High-speed Internet and the cable television market will face greater monopolistic power due to the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable (TMC). The article discusses two aspects of the merger first, the increase in monopolistic power of Comcast due to the merger and second, government regulation that might control the rise of monopolistic power in high speed internet market (Wyatt, 2014).
It points out that for the merger to be effective Comcast requires approval from two government bodies Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The first will review the merger to find any violation of the antitrust laws. FCC is responsible to evaluate the merger to find if the merger serves public interest (Wyatt, 2014, p. B3).
Overall, the article raises concern over the increase in monopolistic power of Comcast due to its merger with Time Warner Cable. It points out that cable television market will soon be cannibalized by high-speed internet market as more people are switching to subscription from content providers like Google and Netflix.
Economic Analysis
Two questions that emerges from the analysis of the article are:
Completion in high-speed Internet market in the US
Government regulation to control monopolies
Clearly, the merger between Comcast and TWC demonstrates a definite increase in monopolistic power of the former. This would allow Comcast to control two markets simultaneously (a) cable television market and (b) high-speed Internet market.
In the high-speed Internet market, Comcast gains greater advantage. As there is a definite trend towards switching cable networks to high-speed Internet services, Comcast is expected to control a greater market share. The content providers like YouTube, Amazon, and Netflix may enter into an arrangement with Comcast that would provide greater speed for streaming from any of the specific channels. Comcast will have higher control over pricing of the cable television and high-speed Internet service.
Figure 1: The change market share of Comcast in the Internet and Cable market. Data from the analyzed article (Wyatt, 2014)
US regulations had exempted data providers from antitrust law. This clears Comcast from the data services provided. Further, in its FCC filing, the company states that in the cable television market it has two competitors, DirecTV and Dish Network who hold more than 15 percent market share as required by the competition law in the country.
However, Wyatt (2014) points out that such argument is futile, as satellite television operators cannot provide high-speed Internet service, which is the market that needs regulation. Cleary due to lack of regulation the company is expected to garner greater monopolistic power.
Figure 1 shows that the merger is expected to increase market share of Comcast, which will gain Time Warner Cables market share after the merger. The merger will increase market share of Comcast in two industries
Cable television
High-speed Internet
The monopolistic power of the company is expected to rise not only due to the merger, but also due to the emerging trend in the high-speed Internet market that is expected to cannibalize a portion of the cable television market. This would increase Comcasts market share further, increase its monopolistic power.
Further Analysis
A deeper analysis of the article reveals another problem that the merger reveals questions regarding effectiveness of government regulation to control rise in monopoly power in the US market. The merger would create entry barriers for smaller companies as well as reduce supplier power.
This is because cable and the Internet content providers will have to sell channels through Comcast, which would gain greater power over its suppliers. Evidently, the merger will change the structure of the industry and give too much control of the market to Comcast.
Reference
Wyatt, E. (2014). Internet Choice Will Be Crucial Battlefield in Big Cable Merger. The New York Times, p. B3.
Cape Breton Island is located in the northeastern part of Nova Scotia and the Bay of St. Lawrence on the western part surrounds it while the large Atlantic Ocean covers the eastern section. Cape Breton is remotely located in Nova Scotia. Moreover, it has sparse population density. These factors are responsible for certain challenges associated with infrastructure development, and in this case, Internet accessibility. Therefore, there is an urgent need for Cape Breton to enhance infrastructure development.
Internet Accessibility
For business people in Canada who are connected to their computers and other mobile devices for accessing the Internet, operating without Internet connectivity may seem impossible. However, in Cape Breton, not everyone can gain access to the Internet. Specifically, individuals without the Internet are generally marginalized rural, low income, uneducated or elderly people.
Although the number of people with access to the Internet increased steadily between the year 2004 and 2009 globally, there were notable declines in these numbers between 2009 and 2011. In addition, Internet accessibility is projected to decline between the year 2013 and 2017 (Quandt par. 3).
In the past, certain trends such as increased urbanization, introduction of affordable smart devices, cell phones and the Internet increased usages have been responsible for growth of the Internet accessible. These factors, however, will not be able to facilitate Internet connectivity to the rest of the population because of poor infrastructures and low incomes among others.
Cape Breton residents who cannot simply gain access to the Internet continue to experience constrained prospect for economic growth, slow personal development, poor education, business opportunities and other factors that influence standards of living. In addition, their contributions toward the development of the Island remain unheard.
Generally, residents of Cape Breton who cannot gain access to the Internet miss opportunities on relevant information related to economic affairs, health issues, online government services or engage others socially.
The Internet improves participation in politics and other democratic processes in any country and mobilizing resources for worthy courses. Online presence has been credited with increased transparency, reduced costs of doing business, enhanced efficiency, reduced barriers of entry to businesses, generating of ideas, entertainment and access to education among others.
Beyond personal participation, poor Internet infrastructure in Cape Breton could result into slower economic development. The Internet has been responsible for driving economic growth, improved use of technologies, tourism and education.
Cape Breton must understand the disadvantages related to lack of the Internet to its rural, sparely distributed populations. The Island needs to understand the profile of its residents, who cannot again access to the Internet. In addition, Cape Breton must address the possible major barriers to Internet connection. First, the area is remote with sparsely distributed population and therefore there are no incentives to use the Internet. Many people are old and have experienced the digital divide.
Moreover, there might be a lack of sufficient local information to drive the use of the Internet in Cape Breton. It must take advantages of online freedom and data security in Canada and use them as incentives to drive accessibility and usability. Second, people in the rural areas have low incomes and thus Internet affordability is a challenge (Quandt par. 5). It is also expensive to ensure accessibility in rural areas.
Third, user capability could be limited because of lack of education on technologies, computer and Internet usage and capabilities. Computer illiteracy could be a major threat to Internet accessibility and utility in the Island. Finally, poor infrastructure has restricted Internet access in Cape Breton. There is simply no access to network or mobile Internet coverage, specifically in remote locations due to lack of reliable infrastructures (Quandt par. 5).
There are ongoing initiatives in Cape Breton to improve infrastructure development and expand Internet access through community shared resources and spaces in most villages (VCCAPS par. 2). However, these types of initiatives are restricted by massive investment infrastructures and resources required for several remote areas. While Canada may have relatively high Internet connectivity, certain parts of its rural location still experience poor coverage coupled with high costs.
For the last few years, however, there are ongoing remarkable investments to ensure Internet infrastructure and education in Cape Breton. The Provincial Government has focused on helping local businesses to understand capabilities of the Internet by demonstrating how data can be used for a more precise definition of market niches and geographical targeting (Ayers par. 5).
The project aims to offer usable data obtained from Statistics Canada and Provincial departments to communities with over 500 residents in Nova Scotia. Business must know how the Internet and its tools can transform their operations and save costs. In addition, the information offered is customized to meet specific needs of the Island. The Community Counts Web site is easy to use and new information is regularly added to the site. As a result, data provided make sense to local residents of Cape Breton.
This is one way of creating incentives among local residents and business communities to use the Internet and its many tools. Besides, education offered will facilitate utilization of the Internet in the Island. For instance, students conducting research may easily have access to customized data for demographic characteristics, market shares, size and other relevant data.
The data can be customized to cover other areas in public service such as healthcare and information on security and crime prevention. Moreover, data are manipulated into charts and graphs to make them simple for everyone to understand.
There is also improved private organization participation to ensure Internet accessibility in the greater Cape Breton Island. For instance, Seaside Communication signed a deal with the government to offer broadband Internet access to rural communities in Cape Breton and other parts of Nova Scotia. These partnerships target individuals left out of the network.
Nova Scotia strives to ensure absolute Internet coverage to improve lives of all residents irrespective of their locations. The provincial broadband initiative shows a greater potential because of collaboration between private sectors and other stakeholders. Focused contributions from the provincial and federal governments could boost private efforts to ensure Internet infrastructures for all residents in Cape Breton.
Conclusion
Obviously, Cape Breton requires infrastructure development to facilitate its economic growth and improve quality of life. Canada has significantly higher number of Internet users relative to its provinces. Mobile Internet coverage, educated population, cheaper Internet devices, coverage expansion, urbanization and enhanced reliance on the Internet to gain access to various services are responsible for the noted growth and accessibility.
However, the rural communities of remote places in Cape Breton are unlikely to realize any meaningful growth in Internet infrastructure and usability unless all stakeholders address the identified barriers. Without any meaningful investments in Internet infrastructures, changes in technologies, user education, customization of information, favorable Internet usage policies and adoption strategies, Cape Breton will continue to marginalize its rural communities from Internet access.
Works Cited
Ayers, T. Businesses, organizations learn about Internet data tool. Cape Breton Post. 2009. Web.
Quandt, Katie R. More than half the world still lacks Internet access. Cape Breton Independent. 2014. Web.
Network security is an important concept of computer networks that is aimed at the prevention of network intrusion. The profound use of the internet in itself poses a threat of network intrusion by unauthorized hackers. One of the possible solutions towards the prevention of computer network intrusion is to subject the network under potential threats in order to evaluate the weak points (Fadia & Manu, 2007). Such approach usually involves ethical hacking which serves to evaluate the level computer security. Other approaches to avoid intrusion include the use of Defense-in depth strategy and the implementation of appropriate intrusion detection system (Clarke, 2010).
The objective behind the implemented Defense-in-depth strategy
This strategy is primarily an Information Assurance approach which involves layering the defense security platforms for the sole purpose of increasing protection against potential computer security attacks. The major purpose of the Defense in-depth approach to computer security is to delay the onset of the potential threat rather than prevent the hacker from breaking into the system. In order for the strategy to be effective, it must implement effective threat detection mechanisms and effective measures to counter the threats (Warren & Jay, 2002).
The defense in depth strategy basically deploys the use of protection mechanisms, layered procedures and information security policies that serve the sole purpose of enhancing the dependability of a computer network through the division of the defense into multiple layers. The mostly ignored common phenomenon by majority of organizations is that major security breaches are usually from within the organization rather than by outsiders. Defense in depth mechanism does not only delay the onset of the threats, but also provide avenues that could be used to detect potential threats and help an organization to take necessary control measures to contain the threat, thereby decreasing the consequences that associated with the computer network security breaches (Warren & Jay, 2002).
The underlying principle behind the functionality of the defense in depth strategy is that it creates multiple layers between the hacker and the organizations information; in the sense that the deeper the attacker attempts to gain access into the information system of the organization, the more difficult it becomes for the attacker to have access to the information. The multiple layer approach serves to prevent direct attack to the organizations network. Further more, the defense in depth approach offers natural platforms for the deployment of effective intrusion detection methods which could both be hardware oriented, software oriented or people oriented. In an ideal world, the implemented defense in depth strategy should be able to delay potential security breaches, and provide sufficient time so that the organization can respond to a threat, thereby decreasing its impacts, which could be in terms of cost, prevention of information theft and maintaining of the integrity of the information (Clarke, 2010).
Managing a secure network is an important concept of the defense in depth strategy. Implementing network security involves the three basic attributes of network security:
Access control; which involves monitoring the people on the network and the various network resources that are at their disposal.
Integrity; ensuring that the information network itself is reliable as a critical business requirement and potential threats should be address as early as possible.
Privacy; making sure that the network traffic is not accessible to every one.
The layers in defense in depth strategy
The first and the basic strategy in optimizing the security of an information network is physical security. Physical security simply implies that access to the hardware systems is limited to only the required personnel, for instance, the network servers should only be accessed by the network administrators. One effective way of implementing physical security is through the use of deadbolt locks and other approaches that attempt to limit the physical access to critical information system hardware. Logical access to the network should limited within the organization perimeters, regulatory requirements also need to be put in place so as to monitor the flow of information in the organizations network. Stringent policies regarding the disclosure of the organizations information should also be implemented (Fadia & Manu, 2007).
The second strategy in defense in depth approach is authentication. Authentication serves to limit access to actual information system of an organization. This is critical as most security breaches in the present information age usually involve the by pass of the authentication protocols in any information network. Authentication can be implemented through the use of controlled access by means of passwords which are secure and less prone to the hacking algorithms. Password security can be implemented through the use limited attempts, failure to which the information network detects such cases and relays such scenarios as potential security breaches (Warren & Jay, 2002).
Another critical strategy in the defense in depth strategy is the use of Intrusion Detection software (IDS) to monitor the network and the various activities that take place in the information network. The IDS serves to report malicious activities to the network management stations. Intrusion prevention basically involves the carrying out of intrusion detection and taking of necessary responsive measures to contain the threats. The IDS usually logs the information concerning the security breaches and reports them to the network management.
Another approach in fostering network security involves the use of appropriate firewall software. Firewalls serve also to monitor the activity of the network; the access from particular sites could be limited thereby increasing the security parameters of the information network.
Conclusion
The defense in depth strategy is a proactive strategy that attempts to foster information security from both internal and external network elements. Information security is a continuous and dynamic process due to the changing nature of the threats. This implies that information networks require constant vigilance in order to foster network security (Fadia & Manu, 2007).
References
Clarke, N. (2010). Computer Forensics. New York: IT Governance Ltd.
Fadia, A., & Manu, Z. (2007). Network Intrusion Alert An Ethical Hacking Guide to Intrusion Detection. New York: Cengage.
Warren, K. I., & Jay, H. (2002). Computer Forensics Incident Response Essentials. New York: Addison-Wesley.
Video streaming and television viewership vary from one country to another depending on the political, economic, legal, social, and technological factors. Although Thailand has the highest television viewership, the usage of broadband devices for video streaming such as Roku is still low. The country entry risk assessment indicates that the theories associated with business internationalization and market entry have persistently indicated the relationship between business corporations and modes of market entry.
Following mockery videos streaming from the Internet through YouTube, a social media device, the Thai government placed legal stipulations that began controlling Internet activities, including those associated with video streaming. In this view, the marketing penetration strategy is appropriate in penetrating the market of Thailand.
The market penetration techniques are techniques that managers and salespersons use in marketing products through accessing brand popularity via penetration rate and penetration share values. Therefore, the recommendation is that Roku should lobby the government to help it with breaking through the political and government structures.
Introduction
The contemporary world has witnessed a series of transformations resulting from various technologies that have influenced communication and information sharing, irrespective of geographical positioning. With the increasing demand and adoption of technological tools, the Internet has become the most reliable source of information across the globe with millions of Internet users sharing news online (Koumparoulis, 2013).
Recent demand for countries to migrate from analogue to digital television broadcasting has resulted in the development and integration of Internet devices into the television systems to enhance online video streaming (Koumparoulis, 2013). Thailand is among the top nations with the greatest number of Television viewers with an average person having at least 22 hours of viewing weekly.
Contrastingly, video streaming devices such as Roku, Google play, and Chromecast, meant for enhancing digital television broadcasting are scarce and rarely used (Bunyavejchewin 2010). Therefore, this essay examines a country entry risk assessment to investigate legal and political conditions influencing video streaming and risk issues of introducing Roku internet device in Thailand.
Internet-enabled Televisions and the Roku Product
Obtaining information from social media and the Internet-enabled devices has become the most effective communication means that consumers often prefer. To make information more accessible and reliable to users, digital television systems have enabled the integration of the Internet-enabled devices that support direct access to the Internet via televisions (Roku, 2014). Instead of visiting internet websites via computers and cell phones, television users are now capable of accessing the Internet directly from their televisions.
As television technology advances towards making information easily available to users, set-top boxes meant for digital transmission are becoming less functional and less marketable, as customers are opting for modernized digital technologies (Roku, 2014).
Developed nations such as the United States and others in Europe are constantly transforming to modernized technologies and using video streaming via Internet-enabled computers and cell phones. Roku, Google play, and Chromecast are Internet television devices. Despite having the greatest number of Television viewers, using video streaming devices on digitalized televisions such as Roku, Google Play, and Chromecast is rare.
This analysis intends to focus on legal and political risk issues that may influence the success or failure of introducing Roku, an internet networking device, into the Thailand market.
Roku is a modern broadband technology product that enables television viewers to connect their televisions to the Internet and watch television programs, listen to music, watch movies, view photos, or even the Internet videos directly streaming from the Internet through access to web-based services such as Netflix, Facebook, or the Amazon Instant Video platforms (Roku, 2014).
Roku enables television viewers to have the privilege of accessing services that only computer, tablet, and phone users can enjoy through access to the Internet via the computerized devices.
The USB-like broadband device allows consumers to subscribe to the Internet service providers, who provide high-bandwidth Internet for subscribers to access such content through their digital televisions (Roku, 2014). Generally, Roku Internet broadband device allows subscribers to access the Internet content from their digital televisions without using computers, tablets, or internet-enabled phones.
Low Video Streaming and Roku Device in Thai
Introducing a new product into the market is one of the greatest challenges that modern companies, especially those associated with technologies face. According to Rugman (2010), depending on cultural, labor, geopolitical, infrastructural, legal, and political concerns, market entry of a product may succeed or fail.
The broadband technology that has found its way into television technologies has influenced information access to digitalized televisions, but privileges of using broadband televisions and the Internet video sources on televisions remains limited in Thailand (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). Broadband television technologies in Thailand are continuously becoming worthless, as the interest of users in using Internet video sources for streaming video directly from their Internet service providers into their televisions is almost impossible.
According to Bunyavejchewin (2010), whereas there is a continuum of factors that influence the success or failure of market entry of a new product, legal and political concerns seem to influence the introduction of products associated with the use of the Internet in Thailand after the YouTube scandal attracted legal and government interventions.
Theory of Eclectic Paradigm of Dunning
Many theories of business internationalization have emerged to justify a manner in which several interrelated businesses and national aspects influence product marketing in new countries (Rugman, 2010). Legal conditions of an intended market and government political concerns are major factors that determine market entry and product proliferation into the market (Dunning, 2001).
In analyzing business internalization, Dunning understood that market entry requires an analysis of a series of factors that affect product acceptance and proliferation into new international markets. According to Dunning (2001), the eclectic paradigm or the OLI paradigm focuses on three major aspects of entering into new markets, which include Ownership (O), Location (L), and Internationalization (I) of a business.
Ownership aspects are firm related aspects; location advantages are geographical aspects, while internalization aspects are global trade principles (Dunning, 2001). The focus of this analysis is the aspect of the location where government and legal facets intervene.
Offensive Internet to Thai Government
Legal and political issues in Thailand are impediments in marketing Internet-related products such as Roku, the broadband device since the government began intervening on the use of the Internet, and cybercrime in Thailand. Historically, the use of the Internet and national security have been debatable issues in Thailand, with the government of Thailand setting regulations that sometimes perceived as impediments to internet users (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
Controversies surrounding the use of the Internet officially attracted government intervention towards curbing Internet activities in 2007, when the Thai government intermittently blocked access to YouTube after posing a threat to national security and proving offensive to the government (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
The Thai government reportedly claimed to have placed censures and bans on the Internet access, and use after YouTube videos allegedly breached the legal norms through producing a King mockery video that went viral and elicited numerous public reactions.
Since 2007, the Thai government has placed its media and Internet companies under heavy scrutiny and controlled almost all major activities trending on social media platforms, news content on the Internet and video sharing activities of the Internet users (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). Up until 2010, the Thai government has managed to block and suspend approximately 113,000 websites that its Ministry of Communication and Technology deemed threatening to the national security.
It is significantly challenging to introduce Roku in Thailand as an Internet device supporting access to online content via television, given the fact that many people own televisions in Thailand (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
The greatest fear of the Thailand government is how consumers can use the Roku Internet devices and the amount of abusive and illegal content that would spread through the Internet-enabled digital televisions (Bunyavejchewin 2010). Sharing any content that seems abusive or offensive to the government is illegal, and the Thai government disapproves several uses of the Internet that deem disgustful.
Thailand Government and Censorship on the Internet
Typically, Roku is an Internet device in which any alterations to its Internet-related functions make it a functionless and a worthless device (Roku, 2014). One of the biggest hindrances to the introduction of the Roku Internet device into the Thailand market is the excess control of the government over the Internet content that often discourages Internet users and investors interested in Internet products and services.
Thailand government politically manipulated internet journalism and access to the Internet content has to go through the scrutiny (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). In Thailand, the government and other business stakeholders have the obligations to respect the national law and give the monarchy the highest respect it deserves.
Corporate organizations intending to market Internet-related products, whether foreign or internal, must understand the rules and regulations governing information access and sharing of media content through websites (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). Internet journalism is under pressure, scrutiny as the government directly engages in controlling access to the Internet, and the content shared online through social media platforms and individual websites.
Whereas over 50 million people in Thailand are currently using the Internet, the government has placed censorship and control rules on media and content that users share online, especially content related to video streaming (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). The theory of Dunning postulates that product proliferation into a new market would depend on location issues that include the political, legal, and economic environment factors of the targeted international market (Dunning, 2001).
Decision making on venturing into the international market relies on the underlying organizational and environmental factors. To exercise control over media content shared online and Internet journalism, the Thai government has placed mechanisms of controlling Internet piracy. The Thai government has introduced Internet privacy-control systems, including Bit Torrent index, internet tracking sites, cyber blockers, government-streaming sites, and the BBS forums (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
The government accesses these privacy control systems through wireless and wired broadband services on a government computer system. Such scrutiny makes Thai consumers less active in video streaming, a service that Roku can effectively support on televisions.
Introduction of Roku would allow consumers to access the Internet content with less restriction, which deems to threaten government security. Typically, it is easier for any government to control individuals within organizations, but very challenging to control families within each household. The people of Thailand live in fear of government reprimands as efforts to control the Internet use has stretched towards controlling markets associated with the selling of tech products that allow the Internet and seem to threaten government security (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
Businesspersons and organizations trading on Internet product have a fear of government attack as the Thai government has placed strict control over consumer markets. The Thai government commands open piracy in shopping malls and street markets to identify and control notorious markets trading on information technology products that may cause harm to the national security (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
Marketing Roku in an environment marred by government restrictions and censorship such as Thailand is a product promotion strategy, as market proliferation is difficult.
Thailand Laws on the Internet and Tech Products
A major setback to the use of Internet and marketing of internet products in Thailand is how the legislation of Thailand governs internet use and its legal principles governing content sharing, information dissemination and social media interactions (Bunyavejchewin, 2010).
Apart from major government censorships on reckless internet use and reprimands on internet service providers and on companies trading on internet devices, Thailand laws have targeted specific lawbreakers on internet content through legal stipulations controlling internet privacy (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). Lawmakers and the Royal Thai authorities consider privatized internet sites to be felonious as they seem highly organized and with elements of criminality.
Running a website of sharing videos such as YouTube that allow direct video streaming from online internet sites attracts judgments, fines, and sentences on such companies (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). Roku has a vast of the Internet-related features and would probably allow privatized access to the Internet and sharing discriminatory, abusive, provocative, and pornographic contents via Roku would be viable than on computer internets.
Government restrictions and censorship have influenced the activities of Internet Service Providers (ISP) who constantly live in fear of government and political attack in case they breach legal stipulations controlling media content and internet journalism (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). The Thai government has fostered sanctions on the ISP, which fail to control the activities of its users in terms of sharing of media content, including video streaming activities that spread security threatening content.
The Thai laws command ISP to ensure that they enhance the safety of users and provide limited privacy so that the government can have the opportunity to monitor individual internet activities (Bunyavejchewin, 2010). ISP companies are liable for any threatening content or videos shared through their service provider support and the Thai government.
For companies dealing with internet devices such as Roku, the stability and independence of internet service providers and other related business partners is a critical issue. Under such scrutiny and government censorships on networking companies and broadband internet companies, Roku may face stiff market proliferation challenges.
Appropriate Method to introduce Roku in Thailand
For Roku to diffuse into the Thailand market without government repressions and public doubts about its legal concerns, a systematic approach is requisite towards its market entry. A common systematic market entry strategy that marketers often utilize in introducing new products into emergent markets is the market penetration strategy (Han, Dong & Dresner, 2012). Market penetration intends to build a brand reputation by employing several marketing techniques to penetrate the market (Han et al., 2012).
Roku is a tech product, and Thailand is a nation with active users of tech products, who demand innovations. Seeking market penetration through reduced prices, product-advertising techniques, and other product marketing strategies would be an important marketing strategy that would probably capture massive numbers of consumers and potential buyers. Market penetration is important for internet broadband technology continues to intensify with Chromecast, and Google plays competing in Thai market despite censorships.
Electric paradigm theory of Dunning considers internationalization as a professional business practice that requires marketers to understand the critical role that governments of targeted markets play (Dunning, 2001). A firm intending to invest in a foreign nation must lobby a government to obtain shelter for beginning a business before generating production and marketing strategies for a certain product (Dunning, 2001).
A company intended to introduce Roku broadband internet device can use a government lobbying technique in Thailand to get a smooth entry into the market that will not attract legal tensions in the nation. Government lobbying would be an important facet in the market penetration technique as Roku marketers would be able to interact directly with the Thai government and get the privilege of explaining the accrued benefits of the Roku device.
Conclusion
A continuum of factors determines the successfulness of market entry of a certain emerging product like Roku. The ability of Roku to provide internet services through digital televisions, which are favorites to many Thai nationals, deems harmful to the security of Thailand that reprimands government mockers through the Internet. Marketing Roku in Thailand would probably be challenging, as marketers are likely to face political and legal conditions that would hamper smooth market entry.
The electric paradigm of Dunning claims that ownership, location, and internationalization are important business globalization aspects that marketers must understand while trying to penetrate new foreign markets. Using market penetration technique through government lobbying technique and shareholding tricks towards the Thailand government may be a successful approach of marketing Roku internet device that would get market proliferation through the Thailand government itself.
References
Bunyavejchewin, P. (2010). Internet Politics: Internet as a Political Tool in Thailand. Canadian Social Science, 6(3), 67-72.
Dunning, J. (2001). The Eclectic (OLI) Paradigm of International Production: Past, Present and Future. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 8(2), 173-190. doi: 10.1080/13571510110051441
Han, C., Dong, Y., & Dresner, M. (2012). Emerging Market Penetration, Inventory Supply, and Financial Performance. Production and Operations Management, 22(2), 335347.
Koumparoulis, D. (2013). PEST Analysis: The case of E-shop. International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(2), 31-36.
Roku: Roku Streaming stick. (2014). Web.
Rugman, M. (2010). Reconciling internalization theory and the eclectic paradigm. The Multinational Business Review, 18(1), 1-2.
Much attention has been recently paid to the Internets advantages and risks for postgraduate studies. Nowadays, the Internet may allow users to access almost everywhere by a wireless network or even through numerous mobile Internet devices. Due to the convenience of this technology, people have greater flexibility in their studying or working. The services of the Internet include many functions such as email, websites, sales, chat rooms, and educational materials. Many students also like to search for information or background knowledge from the Internet. The instantaneous exchange of ideas and knowledge has made learners life easier. The Internet provides a large space that enables people who surf online to post or to publish their ideas and information online, and also allows an individual to plagiarize the knowledge and free information without self-noticing due to the lack of security controls. Because of the easy access and free up-to-date information on the Internet, a deep concern about students plagiarism appears.
Aims of the Paper
This paper aims to look critically at the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet for Masters students. First, the benefits of the Internet will be introduced at the beginning of the next section; secondly, we will focus on the risks of the Internet and the ideas on how to avoid plagiarism. Some suggestions will be drawn as a conclusion at the end of the final section. In this paper, we underline the positive effects for postgraduate students who should realize that the Internet is a fast and powerful tool that helps them to collect more information on their research as well as the importance of being strict on information quality control to avoid any plagiarism. This high-tech tool will provide students with assistance in case students can find the balance between the advantages and risks of the Internet sources in the chosen research areas.
Reasons of Plagiarism
According to Baruchson-Arbib and Yaari (2004), the Internet grants students access to vast amounts of information (p. 30). In a matter of a few seconds and a few keywords, learners can Google and find a variety of sources they want. The advantage of the Internet lies in the fact that it makes our life easier and more convenient. The invention of the Internet helped us avoid visits to the library to search for information or books we need when we are dealing with a paper or an assignment. On the other hand, the main risk of the Internet is the idea of plagiarism. Students could finish their assignments very quickly by copy and pasting the information they found. Talking about the risk of the Internet, Willems (2003) stated that the Internet has provided an opportunity for students to prepare their assignments in a quick and painless way with minimal effort and engagement. DeVoss and Rosati (2002) have pointed out some reasons why students enable themselves to use the Internet to plagiarize. In their opinion, students suffer because of plagiarism due to a lack of knowledge of how to use the Internet sources and what information is really reliable. It seems that some people might use the copy and paste function in the wrong way, and this is why the problem occurs.
How to Avoid Plagiarism
The necessity to avoid plagiarism is a big issue, still, a student might cause plagiarism accidentally from time to time. A good way to avoid plagiarism is to write down every reference cited in the reference list. It is better to write down the source first before using the quotes from the sources found. Writers should not copy any words down from the referencing sources unless they intend to cite the phrases correctly within their assignment. Secondly, it is obligatory to use quotation marks around the texts when we copy from a research text exactly the way the original author wrote them. It is necessary to remember to put the authors last name, year, and page number at the end of the citation. For example: (Krashen 1986:36). Chou (2010) mentions that paraphrasing of some of the quotes is encouraged in order to emphasize the respected thinkers, but DO remember to put the authors name and the page number. The last way makes someone else check your work or find a plagiarism checker, do the copy and paste function and submit to check your work, if you are describing an idea without acknowledging the author or listing any reference, it is a case of plagiarism.
Conclusion
To sum up, this paper was intended to describe the advantages and the disadvantages of using Internet sources for Masters assignments. It can be seen that the Internet has an advantage that is fast searching and access to different information. Still, there is a big problem connected to the possibility of plagiarism. From this paper, we could observe the limitations because of which students cannot use the Internet properly. There is no attention to the training programs with the help of which students may get an idea on how to use the Internet information. It is necessary to explain to all students how important the idea of intellectual property rights is. There are only a few researches dealing explicitly with how serious a problem could be if students plagiarize other writers works. No matter what reason causes a student to use other peoples ideas or knowledge, the act of plagiarism should make students gain valuable learning before using such amazing still provocative sources as the Internet. This is why it is better to focus on the strategies with the help of which students may improve their knowledge about the Internet.
Reference List
Baruchson-Arbib, S & Yaari, E 2004, Printed versus Internet plagiarism: a study of students perception, International Journal of Information Ethics, vol. 1, no. 06. pp. 29-35.
Chou, I C, 2010, Is plagiarism a culture product: the voice of a Chinese-speaking ELL student, Language Society and Culture, vol. 3, no. 31, pp. 37-41.
DeVoss, D & Rosati, A C, 2002, It wasnt me, was it? plagiarism and the web, Computers and Composition, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 191-203.
Willems, H, 2003, Plagiarism @ your school library, Library Media Connection, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 28-31.
When working with older adults it is important to consult various reputable sources which can help to assist these people. The Internet provides a great amount of information that can be also used as a source of knowledge. Besides, it is possible to give older adults some helpful links which they can use to find out more about their diseases, potential threats, and possible ways to escape these threats. However, it is essential to choose only credible websites.
For instance, can be very helpful for health or fitness professionals. In the first place, the website is sponsored by the government (the link contains the following symbols.gov). The website contains a lot of useful information which is presented in a very concise way.
The information provided is easily identifiable: there is the date of the last review, and there are names of the authors. More so, there are no advertisements. All these factors make the website credible. Besides, older adults can also use the website since it is easy to follow the information presented.
Another helpful website is sponsored by the government. The information presented is collected or reviewed by National Institute on Aging which makes the website credible. All articles and sets of data have the date of the last update. It is necessary to point out that health/fitness professionals can provide older adults with the link to this site. The information is clear and concise. It is easy to find answers to any question with the help of the website. There are also many helpful links to other reputable sources. The absence of advertisement is also a hint proving that the website is credible.
One more informative website is sponsored by the government. It contains a lot of helpful information concerning aging, related diseases, and their treatment and prevention. The data can be easily identified. There is no advertisement which is also good.
Thus, the website is credible and can be used safely. However, it is necessary to point out that the website is rather difficult to use. There are many links and some older adults will not be able to surf the website successfully. Therefore, the website will be helpful for professionals. When giving a link to older adults, it is necessary to give precise links to articles and sets of information that can be useful for this or that individual. In this case
When considering inappropriate websites it is possible to get a closer look at the following website. The website domain (.net) denotes that the website is a network infrastructure. The website cannot be regarded as credible because the information presented has only the date of publication, and no author name (or degree, or at least e-mail). Besides, there is quite a lot of advertisement. Therefore, the information provided should be double-checked before taking it into account.
Another website that should not be used when working with older adults. First, it is a commercial site (.com). There is quite a lot of advertisement. Despite the fact, that many articles are identifiable (there are names of the authors and dates of publication) the information should not be regarded as 100% credible. It is necessary to check whether the data are relevant by consulting other sources. Besides, the information is not presented concisely; it is difficult to follow it.
On balance, the Internet can be really helpful for health/fitness professionals and older adults, but before consulting any website (and providing links to older adults) it is essential to check whether it is a credible website.
Some people claim that internet piracy is a crime without a victim. They argue that users do not take tangible products, so no one gets hurt. Some people see this as a platform for sampling what they will eventually buy. Alternatively, some people claim that they only pirate content that they would not purchase.
These arguments fail to recognize the unethical side of the practice. Pirating digital products, they abuse the rights (copyright) of the concerned entity. They prevent artists, writers, producers, and other copyright holders from reaping the full rewards of their efforts. Furthermore, users rarely purchase physical copies of a product after using its digital copy.
Several laws and policies have been put up to curb piracy. One law that focuses on internet piracy is SOPA or Stop Online Piracy Act. This law eliminates the trafficking of counterfeits or copyrighted material. It has assisted stakeholders in knowing the measures to take to slow down piracy or eliminate it.
Internet piracy
Internet piracy refers to the process of sharing copyrighted works through P2P (peer to peer) networks. This material may include video games, movies, music, software and digital books. This habit began in the 1990s when MP3s came into the scene. Individuals realized that they could compress material and still retain the original quality in these file formats.
They started sharing their material using Napster, which was a peer to peer application (Ramayah, Ahmad, Chin & Lo, 2009). When the invention of CD burner came up, more people continued to download free material from the internet and duplicating them into multiple copies. Hacking has increased as seen through several high profile cases concerning the internet.
Some people participate in internet piracy for commercial purposes, and these are the main targets of antipiracy legislations. They cause enormous losses to the companies responsible for making original material (Singer, 2012). Other parties may engage in internet piracy for their reasons. Such parties may not benefit economically from their file sharing or downloading.
However, they still cause enormous economic damages to copyright owners. Eventually, whole industries may end up lacking the financial backing required to make future products. Copyright owners argue that single copyright infringement may appear harmless, but over a long time, this process robs them off their rightfully-earned returns (Hohn, Muftic & Wolf, 2006).
The only way to take charge of internet piracy is to implement this law; hence, legitimate businesses will benefit. Small companies are the worst hit because even the slightest alterations in returns will affect their bottom line. These organizations go through so much pressure, and even at times they end up closing down.
Therefore, internet piracy kills creativity and prevents the entrance of new parties since the habit makes a business environment hostile. At the end of it all, internet piracy will hurt the same people who are profiting from it because they will have fewer materials to sell or distribute in the future.
Infringing on copyrighted content on the internet is particularly appealing to users because they can maintain their anonymity while carrying out their activities. Besides this, technologies are becoming more sophisticated. Internet speeds have increased tremendously such that distribution of digital material can be done faster. Additionally, the process involves parties from different geographical locations. It has become easy to do this without worrying about the people involved (Losey & Meinrath, 2011).
References
Hohn, D., Muftic, L. & Wolf, K. (2006) Swashbuckling students: An exploratory study of Internet piracy. Security Journal 19(10), 110-127.
Losey, J. & Meinrath, S. (2011). The Internets Intolerable Acts. Slate magazine, p. 15.
Ramayah, T., Ahmad, N., Chin, L. & Lo, M. (2009) Testing a causal model of internet piracy behavior among university students. European Journal of Scientific Research 2(29), 206-214.
Nowadays, society can be described as a continuously evolving organism, and different means of technology such as the Internet can help in understanding the values of the community and a changing social structure. In his book, Siegel clearly states that the Internet can be viewed in the same way as the invention of the automobile, as it revolutionizes the concepts of self-identity while being developed to satisfy the changing preferences and needs of the population (Siegel, 1). Thus, the existence Web 2.0 implies that members of society are aiming at sharing their private lives online, shifting technological development in an entirely different direction and creating a perception of being socially active while opening new opportunities for businesses by targeting a new generation of Internet-active youngsters.
In addition to improving communication and banking transactions, the Internet also provides a plethora of possibilities for information-sharing and exchange (Ferrante, 131). In his book, Siegel clearly states that in this topsy-turvy galaxy, no person, fact, or event is beyond your grasp (Siegel, 125). Meanwhile, many users, in posting their profiles on the online social networks, carefully craft their privacy into a marketable public style (Siegel, 50). These statements strongly support the fact that ones privacy is no longer valued in the era of Web 2.0. Every member of society is encouraged to share every moment with the world and become recognized for these posts. It unveils important insights regarding a new perception of self-identity, where an individual shows creativity by means of participatory culture and classifies him- or herself as a part of the Internet puzzle.
At the same time, the Internet can be described as an instrument that creates a realistic illusion of social life. Today, sociologists do not underestimate the significance of social interaction, and socialization is one of the most critical processes involved in successful integration into social life (Ferrante, 73). In this case, on the one hand, the Internet helps asocial individuals overcome communication barriers and become valuable members of society, contributing to the development of societal values (Siegel, 6). Nonetheless, on the other hand, Web 2.0 creates only an illusory perception of being surrounded by people while in reality isolated by the Internet. Thus, a combination of these factors along with the first statement implies that people tend to avoid real-life interactions and prioritize chatting online. It could be said that the Internet and its level of interference with everyday activities can contribute to the development of entirely new patterns of communication and cause them to be online-based.
Apart from promoting major social changes, the Internet has had an intense impact on business activities, as now, marketers find they must focus on creative approaches to advertising. For example, the Internet itself can be described as one strategy to manipulate a younger generation of consumers as they are highly responsive to fashion trends and spend time on social networks. Being dependent on social recognition and replacing real life with online content are critical factors that drive change and must be considered by marketers. For example, this matter also diverts focus from such important spheres as science and innovation to the events of ones private life, limiting growth and the technological strength of society (Siegel, 50). Satisfying individual needs and wants thus becomes a priority and key to prosperity in a Culture of Narcissism (Siegel, 6).
The analysis of the Internet has helped to reveal that human beings have evolved, and development of the Internet has been one of the consequences of Homo Interneticus (Siegel, 172). Today, egocentric views are gaining popularity in a geometrical progression as people replace real-life communication with online interactions. This trend is increasing dependence on social recognition, and more and more people are sharing their everyday stories with the help of the participatory culture. Despite positive intentions for the rapid socialization of asocial individuals and people with deviant behavior, the Internet merely creates a false impression and only makes people more isolated. It could be said that satisfying narcissistic needs has become a new a golden path for modern businesses, but, unfortunately, it limits the development of technology and causes deterioration in other social spheres.
The ideas of the Internet
The ideas of the Internet added novelties to the social structure and enhanced communication, as there was no need to be physically present in the vicinity of another person to engage in conversation. Apart from these benefits, the development of Web 2.0 caused the growth of narcissistic culture, as Siegel stated in his book Against the Machine: Being Human in the Era of the Electronic Mob (Siegel, 6). It could be said that the author was able to address the major consequences of the Internet in referring to self-identity, egocentrism, and the lack of privacy. However, the author was not able to predict how the Internet could become a suitable platform to disseminate ideas of violence and terrorism and spread the principles of ISIS worldwide, and that governmental intervention would be needed to control and diminish disruptive groups and protect the population from this type of aggression.
Today, terrorism has become one of the major threats to social safety. The outcomes of these attacks not only impact the physical condition of the individuals affected but also elevate levels of fear and anxiety (Ferrante, 375). Its development and quick spread are highly connected to the Internet phenomenon. In his book, Siegel clearly stated that Web 2.0 was an enabler of online interactions and information-sharing and could be compared to the invention of the automobile to satisfy the continuously increasing needs of contemporary society (Siegel, 1). In this case, along with marketers, ISIS and other terrorist organizations are taking advantage of these principles. For example, the Internet enables banking transactions online that cannot be easily tracked due to the lack of transparency. Such a capability helps provide for different organizations that support ISIS worldwide and organize terrorist attacks. This feature of the Internet assures delivery and maintenance of a constant supply of weapons and finances (Levitt). Thus, to stop the financial stream to ISIS organizations, governmental intervention is a necessity. With the help of a sufficient level of control over financial transfers online, it will be possible to monitor cash flows outside banks (Levitt).
At the same time, due to the possibility of creating different social groups online, companies can unite people who share similar interests. ISIS was also able to view this aspect as highly beneficial since it could help in spreading their ideas around the world. Experts describe the content marketing scheme of ISIS as powerful and highly influential (Leach). Having this advantage has been helping them to win an online war while attracting more and more followers to their cause (Leach). Increasing the awareness of the population, controlling online groups, and providing safety guidelines for browsing are only some of the changes that can improve the use of the Internet.
Based on the factors discussed above, an understanding of the impact of different public groups who use social networks is critical. Nonetheless, the rising trend of cyberterrorism cannot be underestimated. Change is reasonable, as the Internet provides terrorism with a plethora of opportunities and sophisticated ways to increase the level of fear in society (Bogdanovski and Petreski, 59). Today, this violent threat is represented in the form of computer viruses, disruption of social networks, and theft of confidential information (Bogdanovski and Petreski, 61). The government understands the need to address this issue, and cybersecurity is a new approach to prevent or eliminate these problems and make online surfing safe for regular users.
Overall, it could be said that Siegel was able to predict the major changes that would take place in modern society. Nonetheless, it seems that the author did not see the potential for the consequences of the Internet and Web 2.0 to be as negative as they have become in recent years. It could be said that the phenomenon of the Internet contributed to the rise of terrorism and ISIS, though Siegel did not anticipate this situation. Nowadays, online money transfers help ISIS finance its activities worldwide due to the lack of transparency of these processes. At the same time, the development of social networks assists in gaining more followers and spreading information about cyberterrorism. It remains apparent that the government is able to foresee these changes and must intervene to make Internet surfing safe for society and minimize the levels of anxiety caused by terrorism.
Works Cited
Bogdanovski, Mitko, and Drage Petreski. Cyber Terrorism Global Security Threat. International Scientific Defense, Security and Peace Journal, vol. 13, no. 24, pp. 59-72.
Ferrante, Joan. Sociology: A Global Perspective. Cengage Learning, 2012.
Nowadays, the Internet becomes one of the main sources of information. People do not need to read books or buy some special manual if they want to get the information about some object or notion. The Internet supplies people with the data, which very often cannot be found in some other sources. However, there are also some risks connected with this way of obtaining knowledge. Very often, the data, which can be found in the Internet, is not authentic. Sometimes, it happens just because of the lack of knowledge. In such cases a person can be misinformed and have some problems connected with the wrong data.
However, there are also cases when the information is changed on purpose. These cases are more dangerous and they affect the credibility of the Internet. These data corruptions are made for different reasons. First of all, people, who are responsible for these fakes, want to promote their services or belie their rivals. The Internet is a very powerful remedy for the information transfer, that is why, it is possible to predict that number of such fakes will grow.
There is also the practice of posting fake reviews, which is also dangerous. People try to trust different opinions which they find in the internet as they think that people, who write reviews, just want to share their experience. Reviews of different kinds are, probably, the most important factor which influences a persons attitude towards different objects. That is why, fakes can destroy the image of this instrument and the Internet in the whole. Resting on these facts, something should be done in order to change existing situation and protect people from wrong data as it promotes development of mistrust to modern technologies.
We have just returned from a long weekend at the Relais Blu. We made the hotel our base to exploring Naples and the surrounding Amalfi coast. Because of its somewhat remote location I would recommend a rental car from Naples International airport it is a 45 minute car ride. The hotel is small with only 9 rooms, which makes it a very personal place. The staff, specially Constanzo, was very attentive and sweet. The food was great Christoph, the chef prepares great servings. The views from the property are great from every room I recommend a drink on on the terrace in the late afternoon it offers a great view of the island of Capri. The hotel is so lovely that it was hard to drag ourselves away from it at all. Well definitely be going back there! (Relais Blu Belvedere, n.d., para.1).
We had reserved 2 luxury rooms with double beds for 2 families. We were traveling with 4 children under the age of 7. We checked in late and were told they had no more rooms available. The only thing available was a BEAUTIFUL Penthouse which we could have for the same price. They probably could have apologized and refunded the money leaving us to struggle looking for another hotel but they didnt. Very happy with hotel. Definitely an experience we will never forget (Riviera Hotel and Casino, 2015, para. 1)
A really nice hotel, beautiful location. In the hills but free shuttle bus takes you to Sorrento very easily. Sorrento is a great town and is a good base to visit the Amalfi coast (5 Euros for a day travel pass on the local bus service which stops just outside the hotel), Capri (about 20-25 Euros on the ferry from the local port), and Pompeii is only a short train ride away.Room and bathroom were spotless and towels and bedding were replaced every day. The pool was also well maintained.A lovely place to stay and we would recommend it! (La Vue Dor Hotel, n.d., para. 3).
The article presents a safe architecture known as the S-Border Gateway Protocol (S-BGP) that can lead to the authorization and authentication of BGP, thereby reducing its associated security problems. Researchers in this study confirm that BGP has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that it is susceptible to varying attacks. The article states clearly that the lack of proper means to verify the authenticity, as well as the legitimacy of the control traffic associated with the BGP has been the major contributing factor in the unending attacks on BGP. The overview of the BGP is clearly outlined in the article, where the reader is introduced to the operation of the BGP. According to the article, the two main vulnerabilities that BGP faces include the attack on the Internet Protocol (IP) and the unauthorized modification and replacement of the software that is related to BGP. The weaknesses can lead to weaker user traffic and the misuse of network components. Moreover, the vulnerabilities can lead to congested networks and a breach of the rules that manage local routes. It is commendable to note that previous works that have been carried out to tackle security with regard to routing protocol have been recognized in this article. However, it has been noted that no other previous work had presented workable solutions to the security problems that were facing BGP.
Main body
There are a number of countermeasures that have been proposed in this article to address BGP security problems. There are two PKIs that are utilized by S-BGP to test the authenticity of the BGP speakers. The PKIs uses are anchored on four types of X.509 (v3) certificates. This method requires every organization that has the right to own a section of the IP space to be issued with a certificate. The certificate proves ownership of a specific address. The uses of attestations (address and route attestations) have widely been advocated in this article as other countermeasures to BGP-related problems. The other three measures that have been proposed in the article are the validation of routes, the distribution of information on countermeasures, and the authentication of the router and IPsec.
Concerted efforts have been made in this article to explain how the proposed countermeasures tackle the vulnerabilities that attack BGP. For example, the certificates are said to allow the verification of advertisement of addresses and the organizations right to an AS number, among other efforts. The attestations help in authenticating prefixes of the different IP addresses and providing reports on the route path through the UPDATE protocol. IPsec, as explained in the article, gives the required security provisions that are necessary for the verification of the integrity of messages that are received by the BGP speaker.
Despite the introduction of S-BGP architecture, there are still other vulnerabilities that the system is unable to tackle. An example of such problems is the inability to address the misbehavior of a particular BGP speaker, leading to the suppression of various BGP messages.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the article focused on the ability of the countermeasures to tackle security problems. Focus shifted to the analysis of processing the measures, the transmission bandwidth of the countermeasures, storage capacity of the BGP router, and the transition issues that were related to the deployment of the S-BGP. It is commendable to note that there were other subsequent researches that were carried out in an effort to make BGP more secure.
