Friday, November 1, 2019

Cereal Promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cereal Promotion - Essay Example Before launching promotion campaign, it can be rather useful to make analysis of already existing advertisements. With this aim, we are going to research three randomly taken print ads of Cheerios. They are the following: Ad #1: This advertisement emphasizes appropriateness and conveniences of Cheerios products made particularly for children. The stated ad tells that cereals are useful and healthy, proving it by mentioning that four out of five pediatricians choose exactly Cheerios. Also this print advertisement explains that ring-shaped flakes are very comfortable for kids to grab them, that is why, parents will not have any problems with feeding their children. Ad manages to attract people’s attention with a catchy headline and relevant picture. However, there is rather cumbersome text that can be shortened without any damage to the main idea of the print ad. Ad #2: This advertisement attracts potential consumers’ attention with big and memorable headline that contain s a piece of propagandized product, which makes it more special and acceptable. In addition, the company emphasizes the influence of cereals on heart diseases. Provided text is very informative and appropriate.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Paper 2 about Chinese media industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paper 2 about Chinese media industry - Essay Example Although there are still reports of suppression by the state of independent media sources, there is tacit encouragement given to these media sources to participate in China’s culture industry and the media. Moreover, although state authorities continue to exert control on the use of domestic private capital in the core production of news items, there is increased recognition of this capital should play in china. Taken together, the media system in China is characterized by the domineering role of state capital in controlling the media’s heights, whereas private capital makes investments in production and sales. This has led to a system where the state continues to exert ideological control of the media, while also enabling the cultural and media markets to respond better to the needs and preferences of popular Chinese culture (Zhao, 2008). The Chinese state authorities have managed to gain increasing managerial and regulatory control over the media system, playing a gate-keeping role that enables it accumulate capital by strategically controlling media outlets and subsequent rental-seeking behavior. On the other hand, the state has sought to increasingly outsource most of the distribution and production work, thus giving up its ‘heavy lifting’ role to private capitalists (Zhao, 2008). In turn, the character and nature of private capital in the domestic media market has been transformed from private capitalist owners with a media background to industrial conglomerate owners embedded within the current power structure. For example, there is a growing class of financial capitalists in the media industry who view the industry as a new capitalist frontier, rather than a medium for cultural expression and social communication. In addition, there is a significant shift towards the incorporation of domestic priva te capital into transnational capital’s distribution

Monday, October 28, 2019

Alcohol Summary Essay Example for Free

Alcohol Summary Essay In 2001 spirit makers ended a long standing volunteer policy against aggressive alcohol advertising (Steiner and Steiner, 2009). Since that time, there has been an unprecedented shift toward increased alcoholic advertisements in an effort to increase market share and raise profits. This shift brings into light the challenge alcoholic companies face in balancing their fiduciary duties to their shareholders and their corporate and social responsibility to society. This report focuses on the issues surrounding Anheuser Busch’s Spykes beverage and the corporate and social issues similarly faced by other alcoholic beverage companies. Introduction There is growing public pressure for alcoholic beverage companies to meet their social and ethical duties to balance efforts to increase profits to their shareholders whilst protecting society from the harmful effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Anheuser Busch (AB) is one of the largest alcoholic beverage companies in the world. In 2005 AB manufactured an alcoholic beverage called Spykes It is a spirit based beverage that was intended to target their 21-30 year old legal age drinkers. Following a successful soft launch, AB was hopeful that Spykes would help increase market share and profits. Unfortunately, growing public pressure forced AB to stop selling Spykes (Steiner and Steiner, 2009). This report looks at specific issues surrounding Spykes and its potential harm to society, considers AB’s ethical duties to society, discusses the affect of alcoholic advertising in society and addresses potential reforms to help ensure alcoholic beverage companies fulfil their ethical duties to protect society of undue harm. Is Spykes Bad? Spykes could be considered bad in the sense that it was likely targeted at underage drinkers. It is well accepted that alcoholic beverages are no ordinary commodity (Babor et al, 2003) and Spykes could be classified as part of the Alcopops group of beverages which are primarily consumed by underage or young drinkers. These Alcopops negatively affect the health and well being of young people (Robinson and Kenyon, 2009). Accordingly, Spykes may be considered bad for the health and well being of underage drinkers and society in general. The World Health Organisation believes that alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of death among young people (World Health Organisation, 2002). AB elected to stop selling Spykes in response to negative public pressure. This negative pressure primarily came from Center for Science in the Public Interest who believed Spykes was being marketed and consumed by underage drinkers. This belief was formed on the basis that AB used strategic marketing incorporating the latest technology to produce interactive arenas with impressive graphics, eye catching animation and a fancy website (Riley, 2005). This online content is generally appealing to a young audience. As Riley (2005) stated that young people are the biggest users of the internet and of advanced mobile phone technology. The alcohol industry has been quick to grasp the resulting marketing opportunities. Accordingly, stopping the sale of Spykes was the right thing to do in the context of reducing harm to underage drinkers as well as right thing to do in the context of protecting AB’s brand and public relations efforts as a socially responsible corporation. Anheuser Busch’s Ethical Duties. Ethics refers to the concept of judgment; what is right and wrong, moral and immoral in society. It is ethically accepted that organisations run to make a profit (Steiner and Steiner 2009). Alcoholic beverage companies would argue that advertising is a promotional activity used to enhance their profit, not to attract under age drinkers to consume alcohol. Anderson (2009) argued that alcohol advertising influences young people to consume more alcohol, especially teenagers due to the sexually arousing images in the advertisements. Jones (2005) acknowledged that alcoholic beverage companies who don’t provide correct information or hide information in their advertisements are acting unethically. From society’s perspective, any activities conducted by the alcohol beverage companies to remove alcohol related problems like violence, decreased morality and intoxication related problems like drinking driving are seldom advertised and marketed. In this sense, society is only seeing advertisements related to increased consumption leading to increased profits. Accordingly alcohol industries fail to fulfill their ethical duty to be informative and truthful in their advertising efforts. At present, alcohol beverage companies create a brand image by sponsoring sports and cultural activities that attract drinkers, first starting as a social drinker and then becoming regular drinkers (Munro De Wever, 2008). The current alcohol advertising regulatory system in Australia should aim to minimize exposure and appeal to children (VAADA, 2010). In Australia, advertising activities are regulated by legislation and a code of practice such as the Advertiser Code of Ethics and Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC). This code is based on a voluntary system of self-regulation which is funded and administered by the alcohol beverage companies. Currently there are no penalties for non-compliance (Jones, Hall Munro 2008). Additionally, the organisation is partly funded by alcoholic beverage companies. This presents a conflict of interest as in most instances, their fiduciary duties are act in the best interests of their shareholders and not necessarily society at large. In order to offset this conflict of interest, it is necessary for an Australian Federal regulatory body to be established to independently control alcohol advertising in society in the hopes of minimising the attraction of alcohol to underage drinkers. Misleading Advertisements Studies have proved that there is a strong relationship between alcohol advertising and consumption rates among under age drinkers (Snyder, Milici, Slater, Sun and Strizhakova, 2006; Collins, Ellickson, McCaffrey and Hambarsoomians, 2007). In addition, evidence suggests that alcohol ads influence youth perceptions of drinking. Some advertisements contain misleading messages that drinking alcohol will make consumers more sociable and outgoing; help them have a great time; help them feel more confident and less nervous; succeed with the opposite sex or it would make them feel more attractive (Jones and Gregory, 2007). These messages are highly attractive to today’s youth. Some ads portray drinking as distinctive and prestigious. These ads suggest that by drinking their product you will enjoy the finer things in life. As an example some beer ads depict attractive people on yachts, in luxury restaurants or luxury establishments (Fig 1, 2 and 3). Other ads propagate that drinking increases your status and differentiates you from others (Fig 4). Whilst other ads imply that sports and alcohol go together (Fig 5, 6). These ads are commonly aired during sporting events and through alcoholic beverage company sponsorship of such events. Wealth, happiness and sex tied to drinking are also common themes portrayed in ads (Fig 7 and 8). In some measure, each of these images appeal to under age drinkers and the investment in advertisements is on the rise. Table 1 shows the substantial investment by alcoholic companies in magazines alone. According to The Center on Alcohol, alcohol companies spent $2billion on alcoholic advertisement in magazines alone between 2001 and 2006 (The center on alcohol marketing and youth, 2008). In Australia during 2008, alcoholic beverage companies spent in $109million on advertisements (Nielsen Australia, 2008). Many of these messages are appealing to under age drinkers. Accordingly, alcohol companies should attempt to market their products in such a way that ensures their ads do not convey misleading messages. One way is to focus the ad on the product rather than the misleading images of wealth, sex and status. In addition, local governments should also promote responsible drinking and spread awareness in society adopting similar advertisements strategies. Regulating Alcohol Advertising The need for further regulation depends upon weather it can be proven that advertising alcohol increases consumption. In 2006 Teinowitz (2006) undertook a study of randomly sampled 15-26 year olds. The study found they drank more after seeing alcohol ads, and that each additional ad viewed increased the number of drinks consumed by 1%. The study also established that in markets with more alcohol ads, spending on alcohol was up over markets with fewer ads (Teinowitz, 2006). Accordingly, there is further need for regulation of alcoholic advertising. Further regulation could be in the form of the creation of a regulator body that enforced restrictions against alcoholic beverage companies adopting marketing strategies that primarily appeal to young persons. In AB’s case, they admittedly targeted young people with a brightly colored web site allowing visitors to download music mixes, ring tones, screen savers, and instant messaging icons (Steiner Steiner, 2009). These activities catered around youth culture. Regulators could determine that such marketing strategies, directed at young persons, could constitute advertisements that appeal to under age drinkers and therefore ban such ads. This ban could extend to bans on advertisements in public places and bans against alcoholic companies sponsoring public or sporting events. In order to determine if the suggested restrictions above meet The Central Hudson guidelines, a four part test may be applied as follows (Steiner and Steiner, 2009):- (a) the ad in question should promote a lawful product: (b) the government interest in restricting the particular commercial speech must be substantial; (c) the restriction must directly further the interest of the government; and (d) the restriction should not be more extensive than is necessary to achieve the government’s purpose. As outlined above, young people are influenced by alcohol advertising (Teinowitz, 2006). This interest is therefore substantial and the suggested bans will further protect the interest of the government. Although the suggested restriction may seem excessive, industries need to appreciate that a â€Å"business firm is more likely to gain public approval and social legitimacy if it adheres to basic ethical principles and society’s laws† (Post, Lawrence and Weber, 2002). Accordingly, the suggested restriction would meet the purposes of the Central Hudson guidelines. Conclusion Anheuser Busch is a good example of an alcohol beverage company that struggled to find a balance between increasing market share and profit whilst fulfilling its ethical duty to be a socially responsible corporation. As a result of this case, the information and ideas presented in this report suggests there is much needed reform and the establishment of a regulatory body to deal with alcohol advertisements. This need is driven by the significant interest in protecting young people from harm. Alcohol beverage companies and government should work together and do all they can to reduce harm to young people by restricting marketing and advertisements that appeal to young people. * Appendix A * Table 1 * Appendix B * Figures Fig 1: Skyy Blue, Entertainment Weekly, Apr 11, 2003| Fig 2 : Glenfiddich Scotch Whisky, Sports Illustrated, Nov 15, 2004, Nov 29, 2004, Feb 14, 2005| Fig3 : Captain Morgan Parrot Bay, Stuff, Aug 2002| Fig 4 : http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1P2-18802608. html, www. whiskyfun. com/archivemay05-2. html| Fig 5: www. funkydragon. org/en/fe/page. asp? n1=950n2=2207| Fig 6: http://www. swimmingworldmagazine. com/media/Michelob_Ad4. JPG| Fig 7 : Molson Canadian, FHM, Aug 2005| Fig 8 : http://katiehann. wordpress. com/2008/11/06/advertising-alcohol/| References Babor, T, Caetano, B, Casswell, S, Edwards, G, Giesbrecht, P, Graham, K, Grube, J, Grveneward, P, Hill, L, Holder, G, Homel, R, Osterberg, E, Rehm, J, Room, R and Rossow, I (eds), 2003, Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodit, Research and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Brian, J. (2000) Youth, Alcohol, and the Emergence of the Post-modern Alcohol Order, Occasional Paper No. 1 New Series, Institute of Alcohol Studies, London. Riley, L. (2005) ‘Drinking It In: Finding of the Valencia Meeting on Marketing and Promotion of Alcohol to Young People’ in G Marcus J O’Connor (eds), Corporate Social responsibility and Alcohol: The Need and Potential for Partnership, Guilford Press, Hoboken. Robertson, S and Kenyon, A, 2009, Ethics in the Alcohol Industry, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. World Health Organisation (WHO), (2002) The World Health Report 2002: Reducing risk, promoting healthy life, Geneva. Anderson, P. (2009) ‘Is it time to ban alcohol advertising? ’, Clinical Medicine, 9, 2 April 2009: 121-124 Jones, S. C. , Hall, D. Munro, G. (2008) ‘How effective is the revised regulatory code for alcohol advertising in Australia? ’, Drug and Alcohol Review, 27: 29-38 Munro, G. and De Wever, J. (2008) ‘Culture clash: alcohol marketing and public health aspirations’, Drug and Alcohol Review, 27(2): 204-211 Steiner, J. F, Steiner, G. A. (2009) ‘Business, Government, and Society’ McGraw-Hill Irwin, 12ED Sandra C. Jones (2005) ‘Beer, Boats and Breasts: Responses to a controversial alcohol advertising campaign’ ANZMAC Conference, University of Western Australia, P 77-81 Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association, 2010, Position Paper: Alcohol advertising, marketing and promotion, viewed 16 June 2010, http://www. vaada. org. au/resources/items/314236-upload-00001.pdf. Post. J. E. , Lawrence. A. T. and Weber. J. , (2002) Business Society: Corporate Strategy, Public Policy, Ethics, Tenth Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, Boston. Teinowitz. I. (2006) Do booze ads drive youth to drink? Advertising Age (Midwest Region Edition) Chicago. Vol 77, Iss 35, p8. viewed 24/06/10 http://0-proquest. umi. com. library. newcastle. edu. au/pqdweb? index=28did=1118136211SrchMode=1sid=1Fmt=3VInst=PRODVType=PQDRQT=309VName=PQDTS=1277385716clientId=29744.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Queen Of Air And Darkness Essay -- essays research papers

The Queen of Air and Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Queen of Air and Darkness Morgause raises four boys. She is not a good mother, and she does not give her boys a sense of right and wrong. She often ignores them for days at a time and beats them when they displease her. She acts as if they were pets rather than human beings, to be loved or not at her convenience . But despite this common maltreatment, the boys turn out very differently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gawaine is the oldest of the boys and in many ways the most normal. He becomes a knight in Arthur's court, fighting for him loyally. The way in which he is affected by his upbringing is his rages. When provoked Gawaine goes into a berserk rage in which he does things he would normally never do. When Gawaine and Agravaine are arguing over whether or not to write a letter to their father about the knights, Agravaine refuses to say he is wrong, so Gawaine goes berserk and attacks him. He does not simply beat him, but chokes him and slams his head against the floor until Gareth pulls him off. If Gareth had not been there, Gawaine very well might have killed his younger brother. Gawaine even kills a women when worked up to a rage. These rages are a product of the unhealthy childhood he endured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next child, Agravaine, is probably the least well adjusted of the four. He tends to be sadistic and self-centered. The children were told the tale of the King of Ireland by St...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

“Red” by Ted Hughes Essay

‘Red’ is a final collection by Ted Hughes in 1998 before he died. It has also engages the final death of Slyvia Plath in this piece of poetry. Ted Hughes has used ‘Red’ and ‘blue’ to describe Plath’s view of life and character from the day they got married and lived in their house. In the beginning of Red, it has defines Plath’s favourite colour that seems to wrap her entire life and movement. In line 4, ‘blood-red’ may have constitute a certain image caused in life that can be related to violence or conflict inferred to Plath. Life and death signifies nothing important for her to continue life and seems to live in remembrance in her deceased family members in line 7. In the second part of the poem, Ted and Slyvia had married and she had stepped into the life of her husband. In line 2, ‘Our room was red. A judgement chamber’ refers to how deeply in love Slyvia was to the colour that mades Ted shivers upon thinking of jurys. Everything was red from the ceiling to floor, the settings of their room was like a throbbing cell in line 9 which set his heart pounding. The only colour that can escaped from Slyvia were the bookshelves which can represent a glimpse of hope and meaning to the both of them. In line 1 to 3 of ‘Red’ third portion, it tells us how Ted tried to runaway from the blood chamber by looking out to the windows but to no avail. He could not help himself from not thinking of his wife’s saddening and crimson red image. He describes his feeling like blood tossing from a wound in line 5 that eventually will lead to a sense of impending doom (line 7). In the fourth paragraph, it tells readers how Ted finds his wife’s clothing and sensual lips which spells blood and rawness. ‘A swathe of blood’ that envelopes or enfolds a hidden blood (line 1). In line 2 to 4, the way Slyvia revelled the lavish, generous red burgundy gives an imaginary picture of she was painting the town in red too. Once again, he feels the blood shimmer from the gash (line 7). From the fifth part of the poem, it depicts the gleam of hope has been  splashed with blood too. In this part, those roses refer to the colour ‘red’. Slyvia began to lose herself deeper into the helpless world of her own with occasion of optimism. Lastly, ‘Blue was better for you. Blue has wings’ express the kind of life Ted prefers his wife to be. The only times where she liked ‘blue’ was when she was pregnant. He really liked her to be like an angel or guardian in the sky as the colour of blue sky. But Slyvia Plath chose to lose herself, lost her soul in the pit of red. Ted Hughes feels guilty and remorseful of her death although he may not be the entire cause of her suicide. He uses poem to convey his feelings to the readers and to Slyvia Plath.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Equality and Diversity Essay

You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢ The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk †¢ Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢ When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢ Then, go to www.vision2learnforschools.com and send your completed Assessment to your teacher via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Name: Claire-Louise 1. What is meant by diversity? Diversity means differences such as different religious beliefs, different cultural traditions, music, art, dancing etc. In the context of society and culture, diversity is usually mentioned in discussing multicultural societies. 2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: †¢ Interests †¢ Beliefs †¢ Ages †¢ Lifestyles †¢ Personal, social and cultural identities. The area I live in I don’t really know if there Is anyone who doesn’t believe in god there is a church but its closed even on Sundays there isn’t that much in my area there is a place to worship its quite big there are always a lot off people going but I don’t know any there are all from other local areas where there is nowhere to worship. 3. Explain how the variations in question 2 contribute to the diversity of the community. Because if there is places to worship you can make some more friends, brings the community together more, lets you meet new people, meet the people who liver in your area who maybe have the same beliefs or same religion as you . I have experienced something like this before to see what it was like for other religions meeting we went every Saturday to this Senegal in Whitley bay with a group of Muslims we wore the same clothes as them and lived like they did for a few hours it’s a great experience it makes you realise that everyone is the same and you shouldn’t judge people we found out how hard it was to be a Muslim , like what there not aloud to eat and drink during fasting is the hardest time . 4. Give some examples to explain how diversity: †¢ Enhances your life: †¢ Enhances the local community †¢ Enhances this country. 5. Describe what it means to respect people’s differences and why it is important to respect differences. Because they may feel like there not wanted always remember the saying every one is equal and the same never judge someone by looks or culture because YOU don’t know how hard it might be for them they walk past people in the street think off the names they get called it may not be there own country but not all religion are the same some people are good and bad but you cant blame whats happened with the bad people on the good people because its not there fault they always get mistreated and judged for no reason. 6. For a person you know, describe the individual factors that make him / her who they are. 7. Describe yourself in terms of: †¢ Personal interests My personal interests are music I enjoy doing drumming, I have a lesson once a week, I also enjoy animals we have a snake 2cats and 2 dogs. †¢ Religion / culture I’m not a religious person I don’t really know what to believe as I have heard a lot in the past. †¢ Geography. 8. What is meant by having multiple identities? Give three examples in relation to people you know. Example 1: My brother has a multiple identity because when he is with his friends he does not speak to me but when its just me and him he’s really chatty. Example 2: when there is a sad or scary movie on I mask my feelings by laughing at it. Instead of crying or being sad Example 3: one of my friends thinks she is hard in front of her boyfriend 9. What is meant by shared identity? Shared Identity is when any one person has many defining characteristics and qualities. It is more then likely that the person will have the same characteristics as one or more other people. So when people have a characteristic in common its known as a shared identity. ( like twins) 10. Explain and give examples of how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. who we are depends upon where we are at school, at home, at grandmas and at work. who we are depends upon who we are with. 11. Describe yourself in terms of your multiple identities. 12. What is meant by stereotyping and labelling? Stereotyping is where you judge people because of who they are maybe if there not the same as you for example (gay – people may think that all lesbians are butch.) 13. Explain why some people stereotype others. Small minded people oftern steryotype others because they have never ventured out off there own little area and seen the real world. 14. Provide two examples of the damaging effects that stereotyping and labelling can have on people. 15. Provide at least two examples of the way stereotyping is perpetuated in society. 16. Define prejudice and discrimination. 17. Explain how people may develop prejudices. 18. Describe the following types of discrimination. 19. What is meant by the term protected characteristics? 20. What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination? Give two examples to illustrate your point. 21. Describe the effects that discrimination and prejudice can have on people. 22. Describe what equal opportunities means in relation to: †¢ Education †¢ Housing †¢ Healthcare †¢ Employment. 23. Outline the inequality problems that persist in terms of pay for men and women. 24. Identify and briefly describe two other signs of inequality. Once you have completed this Assessment, go to www.vision2learnforschools.com and send your work to your teacher for marking.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How Global Capitalism Works

How Global Capitalism Works Global capitalism is the fourth and current epoch of capitalism. What distinguishes it from earlier epochs of mercantile capitalism, classical capitalism, and national-corporate capitalism is that the system, which was previously administered by and within nations, now transcends nations, and thus is transnational, or global, in scope. In its global form, all aspects of the system, including production, accumulation, class relations, and governance, have been disembedded from the nation and reorganized in a globally integrated way that increases the freedom and flexibility with which corporations and financial institutions operate. In his book Latin America and Global Capitalism, sociologist William I. Robinson explains that today’s global capitalist economy is the result of â€Å"...worldwide market liberalization and the construction of a new legal and regulatory superstructure for the global economy... and the internal restructuring and global integration of each national economy. The combination of the two is intended to create a ‘liberal world order,’ an open global economy, and a global policy regime that breaks down all national barriers to the free movement of transnational capital between borders and the free operation of capital within borders in the search for new productive outlets for excess accumulated capital.† Characteristics of Global Capitalism The process of  globalizing the economy began in the mid-twentieth century. Today, global capitalism is defined by the following five characteristics. The production of goods is global in nature.  Corporations can now disperse the production process around the world, so that components of products may be produced in a variety of places, final assembly done in another, none of which may be the country in which the business is incorporated. In fact, global corporations, like Apple, Walmart, and Nike, for example, act as mega-buyers of goods from globally dispersed suppliers, instead of as producers of goods.The relationship between capital and labor is global in scope, highly flexible, and thus very different from epochs past. Because corporations are no longer limited to producing within their home countries, they now, whether directly or indirectly through contractors, employ people around the world in all aspects of production and distribution. In this context, labor is flexible in that a corporation can draw from an entire globe’s worth of workers, and can relocate production to areas where labor is cheaper or more highl y skilled, should it wish to. The financial system and circuits of accumulation operate on a global level. Wealth held and traded by corporations and individuals is scattered around the world in a variety of places, which has made taxing wealth very difficult. Individuals and corporations from all over the world now invest in businesses, financial instruments like stocks or mortgages, and real estate, among other things, wherever they please, giving them great influence in communities far and wide.There is now a transnational class of capitalists (owners of the means of production and high level financiers and investors) whose shared interests shape the policies and practices of global production, trade, and finance. Relations of power are now global in scope, and while it is still relevant and important to consider how relations of power exist and effect social life within nations and local communities, it is deeply important to understand how power operates on a global scale,  and how it filters down through national, state, and local governments to impact the everyday lives of people all over the world. The policies of global production, trade, and finance are created and administered by a variety of institutions that, together, compose a transnational state. The epoch of global capitalism has ushered in a new global system of governance and authority that impacts what happens within nations and communities around the world. The core institutions of the transnational state are the United Nations, the  World Trade Organization, the Group of 20, the World Economic Forum, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. Together, these organizations make and enforce the rules of global capitalism. They set an agenda for global production and trade that nations are expected to fall in line with if they want to participate in the system. Because it has freed corporations from national constraints in highly developed nations  like labor laws, environmental regulations, corporate taxes on accumulated wealth, and import and export tariffs, this new phase of capitalism has fostered unprecedented levels of wealth accumulation and has expanded the power and influence that corporations hold in society. Corporate and financial executives, as members of the transnational capitalist class, now influence policy decisions that filter down to all the world’s nations and local communities.