Mini case: Dr$.$ Dre's Core Competency: Coolness Factor

Andre Young$-$ also known as Dr Dre became the first hip$-$hop billionaire after Apple acquired Beats Electronics for $$3$ billion $($in $2014).$ Dr Dre has a long track record as a successful music producer, rapper, and entrepreneur. Known to fry his strong work ethic, he expects nothing less than perfection from the people he works with. He shares some of the personality traits ascribed to the late Steve Jobs, co$-$founder and long$-$time CEO of Apple.

As an entrepreneur, Dr Dre created and sold several successful music record labels. He also co$-$founded Beats Electronics with Jimmy Lovine, a record and film producer who is also an entrepreneur. Founded in $2008,$ Beats Electronics is best known for its premium consumer headphones, Beats by Dr Dre, which Dr Dre claims allow listeners to hear all the music.

Since $2014,$ the company has been offering Beats Music, a streaming subscription service. With its headphones and streaming service, Beats strives to "bring the energy, emotion, and excitement of playback in the recording studio to the listening experience and introduce an entirely new generation to the possibilities of premium sound entertainment." However, many acoustics experts maintain that playback of digitally compressed MP$3$ audio files is inferior to high fidelity. Also, the sound quality of Beats headphones is considered poor compared to that of other premium$-$brand headphones such as Bose, JBL$,$ and Sennheiser.

Source from: Rothaermel, F$.$ T$.(2021).$ Strategic Management.

Questions

$1)$ Dr$.$ Dre$$s core competency in the music industry isn't just his technical skills but his exceptional ability to embody and influence "coolness$.$ Discuss TWO $(2)$ competitive advantages of Dr$.$ Dre's persona to the Beats Music. The suggestion of words $200$ to $250$ in total. $(10$ marks$)$

$2)$ Analyse the VRIO framework of Dr$.$ Dre$$s Beats Music. You may use external sources of reading materials to support your discussion with the support of APA citations and references. The suggestion of words $200$ to $250$ in total. $(10$ marks$)$

$*$Footnote $-$ Your work must be supported by citations in the paragraphs and references at the end of your work. Use American Psychological Association $($APA$)$ referencing to support your academic writing.