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.

Love from a Romantic Perspective in the Poems Essay

â€Å"Romantic† – this word holds many different connotations and brings to mind a collection of different images. It can be â€Å"fanciful, impractical, unrealistic†; it can be â€Å"ardent, passionate, fervent†; and it can be â€Å"imaginary, fictitious, or fabulous†. According to the dictionary, â€Å"romantic† is an adjective characterized by a preoccupation with love, or by the idealizing of love or one’s beloved. In the three poems I have chosen – â€Å"Let me not to the marriage of true minds† by William Shakespeare, â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† by John Keats and â€Å"Piano† by D.H. Lawrence, the poets use a variety of linguistic and literary devices, as well as explore different themes and imagery, to present love from a â€Å"romantic† perspective. The â€Å"romance† portrayed in the three poems may be distinct to each other, but is without a doubt something that idealizes love, that elevates the subject of love onto a pedestal. The poems â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?† by William Shakespeare, â€Å"First Love† by John Clare and â€Å"Remember† by Christina Rossetti also depict love in a romantic light. I will examine exactly how the poets do it – how the poets ingeniously present love from a romantic perspective in their poems. Firstly, â€Å"Let me not to the marriage of true minds† – also known as Sonnet 116 – is one of the most famous in William Shakespeare’s collection of sonnets. It demonstrates the glory and invincibility of love, and is a poem addressed to a mysterious â€Å"Fair Youth†. The sonnet proposes the idea that true love will always persevere, regardless of any obstacles or troubles that may come. Shakespeare employs various literary and linguistic devices to present love from a romantic perspective and portray it in a divine light. Shakespeare uses metaphors and imagery to idealize love, presenting the subject romantically. The lines â€Å"It is an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken† and â€Å"the star to every wandering bark† portray love as a permanent guide, something unwavering and definite that will always be there. The idea that love is a guiding star has been used in countless poems by many different poets, but Shakespeare puts a unique emphasis on this imagery. The main metaphor of the sonnet is that love is like the North Star, which never changes position in the night sky – it has been a stable point used for navigation for centuries, and by using such a comparison, Shakespeare portrays love as the star that shepherds people through life. The â€Å"tempests† that trouble the seas are a metaphor for the obstacles that relationships may have to face, and the â€Å"wandering bark† personifies the lost ship, as if it has a purpose and is looking for something. â€Å"Wandering bark† is also a metaphor for a lover being led, by love, out of the boisterous sea of life. Through the use of nautical imagery, Shakespeare presents love from a romantic perspective by creating a vivid scene of a ship lost in the turbulence of a stormy sea, with a serene, unmoving star as a guide above. The poet also explores the themes of time, age and death to glorify love, hence presenting it romantically. Elizabethan readers of Shakespeare’s sonnets are familiar with the Grim Reaper, the icon of European culture in the medieval period when many died every day due to the Black Plague. The Grim Reaper is a horrifying character who bears a scythe, skeletal and macabre. However, in Sonnet 116, Shakespeare expresses that the Grim Reaper can actually be defeated by love – again depicting the intrepidity of it. â€Å"Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks / Within his bending sickle’s compass come:† personifies love and time, claiming that Love will not succumb to Time. â€Å"Sickle’s compass come† uses the plosive sound of â€Å"k† to mimic the harsh sounds of a death rattle – it is onomatopoeic. In the lines â€Å"Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom.†, the â€Å"his† refers to Time, and Shakespeare is emphasizing the prowess of love by showing that Time has no effect or control over it. This lifts â€Å"love† onto a pedestal and portrays it in a romantic light. Similarly, Shakespeare also employs the themes of time and eternity to glorify love in another one of his most famous poems – Sonnet 18, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?†. In this sonnet, the speaker compares a â€Å"beloved† to a summer’s day, and says that the beloved’s eternal summer will never fade, that the beloved would be kept alive forever by the poem. Once again, Shakespeare personifies death, this time as the one who oversees a â€Å"shade† – Shakespeare writes that the beloved will conquer all and will not be swept into this sickly light of Death. Thirdly, Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter and rhythm also elevates the subject of love and presents it from a romantic perspective. The sonnet manages to have a consistent rhythm, yet seem conversational; it is able to be formal and planned, but casual and spontaneous at the same time. This is achieved through Shakespeare’s ingenious use of rhythm and pacing. The iambic pentameter becomes very obvious after the third line, â€Å"Which alters when it alteration finds†, thus creating a consistent pacing. However, the poet uses dramatic exclamations to break up the rhythm, making the speaker seem more human than a machine – an example would be, â€Å"O no! It is an ever fixed mark†. The metaphors and imagery used all weave a sophisticated sonnet, but the actual language is very simple, making the sonnet easy to read and the claims well-illustrated. The closing two lines, â€Å"If this be error and upon me proved, / I never writ, nor no man ever loved.†, is a rhyming couplet that is full of impact. The couplet again immortalizes love and praises it with glory, an epitome of presenting love from a romantic perspective. William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 is one of the most famous poems that immortalizes love. I think it definitely successfully presents love from a romantic perspective, using a variety of devices. Even after dissecting the poem and analyzing each of the aspects respectively, I am still overwhelmed by the general sense of romance that comes through, instead of being focused on the mechanics and functions of words and phrases. I feel that the â€Å"romantic† sense in Sonnet 116 is that of an idealization of love, and Shakespeare crafts it beautifully. The second poem I will investigate is â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci†, a ballad written by John Keats in 1819. It is a poem that also presents love from a romantic perspective, though in a different way. In this poem, the â€Å"romance† that is portrayed is passionate and fictitious – something akin to a magical myth. The title of the ballad translates to â€Å"The Beautiful Lady Without Pity†. John Keats had taken inspiration and the title from the early fifteenth century French poem by Alain Chartier, though the narratives of the two poems are different. John Keats chose this phrase to use as the title of his ballad to highlight the storyline of a seductive woman who tempts a man of honour from the real world and abandons him with unfulfilled dreams, drained of life. The theme of dangerous and unrequited love is explored in the poem. John Keats is well known for being one of the most prominent poets of the Romantic era, and â€Å"La Belle Same Sans Merc i† is one of his most famous poems. John Keats plays with floral imagery to present love from a romantic perspective. Flowers are beautiful and delicate things that are often given as gifts and expressions of love and romance – and by using flowers as symbols for different meanings in the poem, Keats portrays love in a romantic light. In line 9, the speaker says to the knight, â€Å"I see a lily on thy brow† – lilies are pale white and are often associated with death in the Western culture, and this is a metaphor expressing that the knight looks sickly and deathly pale. Another obvious use of floral imagery to romanticize love is seen in lines 11-12, â€Å"And on thy cheeks a fading rose / Fast withereth too.† Roses are often associated with love in the Western culture, and the knight’s rose â€Å"fading and withering† holds connotations of the ending of a romantic relationship. However, the rose, like the lily, is also describing the knight’s complexion – the colour is fading from his cheeks. In these two lines, Keats cleverly employs the rose as a symbol for both the knight’s pale face and waning love. Lastly, in lines 17-18, the knight makes a garland and bracelets out of flowers for the faery’s child. Flowers hold connotations of beauty, love and life, and the knight adorns the woman with them – Keats uses the flowers as a symbol to show the intensity of the knight’s love for her. Another image that is repeatedly explored in the poem is â€Å"paleness†, and this paints love in a romantic sense as it highlights the melancholic and dramatically destructive aspects of love. In the beginning of the poem, in line 2, the paleness is already established by the speaker – â€Å"Alone and palely loitering†. This line has the alliteration of the consonance â€Å"l†, and this creates a musical sound that emphasizes the phrase, especially drawing the readers’ attention to the rarity of using â€Å"pale† as an adverb – â€Å"palely†. An internal rhyme is also created, as â€Å"palely† rhymes with â€Å"ail thee† from line 1 – again, this highlights the phrase and enhances the â€Å"paleness† of the knight, underlining the romantic melancholy of the knight. In the lines 37-38, the word â€Å"pale† is used three times in just two lines. When the knight is describing his dream, he speaks of â€Å"pale kings† and â€Å"pale warriors†, who were all â€Å"death pale† – the images painted in the readers’ minds are drained of colour and life, and the â€Å"paleness† is now explicitly associated with death. Lastly, in the lines 37-40, â€Å"pale† is repeated to accentuate the similarities between the word and the words â€Å"all†, â€Å"belle†, and â€Å"thrall†. The consonance creates a connection between all the words when they are read aloud, and makes the readers think whether the â€Å"belle dame† could’ve been the cause of the â€Å"paleness† of â€Å"all† the knights, warriors and princes she had in â€Å"thrall†. This clever manipulation of â€Å"paleness† reinforces the sense of a â€Å"story† in the ballad and enriches the romance within, presenting love from a romantic perspective. In addition, John Keats utilizes the â€Å"lyrical† sense of the ballad format to elevate the romance in the poem. â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† has the typical features of a ballad, and when read aloud, it is similar to a folk song. The words have a continuous, uniform rhythm that sets an underlying beat, and the literary devices employed – such as alliteration and rhymes – create a harmonious sound. The ballad also has a â€Å"circular structure† – it begins and ends similarly, with â€Å"The sedge has wither’d from the lake, / And no birds sing.† as the ending of the first stanza, and â€Å"Though the sedge is wither’d from the lake, / And no bird sing.† for the last stanza. This seems to make â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† appear more like a song than just a plain poem. Because of this musical sense that is added to the poem, John Keats puts the subject of his poem – love – onto a pedest al and portrays it romantically, akin to a love song. Lastly, the imagery of dew and water is used to intensify the danger of women in the poem, and this in turn portrays love in a fatal sense, rivetingly romantic. Women were often associated with water in medieval romances, and John Keats used this tradition in his medieval folk ballad. This symbolic tradition is a metaphor for men who become weakened after contact with dangerous women. A reference to water is already used in the beginning of the poem – in line 3, the speaker identifies death and â€Å"wither’d† with water – â€Å"The sedge has wither’d from the lake†. A lake does not flow like a river or a spring; it is stagnant and void of life. This already creates an ominous mood that hangs over the rest of the poem, and emphasizes the catastrophe that love has done to the knight. In line 10, the unnamed speaker says that the knight’s face has â€Å"anguish moist and fever dew† – the knight is sweating from a fever. This again demonstrates that the knight is physically ill from love, and also makes the reader wonder where he caught the fever. The readers seem to find the answer later on, when â€Å"dew† is repeated – the faery’s child fed the knight â€Å"manna dew† in line 26. â€Å"Manna† is heavenly food – but it was not originally food that is eaten as â€Å"dew†. John Keats wrote that the manna was in liquid state to add to the continuous metaphors used throughout the whole ballad. John Keats seems to hint that women are gentle and soft like water, but when men came into contact with them, they could suddenly become rash and vicious. Women are dangerous and unpredictable like water. This metaphor makes love seem thrillingly romantic; exhilarating – it delineates love in a romantic light. Another poem that echoes this idea of men becoming weakened by women and love is â€Å"First Love† by John Clare. This poem is about the poet’s first and seemingly unrequited love. John Clare uses the imagery of â€Å"deathly paleness† to show the destruction of love, too – he writes, â€Å"My face turned pale as deathly pale†. Clare also explores the aspect of becoming physically ill from dangerous love, just like Keats’s portrayal of love in â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci†. Clare writes, â€Å"And blood burnt round my heart†, claiming that he was in physical pain – similarly, John Keats writes that the knight has an actual fever from his deleterious love. When I was comparing the poems, â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† and â€Å"First Love†, I was surprised and very intrigued by the similarities between them. Both poems seem to draw out the most fatal features of love, describing it as something that would drain men of life. I am engaged by the way they depict the thrilling qualities of love with corresponding images, and it is fascinating to see that the poets have chosen to portray love in a romantically dangerous light after analyzing the idealized â€Å"true love† in Shakespeare’s sonnets. The third poem I am going to analyze is â€Å"Piano† by D.H Lawrence. The love portrayed here is not that of a romantic relationship between a man and a woman, but that of a relationship between Lawrence and his mother. The poet begins the poem with an enchanting evening, where music brings back memories of his beloved mother – he then borrows the idyllic atmosphere of the evening to describe his reminiscence, hence presenting love from a romantic perspective. Even though the poem does not depict a relationship of â€Å"romance†, it does render love in a nostalgic and sentimental sense. â€Å"Piano† is a poem where the single speaker is listening to a woman sing to him, and the music brings him back to dwell in the memories of his childhood. The speaker remembers fondly of the times when his mother sang to him whilst playing the piano. In the end of the poem, the memory of the past overwhelms the present. As a man, the speaker should be more enraptured by the passionate singing of the woman, but his memory conquers his manhood as he loses control of his emotions. The speaker remembers his mother’s singing with tears on his face – he becomes a child again. The first line of the poem already creates an overall romantic atmosphere. â€Å"Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me†. The word â€Å"softly† casts a gentle and tender tone to the following lines. The diction of the word â€Å"dusk† holds connotations of a peaceful warmth, an enigmatic and mysterious twilight, painting an image of a soothing glow in the minds of the readers. This first line sets the mood of the poem and creates a romantic background for the remaining lines of the poem to be based upon. The use of romantic atmosphere is also demonstrated in the description of the climax of the singer rising to a crescendo – â€Å"So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour / With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour†. The language is powerful and passionate. The memories of the speaker’s childhood also create a warm and secure ambience that forms a lingering feeling of romance. In the final line, â€Å"Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.†, the diction of â€Å"flood† and â€Å"weep† craft a romantically melancholic atmosphere. Likewise, in the poem â€Å"Remember† by Christina Rossetti, an atmosphere of romantic melancholy is also explored to present love from a romantic perspective. The poem depicts a somber aspect of love by featuring the theme of death, and glorifies love by making it seem beyond death’s darkness. D.H. Lawrence also uses sibilance and assonance to portray love in a romantic perspective. The repetition of the â€Å"s† sounds in the opening line intensifies the feelings of romance as well as intimacy. Furthermore, assonance is used in the first two lines of the last stanza – â€Å"So now†¦clamour†¦glamour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – the long â€Å"o† sounds depict the musical climax of the singer’s performance in a romantic sense. Sibilance is again used in the line â€Å"smiles as she sings†, and the repeated â€Å"i† sounds in the line create the facial effects of a smile when read aloud. This intensifies the romantic feeling of the poem as it emphasizes the speaker’s mother smiling and singing, and brings to mind images of affection and tenderness. Tone and language are also employed to present love in a romantic perspective. The language used can be called conversational, and is definitely very intimate. It is that of a narrative, as if the speaker is telling a very personal story. By starting the poem with â€Å"Softly†, the poet creates a romantic longing for the past, as the word has a semantic field of tender fondness. The warmth in the tone when the speaker is describing the childhood scenes also creates romantically nostalgic images in the minds of readers. In the fourth line of the first stanza, â€Å"And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings†, the repetition of the plosive â€Å"p† highlights the rhythm of the piano, as well as the intimacy between the son and the mother. Additionally, other techniques that are used to present love from a romantic perspective include repetition and metaphors. â€Å"Piano† is repeated in each stanza, making the image consistent through the whole poem – the piano then becomes a romantic symbol for the speaker’s love for his mother. The word â€Å"tinkling† in the second stanza can be seen as a repetition of the â€Å"tingling† in the first stanza, and this use of onomatopoeia creates a pleasant sound when read aloud, adding to the sentimental mood of the poem. â€Å"Weeps† is used in both the second stanza and the last stanza, and the repetition accentuates the speaker’s need and longing for his mother that seems romantically sad. In the poem, the poet also uses â€Å"vista† as a metaphor for â€Å"memory† – a vista is a beautiful view seen through a long and narrow opening, and this creates a bewitching image in the readers’ minds of scenes fr om a childhood spread out across a landscape. Similarly, the poet also writes, â€Å"the flood of remembrance† – in the diction of â€Å"flood†, the writer creates an image of an unstoppable overwhelming of emotions, and it is this uncontainable quality that adds to the romantic nostalgia. Metonymy is also used – â€Å"feet† represent the speaker’s mother. The scenes created in the readers’ minds seem to feature a faceless mother, focusing on the â€Å"child sitting under the piano†¦pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings†. The mother’s face is not described – the only feature of the mother that the readers envision is her feet and her smile. This adds a romantic quality to the poem as it puts the world in a small child’s perspective, and gives a somewhat enigmatic aura to the mother and also expresses the fractured, dreamlike qualities of a memory. The â€Å"small, poised feet† of the mother portray her in a gentle and delicate light, and intensifies the overall romantic perspective of motherly love in the poem. In conclusion, the three poems – â€Å"Let me not to the marriage of true minds†, â€Å"La Belle Dame Sans Merci† and â€Å"Piano† – all display a variety of different techniques to present love from a romantic perspective. All three poets use literary and linguistic devices such as metaphors, sibilance, assonance and more. The three poems accent love with romance, whether it is a conventional man-woman relationship or mother-son relationship. The term â€Å"romantic† is explored by each of the poets: William Shakespeare immortalizes true love and makes it seem perfect and omnipotent; John Keats adds a vital, riveting quality to love and D.H. Lawrence examines the subject through a lens of nostalgia. After analyzing these three poems, I realized that the human experience of love has moved poets, throughout the centuries, to express the nature of love romantically. Love is depicted as fanciful, dreamy, impractical; invincible, passionate, immortal. Poets have a desire to eternalize the subject of their poems – whether it is their beloved, or love itself. It is as William Shakespeare writes in Sonnet 18, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?† – â€Å"So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.† I agree with Shakespeare – as long as there are people alive to read poems, the nature of love that William Shakespeare, John Keats and D.H. Lawrence tried to present from a romantic perspective will live on forever.

University should be free

Thesis: University should be free. Today, university fees are usually quite high. Many students find that it is extremely difficult to find the funds to pay for an expensive education, so they look for school loans. These loans can weigh heavily on the minds of university students and put too much pressure to lead to students dropping out. Thus, free higher education is necessary for everyone. B. Terms define * University: A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. University provides both undergraduate education (also called first degree, bachelor's degree or simply degree) and postgraduate education. A postgraduate degree is one earned after receiving a Bachelor's degree. Examples of postgraduate degrees are master degree, doctor degree †¦ * University is free: University is free means that access to higher education should be available to all who desire it and should be available without regard to ability to pay. C. Background Information Today, university payment is so very high that many students cannot learn at university. Only the wealthy families can afford to send their children to universities, and the families having low incomes cannot. Moreover, those students with low-income family are hard to get good jobs that need professional skills. If students want to learn at university, they have to borrow money from government for covering the cost. That will give them the huge loans. These loans can weigh heavily on the minds of university students and put too much pressure to lead to students dropping out. Hence, university should be free for everyone. Every student can learn at university without paying tuition payment. In addition, students have more money to pay for books, rent, foods, study material, clothes when they learn at university. D. Arguments First Argument: University should be free because university fee weigh heavily on the minds of university students and students suffer with financial issue or money trouble. That is the reason for many students drop out of university. E. First argument * First Argument: University should be free because university fee weigh heavily on the minds of university students and students suffer with financial issue or money trouble. That is the reason for many students drop out of university. * University fees are usually very high. When student go to university they realize that it is too difficult to find the funds to pay for university fee. They will search for school loans. Student loans are the great help if students need some financial assistance to get through university. These loans can weigh heavily on the minds of university students, and put inordinate amounts of pressure to lead to students dropping out to earn money and pay back their student loans. In the United States, for example, many students obtain loans for higher education. The student loans debt statistics from Chronicle. com (date July 9, 2009) show that nearly 20 million Americans attend university each year. Of that 20 million, we have 60% students borrows annually to help cover cost and the average student loan debt of graduating university was about $58,000 before interest payments and typically $10,000 more including interest. This me ans that when students graduate from university, instead of working to make money for their future, they are working to make money to pay back their past. Especially, if their family could not afford their school loan, they will drop out of university to take the job. Even the jobs do not suit for students and the repayment of loans can take many years. The statistic from website http://www. asa. org shows that we have two out of five student loan borrowers – or 41% – are delinquent at some point in the first five years after entering repayment. In addition, from 2004 to 2009 there was 33% students drop out of university before earning a degree to struggle most with student loans. If university is not free, students will pay a lot of money for their study. That is the main reason lead to student drop out of university. * With free university education, student can go to university without crushing debt burden. University can offer a huge opportunity and student can study what they wish. Student will have more money to pay for their books, living, and other costs when they learn at university. * The statistics from website http://www. utoronto. ca show that the cost of living in Canada, and in particular Toronto, is very high. When students want to learn at university, they have to pay a lot of money for living expenses. In conclusion, it is clear that university should be free. University should be available to all who desire it and should be available without regard to ability to pay. Because the cost that students pay for their study at university is very high, many students will drop out of school to take jobs, earn money and pay back their student loans. Students cannot get the good jobs because they do not finish their study to ge t the graduation. It takes many years for students repay the debt. H. Conclusion University should be free for every student. When they study at university, they will pay a lot of money for studying cost and living cost. In addition, those costs are very high. Students have to borrow money from government to help cover cost. They cannot afford to pay back money to government. Therefore, they will drop out of university to earn money for paying the student loans. II. Opposition: A. Proposition’s argument 1: Universities need money to buy modern equipment for supplying student a good study environment. III. Rebuttal A. Review i. Thesis: University should be free. Today, university fees are usually quite high. Many students find that it is extremely difficult to find the funds to pay for an expensive education, so they look for school loans. These loans can weigh heavily on the minds of university students and put too much pressure to lead to students dropping out. Thus, free higher education is necessary for everyone. ii. Arguments 1. First argument: University should be free because university fee weigh heavily on the minds of university students and students suffer with financial issue or money trouble. That is the reason for many students drop out of university. B. Defend Argument . First argument: It is too expensive for students to pay tuition fees plus books, living, and other cost. * When students learn at university, they have to pay the tuition payment and they still have problems with paying for books, housing and food. People talk about education is free, and they forget such elements as housing and books. It is normal for students from countries with free education in Europe t o leave the university with a big loan. Education is indeed an investment and paying pack government the money you loaned to live while studying is reasonable. It is not only tuition payment that makes education expensive, but also rising living cost and lack of financial-support make education payment is more expensive. If university is free, students only pay for books, rent, foods, study material, clothes, and of course their nights out. Moreover, they do not pay for the tuition payment. If not, students will have to work in order to pay for tuition payment and living cost while studying. By working, students are most likely to skip their classes if their shifts overlap their schedules. Furthermore, they will not have enough time to study and review their lessons. When they are at school, they will most likely to fall asleep and cannot pay attention in class. * The Pew Research Center's 2011 study discovered that 57 percent of students who dropped out preferred to work and earn money, while 48 percent could not afford university whether they were working or not, and 50 percent of students do not pass the exams during their first semester of university when they are working part time jobs while studying. If university is free, students do not work to earn money, do not pay for student loans in the future, and will have more money to pay for books, rent, foods, study material, clothes. C. Attack opposition’s Arguments 1. First argument : Universities need money to buy modern equipment for supplying student a good study environment. – If universities need money to buy modern equipment for supplying student a good study environment, the tuition fee will be very high. Therefore, only students with wealthy families can go to university, and students with low-income families cannot. Thus, university should be free and education should be for everyone. * Whether university education should be free and reachable for both rich people and poor people is one of many burning problem that the education is dealing at the moment. If university education is not free, only the wealthy families can afford to give their children to universities, and the families having low incomes cannot because the higher education is so expensive. If students do not have money to pay, students have to borrow money from the government that will give them a huge loan, and they have to pay back after their studies done. It is also important to remember the cost outside the school with housing and books. This is unfair for the people who do not have the family money or the wealth that other people have. The students who are the poor family will not afford to attend university, they cannot get higher education and they will get a lower paid job. * The statistics form website www. ostsecondary. org, date May 02, 2012, show that while 79% of students born into the top income in the U. S. obtain bachelor’s degrees, only 11% of students from bottom families graduate from four-year universities. Put another way, about 55% of the bachelor’s degrees awarded in the U. S. went to students from top families with 2010 income above $98,875; 9. 4% of those degrees went to students with family income below $33,000. Therefore, sonly students from high-income families can learn at university because the tuition payments are very high. University should be free and education should be for everyone. Every student will have the opportunity to study. This means there would be more students going to university and more students will have higher degrees. Students will get the good jobs and bright future. D. Conclusion Therefore, we should say that university should be free for everyone. Every student can learn at university. Without paying tuition fee, students can get higher degrees without taking student loans, have more money for paying living cost, and have a bright future with a good job.Reference University fee should be free. (2013). Retrieved from http://debatewise.org/debates/1315-university-fees-should-be-scrapped/ Why University Education should be Free. (Tuesday, October 2, 2007). Retrieved from http://debatewise.org/debates/1315-university-fees-should-be-scrapped/ Poor Students Are The Real Victims Of College Discrimination. (5/02/2012). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2012/05/02/poor-students-are-the-real-victims-of-college-discrimination/ Casil. (2013). What Percentage of College Students Fail Their First Semester? Retrieved from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/percentage-college-students-fail-first-sem

Cules son las consecuencias de un I-275 en la visa

Si un oficial de Inmigracià ³n de la CBP (Policà ­a de Fronteras y Aduanas) escribe sobre una visa I-275 e impide el ingreso a Estados Unidos esto es lo que ha tenido lugar: Se permite una retirada de la peticià ³n de ingreso y se produce el regreso inmediato al lugar de origen.La visa queda cancelada formalmente. Cuà ¡nto sucede esta situacià ³n Puede suceder en casos muy distintos, como por ejemplo: La visa ya està ¡ cancelada, pero no formalmente y su titular no lo sabe y por eso vuelve a viajar a Estados Unidos. Por ejemplo, cuando un extranjero se queda mà ¡s tiempo que el permitido la visa queda sin valor automà ¡ticamente pero no se notifica. En estos casos puede que por ignorancia el titular piense que todavà ­a cuenta con un visado và ¡lido. El oficial de inmigracià ³n en un puerto de entrada (aeropuerto, puerto o frontera terrestre) considera que la persona con la visa es inadmisible, viaja con una visa que no es la adecuada para la finalidad de su viaje o cree que la persona tiene intencià ³n de violar las condiciones de la visa. Por ejemplo, trabajar en Estados Unidos cuando no està ¡ autorizado (pero pueden ser razones muy variadas, como quedarse a vivir, casarse con una visa de turista para permanecer en el paà ­s, etc). Cuà ¡n mala es la situacià ³n en los casos de I-275 (retirada de la peticià ³n de ingreso) El viaje no puede continuar, ya que no se puede ingresar a los Estados Unidos y hay que regresar al paà ­s de origen. Ademà ¡s la visa queda cancelada. Sin embargo, esta es una buena opcià ³n si se compara con lo otro que puede pasar: expulsià ³n inmediata, que lleva necesariamente un castigo de cinco aà ±os de espera antes de poder volver a aplicar por una visa. Retirada de peticià ³n de ingreso o expulsià ³n automà ¡tica: circunstancias que considera el oficial de Inmigracià ³n de la CBP Permitir que un extranjero realice una retirada de la peticià ³n de ingreso es un poder de decisià ³n que corresponde exclusivamente al oficial de inmigracià ³n. En otras palabras, el extranjero no puede pedirla. A la hora de determinar si brinda a un extranjero la posibilidad de permitirle que retire su peticià ³n de ingreso tiene en consideracià ³n, entre otros, los siguientes factores: Si no se le permite ingresar debido a que es inadmisible, si es posible que esa causa se arregle fà ¡cilmente (por ejemplo, en los casos en los que el problema es que falta algà ºn documento).Si previamente se ha cometido una violacià ³n migratoria, se tiene en cuenta la gravedad de la misma. No se considera igual de grave permanecer en Estados Unidos ilegalmente por mucho tiempo que haberse quedado muy poco y por circunstancias excepcionales. En este à ºltimo caso el oficial de Inmigracià ³n podrà ­a considerar que la respuesta adecuada es permitir una retirada de la peticià ³n de ingreso.  La intencià ³n del extranjero de violar las leyes migratorias y las condiciones de la visa. Por ejemplo, si se tiene intencià ³n de casarse con un ciudadano y permanecer en EEUU cuando se llega a la frontera con una visa de turista se tendrà ¡ en consideracià ³n si el error es de buena fe y producto de la ignorancia o si hay intencià ³n de violar la ley y cometer un fraude migratori o.Otro caso es si el oficial de Inmigracià ³n considera que hay intencià ³n de trabajar con una visa que no lo permite, etc.La edad y la salud del extranjero y otras consideraciones humanitarias. Casos en los que el oficial de Inmigracià ³n decidirà ¡ siempre expulsià ³n automà ¡tica Cuando se presentan documentos fraudulentos, falsos o de otra persona. Cuando se miente durante la inspeccià ³n migratoria con el fin de ocultar informacià ³n y asà ­ ingresar al paà ­s.Cuando se ha estado previamente en Estados Unidos y se ha cometido una violacià ³n migratoria grave, como por ejemplo, trabajar ilegalmente o estancias ilegales. Ademà ¡s, si fueron  por un periodo grande de tiempo podrà ­a aplicar el castigo de los tres o de los diez aà ±os. Quà © hacer despuà ©s de un I-275 No se permite ingresar a Estados Unidos y habrà ¡ que regresarse inmediatamente al paà ­s de origen.En ese momento la visa està ¡ cancelada Se puede solicitar a la Embajada o Consulado una nueva visa inmediatamente. En este caso llevar toda la documentacià ³n disponible, incluido el formulario I-275, donde se establece cuà ¡l fue la causa por la que no se permitià ³ el ingreso. Tambià ©n llevar la declaracià ³n jurada que se firmà ³ cuando se acordà ³ retirar la peticià ³n de ingreso. Aunque no es necesario es altamente recomendable consultar con un abogado de inmigracià ³n antes de solicitar una nueva visa para asegurarse de que se sabe con exactitud la causa del problema y se resuelve. Por à ºltimo, tener en consideracià ³n que el oficial consular tiene la à ºltima palabra para decidir si aprueba la visa. Se puede solicitar, pero esto no quiere decir que la vayan a aprobar. Esto lo hay que tener en cuenta porque la cuota por la aplicacià ³n no se regresa jamà ¡s, incluidos los casos en los que la visa no es aprobada. A tener en cuenta Una situacià ³n en la que I-275 acabe escrito sobre una visa puede suceder con cualquier clase de visado no inmigrante, no sà ³lo con las de turista, conocidas en algunos paà ­ses como de paseo o placer. Asimismo, puede pasar con una tarjeta de cruce (visa là ¡ser). Toma este test de respuestas mà ºltiples sobre la visa de turista para saber lo fundamental de cà ³mo solicitarla y cà ³mo conservarla. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.