Strategic Marketing Plan For A Successful Business

Article Review The key to a successful business is creating a specific detailed strategic marketing plan outlining product pricing. It is important for the marketing plan to include product pricing strategies in anticipation for the fluctuation of competing products and consumer demands. In the article Prices Marketing Strategies by Adrian Gherasim (2012), the article details the various methods to price product from creation, when competition enters the market, to when price adjustments should be made. Marketing strategies should take into consideration supply and demand when determining prices since pricing will consistently need to be adjusted depending on the market. Marketing strategies should continue to follow marketing trends to increase and decrease product prices in order to maximize profit. The article is written to identify the many strategies that are used for pricing. The article argues that products will always have competition, creating pricing strategies and setting pricing to align with peak market control will allow the firm to obtain the highest profit levels. It outlines pricing through all stages from the product creation, maintaining products on the market, what to do when encountering market competition, going on the defense, price attacking the competition, and when to modify pricing. It provides insight on pricing in bulk, pricing through low margin on sales items, but high profits on necessary companion item, pricing strategies to helpShow MoreRelatedWhy Do Healthcare Practices Need a Marketing Plan?793 Words   |  3 Pagesadvertising and marketing efforts for the coming year is known as a marketing plan. A marketing plan includes a statement of the marketing situation, a discussion of target markets and company positioning and a description of the marketing mix intended for use in reaching marketing goals (entrepreneur.com, 2012). A second definition of a marketing plan is as follows: a plan that describes the activities involved in achieving certain marketing objectives within a given timeframe. A market plan starts offRead More Marketing Strategy Implementation in Higher Education854 Words   |  4 Pagesreview addressed the strategic implementation of marketing initiatives within international higher education entities (Naidoo Woo, 2011). This article was of particular interest to me due to its specific focus on marketing within higher education entities (HEI’s). The authors focused their research on 10 universities which recruit international students; specifically, on 570 questionnaires from mid-level marketing managers responsible for strategic implementation of marketing initiatives. (NaidooRead MoreCompany and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships1465 Words   |  6 Pagesable to: 1. Explain companywide strategic planning in its four steps 2. Discuss how to design business portfolios and develop growth strategies 3. Explain marketing’s role in strategic planning and how marketing works with its partners to create and deliver customer value 4. Describe the elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and mix, and the forces that influence it 5. List the marketing management functions, including the elements of a marketing plan, and discuss the importance ofRead MoreWhile Your Healthcare Practice Needs a Marketing Plan Essay1135 Words   |  5 PagesNeeds a Marketing Plan Angela Bostick-Dixon Ashford University Strategic Planning amp; Marketing in Health Care MHA 626 Cynthia Davis November 27, 2011 Why Your Healthcare Practice Needs a Marketing Plan The business plan of any organization can only occur after a successful strategic plan is form and securely in place. The strategic plan in any corporation, organization, and small business ventures has a vision on where this organization needs to be in the future. â€Å"The strategic plan isRead MoreMarketing Plan827 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Marketing Business Environment Marketing Planning: An Overview of Marketing 6 main questions to ask in order to create your marketing plan: 1. Where are we now? (Business Mission, Marketing audit, SWOT analysis) 2. How did we get here? (Business Mission, Marketing audit, SWOT analysis) 3. Where are we heading? (Marketing audit, SWOT Analysis) 4. Where would we like to be? (Marketing objectives) 5. How do we get there? (Core Strategy, Marketing mix decisions, Organization, ImplementationRead MoreMgt 521 Functional Areas of Marketing and Hr1137 Words   |  5 PagesFunctional Areas of Business - Marketing and Human Resources â€Æ' Functional Areas of Business - Marketing and Human Resources The MBA overview highlights several areas of business that are studied in the MBA program at University of Phoenix. Two of the functional areas of business that appeal to me are marketing and human resources. This paper will review these two business functions, and provide an explanation of the management role in each area. Marketing Business Function. Read MoreEssay about Mgt 521 Week 2 Functional Areas of Business718 Words   |  3 PagesAreas of Business Paper Improving marketing has become a top priority of successful inventors and corporations. Most corporations’ research different groups and needs in the marketplace, satisfy the consumers in a superior way by targeting their wants and needs. All marketing strategies are built on segmentation, targeting, positioning, and then position its offering so that the target market recognizes the company’s image and terrific offerings. There are many different business areas whichRead MoreProduct Marketing Plan For Marketing1683 Words   |  7 PagesProduct Marketing Plan In the business, the world, marketing is the trade of introduction of inventors and corporations to the consumer. This trade will be in the regards to marketing the product and/or services also the invention. Marketing point will be conducted with a series of surveys, test groups and information collected for a target marketing segment. In these, conduct informational studies, the marketing will figure to correct target market, consumer and the supply and demand of the productRead MoreStrategic Marketing Process Essay974 Words   |  4 PagesStrategic Marketing Process The purpose of this paper is to briefly explore the strategic marketing process, specifically the key phases of planning, implementation, and control. In addition, the application of mixed marketing to create a market segments as well as customer loyalty is equally explored. Several relevant scholarly sources were identified to provide research and information about the strategic marketing process and its evolutionary development from the industrial to the informationRead MoreMarketing Plan1347 Words   |  6 PagesA marketing plan is the key to business. Its purpose is to maximize the business profits. As opportunities crop up or the business environment changes, the objective and marketing strategies in the plan will aim toward the best action. The marketing plan and the strategic marketing plan fit together in that both are essential for the success of a business. Without a strategic marketing plan, businesses can become uncertain in marketing efforts. The purpose of the st rategic marketing plan is

No Heros No Villians - 1488 Words

Sociology 461 Criminal Justice Systems Edward M. Stern No Heroes, No Villains; by Steven Phillips In the book No Heroes, No Villains the author Steve Phillips describes a story of a single dramatic trial of murder it offers a thoughtful and balanced presentation of the problems besetting our criminal courts, lays bare the mechanics of justice, and explains in graphic detail just what is wrong and right about our criminal justice system. Throughout this book there are many important details leading up to the trial of James Richardson. James Richardson was the accused in the case of the deceased NY Police Officer John Skagen. John Skagen was shot to death in a NY subway station on June 28, 1972. The Facts in this case are clear; Officer†¦show more content†¦Pinned to card was a gold Correction Officers Badge. After the investigation it was revealed that the badge was issued to a May Elaine Williams. In the beginning of the book Miss Williams was the victim of a robbery on March 2, 1972 at Marzans pub. At that time her pocket book was stolen. Her badge was in her bag at the time it was stolen. The bag was found and later returned to her by James Richardson, but the badge was never returned. The robbery remained unsolved. The facts were not at all clear to the Police Officers or the attorneys who will soon face this case. The players involved where many, but to name just a few: William M. Kunstler, a very popular and well-liked lawyer, he represented James Richardson. The Author of the book was the prosecutor in this case; he was young and unprepared to becoming an assistant district attorney for this case. But I do have to add that the work he did performed was excellent, but again William Kunstler he was a well-seasoned attorney. The fact that it was a well-known case from all the media outlets already put even more pressure over this new district attorneys head. John Skagens case had no real chance, because of this fact. Sad but true fact The accused James Richardson had the well know William Kunstler, who was very popular, well-liked lawyer with well-known cases. Mr. Kunstler knew exactly how to work the jury. He had the upper hand to begin with in this case. As for the outbursts throughout theShow MoreRelatedJohn Brown as the Villian or Hero Essay1950 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Brown as the Villian or Hero Browns attack on Harpers Ferry affected American culture more than can ever be understood. Tension between the North and South was building in the 1850s. Slavery among many other things was dividing the country into two sections. Brown was executed on December 2, 1859 for his murderous out-lash on society. Was his mind so twisted and demented that he would commit cold-blooded murder? The answer is no. John Brown was a man with a goal and a purpose.Read MoreOliver Cromwell- Hero or Villian? Essay1693 Words   |  7 PagesOliver Cromwell: Hero or Villain? Oliver Cromwell was a Puritan MP from Cambridgeshire when Charles I raised his standards in Nottingham, 1642. This was the start of the civil war. Cromwell introduced a new model army to the Parliamentarians which was a superior fighting force that led to the defeat of the Royalists. This influenced people to believe that he were a hero as they were against King Charles I. Cromwell seemed as the only person that would stand up to him. When the king was executedRead MoreThe Hero vs Villian Dichotomy in Beowulf Essay925 Words   |  4 Pagesand evil to young and old, light and dark to Christianity and paganism. All these dichotomies are represented clearly in the text; however the concept of Heroes and Villains can be pulled in many different directions. Although Beowulf is always the hero, it is questionable as to if his three opponents are simply â€Å"villains.† In the first of Beowulf’s three battles, he fights Grendel, an â€Å"evil creature†¦full of envy and anger† (13). Grendel, a cursed descendent of Cain who lived in the darkness, attackedRead MoreHow does steinbeck portray George, hero or villian?925 Words   |  4 Pagesfollowing the depression and economic poverty it caused. Steinbeck portrays George as a flawed character who doesnt display archetypal heroic qualities, however the reader empathizes with him. Steinbeck therefore ultimately presents him as a anti-hero within the context of the narrative. At the beginning of the novel, Steinbeck portrays George as a flawed character. George and lennie travel to a ranch , indicating the unsettled lifestyle of men during 1930s. Before arriving at the ranch, GeorgeRead MoreOliver Cromwell - A Hero for Some but a Villian for Many Essay630 Words   |  3 PagesOliver Cromwell is – and has always been – one of the most controversial characters in British and Irish history. There are few people in Great Britain and Ireland today who have not yet heard of Oliver Cromwell and either loathe him or see him as a hero. Yet, the world is not black and white and so is the truth about Cromwell. In order to understand his role in both countries as a whole, one has to look at the perspective of both nations, Cromwell’s beliefs and his motives. Oliver Cromwell’s religiousRead MoreKingsman The Secret Service Film Analysis918 Words   |  4 Pagesby an intelligent, yet conniving man. This film provides a good example of the film formula because it clearly identifies the significant components, which are including a hero with motivation, a villian that contributes to the conflict of the film, and how the hero overcomes the obstacles in order for a positive ending. The hero of the film was introduced while he was still a child, but with the passage of time, the main character was revealed as Gary â€Å"Eggsy† Unwin. He was being recruited into aRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Battleship Potemkin 854 Words   |  4 Pageswas the main reason of the uprising in the film so it’s important to know the poor conditions under the Tsarist Navy system. The movie also had heroes and villians which you could pick out easily. These alienated the audience to the side of the uprising and away from the Tsarist government. As the movie progressed so did knowing who the main hero which was Vakulinchuk, the sailor who lead the boycott and uprising. After the sailors took the ship from Tsarist control one of the captions followed VakulinchukRead MoreHow Batman (Dark Knight Trilogy) is a Failed Hero Essay1004 Words   |  5 Pagesmany different monikers, from â€Å"The Dark Knight† to â€Å"Gothams White Light† He is the hero of Gotham City. However, he is not the perfect superhero. Whenever he is fighting a villian such as the Joker and Bane, his methods are unorthodox to the average superhero. The way Batman fights crime, destroying the enviroment to do whatever it takes to stop the villian, and involving collateral damage, makes him a failed hero. Batmans vengance starts out in Batman Begins. As a young boy, Bruce witnessed hisRead MoreMedusa Essay866 Words   |  4 Pageswith snakes as hair and eyes that turned people into stone, she was cursed. Even worse, Medusa was not punished for her own wrong doing. Medusa’s life was completely changed after something horrific happened to her. In this story, Medusa is not the villian, nor the monster many see her as today. Medusa was a girl who was missunderstood. Before Medusa became cursed, she was a normal woman who lived in Athens, Greece. She was a very beautiful women and she was aware of that. Medusa was quit a narsissistRead MoreMovie Analysis : Superman, Batman, And Iron Man1495 Words   |  6 Pagesrepresents a brave man who dresses up in disguise as a dark, scary hero figure who goes out at night to protect his city. Furthermore, In the film Iron Man, a rich playboy builds a suit with futuristic technology and risks his life to stop crime in his city. At the heart of each of these movies is the hero archetype. The Hero archetype symbolizes a person who is willing to sacrifice their life to protect others from harm. To begin with, the hero archetype was first seen in classical mythology from the time

Supply, Demand and Diversity Factors in the Workforce of Australia Free Essays

1. Labour Supply Analysis (to determine if the number and types of employees required are available when and where they will be needed). You should analyze current workforce’s capacity to meet current and predicted demands for business goods and services. We will write a custom essay sample on Supply, Demand and Diversity Factors in the Workforce of Australia or any similar topic only for you Order Now The process begins with the internal analysis of existing employees in the company. If the number or mix of staff are not sufficient or not meet the requirements, the search for external information is required. Theses information can be obtained through the intranet, policy documents, divisional reports and etc. The beginning is made a list of current employees to identify future skills. This analysis includes an audit of current skills of each employee. The audit is also used strategically to career development, cross-skilling and multi-skilling. Even with the availability of these resources, the greatest challenge is also to establish a dialogue with the staff to meet the goals and aspirations them and also if they want an opportunity to grow within the company. According to new research, companies are not giving the right support to their staff. Without opportunities, employees are going away. For this reason the skills shortage and staff turnover still are being a problem. People need to feel purposeful and valued about where the organization is going. The companies need to create strategies to retain their talent and this is the main feature that ensures competitiveness, much more than material resources, financial and technological. The ANZ bank has a supply intensive with over 15. 000 suppliers providing good and services that keep their operations. Their focus is on strengthening their relationship with local suppliers in all markets and their supply chain is located in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and India. 2. Labour Demand Forecasting (estimating the number and type of employees needed to meet organisational objectives). Using (not just repeating) the labour supply data or demographic and economic data: explain how this data will be used to forecast human resources supply within ANZ Bank Australia. The Human Resource Planning will be affected according to the level of business development. If the company is starting now, the HRP will hire only candidates with skills that sustain the operations of the company. But if the company is growing, the HRP will focus on the hiring of experts. And if the company is in decline or challenge in the face of economic climate, the focus will be the restructuring. With the globalization, the advance of technology and the concept of sustainability, the companies need to adapte to these challenges. These challenges influence the vision and objectives of the companies. The strategy used by the bank is to nurture leadership team in regions where business is growing. Today this strategy is being implemented in Asia and the Pacific. ANZ bank seeks to avoid redundancies. 3. Balancing Supply and Demand Considerations Review of diversity in the Australian workforce – how would this affect/apply to ANZ Bank Australia. One of the problems that it has been affected the workforce in Australia is the redundancy and many employees have left their jobs for fear to lose the work. According to a survey, 76% will be looking for a new opportunity in the next 6 months. The main reason is that they are seeking a career development and wage growth. If the employee feels that is purposeful, valued, that have some support and rewards necessary, the employee remains in the company. An example that expresses this problem is with receptionist position because over half 54% of administration and office staff a new job and it have proven that receptionist are the most unhappy. This position is easily filled and employers don’t have to invest in these staff, even the reception staff are the face of an organisation. The challenge has been also finding people who are prepared to develop their skills and match the current needs of the companies. The qualities that employers are looking for today in candidates are: resilience, strong leadership, ability to seek ways to remain competitive from a business development standpoint and the ability to be more productive with limited resources. Employers are looking for who are make an impact on profitability today. The balancing supply and demand is based on recruitment (shortage) such as: full-time, part-time, job/work design, career management, remuneration practices. And also Reductions such as: Dismissals, retirements, retrenchments. 4. How to Formulate Staffing Strategies to meet Organisational Needs Define ow the article information will be used to define objectives and staffing strategies in ANZ Bank to retain required skilled labour. According to ANZ bank the staff strategies are used to create a new leadership team in which region that they are included. Others staffing strategies used are: open communication with staff (people need to feel purposeful and valuated); is impo rtant to communicate a clear vision to the employees and the goals and objectives of the company and also where the company is going to; provide some coaching and training; provide some salary package. How to cite Supply, Demand and Diversity Factors in the Workforce of Australia, Papers

Strategic Leadership free essay sample

Strategic leadership. This assignment critically evaluates leadership theories within a strategic framework by drawing upon literature sources and contrasting different academic perspectives. It will explore the relevance of strategic leadership within a small organization , as it appears that, from an initial review of the literature, that strategic leadership theories are aimed at large, complex, corporate organisations. Recommendations will be made as to whether or not the strategic leadership theories are of relevance to a small organisation and which theories have more relevance than others in this pecific organizational context. Leadership The concept of leadership is not new and it has been suggested that it was philosophers from ancient civilisations who first started to examine the definition of leadership (Grint 2001). The oldest known military text The Art of War (circa 400 BC) states: the leader of armies is the arbiter of the peoples fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril (Sun (undated)). We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As early as the fourth century BC Plato believed leadership and the development of leaders to be of fundamental importance (Bass 1990). However, over the last few decades the oncept of leadership has been heavily studied and debated; so much so that, for the first-time reader on the subject matter, the definition leadership appears, at first sight, to be intangible. It would appear that every layperson, when asked, instinctively knows what a leader is, but when asked to describe this in detail they falter. Fielder (1987) states that there have been at least 65 definitions of leadership put forward, and Stogdill (1974) argues that there are almost as many definitions as there are commentators. Leadership has been defined by Bennis (1998) as a function of knowing yourself, aving a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential. However, Heifetz argues that there is little chance of ever resolving an all-embracing definition of leadership. This view is supported by Drucker (1996) who argues that the only definition of a leader is someone who has followers and Nanus (1997) who states that leadership is like the Abominable Snowman, whose footprints are everywhere but who is nowhere to be seen. Recent research carried out by the South West Regional Development Agency concludes that Despite recognition of the importance of eadership, there remains a certain mystery as to what leadership actually is or how to define it (Bolden 2004). Everyone has their own intuitive understanding of what leadership is, based on a mixture of experience and learning, which is difficult to capture in a succinct definition. The situation appears to be far more complex than less would have us believe. There does however appear to be some consensus that leadership is not management, and Zaleznik (1977) was one of the first to delineate the differences between leadership and management. He saw a leader as an artist, who uses reativity and intuition to navigate his way through chaos, whilst the manager is seen as a problem solver dependent on rationality and control. The dichotomy between leaders and managers was forcefully established by Bennis and Nanus (1985) who suggest that managers do things right whilst leaders do the right thing. Bennis (1989) went on to draw twelve distinctions between the two groups: Managers Leaders Managers administer Leaders innovate Managers ask how and when Leaders ask what and why Managers focus on systems Leaders focus on people Managers do things right Leaders do the right things Managers maintain Leaders develop Managers rely on control Leaders inspire trust Managers have a short-term perspective Leaders have a longer-term perspective Managers accept the status-quo Leaders challenge the status-quo Managers have an eye on the bottom line Leaders have an eye on the horizon Managers imitate Leaders originate Managers emulate the classic good soldier Leaders are their own person Managers copy Leaders show originality Source: Bennis (1989) Northouse (2004) also saw a distinction between leadership and management and observed that in general terms managers concerned themselves with tasks while eaders concerned themselves with people. Central to most of these distinctions is an orientation towards change. This concept is well represented in the work of Kotter (1990) who concluded that management is about coping with complexity whilst leadership, by contrast, is about coping with change. He proposed that good management brings about a degree of order and consistency to organisational processes and goals, whilst leadership is required for dynamic change. Strategic Leadership As with the definition of leadership, there is a similar problem when attempting to tie down precisely what strategy is. There are strongly differing opinions on most of the key issues of strategy and the disagreement runs so deep that a common definition of the term strategy is illusive (De Wit 2004). This leads to their being little hope of ever being able to define strategic leadership.

Gay And Lesbian Essay Research Paper Historians free essay sample

Gay And Lesbian Essay, Research Paper Historians have traced homosexual imagination to the really start of American film, with the Thomas Edison movie The Gay Brothers ( 1895 ) , directed by William Dickson, in which two work forces dance together. Female imitators and adult females playing male functions, both fixtures in late-19th-century music hall and theatre, began looking in split- and one-reel movies of the 1900s. Today this work can look more overtly gay or sapphic than it did in its clip, when the impression of homosexual desire was more purely forbidden # 8212 ; despite the frequence of gender camouflages and same-sex bonding in popular amusement. By the teens, nevertheless, American comedies were trusting on the audience s acknowledgment of homosexual types. In Algie The Miner ( 1912 ) , a one-reeler produced by Alice Guy-Blach? , Billy Quirk was a pantywaist who wants to go a cowpuncher. Quirk besides played a dandy in the two-reeler The Barber ( 1918 ) , in which the Chaplin impersonator Billy West styles h is hair with girlish threads. We will write a custom essay sample on Gay And Lesbian Essay Research Paper Historians or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Behind The Screen ( 1916 ) has the existent Chaplin snoging Edna Purviance when she s disguised as a male child ; large bully Eric Campbell descry them and starts laping approximately, mocking what he thinks are two cheery lovers, until Chaplin wallops him. In the five-reel A Florida Enchantment ( 1914 ) , directed by Sidney Drew, Edith Storey eats a charming seed that changes one s gender, and she turns into a pants-wearing woman-chaser in a crafty public presentation of masculine bearing and attitude. Drew, who besides starred, tries a seed himself and is shortly softening about with the hallmark effeminate idiosyncrasies. When he dresses as a adult female, an angry rabble runs him off a wharf and into the ocean # 8212 ; at which clip Storey awakens from her dream. In the 1920s, Stan Laurel showed a preference for effeminate wit in his solo two-reelers. The Soilers ( 1923 ) , his send-up of the rugged actioner The Spoilers, includes a femme homosexual cowpuncher who adores the bu tch work forces around him. Laurel himself was the effeminate making alarm in With Love And Hisses ( 1927 ) , one of his first movies with Oliver Hardy. As a comedy couple, the brace made Liberty ( 1929 ) , directed by Leo McCarey, in which the male childs are at large cons who shed their prison attire but unwittingly slip on each other s pants. The movie s running joke has them seeking to conceal and exchange bloomerss, merely to be invariably caught together with their bloomerss down by aghast passersby. Leo White in Erich von Stroheim s The Devil s Passkey ( 1920 ) and George K. Arthur in Irene ( 1926 ) were emasculate frock interior decorators as amusing alleviation ; more serious imagination came from producer/director Cecil B. De Mille, who spiced up an orgy scene in Manslaughter ( 1922 ) with some sapphic caressing, and Alla Nazimova, who starred in and produced Salome ( 1923 ) , a conventionalized version of the Oscar Wilde drama, reputedly filmed with an all-homosexual cast .The first old ages of sound saw # 8212 ; and heard # 8212 ; the same effeminate characters of the soundless epoch, with dandified chorus male childs and costumiers in the 1929 musicals Why Bring That Up? and The Broadway Melody. The Motion Picture Production Code, adopted by Hollywood in 1930, included homosexualism among its many tabu, but effeminate wit, where the character was more nonsexual than homosexual, persisted with such 1934 musicals as Wonder Bar and Myrt And Marge. Franklin Pangborn had played Viola tricolor hortensiss since the 20s but did his best work in talking pictures such as the 1933 movies Merely Yesterday, International House, and Professional Sweetheart. Edward Everett Horton fluttered through The Front Page ( 1931 ) and The Gay Divorcee ( 1934 ) , and Viola tricolor hortensis wit besides punctuated Our Betters ( 1933, directed by George Cukor ) , Sailor s Luck ( 1933, directed by Raoul Walsh ) , Laurel and Hardy s The Midnight Patrol ( 1933 ) , Mae Wes t s She Done Him Wrong ( 1933 ) , and Chaplin s Modern Times ( 1936 ) . Name Her Savage ( 1932 ) had an uninhibited scene set in a homosexual saloon, Sandra Shaw played a cross-dressing adult female in Blood Money ( 1933 ) , and the gender-swap travesty The Warrior s Husband ( 1933 ) was filled with homosexual and sapphic insinuation. More serious movies besides had homosexual state of affairss. A tuxedoed Marlene Dietrich takes a rose and a buss from a immature lady in Morocco ( 1930 ) , directed by Josef von Sternberg. Greta Garbo dresses as a adult male in Queen Christina ( 1933 ) , directed by Rouben Mamoulian ; Christina kisses Elizabeth Young, and claims she ll decease non an old amah but a unmarried man. Hell s Highway ( 1932 ) alluded to homosexualism in prison, and in De Mille s The Sign Of The Cross ( 1932 ) Charles Laughton played Nero as the effeminate, childish maniac the Emperor truly was. Dracula s Daughter ( 1936 ) brought an titillating border to Gloria Holden s b loodlust for adult females. But when Lillian Hellman s drama The Children s Hour was filmed that twelvemonth by manager William Wyler, its sapphic subject was cut and the movie was re-titled These Three. Besides in 1936, Katharine Hepburn was disguised as a male child for manager George Cukor s Sylvia Scarlett. A box-office floating-point operation, it hurt their callings and inhibited other drag comedies from researching transgender and homoerotic feelings.Cary Grant explodes, I ve merely gone GAY all of a sudden! to explicate the negligee he s have oning in Bringing Up Baby ( 1938 ) , directed by Howard Hawks. Afterward, homosexual mentions become progressively rare. Judith Anderson played a subtly sapphic character as the housekeeper obsessed with her dead kept woman in Rebecca ( 1940 ) , directed by Alfred Hitchcock. More overtly homosexual was the elegant condemnable Joel Cairo, played by Peter Lorre in John Huston s The Maltese Falcon ( 1941 ) ; Sydney Greenstreet as Casper Gutman and Elisha Cook Jr. as his gunsel Wilmer were about as uncloseted. Billy Wilder s The Lost Weekend ( 1945 ) included Frank Faylen as Bim, an intimidating homosexual male nurse. In Alfred Hitchcock s Rope ( 1948 ) , John Dall and Farley Granger played slayers based on the 1920s liquidators Leopold and Loeb. Like their real-life theoretical accounts, the characters are lovers, but the movie keeps their homosexualism wholly in the wordless shading of the histrions public presentations. Independent film makers James Watson and Melville Webber used titillating imagination, homosexual and heterosexual, in their experimental movie Lot In Sodom ( 1933 ) . The alleged immoral capable affair of Children Of Loneliness, a 1939 exploitationer, kept the movie unreleased until 1953. Its prophylactic narratives depict a adult female brought back from the threshold of sapphism ( while her inborn seductress gets hit by a truck ) , and a immature adult male who feels more female than mal e and so commits self-destruction. In 1947, the 17-year-old Kenneth Anger shooting Fireworks in his parents place and made one of the polar daring movies. He d neer once more do anything every bit homoerotic as the crewmans of Fireworks, who pose for him and so rupture him apart ( although his Scorpio Rising ( 1963 ) recognizes the homosexual impulses in the biker scene ) . A adolescent Curtis Harrigton worked in a similar vena with his 1946 short Fragment Of Seeking. Willard Maas collaborated on such gay-themed psychodramas as Images In The Snow ( 1948 ) , The Mechanicss Of Love ( 1955 ) , and Narcissus ( 1956 ) . Gregory Markopolous vision of male beauty is already at work in his early movies Du Sang, De La Volupt? Et De La Mort ( 1948 ) , Swain ( 1950 ) , and Flowers Of Asphalt ( 1951 ) .In 1950 Hollywood glanced at sapphism with the womens-prison movie Caged and with Young Man With A Horn, where Lauren Bacall finds her girlfriend more interesting than Kirk Douglas. A subtler h omosexuality characterized Robert Walker s liquidator in Hitchcock s Strangers On A Train ( 1951 ) , or the teenage Plato, played by Sal Mineo, who loves the older male child Jim, played by James Dean, in Rebel Without A Cause ( 1955 ) , directed by Nicholas Ray. Director Vincente Minnelli filmed Robert Anderson s drama Tea And Sympathy ( 1956 ) ; John Kerr was the college pupil everyone thinks is homosexual until an older adult female lets him turn out otherwise. Tennessee Williams drama Suddenly Last Summer was filmed by manager Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1959. Scripted by Williams and Gore Vidal, it delivered a incubus history of a homosexual adult male devoured by the starvation boys he has exploited. The following twelvemonth, an effort by Roman general Laurence Olivier to score his slave Tony Curtis was cut from manager Stanley Kubrick s Spartacus ; the scene was eventually restored for the movie s 1991 re-issue.In 1962, four of import movies featured homosexual content. More th an 25 old ages after These Three, producer/director William Wyler dependably filmed The Children s Hour, with Shirley MacLaine perpetrating self-destruction when she realizes that the sapphic rumours about herself are true. Sidney Lumet directed Arthur Miller s A Position From The Bridge, in which Raf Vallone implicates his ain gender by impeaching another adult male of being homosexual ; finally he excessively kills himself. Advise And Consent, produced and directed by Otto Preminger, has a scene in a cheery saloon ; it besides has a self-destruction, when politician Don Murray is blackmailed for a past homosexual crack. In A Walk On The Wild Side, directed by Edward Dmytryk, Barbara Stanwyck is a brothel dame in love with prostitute Capucine. She survived the movie ( although Capucine got changeable! ) , and cleared a way for sapphic subplots in the mid 60s. Shelley Winters was a dame with a hankering for Lee Grant in The Balcony ( 1963 ) , Joseph Strick s movie of the Jean Genet drama. Jean Seberg s mental patient is openly bisexual in Robert Rossen s Lilith ( 1964 ) . Candice Bergen was the nice college miss who s besides Sapphic in Lumet s The Group ( 1966 ) . Teenage Sue Lyon aroused more than a chaperone s involvement from Grayson Hall in The Night Of The Iguana ( 1964 ) , John Huston s movie of Tennessee Williams drama ; she evoked similar feelings from Margaret Leighton in Seven Women ( 1966 ) , the last movie of manager John Ford.The sapphic and cheery civil-rights motion grew significantly in the 60s, climaxing in the epoch-making rebellion at New York s Stonewall saloon in June of 1969. The decennary s movies reflected these alterations, most notably in two docudramas: Shirley Clarke s Portrait Of Jason ( 1967 ) , an interview with black streetwalker Jason Holliday, and Frank Simon s The Queen ( 1968 ) , about a transvestic beauty competition in New York. Drag wit began utilizing homosexual and transgendered characters in the comedies The She Ma n ( 1967 ) , The Producers ( 1968 ) , Candy ( 1968 ) , and The Gay Deceivers ( 1969 ) . Most dramas conflated cheery work forces with criminalism: Gunn ( 1967 ) , The Boston Strangler ( 1968 ) , The Detective ( 1968 ) , P.J. ( 1968 ) , Riot ( 1969 ) . John Huston s Reflections In A Golden Eye ( 1967 ) , adapted by Chapman Mortimer and Gladys Hill from Carson McCullers novel, starred Marlon Brando as an Army officer facing his pent-up homosexualism. More conventional was The Sergeant ( 1968 ) , in which Rod Steiger kills himself after coercing a buss on a soldier. Estelle Parsons admits her feelings for Joanne Woodward with an unprompted buss in Rachel, Rachel ( 1968 ) , directed by Paul Newman. Lovers Anne Heywood and Sandy Dennis kiss even more readily in The Fox ( 1968 ) , from D.H. Lawrence s novel, but the Reaper is still inevitable for at least one of them, after they get intruded upon by heterosexual spokesman Keir Dullea. The most expressed play of the epoch came from produc er/director Robert Aldrich, accommodating Frank Marcus drama The Killing Of Sister George ( 1968 ) . Beryl Reid is the uncloseted soap-opera actress who loses her occupation and her lover Susannah York to web shark Coral Browne. Aldrich even shared some of their familiarities with the audience, but the movie was rated X for its capable affair. So excessively was Midnight Cowboy ( 1969 ) , directed by John Schlesinger: The really thought of a movie about a gigolo in New York was plenty to curtail it to grownups. But the movie was a box-office hit, doing stars of Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, and it was finally re-issued uncut with an R-rating. In the early 1960s homosexual subjects were celebrated in landmark daring movies. Jack Smith s hallucinating authoritative Fire Animals ( 1963 ) met with legion legal fusss because of its nakedness and transvestitism. Markopolous made several movies with powerful homoerotic imagination, most notably Twice A Man ( 1963 ) and The Illiac Passion ( 1967 ) . Andy Warhol s Blow Job ( 1964 ) was a 35-minute close-up of a immature adult male s face as he receives unwritten sex. Warhol directed characteristics covering with the gay-sex-for-hire scene # 8212 ; My Hustler ( 1965 ) , I A Man ( 1967 ) , Bike Boy ( 1967 ) # 8212 ; but kept progressively to bring forthing and allow Paul Morrissey direct, write, and cast the movies. They made a m emorable series with former pro Joe Dallesandro, starting in 1968 with Flesh and Lonesome Cowboys. Warhol also appreciated transvestism, and Mario Montez was the leading lady in films with writer Ronald Tavel, such as Screen Test (1965). Morrissey had a similar eye and discovered Holly Woodlawn for Trash (1970) with Dallesandro; he also co-starred her with Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling in Women In Revolt (1972). At this time John Waters was making obscene black comedies which extolled crime and exalted his 300-lb. male heroine, Divine: Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972), and Female Trouble (1974); his later, Divine-less Desperate Living (1977), a lesbian fairy tale, was one of the wildest of all his films. Other notable gay- and lesbian-themed underground films of the 70s include the drag troupe the Cockettes in Tricias Wedding (1971); Jim Bidgoods sensual fantasy Pink Narcissus (1971); the films of Jan Oxenberg, such as A Comedy In Six Unnatural Acts (1975); and the films of the late Curt McDowell, including Thundercrack! (1975) and Loads (1980). Director William Friedkin filmed Mart Crowleys play The Boys In The Band (1970), in which a group of unhappy but witty gay men lacerate each other and themselves. Mervyn Nelsons Some Of My Best Friends Are†¦ (1971) echoed that sad young men approach with its habitu?s of a gay bar. Michael York was a busy bisexual in both the black comedy Something For Everyone (1970), directed by Harold Prince, and the musical Cabaret (1972), directed by Bob Fosse. Homosexuality was used to typify sleaziness and evil, from the animated features of Ralph Bakshi (Heavy Traffic, 1973; Coonskin, 1975) and blaxploitation films (Cleopatra Jones, 1973; Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold, 1975), to espionage dramas (The Kremlin Letter, 1970; The Tamarind Seed, 1974; The Eiger Sanction, 1975), cop actioners (The Laughing Policeman, 1973; Magnum Force, 1973; Freebie And The Bean, 1974; Busting, 1974; The Choirboys, 1977 ), and prison films (Fortune And Mens Eyes, 1971; Caged Heat, 1972; Scarecrow, 1973). Homosexual rape mars the backwoods trip of Deliverance (1972), and promiscuous hetero Diane Keaton gets murdered by a gay man in Looking For Mr. Goodbar (1977). The revelation of homosexuality was still causing suicides in Ode To Billie Joe (1976) and The Betsy (1978), and lesbians and gay men were still providing cheap laughs in There Was A Crooked Man (1970), M*A*S*H (1970), Little Big Man (1970), For Petes Sake (1974), Sheila Levine Is Dead And Living In New York City (1975), and The Goodbye Girl (1977). Less impressive were condescending comedies that focused on homosexuality: Norman, Is That You? (1976), The Ritz (1976), and A Different Story (1978). But there were also gay supporting characters who were actually funny, such as Antonio Fargas in Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) and Car Wash (1976), or Michael Caine in California Suite (1978). In A Perfect Couple (1979), Robert Altman treate d his gay and lesbian characters with respect, and gay dramas were offered by the independent films Saturday Night At The Baths (1973) and A Very Natural Thing (1973). Director Sidney Lumet and writer Frank Pierson delivered a box-office hit with Dog Day Afternoon (1975), a smart, fact-based comedy/drama starring Al Pacino as a bank robber whos trying to finance his male lovers sex-change operation. Among television films, That Certain Summer (1972) featured Hal Holbrook as a gay father coming out to his son; A Question Of Love (1978) starred Gena Rowlands as a lesbian mother fighting for custody of her child; Sergeant Matlovich Vs. The U.S. Air Force (1978) with Brad Dourif dramatized a real-life challenge to the militarys ban on homosexuality. The collaborative Mariposa Film Group made the landmark documentary Word Is Out in 1977, interviewing 26 lesbians and gay men of various ethnicities, ages, and life experiences. Since then, several other important documentaries have been fil med. Robert Epstein and the late Richard Schmiechen made The Times Of Harvey Milk (1984), an account of the openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor who was assassinated in 1976; Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman made Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt (1989), about a few of the lives memorialized in the AIDS Quilt, and The Celluloid Closet (1996), a history of Hollywoods treatment of homosexuality. Greta Schillers Before Stonewall (1984) offers a valuable history of gay and lesbian life. Jennie Livingstons Paris Is Burning (1990) is a unique look at the drag balls of gay blacks and Latins. Schmiechens Changing Our Minds: The Story Of Dr. Evelyn Hooker (1992) examines the psychologist whose work persuaded the American Psychiatric Association to no longer classify homosexuality as a mental disorder. Arthur Dongs Coming Out Under Fire (1994) documents gay and lesbian life in the armed forces during World War II. Adi Sidemans Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys (1994) looks at the North Ame rican Man/Boy Love Association. Wigstock: The Movie (1994) puts the New York drag fest on the screen. Heather MacDonalds Ballot Measure 9 (1995) covers the defeat of anti-gay legislation in Oregon. In 1980 the filming of William Friedkins Cruising was hounded by protesters who insisted his thriller about a psycho in the gay S scene would heighten social prejudices and encourage bashing. That same year, Gordon Willis directed Windows, in which evil lesbian Elizabeth Ashley stalks good heterosexual Talia Shire. Evil gay men came to foul ends in American Gigolo (1980) and Deathtrap (1982). Other films completely diluted their homosexual themes: The heroines lesbianism in Alice Walkers novel The Color Purple was expunged almost entirely from the 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg; so was the gay side of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima in Paul Schraders biopic Mishima (1985). But the decade also saw well-meaning dramas that tried to deal respectfully with homosexuality. In Making Love (1982), written by Barry Sandler and directed by Arthur Hiller, a man leaves his wife for another man; in John Sayles Lianna (1983), a woman leaves her husband for another woman. Robert Townes Personal Best (1982) starred Mariel Hemingway as a bisexual athlete. Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985), from Manuel Puigs novel, had William Hurt as a gay prisoner who becomes the lover of his cellmate, political activist Raul Julia. Last Exit To Brooklyn (1989) adapted Hubert Selby Jr.s novel; Stephen Lang was the striking worker who comes to recognize his own gay urges. Television contributed An Early Frost (1985), with Aidann Quinn as a gay man with AIDS, and Consenting Adult (1985), from the coming-out novel by Laura Z. Hobson. Zorro, The Gay Blade (1981), starred George Hamilton as a sissy swashbuckler, and Partners (1982), had hetero cop Ryan ONeal undercover as a gay man. Other 80s comedies were more gay-positive, notably Blake Edwards transgender farce Victor/Victoria (1982) and Torch So ng Trilogy (1988), written by and starring Harvey Fierstein. Other important films include the Neil Simon comedies Only When I Laugh (1981) and Biloxi Blues (1988), the remake To Be Or Not To Be (1983), and The Hotel New Hampshire (1984). The eras best work, however, came from the independents. Mala Noche (1985), the first feature of writer/director Gus Van Sant, was a classic portrait of unrequited gay love. Paul Morrissey creatively filmed Alan Bownes play about teenage hustlers in Forty Deuce (1982) with Kevin Bacon. Anne Carlisle played both a woman and a gay man in the imaginative Liquid Sky (1982), which she also co-scripted with writer Nina V. Kerova and producer/director Slava Tsukerman. Donna Deitchs Desert Hearts (1985) and Sheila McLaughlins She Must Be Seeing Things (1987) were intelligent romantic dramas about lesbians. The late writer/director Arthur J. Bressan Jr. made dramas about intergenerational gay love in Abuse (1983) and the AIDS crisis in Buddies (1985). The p lague also informed As Is (1986), directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and Parting Glances (1986), directed by the late Bill Sherwood. In the 90s, despite such drag-queen comedies as To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and the mega-hit The Birdcage (1996), an adaptation of the hit French farce La Cage Aux Folles, Hollywood has stuck to the prejudices of earlier years. The smash Basic Instinct (1992), directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, starred Sharon Stone as a bisexual villain, and its filming aroused protests as vehement as the attacks on Cruising. Equally furious was the response to the hit thriller The Silence Of The Lambs (1990), directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Ted Tally, which equated homosexuality and transgenderism with insanity and murder. David Cronenbergs Naked Lunch (1991), made a dour, homophobic film out of William Burroughs funny, gay-positive novel. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) adapted Fannie Flaggs book but deleted the lesbian relationship between its young women. Both The Prince Of Tides (1991), directed by Barbra Streisand, and Barry Levinsons Sleepers (1996) pressed audience buttons about gay rapists preying on boys.Two recent major releases have treated gay themes seriously. Cronenbergs M. Butterfly (1993), adapted by David Henry Hwang from his fact-based play, starred Jeremy Irons as a French diplomat in China who gives government secrets to his longtime lover, a singer with the Chinese Opera — without ever knowing that shes really a man. Demmes Philadelphia (1994), written by Ron Nyswaner, starred Tom Hanks as a gay man fighting the discrimination he faces as a person with AIDS. Television produced two reality-based dramas: And The Band Played On (1993) adapted the late Randy Shilts book about the Reagan administrations slow response to AIDS; The Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1994) starred Glenn Close as an open lesbian fighting to stay in the military. Again the most notewort hy films have come from independents. Openly-gay writer/directors Gus Van Sant and Todd Haynes both released major films in 1991. Van Sants My Own Private Idaho (1991), starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves, merged a story of two young hustlers in Oregon with Shakespeares Henry IV for a surreal, funny, and moving tale of love and betrayal. Haynes Poison intercut three stories, including homoerotic sequences from Jean Genets autobiographical novel The Miracle Of The Rose. Christine Vachon, the producer of Poison, brought several other important films to the screen: Swoon (1992), Tom Kalins look at the gay love between the murderers Leopold and Loeb; the lesbian comedy/drama Go Fish (1994), directed and co-scripted by Rose Troche; Postcards From America (1994), Steve McLeans adaptation of writings by the late David Wojnarowicz; I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), about Valerie Solanas attempt on Warhols life; and Stonewall (1996), a British dramatization of the birth of the modern-American g ay-rights movement. Other independent films dealing with homosexuality include Gregg Arakis boy-meets-boy-meets-gun tale, The Living End (1992); The Hours And Times (1991), Christopher M?nchs speculation on John Lennons relationship with Beatles manager Brian Epstein; Longtime Companion (1990), a touching drama of loves lost to AIDS, directed by Norman Ren? and written by Craig Lucas; and the bisexual farce The Wedding Banquet (1993), directed and co-scripted by Ang Lee. Among the noteworthy films in 1995 were Maria Maggentis lesbian romance The Incredibly True Adventure Of Two Girls In Love; the gay romantic comedy Jeffrey, from the play by Paul Rudnick; and Roy Cohn/Jack Smith, a filming of the late Ron Vawters stage triumph in which he played the closeted and homophobic arch-conservative Roy Cohn, and the totally uncensored, visionary artist Jack Smith — both of whom died of AIDS in the 1980s. More recent independent releases include Larry and Andy Wachowskis Bound (1996), a lesbian version of film noir with Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon; Johns (1996), Scott Silvers drama of hustling teenage boys; and in 1997 Joe Mantellos heartfelt, funny and very-human comedy Love! Valor! Compassion! adapted from Terrence McNallys multi-award winning 1995 play. Despite the pressures of homophobia, American films have made classic accounts of lesbian and gay life in the hundred years since The Gay Brothers. This body of work augurs well for the next hundred years of movies.

Donald Trumps Election in Relation to Literature Essays

Donald Trumps Election in Relation to Literature Essays Donald Trumps Election in Relation to Literature Essay Donald Trumps Election in Relation to Literature Essay On November 8, 2016, the dark horse candidate, Donald Trump, won the presidential election; the outcome of this election is supported by the ideas present in Of Mice and Men and Inherit the Wind. Ideas such as embracing change for a better future and keeping the American dream alive. Life in America has evolved since the time of these works of art, religion no longer dominates government and the disenfranchised have a strong voice. America is now openly embracing change and actively fighting for the American dream. In the film Inherit the Wind one of the main themes discussed was progress; progressing from accepting the religious or expected answers and using reason to think for oneself. In the recent election Trump’s campaign was plagued with inconsistency and bigotry at times, and in spite of these obvious blunders on his part people were still willing to choose him over his opponent, Hillary Clinton; this is because Clinton was almost guaranteed to c ontinue on the path currently set by the democratic party. The main voting force was middle and low class white Americans, people who have waited for a change to be set forth by the democrats, and they never received what they felt was justice. By using their voice and their reason they choose Trump because he promised to bring forth change in a new and different way. In Inherit the Wind Drummond said â€Å"Gentlemen, progress has never been a bargain. You have to pay for it.† We choose this new and different way of dealing with the problems that plague America and those who live in it, hopefully our price is one only of change and not any other dire consequences. Another factor that pushed this election was the American Dream, and the ability to continue to have it. The American dream has continued to motivate since before the founding of the country; the belief that anyone, no matter socioeconomic groups or beliefs, can be successful in this country. In Trump’s campaign he appealed t

Figurative Language Versus Literal Language Essay

Figurative Language Versus Literal Language - Essay Example On the other hand, literal language is the complete opposite of figurative language because it means exactly what it says; what is spoken should always be taken as pure fact. Many people often get confused about figurative language and what it actually refers to. This is why it is so important to understand what the language is referring to and what the intended meaning is. In this paper, the ten most common forms of figurative language will be discussed. They are as follows: (1) idiom; (2) analogy; (3) metaphor; (4) simile; (5) cliche; (6) amphiboly; (7) flame word; (8) hyperbole; (9) euphemism; and (10) colloquialism. The first type of figurative language, idiom, is a phrase that is made up of unrelated words that only make sense when used together. Idioms evolve over time as people get comfortable saying them. An example of an idiom would be ‘a slip of the tongue.’ Of course, it is impossible for a tongue to actually slip, but the idiom is referring to a misspoken wor d or phrase. Idioms only make sense when the listener understands all the parts of the phrase individually and then is able to put them together to get the intended meaning. People who are in the process of learning a new language often don’t understand idioms because they simply don’t have the vocabulary to do so. ...The third type of figurative language, metaphor, is different from analogy because it makes a direct comparison between two unrelated things. The purpose of a metaphor is to show or express emotion where simple language would not suffice. An example of a metaphor would be ‘his house is a fortress.’ It is very unlikely that someone’s house would be a fortress, but what the metaphor is trying to explain is that the house is impressive. A metaphor is often used in poetry to describe something in a beautiful way. If someone took a metaphor literally, then they might have a hard time believing it. The next type of figurative language, simil e, is very similar to a metaphor except it uses the word as or like when making a comparison between two unrelated things. A simile is also often used in poetry. An example of a simile would be ‘the boy runs as fast as a cheetah.’ The phrase does not actually claim that the boy can run the same speed of a cheetah, only that he runs so fast that it seems like he does. There are very few misunderstandings over a simile because it does not make a direct comparison and so cannot be taken literally. The fifth type of figurative language, cliche, is a common phrase that has been used so much that it has lost its original meaning. Cliches are used in everyday speech and eventually become part of a language. An example of a cliche would be ‘time will tell.’ The time cannot actually tell anything since it has no form of communication except to give the time. Just like an idiom, a cliche would be hard for someone who is learning a new language to comprehend.  Ã‚  

Lochgelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Lochgelly - Essay Example ve on the economy of Fife, the costs of the project and the long-term benefits of such a project, the effectiveness of a front end development process which has been recommended, and finally the report s attempts to make useful recommendations regarding the scope of improvement of the developmental housing project in Lochgelly. The report covers the main factors which have helped to create the decision of the stakeholders with respect to the strategic housing development initiative in Scotlands Lochgelly. The National Planning Framework for Scotland has identified that the region of Scotland called Fife has tremendous potential for housing development. Not only is the place connected to Dundee and Edinburgh, the region is expected to have a huge population growth is coming 20 years. Exactly, about 11% growth in population is expected by the year 2031. Therefore, the General Register Office has made a plan where it requires more than 35,000 new homes to be built in the next 20 years. Since Lochgelly is a place located in Fife which is expected to be one of the hotbeds of developments in Fife, it is quite natural that the stakeholders would be having a lot of interest in housing projects in Lochgelly. Although Lochgelly was very well developed prior to 2004, after the coal mines closed, the town saw a decline in population and economic growth. The town has links with the roads in the south; it is also connected to by train tracks to Dundee and Edinburgh. On the side of the town, there are vast stretches of natural beauty. The structure Plan of 2006-2026 by the Fife Board has identified land locations in Lochgelly for building 1750 houses within the next 20 years. This development project will not only improve the economic condition, but it will also improve the job opportunities in the town of Lochgelly. During a housing development project, the engagement of stakeholders is of prime importance. The standards and structure plan has provided framework for the

Mortgaged Backed Securities Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Mortgaged Backed Securities - Literature review Example There are three classes of securities issued and traded, and these are assets backed securities (ABS), mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and collateralized debt obligations (CDO) (Blum & Dingell, 1997). As there are several kinds of securities, the primary focus of this section is the securities issues backed by mortgages – MBS. Understanding MBS is essential because it represents the largest portion of securitization in the United States (Nomura, 2006). In addition, apprehending MBS enables one to know the other forms of securitisation, as MBS is the â€Å"original source of securitisation technology†(Nomura, 2006, p. 2). In this regard, as the aim of the research is to gain a deeper understanding of MBS and to know the correlation between MBS and Subprime crisis, this segment of the research will be divided into four sections. The first part will deal with the concept of MBS. This includes the elucidation of the structures, benefits and risks attributed to MBS. The sec ond section will be delving on the credit rating analysis of MBS while the third part will deal with the development of MBS in the United States and its primordial role in the subprime crisis. Finally, the fourth section will be the summary. Mortgage-Backed Securities Mortgages are loans issued against real estate (Hu, 2001). This serves as the backbone of MBS (Stein, Belikoff, Levin & Tian, 2010). As such, a brief discussion of mortgage loans is provided, since, it serves as the condition with which MBS works or thrives. Mortgage loans in the United States are normally fixed in 30-year payment plan. This means that 360 equal payments are to be made by the borrower within that payment scheme. It is assumed in fixed payment that after the 30 –year period both the principal and the interests are paid (Stein et al., 2010). An important facet of mortgage loan is the borrower’s right to prepay his loan. This means that when the interest rates fall, the borrower can have the option of refinancing his loan at a lower rate. While, when the interest rates increase, the borrower can locked-in at a lower rate. Although the fixed-rate mortgage loan is most common mortgage loan, there is also the adjustable-rate mortgage loan (ARM) and the hybrid. ARM offers borrowers the chance to choose a loan that has an adjustable interest rate. The adjustable interests rate can be annually or semi-annually and it is determined by published market index like yields on US Treasury securities. In order to encourage borrowers, some lenders use ‘teaser rates’. Teaser rates are low initial rates, which last until the first adjustments (Nomura, 2006). On the other hand, the hybrid is the combination of fixed rate and ARM. The scheme provides for fixed interests rate for a first several years and then it is converted into semi-annual or annual adjustable rate. Several plans have been offered under the hybrid. There is ‘5/1’, ‘7/1’ and the à ¢â‚¬Ëœ10/1’ hybrids. However, regardless whether it is ARM or hybrid, what is significant is that, just like fixed rate loan , these types of mortgage loans allows or provides the opportunity to the borrower the prepay the loan when the conditions are favourable to the borrower. In this sense, there are two important elements in mortgage loans. First, is the certainty of the borrower’s obligation to make 360 monthly equal payments for a period of 30-years and second is the borrower’s right to prepay the loan when conditions are favourable, which means that borrowers can prepay their mortgage balance in full or in part anytime (Gangwani, 1998) Mortgage Backed Securities: In focus MBS are asset

Most Important Cybersecurity Vulnerability Facing It Managers Computer Science Essay

Most Important Cybersecurity Vulnerability Facing It Managers Computer Science Essay Vulnerabilities to exploitation in modern computers are varied. They range from web server vulnerabilities that allow attackers to take over the web server to very sophisticated side channel exploits that use things like packet timing or instantaneous power consumption to glean confidential information from computers. Vulnerabilities appear in the client software that members of an organization use to get their jobs done. The conclusion of this paper is that unpatched client side software is the most important cybersecurity vulnerability facing the IT community today. Since all modern organizations (companies, non-profits or government entities) use computers and networks as part of everyday operations, this vulnerability is applicable to all of them. For this reason, this paper does not focus on a particular organization or industry. Vulnerability vs. Threat Cybersecurity vulnerability is defined as weakness in a computer hardware or software system that can be exploited. This is different than a threat. A threat is the way in which vulnerability is exploited. An example of a cybersecurity threat is spyware or malware being introduced into a computer. Vulnerability is the weakness in the computers systems that allowed the threat to succeed. This paper focuses on the vulnerabilities, not the threats. Vulnerabilities can be very expensive. The 2009 Computer Security Institute / Federal Bureau of Investigations Computer Crime and Security Survey reports that average losses per respondent were $234,244, although that number was down from the previous year (Peters, 2009). Cybersecurity vulnerabilities can be present in any part of a computer systems software or hardware. According to the SANS institute, the number of vulnerabilities discovered in software applications far outnumber those found in operating systems. (Top security risks-vulnera bility exploitation trends). This is because operating systems tend to be more long lived and therefore more tested than applications. Vulnerabilities can also be more sophisticated than the normal vulnerabilities we read about often. For example, one can determine what operands are being processed by a computer by monitoring it instantaneous power consumption. This, along with a knowledge of what algorithms are being processed can lead to the guessing of an encryption key (Brooks, 2010). Once the encryption key is guessed, files and communications involving that host could be decrypted. Another unusual vulnerability is the fact that keystrokes are sent across communications networks one at a time, so that if one captures the communications of an ssh session, the keystrokes can be guessed based on the time between them and the layout of a QWERTY keyboard (Brooks, 2010). The Origin of Vulnerabilities Most vulnerabilities occur because of programmer error. One of the most common errors that cause cybersecurity vulnerability is called buffer overflow. In buffer overflow, more data is provided as input than the program is expecting. This causes a corrupted stack and can allow an attacker to inject rouge code. The use of modern programming languages and proper coding techniques can eliminate the possibility of buffer overflow, but there is vast amount of software out there that has this vulnerability, Much work has gone into mitigating and preventing this type of vulnerability to exist in software, or if it exists, to not be exploited. Vulnerabilities that appear in software may not be the result of programmer error. They may be inserted into software applications intentionally by dishonest employees of software vendors. The fact that there is not much reporting of the discovery of such vulnerabilities does not mean they dont exist. Consider the factors that might prevent a software vendor from publicizing the discovery of deliberate malicious code in one of their products. There are liability issues and the companys reputation would suffer if such a thing became known (Franz, 2008). Human Vulnerabilties Vulnerabilities that allow malicious actions to take place on an organizations computer systems sometimes have nothing to do with hardware or software. An organizations personnel can be a large cybersecurity vulnerability as well. Since it is the organizations personnel who implement any cybersecurity measures that are dictated from the CIO staff, it is they that are the key to the cybersecurity plans effectiveness. If people are practicing dangerous activities on the organizations computers, then all the planning in the world wont prevent bad things from happening. There are factors that contribute to the cybersecurity vulnerabilities that personnel contribute to. One study divided these factors into nine areas, external influences, human error, management, organization, performance and resource management, policy issues, technology, and training (Kreamer, Carayon, Clem, 2009). The authors make the point that not all vulnerabilities are caused by bad programming. Personnel issues a re a big factor, also. Take, for example, the Stuxnet worm that infected the Iranian nuclear facilities and has reportedly caused lots of damage and has delayed the Iranian nuclear development. The cyberdefenses that the Iranian IT security staff put in place were circumvented by the actions of at least one employee. The worm was introduced via an infected flash drive (Paulson, 2010). All the perimeter defense in the world wont work if an insider does something wrong either intentionally or unintentionally. Impacts of Vulnerabilities on Organizations Some of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities faced by an organization largely depend on what type of business that organization is engaged in. For example, if an organization has a large presence in online commerce (Amazon, New Egg) it has more vulnerability to web based attacks than an organization that doesnt use the internet for commerce. An organization that possesses unique hardware, for instance an electric utility or a hospital, has vulnerabilities that most organizations dont face. Regardless of the type of business an organization engages in and the associated vulnerabilities that are unique to that type of business, a modern organizations day-to-day operations are performed on computers. Computers and networks are at the core of every process that a company uses to do business. Most managerial and technical employees of any organization have access to and use a computer for performing his or her work. There are internal web sites and email systems that allow communications between employees. Employees use these computers to do research and purchase products from web sites. This requires that these computers be connected to the internet. The Most Important Cybersecurity Vulnerability: Unpatched Client Software Because internet connected computers are ubiquitous in an organizational setting, these computers must be kept up to date with relevant security patches to prevent attacks against known vulnerabilities. For a large organization, this can be a daunting task. The fact that a patch exists for a vulnerability means that the vulnerability has been found and probably publicized. This means that the entire hacker community has access to the exploit and there is a good chance more attacks exploiting this vulnerability will be launched. This makes it imperative that the patch be put in place quickly. Failure to do this leaves an organization open to This is why the SANS institute ranked as the number one vulnerability facing organizations today (as of 2009) unpatched client side software (Top security risks executive summary, 2009). The number two ranked vulnerability was internet facing web sites. SANS also stated that on average, major organizations are taking at least twice as long to pat ch client side vulnerabilities than they are to patch operating systems (Top security risks executive summary, 2009). Because the unpatched client software vulnerability is not industry or business class dependent it is applicable to any company, non-profit organization or government entity. For this reason, the discussion of unpatched client side software does not focus on a particular class of organizations. Unpatched client side software can be exploited in many different ways. One of the more popular methods is by use of directed email attacks called spear phishing. In a spear phishing attack, a computer user is sent an email intended to entice the user into opening an attachment or clicking on a link that results in malware being installed on the users computer. When the user opens the attachment or clicks on the link, vulnerabilities in the client software on his or her computer are exploited to gain access to the users machine or the entire corporate network. The exploited vulnerabilities may be in any client software such as browsers, document readers, or image viewers. These types of attacks are a common method of gaining footholds into corporate networks (ICS-CERT, 2011) and were the method used to launch some well publicized attacks, like the Aurora attack against Google, Adobe and other tech companies (Zetter 2010). While the Aurora attack was not enabled by unpatched client so ftware (it used previously unknown, or zero day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Internet Explorer to enable the exploit), it is relevant to this discussion because the methods used in this attack have been published, making it easy for other attackers to replicate it. This makes it imperative that patches are applied in a timely manner to prevent it. There are two main problem areas that contribute to the large amount of unpatched client software that remains in use in an organization. The first is that the software vendors sometimes do not publish patches in a timely manner. The second is that once a patch is issued by a software vendor, the patch does not get deployed to the organizations computers for various reasons. As an example of software vendors not fixing vulnerabilities quickly enough, a company called TippingPoint (now a part of Hewlett Packard) recently released the details of 22 unpatched security vulnerabilities. Some of these vulnerabilities had been reported to their developers over two and half years ago (Keizer, 2011). TippingPoints Zero Day Initiative buys exploits from independent researchers. They also sponsor contests that reward the best exploits. They then provide their customers protection from these exploits and notify the developer of the targeted software of the existence of the vulnerability that all owed the exploit to work. When a patch is issued by a software vendor, it then has to be applied to an organizations infrastructure in order to be effective. The application of patches does not always happen quickly for several reasons. One reason is that the application of patches is disruptive to the organizations operation. The patches must be vetted by the security personnel and tested by the IT department. Testing patches prior to deployment is critical in avoiding incompatibility problems which would disrupt the organization even more. Another reason that patches dont get applied quickly is that they may not be compatible with in-house operating software. For instance, if Microsoft announces an upgraded browser that fixes many security holes, an organization may not be able to use it because internal software such as an accounting or HR system that they use is not compatible with it. How to Prevent Unpatched Client Software Vulnerabilities Organizations can deal with the problem of unpatched client software by being proactive in subscribing to a service that informs them of the existence of new vulnerabilities and in creating and implementing a patch management process. A patch management process is a multifaceted one. The following elements must be included in the patch management process (Gerace and Cavusoglu): Senior Executive Support. Without which this, no process can succeed. Dedicated Resources and Clearly Defined Responsibilities. If there is no staff assigned to the patch management process, it wont get done. Creating and Maintaining a Current Technology Inventory. This helps the patch management team determine which and how many systems need to be patched. Identification of Vulnerabilities and Patches. This allows the team to be aware of what patches are applicable to the organizations machines. Pre-deployment testing of patches. This should be done in a controlled environment to prevent adverse side effects. Post-deployment scanning and monitoring. This gives an indication of the effectiveness of the patch. As with any other business process, the patch management process must be audited by the use of measurements and metrics. Key metrics include severity/priority incidents associated with mission-critical application outages for inaccurate patching (Colville, 2010). Measuring the effectiveness of the patch management process then leads to modifications to it that improve the effectiveness. Conclusion Of the many different cybersecurity vulnerabilities that face organizations in todays world, unpatched client side software is the most dangerous. This is because this type of vulnerability threatens all organizations, regardless of the type activities they are engaged in. If they utilize computers, then this vulnerability must be addressed to prevent cybersecurity exploitation.

Family-Centered Program of Education Essay example -- Education

What happens when you take the children out of the spotlight and focus on children with their families? You will get a family-centered approach to education. The Family-Centered approach believes that family involvement matters for a young child’s cognitive and social development. Family-Centered Program theories and concepts support the early childhood classroom and the child’s family. This can happen only if parents and educators work together to encourage desired behaviors from pre-school-aged children in both the pre-school and the home setting. The first thing that needs to be looked at to understand a child’s development is attachment. Attachment is a lasting emotional relationship that begins at birth and is a lifelong process. The first attachment a child has sets the tone for development as well as provides the basis of all future relationships (Gonzalez-Mena, 2009). Attachment gives infants a sense of well-being which happens when an adult responds sensitively and appropriately to a baby’s needs. Attachment happens in both children and adults. For adults this can happen almost right away from some. Signs that a parent/adult is attached are giving the child a name, buying items that are for the child, recognizing the child as an individual. Babies take longer than adults to show attachment. You can see when a child is attached when a child shows an emotional bond with someone. Not all cultural attachments happen the same ways. Child care caregivers have many of the same qualities that good parents have, so this promotes attachment as well. An infant caregiver needs to be sensitive to each infants needs to respond appropriately. As with parents attachment grows out of sensitivity and once again a synchronous relationshi... ...rk together to encourage attachment, self-help skills, empowerment, pro-social, and self-esteem behaviors from pre-school-aged children in both the pre-school and the home setting. Works Cited Bartlett, K. (2010, September 21). Empowering children with choices. Retrieved from http://theattachedfamily.com/membersonly/?p=2600 Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2009). Child, family, and community, family-centered early care and education. Pearson College Div. Hussey-Gardner, B. (2003). Parenting to make a difference. Retrieved from http://www.parentingme.com/selfhelp.htm Preusse, K. (n.d.). Fostering prosocial behavior in young children. Retrieved from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=566 Sheslow, D. (2008, November). Developing your child's self-esteem. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/self_esteem.html