Topic on the assignment sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Topic on the assignment sheet - Essay Example Climate change is here, with us to stay due to the reality that, even if corrective measures to reduce the rate of emissions, climate change will still exist (Gov. UK, par 7). Climate poses a lot of risks to the environment, with a potential of totally changing the climatic conditions of the areas affected. Climate change increases the vulnerability of the regions adversely affected to risks, dangers or disasters. This influences the processes of decision making in that, the risks vulnerable regions are more likely to be protected from further degradation as they may cause loss of lives and the destruction of properties. The aspect of protection of the environment is highly considered in addressing the possible outcomes of climate change in the regions of the world (Duncan, par 3). The protection of the people from the adversity of the impacts of climate change will imply the changes in the ways to handle the future probable (Duncan, par 4). The inculcation of the future in the plans is in line with the trends of climate change in the world and specifically in the effect of the future. Methods must be put underway to address the issues that causes climate within the societies. The government and the NGOs together with some stakeholders can be involved in the decision making on what amounts of wastes should be generated while per households. if the possibility of climate change posing future impacts to the people and environment, the decision making process should not be flawed. Climate change presents problems that are exhibited in the current ecosystems and the problems they o posses. Through the impact is hard to determined and approximate in the near future the problems, the trends can be realized and therefore the spread can be gauged to be very detrimental to the people. The policy makers therefore will have to incorporate the well need to plant tree planting as a means to

Corporate Goverance and Code of Ethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Corporate Goverance and Code of Ethics - Article Example This essay will focus on the role of corporate governance in creation and adoption of the corporate code of ethics. It is factual that the quality of management in an organization is determined by the effectiveness of its system of corporate governance. Proper corporate governance should aim at bringing onboard honest and competent employees. Besides, it should be geared towards instituting a framework that will ensure adequate employees compensation so that they are motivated to give their best to the company. Corporate governance together with codes of ethics plays a crucial role in the success of a business because it shapes the way the company is viewed by the stakeholders. This article shall focus on the factors that influence the creation and adoption of the corporate code of ethics by a firm as well as those that determine its effectiveness. Some of these factors include the effects of the board diversity, board stock ownership and the constituent of the board directors on the creation of the corporate code of ethics. High profile scandals that involve corporate officers have in the recent years led to an increased attention on the subject of corporate governance. Research reveals that board of directors plays a significant role in establishing the code of ethics in a firm. Thus, it is necessary for an organization to engage the services of the directors that have the competence of planning and overseeing the corporate code of ethics. Studies show that researchers, government regulators, and practitioners are all in agreement that independent directors are more suitable than the insiders in championing the interests of the shareholders and other stakeholders because in most cases they possess vast experience and it is also presumed that the may make the board be more independent. In addition, they tend to have a higher degree of awareness on their moral and legal commitment.

Growth opportunities in detergent market

Growth opportunities in detergent market The case deals with Unilevers Home Care Cleaning range and is evaluating the growth opportunities in the marketing of detergents to around 48 million low income consumers living in the Northeast region of Brazil. Clearly, the aim of Unilever, like all profit making organizations, is to have a bigger piece of the pie. Its first step forward is to assess whether or not, its target market is lucrative enough. To do so we first understand the buying behaviour of the target users, analyse the current market scenario and Unilevers internal environment. The importance of knowing how people will behave is tantamount to knowing the secret of organisational success. The simplest description of consumer behaviour is the purchase and/or consumption decision of an individual and/or household who buy goods and services for personal consumption. In the case we analyse the behaviour of group of individuals in the Northeast of Brazil and the use of detergent and soap in order to evaluate whats not working for Unilevers growth in that market segment and decide the best positioning strategy to encourage increased consumption. Because we know comparatively little about human behaviour, we as marketers, tend to make some assumptions to know how consumers will react to what we do. The first one being, consumers go through a rational decision process when they buy. We assume the process to start with ignorance of the consumer and moving through awareness, information search, short listing alternatives and so on until the ultimate goal purchase is reached.. A distinction is further made between two types of products purchasing: high involvement and low involvement. Washing detergents are low involvement products where consumers may not go through the entire decision making process and either pick a brand out of compulsion, out of a desire to seek variety or because of their past preferences and experiences, or they may pick a brand due to some constraints such as income and amount allocation to household spending. Consumers put preferences and budgetary constraints together to determine their choices. The No rtheast Brazilian households are low income groups and thus the price of the laundry soap, bleaching liquid and detergent powder is a primary criterion for evaluation of the brand of laundry products. The women in this region of Brazil tend to pick a particular brand based what others in their social group are using (as they often do their washing in a public laundry or by the river with a group of friends) and their own past experience and satisfaction. The second assumption is that consumers are brand loyal either loyal to your own brand or loyal to your rivals brand. A wall street journal (19th October 1989) published that 48% consumers remain loyal to the laundry detergent they are already using. To penetrate and gain additional market share, Unilever will have to offer some extra inducements to get the NE consumers hooked and divert their loyalty towards its brands. The stimulus response model (Exhibit 1), the starting point for understanding consumer behaviour, has been used to understand the Brazilian household behaviour towards washing detergent powders and soaps. The stimuli enter the consumers consciousness and the buyers characteristics and decision processes lead to certain purchase decisions. Our task, as marketers, would be to understand what happens in the consciousness of the north-eastern Brazilians between the arrival of stimuli and the purchase decision. Exhibit 1: Stimulus Response Model Source: Marketing Management, Kotler, 2003, p.184. The women in this region of Brazil tend to pick a particular brand based on the performance of the product on the six attributes cleanliness, whitening, productivity; fragrance and softness; ability to remove stains; ability to dissolve in water; packaging of the product; and the ability to keep colours from running out. Cultural factors Culture, subculture and social class are the fundamental determinants of a persons basic values, perceptions, wants and behaviour. Majority (39.8 million) of the north eastern population of Brazil ranges from grade D to E- of social class. Brazilians are concerned about their position in a social class, because no class interacts with another social class unless it is in a professional way. Since the past many years, the vast income social stature difference has been impressed in the society.  Still, the north easterners take great pride in how they look and present themselves in the society, despite their poverty and inability to purchase a variety of clothes. It is perceived to be the duty of the lady of the house to maintain cleanliness of clothes of her family, as it is seen as an indication of the dedication of the mother to her family. It is the reason why the north eastern women spend a long and laborious time at doing the laundry. They first scrub the clothes with a soap bar, then bleach those clothes to remove tough stains, and finally wash the clothes with detergent powder to add a pleasant fragrance. This is opposed to women in the south eastern region who just simply mix detergent powder and softener in a washing machine. Social factors Consumers behaviour is also influenced by social factors such as the consumers relation to small groups, family, and social roles. Women from the northeast of Brazil do their laundry at a public laundry or at a nearby river or pond along with their friends. It is the most pleasurable activity as they get to meet and chat in their social network. It is here that these women discuss matters of personal and home cleanliness such as which laundry detergents they use, how their experience has been, and likely word of mouth promotions take place. Personal factors The characteristics of the individual consumer such as his age, economic situation, occupation and lifestyle play an influential role as well in assessing consumer behaviour. Of the 48 million, 25.4 million people of the north eastern region of Brazil have an annual income of less than $1700. In Recife, for example, only 28% households own a washing machine. Thus, having a push strategy for a detergent powder isnt going to be fruitful. Even though the per capita income for the whole Brazil was $4,420, it wasnt quite reflective of the north-eastern region, where the per capita income was $2,250 only. This translates to the fact that even though a product may have the right and required attributes, if not appropriately priced, people of this region would not pick it up from the shelf since they are constrained by their incomes. Also, since the people from the low income group own less clothes, their washing needs are frequent, and hence, a product that would be a success would be one t hat is affordably cheap, available in bigger quantities (for example, saver price or additional 20% pack) and removes dirt well keeping the colour from running. Psychological factors An individuals buying choices are manipulated by four major psychological factors motivation, perception, learning and beliefs and attitudes. The low income consumers of the Northeast have developed six key attributes (Exhibit 2) which would determine their attitude towards the brand of detergent they chose to use for their laundry. For them, the ability of the detergent to clean and whiten the clothes with a small quantity of the product is the most important attribute. The NE women often associate a strong pleasant fragrance with softening power and gentleness to fabric and hands. The ability to remove stains without the use of a soap bar and bleach, and the ability of the detergent to dissolve in water without any residue on the fabric, are equally important attributes. Packaging and the running down of colour are the least important features. Ladies perceive doing their laundry as a leisure activity where they meet and natter with their friends. They discuss and learn from each others experiences of personal and household cleaning habits and products. Main brands / players Competition is important in influencing how successful an organization can be. Merely producing a good product which matches consumer requirements and provides satisfaction should not be the goal. A firm must competitively position itself in the minds of its customers so that its products stand out. Unilever was the first to introduce laundry detergents in Brazil with Omo, followed by Minerva, Campeiro, Skip, Rinso, Drive, Puro and Unox to name a few. Competitive challenges came from Procter Gamble, ASA, and other small Brazilian companies. Market leading brands from PG included Ace, Bold Pop. ASA contested with its Bem-te-vi laundry soap and Invicto detergent powder. Even though PG entered the Brazilian market 59 years after Unilever, it entered the market quiet swiftly by strategically acquiring an existing Brazilian company, Bombril and its three brands Quanto, Odd Fasses Pop. With in-depth RD and investment for manufacturing improvements, PG rebranded Quanto to Ace, and Odd Fases to Bold, which are now key competitors with Minerva and Campeiro. In terms of market share, for the laundry detergent powder segment, Omo is the market leader with a 52% share, Minerva Campeiro collectively account for 23% share, while Ace, Invicto other PG brands take a 22% share jointly and other Brazilian brands take a 3% share. Unilevers 75% market share compared with competitors 25% share in the laundry detergent segment indicates a strong penetrative strategy that gives Unilever the competitive edge. Market share in the laundry soap segment is not so pleasing. Little console is that PG did not manufacture laundry soap. But local Brazilian companies posed enough competition. Even though Minerva had a 19% market share in this segment, smaller Brazilian companies, enjoyed the rest of the 81%. In terms of pricing promotion strategies, Unilevers premium brand Omo was the highest priced (whole sale price) at $3/kg. None of the competitors came in this price range. Because of its strong power to remove stains with low quantity, it became a market pioneer. It used a very simple yet direct advertising message which said removes stains on pockets, cuffs collar, clearly attracting consumers for whom cleanliness was of highest importance. It was meant to target the high income group. Minerva (Unilever), Ace (PG) and Bold (PG) fell in the same price category and probably targeted the upper middle income group; while Campeiro (Unilever), Pop (PG) and Invicto (ASA) targeted the lower middle income group. Minerva attracted consumers for whom the fragrance and softness were of key importance with its advertising campaigns. Pop used a Bundle promotion and Contest Strategy it ran a contest offering 200 washing machines and gave away 2 copies of the Viva! Magazine with its purchase. Table 1 below gives details on the Pricing strategies followed by the main brands in the laundry detergent segment. SWOT Analysis An analysis of Unilevers internal environment (strength weaknesses) and its external environment (opportunities threats) is depicted in Exhibit 3. Exhibit 2 : SWOT Analysis Strategy Suggestion With the above mentioned scenario, Unilever faces the following choices to cater to the low income group of the North eastern region of Brazil : Extending Omo Rebranding Campeiro Launching a new product Customising a product from its international portfolio Brand extensions are only profitable if the existing brands equity is strong and positive and it is likely to transfer its benefits to the new extension. Brand extensions face a serious challenge if not recognised and met with positive action will probably lead to death of existing brands. Before considering extension of Omo, Unilever should be aware of the fact that consumers get puzzled by the variety of identical products and may end up buying a rival brand. Omo already has its niche market with its Price-Quality inference strategy. It enjoys a 52% market share in the detergent powder product line. Even though the low income group of the NE likes Omo, but to target that segment, Unilever would have to reduce the price drastically and lower its profit margins. This would cannibalise its high margin sales with low margin sales in the short term and in the long term Omo would lose its price premium and would create confusion in the minds of people. Radically changing Campeiro and rebranding it does seem like a good option Exhibit 4 details the strategy. But, the perception of its brand value is not strong or positive with consumers of detergent powder. It only has a 6% market share. One of the lucrative options is to launch a new brand. Exhibit 5 evaluates the strategies of introducing a new product altogether. Unilever can introduce a new product to replace /or supplement Minerva Campeiro in its existing markets, and to serve new market the NE region of Brazil. The issues with rebranding Campeiro, repositioning Minerva would also be resolved. But before deciding to establish a new product, Unilever has to layout the profile of the target market, understand the problems they face and group them into segments, evaluate competition, identify core competencies, identify areas where competitor is vulnerable and define a new value proposition for the new target market. Introducing a new brand would be to Unilevers advantage, as its entering a target market which it has not catered earlier in Brazil. Another worthwhile option is to introduce a customised version of an existing and successful brand from Unilevers international portfolio of detergent powder. But the brand would have to be carefully selected one that caters to a similar demographics and similar income group; one that has high success rate with the right marketing mix. For example, Active Wheel Unilevers brand in India targets the low income group, stresses that with this product people will need to put less efforts to do their laundry, promotes the whitening attribute, is the biggest laundry brand with sales revenue of  £21million 2007. The advantages of considering this option are various. The same ingredients and basic formula can be used. Similar pricing strategy. Customisation required only in language on the cardboard boxes. Meaning and content of advertisements can be the same, only changes required would be to fit the ad to local environment. Probability of success is higher, although it is not guarante ed that a brand that works in one region will work in the other too. Even if the rumours of reducing brand portfolio are true, this option would still be lucrative as no new brand is being introduced; alternatively, Unilever could completely drop Campeiro and reposition Minerva, along with introduction of a brand from its international portfolio. The growing size of typical supermarket retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Grupo Pà £o de Aà §Ãƒ ºcar in Brazil has produced extra shelf space that has allowed and encouraged such proliferation. The US magazine Business Week publishes an annual survey of the Best New Products. From the 38 noted for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991, there were only 13 brand extensions and 3 genuine product innovations that were titled under the best new products over the 3 years. Ehrenberg (Repeat Buying, 1988) found that most buyers buy several brands over a period of time. They buy some brands more often than others and some not at all, but they mainly buy a large range of acceptable brands. The frequency with which they buy each brand varies from consumer to consumer but, on an average, it matches the brands overall market share. Unilevers forward strategy should not appear to make a distinct product without a real difference and that merely tries to differentiate the brand from competitors.

The Success of Hamlet :: The Tragedy of Hamlet Essays

The Success of Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Is this Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet as successful a play as some critics say? Wherein lies the success? Is the protagonist the prime reason for the continuing success?    J. Dover Wilson in â€Å"What Happens in Hamlet† attributes much of the success of the drama to the characterization of the prince:    Finally, this compound of overwhelmingly convincing humanity and psychological contradiction is the greatest of Shakespeare’s legacies to the men of his own quality. No ‘part’ in the whole repertory of dramatic literature is so certain of success with almost any audience, and is yet open to such a remarkable variety of interpretation. There are as many Hamlets as there are actors who play him; and Bernhardt has proved that even a woman can score a success. (101)    Could the enduring reputation of Hamlet   be attributed to the â€Å"ultimate form† in which the Bard of Avon expressed his ideas? Robert B. Heilman says so in â€Å"The Role We Give Shakespeare†:    It is the way of venerable texts whose authenticity has impressed itself on the human imagination: he has said many things in what seems an ultimate form, and he is a fountainhead of quotation and universal center of allusion. â€Å"A rose by any other name† comes to the mouth as readily as â€Å"Pride goeth before a fall,† and seems no less wise. [. . .] The Ophelia-Laertes relationship is strongly felt near the end of Goethe’s Faust, Part I, and the Hamlet-Gertrude-Claudius triangle echoes throughout Chekhov’s Sea Gull (24-25).    This play is ranked by many as the very greatest ever written. Cumberland Clark in â€Å"The Supernatural in Hamlet† gives the consensus regarding Hamlet that exists among literary critics of today:    At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. (99)    There is no more exalted ranking than the above. Richard A. Lanham in the essay â€Å"Superposed Plays† maintains that no other English tragedy has generated the literary comment which this play has produced: â€Å"Hamlet is one of the great tragedies. It has generated more comment than any other written document in English literature, one would guess, reverent, serious comment on it as a serious play† (91).

Deere And Company Case Essay

I. Introduction Deere & Company (also known as John Deere, after its founder) is a world-leading manufacturer, distributor, and financier of equipment for agriculture, construction, forestry, and commercial and consumer applications (lawn and grounds care). Deere’s objective has consistently been to be the low-cost producer in the markets it serves. However, it seeks to do so while maintaining an image of quality and customer focus. Its company values are quality, innovation, integrity, and commitment. Because of the company’s close ties to the agricultural industry, corporate performance in both sales and profits was highly, variable over the last several decades due to cycles of low prices and oversupplies of many agricultural products. During the period, the company made various adjustments in its product mix and manufacturing processes to enable it to better compete and survive in the global environment. II. Statement of the Problem During the company’s business cycle, Deere & Company faces the following problems: 1. How can the company achieve its goal, which is to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014?; 2. How can the company increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018? III. Areas of Consideration The Deere & Company faces different problems such as how to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014, and how to increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018. These problems are caused by the following: The company wants to double their sales, have a healthy increase in their profitability, and an almost three-fold increase in economic profit. The company have the eagerness to get all the opportunities outside their scope. The company wanted to widen their source of profit. IV. Alternative Courses of Action Alternative for problem #1 How can the company achieve its goal, which is to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014?; Advantages Disadvantages The company must continue improving their services and equipments. The company will be able to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the same time get more loyal customers. They will need more skilled and qualified workers. It will increase the costs of their expenses. The company must hire more skilled and qualified workers. The company can have sufficient manpower to help in achieving their goal. It takes more time to search and it is also costly to train the future workers. Alternative for problem #2 How can the company increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018? The company should increase their exports and establish more branches outside the U.S and Canada. The company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada. The company may not be able to reach their expectation of their target sales because they might have strong competitors with the same business industry in a specific location. The company should improve their marketing strategies. The company will be able to effectively promote their products and encourage more investors and customers. The company will incur more expenses. V. Conclusion The researchers conclude that the company wants to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014. So in order to achieve these, the company must continue improving their services and equipments to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the  same time get more loyal customers. But, they will need more skilled and qualified workers and it will increase the costs of their expenses. The company must also hire more skilled and qualified workers so that the company can have sufficient manpower to help in achieving their goal. However, it takes more time to search and it is also costly to train the future workers. The company also wants to increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018. I line with this, the company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada. But, the company may not also be able to reach their expectation of target sales because they might have strong competitors with the same business industry in those locations. The company should improve their marketing strategies for the company to be able to effectively promote their products and encourage more investors and customers. But, of course the company will incur more expenses too. VI. Recommendation The researchers are recommending the company to continue improving their services and equipments for themto gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014. The company will be able to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the same time get more loyal customers. By having loyal customers, they will also be the one who will encourage new customers by what we call â€Å"buzz marketing† because they are the ones who have experienced the high quality services and equipments rendered by the company. The researchers also suggest that the company should increase their exports and establish more branches outside the U.S and Canada to boost their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018.By doing this, the company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada because the company will have big chances of acquiring new customers and big profits by establishing more branches in different locations.

The thunder and lightening crashed over my head and made me very afraid

They said it would never rain again. I was surrounded by people but I had never felt so lonely. As I sat gazing from my window, I began to notice lots of happy families passing by on the road, all in their parents' cars. As I sit alone, thinking about my past, I began to feel so miserable and depressed. I suppose you are wondering who I am and what tragedy could have brought me to this place. Well, I will explain to you the long story. The thunder and lightening crashed over my head and made me very afraid. I was not the only one. My teacher kept looking upwards with a concerned expression. That's was when the head teacher burst into the room and ordered everyone to follow her. This was not normal. It could only mean that everybody was in serious danger. I instantly thought of my parents at home on their farm, had anyone warned them that a typhoon was coming soon? The noise outside was deafening. From our position on the roof, we could see everything. I watched in horror as a mud wall collapsed onto the road, trapping families in their cars. I saw frantic parents digging at the mud, trying to save their children who were still trapped. I wanted to go and save my parents too but I could not move. Two hours later, the road was a river. Trees and mud crashed through the village, destroying houses and families. Gradually, the storm came to an end. We were eventually allowed off the roof and I felt so glad, now I could go back and find out what had happened to my parents. I was so scared that they had been in danger, I just needed to know if they were safe. When I arrived home, I saw my house. It was completely destroyed. I ran towards it, screaming, calling for my mum and dad. Suddenly, I saw a flash of gold. It could only be one thing, my mother's ring. It was still attached to her still, lifeless, bloodless hand. I was numb. Standing there, I felt unusually calm but that feeling didn't last very long. Seconds passed and I began thinking about what would happen to me now. Where will I go? I have no other family, no one to take me in. I felt so isolated. That's how I ended in a foster home. All I can do is to sit and hope that someday, someone will come to get me. Perhaps today will be that day. I awoke feeling light in my heart and really hopeful that today would be that day. I heard that the newspaper reporter was going to come and write an article about the foster home where I was living. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood the reporter. She was a young beautiful lady with shiny, black long hair and a graceful smile. I was very surprised – I had never seen such a beautiful lady. She began to interview me because I had been at the foster home for the longest out of all the other children. She was very impressed with my unique poems; she even made a promise that she would make sure they were published very soon. She took my photograph so she could attach it to the poem. A grumpy old man was working in the hospital grounds. He reaches down to a scrap of newspaper which has blown across the garden and landed at his feet. He almost throws the article away when he suddenly decides to take a second look. He began to look more closely at the photograph and that's when he has a flicker of an image from his past. Suddenly his memory returns. It is difficult to cope with the emotions he feels after all these months. Dropping his tools, he strides down the road getting further away from the hospital. What has he remembered? Something is driving him he appears to be looking for something. The sky is grey and over-cast. I think about my future. Will I always be alone and abandoned. What's the point in living all alone with no family to love me? Everyday I wished that I had died with my mum and dad and this is why I made the decision to take an overdose. There was no point in living any more. No-one would even no that I had gone. I felt myself drifting into unconsciousness when unexpectedly there was a shadow in the doorway. At first I had great difficulty focusing my eyes on the figure in front of me. Slowly as my eyes began to see the details I was able to distinguish a man's frame. Meanwhile, I realised that it was my father. As my sight begins to dim, I see him run across the room towards me. He had tears in his eyes and trickling down his cheeks. He laid his head against mine and told me he loved me so much but as I took my last breath I felt so much regret. I could have had a happy life again with my family to love me and to be loved but now that will never happen.

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Civil War Surgeon

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Civil War Surgeon Mary Edwards Walker was an unconventional woman. She was a proponent of womens rights and dress reform- especially the wearing of Bloomers which didnt enjoy wide currency until the  sport of bicycling  became popular. In 1855 she became one of the earliest female physicians upon graduation from Syracuse Medical College. She married Albert Miller, a fellow student, in a ceremony that did not include a promise to obey; she did not take his name, and to her wedding wore trousers and a dress-coat. Neither the marriage nor their joint medical practice lasted long. At the start of the Civil War, Dr. Mary E. Walker volunteered with the Union Army and adopted mens clothing. She was at first not allowed to work as a physician, but as a nurse and as a spy. She finally won a commission as an army surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland, 1862. While treating civilians, she was taken prisoner by the Confederates and was imprisoned for four months until she was released in a prisoner exchange. Her official service record reads: Dr. Mary E. Walker (1832 - 1919) Rank and organization: Contract Acting Assistant Surgeon (civilian), U. S. Army. Places and dates: Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861 Patent Office Hospital, Washington, D.C., October 1861 Following Battle of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Tennessee September 1863 Prisoner of War, Richmond, Virginia, April 10, 1864 - August 12, 1864 Battle of Atlanta, September 1864. Entered service at: Louisville, Kentucky Born: 26 November 1832, Oswego County, N.Y. In 1866, the London Anglo-American Times wrote this of her: Her strange adventures, thrilling experiences, important services and marvelous achievements exceed anything that modern romance or fiction has produced.... She has been one of the greatest benefactors of her sex and of the human race. After the Civil War, she worked primarily as a writer and lecturer, usually appearing dressed in a mans suit and top hat. Dr. Mary E. Walker was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for her Civil War service, in an order signed by President Andrew Johnson on November 11, 1865. When, in 1917, the government revoked 900 such medals, and asked for Walkers medal back, she refused to return it and wore it until her death two years later. In 1977 President Jimmy Carter restored her medal posthumously, making her the first woman to hold a Congressional Medal of Honor. Early Years Dr. Mary Walker was born in Oswego, New York. Her mother was Vesta Whitcom and her father was Alvah Walker, both originally from Massachusetts and descended from early Plymouth settlers who had first moved to Syracuse in a covered wagon and then to Oswego. Mary was the fifth of five daughters at her birth. and another sister and a brother would be born after her.   Alvah Walker was trained as a carpenter who, in Oswego, was settling into a farmers life. Oswego was a place where many became abolitionists including neighbor Gerrit Smith and supporters of womens rights. The womens rights convention of 1848 was held in upstate New York. The Walkers supported the growing abolitionism, and also such movements as health reform and temperance.   The agnostic speaker Robert Ingersoll was Vestas cousin.   Mary and her siblings were raised religiously, though rejecting the evangelism of the time and not associating with any sect. Everyone in the family worked hard on the farm, and were surrounded by many books which the children were encouraged to read. The Walker family helped to found a school on their property, and Marys older sisters were teachers at the school. Young Mary became involved with the growing womens rights movement. She may also have first met Frederick Douglass when he spoke in her home town. She also developed, from reading medical books which she read in her home, the idea that she could be a physician.   She studied for a year at Falley Seminary in Fulton, New York, a school which included courses in the sciences and health.   She moved to Minetto, New York, to take a position as a teacher, saving to enroll in medical school. Her family had also been involved in dress reform as one aspect of womens rights, avoiding the tight clothing for women that restricted movement, and instead advocating for more loose clothing.   As a teacher, she modified her own clothing to be looser in the waste, shorter in the skirt, and with pants underneath. In 1853 she enrolled in Syracuse Medical College, six years after  Elizabeth Blackwells medical education. This school was part of a movement towards eclectic medicine, another part of the health reform movement and conceived of as a more democratic approach to medicine than the traditional allopathic medical training.   Her education included traditional lectures and also interning with an experienced and licensed physician. She graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1855, qualified as both a medical doctor and as a surgeon. Marriage and Early Career She married a fellow student, Albert Miller, in 1955, after knowing him from their studies.   The abolitionist and Unitarian Rev. Samuel J. May performed the marriage, which excluded the word obey. The marriage was announced not only in local papers, but in  The Lily,  the dress reform periodical of Amelia Bloomer. Mary Walker and Albert Mmiller opened a medical practice together. By the late 1850s she became active in the womens rights movement, focusing on dress reform. Some key suffrage supporters including Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucy Stone adopted the new style including shorter skirts with pants worn underneath. But the attacks and ridicule about clothing from the press and public began to, in the opinion of some suffrage activists, distract from womens rights.   Many went back to traditional dress, but Mary Walker continued to advocate for more comfortable, safer clothing. Out of her activism, Mary Walker added first writing and then lecturing to her professional life. She wrote and spoke about delicate matters including abortion and pregnancy outside of marriage. She even wrote an article on women soldiers. Fighting for a Divorce In 1859, Mary Walker discovered that her husband was involved in an extramarital affair.   She asked for a divorce, he suggested that instead, she also find affairs outside their marriage. She pursued a divorce, which also meant that she worked to establish a medical career without him, despite the significant social stigma of divorce even among those women working for womens rights.   Divorce laws of the time made a divorce difficult without the consent of both parties. Adultery was grounds for a divorce, and Mary Walker had amassed evidence of multiple affairs including one that resulted in a child, and another where her husband had seduced a woman patient.   When she still could not get a divorce in New York after nine years, and knowing that even after the granting of a divorce there was a five year waiting period until it became final, she left her medical, writing, and lecture careers in New York and moved to Iowa, where divorce was not so difficult.   Iowa In Iowa, she was at first unable to convince people that she was, at the young age of 27, qualified as a physician or teacher.   After enrolling in school to study German, she discovered they did not have a German teacher. She participated in a debate, and was expelled for participating.   She discovered that New York state would not accept an out of state divorce, so she returned to that state. War When Mary Walker returned to New York in 1859, war was on the horizon. When the war broke out, she decided to go to war, but not as a nurse, which was the job the military was recruiting for, but as a physician. Known for:  among the earliest woman physicians; first woman to win the Medal of Honor; Civil War service including commission as an army surgeon; dressing in mens clothing Dates:  November 26, 1832 - February 21, 1919 Print Bibliography Harris, Sharon M.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Dr. Mary Walker, An American Radical, 1832 - 1919  . 2009.Synder, Charles McCool.  Dr. Mary Walker: The Little Lady in Pants.  1974.   More About Mary Walker: Profession:  PhysicianAlso known  as:  Dr. Mary Walker, Dr. Mary E. Walker, Mary E. Walker, Mary Edwards WalkerOrganizational Affiliations: Union ArmyPlaces: New York, United StatesPeriod: 19th century