Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Essays

Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Essays Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Paper Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Paper NEW YORK Mickey Mouse and Nemo are now corporate cousins. Walt Disney has announced that it is buying Pixar, the animated studio led by Apple head Steve Jobs, in a deal worth $7. 4 billion. Speculation about a deal being imminent raged on Wall Street for the past few weeks. Disney has released all of Pixars films so far, but the companies current distribution deal was set to expire following the release of this summers Cars. The merger brings together Disneys historic franchise of animated characters, such as Mickey, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck, with Pixars stable of cartoon hits, including the two Toy Story films, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders, said Jobs in a statement. Now, everyone can focus on what is most important, creating innovative stories, characters and films that delight millions of people around the world. As part of the deal, Jobs will become a board member of Disney, the companies said. And John Lasseter, the highly respected creative director at Pixar who had previously worked for Disney, will rejoin the House of Mouse as chief creative officer for the companys combined animated studios and will also help oversee the design for new attractions at Disney theme parks. The addition of Pixar significantly enhances Disney animation, which is a critical creative engine for driving growth across our businesses, said Disney CEO Robert Iger in a written statement. During a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Iger said that acquisition discussions had been going on for the past several months. Jobs added that after a lot of soul searching, he came to the conclusion that it made the most sense for Pixar to align itself with Disney permanently instead of trying to distribute films on its own or sign with another movie studio partner. According to the terms of the deal, Disney (Research) will issue 2. 3 shares for each Pixar share. Based on Tuesdays closing prices, that values Pixar at $59. 78 a share, about a 4 percent premium to Pixars current stock price. Shares of Pixar (Research) fell slightly in regular trading on the Nasdaq Tuesday but gained nearly 3 percent in after-hours trading. The stock has surged more than 10 percent so far this year on takeover speculation. Disneys stock gained 1. 8 percent in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange and was flat after-hours. Prior to the deals announcement, some Wall Street observers had speculated that Disney may be paying too much for Pixar. A source tells FORTUNE that some Disney board members also thought the price was too high. To that end, Disney chief financial officer Thomas Staggs said during the conference call that the deal would reduce Disneys earnings slightly in fiscal 2006, which ends this September, as well as fiscal 2007. He added though that Pixar should add to earnings by fiscal 2008 and that Disney was still on track to post annual double-digit percentage gains in earnings through 2008. But one hedge fund manager said that the risk of Disney losing Pixar was too great. The question isnt did Disney pay too much but how expensive would it have been for Disney if Pixar fell into someone elses hands, said Barry Ritholtz, chief investment officer with Ritholtz Capital Partners, a hedge fund that focuses on media and technology stocks. Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst with Harris Nesbitt, agreed with that assessment. He said that Pixars success quotient justified the price of the deal. Pixar has yet to have a flop with its six animated movies. They have grossed more than $3. 2 billion worldwide, according to movie tracking research firm Box Office Mojo. Disney, however, has struggled in the computer-generated animated movie arena. Even though its most recent CG-animated film, Chicken Little performed better than many had expected at the box office, it was not as big a hit as any of the Pixar films. Robert Iger has made no secret of the fact that he wanted to get the animated business back to where it was. Its what Disney has known for but the movies they did in-house did not do as well as the ones they did with Pixar, said Michael Cuggino, a fund manager who owns about 100,000 shares of Disney in the Permanent Portfolio and Permanent Portfolio Aggressive Growth funds. Pixar has yet to announce what movies it is working on after Cars, however. It is believed that Pixars next film about a rat living in a fancy Parisian restaurant, tentatively titled Ratatouille may be released on 2007 and that a Toy Story 3 may be in the works as well. Jobs said during the conference call that nothing has been decided about future Pixar releases yet, but added that the company feels strongly about making sequels to some of its previous hits. And Iger said that announced plans for Disney-produced animated films, including the release of American Dog in 2008 and Rapunzel Unbraided in 2009, are still on track. It would have been unthinkable to imagine Disney and Pixar teaming up just a few years ago. The two companies broke off talks to extend their current distribution agreement in 2004 due to a strained relationship between Jobs and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. But since Iger succeeded Eisner last year, he has extended an olive branch to Jobs. Disney and Apple have already announced several online programming deals during the past few months. Disney now has agreements in place to sell hit ABC prime time shows, such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, as well as content from ABC Sports and ESPN on Apples popular iTunes music and video store. Cuggino said the addition of Jobs, who will also become Disneys largest individual shareholder, to Disneys board could mean that more innovative digital deals could be in the works. Jobs is a dynamic personality who knows consumer electronics. Its an opportunity to bring some youthful energetic thinking to Disneys board. Disney, like many other large media companies, has seen its stock price stagnate during the past year as investors have flocked to more rapidly growing digital media firms such as Apple as well as search engines Google (Research) and Yahoo! Research) But Logsdon said the acquisition of Pixar could help Disney increase revenue throughout all of its business lines. So even though some may be quibbling in the short-term about how much Disney had to spend, he thinks Disney made the right move. Its a smart strategic deal, Logsdon said. The benefit in theme parks, consumer products and cable will probably make this deal look a lot smarter a year or two from now.

Memorandum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Memorandum - Essay Example Edison right of way separates the two parcels. The city of Joy prohibits development as part of it is  along g a sloppy area. Parcel one has one steep slope of an approximate ratio 3 to 1. Parcel 2 has aslope of an approximate ratio greater than 2 to1. These areas are untouched because of the municipal codes as they regulate development in such an area. Settlements have  been localized along the new street  as a result of these clause. This shows that the city cannot accommodate a growing population if the municipal codes are to be followed to the latter. ABC development plan proposes for parcel 1 to be divided single family lots. The stuff reviews this plan as a risky situation that will first require an environmental impact review. This is because the process involves offloading dirt using a truck that will pass through 130 homesteads. The process  will  take five month.  The  staff review  stipulates  to be  a long time, and as a result it will have unmitigated impacts to the environment. ABC development c laims that an environmental impact review is not necessary. It continues to pose the complain on the basis that the stuff has not articulated the exact effects that require mitigation and states that parcel 1 subdivision is a simple 18 lot subdivision. According to ABC development project designers, it is a speculation that the project should be exempted from CEQA. The Oak trees occupy a lot of space in the city. The municipal code that states they are not to be cut down unless a permit is granted is a factor that may hinder development. The permit has also been given specific rule that make it hard for the trees to be cut down and paves way for development. The code farther states that, permission for cutting down an Oak tree will only be granted if the tree is in imminent danger of falling. Oak trees have a long life span and are also a strong species. The chances of them creating space for development are extremely minimal. The municipal codes should be

How the company combine to satisfy shareholders and the demands of Dissertation - 2

How the company combine to satisfy shareholders and the demands of society with less impact on the profitability - Dissertation Example Globalization, rapid developments in computer and information technology and the current experience of global economic crunch are some of the essential elements affecting growth and survival of modern organizations (Balakrishnan, 2003; Fischer, 2003; Soros, 2002; Bagwathi, 2010). Although there is no universal agreement regarding the effect of these developments and concerns relevant to the quality of life of people(Bagwathi, 2007; 2010; Stiglitz, 2007, 2010; Suarez-Orosco & Qin-Hilliard, 200; Yusoff, Ramayah & Ibrahim, 2010). Still, what remains, is the fact, that the socio-economic and political condition with which economic institutions are doing their activities are affected by these integral elements, in the same manner, that it has permeated and influenced the lives of people across the globe (Yusoff et al., 2010). In this regard, modern corporations respond to the challenges and demands of the time by incorporating a fundamental change in the nature of the organization  œ corporate social responsibility (Zolsnai, 2006). The idea of corporate social responsibility is not something new (Hemingway, 2002). During the 1930’s organizations have already recognized that their responsibility is not limited only to the satisfaction of the shareholders’ interests, but it also includes the fulfillment of the demands of the society where the organization is embedded (Hemingway, 2002). This seminal notion of corporate social responsibility is integrated in the current scheme and understanding of CSR, but it is only in the last three decades that an observable influx of discussion and interests regarding CSR has taken full swing (Dahlsrud, 2008). However, in the last four years, the world experienced the first global economic crisis of the 21st century (Reinhart, 2008; Yandle, 2010). Case against the CSR has been raised based on the assumption that the concept fails in responding to the challenges that it is supposed to be addressing (Karnani, 2010; Lin-Hi, 2010; Ludesher & Mashud, 2010; Portney, 2008). In this sense, there is a call to re-evaluate CSR and come up with better approach towards an authentic CSR and not just a facade (Lin-Hi, 2010). Background of the Study The important role of CSR in the survival of companies in the contemporary period is an accepted truism. In fact, the notion of CSR is deemed intuitive in the sense that as companies are considered as social actors, it becomes essential that corporations too, should be responsible for their actions. However, the intuitiveness of the good derived out from doing good, is questioned on the premise whether there is really a connection between doing good and earning well in the context of an organization. This question is important because as many

Patton-Fuller Community Hospital Essay Example for Free

Patton-Fuller Community Hospital Essay Team C has identified that the Human Resources Department of Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has primary system deficiencies with the information security and lack of information. The records are currently open to all system users, exposing personal information to the Internet through the public website. The requirements for updating the Human Resources operating system have been identified using a specification checklist for updating software for the department including payroll and accounting. Team C has gathered the business requirements to understand the needs of the Human Resources department. The department currently operates on an Apple iMac with 2 gigahertz, 350-megabyte hard drive wireless with Mac OS X including Leopard and Windows XP. All patient files are encrypted for storage using AES. Advanced Encryption Standard is highly secure using 256-bit AES encryption for sensitive data. The Human Resource department also needs to have their sensitive data secure. The Human Resources department performs many functions including all of the accounting for the hospital. The hospital accounting and finance needs to operate using a secure and sophisticated software system. Updating the software to be able to perform accounting records is crucial to determine the financial soundness of Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. Patient accounts and billing must be secure and the software to be modified and updated should be too easy to learn and work with. Further research needs to be conducted if off-the-shelf software should be purchased or if the software should be modified or developed specifically for the department. Marketing communication is relatively designed to sell the value and benefits of the project to the stakeholders, which includes the healthcare providers, insurance companies, and pharmacies that are willing to invest in an organization working towards an accessible, affordable healthcare system such as the one that will be provided by Fuller-Patton Community Hospital. Team C has chosen to use branding as the source of marketing communication since it is indeed known to be the most sophisticated. The primary purpose of branding is to establish an identity that conjures up a positive image (Mochal, 2007). Our purpose in implementing this new software system is to assure the stockholders with this positive image, reflection and emotion  when a person hears of the new product. In order for Team C to make sure that the positive image is captured we will need to ask one another some important questions such as:Will this new system require a change in the way people perform their jobs and will this project make the business workers nervous as a result of efficiencies that will ultimately require less people to do the same function? As long as Team C holds a steady stream of positive communication amongst one another during the implementation of this project for the Human Resource Department then the project will be successful and should help overcome any negative perceptions one may have about the project. As a marketing research strategy Team C should implement a survey or questioner on how consumers in the local and surrounding areas gather information regarding hospitals and healthcare, as well as to what type of documentation the consumers are getting the information from such as the Internet, family, newspapers, friends, television, radio and possible hospital pamphlets or flyers. Once the information from the survey or questionnaire is gathered it should supply us with the insight of just how much the consumers friends and families have on the organization and patient satisfaction. This will guide Team C into the direction that they need in order to come up with the best image to fit the needs of Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. Team C can also set their marketing research plans toward is employee satisfaction and increase administrative efficiency by implementing Magic Service Desk for the Human Resources department. Magic Service Desk has the ability to track all employee requests while providing him or her with instant answers to policies and procedure questions. This will be an instant way that Team C can improve Patton-Fullers organizational efficiency by automating the Human Resources processes and empowering all employees to help them with access to the knowledge base and retrieve the available FAQs that they so desperately need. Mochal, T. (2007). Use branding techniques to build a positive image for your project. BNET Business Network. Retrieved on 12 Oct 2008 from: http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-6162466.html

Evil in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

Evil in Things Fall Apart Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the reader feels evil. Evil is a concept that is hard to define. The dictionary defines it as " morally bad; wicked" (Funk & Wagnalls 220). But is the definition of evil really as simple as that? Many would say that there is more to defining evil than just a few words. Evil can also be defined by a culture. If one were to study various cultures around the world, he or she would discover that each culture has a different way of defining evil. Even world politics sometimes plays a role in defining evil. But one's personal definition seems to have the most impact on what one thinks is evil. Theology has played a strong role in defining evil for thousands of years. The Bible teaches Christians that Satan is evil, and not to follow his teachings. Evil as a concept in Christianity developed in the third and fourth centuries. During that time, St. Augustine determined that "Evil is the privation, or absence, of good, as darkness is the absence of light." (Funk&Wagnalls19) In modern times, theology has had a difficult time defending the existence of God in light of the many atrocities that have occurred in the last 100 years, such as the Holocaust, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. As a result, theology is now having to redefine what evil is. Cultures and politics among cultures have a way of defining evil for their own inhabitants. The Europeans who visited the Ibo culture in Things Fall Apart viewed many of the customs that the natives practiced as evil or barbaric or primitive. The Ibo concept of the "Evil Forest" was one of them. It was something that each village had and "In it were buried all those who died of the really evil diseases, like leprosy and smallpox." (Achebe 148) Another belief held by the tribe in the novel is that if a woman has children, and each dies under "evil" circumstances, then she is under attack by an evil tormentor. The remedy to this problem is to " Let her not sleep in her hut. Let her go and stay with her people. In that way she will elude her wicked tormentor and break its evil cycle of birth and death" (Achebe 77).

Wisdom from Suffering

Amber Lyles Humanities HNS Period 9th 18 September 2011 Wisdom From Suffering â€Å"Suffering is the price of being alive. †; â€Å"make use of suffering. † These straight forward quotes sourced from the thoughts of Judy Collins and Henri-Frederic Amiel are produced from different origins but compatible. Collins’s is stemmed from the idea that suffering cannot be avoided and Amiel’s is from his philosophy of the art of living. Most people try to deny and avoid the path of suffering. Yet, they often fail to realize that no matter how many detours they take around suffering, the construction of it is still going to be there. Might even relocate closer to them where they are forced to really deal with it. In Sophocles play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus, the king of Thebes suffering comes from personal and criminal revelations. Somewhat similar but not nearly as extreme is and/or was the origin of my suffering. Good thing is that, people gain wisdom from suffering through growth and acceptance. Being king is hard, title alone comes with high prestige and expectations. Oedipus was put on a pedestal by the citizens of Thebes like he was their God. That was their biggest mistake. So when the land of Thebes is plagued by disease and death, Oedipus pleas that â€Å"I know that you are deathly sick; and yet, sick as you are, not one is sick as I. Each of you suffers in himself alone his anguish, not another’s; but my spirit groans for the city, for myself, for you. † Oedipus not only wants the city to know that he suffers with them but that he suffers substantially because his suffering not only includes himself. Now not saying that what was said wasn’t sincere, just the fact that he knew of how they saw him put pressure on him to over exaggerate a little to make a point that he cared. His greatest suffering came through the process of finding out who killed King Laius; a king before him, whose death was believe to have brought the plague. During that process Oedipus was told by Teiresias, a blind prophet, â€Å"†¦. you are the murderer you seek. † Of course Oedipus dismissed the statement; cursed the prophet and his words. Not only was Oedipus being the murderer revealed, but the fact that he was a Theban; born to Iokaste who is his current wife and mother of his kids. That means that he married and had kids with his own mother. From that moment on Oedipus is confused, enraged and accuses Kreon bringing Teiresias to him to as a way to try and his throne. The suffering of the city of Thebes caused by the plague-wind brought about by a way of the death of King Laius leads to the wisdom brought about by Teiresias. The knowledge that Oedipus gains is that he killed his father, married and had kids with his own mother. Oedipus brought about his own doom and â€Å"served his own destructionâ€Å"; in the words of Kreon. Anyhow, I’d like to share my own story. I was born in Chicago on March 4, 1994 to Brenda Yarbrough and Marvin Lyles. Well that’s what I’d thought. Found out when I was 8 or 9 that Marvin Lyles wasn’t my father and that my real dad wanted nothing to do with me. I blamed my mother for a lot a lot of things, which I’ve felt bad for because she’s had enough to deal with. Stage 4 cancer survivor, only has one kidney, has had heart attack, high blood pressure, single parent mother for me and my two brothers most of her life, list goes on and on. She doesn’t need me to make her feel guilty. In 2002, we moved to Aurora because my mom had met this man and got married. I wasn’t to happy about leaving Chicago and family but the idea of having a â€Å"father† and sister appealed to me and made the situation more comfortable. Well that marriage started off good then a lot stuff happened and it all went downhill. The marriage really produced a lot of trust issues and fears that I have today. They got divorced and from then on it’s mainly been me and my mom. To return to the topic, my biggest suffering I would have to say stems from the situation with my father. I’ve been in some dark places even to the point where I didn’t want to live. Just felt unwanted, that something was wrong with me that my own father didn’t want me and that I was just a burden to my mom. The knowledge I’ve gained is that life is precious, I’m not a mistake, it’s not my fault, just his lost and that my mother is and has done the absolute best she can/could; she’s my greatest motivation. I’ve just had to grow and mature quicker, stay strong and accept things that I can’t control. On to Oedipus situation , don’t think that he should do it again. Fate is fate, it was suppose to happen. He probably could’ve handled the Teiresias situation differently and been more mannered. Then again Oedipus would’ve probably had to figure it out the truth by himself, instead of forcing it out of Teiresias. That probably would’ve took forever and the people in the city would’ve suffered more. So, either way would produce the same outcome of wisdom for Oedipus, just a difference in time, the amount of suffering and when death would come. It’s like having the option of the death penalty or life in prison; person knows they’re going to die either way just a matter of time. Oedipus brought his tragedy upon himself; even though he seemed ignorant to fact until the end. He killed his father, married and had kids with his mother and had to reap the repercussions of his own decree. That was meant to happen. The reason why, unknown, but someone could’ve found light in it and shouldn’t be revised. Next, is the question of , why or why not would I do my situation with suffering over again? I honestly can’t say that I would. Reason being is, because as I look back over my life; from being homeless, crying myself to sleep at night, struggling with the situation with my dad, feeling alone, jail visits, health scares to the littlest lie have all help me grow and learn. The greatest thing I’ve learned through my suffering though, is the importance of my momma. I appreciate her so much for the sacrifices she has made and her strength. Our life isn’t the best, but we have each other. She cries, I cry, she hurts, I hurt, when she’s happy is when I’m the happiest. That’s why I strive to stay focused in school and do the right thing because I know that what she has been through when she was younger is what she doesn’t want me to experience. She’s is the just best friend/mother/father I just don’t know where I would be without her. I still have my underlying issues and occasional problems but now I know that I’m going to be okay. Can’t change the fact that my real dad doesn’t want me, but I can change how I handle it. Yes it hurts, but as long as I got God, my momma, family and those that care truly care for me in my corner; can fight anything. All in all, people gain wisdom through growth and acceptance. Oedipus gained wisdom through knowledge that the suffering of his city was the result of a plague-wind brought about by his killing of king Laius. In the process leading to his own suffering with the revelations that her was the murderer that he sought after and that he married and had kids with his very own mother. The wisdom that that I gained through my suffering stemming from the situation with my father is that I’m not a mistake, have to accept that it’s out of my control, his loss, and that my life is to precious to consider taking. I continue to progress and Oedipus is dead. Revisiting the words of Judy Collins and Henri-Frederic Amiel, â€Å"Suffering is the price of being alive. †; â€Å"make use of suffering. † Everybody experience suffering; whether brought about themselves, by circumstance or environment. Suffering is apart of life and the art of living is to make use of it to gain wisdom. People should just accept it, there’s no shortcut; just drive through it and learn. Suffering is everywhere. If a person doesn’t agree, dare them to just look around, listen to the news and tune in to reality.

Analysis Of Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress

Balzac and The Little Chinese Seamstress In the novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress written by Dai Sijie, the interaction between Luo, the Narrator, and the headman reveals the purpose of re-education and its cultural values that shaped Chinese culture and shows the impact that it left on characters such as Luo and The Narrator. Not only does the Chinese government encourage re-education, but through this, it discourages individuality and showing your intellectual abilities. The practice of re-education is a big part of the traditional society. The purpose of re-education is to take those who are intellectually gifted and teach them how to farm and do tasks that dont require having any sort of intelligence.this makes†¦show more content†¦That immediate response to cover up the truth is a prime example of how their culture brainwashes them and distorts their point of view along with their way of life. In the second half of the passage, re-education is broken down and explained. There is a huge reflec tion on cultural values and Mao Zedong (their leader) as to why his decision to do this was put in place. This reveals a deeper truth about the culture because it shows that being intelligent or any sort of smart is frowned upon. And there must be underlying feelings of fear of what could happen if a citizen were to outsmart the government. The whole time of this passage is very intense. The people of this time felt that they were being used as guinea pigs in a human experiment. However, they were not the first or the last. The Narrator stated that â€Å"Millions of young people had gone before us , and millions were to follow† this reveals a major theme of the novel, which is hostility. Everyone living in the era was aware of what was happening and felt ashamed to be themselves. Both the Narrator and Luo had very intelligent parents who were put in harsh positions and one of them was even tortured. This passage is a great introduction to this book because it lays the found ation for the whole novel. It shows what their society values and the characteristics of each character that plays an importantShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress845 Words   |  4 Pagesbut too often, we tend to define each other by one specific quality. Dai Sijie’s 2001 publication Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress demonstrates this in the form of two young men and how they consider their female companion. The Narrator and his friend Luo are being reeducated in a village in Communist China. Along the way, they both become captivated by the tailor’s daughter, the Seamstress. However, they only see her for her physical beauty, and for her potential to become â€Å"civilized†. ByRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress1606 Words   |  7 PagesCritical Analysis of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress During the period right before the Cultural Revolution began the country of China was in the middle of a peasant revolt. There had been many things plaguing the country, especially an economic crisis. According to Singh (1968), this was a very important moment in the country’s history, because in such a short time frame the revolution brought created tremendous changes in the political, social and cultural life of the Chinese people.Read MoreBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Analysis1061 Words   |  5 Pagesmore valuable to the people than the nationalist regime. However, in the novel, this concept is as prominent as it can possibly be in the little seamstress. 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As he reads these books, his language moves from the sparse way of speaking to the thoroughly Romantic language it becomes at the book’s apexRead MoreAnalysis Of Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress By Dai Sijie1381 Words   |  6 Pages Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is about two teen boys being sent out to rural China for reeducation. Set on Phoenix Mountain, the novel introduces us to the local beauty, the Little Seamstress, who quickly becomes the girlfriend of the narrator’s best friend. The Little Seamstress, for much of the novel, was a static character. She was a project that Luo, the narrator’s best friend, was bent on completing. However, towards the end of the novel, the princess of Phoenix Mountain