The Middle Ages Essay Example for Free

The Middle Ages Essay The Middle Ages are a period of European history from around 476 A.D. to 1453 A.D. when society and culture declined. The middle Ages is believed to be started from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and was ended by the start of the European Renaissance. There are several key factors that led to the end of The Middle Ages other than the start of the Renaissance. The Black Plague and The Crusades undeniably led to the end of the Middle Ages because of the decrease of population from The Black Plague and the increase of foreign goods and trade from The Crusades among many other reasons. The Bubonic Plague, Black Plague, and Black Death are names for a deadly disease that killed between 75 and 200 million people in Europe. This Disease started and was carried by flees in rats on trade ships. The fleas would be transferred onto the ships cargo, which would in turn contaminate all customers. The disease was easily contagious and basically if you were in contact with anyone who had this disease in their system, you would be dead very soon . As a result of being extremely contagious it was spread very quickly and killed many people. Even though millions died, there is a silver lining. Those who survived the plague were able to move up in the European feudalistic social circle. Peasants were able to gain more powerful positions and in turn make more money. This scenario occurred in many other peoples lives and helped end The Middle Ages. The Crusades were a series of wars taking place in Asia Minor between 1095 and 1291. Pope Urban II was the first person that expressed a need for The Crusades at the Council of Clermont where he said we should invade the holy land and persecute the inhabitants who have taken over the beloved land of Jesus Christ. This was incorrect because most of the inhabitants ancestors of Jerusalem had always been there and this was their homeland. The Crusaders did not seize Jerusalem for long which is why The Crusades are often called historys greatest failure. The crusaders brutally murdered Jews and Muslims living in this area who had done nothing wrong. Most  crusaders were French peasants or serfs who wanted to escape the feudalistic social circle. If you went on The Crusades you became rich and made money. Even though The Crusades were not successful in the sense they didnt seize their homeland, it was still successful because the crusaders brought back many new things. These products were brought back to Europe and people tried to make them there which helped fix the economy in Europe. For example, soap was never used in Europe until the crusaders brought it back from the holy land. This was one of the many important things that were brought back from the holy land, which drastically helped end The Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were a 977-year period where civilization declined instead of rising. The Black Plague and Crusades helped end the Middle Ages even if they were both devastating in their own way and killed a lot of people. It is up to opinion if these two events were beneficial overall because of some of the extremely destructive results that took place however, they definitely helped end The Middle Ages.

How Kinect Gave A Competitive Advantage To Microsoft Media Essay

How Kinect Gave A Competitive Advantage To Microsoft Media Essay We choose to analyze Microsoft-Kinect as a topic for our group project because we wanted to analyze that how Kinect gave a competitive advantage to the Microsoft in the gaming industry. Our analysis will focus on the technology Microsoft used in Kinect and the reasons of Kinect becoming the fastest selling tech-gadget, even though it was just launched in November 2010. We will also discuss the strategies Microsoft used while developing and launching the Kinect and the various factors that helped Microsoft to become leader by selling 10 million gadgets in a very short span of time, beating Apples iPad and iPhone previous record. Microsoft Kinect made into the Guinness book of records as the fastest selling electronics device. [1] Introduction: Kinect is a controller free gaming experience for the Xbox 360 video game platform to stir up great hype in the gaming industry since its launch. It has a great impact on the approach to gaming and changed the meaning of game industry and the Entertainment World. Microsoft came with a complete entertainment solution for the whole family with the launch of Kinect. With the selling of 10 million gadgets, Microsofts Kinect became the fastest selling tech gadget. By beating Apples iPad and iPhones previous record it made into the Guinness book of records as the fastest selling gadget and wrote the new chapters in the Microsoft success story. In 2006, when Nintendo introduced a new game console called Nintendo Wii, Nintendo revolutionized the whole game industry, instead of competing with the mainstream players like Sony PlayStation and Xbox 360. Nintendo Wii targeted a broader demographic than its competitors and tried to incorporate both refreshing gaming experience and user friendly in terfaces to target the previously untapped portion of the demographic. Gamers of all ages, including the female players and the elderly are getting into the action of Nintendo Wii. Nintendo started a new chapter in the gaming industry with the launch of its Nintendo Wii MotionPlus. Kinect was Microsofts delayed reaction to the massive success of the Nintendo Wii but the launch of Kinect gave a all new dimension to the gamers about how games are played. Even thought Xbox 360 was leading in the market before Kinect came into the market but Xbox 360 sales become double since Kinect launch. Analysis for Game Industry: Using 5 Forces model of Porter To understand well about the performance of the firms we should first try to analyze the industry and its factors which influence the firms performance. We apply the 5 force approach on the gaming industry. Game industry is a highly dynamic industry. We can see 7 generation of console within 30 years. Technology changes rapidly in the game industry as well as customer requirements expectations are really high in this industry. Hard core gamers love new challenges and improved graphics and games. Product life cycle is very short in the game industry. So companies need to innovative in this industry for a sustainable competitive advantage and invest more in the R D and come up with new products. Threats of New Entrants are very low because this is capital intensive business and brand image is very important in this industry. Bargaining Power of Customers is fairly high.There are lots of substitutes available in the market so customers have high bargaining power. Switching cost from one product to another is also not too much high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers is low. There are only very few big brand players in the gaming consol industry so game providers do not have much choices. If they want to sell their games they have to work with these brands. Threats of Substitute Product is high. There are lot of players in the industry also there is a threat from the movie industry, Sports industry which can be a possible substitution for entertainment. Competitive Rivalry is very high. Big players like Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony is already in the market. Every firm tries to differentiate their products and try to come up with something innovative. For a sustainable competitive advantage Microsoft wanted to come up with something which can be sustainable for their leadership position in the gaming industry and they came up with Kinect for Xbox 360. Technology evolution To understand the Kinect development it is important for us to understand the history of Microsoft, its positioning and challenges faced in the gaming industry. Microsoft Corporation is a software company and well known for the Windows operating system. In 2000, by seeing the growth opportunity and lucrativeness of the game industry, Microsoft decided to enter in gaming and entertainment industry. There were mainly 2 reasons for Microsoft to move into gaming industry. First reason as already mentioned above that Microsoft was seeing a rapid growth in the gaming market. Microsoft saw huge opportunities in the game industry and found it a very lucrative market to have a presence there. Second, the game industry has a huge dependence on the Software and high technology. Microsoft as one of the leader in the Software industry thought to leverage this capability to get success in the game industry. Sony and Nintendo were well established players in the gaming industry with well known brands in the game industry. Microsoft launched Xbox in the year 2001, after more than a year Sony lunched its Playstation2. By that time Sony was having a large and loyal customer base and Microsofts Xbox was unable to outperform PlayStation2 of Sony. There were many reasons of underperformance of the Xbox. One of the reasons was Xboxs incompatibility with many of the existing games in the market at that time. Microsoft entered in the game industry first time in 2001, so most of the games available at that time were for either PlayStation or Nintendo. Although, Microsoft launched Xbox with many compatible games developed in-house and by third party developers, it was not an easy task to induce gamers to buy Xbox over the already successful PlayStation2. The other reasons were Microsofts lack of experience in the gaming market and the absence of USB port in Xbox. There was also a late mover disadvantage to the Microsoft. The price of X-Box was higher compared to that of its competitor Sony PS2. Also Microsofts poor marketing strategy added on all these factors. X-Box and PS2 were both considered at the same level but due to an early launch of PS2 it had captured the market share despite X-Box having advantage over the hardware components. In August 2003, Sony was a leader with 54% Market share compared to 27% of Xbox. There were few challenges for Microsoft. Microsoft was a new entrant in the gaming industry and lacked experience of working with retailers and game developers. To boost the sales of Xbox, Microsoft cut its price after the six month of its launch and this step boosted the sales of Xbox. To overcome this problem Microsoft planned to launch its seventh generation console much ahead of all its competitors. In 2005, Microsoft launched the first seventh generation console Xbox 360. Microsoft gathered the inputs and emphasized on design and features of Xbox 360. Microsoft invested in a huge advertising campaign for launch of Xbox 360 and spent over US $ 100 million. Xbox 360 came up with new features: built in windows media centre Wi-Fi enabled, guide button, wireless binding button and Xbox live etc. Microsoft kept the design simple and decided not to manufacture chips in-house. They planned to go for semi-custom chip and hardware and alter them according to their need and mainly focus on the assembling hardware as it will reduce costs and allow them to closely monitor vendor network. Microsoft also decided to go for intellectual property rights, which was one of the most important decisions Microsoft took. They launched new games, which became popular in the market and provided new service enabling users to download and view films on Xbox 360. Results for Xbox 360 turned out well and Microsoft became leader in gaming console market. Microsoft sold more than 10.4 million consoles by Dec 2006. Xbox 360 was a hit in Europe US. But still there were some drawbacks with Xbox 360. There was a backward incompatibility issue with Xbox 360 and biggest problem was manufacturing cost for Xbox 360 was still higher than its selling price. But Microsofts long term price strategy was to gain a greater share of the console market which was dominated by Sonys PS2. Microsoft decided to gave benefits to the gamers from drastic price cuts. When Sony and Microsoft were focusing on pursuing faster processing speed and better graphics in their game consoles, in 2006, Nintendo introduced a new game console called Nintendo Wii, which used existing technologies and focused on developing unique user interface. Wii lead to better gaming experience for a wider audience. The industry recognizes that games should not be limited just to the interactions using the game controller. Microsoft wanted a sustainable competitive advantage in the gaming industry. They launched Kinect in November 2010. Kinect is a controller free gaming experience for the Xbox 360 video game platform. It was big success for Microsoft. It wrote the new chapters in the Microsoft success story. It will bring game-changing impact to the Microsoft. Competitive Advantage Three are only 3 major players left in the industry today -Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Microsofts Xbox 360 kick-started the console war of the seventh generation in 2005, a year ahead of Sony and Nintendo. This move gave the first mover advantage to Microsoft. Instead of competing in terms of performance with its competitors, in 2006, Nintendo launched Nintendo Wii which brought the concept of motion-gaming and defined a new set of rules for the industry by keeping its price low. Microsoft brought Kinect in response to Wii and went beyond the motion gaming. It interacts with the game using a camera which tracks the players entire body without holding anything in the hand. In fact, Microsofts made a strategy to charge only $150 to penetrate the market and get the casual market to take notice of this new product. Also they spent almost 500 million USD on the launch of Kinect aiming to reach new audiences, including advertisements on Kelloggs cereal boxes and Pepsi bottles, commercials during shows such as dancing with the Stars and Glee as well as print ads in various magazines such as People and InStyle etc. They also organized a show on November 3 in Times Square, where singer Ne-Yo performed with hundreds of dancers in anticipation of Kinects midnight launch. It is clear that Kinect has defined its targeted niche as the casual gamers. Microsoft made the product highly appealing to new customers, rather than current customers hardcore gamers. In addition to this, Kinect differs to the Move in that it wont be backwards-compatible with current games meaning Kinect will feature new games, for new customers. Kinect compatible games are not designed for the gamers who want to sit on the couch and relaxed while playing. The games and experiences are designed to be as fun to watch as they are to play-the games are designed to get the people off the couch and that is the real controller free gaming experience. Also when one wants to enjoy movies, music, and ESPN on Xbox 360, one can control the entertainment hands free from the comfort of the couch. So Kinect defy the trend that playing video game is the job of couch potatoes. Now people can play the video game with real time experience while doing a lot of physical exercise. Its not going to be easy to compete with Project Natal. The companies are doing a lot of great work with the cameras. But the magic is in the software. Its a combination of partners and our own software, Shane Kim- corporate vice president for strategy and business development at Microsofts game division. [12] The Disruptive Innovation Model According to Joseph Schumpeter, creative destruction is a process of industrial mutation that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one. In simple words it can be explained as the process of destroying an old well established technology and replacing it with an innovative new technology. Kinect is a controller-free gaming and entertainment experience by  Microsoft  for the  Xbox 360  video game platform. Kinect offers a revolutionary new way to play games. In Kinect, you are the controller of the game. Before Kinect every game console came with a controller which was a barrier that stops people playing games. Microsoft wanted to come up something which can break down this barrier and can appeal to both mainstream and casual gamers. Kinect is one complete package for the whole family. It is a complete and affordable way for everyone to enjoy controller-free fun and entertainment. Even though Kinect response in the market is tremendous but still people using consol games with the controller, but seeing the response of the customers it looks like this innovation will change the meaning of game industry and soon it will replace the controller gaming with controller-free gaming. In future this is a disruptive innovation that will change gaming world. The position of Kinect on Normal Distribution of Adopters The normal distribution curve for adopters (Figure 1) represents the groups of people who adopt the new technology at different times. It comprises of the innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and the laggards. The Microsoft targeted directly the early majority of the market, instead of targeting the innovators and early adopters first and moving ahead. This is because Xbox 360 was already in the market and performing very good in terms of sales as well as quality. Kinect is a complementary product for Xbox 360 and through Kinect, Microsoft targeted to the casual gamers as well as for the hardcore gamers. Launch of Kinect rejuvenates the sales of Xbox 360 as well. Microsoft was doing everything for breaking down barriers and getting to the mass market, where controllers are barriers and awkward for some people to learn to use a controller. There are different segments of customers. There are the fans of Halo, Forza, and other titles that command a premium price. They deliver an amazing, professionally developed, full-blown experience that customers are willing to pay for. There are some customers who want more casual, bite-size experiences. They want a free-to-play model. You need the downloadable episode in Grand Theft Auto to extend the console game experience or a song you can download for Rock Band. You have a lot of different kinds of options. We enable all the business models, Shane Kim- corporate vice president for strategy and business development at Microsofts game division. [12] Figure 1: Normal distribution Curve for Kinect Adopters Moreover the extraordinary features of Kinect such as low price (approximately $150), attractive and slim look of the console and mass marketing support, all positioned Kinect to fit for the early majority section of adopters. Kinect with Xbox 360 provided a whole entertainment solution to the entire family. Microsoft Kinect clearly goes beyond gaming. Xbox Live gave a new meaning to the social networking. Kinect targeted a whole new range of customers. Besides the existing supporters, Microsoft targeted to open a mass market of first-time game players, like women, younger children and teenagers, who were not typically drawn to this form of interactive entertainment. Since Xbox 360, Xbox live all were very much popular already, Microsoft avoided the hurdle of crossing the chasm. S Curve Diffusion Pattern of Kinect Kinect was launched in November 2010 and became the fastest selling electronics device. Although it sold more than 10 million devices by the end of February 2011, still on the S-Curve, Kinect is positioned in the accelerated part of market growth. Market growth of Kinect has not yet reached its diminishing return on sales its limits. Diffusion pattern is with successive groups of consumers adopting the new technology; its market share will eventually reach the saturation level. Kinect A Radical or an Incremental Innovation? Kinect uses an RGB camera (image sensor), a 3-D depth camera (which determines how far away an object is from the camera), and a multi-array microphone. These were already existing technologies. Kinect is an Incremental Innovation rather than Radical Innovation since it is not based on a completely new technology, but an application of previously available technologies. Technology Strategy Do it differently According to Microsoft, Xbox Live and Kinect will be fundamental parts of their identity going forward and will lead them into online and natural user interfaces. Microsoft has a competitive advantage over its competitors in the form of Kinect. Launch of Kinect shows the leadership of the Microsoft in the technology field whether it is software development or the games. Along with good hardware of console which supports high processing power and graphics Microsoft tried entirely new concept in the game industry with the introduction of Kinect. This was about unleashing a new category of controller-free gaming and entertainment. We didnt want to do something that would be derivative of what Nintendo did with the Wii. Thats been a nice innovation for them but this goes much farther. Were talking about full-body recognition. It can tell when someone is standing or sitting down. It can tell when something moves in front of you or behind you, Shane Kim- corporate vice president for strategy and business development at Microsofts game division. [12] Open Innovation Even though Microsoft filed lot of patents for Kinect in order to get more casual players Microsoft director of incubation for Xbox, Alex Kipman announced that Kinect was left open By Design on the November 19 broadcast of National Public Radios Science Daily program. According to him Microsoft will not allow someone to use the algorithms that Xbox uses and to avoid the illegal uses, they put lot of efforts and make sure that this will not happen. But simultaneously Microsoft kept the design flexible so that if anyone want to write an open source driver for PC, which opens the USB connection for Kinect, take the inputs from the sensor. Microsoft wanted to break down the barriers that prevent people from enjoying what Microsoft is offering so that Xbox can attract more casual players. This will help Microsoft to get more participants and will make a bigger install base for Microsoft Xbox 360.[14]. By definition Installed base is a measure of the number of units of a particular type of system actually in use, as opposed to market share, which only reflects sales over a particular period.[15] New Product Development for Kienct: Introduction of product life cycle of Kinect: There are 6 stages in any product life cycle: Product Development, Introduction, Growth, Maturity, Saturation and Decline. Firm spend a lot of money on research and development in the beginning, and if the research is successful, then on advertisement. If the introduction of the product is successful then the product goes to the growth stage of product life cycle. In growth stage, firm try to recover its development cost as much as possible. In maturity stage, other firms will also come in the market and increases the competition. In the declining stage customer may change their need or the product becomes obsolete and people are not interested in firms product anymore. In the case of Kinect it is in the growth stage as Kinect was introduced successfully in the market and became an instant hit. Now, Microsoft has reduced the expenses on advertising of the Kinect as well as Xbox 360. As discussed above, through Kinect Microsoft was targeting to the casual gamers and to bring them in the market Microsoft had to remove the barriers, which were mainly the game controllers. Controllers, whether wired or wireless, are barriers for a lot of people and it is awkward for many people to learn the use of a controller. So Microsoft decided to come up something which gives casual gamers a controller free experience and this need gave birth to the Project Natal. Kinect was first announced on June 1, 2009 under the code name Project Natal, named on the name of Brazilian city Natal. Kinect uses a sensor to track body movement and recognizes face and listen to the voice. It provided a new way to play the video games where gamer uses full body to play the game. It provides gamers to play personalize games in which the players face and voice are recognized by the device. Kinect uses an RGB camera (image sensor), a 3-D depth camera (which determines how far away an object is from the camera), and a multi-array microphone. [2][11] Motion Sensor Voice Recognition Facial Recognition Skeletal Tracking Microsoft Patents for Kinect When a company files for a patent, government gives monopoly and protection for the innovation for a specific period of time. In return the inventor has to disclose the information details of the invention. Microsoft also filed multiple patents in an effort to protect the software and technology behind its motion-sensing gaming system Kinect, from other rivals. It was very important that Microsoft did not want to allow any loopholes that would allow others to copy its technology. Microsoft has filed at least 12 patents to protect the intellectual property of its motion sensor controller technology surrounding Kinect. The company aggressively aims to patent every aspect especially the software that enables a gaming experience that is based on gestures and motion tracking. The patent applications are based on Extending Standard Gestures, Gestures Beyond Skeletal, Gesture Shortcuts, Gesture Tool, Gesture Coach, Avatar Integrated Shared Media Selection, Localized Gesture Aggregation, Sys tems And Methods For Tracking A Model  , Real Time Retargeting of Skeletal Data To Game Avatar  , Systems and Methods For Applying Animations or Motions to a Character  , Avatar Integrated Shared Media Experience  , User Movement Feedback via On-Screen Avatars.[13] We want to ensure that we have great intellectual property protection. You have to have a strong legal approach, and this is not easy stuff. It has to be all buttoned up, legally. We have had a very concerted focus on this , Shane Kim- corporate vice president for strategy and business development at Microsofts game division. [12] Market Strategy for Kinect Game industry is currently expanding but it divided into many segments after Nintendo launched its Wii MotionPlus. Microsoft and Sony were seeing a huge potential and wanted to quickly react.Microsoft saw a huge potential market for casual gamers. Microsoft was able to identify that this newly developed market had massive potential and can worth millions to Microsoft. Microsoft Identified that every game console came with a controller which was a barrier that stops many people from playing games. So, Microsoft decided to come up something which can break down this barrier and can appeal to both mainstream and casual gamers. Microsoft adopted a Market Pull strategy for Kinect by identifying the latent needs of the casual gamers. Microsoft came up with the idea of Kinect, a controller free gaming experience. Microsoft through new Xbox 360 with Kinect took a disruptive approach: focus on fun and expand the market by appealing to non-gamers. Microsoft decided to keep the price low for Ki nect so that they can attract casual gamers as well. They kept Kinect retail price as $149 or if a gamer wants to purchase with Xbox 360, price of the bundle is $299. An analyst indicated that Microsoft losing a big amount for each box. The companys goal is to make a profit on software titles, royalties, and Xbox Live subscriptions. Selling more Xbox 360 consoles attracts more developers interested in developing games compatible to Kinect and Xbox 360, which in turn encourages more demand for consoles and generates licensing revenue for Microsoft. This is called snow-ball effect and Microsoft used it very well. Along with the good design and low price Microsoft heavily spent on the marketing campaign of Kinect. They spent almost 500 Million Dollars on the launch campaign of Kinect. Campaign for Kinect was You Are the Controller. They aimed to reach to new customer and to reach them, they advertized Kinect on Pepsi Bottles and Kelloggs Cereal boxes, commercials during shows such as dancing with the Stars and Glee as well as print ads in various magazines such as People and InStyle. They distributed free Xbox 360 consoles and Kinect to the audience in The Oprah Winfrey Show. Between November 1 and November 28, Burger King gave away a free Kinect bundle every 15 minutes. A major event was organized on November 3 in Times Square, where singer Ne-Yo performed with hundreds of dancers in anticipation of Kinects midnight launch. [9][11] Microsoft strategy worked well for Kinect as well as for the sale of the Xbox 360.The first advantage Microsoft had that they were able to capture a significant portion of the rapidly growing video gaming market from the sale of Kinect. Kinect also made a significant impact on the sale of Xbox 360. This shows a very good example of Network externalities. By definition Network externalities is that the value of a technology product/service to a user increases with the number of other users of the same or similar product/service. Xbox value increased when Kinect was launched. Marketing efforts of Kinect not only impacted Kinect Sale but it also contributed to Xbox 360 sale. Network externalities comes because of the snowball effect, which means a large installed base of a product attracts producers of complementary products/services and if there is a availability of complementary products/services it attracts users, increasing the installed base. So that means both occurs because of ea ch other. The same thing happens in the case of Xbox 360 and Kinect. Kinect is a complementary good for Xbox 360. Xbox 360 was having a large install base which helped the sales of Kinect but because of the Kinect, Xbox 360 installed base also increased. Microsoft reported that it sold more than 10 million Kinect devices till the end of February 2011. Microsofts core PC software businesses reached on the saturation point and it was looking for some new areas to sustain its success. Microsoft entered in the game industry by launching Xbox but Kinect made Microsoft the leader in the game industry by giving a technological edge over Sony and Nintendo. In past, companys reputation has suffered as a result of the litigation surrounding its Windows monopoly and other antitrust lawsuits. Kinect and Xbox 360 brought back the innovative image of the Microsoft and established the company as a technology leader in the game industry as well and built its brand.[17].The below charts show the Xbox market share before and after the Kinect launch. The following graphs try to show the market share of Xbox 360, Wii and PS3. As we can see Xbox 360 stole the market share of Sony and Nintendo both, but Nintendo sales were more impacted than that of Sony. Value Ecosystem To understand value chain for Microsoft it is important first to understand the value chain for the game industry. Game industry value chain is made up of six parties mainly: Game Publishing: involved in paying for development of new titles and seeking returns through licensing of the titles. Game Developers: includes developers and designers, who may be working under individual contracts or as part of in-house development teams. Console Manufactures: generates game development middleware, customizable game engines, and production management tools. Distributers: involved in marketing catalogs of games for retail and online distribution. Hardware Suppliers: or the providers of the underlying platform, which may be console-based. End-users layer: or the users/players of the games. Marketer: Advertise the games. Figure # -Video Game Software Value Chain The game development value chain explains that first, the game developers create games for the game publishers, who amalgamate games from various developers. The game publishers are like the pools where many game developers pooled their developed games. The game publishers then select the games suitable for the market and send those games to distributers /retailers and finally to customers. The game publishers may also send the games to marketing agencies which may help to advertise the games to the customers. In some cases, game publishers can sell their games to the console maker itself. While selling games to the console makers the digital rights management (DRM) providers provide DR to game developers to protect their copyrights. In case of Microsoft, the DRM provider is the console maker itself, as the DRM is integrated into the hardware of the console. Creating New Value Chains with Kinect Microsofts Shane Kim has put forward a belief that Kinect provided a value addition to Xbox 360. Microsoft believed that the Xbox 360 has an approximate life of 10 years so Xbox 360 has a life cycle through 2015. Microsoft was having a vision that Project Natal will be a great innovation. Kinect will be a big value addition for a person who thinks that controller is a barrier in playing games. Microsoft wanted to come up with complete system which can create a value for whole family to take the leadership position. To come up with a good product companies do integrated business with third parties. Kinect is a combination of partners and Microsofts own software. Kinect is based on software technology developed internally by Rare, a subsidiary of Microsoft Game Studios owned by Microsoft, and on range camera technology by Israeli developer PrimeSense. Microsoft also acquired Big Park to develop its game for Xbox Live. Microsoft consoles can now play music CDs, and DVDs directly and the DRM is proprietary to the individual publishers. Microsoft allowed publishers and game developers to develop games which can be played on Kinect. In addition to games, you can use Kinect to make video phone calls via Xbox Live. [20] Microsoft has also made internet connected game play available with a subscription-based service, Windows Live, its own application service provider. It allows customers to link play across the internet. Microsoft has managed to channel yet another revenue stream via the connectivity value chain. Microsoft is best positioned to exploit the value ecosystem. Microsoft also fully utilizes its other value chains to create network effects to draw the customers. As a gauge for the amount of licensing revenue that a console maker earns, an analysis of one of Microsofts own console games indicates that the game development value chain itself would bring in 11.5% of the sales price of the console game. Price for games for Kinect from Microsoft was $49 each. Microsoft started selling 4-gigabyte Xbox 360 with Kinect and the Kinect Adventures game in a bundle for $299. Microsoft provided Kinectimals, Kinect Sports and Kinect Joy Ride, each available for $49.99 in Kinect Adventures. It also prices Dance Central game for Kinect at $49.99. This is a very significant part of Microsoft marketing strategy, since games have been priced at $59.99 since the Xbox 360 and PS3 launched in 2005. Its smarter to price games cheaper. The entire pricing strategy is thus

Creating a School Computer Lab

Creating a School Computer Lab 2.1 Introduction Schools play a substantial role in the development of the growing youth. One way of doing so is the use of computer to boost learning as we are in the technological era. In Bangladesh, given its status as a developing country, there is a greater need to equip many schools with computer laboratories for children to have access in order to enhance learning. Bangladesh Computer Lab Co, a nationally owned company specializing in installing computers for schools in the country has been engaged to build a computer lab for Dhaka Primary School in the capital city of Bangladesh under the project titled; Dhaka Primary School Computer Lab Build Project. This project is an initiative of the Government of Bangladesh through the Ministry of Education. All the planning is done by Jasmin Nahar and Janee Jamaludeen who are the project managers of Bangladesh Computer Lab Co. The main stakeholders to this project are; The Bangladesh Ministry of Education and the Dhaka Primary School Board of Governors working closely with the company to see this project through. The project is fully sponsored by the Government of Bangladesh valued at AUD 167,500.00 with a duration of 3 months. Generally, this project is responding to Dhaka Primary Schools need for a computer lab to deliver its computer classes to enhance quality in education for its students. 2.2 Project Scope Statement Definition 2.2.1 Project Scope Description This project is guided by its project management plan that captures its project charter meeting all requirements after a close consultation with its stakeholders and very much in line with the existing organizational process assets. The table below further provides information as part of the project scope statement. Â   Â   2.2.2 Project Deliverables Finalized Project Documentation All project planning documents such as the scope management plan, project charter, requirements documentation and organizational project asserts are finalized. Finalized Lab Design The designing of the computer lab is finalized and approved for implementation. Installation of 50 desktop computers 50 x desktop computers are installed at 25 per lab. 2.2.3 Project Exclusion Lab Maintenance The maintenance of the lab to meet minimum computer lab standards is the responsibility of the administration of the school and its Board of Governors. Commissioning of the Computer Lab The commissioning of the computer lab is the responsibility of the schools Board of Governors. Development of the Computer Lab and Computer Usage Policy The development of the computer lab and computer usage policy is the responsibility of the schools administration. 2.2.4 Project Assumptions Electrical Capacity It is assumed that the buildings provided by the school will meet the electrical capacity including the cooling system required for all the computers. Security and Accessories It is assumed that all security measures including fire protection are provided by the school and its Board of Governors. 2.2.5 Project Constraints Limited Time Frame The project must be completed within 3 months with no provision for extension. Compliance Issues regarding Procurement Process The project must comply with the governments procurement process. Project Objectives LFM and KPI Project Title: Dhaka Primary School Computer Lab Build Goal: Dhaka Primary School has got a school computer lab that is of high quality that can promote learning. Purpose: Respond to the call of building Dhaka Primary School Computer Lab to promote quality education. Objective: To fully install 50 desktop computers in Dhaka Primary School. Input Responsible Output Performance Indicators Means of Verification Project Management (Planning, Implementation Closure) Project Manager Finalized Project Planning Documents -Existence of Project Management Plan, Project Charter, Requirements Documentations and Process Assets. -Project Completion Reports -Monitoring Evaluation Reports Computer Lab Designing Project Manager Finalized Computer Lab Design -Existence of a computer lab design. -Approved Lab Design Project Communication Project Manager Established Communication Managed Plan -Existence of a project communication management plan. -Complete Project Communication Plan Lab Commissioning Stakeholders (Dhaka Primary School Board of Governors and the Ministry of Education Commissioned labs with certification -Existence of a Computer Lab Minimum Standards Report. -Certification Report -Project Commissioning Report Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE PROJECT: DHAKA PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPUTER LAB BUILD DURATION: 3 MONTHS Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 WBS TASK ASSIGN TO WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 WK1 WK2 WK3 WK4 1 Finalize Project Documents 1.1 Strategic Management Planning Project Director 1.2 Completion of Project Management Plan Project Manager 1.3 Completion of Project Charter Project Manager 1.4 Completion of Requirement Documentations Project Manager 1.5 Completion of Process Assets Project Manager 1.6 Approval of Project Planning Steering Committee 2 Finalize Lab Design 2.1 Designing the lab plan Project Team 2.2 Approval of the Lab Plan Project Manager 3 Installation of 50 desktop computers 3.1 Procurement Project Team 3.2 Licencing of all software Project Team 3.3 Lab minimum standards survey Project Team 3.4 Installation Project Team 3.5 Testing Project Team 3.6 Project Closure Report Project Director WBS Dictionary WBS TASK Date START END 1 Finalize Project Documents 1.1 Strategic Management Planning 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.2 Completion of Project Management Plan 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.3 Completion of Project Charter 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.4 Completion of Requirement Documentations 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.5 Completion of Process Assets 01.04.17 16.04.17 1.6 Approval of Project Planning 10.04.17 16.04.17 2 Finalize Lab Design 2.1 Designing the lab plan 17.04.17 24.04.17 2.2 Approval of the Lab Plan 24.04.17 30.04.17 3 Installation of 50 desktop computers 3.1 Procurement 01.05.17 21.05.17 3.2 Licencing of all software 22.05.17 28.05.17 3.3 Lab minimum standards survey 22.05.17 28.05.17 3.4 Installation 29.05.17 11.06.17 3.5 Testing 19.06.17 25.06.17 3.6 Project Closure Report 26.06.17 30.06.17 Linear Responsibility Chart (LRC) Activity Project Sponsor Project Director Project Manager Project Team Steering Committee Strategic Management Planning S R C I A Completion of Project Management Plan I A R I S Completion of Project Charter I A R S I Completion of Requirement Documentations I A R S I Completion of Process Assets I A R S I Approval of Project Planning I R C S A Designing the lab plan I A R S I Approval of the Lab Plan I R C S A Procurement C A R S I Licencing of all software I C A S I Lab minimum standards survey I C A S I Installation I A C R I Testing I A R S I Project Closure Report A R C S C R Means that the person (or role) is responsible for creating the deliverable. (Usually there is only one person who is responsible for creating a deliverable, although many people may provide input.) A -Means that the person (or role) approves the deliverable. S Means that the person (or role) provides support toward the matters pertaining to the deliverable. I Means that the person (or role) who is kept informed on the deliverable. C Means that the person (or role) is consulted on matters pertaining to the deliverable. Budget Summary Activity Description Costing (AUD) Administrative General Admin Overhead Costs including labour etc. $ 70,000.00 Project Planning, Implementation Closure Strategic Management Planning. Completion of Project Management Plan Completion of Project Charter Completion of Requirement Documentations Completion of Process Assets Approval of Project Planning -Stakeholder/Consultative Meetings -Designing of lab plan -Approval of lab plan -Lab minimum standards survey -Installation -Testing -Monitoring Reporting -Project Closure Reports/Consultations/Meetings $ 90,000.00 Procurement Purchasing of 50 desktop computers Accessories -Purchasing of Software Licences Miscellaneous $ 7,500.00 Total $167,500.00 Communication Plan Role Reporting Purpose When to Report Stakeholders Ministry of Education -Reporting to the Government of Bangladesh the start, implementation and closure of the project. After the start and end date of the project. Board of Governors -Reporting to Parents of the progress of the project. Monthly Parental Meetings Steering Committee -Management of the Project in consultation with the Project Director. Monthly -Report to the stakeholders status of the project. Monthly Scheduled Meetings Project Director Reporting to the Steering Committee on the Progress of the project. Monthly Scheduled Meetings Project Manager Report to the project director the operational status of the project. Bi-weekly Scheduled Meetings and informal meetings on regular basis. Project Team Reporting on the project implementation progress to the Project Manager On Daily weekly basis and informal daily meetings on regular basis when need arises. Risk Planning The project sees the following as immediate risks to the project and has identified mitigating factors to address these risks. No Project Immediate Risks Mitigating Factors 1 Time Limitations Identify at early stages the critical pathway of the project, and focus on meeting deadlines. 2 Government Procurement Compliance Process Maintain effective dialogue with stakeholders in the initial stages of the project and define the best approach to getting procurement issues solved. 3 Building not meeting minimum lab standards Conduct lab survey in the initial stages of the project to identify areas of need, negotiate with the Board of Governors and resolve issues before installation is conducted. Project Milestone Currently the project sees the following as milestones that need to be achieved; No Project Milestone Achievement Date 1 Project Planning Approval 16th of April, 2017 2 Computer Installation and Testing 25th of June, 2017 3 Project Closer Report 30th of June, 2017 Procurement Plan Below is a summary of the project procurement plan and fully guided the companys procurement policy. Date of Completion Activity/Item 16th of April, 2017 Development of the project procurement plan 16th of April, 2017 Approval of the procurement plan 16th of April, 2017 Identifying all expandable and non-expandable items for purchase 16th of April, 2017 Create Assert Registry 14th of May, 2017 Vendor Identification 14th of May, 2017 Preparation and Approval of Purchase Requests 14th of May, 2017 Preparation and Approval of Check Requisitions 18th of May, 2017 Payment of Items and Materials (All expendable and non-expandable items including 50 x desktop computers and their accessories and software licences 21st of May, 2017 Confirming delivery against delivery notes 21st of May, 2017 Register all items 30th of June, 2017 Prepare registry for project closure

Foreshadowing in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay -- Shirley Jackso

Foreshadowing in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice.   The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens.   On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate.   Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice.   Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about.   Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting.   Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first hint that insinuates the abnormality of this lottery is seen in the second paragraph of the story.   The narrator describes the day as very lovely, but strikes a contrast between the pleasant atmosphere of the town and the activity of the people that are gathering in the square.   "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, a... ...le contradicts the pleasant ambience of the town.   When the foreshadowing job reaches its goal, it leads to the climatic point of the story.   Through this climax, the reader sees the cruelty of the residents and how they undervalue life for this particular ritual. Works Cited: Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 5th ed. Ed. Laurence Perrine. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Publishers 1998. Magill, Frank N. "Shirley Jackson." Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Salem Press, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1981. 1668-1674. Nebeker, Helen C. 'The Lottery': Symbolic Tour de Force." American Literature 46 March 1974.

Surveying :: essays papers

Surveying The commonwealth of Massachusetts has many different requirements for people who want to become registered land surveyors. Applicants for registration as a Land Surveyor require five references; three of these five must be from registered Land Surveyors who have seen the work of the applicant. The present supervisor should also be a reference. These references should cover the applicant’s entire surveying career. Acceptable education for registration as a Land Surveyor with four years of experience is a degree of Bachelor of Science in Surveying or Engineering, including courses in land surveying, from an institution authorized by the Massachusetts Legislature or a degree of Bachelor of Science in Surveying or Engineering accredited by ABET (American Board of Engineering and Technology) including approved courses in land surveying. Education obtained outside of the United States may qualify if a complete description of the curriculum is presented and the Board or an agency qualified to evaluate foreign curricula finds it to be equivalent. Acceptable education for registration as a Land Surveyor with six years of experience is a degree of Bachelor of Science or Associate degree in Surveying or Civil Engineering Technology, including at least 12 credit hours in land surveying, or two years of formal education above high school level with at least 60 semester credit hours passed, 12 of which m ust be in land surveying courses approved by the Board. Acceptable educations for applicants who wish to be a Surveyor-in-Training are to pass the Fundamentals Examination as well as have a Bachelor of Science Degree. An applicant having a degree in something other than surveying must have attained the required experience before receiving certification. An applicant for Surveyor-in-Training certification having an Associates Degree or 60 semester hours of acceptable education including courses in surveying approved by the Board may be certified after passing the Fundamentals Examination and attaining the required experience. Acceptable professional land surveying experience is full-time activity. Part-time land surveying work performed during full-time study at an educational institution is considered part of the educational program and is not acceptable professional experience. A graduate of four-year engineering institution taken on a daytime program, or five years for a co-operative program must obtain the necessary experience in eng ineering work acceptable to the Board after graduation.

Malaysia’s Seven Types of Schools

There are hundreds, if not thousand of schools in this world. In Malaysia, we have seven types of schools. They are Malay schools, Tamil schools, Chinese schools, international schools, private schools, and religious schools. There is only one type of Malay schools and they are the Malay government schools. Malay schools are the most common types of schools in Malaysia. You can find at least one Malay school in a town. Malay schools are divided into two. They are the Malay primary schools and the Malay secondary schools. Malaysians start their primary school education at the age of seven. They will then be in standard 1 and they will stay until they are in standard 6, which is until they are 12 years old. The following year they will go to form 1 in the secondary school and they will continue studying there until they finish form 5 so that they can go to either college or start work immediately or they can continue to form 6 so that they can go to university immediately thereafter. Every student has to sit for the UPSR examination when they are in standard 6, the PMR examination when they are in form 3, the SPM examination when they are in form 5, and the STPM examination when they are in form 6. All the lessons in the primary and secondary schools are, with the exception of the English lesson, are conducted in Malay. There is only one type of Tamil school in Malaysia and they are the government ones. Tamil schools are very much like the Malay schools with the exception that all lessons except English and Malay are in Tamil. Their syllabus is a lot like the syllabus of the Malay schools. The only difference is that they have to enter a Malay school when they go to form one. They normally spend a year in a special class after they finish the UPSR examination so that they can cope with the high standard of Malay in the Malay school they will be going to. Then they will they will continue studying at the school like any other student. Chinese schools are very much like Tamil schools. All their lessons except English and Malay are in Chinese. Their syllabus is a lot like the syllabus of the Malay schools. However, they can choose to continue their education in a Chinese secondary school after they finish their UPSR examination or they can choose to go to a special class after the examination and then continue their education in a Malay secondary school. There are two types of international schools, the private ones that follow the British syllabus, and the government ones that follow the Malaysian syllabus. The private international schools can be mainly found in Kuala Lumpur whereas the government ones can be found in almost every state capital. An example of a private international school is the Alice Smith International School in Kuala Lumpur and an example of government international schools is the Sri Utama International School. Private schools are run totally by the school board without any help from the government at all. If they have any problems, they have to overcome it themselves. They get no funding from the government so they have to get money by whatever means they can. That is why the school fees are very expensive. Their syllabus is basically like the normal syllabus of the government schools. Las,t but definitely not least, is the Islamic religious schools. Islamic students go there to learn about their religion and to learn how to speak and write Jawi. They normally study there for six years, but those who are really interested can go to a secondary school that teaches mainly Islam. There they will also learn all the other subjects that normal students do. We should be happy that we are lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to a school to have an education. There are hundreds if not thousands of children out there who do not have the opportunity to go to school. So my friends do not waste this opportunity. Use it while you can.

Culture And Climate Essay

In this paper a relationship between culture and climates is discussed with a focus on the southern California hunter gatherer societies. When there is a climate change the society will have to change their way of life in order to cope or else the change of climate could end up affecting the society adversely and even claiming life. Some of the change that occurs in the society due to climate change is that of food that is being eaten. Change in climate also could mean the people adapt to a new dressing code because of the increase or reduction in the temperatures. The effect of climate change will have a varying effect on the communities depending on whether they are gatherers/hunters or agriculturalist. When there is rain reduction the effect will be felt more by the agriculturalist than the hunters as much as all of them need the rain. When there is lack of rains some communities end up being violent as they fight for the few resources like pasture and water points. A good example of such an experience is the massacre that occurred at the Craw Creek whose evidence was the mass grave that was found with the remains of 486 individuals who had been mutilated. The attackers it is believed that, they made the attack because they were desperate due to lack of food as a result of climate change. When the society has a fear of being attacked they will always prepare for war. The society starts training the young people on how to fight and protect the community wealth. The community which has a tendency of being involved in wars will have its members having the skills of making weapons. They will also be involved in trade with other communities in order to sell or buy weapons. Some of the communities in Southern California like Chumash had other ways that they used as adaptation means to climate change that brought about severe droughts. This community adapted to using of a variety of plants and animal food such that when the climatic conditions were unfavorable they could resort to the use of the less preferred food which could be available at the time and these could help them avoid starvation. The communities learnt skills of storing food to avert effects caused by short term climatic changes. These community stored acorns, had skills of smoking and drying of fish, they dried seeds in addition to having the skills of constructing indoor and outdoor storage facilities. With enough food stored the community was able to support a dense population throughout the year including the years when there was little harvest. Different species of crops and varieties perform differently in same climate change. This also applies to the different tamed animals. There are some crops that will give a very low harvest or none at all when there is a change in climate while others survive in different climatic conditions. When communities are faced with unpredictable climate condition they resort to farming of different crops so as to survive harsh climatic conditions as seen from the case of the Chumash people. Water is a resource that becomes rare whenever there is extended droughts and as a result the communities which live in areas that are prone to droughts always have a culture of storing water. The Chumash people can also serve as an example in this area as research has shown that they had storage facilities to ensure there was supply of water for their use during the drought period. Their most common storage vessel was an asphalt interior lined water bottle. Due to the fact that asphalt preserves well, the evidence of the water bottle use and manufacture by the community is clear. The communities that were neighbors to the Chumash like Cahuilla and were in the desert regions had the skills of digging wells as way of adapting to the desert conditions. Exchange which was practiced among the Chumash is also seen as a way of the community trying to cope with the environment they new to be unpredictable. By the time of arrival of the Spanish the society was involved in exchange of prestige goods which partially had support of marriages that were so extensive that there was linkage of different ecological zones. There was a variety of goods that were being traded among the adjacent regions and these included foods, raw materials, manufactured goods and other goods. With the community involved in trade chiefs and other individuals who were powerful amassing a lot of wealth to themselves which was in form of prestige goods, a lot of food that was in storage facilities, shell beads which was being used as currency and canoes. This also brought about the emerging of network systems that were very powerful which involved ceremonial feasts. The use of prestige goods is believed to have been adopted as a form of social storage over thousands of years as a response to recurring droughts that challenged steady supply of required resources of the Chumash society. Reference Lynn H. (2005). Culture and Climate: Reconsidering the Effect of Palaeoclimatic Variability among Southern California Hunter-Gatherer Societies. World Archaeology, Vol. 37, No. 1, retrieved on 27TH April 2009 from: http://www. jstor. org/stable/40023887