Internal Analysis:
In our internal analysis of the merger between Comcast Corporation and Time Warner Cable (TWC) we looked at the internal strengths and weaknesses of the acquired company. By analyzing these strengths and weaknesses we determined that Comcast Corp. proposal to acquire TWC will have potential benefits. Comcast Corporation is already a giant, owning the nation’s largest cable distribution network and TWC is the second largest cable distributor serving roughly 12 million households. A combination of the two companies is said to generate multiple pro-consumer and pro-competitive benefits (Grimes 1).
TWC have many strengths that essentially relate to one another. These strengths consist of having strong financial results, having a collection of great brands and having diversity in their media operations.Time Warner Cable strong financial results has shown their ability to continue to expand and fulfill their business needs. Full-year revenue increased 3.4% year over year. According to Time Warner Cable Reports 2013 4th-Quarter results this increase is driven primarily by the growth of 21.6% in business service revenue and 14.4% residential high-speed data revenue (http://ir.timewarnercable.com/investor-relations/investor-news/financial-release-details/2014/Time-Warner-Cable-Reports-2013-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-Results/default.aspx)
TWC currently has an advantage of having a strong collection of brands that are owned under one roof. The collection of brands are Home Box Office Inc., Warner Bros., and Turner Broadcasting System. Each of these operating divisions allows TWC to gain a competitive advantage from opportunities for constructive collaboration (http://www.timewarner.com/our-company/about-us).
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Many people turn to the AT&T and T-Mobile takeover that was turned down and do not understand why the Comcast and Time Warner merger would be allowed. The main reason this is allowed, is because the cable providers service different areas as shown in exhibit 2. Comcast and Time Warner will have control of their region, but they will not be taking away business from the other cable providers. Cell phone service providers service the entire country and have overlapping markets. If AT&T took over T-Mobile, they would gain more power and take away business from Verizon and Sprint. The merger had different implications and this is one of the reasons why Comcast and Time Warner can actually pull off this merger. The VP of Comcast stated “This transaction has the potential to slow the increase in prices. ... Consumers are going to be the big winners (Reuters 2)."
By the acquisition, Comcast was clearly investing in content; this is a huge transformation for Comcast. This acquisition signals that they want to get bigger ...
Robert Zimmerman, the senior vice president of business development, for American Cable Communications (ACC) was in the process of looking for a potential acquisition target for ACC. In December 2007, Zimmerman remember a presentation that was made recently by Rubinstein & Ross (R&R). R&R was a boutique investment bank that was well known for doing deals in the media and telecommunications area. During this presentation it was suggested that ACC buy out AirThread Connections (AirThread) which is a large regional cellular provider. The current industry of these companies were moving more toward bundled service offerings and by adding AirThread it would help ACC cover an area of service it does not currently offer. In order to determine if the acquisition should be done an analysis needs to be done.
Of particular importance is the deregulation of the telecommunications industry as mentioned in the act (“Implementation of the Telecommunications Act,” NTLA). This reflects a new thinking that service providers should not be limited by artificial and now antique regulatory categories but should be permitted to compete with each other in a robust marketplace that contains many diverse participants. Moreover the Act is evidence of governmental commitment to make sure that all citizens have access to advanced communication services at affordable prices through its “universal service” provisions even as competitive markets for the telecommunications industry expand. Prior to passage of this new Act, U.S. federal and state laws and a judicially established consent decree allowed some competition for certain services, most notably among long distance carriers. Universal service for basic telephony was a national objective, but one developed and shaped through federal and state regulations and case law (“Telecommunications Act of 1996,” Technology Law). The goal of universal service was referred to only in general terms in the Communications Act of 1934, the nation's basic telecommunications statute. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 among other things: (i) opens up competition by local telephone companies, long distance providers, and cable companies ...
Television, the phone, and the internet. These inventions have uniquely shaped the 20th century and have led to the 21st century being known as the age of information. These services are the primary ways we communicate, express ourselves, and reach out in our ever increasing global world. In the United States, these services are provided by a number of different firms, chief among them is Comcast, being the largest provider of Cable and internet in America, and a large telephone provider. Next to it stands Time Warner Cable, the second largest provider of cable in the United States. The decision for Comcast to buy Time Warner Cable for forty-five billion dollars in 2014 has led to many criticizing the merger, calling it a monopoly. Others have called the whole cable system an oligopoly. For it to be a monopoly or an oligopoly, it would have to fit their respective categories. The merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable would not create a true monopoly, but would give it significant market power because it has monopoly resources and can be considered a natural monopoly. It will also further its power in a market dominated by oligopolies. People argue that it is not a danger to Americans for this merger to happen, but when one looks at the practices Comcast already uses, it paints
Years later, the Telecommunication Act of 1996 triggered dramatic changes in the competitive landscape. SBC Communications Inc. established itself as a global communications provider by acquiring Pacific Telesis Group and becoming the new AT&T. The merger of AT& T and BellSouth, along with the ownership consolidation of Cingular Wireless and YELLOWPAGES.COM, will speed convergence, competition and continued innovation in the communications and entertainment industry, creating new solutions for consumers and businesses and positioned to lead the industry in one of its most signifi...
Employee motivation is one of the keys to success in any business, especially in a retail sales environment. It is particularly important to understand how employee motivation can be impacted by the strengths and weaknesses of AT&T’s retail sales consultant position (RSC). A series of interviews and surveys were conducted over a two-week period with employees of AT&T in the RSC position as well as retail management positions to determine how the employees really feel about this position as well as internal strengths and weaknesses that contribute to employee motivation. Although there are a lot of positive factors that keep the employees motivated within AT&T, there are some weaknesses that can cause employees to become demotivated.
The telecommunications industry is of vital importance to the development of the information-based economy. AT&T need to supply access to cost efficient, timely and innovative telecommunications services.
...erience. Due to low switching costs and many competitors both entering and existing in the market to keep yourself out in front you have to prove to be different. Offering many options to save along with convenience will help Publix keep their market share for many years to come.
The year is 1952 and a young John Rigas purchased a cable company for a mere $300 in Coudersport, Pennsylvania with high hopes of building the company into a successful family owned and operated business (AICPA, 2005, para. 3); a business that would remain unparallel to the rest of its competition. In the late 1990s his dreams came to fruition; John Rigas, along with a few close family members and investors, purchased Century Communications for $5.2 billion and merged the companies together becoming the 6th largest cable company serving more than 5.6 million subscribers (AICPA, 2005, para. 4). Ensuring that the majority of Adelphia’s voting stock and control of the board remained in the hands of f...
The Internet boom of the 1990’s gave rise to the popularity of America Online AOL and Time Warner saw themselves at a crossroads where old and new media would become one. The histories of both AOL and Time Warner are extensive and have not always been successful. Time Warner itself was created by two mega-mergers. The first merger was in 1989 between Time Inc., publisher of many magazines such as Time Magazine, and Warner Communications. Both companies have histories stretching as far back as 75 years or so. In 1996, this company merged with Turner Broadcasting, which brought CNN with its founder Ted Turner. These two mergers created a company ready to lead in any form of media. The company launched the HBO television network. Time Warner, headquartered in New York, had $27.3 billion in revenues in 1999 and a market value of $112.6 billion. On the other side of the merger there is new media giant AOL, today the biggest, richest, and most successful internet company in the world. It was founded in 1985 as Quantum Computer Services and by 1994, after changing its name, had a million subscribers. In its early years, it almost fell because of the problems associated with introducing unlimited access for a fixed monthly fee. As its number of users increased, so did its capacity problems, which made many customers angry because they could not get a connection. The problem was solved when AOL made a deal with MCI WorldCom, which led merge with its rival CompuServe.
Comcast Cable’s intent during the next five years is to continue increasing their market share by providing superior customer service to their existing customers and any potential customers. They will continue building their customer base through increasing residential and business service accounts. Comcast will continue
Walmart’s vertical integration and acquisition made it takes competitive advantage on suppliers and other competitors. I can see this as a strength is because Walmart’s supply chain is very efficient and it owns a strong bargaining power to its suppliers. It also introduced new technologies such as the latest just-in-time system to its daily operation to make Walmart runs more effectively. Furthermore, its vertical integration and acquisition allows Walmart to lower the cost of its goods or raw materials, which give its pricing strategy more flexibility, compare to its competitors.
...a remarkable opportunity to grow in the industry and lead as an innovative provider, Netflix has much opportunity to satisfy its customers and maintain their attention with their revolutionary business growth (Martala, 2009). Their success goes beyond their product. As stated, it is a combination of their culture of high performance drivers and fosters the “freedom and responsibility” mindset (Elliott, 2010). Because of their innovation and gradual entry into the market, Netflix has the competitive advantage to add layers of products for growth for years to come. Currently, Netflix has the competitive advantage to increase price and retain their current customer base. Even more beneficial, is the opportunity to attract additional subscribers with their new features. To end this, combining their products, price, culture, and strategic plan makes Netflix innovative.
In fact, some of the biggest threats to the company’s growth are the government’s regulation that increases the risk to the underlying business. In addition, the risk of losing the exclusive contract for the iPhone would be a major loss for AT&T. Most of the consumers choose AT&T because of their exclusive contract for the iPhone. Hence, this loss of business will significantly influence the AT&T's profitability and revenue. Moreover, the antitrust authorities play an important role on approved the merger of AT&T.
...s to focus on gains from the internet TV status both internationally and within U.S. by focusing on internet streaming services and especially expanding and producing its own original series (Soper, T. 2013). This strategy will slowly phase out its weak performing physical media delivery service and keep Netflix ahead of competition (Stelter, B. 2013). Overall, the key issue for Netflix is to build a sustainable competitive advantage and become a market leader in the highly competitive rental TV and movie market (Rottgers, J. 2013). This is a market with a high degree of rivalry and threat of substitutes where both buyer and suppliers wield significant power. Netflix will continue achieve a sustainable advantage by differentiating themselves through customer service, growing their library of internet content and investing in innovation with suppliers and technology.