Boston Consulting Group

When a person first reads this article they understand that the gaming industry has been a victim of the recession and how the industry went in a downwards spiral. As a person keeps reading they may start to think this article has nothing to do with the recession and all it talks about is the different games within the different gaming companies. Then it hits them, this article is about how the three gaming companies; Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Corp.; were forced to compete with each other on a new level because all three were affected by the recession. “The tentacles of the recession have reached into the videogame industry, a business that was long considered downturn-resistant.” Videogame Makers Can't Dodge Recession JULY 28, 2009 YUKARI IWATANI KANE Page 1 The recession caused Microsoft and Nintendo’s sales to plummet 38%. As it becomes more and more popular to buy games online less and less people are going to the stores run by Microsoft and Nintendo. The recession also hit the customers of Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. Nobody wanted to spend their money on games when they weren’t making much at all. “The weakness stems from more consumers sitting on the sidelines and tightening their purse strings.” Videogame Makers Can't Dodge Recession JULY 28, 2009 YUKARI IWATANI KANE Page 2 This forced the gaming industries to cut their prices on their gaming consoles. Sony cut their prices by $100 on its play station 3 making Microsoft to cut their prices on their x-box 360’s. Instead of Nintendo cutting their already $250 low price, the company bundled its Wii with games.  Industries tend to organize their companies into different groups. A question mark is a product that needs a lot of money to stay “alive”. Microsoft’s X-box 360 would be the Question Mark. “Question marks are low-share business units in high-growth markets.” 2 Company and Marketing Strategy Partnering to Build Customer Relations Page 11

Great Customer Service

I recently moved to Las Vegas, NV and I needed to purchase a new cell phone and to move the number from my mom’s plan to my own. My cell carrier is AT&T. that company has never had good customer service, but where I went to was AT&T Express. The people at this store changed my mind about AT&T. I have never had a better cell phone carrier before. They were out of the cell phone I wanted but informed me quickly that their shipping was going to arrive in an hour and the reserved the phone for me. I was grateful of them because other cell phone companies would say “our delivery will be coming any day now, how about you come back.” AT&T didn’t do that. The employees patiently answer every question I had from what I have to pay for to what places had the best service. I tend to drop my phone and the second I mention getting a protective cover, the employee had one out and was already putting the case on the phone. At first, when I am able, I was going to cancel my number with AT&T and move to Verizon but I was satisfied that I am just going to stay with AT&T Express. I told when I am going to be able to switch my number to my own account and I was told the probability of how much switching will cost. I may stay with AT&T Express for a while now only because I was treated like a person and not just another customer. AT&T’s express line has great customer service and if one person doesn’t know about something they ask another employee for help. AT&T Express truly is “Your World. Delivered.” (Marketing: An Introduction for Education Management Corporation, 10th Edition pg. 11)

Week 1 EOc; My Voice

All my life I have been taught to choose the more practical things. When it came down to choosing what I want to do with my life I did just that. I chose jobs from book editor to massage therapy. But as the years went by I realized I never wanted to do any of those jobs. One day I heard the quote “a job is only a career if you love what you do.” So I said “why not?” So I chose to move to Vegas and pursue a career in what I love to do: making music. As a musical professional I like to focus on audio production. When I first heard my favorite band play I knew there was nothing else I could do then to pursue a career in music. A lot of people say “music is life” and I truly believe that. Music is all around us, in everything we do, in everything we hear, and even what we see. Music is a powerful force; it can change our mood from the first verse to the second verse. When I make music, I wish to make that one song that makes a person feel like there is more to the world, that there just may be something that was created just for them, the one song that motivates a person to go for what they want, that one song that reminds a person that there is something or someone to live for.