Death of a Salesman – Write a critical appreciation of the Requiem

In Death of a Salesman Miller fuses the realist and expressionist styles with an ultimately realist purpose. Throughout the course of the play, we see the scenes of Willy Loman's last two days of life intertwined and overlapped with those of his memories and fantasies. This use of â€Å"daydream† scenes is an expressionistic device. However, it is not only these memory scenes which can be said to be expressionistic, as some of the expressionistic scenes in the play take place in the present, when Willy is not even there, and therefore cannot be said to be a result of his troubled mind. One of these scenes is the Requiem, when the characters break the wall lines to come downstage, and the apron represents the graveyard. As Willy is already dead, this cannot be thought of as a â€Å"distortion of his mind. † This extension of expressionistic devices to non-memory scenes seems to suggest that we the audience see them through Willy's eyes. Brian Parker suggests that this technique â€Å"forces the audience to become Willy Loman's for the duration of the play. † We see in the requiem scene how Willy's dream of a large funeral, like Dave Singleman's, to prove to his boys how well-liked he was, proves to be just another false dream. Above all, Willy seems to prize the emotional appeal of being popular, like Singleman, and it seems to be social standing that really motivates him. His prediction that his funeral would be well attended by all those who liked and respected him was a false hope and the belief that he was respected is clearly unfounded. Both of the boys feel his death was unnecessary. Happy's feeling that he could have â€Å"helped† Willy is just another empty Loman speech, devoid of any real meaning. We see during the course of the play that Happy neglects to give Willy any help whatsoever, he abandons his father in the restaurant and as Linda points out in Act Two: – â€Å"Not one, not another living soul would have had the cruelty to walk out on that man in a restaurant. † Biff does not see his father as a failure, he realises that Willy â€Å"had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong. † While both boys have absorbed their father's ideas, Happy lives them and is determined to â€Å"beat that racket,† Biff has now realised that he doesn't have to conform to a society which measures people in terms of popularity and material wealth. Biff's declaration, â€Å"I know who I am,† proves to us that he has realised his father's limitations, while Happy seems to have inherited his father's trait of self-delusion. Miller's characters speak with realism, as American people of this era actually did, and do not have long articulate speeches about their innermost feelings. At such an emotional time Charley's remark that Willy was † a happy man with a batch of cement† may seem inappropriate but we have to take into account that ordinary people do not speak in poetic language. Charley's speech in this scene is one of the most memorable passages in the play. It serves as a kind of eulogy, which removes blame from Willy as an individual by explaining the gruelling demands and high expectations of his profession. Charley's admiration and respect for Willy is evident in the line â€Å"Nobody dast blame this man,† and his speech demands that we should admire Willy for his drive and dream. Charley observes that a salesman's life is a constant upward struggle to sell himself and he supports his dreams on the power of his own image â€Å"riding on a smile and a shoeshine. What started out as a tribute to Willy becomes a generalisation towards all salesmen, Miller points out that there are many â€Å"low-men. † Charley points out that when the salesman's advertising self-image fails to inspire smiles from customers, he is â€Å"finished† – in Willy's case this was psychologically, emotionally and physically as well as his career. According to Charley â€Å"a salesman is got to dream,† this substitution of â€Å"is† for â€Å"has† seems to indicate a necessity for a salesman. Miller suggests that the salesman is â€Å"literally begotten with the sole purpose of dreaming†. Many writers of this era were concerned at the increasing emphasis on materialism and consumerism, such as Steinbeck. In many ways Willy has done everything that the American Dream â€Å"of unrestrained individualism and assured material success† outlines as the path to success. He has a home and a range of modern appliances; he has raised a family and journeyed forth into the business world full of hope and ambition. In spite of all this Willy has failed to receive the gains that the American Dream promises. Miller's contempt for a society in which a man is worth more dead than alive is obvious. Death of a Salesman condemns the American Capitalist society, which throws people on the scrap heap as soon as they are unable to contribute to the financial gain of others. On the opening night of this play Miller recalls a woman angrily describing the play as a â€Å"time-bomb under American Capitalism. † We see how the Requiem does not allow this, that the Loman's are â€Å"free. † Miller rejects the view that this is a play designed to overthrow the social system of America. He claims that aims rather to destroy â€Å"this pseudo life that thought to touch the clouds by standing on top of a refrigerator. † The American Dream and the way in which capitalist society measures people in terms of material success is once again condemned in Charley's line â€Å"No man only needs a little salary,† suggesting that no man can live on money and materiality alone without an emotional or spiritual life to provide meaning. Linda's feeling that Willy is just â€Å"on another trip† suggests that Willy's hope for Biff to succeed with the insurance money will not be fulfilled. One could even wonder whether or not the family received the insurance money as no mention is made of it, although this could also be interpreted as the money is of no real importance to them. It is bitterly ironic that a man, who kills himself because he feels a failure, fails in death. Linda's comment also seems to strip Willy's death of any of it's imagined dignity; the â€Å"trip† Willy has now undertaken, will end just as fruitlessly as the â€Å"trip† from which he has just returned from as the play opens. Linda's statement â€Å"we're free† which is repeated three ways can be interpreted in three different ways, Willy is now free from earthly unhappiness. The couple are free from the need to earn money for the mortgage and, in another sense, the family is free to act without the pressure of Willy's dreams. In this scene we see no more of Willy's memories, there are no expressionistic devices such as Ben, who represents Willy's desire for success. Ben's absence suggests that Willy has finally achieved the success that he so desperately wanted in life but could never realize. The expressionistic device of the flute motif that opens the play also ends it; we see how Miller parallels the structure of the play throughout. The haunting flute music, which symbolises Willy's pursuit of the American Dream of freedom and success, and the visual imprint of the â€Å"solid vault of apartment house†, seem to suggest that nothing has really changed and Willy dies just as deluded as he lived.

The Amish Culture

The Amish Culture The Amish are a fascinating people. They live surrounded by cities full of technology. Yet they live without automobiles, electricity, and most modern comforts that are taken for granted by many. Donald Kraybill asks the question â€Å"How is it that a tradition-laden people who spurn electricity, computers, automobiles, and higher education are not merely surviving but are, in fact, thriving in the midst of modern life? † Though they do not have all of the technology that we take for granted, they live richer lives than many non-Amish people. ecause gender relations are accepted amongst others in the community, they have strong beliefs, traditions and values, and kinship is important. In the Amish community, they rely heavily on their agriculture as a mode of subsistence. This is known as being an agrarian society. Though they have other means of sustenance, they recognize the importance of agriculture to the community. Amish culture does not use electricity or other modern conveniences. This makes the farming a longer process, as this is their means of survival. They have other means for livelihood but farming is their main job. Some build furniture to sell to the surrounding communities. Others will farm for non-amish employers. â€Å"Some stereotypes of Amish life imply that they reject technology and live in a nineteenth-century cocoon. Such images are false. The Amish adopt technology selectively, hoping that the tools they use will build community rather than harm it. In short, they prefer technology that preserves social capital, rather than depletes it. †(Kraybill, 2001). In the technology laden world today, it makes sense that a culture that only uses certain technologies selectively would rely heavily on the land to provide. The Amish have traditions that are considered strange to many people, in addition to the lack of technology. The baptized members of the Amish church marry other baptized members of the church. This does not mean necessarily that cousins marry cousins. While this does happen, some Amish women may choose to leave one community for another. This is often done because the men inherit the family land. The men inherit the land because the Amish culture is a patriarchal culture. The marraiges are not arranged but the parents must give approval. Right before the marriage, the couple is â€Å"announced† and the preparations for the wedding begin. After the wedding, the man will start to grow out his beard to signify his marital status. Another well known tradition is the Amish barn raising. A barn raising is a gathering of men in the community to build a barn for a fellow member of the community. It is used as a way to not only accomplish a task but to also socialize. The Amish community is known for their desire to help one another and reinforce the sense of community. The barn raising is known as a â€Å"frolic† in the Amish culture. There are many men assisting in the building. In addition, the families know that in the future, if there is ever a time they need assistance with something, the community will be there to help. Frolics are not only reserved for the men. The women in the community get together for quilting, shucking, or canning. The traditions and core beliefs were founded in Europe by Jacob Amman based on the writings of Menno Simons, the founder of the Mennonite movement. These beliefs are held fast by every member of the Amish community. The basic religious beliefs are Christian in nature, such as a belief in Heaven and Hell. The Amish believe, however, that salvation is not guaranteed. Upon death, God weighs the deeds and life of the person to determine their worthiness for Heaven. Baptism is done when an adult in the Amish community decides to give themselves wholly to the church. It is symbolic of their commitment. â€Å"Amish youth decide if they want to join the church in their late teens and early twenties, and if they choose to be baptized, they submit themselves to the order of the church for the rest of their lives. In doing so, candidates make a confession of faith and agree to comply with the order of the Amish community, or the Ordnung, an unwritten tradition that spells out expected behaviors and regulations. Church members who break the commitment and refuse to repent and confess their sins are excommunicated and â€Å"shunned. † The Pennsylvania Amish try to persuade the wayward to cooperate with the church, but those who continue to be disobedient must be banned from fellowship in order to maintain the purity of the church. The shunned are prohibited from engaging in any social interaction, cut off from all close friends and associates. Shunning happens infrequently, although it serves as an effective form of social control for the Amish that preserves their spiritual purity. † (http://www. padutchcountry. om/towns-and-heritage/amish-country/amish-religious-traditions. asp) The youth in the Amish communities make this decision by participating in Rumspringa. This translates to running around. Around the age of sixteen, the Amish adolescent participates in activities that are not allowed by a baptized member of the church. These are typical â€Å"English† behaviors s uch as drinking alcohol, wearing â€Å"English† clothing, and not have a requirement to attend the church. Not all youths choose to have a Rumspringa. Some, on the other hand, choose to leave the community for the year and experience life outside of the community. Most return to the Amish culture and devote their lives to the Amish way. Most Americans would not be able to live without the modern conveniences to which they grown accustomed. The Amish are simply fascinating with their plain living and culture rich with tradition. Though they do not have all of the technology that we take for granted, they live richer lives than many non-Amish people. because gender relations are accepted amongst others in the community, they have strong beliefs, traditions and values, and kinship is important. References Hurst, C. E. , & McConnell, D. L. (2010). Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies : Amish paradox : Diversity and change in the world's largest amish community. Baltimore, MD, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press. Kraybill, Donald B.. â€Å"Amish. † Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. 2000. Retrieved November 28, 2011 from Encyclopedia. com: http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1G2-3405800016. html Kraybill, D. B. (2001). Riddle of amish culture (revised edition). Baltimore, MD, USA: Johns Hopkins University Press. Mackall, J. (2008). Plain secrets : An outsider among the amish. Boston, MA, USA: Beacon Press.

Conflict of Parents and Teens

The most common issue in our world today is the conflict between parents and teenagers. However, it is more than just conflict. What was once a sort of a â€Å"B.F.F.† relationship is now sour and bitter; full of arguments and sometimes fights! The arguing becomes an everyday thing and the parent nor is the child able to prevent it. It becomes natural to both. With that in mind, yes it is conflict, but it’s not forever; just temporary. Ask yourself a question about the situation†¦ Why are the teenage years more difficult with parents? Well, simply because the teenage years are when teens seek identity and parents majority come in-between it. In the present time, 13 years old is when everything goes downhill for the relationship. We start becoming more rebellious, the â€Å"back-talking† starts, conflict problems with other teens, wanting to be independent and unfortunately its good-bye to the video games and hello to the parties! All of this at only age 13. Can you imagine what the next 5 years will be? When a person reaches his or her physical maturity, there is also a change in your mental state as well as physical. We mature much earlier now days. There is no longer a match between our demand for independence, and our ability to actually be independent! Our teenage bodies and minds are screaming â€Å"I am ready to be independent! I want to make my own decisions! I want to be my own boss!† Your parents and society are screaming back at you, â€Å"You are not ready to be independent yet! You have not learned what you need to know yet! You cannot support yourself! You do not yet fully understand the dangers in this world! You are not grown!† . . . . And in the end they are right. We struggle with this unnatural situation. Reference http://www.livestrong.com/article/7895-conflict-between-parents-teenagers-/

Analysis of The War Prayer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of The War Prayer - Essay Example He exerted all his effort to assert how the real idea of patriotism might be distorted, and at the end, result to more humanly damaging actions like war. He started his assertions, by first visualizing a scene, when people are at the stage of preparation in going to war. He described how the called spirit of heroism flew unto the air; people gathered, fully motivated and convinced that what they are going to do is a thing of great nationalistic worth. He described a festive day, wherein every people in the land are strong in their heart, that such action to wage war is something that will give honor to their country, with reminiscence of those patriots that once risk their life for nation’s sake. Such statement will surely create an appeal to everyone who thinks of the national heroes patriotic deeds. It creates persuasion to everybody, such that hastily, arrived to the decision that there is nothing wrong about war. As what he described, â€Å"...nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause...,† He attempts to show, how one person might be convince to join and support the pro-war idea. A mass campaign is done, and speakers tend to emotionally stir the hearts of people to make justifications. This justification is even made stronger once religious authorities showed and extended their support to that claimed nationalistic idea. Twain added; â€Å"...in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener.† All these things created impact to the society to be in coordination that war is of good cause. Those who withdraw pro-war support tend to keep quiet so that they will not be criticized by the majority that seemed to celebrate a festive day preparatory to what they

Alternative Fashion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Alternative Fashion - Research Paper Example A person who spots alternative fashion styles usually does so, to stick or conform to the subculture that has a unique way of conducting itself outside the mainstream lifestyles. Subcultures, in this case, refer to cultures that consume a majority of a person’s time and are different from predefined social norms. This way, alternative lifestyles are used to show conformity and a sense of identity with the group that one belongs to and its significance. For example, nudism as an alternative lifestyle advocate for people to stay naked or expose their bodies in any manner that makes them feel comfortable. In this case, the alternative fashion is that which helps them identify and portray the values that their lifestyle stands for. However, on alternative lifestyles, people are sometimes classified according to various stereotypes found in the society and not according to their lifestyle. For example, for people who like to live a gothic lifestyle from the dark ages, are usually labeled as Satanists despite having no affiliations with such groups or practices (English Republic). Since this is just but a stereotype, the real value of their lives lies in their outlook of the world around them. In this case, their outlook on life is usually dark, and their thought focus is usually on death. The need to sport alternative fashion in the form of torturous materials and disturbing images adorned on their clothes comes from this outlook. Moreover, on lifestyle, alternative fashions are adorned by members of certain groups and stick to them as their identifying factor in the lives they lead. The groups do not necessarily have written codes but an understanding of how they behave and conduct their activities is known. This is in people such as hippies who are known to be friendly, open-minded and tend to love everyone they meet.

Economic Injustices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Injustices - Essay Example t involves exploitation of children as labor, also they are forced to work for longer hours, paid low wage rates, poor working conditions that endanger their health and they are denied their rights to education. (Liz Stuart (2005)) There are two factors that lead to child labor and they include the demand factor and supply factor, the demand factor refers to the demand by employers to employ children, firms will employ children given that the children are paid less wages, they are more obedient given that they are not members of any labor union and that these children can be coerced to work more hours. The supply factor refers to the supply of labor, children may want to work in order to support their families or even earn a living. An Article by Liz Stuart (2005) provides a good example of child labor, the article states that in 1996 it was discovered that some products that were being sold in Mark & Spencer shops were produced using child labor, it was discovered that the shops were importing cloths from a factory in morocco that employed children aged 12 years, when this was made public the girls were dismissed from the factory. (Liz Stuart (2005)) On going efforts to eliminate child labor include product boycotts, consumers refuse to buy products produced using child labor, in the above example of Mark Spencer the company was afraid of the consequences of a boycott and this is why they stopped employing children. Another effort to stop child labor is the implementation of laws by various organizations, example the UN declaration on children rights regarding child labor. (Katharine Johnson (2004)) Sweatshops refers a factory that employs labor for long hours and at the same time offering low wages, it is an economic injustice given that this is a form of exploitation whereby laborers are forced to work for more hours against their will and also are paid low wage rates. The firms earn large profits as a result of this form of exploitation, due to high

Juvenile Justice Project (outline) How Teenagers Should be Punished Assignment

Juvenile Justice Project (outline) How Teenagers Should be Punished - Assignment Example These minor violations result in harsh and brutal punishments from them. This is the simplest parenting trap many parents may fall into as at this point parents are trying to win their battle of ego and being superior rather than giving some learning to their child about how to choose good and bad. Parents must remember that this is not the wrestling match or a tug of war but only the time to demonstrate their role in the best possible way. Parents do have some authority over their child but that does not mean to change this into a power struggle scenario. (ii). Negative Impact Of Physical Aggression: Child who suffers a constant hitting by their parents may end up having violent behavior issues later with their friends, siblings or even with their better halves. Conclusion: Thus physical assaults practice on teenagers must be condemned as this may lead to loss of self confidence of child and respect of parents in the eye of child. Certain alternatives for combating the discipline issues with child must be kept in mind for the proper upbringing of the

Workforce Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Workforce Leadership - Essay Example (Upstate: AHEC, 2008) The state of the U.S. economy contributes a lot to the restructuring and downsizing of manpower within the health care institutions. (Chadwick et al., 2004; Bazzoli et al., 2003) Particularly, the limited number of health care practitioners in line with the increasing number of patients admitted to the hospital could result to ‘burnout’ employees. For these reasons, studies have shown that one of the best solutions in preventing the main causes of human errors in the field of medicine is by having good leadership skills. (Moore & Simendinger, 1999) In order to determine how leadership could minimize and lessen the number of medical errors and the incidence of preventable deaths, the researcher will conduct a literature review with regards to the importance of collaborative efforts in achieving human resource management activities; the impact of implementing a good leadership within the health care vicinity as well as the negative impact of bad leadership over the lives of the patients who are admitted to the hospital. Prior to the main discussion, the researcher will discuss the significance of body language in leadership behavior and office politics. Winston and Patterson (2006) defined a good leader as someone who could not only influence, select, equip and train his/her follower(s) that has different sets of abilities and skills but also enables their follower(s) to willingly participate with the leader when it comes to achieving the health organization’s goal. According to Dessler (2001), leaders with a competent leadership skill are individuals who are capable of inspiring another person who often times have the â€Å"drive to achieve their goals; the desire to lead; self-confidence; cognitive ability; honesty and integrity; as well as having sufficient knowledge in doing business.† On top of these personality traits, a leader should

Distribution of Justice in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Distribution of Justice in America - Essay Example From the report it is clear that the consequence of the distribution and maldistribution of justice under the Bill of Rights to the corporation is the rise of the global corporate empires with vast powers. This causes a threat to the democracy of America and the entire well-being of every citizen of America. American corporations and globalization are echoed as the best hope for democracy and prosperity in America. Though, this is hindered by the huge size of global firms and markets, lack of accountability and single-minded profit making and seeking. This, therefore, fails to distribute justice fairly because of, domination of corporations with a deteriorating economy and financially deep instability. This, therefore, creates a dangerous planetary environment. As the discussion highlights distribution and maldistribution of justice in America also occurs through the racial justice, affirmative action. In the long awaited Fisher decision, the Supreme Court allowed the use of race pre ferences in college admissions as part of the program of affirmative action. In the early years, United States understood and practiced educational affirmative action in a more rectifactory way and justice oriented. Justice is maldistributed since in some colleges in America, only a certain race can be admitted and successfully complete their education. In the same colleges, maldistribution of justice does not only happen in admission, but also in hiring context.

Enlgish 2 ( Water Pollution ) Research Proposal

Enlgish 2 ( Water Pollution ) - Research Proposal Example Water pollution refers to the human-induced changes to water quality. Scholz contends that contamination of ground water, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and oceans can threaten the health of humans. Contaminated water has threatened the health of humans for centuries and continues to pose the same threat even today. Water is crucial for the welfare of the humanity and it is the quality of water that matters, not the quantity (Myllyntaus, 2005). Water occupies more than 71 percent of the earth’s surface but only 2.5% of it is fresh water, meant for human consumption. Again, 1 percent of this fresh water is divided into lakes (61%), atmosphere and soil moisture (39%) and the streams make up for less than 0.4 percent (Frank, McClure, Press & Walsh, 2001). The streams including the rivers constitute the smallest percentage of river distribution, most of the water for human consumption is provided by them. Drinking water accounts for even less because much of the fresh water in undrinkable (Myllyntaus, 2005). About 20 percent of the fresh water is stored in fresh water form and this is not a quickly renewable natural resource. Rainwater is the only naturally renewable form of water. Water pollution can be divided into two categories – point-source pollution and non-point-source pollution. When contaminants are discharged from a discrete location, as the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, it is known as point-source pollution (Scholz, 2003). Non-point-source or diffuse pollution refers to all other types of contaminants that polluter the water body. Acid rain is an example of non-point-source pollution. Water pollution poses threats to human health in different ways. The pollutants enter the body via skin exposure or when drinking water or contaminated food is consumed directly (Scholz, 2003). Mercury has been detected in fish tissues that are found in contaminated water bodies and

Imogene King Theory of Goal Attainment Assignment

Imogene King Theory of Goal Attainment - Assignment Example Her success comes from her nursing conceptual system and the goal attainment goal. King developed this theory while trying to summarize a new graduate program content. Its basic purpose is to aid patients to achieve, maintain or regain their health. Her theory assumes that the focus in nursing is caring for human beings, while its goal is individual and group healthcare. According to this theory, human beings continuously interact with their environment, basically because humans are open systems (George, 2008). She links the theory to goal attainment, which assumes that communication between a nurse and a client results in information gathering, which helps them set mutual goals and aids in acting on the goals. She argues that everyone recognizes the world as a total person in formulating transactions between the environment and the individual. The transaction in this theory refers to the interaction between the â€Å"perceiver† and the object perceived. In this transaction, t he â€Å"person† gets into the position as an active participant, after which each is transformed from the experiences. Nurse-client interaction leads to certain assumptions. The first assumption is that the interaction between the two is influenced by their respective perceptions. The client and nurse’ goals and values influence the interaction process, clients have a right to information concerning them, clients should participate in decisions that have an impact on their lives, community, and health, and finally, that it is normal for clients and nurses’ goals to be incongruent. Human beings have three crucial health needs; the need for health information, care services to prevent illness and care services when they are unable to help themselves. This theory has two major concepts; the Interacting and the concepts provided for each system. The interacting systems include personal systems, interpersonal systems and the social system (Wills and McEwen, 2002). 2 .0 Point by point Critical analysis of the theory 2.1 Major concepts Concepts for personal systems includes perception, self, growth, and development, body image, space and time. Interpersonal system concepts include interaction, communication, transaction, role, and stress. Finally, the social system concept includes organization, authority, power, status and decision making. King defines perception as a concept, which influences the overall behavior of a human being. Ultimately, it is the concept upon which all other relationships too. Perception is also a process where an individual obtains personal data through his or her senses, and from which, the individual organizes his or her memory interprets it and transforms the obtained data. The â€Å"self† characteristics refer to the dynamic individual, whose is motivated to achieve their goals by several open systems. The self-includes feelings and thoughts that are linked to the individual’s awareness of being an inde pendent person. The thoughts and feelings also influence the individual’s perception of him/herself. The characteristics of body image are subjective, dynamic, learned and very personal. The body image characteristics usually change over time in relation to the individual’s redefinition of the self. Space, on the other hand, is a universal concept, whose definition depends on the individual. It is difficult to define space because culture influences an individual understands of space.  

Close Critical Commentary Essay Example for Free

Close Critical Commentary Essay Thetis is a poem written by the British poet Carol Ann Duffy in her collection The Worlds Wife. Unlike most of the other poems in this collection, Duffy has not titled the poem as Mrs (such as Mrs Lazarus and Mrs Tiresias) but as just Thetis. This may be making the point that in this case, it is Thetis herself who was famous, not her lover, and this shows female independence. The poem shows the transformations of Thetis, a Greek goddess and sea nymph, as she attempts to escape her mortal lover, with whom she is destined to have a child. Duffy uses the poem to celebrate the adaptation and flexibility of women, just as she does with Mrs Lazarus- who moves on after her husband dies- and Mrs Midas, who moves her husband out and remodels her life without him. The poem is written in free verse, which helps keep the pace of the poem fast, and reminds us of the freeness of Thetis form. She is a slippery, darting creature, being a sea-nymph, and often changes her form rapidly. Despite this, the poem is in eight sestets, a regular shape, and this is to remind us of Thetis bonds, and her inescapable fate. The poem is written as a dramatic monologue, as are the other poems in the collection, and this means that we are seeing the world from the imagined view of one person- in this collection, always a woman. The sporadic rhyme- such as in stanza four where the majority of words rhyme, and the last stanza, where there are only two rhymes, one of which is internal- is again reminding us of freedom, and also speeding up the pace to match Thetis frantic changes of shape. Duffy uses enjambment freely here, running lines on to create pace and free movement. She only once uses a caesura in the poem, and this again creates fluidity, which is a reflection of not only her freedom of form, but her connections to water and the sea. Duffy varies her language throughout the poem to express thoughts and highlight her key ideas. By using religious metaphors such as shouldered the cross and [carried the cross] up the hill she brings in the idea of Christian suffering, and ties it to the suffering of Thetis. Similarly, the albatross and the squint of a crossbows eye are also images of suffering- that of the mariner in The Rhyme Of An Ancient Mariner- and could also signify the suffering felt by her suitor as he tries to capture her, only to be cursed by her hatred. The suitor is described in varying ways throughout the poem. He goes from being a charmer (the snake charmer image gives us the idea that she is under his power) to a strangler (a powerful image) in stanza three, and this shows his two personalities- the powerful man and the lover. The sudden change in description also gives the premonition of a sudden change in her feelings. In stanza four he is coldly described as the guy- an impersonal reference. This lets the reader see the development and progression of her feelings for him. Throughout the poem we perceive the suitor to be violent and powerful, particularly in the line I sank through the floor which sounds as though he forces her to sink, it is not through her choosing, and this exaggerates his power, and the line I felt the squeeze of his fist, which again suggests his violence and power. At the end of the poem, the suitor becomes the groom, and this sudden acceptance and a more personal feel shows the change in her emotions towards him. A chatty and conversational tone is used throughout the poem. This is a common feature of Duffys monologues- in Queen Kong the language used suggests a chatty American interview or real life story in a magazine, and in Mrs Midas, the poem is written as though it was being spoken to a close friend. In this poem the chatty tone helps to evolve a fast pace, and reflects the freeness of Thetiss form using the freeness of her language. Lines such as I changed my tune and his hook and his line and his sinker are clichi s used to give the end of the poem a tiresome feel, which reflects Thetis exhaustion at changing shape. They allow Thetis to seem bored of running from her suitor, as they are over-used phrases, and they are used in a satirical manner, which also shows humour. Similarly Stuff that is a chatty, every-day phrase, and Duffy also uses it humorously as a pun, referring to the art of taxidermy. Interestingly, the lines I shopped for a suitable shape. Big Mistake suggest a criticism of todays society, where size 8 is a perfect size to be. Duffy is criticising men for forcing women to be slim, and women for giving in to them, and this fits well with Duffys theme of being forced to change. The Big Mistake line shows Duffys contempt for the conformers. The internal rhyme speeds up the pace, and this fast pace mirrors the speedy lifestyle of women today, especially their high street shopping, which is frantic but ultimately meaningless, just like Thetiss changes. Duffy is making a joke of the ultimate shape and appearance so valuable to women in todays society. The last verse of the poem is different to the others. Thetis is no longer running from her suitor but embracing him. The references to fire -flame, burned, and asbestos- can be interpreted in many ways. Perhaps this is the heat of her passion, brought on by the relentlessness with which he has pursued her, or perhaps it is Thetis again trying to have an effect on him, by burning him, but he is still impervious to her- the groom wore asbestos. Perhaps when she says my kisses burned she means that it hurts her to be kissing him, and to have given in to him. The line between passion and destruction here is all but invisible, and this adds an interesting twist to the poem. The last two lines deal with the birth of Thetiss child, Achilles, and are fairly violent and almost visceral. The reference to her having turned inside out could reflect her change in opinion from hating him to loving him.

Disney and Pixar: Partnership Agreement

Disney and Pixar: Partnership Agreement Introduction In January 2006, the US based media and entertainment company Walt Disney announced that it would acquire its animation partner Pixar for US$ 7.4 billion in stock. The deal was expected to be finalized by mid-2006. Disney had already been in partnership for producing and distributing animation films with Pixar since 1991. However, in January 2004, owing to differences with Disneys then CEO Michael Eisner, Pixar had announced that it would partner with another distribution company in 2006. But Robert Iger, who took over from Eisner on September 30, 2005, revived talks with Pixar and finally succeeded in acquiring it. Our project will examine the partnership agreement between Disney and Pixar and the incidents that led to the break-up of ties. We will discuss how the new CEO Robert Iger, who succeeded Michael Eisner, went on to re-establish ties with Pixar and Steve Jobs, who held 50.6% equity stake in Pixar. The questions we seek to answer through this case are: 1. Is there a synergy between Disney and Pixar? 2. Did Disney pay too much to acquire Pixar? 3. Is the Pixar acquisition in the best interest of Disneys shareholders? 4. Will the difference in corporate culture allow Disney and Pixar to work effectively together? 5. Will this acquisition be successful? History The Disney Story Walt Disney Animation Studios is the subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. It was founded in 1934 when Walt Disney initiated the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was Walt Disneys first feature length animation film. The move however started in 1937, when selected animators from the ‘shorts division were moved into the features division. Snow White was an unprecedented success when it was released in February 1938. It moved critics and audiences alike and is considered one of the true animation classics of all times. After, the viability of feature length animation was firmly established with the success of Snow White, WDAS would go on to make a series of critically acclaimed and successful animated features like Dumbo, Cinderella. They would also expand into new segments like live action features, television and theme parks. Since its founders death in 1966, The Walt Disney Company had narrowly survived takeover attempts by corporate raiders. Its shareholders Sid Bass and Roy E. Disney brought on Michael Eisner and former Warner Brothers chief Frank Wells to replace Ron W. Miller in 1984 and turn the company around. During the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s, Disney revitalized. Beginning with The Little Mermaid (1989), its flagship animation studio enjoyed a series of commercial and critical successes that helped reinvigorate the American animation industry. Disney also broadened its adult offerings in film when then Disney Studio Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg acquired Miramax Films in 1993. Disney acquired many other media sources, including ABC and ESPN. However, by this time, the competitive scenario changed again. Many new studios had risen up and were producing high quality animated features. Also there was significant tiredness and indifference from the audience who had had enough of Disneys storytelling and animation styles. The rise of new studios also increased demand for artists and stencillers, driving salaries up, causing the budgets of hand drawn animation features to inflate. The rise of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) was also eating into Disneys market share. Starting from 2000 onwards, massive layoffs had reduced staff to 600. Also the Studio decided to focus on CGI animation for future releases instead of the traditional animation methods to compete with Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky Studios. This led to the shutdown of the Paris Studio in 2003 and the conversion of the Orlando Studio into a theme park attraction in 2004. Michael Eisner Story In 1976, the Chairman of Paramount Pictures, recruited Michael Eisner from ABC and made him president and CEO of the movie studio. During his tenure at Paramount, the studio turned out such hit films as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, the Star Trek film franchise, and Beverly Hills Cop, and hit TV shows such as Happy Days, Laverne Shirley, Cheers and Family Ties. Diller, the Chairman of Paramount, left in 1984, and Eisner expected to assume Dillers position as studio chief. But he was passed over. Eisner then lobbied for the position of CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Michael Eisner took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 1984 and turned it into a media giant whose interests included movies, sports franchises, theme parks and television networks. During the early part of the 1990s, Eisner and his partners set out to plan The Disney Decade which was to feature new parks around the world, existing park expansions, new films, and new media investments. While some of the proposals did follow through, most did not. These included the Euro Disney Resort (now Disneyland Paris), Disney-MGM Studios (now Disneys Hollywood Studios), Disneys California Adventure Park, Disney-MGM Studios Paris (eventually opened in 2002 as Walt Disney Studios Park), and various film projects Frank Wells, COO of Walt Disney. died in a helicopter crash in 1994. When Jeffery Katzenberg was passed over for Wells post, he resigned and formed Dreamworks SKG with partners Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. Dreamworks would go on to become one of the biggest and most successful movie studios of all time and a big competitor to Disneys animation features. Instead, Eisner appointed Michael Ovitz, one of the founders of the Creative Artists Agency, to be President, with minimal involvement from Disneys board of directors, which included many influential and respected members. Ovitz lasted only 14 months and left Disney in December 1996 via a no fault termination with a severance package of $38 million in cash and 3 million stock options worth roughly $100 million at the time of Ovitzs departure. The Ovitz episode left a bad taste in the mouth and people were very disappointed with Eisners high handedness and autocratic style of working. By 2003, Disneys fortunes had flagged and Roy E. Disney, the son of Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney, resigned from his positions as Disney vice chairman and chairman of Walt Disney Feature Animation, accusing Eisner of micromanagement, flops with the ABC television network, timidity in the theme park business, turning the Walt Disney Company into a rapacious, soul-less company, and refusing to establish a clear succession plan, as well as a string of box-office movie flops starting in the year 2000. On March 3, 2004, at Disneys annual shareholders meeting, a surprising and unprecedented 43% of Disneys shareholders, predominantly rallied by former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold, withheld their proxies to re-elect Eisner to the board. This effectively ended Eisners stint at Disney. On March 13, 2005, Eisner announced that he would step down as CEO one year before his contract expired. Eisners replacement was his longtime assistant, Robert Iger. The Pixar Story Pixar started in 1979 as the Graphics Group, a part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm.It is based in Emeryville, California. It was launched with the hiring of Dr. Ed Catmull from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where he was in charge of the Computer Graphics Lab (CGL).. The team at Pixar under Dr. Catmull worked on creating Motion Doctor, which allowed traditional cel animators to use computer animation with minimal training. Initially, Pixar started off as a computer hardware company whose core product was the Pixar Image Computer, a system primarily sold to government agencies and the medical community. One of Pixar Image Computers biggest customers was Disney Studios. However, The Image Computer never sold well. In a bid to drive sales of the system, Pixar employee John Lasseter—who had long been creating short demonstration animations, such as Luxo Jr., to show off the devices capabilities—premiered his creations at SIGGRAPH, the computer graphics industrys largest convention, to great fanfare. This would begin Pixars journey into the world of animated feature films. Poor sales of Pixars computers threatened to bankrupt the company, And Lasseters animation department began producing computer-animated commercials for outside companies to bring in much needed revenue. Early successes included campaigns for Tropicana, Listerine, and LifeSavers. The team began working on film sequences produced by their parent, Lucasfilm or worked collectively with Industrial Light and Magic, ILM is another Lucasfilm company, on special effects. In 1986, Steve Jobs purchased Pixar from Lucas Films shortly after he left Apple Computer. Jobs paid $10 million as capital into the company. The newly independent company had 45 employees and was headed by Dr. Edwin Catmull, President, and Dr. Alvy Ray Smith, Executive Vice President and Director. Jobs served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pixar. Pixar has made 10 feature films beginning with Toy Story in 1995 and each one has achieved critical and commercial success. Pixar followed Toy Story with A Bugs Life in 1998, Toy Story 2 in 1999, Monsters, Inc. in 2001, Finding Nemo in 2003 (which is, to date, the most commercially successful Pixar film, grossing over $800 million worldwide), The Incredibles in 2004, Cars in 2006, Ratatouille in 2007, WALL-E in 2008, and Up in 2009 (the first Pixar film presented in Disney Digital 3-D). John Lasseter Story Lasseter was born in Hollywood, California. When he was in college., he heard of a new program at California Institute of the Arts and decided to leave his current college to follow his dream of becoming an animator.. Lasseter was taught by three members of Disneys Nine Old Men Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. On graduation in 1978 , Lasseter joined The Walt Disney Company, as a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland in Anaheim. He later obtained a job as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Since the release of 101 Dalmatians in 1961, Lasseter felt WDFA had hit its creative peak and there was no innovation coming through in either the animation or the storytelling. In 1980 or 1981 he came across some video tapes from one of the then new computer-graphics conferences, and he experienced as a revelation.He saw the huge potential of this new technology in revitalizing the creative juices at WDFA. Lasseter realized that computers could be used to make movies with three dimensional backgrounds where traditionally animated characters could interact to add a new, visually stunning depth that had not been conceived before. During this time, Lasseter tried to sell his ideas to Disneys top bosses and he got the approval to do a short test film on the famous story Where the Wild things are. However,he unknowingly stepped on some of their direct superiors toes by circumventing them in their enthusiasm to get the project into motion. One of them, the animation administrator Ed Hansen disliked it so much that when Lasseter and Wilhite tried to sell the idea to him and Ron Miller, which they at that time were already aware of, they turned it down. A few minutes after the meeting, Lasseter was summoned by Hansen to his office, where John was told that his employment in the Walt Disney Studios had been terminated. While putting together a crew for the planned feature for Disney, he had made some contacts in the computer industry, among them Alvy Ray Smith and Ed Catmull at Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group. After being fired, Lasseter visited a computer graphics conference at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where he met and talked to Catmull again. Before the day was over, Lasseter had made a deal to work as an interface designer with Catmull and his colleagues on a project that resulted in their first computer animated short: The Adventures of Andrà © and Wally B. Lasseter oversaw all of Pixars films and associated projects as executive producer. He also personally directed Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars. Lasseter has won two Academy Awards, for Animated Short Film (Tin Toy), as well as a Special Achievement Award (Toy Story). He was also nominated on four other occasions in the category of Animated Feature, for both Cars (2006) and Monsters, Inc. (2001), in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and in the Animated Short category for Luxo, Jr. (1986), while the short Knick Knack (1989) was selected by Director Terry Gilliam as one of the ten best animated films of all time. Corporate Culture at Pixar At most studios, a specialized development department generated new movie ideas. Pixar assembles cross-company teams for this purpose. Teams comprise directors, writers, artists and storyboard people who originate and refine ideas until they have the potential to become great films. Pixar believes in finding people who will work effectively together and ensures a healthy social dynamics in the team and this, they believe helps the team solve problems. Another important tenet in Pixar is the creation of a peer culture, where employees encourage people throughout the company to help each other produce their best work. At Pixar, daily animation work is shown in an incomplete state to the whole crew. This process helps people get over any embarrassment about sharing unfinished work, so they become even more creative. It enables creative leads to communicate important points to the entire crew at once. And sometimes a innovative piece of animation sparks others to raise their game. At Pixar, the belief is that, the most efficient way to resolve the numerous problems that arise in any complex project is to trust people to address difficulties directly, without having to get permission. So, everyone is given permission to communicate to anyone. Within Pixar, members of any department can approach anyone in another department to solve problems without having to go through proper channels. Managers understand they dont always have to be the first to know about something going on in their realm, and that its okay to walk into a meeting and be surprised. Special attention is given to craft a learning environment, this reinforces the mindset that everyone is learning and that its fun to learn together. â€Å"Pixar University† trains people in multiple skills as they advance in their careers. It also offers optional courses (screenplay writing, drawing, sculpting) so people from different disciplines can interact and appreciate what each other does. While many people dislike Post-Mortems of projects as they would rather discuss what went right than what went wrong and after investing extensive time on a project, theyd like to move on. So post-mortems at Pixar are structured to stimulate discussion. Pixar asks post mortem participants to list the top five things theyd do again and the top five things they wouldnt do. The positive-negative balance makes it a safer environment to explore every aspect of the project. Participants also bring in lots of performance data including metrics such as how often something had to be reworked. Data further stimulates discussions and challenges assumptions based on subjective impressions. Corporate Culture at Disney Under autocratic former CEO Michael Eisner, control rather than collaboration was the norm and unit heads became afraid or unable to make decisions. With Disney vying for a share of digital market, the timing of the upheaval could hardly have been worse. Fortunately, new chief executive Bob Iger is a completely different animal to Eisner and immediately set out to restore harmony. Achieving this involved transforming the culture rules almost beyond recognition. Unlike his predecessor, Iger: * Rules by consensus * Shows faith in his subordinates * And is willing to keep a low profile and let others take the plaudits. No longer shackled by central control, key players in the organization now enjoy greater freedom to call the shots. And while Eisner overtly pooh-poohed any ideas he did not like, Iger values and encourages the contributions of others. Consequently, during weekly meetings the dialogue no longer flows just one way. The CEO visits rank and file to show them that their efforts are appreciated and has made his office a more welcoming place. This might seems as trivial gestures to some but the effect on morale can be priceless. But perhaps Igers most significant attribute is the trust he places in his people to get the job done. In contrast, Eisner cramped the style of others by insisting on being involved in anything and everything. In time, Disney gained a reputation of being slow to react. But Iger tells his people to go for it and will only get involved when it is absolutely necessary. Igers back seat style of leadership has allowed scriptwriters more freedom and the studio chief greater decision making power. Disney and Pixar: The Partnership During the 90s there was an explosive growth in the use of CGI in animation and live action feature films. Soon CGI animation came to dominate special effects in both kinds of features. The barrier between animation and special effects were shattered and the enhancement of Hollywood films using CGI became second nature and often went unnoticed. In 1991, due to losses suffered from their computer hardware business, there was serious financial strife at Pixar. This resulted in substantial layoffs in their computer department. Pixar made a $26 million deal with Disney to produce three computer-animated feature films, the first of which was Toy Story. Despite this, the company was losing money and Steve Jobs was thinking about divesting his shares in Pixar. Only after confirming that Disney would distribute Toy Story for the 1995 holiday season did he decide to give it another chance. The film went on to gross more than $350 million worldwide. Disagreements started to crop up between Disney and Pixar from their next project together, Toy Story 2. Originally intended as a straight-to-video release (and thus not part of Pixars three-picture deal), the film was eventually upgraded to a theatrical release during production. Disney refused to consider this feature film as part of the three picture deal as demanded by Pixar. Pixars first five feature films have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion, equivalent to the highest per-film average gross in the industry. Though profitable for both, Pixar later complained that the arrangement was not equitable. While Pixar was created and produced, and Disney only handled marketing and distribution, Profits and production costs were being split 50-50, and not only that, Disney exclusively owned all story and sequel rights and also collected a distribution fee. The lack of story and sequel rights was perhaps the most onerous aspect to Pixar and set the stage for a contentious relat ionship. The two companies attempted to reach a new agreement in early 2004. The new deal would be only for distribution, as Pixar intended to control production and own the resulting film properties themselves. The company also wanted to finance their films on their own and collect 100 percent of the profits, paying Disney only the 10 to 15 percent distribution fee. More importantly, as part of any distribution agreement with Disney, Pixar demanded control over films already in production under their old agreement, including The Incredibles and Cars. Disney considered these conditions unacceptable, but Pixar would not concede. Disagreements between Steve Jobs and then Disney Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner made the negotiations more difficult than they otherwise might have been. They broke down completely in mid-2004, with Jobs declaring that Pixar was actively seeking partners other than Disney. Pixar did not enter negotiations with other distributors. After a lengthy hiatus, negotiations between the two companies resumed following the departure of Eisner from Disney in September 2005. In preparation for potential fallout between Pixar and Disney, Jobs announced in late 2004 that Pixar would no longer release movies at the Disney-dictated November time frame, but during the more lucrative early summer months. This would also allow Pixar to release DVDs for their major releases during the Christmas shopping season. An added benefit of delaying Cars was to extend the time frame remaining on the Pixar-Disney contract to see how things would play out between the two companies. Acquisition by Disney Disney announced on January 24, 2006 that it had agreed to buy Pixar for approximately $7.4 billion in an all-stock deal. Following Pixar shareholder approval, the acquisition was completed May 5, 2006. The transaction catapulted Steve Jobs, who was the majority shareholder of Pixar with 50.1%, to Disneys largest individual shareholder with 7% and a new seat on its board of directors. Jobs new Disney holdings exceed holdings belonging to ex-CEO Michael Eisner, the previous top shareholder, who still held 1.7%; and Disney Director Emeritus Roy E. Disney, who held almost 1% of the corporations shares. As part of the deal, Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, by then Executive Vice President, became Chief Creative Officer (reporting to President and CEO Robert Iger and consulting with Disney Director Roy Disney) of both Pixar and the Walt Disney Animation Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs and builds the companys theme parks. Catmull retained his position as President of Pixar, while also becoming President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, reporting to Bob Iger and Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studio Entertainment. Steve Jobs position as Pixars Chairman and Chief Executive Officer was also removed, and instead he took a place on the Disney board of directors. Lasseter and Catmulls oversight of both the Disney and Pixar studios did not mean that the two studios were merging, however. In fact, additional conditions were laid out as part of the deal to ensure that Pixar remained a separate entity, a concern that analysts had had about the Disney deal.Some of those conditions were that Pixar HR policies would remain intact, including the lack of employment contracts. Also, the Pixar name was guaranteed to continue, and the studio would remain in its current Emeryville, California location with the Pixar sign. Finally, branding of films made post-merger would be Disney†¢Pixar (beginning with Cars). EXHIBITS Name of Feature Film Studio Total Gross 1 The Lion King(1994) Disney $783,841,776 2 Finding Nemo(2004) Disney/Pixar $864,625,978 3 Shrek(2001) Dreamworks $484,409,218 4 Monsters Inc(2001) Disney/Pixar $525,366,597 5 Toy Story 2(1999) Disney/Pixar $485,752,179 6 Aladdin(1992) Disney $504,050,219 7 Snow White(1937) Disney $184,925,486 8 Ice Age(2002) 20th Century Fox $383,257,136 9 Incredibles(2004) Pixar $631,442,092 10 The Little Mermaid(1989) Disney $183,355,863 Exhibit 1 : Top Grossing Animated Feature Films DIS 1-yr chart Exhibit 2 Disney Stock Price from Aug 06 to Jun 07 We start off our analysis using Porters Five Forces of Competition to understand Disneys situation in the industry and the rationale behind its actions. * Threat of New Entrants * Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Bargaining Power of Buyers * Threat of Substitutes * Rivalry among competing firms Threat of new entrants: CGI animation movie industry is a robust industry which is urdergoing a period of phenomenal growth. This is an attractive segment for movie studios to venture into as revenues from live action movies are falling while their budget rises ever higher. CGI animation movies are an interesting option for many movie studio to increase their toplines without hurting their bottomlines. In this regard, we have seen many established movie studios partner with independent animation studios from within and outside the United States in creating CGI animation movies. While, these movies have not been able to garner the critical or commercial acclaim of that of Pixar, the quality and quantity of such ‘outsourced CGI animation movies are increasing YoY and represent a significant threat to the market pull of existing players in the segment. So we would rate the threat of new entrants as high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Resources needed for making CGI animation are the technology behind the animation, the story and the animators. Pixar has been a pioneer in creating the technology for animation and with its acquisition, Disney has backward integrated with its supplier, hence reducing the uncertainty in its environment. Both Disney and Pixar have a large team of dedicated scriptwriters and animators, all of whom work under short or long term employment contracts, the loss of a few of the talent will not reduce the quality of the output of either Studios. However, scriptwriters in US are unionized and have in the past gone on strike against major studios to renegotiate revenue sharing agreements from movie revenue. The strike cost studios hundreds of millions of dollars in lost opportunities, movie shooting delays and cost overruns. So the employees cannot be taken for granted and Disney will have to strike a fine balancing act to please both it employees and shareholder s if it wants to get the best work of the employees. We would rate the bargaining power of suppliers as medium. Bargaining Power of Buyers: While in the past, almost the entire revenue receipts from movies came from the theatergoing public within the US, due to the effects of globalization and technology diffusion, the receipts can now be classified on basis of geography and the mode of delivery of content. Worldwide movie market outside United States have become big movie spinners for Hollywood movies, sometimes receipts from offshore markets exceed that of the US market. The important markets outside of US for Hollywood movies are: * Japan * United Kingdom * China * Europe Studios sells distribution rights of their movie to other studios, who are often better placed to reach out to these markets. Since Disney and Pixar have a large brand following and pull, they are better placed that most other studios to negotiate for more favourable distribution contracts. Since all movies made by Pixar till now have been movie spinners for everyone associated with it, Disney has considerable clout in negotiating for contracts. The mode of delivery of movie content can be classified into: * Theatrical Release * DVD Release * Internet Release * Satellite TV Release Other than a theatrical release, the release of DVDs and the Satellite TV rights of the movie are a significant revenue stream. The reasons stated earlier regarding Disney and Pixars unique brand placement help them negotiate the best contracts in both types of releases. Internet release is a new phenomenon and is not a significant enough part of the revenue to affect the dynamics. Overall, we would rate the bargaining power of buyers to be low. Threat of Substitute Products: A big threat facing movie studios in general is movie piracy. Piracy is causing a meltdown in both movie and the music industry causing many studios to fail and others to change their business model. Piracy initially started off with CDs and DVDs, but with the advent and diffusion of broadband internet, online piracy is on the rise. Piracy since the 80s has been the biggest threat to the survival of movie studios as they lose billions of dollars worth of revenue receipts because of it. Since CGI movies appeal to all demographics, live action as well as traditional animated movies can be thought of as substitute products. However, historical data suggests that there is considerable cross selling between these genres and it is unlikely that somebodys interest in a different genre is going to prevent him from watching CGI movies. Overall, We would rate the threat of substitute products as medium. Intensity of Competition among existing players: The existing players in the segment are very aggressive and spend a lot on advertising and media to promote their movies. Further consolidation within the industry looks unlikely in the short term future as most studios in the segment have backers with deep pockets. Looking into the future as the frequency of CGI movie releases by major studios increases, the intensity of competition and one upmanship between studios will rise inflating budgets and reducing margins. So, we would rate the intensity of competition between existing players as high. We will summarize the competitive scenario in this grid. Threat of New Entrants High Bargaining Power of Suppliers Medium Bargaining Power of Buyers Low Threat of Substitutes Medium Rivalry among competing firms High As you can see, Disney is functioning within a dynamic environment with a fairly high degree of uncertainty. We have tried to analyze the reasons behind Disneys acquisition by breaking down the reasons of why companies go for MA. Given below is a pictorial representation of the same, Reason 1: To Increase Market Power When a firms size, resources and capabilities increase, it increases its ability to compete. With the acquisition of Pixar, Disney gains access to Pixars pool of talented artists and creative and technical teams. These artists and content developers are big assets in this industry as good talent is hard to find and harder to replace. With the increase in resources, Disney Pixar combine can create more movies per year potentially resulting in a significant value addition to Disney. Reason 2: Horizontal Acquisition Companies go in for acquisitions of firms competing in the same marketspace for obtaining: * Cost Based Synergies * Revenue Based Synergies This is an obvious case of the latter. Pixars last six movies have reportedly earned more than $ 2.5/3.2 billion in total whereas Disneys last movie Chicken Little was only a moderate success. Disney plans to exploit Pixars creative and technical teams in combination with its well established and huge distribution system to increase its revenue. Disney in recent years have been unable to connect with its audience and hence create movies that ha

How Life Has Changed For African Americans History Essay

How Life Has Changed For African Americans History Essay Life has changed dramatically for African Americans in the last 145 years. African Americans have seen changes to their culture, role in politics, and the economy. African Americans have chosen to progress and change their fate in the past 145 years rather than sit back and simply accept the way that they are treated by others. They prove that a lot can change in a matter of just a few years. President Lincoln ended slavery during the Civil War in 1862. This was called the Emancipation Proclamation. Even though it freed the slaves, some of the slaves stayed with their Masters. They had a comfort level with them and really had no where else to go. Most others were happy to be free and go make a life for themselves elsewhere. Charleston, South Carolina acted as a magnet for many thousands of freed slaves who migrated to the city seeking work after the end of the war, reversing a short-term decline in the citys black population evident in the 1850s (Lockley). African Americans felt that the best way for them to take care of themselves is to own land and till it by their own labor (McGraw-Hill pg478). However, not many owned land after the war as it was hard to come by if you were of color. Just because the laws changed, doesnt mean that opinions changed. White Americans still wanted to control the land and did not want African Americans to have it because that gave more control. Since they were not able to own much of the land, they had to work for the white land owner a lot of the time. Sharecropping became popular during this time. African Americans would live in cabins in distant parts of the white owners land and would farm separate plots of a white owners land. At the end of the year, they split the profit of the crops (McGraw-Hill pg483). African Americans did not have many in political office during this time. Only those in top levels of their own society held any type of office. Most of them were free before the war. The very few that were in office were more conservative than the majority of African Americans and they did not show any interest in the issue of Blacks owning land (McGraw-Hill pg 479). It was important that African Americans had the right to vote. In 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment gave African American males the right to vote. The Fifteenth Amendment does not allow the denial of the right to vote based on race, color or previous conditions of servitude. Blacks were more apt to vote Republican due to the Democratic party being more for the whites (McGraw-Hill pg 481 and 487). While trying to keep the family together was difficult during slavery, it definitely got better after slavery. African American males were proud people and they were the head of the house. They would not allow their wives to work in fields as they did during slavery, but they were sure to have their children in the fields. Next to owning land, education was an important aspect of their lives. It was their hope for bettering themselves. African Americans were able to attend school, worship in churches and own land by the end of 1876. In 1900, Black Americans as a whole increased their wealth holdings from $230,000,000 in 1900 to $500,000,000 in 1910 (Parker). If African Americans were not tilling the land, they had to find work somewhere. They were discriminated against just as women were during this time. Either they were not given the job or they were paid less wages than the white American male (McGraw-Hill pg559). They had a long way to go in the rode to equal rights. After the turn of the century though, black owned businesses started to thrive. Segregation was big during this time. While blacks were able to own businesses, they owned their own business and only blacks shopped there. They worshipped in churches with only their own color and the same with schools. Whites and blacks did not do anything social together. During the 1880s, Redeemers wanted to formalize segregation. Redeemers were Democratic politicians that wanted to overrule any power that the Republicans had with regard to black Americans. The fourteenth amendment gave equal rights to all and the Redeemers were not successful. However, with segregation being an actual law, this allowed for blacks and whites to be totally separate, making blacks second class citizens. Blacks did not dare cross the line of segregation or they were sure to be lynched or whipped (McGraw-Hill pg 505 and 506). In 1905, W.E.B. DuBois, founded the Niagara Movement and by 1909, it was renamed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (McGraw-Hill pg 644 and 645). This organization fights for equal rights for everyone. This was a milestone in the progression for blacks in this country. This organization leads the way to help assist those fighting for their rights even today. W. E. B. Du Bois concept of upbuilding, defined as the social and economic development of black communities after slavery, . . . the literal and figurative construction of the structures African Americans used to climb out of slavery African Americans upbuilt their families, political and social institutions, and businesses in the face of homegrown oppression and terrorism. Within decades, African Americans transformed Durham into the capital of the black middle class.(Adams) In the 1920s, most white Americans understood race as biology: blacks were genetically, irreversibly, inferior in intelligence, emotional maturity, governing capacity, and depth of finer feelings (Hochschild). During the timeframe of 1921-1945, African Americans continued to face prejudice. The Ku Klux Klan was an organization that was violent towards any black person. They would burn crosses on front lawns, rape black women, whip and lynch any black person. This came from such hatred, but they say they are God-fearing. If they are so proud of what they do, why do they wear white hoods hiding their faces? Since segregation was still in place, blacks and whites were not able to be on the same sports teams. In 1920, they formed their own Baseball League called the The National Negro Baseball League. By the end of 1920 and on to the end of 1929, something special came out of Harlem, New York. The music, art, theater, and literature of African-Americans came alive. 1921 saw the renewal of interest in the productive, creative talents of African-Americans. This historical stage was called the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Globetrotters were created in 1927. A lot of entertaining and fun came out of this era. African Americans were finding their way in society, but still separated by the hatred and thought that they were second class citizens. During the Battle of the Bulge, blacks fought side by side for the first time with white soldiers. This may have been the start of some very valuable friendships that started to teach whites that blacks really werent second class citizens. Money was scarce because of the Depression for everyone especially black Americans. By 1932, unemployment hit 50% for African Americans. In 1931, Elijah Muhammad established the Black Muslims. They blended faith and Black Nationalism. He wanted African Americans to celebrate their heritage and have self-discipline. He wanted to strive for a separate black nation. During the timeframe of 1946-1976 a lot of changes took place for African Americans. The NAACP started a more accelerated fight against segregation and discrimination in America. 1953 marked the start of a campaign called the Fight for Freedom. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus and was arrested. The NAACP wanted to end the unfair treatment of African-Americans as American citizens by the year of 1963 The 100th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. I remember my dad telling me about the time that he lived in Jacksonville, FL in the 1950s and blacks were not allowed to walk on the same side of the sidewalk as whites did. He was surprised by this because he lived in Richmond, IN before moving there and this was a different way of living for him. But, this is how it was in the south. He even befriended a black person and his parents frowned on it. I can remember my mother frowning on me having black friends even in the early 1980s. The 60s brought about the high hope of change for African Americans. Martin Luther King gave everyone hope for peace and equal rights for all. He was able to assist in the Civil Rights act in 1964 and the Voting Rights act in 1965. King spread his message with non-violence. He saw many African Americans fighting for justice through violence and he still tried to get his message across with non-violence. He would let young African Americans know that they did not win anything if people were dying. King was assassinated by James Earl Ray in 1968 (McGraw-Hill). Riots broke out among many. People seemed to forget what Kings message was really about. King wanted change without violence. He wanted change for all poor races, not just African Americans. Many Americans today remember King not as a firebrand radical but as a godly preacher who sought brotherhood and sisterhood among all (Simpson). African Americans have faced many challenges in life. One of the most frustrating would be housing. Over the past 100 years, city planners have used neighborhood planning to address a variety of issues. The formula used has discriminated against blacks and poor families. The thought being that they did not belong in all white middle class neighborhoods. Over a 25-year life of a program designed to renew urban neighborhoods, Congress made various alterations in response to criticisms and concerns, so that the urban renewal program of 1973 was very different than the one originally passed in 1949. Its transformation began with the Housing Act of 1954, in which Congress responded to early criticism of the program by authorizing the use of federal funds for the rehabilitation of housing and neighborhoods rather than just their clearance, and providing a special allocation of public housing units for families displaced by urban renewal projects. The same law was also the first to allow pr ojects that involved commercial development and redevelopment (Rohe). Neighbors, realtors, banks, and mortgage companies play a role in the qualitative immersion into case materials offering important insight on relevant processes pertaining to victimization and status, and how discriminatory actions themselves occur (Roscigno). By the time 1990 came, things were well on their way to improving for African Americans. Oprah Winfrey was the highest paid woman in America and she is also African American. Colin Powell was looked at to possibly be the next president. But, when Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles police and the police were not found at fault, there was a major set back. Riots filled the streets, people were angry (McGraw-Hill pgs973 and 974). It was like the riots from before. In 1991, economic success ensued. Once declared a slum, people rebuilt old neighborhoods and made them worth several hundred more dollars than before. This was a step forward for African Americans. But, they were leary of the statistics. After going through so much, could it be true? Could things be getting better? The twenty-first century showed the final success for African Americans. It finally happened, a black president. Barack Obama was voted the 44th President of the United States. He was the first African American President. How joyous this occasion was for many. I remember going to McDonalds that day and the air was different in there. Everyone was talking to everyone, white, black, it didnt matter. They just wanted to soak in the moment. It gave us all hope that finally, people would be judged on their actions rather than the color of their skin. The economy in the twenty-first century is horrible for all. The difference between now and 100 years ago is that it doesnt matter if someone is black or white. Black people make the same wages as whites do, black people live in the same neighborhood as white people do. They go to the same schools, worship at the same churches and eat at the same restaurants. Freedom is a beautiful thing for us all. Acceptance is even better. Of course, things are not perfect, I dont know if they ever will be. I see so many homicides on the news. It seems that is mostly African Americans shooting each other for one reason or another. I would say this is our biggest challenge today with regard to the culture of African Americans. How horrifying for families to face this no matter what color or race they are. It would seem that they are still angry about something. Why else would they feel that violence is the answer? There is much success that can show young African Americans that they can succeed. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Colin Powell, Oprah Winfrey, Whoopee Goldberg, Barack Obama, Sean Combs, just to name ones that come to my mind. They can be doctors, lawyers, basketball players, singers, etc. Never has it been easier to accomplish any goal that they set out to do. But, they still fight each other? I dont understand it and wish I did. Life has changed dramatically for African Americans in the last 145 years. African Americans have seen changes to their culture, role in politics, and the economy. African Americans have chosen to progress and change their fate in the past 145 years rather than sit back and simply accept the way that they are treated by others. They prove that a lot can change in a matter of just a few years.

The Grand Essay About Reconstruction :: essays research papers

The Civil War was inevitable and regardless of the outcome on the fields of battle, the reconstruction of the nation was equally inevitable because as much as the North and the South had irrevocable differences, it was in the mutual interest of the North, the South and the West to maintain a relationship based on symbiosis. The Civil War and the reconstruction of the nation were bound to happen. There was a great diversity throughout the nation within the three sections. Differences in opinions and rules in slavery, economic and civilization differences are all examples of causes of the Civil War. However, the reconstruction of the nation was necessary, because the three sections needed each other to survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Civil war was inevitable. Because of the great diversity between the North and the South, the Civil War was bound to happen. Slavery was one of the many causes of the Civil War. It presented a moral issue, since it dealt with human beings and invaded individual freedom and democratic ideals. Slavery greatly distinguished the South from the North, and was the major issue dividing the two sections. The differences in economy also added to the cause of the Civil War. The South had become agricultural, and the North had become industrial. These economic differences led to sectional rivalry on issues such as slavery and the protective tariff. The interpretation of the federal Union differed between the two sections as well. The South insisted that the federal Union was created by the states; therefore, any state had the right to secede. The North thought otherwise; they believed that people created the Union and no state had the right to secede. The South favored, and the North opposed the extension of slavery into the West. Most of the West became tied economically to the North by a network of railroads and trade. Southerners realized that Western lands were not suitable for cotton culture, and realized that they were losing Western support, and the South would remain a minority section in the Union. The North and the South had differences in civilization. A small aristocracy of influential planter families dominated the Southern civilization, compared to the more dynamic and democratic Northern civilization. This difference in civilizations made understanding each other’s point of view difficult, which added to the causes of the war. Lastly, people in both the North and the South exaggerated differences.

An Essay on The Landlady by Roald Dahl -- The Landlady by Roald Dahl

The Landlady by Roald Dahl In the short story â€Å"The Landlady,† Roald Dahl’s use of foreshadowing prepared readers well for the end of the story. He used hints such as describing the outside of the bed and breakfast, giving details of the entry and the bedroom, and also telling the readers about the living room. To begin, Dahl used the outside of the bed and breakfast as a use of foreshadowing. The sign was described to be distinctive. It was portrayed to be luring the boy inside. Dahl used the opening of the door as a hint also. He explained that the woman debouched the door open, which would foreshadow that she was abnormal. The woman also had cheap rent at her bed and breakfast. This would draw potential customers in for her awkward ...

Romanticisam And Washington Irving :: Writer Author Irving

Romantic stories did not always end with a happy ending. In fact, the originals of the modern romantic stories were about the evil of human nature. The work of early American writers like Irving and Poe show the influence of European Romanticism. Irving would stress on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. The supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations were used in Poe's works. Washington Irving would use an emphasis on nature, the supernatural, and superstitions in his stories. His story "The Devil and Tom Walker" pictured nature as mysterious. Tom walked through a swamp that was so thick that when it was noon it would be still be very dark. At times, water logs would look like alligators floating in the water. The supernatural area also played an essential role in the story. The devil, being the supernatural being, seemed to have the ability to trade riches for a person's soul. Tom, having sold his soul, wanted to outsmart the devil by recruiting the help of another supernatural power, God, by carrying a bible. In the end, the devil took his soul and he learned a lesson he cannot forget. Another of Irving's works The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, demonstrates the power than superstition can have over people. Ichabod Crane was a very careful man who avoided walking under ladders, crossing black cats, or tipping over the salt shaker. When Ichabod heard the lege nd of sleepy hollow, he was so frightened even then simplest of noises like cattails beating on a log, scared him. The characteristics of Irving's works have been clearly expressed, thus proving that his works were in fact romantic. The supernatural, the emphasis of nature, and exotic locations were used in Edgar Allan Poe's works. Poe's story "The Fall of the House of Usher" involved the work of the supernatural. Usher was saddened by the loss of his sister to an illness. Strange things begin to happen as the narrator arrives: the outside is filled a strange, ghastly glow and the house seems to come alive. Near the end of the story is when the strangest supernatural thing occurs. The figure of Usher's sister flows through the hallway, takes Usher's life, and destroys the house. The same story has an emphasis of nature in relation to Usher's family. Over the years, the house had become cluttered with plants and fungi.

Alcohol Use Disorders

The amount of written and published materials about alcohol and alcohol related disorders continue to grow everyday because the role of these written output is to chronicle how human society is moving forward alongside medical and psychological development that can handle the cases that come up in line with people and the psychological and mental dilemma they face after breaching the limits of excessive alcohol intake.Reflected in the paper are either opinions of specialists or products of intensive study in the part of the specialist.This paper is designed to capture as much information as possible that can lead to the continuation of the building block process required in the continued creation and improvement of socially shared knowledge, and today, Internet and magazine articles, private journals as well as news and professional journals in the field of medicine, psychiatry and psychology are consistently fulfilling the role they are designated for. Basically, the paper is geared so that people can know more.This paper gave a very short description about alcohol and its role in the society, as well as in our health – how it is being abused and taken in excess and what are its repercussions to health, especially in the mental soundness of a person. The paper included in its discussion the salient points of Kalapi's arguments and the newfound analysis on the changing behavior of college students and the fading concept of controlled drinking.The paper will also discuss published works and related stories about alcohol and anxiety disorder as well as kids who are suffering from ADHD and how alcohol intake can gravely affect them in their lives sooner or later.Mental health and alcohol intake and the impact of some of the drugs given to patients to cure mental problems and how it affects the patients are also discussed in the paper, along with concerns that involve alcohol and disorders in sleeping such as the sleep related breathing disorder or SRBD.Intr oduction – The Institute of Alcohol Studies labeled alcohol as the second most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world because of the promise of the alcohol’s after effects.Since the beginning of the establishment of the sciences and field of medical specializations that are capable of studying and analyzing the impact of alcohol in the mental health of the people, the influx of inputs backed with medical and scientific proofs extracted through acceptable and reliable means have been consistent, enabling modern day professionals to constantly remind the people about the possible mental health risk they might face especially with uncontrolled intake of alcohol in huge dosages.Every year, new information about alcohol related disorders pertaining to mental health are made available, and the purpose of this paper is to provide a collated and descriptive database of the new and updated information about alcohol.According to an Institute of Alcohol Studies paper, pro blems on alcohol and mental health have a close relationship with each other, ‘people with mental health problems are at raised risk of alcohol problems and vice versa' (IAS, 2007). Something that has to do with this partly is because of the intertwined nature of the two.One of the most common reactions of mentally bothered individuals is to resort to a means wherein he or she is free to recreate the world, something which is easily done with the help of alcohol, while some excessive drinkers are experiencing an altered world because of the toxicity of the body from the high level of alcohol intake.There are many reasons why, and some of which may include the fact that alcohol intake for some is an act that can enable a person to cope with whatever problem he or she is experiencing at the moment, which includes depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, manic- depressive illness and even schizophrenia.Alcohol Related Disorders is one of the many disorders included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision, or simply the DSM-IV-TR.Indicated in the DSM-IV-TR under the topic Alcohol Related Disorders are several other sub topics that talk about alcohol related disorders, namely the following: Abuse, Dependence, Induced Anxiety Disorder, Induced Mood Disorder, Induced Persisting Amnestic Disorder, Induced Persisting Dementia, Induced Psychotic Disorder, With Delusions, Induced Psychotic Disorder, With Hallucinations, Induced Sexual Dysfunction, Induced Sleep Disorder, Intoxication, Intoxication Delirium, Related Disorder NOS, Withdrawal and Withdrawal Delirium.Because of the scope and breadth of the discussion alcohol related disorder, the paper will try its best to exhaust every possible source to bring to light updated and published works that present new and updated information regarding the development in the different fields of science that directly or indirectly affects one or every alcohol relat ed disorder topic.New Findings about Alcohol-Related Disorders – Alcohol, alcoholism and the resulting physical and social impact brought about by concerns stemming from the uncontrolled and unchecked use of alcohol is the reason why specialists in different fields are working non-stop in trying to find answers and remedies to prevailing questions and problems that directly involve alcohol consumption and alcoholism.Practicing professionals as well as academicians take an important role in the task of updating the data bank of the collective societal consciousness with regards to the newest information involving mental and psychological health and alcohol consumption and dependence.These information are sometimes handed over to the people in the next echelon who are capable of mass communication like media entities and school teachers and instructors, as well as health service personnel and non-government organizations that are geared in helping the society cope with the pers isting problem of alcoholism, trying to keep its impact on the society and its people (and their health) to a modest minimum.This paper is geared in presenting a collection of new and update findings that focuses and affects the problems on alcohol-related disorders in the hope that these new information can help the readers be more informed of such types of disorders, how they can be checked and detected, how it can be avoided and how it can be cured.The information included in this paper includes notes on the paper and talk of Elissavet Kapaki, through the work Alcoholic dementia: myth or reality? which was published online on 2006.Information about the published study of William R. Yates, M.D. on August 23, 2007 about Anxiety Disorders in the Emedicine WebMD website, as well as the useful information from Steven Gans, MD regarding the impact of alcohol and the risk of suffering from alcohol related disorders among children suffering from ADHD syndrome in the article published May of this year, are also included in this paper.The paper also notes how the increase in cases of excessive beer drinking among college students and how it impacts the students’ psychological frame of mind, as mentioned in the article ‘Binge drinking, pill abuse intensify at colleges’, a   March, 2007 article from the Associated Press and published by the search engine MSN in partnership with NBC (MSNBC).

Chapter 2 Exercises & Case Exercises Essay

1. run across the statement an individual flagellum agent, similar(p) a hacker, muckle be a factor in more than wholeness threat category. If a hacker hacks into a mesh topology, copies a few files, defaces the sack page, and steals attri simplye scorecard numbers, how many different threat categories does this labialise f entirely into?a. Overall, I view this approach path falls into quartet major threat categories deliberate acts of misdemeanor, compromises to intellectual appropriate(ip)ty, skillful chastenings, and managerial failure. Furthermore, I believe this attack would be categorized as a deliberate act of theft/trespass which compromises intellectual property due to skilful foul and managerial failures. b. It seems as this hacker was by design ca development harm (i.e. copying files, vandalizing the meshing page, and theft of attribute card numbers) due to their method of entry hacking into a ne 2rk it leaves me to believe there were some techni cal failures, such as parcel vulnerabilities or a trap door. However, that is just peerless possibility as to what could abide occurred. This could hire all overly been a managerial failure say the unknown hacker utilise social locomotiveering to obtain the info to gain access to the network proper curriculumning and procedure execution could adopt potentially thwarted this hackers attack. 2. Using the Web, research Mafiaboys exploits. When and how did he compromise directs? How was he caught? c. Michael Demon Calce, in any case known as Mafiaboy, was a last school student from West Island, Quebec, who launched a series of highly customaryized DDoS (denial-of-service) attacks in February 2000 against large commercial vanesites including hayseed, Fifa.com, Amazon.com, Dell, Inc., E*Trade, eBay, and CNN. Calce also attempted to launch a series of simultaneous attacks against nine of the thirteen root name master of ceremoniess. d. On February 7th, 2000, Calce tar c arryed Yahoo With a project he named Rivolta centre riot in Italian.This project utilise a denial of service cyber-attack in which servers pass overloaded with different types of communications, to the chief in which they completely debar charge. Calce managed to shut down the multibillion dollar caller-out and the webs top search engine for almost an hour. His goal was to establish say-so for himself and TNT his cybergroup. Over the next week, Calce also brought down eBay, CNN, Amazon and Dell via the same DDoS attack. e. Calces actions were under suspicion when the FBI and the magnificent Canadian Mounted Police nonice posts in an IRC chatroom which bragged/claimed responsibility for the attacks. He became the chief suspect when he claimed to take up brought down Dells website, an attack not yet publicized at the time. cultivation on the source of the attacks was initially discovered and reported to the press by Michael Lyle, chief engineering science officer of r esort hotel Technologies. Calce initially denied responsibility but subsequent pled guilty to most of the charges brought against him the Montreal Youth motor inn sentenced him on September 12, 2001 to eight months of uncivil custody, one(a) year of probation, restricted substance abuse of the Internet, and a small fine. It is estimated that these attacks caused $1.2 billion dollars in global economic damages. 3. Search the Web for the The Official Phreakers Manual. What study contained in this manual of arms might help a bail administrator to protect a communications system? f. A trade protection administrator is a specialist in figurer and network certificate, including the administration of auspices devices such as firewalls, as sanitary as consulting on general protective covering measures. g. Phreaking is a slang term coined to calculate the activity of a culture of volume who study, experiment with, or explore telecommunication systems, such as equipment and s ystems connected to public telephone networks. Since telephone networks hand over become ready reckonerized, phreaking has become closely linked with computer hacking. i. Example of Phreaking Using heterogeneous auditory sensation frequencies to manipulate a phone system. h. Overall, a protection administrator could use this manual to gain knowledge of terms associated with phreaking and the ins & outs of the process (i.e. how it is executed). However, the protective cover administrator should focus on Chapter 10 contend on Phreaking this section (pg 71-73) deals with concepts such as access, doom, tracing, and security system. An administrator could reverse engineer this nurture to protect his/her systems from such attacks. 4. The chapter discussed many threats and vulnerabilities to knowledge security. Using the Web, find at least two other sources of reading on threat and vulnerabilities. Begin with www.securityfocus.com and use a keyword search on threats. i. http// www.darkreading.com/vulnerability-threatsii. Dark yarns Vulnerabilities and Threats Tech Center is your preference for breaking impertinents and information on the latest potential threats and technical vulnerabilities affect todays IT environment. Written for security and IT professionals, the Vulnerabilities and Threats Tech Center is designed to fork out in-depth information on newly-discovered network and act vulnerabilities, potential cybersecurity exploits, and security research results j. http//www.symantec.com/security_response/iii. Our security research centers around the earthly concern let unparalleled analysis of and protection from IT security threats that include malware, security risks, vulnerabilities, and spam. 5. Using the categories of threats mentioned in this chapter, as well as the various attacks described, review several current media sources and light upon examples of all(prenominal). k. Acts of human error or failureiv. Students and staff were tol d in February that some 350,000 of them could shoot had their social security numbers and financial information exposed on the internet. v. It happened during an get along of some of our IT systems. We were upgrading a server and through and through human error there was a misconfiguration in the setting up of that server, give tongue to UNCC spokesman, Stephen Ward. l. Compromises to intellectual propertyvi. Today we study news of action against a site that supplied links to films, music and games hosted on file-hosters all around the world. Authorities say they fuck off charged three individuals tell to be the administrators of a very large file-sharing site. vii. To get an idea of the gravity local jurisprudence are putting on the case, we can compare some recent stats. accord to US authorities Megaupload, one of the worlds largest websites at the time, cost rightsholders $500m. GreekDDL ( correspond to Alexa Greeces 63rd largest site) allegedly cost rightsholders $85.4 m. m. Deliberate acts of espionage or trespassviii. The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old condition technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the refutation contractile organ Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the content Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various alfresco contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell. ix. Snowden forget go down in history as one of the Statess most consequential whistleblowers, on board Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over strong from one of the worlds most secretive memorial tablet the NSA. x. Additional, interesting, read http//www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57600000/edward-snowdens-digital-maneuvers-still-stumping-u.s- government activity/ 1. The governments forensic investigation is grapple with Snowdens apparent ability to surpass safeguards established to monitor and det er commonwealth looking at information without proper permission. n. Deliberate acts of information extortionxi. ballyhooers claimed to have breached the systems of the Belgian credit provider Elantis and threatened to give notice (of) confidential customer information if the argot does not pay $197,000 before Friday, they said in a statement stick on to Pastebin. Elantis con buckramed the info breach Thursday, but the bank said it will not give in to extortion threats. xii. The hackers claim to have captured login credentials and tables with online loan applications which hold information such as full names, assembly line descriptions, contact information, ID card numbers and income figures. xiii. jibe to the hackers the information was stored unprotected and unencrypted on the servers. To read the hack, parts of what they claimed to be captured customer data were published. o. Deliberate acts of sabotage or hooliganismxiv. Fired Contractor Kisses Off Fannie Mae With l ogical system Bomb xv. Rajendrasinh Babubha Makwana, a former IT contractor at Fannie Mae who was fired for making a coding mistake, was charged this week with placing a logic bomb at heart the federations Urbana, Md., data center in late October of last year. The malware was set to go into effect at 9 a.m. EST Saturdayand would have disabled internal monitoring systems as it did its damage. Anyone logging on to Fannie Maes Unix server network after that would have seen the nomenclature Server Graveyard appear on their workstation screens. p. Deliberate acts of theftxvi. Four Russian nationals and a Ukrainian have been charged with running a sophisticated hacking organization that penetrated computer networks of more than a xii major American and international corporations over seven years, stealing and selling at least 160 million credit and debit card numbers, resulting in losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. q. Deliberate software attacksxvii. mainland mainland china Mafia-Style Hack Attack Drives California Firm to doorstep xviii. A group of hackers from China waged a relentless campaign of cyber harassment against unshakable oak Software Inc., Milburns family-owned, eight-person firm in Santa Barbara, California. The attack began less than two weeks after Milburn publicly accused China of appropriating his companys parental filtering software, CYBERsitter, for a national Internet censoring project. And it end shortly after he colonised a $2.2 billion lawsuit against the Chinese government and a string of computer companies last April. xix. In between, the hackers assailed Solid Oaks computer systems, shutting down web and e-mail servers, spying on an employee with her webcam, and gaining access to sensitive files in a battle that caused company revenues to tumble and brought it within a hairs pretentiousness of collapse. r. Forces of naturexx. Websites Scramble As Hurricane blond Floods Data Centers xxi. The freak storm fill up data ce nters in New York City, fetching down several major websites and serve including The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Gawker that depended on them to run their contrastes. xxii. Several websites stored their data at a lower Manhattan data center run by Datagram, whose basement was inundated with water during the storm, flooding generators that were intend to keep the power on. s. Deviations in feature of service from service providers xxiii. Chinas Internet hit by biggest cyberattack in its history xxiv.Internet users in China were met with sluggish response times primal Sunday as the countrys domain extension came under a denial of service attack. xxv. The attack was the largest of its course ever in China, according to the China Internet Network Information Center, a state agency that manages the .cn country domain. xxvi. The double-barreled attacks took place at around 2 a.m. Sunday, and then again at 4 a.m. The second attack was long-lasting and large-scale, according to st ate media, which said that service was belatedly being restored. t. Technical hardware failures or errorsxxvii. A hardware failure in a Scottish RBS Group technology center caused a NatWest bank outage. xxviii. It prevented customers from using online banking services or doing debit card transactions. u. Technical software failure or errorsxxix. RBS boss blames software upgrade for tale problems xxx. The boss of RBS has confirmed that a software change was responsible for the widespread computer problems affecting millions of customers bank accounts. v. Technological obsolescencexxxi. SIM tease Have Finally Been Hacked, And The Flaw Could sham Millions Of Phones xxxii. After three years of research, German cryptographer Karsten Nohl claims to have finally appoint encryption and software flaws that could affect millions of SIM cards, and open up another route on mobile phones for surveillance and fraud.Case Exercises soon after the board of directors meeting, Charlie was promote d to Chief Information Security Officer, a new gravel that reports to the CIO, Gladys Williams, and that was created to provide leadership for SLSs efforts to improve its security profile.Questions1. How do Fred, Gladys, and Charlie discern the scope and scale of the new information security effort? a. Charlies proposed information security device aims at securing business software, data, the networks, and computers which store information. The scope of the information security effort is quite vast, aiming at securing each vulnerability in addition to the aforementioned, the new information security plan also focuses on the companys staff. Since wasted effort will be involve to appliance the new managerial plan and install new security software and tools, the scale of this operation is quite large. 2. How will Fred measure mastery when he quantifys Gladys work for this project? How will he evaluate Charlies performance? b. Gladys is appointed as CIO of the team, which is g athered to improve the security of the company due to virus attack that caused a loss in the company I believe Fred will measure Gladys success by her ability to lead, keep the plan on track (i.e. time management) and successfully sticking to the proposed budget. Charlie was promoted to chief information security officer, a new position that reports to the CIO I believe Fred will measure Charlies success by his ability to implement the new plan, report his/their progress and the general success of the new system. 3. Which of the threats discussed in this chapter should elate Charlies attention other(a) in his planning process? c. Portable Media worry (Ex. USB, DVD-R/W) should receive Charlies attention early in his planning process