Abstract
This paper describes and explains the video game console industry. It provides a brief history of the industry and sets out to examine what the drivers of the industry are, and what is the level of competition.

From the Paper
"The video game console industry is a global industry, dominated by three major players - Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. The industry has a history of technological leaps, so consoles are currently in what is known as the seventh generation. Since the first launch of a seventh generation console in 2005 (the Xbox 360), over 64 million units of seventh generation consoles have been sold by the three leading manufacturers. As the industry moves towards an eighth generation (possible in 2010), it is worth examining what the drivers of the industry are, and what is the level of competition.
"There are several strategy-shaping business and economic characteristics of the console segment. These include the intensity of competition, the relationship between console manufacturers and game producers, and global economic health. The major business characteristic that shapes strategy is the competition, combined with the large size of the industry. The market is dominated by three global firms - Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. They are all locked into the same technology cycle, and the dawn of each cycle provides an opportunity for tremendous gains or losses in market share. The strategies of each of these firms are heavily influenced by the competition and the technology cycle."

Tags:competition, technology, profitability

Abstract
This paper examines a recent article describing Nintendo's successes with the Wii gaming console. The paper discusses how the company's unique visions as well as prudent business practices contribute to their recent success. The paper describes how this product has essentially crushed the competition, largely due to the unique structure of the company, and discusses how their vision largely consists of competing with indifference to gaming rather than companies.

From the Paper
"O'Brien, Jeffrey M. "Wii will rock you" Fortune, (11 June 2007):82-92 Profile of the Nintendo Corporation * Started in 1889 as manufacturer of Japanese playing cards then began distribution company in 1947 and subsequently became first in Japan to successfully mass-produce plastic playing cards in 1959 * Developed home-use video game console in 1977 and in 1985, started selling the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System in US) - the Super NES was released in the US in 1991 * In 2000 sold 100 millionth Game Boy portable gaming device (originally released in 1994)..."

Tags:nintendo, wii, business

Abstract
This paper embarks on a comparative study between the works of two giants in their fields: Sophocles, one of the three ancient great tragedians in Greece and Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, a Christian philosopher of the 6th Century in Rome. The purpose of the study of the two works, i.e., "Oedipus Rex" and "The Consolation of Philosophy", is to determine the differences, if any, in the reconciliation of the concepts of predetermination, chance and free will existing together at the same time in the universe.

Outline
Introduction
Oedipus Rex
The Consolation of Philosophy
Predetermination, Chance and Free Will: Oedipus vs. The Consolation of Philosophy
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The narrator of the story (which one can fairly presumed to be Boethius), was contemplating the hopelessness and anguish of his isolation. He was writing his desperate musings, hoping death will come to end his despair. He was despairing with the Muses of Poetry when suddenly appeared Philosophy, his old friend. Philosophy drives away the Muses of poetry and asks Boethius what is ailing him. To Philosophy, Boethius poured out his grief and anguish over his fate, the unjust accusations against him and his utter ruin. Philosophy condoles with Boethius and sets out to calm and sooth his spirit. But first she wanted to know why he has changed so much so she asked him several questions. She finds that Boethius has forgotten his own nature; that Boethius does not know the destiny or direction of the universe, and; third, that he was ignorant of how the world is being governed. "

Tags:god, destiny, universe

Abstract
The paper applies some of Ovid's specific stories to Boethius' ideals as communicated through Consolation of Philosophy. The paper shows how overall, Boethius' thoughts in his Consolation of Philosophy can be seen in two specific episodes in Ovid's "The Metamorphoses": the story of Apollo and Daphne in book 1, and that of Echo in book 3.

From the Paper
"Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethus, a Roman Christian philosopher who lived around the 6th Century, wrote Consolation of Philosophy in the year AD 524. Boethus wrote the work while imprisoned, awaiting trial for treason, punishable by death. This was under the gothic King Theodoric the Great, at the very height of Boethius' power and popularity. Because of the reflective nature of Consolation of Philosophy, we can apply it to Ovid's masterwork, Metamorphoses, which deals with the world's conception and later, it's history. Some of Ovid's specific stories reflect and..."

Tags:boethius, ovid, medieval

Abstract
By presenting the works and philosophical ideas of ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates and 1st Century Roman philosopher, Boethius, this paper examines how man seems to find consolation at the end of life's journey. The paper looks at Socrates' "The Apology" and Boethius' "Consolation in Philosophy".

From the Paper
"The "Apology" gives rise to a number of arguments and defenses that Socrates and others make on their behalf. One of the first arguments made by Socrates is that of his visit to the oracle at Delphi. There the oracle tells Socrates that he is the wisest man and he decides to check the validity of the claim. With that Socrates does in fact find himself to be the wisest man in Athens."

Tags:Delphi, oracle, gods, Dame, Philosophy

Abstract
This essay analyzes how Boethius tackles the concepts of justice and free will in his work "The Consolations of Philosophy." The writer provides a synopsis of the work and explains its central themes, the concept of justice, the omniscience of God, free will and the problem of reconciling free will with the determinism that follows from God's omniscience. The paper concludes that the crux of the problem is reconciling necessity with free will, two concepts which normally contradict each other, and Boethius surmounts this contradiction by arguing that it exists only in temporal and spatial reality and disappears in the light of the higher reason of God.

From the Paper
"The entire question revolves around the concept of justice. Boethius does not believe that he deserves to be stripped of his power, and then thrown into jail and awaiting execution. His own situation leads inexorably to the generalization that evildoers of the world enjoy the privileges of wealth, status and power, while the virtuous natures suffer under their yoke. Lady Philosophy intends to demonstrate to Boethius that this is a false opinion. In the first instance she shows that wealth and power only come to the virtuous, and cannot be appropriated by the evildoers at all. If wealth is determined to be that which enriches one, and cannot be easily taken away, then spiritual wealth is the only one that matters."

Tags:grief healing metaphor judgment, divine prescience, omnipotence happiness reason

Abstract
This essay discusses Lord Byron's poem "Manfred" in terms of Boethian Philosophy. It looks at the ways in which "Manfred" supports Lady Philosophae's claim that poetry is an inadequate consolation for despair. The paper also explores the ways in which Lord Byron may have structured his poem around Boethian concepts. Byron's poem seems to support Boethius' idea that poetry is a detour leading one astray from the path that leads to "ultimate good."

From the Paper
"Manfred flees from Philosophy and Reason and moves closer to Passion and evil. His body lives, and his soul dies. "You know, then, that everything that is remains and subsists just so long as it is one, but perishes and dissolves immediately it ceases to be one" (CP 105). There is no true consolation to be arrived upon through Poetry or Philosophy. Catechism and equivocation will keep a mortal alive as long as he has the passion to rebel and the will to argue. There is no divine agent that can alone conquer the ominous fury of despair. In reality and imagination, there is no power that rules destiny and fate quite like apathy and ambivalence. Reaction makes slaves of kings. Resistance makes kings of slaves."

Tags:immortal, romantic, Seven, Spirits

Abstract
This paper presents the main arguments made by Boethius about the importance of philosophy. It shows how he believed philosophy was valuable for its insights into the way human beings seek solace in asking certain questions and seeking the answers. He saw philosophy as a means of learning more about God and of coming to grips with one's relationship to the rest of creation.

From the Paper
"Philosophy is a way of looking at things and a way of examining and relating different things into a whole. Philosophy seeks to integrate the various areas of human interests and activities and in some way to explain life and its relatedness to nature or the universe or some outside construct. Different philosophers will answer the questions of philosophy in a different way, and their philosophy is built from those answers and from the method of thinking that produced those answers. We might ask why we should study philosophy if we are dedicated to practical matters and lack the time and inclination to delve into the kinds of questions philosophy asks, but this question itself assumes certain facts about philosophy that are not accurate. For one thing, philosophy is not something simply removed from the practical world, though philosophy in different eras may be more dedicated to less practical issues than at other times. Philosophy as practiced by the Greeks, for instance, was a precursor to science, as can be seen in the compendium of knowledge offered by Aristotle on issues of physics, astronomy, and nature. Philosophy asks questions everyone asks, questions about meaning, ethics, behavior, the afterlife, and so on. Knowledge in these areas is practical in a profound sense and should not be dismissed as useless, for it tells us how to live our lives and what values to place on our actions."

Tags:aristotle, god, insight, life

Abstract
Beginning with an introduction into the Sony corporations, the paper provides a history of how Sony evolved into the gaming industry. Discussing how the industry has evolved today, the writer looks at what place the Sony Playstation has in the market. A large portion of the piece is a dissection which compares the PS3 with other gaming consoles and how they market the better points.

Outline:
Introduction to Sony
The Industry Today
SWOT Analysis
Marketing Mix
Summary

From the Paper
"The video game console industry is driven by consumer spending patterns. Therefore the single most important economic variable is discretionary spending. On a macro level this is typically driven by the state of the economy, consumer confidence, core inflation and taxation levels. The latter two influence the amount of discretionary spending in the economy by impacting the amount of money after essential purchase have been made. Consumer confidence will also impact discretionary spending, in particular in the key US market where spending on credit is common. It times when consumer confidence is low, savings rates increase, resulting in a corresponding decrease in discretionary spending. The state of the economy overall determines the amount of people employed and how much they make, in addition to consumer confidence."

Tags:sony playstation, ps3, nintendo

Abstract
Boethius, in The Consolation of Philosophy, is simply trying to apply his reason to human existence in order to make sense of that existence in a world which seems to champion evil and defy justice and goodness. The author depicts himself as a man torn by the misfortunes of life, finding some relief if not happiness in the pleasures of poetry.

From the Paper
"Boethius, in The Consolation of Philosophy, is simply trying to apply his reason to human existence in order to make sense of that existence in a world which seems to champion evil and defy justice and goodness. The author depicts himself as a man torn by the misfortunes of life, finding some relief if not happiness in the pleasures of poetry. Poetry does not help him make sense of his suffering but at least gives him the opportunity to express his pain: "Poetry, which was once the glory of my happy and flourishing youth, is still my comfort in this misery of my old age" (3).

However, immediately, philosophy comes to him in a vision as Lady Philosophy, offering him more than poetry could ever offer, namely the opportunity to make rational sense of the world as a means of transcending his suffering instead of wallowing in it."