Question

I need the answers of the 5 discussion questions

CASE #3 Game Not Over, Not Yet Although their expertise lies in creating games, it's definitely Then, it's the discipline of understanding the customers by using serious business for the video game industry. The computer and focus groups to pinpoint desires and likes and dislikes. And it's the video game industry has struggled over the last couple of years discipline of sharing best practices and technologies through the as game makers looked for new sources of revenues and worked company's intranet library. As one employee said, "If somebody to hold down costs. And nipping at the industry's heels were develops a better blade of grass in one game, that grass will be in companies like Zynga that saw the opportunities and jumped somebody else's game the next day." Then, there's the discipline in on the burgeoning social gaming revolution. One company Electronics Arts (EA), exemplifies the challenges of this industry, pany's "emerging leaders" program gives participants firsthand where customers are fickle and demanding and competition is experience in departments outside their own. And there's the dis- intense. As one of the world's top three interactive entertain- cipline of studying the competition. Employees are encouraged to ment software companies, EA lives and dies by its innovations. Its know the features of competitors' products. Then, it's disciplined product lineup includes more than 100 titles such as Battlefield, project management. Riccitello, known for his strict discipline, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Rock Band, Need for Speed, and The said, "If you're working on a game and you miss your deadlines, Simpsons. The company has created more than 50 best-sellers you won't be working here very long." Although the discipline of (each with more than 1 million copies sold) since 1998. In 2011, creativity is important at EA, you can't overlook the passion of the revenues were almost $3.6 billion-a decrease of almost 2 per company's game designers. Nearly everyone at EA grew up play- cent from the previous year-and the company had a net loss of ing games. They love what they do and are inspired to look for $276 million. The last three years have been quite challenging as new and creative challenges not only for the hard-core gamers, the company lowered its sales and profit projections because of but for the casual gamers as well. changes in the behavior of consumers and retailers. In addition, EA missed the initial social gaming trend, but is now pushing hard to develop digital platforms for many of its popular games As a result, its Sims Social is the number 2 game on Facebook behind Zynga's CityVille of developing the next generation of creative leaders. The com- Discussion Questions 1. Describe EA's competitive advantage from each of the three 2. Does EA exhibit the critical success factors for the new 3. Describe the types of resources EA appears to have. Do you 4. What ethical and social responsibility issues might EA perspectives on competitive advantage business context? Explain. think any of these resources might be unique? Explain EA continues to look for ways to prosper. Paranoia has been a critical part of EA's strategy for success. A top game title takes anywhere from 12 to 36 months to produce and costs between S5 million and $10 million. That's a significant investment risk riding on the company's ability to be innovative. John Riccitello (former president and chief operating officer who left the com- pany in 2004 to start a private equity firm but then returned in 2007 as CEO) has guided much of the company's game design accomplishments. He said, "The forgotten aspect of creativity is discipline." The hard part, and the part that EA pursues relent- lessly, "is identifying the right idea, assembling the best develop- Sources: Based on A. Konrad, "Electronic Arts Digital Makeover, ment team, solving the inevitable technical problems, creating Fortune, Decem a game that people want to play, getting all of the work done on schedule, getting it to market at the right time, and knowing how to generate buzz about it in an increasingly crowded mar- ket." How does EA do it? face as it develops new games? What would be the best approach for dealing with those issues? What stakeholders might EA have to be concerned with, and how might those stakeholders affect EA's strategic decisions and actions? 5. ber 12, 2011, p. 60; M. Snider, "EA Lets Slip the Dogs of War with 'Battlefield 3." USA Today, October 24, 2011 pp. 1B+; D. Leonard, "Master of the Game," Bloomberg BusinessWeek July 4-July 10, 2011, pp. 72-77: A. Vance, "EA's Plan to Get You To Play Everywhere." Bloomberg BusinessWeek, May 9-May 15 2011, pp. 37-39; M. Snider, "Electronic Arts' Multiplatform Gaming It starts with the discipline of understanding ideas. Game Approach Pays off." USA Today, May 6, 2011, p. 3B; T. Burke, "The designers try to identify the creative center of a game-what they Hitmakers," CFO, November 2008, pp. 43-47; and C. Salter, "Playing A call the "creative x"-so they understand what the game is about.o Win." Fast Company, December 2002, pp. 80-91

Answer 1