Monday, January 27, 2020

Porters Five Forces Analysis of Yahoo!

Porters Five Forces Analysis of Yahoo! The World Wide Web brings about new products and services every day for any consumer to access at any time with the simple click of a mouse. Consumers may look at the local weather forecast, find address and phone number of a business, or simply use the Internet for entertainment. All of these activities and many more are all accessible on Yahoo!s website. Terry S. Semel, Chief Executive Officer at Yahoo! and the Porters Five Forces analysis model along with Porters Differentiation strategy helps Yahoo! compete intensely among its competitors. From an internal perspective, Porters Five Forces gives Yahoo! a sustainable competitive advantage by analyzing the Threat of New Entrants, the Bargaining Power of Buyers, the Bargaining Power of Suppliers, the Threat of Substitute Products and Services, and the Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors in an industry. Semel analyzes each piece of Porters Five Forces model to determine the best route for Yahoo! to boost its competitive advantage in the Internet industry. First, Yahoo! analyzes the Threat of New Entrants coming into the Web industry. The Threat of New Entrants refers to the possibility that the profits of established firms in the industry may be eroded by new competitors (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, 2007, pg. 59). In Yahoo!s industry, it is relatively easy for any firm to have an eye-catching website. A new entrant can be a firm in its beginning years who does not have a significantly large budget, but could better serve consumers wanting specific products or services because of new technology it owns. Distributors and manufacturers may also reach more consumers through the Internet, so they enter the market. Semel bought technology such as the Inktomi search engine for Yahoo! to better serve the Internet world and keep a sustainable competitive advantage using product differentiation to create a higher barrier of entry for those smaller or newly established firms. The second of Porters Five Forces discusses the Bargaining Power of Buyers in an industry. Buyers threaten an industry by forcing down prices, bargaining for higher quality or more services, and playing competitors against each other (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007, pg. 61). Buyers are generally not loyal to a specific brand of product or service. Buyers have any information available to them 24 hours a day and they use this to their advantage. Consumers want the best deal for them at that time, so they will take a few minutes, click the mouse a few times, and find the best opportunity for their needs. Buyers use this tool to their advantage. It is difficult for suppliers to retain repeat customers because the customers have the opportunity to shop around to best satisfy their quality and price needs. With Yahoo! expanding their search capabilities by adding new features like its alliance with SBC communications, adding WUF Networks Inc., and HotJobs.com, Semel is aiming to keep more of Yahoo!s consumers within the Yahoo! website and prevent them from exiting to search on a competitors sites. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers is another of Porters Forces that Yahoo! needs to keep in mind. Suppliers involve providing products or services to other businesses, therefore use the term B2B-that is, business-to-business (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007, pg. 285). Yahoo! is an intermediary between some buyers (consumers) and sellers (advertisers) and is business-to-business oriented. Suppliers can make arrangements on the Internet to make searching and buying easier for consumers and prevent them from switching. Yahoo! relies heavily on several different advertisers to keep consumers searching on the Yahoo! site. Semel has built Yahoo! into a site that can offer surfers many different services, with several of them requiring the customer to pay a small fee (Shamsie, pg. 795). The customer is more likely to stay on one site if everything he/she is searching for is there, letting Yahoo! and the advertising supplier profit. Any company in an industry needs to keep a watchful eye for the Threat of Substitute Products and Services. This may be the most important of Porters Five Forces for Yahoo! to stay on top of. Substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by placing a ceiling on the prices that firms in that industry can profitably charge (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007, pg. 63). Again, consumers can compare prices, quality, and customer service between companies, but companies can do the same. A firm can research what products and services other firms are selling and make substitute products or services. This is the case for Yahoo!s digital theme part Semel is pushing into effect. AOL and MSN are also envisioning a digital theme part and they have many substantial advantages from competitive software and programs to money on hand. Semel has pushed through with new advanced technology to give Yahoo! the edge they need to compete with companies such as AOL and MSN (Shamsie). The last of Porters Five Forces Model is the Intensity of Rivalry Among Competitors in an Industry (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007). Because the Internet creates more tools and means for competing, rivalry among competitors is likely to be more intense (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007, pg. 288). Rivalry among competitors on the Internet is extremely high because technology is constantly changing. New, better software is being introduced every day to give certain companies a competitive advantage and leave others trying to catch up. Google is Yahoo!s biggest competitor, and is regarded as the most prominent search engine in most parts of the world (Shamsie, pg. 796). Semel and his team have been dedicated to increase Yahoo!s search engine capabilities to compete with competitors like Google, MSN, and AOL. Semel has done a wonderful job turning Yahoo! around from the falling company it was before he joined the team. Using Porters Five Forces, Semel has wisely used the companys funds and resources to gain new technology to push Yahoo! to the top of the bar. Implementing Porters Differentiation strategy by building an animated theme park as Yahoo!s Web site to keep people wanting more from Yahoo! might just give Yahoo! the edge it needs to move forward and take over the number one spot for search engines. Differentiation consists of creating differences in the firms product or service offering by creating something that is perceived industrywide as unique and valued by customers (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007, pg. 169). Differentiation can have a huge influence on customers because of unique service and product offerings and positive brand image (Dess, Lumpkin Eisner, 2007). Semel is creating differentiation through features and technology with Yahoo! having multiple services in one location in Yahoo!s digital theme park. He is building brand image by investing in billion dollar companies like SBC Communications and Inktomi so Yahoo! will have the technology and the freedom to adapt to changes in the fast-paced Internet industry by owning their own technology. Semel is aiming for Yahoo! to be a whole, small world in itself and enticing customers to stay in Yahoo!s website for all of their service and product needs. Semel comments, The more time you spend on Yahoo!, the more apt you are to sample both free and paid services, (Shamsie, pg. 795). The total revenue for Yahoo! leaped tremendously from 2002 to 2003 and continues to rise because of Yahoo!s CEO Terry Semel. Yahoo! hired Semel to pull the company out of ruins and he did so successfully with Michael Porters Five Forces Analysis model and by implementing Porters Differentiation strategy. He acquired excellent technology and made strategic alliances with companies to give Yahoo! a step-up from its competition. Semel is differentiating Yahoo! by building a digital Disneyland-a souped-up theme park for the Internet Age (Shamsie, pg. 792). His goal is to keep current customers in Yahoo!s site by offering everything to fill their needs. The more time a customer spends on a specific site, the more likely he/she is to do business on that sight, letting Yahoo! profit from his/her requests. Semel using Porters Five Forces and the Differentiation strategy continues to push Yahoo! to the top of the leader board. References Dess, G. Gregory, Lumpkin, G.T., Eisner (2007). Strategic Management 3e. McGraw-Hill. Shamsie, Jamal. Yahoo!. Michigan State University, 792-797. Porters Five Forces and Differentiation The Threat of New Entrants Easy for anyone to have eye-catching websites that compete with large companies New entrant can be any firm who will do well because of technological advances Distributors and manufacturers can reach more consumers through the Internet, so they enter the market The Bargaining Power of Buyers Buyers can get information off of Internet about competing products and services Most Internet buyers are not loyal to a specific brand. Want what is good now Suppliers have a hard time keeping loyal customers because they shop around for the best quality, prices, and customer service The Bargaining Power of Suppliers Yahoo! is intermediary between some buyers and sellers B2B oriented Suppliers can make arrangements on the Internet to make searching and buying easier to prevent customers from switching Yahoo! is intermediary between some buyers and sellers B2B oriented Suppliers can make arrangements on the Internet to make searching and buying easier to prevent customers from switching Yahoo! uses several different types of suppliers on their site to keep customers within their walls The Threat of Substitute Products and Services Any company can research and find a better way to accomplish the same task Yahoo! was threatened by AOL and MSN for the theme park The Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors in an Industry Rivalry is very intense because there are many tools and excellent technology for competing firms Google, MSN, and AOL are major rivals Differentiation Huge influence because of the unique services and products Yahoo!s alliance with big companies Yahoo!s buying of outstanding technology Yahoo! wants to keep people in their site. They are more apt to pay a small fee for something if they can stay in one place

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Essay --

The crude extract was retrieved by homogenizing the bovine muscle tissue. The total enzyme in the muscle tissue can be illustrated through the total activity present in the crude extract, which was 5500 Â ± 200 units. Next the 40% ammonium sulfate step was performed. Ammonium sulfate was slowly added to a beaker that contained the crude extract until a 40% saturation level was reached. After centrifugation the pellet (which contained low soluble proteins and other cellular debris) was discarded and the supernatant was kept. The total protein was 124 Â ± 6 mg and the specific activity was 4500 Â ± 300 units. This resulted in a specific activity of 36 Â ± 4 units/mg. The yield was calculated to be 82 Â ± 9% and the purification factor was 1.4 Â ± 0.3. There was not much of an increase in the purity, but there was a decrease in the total protein and the specific activity as compared to the crude extract which suggests that that unwanted protein was removed during this purification step. Performing the 60% ammonium sulfate step further purified the 40% supernatant. The ammonium sulfate and was added to the 40% supernatant until a 60% saturation level was reached. This was then centrifuged, but this time the pellet was kept while the supernatant (which contained material such as nucleic acids and sugars) was discarded. The total protein recovered was 56.4 Â ± 0.4 mg and the total activity was 4140 Â ± 50 units. This produced a specific activity of 73 Â ± 1 units/mg. The yield was calculated to be 76 Â ± 4% and the purification factor was 2.8 Â ± 0.3. Each of these steps was consistent with the trends present in the theoretical values data because the purity increased. This indicates that the unwanted material was removed so that the 60% pellet can be us... ...olecular weight). By using the protein concentration and enzyme concentration of E10 and E11 the specific activity values can be calculated. The specific activity of E10 is 497.68 units/mg and E11 is 516.6 units/mg. The m form is assumed to have a lower binding affinity (lower Km) so this would elute out first thus we can conclude that the m form is present in the E10 fraction and the h form is present in the E11 fraction. The isozymes are assumed to have the same molecular weight but varying charge strength. With this information an ion exchange column can be performed in order to help separate the isozymes. For an anion exchange column the beads would be positive. By making one of the isozymes more negative it would bind to the beads while the other isozyme would elute out. A gel column can then be performed to confirm the presence of different isozymes.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Nick Hornby: a Long Way Down

His first book Fever Pitch was released in 1992. It’s an autobiographical story about his fanatical support for Arsenal Football Club. High Fidelity — his second book and first novel — was published in 1995. The novel was adapted into a film in 2000 and a Broadway musical in 2006. For his second novel About a Boy (1998) Hornby received the E. M. Forster Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult starred in the 2002 film version. A Long Way Down was published in 2005 in the UK. The book received mixed reviews from critics. Johnny Depp bought the rights to the book before it was even published and has since hired writer D. V. DeVincentis, who previously wrote the script for the film High Fidelity, to write the screenplay. The story takes place in London sometime these days. Martin Sharp – Martin Sharp is a former celebrity. We don't know his exact age but he is in his 40-s. Martin's life was perfect: he had a wife and two little daughters, a well-paid job and was successful. He was host of a famous show but Martin made the mistake of sleeping with a 15 years old girl, for which he spent three months in prison. This made him even more popular as his case was stripped in the yellow press. When he is released from prison he discovers that his marriage is ruined. From that point he works for a cable TV channel with low popularity and has an affair with Penny, his former colleague. He does not make an effort to see his daughters or to clarify the tense situation with his wife. He's very unhappy about his situation and feels that he has â€Å"pissed his life away† and that's why he wants to end his life. Maureen – Maureen is a 51-year-old single mother of a disabled son named Matty. Her whole life is turning around Matty. She believes that it is her cross she must bear for her mistake (Matty was born out of wedlock). She has led a completely closed-in life for two decades raising him. Before she got Matty she was employed and outgoing. This has changed because she has to care for Matty the whole day. She has no freedom and free time except the services at church she attends every Sunday. She wants to get rid of her problems, which seems impossible to her. That is why she wants to commit suicide. Jess Crichton – Jess is an eighteen-year-old girl. She does not have real friends. Jess is a person who pisses people off very quickly with her direct and rude character because she says everything that comes to her mind. Jess's father is a local politician and the family is completed by her mother. Her sister Jen, who is really important to her, left the family a few years ago and is thought to have committed suicide. The whole family, especially the mother and Jess, are still very upset about it. She wants to commit suicide by jumping from the tower block because of her family problems and losing her ex-boyfriend though it's also slightly impulsive. JJ – JJ is an American who came to London with his girlfriend Lizzy. He used to play in a band called â€Å"Big Yellow† and toured across the whole UK. For Lizzy he gave up his dream of becoming a rock star, the band broke up and Lizzy dumped him. Now he earns money by delivering pizza, a fact that he is really unhappy with. He compares his own ambition for suicide with the ambitions of well-known musicians These four strangers happen to meet on the roof of a high building called Topper's House in London on New Year's Eve, each with the intent of committing suicide. Their plans for death in solitude, however, are ruined when they meet. After telling their individual stories to the others, they decide to hold off on jumping and to protect themselves. Thus a group of four unfortunate and very individual people forms. Jess' condition not to jump is that they help her to find her ex-boyfriend Chas. So they take a taxi and drive to the party they suppose Chas to be at. After finding and talking to Chas they decide to go to Martin's place where they find Penny, who has obviously been crying. After this event the press begins to chase them. The newspapers claim that Martin has slept with Jess and that they concluded a suicidal-pact. Jess suggests that they can try to profit from the suicidal-report in the newspaper. Jess tells a reporter that they saw an angel that looked like Matt Damon, who saved them from jumping. Because of this silly lie their lives get worse. They go on vacation together and then plan next meeting for Saint Valentine's Day. They meet at 8 o'clock on the roof of Topper's House on Saint Valentine's Day. While they have a conversation, they detect a young man who is planning to jump from the roof. They try to stop him from committing suicide but he jumps. They are really taken aback. They decide to go home and to meet the following afternoon. Martin tells them about a newspaper article he read according to which people who want to commit suicide need 90 days to overcome their ambition. So they decide to wait with their decision until the 31st of March. A lot of event happens during these three months. Things improve a bit. Maureen, JJ and Martin have new jobs now. Martin teaches pupils and wants to start a new life, JJ is a busker and is happy to make music again and Maureen works in a newspaper-store. Jess’s relationships with her family come to normal. The ninety days have passed and they meet in front of the Topper's House again. They decide to go on the roof. On top, while watching the London Eye they realize that their lives are not so bad. They decide to wait with killing themselves for another six months. The book is divided into 3 big parts. And every big part consists of many small ones, each is written in the first-person narration from the points of view of each character. The language differs significantly from one character to another. Jess and JJ use a lot of slang, rude words. It’s interesting to compare British and American languages, thus JJ is an American. Though this is a book about four suicidal people, it is written in rather humorous and witty way. There are a number of laugh-out-loud passages, but also moments of real heartbreak (scenes with Maureen and her son, the suicide of a young man) Ideas Jess, Martin, and Maureen can be seen to represent Freud’s concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego. The person’s change and development, overcoming difficulties and love for life are the main ideas of the book. Though the changes in the characters appear slight, Hornby shows that such changes are often the ones that lead to real progress in the right direction

Friday, January 3, 2020

A Proposal Called The Biopsychosocial Model ( Straub, 2014 )

Proposed in the late 1970s, George Engel made a proposal called the biopsychosocial model (Straub, 2014). This model believes that all aspects of health are reliant upon three factors: biological factors, psychological factors, and sociocultural factors; and cannot be the symptom of one factor solely. It is thought that that all three groups of factors play an equally important role in both maintaining and deteriorating health (Varnekar, 2014). Occasionally, if health deteriorates; whether it is physiologically, mentally, or otherwise; a cultural influences take hold, an individual may turn to suicide as a means of coping. Health can be looked at in many ways, but is most efficient to examine it using the biopsychosocial model; starting with biological. Biological, or physical, factors that contribute to health can be anything that is related to a person physiologically (Straub, 2014). One of the simplest biological factors that influence health is genetics; humans are genetically complex and the smallest change in genetics can cause a plethora of health challenges. Gene disorders can be hereditary since birth or occur later in life; but are either inherited by one or both parents. One type of genetic disorder is a single-gene disorder; which is when a mutation affects just one gene. Sickle cell anemia would be an example of single-gene disorder. On the other hand, chromosomal disorders are disorders, such as Down syndrome, that occur when chromosomes are altered or