Why singapore failed to be a major trading centre?

Why singapore failed to be a major trading centre? â€Å"No historian has yet adequately explained why Singapore failed to be a major trading centre before the nineteenth century†. Raffles Professor of History, Wong Lin Ken. a. Do new Dutch/Portuguese reports, maps and scant archaeological evidence dating back beyond the 19th Century now suggest that Singapore was ALWAYS a strategic place after all? Numerous evidences had been uncovered, and reports and archaeological findings especially, certainly suggest that Singapore was largely strategic between the period of Temasek, in 14th century, and late 17th century. However, to conclude that Singapore was hence always strategic would probably be too much of an overstatement. This essay will discuss Singapores strategic significance, with the support of these evidences, during the different time periods. During the 14th century, trade was already ongoing between the West, South Asia and East Asia. The Melaka Straits was crucial for traders to sail to and fro the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. Sailing in the past depended on wind direction, thus ships had to stop in Southeast Asia (SEA) to wait for a change in wind direction to bring them towards either China or India. Singapore was hence a strategic port because she was located in SEA and along Melaka Straits, making it a convenient stopover hence the central of international trade. Bits of celadon (from China), Chinese coins, fragments of stoneware (mainly from Guangdong and South Fujian) and earthernware (from Sumatra, Java and Borneo)and under-glazed blue and white stem cup (more expensive of porcelains from Jingdezhen during Yuan Dynasty)recovered support the above claim as they suggest extensive trade links Temasek had with China and SEA, and that its inhabitants, especially the wealthier ones inhabiting Fort Canning, were able to afford the more exquisite products of Jingdezhen. Temasek then, was able to attract maritime trade by providing unique products that rival ports were unable to supply. Recorded by Wang Da Yuan in Daoyi zhilue,Temasek supplied indigenous products like hornbills casques of excellent quality. Found only between north of Malay Peninsula and South of Borneo, traders can only lay their hands on it at Temasek or Palembang. Though Lakawood was in abundance, Temasek was one of the five ports that offer those of middle-quality. Celadon, white wares and stonewares uncovered at Riau Archipelago, dating back to the period of Temasek, had patterns and craft similar to those imported from Temasek. Furthermore, the origin of glassbeads of Riau Archipelago and Temasek should be identical given similar compositions. Hence, Temasek probably served as a collection centre and an entry to export for Riau Archipelago. In this case, evidences do suggest that Singapore was prospering and had an influence on regional economy and was thus strategic. During the 15th to 17th centuries, though Singapore declined slightly when Temasek was relocated to Melaka, fragments of under-glazed blue porcelains found at Kallang River, and Portuguese maps which indicate the presence of a shahbandars office, as elaborated in (b), suggest that she retained some of its strategic significance as a port by maintaining some trade with China. As mentioned, being one of the strategically situated along the Melaka Straits, the power that was able to erect a strategic dominance around the waters around Singapore would be advantaged in terms of security and economically. The Dutch had wanted to destroy Luso (Portuguese-Spanish) monopolies in SEA when they first started attacking Portuguese trading ships around Singapore waters and declared war with the Portuguese when they raided Santa Catarina and auctioned off its products. This saw the naval battles between the Dutch and Johor Sultanate, and Portuguese and Acehnese in the early 17th century and gave rise to the considerations of fortifying Singapore by both powers. Jacques De Coutre proposed to build forts at the east coast of Singapore and Muar River estuary and station a naval fleet at Sentosa to protect Portuguese trading ships from the Dutch. Dutch had the same places in mind for their fortification plans. Till this point, the Dutch and Portuguese reports do suggest th at Singapore was strategic. However, the plans never realised, which made us rethink if Singapore was really that strategic after all. Singapores strategic significance took a turn in the 18th century. There was not much evidence to prove this period of time, but by referencing to my contextual knowledge, we know that the Dutch shifted their focus from the Melaka Straits to the Sunda Straits, Portuguese diverted their trade to Japan having difficulties trading in the Melaka Straits and Johor Sultanate relocated their capital to the Lingga Archipelago, shifting the maritime silk road southwards. Singapore lost its value with the declination of Melaka Straits and was abandoned. She no longer held any strategic significance to participants of the maritime trade. Perhaps it is precisely that not much evidence was found that dates back to this period of time that it suggests that trading activities in Singapore was kept to its minimum. Moreover, no coins or porcelains were uncovered that dates beyond the Song and Yuan Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty respectively, further supporting my contextual knowledge. It is evident that Singapores strategic significance changes with time, depending on human-related factors such as politics and economics, and hence is relative. The evidences may seem to imply that Singapore was always strategic, but when viewed from another angle, they can also suggest otherwise as stated in the previous paragraph. Therefore to say that they suggest that Singapore is always strategic may be a little too extreme. b.In light of this evidence, should Singapores history from 1511 to 1819 be written as (1) little more than a sleepy fishing village? (2) a declining but still thriving emporium astride hotly contested strategic waters (3) part of the Johor Sultanate?Please explain your preference. From the 15th century to 17th century, Singapore was a (3) part of the Johor Sultanate, but she was (2) a declining yet thriving emporium astride hotly contested strategic waters between the 16th and 17th century. It was only during the early 18th century that trade in Singapore started dipping, and she was perceived by the British as a sleepy fishing village when they stepped ashore in 1819. Hence, (1) little more than â€Å"a sleepy fishing village† suitably describes Singapores history between this period as it is a broader title and thus encompasses both (2) and (3), and the reduction of importance of Singapores port resulting from the declination of the Melaka Straits during the 18th century accounts for Singapore being â€Å"a sleepy fishing village†. When Singapore was (3), trade was still ongoing though insignificant compared to its Temasek period. Excavations on the north bank of Singapore River, where a settlement was once present, and Kallang River revealed fragments of ceramics and under-glazed blue porcelains with designs dating back to the rule of Ming Emperor Wanli (1573 to 1620). Similar findings in Johor Lama and Johor Shoal imply that the findings in Singapore belonged to the Johor River trade controlled by the Johor Sultans. Some may suggest that these pieces might have been disposed into the Kallang River when ships stopover for supplies because they broke during the voyage, and not because of trade present in Singapore. This may be true, however, according to two Portuguese maps, a shahbandar of the Johor Sultans office was featured on the southern coast of Singapore, proving the above conjecture wrong and showing that trade at the Kallang River was flourishing to the extent it needed a shahbandar to run it. This also indicates that Singapore then, was continuing some degree of trade with China, showing that she was (1). As mentioned, trade was also falling, compared to its Temasek period, as during this time, Melaka was the main port for international trade. Singapore then, supported Melaka by providing goods from herself for Melaka to export. An example being blackwood, which was brought from Singapore to Melaka, and then bought in bulk by Chinese traders. (2) may now seem to be plausible at this point in the essay since Singapore was a declining yet thriving emporium, and evidence show that its waters are hotly contested for between the Dutch and Johor Sultanate, and the Portuguese and Acehnese, and Singapore was seen by both as strategic to build a fort to achieve their individual aims as mentioned in (a). However, one may wish to note that Singapores waters may not be that strategic after all. In 1613, Aceh successfully attacked Batu Sawar as she was upset about the signing of the peace treaty between Johor Sultanate and Portuguese, uncovering the vulnerable position of Singapore waters, rendering it no longer strategic. Moreover, when Melaka Straits lost its importance to Sunda Straits in the late 17th century, Singapore was neglected and declined over the 18th century. Its waters were no longer contested and the issue on it being strategic or not became irrelevant. A village of Orang Lauts and Malays, not being much of a deal, were all that were left in Singapore. Melaka Straits was filled with pirates and Singapore, lying on the Straits, was hence seen as a sleepy fishing village by the British when they landed in the 19th century. (2) does not take into account these happenings, thus it is flawed in describing Singapores history. In conclusion, (1) best describes Singapore history as it accommodates the period when Singapore was (3), when trade was active though declining, the period when it was considered strategic and its waters contested by the Dutch and Portuguese, up to the period when British founded Singapore as a sleepy fishing village due to the decline of Melaka Straits. (2) was unsuitable as mentioned above, and (3) seems to be an understatement as Singapore was more than just part of the Johor Sultanate.

How have some Chinese companies achieved success in foreign markets? :: Business, International Companies

Over the last 30 years the world has seen drastic changes in the Chinese way of making business. Nowadays, China has opened its businesses to the rest of the world, especially America and Europe (Teagarden & Cai, 2009). As a result, their economy has increased and the evolution of the companies have changed to be from closed doors to be international and multinational (Teagarden & Cai, 2009). This essay will analyze, first of all, how some Chinese companies have had success abroad, looking at the strategy that they applied to expand and to improve their products. Furthermore, this essay will show examples of successful Chinese firms, such as Lenovo and TCL Group, and how they achieve it. According to Teagarden & Cai (2009) Chinese companies have expanded abroad for three reasons. Firstly, ‘to secure natural resources to satisfy the demand of their home costumers for raw and fuel; secondly to identify and secure foreign technology and know-how; finally, to escape home market saturation and ruthless price wars’ (Teagarden & Cai, 2009: 73). In addition, Teagarden & Cai (2009) noted that in order to become multinational firms, Chinese companies followed a pattern of four phases: Learning phase, firms started to build alliances with international respected companies, such as, possible competitors or acquisitions, absorbing the information about new technology and services, and know-how to improve their own brand. However, achieving this phase was no easy, China had its doors closed for foreign businesses for decades. They needed to train their key managers about how international companies work and manufacturing skills. Build-Up Phase, once companies absorbed knowledge they started to research and improve their own brand, and imitating the existing technology achieving innovation and chain expansion, namely, exportation of their product. Internationalization Phase, during this phase Chinese companies focused on ‘building brand, localization of products and services for new markets, and differentiation of products to support higher margins’ they did what was ‘good enough’ for the market (Teagarden & Cai, 2009:78). An important issue during this phase was to research and develop the products, and to keep the key talent of the company, such as managers and engineers. Globalization Phase, companies were known locally, regionally and internationally, their products were already improved offering innovative services. However, as The Economist (2007) has highlighted, while more global the companies are more aware of corporate social responsibility they need to be, namely, foreign stakeholders will expect, not only innovative and effective products, but also they will open their doors and invest their money to companies that are social responsible.

A Reader’s Response †The Lesson

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara is a story of a naughty little girl and her gang of kids who were bundled up one summer day to go with Miss Moore to a toy store. Sylvia and her cousin Sugar are with Fat Butt, Rosie Giraffe, Mercedes, Q. T. , Junebug and Flyboy, not their real names but monikers given them by Sylvia. The names came from their most obvious trait, Fat Butt for his fondness for food, Mercedes for her ritzy tastes, Q. T. , is the youngest, and Rosie Giraffe is always ready to kick asses. One may guess Sugar is for her being the exact opposite of sourly Sylvia. Miss Moore wants to teach the kids about money, specifically, how much of it can buy what. Her objective really is to make them see how much they can not afford compared with what the rest of their fellow citizens can, half of which are whites. If there is one thing that can sure catch the interest of kids, it is a toy. So Miss Moore took them to an upscale toy store at Fifth Avenue, when all the toys the kids knew and had were from Pop’s. The tone of the story is sarcastic all throughout, from the first person point of view of Sylvia. Bambara’s style is effective in her portrayal of Sylvia, as a little Black, spoiled brat who has a vocabulary peppered with cuss words such as â€Å"sorry-ass, goddamn, boring-ass, dumb shit, smelly-ass, smart-ass, nappy-head bitch, scratching the shit out of me† and who believes that â€Å"white folks crazy. † She uses similes to introduce Miss Moore who is â€Å"black as hell† and whom â€Å"grownups †¦ talked behind her back like a dog. † With the story, Bambara takes the readers to pore into the psyche of a child born on the on the other side of the tracks. The reader would think that it is a gang member speaking instead of a precocious kid from the block when she says â€Å"she would much rather †¦ go to the Sunset and terrorize the West Indian kids and take their hair ribbons and their money too. † The story is told from the eyes of a child ultimately bored with how the adults attach so much importance to the mundane. Sylvia asks, â€Å"Watcha bring us here for, Miss Moore? † To which Miss Moore replies with, â€Å"You sound angry, Sylvia. Are you mad about something? † Bambara keeps the lightness in the treatment of the characters, who are all kids except for Miss Moore, by strong doses of humor. Big Butt wants to buy â€Å"that there. † Rosie Giraffe cuts him with â€Å"That there? You don’t even what it is, stupid. † When it is Rosie’s turn, she asks what a paperweight is. Flyboy answers with, â€Å"To weigh paper with, dumbbell. † There are moments when the kids sound pathetic. Miss Moore asks about their desks at home where they do their homework. Junebug says he does not have a desk, Big Butt says he does not do his homework and Flyboy says he does not have a home. The theme of the story is about issue of economic disparity, among all others, between the Whites and Blacks. It can be an emotional one when discussed seriously and earnestly. The Lesson successfully attempts to present the issue in a novel manner without taking the truth away and the need for it to be confronted. Bambara uses literary techniques to bring home the point to her readers and provide the insightful highlights of the story. For a $1,195. 00 toy sailboat, the kids’ reactions are as follow: (1) with Hyperbole, Sylvia thinks with â€Å"That much money it should last forever. † Q. T. figures that only the rich shop in the store that sells the sailboat. (2) with Litotes, Flyboy tells him â€Å"You are a bright boy †¦ What was your first clue? † Sylvia fancies a $35 clown that somersaults. (3) with Anaphora, Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen’s boy. Thirty-five dollars and the whole household could visit Grand-daddy Nelson in the country. Thirty-five dollars would pay for the rent and the piano bill too. † These lines are significant because even the usually doubting Sylvia realizes what other important things $35 can buy, something to sleep on for two boys, the happiness of an old man, a roof on the family’s head with their entertainment thrown in. Miss Moore’s plan must be working alright. (4) with Hyphopora, â€Å"Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people can spend on a oy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven. What do you think? † Sugar verbalizes her disgust for the insensitivity of some. The girl has her values right when she is equates the toy with food for seven people. Buying the toy is the height of insensitivity. Aside from the last two quotes above, there are others that add to its meaningful dissection of the social issue of disparity. â€Å"What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t on it? Who we are is who we are. † These are the words of Miss Moore, typifying those who quest ion the inequality of things and yet accept the fact as it is. They do not even challenge the situation and right the wrong of it. â€Å"But it don’t necessarily have to be that way †¦ poor people have to wake up and demand their share of the pie. † These words are also from Miss Moore, speaking for those who believe that something can and must be done. It is like saying that nothing will change for as long as people do not know how to fight for what is by right theirs. â€Å"I think †¦ this is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough †¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is entirely wrong. Democracy is not handed down, it is something one fights for. Equal chance and equal crack is not for free, one must earn the chance and as well as the crack. Works Cited Bambara, T. C. (1972). The Lesson. Retrieved February 5, 2009 from http://cal. ucdavis. edu/gender/thelesson. hmtl A Reader’s Response – A Good Man is Hard to Find Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a third person narrative that begins on a humorous mode and ends on a tragic note. The grandmother is a persistent old woman who gets her way, in one or the other. She has a bagful of antics to get her family, particularly her son to see things the way she sees them and get them to agree to her plans for everybody. She meets opposition from the two most impossible to convince people in the family, her two grandchildren. She threatens them every now and then with a â€Å"Just remember that the next time you want me to curl your hair. † She almost always gets what she wants, but not always including this particular trip to Florida. She wants to go to Tennessee instead to see old friends. Her spin about an escapee from the penitentiary roaming the highways of Florida is not working on her son Bailey. Nonetheless, on D-day she is the first to board the car. While on the way, she remembers a particular old house she remembers from childhood that she says would be nice to see again. Bailey is hearing none of it. She consciously lie about some secret room where the family silver is, â€Å"not telling the truth but wishing she were† to get much needed support from the oppositionists, her grand kids. This time she wins and they were heading to this place through a 36-mile dirt road. It suddenly dawns on her that they are a state away from the house, which is in Tennessee and not in Georgia. The much feared escapee from the Penitentiary comes along with his two other companions. This is the turning point of the story. O’Connor makes the characters so real in the way she portrays the grandmother and June Star. Grandmother dances to the music of Tennessee Waltz while Bailey stares fiercely at her. The irreverent June Star thinks her grandmother does not want to be left out in trips because she does not want to miss anything, that she does not want to live in a â€Å"broken-down place† like that of Red Sam and after the accident, she says that â€Å"nobody’s killed† with a tinge of disappointment when she sees her grandmother coming out alive from the car. O’Connor is effective in giving life to their characters that one will want to squeeze the neck of June Star or give Grandmother a big hug. O’Connor uses Similes â€Å"face was as yellow as the T-shirt,† Alliterations â€Å"big black battered,† â€Å"dark and deep,† â€Å"Don’t see no sun †¦ don’t see no cloud,† Anaphora â€Å"Tennessee has the mountains and Georgia has the hills,† and Allusion â€Å"Gone With the Wind. † The story tells us about the ironies and contrasts in life. There is the grandmother who sees the beauty in anything and everything like the mountains of Tennessee and the hills of Georgia, and the cute little Negro boy by the door of a shack, dances to the beat of an old favorite, takes time to see friends, calls a day beautiful in spite of the danger she is in and sees a good man in the Misfit out to kill all of them. The other character in the story is the Misfit who is hardened to the core. He thinks the world is out to get him and treat him nasty all the time. He does not know of a single goodness left in people. There are meaningful quotes in the story that touches the reader about unfamiliar scenes of real life. Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† has several: â€Å"I was not a bad boy that I remember of †¦ but sometimes along the line I done something wrong and got sent to the penitentiary. I was buried alive. † Society has not been fair and kind to the kid who became the Misfit. He was not given a fair shake in life that being bad became his way of life, in and out of the penitentiary. I call myself The Misfit †¦ because I can’t make what all I done wrong fit what all I gone through in punishment. † The Misfit was too young to make out what it was he had done that he was punished for so long and so harsh. Whatever it was he must have committed, he was sure that he did not deserve the hard life he had been through. â€Å"It was the same case with Him [Jesus] as with m e except He hadn’t committed any crime and they could prove I had committed one because they have the papers on me. † The Misfit compared his conviction with that of Jesus Christ, who he said was innocent. He, too, was innocent as far as his conscience goes, but while they had no basis to establish the guilt of Jesus, they had papers to convict him to life in the penitentiary. â€Å"She would have been a good woman †¦ if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life. † For the Misfit, only death would save people from being bad. It could be the reason why he kept killing people, to save them from being bad. He thinks that the longer people live, they keep going bad.

The Prominent Significance Of Mandated Vaccines - 1141 Words

The Prominent Significance of Mandated Vaccines In 1796, Edward Jenner, a doctor living in Berkeley, England, injected an eight year old with a new concoction made of cow-pox lesions. James Phillips, the young boy, then became immune to the adverse effects of the Smallpox for the remainder of his life. Unaware at the time, Jenner conducted the world’s first vaccination, laying the groundwork for future innovations. Years later, accomplished scientists followed in Jenner’s footsteps, creating vaccines to combat everything from Measles to Polio to Tetanus. Despite the superior benefits of the new revelation, numerous parents still made the decision to not vaccinate their kids. A study conducted by CNN reveals that today, up to twenty eight†¦show more content†¦By making vaccines mandatory, we as a society insure good health for everyone. Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Paul A. Offit, stresses that â€Å"vaccines work very well to prevent disease and are necessary, eve n though the diseases they prevent are not common---in fact, vaccines are part of the reason this is so,† (Offit). Because many young parents have never seen more sickness that vaccines counteract, a substantial number believe that vaccines are unnecessary. However this is simply because vaccines have done their job and eliminated such viruses. It is entirely possible that if even twenty percent of the United States refused to vaccinate their children, epidemics of all sort would begin to ravish the nation. Imagine living in a world encompassed in fear of disease, suffering, and ultimately a painful death. We would have continued to live in this state of terror had it not been for vaccines. While vaccines come with their own possibility of side effects, these uncommon risks are greatly outweighed by the partnering advantages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses that â€Å"while vaccines are very safe, like any medicine they do sometimes cause reactions. Mostly, these are mild local reactions (soreness or redness where the shot is given) or a low-grade fever. They last a day or two and then go away,† (Childhood). Vaccines can produce some negative effects, yet one must