Comparison of the relative advantage
From the mentioned podcast interviews, one between the CEO of Netflix Reed Hastings and host Reid Hoffman and another one between CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and Reid Hoffman, the comparison of the relative advantage between the product to be introduced in the market and the product which was designed and utilised earlier was compared. According to Tamny (2015), Netflix Company had originated in the year 1997 after Reed Hastings who was the founder of Pure Software sold the Company for an amount of 750 million dollars. From the first podcast interview, it is clear that the CEO of Netflix tends to state the fact that Netflix possessed modern strategies to develop their unique products and services, which were different from what they manufactured during the days when the organisation had just started. According to Rogers (2016), earlier, Netflix used to produce and sell online DVDs, but later on, the organisation adopted a stable organisational culture, which helped them to bring about an evolution in their manufacturing operations. The organisation was thus able to produce online broadband streaming of feature films to their customers, which helped its customers to execute their operational activities smoothly.
Netflix tends to gain a competitive advantage within operating in different markets worldwide as they adopted and implemented different unique strategies. Netflix’s biggest market competitor, Blockbuster had considerable opportunities to expand its market and develop into a large, but they failed to do so because of the existence of a fragile organisational culture. According to the CEO of Netflix, Hastings felt that the organisation required the ideas and hard work of employees who were excellent problem solvers. According to Slack and Brandon-Jones (2018), with the help of such employees and thus bringing about a change in organisational behaviour and culture within the organisation, Netflix was able to develop and establish its new product and service of providing online broadband streaming to a massive base of customers globally.
From the other podcast interview between Zuckerberg and Hoffman, the evolution provision of various modern and advanced services such as Zucknet and AOL instant messenger leading to the development of Facebook had been discussed. Zuckerberg adopted certain strategies to develop the social media platform named Facebook, which now serves more than 10 billion customers throughout the world. According to Shuen (2018), from the above two podcast interviews, the relative advantage of the product in cases of Netflix and Facebook are both on the higher side considering their performances in the markets. For instance, Netflix tends to provide quality online streaming services to numerous customers throughout the world. Facebook also caters to the needs and requirements of more than billions of customers by integrating various technological methods and concepts within its operational activities. According to Nagle and Müller (2017), by comparing the two models of evolution, it can be said that Netflix brought about a change within the business model, which included innovation strategies in their operational activities.
On the other hand, Facebook was able to develop and evolve their services with the help of inventing new programs, which catered to the needs of the people. Zuckerberg devised and introduced programs like Facesmash, and applications such as Zucknet and AOL Instant messenger, which helped the people with convenient services of interacting with people and communicating smoothly and efficiently. Having competitors in the market such as MySpace and Friendster did not perturb Zuckerberg in carrying out experiments leading to the discovery of Facebook.
The small team, which worked in establishing and developing Facebook, worked cohesively to build such a capable social media platform. Zuckerberg believed in taking risks and failing which helped him and his team to learn well to develop something unique. From 2005 till 2012, Facebook had evolved from spreading to 2000 colleges to making around one billion users who actively access Facebook. Thus, both Netflix and Facebook developed within the market and promoted their new product with the help of adopting modern and advanced strategies and bringing about the following new cultures. According to Holbeche (2018), Netflix evolved in designing new services for their customers with the help of bringing about a change in their organisational culture and employing individuals who were talented and could adapt themselves to the corporate culture of the organisation.
Compatibility with current product usage
Compatibility of the new product being manufactured with the current product usage can be compared to the two-podcast interviews. According to Laudon and Traver (2016), Netflix constructed new services of online streaming to numerous customers, which helped them to provide high quality, and unique services to the customers daily throughout the world. Services of Netflix are developed with the help of the evolution of the organisational culture within Netflix. CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings earlier learnt a lesson from the poor corporate culture and behaviour existing within the organisation Pure Software that did not allow it to prosper and damaged the growth and development prospects of the organisation in future. Therefore, CEO of Netflix learnt his lesson and thus stressed upon bringing a change within the organisational culture and organisational behaviour in Netflix, which helped them to manufacture high-quality services catering to the needs and requirements of the users throughout the world. Newer services of online streaming help the users as they have less time to avail the facilities and Netflix has been able to provide services to the homes of millions of customers throughout the world which has been very convenient.
According to Giménez (2018), compared to the DVDs being sold earlier through online, the evolution of the services have aligned with the demands and requirements of the customers and are useful for the customers to utilise them in their daily life activities of leisure and entertainment. Netflix manufactured its new services, which had variety within it and ensured rapid delivery of the different functions by involving lower rentals associated with the expenses and costs of the services. The low overheads expenses helped the Company to gain competitive advantage than other Companies.
According to Hoefflinger (2017), on the other hand, Facebook also evolved through the introduction of newer programs and services such as Facesmash and Zucknet which took into consideration in providing convenience and benefits to numerous of their customers without thinking about the flaws of the newer facilities. AOL Instant messenger also helped the people to stay in touch and connect. By involving experimentation, Zuckerberg was able to devise several methods to develop Facebook which is an active social media platform helping the people to maintain a social connection. Thus, the new product and service, which Facebook provides, help the end users to benefit in staying in touch with their friends and relatives who live far away.
Thus, the new product and service produced by Facebook are linked with the usage of it in the daily lives of more than one billion users. According to Taplin (2017), numerous customers avail the services of Facebook and are very much satisfied as they can get access to the varied range of services starting from able to play online games to promote specific products and share relevant information within their operations. Thus, Facebook can be considered as a useful service developed by Zuckerberg for customers throughout the world. Therefore, the products of Netflix and Facebook developed by them helped the end users according to the utilisation of the services made by the customers throughout the world. Facebook has expanded its manufacturing base at Menlo Park, and their right strategies and their ability to take calculated risks helped them to produce a quality service to the different customers throughout the world.
Complexity
Netflix started its operational activities and business operations in the year 1997. In the beginning, they used to sell DVDs through online processes and methods. Starting from their origin leading to modern times, the CEO of the organisation felt that the operational activities, manufacturing processes need to evolve. To execute this, the CEO believed that transformation has to come within the organisational culture and behaviour followed within the organisation and practised among its employees. According to Gee (2018), the laid back attitude of the employees was changed, and this led to them put in more hard work and expertise, and by adjusting to the organisational culture of the organisation, they were able to manufacture technologically advanced services. The services produced by the organisation were done by considering the needs and demands of the customers, which helped the organisation to design their services, which could be used directly.
According to Gee (2018), Facebook, on the other hand, designed and manufactured its services by experimenting with producing small programs, which helped them to reach out to more customers and at the same time maximise their profits. The organisation could venture into foreign markets and by 2012; the organisation had more than one billion active users under them. The services provided by Facebook were made and designed regularly. This helped them to cater to the needs and requirements of numerous customers. The customers would get the desired satisfaction after using Facebook.
Facebook is not difficult to use for the individuals who belong to the urban population and are educated, but the rural people would get little access to the services provided by Facebook unless experts or other people guide them. Therefore, Facebook has to find out ways and methods so that rural people can use them with the same convenience as that of the urban people. Overall, Netflix and Facebook help to cater to the needs and requirements of different individuals living in the downtown part of the world. Both the organisations have to find out ways to spread out to more customers residing in the rural part and ensure that the economically deprived people can avail the services. According to Marques (2016), different operations associated with Netflix and Facebook are not that complex to be utilised by the various customers and since the world has become a global village Facebook and Netflix have both reached to each nook and corners of the world.
Divisibility and Testability
Divisibility and testability associated with the new services and the products are essential features to be assessed by the organisation. Trial portions of the new product and services can be utilised and prove to be useful and beneficial to help the people to execute their daily work smoothly and efficiently. In case of Netflix, there were no trial products or portions found, but in case of Facebook, experimentation was done with the help of manufacturing Zucknet and AOL Instant messenger which helped the customers to interact with their friends and relatives and maintain contacts with them regularly.
Zucknet helped numerous customers to avail the online services and systems, which enabled them to complete their tasks and activities within very less time without any flaws. The mantra or slogan followed by Zuckerberg and the management of Facebook was “Move fast and break things.” This helped the organisation to make rapid progress and do experiments, which helped the organisation to develop and make further initiatives in implementing the strategies adopted by the organisation.
According to Marques (2016), the fact that the organisation wants to check is whether the users love to use the services of Facebook, whether they hate it or whether the customers ignore the functions of Facebook. This helps in establishing the testability of the services provided by the organisation. The different trial portions of Facebook can be utilised by various marketers to promote their products with the use of online digital channels and services. According to Hoefflinger (2017), the development of multiple digital channels and services help the organisations to adopt and implement the various strategies regarding managing their supply chains. Thus, the functions of Facebook are enhanced with the help of developing different trial portions and parts. The trial portions and the subsidiary products and services provided by Facebook are beneficial to be utilised by the customers.
Communicability or Observability
According to Hoefflinger (2017), communicability or observability of the product or service can be assessed to develop it as an essential marketing tool, which will help the organisations to carry out effective business operations to maximise their profits. Netflix brought about changes and evolutions within its manufacturing operations and services, which enabled them to reach out to numerous customers. Still, Netflix has to ensure that they provide convenience to different customers availing their facilities throughout the business sphere. The services are designed in an innovative manner, which will help the organisation to adopt and implement their strategies properly, and in a specific way.
According to Saren (2017), communicability associated with the new services provided by Facebook takes into accounts the various marketing concepts and strategies, which helps the customers to promote different events and products through the social media platform. Services provided by Facebook can be visualised by the customers, as they are very coherent and transparent in their dealings. Communicability associated with the products and services is enhanced with the help of setting up different pages, which help the individuals to keep in touch with different customers. Services provided by Netflix will only appear with the help of support of the online services and can be supplied selectively. Facebook also offered that necessary and essential services to its customers. Communicability of the products and services associated with Facebook is of higher quality, and it can be availed and accessed by numerous customers working within the organisation.
References
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