John Gotti Received More Publicity Any Crime Figure

Differential Association Theory Differential association theory was Sutherland's major sociological contribution to criminology; similar in importance to strain theory and social control theory. These theories all explain deviance in terms of the individual's social relationships. Sutherland's theory departs from the pathological perspective and biological perspective by attributing the cause of crime to the social context of individuals. â€Å"He rejected biological determinism and the extreme individualism of psychiatry, as well as economic explanations of crime.His search for an alternative understanding of crime led to the development of differential association theory. In contrast to both classical and biological theories, differential association theory poses no obvious threats to the humane treatment of those identified as criminals. â€Å"(Gaylord, 1988:1) The principle of differential association asserts that a person becomes delinquent because of an â€Å"excess† o f definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law.In other word, criminal behavior emerges when one is exposed to more social message favoring conduct than prosocial messages (Sutherland, 1947). Sutherland argued that the concept of differential association and differential social organization could be applied to the individual level and to aggregation (or group) level respectively. While differential association theory explains why any individual gravitates toward criminal behavior, differential social organization explains why crime rates of different social entities different from each other's.The first explicit statement of the theory of differential association appears in the 1939 edition of Principles of Criminology and in the fourth edition of it, he presented his final theory. His theory has 9 basic postulates. 1. Criminal behavior is learned. This means that criminal behavior is not inherited, as such; also the person who is not al ready trained in crime does not invent criminal behavior. 2. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication. This communication is verbal in many cases but includes gestures. 3.The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups. Negatively, this means the impersonal communication, such as movies or newspaper play a relatively unimportant part in committing criminal behavior. 4. When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very simple; (b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes. 5. The specific direction of the motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable.This different context of situation usually is found in US where culture conflict in relation to the legal code exists. 6. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions fa vorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law. This is the principle of differential association. When people become criminal, they do so not only because of contacts with criminal patterns but also because of isolation from anticriminal patterns. Negatively, this means that association which are neutral so far as crime is concerned have little or no effect on the genesis of criminal behavior. . Differential association may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity. Priority seems to be important principally through its selective influence and intensity has to do with such things as the prestige of the source of a criminal or anticriminal pattern and with emotional reactions related to the association. These modalities would be rated in quantitative form and mathematical ratio but development of formula in this sense has not been developed and would be very difficult. 8.The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal a nd anti-criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning. Negatively, this means that the learning of criminal behavior is not restricted to the process of imitation. A person who is seduced, for instance, learns criminal behavior by association, but this would not be ordinarily described as imitation. 9. While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values since non-criminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values.Thieves generally steal in order to secure money, but likewise honest laborers work in order to money. The attempts to explain criminal behavior by general drives and values such as the money motive have been, and must completely to be, futile, since they explain lawful behavior as completely as they explain criminal behavior. They are similar to respiration, which is necessary for any behavior, but which does not differentiate criminal from noncri minal behavior. (Sutherland, 1974: 75-76)In summary, he believed that an individual’s associations are determined in a general context of social organization (for instance, family income as a factor of determining residence of family and in many cases, delinquency rate is largely related to the rental value of houses) and thus differential group organization as an explanation of various crime rates is consistent with the differential association theory. (Sutherland, 1974: 77) Much of Sutherland’s theory relied upon the work of Chicago school theorists, Shaw and McKay (1931,1969).According to Shaw and McKay, they found that â€Å"delinquency rates increased as one moved away from the center of the city, and ecological rates of delinquency remained stable over generations despite a complete turnover of ethnic composition and social disorganization explained the high rates of delinquency in the inner-city. † (Matsueda: 1988: 280) As a matter of fact, this statement requires qualification because once you pass through the zone in transition, delinquency rates drop as you move out towards the suburbs.Criticism and Contemporary Views Many criticized Sutherland's differential association theory; supporters argued that criticism often resulted from misinterpretation of Sutherland's theory. Donald R. Cressey argued persuasively that many of the critiques were simply â€Å"literary errors† or misinterpretation on the part of the critics. For example, the theory was judged by critics to be invalid because not everyone who had come into contact with criminals became criminal as a result.This misinterprets the theory's proposition that criminal behavior is learned through differential association (relative exposure to criminal and noncriminal patterns) not simply through any contact with persons who have violated the law. (Akers: 1996:229) However, Cressey also pointed out two major weaknesses of Sutherland's theory. the first problem was that t he concept of â€Å"definitions† in the theory was not precisely defined, and the statement did not give good guidance on how to operationalize the ratio or â€Å"excess of definitions† favorable to criminal behavior over definitions unfavorable to criminal behavior.The second real problem was that it left the learning process unspecified. There is virtually no clue in Sutherland's theory as to what in particular would be included in â€Å"all the mechanisms that are involved in any of other learning (Akers: 1996:229-230) Another important criticism argued that Sutherland's theory is a â€Å"cultural deviance† theory as a way of showing that it made wrong presumptions about human behavior and the role of culture in deviant behavior. Matsueda (1988) believed it â€Å"reduces his (Sutherland’s) theory to a caricature† and Bernard objected to the way in which the cultural deviance label has been applied to the original differential association and so cial learning revision†(Bernard and Snipes, 1995: Vold and Bernard, 1986: 227-229) But Akers denies this criticism as another misinterpretation of Sutherland's theory: According to this critique, differential association/social learning theory rests on the assumption that socialization is completely successful and that cultural variability is unlimited, cannot explain individual differences in deviance within the same group and applies only to group differences, has no way of explaining violation of norms to which the individual subscribes, and proposes culture as the single cause of crime. I conclude that the usual attribution of cultural deviance assumptions and explanation to differential association is based on misinterpretations. (Akers: 1996:229) Merton TheoryLike many sociological theories of crime, Robert Merton’s strain/anomie theory has advanced following the work of Emile Durkheim. In Merton’s theory anomie is very similar to the very meaning of the wo rd strain, as he proposed anomie to be a situation in which societies inadvertently bring to bear pressure, or strain, on individuals that can lead to rule-breaking behavior. This pressure, or strain if you will, is caused by the discrepancy between culturally defined goals and the institutionalized means available to achieve these goals. To illustrate this Merton argues that the dominant cultural goal in the U. S is the acquisition of wealth, as a message was depicted that happiness often equated with material success which is often associated with wealth.The socially accepted institutionalized manner of achieving these material goals was believed to be hard work and education, meaning it is widely believed that people who apply themselves to study and work will succeed financially and that those who do not succeed are labeled as either lazy or defective. According to Merton, the problem with this type of society is that the legitimate means for achieving material success are not u niformly distributed. In other words, those from wealthier backgrounds have considerably more access to legitimate means than do those who are economically disadvantaged. As a consequence, anomie, or strain, is generated and produces certain ‘modes of adaptation’, or (simply put) coping strategies, that the disadvantaged use to deal with the pressures that are brought to bear on them. Merton identifies five modes of adaptation: conformity, innovation, retreatism, ritualism, and rebellion.According to Merton, the innovator is the most likely to engage in criminal behavior, as the innovator accepts the socially recognized goals of society, but reject the legitimate means to achieve these goals. Consequently, the innovator uses proceeds from crimes such as fraud, theft, and illegal drug dealing to access culturally defined goals. Critique of Strain/Anomie theory Although Merton’s Strain theory continues to play a role in the sociological theorization of crime today, there are limitations to this theory of crime that have been identified. The first critique of this theory, put forth by Albert Cohen, addressed the fact that there is an ample amount of crime/delinquent behavior that is â€Å"non-utilitarian, malicious, and negativistic† (O’Grady, 2011), which highlights that not all crimes are explicable using Merton’s theory.Although Merton could explain crimes such as fraud and theft on the basis of innovation, he is unable to explain youth crimes that are often engaged in for social status rather than material acquisition. Furthermore, Strain/Anomie theory fails to adequately address issues such as race and gender. Additionally, Strain/Anomie theory is unable to explain the phenomena of white collar crime. [edit] Robert DubinRobert Dubin (1959) viewed deviance as a function of society, disputing the assumption that the deviant adaptations to situations of anomie are necessarily harmful to society. For example, an individua l in the ritualistic adaptation is still playing by the rules and taking part in society. The only deviance lies in abandoning one or more of its culturally prescribed goals.Dubin argued that Merton's focus on the relationship between society’s emphasized goals, and institutionalized prescribed means was inadequate. Dubin felt that a further distinction should be made between cultural goals, institutional means and institutional norms because individuals perceive norms subjectively, interpreting them and acting upon them differently. The personal educational experiences, values, and attitudes may predispose an individual to internalize a norm one way. Another individual with different experiences may legitimately internalize the same norm differently. Both may be acting rationally in their own terms, but the resulting behaviour is different.Dubin also extended Merton’s typology to fourteen, with particular interest in Innovation and Ritualism. Merton proposed that the innovative response to strain was accepting the goal, but rejecting the institutionally prescribed means of achieving the goal. The implication seemed to be that that not only did the individual reject the means, he must actively innovate illegitimate means as a substitute which would not always be true. Dubin also thought that a distinction should be made between the actual behaviour of the actor and the values that drove the behaviour. Instead of Innovation, Dubin proposed Behavioural Innovation and Value Innovation.Similarly, in Ritualism, he proposed Behavioural Ritualism and Value Ritualism (Dubin, 1959: 147-149). Merton (1959: 177-189) commented on Dubin’s revisions, claiming that although Dubin did make valid contributions, they took the focus off deviancy. [edit] Robert AgnewIn 1992, Robert Agnew asserted that strain theory could be central in explaining crime and deviance, but that it needed revision so that it was not tied to social class or cultural variables, but re-focused on norms. To this end, Agnew proposed a general strain theory that is neither structural nor interpersonal but rather individual and emotional, paying especial attention to an individual's immediate social environment.He argued that an individual's actual or anticipated failure to achieve positively valued goals, actual or anticipated removal of positively valued stimuli, and actual or anticipated presentation of negative stimuli all result in strain. Anger and frustration confirm negative relationships. The resulting behavior patterns will often be characterized by more than their share of unilateral action because an individual will have a natural desire to avoid unpleasant rejections, and these unilateral actions (especially when antisocial) will further contribute to an individual's alienation from society. If particular rejections are generalized into feelings that the environment is unsupportive, more strongly negative emotions may motivate the individual to engage in crime.This is most likely to be true for younger individuals, and Agnew suggested that research focus on the magnitude, recency, duration, and clustering of such strain-related events to determine whether a person copes with strain in a criminal or conforming manner. Temperament, intelligence, interpersonal skills, self-efficacy, the presence of conventional social support, and the absence of association with antisocial (e. g. , criminally inclined) age and status peers are chief among the factors Agnew identified as beneficial. [edit] Akers' operationalization of Agnew's theory: Sources of strainAkers (2000: 159) has operationalized Agnew's version of the Strain Theory, as follows: Failure to achieve positively valued goals: he gap between expectations and actual achievements will derive from short- and long-term personal goals, and some of those goals will never be realized because of unavoidable circumstances including both inherent weaknesses and opportunities blocked by othe rs; and the difference between the view of what a person believes the outcome should be and what actually results increases personal disappointment. Frustration is not necessarily due to any outside interference with valued goals, but a direct effect on anger, and has indirect effects on serious crime and aggression. Agnew and White (1992) have produced empirical evidence suggesting that general strain theory was positively able to relate delinquents and drug users, and that the strongest effect on the delinquents studied was the delinquency of their peers.They were interested in drug use because it did not appear to represent an attempt to direct anger or escape pain, but â€Å"is used primarily to manage the negative affect caused by strain. † Up to this point, strain theory had been concerned with types of strain rather than sources of strain whereas the stress of events can be shown to interfere with the achievement of natural expectations or just and fair outcomes. These may be significant events or minor â€Å"hassles† that accumulate and demoralize over time. Frustration leads to dissatisfaction, resentment, and anger — all the emotions customarily associated with strain in criminology. It is natural for individuals to feel distress when they are denied just rewards for their efforts when compared to the efforts and rewards given to similar others for similar outcomes.Agnew (1992) treats anger as the most critical emotion since it is almost always directed outwards and is often related to breakdowns in relationships. Research shows that the stress/crime relationship appears to hold regardless of guilt feelings, age, and capacity to cope when events occur simultaneously or in close succession. [edit] Zhang JieThe strain theory of suicide postulates that suicide is usually preceded by psychological strains. A psychological strain is formed by at least two stresses or pressures, pushing the individual to different directions. A strain can be a consequence of any of the four conflicts: differential values, discrepancy between aspiration and reality, relative deprivation, and lack of coping skills for a crisis.Psychological strains in the form of all the four sources have been tested and supported with a sample of suicide notes in the United States and in rural China through psychological autopsy studies. The strain theory of suicide forms a challenge to the psychiatric model popular among the suicidologists in the world. The strain theory of suicide is based on the theoretical frameworks established by previous sociologists, e. g. Durkheim (1951), Merton (1957), and Agnew (2006), and preliminary tests have been accomplished with some American (Zhang and Lester 2008) and Chinese data (Zhang 2010; Zhang, Dong, Delprino, and Zhou 2009; Zhang, Wieczorek, Conwell, and Tu 2011).There could be four types of strain that precede a suicide, and each can be derived from specific sources. A source of strain must consist of tw o, and at least two, conflicting social facts. If the two social facts are non-contradictory, there would be no strain. Strain Source 1: Differential Values When two conflicting social values or beliefs are competing in an individual’s daily life, the person experiences value strain. The two conflicting social facts are competing personal beliefs internalized in the person’s value system. A cult member may experience strain if the mainstream culture and the cult religion are both considered important in the cult member’s daily life.Other examples include the second generation of immigrants in the United States who have to abide by the ethnic culture rules enforced in the family while simultaneously adapting to the American culture with peers and school. In China, rural young women appreciate gender egalitarianism advocated by the communist government, but at the same time, they are trapped in cultural sexual discrimination as traditionally cultivated by Confucia nism. Another example that might be found in developing countries is the differential values of traditional collectivism and modern individualism. When the two conflicting values are taken as equally important in a person’s daily life, the person experiences great strain. When one value is more important than the other, there is then little or no strain. Strain Source 2: Reality vs. AspirationIf there is a discrepancy between an individual’s aspiration or a high goal and the reality the person has to live with, the person experiences aspiration strain. The two conflicting social facts are one’s splendid ideal or goal and the reality that may prevent one from achieving it. An individual living in the United States expects to be very rich or at least moderately successful as other Americans do, but in reality the means to achieve the goal is not equally available to the person because of his/her social status or any other reasons. Aspirations or goals can be a col lege a person aims to get in, an ideal girl a boy wants to marry, and a political cause a person strives for, etc. If the reality is far from the aspiration, the person experiences strain. Another example might be from rural China.A young woman aspiring to equal opportunity and equal treatment may have to live within the traditional and Confucian reality, exemplified by her family and village, which interferes with that goal. The larger the discrepancy between aspiration and reality, the greater the strain will be. Strain Source 3: Relative Deprivation In the situation where an extremely economically poor individual realizes some other people of the same or similar background are leading a much better life, the person experiences deprivation strain. The two conflicting social facts are one’s own miserable life and the perceived richness of comparative others. A person living in absolute poverty, where there is no comparison with others, does not necessarily feel bad, miserabl e, or deprived.On the other hand, if the same poor person understands that other people like him/her live a better life, he or she may feel deprived because of these circumstances. In an economically polarized society where the rich and poor live geographically close to each other, people are more likely to feel this discrepancy. In today’s rural China, television, newspaper, magazines, and radio have brought home to rural youths how relatively affluent urban life is. Additionally, those young people who went to work in the cities (dagong) and returned to the village during holidays with luxury materials and exciting stories make the relative deprivation even more realistically perceived. Increased perception of deprivation indicates relatively greater strain for individuals. Strain Source 4: Deficient CopingFacing a life crisis, some individuals are not able to cope with it, and then they experience coping strain. The two conflicting social facts are life crisis and the appr opriate coping capacity. All people who have experienced crises do not experience strain. A crisis may be a pressure or stress in daily life, and those individuals who are not able to cope with the crisis have strain. Such crises as loss of money, loss of status, loss of face, divorce, death of a loved one, etc. may lead to serious strain in the person who does not know how to cope with these negative life events. A high school boy who is constantly bullied and ridiculed by peers may experience great strain if he does not know how to deal with the situation.Likewise, a Chinese rural young woman who is frequently wronged by her mother-in-law may have strain if she is not psychologically ready to cope with a different situation by seeking support from other family members and the village. The less capable the coping skills, the stronger the strain when a crisis takes place. [edit] ReferencesO'Grady W. (2011). â€Å"Crime in Canadian Context. † Strain/anomie theory 92-94 Agnew, R. (1992). â€Å"Foundation for a General Strain Theory. † Criminology 30(1), 47-87 Agnew, R. & White, H. (1992). â€Å"An Empirical Test of General Strain Theory. † Criminology 30(4): 475-99. Agnew, R. (1997). â€Å"The Nature and Determinants of Strain: Another Look at Durkheim and Merton. † Pp. 7-51 in The Future of Anomie Theory, edited by R. Agnew and N. Passas. Boston: Northeastern University Press. Agnew, R. (2009). â€Å"Revitalizing Merton: General Strain Theory. † Advances in Criminological Theory: The Origins of American Criminology, Volume 16, edited by F. T. Cullen, F. Adler, C. L. Johnson, and A. J. Meyer. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Akers, R. (2000). Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application. Los Angeles: Roxbury. Cloward, R. (1959). â€Å"Illegitimate Means, Anomie and Deviant Behavior. † American Sociological Review 24(2): 164- 76. Cloward, R. & Ohlin, L. (1960). Delinquency and Opportunity. NY: Free Pr ess. Cohen, A. (1955). Delinquent Boys.NY: Free Press. Cohen, A. (1965). â€Å"The Sociology of the Deviant Act: Anomie Theory and Beyond. † American Sociological Review 30: 5-14. Cohen, A. (1977). â€Å"The Concept of Criminal Organization. † British Journal of Criminology 17: 97-111. Dubin, R. (1959) â€Å"Deviant Behavior and Social Structure: Continuities in Social Theory. † American Sociological Review 24:147-163. Durkheim, E. (1897/1997). Suicide. NY: Free Press. Featherstone, R. & Deflem, M. (2003). â€Å"Anomie and Strain: Context and Consequences of Merton's Two Theories. † Sociological Inquiry 73(4):471-489. Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of Delinquency. Berkeley: University of California Press.Marwah, Sanjay, and Mathieu Deflem. 2006. †Revisiting Merton: Continuities in the Theory of Anomie-and-Opportunity-Structures. † Pp. 57-76 in Sociological Theory and Criminological Research: Views from Europe and the United States, ed. M. Deflem. Amsterdam: Elsevier/JAI Press. Messner, S ; Rosenfeld, R. (1994). Crime and the American Dream. Belmont: Wadsworth. Polk, K. (1969). â€Å"Class, Strain and Rebellion Among Adolescents. † Social Problems 17: 214-24. Polk, K. , ; Schafer, W. (eds. ). (1972). Schools and Delinquency. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Agnew, Robert. 2006. â€Å"General Strain Theory: Current Status and Directions for Further Research. † Pp. 01-123 in Taking Stock: The Status of Criminological Theory-Advances in Criminological Theory, edited by F. T. Cullen, J. P. Wright, and K. Blevins. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. Durkheim, Emile. 1951. Suicide: A Study in Sociology. New York: Free Press (Original work published in 1897). IOM, (Institute of Medicine). 2002. Reducing suicide: An American imperative. Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press. Mann, J. J. , C. Waternaux, G. L. Haas, and K. M. Malone. 1999. â€Å"Toward a clinical model of suicidal behavior in psychiatric patients. à ¢â‚¬  American Journal of Psychiatry 156:181-189. Merton, R. K. 1957. Social Theory and Social Structure, rev. ed. New York: Free Press. NIMH. 2003.Research on Reduction and Prevention of Suicidality: National Institute of Mental Health. Phillips, Michael R, Gonghuan Yang, Yanping Zhang, L. Wang, H. Ji, and M. Zhou. 2002. â€Å"Risk factors for suicide in China: a national case-control psychological autopsy study. † The Lancet 360:1728-1736. Spitzer, R. L. , J. B. W. Williams, M. Gibbon, and A. B. First. 1988. Instruction Manual for the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID, 6/1/88 Revision). New York: Biometrics Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute. Zhang, Jie. 2010. â€Å"Marriage and Suicide among Chinese Rural Young Women. † Social Forces 89:311-326. Zhang, Jie, Nini Dong, Robert Delprino, and Li Zhou. 2009. Psychological Strains Found From In-Depth Interviews With 105 Chinese Rural Youth Suicides. † Archives of Suicide Resea rch 13:185 – 194. Zhang, Jie and Shenghua Jin. 1998. â€Å"Interpersonal relations and suicide ideation in China. † Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs 124:79-94. Zhang, Jie and David Lester. 2008. â€Å"Psychological Tensions Found in Suicide Notes: A Test for the Strain Theory of Suicide. † Archives of Suicide Research 12:67-73. Zhang, Jie, William F. Wieczorek, Yeates Conwell, and Xin Ming Tu. 2011. â€Å"Psychological strains and youth suicide in rural China. † Social Science & Medicine 72:2003-2010. Zhang, Jie. 2000. â€Å"Gender differences in athletic performance and their

Maharashtra and People

Chawls are a quintessentially Mumbai phenomenon, whose rise is inseparably linked to the rise of the textile mills. The textile mills were the next big industrial step that Mumbai took after the spurt in cotton trading and the shifting of the ports. The mills flourished in the mid-19th century and the people who worked there were labourers mainly from the Konkan coast and ghats. Often one of the workers is sent back to the villages to recruit more people. These workers are known as ‘jobbers’ and they usually get back people who are from the same family or same village or caste.Once in Mumbai, they live together. Some chawls are built by the government called the Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) chawls and the Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT) chawls. The mill owners built other chawls to lure people to come and work for them, or by private landlords. Many private landlords who built chawls are Muslims, as according to their religion they couldn’t collect interest from money. So this is a way of investing the money. Originally, the migrants come alone to work and leave their families in the villages. So often the rooms are occupied by a different set of workers at different times of the day.When one shift end, one set of people come to the rooms while the other set of people went to work. When the workers brought their families, the entire family and often more than one family stayed one room. Chawls had mushroomed in the 30s to the 70s all over Mumbai. Mumbai was once the textile capital of India even being named Manchester of the East. Cloth mills dominated the skyline of Mumbai till the 90s. It was during these times that people from rural Maharahstra migrated to Mumbai in search of a better jobs and prospect. Landlords cashed on this new influx and built low cost housing called chawls.The idea was to get as many people in one building so as to increase the amount of rent. It was quantity not quality that was important. Ambience The chawl s have fair amount of wood in their structure, the dark stairs made the distinct wooden sound while walking. Common toilets dominated each floor. Leaking pipes and stagnant water gave the dingy chawl a distinct smell of its own. The dark corridors and the low sunlight was so typical of a chawl. The Chawl building have a total of 80 houses and two wings so it was 40 houses on each side.Instead of calling each wing as ‘A’ and ‘B’, they call them Magchi (back side  in Marathi) and Phudchi (front side in Marathi) side. The funny thing is that the people living in the other wing would call them magchi side and the people living in the other wing would call them â€Å"magchi† side. each house sharing a common long balcony. The common balcony would give the 4 houses a sense on one-ness. It was like a big joint family. Each house obviously has a door and this door is open in the morning and remains open till they all go to sleep. They play, they talk, they study, they fight, they do everything in that long balcony.You don’t even have to go and knock on your neighbor door. He is there standing in that balcony. Balcony has a big importance in the life of chawl. It is what a village square was in the old days. This is what the katta is in modern Mumbai. Consider that almost 6-16 families live on a floor. Considering each family has an average of 4 members, the number of people residing on a floor is 24 to 64. The balcony serves as a meeting ground for all these people. The housewives gather in the balcony after their house chores discussing gossips about the girl next door to their children’s annual result to everything in general.The men discuss the latest politics to the irresponsibility of the youths today to the latest in cricket. The children meanwhile played in the balcony. The balcony is a common meeting ground for all families on that floor. Its like a drawing room for members of a big joint family. When there is a long power cuts, they would sit outside waiting for electricity to come back and battling mosquitoes at the same time. Groups would be formed in different  part  of the balcony  and people would just talk. As there is nothing to do, talking was the best option available unless its really late into the night.Especially during full moon  nights, the soft moon light would shine in the balcony throwing a dim light on the occupants. It is at this time, ghost stories are discussed with relish and age is not a factor. The children and the women would always discuss more ghost then the men. Imagine when everything is dark around you that you cannot even see the face of the person sitting next to you, its sheer fun to listen to the ‘true’ scary incident that happened to the friend’s friend’s uncle’s boss’s son’s friend.When your hair stands up after listening to the story, nobody even notices it in the darkness. The balcony is also use d for drying all kind of pulses, clothes, spices and every other thing that can be dried. During the afternoon, it becomes a task to dodge your way through drying clothes, spices and pulses. The size of an average balcony is 4 – 7 feet wide and very long in the range of 50-100 feet. On this long stretch of land they play everything from cricket to playing cards to even playing hockey with cricket bats. The balcony was multipurpose serving as a playground to meeting place to katta.After finishing food, they would come out and look in all direction trying to find out friends who have finished their dinner and lunch. Then they would start talking and the topics could range from everything under the sun right from politics to cricket to non-existent girlfriend to sex. There are never any boundaries about the topic of discussion The balcony is a mini-katta in a chawl. It serves as a playing ground, a discussion room, a drying place, a community hall and sometimes even as a bedroom . The balcony is the first common ground for the big family they call a chawl. ———————————————— Not getting what to name this topic as. plz ben name it. | Mumbai’s chawls have not only   portrayed the deluge of human emotions, but have also laid the foundation for Samaritans in this cross cultural city. These dense dwellings have seen bonhomie at its best like residents sharing meals and neighbours becoming extended families. This is the only place of abode, where they not only share spaces, but also hearts. From Worli to Girgaum, and from Nana Chowk to Cuffe Parade, these dwellings of human bonding and mayhem have dotted the city for years.Chawls have indeed been an essential part of South Mumbai and have added character to its very being, and some of them have even been classified as heritage structures. A day in a chawl Enter any chawl and the scene would more or less be the same — a handful of children indulging in a game of hide-and-seek,   running in and out of each other’s homes with gay abandon; groups of women clustering together exchanging juicy bits of gossip about the latest chawl scandal; a few people standing listlessly just watching the goings-on. All so typically chawlish. Perfection in imperfection, in a way.In the city where the cases of anomie and depression are rising, chawl culture is a huge relief for senior citizens and children. For instance, 63-year-old Sucheta Kelekar, a resident of Dadar, has stayed in her current room all her life and cannot imagine herself living anywhere else. â€Å"Our family moved here in the 1950s, after partition. We’ve always lived in harmony with our neighbours, who are like a family to us. † said she. The flipside With the increase of several high rises in the city, many of these chawls have been demolished and consequently all its residents have moved out in to the suburbs to live in individual apartments.Obviously this has led to the dying out of much of the culture and bonding that chawls usually facilitated. â€Å"Yes, living in an individual apartment becomes pretty lonely after you have lived in a chawl your whole life†, says Salil Shirodkar, who moved from a clustered chawl in Worli to a 1-BHK in Dadar. â€Å"Times have changed though. Earlier it was all about living in one big community where everyone knows what’s happening in their adjacent homes. We’d share everything, from recipes, to toys, to our problems. The present generation doesn’t care about old ties.As soon as they can afford it, they prefer to move into our own flats where they can live in comfort,† Bachelors â€Å"spoil† the party Within the chawls, the genre of inflowing residents is changing from ‘family of four’ to ‘single bed space for bachelors’. â€Å"It is really quite annoying! † excla ims Varsha Patel of Dadar. â€Å"Most residents have moved into the suburbs and rented out their rooms to bachelors who come at odd hours and drink and smoke. They have no interest in mingling with anyone and play loud music till late hours.Chawls used to be all about family bonding but sadly that has now been taken over by individuals who treat their homes like guest houses. † Further echoing this thought is Naveen Mehta of Dadar her neighbour, who summarises the situation aptly: â€Å"Chawls used to be a blend of many communities. Families of Marwaris, Maharashtrians, and Gujaratis would all co-exist in satisfaction. Everyone was â€Å"Santusht†. Now the focus is on the individual. . Chawl Vs. Flat Five-year-old Neeraj is bored. He pretends to watch TV, jumps on the bed and talks to his pillow.His mother, Edna Nair, understands, but keeps the door closed on purpose. It is a rehearsal. She is preparing her son for their new neighbours. â€Å"What if they complain ab out him making a noise,† she says. For the past one year, ever since the Nairs shifted from their 100-square-foot chawl room into a 225-square-foot flat, little Neeraj has learnt to entertain himself at home. His tutelage began from their days in the transit camp two years ago, when the Nairs watched their two-floor decrepit chawl in south Mumbai transform into a nine-storey giant.It was a difficult transition, but it was also called ‘the good life'. Their new apartment has assured them all the things they lacked attached bathroom, separate kitchen, privacy and respect. And a loft that is now filled with utensils instead of people. They have even bought a refrigerator. But Edna is already feeling suffocated. She misses evening chats with other women in the common balcony and worries about expenses. Before they moved in, her sister, who lives in a small flat in Andheri, had warned her about huge maintenance bills and other costs that come with the â€Å"flat system†.Edna knew that once the building was fully ready and they moved in, her 72-rupee monthly chawl rent would soon be history. â€Å"Why should we show that we are rich when we aren't? † asks Edna wondering if it was a good decision to move into a flat. But her mother, Teresa, is happy. For someone who spent 38 years in the chawls delivering milk packets, Teresa didn't want the same life for her grandson. â€Å"I want him to study English in a good school,† she says and the apartment, she believes, takes him a step closer to the kind of life he should lead in the future.It's the case with almost all the families who are giving up their old dwellings in chawls and slums to builders who assure them fantastic lifestyle leaps. While the change from their routine to something that they have only seen on TV seems daunting, there is a strong urge among these people to improve their lives. They yield to the builders and watch their old homes being demolished because they don't w ant their children to suffer. Housewife Suguna Shetty, who would earlier divert all guests to her brother-in-law's flat in Parel to save herself from the embarrassment of exposing her chawl, is now proud of her new residence.The lift in her building doesn't work most of the time, but Shetty who stays on the ninth floor takes heart in the fact that her TV, which used to be on a trunk earlier, now rests in a showcase. Her daughter Deeksha too, likes it here. â€Å"I can ask friends to come over. † Deeksha knows of kids who, while returning from school would actually walk a few steps ahead of their chawls so that their friends would not know where they lived, wave goodbye and then return to the real homes. BMC employee Ravikant Baokar was one of them. â€Å"Nobody likes to say they live in a chawl.If you say you stay in a building, you are automatically respected no matter how small your flat is,† he says. This respect comes in handy while finding alliances. Recently, whe n an engineering student from Baokar's chawl told his prospect's family that he would soon be shifting into a flat, the girl, it seems, immediately agreed for marriage. For slum-dwellers, the shift inspires a desire to look after themselves. LIC agent Raju Gaddam, a resident of Indira Nagar slum, who shifted to a flat two years ago says his language and attire have undergone major changes. I even painted my scooter, when I came here. † His apartment, which he proudly describes as â€Å"east-west† facing, gave him the confidence to buy a refrigerator. â€Å"I wouldn't have bought it in my slum, because I didn't know when my house would be broken down. † Not everybody is happy though. Some find the flat culture very impersonal. They miss the joys of hanging out with their shirtless friends in the compound or borrowing chairs without permission from neighbours anymore. Pandal decorator Rakesh Gautam, whose assistants used to sleep in his house, now has to find a new room for them, due to society rules.Earlier, during festivals or weddings, he would volunteer to decorate mandaps for free. Though he would like to continue the charity, Gautam says, â€Å"I won't be able to use the compound for my decorations anymore. † On his assignments, Gautam has come across other chawl members who shifted a few years earlier. â€Å"They would live in the building in pretty much the same way as in the chawl, until new tenants came in,† he says, laughing. Some would put their cupboards in the stair landing. Kids would brush their teeth in the elevator.The liftman wouldn't complain. â€Å"But when the society was formed, and new tenants came in, things changed,† says Gautam. By now, builders know they are luring people who like to carry their world along, wherever they go. Sudhir Das, secretary of a building full of rehabilitated slum-dwellers, recalls his intensive cleanliness drive. â€Å"Initially, people would spit on the staircase or h ang their clothes in the passage,† he says. They would even keep their doors open. But that changed when there was a robbery. Now, almost all doors are shut.The transition from chawls to flats, unexpectedly, has caused ailments too. Lakshmi Sonar says, â€Å"I have severe back pains and have even grown fat here, as I am confined to these walls. † Also, she doesn't know how to react to sweepers or postmen who ring her doorbell asking for Diwali bonus. â€Å"I hardly get any letters, why should I pay him. † Sunny Wadhawan, director of HDIL (Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd. ) which profits from slum rehabilitation, has built his glassy office building on what used to be the Indira Nagar slum in Bandra.Every day, Sunny who has a guard following him everywhere, faces many complaints from irate slum-dwellers, who are like his â€Å"adopted children†. They sometimes come with complaints of water supply and Sunny calmly passes the task to civic bodies. Yet, it's not surprising why poor people want to trust a builder and allow a lucky draw to decide their new notional homes. Though they loved the natural rustic warmth of their chawls and slums, they know that Mumbai and the times have changed. They know that the warmth of the chawls is the warmth of failure.And they also feel, in the present day boom, their children have the opportunity to escape from the poverty that each of their forefathers suffered. If moving into a flat can make an LIC agent paint his scooter, it can also make children believe they have a brighter future. Raju Gaddam, who studied in night school, now sends his three kids to New English school in Bandra. The products of the school, he believes, are now earning Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh a month. He has just one complaint with the flat culture. â€Å"The passage is too narrow. But then as an afterthought, he adds, â€Å"It's definitely better than a gutter. † Festivals Festivals are the life of the people in chawls. They cannot imagine their life without celebrating anything in their special chawl ways. They regardless of caste, region, religions, sex, creed, age participate in some or the other way. Everyone works single mindedly for the celebrations from preparing the feast to decorations. Everyone contributes in every possible way. Festivals were the most enjoyable period. First festival of the year is Makarsankranti Makarsankranti i. e.Kite flying on 14 Jan. They gather on terraces and it is fun filled day, they give â€Å"Tilgud† going to eachothers house wishing everyone â€Å"Tilgud Ghya God God Bola†( eat sweet and talk sweet). Holi Holi the favourite festival of many is celebrated with a great enthusiasm and zeel. Even after facing scarcity of water throughout the year but in Holi they use water without any hesitation for playing Holi. Even the Government supports them by supplying extra liters of water for them to take bath in the afternoon. Gopal Kala (Dahi Han di) Monsoon session would start with Govinda.They have Handi which is broken with 3-4 Thars (human floors) This is usually local affair but Govindas from various Mandals also go places to parcipate in the competition for breaking the Handis at different places. Ganesh Utsav Ganpati festival the most lovable and appreciable festival of all is Pride of Place. It is not only a festival but also a source of fulfillment and worshipping where people of different religion come together. This festival is not only celebrated in the maharashtrian homes but by people of every religion with the same intensity and Faith in Lord Ganesha.These Chawls have Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Festival and most Marathi homes have Ganpati for 1-7 days and majority of them have Gauri as well. It is 10 days of fun, music, orchestra, competitions,3 act Drama etc culminating in the Grand Visarjan which starts with the grand visarjan pooja and end with immersion of the Ganesh Idols at Chawpathy or beaches till next da y morning, the most difficult part to move and immerse the huge idol requires a great effort and to take it for immersion in deep sea, in darkness with full tide was scary as well.This is difficult also because the emotional trauma they go through while returning home empty handed. In subsequent years focus has moved to huge idols of Ganesh and for them there is nothing to do as cultural programme degenerated to 16 mm movie shows and an evening of orchestra. Navratri Navratri is celebrated by Gujarati residents with Garba and Dandia which is also accompanied by the other members of their Chawl family. They have Dholi and Shehnai and Dandia Ras is more like â€Å"Dholi Tharo†¦ n Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam than what we see these days at Falguni Pathak's show. Diwali Diwali was less noisy-most couldn't afford bursting crackers-and emphasis was on making Kandils usually similar Kandils for entire chawl which gave beautiful look to entire lane and one big Kandil at the enterance of the Chawl. Making sweets, diyas, beautiful Rangolis is a special feature of Diwali. In fact they have Rangoli competition. Entire night is spent in creating Rangoli, some with nationalist or Shivaji themes, others with intricate designs and few with nature as theme.Christmas Christmas and New year were not celebrated as they didn't have Christian families living in the chawls but even then there is a changing trend now a days. YOUTH CULTURE: According to a youngster, who we spoke to, there are many get-togethers taking place in a chawl, as people tend to celebrate their festivals together and also are a part of each other’s sorrows. When we asked him about the places where they usually meet, he told us about what is called the Saarvajanik Vruttpatra Vachanalaya, which also could be called a Public Newspaper Centre.It was rather surprising for us to hear that youngsters choose a place like a newspaper centre to hang out, but what he added on was that, as the place was at the cent re o the colony, and also there was no cost factor involved, it was convenient for the youngsters to meet up in the evenings. We also visited the newspaper centre and sat there for sometime. We saw that there were many newspapers there, but they were either Marathi or Hindi newspapers. This clearly showed that the people staying in the chawls were educated, but in Hindi or Marathi medium schools.And also, what we gathered out of all that is that the majority of the people staying in the chawls are Maharashtrians, and obviously there are people from other castes, but not in huge numbers. We also found out about the small-scale tuition classes, which mainly have students from kindergarten to SSC. These classes have a big market in these chawls, as the parents there are usually working, and they can’t manage the studies of their children. We also spoke to certain friends who stay in chawls. We asked them a few questions regarding the social evils like drugs, prostitution and als o incidents where several crimes are committed on women.They gave us a general idea on things, saying that drugs was not an issue in the chawl as the people there don’t have the kind of time, and more importantly the money to get addicted to drugs. But, it seems that heavy-weight laborers usually drink liquor after they come back from work, and it’s very normal for them to consume alcohol as it lightens their mood, and also relieves them from the stress. Tenement were small so there was no space for residents. You use home to bath,eat food and sleep. Rest of the time you have to be out of the house. So groups were formed according to age and each group had its meeting place.During holidays and vacation half the day was spent in company of friends. With plenty of time on hands you indulge in games-cricket being favorite,but we played Kabbadi,lagori and Marbles. Carrom was very popular,and Table Tennis on small wooden bench. There was no TV, so Radio Ceylon with Binaca G eetmala was hot favorite. We had timeon hand, so could take part in Election campaigns. I remember election meetings of George Fernandes for Lok Sabha. He defeated S. K. Patil of Congress and virtually put an end to Patil's political career in Mumbai. For decades Fernandes was called ‘George the Giant Killer'.In seventy Marathi youth was attracted to Shiv Sena with its ‘Son of soil' ideology. There was constant conflict between socialists and Shiv Sena. Most of us couldn't pursue studies after SSC due to financial constrains. Even passing SSC was tough as at home there was no space to study. We used to go to GMC Gymkhana bldg. on Marine Drive to study. Terrace was another good place. Most got job as clerk in BMC or in Govt. offices. Gujrati boys completed their college education and took jobs in Banks or offices. With hard work and diligence they progressed but couldn't reach very high posts.Very few could break through the Middle class bracket. Caste Systems Residents o f the chawls are predominantly Gujarati and Marwadi,rest are inhabited by Maharastrians. Few of the floor rooms are dorms for those who had come to Mumbai for work leaving their families in village. They work as Mathadi workers and others from Konkan area work as plumbers,painters,peons in small offices. Chawls have Chambhar(Mochi),Bhandari,Khatri,Kasar,Sonar,Brahmins, Desais and Low caste Patels from South Gujarat. There is no caste discrimination. Everyone takes part in Festivals. Even the person who has shoe shop, is in charge of Sarvajanic Ganesh festival .Any Child is not being asked not to play or not to mix with low caste people. Chawl people are aware of the caste but it has no place in their day to day life. This has given Mumbai its unique character. Standard of living: People living in the chawls are mainly from the lower-middle class. They are the ones who actually live lives on meager standards. Normally we do find people living in the societies which consist of the upp er middle class and high class having a high standard of living. They enjoy all the luxuries in life. But this is not the case of the people living in the chawls.Most of the times, they are deprived of the luxuries and rather live life the common man’s way. They rarely go to restaurants to have their meals. According to the survey conducted by us we got to know that the residents of the chawls go to the restaurant just once in two months which is very obvious for them because they cannot afford such kind of expenses. According to the survey, what we found out was that they are people who lead a simple life without any fuss and make the most of whatever they have. Every expense they incur is well planned and thought about. They represent the working class of India.The room is mainly a one room kitchen with a toilet attached as provided by MHADA. We spoke to a youngster who resided in the Nehru Nagar Chawl area which is located near Kurla station. Age Group Wise Activities: Whe n we visited the chawls we decided to categorize the residents living there according to their age group and their activities. 1} Education Class: As the name suggests this class mainly consists of the ones who are still in academics. They are the ones who go to schools and colleges to complete their studies. We may be in an impression that people residing in chawls do not study. But it’s a misconception that we have got.They do work hard and put their hearts out to become prosperous being in the future. But they do have setbacks. Once they sight failure they get distracted from their studies and think money as their only motive. Thus they take up small tasks which yield them money. Thus when studies take a set back they tend to do jobs and that then become a part of their life. 2} Working Class: This class mainly consists of the ones between the age group 30-40. They are the working members of the family. They are the ones who strive hard and earn a living. People living in the chawls do not consider any work small or big.May it be any job; they take it up whole-heartedly and do their work with sincerity. It is their daily bread and butter and hence they do it with dedication. People in the chawls mainly work in small posts. Some of them are agents, private officers, clerks and some of them take up financing and also work in small marketing agencies. Many of them are local garage mechanics who toil the whole day for eating 3 times in a day. They also learn driving and take up driving as their job. The chawl areas do have a lot of drivers. Drivers earn around 4000-5000 every month and carry on their house hold expenses.Many of them get government jobs through influence. For e. g. If a person is already working as a government official, he may use his influence and get a job for his friend. This itself proves the unity within the chawl community. They also do take up small jobs like A/c Mechanic, small electronic goods mechanic etc†¦ 3} Retired and the elderly class: This class consists of the elderly people who have retired from their jobs and have taken a long leave from work. But it is not relief from work for these elderly people. They do get small responsibilities in the house.They do go out to fetch their grand children from schools and kinder gardens. They take care of the small ones if their parents are busy out at work. They look after them the whole day and sometimes also get sleepless nights. But they do enjoy it sometimes but at the same time tends to get very tedious at this very old age. There are some people in this class who have sold their houses and gone to their respective villages to look after their farms. They look after their farms and also sometimes work on it. Thus the elderly and retired people do get to enjoy their long vacation from work but at the same time also work.Thus even at this very old age they have the will power to work and earn a decent sum for the family. Even at this age they prove to be responsible and also help the family in any possible manner. Media and chawls†¦ Still to b added†¦more Katha Centre for Film Studies is back at the Alliance Francaise, Churchgate with a week long program of Film Screenings from Friday, 12th of January to Thursday, 18th of January 2007. After a very successful Inaugural Festival in June 2006, they again bring an eclectic choice of films from the world of cinema specially curate by individuals for whom cinema is a way of life!This festival is in collaboration with the National Film Archives of India, Pane and NFDC. On the 12th and 13th of January, 2007, the Festival began with two days of Indian films dedicated to the theme of Mumbai’s Chawls. Amrit Gangar(a film scholar, writer, curator) had specially put together a package of five feature films, a short film and a compilation on representation of Bombay in films tilted: â€Å"‘CHALCHITRA: CHAWLCHITRA’-:Popular Hindi Cinema and Mumbai's Chawl. † He led an intensive session of discussions and debates on the polemics and politics of space in urban context.They ended the Festival with film enthusiast and cinema buff, Kiran David’s exciting selection which is packed with films from Japanese cinema. Unity In Diversity A Nana Chowk-resident Ranjana Sherlekar said, â€Å"They are so used to being with each other all the time that it’s become a habit. Just the other day, he slipped on a  wet floor while cleaning my kitchen and no one was at home. All he had to scream was ‘help’ and at least ten people came running to his rescue. They’re really like a one big extended family! † she quips.The atmosphere, though filled with camaraderie, may appear a tad stifling to one who has lived in an individual apartment, but it is part of life for chawl residents. For them, living together is their strength Conclusion Change is inevitable â€Å"Change is inevitable, and even the most stable structure cannot avoid that. Chawls have been a victim of changing times: though the occasional bond still remains, its bedrock — which comprised the people who lived there — have all left. They have been replaced by individuals, who have no interest in keeping the community alive,†

Planet Organic Marketing Report

Through primary research we wish to study the marketing strategy for Planet Organic particularly in the use of interviews, questionnaires and in store visits. Having arranged an interview with the Store Manager of the Westbound Grove branch, we hope to ask questions that we feel could contribute towards our final marketing report. Through the use of the questionnaire this will give us particular help with looking into the demographics of our chosen retailer. We also expect to carry out secondary research with the help of Planet Organics newsletter, the Internet and the Planet Organic website.We will analyses newspapers such as The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian in which will enable us to view information on its retail competitors as well as general articles on organic farming. I nurturing ten process AT writing tons report we alma to nave regular contact Walt a spokesperson representing Planet Organic. This will help us gain both an informative insight into the marketing techniques and environment. To anchor our information on the micro/macro environment we will produce a SOOT analysis within our report, which highlights the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats ofPlanet Organic. 2. Micro Environmental 2. 1 Company â€Å"Planet Organics natural ethos also extends to our beliefs about health and how complementary therapies and remedies can prevent and cure illness. Nourishing our families with good wholesome home cooking combined with a complementary approach to well being is the foundation for a healthy, vital life now and for generations to come. † Renee Elliott 2000 Planet Organic is a unique supermarket dedicated to organic and other ethically sourced products.They have 4 stores spread across some of the most affluent areas of London and have a large target arrest of organic consumers looking for essentially chemical-free , fresh or minimally processed food. Their mission is to raise awareness of British farming and organic goods while fi ghting against genetically modified foods. Renee Elliott a former American wine Journalist opened her first Planet Organic store in 1995 in Noting Hill, with each restaurant containing a designated seating area where customers can purchase foods from the deli counter, offering a selection of fresh Organic Produce.The shelves in all four stores are aligned according to Meat, Dairy Products, Confectionery and Health and Beauty. When walking into a Planet Organic Store you have immediately stepped into what is set out to be like a market stall of fresh fruit and vegetables. The shop is very appealing to the eye with its color coordination and neatly stacked shelves. The smell of the fresh deli counter makes shopping in Planet Organic thoroughly enjoyable instead of the hustle and bustle that you may encounter when shopping in other supermarkets such as Testes and Kingsbury.This is why Planet Organic continue to have such a loyal sense of customer value, they want to make your food shop ping experience enjoyable and relaxing. More and more people are choosing to arches and look into eating organic food because they want to know what they are eating, the reassurance that the environment has not been harmed in the process of which their food has been produced This year Planet Organic are celebrating 1 5 years since they opened as the first organic and natural supermarket in the I-J.Planet Organic became the first Soil Association certified organic supermarket in the I-J when they first started in 1995, they were also the first to have an organic British meat and fish counter within a supermarket. I en company were also ten TLS London retailer to KICK start ongoing trend of replacing plastic bags with biodegradable bags, this has been picked up on with many other large retailers such as Waitress, Testes and Kingsbury. Planet Organic now have their own website (www. Planetarium. Com) in which consumers can purchase products online and have them home delivered.This is u seful to their loyal consumers, as unlike many supermarkets such as Waitress and Marks and Spencer, accessibility is limited due to such a limited amount of stores. The website entices customers with ‘gift ideas' and gives factual information in ‘Renee's blob (The company director of Planet Organic). In this blob she introduces ewe and innovative recipes such as ‘Soaked Cinnamon and Apricot Porridge' and ‘Parmesan Baked Asparagus', she also directly targets mothers with young children, for example what to put in their packed lunch or meals that both grown ups and children will enjoy.This blob is updated almost weekly and is full of informative and current news that makes an entertaining read. Planet Organic also send out a monthly newsletter with details of latest products, environmental and health issues and ‘Planet Organic News'. They do this to keep that close relationship that is needed between a retailer and its consumers thus creating brand loyalt y. Planet Organic is not Just a foods supermarket; â€Å"We believe the body can usually heal itself, not with medicines that often Just suppress or mask symptoms, but with natural remedies that support the body in the healing process† (Renee Elliott).They particularly specialize in herbal remedies, vitamins and minerals as well as providing consumers with organically produced cosmetics such as make up and body lotions. 2. 2 Suppliers The company sells over 27 different products within each category. Books, Vitamins, supplements, natural remedies, body, face care and make up are only a small part of the company's success. They sell organic free range eggs and organic meat (all animals are vegetarian). Planet Organic only sells natural, free range organic products. The business was the first to be part of the Soil Association Organic Standard in the I-J.The soil Association is a charity, which campaigns for planet friendly food and farming. They believe that the connection bet ween food, soil and health of people is very important, which is also very important within Planet Organic. Planet Organic are forever introducing new products into the market, by promoting conventional farming, home grown products and raising awareness about health. By sourcing organic food from sustainable producers this reduces the environmental impact of consumption of items brought through its stores.Planet Organic have a British policy on buying meat and British first for fruit and vegetables. Suppliers come from local areas in London and Planet Organic is always trying to promote local businesses. Planet Organic sources and sells seasonal produce, which therefore minimizes transport and thus the impact on the environment in which helps to reduce the carbon footprint. Planet Organic maintain regular contact with tenet suppliers Ana attend trace snows to Tina ten Test new products I nee are committed to British farmers, bakers, producers and manufacturers and continue to mainta in high standards.Planet Organic is also part of Fair-Trade, which is an organized social group that helps people in developing countries to earn a respectable wage and living. Fair- Trade also ensures that better prices are obtained, decent working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. Companies are required to pay sustainable prices, which must never fall below the market price. Fair-Trade helps to stop the injustice of trade; which in the sat has been unjust and discriminated against the poorest and weakest producers.Fair-Trade enables the workers to improve their position and have more control of their lives. 2. 3 Intermediaries The intermediaries, also know are wholesalers, the middlemen or distributors, are what fill out the gap between the point of production and the point of sale. They can help overcome the lack of compatibility between the suppliers and the end customers (being Planet Organic) by reducing t he number of contacts between the two. This would also help in reducing the costs of the distribution and selling.The organization must decide whether to involve an intermediary, this can be determined by its size or also whether they trust the resources and skills of the produces to successfully meet the needs of the consumer. Most often the intermediaries add value to an organization in different ways, firstly to the marketing side as long as they are effective to the producers goods and the distribution channel, as they most likely know their target market. Making sure that the goods are stocked appropriately so that the economic and life-style needs match the shoppers, for planet organic being natural, healthy, environmental friendly products.Planet Organic uses intermediaries for the majority of their products. Around 60% meaning 40% of their products are delivered directly from the suppliers. They use 4 major consolidators, The Health Store and The Tree of Life are cooperate w holesalers for natural and organic products. They are two of the leading health Food wholesalers in the I-J. The Health Store is based in Nottingham and has been trading over 76 years throughout the I-J, Ireland and Europe. A Dutch company called the Royal Weakens NV that is based in the Netherlands owns the company Tree of Life. They distribute food products throughout North America and Europe.Planet organic uses their Newcastle branch. Another 2 intermediaries used by Planet Organic are Marigold and Lingering Organic. Marigold health foods are only based in the UK and distribute their products within a 60-mile radius from their warehouse in Kings cross using refrigerated vehicles. 60% of their product lines are organic. Lingering Organic is based in New Covent Garden, London and specializes in the distribution of organic Truly Ana vegetables Language started In ten early Bus's supporting local UK Tarts however they have now growers throughout Europe and the rest of the world.Plane t Organic also has an online shopping and delivery service. Goods to their consumers bought from the website are distributed from their Westbound grove branch. They have their own van for fresh items delivered only to certain areas within London. All other orders such as non-fresh items or for delivery outside the UK are sent mainly through Parcel Force and are carbon neutral. All of their distributors from the store use echo-friendly packaging. The cardboard boxes used for packaging are 100% post-consumer recycled and are made within the I-J, even the printed ink is made from vegetables.They use gummed paper made from starch as tape, the bubble wrap is biodegradable, which is an organic material that will quickly brake down in landfill and be absorbed back into the soil harmlessly. For their fragile items instead of Styrofoam they use expanded corn, which are completely comfortable. Parcel Force is part of the Royal Mail Group, and for over 14 years there express delivery services have been covering 27 million addresses in the I-J. 2. 4 Customers We conducted a customer survey at planet organics Westbound grove branch.The main research objective of this study was to find out what type of customers shop at lane organic and why. To collect primary data a questionnaire asked customers about the main purposes of their visit. The questionnaire was made up of 15 closed questions with a pre-set list of possible answers and was conducted inside the store itself. The customers who participated in the survey completed the questionnaire in our presence. We used a convenient sampling approach and a total of 36 questionnaires were collected during a two hour time slot. We determined the size of the sample by the resources availability and the limited timescale.Due to the Westbound grove branch being the largest of the 4 planet organic stores, made it important to approach customers shopping in different sections and aisles of the store including customers sitting down and having lunch. This is so that we did not to concentrate on 1 particular type of customer who might only be shopping for 1 specific type of product. It goes without saying that the results shown in figure 1 and 2 are a clear majority. Many customers, when asked if they shopped online with planet organic, were surprised to find out that they had a website with home delivery.This also goes to how that in figure 3 only 5% heard about planet organic online, the 31% form word of mouth and the majority with 61% saw the store when passing by. The 19% of male customers were mostly with families; one man said ‘I'm only here because my wife gave me the shopping list, she's crazy for organic'. However there were a few men that were vegetarians or had special dietary needs. Figure 1 Figure 2 Hogue s Hogue 4 The results show in figure 4 that the majority of customers lived locally with 58% and secondly worked locally with 17%.The 8% who were Just visiting, did so, along with another custom er who lived around the area. The least amount of customers were tourists with only 6%, on the other hand the few tourists had specifically sort after organic products, whether planet organic had been suggested to them or searching themselves on the internet. Moving on to figure 5 and 6 below, we can point out that most customers walk (with 69%) to the store taking them generally 5 minuets or less (with 47%), where as only 3% use their private vehicles or motorbikes.This result proves to us that they are highly likely too live locally as seen once again in figure 4. Customs traveling the longest accounted for 19% though no customers travel time kook longer than 30 minuets. Figure 5 Figure 6 Results in figure 7 below show that planet organic attracts a large range of their customers between the ages of 25 and 44, Just over 60%, with 28% aged between 25 and 34 and 33% aged between 35 and 44. The minority of customers are aged between 18-24, various reasons for this were due to student life and funds, not being aware of the benefits with organic food, visiting or happen to pass by.The customers aged 65 or over stated mainly that their reason for shopping there simply because planet organic was the closest supermarket to them. Notice in figure number 8 the majority of shoppers with 36% are in pm or later mainly due to finishing work. Before 1 lam with 11%, again before work, 17% of customers shop at different times, 14% between 1 lam and pm and 22% that shop between pm and pm. Figure 7 Figure 8 Planet organic clearly appears to have loyal customers acting on the information given figure 9, customers shopping one a week with 36% and those who shop more than once a week with 25%.Very few were there as a one off with only 3%. It is obvious in figure 10 that when asked whether they visited other planet organic stores round London and if so where, the question was no with 67%, they keep to their local Westbound grove branch in Backwater. However 25% had been to the bra nch in by Darlington place Camden, 5% to planet organic in Isolation and least with 3% Mussels Hill. Looking at figure 11 the majority with 33% of planet organics customers shop at Marks and Spence's, they more or less have similar price ranges, quality food and Marks and Spence's hold a variety of free range and organic foods.Minority of customers with 6% said they shopped at Tests. Customer's second and third main supermarket choices were Kingsbury with 19% and Waitress with 22% , e believe this is mainly due to the fact that Kingsbury and Tests are conveniently close to planet organic, within the same area. Hogue Y Hogue Figure 11 Seeing as Planet Organic hold a wide range of organic, gluten free, dairy free, wheat free, vegan and vegetarian products, the question was asked whether they were vegetarian or vegan. 28% stated vegetarian, 8% vegan and 58% said neither.The remaining 6%, who stated other, had special dietary needs such as lactose or wheat intolerant. This lead to a que stion concentrating on what type of products they regularly bought from planet organic. The most popular products bought, shown in Geiger 13, with 47% were general groceries including beverages, home and household products. The least poplar products with only 6% of customers mainly bought bakery, 8% came for the fruit and vegetables, 11% for health and body care products, 22% for lunch/dinner or food on the go.Also with 6% were customers who came and bought a selection of everything. Figure 12 Figure 13 One of the most interesting questions in our opinion is the main reason why people purchase organic food. Precisely 50% of planet organics customer's motives for purchasing organic food are that they understood it is much healthier for them. They leveled that organic produce will not be full of man-made chemicals and that organic meat for example did not contain antibiotics or hormones.They also believed that organic fruit and vegetables had not been harmed by fungicides or pesticide s. Organic foods are mostly kept the same from the time they are grown until the time they are displayed in the store. Nothing is added and foods are not processed, as a result of this, for 22% of the customers this was the reason they thought organic food tasted better and believed that buying organic meant buying quality. Other customers at 9% shopped at planet organic because buying organic reduce meant being environmentally friendly.They knew that organic animals were treated better than conventional animals. There were 8% of customers who mainly needed dietary product such as gluten free, dairy free or wheat free products. The remaining 11% of customer didn't specify a reason for shopping at planet organic other than the store being the closest to them and for convenience. As seen earlier in figure 45 this category co in sides with customers that were age 60 or over. Figure 14 Overall planet organics customers were very sociable and welcoming. They liked to express their views. We also asked a 1 5th question, which entailed occupation, however instead of formulating the question into a closed question we collected each individual answer through a box question. Out of all 36 customers that participated in out questionnaire neither of them had the same occupation as another. They ranged Trot sculpture artists, Dustless consultants, pr collocates, grapnel gleaner, lecturers, site managers and antique dealers to unemployed, retired and entertainment or fashion industry workers. The male customers seemed to have creative occupations such as architects.Where as the women who shopped in the diddle of the day said they were unemployed or charity workers, this could mean they were house wives or had no necessitate making money. 2. 5 Competitors Planet Organic believes in ethical and sustainable farming, therefore the natural and wholesome food company has a highly competitive and volatile business field. We mainly believe that the key competitors for Planet Organic are actually the larger leading supermarkets who have recently expanded their companies and opened their market field to consumers who appreciate organic products.Recent statistics have confirmed that large Supermarkets are responding to their customer requests ND are making efforts to both stock organic and locally-grown produce which allows consumers to be ‘green' shoppers, choosing from locally grown, ethically sourced goods. [The Telegraph, 15th October 2007. ] The organic food market is rapidly increasing therefore the competition between supermarkets is rising dramatically. The increase of product availability and the expansion of purchaser interest in premium foods have fuelled sales.Figures illustrate that fruit and vegetables comprise to be the largest sector of organic foods and the main entry point to the market. From 2002 to 2008 organic dairy products have more than doubled in retail ales and Minute predicts that the market is set to grow by over 54%, from 2007-2 012. (Minute Report, 1st February 2008. ) Three of the major UK retail chains; Waitress, Kingsbury and Marks and Spencer are all examples of supermarkets that are direct competitors for Planet Organic.All three supermarket chains have been awarded ratings of grade B by the National Consumer Council (NC) for their stocking of environmentally friendly foods and goods. Waitress has made enormous efforts over the past years to increase their organic range and their business sales are dramatically increasing due to their quality of fresh produce. Moreover, Waitress's main target audience is middle-class consumers, which conflicts with Planet Organic as they both aim to appeal to a similar target market.Waitress offers fair trade products to consumers in order to ensure that workers in less developed countries get a fair wage and are treated in a fair manner. Likewise, Planet Organic proposes the idea of selling fair trade products, which increases the competitiveness between the two busi nesses. In addition, Waitress is known as the best chain retailer when it comes to trading practices, sourcing from I-J farmers and committing to smaller appliers allowing them to stock the largest range of organic fresh produce.Yet, sources confirm that consumers find that the fresh produce at Waitress is exceedingly cheaper than Planet Organic, which means that many customers would resort to Waitress over Planet Organic itself. However, sources did corroborate that Planet Organic do stock a high percentage of products that are not viable to find elsewhere, but the question is can we do without most of those if needs be? [Urban Path- Planet Organic Reviews, 2nd January 2008. ] Furthermore, Kingsbury is another K retail canal Tanat Is a Key competitor Tort Planet organic, as It offers ten most suitable range of organic products for their target market.Kingsbury organic range primarily focuses on goods such as fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat. It has been shown that food sa fety scares have promoted consumers to seek greater guarantee about the value and quality of the meat they buy. Therefore, with Kingsbury stocking organic meats, profits and loyalty with customers will increase as the consumers know they are receiving produce that is fresh, making organic stores such as Planet Organic observe them as being great competitors.Kingsbury has been voted the number one organic food retailer in the UK by a panel of consumers therefore this highlights the success that the organic products have had upon the other retail stores. Kingsbury sales have significantly been increasing due to the growing popularity of its organic and premium food ranges, and Mr. King (Chief executive) implies that â€Å"Kingsbury strong quality food offer has helped it take customers away from rivals such as Tests and Sad. † [The telegraph, 20th June 2007. Moreover, this entails that Planet Organic has suffered a loss of profit due to key permeated chains increasing their pro duce of organic foods. A further example is Marks and Spencer and how they have improved there value of organic food with sales rising 48% this year, with their organic range doubling in size to almost 500 products. M&S, like Planet Organic focus on targeting the middle class audience, by producing organic food that meets the higher food standards.M&S believe strongly in sustainable farming and free range products therefore, since 2009 their entire fresh whole ducks, geese and majority of turkeys came from free range products because of response to customer requests. Similarly, Planet Organic offers the same free range assistance which again can cause rivalry between the companies. However, especially since the recession consumers have believed Planet Organic is too pricey for a regular food shop and therefore alternate to M&S as there organic produce is cheaper and still satisfies the consumers.Overall, the rising sales of organic products in larger supermarkets puts smaller food s tores I. E. Planet Organic in danger, as the smaller suppliers have to think of new ways in which they can attract there target audience to come to there shops instead of committing to the argue supermarkets. Due to the fact that all of the above UK retail chains offer a similar supplies as Planet Organic they are all seen as a psychical threat to the company. 2. 6 Publics Publics are groups that have an interest or could potentially have an impact on Planet Organics abilities to achieve their goals and objectives.The general publics are one of the groups that can have a great impact on a Planet Organic. Whether the change is positive or negative, a change in the general publics attitude can cause change within Planet Organics reputation and profitability. Another group of people ho can have an impact on Planet Organic are their employees; these are people who are employed within the company, this can range from its sales associates to the farmers. Companies that could affect Planet Organic are Fair trade, Ere sign and Organic Standards.We also found six main groups, which have a great impact on Planet organics adjectives Ana products * Soil Association * Green Providers Directory * I-J Organic Directory * Organic Food * Cycle Lifestyle * Fair Trade I nose SIX companies Include: Planet Organic support all of these companies by stocking and promoting their goods thin their store. Planet Organic also provides leaflets and details about these organizations for its consumers to find more information on, they work closely together in order to create public interest.The above companies main concerns of health implications are similar to Renee Elitist's, which is great publicity for Planet Organic being linked with them and vice versa. Organizations such as Soil Association is not funded by the government as it is a charity based company relying on donations and support from members as the public in order to continue to carry out their work. The Food Ethic Council al so retirees over 80% of organic food sold within the I-J, aiming to inform the public about the many benefits of organic food and farming, they also have a similar mission statement to that of Planet Organic.

Harold Kushners Theory of God and Mans Suffering Essay

Harold Kushners Theory of God and Mans Suffering - Essay Example However, one of them needs to be declined to rationalize and imagine the overall reason for his adverse condition. In the most terrible state of life â€Å"Job† meets his friends and his friends suggest that all the suffering in Job’s life are a reaction of his sins that are declining the third belief (3). However, Job declines and suggests that since he has been a good and submissive being of God, therefore, God has been unfair to him; declining the idea of justice from God (2). Thirdly, according to Kushner if he is just and fair God, who is kind and good with his creature maybe he has no control over certain happenstances; thus, proving that God is not all supreme and powerful (1). The above-stated hypothesis was suggested by Harold S. Kushner when a strong religious believer of God like him lost his beloved son of fourteen to an incurable disease (62, Long). He reviewed his views of God after his son’s death and thus, produced a perspective, which supported few of the situations but is not acceptable or pragmatic in general. Instead, his views are perceived as anti-God and disrespectful among all the religious communities of the world. If a poised and blessed person like â€Å"Job† loses his health and wealth including his family and children. Then the poised person should have known that this life on Earth is a test for humans by the God (most powerful). And if one fails to comply with the rules developed/told by God, then he will be clearly a follower of Satan, who himself was ungrateful and proud. Similarly, he should have known that even the most beloved and poised Prophets were tested by the God and he tests the loyalty and faith of his creatures (human) in various ways.  Ã‚  

Legal Briefing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Briefing - Essay Example The Court decided that Neve was not an employee of the newspaper and that she was an independent contractor. Consequently, the decision of the Commissioner of Economic Security was reversed. The gist of the matter is that being termed an employee or not is determined by the extent of control which the person getting the job done has over the person doing that job. In this case the Commissioner of Economic Security decided that the control exercised by the Austin Daily Herald was sufficient to make Neve an employee. However, the Appellate Court decided that the control exercised was insufficient and hence reversed this decision. All the same one of the judges dissented with a part of this ruling as he disagreed with that aspect of the judgment which, dealt with the de novo renewal of application of law because in these type of cases the master servant relationship is the main criterion which was drawn out from the inferences for the reason that there were no contested facts. This view is also clearly expressed in the case Darvell V. Paul A. Laurence Co (1953) and Santiago V. Phoenix Newspapers, Inc (1990).

The environmental issues associated with producing unconventional oil Research Paper

The environmental issues associated with producing unconventional oil and gas - Research Paper Example The US Government, federal regulatory authorities, the industry operators, NGO’s along with environmentalists are therefore engaged in discussions as to the best way forward into this relatively new field, by addressing the concerns of all the stakeholders involved. Introduction Recent advances in technology have made it possible to drill natural gas from deep reservoirs located in energy rich areas of the United States. These fuels are being termed unconventional fuel sources and contribute to around 25% of the fuel consumed in the US. This unconventional source is comparatively a cleaner fuel and produces less greenhouse gas emissions. However data collected in the recent past demonstrate that prolonged GHG emissions have implications on health and environment apart from increasing the carbon footprint. Studies conducted have lead to a new method of calculating GHG emissions and these are now being used by the US Environment Protection Agency, post 2011.These calculations wi th its additional factors have increased the GHG emissions count significantly but are still quite ‘green’ when compared to other energy sources. To an extent these emissions are being controlled by various methane mitigation strategies. Various programs under the EPA framework are also being brought in to persuade operators in emission control. However lack of concrete data as to the extent of emissions has meant that scientists are still trying to ascertain the impact of these unconventional energy sources on health and environment. Source: Ritter Karin and Emmert Amy, US natural gas production history, 2013 Techniques in natural gas production Different types of geologic formations present different types of oil reservoirs. Porous rock allow for easy flow of oil into a conventional reservoir while shale and sandstone prevents the same because of its low permeability. These kinds of hard rock formations entraining oil and gas can sometimes be located up to 11000 feet beneath the surface. Baken in North Dakota has significant reserves located deep underground its shale formations which cover large basins of geologically depressed areas. (GAO, 2012) Comparing it to the conventional sources, extracting unconventional oil and gas calls for robust technical knowhow and complex knowledge of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracture techniques. Some of the activities involved in extracting unconventional oil and gas are similar to those carried in conventional drilling. Source: GAO, Horizontal drilling and Hydraulic fracturing in unconventional shale formations, 2012 Siting and site preparation involves identifying a potential site for drilling and clearing the area of vegetation. (GAO, 2012) Access roads are laid out and pipelines laid for transport of this gas to an interim containment. In case of abundance of deposits storage tanks may also be built at site for storing of the drilled oil. Drilling, casing and cementing involve installing the steel pipe called casing into the drilled hole and cementing it into place. The drilling is carried out progressively and with each depth additional steel pipe is lowered. The casing is intended to prevent the contents in the well from coming into contact with the outer water table which might lead to contamination. (GAO, 2012)

Toyota Production System Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Toyota Production System - Article Example In a company that produces iron sheets, just in time can be applied by placing orders for raw material such that the materials ordered for arrive at the company in the right quantity just when it is needed and without any delays. Muda refers to waste or anything that adds no value to the system. Muda exists in the form of motion, correction, processing, waiting time, conveyance, overproduction, and inventory. In a company that manufactures iron sheet, one example of muda is raw material that has been established to be substandard in quality and therefore needs to be reworked. Yokoten implies horizontal deployment; good practices and results in one area or organization are copied or applied to other areas or organizations. One franchise of Coca Cola company can decide to send a team of its employees to a more efficient franchise in a different country so that the team observes and learns how things are done to ensure high efficiency and productivity. The team will learn and implement what they have learnt doing what they can to improve on the ideas in their organization. Pokayoke involves the use of fool proof devices during production. Through the use of fool proof devices, the production of defective parts that result from human error is minimized or altogether eliminated. In a manufacturing plant, the buttons in the control panel of a machine can be color coded and associated with drawings that show what the buttons make the machines do. This way, even an untrained operator has less chances of pressing the wrong button that may lead to the production of faulty parts. Hoshin involves capturing and cementing strategic goals as developed by executive managers so that they are realized eventually. The organization’s level of performances is set to improve with the passage of time as the strategic goals are realized. In a soda manufacturing company, top management may develop strategic goals relating to the production of a given quantity of soda crates.