Promoting Content Area Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Promoting Content Area Learning - Essay Example These two were all recommended by Coleman & Goldenberg (2010). Setting objectives will benefit the students because it will help set a scope of area of learning that they must cover. Feedback will also ensure that they are receiving the right form of tuition. From this week’s learning resource, the type of grouping option that would be used to promote academic language in the students is mixed competency grouping. The rationale for selecting this type is in its ability to promoting peer learning and teaching. Very often, teenage learners of English language have been found to be more comfortable seeking extra knowledge from their peers and this grouping option would help to achieve this. It is expected that the mixed competency grouping will be effective in increasing interactions at the student level. But to ensure that interaction is also promoted between students and the tutor, efforts will be made to introduce post tuition encounter with students. This will be a special session where students having difficulty even after consulting their peers can come to the tutor for further assistance and learning support. (c) What aspects of the Opportunity to Learn (OTL) framework from this week’s Aguirre-Muà ±oz and Amabisca article could you incorporate to ensure English Language Learners have the necessary language skills to comprehend the academic content that is presented during a

Eva Smith letter Essay Example for Free

Eva Smith letter Essay My life is unbearable and torn apart, in his letter I shall leave explanations for you to discover. Once I had feelings and ambitions, all are now destroyed. Why me? I had everything going for me once, I used to look forward to the future and seize every chance. Where am I destined for now? This evil world is not fit to bring a child into. I wish I could rely on someone; at least I can rely on a bottle of disinfectant to end my existence. What you are about to read is what has driven me to suicide. My social superiors have wrecked my life. I came from the country, a girl with so much hope and aspirations but now I wish I had never set my eyes on a place called Brumley.  I worked at a factory owned by Mr.Birling, a fat arrogant cruel man. I lost my job because we, the workers, asked for a raise. The few extra shillings we wanted could have easily been afforded but he was too cold and greedy to give us better wages. I was one the leaders of a strike in September 1910, the strike failed, as we could not afford to stay out of work. The man was so horrible to me; the day that he called me up to his office to tell me that I was fired he told me something that still haunts me. As I was leaving his office he stopped me at the door and said oh Eva, you were about to be promoted, what a mess you have made of that. I now had the reputation of a troublemaker but I was really a hard working popular worker. I was in for two hard months, unemployed and black listed. It was almost impossible to find a job. In those two months I became extremely depressed and very scared of the future. Penniless, I borrowed money from friends and ate other peoples food. I couldnt believe what had happened to me. I had a stroke of luck when I got a job at Milwards, an expensive clothes shop. I had a wonderful time there; I met new people and worked hard. As you will see in this story and I quickly learned, good things dont last! On one fateful day in January 1911, Shelia Birling came into the shop. She took the anger she had against her mother out on me because I looked good in a dress and she didnt; also I think she saw me smile to another worker and mistook it as me laughing at her. She accused me of impertinence and she started to shout at me. She used her family name to get me the sack. She picked on someone who could not fight back; she knew that she was more important to Milwards than I was. Why does it have to be me living the bad conditions? At least she has a family. Why is life unfair? Again I was out of work, penniless and desperate. I wish that I could support myself. Unfortunely the only work I could get was prostitution. It was become a prostitute or starve. I am the type of person who aspires to be something not a prostitute. Unfortunately extreme times lead people to extreme measures. I had no choice.  I was at the Palace Bar, the place I used to pick up men, Joe Meggerty, an awful man who chased prostitutes, was manhandling me. A good looking, gentleman named Gerald Croft rescued me. Gerald was nice too me. He made me his mistress; it was an affair because I knew he had someone else. I loved him but he was just using me for sex. At least I lived in total luxury for six months. He ended it in September 1911, I was an inconvenience. I was absolutely heart broken. I felt so used and abandoned. He gave me money to help me for a while; Gerald was the type of man who thought money solved everything. I enjoyed the affair so much that I went off to the seaside and pretended that the affair was still on. I had been expecting it to end any way, as he did not have the same feeling I had for him. Good things never last for me. I lived on the money he gave me until November 1911. It was then back to being a prostitute, back to the Palace Bar, back to that hellish dreadful lifestyle it was so difficult because I had been away from it for so long. I wish I had never set eyes on Eric Birling. He is the son Arthur Birling. He is a bit shy but that certainly changes when he has alcohol in him. I ended up getting drunk with him. We went home together, I then told him not to come in but he threatened to cause a row. I let him in and he forced me to have sex with him; he raped me. We met often after that. Our relationship was just pleasure, he kept me for sex, we had no feelings for each other. I worked as a prostitute for Eric; it was better, I suppose, than having to work for the likes of Joe Meggerty, as Eric was a young man. I found out, to my horror, that because of Eric raping me I was pregnant with his child. I was so scared when I found out that I was having a child, I fell into a world of despair unable to escape. Where would the money come from to feed the child? I was beginning to really worry about the future. I was stuck, no one would feel sorry for a prostitute, people would think that I had got what I deserved. I was even more frightened when I found out that the money Eric gave me was stolen. I couldnt take the money anymore, as I am a truthful and honest person. I didnt see Eric again after that. I dont hate Eric for what he did; I just think that he should learn that there are more things to life than drinking. I was frightened and alone, my only choice was to beg for money from the Brumely Womens Charity Organization. The chairperson was Sybil Birling, wife of Arthur Birling, a cold-hearted woman. She refused me help because she didnt like me. I told her that my name was Mrs. Birling, I thought I should have the right to that name but she thought that I was being rude towards her. Perhaps she did not want the name Birling being brought into disrepute. She took me to a back room and I explained to her that the father of the child was giving me money but the money was stolen and I couldnt take it anymore. She said that some one as low as me would not have airs and graces like that; she thought that poor people did not have feelings and morals, that we were animals. I deserved that bit of help she could have given me, especially as it would have supported her grandchild. There is now nothing I can do; Im the lowest of the low. I have gone without food for days. Why did they have to reject my plea for help? How can Mrs. Birling be so cold hearted? Why do I have I to live this worthless existence, trapped in misfortune? I am now in total despair.  I have found out that this world is cruel and unfair. This town, this world is not the type of place that I would like to bring a child up in. I must end this for both of us. I am a victim of others lack of morals. I know Ill go to heaven because I have served my time in hell.

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay Justice is the quality of being just or fair. Justice can also be looked upon as the judgment involved in the determination of rights and the assignment of rewards and punishments. Justice can also be the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity (Princeton Web 2010). Individuals may look at justice many different ways, but what factors play into deciding what truly is justice? Must you look at fairness in order to be just, must you look at rationality, or even equality and liberty? There will always be debates about how to achieve justice. But due to so many factors being involved, we may never understand what justice truly is. I believe that in order for one to be just, or even to make a just decision on a matter that factors such as rationality, fairness, human rights, and the well being of all parties involved must be taken into account. But this is just my opinion many of todays philosophers often argue what it mean s to be just or even to achieve a completely just state in our society, along with the decisions we make on a daily basis. To call attention to a specific philosopher, Amartya Sen undoubtedly makes a solid stance on what justice truly means. The Idea of Justice is Amartya Sens assessment of political philosophy. He explores what justice really means and has come up with alternatives to the existing model. Sens philosophic arguments are shown by an exceptional set of stories drawn from literature, history, and current events occurring in our society today. There are not many main thoughts of the book, but the thoughts presented are revisited throughout each chapter, to help the reader see the bigger picture. You must be able to examine each idea Sen presents in his text, as they all come together, when being able to achieve complete justice. Although justice may never fully be reached entirely in any society, Sen does an amazing job giving examples and putting each of his arguments in basic text, so that it is easy for the reader to understand what he is talking about. The specific philosophic arguments of the book are highly important when it comes to the ideas of justice. The Idea of Justice is divided into four main pa rts. Part one contains several of Sens most important thoughts throughout the book. They include, reason objectivity, institutions persons, voice social choice, impartiality objectivity, and closed open impartiality. In part two, forms of Reasoning, Sen discusses a number of themes including rationality, plurality of impartial reasons, and rationality other people. Part three contains information on the capabilities approach, lives, freedoms capabilities, and equality liberty. The final part of Sens text speaks to public reasoning democracy, including sections on justice the world, human rights global imperatives, the practice of democracy, and democracy as public reason. Throughout each of these main sections Sens argues very strong points, I will try to give you a summary of the main points throughout each chapter of Sens book along with where he stands on certain topics and how I can relate and feel about what he believes. To call your attention to the preface/introduction, Sen specifically states that what he is presenting here, is a theory of justice which aims to clarify how we can proceed to address questions of enhancing justice and removing injustice, rather than to offer resolutions of questions about the nature of perfect justice (Sen IX). The Introduction elaborates on two approaches to justice, which include the comparativist framework the social contract framework. The comparativist framework is presented using the realization comparison approach. The realization approach prioritizes the social understanding of advancing justice and removing injustice in real societies with their existing institutions. The social contract framework is presented using the transcendental institutionalism approach which was led by the works of Thomas Hobbes. The transcendental institutionalism approach concentrates on perfect justice and the institutions that would be recognized in such a perfectly just societ y. There are two distinct problems indentified here which Sen engages. First it concentrates its attention on what it identifies as perfect justice, rather than on relative comparisons of justice injustice (Sen 6). Sen goes on to explain that this approach tries to only identify social characteristics that cannot be transcended in terms of justice, and its focus is thus not on comparing feasible societies, all of which may fall short of the ideals of perfection. Also it is intended to identify the nature of the just, rather than finding an alternative being less unjust than another. The second major issue with this approach is described by Sen Saying that in searching for perfection, transcendental institutionalism concentrates primarily on getting the institutions right, and it is not directly focused on the actual societies that would ultimately emerge. We need to focus on how change within the actual society is going to be completed, not by getting institutions perfect to the point that they are just institutions. This would do nothing for emerging societies we need to look at society as whole in order to achieve perfect justice by not having only perfectly just institutions. People are sti ll going to act how they choose as well as behave how they choose, so we must focus on society as whole. The nature of the society that would result from any given set of institutions must, of course, depend also on non-institutional features, such as actual behaviors of people and their social interactions (Sen 6). I do agree with Sen in this theory of justice, it should first and foremost, serve as a basis for practical reasoning. Chapter one is to defend a notion of objectivity in our average thoughts of justice.   Sen argues for the idea that we should understand reason as the final judge of our ethical beliefs. One must be able to justify and understand his reasoning by critically evaluating reasoning for ethical beliefs. The necessity of relying heavily on reason is important as Sen describes in his work. Sen says, the case for reasoned scrutiny lies not in any sure-fire way of getting things exactly right (no such way may exist), but on being objective as we reasonably can (Sen 40). Sen believes that one must be able to rely on reason in order to fully justify and decide on our ethical beliefs. I must agree with Sen on this point, when he argues that this approach is not going to be one that will allow and individual to get things exactly right, but allow us to be as objective as we possibly can. By scrutinizing your own reasoning, it is highly probable that you will arrive at the best possible ethical decision. We should not get caught up in being overconfident in the decisions of our own reasoning, as this could add flaws to our decisions. The remedy for bad reasoning lies in better reasoning, and it is indeed the job of reasoned scrutiny to move from the former to the latter (Sen 49). This quote explains it all, it is imperative that one must critically scrutinize his/her own reasoning for a decision, and that without this scrutiny theres great chance for bad reasoning. To avoid this, one must critically scrutinize his/her reasoning of choice or decision. Moving to another argument from Sen, I share the following quote. Justice is rooted in fairness and fairness can be broadly be seen as a demand for impartiality (Sen 54). In order for one to be completely just, the decision must be rational and fair, if a decision is not looked upon as being fair for all parties, you arrive at issues of impartiality. Sens gives his example of three children and a flute, all children having a rational reason as to why they deserve the flute. But if there is not a common vested interest on one solid set of principals between all parties, we run into an issue of what the true just decision is. Institutionally, we cannot address such issues as these. Individuals still have their own morals and values and going to make their own decisions regardless of what is taught. One of the most difficult things is to change an individuals moral values and beliefs, institutionally this cannot be done. Values as these are usually learned at the home-base from parents and guardians and are instilled in us from a very young age. It i s imperative that we do not look at what truly is a just society in order to achieve a just society. As actions such as these will get our society nowhere Sen looks at the social choice theory as an approach to justice as well. Social choice theory is concerned with the relationships between people, their preferences social choice. For example a group of individuals such as a committee making a decision in a voting process, individuals in the group may have different preferences over options that are available to them. This approach deals with the principles of aggregations of preference. Aggregation of social choice may be impossible if the process of choice is to satisfy a set of reasonable conditions. With such reasonable conditions, this could alter the general consensus of a social choice being made by such a committee or group. Even some very mild conditions of reasonable sensitivity of social decision to what the members of society want cannot be simultaneously satisfied by any social choice procedure that can be described as rational and democratic (Sen 93). We can however, become more informally sensitive, if we choose to jus t try and do better rather than to meet the criteria of being fully rational or just. One may use social choice theory as a framework for reasoning, rather than to try and use it completely to achieve justice. Position of observation and knowledge is another important approach Sen discusses in his work. What we observe depends on our position by means of the things that we observe. What individuals decide to believe is based on what we view. How one decides to act relates to his/her beliefs on a particular subject. Observations, beliefs, and actions are vital to understanding and arriving at sensible reasoning. To Sen, Objectivity is a position-dependent phenomenon (Sen 157). This issue [positionality] is quite important for the formulation of a theory of justice and, more specifically, for exploring a theory that gives a special role to public reasoning in the understanding of the demands of justice (Sen 167). It is important here to understand that there is no single way to master a way of making sense of the world or our experience in it. No decision made could ever be rationalized in every single persons mind, something such as this is physically not possible. There are just too many d ifferent people in our society today for that to be able to happen. There will always be a flaw in certain reasoning in some persons view. There is just no way, that every single person in the world would be satisfied with a decision, because we all observe, understand, and put reason into different perspectives. Some placing more weight on rational choice, critical scrutiny, positional objectivity, reasonable behaviors sustainable reason when it comes to making a decision. There are just too many approaches for everyone to be able to agree. So we must take into account all perspectives of others when it comes to justice and just decision making, as Sen states, we must be sensitive to others (206). Respect of others views is exceedingly important here. To move forward, the capabilities approach is also a major theme within the work. The capabilities approach focuses on human lives, and not just on the resources people have, in the form of owning or having use of objects of convenience that a person may possess (Sen 253). The approach emphasizes purposeful capabilities substantive freedoms, such as the ability to engage in economic transactions, or participate in political activities. Poverty is understood as capability deficiency in Sens view. The emphasis is not only on how human beings actually operate but also on their having the capability to do so, which is a practical choice, to operate in important ways if thats what they choose to do. Someone could be stripped of such capabilities in many ways. Ignorance, government oppression, lack of financial resources, and false comprehension, are ways in which one may be stripped of such capabilities. Possession of capabilities strongly implies a responsibility for making use of the m to help others when possible, especially when it comes to the less fortunate. If someone has the power to make a difference that he or she can see will reduce injustice in the world, then there is a strong and reasoned argument for doing just that (Sen 271). If you can see that your capabilities go beyond that of the less fortunate by any means, and that they can be used in any positive manner weather be financial or emotional, I believe that there is no doubt that one should be obligated to reduce injustice in some way shape or form if at all possible. Again this only being an approach, this is not the end all-be all in deciding justice, but undoubtedly can make a difference, and I would have to agree. In basic terms, if you are capable, than you should do something to reduce injustice. I dont feel that you are obligated to do so, but any reduce in injustice, is a step in the right direction. Sen goes on to support the idea that democracy is a universal value, he differentiates between the institutional structure of the contemporary practice of democracy, which is largely the product of European and American experience over the last few centuries (Sen 322-323). In my opinion, one should not assume that because a particular type of institutional structure is up and running, such as elections, voting being counted properly, and etc, that a satisfactory level of democracy has been achieved. Sen believes that having too much institutional focus on democracy has caused particular trouble at the global level. Sen believes that, an uncont rolled media is important to the operation of democratic societies. Sen explains in the text that this contributes to human security by giving a voice to the defenseless and deprived by subjecting the government to criticism from such individuals. I believe this power is key I giving people courage, power, and the ability to express feelings towards actions that are being taken. We sort of put power in the hands of individuals who are not as capable as other, which I do agree with also, because this is a simple way in which we can empower individuals to voice opinions in a manner which may not fall on death ears as usual. We can place emphasis on individuals human rights here, which an important factor concerning human rights is to protect individuals freedoms, thus freedom of speech freedom of press being highly important. Sen says that human rights are moral rights, strong ethical pronouncements as to what should be done (357). According to Sen, reasoning concerning justice should not be restricted to one state or population, but rather be global. If the importance of public reasoning has been one of the major concerns of this book, so has been the need to accept the plurality of reasons that may be sensibly accommodated in an exercise of evaluation (Sen 394). We must look at every possible angle that the book discusses in order to find an answer to the idea of what justice truly is. If you cannot effectively rationalize all aspects of the idea of what justice is, it will be difficult for you to be able to ever understand what justice is. As Sen states the reasons may sometimes compete with each ot her in persuading us in one direction or another in a particular assessment, and when they yield conflicting judgments, there is an important challenge in determining what credible conclusions can be derived, after considering all argument (Sen 394). Which I most certainly agree with, it would in fact be a difficult task to determine a credible solution, but it is imperative that you must consider all of the arguments at hand.

Agrarian Discontent In The Late 1800s :: essays research papers

"Why the Farmers Were Wrong" The period between 1880 and 1900 was a boom time for American politics. The country was for once free of the threat of war, and many of its citizens were living comfortably. However, as these two decades went by, the American farmer found it harder and harder to live comfortably. Crops such as cotton and wheat, once the bulwark of agriculture, were selling at prices so low that it was nearly impossible for farmers to make a profit off them. Furthermore, improvement in transportation allowed foreign competition to materialize, making it harder for American farmers to dispose of surplus crop. Finally, years of drought in the midwest and the downward spiral of business in the 1890's devastated many of the nation's farmers. As a result of the agricultural depression, many farm groups, most notably the Populist Party, arose to fight what farmers saw as the reasons for the decline in agriculture. During the last twenty years of the nineteenth century, many farmers in the United States saw monopolies and trusts, railroads, and money shortages and the demonetization of silver as threats to their way of life, though in many cases their complaints were not valid. The growth of the railroad was one of the most significant elements in American economic growth. However, in many ways, the railroads hurt small shippers and farmers. Extreme competition between rail companies necessitated some way to win business. To do this, many railroads offered rebates and drawbacks to larger shippers who used their rails. However, this practice hurt smaller shippers, including farmers, for often times railroad companies would charge more to ship products short distances than they would for long trips. The rail companies justified this practice by asserting that if they did not rebate, they would not make enough profit to stay in business. In his testimony to the Senate Cullom Committee, George W. Parker stated, "...the operating expense of this road...requires a certain volume of business to meet these fixed expenses....in some seasons of the year, the local business of the road...is not sufficient to make the earnings...when we make up a train of ten of fifteen cars of local freight...we can attach fifteen or twenty cars...of strictly through business. We can take the latter at a very low rate than go without it." Later, when asked the consequences of charging local traffic the same rate as through freight, Mr.

Past, Present, and Future Trends Essay

Policing as defined by Merriam Webster is to control, regulate, or keep in order by the use of police. Since the early years of its existence, policing has taken on several changes some historically. Policing has made momentous changes since its implementation. Policing has changed form a one sheriff community to a multi-agency department of law enforcement officials sworn to protect and serve. The changes made in policing have varied from race and gender. The development of policing within each level of government has proven to be an every growing entity with major obstacles. The changes in criminal activity, the age of those breaking the law, and the changing laws has made policing and ever changing agency. Past trends like gangs always have been an issue, but pose serious challenges for law enforcement today. â€Å"More and more juveniles are transferred to adult court systems, greater demands will be placed on correctional institutions and their staff (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009, pg. 3, Para 5)†. With the threat of urban terrorism, these aggressive gangs control the social lives of many neighborhoods, becoming more of a threat than foreign terrorists (Muraskin & Roberts, 2009) Past trends like the large use of illegal drugs that are still causing high incarceration rates is proving that incarceration is not working. These offenders, which were incarcerated for these crimes once released relapse into the same criminal behavior, leaving many victims behind. There have been several changes in policing from the mid 1800s. With the continued changes and growth within many communities, the law enforcement community needed to change and grow with the communities. There were many changes that needed to take place to serve the community and society. Many changes have occurred from the 1960s on into the 1990s. One major change in policing has been the representation of African American officers in many police departments (Walker, Katz, Ch.2). The process to the present policing was a slow and effective process, which has changed over the years to create a more effective policing system. To this day, in many communities there are problems within policing. The present problems still include corruption and many political influences from within the community. Policing today has become more effective with little discrimination. The future produces many different avenues for change in police organizations. Technology has grown, times have changed and people are different today when it comes down to policing in the United States. Almost everything will be digital, accurate and there will no longer be a need for as many officers. The use of our satellites in space will be more common and crime will be detected easier and response times will be faster. The communication with fellow officers will be better. With the future so bright, technology evolving by the day, policing organization can only progress. This will also have a positive impact on the community and maybe it will place trust in our judicial system again. . The changes policing has endured over the course of years has evolved policing into a multifunctional agency of dedicated men and women who have promised to protect and serve. For policing to be effective, agencies of the criminal justice system must continue to work hand-in-hand to provide the best protection for its citizens. Policing will be ever changing because of the differences of criminal activity presented and by the type of criminals involved. Reference: Chapter 2 The History of the American Police by, Samuel Walker, Charles M. Katz https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/TOC.aspx?assetdataid=a8b78864-484e-4b62-b701-f4fe1ceab16e&assetmetaid=861d2838-2f16-4997-b003-4b80c855c78b

1B Intro and Syllabus Professor Ramos Blog

1B Intro and Syllabus Intro to Course Intro to Course Welcome to English 102, Intermediate Composition and Critical Thinking. From the name, we can tell that this course focuses on two things. One, more advanced writing techniques, building on what you have learned in English 101. Two, Critical Thinking. This is just an introduction to Critical Thinking, since this is a lifelong pursuit. We split the course up into to Units, Critical Media Engagement and Critical Monster Theory. The first half of the course will be an introduction to critical thinking and practicing those concepts by applying them to media. The second half of the semester will be learning theory, Monster Theory, and using it to analyze and understand our culture. We will learn critical thinking, reading, and writing and then we will apply theory to the world around us. Writing Approach The way I like to approach the teaching of writing is through  Genre. You may know genres from music and movies. Just like those, there are many different writing genres that we can use. We will be focusing on four genres for this course. In the intro to critical thinking unit we will write: Proposal Rhetorical Analysis For the monster theory we will write: Evaluation of a monster Causal Analysis of a monster We will learn more about each genre as we are working on them. All four of these genres are research based argumentative papers. They each ask you to do specific work. You will be graded on how well you write the genre, and the five criteria we come up with together. Every essay will require the same two categories: Critical Thinking Clarity of Writing The third, fourth, and fifth categories for grading we will come up with together. Ice Breaker Quick Write What is critical thinking? Write for two minutes. Syllabus Any questions on the syllabus? Ice Breaker Name Major Interesting Fact Do you like to read or write? What is Critical Thinking? Quality of Thinking, Quality of Life 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living Through Critical Thinking Critical thinking, in a rich sense of the term, is self-guided disciplined thought that attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fairminded way. From our textbook. Critical comes from the Greek word  krinein, meaning â€Å"to separate, to choose†; above all, it implies  conscious  inquiry (4). Conscious also means to be awake or aware. This suggests that by examining our reasoning, we can understand the basis of our judgments and decisions – ultimately, so that we can make better ones. According to Google: Critical Thinking – the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment. Four Defining Traits of a Game Goal. The outcome that the players will work to achieve. It focuses attention and gives you a sense of purpose. Rules. Limitations on how to achieve the goal. It will unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking. Feedback System. Tells players how close they are to achieving their goal. Provides motivation to keep playing. Voluntary Participation. Requires that you knowingly accept the goal, rules, and the feedback. You have the freedom to enter and leave the game at will. With these four ideas in mind, how can we apply this to college? Ignorance According to our textbook, to think critically, you must question not only the beliefs and assumptions of others, but also one’s own beliefs and assumptions (5). â€Å"Most of us assume whatever we believe to be â€Å"right.† Though we were taught much of what we believe before we could critically analyze our beliefs, we nevertheless defend out beliefs as  the truth† (Elder and Paul). Vocabulary Ignorance  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  lack of knowledge or information. Intellectual Arrogance  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the tendency to confidently assert as true what you do not in fact know to be true. Intellectual Humility  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  awareness of the extent of your ignorance. People with a high degree of intellectual humility understand that there is far more that they will  never  know that they will  ever  know (Elder and Paul). Acknowledge that you may be wrong, until you find sufficient evidence to prove your belief. Notice when you argue if you are justifying your beliefs. Do you have evidence? Question your beliefs, especially religious, cultural, or political. Research from multiple perspectives. Explore new beliefs.

Hinduism and its practice

Hinduism and its practice Free Online Research Papers The fundamental concept of Hinduism is the belief in the ultimate reality called Brahman, (universal soul) and its identification with the Ataman, (individual soul). (http://hinduism.ygoy.com/hinduism/religion.php) Another thing that the people who practice Hinduism believe is that all creatures go through a continuous cycle of birth and rebirth. This is called reincarnation. Another belief that they have which makes up the religion is the principle of Karma. Karma ties in directly with reincarnation because in the Hindu religion it is believed that your Karma directly affects your next life cycle, positively or negatively. (Jayaram) The main god of Hinduism is Brahman. Other worshipped gods include, Shiva, Vishnu, and Shakathi. The cow is considered a holy animal in Hinduism. In the Hindu religion they have different symbols. Two of them are the Tilaka and Bindi. Hindus traditionally wear a mark on their forehead and other parts of the body, in different forms. Hindu women wear a decorative dot on their forehead, which is called Bindi. Sometimes Hindus wear holy ash called Vibhuti also. Aum is the sacred symbol which represents the absolute reality, Brahman. This can be seen in all mantras and prayers. It represents God in its three aspects- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Another noble and auspicious symbol is Swastika, which stands for purity of the soul. The four directions, which had been shown in the symbol, represent four Vedas and their harmonious existence. (http://hinduism.ygoy.com/hinduism/religion.php) The Hindu’s worship is basically reserved for idols. Hinduism is associated with many symbols and icons and these symbols get their meanings from mythology, scriptures and cultural traditions. Every symbols and icons have a sacred implication. There is one more thing that most of the pious Hindus utter during worshipping, that is Sanskrit â€Å"Mantra†. â€Å"Mantra† is actually an invocation to God including prayer, praise, devotion and dedication and through its sound and chanting style it takes one’s mind to the holy and divine thoughts. (http://hinduism.ygoy.com/hinduism/religion.php) Being that Hinduism is so old, Those who grow up in Hindu families are steeped in ancient traditions and beliefs from infancy on and they are much more alike than dissimilar. It therefore has a profound influence on cultural Hindus as well as on those who convert into it. People who practice the Hindu religion try to spread their religion by teaching their children or others about Hinduism. This helps keep the religion strong. There are sixteen religious holidays that are honored by the central government so that everyone can leave work to join the festival of worshipers. Most of the Hindu festivals express spirituality in its happiest parts. These festivals also help keep the religion alive. Almost every individual that practices Hindu usually finds to place him or herself to a Guru, also known as a spiritual teacher. The title guru is applied to venerable spiritual guides. Gurus do not declare themselves as teachers; people are drawn to them because they have achieved spiritual st atus to which the seekers aspire. Gurus are often regarded as enlightened or fully realized individuals. A guru does not provide academic instruction. A Guru gives advice, example, and encouragement to those seeking enlightenment or realization. (mypurohith.com/Epics/Hindu_Manners.asp) Being that Hindu’s do not believe in Heaven or Hell their liberation from Earthly greatly depends on their reincarnation. The status of the next life in the Hindu religion greatly depends on your Karma. How you act here dictates how your next life will be. *References* (http://hinduism.ygoy.com/hinduism/religion.php) (mypurohith.com/Epics/Hindu_Manners.asp) (indiadivine.org/articles/39/1/Hinduism-and-the-Sacred-Cow/Page1.html Research Papers on Hinduism and its practiceCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XGenetic EngineeringRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

The eNotes Blog The Life and Legacy of SylviaPlath

The Life and Legacy of SylviaPlath photo via vintag.es Sylvia Plath is one of the most iconic writers of the 20th century. For decades, her confessional style of writing has captivated readers with its raw emotion and prolific language. This October, Plath would have turned 86 years old. We thought there was no better way to start Plath’s birthday month than with a look back at the trials and triumphs of her brief life. Early Life Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her writing career began at the early age of eight after her father died from a long battle with diabetes. This event inspired Plath to use writing as an outlet for her grief. The earliest evidence of Plath’s published works are found around 1950 when she won several newspaper contests and published her first story, â€Å"And The Summer Will Not Come Again,† in Seventeen magazine. Plath went on to attend Smith College where she continued to pursue writing and became a student editor of Mademoiselle magazine. Despite her early success as a writer, Plath battled severe depression, making constant suicide attempts from the time she was twenty years old. Plath traveling in Venice | photo via 2.bp.blogspot.com Adulthood Published Poetry Upon graduating, Plath moved to Cambridge, England, on a Fulbright Fellowship. While there, she met and married the English poet Ted Hughes. The couple briefly moved back to Massachusetts where Plath continued her studies with poet Robert Lowell. Plath’s first collection of poems titled, The Colossus and Other Poems  was published in 1960. Plath and Hughes eventually moved back to England, where Plath gave birth to two children. After six years of marriage, Plath’s husband left her for another woman. Many of the poems Plath wrote during this time are compiled in her book Ariel. In 1963, Plath published an autobiographical novel titled The Bell Jar under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. In the novel, Plath disguises her family and friends as fictional characters, which gave them no indication of the depression she was constantly experiencing. Plath with her daughter, Frieda and her son, Nicholas | photo via dailymail.co.uk Final Days   On the morning of February 11, 1963, Plath died by suicide in the kitchen of her London home. Her ex-husband, Ted Hughes, became her literary executor. He published several of her works annually, including Ariel in 1965. Hughes also went on to publish The Collected Poems, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1982. Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath December 1959 | photo via 4.bp.blogspot.com Her Legacy   The greatest impact of Sylvia Plath’s life work comes with her legacy. She is a pioneer of her craft and has inspired countless artists to showcase vulnerability through their work. In many ways, Plath was ahead of her time. She recognized the societal expectations of a 1950s female but was not afraid to speak out against issues of patriarchy and domesticity. Plath was a voice not only for females but for individuals suffering from mental illness. She validated unacknowledged emotions that came from the ideologies indoctrinated into her generation. She transformed her own life experiences into universal ones that continue to resonate with readers to this day. Many individuals agree that The Bell Jar feels so timely decades after it was written, with Catherine LaSota from electricliterature.com explaining, â€Å"The disassembly of the patriarchy is a painfully slow process. I believe that the time in your life in which you read a book will affect your take on the book, and I can certainly say that I read The Bell Jar very aware of the current Trumpian political climate. Parts of the book read like a rallying cry for women to take charge, and in this way I found The Bell Jar to be quite empowering.† It’s difficult to say what Sylvia Plath could have accomplished beyond thirty. The themes Plath explores throughout her writing are the same topics in contemporary conversations, demonstrating the relevance and immortality of her work. I think we can only hope that Sylvia Plath would have found a sense of peace with her life and would have continued to share her words with the world. photo via vintag.es If you like Plath, check out these free texts on Owl Eyes: Dead Love by Elizabeth Siddal warns an innocent audience about the inevitable loss of love. Orchard by Hilda (H.D) Doolittle juxtaposes vibrant imagery with allusions to Puritan ideology. The Garden by Hilda (H.D) Doolittle is a vivid metaphor illustrating the oppressive forces of power. Worn Out by Elizabeth Siddal features a speaker battling the complexities of giving and receiving love. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is written as a woman’s secret diary as she’s locked in a room, forced into a â€Å"rest cure.†

Chemistry Today Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chemistry Today - Article Example As a result, the article further highlights that the unusual gel ageing experience is achieved from the polymer’s flexibility degree, which is equivalent to the natural body tissue. The watery substance in the hydrogel helps with the repairs of tissues and cells of the ageing persons to restore wrinkled skin units (Draper, McDonald and Adams 2015, n.p). The article is educative since the authors give instances where the characteristics of hydrogel are important considerations when producing gel ageing. The authors also offer other essential applications of the hydrogel such as the absorption and removal of harmful necrotic and fibrotic tissue (Draper, McDonald and Adams 2015, n.p). This implies that the weight and absorbent properties enable the gel to function properly with the ageing skin particles through the removal of the fibrotic tissues. Another vital concept of the article is the author’s articulation of the formation of the hydrogel compound by analyzing the different elements of water and gel. This brings about the absorbent and low molecular nature that provides the unusual gel ageing property unlike the other

Write an appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write an appraisal - Essay Example Her skills in terms of team building are exceptional. She has the ability to create an environment that is team-oriented. She is capable of transforming a group to a team. She is also focused on strengthening the relationship among the members of her team. She is able to come up with fresh ideas that can be used to enable the improvement of the quality of the output. She strictly adheres to all the instructions provided to her formally. She also takes interest on increasing her knowledge in regards to any given job. As much as she makes she makes decisions carefully, and can solve the simple problems, she also has to learn how to solve the complex problems. I recommend enough exposure to the difficult problems for her so that she can be able to learn out of them. She needs to be exposed more to the people who are at the top management of an organization, so that she can be able to learn more on how to communicate with the top management people. She also needs to be exposed to more clients so that she can be able to develop excellent communication skills in regards to

Intelligent Exploitation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intelligent Exploitation - Case Study Example The major business challenge that Hazendal encounters is in the effective management of its complex wine production operations which includes scheduling the harvest of grapes, process management of wine production and marketing management of the final product. In spite of the huge volume of sales undertaken by Hazendal, the current data and information management systems in the organization is very primitive. It consisted of distributed databases of operations, non-inclusion of IT based management for variety of activities like grape allocation, sales data that includes the information on product, customer and region/country. At the same time, the sales invoice was issued separately using professional accounting software. Thus the fragmented style of information management led to high levels of operational inefficiency, extended delays in information transmission and inconsistency in sales and inventory reports. Besides, the company constantly conducts extensive outdoor customer retention and relationship building programs, which was very essential for the preparation of effective marketing plan. Thus to integrate its operation and to have increased efficiency and integrated operations across all departments, Hazendal Management decided t o implement a custom designed information management software. ... The essay presented here reviews two separate project phases in connection with the information management project at Hazendal. Phase I is related to the design and implementation of the vineyards management system for Hazendal and the Phase II draws the attention towards the barriers to its intelligent exploitation. Intelligent Exploitation Theory: Frameworks and Literature Review The term "Intelligent Exploitation" is coined to explain the inadequacies observed in extracting the full potential of information technology investments that have been made in the organizations (Holtham, 2008). It is observed that huge investments made by the organizations have not resulted in a significant improvement on their business or organizational management practices (Clemons et al, 1990). Also, all the earlier initiatives made across the world to improve and upgrade the technology didn't place the knowledge and information in the centre stage of all the activities (Brynjolfsson, 1991). Thus the advantages that the organizations could claim to possess towards the preparation of their growth strategies were also very insignificant. Implementations of IT tools have helped the organizations to create rich repositories of in-house data, which are not properly used for their own strategic advantage (Davern and Kauffman, 2000). In the present day circumstances the organizations n eed to be elevated to the status of creators of knowledge and thus transforming the organizations as a learning system (Dos Santos et al, 2000). But, contrary to the expectations IT investments were not able to justify the creation of specific strength within the organization to address the objectives of equipping the group to grow as

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Nursing - Assignment Example Still, the relevant efforts are not always successful, a fact that has been made clear especially in regard to equality, as related to nursing education. As noted above, two studies have been reviewed for exploring the level at which nursing education is able to promote the values of equality and diversity. The first of these studies, the one of Bartfay et al. (2010), shows ‘the societal perceptions and attitudes towards men in nursing’ (Bartfay et al. 2010, p.1). The specific study is based on a research developed in a university based in Ontario, Canada (Bartfay et al. 2010, p.1). The views of this university’s nursing and non-nursing students have been used for identifying the level at which men are welcome in nursing. The findings of the research on which the specific study is based lead to the assumption that men are not welcomed in nursing, a phenomenon that is intensive even at the level of nursing education. The second study, the one of Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos (2010) focuses on another value of nursing education: diversity. Particular emphasis is given on cultural diversity and how it can impact the qua lity of nursing education. The specific study refers to three different aspects of cultural diversity, as related to nursing education: ‘perils, pitfalls and pearls’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1). The term perils reflects ‘the issues that complicate teaching’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1); the term pitfalls is used for showing the barriers that can cause delays in nursing education schemes (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1). Finally, the term pearls reflects ‘the strategies that need to be introduced for enhancing diversity in nursing education’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1). The above study proposes a plan for promoting ‘Personal Cultural Competence among educators’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.7). The phases of this plan are

Int Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Int Trade - Essay Example As a result, these countries choose to trade domestically or locally. To note, international trade brings in more income to a country than local trade (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2009). When a country engages in international trade, it could have the greatest number of customers as well as investors. A substantial amount of income could be expected. In such case, it is proper to review the current international trade policy of the world towards an equal opportunity for countries to grow and develop. The freedom to trade or free trade shall be thoroughly discussed and analyzed. Free Trade Free trade is defined as an economic system wherein labor, goods and capital flow freely between countries without barriers that could hamper the trade process (Smith, n.d.). This means that a country could trade whatever goods and services to other nations. There is equal opportunity to trade for the participating countries. There is no barrier such as tariffs, import qu otas and taxes (Smith, n.d.). In other words, there is no intervention from the government (Anon. â€Å"What’s,† n.d.). The area in trade is open to everyone who is interested. There is no restriction of some sort. This economic policy allows foreign individuals and companies to trade smoothly and efficiently as the domestic producers (Smith, n.d.). Stated otherwise, in this system, both the foreign and domestic producers have the same autonomy with regard to trade. They both have the same rights in trading. For nations to apply this system, they make free trade agreements (FTAs). Countries actually adopt this economic policy for economic and political reasons. According to Arnold Miller (2004), there is easy â€Å"access to one another’s markets† if free trade agreement is formed. This is logical since in FTAs, members are prioritized. This is to say that a free trade agreement creates a reciprocal obligation between the members (Organisation for Economi c Co-operation and Development, 2005). A member is obliged to observe the free trade rules all throughout the life of the agreement. If a member grants free trade rights to another member, the other member is also obligated to accord the same right. In another aspect, there are countries which decide to form an FTA to encourage investment liberalization and trade (Miller, 2004). Developed and developing countries usually create FTAs under this reason. Politically, FTAs are used to reaffirm and strengthen relations between countries (Miller, 2004). For instance, the United States of America created an FTA with Israel in 1985 as a sign of economic cooperation and strong relation (Hassanien, 2010; Bard, n.d.). Basically, to make trade completely free would create an economic system wherein all types of government protection and intervention would be absent and borders would be open to â€Å"unlimited amounts of imported goods† (Anon. â€Å"What’s,† n.d.). It is con tended that the result of such trade policy would be very beneficial to developed and industrialized countries. It would be easy for such countries to introduce and market their products to the domestic producers. On the other side, as to the developing countries, allowing a trade which is completely free would cost them inequality and poverty (Anon. â€Å"What’s,† n.d.). Take for instance, countries such as Nepal, Haiti, Zambia, Peru and Mali have adopted free trade in their

The Ideal Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Ideal Society - Essay Example Thus, in this regard, it can be affirmed that the roles of criminal justice system are also getting extended with the increase in the aforesaid factors (Hargraves, 2006; Davis, 1983). The different factors that are related to an ideal society, which comprise equality, justice and liberty are found to be interrelated with each other. This can be justified with reference to the fact that in order to maintain the balance of equality amid the people in a society, justice plays an indispensable role. In this regard, justice not only tends to punish a culprit but also provides the right judgment to the right one and maintains discipline in a society. Apart from these factors, the role play by the police, respective governments and military also contribute in forming an ideal society. The government, judicial, police and military are regarded as the legal representatives that possess certain constitutional rights (Hargraves, 2006; Davis, 1983). With this concern, the essay intends to discuss about various important aspects that contribute in establishing an ideal society and also a comparison will be made amid these factors to acquire a brief understanding about the current criminal justice system prevailing in a society. While discussing about the characteristics of law as well as order in an ideal society, it will be vital to mention that the prime intent of law is to keep a particular society running with following certain effective legal guidelines. Specially mentioning, to maintain harmony in a society, both law and order needs to be maintained at the optimum level. To make an ideal society, a society needs to be crime free. Thus, to attain this objective, the notion of criminal law and criminal justice system plays an imperative role. In this modern day context, the main feature of criminal justice system is observed to be prohibiting the conduct of illegal

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Nursing - Assignment Example Still, the relevant efforts are not always successful, a fact that has been made clear especially in regard to equality, as related to nursing education. As noted above, two studies have been reviewed for exploring the level at which nursing education is able to promote the values of equality and diversity. The first of these studies, the one of Bartfay et al. (2010), shows ‘the societal perceptions and attitudes towards men in nursing’ (Bartfay et al. 2010, p.1). The specific study is based on a research developed in a university based in Ontario, Canada (Bartfay et al. 2010, p.1). The views of this university’s nursing and non-nursing students have been used for identifying the level at which men are welcome in nursing. The findings of the research on which the specific study is based lead to the assumption that men are not welcomed in nursing, a phenomenon that is intensive even at the level of nursing education. The second study, the one of Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos (2010) focuses on another value of nursing education: diversity. Particular emphasis is given on cultural diversity and how it can impact the qua lity of nursing education. The specific study refers to three different aspects of cultural diversity, as related to nursing education: ‘perils, pitfalls and pearls’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1). The term perils reflects ‘the issues that complicate teaching’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1); the term pitfalls is used for showing the barriers that can cause delays in nursing education schemes (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1). Finally, the term pearls reflects ‘the strategies that need to be introduced for enhancing diversity in nursing education’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.1). The above study proposes a plan for promoting ‘Personal Cultural Competence among educators’ (Bednarz, Schim & Doorenbos 2010, p.7). The phases of this plan are

The Ideal Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Ideal Society - Essay Example Thus, in this regard, it can be affirmed that the roles of criminal justice system are also getting extended with the increase in the aforesaid factors (Hargraves, 2006; Davis, 1983). The different factors that are related to an ideal society, which comprise equality, justice and liberty are found to be interrelated with each other. This can be justified with reference to the fact that in order to maintain the balance of equality amid the people in a society, justice plays an indispensable role. In this regard, justice not only tends to punish a culprit but also provides the right judgment to the right one and maintains discipline in a society. Apart from these factors, the role play by the police, respective governments and military also contribute in forming an ideal society. The government, judicial, police and military are regarded as the legal representatives that possess certain constitutional rights (Hargraves, 2006; Davis, 1983). With this concern, the essay intends to discuss about various important aspects that contribute in establishing an ideal society and also a comparison will be made amid these factors to acquire a brief understanding about the current criminal justice system prevailing in a society. While discussing about the characteristics of law as well as order in an ideal society, it will be vital to mention that the prime intent of law is to keep a particular society running with following certain effective legal guidelines. Specially mentioning, to maintain harmony in a society, both law and order needs to be maintained at the optimum level. To make an ideal society, a society needs to be crime free. Thus, to attain this objective, the notion of criminal law and criminal justice system plays an imperative role. In this modern day context, the main feature of criminal justice system is observed to be prohibiting the conduct of illegal

High School Students on the Job Essay Example for Free

High School Students on the Job Essay High school is an important time in life; students in high school have a lot of responsibilities. Students are beginning to drive and getting into trouble. High school students that have entered the work force have less of a chance to get in trouble. Working students also have an advantage over their peers that haven’t worked. They learn money management, social skills, and responsibility. Money management is a very important part of life. Usually once high school students start working they begin to learn the importance of money and how to spend it. Saving money is one very important life lesson that high school students can learn once they start working. Saving money can help the students save up for their future, helping with bills and possibly buying their own car. Owning a car comes with expenses oil changes, unfortunate accident, tires, gas, etc. To pay for these expenses there has to be money. There also comes a time when parents may need a little help. While working, students can help their parents with a bit of money every month. Having all of these expenses students will have to learn how to manage their money so they have some left over for themselves. Next, if high school students have a job, they learn about social skills. The most important thing is treating people politely. Thus, they need to get a better communication such as talking to each other and listening very carefully. When high school students are on the job, they have to speak correctly and courteously so their customers could get the correct information. Also they have to listen very carefully. They should know what the customers are asking. In addition, they could learn about physical demeanor. At the work place, they have to keep a friendly smile and then keep a good posture by keeping themselves upright. Further, working students can learn to take responsibilities. Time management and appearance are two important responsibilities. First, working students have to get to work on time. Also, they should manage and make balance between school, work, sleep, home, family and friends. Second, many work places have special uniforms that represents them in what position they  work. They need their workers to put these specific dresses on. Working students take this responsibility too. Students have to take care of their hygiene to go into work, which includes keeping their hair clean, shaving, cutting nails, and keeping a clean scent. Money management, social skills, and responsibility are skills that are need in life to succeed. High school students that begin working learn these skills earlier than those students that don’t. Before students become adults, they need to develop money management, social skills, and sense of responsibility, so they have been preparing to adjust themsel ves to society. Therefore, I recommend teenagers work while attending high school.

The Negative Effects Of Animated Cartoons

The Negative Effects Of Animated Cartoons What are cartoons? According to Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary (1948), a cartoon is an amusing drawing in a newspaper or magazine, especially one that comments satirically on current events. Also, it defines animated cartoon as a film made by photographing a series of gradually changing drawings, giving an illusion of movement. An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn) film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot (even if it is a very short one) (Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, 2001). AudioEnglish.net (2000) defines animated cartoon as a film made by photographing a series of cartoon drawings to give the illusion of movement when projected in rapid sequence. Then, Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia (1994) claims that originally, a cartoon was regarded as a full-size drawing used for transferring a design to a painting, tapestry, or other large work. The encyclopaedia also claims that it was in the 19th century that the term acquired its popular meaning of a humorous drawing or parody. Cartoons are not simply animated, sketched or drawn figures as unfamiliar viewers may think, they are comic constructions, ranging from mildly humorous to savagely satirical, based on current happenings and/or peoples lives (Websters Dictionary, 1972). This is where the problem comes in. What are cartoonists making children feel is funny, trivial or even of no consequence? Before the advent of the word cartoon in its modern sense in the 19th century, all sorts of funny and/or awkward drawings were referred to as caricatures. (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopaedia, 2004) The most famous figure of early times for the world of cartoons is William Hogarth created in 18th-century Britain. Honorà © Daumier, a French man, introduced text to his cartoons to convey their unspoken thoughts in the 19th century. Following this, Britains punch became the leading source of cartoons in the 19th century and then The New Yorker took the lead for the Americans (Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia, 1994). According to Museum Broadcast Communication (2008), cartoons as we know them today generally evolved in the teens, however, their growth was stifled by the fact that for every second of animation, about 25 scenes had to be drawn. This made production tedious and uneconomical. Nonetheless, Earl Hurd revolutionized the insipid industry of the era by designing the cel (a sheet of lucid celluloid) patented with Bray Studios Inc. The cel provided cartoonist with new light; they only needed to redraw the part of the cartoons that moved. Studios also discovered ways to simplify the process of animation by initially departmentalizing the steps of the process of making the cartoons and then using storyboards (little drawings of scenes that represented different sections in the cartoon) to plan cartoons. Thus, something similar to a production line was formed for producing animation, making it much more economical. Furthermore, Jerry G. Butler states that the animated cartoon industry was born with Krazy Kat created by the American George Herriman. This was followed by Pat Sullivan and Otto Mesmers Felix the cat which was the first series of the animated cartoon industry; the majority of the first animated cartoons were adapted from comics, following their earlier popularity with readers. Walt Disney, one of the early producers, was one of the first to use new technologies and devise competent modes of cartoon production. His Steamboat Willie (1928) was the first notable cartoon with harmonized sound and also his Flowers and Trees (1932) was the first to employ the tri-colour, Technicolor procedure which became the industrys primary colour scheme of the time. The major reason for the success of the cartoon industry according to the Museum Broadcast Communication (2008) was an effective distribution system. Before sound was introduced to cartoons, they were produced by smaller studios with restricted theatre access. Later on, major studios such as MGM and Warner signed distribution deals with these smaller studios gaining their distribution rights and greatly increasing the distributing power of these smaller studios. Some major studios even went on to produce their own cartoons, as the standard way of exhibiting films at the time included cartoons. Jerry Butler says that cartoons started emigrating to television around the late 1940s when Van Beuren (a smaller studio) started selling its shows to early programs for children like Movies for small fry. Disney was one of the first major studios to follow this trend posting The Mickey Mouse Club to television. Thereafter, the other major studios joined in. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopaedia (2004) says that concurrent with the vital changes for the film studios, there were also changes in the aesthetics of the cartoons that were made. Hitherto the 1950s, cartoonists in particular those working for Disney strived to achieve naturalistic figures so much so that they transformed dancer Marge Champion into Snow White. However, World War II and post World War II art movements including Pointillism cast off this natural style to nurture an approach that stressed abstract line, shape, and pattern. United Productions of America (UPA) was at the fore front of this revolution, with its first achievement coming with the Mr Magoo series in 1949 followed by its Gerald Mcboing Boing which won an Academy Award in 1951; truly setting this new style into motion. According to Wikipedia, UPAs style featured flat perspectives, imaginary backgrounds and strong primary colours all with limited animation. UPAs cartoons were simply flat in backgrounds of wide fields of colour; squiggles suggesting clouds and trees. Also, Wikipedia says that crucial for the progress of television cartoons, was the limited nature of UPAs creations summarized as, the amount of movement within the frame was greatly reduced, the motions are often repeated. A character chattering his teeth, for example, might contain only two distinct movements which are then repeated without change. Thirdly, limited animation uses less individual frames to embody a movement. Full animation might use 24 discrete frames to represent a movement that takes one second; however, limited animation might cut the number in half. The result is a faintly jerkier movement. Wikipedia noted that UPAs changes in animation which appeared to have been aesthetically inspired, also made good business sense. Flattened perspective, abstract backgrounds, strong primary colours, and limited animation result in cartoons that are cheaper and quicker to produce. When animators began creating programs specifically for television, they quickly adopted UPAs economical practices but did away with their aesthetics in the process. The first successful, designed-for-television cartoon was Jay Ward and Alexander Andersons Crusader Rabbit initially distributed in 1949. Network television cartooning which came along eight years later had its first cartoon series developed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, the most successful producers of television cartoons. The Ruff and Ready Show was the first made-for-TV cartoon to be broadcast nationally on Saturday mornings; its popularity helped to establish the practicality of Saturday morning network programming. Hanna-Barberas The Flintstones (1960) was prime-times first successful cartoon series but also its last until the debut of The Simpsons in 1989. With these first well established cartoons, the characteristics of the made-for-TV cartoons were laid down (Toontracker, 1996). UPA-style aesthetics (especially limited animation) were mixed with narrative structures that were developed in 1950s television making the final trait of the made-for-TV cartoons an emphasis on dialogue as dialogue in the made-for-TV cartoons often re-states that which is occurring visually. In this way, televisions roots in radio are revealed. There is a reliance on sound in, for instance, Tom Jerry cartoons in which there is no dialogue at all, made-for-Television cartoons are often less visually oriented than theatrical cartoons from the golden era. (Museum Broadcast Communication, 2008) Television cartoons in the 1990s were dominated by the phenomenal success of Matt Groenings The Simpsons, which thrived after its series first appearance in 1989. Its success was principally responsible for the creation of the FOX network and the launching of one of the largest merchandising campaigns of the decade. (The Simpsons Bios, 2009). With this history in view, there are various types of cartoons which different sources including Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia (2001) have highlighted, they include: Fine art These types of cartoons were basically blueprints used by artists to transfer their ideas from the canvases to actual pieces. They were used in the production of frescoes and also by weavers to transfer designs to their looms. Tapestry cartoons which were usually coloured, were followed by eye by the weavers on the loom. Print media In the sense as used by print media today, a cartoon is a work of art, typically intended to be funny. This use dates from about 1843 when the Punch applied the term to the sardonic images it contained. Cartoons were initially meant to be ironic, mocking the outrageous events of the time. Print media cartoons can also be further broken down. Gag cartoons or single-panel cartoons, are found in all print media and they are generally made up of a single drawing with a subtitle immediately below or a speech balloon. Editorial cartoons are a type of gag cartoons found mostly in media dealing with news and although they may be humorous, they are more serious in tone parodying recent happenings. Comic strips, also called cartoon strips are found every day in newspapers globally. Usually they are short series of cartoon illustrations in sequence and although humour is the rifest subject matter, adventure and drama are also represented. Motion Picture Due to the close similarities between early animated cartoons and comic strips, cartoon as generally used today refers to motion picture cartoons. This type of cartoons are displayed on television or in cinemas and are created by showing illustrated images in swift succession to give the illusion of motion. They may or may not include synchronized sounds but most modern motion picture cartoons do. In the past few years, it has been noticed that there is an increase in violence and other inappropriate behaviours among children who we expect to be generally peaceful. What do many children today have in common, what do they share that could be the cause of this change in behaviour? The quest for a reason, an answer has led to the main source of entertainment for children today, cartoons (Leonard Erin, Senior Research Scientist at the University Joanne Cantor, 2002). Cartoons have become the favourite past time of most of the worlds children today. Their lives revolve around everything they watch on television or read in comic books and this has been estimated to take up about 4 hours of their day (Mariam, 2009). Normally, children start watching cartoons whilst they are very young and at the age of two or three they would have been converted to ardent apostles. This has become an issue as many problems have been discovered to have roots in watching cartoons (Stevie Hossler, 2004). MENTAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CARTOONS ON CHILDREN By Stevie Hossler (2004) Children spend a total of about 13,000 hours in school from day one till graduation day. This seems like a very long time under which the influences of their teachers can be felt. However, within the same time frame children spend a total of about 18,000 hours watching cartoons. This is more than enough time for cartoons to take their effect on the childrens brains, emotions and sense to feel pain. David Satcher, the United States Surgeon General, stated in a report on adolescent violence (2000) More aggressive behaviour in a young childs life is caused by recurrently watched entertainment that contains violence. The American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February of 1985 due to its research findings, communicating the dangers violence on the television has on children. The major effects proved by their study are: The children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others; children who watch violence do not fear violence nor are they bothered by violence in general. The children are more likely to become aggressive or use harmful actions towards others. When we are born we have the capacity for motivation, experience, and training, and because of this our minds are very impressionable. Therefore, our brains development is an active mix of nature and nurture, so it is important to choose a healthy environment for all children. This means cartoons with violence will be detrimental to a child because in general, being interactive with any environment enhances the development of a successful brain. As a result, a tremendous amount of childhood involvement with electronic media can limit social interaction and may obstruct the development of a brains social systems. However, some cartoons promote creativity in children making them more exposed to information that was once unavailable to people their age. Also, children seem to have become brighter and are more emphatic INCREASED CHILD SAFETY RISKS DUE TO CHILDREN WATCHING CARTOONS BY Brandon Ybarra (2004) Today, very many unrealistic things can be seen in cartoons; surviving gunshots at extremely close range and even coming back from the dead. Unfortunately, parents seem to be happy with these cartoons as they do not promote sex but these sorts of cartoons are not good for children. In many episodes of Pokemon for example, brawls can be seen between the Pokemon and in the incident of the death of any of the pocket monsters they are simply reborn, they can never die. Teaching children this is relatively unhealthy as they are young and inquisitive and may not know the full implications of death. It is understood that growing children admire and most often imitate their cartoon heroes even to the extent of trying to fly like Superman or climb walls like Spiderman. Unfortunately, this is not just a cut when talking about injuries to children. VISUAL SUBLIMINAL MESSAGING IN CHILDRENS CARTOONS BY Chris Choma, (2004) Cartoons are packed with many contentious matters which are not consciously noticed but do have an effect on the subconscious minds. This is called subliminal messaging. It is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as, Below the threshold of conscious perception; inadequate to produce conscious awareness but able to evoke a response (AHD, 1352). It means therefore that broadcasters are brainwashing people and more significantly children. Unfortunately, this act is not yet illegal but it is widely frowned at. The use of subliminal messaging has greatly reduced due to advances in technology which enable viewers to scrutinize what they are watching frame by frame. Although subliminal messaging seems to have reduced, no one can be certain as only those who put these messages there are supposed to know that they are there. AUDITORY SUBLIMINAL MESSAGING IN CHILDRENS CARTOONS BY Shawnte Ray (2004) The delivery of auditory information to parts of the mind without an individuals actual perception is called auditory subliminal messaging. A classic example is a statement made by Meowth in an episode of Pokemon which was aired on Monday, October 11th, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. He said, If thats the Democratic way, I am voting Republican. Children are exposed to auditory subliminal messages which are quite common in popular cartoons. Their effects may never be discovered as they will become part of the childrens lives. CARTOONS EFFECTS ON CHILDRENS BEHAVIOR BY Ben Wikox (2004) Organizations such as the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have discovered from research that children who watch cartoons in which violence is incorporated are more likely to employ violence in real life. They insist that parents should screen the cartoons their children watch and also parents should act as interpreters when necessary, telling the children violence is not the best course of action. The American Academy of Paediatrics states, Neuroscientists have shown that external experiences notably mould a young brain and following this they have discovered that a higher rate of cartoon viewing can be linked to lower academic achievements, particularly comprehension scores. Their humorous nature stifles the development of the left hemisphere of the brain which dominates our use of language. Television is a very quick medium, with messages shot at the viewers like lightening bolts. The minds of children have therefore adapted to obtaining such high speed information and therefore tend to refute slower forms of gaining information or thorough reading as in day to day schooling. TELEVISIONS EFFECT ON THE BRAIN AND EYES After watching an episode of Pokemon which was aired in December 1997, many children across the globe were reported to have suffered seizures (Warner, 2004) It has been agreed on by eye specialist that watching television under right conditions does not cause any harm to the brain or the eyes, however, doing so in inappropriate conditions; in a dark room closer than five feet, will lead to eye fatigue and as scientific evidence also corroborates, brain damage (Adams, 1992). A study which was carried out by the Childrens Hospital and Regional Medical Centre of Seattle, Washington made known that children who watch three to four hours of cartoons daily have a 30 to 40 percent higher possibility of developing attention deficit disorder than children who did not watch cartoons (Todays Chiropractic, 2004). From the foregoing, it can be suggested that though cartoons have some advantages to their viewers, their disadvantages out weigh those advantages, thus, this research hopes to prove that the seemingly harmless cartoons children are exposed to and/or allowed to watch have some adverse effects on their behaviours and at the same time create an awareness of the dangers of cartoons to our communities and have these dangers checked so as to prevent an aggravation of what seems at present to be a harmless situation.

Symbolic Features Of Gi Joe Fi :: essays research papers

An Interpretation of the Symbolic Features of the GI Joe Action Figure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Twelve years ago the generation of today's young adults were enthralled with the endless hours of fun they got from their GI Joe action figures. Wild scenes, battles, and situations they created ran their day and formed their thoughts of the ideal man. GI Joe's physical build was looked upon as the perfect male body, with a muscular, suave look and a brave and violent temperament. This stereotypical property is a downside to the figure since it molds the views of young children in this negative way. The GI Joe was a very important piece in many young boys' lives. It was an outlet for a child's creativity and imagination, which is one of the most important factors that mold a child into a grown adult.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GI Joes's symbolized the general census of the public that men should be physically strong and brave in physical encounters. Young boys saw the muscular build of the action figures and related that to the optimal shape that a man's body should be. GI Joe's are similar to Barbie dolls in many ways. Although GI Joe's did not come under as much criticism as the Barbie doll, the two important characteristics of the figures are the same. Both figures promote the stereotypical image of the male/female body and both figures characteristics promote the stereotypical actions of how one should act as a member of that gender. Each day of his life a young boy is learning and forming the ideals he will follow later in life. The appearance of a tall, perfectly proportional, and muscular figure molds a young boy's belief of what the perfect man should look like. The same characteristic is true about the actions that GI Joe's were expected to carry out. GI Joe's were fearless, br ave men whose mission in life was violence. When young boys played with these figures, this was usually the common role their concocted scenes would fall under. Violence and death, sounds like a pretty bad principle to instill in the minds of young boys. If one thinks about the general stereotype of the census we see that men have always been forced into these enduring roles. Even today the two characteristics demonstrated by GI Joe are prevalent. As each day progresses these characteristics are being challenged. Now more than ever the age-old beliefs of what is expected of man and woman are being redefined for a new world.

Dreyers Vampyr Essay -- essays research papers fc

Vampyr doesn't play like a horror, or even a suspense film, though there are a few scenes of each. Instead it is a mystery, with information gradually given to the audience. The plot follows an aimless young man, a devotee of the occult, who visits an inn where numerous odd people are about. There is little talking as Dreyer is a visual story teller. Vampyr is the kind of film where dialogue like "the wounds have almost healed" and "why does the doctor only come at night" are given without explanation. We make sense of what is going on as he starts to piece together what is happening and who is causing it. Dreyer effectively establishes a mood by use of shadows of objects and people. The leading actor remains a cipher; if this was a book, it would be entirely in the passive voice. Things happen to the characters; they don't initiate actions (which on initial viewing seem unrelated). The film picks up when a man leaves a book in a room- "to be opened after my death." He is killed and the book is about vampires. Vampire mythology was less well known to audiences than now, and while a Hollywood film would have used dialogue to explain, Dreyer relies on exposition pages from the book. Dreyer frequently shows actions by shadows cast by the characters we already know. This fits with the film's style of indirection with plot by inference rather than by direct narrative. The film is filled with memorable images: a skull turning to watch; a shadow walking over to join its subject sitting in repose; point-of-view filming from inside a glass-topped coffin as the lid is nailed down and then carried out to the churchyard for burial. The story goes that the first few days of filming was damaged by a light leak in the camera, but Dreyer liked the effect so much that he had the rest of the film photographed to match. As a result, the image quality on this picture has never been as pristine as a film from the 1932 could look. Rudolph Mate was one of the finest cinematographers in Europe, and we can be sure that the photography looks exactly as Dreyer wanted it- the sense of a dimly remembered dream. Amidst the fogginess, shots of machinery in a mill are as sharp as a tack. Of special note is that the horror is created, in large part, by suggestion rather than a heavy sledgehammer approach, In the most famous sequence of the film, the man d... ...0 years ago. The film is not so horrific as it is lyrically creepy. There are so many famous images from "Vampyr" which are found in most film history books. I've seen many stills from this film and found that the movie is still full of other images which are just as striking as the famous shot of the vampire looking into the hero's coffin during a nightmare. The camera is rarely if ever stationary. There are many tracking shots which must have been an influence on Scorsese. People enter and leave the shot which may travel from outside and through several rooms of the house. All of this makes the movie fly by as there is little or no static in the movie. "Vampyr" challenges the conventions of movie making. It also challenges the viewer. The small indie film maker would do well to get this film and study it frame by frame. Many lessons on how to stretch the boundaries of the artform are on display. It is ironic that nearly 70 years later, not many filmmakers have achieved what Dreyer did with primitive technology. "Vampyr" is a groundbreaking work of art which should be on everyone's must see list. Works Cited: me, I. Belly busting. (London: 1994.) Dreyer's Vampyr Essay -- essays research papers fc Vampyr doesn't play like a horror, or even a suspense film, though there are a few scenes of each. Instead it is a mystery, with information gradually given to the audience. The plot follows an aimless young man, a devotee of the occult, who visits an inn where numerous odd people are about. There is little talking as Dreyer is a visual story teller. Vampyr is the kind of film where dialogue like "the wounds have almost healed" and "why does the doctor only come at night" are given without explanation. We make sense of what is going on as he starts to piece together what is happening and who is causing it. Dreyer effectively establishes a mood by use of shadows of objects and people. The leading actor remains a cipher; if this was a book, it would be entirely in the passive voice. Things happen to the characters; they don't initiate actions (which on initial viewing seem unrelated). The film picks up when a man leaves a book in a room- "to be opened after my death." He is killed and the book is about vampires. Vampire mythology was less well known to audiences than now, and while a Hollywood film would have used dialogue to explain, Dreyer relies on exposition pages from the book. Dreyer frequently shows actions by shadows cast by the characters we already know. This fits with the film's style of indirection with plot by inference rather than by direct narrative. The film is filled with memorable images: a skull turning to watch; a shadow walking over to join its subject sitting in repose; point-of-view filming from inside a glass-topped coffin as the lid is nailed down and then carried out to the churchyard for burial. The story goes that the first few days of filming was damaged by a light leak in the camera, but Dreyer liked the effect so much that he had the rest of the film photographed to match. As a result, the image quality on this picture has never been as pristine as a film from the 1932 could look. Rudolph Mate was one of the finest cinematographers in Europe, and we can be sure that the photography looks exactly as Dreyer wanted it- the sense of a dimly remembered dream. Amidst the fogginess, shots of machinery in a mill are as sharp as a tack. Of special note is that the horror is created, in large part, by suggestion rather than a heavy sledgehammer approach, In the most famous sequence of the film, the man d... ...0 years ago. The film is not so horrific as it is lyrically creepy. There are so many famous images from "Vampyr" which are found in most film history books. I've seen many stills from this film and found that the movie is still full of other images which are just as striking as the famous shot of the vampire looking into the hero's coffin during a nightmare. The camera is rarely if ever stationary. There are many tracking shots which must have been an influence on Scorsese. People enter and leave the shot which may travel from outside and through several rooms of the house. All of this makes the movie fly by as there is little or no static in the movie. "Vampyr" challenges the conventions of movie making. It also challenges the viewer. The small indie film maker would do well to get this film and study it frame by frame. Many lessons on how to stretch the boundaries of the artform are on display. It is ironic that nearly 70 years later, not many filmmakers have achieved what Dreyer did with primitive technology. "Vampyr" is a groundbreaking work of art which should be on everyone's must see list. Works Cited: me, I. Belly busting. (London: 1994.)

Fremount High School Jonathan Kozol Essay

Jonathan Kozol is a well-known advocate for social injustice and public education. He is an educator, activist, and writer. He advocates through his writing. One of his articles was about a High school in a well-recognized city across the United States of America. The 8 page article referring to Fremont High School, Fremont High school is between San Pedro Street and Avalon Boulevard in South central Los Angeles. In this city, Fremont High School is known as a friendly school, with an eight hour schedule. Jonathan Kozol visited Fremont high during the spring of 2003. An eight foot high fence with spikes on the top, are what separate Fremont High from the city. School windows are shielded or boarded from gunfire to keep the students safe. Some classes are taught in portables or storage rooms. Some storage rooms do not even have windows and this is where the students are being taught. Students at Fremont are given thirty minutes for lunch and are all fed together at the same time. Many students don’t even bother to eat, due to the limited time they get and the conditions they are in. Rodents run freely in Fremont high. Hamburger buns have rat bite marks and rat droppings have been found around the school. Fremount High School Jonathan Kozol At Fremont only one or two bathrooms are operational and there are fifteen bathrooms short that are required by the law. Since there only a few restrooms available the lines are tremendously long, students don’t get to use the bathroom at times, and are usually late for class. In most cases the facilities are unclean and lacking basic toiletries. Some parts of the high school lacks proper ventilation system for students such air conditioning; students have been known to turn red and nauseated. Also students who want certain classes such as the advanced placement courses and college courses are not able to get them. The library is almost always closed throughout the year. Conclusively, two thirds of ninth of grade students drop out before receiving a diploma or reaching the twelfth grade. Ironically, Fremont High School is known as the friendly school of South Central Los Angeles. However this high school shouldn’t be even considered to be a functional public facility, let alone be open as a learning establishment. Imagine not having basic toiletries, not having enough time to eat or being taught in small storage closet without ventilation. I can understand and doesn’t surprise my why so many students drop out from Fremont High. It hurts to hear what those students face on a daily basis. While I was reading this article about this terrible school, the words sickened me. It left me feeling shocked and wanting to find out more about this school. So I did, I found out that Fremont high closed at one point for reconstruction a year or two after this article and is open now. Almost everything that had a negative effect such conditions changed as well as some new curricular courses. My conclusion on the article that Jonathan Kozol wrote referring to Fremont High is that this article was needed to help make a positive change in the education Fremont provided. The conditions of the school were improved and they are working on ways to help students stay in school and not drop out. Before the conditions were improved, I could hardly believe that a school being in the U. S could have such terrible conditions and still be open. At the time of this article was written Fremont high was a bad school, not in the sense that the teachers didn’t care for the students or the students missed behaved, but in the sense that government needed to provide more funds to the school to help the school function properly. In time the school closed for reconstruction for a few months, and now students are attending the school right now in adequate learning conditions. When people say Jonathan Kozol is an advocate for public education it’s the truth because without this article much of the public would have not known about the problems occurring in Fremont High. I believe he deserves much more recognition in the things he does to help in prove the learning of others. He is a great example of how one person can make a change for the good of others.

Bottom of the Pyramid

The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid: potential and challenges Dennis A. Pitta The University of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall ? Ponti? cia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) proposition, where private companies can both be pro? table and help alleviate poverty by attending low-income consumers. Design/methodology/approach – The literature on BOP was reviewed and some key elements of the BOP approach were proposed and examined.Findings – There is no agreement in the literature about the potential bene? ts of the BOP approach for both private companies and low-income consumers. However, further research on characterizing the BOP segment and ? nding the appropriate business model for attending the BOP can provide some answers to this issue. Practical implications – The article provides some guidelines to managers as to how they need to adapt their marketing strategies to sell to the BOP market, and what type of partnerships they need to build in order to succeed.Originality/value – The article presents a thorough analysis of the key elements involved in the BOP initiative: companies’ motivations, characterization of the BOP consumers, and the business model to attend the BOP. Keywords Private sector organizations, Emerging markets, Consumers, Poverty, Disadvantaged groups Paper type Research paper underpin the concept, and refutes its basic premises. Instead of a market of untapped potential, this literature stream sees a ? nancial desert that BOP principles may harm more than help. The BOP may be a less a source of signi? cant pro? ts than a source of serious losses.Karnani’s analysis posits that the poor may want the same products as the rich do but by virtue of being poor, they cannot afford them. The poor spend most of their income on food, cl othing, and fuel. For the poor, the mathematics are clear: buying a branded product reduces the funds they must devote to survival. In contrast, Karnani suggests that raising income will alleviate their poverty, provide cost effective products to other consumers, and allow the formerly poor to consume more. Raising their incomes may require that they become producers with stable jobs and wages. Both viewpoints concentrate on the poor but draw different onclusions about how to alleviate their poverty. The two positions also differ in the nature and proper role of industry and government. In light of the differences, the argument would bene? t from empirical data that tests the underlying premises of each viewpoint. Verifying the premises would allow further logical analysis of implications and applications of the concept. In fact, the need for clari? cation is recognized. In the next section, the authors provide some foundations for the most traditional and still dominant approach to market, i. e. the focus on the â€Å"top of the pyramid† (TOP).The rest of the article focuses on the â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† (BOP); it explores Prahalad’s proposition and the opposing viewpoint, reviews key aspects of the BOP initiative – companies’ motivation; the BOP business model; the role of micro? nance; and the key participants – and proposes some implications and challenges for marketing theory and practice, and ? nally some implications for marketers. An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this issue. Introduction The bottom of the pyramid (BOP) approach to earning corporate pro? ts has gained considerable attention in the arketing literature. It has awakened managers to the potential of serving an unserved market and alleviating the level of global poverty while still earning a pro? t. However, the BOP proposition, while clear, appealing, and enlightening has not been accepted in a n unquali? ed manner. One branch of the BOP literature puts forth the elements of the BOP proposition and supports its ? ndings with numerous case studies (Prahalad, 2004). Those studies portray the poor as motivated by similar desires as the rich. They want quality products and any company that can supply those products at he right price will gain their business. Some of the case studies show the strategies for reducing the effective price of products through packaging and developing lower cost sizes. Prahalad and others describe the untapped potential of the BOP, and list strategies that companies may use to tap that potential. An opposing branch of the literature (Karnani, 2007a; Martinez and Carbonell, 2007) analyzes the nature of the BOP market, the applicability of the case studies that The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/0736-3761. htm Journal of Consumer Marketing 5/7 (2008) 393– 401 q Emerald Group Publishi ng Limited [ISSN 0736-3761] [DOI 10. 1108/07363760810915608] 393 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 The â€Å"top of the pyramid† customers, and labeled them as Platinum or Gold. In contrast, those with lower to very low LCV’s earn the value labels, Iron and Lead. They point out that a single Gold or Platinum customer may have a Lifetime Customer Value, many times higher than that of someone in the Iron or Lead tier. Speci? ally, one Platinum customer may be worth more than â€Å"tons† of those labeled as Lead. Conceptually, identifying value and potential pro? t deriving from the top of the pyramid is straightforward and represents traditional organization goals. Companies can use standard market segmentation and product differentiation to satisfy these tiers. Dealing with these customers requires profess ionalism, but the normal market research processes, product development, channels of distribution, promotion, and credit functions should result in success. Thus, Zeithaml and her coauthors showed companies how to use their tried and trusted arketing approaches to maximize effectiveness and pro? tability. The key is to serve those customers most likely to generate pro? ts instead of losses. The justi? cation is clear: companies have limited resources and should concentrate their efforts where the returns will be the highest. They demonstrated the value at the top of the pyramid (TOP) and shared strategies for serving those customers while discouraging or even â€Å"? ring† the lower, money-losing tiers. For pro? t seeking companies, the customer pyramid approach is appropriate and allows them the best chances to survive in typically competitive markets.Not surprisingly, the â€Å"top of the pyramid† (TOP) approach is at the heart of Western business practice. Tradition ally, businesses require a set of four conditions to operate successfully in a market segment. The segment must be identi? able, measurable, substantial, and accessible. In Western economies, business and communication infrastructures are developed suf? ciently to meet all of the criteria for most segments. Arguably, while all four conditions are important, the substantial and accessible elements are the more important. For a pro? t-making ? rm, the segment must be large enough to generate pro? s. If that condition is satis? ed, it is critical that consumers in the segment be reachable by communications media to receive promotional messages. In addition, they must be physically accessible to distribution alternatives. From a pro? t perspective, companies concentrate on those areas in which they can be effective, namely segments that meet all four requirements. Serving the TOP inevitably means a focus on pro? ts instead of revenues, and pro? ts are central to Western business. In pra ctice, over time, numerous Western companies have ceded market share or entire markets to others when the pro? ts eclined. One prime example is the computer memory chip market. Memory chips were once produced exclusively in the US and Europe. As Asian competitors entered the market, they cut prices at the expense of pro? ts. Their goal was to make chips; the US ? rms wanted to make pro? ts. Consequently, US ? rms abandoned the marketplace and searched for targets that were more pro? table. European and US companies still make chips. Their dominance of the microprocessor markets is the result of the strategic quest for pro? tability. However, European or US players do not dominate the huge market for memory chips.To be accurate, the US companies’ actions are not driven solely by the desire to earn pro? ts. Their organization, corporate culture, and internal processes require economies of scale, which demand exploiting the richest target markets. In many cases, successful compa nies have evolved into ef? cient machines whose foundation is high structural cost. Thus targeting the most lucrative segments is vital for continued success. Pro? t, in its simplest form, is the surplus of revenue over costs. If companies can drive costs low enough, it is conceivable that prices might be low enough for the poor to fford and high enough to generate a pro? t. However, earning a pro? t with such customers today takes enormous effort. More important, companies that exist today may be unable to drive costs low enough to succeed. In fact, costs are only one part of the equation. The underlying problem is that companies are ill equipped to serve the poorest customers. They don’t really know what the poor want and don’t know what bene? ts they seek in products and services. In addition, companies may not know what mix of product bene? ts, price, quality, promotion, and distribution works best for this segment.However, the focus on pro? ts has led to success. Recognizing the importance of pro? ts, Zeithaml and her colleagues have worked on the customer pyramid concept (Zeithaml et al. , 2001). Without using the term, they focused explicitly on the â€Å"top of the pyramid,† those consumers with the highest lifetime customer value (LCV). By dividing the customer pyramid into four sections called customer pro? tability tiers, they identi? ed the â€Å"best,† most pro? table The â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† approach Prahalad’s proposition In the book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Pro? ts, C.K. Prahalad (2004), provided that initial conceptualization that had been missing in marketing thought. His book succeeded in planting the perception that consumers with low levels of income could be pro? table customers. He painted a picture of the double bottom line: social goals combined with the business objective, pro? t (Harjula, 2005). Coincidently, he appealed to the best motives among those at the top of the pyramid. By citing examples of successful attempts to empower the poor and share in global wealth, he kindled the imagination of those who want the world to be a better place. This is an ppealing proposition: â€Å"low-income markets present a prodigious opportunity for the world’s wealthiest companies – to seek their fortunes and bring prosperity to the aspiring poor† (Prahalad and Hart, 2002). Prahalad’s proposition is an invitation to company executives, politicians, managers of non-pro? t organizations, and ordinary citizens, to view poverty as something that might be alleviated rather than inevitable. He presents a wellreasoned conceptual view – supported with case study data – of how companies might mine pro? ts from the lowest economic strata (Hart, 2005; Prahalad, 2004). Much of the reatment centers on the nature and scope of pro? ts and the collective wealth of consumers at the bottom of the pyramid (B OP). The main thesis of Prahalad’s work rests on the idea that the potential growth for many multinational (MNC) and medium sized companies does not rest on the small highincome market in the developing world. Instead, its source is the mass low-income people that are joining the market for the ? rst time. This idea goes against the following 394 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo MarshallVolume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 assumptions, which, according to Prahalad, most MNC’s make: it is not pro? table for them to attend the BOP due to their high cost structure; the low-income segment cannot afford the products and services they sell; and only developed markets value innovation and will pay for new technology. These arguments imply that governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) should take care of the low-income segment. According to Pra halad, marketers who believe that the BOP is a valuable unserved market also believe that even the poor can be good customers.Despite their low level of income, they are discerning consumers who want value and are well aware of the value brands favored by more af? uent consumers. This school of thought recognizes the obstacle that low income creates. It postulates that if companies take the correct steps and devote suf? cient resources to satisfying the needs of the BOP, they can overcome barriers to consumption. This view rests on Prahalad’s calculations of the immense size of the global BOP, in his view, a $1. 3 trillion dollar market. Prahalad recognizes that serving the low-income sector requires a commercial strategy in response to the needs of hose people; to succeed, other players have to get involved – mainly local and central government, ? nancial institutions, and NGOs. He proposes four key elements to thrive in the low-income market: 1 creating buying power; 2 shaping aspirations through product innovation and consumer education; 3 improving access through better distribution and communication systems; and 4 tailoring local solutions. opportunities and poverty eradication through pro? ts may set unrealistic expectations for business executives (McFalls, 2007). Second, the traditional timelines for achieving social goods versus pro? s differ (Harjula, 2005). Businesses may use a ? ve-year horizon as their benchmark for returns. In contrast, social goals like reducing smoking and other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may take generations. Thus, rather than viewing the poor primarily as consumers, this group suggest a focus on this segment as producers, i. e. potential entrepreneurs that can improve their economic situation by increasing their income level. Companies must be willing to invest time, resources and training to insure that the producers create products with some barriers to entry and a reasonable level of productivity.They need to do so to avoid the trap of producing commodities that are easy to duplicate and, thereby, keep the poor, poor. Otherwise, alleviating poverty becomes very unlikely. Reconciling the two opposing viewpoints It is clear from the previous discussion that ? ndings in the literature about the nature, scope, and value of the BOP proposition are mixed. More research is needed on this topic to gain an accurate view of the presence and extent of opportunities at the bottom of the pyramid. The following sections examine some key elements of the BOP initiative that have been, acknowledged in the literature; speci? ally, the ? rms’ motivations to attend the BOP market, the characterization of the BOP consumers, and the BOP business model. The latter element focuses on three major issues: the role of micro? nance, the importance of establishing alliances among different actors (e. g. for-pro? t ? rms, NGOs, governments), and how for-pro? t companies need to adapt their marketing mix to attend the BOP pro? tably. The opposing viewpoint The second literature thread emerged years later in the discussion and represents a thoughtful attempt to verify the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) concept.It questions the ease with which companies may tap the BOP and whether pro? ts exist there at all (Karnani, 2007a). First, this group dismisses the published calculations about the size of the BOP and its wealth. They describe the economic size of the BOP as considerably smaller than Prahalad’s estimate and cite the inherent subsistence problem: the poor spend 80 percent of their income on food, clothing, and fuel. There is hardly anything left to spend after that (Karnani, 2007b). Second, they argue that it is very unlikely that companies will be able to attend the BOP market pro? tably.In fact, the costs of serving this segment can be very high. BOP customers are usually much dispersed geographically; they are very heterogeneous, which reduces the opportunities for obtainin g signi? cant economies of scale; and their individual transactions usually represent a low amount of money. In addition, consumers at the BOP are very price sensitive, which, again, makes pro? tability a dif? cult goal to achieve. Those factors show that the ideal that both pro? ts and social good can result from serving the BOP is questionable. First, each goal has different motivations, demands, and echanisms to satisfy and they can be contradictory. The differences between business realities and development imperatives are not easy to reconcile. Some recent case study work suggests that the early language around the inclusive capitalism idea that emphasizes unlimited business Firms’ motivation to attend the BOP market A comprehensive examination of the BOP approach requires ?rst an understanding of why for-pro? t companies engage in such an initiative. The literature suggests two main motivations that companies have to attend the BOP market: 1 they can convert this segmen t’s purchasing power into ro? ts; and 2 they can bring prosperity to the poor, and thus alleviate poverty. ? For example, in the 1970s, Nestle was able to contribute to social progress while developing a competitive advantage and making pro? ts in Moga, a district in India. With the purpose ? of establishing local and diverse sources of milk, Nestle built many refrigerated diaries and then sent its trucks to collect product while providing ? nancing, nutritional supplements, and assistance and training to the farmers. With this action, ? Nestle increased its milk production and the suppliers’ roductivity, improved the quality of the product and ? processes, and increased the penetration of other Nestle products in the region. In turn, farmers raised their standard ? of living; Nestle was able to pay higher prices, and farmers were then able to obtain credit. A second case illustrates how a focus on the BOP can be an important strategic goal, with two dimensions: pro? t ability and corporate social responsibility. Masisa is a leading company in the production and trade of wood boards for furniture and interior architecture in Latin America. It has 395The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 established the goal of generating 15 percent of the revenues from inclusive businesses, i. e. the bottom of the pyramid, before 2012. Under their de? nition, inclusive businesses must be pro? table, and socially/environmentally responsible. They expect to help improve the standard of living for low-income people by facilitating their participation in the value chain as suppliers, distributors, or other element of the hannel, and by providing them with access to products and services that can help them improve their socio-economic condition. cooperatively owned items like a television, a telephone, an electric g enerator, medical services, or even something to help make products for sale. Managing that sum for the common good presents a major dilemma: community welfare versus individual choice. People in the BOP would need a high sense of community involvement and consumer education to make responsible choices. A non-pro? t community action organization or a socially conscious business would be very helpful in marshalling cooperation.However, too many of the poor make poor choices like spending money on tobacco instead of food for their children. Even if this optimistic level of potential purchasing power exists, harnessing it for pro? t will be extremely dif? cult. One further concern questions this premise. Traditionally, serving the poor was the role of charities, not for pro? t, and other non-governmental organizations. Much of the excitement that the BOP proposition has generated stems from the inclusion of pro? t making companies in the process. The thought is that pro? t will be a po werful goad toward achieving success.Pro? t is clearly an incentive but beyond the cases cited in Prahalad’s work, there is little proof that companies can make the shift. More empirical data would aid the process of developing purchasing power. Purchasing power and pro? tability Karnani (2007a) notes that BOP concept rests on a fuzzy de? nition of the target market. It is dif? cult to ? nd an article in the BOP literature that does not cite the now popular ?gure: four billion. Four billion originally referred to those people who primarily live in developing countries and whose annual per capital income is under US$1,500 per annum.Some of the literature takes as an article of faith that the BOP exists and earns that level of income. The perception is that individually the consumers are poor but together they represent massive purchasing power. However, authors de? ne the BOP income level using several standards, which obscures its true nature. For example, Hammond et al. (200 7) consider the bottom of the pyramid as composed of people with per capita incomes below $3,000 in local purchasing power. Prahalad (2004) states that there are more than four billion people with per capita income below $2 per day at purchasing power parity (PPP) rates ($750 per year).This is a signi? cant reduction in previous estimates: four billion people with per capita income below $1,500 per year ($4 per day) (Prahalad and Hart, 2002), or four billion people with per capita income below $2,000 per year ($6 per day) (Prahalad and Hammond, 2002). Other contemporary sources like the World Bank estimated the number at 2. 7 billion, in 2001. However, other researchers characterize the World Bank projection as an overestimation, with some experts estimating the poor at 600 million (The Economist, 2004). The differences range from four billion to 600 million, a large enough gap to cause oncern. The three reported income levels range from $2-6 per day. The $2 per day criterion is con sistent with previous literature in development economics. It is important to understand that how to alleviate poverty depends on the de? nition of poverty. Using the $2 per day ? gure presents different challenges than the higher levels: people who earn less than $2 per day have very different needs and priorities than people who earn $4-6 per day. Adopting the higher poverty line obscures these differences (Karnani, 2007b) and overestimates the potential at the BOP.In principle, it is clear that collectively the mass of poor customers do hold wealth. However, an additional problem is that they do not hold it in the right concentrations. If one considers a hypothetical example, the nature of the wealth at the BOP may become a bit clearer. If a village of 1,000 adults earns an average of US$750 per year (the $2 per day ? gure), the gross earnings of the village are signi? cant. However, the question becomes how much remains after satisfying the necessities. Even if an impressive 10 percent of income remains per household, that translates into $0. 0 per day. It is dif? cult to perceive how such small sums might generate pro? ts. Collectively, the village may have $200 per day in â€Å"disposable income. † That might translate into community- Poverty alleviation and prosperity to the poor From a social responsibility perspective, there are distinct differences between a market-based approach to poverty reduction and approaches that are more traditional. Traditional approaches often focus on the very poor, proceeding from the assumption that they are unable to help themselves and thus need charity or public assistance.In contrast, a market-based approach starts from the recognition that being poor does not eliminate commerce and market processes: virtually all poor households trade cash or labor to meet a signi? cant part of their basic needs. The latter approach is the one for-pro? t companies have embraced to pursue the BOP initiative. The argument regar ding poverty is that the poor face undeveloped distribution outlets and must pay monopoly prices for the goods they desire. In addition, they are unable to afford the standard quantities and qualities of products offered to richer consumers. This is consistent withHammond et al. (2007), who describe people at the BOP as having signi? cant unmet needs, and being dependent on informal or subsistence livelihoods. They are vulnerable, poorly integrated to the formal economy, and impacted by a BOP penalty under which they pay higher prices for basic goods and services than wealthier consumers. Successful attempts to bring quality products to the poor at affordable prices would overcome the high price of poor distribution (Martinez and Carbonell, 2007). In that sense, it would increase their purchasing power by bringing previously unaffordable goods within their budgets.However, the $2 per day income limit is a signi? cant obstacle and may make this goal impossible to attain. There is som e hope in alleviating poverty but it is more in line with Karnani’s vision of the poor as producers who are able to boost their income suf? ciently to rise above the bottom of the BOP. The very recent example of ITC Limited outlined the distribution based economic problems faced by poor farmers in India. There are many factors that affect the ? ow of goods and services in and out of rural areas, and thus reduce the rural population’s income and quality of life 96 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 (Vachani and Smith, 2008). While the major source of problems was the poor transportation infrastructure, other factors operate to keep disadvantaged groups like poor Indian farmers in poverty. Buyers bully them into accepting â€Å"buyers’ prices. † Moreover, farmers are ignorant of their rights and the m arket value of their crops. In addition, they pay monopoly prices for the items they need.These factors act to keep them at a disadvantage and unable to earn the proper income from their efforts. By addressing farmers’ lack of information about the current value of their crops, the best seed to use for high yields, proper farming practice, and alternative outlets for their crops, ITC increased their welfare. To accomplish this, ITC set up a parallel distribution system, which led to increases in farmers’ income and consumption. The effort started at the grassroots with ITC hiring agents already in the ? eld and rewarding them for improvements in farmer welfare and consumption.The company placed computers with satellite based internet connections in each village and taught farmers to use them to assess current crop pricing. ITC guaranteed to match or exceed the prices offered by others. In addition, ITC provided products farmers needed like seed at a discount from the e xisting retailers. There was signi? cant â€Å"missionary† education aimed at allaying the farmer’s fears of exploitation. After a few farmers tried the system, more of them signed on. The result was increased income, higher satisfaction, more independence, and lower cost to purchase supplies.The example is encouraging and demonstrates the commitment and stamina organizations need to operate at the BOP. ITC set up a private distribution network that was more closely associated with a cooperative than the typical channel. Farmers and grassroots agents who knew their needs very well cooperated to operate the channel and share in its economic bene? ts. In essence, ITC adopted Karnani’s model of buying from BOP producers to raise their level of income developing them into pro? table customers. Can companies really generate pro? ts and alleviate poverty at the BOP? This example seems to show that they can.It also shows the extent to which companies will have to re-en gineer their approaches and operations to succeed. There is some data on the changes in the size of the BOP that aid in forecasting the future. Chen and Ravallion (2007) report a decline in the proportion of people living under the poverty line in the developing world over the period 19812004. That represents a reduction of about 0. 8 percent points per year over the period. Separate from the numbers, the question remains, â€Å"Who are BOP customers? † Current demographic labels such as â€Å"blue-collar’ or working-class,† fail to capture the extreme level of poverty.As marketers gain more experience with the BOP, it is possible that other useful differentiations may emerge based on speci? c variables, such as behavioral or psychographic. The global distribution of BOP customers adds another factor to consider: culture. The cultures of Latin America, Asia, and Africa differ widely. It is logical that differences in culture will affect future attempts to unders tand the needs of the BOP segments. In general, D’Andrea et al. (2004) ? nd that consumers at the BOP spend a higher portion of their income on consumer goods (50 to 75 percent), as compared to wealthier segments (around 35 percent).These authors also ? nd that, due to their limited and unstable cash ? ow, lowincome consumers tend to shop daily and spend small amounts of money each time. Then too, they are reluctant to buy in places that are located far away from their homes. The ? ndings show that â€Å"stay at home† mothers make most of the purchases and family spending decisions; by doing this, they ful? ll roles as wife, mother, and household manager. Companies currently devote resources to listening to the voice of the customer and are con? dent in their efforts with currently serviced segments. A change of focus to the BOP ill require new techniques, and freedom from â€Å"accepted knowledge. † The BOP is so radically different that companies will have to ignore what they know as â€Å"truths† that may not apply anymore. Faulty new product development eradicates the potential for pro? t and unfamiliar product development (NPD) territory increases the risks of failure. Firms can increase their NPD success rates by integrating consumers into the process as boundary spanning team members instead of mere respondents to surveys. Thus, product development will bene? t from the input of customers at the lowest levels of income (Pitta and Franzak, 1997).However, that initiative will be supremely different from current successes. A good example of how companies, NGOs, governments, and other institutions can collaborate in this aspect is the formation of BOP learning laboratories (McFalls, 2007). The laboratories were designed to investigate the complex factors that interact at the BOP as well as opportunities for both sustainable and human development. More initiatives like this one are needed, as well as research on the characteristic s of the BOP consumers. Characterization of BOP consumers A fundamental requirement to attend the BOP market uccessfully is to know deeply the characteristics of the people in this segment. Some academic studies and reports from NGOs have contributed re? ning the understanding of the BOP: how many they are, where they are located, what their income level is, and what some of their characteristics in terms of needs and habits are. According to Hammond et al. (2007), the BOP is concentrated in four regional areas: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. 12. 3 percent of the BOP lives in Africa, 72. 2 percent in Asia, 6. 4 percent in Eastern Europe and the remaining 9. 1 percent lives in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. Rural areas dominate most BOP markets in Africa and Asia while urban areas dominate most in Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Estimates of the size of the BOP in US dollars or buying power approximate $1. 3 trillion. The Asia m arket has a buying power of $742 billion, Latin America market is $229 billion, the Eastern Europe market $135 billion and Africa $120. The BOP business model In spite of the opposing viewpoints in the literature regarding the extent to which there is a business opportunity at the BOP, there is agreement that serving the low-income sector ro? tably requires a different business model (Chesbrough et al. , 2006; Prahalad and Hart, 2002). Prahalad and Hart (2002) state â€Å"doing business with the world’s four billion poorest people – two thirds of the world’s population – will require radical innovations in technology and business models†. Moreover, the market at the BOP requires a 397 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 combination of low cost, good quality, sustainability, and pro? ability (P rahalad and Hart, 2002). As a result, for-pro? t ? rms need to understand how the BOP segment differs from upper tiers, and adapt the marketing approach to meet the characteristics of consumers at the bottom. Prahalad’s concentration on the bottom of the pyramid requires a sea change in a company’s approach to business. Attempts to reap pro? ts from the BOP using current marketing techniques will fail. Failure will result because the products are too expensive or complicated, are not available in small enough quantities or sizes, or are simply not what the poor want. The BOP is not low hanging fruit.It is a market with potential, and achieving that potential will require costly effort and innovative strategies (Seelos and Mair, 2007). Even with a completely new management approach, evidence suggests that pro? ts at the bottom of the pyramid may be elusive (Karnani, 2007a). The literature suggest that the three most critical aspects in developing a new business model to serve the BOP are the access to credit, the establishment of alliances, and the adaptation of the marketing mix. The following subsections address these issues. still in its early stage in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.Most of the banks that have participated in micro? nance are large commercial banks in search of new and attractive markets. The main reasons for commercial banks to attend the BOP have been: . the strong competition among large banks; . the evidence by NGOs supporting the BOP initiative; . the social responsibility dimension; . the opportunity to diversify their business operation; and . the possibility of working together with other institutions, like NGOs and governments. According to Westley (2007), by the end of 2005, there were 30 commercial banks in Latin America oriented to the microentrepreneurs.The establishment of alliances There is recognition that serving the BOP requires the involvement of multiple players, including private companies, go vernments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), ?nancial institutions, and other organizations – e. g. communities – (Prahalad and Hart, 2002). By infusing the pro? t motive into value creation, the hope is that private companies will take the leading role in serving the BOP and, thus, the purpose of alleviating poverty will more likely succeed. Prahalad and Hart (2002) suggest that, among private companies, multinational corporations (MNC) with extensive ? ancial resources are in the best position to lead the process of selling to the poor. However, MNC’s have built-in weaknesses that limit their potential for success with these consumers. They are simply too large, too rigid and too far from the customer to be effective. Instead of the top down approach that MNC’s represent (McFalls, 2007; Harjula, 2005), a bottom up process is necessary (Karnani, 2007a). Changing perspectives from top down to bottom up is so complicated that if MNC’s are to be involved, they may have to create ? exible subsidiaries free from the corporate structure, processes, culture, and assumptions.ITC has succeeded using that model and has done so at the grassroots level. Therefore, more research is needed to ? nd out under which circumstances MNC’s or other types of private company should lead the BOP initiative. This line of reasoning is consistent with D’Andrea et al. (2004) who, in the context of retailing in Latin America, suggest that smallscale independent supermarkets and traditional stores are more likely to reach emerging consumers than MNC’s. Likewise, NGOs have been critical in the development of the business model infrastructure in several successful cases of for-pro? t ? rms serving the BOP.For-pro? ts have created sustainability for the technology used (Chesbrough et al. , 2006); NGO’s, understand people’s needs. In addition, NGO’s are closer to people at the BOP, and are better prepared to educ ate them. For example, in Uganda, Africa, the NGO Infectious Disease Institute in Kampala collaborated with P? zer by educating people about the causes of AIDS, and how to prevent and combat it. This facilitated P? zer’s initiative to provide these people access to drugs that combat HIV/AIDS (Chesbrough et al. , 2006). Lastly, the public sector has an important role in developing the BOP proposition.The focus is changing from traditional governmental assistance delivery, to different ways of creating a sustainable environment for aiding the BOP. For example, Micro? nance Microloans are well known and originally seemed like the answer to self-suf? ciency. The concept that a poor consumer could gain a small loan and become a producer contributing to family income and independence is tantalizing. There is evidence that microloans have succeeded in aiding the bottom of the pyramid. There is also evidence that many of the would-be entrepreneurs failed to capitalize on such credit. They got deeper into debt (Karnani, 2007a).Some authors point out that the entrepreneurial skill that can lead to success is rare. Most individuals would rather have a guaranteed income rather than assume the risk that entrepreneurship entails. This adds to the argument that if businesses can create jobs and boost the poor’s income, then consumption will follow. Those businesses may not be able to obtain outside ? nancing. The BOP segments are not able to generate suf? cient pro? ts to justify a high cost of capital. To reduce the cost of capital, perhaps collaboration with funding sources like the World Bank or other NGO will be necessary.With ?nancial aid, companies trying for the BOP market may be able to succeed. The creation of buying power is one of the key elements that allow low-income segments to reach product and services. Formal commercial credit has been unavailable to this market and the cost of accessing and getting ? nancial services in the informal ? nancial market is enormous. Since the pioneering initiative of Grameen Bank, in the mid of the 1970’s, several ? nancial institutions have been very successful in offering ? nancial services to low-income people who were not traditionally served by the formal bank system.Programs for microcredit have characteristics that are speci? c and different from those of the traditional banking sectors. These differences include property and corporate governance of the institutions, characteristics of the consumers, the technology used to manage credit, and the characteristics of the product and service. The growth of the microcredit market has been heterogeneous across countries. For example, in Latin America, the micro? nance industry has had a signi? cant ? growth in countries like Peru, Bolivia and El Salvador but it is 398 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramidJournal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2 008  · 393 –401 the provision of funding and training to entrepreneurs is a way governments can support consumers and producers at the BOP. Another example is engineering supportive tax structures that promote private sector investment in BOP initiatives. distribution makes the poor poorer. Today, with escalating global fuel costs adding to the cost of transportation, the poor face an increasingly rigorous future. The lack of infrastructure serving rural areas also increases prices.For example, in Chile, consumer goods prices in the remote North and South of the country are 20-25 percent higher than the more highly populated central zone of Santiago and Valparaiso (Ferreira and Litch? eld, 1999). The idea of closeness in distribution channels for consumers at the BOP is very important. This means, for example, having stores that are both geographically close and affectively close. In other words, emotional proximity is also very important. A good example is Banco Estado, a stateowned commercial bank, which consumers consider the â€Å"closest† to the BOP segment.The reasons are its extensive distribution, its perception of being adaptive to people’s needs, its ? exibility, and its position as affectively close. In the context of retailing, D’Andrea et al. (2004) show that the development of personal relationships with the stores’ personnel has a positive effect on consumers’ self-esteem and well-being. Pricing for the bottom of the pyramid is, of course, also very critical. The challenge here is twofold. On the one hand, there is the issue of affordability: prices need to be affordable to BOP consumers. Ramaswamy and Schiphorst (2000) emonstrate the challenges in companies trying to serve the poor. In order to achieve affordability, they must reduce the costs of production and simplify the products. On the other hand, ? exibility in payments is also very important. Providing options of how and when low-income consume rs can pay for their products and services constitutes both a challenge and a source of competitive advantage to private companies. To do this, private companies may need the assistance of commercial banks and NGOs as key partners. Some marketing theorists (Karnani, 2007b) view the BOP as a collection of producers rather than consumers.Therefore, innovative payment models, which allow BOP consumers to pay using a marketing exchange model would increase their ability to pay for the things they consume. The ? Nestle milk agricultural exchange model cited above comes to ? mind. In that model, Nestle actually paid farmers for their milk at attractive prices. They could use the money to buy seed at equally attractive prices. It is a small step to consider a more traditional barter system. As long as the barter system offered fair pricing it would present a win-win situation that would help sustain the arrangement. The marketing mixIt is no surprise that serving different market segments may require different marketing mixes. Therefore, for-pro? t ? rms need to understand how the BOP segment differs from upper tiers, and adapt the marketing approach to meet the characteristics of these consumers. Since affordability is at the heart of serving the BOP, product modi? cation will help lower the price and improve affordability. The parallel strategy, reducing product size works in higher customer tiers but has limited usefulness at the lowest levels. In India, unit-use reduced size cachets of shampoo do promote consumption but are not the answer.The higher cost of packaging erodes pro? ts, and the resulting discarded packaging adds to pollution. The problem remains that the customer still has to allocate scarce income to the shampoo. One answer is to create a bare-bones product with fewer product features that the poor can afford. One example, Nirma detergent made in India, highlights a â€Å"poorer† product that is affordable. A single entrepreneur created Nirma to compete with Hindustan Lever’s market leading detergent, Surf. Surf gained market share because it is an excellent product. It has numerous additives that make it effective yet gentle to humans.Its cost was signi? cant. In fact, Nirma does not contain many of the ingredients and safeguards of its rival. It works but can cause blisters on the skin (Ahmad and Mead, 2004). Despite its harshness, the poor embraced it because they could afford it. The implication is that â€Å"research must also seek to adapt foreign solutions to local needs† (Prahalad and Hart, 2002). Evidence shows that consumers at the BOP care about branded products, because leading brands are a guarantee of product quality, which is particularly important to this segment because â€Å"the ? ancial loss from an underperforming product is greater for people with limited incomes† (D’Andrea et al. , 2004, p. 6). However, emerging consumers are not very loyal to speci? c brand names, altho ugh they do not experiment with unknown brands. In practice, they switch among a few known brands (D’Andrea et al. , 2004). D’Andrea and colleagues also argue that low-income consumers prefer products in small sizes, even if the perunit cost is higher, because of their income and space constraints. Moreover, too many varieties of products can harm emerging consumers’ purchasing experience. They may eel tempted to buy things they don’t need or can’t afford, which can produce a feeling of inferiority or frustration (D’Andrea et al. , 2004). Marketers also need to revisit distribution channels also to attend the BOP market effectively. Vachani and Smith’s (2008) recent work dealing with inclusive distribution has merit as a model for success. In essence, their examples infused a social action philosophy into a business model. One of their focal companies, ITC, demonstrated the vision necessary to discern pro? ts in the future and the det ermination to invest in a new distribution channel as a in-win proposition. Undoubtedly, the high cost of Conclusions and challenges for marketing theory and practice While the picture is not completely clear, the bottom of the pyramid may offer opportunities to create value for both the poor and companies. Early promises of a fortune seem to have been overstated. The degree of wealth present among the poor is much lower than ? rst reported. In addition, that wealth is too fragmented to be tapped under the current business models. It now appears that the basic concept overestimates the role that BOP consumers can play in contributing to company pro? ts.There is still no agreement in the literature about how bene? cial selling to the BOP can be for private companies, or for alleviating poverty. However, there are several elements of the BOP proposition that have been identi? ed as critical to 399 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Den nis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 succeed. First, an accurate characterization of the low-income sector – both as consumers and as producers – is required to understand their needs, perceptions, and behavior, which in urn will help companies to design a better business approach. Second, it is important to recognize that serving the BOP market requires a different business model, one incorporating access to microcredit, the establishment of alliances of collaboration among different types of institutions, and the adaptation of the marketing mix. â€Å"Until companies better understand the needs of emerging consumers and adapt their business models to serve them more ef? ciently and effectively, their growth will be limited† (D’Andrea et al. , 2004, p. 3). It is well known that BOP markets involve managing ubstantial challenges in technical and economic infrastructure, education, ? nanc ial resources, and cultural differences. As participants from the economic sectors progress, a number of questions need to be addressed. Gardetti (2005) articulated them clearly. They include: â€Å"How can a company turn its strategy at the BOP into a competitive advantage? What kind of business model will work? How can it build trust in the informal economy? What kind of education do business schools need? How does new technology integrate? How can we develop the educational/ social infrastructure? Moreover, from the viewpoint of egulatory and policy formulation, if entering the markets at the base of the pyramid is a sound choice for both development and business, what does it take to turn this into a reality? † Scholarly research, as well as practitioners’ participation in BOP initiatives, can provide some answers to clarify the true nature and scope of the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid. example in India showed its value in distribution and in customer relat ionship management. It will be equally valuable in research, product development, pricing, and promotion. Fourth, pricing is of paramount importance in serving the oor. In a for-pro? t enterprise, consumers must pay for the cost of serving them. Microcredit is one potential solution. It may be a limited solution, useful only to consumers with the skills necessary to manage it. However, innovative exchange models may offer even those without ? nancial management skills a chance to improve their condition. Fifth, given the economies of the BOP, it is likely that if pro? ts come, they will come later rather than sooner. Organizations need to choose a long-term involvement in order to avoid disappointment and a ? nancially ruinous midterm decision to exit.Finally, marketers should understand that some products are simply not suited for the poorest of the poor. Some products of dubious value to this segment, like Armani handbags, or even cheap counterfeits, will have no place at the BOP. More importantly, some products and services related to health care will always be simply too expensive. Altruistic surgeons may care for uniquely disadvantaged patients by donating their time but they are only one part of a surgical team. Even if the hospital and every member of the team donate facilities, their time, and the resources to save a atient, that model is not sustainable as a for-pro? t venture. Similarly, the cost of a ten-day supply of a life-saving antibiotic cannot be reduced realistically using the â€Å"smaller package size† option. The implication would be either reduced daily doses or fewer full strength doses. Both are likely to breed drug resistant organisms and thereby threaten the life of the patient and society. To remedy this situation, other players like governments and NGO’s will be important. Many marketers must realize that collaborating with them is important. To be effective, the collaboration must be proactive.Marketers wishing to ser ve the BOP, who recognize the importance of alliances with others, should seek out relationships with both government and NGO’s. Early and persistent outreach will be valuable in alerting all of the players to each other’s strengths and in creating an accurate picture of the challenges. Politically, coalitions of organizations with different fundamental objectives are prone to misunderstanding. Often their terminology is similar but the meaning is different. Alternatively, their objectives may be so totally different that they are fundamentally foreign to one another.If the goal is poverty eradication at a pro? t, all the players must collaborate. The goal may be so dif? cult and achieving effective teamwork is essential. Implications for marketers In general, if pro? t-seeking companies plan to serve the BOP, numerous factors will have to change. First, marketers will have to approach the BOP in a novel manner different from any they used in their prior successes. The BOP is mostly unknown territory. They may have to reinvent themselves or create divisions with substantial independence. If the old segmentation rules that worked at the TOP no longer apply, either will the product development, sales, pricing, distribution policies, and management. In addition, the pro? t objectives and revenue goals will have to be changed. Those who are not prepared to address the sea change in marketing approach should avoid entering this market. Second, simply modifying products and selling them is a path to failure. Success will depend on knowing the BOP intimately. Currently the BOP is terra incognita in terms of segments and their needs. To succeed, marketers must be able to differentiate different income segments and their value. Within the various BOP de? itions, there are three apparent segments, â€Å"under $2 per day†, â€Å"$4 per day†, and â€Å"$6 per day†. The needs and incomes of the segments seem to differ enough to indicate t hat they be treated differently. Marketers need to know which ones to serve and how to serve those successfully. Third, in order to understand the voice of the BOP consumer, companies need grass roots sources of intelligence. Collaborating effectively with agents â€Å"on the ground† who have direct contact with relevant BOP segments is vital. Moreover, companies must train those agents to seek ? information that will help serve those customers.The Nestle References Ahmad, P. S. and Mead, J. (2004), Hindustan Lever Limited and Project Sting , Darden Business Publishing, Charlottesville, VA. Chen, S. and Ravaillon, M. (2007), â€Å"Absolute poverty measures for the developing world, 1981-2004†, Policy Research Working Paper 4211, World Bank, April. 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(2000), â€Å"Human resource management, trade unions and empowerment: two cases from India†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 664-80. Seelos, C. and Mair, J. (2007), â€Å"Pro? table bus iness models and market creation in the context of deep poverty: a strategic view†, Academy of Management Perspectives, November, pp. 49-63. Vachani, S. and Smith, N. C. (2008), â€Å"Socially responsible distribution: distribution strategies for reaching the bottom of the pyramid†, California Management Review, Vol. 50 No. 2, Winter, pp. 52-84. Westley (2007), Commercial Banks in Micro? nance: BestPractices and Guidelines for Project Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation, IADB, MSM – 138. Zeithaml, V. A. , Rust, R. T. and Lemon, K. (2001), â€Å"The customer pyramid: creating and serving pro? table customers†, California Management Review, Vol. 43 No. 4, Summer, pp. 118-34. Further reading Anderson, S. N. (1994), â€Å"Unions/management create collaborative culture†, Communication World, Vol. 4 No. 1. Corresponding author Dennis A. Pitta can be contacted at: [email  protected] edu To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protect ed] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints 401