Internet

The situation is constantly becoming more grave for teens, with more chances of getting this than contracting Ebola, where one in eight are at risk for it…Internet addiction is the new impending problem. As we continue advancing into the 21th century, teens are rapidly shifting to technology for their free time and their social lives. Many leading officials believe that teens are setting themselves up for health problems for the rest of their lives, Other experts feel that teens are preparing for the future with new skills the older generation may lack. Despite some significant evidence that technology proves to be a benefit to the younger generation, the common thought which society believes is that the current situation of teens is looking bleak; due to the fact that teenagers are developing new harmful health problems and also their use of the Internet can lead to illegal activities.

To begin, with new innovations like the iPad or new laptops, teens are slowly shifting to less mobile lifestyles, Without spending time outside of the home, they subject themselves to hours indoors. These actions can include “[losing] track of time, becoming agitated, neglecting relationships” or many other effects which seem anti-social and socially excluded from the world. However, these actions are only mere facades of the real problems slowly unfolding As stated in the beginning, some experts believe there is a new issue to look out for called Internet addiction. According to Helpguideorg, it states that Internet use is healthy, until overuse is a factor. If Internet use begins to interfere with “relationships or work”, these signs are big problems which could negatively affect the course of someone’s life.

It is estimated that 1/8th of the US‘s population (approximately 42,625,000) are affected by this disease (Censusgov 2014). With the number slowly rising, this problem is getting harder to prevent due to easy access to the internet. Many people who suffer from this can sometimes feel the same effects as “people with drugs” and even report they act very “unproductively” This dependence on the Internet is leading to the destruction of hard work and relationships with teens and can only be stopped when the user can effectively manage their Internet use. Another reason that this generation of teens is creating trouble is the use of the method of pirating, usually involving media files like music or movies, Most teens do not see the problems of the simple task of retrieving items they want for free.

A large portion of pirates are between the ages of “15-18″ which are the teens (arstechnica 2011), Also “56%” of teens do not feel that pirating music is wrong, which shows the predominant mentality of teens (redorbit 2008) However, according to the RIAA, these actions are not only illegal, but cost the US and its businesses an average of “12.5 billion dollars” and are a cause for many types ofjobs (RIAA 2014). Although there is a high percentage of damage and criminal activity, most at-home teen pirates do not get caught and continue to exploit the artist‘s music. This problem is becoming more prevalent in our society, and if this continues we may even see the decline of the music industry and other aspects in which share files on the Internet Although teens are seen in a negative standpoint, some leading experts believe that teens benefit from internet usage.

As new curriculum standards are released, new and larger textbooks are made; leading to a variety of “problems on student’s backs” both literally and figuratively The invention of new smaller devices like the kindle or the [pad Mini make student’s weight on their backs lighter and easier to carry information such as textbooks. Another example of technology influencing students is the creation of a teen coding competition made by another fellow teen, The teen, Ethan Eirinberg, created “Createl-IS” which is a global competition for aspiring new programmers (readwrite 2013). It has attracted attention from many, and has engaged teenagers into a useful hobby.

With these reasons, teens can be seen as able bodied people to lead the workforce. Unfortunately, teens are still credited with huge problems A new crisis emerges, which is the new face of criminals…the teen hacker. Teen hackers are young adults who either crack code to enter personal files, input malware, or use their abilities to steal from businesses. There is an influx of teen hacker stories in mainstream media including one group in particular are a group of teens hacking into the US Army and Microsoft stealing 100 million in total such as new games, gun information and more. These young adults acquired many different accusations such as “wire fraud, copyright infringement, computer fraud and 10 other suspected charges”.

This further shows the teenage mindset on trying to use the internet to their advantage while others may suffer. Finally to reiterate, teens are growing to become the adults of the future; the ones who will inherit society. With the habits they are forming at a young age, from engaging to illegal activities to developing detrimental health problems, the future of teens looks dismal and not promising. But, if teens are able to use their skills with technology to benefit the world such as Ethan Eirinberg, maybe experts will decide to change their views on this current generation and not have to worry about their state for the future.

Chances are, anyone who is reading this paper has at one time, at least surfed the net once. Broadcasting your views. questions. and information to millions of other peopleThe Internet has so many differenl features. It has chatrooms, which is a great place to meet new people. The Internet has several research sites available for school papersThe Internet can also become very addictive if youflre not careful at the time you spend on it. The Internet has both negative and positive sides as to the effect it has onstudy habits. I personally have spent more hours then I can add up on the Internet. More than I care to even admit. I Will take you back approximately three months ago. At this time Ireceived a new computer at Work. My lirst thought was what Internet pl’OVIdeI Will Iuse? I chose America On line.

I had a hard time setting up my account but by the third day I was in cyberland. I was learning the ropes of the net. researching, looking atpictures, I cannot believe the pictures on the Internet. I sent everyone I know e-mailsJ thought it was the best thing aside from cheesecake. The Internet has been very helpful when it comes to research on different subjectsJ usually find very helpful information. I have also been led to dead ends more than once. I have found so many different interesting things on the net. in fact I found myiamily tree. which was very surprising to run into. I have found a lot of different school essay sites, I Will never use these as it is unfair to the people who write the papers. I havefound information on concerts and different events that are in Tampa and the surrounding areas.

If I diant have a life I would always have the net!There are chat rooms ah yes oneof my favorite time passing activities. One boring. Williams-Zdull afternoon. while I was at work still very unfamiliar with my new computer! started clicking around and looking in different files. Low and behold I found the chatfile, I of course made sure my boss and everyone were out of the office. Click off to cyber chat I went. I ventured into the U.K chat area rooms called Transatlantic. It was great everyone welcomed me and gave me a cheesy cyber hug. I meet people all over the world and spoke to a few in the United States, I lost track of time and the next thing I knew it was five o’clock and time for me to go home.

That day at work I didn’t accomplish much at all, The next few weeks became worse, I became addicted toAmerica On-Line! What can I do? I thought to my self, I started skipping lunch, I started saying mum instead of morn arse instead of ass. This has had a large negative effect on my study habits. I am currently looking for a newiob and hope to get one that does nothave internet access available to employees. I Will say I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Internet. I have limited my timeon the net to a few hours during the day. I do not log onto the Internet at home or on the weekends.

I still like to spend time in chat rooms as often as I can, I like to talk topeople from Europe now. I am traveling to Europe in July and have had a lot of people give me advice, I am currently taking lunch at least three times a week now. l have yet toshare my addiction with anyone I know well. My advice to people who use the Internet would be. use the net for what you need donit to become one of me. Have fun but donit Iet‘the world of cyber take you over. If you already use the net and spend more time onthe net then you do studying. you should really evaluate your situation. Williams»1

How do you know when you‘re addicted to the Internet? You tilt your head sideways to smile. You dream in HTML. Your wife says communication is important in a marriage, so you buy another computer and a second phone line so the two of you can chat. The above list of “symptoms” can be heard in various permutations as often as the “blond” jokes, For many people, the very idea of being addicted to the Internet is enough to produce smiles and laughter. Even the term “Internet Addiction Disorder” was coined by a sarcastic psychiatrist who thought some of his colleagues were going over the top when they started to report symptoms. But though some think Internet Addiction is like. for the growing numbers of people, it is no laughing matter, “Intended as an informational conduit for researchers, academicians, students and computer professionals.

The Internet now hosts a growing number of lay users, and a grOWing number of addicts”, says Sarah Lehrman, a psychiatrist who, realizing the problem, has started an online support group for users hooked on cyberspace (58). This new addiction, developed by our technological nation, has become a “condition from which an estimated 5 million Americans suffer. or one out of every nine Internet users”, estimates the author of Digital Drug Marilyn Elias (13) According to many experts, it is becoming clear that millions cannot control the habit of spending endless hours in front of the computer screens, and that addiction to the Internet can cause as much damage in people’s lives as alcohol, drugs. and gambling. Why is this new epidemic so widespread?

Computers are rather inexpensive: even one thousand dollars can buy a perfectly adequate one. Daniel Dern, the well-known author in many computer-related fields, states that “no fewer than 55 million US households – more than 50 percent of all American families – own at least one” (45). Connection to the Internet is also inexpensive: unlimited access can be bought for less then 20 dollars a month. The modern – the devrce that links one computer to another via phone lines, has become standard equipment on most new machines, and so has the software for many online services. Not only do CompuServe, America Online. Prodigy, and most other Internet providers give away their software, most offer free online trial to new subscribers. People are drawn into trying a new “fad”, only to realize Ihey cannot control it. As Sarah Lehrman notes. “ralher than becoming Ihe technological saVior of our time, the Internet iust might be emerging as the addiction of the millenium. surpassing even TV with its pen/asive grip on our minds and souls” (60).

Dr. Kimberly Young, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh and the author of Caught in the Net, defines Internet addiction as “a psychological dependence on the Internet, regardless of type of activrty once ‘Iogged on’ ” (18). She identifies various types of Internet addiction such as cybersex, online relationships, and information overload. Many researchers agree that up to 10 percent of Internet users have the potential for an addiction problem. According to Young, dependent users spend an average of 38.5 hours per week online, whereas non-dependent users reported fewer then five (43). The bright graphics of the Internet, the anonymity and speed, are too much of a good thing for some users, who will neglect family, Work. and school in order to stay online.

These people find themselves ignoring important aspects of their lives, in favor of playing in cyberspace close to 40 hours a week. “It is tearing families apart, destroying careers. and shattering relationships in much the same way alcoholism and drugs abuse do”, argues Lehrman (61). Net addiction can cause depression and withdrawal from reality. People use Internet to avoid problems In their lives or because they lack social skills, employing the Internet as an escape mechanism. “Internet addicts spend long hours in chat rooms and role playing games. They seem to be searching for missing parts of their emotional lives, like socral interaction, sexual fulfillment, and an opportunity to safely express forbidden aspects of their personalities” (Young 34). Computer addicts can be people who are depressed, lonely, afraid to go out, in high family conflicts, and, generally, people in trouble because they can’t leave their computers. They are students, professionals, housewives, the retired, everyone.

They are men. women, and children. How can this problem be dealt With? Kimberly Young suggests several methods to those people that have a problem pressing “Quit” button, such as setting goals before going online to eliminate wasting time, setting an alarm clock and when it rings physically leave the computer, or hanging a postcard next to a monitor With major problems that arise out of not structuring your time, and another With a list of benefits of doing otherwise. My friend. an ex Internet “junkie”, has his own solution. which he expresses as a humorous serenity prayer: “Almighty Webmaster, grant me the serenity to know when to log off, the courage to know when to check my e-mail, and the Wisdom to stay away from chat rooms.”

In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr explains how these intellectual technologies reprogram the way an individual thinks. The Internet has replaced many other information processing devices, including “the clock, printing press, typewriter, calculator, telephone, radio, and television” (Carr 67). As a result, people have become lazy as they exclusively use the Internet to obtain information. Intellectual technologies shape the world that we live by changing the way we obtain and analyze information, influence us, and it is in every aspect in life. since the Internet reduces our ability to concentrate, understand information, and socialize and it is potentially troubling to our brains.

To begin with, the Internet is shaping the world that we live in by changing the way that we obtain information. Carr states, “I’ve had an uncomfortable sense, that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain…reprogramming the memory” (Carr 67). The mind is changing, and the person is not thinking the way he used to think. In the past, an individual would be able to easily read through a lengthy book and comprehend it. Nowadays, it is a struggle to even read through a short snippet article. As a result of the Internet, an individual’s concentration would start to drift away after reading a short article; “the deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle” (Carr 67).

The Internet is changing our memory. By not regularly using our brains for deep concentrated thoughts, our minds begin to soften and are not able to contain information. If information is not readily available, an individual would not go to a library to gather information; instead he would use a Google search to find out all the information. But the information may not be accurate or complete. Also, the mind would not be as strong “indeed there are signs that new forms of “reading” are emerging as users are power browse” (Carr 69). The reader begins to avoid reading in the traditional sense, for example, they use the web browser to quickly find information. The mind becomes too lazy to read the entire article; and functions on the computer are making it accessible to get the information without the need to read entire article.

Even though the Internet is changing the way that we obtain information it is capable of being easily changed or influenced. The Brain is like a sponge and absorbs anything and everything that it sees and views. Carr states, that the human brain is almost infinitely malleable; “The brain, according to [James] Olds “has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions” (Carr 70). The brain functions in different ways every time we use the Internet. The brain absorbs it, then you brain works and you use the information in a new way.

Regularly using the Internet has caused individuals to translate symbols into words. Carr illustrates this concept using Friedrich Nietzche’s usage of the typewriter. The typewriter began to affect Friedrich Nietzche’s style in writing. (Carr 69). Friedrich Nietzche’s vision was failing, and keeping his eyes focused on a page became difficult. Carr argues that the technologies take part in forming the thoughts of the human brain. Also, in discussing the mechanical clock, Carr showed how an individual stopped listening to his own senses to decide when to eat, work, sleep, or rather obeying the clock. (Carr 70).

Although the mechanical clock help connect the scientific mind and the scientific man, it also took something away. For example, imagine see a person with long brown hair the brain absorbs this and keeps in it in the back of the mind. Next time you see someone with long brown hair you will always remember him or her. The brain and internet work like that you see something you absorb it and you will always remember it in the back of you’re.

One of the troubles that internet has brought on is the change from reading to skimming. Carr mentions how the reader does not read more than one or two paragraphs of a page on the web browser before moving onto another. (Carr 71). People have learned to skim instead of reading deeply. Carr used Taylor’s treatise The Principles of Scientific Management, to identify the “one best method” of work and was applied to all manual labor. (Carr 71). Google and other search engines have developed a web page that gathers information and as a result controls the way people find information and meaning from the web pages. Carr also explains how an individual should focus on the quality of what he is reading instead of the amount of information he is reading.

Reading today comes from text messages, emails, facebook, and twitter. These mediums changed the way people read and weaken their capacity for deep reading. The impact of the Internet has changed the depth of our vocabulary. When it comes to the way we communicate, the internet has influenced our vocabulary. The Internet has began to use different spelling and abbreviations and more concise. The Internet has rewired our brain. The Internet is also affecting the way we remember things. Without a doubt the time we spend online changes our brains.

Our brains are highly plastic and Internet has sacrificed our ability to read and think deeply. These internet technologies reroute our mental capacity, diminishing our ability to concentrate. The Internet is negatively affecting our mind and mental capacity. Carr says, “What if I do all my reading on the web not so much because the way I read has changed, i.e. I’m just seeking convenience, but because the way I think has changed?” (Carr 68). Also, Maryanne Wolf the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of Reading Brain, The brain has the ability to reprogram itself.

Concentration is really effected by internet. Carr states, “The net shapes the process of thought and what the net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” (Carr 68). The human brain is a sort of computer when it is looking for keywords and phrases rather than a meaning.

The Internet controls what our mind observes. For example, the Internet doesn’t give you the total picture; instead it cuts out some of the information. The Internet only lets you see what the author or search engine wants you to observe. Unlike books, which show you a topic that has been extensively analyzed, the internet shortens the available information into a tripped webpage. Carr says, “the kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable not just for the knowledge we acquire from the author’s words, but for the intellectual vibrations those words set off within our own minds” (Carr 73).

People no longer are reading, instead they are just surfing the Internet. Carr argues that the Internets affects an individual’s cognition and decreases their ability to concentrate and contemplate on information. Carr acknowledges that a common thought is that search engines, such as Google, provide an efficient and fast way of processing information, which in turn makes people more “productive” thinkers. (Carr 73).

Carr concludes that the Net’s intellectual ethic remains obscure. Carr shows how little attention has been given to describe how the Internet is reprogramming us. Very little talk is about how the Internet shapes the way society grasps information. For example, newspapers have shortened their articles and introduced capsule summaries in order to adapt to society’s new expectations.

Also, television programs now add text crawls and pop-up ads. Carr uses The New York Times article to show how Internet reprogrammed the way we gather information. The Internet has changed the world in so many ways. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to the Internet, one thing is for sure, the Internet isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The World Wide Web has changed the world. The Internet is very popular and has touched every aspect of life. As technology advances, the Internet will.

Works Cited

1. Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” The New Humanities Reader. 4th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2012. 66-74. Print.

Heyar Brian writes the “Computing Science” column for American Scientist, the bimonthly magazine of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. In years past, he has written similar columns for Scientific American, for Computer Language and for The Sciences. He has also been an editor of science magazines. He was with Scientific American from 1972 until 1984, and with American Scientist from 1990 through 1992

The Internet is moving from a relatively passive publishing medium to a truly interactive application deployment platform. It will clearly continue to grow at a fast pace as more and more businesses and individuals discover its power. A new Internet account is added every two minutes. Whilst there is no guarantee that the businesses connecting to the Net will “make it big”, it is obvious that those which don’t will be left behind. But one thing is certain: The Internet is dynamic, will sustain high growth rates and will serve as the platform for international commerce well into the foreseeable future.

Today the Internet is a highly effective tool for communicating, for gathering information and for cooperation between dispersed locations. There is continuous development and improvement. The growing list of applications serves as testament to this: advertising, communication, shopping. banking, to name just a few. Many businesses are discovering new ways to reach their customers, new ways to improve efficiency, new products and services to sell. The future is limited only by our imagination.

The Internet needs content. In the next 10 years, somebody will figure out how to charge for information on the Net, so we won’t get things necessarily for free. That will have several good effects, including a way to pay authors for their work. And because of the economic incentive, it will become easier to filter out the good from the bad.

The Web is like a library that many people access for the sake of ease. They do this rather than go to the library. Therefore, whoever needs to get this information does not have to leave the house. It starts with information, then goes to groceries, furniture, even real estate.

Arguments can be made for the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet, but most people will agree that the Internet is a boon for technology, the likes of which have not been seen since the advent of the Personal Computer. It is not a question of whether or not the advantages of the Internet outweigh the disadvantages. Rather it is an understanding of the risks and implications of pursuing the use of this type of technology when working to achieve corporate strategic goals. Once the security problems are handled, the costs are streamlined, and the searching algorithms are perfected, the possibilities are endless.

In this article, the author emphasizes that Internet is wonder, every bit as revolutionary as the light bulb or the telephone, is going to shape all our lives in the century ahead. The Internet is as persistent as it is potent, an indelible and uncontainable presence in the culture and development and improvement.

Online resources have become readily available in most people’s hands in the United States. These resources and computer skills are essential in today’s world such as applying for housing and cultural practices. For foster children, these online resources are important for their success after they leave the foster care system by means of aging out, or becoming too old for the system to care for them. Children usually ‘age out’ of foster care when they turn 18 years old, the age of emancipation in most states. Federal guidelines require states to assist children during their transition from foster care to independence, beginning as early as the state agencies find appropriate, and in some cases as early as age 13. With those foster children who age out of the system, there are no mandatory foster parents, child welfare agencies, or birth family members to help them.

The US foster care system has failed these students by not supplying enough online information of resources, training, and support they sorely need in order to be a success, or even a positive contribution to society. The system has provided inadequate and user-unfriendly efforts to assist foster children. By shifting the focus from data that exposes the many failures of the current system to programs that produce confident and successful young adults, the outlook should focus on how the Internet can provide more assistance. There needs to be an institutional reform focusing on developing thoughtful online products and tangible services for foster care youth.

By promoting a fundamental social change through technology, foster children will not be subjected to follow generalized self-assistance tutorials. A foster kid will turn 18 and there’s some kind of expectation that they’ll be able to function in a way that other kids who are never in foster care (Thompson, 2016). There are multiple failures and challenges that abused and neglected children and youth already must overcome to succeed. The push for mobile applications, websites, and video games to engage and empower foster care youth is driven by the poor outcomes associated with “aging out”. With the vast amount of material found on the Internet, any foster child is able to save time conducting research about important life skills.

There are foster children who fall through the gaps in schools and become forgotten or lost children. It is critical that we use all the resources within our means in an attempt to help them with their overall development. Online technology offers everyone a helpful and educational websites, apps, and other online resources. In order to progress, we need to address the failure of the foster care system for teens and three changes must occur to change them. First, we must reevaluate our expectations for when these youths transition into independent living. Second, we must provide them the training and support they need to develop life skills. Third, promote online communication and surveys that acknowledge all the children’s needs and goals. With the support of the US government and non-profit organizations, utilizing the online platform will update policy and practice to ensure that social networks support resilience and movement into productive adult growth.

From “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore” to “everything to everybody” to “Wall Mart of the Internet” to “World’s most customer-centric company”, Amazon has been tagged with these kinds of labels by its customers and followers. The reason for these many labels is because of the Amazon changing business model. Starting from Single-product and an intermediary with little inventory in 1995-1997 to Multi-product, profit-making, customer-oriented, investor, Services provider in 2000 Amazon has been changing its business model according to market conditions.

One indication of a smart company is to continuously change its business model; it is an indication of smart company and ultimately the smart management team. It is also an indication that the company is learning and adopting itself to the external and internal environment. Amazon is the clear market leader for the largest US e-retailing categories of books, CDs and DVD movies. In various consumers’ polls, when respondents are asked for their experiences of e-shopping, Amazon “streaked ahead” of all others as the world’s favorite e-retailer.

This means that Amazon is the undisputed favorite on considerations such as convenience, reliability and customer service. Amazon has achieved worldwide success and brand recognition due to paying attention to extensive offline advertising, which helped the company to become one of only three dot. com brands in the Interbrand world league table. It is an illustration of the power of branding that Amazon is the world’s top e-retailer. Before the dot. com downturn in the spring of 2000, the word “Internet” keyed into what seemed pervasive optimism for a new century.

It meant youth, new possibilities and an opportunity to break with traditional business and create new rules. However, in 2000 things drastically changed as many e-commerce start-ups failed to return expected profits and went bankrupt. After this came valuable lessons across e-commerce, and evidence for incumbent retailers that factors such as having an established brand provide significant advantages in e-retail and play a part in customer loyalty and increased profit. Analysis of dot.

com failures and comparison with traditional retailers in the same industry, for example eToys, which folded in 2000 and was subsequently bought by an established toy retailer, vs. Toys R Us, which successfully opened an e-retail channel through collaboration with Amazon, has revealed several advantages for the established retailer. Newcomers usually build their initial strategy on attracting new customers through aggressive marketing, brand-building and advertising, which logically lead to massive expenses and cash shortages.

Amazon, however, has an existing customer base and can build on brand values that are already in place. Amazon’s marketing budgets allow the company to attempt new online projects or business lines, unlike many start-ups. Founder of Amazon. com, J. Bezos rejected the traditional model for retailing. Having known that the usage of Internet is increasing every year with gigantic steps, – some resources report about 2000% usage increase annually, – Bezos decided that his retailing model should be intrinsically connected to Internet.

While opening new physical retail outlets can expand the geographical reach of a business and add convenience for consumers, retailing online not only carries these benefits, but also offers further returns that are more specific to online trading. Bezos put books as Amazon’s core product, because they almost ideally correspond for the model of e-retailing. Low unit price, low risk cost, easy to pack and ship, and finally in a high and growing demand, books have become a perfect solution for Amazon’s model. Now books are by far the largest e-retailing category in the US.

Research carried out by many companies illustrates that about 65 per cent of the purchases made by Web shoppers in the US consisted of books. For newly created company, the Internet had and provided the opportunity to trade internationally. For Bezos, Amazon’s broad benefits included the ability to trade 24 hours a day and seven days a week, and operate with lower overheads in terms of staff and space, while more particular advantages included the ability to increase the number of customer “touch points” and build more personalized customer experiences, products and relationships.

However, again for J. Bezos these e-retail advantages did not imply that an online presence is a recipe in itself for success; that kind of thinking was with the dot. com boom and bust. Instead, if there was any recipe for successful integration, Bezos found it in variants of established business practices, such as an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the business, for example in relation to technology awareness, which is a good indicator of e-commerce success.

Amazon’s mission and strategy is quite simply “to offer Earth’s Biggest Selection and to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they may want to buy online and [we] endeavor to offer our customers the lowest possible price. ” The company accomplishes this by operating six global internet sites: www. amazon. com, www. amazon. ca, www. amazon. de, www. amazon. jp, www. amazon. co. fr and www. amazon. co. uk.

Through their zShops, auctions, affiliate program, Merchants@ and Amazon Marketplace programs, Amazon, and their sellers and partners, offer new and used collectibles and products in categories such as apparel and accessories, DVDs, electronics, computers, books, music, videos, cell phones, tools and hardware, the list is almost endless. In order to maintain quality, the company packages and ships all of its merchandise. They also continue to negotiate volume deals with suppliers to meet their goal of lowering prices.

Additionally, Amazon has formed partnerships and alliances with publishers, other on-line retailers, technology providers, either handling their web site operations or linking them to its virtual portal. As part of their diversification strategy, Amazon recently acquired Internet Movie Database www. imdb. com (IMDb), which is an authoritative source of information on movie and entertainment (Dennis et al, 2004). This acquisition is one of many Amazon is making expand its product and service offerings.

The company is also preparing to sell internet domain names and already has received the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approval. In order to improve customer service the company is investing in operational facilities, like its multi-lingual customer service support center in the Netherlands, to meet its rapid growth, increase selection and meet future operational needs while building efficiencies. This strategy helps Amazon increase its low profit margin, decrease its operational cost, increase customer response and order processing services and pass that savings on to the customer.

Amazon strives to provide customers with the best possible online shopping experience by leveraging their powerful and innovative technologies. Part of the company’s competitiveness lies in their proprietary technology, which is licensed to companies like Target to run their e-commerce site. Its patented portal technology allows the customer to customize their on-line experience with personalized home page, product recommendations, email notifications on orders and new products, the ability to post reviews, 1-click ordering, search functions, up selling, and secure shopping cart functions, to name a few.

Furthermore, they use technology to drive customer relationships. As an example, the company uses pop up daughter windows to quiz customers about Amazon. These pop up windows survey the customer about Amazon related facts and in return the customer can get up to . 25 cents a day put in their account for answering questions. Building on this use of technology the company recently received patent approval and plans to add a chat function to enhance the customer experience and help consumers find products through each other.

Through its Web Services development and affiliate program it encourages web site owners and developers to create applications capable of interacting with Amazon’s catalog, search engine, shopping cart and merchandising tools. In an effort to remain competitive and preempt new technology Amazon has an ongoing program to develop, update and add software and hardware including partnerships like it’s recently inked deal with Google. com. This will allow them to avoid service disruptions; slow response times, poor levels of customer service, and delays in information delivery.

Amazon uses its proprietary technology to transform the online purchasing experience into the easiest and most enjoyable shopping experience online. The site communicates to the customer a visual feel of being in a one stop shop where they can find and purchase virtually anything they want. The site loads quickly, is easily navigated, allows the customer to instantly see an array of products, and provides a host of other customer driven enhancements designed to drive customer satisfaction. Amazon’s site conveys to the customers they can have it their way, all day.

And by placing its image on everything it touches Amazon continually reinforces its brand, making it one of the most recognized customer-centric brands in the world. For the first time in year 2000, Amazon management has set its focus on making profit. Again, it is an indication of nothing but smart, opportunistic management that utilized its strength to grow. It is very clear that Amazon management team is very focused. In order to meets its future targets, Amazon has implemented a restructuring plan.

It will allow Amazon to reduce operating costs, reduce employee staff, and strengthen some of its fulfillment and customer service operations. According to the quarterly report released by amazon. com for quarter ended September 30, 2004 “There has been a steep decline in operating costs” (Amazon, Quarterly results, 2004). This has improved the performance of the company. Since its beginning, Amazon has adopted various e-Business model to increase its customer base and recently set its focus on making profit. Given below are the strategies adopted by Amazon.

Amazon has a track recording of first gaining expertise in the market and then scaling into other areas. For example, Amazon started with a web-based bookstore model and after gaining expertise in various operations expanded to other segments and geographies. Another example is, after capturing the US market; it expanded its business to Europe, namely the U. K, France and Germany and then to Japan. One advantage of this approach is that the incremental costs to expand the business, whether to multiple product line or geographically are small.

This strategy of perfecting before scaling helps in long-term survival and growth of the company. Since its beginning, Amazon has always kept focus on the needs of its customer and never lost sight of it. This gives Amazon a strong foothold of the internet retail business. Playing on this customer strength, Amazon has struck deals with industry leaders retailers Toysrus. com, Borders, Drugstore. com, and Target to help them draw customers to their Web sites, thereby giving birth to its services segment. Amazon is playing on its strength here and in the process creating a place for itself as a provider of e-tail services.

Under Amazon’s cooperative model, the partners do not compete with each other and try to lessen each other risks. This cooperation represents a symbiotic relationship, where the two partners do what they do best while depending on each other to eliminate respective weaknesses. On August 10 2000, Amazon and Toyrus announced a strategic alliance. According to the press release by Amazon “The two companies have entered into a strategic alliance under which each company will assume responsibility for specific aspects of the toy and video games and baby products stores.

Toysrus. com, in collaboration with its majority shareholder, Toys “R” Us, Inc. , will identify, buy and manage inventory; Amazon. com will handle site development, order fulfillment, and customer service, housing both Toysrus. com’s and its own inventory in Amazon. com’s U. S. distribution centers” (Dennis et al. , 2004:118). This alliance helped Amazon in eliminating its inventory risk, as it does not have to purchase or store any toys until the customer have ordered and paid for the goods. Under Amazon’s coopetitive model the two parties act as provider and customer.

Both the parties compete with each other but one party tries to lessen other risks and in return gets the share of others business. On Apr 11, 2001 Amazon and Border announced strategic alliance. According to the press release by Amazon on Apr 11, 2001, “Amazon. com will be the seller of record, providing inventory, fulfillment, site content and customer service for the co-branded site. The new site will continue to offer content unique to Borders. com, including store location information and in-store event calendars” (Prior, 20001:6).

In this case Amazon will continue to sell books on its own, but will also provide services to Border. In return Amazon will get a share of every sale by Border. According to an article on Informit. com “The Click and Brick model allows an existing offline business to profit from partnering with an emerging online presence”. [5] In this regard, Amazon has struck a deal with electronic retailer Circuit city. This will give the customer, the advantages of picking up their purchases from hundreds of stores rather then paying for shipment charges.

Amazon will receive a share of the revenues for all Circuit City electronics goods sold through Amazon. Amazon will be responsible for processing the transaction while Circuit City will be responsible for order fulfillment and product-related customer service. In all these cases, Amazon is extending its channel expertise in Web retailing to “e-nable” other retailers. With a full year’s experienced retailers under its belt, Amazon is set to scale the service model. The Borders and Circuit City deals are important steps in that direction.

The coopetitive model is converting Amazon into a “product-less platform provider”, directly impacting its bottom line, with no inventory costs. The business model adopted by Amazon has given it a boost in its online business. By making strategic alliances with the industry leader and making the life of customer has made Amazon a profit making company. According to 2004, financial results Amazons’ “Operating cash flow was $567 million for 2004, compared with $392 million for 2003. Free cash flow grew 38% to $477 million for 2004, compared with $346 million for 2003.

Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards outstanding totaled 434 million at December 31, 2004, compared with 433 million a year ago. Net sales were $2. 54 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $1. 95 billion in fourth quarter 2003, an increase of 31%. Net sales, excluding the $85 million benefit from changes in foreign exchange rates, grew 26% compared with fourth quarter 2003” (Amazon, 2005). Amazon business model has steadily evolved and over the years the large retailers have realized the importance of Business-to-consumer e-commerce.

In contemporary context, along with other e-commerce companies Amazon experiences several problems. Financial and marketing analytics indicate that due to increased online competition, Amazon is gradually loosing its market share. Experts and investors indicate that Amazon’s technology and content costs soared 59% in the quarter, while the company keeps spending heavily on marketing campaigns, free-shipping promotions and other marketing activities to attract customers to shop regularly on its site.

It is not surprising that Amazon is spending estimated 60 percent of their revenue on numerous marketing activities and building an appropriate brand image. Amazon’s brand allows company to be known, distinct, and credible in the minds of existent and potential customers, consumers, and stakeholders. Amazon’s brand facilitate the building of relationships with existing and potential customers, consumers, and stakeholders. In addition, company’s brand communicates the benefits offered to buyers and stakeholders that embody the value system of the company.

Due to increased online competition, the brand image strategy utilized by Amazon is justified because it helps to retain existing customers and to attract new ones, gradually making them returning. For every business, particularly online e-retailing, good customers’ returning rate is an indication of a healthy business. That’s why Amazon should pursue this aggressive marketing and branding strategy to keep its customers. Many analysts discuss merger opportunities for Amazon. The merger will help Amazon. com expand the market share in E-commerce and create a new passageway.

For instance, Amazon. com can merge with Wal-Mart, which has $26 billion market value and only $756 million debt. Now Wal-Mart is interested in E-commerce and online shopping. If Amazon. com merges with Wal-Mart, they will become the largest retail company in E-commerce. Amazon. com will also increase its market share. In addition, after the merger, Amazon. com can gain more marketing resources from Wal-Mart to create a new sales passageway. For instance, customers can purchase the products from Amazon. com on the Internet and pick the items, or return them at Wal-Mart.

It will provide additional choose for customers. The merger may help Amazon to create new customers and products. Bertelsmann has $14 billion market value and the company’s strategy now is focusing on music retailing and book sales. Their business is related to Amazon’s business. The CEO of Bertelsmann is also trying to open their business in American market (Brynjolfsson & Urban, 2001). If Amazon. com merges with this company, it will gain the new customers from Bertelsmann. Furthermore, integrating the products from Bertelsmann, Amazon.

com can create new products on their website. Finally, a merger can improve and cover the financial loss of Amazon such as net sales loss, long-dept and cash loss. For instance, if Amazon merges with General Growth Properties, which has 136 malls in 37 states and owns $2. 8 billion market value, Amazon. com can still keep the power of operation and exercise the new marketing strategies (Brynjolfsson & Urban, 2001). Moreover, Amazon. com can gain the financial support from this company to cover its long-debt $2 billion. In addition, the merger will help Amazon.

com increase the financial resources such as the amount of cash flow, and also decrease the cost and expense of the company. Another future prospect is to invent a new E-business strategy. E-commerce is one way that people can trade on the Internet. This trading system is very important, but it is not the only thing that the e-commerce enterprises should focus on. Amazon. com is a giant in E-commerce and the company uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to trade, but Amazon cannot make profits even though the company has very strong technological support.

Some specialists point out that communication, resources allocation, and project management guarantees success in E-commerce. Effective communication, which can improve business performance, is one of the objectives that Amazon. com should fulfill. Effective communication includes two aspects: internal and external. First of all, internal communication emphasizes negotiation. Necessary and correct information must be communicated precisely between the employees or the departments. Secondly, external communication emphasizes on empowerment and good timing.

For instance, Customer Services is a department that helps customers to solve problems. They have to communicate with the customers and understand what the customers want and need, and then report to the departments or the board. If the customer service department has the power to react immediately from the problems of customers and has good communication and relationship with the customers, it will create more business opportunities for Amazon. com. The second key that helps industry to succeed in E-commerce is resources allocation. There are various resources in the enterprises such as human resources and customer resources.

First of all, concerning human resources, Amazon. com should understand employees’ particularities and arrange them in appropriate positions. If the employees are set in the right positions, the company should become more efficient. Secondly, in regard to customer resources, Amazon should collect information, such as suggestion, complaint or demand from the customers and then try to improve their products or services to provide better services to the customers. If the services satisfy the customers, Amazon will create more and more opportunities and new customers in the near future.

For example, new outsourcing strategies should be used to collect focus group to survey customers’ opinions. The third key that may become helpful for Amazon is project management. A successful E-commerce enterprise should focus on project management. Project management emphasizes teamwork (Epstein, 2004). There are many teams in the company and each team has its different project and goal. Each team also has its power to make the decision. The responsibility of the team is to achieve the product. The responsibility of the enterprise is to manage the teams and make sure that the projects can be finished effectively.

Distributing the limited resources to different teams and projects is the great challenge to the project management. The best way to overcome this challenge is to emphasize effective communication and negotiation Amazon. com is now considered as the world’s largest e-retailer of books, CDs and DVDs. The Amazon’s web portal is user-friendly, enabling e-Shoppers to find books quickly by title, author or subject. Users can find their title in seconds from a few keywords. Synopses and contents lists are provided, along with a list of other relevant books.

Amazon keeps a record of customers’ preferences and advises when new books likely to be of interest are published. During many years, Amazon is renowned for customer service, security and fast delivery. However, in current business context, the company is loosing market share, though is still well-recognized leader in online industry. The company keeps heavily investing in its brand through aggressive online and offline marking, building appropriate brand awareness among its current and potential clients. References Amazon, Inc. (2004). Quarterly results, Available at < http://media. corporate-ir.

net/media_files/irol/97/97664/reports/91338ACL. pdf> Amazon, Inc. (2005). Press release Q4 Financial Results, Available at < http://media. corporate-ir. net/media_files/irol/97/97664/news/Release_Q4_04. pdf> Retrieved June 5, 2006 Dennis C. , Fenech T. , Merrilees B. (2004). E-Retailing, Routledge, London Brynjolfsson E. and Urban G. (2001). Strategies for E-Business Success, Jossey-Bass Epstein M. (2004). Implementing E-Commerce Strategies: A Guide to Corporate Success after the Dot. Com Bust, Praeger Prior, M. (2001). “Amazon to Operate Borders. com. ” DSN Retailing Today, May 1, 40(9): 6.