Analysis of Spotify's strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Spotify's strategy - Case Study Example This paper takes off from an examination of the historical and current business moves of Spotify, alongside its traditional cost structure and other relevant data, to piece together its current and emerging business strategies. From there, the paper uses theoretical analytical models, among them SWOT and Porter’s Five Forces models, to assess and analyze the soundness of Spotify’s business strategies, and to recommend ways forward for the firm based on the findings of that analysis. Piecing Together Spotify’s Current and Evolving Strategy Newer data reveals that the total user base of Spotify has grown to 24 million users who are active by 2013, with the number of paying subscribers roughly equal to one quarter of that number, or six million. Moreover, the company has pushed to widen the range of free music it is able to offer to mobile users, aiming to break free from a model where users have to pay 10 British pounds in the UK, to be able to access music from mobile devices as well as tablets. This is in line with the pricing of rivals such as Deezer, Napster and Rdio, which all charge the same monthly fee. A glimpse of its business model can be gleaned from the way it has allocated revenues to differing costs, key among them the payouts to the holders of the copyrights to the songs, which reached 188 million Euros in 2011. This payout to the holders of the song copyrights translates to 70 percent of all revenues. Since 2006 when it was launched, total payout estimate to the holders of the copyrights has reached half a billion dollars. The company has not turned a profit from its operations as of 2012 (Halliday 2013; CrunchBase 2013; Facebook 2013). Other recent developments that give a hint as to the evolving business strategy of Spotify include its first forays into advertising in the

Dimensions of Intercultural Communication in Organizations Essay

Dimensions of Intercultural Communication in Organizations - Essay Example Japan, having a population of about 127 million people, is well-known for its business skills all around the world. Japan is the territory of peace and harmony that maintains to progress in an affirmative amalgamation of tradition and renovation. By means of its sophisticated and vibrant history and culture, Japan has shaped an individual form of hierarchy, respect and protocol that is still revealed in numerous social and business experiences at present. If some organization plans to do business with Japan, prospective victory lies under an understanding of this ethnically influenced protocol. The literacy rate in Japan is around 100 percent and 95 percent of the Japanese people have a high school learning. Japan is a dynamic, wealthy and thriving state, with the world's second largest financial system. Japanese consumers pay out hundreds of billions of dollars on foodstuff, outfits, tour, leisure and a broad range of further consumer supplies and services every year. The top Japanese companies are along with the most competent and unbeatable firms in the globe. Joblessness is down to approximately 4.1%, lesser than in most industrial nations. The standard Japanese household has above $100,000 in reserves, and disposable earnings of around $4,000 for each month. The majority of Japanese managers think that their ... Therefore, Japanese employees look for opportunities to take part in the management procedure. Resembling their workers, Japanese managers acquire a participatory approach. Participative Japanese leaders exercise a combination of both task centered and people centered perspectives to direct subordinates. Owing to this participative attitude, Japan is frequently used like an illustration of William Ouchi's Theory Z administrator Theory Z administration consists of the following Japanese management features. 1. Leaders and workers are equally motivated by a prevailing sense of commitment for their organization. 2. Workers look for responsibility and struggle for opportunities to progress in an association. 3. Groups are pleased with themselves when they contribute to managerial accomplishment by teamwork. 4. Japanese organizations offer a lifetime job security which develops strong relationships of sincerity among the workers and managers. Japanese managers distinguish with Theory X administrators like those from Middle Eastern states or Indonesia who think that their employees are naturally indolent. Theory X managers are strict, and hence exercise force and pressure of penalties to complete the task properly (Hodgetts & Luthans, 2003). Theory Z managers as of Japan are also dissimilar from leaders in China, Europe and North America who normally track the more paternalistic Theory Y perspective. In Theory Y, managers believe that employees will struggle and look for increased challenge and accountability counting on the rewards related with task attainment. Since Theory Z is participative, Japanese associations