Ap World History Curriculum Framework Questions

1. In what way do we see the expansion of the Byzantine Empire (or the Muslim Caliphates) facilitating Trans-Eurasian trade & communication? answer: give examples of conquered people being drawn into their conquerors’ economies & trade networks) * Byzantine Empire – use of the gold coin, the bezant, facilitated trade and communication by creating a standard currency by which all peoples could expect to trade with; Balkan Slavic peoples came under Byzantine rule and was drawn into the trade network; became trading partners with other towns that were smaller in size such as Florence of Italy, facilitating long-distance trade * Muslim Caliphates – everywhere, there was a huge incentive to convert to Islam because of the massive trade arena that was created as a result of the religion – in various countries, Islamic religion provided links for trading partners (such as in West Africa); when Islamic empire conquered India, new products were introduced (crops) w hich later spread into Africa and Uerope 2. What examples do you see of cross-cultural interactions resulting in the diffusion of scientific & technological traditions? Byzantine Empire – when China finally opened its doors, many Europeans such as Marco Polo visited there and absorbed many ideas about Chinese culture, writing about them and eventually bringing those ideas back to Europe * Muslim Caliphates – Greek thinking (science and medical texts, as well as philosophy) contributed towards Arab scholarship, and its thinking about the natural sciences and philosophy 3. Following the collapse of empires (most notably Roman), the Byzantine Empire constituted a new government. Give examples of the way that traditional sources of power & legitimacy combined with innovations in governance to produce a gov’t better suited to its circumstances (ie: patriarchy, religion, or land-owning elites combining with new methods of taxation, tributary systems, or adaptation of religious institutions). Byzantine Empire – it maintained a Roman style of centralized imperial court that was based in Constantinople; it set up a caesaropapism where the emperor was both the head of the state as well as the head of the church as appointed by God; maintained many social systems such as taxation and the church; in the 11-13th centuries, there was a leap in urbanization and economic growth, which led to many new chances for women to leave their domestic lifestyles to seek more urban professions * Western Europe – the Roman Catholic Church was separate from the state; the pope held religious authority while the emperor headed the state – system of feudalism ensured loyalty in the chaos-ridden world of that time * China – centralized, individual cities; landowners were given privileges by the government rather than merchants, as merchants were viewed as lazy people who gained profit through the works of others 4. Do you see any examples of i nnovations in agriculture or industrial production? ie: foreign luxury goods & crops like sugar & citrus being grown in new regions) * Byzantine Empire – adopted various mathematical, scientific and philosophical theories of the Arabs and India; adopted the technology from China – papermaking, gunpowder, as well as the compass and much nautical technology; heavy wheeled plow that was adapted to suit the environment – could handle the thicker soil of Northern Europe; relied on horses and used horseshoes probably from China or Central Asia; system of three field crop rotation; adopted silk making techniques and became one of the main producers of silk; developed cannons as a result of the introduction of gunpowder * Muslim Caliphates – new crops introduced in India which were spread around the empire such as cotton and sugarcane (two crops had a very complex production process, and in the rush to produce it, slavery quickly intensified; adopted ancient Pers ian water-drilling techniques, rockets from China, and papermaking techniques all from China; developed a series of math concepts such as algebra, scientific advances such as in medicine and pharmacology 5.What factors do you see that contributed to the decline of urban areas (possible answers: little ice age, invasions, disease, decline of agricultural activity – give examples of this) * western Christendom – around 476, much that had characterized Roman civilization also weakened, declined or disappeared in the several centuries before and after; any semblance of large-scale centralized rule vanished, disease and warfare reduced Western Europe’s population by more than 25%; land being cultivated shrunk, while wasteland expanded; urban life diminished as Europe reverted to a largely rural existence; buildings crumbled from lack of care, and outside Italy, trade routes died out * eastern Christendom – decline in urbanization because of the threat of attac k of outsiders; slavs, arabs, latin crusaders and turks progressively disrupted the empire through simple penetration or military conquests – swelling of Constantinople’s population was not growth, but because many people chased from their region by Byzantium’s enemies sought refuge in Constantinople 6. Do you see continuities & changes in social structures, labor management? (labor: free peasant agriculture, nomadic pastoralism, craft production, guild organization, unfree labor & gov’t enforced labor taxes, military obligations? * China – built a bureaucracy that managed public works; Tang and Song dynasty experienced a revolution that made it the richest, most skilled and most populous country on earth; industrial production soared in both small and large scale enterprises, China’s iron input increased dramatically; produced things for the market rather than for local consumption; growing use of paper money led to the increase in output, population, skills and led to a burst of inventiveness * Byzantine Empire – agriculture – production arranged around two centers – estate and village; distinctions between landholders and tenant farmers; guilds of specified jobs introduced a new and more productive division of labor * Roman Empire – coercive labor system (slavery) 7. Give examples of new forms of coerced labor. Give examples of free peasants resisting attempts to raise dues & taxes (ie: revolts in Byzantine empire or China). Give examples of the increased demand for slaves (for both military & domestic purposes) within Central Eurasia, & Eastern Mediterranean. within the new, fragmented and decentralized kingdoms of the Western Christendom, a social system known as feudalism emerged – lesser lords and knights swore allegiance to greater lords or kings; Roman style slavery gave way to serfdom – unlike slaves, serfs were not the personal property of their masters, couldnâ€⠄¢t be thrown off land and were allowed to live in families, but they were bound to their master’s estates as peasant laborers and owed various payments and services to the lord of the manor * Byzantine Empire highly regulated slavery – natural state of humanity is freedom, but law of nations may supersede natural law and reduce certain people to slavery – basic definition of a slave was – anyone whose mother was a slave, anyone who has captured in battle, and anyone who has sold himself to pay a debt, but it was possible to become free * Abbasid Empire had an army dominated by slave soldiers – mamluks – originally soldiers captures in central Asia, but later boys specifically taken or bought to be trained as soldiers – later dissolved their loyalty to their masters and established themselves as the ruling dynasty * Islamic slaves directed at the service sector – concubines, cooks, porters and soldiers – form of consumpt ion rather than a factor of production – many more female than male slaves 8. In what ways do we see gender relations and family life being affected by religious conversion? may not be many examples in Europe, but several in other areas we’ve already studied) * Song dynasty, reviving Confucianism tightened patriarchal restriction on women to emphasize images of female submission and passivity; emphasized the subordination of women and men and the need to keep them separate * Spread of Christianity opened new opportunities for women – to become nuns/join a convent, offered relative freedom from male control; where women could exercise authority and gain some semblance of education * What rise of Islam meant for women is highly controversial – on a spiritual level, the Quran states explicitly that women and men are equals, but on a social level, they were viewed as subordinate, especially in marriage; sometimes it helped women – banned infanticide, g ave women control over property/inheritance, required a women’s consent for marriage etc. , but also diminished their social roles as there were growing restrictions on women

Building Trust through E-Commerce

Suppose I am selling merchandises online – for instance, gift items for everyone – I know exactly how to convince my prospective buyers to trust my web site. Through the concept of â€Å"Free Information for All,† I would educate my web visitors, in the simplest way possible (without giving essential information to competitors), about the process of storing their credit card information and securing it from hackers and viruses.The rationale behind â€Å"Free Information for All,† is aiming at the minds of the potential customers, to make them think, feel and believe that they know all they need to know about where their credit card information is going. Images, such as secured vaults and huge powerful computers, will be used to instill in the minds of the viewers that my web site could not be any safer. In fact it is 100% safe and error-free. As for the action steps that I would take, I will begin by advertising banners and links that features a reverse ps ychology-inspired message, â€Å"Do not trust every online shop you see.Click to find the tricks of scammers. † Then, when they’re in my web site already, they will read another message, â€Å"Trust only those who can tell you everything you need to know about your shop and your account. Experience worry-free online shopping. † The second step is for me to make good on my word. Eventually, I will post â€Å"Testimonials† from the marketing department and from real people with pages in My Space. This will create a crisp, friendly feel in the website, and it will convince more people that my business and services are no hoax.The final step is just to ensure that my customers will enjoy a 24/7 customer support online and via toll-free number. Customers love to be pampered. I will pamper my customers, make them trust me, and make them go back to my store, with their friends in tow. Survey source: Safety in Numbers. June 25, 2002. The Resource for Security Exe cutives. November 10, 2006. .

International Market Entry and Development Research Paper - 3

International Market Entry and Development - Research Paper Example Market research is crucial before an entry is made into the international market. Research conducted should be realistic and complete. Market research helps in developing an efficient positioning. Overall the analysis should have complete information about the general economic conditions and the market information about the target market. Detail information about the foreign customers should be present related to whom the services and products will be offered, detailed information about the segment and the niche. Detailed information about the suppliers working in that particular country and the details about how the supply chain is managed is also necessary. Also another important factor is the way and method of entering the foreign market, the way we can enter the foreign market and reach to our possible customers. The approach is an indirect approach which is using an intermediary or an agent in order to enter the market or directly entering the market. Another way is through coll ective exporting, trading house and consortium. It is important for the firms to properly examine and adapt different market strategies once they enter the foreign market compared to the strategies they are already working with in the domestic market. The effect of these strategies on the performance of the firm is also an important factor which needs to be analyzed. Marketing mix plays an important role here which once adopted is very useful as it is based on the previous adaption strategies of the firm .Firms need to evaluate the importance if these marketing mix component so that they can analyze and check the possibilities of the firm’s success in it. The promotional strategies are also checked and analyzed again as a proper set of strategies defines the firm’s competitive advantage which is the basic tool for a firm’s success and performance in the foreign market. Market expansion helps a country

Managerial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managerial Economics - Essay Example The trade agreements have reduced prices of goods and services of America in foreign markets and also in the home country; tariffs and taxes on these products have been eliminated to a considerable extent. Overall benefits because of globalization are numerous but the major one is surging demand of products and services along with reduction in their prices. As a result of globalization and trade agreements, foreign goods are available at cheaper prices and more American workers are losing their job as labor cost is rising at an accelerating pace. Globalization Globalization has helped in easing up trade between countries as it allows exchange of information, products, resources, services and markets at international level and gives organizations the opportunity of interacting with markets present in different countries. According to globalization theory, cited by Rogers and Hyatt (2012), there are about six processes of globalization that are dynamic and interdependent such as: 1. In crease in economic dependence across the world 2. Dramatic rise in exchange among countries on cultural, economical and resources level. 3. Breakthrough innovations in technological field allow quick access to important and new ideas and information. 4. Space and time has been compressed. 5. Institutions and events have been disembodied that allow restructuring and realignment of interaction on social level across time and space. 6. Reflexive processes have increased global consciousness. Hence, government policy makers have to take into account the factors that are impacting globalization as it has become an important part of every economy. In addition, many governments have changed their policies to support Foreign Direct Investments within their countries so that economy gets boosted (Castle, 2012). Trade Agreements – Protectionism or Deregulation Trade Agreements are being done on an increasing rate among countries to cope up with the recession that has significantly impa cted their economies. According to some researchers, Trade Agreements have helped in taking advantages of benefits being offered to each party; on the other hand, some critiques have argued that it poses threat to local manufactures and service providers (Shah, 2010). In economic policy, protectionism is used to create some restrain in trade through various measures like regulations, quotas and tariffs; it is used in discouraging certain goods imports and give protection to domestic markets as well. On the other hand, deregulation is done to have free economic activity that is free from binding rules of the state; the main idea of this attempt is to boost competition in the country (Labonte, 2010). Some critics have referred to protectionism as a barrier to free trade as it makes certain industries eligible for subsidization that means competition reduces to a greater extent as everyone is treated on an equal basis. However, deregulation allows easy trading amongst countries and mot ivates domestic producers to contribute more in its respective economy. Inflation Inflation is described as increase in price of goods and services (Amadeo, 2012). When inflation is increased, individual’s standard of living falls considerably; each dollar spent for purchasing will buy less amount of thing being bought and more money will be required to get hold of same goods and services. When the inflation is mild, it can significantly impact the economic growth of a country. Healthy economy is one in which prices rise slowly and gradually so that future increase in prices can be avoided. All government policies have to ensure that inflation is controlled so that prices of goods and serv

INFORMATION SOCIETY & INFORMATION ECONOMY Essay

INFORMATION SOCIETY & INFORMATION ECONOMY - Essay Example The changing internet related environment at overseas branches and operations of banks has such a big impact on the online banking related decision making process. While multinational companies (MNCs) such as banks have been making use of internet banking as the main investment related strategic policy alternative, smaller banks too have been making use of it in order to achieve positive synergies over the internet (Durkin, and Howcroft, 2003). However while the former have being able to increase their net investment expenditure on internet banking on a larger scale, the latter have only been able to increase such investment on a smaller scale. As a result a clear dichotomy between the two entities can be noticed. Big business organizations including some international banks have adopted growth oriented communication policy measures primarily with the intention of enhancing growth drivers such as merger and acquisition (M&A) related synergies while smaller banks have basically relied on capturing niche markets. Online banking related benefits have come to be identified with positive organizational outcomes as well. Therefore internal and external growth drivers of banks operating internationally are mostly determined by either the success or the failure of the average banks online banking policy. In fact according to recent World Bank reports nine out of ten companies engaged in international business operations have invested a greater percentage of asset related investment funds in ICT. This is because that such investment brings about a qualitative shift in their operational environment and capabilities (Bell, 1976). Such capabilities include incremental growth rates in financial management cash flow, quality, sales revenue and profits. While big banks have successfully made use of online banking activities to achieve these organizational goals, smaller banks have been less successful because they lack adequate resource portfolios to engage in competition at every level of operations. Analysis Despite a series of online banking related investment successes by big banks, there have been some policy related lags too. For instance the operational environment of a bank is constantly influenced by the changing circumstances in the global environment. The current economic downturn has played a very important role in changing the fortunes of many banks. Falling demand and supply constraints have forced many banks to adopt variety of online banking policies in their international operations (Mackay, 2003). According to available statistics already there are signs of falling internet related investments in overseas operations of banks, though so far no fully-fledged study has been undertaken into a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the economic downturn.Online banking strategy requires well defined organizational goals and such organizational goals might vary from one banks to the other. For example some international banks are faced with a different set of policy alternat ives while small banks have a completely different set of priorities and opportunities (Mattelart, 2003). Therefore it is very important to consider multinational banks and smaller banks separately.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Assignment - Essay Example The directors can get an external expert to help in their deliberations (Melbinger 7). The board of directors who are making the executive pay decisions should consist of individuals who are able to reflect diverse viewpoints, but they should be too many. This will enable the directors to consider different options and choose from the best one. The right number of board members in the executive payment committee should also know what is required of them and be ready to do the right thing. They should be afraid to make decisions which touch on the company’s executives, as long as their decisions are in the best interests of the company as a whole (Reda, Reifler and Thatcher 5). The Social Security Act of 1935 was passed during President Roosevelt’s first term as part of his New Deal program. The Act was passed in the back drop of rising poverty and unemployment levels after the Great Depression. The Act was drafted to take care of the needs of those mostly affected by the financial crisis at the time. These people included: the poor, the unemployed, widows, fatherless children and orphans (Attarian 85). According to Attarian, wage and salary workers who were under the age of 65 and employed in commerce and industry sectors within the US were covered in this act. However, domestic workers in private homes, agricultural laborers, casual laborers, ship crew members and officers, Federal Government employees, individuals working in state and local governments, NGO employees and those who were self employed were could not enjoy the benefits of this act

Summarizing three parts of a book chapter on research methods Term Paper

Summarizing three parts of a book chapter on research methods - Term Paper Example Variations on these criteria do occur, often when it is not practical to meet them fully, and in these cases the research can be classified as quasi-experimental. The classic experiment is described. A control group and an experimental group are pretested, the experimental group is subjected to the independent variable, and the two groups are tested again, to see if there is now any difference in the two groups that can be attributed to the independent variable. In social work there are ethical and practical issues which may prevent a researcher from conducting a true classic experiment. Typical objections are listed and appropriate responses suggested. It is true that human beings should not be denied services because of a research project, or treated as objects to be experimented on, but on the other hand it is unethical to offer services without knowing what their effects are likely to be and who is most likely to benefit from them. By putting appropriate safeguards in place, and by using waiting lists for random assignment, it is possible to design research that is both ethical and experimental. Informed consent is, however, absolutely es sential, even if it has negative effects on the research in question. Research can interfere with the normal working of social services, but staff should be made aware of the aims and potential benefits of research and their views and suggestions should be sought early in the research process. The Solomon four-group research design is described, showing the advantage of using a pretest with two groups and no pretest with the other two. The intervention is then administered, to one group in each set, and all four groups are posttested. This method allows the researcher to see very accurately what effect has been caused by the intervention. Matching can improve the accuracy of quasi-experimental design, but it is not as good as true randomisation because it only matches