Death and the Maiden a Critical Overview Essay Example

Death and the Maiden a Critical Overview Essay Death and the Maiden Ariel Dorfman Online Information For the online version of BookRags Death and the Maiden Premium Study Guide, including complete copyright information, please visit: http://www. bookrags. com/studyguide-deathmaiden/ Copyright Information  ©2000-2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gales For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare Contrast, What Do I Read Next? , For Further Study, and Sources.  ©1998-2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc. , a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beachams Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: Social Concerns, Thematic Overview, Techniques, Literary Precedents, Key Questions, Related Titles, Adaptations, Related Web Sites.  © 1994-2005, by Walton Beacham. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beachams Guide to Literature for Young Adults: About the Author, Overview, Setting, Literary Qualities, Social Sensitivity, Topics for Discussion, Ideas for Reports and Papers. 1994-2005, by Walton Beacham. All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copywritten by BookRags, Inc. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher . Table of Contents Introduction. 1 Author We will write a custom essay sample on Death and the Maiden a Critical Overview specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Death and the Maiden a Critical Overview specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Death and the Maiden a Critical Overview specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Biography 2 Plot Summary. 4 Act I. 4 Act II 5 Act III .. Act 1, Scene 1.. 9 Act 1, Scene 2 11 Act 1, Scene 3 14 Act 1, Scene 4 15 Act 2, Scene 1 8 Act 2, Scene 2 22 Act 3, Scene 1 24 Act 3, Scene 2 28 Characters .. 29 Gerardo Escobar. 9 Doctor Roberto Miranda. 29 Paulina Solas . 30 i Table of Contents Themes. 32 Atonement and Forgiveness. 32 Death and the Maiden.. 2 Doubt and Ambiguity.. 33 Freedom.. 33 Justice and Injustice.. 34 Memory and Reminiscence.. 34 Morality and Ethics 5 Style 36 Historical Context. 39 Critical Overview.. 42 Criticism .. 45 Critical Essay #1. 6 Critical Essay #2. 50 Critical Essay #3. 52 Media Adaptations 55 Topics for Further Study .. 56 ii Table of Contents Compare Contrast.. 57 What Do I Read Next? 59 Further Reading. 61 Sources. 63 Copyright Information.. 4 iii Introduction Ariel Dorfmans Death and the Maiden is a moral thriller about a woman, Paulina, who believes that a stranger who comes to her home is the doctor who, under a military dictatorship, tortured and raped her many years before. (The plays title is taken from a piece of music by Franz Schubert; Paulina loved the piece but grew to revile it when it was played repeatedly during her torture sessions. ) Dorfman began writing the play in the mid-1980s, when he was in exile from Chile, a country under the rule of the military dictator General Augusto Pinochet. It was not until Chiles return to democracy in 1990 that Dorfman returned to the play and understood how the story had to be told. A workshop production of Death and the Maiden was staged in Santiago, Chile, opening in March, 1991, and in July of that year the play had its world premiere at Londons Royal Court Upstairs. In November the production, which received the London Time Out Award for best play of 1991, moved to the Royal Court Mainstage. Reception of the play was positive, critics finding it both dramatically engaging as well as historically timely (given the number of societies around the world acing painful legacies of repressive regimes). The play had its Broadway premiere on March 17, 1992, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Glenn Close as Paulina (a performance for which she received an Antionette Tony Perry Award), Richard Dreyfuss as Gerardo, and Gene Hackman as Miranda. The casting of three Anglo actors in a play with a Latin American context was protested by Lat ino organizations and the Actors Equity Association (the union for American actors). Dorfmans play, ultimately, did not receive as high praise in the United States as it had in England but did create enough interest to inspire a film adaptation in 1994. Death and the Maiden is valued as a dramatic work that examines the psychological repercussions of human rights abuses. Introduction 1 Author Biography Playwright, essayist, novelist, poet, and short story writer Ariel Dorfman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 6,1942, the son of an economist and a literature teacher. His life illustrates the fragmented experience of the modern Latin American exile. At the age of two, his family was forced to flee to the United States because of his fathers opposition to the Argentine government of Juan Peron. Dorfmans father was one of the architects of the United Nations, and the family lived in New York for ten years before leaving in 1954, during the McCarthy era, to settle in Chile. Completing a University education, Dorfman became a naturalized Chilean citizen in 1967. Working for the next several years as a journalist and activist, he published several works, including a study of the plays of Harold Pinter (The Homecoming). A supporter of Chilean President Salvador Allende, Dorfman was forced into exile after a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet seized control of the country in 1973. He intermittently lived in Argentina, France, the Netherlands, and eventually settled in the United States (in 1980), holding a variety of academic posts in each of the countries. In 1984 he became a professor at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he maintains a part-time residence. Remaining active in Chiles political and social affairs while in exile, Dorfman first tried to return home to Chile in 1983 yet felt uncomfortable in the environment there. He tried a part-time return in 1986, but the following year, he was stopped at Santiago airport, detained, and then deported. Dorfman returned to Chile again in 1989. Following Pinochets abdication to apopu-larly-elected president in 1990, the playwright attempted to re-establish a semi-permanent residence in his adopted homeland. Dorfmans writings have been translated into over twenty languages. Like many other Latin American authors, he is also a social critic who investigates the relationship between politics and culture. He is the author of important essays and works of cultural criticismHow to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic (1975), Culture and Resistance in Chile (1978) and The Empires Old Clothes Author Biography 2 1980)which argue that popular literatures promote capitalist and neo-im-perial ideology and encourage passivity. Dorfman has additionally written literary works in a variety of forms. His collections of short stories include The Medicine Goes Down (1985) and My House Is on Fire (1979) which examines how people retain a sense of hope living under an oppressive mil itary regime. Dorfmans novels have been praised for their highly original narrative techniques. The Last Song of Manuel Sendero (1987) combines several different perspectives, including those of cartoon characters and the unborn. Mascara (1988) explores human identity and the paranoia created by authoritarian regimes. Dorfmans many collections of poetry include Missing (1982) and Last Waltz m Santiago and Other Poems of Exile and Disappearance (1986). In the theaterbesides his success with Death and the Maiden (1991)Dorfman has created stage adaptations of his novel Widows (1981) and his short story Reader (1979). Author Biography 3 Plot Summary Act I When the play opens,The time is the present and the place, a country that is probably Chile but could be any country that has given itself a democratic government just after a long period of dictatorship. At the Escobars secluded beach house it is late at night and an uneaten dinner is laid out on the table. Paulina sits on the terrace, startled by the sound of an unfamiliar car motor. She takes a gun from the sideboard, and stands listening as her husband, Gerardo, speaks to the driver of the car and then enters the house. Paulina is disturbed by the unusual oc currence, and Gerardo explains that he had a flat tire on the way home and accepted a ride from a passing motorist. He blames Paulina for the spare tire being flat and for the jack being gone (Paulina lent it to her mother). The couple argue about these details and then discuss Gerardos meeting with the countrys president, from which he has just returned. Gerardo has been named to a commission examining human rights abuses under the countrys previous government, a military dictatorship. (It is revealed through dialogue that Paulina was arrested and tortured while attending medical school during this dictatorship. ) Paulina has mixed feelings; she is suspicious of the commission, which is only to investigate cases of abuse that ended in death. A case like Paulinas own abduction, therefore, would not fall within the commissions jurisdiction. Paulina is still traumatized by the memory of being raped and tortured, but she has never discussed details of her experience with her mother or other people close to her. Gerardo agrees with Paulina that the power of the commission is limited, but he believes nevertheless that there is so much we can do .Gerardo makes a point of appearing to ask for Paulinas permission to sit on the commission, but the first scene ends with his admission that he has already accepted the presidents appointment. An hour later, a knock at the door rouses the Escobars. Gerardo is ill at ease until he opens the door to admit Doctor Roberto Miranda, the man who earlier drove him home. Plot Summary 4 Miranda apologizes for the intrusion, and as the two men speak, Paulina edges closer, listening in on their conversation. As she listens, the sound of Mirandas voice appears to greatly upset her. Miranda explains that he heard a news story about the commission on the radio, only then realizing who Gerardo was, and felt he had to return to congratulate him on the ppointment. Miranda appears very enthusiastic about the commission, although he also realizes that the investigations are unlikely to conclude with punishment. Miranda prepares to leave, promising to pick Gerardo up the next morning and help him retrieve his car, but Gerardo insists that Miranda stay the night. The third scene is a brief interlude a short time later, in which Paulina is seen dragging Mirandas unconscious body into the room an d tying him to a chair. She gags him with her own underwear, then takes his car keys and leaves. When dawn rises on the fourth scene, Paulina has returned and sits with her gun, watching Miranda. When he awakens, she speaks to him for a long while, playing a cassette of Schuberts quartet Death and the Maiden which she found in Mirandas car. This music has painful associations for Paulina; it was played while she was in captivity, and Paulina takes Mirandas cassettealong with the familiarity of his voiceas proof that he is the doctor who tortured her. Gerardo enters, aghast at the scene he linds. Paulina explains her discovery, and Gerardos first conclusion is: Youre sick. Gerardo makes a move to untie Miranda, and Paulina fires the gun wildly. She explains that she has already called a mechanic, and when the latter arrives, she ushers Gerardo out of the house to retrieve their car. The act ends with Paulinas cool statement, Were going to put him on trial, Gerardo, this doctor. Right here, today. Act II The time is midday; Miranda is still tied and Paulina speaks to him intimate ly about her captivity and the night of her release. Gerardo enters after retrieving the car, with a new resolve to talk his wife into releasing Miranda. Gerardo appeals to an ideal of law, implying Paulina is no better than the military regime if she will not allow Act I 5 Miranda to defend himself. Paulina says she has every intention of allowing the doctor to argue his case. She was only waiting for Gerardos return, having decided that her husband will act as a lawyer for the accused. When Paulina removes his gag, Miranda claims never to have seen Paulina before, calling her extremely ill, almost prototypically schizoid. Gerardo continues to plead with his wife, and as they argue it becomes vident that Gerardo has difficulty speaking about Paulinas experience. If she can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Miranda is the same doctor, Paulina asks, would Gerardo still want her to set him free. Gerardo replies, If hes guilty, more reason to set him free. Imagine what would happen if everyone acted like you did. Gerardo argues that if Miranda is guilty of the crimes, they should turn him over to the proper authorities. His wife, h owever, believes that while the new government calls itself a democracy, many of the same men who were part of the dictatorship are still active in the government. Not only does she contend that the authorities would immediately release Miranda, she states her belief that the doctor is part of the current government and that his encounter with Gerardo was no coincidence. Paulina explains that at one point she wanted retribution from Miranda but says that now she merely wants him to confess and she will let him go. What can he confess if hes innocent? wonders Gerardo. The scene ends on Paulinas reply, If hes innocent? Then hes really screwed. The second scene is at lunch. Paulina watches from the terrace as Gerardo feeds Miranda and the two men talk. Gerardo stresses that a confession, even a false one, is Mirandas only hope of escaping unharmed, while Miranda emphasizes that he is only in his current situation because he stopped to pick up Gerardo and how depends on the lawyer to get him out of mis mess. After another threatening appearance by Paulina, Miranda accuses Gerardo of not being as impartial as he has claimed to be:She plays the bad guy and you play the good guy to see if you can get me to confess that way. The two men argue but eventually admit they are both scared, and the act ends with Miranda asking Gerardos help in fabricating a convincing confession for Paulina. Act II 6 Act III The final act opens just before evening. Miranda is still bound, and Gerardo, with a tape recorder on his lap, pleads with Paulina to tell him the details of her abduction before he has to hear them from Miranda. Paulina reminds him that she had attempted to tell him these details before, just after she was released, when they were interrupted by the woman with whom Gerardo was involved during Paulinas absence. This memory is a severe blow to Gerardo, and he eventually persuades Paulina to speak instead of her abduction. When she gets to the point in her story of first meeting the doctor and hearing Schubert in the darkness, the lights fade and her voice overlaps with that of Miranda. The lights come up to reveal Miranda making his confession into the tape recorder. He claims that the music was an attempt to alleviate the suffering of the prisoners. He describes how a brutalization took over my life, and he began to enjoy the torture with a detached curiosity partly morbid, partly scientific. The confession over, Paulina sends Gerardo to retrieve Mirandas car. After his departure, however, she changes her tone, saying she was entirely convinced by the doctors confession and now could not live in peace with myself and let you live. She informs him that she inserted small errors in her own taped account, which Miranda apparently corrected of his own accord; now Paulina says she will kill him because you havent repented at all. On Paulinas unanswered question, What do we lose by killing one of them? the action freezes and the lights go down on the scene. A giant mirror descends in front of the characters, forcing, as the stage directions state, the members of the audience to look at themselves. The lights come up on the final scene of the play, in a concert hall several months later. Gerardo and Paulina enter, elegantly dressed, and sit down facing the mirror. When the music ends they rise as if at intermission, and Gerardo speaks to a number of well-wishers who have gathered around him. Paulina observes Miranda entering (or he could be an illusion, the directions read. ) The three characters are seated as the performance recommences, Act III 7 nd Schuberts Death and the Maiden is heard. Paulina and Miranda lock eyes for a moment, then she looks ahead into the mirror as the music plays. Act III 8 Act 1, Scene 1 Act 1, Scene 1 Summary The play opens quietly, possibly in Chile, but in any country who has survived a long dictatorship and replaced it recently with a democratic government. Moonlight bathes the first person on stage, Paul ina Salas, who is sitting out on the terrace. The tension immediately picks up when Paulina hears a car, looks out the window and grabs for a gun. When she goes back to the window, she hears her husband, Gerardo, get out and speak to someone in the car, inviting them in for a drink and then, when declined, invites him back on Sunday. She does not hear the other half of the conversation. She puts the gun away again and hides in the curtains before her husband enters the house and turns on the lights after seeing her. Gerardo is apologetic. We learn that he is quite late for dinner. Paulina tries to hide her tension and asks who it was in the car who brought him home. He doesnt answer her directly but explains that a nail punctured his tire, and because she hadnt fixed the spare, he couldnt replace the tire. She bridles, asking why she has to take care of everything. She takes care of the house, and he is supposed to take care of the car. The argument is mild and Gerardo stops it, calling it an absurd discussion. He then mentions that the jack was also missing. Paulina confesses to lending it to her mother, who was traveling south. Another small argument ensues, during which Gerardo mentions the name of the man who gave him a ride home, Roberto Miranda. The conversation then turns to matter of Gerardo being named as an official to a government commission. The name of the position is not mentioned, nor is the name of the commission until the next scene. He initially claims that he told the president he would need time to discuss the appointment with his wife, but that he needs to go back to the city on Monday. Paulina tells him she heard about the invitation for a drink on Act 1, Scene 1 9 Sunday. Through the remainder of the scene, we learn that the commissions purpose is to seek out those who are now considered criminals from the previous dictators regime. The oppressors are to be given trials, and judges, who were also presiding over courts during the dictatorship, will decide how they shall be punished. Paulina works herself into an excited fervor over the prospect of these individuals being punished or executed. She also coaxes the truth out of Gerardo. He has already accepted the presidents offer, but had wanted to let Paulina feel that she had some say in the matter. Act 1, Scene 1 Analysis The conversation between Gerardo and Paulina begins to give the audience some insight into Paulinas nightmarish past and Gerardos support and love for her. The beats of the conversation are very natural sometimes stilted, as when Gerardo is apologetically explaining why he is late, and sometimes stepping on each others words and repeating phrases, as when Gerardo is sputtering as Paulina tries to explain why she lent the car jack to her mother for her travels. The changes in mood from calm to tense and back again are always broadcast visually in this scene, not first by tone of words. The stage direction calls for a particular movement before the first line is delivered, whether it is standing and crossing the stage, or Gerardo taking Paulina into his arms to calm her and comfort near the end. Act 1, Scene 1 10 Act 1, Scene 2 Act 1, Scene 2 Summary It is an hour later. The stage is dark again. Gerardo and Paulina have had dinner (or, at least, put the dinner things away) and have gone to bed. A car pulls up to the house (offstage), and someone gets out and knocks insistently on the door. Gerardo assures Paulina that everything is all right as he turns on a light (also offstage) and cross the room to open the front door. Roberto Miranda, Gerardos good Samaritan from earlier, is the unexpected visitor. Gerardo admits to Roberto that he had scared them. It hasnt been long since being awoken in the middle of the night only meant being taken away by police for questioning. In the meantime, Paulina slips out into the room and onto the terrace, unseen by the two men. Roberto apologizes and says that he stopped by for a visit on the way back to his own beach house. Gerardo offers him a cognac before he continues to say that he heard about Gerardos appointment to the Investigating Commission. It took him a moment to remember Gerardos name, but he also remembered he had their spare tire in his trunk, so he wanted to offer his help the next day in patching the tire and retrieving their car. He also seems very respectful of the role Gerardo will play, in that he will have many duties and worries on his hands shortly, and wants to help remove the trouble with the car. Roberto also asks after the whereabouts of the jack, to which Gerardo replies that Paulina gave it to her mother. They joke briefly about never understanding women before returning to the subject of fixing the car in the morning and then toward what Gerardo will be doing as part of this Investigating Commission. Roberto confesses that his real purpose for coming was to congratulate Gerardo on his appointment. He goes on and on about how these people the commission will be Act 1, Scene 2 11 seeking out will be punished, despite the established amnesty, how he would like to see them all dead. Gerardo is only able to get a few words in now and then. They suddenly realize how late it is, and Gerardo invites Roberto to stay the night instead of driving all the way to his own house and back again. Roberto attempts to decline, mentioning patients and saying that his wife and kids are away at her mothers and that he enjoys being alone. However, he is persuaded at Gerardos mention breakfast from Paulina. At this point, Paulina slips back to the bedroom. After jesting about not sharing toothbrushes, each man walks to their respective bedrooms, and stage is returned to the remaining moonlight. Paulina pretends that Gerardo has awakened her when he tells her that Roberto is staying the night, comforts her fear and asks her to make them breakfast in the morning. Act 1, Scene 2 Analysis The character of Roberto seems an earnest and almost jovial one in this scene. He seems to be very honest, helpful and full of respect for someone who will soon help the country to shut the door on the divisions and hatreds of the past. He spends a considerable amount of time making it known that he is all for punishing the criminals Gerardos commission will be seeking out. There is very little involvement from our heroine, Paulina, but by the very act of slipping into the room to hear and see the conversation after only a few words from Roberto, and then by slipping back to the bedroom and pretending to b e half-asleep, we get a strong hint that she may recognize Roberto. Because she slips in and out so secretively, she obviously fears or distrusts him. Otherwise, she may have strolled in to say Hello. Gerardo is a complete innocent in this matter. The character is written so that he clearly doesnt have the presence to be a force of punishment. In this way, we know that the Investigating Commission will probably be very good at the investigating, but Act 1, Scene 2 12 will have no power to make any real change toward the punishment of evil deeds of the past. Perhaps Roberto thinks he is exempt or safe in some way, and his assertions mock the commissions future efforts. Act 1, Scene 2 13 Act 1, Scene 3 Act 1, Scene 3 Summary This is an extremely brief scene without dialog, written all in stage directions. The stage is darker still, when a cloud has passed over the moon. Paulina slips onto stage again. She cross to the drawer where the gun is hidden, takes out the gun and some articles of clothing which appear to be stockings. She then crosses to the door to Robertos room, pauses as if listening, then enters. We hear a muffled struggle, a cry of some kind, then nothing. Paulina reemerges and crosses the stage again, this time with a purpose. She locks her bedroom door, with her husband still inside. She then returns to the spare bedroom and drags a body into the living room. She moves a chair closer, lifts the body onto it and ties it to the chair. When she goes back to the spare bedroom again, she comes back with Robertos jacket and takes out a set of keys. Before leaving the house, she stops, takes off her panties and stuffs them in Robertos mouth. She leaves the house, and we see headlights panning across the stage and hear the sound of a car leaving. The headlights show that the body is indeed an unconscious Roberto tied to the chair and gagged with a pair of panties. The car leaves, and the stage returns to darkness. Act 1, Scene 3 Analysis Actions can speak more loudly than words. By the end of this scene, assuming we dont already know the story, we know that Paulina is either crazy or desperate. Perhaps it is a combination of both. Some audience members may also be shocked by Paulinas act of taking off her panties and stuffing them in Robertos mouth. It is a moment that defines the disgust she feels for him. It is also a kind of smug revenge, as we shall see in later scenes, or a display of her new-found feminine power, now that she has the upper hand. Act 1, Scene 3 14 Act 1, Scene 4 Act 1, Scene 4 Summary Dawn light is beginning to show, and Roberto awakes, only to discover he is tied to a chair. Paulina is seated in front of him, calmly holding the gun. She addresses him as Doctor Miranda. He says nothing, since he is still gagged. She says she had a friend at university by the name of Ana Maria Miranda, who went on to get her diploma and become a doctor. She then says that she didnt have the opportunity to finish her own studies (also in medicine) and get her diploma, implying that Dr. Miranda was responsible for that. She explains that Gerardo was waiting for her outside the university. This was fortunate, as she had an aversion to the field of medicine. She is considering reapplying and finishing her studies, as it seems that students who were kicked out while the military was in control are being asked to applying for readmittance. Paulina then slyly mentions breakfast. Would he like a ham sandwich instead? She remembers that he liked them with mayonnaise. They dont have any mayonnaise,

Why Nat Turners Rebellion Scared White Southerners

Why Nat Turner's Rebellion Scared White Southerners Nat Turner’s rebellion in 1831 frightened Southerners because it challenged the idea that slavery was a  benevolent institution. In speeches and writings, slave owners portrayed themselves not so much as ruthless businessmen exploiting a people for their labor but as kind and well-intentioned masters tutoring blacks in civilization and religion. A pervasive white Southern fear of rebellion, however, belied their own arguments that slaves were, in fact, happy. Uprisings like the one Turner staged in Virginia left no doubt that slaves wanted their freedom. Nat Turner, Prophet Turner was born into slavery on Oct. 2, 1800, in Southampton County, Va., on slaveholder Benjamin Turner’s farm. He recounts in his confession (published as The Confessions of Nat Turner) that even when he was young, his family believed he: â€Å"surely would be a prophet, as the Lord had shewn me things that had happened before my birth. And my father and mother strengthened me in this my first impression, saying in my presence, I was intended for some great purpose, which they had always thought from certain marks on my head and breast.† By his own account, Turner was a deeply spiritual man. He spent his youth praying and fasting, and one day, while taking a prayer break from plowing, he heard a voice: â€Å"The spirit spoke to me, saying ‘Seek ye the kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added unto you.’† Turner was convinced throughout his adulthood that he had some great purpose in life, a conviction that his experience at the plow confirmed. He searched for that mission in life, and starting in 1825, he began receiving visions from God. The first occurred after he had run away and bade him return to slaveryTurner was told that he shouldn’t indulge his earthly wishes for freedom, but rather he was to serve the â€Å"kingdom of Heaven,† from bondage. From then on, Turner experienced visions that he believed meant he was to attack directly the institution of slavery. He had a vision of a spiritual battleof black and white spirits at waras well as a vision in which he was instructed to take up the cause of Christ. As the years passed, Turner waited for a sign that it was time for him to act. The Rebellion A startling eclipse of the sun in February of 1831 was the sign for which Turner had been waiting. It was time to strike against his enemies. He didn’t hurryhe gathered followers and planned. In August of that same year, they struck. At 2 a.m. on Aug. 21, Turner and his men killed the family of Joseph Travis on whose farm he had been a slave for over a year. Turner and his group then moved through the county, going from house to house, killing whites they encountered and recruiting more followers. They took money, supplies, and firearms as they traveled. By the time the white inhabitants of Southampton had become alerted to the rebellion, Turner and his men numbered approximately 50 or 60 and included five free black men. A battle between Turner’s force and white Southern men ensued on Aug. 22, around mid-day near the town of Jerusalem. Turner’s men dispersed in the chaos, but a remnant remained with Turner to continue the fight. The state militia fought Turner and his remaining followers on Aug. 23, but Turner eluded capture until Oct. 30. He and his men had managed to kill 55 white Southerners. The Aftermath of Nat Turner’s Rebellion According to Turner, Travis had not been a cruel master, and that was the paradox that white Southerners had to face in the aftermath of Nat Turner’s Rebellion. They attempted to delude themselves that their slaves were content, but Turner forced them to confront the innate evil of the institution. White Southerners responded brutally to the rebellion. They executed 55 slaves for participating in or supporting the revolt, including Turner, and other angry whites killed over 200 African-Americans in the days after the rebellion. Turners rebellion not only pointed to the lie that slavery was a benevolent institution but also showed how white Southerners own Christian beliefs supported his bid for freedom. Turner described his mission in his confession: â€Å"The Holy Ghost had revealed itself to me, and made plain the miracles it had shown me- For as the blood of Christ had been shed on this earth, and had ascended to heaven for the salvation of sinners, and was now returning to earth again in the form of dew- and as the leaves on the trees bore the impression of the figures I had seen in the heavens, it was plain to me that the Saviour was about to lay down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and the great day of judgment was at hand.† Sources â€Å"Africans in America.† PBS.org.  Haskins, Jim et al. â€Å"Nat Turner† in African-American Religious Leaders. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, 2008.Oates, Stephen. The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion. New York: HarperCollins, 1990.Turner, Nat. .The Confessions of Nat Turner Baltimore: Lucas Deaver, 1831.

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Tort Law - Essay Example The basis of this case was the fact that Shama LLC made new modification to the original equipment without informing him. However, the original owner claimed that he owed no duty to the plaintiff’s employer. The California court of appeal ruled out that Becker Bros. steel and Shama LLC are separate entities. In addition, all components of the machine were the property of the current employer. Shama LLC was therefore required to compensate Garcia for the injuries caused by the machine. Tort issues generally occur in daily life although people lack initiatives to take legal actions. Consumer protection is a major issue that arises in our daily lives. Wrongful advertisements or advertisements that do not reveal the side effects of a product are example of tort cases that occur in our daily lives. Junk foods are known to have long term negative effects on consumers particularly children. Advertisements on the media fail to include their side effects or negativities. Most of such advertisement use happy and healthy people making consumers to lack consideration for any possible consequences of such products. Junk food manufacturing companies needs to be prosecuted for the resultant problems that affect children who become addicted to their

Case Studies (Laura Martin) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Studies (Laura Martin) - Research Paper Example In the DCF analysis, the Net Present value has been calculated as the present value of the future net free cash inflows or the revenue of the business, minus the expenses, or the present value of the costs incurred (Mauboussin, 5). In most cases, these two are discounted using the company’s WACC (Stearns, 29). This assumption though made by Laura Martin is a flawed assumption. Mainly, free cash flows depend on the demand in the market, prices in the market, and other external factors in the market, with the market compensating firms; because of taking marketing risks (Chan et al, 3). In most cases, costs should be discounted at a rate higher than the risk free rate (Stearns, 3). This means that discounting the cash flows and the costs at similar rates will significantly reduce the costs; such actions would lead to overhaul of the firm (Chen et al, 3). Martin in these calculations used the beta approach, which measures the co-movements of firms’s equity prices of 1.07 in forecasting 10 years of cash flows in the market and which is affected by so many market variables (Mauboussin, 16). However, equity prices are unstable and change each time depending market business conditions. The multiple analyses assumed that the firm would realize the stated future sales revenue at the end of the forecast period (Chen et al, 3). Firms that have comparable acquisitions, particular in the same industry are used as a base in finding an appropriate range of multiples to use (Stearns, 24). Though multiples are very plausible, they have a problem in that there is no possibility of having a company that is comparable to Cox as firms do use various valuation approaches.. The ‘stealth- Tier’ can be incorporated into the DCF and the multiples analysis. The unused cable capacity of Cox communications can be included into the discounted cash flow analysis, through

Deforestation And Climate Change

Deforestation And Climate Change According to the Oxford dictionary, deforestation means cutting down trees over large area (Oxford Dictionary, 2011, p.1). The history of deforestation which is cutting down the trees has occurred some over 4000 years ago as according to Adam, D. (2009). Deforestation is clearing the Earths forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land and causing climate change. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land area, but swaths the sizes of Panama are lost each and every year. In this day and age, the earth is facing problems because valuable trees are being cut without limitation and damaging the quality of the land. This is because trees have many uses for human beings and also for the world. A biodiversity specialist named Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman says, climate and forest are interlinked. The increased destruction of the rainforest which form a precious cooling band around the Earths equator is recognized as one of the main causes of climate change. Forests trap and store carbon dioxide and play a major role in mitigating climate change. On the other hand, forests become the sources of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide when destroyed or over-harvested and burned. Deforestation brings about climate changes such as the internal heating of earth, change of weather pattern and excess of rainfall. First and foremost, deforestation will change the climate because it can lead to internal heating of earth. The earth is warm due to inconsistent and unpredictable temperature. A lot of heat energy is stored in the atmosphere which eventually comes out from the Sun. This will then regulate the earths climate. Furthermore, the atmosphere is composed of small particles and several gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. BBC News(2012) mention that some of the gases such as carbon dioxide vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are known to trap heat in the atmosphere. Thus, the net energy will increase and this contributes to Earth warming. The later forms of gases are referred to as greenhouse gases (GHG). The Earths climate is also affected by the particles in the atmosphere which tend to block sunlight from reaching to the Earth. The accumulation of these gases is believed to have altered the earths radioactive balance, meaning more of the suns heat is absorbed and trapped inside the earths atmosphere. According to Rainforest Conservation Fund (2012) the changes during deforestation happen when the movement of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from vegetation which is then burned to make agricultural fields. Then, the decaying process takes place which release carbon after logging. Carbon is loss when wood products are removed from forest. On the other hand, when the forest regrows carbon is returned to terrestrial systems by incorporation of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into new plant material. This shows how deforestation leads to greater accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If the level of carbon dioxide increases the process of photosynthesis will be reduced. So, plants will not be able to carry out their photosynthesis and this eventually leads to deforestation. According to University of Michigan (2010) The USA has already experienced its wave of deforestation, with the exception of small areas in the west and Alask a. As uncontrolled deforestation carries on carbon is released as carbon dioxide and traps heat in atmosphere. This will then cause global warming. Thus, it can be concluded that deforestation can change in the climate due to internal heating of earth. Moreover, deforestation can lead to change of weather patterns. Global Change reports and Assessments (2000) states that about 30-40% of ultraviolet (UV) energy from the Sun is believed to be reflected back into space after hitting Earths upper atmosphere, while remaining 60-70% gets through to Earth. For instance, deforestation around Africas Mount Kilimanjaro have large impact on the mountains local weather and climate as global climate change, according to researches from University of Alabama, Huntsville (1995). Deforestation affects the peak of the mountain, where gradually disappearing glaciers reside, because there is no rain or snow. The region has experienced significant ecological changes, including less rainfall. The reduction of cloud cover and the subsequent disappearance of several species of amphibians and birds are the effects of deforestation. Changes in global air temperature will be the effect of weather pattern. There is more heat rather than water vapour in the a tmosphere. Therefore, the land become drier and contributes to drought periods. Droughts will unable the plants in the forest to do their photosynthesis correctly. This clearly shows that change of weather pattern due to deforestation. Last but not least, deforestation will change the climate because it can cause excess of rainfall. According to EO, earth. (2010) increase in rainfall distribution will leads to flood, and soil erosion. The forest act as a carbon sink by converting carbon dioxide into physical mass and releasing oxygen. A recent study shows that up to thirty percent of the rain that falls in tropical forests is water that the rainforest has recycled into the atmosphere. Water evaporates from the soil and vegetation, condenses into clouds, and falls again as rain in a perpetual self-watering cycle. In addition to maintaining tropical rainfall, the evaporation cools the Earths surface. In many computer models of future climate, replacing tropical forests with a landscape of pasture and crops creates a drier, hotter climate in the tropics. Some models also predict that tropical deforestation will disrupt rainfall pattern far outside the tropics, including China, northern Mexico, and the south-central Un ited States. Most of these climate predictions of decreased rainfall are based on a uniform and virtually complete replacement of tropical forests with pasture and cropland. However, deforestation often precedes in a patchwork fashion clearings that branch off roads in a fishbone pattern. For example, a deforested island within a sea of forest. On these local scales, deforestation may actually increase rainfall by creating heat islands that enhance the rising and overturning of air (convection) that leads to clouds and rain. On this basis it may be inferred that deforestation will change of excess of rainfall. Deforestation brings about climate changes such as the internal heating of earth, change of weather pattern and excess of rainfall. Deforestation is continuing at an alarming rate and it is an unavoidable environmental issue that requires immediate action. It is the practice of chopping down tress to such an extent that the global climate is slowly undergoing changes. Goodall, J. (2010) states that forests are important as a crucial part of life on earth and to contribute to the basic human needs. Once distributed over half the planet, forests now cover only a quarter of its land surface and forest loss, particularly in the tropics, is continuing at an alarming rate. Figures released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2005 indicate that the rate of natural tropical forest loss is about 13 million hectares each year is equivalent to 36 football fields a minute. Beyond the tropics, there has been a significant loss of old-growth forests and the replacement of natural forests and woodlands with single-species plantations that provide few of the environmental, ecological and social benefits of native forests.

John Savage Desires What Makes Essay -- essays research papers

Brave New World illustrates a world where everything that is morally right in our society, is wrong. Monogamy is sinful, massive orgies are not. Serious thinking is unnecessary because life has already been planned out. Hardships and stress can be solved with a few tablets of soma. This is the world which John Savage and others in the novel foolishly came to hate. All of the things that John Savage desires are the things that make our society unstable. Huxley uses John Savage to show the reader that this world is distopian, when this society is the closest example to a stable, utopian society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uninhibited sexual freedom provides happiness to this society’s citizens, the Fordians. Promiscuity is encouraged, and monogamy is discouraged. There is no room for love, or real emotional ties. John Savage does not agree with these ideas, but he fails to see the implications of loving others. In our society, love and sexual desire are the causes of murder, suicide, and rape. â€Å"Everyone belongs to everyone else†(pg.35). This is one of the many hypnopaedic messages that are repeated to the Fordians. It prevents them from feeling passion, desire, lust, jealousy, and true love. In absence of these feelings, they are free from emotional ties and have no reason to rape or murder someone because of inner desires. They are able to express their sexuality with others, and release sexual tension. Hurt and pain is eliminated from their minds, and these people can live the rest of their lives with child-like bliss. John Savage disagrees with these ideas and objects by stating, â€Å"The murkiest den, the most opportune place† (the voice or conscience thundered poetically), â€Å"the strongest suggestion our worser genius can, shall never melt mine honour into lust. Never, never!† (pg. 174-175) This occurs when Lenina wanted to have sex with John. Instead of accepting her invitation, he lashes out at her screaming, â€Å"Whore! Impudent strumpet!† (pg. 176). Meaning that he fails to understand how the Fordian society works. Not only that, but the fact that there are many in our society who can only wish to be in his place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another form of happiness that Huxley supplies to the Fordians is soma. The hypnopaedic message â€Å"†¦a gramme is better than a damn,†(pg.49) is repeated to these individuals so that they take soma instead of worrying... ...ot independent ideas of their own. Everyone, in a word, who’s anyone.† (pg.207) Even ‘free thinkers’ are able to live peacefully in the Fordian society. They have the choice to retreat to an island where there are many people who may share the same views. The Fordian society is not communistic. They do not execute those who think for themselves, but allow them to grow. Even though they may not have the ability to spread their knowledge on to others, their needs are fulfilled.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is the Fordian society utopian? It is impossible to say no when there is less conflict, no pain, happiness, no jealousy, harmony, efficiency, stability, and no disease. John Savage entered the Fordian world, not the other way around. If he wanted to be singled out, beaten, and hated, then he could have stayed in the reservation. The Fordian society was prepared to embrace him, but he was not willing to adapt. Due to his stubborn nature he eventually committed suicide. John was offered a unique opportunity to live along with the Fordians, but his inability to change himself led to his death. If any other savage were given such an opportunity, they would have take in immediately.

Mahsa

But, it is not a problem at all from the view of human rights. The author claims that homosexual marriage is neither culturally nor physiologically possible and it is a dead-end street without the cooperation of a third party due to extinction of generation. He satirized that gay marriage is not programmed properly and there are hardware problems as well in cyber language. He explores the question of whether homosexuality is an immutable characteristic because there is no evidence for the claim that homosexuality Is genetic, hormonal or biological from any school of medicine, medical Journal or professional organization.He comments that homosexuals are the richest, most educated and most traveled demographic group although they are few in number. He believes that homosexuality is a behavior-based life-style and presents the 1986 Supreme Court decision of Bowers vs.. Hardwire case for claim that gay marriage is state's public school curriculum and homosexual marriage should be taught to their children as â€Å"abnormally'. To reinforce his views, he insists that churches may resist homosexual weddings and it may be used as a basis for denying them access to all kinds of government programs.And, Catholic churches were singled out by the city and denied aid for providing emergency shelter to the city homeless for resistance against homosexual â€Å"rights† ordinances. Sheldon asserts that â€Å"homosexual marriage† is an oxymoron, unnatural and against our country most basic standards. Finally, he reports that every reputable public opinion poll demonstrates that nearly 8 of every 10 Americans don't accept the pretence of â€Å"homosexual marriage. † Although homosexual marriage is not generational, his claim is narrow view about marriage. The meaning of marriage is not limited on only preserving our species.Everyone has a right to pursue one's happiness through living with a person whom one loved. Also, all mankind has the right to pursue on e's civil liberties. The only action that should be banned from doing is the action that causes harm on someone else, but homosexual marriage does not cause harm in many cases. We need to consider that we could not predicate homosexual to be behavior-based life-style Just because there is no recognition from any school of medicine, medical journal or professional organization that homosexuality is genetic, hormonal or biological.A questionable aspect of this article is that homosexuals are the richest, cost educated and most traveled demographic group. The author should provide evidence to support his views. Another questionable aspect of this article is that homosexuality is not a constitutionally protected right. Homosexuals are the citizens of the United States who phototypesetting's a citizen. They've taxes, obey laws, vote and educate themselves, etc. So, their right should be guaranteed discriminated. According to the article 2 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyon e is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration.This indicates that being homosexual should not effect on possessing the right of marriage and having family. His claim has no bases why homosexuality should be taught to children as the â€Å"abnormally' and why churches stopped supporting for providing emergency shelter to city homeless. He looks like worrying that admitting same sex marriage will make homosexuality as kind of a trend and will be spread over people. And, it is questionable why churches used homeless people as sacrifices to against homosexuality. I could not find any relationship between homosexuals and homeless people.In a final shortcoming in the article, the author claims that ‘homosexual marriage' is against our country most basic standard. He should explain in detail what standards are and how ‘homosexual marriage' is against those. Despite these criticism, the author's claim should not be criticized as a witch hunting. Peo ple against homosexuality and people supportive homosexuality Just have different opinions. In my view, more systematic and comprehensive research of this issue is needed including the countries which legalized same-sex marriage before any firm conclusion can be drawn.

Free Essays on Missullini And Fascism

Fascism is a form of counter-revolutionary politics that first arose in the early part of the twentieth-century in Europe. It was a response to the rapid social upheaval, the devastation of World War I, and the Bolshevik Revolution. Fascism is a philosophy or a system of government the advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of aggressive nationalism. Celebrating the nation or the race as an organic community surpassing all other loyalties. Fascism seeks to organize an organization led mass movement in an effort to capture the state power. The ideology of Fascism has been identified with totalitarianism, state terror, fanaticism, arranged violence, and blind obedience. Fascism is an authoritarian political movement that developed in Italy and other European countries after 1919 as a reaction against the profound political and social changes brought about from inflation, Benito Mussolini was the man who brought this ideology to Italy. Mussolini had been looking for the perfect opportunity to take complete control of the country and now was the time to do so. Mussolini said "Fascism, which was not afraid to call itself reactionary†¦does not hesitate to call itself illiberal and anti-liberal"Mussolini furthered his popularity by supporting eight hour days, elimination of class privileges, universal suffrage, and tax advantages.... Free Essays on Missullini And Fascism Free Essays on Missullini And Fascism Fascism is a form of counter-revolutionary politics that first arose in the early part of the twentieth-century in Europe. It was a response to the rapid social upheaval, the devastation of World War I, and the Bolshevik Revolution. Fascism is a philosophy or a system of government the advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of aggressive nationalism. Celebrating the nation or the race as an organic community surpassing all other loyalties. Fascism seeks to organize an organization led mass movement in an effort to capture the state power. The ideology of Fascism has been identified with totalitarianism, state terror, fanaticism, arranged violence, and blind obedience. Fascism is an authoritarian political movement that developed in Italy and other European countries after 1919 as a reaction against the profound political and social changes brought about from inflation, Benito Mussolini was the man who brought this ideology to Italy. Mussolini had been looking for the perfect opportunity to take complete control of the country and now was the time to do so. Mussolini said "Fascism, which was not afraid to call itself reactionary†¦does not hesitate to call itself illiberal and anti-liberal"Mussolini furthered his popularity by supporting eight hour days, elimination of class privileges, universal suffrage, and tax advantages....

Lotus Bakery, Case Study Essays

Lotus Bakery, Case Study Essays Lotus Bakery, Case Study Paper Lotus Bakery, Case Study Paper Lotus Bakeries NV International case study Bart Bauwens Director Export November 2010 Personal introduction Bart Bauwens – 1967 Master in Business Economics University of Ghent, Belgium – 1991 Master in Business Administration – National University of Singapore – 2008 Specialisation in Export Management University of Antwerp, Belgium 1/1/2000: Start with Lotus Bakeries Director Sales Marketing Lotus Bakeries Asia Pacific : 1/11/2003 – 31/07/2008 Since 1/08/2008: Director Export Aim of this lecture : Introduce you shortly to Lotus Bakeries, our products and our structure and link it to our export strategy Go over some very simple basic principles to take in consideration in export with focus on 4 P’s Case: introducing Lotus in China Challenge you to think beyond the known and see international business with different eyes Q A. Contents : 1) Who is Lotus Bakeries ? 1. History 2. Products 3. Organizati on 4. Results 5. Corporate Strategy 6. Realisation most important projects 2) Why exporting ? 3) How to start the export adventure ? 4) Case : Introduction of Lotus in China 5) QA 1) Who is Lotus Bakeries ? 1. History 932 1974 1988 2001 2006 2008 Foundation Lotus NV Merger with Corona IPO Lotus brand Acquisition of Koninklijke Peijnenburg (NL) Acquisition of Anna’s Pepparkakor (SE) 2. Products Caramelised biscuits Gingerbread Cakes Waffles Pepparkakor Caramelized biscuits Gingerbread Cakes Waffles Pepparkakor 3. Operational organisation Corporate headquarters in Lembeke 3. Operational organisation Corporate Executive Committee Group Management Team Northern Eastern Europe Belgium Netherlands France UK North America Export 3. Operational organisation Production plants Belgium: 4 France: 2 Netherlands: 3 Sweden: 1 Canada: 1 3. Operational organisation Production plants Canada: Calgary F: Comines Briec SE: Tyreso NL: Enkhuizen, Geldrop, Sintjohannesga B: Lembeke, Oostakker, Meise, Courcelles 3. Operational organisation Logistics centre Belgium – Central logistics centre in Lokeren for Belgium, France, Germany and export 3. Operational organisation Own sales organisations EUROPE San Francisco: USA Canada Singapore: Asia Pacific 3. Operational organisation Other export markets Export department in Belgium for Europe and Middle East Cooperation with specialized importers 4. Results 2009 Evolution of turnover – in mio EUR 300 280 260 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 56,7 224,5 179,3 152,3 261,1 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 4. Results 2009 EVOLUTION OF TURNOVER in millions of EUR Evolution of turnover 2009 – in mio EUR 275,0 250,0 225,0 200,0 175,0 150,0 125,0 100,0 75,0 50,0 25,0 0,0 1987 1994 1995 2001 2002 2009 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 4. Results 2009 To tal turnover 2009 261. 1 mio EUR Evolution Compared with 2008: + 1. 7% Like for like: stable evolution in 2009 versus 2008, taking in account: Takeover Anna’s Divestment Harry’s Benelux Falling sales Jaffa Cake Bars with expiry of the contract with Mc Vities Geographical turnover 2009 per area N-America 6,1% NE EU 8,1% UK 5,1% Export 5,1% Belgium 30,5% France 14,0% Netherlands 31,0% REBIT and REBITDA 2009 mio EUR 2009 2008 Evolution % Turnover Depreciation and amounts written off REBIT REBITDA 261. 1 (12. 1) 256. 7 (11. 0) + 1. 7 + 9. 8 34. 6 48. 2 34. 0 45. 7 + 1. 6 + 5. 5 REBIT and REBITDA 6 m 2010/ 6 m 2009 mio EUR Turnover Depreciation and amounts written off REBIT REBITDA 6 m 2010 6 m 2009 127. 2 (5. 6) 17. 5 24. 3 Evolution % 125. 9 (5. 5) 16. 1 22. 7 + 1. 1 + 3. 2 + 8. 8 + 7. 4 5. Lotus Bakeries growth strategy General theme of our strategic choices We focus our growth objectives on xpanding our best performing products†¦ †¦not on ‘fixing’ weaker performing products We believe that†¦ â€Å"The better a product is performing, the further it is away from its full potential† 5. Lotus Bakeries growth strategy Choices â€Å"To become the number 1 branded leader in our specialty bakery products by maintaining a clear superior taste experience. We want to achieve sales growth ahead of market growth to create room for more investments into the market. † Original Caramelised biscuits : drive to full potential Pepparkakor: become clear leader in Nordics and focus on US + Export to Japan. OCB spread: make the success sustainable in home countries Gingerbread: sharpen positioning and invest behind stars Waffles: develop star products with international potential Cakes: invest behind stars Private label: be very selective Specific growth objectives based on consumer insights (penetration, frequency, value) Strong trade marketing capabilities to win the war in the store Sharp communication on consumption moments linked with brand essence Format innovations to expand star products Maintained lean and flexible supply model to follow the stars and trade activation 5. Lotus Bakeries growth strategy TOP culture TEAMSPIRIT PASSION OPEN DIALOGUE We are using 3 main brands: Lotus, Peijnenburg and Anna’s: Lotus is the main international brand Home markets NL Speculoos BE/FR Nordics International Pepparkakor Spread Ginger bread Waffles Cakes 6. Realisation most important projects. 6. Realisation most important projects. 5. New corporate website 2) Why exporting ? Geographical objectives Caramelized biscuits: become a global player as market- and brandleader. Geographical objectives Gingerbread : become market- and brandleader in The Netherlands, Belgium, France Geographical objectives Cakes : originally regional. Market- and brandleader in the local market of each speciality. Geographical objectives Waffles: strong presence in countries with own sales office. Geographical objectives Annas Ginger Thins: maintain leading position in Scandinavia and introduce it world wide. Geographical objectives Diversification of the market Need for new turn over Competition in home market Demand from abroad Unique product to bring to the world Love to travel 3) How to start the Export adventure ? How to start the export adventure ? Analysis and home work SWOT – Analyse 5 Forces Model of Porter McKinsey 7S Model Go – No go Practical and start 4 P’s SWOT Analysis 5 Forces Model Porter What determines the average industry profitability ? 7S Model What are our core competences on Company level ? Go – No go Concentric approach Go ? Start 4P’s or 7 P’s 4 P’s More in production oriented industries Product Price Place Promotion 4P’s or 7 P’s 3 extra P’s More in a service industry People Process Physical Evidence 3. 1 Unique product and unique concept for export Some questions on the product The product for export is not the same as the product for your domestic market: Why? Some questions on the product Which products can I sell in export? Why should I export this product? Do I have to adapt the taste, shape, details of the products? What about the local rules in f. i. food safety? What about the local rules in packaging and labeling? What about the size, weight, colour,†¦ of my product? Is my packaging suitable for overseas export (transport, palletisation,†¦. ) Some questions on the product Do I have a story on my product or an unique concept? Does my product requires special production methodes, different from the methodes used for my domestic products? Do I need to do more indepth research? 3. 2 Price structure for export Bott om up calculation Cost price calculation: how much does my products cost basically? Raw materials, labour, overheads, internal transport, warehousing, General Administration costs, †¦ How much gross margin do I need – want ? Bottom up calculation Which Incoterm do we use? Ex Works - inside EU FOB - overseas Others: liability? (CF, CIF,†¦) Bottom up calculation Extra costs for export? Extra packaging extra labels Transport: refer or not? Special transport modus? Extra people involved? Extra documents (certificate of origin, health certificate, transport documents, †¦) Insurance Bottom up calculation Extra costs for marketing support overseas Sampling degustation Introduction Listing fees Actions and promotions Local sales team? Instore activities, publicity, advertising, †¦ Top down check Competition Who is it and what type of products do they sell What is their pricing level? Top down check Market How much spending power do peopl e have? What proportion of that power is spent to products like mine? Is the market price sensitive or not? Potential extra costs barriers Potential Extra Costs Import duties Exchange rate: cost of money Potential extra costs barriers Potential Barriers Tarrifs Import duties, Transit duties (India),†¦ Non-Tarrifs Rules, laws that change,†¦ F. i. closure of Chinese ports during Olympics 3. 3 Place : Local Distribution in export What kind of local distribution ? Different forms of partnership in distribution depending on how complex you want to go Agent : intermediair between you and potential clients. You sell to the local client, the agent gets a commission. Importer: you sell directly to him; he markets your product Importer wholesaler What kind of local distribution ? Different forms of partnership in distribution depending on how complex you want to go Representative office: check the market Sales office: part of own organisation Joint Venture: check the market Local production: own local company Be prepared Who is our local partner ? Checklist. General information: name, address, phone numbers,.. How is he structured? Who are his clients? Geographic structure: e. g. in China: is he all over the country? Own sales people? Logistics: does he has his own warehouse and trucks? How is he organised? What other products does he import – distribute – manufacture ? Be prepared Who is our local partner ? Checklist. Conditioning of the products locally: refrigerator or not, stock capacity, how will he handle our products? Is he a brand builder? Is he market leader? Exclusivity or not? Territorial protection? How to check? Via internet or own network etc Via banks, Chamber of Commerce, business Clubs,†¦ Via Embassy or FIT 3. 4 Promotion : Export marketing Export marketing Brand or Private label ? OEM ? What does our brand means in that country? What is our brand positioning? What is our target public there? Export marketing What actions ? Sampling and tastings How to measure the impact of actions? How to get the exact figures? Nielsen , GFK,†¦ Export marketing Local rules on advertising ? Any restrictions ? Anything we can’t do ? Export marketing Co st of marketing actions : How much budget do we need ? How much is paid by our local partner ? Cultural issues Cultural: position of men and women? Religious rules (written or non written) Language Colours Political issues: avoid . 5 People : Internal Structure Internal structure Do we have an export department ? Do we need an export manager? Who will do the back office? Can we be reached the whole day? Do we master the languages? Internal structure Export needs to be structured Focus leads to succes. Other departments Logistic department : Inter company transport Transport to harbour Export documents Other departments Quality management : What rules? How to use them in a commercial way Other departments IT department : Internet connections SAP Other departments Finance department : Export cost money Other departments General management : Everybody in the company must believe in export Communication with collegues and management: personal PR Take everybody with you in the story 3. 6 Process : Process Procedures, flows, processes etc. by which services are consumed : How does the supply chain go from our suppliers over our company all the way to the end consumer of our product or service? How do we manage and controle those processes? Audits? ISO? 3. 7. Physical Evidence : Physical evidence The ability and environment in which the service is performed What tools do we need to perform and deliver? How can we measure our clients needs and expectations ? How can we meet these expectations ? How to reach customers with other expectations ? 4. Case : Introduction of Lotus in China 4. 1. Prospection phase Prospection phase Since 2000 we started to follow the Chinese market and tried to get insights How is the market organised and structured Who are the local and international players in the market – production and sales ? How does the supply chain looks ? What type of consumers do we have and what is the segmentation we can do ? Prospection phase Partner selection : done by 2004 How do we want to enter the market ? No own production No own company No direct delivery to the retailers ? Via an importer They know the market They take ownership and responsability Prospection phase Partner selection : done by 2004 Who are the import companies? What is their strenght and potential ? What kind of contract do we have ? Analyse 2009 : Analyse of existing partner in view of challenges in growth and logistic power for world expo 2010 : new partner selected 4. 2. Start up phase Start up phase : Products : Only speculoos Focus on coffee + cookie concept Single wrapped packs and family packs Start up phase : Region : China is too big to be seen as one country Different languages Different cultures Different eating paterns †¦ Where do we start ? Shanghai Rest of China (e. g. Carrefour) 4. 3. Growth phase Sales marketing support 2010 : Sales are supported based on a marketing plan What action : sampling and tasting, TG/gondola, 2nd placement†¦ Cost of actions Estimated volume and sales Agreed by Lotus Bakeries Sales marketing support 2010 : Support : Mostly in free sampling goods, participation to exhibitons, tastings †¦ Pricing situation Mostly our price level in the trade is OK. We are cheaper priced then high end brands like Bahlsen, JDS etc†¦ and of course higher priced then local manufactured products. Positioning : sophisticated (from Europe), yet accessable. Brand salience in China Challenges : Need to translate our brand salience and visualise this link with coffee consumption at home. Brand salience in China Challenges : Consistency in our communication: Look and feel of new OCB packaging Sampling booth Website: www. lotusbakeries. cn Action and promotions Brand salience in China Challenges : Technical : how do we make publicity ? What kind of setting ? What kind of models ? Sampling in the basis Possible sampling places and moments ? World expo at Belgian Pavillion Retail in Shanghai during the expo period In atrium or shopping centra Street : sampling in Nanjing Lu, Huaihai Lu and other main shopping streets Bars, hotels†¦ during night events ? Exhibitions : Food Hotel China, Sweets China, at the entrance and corridors, in our booth†¦ Sampling @ Expo In 3 locations : at the entrance of the Belgian Pavillion, in coffee shop and in shop Lotus has developped the wrapper and will give 8. 00. 000 biscuits for free 1 biscuit per second Biggest sampling action for Lotus ever Sampling @ Expo The focus is on one pack : OCB 25X1 which is sold in the pavillion at the same price as downtown Shanghai (22 RMB) Local coordination by PAF trainee Sampling @ Expo Queuing for the Belgian Pavilion Queuing for the Belgian Pavilion sampling sampling sampling sampling sampling In the shop In the shop In the shop In the shop In the shop Questions ? Thank you for your attention www. lotusbakeries. com

Finance for Public Services Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance for Public Services Managers - Essay Example There are various sources which provide governents the necessary access to the required funds to effectively and efficiently manage the affairs of the firms. The chief sources among them are Taxes, incomes and some private initiatives which are undertaken by the governments to fund the public service. The chief source among them are taxes which states levy on various entitites of the states including individuals, corporations etc. However, what must be understood is the fact that all three indicated methods of sources to finance the public services carry their own advantages and disadvantages and it is very critical sometimes that a fine balance need to be striken between all the sources otherwise any mismatch between the income and the expenses of the government can prove fatal for the economy of the country as it can have very detrimental impacts not only on the society but on the economy as well. This essay will look into some of the above refereed methods of funding for the public services and would critically evaluate the effectiveness with regard to providing effective source to fund the public service facilities undertaken by the governments. Taxes are probably the oldest and most commonly used source of funding for public services. Taxes are also considered as the most effective tool of funding the public service. It is because of the fact that the scope of tax collection is extremely large and it covers almost all the members of the society including individuals, corporations, societies, banks etc. Taxes are effective in the sense that they are not only bigger in their scope but also provide the largest chunk of the income sources to the government. The volume of tax collected is the largest chunk of the government income therefore they are the most effective means for the government to fund the public services. (Hunter, 2008) The taxes are collected in many forms. The most

Stress Management Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stress Management Programs - Essay Example Stress in the workplace can be managed through improved personnel selection and job placement. According to Robbins (1993), people with little or an external locus control tend to be more stress prone. Therefore, it is imperative for the management to ensure that a person has experience or is capable of coping with the demands of the job before he is appointed to a certain position in the organization. In some cases, a person may have experience but incapable of coping with the demands of the job. This aspect is very important in as far as stress management is concerned. The other important strategy that can be implemented by the management is related to goal setting. The use of goals to different individuals helps to reduce stress and they can also lead to motivation of the employees. It is also important for the management to provide goal feedback to the employees since this helps to reduce uncertainties among the workers. Another stress management program that can be implemented is related to job redesign. According to Robbins (1993), job redesigning helps the employees to be more responsible, it gives them more autonomy and it also gives them more control of their work which reduces stress since they are no longer dependent on others. A person who has control over his job is motivated and is likely to be stress free. The other dimension that can be implemented by management to address the issue of stress is related to participative decision making. By virtue of giving the employees a voice to contribute towards the decision making process, the management is in a position of increasing employee control of their work which helps to reduce stress. It is important that the managers should increase employee participation in the decision making process of the company so as to be in a position to minimize chances of stress related problems in the company. The other