Shakespeares Identities A Midsummer Nights Dream

In A Midsummer Nights Dream, playwright William Shakespeare creates in Bottom, Oberon, and Puck unique characters that represent different aspects of him. Like Bottom, Shakespeare aspires to rise socially; Bottom has high aims and, however slightly, interacts with a queen. Through Bottom, Shakespeare mocks these pretensions within himself. Shakespeare also resembles King Oberon, controlling the magic we see on the stage. Unseen, he and Oberon pull the strings that control what the characters act and say. Finally, Shakespeare is like Puck, standing back from the other characters, acutely aware of their weaknesses and mocks them, relishing in mischief at their expense. With these three characters and some play-within-a-play enchantment,†¦show more content†¦Bottom, foolish as he may be, knows that the show must go on. Like Bottom, Shakespeare is still there when the actors have left the stage, answering lifes cues. INSERT WITTY CONCLUDING SENTENCE HERE. King Oberon was also written to share some of Shakespeares merits. Oberon has power over the other characters; his actions affect the world of the play. His quarrel with Titania causes storms, floods, and disease (II.i). Resembling a playwright, Oberon controls the movements of the young lovers. The lovers see and feel what he wants them to, just as Shakespeare chooses what the audience perceives and feels. Oberon embodies Shakespeares mystic powers over the characters and the development of the play. INSERT SECONDARY SOURCE HERE. Through Oberon, Shakespeare manipulates the unpredictable lovers. Although Shakespeare was not born a noble, as a dramatist he controls aristocrats and does with them as he wills. As Oberon uses his magical powers, Shakespeare uses his writing to prove he is above ordinary mortals. INSERT SECONDARY SOURCE HERE. Just as Shakespeare is not a fool like Bottom, in many ways Shakespeare is not like Oberon either. Shakespeare deliberately affects the world of the play, whereas Oberon does so unintentionally as a result of his wild passions. Oberon is incensed because Titania wont relinquish the changeling boy; his authority is challenged and his pride is hurt.Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1474 Words   |  6 PagesThe Unbridled Constraints of Shakespearian Romance For generations, Shakespeare’s masterpieces have remained at the peak of the ever increasing bar of literary works. A reason for this could be the inclination of everyday people to the consistent and underlying concept of romance in each of Shakespeare’s plays and related movies. For instance, one could look at the movies A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare in Love. The latter follows the life of William Shakespeare himself, everything fromRead MoreWeathering the Storms of True Love1159 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom the truth. 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Although A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy, we can observe through important scenes what Shakespeare may imply when it comesRead MoreWilli am Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream Essay2005 Words   |  9 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare crafts a play with three very different viewpoints that can be interpreted in many ways, some with obvious interpretations and other with much less obvious ones. Shakespeare also ends A midsummer Night’s Dream, with an apology that is just as less obvious as some of the play’s interpretation. Yet, If a person looks past the obvious interpretations of the play, one can begin to piece together the possible message, that mortals no matterRead MoreRobins Epilogue in A Midsummer Night’s Dream3107 Words   |  13 PagesIn A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare masterfully crafts a play with three very different viewpoints that can be interpreted, when woven together, in a number of ways that range from seemingly obvious interpretations to ones much more subtle. He ends the play with an apology that is just as elusive as the play’s interpretation. If one looks past the obvious, however, one can begin to piece together a possible message that mortals, no matter the power they hold on earth, are subject to far greaterRead MoreThe Major Comedic Elements of a Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay1022 Words   |  5 PagesThe Major Comedic Elements of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Like most comedies, Shakespeare’s comedies also aimed to entertain the audience and to conclude with a somewhat happy ending. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no exception to that rule. Also like most of his comedies, the main theme of this play is marriage or the celebration of a marriage. Although marriage is the main theme of this play, Shakespeare conveys many other themes though the lyrical expressions of the work. TheseRead MorePassion in A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay963 Words   |  4 PagesPassion in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream may come off as a simple comedy but is a complex play with many interesting aspects. Passion, a significant characteristic, is often expressed through the play. Characters in the play show passion for different reasons; Puck passions for mischief, Helena for Demetrius’ love and Bottom for theatrics, are a few of the many examples. Passion shows much significance, being the most important characteristic in the playRead More A Midsummer Nights Dream - A Feminist Perspective Essay648 Words   |  3 PagesA Feminist Perspective of A Midsummer Nights Dream  Ã‚        Ã‚   At age fifteen, my hormones went wild and I threw myself at every boy in the neighborhood.   Although I didn’t go all the way, I offered as much flesh as I dared. If the suburbs can create such sexual angst, imagine the lust stirred by moonlight, fairies, and a warm midsummer night. In   Shakespeares comedy A Midsummer Nights Dream, Helena represents the frenzy of young love when fueled by rejection and driven to masochistic extremesRead MoreCommon Features of a Shakespeare Comedy1745 Words   |  7 Pagesand romantic love. * Mistaken identities: The plot is often driven by mistaken identity. Sometimes this is an intentional part of a villain’s plot, as in Much Ado About Nothing when Don John tricks Claudio into believing that his fiance has been unfaithful through mistaken identity. Characters also play scenes in disguise and it is not uncommon for female characters to disguise themselves as male characters, seen in Portia in the Merchant of venice. Shakespeare’s 17 comedies are the most difficult

Macbeth monologue Essay Example For Students

Macbeth monologue Essay A monologue from the play by William Shakespeare LADY MACBETH: He has almost supped. Why have you left the chamber?Was the hope drunkWherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?And wakes it now to look so green and paleAt what it did so freely? From this timeSuch I account thy love. Art thou afeardTo be the same in thine own act and valorAs thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have thatWhich thou esteemst the ornament of life,And live a coward in thine own esteem,Letting I dare not wait upon I would,Like the poor cat i the adage?What beast wast thenThat made you break this enterprise to me?When you durst do it, then you were a man;And to be more than what you were, you wouldBe so much more the man. Nor time nor placeDid then adhere, and yet you would make both.They have made themselves, and that their fitness nowDoes unmake you. I have given suck, and knowHow tender tis to love the babe that milks me:I would, while it was smiling in my face,Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gumsAnd dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as youHave done this. If we should fail?Screw your courage to the sticking placeAnd well not fail. When Duncan is asleep(Whereto the rather shall his days hard journeySoundly invite him), his two chamberlainsWill I with wine and wassail so convinceThat memory, the warder of the brain,Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reasonA limbeck only. When in swinish sleepTheir drenched natures lies as in a death,What cannot you and I perform uponTh unguarded Duncan? what not put uponHis spongy officers, who shall bear the guiltOf our great quell?

Wiglaf and MacArthur Speech Analysis free essay sample

Wigwag and Macarthur speeches were both toward soldiers and were both very motivating. However, there are many differences between the two when it comes to the purpose, tone and syntax elements. Wigwag is furious with these warrior Seats because they have abandoned Beowulf. HIS Intent is to either encourage them to re-join Beowulf and himself In fighting the dragon or to make them feel guilty for their cowardly behavior as warriors. He also exemplifies the importance of being loyal to your leader. Macarthur has more to do with speaking of patriotism and what the soldiers duty Is.He wants to bring to the able the history of the American soldier and explain why he or she Is still Important In todays society. The tone of Wigwag;s speech Is accusatory, critical, but whimsical at times because he reminds them of times In the Mead Hall when they promised to serve Beowulf with their lives. We will write a custom essay sample on Wiglaf and MacArthur Speech Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Macarthur tone Is Inspiring and motivational, yet mournful and powerful when talking about the debts American soldiers have paid. Wigwags speech had a lot of words like boasting, swore, trusting, promises, to evoke a sense of guilt in his audience.Wigwag is a soldier, therefore, he uses a lot of tattle language, which affects the diction. The last two lines make concrete the image of Wigwag, a soldier, using the words helmet, sword, Bernie and battle dress. The use of pathos is used more in Macarthur speech. His primary usage of pathos can be seen in his guarantee of betterment under the circumstances that the cadets maintain the values instilled in them by the West Point Military Academy. This promise of gain can be seen in Macarthur phrase, Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what oh will be. MacArthur uses ethos through his use of personal experience and credentials in order to show that he too has been in the same position as the cadets there that day and that by upholding the values instilled in him during his time at West Point he had managed to become the man he was. Some would say both speeches would be about the same because the audiences are very similar. Wigwag became the hero, whereas MacArthur was already a hero. The contrast between the two speeches unquestionably overpowers the comparison. Wigwag and MacArthur Speech AnalysisBy Whitley-Miller His intent is to either encourage them to re-join Beowulf and himself in fighting the with speaking of patriotism and what the soldiers duty is. He wants to bring to the table the history of the American soldier and explain why he or she is still important in todays society.

Free Essays on Dali Biography

May 15, 2005 â€Å"A true painter is one who can paint extraordinary scenes in the middle of an empty desert. A true painter is one who can patiently paint a pear in the midst of tumults of history.† -Salvador Dali "Salvador," as told by Dali, was â€Å"destined to rescue and save painting from the mediocre catastrophes of modern art.† Salvador Dali is considered the greatest artist of the surrealist movement and one of the greatest masters of art during the twentieth century, experimenting with numerous other creative forms: sculpture, screenwriting, jewelry, and different styles and genres of art. Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalà ­ I Domenech was born on May 11, 1904, as the son of a prestigious notary in the small town of Figueres, in Northern Spain. Salvador Dali is given the same name as his older brother, who died prior to his birth. Dali’s older brother Salvador passes away at the age of seven from an attack of meningitis. Dali wrote that they resembled each other like two drops of water, but with different reflections. The profound sadness experienced by their parents was transpired into an unconditional dedication towards their new child. His early childhood was spent in Figueres and at the family's summer home in the coastal fishing village of Cadaques, where his parents built his first studio. As an eccentric child dealing with life’s hardships it enabled him to artistically demonstrate his personal obsessions and fantasies by painting in bold dream world imagery. Sigmund Freud’s theory of the unconscious, expounded in â€Å"The Interpretation of Dreams,† played a large role in influencing Dali and his passion for dreams. The other prevalent factor in the shaping of Dali’s artistic philosophy was found in the close knit avant-garde styles of French Surrealists. Dali, as a young protà ©gà ©, received his first drawing lessons when he was ten years old from then well known Spanish impressionist painter, Ramon... Free Essays on Dali Biography Free Essays on Dali Biography May 15, 2005 â€Å"A true painter is one who can paint extraordinary scenes in the middle of an empty desert. A true painter is one who can patiently paint a pear in the midst of tumults of history.† -Salvador Dali "Salvador," as told by Dali, was â€Å"destined to rescue and save painting from the mediocre catastrophes of modern art.† Salvador Dali is considered the greatest artist of the surrealist movement and one of the greatest masters of art during the twentieth century, experimenting with numerous other creative forms: sculpture, screenwriting, jewelry, and different styles and genres of art. Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalà ­ I Domenech was born on May 11, 1904, as the son of a prestigious notary in the small town of Figueres, in Northern Spain. Salvador Dali is given the same name as his older brother, who died prior to his birth. Dali’s older brother Salvador passes away at the age of seven from an attack of meningitis. Dali wrote that they resembled each other like two drops of water, but with different reflections. The profound sadness experienced by their parents was transpired into an unconditional dedication towards their new child. His early childhood was spent in Figueres and at the family's summer home in the coastal fishing village of Cadaques, where his parents built his first studio. As an eccentric child dealing with life’s hardships it enabled him to artistically demonstrate his personal obsessions and fantasies by painting in bold dream world imagery. Sigmund Freud’s theory of the unconscious, expounded in â€Å"The Interpretation of Dreams,† played a large role in influencing Dali and his passion for dreams. The other prevalent factor in the shaping of Dali’s artistic philosophy was found in the close knit avant-garde styles of French Surrealists. Dali, as a young protà ©gà ©, received his first drawing lessons when he was ten years old from then well known Spanish impressionist painter, Ramon...

Information Security in Supply Chain Security Research Proposal

Information Security in Supply Chain Security - Research Proposal Example However, this ‘information security’ aspect in the supply chain security is not as greatly investigated as the other areas are. Given the fact that supply chains involve crucial information about organizations, nations as well as about individuals, it is a necessity to ensure the security of all the information. Large supply chains that include borders of different countries involve number of agencies that share information among themselves. Such a process requires a strong system that would ensure the security of information. This research proposal is an attempt to provide a guideline regarding the research that will be conducted on the information security systems that are used by the agencies like customs in various countries. The proposal includes details of research objectives, possible structure of literature review as well as the research methodology. Research Objectives The main purpose behind conducting this research is to identify and analyze the present inform ation security systems that are used by various key players in the supply chains. Furthermore, the research is also aimed at finding out the alternative security system models that may be used. There may be several aspects or parameters based on which a particular security system model can be analyzed. ... It is found that ASYCUDA (Automated System for Customs Data Acquisition) is one of those systems that are widely used by important agencies that are involved in the global supply chains. Hence, this research will aim at gathering sufficient information about this system, its usage, advantages and disadvantages. This will certainly be another main objective of the research. In addition to all these objectives, the research will also focus on identifying the requirements of changing the existing systems and having a new one that will be more efficient and effective. Hence, the following research question arise form these objectives. Is there any need of developing a new standard information security system that will be used across the world? Literature Review A preliminary study of literature reveals that supply chains have evolved in several respects over the past few decades. They have become more global than they were ever before. Today, major stakeholders in a supply chain’s security are the industry, governments and terminal operators. According to the findings of a research paper which is published by IT major IBM, key elements of the security of a supply chain include physical security, risk analysis, personnel security, information security and procedural security (Knight, 2003). As far as information security is considered it is certainly one of the most significant elements as the supply chain processes are managed by the information systems. Acknowledgement of the importance of information security must come with the acceptance of the fact that there are several problems that challenge the safety and security of information that are exchanged across the supply chains. Andrew R. Thomas has opined that one of the major problems

Research and critical evaluation on the M&M (Modigliani and Miller) Essay

Research and critical evaluation on the M&M (Modigliani and Miller) models and the production of a report - Essay Example The paper presents the elementary propositions of the Miller-Modigliani approach and after presenting their models, put forward a categorical analysis and criticism with respect to optimization for shareholders’ returns in the context of arbitrage scenario (Chandra, 2002, pp.411-412, 417-418). Financial Decision Making in Achievement of Specified Business Objectives Financial Decision Making The financial decisions taken by a business firm to meet financial objectives must also fulfill the goals of specified business objectives. Finance is considered to be the lifeblood of a business concern. Hence management of the financial resources for an organization must be conducted in a manner as to satisfy the organizational goals. The gamut of financial decisions focus on key activities like planning, organizing, directing the capital requirements and the usages of the funds incorporated in a business organization. These financial activities must be pursued in order to meet key finan cial objectives like achieving a strong rate of return on the amount of capital invested. The business must target at achieving such levels of profits as would not only help in meeting the amount of investments made but also for helping the business to accumulate funds for the future. However, organizations must not only focus on achieving huge profits to augment the capital value of the stakeholders but must generate a holistic view in bettering the economic position of the firm (Joseph, 2005, pp.170-172).. The short term financial needs of a firm center on acquiring of short-term business assets in meeting the short-term liabilities of the concern. This aspect is known as the management of working capital, which is conducted to take care of the current solvent position of the concern (Chandra, 2002, pp.4-5). Maximizing Shareholder Value Most business organizations render importance to the issue of augmenting the value of the owners and shareholders of a business firm. The value of the owners or shareholders of a business firm reflects on the market value of the total amount of stock possessed by such. Market value of the stocks refers to the price quotes of such while being traded in stock exchanges. Wealth of the shareholders is maximized by the business organization through the augmentation of the present value of some future returns expected by the owners. Future returns depend on the accrual of dividends or of future sale proceeds of company stocks. The present value of such future income is calculated based on a specific rate of discount accounted on receiving cash dividends in the future period (Moyer, McGuigan, & Kretlow, 2008, p.5). Financial Strategy A business organization to perform effectively must formulate an adequate financial strategy to satisfy the business goals. An effective financial strategy drawn by any concern revolves around accomplishing two specific business needs. Firstly it endeavors to cite the sectors from which the firm can dra w in adequate amount of funds to meet its business needs. Secondly, it sets guidelines for the proper management of such funds within the organization to generate an efficient financial structure. The business organization must also look forward in maximizing the return on the investments made and in minimizing the rate of risks adhered to it (Bender & Ward, 2008, pp.4-6). The

Honda Strategy and Marketing Analysis

Honda Strategy and Marketing Analysis Volkswagen was the first company entering the Chinese automobile industry. Faced by a satisfied home market the company had to expand its business and therefore the growing economy of China was their next choice. The Volkswagen Beetle, the first car produced for the Chinese market, was a real success. After several years  competitors, mainly from the Japanese market like Honda, started to enter the Chinese market very aggressively and  due to that Volkswagen had to face the challenge to maintain its market leader position and therefore adopt the  corporate strategy. As a consequence Volkswagen China introduced its Olympic Program strategic plan in 2005. The program is calledOlympic since its aim is to reach the strategic goals set by the end of the Olympic year 2008. In the following we will analyze the strategic plans of Volkswagen and set them in context to the strategic behaviour of  the Japanese competitor Honda. 3.1 Marketing Volkswagen announced to focus more on differentiation. This is due to the existence of two joint ventures and the  planned positioning of the Skoda products. By offering a large product variety the group aims to serve as many different  target customer groups as possible. In opposition to previous product designs the new cars offered by Volkswagen will be adapted to Chinese taste in order  to increase the brands popularity. The former Volkswagen products were designed for the European market but since  Japanese car manufacturers fit better to the Asian taste the company had to react. The Volkswagen products in China  compete on quality but to maintain the companys leading position it is unremitting to produce cars that are both  fashionable and qualitative. 3.2 Sales Sales relationships are going to be restructured and there will be more interaction between the two joint ventures FAW  VW and VWS. These strategic interactions are another way to increase the companys customer orientation and thereby  the attractiveness of the brand. Dealerships will be tailored to the newly-defined customer groups segmentation of the  two joint ventures respectively. Vehicles of the Volkswagen brand will be distributed through two dealer network  channels. By this, Volkswagen aims at its strategic goal to maintain its leading position by serving different customer  groups. 3.3 Research and Development The company focuses more on in-house developments within the Volkswagen joint ventures in China to save costs. Ten  to twelve new models developed in China for the Chinese market should be launched by the end of 2008. 3.4 Sourcing and Supply Chain Historically the two joint ventures VW Shanghai FAW VW in Changchun sourced separately but within the last decade  sourcing became more challenging for the company: the cars are becoming more sophisticated and therefore the  components have to fulfil higher expectations, the technical expertise of the supplier is getting more important and it is  difficult for Volkswagen to find suppliers which meet their requirements, lack of availability of certain raw materials  (e.g. specific kinds of steel) cause sourcing difficulties. As a reaction Volkswagen is trying to introduce a common sourcing process for the global group and bundle the  purchasing volume in China to create economies of scale. Thereby the target is to find one supplier for each platform  part and carry these parts to China. 3.5 Manufacturing In order to decrease production costs the board decided to introduce so called product cost workshops within the  manufacturing departments to communicate cost targets and produce to costs. Also large parts of the manufacturing  process will be done in China and localization in China are planned to be increased to make use of the cheaper labour  wages in China. Besides all plans to reduce production costs Volkswagen tries not to compromise its high engineering  quality and manufacturing standards since this is a very important success factor for the company. 4. Honda strategy in China Honda advocates the spirit of three joys. Because of their belief in the value of each individual, Honda believes that each person working in, or coming in touch  with their company, directly or through their products, should share a sense of joy through that experience. This feeling  is expressed in what they call The Three Joys. Their goal is to provide Joy: for those who buy their products and produce their products. In that regard, their main concern is for people. First, there is The Joy of Buying for every customer who buys a Honda This Joy is a step beyond customer satisfaction. As they define it, there are four steps to successfully creating The Joy  of Buying.   We also pick up another 4 strategy of Guangzhou Honda in China. Firstly, large scales of purchasing; Honda uses their  economies of scale by working with their parts suppliers to order raw materials in large quantities. Secondly, suppliers localization, more than 160 component suppliers around Guangzhou Honda to manufacture some  supports component for automobiles. For example, the glass seat and engine. These parts are supplied not only for  Guangzhou Honda but also sometimes for exporting. Whats more, setting up manufacturing base for transmission in  Guangzhou really makes a record, because this is the first time for foreign-funded automobiles enterprises to set up  transmission manufacturing base in China. And this investment of Honda makes the supplier localization especially the  suppliers for core parts. Thirdly, optimizing logistics process. They use logistics management software from USA.The logistics department of  Guangzhou Honda was demanded to operate according to the pattern in Janpese Logistics Company. They emphasize  importing the service quality in logistics, decreasing logistics cost enlarge market share and competitiveness and import  new technology and methods in logistics from USA. Fourthly, making supply chain perfect. The Honda setting up a local transmission manufacturing base in Guangzhou  makes transmissions no longer popular in importing and components industrial chain in China will develop to perfect. the newly set-up base will provide transmissions to three Honda companies in China(Guangzhou Honda, Dongfeng  Honda and China Honda)In this pattern, the most crucial part of automobileengine production has been promoted a  lot. In the influence of transmission localization. The biggest supplier of clutch in Japan set up a factory in 5 years with the  total investment54million dollars in Nanhai District in Guangzhou and it manufacture clutch for Guangzhou Honda  directly. With the localization of supplier of transmission and clutch the supply chain of Guangzhou Honda has developed into  nearly perfect. Hondas strategy in supply chain can considerably decrease the cost which gives Guangzhou Honda more profits. Then we move on to the comparison of the marketing between Volkswagen and Honda. Firstly, for Honda they launch a  new car later in China compared with in Japan. For example, the Accord in 2008 was launched half a year later in China  than in Japan. But for Volkswagen, a new car will have a same launching agenda all over the world; it means same time  promoting same time marketing. Secondly, Honda adjusts the price to the situation of market nearly every season. Demand fluctuation, price fluctuation. The flexible price strategy is different from Volkswagens steady price strategy which perhaps gives consumers more  reliability. Thirdly, Honda fight for market share and Volkswagen emphasize brand reputation in long term, Honda target  consumers which means flexible strategy will be much easier for company to survive and succeed. While for  Volkswagen, more luxury and exclusive element allow Volkswagen to offer more credence for consumers in order to  gain reputation in long term. Case study : SIAC 6.4.1. General History of SVW and SGM Not only did Shanghai present an advantage as a potential market, but  Shanghais heavy industrial infrastructure also made major contributions to Shanghai  VW (SVW) and Shanghai GM (SGM). A larger number of parts factories, together  with the extant Shanghai car plants and the citys steel and other heavy industries,  cried out for the final ingredients necessary for rapid development: modern  technology and management skills. An automobile cluster began to develop in Shanghai in the 1980s, thanks to  strong government support at different levels. To upgrade the national automobile  industry following international standards and to avoid an influx of automobile  imports, the central government started negotiation with VW in 1978 for the  establishment of a joint auto production firm. During that entire year, the countrys  state-owned auto factories produced only 15,500 vehicles, and the industry was characterized by old-fashioned, low-quality cars that were produced with outdated  equipment in a labor-intensive process (Kiefer, 1998). Chinese official pressed the  idea of building autos for export and insisted on auto-parts localization. The German  counterpart, however, explained the necessity of auto-part import at the first stage and  proposed the idea of localization as China became more experienced in producing  quality part supplies. Within this cooperative atmosphere, the contrac t was signed in  1984. This joint venture was owned 50% by Volkswagen, 25% by SAIC, 15% by the  Bank of Chinas Shanghai Trust and Consultancy Corporation, and 10% by the China  National Automotive Industrial Corporation. The involvement of Chinese partners  revealed careful forethought: The Bank of China could provide or guarantee needed  loans, SAIC would have an interest in solving local problems, and CNAIC could be a  link to the central planner. (Harwit, 1995, p. 153). To reduce its dependence on VW and to stimulate technology transfer after  one decade of cooperation, SAIC decided to engage in the joint venture with GM in  the early 1990s. SAIC and GM signed a contract to jointly set up Shanghai GM  production facilities in Pudong in 1997. GM was anxious to win this joint venture  because it believed that SAIC was the best automobile company in China. Indeed,  SAIC was highly profitable due to many advantages. Notably, the Chinese  government had chosen SAIC to be the primary passenger car producer enabling it to  acquire the most relevant technological experiences, more so than any other domestic  company. However, the obvious disadvantage of working with SAIC was its existing  joint venture with VW which was one of GMs global competitors and which had  dominated the Chinese passenger car market since the mid-80s (see Table 19). Since  its establishment, SGM has grown into one of the largest car producers in China. 6.4.2. Auto Supplier Cluster in Shanghai Area The development of the automobile industry in the city was strongly supported  by municipal policies, including infrastructure development, labor market, and  industrial policies. In addition, to stimulate broad manufacturing competencies and to  integrate Chinese suppliers within the region, the central government enforced local-content regulations on those auto joint ventures to spur the development of a regional  production network with substantial local linkages. Meanwhile, there has been a strong tendency in the international automobile  industry to develop hierarchical supplier networks and shift the developing,  manufacturing, and assembly responsibilities of important modules to the first-tier  suppliers. Along with the globalization strategy of the automobile producers, large  first-tier suppliers were also required to follow their auto assembly partners and set up  production facilities in other nations (Sadler, 1998). As a consequence, VW  demanded that important first-tier suppliers establish production facilities in China,  preferably within the region. However, production volume (less than 20,000 units in 1990) at that time was too small for global suppliers to set up mass production  facilities in Shanghai. In the initial years after production was launched, SVW still imported most parts and components for the production of the VW Santana from overseas, a large part of which was from Germany. At that time, there were basically no firms in the  region that could have supplied the parts that were needed. However, the Chinese  government threatened to impose a production limit on SVW if the firm would not  increase its local content in production. To achieve the 70% local content regulation  but at the same time to ensure global quality standards, VW and the Chinese  government worked interactively in promoting joint venture partnerships in the auto  parts sector. 6.4.3. Joint Ventures Firm Strategy and Competition SAICs strategy is clear-to form multiple auto JVs with different global  firms and to benefit from competitions between those partners, in regard to  technology transfer, new model introduction, and supply market rationalization. SAICs experience with GM and VW proved this strategy, and GM seems to do a  better job in quality control, technology adaptation, and accurate appraisals of  domestic demand market than its competitor VW. While VW and GM are  increasingly going head to head in the marketplace as they expand their product lines,  SAIC may find itself competing with both when its own car goes on sale. At the same . time, VW and GM run the risk of being shunted aside as Chinas domestic auto  industry develops. In July 2004, national auto sales rose only 3.7% over the same period in 2003  (CAAM, 2005). The growth slowdown has had a significant impact on VW who was  losing market shares because of an aging product line and increased competition. In  2002, cars made by SVW had 27.6% of the China market; in 2003 they slipped to  19.6%, and for the first seven months of 2004, they fell further to 15.5% (Xu, 2005). VWs difficulties have created an opportunity for GM, which passed SVW  briefly in June 2004 to become the market leader. Over the past few years, Chinese  consumers have become more savvy shoppers through greater access to information  (The middle class., 2001), said Phil Murtaugh (CEO of GM China) at the 2001  China Business Summit, and they have higher expectations for the products and their  quality. (The middle class., 2001). He pointed to the dramatic increase of internet  usage and the greater number of Chinese auto publications. Chinas growing middle  class itself represents a sophisticated customer base for a broaden product mix and  thus fierce competition, Murtaugh said (The middle class., 2001). A careful  evaluation of changing domestic consumers and a close relationship with Chinese  engineers in its technical center keeps GM consistently in the leading position in  Chinese passenger car market. 6.4.4. Technology Transfer: Good and Bad  Scholars a dvocated that the existing supplier network and industrial  infrastructure were important reasons why GM also decided to set up production  facilities in Shanghai in 1997(Gallagher, 2005; Taylor III, 2004), while the later  success of GM, to a large extent, is attributed to its sincere investment in local  technology development and close cooperation with Chinese engineers. Nonetheless,  problems could rise from inter-JV technology transfer. GM was the first company that actually established a technical center with  additional investment in Shanghai, following the governments promotion of  technology transfer in the 1994 industrial policy. A separate $50 million US joint  venture was established between GM and SAIC named the Pan Asian Technical  Center (PATAC). PATACs main purpose is to provide engineering support to SGM  and other Chinese auto companies. PATAC has also established an in-house  emissions testing center and has employed around 400 Chinese engineers, which,  though not directly training Chinese engineers, gives China the opportunity to work  closely with advanced techniques and learn in the process. According to Porter (1990), only when a foreign company transfers RD  decisions can it add to the host nations competitiveness.