This study focuses on the population of women voluntarily entering the United States via arranged, often through the Internet, marriages. A congressional report (Immigration and Naturalization Services 2006) on “International Matchmaking Organizations” reports that the number of immigrants coming to the United States with a “K-1 fiancée visa”, the temporary visa status used to have a nonnative individual enter the United States for the purpose of marriage, to be growing rapidly. Of these individuals, 79% are women, referred to in both government data collection and sociological literature using the century old moniker of “mail order brides”. Through first-hand experience, over a period of 20 years teaching and acting as an administrator for English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, I have found this population of women, International Mail Order Brides (IMOBs), to present significant English language and literacy needs. Demonstrating inconsistent attendance in ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, they exhibit low-level English language fluency skills. This study of six International Mail Order Brides, all of whom live in rural settings within Pennsylvania, emanated from these observations. Participants were located through their attendance in community based, adult ESL programs. Research conducted used the case study method offered the participants the opportunity to share the lifelong progression of their biliteracies. Each of the narratives is transcribed in the words of the participant to assure the critical element of authenticity. The biliterate lives presented through this restorying is interpreted using Hornberger’s Continua of Biliteracy theory in order to identify the multidimensional International Mail Order Bride biliteracy. Analysis revealed five of the six participants to be monolingual, with no agency given to their L1. All developed their biliteracies successively, living currently with the L2 in the majority power position. Five of the six IMOBs function at the less powerful oral-vernacular end of the Continua, with few literate abilities. The value of shared life stories formulates an in-depth representation of how the specific life choice of this population drives the need for highly contextualized English language opportunities, providing clear data to guide the field of Second Language Literacy in creating a pedagogical response. / Dr. Dan J. Tannacito Dr. Gary J. Dean Dr. Gian S. Pagnucci

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-132).

This research explored the stereotypical representations, images, and expectations surrounding the relationships of Filipino women and American men. Within the context of the mail-order bride phenomenon, Filipino women have been largely depicted as victims of racialized and gendered representations of mail-order bride agencies. Similarly, romantic relationships between Filipino women and American men are reduced to mere business at which romantic love and desire is absent. However, such depictions fail to acknowledge other factors at play with Filipino women’s intention to seek relationship with Western men. Within the Filipino society, Western men are constructed as better marriage partners in contrast to that of Filipino men. Findings revealed that the desire to seek relationships with one another is driven by their desire based on the preconceptions they perceive one another to possess.

In 2005, following the deaths of several marriage migrants known as "mail-order brides", the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act was created. Designed to regulate the international matchmaking industry and provide women with the information to make informed, safe decisions about their future partnership in an attempt to decrease instances of violence, this law was the result of an increase in awareness, collaboration between interested parties, and incorporation into a broader bill. For years, marriage brokers had operated using stereotypes about submissive foreign women to attract customers, recently bringing business onto the internet and creating websites marketing women as purchases. Five years after the passage of the law, however, the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act fails to address six key vulnerabilities faced by female marriage migrants. For this reason, women immigrating to the United States to marry a spouse after introduction through a marriage broker still face an increased likelihood of domestic violence and even death. The author concludes with a discussion about future improvements in both legislation and operation to address violence against immigrant women. / Master of Arts

This dissertation concerns the structures and individual agency of Filipina brides who met their American husbands through Internet or pen pal advertisements. Popular media, legal scholars, and some feminists have largely described the phenomenon in terms of its oppressiveness toward the women involved, thus dismissing any agency on the part of the women. Similarly, much of the scholarship has located the American Internet grooms as ogres who are out to exploit these women for domestic and sexual services. If prominent researchers of this phenomenon are correct in their assessments that Filipina Internet brides operate as effective agents, then one also assumes these women continue that agency when they settle into their new lives as Filipina wives married to American men. Therefore, my central research question is: How has this agency manifested itself, and has this manifestation been problematic for the American groom, who, from the typical Internet ad's text and images and couple d with prevailing American cultural assumptions, assumed he was getting a submissive wife? To explore possible answers to these questions I performed a rhetorical analysis of two typical Internet advertisements. The focus on the ads is important to my study because the Internet advertisements both shape and reflect the popular view of the so-called Filipina "mail-order bride." Next, in order to gain the Internet brides' and grooms' perspectives of the phenomenon, I interviewed three Filipina-Americano couples currently living in South Florida between November, 2005, and October, 2007. My findings support the scholars who forefront the brides' agency and, therefore, reject the stereotypes projected on the Internet advertisements. My findings also reject the stereotype of the exploitative husband. From my interview data, the women appeared agentive and the men encouraged their wives' agency. / An unanticipated and paradoxical outcropping of the interview descriptions of their courtshand subsequent marriages. In this one area both the brides and grooms unanimously deemphasized their own agency, and instead highlighted romantic narratives with each insisting that they had "fallen in love." / by Pamela Sullivan Haley. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

No description available.

This research is focused on three food multiple retailers, Sainsbury plc, Tesco plc, and Safeway plc. The research is designed to explore the relationship between technology and strategy in these organisations. The currently held view among the researchers and managers of these organisations is that technology has a limited impact on the processes that formulate strategy, and as such may be regarded as having an enabling role. This thesis proposes that while this view may have been correct in the past it is so no longer, and that technology is not following strategy but leading strategy in the food retailers examined. In order to confirm this thesis the history, technical development and technical structure of the three retailers was investigated. The results of this research was subsequently analysed and the following conclusions were made: a. Technology has a much greater impact on the strategy of multiple food retailers than has been previously thought. Technology defines the boundaries of operational activities, and, through controlling a substantial proportion of the information that managers use in the strategy making process, technology de facto if not de jure greatly influences the retailers strategies, and in some cases may actually lead them. b. The food multiples, in not appreciating the extent to which their fate is tied up with the information technology they are using, are failing to educate and train the general management of the organisations technologically. c. Technological progress is widening the gap between the general management and technical management, and in the long run this will cause serious strategic problems unless this gap is closed through positive action

The survey Distanshandeln idag 2005, made by the Swedish postal service, tells us that web shops started to pop up in the 1990´s and began competing with the catalogue sells in the end of the decade. Ten years ago, it was said that the web shops would take over the distance trade market. Today we know that did not happen. Internet shopping accounted for 4, 2 % of all distance shopping in Sweden last year. Our inquiry is guided by the observation that the catalogue is still in use and moreover, it seems to have changed very little from when we were kids. It might be that the catalogue has potentials that the Internet lacks. Hence, this study aims to identify and describe differences between mail-order catalogues and web shops in the presentation of fashion products. The theoretical frame of reference for this study consists of literature on marketing, brands, and fashion marketing by catalogue and Internet. This is primary an empirical study and the literature's function is that of inspiration and support for us in our analysis and our conclusions. The empirical material consists of a survey on the mail-order company Ellos’s spring and summer catalogue of 2009, and their web shop for the same time period. First we constructed a set of mutually exclusive criteria to apply in our analysis (e.g., colour, perspective and information). A number of standard garments were then chosen, and for each of these garments, we applied our model and performed a comparative analysis. To give the reader a better understanding of the survey's result, we included images to show specific phenomena along with our findings. The main differences between catalogues and web shops could be summarized as follows: Web shops provides immediate information about stock status and campaign prices, this cannot be done in the catalogue. The catalogues on their hand provides the customer with a lot of ideas on how to wear, and how to combine the different garments. This could easily be achieved in the web shop too, and we find it a bit surprising that it is not. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

The survey Distanshandeln idag 2005, made by the Swedish postal service, tells us that web shops started to pop up in the 1990´s and began competing with the catalogue sells in the end of the decade. Ten years ago, it was said that the web shops would take over the distance trade market. Today we know that did not happen. Internet shopping accounted for 4, 2 % of all distance shopping in Sweden last year. Our inquiry is guided by the observation that the catalogue is still in use and moreover, it seems to have changed very little from when we were kids. It might be that the catalogue has potentials that the Internet lacks. Hence, this study aims to identify and describe differences between mail-order catalogues and web shops in the presentation of fashion products. The theoretical frame of reference for this study consists of literature on marketing, brands, and fashion marketing by catalogue and Internet. This is primary an empirical study and the literature's function is that of inspiration and support for us in our analysis and our conclusions. The empirical material consists of a survey on the mail-order company Ellos’s spring and summer catalogue of 2009, and their web shop for the same time period. First we constructed a set of mutually exclusive criteria to apply in our analysis (e.g., colour, perspective and information). A number of standard garments were then chosen, and for each of these garments, we applied our model and performed a comparative analysis. To give the reader a better understanding of the survey's result, we included images to show specific phenomena along with our findings. The main differences between catalogues and web shops could be summarized as follows: Web shops provides immediate information about stock status and campaign prices, this cannot be done in the catalogue. The catalogues on their hand provides the customer with a lot of ideas on how to wear, and how to combine the different garments. This could easily be achieved in the web shop too, and we find it a bit surprising that it is not. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

This thesis has been carried out during second semester 2010 at University College of Borås in Collaboration with Halens AB. Halens Holding AB is one of Sweden’s leading e-commerce companies. The company contains of four subsidiaries which together create Halens Holding AB. The concern includes Halens AB, Cellbes AB, Time Finans AB and New Bubbleroom Sweden AB. The main office of Halens Holding AB is located in Borås, the company has a turnover of 1.1 billion SEK and employs 300 people. Halens Holding AB has a wide range of products; fashion, home textile, furniture’s, home electronics and beauty- and health products. Halens has recently expanded their market, and now have Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Estonian, Latvian, Czech, Polish, Slovakian, Russian, Swiss, Slovenian and Turkish customers.The purpose of this thesis was to investigate customer requirements and demands on e-commerce. Furthermore, the intention was also to compare customers from the different subsidiaries. The purpose could be concluded with following three bullets;Identify customer demand on; product, lead-time, service and cost. Investigate differences in customer demand at two of the subsidiaries; Halens and Cellbes. Determine different consequences to the identified customer demand; purchase, non-purchase, purchase followed by return, uncollected package. A survey was made in order to find real time information about customer behavior. The objective of the survey was to understand customers’ demands of e-commerce in general. The next step was to investigate if Halens and Cellbes fulfilled those requirements. Moreover, observations were made in order to capture the customers’ use of the web-pages. These observations provided a deeper insight of the customer requirements and demands. With survey answers and observations as a base, different customer segments could be spotted. Furthermore, the task was to find problem areas or errors from the customers’ point of view in order to improve the system. Suggested areas for improvement were presented in order to get a better match between customer demand and customer experience. During this project, a clear view of the demand and requirements of Halens and Cellbes customers has been obtained. There were not major difference between the two subsidiaries, to the contrary; the results showed that there were very similar. It can be concluded that Halens and Cellbes can improve their businesses with smaller changes. Several proposals for improvement have been developed in order to better fulfill customer demand.