• Research Paper on:
    Viacom's Position In Its Industry

    Number of Pages: 10

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    A 10 page paper discussing information from a 1996 case study of Viacom and analyzing Viacom's position within the framework of Porter's Five Forces. Viacom has become one of the country's largest provider of electronic entertainment since its creation in the mid-1980s in response to government anti-trust and deregulation pressures. The paper contains analysis of the internal and external situation also, as well as a SWOT analysis and the final recommendation that CEO Redstone manage the company, rather than absolutely control it, and that if he has not already identified at least one likely candidate to take his place and begun to train him, that he do so right away. No one is totally invincible, even those who seem to be. No additional sources cited.

    Name of Research Paper File: D0_Viacom8.doc

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    Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
    aspects of the entertainment industry ensures that it, or at least pieces of it, will be able to sustain its formidable reputation as a market-share thief as the company gives  each aspect the full attention of senior management. Competitive Analysis Porters Five Forces provide a reliable framework through which to analyze an industrys attractiveness as well as the underlying  reasons for that attractiveness. In identifying the specific forces at work within any given industry, the organization (or investors) is better able to understand where the focal points of  their overall strategy need to be. Identifying and pursuing those aspects of the industry where efforts potentially can provide the greatest return in terms of market share or profitability  and allow the organization the means to avoid committing the error of watching its left while the entire industry passes it by on the right. The Five Forces are  identified and discussed below. Rivalry among the existing firms. Organizations that compete directly with Viacom are Disney, Time Warner and News Corp., owner of the Fox network. Viacom  seems to own at least a part, if not all, of all the others that could present the company with real competition. Of course they own several cable channels  in keeping with their MTV and Nickolodeon roots, but Viacom also has acquired Blockbuster Video and Music, Paramount Studios and Simon and Schuster publishers (among others). As Baby Bells  across the country were eyeing cable television as a cure for their revenue woes in the early 1990s, Viacom, under the leadership of Chairman Sumner Redstone and CEO Biondi determined  that the most assured path to growth and increased profitability would eventually be that of production rather than resale to the consumer. Entry of new competitors. Since many of 

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