Apple Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Apple Marketing Strategy Essay 1. Apple Marketing StrategyApple has been so successful in these last years thanks to his fresh, imaginative way to think and do its business: awinning combination of exceptional products, great style and design, great strategy, innovative marketing, sleekand enticing communications.Apple owes its overwhelming success in the last years to the iPhone and to the smart iPod and iTunes productcombination, a combination of a great hardware piece with great style, great software, great performance, userfriendly interface, with a good e-business service. The iPod + iTunes halo effect and new great Mac computers andMac OS software did the rest in increasing Apple revenue stream. In the 5 years between 2003 to 2008 the Apple share value increased 25 times, from $7.5 to $180 per share. At july2008 prices, before the US Financial Crisis, Apple stock market capitalization was $160 billion.In January 2010 Apple shares topped the $210 mark.But even the best companies with the best products have bottleneck factors which often avoid full exploitation ofthe opportunities.The iPod.Few people are aware and few market analysts too that for the first 3 years the iPod was an absolute flop. TheiPod was launched in october 2001, and between 2001 and 2004 iPod sales were between 100-200 thousand unitsper quarter, very far from todays 10-20 million units per quarter, and the iPod sales were not even covering theproduct research development costs. Then, in June-Aug 2004 something happened, and iPod sales began to grow strongly, quarter after quarter. Today,we all know where the iPod stands, and what a remarkable success it is.The iPod made the fortune of Apple, and it stands out as the major turning point in the company growth.Few people know that the iPod + iTunes business idea was not conceived inside Apple, but was proposed to Appleby an outside source, a music lover and Engineer named Tony Fadell.More on Tony Fadell and on the iPod marketing on iPod Marketing StrategyThe iPod marks another outstanding result in marketing:the annihilation of competitors. To know more see the analysis onThe iPod competitorsIt should be noted that, since the second generation of iPods in 2002, the iPods were made compatible not only withthe Mac operating systems but with Microsoft Windows operating systems as well.We should ask ourselves (and to Steve Jobs): how many iPods would have been sold if the iPods would had beencompatible only with Mac operating systems?Where the iPod is manufactured and assembledThe iPhone. The pipeline of new products which came out from Apple in the last years is impressive, and overwhelming. In 2007,with the successful launch of the iPhone, Apple has marked another milestone in its development and growth.And moreover, the iPhone enters a market the market of mobile phones a market which is mature, and saturated.Nonetheless, Apple has been able to develop a revolutionary product, and to change the paradigm in the mobile 2. Phone market.The iPhone is 5 years ahead of all its competitors. A wonderful product, amazing user interface, great design. It isnot only a mobile phone, it is a product between a mobile phone and a laptop computer. Even calling it asmartphone is not enough.In July 2008 Apple launched the second generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G.The iPhone 3GS.In June 2009 Apple launched its third generation iPhone: the iPhone 3GS.The iPhone 3GS has a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, video recording and editing capabilities, voice control, longerbattery life, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA internet connection. iPhone 3GS is twice faster than the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3GSprices: $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model.more on the new iPhone 3GS on the iPhone 3GS page.More on iPhone Marketing on the iPhone Marketing Strategy page.Apple did great. no doubt. However Apple has done some serious mistakes.The most serious mistakes Apple has done concern marketing and distribution strategies in Europe.Apple has overlooked the European markets, and missing big numbers in unexploited sales. With better marketingstrategy, better communication and distribution, Apple could have made 300% more revenues in Europe in the last 4years. Apple Marketing in EuropeWe met with with Erik Stannow, Apple Vice President of Marketing for Europe EMEA. We have been talking withErik Stannow about the marketing and distribution issues of Apple in the European markets and we gave somevaluable suggestions to improve the Apple marketing strategy and distribution in Europe.Well, it seems that in Cupertino they dont care so much about Europe.Steve JobsIf we talk about Apple success, about Apple great products, we need to talk about Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs has beenand is the great mind behind all this.Steve Jobs is a genius, he is a magician, too. He is the most skilled guy in introducing new products one morething the most skilled in presenting the key features, and he is a great communicator. Even more important, Steve Jobs has Vision. Vision in the strategy, Vision in the product development, Vision in thealliances.Apple Communication Strategy.Apple communication is sober, intriguing, simple, clear, minimalist and clever. And it has a style of its own. Both inthe tv ads, both in print ads, both in the online communications. A lesson to be learned by many companies in theworld. Well, of course when you have great products it is much easier to entice the costumers, but neverthelessdoing it with style and cleverness is a very good point. It boosts sales, but enhances the brand value too.The famous I am a Mac, I am a PC tv ads are a milestone in communications. Smart, simple, effective andhumiliating (for Microsoft ).More on Apple Communications and on the Apple Commercials I am a Mac I am a PC on the AppleCommunication Strategy page.

Video Games and Gender

Video Games and Gender The origin of video games is very different from their use today. The earliest innovation in video games is the invention of the idea itself. The idea of having an fast changing or moving objects on a display that a person could interact with. This idea resulted in the game OXO or Naught and Crosses made by Alexander S. Douglas in 1949 for his Ph.D. thesis on human and computer interaction in the University of Cambridge. The machine utilized a cathode ray tube as its display unit. (Winter, 1998) OXO however did not have moving images or video rather it was a set series of tubes that lit up in accordance to the rest of the machine and programming. (Winter, 1998) The idea of using a computer and a display device was again visited upon in 1958 by William Higinbotham using an oscilloscope and an analog computer, thus Tennis for Two was born. The game was simple, the 5 inch oscilloscope displayed a game of tennis which was controlled two players, each with their own controllers and the objective was to keep the relay going as long as possible. The aim of this invention was to liven up the Brookhaven Nuclear Research Laboratory exhibit and nothing more. The device was dismantled in 1959. (Nowak, 2008) Early video games were developed for the sake of innovation. The inventors who made them did not market them as consumer products; rather they were showcases on what the current technology at the time could do. It was in 1971 when Nolan Bushnell made the arcade game called Computer Space where the video game as an industry started. What made this arcade game different was it included a coin slot which meant it was a pay to play machine. It was, however released to a very limited audience because the machine was only available to universities and corporations which had the necessary hardware to run the arcade machine. It was not until 1972 that video games became widespread among the population with PONG. Research Questions and Objectives The aim of this research is to find out the affect of video games on the gender gap or to be more precise: how video games increase the gender gap. What are the factors that help increase this perceived division among the sexes? Do males and females truly have different interests in video games? Significance of the Study Video games are one of the most prolific forms of media today; therefore, just like any other form of media, it ought to be studied. This has a particular relevance to the youth who on average play video games the most. Gamers or those who consider themselves hardcore video game players will find that their favorite pastimes are more complex that they thought and will expand their perspective. Parents who buy games for their children will also find studies on video games to be helpful as it will help them gain a better idea on the said topic. Perhaps the one are most likely to take notice of this are the video game developers who have to power to incorporate the content of such studies in their development of future games. Scope and Limitations This research will be limited to the topic under study that is, video games and the perceived widening of the gender gap that they cause. For this study, young adults of any gender in the age range of 20 to 30 years old as it is believed that this is a stage where many are likely to play video games and be aware of what they think. As for the video games, there will minimal emphasis on the genres and name of the games. Although they have significance, the content and target audience of the video games will be the priority. Because this is a quantitative study of the topic, in-depth interviews and experiments are not going to be tackled. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature As Bryce and Rutter note, the most frequently advanced argument concerning the gendered nature of computer gaming relates to the representation and consumption of game content. In this study, boys as well as girls in the school students group were confident and experienced users of the Sims, with its emphasis on the traditionally feminine sphere of domestic space, although they used that space differently, in ways reflective of Jenkins distinction between risk taking and care taking (Beavis, 2005). It suggested that while there were clearly practices that good gamers utilized to develop expertise, specifically gendered practices could not so easily be identified. Rather, players investment in specific games, and their attitudes to themselves as successful or disinterested games players, shaped the ways in which they approached the games and used them in broader contexts of identity construction and display. In seeking to understand more about the ways in which young peoples out of school learnings and experiences around computer games might be utilized in the curriculum using ICTs in ways hospitable to both boys and girls, it is important to attend not just to the practices on display, but to issues of identity, purpose and social context in order to promote interest, flexibility and expertise. The study of young male and female gamers across these two very specific sites underlines the socially situated nature of play, in relation to both classroom and games activity. where relationships, contexts and purposes flowing across both on and offline play shape the practices entailed in the students discussion and activities, and the ways they engage with each other and the games. Understandings drawn from the observation of successful girl gamers suggest expertise is not just a matter of specific skills, strategies and familiarity, but is more broadly located within the complex dynamics of in- and out-of-school discourses and contexts that need to be factored in to the construction of gender-equitable pedagogy and curriculum (Beavis, 2005) In relation to future English curriculum and technology, the study suggested ways forward in implementing the study and utilization of technology. It lends support to the need to focus not just on texts and technology per se, but also on the ways in which these are used and aligned with the major adolescent project of identity. This study suggests the need to attend more broadly to such matters in considering how we might plan curriculum across the school that most usefully supports all students to become critical and effective users of technology. In playing computer games, young people are making use of ICTs for their own purposes, in complex and pleasurable ways. Computer games are an important aspect of what Sefton-Green describes as a wider ecology of education where schools, home, playtime, the library and museum all play a part . As such, they are a valuable site for exploring the ways in which new and older forms of literacy and multimodality combine, changing understandings of what constitutes text and engagement and providing insights into the highly effective learning principles incorporated into games as an essential precondition of commercial success and play. However, as Facer and others point out, much games research, while identifying the power of games and play to generate motivation or hard fun fails to recognize the social contexts in which games, fun and learning take place. They focus on the characteristics of the activity itself, on design issues, rather than on the players experience, attitudes and interests. As social geographers Soja, Skelton and Valentine Holloway and Valentine suggest, context and location play an important role both in the construction of meaning and the formation of identity and community, for young people as for others. It is not helpful to over generalize about games and gender regardless of the widespread temptation to do so. Citing Haraway on the need for a politics of location, Ang argues for a particularistic perspective for research into gender and media consumption. She asserts the fundamental instability of the role of gender in media consumption practice and the impossibility of assuming pre-articulated gender identities. Gendered practices, she argues, are shaped at the site of interaction with media technologies, with both gender and media consumption both needing to be problematized. As Charles have argued elsewhere, Angs observations suggest that gendered identities do not simply pre-exist the act and location of game play. Rather, they are actively formed and constituted through particular instances of game play in particular contexts. These two sites then, provided very different but particular instances in which to explore the ways in which the boys, girls and young women in our study engaged with computer games, and the meanings both the games and their involvement with them had for them. With the school students, we were very aware of the heightened artificiality of the research site. Even for those students who played computer games at home, the presence of games in the classroom, hitched to curricular activities and purposes, was likely to change important aspects of their reading and play. We were conscious of the ways in which texts and purposes often change when appropriated for institutional purposes, and the powerful effects of location on both reading and identity, consistent with the socially situated nature of literacy practices. During interviews and observations of the students, we found both continuities and contradictions between the ways they played and presented themselves during the classroom lessons and what they told us of their game playing and leisure preferences and activities at their friends places and at home. In the case of the young women in the Counterstrike clan at the internet cafà © there was less dissonance between the research site and the interviews, and a closer approximation to a more natural ethnographic study was possible. An argument often made is computer culture (and by extension, computer software) could be positively transformed through the integration of girls and womens insights (AAUW, 2000,). Our research seeks to test this assumption. If the assumption is true, then the gender of a software designer in a setting where she can express her true perspectives and preferences would be expected to have a measurable impact on her design process and/or her design outcome. The proposition should be tested. If we document that gender of the designer does influence the software design outcome, this compelling result could help motivate the computer industry to integrate girls and women onto their teams. It would also advance our understanding of the impact of gender on design. The often proposed solution of involving more women and girls in game design assumes that game designers create games which are appealing to themselves. The expectation that girl-designed games will appeal more to girls than boy-designed games presumes that by growing up girl, or growing up boy, a designer embodies some kind of implicit understanding of what appeals not just to themselves, but to their gender and this will naturally be reflected in the designs they create (Heeter,2004). . Considerable research has been conducted on girls and games, including amount of game play by gender, genre and play style preferences, spatial orientation gender differences, and a variety of recommendations of what girl-friendly games should be like. These studies often conclude with a call to involve more women in game design. But the presumption that doing so will result in games which appeal to girls has not been tested. Issues of girls and their gaming preferences are explored through observations of computer games sessions at an all-girl state school. What emerged is that preferences are alterable, and site specific. Gaming selections relate to the attributes of particular games but they also depend on a players recognition of these attributes and the pleasures they entail. Players accumulate these competencies and they are an assemblage, made up of past experiences, and subject to situation and context (Carr,2005). So, what computer games do girls like? The answer is that it depends. Socialization may well play its part, yet our gaming preferences will also depend on where we are, what we know, who we know, what weve tried, and what weve grown tired of. Distinctions in taste between male and female players reflect patterns in games access and consumption that spring from (very) gendered cultural and social practices. As this suggests, accounts of gaming preference need to be situated within a framework that incorporates reference to players previous access to games and existing gaming knowledge. Gaming preferences need to be conceptualized within a paradigm that can accommodate mobility, increment, learning and alteration. Different people will accumulate particular gaming skills, knowledge and frames of reference, according to the patterns of access and peer culture they encounter and these accumulations will pool as predispositions, and manifest as preferences. Familiarity and competence feed into a players experiences of gaming, partly determining the pleasures that he or she will expect, recognize and access, and thereby impacting on preferences that might be expressed as a result. Preferences are an assemblage, made up of past access and positive experiences, and subject to situation and context. The constituents of preference (such as access) are shaped by gender and, as a result, gaming preferences manifest along gendered lines. It is not difficult to generate data that will indicate that gendered tastes exist, but it is short sighted to divorce such preferences from the various practices that form them. To attribute gaming tastes directly, solely or primarily to an individual subjects gender, is to risk underestimating the complexities of both subjectivity and preference. The constituents of preference, such as access, are certainly shaped by gender. As a result, gaming preferences may manifest along gendered lines. It is not difficult to generate data indicating that gendered tastes exist, but it is short sighted to divorce these outcomes from the various practices that contribute to their formation. So, what computer games do girls like? The answer is that it depends. Socialization may well play its part, yet our gaming preferences will also depend on where we are, what we know, who we know, what weve tried, and what weve grown tired of. Distinctions in taste between male and female players reflect patterns in games access and consumption that spring from (very) gendered cultural and social practices. As this suggests, accounts of gaming preference need to be situated within a framework that incorporates reference to players previous access to games and existing gaming knowledge. Gaming preferences need to be conceptualized within a paradigm that can accommodate mobility, increment, learning and alteration. Different people will accumulate particular gaming skills, knowledge and frames of reference, according to the patterns of access and peer culture they encounter and these accumulations will pool as predispositions, and manifest as preferences. Familiarity and competence feed into a players experiences of gaming, partly determining the pleasures that he or she will expect, recognize and access, and thereby impacting on preferences that might be expressed as a result. Preferences are an assemblage, made up of past access and positive experiences, and subject to situation and context. The constituents of preference (such as access) are shaped by gender and, as a result, gaming preferences manifest along gendered lines. It is not difficult to generate data that will indicate that gendered tastes exist, but it is short sighted to divorce such preferences from the various practices that form them. To attribute gaming tastes directly, solely or primarily to an individual subjects gender, is to risk underestimating the complexities of both subjectivity and preference. Given that computer gaming is routinely claimed to be more popular and more frequently engaged in by males, it is seems a reasonable extrapolation that the activities and practices which constitute computer gaming are also gendered. Indeed, these are the activities which define computer gaming as a social practice. It is the negotiated experiences of everyday gaming which give a reality to game texts and realise the socially situated nature of gaming activities. The gendering of gaming experiences is, in part, related to perceptions of gendered game content and notions of gender roles and appropriate leisure activities. It has been suggested that females are more affiliative and nurturing, preferring leisure activities which have a stronger social aspect. This, when linked to a general (but largely empirically unsupported) perception that gaming is not a social activity, but a solitary activity for male nerds or geeks, seems to quite neatly offer a model for understanding gendered gaming. However, such an argument is essentialist and circular in nature, ignoring the actual negotiation and resistance which occurs within gaming strategies. This raises two issues which relate to the gendering of computer gaming: firstly access and participation in gaming activity is restricted and exclusion is experienced at a local level. Secondly, that exclusion creates expectations of rejection which, together with the identification of gaming as a male activity, discourages women from attempting to enter into gaming practices or associating themselves with being a gamer. Indeed comparative studies of the frequency of gaming in males and females may also reflect a lack of self-identification as a gamer by females who may perceive themselves as casual or infrequent gamers who have a more casual commitment to the activity. While neither of the propositions outlined are inaccurate, the circular relationship argued to exist between them does not offer a position for gamers and researchers to examine the origins of, or a means to break out of the cycle. Indeed, as was previously argued, when we look at gaming developments there is little doubt that computer gaming is an increasingly social and public leisure activity and one that is cross-gender. This is highlighted by the development of gaming communities and networks. It is apparent that gaming practices are undergoing rapid social and technical changes and at the same time it is noticeable that gendered perceptions of gaming are changing. This is demonstrated by groups such as grrl gamers, female online gaming clans and web communities, all of which have been successfully discussed elsewhere. This is not a phenomenon unique to gaming and is consistent with the increased participation of females in other leisure activities which have been previously perceived to be male (e.g., football, rugby and extreme sports). In such activities female players and gamers are not only seeking parity with male counterparts, but are adopting and enacting oppositional stances to categoriZations of gender appropriateness, access to leisure activities and consumption. Although we do not wish to argue in a Fiskean sense that all gaming is an act of political challenge, it is possible to understand female gaming within a context of resistance to the constraints placed on female leisure in contemporary society. This is most clear in areas where visible female participation in masculine leisure activities challenges dominant gender stereotypes Crucially however, it is not necessary to look towards spectacular acts of opposition or web-based presentations of the self to see evidence of the gendering of gaming activities and the routine exclusion of female gamers. Schott Horrell successfully begin to unravel the routine and everyday manner in which gaming is negotiated in domestic settings. They demonstrate how even in homes in which the gaming machine belongs to a female member of the family it is fathers, brothers or cousins who take control of the technology as part of what they claim to be support or collaborative play Access to the technology and the gaming is controlled by the male player who assumes the role of expert by interpolating the female gamer into a subordinate role. The technology and its use creates an environment in which girl gamers are reproduced as not being skilled or technological competent enough to compete with the boys. Such behaviour reproduces the perception of computer gaming as a masculine activity and its relationship to its technological nature. Indeed it has been effectively argued that technology incorporates masculine culture and as such excludes females through the promotion of the idea of female technological inferiority and the gendering of technological artIfacts Given that such technologies are central to computer gaming practices and activities, their perception as masculine is a vital, but often ignored, aspect of the gendering of gaming. Like the experience of gendered spaces it is a form of gendered exclusion which is experienced, negotiated and reproduced at a routine and everyday level and further contributes to the lack of visibility of the female gamer. This critical evaluation of the gendering of computer gaming suggests that despite evidence of the gendering of activities and spaces associated with computer gaming, there is growing evidence that females do play computer games and this may be altering the perception of this activity as masculine. This may also provide a means of challenging the dominant view of female technological inferiority by changing gendered perceptions of technological abilities. This places emphasis on the ability to use technological skills and knowledge whilst emphasising competition in a variety of leisure spaces. The negotiation and reconstruction of gender identities through computer gaming is consistent with the notion of leisure spaces and activities as sites of resistance to dominant concepts of masculinity and femininity. Chapter 3 Conceptual Framework In the toy industry, manufacturers maintain that, once sexual difference kicks in after three years old, they are only responding to what the child market wants they are not creating a gendered demand, it is simply out there. All the many efforts that the toy industry has made to sell cross-gender toys and so find new markets have failed. Most do not even get to market. Cars as people who speak have held no appeal to girls, even if dolls in the sense of action figures have always appealed to boys. Electronic toys have little appeal to girls. Girls prefer pink and purple, boys prefer black orange, red and silver. We might wish otherwise, but these are the facts. Yet in recent years, the rise of feminine values has, still more than the rise in female employment, brought about a modest convergence between male and female roles in UK society. Aleks Krotoski is not alone in recognising that the same computer games can now appeal to both sexes even if Sheri Rainer Greys capture of the term gender inclusive for the computer games industry leaves a little to be desired (if gender inclusive, then why not our old friend, Unisex?). Nevertheless, the differences between games for women and games for men appear enduring ones. Computer games figure hardly, if at all, in the work of prominent feminists such as the late Andrea Dworkin, or Catherine MacKinnon. Yet in putting forward the view that pornography is the same thing as male violence, these authors have probably had a subtle influence on feminist thinking about computer games. No matter how great the take-up of games among girls and women, the continuing tastelessness of many masculine games is seen misanthropically as an enduring sign that mens horrid, aggressive lust for power, and indeed mens lust, will always be with us. People see human nature as the one exception to todays endlessly alleged world of accelerating change. Yet today human nature is more protean than it ever has been. Some sex differences will always endure, being biologically founded; but many will not, having social roots. Much that might endure turns out not to. Computer games dont transform teenagers into monsters. Yet they do involve, and will involve, a modest augmentation of our faculties. With his usual hyperbole, Sunday Times philosopher Brian Apple yard says that games are ontological prosthetics, artificial extensions into alternate conditions of being, independent of our rotting carcasses. 215 Still, games are indeed a small part of the extended human mind today. They do contribute to transformations in what it means to be human. Neither nurture in the sense of the parenting and schooling of children, nor nature as explained by the new disciplines of neurology and evolutionary psychology, can fully account for those transformations. In this sense, the answer to Q1 are the differences between men and women around the making and use of computer games to do with culture or biology? is simple enough. The differences that exist are not set in stone. References to culture and biology as direct and proximate causes of these differences fail to grasp this. They have more in common with description than explanation. Chapter 4 Method This is a qualitative/quantitative study. The descriptive research method was used for this thesis. The descriptive research design studies what is. It is a plan, structure and strategy so conceived in order to get answers to research questions or problems. It is a write-up of existing events, situation or phenomenon. It also involves description of classification and enumeration of collated data (Rebustes and Salvador, 2006). The descriptive research design also seeks to determine relationships between variables, explores causes of phenomena, tests hypotheses, and develops generalizations, principles or theories on the basis of its findings. While its primary concern are conditions and things which exist at the time of the study, it also considers past events and influences which are deemed related to what is studied in the present (Ardales, 2008). For this research, a survey will distributed via questionnaires to a population of about fifty persons. Alongside this survey, an online survey will also be done; a population of at least twenty is expected. The Instrument and the Data Gathering Procedure The researcher used primary sources in gathering the data. This was undertaken by preparing a survey questionnaire. To assist the researcher in validating the sources, information were sourced from newspapers, journals, digests, books, and the Internet. The researcher used a self-made but literature-based survey questionnaire to gather primary data. The questionnaire includes items that apply a 5-point Likert scale to gather the numerical equivalent of the responses. . Statistical Treatment of Data The data were counted, tabulated and analyzed. The statistical treatment of data were frequency, percentage and mean. Frequency Percentage % = n / N x 100 where: % = percentage n = number of classification n = total number of respondent Mean à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ f x s TM = N where: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ = Summation f = frequency in each scale s = scale of response N = total number of respondent Video Games and Gender Video Games and Gender Playing online game help reinforce gendered identities A case studies in women playing Audition Online game in Vietnam Introduction The apparent of â€Å"gendered space† in video gaming give the attention to both researcher and game makers, creating considerable and conflicting perspectives on its cause and strategies to address it. Before that, the gamer developers just concentrate to create the games for men and forgot that we have a big market segment is women. In many games, we can see most of characters are men and woman have unimportant role in these games. Despite game online began in Vietnam in 2000s, with growing numbers of games for both men and women, gaming continues to be a very â€Å"gendered practice†. Women play more online â€Å"casual† games such as The Sims. The same product like The Sims launched in 2006 created a big â€Å"echo† and has remained a position until now. The development of woman game is an indispensable rule when male market was not a fertile land. In this essay, the researcher will chose Audition Online to be a genre, and this research aim is analyzin g internet users to finding how they (game players) reinforce their identities in the online world. The game is Audition Online 2 Rhythm of life (Vietnamese: Nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹p Ä ià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡u Cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢c Sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœng), is a downloadable  multiplayer online casualrhythm game (MMORGs), This game is the first online music in Vietnam with a play based on the control characters represent hip hop dance music on the popular music of Vietnam and the world is remade style dance music. Gender and gendered space It is the fact that the terminology within gender theory literature varies, it is important to define the terms used. It is first vital to establish the difference between gender and sex. According to Renzetti Curran (2003), â€Å"a biological given, sex (i.e., maleness or femaleness) is used as the basis for constructing a social category that we call gender (i.e., man or woman).†; Gender socially generated attributes and behaviors, usually organized in a binary, dichotomously as masculinity and femininity (follow, Behrmann, 2011). Genderrefers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. To put it another way: Male and female are sex categories, while masculine and feminine are gender categories (WHO, 2014). In the Anthropology of Apace and Place, Low and Lawrence-Zuniga (2003) offer us the following definition of gendered spaces – â€Å"particular locales that cultures invest with gendered meanings, sites in which sex-differentiated practices occur, or settings that are used strategically to inform identity and produce and reproduce asymmetrical gender relation of power and authority† (flow Adelman Moraes, 2008, p. 107). Gendered space separate women from knowledge used by men to produce and reproduce and privilege. (Spain, 1992, p. 3) Method This essay use documentary analysis method. The data is secondary data come from many resources, such as: books, book chapters, essays, interviews, discussions, newspaper headlines and articles, historical documents, speeches, conversations, advertising, theater, informal conversation, or really any occurrence of communicative language (Bowen, 2009). Robson (2002) pointed out the advantage is that documents are unobtrusive and can be used without imposing on participants; they can be checked and re-checked for reliability. Audition is distinctive in its open-endless, offering players a majority variety of potential gaming character styles, Audition offered a particularly useful for exploring how gender how gender might have influenced the women’s orientations and practices within the games (information about the game, see http://au.vtc.vn) The Figured World of Audition – Small society of Audition Audition online allow players create and develop character by selecting attributes at beginning and throughout the game marking choices the dance style and fashion. The game officially begins with four locations: Discotheque (Broadcasting Station) where you compete with other players via the vibrant dance. Shop Shopping (Shopping Mall) where you buy music or, or choose costumes and other accessories idiosyncratic. Cafe (Cafe) where you meet and get acquainted with the other partner through the chat system. Home (My Home) where you practice, hone the spectacular dance moves, personalized avatars and the stage itself. In certain respects, it is similar to Audition popular simulation game The Sims. The girl will certainly enjoyed his return home (My Home) after each show to open separate room or decorate the house according to your individual interests, and personalization stage and avatar. If you do not want to dance anymore, you can visit cafes to communicate, make friends with other members. When you have found the dancer having the same level, you will have more confidence to back new Discotheque where you can performances in double dance or dance group. Store (Shopping Mall) is not only a place for the girl love to shop but also a place for the boy proved dating level with the partner. There are two fields to choose from Music and Fashion. Music is the place where you can listen to and buy music for their own collections, while fashion is where the purchase of costumes for the characters. In addition to the usual items bought by Den (online money), you can buy some goods especially in Cash. Yo u can rent (1 week, 1 month) or permanent purchase items with Cash. In addition, you can also gift (with the purchase of this item) to another player mode Gift box. Players can choose the gender of the character, the physical elements like height, size breakdown, hair color, face, eye color. Players also choose outfits and design their own home. Players can shape their own kind of dance they participate by choosing halls and rooms of different competitions. Join in the dance room, depending on the type of dance class and you will receive experience points and Den (game currency), respectively.Experience point helps you level up to gain access to the level is higher, the higher challenges as well as adding new songs.Den help players improve accessories for character, create a difficult style of character. Building new identity as newbie player Some researchers have focused on the opportunities that video gaming provides for experimenting with new identities, identities that might challenge dominant conceptions of gender roles. The way that each woman oriented toward Audition as a gamer were clearly influenced by the ways that she had come to understand herself clearly and her identity in the past. In this section, I will discuss several aspects of their game experience: their initial creation of physical appearance, how the game seemed to encourage exploration of new identities within the games. Graner (2004, follow Hayes, 2007) suggested three main factors about gender differences in gaming of women include: (1) woman want to achieve something socially significant and beneficial, (2) women want errors delete and to continue in the game, (3) women prefer observe model game play. Firstly, newbies showed quite different orientations to learning how to play the game, providing good examples of the diverse ways that new gamers might orient to game play (Hayes, 2007). While Audition is open-ended, it does have a series of quests that move the player central storyline, that of developing player identity as icon fashion and dancer. For some players, the success in the game will open a chance to famous in the real world. Many player joined Miss Audition competition, and become a â€Å"hot-girl†, famous singers, dancers, and actors. Some player learned the fashion trend and knowledge by seeing the new style in the online store, and adapting to building their real style in the real world. The women were more motivated by the significance of their own personal goals rather than by any particular goals offered by the game itself (Hayes, 2007). For example, Bao Thy is one of the most teenager singer develop her career from Audition. In 2006, Thy participated Miss Audition, the girl have nickname â€Å"Lona† to performed 2 song and dance copy from game, and won the crown. Secondly, Audition is a relatively forgiving game; the players can save at any point and never death. For example, After many hours of game play with hip-hop style dance, the players can choose other dance room, and chose other avatar, other appearance when players did not like current status. Players may see this as a test, and can completely change his style, which creates a new identity for their characters. This test is the same as a process of learning and perfecting their style of play and his style. Players can spend so many times to experiment with different styles to choose a style that you really want. Thirdly, it is very difficult to predict the preferences of new gamers. How a new gamer will approach learning to play a game will be reflective of her goals and self-confidence (Hayes, 2007). Of course, showed a variety of learning model, and not all games are as flexible. In addition, each player struggled with learning to navigate the game space, and their personal goals combined with the pressure of a course requirement contributed to their persistence. Playing like a girl? The meanings of gendered practices Women have different interpretations of and responses to overtly gendered practices within video games, just as they do in the â€Å"real world.† Take as one example the assertion that women prefer games that allow them to develop cooperative social relationships, rather than games that feature violence as the main form of social ‘interaction’ (Goodale, 2004). Audition offers somewhat unlimited opportunities for cooperative social relationships, concentrating in talking and sharing. In Audition Online game, the players were able to take very different approaches to developing their characters’ abilities, which also meant that they acquired quite different sorts of knowledge, skills and even real money related to the game. Players contact together and build social relationship within the game, which developed their character’s personality skills. Players share the experience and skills to be able to earn points through which virtual money to buy clothes, houses. From here, creating a rivalry between the players, people have to spend money to buy things other people to assert their position in the game. However, there are still players only buy fashionable clothes based on the score they actually earn. Audition allows players to increase the persuasiveness of their character by outfitting them with attractive clothing. Player changed their clothes often, in response to different situations in the game. In addition, Audition has done a good job of connecting players through the model of little family. In particular, the function of Marriage and Childbirth in game helped improve friendship, love blossomed from the virtual world into the real world steps. Enjoying â€Å"feminine† combat Combat is typically used as an example of masculine practice commonly found in video games that women do not find appealing. In Audition, the â€Å"no blood† combat is equally fierce, women often expressed an initial desire to avoid fighting, woman players combat differently, in relation to their own past experience and goals. When it became apparent that fighting was unavoidable, at least for self-defense, they both improvised identities and practices that allowed them to engage in combat in ways that they found comfortable and rewarding (Hayes, 2007). Some player want to become famous fashion icon in games lead them to join in the race of buying fashion. They enjoyed competition, particularly to obtain leader role in dance room. References Adelman, M. and Moraes, F. A (2008). Breaking their way in: Women jockeys at the racetrack in Brazil. Advancing Gender Research from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Centuries. Advances in Gender Research, Volume 12, p. 99-123. Behrmann, Erika M., Investigating Trait Attribution through Gendered Avatar Play: An Analysis of The Sims 3 (2011). Master s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. Paper 372. Debitage (2014). Gender and Sexuality. Debitage.net. Available from: http://debitage.net/humangeography/gender.html. [Accessed: 15th Nov 2014]. Goodale, G. (2004). Games women play. Christian Science Monitor. 2004, June 11, 2004. Available from: http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0611/p13s01-stin.h. [Accessed: 15th Nov 2014]. Hayes, E (2007). Gendered Identities at play: Case studies of two women playing Morrowind. Games and Culture Volume 2 Number 1, p. 1-26, 2007. Spain, D. (1992). Gendered Space. The University of North Carolina Press. 1992. WHO (2014). What do we mean by sex and gender? WHO 2014. Available from: http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/. [Accessed: 15th Nov 2014].

Media In The Uk Influence On British Society Media Essay

Media In The Uk Influence On British Society Media Essay Currently, the people in Britain spend nearly thirty percent of their waking life in the media and communications activities (BBC,2010). The figures from Ofcom shows Britons expend seven hours per day on surfing the Internet, watching TV and using their mobile phones(BBC,2010). Media involve any communication institutions,and in Britain it generally include print media and broadcasting (Oakland,2006). Media have influenced British society in a variety of ways. Oakland claimed that nearly 70% percent of British people gain daily news from television,one fifth from newspapers and nearly 10% from radio. Kasier (2002) cited by Mackeogh (2004) that a investigation of fifteen to seventeen year olds showed that 72% teenagers felt young people can be influenced somewhat or a lot, though only one fourth thought it influenced young peoples behaviour. This paper will first analyze changing role of media in Britain, then illustrate how media influence British society. Finally, it will generate s everal recommendations for this situation. Outline the structure with key and supporting ideas (with referenced support): History: The British press began in the 1620s and development in the nineteenth century(Majesty,1976). Broadcasting began in the 1920s and became sturdy until mid-1980s.BBC was created in 1955 and ITA began in 1954 (Oakland,2006). Internet began in the 1990s ,and it developed rapidly since mid-1990s (BBC,2010). The current situation: Individual spent averagely 538 minutes per day on using all kinds of media(BBC,2010). The time Britons spend on print media are much less than past. Currently, people spend only 31 minutes per day on print media (BBC,2010). TV has become the most significant in the mass media, and the most convinent way for the public to get the news, as well as the information around the world,public spend almost 3.8 hours watching TV per day(BBC,2010). Internet play an important role in current life. Internet has been used by people for everyday,and people spend nearly one third of their waking time on Internet (BBC,2010). The influenceof media on British society: Negative: Over-commercialization(Oakland,2006). Media involves some violence, it have some negative influences on young people(Sefton-Green,1993). Positive: Media play an important part of the British economy,people spent more than 10 billion pounds for media activities in 1988(Veljanovski, 1990 ). Media help people culative their citizenship. As a propaganda tool, media promotes citizenship and moral consciousness of the public by using public service advertisement ¼Ã‹â€ BBC,2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The media press ahead with socialist democracy. Burton, G (2005, p.20) highlight that western government clearly know the value of media coverage in swaying public opinion. The broadcasting media play an role as an mirror to keep the diversity of opinion and act as a national communication platform. (Curran, J. and Seaton, J. 2003 p.234) Government control the individuals opinion by mass media(Curran,1938). Media involves the culture of different countries, promotes golblaziation (Hiebert,1987). Recommendation: Reduce the content of unhealth (sex and violence): Magazines for young girls and women should not include lots of information about sex(Stokes,1999). A example of boys own story(Sefton-Green,1993). report more positive aspects. Reduce business investment, re-define the direction of media guide. Media should be a transparent, open, democratic and should not be controlled by government. Conclusion: There has existed several negative affects of media on British society, however, media changed British life style and their thinking way in a variety of aspects. Chosen academic references BBC(2010) Ofcom report highlights multi-tasking media users. Accessed from : www.bbc.uk.com. Burton, G. (2005). Media and society: critical perspectives. Berkshire: Open University Press. Crisell,A.(1999) Broadcasting:Television and Radio. In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.61-74. Curran, J.(1987). Impact Influence. New York:Methuenco. Hiebert, R. (1988) Impact of mass media.New York: Longman. Majesty, H.(1976)The British press.England:Unwin Brothers Limited. Oakland, J.(2006) British Civilization New York: Routledge. Sefton-Green,J.(1993) Untidy, depressing and violent:a boys own story.In Buckingham, D. Reading audiences.pp.89-116. Stock ¼Ã…’J.(1999). Use it or lose it ¼Ã… ¡sex,sexuality,and sexual health in magazines for girls.In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.209-217. Veljanovski,C.(1990). The media in Britain today. London: News International.

An essay on different genres including the Ghost genre and the Fantasy

An essay on different genres including the Ghost genre and the Fantasy & Adventure genre I have chosen two completely different genres to base my essay on. Firstly, I have the mysterious and gripping Ghost Genre; the books I have studied are â€Å"The Woman in Black†, â€Å"The Langoliers† and the spooky film, â€Å"The Others†. The second genre is Fantasy & Adventure. The book I am studying is â€Å"Lirael†, a recent book written by Australian author Garth Nix. â€Å"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring†, directed by Peter Jackson is the film that I am analysing. There are many, definite trends to ghost stories, no matter what the novel is about. They are all usually set in remote areas and are about haunting. Death is usually common in scary stories also. Dense fog creates mysteriousness in the ghost genre and scary stories. It is not just used in books, but is a frequent trick displayed in films. The Langoliers is a gripping novel about a flight from L.A. to Boston, where the passengers somehow disappear when the plane is caught in a time warp, and pilot Brian Engle is left on his own, attempting to land the stray flight. â€Å"Brian peered out of the cockpit window. Outside, all that was visible were peaks of the Rocky Mountains, which were engulfed in a dense, dark fog.† The above quote is used by writer Stephen King to make the reader believe that the plane is now completely lost as the pilot cannot see any landmarks to pinpoint where he is! In the film â€Å"The Others† mist is constantly used when snapshots of the outside of the house are shown to create an eerie atmosphere. This works very well as it looks like the mansion is in the middle of nowhere and that the inhabitants are trapped inside, because if... ...the â€Å"L.O.T.R.† Merry and Pippin (two hobbits) are captured, Boromir is slain by an Orc and Frodo and Sam leave and decide to complete their task alone. In â€Å"Lirael† Sameth realizes that his friend Nicholas has been captured by Hedge and sets off to find him, ending the book on a cliff-hanger! I have found that, like Ghost stories, the Fantasy Genre has certain trends too. There are two sides, good and evil, the main characters are usually on quests and have a companion, and the weather matches the mood of people involved in the story. Also, in both â€Å"Lirael† of course the â€Å"L.O.T.R.† magic is used frequently. ‘Train of thought’ is not used often though as so much is happening in the novel. To summarise although all stories within a certain Genre are totally contrasting, they are similar in their sentence structure, characters, and of course†¦ storyline.

Is Human Cloning the Answer? :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Is Human Cloning the Answer? That depends upon the question. Recently there was a major breakthrough in the scientific research - the mapping of all DNA in a human gene is complete. Couple of years ago, this seems an impossible task for scientist to triumph over. All this revolution in science leads us to believe that the day, when the human being will be cloned, is not far away. Human cloning has always been an issue of controversy, be it in terms of ethically or religiously. Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial, among many cases, it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic defect to a child could make use of cloning. A fertilized ovum could be cloned, and the duplicate tested for the disease or disorder. If the clone was free of genetic defects, then the other clone would be as well. The latter could be implanted in the woman and allowed to mature to term. Moreover, cloning would enable infertile couples to have children of their own rather than using sperm of another man. Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned, so it would be a source of perfect transplant organs. This, surely would be immensely beneficial to millions of unfortunate people around the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single (or more) organ(s). It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unconstitutional and would deprive people of the right to reproduce and restrict the freedom of scientists. Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly viable side. Primarily, I believe that cloning would intervene with the normal 'cycle' of life. There would be large number of identical genes, which minimizes the chances of mutation, and, in turn, evolution - the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment. Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely extinction. Furthermore, cloning would eliminate the uniqueness that each one of us posses. Thus, leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and, chances are, that those individuals would be regarded as 'objects' rather than people in the society in grand scale.

Power of Six Book Report

John is superhuman. He has several superpowers, including telekinesis and immunity to fire. 2. John is brave. Despite being hunted by an entire race of aliens, he trains hard and never loses hope. 3. John is caring. He shows that he cares about how Sam and Six feel, and always puts them first. 4. John is determined. When training with Sam and Six, he is often bested in fighting by Six. This is hard for him, as she is a girl, and there are some stereotypes floating in his head, but he still always gets up to go again. 5.John is impulsive. He often acts without thinking out of either anger or want. For example, when the leader of the Microorganism arrived on Earth, he walked straight into an energy force field after him, knocking himself out. Conflict sec 3 Internal Conflict – John loves Sarah, but he also likes Six, and is always around her that creates a tension between John and Six, which often tantalizing him to make a move on her. I chose this for the internal conflict beca use it is a classic love triangle, and brings a key emotional side to the story. , which is key to the story.External Conflict – A major external conflict in this Tory is when 10 – 20 Microorganism attack John, Six and Sam. They burn their house down, attack and try to kill them and attempt to steal the chest that has John's inheritance in it. I chose this as a main external conflict because it is the first real external conflict. It also shows not only the power of the Microorganism, but also how quickly and effectively they can find John and the other Lori as they only lived at that house a few days and it was miles from any other civilization. Genre sec 4 This story is science fiction.It is sic-if because, first, there are two alien races involved: the Loire and the Microorganism. Also, there is some futuristic technology such as shuttles that can complete cross-galaxy trips, and weapons that shoot balls of energy, rather than bullets. Theme statement sec 6 Don't Ju dge a book by its cover. Work hard and you can do great things. Plot map Exposition Six reveals her past, and how she was captured and detained by Microorganism. Rising Action John and Six and Sam are attacked in Florida. John, Six and Sam go back to Paradise and are caught by the FBI. Six helps John and Sam break out of prison after FBI capture.Ella finds Marina's chest, and Marina pens it. Crayon reveals himself as not Macedonian, but Lori. Climax John and Sam go to the hive, find the chest and find Nine. Falling Action Six saves Marina when Macedonian army attacks. The leader of the Macedonian race, Strauss Ra, arrives on Earth. Resolution Crayon decides that Six and Martina and Ella must go after the other Lori and unite them. Background The series starts when the planet Lories is invaded by the evil Nonagenarians. In Loris's final hour, its inhabitants, the Lori, send nine children and their guardians to Earth on a large spaceship.Each carries a locked chest that contains their inheritance. This chest is vital to their survival. They are numbered 1-9, their number will often be substituted for their name. A charm is put on them so that they can only be killed in the order of their numbers. 1 through 3 are killed. The main character, John –who is number 4 and up next to be hunted lives in Paradise, Ohio, but is found by the Microorganism, and his guardian is killed. However, he meets number Six and they travel together along with John's human friend, Sam. The Power of Six begins at this point.

Pocahontas – Cultural Anthropology

Writing Assignment #1: The Cultural Construction of the Idea of Progress Film chosen: Pocahontas One of Walt Disney’s most famous films, Pocahontas, takes place in the 1600s, as the British discover parts of the â€Å"New World† that are inhabited by native Americans. In this film, we are able to contrast the primitive lifestyle and culture of the Native Americans to that of the British, and are able to see how the ideas of â€Å"progress† or social evolution play a role in the ethnocentric bias held by the Westerners during this time, causing the primitive stereotypes to be built.Disney uses the structure of the characters themselves- what they wear, how they speak, what they eat, what they believe in, etc. ; and the plot line of the film, to depict the cultural construction of the idea of â€Å"progress†, and evoke the opposing ideas of the â€Å"primitive other† and â€Å"civilized self†. This film opens showing us the life of the British as they board the ship and while they’re sailing at sea. Disney starts off with the British because we as westerners relate to the British, and see their way of life as normal and civilized.We immediately relate to the color of their skin, their westernized clothing, the way they speak, and the technology they have access too. While on the boat, John Smith (the male protagonist) refers to the Native American Indians as â€Å"savages† who should be killed if they get in the way. This gives us a sneak peak into the mindset of the British and how negatively they view the Native Americans. Leaving us with the belief that the Indians are savages, Disney then introduces Pocahontas (the female protagonist) and the Indian tribe that has been living in the New World.Immediately we are exposed to the primitive lifestyle of the Indians. We see that their way of traveling is by wooden canoes, their clothing consist of a brown cloth that covers very little while they also do not ha ve on shoes, they live in tents, and have nothing but nature at it’s purest form surrounding them. We see the women out in the fields gathering corn by hand, while the men are coming home from battle, with only bows and arrows and spears for weapons.The initial reaction to seeing the culture and way of life amongst the Indians is to see them as â€Å"uncivilized† and â€Å"savage†, just as John Smith was saying on the boat. However throughout the film Disney begins to challenge this belief and shows us that the westerner’s way of life may not be the best way of life for everyone. Up until this point, John Smith and the rest of the English men had been discovering new places and finding Native American’s that had been living for many years on these foreign lands.The Europeans always saw these natives as uncivilized, barbaric savages, who needed to be taken over and â€Å"westernized†. John Smith makes a comment to Pocahontas about how they co uld make the Indians life better, and build them roads and tall buildings, and teach them how to â€Å"make the most of their land†. This is a perfect example of the ethnocentric bias mentality of the Europeans. They never once considered that someone else’s way of living and culture could actually be a successful.They thought that their way was the best way, and anything else was just an underdeveloped, barbaric lifestyle that needed to progress into the westernized lifestyle. After John Smith makes this comment about â€Å"bettering the Indian’s life styles† Pocahontas is deeply offended and proceeds to sing the popular song, The Colors of the Wind. In this song Pocahontas calls John Smith out on his ethnocentric stance and shows him her point of view, in singing: â€Å"You think you own whatever land you land on, The earth is just a dead thing you can claim, But I know every rock and tree and creature, Has a life, has a spirit, has a name.You think th e only people who are people, Are the people who look and think like you, But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, You'll learn things you never knew you never knew. † For the first time John Smith begins to listen to Pocahontas and realizes how ignorant him and his crew have been to think they can claim any land they come across, treating the natives like wild beasts.All this time the Europeans have looked down upon the primitive culture of the natives, thinking that they were sub-human, and needed to be nurtured and tamed just like animals; however in this moment John Smith see’s the free spirit in Pocahontas, and he admires her connection to the nature all around her. He begins to see that the Natives are just normal human beings in their natural element, a thriving off of the world around them, with no need of technology, or any of the advancements the westerners were bringing to the New World.Overall, Disney’s film, Pocahontas, does a wonderful job contr asting the cultures of the â€Å"primitive other† and â€Å"civilized self† with Pocahontas and the Indians as the primitive other and John Smith and the Europeans as the civilized self. We are able to see through the Europeans, their ethnocentrism, and their naive attitudes that leads them to believe they own whatever land they land on and can treat the natives however they want. Disney however plays out this film in a way to show us his view on this ethnocentric bias and how he believes it to be wrong and unlawful.He makes the viewer side with the Indians and portrays the Indians as the good guys and the Europeans as the bad guys. Disney was trying to send a message that this whiteness way of thinking is not always correct and can sometimes bring harm to others even when its not intentional. Works Cited: Pocahontas. Walt Disney Feature Animation, 1995. Film. Seriff, Suzanne. â€Å"Cultural Anthropology: ANT 302. † University of Texas. Spring 2013.