Black Sexual Politics Free Essay Example, 1000 words

In the contemporary media, sexualized black bodies are showcased everywhere, raising the question as to whether America is one of the repressive nations where an objective view of sexual politics is rather elusive. It all begins with a review of the American education system where sex education is still a heated topic. However, the topic exists within the realms of a repressive sexual culture and this makes human sexuality almost invisible, which means that students are only at a receiving end of spotty information, an aspect that has contributed to the misunderstanding and misrepresentation of black sexuality (Hill 38). There is a widespread body of evidence pointing to the fact that objective and well-meaning sex education could go a long way in saving people but unfortunately, schools are consistently developing programs that shy from the sexuality subject and in many spheres, it is an aspect that is never discussed before marriage. The education system is therefore highly checke red and this has led to the use of heterosexism as a power system that negatively influences the lives of straight men, gay people, transgendered persons and bisexuals. We will write a custom essay sample on Black Sexual Politics or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Mr. Povich runs a show in which white women continuously seek paternity tests whenever they are married to black men (Hill 39). In essence, black men and women are starkly represented and this is one of the reasons why it is important to discuss the subject of black sexual politics as presented by Hill.

I Am An American Teenager With An Hispanic Background

Nowadays, people are exposed to more cultures that they are not accustomed to than in the past. As the years go by, more interracial marriages are being accepted exposing future generations to multi-cultures. I am an American teenager with an Hispanic background. My parents, born and raised in Guatemala immigrated to the United States a few years before my birth. Since my birth, I have been exposed to two very different types of cultures. I have lived in the United States all my life while I have visited Guatemala a couple of times for a few weeks each. Being more accustomed to life in the United States, life in Guatemala is very distinctive. Communicating with family in Guatemala was definitely more challenging than communicating with the family back home in the United States. These types of situations have led to â€Å"complexities† in communication, a topic that LaRay M. Barna analyzes thoroughly in her article â€Å"Intercultural Communication Stumbling Blocks.† The â€Å"complexities† in communication that Barna addresses are spread into five stumbling blocks: language, nonverbal signs and symbols, preconceptions and stereotypes, tendency to evaluate, and high anxiety. These five stumbling blocks can occur in any shape or form in communication between two cultures. Language, nonverbal signs and symbols, as well as preconceptions and stereotypes are the stumbling blocks that occurred most when communicating with my family that reside in Guatemala. According to Barna, language is anShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action : Racial Equality938 Words   |  4 Pagesmeaning the hunt for the perfect university is approaching...fast. But, the real question is, what do I look for when it comes to my dream college? To my surprise, it’s not the typical campus size issue, but rather it was racial diversity. 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Digital Marketing Strategy Of IT Excellence of Davenport †Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Digital Marketing Strategy Of IT Excellence of Davenport. Answer: Introduction Digital marketinggenerally refers to the advertisement process that is delivered through the digital channels, such as websites, search engines, emails, social media, and mobile applications. According to Tiago and Verssimo (2014), digitalmarketing is the most effective and helpful method to reach out to maximum people and establish the brand image. On the contrary, in spite of covering a wide range of marketing activities, the process may lead towards business failures if it is not managed appropriately. For example, one of the most common types of the digital marketing is through paid search, which is also renowned as PPC (Pay-per-click) (Baltes 2015). This advertisement procedure is the sponsored result, which appears when the specific search terms are required or when the business requires targeting to a particular audience. The maintenance of the flexibility, visibility, and effectiveness is necessary in order to undertake the fruitful digital marketing process. The study would thus explore the digital marketing strategy undertaken by IT Excellence of Davenport, which provides the best IT solutions around the business. The understanding of the business needs and requirements would confirm whether the existing strategy is feasible enough to accomplish the business goals. If not, the managerial recommendations would present the most suitable digital marketing strategy for the business by analyzing the theoretical background. Concentrating on such solutions, the business leaders would be able to maximize the business profits and strengthen the sustainable position for a long run. Situation analysis IT Excellence Devonport, the small IT Company, located in Devonport, Tasmania, offers the best IT solutions to the business professionals (Itexcellence.com.au 2017). The company is much concerned about the value of time and therefore looking after the specific business needs. The efficient expertise and skills are used to the IT businesses for developing the best solutions within short time. The company helps the businesses with data recovery, IT security, gaining better insights into the business, and office automation. In addition to these services, the company even provides the general IT solutions as well. The company maintains the competitive price rates and provides the discounts for the bulk use. IT Excellence of Davenport provides the data security services to the IT companies. The company provides the IT solutions to the larger IT organizations. One of the major services offered by the company is the Data Recovery Services (Itexcellence.com.au 2017). It is notable that Data loss is much expensive and inconvenient. Generally, the organizations keep the backup of the data in order to prevent the uncertain situations (Gummesson, Kuusela and Nrvnen 2014). However, it is noticed that due to some of the malfunctions or malwares, the stored data is lost. Especially, when the hard drive fails, the data would be lost accordingly. The crashes of the hard drive signify that the access to the paid-for programs is no longer available. The lack of availability to the license keys would crash the entire system. During such time, it is necessary to purchase the new software for the reinstalling purposes. The use of the advanced recovery techniques sometimes helps in recovering the lost data. IT Excellence provides that security to the IT firms. Moreover, the company provides the MS automation services that save the time and money (Itexcellence.com.au 2017). The company generally uses the Email marketing procedures to ensure the completion of the digital tasks. It is notable that Email marketing requires the high expandable data drive to restore the data (Kumar 2015). However, the company is a small organization that provides the data securities to the IT businesses. Hence, the company lacks the sufficient resources for expanding the email data drive. It is quite problematic for the company since the huge amount of data is needed to be restored. In fact, the lack of sufficient space in the data storage may cause the data loss that will affect the business services and reputation (Karjaluoto and Ulkuniemi 2015). Moreover, the company does not have any sound promotional strategy to generate more customer traffic and leads. The lack of proper customer buzz is much challengin g for the company to survive for a longer time. Hence, it is necessary for the company to improve the digital marketing process through effective promotions and modified email marketing that would be helpful in generating more customers or business clients (Royle and Laing 2014). The identification of the proper means of promotions would help in attracting more customers and generating revenues accordingly. Another most prominent issue is the management of the existing websites (Jrvinen and Karjaluoto 2015). The company requires paying attention towards the executives who have been managing the emails and concerns received from the business clients. It is necessary to train the service executives more efficiently to gather the interests of the target customers. When the customers receive the expected services and their queries are instantly solved, they would be inclined towards availing the help from these websites. The identification of the theoretical context of the digital marke ting process would ensure the necessity of improving the digital marketing process for the business development purpose (Lipiinen and Karjaluoto 2015). Recognizing the proper theoretical concerns would help in presenting the preferable recommendations for the company. Objective Setting The objectives of this digital marketing plan are as follows: To develop the conceptual ideas about the effective digital marketing process To increase the sales of the IT solutions offered by IT Excellence, Davenport To improve the existing email marketing strategy for creating customer traffic To provide the actionable recommendations for the betterment of digital marketing strategy Strategy Development Some of the digital marketing channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Groupon are much fruitful social networking sites that help in connecting people and develop the business communication. Moreover, in case of promoting the business and creating the customer buzz, the contribution of the social networking sites is much remarkable (Taiminen and Karjaluoto 2015). In fact, the company, IT Excellence can use this theory to enhance the customer base by generating the customer traffic. Concentrating on the effective strategy development for the digital marketing process would lead the organization towards the right direction. It is necessary for the company to develop the tactful strategies to establish the right digital marketing method. The company requires utilizing the following strategies to develop the digital marketing. The company requires building the buyers persona by collecting the demographic and psychological information. The detailed information about the customers requirement would help in building the effective relationships. Identification of the digital marketing goals and tools is also necessary for providing effective digital services to the customers. Evaluating the existing digital marketing channels and assets is also essential to understand the underlying issues and gaps. Auditing and planning the owned media would suggest the further development of the digital marketing method. The projects are broken into individual and small tasks and distributed among the larger number of individuals. Task divisions help the individuals to complete the tasks within the scheduled timeframe. It is even helpful process of getting control over the digital process. Tactics The current business atmosphere is surrounded by the huge competitions among the business competitors. The business companies often use the digital methods to face the challenges posed by the external competitors (Royle and Laing 2014). The lack of proper customer buzz is much challenging for the company to survive for a longer time. Hence, it is necessary for the company to improve the digital marketing process through effective promotions and modified email marketing that would be helpful in generating more customers or business clients. Many of the business activities are controlled by using the advanced technologies or modernized method to reach out to the target customers. Similarly, Digital Marketing is a remarkable and efficient process of providing services to the target customers and making profits by offering the time saving and efficient solutions at a competitive rate (Jrvinen and Karjaluoto 2015). There are few types of digital marketing processes that are widely used by the business marketers. It is to be stated that the company requires improving or modifying the current email marketing strategy instead of changing the entire digital marketing process. The limited resource of this small company is needed to be invested in modifying the existing strategy. Especially, the small business marketers or the entrepreneurs that have limited resources to invest on business can be benefitted by these digital marketing strategies. The following types of digital marketing processes are used. Paid Search Pay-per-click (PPC) is a type of digital advertising process, which refers to the paid to search solutions. PPC appears on the top or side of a search engine. The customers required paying to the business when the ad is clicked. The PPC search has the flexibility to e searched by tailoring the preferences (Donnelly et al. 2015). This ad targets the particular audience suitable for the business. The flexibility, visibility, and effectiveness of the organizations are presented through this search if the customer puts the right term or keyword (Chaffey and Allen 2015). The search engine optimization (SEO) is the greater option for this type of this digital search. Content Marketing Creation of the attractive contents, which are not promotional in nature helps in gathering the customer buzz. Especially, in case of IT solutions or technical solutions, the informative contents are much beneficial in gathering the attention of the target clients (Stone and Woodcock 2014). It is quite difficult to some extent, but is much feasible and relevant to the audience. Resourceful contents are also much appreciable for attracting more customers towards the contents developed for the business purposes. Email Marketing Email marketing has been around for few decades from now. It is still considered as the most direct and quickest form of reaching to the target customers. The major reason behind such frequency is the consumers are much attached to their emails. However, the business marketers require identifying the best possible way of using this process (Holliman and Rowley 2014). It is noted that the successful email campaigns must be informative, engaging, entertaining, and relevant. The companies require using the adequate information for guiding the decisions for the effective communication process. There are some of the core attributes that are needed to be followed by the business marketers while using this process. For example, the business marketers need to be trustworthy, conversational, relevant, strategic, and coordinated to be successful in this context. Mobile Marketing Use of the mobile devices is becoming increasingly integral part of our daily lives. The marketers need to understand the method of effective and unique communication process. The instant checking facilities are quite convenient for the business marketers to reach out to the targeted audience (Menon et al. 2015). In-app marketing is one of the most effective forms available in the mobile devices. However, it is necessary to recognize the right method to convey the messages through mobile marketing process. Marketing Automation Marketing automation is another type of digital marketing platform that ties the different marketing types altogether. Campaigns become more effective if this digital marketing process is used in the right way. The software used for the marketing automation automates and streamlines the workflows and the marketing tasks (Hartemo and Hartemo 2016). It generally measures the results of the digital campaigns and helps the business marketers to increase the revenues faster. Marketing automation process helps in gaining more insights about the right programs to be used (Green 2015). Moreover, this process even creates the significant impact on the bottom line process as well. These different typologies of the digital technologies help in reaching to the target audience as per the business requirements. It is notable that the development of the high-tech and highly advanced technologies would be much helpful in terms of gaining the supports from the external sources while establishing the digital business. Actions The company, IT Excellence has been utilizing the email marketing method. The following actions would be relevant for developing the skilled email marketing process. Emails should contain the messages, which are more persuasive and consistent. Customers usually prefer consistency about the services and information they are receiving from the company. Hence, maintaining the consistency level is essential. It is necessary to avoid the misalignment of the messages. The broken emails and alignment of the different messages confuse the customers and create the negative impact. Hence, it is necessary to avoid these messages. Managing the contents of the message is another most necessary action to be undertaken by the company for influencing the customers. Controls It is necessary to control the actions by monitoring the entire email marketing process. The service executive of the company requires developing a complete quality checklist that would measure the contents, time, structure, and information of the mail. Checking the progress report would also ensure the proper controls on the digital marketing plan. It influences the choices of the clients and communicates with them more clearly (Holliman and Rowley 2014). In some of the cases, it is noted that the agents may assume the challenges due to the conflicting priorities. As per the theoretical concept, it is cleared that managing the customer relationship is necessary to generate the sufficient amount of revenues. Therefore, modifying the existing email marketing would be beneficial for the company. The limited customer base may affect the long term sustainability of the business. Even the theoretical approaches are considering that the company needs to develop the social networking proces s for the future development. In such cases, maintenance of the proper social networking methods would be much helpful for the business. Actionable Recommendations The case scenario reflects that the company has been facing challenges in gathering the sufficient customer traffic for increasing the revenues and ensuring the growth. The email marketing process undertaken by the company requires more development to ensure the business success in a significant way. As per the theoretical development, it is notable that the company requires developing the proper networking process to create the customer buzz. Considering such requirement, the further study would provide the effective ideas about the efficient email marketing process. The steps are described further: Personalization of the email It is to be considered that the practice of the personalized email greeting is much effective. The email marketing process requires the strengthened relationship building with the business clients. The recipient needs to know the sender of the email to gain more reliability. The personalization process of the email marketing helps the clients to identify the sender of the email. Moreover, it determines the authenticity that generates trust and developing frequent business process. It also feeds the subscribers individuality for the betterment of the services. The service executives if IT Excellence can use the name while receiving and replying to the emails received from the clients. Shorter and longer subject lines In order to prepare the proper subject lines for a particular IT services. It is necessary to maintain 60 to 70 characters while preparing the subject line for an email. It is researched that including 70 characters in a subject line is most beneficial to engage the readers in clicking through the content. It is one of the most effective and beneficial email marketing strategies to attract more customers. Providing Free Contents Providing a free content or free template is another most beneficial form of email marketing that would create the positive impact on the customers minds. While offering the IT solutions to the business clients IT Excellence requires providing the informative contents to the clients to attract towards the services. It helps in resolving the queries of the customers as well. However, it is even necessary to develop the attractive contents to make the information influencing enough for the business clients. Time Scheduling It is necessary for the company to identify the most convenient time to circulate the emails among the business clients. Sending the emails anytime may create the negative impact on business clients. It is necessary to communicate at the initial stage to obtain information about the right time of sending emails. It is suggested that from 9 am to midnight is the most convenient time to send emails. The clients mostly prefer to check their emails during this period. Hence, it is a considerable strategy to be utilized while circulating the emails among the target clients. Using the social networking process to promote the business It is noticed that IT Excellence lacks the sufficient resources for the development of the promotional strategies. However, the limited customer base may affect the long term sustainability of the business. Even the theoretical approaches are considering that the company needs to develop the social networking process for the future development. In such cases, maintenance of the proper social networking methods would be much helpful for the business. Development of the business pages and websites in the social networking sites is one of the cost saving strategies for promoting the business. The business clients can present their concerns and experiences through such social networking pages. It would thus develop the proper networking with the business clients, which is essential for the business development. The recommendations are presented to modify the email marketing process in a significant way. Identifying the skilled strategic views would be efficient enough in developing the strong customer base. While the company lacks the adequate resources, implementing these strategies would help in increasing revenues by creating the customer buzz. Conclusion The study observes the digital marketing strategy undertaken by IT Excellence, Davenport that offers the digital and technical IT solutions to the business clients. The efficient expertise and skills are used to the IT businesses for developing the best solutions within short time. The company helps the businesses with data recovery, IT security, gaining better insights into the business, and office automation. The lack of proper customer buzz is much challenging for the company to survive for a longer time. Hence, it is necessary for the company to improve the digital marketing process through effective promotions and modified email marketing that would be helpful in generating more customers or business clients. In order to mitigate these issues, the recommendations are developed in this study. References Baltes, L.P., 2015. Content marketing-the fundamental tool of digital marketing.Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V,8(2), p.111. Chaffey, D. and Allen, R., 2015. Managing Digital Marketing in 2015. Donnelly, C., Simmons, G., Armstrong, G. and Fearne, A., 2015. Digital loyalty card big dataand small business marketing: Formal versus informal or complementary?.International Small Business Journal,33(4), pp.422-442. Green, P., 2015. A marketing strategy for practice growth.In Practice,37(9), pp.481-484. Gummesson, E., Kuusela, H. and Nrvnen, E., 2014. Reinventing marketing strategy by recasting supplier/customer roles.Journal of Service Management,25(2), pp.228-240. Hartemo, M. and Hartemo, M., 2016. Email marketing in the era of the empowered consumer.Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing,10(3), pp.212-230. Holliman, G. and Rowley, J., 2014. Business to business digital content marketing: marketers perceptions of best practice.Journal of research in interactive marketing,8(4), pp.269-293. Itexcellence.com.au, 2017.Home - IT Excellence. [online] IT Excellence. Available at: https://itexcellence.com.au/ [Accessed 21 Oct. 2017]. Jrvinen, J. and Karjaluoto, H., 2015. The use of Web analytics for digital marketing performance measurement.Industrial Marketing Management,50, pp.117-127. Jrvinen, J. and Taiminen, H., 2016. Harnessing marketing automation for B2B content marketing.Industrial Marketing Management,54, pp.164-175. Karjaluoto, H. and Ulkuniemi, P., 2015. Digital communications in industrial marketing.Journal of Business Industrial Marketing,30(6). Kumar, V., 2015. Evolution of marketing as a discipline: What has happened and what to look out for.Journal of Marketing,79(1), pp.1-9. Lamberton, C. and Stephen, A.T., 2016. A thematic exploration of digital, social media, and mobile marketing: research evolution from 2000 to 2015 and an agenda for future inquiry.Journal of Marketing,80(6), pp.146-172. Levy, S. and Gvili, Y., 2015. How credible is e-word of mouth across digital-marketing channels?.Journal of Advertising Research,55(1), pp.95-109. Lipiinen, H.S.M. and Karjaluoto, H., 2015. Industrial branding in the digital age.Journal of Business Industrial Marketing,30(6), pp.733-741. Menon, A., Bharadwaj, S.G., Adidam, P.T. and Edison, S.W., 2015. Effective Marketing Strategy-Making: Antecedents and Consequences. InProceedings of the 1997 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 224-224). Springer, Cham. Royle, J. and Laing, A., 2014. The digital marketing skills gap: Developing a Digital Marketer Model for the communication industries.International Journal of Information Management,34(2), pp.65-73. Stone, M.D. and Woodcock, N.D., 2014. Interactive, direct and digital marketing: A future that depends on better use of business intelligence.Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing,8(1), pp.4-17. Taiminen, H.M. and Karjaluoto, H., 2015. The usage of digital marketing channels in SMEs.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development,22(4), pp.633-651. Tiago, M.T.P.M.B. and Verssimo, J.M.C., 2014. Digital marketing and social media: Why bother?.Business Horizons,57(6), pp.703-708.

Value and Ethics

Table of Contents Introduction Professional Values and Ethics Conclusion References Introduction Companies and organizations are normally governed by values and ethics. Values generally refer to the things or traits that are important to someone â€Å"In an organization, values refer to what an organization stands for and what should be the basis for the behavior of its members† (Gerllerman, 2001). This means that the actions and conducts of workers should be in line with an organization’s values. Values define what is considered right or wrong in an organization. On the other hand, ethics is what is considered right or wrong.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Value and Ethics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To some extent, organizations usually state what they consider to be right or wrong depending on their stipulated rules and policies. â€Å"Ethics tend to be codified into a formal system, o r a set of rules which are explicitly adopted by a group of individuals† (Reamer, 2005). For example, we have medical ethics. Ethics is therefore internally stated and adopted. For a person to come up with ethical decisions, he should possess the following. First, he should recognize ethical issues. Second, he should be able to consider different perspectives when determining the right thing in given situation. This is the same as having the capacity to reframe. â€Å"And the third is the ability to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty; making a decision on the best information available† (Reamer, 2005). Professional Values and Ethics â€Å"The three sources of professional values and ethics are: professional integrity, academic integrity, and personal values† (Fairholm, 2004). In a business setting, professional integrity describes the way an individual acts and he or she should be responsible for the actions. In this case, an individual is expected to remain imp artial and he or she should also make independent judgments that are free from other people’s influences. An individual that has integrity normally performs his actions honestly. Academic integrity refers to the ethical policy that exists in academic environment. â€Å"For example, a university may have values such as: avoidance of cheating or plagiarism; maintenance of academic standards; honesty and rigor in research and academic publishing† (Gerllerman, 2001). Personal values are the traits which a person feels are necessary to him, and they do vary from one person to another. Importance of Professional Values and Ethics Values and ethics provide guidelines that enable an organization to achieve its set targets and objectives. For example, they are important elements in achieving the vision of an organization. Consequently, a company’s vision must be in line with its core values. When individuals working in a given organization share common values, they are a ble to achieve the desired objectives effectively.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More â€Å"In this case, values act as important tools for making judgments, assessing probable outcomes of contemplated actions, and choosing among alternatives† (Reamer, 2005). Nonetheless, if members of a certain institution fail to share their values, they cannot accomplish their goals effectively. Conclusion Based on this discussion, it is therefore important for members of an organization to adhere to the set values and ethics so that they can achieve their objectives. I aspire to become a manager of a bicycle spare parts manufacturing company called Metro Tyre Ltd. As a manager, I will establish proper values and ethical guidelines that will enable me to realize the goals of the company. Besides this, I will ensure that all employees share common values and interests in the company. T his will encourage cohesion among the workers. References Fairholm, G. (2004). Understanding Leadership Perspectives: Theoretical and Practical Approaches. London: Springer. Gerllerman, W. (2001). Values and Ethics in Organization and Human Systems Development: Responding to Dilemmas in Professional Life. New York: Jossey-Bass. Reamer, F. (2005). Social Work Values and Ethics. New York: Wiley. This essay on Value and Ethics was written and submitted by user Van Contreras to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Financial strategies of the Confederacy vs. Union governments economic choices

Financial strategies of the Confederacy vs. Union governments economic choices While explaining the economic reality of the Confederacy in times of the Civil War, some fundamentals on the financial strategies of the Confederate and Union governments must be considered.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial strategies of the Confederacy vs. Union governments’ economic choices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the major points, which is to be taken into account, is the Confederacy’s inflation financing. Thus, one is to keep in mind that there is a direct interdependence between the economic strategies of the Confederacy and their military failure. On the other hand, effective financial choices of the Union are mostly associated with the so-called policy of combination. In other words, summing up loans, taxes and notes determined the success of Union governments’ military engagements. The Thesis Statement The analysis of the economic policy of the Confederacy in time s of the Civil War gives us an opportunity to understand how the government’s ability to secure resources to mobilize military forces influences the success of military engagement. The Body Raising Funds As The Government’s Most Important Step To Succeed As far as Southerners’ economic choices were mostly conditional, one can probably conclude that the major mistake of the Confederacy was that they failed in aggrandizement of federal power, when such opportunity was available. Taking into account the fact that the Confederate governments were mostly focused on states’ rights and slavery, one can suppose that their financial strategies were not static. It seems to be obvious that the government’s ability to raise funds, in order to support military strategies development as well as to reinforce administrative capabilities is extremely important for the war effort.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get you r first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Of course, political incentives cannot be neglected, as they also influence financial choices. The Economic Choices Of The Confederacy And The Union The political basis of the Confederacy and the Union concerning war financing gives us an opportunity to trace back the interdependence between economic choices and military outcomes. One of the most important issues, which cannot be ignored, is that â€Å"the key decision-makers on both sides knew each other well from previous experience in Washington; and the military and financial strategies that had been employed throughout the ante-bellum period were common knowledge† (Razaghian 2). In other words, one can make a conclusion that the economic policies of the both sides had to be somewhat similar. In reality, the assumption, however, does not make any sense. It is necessary to remember that the success of the Union can be explained by the government’s right decision to adopt long-term financial strategies. The Confederacy, in their turn, lost time in effortless contemplation. It is a well-known fact that the Confederate government decided to leverage tax power, when such actions were not already necessary. According to Razaghian, the major mistake of the Confederacy was that â€Å"they relied on loans and non-interest bearing notes† (3), while the success of the North can be explained by its government’s decision to collect taxes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial strategies of the Confederacy vs. Union governments’ economic choices specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Importance Of The Key Political Interpretations Generally, there are many opinions on the reasons of the Confederacy’s failure. For instance, the viewpoint that â€Å"the Confederacy lost because of disagreements between Jeffersonian governors and an increasingly centralized r egime in Richmond† (Beringer et al. par. 2) is criticized by many historians, as the key political interpretations seems to be omitted. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation And Its Meaning Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is also to be highlighted, as it increased the chances of Union military victory. Thus, one is to keep in mind that the impact of proclamation was mostly positive, as the Union gained the support of the masses, including the African-American population. Moreover, it should also be pointed out that the inhaitants of both unoccupied and occupied territories provided the North with support. The Demands Of The War So, taking into consideration the financial policies of the sides, one can conclude that taxation can be regarded as the most appropriate strategy to succeed. However, there is a need to state that the demands of the war must be controlled. In other words, as far as the demands can be changed, the government is to react immediately. Thus , new demands require new financial policies to be adopted. For the Confederacy, the understanding that taxes had to be increased came too late. Thus, one of the members of the Confederate government stated: â€Å"We have been compelled to issue a large quantity of Treasury notes, when, perhaps, it would have been more to the true interest of the country to have resorted at first to high taxation† (â€Å"Southern Historical Society Papers† 458-459).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Conclusion Finally, it is necessary to point out that irrational and short-term economic choices of the Confederacy led to their failure in the Civil War. Immediate mobilization of military resources and reconsideration of certain economic requirements, however, cannot be regarded to be saving, as the North’s resources were more powerful. If the Confederate governments relied on taxation in time, the only effect they could achieve is to limit the resources of the North; although military success could not been gained anyway. It is the interdependence between political incentives and economic choices, which is of primary importance; as the incentives determine military outcomes. Beringer, Richard, Herman, Hattaway, Archer, Jones and William N. Still, Jr. Why the  South Lost the Civil War. Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1986. Print. Razaghian, Rose. Financing the Civil War: The Confederacy’s Financial Strategy,  2004. â€Å"Southern Historical Society Papers.† New Number Series, 13 (1958):51. Print.

Important Dangers of Ordering a Fake High School Diploma

Important Dangers of Ordering a Fake High School Diploma SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Fake high school diplomas are definitely out there. Whether you're thinking about purchasing one or doing your utmost to avoid ending up with just such a phony document, pause a moment and read this article. We'll cover reasons why a person might get a fake diploma, whether it's legal to get one, and how to make sure any document you obtain is the real deal, not a fake. Why Do People Get Fake High School Diplomas? There are a few reasons a person might look into getting a fake diploma. Some reasons are perfectly innocent, and some are more devious. However, even the supposedly innocent reasons have a somewhat fishy feeling to them- it seems very odd, for instance, that someone would invest a few hundred dollars in a very realistic-looking replica diploma intended only as a practical joke prop. Dishonest Reasons Dishonest reasons include submitting a fake high school diploma to convince a school or potential employer that you have credentials you never earned. This is the primary reason you'd need such an exactly convincing version of of diploma. It's hard to imagine why you would need to dupe people so entirely unless you honestly wanted them to believe that the document was official. Practical Reasons Many sites offering fake diplomas point out that high school diplomas are relatively likely to get lost and relatively difficult to replace. (If you're in this boat, read our guide to replacing a missing diploma.) The idea is, then, that a substitute might be a nice thing to have and to hand down to future generations. There's some logic to this argument, and yet it seems odd to hand down a fake diploma; I struggle to understand why future generations would be so attached to a stand-in document in place of simply knowing the true story of how Grandpa Bill lost his diploma from such-and-such a high school. Just-for-Fun Reasons There are all sorts of practical jokes a person could play with a fake diploma- not to mention straight-up teasing. One online figure mentioned getting a fake diploma for his dog. The question, then, becomes why you would need a document of such high (deceptive) quality; does Fido really need a seal produced with the precise embossing style that colleges use? I say no. He's sad because his diploma isn't 100% realistic. What Can You Do With a Fake High School Diploma? High school diplomas serve as a way to prove to the world that you completed your high school education with passing grades. Most of the time, you're trying to satisfy a college or an employer about your educational background; schools and businesses want to know that you have the level of education they require of their students or employees. This is where we circle back to the dishonest reasons for getting a fake diploma listed above; with a phony document, a person may be able to garner an acceptance to a college or business that would not otherwise have been offered. The story typically doesn't conclude with a happy ending, though, as we will see in the following section. What Can Happen If You Get a Fake Diploma? For one thing, it's extremely likely that you'll be discovered. In most cases, a simple phone call from the college or business to the school from which you allegedly graduated is enough to undermine your plans. Plus, organizations like schools and background check companies keep tabs on illegitimate diploma operations, updating their databases frequently. Discovery means loss of any position you may have gained with the aid of your fake diploma- at best. It can mean prosecution and conviction at worst. Are Fake Diplomas Legal or Illegal? Fake diplomas occupy a legal gray area. Laws are not stringent on this particular issue, and the exact strictness of laws varies somewhat by state. The actual production or ownership of a fake diploma is apparently not illegal if it's not technically a forgery of an actual document (for example, a replica of a Harvard diploma). Using a fake diploma to gain goods or a position you would otherwise not have access to is considered fraud, however, and can be legally prosecuted. Plus, if you're performing services you're not qualified to perform under the cover of your fake diploma, that's a big legal problem- especially if anyone suffers harm as a result. GUILTY. How to Get a Legitimate High School Diploma First and foremost, getting a high school diploma requires time and work. There's no way to get a valid diploma without completing a number of graduation requirements. There are several options for students wishing to put in the necessary work to get a high school diploma. You can, of course, attend a traditional high school. Your local school district is always a great place to start exploring that option. There's also night school, which usually intended for students who need to make up a few credits, not those wishing to start and finish their high school careers there. There are alternative high schools, too, which are structurally like your average high school but have their totally non-traditional methods. There's also the online option. Online high schools are becoming more popular these days; they basically entail getting curriculum from an online source and turning assignments in remotely. Typically, there are lectures or discussions to attend via chat or video conference. In some cases, you may want to think about the GED, which is primarily intended for students no longer enrolled in high school who have not earned their high school diplomas, though there are other circumstances where the GED might make the best sense. You can learn more about the GED and how to get a GED online through other articles on our blog. Don't you mostly just want to wear that funny hat, though? How to Make Sure the Diploma You're Getting Is Real If you're thinking of buying a diploma online, you're most likely more interested in the online mode of schooling, so these tips will focus primarily on identifying legitimate online institutions. Traits of a Legitimate Online High School Online high schools need accreditation, unless they happen to be run by a specific school district or through the state. This is a hugely important quality to check up on; accreditation is absolutely essential. You can check with your state's department of education or attorney general to see if an online program is accredited or otherwise approved. Also check out our own article explaining accredited online programs. While reviews are not 100% reliable, do check what reviewers have to say. Also, look up the online program you're considering with the Better Business Bureau. A legitimate online high school should have reasonable reviews; not everyone may be in love with the school, but if there are a lot of accusations of illegitimacy, it's something to be concerned about. Call a well-respected college and see if they would accept a diploma from the program you're looking at. If they would, that's a good sign you're on the right path; if they wouldn't, keep searching. Warning Signs of a Fake Online High School Fake online schools often charge a flat fee for a degree program, rather than charging by class or credit. Fake online schools frequently charge for the diploma itself, in addition to or instead of classes. Fake online schools may entail little or no coursework and promise little to no interaction with teachers. Some promise degrees based solely off of life experience with no classes required. Fake online schools may promise you a degree in a very short amount of time- months, weeks, or just days. The address (not just the mailing address, but the actual address of the school) may be shown as a P.O. Box rather than a physical location. The name of the school may be a knock-off of a legitimate institution. Also, some schools will maintain a cheap-looking website full of typos as well as a well-groomed and professional website, just so that you'll assume the well-groomed website must be legitimate. Look at this beautiful website! How could it possibly be unreliable? Conclusion The moral of the story here is that fake high school diplomas are, overall, not good things. They may be technically legal in some cases, and some people use them for innocent reasons, but mostly they're fraudulent and put to fraudulent use. There are ways to make sure that any program you're enrolling in is the real deal, so make sure you do your homework. Don't get stuck with a fake high school diploma: it's not worth it. What's Next? Are you wondering whether online high school is right for you? Before you make any commitments, read our articles on the pros and cons of that set-up and whether or not you need a high school diploma in the first place. If you do decide to go with an online high school, read about how to make sure you're getting the best experience possible. Another thing to consider is whether you might want to get your GED. Find out what this means and why you might want one in our article on that very credential. We also cover how to take the GED online and the best GED practice tests here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Annotated Bibliography Example llows analyzing the behavior of a patient from several aspects and suggests pilot randomizes control trail as the method to control the severity of the disease. The source provides an understanding about individual and collective behavior of people facing through Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The condition of the patient mentioned in the paper relates to the cases analyzed in the paper therefore, this source can be useful to assess the behavioral of the patient. As the source studies the behavior of the patient and allows understanding distress and anxiety situations it can be used to determine the actual fact and severity of the disease; As the patient facing through dementia exhibits behavioral deficit that can cause families and spouse to face social distress, therefore the source is important to analyze the behavior, causes, symptoms and methods to cure the disease. The source is a research paper analyzing the signs and symptom of dementia and its behavioral and neuropsychological aspects. It further relates the disease with the frontal lobe feature and its effects on the behavior of the patient. The data included in the study of behavior and psychological signs and symptoms of disease. The source can be useful to determine the behavioral and psychological aspects of the patient. There are several phases mentioned in the paper with the variance to the behavior and psychological aspects that can be used to analyze the severity of the disease in the case. The source further aims to relate different behaviors subjected to severity and intensity of dementia. In addition, the source aims to emphasis the frontal lobe symptoms to relate with the cognitive deficits with the increasing severity and frequency of aggressive, depressive and psychosis symptom. The patient mentioned in the case has the problems of hypertension, aggression, anxiety and depres sion. This source can analyze the severity of the disease further it provides an understanding about the

Universal packaging design Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Universal packaging design - Case Study Example In business, universal packaging design is a framework in which product packaging in a way that captures a wide range of people and circumstances without any special features (Lidwell, William, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler, and Kimberly Elam, 26).For instance, a counter with a universal design will have manifold heights- a standard height for taller people and a shorter height for short people. Universals designs must follow certain principles that define it. They include:1. Equitable use The design has to meet the needs of people with different abilities. It must be equally usable to all users: Identical whenever possible and offer equivalence in utility where it is not identical. It should not segregate or stigmatize any users Must avail specifications of privacy, safety, and security to the all users The design must be appealing to all users.2. Flexible to users The design should accommodate different individual abilities and preferences. The user should be free to make a choice on the methods of use. Right and left-handed persons should also be accommodated The equipments should be able to facilitate accuracy and precision for the user The design should provide room for the users to adapt to any change that may occur.3. Simple and intuitive to use The design should be simple to understand. The experience of the user on its use does not matter. The user’s knowledge, language, skills, or current level of concentration should not matter in the ease to use design. The design should have the ability to eliminate unnecessary complexity It should accommodate different literacy levels and skills. The design should a sequential effect on items according to their level of importance The systems should provide effective feedback during and after the completion of the task 4. Perceptible information The design should communicate information to the user where necessary without special sensory abilities form the user. It uses pictorial, verbal and tactile modes for the redundant presentation of essential information. It should provide sufficient contrast between essential information and its surroundings Essential information should have maximum legibility The readers hold is able to describe different elements i.e. it should make easy for the user to give instructions and directions The design should compatible with a variety of designs or devices used by user with sensory limitations. 5. Tolerance of error The designs should minimize on hazards and adverse consequences of intended and unintended actions Arranges elements to minimize hazards and errors in a way the is understandable to all users. Categories such as, most used elements, hazardous elements eliminated, isolated, or shielded are applicable. Provides warnings of possible hazards and errors that can occur on the instrument or device It provided fail-safe features of the model to the user It should direct the user to avoid unconscious actions in tasks that require vigilance and att entiveness. 6. Low physical effort Users should not use a lot of energy when using the design. There should efficiency and comfort with the most minimum fatigue User should be able to maintain a neutral position of the body when using the design The user should use reasonable operating forces Repetitive actions should be minimal Sustained physical efforts should be minimal 7. Size and space approach of use The size and space approach of a design is the extent to which the use can reach, manipulate, and use the design regardless of their body size, posture or mobility. The design should allow the user to do all that without strain. It should be adjustable to allow users of all body sizes to use it. Important elements must be clearly seen by any sitting or standing user The users should be able to comfortably reach all of the components they need during operations It should accommodate any variations in hand and grip size Space for assistive or personal devices for users should be acc ommodated through sufficient space.

History and Archives Essay Example for Free

History and Archives Essay She was born in Moscow, Russia and spent all her childhood and most of her young years in the Soviet Union. She went to school in Moscow from 1973 to 1983, for 10 years. At school she was very interested in history especially in ancient history. She loved to read books about history of Egypt, Italy and Mexico and also started to develop an interest in how the people live in different countries and why they all are different in some ways and the same in other ways. During her childhood every summer she went to different camps, where she met new people from different republics (that now after the crash of the USSR they are all different countries. In 1983 she was admitted to Moscow Order of Honor State University of History and Archives. She was there for 6 years and received a Diploma for Master of History and Archival Science. While at the University she witnessed the last years of the Great Empire of the Soviet Union and its Collapse. She saw how people started to change when their lives were drastically changed by Perestroika. She saw how families collapsed under the strains of a new social and economic system which imposed new financial hardship and drastic even overnight changes in societal norms. She saw how children from those families reacted to escalating divorce rates and how their lives changed for the worse. Deep interest in history and cultures of different countries led her to explore on human behavior, their similarities and differences. †¢ Having grown up in a totalitarian system and experiencing the perceived freedoms we enjoy here, she have an appreciation for issues related to how human beings deal with different pressures and expectations. †¢ In the time that she was with people from other cultural backgrounds, she developed a great appreciation for the differences in cultural traditions and social behavior. †¢ She pursued this interest and took up a master’s course in History and Archival Science. †¢ As she witnessed the tragic collapse of her nation, she saw how society as a whole abandoned the notion of Social responsibility and any feelings of obligation to others that were mandated by the government at one time were replaced with a vacuum that left many in search of a new vision of their place in society. †¢ She observed how people react when their dreams and expectations taste the bitterness of reality and adjust to changes and stress and most of the times take up the negative route and enter into alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, felony. Personality The collapse of society happened almost overnight. It was shocking to her that the transformation of millions within such a short time, and to the extent of that transformation. Unfortunately it did not getting better; in fact it started to affect her. She now faced to adapt to her changing environment after adhering so closely to my traditional beliefs of honor and respect. Later she adapted to a new marriage and followed her spouse to the US. The move to the US was a very drastic change for her at that time. A totally different country, traditions, language and social norms. She had some difficult time in adjusting and understanding that country. Yet another adaptation was required of her. Her daughter was born and once again she was entering a different world with no guidance. She found her â€Å"loving† husband of 20 years cheating on her with another woman. This was not what she expected in the least. Her life made no sense. Her beliefs that were honed for so many years were critically tasked. This new information made the pathways in her brain over taxed. This was not what she could accept. But she had too. There was no other reality. Still it took her years to grasp with that reality. Much as others deal with change she had trouble. It was her dispassionate belief that with coaching, that people could deal with a fast changing environment, including a new economic and social reality. She ended with a divorce. She then even had to adjust and live with the situation when her little girl was taken from her based on fraudulent allegations that swayed a person (one of many) who was the judge. Her heart was cut; she was drowning in ocean of emotions, and ones again in her life for the purpose to survive. †¢ After the collapse of her nation, she began reading books on psychology, philosophy and religion, in order to adjust to the drastic change and realized that adaptation was the greatest tool that humans possessed. †¢ For the purpose of dealing with the new challenges confronting her after the birth of her daughter, she began to educate herself through reading in order to learn more about the child development and psychology. †¢ When she found her husband cheating on her, she could not accept it. But she had too. There was no other reality. She took years to grasp with that reality. She faced troubles initially but dispassionately believed that with coaching, that people can deal with a fast changing environment, including a new economic and social reality. †¢ To get through her divorce, she returned to reading books on psychology and started to speak with counselors and therapists. She learned an incredible amount of practical applications of behavioral and cognitive tools she could use to adapt to this latest crisis. By reading and learning more she developed the desire to help and support people who face change and find it hard to adapt. She learnt enough to allow her to make a greater impact on how to teach people from an early age to handle change and look for ways to adapt that benefit society has a whole. She realized that her way, she and many others can adapt to new environmental stresses can and must be influenced by people who can motivate people who can show them how to deal with situations that were never expected. Whether it is dealing with a Cultural Revolution, and actual revolution, a great upheaval, a great loss, or a custody battle in a divorce or more recently fuel prices that will effect the poor’s heating in Northern states, peoples’ financial stresses; people need to have help in guiding them through these transitions, and she wanted to make a difference in this way. She understood how different people are and how the behaviors of various groups are allowed to flourish. This dichotomy intrigued her as it would seem that a healthy society had to strike for some balance. She loved to explore the issue at greater length and have some guidance in understanding socio-psychological issues. She was not so much interested in pathology as she was in theoretical psychology of social norms and patterns along with how to setup systems to manage the needs of individuals along with the pressures of societal needs and peaceful coexistence. She wished to use adaptation tool to grow as a person. She looked for something to help her on this journey and I thought a respected school and her desire together could be used to help other’s who have undergone serious social stresses in life, while maintaining a positive social framework in which they can function. In this way she was on her way to growth. References Pavlov, â€Å"Conditioned Reflex† (1903), [Internet], Available at http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhpavl. html, Accessed on: 3 August 2009 Skinner,† The Behavior of Organism† (1936), [Internet], Available athttp://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhskin. html, Accessed: on 3 August 2009

Innocence Is Bliss in OConnors Short Stories Essay -- Literary Analy

There’s is no freedom from the post-lapsarian world. The attributes of this fallen world are very prominent in O’Connor’s short stories. However, she chooses not to include all of her characters into this nutshell. Instead, she gives her female characters innocence and monist ideals. Ironically, O’Connor isolates them from the rest and gives them a pitiful image as she goes on to mock their ways. The obliviousness and innocence of the characters is effortlessly destroyed in the post-lapsarian world because of their lack of foundation. O’Connor centers her stories on the attributes of the post-lapsarian world, which is the world after the â€Å"Forbidden Fruit† was eaten in the Garden of Eden. The fact that these stories were written soon after WWI also obstructed their outcome. The carnage of the war exemplifies the malevolent nature of O’Connor’s characters. For instance, in her story: â€Å"The Misfit,† a mass slaughter of an entire family occurs. After killing the last family member, The Misfit tells his assistant: â€Å"Take her off and throw her where you threw the others,† (O’Connor 22). The Misfit doesn’t bother looking back at the massacre he had just executed. This is a manner of establishing that such cruel and spiteful actions take place only in the evil of the post-laspsarian world. Likewise, in â€Å"A Circle in the Fire,† three boys take the liberty of allowing themselves to Mrs. Cope’s farm with no intentions of leaving. Not only does Mrs. Cope welcome the boys, she is also very hospitable towards them. Yet, the malicious and ill-mannered actions of these boys force Mrs. Cope feel obliged to them to leave. In response to the insult of being asked to leave, they decide to incinerate her farm. O’Connor creates these charac... ...ld beyond their homes. The characters learn the hard way that there is no escaping reality, especially since they are parts of it. This enlightening is why their blissfully happy lives have to be terminated. Works Cited 1. O'Connor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977. Print. 2. Schaum, Melita. ""Erasing Angel": The Lucifer-Trickster Figure in Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction." The Southern Literary Journal 33.1. Department of English of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000. Web. 12 July 2010. . 3. Sparrow, Stephen. "The Innocents of Flannery O'Connor." Flannery O'Connor: Comforts of Home, The Flannery O'Connor. N.p., 22 July 2002. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. .

Matteo Ricci

The year 1982 was a ‘Ricci-year’: scholarly meetings in different places around the world, from Chicago (US), over Macerata (Italy) to Taibei (Taiwan), commemorated Matteo Ricci’s entry in China. It was exactly four hundred years since his arrival in the Portuguese settlement of Macao in 1582 and his entry into the mainland one year later. In 2001, there were new celebrations of Ricci, in Hong Kong and in Beijing, commemorating his definitive settling in Beijing in 1601. The year 2010 is again a ‘Ricci-year’, this time commemorating his death in Beijing in 1610.Is there anything new to be said about Matteo Ricci after this time-lapse of twenty-seven years, which corresponds to the period of Ricci’s own ascent to and settling in Beijing? Well, his writings have become more accessible to the academic and wider community: for instance, in Chinese there are now readily available editions of his Chinese writings and several translations of his Della entrata della Compagnia di Giesu e Christianita nella Cina (‘About the Christian expedition to China undertaken by the Society of Jesus’) – a strong contrast to the prudent two-page article in Renmin huabao(‘China Pictorial’) of July 1982.But publications not only flourished in Chinese. The Ruggieri-Ricci manuscript of the Portuguese-Chinese dictionary was published for the first time; Ricci’s letters and the Italian version of Della entratawere reprinted (2000-2001)[1]; others works have been translated: the catechism Tianzhu shiyi (‘The True Meaning of God’) into English, Japanese, Korean and Italian; the treatise on friendship Jiaoyoulun into Italian, German, and French; the treatise on mnemotechnics (the art of memory), Xiguo jifa into German.There were numerous secondary sources: at least 200 articles, many of them in Chinese, illuminate various aspects of his life and works. The most well-known work is possibly Jonathan Spe nce’s Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci (1984), also translated into Chinese (two translations), French, Spanish and Dutch. [2] All this is very impressive and underscores the fact that Ricci remains an attractive figure both on the academic and the more popular level.Yet a close look at these writings reveals in particular the excellence of research accomplished earlier: the quality of Pasquale d’Elia’s annotated edition of the primary sources (Fonti Ricciane, 3 vols. , 1942-1949)[3] and the analysis of the method of evangelisation by d’Elia’s student Johannes Bettray (Die Akkommodationsmethode des P. Matteo Ricci S. I. in China, 1955)[4] is rarely matched today. Since these writings are in Italian and German respectively, they have unfortunately often been neglected.Compared to these writings, recent publications rarely bring to light new elements about Ricci himself, they rather nuance Ricci’s ‘success story’ by putting his accom plishments and writings in a broader context. For instance, it appears that Ricci was less accommodative than often assumed,[5] and that fellow Jesuits such as Niccolo Longobardo (1565-1655) had a better knowledge of the Chinese Classics and the Neo-Confucian commentaries than Ricci himself. How then to tell Ricci's story in the year 2010?One major development in recent years is the historiography of the contacts between cultures, with a primary question of the perspective from which one needs to look at the missionary: from his own perspective or from the perspective of the receiving culture? Taking benefit from these developments, this article will reread Ricci's story and ask how Ricci was shaped by the other, especially by the Chinese. [6] Four characteristics of Jesuit missionary strategy in China As a starting point one can make a first – rather traditional – reading of Ricci’s life by focusing on the missionary himself.The ‘Jesuit missionary strateg y’ in China was conceived by Alessandro Valignano (1539-1606), who was the former novice master of Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) and who was Jesuit visitor for East Asia during the period 1574-1606. His strategy was creatively put into practice by Matteo Ricci. Later generations, well into the eighteenth century, associated this strategy with Ricci and called it the ‘Ricci-method’. It can be described by four major characteristics[7]: 1. A policy of accommodation or adaptation to Chinese culture. 8] Valignano, who had been disappointed by the limited degree of the Jesuits’ adaptation to Japanese culture, insisted in the first place on knowledge of the Chinese language. Therefore he called a few Jesuits to Macao in 1579 ordering them to focus their attention entirely on the study of language (fellow Jesuits criticised them for spending all their time studying Chinese). Two years later Michele Ruggieri (1543-1607) entered China through the south, and Matteo Ricci followed one year later. Probably inspired by the Japanese situation, they dressed like Buddhist monks. In 1595, after nearly fifteen ears of experience, they changed this policy and adapted themselves to the life-style and etiquette of the Confucian elite of literati and officials. Ricci was responsible for this change. This new policy remained unchanged throughout the whole seventeenth century and for most Jesuit missionaries Matteo Ricci became the reference point with regard to the accommodation policy. 2. Propagation and evangelisation ‘from the top down’. Jesuits addressed themselves to the literate elite. The underlying idea was that if this elite, preferably the Emperor and his court, were converted, the whole country would be won for Christianity.The elite consisted mainly of literati, who had spent many years of their life preparing for the examinations they needed to pass to become officials. For these examinations they had to learn the Confucian classics an d the commentaries. After having passed the Metropolitan examinations, which took place in Beijing every three years and at which about three hundred candidates were selected, they entered the official bureaucracy and received appointments as district magistrates or positions in the ministries.As in modern diplomatic service, the offices usually changed every three years. In order to enter into contact with this elite, Ricci studied the Confucian classics and, with his remarkable gift of memory, became a welcome guest at the philosophical discussion groups that were organised by this elite. 3. Indirect propagation of the faith by using European science and technology in order to attract the attention of the educated Chinese and convince them of the high level of European civilisation.Ricci offered a European clock to the Emperor, he introduced paintings which impressed the Chinese with their use of perspective, translated mathematical writings of Euclid with the commentaries of the famous Jesuit mathematician Christophorus Clavius (1538-1612), and printed an enormous global map which integrated the results of the latest world explorations. By these activities Ricci established friendly relationships which sometimes resulted in the conversion of members of the elite: Xu Guangqi (1562-1633; baptised as Paul in 1603) and Li Zhizao (1565-1630; baptised as Leo in 1610) are the most famous of Ricci's time. . Openness to and tolerance of Chinese values. In China, Matteo Ricci encountered a society with high moral values, for which he expressed his admiration. Educated in the best Jesuit humanistic tradition, he favourably compared Confucius (552-479 BC) with ‘an other Seneca’ and the Confucians with ‘a sect of Epicurians, not in name, but in their laws and opinions’. [9] Ricci was of the opinion that the excellent ethical and social doctrine of Confucianism should be complemented with the metaphysical ideas of Christianity.However, he reject ed Buddhism, Taoism, and Neo-Confucianism, which in his eyes was corrupted by Buddhism. Ricci pleaded for a return to original Confucianism, which he considered to be a philosophy based on natural law. In his opinion it contained the idea of God. Finally, he adopted a tolerant attitude towards certain Confucian rites, such as the ancestral worship and the veneration of Confucius, which soon were labelled ‘civil rites’. Methodological questions There are several reasons why these four characteristics can rightly be identified as typical for Ricci and his fellow-Jesuits in a broader sense.First of all, one can easily find a justification for them in the Jesuit official documents of Ignatian inspiration, especially the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, which often insist on accommodation. Secondly, one can contrast these policies with those adopted by the contemporary Franciscans and Dominicans. These orders appeared less acco mmodative, less elite-oriented, less involved with sciences, and, lastly, less tolerant towards local ritual traditions.Finally, in publications about Jesuits in China in modern times, both by Jesuits and non-Jesuits, these elements are in one way or another presented as ‘typically Ricci’ or as ‘typically Jesuit’. There are also several reasons why these characteristics of strategy can be questioned. First, it can be questioned whether it is a ‘Jesuit’ strategy. Here, the comparison with the mission in Japan is quite determining. The first thirty years of Jesuit mission in Japan show quite a different picture, since before Valignano's arrival the accommodation policy was very restricted.Thus the actual strategy was determined to a large extent by the inspiration of an individual such as Valignano rather than by a common ‘Jesuit’ formation or training. A second problem with ‘strategy’ is that it seems to refer to a pre- set and well-thought policy that was consistently executed over time. Yet, some scholars have convincingly argued that Ricci himself ‘had not formed a precise opinion on the problem of evangelisation in China and that his judgment concerning the means and methods to adopt in order to convert the Chinese varied in the course of the years he spent on this task. [10] Thus the systematic labelling of any action as issuing from a ‘Ricci-method’ is probably an overestimation. Thus, while these four characteristics of the Jesuit strategy in China are certainly not invalid, they possibly present only one side of the story. The major methodological objection that can be raised is that an identity is not only formed through the isolated effort of the Self, but is shaped through constant interaction with the Other. This is true for individuals, but also for groups.Therefore, what we call the Jesuit missionary strategy in China is not only the result of a conscious and well-d efined policy conceived by Valignano and the proactive and creative elaboration of it by missionaries like Matteo Ricci. To a large extent, it is also the result of their reaction to what China was and who the Chinese were. In other words, their identity was shaped by the Chinese Otheras well. If Ricci became who he became, it was also because the Other encouraged him actively or passively to become like that.Thus the story should not only be told from the perspective of the missionary (Ricci), but also from the perspective of the receiving community (the Chinese). I will therefore review the four different characteristics and try to demonstrate how the Chinese ‘Other’ helped shape the Jesuit mission. I will bring into the picture the results of recent research on Christianity in late Ming China. These results have often been obtained by focusing on the point of view of the Chinese, ‘the Other’, and by taking the Chinese texts as primary source for research . Shaped by the Other 1.Accommodation to Chinese culture. The most obvious example of the interference of the Other in the field of accommodation is the change from a policy of adaptation to Buddhism to a policy of adaptation to Confucianism (and subsequently the rejection of Buddhism). The Other was already present in the original decision to adopt the Buddhist dress, since it was the Governor of Guangdong who either insisted that this was the way the missionaries should dress, or who approved the proposal of Michele Ruggieri to do so. [11] The accommodation to the Buddhist life-style was not without advantages.It enabled the Jesuits to make contact with the majority of the Chinese population more easily and allowed them to focus conversation directly on religious matters. But there were also disadvantages. From a Confucian perspective, Buddhism and Christianity shared many religious elements and were very similar to each other. Both can be classified as an institutional religion w ith a system of theology, rituals and organisation of its own, independent of so-called secular institutions. Confucianism, on the other hand, resembles a diffused religion.Its theology, rituals, and organisation were intrinsically tied up with the concepts and structures of secular institutions and the secular social order. [12] Moreover, Christianity shared elements with Buddhism such as belief in afterlife, the idea of heaven and hell, the practice of celibacy, etc. which were very un-Confucian. From Ricci's Della entrata and later apologetic works one can observe that precisely this similarity to the Other (the Buddhists) forced the Jesuits to dissociate themselves from the Other and emphasise their differences.The first (unconscious) reason for this change was that within the Chinese religious context there was too much competition between Buddhism and Christianity. Jesuits were in fact subjected to the phenomenon of ‘inflated difference’: i. e. the phenomenon in w hich a minority group, pressed to consolidate its own identity, is prone to dis-identify with others and to play up otherwise negligible differences between those inside and those outside its boundaries. [13] The only way to dissociate themselves from the Buddhist monks (who were considered to be very low on the social ladder) was to turn to Confucianism.In fact, it was the Other represented by Confucian literati such as Qu Taisu (Qu Rukui) (b. 1549) who encouraged Ricci to institute this change. [14] Here a second important element in which the Other determines the Self needs to be mentioned. It was labelled ‘cultural imperative’ by Erik Zurcher, and belongs to the deep structure in Chinese religious life in late imperial China. [15] No marginal religion penetrating from the outside could expect to take root in China (at least at a high social level) unless it conformed to a pattern that in late imperial times was more clearly defined than ever.Confucianism represented what is zheng (‘orthodox’) in a religious, ritual, social and political sense. In order not to be branded as xie (‘heterodox’) and be treated as a subversive sect, a marginal religion had to prove that it was on the side of zheng. The authority of Confucianism, and its sheer mass and attractive power, were such that any religious system from outside was caught in its field, and was bound to gravitate towards that centre. These two elements, inflated difference and cultural imperative, show the heavy influence of the Other in Ricci's strategy of accommodation.The Chinese made Ricci adapt to the particular Chinese situation. One may also point out that the refinement and sophistication of the Other imposed some limits on the accommodation by the Jesuits. It is indeed remarkable that the Jesuits apparently were not able to accommodate themselves to certain aspects of Chinese culture because they were too difficult to master or were too different from the Euro pean background. Here one touches on aspects of Jesuit corporate culture in Europe and many parts of the world that were not put into practice in China.The clearest example is that of schools and education. Despite their hope to replace the subject-matter of the Chinese exams by Aristotelian philosophy, the Jesuits were never able to influence the well-established Chinese education system. There were also aspects that did not belong to their corporate culture, but that were also too sophisticated to learn or to adopt. In the field of arts, one usually cites the successful adaptation of Jesuit painters like Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), but there is hardly any adoption of, or interest in, Chinese calligraphy.Yet, every member of the educated Chinese elite spent long hours when they were young learning calligraphy, and quite a few continued to practise it every day of their lives. Although the Jesuits’ effort was directed at this elite, in their copious writings there is ha rdly any indication that the Jesuits appreciated the aesthetic dimension of calligraphy and the pivotal role that it played in Chinese culture. [16] In the field of Chinese customs, Ricci and his fellow-Jesuits found it impossible to let their finger nails grow very long, as was the custom among the Chinese literati. 17] These are negative examples of influence that clearly show how Chinese culture imposed limits on accommodation. 2. The propagation ‘from the top’ is a second field in which the role of the Other can be amply shown. First it should be pointed out that the motive of Ricci’s ‘ascent to Beijing’[18] was not necessarily the conversion of the Emperor. The initial objective of Ricci, as expressed in his Della entrata, was not to reach Beijing, but just to have a residence on the mainland.It was because of the many difficulties Jesuits encountered in obtaining permission to enter China and in establishing a permanent residence there that the y gradually made a plan to go to Beijing in order to obtain the support of the ‘King of China’. [19] In this move to Beijing they largely depended on the elite. [20] There certainly were proactive or planned decisions by Ricci and his companions: they preferred the centre to the periphery and they chose to live in a city rather than in the countryside. ‘Centre’ meant the administrative centre, the place with a higher concentration of magistrates and literati.Thus they preferred Zhaoqing to Canton, because the Governor was residing in Zhaoqing, and Canton was only second choice. [21] The choice of the city was quite obviously connected with the choice of the centre. But these proactive or planned decisions by Ricci should be supplemented by two reactive or guided decisions, which were as important if not more important: many movements were arranged through personal relationships (guanxi) and a number of residences were established because the Jesuits were ex pelled from or not allowed to live in certain places.In both of these decisions the Other played a key role. The concept of guanxi or relationships is central to any understanding of Chinese social structures. It denotes an essential part of network-building within Chinese social life. The many difficulties encountered by Ricci and his companions in trying to establish a residence in various cities are often attributed to the fact that they were foreigners. While this is certainly true, the Jesuits also lacked the necessary guanxi to secure the social resources needed for their goals.They lacked common attributes: they could not refer to a common kinship, locality, religion or examination experience. Chinese society very quickly made the Jesuits aware of the importance of this network building and the originality of Ricci is to have understood it. It took the Jesuits a long time, but after more than ten years they succeeded in acquiring some ‘attributes’. The two most i mportant were their behaving like Chinese literati, and subsequently, the establishment of a network based on common Christian rituals.The role of the Other mediated by guanxi became very important in the move from the south to the north of the country and the establishment of new mission posts, and the Jesuits’ decisions were taken in response to the initiative or circumstances of these guanxi. The case of Michele Ruggieri travelling to Shaoxing (Zhejiang) is a fine example of this reactive or guided decision-making. [22] He was not travelling to Shaoxing because of a planned decision on his part, but rather because he had a guanxi who happened to be travelling to Shaoxing and who wanted to take Ruggieri with him.Another pattern was closely linked to this one. Chinese converts would settle in a new place (or return to their place of origin), expand the network of believers, and then invite a missionary. This pattern became more common as the community of believers increased and came to include some converts of higher social standing (especially after 1600). Here some structures of Chinese administrative life played an important role. Like other literati, Christian literati changed offices regularly (in principle every three years), or returned to their native towns. Their moves determined those of the missionaries.Another way of establishing a community in a given city was also a reaction to decisions made by others: Jesuits decided to settle in one place because they were not allowed to settle in the place of their original choice. In some cases this was even linked to direct expulsion. 3. The use of science in the service of the propagation of faith too was largely determined by the Other, as can be shown in the writings of the Jesuits and their converts. The first presentation of European science was made in the form of curiosities like a clock and prisms, with the result that at the beginning Jesuits were considered as alchemists.The first writings of the Jesuits, however, (i. e. what they wrote with only limited influence of the Other), were not scientific but entirely religious and catechetical in nature. It was due to the quest of Chinese scholars, who could not believe that educated scholars could come from far away, that Ricci engaged himself in composing a Chinese version of the world map he had in his room, in order to show where he came from. [23] A further step was the translation of works on mathematics and astronomy. Many scholars have pointed out that this translation took place in the particular context of Late Ming learning.If Chinese scholars were interested in the science brought by the Jesuits, it was because prior to their arrival Chinese literati had developed an interest in practical learning. The search for ‘solid learning’ or ‘concrete studies (shixue) was a reaction against some intuitionist movements originating from the Wang Yangming school in the late sixteenth century. According t o Wang Yangming (1472-1528), the principles for moral action were to be found entirely within the mind-and-heart (xin) and not outside.In the early seventeenth century, the influential intellectual and political movement of the Donglin thinkers re-established the importance of ‘things in the world’. Officials and scholars searched for concrete ways to save the country from decay. [24] It is this preceding quest that led to the unique interaction between the Chinese literati and the Jesuits. The Jesuits themselves were initially not much interested in translating mathematical works, but in response to the insistence of converts such as Xu Guangqi they again and again undertook this kind of time-consuming and long-lasting activity.Later, this insistence by the Chinese (converts) on practical learning was one of the reasons that prevented Jesuits from engaging in projects such as translating the Bible. Early missionaries such as Ricci had no particular advanced training in sciences (even if they were versed in them) and were not sent to spread scientific knowledge. Only later missionaries with a specific scientific training were sent to respond to the quest of the Other and to guarantee the protection of the Church by the Chinese Court.The acceptance of Western sciences by the Chinese thus confirms a generally agreed-upon interpretation of cultural exchange: when a foreign element is accepted relatively easily by a culture into which it has been introduced, that acceptance is owing to the presence of some internal disposition or movement to accept the new element. What is true in the field of the sciences is true also with respect to the moral teachings of the Jesuits, which were accepted because they fitted the quest of the Donglin thinkers for a heteronomous morality.Moreover, the large-scale translation and publication of Western writings was possible only because the Late Ming had a very developed system of (private) publishing and printing. Thus Jesuits did not have to introduce the printing press. Moreover, by contrast with Europe, there was no pre-printing censorship in China. As a result, the Chinese context enabled the Jesuits fully to put into practice their ‘Apostolate through Books’[25] and freely to express their ideas. 4. Tolerance towards Confucian rites. Here too the cultural imperative of the Other played a determining role (as it did not in Japan).Because of the power of Confucianism as a diffused religion, Christianity, just like Buddhism, Judaism and other marginal religions, had to accept the state orthodoxy and the ritual traditions of Confucianism. The repeated and public rejection of the rites approved by the State (and listed in the Official ‘Canon of Sacrifices’) would have caused the missionaries to be labelled ‘heterodox’ and to be rejected (as happened later to missionaries and papal delegations on several occasions during the Rites Controversy).Yet, during the initial years of the Ricci period there was a whole evolution in their attitude, which became more tolerant due to the presence of the Other. This can clearly be observed from the attitude of the missionaries towards funerals, which were and still are the most important ritual of passage in China. [26] In the beginning, the Jesuits were hardly aware that the importance of funeral rites in China would have consequences for themselves.For instance, when Antonio de Almeida (1557-1591), died in Shaozhou (Guangdong), the Chinese could not understand why Ricci and his companions did not wear a mourning garb. The Jesuits, Ricci says, explained that ‘we religious, when we enter into religion, are as though dead to the world, and therefore we do not make such a thing of this fate. ’ Thus the Jesuits did not accommodate to local customs, except for purchasing a first-class coffin, ‘in order to show to the Chinese the quality of the Fathers, because herein they demonstrate their way of honouring the dead. The major reason for buying a coffin, however, according to Ricci’s explanation, was that they could not bury de Almeida in a church, as would have been done in Europe and the Jesuits did not want to follow the Chinese practice of burying him ‘on a hill far away from the house. ’ Subsequently the coffin was kept in their residence for two years until he was buried in Macao. [27] As far as the specific funerary rituals are concerned, in these early years the Jesuits adopted an approach that can be qualified as purist concerning the Christian tradition and exclusivist with regard to the Chinese traditions.In general, Ricci and his fellow Jesuits were less tolerant in the early stages of their missionary activities than later, though in doing so they did not adhere to a specific regulation. If death occurred, the Jesuits’ priority was to bury the deceased – Chinese Christian or foreign missionary – according to C hristian rites. There was little intention towards accommodation to local – usually Confucian – customs. The abstention from local rites by Christians was seen by the Jesuits as a sign helping to strengthen and spread the Christian faith.Only gradually were some Chinese funerary customs accepted. This happened first through the initiative of the Chinese themselves and was largely due to the network in which the deceased Jesuit or Christian had been involved. As long as this network was very small, the funeral could be limited to an exclusively Christian ceremony. When this network was larger, however, the chances of interaction with Chinese funeral practices increased. It is typical for funerals to be such an ‘open’ ritual.For instance, when the Jesuit Joao Soerio died in Nanchang in 1607, his fellow Jesuits did ‘not give expression to their sentiments, as was usual in China,’ because ‘it did not correspond to our profession. ’ Ye t their friends, dressed in mourning, came to their house to condole with them. These Chinese friends installed a bier and covered it as if his body was there. ‘They made four genuflections, and touched each time with their head the ground. ’ Many are said to have mourned the death of this Jesuit in this traditional way. 28] As the Christian communities continued to grow, the interaction with local rituals increased as well. The death of Matteo Ricci in Beijing in 1610 was a turning point in some ways, because his funeral and burial were the cause of the Jesuits themselves becoming involved in more Chinese funerary customs. The first critical step was the decision about his burial place. At the initiative of a Christian convert, the Jesuits asked the Chinese emperor to offer an appropriate burial ground. This burial in the mainland was contrary to the practice of the burials of Jesuits in Macao until then.Meanwhile, Ricci’s corpse was kept in a traditional Chines e coffin. While some Chinese practices, such as the habit of condolence, were accepted, others, such as the funeral procession, were only applied in a limited way, because the Chinese procession was considered to resemble an act of ‘triumph’ and did not conform to Jesuit ideals of poverty and modesty. On the day of the burial itself, 1 November 1611, all the regular Christian ceremonies were celebrated: the recitation of the Office of the Dead, the funeral Mass, an ecclesiastical procession, and the prayers at the tomb in front of a painting of Christ.But in the end, there were also some Chinese rites: ‘Many days afterwards gentile friends came flocking in to perform their usual rites for the deceased. ’[29] Thus it was the presence of the Chinese that brought gradual change in the hesitant approach by the missionaries. As Johannes Bettray has shown, the Jesuits missionaries were, after thirty years of presence in China, apparently allowing the performance of these particular local customs. [30] Conclusion Looking at Ricci, one can discern several characteristics that can be labelled the ‘Ricci method’.However, this method has too often been presented as the result of the proactive Self, at the neglect of the influence of the Chinese Other. I have tried to show that the role of the Other in the formation of Ricci’s identity is certainly as important as the activity of Ricci’s Self. Though Ricci might have reacted in ways other than he did, in all cases the Other played a decisive role in the reactions he showed. One could even argue that the Other made it possible for Ricci to become who he became. Without the Other, this would not have been possible.