Chinese Consumer's Perseption of B2C and C2C for E-Commerce Abstract Dissertation

Chinese Consumer's Perseption of B2C and C2C for E-Commerce Abstract - Dissertation Example The research uses both literature review and quantitative empirical research to arrive at the findings. A convenience sample of 55 customers is chosen from among the friends and acquaintances of the researcher and an online survey is employed. The results are tabulated and analysed using the literature review. It is found that customers prefer to use the C2C models over B2C models, even though they are ready to trust the B2C models more in terms of product quality, after sales service and customer care. The reason for conducting shopping using C2C sites is their low costs and larger variety of products availability. It is however expected that in the near future, due to the greater trustworthiness of the B2C sites, there may be a change in customer behaviour and shift in preference from C2C to B2C model. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Background and Overview 1.2 Research Questions 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives 1.4 Research Methods 1.5 Research Significance 1.6 Outline of Dissertation Chapters 1.7 Summary Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 2.2 B2C and C2C Models – An Overview 2.3 Overview of B2B and B2C online markets in China 2.4 Factors that impact online shopping consumer behavior 2.5 Factors that can impact on the effectiveness of an online shopping company 2.6 Comparison between Taobao and Amazon in China 2.7 Summary Chapter 3: Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Research Approach 3.3 Research Methods 3.4 Research Design 3.4.1 Sample Sample Unit Sample Size Sample Selection Method 3.4.2 Data Collection Instrument: Survey Questionnaire (Appendix A) 3.4.3 Data Analysis Method 3.5 Research Validity and Reliability 3.6 Ethical Considerations 3.7 Summary Chapter 4: Research Findings and Discussions 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Descriptive Statistics 4.3 Summary Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Summary of Research Findings 5.3 Research Implications 5.4 Research Limitations and Scope for Future Research List of Tables Table 1: Gender of the Participants Table 2: Age of the Participants Table 3: Personal Online Shopping Behaviour Table 4: Reasons for Not Shopping Online Table 5: Customers’ Preference of Online Shopping Model Table 6: Customer’s past usage of online shopping sites Table 7: Customers’ Perception of Trust of Different Models of Shopping Websites Table 8: Factors Impacting Perception of Customers Regarding Online Shopping Sites Table 8a: Important Factors that Impact Customer Perceptions Regarding Online Shopping Websites Table 9: Factors that Negatively Impact Customers’ Perceptions Table 9a: Factors that Create Customer Dissatisfaction with Online Shopping Sites Table 10: Comparison of B2C and C2C Sites on Factors that Impact Customers’ Perceptions Table 11: Customers’ Intentions to Recommend Online Shopping Sites List of Appendices Appendix A: Research Questionnaire Appendix B: Research Responses References Chinese Consumer’s perception of B2C and C2C for E-Commerce Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Research Background and Overview With the opening up of the Chinese economy and the liberalization reforms, there has also been an exponential growth in penetration of the mass media and communications technology across China (Eisingerich and Kretschmer, 2008). The modernization of the economy and the development of the Chinese cities in the recent past also brought about a change in the lifestyles of the people (Shi and Zhang, 2009). There is found to be a rapid growth in the

Animal Farm Summative Essay Example for Free

Animal Farm Summative Essay Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell. It is considered to be an allegory because the farm and the various controversies within it are representing Russia’s condition before and after its overthrow of the tyrannical tsar. The novel explores more than just political conflicts – it shows the lengths human nature and gluttony can go, how surplus of power can destroy the truest of morality, how greed is present in every governing system, and no book, rule, or law can obliterate avarice. It also cleverly observes how humans alter their relationships and mask their true feelings towards others for their own security, and this course of action is evident in the relationship between Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington. Napoleon plays a greater role in the aftermath of the rebellion, rather than evoking the rebellion itself, and Mr. Pilkington does not play a great role in the novel until after the rebellion. Napoleon, from the very beginning, is made out to be an antagonist as he indulges in all sorts of suspicious activity, and constantly engages in arguments with Snowball, his partner in looking after the new â€Å"liberal† Animal Farm. The Seven Commandments are against everything man stands for, including Pilkington of Foxwood, and even if they do not have a direct relationship with each other in the beginning, Mr. Pilkington and Napoleon are enemies, because, as Old Major had once said, â€Å"Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever† (4). Napoleon and Snowball have a very idealistic view of Animal Farm, but Napoleon’s attitude towards everything is noticed to be changed after the overthrow of Snowball. His hatred towards the other farmers had already started to falter when their rations fell short, but it is perceived that Napoleon started favoring Mr. Pilkington as he was against Frederick of Pinchfield, where Snowball was rumored to have resided. But their relationship is much like a seesaw as Napoleon goes through a phase of indecisiveness as to whether or not trust Mr. Pilkington as he had declined him any help during the Battle of the Windmill. For instance, when he had sent the pigeons to ask for help, Mr. Pilkington only replied with, â€Å"Serves you right†. As the novel progresses, the commandments are slowly altered, and this shows that Napoleon’s mind is slowly changing, his attitude towards the commandments are changing, and his attitude towards the humans are changing as well. For instance, the commandment â€Å"No animal shall sleep in a bed,† is altered to â€Å"No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets,† for Napoleon’s own luxury, and this not only shows that Napoleon has a new outlook on life, but also a new outlook on humans – not only that, but he alters all commandments, showing he is becoming more and more like a human every day, until finally, the day comes when he stands on his hind legs, indulges himself in alcohol, and is seen to be playing poker with Mr. Pilkington. The most important chapter concerning Napoleon’s relationship with Mr. Pilkington would be the last chapter of the novel when the pair are chatting and laughing, when they both draw aces in a game of poker. This sig nifies the looming power struggle between the two. Both Napoleon and Pilkington are striving to be the stronger party and will stoop to any level to emerge the winner. At the beginning of the novel Napoleon treats Pilkington with heavy disdain, and tries to form an isolated community of self-sufficient animals. As the novel progresses Napoleon engages in trade with Pilkingtons farm, and conspires with him to frame Snowball and make him appear a traitor. His relationship with Pilkington is purely selfish and both of them after the same end, to be the stronger of the two farms. To conclude, in Napoleon’s pursuit of creating his idealistic socialist utopia, he ended up turning into the evil he set out to banish, and turning into what all the animals dreaded – turning into a human, just like Pilkington, which is why â€Å"it was impossible to tell which was which†(89).

An Analysis Of The Freedom Of Expression Politics Essay

An Analysis Of The Freedom Of Expression Politics Essay Ever since the idea of freedom of expression flourished, there has always been that small irritating voice at the back of the governments head, contemplating as to whether or not freedom of expression could one way or another lead to the citizens taking advantage of their democratic rights. To stop such circumstance from happening, governments tend to put limits to the said advantage, the limits usually varying with religious or cultural backgrounds that the government belongs to. So what exactly is freedom of expression? Precisely, the term alone says it all: it is basically having the right to express ones thoughts, whether it is through speech, text or media, without having to worry about the consequences that one would have to face for not putting a boundary on the message being conveyed due to the lack of censorship and restrictions imposed on the state. The intention of freedom of expression is to stir the citizens of a state into comprehending truth on their own, making it an aspect of self realization or human dignity (Freedom of Expression in Canada 1963). This leads to self development, which on some basis would be a beneficial point, if it was not for the risk that self development might also lead to the realization of how corrupt a state may be on some terms, or how much a state lacks a certain foundation. To illustrate this further, it is most always likely that a state which supports freedom of expression to be a democratic state the government of the people, ruled by the people for the citizens make their own decisions, whether political or nonpolitical, through their freedom rights (Ray 2004). However, that does not necessarily mean that any state which claims to be democratic actually supports its citizens when it comes to freedom of expression. A small number of political analysts believe that the main reason that more than plenty of Arab countries do not follow a democratic regime is for the cause that these Arab countries are also at the same time Islamic countries (Otterman 2003). Conversely, an excerpt from the Islamic Quran deems this piece of misleading fact to be false; Islam clearly states that freedom of speech in all cases should be accepted within a society, unless the claims being made are evil, obscene, immoral, or hurtful to others that is if it is not done to serve the cause of justice (Kamali 1997). That being said, it is acceptable to say that there are in fact states in the Middle East which practice a democratic regime, such as Turkey. However, we do have other cases in the Arab world which lack democracy and the comfort of the government allowing its citizens to freely express themselves for other reasons, such as the fear of citizens overthrowing the government. One state which can exemplify this notio n would be Egypt. The Republic of Turkey is one of the very few democratic states in the Middle East which decidedly supports a democratic regime hand in hand with freedom of expression. This piece of information unfortunately goes incorrect. The start of a democratic regime in Turkey was not easy; journalists would try to express their thoughts via newspapers, only to be oppressed by the government by being forced to shut down their newspapers, or being prosecuted or arrested (Obituary: Hrant Dink 2007). Mustafa Kemal Ataturk the father of all Turks then came into the picture; he came into power in the early 1920s, being elected president of The Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He claimed Turkey as a Republic state in October 29th, 1923 before initiating democracy in Turkey a year later; in the years from 1924 up until 1938, he introduced to the state a series of radical reforms in the countrys political, social, and economic life known as the Ataturk Reforms, in attempt to turn Turkey into a westernized, democratic and secular state (Sansal 1996-2010). Throughout these reforms, he succeeded in adopting general European policies, such as accepting new penal codes, and changing the Islamic prayer call and the Quran readings from the regular Arabic to the Turkish language. He even insisted on getting the citizens to dress like the Europeans did, and overall live a basic European lifestyle. The people of Turkey easily succumbed to all the changes that Ataturk developed, devoted to the ideas he proposed, and so they accepted the new implemented courses of action with arms wide open. During his reign in power, Ataturk managed banning the religious brotherhoods; giving civil rights to the women of the country through a new civil code, and also the right to vote and run in parliamentary elections; introducing Secularism into Turkey; banning the public use of the Arabic script; and joining the League of Nations. The changes he implemented upon the country still remain until today and forever on in the hearts of Turkish people, for it was he who had modernized and democratized the nation state. He established elections, which gave the right for the people of Turkey to voice their own opinion as to who they think should be Prime Minister or President of the state (MidEastWeb for Coexistence RA. n.d.). While the public sees Turkey as an all democratic state, on the other hand the citizens in the state are actually in fact being oppressed by the media, not being able to voice their opinions. In the year 2005, Turkey established a new penal code Article 301 which summed up that it is officially illegal for a Turk to insult any sort of Turkishness, whether it is the ethnicity, government institutions, or just general criticism against the government. The penalty for breaking the code would be an imprisonment of a period between six months and three years. This Article caused an up riot, since it got in the way of democracy and freedom of expression; it even disqualified Turkeys request to be a part of the European Union. A number of journalists were prosecuted, some sentenced to imprisonment; such as Hrant Dink, a famous Turkish journalist who was put on a suspended sentence; and Noam Chomsky, who was put on a trial but was soon after cleared of all charges (Armenian Assembly of Ame rica 2009). A second Middle Eastern state that also claims to be democratic, as mentioned above, is Egypt. Yes, elections do take place in Egypt, and, yes, several candidates do step up to have their say. It is a multi-party government, and people are always expressing their love for the country freely, whether it is shown on TV or in the newspapers. All of this is with the exception that the citizens of Egypt are actually living genuinely oppressed lives, and being led on by the government to think that Egypt is a democratic country, when in fact the government plays its way around and acts for itself from behind the scenes (Consolatore 2005). The declaration of the Republic of Egypt was proposed in the year 1953 by Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser had then taken Naguibs position as president, and made several further attempts to transform Egypt from a Dictatorial Republic state to a Democratic Republic one. However, Egypt was at the time a police state, and remained being one up until the 1980s. Under both Nassers and Anwar Sadats, the third president of Egypt, rule, the freedom to express ones thoughts was completely prohibited; such laws concludes that Nassers accomplishments happened to fall short of democracy (Guindy and Shukrallah 2000). Despite Nassers many accomplishments of which he nationalized all industry, banned the Muslim Brotherhood and the communists, and gave women more political rights people argue that he could have still done and sacrificed more for the country. He had the power, and the opportunity to fully democratize Egypt for once and for all, since people were liberal back then, and were more open-minded to freedom (Totten 2005). However, what Nasser did was ban all political parties, eliminating any other competition. Former presidents added on to Nassers mistakes; Sadat, by bringing back the Muslim Brotherhood into the state of Egypt; and Hosni Mubarak, the latest President of Egypt, by oppressing all liberals (Totten 2005). As a result, a great number of people were put on trials due to freedom of expression, from under Gamal Abdel Nassers era, to Anwar Sadats, and up to the present day, Hosni Mubaraks. In an interview done by The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, the legal advisor for the syndicate of journalists stated that there have been more than one thousand cases, and the number of trials is about five hundreds (Arabic Network for Human Rights Information 2007). Protests have been held against the government, but journalists and women are attacked by the police, as if doing so would justify all means. Strangely enough, on top of all the oppression and the prosecutions taking place, a number of people in Egypt believe that the lack of freedom of expression is all for the best and not for Islamic reasons! These people believe that if competitions and elections were fair, and that the balloting was not toyed with, then there would be more than a fifty percent chance that the Muslim Brotherhood would get most votes, being the party to take hold of the country. This being done would completely wipe out the idea of Egypt having any freedom whatsoever; by becoming an Islamic state, this means that books would be banned, just so that people would not get any new or crazy ideas; and women would be forced to wear the headscarf (Totten 2005). The other percentage of Egyptians who do not vote for the Muslim Brotherhood are completely against the idea of Egypt becoming an Islamic state, which is why not much is being done to enhance the freedom of expression in Egypt. There is also the idea t hat Egypt has to go through Islamism in order to reach liberalism, just like Afghanistan had done, but the idea is clearly too much of a risk (Totten 2005). If one were to talk about democracy as a whole, regarding Egypts and Turkeys current condition, then it should be obvious that Turkey is much better off on the subject of competition they have between their candidates; the political participation that the citizens of Turkey obtain; the rights, equality and fairness that they are given as a group; and furthermore, the confidence in knowing that the voting procedures and the balloting are to be trusted, instead of being deceitful. A citizen accustomed to Western or European democratic standards might reflect that neither Turkey nor Egypt should be labeled as a democratic state at all in the first place, due to the restrictions imposed on the citizens living there. Still, there are levels to freedom of expression which should be considered before jumping to a conclusion. First, many people confuse freedom of expression with freedom of criticism, or biased unthinking. That sort of operation is often overlooked and mistaken to be legitimate and politically moral. For instance, there was the case in the year 2005 when twelve comical caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed were drawn and published in a Danish newspaper, evidently offending the Muslims and causing an up riot for obvious reasons. This act of freedom of expression was deliberately provocative towards Muslims, winding up in a massive outrage throughout the different Islamic countries, resulting in deaths and destruction (Asser 2010). Many people might argue that there should be no limits to freedom of expression whatsoever. One must agree that each person should not feel permit to free his or her own opinions, but as long as it does not reach the borders of criticism. Limits should be applied in order to protect the rights of others; in the end, it is all also a matter of respecting others. Giving the people the right to freely criticize one another creates a spark of hatred between the community, which could eventually lead to unnecessary rebellion and riot.

Impact of Cellphones on Education

Impact of Cellphones on Education Should students be allowed to have cellphones in school? Body Paragraph one: Introductory Paragraph: Thesis:   Cell phones can be a great resource in our daily lives, but they should be restricted from use in a learning environment, reminding us that education is first priority. Topic Sentence:   Cheating in school is becoming more common where students are using their phones to take pictures of the exams, store information on their phones, text other students and many other deceitful ways. Support: Students in high school are most likely cheating because they are earning bad grades and they take advantage of their phones to do so. Evidence 1:   On February, 18, 2014, â€Å"More than 200 students were expelled after being caught cheating in the Grade 12 board exam in the past three days.Nearly a dozen parents who helped them use unfair means were also arrested†, an official said on Tuesday. (The Press Trust of India) Elaboration 1:   This real life event shows us how extreme the consequences can get over a cellphone. Not only did the students get expelled, but a dozen of their parents were also arrested. Teachers are trying to figure out a way to terminate cheating, but instead, they need to eliminate the source, being cell phones. Support:   Majority of students in the school have cell phones and more than half of have used a cell phone to cheat Evidence 2: According to a study from the Josephson Institute of Ethics. Among current high school students, 75 percent admit to cheating on tests, homework, and other assignments. Fifty percent have cheated on exams during the past year, and 34 percent have cheated on more than one test. (The Child Study Center) Elaboration 2: It is just unbelievable how many students cheat, it might give them the marks they wanted but what’s the point when you are feeling the guilt 24/7. Students are given cellphones by their parents and surely the reason is not so they can use it to cheat. Support: Cheating is like a drug, the more you do it and get away with it the more you want to do it. Evidence 3: â€Å"It’s tempting to cheat† said Kids Health (Kids Health). Believe it or not but some students actually think that cheating is perfectly ok, but once someone starts to cheat and feel comfortable doing so it can easily become a bad habit. Cheating is not a habit you want to carry on into college/university, if you are caught cheating there you will be expelled on the spot. Elaboration 3: In the long run when you end up in college or university, you need to realize that the staff there doesn’t tolerate these foolish acts. If someone is caught cheating in university or college it will result in expulsion making it highly unlikely to get into another university/college, possibly ruining your future. Concluding Sentence: Cheating can become a very bad habit, but by removing cellphones students won’t have the ability to cheat as they use cellphones to do so. Cheating’s dangerous and can potentially ruin ones future and by removing cellphones we are saving their future. Transition: Distractions in classes are yet another negative aspect on cellphones that can negatively affect a student’s grade. Body Paragraph Two: Topic Sentence (Claim 2): Students are supposed to be coming to school for education but when they are allowed to have cellphones with them it creates an unwanted distraction as they are tempted to play games, surf the web and mainly text friends and/or family. If students are being distracted on their phones in the class they simply aren’t learning. Support: Distractions in class are similar to distractions on the road, when you have a cell phone on the road your full attention isn’t on the road as in school your full attention isn’t in the class. Evidence 1: Most teachers want students to achieve high marks in their classes but it’s not possible when they are contradicting themselves by allowing cell phones in school/classrooms. When teachers are giving the students lectures or teaching an important lesson it is very easy to lose focus with a cell phone right by your side. Elaboration 1: It’s difficult to achieve high grades with cellphones. Cell phones are being a constant distraction all the time and if schools banned cell phones every student would be getting higher grades rather than before when they had a cellphone. Support: Cell phones are acting as students best friends as they spend most all their time on their phones than pay attention in class. Evidence 2: Mobile technology consultant Tomi Ahonen analysed a study commissioned by Nokia. They found that in users aged 13 – 18 check their smartphones almost 150 times a day. Students also spend a lot of their time in school checking social media websites where they chat with friends and play games. (Spencer) Elaboration 2: Education is first priority, especially when in school. If the average student is receive 150 texts a day that means they are texting at least some of that in school. When students are texting in school or chatting on social media websites it makes it very hard for them to focus in class, especially when they are playing games, it causes other students sitting around the person on the phone to watch him/her also distracting other classmates. Support: Students wish to achieve high grades but with a cell phone many are tempted to check it every few minutes distracting them from the class. Evidence 3: Health and human services researchers at Kent State University, in Ohio, surveyed about 500 undergraduate majors across a range of majors. One of their findings was that students with more cell phones had lower grade averages. (Berger) Elaboration 3: Almost every student has a cell phone and they are all constantly on it. If students have lower grade averages because they have cell phones it means they are on it in school during classes causing a distraction to themselves, therefore providing them with lower grades which is not beneficial to anyone. Concluding Sentence: Excluding cell phones from school will help students’ marks by allowing them to pay attention resulting in good grades. Transition: Distraction isn’t the only con about cellphones. Cyber Bullying is a major worldwide issue contributed by cellphones as well. Body Paragraph Three: Topic Sentence (Claim 3): Cyber Bullying has become a well-known, widespread teen issue around the world. Billions of people are active on social websites and are texting each month allowing students to contact each other from anywhere. When students have cell phones in school they can send anything they want to anyone they want with a touch of a button. Support: Cell phones are great tools but when put in the wrong hand they can help assist in breaking down a student to tears. Evidence 1: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the U.S Health Department roughly 85 percent of teens are bullied in school and 25 percent of those teens are repeatedly bullied using cellphones. 50 percent are too shy to talk about it. (U.S Health Department) Elaboration 1: Bullying is a very serious issue and by allowing cell phones in schools, teachers are also â€Å"allowing† bullying to occur. If cell phones were not allowed in school it would help over 50 percent of bullied teens to be safe from cyber bullies. Support: Cell phones are so strong that they can be used to bully someone to the extent where the person cannot take it anymore. Evidence 2: On October 12, 2012 occurred a very sad and devastating incident where a Grade 10 student named Amanda Todd committed suicide. It started off when a stranger met her online convincing her to strip. Later on Amanda switched schools and found out he had created a Facebook account with the profile picture of her bare breasts. She then tried to kill herself by drinking bleach. Students at her school would bully her and she couldn’t take it anymore resulting in her death. (Canadian Press) Elaboration 2: Amanda had a happy life until she met someone online and started receiving threats from students on her phone at school. In the end she took her life. Cell phones were used by harassing Amanda and threatening her during school. If cell phones were not allowed at school it just might have saved her life. Support: Sadly many people around the word end up changing schools and unintentionally ending relationships with friends due to cell phones accompanying bullying. Evidence 3: Ashley was yet another young girl enjoying school when unknowingly one of her friends started to take pictures of her using her cell phone. The images were then part of a fake profile on a social media website of Ashley with her private information. Ashley later found out about the profile. The girl had full control of Ashley’s â€Å"profile† and Ashley couldn’t do anything about it. Ashley was later on forced to switch schools. Elaboration 3: Cell phones can be very powerful tools and in Ashley’s case very dangerous ones. If cell phones were banned at schools the girl could never have taken a picture of Ashley. Restated Thesis: Cell phones should not be part of the learning environment as they bring harm to the school and the students. Students take advantage of their phones in negative ways such as cheating on tests, bullying others and it just creates a distraction in class affecting their grades. Works Cited .More than 200 Students Caught Cheating in Bihar. Press Trust of India. N.p., 14 January 2014. Web. 22 Feb 2014. . The Child Study Center.Cheating in School, How it happens. Josephine Institute. N.p., 21 August 2011. Web. 22 Feb 2014. . U.S Health Department,, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and Cyberbullying Research Center. Cyber/Bullying Statistics. .N.p., 5 July 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014. . Spencer, Ben.Mobile users can’t leave their phones without checking it for 6 minutes. N.p., 11 February 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014. . Berger, Eric.Students who use cellphones more get lower grades. N.p., 16 Dec 2013. Web. 23 Feb 2014. . Canadian Press. Amanda Todd commits suicide N.p., 12 October 2012. Web. 22 Feb 2014. . Kids Health. Cheating.†. N.p. Web. 24 Feb 2014.

Comparison Of Dorian Gray To Lord Henry And Sibyl Vane Essay -- essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Comparison of Dorian Gray to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lord Henry and Sibyl Vane   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oscar Wilde’s 19th century The Picture of Dorian Gray portrays a young, naà ¯ve man, Dorian Gray, who begins to change because of Lord Henry Wotton’s negative influence on him; likewise, Dorian influences Sibyl Vane as a result of Henry’s influence on him. Because of Henry’s influence, Dorian’s attitude towards women and his respect for women change for the worse. Because of Dorian’s influence on Sibyl, she commits suicide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wilde first portrays Dorian as a sweet, sensitive man whom everyone admires. He was described as a â€Å"wonderful young man.† He was not concerned with money or power. One day Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton through a mutual friend, Basil Hallward. This is the beginning of the end for Dorian because Lord Henry’s influence pollutes his mind. Although Lord Henry states that, â€Å"all influence is immoral,† he nonetheless changes Dorian. Lord Henry gives Dorian a book about a man who seeks beauty in evil pleasures. Dorian becomes this man. Lord Henry tells Dorian, â€Å"Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, men represent the triumph of mind over morals.† Lord Henry means that women are beautiful, but stupid and men are smart but have no morals. Lord Henry’s theory cor...

Pateman On Locke Essay -- essays research papers fc

For years social contract theorists had monopolized the explanation of modern society. John Locke was among those who advocated this theory of a collectively chosen set of circumstances. Carole Pateman, on the other hand rejects many of the pillars of the social contract and specifically attacks certain aspects of Locke's argument regarding paternalism and patriarchy. Pateman defends her idea that the individual about which Locke writes is masculine, instead of the gender-encompassing form of the word "man." Pateman also argues that Locke denies the individuality of women. Instead of scrapping his entire work, however, she grants him a couple of concessions, even acknowledging Locke as anti-patriarchal. If John Locke were around to defend his theories, he would probably have an opinion about the treatment of his work. To accurately discuss Pateman's view of Locke's paternal/patriarchal theory, a working knowledge of the theory itself is necessary. According to Locke "all men by nature are equal"(Second Treatise: 43) with the exception of children who have not reached the full state of equality, but must obey their parents. Domestic and political power is vested in the Father, according to Locke. As he puts it, "the natural fathers of families, by an insensible change, became the politic monarchs of them too."(Second Treatise: 42) Locke does not reserve domestic power regarding children solely to the Father, however. Instead he claims that the mother "hath an equal title."(Second Treatise: 30) He even defends the rights of children. Locke argues that children have the same moral rights as any other person, though the child's inadequate mental faculties make it permissible for his parents to rule over him to a limited degree. "Thus we are born Free, as we are born Rational; not that we have actually the Exercise of either: Age that brings one, brings with it the other too." (Second Treatise: 30) Locke does specify that children are free because of their "father's title," in addition to being governed by the law of their father. It is less clear in this situation whether Locke is using the term "father" to include both parents as the "term" man can be interpreted to mean both sexes. It is likely, based on the tradition of male heredity prevalent during his time, that Locke liter... ...tical monarchs." Another far-reaching defense Locke could pose for his theories is a simple clarification of terms. Pateman relies heavily on the fact that Locke's definition of "man" is man, not humanity. If the late philosopher were present today he could clarify precisely what he meant by this term, and dispel or support Pateman's accusation. John Locke's view of the the social contract comes under attack by the criticism of Carole Pateman. She not only refutes his use of terms, but also accuses Locke of ignoring women. Pateman claims that Locke purposefully left women out of the original contract in the same fashion that he denies their individuality. Like most people, Locke would likely defend himself and his theories to the best of his abilities if he were able. Either way, Pateman's critique provides the opportunity for reexamination of a widely accepted theory and theorist. Works Cited Locke, John. Second Treatise of Government. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co, 1980. Pateman, Carole. The Sexual Contract. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1988. Comments: This is an evaluation of modern-feminist philosopher Carole Pateman's description of John Locke's theories.

International Relation Essay

The writing of Nicholas Kristof offers an objective and practical insight into one of the lease understood and one of the most ignored regions in world-Africa. Unlike many arm chair theorists, Kristof has personally made a number of detours of Africa, especially its violence torn regions, notably Darfur in Sudan, Congo, Somalia and Liberia, seen the devastation wrecked by years of conflict, met the victims, listened their tales, and took their stories to international audience. However, unlike many reporters, Kristof’s stories do not end with the tales of the victims, but they involve readers by raising the question of individual actions on readers’ part. The images and narrations that subtly form the watermark of Kristof’s canvas continue to remind readers that while governments across the world would try to approach the problem from political consideration, the human crisis and tragedy unfolding in African regions also necessitates participation by international citizens. In several of this blogs Kristof makes it clear that participation doesn’t imply people taking the first flight to Africa-it’s about creating a sense of solidarity and unity about the cause, creating a notion of identification, and inspiring people with the idea that something should be done. Action, Kristof maintains, comes quite later; and even when it comes, it may not be the direct action. However, once people reach a collective level of thought and idea, they are better positioned to create the platform for the action. Kristof brings out the daily landscape of war ravished African towns, uprooted people, and broken societies and culture simply, but very realistically and powerfully. His writing is not about convincing people of what he has seen or experienced, but rather of allowing them to experience his experiences. Gradually, building a continuous series of small insights, events, narrations, stories, Kristof takes readers to the depth of his observation, and the Africa, which most of his readers have only seen in images, movies and news, assumes a living shape, speaking to the readers through its people whom Kristof meets and interviews. The vagueness lifts and we see real people living through some of the most difficult situations imaginable, and yet maintaining the semblance of life, order, and ordinary hope in their endeavor to construct as stable a future as the circumstances allow them. Through Kristof work we also get a taste of what developed nations are doing or pretending to do in Sudan, Congo, Somalia, Chad, and various other countries that are locked in vicious conflict. As it appears the network and coordination among global organizations, particularly UN and individuals appears to be more effectual that aid programs and campaigns run by European and American governments. The amount of aid and help, although promised in hundreds of millions of dollars and Euros, hardly make to the people who would need it most. And yet, life moves on in Africa. And it is this depiction of movement, constant change, and readiness to accept even the most challenging circumstances, upheavals and uncertainties and assimilate them as a daily part of life and move ahead, that makes Kristof’s work on Africa significant and vital from every social and political aspect. Africa For a very considerable time Africa had been called the ‘Dark Continent’. This term, if analyzed closely, is not a reflection upon Africa, but upon the rest of the world, who could not, or rather did not peer into a whole and huge continent. Thus when the world called Africa as Dark continent, it was admittance of their own ignorance and lack of knowledge about the place, that in all probability was the origin of humankind. Africa consist of 53 independent countries today, and numerous tribes, ethnic communities and cultures, which are spread from the extent of Sahara desert to the deep recess of equatorial rain forests. By western standards, Africa is not developed and advanced, which is surprising considering the fact that for a larger part of previous couple of centuries, a considerable portion of Africa was colonized by various European powers. Today our understanding of Africa has widened considerably, thanks to dedicated explorers, researchers, aid and charity workers, and of course media. However, if we try to put this understanding in different compartments of knowledge, the images and visions making up the almost the entire picture constitute of a poverty-stricken, war ravished, famished, diseased, illiterate, and generally suffering population which is looking towards rest of the world for help and aid. Indeed these images are not doctored and they do represent the reality that they want to convey; however, it is vital to understand that real as they are, the images, videos and clips that we see on news channels, books and books form only a part of the vast reality of Africa. The northern provinces of Africa exhibit cultural influence of both Asia and Europe, with their geographical proximity to both these continents. Countries situated near the equator have a rich blend of tribal and semi urban cultural influence. Within previous 50 years, many of the countries have made remarkable progress, such as Cameroon, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Egypt, South Africa, and Uganda among many others. However, there is a the bitter reality of intense regional conflict, tribal clashes and war that has deeply afflicted several major countries of Africa, the notable among them being Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, and Chad. Decades of conflict in these regions have claimed millions of lives, and created an international humanitarian crisis of a magnitude that is often compared to the crisis of Jews during the Second World War. Unfortunately the international knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Africa and its people is extremely limited and dependent upon only the eye catching events that occur there. In the recent decades, much of the Africa has been projected from suffering through political stability, collapse of the law and order, war, famine, and tribal conflict. These images and stories persuade people to drop Africa from their travel itinerary; Africa is never considered in the same way as Europe, Australia or Asia Pacific countries are considered.