Same sexual-marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Same sexual-marriage - Essay Example First, on the historical ground, it is noted that the first recoded statement of people with the same biological sex who fall in love was in U.S, the University of Minnesota. Two students by the name John Richard and his lover McConnel Micheal fell in love, and when the pleasure grew to uncontrollable situation, they matched to county district court, for a request of marriage (Burns 120). This dramatic event occurred in 1970, particularly the eighth day of the fifth month. Unfortunately, it is in tabulation that the Court- Clerk by then Mr. Nelson Gerald declined the application, on the ground that both the applicants were men. This marked the beginning of  Ã‚  unending journey of love. With the knowledge they had concerning Minnesota law, the two applicants went ahead to sue Nelson, who was the Clerk by then handling the case, arguing that Minnesota laws do not mention anything to do with gender. In favor of Nelson, the trial court was not impressed with the claim and so they agre ed with Nelson. Nonetheless, the two lovers went ahead to seek the Supreme Courts intervention (Edwards 232). Still, since it was the first thing to be heard in America, the couple faced a rebuff again. However, the journey had been ignited. After several rejection and constitutional bans on the same sexual marriage, the Netherlands opened up. It is documented that in 1979, the Netherland country loosened up to the extent of adopting the unregistered cohabitation. Therefore, couple of the same sex could cohabitate, although not under a registered permit. This further, was forced to enter into scheme on the ground of being a civil status in rent law. Consequently, Netherlands was the first country to embrace same sexual marriage, and that they permitted the couples to apply for limited rights on the same. This wave moved across the world

Business Environment of Zurich Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Environment of Zurich - Essay Example Likewise, their products and services are diverse and categorized according to the clientele they serve. These products and services range from motor vehicle and home insurance, life insurance, savings and investment, as well as pension and retirement planning (for individual clients); property, casualty, workers’ compensation, corporate life and pensions, financial lines, and accident and health (for small and mid-sized organizations); and finally construction, global energy, marine, motor fleet, international programs, and risk engineering (for large and multinational corporations). As Zurich operates in a vast global environment, the purpose of this case study is to provide an assessment of the business environment of Zurich. Specifically, the following questions would be addressed: (1) what is meant by the term â€Å"customer centric†? How has Zurich’s primary research helped it be even more customer focused? (2) Explain the difference between primary and sec ondary market research. How could secondary data support primary research? (3) Analyse how Zurich positioned itself in a customer focused way. (4) Evaluate to what extent help point has enable Zurich to differentiate itself in the insurance market and provide an example of similar service provided either within the same or different environment. Environment The article on Business Environment published online by the Excel College of Higher Education defines the business environment as â€Å"the influences and pressures exerted by external factors on the business† (Excel College of Higher Education, n.d.). As such there are eight constituents of the business environment composed of: demographic, economic, geographical and ecological, legal, technological, social, educational and cultural, as well as the political environment. For Zurich, as a global organization, its scope of operations include Europe (Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom), North America (USA, Ca nada), Asia-Pacific (Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia), and other markets such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil (Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., 2012). Their business environment is therefore vast as it encompasses strategic locations worldwide. Further, due to the wide span of demographical and geographic scale, both opportunities and risk abound. Thus the prevailing economic, political, socio-cultural and legal factors that applies in the respective countries wherein Zurich operates influence their business activities. Their financial success really depends on the strengths and competitive advantages manifested by Zurich and the reaction, as well as response of entrenched competitors within their area of operations. Business Aspect (1) What is meant by the term â€Å"customer centric†? How has Zurich’s primary research helped it be even more customer focused? The term customer-centric means that â€Å"the customer (is placed) at the center of policy-related proc esses† (Gujral, 2007, p. 48). The meaning is more expounded by Booz Allen Hamilton (2004) who averred that customer centric organizations, like Zurich, â€Å"moved beyond lip service and re-oriented their entire operating model around the customer, increasing customer satisfaction, and their own profitability in the process† (Hamilton, 2004, p. 1). As indicated in the Zurich case study on â€Å"Providing a customer-centric service†

Understand The Two Concepts Culture And Civilization Sociology Essay

Understand The Two Concepts Culture And Civilization Sociology Essay This essay will attempt a brief review of the history of the concept culture and its relationship with the concept civilization, in order to understand the two concepts, without making any claims towards offering anything new in the analysis of the chronological account of how the definition of culture changed over time.  [1]  Instead, the essay will attempt to explore the harmonies and dis-harmonies in the utilization of the two concepts, as a way of coming to terms with immanent ruptures and continuities which were explicated in various ways in which the logic and lexicon of these concepts were deployed in the different anthropological traditions over the years. From the outset, I would like to mention that I almost abandoned this particular topic because of the difficulties I encountered in finding a concise definition of, mainly the concept of culture. When, after several weeks of reading, it finally dawned on me that actually there was none, it all started to make sense that the subject of defining the concept of culture has never been closed and was never intended for foreclosure. This meant that understanding how the concept was variously deployed was as important as appreciating the manner of its deployment, especially in ways in which this was always associated with the concept of civilization, whose definition was more straightforward. The notion of Culture: Following a very unsuccessful search for a concise definition of the concept culture, it dawned on me that Terry Eagleton and several others was after all correct when he said that culture was one of the few very complicated concepts to have ever graced the English language (Armstrong, 2010: 1; Eagleton, 2006: 1; Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952). Culture was a very difficult concept to define because the evolution of its etymology and its deployment varied in different contexts and anthropological traditions, both contemporary and classical. Its meaning in one setting was often contested in another. The word culture was first used in America  [2]  , and in etymological terms, its contemporary usage has its origin in attempts to describe mans relationship with nature, through which resources were extracted. It depicted the outcomes of extraction of resources from nature through a process of labor, for example, through crop farming and livestock production (Eagleton, 2006: 1). It was in this sense that the concept was first formally deployed in the 19th century in Germany, where the word used was Kultur, which in German referred to cultivation.  [3]  The early German usage of the word culture was heavily influenced by Kant, who, like his followers, spelled the word as culture, and used it repeatedly to mean cultivation or becoming cultured, which subsequently became the initial meaning of civilization (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 10). The way the concept was first used in modern English borrowed from the usage first made of the word by Walter Taylor, which dates back to 1871 , although according to Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952: 9), Taylors use of the word culture, which was borrowed from German, was similar to the way the word civilization was used in Germany. The above sense in which the concept culture was for long deployed depicted it as an activity or occupation that entailed a materialist dimension related to the extraction of resources from nature. Coming from Walter Taylor, the modern scientific sense of the word culture no longer refers primarily to the process of cultivation, but more generally as a manifestation of customs, beliefs and forms of government (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 10). The latter sense signifies some abstraction to the transcendent and divine realm of spiritualism. Over time, the concept was also deployed in other ways that depicted it as an entity (Eagleton, 2006: 1). There was also a sense in which the concept of culture also depicted the transformation that took place in societys experiences with changing technologies of production as capitalism developed, although this understanding was quite often deployed in racist terms to differentiate between less industrialized nations of the non-west from the more ind ustrialized European societies. It is true, as observed by Eagleton that the relationship between nature and culture was such that nature produces culture which changes nature (Eagleton, 2006: 3). In this sense, there is a part of nature that is cultural, and another that is not. The part of nature which is cultural is that part which labor transforms, for example, into works of art, monuments, skyscrapers (or building structures) or cities. Such products of culture are as natural as rural idylls are cultural (Eagleton, 2006: 4). Because culture originally meant cultivation, or managing the growth of crops, which means husbandry, the cultural therefore would imply that which was within ones means to change. As pointed out by Eagleton (2006: 4), the stuff to be altered has its own autonomous existence, which then lends it something of the recalcitrance of nature in much the same way as the extent to which culture transforms nature and also influences the rigorous limits nature imposes on the cultural project. To this extent, I am in agreement with Eagleton (2006: 4-5) that the idea of culture signified a double rejection, of, on the one hand, the representation of culture as an organic (biological) determinism; and, on the other, as an interpretation of culture as an embodiment of autonomous spiritualism. To this extent therefore, culture rebuffs naturalism and idealism founded in biological determinism by insisting that from the point of view of culture, there was also a representation within nature which exceeded and dismantled nature. It also represented a refusal of idealism because even the highest-minded human agency had its humble roots in our biology and natural environment. The resulting contradiction from this rejection of naturalism (emanating from organic determinism) and idealism (as a result of autonomy of spirit) led to a contest between what had actually evolved and what ought to, which transfigured into what Eagleton described as a tension between making and being made, between rationality and spontaneity (Eagleton, 2006: 5). Consequently, although the relation between humans and nature was important to an understanding culture, in this paper, I consider the social relations between humans and nature in the course of extracting from nature, through which humans change nature to be the most important. This is what is central to understanding the concept of culture, which makes it possible to view it as a systematic way of life and living, that humans consciously develop that is transferred from the past to the present and into the future. It depicts some semblance of historically assembled normative values and principles internal to social organizations through which a diversity of relationships are ordered. In this way, it is possible to see how culture becomes an abstraction of itself, in its own right, which does not reify culture as a thing as this essentializes culture. I am inclined to agree with Armstrong (2010: 2) in her definition, which presents culture more as a process of meaning making which i nforms our sense of who we are, how we want to be perceived and how others perceive us. The above said, we also need to recognize that while culture is important, it is also not the only factor that shapes social relations between humans in the course of impacting on nature in ways that change it. Several other social, economic, political, geographical, historical and physical factors come into play. It is necessary to recognize that culture, which embodies as much as it conceals its specific history, politics and economics; is, as also pointed out by Franz Boaz  [4]  , not inert. It is an inherently Boasian conception to view culture as extremely dynamic; as having life, and existing in a continuous state of flux, as new notions of and about culture continues to emerge. This means that cultures cannot be expected to be static and homogenous. As new cultures emerge, tensions are usually generated. The totality of any culture and its individual trait cannot be understood if taken out of its general setting. Likewise, culture cannot also be conceived as controlled by a single set of conditions (Benedict, 1934: xv). It is also Franz Boaz  [5]  who noted that culture is some form of standardized or normative behavior. An individual lives in his/her specific culture, in as much the same way as culture is lived by an individual. Culture has a materiality that makes it manifest in diverse patterns implying that it meaningless to try and generalize or homogenize about cultural patterns (Benedict, 1934: xvi). Thinking of culture as socially constructed networks of meaning that distinguish one group from another implies not only a rejection of social evolution but also an endorsement of cultural relativism, which is also a Boasian tradition.  [6]  Boaz  [7]  rightly argued that perspectives that view culture in evolutionary terms tend to end with the construction of a unified picture of the history of culture and civilization, which is misleading. Tendencies which view culture as a single and homogenous unit, and as an individual historical problem is extremely problematic (Benedict, 1934: xv). I consider the distinctive life-ways of different people as the most basic understanding of the notion of culture. Cultural relativity is a recognition that different people have cultures and life-ways that are distinct from those of others. The notion of civilization: The concept of civilization, like culture, also has a complex etymology. By 1694, the French were already using the verb civiliser, and referred to the polishing of manners, rendering sociable, or becoming urbane as a result of city life (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 11). The French notion of civilization referred to the achievement of human advancement manifest in certain customs and standards of living. The French considered civilization as the end point of a process of cultivation that took place over centuries (Elliot, 2002). The English lagged behind the French.  [8]  In 1773, Samuel Johnson still excluded civilization from his dictionary, preferring civility, and yet civilization (from the word civilize) captured better the opposite of barbarity than civility. The English subsequently adopted the concept of civilization deriving it from the verb to civilize and associated it with the notion of civilizing others. The 1933 Oxford Dictionary defined civilization as: A developed o r advanced state of human society; a particular stage or type of this (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 12). By the 18th century, the word civilization in German was associated with the spread by the state of political developments akin to the German state to peoples of other nations. It was somewhat similar to the English verb to civilize (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 11). For the Germans and English, the concept of civilization invoked an imperial political agenda that was apparent in the way they deployed the concept. The harmony and dis-harmonies in deployment of concepts of culture and civilization: The evolutionary thinking about culture and civilization in the philosophy of Durkheim: Among the scholars who attempted a very rigorous narrative intended to distinguish between culture and civilization was Émile Durkheim, whose writings were first published in 1893. In trying to come to terms with the complex division of labor and associated behavioral changes that occurred with the industrial revolution in England, Durkheim, argued that inside modern industry, jobs were demarcated and extremely specialized, and while each product was a specialty, it entailed the existence of others in form of the labor they input into its production. As society evolved from agriculture to industry, so did culture of the pre-industrial era give way to civilization associated with the conditions of progress in human societies. Durkheim extended the concept of division of labor from Economics to organisms and society, from which its association with culture was derived, arguing that the more specialized an organisms functions were, the more exalted a place it occupied in the animal hierarchy. For Durkheim, the extent of division of labor in society influenced the direction of the development of the evolution of mankind from culture to civilization (Durkheim, 1984: 3). Durkheim used division of labor to make the distinction between culture as a preserve of the pre-modern mediaeval society and civilization as belonging to the modern industrial society. Durkheim argued that all societies are usually held together by social solidarity. In the pre-industrial societies, where social bonds were based on customs and norms, this solidarity was mechanical while in the industrial societies, which were highly individualistic, the solidarity was organic, and social bonds were maintained by contracts which regulated relations between highly individualistic beings. To Durkheim, societies transition from relatively simple pre-modern societies to relatively more complex industrial societies (Durkheim, 1984: 3). Durkheim argued that division of labor influenced the moral constitution of societies by creating moral rules for human conduct that influenced social order in ways that made industrial societies distinct from the pre-industrial ones. It created a civilized, individual man, capable of being interested in everything but attaching himself exclusively to nothing, able to savor everything and understand everything, found the means to combine and epitomize within himself the finest aspects of civilization. For Durkheim, tradition and custom, collectively defined as culture were the basis of distinction of the simpler societies which defined their mechanical form of solidarity that they exhibit. The modern societies, according to Durkheim, were characterized civilization (Durkheim, 1984: 3-4). Durkheim advanced an essentially Darwinian argument. In the biological determinism of Durkheim, it is argued that the shift from mechanical to organic solidarity was comparable to the changes that appeared on the evolutionary scale. Relatively simple organisms showing only minimal degrees of internal differentiation ceded place to more highly differentiated organisms whose functional specialization allowed them to exploit more efficiently the resources of the ecological niche in which they happened to be placed. The more specialized the functions of an organism, the higher its level on the evolutionary scale, and the higher its survival value. In similar ways, the more differentiated a society, the higher its chances to exploit the maximum of available resources, and hence the higher its efficiency in procuring indispensable means of subsistence in a given territory (Durkheim, 1984: xvi). There were fundamental contradictions in the perspectives of Durkheim. If Durkheim denigrated culture to the pre-modern, and viewed society as developing in evolutionary terms to the industrial, it could be assumed that he also believed that the solidarity which was associated with the industrial society was better. What then explains the fact that Durkheim was deeply convinced of and concerned about the pathology of acquisitiveness in modern capitalist society? Durkheim did not believe that the pathological features of the industrial society were caused by an inherent flaw in systems built on organic solidarity. Rather, he thought that the malaise and anomie were caused by transitional difficulties that could be overcome through the emergence of new norms and values in the institutional setting of a new corporate organization of industrial affairs (Durkheim, 1984: xxi). For Durkheim, the flaws in industrial and class relations did not mean that the pre-modern characterized by culture was better. That the class conflicts which were inherent in the industrial society and were associated with the structure of capitalist society would be overcome by the emergence of a new corporate society in which relations between employers and employees were harmonized. Beholden to none of the political and social orientations of his day, Durkheim always attempted to look for a balanced middle way (Durkheim, 1984: xxii). The contemporary play of relationships between culture and civilization has, to say the least, rendered wanting, the ideas which were advanced by Durkheim. For example, if culture is a preserve of the pre-modern, what explains the pervasiveness of barbarism within civilized formations of the industrialized world? Can we have culture in societies that are characterized as civilized or with civilization? Or are societies that are said to possess culture devoid of civilization? The contradictions in the etymology and deployment of concepts of culture and civilization: The usage of culture and civilization in various languages has been confusing. Websters Unabridged Dictionary for English defined both culture and civilization in terms of the other. Culture was a particular state or stage of advancement in civilization. Civilization was called advancement or a state of social culture. In both popular and literary English, they were often treated as near synonyms, though civilization was sometimes restricted to advanced or high cultures (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 13). As early as the 1950s, there were some writers who were inclined to regard civilization as the culture of urbanized societies characterized by cities. Often, civilization was considered a preserve for literate cultures, for instance, while the Chinese had civilization, the Eskimo were seen as in possession of culture (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 13). The English language distinction between civilization and culture made in the past was different from that made in the German language. In German, civilization was confined to the material conditions, while the English expression sometimes included psychic, moral, and spiritual phenomena (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 13). The German Kultur also referred to material civilization, while culture in English over time came to mean something entirely different, which corresponded to the humanities. The German Kultur also related to the arts of savages and barbaric peoples, which were not included in any use of civilization since the term civilization denoted a stage of advancement higher than savagery or barbarism. These stages in advancement in civilization were even popularly known as stages of culture; implying that the word culture was used synonymous with the German Kultur (Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 13). In English, culture was a condition or achievement possessed by society. It was not individual. The English phrase a cultured person did not employ the term in the German sense. There was a sense of non-specificity in the way in which the concept culture (Kultur) was deployed in the German sense (Krober Kluckhorn, 1952: 13). From its etymological roots in rural labor, the word culture was first deployed in reference to civility; then in the 18th century, it became more or less synonymous with civilization, in the sense of a general process of intellectual, spiritual and material progress. In Europe, civilization as an idea was equated to manners and morals. To be civilized included not spitting on the carpet as well as not decapitating ones prisoners of war. The very word implied a dubious correlation between mannerly conduct and ethical behavior, which in England was equated to the word gentleman. As a synonym of civilization, culture belonged to the general spirit of Enlightenment, with its cult of secular, progressive self-development (Eagleton, 2006: 9). Form my reading of the literature on this subject, it was not clear at what point culture and civilization begun to be deployed interchangeably. Suffice to mention, however, that in English, as in French, the word culture was not unconditionally interchangeable with civilization. While it was not entirely clear, between the two concepts of culture and civilization, which predated the other, they both shared a transcendental association with the notion of cultivation, as something which is done to (or changes in) humans in the course of exacting labor upon nature to change it, that leads to the development of human qualities to suit the needs of collective humanity. Culture, which emerged in German from the notion of Kultur, which meant cultivation, appeared as a form of universal subjectivity at work within the particularistic realm of our separate individualities. For Eagleton (2006: 8), it was a view of culture as a component of civilization which was neither dissociated from socie ty nor wholly at one with it. This kind of focus also portrayed an essentially Kantian notion of man as becoming cultivated through art and science, and becoming civilized by attaining a variety of social graces and refinements (or decencies), in which the state had a role to play. This Kantian conception therefore distinguished between being cultivated and being civilized. Being cultivated referred to intrinsic improvement of the person, while being civilized referred to improvements of social interrelations (interpersonal relations), some kind of ethical pedagogy which served to liberate the collective self buried in every individual into a political citizen (Eagleton, 2006: 7; Kroeber Kluckhohn, 1952: 11). There was a sense in which the concept of civilization had an overwhelming French connection (coming from the concept civilizer), in the same way culture was associated with the Germans (from the concept Kultur). To be described as civilized was associated by the French with finesse with regards to social, political, economic and technical aspects life. For the Germans, culture had a more narrowly religious, artistic and intellectual reference. From this point of view, Eagleton (2006: 9) was right when he observed that: (i) civilization was deployed in a manner that played down national differences, while culture highlighted them; and, (ii) the tension between culture and civilization had much to do with the rivalry between Germany and France. I am reminded here of Eagletons famous phrase that: civilization was formulaically French, while culture was stereotypically German (Eagleton, 2006: 10-11). Towards the end of the 19th century civilization and culture were invariably viewed as antonyms. If, however, the description by Eagleton (2006: 9) of French notion of civilization as a form of social refinement is acceptable, then one can also accept Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952: 14) description of civilization as a process of ennobling (or creating nobility) of humanity through the exercise by society of increased control of the elementary human impulses. This makes civilization a form of politics. In the same light, I also agree with Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952: 14) that cultures German connections link it with the control of nature through science and art, which means culture embodies technology (including equipment) as well as knowledge systems (including skills) relevant for subduing and employing nature. The implications of the above are two-fold: (a) culture and civilization, can not be looked at as antonyms or binary opposites, in the sense in which evolution theorists would want us to view the relationship between these two concepts with culture as being akin to an inferior status while civilization is ascribed to the superior; (b) both tend to depict not only elements of normativity in advance in life-forms, but also constantly improving internal conditions of the internal elements of these concepts that define humanity which they embody. There is a way in which the elements embodied by these concepts depict superiority in their respective life-forms. Even when there are tendencies for overlaps in the elements depicted by these two concepts, for example, their association with politics, art, technology and urban living, there is a sense in which both concepts cannot be viewed as stages of development one from the other. It appears to me that Eagleton viewed civilization as a value-judgmental concept that pre-supposed an improvement on what went before, to whatever was not only right, but a great deal better than what was (Eagleton, 2006: 10). Eagleton was also non-presumptive when he pointed out that historically, the deployment of the term put it within the lexicon of a pre-industrial European middle class, which used the concept to justify imperial ambitions of mercantile and early industrial European capitalism towards those they categorized as of inferior civilization (Eagleton, 2006: 10). This fact has to be borne in mind if the concept when the concept is deployed today. Culture on the other hand, required certain social conditions that bring men into complex relationships with natural resources. The state becomes a necessity. Cultivation was a matter of the harmonious, all-round development of the personality. Because there was overwhelming recognition that nobody could do this in isolation, this helped to shift culture from its individual to its social meaning. Culture had a social dimension (Eagleton, 2006: 10). Whichever was, between culture and civilization, the progenitor of the other, there is a dual sense in which these concepts appear linked by their enlightenment era roots; and also not linked at the same time. I agree with Eagleton that civilization sounds abstract, alienated, fragmented, mechanistic, utilitarian, in thrall to a crass faith in material progress; while culture seems holistic, organic, sensuous, autotelic and recollective. However, I have reservations with Eagletons postulation of, first, a conflict between culture and civilization, and secondly, presentation of this conflict as a manifestation of a quarrel between tradition and modernity (Eagleton, 2006: 11). One of the greatest exports from the Enlightenment era was its universalism. Post-enlightenment political philosophy contributed significantly to critiques of enlightenments grand unilineal narratives regarding the evolution of universal humanity. We can look at the discourse of culture as a contribution to understanding the diversity inherent in different life-forms with their specific drivers of growth. Increasingly, it had become extremely perilous to relativize non-European cultures, which some thinkers of the time idealized as primitive (Eagleton, 2006: 12). In the 20th century in the primitivist features of modernism, a primitivism which goes hand-in-hand with the growth of modern cultural anthropology emerged, this time in postmodern guise, in form of a romanticizing of popular culture, which now plays the expressive, spontaneous, quasi-utopian role which primitive cultures had played previously (Eagleton, 2006: 12). While todate the concepts civilization and culture continue to be used interchangeably, there is also still a sense in which culture is still deployed almost as the opposite of civility (Eagleton, 2006: 13). It is not uncommon to encounter culture being used in reference to that which is tribal as opposed to the cosmopolitan. Culture continues to be closed to rational criticism; and a way of describing the life-forms of savages rather than a term for the civilized. If we accept the fact that the savages have culture, then the primitives can be depicted as cultured and the civilized as uncultured. In this sense, a reversal means that civilization can also be idealized (Eagleton, 2006: 13). If the imperial Modern states plundered the pre ­-modern ones, for whatever reasons, is it not a statement of both being uncultured and lack of civility, quite antithetical to what one could consider as civilization of the west. What sense doe it therefore make to posture as civilized and yet act in an uncultured manner? Can viewing culture as civilization, on one hand, and civilization as culture, on the other hand, help to resolve the impasse in the contemporary deployment of these concepts? One fact is clear, either way; it has potential to breed postmodern ambiguities of cultural relativism (Eagleton, 2006: 14). Alternatively, if culture is viewed, not as civilization, but as a way of life, it simply becomes an affirmation of sheer existence of life-forms in their pluralities (Eagleton, 2006: 13). Pluralizing the concept of culture comes at a price the idea of culture begins to entertain cultural non-normativities or queer cultures, in the name of diversity of cultural forms. Rather than dissolving discrete identities, it multiplies them rather than hybridization, which as we know, and as Edward Said observed, all cultures are involved in one another; none is single and pure, all are hybrid, heterogeneous, extraordinarily differentiated, and non-monolithic (Eagleton, 2006: 15). Attempts to valorize culture as a representation of particular life-forms associated with civility can also be perilous. There is a post-modern sense in which culture can be considered as an intellectual activity (science, philosophy and scholarship), as well as an imaginative pursuit of such exploits as music, painting and literature. This is the sense in which cultured people are considered to have culture. This sense suggests that science, philosophy, politics and economics can no longer be regarded as creative or imaginative. This also suggests that civilized values are to be found only in fantasy. And this is clearly a caustic comment on social reality. Culture comes to mean learning and the arts, activities confined to a tiny proportion of humanity, and it at once becomes impoverished as a concept (Eagleton, 2006: 16). Concluding Remarks: From the foregoing analyses, it is clear that understanding the relationship between culture and civilization is impossible until we cease to view the world in binaries in which the West (Europe) was constructed as advanced and developed with the non-West perceived as primitive, barbarous and pagan. Historically, the Wests claim of supremacy was always predicated on their provincialization of the non-west, whose behavioral patterns were judged from the experience of the West, and characterized in generalized terms as traditional customs and therefore culture. I agree with Benedict, that the West did all it could to universalize its experience to the rest of the world, even when this experience was different from that of those from the non-west (Benedict, 1934: 5). Assumptions of the mutual exclusivity of culture and civilization in society are premised on perceived irreconcilability of values and beliefs. Religion was always used in the West to posit a generalized provincialism of the non-west. It was the basis of prejudices around which superiority was justified. No ideas or institutions that held in the one were valid in the other. Rather all institutions were seen in opposing terms according as they belonged to one or the other of the very often slightly differentiated religions. In this con

A Strategic Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation Essays -- Competitive

Understanding Strategic Management A Strategic Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation Industry: Automotive Industry CONTENTS ABOUT TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION PAGE 3 EXTERNAL STRATEGIC ANALYSIS:- PESTEL PORTER’S FIVE FORCE ANALYSIS COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS PAGE 3, 4, 5 AND 6 INTERNAL STRATEGIC ANALYSIS:- SWOT ANALYSIS PORTER’S VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS PAGE 6, 7 AND 8 STRATEGY FORMULATION:- PORTER’S GENERIC OPTION ANALYSIS ANSOFF MATRIX ANALYSIS PAGE 8,9 AND 10 RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 10 CONCLUSION PAGE 10 REFERENCES PAGE 11 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES TABLE OF FINANCIAL REPORT OF TOYOTA PAGE 3 TABLE OF COMPARISON OF TOYOTA AND HONDA PAGE 6 DIAGRAM OF PORTER’S GENERIC OPTION ANALYSIS PAGE 8 DIAGRAM OF ANSOFF MATRIX PAGE 9 About Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japan based company, whose headquarters are located in Aichi Prefecture. The company was founded by Kiichiri Toyoda in 1937. Currently the company’s CEO is Akio Toyoda. Toyota is basically into cars and it is one of the top players in the world in this industry. Toyota also owns two other brands namely Lexus and Scion, which gives the company a lot of advantage over it’s other competitors. Toyota manufactures sedans, saloons, suvs, muvs, pick-up trucks and buses. During the year 2013 Toyota had approximately 333,498 employees, who were working globally. In March 2013, Toyota was ranked as the thirteenth biggest organization globally in terms of its revenue. In the following table we can see the financial report of Toyota Motor Corporation in the year 2013- REVENUE 22.064 TRILLION YENS OPERATING INCOME 1.320 TRILLION YENS NET ... ...bile.asp. [Accessed 15 December 2013]. Toyota . 2013. Toyota . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/FenellaAndrade/toyota-9167108. [Accessed 15 December 2013]. Pestle for Toyota. 2013. Pestle for Toyota. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/133979217/Pestle-for-Toyota. [Accessed 15 December 2013]. Strategic management Toyota case study. 2013. Strategic management Toyota case study. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/ArioArdianto/strategic-management-toyota-case-study-27410014. [Accessed 15 December 2013]. Competitive Analysis. 2013. Competitive Analysis. [ONLINE] Available at: http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~toyota-p/competitive_analysis.htm. [Accessed 15 December 2013]. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYktbMi5HK3EwDxQNvJ8Fa9z_yQ5fw1LKZ7D16jxT5rESDUGzH0rFEoltk0JhoQKIMgvpPnY4sywYlV_BI8byaFdl2LOY0Ea9WaQw0jjwO8DtFpYOow4Hyh55qtZ9b6LNKc1nH-GoxLk/s1600/Ansoff+Matrix.jpg. [Accessed 15 December 2013].

Pride and Prejudice †Letters to Alice Essay

The comparative study of Fay Weldon’s non fiction text Letters to Alice and Jane Austen’s comedy of manners narrative Pride and Prejudice reveal connections between the authors in their desire to express their personal values and beliefs through the vehicle of their fictional characters. Exploration of connections such as the value of literature and the lives of women in different societies presented in the texts heighten our understanding of the composer’s contexts and the values they wish to convey through their writing. The shared aspects of the form of both texts such as the use of letters and the fictitious framework of Weldon’s Letters To Alice provides a connection through which the readers can appreciate the values Austen and Weldon seek to express. Austen’s comedy of manners explores her patriarchal, provincial 19th century English world which is satirically commented on by Weldon as she expresses her own independent success, displaying the changing nature of society and the empowerment of women through her character Aunt Fay, a second wave feminist and a successful and independent writer. Moreover the character of Aunt Fay highlights the stark contrast between the modern world in which marriage becomes a focus of love and happiness as opposed to the 19th century necessity for financial security which left women at the mercy of men. ‘I am not romantic†¦I ask only a comfortable home†¦ I am convinced that my chance of happiness is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state’. Charlotte’s direct speech epitomizes the marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr.  Collins, a marriage of necessity for pragmatic Charlotte who reflects the general feeling of young women and her desire for a financially secure, appropriate marriage, a trait which is condemned by Austen through Elizabeth’s disapproval and her branding of the marriage as ‘unequal’. Weldon’s narrative however appreciates Charlotte Lucas’ financial situation, despite the fact Aunt Fay and niece Alice are in no way required to marry, reflecting that ‘to marry was a great prize’, the objectification of women and marriage through the oun ‘prize’ displays Weldon’s understanding of the financial weight and importance marriage carried to young women like Charlotte. Weldon also comments on Mrs. Bennett’s understanding of the situation facing her daughters, ‘Mrs. Bennett, the only one with the slightest notion of the sheer desperation of the world’, displaying to the reader that in fact Austen through Elizabeth presents an unconventional and unrealistic picture of a young woman’s liberty with marriage through her insistence of finding love before marriage. In a comparative the study of an older valued text and a contemporary appropriation the connections established between the texts enhance our understanding of values and attitudes in each society as well as the personal beliefs conveyed by the author. Through Weldon’s 20th century appropriation of Austen’s epistolary structure Aunt Fay highlights the values of Literature within 19th century English society and our contemporary world. Fay Weldon connects to Pride and Prejudice through her exploration of Austen’s rural English societies attitudes and her values toward education and literature. In so doing, her commentary on Austen’s gentrified society and the value of literature takes a 20th century perspective. ‘My dear Alice, it was good to get your letter†¦your doing a college course in English Literature†¦ (Specifically) and obliged to read Jane Austen†¦ and you find her boring’. Weldon’s 1st person ironic narration in the form of letters highlights Alice’s 20th century struggle to study the ‘big L’ and reveals the novels connection with Austen’s narrative. Weldon expresses her own opinion on literature through the imagery in the extended metaphor of the ‘City of Invention’, which allows her to highlight her value of the ‘literary cannon’. This provides a vehicle through which Fay Weldon is able to express her own views on the value of good literature which she expresses as a medium through which readers can ‘admire†¦learn†¦marvel and explore’. Moreover, Weldon fights that literature must and does remains integral through the use of the religious language in the rhyming couplet, ‘only persists†¦all in all to thee’ expressing the importance of literature through sacred language. Her insistence on the enlightenment literature can provide through its enduring success and enjoyment contrasts with her view of Alice’s generation’s fixation with film and television, which in her opinion ‘can never enlighten’. Weldon’s opinion of the values of good literature are also reflected through Darcy’s condescending belief in a woman’s ‘improvement of her mind by extensive reading which makes her an accomplished woman and ready for marriage’. Here the direct speech of Darcy displays the value of both literature and reading to regency period, gentrified society as well as the value this society placed on educated people, and women. Elizabeth Bennett’s behavior and enjoyment of reading is contrasted against the superficial and hypocritical attitude of Miss Bingley whose ‘attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy’s progress through his book as in reading her own’, displaying Austen’s enduring respect for education and reading and as well as the value her society placed on the educated. Austen enhances this attitude through the contrast of characters actions in her social commentary by painting those with an appreciation of literature in a positive and appropriate light whilst making out those who do not to be superficial and debase. Austen continues to convey her personal opinion of the institution of marriage through the study of various marriages in her novel Pride and Prejudice which gives an insight into the traits Austen valued in a successful marriage. Her portrayal of Lydia and Wickham’s union as a match ‘only brought together because their passions were stronger than their virtue’, expresses her opinion on the fickle nature of a marriage with no intellectual or deeper connection. This view is mirrored in the unequal marriage of both Mr. nd Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte Lucas to Mr. Collins, whose unions were based neither on intellect or love. Contrasting these unsuccessful marriages is the happy and lasting marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Gardner, and more poignantly the attitude of Elizabeth Bennett who ‘could be neither happy nor respectable unless she esteemed her husband’. Whilst Austen breaks conventions by focusing on love in marriage she maintains the importance of appropriate and eligible unions displaying her value of her 19th century values and manners. Dependency of women on men and family members and the constraints they faced from the stifling conventions and unquestioned values of their society, epitomized by the high modality, definite statements of Austen as the omniscient narrator. ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife’. This authorial intrusion and informative sarcasm mocks the very rituals and accepted values of this society which confined and limited women and presents Austen’s own attitudes toward these conventions. She shows her value of the educated and independent minded woman through Elizabeth Bennet and through herself as a single, successful female writer. Aunt Fay defends this ‘crusading zeal’ of Austen by maintaining that her form of conveying her message through her novels has in fact become more meaningful in her belief that ‘enlighten people and you enlighten society’. She builds on these ideas of Austen’s novels changing the values and ideas of people and therefore societies toward women by presenting the character of Aunt Fay as the successful independent woman without the burden of the necessity of marriage for financial security. Aunt Fay suggests that women who are successful do not need to depend on men as they have done in the past, saying that ‘Success kicks away the stool of masochism, on which female existence so often depends’, this enhances our understanding of the changes in society that have led to the liberation of women and enhances our understanding of the personal values Weldon and Austen hold toward the role of women. Through their novels and their own lives Fay Weldon and Jane Austen successfully express their own personal values and attitudes toward their societies. This desire to display their views and opinions connects the authors and highlights some of the key connections in their writing. Our understanding of these beliefs is heightened by an understanding of their contexts and an appreciation of the changes in society and the world.

Debate on Genetically Modified Food Essay

For millions of years, the world has evolved and developed, by selective breeding to adapt into the society, which it is today. Natural adaptations and changes have occurred in various species of plants and animals, which even modern scientists cannot explain. Our world has survived for†¦ well forever, without genetically enhanced produce, so why should it invade humanity now, just because ‘we can’? Many scientists, who are in favour of GM foods, claim that it is simply the next step on from selective breeding; however they seem to have overlooked one difference. Genetic modification of anything requires the introduction of ‘alien’ genes into a species, to modify it and this is certainly not a natural process. For example, GM Soya has been modified using genes that will make it resistant to certain herbicides, such as ’roundup’. Although this may seem like a good thing on the surface, what happens when the pollen from these GM foods is passed on to native species? Aspects like this seem to have been overlooked. It is also a worry, because genetic engineering can be very unpredictable and the damaging effects of GM foods irreversible; if left unconfined it could get out of control. It is possible to end up creating harmful characteristics – such as toxins – unawares. This doesn’t necessarily condemn GMOs but it proves the unpredictability of genetic manipulation. The establishment for GM foods is keen to cover up any findings, which may turn people against GM foods, (possibly due to the huge profits involved). One particular scientist, in a report from the ‘Rowett Research Institute’, had been independently researching the effects of GM potatoes on rats. What his studies found was that they had a detrimental effect on the immune system and the growth of the rats. However when the establishment found this out, this man was reduced from being a well-respected researcher to a ‘mad cap scientist’. Although it is agreed that genetically modifying grain to include beta-carotene (vitamin C) may aid hunger and poor eyesight problems in third world countries, there is a large-scale scandal going on among large biotech companies, who want to increase their already large profits. GM food production, gives larger firms a ‘loop hole’ in which they are able to abuse the power of modifying these crops to their own specification. Recently, there have been reports that these companies have developed ‘doomsday’ seeds, which they want to sell onto the world market – particularly the struggling third world. These seeds have been genetically modified, so that once they have grown, the seeds they produce will genetically destroy themselves. These seeds may be an excellent money-spinner for the firms who sell them, but surely it is morally and ethically wrong to sell such seeds to poor and starving countries? The companies also have the added leverage over other seed producers because they are able to genetically modify their plants to grow faster and thus their seeds are cheaper than others. These people in the third world will eventually be forced into a downward spiral of having to buy new crops every year, because they are unable to afford the more expensive ‘normal’ seeds. And what would happen if these genes happened to escape into the environment? GM â€Å"genes† may spread into wild populations with unpredictable and potentially harmful consequences; In this case, they may even cause crops to produce sterile seeds, which could have an adverse effect on the ecosystem. If we are to have confidence in GM foods, then larger businesses should be kept out of research. The way GM foods are being exploited by powerful corporations is a threat to democracy. These crops are unsustainable in light of longer-term plans and the great majority of the GM market is focussed more on profit rather than improving our diet. Insufficient testing has taken place to ensure their safety for public consumption. Research should be carried out independently, to assess whether such foods would be a benefit to our society and the effects it will have on the eco-system. Only then should they be allowed onto the market.

History Summary of the Country of Ireland essays

History Summary of the Country of Ireland essays Ireland has been inhabited since Stone Age times. For more than five thousand years peoples moving westwards across the European continent have settled in the country and each new group of immigrants, Celts, Vikings, Normans, English, has contributed to its present population. In 1841, shortly before the Great Famine, the area comprising the present Irish State had a population of over 6.5 million. The next census (1851) showed a massive decline to 5.1 million for the same area, due to deaths from starvation and disease and large-scale emigration. The outflow thus begun became a dominant feature of the population pattern over the succeeding years. By 1961 the population of the State stood at 2.8 million, the lowest census figure on record. From 1961 onwards the pattern changed. A combination of natural increase and the commencement of inward net migration resulting from increased prosperity produced an average annual rise in population of 0.6% in the period 1981 to 1986. Between 1986 and 1991, largely as a result of the resumption of emigration, an average annual fall in population of 0.1% was recorded. At the 1991 census, the total population of the State was 3,525,719. In 1994 the population was estimated at 3.571 million. The major centers of population are Dublin (915,000), Cork (174,000), Limerick (75,000), Galway (51,000), Waterford (42,000), and Dundalk (30,000). 59% of the populations live in cities and towns of 1,000 people or more. Overall population density is 51 persons per square kilometer with large variations between the east and south, where densities are highest, and the less populous west of the country. A high proportion of the population is concentrated in the younger age groups. Approximately 43% of the population is under 25, and approximately 27% is under 15. In 1993 for the first time on record, the birth rate fell below the minimum population replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman during child-...

Oil Spills Danger to All essays

Oil Spills Danger to All essays There are many oil spills that occur every year. They harm the environment, the plants, the animals, and the people who live near it. People can clean up the spill. The environment takes the disaster of an oil spill and the follow a natural process to clean itself. Oil spills are dangerous to everything and cost a lot to clean up. In France an oil spill occurred that leaked ten million liters of oil into the ocean on December twelfth. The spill cost seven million dollars to clean up. After all the clean up attempts three hundred and fifty kilometers of coastline was covered in oil. The oil will stay in the sand for almost thirty years. Other things affected would include the sea birds. All the clean up crews estimate that up to one hundred thousand sea birds died. The oil killed them when it coated their bodies so they could not fly away and they drowned (BBCnews p.1). One of the worst places in the world for an oil spill to occur is in Alaska. On March 1989 the Exxon Valdez grounded itself in Alaska. The tanker spilled eleven million gallons of oil into the waters of south central Alaska. The spill affected many different animals, the land, and the people living near the spill site. Many people responded to the spill and quickly went to the site to help clean it up. The oil shipping company contributed nearly two million to help clean the spill up. The spill damaged the tundra. The damaged spots will take up to fifty years for the tundra to repair. The fish, that the spill damaged are still recovering. Two major types of fish were damaged. They were salmon and herring. The oil will cover the fish and the fish will suffocate to death. The oil also damages the eggs the fish lay. It makes the baby fish deformed or not born at all. The decline in the fish population is what hurt the people the most. Ten years later the fish are still returning to th eir point of stability (Birkland, Thomas p.4) Humans clean up oil spills all the t...

The Parts of a Flowering Plant

The Parts of a Flowering Plant Plants are eukaryotic organisms that are characterized by their ability to produce their own food. They are vital to all life on earth as they provide oxygen, shelter, clothing, food, and medicine for other living organisms. Plants are very diverse and include organisms such as mosses, vines, trees, bushes, grasses, and ferns. Plants can be vascular or nonvascular, flowering or nonflowering, and seed-bearing or non-seed bearing. Angiosperms Flowering plants, also called angiosperms, are the most numerous of all the divisions in the Plant Kingdom. The parts of a flowering plant are characterized by two basic systems: a root system and a shoot system. These two systems are connected by vascular tissue that runs from the root through the shoot. The root system enables flowering plants to obtain water and nutrients from the soil. The shoot system allows plants to reproduce and to obtain food through photosynthesis. Root System The roots of a flowering plant are very important. They keep the plant anchored in the ground and obtain nutrients and water from the soil. Roots are also useful for food storage. Nutrients and water are absorbed through tiny root hairs that extend from the root system. Some plants have a primary root, or taproot, with smaller secondary roots extending from the main root. Others have fibrous roots with thin branches extending in various directions. All roots do not originate underground. Some plants have roots that originate above ground from stems or leaves. These roots, called adventitious roots, provide support for the plant and may even give rise to a new plant. Shoot System Flowering plant stems, leaves, and flowers make up the plant shoot system. Plant stems provide support for the plant and allow nutrients and water to travel throughout the plant. Within the stem and throughout the plant are tube-like tissues called xylem and phloem. These tissues carry water, food, and nutrients to all parts of the plant.Leaves are the sites of food production for the flowering plant. It is here that the plant acquires light energy and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and releases oxygen into the air. Leaves can have various shapes and forms, but they all consist of a blade, veins, and a petiole. The blade is the flat extended part of the leaf. The veins run throughout the blade and provide a transport system for water and nutrients. The petiole is a short stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem.Flowers are responsible for seed development and reproduction. There are four main flower parts in angiosperms: sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. The stamen is considered the male portion of a plant and the carpel is considered the female port ion. Pollen is produced in the stamen, and the female ovary is contained within the plant carpel. Pollen is transferred from stamen to carpel by plant pollinators such as bugs, birds, and mammals. When the ovule (egg cell) within the ovary becomes fertilized, it develops into a seed. The ovary, which surrounds the seed, becomes the fruit. Flowers that contain both stamens and carpels are called perfect flowers. Flowers that are missing either stamens or carpels are called imperfect flowers. If a flower contains all four main parts (sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels), it is called a complete flower. Sexual Reproduction and Flower Parts Flowers are the sites of sexual reproduction in flowering plants. The stamen is considered the male portion of a plant because it is where sperm is produced and housed within pollen grains. The carpel contains the female reproductive organs. Sepal: This typically green, leaf-like structure protects the budding flower. Collectively, sepals are known as the calyx.Petal: This plant structure is a modified leaf that surrounds the reproductive parts of a flower. Petals are typically colorful and often scented to attract insect pollinators.Stamen: The stamen is the male reproductive part of a flower. It produces pollen and consists of a filament and an anther.Anther: This sac-like structure is located at the tip of the filament and is the site of pollen production.Filament: A filament is a long stalk that connects to and holds up the anther.Carpel: The female reproductive part of a flower is the carpel. It consists of the stigma, style, and ovary.Stigma: The tip of the carpel is the stigma. It is sticky so it can collect pollen.Style: This slender, neck-like portion of the carpel provides a pathway for sperm to the ovary.Ovary: The ovary is located at the base of the carpel and houses the ovules. While flowers are necessary for sexual reproduction, flowering plants can sometimes reproduce asexually without them. Asexual Reproduction Flowering plants can self-propagate through asexual reproduction. This is accomplished through the process of vegetative propagation. Unlike in sexual reproduction, gamete production and fertilization do not occur in vegetative propagation. Instead, a new plant develops from parts of a single mature plant. Reproduction occurs through vegetative plant structures derived from roots, stems, and leaves. Vegetative structures include rhizomes, runners, bulbs, tubers, corms, and buds. Vegetative propagation produces genetically identical plants from a single parent plant. These plants mature faster than and are sturdier than plants that develop from seeds. Summary In summary, angiosperms are differentiated from other plants by their flowers and fruit. Flowering plants are characterized by a root system and a shoot system. The root system absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. The shoot system is composed of the stem, leaves, and flowers. This system allows the plant to obtain food and to reproduce. Both the root system and shoot system work together to enable flowering plants to survive on land. If you would like to test your knowledge of flowering plants, take the Parts of a Flowering Plant Quiz!

Greenhouse gas effect and ways to stop them Term Paper

Greenhouse gas effect and ways to stop them - Term Paper Example This paper also seeks to suggest plausible ways on how to reduce GHG emission in order to diminish the impacts of global warming. Data from various sources revealed that the primordial effect of increased GHG is global warming, which is also implicated in changes in the pattern of precipitation and rainfall, sea water level, melting of glaciers, and animal and plant species composition and distribution. Several strategies to reduce GHG emissions are reforestation, proper waste disposal management, and the use of renewable energy such as water, solar energy and thermal energy to generate electricity instead of using fossil fuels. Introduction Greenhouse gases (GHGs), consisting primarily of water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are those gases that can absorb infrared radiation from the atmosphere. These gases are capable of trapping heat, resulting to warming of the earth’s surface (Snyder et al., 2009; Rea y and Hogan,2010). Greenhouse gas emission and the human activities associated with increasing GHG concentration in the atmosphere, is perhaps one of the most controversial issues worldwide yet to be resolved. In fact, it has been reported that since the industrial period, the concentration of these GHGs in the atmosphere has been constantly escalating (Krupa and Kickert, 1989; IPCC, 2011). A time-lapse carbon dioxide monitoring conducted by Muller et al. (2007) revealed that the present CO2 concentration in the troposphere is, by far, the highest level ever recorded during the last 670,000 years, making CO2 the most anthropogenically-driven GHG. Meanwhile, the total amount of atmospheric methane was revealed to have increased by as much as 15% at the end of the 18th century and almost tripled over the last 150 years. Although methane concentration is much less compared to that of CO2, Ramaswamy et al. (2001) reported that CH4 is actually 23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas in comparison to CO2. Ramaswamy and colleagues (2001) also provided evidence that nitrous oxide is even more effective per molecule as a GHG than CH4 and 296 times more potent than CO2. The presence of GHGs in the atmosphere accounts for the phenomenon known as greenhouse effect, so called because the mechanism by which it works is reminiscent to that of a greenhouse. Shown in Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the processes governing the greenhouse effect. As sunlight strikes the planet, radiant energy from the sun with short wavelengths is absorbed by the earth’s surface without being caught trapped in the atmosphere (Krupa and Kickert, 1989). As this energy is absorbed, it warms the earth’s surfaces and is then re-radiated back into the atmosphere at longer wavelengths. Once again, this long-wavelength energy is captured by GHGs in the atmosphere and is reflected in different directions. Energy directed upwards is released into space while energy directed downwards, wh ich accounts for 90% of the long-wavelength emission, goes back to the earth (Pidwirny, 2006). It must be noted, however, that the greenhouse effect is a naturally-occurring phenomenon. In fact, it makes the earth habitable (Krupa and Kickert, 1989).On the other hand, if GHGs in the atmosphere increase beyond the normal range of GHG levels, the greenhouse effect is enhanced, posing a great threat to all of earth’

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Critical Thinking - Essay Example These mistakes manifest themselves in their reasoning, biases, prejudices distortions, vested interest and self-interest. In this context, the paper critically evaluates Mr Herman Good Eagle’s routine in an attempt to try and figure out the obstacles that significantly contribute to his lateness. Subsequently, critically thought solutions will also be put forward in order to enable Mr Herman manage his time efficiently. Sometimes, being late is a way of life for some people. They happen to think that they have more time in their hands than is really available. This kind of thinking is both detrimental to an individual. For example, due to poor time management Mr Herman risks losing his job. To figure out the factors contributing to Mr Herman not keeping time, his route map will be analysed systematically. Also, Mr Herman’s causes might be technical. This means that he is bad at estimating or approximating how long events/things take. As illustrated, the consequences of running late mostly run deeper than most people (Banai, 1988). People will tend not to trust an individual who is always chronically late. As such, the individual will have a negative reputation which consequently will affect relationships. A lot of factors contribute to making Mr Herman late. First, Mr Herman seems to be waking a little bit late than is expected.

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example As per definition, WOM refers to the process of oral communication between two individuals where the individuals increasingly communicate important values or related information pertaining to a particular category or brand. The advantage of WOM over standards methods of advertising is that the WOM marketing happens mostly through the process of communication of two individuals at a significantly lower price as compared to that of advertising. The word of mouth marketing has significantly high level of benefits on the development of the brand value for the product as well as the company2. For globally renowned Fiskars, it can be said that the company can leverage a lot of advantage out of the word of mouth marketing technique by maintaining high end quality for its products as well as introducing innovativeness in the product design. A vital point is that though the company’s product mostly falls under the consumer durables category, it increasingly caters to three business areas like the home division, the garden division and the outdoor division. The products especially for the outdoor division are extremely critical in nature and needs supreme durability and consistency in quality. As a matter of fact, a highly reputed brand that provides consistent quality will automatically lead to higher sales especially for this division, if accompanied by the consumer driven word of mouth marketing tool3. There are significant steps that have to be followed by the company, in order prevent negative impact due to the word of mouth marketing for the company’s products. A very important factor is the fact that the company needs to secure its distribution network across the global markets in the wake of various fluctuating scenarios of macro economic conditions. The company also needs to secure the flow of various raw materials

The Benefits of Cycling in Thailand Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 6

The Benefits of Cycling in Thailand - Assignment Example With the increasing rate of global warming, various governments are coming up with strategies to curb this trend. Different strategies are drafted in order to reduce the rate of carbon emission in the atmosphere. Motor engines are cited as one of the major contributors of carbon gas emission. This has resulted in rising sea level and desertification in different parts of the world. As a result, people have opted to use means of transport that emit few gases or none at all. In Thailand, the government has even gone ahead to intervene in issue in order to reduce the number of bicycle users. This provides an opportunity for the bicycle producers to make high profits as many people will look forward towards purchasing the bicycles. This paper will, therefore, analyze the market prospects, target customers, consumer buying behaviors, how to position the product in the market and segment the market. The main aim of this paper is to have insight details concerning the market, population, an d demographics in the area that may affect the performance of the product in the market. Nevertheless, some of the assumptions are that the market forces will be constant, and no risks will face the market. In addition, some of the limitations that we may encounter are lack of accurate data concerning the population and the number of purchases made in a day. In order to gain data and current information, we will use secondary data. This will reduce any traces of errors which might mislead business trying to invest in the country. In addition, we will have to forecast future trend using the experiences in the market. This will help us in coming up with the appropriate strategy to use in penetrating the market. Power bike organization was founded in 2006 by Ning and Nui in Roi Et. Power bike organization is one of the leading accessories and cycle retail shops in Roi Et. Powerbike is operated as a family (Ho and Madden-Hallet, 2010, p. 51).  

Learning Diary or Log (Formative work) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Learning Diary or Log (Formative work) - Essay Example I have seen how forces of internationalisation work. One cannot be a traditional manager because of the development of technology. Globalization is true and inevitable in relation to what man needs. Under normal circumstances, a business expects to grow and after a corporation has performed within its borders, it inevitably faces competition from other countries because the governments of different nations make the world borderless in terms of free movement of goods and services. This is very evident in the case of the European Union (EU)ïÆ'‡. It came into existence because of economic integration among several European nations. Economic integration has its underpinnings in free movement of goods among the member states. This is not to mention the WTOïÆ'ˆ and the GATTïÆ'‰ where business realities lead to international competitions in the light of the given state of technology and the evolving need of humanity. I felt the need to have an international perspective, in order to survive business in the following years. By being international, I need to understand many things like other cultures, their language, their arts, taste, preference, and even their religion. Analyzing what happened before and after; I notice a big change on my part and on the part of my classmates. After finishing international business context, our languages have become â€Å"international.† We are able to see the world as really a big playing field where different players in so many fields do their work. I felt the big adjustment of the third world countriesïÆ'‹ need to have in relation to globalization. I felt the inherent conflict between their citizens and their government leaders. Their citizens want to continue with the protectionist policies but government leaders do not really have much choice except to join the globalization in order to allow entry of cheaper products into their countries. The government leaders have really a big role to play in convincing it citizens to

Classy's strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Classy's strategy - Case Study Example It is important to better understand the process by consumers make decisions if Classy are to influence decision making. Employing a low price strategy can be highly profitable if it pushes more people to buy. Secondly, it is notable that Classy opened more stores and located them in prime retail areas. However, it cannot be gainsaid that the purpose of any business is to bring in customers, and this can only be accomplished through marketing/advertising. From the look of things, classy are operating in a very competitive market, and getting out information concerning the high quality and availability of tuxedos in their outlets will go a long way in increasing sales.  Another issue is the distinctive image as that of a formal wear store while the typical tuxedo consumer will most likely to go to a men’s wear store. Image is important and classy can create a different perception to customers by visual merchandising among other

Learning Diary or Log (Formative work) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Learning Diary or Log (Formative work) - Essay Example I have seen how forces of internationalisation work. One cannot be a traditional manager because of the development of technology. Globalization is true and inevitable in relation to what man needs. Under normal circumstances, a business expects to grow and after a corporation has performed within its borders, it inevitably faces competition from other countries because the governments of different nations make the world borderless in terms of free movement of goods and services. This is very evident in the case of the European Union (EU)ïÆ'‡. It came into existence because of economic integration among several European nations. Economic integration has its underpinnings in free movement of goods among the member states. This is not to mention the WTOïÆ'ˆ and the GATTïÆ'‰ where business realities lead to international competitions in the light of the given state of technology and the evolving need of humanity. I felt the need to have an international perspective, in order to survive business in the following years. By being international, I need to understand many things like other cultures, their language, their arts, taste, preference, and even their religion. Analyzing what happened before and after; I notice a big change on my part and on the part of my classmates. After finishing international business context, our languages have become â€Å"international.† We are able to see the world as really a big playing field where different players in so many fields do their work. I felt the big adjustment of the third world countriesïÆ'‹ need to have in relation to globalization. I felt the inherent conflict between their citizens and their government leaders. Their citizens want to continue with the protectionist policies but government leaders do not really have much choice except to join the globalization in order to allow entry of cheaper products into their countries. The government leaders have really a big role to play in convincing it citizens to

Feng Shui in the Home Essay Example for Free

Feng Shui in the Home Essay Feng Shui, as a part of the Chinese culture, is considered an art and a science of how the chi or energies that exist in spaces of nature are to be placed or positioned in order to nurture productivity and the flow of positive forces that influence the quality of life of human beings. Feng Shui, which literally means â€Å"wind† and â€Å"water† in the Chinese language, looks at all the features of the earth as constituting one of the five elements – earth, fire, water, metal, and wood. Moreover, Feng Shui follows the traditional principle of the Yin and Yang which suggests two opposite aspects of life that are complementary to each other which sustains the flow of balance in the world and in life. (Allen) Feng Shui is put into practice through the positioning or ordering of objects or things in spaces or dwellings as a means of facilitating the flow of positivity and harmony through the guidance or assistance of a Compass specially designed for the purpose and the Bagua. (Tchi) These concepts – the chi, the five elements, Yin and Yang, the Compass, the Bagua – and more will be explored in the remainder of this discussion. In Ancient China, dynasties or political parties applied the principles of Feng Shui in order to make decisions that positively affect harvests, wealth and the economy, the endurance of dynasties and political parties, and such. During that time, the art and science of Feng Shui was practiced by only selected educated individuals such as â€Å"scientists, architects, astronomers, and land surveyors† (Stohn, 1). They were expected to apply Feng Shui principles by applying their sound judgments and reasoning guided by plans and estimates influenced by astrological signs and patterns. For instance, individuals who put the Feng Shui into practice may utilize the Compass or the â€Å"loopan† in order to determine areas that bring positive and negative energies to human beings who occupy particular spaces or rooms inside a house or a building. The use of the Compass is guided by the positions of heavenly bodies, such as the earth, the sun, and the planets in the solar system. (Stohn, 2-3) The chi energy, or a life force that is known to be part of all the things and man, is the basis for the success of Feng Shui. According to Feng Shui principles, the chi should be placed in particular positions that will establish a flow of energy from all the elements surrounding man and himself in order to produce positive forces that contribute constructive and positive impacts to life. The role of interior designing in realizing the goals and objectives of Feng Shui is the practice of designing the internal components of spaces or dwellings in order to facilitate the continuous flow of chi or energy. According to Feng Shui principles disharmony and negative energy exists when there are barriers in the surroundings that disrupt the flow of chi or energy. Basing it on the five elements – that is earth, fire, water, metal, and wood – barriers that cause disruptions are caused by the misplacement of interior components of spaces of dwellings violating the concepts of the â€Å"Cycle of Creation,† â€Å"Cycle of Reduction,† and â€Å"Cycle of Control or Domination. † (Stohn, 6-10) These three cycles explain how the five elements affect each other, establishing the basis of how things in the surroundings should be placed in order to ensure that these objects or things, which all belong to one of the five elements are arranged in order to foster the harmony between them and not the opposing features that each element possess against other elements. For instance, the â€Å"Cycle of Creation† discusses how each element gives birth to the other, such that fire is born out of wood, the ashes that come after the fire becomes part of the earth, some parts of the earth constitutes ores that are considered as metals, through the process of condensation, metals become water which nourishes the life of wood. On the other hand, the â€Å"Cycle of Reduction† and the â€Å"Cycle of Control or Domination† similarly discusses how one element cancels out the other, such as the water that relieves fire, and such. (Stohn, 10-11) Interior designing in this case, considers the make or the composition of interior components of the home according to the five elements, and how they are arranged in order to follow the â€Å"Cycle of Creation† which facilitates the continuous flow of chi or positive energy. Another way by which the Feng Shui is put into practice through interior designing is by the utilization of the Bagua. The Bagua is considered as a map of energy which directs interior designing into ensuring that the interior components of a space or dwelling coordinates the nine essential principles that brings about harmony and positivity within it. Interior designing through the use of the Bagua necessitates the consideration of the four directions – North, South, East, and West – and how the nine areas – courage, stillness, joy, receptivity, synchronicity, integrity, strength, gratitude, and connection – are inclusive in each designated position inside spaces. (Stohn, 11-15) Some popular examples of interior designing techniques and practices that follow the principle of Feng Shui include the designation of areas that pertain to directions following the five elements in the surroundings. For instance, the North direction is designated to cover the area of career and business. The North is supposed to be a door or an entry way inside the home which signifies the entry of good career and the development of business. In order to sustain the flow of positive energy in the North direction to foster one’s career and business, this area or space should be free from clutter or dirt. It should always be clean and decorated with new and shiny things or objects. According to Feng Shui, the North direction is also designated to the element of water. Therefore, it is ideal to place fountains, aquariums or fish tanks, or other decorations that connote the presence of water in them. This is followed all throughout the house, such that each area wherein a particular element is designated, things or objects in it should be made from such elements. (Stohn, 18-20) Since the principle of Feng Shui constitutes the arrangement of things or objects in spaces or dwellings, it has become one of the most valuable, not to mention widespread, foundations of interior designing. The demand for interior designing practices that are based on Feng Shui principles has definitely contributed to its addition as a custom in the industry of interior design. The Feng Shui, as an Eastern art or science practiced by the Chinese, has successfully infiltrated the Western culture. (Skinner Price, 6) Popular personalities, such as the late Princess Diana, Prince Charles (Alexander), and Donna Karan, Betty Buckley, and Terry Sweeney (Stukin), have consulted Feng Shui experts for their interior designing needs and some of them have attested to the positive changes in their lives that have happened after following Feng Shui principles in their homes. Works Cited Alexander, Jane (1996). â€Å"The Healing Touch that Starts in Your Home; The Secrets of Feng Shui. † London, England: The Daily Mail. Allen, Marites. (2006). â€Å"Demystifying ‘Feng Shui. ’† Retrieved from Manila Standard Today Online. 05 Feb 2009. http://www. manilastandardtoday. com/? page=myMoney02_april20_2006. Skinner, Stephen Price, Graham. (2004). â€Å"Feng Shui Style: The Asian Art of Gracious Living. † North Clarendon, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing Stohn, Nancy. (2005). â€Å"Feng Shui Simplified: A Family Guide to Creating Harmony and Love in Your Home. † British Columbia, Canada: Trafford Publishing. Stukin, Stacie. (2000). â€Å"Home Shui Home. † The Advocate. Tchi, Rodika. (N. D. ) â€Å"What is Feng Shui – Feng Shui Theory and Feng Shui Tools. † Retrieved from About. com. Website: http://fengshui. about. com/od/thebasics/qt/fengshui. htm

Market Analysis for Male Condom Product

Market Analysis for Male Condom Product Introduction This report aims to explore the possible business opportunity of condom manufacturing of a Novelty Condom (Lolly), with particular emphasis on the public and private sector markets for the male condom. In considering the market for male condoms in South Africa, it is prudent to separate the discussion into public sector and private sector markets, and within these markets to consider procurement, distribution and sale of the products. Executive Summary Market / Industry/ Description (Makro) South African condom manufacturers are not competitive in the global market. This has led to their reliance on the governments condom procurement contract, which they are awarded on a preferential basis. It is as yet unclear whether government will continue to show preference to local manufacturers. If it does, this may further negatively impact the manufacturers competitiveness, and limit their market to the local public sector. If government decides to award future contracts to the most competitive bidders, some local manufacturers may go out of business. Socio Cultural There is no other product on the market apart from condoms that gives dual protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, as well as protection against unplanned pregnancy. In South Africa, the burden of STIs and HIV is enormous. The Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), (source: www.actuarialsociety.org.za) has developed a demographic and AIDS model (latest ASSA 2003) that makes use of data from several sources to project the potential course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the demographic impact that it is having. According to the latest version of the model, some 5.4 million South Africans were infected with HIV in mid-2006. The has escalated to 5, 934, 183 in 2007 (source: Quantec Database and ECSSEC Analysis, 2009). The model further indicates that prevalence is higher for women in the 15-34 age groups, while it is higher for men in the older ages. Furthermore, the ASSA model predicts that the number of people infected will continue to rise, to exceed 6 million by 2015. Accumulated AIDS deaths will be close to 5.4 million by the same year. In terms of incidence, i.e. the number of new infections occurring, the 15-24 year age group, and particularly women, contributes the highest numbers of new infections. Biology, gender roles, sexual norms and inequalities in access to resources and decision-making power put women and girls at greater risk of infection. Many women have insufficient information about sexual and reproductive health and do not understand the risks associated with their own or their partners sexual behaviour. Many of those who do recognise their vulnerability are powerless to protect themselves. Other STIs also take their toll. In South Africa, the prevalence of STIs is estimated to range from 5% to over 30% in various population sub-groups and localities depending on the type of STI (source: ASSA and Quantec Database). It is important to note that, in addition to the disease and disability STIs themselves cause, they also increase the risk of acquiring HIV during intercourse as a result of inflammation and ulceration. Male condoms are widely available in South Africa, both through public sector condom distribution programmes as well as for sale through retail outlets. The range of products available in the private sector is broad, catering for various user sizes, as well as other novel user preferences such as taste, colour and texture (Our target market: Novel Condom User). The availability of female condoms is much more limited. And finally, although this is a practice and not a product, male circumcision has recently received a lot of attention as research has shown that the practice can reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Although this method cannot be used on its own to prevent HIV transmission, there are concerns in some quarters that miscommunication about the link between male circumcision and HIV transmission could potentially result in the practice being used as a substitute for condom use. Adapted from: Outlook, May 2006 Economic Employment potential Condom manufacturing is both capital and labour intensive. In particular, the sampling and testing of batches of condoms, which is a critical component of the manufacturing process, is facilitated by hand. In Thailand, which is one of the worlds leading exporters of condoms, it has been found that young women are best suited to this work as it is repetitive, precise and requires a high degree of speed and dexterity. The incumbent local manufacturers employ an average of 100 people. A new condom manufacturing facility could thus potentially provide employment for up to 100 semi-skilled young women.The following inputs are required to set up a male condom manufacturing facility. Legal In South Africa there are no compulsory regulations governing the manufacturing and testing of condoms. The Department of Health, as the primary purchaser of locally manufactured condoms, acts as an indirect regulator of the industry by requiring that all public sector male condoms be designed and manufactured according to technical specifications set by the World Health Organisation. These specifications include design, performance and packaging requirements, as well as general requirements that specify the safety of constituent materials and other characteristics, such as shelf life. In addition public sector condoms, irrespective of whether they are made locally or imported from overseas, need to be tested to the same quality standards and approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Outside of the public sector, manufacturers may apply to the SABS for a â€Å"standardization mark† to illustrate that their product complies with the SABS requirements. Compliance with the standard is however voluntary and not compulsory. Technological Political Competitor Review The South African condom manufacturing industry is an oligopoly made up of four companies, whose main customer is the Department of Health. The manufacturing facilities operate at or below their total production capacity, and further capacity will be created by the end of 2007. This points to a saturated industry that would not welcome a new entrant. Table 5 below is a summary of the operations of the four manufacturers. Table 3: Local manufacturers of male condoms Company Rrt Medcon Zalatex Karex Wupro Date established 2001 1990 2001 1999 Location Kwazulu-Natal Gauteng Mpumalanga Kwazulu-Natal Products manufactured Male condom Male condom Examination gloves Surgical gloves Male condom Male condom Linen savers Diapers Choice condom (pieces per year) 63,750 000 38,250 000 72,250 000 38,250 000 Own brand condom (pieces per year) Viva (â€Å"small Positions African Skin (â€Å"very small quantities†) Carex (1,200 000) Socially marketed condoms (pieces per year) Lovers Plus Trust (10,000 000) Export (pieces per year) Carex (1,000 000) Ad hoc Total manufacturing capacity (pieces per year) 180,000 000 72,000 000 150,000 000 40,000 000 Employees 106 110 160 60 Competing products: There are currently no other products that have been developed for men to protect against STIs, HIV and pregnancy. The male condom remains the primary prevention tool for men. Newer forms of male condoms include synthetic non-latex condoms made from materials such as polyurethane and styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS), which have a longer shelf life, can be used with oil-based lubricants, and can be used by men who have latex sensitivity/allergy. These products are however not readily available in South Africa. Foreign manufacturers In addition to competition from other local manufacturers, foreign manufacturers of male condoms are also important role-players in the South African market. A review of data from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) of all the foreign manufactured condoms available in South Africa shows that India, China and Malaysia are the key competing countries. Table 7 below illustrates the share of the total Rand value of imported condoms for the key competing countries. Table 5: Percentage share of imports by country 2006 Country Rand value of imports % of total imports China 21,045 189 35.94 Malaysia 13,948 863 23.82 India 5,192 677 8.87 Source: SA Customs Excise The key competitive advantages of the foreign manufacturers include: * Proximity to raw material (natural rubber latex) * Competitive labour costs * Output typically greater that 450 million pieces per year, so can benefit from economies of scale. Product Price Expected margins: A manufacturer in the industry can expect to realise profit margins between 5% and 20% (General Manager, Karex). Below is an illustration of the estimated revenues for Karex. Table 4: Case study Karex Condom type Number of pieces sold Selling price (R/piece) Revenue Choice 72,250 000 R0.20 R14,659 525 Lovers Plus + Trust 10,000 000 R0.50 R5,000 000 Carex (export) 1,000 000 R0.90 R900 000 Carex (retail) 1,200 000 R1,00 R1,200 000 Total revenue R21,759 525 Given that all male latex condoms are essentially similar in terms of their manufacturing process, it stands to reason that volumes are a major determinant of the margins that a manufacturer can realise. Therefore in the current market, a manufacturer would need to have Government as a client in order for their operation to be viable. Table 2: Average price charged per 3-pack of condoms Condom Brand Average price per 3-pack Lovers Plus R7.20 Trust R5.33 Durex R24.99 Lifestyle R9.95 Distribution Promotion Company Image /Brand Suppliers Management Skills and Resources Larry Davin CEO – PHD in Nothing Khuthele Bovu Director – PHD in business science marketing and Finance ECT ECT Core Competencies SWOT Analysis The above analysis should enable us to determine what variables will have an effect on the success or failure of the business. Potential Internal strengths and weaknesses have been looked at as well as external opportunities and threats. Ansoff Market Matrix Key Issues and New Opportunities. 5 Points to be determined from the Ansoff Matrix MARKETING OBJECTIVES (Must be SMART) PMS objectives Marketing objectives Objectives from new opportunities and key issues. 3.3.1 Male condom manufacturing A new entrant into the male condom manufacturing industry in South Africa would face a saturated industry in which a handful of companies operate. Furthermore a new entrant would need to compete with foreign manufacturers who are able to achieve cost-competitiveness through scale, cheaper labour and ready access to raw material. As government is the most significant customer in the market, failure to secure a contract with the DoH would jeopardise the viability of any operation. In addition, the requirement for a manufacturer to demonstrate existing capacity would mean setting up a facility at risk, with no certainty of securing the major customer. In the retail environment, the manufacturer would need to compete with well established brands such as Durex and Lifestyle. South Africa is a net importer of male and female condoms. Import s from the three primary source countries of latex condoms are shown in the table below. South Africa also imports from other countries such as the UK, Thailand, Germany and Korea. Table 9: Imports to South Africa of rubber sheath contraceptives (Rand value) Import source 2004 2005 2006 Total imports 79,023,113 59,044,723 58,556,392 China 43,002,818 29,602,084 21,045,189 Malaysia 16,101,512 12,468,383 13,948,863 India 2,606,106 6,604,586 5,192,677 Source: SA Customs Excise The Rand value of exports of condoms from South Africa is very small in comparison. Local manufacturers export primarily to other African countries. Table 10: South African exports of rubber sheath contraceptives (Rand value) Export market 2004 2005 2006 Total exports 1,826,715 2,789,604 3,111,135 Mozambique 1,456,616 1,379,926 1,646,028 Malawi 0 666 940,000 Angola 12,085 995,291 360,514 Congo 0 104,244 145,826 Source: SA Customs Excise It is important to note that these s do not only reflect the value of South African manufactured condom exports, but also those foreign manufactured condoms that are packaged in South Africa and then exported. Possible reasons for the poor export performance of South African manufacturers are discussed earlier in this report. It remains to be seen whether local manufacturers will become more competitive in the future, or whether the proposed preferential procurement of local condoms by the DoH and the degree of protection that provides to local manufacturers will further jeopardise the success of local condom products in the global market. Table 9: Inputs required – male condom factory Input required Components Infrastructure Land Construction and civil works Machinery Automatic dipping line High voltage dry electronic testing machine Condom foil sealing machine Automatic burst tester Electrolyte water test machine Tensile tester Length measuring gauge Miscellaneous condom testing laboratory equipment Other equipment and accessories Motor vehicles Generator Office equipment and accessories Materials Rubber latex Lubricant Packaging material Human resources Factory labour Management team: must have financial, production and marketing know-how. Target Market Identification Segmentation South African Market for Condoms In South Africa public sector condoms constitute the bulk of the condoms available. In 2006 approximately 428 million male condoms were distributed through public sector channels, against 36 million units sold in retail outlets. Source: Society for Family Health, 2007 With a crippled economy forcing millions of cash-strapped Americans to entertain themselves at home, its not surprising that one particular product is seeing a sales increase — condoms. (Source: www.usatoday.com). While car purchases plummeted and designer clothes mostly stayed on the racks, sales of condoms in the U.S. rose 5% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and 6% in January vs. the same time periods the previous year. (Source: The Nielsen Co). South Africans could not be outdone by their American counterparts. According to the research conducted by the IOL (www.iol.co.za), it has also been a boom time for South Africas leading condom manufacturers, with sales up 55 percent on last year. â€Å"There has been a 50-percent increase in sales, which is probably a combination of marketing activities together with the Aids message finally filtering through to consumers, said Dave Glass, general manager of Adcock, which distributes the Lifestyles and up-market Contempo brand condoms. Competitor Durex SA reported a 35-percent growth in its condom sales in the same period, according to its spokesperson J Giles. While a three-pack of Contempo condoms will cost anywhere from about R20 to R27, Glass said increased sales in the lower-priced Lifestyles brand (about R10 for 3) may have been a sign that people were willing to pay for protection in the wake of last years recall of government condoms. Government, through the Department of Health, is the key role-player in the public sector. Private sector condoms are those that are available at commercial prices from retail outlets as well as those sold at subsidized prices through social marketing programmes. The dominance of the public sector market is likely to continue into the future, given the priority and resources that government has made available towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, and also considering that the targeted end-user (mainly Black youth) generally cannot afford to pay retail prices for condoms. If a new manufacturer is to enter the South African condom market, five segments of the market will need to be assessed to determine which hold the greatest potential for future sales. Positioning and strategy Key ingredients for success The most critical ingredient for the success of a new condom manufacturer is securing the Department of Health contract. Without this, none of the other potential market segments would be sufficient to render the operation viable. innovation is important (novelty), so that a good quality product is developed which can be sold at a reasonable price. In addition, generating demand for the product is important, so substantial effort will need to be devoted to creating and promoting the appropriate marketing message for the product. Other factors that will contribute to a successful operation are: A project management team to ensure sound operations, marketing and financial control. Close co-operation with national and international organisations working in the area of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention. Furthermore, a manufacturer who is bidding for a portion of the government contract needs to show existing production capacity. This will require considerable set-up costs to be incurred, without the certainty of securing the major client. POSITIONING STRATEGY Government HIV prevention is the backbone of governments National HIV AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for South Africa 2007-2011. The primary aims of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) are to: Reduce the rate of new infections by 50% by 2011. Reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS by expanding treatment, care and support to 80% of all HIV positive people and their families by 2011. An important intervention to reduce the rate of new infections is the distribution of male and female condoms. The Department of Health (DoH) is responsible for the management of quality control and related logistics for public sector condoms. Male and female condoms are distributed free of charge to various sites. The distribution of male condoms includes hospitals and clinics as primary distribution sites, with secondary distribution extending to non-governmental organisations, workplaces, and other locations. Female condoms are distributed to selected sites and require one-on-one counselling on their use. Governments male condom distribution pattern and the projected future distribution are illustrated in the table below. The DoH procures condoms through a tender process. The current two year contract, which started in October 2005, has been extended and will expire in February 2008. The Department currently procures male condoms from all four of the local manufacturers as well as from foreign manufacturers. Table 1: Government male condom suppliers Contractor % allocated Type Unit price per 200 pieces (R) Maximum contract quantities ( ‘000 p/a) Karex 17% Local 40.58 72 250 Wupro 9% Local 43.03 38 250 rrtMedcon 15% Local 47.31 63 750 Zalatex 9% Local 41.01 38 250 Equity Distributor 17% Imported (China) 39.58 72 250 Khusela 17% Imported (Malaysia) 39.58 72 250 Supex International 16% Imported (China) 40.00 68 000 Source: Department of Health, July 2007 In the current contract, all four local manufacturers were allocated a portion of the contract, despite a wide variation between the lowest and highest prices, and despite the fact that all the locally manufactured condoms were more expensive than the imported product. Discussions with National Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) give conflicting views of how future tenders will be adjudicated. In Treasurys view, future tenders should be more stringently governed by cost-competitiveness, where the price per unit is limited to a specified range which is benchmarked against international prices. The DTI however believes that preference should be given to local manufacturers, in particular small and medium sized companies (value of assets less than R200 million). Discussions are on-going between the DoH, Treasury and the DTI. It is unlikely, though, that an agreement will be finalised before the awarding of the government condom tender in the first quarter of 2008, a nd the current preferential treatment of South African manufacturers will remain. A new manufacturer will need to show existing manufacturing capability, although there will be no minimum level of capacity that be required. The South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector is not a significant segment in the condom market, as many of the organisations active in the HIV/AIDS and reproductive health space form part of governments condom distribution channel and do not themselves procure condoms directly from suppliers. An important exception to this rule is the Society for Family Health (SFH), the South African affiliate of the international NGO network, Population Services International (PSI). PSI was founded in 1970 in Washington DC, with the intention to improve reproductive health using commercial marketing strategies. With programs in malaria, reproductive health, child survival and HIV, PSI promotes products, services and healthy behaviour that enable low-income and vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. PSI has a presence in over 60 countries around the world. In South Africa, PSI concentrates on issues related to HIV/AIDS. The organisation, through SFH, uses social marketing to motivate behaviour change with respect to consistent condom use, HIV testing, and other safer behaviours. SFH promotes consistent condom use through its own two male condom brands, Lovers Plus and Trust. The organisation procures 24 million male condoms per year from local and foreign suppliers. In addition, SFH obtains free female condoms from the DoH, which are then marketed under the Care brand and sold at retail outlets. SFH sells approximately 6000 female condoms per month. SFH also assists the DoH with the distribution of its free condoms. The organisation distributes approximately 8 million public sector male condoms per month in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Retail The retail sector accounts for 7.8% of the male condom market in South Africa. Male condoms are widely available for sale in retail outlets. The most widely available condoms are the socially marketed brands, Lovers Plus and Trust. A study carried out by PSI in November 2006 looking at coverage of Lovers Plus and Trust condoms in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg found that most areas of the three cities met the minimum standards for coverage, where coverage was defined as the number of geographically defined areas where at least 30% of outlets stock Lovers Plus and Trust. These outlets included traditional outlets such as pharmacies, top-end retailers and general dealers, as well as non-traditional outlets such as garage forecourts, hair salons and shebeens. Approximately 36 million male condoms are sold in South Africa per year, with approximately 70% of those sales being of Lovers Plus and Trust condoms. (Senior Marketing Manager, SFH). The balance of the sales is made up by Durex, Lifestyle, Contempo, and various other locally manufactured and imported condoms. Corporate The corporate sector in South Africa has woken up to the reality of the HIV epidemic. Many companies have HIV awareness and management programmes for their employees. However, although corporate HIV programmes include condom distribution as a key element, the majority of companies distribute free government condoms to their employees. A snap survey of 10 corporate members of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) found that all but one company, Chevron South Africa, distribute free Government male condoms to their employees. The companies indicated that they saw no need to buy condoms directly from suppliers when free public sector condoms were easily available. The companies do not normally distribute female condoms. Some have bought female condoms in the past for training purposes. Export South Africas export of male condoms to date has been erratic, and local manufacturers have found it difficult to find a market for their products. The global condom market is dominated by low-cost manufacturers from Thailand, Malaysia, India and China, who are located in close proximity to natural rubber latex plantations. Local manufacturers have not been able to compete. Although all four of the local manufacturers have at some point exported their product, particularly to Mozambique, Malawi, Angola and Congo Brazzaville, at present only Karex exports condoms, about 1 million pieces per year, to Congo Brazzaville. Market Mix Strategy Target Market Strategies Global market for condoms The global condom market is estimated to be worth $3 billion, (source: www.marketresearch.com). The public sector is an important market segment globally, with between 6 and 9 billion male condom units consumed by that segment annually Though the prevention of pregnancy is still an important function of condoms, the driving force for growth is the prevention of STIs, in particular HIV/AIDS. Given the rapid spread of HIV in China, India and recently South Africa (in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa), and the large sizes of their respective populations, it is expected that annual public sector demand for condoms, both male and female, will reach 19 billion units by 2015. (Source: Female Health Company, 2007).