Essay Examples on The Glass Menagerie Essay Example

Essay Examples on The Glass Menagerie Paper 1st Essay Sample on The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams is a play in which the contrast between characters – Amanda and Laura – exaggerate one another’s personalities. This is shown throughout on many different occasions and in many different ways. Amanda and Laura are portrayed as social opposites. Although in despite of this – almost never arise in a heated argument due to Laurel’s peacemaker role. Amanda is the typical Southern Belle, constantly reminiscing about her glory days when she once entertained seventeen gentleman callers. Many of whom went on to become wealthy and successful: Champ Laughlin who became vice-president; Hadley Stevenson who invested thousands in bonds and Fiftieth- The Wolf of Wall Street. She ended up marrying her children’s father Mr. Winnfield because of his charm. He left many years before which has evidently affected Amanda greatly, forcing her to put on a false sense of satisfaction. Her life is devoted to her children who she adapts her lifestyle to accommodate. However she does not seem to comprehend that her over confident persona is driving her eldest son Tom away. The pair often argue which results in him leaving – since this is a memory play from Tom’s perspective we do not find out how Amanda copes with her loss. Her other child, Laura -although not appreciating her mother’s actions at times- never argues with her mother. Laurel’s personality I hugely affected by her limp making her a very shy, calm nature. Unlike her mother, Laura is not confident In herself and suffers from low self esteem. She has also never had a gentleman caller which shocks Amanda as she had so many at Laurel’s age, but she admits to liking a boy- once. 2nd Essay Sample on The Glass Menagerie We will write a custom essay sample on Essay Examples on The Glass Menagerie specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Essay Examples on The Glass Menagerie specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Essay Examples on The Glass Menagerie specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In his play, â€Å"The Glass Managerie’, Tennessee Williams uses the imagery of a glass unicorn to help convey the emotional anguish of the character, Laura. The unicorn symbolizes Laura’s feelings of being â€Å"freakish† (scene seven) which has made her a recluse. It is in the second scene that the author begins to reveal Laura’s obsession with her glass collection. Laura is lying back gazing into a crystal and seems to be lost in her own private world when she suddenly hears her mother approaching. It is obvious that her mother, Amanda, has berated Laura many times about her preoccupation with the glass. We know this because Laura panics at the prospect of her mother finding her at it again. Once we have seen Amanda’s tirade about Laura dropping out of business school, Laura’s state seems licit. The glass in this scene seems to be Laura’s hopes and dreams of another life. She hasn’t the courage to live a normal sociable life, but her fantasy world of the glass menagerie fulfills her need for more than the confines of the apartment. Later, in scene three, Amanda’s critical remarks toward her son, Tom, provokes an argument. Laura nearly cowers as she watches her brother and mother yell at one another. It is in this scene that Tom accidentally breaks some of Laura’s precious glass collection as he rushes out the door. When Tom turns to pick-up the glass, he is unable to express his remorse for having shattered something so precious to his sister. The symbolism of the glass in this scene seems to represent Laura’s emotions. The author directs that she remain in plain view, even though she doesn’t speak, so that the audience can see her suffer through the heated argument. As the audience watches her agony, they will begin to feel some of the anguish that Laura undergoes. Laura feels at fault for the tension in the house, knowing that most of her mother’s worry comes from Laura’s neediness.

Confidence Interval for a Population Proportion

Confidence Interval for a Population Proportion Confidence intervals can be used to estimate several population parameters. One type of parameter that can be estimated using inferential statistics is a population proportion. For example, we may want to know the percentage of the U.S. population who supports a particular piece of legislation. For this type of question, we need to find a confidence interval. In this article, we will see how to construct a confidence interval for a population proportion, and examine some of the theory behind this. Overall Framework We begin by looking at the big picture before we get into the specifics. The type of confidence interval that we will consider is of the following form: Estimate /- Margin of Error This means that there are two numbers that we will need to determine. These values are an estimate for the desired parameter, along with the margin of error. Conditions Before conducting any statistical test or procedure, it is important to make sure that all of the conditions are met. For a confidence interval for a population proportion, we need to make sure that the following hold: We have a simple random sample of size n from a large populationOur individuals have been chosen independently of one another.There are at least 15 successes and 15 failures in our sample. If the last item is not satisfied, then it may be possible to adjust our sample slightly and to use a plus-four confidence interval. In what follows, we will assume that all of the above conditions have been met. Sample and Population Proportions We start with the estimate for our population proportion. Just as we use a sample mean to estimate a population mean, we use a sample proportion to estimate a population proportion. The population proportion is an unknown parameter. The sample proportion is a statistic. This statistic is found by counting the number of successes in our sample and then dividing by the total number of individuals in the sample. The population proportion is denoted by p and is self-explanatory. The notation for the sample proportion is a little more involved. We denote a sample proportion as pÌ‚, and we read this symbol as p-hat because it looks like the letter p with a hat on top. This becomes the first part of our confidence interval. The estimate of p is pÌ‚. Sampling Distribution of Sample Proportion To determine the formula for the margin of error, we need to think about the sampling distribution of pÌ‚. We will need to know the mean, the standard deviation, and the particular distribution that we are working with. The sampling distribution of  pÌ‚ is a binomial distribution with probability of success p and n trials. This type of random variable has a mean of p and standard deviation of (p(1 - p)/n)0.5. There are two problems with this. The first problem is that a binomial distribution can be very tricky to work with. The presence of factorials can lead to some very large numbers. This is where the conditions help us. As long as our conditions are met, we can estimate the binomial distribution with the standard normal distribution. The second problem is that the standard deviation of  pÌ‚ uses p in its definition. The unknown population parameter is to be estimated by using that very same parameter as a margin of error. This circular reasoning is a problem that needs to be fixed. The way out of this conundrum is to replace the standard deviation with its standard error. Standard errors are based upon statistics, not parameters. A standard error is used to estimate a standard deviation.  What makes this strategy worthwhile is that we no longer need to know the value of the parameter p. Formula To use the standard error, we replace the unknown parameter p with the statistic pÌ‚. The result is the following formula for a confidence interval for a population proportion: pÌ‚ /- z* (pÌ‚(1 - pÌ‚)/n)0.5. Here the value of z* is determined by our level of confidence C.  For the standard normal distribution, exactly C percent of the standard normal distribution is between -z* and z*.  Common values for z* include 1.645 for 90% confidence and 1.96 for 95% confidence. Example Lets see how this method works with an example.  Suppose that we wish to know with 95% confidence the percent of the electorate in a county that identifies itself as Democratic.  We conduct a simple random sample of 100 people in this  county and find that 64 of them identify as a Democrat. We see that all of the conditions are met.  The estimate of our population proportion is 64/100 0.64.  This is the value of the sample proportion pÌ‚, and it is the center of our confidence interval. The margin of error is comprised of two pieces.  The first is z*.  As we said, for 95% confidence, the value of z* 1.96. The other part of the margin of error is given by the formula (pÌ‚(1 - pÌ‚)/n)0.5.  We set pÌ‚ 0.64 and calculate the standard error to be (0.64(0.36)/100)0.5 0.048. We multiply these two numbers together and obtain a margin of error of 0.09408.  The end result is: 0.64 /- 0.09408, or we can rewrite this as 54.592% to 73.408%.  Thus we are 95% confident that the true population proportion of Democrats is somewhere in the range of these percentages.  This means that in the long run, our technique and formula will capture the population proportion of 95% of the time. Related Ideas There are a number of ideas and topics that are connected to this type of confidence interval.  For instance, we could conduct a hypothesis test pertaining to the value of the population proportion.  We could also compare two proportions from two different populations.

Response paper Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response paper - Movie Review Example Fundamentally, Brown diverts from the conventional and template introduction common in many speeches. The relaxed and playful way of presenting her speech keeps the audience strongly gripped in her story. The employment of humor is essential in seeking the attention of the audience (Verderber, Sellnow, & Verderber, 2012). Brown’s masterful and humorous delivery of the speech has arguably held the audience together. Similarly, the positive smile and use of visual elements has enabled Brown to deliver the message to the audience. Brown has masterfully alternated between the main points and the personal stories. The speech depicts the significance of tying stories to major points, as well as, insights. The stories support and relate to the primary message. Similarly, Brown does not fear being authentic, and narrates her struggles in her research about vulnerability. Authenticity seeks to change the speaker-audience dynamic, and the listeners can feel the speaker is talking with them (2012). Although the talk was very informative, Brown needs to minimize the gestures. The gestures were too much, and can be a potential

Race and racism (evolution Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Race and racism (evolution - Coursework Example An example is Pedro Alonzo Nino who was a pilot of a ship in the fleet led by Christopher Columbus and was believed to be African (Smedley 89). Native Americans on the other were less exploited as slaves due to the fact that many of them got ill quite often and succumbed to European diseases. They were also perceived to be brutal and many would escape since they knew the land better than anyone else. This left the planters no choice but to take advantage of the vulnerable Africans and turn them into slaves. It is in 1661 that Virginia was granted a formal slave status by Queen Elizabeth which allowed slaves to be bought and sold just like any other commodity. From this time Africans’ status dropped drastically and they were consequently believed to be inferior to all other races. This legality to trade in slaves facilitated and maintained this trade for centuries. There was the perception that the whites were more superior to all other races while the rest were termed as color ed people. The whites in America even disregarded immigrants from Europe. They claimed to be biologically different from all immigrants regardless of origin. This perception created rifts in the society which caused the Americans to dominate others. The New World perpetuated slave trade because they had vast lands which were productive and the climate was favorable (106). This followed a massive expansion of plantations in Georgia and South Carolina which translated to increased production levels of rice and tobacco. These slaves did a great deal of work which the white servants had refused to do for example draining of swamps. West Africans came in handy especially in rice growing plantations since they were familiar with the kind of work required as their mother lands grew rice. Slaves worked for 15 hours on a daily basis especially during the harvest season. One overseer was required to supervise a minimum of 20 slaves doing back-breaking work and when a slave lazed around, the o verseer was supposed to whip them. The fact that slaves were cheap to buy and maintain saw planters buy them in masses so as to plant and cultivate more (281). As earlier indicated slaves used to work for many hours per day which translated to bumper harvests and therefore booming plantation business. Many plantation owners like the Byrd family from Virginia turned to be quite wealthy. Such families came together to form elite classes of planters in the southern states who ensured that slave trade remained because it was a lifeline to their wealth. Some slaves also supported the trade owing to the fact that some, especially the overseers, lived better lives than the one they left in Africa. Q2 America is comprised of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. When America was organizing itself as a country many people streamed in as immigrants from all over the world but majority from Europe. All these people on their arrival to the United States found a society strictly stratifie d hierarchically on the basis of ethnicity (Sacks 55). These hierarchies defined ones social and economic status thus limits had been set in regards to what one can or cannot do. The white settlers are the ones who set these hierarchies so as to protect their interests and to limit others from exploiting existing resources. The African-American population especially before the civil war was condemned to slavery. European immigrants like the Irish people worked as laborers or supervisors in farms or small

Analyzing Cost of Capital 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing Cost of Capital 2 - Assignment Example The greatest advantage that one gets, in debt financing, is the maintenance of complete ownership of the business, in comparison to equity financing. It is of great importance to also note that, banks usually expect you to put up assets to back up loan, inform of security. These assets could include property, your personal investments, equipment or other tangible holdings that the bank could seize if you default on the loan (Pratt, 2010). Equity financing is especially very common among small business owners, because of the concerns they have about either qualifying for a loan or having to channel too much of their profits into repaying the loan. Investors and partners can provide equity financing, and they generally expect to get profits from their investments. Moreover, if no profit materializes, you aren’t obligated to pay back equity contributions. The major drawback of equity financing is that, you are no longer the full owner of a business once you have other financial contributors who expect a share. As such, you will be relinquishing not just financial control, but will no longer be the sole arbiter of the business’s creative and strategic direction (Plath, 2006). There are two main things to consider when working out the cost of capital: WACC, Weighted average cost of capital and the MCC, which is the marginal cost of capital. This basically is the comparison of how much of new capital is raised in comparison to what was injected at the start of the business. WACC on the other hand is basically the average rate of return a company expects to compensate all its different investors. The minimum return that a company must earn on its existing asset base to satisfy its creditors, owners, and other capital sources.It aims at measuring the capital discount of the company’s income and expenditure and it represents the

The management of wound dressings whilst on placement

The management of wound dressings whilst on placement This reflective piece will look at the management of wound dressings whilst on placement in the community. I will use the Gibbs model of reflection this will allow me to describe the event, explore my thoughts and feelings, make an evaluation on the event and then analysis different components which can be explored separately including different dressings and why they are used, finally I will conclude and action plan looking at if this happened again what I would do differently. Whilst on placement in the community I visited a lady who had chronic leg ulcers on both legs and the district nursing team had been visiting this lady for a number of years. The lady had oedematous legs and poor mobility and sat in a recliner chair although the chair was never reclined. I had visited the lady previously on a number of occasions and had applied her dressings and documented what I had done and the dressings used in her district nursing records. On this occasion the lady requested that I didnt put the K-lite dressing on and allows the other nurse do this, as previously when I had dressed her legs she stated the dressing had become loose. I mapped the dressing so that the notes had an up to date record of the size of the wounds and washed and redressed the legs as per the plan of care. The plan of care stated to wash the legs apply aqualcel ag silver this is used for wounds that have a high level of exudates, then atruman was applied covered by mesorb, comfifast yellow then K-soft and then I passed over to the Registered Nurse (RN) to apply the final layer, whilst she applied the final layer I documented the notes that the leg had been mapped, washed and redressed as per the plan and noted that strikethrough was on the dressing prior to removal I also noted the patients level of pain at the time of the cleaning and mapping of the wounds and also after the legs had been redressed. I documented the patients records that the patient had been advised to elevate the legs when resting to aid healing. When the patient advised me that she would prefer the RN to do the top layer I felt like my confidence had been knocked. The patient had never said this before and always stated not to wrap the dressings too tight as she found it very uncomfortable. I told her that I didnt do them too tight as she always stated not to do so and apologised to her that they had fell down and in future would ensure that they werent too tight but would not fall down either. When I left the patients house with the RN she told me that this lady does this to all the new nurses that visit her and not to worry about it. Pressure sores and leg ulcers are classed as chronic wounds and are defined as slow healing wounds with the likely hood of reoccurrence and the pain that a patient feels may be severe and ongoing (Dealey 1999). The dressing plays a major part in the reduction of pain and by choosing the wrong dressing this can cause discomfort when removing the dressing and the nurse needs to avoid this by using careful assessment prior to administering the dressing (Dealey 1999). For a wound to heal the key is to have successful wound management, the nurse should use a wound assessment tool this will ensure that there is valid reliable and also consistent information documented. Wounds need to be regularly reassessed to ensure that evaluation is given on the treatment that the patient has received. When making a wound assessment this should include the location of the wound, the cause, etiology, tissue type the size and the exudates and finally the level of pain the patient is experiencing (Prescribing Nurse Bulletin). To achieve optimum healing the role of the nurse is to be able to select the most appropriate dressing for the wound, this is to be based on the most up to date evidence, and recent development of new dressings makes this a challenge for the nurse (Lansdown 2004). The wound should be assessed for slough and necrosis, signs and symptoms of infection and wound malodour. The patients records need to be documented to state if the wound is healing, e.g. granulisation and epithelisation (White 2005). The ideal wound dressing that will meet the treatment objective and promote the wound from further injury would be a moist wound healing dressing, that manages excess exudates and prevents the wound from maceration and further wound breakdown, ensure that it prevents the exit and entry of organisms, it will cause minimal trauma at the time of removal and is cost effective (Northern Health and Social Services Board NHSSB 2005). One important factor in wound dressings is to ensure that dressings get the maximum exposure to the wound bed. This can be achieved by a dressing that decreases the voids and spaces where bacteria can thrive (Jones etal 2005). Aquacel Ag dressings contain Hydro fibre Technology and it gels on contact with the exudates and micro-contours to the wound bed this helps to eliminate voids or spaces where bacteria and fluid can collect it maximising exposure of the wound to antimicrobials. It is presented as a soft sterile, non-woven pad and is impregnated with ionic silver (Aquacel Ag 2006). This dressing can absorb a large amount of fluid and helps to prevent exudates leakage onto the periwound skin. The dressing can be left in place for up to 7 days however should strikethrough be evident on the dressing then the dressing needs to be changed (NHSSB 2005). It has been recognised that silver is an effective antimicrobial agent (Thomas and McCubbin 2003). It has proved that it is effective against methicillin and vancomysin-resistant strains of bacteria (Lansdown 2002) Atrauman dressings are made of a fine mesh of hydrophobic, polyester fibres and have mesh pores with a smooth surface this effectively counteracts adhesion to the wound by preventing new tissue from penetrating the dressing and allowing the exudates to pass through, this means that the dressing is easy to remove and causes minimum discomfort to the patient and also to the wound. The dressing is highly permeable to air and water vapour and has been found to be very well suited to the management of infected wounds (Hartmann 2010). In recent years Honey has been found to benefit wound healing, clinically topical honey treatment has been found to possess antimicrobial properties, promote autolytic debridement, deodorise wounds and stimulate the growth of wound tissues to quicken healing, it also stimulates anti-inflammatory activity helping to reduce pain, oedema and exudates (White 2005). A fast rate of healing has been reported in wounds treated with honey (Ahmed 2003) it helps the developing of a clean granulating wound bed (Stephen-Hayes 2004) It is clear that wound management is a complex area and the it is the nurses responsibility to ensure that they give the correct care to the patient and they use the dressings that are selected on their knowledge and understanding of what the dressing will achieve they need to be constantly aware of new products available to treat the wounds. By regular assessment of the wound they will be able to see if the dressing selected is helping to promote wound healing. I am aware that if I wish to work in the community I would need a good knowledge of dressing that is used in wound management. I know that I am likely to meet patients who try to make me doubt my ability however this is something that I know I will over come as my confidence builds and I become more used to working in the community.

George W. Bush as the Anti-Christ Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research

George W. Bush as the Anti-Christ To really grasp the significance of the symbol of the anti-Christ we must first posit politics as itself symbolic. Politics is the semiotics of a nation's will: it becomes the People just as the People become it by being elected into office and participating in the political process, or in dictatorships, by following the rules and not forming underground movements. But in a democracy, it is an especially tight symbolic relationship, thus the clear relationship between political symbol and anti-Christ in George W. Bush. Both subject and subjectifier, politics in this nation exploits as it empowers by allowing a popular will (or a popular sense of defeatism) to manifest itself as a political candidate, who in turn is forced by his media (and his electability) to pander back to the People. Thus a candidate becomes a symbol--being both subject and object in the mind of the electorate. This goes beyond being a mere figurehead: figureheads are allowed peccadilloes since they are not considered to be "real" decision makers. Figureheads express a polity's emotions about an office, and only those. American political figures--especially presidents--express emotions and will, and they express them in terms of a man (Americans seem to feel strongly that the office should be held by a man). The presidency is symbol in that it expresses us: we impeached Clinton because we found his conduct with Monica Lewinsky to be reprehensible. There was not the political will to convict him, however, because we knew that essentially he stood for us, and who among us has not had love affairs of which we are embarrassed? In essence, we brought Clinton before a crowd, but the crowd could cast no stones. Th... ...lves: rich, spoiled, kind of dumb, but basically likeable. Bush is the essence of America's self image: untrusting of too much wit, intelligence or erudition. It would be a miracle if he were to win the White House, which is exactly why we will put him there. Thus the cycle of representation and symbolism is complete: Bush is who we are: corrupt, unrepentant, in awe of money and simultaneously endowed with it. The ultimate estimation of the Bush candidacy in terms of Revelation is not so much that it will positively usher in the End Times, but the indicators are undeniable. We have become the corrupt society that Revelation predicts. We have become ripe to receive the deceiver. Works Cited Conason, Joe. "Notes on a Native Son." Harper's Magazine Mar. 2000: 39-53. Phillips, Kevin. "The Prospect of a Bush Restoration." Harper's Magazine Mar. 2000: 54-8.

Toefl Treating Pets Like Family Members

The issue of treating pets like family members is a debatable one. On the one hand, pets are charming creatures that mean a lot for their owners. But on the other hand, people should not forget that pets are animals which have specific instincts and habits differ from those of human beings and, as a result, able to do harm to people. However, in the final analysis, I think that pets are good friends of people and shall be treated accordingly. One reason in support of my thinking is that pets like real family members spend together with their families a great amount of time. Pets and their owners do a lot of things together from ordinary home stuff such as playing games, walking and watching TV to going shopping, visiting friends and traveling. When there is a child in a family pets become his little friends that everywhere follow him while parents are busy with their house work. So pets are always near their owners, ready to share owners’ joy and troubles, bringing a lot of fun for the whole family and making family members smile and feel pleased and happy. One would never feel lonely with them. Another reason for my thinking is that some pets are good caretakers. They see to the house, secure their owners and protect them from danger, help to take care of children. Maybe one of the best examples of pets care is dogs that help blind people survive in their everyday life. Pets would never leave their owners alone in a difficult situation. Perhaps, the best reason is that treating pets as family members has a good influence on children’s education. Looking after the pet, children will learn not to be selfish and to think and take care about the others. For the above reasons, I therefore conclude that having pets is an advantage for people and pets owners can really benefit from treating pets like family members.

Rudolf Hess, Nazi Who Claimed to Be Bringing Peace Offer

Rudolf Hess, Nazi Who Claimed to Be Bringing Peace Offer Rudolf Hess was a top Nazi official and close associate of Adolph Hitler who shocked the world in the spring of 1941 by flying a small plane to Scotland, parachuting to the ground, and claiming when captured that he was delivering a peace proposal from Germany. His arrival was met with astonishment and skepticism, and he spent the rest of the war in captivity. Fast Facts: Rudolph Hess Birth: April 26, 1894, Alexandria, Egypt.Death: August 17, 1987, Spandau Prison, Berlin, Germany.Known for: High-ranking Nazi who flew to Scotland in 1941, claiming to bring a peace proposal. Close Hitler Associate There has always been considerable debate about Hesss mission. The British concluded he had no authority to negotiate peace, and questions about his motivations and even his sanity persisted. There was no doubt that Hess had been a longtime associate of Hitler. He had joined the Nazi movement when it was a tiny fringe group on the edge of German society and during Hitlers rise to power he became a trusted aide. At the time of his flight to Scotland, he was widely known to the outside world as a trusted member of Hitlers inner circle. Hess was ultimately convicted at the Nuremberg Trials, and would outlive the other Nazi war criminals who were convicted alongside him. Serving a life term in grim Spandau Prison in West Berlin, he ultimately became the prisons sole inmate for the last two decades of his life. Even his death in 1987 was controversial. By official account, he had committed suicide by hanging himself at the age of 93. Yet rumors of foul play circulated and still persist. After his death the German government had to deal with his grave in a family plot in Bavaria becoming a pilgrimage site for modern day Nazis. Early Career Hess was born as Walter Richard Rudolf Hess in Cairo, Egypt, on April 26, 1894. His father was a German merchant based in Egypt, and Hess was educated at a German school in Alexandria and later at schools in Germany and Switzerland. He embarked on a business career which was quickly interrupted by the outbreak of war in Europe when he was 20 years old. In World War I Hess served in a Bavarian infantry unit and eventually trained as a pilot. When the war ended with Germanys defeat Hess was embittered. Like many other disgruntled German veterans, his deep disillusionment led him to radical political movements. Hess became an early adherent of the Nazi Party, and forged a close association with the partys rising star, Hitler. Hess served as Hitlers secretary and bodyguard in the early 1920s. After the abortive coup in 1923 in Munich, which became famous as the Beer Hall Putsch, Hess was imprisoned with Hitler. During this period Hitler dictated to Hess part of what became his notorious book Mein Kampf. As the Nazis rose to power, Hess was given important posts by Hitler. In 1932 he was appointed head of the partys central commission. In the following years he continued being promoted, and his role in the top Nazi leadership was evident. A front-page headline in the New York Times in the summer of 1934 referred to his likely position as Hitlers closest subordinate and successor: Hitler Understudy Likely To Be Hess. In 1941, Hess was officially known as the third most powerful Nazi, after only Hitler and Herman Goering. In reality his power had probably faded, yet he was still in close contact with Hitler. As Hess hatched his plan to fly out of Germany, Operation Sea Lion, Hitlers plan to invade England the previous year had been postponed. Hitler was turning his attention eastward and making plans to invade Russia. Flight to Scotland On May 10, 1941, a farmer in Scotland discovered a German flier, wrapped in a parachute, on his land. The flier, whose Messerschmitt fighter plane had crashed nearby, first claimed to be an ordinary military pilot, giving his name as Alfred Horn. He was taken into custody by the British military. Hess, posing as Horn, told his captors he was a friend of the Duke of Hamilton, a British aristocrat and noted aviator who had attended the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The Germans, or at least Hess, seemed to believe the Duke could help broker a peace deal. While detained in a hospital shortly after his capture, Hess got to meet the Duke of Hamilton and revealed his true identity. The Duke immediately contacted Prime Minister Winston Churchill and informed him that he had met Hess years earlier and the man who had landed in Scotland was indeed the high-ranking Nazi. British authorities expressed astonishment as the peculiar story of Hesss arrival in Scotland made headlines around the world. The earliest dispatches about Hesss flight from Germany to Scotland were full of speculation about his purpose and motives. One theory in the early press accounts was that Hess feared a purge was coming of top Nazi officials and Hitler might be planning to have him killed. Another theory was that Hess had decided to abandon the Nazi cause and help the British. The official story which was ultimately put out by the British was that Hess claimed to be bringing a peace proposal. The British leadership did not take Hess seriously. In any event, less than a year after the Battle of Britain the British were in no mood to discuss peace with Hitler. The Nazi leadership, for its part, distanced itself from Hess and put out the story that he had been suffering from delusions. For the rest of the war Hess was held by the British. His mental state was often questioned. At one point he seemed to attempt suicide by jumping over the railing of a staircase, breaking a leg in the process. He seemed to spend most of his time staring into space and began to habitually complain that he believed his food was being poisoned. Decades of Captivity Following the end of World War II, Hess was put on trial at Nuremberg along with other leading Nazis. Throughout the ten months of the 1946 war crimes trial, Hess often seemed disoriented as he sat in the courtroom along with other high-ranking Nazis. At times he read a book. Often he stared into space, seeming to have no interest in what was happening around him. Rudolf Hess, with arms extended, at the Nuremberg Trial. Getty Images   On October 1, 1946, Hess was sentenced to life in prison. Twelve of the other Nazis on trial with him were sentenced to be hanged, and others received sentences of 10 to 20 years. Hess was the only Nazi leader to be sentenced to a life term. He escaped the death penalty mainly because his mental state was questionable and he had spent the bloodiest years of the Nazi terror locked up in England. Hess served his sentence in Spandau Prison in West Berlin. Other Nazi prisoners died in prison or were released as their terms ended, and from October 1, 1966, onward, Hess was Spandaus only prisoner. His family periodically sought to have him released, but their appeals were always refused. The Soviet Union, which had been a party to the Nuremberg trials, insisted that he serve every day of his life sentence. In prison, Hess was still mostly a mystery. His peculiar behavior continued, and it wasnt until the 1960s that he agreed to have monthly visits from family members. He was in the news at times when he was taken to a British military hospital in Germany for treatment of various ailments. Controversy After Death Hess died in prison on August 17, 1987, at the age of 93. It was revealed that he had strangled himself with an electrical cord. His jailers said he had left a note indicating a desire to kill himself. Rumors circulated that Hess had been murdered, supposedly because he had become a figure of fascination for neo-Nazis in Europe. The Allied powers released his body to his family, despite fears that his grave would become a shrine for Nazi sympathizers. At his funeral in a Bavarian graveyard in late August 1987 scuffles broke out. The New York Times reported that about 200 Nazi sympathizers, some dressed in Third Reich uniforms, scuffled with police. Hess was buried in a family plot and the site did become a gathering place for Nazis. In the summer of 2011, fed up with visits by Nazis, the cemetery administration exhumed Hesss remains. His body was then cremated and his ashes scattered at sea in an unknown location. Theories about Hesss flight to Scotland continue to emerge. In the early 1990s, files released from Russias KGB seemed to indicate that British intelligence officers had lured Hess to leave Germany. The Russian files included reports from the notorious mole Kim Philby. The official reason for Hesss flight remains as it was in 1941: Hess believed he could, on his own, make peace between Germany and Britain. Sources: Walter Richard Rudolf Hess. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 7, Gale, 2004, pp. 363-365. Gale Virtual Reference Library.Rudolf Hess Is Dead In Berlin; Last of Hitler Inner Circle. New York Times 18 August 1987. A1.

A Comparison of the Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Strategies of Nivea Beiersdorf in the UK and Thailand Essay Example

A Comparison of the Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Strategies of Nivea Beiersdorf in the UK and Thailand Essay Example A Comparison of the Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Strategies of Nivea Beiersdorf in the UK and Thailand Paper A Comparison of the Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Strategies of Nivea Beiersdorf in the UK and Thailand Paper Apart from the operating procedures being done by the Nivea Beiersdorf joint, the need for an efficient analysis of the marketing plans employed the multinational firm is important for the success of its operations in the United Kingdom and Thailand. Both countries exhibit a different set of cultures, as well as a varying array of demographics which greatly affects the STP strategies being used by any company who wishes to successfully penetrate both markets (Kotler, 2003). Nivea Beiersdorf has its foothold in Europe and penetrating the British Market would not be that hard given that the cosmetics and lifestyle company has been there for about sixty years. Nevertheless, the company presence in Thailand, given its totally different demographics than that of the UK, as well as its highly competitive cosmetics market would pose as a challenge in the positioning strategy of Nivea Beiersdorf (2007). The STP strategies to be utilized for both countries should be analyzed with utmost considerations. These considerations will in turn fall under three main parts: the concentrated, undifferentiated, and the differentiated strategies (Kotler, 2003). Concentrated Strategies Under this type of marketing strategy, the company, Nivea Beiersdorf needs to concentrate its resources within specific market segments of the UK and Thailand (2006c). With this in mind, the firm needs to determine which segment of the two different markets have the better need of market penetration strategies. Although Thailand has a grater need of marketing penetration strategies since Nivea’s presence there is recent and the market growth is more competitive as compared to that of the British market, the concentrated strategy can be more efficiently is used in the British market since the company has been there for quite long. Under this type of marketing strategy, competition is currently recognized and small to medium-sized firms which offer the same marketing mix like Marks and Spencer have the capability to compete with the company given that Nivea Beiersdorf was already able to position itself above the cosmetics market as a premiere cosmetics company. On the other hand, the concentrated targeting strategy being employed by Nivea Beiersdorf in the UK is more on the maintenance and improvement of the market share in the country as well as coping up with the market growth factors that are involved (Kotler, 2003). Undifferentiated Strategies Along with the current concentrated strategies used by Nivea Beiesdorf in the UK and Thailand, under the undifferentiated strategy, the company positioning is not much taken seriously in the UK out of the already established reputation and is more concerned on the savings that the company could achieve. However, this target marketing strategy can be best employed in the Thai market out of the high level of nationalism of the locals towards their local products. Using this specific strategy, Nivea has to position itself as a local brand yet of foreign origin. That is, Nivea will have to establish itself as a product that is not much different from the local ones. This specific strategy is currently being employed by the company to date with a local factory as well as local employees being employed. This way, appreciation of the products of the company is simplified and savings on marketing can be used for other purposes. Although, this type of strategy is more susceptible to competiti on, the right amount of company vigilance of the Thai demographics must be carefully monitored (Kotler, 2003). Differentiated Strategies Under this type, the company is producing several types of products that would specifically cater to the needs of the different market segments present in both countries. A specific example of this is the range of products offered by Nivea aside from the usual white cream up to sun tan lotions, body sprays, etc. The targeting strategies being used here is a product based on the thorough analysis of the demographic factors that are present in the UK and Thailand. For example, the British market is composed of a high adult market segment with a high disposable income (2006b). The range of products to be developed for them suits the characteristics of this particular domain. On the Thai market on the other hand, there are a lot of the housewife segment with a middle-sized income who is obsessed with having white skin, hence, a different set of product offerings ought to be made for them (2006a). Company positioning therefore can be dictated by the product offerings that will be utilized by the company.

Were the 1920s a period of cultural as well as political conservatism Essay

Were the 1920s a period of cultural as well as political conservatism - Essay Example The US enjoyed much prosperity after World War I and throughout the 1920s until the great depression of 1929. The decade was full of optimism and was termed the ‘roaring twenties’. The decade was marked by conservatism on both the political and cultural level; however it can be shown that there was liberal ideology that also played a part in this historical era. After the war there was a rising intolerance to difference, waspification was at the forefront of a lot of ideology culturally and politically, restrictive immigration laws and prohibition all marked the era. The decade was seen as a decade of serious cultural conflict.On the 18th August 1920 Tennessee became the last state that was required to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment thus giving women the right to vote. A new woman was born and it became more acceptable socially for women to smoke and drink openly in public. It was fashionable for women to cut their hair short, wear makeup which had always been deemed to mean a woman was loose and take risks. These women were known as flappers and jazz was the music that they danced to, a sound that the older generation considered to be wild. In the May edition of the Atlantic Monthly it was written "Flappers trot like foxes, limp like lame ducks, one-step like cripples, and all to the barbaric yawp of strange instruments which transform the whole scene into a moving-picture of a fancy ball in bedlam." 1 The war had generated a generation of men and women who broke free from social norms 1 Baughman, Judith S., ed. American Decades: 1920-1929. New York: Manly, Inc., 1996. and values finding it difficult to return to structured conservative life. 'They found themselves expected to settle down into the humdrum routine of American life as if nothing had happened, to accept the moral dicta of elders who seemed to them still to be living in a Pollyanna land of rosy ideals which the war had killed for them. They couldn't do it, and they very disrespectfully said so.'2 The liberation of the flappers was a stark contrast to the conservative cultural nature of the times. Conservatism was at the forefront of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), an extreme right movement that encouraged racial discrimination and continues to do so to this day. The KKK originated in the late 1800s and rose again to acute heights in the 1920s. After WWI the economy was booming and the Great Migration of Southern blacks and whites began. The KKK grew rapidly in reaction to the immigrants and migrants. It was enhanced through the labor tensions occurring as men returning from the war were attempting not only to new social norms but reentering the workforce. The KKK a white supremacy organization reacted aggressively and advocated racism, anti-communism- anti-Catholicism, nativism and ant-Semitism. Lynching' and violent attacks on houses of those they opposed was at a height including intimidation through ceremonial cross burning. The KKK used its far right ideology in a tradition of lawlessness. 2 Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the Nineteen-Twenties. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1931. The KKK peaked during the 1920s with approximately 4 - 5 million men who believed in this extreme conservative ideology. 3 William J Simmons founded the second KKK in 1915 and under his leadership Klansmen became accuser, judge and jury, tarring and feathering Negroes and white men and women if they were any less conservative than their ideals. Jewish shop keepers were tortured being accused of international financial conspiracies and Catholics were accused of conspiring against the US with their Roman Catholic beliefs.4 The KKK took waspification to the extreme. The organization dwindled with the arrival of the Great depression in 1929 as members stopped paying their dues in a time of financial insecurity

Designing Compensation Systems and Employee Benefits Assignment

Designing Compensation Systems and Employee Benefits - Assignment Example Job analysis will include determining what physical as well as mental abilities are needed to meet job responsibilities. The analysis will also include how the job will be completed and outline any equipment, material and tools necessary to complete the job. The job description will describe how the particular position fits into the company and works with other jobs in the same department and the chain of command should be well defined. The analysis will include employee policy, compensation, job hazards, expected schedule and any additional terms of employment. Job evaluation is the technique that is used to assign specific jobs to certain pay grades and levels in the company hierarchy. This technique usually ranks jobs in order of technicality or difficulty and responsibility. Job evaluation factors will include skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions (Jenns†¦). Responsibility can include factors such as decision making ability required, financial responsibility, ability to take initiative and act alone, contact with others and latitude in job performance. Effort will outline mental effort, concentration, complexity or difficulty and problem solving ability. ... The Equal Pay Act determined that jobs need to be substantially equal though not identical (The Wage†¦) and that an employer cannot change job titles in order to pay one employee less than the other. Responsibilities are to be outlined which differentiate jobs from each other. It is strictly prohibited to pay one employee less whose position requires the same responsibilities as another position when an employee has equal length of time on the job and is equal in every other aspect. The job evaluation process includes collecting factors about each job that needs evaluation, which can be completed using job analysis surveys, questionnaires, observations, interviews and job descriptions. Once this has been completed jobs are systematically rated according to the specific evaluation factors selected such as by skill, effort, responsibility or working conditions. Points can be assigned for each factor and factors can then be further divided into smaller groups. Job evaluation points can be used to visualize on a graph the relationship between the internal structure of the company and the market. The job description is the basis from which a job evaluation can be performed. External factors that are used in job evaluations include salary information that is gathered and compiled by consulting agencies whose primary function is to provide accurate information for comparison by those in human resources assigning salary and pay grades to job positions. Survey information will consider job match, the size of the company, the job industry, geography and ownership. Internal job factors which are used in job evaluation analyze job documentation to determine the scope and complexity of the position, potential impact the job has on the company and those factors already