Homelessness Among Youth In Canada Social Work Essay

Homelessness Among Youth In Canada Social Work Essay Homelessness among youth is a comprehensive, multi-faceted social problem in Canada. (Roebuck.2008). According to public health agency (2007) the estimated official number of homeless people in Canada ranges from 150,000 to 300,000, one third of which are youth of age 15 to 24 years.(Stewart et al.2010). Homelessness means living in outdoors and in abandoned building with unsafe situation. (Kisely et.al, 2008). The factors that leads youth into homelessness are family dysfunction, school related problems, need for more freedom and poverty; this issue is being addressed by the services that are available for them in the area of housing, income and support services. (Kisely, 2008). This study also includes the critical analysis of policies relevant to youth homelessness, anti oppressive organisational structure for the marginalised youth and recommendations and suggestions to prevent youth into homelessness. The understandings about the homelessness among youth in Canada The most significant reason that leads the young people into homelessness is family dysfunction. The family conflict may lead the young people into homelessness. This starts when youth have gone through emotional and physical conflict with their parents and also some youngsters leave their home due to lack of financial support from their parent. (Miller et al, 2008). On the other hand, lack of family functioning and support leads some youth into homelessness. Similarly, the situational factors like parental divorce or separation and death of the parents also make youth into a stage of homeless. Sometimes parents alcohol and drug consumption may lead youth in to homelessness condition. (Duroff,2004). The poor school performance is another reason for the youth who leaves their home. The premature leaving of the school added to family conflict and the combination of these two factors leads them to leave home. Moreover, failing a grade in school, and problems with teachers or students also leads some youth into homelessness. Based on my understanding lack of education create them barrier in finding job. Later on it leads to extreme poverty and unemployment among the youth homeless. (Miller et al, 2008). A strong sense of independence is the primary factor some of the youth leads to homelessness. In some cases youth are like to stay their own family but due to family conflict they like to stay away from the home. The desire for the more freedom sometimes youth leads into homelessness. And also, parents over interference to the youths personal matters may become the another reason for the youth to live their home.(Miler et al,2008) The financial crisis of the family or poverty of the family leads to some youth into homelessness. The lack of available housing, limited employment opportunity, and insufficient wages also leads youth into homelessness. Moreover, lack of education sometimes creates barriers to youth find employment. The insufficient material needs of the money lead them into poverty. (Miler et al,2008). Homelessness among youth is a growing concern in entire Canada. (Stewart et al. 2010). Eventhough Canadian government is offering some service to the youth homeless; their support needs and support interference preference always not match with services available to them. (Stewart et al. 2010). Moreover, youth homelessness are considered as vulnerable due to shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment or income, poverty, poor physical or mental health, reduced government support, and violence or abuse in the home. Stewart et al.2010 (as cited in Campaign, 2009; Laird, 2007) Furthermore, the pattern of life style brings them exposure to violence, neglect, chronic poverty, physical and sexual abuse, crime, drug and alcohol use, unemployment, and social isolation. (Stewart et al 2010 as cited in Naboss et al., 2004; Reid, Berman, Forchuk, 2005). Apart from that, the homeless youth often reported with inadequate social relationships, conflict within their families, and exposure to violence, criminal peers, and abusive situations.( Stewart et al 2010 as cited in Haber Toro, 2004; Reid et al., 2005). Therefore, the personal and structural reasons that contribute to oppression to find adequate housing for the youth should be addressed by anti oppressive approach of social work practice. According to Martin (2002) one of the major reasons that leads young people into homelessness is lack of normal activities has to do with a lack of readiness and ability to seek and find paid employment. (Klodawsky et al.2006). The homelessness youth most of the time doesnt show much interest to do any kind of physical activity due to lack of knowledge, skill and interest. The lack of formal support contributes major challenges among homeless youth. In the most of the time homeless youth shows withdraw from the social network. This creates them barriers to know about the services available for them. The homelessness youth barriers to seeking services include denial problems, pressure to focuses on basic resources such as food, clothing and shelter, fear of not been taken as seriously, concerns about the confidentiality, and lack of knowledge about available services. In spite of all available services still they face discrepancies in available and needed service (Stewart et al, 2010). The housing support helps the youth to stay in a safe situation. The homelessness youth improvement needed in shelters including additional beads, a home like environment, less fighting among themselves and caring staff. The income support helps them to gain financial support. Most of the youth needed financial needs is for the educational expense. Furthermore, most the homelessness youth needed information about the support services in the area of returning to school, skill training, getting a job, budgeting, and seeking counselling. Generally, the support service for the homelessness helps the youth to overcome the situation they are living now. (Stewart et al, 2010). The strength and limitation of the social policy for youth homelessness The social policies are necessary for the homeless youth to correct systemic and historic inequalities they are facing in the society. The social policy is important to homeless youth to overcome the systemic barriers they are facing in the affordable and secure housing, lack of income or income support services, and support services. (Hulchanski et al, 2009). In Canada the policies related to homelessness youth include housing policies and program which include tenant protection act and rent supplement units, emergency shelter policies, income assistance, deinstitutionalisation, social services and discharge of policies from correctional facilities. (Ministry of social development and economic security,2001). The social hosing programs provide housing for the individuals and families who are unable to compete in the housing market. (Ministry of social development and economic security,2001). The social housing program gives benefit to the homeless youth to find better place to live but the insufficient supply of housing due to lack of new rental construction and demolition of existing affordable rental unit are create them less accessibility to the social hosing. The loss of significant number of affordable rental units resulted to tenant protection act. In Canada the most of the tenant and land lords are covered by this policy. According to this act a rental unit can be an apartment, a house, or a room in a rooming or boarding house. And the act also can apply to care homes and retirement homes. (Government of Ontario, 2010). The main critique about this act is that most of the time tenant wants to pay first and last month pay and it create barrier to youth to utilize this opportunity be cause of insufficient money. The housing cooperation of Ontario has portfolio of rent supplement unit in a private building; these units are available for the low income households. The rent supplement is a financial support directly paid to land lord by provisional government. The main critique about this policy is eligibility criteria of accommodation need the proof of Canadian residency and most of the homeless youth dont have any document to prove their residency. (Ministry of social development and economic security,2001). In Canada, the absence of permanent housing for the risk population emergency shelter policies for the homeless population. According to this act the police can use force to compel the homeless people to use shelters especially extreme whether alert. The emergency housing should not provide permanent housing options for the homelessness youth. According to homelessness action task force in Toronto, some of homeless people are using shelter as permanent housing these creates the availability of the beds less. Due to lack of privacy some homeless youth dont prefer to stay in the shelter. The main critique about this act is the emergency shelters opposed to the development of permanent housing solution for the youth. (Ministry of social development and economic security, 2001). There are lot of income assistance services are available for the person who are living in the street. The homelessness single person is eligible to receive $195 per month, on a month by month basis. These services are available for the individual who are living in the most vulnerable situation. Homeless youth who are staying in a shelter would not be eligible for income assistance because it is assumed that their needs would be fulfilled in the shelter. The main critique about this policy is that the eligibility criteria for the income assistance create barriers to the youngsters especially the age group of 16 and 17. This makes many youth to turn into illegal or uninvited source of income. (Ministry of social development and economic security, 2001). The deinstitutionalisation policy offered by the provisional government after the dramatic decline of mental health beds in the psychiatric hospitals in Ontario. The deinstitutionalisation policy offers community based mental health services and addiction service for the homeless people. Deinstitutionalization is often credited with the decrease need of medical care and also it is the new beginning of psychiatric care. The deinstitutionalization process is together with the shortage of community-based care and related to the visible problems of  homelessness. The major critique about this policy is that due to lack of societal interaction most of the homeless people are not aware about the mental health issues they are having and the services available for them. (Ministry of social development and economic security, 2001). The social service policies are helping the individuals, who are insecurely housed to keep their housing and give assistance to the people who became homelessness. Usually these services are given by case managers, housing workers, and different type of people who are working in the social and housing sector. The social service agencies are giving referral service to the homelessness youth to find appropriate services according to their immediate needs. According to social service scheme, the homelessness youth are getting employment skill training and skill development program but due to budget cut many of these programs are cancelled by the social service agencies. The one of critical impact of this policy is that most of the time homelessness youth shows less interest for the skill development. (Ministry of social development and economic security, 2001). The discharge policies from the correctional facilities help the homelessness youth find emergency shelters upon their release. This policy is made available to the people who are being released from the provisional correctional facilities. It ensured the people they have a place to go in the community. The discharge policy is authorised with the condition of release of the person from the jail. However, the authorised person could not compel the person who already finished their sentence to go in an emergency hostel. Moreover, the discharge plan is accessed by all offenders who are about to return the community. The major critique of this policy is that most of the time the young offenders dont prefer to live again in an institutionalised setting. (Ministry of social development and economic security, 2001). The strength and limitation of the anti oppressive social work practice Anti oppressive approach is a form of social work practice to address the structural inequalities and social division of the people who are living in a particular social system. It tries to change organisational structure and people attitude about the particular issue. (Mullaly, 2010).An anti-oppressive framework involves several key overarching tenets: awareness of the mechanisms of oppression, domination and injustice; acknowledgment of the structural elements at play in human behaviour; acceptance of diversity and difference; recognition of the complexity of power; and necessity for action. (Karabanow, 2004 as cited in Campbell, 2000). In the anti oppressive approach the homelessness among youth can be addressed by locality development, social development, active participation, structural definition of the situation, consciousness raising and social action. (Karabanow, 2004). In the anti oppressive approach, the social development helps the person to address their needs in a collective way. The organisation that works based on the anti oppressive approach do not look for the street youths deviant behaviour such as criminal behaviour and drug addict on the contrary, it works for the holistic development of the person. The holistic approach helps the youth to learn values and respect themselves and others. Moreover, through the social development approach an organisation can make better understanding about the issues related to youth homelessness. The anti oppressive approach helps the youth to build self identity and strength to change things in their life. (Karabanow, 2004) The active participation based on the anti oppressive approach helps the youth to design and implement the shelter plan which include youth resident represent the committees responsible for shelter policy. Moreover, there are several position available for street youth in the organisation especially the areas of self help, mutual aid group, peer mentoring and cooking. Participation within the organisation helps the youth to understand mainstream culture. The active participation in the organisation always associated with the acceptance and respect which make the marginalised youth feeling worthy and being needed. The active participation represent both street youth and workers to join together to construct a common vision and direction for the organisation. (Karabanow, 2004) The anti oppressive organisations main insight is to make balance between the populations self constructed images about homelessness youth. The structural approach helps the organisation to believe that the social, political and economic factors of the youth push them into street life. The survival of the most youth on the street is due to lack of affordable and clean houses and adequate employment. The anti oppressive organisations always admit the street activities instead of criticising the street behaviour because the organisations place them within the large context of exploitation and victimisation. (Karabanow, 2004) The conscious raising help the youth to share past, present and future goals and experience in genuine manner. Through the consciousness raising a youth can share experience to others and connect with deeper understanding of particular issue. In the anti oppressive practice, conscious raising involve an intimate and in-depth exploration of ones action through a process of knowledge building, commitment and solidarity. (Karabanow, 2004 p.56). Furthermore, for the part of consciousness raising a person can critically self reflect about the situation they are facing now. Consciousness raising come out as an intimate process of exploring, accepting and ultimately reconstructing the ideas of ones past, present and future orientation. (Karabanow, 2004 p.56). The anti oppressive organisations promote safe community settings where marginalised youth can build and rebuild a sense of identity, worth, and understanding of their immediate environments. (Karabanow, 2004 p.56). In the anti oppressive framework an organisation move a step further to advocacy for the alienated and stigmatised people. Social action involves a commitment to the fundamental change in the society on the form of equal treatment for the marginalised youth. The social action endeavours includes when the street youth to petitioning in the provisional leaders to increase the number of affordable housing and youth employment. Through the social action movement, the service users and service providers try to achieve specific goals based on the common needs of the population. Based on the anti oppressive approach social action is sense of commitment and trust for the social development. Through the social action the marginalised group also can participate in the societal activities. (Karabanow, 2004) The anti oppressive approaches help the organisation to build safe and respectful environment for the marginalised populations. Moreover it helps the marginalised youth to identify the grass root of the problem and the structural inequalities they are facing in the society. The anti oppressive practice at the structural level tries to change intuitional arrangements, social process and social practice that work together to benefit the dominant group at the expense of subordinate group. (Mullay,2010) . The anti oppressive is useful to identify systemic inequalities, discrimination, and violence faced by marginalised youth based on their gender, age, race, poverty, disability, sexual orientation, immigration or aboriginal status. Moreover the anti oppressive approach is very useful to understand how these types of structural inequalities make possibility to youth become homeless. The anti oppressive social work practice is necessary for reconceptualise the idea of power. (Mullaly, 2010). This help the marginalised youth to recognise that how age and poverty create them barrier to find appropriate housing. The anti oppressive practices in the structural level help the marginalised youth to find alternative services and organisation. According to these services marginalised homeless youth can connect homeless people in the mainstream organisation. The mainstream organisation helps them to find adequate solution to the problem in a collective response. The collective response always gives immediate response to the problem. (Mullaly, 2010.) The recommendations and suggestions for the homelessness youth The four primary recommendation to reducing the homelessness among youth of includes build on the youths optimism and determination through the development of peer networks; mobilize and support interest in education and employment through contacts with employers; support ties to family, including extended family or families of choice when available; and use current living arrangements or create living arrangements which can facilitate education and employment.'(Miller etal,,2008) The hopefulness is very important for the youth to gain strength to mind.. Building strength is very important among the homelessness youth because the studies conducted by Millier et al 2008 shows that to stay longer as homelessness made them remain as homelessness. The strength can build among homelessness youth through counselling in the school, shelters and other and other social service agencies and also to the youth support group and networks. The most of the homeless youth consider their situation is temporary and look for the future development, this shows the clear need of the building the sense of optimism and determination among youth especially in the areas of education and finding a job. (Miller etal,,2008) The organisation that works for the homelessness should support and mobilize the youth to gain interest in education and employment. The lack of education creates employment barriers to the youth but the part time work helps them to continue their education. The marginalised youth is looking to improve their ability to work through education. This shows necessity of the guidelines for youth employment appropriate schooling and training. Moreover, the alternative schooling option also helps the youth to satisfy their expressed needs in the education. This shows the clear need of more educational grants and subsidies for the marginalised youth. (Miller etal,,2008) A support tie with family is very important for the marginalised youth. The family dysfunctions are one of the major reasons for the youth to leaving their home. Family and friends are able to provide assistance in the accommodations, financial and emotional support. Generally youth has lots friends in the variety of fields. The family counselling is very important to prevent homelessness among youth. Through the family counselling the worker can prevent family systems break down in the first place. (Miller etal,,2008) The living arrangement and support service for education and employment is the most important wanted thing for the youth homelessness. The current living arrangement creates barriers to youth in education and finding employment. And some of the marginalised youth think that living or socialising with similar issue having peers is not favourable for their development. They also express similar concern in the shelter system. On the other hand, the marginalised youth express to live in a both positive and supportive environment. This can accomplish by the government through development of teen program that offer alternative living arrangement and positive peer groups through foster or group homes. (Stewart et al, 2010) Hosing is the fundamental right of the human being. The main recommendation of this study is to improve housing facilities for the youth. Homelessness sometimes leads to the offending and victimisation. The government also should arrange social and income support services for the youth. Through the counselling service the worker can guide the homeless into proper track. Moreover government should spent more money for the social service who are giving services for the youth. The funding cutbacks always affect the service agency to provide adequate services for the youth. And also federal government also organise some support services for the youth homeless. (Stewart et al, 2010). Conclusion The community based approaches is necessary for the homeless youth to satisfy their needs especially in the areas of housing, income, and support. The positive attitude of the social service agency helps the youth to come out of the situation they are living now. Moreover the alternative service of the agency, especially in the area of skill training and alternative schooling also help the youth to overcome the systemic barriers they are facing in the society.

Blockbuster Declares Bankruptcy

Blockbuster Declares Bankruptcy Yvonne Dedmore MGT 435 – Organizational Change Robert Hamamoto September 19, 2011 Shortly before their 25th anniversary, Blockbuster files for bankruptcy protection with a Chapter 11 petition. The failing company couldn’t compete in today’s market against Netflix, Redbox, Apple, and other internet-based businesses that provided mail-order rentals or digital streaming. Their business model needed to be revamped to stay competitive. This paper will take a look at where the problem was, the measures taken to correct the problem, and how Blockbuster can come back and be competitive. Blockbuster, Inc. started business in 1985 in Dallas, Texas by David Cook. The company rented video cassettes, and later DVDs and video games, to customers for viewing at home. Mr. Cook was a computer programmer and used this to his advantage. While other video stores had no idea what they had still in stock, Mr. Cook had reports that showed him which movies were being rented most so he could optimize the video selection. He also wanted a family environment and had a no-porn policy. (Gandel, 2010). In 1987, Wayne Huizenga bought the business from Mr. Cook, and the company went into an expansion mode, opening stores nationwide and eventually overseas by the mid 1990s. (History. com, n. d. ). Mr. Huizenga knew that one day technology was going to put them out of business. He hired consultants to help work on a creative plan on different ways to deliver movies. The consultants even went as far as recommending Mr. Huizenga buy a cable company. Instead of doing that, Mr. Huizenga sold the company to Viacom in 1994 and got out of the business while the company was still worth something. (Gandel, 2010). Under Viacom, the company was losing money. They brought in different CEOs and tried once again to focus on movie rentals. (Gandel, 2010). That helped and currently, Blockbuster has over 3,500 stores and over 25,000 employees. These stores are considered â€Å"brick and mortar†. They are physical buildings that franchise owners must buy or rent, stock with supplies, and hire people to work and run the stores. There are overhead costs that internet-based businesses don’t have. This is one reason why Blockbuster has been losing money these past few years. Blockbuster was the leader in video rentals for over 15 years. That was the thing to do; go to the movie store, rent a movie, pop popcorn, and enjoy a good movie from home. Unfortunately, Blockbuster didn’t keep up with technology and didn’t take the competition seriously enough and soon enough to change. When change happens in an organization, managers need to develop strategies that benefit the entire organization. The effects of organizational development are to improve the organization’s ability to handle its internal and external relationships. Organizational development is intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of an organization. Blockbuster needed to concentrate not only on its customers, but also on their competition. Instead they ignored both and kept everything status quo. Instead of changing their strategy before the competition got their foot in the door, Blockbuster sat on the sidelines. Management said the business models were different and that Blockbuster could co-exist with the other companies. (Carr, 2010). Blockbuster was just too slow to embrace change and flow with today’s environment that consisted of convenience and digital delivery. People try to cram too much into their days. The convenience of having movies, television shows that got missed because of soccer practice or a late meeting, and even video games at your fingertips is too appealing. People today just don’t want to drive to the video store after working all day, driving the kids to activities, doing homework, making dinner, and cleaning up. They want the movie or television show to be just a click away. With the busy schedules, they don’t want to forget to drop the movie back off at the store and have to deal with late fees. If Blockbuster had stayed up on trends and realized what was happening with technology, they may have been able to keep the customers that were lost and also gain new ones. Instead someone else took advantage of this and stole business right out of the video giant’s hands. Netflix became the biggest competitor to Blockbuster, even though Blockbuster didn’t seem to notice. Netflix created a video rental mail-order service through their website. This was a monthly subscription service that allowed customers to receive a movie in the mail, watch it at their leisure, and return it when they were finished; all with no late fees. When the movie was received back to the Netflix warehouse, a new movie was sent from the customer’s favorites list. The customer only had to go as far as the mailbox to receive and return a movie. Netflix also initiated the streaming video and television shows through the internet to your television, computer, or gaming system. The selection wasn’t as big as the actual DVD mail-order system, but it was faster and more convenient for some customers who â€Å"wanted it now†. This was all offered to the customer in a low monthly fee. Some subscription services even allowed for unlimited rentals per month. Another competitor, in the form of kiosks, offered movies for $1. 00 a night, and these kiosks were conveniently located in grocery and drug stores. Pick a movie and drop it off the next time you were shopping. No late fees or membership necessary. Why not rent a movie after you checked out from the grocery store with dinner already in the cart? What a great way to save time, money, and spend quality time at home with the family. Redbox, backed by Coinstar, is the main competitor of movie rental kiosks. They have over 24,000 conveniently located kiosks. Redbox not only is in grocery stores and drug stores, but expanded into fast-food restaurants. (Newman, 2010). Due to these new technology inventions, Blockbuster stores were seeing less foot traffic at the brick and mortar stores. People were looking for convenience while trying to save money in today’s economy. This should have been a clear sign for Blockbuster’s management to make a change. Blockbuster did downsize by closing some of the existing brick and mortar stores, but continued to do business as usual. They needed to conduct an organizational diagnosis to find out not only what needed to be changed, but also why. The diagnosis is a chance for management to strategize where the company is now, what the skills set is, and where do they see the company going in the future. It consists of data collection which may include questionnaires, interviews and observations. (Spector, 2010). These shifts in external realities usually need a new pattern of behavior which Blockbuster didn’t seem to possess. It appeared as if the CEOs didn’t want to change their strategy or they really didn’t notice what was happening in the world of technology. It’s hard to say at this point. Blockbuster’s management needed to focus on a strategic renewal which would alter the current strategy with the intent of gaining an advantage over the competition. (Spector, 2010). It took Blockbuster over six years to enter the mail-order movie rental business. With the financial support and connections Blockbuster had, it shouldn’t have taken them that long. By the time Blockbuster entered into the â€Å"streaming† environment, Netflix already had over three million customers. (Gandel, 2010). Could Blockbuster’s big name compete with that? It depends on how they structure their business model. Blockbusters business model appeared too narrow – video rental. They left the door wide open for competitors to come in and create a new market. Blockbuster held on too long to their retail strategy even though trends were showing that consumers were not following. Netflix had a slow start, but no one was competing with them. It took Netflix a little time to work out some of the kinks, but Blockbuster wasn’t there to challenge them. (Newman, 2010). In the author’s viewpoint, Blockbuster almost set themselves up for failure by not taking advantage of changing their business model to keep up with technology. In this company analysis, it wasn’t a matter of employees resisting a change because management wasn’t proposing a change. Sometimes companies struggle to implement a cultural change only to meet resistance from employees. Usually the resistance happens for a few reasons; forcing the change from the top down, not communicating with employees, and not offering essential training for the change, to name a few. This wasn’t the case with Blockbuster. They needed an organizational redesign to respond to the changing environment of technology. Behind the scenes this may have been happening, but it never materialized into a functioning strategic plan. Blockbuster had bombarded their customers with late fees, tried to go in the direction of mail-order rental service (Blockbuster Total Access), and even put up kiosks. Unfortunately, they got into the game a little too late. The competition already had a handle on the market and customers were easing into the convenience of online streaming, kiosks at the grocery store, and mail-order delivery. There wasn’t the need to drive down to the corner video store to look through the new releases or older movies. Also, they could view online reviews instead of relying on the opinions of one Blockbuster employee. Blockbuster was sinking and the company wasn’t able to tread water fast enough to keep them afloat. The losses were huge every year and the amount of money they had invested into failed operations was getting them nowhere. The inevitable was happening. In September 2010, Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The goal was to reorganize the company instead of liquidating assets. That is a good strategy if you can implement a good business model to be and stay competitive. It has been speculated that after bankruptcy, the company will look much different. Hopefully, because their debt will be reduced and a new business model will be put into place, Blockbuster will be able to start over. In April 2011, Dish Network won the auction that bought most of Blockbuster assets out of bankruptcy. It paid an estimated $320 million and the goal is to compete directly with Netflix’s streaming features. With Blockbusters name in Hollywood, Dish feels that they will be able to offer better, quality service to its customers over Netflix. Dish is negotiating with Starz movie channels to provide a great line-up of movies to its customers. (Sherman, 2011). Another option that is coming out of this reorganization is continuing with the Blockbuster Total Access mail-order program. One perk that makes them different from Netflix is the option to take the disc back to a physical store for an exchange rather than wait on the postal service. (Falcone, 2011). This may appeal to some customers who want a membership or subscription-based fee structure, but also want the gratification of watching movies on their own schedule and not having to wait for a new one to come in the mail. The plan is to downsize the number of physical stores still open which would result in a number of layoffs. At this time, some 3,000 stores will continue to stay open until a plan can be implemented. Blockbuster has already closed approximately 1,000 stores over the last couple of years. (Anderson, 2011). The closing of additional stores will be more in line with the changing environment. To save some of the existing brick and mortar stores, Blockbuster should consider a different environment that would appeal to a wider range of customers. Some ideas of this could include the following: 1. Create a relaxed environment similar to Starbucks. Customers can come in and look for videos online while having a cup of coffee, tea, or a snack. There could be a living room type environment that is cozy and comfortable with couches, coffee tables, and table lamps. They should also have access to movie, game, and music reviews to help with their selection. 2. Provide Blockbuster kiosks in a wider range of locations. Compete with Redbox and Netflix on a wider level. Blockbuster’s name allows them to obtain new releases faster than Netflix and Redbox. Blockbuster can use this to their advantage at these strategically placed kiosks. 3. Know the demographics in the area. Some areas of towns are more able to afford internet and subscription fees. Maybe it’s time to shut down the brick and mortar stores and cut its losses in those areas. Concentrate on areas that may not have access to internet or can’t afford monthly fees. These areas of town may rely on physical stores and closing those locations would be a bad business move. 4. If the physical store is going to stay open, cut down on the size. If the owner owns the building, think of creative ways to fill the other area that would complement the Blockbuster store. Make it more appealing for customers to actually visit the video store rather than sit at home streaming the same movie. Make it an experience for the customer. If the owner leases, consider modifying the lease or look into subleasing the extra area. 5. Look into changing CEO or upper management. Dish Network needs to ask why management let technology get so far away from them, and how did they miss out on the opportunity to keep their existing customers and provide more for them. Was management so afraid of technology that they didn’t pursue it even though they were watching the losses year after year? Unless Dish Network creates a niche that Netflix, Redbox, and the other internet-based businesses can’t compete with, the purchase of Blockbuster may have been for nothing. The Blockbuster name and their Hollywood connections will help, but Dish Network needs to get moving fast on a strategic plan. The more time that goes by without having streaming capabilities and quality service under the Blockbuster name, more customers will stay with or revert to one of the other services. For Blockbuster to make a comeback they will need to invest in marketing campaigns, technologies to keep pace with competition, and a plan to stay competitive. This time Blockbuster can’t afford to enter a market and not keep up with the environment. Management needs to constantly watch trends and stay up on technology. They should be flexible and creative in this ever-changing world. Just because a business model was successful doesn’t mean it will always be successful. Blockbuster learned this the hard way. REFERENCES Anderson, M. (2010, September 23). Blockbuster files for bankruptcy. Debt, changing media habits topple Blockbuster. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved from http://finance. yahoo. com/news/ Debt-changing-media-habits-apf-1049608580. html? x=0. Carr, A. (2010, August 27). Blockbusted: A Netflix Knock-Out, Bad Metaphors on the Path to the Movie Monster's Bankruptcy. Fast Company. Retrieved from http://www. fastcompany. com/1685375/blockbuster-plans-for-bankruptcy-a-look-at-ceo-jim-keyes-best-denials. Falcone, J. P. (2011, September 2). Netflix vs. Blockbuster: What’s the Best Service for Streaming and DVDs? Cnet News. Retrieved from http://news. cnet. com/8301-17938_105-20093587-1/netflix-vs-blockbuster-whats-the-best-service-for-streaming-and-dvds. Gandel, S. (2010, October 17). How Blockbuster Failed at Failing. Time Magazine Business. Retrieved from http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2022624-1,00. html. History. com. Oct 19, 1985: First Blockbuster store opens. (n. d. ). This Day in History. Retrieved September 16, 2011, from A;E Television Networks website: http://www. history. com/ this-day-in-history/first-blockbuster-store-opens. Newman, R. (2010, September 23). How Netflix (and Blockbuster) killed Blockbuster. U. S. News ; World Report, Money. Retrieved from http://money. usnews. com/money/blogs/ flowchart/2010/09/23/how-netflix-and-blockbuster-killed-blockbuster. Sherman, A. (2011, September 2). Dish Said to Stream Blockbuster Films to Challenge Netflix. Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www. bloomberg. com/news/2011-09-02/dish-said-to-plan-blockbuster-rival-to-netflix. html Spector, B. (2010). Implementing Organizational Change:   Theory Into Practice  (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River: NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Louis XIV and the Greatness of France by Maurice Ashley

For all of his foibles and eccentricities, King Louis XIV of France stands in history as an important and effective leader in 17th century France.   His impact on the course of French history is undeniable, and the story of his life and rise to power is fascinating to study.   One of the pivotal works on Louis XIV in the last several decades is â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† by Maurice Ashley.   In this book review, Ashley’s work will be discussed within the historical context of 17th century France in an effort to better understand Louis XIV and the writing of Ashley himself. Overview of the Work Maurice Ashley, in writing â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† created a work that is rich in historical details about the life and rule of the man who would come to be known throughout history as The Sun King (Ashley, 1965), combined with literary techniques and contemporary viewpoints, which will be presented in subsequent portions of this review. The work takes a biographical format, beginning literally with the conception of Louis XIV and following the course of his life and monarchy to its conclusion, and ultimately, discussing how France continued forward after the end of his life and reign.   In retrospect, Ashley’s book has come to be known as one of the pivotal modern writings about The Sun King as well as a highly regarded historical record. The Use of Descriptive Language in the Work Interestingly, Ashley uses vivid descriptive language to bring Louis XIV to life for the reader by describing his physical, emotional and monarchical presence, written in the third person.   In doing this, the reader is able to relate to Louis XIV as a character in the drama of French history, rather than just as a statistic or footnote to history.   Because of this, one gains additional insight into the psyche of the king, and can better evaluate his decisions and rule. A perfect example of personal information about Louis XIV comes in the form of a direct quote form deMotterville, one of Louis XIV’s contemporaries, when he observes: â€Å"I often noticed with astonishment that in his games and amusements, the king never laughed† (Ashley, 1965, p. 11).   The text is full of such quotes, which make the book more understandable and enjoyable. Central Theme of the Work If a central theme were to be assigned to Ashley’s book, it would be absolute power, or as historians would describe it, Absolutism, which is to say that Louis XIV sought to hold control of all of the government of France, which went against the parliamentary systems that other nations were adopting during this time (Ashley, 1965).   The author makes an excellent point when he implies that Louis XIV’s rule, which ran contrary to the popular opinion of the world at that time, did not continue despite France’s greatness, but because of it.   Not even an autocrat like Louis XIV could destroy the French empire. Use of Contemporary Viewpoints Ashley wisely utilized commentary from his contemporaries to add depth to â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France†.   By including modern leaders such as Winston Churchill as part of the book, Ashley cleverly brought hundreds of years of history into the modern arena of thought, again helping the reader to better understand Louis XIV in a present-day context. Summary In closing, what should be noted about Maurice Ashley’s â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† is that the author wove literary technique and solid facts to create and informative and entertaining work that has withstood decades of scrutiny to become one of the pivotal works about this formative period in the history of France. References (Ashley, 1965) (Ashley Maurice 1965 Louis XIV and the Greatness of France)Ashley, Maurice (1965). Louis XIV and the Greatness of France. New York: Free Press.      

John James Audubon - Biography of Painter and Naturalist

John James Audubon created a masterpiece of American art, a collection of paintings titled Birds of America published in a series of four enormous volumes from 1827 to 1838. Besides being a remarkable painter, Audubon was a great naturalist, and his visual art and writing helped inspire the conservation movement. Early Life of James John Audubon Audubon was born as Jean-Jacques Audubon on April 26, 1785 in the French colony of Santo Domingo, the illegitimate son of a French naval officer and a French servant girl. After the death of his mother, and a rebellion in Santo Domingo, which became the nation of Haiti, Audubons father took Jean-Jacques and a sister to live in France. Audubon Settled in America In France, Audubon neglected formal studies to spend time in nature, often observing birds. In 1803, when his father became worried that his son would be conscripted into Napoleons army, Audubon was sent to America. His father had purchased a farm outside Philadelphia, and the 18-year-old Audubon was sent to live on the farm. Adopting the Americanized name John James, Audubon adapted to America and lived as a country gentleman, hunting, fishing, and indulging in his passion for observing birds. He became engaged to the daughter of a British neighbor, and soon after marrying Lucy Bakewell the young couple left the Audubon farm to venture into the American frontier. Audubon Failed in Business in America Audubon tried his luck at various endeavors in Ohio and Kentucky, and discovered that he was not suited for a life of business. He later observed that he spent too much time looking at birds to worry about more practical matters. Audubon devoted considerable time to ventures into the wilderness on which he would shoot birds so he could study and draw them. A sawmill business Audubon ran in Kentucky failed in 1819, partly due to the widespread financial crisis known as the Panic of 1819. Aubudon found himself in serious financial trouble, with a wife and two young sons to support. He was able to find some work in Cincinnati doing crayon portraits, and his wife found work as a teacher. Audubon traveled down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, and was soon followed by his wife and sons. His wife found employment as a teacher and governess, and while Audubon devoted himself to what he saw as his true calling, the painting of birds, his wife managed to support the family. A Publisher Was Found In England After failing to interest any American publishers in his ambitious plan to publish a book of paintings of American birds, Audubon sailed to England in 1826. Landing in Liverpool, he managed to impress influential English editors with his portfolio of paintings. Audubon came to be highly regarded in British society as a natural unschooled genius. With his long hair and rough American clothes, he became something of a celebrity. And for his artistic talent and great knowledge of birds he was named a fellow of the Royal Society, Britains leading scientific academy. Audubon eventually met up with an engraver in London, Robert Havell, who agreed to work with him to publish Birds of America. The resulting book, which became known as the double elephant folio edition for the immense size of its pages, was one of the largest books ever published. Each page measured 39.5 inches tall by 29.5 inches wide, so when the book was opened it was more than four feet wide by three feet tall. To produce the book, Audubons images were etched on copper plates, and the resulting printed sheets were colored by artists to match Audubons original paintings. Birds of America Was a Success During the production of the book Audubon returned to the United States twice to collect more bird specimens and sell subscriptions for the book. Eventually the book was sold to 161 subscribers, who paid $1,000 for what eventually became four volumes. In total, Birds of America contained 435 pages featuring more than 1,000 individual paintings of birds. After the lavish double elephant folio edition was finished, Audubon produced a smaller and much more affordable edition which sold very well and brought Audubon and his family a very good income. Audubon Lived Along the Hudson River With the success of Birds of America, Audubon purchased a 14-acre estate along the Hudson River north of New York City. He also wrote a book titled Ornithological Biography containing detailed notes and descriptions about the birds which appeared in Birds of America. Ornithological Biography was another ambitious project, eventually stretching into five volumes. It contained not only material on birds but accounts of Audubons many travels on the American frontier. He recounted stories about meetings with such characters as an escaped slave and the famed frontiersman Daniel Boone. Audubon Painted Other American Animals In 1843 Audubon set off on his last great expedition, visiting the western territories of the United States so he could paint American mammals. He traveled from St. Louis to the Dakota territory in the company of buffalo hunters, and wrote a book which became known as the Missouri Journal. Returning to the east, Audubons health began to decline, and he died at his estate on the Hudson on January 27, 1851. Audubons widow sold his original paintings for Birds of America to the New York Historical Society for $2,000. His work has remained popular, having been published in countless books and as prints. The paintings and writings of John James Audubon helped inspire the conservation movement, and one of the foremost conservation groups, The Audubon Society, was named in his honor. Editions of Birds of America remain in print to this day, and original copies of the double elephant folio fetch high prices on the art market. Sets of the original edition of Birds of America have sold for as much as $8 million.