Business Interactions with Nations - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 17 Words: 4991 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? In order to do the international business, there are many dimensions that we need to concern to avoid the following risk; commercial, currency, country, and cross-culture. Each dimension has an impact on the business both direct and indirect way. Among these dimensions, the most importance thing is the culture especially for the insurance business like us, because the typical style of insurance is directly deal with people. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Business Interactions with Nations" essay for you Create order Each one might have their own personality which is different even inside one country. International business means that you need to deal with people from different countries, different nationalities, and different languages. This is the most challenging things for us, who never have any experiences abroad, to awareness. Culture relates to a system of shared assumptions, believes, and values that guide people. It appears in term of behaviors, statements, and material items. It can be transmitted from generation to generation which may adapt overtime. There are many people define the definitions of culture, for example Hofstede, the Dutch anthropologist, states culture as the collective mental programming of people. There is no right or wrong in culture, different nationalities have difference cultures. Some of them are normally do in this culture, but not in the other culture. For example in Thai, we always greeting by Wai, but the western always greeting by shaking hand. Cultur e is not about individual behavior. Only one person does, we do not call as culture. Culture is a groups, that people shared values and meaning as in the society, country, nationality. Furthermore culture cannot inherit; people realized from the social environment. We can be perceived the culture by recognize the behavior from our parents or family. We can also learn the rules and behavioral patterns in the society or adapt to a culture by our own experience. To learn the culture is not easy, there is a research compare culture as an iceberg. Above the surface, the certain characteristic are visible, we easily recognize them. Below the surface is massive base of assumptions, attitudes, and values that influence decision making, conflict, relationships, etc. We have to spend more time to recognize it because these things you need to perceived them by your own feeling. All of these dimensions have an impact on doing international business in every process. Firstly, when you decided to expand your business, you have to know your customer well, what they want and need, in order to serve them the right products and services. You have to communicate your objective to the foreign business partner. In this process is really importance, because if you miscommunication, it will be risk that you can lose your business partner. To start up the international business, the local partner is crucial, because we are not familiar with their culture. We need someone, who familiar to the market, help us to expand our business in that country. Next step is screening and selecting the business partners. Everyone want to do the business with the best partners, if conditions not agree by all, we need to negotiate. Challenging in doing the international business is to deal with the people from different countries and different cultures. We have to know and prepare ourselves before get into the international market. You have to keep in mind that even in the same country but diffe rent location, their culture or traditional might not similar. From the Edward T.Hall, a researcher, classified two classic dimensions of culture which are high- and low-context culture. The context refers to the situation, or environment that connected to an event, a situation, or an individual. A high-context culture stresses on the physical aspects, the closer relationship, and the more high-context communication. This is an indirect way of communication, maintaining of harmony, and careful not to embarrass or offend others. In the other hand the low-context is much stress on spoken words, open, direct, and base on the true feeling. Mostly European and North American are low-context culture, but the Eastern Asia has a high-context culture. High Context Cultures Japan Arab Countries Greece Spain Italy England France North America Scandinavian Countries German-speaking Countries Low Context Cultures Source: Hall, E. and M. Hall (1990) Understanding Cultural Differences Another famous natural cultural classification is the Hofstedes cultural classification. He explained about the national and regional cultural which has an impact on the behavior in societies. He classified characteristics into five dimensions; Individualism-collectivism, Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, Masculinity-femininity, and Long-term and short-term orientation. In each type of culture dimension has an affect tour business so it is very importance for us to know and understand the people in each type very well. We can also classify our customers in each country and adapt our business to suit to the culture in that country. The first group is individualism and collectivism. Individualism is the characteristics of person that tends to focus on his/her own self-interest, in contrast with the collectivism. In collectivism, group is very importance. They normally compromise and conformity in ord er to maintain group harmony. Asian country mostly have high rate of collectivism, so doing the business with Asians need to consider in this point. For the insurance business, you need to notice that not only one person can desired to sign a contact with us. The insurance packages that cover in group or all family members may be a good choice in Asia, but you cannot use the same strategy in Europe or America. Because in Europe or America has very high individualism rate. The second group is power distance. Society with a high power distance has a wide gap between powerful and weak. There is relatively different in equalities. For example, in the high-power distance team, the leader has a strong influence over their members, which have a low level of autonomy. The low-power distance means minimal in gap. This kind of cultural, everyone in society seems to equal, not much differences between managers and employees. The United States scores relatively low on power distance. The third group is uncertainty avoidance. This group is directly affects to our business, insurance business. The high uncertainty avoidance, people are tried to minimize the risk and ensure the security. The insurance business created for transferring and reducing the risk of loss, which directly receive from one entity to the others, by exchanging for payment. Insurance is one form of a risk management. Every company must have to plan for risk, to prevent their company from loss or bankrupt. Also with the person, especially in the countries which has high uncertainty avoidance, the society cannot accept in something that risky. In order to minimize or reduce level of uncertainty, these countries have adopted and implemented strict rules, laws, regulations, and policies. So, these countries should be our target group. When the characteristic of society tend to avoid the risk, they absolutely find something to guarantee that they will not loss or reduce their risk of loss. The more unce rtainty avoidance, the more security they want. In the other hand, the low uncertainty avoidance, people in the societies can be accepted to uncertainty. They can make decisions quickly because they like to take a risk; the risky choice always comes up with the huge interests. The forth group is masculine and feminine culture. The masculine is the characteristics that have more competition, ambition, and accumulation of wealth. The masculinity express as self-confidence, and leadership in the business. The feminine is more concern and care for the poor people, nurturing roles, and interdependence among people. Doing the insurance business is partly dealing with the feminine culture. The fifth one is long-term and short-term orientation. The long-term orientation is the characteristic that people tends to take a long view of planning and living, which traditional of Asian culture. Moreover they also try to follow the plan for easily to solve the problem, if there is something w rong. When we have a plan, we will know the exactly way that we have to go and the possibility result. If the result is not good as we expected, we have to re-check the plan. The short-term is the opposite side to long-term, they always no plan or have a plan in very short period. Culture in my opinion it not just only the norms, believes, or behaviors, in addition I think that custom, religion, even the language also effect on the business. In the Islam societies, the religion is really importance. It is the root of laws, regulations, economics and politics. Religion has the most powerful influence on the society. Language is essential of communications. This is a great asset in international business because it facilitates cross-cultural understanding. If we missed in communication, the business goal might not be achieved. There are two types of language, which are the verbal and non-verbal language. The verbal language is the general speaking language. It is difference in each country. The same word in difference in language can represent the difference meaning. In the international business they normally use English as the middle language to avoid misunderstand. The non-verbal language or body-language is the language that represent via the behavior not wording, for example eye contact, movement. I think this is more difficult than verbal language, because it does not have in the lesson. They need to study by themselves from their past experiences. In my opinion, to get into the global market is not difficult, if we prepare ourselves well. These memo try to explain to you about how importance of the culture. I think that before expand the business into international market; our company has to study more about culture. It some countries, they believe or behave in the difference way. For example, if you point a finger to somebody, it means that you are very rude and they would not accept you. If we does not notice about this, our business might not be successes in that country. Hopefully this information might be useful for our company expanding our business into the international market. If you have any question or want some more information, please do not hesitate to tell me - Case 2 : What should be the principal features of improving methodology for picking countries? Answer: The screening and selecting countries is essential step for the firms to expand their business. According to the list of countries that the boss believes hold the greatest potential for international sales, he used the per capita income as an analysis indicators. In my opinion, I thought that it not always true that the high income country will buy the luxury car. I might be the possibility that the high income country will have more potential to support the very high price of luxury car, but it also has some possibility that these countries not interested in this kind of automobiles. Nowadays, there are many countries tend to concern more on the environmental because of the threated of green-house effect. They trend to use the eco automobiles, the save energy and environmental friendly automobiles. It has an impact directly to our company if we selected the wrong target, be cause we sell our product to the customers who do not want to buy. So the result is that no one will buy our products. Therefore, to successful expand the sell into foreign market company needs to concern on more than one dimension. However, the purchasing power still has to be concern because our products are the luxury automobiles. To sell luxury automobiles in the country that does not have enough money to support, it might be no one buys them too. The economics of the country is still being an important factor for our company. They are four main factors that company needs to focus on the international business; economics, culture, legal and political, and commercial. From the bosss list countries, it seems that boss concern on only economic side. I think that per capita income is the interesting indicators for our business as the boss did. But he forgot the crucial factor which is purchasing power parity. He should use the purchasing power parity exchange rates, rather tha n market exchange rate. The different thing is that purchasing power parity (PPP) provides a more realistic indictor of purchasing power of consumers. PPP states that exchange rate between two countrys currencies are balance when their purchasing power is the same in each country. For example, if the value of Baht falls by half when compared to Euro, the GDP measured in Euros also fall half. In fact, it does not mean that Thailand is poorer by a half. The PPP is the very useful in the countries which have a powerful government control over their economics because these countries, the government will hide the information that represent the bad image for their country and demonstrate only the good image or they might be some transaction that not recorded in the government list. We can call as informal economy, the unrecorded economic transaction and left out of government calculation. Moreover using GDP, a representation of income distribution does not accurately because of multiple w age earners. There is another interesting concept, which similar to PPP is the Big Mac Index, developed by Economist. This concept states that exchange rates should adjust to equal the price of basket of goods and services around the world. It comes from the hamburgers at McDonalds, which the price of Big Mac, kind of hamburger, is the same in all around the world. I think that this principle will be more efficiency methodology for our business, in order to measure the economics of the country. It might be more accurately and reasonably measurement. Investment type is one thing that need to concern. If the company selected countries for sourcing, the company would search for countries that have available materials. The exporting firm should selected countries with low tariff barrier, and steady demand. If the company searches for FDI, the company has to search for countries that have long-term growth and the potential for export. We can classify countries based on the economic de velopment into three types; Advanced economics, Developing economies, Emerging Market economies. The Advanced economies or Developed countries are described the post-industrial countries which has a high per capita income (GDP), high competitive in industries, high- developed commercial infrastructure, and high rating of Human Development Index (HDI). The last criterion is the most recently index, which combines an economic measure, national income, with other measures. This is an index that life expectancy and education. The Developing economics are low-income countries with limited or low levels of well-being, industrialization, and low developing rate. The Emerging market economies are partly of the former developing economies that achieved substantial industrialization, improved in standard of living, modernization, and growing in economic. These countries are improving to become an advance economic. The Emerging markets are interested by investors, because of fast growing econo mic. Among the three criteria the Emerging market countries is the most interesting and attractive countries as target markets, according to the growing of middle class, which represent demand for many industrials such as electronics, health care service, and automobiles. There is the report indicated that the largest emerging markets have doubled their share of world imports in the last few years. Moreover, in the emerging market countries, the governments and state enterprises are very big target for sale of infrastructure and related products, machinery, transportation equipment, high-technology products, etc., because of they are trying to improve and level up their countries. The high in return always come up with high risk, so the investments in emerging market is risky due to problems, such as political instability, limited equity opportunities, and currency volatility. In the culture dimension, some companies are selected country that has culture similar to their home country, such as language, religion, etc., in order to get into the market easily. If they selected these countries they do not have to spend more time to study and get used to this kind of culture. To be successful in business, the firms need to understand their target group. The basic step for starting the business in the countries which is not familiar is starting with the gate way countries or regional hubs which are the entry points to nearby markets. The political and legal in country are the conditions that investors cannot overlook. The stability of political system effects on company operations and profitability. In some countries, government has an influence on the economics of the country. So, the economics of that country depends on the government. The government can both incentive and protect their country from the foreign investment by law and regulation, tax barrier, etc. Our company has to study political system in the interested country before. The political syst em can be characterized into four types; Totalitarianism, Socialism, Democracy, and Mixed (strong private sector and strong public sector). All of these systems are directly related to economic, for example the totalitarianism is related with command economics, socialism with mixed economics, and the democracy links to freedom economic. Among of these economic systems the economic freedom is the most interesting, because of freedom and fair in right, our business will not intervene inequalities. They are many methodologies to analyze countries, but in this case I would like to suggest the PEST analysis. This tool is used for analyze the macro-environment of the external analysis. I think that this tool is the most suitable for our company in order to picking countries for investment because this tool will analyze in four dimensions, which are Political, Economic, Social, and Technology. All these four dimensions are related to the topic that I have already explained above. The po litical factor is about law and regulations. For the investors, it is importance to study about the law in that country before get into the country, be aware about violate the law. For the automobiles, it also has some restrictions or conditions for export the car into that country, for example in Thailand, the automobiles tax is 300%. The investors have to concern on this before set the price, if they set the price too high, no one cannot afford it. The economic factors have an impact on purchasing power of customer, which is directly related to the bosss listed. We should emphasize on the economic factors because of the luxury product. The next factor is social. It illustrates the demographic and culture, for example population growth rate, age distribute. These affect customer needs and size of potential market. Technology factors can reduce the entry barriers, minimum efficient production levels, and influence outsourcing decision. The last one is technology. It is importance fo r manufacturing. If we searching the country for manufacture, we should look at the technology potential, especially for the automobiles industry. This industry is directly related to the advanced in technology, research and development, and the changing in technology. In summary, I think that GDP can also be used to categories country but it would be better if we concern more on purchasing power priority (PPP). The result will be more accurately than using only GDP as the boss. If we would like to classify countries based on economic, I think that the emerging market economics is the most interesting market for investment, according to the growth in the middle age population which is the most powerful purchasing power, and the developing of the country. Investment in the international market is not easy, the company needs to aware of the risk in many dimension; economic, culture, country, and commercial. In order to select the country, concerning on only the economic side is not enough, we have to use others factor altogether. I think the most suitable methodology for piking countries is PEST analysis because this tool is using for the external and macro environment of countries. It also covers all of the risk factor that I mention above. Case 3: How relevant are the following factors in contributing to potential country risk: foreign investment laws, controls on operating forms and practices, laws regarding repatriation of income, environment and contracts. Answer The country risk includes political and legal risk. It indicates the potential of gain or loss of companys operations and profit in a country. The example of country risk is stability; riots, protests, wars, etc. Each country has different political and legal systems that challenges for company strategy and performance. In order to do the international business, for Aoki corporation, the country risk is one of many dimension that company need to consider because it will be the condition and barrier of company to get into and operate the business. If you did something violate the law, you will receive the punishment and cannot avoid it. Some countries are very welcome the foreign investors, they provided an incentive law and regulation for the foreigners to invest and operate in their countries. Some of them launch the law to prevent the profitability for their countries; set a high tariff barrier. The weak in enforcement of laws and regulation also challenged for company, because i t easily to violated and weak in punishments. The mostly problems for violating the trade laws is about the intellectual property. The country risk influence can be classify into two types; the systematic country risk, which affects all industries, all firms in a country, and unsystematic country risk, which affects only a subset of firms. Here is the country risk ranking from Euromoney country risk, March 2010. This racking include overall factor; political risk, economic performance, structural, debt indicators, credit rating, access to bank finance/capital markets. Country Risk Ranking Least risky countries, Score out of 100 Rank Previous Country Overall score 1 1 Norway 94.05 2 2 Luxembourg 92.35 3 3 Switzerland 90.65 4 4 Denmark 88.55 5 6 Finland 87.81 6 5 Sweden 86.81 7 7 Austria 86.50 8 11 Canada 86.09 9 8 Netherlands 84.86 10 9 Australia 84.16 36 43 China 72.6 Rank Previous Country Overall score 42 51 Brazil 69.58 43 50 Mexico 68.56 52 54 Russia 61.48 Source: Euromoney Country risk March 2010 This table illustrates the top 10 of the least-risky countries for investment and also the companys interested countries, which are China, Mexico, and Eastern Europe for manufacturing and Latin American and Europe for selling. You will see that mostly countries in Europe are in the top 10 of less-risky countries for investment. The companys interested countries are rating around middle. So these countries are not bad choice for investment. They are many relevant factors in contributing to potential risks that Aoki may encounter, which are foreign investment laws, controls on operating forms and practices, law regarding repatriation of income, environmental laws, and contracts laws. The foreign investment laws are the laws affect the type of firms entering strategy, their operations and performance. Each country has the difference reasons fo r restrictions, for example Canadas reason is to ensure net benefit to their own country, United Arab Emirates concern on economic and demographic, China are strictly controls over foreign direct investment and restricts foreign investment in some target industries. These are the examples of foreign investment laws in some countries from GAO summary and analysis of law and information. Selected Laws and Regulations Addressing Foreign Investment Restrictions Country Laws and regulations Reasons for review or restrictions China 2006 Regulations for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, Catalog for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries National economic security, protection of critical industries, purchase of famous trademarks or traditional Chinese brands Germany 2004 Amendment to 1961 Foreign Trade and Payments Act Ensure essential security interests, prevent disturbance of peaceful international coexistence or foreign relations India Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 National security and domestic, cultural, and economic concerns Japan 1991 Amendment to the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act of 1949 National security, public order, public safety, or the economy Russia 1999 Federal Law on Foreign Investments Protection of foundations of the constitutional order, national defense and state security, anti-monopoly United Arab Emirates Agencies Law of 1981, Companies Law of 1984 Economic and demographic concerns United States Exon-Florio Amendment to the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended National security Source: https://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08320.pdf Controls on operating forms and practices by the Government, firms should perform and operate the production, marketing, and distribution activities follow the set of laws and regulations. For example, the federal Mexican government has a Foreign Investment Law dated December27, 1993. This law classified the economic activities limited list into seven categories. It has a difference restriction; such as petroleum, communication via satellite, etc. are reserved for the state. Some activities are required from the national commission on foreign investment, in order than foreign investment may exceed 49%, such as port service, legal service, insurance agencies. If we interested to manufacture in Mexico, we should study whether our business types are in the limited list, or not. Law regarding income repatriat ion related to the income and return on investment. This law has limited the amount of net income or dividends that firms can transfer back to their home-country. Some countries not allowed the foreign investor to transfer all of their income back to their home-country, they limited the amount that can transfer. So the investors have to reinvest in their host-country. This is the one method for control the money flow out. The exchange rate plays an important role in this transfer because it limits the ability of another country to transfer money. Environment laws in some countries are strictly. They issue laws to prevent and protect the natural resource affected, impacted, or endangered by human activities. Moreover this law also required to protect human health and safety. Nowadays many countries are aware of using natural resource, so they are a lot of laws, regulations, and agreement between countries concern on this problem. For example in Mexico, environmental standards enfo rced due to the fear of foreign investment reduce their resources; the Eastern and Central Europe have an organization worked as partner region to develop more effective environmental protection. The last factor is contract laws. The contract law is rule or regulation about the relationship of an agreement between two parties. There are five types of contracts; sales of goods or services, distribution of the firms products through foreign distributors, licensing and franchising, FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), and Joint ventures. The sale of goods or services is the conditions or restrictions for anyone who sells goods or services need to understand the implications and their responsibilities that they have under it. This law will states what you can sell, quality and quantity that can be reach. If it does not fit to the condition; low quality, the suppliers have to responsible for the problem. The distribution of the firms products through foreign distributors (export) is th e limitation of sending the products from home-country to sell in foreign. The limitation is depends on each county in order to protect their countrys benefited. For example China has been control the amount of rare earths element to export because this minerals are vital to the manufacture of high-tech products. If China exports more rare earth, it will be affected to the country as an alternative source for manufacturing high-tech products. Licensing is the term of contract law between two entities, one entity is called Licensor and another is called Licensee. The Licensor from one country will allow the Licensee in another country to use the same manufacturing, branding, intellectual property, knowhow, or any related thing in the business process. The licensee also has authority to operate business by itself. The franchising is also similar to licensing which is the corporation between two parties; one is called Franchisor, another one is called Franchisee. The franchisor is the owner of trade mark and the business process in foreigner and franchisee is the person who received the right in doing business in the country. The franchisee have to operate the business under control of franchisor, which difference from licensing. The example of successful franchising is McDonald. In Europe, they do not adopt a uniform franchise disclosure policy, unlike the USA. The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an international strategy in which the firm invests and establishes abroad in order to acquire the resources or raw materials such as equipment, labor, technology, plant, and land. It also requires a business relationship between a parent company and its foreign subsidiary. The joint venture is a type of agreement that two or more parties joining together for the business purpose. Normally join between the foreign company and the local company which has capabilities and resources. All parties agree to share in the losses and profits together. The joint venture can ch aracterize in to two types; equity joint venture and contractual joint venture. According to the divided in profitabilities, makes them difference; contractual joint venture are divided according to negotiated contract term. But the equity joint ventures are divided in proportion to equity shares invested by the parties. In China, most joint ventures are the equity joint venture. In conclusion, the country risk is one of the factors that company need to concern. It is importance of company to deal with the country. Before we start to do international business, company has to study more in this risk. It is the challenged for company because in each country has the difference in policies, laws, and regulations. To be successful is not easy, but it also too difficult for us. The country risk factors include foreign investment laws, controls on operating forms and practices, laws regarding repatriation of income, environment and contracts. As I have already explained above, these poi nts can be our weapon to fight in the market if we use it in the right way. In contrast, it can make our company to loose, if we do not know it as well. If Aoki would like to invest for manufacture the products, the laws that we have to pay more attentions are the laws for manufacturing, the environmental laws, and the control and operation in those countries. If the company interested to expand only the sales, they need to study more about the income repatriation, and the contract law; FDI, licensing, export, joint venture, which is the most suitable for company and the condition in each countries.

Analysis Of The Poem Ozymandias By Percy Bysshe Shelley

Week One In the first week of scholarship we began with an introduction to the module. I understood that the module focuses on helping us to develop various skills, such as study skills, research skills, and how to work at a degree level in general. This will be helpful because I can learn new skills and develop my current skills, which will be beneficial for my improvement as I progress through my degree. We also looked at the poem ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley. What I took from the poem, and what we agreed on, was that the overall theme of the poem was destruction and how things change over time. What I found fascinating was the variety of opinions that my classmates had; some of the ideas presented were intriguing and though-provoking, such as the fact that there could be more than one voice in the poem. This has inspired me to look deeper when analysing a piece of literature in order to discover meanings which are not as obvious at a first glance. Week Two The topic of this week was writing skills. One quote especially stood out to me from the class PowerPoint from Enrique Jardiel Poncela, â€Å"When writing can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing.† (Class Presentation). To me, this shows that writing is not as easy as it seems; it takes a large amount of effort to produce a written piece that is both good and enjoyable, and unfortunately I do not often appreciate this when reading. After discussing what good writing skills consist of, IShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Ozymandias By Percy Bysshe Shelley1373 Words   |  6 Pagesand the destruction of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great are all vivid examples of opulence being crushed by fate. In the poem â€Å"Ozymandias†, by Percy Bysshe Shelley, through the use of symbols, several alliterations, repetitive end rhyme and iambic pentameter the vanity found in human works and the futility of opulence and power is displayed. All throughout the poem is this vanity present as a traveler describes the destroyed stone figure, which at some point represented magnificence and powerRead MoreHow the Poem Ozymandias Highlights the Fundamental Issue in the Film Watchmen1255 Words   |  6 Pages Percy Shelley, â€Å"Ozymandias† This is a profound statement ascribed to one of the most powerful pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Yet, as Percy Shelly writes, the â€Å"works,† due to the sands of time, have vanished – â€Å"of that colossal wreck†¦ the long and level sands stretch far away† (13-14). At his zenith, Ozymandias believed his empire was timeless and would inspire â€Å"despair† in all those who labored to match his accomplishments. But the monuments, his self-praising idols, and, in sum, his empire have allRead MoreOzymandias Analysis1261 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"Ozymandias† The poem â€Å"Ozymandias† is considered one of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s best sonnets. 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For this reason, the afterlife has always been a topic which artists have chosen to explore in their works. Throughout the chronology of British literature, artists have used societys views as a basis to examine the afterlife, and look at it in new ways. The afterlife has been a theme in British Literature from the Anglo-Saxon period of Beowulf Analysis Of The Poem Ozymandias By Percy Bysshe Shelley All is vain The vanity found in all demonstrations of human power and acquisition of riches has always been exposed by the constant passing of time. The mighty statues built by the pharaohs in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Mesopotamia, the fall of the Roman Empire, and the destruction of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great are all vivid examples of opulence being crushed by fate. In the poem â€Å"Ozymandias†, by Percy Bysshe Shelley, through the use of symbols, several alliterations, repetitive end rhyme and iambic pentameter the vanity found in human works and the futility of opulence and power is displayed. All throughout the poem is this vanity present as a traveler describes the destroyed stone figure, which at some point represented magnificence and power. All the elements stated above contribute directly to the discovery of such mischievous vanity. The first example that reveals the inevitable tragedy of oblivion that overcomes every human work is a symbol found i n the second line of the poem. A decaying statue of a pharaoh is compared to the vanity that consumes all human desire for longevity, power, and opulence that showcases greatness. In line 2, the â€Å"two vast and trunkless legs of stone† carry a profound significance in order to establish a link between human desires and their fragile nature. The connotation of this phrase bestows a tangible sense of futility upon every magnificent deed and human work. The vastness of the two legs does not impede theirShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Ozymandias By Percy Bysshe Shelley1371 Words   |  6 Pagesas I progress through my degree. We also looked at the poem ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley. What I took from the poem, and what we agreed on, was that the overall theme of the poem was destruction and how things change over time. What I found fascinating was the variety of opinions that my classmates had; some of the ideas presented were intriguing and though-provoking, such as the fact that there could be more than one voice in the poem. This has inspired me to look deeper when analysing aRead MoreHow the Poem Ozymandias Highlights the Fundamental Issue in the Film Watchmen1255 Words   |  6 Pages Percy Shelley, â€Å"Ozymandias† This is a profound statement ascribed to one of the most powerful pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Yet, as Percy Shelly writes, the â€Å"works,† due to the sands of time, have vanished – â€Å"of that colossal wreck†¦ the long and level sands stretch far away† (13-14). At his zenith, Ozymandias believed his empire was timeless and would inspire â€Å"despair† in all those who labored to match his accomplishments. But the monuments, his self-praising idols, and, in sum, his empire have allRead MoreOzymandias Analysis1261 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"Ozymandias† The poem â€Å"Ozymandias† is considered one of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s best sonnets. It was written in 1817 and is still recognized today as its meaning still holds true. â€Å"Ozymandias† illustrates the fall of power and mortality through a once powerful king. This is shown through the pride of the king, the tyranny that the king ruled by, and the transience of his ruling and empire. The king Ozymandias has a great amount of pride for what he has accomplished during his timeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Ozymandias 1512 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote Ozymandias, which is a highly complex yet compact poem. The historical context of the poem is important to consider when analyzing the poem for underlying perspectives. Johnstone Parr, an author that contributed to Keats-Shelley Journal, analyzed the poem for historical influences, and learned the following: â€Å"The ultimate source of information concerning Ozymandias is the account in Diodorus Siculus’ Biliotheca Historica (first century B.C.). Diodurus remarks thatRead MoreEssay on The Politics of Percy Shelley2323 Words   |  10 PagesThe Politics of Percy Shelley      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Following the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, Europe was left torn by economic decline, political turmoil, and uncertainty. Out of these events sprang writers who saw it as their duty to ease the social and political dilemmas through their inspirational writings. One of these Nineteenth century writers was Percy Shelley, who is known for the revolutionary and defiant ideas he expressed in his works. Many of his writings such as A Song: MenRead MoreAnalysis of I wondered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth1309 Words   |  6 PagesIn vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my hearth with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. Analysis: Wordsworth had nature as his religion, and that was the main theme of his work and also a characteristic of romanticism. And it’s also very clear on this poem. As literary devices, we have Alliteration on the second line of the first stanza, alliteration and assonance on the fifth line of the first stanza and personificationRead MoreThe Road Not Taken By Robert Frost1221 Words   |  5 Pagesis a dynamic and deep poem orchestrated to perfection. However, equal to its acclaim, is the misunderstanding of the poem. A piece of literature of this stature deserves to be under the microscope of our classes critical discussions. I believe that the time would be beneficial to everyone. Giving a breath of fresh air to a poem that has been abused by Hallmark cards for decades. Room should be made for the inclusion of this outstanding literature. In the opinion of this poem having literary meritRead More An Analysis Of British Literature Essay2728 Words   |  11 Pages An Analysis of British Literature nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Death is inevitable and what happens after death will always be a mystery to the living. For this reason, the afterlife has always been a topic which artists have chosen to explore in their works. Throughout the chronology of British literature, artists have used societys views as a basis to examine the afterlife, and look at it in new ways. The afterlife has been a theme in British Literature from the Anglo-Saxon period of Beowulf

Algal Biomass Free Essays

In addition to that, access to carbon dioxide and water areessential. Even though microalgae can produce in the presence of saline water,fresh water is needed in a raceway pond system to compensate for the evaporativeloss depending on the wind velocity, air temperature, and humidity level of thelocation. Temperature is an important element in biomass cultivation. We will write a custom essay sample on Algal Biomass or any similar topic only for you Order Now Most algaegrow better in warmer climates ranging from 25-40?. Tropical locations with auniformly warm temperature throughout the year (Chisti, 2016), can act as perfectlocations for algaculture as the temperature doesn’t have to be monitored at alltimes, and the algae can adapt to local conditions.There are however some drawbacks while using raceway pond systems, thatrender them sometimes ineffective. Since, carbon dioxide is required to acceleratethe production of microalgae, an accumulation of oxygen can act as a hindrance tothe process. There is no known mechanism in a raceway pond, that helps curb thisaccumulation of oxygen. Peak sunlight hours during the day can hamper with thephotosynthesis, as the level of oxygen may increase to up to three times of the levelin saturated water. For this reason, smaller raceway ponds achieve better resultsthan larger ponds with respect to oxygen removal, and in turn better productivity. Another issue with raceways is the contamination due to exposure to rain, dust andother debris. Smaller ponds may be placed inside, but that can’t be said for largerponds. Filtration can help inhibit infestations and contamination of the ponds, but thatis an expensive process.The production cost of biomass with raceways is considered to be the leastexpensive option. The cost of a pond depends on the type of facility it is built in,plastic lined earthen raceways are the least expensive alternatives with their totalcost of construction amounting to be approximately $70,000 per hectare, whereasponds enclosed in greenhouses or covered facilities are more expensive as theyprotect from contamination. Raceways require least amount of capital investmentand therefore remain the system of choice, despite their low productivity anddrawbacks. Photo-bioreactors (PBRs) A photo-bioreactor is a closed equipment which provides a controlledenvironment and enables high productivity of algae. PBRs curb all the problems thatare faced in raceways ponds, like carbon dioxide supply, temperature, optimaloxygen levels, pH levels etc. There are two types of photo-bioreactors- flat-plate andand tubular. Both PBRs are made of transparent materials for maximum solar lightenergy absorption. Flat-plate PBRs are suitable for mass cultivation of algae,because high photosynthetic efficiencies can be achieved. Tubular PBRs aresuitable for outdoor cultivation, and are constructed with either glass or plastic tubes. Systems covering large areas outdoors, consist of tubes exposed to sunlight and canbe operated either in batches or continuously. Photo-bioreactors usually have a4water pool as a temperature control system in order to prevent the tubes fromoverheating as they act as solar receptors. They also have built in cleaning systemfor the tubes without stopping production. Fundamentally, using photo-bioreactorsare more advantageous than using raceways for many reasons, like cultivation ofalgae under controlled environments resulting in higher productivity, protection fromcontamination, space-saving and larger surface to volume ratio. However there aresome limitations attached to PBRs; the capital cost is very high which is impedingthe progress of microalgae biofuel production, in spite of larger production levels. Also, data from the past two decades has shown that the productivity in an enclosePBR is not much higher than that achieved in open-pond cultures.3. Environmental Limitations of Microalgae CultivationAs with all large scale productions, wide scale microalgae biofuel productioncould have diverse environmental impacts. Water is a critical element of the biofuelproduction processes, in both raceway-ponds and PBRs. With the current globalwater crisis, using large amounts of fresh water to compensate for evaporation inopen ponds or to cool PBRs, renders the system economically unviable. Seawater orbrackish water may be used in these functions, but have to be filtered in order toprevent infestation of bacteria, and contamination. Recirculating water is onealternative to curb the usage of water, but that has risks of virus infestations, and theresidues of previously destroyed algae cells. Filtration systems are expensive, andfactor in with the lack of cost effectiveness of these systems.Most microalgae production farms have to be located close to the equator inorder to ensure high levels of production due to the uniformity of the climate, andadequate amount of solar radiation. Another factor is the type of land and terrain thefarm is located in, for instance to install a large raceway pond, a relatively flat land isrequired. The addition of nutrients and fertilisers like nitrogen and phosphorus is alsoessential for algaculture. The amount of nutrients and fertilisers to be usedadditionally depends on the soil porosity and permeability of the land. Algalcultivation requires a lot of fertilisers to make up for the compensation for fossil fuels.Researching and budgeting nutrients and fertilisers is a key concern in research anddevelopment of microalgae cultivation. Algal cultivation requires usage of fossil fuels continuously in a plethora ofways, ranging from electricity consumption during cultivation and natural gas used todry the algae for production. In PBRs, the temperature control for cooling the pipesfrom overheating increases the use of fossil fuels. This use of fossil fuels in algaebiofuel production is paradoxical to the cause and a dire need to optimise the systemto minimise the energy usage is established. That being said, microalgae cultivationfaces a variety of environmental challenges, coming from the location to the type of5algae. Energy conservation and water management are two of the main challengesto be conquered to make the system sustainable in the future.4. Cost EffectivenessThe cost of algae biofuel production is essential to establish to know howsustainable this system can be in the future. The cost of biofuel production dependson a variety of factors, such as the the yield of the biomass, geographical location, oilcontent, scale of production systems etc. Presently, microalgae biofuel production isstill more expensive than normal diesel fuels because of the ongoing RD, and theambiguity of current knowledge. Chisti in 2007 approximated the cost of productionof algal-oils from a PBR with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons per yearand estimated the cost of $2.80 per litre, considering the oil content to be 30% in thealgae used. This estimation is exclusive of the algal oil to biodiesel conversion costs,logistics, marketing costs and taxes. Due to these high costs of algal-fuel, the utmostimportance during research should be given to cost-saving itself, in an attempt tomake biofuel from microalgae affordable enough to be commercialised in the nearfuture.Open pond systems would ideally be the most economically viable way tocultivate microalgae biofuel, but not without it’s set of intrinsic disadvantagesdiscussed earlier in this research paper. As the technology gets increasinglyadvanced, the cost factor multiplies as well making the entire process a lot lesseconomical than what was started with first hand. Improved yield of biomass andnutrient oils (or lipids) would make the production costs drop rapidly.Moreover, to reduce the production costs alternative ways to manage energy andwater consumption have to be devised, a simplified design for PBRs is necessary.Substitutes for fresh water like wastewater and flue gases can contribute to lowercosts of production. Biofuel Production The rapid growth of environmental pollution by the usage of conventionalfossil fuels has sparked a lot of concern globally. The research and development foralternative fuels is one of the principal focuses for every country in an attempt for asustainable and promising future on this planet for all generations. Various optionsare available to us to help us make this shift, however to find a sustainable methodwhich is as promising as it is economically viable is a global challenge. Currently,biomass derived fuels seem to be the most optimistic path.Various ways of harvesting algae have been discussed in this paper, the next step istypically to process the algae in a series of steps which differ from species to6species. One of the most important approaches in biomass production isHydrothermal Liquefaction or HTL.5.1 Hydrothermal LiquefactionHydrothermal Liquefaction employes â€Å"a continuous process that subjectsharvested wet algae to high temperatures and pressures† (Elliot, 2013). Convertingsolid biomass to liquid fuels is not a spontaneous process. The liquid fuels derivedfrom fossil fuels on a large scale took thousands of years to convert biomass tocrude oil and gas. In present day, there are many modern conversion technologies toobtain liquefied fuels from various biomasses, these conversion technologies canfundamentally be classified into biochemical and thermochemical conversion.Biochemical mass usually has low energy density, high moisture content and doesnot have a very viscous physical form. Thermochemical conversions in comparisonare much more viscous as they are converted at very high temperatures in highpressures in the presence of catalysts that make the conversions much more rapid.Simply, Hydrothermal Liquefaction is â€Å"the thermochemical conversion of biomassinto liquid fuels by processing in a hot, pressurized environment for sufficient time tobreak down into solid bio polymeric structure to mainly liquid components†(Gollakota, 2017). Microalgae is, amongst all possible biomass sources, the most efficientand reliable source of wet biomass due to its high photosynthetic efficiency,maximum production levels, and its rapid growth in almost all environments. Overthe years, many thermochemical conversions have made their way, and while eachhas their pros and cons, HTL has come a long way as one of the most appropriateprocesses to tackle thermochemical conversion of wet biomass. Many scientists overthe years have done extensive research pertaining to the development ofhydrothermal liquefaction, such as Beckmann and Elliott who studied the propertiesof oil obtained from HTL of biomass, and gave crucial inputs with respect to the kindof catalysts and other parameters are pertinent to the HTL process to ensuresignificant productivity.5.2 Process MechanismCurrently, the knowledge about HTL process mechanisms is qualitative andneeds a lot more space for research. The mechanism comprises of three majorsteps: depolymerisation, decomposition and recombination. The chemistry behind allthese processes is very complex as the biomass is a complex mixture ofcarbohydrates, proteins, oils etc. Each working mechanism of hydrothermalliquefaction is discussed below.5.2.1 Depolymerisation7In this process the macromolecules of the biomass are dissolves through theirphysical and chemical properties. Depolymerisation makes it easier for the biomassto overcome it’s natural qualities and start behaving like fossil fuels. It mimics thegeological processes, that are involved in the production of conventional fossil fuels.The process first grounds the feedstock material into small chunks and mixes it withwater, if the feedstock is fry. This mixture is then put into a pressure vessel reactionchamber where it is heated at a constant volume at a temperature of 250?, themixture is held in these conditions for approximately 15 minutes at the end of whichthe pressure is released and most of the water is boiled off. The resultant concoctionconsists of crude hydrocarbons and solid minerals. The minerals are removed andthe hydrocarbons are sent to the second stage.The disadvantage of this process is that it only breaks down long molecularchains into shorter ones, this implies that smaller molecules like carbon dioxide ormethane cannot be broken down further by depolymerisation. Decomposition or Dehydration The second stage of hydrothermal liquefaction involves the loss of the watermolecule, the carbon dioxide molecule and the acid content. Water at high pressuresand temperatures breaks down the hydrogen bonded structure of celluloses and inturn forms glucose monomers. This is how HTL provides an alternative processroute from microalgae biofuels to hydrocarbon liquid fuels.5.2.3 RecombinationThis is the last step in HTL which is reverse of the two previous processesbecause of the absence of the hydrogen compound. The free radicals are largelyavailable which in turn recombine or repolymerise to form high molecular weight charcompounds.5.3 Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Microalgae:The main advantage of using HTL for microalgae is that it doesn’trequire the predrying of feedstock, yet ensuring a relatively high production. Theprocess of HTL applied to microalgae is similar to treating cellulose but with a fewdifferences, the major one being treating wed feedstock as opposed to dryfeedstock. One of the principally researched issues that will ensure high productivityis a high lipid yield, which is necessary to convert microalgae into biodiesel. Theeffect of significant variables, such as temperature, pressure, volume, biomassconcentration and compositions of algae, catalysts et al. is still under research.During hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae, a rational heat management system8must be put in place that ensures energy efficiency and separation of the endproduct. Current Situation ; Future Viability:In present day, pertaining to all the advantages and disadvantages of HTL,there is sufficient proof that HTL has potential to become a commercialisedtechnology in the future.Biofuels produced using hydrothermal liquefaction are absent of carbon, thisimplies that there are no carbon emissions produced when the biofuel is burnt.Materials like algae use photosynthesis to grow, and therefore use the carbondioxide already present in the atmosphere. The carbon imprint produced by biofuelsis exponentially lower than what is already being experienced by conventional fossilfuels. Hydrothermal Liquefaction is a clean process, which doesn’t harm theenvironment by producing harmful gases like ammonia or sulphur. If the technologyis mastered, HTL can pave the way for clean algal biofuels globally, although thereare still a number of challenges to be overcome. Conclusion The cultivation and production of microalgae biofuels is swiftly developing andis receiving attention and funding from global leaders. The rapid increase in worldpopulation, and hence the energy demand is a siren call to devise an alternativeenergy source. Microalgae’s versatile qualities make it a promising path to tread onwhen it comes to biofuels. There are various ways to derive biofuels from algae aswe saw in this paper, and also many challenges attached with them. Bio-oil obtainedfrom various processes suffers from various drawbacks such as a high oxygencontent, instability etc, therefore an optimal technique to efficiently convert biomassto biofuel should be researched in order to be able to commercialise the use ofbiofuels in the near future. Making biofuels economically viable in the future is a bigchallenge in itself. Even though, photo-bioreactors promise a bright future in terms ofbiofuel cultivation, the overhead costs attached from cultivating the biofuel to makingit market ready and selling it are still quite high. These high costs of biofuels ascompared to conventional fossil fuels are what render them unready forcommercialisation. However, even with theoretical development and research, abright future for microalgae fossil fuels presents itself. How to cite Algal Biomass, Papers

Printing Press Essay Example For Students

Printing Press Essay I believe that everyone has heard the phrase, The pen is mightier than the sword. This statement I cannot argue, but the point I want to make is that the printing press is the mightiest of them all. The origin of printing itself was only the first stage in the development of books as we know them. To understand the modern book, one should know of its history and realize the gradual process it came from since the pre-written manuscript. THERE WERE FOUR DISTINCT PHASES IN THIS METAMORPHOSIS (Butler xi). 1. In the beginning, this was just a means for performing a writers work more quickly, neatly, and cheaply than was possible by hand labor (Butler xi). 2. Only gradually did the early printers and their clients understand to accept the technical limitations of typography and to exploit its peculiarities (Butler xii). 3. The discovery of true publication (Butler xiii). 4. The printed book entered into the fourth phase of its metamorphosis it became a major factor in history (Butler xiii). The origin of the mechanical process was the first step in books as we know them today (Butler xi). The earliest scribe, like the public, had learned to read in pen-written volumes and was unaware of anything else (Butler xi). The printers problem was to invent a method for producing mass quantities of a standardized product (Butler xi). The printer was not free to produce a new product which might serve the same purpose as the old one (Butler xi). His goal was simply to copy the manuscript but to do this mechanically (Butler xii). The printers task was far more difficult than we imagine (Butler xii). Many parts of the manuscript, which were time-saving and labor-saving tools for the scribe, were only additional hindrances for the printer (Butler xii). As printers and their customers learned to accept the technical limitations, the book they produced took on new forms and developed new cultural potentials (Butler xii). Calligraphic ornaments were replaced by those of typographic style, and all sorts of new facilities were provided for the reader title pages, illustrations, maps, tables, indexes, etc. (Butler xii). The discovery of true publication was different than the manuscript economy. Under the manuscript economy, a writer responded to current demands. He copied books to order, or, if he built up a stock in anticipation of sales, it was of the volumes most frequently asked for school and university textbooks and standard works in theology, law, or medicine, constantly used by professional students and practitioners (Butler xiii). The printer, however, soon went beyond this and realized the potential of publication (Butler xiii). To expand his business, he undertook to create new demands (Butler xiii). The printer searched through old libraries for whatever books he thought the people might buy, if they were made available (Butler xiii). He also provided new works brought to him by living authors, and, finally, he came to order on his own, undertaking journalistic accounts of recent happenings (Butler xiii). In response to his initiative, the world learned to read books and not merely to study them (Butler xiii). The publishers made people read for its own sake (Butler xiii). This became the habit of educated men a practice forgotten since the collapse of Roman civilization (Butler xiii). Books became a major factor in History. Publishers made known that the book could not only inform and entertain the masses but also affect their thoughts and actions (Butler xiv). It was used to spread new beliefs, to sway mens opinions, to win their support, and to arouse their passions (Butler xiv). During the first century of printing, the press became a potent weapon of public appeal and propaganda (Butler xiv). Modern man makes constant use of printed materials (Butler 1). People accept their presence in their lives as a matter of course -almost like the air we breathe and the ground we walk on (Butler 1). Unless our attention is drawn to it, we never notice the extent of our obligations to the printer (Butler 1). Yet, there is hardly a thing that we do or a source of delight that we enjoy that does not involve somehow, directly or indirectly, the use of typography (Butler 1). Our familiarity with the work of the printer has thus rendered us almost unconscious of their presence, very few of us have much curiosity about the processes which are used to make them (Butler 4). The Plant Cell Essay Thesis The sad part is that not one of these printers has told us when and how he began to print on his own account (De Vinne 492). What is known about the introduction of printing in many of the large cities has been collected from dates of books and the indirect references of early chronicles (De Vinne 492). The activity of the early printers is remarkable. The huge task of preserving the literature of the world was adequately done at a very early date (De Vinne 511). There were not many books that appeared to be salable and profitable, and some were hard to get, and copies were obtained with much hardship but almost every important book was found and printed (De Vinne 511). The attention of the literary world was taken by storm, not by the possibilities of future usefulness in printing, but by the growing inexpensiveness of books (De Vinne 511). The early printers offered their books at lower than the market prices of manuscripts, but in a few years they were compelled to cut prices lower (De Vinne 511). The market was quickly glutted, and the prices fell sharply and irretrievably (De Vinne 511). At the close of the 15th century the price of many books had been reduced by 80% (De Vinne 511). Many early printers failed to make their business profitable. The failure was caused by the printers selection of bulky theological writings which cost a great amount of money, and were salable to a small class (De Vinne 512). It was mistakenly thought that printing would receive its great support from clergymen (De Vinne 512). The first printers printed almost exclusively in Latin, and the books could be read only by the learned, and purchased only by the wealthy (De Vinne 512). It was soon realized that printing could not be supported by the clergy (De Vinne 511). Nearly all books were printed in Latin (De Vinne 512). In Italy the revival of classical literature opened a new door for the publisher, but the demand for Latin authors was limited (De Vinne 513). In this country and in others, eagerness for books in the native language was made clear; for books that plain people could read; books that represented the life and thoughts of the living and not of the dead (De Vinne 513). The world was getting prepared for new teachers and for a new literature for Luther and Bacon, for Galileo and Shakespeare (De Vinne 513). Modern Technology As inaccurate as early printed books may have been, they were more correct than those of the copyists. The mistakes of a faulty first edition were soon made known and the faulty editions were made perfect (De Vinne 541). One of the benefits of printing is that it has prevented the accidental or intentional debasement of texts (De Vinne 541). The inferiority of the tools of the early printing office is glaring when comparing them with those of our time. The improvements that have been made are ones that have been mostly made in this century (De Vinne 541). There has been no change in the theory, and there have been but few changes in the elementary processes of printing (De Vinne 541). Printing is done quicker, cheaper, with more neatness and accuracy, with more consideration for the convenience of the reader, with new features of artistic merit, and in varieties and quantities so great that there is no comparison between early and modern productions but the fact remains that this is the same kind of work it was in the beginning (De Vinne 541). It has not been made obsolete by lithography, or other inventions of our era (De Vinne 541). The method still keeps its place in history at the head of the graphic arts (De Vinne 541). From buying concert tickets to paying a couple of hundred dollars each semester for books, printing impacts our lives greatly. It is hard to name an activity in which we do not use some item that is printed. BIBLIOGRAPHY Butler, Pierce. The Origin of Printing in Europe. Chicago London: The University of Chicago Press. De Vinne, Theo. L. The Invention of Printing. New York: Francis Hart Co. , 1876. Republished by Gale Research Company Book Tower, Detroit, 1969.