Economic Security of South Korea Essay

The economy of South Korea is ranked at fifteenth place in the world. In terms of its relation with the United States, South Korea is the seventh largest trading partner. South Korea is well known for its high level of growth in economic field. Before 1960, South Korea was just another poor third world country and hardly known regionally as well as internationally. Its economic booming has elevated South Korea in the eyes of international cooperation especially the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD). Factors Affecting The Economic Security Life span Primary health care has improved tremendously for past decades. Consequently, good quality of life has contributed to longer life span among the population of South Korea citizens. Therefore the median of age of working population has shifted towards older generation.The aging population seems to be of major concern among the economic community because they might affect the economic growth of the nation. In order to sustain rapid economic growth South Korea would require constant support from the young and dynamic generations. Education The economy needs continuous supply of skill labours to sustain growth. Even though the government preach for the need of educated society, the financial allocation is low compare to the needs of parents in educating their children. Hence, the parents end up paying high price for additional classes in school as well as high tuition cost in tertiery education for securing good career. The cost of education is so high that each family restricted the number of children in order to provide excellent education for the child. Even then, the competition is stiff and demands for the need of furthering studies to a higher degree. North and South Relation The relationship between North and South Korea remains an enigma in the sense that their economic status is wide apart where the south enjoys the booming of industry while the north deteriorating. Without the humanitarian aid, the people of North Korea would continue to suffer from food shortage. Having consider the hunger situation of people of North Korea, there is always a military threat towards South Korea. However, South Korea remains hopeful that its volatile neighbour would open its barrier to economic aids thus playing the role of good neighbour. Even though North and South Korea still under conflict, the economic relationship between the two countries remain strong. Being a communist country, China is the largest trading partner for North Korea. However, South Korea has risen to be the second largest partner in terms of economic trade with North Korea. These economic ties is constantly under pressure due to the high possibility of incidences under volatile North Korea foreign policy as well as influences from the communist bloc. For instance, in March 2010, North Korea had torpedoed South Korean warship resulted in 46 soldiers were killed. Despite all the evidence pointing towards her, North Korea deny the responsibility. However, South Korea suspended its trade relationship with North Korea. In another incidence, North Korea fired artillery shell onto Yeonpyeong Island killing two civilians and wounding another 13. These incidences even though had not escalated to full blown war project serious economic security for the Sou th Korea. Globalisation Another factor which affects the economic security of a nation is globalisation. By virtue of globalisation, it increases the interconnectedness of nation and people of the world as the communication and transportation becomes cheaper, faster and readily available. Globalisation reduces the artificial barrier of national border, hence allowing the flow of goods, capitals, services, people and knowledge across the world faster than before. Rapid globalisation allows nation to trade with other nation thereby creating mutual economic interdependence. Economic interdependence is recognised as a positive factor which promote security. South Korea adopted the strategies in using the economic interdependence in order to advance its security goals. Their strategy can be clearly seen in the diplomatic relations towards neighbouring military threat i.e. China. The similar strategy is also adopted towards large powerful nations such as Soviet Union. South Korea’s strategy towards his immediate neighbour North Korea was based partly on the economic interdependence. In the long run, the economic integration might serve as a check and balance on the head of government policies towards each other. Hence the economic integration serve as to avoid any disruption for those links by the use of military threat. (Kahler and Kastner, 2004). Financial Crisis By the same token, globalisation also foster a threat to the security of a nation via economic conflict. The economic crisis of 1990 which struck the markets in Asia shocked the nations and many financial institutions. The globalisation leads to economic openness which in turn causes susceptible economic security since it allows for foreign investors to gain ownership on domestic enterprises. The crisis had caused major implication on South Korea economy as well as a few other countries in South East Asia including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. At the beginning of the crisis the assets had deflated down to the new record low, forcing economic panic in South Korea. In order to sustain economic stability, South Korea succumbed to the adjustment programs after bank lending was suddenly stopped. Fortunately, the economy of South Korea return to rapid recovery. In the world of globalisation, information technology becomes the trend of the decade. Hence, South Korea is able to enjoy economic growth because of the high demand in consumer spending for electronic gadgets. The growth will continue to flourish as long as South Korea able to stimulate consumer spending through innovation of technology. The big question is how long can South Korea sustain new innovation to keep the demand pour in and continue to expound economic expansion. On the other hand, globalisation reduces vulnerability through diversity of suppliers and markets. Therefore, economic pressure as well as unilateral sanction becomes less effective because the multi trade relations would able to absorb the pressure. For example, even though China is a major trading partner for South Korea, it cannot act unilaterally on South Korea because of its relation with other super power such as the United States. By the same token, North Korea may pressure South Korea to some extent but would apply cautious because of its relation with China and the United States. Transnational Organised Crimes Another factor that may affect the economic security of South Korea is the infamous transnational organised crime i.e the terrorist attack. The September 11, 2001 shocked the whole world when the World Trade Center building in the United States of America was brought down. The terror caused the world to rethink of the new dimension brought about by the terrorist activities. Even though the tragedy was halfway across the globe, South Korea was also affected because the US was its major trading partner economically. Since the economy of South Korea is widely known for its growth, many have overlooked the threat it creates among the people of South Korea. According to the report, South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world where it has doubled over the last decade. The flourishing economy has increase the standard of living hence putting a lot of strain on household income. Moreover, the success story of economic turnover had masked the financial constraint among small and medium businesses as well as the people who were indebted. The reforms had causes high unemployment as well as unstable employment. In other words, the economy has created insecurity among certain group of population which ended up with suicide notes. Epidemic attack The economy of a country is susceptible to any sporadic of epidemic or pandemic attack of viruses. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a type of Atypical Pneumonia which can kill. It was identified in 2003. Due to its ability to spread quitely within the travelling group, and later created killer pneumonia, the whole world population were discourage to travel. South Korea was not spared of the economic consequences of SARS. Tourism industry was the most affected. Domestically, some public places such as school were closed and shopping mall suffer declined number of customers because of fear of SARS. Community restricted the movement for necessary requirement causing reduction in consumer expenditures and consumer services. However, the effect on economy was minimal compare to other South East Asia countries such as Hong Kong and China. The economic security fluctuates according to the demands of the international arena. When the prices of chips increase and the oil price reduces, South Korea gain positive trade advantages and pocketed tremendous profit because it was the second major supplier of chips to the United States. On the other hand, any sign of price weakening of electronic markets or a hike in oil prices could severely punished the South Korea economy because its export is based on electronics. Summary Undenialbly, economic security is not a new dimension in international relations. It has always been part of the security plan of the governing body of the nation. It is being exploited so as to avoid any security breach of of one government on another government as well as its policy. Each governement would consider economic interdependence with cautious and wariness because it can create both security as well as vulnerability.

How two body system interrelate with each other Essay

The cardiovascular and digestive system are interrelate with each other to perform a named function of function by the food we eat. Which absorbed and passed down the oesophagus into the small intestine. It is then absorbed into the blood, which the cardiovascular then passes around the body supplying it with all the nutrients. By the cardiovascular system passing blood around the body with all the nutrients from food, it is supplying all the organs and body parts with energy so they can continue to work properly Another link between the cardiovascular system and the digestive system is that they both works hard when the body has to process a lot of food. For example, the digestive system needs more blood to do the job; therefore, blood vessels expand in preparation for this. Digestive organs stimulate the heart through nerve impulses, sending signals for increased amount of blood. The heart responds accordingly by sending more blood supply to the digestive system. The cardiovascular and digestive are system interrelate with each other to perform a named function of function transport oxygenated blood form the limbs around the body into cells. The oxygenated blood contains oxygen which is used by the cells to produce energy in the process of respiration. Digestive system needs the cardiovascular system for a proper digestive to continue. Become energy need blood to flow and the part of digestive. System e.g. intestine need blood to function properly. The cardiovascular delivers disgusted nutrient from the digestive system to the body for circulation and into the cells where respiration takes places. The cardiovascular system pastes blood around oxygen and nutrient and the body for the role purpose of energy production.

Individual Paper Assignment 2 - Frivolous Law Suits Reactions and Essay

Individual Paper Assignment 2 - Frivolous Law Suits Reactions and Analysis - Essay Example It means the person arguing the position has absolutely no idea of what he is doing, and has completely wasted the time of everyone. It doesnt denote that the case was not well argued, or that judge simply decided for the other side, but it indicates that there was no other side. The argument may turn out to be absurd and incompetent. The judge is not telling you that you are "wrong." The judge is telling you that you are out of your mind.† Yet another definition of Frivolous law was defined in the case â€Å"Texaco, Inc. v. Golart, 206 Conn. 454, 463-464, 538 A.2d 1017 (1988)†wherein it was defined as: â€Å"The definition of a frivolous appeal is set forth in the comment to Rule 3.1, wherein it is stated that â€Å"the action is frivolous if the client desires to have the action taken primarily for the purpose of harassing or maliciously injuring a person or if the lawyer is unable either to make a good faith argument on the merits of the action taken or to support the action taken by a good faith argument for an extension, modification or reversal of existing law.† Let us take the cases of Liebeck v. McDonalds Restaurants 1994, and Pearson v. Chung case filed in 2005. In February of 1992, Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was travelling in the passenger seat of her grandsons car when she was severely burned by McDonalds coffee. She was 79 years old then. The coffee was served in a Styrofoam cup at the drive through the window of a local McDonalds. After the coffee was served the grandson pulled his car forward and halted temporarily for Liebeck to add cream and sugar to her coffee. Liebeck positioned the cup in between her knees and tried to take away the plastic lid from the cup. As soon as she opened the lid, the whole contents of the cup poured forth onto her lap. Liebeck was wearing sweatpants and it absorbed the

Why Queen Should Be Musical Canon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why Queen Should Be Musical Canon - Essay Example Their music has appeared in many movies, television shows and commercials, and many of their songs have become part of American culture in other important ways. They changed the way that people thought about music, the way music was presented to the public, and the way that music is made. By exploring these uses of Queen's music in film and television and establishing their important role in modern social history I hope to explain why their music should be considered part of musical canon. Everyone who has attended a sporting event in the US in the past 30 years is familiar with the songs We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions by Queen. We Will Rock You, in particular, is so well known that if you play it for any crowd in America they will immediately begin singing and clapping along, for every group from elementary school assemblies to professional sporting events. It is hard to find anyone unfamiliar with the drums and clapping which open the song. The sound of We Are the Champions inspires cheers and shouts of victory all over the country. Everyone in the country knows the refrain by heart, and associates it with winning, particularly in sporting events: We are the champions, We are the champions! No time for losers 'Cause we are the champions of the world! (Queen, 1977) The movie Wayne's World, released in 1992, helped to make Queen's epic anthem of operatic rock Bohemian Rhapsody even more popular than it already had been and introduced the band to a whole new generation of fans. Originally released in 1975, Bohemian Rhapsody was Queen's first top-ten hit in the United States. In the United Kingdom, where the band was already well established, it stayed at #1 on the pop charts for nine weeks-- a record at the time. Though the song only reached #9 on US charts when it was originally released, the re-release after Wayne's World peaked at #2. (Songfacts) The popularity of this re-release led to greater demand for the rest of the band's work, and the release of several greatest hits albums in the late 90s. Bohemian Rhapsody is still one of the most complex and elegant musical pieces to achieve broad popular appeal in modern times. The background track alone, with piano, bass and drums took two days of recording to complete. Sessions for the song lasted nearly three weeks, with the opera section alone taking seven days to complete. Queen sang their "Galileos" continually for ten to twelve hours each day, producing a staggering 180 vocal overd ubs. The tapes required another two days of mixing before the band agreed that the song was complete. (Davis) The message behind the lyrics of Bohemian Rhapsody are very elegantly stated, if somewhat controversial. Most fans agree that the song is about a murderer who confesses his crime to his mother and is eventually caught and sentenced to death. Still there is some speculation as to the true meaning of Bohemian Rhapsody, the lyrics of which can be interpreted in several different ways. In interviews, Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen and the writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, is quoted as having said that much of the song is â€Å"random rhyming nonsense.† (Songfacts) The extremely complex vocal harmonies and guitar riffs made Bohemian Rhapsody especially difficult to perform live, so the band created a music video-- one of the earliest music videos ever created-- in order to popularize the song while avoiding playing it live for a UK television audience. In doing so they c hanged the way that music is consumed. Today music videos are considered necessary for commercial musical success, but in 1975 they were almost unheard of. The video used camera effects which were

Explain the marketing concept and discuss what it means for an Essay

Explain the marketing concept and discuss what it means for an organisation to have a marketing orientation, using examples t - Essay Example Boone (2012) further denotes that coca cola used the social media, the print media, and the electronic media to advertise the products and services that it offers during this period of the world cup. By looking at this strategy of coca cola, we can denote that advertising is an important element of the principles of marketing. The main aim of carrying out an advertisement is to persuade the target market on the need of buying the products under consideration, and promoting the product under consideration. Russell (2012) denotes that for an organization to achieve success and efficiency in their marketing strategies, they must develop an advertisement that has the capability of persuading its target market on the need of buying into the products of the company. For example, an effective advertisement has to contain the name of the product, the usage of the product, and the value in which a customer will get by using the products under consideration (Kozmetsky, 2012). Companies such as Nokia, Samsung and Apples have developed an advertisement strategy that is always very effective in persuading their target markets on the importance of buying their products. This is by aligning the various technological needs of their target markets in their products, and communicating what they have done to their customers (Kozmetsky, 2012). Kotler and Armstrong (2012) believe that marketing concept involves developing policies products aimed at satisfying the various needs of the customer. In the current era, many business organizations in the world aim at achieving efficiency in the manner in which they meet their objectives. Kotler and Armstrong (2012) observe that the main objective of a business organization is to maximize profits, and increase their market share. To achieve this objective in an efficient manner, an organization must integrate all the four concepts of marketing, while developing a marketing strategy. These concepts are, product, price, promotion, and place. Under the principles of marketing concepts, Ramachandra and Chandrashekara (2010) believe that an organization will seek to improve on the quality of their products, and minimize costs for purposes producing products which are of high quality value, and affordable to the majority of its target market. By using these policies and concepts, the organization might manage to increase its market share, and its profitability. On this basis, the marketing principles of product and price come into place. Brenkert (2008) believe that the quality of an organizations product will determine whether it manages to satisfy the various needs of customers. This is because the notion of marketing concept involves developing products whose main aim is to satisfy the various needs of customers (Brenkert, 2008). If a product does not satisfy the various needs of customers, then chances are high that the company might fail to make sales (McDaniel and Gates, 2013). This might result to losses, and the ev entual closure of a business organization (Brenkert, 2008). The pricing of a product is also a very important aspect of marketing. The price of a product determines whether customers might afford the product under consideration, or fail to afford it. Ramachandra and Chandrashekara (2010) denotes that if the products of an organization are very expensive, and of high quality, then they will attract the most affluent

Strategies for Implementing Accounting Software Systems within SMEs Essay - 1

Strategies for Implementing Accounting Software Systems within SMEs - Essay Example This especially relates to small businesses as their owners often lack the expertise beyond their core activities. Therefore the outcome of the research project will bring a list of recommendations for entrepreneurs based on the information concerning software implementation strategies acquired within the research. There is a wide choice of accounting software packages currently presented on the market addressing various needs of customer. In this highly diversified area, choosing the 'right' software system becomes an important and at the same time difficult issue leading to the importance of picking out the 'right' strategy for implementing accounting software. This problem requires further research, as it brings better understanding of links between accounting performance and strategies of software implementation. At first the researcher will contact from 10 to 15 SMEs to conduct interviews for gathering data needed for preparing a list of software implementation strategies used within those companies. Then the effectiveness of strategies will be evaluated and compared through measuring their accounting performance basing on the data gathered through interviewing. ... For that purpose the researcher will need a measuring system which will be developed within the research with the help of secondary data gathered through the literature review. The results of analysis will be used in the final report to recommend which strategies should be implemented with SMEs and which ones are better to avoid. Context: Setting, Background and Scope The proposed project will be based on the analysis of accounting performance of SMEs contacted during the research. Although temporal limits do not allow contacting a large number of SMEs in order to make the results of a research statistically more accurate, the project will be able to identify the most general trends in accounting software strategies. Then these trends are to be analysed from the scope of influencing the accounting performance of SMEs, i.e. from looking on their effectiveness. The measuring system developed within this project will particularly deal with changes in the accounting performance that occurred after the implementation of a certain strategy.' Project Strategic IT Value and Intention The results of the proposed research will be presented in a form of report analyzing software strategies used with SMEs with recommendations developed during the research. The recommendations on choosing a certain strategy for implementing accounting software systems developed within this project will be a useful contribution to the general theory of software implementation strategies explaining through evaluation of strategic approaches what steps a small to medium enterprise should take to implement a suitable accounting software successfully.

Business Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Strategy - Research Paper Example There were several initiatives developed as part of this strategy as will be described and evaluated below. One of the initiatives was ensuring that the company registered improved restaurant operations. In an effort to achieve this, McDonald’s ensured that employees received relevant training to their job responsibilities as well as leadership skills. Since the company has the Hamburger University, it proved easy for it to offer training programs. In addition, McDonald’s sought to ensure that its products were sold at an affordable price. Notably, the company indulges in research on the emerging economic trends and ensures that it adjusts prices to match the economic situation. The company focused on cutting down costs so that it would succeed in reducing the food prices. However, it maintained its quality of services and food. McDonald’s also increased the variety of its menu presenting consumers a diverse range of beverages and fast foods. The company was keen to realize that healthy eating has become a priority for many consumers and introduced quick service foods , which are healthy. Worth noting is the fact that the company also increased the number of McCafes as well as operating hours (Weinstein, 2012). In order to determine whether McDonald’s strategy is well matched to the industry conditions, it is critical to consider how its internal and external conditions complement each other and how they are aligned with the industry conditions. Evidently, McDonald’s has identified and utilized the best opportunities available in the market. It strives to offer its consumers unique products. In addition, the company has ensured that its business strategy conforms to the emerging social and economic conditions as well as buyer preferences. This is made evident by the fact that the company reduces prices when there are economic hardships. Moreover, it

Jean Watsons theory of caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jean Watsons theory of caring - Essay Example This paper talks on Jane Watson's theory of nursing. Her theory is based on the belief that a caring attitude among the nurses for their patients is an essential part of getting well. Moreover, a real and heart-felt caring attitude develops from a humanistic personal value system that comes from a liberal arts background in college. She calls this caring attitude as composed of â€Å"carative† factors (from the word care) and is encapsulated in her seven major assumptions as contained in her theory of nursing. Furthermore, she elaborated on this theory in her ten â€Å"carative† factors that should serve as a guide in today's complex world of nursing. The major point of her theory is to re-emphasize the caring factors which are somehow lost in the current focus on technological and technical factors in medicine and nursing care. People seem to have forgotten how crucial caring is because of the rapid commercialization of the health care industry. Patients are now viewed or termed as clients and no different from a regular sales transaction in which the health care nurse or any medical professional is the seller and the patient is the customer. Jane Watson's theory has great significance today in view of emphasis that patients should be treated first and foremost as human beings who have feelings which can either send them back to either good or ill health depending on the attitude exhibited by their nurses. Profound changes in the medical and scientific technologies should not diminish the patient as a person. Keywords: altruism, carative, caring, humanistic, nursing, personal, theory, values Introduction Nursing today is a recognized profession and forms a crucial part of the health care team. Nurses have their own code of ethics to guide them through the challenges and ethical issues that they often encounter in their practice. It has gone a very long way since the days of Ms. Florence Nightingale whose original philosophy was limited to caring of the wounded and the sick as she had witnessed during a war. Nursing has since expanded to many specialties such that nurses are to be trained academically as well as acquire practical skills through learning by experience. The big part of nursing practice is anchored on certain theories about proper care in all aspects of the human life. Nursing has since expanded to include important components in human life: ranging from the conception of life itself, the entire birth-death cycle, personal relationships, good health, healing, pain, suffering, loss, grieving and caring (Watson, 2008, p. 2). Nursing practice is based on a number of competing theories about caring for the sick and how to promote good health in general. It has evolved since and is still evolving even today. This paper discusses Jean Watson's own theory of nursing as opposed to the other nursing theories in current practice. Nursing as a distinct profession has its unique focus for knowledge acquisition and developm ent through the totality of its philosophy, research, theories and practical wisdom. The knowledge so acquired is used to guide actual nursing practice but obviously, this can also change from time to time depending on which nursing theory seems plausible and workable. The theories of Jean Watson are remarkable in one respect which is to bring back humanity to a side of nursing which had been criticized in some quarters of society as being too cold and clinical for forgetting that patients are people who have feelings that can get hurt if not handled well. Discussion Background of Theory – Jean Watson had a doctorate degree in nursing and so was able to develop her theory based on extensive knowledge together with equally impressive working experiences. She has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing and psychiatric health nursing as well as another doctorate degree

Gender focus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender focus - Essay Example The society has induced different expectation and opportunities to men. Women are less happy today than they were in 1970s and the ‘change brought about through the women’s’ movement may have decreased women’s happiness’ (Stevenson and Wolfers, 2007). In the article ‘Between the Sexes’ Ama Quindlen tried to advocate that women should be welcomed into a variety of positions and roles that presumably reserved for men. She held that the divide created by men is not because of big differences but because very small and minor differences. Men are required to take some specific roles different from those that the women take. In our society today men are left with little choice on how to spend their lives. Men are expected to stick to their careers for the sake of the family. Society justifies that women on the other hand can drop out of the labor market to be house makers or in other terms housewives. On the same note women can decide to stay at home and rely on the glory of their husbands but men don’t have such opportunity, the criticism they will receive from the society will be outrageous. Men have also acquired great opportunities in the work place demoralizing women. Disciplines such as engineering and science have been male dominated. Women can also do and perform a better on these arenas, but because of the discriminating set the have less opportunities. The divisions between the sexes start in early ages of the children. In the article’ between the sexes ‘categorization starts as â€Å"him and her† and so on. There is still a â€Å"glass ceiling† between men and women. Young boys and girls can’t dance easily on each other’s arms without any development of feeling uneasy. Women still struggle as artists as depicted by ‘Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions’ by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Today in the music and movie industry women who are depicted as nu de are regarded as more attractive by the marketers. But men won’t appear nude in music videos or movies. Articles written by men are most in any form of literature. It is not that women are less artistic than men but because of the discrimination that exist between the sexes. The way men look at women is also discriminating they view women as sex objects. Most pornographic material is viewed by men. Society by these acts of representing suggestive photos of nude women depicts that women are there to sexually satisfy men. The freedom of expression in women is so limited as compared to men. Taking a look at the family setup the husband is expected to have the last say whether he is wrong or not. Women who are now engaging in writing, weather in artistic or academic are concentrating so much on the issue of feminism. This can be attributed to the fact that they are trying to express themselves in as other avenues are not justly open for them. Good governance is good governance irrespective of the gender, men have more chance in matters pertaining governance as compared to women. The opportunities of leadership in men are evident from matters of corporate scenario to state leadership. Anybody can attest that most presidents in the state are men. It is to the least expectation of the society that women that women can be good leaders. The prevailing of outdated stereotype about the different opportunities and roles about male and women can be attributed to this phenomenon. Men are expected to rise in terms of hierarchy, to gain status. Women don’t need to rise to gain status the glory of their husband is enough. A first lady is the wife to the president of a state but ‘first gentleman’ is non-existence. This fact makes men to fight for leadership and governance position. Though the issue of femi

Macbeth Apperance vs Reality Essay Example for Free

Macbeth Apperance vs Reality Essay The world is governed more by appearances than by realities. Throughout society people are judged based on their appearance. This is unfortunate because appearance can be deceiving. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth appearances are not what they seem. Some people may change because they think that their true self does not fit in society while others pretend to be something they are not. In the theme of appearance versus reality Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have an image but as the time passes by their true personalities began to show. Macbeth portrays himself differently from his true inner self. He pretends to be a strong and intelligent person but from inside he is weak and indecisive. When Macbeth first confronts the witches’ prophecies he says, â€Å"Come what may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day† (1. 3. 152-153). Macbeth is leaving his future to ‘chance’. He wants to appear noble and strong but in the end he refutes his statement by killing Duncan and Banquo to get to the throne. Also, when Lady Macbeth explains the plan to Macbeth he asks â€Å"If we should fail? † (1. 7. 59). He is still afraid of the consequences of his actions. His actions look pungent but he does not have any reason to kill Duncan. Macbeth has a debate within himself to murder King Duncan or to spare his life. Macbeth hesitation to kill Duncan proves in realty he is a weak man. Lady Macbeth represents herself as a beautiful and powerful woman in society but she is as weak as her husband Macbeth. To convince Macbeth to follow the plan she says â€Å"I have given suck, and know how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn† (1. 7. 54-58). Macbeth asks for her help, but she responds by being harsh to him to keep up her appearances. Even when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, instead of helping him, she tells him to go to bed and stop imagining weird things. Lady Macbeth appears heartless toward others. However, one night a gentlewomen and a doctor see her sleep waking and mumbling â€Å"Out, damned spot! Out, I say! (5. 1. 25). She appears to be wide awake but she is unconsciously revealing her true self. Her guilty conscious leads to her downfall through suicide. In this scene her appearance crumbles. She seemed powerful and unsympathetic, but in reality her guilt of Duncan’s murder driver her crazy proving she has become weak. In Macbeth the theme of appearance versus reality is shown through the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They both revealed a fictitious picture of their personality even though on the inside they are different people. Macbeth’s indecisive personality leads to his destruction. The iron lady, Lady Macbeth appears to be a tough woman, who feels no guilt. But in the ending she shatters to pieces because of her guilt-ridden conscious. No matter what one appears to be reality will defeat appearance. People can put disguise on reality for time being but in the end truth reveals itself.

Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada

Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada Introduction Beer is one of the most used beverages in the world next to coffee and tea. The beer industry therefore as we can imagine is one of the biggest industries in the world with many competitors inside of the industry. It is not surprising that many different kinds of beer and a variety of brands can be found in both Italy and Canada, and both of the countries has a long history of development of brewery industry as well. In this article, we are going to compare both of the countries markets, industry condition, cultural differences, political background and so forth, all those information will be taken into consideration, and be processed to make the final decision on which county environment is more suitable and beneficial for us to invest into. Some theories are going to be applied to analyse the cultural dimensions of both countries, such as Hofstedes cultural dimensions, and SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces Model. Methodology What method do you use to compile your factbook and why? The methods i use to compile my factbook is that i are going to apply some frameworks from respected authors that are most applicable to my chosen industry (beer industry) such as Hofstede, SWOT analysis and Porters five forces. What prime theory and approaches do you draw on and why? Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Hofstede measures the cultural dimensions differences in different countries. There are five dimensions in this framework, namely the Power Distance Index (PDI), the Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Since Hofstede measures cultural dimensions, therefore it will be used in the cultural system page of the paper when the cultural aspects are discussed. SWOT Analysis SWOT is the abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an analytical framework to help summarize in a quick and concise way the risks and opportunities for a certain company, for my case the beer industry in two different countries, Canada and Italy. The SWOT analysis looks into internal factors within the company/industry/country (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors outside the company/industry/country (Opportunities and Threats). This method will eventually help us to look at the main positive, (strength and opportunities), and the negative, (weaknesses and threats), sides of both countries when comparing. Initially this should help us decide on which country would be most attractive to invest in the beer industry. For this reason, this method will be used at the end of the paper, which will give us an conclusive overview of the both countries. Porters Five Forces Model Porters five forces model argues that there are five forces in an industry to determine the extent and scale of the competition. These five forces affect the industries attractiveness. It is an efficient tool to analyse competition in the industry. In this model, five forces are the threat of substitute products or services, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the intensity of competitive rivalry, the bargaining power of customers, and the bargaining power of suppliers. The industrys attractiveness is the primary and fundamental factor to deciding the profitability, and in any industry, the rule of competition will be reflected in any of the five competitive forces. The purpose of Porters five forces is to show the attractiveness of the beer industry in both Canada and Italy and to help investors decide in which country to enter in the beer industry, besides it could help companies to develop a particular strategy in the industry, and this theory might be used in chapter whic h deals with market / industry conditions. What method of data collection and analysis do you use and why? The methods i use to collect my data are searching my universitys library modules for useful academic articles and using a mix of articles from authors known through literature and the Theory Tutorials for my Comparative Country Studies course. Of course, the reliable information on Internet is also consulted as additional sources, and i have also analyzed the annual report of the company. The beer industry of Italy and Canada In this section, relevant market conditions that apply to the Italian and Canadian beer sector will be explained. The market can be separated according to different factors like size and attractiveness as well. If we divide the market according the different market shares which individual brewery holds, we can see that there are several main player in the beer industry in both of the countries. Italy Italy is famous for its wines, however, it is not well-known for its own beer. Generally speaking, Italy doesnt consume nearly as much beer as its European neighbour, however, there is a growing trend of consumption for beer in Italy, the beer in Italy is not as widespread as in its European neighbours, mainly because there is a historical preference for wine in the country. Italian breweries have undergone a Renaissance in recent years. In fact, only in the past few years, Italy has started having beer drinking and tasting competitions and many related festivals. Normally, this sort of activity is reserved for wine, however, nowadays beer is earning more and more respect from wine-preferred Italians, and even many young Italians prefer to support their countrys beer industry rather than the wine industry now, still, the Italian beer industry has much space to grow and be developed. There are some brands of beer in Italy, one of the oldest and most recognized breweries is Birra Peroni, which was established in 1846 and the headquarter of Peroni is in Rome. Peronis most famous product is a pilsner-style beer. Nastro Azzuro, which is also one of the few Italian beers that marketed all over the world, Nastro Azzuro, is a rather light style beer, many breweries are crafting darker, heavier beers that are rousing interest from new and experienced beer drinkers alike. In addition to those giant breweries, there are many microbreweries in Italy, and they play a important role and have a great portion of the market as well. A microbrewery particularly gains attention from young Italians is Birrificio Baladin, the brewery appeals to young generation through quirky advertisements and sponsoring international music festivals and young Italians think theres room in the global beer market for some of their most outstanding brews. Canada Traditionally, Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew and it is now a part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, which is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, with the purchase of Sleeman Breweries, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls about 5.5% of the Canadian market. Country comparison Macro-economic indicators Economy Canada population 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.). Italy population 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.). Economic freedom Canada world rank 6. Economic freedom Italy world rank 87. Finance Financial freedom for Canada: 80.0. Financial freedom in Italy 60.0 Canada investment freedom 75.0. Italy investment freedom 75.0. Canada Economy -GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) $ 1.335 trillion (2010 est.). Country comparison to the world: 15. $1.297 trillion (2009 est.) $1.33 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP Per capita (PPP) $39,600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 $38,700 (2009 est.) $40,000 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 0.3% (2009 est.) Italy Economy -GDP (PPP) $1.782 trillion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $1.763 trillion (2009 est.) $1.857 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP per capita (PPP) $30,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43 $30,300 (2009 est.) $31,900 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 0.8% (2009 est.) Historical developments Italy Beer is known and drank in Italy very long time ago, Italians brewed and consumed the blond drink. It said that Roman Emperor Agricola was a fan of beer when he was the governor of Britannia, and in 83 AD Roman Emperor Agricola raised to the imperial throne and came back to Italy, he took three master brewers with him from Glevum of which the ancient name Gloucester and opened the first real pub in Italy. Nowadays beer is especially loved by young people in Italy, which has been seen as an informal drink, compared to the wine which is alway used in much more formal places. Aperitif and wine tasting have now gained back to wine many casual drinkers, however, until a few years ago, young Italians actually drank more beer than wine. Pub-styled bars are still very popular in Italy and they have spread the love for the more exotic brands of beer: many of them serve Japanese, German, Australian and East European beers along with the more known ones brewed in the UK and Belgium. At least one bottle of Birra cinese (Chinese beer) is served on every table of every Chinese restaurant. Canada Beer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making and storing beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. Over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry: John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith inHalifax in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene OKeefe in Toronto in 1891. The very first patent to be issued by the Canadian government on July 6, 1842, was to one G. Riley for an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and other maltliquors. Prohibition in Canada did not last as long as in the U.S. and was largely over by the mid 1920s (apart from Prince Edward Island, where it ran from 1901 to 1948). Nevertheless, it had a similar effect of leaving very few brewers, and it was only in the late twentieth century that there has been a revival and microbreweries have started. Brewpubs are still illegal in some provinces. Cultural system Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions of Italy and Canada Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Italy Higher More collective More masculine Strong Canada Lower More individualistic More feminine Weak Power distance Canada is lower on the Hofstedes power distance index than Italy, Italy falls in the middle on the index overall. Italian seems to expect differences in power between people. Canadas Power Distance (PDI) is relatively low, with an index of 39, compared to a world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment. Individualism The more collective nature of Italy compared to Canada can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years. Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant. Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out for themselves and their close family members. Masculinity Italy is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher on this index than Canada. Many Italian men still treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still small and few are in upper echelon positions. Italian household are the sole domain of women; Italian women for the most part cook, clean and care for the children. Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy. However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take time to appreciate the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture. Therefore i assume that beer as a informal beverage, it is more popular under this kind of cultural background rather than more formal cultural background countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy avoids uncertainly more strongly than Canada. By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. Political/Government System Beer or malt liquor, is defined as all fermented liquor brewed in whole or in part from malt for the purposes of the Excise Act, grain or any saccharine matter without any process of distillation, but does not include wine. Italian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Alcohol Duty Beer (5% ABV or 12ËÅ ¡ Plato) 0.12Â £ per pint Wine (bottle 11.5% ABV) 0.00Â £ per 75 cl As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer in Italy, which contains following level of duty. Italy is a member of the European Union, therefore it shares the Common External Tariff regime. EU duties are charged by the Italian Customs Agency on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the product imported into Italy. The Alcohol Act (2001) bans TV and radio advertising of alcoholic products between 4PM and 9PM and prohibits alcohol advertisements from being shown on TV within 15 minutes before or after any childrens programs. The Act also requires a self-regulatory code to be provided jointly by media companies, advertising agencies and advertisers to govern alcohol advertising. For the legal drinking age, there is no minimum age of legal drinking. And the legal purchasing age of alcohol is 16 and 18. South Tyrol prohibits both serving and purchase for people under the age of 18 and to everybody in a state of inebriation. Milan has enforced a ban on those under 16 purchasing alcohol. Heavy fines are given to proprieters and parents if a transaction is completed. Canadian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Beer Duty Up to 1.2% alcohol $2.591/hectolitre 1.2% to 2.5% alcohol $13.990/hectolitre Over 2.5% alcohol $27.985/hectolitre As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer, which contains following level of duty: (1) more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; (2) more than 1.2% but not more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; and (3) less than 1.2% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, and for all beer containing more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, the rate of excise duty is currently $27.985 per hectolitre. However, excise duties are not imposed on beer provided it is brewed by a person for personal or family use or to be given away without charge and is not for sale commercially. Canadian government showed how highly they value beer production and its breweries by lowering the taxes exercised on beer production. This is a benefit to the industry. As one of the leaders of the whole economy of Canada, the beer sector is likely to maintain these tax benefits and other benefits might be offered as well to the beer sector to develop the Canadian beer industry. In Canada, alcohol was taxed pursuant to the Excise Act previously. However, a new regime in Canada for the federal taxation of certain alcohol, including spirits and wines, was introduced in the Excise Act, 2001, which was implemented effective July 1, 2003. Excise duties on beer (and malt liquor) continue to be imposed under the Excise Act. Generally, different excise duty treatment applies to alcohol for non-beverage use. A licence is required authorizing certain alcohol operations under both the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Act. For beer, a licence is only required under the Excise Act for the commercial operation as a brewery, for example, the place where beer is manufactured. All brewery licensees are required to post and maintain security with the Canadian government. The amount of security is set at a minimum of $5,000. Generally, beer is subject to an excise duty that is imposed and becomes payable during the production process. The legal drinking and purchasing age in Canada are both 19. However, In some areas such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, underage drinking under parental supervision is permitted, with some restrictions, on ones own property in the provinces of New Brunswick andOntario and at home in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. InBritish Columbia, only children of the supervising parents, not any other minors such as guests, are allowed underage drinking. Consumption of alcohol in another persons home is subject to other laws. Major players The brewing industry had become extremely concentrated in Canada by the 1970s, being dominated by just three major companies, which are Molson, Labatt, and Carling-OKeefe. Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson as we mentioned in the previous overview of industry condition of both countries. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew which is now part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, and it is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls small portion of the Canadian market. Italy hosts a few breweries, with the largest owned by the best known Italian and foreign brands. Peronis brewery produces the best known Italian beer: la Peroni. Peroni also produces the premium beer Mastro Azzurro and the brands WÃ ¼hrer, and lesser known Raffo. Heineken Italy brews its famous Heineken, but has also acquired the brands Moretti, Ichnusa, Birra Messina and Dreher. Carslberg owns a few brewerys in Northern and Central Italy. In Northern Italy, Forst brews its own branded beer as well as the famed Menabrea. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the latest brand of Italian beer Birra Castello, has been active since 1997. Along with these big players, there are lots of microbreweries small scale breweries that produce small quantities of beer, they also have premium quality. Major finding of comparison and recommendations Making a decision in which country to invest is not so easy, because of all those different variances in both of the counties, some of the variances are strength for Canada, however, some of them are favorable for Italy. In the first place, the tax rates between Canada and Italy differ. In Canada the rates are relatively lower than in Italy due to the fact that the tax level is relatively high in the European context. In addition to this, the Canadian government reduced taxes even more to benefit Canadian brewers. Secondly, when a look is taken at macroeconomic indicators like GDP per capita we see that Canada is a bit more favorable. However, since this differences are so small, both of the countries that we have chosen are developed countries, and GDP per capita which above certain level has a relatively weak influence on the consumption of beer. Therefore, this factor is not likely to have a significant influences on the desicion of investment in the countries. Thirdly, the population above legal drinking age in the markets has been calculated starting from the age at which alcohol consumption is allowed. This would mean that we start counting the population starting from 18 years old in Italy (some area start from 16 years old) and 19 years old in Canada. We find that the relative amount of people able to purchase and consume alcohol in Italy is larger than in Canada, because the whole population is larger in Italy than in Canada, and the population of legal drinking age are also higher in Italy than in Canada, therefore, the potential market in Italy are larger than in Canada. Lastly, when comparing markets according to its players and their market shares we find that Canada has a more concentrated market with high market share large players and many small players. Italy on the other hand has two old players with a high share and one smaller player while the rest of the market consists of really small players. It would therefore be an advantage to invest in the Italian market; trying to gain and increase a market share because of the fact that there are many foreign players already play very important roles in the Canadian market, Molson Coors Brewing company and Anheuser-Busch InBev have a market share of 42,70 and 42,20 percent respectively. Third place is hold by Moosehead Brewing company with a share of 5,90 percent. These three main players hold 90,8 percent of the market in total by volume. Taking all those facts into consideration, i would say that Italy would be the country that we are going to invest in. As we explained above, we analysed both countries SWOT, for Italy, the strength is market size, the weakness is relatively higher tax rate on alcohol, and the opportunities is that there are only two big old players and some extreme small players, gaining or increasing a share is relatively easy, and the market of Italy are more potential, because Italy still on the growing phase of beer industry. Moreover, since the age allowed to drink in Italy starting from the age of 18 and in some areas are even lower to 16, and with more population in Italy, therefore the market is bigger in Italy than in Canada. In addition, nowadays the Italian government highly values the Italian beer industry due to the impact on its economy and therefore taxes are getting lower and lower. And the threats of Italy is that new public policy may harm the beer industry, such as the advertising policy we mentioned before which bans the ads of alcohol in specific period of time on TV. Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada Comparison of Beer Industry in Italy and Canada Introduction Beer is one of the most used beverages in the world next to coffee and tea. The beer industry therefore as we can imagine is one of the biggest industries in the world with many competitors inside of the industry. It is not surprising that many different kinds of beer and a variety of brands can be found in both Italy and Canada, and both of the countries has a long history of development of brewery industry as well. In this article, we are going to compare both of the countries markets, industry condition, cultural differences, political background and so forth, all those information will be taken into consideration, and be processed to make the final decision on which county environment is more suitable and beneficial for us to invest into. Some theories are going to be applied to analyse the cultural dimensions of both countries, such as Hofstedes cultural dimensions, and SWOT analysis, Porters Five Forces Model. Methodology What method do you use to compile your factbook and why? The methods i use to compile my factbook is that i are going to apply some frameworks from respected authors that are most applicable to my chosen industry (beer industry) such as Hofstede, SWOT analysis and Porters five forces. What prime theory and approaches do you draw on and why? Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions Hofstede measures the cultural dimensions differences in different countries. There are five dimensions in this framework, namely the Power Distance Index (PDI), the Individualism-Collectivism, Masculinity-Femininity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Since Hofstede measures cultural dimensions, therefore it will be used in the cultural system page of the paper when the cultural aspects are discussed. SWOT Analysis SWOT is the abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is an analytical framework to help summarize in a quick and concise way the risks and opportunities for a certain company, for my case the beer industry in two different countries, Canada and Italy. The SWOT analysis looks into internal factors within the company/industry/country (Strengths and Weaknesses) and external factors outside the company/industry/country (Opportunities and Threats). This method will eventually help us to look at the main positive, (strength and opportunities), and the negative, (weaknesses and threats), sides of both countries when comparing. Initially this should help us decide on which country would be most attractive to invest in the beer industry. For this reason, this method will be used at the end of the paper, which will give us an conclusive overview of the both countries. Porters Five Forces Model Porters five forces model argues that there are five forces in an industry to determine the extent and scale of the competition. These five forces affect the industries attractiveness. It is an efficient tool to analyse competition in the industry. In this model, five forces are the threat of substitute products or services, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the intensity of competitive rivalry, the bargaining power of customers, and the bargaining power of suppliers. The industrys attractiveness is the primary and fundamental factor to deciding the profitability, and in any industry, the rule of competition will be reflected in any of the five competitive forces. The purpose of Porters five forces is to show the attractiveness of the beer industry in both Canada and Italy and to help investors decide in which country to enter in the beer industry, besides it could help companies to develop a particular strategy in the industry, and this theory might be used in chapter whic h deals with market / industry conditions. What method of data collection and analysis do you use and why? The methods i use to collect my data are searching my universitys library modules for useful academic articles and using a mix of articles from authors known through literature and the Theory Tutorials for my Comparative Country Studies course. Of course, the reliable information on Internet is also consulted as additional sources, and i have also analyzed the annual report of the company. The beer industry of Italy and Canada In this section, relevant market conditions that apply to the Italian and Canadian beer sector will be explained. The market can be separated according to different factors like size and attractiveness as well. If we divide the market according the different market shares which individual brewery holds, we can see that there are several main player in the beer industry in both of the countries. Italy Italy is famous for its wines, however, it is not well-known for its own beer. Generally speaking, Italy doesnt consume nearly as much beer as its European neighbour, however, there is a growing trend of consumption for beer in Italy, the beer in Italy is not as widespread as in its European neighbours, mainly because there is a historical preference for wine in the country. Italian breweries have undergone a Renaissance in recent years. In fact, only in the past few years, Italy has started having beer drinking and tasting competitions and many related festivals. Normally, this sort of activity is reserved for wine, however, nowadays beer is earning more and more respect from wine-preferred Italians, and even many young Italians prefer to support their countrys beer industry rather than the wine industry now, still, the Italian beer industry has much space to grow and be developed. There are some brands of beer in Italy, one of the oldest and most recognized breweries is Birra Peroni, which was established in 1846 and the headquarter of Peroni is in Rome. Peronis most famous product is a pilsner-style beer. Nastro Azzuro, which is also one of the few Italian beers that marketed all over the world, Nastro Azzuro, is a rather light style beer, many breweries are crafting darker, heavier beers that are rousing interest from new and experienced beer drinkers alike. In addition to those giant breweries, there are many microbreweries in Italy, and they play a important role and have a great portion of the market as well. A microbrewery particularly gains attention from young Italians is Birrificio Baladin, the brewery appeals to young generation through quirky advertisements and sponsoring international music festivals and young Italians think theres room in the global beer market for some of their most outstanding brews. Canada Traditionally, Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew and it is now a part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, which is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, with the purchase of Sleeman Breweries, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls about 5.5% of the Canadian market. Country comparison Macro-economic indicators Economy Canada population 33,487,208 (July 2009 est.). Italy population 58,126,212 (July 2009 est.). Economic freedom Canada world rank 6. Economic freedom Italy world rank 87. Finance Financial freedom for Canada: 80.0. Financial freedom in Italy 60.0 Canada investment freedom 75.0. Italy investment freedom 75.0. Canada Economy -GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) $ 1.335 trillion (2010 est.). Country comparison to the world: 15. $1.297 trillion (2009 est.) $1.33 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP Per capita (PPP) $39,600 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 22 $38,700 (2009 est.) $40,000 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 0.3% (2009 est.) Italy Economy -GDP (PPP) $1.782 trillion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 11 $1.763 trillion (2009 est.) $1.857 trillion (2008 est.) -GDP per capita (PPP) $30,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43 $30,300 (2009 est.) $31,900 (2008 est.) -Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 0.8% (2009 est.) Historical developments Italy Beer is known and drank in Italy very long time ago, Italians brewed and consumed the blond drink. It said that Roman Emperor Agricola was a fan of beer when he was the governor of Britannia, and in 83 AD Roman Emperor Agricola raised to the imperial throne and came back to Italy, he took three master brewers with him from Glevum of which the ancient name Gloucester and opened the first real pub in Italy. Nowadays beer is especially loved by young people in Italy, which has been seen as an informal drink, compared to the wine which is alway used in much more formal places. Aperitif and wine tasting have now gained back to wine many casual drinkers, however, until a few years ago, young Italians actually drank more beer than wine. Pub-styled bars are still very popular in Italy and they have spread the love for the more exotic brands of beer: many of them serve Japanese, German, Australian and East European beers along with the more known ones brewed in the UK and Belgium. At least one bottle of Birra cinese (Chinese beer) is served on every table of every Chinese restaurant. Canada Beer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making and storing beer before refrigeration was introduced. The first commercial brewery was built by Jean Talon in Quebec City, in the year 1668. Over a century later a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry: John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith inHalifax in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene OKeefe in Toronto in 1891. The very first patent to be issued by the Canadian government on July 6, 1842, was to one G. Riley for an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and other maltliquors. Prohibition in Canada did not last as long as in the U.S. and was largely over by the mid 1920s (apart from Prince Edward Island, where it ran from 1901 to 1948). Nevertheless, it had a similar effect of leaving very few brewers, and it was only in the late twentieth century that there has been a revival and microbreweries have started. Brewpubs are still illegal in some provinces. Cultural system Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions of Italy and Canada Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Italy Higher More collective More masculine Strong Canada Lower More individualistic More feminine Weak Power distance Canada is lower on the Hofstedes power distance index than Italy, Italy falls in the middle on the index overall. Italian seems to expect differences in power between people. Canadas Power Distance (PDI) is relatively low, with an index of 39, compared to a world average of 55. This is indicative of a greater equality between societal levels, including government, organizations, and even within families. This orientation reinforces a cooperative interaction across power levels and creates a more stable cultural environment. Individualism The more collective nature of Italy compared to Canada can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years. Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant. Canada has Individualism (IDV) as the highest ranking (80) Hofstede Dimension, and is indicative of a society with a more individualistic attitude and relatively loose bonds with others. The populace is more self-reliant and looks out for themselves and their close family members. Masculinity Italy is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher on this index than Canada. Many Italian men still treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still small and few are in upper echelon positions. Italian household are the sole domain of women; Italian women for the most part cook, clean and care for the children. Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy. However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take time to appreciate the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture. Therefore i assume that beer as a informal beverage, it is more popular under this kind of cultural background rather than more formal cultural background countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy avoids uncertainly more strongly than Canada. By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. Political/Government System Beer or malt liquor, is defined as all fermented liquor brewed in whole or in part from malt for the purposes of the Excise Act, grain or any saccharine matter without any process of distillation, but does not include wine. Italian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Alcohol Duty Beer (5% ABV or 12ËÅ ¡ Plato) 0.12Â £ per pint Wine (bottle 11.5% ABV) 0.00Â £ per 75 cl As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer in Italy, which contains following level of duty. Italy is a member of the European Union, therefore it shares the Common External Tariff regime. EU duties are charged by the Italian Customs Agency on the CIF (cost, insurance and freight) value of the product imported into Italy. The Alcohol Act (2001) bans TV and radio advertising of alcoholic products between 4PM and 9PM and prohibits alcohol advertisements from being shown on TV within 15 minutes before or after any childrens programs. The Act also requires a self-regulatory code to be provided jointly by media companies, advertising agencies and advertisers to govern alcohol advertising. For the legal drinking age, there is no minimum age of legal drinking. And the legal purchasing age of alcohol is 16 and 18. South Tyrol prohibits both serving and purchase for people under the age of 18 and to everybody in a state of inebriation. Milan has enforced a ban on those under 16 purchasing alcohol. Heavy fines are given to proprieters and parents if a transaction is completed. Canadian Alcohol Taxes and Duties Legislative Framework Beer Duty Up to 1.2% alcohol $2.591/hectolitre 1.2% to 2.5% alcohol $13.990/hectolitre Over 2.5% alcohol $27.985/hectolitre As we can see in the table of different rates of duty applies to beer, which contains following level of duty: (1) more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; (2) more than 1.2% but not more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume; and (3) less than 1.2% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, and for all beer containing more than 2.5% absolute ethyl alcohol by volume, the rate of excise duty is currently $27.985 per hectolitre. However, excise duties are not imposed on beer provided it is brewed by a person for personal or family use or to be given away without charge and is not for sale commercially. Canadian government showed how highly they value beer production and its breweries by lowering the taxes exercised on beer production. This is a benefit to the industry. As one of the leaders of the whole economy of Canada, the beer sector is likely to maintain these tax benefits and other benefits might be offered as well to the beer sector to develop the Canadian beer industry. In Canada, alcohol was taxed pursuant to the Excise Act previously. However, a new regime in Canada for the federal taxation of certain alcohol, including spirits and wines, was introduced in the Excise Act, 2001, which was implemented effective July 1, 2003. Excise duties on beer (and malt liquor) continue to be imposed under the Excise Act. Generally, different excise duty treatment applies to alcohol for non-beverage use. A licence is required authorizing certain alcohol operations under both the Excise Act, 2001, and the Excise Act. For beer, a licence is only required under the Excise Act for the commercial operation as a brewery, for example, the place where beer is manufactured. All brewery licensees are required to post and maintain security with the Canadian government. The amount of security is set at a minimum of $5,000. Generally, beer is subject to an excise duty that is imposed and becomes payable during the production process. The legal drinking and purchasing age in Canada are both 19. However, In some areas such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, underage drinking under parental supervision is permitted, with some restrictions, on ones own property in the provinces of New Brunswick andOntario and at home in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. InBritish Columbia, only children of the supervising parents, not any other minors such as guests, are allowed underage drinking. Consumption of alcohol in another persons home is subject to other laws. Major players The brewing industry had become extremely concentrated in Canada by the 1970s, being dominated by just three major companies, which are Molson, Labatt, and Carling-OKeefe. Canadas largest brewing companies were Labatts and Molson as we mentioned in the previous overview of industry condition of both countries. In 1995, Labatts was purchased by an Belgian company which is called Interbrew which is now part of Brazilian-Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev, the worlds largest brewing company and Molson, the other largest beer company, which was merged with US company Coors in 2005 and created a new company called Molson Coors, and it is the worlds fifth largest brewing company now. In 2006, the largest remaining Canadian brewery was purchased by the Japanese owned Sapporo Brewery, Canadas beer production has been mainly under the control of foreign multinationals. By the end of 2006, nearly 90% of beer sales was of product brewed domestically under licence from non-domestic corporations. American beers brewed under licence dominate much of the market. For instance, Budweiser is brewed under licence in Canada by Labatts and Coors Light by Molson. The market in Canada for domestic beer is dominated by Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, all foreign-owned companies. The largest Canadian-owned brewer, Moosehead breweries, only controls small portion of the Canadian market. Italy hosts a few breweries, with the largest owned by the best known Italian and foreign brands. Peronis brewery produces the best known Italian beer: la Peroni. Peroni also produces the premium beer Mastro Azzurro and the brands WÃ ¼hrer, and lesser known Raffo. Heineken Italy brews its famous Heineken, but has also acquired the brands Moretti, Ichnusa, Birra Messina and Dreher. Carslberg owns a few brewerys in Northern and Central Italy. In Northern Italy, Forst brews its own branded beer as well as the famed Menabrea. In Friuli Venezia Giulia the latest brand of Italian beer Birra Castello, has been active since 1997. Along with these big players, there are lots of microbreweries small scale breweries that produce small quantities of beer, they also have premium quality. Major finding of comparison and recommendations Making a decision in which country to invest is not so easy, because of all those different variances in both of the counties, some of the variances are strength for Canada, however, some of them are favorable for Italy. In the first place, the tax rates between Canada and Italy differ. In Canada the rates are relatively lower than in Italy due to the fact that the tax level is relatively high in the European context. In addition to this, the Canadian government reduced taxes even more to benefit Canadian brewers. Secondly, when a look is taken at macroeconomic indicators like GDP per capita we see that Canada is a bit more favorable. However, since this differences are so small, both of the countries that we have chosen are developed countries, and GDP per capita which above certain level has a relatively weak influence on the consumption of beer. Therefore, this factor is not likely to have a significant influences on the desicion of investment in the countries. Thirdly, the population above legal drinking age in the markets has been calculated starting from the age at which alcohol consumption is allowed. This would mean that we start counting the population starting from 18 years old in Italy (some area start from 16 years old) and 19 years old in Canada. We find that the relative amount of people able to purchase and consume alcohol in Italy is larger than in Canada, because the whole population is larger in Italy than in Canada, and the population of legal drinking age are also higher in Italy than in Canada, therefore, the potential market in Italy are larger than in Canada. Lastly, when comparing markets according to its players and their market shares we find that Canada has a more concentrated market with high market share large players and many small players. Italy on the other hand has two old players with a high share and one smaller player while the rest of the market consists of really small players. It would therefore be an advantage to invest in the Italian market; trying to gain and increase a market share because of the fact that there are many foreign players already play very important roles in the Canadian market, Molson Coors Brewing company and Anheuser-Busch InBev have a market share of 42,70 and 42,20 percent respectively. Third place is hold by Moosehead Brewing company with a share of 5,90 percent. These three main players hold 90,8 percent of the market in total by volume. Taking all those facts into consideration, i would say that Italy would be the country that we are going to invest in. As we explained above, we analysed both countries SWOT, for Italy, the strength is market size, the weakness is relatively higher tax rate on alcohol, and the opportunities is that there are only two big old players and some extreme small players, gaining or increasing a share is relatively easy, and the market of Italy are more potential, because Italy still on the growing phase of beer industry. Moreover, since the age allowed to drink in Italy starting from the age of 18 and in some areas are even lower to 16, and with more population in Italy, therefore the market is bigger in Italy than in Canada. In addition, nowadays the Italian government highly values the Italian beer industry due to the impact on its economy and therefore taxes are getting lower and lower. And the threats of Italy is that new public policy may harm the beer industry, such as the advertising policy we mentioned before which bans the ads of alcohol in specific period of time on TV.

A Man For All Seasons :: essays research papers

What characteristics should a hero possess? There is no particular answer to this question since one can be considered a ordinary person even he actually commits his whole life to the people or even sacrifices his own life for the people while one can considered a hero by contributing a benefit to the people. In the epic poem "Beowulf", the main character Beowulf is considered a hero by the people because he is courageous, intelligent, and physically stalwart. A fictional character can easily be honored as a hero because it is only the author's assignment to make up a character that has one or some of the traits that will quality for a hero. However, being able to find a hero that really exists in the real world is a difficult task since a person has to effectively show the people that he possesses one or several characteristics of a hero. After reading the drama "A Man For All Seasons" by Robert Bolt, the main character Sir Thomas More, former Lord Chancellor of England, can be considered a hero as the historical background makes his actions very distinctive. As More was a person born in England at the time near the end of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Reformation in England. More was a nobleman, lawyer, humanist, writer, and he was also a long-time friend and favorite of the king in England that time, Henry VIII. More became the Lord Chancellor when Cardinal Wosley died in 1529. He is the one that nominates More to be the next Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII. As England had a distinct social class system and was ruled by an absolute monarch during that time, it made More a person that was highly educated, well-known, and politically powerful. These are all the basic characteristics that a hero should have other than big muscles or fighting skills. The milieu and government system in England helped to shape More as a hero. Due to the fact that England is a Catholic country, most of the people in England are Roman Catholics, including King Henry VIII and More. In the drama, Chapuys was a diplomat who suggested that "More is a true son of the Church". More also attempted to serve two masters, Henry and God, but this is proven to be a failure because at the end of the play More can choose to serve his King keep his life and lose his soul, or serve God to keep his soul and lose his life.

College Students and the Media :: Research Essays

College Students and the Media With my initial research, I sought to find out whether or not college students were informed of the news in the community and world. My results were inconclusive, and through a case study (below) I shifted topics to the attitudes of college students towards the news-media. Through a case study, interviews, and surveys I found that college students have mixed views towards the news-media. The news-media influences how many people think on a certain topic. If news-media reports and accounts are biased, people may be manipulated to believe things that are not true or factual. People, from superstars to the president, can be portrayed as good, evil, selfish, crazy, intelligent, etc. The news-media can use propaganda to illicit these feelings of like or dislike. The responsibility of the news-media is huge. Some blame school violence and shootings on the media. Others criticize the news-media for copy-cat crimes or crimes purposely committed for the attention of the news. But on the other hand, we trust the news-media will keep us accurately informed of events in the world and community. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, we all sat with teary eyes glued to the television set, watching the news; did we trust what we heard? Case Study The purpose of this case study was to see what a college student is more interested in. I sat down with a college student, Grace, and presented her with two sources of news and information. The two selections were The Indiana Gazette and Star magazine. By doing this case study, I hoped to learn whether this student was more interested in community and world news or gossip in tabloids. I instructed Grace to read through them as she pleased, taking as much time as she wanted. While she was reading I asked her questions about why she chose an article, or why she thought it was interesting. She read the newspaper for an hour and five minutes.

Child Rearing In Victorian Times :: essays research papers fc

Child Rearing in Victorian Times   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Childhood barely existed for most British children at the end of the eighteenth century, since they began a lifetime of hard labour as soon as they were capable of simple tasks. By contrast, the fortunate children of the wealthy generally were spoiled and enjoyed special provisions for the need of a lengthy childhood, yet who in a way may have endured the same pain of those who were not as fortunate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Child rearing in the Victorian times was not at all similar to child rearing today. There were of course two different categories on how the child was brought up. They went from one extreme to the other. They were the difference of the classes. The life of an upper class child during the Victorian era, was as one may put it, stuffy, conventional and routine, not to mention quite lonely at certain times. Yet others argue Victorian children should have been quite content, given the fact that they were treated to only the best of toys, clothes and education and it was absurd to even consider the child being neglected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mothers and Fathers were seen as special, glamourous guests, due to the fact that they were never around and rarely seen by their children. This was because child and parent led totally separate existences, they were only summoned to appear before their parents at a certain set hour of the day. Many Victorian children like Winston Churchill and Harriet Marden recall such cold relations between their selves and their mothers that they would be able to count how many times in their life they had been hugged. Family life was formal, although during that time child rearing manuals urged bonding and maternal ties, mothers remained cool and distant. Children were a convenience to their parents, they obeyed them as they would an army officer. Sir Osbert Sitwell once argued, Parents were aware that the child would be a nuisance and a whole bevy of servants, in addition to the complex guardianship of nursery and school rooms was necessary not so much to aid the infant as to screen him from his father or mother, except on some occasions as he could be used by them as adjuncts, toys or decorations. Although this only describes a minority of parents it was always in the best interests for the child not to be heard or in the way, it was rarely taken to the extent of screening the child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was the era of nurses and nannies, the child was not raised by the woman who gave birth to him, but by the hired help.

Literature critique

IntroductionStrohschein’s (2005) report discusses a research conducted among Canadian children over a five year period. The children’s level of anxiety/depression and their tendency towards anti-social behavior were analyzed at specified intervals during the five-year period assessing mental health adjustment to changes in the family in the form of a divorce between children whose parents eventually divorced and those whose parents remained together. Children in families considered dysfunctional prior to the divorce were assessed for improvements in mental health.The primary objective of the study is to determine a connection between divorce and mental health in children. This research assesses the children’s home environment both prior to and after a divorce to determine any correlation. There is need for this because prior researches that did not take into account this factor. The literature review reveals that the current research is distinguished based on the methodology used.MethodologyA qualitative approach is taken. The anxiety/depression state of children is examined over a five-year period my means of interviews and their relative state of mental health is assessed. The longitudinal survey methodology employed is justified on the grounds that alternative methods such as two-wave panel studies that assess developmental changes between two set time-periods for comparison as well as cross-sectional data used to pit children in divorced families against those in intact families, have been deficient.The multi-wave, longitudinal approach of the current study is clearly detailed as the better alternative. The researchers assume that the home environment prior to a divorce could determine divorce effects on children. They also assume that even prior to a divorce the mental health of children of divorced parents may be substantially different from those whose parents remain together and that divorce could positively alter the mental health of children.Two specific research questions are posed – are there negative effects of divorce on children’s mental health and is anxiety/depression diminished by a divorce within a dysfunctional family. A clear definition of what constitutes a dysfunctional family was given. The target population as well as exclusions is described by the researchers. The initial longitudinal sample was reduced after excluding children not 4 to 11 years, single-parent homes and children losing a parent by death. The final sample size was 2,819 with 5.9% experiencing divorce within the research period. The selection criteria appear unbiased and equitable given the requirements of the research. The data instrument used was a national survey the 5 year period covered lends much validity to the data collected as it allows for equitability in responses over time.FindingsThe findings of the research are consistent with the data gathered and analyzed. There is enough evidence to conclude that there is a greater prevalence of anxiety and antisocial behavior in children whose parents divorce than in those whose parents remain together. However the research does not show any correlation between preexisting family problems and decreased anxiety levels subsequent to a divorce. These findings cannot, however be generalized outside the context of children below the age of 11 years.Discussion & ConclusionTwo research limitations are highlighted. Only a single informant, a parent, was used for the assessment of the child’s mental health and no effective mechanism to determine the nature and distribution of resources in the household was possible; only inventory type data collection was conducted for this variable. The researchers suggest that the methodology of analysis used has proved to be effective in gauging children’s reactions to parental divorce and therefore future research on the issue on a broader scale should employ similar techniques.REFERENCESStrohschei n, L. (2005, Dec). Parental Divorce and Child Mental Health Trajectories. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(5),  1286-1300.

Betrayal in Hamlet Essay

How does betrayal or treachery help in developing the main character? What it reveals about the characters? Use a theme. How betrayal was a theme and how if affected the main character? William Shakespeare, one of the most influential writers in history, was renowned for masterfully elaborating themes of real life into his pieces of literature. In fact, his plays were able to transcend time, influencing the course of western literature because of their universal thematic. In one of Shakespeare’s most acclaimed plays, Hamlet, the author dissects the common theme of betrayal. Although the play carries the name of its main protagonist, all characters play crucial roles in the development of the many layers of meaning of the intricate plot and the character of Hamlet himself. Four characters in particular play important roles in developing a predominant theme in Hamlet. From the beginning of the play to the end, Hamlet experiences a development of character through the betrayals of Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Gildernstern. When the play opens, Hamlet’s relationship with his mother was very close. Nonetheless, after his mother married his uncle only two months after his father’s death, Hamlet suspected that she was involved in the plot to murder his father. Consequently, Hamlet’s feeling and trust in his mother were greatly diminished. These incestuous actions by Hamlet’s mother, the most important woman in his life, added the distrust of women to Hamlet’s feelings. He mocked his mother, the â€Å"seeming virtuous queen†, with phrases like â€Å"frailty, thy name is woman†, and â€Å"such dexterity to incestuous sheets†. His words not only illustrated his disgust, frustration and disappointment towards his mother and women in general, but also established Hamlet’s sense of isolation. A young man such as Hamlet often puts his mother on a pillar and uses her as a comparison as to how all women are to behave. Gertrude’s behaviour provided Hamlet with a false sense of security and distorted his views on women. Hamlet showed no affection towards his mother throughout the entire play. It is obvious that he loved her dearly, however, his behaviour did not portray his true emotions. Though it is difficult to see, due to Hamlet’s immature behaviour, it is clear that the loving relationship between mother and son did exist. The extent to which Hamlet felt betrayed by Gertrude is far more apparent with his interactions with Ophelia. Hamlet’s feelings of rage against his mother were directed toward Ophelia, who was, in his estimation, disguised her true nature behind a veil of impeccability. Ophelia complied with Polonius’ orders to stop seeing Hamlet, and later allowed both Polonius and Claudius to spy on her conversation with Hamlet. These continuous betrayals from Ophelia deteriorate Hamlet’s opinion of women. Hamlet advised Ophelia â€Å"Get thee to a nunnery†(3.1.121). Hamlet felt embarrassment and frustration in the failure of persuading Ophelia to care about him. In Hamlets eyes, this failure could only be explained by the fact that she is a woman. Hamlet’s love was broken and misused once again in the case with Ophelia. Hamlet’s consistent betrayal by the women in his life has added to the growing hatred of women through his eyes. Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia shifted from passionate love, to resentful hatred. He resented her for being the weak character that she is and listening to her father, therefore not returning his love. While at the same time, he was madly in love with her, and could not express his feelings any more than he already has. Not only is he immature in his actions towards her, but also very unpredictable. For example, his behaviour towards her during the play that he created is immoral, and rude. His possessive and persistent behaviour frightened Ophelia, for he continuously threatened her and attempted to persuade her to return his love. Even Hamlet’s close friends Rosencrantz and Gildernstern betrayed him by spying on Hamlet for Claudius and Gertrude (Act 2 Scene 3). Rosencratz and Guildenstern represent disloyalty and dishonesty in the play. They betray their friend and conspire with the King to eliminate Hamlet. Hamlet uncovered their deceitfulness and ironically arranges for their death. Ironically, these two men’s treachery leads to their own demise in the hands of the man they betrayed, Hamlet. The betrayal of Rosencrantz and Gildernstern affected his life significantly. Hamlet reached his lowest point. From the evidence stated above, one can see that it was all the traumatic events in Hamlet’s life that lead him to grieve. Hamlet not only lost his father, but was also betrayed by everyone that he holds dear. Hamlet could not handle and bear all the pressures of life at that particular part in time. Hamlet’s character, though extremely complex and intricate, is also surprisingly immature and unpredictable. Hamlet’s personality is directly reflected in most notably in his relationships with his mother, Gertrude, and his lover Ophelia. The character of Gertrude and Ophelia help to reveal Hamlet’s true personality. The weakness and naà ¯ve aspects of their characters exemplify Hamlet’s controlling personality. Through their own characteristics, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Gildernstern helped illustrate Hamlet’s personality throughout the play. â€Å"Frailty thy name is woman† may have been Shakepeare’s attitude about the female characters of the play; however, this weak and naive characteristic that he placed on the female roles was a necessity to the play. Hamlet’s immature, unpredictable and insane behaviour could not have been defined if the female roles had not existed in the plot to shape his true personality.