Economic Indicator Analysis (XBOX 360) Research Paper

Economic Indicator Analysis (XBOX 360) - Research Paper Example Moreover, region specific media access to third party media is also offered through streaming services such as ESPN and Netflix. Currently a slimmer version of the Xbox 360 is being shipped which sports a number of features. These include Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio out port, five USB 2.0 ports and a specialised AUX port. (Takahashi, 2010) All previous models of the Xbox series have been discarded since. The console ships with a standard 250 GB hard drive and a cheaper stock keeping unit ships with 4GB internal storage space. Special editions of the Xbox 360 ship with 320 GB hard drives. Microsoft holds that the Xbox 360 platform is only through half of its projected life that is deemed to continue up to 2015. (Robinson, 2009) In terms of performance and capability, IGN named the Xbox 360 as the sixth best video game console of all times out of a total of 25 gaming consoles. (IGN, 2011) The processor is a triple core Xenon designed by IBM. Each core can process two threads simultaneously and so in total it can process six threads. (Microsoft, 2008) The Xbox 360 handles graphics through the ATI Xenos GPUS that sports 10 MB worth of eDRAM and has a main memory pool of 512 MB. The controllers for the Xbox 360 are shipped in both wired and wireless models. A host of technical failures were associated with the Xbox 360 since its release but these have been dealt with by Microsoft by extending warranty periods to three years and by modifying hardware to accommodate thermal instability. Microsoft is a leading software and IT business company with roots stretching as far back as the late seventies. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on 4th April 1975. With the introduction of the company’s DOS (Disk Operating System) that was extensively utilised by IBM, the company saw unprecedented growth. The development of the Windows framework allowed the company to expand its reach to newer consumers around the globe. The mid nineti es saw Microsoft under fire for monopolistic business practices and was subsequently prosecuted under anti-trust laws. Moreover, Microsoft expanded into the word processing domain with its Microsoft Office software suite that sports little competition. Recent years have seen Microsoft diversifying its portfolio by delving into newer markets such as video games, consumer electronics, digital services, cellular phone operating systems and VoIP communications. As of 2011, the company hosts revenue of some $69.96 billion while its operating income stands at $24.1 billion as of 2010. The video gaming industry is far more open than the video games console industry as it allows successful start-ups. Developmental costs for software are lower than those for hardware and this allows the video games market to be more open to competition. However, the video games console market requires multi faceted research aimed at developing and sourcing hardware that can be utilised to outstrip the perfor mance of the competition’s consoles. Consequently, there are few companies in the market that are manufacturing and marketing video gaming consoles. Notably the market is occupied by Nintendo’s Gamecube and Wii, Sony’s Playstation series and Microsoft’s Xbox series. Both Nintendo and Sony develop customised hardware for their gaming console platforms including processing, storage and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) along with networking and other supporting features. In contrast, Microsoft tends to source its hardware from various sources

Management by culture is another way of exercising control in Essay

Management by culture is another way of exercising control in organizations. Critically discuss this statement with reference to issues of power and resistance - Essay Example This study will also focus on the issues of power and resistance as they pertain to management by culture. Journal articles, online research, and textbook readings are used to help define organizational culture, power and resistance within organizational culture, and exercising control using organizational culture. Examples from the real time functioning organizations will be used to provide insight into how management by culture can be successfully used to meet mission goals. Organizations develop a culture all their own whether or not the organizational leadership wants it. But, organizational leadership can help develop a culture among workers that works to the organization's advantage. Management by culture does just that. Management can incorporate symbols, stories, heroes, slogans, or ceremonies to create an environment that encourages positive operations within the organization. The organization identifies what it considers positive attributes, abilities, or behaviours that need to be rewarded within the organization. The ultimate goal of management by culture is to accomplish the mission of the organization. Management by culture reduces friction between management and staff by directly addressing resistance within the organization. Organizational culture or corporate culture is defined as "The values, customs, rituals, attitudes, and norms shared by members of an organization, which have to be learnt and accepted by new members of the organization."1 Organizational culture can be further subdivided into integrative culture, differentiated culture, and fragmentation culture. It is important to note that an organization's culture can have positive attributes and negative attributes. Obviously, an organization will want to support the positive culture that develops and discourage any negative culture that develops. Integrative culture includes an agreement on what should be adopted and what should not. Integration provides "unity, predictability, and clarity to work assignments".2 Differentiated culture consists of subcultures that may develop that do not share the common goals and objectives of the organization. This encourages inconsistencies in the organization that are not wanted by management. Fragmentation culture consists of multiple definitions of organizational values and assumptions within the organization. This happens when an organization grows too quickly, has a very diverse work force, or enters the global marketplace. 3. Building a Positive Corporate Culture/ Management by Culture The challenge of any organization is to create, and nurture, a positive corporate culture that includes all that work for, or lead, the organization. Management at this level works to reward desired behaviours among its employees. Positive reinforcement of desired behaviours lowers the incidences of power struggles and resistance. In short, people like to be recognized and rewarded rather than punished or fired. Management by culture requires the organization to put into place set standards and practices. The organization will be better able to recognize high performance with set standards and practices. The task environment and internal environment need to be clearly identified. The cultural environment needs to be clearly ide