Free Essays on Wizards Of The Coast

Introduction Corporate Description In 1997 Wizards of the Coast was a privately held company, best known for the world’s number one selling adventure trading-card game, Magic: The Gathering. Founded in 1990 by Peter Adkison and several other young professionals, and bolstered by the success of Magic, the company has grown into the largest adventure gaming company in the world. The idea behind the game is to combine a fantasy-playing concept with a trading card format, where players can buy and sell collectible cards, similar to baseball cards. Wizards released Magic in 1993 and it was an instant success. Since then, an entire sub-culture has developed, where those who play the game do it as more of a hobby than simply a card game, dedicating a significant amount of time and money. In order to distribute their product, Wizards had initially built a widespread network of small hobby, game, and comic shops. Along with their popularity, they have since expanded into larger chain stores such as Toys â€Å"R† Us, Barnes and Noble, and Target. Likewise, the design and manufacture of the game initially started small with a single source supplier, but has grown significantly in order to be able to keep up with demand. Until the late 90’s, the success enjoyed by Wizards had been founded solely in the popularity of Magic and related â€Å"spin-off† products. To add breadth to their product line, and to reduce competition, Wizards solidified its position in the adventure gaming market by acquiring two of its most significant competitors- 1) Five Rings Publishing and 2) TSR (the creators of Dungeons and Dragons). Vision Peter Adkison's vision for Wizards of the Coast was to establish games as a fun entertainment choice for people of all ages. (wizards.com/whatis/main.asp?x=founder) Strategy Because Wizards of the Coast is only in one business, its corporate and business strategies are identical. They consist of the ... Free Essays on Wizards Of The Coast Free Essays on Wizards Of The Coast Introduction Corporate Description In 1997 Wizards of the Coast was a privately held company, best known for the world’s number one selling adventure trading-card game, Magic: The Gathering. Founded in 1990 by Peter Adkison and several other young professionals, and bolstered by the success of Magic, the company has grown into the largest adventure gaming company in the world. The idea behind the game is to combine a fantasy-playing concept with a trading card format, where players can buy and sell collectible cards, similar to baseball cards. Wizards released Magic in 1993 and it was an instant success. Since then, an entire sub-culture has developed, where those who play the game do it as more of a hobby than simply a card game, dedicating a significant amount of time and money. In order to distribute their product, Wizards had initially built a widespread network of small hobby, game, and comic shops. Along with their popularity, they have since expanded into larger chain stores such as Toys â€Å"R† Us, Barnes and Noble, and Target. Likewise, the design and manufacture of the game initially started small with a single source supplier, but has grown significantly in order to be able to keep up with demand. Until the late 90’s, the success enjoyed by Wizards had been founded solely in the popularity of Magic and related â€Å"spin-off† products. To add breadth to their product line, and to reduce competition, Wizards solidified its position in the adventure gaming market by acquiring two of its most significant competitors- 1) Five Rings Publishing and 2) TSR (the creators of Dungeons and Dragons). Vision Peter Adkison's vision for Wizards of the Coast was to establish games as a fun entertainment choice for people of all ages. (wizards.com/whatis/main.asp?x=founder) Strategy Because Wizards of the Coast is only in one business, its corporate and business strategies are identical. They consist of the ...

A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentences Message

A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentences Message A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentence’s Message A Comma (or Its Absence) Can Change a Sentence’s Message By Mark Nichol Writers are divided in opinion about punctuating introductory words or phrases- and often, they are at war with themselves with the topic. Even adherents of open punctuation will generally insert a comma after an adverb, whether it is transitional, like however, or descriptive, like suddenly, and will follow even a brief modifying phrase such as â€Å"according to the study† or â€Å"contrary to popular belief† with pausing punctuation. But somewhere in between- in the case of a short opening phrase like â€Å"last year† or â€Å"in retrospect†- many people believe a comma setting the phrase off from the sentence’s main clause is unnecessary. For consistency, I advocate generally using a comma regardless of the phrase’s length, but even though I am a close-punctuation adherent, I realize there are exceptions. Consider the use of please, for example. Read this sentence: â€Å"Please sit down.† Now, read this one. â€Å"Please, sit down.† Did you read them differently? I hope so. The intent behind each statement is distinct: â€Å"Please sit down† is an imperative barely tempered by a courtesy term; the person to whom the statement is delivered is expected to comply. By contrast, â€Å"Please, sit down† is an entreaty; the speaker sincerely hopes that the other person will accept the invitation. There’s a difference, too, between â€Å"Of course you would say whatever you thought I wanted to hear† and â€Å"Of course, you would say whatever you thought I wanted to hear.† The first sentence is delivered with some heat; the speaker’s tone is wounded and derisive. The second statement, by contrast, is more measured and reflective. These examples are more subtle than when one decides whether one should punctuate, for example, â€Å"In time you will understand why I acted as I did†: You either agree with me that if one is to punctuate a more extensive introductory phrase (â€Å"When you have time to reflect, you will understand why I acted as I did†)- and most writers will choose to do so- it’s only logical to treat a more concise opening phrase the same way (otherwise, where does one draw the line?), or you don’t agree. But sometimes, what a sentence communicates changes with the mere insertion or omission of a comma, and the writer should be sensitive to such nuances to help the reader read between the lines. Todays video: Calls to Action Pluralizing Compound Nouns Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesYay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsEnglish Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases