Observers Paradox

Introduction The observer’s paradox is also known as the Hawthorne effect in social sciences. In sociolinguistics, it was first coined and observed by William Labov when he studied variation and style in speech. He designed the famous sociolinguistic interview meant to get information about language.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Observer’s Paradox specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this interview, he emphasized on four structural parts that the interviewee was requested to do. The first was to read a list of minimal pairs; which was followed by reading a list of words in isolation. Thirdly, the interviewees were required to read aloud a short narrative; and finally engage in a conversation about their lives. This paper aims to analyse issues that arise from observer’s paradox and attempt to present ways that sociolinguists can minimize their impact. Observer’s paradox is sues Observer’s paradox as a problem lies in the process of investigating language style and usage among individuals through speech collection. In the process, a sociolinguist sets out to account in the best possible way about the variations occurring between what people say against what they believe they say. Interviewees perceive that their intelligence is being sort, and hence they alter their speech to suit these notions. As a result, the sociolinguist as a field expert faces the problem of non-reality. He cannot discern whether what the interviewee is real or not hence the idea of unknowable. A double bind situation occurs since what the sociolinguist wants to know can only be known through observation which is subject to change. The interviewee speech performance is influenced by the presence of the interviewer hence observer’s paradox (Crowley, 2007). The observer’s paradox issue has repeatedly been the subject of scholarly interest in ethnographic lingui sts. This has especially been in the study of language sensitivity in the social situation context. The sociolinguist who is also an interlocutor forms a critical component in the process since he is responsible for the interactional role. A sociolinguist can only collect targeted speech on a daily basis in order to obtain reasonable amounts for analysis. This is meant to overcome observer’s paradox. The interviewer can only engage fully in the conversation as a participator at the lowest level. This means that his social relationship in the process allows for the most minimal effect to the linguistic data collected (Meyer, 2005). There needs to be an effective strategy laid down in the form of roles and procedures that outline what the interaction roles are for the interviewer. As a fact, the team interviewer contradicts this role hence the name interlocutor. His relationship with the social group under investigation needs to be present before any interpretation of any lingu istic behaviour is explained to seek for certain senses.Advertising Looking for critical writing on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The observer’s paradox also throws into light the question of social class between the interlocutor and the informant. In cases where the two are of unequal status, the informant takes the higher side and thus this influences the information collected. This results to information that reflects self-importance or even looks down effect unto the interlocutor hence any attempt to analyse the data results to wrong conclusions (Stockwell and Trask, 2007). In cases where the interlocutor is of higher social status, the effect to the informant would be either that of aspiration to illustrate same social status to that of the interlocutor’s or one that is too affected by inferiority effect. In these two scenarios, the interlocutor does not have the best information to analyse la nguage in the social group since already it has been affected by his presence. Another issue that arises in the observer’s effect is the problem of bilingual social groups. In such social groups, it is very difficult to maintain an interactional conversation between two people due to the process of code switching. Informants keep on switching to the other codes available hence this becomes a challenge to the smooth flow of the desired speech language. At times, both the interlocutor and informant are of the same social group and ethnicity. In this case, code switching is influenced by the need to fulfil the cultural demands of politeness hence promoting code switching. Again this problem is aggravated by the problem of status equality between the two persons (Wei, 1994). The issue of age is also another observer’s paradox area of concern in the field interview. The informants have their own views about age. If an interlocutor is of a lower age than the informant, chanc es of false linguistic data collected are high. This is even compounded by issues in gender variations. The informants and the interlocutor may influence the responses in the conversations to suit a certain gender hence observer’s paradox effect. The informants may think that the interlocutor is interested in studying their knowledge hence they may give misleading data that result to flawed analysis of the language in the social context (Crowley, 2007). Education is also an issue that is raised in the process of a sociolinguistic interview. Speakers who have lower levels of education differ significantly when compared with those with high levels of education. The education level of the informant and that of the interlocutor may at times be very different hence promoting a situation where the informant’s responses are impacted greatly.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Observer’s Paradox specifically for you for only $16. 05 $11/page Learn More The interlocutor at the same time may despise an informant who has very low levels of education. This may create an unnatural relationship between the two. This leads to production of unnatural speech that does not qualify to the intentions of the process of sociolinguistic study of language variations in social groups. The observer’s paradox comes into play when the cultures of the informant and the interlocutor are at extreme ends. In this case, the informant may find it difficult to interview a culture that is superior just as it would be to maintain professional equality when dealing with one that is lower than his (Aarts, and McMahon, 2006). The other regards ethnicity in the sense that different ethnic languages may pose problems to an interlocutor interested in collecting linguistic data. This problem is seen in the context of social relationship or rapport that the interlocutor must create in order to set out a conversational sett ing for effective collection of data (Crowley, 2007). Sociolinguists have attempted to minimize the effect of observer’s paradox trough different techniques and measures. Arising issues from such techniques include ethics in the process among others. Ethics means refers to accepted codes and standards of procedures in behaviour in a given set up or society. Informants who give misleading information leading to incorrect recordings breach the ethics of truth and honesty at all times. The data analysed forth from such recordings becomes flawed due to such issues in the process on the part of the informant or interlocutor doing it knowingly (Kastovsky and Arthur, 2000). Any attempts to collect data using hidden recorders breaches the questions of ethics since a sociolinguist cannot get any data secretly in his research. The speaker must know at all times that he or she is being recorded otherwise it becomes illegal in any part of the world. The fact that the informant is a frien d or family does not give the right to record them secretly. This is because it only leads to breach of trust resulting to damaged relationships. The attempt to decrease the effect of observer’s paradox emanates from the desire to present quality work rather than quantity. This means removing the human informants in the process of research, of which it is not possible (Stockwell and Trask, 2007). Another issue an interview related to observer’s paradox concerns the questions and how to ask them. The process of interviewing is guided by questions that are structured to get the most natural display of linguistic data. Interviewers must learn the questions that must change the interview to the friendliest of all. The interviewer must thus keep in mind that besides being a researcher and a fieldworker he is also a speaker and a hearer in the conversation.Advertising Looking for critical writing on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The interviewer must thus use strategies like volunteering personal experiences, reacting and responding to new issues as well as following conversations to where the informant directs them. The questions must be developed according putting in mind that they must elicit data and create a conversation setting (Aarts, and McMahon, 2006). Questions that elicit emotions have been found to be favourable in some situations as opposed to others. Therefore, the interviewer must use his social skills to allow flexibility in order to determine a successful interview process. In terms of setting the roles, the interviewer should present an interview that encourages the interviewee to offer information through closer relationship rather than a distant one. In this role, the interviewer sets up a setting which allows him to behave as a learner rather than an expert hence every question leads to another which is related. The interviewee must get interested in the informant in order to produce a r elationship that is supportive and building. Information disclosure in the field work is concerned with letting the informant understand the purpose of the research. This is usually not possible since quite a number of informants do not understand issues in linguists that are under study. In an interview, this is an important aspect to and it should be kept minimum. When informants are told the purpose of the study, there is a possibility of a speaker’s influence is possible. This may lead to performance bias that can be conscious or unconscious hence the problem of informed consent (Kastovsky and Arthur, 2000). The practicalities of the time range that an interview can last are also other issues raised by the observer’s paradox. Labov in Crowley (2007) wrote that it should last between one to two hours. Determination of how long it should take must be dependent on what forms the subject of interest in the interview. This is because different linguistic data demands va rying amounts of time for considerable data recording. Also, the issue of breaking familiarity with the interviewer in order to present a situation that is familiar determines the time and extent of an interview. In practice, interviewers use a repetitive strategy that involves the same informant for a period of a long time. Conducting interviews in a repetitive manner, which spans for a long period, has often in practice been a measure to minimize the impact of observer’s paradox upon the process. Repetitive interviews create an environment that promotes conversation rather than an interview’s formal setting. Accurate transcription of data recorded from the field work is another issue of concern. The difficulties arising from transcription are based on the fact that no account can include everything recorded. The transcription may lead to the inclusion of any amount of contextual data hence the potential infinite extent of the problem. This problem is also aggravated by time and cost. In addition, the interaction of human and machine contributes to the aggravation of the problem. Further arising from this issue is the problem of the subjective interpretation to recorded data that only leads to the truth which is intended by the purpose of inquiry that plays the judge and the audience (Murphy, 2010). The recorded data may be influenced greatly by background noise and interruptions that negatively impact on the quality and clarity of such data. This presents problems in transcribing phases as tedious time is wasted while the quality of the information gotten is susceptible to alterations and changes not meant to be present. Therefore, there must be efforts to change these issues in order to get the best process when recording information. The issue of transcription extends to the methods of collecting data (Thierberger, 2012). The instruments used to record data have sometimes been observed to contribute to the observer’s paradox effect. Th is is when they attract attention that changes the informant’s natural language elicitation. However, at other instances, materials used to record data present the problem of applicability to modern data analysis. These instruments may lead to time wastage due to their incompatibility hence also affecting the quality by falling below efficiency standards. On the same issue, the materials that are used to record may not be comprised in terms of quality and durability. This may necessitate the need for extra and constant care. If this lacks, the effective process of the interview may fail, and this leads to waste (Penke and Rosenbach, 2007). Minimizing the effects of Observer’s Paradox Sociolinguists have been concerned with reducing the effects of observer’s paradox in efforts to collect natural speech from an informant. As noted the observer’s paradox is brought about by the presence of the field worker, a recording device and the task itself and thence m inimizing strategies must revolve directly or indirectly to these issues. These may include modifying the interview, the topics to be discussed in the activity, as well as the situations in the processes (Thierberger, 2012). Stockwell and Trask, (2007) wrote that using protocols that engage the informants in emotionally involving responses, recoding events that are public and being recorded helps to minimize the potential of interference in the process of research. Labov in his quest for this solution observed that there was a need for the interlocutor to make process most friendly upon the informant. This was through participative observation where the informant becomes part of the conversation hence reducing the formality of the interview process. Another approach requires the interviewer to enlist the number of informants to more than one (Thierberger, 2012). In the process, the participants engaged in more natural speech between themselves rather than with the interlocutor hence resulting recorded data becomes empirical. This strategy result in a casual speech where the relationship between the informants is not restricted by formality issues or other constrains of the stranger effect. Another strategy for minimizing the observer’s paradox involves increasing the number of interviewer’s in order to improve the dynamics of recording sessions as well moderation settings in the process. The presence of two interviewers allows the generation of ideas and topics in a wide context hence make the process natural (Chambers, 2003). A third strategy involves removing the interviewer in the process although this has issues in the recording process. Macaulay’s in Meyerhoff (2006) notes that research onto two pairs of adolescents who were left alone to engage in a conversation led to more data gathered quickly from a number of speakers as compared to the classic interview. It was effective based on the fact that the interview took the natural, conv ersational approach. In this case, the interviewer was actively removed from the process although there are methodological issues to consider. As already mentioned, overcoming the observer’s paradox may be achieved through repetitive friendly interviews. Such interviews maintain a rapport hence including familiarity in the process. The moment familiarity is included in an approach then the sociolinguist enjoys a process that records almost casual speech. This gives data which is factual and helpful in understanding the variations in language as espoused by different social groups. Moderating questions to suit a certain setting, as well those that have been known to demand most natural display, is another way to minimize the observer’s paradox. Informants would respond to questions by giving insights on linguistics’ features of their language if they are correctly designed. In addition, the amount of time that an interview should take is also an effective strateg y since the interviewer can avoid time ranges that are tiresome or inappropriate. This helps to minimize the observer’s paradox on the informant hence resulting to the desired information. Sociolinguists should avoid disclosing the purpose of research study due to the problem of bias that comes with informed consent concept (Thierberger, 2012). In terms of differences in ethnicity, it has been observed sociolinguists who use family and friends achieve corpora quickly and from a large audience. Sociolinguists may use interviewers whose ethnic orientation coincides with the informant for effective, natural speech data collection. This is workable based on the fact that an interview where the conversation approach is employed leads to success. Age difference is also another issue in the observer’s paradox which sociolinguists must try to overcome. It can be solved by first laying down the procedures and regulations that should be followed in a research process. In this fi rst approach, the researcher identifies his target in terms of ages and thus the deliberate choice of the interviewer must be put into concern in order to coincide with the average age of the target interviewee (Thierberger, 2012). Education levels are another issue which sociolinguists must resolve to overcome consciously. Where education levels are varying the observer’ paradox can be overcome by applying the use of different languages in the process. The application of such languages helps to involve informants in less-engaging language thus reducing the problem of the language barrier. The interviewer goes down to the level of the informant to take the position of a fellow companion. This is as opposed to an educated stranger who is aloof to the lowest social groups’ level of understanding and perspectives. Another universally acclaimed way to minimize observer’s paradox effect is the use of participative observation. The sociolinguist in this case takes to anthropological dimensions by spending time in the speech community in order to gain the social closeness while at the same time investigating the language. This method creates familiarity although it has its problem in terms of interference and influence (Meyer, 2005). The problem of transcription is solvable through the application of standard procedures in recording and transcription. These standards should be put in place in considerations of the study intended, as well the purpose. At the same time, this helps to decide on the materials that support long lasting storage of information. This would solve problems of lost data due to wear and tear, and obsoleteness. The instruments used for such recordings should not be seen to contribute to the observer’s paradox effect. Thus, sociolinguists may utilize modern, efficient, as well as portable recorders in order to minimize this effect. Conclusion The paper focuses on the aspects that arise from the observer’s paradox . This is done from the perspective of the interviewer, the interviewee as well as the interview process. The three are involved in explaining issues like education, age, gender, ethnicity, and language. Others describe issues like data transcription and recording. After the issues, the paper checks the different ways each one of them can be solved by sociolinguists. This is in an effort to overcome its challenge hence reducing or mitigating observer’s paradox. Reference List Aarts, B and McMahon, MSA 2006, The handbook of English linguistics:  Volume 36 of Blackwell handbooks in linguistics, John Wiley Sons, Oxford. Chambers, JK 2003, Sociolinguistic theory: linguistic variation and its social significance  Language in society, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford. Crowley, T 2007, Field Linguistics: A Beginner’s Guide, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Kastovsky, D and Arthur M 2000, The history of English in a social context: a contribution to historical sociolinguistics, Vo lume 129 of Trends in linguistics: Studies and monographs, Walter de Gruyter, New York. Meyer, GP 2005, Synchronic English linguistics, Gunter Narr Verlag, Tubingen. Meyerhoff, M 2006, Introducing sociolinguistics, Taylor Francis, New York. Murphy, B 2010, Corpus and sociolinguistics: investigating age and gender in female talk, Volume 38 of Studies in corpus linguistics, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Florence. Penke, M and Rosenbach, S 2007, What counts as evidence in linguistics: the case of innateness, Volume 7 of Benjamins current topics, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Florence. Stockwell, P and Trask, L 2007, Language and linguistics: the key concepts, Taylor Francis, New York. Thieberger, N 2012, Linguistic Fieldwork, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Wei, L 1994, Three generations, two languages, one family: language choice and language shift in a Chinese community in Britain Volume 104 of Multilingual matters, Multilingual Matters, FranfurtLodge. This critical writing on Observer’s Paradox was written and submitted by user Dayton Ortiz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Childs Bath essays

Childs Bath essays The first painting I chose at the museum was an oil painting on canvas. It depicted a women and child in a very informal setting. The woman was tenderly holding a small child on her lap, while bathing her. I was drawn to the piece from across the room, by the soft, glowing toddler. The child was clothed only in a small white towel and her ivory skin seemed to glow against a muted background and it wasnt until I was very close to the painting that I even realized that there was another form in the composition. As I studied the painting further my eyes were drawn in the direction of the eyes of the two figures and it was then that I noticed the strong lines of the womans hands. They were a little out of proportion for a woman; they had an almost masculine quality. Yet against the soft rounded lines of the childs thigh there was a tenderness that was almost palatable. After reading the plaque next to this painting I learned that this artist used more masculine hands on all of her paintings of women and children to emphasize them. I think that it not only accomplishes that but the contrast between the strong lines and soft flowing lines leads to a feeling of stability. The combination of the muted colors, strong solid lines of the mothers hands, and the soft organic lines of the child all lead to a very peaceful, moving, tender portrayal of a mother and child. ...

Evolutionists and Creationists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evolutionists and Creationists - Essay Example As explained in www.pbs.org, evolution is founded on evidences which are attached to universal principles that elucidate visible and verified features of the human race. By learning fossil accounts we have a fine image of the evolution of human life and the series of definite features which have advanced through the years. The detection of fossils, on the other hand, has challenged several in their basic religious viewpoint. Evolution is a continuous process. On a biological stage, evolution takes place on every day basis. Being an evolutionist I am aware of the fact that micro organisms transform, reproduce and go by different types to stay alive in their atmosphere. They take in, adjust and create genetic amendment over generations so as to raise their survival time. This development of new organisms, on the other hand, causes a difficulty for the growth of new antibiotics that are not resistant to some specific micro organisms. This wires Darwin's hypothesis of natural collection. Creationists trust that all existing things were shaped and made by God. The Book of origins, a declaration of believes in the words of Moses is a consideration to have inspiration by God. The book explains the formation of the world and of the origin of human race (Adam & Eve). In accordance with Christians, this is the single material evidence to support their faith in verifying our reality. A creationist may quarrel that the knowledge of evolution cannot confirm nor contradict the reality of God or the Supreme power. Science does not make an allowance for the continuation of a spiritual element, as this can neither be measured nor examined by science with proofs to sustain trust or conviction. In addition, supernatural motions, findings, other spiritual experiences and mysterious events, which a lot of people declare to practice or examine, are possible. Science rejects these claims as 'quackery'. Creationists quarrel that the statistical possibility of our subsistence without an intellectual design is almost unfeasible. This point directs towards the existence of God or an intellectual Supreme Being. Therefore, a large amount of our humanity has the need to trust in religious conviction and the Bible as the basis of all reality. All arguments and theories are still unable to solve this riddle as to what made us. Creationists believe that there is a Powerful Being which has created us and they do not need any evidence for this statement. They have firm believe that faith is enough to get rid of questions and misconceptions. They may furthermore quarrel that if the evolutionist were right in their conviction that we are straight ancestors of the ape then why do apes still survive. Or, if we developed from a particle, where and how did that particle start off When did the time begin The creationist trust the world, time and the Supernatural Being had no commencement or ending and that God always existed, still exists and will exist eternally. However, evolutionists believe in evidences and scientific proofs. With the evolutionistic eagerness and zeal for the mission of scientific answers, this investigation will persist to be more studied until verification of our foundation is exposed. The earth has covered an extensive record of ecological, climatic, soil and water changes.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA ON THE GULF REGION Essay

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Economic Analysis of Nintendo

Economic Analysis of Nintendo Nintendo is a company which manufactures video games and gaming consoles and it is not new company as, it have been one of the oldest in the stock market. This company actually produces different devices of technology that upgrade the new videogames that had launched in the world, the name of Nintendo is very famous and became the most dominant in the in the games industry. And eventually most people universally known NES from many years and must have seen its success and also its debts from many years, which any company faces both of them. It was the leading game worldwide who dominated the market in video games for many years till their critical step they took in the year 1993, taking over SNES which is also known as Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo sold about 565 million of hard ware units and 3.4 billion software units and currently it is one of the best companies in the games history. (Techshout 2011) Nintendo Company Limited is one of the oldest and also one of the best games of all times which is originally from Japan, Kyoto. The name Nintendo was given by a Japanese name called HanaFuda which was launched in the year 1889 as a playing card. These cards were 52-deck playing card these were mostly made for exports but were later sold in Japan for the increasing population. However, later it grew and become one of the largest business producers in video games, selling games like The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Pokà ©mon and Super Mario Brothers. Even after so much completion if you ask any game producer company like Sony, Microsoft, and many more, where did they get the idea or the start Im sure they will tell you only one name Nintendo, the meaning of Nintendo in English means the thing we can do the best and rest leave it to God. Nintendo WII and Sony play station and also Microsoft Xbox went high in the stock market in the year of 2011where youngsters around had it. These ga mes have a lot of tools like listening to music and using internet and in that way they could download movies and play video games online. (Kotaku 2009) The first video game launched by Nintendo was the Nintendo ES, which was grey color box which had only x and o to play with, followed by many games like Nintendo super As, 64 Nintendo, Nintendo, Nintendo Revolution which was launched in late 2006. Hence, later famous games which had a good name and a great sales turnover for Nintendo which made their profit increase and produce more products, then the game boy launched in the market and after seeing such a big success it launched the advance version of its which was later called Gameboy advance, and then Nintendo DS. Nintendo noticed a great fall in its sales between Nintendo 64 and Nintendo, because of the great game launched by Sony, called the Sony PlayStation and people would buy Sony play station than Nintendo 64 and Nintendo. The Sony PlayStation 2 and also Microsoft which launched into the market its Product called Xbox, had some features of the other games but in an advanced level. Having some debts thing didnt affect Nintendo much because they knew that they will come back into the market with games that are more powerful than their last ones and in that case it would have the demand of the market by their side, with advance advanced gaming system, like now we can see in this graph that as it went by it keeps on increasing by million units. (Gizmodo 2006) 2. Trends analysis 2.1 Past of Nintendo The Game cube was unveiled on August 24th 2000 but customers were only allowed to buy it during the launch in November 18th 2001. During the launch of the GameCube, it was recorded as the fastest selling home video games console. Within North America over 500,000 systems were sold which was double than Microsofts Xbox and was 25% faster than the launch of the PS2. Nintendo had made about a $100 million on GameCubes and merchandise that was related and with the release of the Harry Potter and the sorcerers Stone earned them a gross of $93.5 million. (Cubicle2001). Even thou the Game Cube had done really well in its launch; it did have an outstanding performance well over the years after of its life hood the market share were majorly occupied by the Sony PlayStation2 and then Microsoft Xbox, leaving the Nintendo GameCube last. The game developing companies that produced games for each console have shown the destitution of their products to each console. This is a combination of EA, Avt ivision, UBISOFT, THQ, and Midway. These were companies that produced games. (the guardian 2012) You can see that the Sony PlayStation had an upper hand when it came to talks about market shares but over the quarters there have been substantial drops of sales. Not only just for Sony but also in Microsoft and Nintendo, yet still Nintendo being the worst out of them all. Even thou it was shown to be the greatest ever gaming consoles to be sold over there year leaving PS2 and Xbox to eat its dirt. 3. Economic Analysis 3.1 Production Possibility Frontier As Nintendo manufactures many gaming devices and consoles they always kept the primary objective as one. In 2009 when the new Nintendo DS was launched it made a great profit for Nintendo company and after one year when they fully launched Nintendo Wii which was a blast for the competition which made a profit of millions was in their choice that which one to manufacture more either the Nintendo DS or Nintendo Wii. And in the below given diagram u can see how do they do this. As in the diagram above you can see that the console Wii is manufactured in maximum rate of 2000 per month and if they manufacture 2250 Nintendo ds devices than they will make more Wiis and if they reduce the output for Wii than the output for Nintendo ds Wii increase. 3.2 supply and demand Demand for Nintendo device in the market and competition stands higher than Xbox and ps3 because Nintendo operates portable devices and consoles which other companies have not done yet. And Nintendo Wii was the first game in which you can actually react outside the screen and your own prototype will do the same movies in the screen. In Nintendo Wii you can have games that can provide you home fitness such as yoga, cardio exercises and such games which really help your movements to get refreshed and make you stay in fitness. After Nintendo Wii was launched Xbox bought up their Kinect through which you can do the similar things as Nintendo Wii but with better graphics and improved technology than Nintendo Wii. Quantity Demanded In the diagram above you can see the demand for the Nintendo Wii and as you can see the demand for the console is high and people are ready to buy it in an affordable price and if there is a decrease in price of Wii than the demand for it will increase automatically. Nintendo has their supply all over the world and it makes great amount of profit from all the places where it supplies its devices and consoles. If Nintendo would increase the value of their products, people would not wish to buy their products anymore so they should supply in a particular limit in the monthly basis and in that case they should keep lower prices from which they can take their profit out and a price which would be reasonable for the people to buy. In the diagram above as you have seen that Nintendo supplies at the price of P1 and they supple Q1 amount of goods so if Nintendo starts to transport more goods than they will have to increase the price together as well because of the other cost of exporting the goods. 3.3 Opportunity Cost In 2007 Nintendo DS was one of the best portable device and 170,000 devices were sold in Australia and if in one country Nintendo DS was sold in thousands of quantity then how much would they would have sold in the rest of the part of the world. When Nintendo Wii was launched it was a big challenge for the other gaming competitors because it was a total different technology and which made sales huge amount of sales around the world and at that time Nintendo DS was not that competitive so Nintendo lowered down the sales of Nintendo DS and the plan they had was to keep Wii in the market and stop Nintendo DS and after a while bring up Nintendo DS up with a better technology so as they planned they have now launched their latest Nintendo 3DS which is a convenient device and in which the games are all in 3D and without using 3D glasses people will be able to play in 3D just believing in their eyes. 3.4 Economies of scale As Nintendo has a very good reputation in the market and they hold a very good position in the market and people are willing to buy their products more so if Nintendo increases the quantity of supplying more goods and specializing on more technology which is going to happen if they get more capital into the business and invest them to get more machinery for more output and making sure of using them properly because it will be of no use if they get a new machine and they dont use it. More supply and decreasing the prices will result into economies of scale. 3.5 Pricing When a product is manufactured the cost of making that product is the original price of the product and the value added on it is the profit and the original value is used to manufacture same product again and the profit left after it is either distributed or invested into the business for more production. 3.6 Law of diminishing Returns Nintendo is a multinational company and it operates in more than one country so it is a huge company and they loads of sales and profit earnings they must have many employees labors. Having many labors a firm and giving them the same task is not that good because there will be some of them who will try to escape from work and be dependent on others which is not there and they will not be affected by anything because they will be paid in the end of the month. It is always better to have limited amount of labors and giving every different labor an altered task. Removing the lazy workers and having the good ones is always a better option and which will also save cost and that amount can be used in many other things such as getting more raw materials, giving more security services to the workers who work, savings for the working workers and in the end of the month giving them bonuses and etc. 3.7 Production cost and nature of competition for Nintendo: Nintendo is a Japanese company that specializes in video game consoles. The product line includes Game Boy line, Color TV Game, NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), SNES, Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Game-Cube, Game-boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and various video games that are sold world-wide. Nintendo: Production Cost Nintendo is clearly the leading video game selling console for the current generation. It manages to sell more than the leading rivals combined on a regular basis and now there are suggestions that indicate Nintendo might be prepared to reduce prices in order to make its devices even more attractive. Analysts have said that costs associated with manufacturing Nintendo devices have fallen quite clearly since the initial introduction into the market. In fact, the various components and the process itself has been discovered to be 45% cheaper. As a result, the gaming device will get a price cut in order to boost sales. In some ways the price reduction has been seen as necessary for Nintendo due to its recently disappointing performance in some regions. A reduced manufacturing price for Nintendo devices means that the company is making more money on each console it sells. Other sources have discovered that just because Nintendo can it doesnt mean it will drop the systems price. This might be especially relevant for consumers in areas which recently saw the devices take a hike in price due to the declining value of their currency. Overall, some consumers find the company currents devices to be expensive but others say its fair considering the technology offered, so whether or not we agree with the current prices or not, it all comes down to whether or not we believe we are getting our moneys worth. Either way, whoever at Nintendo figured out a cheaper way to construct the devices must have earned a promotion. Conclusion Nintendo a well know Japanese multinational corporation based in Kyoto, Japan is the worlds most famous gaming company specialized in card and video gaming, Founded by Fusajiro Yamachi when it first started to produce card games which it aimed for export but was also demanded by the local market and has lead it into becoming worldwide gaming company with millions of production each year and new version coming up often with better and much more functions. It has kept high profile for its goodwill till the 1990s,However it has seen a decrease in its sales after the competition firms such as Sony, Microsoft etc. till 2006 until the production of the Nintendo Revolution which has given the organization a goodwill and brought it back to the market. Moreover which has given the green light to create an advanced version of it called Gameboy and later changed it to Gameboy Advanced with faster processors and better effects. On the other hand Nintendo plans to launch a new home console sometime in 2012 and has also show interests in increasing the Nintendo 3DS and Wii awareness. Nintendo is aiming to have a steady release of software over the next year, no huge gaps between releases as it seems, however there has been no dates issued but has disclosed the future plans as the following There are plans to enhance the line-up for the 3DS, internationally Nintendo says beginner, middle and core gamers are all related Nintendo is dedicated to expanding the core gamer audience More collaborations with third parties is promised, including content for online networks Nintendo wont allow another gap in software releases Steady stream of software to be released next year 16 million 3DS hardware sales target is not conservative, but aggressive The priority this year is 3DS hardware sales, and as such, Nintendos profitability has been sacrificed Nintendo is aiming to grow the 3DS to being a core platform There isnt a lot of opportunity for Street Pass in USA Implied release of Wii U to be later than June 2012 Assumption of Wii U launch in Japan in September, EU/NA in November The Wii Us final version will be shown at E3 next year Nintendo is aiming to accelerating digital offerings and downloadable content A Pokà ©mon game may be arriving in Spring, and it might be related to Poke Park 2 (Nardi 2011)

Lebanon Essay example -- Lebanese History, Religion, Politics

In the United States, citizens take their freedom and rights on numerous things for granted. Different countries, such as Lebanon, do not get to experience the wide range privileges we have grown accustomed to in America. Settled in the western party of Asia, Lebanon appears to be a quiet and calm country. But Lebanese citizens constantly debate and fight over their country’s status on controversial and different human rights, such as laws against the gays and their country’s women’s right, on a daily basis. Lebanon is a country very well known for its strict religious Muslims upbringing (Lebanon 2011). Because of the country’s religious background, sexual relations and sexuality remains a notorious topic that is not discuss amongst others. According to Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, it is forbidden to participate in sexual relations that go against what the Lebanese citizens consider as laws of nature, such as homosexuality, adultery, sodomy, and fornication. If they were to be caught, punishment of a year or more in prison will be the result of the crime (LGBT rights in Lebanon 2011). Not only does Lebanon’s laws and strict religion prevents citizens in partaking what they consider a devious act, their society also plays a large role in attempting to stop homosexuality to spread throughout their country. In 2003, Lebanese media reported a situation at a Dunkin Donuts store, where the general manager refused to serve any customers that are gay or appear to be gay looking. Her defense for her action was that she wanted to reassure the parents of the children that came by were being protected and taken care of (LGBT rights in Lebanon 2011). If a scenario similar to this had happen in the United States, the general mange... ...establishes a balance of power among the major religious groups in the country (Human Rights in Lebanon 2011). More than half the population in Lebanon consider themselves as Muslims, while only 39% are Christians (Lebanon 2011). In this case, Muslims would be placed higher in authority and power compared to Christians. Generally the government respects all aspects of religions, but when it comes to politics, usually the superior religion will win the office (Human Rights in Lebanon 2011). Many of Lebanon’s human rights in their country are considered unreasonable and unfamiliar to American citizens who take their constitutional rights for granted. Regardless of the United States’ fortunate human rights act, Lebanon is a country of its own; it’s not America. Whenever they are ready, Lebanon will make new laws and changes that best suits its modernized country. Lebanon Essay example -- Lebanese History, Religion, Politics In the United States, citizens take their freedom and rights on numerous things for granted. Different countries, such as Lebanon, do not get to experience the wide range privileges we have grown accustomed to in America. Settled in the western party of Asia, Lebanon appears to be a quiet and calm country. But Lebanese citizens constantly debate and fight over their country’s status on controversial and different human rights, such as laws against the gays and their country’s women’s right, on a daily basis. Lebanon is a country very well known for its strict religious Muslims upbringing (Lebanon 2011). Because of the country’s religious background, sexual relations and sexuality remains a notorious topic that is not discuss amongst others. According to Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, it is forbidden to participate in sexual relations that go against what the Lebanese citizens consider as laws of nature, such as homosexuality, adultery, sodomy, and fornication. If they were to be caught, punishment of a year or more in prison will be the result of the crime (LGBT rights in Lebanon 2011). Not only does Lebanon’s laws and strict religion prevents citizens in partaking what they consider a devious act, their society also plays a large role in attempting to stop homosexuality to spread throughout their country. In 2003, Lebanese media reported a situation at a Dunkin Donuts store, where the general manager refused to serve any customers that are gay or appear to be gay looking. Her defense for her action was that she wanted to reassure the parents of the children that came by were being protected and taken care of (LGBT rights in Lebanon 2011). If a scenario similar to this had happen in the United States, the general mange... ...establishes a balance of power among the major religious groups in the country (Human Rights in Lebanon 2011). More than half the population in Lebanon consider themselves as Muslims, while only 39% are Christians (Lebanon 2011). In this case, Muslims would be placed higher in authority and power compared to Christians. Generally the government respects all aspects of religions, but when it comes to politics, usually the superior religion will win the office (Human Rights in Lebanon 2011). Many of Lebanon’s human rights in their country are considered unreasonable and unfamiliar to American citizens who take their constitutional rights for granted. Regardless of the United States’ fortunate human rights act, Lebanon is a country of its own; it’s not America. Whenever they are ready, Lebanon will make new laws and changes that best suits its modernized country.

Eradicating risk Essay

Judges, Chairman, Members of the Floor. Life is full of risks. Even in our day to day lives we encounter many situations which could include risk: playing sport or travelling to and from school. And it is of course important to understand this risk, whether that is by merely educating yourself of the risks attached to a specific activity, or by taking small steps to try to reduce that risk. Using the example of driving, there are hundreds of thousands of traffic accidents that occur in the UK each year. You could therefore say that it is purely common sense to wear a seatbelt when travelling in a car. However, I would argue that there is a huge difference between taking the sensible action of wearing a seatbelt and condemning the roads as just being too dangerous and deciding to stop driving altogether. I feel that, in our society, we are too quick to see the downside and the negative aspects of risk and not sufficiently tuned in to the need to see risk as something that occurs naturally and simply needs to be understood and taken wisely into account. School trips are arguably one of the most enriching parts of your education as they help to reinforce the curriculum that you learn in the classroom. However, there is a risk that the numbers of school trips will fall due to the huge amount of paperwork required. Before a school trip can take place, an extensive risk assessment has to be carried out, outlining all the possible hazards that might occur during this trip. And the claims culture that exists today only serves to worsen this problem. Teachers are rightly uneasy to participate in school trips as they are immediately liable for any injury, however minor, that may occur. We are at the point now where schools are considering removing playground equipment to avoid being sued when children suffer minor injuries. Kent County Council has paid out ? 700,000 to children since 2008 and claims have become so common that schools face mounting bills, even when children get hurt while breaking school rules by climbing walls or trees. To quote Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, â€Å"Schools become so risk-conscious they no longer present children with challenges and they are wrapped up in cotton wool†. The staggering number of personal injury lawyers offering â€Å"no-win no-fee† deals will attest to the fact that claims are so commonplace in our society that they only way for any organisation to reduce their liability is to attempt to eradicate risk involved. The huge popularity of insurance nowadays is just another example of how we have become obsessed with eradicating risk. There are not only many insurance companies, but also a huge number of different types of insurance. Gadget and mobile insurance, a relatively new industry, is now estimated to be worth ? 1. 24 billion across Europe. Even the scandal over PPI (payment protection insurance) was essentially due to banks frightening their customers into thinking that they needed insurance to ensure that they paid off their debt. In conclusion, risk is not something that we should fear, nor is it something that we should seek to eliminate completely from our lives, as I believe we, as a society, are increasingly in danger or doing. As I have demonstrated, risk is simply a consequence of the combination of a set of circumstances and this combination simply needs to be understood so that sensible precautions can be taken to manage or mitigate the risk, but there is certainly no requirement to eliminate this. Indeed, a life without risk would be a very boring life indeed. â€Å"This House believes society has become obsessed with eradicating risk†