The Renaissance era of literature

The Renaissance era of literature The Renaissance era embraces the period between 14th and 16th centuries. The term Renaissance itself meaner the rebirth what in some respect is referred to the rebirth from the obscurity of middle Ages and is originated from a French word. This period has influenced all of branches of human life including religion, philosophy, politics, music, science and literature. Taking into consideration the Renaissance literature it is to be mentioned that there are generally three periods of its development.These are Early Renaissance (14th century), High Renaissance (1 5th 16th century) and Late Renaissance (16th century). The Renaissance era in literature begun from the well-known Dante Aligner's The Divine Comedy. The more important writers of the Renaissance were William Shakespeare, Thomas More, Florentine Vacation, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson, Miguel De Cervantes, Francesco Patriarch and Niccole Machiavelli. In theirs works the authors referred to t he ideals reflected in ancient civilizations like Roman or Greek. They incorporated the classical style into their own works.Religious works, lyric poetry, and drama were here major types of literature in the Renaissance era. This period is characterized by the emergence of new genre of short story. During the Renaissance great changes in world literature have occurred. The first and the most considerable one was the break with the Latin language in the literature. The writers started to write in national languages. The introduction of movable-type printing press in the 1 5th century stimulated great development of literature as well as eliminated the use of manuscripts.Comparing with previous era, books became cheaper and people in order to read a book did not have to know Latin anymore; thus, the books became more affordable in the Renaissance. The Renaissance generally and its literature particularly not only gave the brilliant group of outstanding authors to the world, but actua lly altered the course of the history as well as the literature. References Britton , J. (2006). The Renaissance: A very short introduction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Lewis C. (1980). Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. United Kingdom, I-J: Cambridge University Press. (Lewis, 1980)

Two Vastly Difrent Words Two Vastley Diffrent Meanings

Two vastly different words with Two vastly different meanings Ignorance and Stupidity are words that are commonly used out of context and either word is often mistakenly used in the others rightful place. Ignorance is commonly mistaken for stupidity in society. Just as commonly, stupidity can be denied and termed as ignorance. To say that these words are one in the same is ignorance in and of its self, that is if one is uninformed of the true definitions of either word. When one has been informed of the correct definition and still uses the term out of context well, that is an example of stupidity. For many reasons these two words have two vastly different meanings which can be easily contrasted with some thought. Ignorance can be defined as having no knowledge or information in ones mind of a specific subject. Ignorance is the result of a lack of education, one can not be expected to have the correct response when exposed to something they are uneducated on. For example, a male student walks into his college math class half an hour late. He sits down and is then handed a quiz on calculus and instructed to finish the quiz in fifteen minutes. He hasn’t read any of the chapter on calculus assigned last week and he has missed the lecture on calculus that his teacher gave at the beginning of the class. This is the first he has heard of calculus and he has had no prior experience in the subject. Therefore the student was ignorant on the subject. He failed the quiz because of his ignorance. The student may have retained the information given on calculus well and aced the test had he obtained that information. Ignorance is also a term used to describe being unaware of something. Such as, when a good friend of mine bill ate crab legs for the first time he was ignorant to the fact that he was allergic to shellfish. His throat itched then swelled and he was quickly rushed to the E. R that night. Know he is no longer ignorant to that fact. Other words to describe ignorance are uninformed, unlearned, uneducated and unwitting . Stupidity can be defined as a lack of intelligence. When one lacks intelligence they lack the ability to think and learn. They also lack the ability to apply information that they have been given. Stupidity can also be described as a lack of perception, not using the senses or lacking common sense. When one does not think logically or chooses not to make practical judgments based on the experience they already posses that is stupidity. Stupidity is expressed in irrational or thoughtless behavior. Such as the story given earlier of the male college student who didn’t study he showed an example of ignorance by having no knowledge of the subject he was being quizzed on. He also showed an example of stupidity. He would not have been ignorant had he studied. He was not ignorant to the fact that he had a chapter to read or of the time he was to be in class he just stupidly chose not to read the chapter just as he stupidly chose to be late for class. Because of this thoughtless, stupid behavior he was left ignorant. Other words to describe stupidity are foolish, senseless, witless and idiotic. Ignorance is a term used to describe ones unknowing, as to say he is ignorant of a subject not because he is stupid but because he lacks knowledge of that subject. It is a term that should never be used to insult and just as well should never be taken that way. There is no one person who possess no ignorance at all, we all have things we are ignorant of. Benjamin Franklin once said â€Å" being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn†. One can attempt to dispel there ignorance by seeking out and the proper Knowledge and education. Once they obtain the proper information and knowledge then they are no longer ignorant of the subject. Stupidity is a term used as an insult and can usually be correctly perceived as one. When a person uses the term stupid to describe another they are usually placing the blame of thoughtlessness or another negative trait such as foolishness on that other person. Fools rush in where fools been before† Unknown. While ignorance can be dispelled as quickly as one can learn, stupidity seems to be a pattern or bad habit that even the most educated people tend to exhibit. It can take a lot longer for some to get rid of there stupidity then for others to gain knowledge and rid of there ignorance. These terms have been defined enough to show why they are two vastly different words wi th two vastly different meanings and are expected to be used wisely.

Analysis on the Alibabas development Essay

Alibaba aAs a model of global B2B e-commerce model, from the launch site for the first time since it was founded at the end of 1998 to till right now, it Alibaba has has possessed more than 15 years of’ history. After four years of the establishment of the website, which is the end of 2002, . Alibaba get got its the first profit for the first time with, over six million yuanYuan in cash earningsin cash at the end of 2002 when it was the fourth year since the establishment of the website. Alibaba keeps acute insight and moves ahead is discerning, and step toward profitability with a unique business model. The first stage: The first step is to capture the market so as to provide free information. , first to capture the market. China’s e-commerce is currently under blocking condition with still stuck in the informationlimited information flow stage. Base on In accordance theto the full overall investigation on the basis ofbased on the needs of the enterprise market, it is needed to classify enterprise registration information integration, as well as According to the different characteristics, provide effective information and services for the enterprises based on the different characteristics. The second stage: the use of a The successful launch of at the first phase of the corporate credit certification, to has lay laid the solid foundation for a the further profit. Ma got the key pointjust cached themain key, at First by firstly introduced introducing China Chinese integrity authentication on to the Internet -– integrity , in 2002, and Grasp grasped the key primary issues on the Chinese e-commerce market, which This is also the first Alibaba revenue channelschannel of Alibaba. Alibaba induce attracts companies to pay to join in the â€Å"integrity† aspect through the clever use intelligent application of its previous history results. Third stage: the development of The overseas markets development, expands the scope of trade scope. Alibaba addition to not only master most of the domestic enterprise information, but also mastered the nearly 10 million overseas merchant information to help the domestic enterprises to develop foreign real export trade. â€Å"Chinese suppliers† to has provided the independent account number and password to establish the English website for the , so that the worldforeign countries, with nearly 2.62 million 420,000 professional buyers browse online business  and create more opportunities for businesses for further development. Fourth stage: Mergers and acquisitions â€Å"yahoo†, † is an innovation a stretch for the development of e-commerce search. Alibaba has formed a â€Å"yahoo† as the platform, as well as a large network shopping platform based on â€Å"taobao† trading information search system. , for businessmen from the world, Alibaba provides wider space communication and trading platform for the businessmen from all over the world†¦ Alibaba accurately positioning positions themselves itself in the midst of the economic society , with a stable business model, to find seek for their its own piece of the sky. which Has has now developed into four business groups and composed of three linked sites in the world’s leading online trading market and business community. 2.2.2 The Analysis of B2B2C mode Mode analysis 2.2.2 B2B2C pattern analysis Fusion The combination of the â€Å"Ali Baba† and â€Å"Taobao† new B2B2C mode does not exist logistics, distribution and inventory bottlenecks. E-commerce development in China is not mature enough since , there are a variety of defects, which leading leads to the situation that the site operator cannot accurately predict the demand for commodities , in real life as well as the same distribution logistics system at the initial trial stage. The new B2B2C model is adapted to the development of Chinese e-commerce environment, so that Alibaba can cleverly avoided the risk due to the backlog of goods distribution, and logistics system to establish imperfect generatedgeneration. The distribution logistics of this is linked to the merchant, the merchant who is responsible for the timely deliver the goods delivery to the hands of consumers, . Alibaba only conducts trading platform for businesses and consumers trading platform, do not instead of bearing the cost of producetion c ost in the logistics and distribution process, which make takes the intermediary between the cost of the transaction. Alibaba’s successful business philosophy has attracted the attention of many businesses that Alibaba it has become an indispensable business transaction network platform. Whether it is for the business or consumer, it is Alibaba that is the exclusively first thought as long as a reference tofor online shopping, the first thought is Alibaba, which . It also can also be the successfully Alibaba risk due to its distribution, logistics and inventory  generated onto another important reason business. Alibaba redefines the B2C market, leading which leads to the development direction of e-commerce industry., Aalthough this it is the inevitable trend of e-commerce development, but there has been no further proper opportunity. Alibaba B2B market possesses the share of 80% plus and the â€Å"Taobao† C2C market share of 70 percent%, which making makes it the best candidate to create a B2B2C business. Enterprise value to sales from production to sales to make up a supply chain, has changed the traditional model of creating value, reflecting and reflected the impact of the Internet on business activities deeper.to a deeper extent. In addition, Alibaba acquired which adopts â€Å"Yahoo China† to gained the world’s leading search technology supported platforms and a the strong product development capabilities, will also become a fresh point of future profitability; . Moreover, Tradelink and Alipay Alibaba will also create more wealth with thewith their developments of its create more wealth. As it can be seen from the Alibaba’s earnings history and the future direction of its development, the truly- opened , content with the localization features information and collaboration and as well as the strong global e-commerce is are the most viable. We must build e-business models in line with the Chinese people, based on the principle of fair competition for among enterprises, as well as the integration of various enterprise resources, to achieve economies of scale. 2.3 Situation The Analysis of Alibaba international International trade Trade development Development in the electricity Electricity supplierSupplier 2.3.1 Analysis of the competitive Competitive advantage Advantage of Alibaba Firstly, Ali Baba and the new web service mechanism apt toare prone to experience the value of attracting customers and buyers. Alibaba site construction methods using localized for different countries have adopted the local language, of the different localized countries which is easy to read,for comprehending that this convenience and affinity will have to are prone to integrate international markets. Alibaba has established operations in four interrelated website: the iInternational website in English to provide professional services for global business, the Simplified simplified Chinese in mainland China mainly provides to provide website marketing services; , the Global Traditional Chinese website was Taiwan, Hong Kong,  Southeast Asia and throughout the world Chinese American service; as well as the Korean language Korean site in Korean for Korean users. Secondly, Alibaba has a huge number of membersmemberships, Alibaba years of since its years’ operation make it overseas buyers, suppliers to establish a mature trading relationship. Alibaba, which possesses through three marketplaces around all over the world to assist several millions of buyers and suppliers with engaged the engagement in online business. Finally, Alibaba’s â€Å"integrity† of the Internet to provides a guarantee secure transactionsguaranteed secure transactions. Listening to our customers, to and meeting customer needs is are the foundation of survival and development of Ali Baba. Customer first, teamwork, embracing change, integrity, passion and dedication are the core values of Ali Baba. 2.3.2The Disadvantages 2.3.2 of Alibaba Firstly, Alibaba’s site model is an intermediary form, and this model which has a copycat, which provides providing samples for other competitors to enter the industry, there is increased as well as the increasing competition for them. Secondly, Alibaba’s business is large and cluttered, it is the which has original 27 original industry classifications, and 8OO – 900 categories of industries to optimize the business platform into its the biggest obstacledevelopment. Thirdly, Alibaba the during infancy of Alibaba due to the low barriers to entry Member cohabitation, and the altogether honest members get together. Making makes the supplier price competition among the suppliersis very fierce. Fourthly, because of the strategic shift Alibaba will put a lot ofinvest much money to payfor the personal C2C platform Taobao, . Besides, Alibaba B2B customers may face dropped , while the new customers supplement embarrassment. 2.3.3 The Analysis on the Cchance of Alibaba Alibaba in the development process is also facing a lot of opportunities in the development process. Alibaba in the development process is also facing a lot of opportunities. Firstly, several of the big banks and credit companies participate fully in e-commerce, which created creates the conditions for the deeppth conditions of the development of in e-commerce Alibaba. Secondly, China is now speeding up the development of e-commerce legal  provisions, and as well as actively establishingcreates a safe, and standardized business environment. This, which provides favorable conditions for the development of in e-commerce Alibaba. Once again, China cannot afford to existing SMEs to start their own B2B commerce sites that, so this intermediary sites like Alibaba welcome its popularity.popular with its welcome. Finally, as to the continuous development and, improvement of the Internet and the proliferation of computers, there will be more companies have joinedjoining in the online business, which makes provides Alibaba has a lot of potential customers. 2.3.4 Threat Analysis of Alibaba Firstly, Alibaba’s profit is mainly in China, but the status quo of China’s business environment restricted restricts the further development of B2B Alibaba, such as legal sound, online payment security vulnerabilities, improve infrastructure improvement and other outstanding developments gave Alibaba drag. Secondly, the pattern of business websites in among the world in recent years, not only speeds up the rapid development, but has gradually become a trend of e-commerce alliance 11.11 mergers. Besides, and cooperation is the trend, this which will lead to more intense competitions. Problems and Solutions of Alibaba’sE-commerce international the International trade Trade development Development in Alibaba’s E-commerce 3.1 Find theProblems Investigation Developmentof development of B2B eE-commerce in China Although, Alibaba has been under rapid developmentin in the past few years, and China has also been deemed as a n successful B2B e-commerce business representatives. However, wWe must know understand that the B2B e-commerce development model has some problems such as Alibaba, and these problems is which are the future development of China’s B2B e-commerce needed to be addressed. These problems that are mainly in the following aspects: (A) Lack of sufficient attention to the large enterprise market Currently , most of China’s B2B e-commerce to provides commodity publish and trading platform to provide offer services. This approach , which is suitable for small and medium enterprises, because since they need the help of B2B e-commerce platform to develop for new markets development. However, the demand for large enterprises and SMEs B2B e-commerce is very different since , they usually have a fixed customers and sales channels, but.  However, they are also often faced with the strategic adjustment problems. Due to for the market environment in China is actually mainly leaded by many large enterprises to lead. So, hHow to make B2B e-commerce model can adapt to the needs of large enterprises is a major problem that currently exists. (B) The lack of information flow based on business interaction While eEconomic development has provided favorable conditions for e-commerce in China to carry out, but overall, the now e-commerce enterprises in China is are still not popular yet at present. Due to a the lack of understanding of on the overall e-commerce systems, many enterprises have been many various errors in this process, that too simple understanding of B2B e-commerce that puts the company on the Internet homepage and catalog everything will be fine., you can wait for customers’ orders of. The extension of B2B e-commerce as a traditional trade on the Internet, if not interactive flow of information, withjust the release of information (which a lot of information is out of date) instead of interactive flow of information, will make most companies have lost interest in the B2B e-commerce. So Establishing an active or auxiliary enterprise interaction mechanisms , will be the focus of future development of in B2B e-commerce., will be the focus of future development of B2B e-commerce. (C) The lack of attention to the management of Many e-commerce companies when only one-sided unilaterally emphasis emphasize on technology. T, the technical elements put a lot of manpower and material resources , but ignorignoreed enhance the management level enhancement in the process and the restructuring of business processes restructure to meet the e-commerce new management and business model demands environment. (D) eE-commerce is still relatively at low degree of safety Although e-commerce security has been greatly improved, but because of viruses and the lack of various types of protective measures, Trojans and other malicious attacks continue to occur that, and the lack of various types of protective measures, so many companies are lack of thea sense of security in the implementation of B2B e-commerce. At the same time, many companies because that the network infrastructure is relatively backward,backward or no without more perfect safety management system and  professional maintenance staff leads to the enterprise network., there There are many security vulnerabilities that may crash when subjected to attack quickly when. These issues , which will greatly affect the further development of B2B e-commerce. (E) Tthe lack of an effective constraint on business  the The B2B companies like Alibaba are intended to provide a trading platform for all sectors of business. However, for businesses, if the transaction is a problem, without exception, it will be held accountable B2B companies, and thus affecting the development of their own B2B businesses without exception. The fundamental reason is that since the majority of B2B companies are interactinteracting with companies through a network of way. , and Ttherefore the lack of , effective B2B platforms is lacked for the managers to assess their qualifications for these companies, ability, and reputation. In the early days, in order tothat attracting customers into the lax control is understandable. But However, with the growing influence grow and B2B trading platform, if not effectively assessing and constraintconstrainings platform business, will directly affect the credibility of the B2B platform. 3.2 The Prospect of China’s B2B eE-commerce B2B e-commerce in the 21st century, Chinese enterprises to break new ground try to make breakthrough in the struggle for existence is in the important battleground of B2B e-commerce in the 21st century, including both . Both for China’s state-owned enterprises or and private enterprises offor 1.3 million members among the nationwide industrial and commercial enterprises, which has combined with the immediate reality , to determine the development of the essential B2B e-commerce business strategy is essential. About AlibabaAs to the combination of the above questions, this paper presents the development of by the following measures: (A) Strengthen the popularity of e-commerce in the enterprise, the implementation of B2B e-commerce is tailored to each enterprise. It should be noted, that for most Chinese enterprises, e-commerce, and B2B e-commerce, have come a the new terms is in thea new economic era. E-commerce is not Instead of a fashionable coat, as long as it e-commerce means that Chinese companies put carry on innovation and modernization, Chinese enterprises to develop e-commerce  which must make careful planning and tactical departure from the overall development of enterprises aiming at, to be able to really playing an important role on the characteristics of the network characteristics and advantages for the development of enterprises play a real role. Implementation of e-commerce enterprises is to specific specifically analysis ofanalyze the nature and scale . Ffrom large enterprises to establish a web-based procurement system to start tofor the establishment of establish their own independent large-scale procurement trading platform, . it It should be a good development strategy, like Sony, and IBM, which has have established its their own independent global procurement system the same. Of courseHowever, for when comes to SMEs, it is not the a pursuit of for self-built large, since complex B2B trading platform is a wise choice. National Federation of the 1.3 million members of private companies, including mostly most of the small and medium enterprises should adopt such a strategy. To to attach great importance to on enterprise information, . That a comprehensive, and enterprise information systems to carry outbe carried out, can not can’t be achieved only by a small part of the information. The way for the Chinese enterprises to develop B2B e-commerce, is not to say simply buy some computer networking equipmentequipment, and build a website that simple. For Chinese enterprises, the The real use of B2B e-commerce for Chinese enterprises is the core of the Internet as information technology, business activities and resource management, which is the core primary business efficiently manage managing all information. Helping companies create a smooth flow in the enterprise, so that the enterprise information flow between customers and suppliers, and through managementcan be smoothly managed, . value-added and application of high efficiency, Tthe customer, companies, and suppliers are all connected together, with the fastest, and lowest respond to the market costs, to grasp the opportunity to for continuously improve improving and consolidate consolidating the competitive advantages. (B) For nNetwork security issues should be given high priority. Enterprise (taking Alibaba as a typical representative) should be equipped with the system hardware and software to optimize the configuration, . use Adopting high-quality hardware and software equipment to can reduce security vulnerabilities; and develop a sound safety management system and to establish the establishment of a  professional security management team on system security design as well as and maintenance to ensure maintenance as much as possible to reduce security vulnerabilities existing in the system. It is at the time of attack and ableneeded to take emergency measures for protection and recovery, to ensure the smooth operation of the system; erect as well as build firewalls to differentiate the company’s internal network and with the outside world wonder access names, and control and monitor the data access. Using VPN (Virtual Private Network) to can ensure that the Internet to establish a dedicated channel to securefor communication channel. The cConclusion of the contract for electronic privacy issues and fulfillment process is caused by legal regulation which can be implemented by both both in principle and industry self-regulation, . Besides, the collectors always adopt international rules to clearly define the rights and obligations of information gatherers and information are among collectors. (C) The importance of changinge management and business model. Enterprises should strengthen the staff’s competence and ability to improve communication, and eliminate unnecessary work to achieve smooth inter-departmental business processes (especially for such a large domestic Alibaba e-commerce company). After theThe reorganization of business processes is a key demand of the market, since the company’s strategy and adjustment are in consistent with each of the core business processes and consistent and identifyidentified with every job that valued from by the customer’s point of viewfeedbacks can be inc reased. Enterprises should improve the level of corporate information technology,, advanced modern integrated manufacturing system (CLMS) and the introduced enterprise resource planning (ERP) system introduced in order to achieve agile manufacturing enterprise (agile manufacturing), ) and virtual manufacturing (virtual manufacturing) and as well as personalized production in order to achievefor â€Å"zero inventory†, reducinge costs, and thus retaining existing customers. Should It is needed to proceed to establish a suitable enterprise customer relationship between management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) system to achieve smooth communication with trading partners,, at the right time which can timely set up virtual companies to focus resources on their own core business and strengths. Using The adoption of interactive marketing model and, virtual reality and the consumer experience smooth communication with customers, can fast quickly response  respond to customers and p, Provide products to meet for the customer requirements. (D) To cater to the mobile era, and the development of mobile e-commerce. 2013 is one of the hot areasone of the hottest years in of mobile e-commerce. With theThe development of 3G technology enables , mobile Internet has been no problemto be easily accessed. In the 3G era, SOLOMO (Social Local Mobile) business model will be the future trend of development. However, current mobile e-commerce is still stuck in entertainment, social and other aspects, . how How to nurture discover and explore new business models and profit model remains to bea further issue to be studied. Meanwhile, the mobile Internet too muchpays much attention to the individual consumers who, for B2B companies to integrate mobile Internet wave, which is still a need for the new technology systems and operational rules.

Comparison of the lives of American, Chinese and Thai women

Recent decades have witnessed enormous and far-reaching demographic changes in the lives of American, Chinese and Thai women. These changes touch almost every aspect of life -education, marriage, divorce, employment, sexual behavior, childbearing, and living arrangements. In fact, it is difficult to avoid the media's persistent messages regarding the new woman.We know that women are entering higher levels of education in unprecedented numbers, going into professions traditionally reserved for men, delaying marriage and remaining employed after they are married as well as after their first child is born, divorcing at higher rates, and heading a greater number of households. It is not surprising to find these changes the subject of intensive study by social scientists, policymakers, market researchers, as well as the media. From the perspective of the individual woman, the creation of a family through marriage is a major event.It changes her relationship to the family from which she ca me and provides her with a new set of roles, responsibilities, commitments, and expectations. It is a significant transition in the life course, one that has historically marked the entry into adulthood. The marital behavior of American women has significantly changed in recent decades, and this change has signaled a shift in the relationship of individual women to the family as a social institution and in the way women organize their lives.To begin with, changes in marital behavior since the 1950s point to a significant decline in the importance of marriage in the lives of American women. This decline is being met with a rise in the importance of the primary individual. More women are expected to remain single throughout their lives, those who do marry are marrying later, and marriages are more likely to end in divorce. Consequently, women are spending a smaller proportion of their lives married. Delayed marriage is related to the increasing numbers of young women living alone.Howe ver, the majority of Chinese women, rural and urban, it is still within the context of the family and in their performance of familial roles that they are judged. A fine worker who neglects her husband and beats her children is a bad woman. A fine worker who neglects his wife and beats his children is a fine worker. There have been major changes in the family in urban China. It is most certainly not the buffer (or barrier) it once was between women and the state, but it remains the unit of consumption, the primary caring unit for the weak, ill, or elderly, and its proper functioning is still seen as women's responsibility.Here again, the rural family reflects the vast differences in China between city and countryside. Although it is no longer the only unit of production, that function in 1981 being shared with the production team, it still provides much of the family's resources, and much of that production is women's responsibility (Ebrey 1990). More importantly, even though the ru ral family is now a setting from which women of certain ages go out for varying periods of time to interact with the work world of men, it is still the natural habitat of women. Thai Family Law within the Civil Code contains many outright discriminatory items.For example, if a woman engaged to be married has sexual relations with a man other than her fiance, her fiance is entitled to terminate the engagement and seek compensation from the third party. An engaged woman does not have reciprocal rights. Similarly, if a spouse seeks a judicial divorce (as opposed to a divorce based on mutual consent), the husband is able to divorce his wife on the grounds of adultery but the wife cannot use this reason against her husband without proof that the husband has maintained and honored the ‘other woman' as his wife ( NCWA 1995).Currently the marriage registration system affords women no protection from bigamous husbands, and neither do they provide women with protection against sexual ab use, sexual harassment, rape or domestic violence (NCWA 1995). Domestic violence (especially wife beating) is major family problem in Thai society but it remains underreported because of the social stigma attached to the victims and the perpetrators. One study on Status of Women and Fertility in Thailand conducted in 1993 interviewed 2800 women and found that one-fifth (approximately 600 women) reported having been beaten by their husbands.The highest concentration of women who had experienced domestic violence was in Bangkok. About 13 per cent of Bangkok women reported being beaten regularly and 47 per cent of these remained in the relationship within a submissive role, neither retaliating nor leaving (Chayovan et al. 1995). Traditionally Thai customs have discouraged marriage at a young age and the impact of urbanization and socio-economic development have reinforced this tendency leading to an increase in marriage age among Thais (Limanonda 1992).The last four census figures indi cate that the age at first marriage for women has risen from 21. 6 in 1960 to 23. 5 in 1990. Nonetheless marriage is still the overwhelming choice with only a small number of Thais remaining single by the age of 50 (Limanonda 1992). The divorce rate is increasing especially in Bangkok where remarriage among younger divorcees is quite high. This increase in the marriage dissolution rate has resulted in a growing number of female heads-of-households. From the 1994 Household Survey, out of the total 15. 8 million households counted, 3.2 million households (about 20. 1 per cent) were headed by women and these households had an average of 3. 2 family members. The average age of these women heads was 51 years old. The low levels of education and income prevalent among these single female heads of-households signifies a considerable burden for the women involved since they would most likely be the major provider of the economic and emotional needs of their household members. Chinese and Am erican attitudes toward men and women differ even in situations in which sexual attraction theoretically should have no importance.Many American women today share in the public life of the nation. A majority of them have gone to school with men, worked in the same offices with them, shared identical or similar interests with them, and have even fought them on broad social, political, and economic issues. American women can count among their ranks doctors, lawyers, high government officials, professors, industrial and commercial executives as well as laborers, police, clerks, and members of the armed services. One hundred years after the Opium War only a small minority of Chinese women enjoyed comparable distinctions.They also could name among themselves workers in various professions and occupations, no less than crusaders against social evils deeply embedded in Chinese tradition, but these few women towered above the illiterate majority who either did not hear about the privileged ones or looked upon them with idle curiosity. The reason for this lack of confidence is, however, not so obscure. To begin with, it is connected with the fact that many American women who work outside the home feel defensive. This is one arc of a vicious circle, for the more defensive women feel, the less confidence men will have in them.Why do educated American women who have had lengthy experience in a man's world feel more defensive than their educated Chinese sisters who have but recently obtained equality and are only a small minority? The answer again lies in the underlying psychological patterns of the two groups. In the American individual-centered pattern of thought, sex, being diffused, appears whenever men and women meet. The boundaries defining when sex does or does not apply are simply not clear. Sexual attraction occurs without reference to time, role, and place.In the Chinese pattern, sex, being relegated to particular areas of life, does not pervade every aspect of l ife. Therefore, the Chinese male will react very differently to a show girl and to a woman professor. In the same way, the Chinese female will view different males from the standpoint of their diverse stations in life. To put it more plainly, for Americans, sex differences tend to overshadow situation. For Chinese, situation tends to overshadow sex. An American woman is always prepared to use her womanly charms whether her business is with a store clerk, her landlord, or her husband.She is likely to be pleased by any sign that her beauty is appreciated, whether the complimentary word or glance comes from a bus conductor, her pupils, or a business associate. Even a modern Chinese woman is sure to bring humiliation upon herself if she copies her American sisters in this respect. For in her culture, female charms and beauty are sexual matters, and should therefore be reserved for a woman's lover or husband, or at least for a man whom she might marry. On the other hand, the American wom an is, in male eyes, never separated from the qualities of her sex, even if her work has no connection with them.She feels defensive because the male resents her intrusion into what he considers his world, and he is resentful because she brings with her the advantage of her sex in addition to her professional abilities. The Chinese woman's sexual attractions belong to her husband or fiance alone. She can safely invoke them only in the privacy of her marital situation. But for this very reason, once she has achieved a new occupational or professional status, the Chinese woman tends to be judged in male eyes by her ability and not by her sex.With sex confined to the specific areas of marriage or prostitution, working females have no need to be defensive when entering into traditionally male activities, and males have no cause to view them as transgressors. A socially desexed female is just as good as a socially desexed male. The system of resolving sexual transgression may come to a s tandstill in the case of transgression that crosses ethnic boundaries. We have seen that sexual morality is embedded in the communal social order primarily of the woman's community.Matters are settled within the community, or between Karen communities with shared understanding of the processes for amending the breach. What happens, then, when a breach takes place with those for whom such sanctions are meaningless? The cooling ritual and subsequent marriage cannot be enforced. From a comparative perspective women in Thailand have suffered less discrimination than women in China. Indeed, gender relations in three Thai Kingdoms of Sukhothai, Ayudhaya, and Ratanakosin provided a positive template for the inscribing of a better status for women in the twentieth century.Even in this context the improvement in the status of women since the 1970s has been dramatic. Women's activities have expanded in all spheres as a result of the economic growth of the nation and the accompanying social po licy initiatives of successive governments, academic institutions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Religious practice has supported the participation of women in worship. In Thai Buddhism a child should aim to gain spiritual merit for his/her parents in order to demonstrate gratitude to the parents for giving life to the child.Sons can perform this act of filial gratitude by joining monasteries and becoming monks. This avenue is not open to women but the exclusion of women does not imply that men have superior status to women. Daughters have other mechanisms for repaying debts of gratitude to parents that are equally as valid—they are simply different from those of sons. There is a clear shift in the nature of women's participation in the national economy since the 1970s. Women have joined the wage-labor force in greater numbers than ever before with the expansion in jobs outside of the dominant agricultural sector.Traditionally agriculture was the main focus of eco nomic activity for Thais and women were an integral part of the agricultural labor force. Women produced a considerable proportion of family and national income from their agricultural activities and played significant roles in marketing and selling the family produce and controlling the family finances (Chayovan et al. 1995). The rapid industrialization of the Thai economy over the past two decades coupled with the globalization of the international labor market have combined to generate large numbers of Thai women migrating from their homes to other centers for employment (Mills 1999).Women comprised the majority of those entering the Bangkok metropolitan area as the opportunities in the service and industrial sectors expanded. Women were preferred employees for the new jobs such as clothing and shoe manufacturing, the sorting of transistors, the assembly of pocket calculators and the handling of microchips for computer components. Thai government planners note that in four out of seven geographical regions the net migration of the female population has been consistently higher than that of men since 1980. They predict that this trend will continue until 2010 (NESDB 1992).The majority of these female migrants move into the large urban centers, have no skills or training, many have little or no knowledge of city-life and even fewer have a network for social and moral support at their destinations. The economic downturn since 1997 has also demonstrated that unskilled women workers remain the most disposable workers. They are often the first laid-off and few have access to severance or redundancy payments. Many of these women are single-parents or heads-of-households with a group of parents or children depending on their wage.The social security system in Thailand is currently too weak to provide support for these women and their families. Labor laws that guarantee severance pay or worker's compensation need to be introduced across all sectors of the economy to ensure that these, the most vulnerable of Thailand's industrial workers, are protected. In sum, employment for women in Thailand remains concentrated in the unskilled, or semi-skilled sectors and also in the informal agricultural sectors. Thai women have made considerable progress in the last thirty years.This results from Thailand's comparatively equitable cultural traditions as well as the rapid economic development of the nation since the 1970s. However, certain groups of women remain at a severe disadvantage compared to men and consequently their potential to contribute to national development is often ignored or overlooked. The continued existence of these weak points, given Thailand's favorable economic and cultural context, suggests that many opportunities for improving the status of Thai women have been missed.As greater numbers of women enter the administrative and political realms and with the continued support of international bodies like the UN, fewer opportunities shou ld be missed in the future. At home, prostitution remains a long-term, growing and unsolved problem. Economic hardship remains the predominant reason for women to enter the sex industry. Lack of education combines with diminishing economic opportunities to create considerable incentives for women to become prostitutes (Cook 1998). Others are forced or lured into the profession by unscrupulous middle-men.Leaving their homes on the assumption that they will be working in factories, many girls find themselves tricked into prostitution instead. Some of the women traveling overseas do so illegally but the income they earn is generally sent home to support parents and siblings in desperate need. Needless to say the majority of these sex-workers work in adverse life-threatening circumstances. The illegal nature of the industry makes it very difficult to monitor numbers of women involved and the conditions under which they work.The work describes in detail a number of important changes in t he fife course of American, Chinese and Thai women. The descriptions of behavioral change are arranged in a series of specific demographic topics – educational attainment, marriage rates, fertility, etc. – and then supplemented with an analysis of women's attitudes over the last twenty years. All of these changes point to a rise in the primacy of the individual woman that is paralleled by a decline in marriage and the family.In general, these demographic changes have been driven by economic, technological, and cultural developments that have permitted women greater control over their lives. This new control is reflected in complex life-course changes that can be roughly summarized as a movement away from the orderly progression of the 1950s (student, then jobholder, then wife, then mother) to participation in several roles simultaneously. Works Cited Chayovan, Napaporn, Malinee Wongsith, Vipan Prachuabmoh Ruffolo. â€Å"A study on status of women and fertility in Thai land,† IPS Publication No.229/95 (May), Institute of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 1995. Cook, Nerida. â€Å"Dutiful daughters†, estranged sisters: women in Thailand,† Gender and Power in Affluent Asia, eds K. Sen and M. Stivens, Routledge, London, 1998. Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. â€Å"Women, Marriage, and the Family in Chinese History,† in The Heritage of China, ed. Paul Ropp. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. Limanonda, Bhassorn. â€Å"Nuptiality patterns in Thailand: their implications for further fertility decline,† Fertility Transitions, Family Structure, and Population Policy, ed.Calvin Goldscheider, Westview, Boulder, 1992. Mills, Mary Beth. Thai Women in the Global Labor Force: Consuming desires, contested selves, Rutgers University Press, Piscataway, 1999. National Commission on Women's Affairs (NCWA). Women's Development in Thailand. A report prepared by the National Committee for International Cooperat ion for the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women, Nairobi, Kenya (15-26 July), n. p. , Bangkok, 1995. National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB). Population Projections for Thailand 1980-2015, NESDB, Bangkok, 1992.

Analyse and research a complete full length documentary film (from the Essay

Analyse and research a complete full length documentary film (from the list); be sure to cite specific examples from within the film - at least two major scenes should be analysed in detail - Essay Example In this film, Morris deviates from the usual features of a documentary and uses a non-narrator approach and a dramatic technique, so that he can depict the thin blue line between appearance and truth, a line that can either result to justice or injustice. Morris diverges from the usual norms of documentary films and follows an expressionistic rendering of the testimonies. First, in this film, a clear narrator does not exist, and instead, Morris relies on his viewers to digest the testimonies fed to them, so that they can ascertain the truth. He prefers to call his film a â€Å"non-fiction feature† than a documentary (Hunter 1995, p.65). The viewers become the narrator, because they have to sift through the material of testimonies provided to them (Hunter 1995, p.65). Chapman (2009) believes that this self-reflective nature of the film helps viewers to find the truth (p.p.24). Second, the film is constructed using dramatic techniques. Williams (1998) asserts that Morris abandoned â€Å"cinema verità © realism† for â€Å"studied, often slow-motion, and highly expressionistic re-enactments of different witnesses’ versions of the murder† (p.383). These re-enactments define the difference between the truth and biases. The editing and sequencing, using cuts and diverse symbolic items, such as newspaper clippings, the Dallas map, â€Å"Voluntary Statement† and the TV schedule, depict meaning through what these objects mean and how people use them to attain their purposes. When Adams signs the â€Å"Voluntary Statement,† he believes he offered the truth. For the homicide detectives, this statement, however, becomes a confession for his crime. Ponech (2005) believes that the map stands for the inability of Adams to understand the corruption of the justice system (p.85). The map stands for the irony of being lost in a society, where deception and scapegoating undercut

Strategic managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic managment - Case Study Example veraging them further because the firm was aware that their old ways of coming up with a finished market was over, and that technology needed to be incorporated to come up with a world class product and also market it (Marsh, 1998). The firm was also aware of some of the markets that they could venture into in order to leave a mark. S&M scores on Kay’s three areas by ensuring that their products are long lasting. For instance, in consumer handtool labels, S&M was able to come up with a label that would last for nearly 10 years without wearing out and still have the same effect it would have when it was new (Marsh, 1998). Some of the lessons that can be drawn from this case study are that firms should be willing to accept change in their production and marketing strategies if they want to overcome the stern competition in today’s world. However, the risk of using cheap means of production is that another competitor, one day, might beat them, and consumers might be forced the switch their

Interpretation of Compernicus in the 16th century Research Paper

Interpretation of Compernicus in the 16th century - Research Paper Example This essay will deal with the interpretations of Copernican cosmology among his contemporaries, with special attention being paid to views on Copernican theory exhibited by leading theologians of the epoch, both Catholic and Protestant. In addition, an account of interpretations of Copernicus in non-European historical environment will be presented, with Ottoman Empire serving as a case study. It will be argued that the dominant interpretations of Copernican astronomy in the 16th century were far from overwhelmingly hostile, as might be inferred from the treatment of Giordano Bruno and later Galileo Galilei, and that established ecclesiastical authorities in most cases lacked a coherent policy towards Copernicans until the 17th century. THE EARLY LUTHERAN RESPONSE TO THE COPERNICAN THEORY. MELANCHTHON, RHETICUS AND THE WITTENBERG INTERPRETATION Although the notion of existential hostility of Lutheran thinkers towards Copernican astronomy, presented by White in his famous account of L uther’s alleged derisory remark on Copernicus (White 1:126-7), is widespread, it seems that such a conclusion would be premature. While Kuhn asserts that Luther and Melanchthon viewed Copernican theory as contravening the Scripture and constituting near blasphemy (Kuhn 191), Barker and Westman strongly oppose such a view, instead suggesting that the attitude of Lutherans to Copernicanism was more nuanced (Barker; Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches†). First of all, it is significant that the presentation of Copernican heliocentric theory itself was conducted not by Copernicus himself, but by Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514-1574), a young mathematician from the University of Wittenberg, which was the spiritual centre of Lutheran current in the Reformation (Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches† 81). In fact, Rheticus was entrusted by Copernicus with publishing Narratio Prima, the draft version of the Copernican master work, De Revolutionibus, i n 1540. Together with another Lutheran scholar, Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), Rheticus published De Revolutionibus itself in 1543, with a special notice that the latter was an astronomical and mathematical, rather than philosophical, work. It is assumed that this notice was added in order to prevent possible backlash by conservative theologians and scholastics against Copernican theory (Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches† 81). Such interpretation of Copernicus’s work, i.e. not as a work aimed at uncovering physical truth, but as a mathematical treatise that was merely to provide mathematically consistent observations was to become a basis for the so-called Wittenberg Interpretation of Copernicus. It is interesting to note that Melanchthon seems to have been initially critical of Copernicus’s ideas, but later acknowledged their validity, especially with regard to Copernican planetary parameters and theory of moon movements (Westman, â€Å"The Melanc hthon Circle†). Although Melanchthon never recognized the claims of Copernican heliocentrists with respect to cosmological issues, he obviously regarded Copernicus’s mathematical calculations on celestial body movements as superior to the Ptolemean ones. Melanchthon dismissed Copernican observation on the earth’s motion, finding it to be incompatible with the Scripture and the Aristotelian idea of simple motion, according to which each simple body has only one type of motion inherent in it (Westman, â€Å"