Rape Culture Oriented Feminism Sociology Essay

Rape Culture Oriented Feminism Sociology Essay Part of the current feminism strive is to raise awareness of what is known as rape culture. Rape culture is a socially constructed concept that depicts a culture in which sexual violence and rape are belittled, tolerated, and even justified in society. This concept is related to some specific behaviors such as womens causal role, rape stereotypes, sexual objectification, and trivialization of rape along with sexual discrimination. Legally, rape is defined as forced sexual intercourse between a man and a woman against the womans will (or the mans). In many states, the legal definition of rape does not include marital rape. In others terms, husbands which force their wives into sex are not punished by law, as rape is only seen as illegitimate sexual intercourse, i.e., the wifes exception implies that rape is rape if and only if the man commits the act on a woman other than his wife. This would suggest that sexual violence is not always considered as an act of rape. Even more, this implies that the law might consider sexual assaults as tolerable. For a forced sexual act to be sanctioned as rape, the man should not have conjugal rights over the woman. In other terms, the laws acceptance of a violent sexual act depends on the relationship between the victim and her rapist. According to the feminists rape culture theory, sexist behaviors contribute to the normalization of sexual assaults towards women. The root of rape culture is -according to the theory- the objectification and domination of women in a highly patriarchal society. Rape culture exists today because of the socially constructed image of sex as being an act of male domination over women. It is the traditional perception of how men and women are to behave which is the cause of rape being so trivialized. Men are expected to have sexual dominance in the relationship whereas women are pictured as passive, subordinate creatures. The contrast between men and women in the socially constructed sexual culture can be seen in dating for instance. In a date, a man is expected to buy gifts, dinner, drive the date of/from location to location and shower the woman with attention. Society has accustomed men to expect sexual rewards for their actions. The man thinks he has a right to sexual favors because of what he did on the date. This reasoning puts women as legitimate for sexual aggressions, and gives justifications for men to reason what they might do. When society produces rapists by encouraging values such as domination, anger, aggression, violence and rejecting the idea of men expressing and sharing their feelings, it fosters a rape culture. The rapists are also victims in the sense that they are frustrated by not being able to nurture their need for love and affection through more normal, healthier ways; hence acting through violence. Social conditioning through media holds a huge part of responsibility in rape culture oriented societies. Men and women are made to behave and think in a very specific way from a very early age through school and popular culture. Women and girls should act properly and in a ladylike manner, men should be strong and unemotional. This socialization process, this distribution of roles and behaviors creates the imbalance of power between men and women, giving the floor to male domination over female subordination, and indirectly training women how to be raped, and men how to be rapists. Some rules which train women how to be ladies actually contribute to a lot of rape situations. For instance, a lady should not make a scene just because she is at discomfort. During a sexual assault, wouldnt this entitle that the woman should stay quiet, in order to preserve ladylike qualities? A lady should always trust and be kind to strangers which offer to help. This rule gives rapists plenty of situations where they can trick women into thinking that they are actually willing to help them whilst having planned the rape act. Another rule claims that a lady should always graciously smile when spoken to. A potential rapist might consider a woman acknowledging him with a smile as her being consenting to the situation. Social conditioning has also leaded us to deem as true a set of prejudicial beliefs, called rape myths. These stereotypes provide aggressors with justifications and legitimization for their acts of sexual violence. Feminists claim that rape myths are fundamental to the patriarchal society which supports control and domination relationships. Not only do those stereotypes and lies present assaulters with excuses for their acts, but they also move the responsibility of the act away from the aggressors and lay it on the victims. Some examples of rape myths include: Black men rape white women, Provocative female clothing is the cause of rape, its the victims fault, She was asking for it Even more dangerous is womens acceptance as the ones to blame for rape and the hostility some women show towards other women which were rape victims, by saying and believing in claims such as She provoked the rape, Men are unable to control themselves, rape is only perpetrated by sick men. The new trend nowadays, and from what I hear around me when I ask people about the causal role of women in a rape situation is to say that women should not dress in an alluring way then blame men for raping them. Society is full of sick men, and women should be prepared for this. Raped women actually had it coming. A study done in Germany where participants (students) were given a set of questions, tried to measure to which extent rape myths were accepted and it tried to study the correlation between the desire for sexual dominance and the inclination to accept rape and rape myths. The results of this study supported the feminist theory which claims that rape is much more linked to the desire for men to express their dominance and control over women than to simple sexual arousal. There are three main theories which suggest different factors as support for the proliferation of rape culture. The first theory, gender disparity, claims that rape is the main instrument for patriarchal societies to keep oppression and control. As discussed earlier, the imbalance of power in the relationship between men and women is a direct cause of the objectification and subordination of women versus the domination and demonstration of force of men, which encourages rapist behavior. The second theory, cultural overflow, claims that rape myths and gender socialization are not the only causes for sexual violence, as other components of culture might serve to justify and trivialize rape. An example would be the aspects of violence in our everyday life. Violence in schools, in media, and in governments can be generalized or extended to relationships, thus condoning rape acts. The third theory, social disturbance, suggests that elevated rates of rape might reflect disturbance in social lives such as divorce and relocation. A generalization of the theory would be that deviant acts in general mirror social disorganization which disturbs commonly agreed on social mores. Although I agree with the fact that feminists have done well in raising awareness against rape in societies, and (to some extent) to how society might have contributed to the increase of rape rates through popular culture and mass media, I think there are some issues with rape culture as an entity proposed by traditional feminists. Traditional feminists rape culture theory mainly insists on gender imbalance as being the cause of rape proliferation in society. However, and as the Cultural Spillover theory suggest, other factors and other components might cause increase in rapes rates. The war in Bosnia (92-95) was infamously known for wartime rape. Many Muslim women in Bosnia were raped by Serbs at the time. Rape becomes a weapon of war in this case. It is not intentionally or (at the least solely) directed towards the individual victim, but rather used as any other tool to hurt the enemy. The rape during the Yugoslav conflicts was consequently labeled as genocide rape or rape warfare. Many examples in India, South Asian, and Middle Eastern and South African countries show similar patterns where the culture of war and violence tends to lead to a tacit acceptance of rape in society. Rape as a war weapon can be much more effective than any other weapon as the lasting effects of such an act not only hurt the individual on the long term but the society as a whole. Through children born in time of rape warfare, the society is relentlessly reminded of the war and the enemy. It is one of the most degrading and brutal attacks that could be carried on the enemy. Victims of rape in war time live in isolation from their family and community, especially if they have a child born from the rape act. Another issue with the traditionalist feminist view on rape is the binary structure and the rather monolithic perspective on the matter. There is this tendency to represent men as evil animalistic rapist creatures and women as helpless submissive victims. The feminist cause is first and foremost a fight for equality. As a movement which condemns rape as a result of gender inequality, the irony here is the separation between genders which label the man as a rapist and the woman as a victim. The theory depicts all men as potential rapists and sex offenders, controlling and dominant. Across my research, I noticed that most of the literature on rape culture only highlights female oriented violence. Such discrepancy makes it appear as if male oriented violence does not exist, and that female victims are much more prevalent. Such unfairness in research contributes to the rigid binary representation of the matter. The danger in doing such propaganda (i.e. labeling all men are potential sexual aggressors) makes it sound as if being a man is enough to identify the person as someone likely to rape. Even the definitions I encountered on feminist blogs and journals define rape as the act of sexual violence towards a woman by a man without her consent, but not vice versa. A similar distortion can be seen when talking about domestic violence as it is now assumed and taken for granted that men are the wife beaters. While feminisms original strive is to gain and maintain equality between the genders, rape culture theories create a serious loophole as such distortions and discrepancies actually put women as the harmless gender on higher grounds for moral superiority in comparison with men as the harmful gender, which creates gender imbalance all over again. By acting as such, feminists negate their goal of gender equality. It is not anymore the battle for equal rights; it is the fight for moral superiority that is at stake here. Hence as much as rape culture following the feminist view trivialize and encourage rape, rape culture also benefit this feminist view of men being animalistic and unable to control their urges in comparison with women. A third issue with rape culture is the labeling itself of the entity. What does rape culture exactly encapsulates? I am concerned that the focus of feminists on rape culture might exclude other abused victims which were not subject to rape but other types of violence. For instance, domestic violence victims doesnt necessarily mean rape victims. Arent those women excluded from the movement because of the fact that they were not raped? Sexually harassed women are not necessarily raped too, where do they stand in the rape culture movement? By choosing a label and identifying an entity such as rape culture, Rape acquires a special place in the feminist movement, as women who were raped gain a unique status which makes them a priority over other women. The problem here is that, by giving rape this privileged status, by making the focus rape and rape culture, the feminist movement creates this gender-separatist, discriminatory entity which shadows other gender related issues. Other society problems are as important as the rape issue, yet we do not have a child molesting culture entity for instance. Furthermore, one can actually draw a pattern of similarities between the feminist rape culture movement and the traditional white feminist movement, because both are discriminatory in a way. The white feminist movement does not represent black and Latino women for instance. Similarly, rape culture feminists do not represent battered women or women who were not raped but were still victims of sexual harassment. Rape culture oriented feminism does have some good arguments as socially constructed behaviors and gender roles do impact on rape behaviors. However, and to draw the analogy with the white feminist movement, victimized women which were raped as a product of the imbalance of power between men and women in society represent only a small part of the rape victims and situations, as much as white desperate housewives with college degrees who are forced to stay at home only represent a small portion of oppressed women. Just as white feminism should evolve to include other women in the group, rape culture oriented feminism should also change by broadening its area of interest and not limiting itself only to first: physically raped victims and second : physically raped victims outside the sample society provided by rape culture oriented feminism. Wartime rape victims, which are ignored by this feminist movement currently should also be part of the strive. Furthermore, the movement should also reconsider the monolithic view it gives of society which separates men and women in a negative way. Rape culture oriented literature so far is very biased in terms of who does the aggressions. It should also recognize that not all men are aggressors, because of the unfairness and incorrectness of such accusation, and move towards a more cooperative image between the genders rather than the hatred one it currently gives. Work cited: Rape Myths. Research Advocacy Digest

Training Required To Be A Soccer Player

Training Required To Be A Soccer Player Soccer players need a combination of fitness attributes such as strength, endurance, power, co-ordination, speed and agility, in order to perform and play at a high intensity considering games last 90 minutes plus, therefore as stated by (Stolen et al, 2005) success depends on players being mentally, physically, technically and tactically prepared for competition. Within this assignment I will outline the preparation requirements for a soccer player under the following headings: Strength Training, Endurance Training, Speed Agility and Quickness Training. While doing so I will give general information on each of the three topics, and then move on to give information about the specific requirements for the soccer player. Strength Training: According to Darden, (1992) Well developed, strong, lean body parts will help any athlete or non-athlete perform better. Pg: 45 Stated by Croisier et al., (2005) Strength training is very important for any competing athlete, as it corrects muscle imbalances and reduces the risk of injury, for safety it is important for everyone taking part in strength training to use a spotter and apply good lifting technique to avoid injury. Strength training is also important for non-athletes as it enhances quality of life for people as they can go about everyday tasks such as getting out of bed, getting dressed, carrying shopping bags, walking up stairs etc. (Evans, 1999). Strength training can be divided into three phases such as absolute maximal strength, explosive power, and lastly muscular endurance. McDonagh and Davies, (1984) stated that maximal strength is the biggest force that can be exerted in a single maximum voluntary contraction. According to Stone, (1981) maximal strength is proven to increase jumping ability and motor performance. The athletes main goal is to build as much maximal strength as possible so that they can turn this strength into muscular endurance and explosive power. Explosive power can be developed using a combination of heavy, moderate and light weights (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). Plyometric training has been shown to be one of the most effective methods for improving and enhancing explosive power (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004) which occurs when the active muscle switches from rapid eccentric muscle action to rapid concentric muscle action (Luebbers et al, 2003). The purpose of plyometrics is to improve the athletes capacity to apply more force more rapidly. Therefore, the greater the athletes ability to generate maximal force or strength to begin with, the more this maximal force and strength can be converted into sport-specific power. According to Dick, (2007) a complex form of training develops muscular endurance, circuit type training which concentrates on soccer specific exercises works well. He states that including a variety of different exercises, movements, as well as equipment combinations and training methods in the circuits will help keep athletes motivated. More sports specific exercises may include using high box step ups rather than lying leg press for the leg muscles, water resistance for training leg muscles, swiss ball for working on core stability and balance. Dynamic movements such as headers, tackling, sprinting and kicks all involve a high level of muscle strength, endurance and power. Players need strength to defend against components who try to push them off the ball while in the air or on the ground, (Cabri et al, (1988). Therefore it is important for athletes to improve their soccer specific strength in the preparation period as the athlete needs to be capable of using muscle strength and power effectively and also consistently within a game and during the season Bangsbo, (1994). As stated by Bompa, (2009) the soccer players performance during the season depends on their adaption and psychological adjustment to training and competitions, and their development of skills and abilities. The duration of each of the stages below depends firstly on the competition schedule and also on the time the athlete needs to increase their level of training and athletic shape, therefore an adequate planning schedule of training and fixtures needs to be put in place. According to Davis et al, (1992) the strength training program for the soccer player is dependent on their positions which can be broken down into four stages goalkeeper, defender, midfield, and attacker given that the athletes need to build up strength and power in relation to their position on the field and what is expected of them. Sport specific training provides a stronger relationship to the soccer player then general strength training because of the way it works the muscles, the speed of the movement and the actual sporting performance Dick, (2007). The following specific requirements for the soccer player were retrieved from Bompa and Carrera, (2005); Dick, (2007); Hoff and Helgerud, (2004); Shepard, (2006) Off season In the off-season the soccer player is in the preparation stage their training to train. After their recovery and adequate rest, soccer players work on building up muscles and a solid functional strength base, they achieve this by preparing the body for more intense work in later phases, strengthening the stabiliser muscles and working on improving imbalances in the body. As soccer players in general have over developed quads from repetitive kicking action therefore they need to work on balancing flexors and extensors also, in order to reduce the risk of injury later on in the season, Off season- Early pre season In this phase the soccer player needs to build maximal strength, since power is the overall outcome, the athlete needs to develop strength first and then convert it into soccer specific power. Late pre season In the late pre season the athlete needs to keep working on muscle power and strength endurance, converting strength gains into soccer specific power and muscle endurance. For this stage plyometrics and/or circuit training should replace weight room sessions. In season-maintance During this phase the soccer player needs to maintain the gains they have made so far in the season without over reaching and overtraining. The athlete should be balanced and muscles should not be under stress, the athletes upper and lower body should be working in cohesion minimizing shock and stress and therefore reducing the risk of injury. Bobbert and Van Soest, (1994) stated that muscle training exercises need to be affiliated with sport specific motions so that the athlete can regulate their control and therefore take advantage of their enhanced muscle properties. Endurance Training: According to Tinley, (1994) endurance training involves athletes being able to keep going for long periods of time, and it also requires a high level of stamina, to develop and maintain aerobic fitness and build endurance. Non-athletes might partake in endurance training in order to improve their quality of life, so they can walk up the stairs without wheezing or run a 10k run in six months time. Stone and Kilding, (2009) stated that soccer players need a high level of aerobic fitness in order to produce and maintain power output during repeated high intensity efforts and in order to recover quickly. Bangsbo et al, (1994); Franks et al, (1999) have observed training intensities deemed suitable for endurance training, during small sided soccer games and on a dribbling track. The size of pitch, intensity, duration and number of players were also seen to have an influence on reaching target heart rate zone. As stated by Bangsbo, (1994) approximately 90% of energy during a soccer game is from aerobic sources, therefore heart rate is a valid indicator of exercise intensity for most of the training. Anaerobic endurance is important for soccer players especially strikers, they require short bursts of anaerobic power when sprinting for a ball, Shepard, (2006). The soccer player requires the following endurance training for the duration of the season Off season During the off season the athlete needs adequate rest and recovery in order to start preparation for the season as soon as possible, Bompa and Carrera, (2005). Off season- Early pre season During this stage the team takes part in small sided conditioning games, dribbling tracks, interval training or circuit training that include specific movement and skill development activities. The fitness program in this stage concentrates on aerobic and short term anaerobic endurance, Lawson, (2001); Meir et al, (2001). Late pre season The team have increased emphasis on training with the ball in order to transfer the skills and movements into their competitive environment. They are still working on drills and training programs from the last stage, although intensity has increased and sports specific adoptions have been made. The athletes develop decision making and problem solving skills under pressure and fatigue, Kelly, (2009); Little, (2006). In season-maintance During the in season the team have to maintain the aerobic fitness and sport specific skills they have acquired over the pre season training stages and apply them to their performances, Stone and Kilding, (2009). Speed Agility and Quickness Training: Speed, agility and quickness (SAQ) training is important for athletes especially those who play a sport that involves a high level of dynamic movement such as, changing direction, headers, tackling, sprinting and kicks. SAQ enables athletes to develop faster reactions so that they can accelerate more quickly and effectively, move successfully in multiple directions, change direction and decelerate quickly in order improve performance on the pitch, Pearson, (2000). Stated by Brown et al., (2000) speed, agility and quickness training drills are used to develop co-ordination, balance, and optimise neuromuscular patterning and condition. Shepherd, (2006) speed can be trained and learned through repetition and overload, speed is the athletes ability to move in the right direction through the required range of motion as fast as possible. Agility is rapid changes in direction without the loss of speed, balance, or body control, it can be improved by the use of agility ladders. Quickness this is the reaction time and the ability to move fast without hesitation. The following specific requirements for the soccer player for SAQ training were retrieved from Bompa and Carrera, (2005); Polman et al, (2003). Off season The athletes need adequate rest and recovery, in order to start preparation for season as soon as possible, Bompa and Carrera, (2005). Off season- Early pre season Teams start to train with agility ladders to improve foot speed and foot to ground contact, sprints, hops in different directions, push-ups, dribbling around cones, spot running, turn and sprint drills, working at moderate to high intensity, and adequate rest between repetitions. Late pre season Teams continue speed, agility and quickness training like last season but incorporate adaptions resisted sprints, one on one games, more sport specific movements and increase intensity of training. In season-maintance To maintain speed, agility and quickness, and their reactions that the SAQ training has taught them over the pre season training and apply the above to their performances on the pitch. Conclusion: In conclusion to this assignment on the preparation requirements for a soccer player, the following headings have been explained giving general information, Strength Training, Endurance Training, Speed Agility and Quickness Training, then moving on to give specific information about the requirements for the soccer player. According to Kraemer et al, (2004) an adequate mixture of soccer specific practices and strength and conditioning programmes which require the development of aerobic capacity, strength, power, speed, and speed endurance, can sustain and develop a soccer players physical performance therefore allowing the athlete to perform at their best throughout the whole season.

Microeconomic Analysis of Netflix

Microeconomic Analysis of Netflix Introduction This paper will assess the business operations of the Netflix Company from a microeconomics viewpoint examining and discussing how factors such as products supply and demand conditions, price elasticity of demand, cost of production, market entry barriers, market share, and market structure effect Netflix’s performance in their market. The paper will start with historical overview of the Netflix Company and conclude with recommendations based on the analysis suggesting how Netflix could run its future operations to stay competitive in the entertainment market and Industry. Company History Netflix began operation in 1997 as a DVD by mail rental service (About Netflix, 2017). After many years, it has morphed into the largest online television network, with over 100 million members worldwide which streams over 125 million hours of programming per day. Its members are able to watch on multiple different devices from just about anywhere, at any time. These entertainment choices include films, television, documentaries, and original programming (About Netflix, 2017). With an enterprise value of $71.47 billion, this internet giant has changed the way we consume modern media and entertainment (Netflix Enterprise Value, 2017). Netflix has frequently invested in original programming that is generated strongly based on the trends of the consumer. This company has market insight that Nielsen ratings can’t compare with. In addition to the number of people watching programming, Netflix can also tell when users watch, how long they typically watch for, what people want to see, and much more. This information is used to provide the highest quality experience for the consumer. With a large share of the online streaming market cornered, Netflix has openly said that their biggest current competitor is sleep (Netflixs View: Internet TV is replacing linear TV, 2017). Supply and Demand Conditions Supply and demand is the availability of an outcome for a certain product and the demand for that product has on cost. Meaning that if there is a low supply with a high demand the price increases or if the supply is greater with a demand that is lower than the price will likely drop. When it comes to Netflix and its supply and demand conditions, you can see that they are also vulnerable to the same supply and demand stress as other business organizations. Netflix is constantly expanding the streaming list of content providers along with their competitors such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO and other premium networks. The demand for growth in these streaming companies has driven prices upwards over the last few years. The cable industry, which is what Netflix is classified under, is continuously and quickly changing.   Advances in technology have driven the demand for cable television and companies like Netflix to have easily and quickly accessible content. In 1948, cable television originated in Arkansas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania to enhance poor reception of traditional broadcast television signals in remote areas. (History of Cable, n.d.) During the 50’s and 60’s, cable subscriptions grew from 14,000 subscribers to 850,000 subscribers. From the 1990’s into the present, cable has continued to rapidly grow due to the different services that it offered customers. As customers started demanding higher quality cable service, the demand for basic cable started to decline. Satellite television originally provided more channels to their customers which increased the demand for these more extensive systems over the traditional basic cable system. Due to this high demand, the costs for these products continues to grow. The latest movement in the cable television industry is media streaming. This has caused massive growth for Netflix and similar services. Netflix has positioned itself to be a frontrunner in the media streaming industry. As a streaming provider, Netflix gives its customers the ability to watch ad free content from a large array of devices, at any time. This makes for a high demand as it gives customers more freedom than traditional cable packages. One other factor is the low cost of Netflix compared to the cost of cable subscriptions. The average monthly cable bill is over $120, which is more than a $35 average increase from the cost in 2011, while the average monthly fee for streaming services is $8 per month.   With the demand for streaming services on the rise, it is understandable that Netflix subscriptions would increase. If Netflix continues to grow its internet television concept of providing TV shows and movies that customers demand, it will hold their spot as an industry leader in the marketplace.   With very strong reception from critics and customers alike, they will need to continue with the production of original content, such as original TV series and movies, which have not only increased the demand for services, but has also increased their profits. There are few supply issues facing Netflix. In the streaming market, there are few competing firms that may threaten the market share of Netflix. These firms offer alike services at a comparable price to Netflix This means that the amount of substitutes that can supply similar quality services as Netflix are few.   The largest supply issue Netflix faces is technological change.   However, keeping up relations with various electronic devices, remaining relevant should be fairly easy. Price Elasticity and Demand Price elasticity of demand the relationship between change in the demanded quantity of a product and a change in the products price. If the price of services increase, it could affect the quantity of services demanded. There are a handful of quality substitutes for Netflix. In the cable industry itself, AT&T, Comcast, and Time-Warner, are all providers of services that compete for the same customers as Netflix. In the streaming market, Netflix competitors are other content providers such as Amazon Prime and Hulu. The major factor in this competition is pricing and content availability.  Ã‚   In 2014, Netflix increased consumer cost by $1-2 each month. While the price increase was a risky choice, it was necessary because of the rising prices of acquiring more content. Before this change, subscription plans for streaming and DVD rentals rose to $8 a month for streaming and $10 a month for streaming and DVD rentals. In 2011, this was raised again. All subscribers would have to pay $16 a month for both streaming and DVD rentals which is nearly a 60% rise in cost for the consumer. There was a large backlash from consumers as they felt that the small streaming library was not enough to justify those costs. This price increase was a way for Netflix to upgrade and expand the library content they were offering for streaming. With this price increase, Netflix lost nearly 750,000 subscribers and its stock tumbled in the following months. However, with Netflix expanding the production of their original series, this decrease of subscriber growth was only temporary. Netflix doesn†™t appear to see price elasticity as risk for their organization, but more of a prospect. As seen on the graph above, the stock and earnings of Netflix have proven to be growing at a steady rate over the last few years. Netflix has reported that the amount of watching from the average subscriber has grown in every quarter after the fourth quarter since 2011. Netflix continues to grow. In Argentina, United Kingdom, Brazil, Irelands, Chile, and Mexico is expected to make up more than a third of TV in the average household by 2020. If Netflix raised prices again, it could cause customers to other platforms because of the lower cost. On the other hand, if Netflix would lower its price, then the demand for its service could potentially increase. Netflix is a service that could be considered a luxury and not a necessity. This would provide Netflix a higher elasticity of demand. This may not be the case in the future as many people are beginning to use Netflix as their primary entertainment source. This means that in the customer’s budget, Netflix has already started to become a monthly expense, replacing standard cable services. As time goes on, it is expected that consumers will change their spending habits to completely move away from cable and move directly to streaming services which would increase the elasticity of Netflix. Although the expense is monthly, it will only be a small percentage of the consumer budget making it an inelastic demand. Because the market for media streaming is broadly defined, the number of available substitutes is low therefore it is inelastic. Netflix has shown to be profitably consistent, which allows shareholders to expand its equity as earnings are built up over time making Netflix more valuable. Money is being spent by Netflix to expand into more international markets after seeing huge success in its international growth into countries like the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada. This has allowed Netflix to study the trends of consumers across the world to create content that is palatable in many nations. This expansion should assist in lowering overall costs and increase the company’s profitability. Costs of Production Currently, Netflix offers streaming services on movies and TV shows. They have three subscription levels: Basic, Standard, and Premium. Netflix is currently working to grow their offerings and continue with original programming. The main cost that Netflix incurs comes from the licensing and production of their streamable titles. The cost of maintaining their content library has been quickly rising over the last five years as they expand the choices that they are offering to consumers, which can be seen in the chart below. While the largest cost for Netflix is their content, they also have various SG&A expenses, otherwise known as selling, general and administrative expenses. These expenses have also grown as the demand for their rises. From 2012 to 2015, these SG&A expenses had more than doubled. These costs have been growing as the consumer’s demand for more varied content grows and as Netflix expands into the international marketplace. This demand by consumers that Netflix has met, has resulted in a continuous growth for the Netflix Company. In 2016, the COGS had a nearly 32% increase in from the year previous. These growing costs for the most part have not prevented company growth. As you can see below, by continuing to increase the content available, Netflix has also helped itself to create strong sales growth. In 2016, Netflix experienced sales growth of 30.26%. Market Share While Netflix is the largest paid for streaming service, it has a market share of only around 12.7% (Netflix Incs Competitiveness, 2017) . The reason for this is that Netflix’s marketplace competitors are well established cable corporations and video providers that have many other products and services that would result in a higher revenue than Netflix. These companies include Amazon, Comcast, Cablevison, and Time Warner Cable. Although Netflix has strong sales growth, their profitability is lower than market competitors, with a net margin of 2.36%. Competitors in this market have an average net margin of just under 11% (NFLXs Competition by Segment and its Market Share, 2017). Due to the large capital and resources required to enter this market, Netflix will need to be aware of the streaming services provided by established cable companies and original content providers. These pose the greatest risk due to their large access to streamable content and access to existing customers. The market structure that Netflix operates under is an oligopoly. In an oligopoly, there are a few companies that control the entire market. In the streaming market, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Are the main competitors. In this type of market, price wars have a chance of occurring.   This means if one of these companies decides to drop its prices, the others must also drop prices in order to stay competitive. Taking a look at the current state of the market, this is evident because all of the major providers have comparably priced packages for their product. With Netflix being the market leader, they have large influence over this market. If Netflix decides to reduce prices, then Hulu and Amazon must also reduce consumer cost or risk losing customers to Netflix.   Recommendations With streaming quickly becoming the industry standard in television viewing, Netflix is expected to continue to increase its hold on the industry and market. Their current COGS while increasing, has provided Netflix a strong advantage in terms of sales growth due to their original content and variety of offerings. This current strategy seems to be working well for them. While some of the most expensive options to produce are original programming, these expensive productions are key to attracting customers due to the lack of availability from other previously subscribed to services.   This will also be helpful in further securing themselves in the marketplace. As mentioned earlier it will also be important for Netflix to keep developing their technology and continue to partner with different companies to update and keep their technology modern and relevant. By persistently providing the services and integration that consumers desire, Netflix can continue to expand its service to more consumers than it currently does.   If Netflix can continue to understand the wants of the consumers, then they will remain leaders in their market. Citations About Netflix. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://media.netflix.com/en/about-netflix Caporaso, T. (n.d.). Netflixs pricing strategies are bound by the same laws of supply and demand that affect every other commercial entitys rates. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from http://www.sdcexec.com/article/11442396/netflixs-pricing-strategies-are-bound-by-the-same-laws-of-supply-and-demand-that-affect-every-other-commercial-entitys-rates History of Cable. (n.d.). Retrieved August 20, 2017, from https://www.calcable.org/learn/history-of-cable/ NFLXs Competition by Segment and its Market Share. (2017). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from https://csimarket.com/stocks/competitionSEG2.php?code=NFLX Netflix Enterprise Value. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://ycharts.com/companies/NFLX/enterprise_value Netflix Incs Competitiveness. (2017). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from https://csimarket.com/stocks/compet_glance.php?code=NFLX Netflix Inc Income Statement. (2017). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://quotes.wsj.com/NFLX/financials/annual/income-statement Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) Stock Chart. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2017, from http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/nflx/stock-chart Netflix: revenue in 2016. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272545/annual-revenue-of-netflix/ Netflixs View: Internet TV is replacing linear TV. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://ir.netflix.com/long-term-view.cfm TV Ratings. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/television.html

Prelude to Beowulf´s Last Fight :: English Epics Literature Anglo Saxon Essays

Prelude to Beowulf ´s Last Fight The Old English epic Beowulf depicts Anglo-Saxon warrior culture where fate (wyrd) governs the actions of the hero. Beowulf, now over seventy years old and king of the Geats, has earned his respect and glory on the battlefields as a great warrior. The honorable old king has ruled for fifty years, and according to the author, "he was a wise king, an old guardian of the land" (Norton, 55), when the dragon attacks Beowulf's Hall, assaulting Geats at night. The dragon - "the worm" - as he is referred to sometimes by the poet, while guarding the treasure in the depth of his cave, is awakened by a slave who steals the cup from his hoard. The dragon, being greedy, is infuriated: "the hoard-guard waited restless until evening came; then the barrow keeper was in rage: he would requite that precious drinking cup with vengeful fire."(Norton, 56) The treasure, that is now guarded by the worm, once (over three hundred years ago) belonged to a tribe of great warriors. Many have died over the years on the battlefields; only one, the Last Survivor, has escaped the terrible fate, and so he speaks: " War-death has taken each man of my people, evil, dreadful and deadly, each of those who has given up this life, the hall-joy of men. I have none who wears sword or cleans the plated cup, rich drinking vessel. The company of retainers has gone elsewhere†¦ There is no harp-delight, no mirth of the singing wood, no good hawk flies through the hall, no swift horse stamps in the castle court. Baleful death has sent away many races of men." (Norton, 56) Parallel to this speech is the ubi sunt passage from Old English poem "The Wanderer." The old warrior, the wanderer or, as the poet calls him, "the earth-walker," who has lost his comrades in the battles, talks about the loneliness of exile and the aimlessness of war: "Where has the horse gone?

The Musical Influence of Johann Sebastian Bach Essay -- Composers Musi

The Musical Influence of Johann Sebastian Bach   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Among the influential composers of baroque music, there have been few who have contributed so much in talent, creativity, and style as Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach was a German organist and composer of the baroque era. Bach was born on March 21, 1685 in Eisenach, Thuringia and died July 28,1750. Bach revealed his feelings and his insights in his pieces. Bach’s mastery of all the major forms of baroque music (except opera) resulted not only from his genius talent, but also from his life long quest for knowledge. In some parts of Germany, the name, â€Å"Bach† became a synonym with the word, â€Å"musician.† Extremely talented in the art of baroque composition, Bach placed his heart, soul, and ingenuity in his music as it is clearly illustrated in his childhood, throughout his career, and of course through his musical works.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bach’s connection to music is already evident through his childhood. Bach was born into a musical family in Eisenach. His father, before dying, taught him the basic skills of strings and an organist at a church taught him how to play the organ. When both of his parents died, he continued to devote his early life to music. His brother Johann Christoph continued to teach him how to play the organ. Furthermore, he won a scholarship and became part of the school choir of poor boys in Luneburg. Already seen was his sheer genius and talent that he possessed for music. Clearly, his childhood played a big factor...

Frankenstein Kickass Paper -- essays research papers

The daughter of an active feminist, Mary Woolstonecraft Shelley eloped with the famous poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at the age of 15, and after was continually and profoundly influenced by his words and writings. Her novel Frankenstein is named among the best written and most meaningful of the gothic works, and is one of the few still popularly read today. A precursor to the Romantic trend in art and intellect, gothic novels rejected of the precepts of order, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified Classicism in general and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular. The gothic tradition grew out of disillusionment with the Enlightenment and 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism. Romanticism as a whole emphasized the individual, the irrational, the imaginative, the spontaneous, the emotional, and the transcendental. Shelley herself defines "gothic" as a story "which would speak to the mysterious fears of our Nature, and would awaken thrill ing horror--one to make the reader dread to look around, to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart." By infusing moral and social concerns into the gothic style, Shelley achieves more than a simple horror story, however. The universal societal and psychoanalytical questions raised in Frankenstein secure its place in world literature and promise decades of similarly fashioned gothic writings. As stated above, the gothic genre developed as a harsh reaction to the predominant Neoclassic ideals of the time; the emphasis shifted from the whole to the solitary, and from society to nature. The "Graveyard Poets," one of whom is Thomas Gray, are attributed with having ushered in the new philosophy and are often termed "Pre-Romantics." Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" has all the elements of the gothic: graves, overtones of death, a rural setting, and a desire for return to a more simplistic, natural time. Simultaneously, Jean-Jacques Rousseau preached a similar creed which presented society as evil, and called for a "natural state of man." Shelley was schooled in both writers, and took their words to heart. In 1776 and 1789 Revolutions swept America and France, indicating that the Neoclassic ideals were not as stable as was previously thought. News of these ... ...; and "Fall of the House of Usher" and Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" use many gothic conventions and themes, such as the ominous tone, dream-like or surreal sequences, and warnings about interdependency and the manipulation of one's mind. The gothic novel revolves as part of the literary cycle, periodically returning for a brief period in the public's eye and then again disappearing into obscure circles of its few disciples. In this scientific age, the gothic is viewed as being overly sentimental, predictable, and implausible. As the ages change, readers, like Victor, are forced to "exchange chimeras of boundless grandeur" which the gothic inspires for "realities of little worth" (Shelley 46). The gothic, the fantastic, is a necessary balance for logic and reason as much as light is to dark, and good to evil. Without one, the other is undefined and therefore has no purpose in its existence. Frankenstein will live on as a brilliant insight into both the political environment of the 18th century and the eternal condition of man as an extension of nature.

Political Campaign: The Crusade Against Asian Americans Essay -- Econo

As most developed nations around the world continue to be plunged into the economic crisis that began in 2008, any major country that continues to strive during the depression immediately becomes the attention of the citizens of affected countries. While major global powers began to suffer from a loss in international prominence, several foreign countries continued to experience economic growth. The countries that go through this growth—such as China—easily become despised by politicians and even became the targets of office candidates’ campaigns in the recent nation-wide elections. Although seemingly benevolent to the American public, the campaigns also indirectly create unfairness for the Asian Americans—Chinese in particular—who reside in the equality-based country. In this paper, I will show how political campaigns against China demonstrate sentiments and stereotypes against Asian Americans at work, and thus illuminate unfair treatments and ineq uality against Asian Americans. Before examining how the negative characteristics of political campaigns’ against China negative characteristics and how they harmfully promote inequality against Asian American citizens, it is important to first understand the nature of the advertisements as well as their origins. As with most political elections, candidates of the 2010 elections attempt to debunk their opponents’ credibility by the use of propaganda and advertising campaigns. However, as the United States continue to lose its former prominence in the global economic market, desperate politicians who wish to address the loss of jobs within the country and the economic decline did so by baselessly citing the outsourcing of jobs to other countries, mainly China, as a problem, and argue t... ...ment To Restrict Outsourcing To Asian Countries. Retrieved on November 28, 2010 from Thaindian News: http://www.thaindian.com. Chen, D. W. (2010). China Emerges as a Scapegoat in Campaign Ads. Retrieved on November 25, 2010 from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com. Kuo, K. (n.d.). Early Images of Asians in the U.S. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved on November 27, 2010 from the Arizona State University website: http://www.asu.edu. Sue, D. W., Bucceri, J., Lin, A. I., Nadal, K. L.,& Torino, G. C. (2007). Racial Microaggressions and the Asian American Experience. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(1), 72-81. Retrieved on November 27, 2010 from the Arizona State University website: http://www.asu.edu. Timmons, H. (2010). Outsourcing to India Draws Western Lawyers. Retrieved on November 25, 2010 from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com.