AWA Review Assistance

[jasonmaehara]

Was hoping to get fellow board members' opinion on my AWAs.

Thank you in advance to anyone who is willing to put in the time to help.

Regards,
Jason


ESSAY QUESTION:
"Poor health and high stress levels diminish the productivity of today’s office workers. In order to maximize profits, companies need to provide white-collar employees with free exercise facilities and free wellness classes."

In your opinion, how accurate is the view expressed above? Use reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading to develop your position.

YOUR RESPONSE:
Overall the question posed above is a very controversial topic which can illicit strong opinions on both ends of the spectrum. By taking a look at the facts surrounding this topic including the value of human resources as well as work-life balance it will be evident that companies who focus on providing exercise facilities and wellness classes will benefit in the long run both with increased morale and profits.

Any organization that is successful depends heavily on the people that work there. Without people, running a successful organization is virtually impossible. Since there is such a heavy reliance on people, it naturally draws the conclusion that for a company to do well, it needs the best people possible. In order to do this, companies need to prove to these employees that they care about many factors including their well being. By offering fitness facilities and wellness classes, companies are not only generating goodwill with their employees but they are offering an opportunity to blow off some steam at work, which in turn reduces stress and increases morale. These factors, in the long run, will without a doubt help organizations achieve their financial goals.

Secondly, with any company it is important to promote work-life balance. As an example looking at the investment banking industry where there is generally a severe lack of work-life balance, the turnover is extremely high and people tend to burn out at a very young age. Compensation within this industry is very high, however this does not stop people from quitting and moving on to other opportunities due to the lack of work-life balance. Organizations that step up and invest funds in promoting work-life balance with their employees in the long run will not only see increased morale, but will save money by reducing employee turnover. As seen by this example there are clear immediate benefits to investing in an employee's well being.

In conclusion, the core of any organization is it's people. Without human capital it will be impossible for any organization to succeed. In order to support their people organizations need to step up and place a focus on people's well being by offering things such as free exercise facilities and wellness classes. By doing this, companies will help boost employee morale which will help productivity, and finally they will help reduce costs and raise revenues internally by lowering employee turnover and fostering a positive work environment.





ESSAY QUESTION:
The following appeared in the editorial section of a national news magazine:

"The rating system for electronic games is similar to the movie rating system in that it provides consumers with a quick reference so that they can determine if the subject matter and contents are appropriate. This electronic game rating system is not working because it is self regulated and the fines for violating the rating system are nominal. As a result an independent body should oversee the game industry and companies that knowingly violate the rating system should be prohibited from releasing a game for two years."

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.

YOUR RESPONSE:
Overall the argument presented outlines some valid points, however contains major gaps in logic that do not support the overall conclusion that video game rating should be done by an independent body. By analyzing the subjectivity of violence rating as well as the online nature of gaming it is evident that rating by an independent body can be difficult, especially if they do not have the intimate knowledge of the game that the makers do.

First off, video games are very subjective in nature when it comes to determining level of age appropriateness. What one person may consider unsuitable for the ages of 10 and up, another may not even consider offensive whatsoever. Since this is the case, regardless of what rating a video game maker puts on their box there will be some people that fail to agree with the decision. In the end it should be the buyer, or buyer's parent or guardian, that should ultimately decide if a game is appropriate for a child or teenager.

Secondly, movies and video games are different entirely, as the content in movies are limited to what's on screen for the 2 hour period that the movie shows. Video games contain a tremendous amount of online content which often cannot be regulated by the video game makers or even by an independent third party. Online gaming is subject to any possible offensive content that also may occur on the internet, which can make rating a game's appropriateness difficult, and ultimately ineffective. Introducing the online factor makes game rating much more complex.

In conclusion, preventing companies by incorrectly rating their games by levying fines may not be the best approach. An approach of being a responsible corporate citizen may better influence these large companies. In the end, no one better knows the content of a game other than the makers themselves. It would be next to impossible for an independent party to come in and assess each game a rating. In the end, the onus should be on the purchasing party to ensure that the content in a video game is appropriate for the age of the intended user.

[StaceyKoprince]

Hi, thanks for posting your essays! Just an FYI that instructors don't grade or give feedback on essays (see the forum guidelines for details).

But I certainly hope other community members respond. Also, if you're in our class, you'll have an opportunity to get essays graded and get written feedback during the course (after class 6). Finally, you can get essays graded by GMAT Write (the official essay grading service from the makers of the exam) - they'll both grade the essays and provide feedback as to how to improve (for a fee). For details and pricing, go to www.mba.com and search for GMAT Write.

[mukund.mm]

If it helps, my response to the electronic games rating prompt was as follows:

The author believes that the electronic game rating system is not working and cites two reasons for this. However, there could be other reasons why the system is not successful. For instance, if the majority of electronic games are purchased by parents / adults for their children, this could be the primary reason for the system's failure. Neither the establishment of an independent body, nor prohibiting companies that violate the system, as the author suggests, would be very effective in this situation. What might help instead, is if parents were made more aware about the various rating levels and understood the negative impact of inappropriate content on children. The independent body that the author suggested could take on the responsibility to develop and implement this awareness campaign.

Another major reason for the failure of the electronic game rating system could be that the majority of purchases are conducted online. In fact, with the rate of technological progress and the convenience of e-shopping, this number of people purchasing items online is only expected to increase. In this event, it becomes even more difficult to monitor whether the particular electronic game is appropriate for the consumer. Most website will ask for the date of birth of the consumer, but it's quite easy for a minor to enter a false date of birth in order to make it appear that he is older than he actually is. One possible, albeit extreme solution would be to ban the sale of electronic video games online completely. The online purchase of inappropriate electronic games by minors is not an easy problem to solve, and ultimately will require a discussion with all stakeholders to devise an appropriate response to the problem.

In conclusion, it's important to understand the key driver of the system's failure before we can develop a plan to address the shortcomings.