Critically assess the importance of performance appraisal as an Essay

Critically assess the importance of performance appraisal as an integrative function of human resource management - Essay Example One of such tools is the performance appraisal system which elaborates on the evaluation of the individual employee performances and likewise suggests the determination of the reward system. However, being linked with employee performances in a direct way, the tool can be identified to impose various limitations and complexity issues for the modern day management. Based on this notion, it has often been argued that performance appraisal performs a vital function to determine the sustainability of an organisation by a large extent (Rees & Porter, 2004). Emphasising on this particular aspect, the discussion hereby deals with the role of performance appraisal system to support the success of an organisation by gaining sustainability in terms of enhanced employee loyalty and consistent augmentation in their productivity. The sole intention of the essay is thus to critically discuss about the importance of performance appraisal system taking into account the case example of Rother Homes, a major player in the market of UK housing association. Importance of Performance Appraisal as an Interpretive Function of HRM Performance appraisal can be identified as one of the most important tools considered in the modern day applications of HRM to evaluate the performance of the employees effectively in an organisation (The University of Texas- Pan America, 2008). It is in this context that an appropriately executed performance appraisal tends to make the organisation familiar with the employee’s performances and their capacity to work. The feedback obtained from the performance appraisal is often useful for the organisation to accurately decide upon the employees’ reward in terms of promotion or demotion. Hence, a properly executed performance appraisal program helps the organisation to identify the shortfalls of the employees and effectually work on the indentified issues. Moreover, it helps to conduct management development program efficiently and prepare qual ity workforce for the future operations (Dargham, n.d.). Although formulating standards is regarded as quite difficult in the application of HRM, it is also necessary to establish standards for measuring and evaluating the overall employee performances accurately and effectively. In order to ensure that the performance appraisal is effective in an organisation, it must include the features in terms of validity and reliability being free from biases and relevance (Khan, n.d.). Illustrating the Importance of Performance Appraisal in Rother Homes Separating the Financial Bonus from Performances In the case of Rother Homes, it has been witnessed that the management attempts to relate financial incentives with the performance appraisal system in order to motivate the employees to contribute their best in the organisational process. However, in executing the process, the organisation tends to lack analysing its impact on the employees which in turn indicates a major lacuna of the entire p erformance appra

Greenhouse effect and global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greenhouse effect and global warming - Essay Example As many establishments for instance are trying to produce offerings, more greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are directly emitted into the atmosphere. The rising number of vehicles due to industrialization has even led to the increase of greenhouse gases. For this reason, Al Gore and other global warming alarmists try to inform the public the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other related greenhouse gases. These created various responses especially among global warming skeptics and realists. For the realists, scientific proofs are necessary so they cited important findings that could prove global warming as a natural environmental cycle occurring regularly over the earth’s entire existence (Taylor). Showcasing major findings of researches and even natural observations lead to the conclusion among global warming alarmists that humans have contributed enough for the recent climate change. The increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere traps heat ener gy causing earth to warm. As a result, climate change is imminent, and even from a simple observation everyone could agree with the prevailing environmental changes taking place everywhere. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes that climate change is indeed taking place and humans have become responsible for it (Environmental Protection Agency). Reduction of greenhouse gas emission is what EPA believes to be one important solution in order to address environmental problems associated with climate change.

AirAsias Information Technology Strategy

AirAsias Information Technology Strategy AirAsia was established in 1993 and commenced its operations on 18th November 1996. This airline was originally founded by a government owned conglomerate DRB-Hicom. However, on 2nd December 2001, the heavily indebted airline was purchased by former Time Warner executive Tony Fernandess company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit. Fernandes proceeded to engineer a remarkable turnaround, turning a profit in 2002 and launching new routes from its hub in KLIA at breakneck speed which undercutting former monopoly operator Malaysia Airlines with promotional fares as low as one ringgit. In 2003, AirAsia has opened a second hub at Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru which is near Singapore. And, it launched its first international flight to Bangkok. AirAsia has therefore started a Thai subsidiary, added Singapore to the destination list, and it commenced flights to Indonesia. Also, flight to Macau was started in June 2004 and flight to Mainland China and the Philippines started in April 2005. In addition, the flight to Vietnam and Cambodia is in the year 2005 while to Brunei and Myanmar is in 2006. With a strong yet simple slogan Now Everyone Can Fly, AirAsia has effectively placed its brand in customers mind when comes to selection of flight. In Malaysia, AirAsia is the second powerful national airline. Also, it was the first successful low cost and ticket-less airline in the Southeast Asian region. It is main based in the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). And, AirAsia has a registered office in Petaling Jaya, Selangor and its head office is on the grounds of KLIA in Sepang, Selangor. In addition, AirAsia is one of the successful businesses that have adopted cost leadership thoroughly through effectiveness and efficiency of the operation management. AirAsia has broken the travel norms around the world speedily and has become the worlds top airline. Beside this, AirAsia also has a route network that spans more than 20 countries; therefore it continues to pave the way for lower cost aviation through innovative solutions, more efficien t processes and a passionate approach to the business. The vision of AirAsia is to be the largest cost airline in Asia and for the purpose of serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity as well as high fares. There are 4 missions such as to be the best company to work for where the employees are treated as part of the big family in AirAsia, to create a ASEAN brand which is being recognized globally, to attain the lowest cost to make sure everyone in the world can fly with AirAsia, and to maintain the highest quality product by embracing technology in order to reduce cost and enhance the service levels of AirAsia. Apart from that, together with the associate companies such as AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia, AirAsia is set to take the low cost flying. AirAsia X was established in 2007 in order to provide high frequency as well as point to point networks to the long haul business. Its cost efficiencies are derived from maintaining a simple aircraft fleet and a route network based on low cost airports. Hence, guests will continue to enjoy the low fares through cost savings that AirAsia pass on to the guests. Moreover, AirAsia X franchises the brand name of AirAsia, Asias largest low cost carrier which uses a common ticketing website, uniform, uniforms, and management style with AirAsia. AirAsia X is also affiliated with Virgin Group and Air Canada. Reasons for Adopting Information Technology (IT) There are some factors that contributed to the adoption of IT for AirAsia. As we know, airline companies involved in helping people move from one place to another. And, there are billions of people in this world. Without IT, airline companies will not process smoothly and it might lead to serious confusing among the customers and the company. Also, people in this society are having the same problems such as traffic jam, working pressure and time pressure. They are busy with their works and they focus more on efficiency and effectiveness. They do not want to spend extra time on irrelevant things such as queue up to buy something or waiting for long hours. Therefore, most airlines including AirAsia do offer online reservation for the flight as well as hotel rooms in order to save their customers time as well as enhance customer satisfaction. Apart from that, the technology is getting in advanced in this modern era. There are many companies who have adopted Information Technology (IT) in doing their business. And, this IT has helped in enhancing a better management of the operation of the companies. Also, people in this society are concern more on company who has adopted IT and how this IT will help in making their life better as well as decision making in some tasks. AirAsia therefore choose to adopt IT in its business as to follow up the current IT trend as well as fulfilling the demand of the people in this society. They also implemented different systems to enhance their overall operation which will lead to efficiency and effectiveness of AirAsia. IT Strategy AirAsia has some strategies initiatives which involve IT solutions in order to build its company share and reputation. In order to make its operation effective and efficient, AirAsia has implemented few IT systems in its marketing and sales activities. As you know, E-Commerce in nowadays has become a business tool and it is also a vital strategic management that allows a company to sell, advertise, purchase, supplies inventory tracking as well as sharing of information. Therefore, E-Commerce does become a major success to Airline Company that lead to effectively and efficiency in their business. AirAsia is one of the airline companies that implements E-Commerce and maximizes their information technology usage to manage their company effectively and efficiently including make low cost possibly in their business. In order to maximize their IT, AirAsia has implemented current IT systems, for examples, Yield Management System (YMS), Computer Reservation System (CRS), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP). These systems have indirectly generated extra revenues and build customer loyalty for AirAsia. Yield Management System (YMS) which also known as Revenue Management System (RMS) is the process of understanding, anticipating as well as influencing consumer behavior to maximize revenues or profits from a fixed perishable resource. Moreover, there is an important component in this system which is the use of overbooking where sometimes there must be a chance that a customer may not appear during that day. As a good example, it might be possible for a customer to book a ticket for a flight but did not turn up for the departure. And, this may cause the airline to end up flying an empty seat which will then cause lost in revenue for the airline company. But, in order to solve this problem, most airlines routinely overbook their flight. And, if there is an unusually large proportion of the customers show up, the company will be forced to bump some customers to another flight. Second, AirAsia using Customer Reservation System (CRS) which is an integrated web based reservation and inventory system. This includes Internet, airport departure control, call center, as well as others. This system is a direct sales engine that rid off the travel agents effectively and the need to pay for the sales commissions to them. And, CRS is totally customer friendly as the customer can buy or reserve a ticket directly via online without come to the ticket counter. This has brought more customers to use the website often thus reduce the extra costs of customer such as transportation costs. CRS also include Open Skies and New Skies. First, the Open Skies system is a built-in web enabled reservation as well as inventory system. The solution is built expressly in order to satisfy the distinctive needs of airlines that either implements a low cost business or in the process of making their business to more efficient streamline operations. Also, this system can be used either individually or combined yet it is depending on the persons needs. Open Skies helps some low cost airlines in worldwide to become a high performance business that continue to grow widely. On the other hand, New Skies is a next generation of reservation and distribution system. And, it is designed for the worlds fastest growing airlines which include newly launched airlines as well as rapidly growing hybrid airlines such as AirAsia. This system is a comprehensive airline passenger sales and management solution that provides capabilities for integrated online booking, call center reservations, inter-airline and alliance code-share itineraries, departure control as well as travel agency global distribution connectivity. Also, New Skies is based on the Navitaires Open Skies reservation and distribution system that have been used by over 40 of the worlds successful airlines. It represents a giant leap forward in quick deployment, speed to market with the new features and enhancements. New Skies has completely integrated departure control and real time reporting to keep your operation runs smoothly. Also, it is easy to use, change as well as customize. Third, AirAsia implements Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It is a packaged of business software that integrates organizational processes and functions into a unified system. It helps business management executives with a comprehensive overview of their complete business execution which may influence their business decisions indirectly. There are some examples of functions: Human Resource, Supply Chain Management, Finance and Logistics. These all are stand alone software and has their applications and database. But, with ERP System, all of this individual software can work under one umbrella. And, all the departments can share information easily and it helps to save time and cost. The workflow that has taken place between different departments becomes more automated. The customers also get better services as the person who is using the customer facing applications can access to every bit of information that regarding each relevant process. For an instance, a person who is w ork under sales team can access to the customers product which is still under manufacturing. In addition, ERP system helps to reduce the need to carry large inventories which will increase the operational and labor costs. And, this system is implemented in AirAisia thoroughly. Experience Resulting From The IT Implements Utilization of Information Technology (IT) have directly contributed to the promotional activities, enhance brand equity, and keep the cost as low as possible by enable the customer to direct purchase the ticket online or through sales offices. This has helped the customers to save airline agent fees. The systems that have been implemented by the AirAsia have a significant change to their company. First, AirAsia has used the Yield Management System (YMS) for taking the operating costs and in helping themselves to optimize the price as well as allocate the capacity for maximizing expected profits. For an instance, seats are revenues for AirAsia and other airline companies. Every seat is considered as a profit for them. Therefore, AirAsia has introduced a plan whereby seats are available at different prices in various points of time. Hence, reservation that has done in later time will be charged more compared to one who has reserved earlier for the same seat. As a result of this system, this has enabled AirAsia to understand the behavior of their respective customers and implement effective strategy to generate expected revenues with lowest cost. Second, AirAsia has implemented Computer Reservation System (CRS). AirAsia has used Open Skies to centralize customer data and this has helped AirAsia to track booking and the schedule of flight activities in real. Open Skies booking system which provided by Navitaire performed almost flawlessly on every single occasion and it managed to handle the most demanding requirements of AirAsias flight booking operations. On the other hand, on July 2010, AirAsia has successfully completed the implementation of its new reservation system which called New Skies. This booking system has replaced the previous system, Open Skies. Furthermore, this New Skies gives the customers a new experience as well as providing a greater convenience and generate more savings for the customers. New Skies booking system has make the procedure of booking more efficiently. This New Skies ensure the airlines to maximize the distribution channels and dynamics packaging that emphasize on direct Internet sales. For distribution, New Skies gives AirAsia the control that they need over how quickly they deploy sales fares, special promotion, discounts and electric vouchers to stay ahead of the competitors. This is wise useful for AirAsia in this modern era. It also eliminates the need to maintain multiple databases associated with paper and e-tickets which indirectly increase the operational costs. Same with Open Skies, this New Skies enable the customers to continue booking online and the AirAsia sales offices, counters as well as the call center. They also can normally self check in via the web, mobile and kiosks at the airport together with the self manage options online such as adding check in baggage weight, pick a seat and pre-book meals. However, there are some differences between the Open Skies and New Skies booking system. With the new reservation system, the customers can look for the new feature which is Low Fare Finder. It helps the customers to view the lowest fare available according to their selected destination and date for travel. Also, the customers now are able to book their seats for multi-cities in just one transaction only. For an instance, if the customer plans to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Perth to Singapore and return, the respective customer do not have to make two separate bookings which is only provided by the new reservation system only. In addition, this New Skies booking system is able to support characters such as Mandarin, Japanese and other languages whereby the Open Skies system was able to support alphanumeric characters only. Hence, AirAsia can target multilingual customers globally and stay ahead in the airline industry. Lastly, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is implemented by AirAsia as this enables AirAsia to successfully maintain process integrity, reduce the financial month-end closing processing time, and speed up the reporting as well as data retrieval process. Every department such as financial, marketing and sales are unified into a single IT system to allow the employees to make decisions by viewing enterprise wide information on all airline operations. And, this system helps AirAsia by focusing on capturing transactions in daily operations therefore it helps to save operational costs and this indirectly increase the efficiency and effectiveness in its operation management.

Critique of Robert Frost Essay examples -- essays research papers

Marion Montgomery, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Use of Barriers: Man vs. Nature Toward God,† Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962. Reprinted by permission of The South Atlantic Quarterly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Frost is considered by the casual reader to be a poet of nature like that of a Wordsworth. In a sense, his poetry is about nature, yet with strong underlying tones of the drama of man in nature. Frost himself stated, â€Å"I guess I’m not a nature poet,† â€Å" I have only written two without a human being in them (138).† Marion Montgomery’s critical essay plays with the epitaph that Frost proposes for himself in The Lesson for Today: â€Å"I have a lovers quarrel with the world.† Montgomery says, that the lovers quarrel is Frost’s poetic subject, and states, â€Å"throughout his poetry there is evidence of this view of mans’ existence in the natural world (138). The essay examines how Frost’s attitude toward nature is one with armed and amicable truce and mutual respect interwoven with boundaries of the two principles, individual man and the forces of the world. But the boundaries are insisted upon. The critical essay examines how Frost’s direct addresses of nature are often how man is essentially different from objects and features of nature. Montgomery insists, â€Å"†¦his trees and animals, though he speaks to them, do no take on grave countenances (140).† The jest of Montgomery’s ideal is when Frost speaks directly to or directly of natural objects or creatures, â€Å"that ...

The Impact of Video Games on Children Essay

Video games have been available to consumers for the last 30 years. They are a unique form of entertainment, because they encourage players to become a part of the game’s script. Today’s sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game, rather than passively watching a movie. This has both positive and negative impacts on players. Several studies have been published that explore these impacts on today’s children. Sections: What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents? Tips on managing your child’s media consumption The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) References What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents? The most widely used â€Å"positive† impact video games are said to have on children is that they may improve a player’s manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more â€Å"realistic† virtual playing experience. This quality makes the video game industry a powerful force in many adolescent lives. However, numerous studies show that video games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive. Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games. In one study by Walsh (2000), a majority of teens admitted that their parents do not impose a time limit on the number of hours they are allowed to play video games. The study also showed that most parents are unaware of the content or the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating (see below) of the video games their children play. In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p. 6) â€Å"adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week, whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week†. The authors also stated that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time: Tend to be more aggressive Are more prone to confrontation with their teachers May engage in fights with their peers See a decline in school achievements. (Gentile et al, 2004). The interactive quality of video games differs from passively viewing television or movies because it allows players to become active participants in the game’s script. Players benefit from engaging in acts of violence and are then able to move to the game’s next level. Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns. Video games also encourage players to identify with and role play their favorite characters. This is referred to as a â€Å"first-person† video game (Anderson & Dill, 2000, p. 788) because players are able to make decisions affecting the actions of the character they are imitating. After a limited amount of time playing a violent video game, a player can â€Å"automatically prime aggressive thoughts† (Bushman & Anderson, 2002, p. 1680). The researchers concluded that players who had prior experience playing violent video games responded with an increased level of aggression when they encountered confrontation (Bushman & Anderson, 2002). In a Joint Statement (2000) before the Congressional Public Health Summit, a number of American medical associations — the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — caution parents about violence in the media and its negative effect on children. Their report states that exposure to violent media can elevate aggressive feelings and thoughts, especially in children. These effects on aggressive behavior can be long-term. Although fewer studies have been conducted on interactive video games, evidence suggests that playing violent video games may have a more dramatic influence on the behavior of children and adolescents (Joint Statement, 2000). Back to top Tips on managing your child’s media consumption Because of the popularity of video games, completely eliminating them from your child’s life might be difficult. But you can decrease the negative impact that they have on your child. Here are a few tips: Know the rating of the video games your child plays (see below). Do not install video game equipment in your child’s bedroom. Set limits on how often and how long your child is allowed to play video games. Monitor all of your child’s media consumption — video games, television, movies and Internet. Supervise your child’s Internet use — there are now many â€Å"video games† available for playing online. Take the time to discuss with your children the games they are playing or other media they are watching. Ask your children how they feel about what they observe in these video games, television programs or movies. This is an opportunity to share your feelings and grow closer with your child. Share with other parents information about certain games or ideas for helping each other in parenting. Back to top The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) The ESRB is a self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The major video game manufacturers created this board after concerned groups applied pressure over the content of video games. Similar to the movie industry’s rating system, all major game companies now submit their new products for rating to specially trained raters at the ESRB. The ESRB rates over 1,000 games per year. The ESRB looks at a number of factors when rating games. In particular, it considers the amount of violence, sex, controversial language and substance abuse found in a game. Based on its developed guidelines, the ESRB then gives an age recommendation and content descriptor to each game submitted. The following are the rating symbols currently in use, according to the ESRB Web site. Early Childhood (EC): Content should be suitable for children 3 years and older and contain no objectionable material. Everyone (E): Content suitable for persons ages 6 and older. The game may contain minimal violence and some â€Å"comic mischief. † Teen (T): Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Content is more violent than (E) rating and contains mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes. Mature (M): Content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, intense violence and stronger language. Adults Only (AO): Content suitable only for adults and may contain graphic sex and/or violence. Adult Only products are not intended for persons under the age of 18. Rating Pending (RP): Game has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting a final rating. The ESRB Web site has more details about this rating system, as well as the â€Å"content descriptors† that are used in conjunction with the ratings on game packaging. The site is also useful for parents who want to search for the rating of a particular game. Back to top References Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686. Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed. ), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing. Gentile, D. A. , Lynch, P. , Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22. Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit. (July 26, 2000. ) Available: http://www. aap. org/advocacy/ releases/jstmtevc. htm. Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000. ) Back to top Source: http://www. pamf. org/preteen/parents/videogames. html By Andrea Norcia, college student writer Reviewed by the Web Content Committee of PAMF Additional articles: Violent Video Games and Aggressive Behaviors, By Andrea Norcia, college student writer Join the conversation: Website Feedback Site Map  © 2012 Palo Alto Medical Foundation. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U. S. Patent. & Trademark office. 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Essentials of Green Living

How Video Games Impact A Human - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2862 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/06 Category Entertainment Essay Level High school Tags: Video Games Essay Did you like this example? The goal of this research paper was to answer one question. Which way do video games impact people the most? Socially, mentally, physically, or academically? This paper covers a variety of topics, spanning from common myths about video games to the framework of how the human mind processes information. The conclusion that was reached is that video games impact people the most socially. The criteria used to reach a conclusion were studies and statistics from members of the scientific community. Video Games and the Impact they have on a Human 1.2 billion people on the planet Earth play video games daily (Soper). Out of these 1.2 billion people, 700 million of them play video games daily (Soper). Video games are known to affect people in a plethora of ways. These ways include mentally, physically, socially, and academically. However, video games impact people more so socially then they do mentally, physically, or academically. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How Video Games Impact A Human?" essay for you Create order One way video games can impact someone is socially. A monumental way video games help is by improving peoples teamwork capability. Contradictory to popular belief, video games prove more helpful than hindering. However, according to a study by the Entertainment Software Association, 46% of gamers play cooperatively and 54% play in multiplayer.Co-operative gaming would be the equivalent to playing a game with someone whos using the same screen as whoever they are playing with, such as sharing a T.V. Multiplayer gaming is equivalent to playing online with multiple people at the same time. This shows that many gamers are actually talking and interacting with people while in the midst of gaming. This relates to real life interaction because it involves basic skills such as discussing and convening with people about a particular topic. A myth about video games is that theyre played by antisocial people who sit inside all day. When looking at the numbers, video games are more popular than a brand new movie playing at cinemas all across the United States. In 2014 Blizzard released the game Destiny and made $325 million dollars within its first five days of release (La Monica). Compared to the remake of Jurassic World that topped the box-office that summer with making only $70 million dollars in U.S. ticket sales (La Monica). Another way video games can improve teamwork is by helping with communication. Playing video games is mostly about socializing and communicating. Also, many teens have said that in addition to communicating about the particular game to others, they often relate what is going on in the game to society today (Kananowitz). When playing cooperative games such as the Battlefield or Call of Duty series teamwork is vital. Playing video games forces you to communicate with the other individuals and work together to get the mission accomplished (Kananowitz). This is made possible by the resurgence in communicating while playing. Major gaming industries such as Microsoft or Sony allow their systems to have voice-chats and parties where fellow players can communicate. For example, if a group of friends wanted to play Call of Duty together they could all simply join a party together and then from there coordinate how or when they wanted to play. A party on Xbox is just like a normal birthday party someone could have in real life. Theyre both places where people can be invited too and converse about whatever they want; from there they can go do other things such as play games. However, there are two different types of chats or parties one can be in. The first option is the party chat, where one can only talk to the people that were invited party, which makes it the users choice, and they wouldnt communicate with anyone else in the game theyre playing. The second type of chat one can be in is a game chat. In the game chat people are open to talk to anyone that is in the game. If there was a game with 100 players, it could be possible to talk with all 100 people in the game. To do this a headset; in order to have a vessel in which to carry out the communication, is quintessential. Yet, these headsets can still be wildly pricy. Popular brands such as Turtle Beach or HyperX can cost anywhere from $29.99-$249.99. Cases of headsets over $200 are usually from more hardcore players, so the casual video game fan can still find a quality pair from $19.99-$79.99. Another way video games can improve social skills is by teaching how to support others. When playing video games its important to have everyones cooperation to complete the game, its important to support each other and help out whoever they are playing with. This is most common in RPGs (role playing games) such as World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls. In these types of games its usual to play in a group of four to five people, each person has a specific skill that another member of the party doesnt have. For example, one member of the party might need a certain type of potion in order to defeat a monster, but another member of the party is the only one who can create potions. Although it is fairly new, competitive gaming has had quite the rise in popularity throughout the last couple years. More specifically theyre called eSports, and their popularity is growing at an astounding rate. In a study by Anders Hval Olsen of Cornell University it indicates that, the eSport audience is p rojected to increase by 305.51% from 2014-2019 (Olsen). The study also indicates that the virtual streaming audience will increase 140.61% within those same years (Olsen). These numbers indicate that the amount of people who will be watching these eSports will steadily increase throughout the next couple of years. In comparison, its like the increase of attendance at a baseball game. These eSports can become more useful socially in the coming years. This is because it could simply be used as an icebreaker in a conversation. Its common knowledge that a good conversation starter is to ask about someones favorite sports team, such as the Boston Red Sox or New England Patriots. If eSports sustain their current increase in popularity, the future question may be, Whos your favorite eSports team? This is how video games ultimately help people with their teamwork skills. The final way video games help people is socially is by teaching how to be compassionate. A three month study by the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health included 375 subjects, male and female, between the ages of 13-29 and had them put into either an intervention or control group. The intervention group played a video game that stipulated many things such as knowledge, stress, and control, while the control group was simply normal. In the end the implication was that the intervention group showed an increase in things such as self love and knowledge (Kato). Next, video games can also help players have a much more supportive mindset, in the same manner that a sports team would. For a better perspective, on a baseball team people are constantly bound to be fallible, which can induce gargantuan amounts of stress and anger. Yet, after a hard practice full of blunders the coach will never begin to throw a fit and scream at every individual that screwed up. Ins tead, the coach will simply tell the player to pick their head up, and keep on trying their hardest. Video games are like this because when one is playing a video game such as Madden or NBA 2K and y lose, they cant exactly throw a giant fit about it. Theyll just need to realize that they cant always win, but they can always keep practicing and try again. Also, gaining a supportive mindset can allow someone to become a much more kind, caring, and accepting person. That is the final way that video games can help people socially. Although video games mostly impact people socially, they can impact them in other ways as well. A major way video games can also have an impact is physically. Even though its hard to believe, certain types of video games can be beneficial to someones health. In an experiment by the American Psychological Association they had 147 young adults between the ages of 18-35 play 13 minutes of Dance Dance Revolution on the Playstation 3 using the Move Motion Controllers while measuring their energy levels using calorimetry. In an article by Eleuterio Ferrannini calorimetry is described as the method in which the type and rate of substrate utilization, and energy metabolism are estimated in vivo starting from gas exchange measurements (Ferrannini). The result of the experiment showed that while playing the video game, the subjects had there engagement, enjoyment, and BMI (Body Mass Index) levels all increased. This also shows that video games that are more engaging and active can cause higher energy levels (activity) and leads to the burning of calories (Ferrannini). These types of activity inducing games are sold for video game consoles such as the Wii or for the Xbox 360s Kinect System. As fantastic as these types of games are, they have one monumental downside, theyre just not popular anymore. The Kinect was introduced by Microsoft in the summer of 2009, and it looked like it was set for success. It was a fresh idea that used motion sensor and infrared technology which allowed players to play games and control their Xbox system by simply using their own voice or body. It was decently priced, as one could purchase it separately for $150 or purchase it with an Xbox system for a total of $299. The Kinect system sold about 30 million units in its shortened span of popularity, from its release in 2009 to its ultimate discontinuation in 2017 (Weinberger). The Kinects last reach for success was in 2013 when it added new voice commands prior to the release of the new; at the time, Xbox One (International Business Times). It was discontinued because it simply couldnt keep up with the ravaging popularity of normal video games. For example, in 2014 Call of Duty: Advanced Warf are was released for Xbox 360 and according to TechSpot, it had amassed 21 million copies sold in the United States. It also was the best selling game of that year. While in 2014 the best selling Kinect game was Kinect Sports Rivals which had 8.5 million copies sold in the United States (Campbell). Another example of video games that can promote and help people physically is Pokemon Go. An experiment was conducted on Pokemon Go over the span of 3 months. The experiment had 32,000 users wear special Microsoft Bands that track their physical activity by using sensory data. The players were identified by certain search engines, the physical activity is measured by accelerometers. After a check in 30 days later, the data shown that all users had a 25% increase in their physical activity levels compared to their prior levels. This is an extra 1,473 steps for each person daily (Eysenbach). Although contradictory to popular belief, video games can also improve your eyesight. More specifically they can improve your reading ability. A study by Sandro Franceschini stated that children with dyslexia who play fast paced action video games such as Call of Duty can actually improve their reading abilities. Sandro says children with dyslexia who played AVG showed an improvement in visuo-spatial and temporal attentional shifting matched with an improvement in reading speed without any increase in reading errors (Franceschini). That is how video games can impact people in a physical way. A third way video games can be impactful is mentally. A positive way that they can affect someone is by improving their executive functioning. Executive functioning is when your prefrontal cortex chooses how someone might react to certain situations. This essentially means that video games can affect peoples decision making skills. A study by Melissa T. Buelow had an experiment that tested the effects video games had on decision making. With 228 undergraduates (114 male and 114 female) she had one group play video games actively for 30 minutes while the control group did not. After this she had both groups take the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and then compared the results. The Iowa Gambling Task is a test that shows how the user makes decisions as well as how they perform under pressure. Its based off the Somatic Marker Hypothesis created by a neuroscientist named Antonio Damasio in 1998 (Chiu). As it turns out the group that had played video games actively prior to the task performed b etter on it then the control group that hadnt played the games. Next, video games can have an impact in a plethora of ways, but its been discovered that in some cases they can cause a mental disorder. An article by Bruce Y. Lee says this about the so called Gaming Disorder, gaming disorder is characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurring gaming behavior. He also believes this disorder is mostly caused by the duration of time someone spends playing video games. Also, he says that it can be associated with mood swings. Check whether your gaming has increased over time and if there have been accompanying changes in your mood (e.g. becoming moodier, crankier, more irritable, or depressed) (Lee). The third way video games help socially is by boosting problem solving skills. Firstly, video games can also help the brain learn a simple, but helpful strategy which is simply called, rest and reset. This simple strategy is a subliminal way to cause a persons brain to take a break from what theyre doing and then come back to it later with a clearer mind. An example of this strategy goes way back to the summer of 1905. At this time a 26 year old Albert Einstein was going through a debilitating problem. He was trying to figure out which of these two things were wrong: James Maxwells Equation or Isaac Newtons famous Laws of Gravity. He then talked about his dilemma to his friend Michele Besso. Einstein, feeling utterly abysmal, told Besso that he was going to give up on the problem he had been thinking so intensely about. Once he shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind, he decided to head home. On the way home he looked outside at a large tower and wondered what would happen if he went by it in a car at the speed of light. He then looked at his stopwatch, and realized that the car would move normally (May). This helped Albert Einstein solve his dilemma of which one of the geniuses was wrong. It also proves that when someone take a break from a problem then come back to it, theyll think a lot clearer. This is how video games help with problem solving abilities. The fourth and final way video games can have an impact is academically. This is shown by video games helping with peoples memories. In video games its crucial to always listen to the tutorials so the player will know how to play the game. Since these tutorials usually teach the basics of the gameplay they only show up in the beginning stages of the game. Also, Its key to remember a variety of combinations for the buttons on the controllers. When playing a video game the player cant just look at their controller and the screen at the same time so theyll need to be able to memorize the layout of the buttons and which ones relay which commands (A is to jump, B is to crouch, X is to punch, etc.). Another way videogames can help academically is by helping foreign peoples ability to learn English. A study was done that tested how much video games could impact Saudi Arabian childrens ability to learn English. The experimental group of 30 Saudi Arabian girls in Kindergarten used video games pre-selected by the British Council to help them learn English. The control group; the other 30 Saudi Arabian girls, learned vocabulary the old-fashioned way, using methods such as flashcards. At the end of the experiment the two groups took the same test that challenged their knowledge of English. The conclusion was that the experimental group had a much higher median score than the control group (Alshaiji). Video games can also help people; more specifically kids, academically by teaching them about the inner-workings of the human body. There are video games called serious games that increase kids understanding of various things in the human body (Fiellen). For example, theres a game called Re-Emission thats aimed at teens and young adults learning about cancer. In the game, the player controls a nanobot that traverses through a 3D environment of what the body of a cancer patient would look like (Fiellen). As they go through the new environment theyll encounter things such as cancer cells and other ailments. After the experience the people who played the game demonstrated a greater knowledge about cancer and how it affects the body (Fiellen). To further elaborate video games are extremely impactful in a multitude of ways. Albeit socially, physically, mentally, or academically. In this day and age technology is at an all time high. Its imperative that people know about the effects that technology can have on them, as well as the implications that may follow.