Game console industry Essay Example for Free

Game console industry Essay Provide an overview of the company. Include any information you think is pertinent to this company (5 points) Nintendo is a company that creates video games and game consoles. Nintendo is the creator of the Game Boy, Super Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube and of course the Wii. Nintendo is only one of the few companies that create gaming systems, and is in constant competition with Sony (PlayStation) and Microsoft (Xbox). Nintendo’s revenues in 2009 were $19,308. 1 million, with a net income of ,930. 8 million. 1. What are the defining business and economic characteristics of the video game console industry? What is the industry like? (10 points) Sales of video game consoles, software, and accessories reached a record high of $23. 1 billion in 2008. Despite the increasing intensity of competition, the video gaming industry as a whole had continued to grow through the end of 2008 in the face of the downturn in the general world economy. 2. What is competition like in the video game console industry? Do a five-forces analysis to support your answer. Complete the following as part of your answer. Make sure to explain the reasons for your answers. (10 points) a. The bargaining power and leverage of buyers is a low competitive force b. The bargaining power and leverage of suppliers is a low competitive force. c. Competition from substitutes is a high competitive force. d. Threat of entry is a low competitive force. e. Rivalry among competing video game console producers is a high competitive force. Overall assessment: 3. What forces are driving changes in the video game console industry? Are these driving forces acting to make the industry more or less competitively intense? Are the driving forces acting to make the industry more or less profitable in future years? (10 points) 4. What is Nintendo’s strategy? Which of the five generic strategies discussed is Nintendo using? What are some of the recent offensive and/or defensive strategies that Nintendo has employed? Have these tactics been successful? (10 points) 5. How well is Nintendo’s strategy working in terms of the financial performance it is delivering? Should shareholders be pleased? Why or why not? What 2-3 weaknesses do you see in Nintendo’s financial performance? (15 points) |Performance Ratio |2009 |2008 |2007 |2006 |2005 | |Revenue Growth |16. 61% |73% |89. 79% |-1. 11% |n/a | |Gross Profit Margin |. 43 |. 42 |. 41 |. 42 |. 42 | |Operating Profit Margin |. 30 |. 29 |. 23 |. 18 |. 22 | |Return on Assets |25% |24% |18% |14% |13% | |Return on Equity |. 13 |. 14 |. 18 |. 24 |. 25 | 6. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the attractiveness of Nintendo’s overall situation? Is the company’s competitive position as solid as top management seems to believe? Does the company have a competitive advantage? If so, what is the basis for this competitive advantage and is the advantage sustainable? (10 points) Nintendo’s Resource Strengths and Competitive Capabilities Nintendo’s Internal Resource Weaknesses and Competitive Liabilities Nintendo’s External Opportunities Nintendo’s External Threats 7. What does a competitive strength assessment reveal about whether Nintendo has a competitive edge? Complete the chart as part of your answer. You are to determine the success factors you deem most important. (20 points) |Key Success Factors |Importance Weight | Nintendo | Sony | Microsoft | | | |Rating Score |Rating Score |Rating Score8. What recommendations would you make to Nintendo to improve its competitiveness in the video game console industry and to maintain its favorable positioning vis-a-vis Microsoft and Sony? (10 points).

Vertigo, 1958 | Film Analysis

Vertigo, 1958 | Film Analysis Vertigo is a 1958 suspense thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor and based upon the 1954 novel Dentre Les Morts by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. Starring James Stewart, Kim Novak and co-starring Barbara Bel Geddes. James Stewart plays the part of detective John Ferguson or Scottie as he is known throughout the film, who develops a fear of heights, acrophobia, after he watches a policeman fall to his death during a police chase over the San Francisco rooftops. Following the incident, Scottie retires from the police force, but old friend Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) hires him as a private detective to follow his wife, Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak) as she has been behaving strangely. Elster believes that she is possessed by the ghost of a dead relative, Carlotta Valdez. It is not long before Scottie starts to find himself becoming obsessed with the beautiful but troubled Madeleine and falls in love with her. As the introductions roll onto the screen, we are confronted by a close up of a black and white womans face, first her lips, her nose, her eyes, then onto one eye, where we can see a tear Her gaze only briefly meets ours, when we first see her eyes, but then they are skirting from left to right. The music gets more intense and the scene turns red, as the eye we are focused on widens in what we can only assume as shock or horror. We then see coloured patterns, starting first in the pupil, then swirling round on the black screen, gradually becoming larger and enveloping the screen and the audience. This setting of emotion and involvement of the audience in what is to be classed as misà ©-en-scene; the creation of emotion through visuals and audio. Fig. 9 Introductory scenes The opening scene underpins the whole of Scotties acrophobia, and as an audience, we also get to experience what it is hes feeling. The music is tense, we can see the skyline, we see them jumping from roof to roof, then we see Scottie slip, hes clinging on to the gutter by his fingertips to stop himself from plunging to a certain death. The other policeman turns to help him, asks him for his hand, but he falls from the roof, to the ground hundreds of feet below. The distance and acrophobia is highlighted by the view on the ground below panning in and out toward us. People who suffer with vertigo feel as if they or their surroundings are moving. These false sensations are often accompanied by a feeling of spinning (Smith et al, 2000: 603). It has also to be noted that psychologists believe there is tension from the feeling of vertigo, whereby there is a desire to fall yet there is a dread of falling. The audience is made to feel the fear and terror that Scottie is experiencing, the fe eling that death is so close, could be so easy. To survive he has to desperately cling to the gutter, his arms and body stretched to their capacity, his mind full of terror, whereas to die, he only has to let go. Within this scene, the audience is given minimal information. We see three men in sequence climb over the top rung of a ladder, the second being a policeman, so we assume the first is a suspect? Thirdly, there is Scottie, but he is in plain clothes, so he could be anybody, but he must be connected to the policeman as he is pursuing him. This is shown as three close up shots, then we have panned out to reveal all three men running across the roof. In turn, they jump to another roof. This is when we see Scottie slip. This can be related to Freuds theory of the Id, Ego and Superego. The Id is the first man; he wants his urges satisfied regardless of society, his focus solely on his pleasure, relative to criminality. The second man, being the policeman, can be shown as the Supe rego, with strict and rigid morals, relatable to the father. It is also in this scene that we can take into account the Oedipus Complex, the son, Scottie, is responsible for the fathers, the policemans, death as he tries to save him from falling, whilst the Id has got free into the darkness. Scottie is left hanging from the gutter; we never see how it is he escapes this situation, leaving him metaphorically stuck there for the remainder of the film. Wood also mentions this theory in his book when he revisits Hitchcocks films. Fig. 10 Hanging and falling Another thing to take into account here is Freuds relation between events and birth trauma and the separation between mother and child. Although he said that a child couldnt recall these memories, they were still instilled within our subconscious. So the idea of falling is, in a way, a re-enactment of birth trauma and separation. This was thought to be at the forefront of anxiety. In the next scene, we are placed within Midges apartment. It is constructed on separate shots between Scottie and Midge and the male/female space in which they inhabit throughout the conversation. They are defined by definite objects, such as Scotties cane and the bra that Midge is sketching. Scottie is re-affirming that he will be free of the corset that is binding him tomorrow, taking back him masculinity and power within the situation. It is only at three points throughout the scene that Midge and Scottie are shown together. Firstly, when Scottie approaches Midge to talk about the bra she is drawing-she speaks of it in a very matter of fact way, telling Scottie that he is a big boy and knows of such things. Next, Scottie talks of curing his acrophobia a small step at a time, he stands on a stool, Midge takes over the situation by bringing him a set of steps to climb, which she encourages him to do so. He sees out of the window between the buildings, like the scene he saw when hang ing from the gutter at the start of the film, but we are still held in reality by the flowers on the windowsill, but his vertigo grips him again. Even the security of Midges home is not enough, that becomes the vision and the drop becomes real. Next, we see Scottie clutched to Midges breast, whilst she holds him and soothes oh Johnny, Johnny. The common theme throughout is the presentation of Midge as the mother figure. In the scenes where they are shown together depict the mother/child relationship that they have. This is a reason why Scottie wouldnt be attracted to her like he is to Madeleine. She is too independent, whereas Madeleine is helpless and mysterious as we find out as the film continues. Fig. 11 Motherly love It is this scene that particularly also states Scotties condition as feminine. When he approaches Midge to ask her what the bra on a wire frame is, she relates the design is based on that on a bridge, the latest in revolutionary uplift made by an aircraft engineer. Not only is the relation of a bridge, which is a high place with regard to Scotties acrophobia, linked with the femininity of a womans undergarment, but the design of it has also been constructed by a man, thus saying that femininity is exactly that. Scottie cannot fulfil his role in society as a police man because of the fear, like Jefferies couldnt in Rear Window because of his injuries. Next we are presented with the exterior of Gavin Elsters office, then straight to Scottie and Elster having a conversation inside. Elster is asking Scottie to follow his wife for him. Around the office, there are mentions of ships, suggesting escape, and also references of the old San Francisco, relating to the power and freedom you gained then, as a man, again, this is mentioned later on whilst Scottie and Midge are talking to Pop Leibel in his bookstore. This relates to the conversation they are having about Elster wife, she is the object in the conversation between the two men, an intensifier of the taboo desire that we often see within films; one woman and two men who both lust after her. The position of power is also shifting between Scottie and Elster. When we first enter the room, Elster is sitting behind his desk, whilst Scottie is wandering around the office, looking at things, he then gets up and explains what he wants Scottie to do, taking power by positioning himself high er than him. Fig. 12 Stances of power Next the viewer is positioned inside the restaurant and is introduced to Madeleine with Scottie. The camera pans across the restaurant and comes to rest upon Madeleines back, her bare shoulders showing. She is shown as an object of desire; a close-up allows us to see her features as a still portrait, like that of the painting of Carlotta Valdez as she gracefully glides through the restaurant in a dream like manner. From this instance she is a mysterious object of desire that we must know more about. She has no idea that our gaze is upon her, she is helpless to it; we are an accomplice to Scottie, if not already him, and what it is in turn we are going to discover about Madelines secret life. When Scottie follows Madeleine in his car, it is downhill, to an alleyway. He follows her inside, through the back door in which she enters, where she is buying flowers. We are seeing from Scotties point of view. When he spies in through a crack in the door, this is how we see her also. When she turns, we see her reflection on the mirrored door that Scottie gazing through the door, completely unbeknown to her. She is surrounded by flowers, bathed in a soft light, enhancing her subtle beauty and femininity accompanied by a haunting music. Is she somehow a mirrored image of Scottie/the viewer? Koftman (1985 cited in Modelski 1989) stated that mens fascination with [the] eternal feminine is nothing but fascination with their own double, and the feeling of uncanniness, Unheimlichkeit, that men experience is the same as what one feels in the face of any double, and ghost, in the face of the abrupt reappearance of what one thought had been overcome or lost forever. This links back to Freud s castration complex. The view of the camera is very much from Scotties point of view, subjective, only further reiterating the point that the feminine is seen as lacking and the masculine is to look. Fig. 13 The perfect and unobtainable Within this scene, another thing to note is the recurrent theme of the oil painting, with the surround of flowers, but also the mirror, not only relating to the Koftman quote above, but also briefly I would like to touch upon John Berger. Within his essays, Ways of Seeing, he talks of the relevance of mirrors, that they reflect the judgemental gaze of others, as well as her own. They are also a symbol of vanity. If a woman is seen surveying herself in the mirror, it is for the benefit of the male, showing her subservience and willingness to become pleasing to the eye, but also her vanity. This in turn can is relatable to Freuds theory of the Electra Complex and Penis Envy. Her affections are transferred from her father to other men to give her what she ultimately wants, due to her lack of a penis, which is a child. This is turn leads onto a point made by Jacques Lacan, whereby he states that the mirror stage of a childs development is crucial so it can place itself within the world and relate to others. Much like Freud stated within the Oedipus and Castration complex, whereby the son relates to his father, wanting to be like him and grow into a man so he can have a woman of his own, like his father has his mother. The screen within the cinema frames its actors much like the mirror frames the self. As Mulvey states; It is the birth of the long love affair/despair between image and self-image which has found such intensity of expression in film and such joyous recognition in the cinema audience. (Mulvey, 2009: 18) When Madeleine falls into San Francisco bay, Scottie rescues her and takes her back to his house, undresses her and puts her to bed. Once again, he is the hero and she is the helpless woman who, without Scottie, would be dead. His obsession is becoming more and more with her. Whilst in his apartment, her near first concern is of the pins from her hair and her handbag, so she can find a mirror and put her hair up, making herself presentable for Scottie. The relation of power is also clear in this scene; Madeleine is sitting on the floor, whilst Scottie takes the higher position of the sofa arm to question her, to watch her. She is the object of desire; of his desire, as well as the male viewers object of desire. From here we can see the relation to any stereotypical fairytale; the hero rescues the helpless princess from the evil man/woman, although there is more to fairytale, for the use of this essay, I am outlining it in this very simplified manner. Take, for example, Cinderella, she is a servant to her stepmother and step sisters, but she goes to the ball, meets the prince, who does everything in his power to find his princess and rescue her. Freud also made this point, highlighting the lengths a man will go to, to rescue the woman they love, even if, as Freud (1910 cited in Perron 2005) stated, another man can claim right of possession, Madeleine being Elsters wife. This in turn, can be linked closely with the Oedipus complex. Freud (1910 cited in Berman 1997) also stated A man rescuing a woman from water in a dream means that he makes her his own mother. In the bell tower scene where Scottie is chasing Madeleine, it is where his masculinity is compromised once more because of his acrophobia. He should have taken his role as a man and stopped her from falling, he should have rescued her, but he failed and she fell to his death. Elster had hired Scottie to follow his wife, but once again, he failed at his job, like he did as a policeman. Scottie is plagued by nightmares of the tragic event. He is falling, like Madeleine, haunted by Carlotta Valdez, colours flash red, signifying not only Scotties vertigo but also his fantasies. Fig. 14 Re-occurring fall When Scottie is back in San Francisco, every woman he sees bears a resemblance to Madeleine. Women on the street, in restaurantsHe seems like a broken man, not the strong counterpart that the audience want to relate to. He follows a woman, Judy, to her apartment and asks her out to dinner. Slowly, we can see Scottie becoming more and more obsessed with Judy, asserting his masculinity by offering to take care of her, but her flowers, clothes. Judy is becoming an ideal passive counterpart to Scotties active sadistic voyeurism. She knows her part is to perform, and only by playing it through and then replaying it can she keep Scotties erotic interest (Mulvey, 2009: 25). We, as an audience, have already made the discovery that Judy really is Madeleine, that she played a part for Elster. It is an uncomfortable discovery as Scottie doesnt know. We almost feel as though we are cheating him, hes falling into a trap and we cant warn him. We are only watchers to the scenes playing out before us, regardless of us; things will still happen and go forth. The essential fact is to get real suspense you must let the audience have information (Hitchcock cited in Bays, 2004). Scottie is trying his hardest to change Judy to Madeleine, and she is letting him. The roles of passive female and the active male are mirrored in the re-enactment of a scene that happened between Scottie and Madeleine. She is a visually objectified other, confirmed by her dress, make up and style. Also, this, again, can be linked back to the Oedipus/Castration complex, when the sole object of the boys desire was his mother. In his eyes, she was the perfect woman and satisfied all his needs. It is only when Scottie is happy that Judy looks enough like Madeleine that he begins to become sexually attracted and interested in her. He has successfully turned her into a fetish; he has eliminated the threat of castration. The tower in which Madeleine and Judy both fell off are very symbolically phallic, re-asserting the masculinity of the situation. The film makes the audience confront their own lives and past.

Herman Melvilles Moby Dick Essay -- Moby Dick Melville Death Essays

Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" In Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, a recurring theme of death is seen throughout the book. A coffin appears at the beginning of the book and at the end of the book, Ishmael sees a large oil painting that foreshadows and represents many things and events that follow in the book, and Fedallah makes a prophecy talking about hearses and predicts Ahab’s death. Ishmael stays at The Sprouter-Inn, whose proprietor was a man named Peter Coffin. In the end, Ishmael clings to a coffin for over a day until rescued by another boat. The picture Ishmael sees contains many things seen later in the book, such as a whale and a horrible storm. Fedallah’s prophecy of hearses and hemp prove to be true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Moby Dick begins and ends with a coffin. At the beginning of the book, Ishmael talks to Peter Coffin, the proprietor of The Sprouter-Inn, for a place to stay. He does not have any open rooms so Ishmael is forced to room with Queequeg whom he does not meet until after he goes to sleep. When Queequeg walks in, Ishmael says, â€Å"Landlord, for God’s sake, Peter Coffin! Landlord! Watch! Coffin! Angels! save me!† (Melville, 23) This quotation foreshadows the event later in the story when Ishmael will again need a coffin’s help. In the epilogue, it is described, â€Å"the coffin life-buoy shot lengthwise from the sea, fell over, and floated by my side. Buoyed up by that coffin, for almost one whole day and night, I floated on a soft dirge-like main.† (Melvil...

The Myth Of The Family :: essays research papers

The Myth of the Model Family THOSE OF US WHO grew up in the 1950s got an image of the American family that was not, shall we say, accurate. We were told, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, and Ozzie and Harriet were not just the way things were supposed to be—but the way things were It's probably good that life wasn't like the television shows in the '50s—we wouldn't have many women now. Take a look at the ratio of boys to girls on the most popular family shows. Ozzie and Harriet had two boys, no girls. Leave It to Beaver had two boys, no girls. Rifleman had one boy, one rifle, no girls. Lassie had one boy, one dog (supposedly a girl, but played by a boy), and no girls. My Three Sons had—well, that one's obvious. Bonanza had three grown-up boys. Although Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in real life had one boy and one girl, on I Love Lucy they had one boy. The only shows with daughters were The Donna Reed Show (one boy, one girl) and that lighthouse to womanhood—despite its title—Father Knows Best (one boy, two girls). Grown to maturity, that's a late-1960s dating population of fifteen men to three women. Almost all the households were mama-papa-kiddies: the nuclear family. (The exceptions were My Three Sons and Bonanza: Steve Douglas [Fred MacMurray] and Ben Cartwright were widowers.) There were no prior marriages, no children from prior relationships, no threat or even thought of divorce, and the closest thing we saw to physical abuse was Ralph Kramden's, "One of these days, Alice, one of these days . . . to the moon!" There were no infidelities, no drinking problems, no drugs (not even prescription tranquilizers), no racism (How could there be? With the exception of Hop Sing and Ricky Ricardo, there was only one race; even the Hispanic gardener on Father Knows Best was named Frank Smith). There was no dropping out of school, no political discussion (much less political differences), no unemployment (except for Ozzie's early retirement), no severe economic problem (except for a crop failure on Lassie, when they had to sell all the livestock, including Lassie; but just befo re being carted off, Lassie pawed the ground and struck oil, and everything was okay again. Except for Lassie, who looked as though the Exxon Valdez had dumped its forward holding tanks on her).

Russias Fight for Identity Essay -- Geopolitics, History

In 1829, Petr Chaadeav began to write his Philosophical letters. He initiated Russia’s search for national identity. He was a major figure in the development of Russian intellectual history. The impact of the letter shook and changed the thinking of Russia. It argued that Russia was worthless and socially behind. Chaadeav was very harsh in his letter and appears to be bias. He made valid points but they are not entirely true. The evidence shows that Russia was indeed a bit imitative but they were not the only country in search for national identity. Though Chaadeav’s letter was very harsh, it gave Russia a sense of originality. Russia established their identity and is distinguished by their culture. Russia’s literature and art was big contribution to the world’s progress though they were seen to be unoriginal. Petr Chaadeav summarized his nation’s history as â€Å"a brutal barbarism to begin with, followed by an age of gross superstition, then by a ferocious and humiliating foreign domination. † He continued by sayong â€Å"we are alone in the world, we have given nothing to the world, we have taught it nothing. We have not added a single idea to the sum total of human ideas; we have not contributed to the progress of the human spirit. † The Letter electrified Russian creativity: Many called Chaadeav insane, but he was very intellectual. Chaadeav’s statement about law codes â€Å"No one has a fixed sphere of existence; there are no proper habits, no rules that govern anything † insisted that Russia’s law codes were non-existent. This is not entirely true. As stated in the previous paragraphs, the Table of Ranks is a prime example implemented by Peter the Great. Laws made by Catherine and the â€Å"Russkaia Pravda † are also great examples of law... ... country in history is truly original. Every country has taken ideas from another. Whether its religion, law codes, slaves, etc.no idea truly belongs to on country. Works Cited Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. Reinterpreting Russian history: readings, 860-1860's. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. "Society: The Lowere and Middling Estates." Reinterpreting Russian history: readings, 860-1860's. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. 295. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) "Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i izbrannye pis'ma,." Russian Intellectual History: An Anthology.. Moscow: Nathaniel Knight , 1991. 90, 92-93. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich. Sketches from a hunter's album. Complete ed. London, England: Penguin Books, 1990. Print. (tags: none | edit tags)

Mapping an Argument

Mapping an Argument Kimberly Williams CRT/205 11/11/2012 University of Phoenix Mapping an Argument What is the Issue? I have decided to read about the Traditional newspapers are becoming extinct. The issue with this is the cost of the newspapers going up and how the Internet is taking over the place of the newspaper. People are now depending on the Internet for their sources instead of the newspapers. The competition-deflecting effects of printing cost got destroyed by the Internet. The newspaper people often note that newspapers benefit society as a whole, but it is getting so expensive to keep newspapers running.The imperatives to strengthen journalism and to strengthen newspapers have been so tightly wound as to be indistinguishable. They are trying to find ways to strengthen the ways of newspapers. â€Å"Save newspapers† to â€Å"save society† is the big issue of this article. The other issue is to keep the newspapers from becoming extinct. The other article that I read about was the Veterans Administration health care not being readily available in rural areas. The issues of this article were the increased efforts to improve the care that is available for rural veterans.Also anther issue for the veterans was the long distances it is a huge problem for most of them. Long distances and restrictive rules have become an issue for the veterans and they have also become very obstacles to health care for many of them. Rural veterans have other problems with this also. The health care needs of rural veterans and managing the money for expanding care. In addition, oversight of rural health care programs was ineffective. There are so many issues with their heath care needs they are trying to fix them. What are the stated and unstated premises?The stated and unstated premises for Traditional Newspapers Are Becoming Extinct are that the newspaper industry has been fighting for its life since the beginning of the digital age, and also journalism will surv ive without newspapers. Strategizing to survive the on Internet was also one of the stated premises for this article and the unstated premise for this was that they never really stated how they were going to fight and keep the newspapers going in a way that the papers can still be running and people can still use the Internet for sources also.The stated premises for the Veterans Administration Health Care is that the VA has increased efforts to improve the care that is available for rural veterans. Long distances are a problem for many veterans is a stated premise that was in the article, and also veterans had to fight very hard to get every dollar that they could. Suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have reached record levels because of the heath care and the long distance that have caused problems for them. The unstated premises that weren’t listed that I could find was why most of the veterans did not feel that they had to enroll in a health care plan.What was the reason that they never wanted to enroll and what could the VA have done to help the veterans want to enroll in the heath care plan, what type of jobs did they do to help those that had problems with the long distance? These are some unstated premise that I feel should have been put into the article. What is the conclusion? The conclusion on the Traditional Newspapers Are Becoming Extinct is a plan and a strategy to survive the Internet, and trying to figure out how they can use the newspaper and the Internet without having to stop the use of one of them.They needed a plan how to deal with the Internet. A way for the newspaper to grow unsteady of shirking how to improve the newspaper in away the public would enjoy its use and continue to want to read it unsteady of using the internet. And a way to keep it up and running because the newspaper is coming so expensive to keep it up and running also way to have respected for people when written about a person in the newspaper. The conclu sion on the Veterans Administration Health Care is that the VA needs to find a way to make the veterans want to and enjoy the ability to have VA health care.Furthermore, the VA needs to find A way to make health care available for all of the veterans to have it, and afford the heath care. The VA needs to have rules for veterans heath care so the distance that the veterans live from the nearest facility shouldn’t be a problem. Improving the health care for the veterans is the conclusion for this article. They need to find a way that health care can be provided for all of our veterans because they deserve it. To ensure veterans receive the health care and benefits they have earned.To make a way for the veterans to be seen by out-of-network doctor if the same care is available within the system even if it’s more convenient for them there should be away for them to see what every doctor is available for them at the present time. They need to improve the health care for the veterans. Content and Development 35 Points| Points Earned33/35| | Additional Comments:| All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way. * 350 to 700 words * Examines 2 articles from Opposing Viewpoints in Context * Provides substantive explanations to the following questions: * What is the issue? What are the stated and unstated premises? * What is the conclusion? | Paper addresses two of the assigned articles in a contemplative manner. The paper identifies the issue, premises, and conclusion in an adequate way. Although most points are clear, a few are vague. See notes above. | The content is comprehensive, accurate, and persuasive. | | Major points are stated clearly; are supported by specific details, examples, or analysis; and are organized logically. | | | | Readability and Style 10 Points| Points Earned6/10| | Additional Comments:| The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment. | Tone is informative.The writing in this paper has several issues: w ordiness, fragments (incomplete sentences), and vagueness. I've highlighted several examples above and suggested revisions. | Sentences are complete, clear, and concise. | | Sentences are well constructed, strong, and varied. | | Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of thought. | | | | Mechanics 5 Points| Points Earned3/5| | Additional Comments:| The assignment—including tables and graphs, headings, title page, and reference page— is consistent with Associate Level Writing Style Handbook formatting guidelines and meets course-level requirements. Layout is effective and aids readability. Several mechanical corrections are noted. Citations and references have not been included. It is essential to cite and reference non-original sources correctly. Refer to the formatting guidelines in the Associate Level Writing Style Handbook. | Intellectual property is recognized with in-text citations and a reference page. | | Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. | | Spelling is correct. | | Late Penalty – 10% per day up to 2 days| | Total 50 Points| Total Earned42/50| Overall Comments:Hi Kimberly,Thank you so much for turning in this assignment.You have offered a competent mapping of the articles. You have generally identified the issues, premises, and conclusions and offered a substantive explanation for each. Your post is addresses all points in the assignment. Better organization of the writing would have strengthened the paper. Several mechanical and formatting changes are present. See comments above and in the text for specifics. Good work on this assignment! I hope this assignment has helped you clarify concepts relating to analyzing arguments to identify the issues, premises, and conclusions. |

Trader Joe’s No average Joe Essay

Trader Joe’s is an American privately held chain of grocery stores founded by Joe Coulombe. Trader Joe’s have been successful business for long time with their unique innovative strategy of selling natural and organic food products with only one brand of an item for low price. Their unique culture of relaxed beach environment and helpful knowledgeable employees makes their customer to stay loyal to the brand. Eighty percent of Trader Joe’s has in-house products that differentiate them from competitors and hard to imitate. Trader Joe’s target young educated people who want to eat healthy for low prices. They can really expand their business by investing in marketing, social media, loyalty- card program and building parking garages and gain bigger broader market segment in food industry. This also will help them competitive advantage over their competitors as they will have solid brand image and be successful over the long term. SWOT Analysis The strengths of Trader Joe’s are selling organic & fresh grocery at low prices, introducing new products to their stores frequently and offering friendly customer service. Trader Joe’s sell natural and organic food at cheaper price than its competitors. They buy in bulk one item rather than buying lot of similar items, which gives them competitive advantage over other supermarkets. Trader Joe’s introduce 10-15 new products every week and had special season items and; thus customers liked trying new items and were getting best product for as much time as stores had the products for. Trader Joe’s employees were knowledgeable, helpful and happy, which made them communicate much better with customers and build a long lasting relationship. This aided in Trader Joe’s customers becoming loyal to the company. The weaknesses of Trader Joe’s are lack in social media, low advertisement, and targeting small market segment. Firstly, Trader Joe’s didn’t have any interaction with media about the company. In addition, they were not utilizing the free social media tool and were not communicating  with their fans on Facebook or Twitter. They didn’t much advertise about the company which is a weakness because this would hurt the sales they can get by advertising since they were selling natural and organic products for low prices. Lastly they targeted only smaller crowd which would also affect that revenue instead of targeting broader segment of people. Since more people are graduating and becoming educated, Trader Joe’s can target them to get higher market share and by marketing they can convey their goal to these educated people. Moreover, they have opportunity to offer baby related products as lot of people buy baby products when they are at grocery shops. Threat to Trader Joe’s are that their secretive private label goods can be identified by competitors and can imitate. Other treat is that the company can loose it’s charm when they grow because they are no more special to customers. Porter’s Five Forces The threat of new entrance is medium because Trader Joe’s is not a supermarket company, so capital requirement is manageable. Getting good quality food for cheaper price is hard to deliver but it is not impossible. However, brand name is difficult to built that Trader Joe’s has done after so many years. The bargaining power of suppliers is low as Trader Joe’s purchase very large quantities of each item in their store, which make the suppliers to give them lowest price. Moreover, suppliers wanted secrecy from Trader Joe’s not disclosing the low price as the to other competitor store suppliers were selling for high prices. If the price of an item increases for suppliers, they can pass that on retailers in food industry. The bargaining power of Buyers is high as customers have lot of other grocery stores option to goto if they thought prices at Trader Joe’s were high. However, in Trader Joe’s case they were offering natural, healthy and organic food items far cheaper than their competitors. So customers were  loyal to Trader Joe’s. The threat of substitute in food industry is medium because people can eat outside more often rather than cooking at home. Moreover, other brand of an item might be more likable by the customers over Trader Joe’s brand. The intensity of competition is high as Whole Food and Kroger are trying imitate what Trader Joe’s are doing, and since they already have brand name achieved, it is not hard to get their prices down by negotiating with suppliers and making their own brand name organic food. In conclusion, the food and grocery industry is attractive since more companies are going towards natural and organic food. With right marketing techniques , good customer service and quality products, it would be good investment in this industry. Environmental Scan Trader Joe’s demographics are college students, health conscious, out-of-work professors, and most important educated customers. Socio-Cultural environment shows that society is gearing towards more natural and organic food and becoming health conscious. More people are having homemade food from savings perspective. Political environment show that FTC has tighten regulation to keep competitive environment. Also, due to Obama Care there is some savings for people that makes grocery products more affordable. Technological environment shows that there is more Point of Sales systems available with electronic shelf labels and scanner. In addition, self-checkout registers and advertising through mobile apps are getting more common. Economic environment factor shows that during economic downturn, in which i people tend to shop more at grocery stores. The gas prices has been low which gives disposable income to try new items at grocery stores. In conclusion, environment analysis suggest that people in the current  economy are getting extra income that they can spend on food that are natural, organic and healthy for them. With competitive market, the trend is moving towards healthy and low price options. From the SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces and Environment Analysis, I recommend Trader Joe’s to increase marketing and advertising their brand much more, create more parking space or redesigning outside of current stores, and giving customers incentives to keep them returning to Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s should start using social media tools and use mobile applications to reach out to their fans and show they care about them. This requires less capital investment and offer great way to reach fans and building new customers. Trader Joe’s should make great shopping experience by making their parking lot bigger. They can built parking garages or decks to accommodate lot of customers increasing revenue of the company. Trader Joe’s should give customers incentives through loyalty-card program, and offer coupons on their website and mobile apps that can be added to customers loyalty cards to be easily redeemed. This will motivate customers to come back to their stores and buy more products, thus increasing the company sales and profit.