Relationships in Second Life and how they can affect Real Life Essay

Relationships in Second Life and how they can affect Real Life - Essay Example These immersive 3D environments, also known as Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE) (Mennecke et al. 373) or Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), allow large numbers of users from diverse backgrounds and locales to interact via the Internet (Ducheneaut, Wen, Yee, and Wadley 1151). However, for many inhabitants of Second Life, it is not just a 3D online game, but another world that â€Å"†¦has its own economy and millions of residents who own and create property, make friends and even get married† (CNN Living, 2008). These virtual worlds (VWs) have become conduits for socialization, collaboration, entertainment, social networking, and business development (Mennecke et al. 371). Second Life vs. Real Life In VWs like Second Life, users must build virtual representations of themselves through creation of customizable avatars, which gives them a 3D body that they control and provides a â€Å"tangible embodiment of their identity† (Ducheneaut, Wen, Yee, and Wadl ey 1151). Through the avatars, users can discover an ever-growing assortment of virtual sites, fabricate all sorts of items, from clothing to buildings, and create businesses to sell their goods or services, forge relationships with other players through their interactions with their avatars, and buy virtual property (Hayes 154). According to Dell, as many as 13 million people have logged on to Second Life at least one time and about 450,000 subscribers are from more than 50 countries are online in any given week, ranging in age from 18 – 72, 27% of which are female (Hayes 154). Researchers have begun to conduct studies to analyze the way self-perception formed through interactions in VWs affects behaviors in the real world (Dell). According to Ducheneaut, Wen, Yee, and Wadley, "the choices users make when creating and customizing their avatar will have repercussions on their interactions with other users† (1151), which can cause users to create online personas that are sometimes the complete opposite of who they are in real life. The ability to â€Å"†¦do, create or become just about anything you can imagine† (Hayes 154) in the VW can result in people adapting qualities that spill over and change their demeanor in the real world (Dell). This reaction frequently occurs without the person being aware of the shift and research has determined that as little as 90 seconds spent interacting with avatars online is sufficient to bring forth behavioral changes offline due to augmentation to the individual’s self-perception and self-confidence (Dell). Additionally, researchers have determined that physical characteristics, like height and appearance, can have significant effects on the online behavior of the person as well as how they interact with others offline (Dell). Studies conducted regarding behaviors determined that individuals that used avatars considered to be physically attractive tended to display a higher degree of self-assu rance than they normally did after inhabiting the avatar (Dell). This was also true for people that used tall avatars, with these individuals displaying behaviors more aggressive than their usual demeanor and the converse being true for people using short avatars (Dell). VWs can potentially be used to improve health for some adults by allowing them to watch avatars that closely resemble their own likeness exercise, which, in studies, resulted in the individuals also exercising within 24-hours of the interaction (Dell). More recently,

Contribution Margin and Breakeven Analysis paper Term

Contribution Margin and Breakeven Analysis - Term Paper Example Therefore, the simulation can be analyzed in terms of these two factors. Maria can decide on which cookie’s production to reduce or increase by considering the contribution margin per unit per cookie type. This means that the cookie with the highest contribution margin per unit should be considered since the fixed cost is assumed equal or constant in every period; therefore, the profits are expected to be higher. The concept of contribution margin will be used to consider the cookies with the lowest contribution per unit, and, therefore, the cookie’s production can be reduced. However, this concept should not be considered if the asking price per unit for the order would result in a contribution margin that would not cover the fixed costs incurred. Since the profits are attained after the fixed costs are deducted from the contribution margin, Maria should consider a state where the asking sales price creates a contribution margin higher than the fixed costs incurred in the production process. The concept of breakeven point is also important in determining the product to produce and the reasons for producing the product. Near-term demand for a product is an important part of the determination of the kind of product to produce. The fact that lemon creme cookies provided increased capacity for production and increased the demand means that Maria should have taken it into consideration. Before the decision of profitability is considered, Maria should consider the demand for the cookies in the near future, since this is what determines the amount of profits, and thus, the survival of the company. The decision to introduce a new type of production in the company is considered as if the company was a starting venture. This means that since the breakeven point for the new blend of cookies is 650,000 packs, Maria should consider the product as a new one. This means that the current production and the expected demand should be a factor in determining the ty pe of cookies to produce. The case study indicates that the current breakeven point for the cookies is 563,000 packs, and increasing capacity would increase in a new breakeven pint of 650,000 packs. The fact the new breakeven point is 650,000 packs should not be factor while considering the cookies to produce, instead, Maria should consider the fact that the production of the butter cookies would result in a loss for the company, therefore, it is advisable that the company produce the new blend of cookies. The decision for Maria would be to stop producing the peanut butter cookies and instead produce the lemon creme cookies. The simulation considered contains many key learning points, but the most important points are the contribution margin, fixed costs, and variable costs. As already described, the contribution margin refers to the difference between the variable cost and selling price per unit of a product, and determines whether a company will be profitable in a fiscal period. T he contribution margin is a key point because it involves both the variable costs and selling price of a product, therefore, these factors do not need to be considered separately. The contribution margin determines whether the variable costs per unit incurred in production are enough to justify the selling price, and if the variable costs