Saturday, February 29, 2020

A study of the negative impact of piracy on the economy and society at large

A study of the negative impact of piracy on the economy and society at large Intellectual piracy that’s common in the streets of New York has originated itself in China. From electronics such as phones and laptops to luxury brand names such as Gucci and Dolce Gabbana, intellectual piracy has become a serious problem within China, with its wings spreading to Chinatown in New York City. The video Intellectual Piracy in China discusses the high amount of piracy that derives from China; it goes into how fake things take over most of the market within China, and gives the specific example of fake Viagra within China which could result in deadly situations as the fake versions of the pill are being made with chemicals that could be dangerous for human use. The case Coping with Piracy in China touches on similar subjects as the video, and mainly focuses on counterfeit Apple products offered by China. According to the case article, there were at least five self-branded Apple stores within only one city of China (â€Å"Coping with Piracy in China†, n.d. ) However, the case article emphasizes how the counterfeit market in China could be actually benefiting Apple as a company rather than otherwise. This paper will analyze what the video and the case study regarding intellectual piracy in China are focusing on by examining the content of the video and case study and explaining my opinion with the findings made, and the reasons as to why I agree with the video’s findings, while I disagree with the case study’s findings. According to the case article, the self-branded Apple stores within China have some of the most heavily trafficked Apple stores in the world (â€Å"Coping with Piracy in China,† n.d.). Tourists in China can easily come across any of these self-branded stores and purchase knock off Apple products for themselves for only a small percentage of the actual cost of the actual product. Although hundreds of patent lawyers and investigators are after these self-branded items and the stores and people behind it, Apple has yet to comment on the whole situations, and the case study believes that rather than doing harm to the company, these self-made Apple brands are actually promoting the Apple brand for free, and is seen as beneficial for Apple (â€Å"Coping with Piracy in China,† n.d.). The self-branded Apple stores are providing a pathway for the actual Apple company to promote themselves to an enormous market, China’s market, at absolutely no cost to them. Unfortunately, I don’t agree with the findings made within the conclusion of the case study. I find it controversial that the case study explicitly states how enormous the market for fake stuff within China are, but also gives off the implication that this is actually beneficial for Apple. Even though Apple’s brand is being promoted at no cost to them, their own products are not the ones being sold. Apple is already an international company that has one of the largest customer bases, and it doesn’t need the unnecessary promotion of a company copying their brand to have a beneficial outcome within their own company. Furthermore, the case study specifies this has benefits for the Apple company, but the Apple company itself speaks of how â€Å"more than $11 billion is lost to piracy every year† (â€Å"Piracy Prevention,† n.d.) In their website, Apple mostly focuses on software piracy, but nonetheless it goes on to show that they are negatively affecte d by piracy either way. Software piracy still falls under intellectual piracy, ideas are still being stolen and being profited off of. Thus, it’s misleading for the case study to imply that benefits of such an occurrence could take place. However, I do agree with one point that was made here. It’s weird that patent lawyers and investigators are unable to find these people faking brands when a tourist can easily walk within a street, and buy a knock off product right away. It seems that the global efforts for wiping intellectual piracy out of the way aren’t truly taking place. The video, on the other hand, brings to light a much more realistic version of how piracy has an impact on the economy of United States as well as how it impacts specific companies that are being copied off of. Patent lawyers and intellectual piracy experts talk within the video and give their opinions, and they’re also shown to be shopping on the streets of New York, within Chinatown, where intellectual piracy is a substantial issue. Some of these experts talk about the gravity of these issues, and how it could be deadly in the long run. They give the hypothetical scenarios of one flying on a plane that has counterfeit parts, or having to drive a cart with fake parts (PBS NewsHour, 2014). The example the video mainly focused on was that of Viagra. Viagra is widely used within China, even for purposes it’s not meant to be used for; for example, Viagra is given to pandas within zoos in China to always keep them excited and energized. Due to the huge market of Viagra wit hin China, there has been those who have even faked Viagra pills (PBS NewsHour, 2014). The creation of these Viagra pills includes the use of dangerous chemicals that shouldn’t be consumed by humans, and the pills are created overall in horrible conditions. It’s unethical and immoral that some people are determined strictly on making earnings in ways that put others’ lives at risk. The conclusion of the video emphasizes how no matter what intellectual piracy is illegal, frowned upon, and most importantly, negatively impacts businesses and individuals. I completely agree with the video’s findings, and I understand their point more thoroughly through their clever examples. At the end of the day, behind each brand, each product, and each idea is a person that truly worked hard to create it, and put all their innovation and originality in it to create something that hasn’t been seen before. People who copy their ideas and sell it as if they are originals are literally stealing the hard work those people and companies have done. Most importantly, when it comes to counterfeit medicine and pills, like the trend of the counterfeit Viagra within China, people’s lives are at risk since unknown chemicals are being used, safety measures aren’t being taken, and overall the pill is being generated in unsanitary and harmful conditions. As can be seen, intellectual piracy is a problem that needs to be addressed not only in China, but also within United States as well. Although there are claims that intellectual piracy could benefit some, one needs to look at the consequences and realities that comes along with intellectual piracy to see that this is not the truth.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Analyze a recent (last 12 months) business article Research Paper - 1

Analyze a recent (last 12 months) business article - Research Paper Example As pertains to this assignment, focus shall be on an article published by The Wall Street Journal. The article highlights how companies are cushioning themselves against paralyzing incidences such as natural disasters to ensure continuity of business while keeping the bottom line ‘protected’. The writer has included viewpoints from CEOs/CFOs of a few global companies and their take on the importance of reinforcing the supply chain. The article stems from the fact that multinational companies have had to incur enormous expenses because of natural disasters. This has been after a long history of establishing cost-moderated links. The awareness on a need to strengthen the supply chain arises from the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011. This is because the earthquake led to a shortage of electronic and car parts; forcing companies to think up other sources. This led to exposing the vulnerability of the supply chain but the next action is still a matter of great deliberation as establishing dual sources is seen to affect the bottom line of companies largely (Murphy). Moreover, because the supply chain of most multinational companies is disciplined, some CEOs find it hard to establish new links. This implies that the next logical thing would be to push the suppliers to ensure their own supply chains are sustainable in the event of natural disasters and other paralyzing risks. For example, Jabali Circuit a manufacturer of electronic parts, advised its suppliers in Japan to consider de-clustering their factories that is, not having them close to the factories. This guarantees that companies can still rely on their regular supply links when a natural disaster occurs (Murphy). However, de-clustering would force the suppliers to incur huge costs in terms of setting up and streamlining new networks of operation. Nevertheless, this increment in expenditure is minimal considering

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Music's importance in Japanese History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music's importance in Japanese History - Essay Example Music has a great significance in the Japanese history because has helped keep the historic moments about the state of Japan. The message in these songs is all about Japan and is considered to be informative and preservative as while. This is through various songs that are considered more important for their contents. These songs talk about how Japan came up, and they create attention of many when sang. The prehistoric songs impacted positively in the history of Japan because they are the first chronicles of the new state. These songs also became the tradition of imperial counts.Many musical and poetic verses and images have influenced the development of modern music and have been incorporated in the present music styles; this gives a reflection of the history of Japan. The musical and poetic verses and images keep the past about the state in details and recurrences in their use helps in transferring of the historic moments of the country from one generation to another. This helps in historical socialization of individuals who are born in Japan.Music helps express the past activities of the state of Japan. It was central in the prose work in the ancient Japan. This was through the dances that rose by the influence of music tones and rhythm. The dances of Gagaku, flute, koto and biwa lute run through the background of the classical novel which gave the story of Genji Monogatari which was based on a great lover in the imperial. This shows that music led to those dances that passed information in a different context.