My dissertation is a study of how merchants in Trecento Italy used the imagery they commissioned as a form of moral self-representation and as a practical tool in their pursuit of eternal life in heaven. The study is grounded in the theoretical framework of Michael Baxandall’s concept of the “period eye,” that is, the belief that “social facts lead to the development of distinctive visual skills and habits.” (Baxandall, 1988) A primary social fact affecting medieval merchants was their long association in Christian culture with the individual and societal evils related to the pursuit of money and wealth—the sin of avarice. This linkage was expressed across the entire range of medieval cultural expression, in texts, sermons, and imagery. The challenge for merchants, therefore, was to publicly demonstrate that they earned their money ethically and legally, that they led a morally sound life, and that they used a portion of their money for the common good, especially in caring for the poor. The commissioning and public/semi-public display of imagery thus became a way of portraying a merchant’s moral identity as a worthy civic and Christian citizen, with all of the temporal and spiritual benefits that might produce. In order to better understand how such imagery served these objectives, I have developed an analytical framework I call the Merchant’s Moral Eye. This framework consists of eight primary dimensions that I believe were fundamental to the formation of merchants’ moral beliefs and behaviours during this period. These dimensions are: 1. Purgatory 2. Medieval Spaces 3. Christian Symbolism 4. Obligation & Reciprocity 5. The Virtues & Vices 6. Fama 7. Hospitality 8. Coats of Arms Collectively, these interlaced, multidisciplinary dimensions provide a systematic approach to produce the robust contextualisation needed to explore why, and how, merchants used imagery to achieve their objectives. However, while this study’s focus is solely on the moral and salvific functions of this imagery, it needs to be remembered that the same imagery also served other more worldly objectives, be they social, economic, or political. As an analytical tool this framework enables three fundamental functions with respect to the underlying motives, meanings, and uses of merchant-commissioned art in Trecento Italy: - an assessment of the feasibility of existing interpretations - the enhancement or nuancing of existing interpretations - the identification and explication of wholly new interpretations To demonstrate the effectiveness of the framework in achieving the above, I have selected, as case studies, three merchants in three different locations, whose artistic commissions spanned the entire Trecento. These individuals and their imaged artifacts are: 1. Enrico Scrovegni of Padua and the Arena Chapel, decorated by Giotto 1303-5. 2. Domenico Lenzi of Florence and his illuminated manuscript, Lo Specchio umano (The Mirror of Humanity), produced c. 1340; 3. Francesco Datini of Prato and the Palazzo Datini, decorated in the 1390s. These individuals represent a cross-section of Trecento Italian merchants in terms of status, wealth, and public profile. These merchants and their commissioned artworks are discussed in detail using the framework dimensions as modes of enquiry to show how this imagery supported their self-representation as honest merchants and dutiful Christians, and generated the prayers and other suffrages they assumed they needed to eventually get to Heaven. In all three case studies there were significant findings that fulfilled each of the analytical functions noted above, thereby confirming the utility of the Merchant’s Moral Eye Analytical Framework as an effective methodological approach. / Graduate / 2022-05-27

“Out Here” is a fictional account of a daughter’s voyage across the Pacific Ocean as a passenger aboard a working containership with her father.

Thesis (D.Tech.-Teacher Education)--Cape Technikon / The maritime industry in South Africa (RSA) is relatively small in comparison with its agricultural and mining industries. In its broadest sense it includes, but is not limited to. • cargo handling and stevedoring; • cargo logistics and administration; • vessel owning and operating with its related industries, such as ships' agents and surveyors and • an array of fishing industries. Maritime education and training in the RSA is fragmented and is offered by technikons (Higher Education and Training Band), technical colleges and training centres (Further Higher Education and Training Bands). Courses offered serve as preparation for Department of Education (National and Provincial) and Department of Transport, Chief Directorate: Shipping (SADoT) examinations. Aspiring officers find it increasingly difficult to complete their experiential training owing to vessel owners flagging-out (registering South African vessels under flags of convenience, e.g. Panama, in a bid to save on operating costs). This implies that cheaper foreign crews may be recruited resulting in an increased deficiency of skilled manpower. The fishing quota system is being revised by the all-inclusive Fisheries Policy Development Committee (FPDC) appointed by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. This implies that learners from the previously disadvantaged maritime communities (mainly unskilled) will imminently be allowed access to marine resources. The heterogeneous composition of the class groups, with particular reference to • academic qualification, • age distribution, • categories of fishing industries served, • employer, • mother tongue and • sea-service, exacerbated by the inadequate fixed time constraints of course durations, grossly violates the didactic principle of individualisation. For this reason, a didactically accountable instruction-learning programme for aspirant navigating officers in the fishing industry was formulated in an attempt to remedy current shortcomings in the Maritime Education and Training Development (METD) process. The outcomes based instructional design encompassed the models utilized by Fraser et al (1994: 102) and Tanner & Tanner (1995: 239) because it is vocationally directed and can accommodate the diversity of the adult target group of adult learners. The history and development of, as well as courses offered by, Maritime Education and Training Providers (METP's) in the Western Cape Province, i.e. • Cape Technikon's Department of Maritime Studies, • industry in-house training establishments, • Training Centre for Seamen and • Wingfield Technical College was outlined. An analysis of similar courses offered by METP's abroad, such as • Australian Maritime College, • Canadian Fisheries and Marine Institute of the Memorial University of Newfoundland, • Danish Maritime Authority, • Manukau Polytechnic, New Zealand Maritime School, • National Taiwan Ocean University of the Republic of China on Taiwan and • the Republic of Namibia was made. An empirical investigation by means of questionnaires to vessel-owners and employee representatives in the South African fishing industry were executed in order to establish their training needs and expectations. From the data collated, an outcomes-based Navigating Officer Limited: Fishing (Vessels less than 24 metres) instruction-learning programme was formulated in National Qualifications Framework (NQF) format.

No description available.

America’s victory in World War II came from a number of successes such as production of war materiel, technological advances, and national mobilization on levels not seen before or since. America went into the war behind the Axis Powers both militarily and economically. The Great Depression had a devastating effect on merchant ship building in the United States during the 1930’s. In response, the U.S. Congress passed the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which created the U.S. Maritime Commission whose mission was to modernize and build ships for the looming world war. Originally slated to build fifty ships a year for ten years as a part of the New Deal attack on a sagging economy, the Maritime Commission ended up building over 5,000 ships by the end of 1945. This paper examines the critical role of the civilian United States Merchant Marine in the struggle against the Japanese Empire.

Wu, Liang. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-179). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.i / 摘要 --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS --- p.v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.viii / CONTENTS --- p.ix / Chapter CHAPTER I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK --- p.3 / RESEARCH METHODS --- p.12 / THESIS STRUCTURE --- p.16 / Chapter CHAPTER II: --- ON BOARD THE CONTAINER SHIP IN THE SEA OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE --- p.18 / THE NEW ECONOMIC SEA --- p.19 / NEOLIBERALISM AND FLEXIBLE ACCUMULATION --- p.22 / FLAGS OF CONVENIENCE --- p.25 / MIXED NATIONALITY CREWING --- p.30 / THE NEW TECHNOLOGICAL SEA --- p.32 / SHIPBOARD STRUCTURES --- p.35 / A DAY AT SEA --- p.42 / CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.47 / Chapter CHAPTER III: --- THE CONTEMPORARY MEANINGS OF SEAMANSHIP --- p.49 / THE SAILOR： ROMANTICIZATION AND DISENCHANTMENT --- p.50 / MAKING A LIVING FOR HOME： THE FILIPINO EXAMPLE --- p.56 / THE VARIETY OF MEANINGS OF SEAMANSHIP --- p.63 / PROMOTION AND DROPPING OUT --- p.66 / FEMALE SEAFARERS AND THEIR SEAFARING STORIES --- p.71 / CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.74 / Chapter CHAPTER IV: --- THE CONTAINERIZATION OF SEAFARERS --- p.76 / TRANSFORMATION OF THE SEASCAPE AND PORTSCAPE --- p.77 / PORTS AWAY FROM THE SHORE --- p.82 / FROM DAYS TO BUSY HOURS --- p.87 / "THE GUARDS, THE VICTIMS AND THE TERRORISTS" --- p.93 / TO MAKE A PHONE CALL --- p.98 / TELECOMMUNICATIONS AT SEA --- p.100 / SOCIAL COSTS FOR FAMILIES --- p.103 / CONTROLS ON WORKING BODIES --- p.105 / OUT THERE ON O N E ' S OWN --- p.110 / A PRISON WITH NICE FACILITIES --- p.113 / CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.119 / Chapter CHAPTER V: --- ALL IN THE SAME SEA --- p.121 / REPRESENTATION AND WAGE DIFFERENTIATION BY NATIONALITY --- p.122 / ENGLISH AS THE COMMON INDUSTRIAL LANGUAGE --- p.128 / "HIERARCHY, PUNISHMENT AND OBEDIENCE" --- p.131 / "ETHNIC STEREOTYPES, DIVISION AND UNITY" --- p.137 / THE FAMILIAR STRANGERS --- p.143 / DINING AND OTHER SCARCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL INTERACTIONS --- p.147 / END OF CONTRACTUAL FRIENDSHIPS --- p.154 / CHAPTER SUMMARY --- p.156 / Chapter CHAPTER VI: --- CONCLUSION --- p.159 / THE CONTAINER SHIP AND SEAFARERS --- p.159 / SAILING FORWARD --- p.166 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.172 / APPENDIX --- p.180 / LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS --- p.182 / GLOSSARY --- p.184

In 1997 a group of archaeologists from Texas A&M University's Nautical Archaeology Program traveled to Wasaga Beach, Ontario to document the hull remains of the eighteenth-century schooner Nancy. In 1927, the schooner was recovered from the banks of an island in the Nottawasaga River, near its confluence with Lake Huron. The hull is now on display in the Nancy Island Historic Site. Despite being available to the public for more than 75 years, the 1997 documentation was the first to thoroughly record the construction of the vessel. In addition to archaeological investigation, historical research was carried out to further our understanding of Nancy's commercial and naval career. The archaeological data reveal a schooner that was built by talented shipwrights using the fine timber harvested around the Great Lakes in the eighteenth-century. This study adds a considerable amount of new information to the otherwise scanty base of knowledge available on the construction of early Great Lakes sailing vessels. Historical research shows that Nancy and her crews were participants in many important events that shaped the Great Lakes Region. From her construction in Detroit in 1789, Nancy was employed in the fur trade. As tensions flared between Great Britain and the United States in 1812, Nancy was utilized as an armed transport for the British forces around the lakes. in August of 1814, the schooner was trapped in the Nottawasaga River by a strong American naval force. Nancy's commander set fire to the vessel to deny it to the enemy. This thesis examines the construction details and history of the schooner Nancy in detail. Preliminary chapters will provide the historical context for the vessel and describe Nancy's long journey that ended at the Nancy Island Historic Site. The second half of the thesis describes the construction of the schooner and compares it with other contemporary vessels. The study concludes that Nancy's hull represents an eighteeth-century construction tradition modified for use on the Great Lakes, and also demonstrates the vessel's dual roles as trader and military transport.

This study of Western Empire is split into two distinct parts: (1) historical research of the life of the vessel, relying on primary documents; and (2) analysis of the deep water survey data. The first part concentrates on the historical documents that constitute the history of Western Empire. The second part begins with a review of the tools and procedures used in performing the deep water survey. An analysis of the information that can be taken from such a study will follow, and it concludes with suggestions for remotely operated vehicle operators when performing an on-the-fly survey of shipwrecks in deep water. The official ship logs, crew agreements, and contemporary newspaper articles are used to recreate the life of Western Empire and shed light on a period in which wooden sailing ships were being displaced by iron ships and steam power.

This paper explores the effect of internet market and merchant characterics. Product retail price is not only a major revenue-driven factor for the seller, but also a key decision factor for the buyer. This research investigates how online retailing prices are affected by maket types and merchant characteristics. A dataset of 3,811 retail price quotes collected from 245 product items at 14 categoris from 880 onlline shopping or auction merchants is collected and analyzed. Major findings are below: 1. The average prices in the B2C market are significant higher than that in the C2C markets. No significant price difference is found between C2C markets that charge fees and free C2C markets. These implies that the auction market reduces product prices but whether the market maker charge service fees has no effect on product pricing. 2. Competitive intensity of a market is found to have significant positive effect on the price dispersion rate. This is consistent with prior research findings but is in conflict with the signle price theory in economics. This is because some vendors may intentionally lower their prices to attract customers, which results in a higher dispersion rate. 3. The reputation of a merchant has significant positive effects on its price dispersion in the B2C market. In auction markets, reputation has positive effect on price dispersion in the higher range, but has negative effect in the lower range. In both markets, merchant size has a positive effect on price dispersion in both markets. 4. Finally, price dispersion and effect of market types and product characteristics vary for different product categories.

As the locus of cotton production shifted toward the newer southwestern states over the first half of the nineteenth century, the city of New Orleans became increasingly important to the slave-plantation economy of the U.S. South. Moreover, because of its location near the base of the enormous Mississippi River system, the city also thrived on the export of agricultural commodities from western states farther upriver. Handling this wide-ranging commerce was the city's business community: bankers, factors, and wholesalers, among others. This globally oriented community represented an older and qualitatively unique form of wealth accumulation, merchant capitalism, which was based on the extraction of profit from exchange processes. However, like the slave-based mode of production to which it was closely allied, the New Orleans merchant community faced increasing pressure during the antebellum decades even while its fortunes seemed otherwise secure. The city lost most of its market share in western grain products to railroads and other routes linked directly to northeastern urban centers, and its merchants' failure to maintain port infrastructure or create a viable manufacturing sector reflected their complacency and left them vulnerable to competition from the fast-developing industrially-based economy of the North. These and other weaknesses were fatally exposed during the Civil War and Reconstruction. As a result of many changes to the regional and national political economy after northern victory in the war, the New Orleans merchant community was never able to recover its previous commercial dominance, and the former first-rank American city quickly became a site of notorious political corruption and endemic poverty. Much the same can be said of the postbellum southern economy in which it was embedded, where the practices of merchant capitalism nevertheless managed to persist by becoming dispersed throughout the agricultural interior in the form of "country stores." Under the sharecropping system that became prevalent in cotton production, rural merchants furnished seasonal credit to the small farming households that had replaced plantation slavery. Although these stores played different roles in Louisiana cotton and sugar parishes, the culture of merchant capitalism hampered economic development in the South for many decades to come.