Armed Conflict

War is often said to be rooted in multiple sources located at various levels of analysis (individual, state, or global) and compare the contributions that theories at each level have made to our understanding of the causes of war.Oxford Dictionary defines war as â€Å"any active hostility or struggle between living beings; a conflict between opposing forces or principles† (qtd. in â€Å"Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy† para. 8). Since the etiology of war is grasped from many sub-disciplines, it is but wise to learn about it based on three groupings namely: those who seek war's causation in man's biology (individual), those that seek it in his culture (global), and those who seek it in his faculty of reason.These determinants of war could give a better understanding as why it happens despite the detrimental effects it does to mankind particularly in terms of individual and global analysis.Individually, â€Å"Some claim war to be a product of man's inherited biology, with disagreements raging on the ensuing determinist implications† (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy para. 18). According to the â€Å"International Encyclopedia of Philosophy,†Example theories include those that claim man to be naturally aggressive or naturally territorial, more complex analyses incorporate game theory and genetic evolution to explain the occurrence of violence and war (cf. Richard Dawkins for interesting comments on this area).Within this broad school of thought, some accept that man's belligerent drives can be channeled into more peaceful pursuits (William James), some worry about man's lack of inherited inhibitions to fight with increasingly dangerous weapons (Konrad Lorenz), and others claim the natural process of evolution will sustain peaceful modes of behavior over violent (Richard Dawkins) (para. 18).Rejecting biological determinism, culturalists seek to explain war's causation in terms of particular cultural institutions (Internet Encyclop edia of Philosophy para.

Nature of Reality Essay

Reality is what you want it to be. Reality is a term that is used loosely, but comes in many different variations. There has never been or never will be one way to interpret reality, as it is built up of beliefs and values which vary from person to person. The true nature of reality is merely an illusion; it is the universe which exists in the mind. George Orwell develops this idea in the novel 1984 as he suggests that the true nature of reality is not defined by its validity but an outcome of society’s influences, and the boundaries of reality are constructed by the boundaries of imagination. Reality for a group or individual is not built up of truths; rather it is built up of what is believed to be true or factual. The citizens of Oceania lacked basic human rights. They worked long hours, no sense of privacy, and clearly deprived of any happiness. It would be logical to assume that this form of government is cruel and rebellion would spread like wild fire, but the citizens o f Oceania firmly believe that Big Brother is taking care of them. The reason they believe this is because they have no way to access any other source of information so they are left to accept what is told by the party. This one hundred percent belief that they are being taken care of clearly defines the reality of the citizens of Oceania, but has no validity to it. Winston starts realizing this when he reads a children’s book and says â€Å"In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make the claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of the experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy.† This is the point where he starts realizing that the reality in which the party instills in the citizens of Oceania clearly is not based on logic (2+2=5) but is still enthusiastically accepted by the people. Humans are social creatures, we learn socially and through second hand knowledge passed down from society. So it makes sense to believe that the building blocks of reality, the beliefs and values which make it whole, are hugely influenced by the beliefs and values that society allows to be instilled. The Nazi rule of Germany during WWII will always be remembered as one of the darkest periods in human history. Many of the values that Hitler instilled and forced upon the citizens of Germany share the same concept in which Big Brother spread their values of hate and control, making them perfect  examples of each other. For both Nazi Germany and Oceania its citizens accepted the reality which practiced hate and scapegoat toward the enemy, ideas that would seem crazy in modern society and which would never be tolerated. So in Nazi Germany, why were these ideas so widely accepted? The citizens of Germany were surrounded by propaganda, the society in which they lived made it acceptable to act like that and enforced it, making the people believe that it’s the right way to think and believe, thus creating their reality. This is exactly the same way in which the party gained such control over the human mind, surrounding the people with propaganda hate, and nothing else, brainwashing the people to believe that it is the values reflected by the party is the most acceptable, and only way to act. When it comes down to it, the true boundaries of reality are defined by what is comprehensible by the human mind, also known as the imagination. The extent of the imagination stretches out as far as what has been seen or felt. It is impossible to know exactly what it would feel like to be on Pluto. Why? This is because nobody has ever had the experience of living on Pluto. The citizens of Oceania are completely oblivious of the outside world. The only knowledge they have is that which the party as allowed them to know. This is why in the middle of hate week, when Oceania switches allies the people blamed Emmanuel Goldstein for all of the negative propaganda about Eurasia. This is clearly another lie which the party fabricates to suck the citizens of Oceania into the negativity of their reality. This is not questioned though because the only experience the people have in terms of what they have seen or felt has been controlled by the party, so whatever the beliefs values or decisions the party reflects, no matter how ridiculous, will be enthusiastically accepted by the people. When Winston goes on about his love affair with Julia, he makes love to her and his mind opens up to the true pleasures of life. The party publicizes the idea that sex is a completely pleasure less act and should only occur with intent for reproduction. When Winston makes love to her it opens his mind up to what is possible beyond what the party is telling them. So why did this happen? Winston went through an experience which was out of the ordinary, which opened up his imagination and logically magnified his rebellion against the party because he came to the realization that there is more to life than what the party is allowing them to know. These limits of reality are defined  by how far the imagination can really stretch. George Orwell does a fantastic job exemplifying the true meaning of reality. The idea that reality is merely an outcome of experience and knowledge and nothing else is exaggerated by the totalitarian rule of Big Brother and the complete control of Oceania citizens. The belief that present reality is completely valid does make it reality, even if it is not completely factual. This was shown by the residents of Oceania as it was obvious they were being fed lies but accepted with no question. Everything that is inside your reality has been influenced by society, whether it is known or not, it is impossible to control, but what really restricts reality is imagination. If the citizens of Oceania were exposed to anything other than the beliefs and values of the party, there is no way that they would act and respond to it the same way as their reality would open up to new possibilities. Considering all of this, there is no way to know what is really true and whether what we believe and value is right or wrong. We may be living in a reality in which many possibilities of life are hidden, just in the way that freedom was hidden from Oceania.

Comparing and Contrasting

Compare and contrast the way the poets present a rustic activity? The two poems ‘Photograph of Haymaker 1890’ by Molly Holden and ‘Hay-making’ by Gillian Clarke portray rustic activity in a similar way. The poem ‘Photograph of Haymaker 1890’ consists of two stanzas and this could be linked to the fact that it is a reminiscing photo of a man who cuts hay. This shows the rustic activity due to the fact it is the poet possibly describing a relative of hers working. Whereas, the poem ‘Hay-making’ has three very short stanzas. We can link the short, fast flowing stanzas with the fact that the title seems synonymous with love making.The poet Molly Holden cleverly uses the imagery of life and death throughout her poem ‘Photograph of Haymaker’. An example being ‘to whet his scythe’ this conveys the message of death and an image of a grim reaper. Holden cleverly juxtaposes this with the phrase ‘white shirt lit by another summer’s sun’. Gillian Clarke also uses an intriguing juxtaposition, ‘these hot nights’. This juxtaposition shows a sultry image of natural passion. You could also link this to rustic activity if you imagine a worker possibly working in the night time. The tones of the two poems seem completely different from each other.Holden’s poem, ‘Photograph of Haymaker’ has a nostalgic tone ‘he pausing from his work†¦ trousers tied below the knee’. The phrases used give the connotation of the poet bringing back good memories. This is what photographs tend to do. Clarke uses enjambment as she does not use punctuations to break up the flow of her poem and this adds to the dreary tone. Towards the end of the poem we see more evidence of rustic activity. The poet Molly Holden uses enjambment throughout the last stanza, ‘sweet hay and gone some seventy years ago and yet they stand before me in the sun’.This en jambment gives the image of hay possibly falling down. We can link this to rustic activity if we create an image in our head of hay falling down in a country farm. Gillian Clarke’s poem has an interesting caesura before the word ‘Breathe’, this can be seen as a command possibly suggesting how the ritual of harvesting is metaphorically inspirational. Another important phrase which is strongly linked to rustic activity is, ‘in the scratch of the hay’. The ‘scratch’ of the hay creates a physical link between rural nature of a farm for instance and the act of human love making. We can also say that this is onomatopoeia.

Ethics Term Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics Term Paper - Essay Example Dellatre points the culpability to poor recruitment methods why many men who are not suited to become public servants enters into public service. In plain language, it meant that some people are just bad to the core that when they get into public service such as law enforcement, they will most likely be involved in illegal activities because they are morally weak (2003). A typical example of this ethical challenge is the politicization of hiring process in a police force where recruitment accommodates the endorsement of political patrons of certain individuals even if the applicant is not qualified. The set standard of qualifications are not imposed nor did any background checks were done. Most likely, rotten apples would be able to get into the organization and when they do, will be engaged in illegal activities or the organization’s bad apple. Another common challenge to police ethics is the kind of value system which leadership will provide to the organization. Dellatareâ⠂¬â„¢s structural or affiliation hypothesis posits that value system of an organization begins from the top of the organization which will eventually trickle down to the organization as a whole. It is the leaders of that organization that set the standard of ethics among its subordinates. If the top brass of an organization is corrupt, it is said by the structural or affiliation hypothesis that their corrupt behavior will eventually cascade to the rank and file. This hypothesis also classified leaders as corrupt when they do not have control over its subordinates who are engaged in its corrupt behavior. It posits that such inefficacy promotes the culture of corruption. Dellatre defines structural or affiliation hypothesis of corruption among police officers as not the exclusive deviance of the men in uniform but rather to the organization they belong to. For example, if the organization is corrupt, it is inadvertent that the individual members will also become corrupt (2002). A typi cal example of this hypothesis is a police organization whose top brass are accepting protection money from syndicate to turn a blind eye to their illegal activities. This corrupt value will eventually trickle down to the whole organization that will eventually make the entire police force as corrupt. Another most common challenge to law enforcement ethics is the â€Å"slippery slope† or moral career hypothesis that â€Å"corruption [that] begins with apparently harmless and well intentioned practices and leads over time – either in individuals or in departments as a whole-to all crimes for profit (2002). Lode hypothesized that once an individual is on top of a slippery slope, it would be inevitable for the individual to slide to the bottom (1999). For Wilson, this practice usually starts with the small tokens and seemingly innocuous acts until it progresses to corruption (Dellatre, 2002). The future of the ethical practice of police force is determined largely by the public that it serves. If the society at large demands and practice a high ethical standard among its police force, it follows that the law enforcement agency will conform to the public that it intends to serve. But if society has a norm of corruption, it

Effectiveness of Business Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Effectiveness of Business Communication - Essay Example Planning a business message is the first step in ensuring that the organization’s goals and objectives are achieved. Prior planning prevents failure and, therefore, planning before- hand the intended purpose of the business message is very helpful (Courtland & Thill, 2008). To ensure that one gets the right message across, research has to be done or carried out. This is with the intention of finding out if the organization is capable of carrying out or handling the intended message. If members of the organization agree with the intended message, it is okay to carry on. If the intended message does not augur well with some of the members of the organization, it is important that whoever is in charge goes back to the drawing board to re-evaluate the proposal. When the research is being carried out, the intended audience should have a say in the matter. This is to prevent little or no satisfaction from members of the group after the message has been put across. After the intended message’s information has been analysed and gathered, it is tantamount that it, the information, be organized orderly (Courtland & Thill, 2008). This is so that it may support the intended message completely. The next stage is the writing stage. This is where the information being planned is adapted. It should be adapted to the intended audience with consideration to their needs (Courtland & Thill, 2007). Communicating to the audience in a polite manner is the best way to go about this. Adopting a ‘don’t care’ mentality is not how to go about this because the audience may not be responsive. The message should be written in a manner that suggests or oozes positivity because the intended audience is much connected to the business as much as the person writing the message. It should also be unbiased. This suggests that the language used to communicate the message should not be for a specific group of people rather, should cover everyone in the organization. The use of a good tone when writing the message is also needed. Good tone use in a message could indicate that the writer is appreciative of the audience intended. If the tone comes off as being harsh, the audience mi ght think they are unappreciated and, therefore, may not be as productive as they ought to be (Courtland & Thill, 2007). Feeling appreciated in any job description means that one may consider putting in extra effort just to be acknowledged. This means that the organization may benefit tremendously from the extra and hard work. The words chosen when drafting a business message could also be very helpful in communication. Strong and positive words may help the message have a very strong impact and can come off as being coherent (Courtland & Thill, 2007). Addressing the audience in a manner to suggest that they are slow may take the seriousness out of the message. They may also not take it very lightly to the fact that they are being thought of as being slow. The completion of the message is the third, final stage. This stage involves other

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media - Essay Example In the article â€Å"New media, counter publicity and the public sphere† the authors provide the overview of the work of Habermas and his main ideas. In the works of Habermas, where he depicts the ups and downs of the public sphere, the special attention is paid to the special place of the public that criticizes media. He noticed that because of some changes, which happened due to the development of mass media, the public sphere had to change as well. It is unacceptable to allow media to create certain pattern of the vision that is imposed on the society. Moreover, the horizontal communication was changed to the vertical one. Dawney and Fenton state that â€Å"in other words, horizontal communication between citizens is increasingly replaced by vertical communication between mass media, greatly influenced by both the state and capital, and consumers. The space for participatory communication is severely constricted† (Dawney and Fenton 2003:185). Habermas would like to p reserve the rational essence from becoming the ideological one. The public sphere is the unique field for citizens to communicate equally and it is the direct way to form the democratic society. Habermas presented his own vision of the public sphere of the 20th century. ... In the modern society media actively communicates with people. We can see that non-mass media has been developing in different forms. Habermas raises important issue in his work trying to find the answer to the question, whether the independent public fields are able to create a debate with the help of mass media. He also notices that such independent public fields influence the mass media in general, but only in special conditions. According to Dawney and Fenton, â€Å"Habermas recognizes not only the existence of alternative public spheres but also their capacity for challenging domination. While he maintains that his analysis of the public sphere infrastructure still pertains to a mass media largely subordinate to the interests of capital on the one hand, and the state on the other, he has in the meantime revised his pessimistic opinion of the public.†(Dawney and Fenton 2003:187) It has become clear that we are going through the crisis and need to find the solution. It was mentioned above that Internet provides a great variety of opportunities making necessary information accessible (Sunstein, 2001). World web makes its possible to find any information very quickly and represents a perfect platform for advertising. It represents a perfect tool for communication and information exchange. However, despite all the pluses, the word web has it minuses Pluralism is one of them. It is essential to remember that Internet can be used in different purposes and it can be used by everybody. The fact that modern society is created by the mass media and not vice versa is the most dangerous (Verstraeten, 1995). It should be said that the political public fields arising as a part of the independent public fields can cause the fragmentations in the

Wild justice Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wild justice - Term Paper Example The then President, John Kennedy, appointed him the Justice of the Supreme Court on 1963 May. Goldberg considered capital punishment a bad public policy as it could never prevent criminal crimes. He asserted that death penalty levied mainly on specific groups of the society such as the poor, the politically powerless and to some extent, the innocent by misjudgments. Another issue that arose was the fact that most of those affected by the death penalty, were the blacks leading to a racial prejudice. He resolved to end capital punishment starting from the courts as a Supreme Court Justice. According to A Wild Justice (28), the Justice Arthur Goldberg dissected from a decision from the Supreme Court not to hear the death penalty appeal involving Frank Lee Rudolph verses a white woman from Alabama. Rudolph was a black man who had a death penalty for raping a white woman from Alabama. This issue clearly heightened, given the fact that it regarded racism. The then Chief Justice, Earl Warre n, feared taking on the issue as Justice Goldberg and his clerk Dershowitz had already written an extensive memorandum that detailed all the cases of racial discrimination in capital punishments. Goldberg knew it would become very necessary to get as much support as possible for his decent. While keeping a low profile, Goldberg used his clerk, Deshowtz to send his memo about his dissect to various organizations including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (A Wild Justice, 30). The news about Goldberg’s dissection from the Supreme Court’s decision circulated to a suite of offices on the twentieth floor of 10 Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan in early November. This was a home to the most important law firm in America, and simply implied that the information was to be in the reach of public consumption. The New York Times wrote about his dissect immediately and praised him terming the move as raising â€Å"a potential far reaching idea† (A Wild Justice, 34). The Nati onal Association for the Advancement of the Colored People Legal Defense Fund was a very successful organization since its formation. It had several legal victories that clearly meant that the Goldberg’s dissect issue could get a serious back up. LDF was a supportive organization about issues that affected the social linings of American Citizens. Lawyers of LDF had won several cases in various social issues. In 1944, LDF lawyers won the Smith vs. Allwright case, in which a decision was made requiring Texas to allow the African Americans to vote in primary elections (A Wild Justice, 32). The support that LDF gave to these social classes was in conjunction with the core role of the organization, that is, to give equal rights to all Americans regardless of race or social status The role of LDF was also manifested in the Morgan verses Virginia case. This 1946 case involved desegregation of interstate buses and the LDF lawyers won. Most Africans had commonly been discriminated in terms of service in state offices. Several movements to avert these social issues had already sprung up and LDF played a major role in the support for this movements. LDF managed to secure victory in a case protecting the African Americans to serve on juries and allowed African Americans to be involved in real estate business and property ownership. The LDF’s lawyers also help in the more serious case involving Martin Luther King, Jr, in which charges of contempt followed his protest of Birmingham segregation. The arguments raised by the LDF’s lawyers enabled the Supreme Court to drop all the charges that stemmed from all the civil rights sit-ins. All of this success made people to believe the power of LDF to be limitless (A Wild Justice, 32). The issue of Goldberg dissection arrived at the LDF and they immediately

Political science (you can find the topic from sources) Essay

Political science (you can find the topic from sources) - Essay Example Anti-Federalists were alarmed that the Constitution would demolish civil liberties and genuine democracy if the states yield significant power to the new national government. They asserted that representation should be fair in all terms of directness and intimacy, with the government representing as many interests as possible. Politicians must then be substantively like the people they represent. They may not necessarily be the political elite, but instead, ordinary people who were educated enough to participate in political affairs. Anti-Federalists based this assertion the logic that those who were more responsible were less self-interested and those who knew their accountability were less prone to corruption. The people were more responsible than the political elite because they were more in touch of the realities of their local communities. They were less prone to corruption because they would be less vulnerable to damaging their representation to the local populace where they ca me from. The Anti-Federalists, furthermore, intended to have an outcome where there were small constituencies with many representatives, where the axis of power is on the states or local bases, not the national base of collectivity or community of interest. They wanted strong powerful states, not a powerful national government. These powerful states could make decisions regarding their political, social, and economic affairs without intrusion or intervention from the national government. With these goals, outcomes, and processes, Anti-Federalists were leaning more toward descriptive and participative forms of representation. The Federalists believed, on the contrary, the representation is a nationally-determined public good. They did not reject the states’ rights to representation, though they focused on a political arena of substantive representation. The states could represent themselves in Congress and to some extent, in Senate, but they should not be concentrated on their state

EMBA 560 Executive position week 1 journal 1 Essay

EMBA 560 Executive position week 1 journal 1 - Essay Example e title, although my peers recognize my potential to contribute more towards the company’s success, for which reason my immediate superior and my peers have turned to me to help guide the others. I have set my aspirations high, but they are more than just wishful thinking. I figured that if we aim high and don’t quite reach the goal, then we still come quite close to it and end up better than expected. I aim to enter the managerial level in the next 24 months, and in the long term I believe I will be able to achieve the level of vice president for marketing. I firmly believe I am a viable candidate for this position, because I know I have the drive and initiative to excel in the marketing function. There are many insights and ideas I have that I know I could share with the firm and my colleagues in this division. I have acquired a keen sense about the medical experts and professionals to whom we market our high technology medical devices, and my Stage IV contribution would be to enable more effective marketing strategies in this area as well as the more generic products and services our company

How can teachers Minimize Negative Effects of Computer Games on Research Paper

How can teachers Minimize Negative Effects of Computer Games on children 6-10 years old - Research Paper Example In addition, teachers can also advice parents to buy their kids nonviolent video games (Kutner and Olson, 2008). This would help reduce the probability of children learning uncouth behaviors from these games. Teachers can also reward children for good performance at school. Children will tend to spend more of their time reading in order to receive rewards in class for performing well. It is also important to ensure that children have adequate homework before heading home. Doing homework is important as it limits the time spent by a child playing computer games. It is also the duty of the teachers to encourage the parents to ensure their children complete their homework (Kutner and Olson, 2008). Encouraging children to engage in other constructive activities and games will help minimize these effects. For instance, playing football and participating in other games at school will improve the physical condition of the children. This means that chances of a child being obese or overweight are minimized. Sometimes, children spend much of their time playing computer games as a result of depression (Kutner and Olson, 2008). Therefore, offering a listening ear to these children and also encouraging them to share their problems with other teachers or parents will help alleviate or eliminate the stress children might be going through. Less stress means less time playing computer games and hence less negative

Assignment 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Assignment 11 - Essay Example The article gives the reader an opportunity to appreciate the role and impact of action research within the educational setting. In essence, the author captures the processes involved in action research in relation to maximizing the benefits. In addition, this is a research process that has the capacity to revitalize the entire learning process in most academic spheres. In addition to adding value to the learning process, action research creates critical grounds to reflect and evaluate teaching approaches (Arnold, 2008). It is therefore a necessary tool that can be used to support various initiatives by individual teachers, teaching communities, and organizations. Essentially, one cannot ignore the nature of data collection procedures used in action research. The author sheds light on the necessary aspects that one should consider when conducting action research (Arnold, 2008). It is an invaluable tool that offers a range of opportunities for the learners and the teachers. Essentially, when one is capable of conducting a study within their field makes it possible to address issues that are facing a system. The qualitative techniques in use when conducting action research set the stage for solving problems and enhancing practice. The reader further gets the details of how action research can enable the researcher to interpret as well as formulate acceptable solutions and practical steps towards local problems. One of the benefits that come with such an approach includes the ability to seek viable and realistic explanations to some of the general problems facing an education system. Some of the realities that the researcher faces on a day to day basis are grounds for gathering factual data. Due to this, the researcher does not have the luxury of following laid out procedures. Such a position calls for innovative data collection techniques that will focus on the importance of the data at hand (Arnold, 2008). The emphasis on the significance of

Interstate conflicts Essay Example for Free

Interstate conflicts Essay Introduction: Interstate conflicts are an integral part of the 21st century. The previous century was dominated by two world wars which were extremely violent and the repercussions of which the world is facing even today. It becomes essential to the study the different dynamics of interstate conflicts in order to expedite the processes of conflict management and resolution. There are different actors in a conflict environment and mass media is an important one among them. It is through mass media that conflicts are communicated to citizens. Mass media influences the citizen’s impression and image of the other i.e. the enemy in question. Proliferation of mass media technology has resulted into mediates conflicts. Conflict is continuously hammered upon the audience by various forms of media and hence the need to critically examine the various aspects of media’s role in conflict. This study deals with the most crucial conflict in South Asia i.e. of India-Pakistan. This conflict has shaped the political and economic situation in the sub-continent. Mass media’s role in the India-Pakistan conflict has been much debated by scholars and media n professionals alike. What has not been explored is the possibility of Peace Journalism as opposed to mainstream War Journalism between the two countries. For this very purpose, the researcher has selected a Peace Journalism campaign named Aman Ki Asha (Hope for Peace). The campaign was launched on January 1st, 2010 by The Times of India (India) and The Jang Group (Pakistan) leading media houses of the respective countries. The campaign intends to create an enabling environment by facilitating dialogue between the two governments, encouraging people-to-people contact, thereby contributing to peace between the two countries. The initiative is the first of its kind by print media in the sub-continent. It seeks to satisfy its quest for peace by discussion on all contentious issues between the two countries through mediums like seminars, conferences, cultural festivals and all other forums of people to people contact. The campaign has also committed itself to positive use of print media to promote the benefits of peace and give space to each others point of view on issues of dispute. So far, Aman Ki Asha has organized literary and music fests, editors conferences, trade conferences and strategic seminars to realize its vision. Peace Journalism in the context of India and Pakistan assumes much importance because media in both the nations have been  vehicles to spread hate and animosity. Dissemination of stereotyped images and conventional messages has been at the forefront of media activity in India and Pakistan. During the Kargil War (1999), media contributed to building up of the war hysteria. Thus, media has essayed a by and large negative role when it comes to promoting peace between the two neighbors. Looking at the above mentioned arguments, Aman Ki Asha offers a different perspective on what kind of role can be played by the media in the course of India-Pakistan conflict. It is a Peace Journalism venture launched for the first time in the media history of the two nations. Its critical examination can offer insights into the workings of the Peace Journalism model in current and conflicting times. Moreover, it comes at a time when there looms a constant threat about a nuclear zed conflict in South As ia. Hence, the campaign has been chosen for the study. HEALTH: Use war as a metaphor for disease one which needs cure Incorporate the idea that was is a disease that has afflicted the people of both countries Peace has been used as a metaphor for a healthy state of mind and body. Healthy and progressive relations between India-Pakistan can be established through peace. Intricate connections between war-disease and peace-health have been affirmed by all the articles under this theme. Cooperating on health issues is seen as a possibility of widening dialogue among citizens of both countries. The articles under this theme depict the campaigns stress on cooperation between soft areas like health, IT, education, agriculture, tourism etc. However, there is no specificity on what kind of mechanisms ought to be developed to counter these health threats. There is not much information available in the articles on what kind of health threats do people in Pakistan face and also no commentary about the need to channelize money being overspent on defense by b oth nations on building better health infrastructure. Thus, there is no correlation established between the concept of perceived threat and neglect of peoples issues in both countries. People-to-People contact through sector-wise cooperation has been emphasized repeatedly but questions about its sustainability and impact have not been addressed at all. The styles in which the three articles have been written is starkly different The stand point taken by all the three stories is  pro-peace and pro-cooperation The article dated November 20, 2011 seeks stories from ordinary people on both sides of the border. It talks about ailing Pakistani children being operated in India free of cost It shows that the existing gap between the two nations can be successfully bridged by its common people. There is no exploration of the facet of Pakistanis contributing to Indian medicine and healthcare in any way but the vice-versa has been reported. (1) BUSINESS/ECONOMY: Business/trade has been identified as another important area of cooperation by the campaign. This is evident from the number of articles devoted to the theme. The articles on business identify visa restrictions prevalent between the two countries as the major hurdle for advancement of economic ties. They contain important statements from policy-makers marking a shift in the attitudes of governments on both sides when it comes to trading. Eg: Statement from Pakistani Commerce Minister first to visit India in 35 years. Trading ties with India for Pakistan are a subject of national interest not only for its government and citizens, but also for its military establishment which speaks volumes about the military being an important stake-holder in the political system of Pakistan. The militarys stake in the peace process may lead to an entirely different set of consequences which has not been debated at all. There is also a passing mention about the arrangement of SAFTA (South Asia Free Trade Agreement) but no analysis of how its workings have been hampered by the discord between India and Pakistan. Apart from increasing trade ties, the two nations as mentioned in the articles can also help each other in building institutions of commerce and capacity building of people in the field of business. Enhancing trade tries is not viewed as being restricted to the easing of the visa regime but has been furthered to action oriented cooperation. A possibility to strengthen regional cooperation through SAARC (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) has been envisioned. This shows the desire for normalcy not only in bilateral relations but peace for the entire South Asian region items etc the latter granting the same to Pakistan in 1996.(2) POLICY: Kabul river treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan and how Indias aid to  Afghan developmental projects is creating mistrust between India and Pakistan. This is in consensus to the Peace Journalism model developed by Galtung which says that peace journalism does not restrict the number of parties in a conflict to two and also reports about other parties which may have an indirect or direct influence on the conflict. The article provides a factual and critical analysis to dispel suspicious thinking on part of Pakistan. This is an important component of peace journalism because if threats of conflict are critically analyzed, then they might reveal certain misconceptions and pre-conceived notions.(3) This a very good example of peace reporting and it stands out among the entire lot of articles mainly because it is analytical in nature as opposed to factual reports. One of the characteristics of peace journalism is looking at larger benefits of peace and cooperation, which this article successfully does. It also prescribes peace alternatives for eg: How India can facilitate an Afghan-Pak water treaty to remove suspicions about its role. CULTURE/ENTERTAINMENT: Culture may not seem to be an obvious avenue of cooperation between the two countries but it is an important one because culture has deep influence and impact on people. It is through culture and different forms of mass media that existing stereotypes can be dismantled. India-Pakistan cooperation in the sector of culture is not an institutionalized one. It has grown by itself. Over the time, Pakistani artists have been accepted whole-heartedly by the Indian audience and they have also gained commercially by being a part of the Indian entertainment industry. Their Pakistani identity has not come in the way of their achieving success in Bollywood. They have made a home for themselves in India, says the article, which essentially signifies the transcendence from rigid to flexible national identities in this case. There is a possibility for greater cooperation in sectors of film and music by the way of cross country productions between India and Pakistan. For eg: An India-Pak film festival. This is a very significant article because the Aman ki Asha campaign itself has been a venue for various cultural exchanges between the two countries through which the ability of culture to bring people together is demonstrated. (4) Civil Society and Peace Activists: A number of civil society organizations and NGOs are working to promote peace  and harmony between two nations. They include among others South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), Pakistan, Green circle Organization (GCO), Pakistan, Institute for Secular Studies and Peace (ISSP), Pakistan and Aman Ki Asha (Hope for Peace) a joint venture of two daily newspapers of India and Pakistan. (5) Peace between India and Pakistan has been stubbornly elusive and yet tantalizingly inevitable. This vast subcontinent senses the bounties a peace dividend can deliver to its people yet it recoils from claiming a share. The natural impulse would be to break out of the straitjacket of stated positions and embrace an ideal that promises sustained prosperity to the region, yet there is hesitation. There is a collective paralysis of the will, induced by the trauma of birth, amplified by false starts, mistrust, periodic outbreaks of violence, suspicion, misplaced jingoism and diplomatic doublespeak. Tragically, opportunity knocks unheard on doors bolted on the inside. Opportunism, that appeals to atavistic passions, elicits an instant response to every single knock. It is one of history’s ironies that a people who share so much, refuse to acknowledge their similarities and focus so avidly on their differences. We believe it is time to restore the equilibrium. Public opinion is far too potent a force to be left in the hands of narrow vested interests. The people of today must find its voice and force the rulers to listen. The awaam must write its own placards and fashion its own slogans. The leaders must learn to be led and not blindly followed. Skepticism about the given is often the genesis of faith. This skepticism has been brewing. It can be unleashed to forge a new social compact between the people of this region. The media in India and Pakistan speaks directly to the hearts and minds and stomachs of the people. It can help in writing a final chapter, adding a happy t wist to a story that seemed headed for tragedy. It can do so by shaping the discourse and steering it away from rancour and divisiveness. It has the maturity to recognize the irritants and obstacles to peace and will not take a timid stance towards the more intractable and contentious issues – whether relating to Kashmir, water disputes or the issue of cross-border terrorism. It can offer solutions and nudge the leadership towards a sustained peace process. It can create an enabling environment where new ideas can germinate and bold initiatives can sprout. The media can begin the conversation where a plurality of views and opinions are not drowned out by  shrill voices. It can cleanse polluted mindsets and revive the generosity of spirits which is a distinctive trait of the subcontinent. It can help cool the temperature and wean away the guardians from fortified frontiers. It can argue the case for allocating scarce resources where they are needed the most. We believe that this is an intervention whose time has come. We recognize that set backs will occur but these should not derail the process. We will need t o reach out and pluck the low hanging fruit in the beginning before we aim higher. Issues of trade and commerce, of investments, of financial infrastructure, of cultural exchanges, of religious and medical tourism, of free movement of ideas, of visa regimes, of sporting ties, of connectivity, of reviving existing routes, of market access, of separated families, of the plight of prisoners, will be part of our initial agenda.. They talk to each other about food, about music, about poetry, about films, about theatre and about the prolonged absences spawned by lost years. They share anxieties, discuss rising prices, seek advice on their children’s education, gossip about their in-laws, trade anecdotes and laugh at the foibles of politicians. We want to lower the walls so that the conversation continues. We owe our unborn generations the right to rise out of the depths of poverty, and squalour. It is embarrassing to read the statistics confirming our resistance to positive change in the fields of education, health and poverty alleviation. All social indices are s tacked against us and will remain so unless we scatter the war clouds that menace our skies. There are external elements at work in the region that thrive on the animosity between the two neighbours. They have a stake in keeping the region in turmoil. We need to combat them by making them irrelevant. A surge of goodwill and flexibility on the part of civil society and the media will push these forces back by denying them the raw material that manufactures hate. Our subcontinent needs to follow the footprints left behind by the great poets, sufi saints and the bhakts who preached and practiced love and inclusiveness. This is the land of Tagore and Ghalib, of Bulleh Shah and Kabir, of Nanak and Moinuddin Chisti. It is their spirit that will guide us in this journey. The one and half billion people of this region await the dawning of an age where peace, equality and tranquility prevails. This will happen when every heart beats with Aman ki Asha. What Aman ki Asha has achieved so far: Aman ki Asha has brought about a sea change in perceptions about each other among Indians and Pakistanis. Independent surveys in India and Pakistan have shown that as a result of the Aman ki Asha campaign, every positive perception about Pakistan in India has improved, and every negative perception has decreased. Some of the more significant changes in perception include. Before Aman ki Asha was launched only 4% Indians knew Pakistan’s point of view on the Kashmir; after 12 months of campaigning this increased by 425%, to 17%.(6) 1. The terror perception of Pakistan decreased from 59% to 29%. 2. The hope for sustainable peace in our lifetime increased from 13% to 29% 3. The desire for peace amongst Indians increased from 62% to 82% Indians familiar with and following the Aman ki Asha campaign had an approximately 40% more positive perception about Pakistan than those not familiar with Aman ki Asha. By openly and aggressively campaigning forthe resolution of disputes, establishing trade and investment relations and greater people to people contacts, Aman ki Asha has enabled all other stakeholders , NGOs engaged in peace-building, politicians, the business community and civil society leaders – to openly advocate normalization of relations between Pakistan and India far more rigorously than before. (7) Aman ki Asha has brought the business communities of both countries together in their individual capacities as well as the two largest business associations of India and Pakistan the Pakistan Business Council and the Confederation of Indian Industries. By strongly advocating economic collaboration and making presentations to the Commerce Ministry of Pakistan, Aman ki Asha has provided impetus to Pakistans grant of MFN status to India. By providing a platform for an open and honest discussion on contentious issues and giving voice to the strong desire of the people of both countries for peace, Aman ki Asha has given tremendous confidence to both governments to negotiate with an open mind and show flexibility (during his visit to Pakistan, the then Indian Foreign MinisterS.M. Krishna publicly acknowledged that, â€Å"the sea change in the relations between India and Pakistan during the last two years is largely attributable to the efforts of Aman ki Asha and we now share the optimism of Aman ki Asha†). All mainstream political leaders of Pakistan – Mian Nawaz Sharif, then Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani, Altaf Hussain, Imran Khan, Liaqat Baloch – have strongly  endorsed the objectives and the positive contribution of Aman ki Asha. Aman ki Asha has not only captured the imagination of the people of both countries it has drawn wide and vocal support from the international community.(8) Conclusion: From the above analysis, we can conclude that the Aman Ki Asha campaign has focused on events like meetings of elites, dialogues with top level officials, policy makers, and subject experts to stress on sector wise engagement between the two countries. The campaign is an initiative to dismantle stereotypes prevailing in both countries and a subtle critique on the media which relies heavily on nationalistic discourse and demonizing the other. It has provided a scope for voices of peace to be heard and has ventured the path less treaded. It has tried to establish itself as a model of peace journalism by portraying the good work done by people on both sides of the border. The thrust of the campaign comes from the belief that peace can be achieved as a result of cooperation enhanced in different sectors. However, the articles of the campaign do not delve deeper and provide a critical commentary on various peace alternatives that can be made available to India and Pakistan. Certainly, pea ce reporting should be optimistic, but it should also be balanced with the aim of guiding future policy decisions. Many first time initiatives taken up by the campaign have been discussed in the articles (eg: meetings of delegations of subject experts, visit of Pakistan Commerce Minister etc). The campaign has been a platform for elites of the two countries to meet up and exchange ideas. The articles have not covered a single visit of an Indian delegation to Pakistan which may come out as a skewed form of 15 cultural exchange. This is not to conclude that vice-versa exchanges have never taken place. Only they have not been reported in the selected sample for study. The study is limited in the sense of not being able to study the Jang Group of publications for articles about the campaign that have appeared in the Jang newspaper and its other associates. The inability to study the Jang newspaper has been because of the language barrier. The articles in the newspaper are in Urdu. However, future studies can consider including The News International, a daily from Pakistan which has partnered Aman Ki Asha with The Times of India. Studies  including articles from Jang and The News International will be able to provide a more holistic and balanced view of the campaign. Also the paucity of news articles talking about exchanges between common citizens can be attributed to two reasons Since, the campaign is of a continuous nature it may not be possible to deem each exchange and interaction between representatives of both countries as news. Hence, only some which are considered to be important and of news value have been presented in the campaign. Foreign Policy is the domain of the elite and interaction between elites is perceived to be of much more importance than between ordinary citizens to bring about an effective change in the attitudes of policy makers. Despite the lacunae in the articles analyzed, the campaign comes extremely close to the normative prescriptions developed by Galtung for a Peace Journalism model. As has been observed in the data analysis section, all the articles conform to the selected considerations in some or the other way. All considerations may not apply at the same time to a particular article. Through analysis, there has been an attempt to depict the underlying nuances of the documents which may not be quite apparent to the reader. The campaign thus, serves as a Peace Journalism model the first of its kind in the context of India-Pakistan and assumes not just greater importance but also greater responsibility to meet the challenges that lie. References: 1 Patel, T. (2005). News Coverage and Conflict Resolution: Aid or Impediment. Unpublished M.Phil Dissertation, University of Queensland. Australia. 2 http://amankiasha.com/faqs.asp Accessed on February 23, 2012 3 Chattarji, S. (2008). Tracking the Media: Interpretations of Mass Media Discourses in India and Pakistan. Routledge, New Delhi. 4.http://amankiasha.com/joint_statment.asp 5. Alam, I. (2006). Media and Peace in South Asia. Pakistan: Free Media Foundation. 6. Anupama, C. (2007). King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Inidan Cinema. New York: Warner Books. 7. Bhaumik, S. N. (2006). Politics of Indian War Films. Pakistan: South Asian Policy Analysis Network. 8. Holm, A. N. Holm, A. N. (2008). Batting for Peace. Germany: VDM Publishers. Bibliography: 9. Kukreja, V. Singh, M. P. (2008). Democracy, Development and Discontent in South Asia. New Delhi: Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 10. Rao, S. (2010). Shah Rukh Khan: Symbol of Indian Secularism. Pakistan: South Asian Journal. (Journal # 29, named: Cinema in South Asia). 11. Saigol, R. (2006). Ideology and Curriculum in India and Pakistan. Pakistan: South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA). 12. Gupta, A. (2006). India’s Soft Power. Indian Foreign Affairs Journal. Page # 50-52. New Delhi:

The video game console market

The video game console market Executive Summary The video game console market is a fast growing market. Sonys PlayStation 3 competes together with Nintendos Wii and Microsofts Xbox 360 for the market leader position. Compared with these competitors, Sonys PS3 includes the newest technologies and provides the highest variety of functionalities. Therefore, Sonys strategy is to target customers who focus on high technologies and multimedia-entertainment. However, this involves that the PS3 competes not only with console manufacturers, but also with other multimedia producers such as PC manufacturers. Due to the fact, that the Sonys PS3 will be quite expensive, the console will be available in a premium edition and in a cheaper basic edition. Considering the distribution of its PS3 games, Sony tries to change its traditional supply chain by providing an Internet platform, where users can download games. This results in saving costs and a faster distribution. Furthermore, the most important marketing tool is the Internet for promoting the PlayStation 3. Blogs, MySpace, YouTube and other kind of websites enable an area-wide promotion of the game console and especially, it is done by consumers. Another important tool is the official website, which offers among others information about the console and about available games. Additionally, Sony promotes its PlayStation 3 together with a meaningful slogan, which differs between Europe (This is living) and U.S. (Play Beyond). Finally, Sonys financing objectives are to sell 15 million exemplars in the first-year and to achieve total sales revenue of $8.25 billion. Its marketing goals are to sell more than 100 million exemplars in the long-run and to become the market leader. 1 Situation Analysis 1.1 Current marketing environment The video game console market is highly influenced from its demographic and technological environment. The worldwide population is growing and more and more people have a strong need for entertainment. Many people require something against boredom in their free time. Furthermore, the technology environment creates a variety of new functionalities which are almost unlimited. According to Moores Law, processor speed and memory capability reduplicate almost every 18 months by constant prices. Additionally, technologies such as High Definition TV provide a new way of entertainment consumption. Finally, another important influence in peoples behavior is enabled by the Internet. Its introduction was a milestone of the new economy. It allows finding almost any required information and enables worldwide communication as well as interaction and it simplifies doing business. 1.2 Current Product Line Before we describe the features and functionalities of Sonys new video game console, the PlayStation 3, we would like to give a short overview of the companys current home video game line: PlayStation (PS1) The Sony PlayStation is the companys first video game console and was produced in the mid-1990s. It belongs to the fifth generation of video game consoles and provides a 32-bit processor. Furthermore, the PlayStation was the first game console that reached the 100 million mark. PlayStation 2 (PS2) Sonys PlayStation 2 is part of the sixth generation era and was released in 2000. Besides its 128-bit processor, it was the fist video game console that provides DVD playback functionality. It placed first in number of units sold in its sixth generation of video game consoles and it became the fastest selling and most popular game console in history, with over 110 million units shipped worldwide by November 2006.[1] PlayStation Portable (PSP) Sonys PlayStation Portable was the companys first handheld game console released in 2004. Besides playing games, it also provides different functionalities such as playing music, watching videos, viewing pictures and using Internet applications. Nowadays, the PSP is the main competitor of Nintendos Game Boy and Nintendo DS. 1.3 Product Analysis The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) is the seventh generation video game console and the third in Sonys PlayStation series. The console was launched in North America and Japan in November 2006 and is yet expected to be launched in Europe by March 2007. The reason for its delay in Europe is a shortness of supplies with parts of the Blu-ray drive. The console offers high-end technology and it has been described as an engineering masterpiece because of its promising specification and use of new technology.[2] Furthermore, the PS3 will be available in two different editions on the one hand, a basic edition with a 20 GB hard disk drive (HDD), and on the other hand a premium edition with 60 GB HDD. Nevertheless, both editions will have key elements such the Blu-Ray Disc for High Definition movies, the Cell chip, Giga-bit Ethernet for high speed Internet-connection, and an HDMI connection for optimum output on HDTV. Compared with the basic edition, the premium edition will provide some extra features like support for multiple external memory storage devices (Memory stick, SD) and Wireless connectivity. More information about the specification can you find in the Appendix. Furthermore, Sonys newest game console provides a Linux operating system and some Internet applications such as an Opera Web browser and multiplaying functionality. Finally, another feature of the PlayStation 3 is the backward compatibility to Sonys previous video games for PS1 and PS2. 1.4 Target Markets The following section should provide an overview of Sonys target market and of its targeted customers. 1.4.1 Target market approach In our opinion, Sony should use a segmentation approach as their general strategy to reach targeted customers. Although mass-marketing would create the largest potential market, which leads to the lowest costs and results in lower prices or higher margins, we propose segment marketing because it can create a more fine-tuned product offering and price for the target segment. Moreover, this approach enables to select more easily the best distribution and communication channels, and to have a clearer picture of the main competitors.[3] 1.4.2 Segmenting consumer markets Cultural distinctions, different needs and demands of individuals, and diversities in customers buying behaviours require market segmentation of companies to satisfy their customers effectively. Thereby, the market can be divided in geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation variables and the company can focus on target segments which it wants to attract.[4] According to Sony, the main geographic segments of the PlayStation 3 consist of the Northern America market, the Japanese market and the European market. When Sony released his first video game console PlayStation in 1994, the companys main focus was on the marketplace from 12- to 17-year-old boys. But nowadays, Sonys demographic segmentation divides the market of the PS3 in male and female, old and young players and expands its business vastly to a mainstream entertainment.[5] The PS3 offers a multifaceted repertoire of video games which includes something for everybody. Theres not merely one game to ultimately define the PS3 platform, but rather different must-have games for different segments of consumers. Additionally, an important and profitable demographic segment could be the college market because according to a study by Anderson Analytics GenX2Z only 26 percent of students report not playing video games.[6] Furthermore, Sony concentrates on a strong customer loyalty status in the behavioural segment. Besides its popular brand and the high reputation of its products, the company tries to win over its former consumers by the implementation of a backward compatibility which enables to play video games from its previous video game consoles (PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2). Finally, one of the important target segments of the PS3 involves consumers who require high technology. The company is convinced that its consumers desire and want to get the best out of the best. 1.4.3 Characteristics of the targeted customers / product uses As already mentioned, Sonys targeted customers want to have the newest technologies and functionalities. Moreover, they need an entertainment system which provides functionalities such as viewing pictures, movies or listening music. The Playstation 3 can fulfil all this particular requirements and reach therewith a lot of different customers. First of all, video game players can use the console, because it provides high technology and a lot of different available games. Furthermore, movie lovers can use the PS3 because it involves a DVD drive and also allows watching movies in High Definition with its Blu-Ray drive. Moreover, customers can use the game console to see pictures from their last holidays easily by inserting their memory card in the included card-reader. Finally, customer can use the console to surf in the Internet or to use it instead of a computer, because its Linux operation system provides similar functionalities. Summarized, all members of a family can use the PlayStation 3 for different needs. For instance, children play video games during the day and when the father arrives, he uses the PlayStation to read his emails. Thereafter, the mother inserts the SD card in the PS3 and shows him the pictures from her trip to Stockholm last weekend. And at the evening, the whole family watch a movie together. This multimedia functionality provides the biggest benefit for the PS3s consumers. 1.4.4 Purchasing process Some customers make their decision which game console they want to buy dependent from the number of available games. Not only the functionality and technology, but also the variety of games can be important for the decision-making process of customers. Therefore, the company has to offer information about the games which will be available for its game console. The primary channel for providing such information would be the official webpage. Furthermore, the final end-user of the game console is not always responsible for the purchasing process. For instance, sometimes parents purchase the game console for their children, and therewith another party is involved in the purchasing process. 1.4.5 Market size estimations The number of consumers in the video game console industry increased continuously during the last years. Due to the fact, that game consoles of the newest generation are comparable with an entertainment system, we estimate a market size of 400 million potential users in Europe if everybody would buy the product. Considering that one product would be enough for a family, our final estimation of potential consumers will be 100 million in Europe. Furthermore, a forecast report of PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that by 2010, the worldwide video game market will grow to $46.5 billion, at an average 11.4% compound annual rate.[7] 1.5 Competitive Analysis Nintendo and Microsoft are the main competitors of Sony in the video game console industry. Considering the seventh generation, Sonys PlayStation 3 compete with Nintendos Wii and Microsofts Xbox 360. These two consoles were released world-wide in November 2006 and November 2005 respectively.[8] According to a study of the NPD Group about the best-selling video game consoles for December 2006, the Xbox 360 sold 1.1 million units, the Wii 604.2 thousand units and the PS3 490.7 thousand units. However, the PS3 sales figures include only the U.S. and Japan market, where it is released already. More details about the competition situation will be discussed in chapter 3 Competition. 1.6 Product/Market Analysis Tools 1.6.1 Product Life Cycle According to Sonys previous game consoles, the PlayStation 3 should have a 10-year product life-cycle. Its state-of-the-art technology involves that the usage of the PS3 resources and technology are just at the beginning and can fulfil all game requirements in the next years.[9] The product life-cycle consists of four different stages: Introduction: At this stage, the sales growth increase slowly when the product is introduced to the market. In Europe, the PS 3 is already located in the middle of this stage, because many game-console lovers and fans have ordered the PS 3 in advance to become one of the first consumers after its release in March 2007. For instance, a new PS 3 is pre-ordered almost each 20 seconds in Great Britain.[10] Growth: At this period, a market acceptance of the product is recognizable and the number of sales units increases. First-users report about the product positively and other consumers are becoming curious. Maturity: A slowdown in sales growth will be at this stage because the product has achieved acceptance by most of the buyers. Decline: Most of the potential buyers have already the product and therewith the number of sales declines. Different marketing strategies are necessary for each stage of the product life-cycle. We will discuss our recommended strategies in6 Marketing Strategy. Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 3 was already released in Japan and U.S., Figure 2 shows that the PlayStation 3 is located in a higher position compared with Europe. After shortness of supplies and an enormous rush demand in Japan and in the United States after the release in November 2006, a kind of stagnation is visible in these both markets today. Vendors report that a large contingent of the PlayStation 3 is still available in their shops.[11] Although Sony sees the reason for that in its optimized supply chain, the company has to consider new marketing strategies to increase its sales. 1.6.2 The Boston Consulting Groups Growth-Share Matrix In the following section, we would like to analyse and classify Sonys game console product portfolio by profit potentials. Therefore, we used the Boston Consulting Group approach presented by Kotler.[12] Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 1 is not be sold anymore, we didnt regard it in our analysis. First, we placed the PlayStation Portable in the Question marks sector, because the market of game handhelds is still growing and as the strongest competitor of the market leader Nintendo DS, the relative market share of the PSP increases. Therefore, Sony has to spend a lot of money in the development and advertising of the PSP to keep up with the fast-growing market, and to overtake the market leader. Additionally, we also placed the PlayStation 3 in the Question marks sector, because the market of the seventh generation video game consoles is still increasing and it is not visible already if the PS 3 will take the position of the market leader. Finally, we located the PlayStation 2 in the Cash cow sector. The PS2 has a falling market growth rate after the release of the next generation game console. Nevertheless, it is still the market leader in its generation and it achieved higher sales units (1.4 million) as the Xbox360 (1.1 million), Nintendo Wii (604.2 thousand), and the PlayStation 3 (490.7 thousand) in December 2006.[13] According to the 10-year product life-cycle, the PS2 is in the decline stage and will stay in the market for the next 3 years yet. 1.7 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is the overall evaluation of a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.[14] It is used as a framework to help an organization develop its marketing strategy. Thereby, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors which can be controlled by an organization, whereas opportunities and threats consist of external factors which are uncontrollable by an organization. 2 Objectives Sonys financial objectives are to: Achieve first-year total sales revenue of $8.25 billion, based on an average price of $550 per unit. Sonys PlayStation 3 marketing objectives are to: Achieve a first-year unit sales volume of 15 million, which represent a projected market share of 25 percent. Increase second-year share to 40 percent and become the market leader. Sell more than 100 million units in the long-term. Arrange for distribution through the leading electric, video games and computer retailer in the top 100 and establish an Internet platform. 3 Competition 3.1 Game console industry According to the industry concept of competition presented by Kotler[15], an industry is a group of firms that offer a product or class of products that are close substitutes for another product. The structure type of the video game console industry is an oligopoly, because the Japanese Nintendo and Sony, and the U.S. Microsoft dominate the market. Particularly, the structure is a differentiated oligopoly, because only few companies producing products partially differentiated along lines of price and features. Furthermore, the console industry is characterized by large cost of barriers to entry according to Porters model of five competitive forces. It may cost up to $2 billion to develop a competitive console platform and returns on investment may take several years.[16] Furthermore, these three console manufacturers have a similar business model consisting of the following three income flows: Hardware sales Sales of own software/games Licences fees from other software/game developers that use the console platform Finally, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony compete on a global basis with core markets in Japan, Europe and in the United States. 3.2 Direct competitors The following section compares the direct competitors Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony with regard to their products, prices, sales units and game range. 3.2.1 Product differentiation Furthermore, both competitors of Sonys PS3 provide an internet platform: Microsoft: Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is an online service that is used to distribute video games to Xbox 360 owners. Thereby, Microsoft offers an Xbox Live Marketplace, a virtual market place, where consumers can download movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes.[17] The consumers can pay with Microsoft Points, which can be purchased by credit cards. Nintendo: WiiConnect24 It allows distributing content such as software patches and updated game contents while the Wii is on stand-bye.[18] 3.2.2 Price strategy Nintendo offers the cheapest price in the game console market. Therefore, the company dispense with some extra features such as DVD drives or HDTV quality. Contrary, Sonys PlayStation 3 offers the newest technology with a plenty of accessories, but also the highest price. The following list shows the current prices in January 2007:[19] 3.2.3 Market share in Japan and U.S. The following figures show how many game consoles each of the manufacturers has sold in Japan and U.S. during the last months:[20] [21] Whereas Nintendos Wii was the market leader during the Christmas time in Japan, Microsofts Xbox 360 could sell the most units in the United States. 3.2.4 Games An important criterion for buyers is the volume of games which are available for each game console. At the moment, Microsofts Xbox 360 consists of 82 exclusive games and 132 cross-platform games. In contrary, Nintendo offers 55 exclusive and 96 cross-platform games for its Wii. For Sonys PlayStation 3, 43 exclusive and 77 cross-platform games are planned. 3.3 Market concept of competition Due to the fact, that the PlayStation 3 is more a multimedia centre than only a game console, we have to consider more competitors as only game console manufacturers. Therefore, we used the approach of Rayport and Jaworski to identify direct and indirect competitors by mapping the buyers steps in using the product.[23] The following figure shows the PS3s direct and indirect competitors: Summarized, Sonys PlayStation 3 competes not only with other video game console companies, but also with PC manufactures and other high technology producers. Sonys PS3 offers besides a Linux operating system a plenty of functionalities such as Internet to attract previous PC users and to expand its market. This approach is comparable with Coca-Cola which identifies milk, coffee, tea, and water products as its main competitors.[24] Finally, Figure 7 shows Sonys market position with regard to technology and price compared with its video game console competitors: 4 Product Unique selling proposition The unique selling proposition is a marketing approach to promote a products benefit and to convince customers that the company can deliver it. For Sonys PlayStation 3, the main benefit, especially compared with its competitors, is its functionality as a multimedia centre and its state-of-the-art technology. Nevertheless, Sony has to consider that its targeted consumers are located in different market segments with different demands and wishes. Therefore, the company has to develop different unique selling propositions. First considering the video game hardcore fans segment, these costumers want to have the best and newest technology. Due to the fact, that the PS3 fulfil these requirements at best compared with its competitors, Sony should promote this in its advertisements, especially in game magazines. Furthermore, Sony wants to attract also middle-age consumers and families. The most benefit for these customers is to use the PlayStation 3 as a multimedia system which offers a variety of functionalities. Therefore, the company should focus on its multimedia range. Summarized, the companys unique selling proposition should consist of newest technology and multimedia-functionality. To emphasize this, Sony uses a short slogan after every mention of its products. In the United States, Sony evokes the following slogan: Play Beyond. People should associate therewith that the PS3 is not only a game console which enables playing video games, but also a system which allows playing in High Digital quality and getting a feeling of reality. Furthermore, the PS3 offers more than playing video games, it is a multimedia system that can be used for different pleasures such as Internet surfing or watching movies that can also be interpreted as a kind of playing. However, Sony uses a different slogan for the European market. The reason is that people with few English skills will not understand the impact of Play Beyond or will be interpreted wrongly. Therefore, Sony uses the following slogan in Europe: This is living. The slogan is really simple and uses words which can be understood by not English-speakers. Consumers can associate that the PS3 delivers a kind of living standard and ensures to enjoy living. Furthermore, its a relation to PS3s multimedia functionalities which are desired for every household these days. It emphasizes that the game console is the core of living room entertainment. 5 Distribution 5.1 Supply chain With the video game industry being the fastest growing sector of the growing entertainment industry, the industrys revenue has now reached $26 billion in annual revenue and there is currently no indication of decline in the industry. So, in order to identify how the revenue is distributed, its essential to look at the supply chain of the entire PS3 business. As seen in the supply chain, there are opportunities in many aspects of the console business, coming from the actual console sales as well as extras such as games. The customers, as identified by our segmentation analysis table, are at the end of the supply chain, and their consuming of video games are distributes across several actors. Additionally, the most known among the actors are of course the hardware manufacturers, which include Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. Except for the revenue coming from the console sales, they also get about 20% of the market price for the games, which are mostly sold in the growth level of the product life-cycle. The additional revenue in the supply chain is split among the other actors. Looking more closely at the publishers and developers, we realize that the publishers are likely to take a large portion of the revenue. Those are the large international companies that have sufficient funds to build a distribution network and employ developers to pull off new best-selling games for the consoles. Hardware manufacturers usually try to pull off deals with these companies when they identify potential best-selling games because the top 3.3% of the games bring in 55% of the sales revenue. For this reason, some hardware manufacturers, most notable Microsoft, tend to buy top-creative publishers to secure exclusive rights of new games for their console. Because of the complexity with world-wide game launches, there are almost always distribution partners in the chain, those accounts for an estimate of 10% of the shelf price. Next are the retail channels, which include online stores as well as retail stores. However, they are becoming increasingly bypassed in the supply chain, as discussed in the next generation supply chain (described in detail below). When they do exist in the supply chain though, they take an estimate of 30% of the shelf price. Developers are a mix of artists and engineers that create the actual games played on the console. Typically, they are funded by the publishers and together they take between 40 to 60% of the shelf price. Notably, in recent years another actor have also entered the supply chain as the industry have grown. Those are the middleware actors. Those create reusable software that is used by developers to increase their productivity in creating games. The reason for the shift towards middleware providers has to do with shifting the focus away from technology, and re-using the technology that is already out there. 5.2 Next generation supply chain As discussed previously, there is a change in the supply chain taking place due to the connectivity and Internet capabilities that are becoming an increasingly integrated part of the console business. As illustrated in Figure 3, we can see how several actors in the supply chain are suddenly not present. Because of using Internet as an enabler of distributing and selling games, the need for distribution and retail is almost gone, whereas a larger piece of the revenue pie can be shared between the manufacturer (e.g. Sony) and the publishers of the games. At the same time, the manufacturer can act as a distributor because its the technology and technique they provide that will actually distribute the game over the Internet to the customer. At the present moment, it remains unclear how much Sony will charge for their part in this supply chain, but its possible that it may be around 47%. 5.3 Business Models There are several business models contributing to the revenue income for the PS3. Obviously, sales of the actual console initially generate the biggest revenue. But, as reported by several news agencies, Sony actually makes a loss on each console bought by a consumer. [26] As reported by several sources, a PS3 costs between $725 and $905 to manufacture, but is sold for $599 in the US market. The reason for the high manufacturing price is the high cost of components such as the Blu-Ray DVD, XDR memory etc. (More on that chapter 8). To support several streams of revenue there are three business models for distribution supported by the PS3. Since the console is making a loss per sold unit, there are other ways for Sony to catch up on the income and make a profit in the console business through other business models. The business models are: However, comparing the business models for the PS3 tells us that there are several possible models for generating revenue and profit for the console. Most notably, the Internet Gaming via the PlayStation network and the developer licenses are possible sources of potential profit. 6 Marketing Strategy The Playstation 3 has a broad marketing strategy set by Sony. Launched with slogans such as This is living and Play beyond, Playstation 3 is aiming for a large audience. Thereby, Sony will have to apply a different marketing strategy depending on which level of the product-life-cycle the product currently placed in. For example, at this initial state of introduction the most evident need is to market the console itself, to make sure that it reaches as many customers as possible. A suitable strategy for the first year is to get the message out about the capabilities with the console, and a suitable channel for this message is the kind of Internet forums and channels that teenagers and game-players regularly visit, including MySpace, YouTube and Gaming magazine websites. The greatest benefit from using MySpace as a communication channel is that they reach potentially millions of interested customers and can thus get the message out about the console and its possibilities in gaming and entertainment. The idea with this way of communicating through marketing is to inform, entertain and encourage interaction and debate about all the different things the PS3 can do according to a marketing director at Sony. With this particular way of communicating a marketing message, Sony hopes that the PS3 will be the natural choice not only for hardcore games enthusiasts but also anyone interested in the broad capabilities covered by the digital media and content creation that the PS3 offers. So far, the blog approach seems to be successful because an estimate of 86,000 users interacts on the official PS3 blog. For the second year, there is big need to start marketing the games more actively, to make sure the console owners buy as many games as possible. This stage is characterized by growth and Sony needs to put a lot of effort into taking advantage of the growth in the PS3 business. As seen in the financial projections, there is a big need to get the largest parts of the revenue from the game sales. Throughout both years of the product life-cycle, there is a potential growth level, which can be boosted by getting the message out about the games and the game console. In both case the official webpage for the PS3 also works as an important channel for communication to the customers. By customizing the website to the customers depending on their country origin, Sony makes sure they have a clear message customized for each potential customer by letting the customer specify their region and as well as country to get the information in their local language etc. The website provides information about the PS3 specification, advertisement spots and a list of all available games. Furthermore, users can sign in to get the newest information about the PS3 via newsletter and they can also find answers for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). 6.1 AIDA By looking at the AIDA model that is suitable for the PS3, wed expect it to look like this: A

Assignment In Client Server Architecture Information Technology Essay

Assignment In Client Server Architecture Information Technology Essay This report focuses on understanding the problems being faced by the Information System (IS) department of Hures as well as other Organisations dealing with human resource and management. Such organizations, private or public, continuously collect and process data (information) using technologies available at an increased rate and store the information in computerized systems. To maintain such information systems becomes difficult and extremely complex, especially as scalability-issues arise. Such problems identified are required to be sorted and find out the solutions. Therefore from the scenario given, the measures were taken into considerations to minimize problems in communication mechanism. The client server architecture was established in the beginning to improve productivity, efficiency and information handling. Nevertheless, the Hures Information System department experienced difficulties as the stored information grew leading to the need of establishing peer to peer architecture, intranets and extranets for security purposes. QUESTION ONE Do you think the problems faced by Hures are unique? Why or why not? The difficulty faced by Hures IS department is not peculiar to them rather the underlying technology. In a distributed environment they were working on, the client server technology had problems when it comes to the extension or scaling servers to accommodate additional loads that were initially not envisaged. Client-server architecture consists of series of clients connected to a common server mounted at some remote or nearby location. Hence when there are load increments in the distributed environment, it usually tends to cause problems that make the architecture difficult to scale accordingly. Moreover, for all users on the network the rate of data transfer might go down, and sometimes a powerful and expensive computer needs to be installed and integrated into the system in an attempt to improve scalability and availability of the server. Nevertheless, for every application under heavy loading, numerous computers may be needed. It is customary to utilise one computer to each server application under medium loading, so as to prevent the extent of damage, for example in the occasion of system failure or violation of privacy and security. Client and servers when connected together to form a network that would facilitate better communication is referred to as a client server architecture. A client is an application or system that accesses a (remote) service on another computer system known as a server by way of a network. Hence servers by their operation receive a message from client and work on them and then return the responses to the client. For instance, file server, web server, mail server and web browser are servers and client respectively (Harkey et aL, 1999). QUESTION TWO Suggest alternative architectures that could be used to overcome the problems faced by Hures current Client/Server technology. Increasingly need of users accessing to network resources (i.e. information) virtually for anything held on a database through a common interface. The network supports between the user and that information. Therefore, distributed system is one of the most ideal for location of resources or database transparency. In general, a server and client systems consist of two major parts which are software and related hardware. On a controlled and shared ground to the clients, servers host resources and make them available. This allows access to server content to be controlled in a much better and secured manner. Basically, client/server architecture is a two tier technology which means that it has two nodes namely a client and a server. In order to improve communication between the client and the server, a third node or interface called a middleware is introduced between the client and the server. This is technically a better design as the middleware which is a form of software between the client and the server processes data for clients such as web browsers e.g. internet explorer, mozilla firefox and safari which are all web client. Middleware store data for user applications enabling a comparatively better design that facilitate server scalability as the processing of requests has been separated by balancing the load on different servers (Harkey, et al, 1999). The role of Middleware in a Client-Server Architecture is illustrated in the figure below: Introducing the middleware results in the design of a three-tier architecture which later can be extended to an n-tier. The n-tier architecture has the disadvantages of impacting or increasing traffic congestion and reducing the design robustness. N-tier architecture becomes more difficult to run and test software than the two-tier architecture due to device congestion resulting in communication difficulties. The increased load in n-tier architecture could lead to overloading of the network. Apart from the mentioned disadvantages n-tier architecture has number of advantages which include: better security control, increased flexibility, user friendly, easy upgradeability and scalability compared to the two tier architecture (Harkey, et al, 1999) The implementation of an n-tier distributed computing architecture will be a solution to overcome problems faced by Hures. N-tier architecture has the potential to provide better, more timely information across the enterprise at a lower cost than the current combination of PC LAN, two-tier client/server, or mainframe applications that have been developed in most organizations. For n-tier architecture to be effective, three key components need to be present: Empowerment of the developer to integrate a distributed computing architecture within existing databases, tools, and components. Certainty of efficient network traffic. Mechanisms to handle load balancing to distribute the work across many servers. The n-tier client/server architecture provides an environment which supports all the benefits of both the one-tier approach and the two-tier approach, and also supports the goals of a flexible architecture. The three tiers refer to the three logical component parts of an application, not to the number of machines used by the application. An n-tier application model splits an application into its three logical component types-presentation logic, business logic, and data access logic, where there may be any number of each of the component types within an application. The application components communicate with each other using an abstract interface, which hides the underlying function performed by the component. This infrastructure provides location, security, and communication services for the application components. The n-tier client/server architecture provides an environment which supports all the benefits of both the one-tier approach and the two-tier approach, and also supports the goals of a flexible architecture. The technology should be able to handle future growth. Hures should carry out n-tier client/server technology to solve their partitioning problems. N-tier client/server architecture is an evolution of the traditional 2-tier and 3-tier models, and is suitable for large business applications where many users share common data and operations on them. Peer to Peer The structure of peer to peer network architectures, they do not have a fixed server responsible for blocking and routing request to and from nodes unlike client server architecture. Peer-to-peer networks are simple and easy to implement. However they fail to render the same performance under heavy loads. Distributed computing, instant messaging and affinity communities are all examples of peer to peer network architecture (Deal, 2005). QUESTION THREE One of the suggestions proposed by Hures IS department is the use of intra net web technology. Examine the pros and cons of such an idea. Intranet can be described as a private version of the internet or network connectivity. It is based on TCPIIP protocols configured for a particular organization system, usually a corporation, accessible only by the organizations members, employees, or others with permission to do so. An intranet website looks and acts just like any other Web sites, but the firewall surrounding an intranet fends off unauthorized access. Like the Internet, intranets are used to share information over a network (Douglas, 2005). Intranet is privately owned computer network that utilizes Internet protocols and network connectivity. It is safe and secure in sharing part of organizational operations such as marketing, administrative information or other matters concerned with the organization and its employees. The techniques, concepts and technologies associated with the internet such as clients and servers running on the Internet protocol suite are employed in building an intranet. HTTP, FTP, e-mail and o ther Internet protocols are also applied. Usually intranets are restricted to employees of the particular firm, while extranets tend to have wider scope so that they can be accessed by customers, suppliers or other authorized agents. On the other hand, intranets like other technologies have their own merits and demerits. Below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of this technology (Stallings and Slyke, 1998). The pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages respectively) for Hures using intranet web Technology were accounted for as follows: Advantages Intranet serves as an effective communication tool within the organization, both vertically and horizontally thereby promoting a common corporate culture where every user is accessing the same information available on a common platform. Intranet enables proper time management, since organizations are capable to make adequate information available to employees on the intranet. This way, employees are able to connect to relevant information within the effective time. Increases the productivity levels of workforce by allowing them to locate and view information faster. It also enables them to use applications relevant to the task at hand. Also, web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox help users to readily access data from any database the organization makes available, subject to security provisions within the companys workstations thereby improving services to users. Intranets have cross-platform capability which enables it to adequately support different types of web browsers irrespective of their backbone be it Java, Mac or UNIX. This ability enhances collaboration since every authorized user is capable of viewing information on the site thereby promoting teamwork. Provide a comparatively cost-effective means for network users to access information or data through a web-browser instead of preparing physical documents like manuals, internal phone list or even ledges and requisition forms. Publishing on the web permits critical corporate knowledge such as company policies, business standards, training manuals etc to be secured and easily accessed throughout the company using hypermedia and other web technologies. It facilitates the business operations and management. Increasingly they are being used as a platform for developing and deploying applications that support business operations and decision making across the whole enterprise. (Goldberg, 1996) QUESTION FOUR Do you think the popularity of intranets and the Internet pose threats to traditional Client/Server systems? Intranet and Internet become popular to some extent because they pose some threats to the traditional Client/server systems. It is true that Internet and intranet are both web technologies. A few years ago, the typical office environment consisted of PCs were connected to a network, with servers providing file and print services. Remote access was awkward, and profitability was achieved by use of laptop computers. Terminals attached to mainframes were prevalent at many companies as well with even fewer remote access and portability options. (Silberschtuz, 2004) Currently the secure intranets are the fastest-growing segment of the Internet comparatively much less expensive to build and manage compared to the private networks. Usually private networks are based on proprietary protocols with mostly client server architecture. An extranet creates a secure tunnel between two companies over the public Internet. It is also used to connect remote employees to corporate network by the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Also intranets are increasingly being used for tools and applications delivery, which facilitate group work and teleconferencing to an enhanced collaboration within the organizations. In order to increase productivity of organizations, sophisticated corporate directories, sales and CRM tools and project management, are all taking advantage of intranet technology (Robert, et al, 1999). Conclusion The problems faced by Hures like other organization including private and public,which are continuosly collecting and storing data in accelerated rate. The above answers on respective four questions discussed on as follows: If the problems experienced by Hures since 1985 up to now are unique or not, comparing to other organizations, such problems experienced were due to growth of business demands in information systems (IS). For example, Hures was forced to downsize the IS from mainframe to Client/Server network resulted in higher efficiency and profit. Nevertheless the problems arise on the server scaling due to loading capacity, forced the company to incur much cost on implementation of distributed environment with more powerful desktop machines. These problems are not unique because all organizations demand changes in IS while they grow up in business. Secondly, the alternative architectures have been discussed about solving the problems of Heures as well as other organizations in information systems. Therefore, distributed system has been suggested which is the most ideal for location of resources or database transparency in networking environment. Thirdly, the intranet web technology as the special network for special organization suggested by Hures IS department, was discussed on its pros and cons which can be relied on for proper construction of networks in any organization. Finally, we have seen that the popularity of intranets and the Internet pose threats to traditional Client/Server systems since the most fastest growing firms with sophisticated systems have taken advantages of Intranet and Internet technologies to facilitate the efficiency in networking and higher production. Bibliography Douglas, E. Corner: (2000). THE INTERNET. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall Publishing. Emmerich, W. (2003). Engineering Distributed objects. Wiley publishing Gralla, P. (2005). How the Internet Works .3rd ed. Addison Wesley Norton. P. (2003). Introduction to computers. 5th ed. http://www .firstauthor .orglDownloadsIP2P. pdf Wikipedia (2007), Client server architecture, accessed 18th September, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.orglwiki/Client-server _architecture REFERENCES: Douglas, E. C. (2005). Internetworking with TCPIIP Principles, Protocols and Architecture. 5th ed. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pp.349-359 Goldberg, C. J. (1996). Entrepreneur Business Service Industry October. (http://findarticles.coIIUp articles/mi mODTVis /ai 18726414), accessed on 09/10/2008. Harkey, D., Edwards, J. and Orfali, R. (1999). Client/server Survival Guide. 3rd ed., Canada, Pp 7-10, 12, 199-201 and 349 Silberschatz, A. (2004). Operating System Concepts with Java. 6th ed. USA: John WHey Sons, Inc. p.23. Stallings, W. and Slyke, R. V. (1998). Business Data Communications. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall International. Pp.422, 429-433. Beal, V. (2005). All about Peer to Peer. Date accessed-12th September, 2008 http://www.webopedia.comIDidY ouKnowlInternet/2005/peer to peer.asp