1. During the 1990,s, DVD players became widely available and the rental DVD market took off. NetFlix initiated online DVD rental service creating a new market. Examine the NetFlix site and determine the firms basic strategy. What are the challenges to its strategy? Consider timing of the initiation of NetFlix: was it too early or right on time? How have Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Apple attempted to differentiate their online services from NetFlix?
2. Podcasting, blogging, on line photo sharing, on line video and twittering are five technologies that are enabling a much broader set of content publishers and content users. Describe the nature of these industries and analyze the competitive situation of each using all six forces in Figure 4.3.
3. Compare the business models for Google and Yahoo using the Table 3.8. Make sure to identify how they are different . How do you see their business models evolving over the next five years?
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