Essay on C. Wright Mills Personal Problems and Public Issues

C. Wright Mills, the radical Columbia University sociologist who died 50 years ago (March 20, 1962), has been defined by some as the pioneer of the new radical sociology that emerged in the 1950s, in which his book, The Sociological Imagination (1959), has played a crucial role (Restivo 1991, p.61). Mills was a meticulous researcher and his writing combined outrage and analysis, but he did not wanted to be what he called a sociological bookkeeper. Moreover, C. Wright Mills argued that perhaps the most helpful distinction with which the sociological imagination works is between personal troubles and public issues. Here we can focus on how he is connecting the social, personal, and historical dimensions of our lives and understand what is†¦show more content†¦I would say that this relationship is the best way to describe what the sociological imagination is, because it provides this insight, allowing the individual to recognise and understand the larger forces within the socie ty, and how these forces interact with, and affect the lives of the individuals. In addition, I think that the best example would be to look at the situation in Lithuania. In a nation of about 3 million employees, 200 thousand men are unemployed and, as a result, 58 thousand Lithuanians are immigrated to other countries. When we see such numbers, we cannot claim an individual and it is clear, that this is a public issue, and we may not be able to ever solve these problems alone. Sadly, nobody is taking any serious action to stop emigration. We can easily find the main reason by looking Lithuanian history. During the World War II, it was occupied by the Soviet Union for more than 50 years, all political, economic, and cultural life was controlled. Children were grown with fear, there was no free will and all borders were closed. If you were not happy with the situation, there was two ways – to keep quiet or to be deported. I would say that even now, in independent country, citizens are scared to take actions and do not see any solutions, they just choose th e easiest ways - run away from problems or keep quiet. Hopefully, the new generation, who is born in independent and democraticShow MoreRelatedThe Sociological Imagination Essay1065 Words   |  5 PagesPaper Grade: 75 / C The Sociological Imagination The sociological imagination is an idea or a way of thinking that interlocks an individual in a society with the society as a whole. Most people refer to sociology as the study of how people or individuals interact with each other. In order to fully understand sociology and the concept of the sociological imagination as proposed by C. Wright Mills, one has to be able to envision the individual and the society working together to better understandRead MoreThe concept of sociological imaginations allows us to get out of ones own judgment zone with700 Words   |  3 Pagesout of ones own judgment zone with regards to how we think about social problems. C. Wright Mills argument is that we should develop a method or a way of looking at things in the society from the point of view of the person experiencing the sociological phenomenon. In essence, we cannot look at things from ones own moral point of view; we need to look at things from the point of view of the person experiencing it. Mills believes that cannot understand themselves as individuals; also they cannotRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills942 Words   |  4 Pagesaccording to C. Wright Mills (1959) â€Å"enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals† (p.5) Mills in this book of The Sociological Imagination explains how society shapes the people. Mills wants people to be able to use sociological imagination to see things in a sociology point of view, so they can know the difference between personal troubles versus personal issues. Personal troubles andRead MoreWhat Is A Theoretical Exegesis?1256 Words   |  6 Pagesaround us. C. Wright Mills, in The Sociological Imagination (1959) and Karl Marx, in Alienated Labour use theory to understand the nature of society in two different points of view. Although Mills perspective does differ from Marx, it can be used to bette r understand Marx’s ideas. Mills writes: â€Å"Perhaps the most fruitful distinction with which the sociological imagination works is between ‘the personal troubles of milieu’ and the ‘public issues of social structure’ (Mills 1959: 8).† For Mills the sociologicalRead MoreSociological Imagination By C. Wright Mills969 Words   |  4 Pages C. Wright Mills defined sociological imagination as the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society. Understanding and being able to exercise the sociological imagination helps us understand the relationship between the individual and society. Mills focuses on the distinction between personal troubles and public issues. Having sociological imagination is critical for individual people and societies at large to understand. It is important that people areRead MoreThe Concept Of Sociological Imagination : Connecting History987 Words   |  4 PagesImagination: Connecting History to Biography C. 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It is also impo rtant to realize that there are distinctions between â€Å"personal troubles† and â€Å"public issues†Read MoreCharles Wright Millss The Sociological Imagination945 Words   |  4 PagesBlaine Rodriguez 9/29/2017 Gen Ed Component 1 In 1959, Charles Wright Mills, who is considered one of the more prominent figures in sociology, published The Sociological Imagination. This work of art is still used by sociologists and taught to many students today. After reading these five pages it gives a whole new meaning to the interactions and behaviors we encounter every single day. It becomes incredibly relevant and advised by Mr. Mills to â€Å"dig deeper† by questioning these scenarios. â€Å"Neither theRead MoreSociological Imagination Essay865 Words   |  4 PagesFrom The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills addresses a distinction between personal troubles and public issues. Mills uses specific examples like unemployment and societal development. Mills explains the ability to connect the individual problems with societal problems. Throughout the text, we can see how Mills uses the perspective of an individual to explain the perspective of society and vice versa. Using sociological imagination, I will explain how education is influenced by societyRead MoreWhat Can We Do? Becoming Part Of The Solution1619 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sociological Imagination is a concept first used by a well-known sociologist, C. Wright Mills, in 1959. In Mills article, The Promise, indicates that, The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of in dividuals(Mills, 3). Sociological imagination helps individuals to contemplate their own troubles in a deeper level and view their daily routines in an entirely

Love Is A Complicated Emotion - 849 Words

Danica Alvarez Mr. Perez ENG 99 16 September 2015 Love is a complicated emotion that most of us find it hard to understand. Love is more than just the physical aspect of a person. Unfortunately, people confuse love with lust and the attention given to them by someone. Love is more than just the I love you’s and holding hands. It is more than just posting pictures of your beloved on Instagram just to show the world that you and your partner are one of those â€Å"Relationship Goals.† True love is paying more attention to what really is important - the mind, soul, and the whole well being of a person. Being able to perceive the bigger picture. It is the capability to fully discern and understand another person in a much deeper sense. Positivity resonance is where love blossoms. It helps develop feelings that later on becomes love. The three interwoven events that create positivity resonance are: â€Å"first, a sharing of one or more emotions between you and another; second, a synchrony between you and the other person ’s biochemistry and behaviors; and third, a reflected motive to invest in each other’s well-being that brings mutual care.† (Frederickson 17) Positivity resonance happens when two people start sharing their likes, dislikes, thoughts etc. to one another. It is when people just click - when two individuals get along and be compatible with each other’s existence. It is when one is willing to invest time with another person. It is that positive energy that radiatesShow MoreRelatedThe Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven Analysis929 Words   |  4 PagesEmotions through the eyes of a Native American Emotions†¦. what the heck on Mothers brown Earth are those you might ask? Is it a state of mind? Is it what defines the entire definition of humanity itself? Is it a lie to hide to the bigger truth that we are all being controlled by the Flying Spaghetti Monster ?,†¦. probably not. In the book â€Å"the Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in heaven† the handling of common emotions is challenging at best. Because it portrays a different aspect of emotions youRead MoreDifferent Aspects Of True Love1288 Words   |  6 Pages Different aspects of true Love Thus is the nature of love: that you must use it! A love unused is not love! If it is something that sits on the shelf that you don t know what to do with, it is not true to the nature of love! Use love!† by C. JoyBell C. According to this quote love is something that you have to use it when you have in your life but the understanding of true love is different for everyone. It depends on the situation what someone is suffering. â€Å"Desperate characters† and â€Å"WhatRead MoreDeep Love, Passionate Desire, and Intriguing Mystery Are Conveyed Through the Use of Literary Devices Such as Symbolism and Metaphor in Kim Addonizio’s â€Å"First Poem for You† and William Meredith’s â€Å"the Illiterate†1369 Words   |  6 PagesGracie Smith Literary Heritage 2201 27 October 2011 As Long as it’s a Love Letter Deep love, passionate desire, and intriguing mystery are conveyed through the use of literary devices such as symbolism and metaphor in Kim Addonizio’s â€Å"First Poem for You† and William Meredith’s â€Å"The Illiterate† and aide in supporting the themes that intimate relationships can be both intriguing and frightening at the same time. Love is conveyed in â€Å"The Illiterate† through the simple idea of a letter. 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The Accounting Equation Free Essays

Accounting is founded on the basic equation that states a company’s Assets equal their total Liabilities plus their total Owner’s Equity . This equation is summarized as ALOE . This isthe basis of the Balance Sheet. We will write a custom essay sample on The Accounting Equation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Assets are the company’s furniture, fixtures and equipment, physical property, intellectual property and other resources. These properties include the physical land as well as the equipmentand building improvements on the property. A company’s liabilities are all of the obligations that the company has incurred. Thecompany has to service these liabilities by making payments on them. These payments may takethe form of cash income or may be sourced from loaned monies. If they borrow money, this is anadditional liability. Liability is â€Å"money owed; debts or pecuniary obligations† (Dictionary. com,2009). Liabilities offset assets in the equation that is the Balance Sheet. Owner’s Equity, also known as owner’s/shareholder’s equity, is the final variable in theequation. When liabilities are subtracted from assets, the remaining balance is the owner’s equity. The term owner’s equity is used for privately owned companies. If the business is an incorporatedentity which issued common stock in exchange for a percentage of company ownership, then theowner’s equity is termed owner’s/shareholder’s equity. Cash, stocks and retained earnings are allowner’s/shareholder’s equity. E1-1 Urlacher Company provides the following accounting service tasks each year. Communication – Analysis and interpretation of financial data. Communication – Interpretation of meaning, uses and limits of financial data. Communication – Compiling a summary of financial events. Communication – Accounting report preparation. Recording – Maintaining a linear, chronological record of financial data. How to cite The Accounting Equation, Essay examples

Business and Corporations Law Common Law Rules

Question: 1 Consider the following situations and indicate whether consideration is present and whether Jack has an enforceable agreement: a) Jane is going overseas and she offers to give her Lotus Super 7 sports car to Jack. The market value for this type of vehicle in good condition is around $25 000. Jack accepts. (2.5 MARKS) b) Jane offers to sell Jack her Lotus Super 7 sports car for $25 000. The market value for this type of vehicle in good condition is around $25 000. Jack accepts. (2.5 MARKS) c) Jane offers to sell Jack her Lotus Super 7 sports car for $2500. The market value for this type of vehicle in good condition is around $25 000. Jack accepts. (5 MARKS) 2 A shipbuilder had contracted to build a tanker for North Ocean Tankers. The contract was in US dollars and didnt contain any provisions for currency fluctuations. Approximately halfway through construction of the ship, the United States devalued its currency by 10 per cent. As the shipbuilder stood to make a loss on the contract, it demanded that an extra US$3 million be paid or it would stop work. The buyer reluctantly agreed under protest to pay, as he already had a charter for the tanker and it was essential that it be delivered on time. The buyer didnt commence action to recover the excess payment until some nine months after delivery. Will the buyer succeed in recovering the excess? Answer: 1 a: On the basis of the facts given in this question, the issue arises if the promise made by Jane to give her car to Jack can be enforced by Jack, particularly in view of the fact that no consideration has been provided by Jack in return of this promise. According to the common law rules of consideration, there are certain elements that should be present in the contract. These elements include offer, acceptance, consideration, intention and capacity of the parties. If these elements are not present, the contract is not enforceable under the law. In this way, consideration is one of the essential elements of a valid contract. The contract law requires that consideration should be provided by the parties in return of the promise received by them. Similarly, the law also provides that past consideration does not act as a valid consideration (Re McArdle, 1951). The law requires that consideration should be something real and has some value under the law. As a result of this requirement, illusionary consideration cannot act as a valid consideration. In the present case, a promise was made by Jane to give her car to Jack but in return, Jack had not promised to provide any consideration to support this promise. As a result, in this agreement, one of the essential elements, namely consideration is not present. As mentioned above, according to the law of contract, an agreement becomes the enforceable contract if the necessary elements are present (Atiyah, 1990). But in this case, one of the essential elements, consideration is not present. The result is that the agreement is not enforceable by Jack. b: The facts of this part of the assignment suggest the need for deciding the issue if the essential elements necessary for the formation of a valid contract are present in this case or not. The law contract provides that there are certain elements that should be present in an agreement. Due to these elements, an agreement becomes a legally enforceable contract. In this context, a valid contract can be described as the contract that is enforceable by the law. Consideration is one of these essential elements necessary for the formation of a valid contract. For this purpose, an offer should be made by one party (Beale, (ed) 2002). The other party should accept the offer and at the same time, valid consideration should also be present to support the promise made by a party under the agreement (White v Bluett, 1853). If all these elements are present, in the eyes of law, the parties have formed a legally enforceable agreement. In this case, an offer has been made by Jane. According to this offer, she was going to sell her car for $25,000. This offer was made to Jack and Jack accepted this offer. In this way, all the elements that are necessary for a valid contract are present. In view of the above mentioned rules, it is clear that a valid and legally enforceable agreement is present between the parties. c: The facts that have been provided in this question suggest that the issue is related with the adequacy of consideration. In this case, according to the offer made by Jane, she is ready to sell her sports car to Jack for $2500. On the other hand, such a car is available in the market for around $25,000. As a result the issue that needs to be decided in this case is if adequate consideration is present and therefore, will it have any impact on the validity of the contract. In order to decide this issue, the rules of common law related with the adequacy of consideration needs to be applied. The general rule in this regard is that the validity of a contract is not affected by the fact that adequate consideration is not present in a contract. In order to create a valid contract, a consideration is required (Beatson, Burrows and Cartwright, 2010). Such consideration should be real or in other words it should have some value under the law. But in this regard, the law does not require that the benefit conferred by one party to the contract or the detriment suffered by it should be equal to the value of the promise received by it. Therefore, it can be said that although consideration needs to be sufficient but it is not necessary that it should also be adequate. As a result, a real consideration is sufficient to support a promise under the contract even if it is not adequate. An example in this regard can be given of Chappell Co Ltd v Nestle Co Ltd (1959). I n this case, the reiterated the rule of law according to which the consideration should be sufficient even if it is not adequate. In this case, it was held by the court that even the empty wrappers of chocolate can act as a valid consideration although the company was going to throw away the wrappers ultimately. On the basis of the tools mentioned above, it can be decided in this case also that even if Jane had offered to sell her sports car to Jack at a very low price of $2500 and the price of such a car in the market is nearly $25,000, still the elements that should be present in a valid contract are also present in this case. As a result, in this case also, an enforceable contract has been created between Jack and Jane. 2. The facts that have been provided in this question suggest the need of deciding the issue that is related with the enforceability of the promise to pay additional benefit is the other party performs a pre-existing duty (Atiyah, 2000). Therefore in this case, a shipbuilder had entered into a contract with the buyer. However as a result of financial difficulties, the shipbuilder found it difficult to complete the work. As a result, the buyer made a promise to pay additional amount of $3 million if the shipbuilder continued the work and completed it on time. It was important for the buyer that the tanker was completed on time as the company has a charter for the tanker. As a result, the issue is if this promise is legally enforceable under the law of contract. It is a basic rule of the law of contract that a promise is considered as legally enforceable if there is valid consideration to support such a promise. The facts of Stilk v Myrick (1809) need to be mentioned briefly as it is an early case related with the requirement of consideration for creating a valid contract. In this case, a promise was made by the master of the ship to the remaining crew members that they will give them the wages of the two crew members who had deserted the ship. Therefore the cost of the ship promised that the wages of these two members will be distributed among the rest of the crew members if they remained on ship and perform the duties of these two crewmembers, along with their own duties under the contract. The crew members agreed and the ship was taken to its home port, London. But the defendant refused to make this payment to the rest of the crew members. Therefore, proceedings were initiated in the court for the recovery of this amount. However, accordi ng to the decision of the court, the remaining crew members have not provided any consideration for the promise made by the defendant the greater the wages of the two deserting crewmembers. The court also pointed out towards the fact that crewmembers were already bound under their contract with the master of the ship according to which they had to complete the voyage. There was another case in which the decision given in this case regarding consideration was reaffirmed by the court. Consequently in Pinnel's case, (1602), it was decided by the court that consideration has not been provided by the defendant for the promise made to refrain from suing for the recovery of the rest of the amount as partial payment has been accepted in full satisfaction of the debt. But the decision given by the court in Williams v Roffey (1990) change this situation. Therefore it is important to briefly discuss the facts of this case. In this case, Roffey had entered into a contract with Williams for doing some carpentry work in the flats. According to this contract, the price for doing the carpentry work was decided at 20,000. But after doing some work, Williams realized that the price decided for the work was too low. As a result, they started to face financial problems. When they approached the defendant, Roffey bros also agreed that the price decided by the parties was too low. At the same time, it has been provided in the contract between the defendant and the housing society that the work of the renovation of the flats should be completed on time otherwise the defendant will have to pay a penalty. Under these circumstances, the defendant agrees to pay an additional amount to Williams for the completion of each flat on time. But later on, the defendant ref used to make this payment. In their defense, they argued that consideration has not been provided by Williams to support this promise. Moreover, Williams was only doing something that it was bound under the contract to do. However, this argument was not accepted by the court. It stated that consideration is present in this case in the form of the practical benefit achieved by the defendant from the completion of the work on time. As a result, the defendant was bound by the promise to make additional payments to Williams. In order to decide the issue in the present case, the above-mentioned positions needs to be applied to the facts of this case. In this case also, as the US government had devalued its currency by 10 percent, the shipbuilder is going to suffer the loss. At the same time, there is no clause present in the contract between the parties to deal with the fluctuation in the rate of currency. The result is that halfway through, the shipbuilder refuses to proceed with the work. On the other hand, the buyer has a charter for the tanker. Under these circumstances, it was very important that the tanker was delivered on time. The shipbuilder wants the payment of additional $3 million in order to deal with its loss. These are the circumstances under which the buyer and let them they agreed to pay extra $3 million to the shipbuilder. But now the buyer wants to recover this amount from the shipbuilder. In view of the legal position mentioned above, it can be said that the promise made by the buyer t o pay additional $3 million to the shipbuilder was valid and legally enforceable. The reason is that in this case, a practical benefit will be achieved by the buyer if the tanker is made on time. Therefore in view of the fact that the buyer is going to achieve an advantage as a result of the performance of its duty under the existing contract by the shipbuilder, it can be said that consideration is present to support the promise made by the buyer to pay additional money to the shipbuilder. Therefore, if this amount has been paid by the buyer to the shipbuilder, even reluctantly, the buyer cannot be allowed to recover this amount from the shipbuilder later on. References Atiyah, P.S. 1990, Essays on Contract, Oxford University Press, New York Atiyah, P.S. 2000 An Introduction to the Law of Contract, Clarendon Beale, H., (ed) 2002 Cases, Materials and Text on Contract Law (Hart Beatson, J. Burrows A. and Cartwright, J. 2010 Anson's Law of Contract, 29th edn OUP Publishing, Oxford Case Law Chappell v Nestle [1960] AC 87 Pinnel's Case [1602] 5 Co. Rep. 117 Re McArdle (1951) Ch 669 Stilk v Myrick [1809] EWHC KB J58 White v Bluett (1853) 2 WR 75 Williams v Roffey Bros and Nicholls Contractors) Ltd (1990) 1 All ER 512

Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma

Overview Total quality management (TQM) and Six Sigma are among the most popular quality management strategies. TQM developed from approaches applied to ensure quality in the early years of 20th century. The approach became well defined in 1950s where Japanese companies applied it to improve quality.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By 1970s, TQM was the popular approach in many organizations in the world. Six Sigma is mostly considered an improvement on TQM. The approach originated from Motorola in early 1980s and has gained popularity with many organizations. Total Quality Management TQM refers to a management approach that aims at offering customers with products that meet or go beyond their quality expectations. The approach is focused on customers and ensures all sectors on an organization are keen on quality. The term ‘t otal’ indicates that all individuals in an organization must be dedicated towards quality. The approach is based on continuous improvement in all sectors of an organization in order to achieve high quality (Daft Marcic, 2008). A number of important principles, with hope that by adhering to the principles an organization can be able to achieve and maintain high quality, drive TQM. An organization that chooses to implement TQM is expected to show commitment to the approach by appropriate initiatives and resource allocation. Top executive management play important to success of TQM and are expected to show leadership towards high quality. The approach emphasizes on use of appropriate methodology and tools to determine nonconformity and use of measurement when making decisions on quality (Daft Marcic, 2008). To achieve quality standards, TQM emphasizes on need for training and ensuring that quality improvement enhances customer satisfaction. Company culture and continuous impro vement are the most important principles of TQM (Daft Marcic, 2008). An organization implementing TQM is expected to develop a culture for high quality and make continuous steps to improve quality continuously.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nissan Motor Company is one of successful companies that implements TQM. The company was in operational and financial crisis when it chose to implement the principles of TQM. TQM principles enabled the company to improve on quality of its products and increase customer satisfaction. Six Sigma Six Sigma is a quality management approach that aims at ensuring that 99.99966 percent of products meet quality specifications. The approach has become very popular with many organizations for setting high expectations on quality. An organization that implements Six Sigma is expected to keep defects below 3.4 defects in a millions manufacture d products (Truscott, 2003). Six Sigma approach seeks to achieve the high quality expectations by identifying and elimination sources of errors. In addition to implementing various quality management methods, Six Sigma leads to quality experts recognized by ‘Green belts’, ‘Black Belts’ and others (Truscott, 2003). The designations indicate an individual’s expertise in implementing Six Sigma principles. Two methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV are associated with Six Sigma. DMAIC is implemented to improve existing processes while DMADV is applied on new products or processes. Motorola, Inc. is the best example of organizations that implement Six Sigma. Motorola has implemented Six Sigma since 1981 as its key quality management strategy. The approach has helped the company to provide high quality products consistently. Although the company lost dominance in mobile phones to Nokia in 1990’s, through high quality the company is regaining market share. S ummary Low quality products and services can be very expensive to an organization. There are several quality management strategies to enhance quality, but Six Sigma and TQM are the most popular. The two approaches have similarity in that they emphasize on companywide culture for quality but Six Sigma set higher standards for quality. Many organizations are abandoning TQM for Six Sigma or integrating the two. Reference List Daft, R. Marcic, D. (2008). Understanding Management. New York: Cengage Learning.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Truscott, W. (2003). Six sigma: continual improvement for business: a practical guide. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. This assessment on Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma was written and submitted by user Krystal Park to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

how useful is the concept of elite to the distribtion of power essays

how useful is the concept of elite to the distribtion of power essays Sociology Essay How useful is the concept of elite for understanding the distribution of power in either Britain or the United States? In America perhaps only race is a more sensitive subject than the way we sort ourselves out in the struggle for success. The eminent sociologist Robert Merton calls it the structure of opportunity. In the understanding of the usefulness of the term elite, there are some common historical variables, which must be looked at in order to appreciate the power organisms at work even in American society, and how from the days of Thomas Jefferson to the era of Newt Gingrich, the assumption of superiority is an undercurrent in American life and society. In this essay I will attempt to show that elitist power in America is controlled by a few at the top of the political, corporate, social and religious pyramid. Moreover, the concept of natural aristocracy, or meritocracy, has a powerful resonance even in the United States of America. In understanding the usefulness of the term elite in American society, late 19th and 20th century history provides the pretext for what was called a fluid society . This was a highly mechanized, industrial age in which peoples roles were being determined by their merit, talents, character and grit. By 1910, Harvard Professor Frederick Jackson Turner was influential in transforming this ministerial training school into an Ivy League institution, dominated by the children of a distinct upper class... most Northeastern and mostly business. This class came to be known as the Episcopacy, after its predominant religion Episcopalianism. The genesis of the Episcopacy at the end of the 19th century represented the merger of what appeared to be an irreconcilable conflict between two rival elite groups: the old pre-industrial New England based on upper-class norms, with its high-minded, non-ur...

Blockbuster Organizational Failure Research Paper

Blockbuster Organizational Failure - Research Paper Example At the same time, it also created numerous challenges in the market place regarding competitiveness, innovativeness as well as sustainability, which has greatly influenced company sustainability in many sectors. Focused on a similar notion, this paper will entail critical analyzes regarding the failure of Blockbuster LLC, which was formerly recognized as Blockbuster Inc. Overview of Blockbuster Organization Blockbuster is a global retail chain, which offers a vivid array of video games, home movie and rental services for DVDs and VCDs at reasonable price to its discriminating global customers. Besides, the organization is also dedicated to provide its customers with adequate product choices and unique purchasing experiences. Currently, Blockbuster is operating with more than 2,500 retail stores spread worldwide. Being an American MNC, the company owns its maximum number of retail stores in the US, apart from Europe, Asia and Australia. The primary objectives of the company over the y ears have been to provide a world class entertainment experience to the consumers with a vivid assortment of movie and game genres, serving to around 90 million people all around the world (Blockbuster, 2013). Irrespective of its success since its establishment, with the increasing pressure of competition in the global platform, the company had to witness a decline in its revenue structure. It was in the year 2010 that the organization filed for bankruptcy and was consequently acquired by Dish Network (Almeida, 2011). Analysis of the Organizational Failure Factors In order to analyze the reasons behind the failure of Blockbuster, the following subject areas will be taken into consideration, which shall be helpful to obtain an in-depth understanding of the role played by various external and internal business environment factors to secure the sustainability of a company in the long-run. Competitive Advantage According to Michael E. Porter (2008) competitive advantage is a strategy of gaining benefit over competitors by offering customers high value through reasonable price, good product quality, product variety, innovativeness as along with other value added services (Porter, 2008). In the current phenomenon, competitive advantages are not only necessary to assist a company in obtaining larger market share, greater profit and brand value, but it is also necessary to assure long-term leadership position of the company, in the modern era. However, when studying the incident of Blockbuster’s failure, it can be observed that the most significant aspect of competitive advantage is to guarantee the sustenance of a company, apart from the aforementioned benefits. It is in this context that apparently, due to its business model limitations, Blockbuster was in a competitively disadvantageous position. The industry context can be accounted as responsible in this regard, to a large extent. The current market structure of the entertainment industry tends to be highl y volatile, where both the suppliers and the customers possess high degree of bargaining power, majorly due to the availability of close substitutes. Additionally, with frequent occurrences of forward and backward acquisition and mergers, Blockbuster also had to witness the threat of new entrants. Hence, given the limitations of the business model followed by the organization in terms of ill fit with external environmental changes, rigidness to adapt innovative ideas and cost as well as time intensive characteristic, the organization failed to preserve its