internet World Stats, the percentage of internet penetration by the North American population was 74. 2 percent in 2009, which was a 134 percent increase from 2000. At this rate, Netflix could secure an internet rental customer base of 74. 2 percent which would strengthen its success (Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2009) Blockbuster’s biggest challenge is development of a viable strategic approach to price setting. When Netflix entered the game, Blockbuster began to lose profits. In an attempt to recoup some of its losses, Blockbuster presented campaign where the rental policy constantly changed leaving customers confused and unsure of the rental process. Although Blockbuster has a large selection of movie titles and global presence, its reputation of dissatisfied customers and inefficient distribution has caused its overall cost to rise significantly. Blockbuster’s competitive advantage is that it offers various channels by which customers can access entertainment media. According to Blockbuster, â€Å"The same customer can choose different ways to access media entertainment on different nights† (Blockbuster, 2010). Recommendations In order for Netflix to maintain its competitive advantage there must be an adjustment of their strategy. Customer satisfaction should be a key factor of its strategy. I recommend that they base their marketing promotions on increasing customer awareness of the variety of accessible content offered. They should also implement the availability of music content and digital media to their library. The development of an award program for customers with lengthy memberships would influence word of mouth recommendations. Most of all, Netflix must continue to offer their customers the benefit of more titles at modest cost subscription memberships. In order for Blockbuster to regain its competitive advantage and reputation there must be the development of a strategy that will increase their profit. They have to become more innovation in internet and in-store rental process. There should be monitoring devices placed on scanner registers and mailed movie rentals to better track returns in order to keep their cost at a minimum. Staff should be trained and monitored on a constant basis to ensure that customer satisfaction is the key priority. Blockbuster must implement policies that will be enforced and understood by customers. They should also team up with gaming system producers to ensure that they will be supplied with current games and possibly offer gaming system rentals. Most of all they should find their own niche market which will provide them with a specialized competitive advantage. The information researched on Netflix and Blockbuster has enabled me to conclude that competition in the movie rental industry is highly competitive. There are new companies entering the market that have a competitive advantage whether it consist of internet rental, vending machine rental access, or in-store rental access. Netflix and Blockbuster have taken the lead in providing thousands of movie title to be viewed in the comfort of our own homes without the expense of movie theatres. Although both companies have a competitive advantage, they each have a following of dedicated customers who will stay with them because of familiarity. Through my research I have learned that consumers are the controllers in the movie rental industry. If consumers dislike the way they are serviced or the cost of movie rentals they will most certainly move on to a company which will cater to their movie wants and needs. However, the movie rental industry must stay up on new innovations and technologies in order to remain competitive, profitable, and maintain modest levels of overall costs.