Ernest Hemmingway Shifting Gender Roles in The Sun Also...

Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Chicago, Illinois. Hemingway was an American author and journalist. Kemen Zabala author of â€Å"HEMINGWAY: A STUDY IN GENDER AND SEXUALITY† states that Hemingway was commonly known for portraying the sterile and disillusioned environment created by the massive human loss of World War I. Perhaps his exposure to the atrocious nature of war as a Red Cross ambulance driver in the Europe during World War I aided and further influenced his literary capturing of warfare and how it had affected the â€Å"Lost Generation†. Hemingway himself popularized this term, it indicates the coming of age generation during World War I. Ashley Torres, author of â€Å"Gender Roles Shift in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises† claims that the â€Å"Lost Generation† mirrors the disenchanted and hopeless attitudes generated by the war. Although the war resulted in the loss of millions of men, changing the social and cultural customs, the youths of the â€Å"Lost Generation† were â€Å"battered but not lost† (Gerald, Kennedy â€Å"American Literature Vol. 63† (Jun. 1991), p. 192). As a result, the strict gender roles set by the preceding Victorian era, did not apply anymore, as women now took on many jobs meant for men. With a newfound sense of experimentation, the men and women of the â€Å"Lost Generation† could reverse gender roles freely. This paper will analyze the shift in gender roles found predominantly in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises was

Who Is The Real Hero - 710 Words

Who is The Real Hero? What makes a hero a hero? Is it the cape and the supernatural powers? Or is it by how many lives they save? Can the villain also be the hero? Each person has a different classification on who they think of as a hero. A hero can be any ordinary person like your mother or out of an ordinary person like batman. The way we classify who the hero is depends solely on each individual. For instance, a person who goes and attempts to save the elephants is a hero to me, but not for many others. If asked to name a hero, the ten-dollar founding father without a father wouldn t be the first person to come in someone’s mind. Or even Aaron Burr, the guy that shot and killed the founding father. Many people would classify†¦show more content†¦Burr later received a citation for his bravery. According to an article from Time â€Å"Forget Hamilton, Burr is the Real Hero† Burr was one of the few that believed in Women’s Rights at the time. Burr once said, â€Å"to convince the world what neither sex appears to believe – that women have souls!† Burr was an extremely intelligent man but not many people got to see that since many times he was excluded from â€Å"the room where it happens† where the decisions are being produced. According to Sue Shellenbarger article â€Å"Are You a Hero or a Bystander?† the characteristics of heroes are a strong sense of morality and a social responsibility, yet Hamilton lacked both as he cheated on his wife Eliza and to some extend married her for his own political gain and was not there to parent for most of his son s life. While Burr never cheated on his wife and put his family first over anything. In the musical ‘Hamilton’, the last thing Burr said before taking the deadly shot at Hamilton was† He will not make an orphan of my daughter† which shows how much he cared about his family. A villain can also be the hero, and the hero can also be the villain depending on how the public chooses to perceive them. The villain can have the same characteristics as the hero, similar to Aaron Burr who portrayed many characteristics of a hero such as having a strong sense of morality and responsibility. Although Alexander Hamilton is not aShow MoreRelatedEssay about Antigone--Who is the REAL tragic Hero?446 Words   |  2 Pages Who is the Tragic Hero? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Many may say that Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon and Antigone ¡Ã‚ ¯s personas are equal-and-opposite throughout this play. The story belongs to both of them. Creon is the one who makes a mistake; his figure is perhaps more tragic. He ¡Ã‚ ¯s the one that realizes that he ¡Ã‚ ¯s wrong, and he suffers for it. Antigone walks to her death with her eyes wide open, without shame. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Antigone is the true hero of the playRead MoreLiterary Vs. 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Still, others might think about Jesus Christ as a hero for his act of dying on the cross to save people from sin and death. Is a hero defined by the number of sacrifices he has made to theRead MoreAnalysis of Julia Alvarezs Book, In the Time of the Butterflies1198 Words   |  5 Pagesthinks she is. Her physical flaws, her need for reliance, and her loss of her own determination proves that she is not the strontest sister in the story, or the hero of the story. Minerva is the type of person who makes sure that everyone looks at her as being a strong person, however, this desired image is only a betrayal of herself. Many heros or courageous leaders in stories never have chararcterics flaws or in other words health problems. In the book though, Minerva has many health problems thatRead MoreThe Characteristics Of A Hero In The Epic Of Beowulf746 Words   |  3 PagesBeowulf Essay A hero in the modern world is hard to define and in some places even harder to find. 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Hiding Salem The Other Witch Hunt Of 1692 By Richard...

Book Analysis: Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 by Richard Godbeer In Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 by Richard Godbeer examined the witchcraft hysteria which happened in Stamford, Connecticut as the hysteria escaped from Salem, Massachusetts and how the panic of witchcraft caused by Katherine Branch in June of 1692, intensified beliefs and readjustments in the legal system in the Puritans society in Stamford, Connecticut. Consequently, Katherine Branch’s accusations in the summer months of 1692, propelled the Puritan community of Stamford into the witchcraft hysteria, as she claimed to have been bewitched and through spectral visions blamed those of who bewitched her; be they human or animal. As such, Puritans†¦show more content†¦However, when the husband comes home and seen Branch â€Å"still lying on the for, her eyes red from crying and her hands clasped as if held in place by an invisible force.† (p.15). when the husband, Daniel, seen Branch in such a state he recalls when his daughter his eldest, Joanna, similar torment and had yet to get over the event. Nevertheless, Branch continued to stay stiff and crying on the floor even after a midwife, Sara Bates, seen to her. When relief came to her in short bursts she stated, â€Å"†¦whilst out in the field gathering herbs she had been seized with a pinching and pricking at her breast† (p. 16). During Katherine’s fits, she would fall into trances, became stiff, cried and shook, as such she began to see spectral visions of the witches who had bewitched her in both human and animal forms. Thus, these bouts of fits Katherine Branch had after picking herbs caused the witch scare to settle in Stamford, Connecticut because in her spectral visions she will go on to accuse five women, who will be tried in the Court of Oyer and Terminer. Puritan society had class system much like every colony now which started with the elite or gantry, middle class, in denture servants and lastly the slaves. The Puritans community was on based off strict religious customs. However, the people do have a voice in this society called Public Opinion which is like a jury. Moreover, Godbeer portrayed the Puritans as abrasive towards

Balsam Essay Research Paper Paco the Cow free essay sample

Balsam Essay, Research Paper Paco the Cow Balsam A zephyr, and with it the aroma of balsam, caressed him as he stood in the room access of the dance hall. The big chamber was decorated like a hall of the crop, sprinkled with gay furnishings and Garlands of autumn flowers. To the left, several instrumentalists prepared for the dark # 8217 ; s revelry, set uping their chairs and tuning their instruments ; playing lively small melodies to the empty hall and the flowers. A group of tabular arraies stood clustered to the right ; empty now, but the eventide would happen them overruning with nutrient and drink. At the far terminal of the hall, a fountain murmured. Water flowed from the hurlers of three maidens, each as lovely of face and figure as had of all time been captured by creative person # 8217 ; s coppice or sculpturer # 8217 ; s chisel. And the odor of flowers drifted by him. The flowers of the crop. The flowers of life. Life. That was what would be celebrated here tonight. Life in all of its glorification, all of its admiration, all of its beauty. Music would play, terpsichoreans would twirl, people would express joy and love and populate. It was what these ornaments were all about. Life. The adult male turned from the room access, eyes cast downward. # 8220 ; # 8216 ; Life, # 8221 ; he thought, # 8220 ; a jubilation of beauty and joy ; a gift given us by the gods. # 8217 ; # 8221 ; He remembered the words that he had been taught as a kid, non so many old ages ago. And the memory made him sad. Subsequently, as the instrumentalists played and the terpsichoreans spun, the adult male stood entirely, expressionless, in his little room. From there he could hear the music floating on the eventide zephyr. In his head # 8217 ; s oculus he could see the terpsichoreans in their graceful motions. He could hear them and he could see them, but he could non experience with them. The jubilation of life was lost to him ; as though life itself had been lost to him. In one of his custodies he held a little piece of parchment, severely creased and tattered ; in the other, a little circlet of braided hair. These two pieces of his yesteryear were more cherished to him than any other ownership, yet at this minute, his hurting bosom wished that these gifts, and the attach toing memories, would disappear. He brought the circlet to his face, and with it he caressed his cheek. Through the odor of leather and fume and perspiration, he could still smell a intimation of balsam, her favourite aroma. O r did he merely conceive of it? He closed his eyes and a tear fell onto the ring of memories. His head drifted to his experience with, in the sentiment of several of the stable male childs, the wisest adult male in Caemlyn. He had gone to inquire if there were any manner to bury the yesteryear. Alternatively of an reply, the sage made several unusual petitions. One was that he was to see frequently with slate and chalk. It was obvious that the sage wished to learn, though the topic was a enigma. Besides, the sage requested that the young person attend the triumph jubilation tonight. That was one petition that would hold to travel unrealized. He thought back to the twenty-four hours when the ground forces had ridden into the metropolis. He felt expansive, proud and dignified. He rode merely behind his knight, Sir Rand, but in his head he imagined that the cheers were for him entirely. The people cheered for the return of the work forces, and for the stoping of the war every bit good. It had been acrimonious and dearly-won matter, and many of the work forces who had ridden from the Gatess of this metropolis in the past months would neer return. He looked into the faces of the people in the crowd. Those drawn and Haggard faces belonged to people who had been starved and beaten and besieged. Yet he saw merely their expressions of grasp and awe. To him, this was a glorious clip ; to them, a clip of alleviation, of weary Thanksgiving for the terminal to the lunacy. Looking back on it now, he remembered what he hadn # 8217 ; t noticed before ; and he understood. He drifted back even further. He thought of the conflicts, the decease, the hurting that he had seen. He had witnessed the best and the worst of world ; the award and bravery on one side, and the inhuman treatment and the savageness on the other. He remembered with disgusting color his first scrimmage, seeing his enemy autumn before him with a call. He remembered his first lesions ; the hurting, the fright, the acrimonious letdown with himself. It seemed that he could retrieve much about the war, but really small of it was pleasant. Except for the missive and the plait. He carefully unfolded the parchment, creased and worn from many months of managing. He had taught himself to read all of the words, so he wouldn # 8217 ; t need person else to read it for him. Now, he re-read the words that he could hold spoken from memory. # 8216 ; Please forgive my female parent for stating those awful things. We have spoken long about this, and I understand her fright. My male parent was a member of the reserves. He died at Tar Valon. # 8217 ; # 8220 ; Yes. The conflict at Tar Valon was a bloody mob from which really few of the enemy soldiers escaped with their lives. It was one of the worst lickings of the war # 8212 ; and one which would non shortly be forgotten by the many married womans and kids who lost hubbies and male parents in that massacre. # 8221 ; # 8216 ; My female parent didn # 8217 ; T want me to cognize the same hurting that she had known. # 8217 ; # 8220 ; How good I can understand her sentiments. My male parent besides died in this war ; as did my sister. Yes, I think I know something of the hurting that she spoke of. # 8221 ; # 8216 ; She said # 8220 ; I will non hold my girl marry a warrior # 8221 ; , but I asked her if she would maintain her girl from get marrieding a knight! # 8217 ; # 8220 ; Oh immature and guiltless kid! There is merely one difference between the two. The knight must contend edge by regulations and codifications every bit good as armour and shield, while the warrior has merely his arm and his bravery. They both fight with choler and rage and panic and hurting. They both hear the sounds and smell the odors and savor the gustatory sensations of fright and horror. They both bleed. And they both die. # 8221 ; # 8216 ; You will be a knight someday, Dakkon. This I know in my bosom. When you return, I will get married you, with or without my female parent # 8217 ; s approval! # 8217 ; # 8220 ; Would you still wish to get married me now, dear miss? I have changed. I have become sad and cold. I have become a slayer of work forces whose merely mistake was to be born on the incorrect side of some fanciful line which divides two states. They fought because they were told to contend, and they died because I knew that, if they did non, I would. Sometimes, when I think about it, I loathe myself. # 8221 ; # 8216 ; I wait for thee. Be safe and be well. # 8217 ; # 8220 ; But you didn # 8217 ; t wait. I did as you asked # 8212 ; I stayed every bit safe as I could, although there were many yearss when I faced the incorrect terminal of a blade. I stayed every bit good as I was able, although I was sickened by the sights and sounds and odors of decease and conflict. But you didn’t wait. I came back to you, for you, but you didn # 8217 ; t delay for me. Why! ? WHY DIDN # 8217 ; T YOU WAIT FOR ME! ? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE BEFORE I GOT BACK? ! ! The sounds of his bust uping shortness of breaths carried to the window, where they mingled with the music from the feast hall. Tired and weak from shouting, he staggered from the room and into the street. He ran from the happy music, which haunted him like a ghost. He fled blindly, non cognizing or caring where he went. He slowed as he approached the docks. Few ships were docked at that place, for most of the wharfs were charred or smashed. One ship which was docked at that place, the SPRAY, was losing an full mast and a spar. Its railing was losing in topographic points, and, near the dorsum, a agape hole was torn in her side. The war had touched the docks. He walked on. He came to a subdivision of the metropolis which had been the scene of intense combat. Work force had fought from house to house. Alleys were won and held and lost once more. Buildings became aims to make, value to be won, ends to be paid for in blood. Here, a broken shield lay discarded in an back street ; at that place, portion of a mail shirt colored by the brown discoloration of dried blood. He stopped before a edifice which was familiar. Once upon a clip, kids had met here at dark and told dark narratives by candle flame. Now the door had been torn from its flexible joints, and in several topographic points, blade dents and blood spots marked the passing of recent events. The war had touched here, excessively. He moved on. Suddenly, he knew where his pess were taking him. Turning the corner, he saw the room access from which a adult female had one time called to him, stating him non to be afraid. Within the walls of that house, he had eaten a repast, spoken of himself to a alien, and proposed matrimony to the adult female that he loved. Now the room access, the walls, all of it was charred and blackened. For blocks, from here to the border of the metropolis, a great fire had swept. It was said that thaumaturgy had moved the fire along ; and that the enemies had hoped to utilize the fire, and the pandemonium that it caused, to brush deeper into the metropolis. The metropolis had been miraculously spared entire devastation by a capricious rain squall, but non until an full one-fourth of the metropolis had been ravaged. Not many people were in their houses, they had fled to the support for safety ; but many more were lost to the hell. And she was one of them. He walked easy toward the room access, its blackened frame waving to him. His bosom rebelled, shouting in panic to fly, to halt, to make anything but walk through that portal. His head, nevertheless, had to see, had to cognize for certain that his eyes saw the truth. He hesitated at the threshold, so stepped indoors. A hole in the roof allowed moonlight to come in, projecting unusual shadows in the somberness. The devastation was complete. The walls were shattered and broken, the furniture was ashes. With his pes, he toyed with a heap of ash in a room where repasts had one time been served. A little cloud of dust rose, so settled rapidly, or disappeared into the unlighted corners of the room. Another room, and more hemorrhoids of ash and broken memories. He walked to the dorsum of the little house. Here the full roof had collapsed, go forthing ghostly half-walls indicating jaggy fingers at the Moon. It was impossible to state what this room had held. Possibly it had been a sleeping r oom. What dreams had been dreamt here? What plans had been made, so refashion, so discarded. Had this been her room? Had she slept here? Did she decease here? He sat down and leaned his tired organic structure against an unsteady wall. He had been angry, but that had passed. He had cried the acrimonious cryings of bereavement, but they, excessively, had dried and disappeared. He looked with unhappiness at the Moon, reflecting its visible radiation on the bare scene. He found that he was keeping her plait of hair in his custodies, fondling it. He held it to his face, seeking to one time once more smell the odor that reminded him of her. Be it at that place? After their entryway into the metropolis, he had found her female parent among the multitudes. He looked at her face, into her eyes, and at one time knew that his love was gone. For what he saw in that sad adult female # 8217 ; s eyes was the same vile emptiness that he felt when he held his sister # 8217 ; s interrupt organic structure in his weaponries. # 8220 ; She is missing. # 8221 ; she had said, # 8220 ; I haven # 8217 ; t seen her since the fire. I # 8217 ; ve looked and looked, but she merely isn # 8217 ; t here. # 8221 ; He didn # 8217 ; t believe her so, and had searched for her himself, for yearss on terminal. He neglected his responsibilities as a squire, but Rand didn # 8217 ; t need him much these yearss, busy as he was with other things. Finally, Rand had confronted him and made him confront the truth. # 8220 ; Death is a portion of life that we can non avoid. # 8221 ; Rand was evidently talking from experience, since deep within his voice was a compassio n and a understanding born merely of intense, devouring sorrow. # 8220 ; You must confront it now as you faced it in conflict, with bravery and strength. # 8221 ; His bravery had lasted until he had reached his room, so he fell upon his bed and wept in torment. That had been yearss ago. He rose and wiped the ash from his pants. # 8220 ; It is clip to walk from the yesteryear into the hereafter. I must allow you travel, my love. I must accept the truth and walk on. # 8221 ; He turned and walked from the house, a concluding tear wetting his cheek. He gently placed the braided circlet back in the pouch where he had carried it for so many months. And he walked ; past the house where they had listened to narratives, past the streets where they had walked in the moonshine, past the docks where they had met. Again he could hear weak strains of music, the jubilation was still traveling on. He entered the support and strode rapidly to his room. He changed his apparels, brushed his hair, and pulled on his good boots. Then he turned and left once more, merely this clip he walked toward the music. He entered the hall and was about overwhelmed by the crush of people. He could see that the terpsichoreans were busying most of the floor, and what was left was taken up by people eating and imbibing and speaking and express joying. He searched carefully, and eventually found Sir Rand standing near the fountain. He worked his manner onto the dance floor, which was merely somewhat less crowded than the remainder of the hall. Sir Rand saw him coming, and smiled. # 8220 ; I am pleased that you decided to fall in us. # 8221 ; The knight # 8217 ; s voice was soft and soft, and in his eyes was the visible radiation of apprehension. He said nil, but walked alternatively to the fountain, whose quiet murmurs were hardly hearable above the music and revelry behind him. He gazed into the H2O, take a breathing deeply of the mingled aromas of the flowers that floated within. Behind the fountain hung boughs of balsam. He breathed, and for the first clip in yearss, felt a peace which had eluded him.

Book Classification Essay Example For Students

Book Classification Essay When I was a very small child, I fell in love with books of all types. I could lose myself for hours in Alice and Wonderland, Black Beauty, and Tom Sawyer. As I grew older, I started reading books that portrayed actual people. I became interested in books on the Holocaust and read many titles, including the Diary of Anne Frank. These real-world stories and my large imagination started me on a path of story writing. I have written everything from poetry to complete plays. Although I have explored a large range of styles in my writings, I generally focus most of my efforts on three styles: horror, mystery, and science fiction. I have found these subjects allow me to use history, technology, and my imagination to build new worlds where anything can happen. Whenever I write horror stories, I try very hard to make them seem believable. I want the readers to be afraid to put thier feet on the floor for fear something will grab them from under the bed. I do not write about three eyed monsters or Loch Ness Monsters because they do not seem real. I write about the people you meet every day, like the school teacher with bodies in his backyard or the family member with a secret. Its not hard for me to turn the guy next door into a serial killer in one of my stories. When I write mysteries, I have to come up with a scenario, method, and motive. Mystery stories can take more than a little research. I have to build characters that have skeletons in their closets and the personalities that allow them to be pushed far enough that they would commit a murder. I have to know how to explain the method used to kill the victim. The victim has to have a past that relates to all the suspects in one way or another; I have to build his/her character as well. The criminal investigator in this type of story has to be able to sort out a world of clues and have a sharp mind for details. In creating a science fiction story, I can freely explore my imagination. I usually write about the lives and events of futuristic people. I am able to travel to different planets without ever leaving my keyboard. I can create new races of living beings with new customs, laws, and lifestyles. In a sci-fi world, I am able to travel through time, read minds, and bring inanimate objects to life. There are no limits to the possibilities. I am able to take the reader with me to places of which they may never have dreamed. I can cause the reader to believe that all they read not only could happen, but does. In my writings, I am able to say things that I am afraid to say with the spoken word. I have an outlet from which I can express the deepest, and sometimes darkest, areas of my imagination. Many readers of my stories find it hard to believe that I could write such foreboding material, because I seem to be a very quiet, passive person. People who know me do not realize that, when I write, my meek personality is the fuel to my fire. When I am quiescent and subdued, I just may be visualizing one of them as a character in my next story.

The Global Cement Industry and Cemex’s Penetration Strategy Into International Markets free essay sample

My report argues that demand and capacity creation in developing economies is a major driver in the global cement industry, which given the nature of the product (high transportation costs arising from its bulk) is prone to major company expansion by mergers and acquisitions. Cemex’s expansion strategy focuses on merger and acquisition (Mamp;A), mainly exploiting its expertise of operating in difficult institutional environments and taking advantage of opportunities arising from difficulties in developing market economies. The company successfully adapts best practice and technologies from its acquisitions throughout the wider company. My report begins with definitions, presents an overview of the global cement industry (section two) key players in the industry (section three) and Mamp;A trends (section four). I then analyse Cemex’s entry strategies by exploring in turn the regions into which it has expanded (section five) drawing conclusions on its penetration strategy. 1Introduction and definitions Cement is a binding substance, which sets and hardens independently binding other materials together. We will write a custom essay sample on The Global Cement Industry and Cemex’s Penetration Strategy Into International Markets or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is intended for use in building or construction material and can withstand varying environmental conditions. About 75% of cement production is used in ready-mixed concrete to be utilized in construction. The remaining 25%, Portland Cement Association (2009) shows, is used for paving roads or extracting oil. As Selim and Salem (2010) indicate basic raw materials for cement production are iron, aluminium, silicon and calcium. Normally cement is divided as Portland cement, Portland cement blends and non-Portland hydraulic cements. Portland cement, which can be roughly divided into White Portland and Gray Portland, is the most commonly used type as it is the basic ingredient of concrete (Cemex, 2013a, PCA, 2013). There are two different processes used in the manufacture of cement – dry process and wet process. In the wet process, the raw materials, after properly proportioned, are ground with water, thoroughly mixed and fed into the kiln in the form of a slurry (containing enough water to make it fluid). In the dry process, raw materials are ground, mixed, and fed to the kiln in a dry state instead. In other respects, the two processes are essentially alike (PCA, 2013). However, the dry process was considered to be more sufficient than the wet one since it consumes less energy. On the other hand, the dry process requires more investment in equipment and plants. Cement manufactures in developing countries have widely adopted the wet process but the transformation to the dry process is underway on a large scale. 2An overview of the global cement industry This section discusses the nature of the global cement industry, including the market size and market potential, the nature of cement products, market supply and demand and related environmental issues, to provide a broad view to understand the nature of competition. The following are the main characteristics of the global cement industry. Huge market – especially emerging markets Cement is the primary and indispensable material in infrastructure construction for every country. Although it only accounts for around 6–13% in construction costs (Chandramouli, 2012), there are few substitutes for it (Wesley, 2009). Hence there is a potential huge global market with strong contracts between developed and developing countries. While the developed countries mostly have steady and limited demand for cement, the developing world is a more promising market, as a result of large-scale constructions: the demand of cement is positively correlated with a nation’s economic development. World demand for cement is growing by 4. 7% per annum reaching 6% growth in 2012, with total consumption of 3. 78 million tons (CW Group, 2012). Consumption in developing countries drives this growth in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East regions; China is the strongest driver. In contract, consumption in Europe has been stalled and the growth rate of consumption in the US is a steady 2%. Therefore, developing countries are the main drivers of the growth in cement demand – a trajectory likely to continue. Cost is dominated by oil price and transportation Due to the specificity of cement products, in the cement industry, oil price and transportation cost are dominant factors affecting cost. The cement industry is energy intensive and thus fuel costs is the most critical part in cement manufacturing, constituting 35% of total cost of production (Das, 2011). Therefore, the fluctuation of fuel price, especially oil price, has impacts greatly on production cost. During the first quarter of 2012, the oil price had kept rising and was 12% up by the end of 2011. At that time, the cement industry increased prices to cover higher fuel cost. In June 2012, Caribbean Cement Company Limited increased the price of bagged cement by 9. %, and the company claimed that its ex-factory was still among the lowest in five other regional markets. Cement is, clearly, a type of high weight-to-price ratio product and it is usually purchased in bulk. As a consequence, transportation expenditure is relatively high and restricts the spatial reach of markets. It is more feasible to produce cement domestically or to import cement products from neighbouring countries to reduce the transportation fee. Hence, the scale of international cement trade is small (5%-7%) when compared with total cement production worldwide (Selim and Salem, 2010). The demand of cement can be unpredictable Since cement production is largely dependent on infrastructure constructions, as Wesley (2009) argues, national construction polices and projects drives demand: sales volume is more sensitive to construction levels than to price. Over the long-term perspective, changes in social factors such as population and economic growth also affect cement consumption. The residential day-to-day demand for cement can be uncertain; it may be disrupted by unexpected situations such as bad weather (Wesley, 2009). Constantly related with environmental issues Although cement is locally produced in most cases, the impact of cement production is global, especially its environmental aspects; as Selim and Salem (2010) argues. The mass production with high-energy consumption brings pollution, producing 5% of the world’s total emission of greenhouse gases Loreti (2008) and Uwasu et al. (2012) estimate This pollution is produced mainly in developing countries, which are the main production locations of cement. China alone, being the world’s leader in carbon dioxide emission and cement production, has 15% of its emission contributed by cement the World Resources Institute (2008) suggests. The environmental issue becomes extremely urgent and pushes major global players to set up stricter emission standards on the cement industry. 3Top players and in global cement industry The table below shows the largest 20 cement producers in the world. It can be seen that top global players in this industry are either from Western Europe or from emerging markets, especially China. Rank| Company/Group| Country| Capacity (Mt/yr)| No. of plants| 1| Lafarge| France| 225| 166| 2| Holcim| Switzerland| 217| 149| 3| CNBM| China| 200| 69| 4| Anhui Conch| China| 180| 34| 5| Heidelberg Cement| Germany| 118| 71| | Jidong| China| 100| 100| 7| Cemex| Mexico| 96| 61| 8| China Resources| China| 89| 16| 9| Sinoma| China| 87| 24| 10| Shanshui| China| 84| 13| 11| Italcementi| Italy| 74| 55| 12| Taiwan Cement| Taiwan| 70| -| 13| Votorantim*| Brazil| 57| 37| 14| CRH**| Ireland| 56| 11| 15| UltraTech| India| 53| 12| 16| Huaxin| China| 52| 51| 17| Buzzi| Italy| 45| 39| 18| Eurocement| Russia| 40| 16| 19| Tianrui| China| 35| 11| 20| Jaypee***| India| 34| 16| Table 1 Global cement companies 1-20 ranked by capacity Source: Global Cement Magazine, 2012 * Includes 15Mt/yr of capacity from Cimpor shares. * Cement capacity calculated from clinker capacity assuming clinker factor of 95%. ***As in April 2012. Table 2 indicates top cement producing countries – again, fast-developing countries are the main force driving cement production. Rank| Country| Capacity (Mt)| 1| China| 2000| 2| India| 210| 3| USA (inc. Puerto Rico)| 68. 4| 4| Turkey| 64| 5| Brazil| 62. 6| 6| Russia| 52| 7| Iran| 52| 8| Vietnam| 50| 9| Japan| 47| 10| Korea, Republic of| 46| 11| Egypt| 45| 12| Saudi Arabia | 44| 13| Thailand| 36| 14| Italy| 35| 15| Mexico| 35| 16| Germany| 33| 17| Pakistan| 30| 18| Indonesia| 22| 19| Spain| 20. 7| Other countries (rounded)| 480| | World total (rounded)| 3400| Table 2: Top global cement producing countries by installed capacity (2011, estimated) Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2012 From the tables above, it can be concluded that China is the leader in both cement production and consumption due to its large scale infrastructure construction and fast development, representing more than half of the world’s total consumption. India follows China as the second largest consumer while also having large producing capacity. The United States is the largest cement consumer in the developed world. Major Mamp;A trends As the Economist (1999) illustrates, larger players in the cement sector frequently undertake mergers and acquisitions (Mamp;A) domestically and globally, to increase market share and benefit from economies of scale. The Economist goes on to argue that this high level of Mamp;A activity is driven by the nature of the cement industry since cement production is localised and transportation costs are high; thus global producers need to purchase local companies to enter new markets, especially when a domestic market is saturated or in downturn. Since the 1970s, the cement industry in the developed world has been saturated and there is little space for market expansion. Developing countries have consequently become the target market for expanding new capacity and seizing market share a trend clear since the 1990s. The industry is therefore becoming more of a monopoly with oligarchic key players taking the important decisions, making Mamp;A decisions, guided of course by changing economic and market conditions. In the 1990s, global cement giants saw great opportunities for Mamp;A and competed to purchase market share in rapidly developing markets at good prices. For example, the Mexican Peso crisis (1994) resulted in a currency flight to US dollars and Peso devaluation, a situation Cemex turned to their advantage, Wesley (2009) argues, by purchasing Latin American cement companies at undervalued prices. Similarly, after the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the Asian cement industry fell into a downturn. Global cement giants took advantage and purchased leading cement companies in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia as bargains. At that time, six global giants purchased seventeen of the nineteen Philippine cement companies leaving Lafarge, Holcim and Cemex controlling 88% of the nation’s cement capacity. When the regional economy recovered, Cembusiness (2006) suggests, the price of cement rose again quickly and these multinational giants benefited from huge profits in Southeast Asia. 5Cemex’s entry strategy into international markets Cemex is currently the world’s third largest cement producer headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. Although Cemex founded 107 years ago, it had been a domestic player for its first 80 years and did not start its global expansion until the 1990s. Its Mamp;A progress has been remarkable: it now operates profitably in 50 countries in the world with 44000 employees and annual sales of US$15. 14 billion (Cemex, 2013a). In general, as Hill (2008) points out, a firm’s entry modes into foreign markets include exporting, contracts (licensing or franchising), foreign direct investment (joint venture and wholly owned subsidiary, including Mamp;A) and strategic alliances. As discussed above, global cement giants, including Cemex, mainly enter foreign markets through Mamp;A. Specifically, as a global player from an emerging market, Cemex needs to build its own competitive advantage during its internationalisation processes to cope with its disadvantageous competitive position vis-a-vis companies from developed countries. In short, Cemex is diversifying its market position through internationalisation (Liu, 2013). As Cemex’s expansion history extends spatially, I now turn to discuss its entry strategies into the global market by regions, which are shown in table 3. Cement production capacity (Million metric tons/year)| Cement plants controlled| Sales (millions of US dollars)| Mexico| 29. 3| 15| 3,474| United States| 17. 1| 13| 2,521| Northern Europe| 11. 9| 7| 4,729| Mediterranean| 18. 8| 12| 1,719| South, Central America and the Caribbean| 12. 8| 11| 1,745| Asia| 5. 7| 3| 505| Others| -| -| 445| Total| 95. 6| 61| 15,139| Table 3: Global review o f Cemex’s operations As of December 31, 2011 Source: Cemex Annual Report 2011 Europe Europe was Cemex’s first step in global expansion. In July 1992, as Wesley (2009) reports, Cemex acquired two of the largest cement companies – Valenciana and Sanson – in Spain, with Valenciana becoming its regional hub holding company for all of Cemex’s future international acquisitions. However, significant movement into Spain, Europe did not become the main destination of Cemex as this region had limited potential for growth. More importantly, European players such as the French Lafarge and German Heidelberg controlled the European region. These European giants had advantages of scale, market share and advanced technology. What Cemex needed was not only the action of acquiring: it needed the advantages of the post-merger integration to catch up and improve. After purchasing Valenciana and Sanson, Cemex integrated its two Spanish subsidiaries by merging and streamlining the organisations and improved its technological and operational implementation. Cemex’s other substantial step in Europe was the purchase in 2005 of RMC, the world’s largest producer of ready-mixed concrete based in the UK. With this acquisition Cemex doubled its size, adding 20 mainly European markets (Cemex, 2013a) and managed to extend its product mix, becoming top producers of not only cement but also concrete and other construction aggregate (China Cement Net, 2005). Latin America Cemex made a series of acquisitions in Latin America, benefiting from the close psychic distance and geographic proximity to Mexico. Furthermore, in the 1990s, Latin America was an underdeveloped market with a high growth trajectory. Although at that time, Latin American countries were in a turbulent political and institutional condition with poor infrastructure and limited market information, Cemex viewed these conditions as advantages Fleury and Fleury (2011) argue, exploiting its experience in dealing with chaotic market environments in its home country and captured the opportune moment of the Peso crisis in 1994. Cemex moved into Latin America, including Central America and the Caribbean, by acquisitions in Venezuela (1994), Panama (1994), Dominican republic (1995), Colombia (1996), Costa Rica (1999), Nicaragua (2001), and Puerto Rican (2002) (see Cemex, 2013a). Latin America has been an important destination for Cemex, especially in the decade since the Peso crisis. During this decade foreign cement giants divided up the Latin American market due to the collapse of local producers and Cemex gained the dominant position. After acquiring those companies, Lessard and Reavis (2009) suggest, Cemex also upgraded its administration, production and technologies in this region, exploiting learning from the company’s operations in Mexico and Spain. Although Cemex has a noteworthy presence in Latin American countries, its production capacity in South, Central America and the Caribbean accounts for only 13. 4% of its total sales in 2011, less than its capacity in the United States, Northern Europe and Mediterranean respectively and less than half of its domestic capacity (Cemex, 2011). However, there has been a rapid increase in South America and the Caribbean since mid-2000s, as a result of higher levels of public expenditure on infrastructure, industrial and commercial development and housing construction (United Nations ECLAC, 2007). Hence Cemex controls its closest emerging market area, with the exception of Brazil. The USA The United States, unlike other developed countries, remains a major consumer and producer of cement products; however, few its cement producers are American-owned. In the 1970s, Wesley (2009) points out, when Cemex was a domestic firm, most US cement producers were already taken over by European companies. Cemex’s significant incursion into US market was the purchase of American producer Southdown in 2000. Southdown was one of the largest American cement producers and it was state-owned. Cemex’s purchase followed a 20-year joint venture with Southdown called Sunbelt in 1986: following disagreements on management fees and the price of imported cement, the partnership dissolved and Southdown supported anti-dumping measures against Mexican producers (Wesley, 2009). By late 1990s, Southdown was making profits from its upgraded plants and lower costs whilst unsatisfactorily performing on the stock market, enabling Cemex to buy Southdown for $2. billion in November 2000 (Cemex, 2000), becoming North America’s largest cement producer, obtaining Sothdown’s advanced production capacity and markets and circumventing anti-dumping duties. Another Cemex step into North America (Black, 2007) was the purchase of the Rinker Corporation, an Australia-based concrete maker that had about 80% of its sales in the US, notably increasing its share of the U. S. concrete market. Asia Cemex turned its attention into Asia after 1997, seeing the potential in Asian growth and Mamp;A opportunities following the financial crisis in southeast Asia (Wesley, 2009). In the next few years, Cemex made acquisitions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and India. Following rapid economic development and large-scale construction in Asia, by 2011 Cemex only managed to have the capacity of 5. 7 million metric tons in this region, representing only 6% of Cemex global capacity. Cemex failed to gain significant market share in China and India, the two largest Asian cement markets: the company continues to pay attention to the burgeoning Chinese and Indian markets (China Cement Net, 2005), however, institutional restrictions inhibit its growth. Indeed, the cement industry in China has excess capacity following slowdown in construction growth: many cement plants having been built during the boom. Currently Cemex does not have specific expansion plan of for China although it expresses a lot of interest (China Cement Net, 2006). In India, Cemex is more positive and in negotiations to acquire several Indian producers. Middle East and Africa (MENA) In 1999, Cemex acquired Assiut Cement Company, the largest cement producer in Egypt, started operating in Africa and increased its capacity following acquisitions (Wesley, 2009). Cemex also has operations in Israel and United Arab Emirates. The total presence in Middle East and Africa is limited since the African cement market is underdeveloped and as Digital Cement (2010) point out, the MENA cement markets are locally controlled. In summary, Cemex’s expansion into the global market is not only the strategic choice about competing and bidding for acquisitions, but also the integration process that ensued, as an opportunity to drive change, and as a result, continuously evolve as a corporation (Lessard and Reavis, 2009). 6Conclusions Cemex’s penetration strategy is shaped by the nature of the product and structure of the industry. Since cement is bulky and costly to transport global-global entry strategies are unavailable to it. The industry structure reflects the product in a wide array of regional-scale producers. Like other major players in the industry (such as Lafarge, Holcim and Heidelber) has sought to penetrate international markets by Mamp;A rather than direct investment, strategic alliances or licensing. Another characteristic of the global cement industry is that developing economies are the drivers of demand. Often these markets remain difficult to enter being overly regulated, protected or subject to corruption and political interference. Cemex uses its origins in a developing market as an advantage: the company has expertise in overcoming these barriers, knowledge it has successfully exploited in numerous markets. Additionally, Cemex has taken advantage of other adverse trading conditions in its target markets (Asian financial crisis, Peso crisis) to conclude Mamp;A deals when target company prices are depressed. Bibliography 1. Black, T. , 2007. Cemex Wins Control of Rinker With $14. 2 Billion Offer (Update3). [online] Available at: lt;http://www. bloomberg. com/apps/news? pid=newsarchiveamp;sid=aJtpqL2z4Lvsgt;. 2. Chandramouli, R. , 2012. Cement contributes to less than 10% of construction cost. The Times of India. [online] Available at: lt;http://articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/2012-09-05/chennai/33614627_1_cement-price-cement-companies-cement-cartelgt;. 3. Cembusiness, 2006. (The opportunities in the cement industry under the upsurge of international industrial capital Mamp;A). online] Available at: lt;http://www. hygs. cn/hangyedongdai/27. htmgt;. 4. Cemex, 2000. Annual Report 2000. [PDF] Available at: lt;http://www. cemex. com/InvestorCenter/files/2000/Ar00full. pdfgt; [last accessed 28/02/2013]. 5. Cemex, 2011. Annual Report 2011. [PDF] Available at: lt;http://www. cemex. com/InvestorCenter/files/2011/CX_AR2011. pdfgt;. 6. Cemex, 2013a. About us. [online] Available at: lt;http://www. cemex. com/AboutUs/History . aspxgt;. 7. Cemex, 2013b. Product and Services. [online] Available at: lt;http://www. cemex. com/ProductsServices/Cement. spxgt;. 8. China Cement Net, 2005. â€Å" †Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€? CEMEX †¢ (The master of acquisition – interviewing Armando Garcia, executive director of Cemex). [online] Available at: lt;http://www. ccement. com/news/2005/7-19/C177327042. htmgt;. 9. China Cement Net, 2006. Cemex (Cemex clearly expresses its interests in the Chinese market). [online] Available at: lt;http://info. ccement. com/news/content/12251. htmlgt;. 10. CW Group, 2012. CW Group: Global cement demand to reach 4bn tons by 2013. CemWeek. [online] Available at:

Finding Thematic Essay Topics

Finding Thematic Essay TopicsBefore starting an essay writing project, there are a number of thematic essay topics that you should consider. These are the key elements of your final product and you want to make sure that your themes are as close to the one you chose as possible. Although these ideas may seem like they are already taken, you may find that you have more than enough inspiration to write on.Among the most common themes you may use our relationships, money, health, religion, human nature, power, and past events. If you find that you cannot think of anything else, you should give each topic a little bit of thought. You should be able to see a theme through which you can complete your essay. This is why researching what these themes are and what people who have written about them have said can be so helpful.Next, be sure that your theme has a beginning, middle, and end. In fact, you should create a structure for your writing project from the very beginning. As long as you h ave a plan of action, you will not lose focus and will be able to get started on your project at any time that you choose.There are many different ways that people write about a particular theme. For example, some may prefer to discuss their relationship troubles with specific family members. Other people may find that they are able to talk about many different things with this theme in mind.If you decide to write about your relationships, you should create discussion questions about them. Often, this can be something as simple as 'What do you think about your family?' or it can be a little more complex.Always remember that it is important to use words that describe your topic. This should always be the first step in any of your writing projects. Forexample, if you choose to talk about a particular illness that you have, you should choose words that will best describe your condition. 'I am suffering from ulcers' is a good way to start a discussion.You should also be careful to know how to share your topic. Don't just go out and find a topic that isn't negative. If you do this, you will end up with very little to talk about in your essay.If you want to write about a particular theme, you should be sure that you understand the theme. Once you understand the topic, you will be able to write about it in a straightforward manner. It will be much easier for you to know how to construct your theme if you understand it.