‘Dover Beach’ and ‘When You are Old’ as Expressions of Love Essay Example

‘Dover Beach’ and ‘When You are Old’ as Expressions of Love Essay Poetic themes range from love and beauty to war, death and certainly, Nature but it is the masterstroke of personal experience embellished with rhetorical devices that make few poetic creations stand out in the crowd. Two such poems reflecting on the meaning of Love in the context of the poets’ personal life are Matthew Arnold’s â€Å"Dover Beach† and William Butler Yeats’ â€Å"When You are Old†. One poet reveres his union with his beloved in the midst of chaos and uncertainties of the world while the other reflects on his unrequited love and imagines the remorse his beloved would feel in her old age at the rejection of her one and only true love.In the Victorian period, the Christian world with its theological dictates was shaken to the core by the radical scientific postulates. It is at this juncture the poet Matthew Arnold communicates his faith in the power of Love and personal conflict of belief versus doubt in his poem ‘Dover Beach†™. It is a reflection of the physical surroundings of the poet imbued with the deeper analysis of the loss of the concrete familiar structure of faith and a plea to his beloved to remain true to love, which he believed was the ultimate recourse for all humanity in future.Delving into the personal history of the poet, Arnold married Fanny LucyWightman at Dover, despite her father’s disapproval. Arnold wrote `Dover Beach` portraying his own experience as a lover torn between love and war.The poem opens with a beguiling simplicity in the lucid depiction of the quiet sea-side night, radiant with the silvery moon-shine. It is a perfect honeymoon setting for the newly weds. There is a deliberate sense of slowing of time, as the poet gazes at the sparkling image of Dover Beach laid bare in the night, mirrored in the luminosity of the ‘fair’ moon as Arnold writes:The sea is calm to-night.The tide is full, the moon lies fairUpon the Straits;(‘Dover Beach’ l ines1-3)The opening lines ease the reader into a state of tranquil absorption of the natural beauty of the setting, yet it is Arnold’s way of beckoning his beloved into the charmed circle of peace that he witnesses. In his words: â€Å"Come to the window, sweet is the night air! (6), he invites his beloved wife to partake the magnificence of the scene, but on a deeper level, he helps the reader position himself at Arnold’s side to participate in the night’s beauty. There is an unmistakable sense of calm in his words, portending the storm of the chaos and anarchy prevalent in the present world which torments the poet even in the serene atmosphere of the moon-washed beach. The picturesque imagery of the opening lines mirror the physical relief of the cliffs, the continuous murmur of the waters and the isolation of the place in the moon-lit night contributing to Arnold’s deep philosophical reflections on the situation of the world, far away from the noise a nd fret of human crowd.The first aberrant note in the harmony of the seascape, a subtle sensory shift in image, is the â€Å"grating roar† (9) as the waves retreat from their progress, flinging the pebbles on the shore. This continual action, this harsh sound jars the ambience, unsettling it, bringing a transformation in the mood of the poem. The â€Å"grating roar† is a paradox as well as hyperbolic in rhetorical structure. The Sea is a continued metaphor throughout the poem. The repetitive cycle of the waves washing the shoreline, â€Å"Begin, and cease, and then again begin† (12) has a mournful sound to it, which to the poet’s sensitive perception appears to be the herald of the eternal note of melancholy. The silence is thus permeated by the rhythm of the sea, noted by the clever use of a combination of run-on and end-stopped lines in the first stanza. The poem shifts from the literal portrayal of Nature to a deep reflection on the eternal truth of li fe.Arnold’s fascination with the classic greats is expressed in his reference to Sophocles and his play Antigone with the image of the ancient scholar on the shores of the Aegean. His Hellenistic preoccupation coupled with the sensuous word-picture heightens the timeless dilemma of our lives – the reality of eternal sadness beneath the surface of the bliss and beauty in the world. This idea is reiterated later in the poet’s outcry:for the world, which seemsTo lie before us like a land of dreams,So various, so beautiful, so new,Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;(lines 30-34)Arnold skillfully employs the rhetoric device of anaphora (‘So various, so beautiful, so new’; ‘nor love, nor light, / Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain’) for greater emphasis.Throughout the poem, the images used are subtle indications of the human world bereft of its spiritual support. The lights flicke ring on the shoreline of France, the erosive nature of the white chalkstone cliffs, the moon-blanched night, the conflict of the waves with the pebbles denote the attrition and assault of the human religious conviction in vitriolic contact with the daunting discoveries of science in the Victorian society. The poet launches his tirade against the corrosion of human faith, the comfort and security of the ‘girdle’ of belief and trust in the higher authority of God slowly fading from human lives. The â€Å"Sea of faith† had been the protective girdle wrapping the earth in its comfort, reassuring souls of the fruits of faith and goodness which had had been forcibly torn apart. The metaphor of the ‘girdle’ and its absence expresses the state of man, left in isolation, abjection and utter misery with no hope of restoration and rehabilitation.In this hopeless vision of the human world, the poet earnestly voices the need for a pillar of support, an anchorage for the sea-swept human souls in the sea of mistrust and fear. Arnold reinstates his belief and faith with the strong support of Love in human relationship. He calls upon his beloved to remain true and pledge loyalty to each other, with the conviction that the one true bond would mitigate the pain and darkness of the present human condition. Thus for Arnold, Love has a high pedestal of importance and reverence at par with one’s worship of God.Through deft use of rhetoric and picturesque words, the poem comes to life, with its message of the anchorage of Love in the world bereft of faith, struggling in confusion, a scene of chaos and anarchy. Arnold employs alliterative lines such as ‘to-night’ and ‘tide’; ‘full’ and ‘fair’ (Lines 1-2). Metaphors are skillfully weaved into the poem to enrich its inner meaning: the ‘Sea of Faith’ implies the comparison of the human spiritual belief with the waters enveloping the e arth’s surface. Again, the famous simile of the Battle of Epipolae imbues the poem with a depth of perception as well as a classical look-back for better understanding of the miserable war-torn state of humankind.Unlike Arnold who celebrated the union of his love at Dover Beach, Yeats is a poet suffering rejection at the hands of his Irish beloved, Maud Gonne, and it is this unrequited love which compels him to craft the poem â€Å"When You Are Old†. Interestingly, while Arnold universalizes the concept of Love as a pillar of support for humanity, Yeats personifies Love in the poem, depicting the lady in question as an old woman nodding near the warmth of a fire, attempting to read a book, recalling in the corridors of her memories the numerous ‘false’ suitors and the one true love which she cast off.The opening line â€Å"When you are old and grey and full of sleep† suggests the image of impending death. Sleep is the eternal rest at the end of old age. There is a unique hypnotic quality in the images provoked with the use of polysyndeton (‘old and grey and full†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢). The beloved, now old, would turn the pages of her book and reminisce the bygone days of youth and beauty. Her grace and charm had attracted many a lover to her side, but Yeats underlines the difference between his love and the admiration of the others with repetitive emphasis on the word ‘love’:How many loved your moments of glad grace,And loved your beauty with love false or true,But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,And loved the sorrows of your changing face; (p. 829)Like Arnold, Yeats employs alliteration as seen in ‘glad grace’ which contributes to the rhythm of the poem. Again, the oxymoronic ‘false or true’ implies the artificiality of the love petition of the other suitors.The most significant line is of Love, â€Å"Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled.† (p.829) is a typical personificati on of Love, which he wished to offer the lady only to be sadly rebuffed. â€Å"But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you† (p.829). The metaphorical figure of ‘pilgrim soul’ reveals her freedom-loving nature: her soul is likened to a pilgrim set out to wander in search of the absolute truth. Thus the poet’s love went beyond the surface beauty into the depths of her soul, proving the purity and profundity of his true emotions for her.The imagery in this poem sets the scene and the mood. The cozy comfort of the fireside, the soft shadows of her eyes indicates age and a deeper perception, the sorrows etched in the lines of her face denoting the ups and downs of life, the sad murmur of the Love ‘fled’. The transformation from the description of the fireside scene to the vast spaces of the mountainous heights where the love has gone is noteworthy. From the concrete image of the lady kneeling at the glowing bars to the elusive image of unrequited Lov e fleeing into the extensive spaces of Nature (here, the mountains are referred to) Yeats’ poem is full of this to and fro movement from concrete to abstract, as also seen in the lady reading the book then transported into her dreams and reminiscences. Again, ‘hid his face amid the crowd of stars’ is an abstract image, indicating the irreparable loss of the love she now missed.Both poets use adroit craftsmanship in structuring their deeply personal philosophical reflections on the significance of love in their lives. Thus the two expressive pieces of love poetry-   Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ and Yeats’ ‘When You are Old’ are singular creations among the volumes of literary works of these giants of English Literature.

Comparative Essay, The Dawn is at Hand and Song of Hope Essays

Comparative Essay, The Dawn is at Hand and Song of Hope Essays Comparative Essay, The Dawn is at Hand and Song of Hope Essay Comparative Essay, The Dawn is at Hand and Song of Hope Essay Essay Topic: Dawn The poet has cleverly employed imagery to symbolise forthcoming racial equality in both of these poems. Oodgeroo introduces this concept of approaching parity between the two races by metaphorically referring to dawn. In these two poems, the dawn carries a figurative meaning of finally being perceived and understood by the White tribe after their unfair treatment. Dawn, symbolising a new day, relates to Oodgeroos certainty on the subject of a new life for the Aboriginal people. The dawning of a new era of equality is central to both poems; therefore, dawn has been referred immediately in the title of The Dawn is at Hand and in the second line of The Song of Hope. The poet has also used personification to create a visual image and capture feelings of hope. In the Song of Hope, mateship has been given a human characteristic since it is able to meet [them] (28). The personifying of abstract nouns shows the reader that rather than lacking concrete items, they lack the respect, joy and freedom each individual deserves. The aborigines long for new rights [to] greet [them] (Song of hope 27) and a future which beckons [them] bravely on (Dawn is at Hand 26). With these words, the poet holds the potential to receive symphathy from the reader who empathises with the Aborigines who have suffered from the unjust actions of the Whites. Oodgeroos dramatic monologues, The Dawn is at Hand and Song of Hope examine approaching racial equality between the Aborigines and the Whites. In both poems, the certainty in Oodgeroos voice forces the Aborigines to believe that the dawn is at hand. Metaphorical references to dawn in the two poems symbolises an upcoming brighter future for the Aborigines who soon will take [their] rightful place (The Dawn is at hand 2) with all the pain [and] the sorrow (Song of Hope 32) left behind them. Though both poems employ slightly different devices and techniques, they both aim to leave the Aborigines anticipating the day when the world [will wake] to a new bright day (Song of Hope 3) for the first Australian race (The Dawn is at Hand 1).

A World of Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A World of Art - Essay Example Renowned artist, scientist and philosopher Leonardo is particularly famous for rendering exemplary services in the fields of paintings and sculptures. The paper has analyzed the famous works of both these creative giants in order to bring to lime-light their gifted talent and command over their work. Subtractive and Additive Processes Subtractive process refers to the creation of sculpture by removing the extra mass from the material to be applied in the entire process. In simple words, subtractive method creates sculpture by taking away the material from the wood or stone while shaping the sculptures. According to Abraham Lincoln Art Gallery, subtractive sculpture is by far the most technically difficult and due to the nature of the medium is the most restrictive in expression. Thus, removing of the material in bulk made of either wood or stone is called subtractive process. Carving is the best example of subtractive process. Carving is typically a subtractive process, in which the material, such as wood or plaster or clay is chipped or carved away until the desired sculptural form emerges. (galenaparkisd.com) Subtractive sculpture On the other hand, in additive process of sculpture creating, the material is added on the piece to be constructed in order to give its proper shape. Hence, joining a smaller piece of clay to a larger piece is called additive process. (galenaparkisd.com) For example, in assemblage the sculptor adds the material for shaping the statue. Both subtractive and additive processes maintain great significance in the development of sculptures. The former carves the already existing material and excludes the surplus matter from it; while the latter observes addition of the material to be applied while building the sculpture. Both these terms are also applied in paintings, where the mixing and combining various colors and oils help in making a refined piece of art. Crafts and Fine Arts: Crafts simply stand for the skill and dexterity over crea ting one thing or the other. In crude sense, it is related to a person’s skill to create, form and shape something. Though handy-work and creating different objects comes in the definition of crafts, yet trade, commerce and business activities also come under its definition. However, designing and forming jewelry, vases, pottery, statues and other objects is called crafting. On the contrary, fine arts contain broadness in its nature and scope, where all forms of arts including drama, poetry, dance, music, sculpture, paintings, photography, calligraphy, assemblage, installation and others come under the term fine arts. Fine arts include the objects such as paintings and sculptures that are created to be looked at because they are beautiful or interesting. Fine art is different to crafts or art that has a practical use. In simple words, the artist does not require practice to have command over creating fine art; rather, it is just gifted talent applied to create various forms o f art. (macmillandictionary.com) Major developments in the camera arts: The invention and inclusion of camera in fine arts brought tremendous revolution in the creative activities, where preservation of the most accurate images of humans, fauna, flora and other material objects became very fast, easy and long lasting. Before the invention of camera, the pencil work, oil paintings, canvas painting and sculptures had been in vogue as the sources to preserve the images.

International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International Law - Essay Example Benin also ratified to this convention, however, there are many states that still are not part of this Contract. CISG gives exporters the ‘choice of law’ avoidance of issues. There are many rules and clauses that are in CISG that exporters can rely on. Conflict of law means that the litigation case leads to conflict in laws between different jurisdiction bodies and the outcome is to use the courts of one area to enforce the law. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNICITRAL) developed this law and it was initiated in 1980. It became a multilateral treaty and it continuously accepted by many states. Countries that do ratify to this Convention are known as ‘contracting states’ and it is usually part of the law of the state or within the laws unless otherwise specified and it lies between the transaction of goods among different states under the contract or contracting states. Therefore it also facilitates trade. (Schlechtriem, 1998) A few countries that have ratified to the Convention are Argentina, Albania, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Turkey and USA etc. However, a few countries do not follow the Convention to the book and have certain restrictions towards it. The Nordic region countries do not allow the application of part II of the clause to be applied all over, unless the contract of the transaction made is pointed out. In place of this, Nordic council applies the local law which leads to some differences from the Convention. CISG according to part II would allow the seller to withdraw the offer but before the buyer has accepted it. However, the Nordic council believes that a period of time should be given to the buyer to make a decision when an offer is made. This is a reservation of clause 94 of part II of the Contract. (Will, 1996) The major states that are absent from this Contract are India, Taiwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, South Africa as well as United Kingdom. They have not ratified to the contract. Japan made a depository and entered the Convention by 2009. However UK is still absent from the Convention because its government doesn’t view entering into this Contract as a priority for the state and the businesses have also not given support for this ratification as well. There is also a large amount of opposition from a number of organizations in UK, as well as scarce resources for the public, and a fear that London would lose out on its edge in the world with regards to litigation and arbitration. (Huber & Mullis, 2007) Why exactly does UK not want to be under this contract? The reason is that the Ministers do not feel that it is the priority of the legislation. The Government has many other issues to deal with and this Convention would just need to stand in line and wait its attention. The parliament meeting covers issues relating to the legislation of employment, energy, civil partnerships and company la w, which are considered to be more important issues as compared to the issue of exporters. The country itself doesn’t seem interested in ratifying the Convention. There have been instances when the Ministers have circulated letters asking for ratification and why UK has not adhered to it. The lack of Convention isn’t having an impact on the economy of UK and so the people haven’t considered this issue important enough to respond to. Business is working smoothly and isn’

Gender Based Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Gender Based Conflict Management - Essay Example In his research, Valentine identified and analyzed five conflict resolution strategies that were used by nurses at their workplace. The five strategies included avoiding, compromising, competing, collaborating and accommodating. From her analysis, she realized that gender may influence the extent by which nurses choose their conflict management strategies. From the perspective of gender, women are perceived to be more concerned about interpersonal aspects of the relationship than it is to men. In this effort, female nurses are seen to view conflict management as a way they use while seeking confirmation and support in their effort to maintaining harmony. The results found out that male nurses resorted to using competing method of conflict resolution. This conflict resolution strategy at workplace is associated with the application of power by the competing nurses. This is as a result of the perceived differences in power between male and female genders and lack of self-confidence in the male nurses. Male nurses, unlike female nurses, fail to realize that differences in opinions can be used as opportunities to learn and solve their differences. In another study carried out by Friedman, Shu-Cheng, and Liu on "An expectancy model of Chinese-American differences in conflict-avoiding," the authors put it clear that Chinese have higher tendencies to avoid conflicts than Americans (Friedman, et al., 2006). The results of this expectancy model found out that Chinese use avoiding strategy of conflict control due to various reasons alienated to them, which cannot be applied by the Americans. Chinese realize that direct conflicts are capable of hurting their relationships with the other party. They have greater concern for the other parties. Therefore, they tend to apply the avoiding strategy to uphold this fact. Chinese are also regarded as a people who show great respect and sensitivity to hierarchy. Because of this, any

The Beginnings of Coca Cola in America

The Beginnings of Coca Cola in America The Coca Cola drink was originally created in Atlanta, USA in 1886 by John Pemberton, the pharmacist and owner of Jacobs Pharmacy. Originally sold in the pharmacy from the soda fountain for 5 cents a glass, and in year one sales were only 9 glasses a day as compared to 23.7 billion unit cases worldwide in 2008. Only after John Pembertons death, Coca Cola started its growth. Taken over in 1888 by Asa Griggs Candler, an Atlanta businessman, who transformed Coca Cola from an invention into a business and secured the rights. He became the companys first president, and through advertising and promotion he introduced the drink to the rest of the United States. By 1895 there were three syrup plants: in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. Through innovation of a bottle, Coca Cola changed its way of serving the drink from a soda fountain to bottled drink, and in 1916 the contour bottle has been developed and till this day it is the signature shape of Coca Cola. By 1923 Robert Woodruff has become the new president, and for over 60 years worked hard to introduce Coca Cola to the rest of the world. 2.2 Coca Cola going global By 1895 Coca Cola had managed to expand all over the United States and its Territories. Soon after, the company started to set first steps outside its home country. In 1905 Coca Cola was first bottled in Cuba, Canada and Panama, and the expansion continued rapidly. After World War I the company set up two bottling plants in France, from which they served the European market. By the 1940s Coca Cola was operating in 44 markets outside the United States and even during the Second World War it continues to expand, as it promise that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca Cola for five cents, wherever he is and whatever it costs. As a result Coca Cola spreads its operations to every place where American soldiers were based. Peter Dicken says in his book Global Shift that companies need to feature three characteristics that make them a Transnational Cooperation: its ability to coordinate and control various processes and transaction within transnational production networks, both within and between different countries; its potential ability to take advantage of geographical differences in the distribution of factors of production networks (for example, natural resources, capital, labour) and in state policies (for example, taxes, trade barriers, subsidies, etc.) its potential geographical flexibility, an ability to switch and re-switch its resources and operations between locations at an international or even a global scale. Comparing Coca Cola at the end of World War II with these features, it is certain, that the company does not cover them completely, but it can be said that Coca Cola has already been on the way to match these characteristics, at a time, when the terms of Transnational Cooperation and Globalization had not been used at all. To understand how Coca Cola managed to expand in such a quickly way the organizational structure developments is going to be examined before the companies development towards a TNC is going to be analysed in chapter 3. 2.3 The Coca Cola system A really important step for the Coca Cola Company in their development to a multinational company was the establishment of the first bottling franchise system in 1899, which has contributed significantly to the companys overall success over the past century. Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead signed the first bottling agreement with Asa Candler, president of Coca Cola Company, which gave them exclusive national rights to bottle Coca Cola across most of the United States for the sum of one dollar. By 1916, more than 1,000 Coca Cola bottling plants were operating in the United States, most of them small family-run organizations. In the 1920s and 1930s bottling operations were established outside the United States, in approximately 44 countries worldwide. Ernest Woodruff, the CEO, was responsible for this international expansion of the todays worlds largest beverage company Coca Cola. During World War II, 64 bottling plants were opened around the world to supply the troops and t he international expansion of Coca Colas bottling system gained strength. Because of the permanently enlarging bottling system and accelerating growth of the companys worldwide business, in the 1970s and 1980s a strong bottler consolidation was necessary to reduce the number of independent franchise ownerships. With the consolidation of the many small and medium size bottler, the company gained more control over the bottling network. Today there are more than 300 bottling partners worldwide ranging from international and publicity-traded businesses with independent share-owner structures to small, family owned operations. In general, the Coca Cola Company owns the brands, is responsible for consumer brand marketing initiatives and produces concentrates, beverage and syrups, which are sold to various authorized bottling operations throughout the world. The bottling partners, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, are responsible for manufacturing, packaging, merchandising and distributing the final branded beverages to customers, like grocery stores, restaurants, street vendors, convenience stores, movie theatres and many others around the world, who sell the product to consumers. This business system, consisting of the Coca Cola Company and its 300 bottling partners worldwide, is known as the Coca Cola System or just The System. While the Coca Cola system is not a single entity from a legal or managerial perspective, the sustainable growth of the system as a whole depends on the collaboration, support and shared values and goals of the company and its bottling partners. This unique source of strength of the closely and collaborative relationship between the company and its bottling partners, allows the beverage company to conduct business on a worldwide scale while still maintaining a local approach. The four most important bottling partners, which make up the worlds largest and most powerful and extensive beverage distribution network, provided the company several benefits including increased geographical reach, increased scale of operations, more coordination of the distribution system and centralized negotiations. Finally this system is a century-old alliance and a key strength of the Coca Cola Company. 2.4 Growth strategies The recent years and the changing global economic conditions brought about new challenges and opportunities for the Coca Cola Company. In order to maintain its market share and keep ahead of innovation the beverage company developed a multi-faceted domestic and global innovation strategy. This growth strategy focuses on strong organic growth supported by product innovation, geographic expansion, particularly in developing and emerging economies, strategic alliances and acquisitions and joint ventures. This strategy, focusing on organic growth and expansion, was very important for the development to a multinational company and plays also until the present day and the future an essential role. The key of the success of the worlds largest soft drink producer is to reach and meet its long-term targets by growing its existing business. Nevertheless, the company will grow organically as well as through targeted acquisitions, which have to be done in a disciplined manner. Coca Cola made already acquisitions around the world in the last years and will seek more acquisition opportunities in the fast growing soft drink market to expand its revenue sources and its portfolio. This results from recent acquisitions, where Coca Cola has benefited from. These helped boost the companys sales at a time, where traditional carbonated soft drinks experienced sluggish sales. Finally acquisitions strengthened Coca Colas international operations and gave it an opportunity to grow through new product launch or to increase the capacity to penetrate existing international markets and to diversify its revenue stream. Another important aspect in an increasingly complex and evolving environment to accelerate sustainable growth for the Coca Cola Company were and still are Joint Ventures and Partnerships. Coca Cola has joined forces with a number of well established businesses such as Nestlà ©, PG, Illycaffà © to further its diversification efforts. These joint ventures allowed Coca Cola to enter related businesses or new geographic markets, that would be inaccessible without the partner, and to develop new markets of iced tea, coffee and fruit juices. Furthermore it provided the opportunity to gain new technological skills and knowledge, to gain new capacity and expertise, to access greater resources and to share risks with the venture partner. Therefore international joint ventures were extremely advantageous for Coca Cola. 3. Globalization Process of Coca Cola 3.1 Entering new difficult markets: The Coca Cola Company in China and Russia 3.2 Coca Cola: thinking global, acting local Before to analyse Coca Colas adapting to local demands and needs, the term Glocalization and its importance within the process of Globalization are going to be discussed. 3.2.1 Globalization vs. Glocalization Globalization is one of the most important phenomena of the recent past and of the future. The term Globalization describes an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies and cultures are becoming more integrated through a dramatically increased global network of technological, economic, political and cultural exchanges. In specifically economic contexts, the term refers to the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, particularly trade liberalization or free trade, foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration and the spread of technology. This worldwide phenomenon of interaction among the countries is driven largely by advances in communication, transportation and legal infrastructure as well as the political choice of countries to open cross-border links in international trade and finance. Due to many difficulties that a globalization strategy faces another term has developed in recent years called Glocalization. In contrast to globalization, the glocalization strategy, which means thinking globally but acting locally, is a more modern and different approach. The term Glocalization, which had become a buzzword in business world in 2000, describes a historical process whereby the local is integrated into the global. This means that localities develop economic and cultural relationships to the global system through information technologies, bypassing and subverting traditional power hierarchies like national governments and markets including cultures clash with newly introduced cultural concepts, ideologies and practices. So put simply, globalization is a move toward centralization, while glocalization is a move toward decentralization. In this section the concept of glocalization is elaborated. In this context it will be explained why glocalization is important for multinational companies in general and especially for Coca Cola. Furthermore this section describes which advantages and disadvantages glocalization comprises and how the concept of glocalization is applied by Coca Cola in China. 3.2.2 Definition of Glocalization Glocalization is a combination of the words globalization and localization and emphasise the idea that a product or service is developed and distributed globally is more likely to succeed if it is adapted to the specific requirements of local practices, legislation, fiscal regime, socio-political system, cultural expectations, local laws, customs and consumer preferences. Today it is possible to understand by glocalization the intelligent adoption of concepts and ideas to the local and regional needs, instead of having exactly the same products and solutions everywhere. The concept of global localization explains the interactions between global and local dimensions in any strategy like political governance strategies, business marketing strategies, media and communication strategies and so on. Glocalization also explains the failure of some strong strategies, as they dont consider the effect of cultural diversity and strength of local dimensions. It is more considered as creation or distribution of products or services intended for a global or trans-regional market, but customized to suit local laws or culture. 3.2.3 Multinational Companies and Glocalization, Example: Coca Cola The increasing globalization process has altered the international competitive dynamics in the various industries. The recent changes in the global marketplace call for fundamentally different vision and strategic thinking inside all types of companies. The strategy of glocalization is becoming more and more important in all types of businesses in recent years and seems to have received wide acceptance. Especially in the food and agribusiness industry the concept of glocalization is particularly important, because of the seamless challenges this industry faces due to the typical differences that exist in the food and drinking habits of people belonging to various regions, religions and cultures across the globe. Therefore the modifications of the glocalization strategy help consumers in the host country relate with the character in a much better and effective way. In todays highly competitive business life a number of multinational companies currently apply glocalization strategies in an effort to build their customer bases and grow revenues. If multinational companies decide to expand their operations to a new country, they have to make a choice between following uniform business strategies as in their home country or modify their strategies to suit the host country socio-economic and political environment. Because most of the time a company, which is doing extremely well in the global market or their home market, can fail completely in their local market or vice versa due to the problem of not being able to adapt to the local conditions, which is one of the highest priorities for successful global companies. In order to operate successfully in their host countries, multinational companies must adopt glocal strategies in marketing, product development, advertisement etc. Therefore the companies try to be both local and global, big and small, centralized and decentralized, stable and dynamic. The main objective of these companies is to simultaneously offer standardized mass manufacturing, customized mass manufacturing and individually designed goods and services. To tackle this growing dilemma and for corporation success it is essential to maintain an appropriate balance between global homogenization and local customization. Also the successful global brand like Coca Cola, which has had a global campaign, adopted a glocal strategy. The worlds largest beverage company is the best example one could cite for a multinational company practising glocalization. The soft drink company stands for global brand, global taste, global communication differentiated with local language. In the 1990s the worldwide business development was changing and the world was demanding a greater flexibility, local responsiveness and local sensitivity and a desire for local autonomy and preservation of unique cultural identity appeared. Coca Cola recognized that speed, transparency, local sensitivity and responsibility had become essential to their success. Simultaneously the worlds largest soft drink company realised that a single global strategy and a single global campaign wont work in different countries with different cultures in the long term. Therefore it has realised that it is important that they act according to relevant local needs, local tastes and preferences, local laws, local cultures to support global brand strategies. As a result they developed a strategy, allowing differences in packaging, distribution and media for a specific region or country according to its cultural, regional and national uniqueness and which fits within fundamental values, policies and standards of integrity and quality of the company. Coca Cola showed that it is crucial for worldwide business activities to succeed in any foreign country, to understand and respect local culture, history, differences, to adapt to consumer needs, habits and diet, as well as local conditions, characteristics and circumstances of the market. The best example for Coca Colas glocal strategy is China. China was always one of the biggest opportunities of all emerging markets with a huge potential for the Coca Cola Company. When Coca Cola first entered the Chinese market, it faced unusual problems and success did not occur in the beginning. The reason for that was that Chinese people had a historical preference for health-oriented beverages such as green tea and juices and the product was misunderstood by the people. Because of these different tastes and preferences, the Coca Cola Company adopted a glocal strategy. This customer-based strategy was very effective for Coca Cola, because if their brand was not instantly recognizable in a variety of setting or they would have no congruence with local needs it may result in a loss of their brands global image or they could fail to attract potential customers. Coca Cola has overcome this problem in China by creating a glocal strategy, which enabled them to combine the best of global and local marketing to maintain their brand image. This step established a strong sense of cultural congruence with a strong focus on social responsibility. For Coca Cola this was a really important step, because also brinking habits vary significantly across cultures and countries like in the food industry. Therefore the Coca Cola Company has to be particularly sensitive to various cultural and religious issues because challenges faced in this industry due to the cultural differences are more critical and complex as compared to the other industries. This effective long-term business strategy of glocalizing allowed most decisions regarding developing new drinks and approving local initiatives to be determined by local subsidiaries or distributors and to establish nationwide operations, which generated a strong market presence. Coca Cola developed with this strategy a world, where local areas benefit from global resources while they are retaining their own cultural identities. In the meanwhile China is not the only country for which it has adopted a glocal strategy. Over the last decade it has taken up this approach around the world, but especially for the Asian countries, because of their diversity of cultures, which does not provide a unified consumer base. This section explained that glocalization explores both the effective expansion of transnational companies into new markets and the ability of cultures to exert their own identity in their interplay with the global scenario. It also showed that going global might not take much effort, but going glocal means a lot of responsibility. Therefore it is important to consider glocalization in expansion plans or when a company decides to launch in different locations, because it plays an important role if a company operates successfully or not. Summarized, it is possible to understand by glocalization a global decision, which has local impact and, at the same time, it can be a local event with global effect. So, it can be said that glocalization represents the need for multinationals to be global and local at the same time. 3.2.4 A glocal strategy: Coca Cola wants to by Huiyuan It has been shown that Coca Cola always tried and tries to adapt to any changes in the consumers habits and demands. Therefore it changed its range of products, either by the invention of new product lines or through acquisition of other beverage brands and companies. The consumers preferences and demands of beverages in the Chinese market experienced a significant change in recent years. Whereas the demand of carbonated drinks stagnated, the demand of non-carbonated drinks such as teas and especially juices increased dramatically. Therefore Coca Cola introduced a couple of new drinks of these sorts. In 2008, however, Coca Cola decided to strengthen its position in the Chinese beverage market through the acquisition of the Huiyuan Group, the biggest producer and distributor of juices in China with a market share of nearly 50%. The company had been extraordinary interesting for Coca Cola, as it is not only well known and has a strong position in the Chinese market but also because of its very strong bases of raw materials and a good production and distribution infrastructure all over the country. Coca Cola expected to strengthen its position in the Chinese and also in the international beverage market through this acquisition and therefore was will ing to buy Huiyuan Group at an extraordinary high price. In fact, Coca Cola offered to buy the company at a price nearly three times higher than its actual stock market value at the time. Furthermore Coca Cola was willing to put Zhi Xiuli, the chairman and a big shareholder of Huiyuan at the top of the merged company and thereby increasing its Guanxi and secure its position in Chinese business. By the end of 2008, the deal seemed to be home and dry, as all shareholders of Huiyuan Group to sell their shares. Therefore, Coca Cola only needed to the allowance of the Chinese authorities to take over the juice manufacturer. But the Chinese government imposed the Anti-Monopoly-Law in August 2008 which made all acquisitions of Chinese companies by multinational corporations subject to stringent checks, as the government saw it as a risk to the national economic security. After a couple of month of investigations and negotiations the Chinese government finally rejected Coca Cola to take over Huiyuan, as it suspected Coca Cola to reach a market controlling position, which would harm the Chinese economy. Critics accused the Chinese authorities to block this merger due to national sentiments and therefore act not in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organisation, whose member China is since 2001. Both companies, Coca Cola and Huiyuan, however accepted the Governments decision and did not try to act against it. This shows that in the politically controlled Chinese market it is still important to always try to collaborate with the authorities and never try to act against them, for example by going to court what would probably had happened in most other country, if the company had been confronted with such a decision. It also showed that the Chinese government, because of the size, potential and attractiveness of its economy has a lot of power and does not risk big conflict internationally by acting this way. 3.2.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Glocalization In this section the advantages as well as disadvantages of glocalization will be identified and described. First of all glocalization makes sense when a firm faces high pressure for local responsiveness and where there are significant opportunities for leveraging valuable skills within a multinationals global network of operations. Through glocalization international products are adapted to the local taste of the population and thereby local communities are introduced to different aspects of foreign cultures. This helps multinational companies to grow and gain trust of the people of particular regions. So, glocalization helps in connecting with the consumers of that region on an emotional level and also leverage its global position. This is the most important aspect that leads to success of the company. Another positive aspect of glocalization is that multinational companies bring in foreign revenue and offer employment opportunities for locals. Disadvantages of this strategy can be that companies are unable to realize location economies or failure to transfer core competencies to foreign markets. Another disadvantage is that it is really difficult to implement a glocal strategy due to organizational problems. This means that glocalization doesnt always benefit multinational companies because individuals and groups in each region or country can choose to accept or reject the products offerings or the companys presence. 3.3 Developing a global trade mark 3.4 Coca Cola using natural resources An important question that Coca Cola faces every day, regards natural resources and the environment, especially water and its usage. Water is an essential ingredient for the beverage business. In 2005, Coca Cola used 290 billion litres of water in its plants to manufacture its products, 40% of it was used to make drinks and 60% was consumed in the supply chain and for the production of sugar and corn. 3.4.1 Handle resources sustainably Coca Colas efforts to reduce and to improve the efficiency of its water consumption have increased since the 2000s. Indeed there have been lots of global initiatives that Coca Cola has undertaken to hit this mark. With regard to that, Coca Colas chairman and CEO said that Coca Colas purpose is to return every drop of water that the company consumes, by recycling water used for production processes. Moreover the company supports initiatives of water supply in developing countries and to protect the environment through local projects. Coca Cola was blamed, in less developed countries, of draining the underground water and of discharging improperly treated industrial wastewater. The most difficult situation is in India, in the Kerala district, where the company was accused to extract 15 millions litres of groundwater everyday, without any expense. Another important complaint against Coca Cola India is that its bottle washing plants used chemicals in their processes, and produced effluents that, according with local residents, were discharging before any kind of treatment. Moreover, some reports estimated that, in 2004, Coca Cola India used 283 billions litres of water, which corresponded to the worlds usage of water for about ten days, and that Coca Cola utilized 2.7 litres of water for each bottle of its drink and 1.7 litres of them were released as effluent. In the year 2002, the company undertook its water sustainability projects to supply communities of developing countries, which lived in zones near its bottling factories, with potable water. Especially for India, the company, in June 2002, was participating in many rainwater harvesting initiatives, with the help of many non-governmental organizations, central authorities, state groundwater committees and welfare associations. Additionally, in 2004, Coca Cola undertook the global water initiative, with which it not only had the goal of the containment of its water use, but also the purpose of finding and developing some sustainable solutions to water resources management. Coca Cola tested 840 areas around the world to understand the problem of global water shortage, since this resource is its most important ingredient and the company wants to sustain this resource to be able to continue its business. Coca Cola aspired to improve its usage of water in its production processes in association with local governments, authorities and communities in many developing countries. With regard to Africa, Coca Cola established an association with the US Agency for International Developments (USAID) and they started, in 2007, 9 water initiatives with an investment of US$ 7 millions. The projects aim was the enhancement of the quality of water and a basic supply of fresh water and sanitation to communities without these basic services, for example in Kenya, Tanzania, Angola and Uganda. In Europe, Coca Cola cooperated with the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) and thereby invested US$ 7 million into a project to improve water supply in the less developed areas of Croatia, Kazakhstan, Romania and Turkey. In China the company undertook a rainwater harvesting initiative, with the association of Soong Ching Ling, to provide and improve a healthy access to potable water for about 3000 inhabi tant. Furthermore it supported the development of 27 equipments for harvesting rainwater and water storage in five small towns. In India, Coca Cola together with the government built about 300 rainwater gathering systems to improve the water storage. Finally, In Mexico Coca Cola took initiative to improve re-use and water supply facilities for its own usage. Furthermore it supported reforestation programs and the restoration of 25,000 hectares of forest. 3.4.2 Strategies for sustainable usage of water resources In 2007, Coca Cola undertook a water stewardship strategy that is composed by four key points: plant performance, watershed protection, community water initiatives and global awareness action. About the plant performance, Coca Cola has tried to increase the efficiency of its plants with regard to water consumption, creating an interactive water resource management toolkit to help bottling companies to enhance their efficiency in the use of water. In fact, in 6 years from 2002 to 2007, the companys system had improved its water usage efficiency by 21%. But its water consumption had gone up by 4%, in 2007, because it had launched new products such as tea and coffee. The second area of the strategy is the watershed protection; Coca Cola, with the association of governments, NGOs and many communities, works to educate developing countries and its bottling factories about the importance of maintaining watershed. This programme involved also some investments to promote water conservation in seven river systems in China, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and East Africa. The community water initiatives involved partnerships with 70 communities in about 40 nations. These partnerships aimed sanitation, hygiene, watershed protection, water providing, efficient water usage and education and awareness. Additionally, Coca Cola participated in some projects with regard to reforestation, efficient usage of water in agriculture and rainwater gathering, especially in India. Finally, the last core area of the strategy is the global awareness action, with which Coca Cola developed a programme which had the purpose to provide healthy and potable water to schools in developing countries. This project involved the education of students, in many schools, about sanitation and hygiene. 3.4.3 Criticism on Coca Cola and its responses In spite of several initiatives, partnerships and programmes about water consumption efficiency, Coca Cola had to face lots of criticisms for its business. The most important criticisms focused on the reduction of groundwater tables and on the fact that the local communities were without access to potable water due to the company, particularly in India. Further complaints against Coca Cola were about the discharge of wastewater in the agriculture fields close to its blottling companies, the illegal seizure of lands from agricultural laborers and the release of dangerous material and sludge in the contiguous areas in India. The responses of Coca Cola against these criticisms have been constant since the 2000s. First of all, the company launched a website, called www.cokefacts.org, where it has tried to fight the allegations linked to its business. Moreover, Coca Cola defended itself with the publication of reports and the conduction of studies. For example, the Palakkad District Environmental Protection Council and Guidance Society prepared in 2002 a report wherein they concluded that the Coca Cola plants had not had any kind of responsibility for any environmental damage that happened in zones near to them. In response to the compl

Things Arent Always What They Seem :: essays research papers

Things Aren't Always What They Seem   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Hispanic young man, I have witnessed many racial remarks and expressions. Many people think I am Anglo-Saxon because I am light complected. I have not only noticed racial slurs from Angle's, but also from Hispanics. People tend to open up in front of me, because some of them think I am Anglo- Saxon and do not know Spanish. I can recall the first day of summer school, my first day of work, and the time that Anglos' stare at my girlfriend wondering why I left their race for a hispanic girl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My first day of summer school was a day I will never forget. As I walked into my class the students just looked up at me and stared as if I was a portrait. In a polite manner, the teacher told me to sit next to those girls at the corner. At first they were quiet and then the whispers began. â€Å"Oye chulo,† they began to call me. I didn't know what to do, so I did what any guy with a great girlfriend would do, played dumb. Then they began telling each other that I was probably rich and conceited. Their remarks about my clothing and the color of my eyes and hair, surprised me. I was not upset because they were Hispanic. I am sure that I would have been mad if an Anglo-saxon girl would have talked bad about a hispanic guy or girl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another time hispanics thought I was Anglo-saxon, was when my best friend's dad got me a job at his company. The first day he showed me around and majority of the workers were hispanic; once again they all looked at me again. My first encounter with my racist co-workers was during lunch. As I sat down to eat my sandwich, the guy I got to know asked me if I wanted to try some Mexican food. That's when I gave him this expression that must have stunned him, because he asked me what was wrong. I told him, â€Å"What, do you think I've never eaten Mexican food or what?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He replied, â€Å"Sorry, I didn't think know white people knew anything about Mexican food other than tacos.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I am not white, I am a mexican just like you!† I exclaimed. From that day forth I was treated just like one of the guys. It is strange that hispanics are always fighting for equality and an end to discrimination. Ironically, they are the one's that are being racist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The only time I can recall being treated wrong by Anglo-Saxons, was the

Digital Divide

Digital divide is defined as the distance between those with access to the internet and those without. Digital Divide is a problem that stretches to all corners of the world. It affects not only people here in the U. S. but also countries across the globe. Two questions have to be asked in all this. The first is â€Å"Does the Digital Divide really exist? † and the second is â€Å"What is the real impact of the Digital Divide? † The idea of Digital Divide did not come into play until the early 1990’s with the passage by then President Bill Clinton of the High Performance Computing Act.What this act did was to provide funding for a high speed fiber optic network which would go on to become the internet that we use today. This enabled home computers to become more useful which in turn caused the number of personal computers in the U. S to skyrocket to over ten million in a five year period. (Rapaport, 2009) In all this a new department in the Clinton Administration was formed, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA is the President’s main advisor on information and telecommunication and was co-founded by Albert Hammond, a White House aide. Rapaport, 2009) It was Hammond in addition to NTIA administrator Larry Irving that came up with the phrase â€Å"Digital Divide† This phrase eventually began to appear in then V. P Al Gore’s speeches. As time went on, computer and internet prices began to fall. With these falling prices came the idea that the Digital Divide was closing. The new presidential administration did not have as great an interest in digital access and eventually â€Å"Digital Divide† became â€Å"Digital Inclusion. † The NTIA was eventually downgraded and its budget taken away. These actions eventually and effectively ended the NTIAThe question of it the Digital Divide is real can be answered by looking at the numbers, A report done by the Pew Research Center show s that one in five American adults does not use the internet, with senior citizens, those with less than a high school education and lower income adults being the least likely to have access to the internet. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) Americans with disabilities are even less likely to use the internet. Nearly half of those that do not go online say that don’t because they do not feel the internet is relevant to them.One thing that is helping to bridge the digital divide is the ever changing face of mobile technology. With the face of mobile technology changing at a rapid pace, those that were on the other side of the digital divide are now able to go online. Out of those groups, young adults, minorities, those with no college experience and lower income adults are more likely to use their smart phone as a main source of internet access. Internet use has grown greatly among U. S adults. In a span of 16 year, June 1995 to Jan 2011, internet use among those 18 and over has gone fro m just 14% to 78%. Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) In these numbers the line is still senior citizens, minorities, and low income as those less likely to have online access. A majority of those that do not use the internet feel they do not need it or are cautious of new technology. The difference between 2000 and 2011 is significant. In June of 2000 only 50% of American adults used the internet. That number jumped to 80% in 2011. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2011) A household’s income plays a factor in internet use as well. In August 20111 only 62% of households with income less that $30,000 use the internet.When you compare these numbers to those making over $75,000 that have an internet usage of 97%, the Digital Divide is evident. The gap between whites and minorities is quickly disappearing. There are still some differences in internet access but they have become less noticeable and in some cases have disappeared all together. The strongest negative predictors for internet use are not race or g ender, instead those factors now include seniors (those age 65 and older), low income (under $20,000), and lack of a high school education.Among these groups there have been some increases in internet use, but there is still a gray area for some such as seniors. Even though those 65 and over are less likely to use the internet, 41% now do go online. (Smith, Zickhur, 2012) The reasons that adults do not use the internet vary. In the year 2000, 54% of American adults felt that the internet was a dangerous thing. This feeling was especially true among seniors and individuals with less than a high school education. Research also show that 39% that that access to the internet cost to much and 36% found the internet confusing and difficult to se. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) More recent research shows the biggest reason of not going online is the do not feel the internet is relevant to them. 48% do not want to use it or feel that do not need it to get the information they need. A majority of no n-users have never use the internet before and have no one in the household that does know how to use it. Only a very small percentage one in ten, are interested in using it in the future. One thing that is changing the Digital Divide is mobile technology as mentioned above. Currently 88% of Americans age 18 and over have a cell phone.With mobile technology expanding, 63% of American adults use a mobile device- Laptop, tablet computer, e-book reader, cell phone- to go online. The rise in mobile devices has caused a noticeable mobile difference. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) A person becomes more active using the internet once they get a mobile device. Of the mobile devices, smartphones are becoming more widely used than basic cell phones. Among American adults 46% now has a smartphone. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) There are groups that have greater levels of smartphone use such as higher income, well educated and those under age 50.These groups also have higher rates of technology use. Younger a dults (under age 30) do have a higher than average level of smartphone use no matter their income or education. Those younger adults with only a high school education or less are actually more likely to own a smartphone than older adults (age 50 and over) who have gone to college. The same holds true for income, young adults in the lower income bracket (under $30,000) are more likely to have a smartphone than older adults in the higher income bracket. Among these users, 25% say they use their smartphone as their main source of internet access.Smartphones are helping to bridge the Digital Divide. Computer sales during the holidays fell for the first time in 5 years as gadget use such as smartphones grows. According to Walker Sands a digital marketing agency, 23% of total global website visits came from mobile devices which is up from 17% in the 3rd quarter. (Leonard, 2013 These numbers show how big the shift is to how people connect. Former President Bill Clinton said in a key note s peech at the Consumer Electronics Show â€Å"Mobile Technology is doing so much now to lift the poor. Smartphones are a much cheaper way for internet access and the capabilities that go along with it such as mobile banking and social media. The smartphone is a unique item when it comes to personal technology and the Digital Divide. At the same time it represents the cutting edge of technology. It is of course the choice for people of any economic class as the most economical and efficient way to connect in an age where getting on the internet ranks up there as a top priority right below food, shelter and water.The Digital Divide will most likely always be there but with modern mobile technology it appears to be shrinking. It does affect people not only here in the United States but also people across the globe. If you look at recent technology and the future, the implications are without a doubt very fascinating. What would happen if everyone had an affordable computer in their poc ket or purse? What about the balance or more correctly imbalance of political power? All of this seems uncertain but the possibilities are endless.One thing that is certain, the Digital Divide will always exist. There will always be those that just cannot afford it in any form. There will always be that that just do not find the internet relevant in their lives. There will also be those that want to use the internet but don’t know how. The question that remains is â€Å"How much can we bridge the Digital Divide? † That question may never be fully answered. References Arnold , B. (2007 , Feb). Caslon analytics digital divides. Retrieved from www. caslon. com. au/dividesprofile1. tm Enger , J. (2011, June). Closing the digital divide. Retrieved from www. huffingtonpost. com/john/m-enger/economic-survival-in-the-_b_871575. html Leonard, A. (2013, Jan). Retrieved from www. salon. com/2013/01/11/smartphones_bust_up_the_digital_divide Rapaport, R. (2009, October). A short hi story of the digital divide. Retrieved from www. edutopia. org/digital-generation-divide-connectivity Smith , A. , & Zickuhr, K. (2012, April 13). Digital differences. Retrieved from http://pewinternet. org/reports/2012/digital-differences-aspx Digital Divide Digital divide is defined as the distance between those with access to the internet and those without. Digital Divide is a problem that stretches to all corners of the world. It affects not only people here in the U. S. but also countries across the globe. Two questions have to be asked in all this. The first is â€Å"Does the Digital Divide really exist? † and the second is â€Å"What is the real impact of the Digital Divide? † The idea of Digital Divide did not come into play until the early 1990’s with the passage by then President Bill Clinton of the High Performance Computing Act.What this act did was to provide funding for a high speed fiber optic network which would go on to become the internet that we use today. This enabled home computers to become more useful which in turn caused the number of personal computers in the U. S to skyrocket to over ten million in a five year period. (Rapaport, 2009) In all this a new department in the Clinton Administration was formed, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA is the President’s main advisor on information and telecommunication and was co-founded by Albert Hammond, a White House aide. Rapaport, 2009) It was Hammond in addition to NTIA administrator Larry Irving that came up with the phrase â€Å"Digital Divide† This phrase eventually began to appear in then V. P Al Gore’s speeches. As time went on, computer and internet prices began to fall. With these falling prices came the idea that the Digital Divide was closing. The new presidential administration did not have as great an interest in digital access and eventually â€Å"Digital Divide† became â€Å"Digital Inclusion. † The NTIA was eventually downgraded and its budget taken away. These actions eventually and effectively ended the NTIAThe question of it the Digital Divide is real can be answered by looking at the numbers, A report done by the Pew Research Center show s that one in five American adults does not use the internet, with senior citizens, those with less than a high school education and lower income adults being the least likely to have access to the internet. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) Americans with disabilities are even less likely to use the internet. Nearly half of those that do not go online say that don’t because they do not feel the internet is relevant to them.One thing that is helping to bridge the digital divide is the ever changing face of mobile technology. With the face of mobile technology changing at a rapid pace, those that were on the other side of the digital divide are now able to go online. Out of those groups, young adults, minorities, those with no college experience and lower income adults are more likely to use their smart phone as a main source of internet access. Internet use has grown greatly among U. S adults. In a span of 16 year, June 1995 to Jan 2011, internet use among those 18 and over has gone fro m just 14% to 78%. Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) In these numbers the line is still senior citizens, minorities, and low income as those less likely to have online access. A majority of those that do not use the internet feel they do not need it or are cautious of new technology. The difference between 2000 and 2011 is significant. In June of 2000 only 50% of American adults used the internet. That number jumped to 80% in 2011. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2011) A household’s income plays a factor in internet use as well. In August 20111 only 62% of households with income less that $30,000 use the internet.When you compare these numbers to those making over $75,000 that have an internet usage of 97%, the Digital Divide is evident. The gap between whites and minorities is quickly disappearing. There are still some differences in internet access but they have become less noticeable and in some cases have disappeared all together. The strongest negative predictors for internet use are not race or g ender, instead those factors now include seniors (those age 65 and older), low income (under $20,000), and lack of a high school education.Among these groups there have been some increases in internet use, but there is still a gray area for some such as seniors. Even though those 65 and over are less likely to use the internet, 41% now do go online. (Smith, Zickhur, 2012) The reasons that adults do not use the internet vary. In the year 2000, 54% of American adults felt that the internet was a dangerous thing. This feeling was especially true among seniors and individuals with less than a high school education. Research also show that 39% that that access to the internet cost to much and 36% found the internet confusing and difficult to se. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) More recent research shows the biggest reason of not going online is the do not feel the internet is relevant to them. 48% do not want to use it or feel that do not need it to get the information they need. A majority of no n-users have never use the internet before and have no one in the household that does know how to use it. Only a very small percentage one in ten, are interested in using it in the future. One thing that is changing the Digital Divide is mobile technology as mentioned above. Currently 88% of Americans age 18 and over have a cell phone.With mobile technology expanding, 63% of American adults use a mobile device- Laptop, tablet computer, e-book reader, cell phone- to go online. The rise in mobile devices has caused a noticeable mobile difference. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) A person becomes more active using the internet once they get a mobile device. Of the mobile devices, smartphones are becoming more widely used than basic cell phones. Among American adults 46% now has a smartphone. (Smith, Zickuhr, 2012) There are groups that have greater levels of smartphone use such as higher income, well educated and those under age 50.These groups also have higher rates of technology use. Younger a dults (under age 30) do have a higher than average level of smartphone use no matter their income or education. Those younger adults with only a high school education or less are actually more likely to own a smartphone than older adults (age 50 and over) who have gone to college. The same holds true for income, young adults in the lower income bracket (under $30,000) are more likely to have a smartphone than older adults in the higher income bracket. Among these users, 25% say they use their smartphone as their main source of internet access.Smartphones are helping to bridge the Digital Divide. Computer sales during the holidays fell for the first time in 5 years as gadget use such as smartphones grows. According to Walker Sands a digital marketing agency, 23% of total global website visits came from mobile devices which is up from 17% in the 3rd quarter. (Leonard, 2013 These numbers show how big the shift is to how people connect. Former President Bill Clinton said in a key note s peech at the Consumer Electronics Show â€Å"Mobile Technology is doing so much now to lift the poor. Smartphones are a much cheaper way for internet access and the capabilities that go along with it such as mobile banking and social media. The smartphone is a unique item when it comes to personal technology and the Digital Divide. At the same time it represents the cutting edge of technology. It is of course the choice for people of any economic class as the most economical and efficient way to connect in an age where getting on the internet ranks up there as a top priority right below food, shelter and water.The Digital Divide will most likely always be there but with modern mobile technology it appears to be shrinking. It does affect people not only here in the United States but also people across the globe. If you look at recent technology and the future, the implications are without a doubt very fascinating. What would happen if everyone had an affordable computer in their poc ket or purse? What about the balance or more correctly imbalance of political power? All of this seems uncertain but the possibilities are endless.One thing that is certain, the Digital Divide will always exist. There will always be those that just cannot afford it in any form. There will always be that that just do not find the internet relevant in their lives. There will also be those that want to use the internet but don’t know how. The question that remains is â€Å"How much can we bridge the Digital Divide? † That question may never be fully answered. References Arnold , B. (2007 , Feb). Caslon analytics digital divides. Retrieved from www. caslon. com. au/dividesprofile1. tm Enger , J. (2011, June). Closing the digital divide. Retrieved from www. huffingtonpost. com/john/m-enger/economic-survival-in-the-_b_871575. html Leonard, A. (2013, Jan). Retrieved from www. salon. com/2013/01/11/smartphones_bust_up_the_digital_divide Rapaport, R. (2009, October). A short hi story of the digital divide. Retrieved from www. edutopia. org/digital-generation-divide-connectivity Smith , A. , & Zickuhr, K. (2012, April 13). Digital differences. Retrieved from http://pewinternet. org/reports/2012/digital-differences-aspx

Carnauba Wax Composition and Uses

Carnauba Wax Composition and Uses My son says my car smells like candy. This is not because I satisfy some sugar craving while driving, but because I waxed it with the same wax used to coat many candies. This is carnauba wax, also known as palm wax or Brazil wax. What is carnauba wax? Carnauba wax is an ingredient in many foods and household products. Heres a look at what carnauba wax is made of and the properties that make it such a useful chemical. Carnauba Wax Origin Carnauba wax is a natural wax. It  comes from the leaves of the Copernicia prunifera palm grown only in Brazil. The wax is obtained by beating the wax off of the dried palm fronds and then refining it for use. The pure wax is yellow in color. Carnauba Wax Chemical Composition Carnauba wax consists of fatty acid esters (80-85%), fatty alcohols (10-16%), acids (3-6%) and hydrocarbons (1-3%). It is around 20% esterified fatty diols, 10% methoxylated or hydroxylated cinnamic acid, and 6% hydroxylated fatty acids. Properties and Uses Carnauba wax has a very high melting point of 82-86  °C (180-187  °F). It is harder than concrete and nearly insoluble in water and ethanol. It is non-toxic and hypoallergenic. It can be polished to a high gloss. The combination of properties leads to many applications, including use in food, cosmetics, automobile and furniture wax, molds for semiconductor devices, and as a coating for dental floss. You use products that contain carnauba wax every day, though you may not have known what the ingredient was or where it came from. It is one of those extremely useful natural chemicals and renewable resources that doesnt have a synthetic equivalent. As for my car smelling like candy: the wax does have a distinctive sweet scent. It might be more accurate to say many car waxes and candies smell like carnauba wax.

Life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs essays

Life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs essays Harriet Jacobs whose pen name was Linda Brent, was born into slavery. In her experience as a slave she encountered many problems with race and with gender. Harriet Jacobs was a slave who had a happy childhood. As a child her mother taught her many traits that would later prove to be useful. Her mother taught her to never give up without a fight. Jacobs was six years old when her mother died, but it wasn't until the death of her kind mistress that Jacobs began to feel the real sting of slavery. In the house of her mothers mistress she was taught to read and write. When the mistress died Jacobs was willed to a three year old niece, where Jacobs endured cruelty from the Mrs. Flint and sexual harassment from Dr. Flint. Around the time Harriet turned 15, Mr. Flint began his relentless efforts to bend the slave girl's will. At first he whispered "foul words" in her ear. As time went on his tactics became more overt. Still Harriet refused to give in. To get Harriet away from h is wife, who was suspicious of her husband's intentions, he built a cottage for the girl slave four miles from town. Harriet had previously asked Mr. Flint for permission to marry a free black man, and Mr. Flint had violently refused. Determined to fight the advances of her master and eventually obtain freedom, Jacobs entered into a relationship with an unmarried, white neighbor who was attracted to her. The relationship produced two children. In desperation to escape Dr. Flint, Jacobs planned escape, first for herself, and then for her children. In June of 1835, after seven years of mistreatment, Harriet escaped. For a short time she stayed with various neighbors, both black and white. Then she moved into a tiny crawlspace above a porch built by her grandmother and uncle. The space was nine feet long and seven feet wide. Its sloping ceiling, only three feet high at one end, didn't allow her to turn while laying down without hitting her sho...

Blooms Taxonomy Higher Order Thinking Skills Essay

Blooms Taxonomy Higher Order Thinking Skills - Essay Example The article is quite relevant to my classroom work. After acquisition of knowledge, I need to teach my students to take it to other levels of understanding, applying, analysing, and evaluating. This way, education will be relevant to them and to the entire society. In addition, this type of learning provokes students to innovate new ways of doing things and stop depending on others for intellectual knowledge. Having taught for many years, sometimes I do not need to carry teaching guidebooks to my lessons. This is because during my college years, my lecturers used Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) related educational objectives teaching methods, which have influenced my teaching skills greatly. I particularly recall an incidence when our general subject lectures tested our HOTS. Each of us received a copy of 150 words with information on a certain national anthem of a country in Africa. The first step was a test on how well we can vividly remember the words. The lecturer divided us into groups of three and we were supposed to do a presentation to the class. After thirty minutes, many students could memorise the Anthem. Next, it was required of us to give meaning to different words in the anthem. The lecturer helped us on the complex words that we could not comprehend and later gave us instructions to write an article of something we believed in to determine if we could apply the knowledge learned in real life. We satisfied the lecturer that we could really apply what we had learned and he proceeded to ask meaning of different phrases in our articles. The whole setting was exciting and the entire group of student’s mood was set up. We even wrote new articles in different contexts of things we believed in, after which we evaluated the new articles describing their purpose and their relevance in real life. When in class with my students, I have learned the importance of applying Blooms higher order of thinking skills. My students are alert at any given tim e and their level of understanding is quite high. For instance, when I was teaching a topic on angles and elevations, I encouraged the students to think beyond basic formulas. The purpose of any kind of learning is to enable the student to gain knowledge. After a week of thorough learning on this topic, I wanted to know how much my students had absorbed. Therefore, I called for an impromptu maths class to review this topic. Students were required to recall a wide range of materials in relation to different angles that exist and the formulas for their calculation. According to Saint Paul Public schools, â€Å"Knowledge represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in cognitive domain† (Saint Paul Public Schools). At this point, I took advantage of giving the students examples other than those given in classes to test if they could transform the materials from one form to another. Students could solve given problems with the knowledge, theories, and concepts of angles learne d in class. Satisfied that students could remember and apply what I had taught them, it was time to analyse if the students got the deep meaning of the topic. One of the question I recall asking is â€Å"what is an obtuse angle.† The questions continued until I was quite sure that most of the students, if not all, were well versed with the topic. Later on, students formulated their own questions on the topic, some that included real life problems. For instance, one bright student’

Capital construction Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Capital construction Contract - Essay Example The draft that needs to be reviewed is as below: â€Å"Any dispute or whatever nature arising out of or in any way relating to the Agreement or to its construction or fulfilments can be referred to arbitration. Such arbitration shall take place in Dubai or Sana’a, or any other place as the parties may agree, and shall proceed in accordance with the Rules of Arbitration of the LCIA-DIFC in Dubai. Both parties hereby agree that, at least, one arbitrator should be Dr Karim Akram.† Many factors influence the path chosen to resolve expected and unexpected disputes that may arise during the course of the agreement between the parties and may depend on the identities of the parties, the courts and their jurisdiction in play and location of assets among others. And without a clear clause for dispute resolution, any dispute arising may be tossed at some court which may not be the first choice of either or both the parties (International Arbitration – An Overview, 2012). 2 . Purpose of report Firstly, it is observed that there is a general ambiguity between going for arbitration or a litigation when there is a conflict of interest between two parties in agreement, which calls for a thorough consideration of the advantages of both and choosing the best course in the interest of both the companies and the general public at large. Being the Contract Manager and Arbitration Specialist at the company, I am entrusted with this job of reviewing the best course of action to enable the smooth conduct of the agreement between the company and the other company based in Yemen. Secondly, as the other party is based in another country with many of the International conventions