International emarketing: Nintendo DS

The last example I have in mind regarding international emarketing within video games is regarding the Nintendo DS for a game called My Spanish coach.
The American version of it is the following:

My Spanish coach - US Market cover

The European version of it is the following:

My Spanish coach - European Market cover

Well basically I guess that everybody can see it for the American market Spanish means Mexico whereas for European Spanish mean Spain. I guess also that everybody would have expect such adapation. Surprisingly the method used in the game is totally different. In the US version the game is far more complete and far more interesting rather than in the European version where the game is basically a list of vocabulary.

International emarketing within video games

International emarketing always existed and this even before the popularity of the web.
When I was a kid I had huge difficulties to understand why and how some editors were publishing two version of the same game for two different markets.

Let's take as an example the following shoot'em up:
US and Japanese version:

Contra 3 on Super Nes

The protagonists of the game are human being

European version:

Super Probotector on Super Nintendo
The protagonists of the game are robots.

Here we can clearly see the differences, we may think that the American market more fits with heroes like Rambo where a single human being can face the most horrible creatures. Whereas it seems that for the European heroic behavior does more belong to fiction.

Google Presentation Search Engine Dependency

Here is the Powerpoint presentation I made for my thesis two weeks ago, I hope you will appreciate the effort I made for the layout:

Google Presentation Search Engine Dependency

View more documents from Nanor.

Final Master thesis

Here is the downlodable version of the Master Thesis in a PDF format:

Thesis: Risks of search engine dependency and its influence on data quality

Risks of search engine dependency and its influence on data quality

A thesis submitted for the European Master in Business Studies (EMBS)

by Ronan CHARDONNEAU

Institut de Management de l'Université de Savoie d'Annecy (FR)

Università degli studi di Trento (IT)

Universität Kassel (GER)

Universidad de León (SP)

Date of submission: June the 26th, 2009

Master Thesis

Contents

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1: Introduction of the topic background

1.1 Relevance of the subject

1.2 Major terms

1.3 Focus, goals and structure of the report

1.4 Chaper 1: Key points

Chapter 2: Concept of data quality

2.1 Data quality definition

2.2 Data quality issues within businesses

2.3 Origins of data quality issues: Garbage In Garbage Out

2.3.1 Poor data quality content: the Wikipedia example

2.3.2 Poor data quality content: the commercial example

2.3.3 Metadata

2.3.4 Findability

2.4 Data quality solutions

2.4.1 Learning how to use search tools

2.4.2 Check out the information: the Triangle method

2.5 Chapter 2: key points

Chapter 3: Search engines dependency

3.1 Search engine categories

3.1.1 Commercial search engines

3.1.2 Enterprise search engine (ESE)

3.2 Search engine market

3.2.1 Commercial search engine market

3.2.2 Commercial search engine market: Consumer behavior

3.2.3 Enterprise Search Engine market

3.2.4 Enterprise Search Engine market: Consumer behavior

3.2.5 The commercial search market repartition

3.2.6 The commercial search engines in the world

3.2.7 Commercial search engine leaders presentation

3.2.8 Commercial search engine complexity

3.2.9 Search engine market shares configuration

3.2.10 Search engines competition

3.3 Search engine dependency aspect

3.3.1 Search engines dependency proves

3.3.2 Types of search engines dependency

3.3.3 Search engine loyalty

3.3.4 Search engines dependency issues

3.3.5 Privacy issues

3.3.6 Search engine awareness

3.4 Search engine dependency conclusion

3.5 Chapter 3: key points

Chapter 4: Risks of search engines dependency and its influence on data quality

4.1 Search engine dependency and its influence on data quality: Issues

4.1.1 Search Engine Optimization

4.1.2 Commercial advertisement and perception

4.1.3 Censorship

4.1.4 Technological partnerships

4.1.5 The Visible Web

4.1.6 Invisible Web

4.2 Search engine dependency and its influence on data quality: Solutions

4.2.1 A deeper knowledge in search engine abilities

4.2.2 Taking the best part of each search engine

4.2.3 Technological evolution

4.3 The future of Internet search

4.5 Chapter 4: Key points

Chapter 5: The Google example

5.1 Google presentation

5.1.1 Google

5.1.2 Google's success

5.1.3 Google image

5.1.4 Google dependency state

5.1.5 Google added functionalities

5.1.6 Google success is his weakness

5.2 Google's disappearance consequences

5.2.1 Google Search engine failure

5.2.2 Google Gmail failure

5.2.3 Google other services failure

5.2.4 Google collateral damages

5.3 Chapter 5: Key points

Conclusion and recommendations

List of literature

Foreword

A general trend of the early 21st century has been the use of the Internet despite of TV as an information provider. (Cogar, P. (ed.) (2007). TV vs. the Internet: Internet wins.)

There are today 1,596,270,108 Internet users in the world (Internet World Stats. (2009). World Internet Usage Statistics News and World Population Stats.) and basically most of them already have their habits: checking their e-mail box(es), making research, finding information about goods and services, online chatting, reading the news. (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. (2005). Household use of the Internet survey 2005.)

Most of the functions described above can be done through an unique information exchange provider: the search engines.

According to the main actors in Internet traffic measurements search engines are by far the most visited websites. (Alexa Web. (n.d). Alexa Top 500 Global Sites.)/(Netcraft. (n.d). Most visited websites.)

The main search engines actors are nowadays providing all kind of services making the Internet use very comfortable.

However using a single search engine everyday make people conditioned to process information in a certain way.

Such habits taken at home may unfortunately be present at work or the other way around.

It is for sure comfortable to have a standard when dealing with computers. As an example Microsoft is the leading Operating System on computers with more than 90% of the all market. (One Stat. (2007). OneStat Website Statistics and website metrics - Press Room.) But is Microsoft the computer? The same question arise with search engines: are they the Internet?

« Risks of search engine dependency and its influence on data quality » has been written in the scope of understanding the potential risks of search engines addiction on businesses.

Search engines such as Google are used by all Internet users. According to studies, Internet users are confident, satisfied and trust search engines. (Fallows, D. (2005). Search Engine users.) They unfortunately show that users are unaware and naïve as well.

Search engines are set up to find information on the Internet, information being the basis of any good decision making we can then understand how important and interesting it is for businesses to understand what are the consequences of their use.