Evaluating Material Consumption at the Intersection of Technological Innovation and Shifting Consumer Demand: A Case Study of Consumer Electronics

Increasing availability of consumer electronics offers the potential to improve quality of life, extend educational access, and improve efficiency of industrial processes, yet introduce their own set of challenges including increasingly diverse material supply chains, the fastest growing waste stream, and high life cycle resource demands. A significant body of research has been developed to understand material and energy flows across the product life cycle, but to date, that research has neglected to understand aggregate material flows across a community of interrelated products that are consumed, used, and disposed of together. This research explores that research gap, first evaluating the possibility of natural dematerialization due to technological innovation as a means of reducing material flows across the life cycle. A case study of a laptop computer over subsequent generations reveals that innovation is being realized as improved performance, rather than reduced material consumption, and thus total product mass is relatively constant over time. Extending the boundaries of the study from a single product over time to a group of products that interact within the average U.S. household reveals that, although per product material consumption stays relatively constant over time, community consumption increases as more products are consumed. Similar research has been conducted evaluating energy consumption by a community of products, resulting in a recommendation for a more energy efficient community of products. Lack of data linking community structure and consumption choices, however, raises the question of whether consumers would willingly adopt these alternative communities. Therefore, the final phase of the research collects data regarding consumption choices, product interactions, and changes in community structure, and models changes in community structure as the result of increasing technological awareness and improved product quality. The results from the model indicate that these types of improvements may shift the community structure, they do little to reduce community material consumption. Future research efforts should be directed at “closing the loop” and improving material recovery and recycling, in addition to educating consumers to move them toward more sustainable consumption (i.e. in general, consuming less)

Nintendo’s pursuit for profitability: a pedagogical case study

Project / Classification JEL System: M10: General Business Administration L10: General Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market PerformanceThe home video game console industry, like most high technology industries, is characterized by fast innovation, intense competition and a generally volatile environment. Since the mid-1990s, this industry has essentially been dominated by three major companies, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. However, in recent years (since 2012) Nintendo’s performance has been below expectations, with revenues falling, negative operating income for the last three years, and falling share prices. As a result, Nintendo’s management has started, especially since the second half of 2014, a concerted effort to improve the company’s fortunes. At the moment these efforts have resulted in better media coverage and a stop in share price fall. It is still early to know if Nintendo’s pursuit for profitability will succeed; nonetheless, it is both of import and interest to understand how companies seek to achieve superior performance, which is why Nintendo was chosen to be analyzed. The aim of this project is to conduct a pedagogical case study on Nintendo, with a focus on how the company is attempting to return to profitability in the midst of intensified competition from its main rivals, Sony and Microsoft, and a growing threat from substitute products, namely mobile gaming. Through the case study and the request for a strategic analysis, the project will present its target audience – management undergraduate students – an opportunity to understand Nintendo and its industry; as well as, give them the chance to put into practice some strategic management concepts and frameworks, which may prove to be useful in both their academic and professional careers.A indústria de consolas de jogos de vídeo, como a maioria das indústrias baseadas em alta technologia, é caracterizada pela inovação rápida, competição intensa e um ambiente geralmente volátil. Desde meados de 1990 que esta indústria é essencialmente dominada por três grandes empresas, a Nintendo, a Sony, e a Microsoft. No entanto, nos últimos anos (desde 2012) o desempenho da Nintendo tem estado aquém das expetativas: com queda nas receitas; resultados operacionais negativos nos últimos três anos; e queda na cotação das ações em bolsa. A administração da Nintendo começou, especialmente desde o segundo semestre de 2014, um esforço concertado para melhorar a situação da empresa. Neste momento, tais esforços resultaram em uma melhoria na forma como a empresa é retratada nos media e na paragem da queda do preço das ações. Ainda é cedo para se saber se a busca da Nintendo pela lucratividade será bem sucedida; no entanto, importa e interessa entender como as empresas procuram alcançar resultados superiores, e esta é a razão pela qual a Nintendo foi escolhida para análise. O objective deste projeto é a realização de um estudo pedagógico sobre a Nintendo, com realce na forma como a empresa tenta voltar à lucratividade em meio a intensa competição com os seus principais rivais, Sony e Microsoft, e a crescente ameaça de produtos substitutos, como os jogos em telemóveis ou tablets. Através do caso de estudo e a realização da análise estratégica, o projecto apresentará à sua audiência – estudantes da licenciatura em gestão – a oportunidade de entender a Nintendo e a sua indústria; e dar-lhes-á a oportunidade de praticarem alguns conceitos e ferramentas de gestão estratégica, eventualmente úteis nas suas vidas académicas e futuras carreiras

The Industry and Policy Context for Digital Games for Empowerment and Inclusion:Market Analysis, Future Prospects and Key Challenges in Videogames, Serious Games and Gamification

The effective use of digital games for empowerment and social inclusion (DGEI) of people and communities at risk of exclusion will be shaped by, and may influence the development of a range of sectors that supply products, services, technology and research. The principal industries that would appear to be implicated are the 'videogames' industry, and an emerging 'serious games' industry. The videogames industry is an ecosystem of developers, publishers and other service providers drawn from the interactive media, software and broader ICT industry that services the mainstream leisure market in games, The 'serious games' industry is a rather fragmented and growing network of firms, users, research and policy makers from a variety of sectors. This emerging industry is are trying to develop knowledge, products, services and a market for the use of digital games, and products inspired by digital games, for a range of non-leisure applications. This report provides a summary of the state of play of these industries, their trajectories and the challenges they face. It also analyses the contribution they could make to exploiting digital games for empowerment and social inclusion. Finally, it explores existing policy towards activities in these industries and markets, and draws conclusions as to the future policy relevance of engaging with them to support innovation and uptake of effective digital game-based approaches to empowerment and social inclusion.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

A flexible object orientated design approach for the realisation of assistive technology

This thesis contributes to a growing body of research conducted by the Interactive Systems Research Group (ISRG) at Nottingham Trent University within the fields of accessibility and accessible technologies. Core to this research is the exploration of how interactive technologies can be developed and applied as platforms for education, rehabilitation and social inclusion. To this end the group has been actively evolving the User Sensitive and Inclusive Design (USID) methodology for the design, development and evaluation of accessible software and related technologies. This thesis contributes to the further development of the USID method with a focus on its application for the design of assistive technology

Brand extension pathway for niche-players

Successful brand extension, niche marketing and maintenance of strong customer relations have been among popular issues for academic research over the last years. But the remarkable thing is that few studies have examined brand extensions in specialized niche players. This thesis seeks to analyze highly specialized niche market companies' abilities to expand their product portfolio moving away from the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that characterizes their core product and their customers’ perception. According to the research, consideration of brand, market and the competition is crucial before brand extension decisions. The companies launch the extension products in a form of a new product, an adjacent product , a secondary or complementary product and a mass product that targets a large customer base. Based on empirics, we proposed diverse solutions for the companies in order to beat the paradox of locked in brand image and value proposition

Gestural product interaction : development and evaluation of an emotional vocabulary

This research explores emotional response to gesture in order to inform future product interaction design. After describing the emergence and likely role of full-body interfaces with devices and systems, the importance of emotional reaction to the necessary movements and gestures is outlined. A gestural vocabulary for the control of a web page is then presented, along with a semantic differential questionnaire for its evaluation. An experiment is described where users undertook a series of web navigation tasks using the gestural vocabulary, then recorded their reaction to the experience. A number of insights were drawn on the context, precision, distinction, repetition and scale of gestures when used to control or activate a product. These insights will be of help in interaction design, and provide a basis for further development of the gestural vocabulary

Future bathroom: A study of user-centred design principles affecting usability, safety and satisfaction in bathrooms for people living with disabilities

Research and development work relating to assistive technology 2010-11 (Department of Health) Presented to Parliament pursuant to Section 22 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 197