The Theme of the Epic Poem, Beowulf Essay - 979 Words

The Theme of Beowulf Interpretations of Beowulf vary. In this essay I hope to state clearly some of the popularly mentioned themes running through the poem. â€Å"Many critics feel that the speech of Hrothgar between lines 1700 and 1784 encapsulates the moral of the poem†¦.’He does not know the worse – till inside him great arrogance grows and spreads’† (Shippey 38). Hrothgar’s ominous words do come back to haunt the hero more than once. Beowulf is a braggart; he is proud, and nothing seems able to change his basic proud outlook derived from his all-powerful physical strength. Even shortly before his own defeat against the fire-dragon, our hero is recalling his killing of the great hero of the Hugas with his bare†¦show more content†¦Beowulf escaped by his own strength, did hard sea-duty; he held in his arms the battle-outfits of thirty [warriors] when he turned to the sea: No need to boast about that foot-fight among the Hetware who bore shields against him; few returned to see their homes after facing the brave, the daring man. Across the seas Ecgtheow’s son, alone and lonely, swam to his homeland. Beowulf seems to display absolute confidence in his own strength. So indeed, Shippey may be correct in asserting that Hrothgar’s advice that pride as the downfall of great people especially, is the theme of the poem. But in â€Å"Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics† Tolkien states another view on the theme: Let us suppose that our poet had chosen a theme more consonant with â€Å"our modern judgment†: the life and death of St. Oswald†¦. It is just because the main foes in Beowulf are inhuman that the story is larger and more significant thanShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Good And Evil In Beowulf882 Words   |  4 PagesIn the epic poem, Beowulf, perhaps the most important theme seen throughout is the portrayal of good and evil, and how this portrayal impacts the story. The epic poem is about an epic hero, Beowulf, who is completely thought of as a good character and a strong warrior. The unknown author of this poem makes Beowulf out to be, ultimately, a glorified killer of the perceived monsters. However, the poem in and of itself is an opinionated story which gives the bare amount of opposition to show that perhapsRead MoreBeowulf as Epic823 Words   |  4 PagesWhat makes an epic? Is Beowulf an epic? ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · What is an epic poem, and how does it differ from other kinds of poetry or storytelling? How have epic poems traditionally been transmitted from generation to generation? How do tellers remember these long and complicated stories? According to Robert Harris’s Glossary of Literary Terms, he defines an epic as the following: Epic. An extended narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic episodes and written in a high style (withRead MoreEssay about Pagan Aspects in Beowulf1573 Words   |  7 PagesScholars have argued about the religious stance of the epic poem Beowulf for centuries. Although the man who put the poem down on paper, known as the Beowulf poet, was a devout Christian, the actual poem itself is pagan. There are many clues in the epic that lead us to this conclusion such as the numerous references to pagan symbols, namely the symbol of fate. Also, the central idea of revenge in the poem opposes the ideas of Christianity. The poem also contains many breaches of the Ten CommandmentsRead MoreThe Adaptation Of The Epic Of Beowulf1657 Words   |  7 Pages The epic poem Beowulf is one of the oldest surviving literary pieces and therefore one of the most important works of Old English literature. John Gardner, in the form of the novel Grendel, created an adaptation based on one of the most well known epic poems. The adaptation is a successful one due to the fact that Gardner maintains the pivotal events from the plot that are present in the original Beowulf. The adaptation reincarnates the original through its use of the same characters present inRead MoreEssay on Good vs Evil in Beowulf1568 Words   |  7 PagesIn Beowulf, the clash between good and evil is the poems main and most significant focal point. Although the epic poem Beowulf utilizes many characteristics of Christian themes, the violence in the poem relates to paganism. By exploring the characteristics of â€Å"good vs. evil† such as Cain, Grendel and Beowulf, this paper will explore the elements of Beowulf in such a light. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, was originally told orally then later was written down anonymously in the Old English languageRead MoreEssay Beowulf: Epic or Elegy?763 Words   |  4 PagesWriting Lab III Beowulf: Epic or Elegy? Beowulf is a poem written in manuscript form created in England sometime between the years 700 and 1000AD. The author is unknown to this day. Is Beowulf an epic poem or an elegy? An epic is â€Å"a long narrative poem in elevated style presenting characters of high position in adventures forming an organic whole through their relation to a central heroic figure and through their development of episodes important to the history of a nation or race† (HarmonRead MoreThe Similarities Of An Epic Hero In Beowulf And Iron Man1183 Words   |  5 Pagesis not always true. In Beowulf and Iron Man, the use of theme and qualities of an epic hero are used to portray that they are similar and different. Three qualities that an epic hero must have are to be courageous, to have superhuman strength, and to be selfless. The theme in Beowulf and Iron Man is triumph because they both overcome challenging obstacles. The theme helps the reader in real life because that person will have to overcome tough challenges to persevere. The theme helps structure how theRead MoreFree Will And Religion : An Epic Hero1478 Words   |  6 Pagescase in the epic poem, Beowulf. The story ’s protagonist must endure many trials throughout his journey as an epic hero, defeating his opponent each time. However, Beowulf believes it is not his own strength, but the will of God that he is able to become victorious. As his journey through life continues, from warrior to king, fatalism is present time and time again in all his actions. In Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, the theme of fate dictates the outcome of each battle Beowulf must overcomeRead MoreEssay on Beowulf study guide1576 Words   |  7 Pages1) Describe how we find King Hrothgar and his response to learning that Beowulf has come to his kingdom. A. The king is sad and depressed that his kingdom has fallen into such a state of disrepair. He is overjoyed to learn that Beowulf, whom he knows from stories and his father, Ecgtheow, has come to fight Grendel. Hrothgar promises Beowulf treasure if he can defeat the monster. 2) In the beginning of â€Å"Beowulf,† King Hrothgar’s hall has been deserted for twelve years. In a short essay, tell whyRead MoreFate in Beowulf1506 Words   |  7 Pagesof Faith in Beowulf A Twist of Fate for the Great Hero Beowulf Fate seems to be an ongoing theme in the works of Boethius and Beowulf. Whether it is a belief of Christian providence or pagan fatalism, the writers of these works are strongly moved by the concept of fate and how it affects the twists and turns of a persons life. Fate is most often seen as the course of events in a persons life that leads them to inevitable death at some time or another. Throughout the poem Beowulf, the characters

The Debate on Abortion Laws in the United States - 1256 Words

There are always a number of heated debates within the United States. These debates area always a hot topic and very controversial issues. Due to how controversial they are is why they become such largely debated topics with many people having very different views on the specific topic. For example there is a Democratic and Republican party in the United States people either stick with one side or the other due to their beliefs and sometimes can be neutral or on the other party’s side for certain topics. Abortion is a very controversial topic as it always has been all around the country but more specifically in the United States. There are two sides to the debate those who believe abortion should be legal and their organization is known as prochoice. On the other side there are the group of people who believe that abortion should not be legal and reverse the laws from what they are today this organization is known as prolife. It seems as though both of the organizations are v ery extreme while there can be some people who a neutral and believe in some ideas from the prochoice yet they also agree with some of the ideas from prolife. The two sides to the debate on abortion are known as pro-choice and pro-life although this topic is very controversial, today there is also a history of abortion laws and a very important case known as Roe vs. Wade which played a huge role in determining what laws on abortion are in the present. Additionally, the case of Roe vs. Wade was aShow MoreRelatedThe Gardens Of Democracy By Eric Liu And Nick Hanauer1443 Words   |  6 Pageswith the government or politics. This includes issues related to party politics, political system, or social, environmental or other issues as determined by the voting public. In Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer’s book The Gardens of Democracy (2011), it states that â€Å"the failure of American politics to address and solve the great challenges of our time such as climate change and shriveling of the middle class is not just a failure of will or nerve, but it is equally a failure of ideas and understanding†Read MoreAbortion: A Heated Debate and Hot Topic in the United States Essay1256 Words   |  6 Pagesheated debates within the United States. These debates are always a hot topic and very controversial issues. Due to how controversial they are, is why they become such largely debated topics with many people having very different views on the specific topic. For example, there is a Democratic and Republican party in the United States; people either stick with one side or the other due to their beliefs and sometimes can be neutral or on the other party’s side for certain topics. Abortion is a veryRead MoreA Comprehensive Review Of The Civil Liberty Debate On Abortion.1500 Words   |  6 PagesA Comprehensive Review of the Civil Liberty Debate on Abortion Of all the issues plaguing the United States, currently and in the past, abortion rights have been one of the most passionately debated civil liberty issues. Edward Sidlow and Beth Henschen define civil liberties as â€Å"Individual rights protected by the Constitution against the powers of the government†(72). Some argue that women should be protected from the powers of government in terms of reproductive rights while others argue thatRead MoreWomen s Issue Paper : Abortion1285 Words   |  6 PagesWoman’s Issue Paper: Abortion Abortion: a ·bor ·tion/əˈbà ´rSH(É™)n/noun 1. the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy (Abortion-Dictionary.com ). One in every three women have an abortion by the age of 45 (Operation Rescue Inc). Though the act of abortion is common it has been an emotionally draining debate since the mid 1970’s, but has always been a hot topic since the 1800’s. There are two sides to this debate. One side is pro-lifeRead MoreThe Gardens Of Democracy By Eric Liu And Nick Hanauer1446 Words   |  6 Pageswith the government or politics. This includes issues related to party politics, political system, or social, environmental or other issues as determined by the voting public. In Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer’s book The Gardens of Democracy (2011), it states that â€Å"the failure of American politics to address and solve the great challenges of our time such as climate change and shriveling of the middle class is not just a failure of will or nerve, but it is equally a failure of ideas and understanding†Read MoreAbortion, Gun Control / Safety, And Marriage Equality1370 Words   |  6 PagesPeople debate deeply on topics such as abortion, gun control/safety, and marriage equality. It is not possible to make all people agree on topics such as those. There are many religions and cultures that people come from; everyone values their own beliefs. The conflict between two sides of abortion has occurred ever since 1960s and early 1970s due to Roe v. Wade case. â€Å"In Roe v. Wade (1973), the U.S. Supreme Court stated that abortion bans were unconstitutional in every state, legalizing abortion throughoutRead MoreThe Controversial Issue Of Abortion1555 Words   |  7 Pagestopic of abortion in the United States has been and remains one of the most controversial issues in western culture and politics. An abortion can be defined as the expulsion of a fetus from the uterus before it can survive on its own. This comprises two major forms of abortion: spontaneous, which is often referred to as a miscarriage or induced abortion, which is the deliberate termination of a pregn ancy. The term is commonly used to refer to the induced abortion, and this is the abortion, which hasRead MoreThe Debate On Abortion And Gun Control1604 Words   |  7 Pageswith the governance of a country or other area. This especially applies to the debate or conflict among individuals or parties in hope of achieving power. Dealing with politics there is always a side that agrees and disagrees, thus developing the debate. Two of the most domestic controversial political topics are abortion and gun control. As for international there is terrorism. These three topics have been ongoing debates for some time. Everyone’s opinion on political controversies can be based onRead MoreThe Gardens Of Democracy By Eric Liu And Nick Hanauer1571 Words   |  7 Pageswith the government or politics. This includes issues related to party politics, political system, or social, environmental or other issues as determined by the voting public. 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The Fashion of Warriors Free Essays

Memoirs off Secret Empire . Samurai I PBS Search Support for PBS. Org provided by: What’s this? Sam aura warriors me urged as an elite force in Japan’s prop inches during the early 1 20th century . We will write a custom essay sample on The Fashion of Warriors or any similar topic only for you Order Now Recruited by local chieftains, these fighting forces were m maintained long enough to wage a specific war, after which the soldiers would return to their lands to till the soil. With Japan’s me proper live ins in the ancient capital of Ky tot and unable to m maintain control of the prop inches, the Sam aura clans established them sell sees as v table political entities. By the late 1 2 the century , Sam aura lords ruled both the prop inches and central Japan. They m maintained their influence until the m id-1 87 g’s when the Sam aura class was outlawed and their privy ledge status was dissolve deed. Samurai warriors were at the top of the social order CASTE POSITION The Sam aura class, â€Å"shim in,† form deed Japan’s top elite, and were the only caste granted the privy liege of wearing two swords and have ins two name sees?a fame ill and a first name e. The shoguns and Adam y o lords were m me beers of the shim in caste. THEN NOW Modern Japan still m maintains a culture based on the incepts of 1/3 The rigorous training of a Sam aura warrior began in childhood. Sam aura school was a unique com abomination of pay sisal training, Chinese studies, poetry and spiritual discipline. The y nouns warriors studied Keno (â€Å"the Way of the Sword†), the m oral code of the Sam aura, and Zen www. PBS. Org/empires/Japan/entered_8. HTML Buddhism . Sam aura were expected to live e according to Bushier (â€Å"The Way of the Warrior†), a strict ethical code influenced by Confucianism that stressed LOL alt to one’s m aster, respect for one’s superior, ethical behave ROR in all aspects of life and mom plate self-discipline. Girls also receive deed m arterial arts training. Although m cost Sam aura whom en did not fight on the battlefield, they were prepared to defend their homo sees against NV adders. The Sam aura attached great IM portable to the circus stances of their own death. If a Sam aura died of his own accord, it was considered a v Lillian end. Rather than suffer defeat or hum location at the hands of an enema y , Sam aura warriors often chose ritual suicide (speedup). After Outgas lye ass united Japan, Sam aura m litany serve ices were rarely needed. Though they continued to train daily , Sam aura gradually transform deed from warriors to bureaucrats. As townspeople acquired new wealth, the Sam aura, barred from engaging in com m race, found them sell sees in dire circus stances. For m any Sam aura, peace led to despair. Nor and sham e, funded mental to the Sam aura code. Sam aura warriors took great care sty ling their hair, which they pulled back into a topknot called a â€Å"chomp age. † For battle, Sam aura warriors shave deed the tops of their heads, which reduced the heat under their heave y helm test, and ore their hair straight on the sides. When not wearing helm test, they pulled the side and back hair into a topknot. A Sam Uri’ s clothing sty el was v ere IM portent and indicative e of status. Outlandish, colorful patterns were considered IM m oddest and conceited. Though Sam aura children dressed flam boy antsy , they became e m ore subdued in appearance after their com ins-of-age Ceres non . The Sam Uri’s eve ere day wear was a Kim non, usually consisting of an outer and inner lay ere. Norm ally m add of silk, the quality of the Kim non depended on the Sam Uri’s income e and status. Beneath the Kim non, the warrior wore a loincloth. The Sam Uri’s swords were norm ally thrust through an â€Å"Obi,† a belt wrapped around the waist, and were always s worn on the left side. How to cite The Fashion of Warriors, Essays

Global Wine War free essay sample

Human beings have been dealing with wine for thousands of years, from the Mesopotamians to the ancient Egyptians, from the Greeks to the ancient Romans, the latter which under their vast empire spread viticulture through the Mediterranean region. Through centuries countries, such as France and Italy, obtained a consolidated position in the wine industry, both in demand and production. In the last part of the 20th century newcomers (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, USA, etc. have successfully challenged the leadership of the so-called Old World that represented the majority of global market share. Wine Industry Analysis using the Porter’s Five forces Model A brief Porter’s five forces analysis can help understand how the evolving of competitive environment is actually composed and why this market shake occurred. Figure 1. 1: Porter’s Five Forces Model For what concerns the threat of new entrants; the Old World companies completely underestim ated this threat. When the newcomers entered the market they could bargain market share of the pre-existing ones without facing real opposition, exploiting better marketing strategies and more efficient organizational approaches. Regarding to the threat of substitute products; this seems to be a challenge for the future, with the introduction of branding as a marketing approach; the threats from the beer industry and â€Å"soft drinks† producers must be taken into account. Referring to the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, the entrants are in a much better position because of bigger production plants which allow them to gain a stronger contractual power towards distributors; moreover their value chains are more concentrated removing the troubles of the too much fragmentation and variety of actors between the producer and the consumer, which on the contrary, Old World’s competitors are facing. Furthermore analyzing the rivalry among existing competitors it is possible to understand that the traditional producers are facing much more difficulties, because they cannot exploit advantages the newcomers have, such as professional management, large marketing investments and economies of scale and scope. Unfortunately, these are not the only intricacies they are bearing with; the pre-existing producers have always been in competition one against the other, making it more difficult to achieve competitive advantages through cooperation. Eventually the newcomers are concentrating their action in the new growing markets while the old ones are still mainly struggling in the Old World declining markets. Network value analysis It is also of a relevant importance introducing the Chain Value Model that was at first presented by Porter in â€Å"Competitive Advantage. Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance†. This model was introduces in order to better understand the activities through which a firm, in particular a wine firm, develops a competitive advantage and creates shareholder value (fig. 1. 2). Concerning the primary activities we can see that in both the inbound and the outbound network logistics, the NW producers managed to reduce costs of transport and warehousing, exploiting new technologies of packaging (an example is the Australian â€Å"wine-in-a-box† instead of the classic glass bottle. ) Analyzing the outbound logistics, it is possible to explore the fact that as consequence of being big multinationals the newcomers can bargain power of the distributors, carving out margins which the European competitors are not able to gain due to the excess of fragmentation which reduce contractual power towards the distributors. With reference to the inbound logistic a major role in reducing costs per unit is played by mechanization and scale economies, which are widely exploited by the NW producers. The same advantages are reflected on the operations where mechanization of harvesting and scale are making the incumbents competitors more profitable, moreover they are also exploiting scope economies, while in the Old World, the fragmentation and the wide specialization, which were the strength of the systems now are showing themselves as weaknesses. Figure 1. 2: Chain Value Model† by Michael Porter The use of new technologies and new organizational approaches are also incident on the quality of the final product, which is granted by the integration of the processes and an efficient network strategy by the newcomers, while in the OW these challenges have not been answered yet. One of the largest disadvantages the mature competitors are facing concern the activity of marketing and sales, where due to the newcomers approach they are loosing the market confront. The Old World is exploiting factors largely underemployed by the Europeans, the use of professional marketing, market researches try to understand and forecast the market in order to be more responsive to the real needs of the demand. The correct use of branding from part of the NW producers is resulting as one of the strongest competition advantage towards the OW ones. Concerning the support activities the situation does not vary, the new-comers have advantages in the firm infrastructures mainly because of a more efficient organization of the all networks and because of a better organization and integration of the production chain. As regards to the Human Resources Management the differences are mainly a consequence of the different organization types of the actors of the market; in the New World the companies are organized as multinationals with professional managers and marketers, in the Old World the firms are often too small, fragmented and in competition among them to have access to such resources. On the side of technology development the newcomers are exploiting the new technologies in order to gain efficiency and quality, developing new mechanical tools and new approaches mainly regarding harvesting. Completely different is the approach of the New World competitors, strongly opposing the use of new technologies providing quality with a traditionalist method, an unfortunate approach for gaining market share. In terms of procurement it is unclear if there are advantages of one system towards the other. The outcome of the analysis shows how the New World could gain market share against the Old World, challenging a domination that lasted for centuries. 1. How did the French became the dominant competitors in the increasingly global wine industry for centuries? What sources of competitive advantage were they able to develop in order to support their exports? Where were they vulnerable? * Competitive advantage sources: history and traditions; know-how; experience; strong internal demand; world wide quality recognition; leader in wine sector for centuries. * Weak areas: fragmented chain of production; too strict regulation and classification; scarce innovations; no differentiation of the product; poor marketing; no branding bargaining power. As wine production grow up in the Mediterranean area, this alcoholic beverage became more and more blended with cultures, religious traditions and everyday life in the area that now is called the â€Å"Old World†. Wine first uses and its complex production made it not accessible for all, actually it was considered a luxury good. But centuries of development in the production process, like vineyard horses or row plantations, innovations in the distribution and preservation of the wine, like cork stopper or mass roduction of glass bottles, made it affordable for everyone generating a strong internal demand in countries such us French, Italy, Germany and so on. Specifically, regarding France, in 1966 the domestic demand accounted for 120 liters per capita and it became the country with the higher consumption of wine, followed by Italy with 110 liters. In order to better understand the dimension of the market, in the same year in Australia, USA and UK the annual per capita consump tion was far less than 10 liters. In France, wine was not only highly consumed in every house, but it became one of the business strengths of the country. Actually it was the second largest French export, because History and tradition made the French wine synonymous of quality in the whole world. Moreover, since there were hundreds of different types wine, French government codified a hierarchical classification (Appellation dOrigin Controllee AOC, Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure VDQS, Vins de Pays) and nurtured the concept of terroir to help consumers recognize their finest wines in a highly fragmented market. This significantly strict regulation was an important innovation that made the difference among the main competitors, such as Italy or Spain. French source of competitive advantage was not only the century know-how that permitted to have a high quality wine and the strong internal demand, but also the demand coming from the neighboring countries without a highly developed wine industry. Wine producers, in many countries of Europe, were isolated from each others, and most of the world’s wine drinkers consumed either local wines or imported from close winemakers. This tradition made the fortune of France, since the climate and the soil in the United Kingdom didn’t allow grape growing enough to satisfy the huge internal demand, British were forced to import from the closest producer. The century tradition was an advantage for the French wine because it was a symbol of quality, but it was also a drawback, because it fiercely limited the flow of innovation and development concerning the production, distribution and branding of wine. Moreover, since the whole production chain was fragmented in many segments, there was a lack of economies of scale and integration that had terrible results in market power of the French producers. Actually branding was poor or even not existing and a number of small producers with very small bargaining power were incapable to deal with retailers as supermarkets loosing market visibility and the connection with the whole segment of customers. The direct competitors, the Old World producers, were all in the same situation: fixed to the traditions and unable to satisfy the increasing fast-changing consumer tastes and preferences. The fact that they had been the market leaders for centuries made them unconscious about the possibility of new hardened competitors growing in the New World. 2 What changes in the global industry structure and competitive dynamics led France and other traditional producers lose their market share to challengers firm Australia, US, and other New World countries in the late 20th century? In the last twenty years, the worldwide wine industry has become increasingly internationalized and sophisticated, though over the years, the market has become fragmented, international, multi-lingual, operating in many currencies, and information-intensive. The wine industry globally faces continued shake-up and consolidation and the generation of mega wine companies has become inevitable as no one wine company listed or private currently has more than one percent of the world wine market, in stark contrast to other beverages. Global wine showed solid growth in volume terms in recent years, up nearly two percent to 25,066 million liters. Still red wine provided much of the impetus for volume growth in the world wine market over survey period, with sales rising nearly 12% between 1998 and 2003. However, volume growth of global wine was dampened by changing patterns of consumption in important Western European markets, like Italy, France, Portugal and Spain, as younger consumers moved away from traditional everyday wine drinking to more occasional consumption. Globally, the two countries that are leading the wine production and consumption businesses are France and Italy. However, the irony is that these two countries are also witnessing a steady erosion of their global market share. In our opinion there are five key success factors that we have identified that are extremely relevant to compete favorably in the global wine industry: * a strong existing domestic market * domestic market growth potential * economies of scale advantage * industry adaptability to change and * potential to attract foreign investment. First, a strong domestic market is one where a large volume of wine is purchased and where consumers readily select domestic wines. Second, even more important is the potential for growth in a producer’s domestic market, as this shows if opportunities for additional sales exist where producers may have local knowledge and other native advantages such as local distribution. Third, countries where production is dominated by larger firms have the advantages of scale and scope as well as improved power in promoting and pushing their wines to consumers and retailers. Fourth, industry adaptability to change summarizes the willingness of producers to experiment with cost saving production methods or to pioneer new marketing techniques. It also indicates if producers are free from excessive regulations or blind adherence to long standing traditions. Finally, countries that have business-friendly climates, favorable costs or other natural comparative advantages will attract foreign investment in wine production, which makes these countries stronger global competitors. Old World producers were the first to define tastes and quality standards and they have traditionally been supported by a strong local consumer base. The New World has had to work hard to build their wine industry, both in infrastructure and reputation. Large scale wine production is relatively recent, and many of the New World producers faced difficulties such as currency collapse, prohibition and international sanctions. Per-capita consumption also lags that of the Old World countries. Yet New World producers have recently been successful in producing consistent quality wine and in capturing global market share. .The group with the strongest competitive position includes Australia, Chile and the United States. Australia and Chile both have small populations that provide for a tiny domestic market with little potential for growth. However they are very well positioned to produce and export wine with their adaptive, large-scale producers and their great lure for foreign investments, providing them with a position of a strong competitive advantage. The US is a populous, affluent nation, and while the US wine market is already large, it has even more potential to expand. With all other key success factors strongly favorable, the US also possesses significant competitive advantages. The countries with the weakest competitive advantages in the global wine industry are two traditional strongholds of wine production in the Old World: France and Germany. While they have large domestic markets, there is little opportunity for further growth. There are many causes of the decline of France, and the Old World in general, in the market share of this sector; these concerns globalization, changes in the demand, more responsive strategies of the rivals and also the lack of market research and marketing investments by the French firms and totally ineffective technology and innovation policy. Moreover, the concentration of production into small wineries, complex labeling practices and inability to leverage new production and marketing techniques does also not bode well for effective competition in a global market place. Nor does either country hold much potential for attracting foreign investment, save for some traditionally undervalued areas of France, like Languedoc. In response to the shrinking costs of transport, globalization allowed companies situated in different areas of the globe competing in the same final market, an example is the UK one, where in the past the demand was completely satisfied by French, Italian and German wines. Although consumption per person has decreased in traditional consuming and producing countries (Italy, Spain, France), the consumption and production of wine is increasing in new countries in northern Europe, Americas and Asia. Countries like South Africa, Australia, Chile and Argentina are radically modifying the industrys competitive environment. With the globalization of the wine market, the environment is becoming more competitive and producers are implementing new strategies. We can observe two very different production and marketing models. * The traditional French model, based on the certificate of guaranteed origin (AOC), whose objective is to turn out a high added value typical product in limited quantities through the combination of a demarcated territory called terroir and enforcement of constraining specifications and regulations. The second, is being implemented by producers in the so called New World (the United States/California, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina). It is based on â€Å"industrialized† mass production and intense marketing of relatively standardized products which are easily identifiable through private brands. There are different observable relationships between the players and the production sites in the industry. In this context, the French wine industry appears to be in an insid ious or even open crisis. In most producing regions, a major symptom is the decrease in domestic sales in a context of market shrink. In addition, there is a loss of export market shares which is estimated at ten points in several countries that have traditionally been markets for French such as Great-Britain, Germany and Canada. In these cases, these losses are not due to an overall market decline, which is actually on the rise, but rather to the increase in competition by producers who are mostly from the southern hemisphere (Argentina, Chile, Australia, South Africa) and California. The real alleged weaknesses of the French wine industry have been the subject f numerous analysis and reinforcement proposals: regulations which are too strict and consequently slow down innovation, a complex and hard to understand product supply, minimal or even no effort made concerning promotion and marketing. Furthermore, we believe that the main mistake lies in the structural organization of the wine industry in France. Hence, we would like to not concentrate on the wine product and its specific qualities but will try to compare the way the industries’ players are organized, in order to analyze where the French industry is not adequate to modern challenges. The terroir/AOC model has been a reference for worldwide wine production until the 1980s but it is no longer the case in the early 2000s. Why is Frances position on the international wine markets degrading while New World wines experienced spectacular improvements and now aim at catching up with traditional Old World products? From an organizational point of view the terroir/AOC model seems to have a certain number of cumulative weak points in comparison to the new worlds model (identifiable with Porter-like clusters. In terms of the supply structures, the French established supply model and infrastructure are characterized by fragmentation and a high number of small winemakers that have a negative effect on investment capacities (material or immaterial) in the industry as a whole. This fragmentation has certainly a negative effect on the ability to innovate in terms of products, processes and even marketing and selling. The small scale of businesses and lack of tradition as regards pooling resources do not allow producers to find the financial means necessary for heavy investments. This weakness tends to neutralize the local industry’s reaction capability when it faces the new environment pressures. The fragmented supply chain is, indeed, both the cause and the consequence of a â€Å"non-competitive/non-co-operative† tradition among producers; individual strategies of traditional producers aim to avoid all forms of comparison with neighbours and potential competitors. This lack of cooperation is, in Porters perspective, one of the major weak points. On one side, for New World producers, wine-making is an economic activity and is taken on as such: producers define output, profit and market share growth objectives and give themselves the means to reach them. On the other, for traditional terroir producers, wine production, though highly lucrative, is not taken on in its economic dimension but rather centered round the â€Å"cultural† nature of the product. The New World producers are turned towards innovation, the terroir is founded on immutability of tradition; it is consequently strongly resistant to change. Terroirs’ organization model is traditionally supply driven in a context of scarcity. This avoids producers to think about productive environment and production method change. Consequently, traditional producers have had trouble in considering both the qualitative and quantitative evolution of demand and its consequences on supply, where â€Å"New World† producers are used to have a proactive behavior and, therefore, anticipating and stimulating it. And even when the need to change is implemented, the existence of tight regulation within a specific AOC can make a substantial product modification or production method more difficult to happen. A further set of identifiable weak points is linked to the nature of the top-down complementary relationships between grape growers and wine traders and to the transaction costs that result. The terroir/AOC† model of organization tends to generate opportunistic behaviour that can call into question its very survival, specifically in a very competitive context. In fact, while the perspective of getting an AOC label encourages players to enhance production quality, it may lead to let up on efforts made to maintain product quality once the label has been obtained, interfering with the overall image of the terroir and raising suspicion as regards product quality. To particularly highlight is the existence of incomplete contracts between grape growers and winemakers/wine merchants, the latter being responsible for the marketing of the product. This â€Å"generates considerable price variations and makes it impossible to set up contracts that guarantee traders constant and adequate wine supplies in terms of quantity and quality. The problem can spread to wines beyond generic wines and condemns, in advance, all ambitious and viable marketing strategies from the traders. † The presence of extremely heterogeneous quality levels within the same appellation can thus call into question the appellation itself and therefore the whole of the â€Å"terroir/AOC† organization and strategy. To avoid such opportunistic behaviours, autonomous certification bodies should be entitled to reconsider such certification on a regular basis and ban weak products/producers. The industry’s players themselves or a third party must assume responsibility for product quality guarantee. A major terroir organization characteristic is fragmentation and corporatism. Consequently, taking responsibility for such guarantee scheme is extremely difficult owing to incompatible corporatist and general interests. What is more, the existence of non-market regulation mechanisms (based on, for example, family or friendship ties) can in this case be counter-productive. Indeed, players can be tempted not to sanction one of their kin in the name of these relationships and later themselves avoid possible sanctions, whereas the intervention of a third party that is likely to guarantee this quality is difficult to promote with local entities. Under the AOC label, regulation is indeed carried out at local level by local players themselves and therefore known to be rather lax: making it impossible to use the label as a genuine quality guarantee. 3. 1 What advice would you offer today to the French Minister of Agriculture? To the head of the French wine industry association? To the owner of a mid-size, well regarded Bordeaux vineyard producing wines in the premium and super premium categories? French Minister of Agriculture: increase government investments in the wine industry; promote a responsible wine consumption of wine through events marketed at the new generation; create a new clear classification system based on the consumer tastes; promote the creation of big companies and disadvantage the proliferate of little-medium producers; sign contracts with other agriculture ministers of consumers countries in order to favour the French wine. Head of the French wine association: better integrate the network; quickly spread the know-how, techniques and innovations throught the French producers; promote wine events to increase the consumptions; promote the invention of new products made with wine; try to anticipate the next changes in the consumer tastes; advertise and invest more on the type of wine that is preferred by the consumers in that very moment; make advertisement aimed to a responsible and wealthy consumption of wine; try to drive the consumption to the type of wine that is over offered; lobbying the ministry of agriculture in order to have grants and privileges. Owner of the mid-size, well regarded Bordeaux vineyard: found a bigger company with the surrounding producers; invest in innovating the production process in order to increase the quantity and the quality; buy extensive land in the New World and exploit economic scale advantages. 3. 1 Possible advices to the French Minister of Agriculture Since the main objective of France is to take back the market share of the past and maintain the leader position in the wine market, it has to better exploit its competitive advantages and adopt some technical and marketing innovations in order to compete and defeat the new threatening producers. The first functional recommendation for the French Minister of Agriculture is to increment the government investments in the wine industry. The larger flow of money would be used, firstly, to invent or to develop techniques and tools for harvesting or farm vineyards, secondly, to achieve and overtake the distribution and marketing level of the New World producers. All those developments will also increase the production of wine and fulfil a larger portion of the international demand. In the last ten years, the new generation has grown with a high consumption of beer and super-alcoholic cocktails, the French Minister could aim to substitute these beverages with the wine. He might promote a responsible wine consumption through events directed to the new generation. It is important to advertise wine as a drink for all ages instead of a refined beverage just for mature people as this would implement the demand from part of the younger generation. One of the common problems of wine consumers is choosing which kind of wine and which brand purchase at the supermarket. This issue could be solved with a classification of brands and wine names that could be easily understood and memorized by the consumers. Quality can be maintained and highlighted also gathering the large number of different types of wine in few clusters with easy names to remember. This problem is also due to the large number of brands in the market. The majority of potential consumers are confused and at the end they prefer to buy a bottle of beer of a well known brand. Its possible to overcome this situation promoting the creation of big companies and disadvantage the proliferation of little-medium producers. Big companies bring into the market well-known brands, which massively increase producers’ market power. In order to increase the French market power compared with the direct and New World competitors’ ones, the French Minister of Agriculture could sign contracts or agreements with other agriculture ministers of consumers countries in order to favour the French wine. Since, UK, one of the larger consumer countries is next to France, it would be easy to find something to exchange for a commercial agreement. 3. Possible advices to the head of the French wine industry association As the Head of the French wine industry association to manage and represent all the wine producers, its objective is to promote and give advantage to its associates. Furthermore it would be useful to advise him to promote a better integration of the wine production process from the vineyards to the final consumer. This issue could be achieved through a cooperation or collaboration between the wine producers, merchant traders and the retailing sector. A superior control, permitted by this form of collaboration, avoid more handling stages, holding less inventory, capturing the intermediaries mark-up, sharing common objectives and improving the time to market. Moreover, the cooperation can spread the know-how, technique and innovation through all the French associates. It is really important to promote higher investments in RD in order to fill the gap that has occurred between France and the other New Word competitors. New innovations and technologies bring new developments and improvements to overtake and succeed on the marketing and distribution level of the competitors. Concerning the distribution, communities, retailers, and consumers are demanding more sustainable, eco-friendly packaging options, whether for everyday items or higher end purchases like fine wine. For some products, the barrier to conversion has been package performance. Therefore would be important to spread the use of green materials to pack and deliver the products. Since the French has never developed an efficient marketing strategy it has been difficult to align the interests between supply and demand. The French wine association has to try to anticipate the next changes in the consumer tastes, by means of market surveys and data collected through an effective wine industrial analysis. It is also important to drive the offer towards to the type of wine that is preferred by the consumers in that very moment. On contrary it is possible to drive also the demand and not only the supply of wine. Guiding the consumption towards the type of wine that is over offered or over produced it is hoped to avoid sure future losses. Nowadays people are blasted with advertisement that recommends not consuming wine because it is unsafe for the drinkers life. There will be an increment of demand persuading consumers that a little quantity of wine is not dangerous but rather really healthy, in particular the consumption of red wine. As well as the French Minister of Agriculture the Head of the French wine industry Association might promote and arrange wine events to increase the new generation consumption of wine. 3. 3 Possible advices to the owner of a middle size well regarded Bourdeaux vineyard producing wine and premium and superpremium category The main issue for French wine producers in the actual competitive environment, considering how the newcomers are acting and consequently gaining market share, is size. One of the challenges each small producer has to face is a competitive market without boundaries, totally changed from what it was only 10 or even 5 years ago, in which large multinationals are now efficiently operating. There is no univocal solution to this problem, but a few advices could be given to small or mid sized European companies. In order to gain advantage in terms of scale but even scope, the best way is to control the full production chain. From the vineyard to the glass, this can be obtained through either acquisition of neighbour producers, merging with other companies to better integrate or forming and exploiting networks. Each winemaker should analyze the market, an affordable process, and identify its possible cooperation/competition strategies. Maximum control over the value chain can often guarantee that the final product is produced and sold at the companys standards. One of the troubles the incumbents have to face is the inconstant quality often found within the same wine denomination. Bottles often sold at very high prices, due to a very lousy quality denomination system, are ruining the reputation of the other products of the same wine group. This is unacceptable as it ruins the whole regional system, but a solution can be found through the aforementioned network implementation or radical integration. It is often said of French producers that they are myopic as far as seeing new market possibilities and threats. The latter has been extensively discussed before, and it is clear that French firms have shown so far extremely poor market trends forecast abilities. Concerning the former, the most profitable markets nowadays are situated in the New World and UK where the advantage has been bargained by Australians and Americans. Good unexploited opportunities tough must be researched in totally virgin markets such as China, Japan and fast growing Asian nations. If it is possible to carve this markets in a profitable way for European producers then not all hope is lost. The extensive use of technology by the newcomers has permitted them a significant reduction in the cost of wine making, allowing the gain of large margins. On the other hand the incumbents have sedimented on traditionalism and conservatism, which in the past represented the main advantages to compete successfully. Things have changed and now the demand is focalizing on the steady quality that technological productions can supply. Among these new techniques a particular mention must be made to the studies regarding the dependency of the production on uncontrollable season variability, on which Australians are leaders by virtue of mechanization of harvesting, better irrigation and lab studies. Innovation is not vulgarization, on the contrary it is a powerful, a necessary, weapon to win the competition. The right approach to the market must consider the two segments that are clearly coming out as the main targets. On one side there are premium and super premium wines, a fast growing and very profitable segment. In this segment, as it is shown by recent studies in the bellwether market of UK, France is faring very poorly, losing market shares every year especially to Australia and other new producers. This is due to high quality and, of course, a far superior communication and marketing power. A possible answer to this can be the exploitation of the good name of tradition and historical high quality of French wines, in order to give an univocal signal to the consumers: â€Å"French wines are THE wines and every other bottle is just a beverage; when you drink a glass of French wine you dont just drink a glass of wine, but a piece of France†. The other segment, the lower one, is ironically the toughest for Europeans wine makers. New consumers are getting used to the fruity taste of elaborated Australians and American wines. This can be a shock for old producers but actually there is, for example, a strong demand for vanilla-tasted wine. To better face this market sector French producers, as newcomers have been doing successfully for years, should take advantage of branding as a market approach. Mid sized producers shouldnt be afraid to bastardize their sacred product, if they run on two tracks (upper segment and lower segment), at the same time with two perfectly shaped strategies they can capitalize on the good renowned name of old France. Everything which has been written so far about the strategy portfolio of a middle size well regarded Bourdeaux vineyard producing premium and super-premium wine is submitted to a fundamental limitation, a precondition to compete efficiently in this rapidly changing market: size. Size as reduction of costs and increase in efficiency, size as market power, size as control over the value chain, size as potential to expand in different markets, size as capability to attract foreign investments.