...industry and about gamers are wrong most of the time. Some of these are just plain wrong. Gamers and violence: Ever since a violent game has been around there have been people who are trying to put them down and cause controversy over the amount of violence in the video games. The papers have blamed many accidents caused by children or teenagers on them being able to play violent games. Many of these include, anger from call of duty competitiveness as well as more dangerous ones like shooting and robbing shops due to some effects of gta (grand theft auto) .These are of course due to speculation the papers have no proof that this is the case they say that games are the problem when they are not the problem it is mostly due to the fact that the children have access to a gun in the first place or their parents our bringing them up in a rough way or getting peer pressured into doing theses certain acts. This is a prime example of the papers speculating: The study is called “violent video games do not cause teens to become aggressive” ‘An 8-year-old in Louisiana shot and killed his grandmother. The incident has sparked new flames in the ongoing U.S. gun control debate, but the familiar scapegoat of violence in video games is also being connected to the murder.’ ‘With the release of Grand Theft Auto V, discussions of the impact of video games on minors will certainly be in the news for months to come. A study published this year, however, is contradicting common assumptions...
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...Stock Market Report The first step to building my portfolio was defining my objectives. What exactly did I want to achieve by participating in this game? Keeping in mind that many financial analysts fail to beat the S&P 500, I realized that my chances of beating the market were slim. If “professionals” have difficulty choosing the right stocks, then chances are I will to. In short, I decided that taking a gamble and investing in risky stocks to win the game was probably a futile strategy. The technical reason for why I, or any other person for that matter, cannot beat the markets is that markets are mostly efficient. Much of what I know about a company is probably public information so it is already reflected in that company’s stock price. For example, many people view Apple as a company with much potential for growth. As a result, the demand for its stock is already very great; so great that some say the demand for the company can’t go any higher. If I were to buy Apple, I must find a reason for why the public is undervaluing it; simply saying the iPhone is selling off the charts won’t work since everyone already knows that. With this in mind, I focused on buying stocks that I was familiar with and could at least make a reasonable case as to why they were undervalued. I decided to settle on buying a group of stocks and keeping them until the end of the game. In fact, since I was investing for the long term, I pushed myself to rarely look at my holdings in order to limit...
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...Competitor-oriented Objectives: The Myth of Market Share J. Scott Armstrong, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 E-mail: armstrong@wharton.upenn.edu Phone 610-622-6480; Fax 215-898-2534 Kesten C. Green, Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics Monash University, VIC 3800, Australia E-mail: kesten@kestencgreen.com Phone +64 4 976 3243; Fax +64 4 473 0643 February 21, 2006 IJB05CmObj27.doc International Journal of Business (forthcoming) Abstract Competitor-oriented objectives, such as market-share targets, are promoted by academics and are commonly used by firms. A 1996 review of the evidence, summarized in this paper, indicated that competitor-oriented objectives reduce profitability. However, we found that this evidence has been ignored by managers. We then describe evidence from 12 new studies, one of which is introduced in this paper. This evidence supports the conclusion that competitor-oriented objectives are harmful, especially when managers receive information about market shares of competitors. Unfortunately, we expect that many firms will continue to use competitor-oriented objectives to the detriment of their profitability. Key words: competition, market share, objectives, profitability. JEL CLASSIFICATION: L21, M21, M31. 2 Many managers have a natural inclination to want to beat their competitors. Our concern in this paper is the relationship between competitor orientation and performance. We show that competitor-oriented...
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...rate. d. $100 deposited 8 years ago at a 1% interest rate. 3. Suppose that the price of a bond is equal to the sum of the present value of its future payments. Suppose further that this bond pays $50 in one year and $1,050 in two years. What is the price of the bond if the interest rate is 5 percent? a. $1,050.00 b. $1,045.35 c. $1,000.00 d. $945.35 4. Prospect theory says that a. people should follow their gut feelings and purchase stocks they think have good prospects. b. people will tend to sell off winning investments too quickly and hold onto losing ones too long. c. people tend to be overly pessimistic about developments in the stock market. d. during a speculative bubble most people are thinking that they won’t be able to get out of the market before the bubble bursts. 5. Al, Ralph, and Stan are all intending to retire. Each currently has $1 million in assets. Al will earn 16% interest and retire in two years. Ralph will earn 8% interest and retire in four years. Stan will earn 4% interest and retire in eight years. Who will have the most dollars when he retires? a. Al b. Ralph c. Stan d. They all retire with the same amount. 6. Which of the following is the correct expression for finding the present value of a $1,000 payment one year from today if the interest rate is 6...
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.................................................................................................................................6 Strengths ...............................................................................................6 Weaknesses ...........................................................................................7 Opportunities .........................................................................................8 Threats................................................................................................... 8 Market Analysis ............................................................................................................................9 Previous Market .....................................................................................9 Market Segmentation ...........................................................................9 Market Position ....................................................................................11 The Product...
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...VIDEO GAMES CONSOLE The games console industry is divided into three periods. The first period is the growth of the industry to the advent of the 32 bit era. The next period is the developments and trends during the PlayStation era and the third is the likely development of the industry over the next few years BRIEF HISTORY OF THOSE PERIODS and THEIR REVENUES (The Evolution of the Game Console Industry) In 1994 , the first time that consumer electronics giant Sony had bravely attempted to enter the highly competitive games console market. Going under the catchy, self–explanatory name PlayStation, this 32–bit, CD–based system hit Japan in December and faced tough competition from 'The Big Two' in the form of Sega's fundamentally similar Saturn, and Nintendo's upcoming Ultra 64. By May 1995, barely six months after the release of PlayStation, over 1 million Japanese gamers had become converts. Games like Toshinden, CyberSled, Jumping Flash!, and a host of other, decidedly more obscure titles (our favourite is Chou Aniki – Kyuukyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyo Otoko – literally 'Super Older Brother – The Galaxy's Absolutely Invincible Strongest Man') helped to propel sales, impressing players with their advanced 3D visuals and diverse gameplay. By October, worldwide PlayStation shipments had reached 9 million, and with the arrival of huge sequels such as Tekken 2, Ridge Racer Revolution and Wipeout 2097. In a year that saw cosmologists announce that the expansion...
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...Contents 1. Topic introduction 2. About cartelization 3. Overview of EU antitrust legislation 4. Analysis of the “bathroom manufacturers” cartel case 5. Conclusion References 1. Introduction According to the European Commission Press Release Database, 2010, Article IP/10/790, seventeen bathroom equipment manufacturers were fined a total amount of €622 million for engaging in cartelization the same year. This case certainly provides an interesting topic for research and analysis as the cartel included seventeen manufacturers in six European countries and had a lifespan of twelve years. These quick facts demonstrate just how serious, extensive and carefully covered the agreement was. Not only did this market manipulation have a significant effect on the economy of these six countries, but also on the economic situation of the European Union as a whole and therefore touched the global economy. As the case is so extensive, it is important to gain an economical insight in order to understand the European Commission’s decision. In this paper, I am aiming to give the reader an insight of the Commission’s decision on the “bathroom manufacturers” cartel case by presenting, explaining and analyzing the situation through economical terms. By creating an understanding of the actual economical situation this illegal and unethical producers’...
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...While many may deem “healthy fast food” an oxymoron, a recent report finds that fast food and sugary brands with new health initiatives are gaining women’s approval. Marketing research group Women at NBCU tracks the top 500 brands that are most important to women each month by following what they search for and talk about online. In the last six months, several fast food brands shot up in the rankings. Burger-and-fries chain McDonald’s climbed 10 places to become the 14th most popular brand among women. The surge comes after a partnership with social game FarmVille, likely an effort to align the brand with fresh farm produce. Meanwhile, fast-food company Wendy’s ascended into the top 100 brands, taking the No. 96 spot, after rolling out four new salad options. Domino’s Pizza leaped up 140 notches in December alone following a major ad push about its fresh ingredients, like farm-grown tomatoes and real cheese. Chocolate-maker Nestle and syrupy soda Sierra Mist also shot up the index after announcing new health initiatives. “With the national obesity crisis at an all-time high, women are clearly taking notice,” said Melissa Lavigne-Delville, VP of trends and strategic insights for Women at NBCU, in a statement. The news comes on the heels of this week’s release by The National Academy of Sciences that links obesity with America’s poor life expectancy rate relative to other rich countries. According to the report, 35% of American women are now obese–almost twice as many as in...
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...AMAZON.COM’S E-BUISNESS MODEL CYNTHIA SMITH INSTRUCTORS: BRUCE CHAPMAN &; MIKE O’KEEFE COURSE TITLE: BUS 508: THE BUISNESS ENTERPRISE JULY 27, 2010 Discuss the pros and cons of Amazon’s growth and diversification of business and specialization, and make recommendations about what Amazon could have done differently. Founded in 1994 Amazon.com has become the world’s largest e-retailer with nearly three-times more sales than its closest competitor. Initially beginning as an on-line bookstore, in no time at all the company soon diversified into sales of DVDs, CDs, MP3 down loads, computers software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food and toys. Amazon’s dedication to innovation can certainly be a testament to the company’s continued growth and diversification. Along with the Kindle reading device other innovations that have kept the company highly competitive include: a booming internet hosting business, an Apple I Phone App for comparison shopping, video streaming for Amazon Prime members and a Google Android App store. Last March Amazon.com launched Cloud Drive which allows users to store music and other multimedia files that are easily accessible from their desktop or smart phone (Amazon.com website2011). Another significant advantage is the infrastructure which Amazon built in terms of its facilities along with its internet platform. The customer experience on the web-site is a simple and pleasant one, shipments are very fast which...
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...the profit margins have developed and improved through the years alone with it is planning and developing products. The discussion of Microsoft’s strategic planning, financial planning, and the risks the business takes to increase it financial gains. Strategic Planning Microsoft has witnessed important progress up until fiscal year 2012 in terms of revenue, cash flow, and ensuring the liquidity of its assets to reassure investors over their interests. The Microsoft Investor Relations Annual Reports (2013) website states that the fruition of Microsoft’s performance manifested in the past few years with its continual revenue growth, which rose 12% from 2010 to reach $69.9 billion in 2011, and continued to rise to a record $73.7 billion in 2012. Furthermore, cash flow from operations went up $2.9 billion in the 2011 fiscal year to reach $27 billion, and climbed another $4.6 billion to reach $31.6 billion in fiscal year 2012. The Microsoft Investor Relations Annual Reports (2013) website states that the measures taken to facilitate liquidity proved to be successful because cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, increased $4.2 billion among the short term investments most importantly acquiring the purpose of strengthening the progress of liquidity and capital preservation. The short-term investments meant to strengthen liquidity and preserve capital consisted mostly of high liquidity investment-grade fixed –income securities varied...
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...(Guardian) Context Background Hmv was first established in 1921 and was the most dominant retailer in the music industry but now Hmv is facing its worst downfall in the music industry market due to crisis with the recession and structural changes in the media business. Hmv was known for its brand and was very popular with its sales and profits, consumers were satisfied with their products and price was something they were not really concerned about. Hmv’s competitors vary from a range of online music retailers as well as supermarket retailers, Woolworths and zavvi were the big threats to Hmv but collapsed due to the same problems which are now affecting Hmv. Online retailers have also been a big threat to Hmv as it all began in 1999 a software programme named ‘Napster’ had entered the market which enabled music file sharing from peers to peers. Music retailers such as HMV were threatened by this software programme as Napster offered over 700,000 songs for download at the cut price of just 99p. Thousands of high street record stores were affected by this as consumers preferred using Napster for its more efficient use and the price differentiation but napster did not remain a threat for long as it faced multiple law cases against the software and its illegal use of copyright labels. The market of music became more popular online as limewire; stereo-gum and apple iTunes has entered the music industry. Limewire however was not to last due its illegal file sharing and was forced...
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...Public Relations is a recognized and constructive force in modern society. We can see it at work in the policies and actions of almost every organization, business, and cause in the world. In its modern sense, public relations was brought into being by the ever increasing complexity of the economic, social, and political problems that have assailed the human race in the years since World war I. Its roots are fixed in the basic fact that public opinion, confused, obscure, and unpredictable as it may seem, is the ultimate ruling force in the free world. A fundamental function of public relations is to help public opinion reach conclusions by providing it with facts and interpretations of facts John Hill, The Making of a Public Relations Man, Chicago: NTC Business Book 1993 PRO624 SPORT PUBLIC RELATIONS 1. Introduction 2. Focusing on the Sport Organization-Media Relationship 3. Managing the Sport Organization-Media Relationship 4. Sports Marketing and Public Relations 5. Strategies and Tactics 6. Communicating in Times of Crisis 7. Using the Internet in Sport Public Relations 8. Addressing Legal and Ethical Considerations 1. Introduction: - Globally people has been realizing the importance of healthy living thus seeking for an avenue to do so - Events like walkathon, marathon, jogathon, aerobics, Tai Chi and many more has been the inspiration for many to stay healthy - Therefore, sports has become the big business today and it has influence the emergence...
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...Course Name: Strategic Management Introduction ASUS is the world's fifth-largest PC vendor by 2013 unit sales (GSWPSDPIFQ, 2014). In the ultra-competitive IT industry, ASUS’s success is noticeable. In this essay, Five Forces Model is used to analyse the reason for AUSU’s success and its opportunity and challenge in the future. It introduces some information about AUSU at first. Then it states Porter’s Five Forces Model and the application of it. Finally, some important changes taking place in the macro-environment that might have an impact on the IT industry especially on PC suppliers such as AUSU will be discussed. In this essay, it focuses on two major changes influence PC companies as AUSU. The first one is the popularity of tablet PCs as IPAD. The second one is the exploding of smart phones as millions of people upgrade from simple ‘feature phones’ to more sophisticated Smartphone like the iPhone and Android. Both of them are relevant with Threats of substitute products. Discussion Firstly, ASUS’s is introduced, this is the world's fifth-largest PC vendor by 2013 unit sales ASUS appears in Business Week’s ‘InfoTech 100’ and ‘Asia’s Top 10 IT Companies’ rankings, and it ranked first in the IT Hardware category of the 2008 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands survey with a total brand value of $1.3 billion (Asus Reviews, Ratings, and Pricing, 2014). ASUS has a primary listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and a secondary listing...
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...situation in the market, and provide the development for future. The strengths of our company are very impressive. The first one is an internal factor that we have professional management group to lead this company. Our members come different major of business, like finance, marketing and general business. So we use our professional perspective to enhance the operation of our company. The second one is an internal factor as well. Our design team is really strong that we will release three new bike designs next year, which include an improved mountain bike, a road bike and a youth bike. Therefore, we keep offering new products to our customers to make them fresh. The third one is a factor both internal and external that we have sufficient capital to support the marketing, so we can expand the influence of our company. The most of capital comes from our sales and effective operation. So it’s definitely depend on our efficient advertising and professional management. Weaknesses are obviously for a company like us, and the first is an external factor. We are a relative new company with short history, so the marketing impact is pretty smaller than the big international bike companies. Additionally, some traditional customers prefer the bikes they know them in childhood, because those companies are reliable. The second factor is internal. We do not have good ability to suit for socio-culture and penetrate in to foreign market. Because our advertising is focus on national market and our product...
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...never expected his discount store to ever become the nation’s No. 1 retailer. In May of 1971, after being officially incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Wal-Mart began selling shares as a publicly-held company and its stock experienced its first 100% split, at a market price of $47. By 1990, Wal-Mart had become the nation’s No. 1 retailer and by the end of the decade, the largest private employer in the world, with 1.14 million associates. Soon after, H. Lee Scott Jr. was appointed as the third CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. In 2005, Scott introduced the company’s new commitment to bring environmental sustainability into its business and passed his success onto his replacement as president and CEO, Mike Duke, on February 1, 2009. Today, Wal-Mart has 7,800 stores and club locations in 14 different markets, employing more than 2 million associates, and serving more than 176 million customers a year. Wal-Mart is a public corporation that runs a chain of large department stores. Three business subsidiaries comprise Wal-Mart’s operations: Wal-Mart Stores, Sam’s Club, and Wal-Mart International. The nine retail formats of the company include “supercenters, food and drug stores, general merchandise stores, bodegas (small markets), cash and carry stores, membership warehouse clubs, apparel stores, soft discount stores and restaurants” (p. 17). Studies show that the customer base for discount retailers has been growing since early 2007, but bargain shoppers have especially flocked to discount...
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