The pharmaceutical company Mylan is facing more po Essays - Biology

The pharmaceutical organization Mylan is confronting more po Essays - Biology The pharmaceutical organization Mylan is confronting increasingly political strain to go up against the cost climb of EpiPen after 20 US legislators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, sent an open letter on Tuesday to the organization reprimanding its excessively costly cost climbs. Reports developed a week ago that the organization had executed a progression of steady cost increments expanding the cost of the medication from $56.64 to $317.82, a 461% expansion in cost since Mylan obtained the rights to EpiPen in 2007. During that equivalent time, Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan, saw her compensation rise $2,453,456 to $18,931,068 , a 671% expansion . A week ago, she sold 100,200 of her offers in the organization for more than $5m. EpiPen CEO climbed costs on two dozen items and got a 671% increase in salary The EpiPen auto-injector conveys a real existence sparing portion of epinephrine to patients experiencing hypersensitivity. Anaphylactic stun can prompt genuine injury or demise if untreated; along these lines, ensuring the EpiPen is promptly accessible for use is a basic piece of life for many Americans living with serious sensitivities, the Democratic legislators wrote in the eight-page letter routed to Bresch. The EpiPen, notwithstanding, has become so extremely costly that entrance to this life-sparing mix item is in danger for some Americans. Mylan's close to syndication on the epinephrine auto-injector advertise has permitted you to build costs well past those that are legitimized by any expansion in the expenses of assembling the EpiPen, the legislators composed. The representatives gave Bresch a cutoff time of 12 September to address seven multi-part inquiries regarding the organization's Investment funds Card for clients with protection, persistent help program, school projects and plans to discharge a less expensive nonexclusive form of the EpiPen in a little while. They were incredulous of the organization's endeavors to defuse the line, taking note of that the cost of the arranged conventional is still multiple times higher than the expense of the marked EpiPen in 2007. Law based congresspersons Tammy Baldwin, Richard Blumenthal, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Joe Donnelly, Richard J Durbin, Al Franken, Heidi Heitkamp, Mazie K Hirono, Amy Klobuchar, Patrick Leahy, Edward Markey, Chris Murphy, Jack Reed, Brian Schatz, Jon Tester, Tom Udall and Sheldon Whitehouse likewise marked the letter. A week ago, Hillary Clinton remarked on the debate, reporting an arrangement to lessen tranquilize cost increments . In it, the Democratic presidential chosen one composed that makers ought to be required to clarify critical cost increments, and demonstrate that any extra expenses are connected to extra patient advantages and better worth. She approached Mylan to decrease the cost right away. Different legislators have just composed open letters to both Bresch, who is the little girl of West Virginia congressperson Joe Manchin, and the Food and Drug Administration. Representatives Susan Collins and Claire McCaskill sent a solicitation for data to Bresch from the Committee on Aging. Iowa congressperson Chuck Grassley and others approached the FDA for proposals on options in contrast to the EpiPen . Connecticut congressperson Richard Blumenthal sent his own letter notwithstanding the letter sent on Tuesday. My office has been reached by many concerned Connecticut occupants, families, and people on call who earnestly require your life-sparing item yet dread that its soaring cost has put it far off, Blumenthal composed a week ago. The Guardian has contacted Mylan for input. Hereditarily Modified Babies BERKELEY, Calif. A warning panel of the Food and Drug Administration is set to start two days of gatherings tomorrow toconsider radical organic proceduresthat, if effective, would deliver hereditarily adjusted individuals. This is a perilous advance. These methods would change each cell in the assemblages of kids conceived because of their utilization, and these adjustments would be passed down to people in the future. The F.D.A. calls them mitochondrial control innovations. The techniques include expelling the atomic material either from the egg or incipient organism of a lady with inheritable mitochondrial illness and embeddings it into a solid egg or undeveloped organism of a contributor whose own atomic material has been disposed of. Any posterity would convey hereditary material from three individuals the atomic DNA of the mother and father, and the mitochondrial DNA of the benefactor. Approximately 1,000 to 4,000 youngsters conceived in the United States every year will create

Entity Relationship Diagram of ABC Education †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Talk about the Entity Relationship Diagram of ABC Education. Answer: Presentation: The contextual investigation that is given is the business procedure of an ABC Education, which manages numerous universities. There are numerous parts of ABCE in various urban areas. All the universities offer various sorts of courses with various divisions. There are for the most part two sorts of staffs in the organization who works a wide range of works in universities, and every school has a specific chief who manages all the tasks in the schools. The understudies need to initially select their names in the enrollment type of the school and settle on the division alternative and the subjects they need to concentrate in their course span. There are many planning calendar of the classes that they need to pick in like manner. There two kinds of staffs including the regulatory staffs and scholarly part who are known as the resources of the school. All the employees has a limit of 30 understudies in a class simultaneously. In like manner with various offices, there are various course s that the divisions offers. Each course has various subjects and each subject is meant by some specific code. The report cards are created for the understudies as indicated by their picked subjects and grades are given to them as per their exhibition. The issues that were experienced while drawing the ER Diagram of the organization was with the cardinality. The connections in the middle of the considerable number of elements were perplexing. The contextual investigation given is incredibly huge as was very tedious. The connection between the substances characterizes conditions in the middle of the considerable number of traits of the ERD. Business Rules Substance: ABC Education The organization of ABC Education has numerous branches in various urban communities. All the branches offer a specific division who gives numerous quantities of courses. Substance: Course_Details Every substance Course_Details has numerous Department_Code. Each Department_Code has numerous Subject_Code remembered for them. Each Subject_Code has numerous Study_Period Every element Course_Details has one and only one College_ID Substance: Manager_Details In substance Manager_Details each Manager_ID is related with one and only one College_ID. Substance: Staffs In substance Staffs, there are two classes of staffs, and each Staff_ID is related with only one F_EmailID and As_EmailID. Each Staff_ID is connected with one College_ID and the College_ID may change likewise now and again. Element: Faculty_Staffs In element Faculty_Staffs, there is a F_EmailID essential key that has one and only one worth. In element Faculty_Staffs, every workforce staff is associated with one or numerous Student_ID. Element: Administrative_Staffs In element Administrative_Staffs, there is an As_EmailID essential key that has one and only one worth. Element: Student In Student Entity, the essential key Student_ID is connected with Report_Card for making the report. In Student Entity, each Student_ID is associated with just a single school. In Student Entity, each Student_ID can have at least one than Department_Code. In Student Entity, each Student_ID have many number of Course_Type. In Student Entity, each Student_ID has numerous Subject_code as indicated by their Course_Type picked. In Student Entity, each Student_ID has only one F_EmailID for a specific course picked. In Student Entity, each Student_ID has numerous Subject_Code, which has numerous Study_Period. Element: Subject_Detail In element Subject_Detail, there is a one of a kind key Subject_Code which has numerous Class_Detail. In substance Subject_Detail, each Subject_Code has one Department_Code. In substance Subject_Detail, each Subject_Code has one and numerous Subject_Period. Substance: Class_Detail In substance Class_Detail, the Study_Period is related with numerous Student_ID. Each Study_Period is related with only one F_EmailID. Each F_EmailID has a limit of 30 understudies in each Study_Period. Each Study_Period has numerous Class_Name. Each Class_Name has numerous Time_Schedule. Substance: Report_Card In substance Report_Card, each Student_ID has one and only one Student_ID. From the ER Diagram, the all out Business procedure can be dealt with by the principle office of ABC Education. The database of the ERD can deal with the workers, chiefs, and understudies associated with various schools situated in various areas. There are numerous quantities of understudies who select themselves in various universities of ABC Education Company. In ER Diagram. Numerous information trustworthiness limitations are associated with the ER Diagram of the Company. The issues that emerged while drawing the ER Diagram is that the contextual investigation was that it was excessively huge and too complex to even think about handling. To limit the multifaceted nature of the ERD, the work can be separated into littler part with the goal that the database can be taken care of little. Huge database prompts greater intricacy and the chairman of database discovers hard to deal with it. List of sources Batini, C., Ceri, S. (2017). The Early Days of Entity-Relationship Modeling Retrospective on Dataid Project and Beyond. InConceptual Modeling Perspectives(pp. 259-268). Springer, Cham. Denzler, A., Kaufmann, M. (2017, December). Toward granular information examination for information insight: Extracting granular substance relationship diagrams for information profiling. InBig Data (Big Data), 2017 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 923-928). IEEE. Dimitrieski, V., ?elikovi?, M., Aleksi?, S., Risti?, S., Lukovi?, I. (2014, September). Expanded element relationship approach in a multi-worldview data framework displaying device. InComputer Science and Information Systems (FedCSIS), 2014 Federated Conference on(pp. 1611-1620). IEEE. El?Assady, M., Sevastjanova, R., Gipp, B., Keim, D., Collins, C. (2017, June). NEREx: Named?Entity Relationship Exploration in Multi?Party Conversations. InComputer Graphics Forum(Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 213-225). Krishna, P. R., Khandekar, A., Karlapalem, K. (2016). Demonstrating dynamic relationship types for subsets of element type examples and across substance types.Information Systems,60, 114-126. Liu, X., Chen, F., Fang, H., Wang, M. (2014). Misusing element relationship for question development in big business search.Information retrieval,17(3), 265-294. Thalheim, B., Tropmann-Frick, M. (2015, October). Improving element relationship schemata for reasonable database structure models. InInternational Conference on Conceptual Modeling(pp. 603-611). Springer, Cham. Vexler, V. A., Bazhenov, R. I., Bazhenova, N. G. (2014). Element relationship model of grown-up instruction in territorial broadened training system.Asian Social Science,10(20), 1.

6 Tips to Make Brainstorming for the College Admissions Essay Enjoyable - College Essay Advisors Admissions Essay Experts

6 Tips to Make Brainstorming for the College Admissions Essay Enjoyable - College Essay Advisors Admissions Essay Experts 6 Tips to Make Brainstorming for the College Admissions Essay Enjoyable 6 Tips to Make Brainstorming for the College Admissions Essay Enjoyable Summer is here, which means it’s time to start brainstorming for your college essay! If you find the prospect of brainstorming to be far less fun than a.) declawing a cat b.) tattooing your tongue or c.) bathing in hot chili oil, don’t despair. We have six stellar suggestions for how to make brainstorming not only effective, but even (gasp!) fun: GET COMFY. Think about where you do your best work. Maybe you love to work at home with the TV blaring or in total silence at the library; maybe you do your best work at night or first thing in the morning. Choose an environment that inspires you so that brainstorming is pleasant and productive! FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE PROMPTS. Read over this year’s prompts for the Common Application here: Common App essay prompts for 2017-18. Consider them. Then put them asideforget them! HUNT FOR MILESTONES. Go back in time. Start with this year and move backwards. Think about every moment that stood out to youâ€"moments that felt important to you, that defined who you are. Maybe it was the time that you stayed up all night making a Halloween costume using only Pokemon cards and duct tape, or baked a wedding cake for your favorite aunt that exploded in your parents’ oven. Maybe it was the time that you failed to make varsity basketball but worked so hard on the JV team that you were voted MVP. It can be anything as long as it is meaningful to you! ASK BIG QUESTIONS. Looking back over the past few years, what moments are you most proud of? What are the biggest challenges that you have faced? What are you most passionate about? What fascinates you? Who or what inspires you? What do you do to relax? Do you shoot hoops with your twin brother, tinker in your dad’s garage, or choreograph hip-hop music? Reflect on all your different sides, and all your collected experiences! CAPTURE IT. Write down ALL of your ideas. For some of us, listing every idea works well. For the more visually-oriented, making what is called a bubble map can be helpful. Start by placing a topic in the center of the page and drawing a circle around it. Then, as related words and ideas come to mind, write them, circle them, and connect them to the circles containing related ideas. Lastly, you can try freewriting: set a timer and write down everything that comes to your mind for 20 minutes. Whichever method you choose, don’t hold anything back. Let your ideas flow! SELECT A WINNER. After you are finished writing down your ideas, put them away for a day or two. Talk them over with friends and family. Then come back to them, choosing a topic that you are excited to write aboutone that tells a story about you that can’t be gleaned from your resume and transcript, that captures who you are on a personal level! Once you have your golden topic, you can go back to the list of prompts for the Common Application and find one that fits your topic. You are now ready to get down to business and write a fantastic college admissions essay (and defeat The Huns, obvi). About Nina BaileyView all posts by Nina Bailey » Need help getting started? Give College Essay Academy a Try. WATCH CHAPTER 1 FOR FREE »

Genes - Definition, Function, and Mutations

Genes are segments of DNA located on chromosomes that contain the instructions for protein production. Scientists estimate that humans have as many as 25,000 genes. Genes exist in more than one form. These alternative forms are called alleles and there are typically two alleles for a given trait. Alleles determine distinct traits that can be passed on from parents to offspring. The process by which genes are transmitted was discovered by Gregor Mendel and formulated in what is known as Mendels law of segregation. Gene Transcription Genes contain the genetic codes, or  sequences of nucleotide bases in nucleic acids, for the production of specific proteins. The information contained within DNA is not directly converted to proteins, but must first be transcribed in a process called DNA transcription. This process takes place within the nucleus of our cells. Actual protein production takes place in the cytoplasm of our cells through a process called translation. Transcription factors are special proteins that determined whether or not a gene gets turned on or off. These proteins bind to DNA and either aid in the transcription process or inhibit the process. Transcription factors are important for cell differentiation as they determine which genes in a cell are expressed. The genes expressed in a red blood cell, for example, differ from those expressed in a sex cell. An Individual's Genotype In diploid organisms, alleles come in pairs. One allele is inherited from the father and the other from the mother. Alleles determine an individuals genotype or gene composition. The allele combination of the genotype determines the traits that are expressed or the phenotype. A genotype producing the phenotype of a straight hairline, for example, differs from the genotype resulting in a V-shaped hairline. Inherited Through Both Asexual and Sexual Reproduction. Genes are inherited through both asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. In asexual reproduction, resulting organisms are genetically identical to a single parent. Examples of this type of reproduction include budding, regeneration, and parthenogenesis. Gametes Fuse to Form a Distinct Individual Sexual reproduction involves the contribution of genes from both male and female gametes that fuse to form a distinct individual. The traits exhibited in these offspring are transmitted independently of one another and may result from several types of inheritance. In complete dominance inheritance, one allele for a particular gene is dominant and completely masks the other allele for the gene.In incomplete dominance, neither allele is completely dominant over the other resulting in a phenotype that is a mixture of both parent phenotypes.In co-dominance, both alleles for a trait are fully expressed. Some Traits Determined by More Than One Gene Not all traits are determined by a single gene. Some traits are determined by more than one gene and are therefore known as polygenic traits. Some genes are located on sex chromosomes and are called sex-linked genes. There are a number of disorders that are caused by abnormal sex-linked genes including hemophilia and color blindness. Variation Helps Adapting to Changing Situations Genetic variation is a change in the genes that occur in organisms in a population. This variation typically occurs through DNA mutation, gene flow (movement of genes from one population to another) and sexual reproduction. In unstable environments, populations with genetic variation are typically able to adapt to changing situations better than those that do not contain genetic variation. Mutations Are From Errors and the Environment A gene mutation is an alteration in the sequence of nucleotides in DNA. This change can affect a single nucleotide pair or larger segments of a chromosome. Changing gene segment sequences most often results in non-functioning proteins. Some mutations can result in disease, while others may have no negative impact on or may even benefit an individual. Still, other mutations may result in unique traits such as dimples, freckles, and multicolored eyes. Gene mutations are most commonly the result of environmental factors (chemicals, radiation, ultraviolet light) or errors that occur during cell division (mitosis and meiosis).

Carnotaurus Facts and Information

Chapter Review 1-3 Principles of Supply Chain Management Free Essays

Chapter Review 1-3 Principles of Supply Chain Management, 3ed Wisner, Leong, Tan 2012 Chapter Review 1-3 Chapter One: Introduction To Supply Chain Management A Supply Chain is the steps necessary for a manufacturer to procure materials, build a product, and transport the product to consumers. The consumers buy the products based on a combination of cost, quality, availability, maintainability and reputation factors. They hope these products will live up to their needs and expectations. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter Review 1-3 Principles of Supply Chain Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now An example of a supply chain that I was involved in while serving in the Air Force would be when I worked in the Supply Squadron. One of our customers, the jet engine maintenance shop, would need a part to repair and F101 engine for use on a B1B bomber aircraft. They would place the order through us. We would place the order with one of our depots that manage the assets. The depots would then place an order with the manufacturer of the asset. The manufacturer of the asset would be our second-tier supplier. The depots would be our first-tier supplier. The jet engine maintenance shop would be our first-tier customer, and the flight line mechanics would be our second-tier customer that needed the engine to install on the aircraft. The end product consumers would be the recipients of the mission to be accomplished by the aircraft crew. The three definitions of supply chain management in the text are all stated differently but pretty much mean the same thing; planning and managing the processes of procuring assets, converting assets into products, and delivering them to a customer. Of course there is much more detail involved getting from one end of the chain to the other and back again when necessary. There are four foundation elements of supply chain management. The supply elements are all about the purchasing and strategic concepts of supply management. The operations elements consist of several internal operations that oversee the assembling of parts into a finished product that meets all specifications and customer requirements. The logistics elements deal with the storing of the completed product and transporting it to the customer. The integration elements deal with the process integration of all the processes among the focal firm and their partners. Through the use of lean and Six Sigma methodology, improvements in the supply chain processes can be made and costs lowered. As the conditions change around the world, supply chain management will continue to change with it. Questions 1. What is a company that is hired to manage all of a firm’s logistics and supply chain management called? Answer: Fourth-Party Logistics Provider or 4PL (Page 10) 2. What is meant by perfect order fulfillment? Answer: Orders that arrive on time, complete and damage free. (Page 20) 3. What is right-shoring? Answer: The combination of on-shore, near-shore and far-shore operations into a single, flexible, low-cost approach to supply chain management. (Page 23) 4. What are Reverse Logistics Activities? Answer: When customers return products, get warranty repairs or recycle items. . What is the radical rethinking and redesigning of business processes to reduce waste and increase performance? Answer: Business Process Reengineering or BPR. (Page 14) Chapter Two: Purchasing Management The goal of Supply Management in an organization is to ensure a continual flow of raw materials at the lowest cost possible. Another goal is to improve the quality of the finished goods produc ed as well as increase customer satisfaction. By obtaining these goals supply management has proven to be a key strategic business process and not just another supporting function of the business. Done well a company can give itself an edge over other companies that are not meeting these goals. Using smarter purchasing is another way for a company to increase profitability. Cutting costs and boosting sales are not the only way to improve profits. For instance, if a firm reduces its purchase spend on materials through a more effective purchasing strategy they will increase their return on assets. This is also likely to lower raw material inventory and total assets. E-Procurement brought many benefits to companies. It has proven to be a time saver and cost effective. It is more accurate as the information is only entered once instead of twice. Before the users had to enter the information and the buyer had to reenter the information creating another error point in the process. E-procurement is more flexible as it can be used without the restrictions of location or time of day. Status of orders can be looked at without having to check paper trails. There are different reasons why a firm may use a single supplier instead of favoring multiple suppliers. Using a single supplier gives a firm the chance to build a stronger relationship with the supplier. Costs would be lower due to larger purchases keeping the cost per unit down and transportation would be cheaper as the firm can take advantage of full truckloads. Single sourcing would also make sense if the firm’s requirements are too small. It would not be worthwhile to split the order among multiple suppliers. There is a disadvantage with sole sourcing as well. If the purchase was for a proprietary product or process and the supplier holds the patents to them, the firm has no choice but to buy from them. Multiple sourcing is advantageous for many reasons. If the demand is greater than the capacity of a single supplier, having more than one supplier would help to keep up with the demand. It gives firms options in case of interruptions that have affected any given supplier. Competition is created among the suppliers in terms of price and quality. You would have more sources of information about the market conditions, product developments and new technologies. Questions 1. What are the primary goals of purchasing? Answer: To ensure uninterrupted flow of raw materials at the lowest total cost, to improve quality of the finished product and to maximize customer satisfaction. (Page 40) 2. The list of suppliers that a firm uses to acquire materials, services, supplies and equipment is called what? Answer: The supply base or supplier base. (Page 57) 3. What are the six advantages of centralization? Answer: Concentrated volume, avoid duplication, specialization, lower transportation costs, no competition within units and common supply base. (Page 62) 4. What is the difference between direct and indirect offset? Answer: Direct offset usually involves co-production, or a joint venture and exchange of related goods or services; whereas indirect offset involves exchange of goods or services unrelated to the initial purchase. Page 65) 5. What are the three basic types of bid bonds? Answer: Surety bonds, performance bonds and payment bonds. (Page 67) Chapter Three: Creating and Managing Supplier Relationships To have a successful supplier partnership you must understand the key factors for developing them. You must be able to build trust at all levels of management and trust i s very crucial to the success. The partnership should have clear and mutually agreeable shared vision and objectives. When both parties involved have the same goal in mind and have equal decision-making control, the partnership has a higher chance of succeeding. Interpersonal relationships are important as well. It is not just companies talking, it is people talking to people. It is people who make up the companies and are representing them. The companies must be able to manage the change that comes with a new partnership. Communicating information to the people affected by the change. This internal communication is very important so employees can understand why the partnership was formed. Developing performance metrics are a way to evaluate how well suppliers are doing. Information gathered can help improve the entire supply chain. Organizations can identify suppliers that have exceptional performance and recognize them as such. It can also show where improvements are needed. The data used is based on a set of mutually agreed performance measures. This will provide information for continuous improvement that can result in eliminating mistakes and will lead to ensuring that products are always meeting customer requirements. A supplier certification program is a way for organizations to identify suppliers who are the most committed to maintaining a partnership and who have the best capabilities. The results of a supplier certification are being able to reduce the supplier base, build long-term relationships, reduce time spent on incoming inspections, improving delivery, recognizing excellence, developing a commitment to continuous improvement and improving overall performance. Supplier recognition programs are another way to nurture a healthy supplier relationship. An award program is a good way to promote excellent supplier performance. This allows the award winner to serve as a role model for the other suppliers. The other suppliers will want to do better and also be recognized. Supplier relationship management involves streamlining the processes and communication between the buyer and seller using software applications to manage the processes more efficiently and effectively. Questions 1. What are the seven steps in the approach to supplier development? Answer: Identify critical goods and services, identify critical suppliers not meeting performance requirements, form a cross-functional supplier development team, meet with top management of suppliers, rank supplier development projects, define the details of the buyer-supplier agreement, and monitor project status and modify strategies. (Pages 89-90) 2. What are the two types of SRM? Answer: Transactional and analytic. (Page 94) 3. What are the three major cost categories? Answer: Pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction. (Page 81) 4. Why is a supplier evaluation and certification process important? Answer: So organizations can identify their best and most reliable suppliers. (Page 82) 5. What are the benefits of investing in an environmental management system based on ISO4000 standards? Answer: Reduced energy and other resource consumption, decreased environmental liability and risk, reduced waste and pollution and improved community goodwill. (Page 89) How to cite Chapter Review 1-3 Principles of Supply Chain Management, Papers

Responding to Wii Essay Example

Responding to Wii Essay On the other hand, there are game developers, who provide the games for the specific console with which end-users play. Both end-users and game developers are customers of providers of video game consoles, namely Nintendo (WI console), Sony (Palpitation 3 console), and Microsoft (Oxbow 360 console). They are customers because providers enter into transactions with each of them and both are sources of revenue streams, end users through the purchase of video game consoles and game developers through the payment of royalties for the right to sell games for the video game console. End users and game developers also carry out transactions between them, namely through the acquisition of games offered for the console. There is a difference though in the number of relationships, as developers establish transactions with all three, while end users only with one of the three providers. The market is not only an example of a platform, but most importantly of the existence of network externalities in the market. End users find more value In their consoles as the end user base Increases, since each individual would be able to share and exchange gaming experiences with more end seers. We will write a custom essay sample on Responding to Wii specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Responding to Wii specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Responding to Wii specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They also find more value in their consoles as the other pool of customers, that is, game developers, increases. This is due to the fact that more game developers imply more games available to choose from. Developers also find more value in the platform as the number of end users increases, since having a sufficient number of purchasers of their games Is what determines the profitability of their software development efforts. Providers of video game consoles subsidize end users, since these customers are more price-sensitive than game developers and are the ones ho have a higher interest in obtaining high quality from the gaming experience. When a new console is launched, the price that end users pay for their consoles is generally below or at the cost of production. Prices of games, on the other hand, mainly depend on the quality of each title, on the pool of titles available for each console, and on the relative reputation of game developers and publishers. Game developers pay providers of video game consoles a fixed royalty per game produced for the console. Current competitors for Nintendo are Sony and Microsoft. Up until Wigs launch, it can be said that the three console providers competed exactly for the same end user market, namely traditional video gamers. At that point Sony, with the Play Stations 2 and 3 was a clear in the market, based on a better quality product. Nintendo, through the launch of Its WI console, Introduced a radical Innovation, which extended video gaming Into customer segments that had not been reached Deter: Tamales, women, older people, sports lovers, Ana trotter a new way AT playing with the video console much more interactive. This extension is what has given Nintendo the leadership in the market, not superior resources or capabilities that are impossible to replicate. Competition from established rivals is the most important source of competitive pressure in the industry. Being in a platform market with network externalities, the three providers battle for a broader end user base that will make their platforms even more valuable to both sides of the market. It is important to bear in mind, however, that the platform market is crossing boundaries into the broader home PC and entertainment industries, an issue that is determinant in Microsofts decision to enter the video game industry. This is important to consider when evaluating the profitability of the industry, for low or negative returns of some players do not imply that the industry is not potentially profitable. In particular, Microsofts goals are probably more related with strengthening the network effects of the platform with an eye set on offering products and services beyond gaming. Nintendo, on the other hand, is probably more focused on the development of the gaming industry only, with no view to crossing further boundaries. Additionally, both Nintendo and Sony have a portable console (Nintendo ADS and Sony SSP) which trenches their position in the market and provides a source of economies of scale. Power in the industry lies with providers of video game consoles. Game developers depend on the technological capabilities of the consoles to offer new attractive games. Console providers have the ability to determine which game developers can offer products for their platforms, and it is console providers who offer the development tools and support needed for software development efforts. End users, although highly motivated by quality, ultimately limit their choice of video game insoles to the offerings of the market, based on their price sensitivity and perceived total cost of ownership. End users clearly value the products offered in the industry, as evidenced by the fact that all latest generation consoles sold out at launch and the three companies experienced supply shortage to meet demand. They additionally face switching costs, given that their purchased games cannot be played with a competitors console. Finally, end users, independently of the console want to have access to all games, so most developers are forced to develop versions for the three insoles, and their power is therefore limited. Microchip producers (Intel, MOM, Toshiba), although supplying a product that is highly important for the technological capabilities of the consoles, lack the capacity to command power due to the fact that their business relation with their customers is not limited to console production but rather encompass the broader consumer electronics industries. In some cases, specifically with the Oxbow and Palpitations, manufacturing is not carried out by the company itself, but rather is outsourced to manufacturing companies (such as Hon. Ha Precision Industry). These do not hold, however, major power within the industry, given the importance of their major customers in their total sales. Substitutes in this industry are other home entertainment systems that are not necessarily focused on video games. PC-based video games could also be considered a substitute, as well as mobile gaming. However, none of these closely substitute console gaming. Portable consoles represent an extension, as allow end users to play in another environment. There are high barriers to entry since network effects are strong, multi-homing costs Tort Ana users lead teen to prefer navels one or two consoles, Ana current console providers enjoy market power. A highly developed technology is another barrier. For a new player to enter it would need to offer a superior console, with some sort of compatibility that allows end users to use the games they have invested in, or absorbing the cost that end users would incur when considering the switch. Console development and marketing, however, require billions of dollars, building relationships with developers, and passive response from current console providers. Envelopment from different platform markets could theoretically be possible, but existing players (mainly Microsoft and Sony) could also be in a position to counter- envelop. As a result of the key players experience and capabilities in other technology businesses broader than video gaming, the industry has evolved by including functionalities and services beyond the gaming experience. Platform envelopment attempts by another platform market could lead to price wars that reduce the attractiveness of the industry to potential entrants. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are all well positioned within the industry. They all have growing end user bases and relationships with game developers, leading to network externalities in their platform markets. Nintendo has always had higher operating margins, even when Sony was the leader of the industry. This is mostly, however, a result of the higher royalty fees that they extract from game developers, a distribution of power that will not necessarily hold to the future, considering that competitors have the potential to offer exciting and attractive capabilities for developers in their new consoles. Higher margins may also be the result of having a higher proportion of Ames developed in-house, which would be a sign that their expertise are in game development rather than in consoles. Sony and Microsoft, given their technological capabilities, relations with providers and marketing expertise, might be in a better position to further evolve the functionalities beyond the gaming experience as the industry crosses boundaries. Microsofts expertise in digital distribution could place it in a better position to reduce costs and expand their reach, and therefore allow them to make some strategic moves that could improve their current market position s a distant third. Strategic Resources and Capabilities of Nintendo and Competitors The video gaming industry, and specifically the provision Microsoft has distinctive capabilities in product development, marketing, and distribution. They are also famous for organizing for creativity, meaning that they encourage disagreement and criticism to spur better creative solutions. They also have strengths in the flexibility of their production, in the sense that they can respond quickly to product development opportunities (partly due to their outsourcing arrangements). Finally, Microsoft has immense financial resources. This is important when you consider that they can further develop capacities that they need through acquisitions. Sony has had a strong record in consumer electronics industry. It has strong capabilities in video technology. It has a large customer base and strong relationships with game developers. They introduced backward compatibility in their Palpitations, which shows their ability to redefine customer expectations and change industry practices. From its industry experience Sony has strong relations with movie studios and similar content providers. It also set the standard for high definition DVD format (the negative side of this is that Sony will find it difficult to price its Palpitation below stand-alone Blue-Ray players Tanat ten company NAS licenses to nutcrackers). Nintendo, on the other hand, lacks sustainable superior technological expertise. Their WI console offers considerably lower graphics processing power, no DVD compatibility, and no capability for audio surround sound. Nineteens relations with game developers were not as strong as its competitors, evidenced by the fact that they had to develop more games in-house. The products advantage was its ease of use, its innovation in motion-sensing controllers, and its appeal to a broader audience of end users, aspects that can be addressed by Microsoft and Sony to regain market share. Unlike its competitors, Nintendo relies completely on the video game industry for its revenues. The company has strong experience in cross- functional teams, important for product development. Evaluation of Strategic Alternatives Based on their strategic resources and capabilities, the recommendation is for Microsoft first to extend the WI functionalities, to retain and increase their current ease of end users. Second, they should also develop their product to target the family segment that Nintendo tapped. Microsoft needs to further strengthen the network externalities of its platform by aggressively expanding its end user base, and has the technological know-how to match and surpass the technological developments of the WI console. Its strength in product development would allow the company to bring to market a suitable solution relatively quickly, and its marketing and distribution capabilities would allow Microsoft to aggressively compete against WI. The company Leary cannot ignore Nineteens leadership, not only because of the end users that the leader is gaining but also because Sony had to attempt regaining market share through matching the WI interactive capabilities, and they have Just launched their Play Station Move in France (http://FRR. Allocation. Com/smoke/). A third step would bring additional features that would be of interest to the expanded customer segments, increasing the functionalities offered to end users (playing and downloading movies and music, playbills, internet access, e-commerce, etc). Expanding the customer base to reach individuals in the 34-65 year range means hat Microsoft could bundle some of its non-gaming software products with the console, effectively expanding the usability of the console. Alternatively, using its platform Microsoft could envelop another unrelated platform from an industry in which the companys resources and capabilities can be applied. This way the company would exponentially expand the network externalities of its multifunctional platform. For example, Microsoft could challenge incumbents dominance in mobile applications through expansion of its online gaming capabilities into the mobile device. This way, end users who value Oxbow online gaming and mobile gaming would benefit from having a mobile phone powered by Microsofts software. Another example could be using its platform, its expertise in e-commerce and its relationships with content providers to create an online store with the same scope as tunes. Currently games can be purchased online, but there is no challenger to tunes domain in digital music downloads. The objective would be to tie the store to the console, in such a way that end users find it worthwhile to switch to Microsoft as their digital music provider, and eliminating their switching costs.