Friday, September 20, 2019

Prostitution in 18th Century

Prostitution in 18th Century Prostitution in Europe in the 18th century was a widely accepted in the European society despite religious leaders and the government efforts to contain it. Pornography was a flourishing business. Even poets wrote about these beautiful sexy girls. It was one of the few arenas that women could gain economic independence.  [1]  The prostitution could be classified into different classes. There those who were mistress to prominent men, those worked in urban taverns, tea parlor, bawdy houses, theatres and even on the streets. The mistresses attained social success, riches and even derived power from prostitution. Prostitutes especially from low socio-economic background were vulnerable and subjected to cruelty, sanction and reformation throughout the 18th century. Background information Prostitution has been in existence throughout human history and it is regarded as the oldest profession. During medieval times prostitution in Europe was tolerated with public bathtubs giving prostitutes channel of contact with their customers. In other places such as Victoria, England prostitution was disgraceful but at the same time accepted a necessary social and sexual outlet for men.  [2]  It was considered to be less evil if a middle-class man engages in a sexual relationship with a prostitute other than being engaged in a sexual relationship with another middle-class mans wife or daughter. 18th century was tremendous for England. It was the time it became Great Britain, lost thirteen of its colonies, launched industrial revolution and achieved parliamentary government.  [3]  It was an age when men struggled to be reasonable. Life was leisurely and everything was elegant. This created an enabling environment for flourishing of prostitution. Prostitution gave men of the middle and high class sexual gratification which they could not obtain from their partners. During this era capitalism flourished making the political class swim in riches leaving the lower class people (those who worked in industries such as textile industries) to live in abject poverty. Thus many engaged in prostitution for financial gain. As mentioned earlier, the society tolerated prostitution. England being a male dominant society, men were freer to engage in promiscuity before marriage and within marriage. They could give money to buy sex. In contrast women rarely paid money in exchange for sex on the contrary they went into prostitution for monitory gain. They desperately required financial independence but there were very few opportunities for them to achieve it. Thus prostitution was the alternative channel for them. Presence of public bathtubs in England in the 18th century where prostitutes could freely find customers shows that prostitution was widely accepted in England. Vern and Bonnie Bollough affirm that prostitutes provided men with sexual outlet before and during marriage.  [4]   Initially, poets praised prostitution, representing young prostitutes as healthy, fresh and lovely.  [5]  This shows that prostitutes were held in high social status. The role was significantly accepted in the society. Prostitutes in London could even advertise their services on card which were distributed throughout the city.  [6]  However over time, this perception changed. The society later understood that there were negative consequences of prostitution. There was increased spread of diseases, illegitimate children and poverty tarnished the initial image.  [7]  Perfect image of a mother flourished as sensibility and concern for the health overpowered the spirit of sexual experimentation. Prostitution became ridicule in public discussion. It was represented as filthy, degraded and diseased. Why prostitution flourished in England in the 18th century Several factors led to flourishing of prostitution in England and more so in London in the 18th century. London being a port city received many sailors. There were several districts in the city that provided for sailors.  [8]  One of the best known districts was Ratcliffe Highway that lay on the north of Wapping water-front.  [9]  Although subsequent kings of England made effort to keep prostitution away from London, they did not succeed much. Streets like Shareditch, Petticoat Lane, Cheapsides,s Grope cunt Lane, and Clerkenwell were very common with prostitutes. The period between 1750 and 1850 was characterized by great economic change in England.  [10]  British agricultural revolution in the 18th century was characterized by high agricultural output. This led to population explosion and people had look for alternative jobs to meet their needs and those of the population. It is this agricultural revolution that ushered in industrial revolution. During the agricultural revolution women used to work alongside their husbands in the farms. However, industrial revolution at the end of 18th century caused people to migrate to the urban areas to seek better pay in the industries.  [11]  Introduction of machinery made it difficult for women to work in industries and therefore other social duties were relegated to women. These jobs were not well paying. As a result some women ventured into prostitution in order to become economically sufficient. Industrial revolution great Britain lead to improvement of economic status of many people. There was money to spend on anything elegant including prostitutes especially by the people of the high-class. More bathhouses, theatres and alehouses were opened in London. Bathhouses mainly concentrated around Covent Garden and unlike the stews of earlier centuries they were more luxurious. Theatres and alehouses became newly fashionable coffeehouses and public tea-gardens such as the Dog and Duck in St. Goerges Fields.  [12]  Some brothels could even have a card table among the attractors of the house. Lack of strong government policies to contain the vice made it to flourish instead. Decrees to close down alehouses and theaters made prostitution to spread to other areas. The involvement of aristocrats in prostitution fueled it more. Prostitution cut across all social classes. Unlike the poor who even live entirely on the streets, elegant women practiced prostitution in Kings Place off Pall Mall or Miss Fawklands in St. James Street. The high-class prostitutes catered for wealthy men, aristocrats and members of parliament.  [13]  They did their trade in freedom without being troubled by any threat of official hindrance. High economic independence associated with women who practiced prostitution also fueled increase of prostitution in London in the 18th century. Mistresses to aristocrats and members of parliament were held in high esteem by other women in the society. This motivated other women to go into prostitution to gain economic independence. Effects of increase in prostitution on lives of the people The government of England tried very much to reduce prostitution in England and particularly in London. Laws were put in place to close down brothels and alehouses which were areas of trade for the prostitutes. Those who defied the law were convicted and jailed making their lives even more miserable. Most of the women who engaged in prostitution were teens. They never wanted to get pregnant has this would interfere with their trade. They used different methods to protect themselves from becoming pregnant. Chemicals and plant extracts such as wormwood, hyssop and fassron among others were used without much consideration of the harm they might cause.  [14]  When these methods failed they would wait until the baby is born and then kill. Some prostitutes also died in their effort to abort the fetus. All this consequences of prostitution affected their psychological well-being. This added misery to their poor state. Increase in prostitution increased incidences of venereal diseases mainly syphilis. Many died of the disease for fear of seeking treatment. This was a lot stigma attached to the disease even at the hospitals. For example the addition of wards in Lock Hospital allowed discrimination of patients and women thought to be blamable in the contraction of the disease were isolated from the innocent.  [15]  Men of high social status could not also seek treatment due to fear of tarnishing their social standing. Some of them being married transmitted the disease to their partners. Who suffered the brunt of stigma attached to the disease although innocent. Venereal diseases and the stigma attached to it cut short further the lives of the people of London already languishing in poverty. Prostitutes state of life Life was very difficult for the prostitutes especially after the initial image of prostitutes as healthy, fresh and beautiful had been marred were regarded as diseased, and disgraceful. Their social status dwindled and the society alienated them. They had caused a lot of problems in families and the society in general. Abandoned children were on the increase because they were not ready to take up responsibility of parenthood. Some left these children with their old parents who were burdened with responsibility of bring up the children. Worse still, the rise in prevalence of venereal diseases was attributed to prostitution. They became people who should be sympathized with. Slump in their social status caused them to be objects of oppression, exploitation and coercion. Life became so hard for the prostitutes. They became people who should be sympathized with and many organizations sprang up to assist them. The health status of prostitutes worsened with the spread of venereal diseases like syphilis. The sickly could no longer go out on the streets to earn money which further aggravated their health status because they could not afford treatment. With no source of income even affording food was difficult. The economic status of prostitution reduced when the image of prostitution as a noble job changed. The fact that they were no longer well tolerated by the society meant fewer clients. Clients became even fewer due to fear of contracting venereal diseases. Government policies directed to reducing prostitution in London and other cities of England saw some brothels and alehouses closed. Places where prostitutes could meet their clients freely became fewer and those that remained could not be accessible to the poor class of prostitutes. They became even poorer with very little to sustain themselves. Most of the women who engaged in prostitution were from poor background. They had little education that could have helped them to find other kinds of work away from prostitution unlike the women from high social status who engaged in prostitution on part-time. They had education that helped them to find work elsewhere. With kings decrees to close down brothels and alehouses, prostitutes from poor socio-economic class could not be able to find work elsewhere making sink further into poverty. They went on practicing prostitution in secret and of course with fear of interference by the law. On the other hand, women of high socio-economic status who practiced prostitution were less affected by laws imposed against prostitution. Even when the king gave decree of closing down brothels and alehouses those that belonged to people of high-class were never interfered with. Those who were mistresses to aristocrats and members of parliament felt secure from the law. Conclusion Prostitution in the 18th century has two stages. The initial stage is where it is widely tolerated in the society and even poets sang praises of prostitutes. They were beautiful, lovely and healthy. The provided a sexual outlet for men. Its increase was fueled by the explosion of population during the British agricultural revolution. The farms could no longer provide employment for everybody. The Agricultural revolution lead to industrial revolution that saw introduction of machinery in the industries. Women were believed to be unable of driving the machines due to their weaker body as compared to men. The society relegated other duties to women and many joined cottage industry, others became domestic servants and others prostitution. Some women opted for prostitution a means of earning money that was so much needed and it was tolerated by society. However, the image of prostitution took a twist in mid-18th century. Due to rise in prevalence of syphilis attributed to prostitution as well as increase in number of illegitimate children, society started regarding prostitution as diseased and disgraceful. The prostitutes suffered alienation from the society, exploitation, poor economic status, ill-health, and became objects of oppression and coercion.

Role of Social Media in Online Shopping Advertisements

Role of Social Media in Online Shopping Advertisements A study on perception towards Social media with special references to online shopping Ms. V. PAVITHRA, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR MBA, EASWARI ENGINEERING COLLEGE- CHENNAI Abstract: The rapid rise of social media has captured the attention of marketers and consumers on a global scale, and together with a rapidly changing communications environment marketers now confront new challenges in terms of our understanding of consumer behavior and consumption patterns in the new millennium. Internet and Information technology have made tremendous contribution for business transformation witnessed nowadays all over the world. The growth of this particular media attracts the attention of advertisers as a more productive source to bring in consumers. A clear idea, the consumers have with online advertisement is the control they have over the item, choosing whether to check it out or not. To broaden our understanding and assist in managing marketing communications effectively, this exploratory research investigates the role of social media within the broader advertising and communications mix. The capability of purchasing without leaving your place is of great interest to ma ny consumers. Not only does online shopping offer really good deals, but also brings optimum convenience to the consumers. For the aforesaid purpose, a survey was conducted in Chennai city covering 250 samples. Key words: Online marketing, Social media, Consumer perception, consumption pattern, Advertisers, convenience Introduction: Knowing that, currently, social networks, blogs, forums and sharing sites are the main centers of interest for Internet users, marketers have started to rethink their online communication strategies and adjust to the new trend. Many companies are realizing that having a website and making it visible and easy to find through search engines (SEO) is simply not enough anymore. Nowadays it is vital that their online presence includes a Social Media component on sites like Facebook, Google+, Hi5, MySpace or Twitter. According to the recent research on consumer behaviour  on the Internet users, there are four distinct consumer groups with different intentions and motivations: Exploration Entertainment Shopping Information Types of Internet marketing Internet marketing is broadly divided in to the following types: Display Advertising: the use of web banners or banner ads placed on a third-party website to drive traffic to a companys own website and increase product awareness. Search Engine Marketing (SEM): a form of marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs) through the use of either paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion, or through the use of free search engine optimization techniques. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the natural or un-paid (organic or algorithmic) search results. Social Media Marketing: the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Email Marketing: involves directly marketing a commercial message to a group of people using electronic mail. Referral Marketing: a method of promoting products or services to new customers through  referrals, usually word of mouth. Affiliate Marketing: a marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliates own marketing efforts. Content Marketing: involves creating and freely sharing informative content as a means of converting prospects into customers and customers into repeat buyers. Objectives: To study the various attitude of consumers towards online shopping To find out preferences regarding the attitude on social media. To identify the various issues faced by users in social media towards online shopping To analyze the customer response to online advertisements and their impact on purchasing behavior. Methodology: Secondary Research: I first of all surveyed the available literature related to the problem. The published data from various sources like e-Journals, Internet, Books were studied. Quantitative research: After the collection of secondary data, the questionnaire was designed to collect the primary data. It is analyzed on the basis of suitable table by using – Bar technique and percentage analysis. Chi-Square test is applied to test the goodness of fit to verify the distribution of observed data. HYPOTHESIS 1. Analysis of Internet user’s perception of online advertisements. H0 – The six options (entertainment, in formativeness, irritation, credibility, interactivity and purchase) i.e perception behind the online advertisements is same for all people(each of these options have same influential value on the respondents). H1 The six options (entertainment, in formativeness, irritation, credibility, interactivity and purchase) i.e perception behind the online advertisements is different for all people(each of these options have different influential value on the respondents). 2. Analysis of the relationship between the websites that are most searched for Age of the respondents. H0 – Age of the respondents and the websites that are most clicked at, are independent. H1 Age of the respondents and the websites that are most clicked at, are dependent. ANALYSIS 1. Analysis of the relationship between Internet user’s perception of Internet advertisements and Age of the respondents. Relationship between Internet user’s perception and Age-Observed values Age Entertainment Informativeness Irritation Credibility Interactivity Purchase Total 3 7 5 5 3 2 25 30-40 1 7 6 5 5 2 29 41-50 5 5 5 0 5 6 30 >50 3 3 2 4 3 4 18 Total 12 22 18 14 16 18 100 2. Relationship between Internet user’s perception and Age- Expected values Particulars Entertainment Informativeness Irritation Credibility Interactivity Purchase Total 3 5.5 4.5 3.2 2.4 22 25 30-40 3.48 6.69 3 21 3.5 8.3 29 41-50 3.6 6.5 2.22 2.4 4.5 5.7 30 >50 1.92 3 5 2.1 4.5 6.6 18 Total 12 22 18 14 16 18 100 =(4-1)*(6-1)= 15 At 95% of confidence Table value of Chi Square at n=15 is 24.996 Chi Square value observed here is 10.82125416 which is lesser than table value. This proves the hypothesis H0 is accepted â€Å"Perception behind the online advertisements is same for all people† 3. Analysis of the relationship between Internet usage and the Age of the respondents Age Access E-Mail Downloading Net Surfing Window Shopping 12 6 5 10 30-40 6 8 9 7 41-50 3 5 10 3 >50 5 8 4 4 Total 33 22 22 23 4 . Relationship between age and the website usage-Expected values Age Access E-Mail Downloading Net Surfing Window Shopping Total 3.5 2.5 4.3 5.6 23 30-40 4 5 3 2.6 30 41-50 7 7 3.5 4 27 >50 2 4 3.8 8.6 20 Total 33 22 22 23 100 = (4-1)*(4-1) =9 At 95% of confidence Table value of Chi Square at n=9 is 16.911. Chi Square value observed here is 2.456560586 which is lesser than table value. This proves the hypothesis H0 is accepted â€Å"Age of the respondents and the websites that are most clicked at, are independent†. 5. Important elements for the success of promotional campaigns For most respondents (38%) the element of the greatest importance for the success of promotional campaigns through social networks is the originality, followed by a consistent and well transmitted message (for 25%), interactivity (16%), attractive design (15%) and animation (with only 6% of responses). 6. In which extent the brand, company name and company characteristics influences the Respondents For more than 50% of the Social Media users the brand, the company name and the company Characteristics are also very important for capturing their attention. Findings: According to The Nielsen Company’s study, published at the end of January 2010, global consumers spent, on average, more than five and a half hours on social networking sites like Face book and Twitter in December 2009. The study showed an 82% increase from the same month of 2008 when users spent just over three hours on social networks. In addition, the overall traffic to social networking sites has grown over the last four years. Specifically, two thirds of online visitors spend their time on social networks and blogs, placing them ahead of other online forms of engagement and interaction including games and instant messaging. The purchase of a product as a result of experiencing a form of online advertising through social networks was achieved by only 16% of respondents who said they had purchased clothing or accessories (sunglasses, jewelry), electronics (cell phones, cameras, laptops), IT products (software and hardware) or flight tickets. The research results showed that Facebook is the social network where most of the respondents own an user account (27.8% of responses), followed by Hi5 with (21.6%), YouTube with 14.7%, LinkedIn (7 %) and Twitter (6.6%). Conclusion: This study was accomplished to determine the customer perception on social media towards online shopping. Most respondents aged between 26 and 35 and all the respondents who have corporate leadership or decision making positions have a Twitter account, which may confirm the idea that the members of this site are opinion leaders or aspirational models, mature professional people, who have an important point of view to share with others. The research revealed another important finding, namely that users agree to the idea that promoting products or services through social networks can be useful and that advertisements appear in an acceptable number within these platforms. The study also shows that women tend to be more open and tolerant than men in these aspects. Many of the consumers are aware of the various online scams due to which they are very concerned and reluctant while providing their credit card information online. Also the online purchases take a longer time in shipments and deliveries. 65 million Face book members (almost one third of users), have accessed the website from a mobile phone, four times more than the same period in 2008, and in 2010 their number has exceeded 100 million persons. In addition, people who have accessed the site from their mobile phones were almost 50% more active than those not using mobile Internet. I analyze the relationship between Age of the respondents and the websites that are most clicked at, are independent. In a survey of 100 respondents, 33 people used internet for Access E-mail, 23 respondents used internet for window shopping, 22 respondents used internet for downloading, and similarly 22 respondents used net surfing. Finally I concluded that the social media is giving broad platform to consumers for having more choices with comfort shopping. REFERENCES 1. Belch, G., Belch, M., Kerr, G., Powell, I., 2009. Advertising and promotion: an integrated  Marketing communication perspective, McGraw Hill Australia, Sydney, New South Wales. 2. Engel, J.F., Blackwell, R.D. and Miniard, P.W., Consumer Behavior. Chicago: Dryden  Press, 1990. 3. Humphries, J., 2010. Social networking in business – Face book. CXO Europe, January 4,  2010. Retrieved June 14, 2010, from http://www.cxo.eu.com/news/social-networking-inbusiness- facebook/ 4. Kaplan, A., Haenlein, M., 2010. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons 53 (1), 59-68. 5. Muniz, A., O’Guinn, T., 2001. Brand community. Journal of Consumer Research 27 (4), 412- 432. 6. Zeng, F., Huang, L., Dou, W., 2009. Social factors in user perceptions and responses to  advertising in online social networking communities. Journal of Interactive Advertising 10  (1), 1-13.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Millennium Development Goals and Jamaica Essay -- International Develo

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) represents the basic necessities and rights that any human would want to enjoy. It is a nationwide commitment made in September 2000 at a United Nations Millennium Summit meeting by 189 countries including Jamaica (Sweetman, 2005, p.2). Its emergence came as a major objective in an effort toward global development within a fifteen (15) year period. These objectives are targeted at the poorest sets of people in the world and are geared towards eliminating severe poverty and improving the provisions of good health and well-being. There are eight goals to be accomplished by 2015, each having more than one target. 1. Eradication of poverty and hunger- the target is to half the rate of the world’s poverty and hunger and to achieve full and productive employment for all. 2. Achieving universal primary education – its aim, to ensure that all children will at least attain and successfully complete the primary level education. 3. Promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women – aimed at seeing more women in parliament, girl to boy ratio in primary, secondary and tertiary schooling 4. Decreasing child mortality – that is, reducing the death rate by at least two-thirds in children who are under five (5) years old and ensuring that all infants are properly immunized by the time they get to age one. 5. Improvement in maternal health – aimed at reducing maternal mortality and ensuring that mothers giving birth are attended to by skilled health personnel. 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases – aimed at educating persons about the important use of condoms and contraceptives in order to reduce and prevent these diseases. 7. Ensure environmental sustainability –aimed at inte... ... also incurred a legacy of debt, has a very low growth rate, high crime rate and is considered to be risky borrowers. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Sweetman, C. (2005).Gender and the Millennium Development Goal. Oxfam Publishers. Oxford, London. ARTICLES Sunday Observer, September 26, 2010. To achieve the ultimate Millennium Development Goal. WEBSITES National Report of Jamaica on MDG for the UN Economic and Social Council Annual Ministerial Review, Geneva 2009. Planning Institute of Jamaica. Retrieved on November 16, 2010 form www.jm.undp.org/ National Report United Nations (2000), â€Å"Millennium Development Goals†. Retrieved November 17, 2010 from www.mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Host.aspx World Health Organization (2005). Health and the Millennium Goals, retrieved November 18, 2010 from www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/en

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Spiritualism Essay -- Parapsychology Essays, 2015

â€Å"Don't you remember anything?! There is no 'devil.' There is no 'hell.' There is only Unrest. There is no down, only sideways; the transparent beside the opaque, and a thin wall to separate them.† ― Leanna Renee Hieber, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy According to Merriam-webster.com, Spiritualism is a â€Å"belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living, usually through a medium†. However, Spiritualism is more than a belief. Ever since the Spiritualist movement began and spread in the 1800’s, Spiritualism has evolved into a religion that continues to be practiced today. Contacting the dead is not a pleasant subject for most people however, although Spiritualism used to be casually practiced everyday in the homes of the Victorians in the 1800s. How did something that once used to be a method of being able to re-unite with your beloved, dead, grandparents warp into something that incites fear? Spiritualism was founded by the Fox sisters back in 1848 when Margaretta and Kate Fox claimed to have heard mysterious rappings in their little home in Hydesville, New York. Apparently, their house was reputed to be haunted before the Fox family moved in and there were claims of unexplainable sounds and furniture moving on their own. Margaretta and Fox started speaking to the spirit who was allegedly haunting their home and they eventually developed a system for communicating with it. The Fox sisters would ask the spirit a question and they would get answers in return through the form of rappings. For example, they would interpret one rap for â€Å"yes† or two for â€Å"no† or they would interpret the number of rapping’s given for a letter in an alphabet. It wasn’t long before the neighbors heard about the Fox sisters’ new found abilities and gathered at their house to witness the spirit rappings for themselves. Soon, they were giving performances in major towns, and that was when the rapping phenomena began to spread. The Fox sisters gained fame through their public sà ©ances and it wasn’t long before other people started claiming that they were also able to speak with spirits and other forms of communicating with the dead were created such as table tipping and slate writing. The Victorian era was marked by â€Å"romanticism  and mysticism with regard to religion, social values, and the arts† (http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/dr-rescher-english-... ... each other. The information that I have learned regarding this topic has helped me a lot in developing my plot for a comic book that I am working on for Senior Show titled â€Å"Post-Mortem†. My story is set in the Victorian era where two brothers lament the loss of their loved ones. The older brother especially has a hard time coping with the loss of his fiancà ©, and the little brother tries to contact her and bring her back. However, instead of drawing back in the beautiful and kind fiancà © he ends up bringing back one that is hungry for revenge. Even though my story is based in the Victorian era where contacting the dead had nothing to do with evil spirits, I wanted to make my story more modern by adding a macabre touch. Works Cited McClenon, James. "The Scientific Investigation of Wondrous Events."  Wondrous Events: Foundation of Religious Belief, University of Pennsylvania Press(1994): 185-207. Print. Simpkins, Sarah. "Dr. Rescher   English 204."  STUDYBLUE. STUDY BLUE, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. . Roach, Mary.  Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print.