Incarnation of the piracy industry - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 32 Words: 9719 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? 1.0 INTRODUCTION With the introduction of Broadband internet access in 2001, many consumers were able to enjoy online gaming which was never heard of before because of a lack of infrastructure, technology and also being very expensive. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Incarnation of the piracy industry" essay for you Create order With the advances in technology, broadband internet was made available to the general public and this enabled streaming of media and games online relatively easy. Microsoft took this opportunity to introduce a groundbreaking technology service of online gaming themed, Xbox Live which facilitated gamers to connect to each other via the internet and engage in online multiplayer sessions. This in turn allowed for the spin off of the piracy industry to form within the reigns of what Microsoft created. Within the last decade, the piracy industry has grown leaps and bounds relentlessly and has become a billion dollar industry itself, threatening the market share that Microsoft has also. A market was available for the piracy industry because it offered a cheaper alternative to what Microsoft was selling, which was a copy or duplicate of the product. This has caused Microsoft to change their marketing strategies and try to regain a competitive advantage in the industry. The researcher intends to investigate the factors that are responsible for the rise in the piracy industry. The researcher will also scrutinize Microsoft to find out what effect the piracy industry has had on their sales. 1.1 RESEARCH QUESTION The researcher will attempt to examine the various factors that may have contributed to the incarnation of the piracy industry globally. The researcher also plans to investigate the effects of this rise on Microsofts sales. 1.2 HYPOTHESIS It can be assumed that from the lapse in laws and restraints from governments has allowed the piracy industry to become a successful alternative in the gaming industry. 1.3 PRIMARY AIM The researcher intends to investigate the factors which are responsible for the rise of the piracy industry and its impact on Microsoft. 1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1. To examine Microsofts strategies with regards to competition in the growing gaming industry. 2. To Analyze how entering the video game industry fits with Microsofts strategy. 3. To investigate if the video game piracy industry has grown in the last 12 years. 4. To investigate the impact of recent Government Legislations against Piracy in the Entertainment Industry. 1.5 PURPOSE OF STUDY To investigate whether the piracy industry has had an effect on the sales of Microsoft and its implications on Microsoft. 1.6 THE INDUSTRY The gaming industry is a highly competitive market with Microsoft battling the piracy industry for the market share. The piracy industry holds an estimated 41% of video games sales globally. Growth has also been evident by gigantic torrent streams on the internet. 1.7 BACKGROUND TO COMPANY Microsoft is a software innovative company. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. www.microsoft.com Microsoft is a multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses and also provides support for a vast range of software products for computers. Its headquarters is based in Redmond, Washington, USA and its most successful and profitable products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and also the Microsoft Office software bundle. Microsofts dominance began in the 1980s with its MS-DOS operating system in the home computer market. They followed it up with the Windows operating system which proved to be very successful. 1.8 HISTORY OF COMPANY In the midst of $32 billion annually, Microsoft Corporation is arguably the greatest software company in the world. It can be dubbed a cultural phenomenon if so desired. The companys core business is targeted within licensing, manufacturing and developing software products. With founder and owner, Bill Gates at the helm, the company has succeeded at having at least one of its products on every personal computer in the world defining the benchmark in the industry relentlessly. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 This critical literature review will attempt to form the cornerstone upon which this research is constructed. This literature review will attempt to provide statistics and information within the paradigm of the topic at hand. The subsequent section includes the views of various authors on the matter of competitive advantage, growth and strategic choices and the generic methods implemented. According to Gill and Johnson, it is claimed that a critical literature review should provide the reader with a statement of the state of the art and major questions and issues in the field under consideration. (Gill and Johnson, 1991, p.21) .Hussey and Collis also cosigns this by stating that a literature review is to be an interpretation and synthesis of published research. (Hussey and Collis, 2003, p. 109). Hussey and Collis further states that there is a purpose underlying the activity which involves locating, reading and evaluating reports of research as well as reports of casual observation and opinion (Borg and Gall, 1989, p.114). Hussey and Collis goes on to state that the review helps guide and inform the research This review should provide an accurately scoped analytical literature on supplementary views on growth and strategic choices and competitive advantage then contrasted and compared along with the literature of published authors to form a detailed critical literature study. GROWTH IN THE ECONOMY 2.1 Porter described the industry life cycle as the grandfather of concepts for predicting industry evolution. ( Lynch, 2003, p.94). According to Lynch, the nature of corporate strategy will change as industries move along the life cycle. (Lynch, 2003, p94). This is further supported by Porter and a later definition which states that economic growth could be the positive change in the production of goods and services by a country over a certain period of time. Source: https://www.investorwords.com/5540/economic_growth.html ECONOMIC GROWTH THEORIES 2.1.1 Smith (1790) was the progenitor of the laissez-faire and international trade that we know of today. Within the school of thought, there are three predominant theories. The first theory involves a relationship between an economys GDP gap and realistic unemployment rate which is called Okuns Law. The second theory analyses a class of microeconomics where in the short term scale, the growth of the economy is relevant to a succession of shocks to the economy. This theory though, unlike others, sees recessions and periods of economic growth as the only exogenous[1] reactions in the actual economic environment. The final consideration is the Keynesian economic theory. This theory states that the growth of an economy alters accordingly to changes in aggregate demand hence creating a distortion in supply and demand and goods for sale. The most applicable theory to this study would be that of the Keynesian economic theory with regard to the gaming industry. The gaming industry boasts annual sales of up to $21.33 billion USD a year according to https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/01/video-game-sale.html This high demand for video games has led to an increase in piracy as a black market interception within the industry. The rise of the piracy industry and the major limiting factor against the original software games was that of price. The pirates offered the games at a significantly reduced price which appealed to the millions of teenagers who were basically jobless and enticed by the attractable pricing. The most successful game at the last quarter of 2009-first quarter 2010 has been Activisions Call of Duty-Modern Warfare 2 which has sold a walloping 1.3 billion in its first month. According to estimates, Modern Warfare 2 which launched back in November has not only sold more than $1 billion USD at retail, but in its first five days it sold $550 million USD worldwide. $550 million USD in five days is nothing to sniff at. Apparently, that beats the five-day box office grosses for Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and The Dark Knight. Source- https://www.incgamers.com/News/20469/modern-warfare-2-sales-pass-1-billion-usd This has resulted in this game alone being pirated 5.1 million times according to www.geek.com. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE 2.2 A company that enjoys an advantage with lowered costs than its rivals is said to have a competitive advantage. Competitive strategy is described as being different. It means purposely choosing to perform activities differently or to perform different activities than rivals to deliver a unique blend of valve. Porter (1985) Companies that contend with each other in the same market by offering the same type of products, is an industry. A company that is more profitable legally within the same industry is usually exploiting a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is determined by a companys profitability which is measured by the margins and returns as well as the state of the economy. The company is required to possess some type of sustainable competitive advantage in order to maintain market share and dominance. There is the possibility for companies to enjoy profits above the cost of capital for a short period of time despite not having sustainable competitive advantage. This profit can also draw new threats or entrants which in turn can downgrade economic rent. Consequently, sustainable competitive advantage can therefore be upheld for a significant period of time in a competitive market. Sustainable competitive advantage is when a company has leverage in the market relative to other companies. The basis of the advantage can be initiated by the company being radical and unusual which is also core competency. A companys strategy should strive to influence customers into thinking that the product is of superior quality. A product on the market can be attributed as a good product at a lower price or a better product worth paying more to acquire. Porter (1985), described the low-cost producer in its industry [who] must find and exploit all sources of cost advantage. This was also cosigned by Hamel and Prahalad (1990) who stated that is was important to know the one or two key things that your company does better than the competition. We can therefore draw that in the entertainment industry, the pirated games would be a good product at a lower price. In a competitive business environment, the need to be sustainable requires a firm to be:- 1. Proprietary know how. 2. Installed customer base. 3. Distinctive. 4. Reputation. Porter (1985) pinpointed two cornerstones of competitive advantage. * Differentiation advantage * Cost advantage Differentiation and Cost advantages are considered as positional advantages due to the fact of identifying the companys position in the market and industry as leader in either differentiation or cost. The resource based view accentuates the companys exploits as its resources and capabilities to develop a competitive advantage that adds value to the final product. FIG 1 ILLUSTRATION OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Source: Author. Staying in line with the resource based view, in order to construct a competitive advantage the company must have resources and capabilities that are superior to those of their competitors. The building blocks of a firm are its resources. The resources are used to create a cost or differentiation advantage that is unique to the firm which would also be difficult for competitors to replicate. The piracy industry lacks many resources such as: * Trademarks and Patents Reputation. The CEO of Microsoft stated in a press release that software piracy in China has undercut sales of the real thing, keeping Microsoft from meeting revenue growth targets. Source: https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2008-10-26-microsoft_N.htm Capabilities represent the companys fortitude to implement its resources profitably. A simple example is the ability of a company to supply the market with a product before the competition. In the video game entertainment industry, new games can be supplied via illegal distribution and access and streamed through underground operations to reach the consumer before official release dates by the manufacturers. This also creates a major loss for the manufacturers as they lose pre-hyped sales and first week mammoth sales on highly anticipated titles. The capabilities and resources of a company therefore create a product of distinctive capabilities. This end product can then be used to influence a differentiation or cost advantage. A low cost differentiation strategy These appeal to a wide spectrum of customers based on the fact of being the low cost provider of a service or product. A broad differentiation strategy This involves identifying the companys product from that of their rivals. A best cost provider strategy This comprises of placing emphasis on low cost or no frills products whilst maintaining upscale differentiation. The aim is to create a market for products that appeal to the cautious buyer looking for a bit of quality yet good prices. A focused or market niche strategy This market is solely based on differentiation, focusing on a fixed narrow buyer market share. This is accomplished by offering a customized product to the market at high end prices which usually is for the upscale members of society. Figure 2 illustrates Porters generic competitive approaches. The piracy industry fits the criteria of a low cost leadership strategy and a best cost provider strategy. BOWMANS COMPETITIVE STRATEGY 2.3 The strategic clock is based upon the work of Bowman (1996). According to Whittington, Scholes and Johnson (2008), the strategic clock represents different positions in a market where customers (or potential customers) have different requirements in terms of value for money. Figure 3 illustrates Bowmans Clock Source: www.marketingteacher.com There are six core strategic options: * Low price/ low added value * Low price * Hybrid * Differentiation * Focused Differentiation * Increased price/ standard * Increased price/ low value * Low value/ standard price Porter proposed three different generic strategies by which an organization could achieve competitive advantage. overall cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. Whittington et al (2008). Bowmans strategies are based on the basis that companies achieve competitive advantage by giving customers access to products which they (customers) deem as better value for money relative to competitors. According to Whittington et al (2008), Building on this proposition, the strategy clock enshrines Porters categories of differentiation and focus alongside price. LOW COST PROVIDER STRATEGIES 2.4 Bourgeois (1998) claims that, Firms with costs lower than that of their competitors are likely to enjoy a competitive advantage in the market place, if they can maintain this cost advantage over time. The competitive strategy a corporation chooses to pursue indentifies the manner by which the management decides to compete diligently in its product markets and provide superior value to customers. Thompson and Strickland (1996). Thompson and Strickland (1998) A low cost leader has two options for achieving superior profit performance. Option one is to use the lower cost edge to under price competitors and attract price sensitive buyers in great numbers to increase total profits. Options two is to refrain from price cutting altogether, to be content with the present market share and use the lower cost edge to earn a higher profit margin on each unit sold, ultimately raising firms total profits and overall return on investment. Porter (1985) claims that to achieve a cost advantage a firms cumulative costs across its value change must be lower than competitors cumulative costs Ansari and Bell (1997) supports this view by stating that, the link between a firms competitive strategy and use of TC exists primarily because TC provides the means for achieving the firms goals of satisfying market demands at an acceptable level of profitability. Porter also stated two ways to accomplish cost advantage were to: * Develop better and more efficient ways of doing internal value chain activities and managing the factors that drive costs of value chain down. * Overhaul the firms value chain to allow some cost producing activities to be detoured. The idea of the value chain interrelated by Kay to be, Adding value is the central purpose of business activities. Kay (1993) Influenced heavily by Porter and Hamel, Kay (1993) claims that the role of strategic management is to choose the core competencies and then assemble a collection of assets that increases value added and provides a competitive advantage. He also claimed that there are three forms of capabilities that enable this, organizational structure, reputation and innovation. This hasnt been shared by everyone, one in particular Barney (1992), claims that internal company resources were the pieces that mattered. He identified strategy as the marriage of resources which included, suppliers and human technology fused together to create a sustainable advantage. COMPETITIVE MARKETS: BCG MATRIX 2.5 When a company has identified its primary strategies that is to be targeted and the strategies to be employed, there should be consideration on whether what role is to be determined in its current and potential markets. Whittington et al (2008), described the BCG matrix as one of the most common and long-standing ways of conceiving of the balance of a portfolio of businesses is the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix. The Growth Share Matrix developed by the BCG is a better known technique to assist companies with evaluating current business activities in the grand scheme of: * Market share and the rate of growth within a market relative to the competitors. * The Companys cash flow expectancy. According to Whittington et al (2008), the BCG matrix has several advantages. It provides a good way of visualizing the different needs and potential of all the diverse businesses within the corporate portfolio. The BCG matrix provides an insight into the current activities as well as forecasting future developments of the firms product(s). Company strategies can thus be developed and implemented using this analytical tool. Figure 4 illustrates the BCG Matrix Model Source: www.QuickMBA.com According to Lynch (2003), the BCG portfolio analysis is undertaken using only two variables: relative market share and market growth. It is clearly a weakness that other variables are not included. CONTROLLING THE COST DRIVERS 2.6 The cost position of a firm can be attributed to the behavior of costs in the activities in the value chain. Porter (1985) identified ten (10) cost drivers related to the value chain activities. * Economies of scale. * Learning. * Capacity utilization. * Linkages among activities. * Interrelationships among business units. * Degree of vertical integration. * Timing of market entry. * Firms policy of cost or differentiation. * Geographic location. * Institutional factors (regulation, union activity, taxes, etc.) The piracy industry fits into some of these cost drivers. They are as follow: ECONOMIES OF SCALE 2.7 Economies of scale occur when industrial activities can be implemented at a lower cost and larger volumes than a lesser volume. The piracy industry applies this by generating copies of games on a cheaper format via the internet compared to original games being shipped on digital video discs which ultimately results in the title or game taking a longer amount of time to get to the retail store which then has to provide to the customer. This form of mass producing at a lower price enables the piracy industry to fit the category of economies of scale. LEARNING 2.8 The experience curve suggests that significant reductions in costs are achieved as companies and the whole industry produces more products. The cost reductions related to the cumulative production ever achieved, not just in one year. Experience can be a key source of cost efficiency and there is evidence it may provide competitive advantage in particular in terms of the relationship between the cumulative experience gained by an organization and its unit costs. Whittington et al (2008) Fig 5 illustrates the Experience curve. Source: https://www.netmba.com/strategy/experience-curve/ Mintzberg (1996) the conception of a novel strategy is a creative process (of synthesis), to which there are no formal techniques (analysis). He also added, strategy had to be conceived informally before it could be programmed formally. This view wasnt shared by Gould (1996). Rumelt (1996) went on to say that, but my own experience is that coherent strategy based upon analyses and understandings of these forces is much more often imputed than actually observed. The Profit Impact of Market Strategy study relating to the 1970s era focused on size, growth and portfolio theory. The decision led to the view that a firm with a greater market share would generate greater profits return. The high market share enables volume and economies of scale. The higher market share also provides experience and learning curve advantages, which leads to an increased profit. The accuracy of this has been renounced by Tellis, Golder (2002). The piracy industry has been lurking ever since as they usually are comprised of hackers and programmers who know the ins and outs of the industry. The piracy industry is basically a black market industry that has accumulated knowledge and implemented distribution via the internet to penetrate markets quicker than retailers. INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS 2.9 A firms cost drivers are relative to decisions by the executives. Some of these which are applicable to the piracy industry are as follows: * Decreasing the variety of products offered. The industry pirates usually focus on games. * After service to customers, there is no warranty from the piracy industry. * Lower wages to employees as operations are usually not governed by employee unions or laws because of illegal nature. * Adopting a no frills type of distribution approach, where product is sold to customer with no questions asked. * Reducing the length of time the product takes to reach the customer. Product is usually downloaded from internet which reduces costs and delivery time, but is illegal. Thompson and Strickland (1998) claimed that, managers not only have to use their knowledge to reduce costs for every activity where cost savings can be indentified but they have to do so with enough ingenuity and commitment that the company ends up with a sustainable cost advantage over rivals. Evidence also pointed to the fact that a low market share strategy could also be very profitable which is applicable to the piracy industry. This theory was also backed by Traverso (2002) and Levenson (1984). This theory led to the belief that companies within the high and low market shares were successful whereas those caught in the middle were less fortunate. Porter (1985) considered this to be the hole in the middle problem. THE VALUE CHAIN 2.10 According to Porter (1985), Dramatic cost advantages can emerge from finding innovative ways to restructure processes and tasks, cut frills and provide the basics more economically. Porter also claims that companies can reconfigure their value chain activities to increase cost advantages. These four occur in the piracy industry: * Non-frill product; marketing and advertising doesnt exist in the piracy industry hence less costs incurred. * Shift to a simpler, less capital-incentive, or more streamlined technological process. * Focus on limited product/service that meets special needs of target segment. * Implementing electronic communication technologies. BEST COST PROVIDER STRATEGY 2.11 This strategy emphasizes on providing customers with the best value for money. It implements a strategic importance on low cost relative to the minimal acceptance of performance, features and quality. This can be theoretically termed a best-cost provider strategy due to the fact that the firm has the lowest cost compared to the other firms on the market with similar products. This strategy is evident in the piracy industry in the form direct downloads from the internet verses purchasing a Digital Video Drive (DVD) disc at a retail store for much more money. CONCLUSION 2.12 The literature encompassed in this chapter has emphasized various aspects in accordance to the topic and objectives at hand in the areas of strategic management, growth and competitive advantage. METHODOLOGY 3.0 According to Bell (1993) the methodology is how the problem was investigated and why particular methods and techniques were used. Silverman (1994) also states like theories, methodologies cannot be true or false, only more or less useful. 3.1 Research Design In order to accomplish the objectives of this particular research it was imperative to conjure and maintain a research design. Vogt (1993) claims, the science and art of planning procedures for conducting studies so as to get the most valid findings. The traits of the positivistic and phenomenological paradigms allow for each to be used in conjunction with each other to complete the methodology for this research. According to Hussey and Collis (2009), this allows you to take a broader, and often complimentary, view of the research problem or issue. Hussey and Collis (2009) states that, the positivistic approach seeks the facts or causes of social phenomena with little regard to the subjective state of the individual. This gives the researcher the opportunity to impartially conduct the study. With regards to the phenomenological paradigm, Hussey and Collis (2000) states that, is concerned with understanding human behaviour from the participants own frame of reference. Hussey and Collis (2009), states that a more phenomenological or qualitative approach is becoming more acceptable and, arguably, is more appropriate for many business research studies. 3.1.1 Strategy This study revolves around the Gaming industrys leading players which include Microsoft and the Piracy Industrys decisions on competition in the Gaming industry. 3.1.2 Types of Research Exploratory Research This is the conduct into a research problem where there are no earlier studies to which information can be referred to. According to Hussey and Collis (2009), the aim of this type of study is to look for patterns, ideas or hypotheses, rather than testing or confirming a hypothesis. Qualitative and Quantitative Research The qualitative approach was undertaken for a greater analytical investigation of the research topic at hand. Some sources of the qualitative date were Case studies, documents and texts. Qualitative is better suited as it gives insight into the industry by which a subjective view can be considered. Some quantitative data was required in order to deduce and decipher the qualitative research. According to Hussey and Collis (2009), the use of different research approaches, methods and techniques in the same study is known as triangulation and can overcome the potential bias and sterility of a single-method approach. Exploratory/Case Studies The case studies aided the phenomenological research. Eisenhardt (1989), refers to the case study as a research study which focuses on understanding the dynamics present within single setting. Bonoma (1985) notes that it must be constructed to be sensitive to the context in which management behavior takes place. According to Scapens (1990), there are other types of research where case studies can be applied. One such approach is explanatory which Scapens (1990) claims is where existing theory is used to understand and explain what is happening. This allows the researcher to analyze the data in the relevant case studies and cast judgment on the data researched. 3.2 Research Methods Research consisting of secondary data was undertaken. 3.2.1 Secondary Data Secondary data is data that already exists, these include books, documents (published statistics, annual reports and accounts of companies, and internal records kept by organizations such as personnel records) and films. Secondary data was collected from: * Microsofts website and various websites containing information about the industry and companies involved with the research. * Strategic Management and Marketing text books. * Bill Gates autobiography. These sources emphasizes on the research topic: To examine Microsofts strategies with competition in the growing gaming industry. These data sources are time saving, easily accessible, cost efficient and covers a wide area of information. 3.2.2 Data Collection Methods A methodological phenomenological paradigm provides the necessary objectivity and scope to conduct a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of the Gaming industry. According to Hussey and Collis (2009), Qualitative data provides a more real basis for analysis and interpretation. Case Studies A case study is an extensive examination of a single instance of a phenomenon of interest and is an example of a phenomenological methodology. Rather than using samples and following a strict protocol to examine limited number of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single instance or event: a case. Lamnek (2005) The case study is a research approach, situated between concrete data taking techniques and methodological paradigms. One of the key advantages of using the case studies in this research was that it allowed the researcher to gather data which was both qualitative and quantitative. The illustrative case studies unlike the explanatory case studies do not allow the researcher to access present and existing theories within the framework to address the specific boundaries of the research. 3.3 Data Analysis Methods The collected case studies were cross-case analysed and the results were represented in graphs and tables in a pictorial form to describe the information more vividly and easier to interpret. This would enable the secondary data to be compared and analysed with other data as needed. 3.4 Limitations There were several issues that arose in the collection of data during the research. The allotted time frame was insufficient for the literature project undertaken as well as the volume of data that was needed to be scrutinized. The researcher also faced many trials and tribulations due to the fact that the company was that of a multi-national entity which made efforts of face to face meetings and interviews impossible as the headquarters of said company was based in another country. In addition to this, the researcher was also very inexperienced with data collection which led to delays. There was also less than substantial information regarding the topic presented which also contributed to more delays. The lack of any contributing primary data made the methodology difficult to develop which caused the researcher to adopt a more phenomenological approach. 3.5 Summary The methods chosen were selected due to the scope of the literature allowing for basically secondary data to be implemented. The methods were also sufficient and proved to be vivid enough in analyzing the topic at hand. Notwithstanding that there were problems encountered, the researcher believes that the relevant information was collected and analyzed. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 4.0 The results that were collected will be analyzed in this chapter. The results would be represented in graphs, charts and tables. The data and information presented will seek to scrutinize the numerous factors which attributed to the rise of the piracy industry. There will also be visual data to confirm whether there has been an increase in the piracy industry worldwide and if the piracy industry has affected the sales and restructuring of Microsofts marketing strategies. This chapter will also undertake the hypothesis of whether, would government taxes regulate the gaming industry with respect to piracy? It can be noted that at the moment, the piracy industry is thriving with lack of enforcement of laws by relevant authorities. ECONOMIC GROWTH FIGURES As was mentioned in the literature review chapter, the direct growth of the economy is predominantly responsible for the increased rise in the piracy industry. The gaming economy is basically worldwide, so figures and sales would be sampled from some of the bigger markets. Economic Growth is an increase in the real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita of a nation. The Economic growth of a nation helps to determine whether or not the countrys population enjoys a certain standard of living. The following figures show the GDP of the United States of America over the century, highlighting the eras when technology went through its evolution into what it is today. GDP OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1947-2009 Source: www.data360.org As can be noticed from the above illustration, the GDP of the United States of America has been rising steadily over the years. There could be several reasons attributing this growth. 1. One main factor is that of investment. It is accurate to say that investment has an influence on the rate of growth. The GDP in the United States expanded at an annual rate of 5.90 percent in the last quarter. The United States Gross Domestic Product is worth 14204 billion dollars or 22.91% of the world economy, according to the World Bank. The economy of the United States is the largest in the world. The United States is a market-oriented economy where private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions. The federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. 2. Population structure. The age, sex and geographic distribution of a population all have significant implications for economic growth. A population growing in age would tend to hinder economic growth since older people would tend to be more traditional and less inclined to take risks in a business world. From the graphs above it can be seen that with the world population increasing exponentially, the growth of markets will rapidly explode also. The two major electronic markets being the United States of America and China both has the majority of their population within the 15-64 age groups. This exemplifies that both countries populations are not aging. According to the U.S. Bureau of Census, the population of the USA is estimated to be 308,848,051 million people as of March 2010. It is estimated that there is 1 birth every 7 seconds, 1 death every 11 seconds and 1 international migrant every 17 seconds. The growth rate is estimated at 8.0%, which has been steadily rising within the last 30 years when technology has been advancing. The 15-64 age group has been primarily responsible for patronizing the gaming industry. The middle class group has been the dominant flourishing group and has been the main customers of the gaming industry markets within recent years. With the growth of the population and in essence the middle class group, the potential for market growth within the gaming industry is high as parents would be the ones financing their kids consoles and games hence enabling a profitable large market. According to www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/business/economy, the U.S. jobless rate rose to 6%, its highest since 2003. The labour market offers a large percentage of highly skilled and experienced workers while the education level of the population is highly regarded in the world. Source: www.data.bls.gov The graph indicates a startling rise in the unemployment rate within the last 4 years. This was mainly due to the recession of the world which affected the larger countries more drastically and filtered down to other dependant countries and markets as such. With so many jobs being cut, it is inevitable that the recession has caused sales for the gaming industry to suffer. 3. Education and training. The success and wealth of a nation is often associated to the skill level of the citizens residing in said country. With this in consideration, the education, training and general attitude of a countrys population are indicative of determining the rate of growth of the nation. The U.S as of 2007 had 39% of American students aged 24-34 with tertiary credentials. While that level has remained roughly constant for many years, there seems to be evidence which shows that it is on a decline. At least 10 countries have exceeded the U.S.s current attainment levels. Moreover, the U.S. now ranks second in the world for the percentage of students who begin a tertiary education program but fail to complete it. 4.1.1 ANALYSIS What does this increase in GDP mean? People are avaricious and would like to obtain materialistic goods, leisure and entertainment. All of these acquisitions are attained by the economic growth of the nation. Henceforth, an increase in the economic growth has been responsible for the growth of the gaming industry. From evidence in the previous chapter, the GDP of the larger markets in the world especially the U.S., suggest that citizens within the 15-64 group willingly support the gaming industry albeit it parents buying systems and games for children or working adults purchasing it themselves. 4.1.2 DEFICIENCIES From the previous text, it is understood that growth permits citizens to take pleasure in an enhanced standard of living. There is however no correlation between the standard of living and the GDP per capita. The GDP per capita figures can be deceptive especially when economic and social organizations of the nation are considered. 4.2 DATA Number of game titles sold for the month of February 2010 The month of February 2010 totaled an amount of US$ 1.26 billion dollars in sales of consoles and games according to the NPD Group. The top 10 selling games for the month of February 2010 were: Source: NPD Group. The above data distinguishes the sales of the various consoles in the year 2008. It can be noticed that sales were the highest during the months of November and December. This could be due to the fact of this being the Christmas holiday season. Game developers usually push sales during the Holiday season, so strong sales during the Christmas seem to suggest a successful period for Microsoft with the Xbox 360 sales. Source: NPD Group Source: TechFlash.com Activisions Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had another strong month with sales of 567,100 units, giving it third place. It has now become the third-best selling video game of all time, said NPD, with lifetime sales of almost 10 million units. Revenue from U.S. retail video game and console sales increased 4% annually to $5.53 billion in December 2010, but video game sales disappointed as the industry registered growth in the years final month, according to research firm NPD Group. For the year, the U.S. videogame industry generated revenue of $19.66 billion, down about 8% a year ago as can be seen in the illustrations above. This decrease in sales and revenue can be explained from information gained from an article on https://online.wsj.com/article U.S. Videogames, Console Revenue Rose 4% Gallagher (2010), CEO of Entertainment Software Association claimed that, last year (2009) was a tough year for consumers and national economy. He also went on to say that he expects the industry to recover in 2010 after the recession subsides and the economy regains its structure. The recession has also caused a slowdown in the economic growth of the world which also affected the gaming industry as an entirety. U.S. President Obama called for new models of economic growth to help avoid a repeat of the debt driven expansion of the past. In an article featured on https://recession.org/news/stimulus-jobs-temporary, President Obama gave an insight on the state of the economy. He said that there was an anticipation of a continuation of future job losses in the weeks and months to come as the economy recovers. Obama (2010), said that there is always a lag of several months between businesses starting to make profits again and investing again and them actually rehiring again. He also stated that having moved the economy on the right track.. theres no reason why were not going to be able to not only create jobs, but the kind of sustainable economic growth that everybodys looking for. The White House has highlighted quite a few pointers of economic stabilization over the last quarter of 2009. The Administration have argued that the Democrats controversial $787 billion economic stimulus program helped stave off a depression and spark a 3.5% growth in the third quarter. The program has created 640,000 jobs in the early part of 2010 in the U.S. according to www.Briefing.com. The video game industry is the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry in Canada, and one of the most vibrant, fastest growing industries in the world. Canadian video game companies are renowned for producing high quality games, and are behind some of the worlds most successful titles. 20% of the top selling titles in North America and Europe in 2008 were developed by Canadian developers and Canada recently overtook the United Kingdom to become the third most successful producer in the world. With increasing popularity, comes increasing instances of illicit activities, specifically piracy of video game software and circumvention of digital locks (called technological protections measures or TPMs) that are built into consoles and handhelds that prevent illegally copied games from being played. In an article from www.straight.com/article-248821, According to Industry research, some 34% of Canadian gamers have acquired pirated games (compared to only 17% in the United States), while 22% of gamers have modified their video game consoles or handhelds to play pirated games. Internet piracy of video-game software in Canada has undergone explosive growth, and there has been an astonishing 300% in the downloading of illegal games via Canadian ISPs between 2007 and 2008. It costs approximately about $10 and $30 million to develop a high end video game, and not many games normally sell marginally to reach profitability which is inevitable in the industry to sustain a competitive advantage. With the pedigree of the substantial investment needed and the difficult degree of risk related with the large scale assembly and production of entertainment software, piracy essentially lowers the industrys ability to recover its investment, resulting in fewer games as well as loss revenue and employment opportunities. Predominantly in this economic climate, where jobs are an especially precious commodity, it is critical that the government play its part in adequately protecting the gaming industry from piracy. Specifically new copyright legislation must provide legal protection for TPMs, prohibit trafficking in mod chips and other circumvention devices and services specifically designed to facilitate piracy by defeating TPMs, and implement criminal and civil remedies against those who provide such services and tools-those who are profiting from piracy at the expense of legitimate businesses. For the video-game industry, TPMs are not only used to prevent piracy and cheating (e.g. modding game code to give an unfair advantage over other players); they also enable access to a greater range of features and options that would otherwise be unavailable. Things like parental controls (which allow parents to control what games are played by their children and what kinds of content they are exposed to), trial or demo versions of games, and new digital distribution platforms like Valves Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, or the PlayStation Network, all provide greater choice and access for consumers. Ultimately, implementing legal protections for TPMs will benefit consumers by providing greater certainty in the digital marketplace, which will, in turn, spur investment in the development of new digital products, services, and distribution methods, more consumer choice and lower prices. Furthermore, legal protection for TPMs also enables a vibrant ecosystem of digital business models. If a creator or company chooses to sell their work as a digital product or service, legal protection for TPMs helps ensure that this choice is respected, much in the same way that locks on the doors of a bricks and mortar store allow the owners to ascertain when and how consumers can access their product. However, if they choose to give their work away and make money in some other manner (or not at all), they are free to do so. By ensuring that consumers have a variety of digital offerings to choose from, legal protection for TPMs allows market forces to protect consumer interests, so if a consumer does not like the conditions of sale or terms of service for one digital product or service, they can simply take their business elsewhere. Failing to protect TPMs under the law effectively means that the government is dictating the business model, which is bad news for business and for consumers. The gaming industry urgently needs an updated copyright regime that protects our creators and rights holders, in recognition of the important role they play in the digital economy and in terms of the industrys future prosperity. The Entertainment Software Association or ESAs primary objective of its Anti-piracy plan is to attack and reduce global entertainment software piracy, estimated to cost the U.S. entertainment industry millions and millions of dollars every year. The programs primary components are enforcement, training, including education and enforcement programs in the United States and abroad. ESA members actively participate in shaping the industrys anti-piracy priorities and ensure that available resources are properly allocated for the enforcement of their intellectual property rights. ESAs anti-piracy efforts on the Internet, and in the United States and select foreign markets are directed towards the active protection of members game products through online enforcement, criminal raids and prosecutions, and civil litigation. ESAs training programs helps to elevate the protection of interactive game product as a priority for law enforcement officials, as well as enhance their knowledge of the entertainment software industry and its products. In addition, ESAs intellectual property education and outreach efforts help to foster respect among members of the general public for the intellectual property rights of the software publishers. In an attempt to reduce piracy, the French have passed a new law requiring Internet service providers to cut off Internet access for repeat copyright infringers. Under the new HADOPI legislation ISPs have to warn their customers twice that they are accused of infringing copyright. If both warnings are ignored, Internet access for that subscriber will be terminated for up to a year and theyll have to keep paying their ISP bill throughout this period too. The law goes much further than disconnecting alleged file-sharers though. In addition it is now possible to take any action in order to put a halt to copyright infringement. For example, websites can be blocked without having to provide hard evidence that they are engaging in illegal activities. The Pirate Bay has already been mentioned as one of the sites that could be easily taken out under the new law. According to the BBC, this law will also be implemented in the UK in the near future to help regularize piracy within the gaming industry also. In China, videogames companies and investors are rushing to tap the promise of Chinas game market, but many of them are discovering that a slow moving bureaucracy and rampant piracy remain significant hurdles. According to Li (2010), hackers and other forms of piracy reduced the industrys profitability by roughly 1.5 billion USD last year (2009). In the United Kingdom (U.K), the video game industry is worth 1 billion, but despite this contribution to the economy, the U.Ks sector has fallen behind countries such as Canada, France and South Korea which offers subsidies to game developers. The number of video game developers in Canada increased by 42% in 2009 compared with only 8% growth in Britain. In an article taken from https://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/budget/article7074192.ece Mr. Darling said that, he would offer help to the computer games sector which was also the case with the film industry in the U.K. The film producers are allowed to claim 20% of their budget in a tax rebate which is estimated to be 100 million a year. Mr. Darling also said that, we need to keep British talent in this country. This decision should increase the investment in the British games developers by 457 million over five years and create 3,550 graduate-level jobs. In the U.K., the video game industry employs 28,000 people, which consist of 9,000 developers, the video game industry patronizes the economy more than the film industry does. In the fiscal year of 2009, games revenue was 44% higher than box-office receipts and DVD sales combined in the U.K. For a video game to be considered for tax relief in the U.K., the game would have to be culturally British like the Harry Potter video game trilogy. 4.3 CASE STUDIES RELATING MICROSOFT A compilation of various case studies would be used to ascertain the stance which Microsoft has taken against the Piracy industry in the Gaming sector. * The first issue addressed would be, What is Microsofts stance on piracy in the gaming industry? In an article from https://www.microsoft.com/piracy/reporting/default.aspx, Microsoft claims that Software piracy equals lost wages, lost jobs, and unfair competition. Struggling to fight against piracy, some companies must devote resources to anti-piracy technology, ultimately slowing down the development of better products and services. Others fail under the pressure of prices that legal resellers cant match. Reporting piracy means keeping a level playing field, and ensuring the most reliable products for your customers. Analysis- This can be traced to the previous literature review chapter where competitive advantage was discussed. The piracy industry represents the type of innovation which can be achieved with lowered costs and has gained a significant market share from Microsoft. Microsoft, being the industry leader and with maximum market share can rely on their competitive advantage to maximize profits and gain customers. * The second issue would be, Has the piracy industry forced Microsoft to make any changes to their strategies? This question was solicited as to clarify whether the piracy industry has had an impact on Microsofts sales strategies. In a section from https://www.businessinsider.com/2008/11/microsoft-piracy-makes-china-an-irrelevant-market, Microsoft CEO Ballmer (2008) states that pirates in China are denting Microsofts profits and terms China as an irrelevant market due to the high number of piracy. Ballmer (2008) is quoted as saying, Chinas not really very important to our business right now..Id like it to be but its not because of the high rate of piracy of intellectual property. We need some IP reform in China for it to be important to our financial results. Microsoft has countered the piracy in China by issuing a new anti-piracy program called Windows Genuine Advantage which validates the operating system run on the computer and if found to be illegal; the windows is void. Analysis- Microsoft has realised that the Chinese market is famous for pirating the Western Hemispheres culture et al. The executive at Microsoft has stated that China is considered a lost market due to the excessive piracy of the software and games and hence has formulated strategies to at least recuperate some profits from this. * The third issue discussed would be, has the piracy industry inflicted any negative effects on the gaming industry as an entirety? In an article from Pachter (2008) pointed out, the gaming industry will weather the economic storm. True enough, games are selling more than ever and are hotter than ever. They also happen to be more expensive than ever. In result, piracy has skyrocketed to unseen heights. Just recently Electronic Arts lost millions when 500,000 copies of Will Wrights latest creation, Spore, were illegally downloaded in record breaking numbers. The project took an approximate $80 million to produce and sells for $49.99. But with piracy on the rise, production cost and price means little or nothing during these times. This problem was a https://zkwang.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/pc-piracy-is-1366-billion-dollars/ Analysis: While the industry loses equal amounts of the money invested into these projects due to piracy, competition is ultimately good and encourages Microsoft to revamp their marketing strategies. The fourth issue posed would be, Are there positives from the piracy industry? A study from the Institute of Policy Innovation and an article from the Dutch Government https://blog.kennisland.nl/knowledgeland/2009/01/21/why_trying_to_become_a_guitar_hero_is_bad_for_the_music_industry_but_good_for_the_economy/ have suggested that piracy has actually had positive effects on the industry. The research shows that the economic impact of file sharing on the Dutch economy is strongly positive when viewed from both short term and long term perspectives. As a result of file sharing consumers get access to a wide range of cultural products. This has a positive impact on the economy According to estimates the positive economic effects for customers amount to 200 million euro per year. Analysis: Microsoft has benefitted from the advancements and exposure piracy has offered. Microsoft has realized that they can now sell games via peer-to-peer downloading like what the piracy industry has been doing for free all along, hence capitalizing on lost profits. * The fifth issue is, Who is benefitting the most from the rise and exploitation of the piracy industry? This question is posed as to ascertain whos gaining the most from this new market entrant. In an article from https://www.mcvuk.com/news/36988/MW2-most-pirated-game-of-09, it was written that, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the most pirated game of 2009 according to BitTorrent tracking statistics. Then it was said that, An interesting thought to stem from the numbers is that of the detrimental effect piracy has on sales. Modern Warfare 2 has broken every sales record around in its short time on the market, and it has done so despite the high level of piracy. This has shown the high level of piracy for the year ending 2009. The article then claims that, Is that evidence that games piracy is not directly related to lost sales? Analysis: This has shown that piracy within the gaming industry doesnt really correlate to lost sales as per say evidence from above article. The real beneficiaries are the consumers who are offered the product at a lower price than that of Microsoft. * The sixth issue would entail, Has the Governments of the various markets done anything to curb piracy and help the sales of Microsoft? In an article from https://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/18/computer-games-designers-tax-breaks, it is claimed that the British Government rewards the British gaming developers with tax breaks as an incentive to stay in the industry with the growing piracy market taking a toll. CEO of Tiga, Wilson (2008), said that Were not asking for a handout, were not asking for a subsidy to stave off collapse, were asking for an investment to allow the games industry to be even more successful. He also went on to say that, Theres no principle which the government can cling to and say there shouldnt be a tax break for a specific industryQuite apart from the massive bailouts for banks, there have also been smaller schemes that have been effective for other industries. Analysis: The Governments of the major markets and especially Britain has given the developers an added incentive to cover for the rapid rise of the piracy industry and hence prevent foreclosure of the gaming industry. 4.3.1 IMPACT OF PIRACY ON MICROSOFTS SALES According to Microsoft.com, the 39 million Xbox 360 consoles has been sold around the world with 500 million games being sold. CEO Ballmer also said that the premium Xbox LIVE feature currently has an estimated 40 million users online which has grown in the last 5 years. Drawing from prior information in the previous chapters, the increase and drop in sales can be explained. The drop in sales was a direct result of the piracy and the global recession which crippled the economy for the major part of 2008-2009. However the increase in sales wouldve been a result of governmental laws on piracy coming into effect hence forcing consumers to purchase original software and games and also as a result of the new sales and marketing strategies implemented by Microsoft. 4.4 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS The data in the findings and analysis chapter has illustrated the factors associated with the rise in the piracy industry within the gaming industry dominated by Microsoft globally. It has also shown how the piracy industry has forced Microsoft to adopt new approaches to it sales and strategies. RECOMMENDATIONS 5.0 There are numerous recommendations which can be attributed to the findings and analysis. It is safe to say that further research should be conducted into the rise of the piracy industry. This is to ascertain the fact that the researcher has only reviewed and focused on games and consoles whilst, the industry really consists of other peripherals which was nearly impossible to review and research given the time constraints and other limits. Notwithstanding, Microsoft was investigated as to determine the impact of the piracy industry on a gaming and software developer. There are other gaming and software developers globally, which can be investigated and may have different results from Microsoft with respect to the impact of the piracy industry. With the age of information and technology available, the respective governments should rigidly implement more laws and rethink their strategies for the level of piracy which is occurring in the world today. The governments should mobilize specially trained personnel to intercept the operations of the pirates within the industry and enforce strict jail terms for perpetrators of the crime. Microsoft has been successful so far in dominating the market of the gaming industry in light of the assault posed by the piracy industry. However, Microsoft should consider the reason why consumers are patronizing the piracy industry and lower their prices so that low income earners can afford a gaming system and the relative software. Microsoft should consider peer to peer sharing and downloading by implementing a legal system for customers to operate in. This would nullify the piracy market and hence allow Microsoft to regain lost market share. Microsoft should also reconsider doing business in China as it seems that there are no laws which can protect the company from being exploited by the rampant piracy in the country. Microsoft should also consider rewarding customers for purchasing original software and consoles so that their customer base and core competitive competency would increase and remain loyal. CONCLUSIONS 6.0 It can be acknowledged that the author has achieved the objectives that were devised from the beginning of the dissertation study. These objectives were accomplished by analyzing data which was collected over a stipulated timeframe with the literature review assisting with comprehension of the topic presented. A diligent ideology of the gaming industry in particular the piracy industry is important, as it has pioneered the mode of data exchange in the digital world. It was essential to clarify the impact of the piracy industry on Microsoft and the gaming industry. The hypothesis, Has the lack of laws by various Governments inadvertently caused a new industry to thrive, at the cost of the major established giants in the industry? This was tested and proved to be accurate. The findings and analysis demonstrated that the piracy industry was instrumental in a decrease in sales for Microsoft and loss of profit. It was also proven that with the piracy industrys gain of market share, Microsoft was forced to develop and explore new strategies to recapture their lost market share and competitive advantage. It was also noted that the piracy industry was not limited to Microsoft, but the gaming industry as a whole which resulted in the British Government implementing tax breaks to save the industry in the United Kingdom. 1 [1] Exogenous- is a term used to sum up the contributions of various authors to a model of long-run economic growth within the framework of neoclassical economics. Haines, Joel D. (January 1, 2006) Volume 16; Issue 2; Page 106.

Evaluation Of The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory IIi...

An Evaluation of the â€Å"Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III Manual, MCMI-III Third Edition Nikyra James Dr. Jacobsen Psyc 220 4/30/2015 The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III or MCMI-III is a level C, self-report personality test created by Theodore Millon, PhD, DSc, with Carrie Millon, PhD, Roger Davis, PhD, and Seth Grossman, PsyD. The MCMI-III was published originally by NCS Pearson, Inc in 1994 but was then re-released in 1997 (Millon et al, 1997). This test is pretty pricey coming at $406.95 for the fourth edition, the third edition is no longer available for purchase since a newer version has been published and using the third edition would be unethical. The price for the fourth edition of the MCMI-III personality test is for the manual scoring starting kit, which includes: 10 test booklets, 50 answer sheets, 50 worksheets, 50 profile forms and answer keys; however the plain manual without any of the additional required items can be purchased for $61.50. The fourth edition will be released later on this year, 2015 (Clinical Psychology, 2015). The MCMI-III Third edition is a test that assesses DSM-IV rela ted personality disorders and syndromes for the use of people 18 years of age and older at an 8th grade reading level and is also available in Spanish (Clinical Psychology, 2015). â€Å"The primary purpose of the MCMI-III test is to provide information to clinicians---psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, physicians, and nurses---who mustShow MoreRelatedThe Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III Test1341 Words   |  6 Pagesthere are numerous tests that have been created by psychologists all over the world, but of all those tests how many are as unique as the Millon? Through rigorous research and reading I have selected the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III test. The Millon Clinical Multiaxical Inventory (3rded: MCMI-III) is a widely used psychological assessment of clinical and personality disorders (Grove, W. M., 2009). This test, now on its 3rd edition, has embodied several innovative ideas in personality andRead MoreThe Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory IIi1875 Words   |  8 PagesThe Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI-III) was first presented in 1994 during a meeting of the American Psychological Association (Retziaff, 1996). This edition of the assessment along with the MCMI and the MCMI-II editions were developed by Theodore Millon, his daughter C. Millon and colleagues R. Davis and S. Grossman. However, the first edition (the MCMI) was developed in the late 1970s as it used the criteria on different disorders from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of MentalRead MorePsychological Assessment And Ethics Of Forensic Psychology1675 Words   |  7 PagesMillion Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III. Information to be included in this paper will detail why this psychological assessment is used, how it is administered ethically, how it is scored, why it is unique, what precautions need to be taken to assure its ethical use, and any ethical concerns there are with this specific assessment tool. MILLION CLINICAL MULTIAXIAL INVENTORY III Identify the Assessment Tool and describe what it is used for The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory IIIRead MoreAbnormal Psychology. Classification and Assessment of Abnormal Behavior20707 Words   |  83 Pages3 CHAPTER Classification and Assessment of Abnormal Behavior CHAPTER OUTLINE HOW ARE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS METHODS OF ASSESSMENT 80–99 CLASSIFIED? 70–77 The Clinical Interview The DSM and Models of Abnormal Behavior Computerized Interviews Psychological Tests STANDARDS OF ASSESSMENT 77–80 Neuropsychological Assessment Reliability Behavioral Assessment Validity Cognitive Assessment Physiological Measurement SOCIOCULTURAL AND ETHNIC FACTORS IN ASSESSMENT 99–100 SUMMING UP 100–101 T

Antonio Salieri Biography free essay sample

Austrian dukedom of Mantra, was a composer and conductor who received considerable public acclaim in his day. He studied violin and harpsichord with his brother Francesco, who was a student of Giuseppe Tartly. After the death of his parents, he moved to Pad, then to Venice, where he studied thoroughness with Giovanni Peppiest. In 1766 Saltier met Florien Leopold Gamesman, who Invited him to attend the court of Vienna and there trained him in composition based on Fix;sGrades ad Apparatus. He remained in Vienna for the remainder of his life, and in 1774, when Gamesman died, Saltier was appointed the court composer by Emperor Joseph II, and Imperial Royal Experimentalist in 1788. During his time in Vienna he acquired great prestige as a composer and conductor, particularly of opera, and also of chamber and sacred music. The most successful of his 43 operas were Less Dandies (1784), which was first presented as work of Clucks, and Tartar (1787). We will write a custom essay sample on Antonio Salieri Biography or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He wrote comparatively little Instrumental music, including Just llano concerti written In 1773. He attained an elevated social standing, and frequently associated with other celebrated composers such as Joseph Haydn. As children, Beethoven, Schubert and List all benefited from his tutelage. He also taught Czerny, Hummel and a son of Mozart. Antonio Saltier is buried in the Contraindicated in Vienna, Austria. Allegations by Mozart In Vienna in the sass, Mozart accused Saltier of plagiarism and of attempting to murder him with poison. As Mozart music became more popular over the decades ND Callers music was forgotten, Mozart unsubstantiated allegations gained credence and tarnished Galleries reputation. The biographer Alexander Hellhole Thayer believes that Mozart suspicions of Saltier could have originated with an incident in 1781 when Mozart applied to be the music teacher of the Princess of W;retriever, and Saltier was selected instead, and the following year Mozart was not selected to be the Princesss piano teacher either.Later on, when Mozart Eel Nozzle did Figaro was not liked by either the Emperor Joseph II nor by the public, Mozart blamed Saltier for the failure. Saltier and his tribe will move heaven and earth to put it [Figaro] down, wrote Leopold Mozart. But at the time of the premiere of Figaro, Saltier was busy In France with his own operas. Thayer believes that the Intrigues surrounding the failure of Figaro were instigated by the poet Abate Casts against the Court Poet, Ad Point, who wrote the Figar o libretto. F his Don Giovanni, the poet was ordered back to Vienna for a royal wedding for Inch Galleries Gaur would be performed. Obviously, Mozart was not pleased by this. And yet Saltier did not intend to hinder Mozart career. When Saltier was appointed Experimentalist in 1788, instead of bringing out an opera of his own, he revived Figaro. En in his later years, Galleries health declined and he was hospitalized, there were rumors that Saltier confessed to Mozart murder.Galleries two nurses attested that Saltier said no such thing and that at least one of the two of them was with Saltier during his hospital stay. After Galleries death, the opera by Nicolai Rims-Karaoke, Mozart et Saltier (1898) darted a tradition of dramatic license crossing into slander based on Mozart allegations, continued by the play by Peter Shaffer, Amadeus (1979; and the Oscar inning original film based on the play, released in 1984, and Directors Cut was released on 2001 with an additional 20 minutes of footage).

The Story Of Me Essays - , Term Papers, Research Papers

The Story Of Me To continue our family's ethnic/cultural identity, our parents must teach us the core values of our Eastern Asian culture. The most fundamental of these values regard gender roles and dating?which lead to a gender bias. Children of both sexes are more influenced by the mothers' attitudes than fathers' because mothers play the primary socializing agents in the Eastern Asian community. I am from a fairly strict Vietnamese family. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, but ten days after I was born, we came here to the U.S. So I basically grew up here in the States. Growing up, there was my oldest brother (who is 13 years older than me), me, my younger sister, and my youngest brother. In my culture, a sibling that much older tends to have a lot of authority over the younger siblings. So here I am, the oldest daughter, growing up in a strict Vietnamese family with basically three parents. Needless to say, I had a very protected childhood. If I wasn't with my mom in the kitchen helping her cook, I was doing other chores around the house. If I wasn't doing chores around the house, I was with my dad reading a book or going over my spelling words for my weekly spelling tests. Academics is an issue never to be taken lightly. If I was caught just laying around the house just watching TV or anything that isn't productive, I can always expect my mom to be close to tisk and say, ?What kind of a lazy daughter are you? What would people say if they were to see the oldest daughter in this state Public image is very important to them. My brother, on the other hand, was always out doing something. Be it road trips, camping trips, playing pool?he was just always out. If he was ever home at all, I can only recall him either sprawled out on the couch in from of the TV or on the phone with his friends or his girlfriend. When I was younger, it didn't take me long to see all of this as unfair treatment. For me, it was very difficult to have any freedom with my social life. I had a 9'o clock curfew and could only go out with friends whose parents my parents had to know personally. When a boy calls and my mom picks up?I end up getting a third degree about him when I hang up. ?Who is he? How do you know him? Who are his parents? Why I he calling Hence the situation, dating was quite a challenge for me in high school. My parents saw dating as a waste of time or something that took away from school or lead you to evil. Just recently I came home late from a concert one night and my mom got pretty upset at me for not calling. As a matter of fact, she was so upset that she had to call my aunt over to talk to me because she was to livid to do so herself. Basically, they automatically thought that I was out with a boy. So to conclude--i would like to leave you with the wise words of my aunt. My aunt said to me, ?At this point in your life you really should not rush into a relationship. You have all the time in the world for that. Right now you should concentrate on your education so that when you marry you can be equal to your husband. Love should only be an accessory to your life; like a hair clip is to your hair and your make up is to your face. Don't concentrate too much on boys right now, ok Acceptance Essays

Section 1 Essays - Progressive Party, Muckraker, Literacy Test

13 Section 1 1. Looking Backward- Novel that made socialism seem like an attractive alternative to the current industrial society. Wobblies- Labor union made by Debs and De Leon. Ida Tarbell - Famous women muckraker. John Dewey- Argued that the value of government actions should be measured by the good they do. Oliver Wendell Holmes- Wrote that the law should not be an absolute set of principles but a tool to meet the needs of society. Muckrakers- Journalists who dug up the mud on a topic. 2. Social gospel- Theory that the church should work to improve society. Pragmatism- Approach to problem solvings that questioned the truth of science. 3. A. Corruption in city government. B. Corrupt business C. Child labor D. Racial discrimination E. Railroads domination of wheat farmers Section 2 1. Gallveston- Costal town that was hit by a massive big juicy hurricane. 17th ammendment- Gave women right to vote. Charles Evans Hughes- Lawyer who uncovered the bribery and huge salaries Payed to family members in the insurance industry. Upton Sinclair- wrote a book called The Jungle that uncovered the unsanitary conditions of the meat processing industry. Muller Vs Oregon- Case that argued that working long hours damaged a womens Health. John Spargo- Wrote a book that depicted the horrible working conditions in child labor. WCTU- Union formed by christian women to enforce temperance. 2. direct primary- Preliminary election where voters vote for who will run for office. Initiative- Allowed a group of citizens to introduce legislation. Referendum- Allowed approved legislation to be submittedto the voters for approval. Recall- Allowed voters to remove an official from office. 3. The food and drug administration, the WCTU and the muckrakers all helped the country become a better place by creating new and trying to enforce old laws to make the USA a less corrrupt and more sanitary place to live and work. Section 3 1. Plessy Vs Ferguson- Case in which the supreme court ruled that segregation was constitutional as long as separate facilities were equal. Booker T Washington- Founded the Tuskagee institute to teach blacks a vriety Of traits. W.E.B. Duboise- Editor of the NAACP's magazine called ?the crisis?. 2. literacy test- Test taken by immigrants to prove that they could read english. 3. Some progressive reforms worked to limit the political power of immigrants by working to get congress to establish laws that would require immigrants to take literacy tests in order to vote. Chapter 14 Section 1 1. Pierpont Morgan- Owned a banking firm that indirectly controlled the Anthracite mines. Expedition Act- Act that supported expeditions to conserve the natural resources. Forest Reserve Act- Act that more than tripled the amount of land set aside for national forests. Hepburn Act- Act that abolished the free pass that the railroad corporations granted to politicians and other important people. Square Deal- A belief that all people have an equal opportunity to succeed through strong personal ethics. 2. Conservation- The planned preservation of natural resources to prevent destruction or neglect. 3. Roosevelt preferred regulation to trust busting because regulations left the honest companies alone and trust busting did nothing to prevent monopolies. Section 2 1. Payne Aldrich Tariff- Tariff that contained high duties on iron ore, coal, and Coal. Richard Ballinger- Reopened for private purchase some of the lands withdrawn while Roosevelt was president. Joeseph Cannon- Anti conservationist who used his power to delay national parks. New Nationalism- A new set of policies declared by roosevelt. The Insurgents- A group of progressive republicans. 2. income tax- Taxes on the income of citizens. 3. A. He didn't want to be president B. He didn't dramatize issues to gain the public's support. Section 3 1. Bull Moose Party- A nickname for the progressive party. New Freedom- Philosophy that viewed monopolies as enemies of free competition. 2. Inheritance Act- Tax on a persons inheritance. 3. Roosevelt left the republican party and formed the progressive party because the progressive party demanded reform and a visible government, rather than an invisible government and a country ran by buisness. Section 4 1. Underwood tariff- Represented the first substantial drop on import duties since 1857. Federal Reserve board- Had over all power of federal banks. Federal trade commision- Commission that regulated and investagated business practices. 2. Rediscount- A small fee paid to the federal reserve by other banks. Price cutting- Where a company deliberatley sells goods at a loss to eliminate competition. Interlocking directorate- Where the same people direct

Friendship of Lennie and George essays

Friendship of Lennie and George essays The friendship Lennie and George had in Of Mice and Men is incomparable to most friendships today. They were two very different people brought together by fate. Through all the hardships that theyve been through, they still managed to pull through it all, that is, until it came to the very end. Lennie and George are polar opposites. Lennie a muscular guy with no sense of what is going on around him, relies purely on what George tells him to do. Lennie is all brute strength without a hint of intelligence in his body. George on the other hand is a very knowledgeable man. George has hopes and aspirations he wants to fulfill. He is a man that is able to fend for, and is not dependant on anyone but himself. George may not be as strong as Lennie, but Lennie isnt as intelligent as George. Through their many differences these two prove that they need each other, and through each other they learn how to survive. Lennie and George balance each other out. Lennie helps George through his brute strength, while George helps Lennie control his strength. George is the brains of the operation. He thinks of ways to earn their money, and he helps control Lennie and make sure that he behaves himself. The two different characters manage not to clash, but instead balance each other out. They are both helping each other, Thats what a good friendship should be doing. The person shouldnt depend on the other too much, and not get anything back, but instead balance each other out. A good friendship should help each other out through everything, even if it means doing what hurts to do whats right for the other. Lennie and George had a friendship like no other, and when it came down to the end of things their everlasting friendship was proven to be true. George knew what was best for his friend, although he knew that it would hurt him, he knew that it had to be done. George, being th ...

If a tree falls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

If a tree falls - Essay Example From his portrayal of McGowan, the producer seems sympathetic of the plight of this radical activist and the ELF as a whole, albeit from a neutral perspective. The producer has used McGowan’s case to represent plight of the ELF and has also examined the origin of radical environmentalism and has highlighted the destruction that was brought by the Earth Liberation Front in the 1990’s. He has also discussed the issue of terrorism as explained by the government, and in the process he has presented a character, McGowan who does not meet the criteria of being a terrorist in the post 9/11 era. The documentary aims to establish whether crimes directed towards property, and no person is injured constitute terrorism. Through the documentary, we learn that the ELF, which is a conglomeration of radical environmental organizations/groups, opted for civil disobedience and annihilation of environmental abuse symbols when it was unable to accomplish its objectives (Miller & Vandone 67). Therefore the producer of the documentary seeks to establish whether these heinous acts, in the name of radical environmentalism, were terrorist acts. As th e documentary progresses, we feel that Curry is sympathetic about the manner in which radical environmentalists are regarded as terrorists. He gives one example in Oregon when protesters were dispersed by police by tear gas canisters. From this, the audience pities these radical environmentalists who were manhandled by police officers. Therefore, it would seem that the producer used this scenario to depict his sympathy towards radical environmentalists like McGowan. The producer has used McGowan effectively to post the questions that he had in mind. Through McGowan, we sympathize with a former member of the ELF who has been sentenced to life imprisonment due to charges of ‘terrorism’’. McGowan had already

An Exploratory Analysis of the Possibility for LUSH to Achieve Success Essay

An Exploratory Analysis of the Possibility for LUSH to Achieve Success in China (Mainland) - Essay Example This policy creates a dilemma for companies like L’Oreal which seek to expand their market share to serve consumers from countries where humane treatment of animals is a public policy (1). Such companies were compelled to conduct tests on animals at their cost as noted by Alistair Currie at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (2). Nevertheless, it is not possible for these companies to exclude China in their market expansion strategies until the government changes the current regulations regarding animal testing and substantiate on the matter (2). Indeed, China is thinking of ways to reduce animal testing with regards to cosmetics (3). Chinas Food & Drug Administration announced that from June 2014, China will do away with its mandatory animal test requirements for cosmetic products manufactured domestically (4). For the first time ever, Chinese companies producing "non-special use cosmetics" such as shampoos or perfumes will have an option as to whether to submit their product samples to the government for testing on rabbits, mice and rats. This will be accompanied by substantiating on product safety using existing safety data for raw ingredients, or European Union-validated non-animal tests (4). The ‘Be Cruelty-Free’Â  organisation will continue to work with Chinese officials towards a complet e ban on cosmetics animal testing (4). This study focused on exploring China’s market potential for typical non-animal testing supporter, Lush, discussing its common marketing strategy and management style as ethical business. My personal interest drove me to choose this topic. I have been interested in Lush for three years after several pleasant experiences on purchases both from online stores and agents. Surprisingly, despite its popularity, it is rare in physical stores. Lush was founded in 1994 as an organic cosmetics and skin care company. The core belief on which it was started was to manufacture fresh mandate products from natural

The Growth of Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Growth of Jazz - Essay Example Joachim-Ernst Berendt wrote â€Å"Jazz has always been the concern of a minority—always† (3). In 1700s, music played a significant role in African American culture. The roots of jazz can be traced back to the times of slavery where slave work songs were created in the form of ‘call-and-response’ to tell a story, and pass the time, a song leader would call out a line and the rest of the workers would respond to his call†¦ Soulful songs called â€Å"spirituals† were also sung by slaves. These expressed their strong religious beliefs as well as their desire for freedom (Jazz History). Work songs and spirituals were part of the establishment of jazz and these twin elements laid the foundation for this genre of music. The pleasant-sounding music of the black community known as â€Å"Ragtime† impacted the American scene in the 1800s. Many European communities were migrating to different cities of America, by now known as the â€Å"land of opportunities.† Multiplicity of musical traditions arrived with immigrants. The African American composer Scott Joplin combined these traditions with the melodious music of the black community and provided it with a profound soul-force. â€Å"Ragtime† was born thus. ... When in 1920, black people began migrating to cities like Chicago and New York to improve their financial prospects, they brought along with them jazz. The combustible younger generation of America liked this music. They rebelled against the old-fashioned ideas of their parents, surprisingly though! Jazz culture was responsible in a big way to the creation of genre of women known as â€Å"flappers†, who cut their hair and took to shorter dresses. Berendt wrote â€Å"Many great jazz musicians have felt the connection between their playing styles and the times in which they live† (4). Jazz music responded to the societal changes that were taking place, due to political, cultural, social and ideological developments that impacted the people. Thus â€Å"In the turn of the century around 1920, many artists made their mark by playing in the discreet underground nightclubs known as "Speakeasies" which are high class , "Blind pig" lower class or "Smokeasy" for smokers†(J aaz Music). Jazz was on the move. The Breakthrough for Jazz New musical innovations were flooding the market and they brought music to the reach of the common man. Jazz music got shot in the arm. American airwaves, dance halls, auditoriums and homes reverberated to the melodies of jazz notes. In 1930s many jazz bands were formed and it became the most popular music. Its bouncing beat and swing music made the people rush to dance floors on a recurring basis. â€Å"However, thing were beginning to look up for Jazz Music once the invention of the record player or phonograph was made to play jazz albums. In addition, radio stations helped promote Jazz music, and made it popular among the public. Jazz Music became music of class that earned the era a nick name known as the "Jazz Age† (Jazz

Role Of The Women Of Hamlet English Literature Essay

Role Of The Women Of Hamlet English Literature Essay The women of William Shakespeares Hamlet appear to be frail, passive figures used as pawns and dying prematurely after the mistreatment of men. However, there is more to Gertrude and Ophelia than meets the eye. Even though Hamlet is certainly not a play based on women, both female characters are more active than their vices and virtues previously lead us to believe. A closer inspection reveals that the true roles these female characters took on had purpose; these women were not as passive as they seem at first glance. Our first perception of Gertrude is  influenced by Hamlets response to learning she has married her brother-in-law after he has murdered her husband.  Hamlet shows anger and disillusionment toward her, believing that she should remain loyal to the memory of his father the king. Yet, there is no evidence that she knows of the murder Claudius has committed. It appears she has allowed herself to be seduced by Claudius, but once again there is no evidence of whether the seduction has taken place before the death of King Hamlet or afterwards. Gertrude finds herself in a position where she is conflicted by the roles different men wish her to play. She feels somewhat guilty about her sons disappointment in her, but feels that she can do nothing about the situation due to her relationship with Claudius. Claudius also has expectations of her, including his wish that she disregard Hamlet and remain loyal only to him. It could be said Gertrude is so fickle she lacks virtue, however, in Act II, scene IV, she shows motherly concern for Hamlets welfare and makes plans to speak with him in her chamber.   After Hamlet accuses her of lust, she does not make excuses for herself; she openly  admits her shortcoming.   What redeems Gertrude is her final act of loyalty to her son.   In the final act, when Claudius pours the poisoned wine, Gertrude claims thirst while reaching for the goblet.   Claudius warns her not to drink; nevertheless, she does, knowing it was poured for Hamlet, and as she dies, she tells  her son  that the drink is poison for him.   In her sacrifice of herself for her son, there is redemption for Gertrudes lust, immaturity, and fickleness.   She has now shown, not passivity, but strength and loyalty. The role of Ophelia is presented as a gentle, loyal, obedient, and young woman who is meant to be the love of Hamlets life, even though he rarely thinks of her or considers her in his plans. Most of the time Hamlet just appears to be cruel to her, as if he is just using her as a pawn, as is so when Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet appears to her to be looking and acting like a crazy man. It seems very likely he is just using Ophelia as part of his plot to get the word out that he is insane. Ophelia is an example of a perfect daughter who obeys her father without argument. Even when she is asked to reject Hamlet whom she believes is the love of her life, she responds subserviently that she will obey, and meets with Hamlet to deceive him. Polonius also uses his daughter for his own reasons, which in this case, is to spy on Hamlet. This actually becomes a turning point in the play. Hamlet reveals his complicated feelings for Ophelia as well as the depth by which he is hurt and betrayed by her. As Ophelia tries to return his gifts his feelings become evident. Hamlet becomes defensive refusing to accept the return, and responds with, I never gave you aught. He then continues to express his anger and disgust with women and humanity as he tells her, Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? This hurts Ophelia mentally as well as physically since he has thrown her around a bit and she expresses this with her own thoughts. Oh, what a noble mind is here oerthrown. The courtiers, soldiers, scholars, eye, tongue, sword; The expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mold of form, The observed of all observers, quite, quite down! And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That sucked the honey of his music vows, Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh; That unmatchd form and feature of blown youth Blasted with ecstasy: O, woe is me, To have seen what I have seen, see what I see! Basically, Ophelia is saying, Wow, he seemed like such a wonderful guy; before his words to me were so sweet and I let myself fall for him, and now hes gone totally gone around the bend.   Ophelias perfection also becomes her downfall, unfortunately she has no voice nor does she seem to have any obvious heroine qualities; and one thing of interest that comes to mind is her lack of desire to defend herself. Even with all this being said, Ophelias life and death have a profound influence on some of the most important characters in the play, including Hamlet. Her own madness has importance in the play. It gives Ophelia the freedom to do and say what she could not before. She passes out flowers to the court and gives columbine and fennel to Claudius, this is a jab at the king since these flowers were representative of ingratitude and infidelity at the time. This is where she loses her innocence, and this loss of innocence finishes with her eventual suicide. At the time, suicide was a sin against God and people that committed suicide were not allowed a proper funeral. Ophelias innocence is somewhat preserved by allowing her a funeral even though her death was at her own hand. Looking closely, Ophelias role appears to be a precursor for Shakespeare to foreshadow future events. In her opening scene, her brother and father warn her to stop seeing Hamlet. This warning could be said to foretell her future conflict with Hamlet. At the beginning of Act II, when Ophelia rejects Hamlets advances he goes off-the-wall, there are two ways to interpret the scene, one possibility being that after Hamlet warns Horatio and Marcellus that he will put an antic disposition on he acts crazy when meeting with Ophelia to get the word out there that he is mad. Another possibility is that Hamlet was genuinely distraught by Ophelias recent rejection. Anyway you look at it these scenes with Ophelia seem to foreshadow things to come. We begin to realize also that Ophelia is not as passive of a character as originally thought. She is obviously a tool for Shakespeare, but also for Hamlet and Polonius, as the plot thickens around her. After Ophelias death Hamlet is reminded of his deep feelings for her, which had been hidden due to his obsession with vengeance and his lack of trust in women. Ophelias death also deepens Laertes need for vengeance. He already has much reason to kill Hamlet, since Hamlet had murdered his father and driven his sister mad, but Opherlias suicide is that last little push over the edge; that drives and justifies Laertes revenge. As it turns out Ophelia is the common factor that brings together Hamlet and Laertes. She is the reason for their irrational actions, and in a twist of fate, the being that brings them great emotional turmoil. None of this has she done intentionally, yet she becomes her own play within a play. Our focus on Hamlet and his sufferings are set aside, as Ophelias story shocks us when she suddenly breaks, is driven mad, and then commits suicide. To one that simply reads the play and thinks nothing more about it, these women may seem trivial. However, those taking the time to think about Gertrude and Ophelia are rewarded with the knowledge that each of these characters is woven into a role that affects and motivates a main character. They are the characters that passive, as they may seem, actually spur the men in the play to further advance the plays central action. Clearly the roles Gertrude and Ophelia take on are a contribution to the terrible events that occur in Hamlet, making for a perfect dramatic tragedy. Work CitedShakespeare, William. Hamlet, Literature and Its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 4th ed. Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007 1252-1354.

Comparing the Murder of the King in Hamlet, Richard II, Henry VIII, Mac

Murder of the King in Hamlet, Richard II, Henry VIII, Macbeth and Julius Caesar  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Kings are everywhere in Shakespeare, from Hamlet to Richard the Second, from Henry the Eighth to Macbeth; many of the plays contain a central element of a king or autocratic head of state such as Julius Caesar, for example. They focus more specifically on the nature of that person's power, especially on the question of removing it; what it means on both a political and psychological level, how it can be achieved, and what will happen afterwards. This is not surprising, considering the times Shakespeare was living in: with the question of who ruled and where their authority came from being ever more increasingly asked in Elizabethan and Jacobean times the observations he makes are especially pertinent. Kings and kingship also lend themselves well to drama; the king is a symbol of the order (or disorder) of the day and a man who possesses (almost) absolute authority and the status that accompanies that, whilst in contrast he is also a human being with the ordinary weaknesses of that condition. Shakespeare is also said to have loved the drama of killing; according to legend he would "make a speech when he killed a calf" in his father's abattoir (Richard Wilson: 'A Brute Part'.) The dramatic image of sacrifice is particularly prevalent in Julius Caesar; Brutus says: " Let us be sacrificers but not butchers, Caius. We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar; And in the spirit of men there is no blood: O! then that we could come by Caesar's spirit, And not dismember Caesar. But, alas! Caesar must bleed for it. " ( II.i.166-171 ) Many images of sacrifice are present throughout the play, such as the servant returning... ... doubt it; and if it does go something else equally fine will take its place. It will be the same thing in a different dress. You can't invent anything finer than kingship, the idea of the king. " This may be true for many more than just the dramatist, Kings, Queens, and other more modern demagogues remain widespread throughout the world today and we are still far from the fairer, truly democratic world order the revolutionaries of the seventeenth century and many more since then have strived for. Works Cited. Craig,E.G./ ON THE ART OF THEATRE Harvester Dollimore,J./ RADICAL TRAGEDY Harvester. Freer,C./ POETICS OF JACOBEAN DRAMA Hopkins University Press. Kirsch,J./ ROYAL SELF Putnams. Knight,G.W./ IMPERIAL THEME Methuen. Knight,G.W./ SOVEREIGN FLOWER Methuen. Mack,M./KILLING THE KING Yale Univ. Press. Wilson,R./A BRUTE PART (Lecture handout)   

Family Curfews: Can Not Keep Teens Out of Trouble

Looking for freedom is human nature. Everyone wants to have his or her own space and time to manage. When you were a teenager, you sought for independence and tried to decide by yourself, but when you become a parent, can you still remember to let your children be free and have faith in them? Most parents will forget the feeling they experienced when they were teenagers and forgot to make the things right when they become moms or dads. They set a lot of rules at home for their kids and sometimes even strict family curfews. But do they work? Can they really keep teens out of trouble, or do they make it worse? Parents like to give curfews for their children like â€Å"you have to get home at XX time† and â€Å"you can not go anywhere without my permission,† etc. If they are grounded, they may resist it and get into trouble sometimes. In Irvine's (2009) article, she cites Sanchez's words that giving family curfews is like â€Å"putting a Band-Aid on the problem† (para. 25). You can not solve the problem your children have or prevent the trouble that may happen to them by setting curfews because curfews may cause computer game and pornography addictions, and family conflicts which is not good for building up the teens personality or keeping them healthy. Family curfews may lead to computer game addictions. If parents give their children curfews that they have to stay at home since a certain time, and because parents respect their privacy, teens may shut themselves in their rooms and do something that parents do not expect. In addition, teens all have their own computers nowadays, so it's easy for them to have computer game addictions. They will play online computer games just because they can not go out and play, and they do not have other things to do at home. That is a kind of trouble that could be brought on by curfews, and a lot of parents barely notice that their kids are having some serious problems. Computer game addiction is a terrible behavior because it is something unreal. Teens who like to play those games are always easy to be attracted by the fantasy world that built up in those games and they are more likely to ignore their studies, family and friends. Sometimes because they don't have a sense of achievement in their real life, they will lose themselves in the fictitious world where they can get a illusory sense of accomplishment. It's dangerous for teens to escape to the online world to compensate their frustration in reality and behave violently to which they learn from violent video games, and curfews give some teens excuses for staying at home and doing these â€Å"geek† things. There was a news report from Nan Fang Daily, and Li (2003) said that a 15 year-old boy, whose parents gave him a curfew, was led to a serious addiction of computer games. When the parents finally found out, they tried many ways to solve this problem, but the boy was so into it and could not help playing PC games. Eventually he ran away from home and never went back because he could not endure the double pressure from computer game addiction and from parents. That's clearly shows that curfews can not keep teens out of trouble, they can even bring them some severe problem, and computer game addiction is one of them. Just like computer game addiction, pornography addiction can be another bad behavior caused by family curfews. When teens are forced by parents to stay at home, they will find an outlet to vent their discontent, and they may indulge in pornography on the internet. Nowadays, it's easy for people to bump into some pornographic web sites unintentionally when they surf on the internet. Since teenagers are people that are always curious about everything, especially sex, it's more possible for them to take a look when they encounter those sites. Moreover, there are so many pornographic web sites on the internet, and people can easily open them, watch them, or even download them. For teens, these kinds of websites provide the exact knowledge that they yearn for. According to Family Safe Media (2001), the 12 to 17 year-old group is the main viewer who search porn online. So when they are ordered to be at home and are â€Å"working† with their computers, they may look at those sites and then are addicted to them. It's easy for them to want to experience the sensation of sex because their hormones rise which makes them be impulsive and passionate for sex, and it's possible for them to learn something wrong. There was a real story Mueller (2005) told about some 10 year-old boys who were from Christian families in which the parents were very strict and made a lot of rules. They were found having oral sex with one of their male classmates, which really shocked the parents. They learned to do it because one of them found a porn site on the internet and were quickly addicted to it. Then he searched for some more extreme sites and told his friends to watch and try to do what they saw on the show. This gives us an idea that if teens are restrained too much at home and spend a lot of time with themselves which is like giving them curfews, they may have computer addiction in pornography which is possible to put themselves in grave danger. Family curfews, moreover, can result in family conflicts. As we all know, teenagers easily become angry, insecure, confused, sensitive and impulsive. They tend to be more independent and have intense needs to be accepted by others. If there are strict parents in the families who give their children curfews all the time, their children will not listen but fight against them like Marmer said in Irvine's (2009) article, â€Å"If you keep telling kids ‘no' all the time and don't give them a ‘yes' part, they're going to rebel† (para. 8). There are a lot of families in which parents set many rules for the children that cause family conflicts. Teenagers who are experiencing adolescence possibly will have the reverse psychology towards parents. When parents gives curfews, some teens may argue for their rights of being independent and make deals with their parents in which case their reaction can be accepted, but others may challenge the parental authority. They probably become resentful and aggressive which may lead to quarreling or fighting with their parents, and they will be hostile and frustrated that could bring about cold war with their parents and result in running away from home or even committing suicide and some crimes eventually. Furthermore, because some teens are required to stay at home, they can not keep in touch with their friends or team members. They may become introverted, isolated, and negative when they interact with people, and they may become less active in both sports and social activities, which may have bad influences on their physical and psychological health. According to Fox News (2009), a 11 year-old New Mexico boy murdered his father with his father's rifle because his father was always very strict to him by giving severe curfews and sometimes punishments. That made the boy be angry and aggressive, feel depressed and neglected and want to rebel all the time which result in this astonishing consequence. This shows that curfews can cause family conflicts or even juvenile crimes by affecting teens' behavior and twisting teens' personality which will bring serious family or social issues. To conclude, we should not enforce family curfews on teens because they can not keep teens out of trouble, and they may bring more troubles instead. First, they may cause computer game addiction. If you keep your children at home, and then mind your own business and leave them with their computers in their rooms, they may become quickly addicted to computer ames rather than have social activities because they are stuck at home. Computer game addiction which can be caused by curfews is harmful for teens' growth. Second, family curfews can also lead to pornography addiction. When teens are forced to stay at home with their computer as company for them, they may easily indulge in pornography on the internet and this kind of curiosity may bring some dangerous problem which has a bad influence on the teens ' physical and psychological health. In addition, family curfews can result in serious family conflicts because teens are more likely to rebel when the parents set a lot of strict rules or prevent them from their friends. This may lead to severe conflicts between teens and parents that can result in terrible personal and social issues such as suicide and violent crime. Setting family curfews is not the best way to prevent teens from having trouble. What we need to do is communicate more with them and give wise advice in the appropriate moment like Berger said in Springen's (2010) article, â€Å"The teenager should have his own good sense to guide him when it is time to come home† (para. 11). Reference Family Safe Media. (2011). How to fight pornography. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://familysafemedia. com/fight_the_porn_addiction. html Fox News. (2009, November 03). New Mexico boy charged with murder in father's death. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://www. foxnews. com/story/0,2933,571527,00. html? test=latestnews Irvine, M. 2009, February 11). America's curfew debate. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2004/02/03/national/main597788. shtml Li, S. (2003, September 05). Computer game addiction: Who is responsible?. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://gd. nfdaily. cn/content/2003-09/05/content_1520700. htm Mueller, W. (2005). Teens and pornography:always bad, getting worse. Retrieved (12/05/11) from h ttp://www. cpyu. org/Page. aspx? id=163417 Springen, K. (2010, September 17). Curfews: Yes or no?. Retrieved (12/05/11) from http://family. lifegoesstrong. com/curfews-yes-or-no