The Racism Of South Park - 1441 Words

Popular television shows aids to heavily influence American audiences, perpetuating, and problematic ideas about homosexuality. Not all mainstream media adheres to traditional social ideas. South Park uses satire to deconstruct heteronormative views on homosexuality. Therefore, homosexuality is accepted more widespread through use of mainstream media. South Park is about four boys and their wild adventures, as they go through elementary school. The main characters are Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, Eric Cartman and Kyle Broflovski. In an episode called ‘Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Boat Ride’ South Park is explaining to the audience that we should accept homosexuality and that it is ok to be a homosexual. We should accept homosexuality homosexuals. Same as we accept heterosexuals, we need to dispel of old convictions. Old convictions that the heteronormative society believe about homosexuality. As in homosexuality is not natural and immortal. Marriage should be between a man and a women only. Homosexuals should not have the same rights as heterosexuals. As well as that children cannot be raised by lesbian or gay parents. With these ideas that leaves these old convictions that the heteronormative society believe in the Plato’s cave. Plato’s cave is the box of ignorance. In reality these old convictions that is the heteronormative society believe is unjust. Homosexual couple can raise a child same as heterosexual couples can. According to Judd Legum â€Å"finds that kids raised byShow MoreRelatedSexism, Racism and Stereotypes in South Park2128 Words   |  9 PagesShivam Aggarwal Research Paper Professor Aimee Sands Rhetoric B SEXISM, RACISM AND STEREOTYPES IN SOUTH PARK Racial Stereotyping, racism, gender stereotyping and sexism are some of the strengths of South Park. This TV show was created with a purpose to make racism and sexism funny and acceptable. South Park is a television show that was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It circumvents the lives of 4 boys namely Eric Cartmen, Kenny McCormick, Stan Marsh andRead MoreRacism Is Funny, By Co Creator Of South Park, And The Simpsons Essay2213 Words   |  9 PagesReligion is Funny.† This line, once said by co-creator of South Park Matt Stone, has caused so much controversy over the years about how we treat other cultures and religions that it has emerged to become a number one topic. Even though religion has been around for many years, people still take their beliefs very seriously. Media has even started making fun of religions by making jokes about the systems of beliefs of a religion and the people who follow those religions based on the negative stereotypesRead MoreRacism Is Funny, By Co Creator Of South Park, And The Simpsons Essay2038 Words   |  9 PagesReligion is Funny.† This line once said by co-creator of South Park Matt Stone has caused so much con troversy over the years about how we treat other cultures and religions that it has emerged to become a number one topic. Even though religion has been around for many year’s people still take their beliefs very seriously. Media has even start making fun of religions by making jokes about the systems of beliefs of a religion and the people that follow those religions based on the negative stereotypesRead MoreA Brief Note On Environmental Racism Of Los Angeles1623 Words   |  7 PagesMihaela D. 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Instead, environmental racism played a significant role in the confrontation process that led to the closure by ex cludingRead MoreA Time to Kill: the Story of Struggle from Racism1331 Words   |  6 PagesThe Struggles with Racism A Time to Kill demonstrates how much racism, inequality, and segregation was going on in the early to mid 1960’s. The movie shows how African Americans were divided from white people in every circumstance. Inequality was very common for African Americans, and they were shut off from the rest of the public because of the color of their skin. Racism has always been a major conflict and it still remains with us in our society today. A Time to Kill really unfolds howRead MoreRacism : America And The Deep South1688 Words   |  7 PagesRacism in America and the Deep South The deep south: Georgia; Louisiana; Alabama; Mississippi and South Carolina is a place foreign to many in the Western World. Although, being within the same country, it is clear that the ‘land of cowboys’ couldn’t be more different than the beaches of California and the skyscrapers of New York. However, it is easily one of the places in which property and land can be bought cheapest. This can be traced back hundreds of years to when the slave market was firstRead MoreMandel A Symbol For Justice, Equality, And Dignity1736 Words   |  7 Pagesand raised in South Africa, which was a country that, up until 1994, was full of racial oppression and apartheid. Much like the Jim Crow laws in America, apartheid affected the lives of many African Americans and other people of color. At this time in South Africa, people of color were only allowed access to certain homes, schools, and jobs. The government stripped these individuals of their national citizenship, and many ot her rights, in order to achieve a white majority in South Africa. This strictRead MoreDiscussion of How Christians Can Put Their View of Racism into Action711 Words   |  3 PagesDiscussion of How Christians Can Put Their View of Racism into Action All of the Christian teachings on racism have originally started from the teachings of the scripture. It is because of this that Christians are aware that they have a responsibility to bring peace and reconciliation. However not all Christians take up this responsibility, maybe this is due to the fact that most people today go with the majority and rarely speak out as an individual. Some people howeverRead MoreA Raisin Of The Sun1319 Words   |  6 PagesEssay 3: Suggested Topics A Raisin in the Sun was a play written in the late 1950’s analyzing the cruel effects of racism amongst the Younger family. The younger family suffers from racial discrimination within their living space, place of employment, and the housing industry. Racism has been going on for a very long time in the United States and will always continue to exist. Racism has not only led to political but also social issues. A Raisin in the Sun confronted Whites for an acknowledgement

An Examination Of Cloud Computing As A Proposed Technology...

An Examination of Cloud Computing As a Proposed Technology for Education This general scope of this paper is meant to analyze, compare, and synthesize a key emerging technology related to the communication and learning features of today’s classrooms. The paper examines a decisive area of emerging technology, that being cloud computing, and how learning and communications could be impacted in varied learning settings using this technology to set the context of this paper. The relationship between the advanced technology and education, and the role of the technology on effective knowledge acquisition and communication will be thoroughly examined. Additionally, a major component of this paper will include a breakdown of the views of relevant psychological theories and how the advanced technology reflects those psychological theories. Furthermore, the emergent feature of the advanced technology, will be investigated cloud computing, in regards to how it is a recognizable issue in view of the fact that the concept has been considerably deliberated in recent years. However its capabilities have not been wholly understood until recent. As a result there is great consequence in learning more about the existence and integration of cloud computing to appropriately support the characteristics and functionalities of it as an emerging technology in to education. As a result, numerous studies have been analyzed that investigate the benefits of using the particular technology, indicating,Show MoreRelatedPursuing A Master s Degree1971 Words   |  8 Pagesmotivated towards my goals and encouraged me to aim high in life. After a good deal of self-evaluation I have decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Computer Science in my areas of interest: â€Å"Artificial Intelligence† and â€Å"Distributed Systems (Cloud Computing)†. This decision followed naturally after carefully analysing my academic background, my areas of interest, and my long term career objective, which is to pursue a research career – either as a teaching faculty in a university, or in an R DRead MoreEthics, Compliance Auditing, and Emerging Issues1682 Words   |  7 Pagesidentifying and preventing inappropriate conduct while promoting adherence to the legal and  ethical responsibilities of the organization. The core components of the proposed ethics program will include: * Establishing Standards and Procedures – this will include code of conduct, policies and procedures * Training and Education, to ensure employees are trained on the code of conduct, policies and procedures and other programs and objectives that are relevant to the program * MonitoringRead MoreSustainable Solutions Paper wk 7 draft16370 Words   |  66 Pagespersonal computer and technology industry. 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The Role Of Project Portfolio Management In Increasing The Effectiveness Free Essays

string(30) " performance of each project\." THE ROLE OF PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT IN INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PROJECT PORTFOLIO Name Institution Date THE ROLE OF PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT IN INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PROJECT PORTFOLIO Introduction The issue of whether project managers should adopt project portfolio management in the management of multiple projects or not has raised a lot of debates in organizations. It is evident that project managers find it difficult to manage multiple projects on their own without the help of project portfolio management which provides the capacity needed to effectively handle multiple projects. Some company executives insist that portfolio managers are not necessary and yet this not the case. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role Of Project Portfolio Management In Increasing The Effectiveness or any similar topic only for you Order Now Companies initiate multiple projects each and every day with high performance standards. Project managers do not have the capacity to coordinate and control multiple projects in a project portfolio without the help of project portfolio management (Mahajan 2009, p. 78). Project portfolio management is a new concept in project management that is yet to fully explored and utilized by many organizations. The effectiveness of a project portfolio can not be achieved without the expertise of a portfolio manager. The effectiveness of a project portfolio is very vital when an organization wants to meet its organizational and financial goals (Mahajan 2009, p. 134). Some project managers feel that their job is threatened with the introduction of project portfolio management. This is not the case because project portfolio management is only meant to complement the work of a project manager. This position paper will discuss why it is necessary for an organization to adopt project portfolio management when handling multiple projects. Project portfolio management plays a critical role in increasing the efficiency of a project portfolio. Background Information It is important to first of all have some background information about project portfolio management before discussing why it is necessary in increasing the effectiveness of a project portfolio (Levin 2010, p. 93). Project portfolio management introduces a new system in portfolio management where all the technologies, methods and processes used in the management of multiple projects are centralized in one place. Each project in a project portfolio has unique characteristics that are analyzed and collectively managed by the project portfolio management office. Effective allocation and tracking of resources meant for multiple projects is not an easy task but this can be done by a portfolio manager who has the capability and tools to come up with an effective framework for managing multiple resources (Brunel 2006, p. 28). Project portfolio management is very essential in project-driven organizations and this is attributed to the fact that inter-related tasks need to be managed in a centralized manner. Project execution and decision making are the segments of project management that require the capabilities provided by project portfolio management. Project portfolio management provides project managers with the required capabilities necessary to handle multiple projects. Project portfolio management offers simple and cheap strategies that are needed in the execution of multiple projects. Some of the most important capabilities brought about by project portfolio management include pipeline management, resource management, change control, financial management and finally risk management (Brunel 2006, p. 59). The capabilities brought by project portfolio management are very critical in increasing the efficiency of a project portfolio (Rad 2006, p. 9). The work of project managers becomes simple with the adoption of project portfolio management. Project portfolio management provides the best platform for project managers to carry out their duties with minimum risks (Rad 2006, p. 49). The importance of project portfolio management can only be understood in this discussion by looking at the efforts being put in place by organizations to ensure that the project portfolio management office does its best in the management of multiple projects. There is a concerted effort by organizations to increase awareness on the importance of project portfolio management because of the critical role that project portfolio management plays towards the success of an organization (Kevin 2006, p. 143). Many organizations are now focused on improving their project portfolio by putting in place the necessary structures to facilitate the learning process. In order for project portfolio management to serve its purpose, there are certain things that need to be improved. To begin with, any initial information about a project portfolio should be gathered and reported through the recommended procedure. Organizations can also improve their project portfolio management by coming up with clear goals and objectives to guide their projects (Kevin 2006, p. 143). It is important for portfolio managers to develop asset portfolios for optimum resource utilization. Asset portfolios are normally linked to the organizational and financial goals of a project to enhance consistency when it comes to project portfolio management. The resources to be used for multiple projects are identified as early as possible to enable portfolio managers to come up with effective strategies for maximum utilization of resources. An initial assessment of a project portfolio helps portfolio managers to correct some of the mistakes that can affect the overall performance of a project portfolio (Morris 2010, p. 45). Portfolio balance is another aspect that is given special attention in project portfolio management. Portfolio managers communicate their recommendations to the relevant departments within the organization on a regular basis. It is always a challenge to choose the right projects using the right methods and this requires a professional portfolio manager who can carry out the task satisfactorily (Morris 2010, p. 9). Portfolio managers come up with proactive measures that bring high returns at the lowest risk possible. Facts about the Role of Project Portfolio Management Project portfolio management brings out the business value of a project by putting in place results oriented strategies (Grobys 2009, p. 176). All projects within an organization are directed in the right way to guide an organization to wards executing the right projects. Each project has a significant impact on the portfolio and this makes it necessary for portfolio managers to monitor the performance of each project. You read "The Role Of Project Portfolio Management In Increasing The Effectiveness" in category "Essay examples" The overall success of a project portfolio depends on the contribution of all the projects within the portfolio. Portfolio managers determine whether a particular project is likely to have a negative impact on current and future projects (Grobys 2009, p. 176). It is necessary for portfolio managers to identify projects that depend on each other in advance in order for them to come up with the right strategies. Information overload is one thing that project portfolio managers avoid at all costs (Ibrahim 2011, p. 85). Portfolio managers work with the most important data as a way of avoiding onfusion. It is not easy to work on all projects and at the same time achieve the desired results. Project portfolio management was introduced to help organizations in handling multiple projects in an efficient manner. Each project has team leaders who constantly report to portfolio managers on a regular basis about the progress of individual projects. The process of evaluating projects is made effi cient by the right portfolio management systems (Brentani 2006, p. 109). The role of project portfolio management is to ensure that project portfolios achieve the expected results in the right way. Many organizations have discovered the importance of project portfolio management and that is the reason why new systems are being put in place to simplify the work of a project manager (Brentani 2006, p. 109). Project portfolio management software systems are chosen according to the objectives of a given organization. Project portfolio management software has important features that facilitate process evaluation, measurement of benefits and costs, progress reporting, capacity planning and the tracking of benefits. This system enables the company executives to make the right decisions when it comes to finances and business. An organization that is ready to adopt project portfolio management should have the characteristics necessary for effective utilization of the capabilities brought by project portfolio management (Brentani 2006, p. 110). A portfolio manager strictly follows and implements all kinds of standardization without any kind of bias (Moore 2009, p. 156). Project portfolio management improves processes as a way of enhancing the outcome of projects. Organizations should have processes that are properly defined for portfolio managers to have an easy time when they are trying to make improvements. Project portfolio management provides the necessary framework that helps an organization in managing change (Moore 2009, p. 34). Project Portfolio Management Discussion The issue of whether companies should adopt project portfolio management can only be discussed comprehensively by looking at both sides (Levin 2010, p. 93). According to the argument in this paper, project portfolio management is very vital when it comes to increasing the effectiveness of a project portfolio. To begin with, the failure of a project-oriented organization to adopt project portfolio management disconnects information technology with business (Brunel 2006, p. 9). Project portfolio management facilitates a closer alignment of information technology with business. Companies are able to get value for their massive investment in information technology because project portfolio management enables executives to monitor the entire project portfolio and decide on the viability of each project (Rad 2006, p. 49). T hrough project portfolio management, project managers can monitor the progress of multiple projects and ensure compliance with all specifications and standard. Project managers often face challenges when handling multiple projects without the help of project portfolio management because they can not receive detailed data on current and future projects. Organizations that are yet to adopt project portfolio management incur a lot of costs and at the same time experience a decrease in production (Rad 2006, p. 51). On the other hand, project portfolio management reduces costs and increases productivity through appropriate allocation of resources and asset reuse. Project portfolio management enables project managers to make business-based decisions that improve returns and minimize risks (Rad 2006, p. 1). Project managers who work without the help of project portfolio management find it difficult to predict the outcome of current and future projects. Project portfolio management helps project managers in the identification of inter-project dependencies and prediction of project outcomes (Morris 2010, p. 71). The status of multiple projects can b e assessed by project portfolio management assessment strategies (Morris 2010, p. 122). It is necessary to adopt project portfolio management if there is need for a company to improve the effectiveness of its project portfolio. Despite this assertion, there are some arguments that do not support the idea of having portfolio managers in managing multiple projects (Levin 2010, p. 93). The first counter-argument is based on the opinion that portfolio management is only critical in determining whether the expected efficiency will be achieved or not. Poor handling of project portfolio management can lead to a situation where the level of overhead exceeds the benefits. The other reason why some organizations are reluctant to adopt project portfolio management is because it brings a cultural shift. Project portfolio management comes with new roles, processes, and corporate relationships that may take a lot of time for members within the organization to adapt to the new culture (Brunel 2006, p. 28). Portfolio management introduces the aspect of change management for effective balancing of new personnel, technologies and processes. The introduction of project portfolio management in projects that are ongoing can kill the project momentum because a lot of training is needed to familiarize the workers with the new systems. The possibility of a cultural resistance is what scares many organizations from adopting project portfolio management. The other argument on why project portfolio management is not necessary is that the business value of a project can be delayed as a result of over-engineered projects (Brunel 2006, p. 59). It is also not a guarantee that project portfolio management can deliver the desired result when it is implemented for the first time. It takes a lot of effort for project portfolio managers to make things perfect during the initial stages. Trying to change everything at once is one of the reasons why project portfolio management can end up failing (Ibrahim 2011, p. 5). Gradual implementation of new tools, processes and roles for a group of projects under project portfolio management is necessary when an organization wants to increase the effectiveness of a project portfolio (Morris 2010, p. 71). The final argument on why project portfolio management is not necessary in increasing the effectiveness of a project portfolio is based on the fact that some very important projects can be excluded even af ter the organization has spent a lot of resources and time to work on them (Rad 2006, p. 9). Despite these numerous claims against project portfolio management, it is important for organizations to clearly understand the importance of project portfolio management when it comes to achieving both financial and organizational goals. Conclusion It is important to reiterate the fact that portfolio managers play a very significant role in increasing the efficiency of a project portfolio. Project portfolio managers have a responsibility of ensuring that an organization runs multiple projects in the best way possible. Project portfolio managers consolidate projects that have similar needs and characteristics for effective planning and reporting. Project portfolio management saves the leadership in organizations a lot of money and time because it provides the highest level of management when handling multiple projects. The project portfolio of an organization can be compromised easily when a project portfolio management system is not in place (Levin 2010, p. 119). Through project portfolio management, the executive is able to receive information about all the projects that are in progress without much struggle. Portfolio managers have special attributes that play a critical role in improving the processes and strategies when an organization is in the process of handling multiple projects. An organization that is yet to implement project portfolio management is bound to face financial and organizational challenges on a regular basis (Levin 2010, p. 119). Organizations that want to improve the performance of their projects and at the same time maintain operational and financial stability should consider project portfolio management. This is can done through setting up a project portfolio management office and hiring competent portfolio managers to assist project managers in handling multiple projects. References Brentani, C 2006, Portfolio management in practice, Butterworth-Heinemann, London. Brunel, J 2006, Integrated wealth management: The new direction for portfolio managers, Euromoney Books, London. Grobys, K 2009, Portfolio management, Books on Demand, New York. Ibrahim, N 2011, Project portfolio management in philanthropic organizations, GRIN Verlag, New York Kevin, S 2006, Portfolio management, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. , New York. Levin, G 2010, Interpersonal skills for portfolio, program, and project managers, Management Concepts Incorporated, London. Mahajan, A 2009, Portfolio Management: Theoretical and empirical studies, Global Indian Publications, New Delhi. Moore, S 2009, Strategic project portfolio management: Enabling a productive organization, John Wiley and Sons, New York. Morris, P 2010, The Wiley guide to project, program, and portfolio management, John Wiley and Sons, New York. Rad, P 2006, Project portfolio management: Tools and techniques, www. iil. com/Publishing, New York. How to cite The Role Of Project Portfolio Management In Increasing The Effectiveness, Essay examples

Nintendos Success free essay sample

You might laugh at a 12 year old when he claims his Pokemon game is serious business, yet you must admit that at Nintendo, games are serious business. Ever since 1975 when Nintendo made the significant key transition from a national playing card/small scale electronic toy company to an international video game company, its business has been blooming. From the earliest GameWatch in 1976 to the Gameboy in 1989, and the Nintendo DS in 2004, Nintendo generated one after another landmark product that won the hearts of millions of video game players all over the world (History of Nintendo. In 2006, the company introduced innovative Wii to the market, redefining the boundary of video games and opening a new channel for the company’s business. From a playing card company to a global video game producer that designs and manufactures the leading products in its sector, Nintendo has achieved success through strategic thinking. The combination of clear vision, solid purpose, efficient str ucture, creative leadership, and unique strategy paved the way for Nintendo to rise as one of the top three video game manufacturers. Nintendo creates values for its customers. For example, when a grade school child screams with joy upon receiving a Nintendo DS for Christmas or when the entire family sits in front of TV to play Wii baseball on a rainy Sunday, we have evidence that customers value Nintendo products. The company’s devotion to serve its customers is its strongest motivation to constantly renovate and design products that could fit better into the consumers’ life styles, hobbies, and budgets. Nintendo’s products are widely welcomed by consumers because the company knows consumers’ needs and wants and mobilizes its capital, human, and technological resource to make different dreams come true. The design of Wii perfectly exemplifies Nintendo’s consideration for its customers. The multi-part device is elegant, compact, lightweight, and energy efficient. Gamers can purchase different parts, such as the console, the remote, the nunchuk, or the balance board, according to individual needs. Wii is especially outstanding in is its design concept of family fun. This game theme contradicts the traditional parents’ view of video games, yet it is so urgently needed by the families that have little quality time to spend together nowadays. Wii brings families together to play sports, raise Pokemon, or even sing. The unique set up of the device invites multiple players and creates an atmosphere of bonding. On the other end of the market, Nintendo creates values for its business partners. The company’s extended branches of developers and transatlantic joint ventures are at the core of its value creation through partnership. The company parcels out the design and development of new product and new versions of existing products to multiple levels of developers around the globe. These developers are composed of smaller software design companies or individuals who do not have enough resource to stand strong alone in the vast industry. The partnership with Nintendo, the well-known video game producer, not only provides the developers with monetary support—crucial for the survival of small businesses—but also allows the developers opportunities to improve by accessing a wider range technology and resources. For example, iQue, Limited, is a Chinese joint venture with Nintendo. iQue manufactures and distributes official Nintendo consoles and games for the mainland Chinese market under the iQue brand. With the support of Nintendo, Wei Yen, iQue’s founder, has also able to design and produce the company’s own first product, iQue (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. ) Nintendo’s effectiveness in continuously creating value for its customers and business partners is based on its delicately structured business model. The company is now a multinational corporation with multiple principal offices and distribution centers in North America, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and its home Asia (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. While the Japanese headquarter serves as the control center of the company, monitoring sales, planning budgets, analyzing the market trend, and evaluating the overall performance, Nintendo distributes the job of product design and manufacture into many smaller that specialize in software design, computer programming, or CPU manufacturing. Instead of trying to perform every step in the production process alone, Nintendo wisely chooses to build solid and long lasting partnerships that will allow the firm to reduce the cost of building design studios or manufacturing plants but still produce the high quality products. For instance, its famous developer Monolith Soft, that also worked with Nintendo’s rival, Sony, to develop PlayStation 2, delivers top selling games for Nintendo DS and Wii (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. ) The keys in its successful partnership are trust, degrees of freedom, and quality control. The company strictly controls the licensing process before it works with the development studios; yet once it builds the partnership, Nintendo encourages creativity from its developers and allows much freedom for the studios to design software that reveals their own concepts and ideologies. The company follows the same rule for the manufacturers. Nintendo takes great amount of effort to research top manufacturers. IBM and ATI, two of the best from the business, produce cutting-edge CPUs of Wii (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. ) To ensure the integrity of the products, Nintendo not only controls the quality, but also instills its own values and regulations into the production process. As a result, the products designed and produced by different partners carry the essence and spirit of Nintendo’s corporate culture. Nevertheless, Nintendo was not always as successful as it is today. Founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, Nintendo started as a small Japanese playing card business based in Kyoto. The company produced and marketed a playing card game called Hanafuda. In 1956, a visit to the U. S. Playing Card Company reminded Hiroshi Yamauchi, the grandson of Fusajiro Yamauchi, about the limitation of the playing card business. The insight led to Nintendo’s disastrous venture into a taxi company and even a â€Å"love hotel† chain, a TV network and a food company. The fragmentation of its capital in new business venture along with the decrease in sale of playing cards caused the downfall of the company. Fortunately, the turning point came in the 1970s when Hiroshi Yamauchi wisely re-determined the direction of the company and successfully transformed it into an electronics/technology company (Nintendo. Company History. ) In 1970, Nintendo’s stock listing moved to the first section of the Osaka Securities Exchange. In 1980, Nintendo entered the North American market and established its first oversea subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc. trading on pink sheets with the ticker symbol NTDOY (Nintendo Database. ) Since its enterance of the electronic era in 1975, Nintendo’s development speeded immensely as a result of the popular game console Gameboy series. As the company gathers more and more capital from its booming sales, it expands into global market with approximately 20 major offices and distribution centers in five continents. The structure of the company greatly changed from a small firm that designs, produces, and markets its own products to a complex corporation that operates on different levels and divisions with centralized power. Nintendo owns and works with more than a hundred internal and outside first, second, and third party design studios in product development. Internally, its Research and Development is composed of three branches: Nintendo Technology Development, Nintendo Integrated Research and Development, and Nintendo Technology and Engineering. The company’s Sales and Market Research Department is empowered by professional market researchers such as HFI Inc, NES Merchandising Inc, NHR Inc. , as well as its own Nintendo Research, Inc. (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. With such a powerful and complete engine that generates new market trends, sales, and technologies, the company is able to gather sufficient amount of information that is crucial in the decision-making process. To lead this organization that has great complexity and various areas of specialty, Nintendo’s leadership team is composed of competent leaders whose intelligence and personalities have left legacies of sound practice and good stewardships for the company. The legendary CEO, Hiroshi Yamauchi, took the position in 1949 and remained the head of the company for more than half a century. He took Nintendo through major transitions in the 70s and established the company as the top three video game producers around the globe. In 2002, the former CEO broke the historical inheritance of the company and passed the torch to Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s first CEO outside the Yamauchi family. Two other major officials, Masaharu Matsumoto, the Managing Director in the General Manager and Finance and Information Systems Division, and Eiichi Suzuki, the Managing Director; in the General Manager and General Affairs Division serve as the left and right hands of the CEO, aiding him in human resource management and product distribution. Under this leadership team, Nintendo merged all software designers under the EAD (Entertainment Analysis Development) division and renovated internal development divisions into five groups: Nintendo EAD, Nintendo EAD Tokyo, Nintendo Integrated Research Development, Nintendo Software Production Development, and Nintendo Technology Development (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. Working as a software designer for Nintendo for years before taking the challenging CEO position, Iwata has the insight of venturing into new avenue in video the game industry and greatly contributed to the design concept of Wii—Nintendo’s landmark product in the present market (Nintendo Database. ) The invention of Wii is the best example of Nintendo’s business strategy. This innovative game console is a major breakthrough of this sector because it turns over the traditional assumptions about video games as sedentary and visual and seamlessly connects physical activities and inter-personal bonding in one game. While the traditional video games try to appeal to visual elements by enhancing the pixels and 3D motion quality, Wii focus on move the gamers from emotional level. Nintendo focuses on the consumer’s feeling rather than its product. Wii does not equal to video games; Wii aims at the fun consumers enjoy while they play (Kjerulf. ) Thus by setting Wii apart from the traditional consoles, Nintendo is competing on completely different terms than Sony and Microsoft. Wii doesn’t intend to be a best-of-breed videogame console: Wii is cheap, has no Hard Disk, no DVD, no Dolby 5. , weak connectivity, comparatively low processor speed, but blows minds away with its innovative motion control nunchuk. The nunchuk integrates the movements of a player directly into the video game. With this feature Nintendo opens up the game console world to a completely new public of untapped non-gamers (Kjerulf. ) Such strategy of making competition irrelevant, in Wii’s case deviating attent ion from the core group of consumers to attract non-core video game players and possibly a lot more first-timers, is referred as Blue-Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in their book Blue Ocean Strategy (Nintendo’s Blue Ocean Strategy. ) While Microsofts Xbox and Sonys PS3 are fighting each other fiercly in a red ocean, the existing market, Nintendos Wii is calmly sailing in the blue ocean it created for itself. As for year 2008, Nintendo outcompetes its rivals Sony (PS3) and Microsoft (Xbox) Nintendos unit sales of 720,000 Wiis are followed in descending order by Nintendos DS platform with 698,000 units; Sonys PSP with 297,000 units; Microsofts Xbox 360 with 262,000; and Sonys PS3 with 257,000 (Emigh. Although Nintendo clearly understands the 80-20 rules in business, it dares to explore new possibilities of money-making by shifting the design concept and marketing strategy. While the main group of consumers, that is the 80% of revenue source and 20% of all its consumers, still consists of children, teenagers, and young adults who have always been active buyers in video game market, Nintendo challenges this rule b y designing and marketing Wii. The result is clear to all now: Nintendo not only successfully expands its revenue sources but also broadens the avenue for future development. In the years to come, the success story of Wii will continuously serves as an inspiration to Nintendo—a company that encourages creativity and innovation, welcomes changes and fresh blood, and focuses on people rather than tools or technologies. Innovation is big in Nintendo. In the next five to ten years, the company will consistently seek new angles and technologies in video game development including online gaming, while keeping expanding the existing trade marks such as Gameboy, Nintendo DS, and Wii (Gogia. With the mission to be â€Å"strongly committed to producing and marketing the best products and support services available,† Nintendo believes it is essential to provide products of the highest quality and to treat every customer with attention, consideration and respect (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. ) It will continuously put people first by listening closely to its customers and by constantly improving its products and services. The guiding concept of â€Å"focus on people† in the mission statement is not only revealed by its promise to all its customers to provide the best possible products and customer services, it is also revealed by its goals and visions toward its employees. As stated in their mission statement for the employees, Nintendo feels â€Å"an equal commitment toward its employees† and believes â€Å"in treating our employees with the same consideration and respect that it, as a company, shows its customers† (Nintendo. 008 Annual Report. ) The company aims to maintain an atmosphere in which talented individuals can work together as a team. Because commitment and enthusiasm are crucial to the high quality of its products, Nintendo holds high expectations for its employees to devote to the company and work with passion. Nevertheless, employees enjoy freedom of creativity and individuality, have large room for personal development, and are encouraged to propose innovative ide as. Besides the positive environment it creates for its employees, Nintendo spends efforts in building its unique corporation culture which gradually distinguishes itself from other companies in the industry. For example, outside the world of video games, Nintendo owns Seattle Mariners, an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington (Nintendo. 2008 Annual Report. ) As baseball is the national sports in Japan, Nintendo’s ownership of a major U. S. baseball league shows people its love for the sport and builds up a human-like characteristic of the company that makes it closer to its consumers and employees. The company also strives to be a good corporate citizen of the community. Not only it concerns with its own profit, but also it cares about its customers and the environment. It protects the environment by designing energy-efficient game tools, such as Wii, while it helps its customers live a healthier life by introducing physical motions. The demanding yet encouraging atmosphere and the vivid and deeply implanted corporate culture become the reasons that Nintendo ranks high in its employees’ heart and in the community’s mind. As a result of continuing executing its strategy of expanding the gaming audience by offering a variety of products which satisfy both novice as well as skilled gamers over the past years, Nintendo has achieved record results in both net sales and income. Net sales were 1,672. 4 billion yen (US$16,724 million) increased by 73. 0 percent from the previous fiscal year, operating income was 487. 2 billion yen (US$4,872 million) increased by 115. 6 percent from the previous fiscal year, ordinary income was 440. 8 billion yen (US$4,408 million) increased by 52. percent from the previous fiscal year, and net income was 257. 3 billion yen (US$2,573 million) increased by 47. 7 percent from the previous fiscal year (Nintendo. Annual Financial Report. ) In FY 2008, the total revenue for FY 2008 is $1,672,423 (Nintendo Co. Ltd. Financial Times. ) An investor should definitely consider Nintendo as a profitable bet, because its clear focus and intuitive vision promise its bright future. In fact, the general market trend of video game industry is positive in the next decade. Even in a tough economy, the US market for video game hardware, software, and accessories soared 57% from March 2007, reaching a total sale of $1. 7 billion milestone in March 2008 (Emigh. ) Driven by expansion of software sales, a growing installed base of the new generation of console hardware as well as favorable handheld hardware sales over the past year, the market is projected to continuously grow. What makes the video game sector remain viable in a downward economy might be caused by â€Å"a shift in preferences for expenditures of consumer dollars as attributed by Groups David Riley. However, what makes Nintendo stand out among its competitors in today’s market is its solid concept of focusing on people, in other words, to think outside-in of what products and service consumers want and its intuitive way of thinking outside the box, as trite as it might sounds. These two factors along with its strong partnership with affiliated companies, its efficient business model, its organized structure, and its charismatic leadership and corporate culture ensure the company a promising outlook.