Kingsford Charcoal Essays

Kingsford Charcoal Essays Kingsford Charcoal Paper Kingsford Charcoal Paper Brand managers Marcilie Smith Boyle (HBS MBA Class of 1996) and Allison Warren were getting together for their weekly Kingsford Charcoal (Kingsford) debriefing meeting in February 2001 at Cloroxs corporate offices in Oakland, CA. As the job-sharing brand managers for the $350 million charcoal business, Smith Boyle and Warren had a lot to discuss during their Wednesday overlap day. Both women were assigned to the brand in July 2000, just as it became apparent that the summer results were going to come in below forecast. Since the 1980s, Kingsford had continued to enjoy steady, moderate growth of 1-3 percent in revenues each year. During this time, the charcoal category as a whole had been growing as well. However the summer of 2000 represented the first softening in the overall charcoal category in several years, and Smith Boyle and Warren were tasked with determining the causes and coming up with recommendations. As the team analyzed various trends relating to competition, pricing, advertising, promotion, and production, Smith Boyle and Warren were faced with a series of critical strategic decisions that would impact the future trajectory of the Kingsford brand. Kingsford had not raised prices in several years, nor had it advertised in any significant way since 1998- options that now required consideration. With Kingsfords long track record of being heavily driven by sales and merchandising activities, Smith Boyle and Warren wondered whether there was an opportunity to balance this effort and invest more in rekindling consumer interest in charcoal grilling( ). They realized that this initiative could significantly impact the brand image and the advertising message. There were also some production issues looming( ) in the horizon- if Clorox did invest in building( ) the Kingsford business, would the existing capacity be adequate? Smith Boyle and Warren were scheduled to meet with their marketing director, Derek Gordon, the following week and they were eager to get his feedback on their recommendations before Kingsfords annual business review later in the month. GRILLING IN AMERICA People cook over an open flame the world around but Americans do it more often and better Grilling is the essential American culinary art, ( ) a glorious birthright( ) celebrated everyday from coast to coast. Its a passion, a party, a way to cook that wont let you call it a chore( ). Its about playing with fire under an open sky, wielding a mean spatula ( ) in one hand, a cool drink in the other. Most of all its a surefire means ( ) to get yourself from here to a decent ( ) meal having loads of fun. Make that a great meal. - Excerpt from the front flap of Born to Grill:An American Celebration (1998) by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison By the late 1990s, three out of four U. S. households owned a barbecue grill which over 80 percent of grill ownership being among younger, larger, higher-income families. The total number of barbecue events In the United States had gone up from 1. billion in 1987 to 2. 7 billion in 1995 and over3 billion In 2000. Just over half of grill owners were heavy/medium users but they did the vast majority of the barbecuing (more than 85 percent of all occasions). Over 60 percent of barbecuers were men and the most popular occasions cited for grilling were: July 4, Labor Day, Memorial Day, ( ) and special occasions such as tailgating ( , â€Å" †). Common reasons for a barbecuing included great flavor, desire to be outdoors, hanging out with family and friends, change of pace, easy clean-up, and informality. Although barbecuers had greatly expanded their cookout repertoire (all the things that a person is able to do) over time, the foods that typically topped the â€Å"cooked frequently† list had not changed much. The most popular foods for the grill included hamburgers, steak, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, ribs, and sausages. Roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables, and marinated vegetables ( ) were the side dishes grilled most frequently. Charcoal and gas grilling were the two most commonly used grilling methods. Although charcoal grilling took longer to set up and cook, most die-hard rillers preferred charcoal grilling over gas grilling for its hands-on experience and the flavor imparted to the food ( ). Gas grilling, on the other hand, was preferred by those that were looking for convenience, greater control over cooking temperature, short cooking times, and ease of dean-up. CLOROX COMPANY HISTORY The Clorox Company (Clorox) was founded in 1913 as The Electro-Alkaline Co mpany. Its first product was industrial strength liquid bleach made from a combination of chlorine and sodium hydroxide. The bleach was originally made in Oakland, California, and sold in the Bay Area. In 1922, the company changed its name to the Clorox Chemical Company, and soon expanded its distribution to the rest of the United States. By 1957, Clorox was the leading producer of bleach in the United States and it changed its name to The Clorox Company. Procter Gamble( ) was attracted to Cloroxs category leadership and offered to buy the company in 1957. Although the sale was completed, the U. S. Federal Trade Commission challenged ( ) the acquisition on the grounds that the combined company could create a monopoly in household liquid bleach. Alter ten years of litigation, the U. S. Supreme Court forced PG to divest ( ) Clorox, and in 1969, Clorox became an autonomous company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. After obtaining its independence, Clorox pursued an aggressive growth strategy ( ) driven by acquisition and internal research and development. By 2000, the company had over 50 products that were marketed to consumers around the world. As of June 30, 2000, Clorox had annual sales of $4. 1 billion and net earnings of $394 million. For reporting purposes, the company split its results into three major categories: U. S. Household Products and Canada (40 percent of sales), U. S. Specialty Products (45 percent of sates) and International (15 percent of sales). (See Exhibit 1 for Clorox company financials. ) In addition to Clorox Bleach, household products included Glad, water filters (Brita), and cleaning products such as Formula 409, Pine Sot, Soft Scrub, liquid Plumr, Tilex, and Ready Mop. Specialty products consisted of cat litter (Fresh Step, Scoop Away); auto care (Armor All, STP); charcoal and lighter fluid (Kingsford, MatchLight); and dressings and sauces (Hidden Valley, ICC Masterpiece). Nearly all of Cloroxs products were among the leaders in their respective categories. Each product group was managed by a brand team that typically consisted of a brand manager and several associate brand managers. The brand organization was generally responsible for setting the business strategy understanding the consumer, developing advertising, creating short-term forecasts and helping with sales promotions. As a result, the brand team had to work closely with other functions, particularly sales, product supply and finance. Gordon explained, One of the key functions of the brand team is to understand the consumer and apply that learning. Clorox sold the majority of its products to grocery retailers and distributors, worldwide military installations, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and drug, discount, hardware, and variety stores. The company relied on its own sales force as well as a combination of brokers/distributors. Clorox also sold products to professional/institutional customers through a network of brokers and manufacturer reps. As of June 2000, Clorox had approximately 11,000 employees worldwide. KINGSFORD CHARCOAL Kingsford represented one of the largest product groups within Cloroxs portfolio. In 2000, charcoal represented approximately 9 percent of Cloroxs revenues, and a substantially higher percentage of its net income. The business was started in the 1920s when Henry Ford developed a process for turning wood scraps ( ) into charcoal briquettes ( ) that burned longer and hotter than regular wood. E. G. Kingsford, a lumberman ( ) and relative of Fords, helped build the first briquette plant and commercialized the business. The plant was later bought by an investment group and then purchased by Clorox in 1973. Product and Pricing Kingsford Charcoal was manufactured from wood, minerals, limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate, and sawdust ( , , , , , , ) in a two-part procedure. The process began with transforming waste wood (e. g. , scrap from furniture plants) into wood char ( ) in a $15-$20 million retort ( ) facility that heated wood in an oxygen-controlled atmosphere. The wood char was then combined with the other ingredients in a $20-$30 million facility that converted the materials into pillow shaped briquettes. As of June 2000, Kingsford had five plants in the U. S. each of which housed both parts of the operation. Some of the charcoal briquettes were packaged as-is in blue bags and sold as Kingsford Charcoal (regular or blue bag), while others were treated with Kingsford lighter fluid and sold as Kingsford Match light in red bags (â€Å"instant or red bad†). The bulk of the volume for both types was sold in three sizes: 10-pound, 20-pound and 48-pound bags) regular, and 8-pound, 15-pound, and 30-pound (two 1 5 pound bags) for instant. The largest size was typically available only in club stores such as Costco and Sams Club, while food stores (e. . , supermarkets), mass merchandisers (e. g. , Target, K-Mart), and drugstores (e. g. , Walgreens), and Wal-Mart carried a mix of the other size. In 2000, food stores accounted for 66 percent of total charcoal sales; mass merchandisers and Wal-Mart for just over 15 percent; drug stores for 2 percent; and club stores and other non-tracked channels accounted for the remaining 16 percent. Regular charcoal represented approximately 75 percent of total shipments, with the 20-pound size of sales comprising approximately 60 percent of sales. Pricing varied based on the product and the size. In January2001, the average price to consumers for the regular 10-pound bag was $4. 25 and the regular 20-pound bag was $6. 78. The average consumer prices for the instant bags were $5. 20 for the 8-pound and $8. 07 for the 1 5-pound bag. In most channels, Kingsford competed with Royal Oak and private label brands. The private label brands typically sold at a 25-30 percent discount to Kingsford with Royal Oak being typically priced between the two. Virtually all of the private label products were manufactured and distributed by Royal Oak. Key Success Drivers Kingsfords business was seasonal, with nearly 60 percent of consumer purchases occurring between May 1 and September 1. (See Exhibit 2 on page 674 for 2000 sales by week. ) The Memorial Day and July 4th holiday weekends represented 35 percent of Kingsfords annual sales, fueled in large part by store-based promotions organized by the Kingsford team. Smile Boyle explained, Our sales team makes a big impact with retailers to ensure that there always are at least 7,500 pounds on the floor during the primary grilling months. Summer holidays are particularly important and Kingsford often contributes trade money to help reduce prices for our products during those key weekends. The Clorox sales team had years of experience in working with key accounts and many of the senior sales executives at the company such as Grant LaMontagne, Vice- President of Sales, had sold charcoal earlier in their careers. LaMontagne believed that Clorox really understood the category. He explained: Our success in the charcoal category is discipline†. This has led to a constancy of marketing and sales actions over time, and a consistency in the message communicated within our own sales and marketing organization, to the channel, and to the end consumer. I have found that successful brands can get derailed over time when the firm begins to tinker with the brand. In their effort to grow the business, it is common for marketers to change the brand image as they go after new market segments. Over time, such actions create enormous confusion within the firm and in the marketplace. The net result is that the various sales and marketing efforts begin to operate at odds with one another. When Warren took over the brand manager position in July 2000, she recalled hearing from the sales team at least five times in her first week: With Kingsford, the key is â€Å"display†- you need to pile it high and watch it fly- Display drives sales since over a third of charcoal purchases are impulse purchases. When the weather is good, shoppers bump into charcoal displays in the store and think, Today would be a great day to barbeque? Our job is to make the charcoal visible and let the weather do the work. In terms of product quality, Kingsfords lab tests showed that its product was superior to Royal Oak and the private label brands. Consumer studies also showed that Kingsford was perceived as a better product with approximately 60 percent of surveyed consumers indicating that Kingsford is a high quality brand, relative to 13 percent for private label. KINGSFORD BUSINESS IN 1999- 2000 When Smith Boyle and Warren started with the group, Gordon had warned the two brand managers that it would be difficult to achieve the forecasts created earlier in the year, as business was starting off at a slower pace. Warren recalled: Derek said to me on my first day with the brand, Welcome to Kingsford. Based on how July 4th is shaping up, you are already in the hole and there is no additional money to spend. Kingsford didnt do as well as we had hoped in fiscal 2000 [ending June 30], and we are concerned that fiscal 2001 doesnt look much better. Were hoping you and Marcille can figure out what to do. Smith Boyle added, We felt the pressure right away. Kingsford is such an important part of Coloroxs overall performance that when Kingsford misses its number, there is a good chance that Clorox will miss. Smith Boyle and Warren started with an in-depth analysis as to why the category appeared softer than it had in previous years. The charcoal category had slowed from 4 percent growth from 1998 to 1999 to 2 percent growth from the first half of 1999 to the first half of 2000. The forecasted growth for the second half of 2000 looked even worse, and by the end of 2000 the entire category was down relat ive to 1999. The declines were most pronounced in the food channel, with a 5. 7 percent decline during the second half of 2000. (See Exhibit 3 for volume growth by channel. With the help of two associate brand managers, the team ran numbers on all of the different factors that could have led to a softening in the category. The analysis revealed some interesting trends. The team was surprised to find a narrowing of the price gap across the various charcoal brands as a result of a series of private label price increases that the channel had passed along to consumers. By the end of 2000, the prices of private label bags were nearly 10 percent higher than they were in 1999 across all channels, the biggest price jump in years. See Exhibit 4 on page 676 for pricing trends. ) Smith Boyle explained, In prior years, prices rarely moved more than 5 percent over the course of the year. We found that stores had recently increased the price of their private label brands. We also found that Royal Oak had increased prices during this period. Finally, although we had kept the Kingsford prices constant, several of our channel partners had chosen to increase Kingsford prices as well to consumers during this period. The Kingsford team believed that gas grilling could have captured some of the consumers that had negatively reacted to the charcoal price increases. In 2000, gas grill shipments grew 8 percent relative to 1999 with 9. 3 million new gas grills being shipped, while charcoal grill shipments dropped 3 percent year over year with just under 6 million new charcoal grills shipped (see Exhibit 5 for grill shipments from 1996 to 2000). Overall, charcoal grill penetration had trended down since 1997, while gas grill penetration had trended up. In 2000, approximately 54 percent of U. S. households owned a gas grill, relative to 49 percent that owned a charcoal grill, and approximately 20 percent of U. S. households owned both grill types (see Exhibit 6 for grill penetration trends). Smith Boyle and Warren also believed that Kingsfords absence of media advertising further contributed to the category weakness. Neither Royal Oak nor the private label brands did any advertising, so when Kingsford did not advertise, there was no charcoal message on the air. This was compounded by the fact that while Kingsford had reduced its media spending from over $6 million in 1998 to a little over $1 million in 2000, gas grilling had increased its media spending during the same time period from less than $4 million in 1998 to over $10 million in 2000. Warren explained, The charcoal category was now paying the price for several years of reduced advertising. This trend was further exacerbated by a reduction in promotional activity across the category. In past years, Royal Oak had contributed substantial funds towards merchandising opportunities at retailers such as temporary price reductions, features and displays. However, these efforts were pulled back during 2000. In addition, the Kingsford team speculated that retailers might have been inclined to do fewer major promotions for Royal Oak after the price increases. The private label brands had fewer feature and display promotions during 2000, but stores did continue with temporary price reductions (see Exhibit 7 for category merchandising in 2000). Kingsfords merchandising in 2000 was consistent with that in 1999. A final factor that contributed to category softening was traced to weather patterns in 2000. Precipitation and temperature comparisons with 1999 showed a slight increase in rainfall in October through December 2000, coupled with a major drop in temperatures. Average U. S. temperatures in November and December 2000 were nearly 10 degrees lower than temperatures during the same period in 1999. Fall and winter grilling were positively correlated with mild temperatures, so the cold weather reduced opportunities for grilling occasions. Although the overall category sales volume dropped in 2000, Kingsfords volume rose slightly and its market share had increased. For the first half of 2000, Kingsford had a 56. 1 percent market share, relative to 7. 7 percent for Royal Oak and 34. 9 percent for private label. For the second half of 2000, Kingsford rose to a 59. 5 percent market share while Royal Oak dropped to 6. 4 percent and private label shifted to 32. 7 percent (see Exhibit 8 for market share trends). According to Smith Boyle, The price increases drove more consumers to Kingsford, so we benefited to a large degree. But given our large market share, our success is tied in to the overall success of the category, so we couldnt be complacent? In addition to the data on market trends, Smith-Boyle and Warren had access to a detailed internal segmentation study of over 300 heavy Kingsford users (that grilled at least 6 times a month) that uncovered three heavy charcoal user segments: Regular Exclusive users that grilled exclusively with regular charcoal; Instant Exclusive users that used only instant charcoal; Instant Acceptors that were comfortable and committed to both charcoal types. The three segments accounted for roughly 30,10, and 60 percent of all heavy Kingsford users, and 28, 11, and 62 percent of the total volume consumed by these users respectively Exhibit 9 on page 680 summarizes the findings of the segmentation study 2001 BUSINESS DECISIONS With all the analysis and consumer segmentation information in hand, Smith Boyle and Warren started to think about an action plan to present at their business review meeting with senior Clorox executives. They knew profitability was critical, and they believed continued growth was important as well. After a series of meetings with Gordon and others at the company, they focused on four areas: pricing, advertising, promotion, and production. Pricing The price increases by both private label and Royal Oak raised a number of key questions: Should Kingsford increase prices as well? if so, how big a price increase should they consider? Should they raise prices for both regular and instant and for all channels? If they did raise prices, would retailers pull back on the merchandising support (e. g. , features and special displays) they have been giving to Kingsford over the last several years? Would a price increase drive consumers to purchase other brands? Or worse yet, to gas grills? In order to help answer these questions, the brand team did price elasticity studies for several different scenarios to estimate the volume and profitability impact from potential price increases. The scenarios included: (1) a moderate price increase (-4. 0 percent) only for dub stores, (2) a small (-2. 5 percent) blue bag price increase across all channels, (3) a moderate (-5. 0 percent) blue bag increase across all channels, and (4) increasing both blue bad and red bad by 5 percent across all channels. For each scenario, the Kingsford team estimated the impact on volume, sales, and profit, while also accounting for potential withdrawal of merchandising support (see Exhibit 10 for information from the elasticity studies). Gordon believed that raising prices was a great way to increase short-term profits and would provide some money that could be reinvested in Kingsford and other businesses in Cloroxs specialty division. In addition, it ensured that Kingsford would stay within the targeted 25-30 percent price gap relative to private label. There were, however, some potential drawbacks. Sales director Nick Vlahos believed that Kingsford had gained a great deal of goodwill with Cloroxs channel partners over the last year that could translate into increased opportunities for Clorox. He explained: We’ve been working with our retail partners over the last several years to increase promotion of Kingsford, particularly at the expense of Royal Oak. If we hold off on any price increases for another year, we might be able to convince more chains to focus distribution and merchandising support on Kingsford and private label. Weve been advocating this two-brand strategy for some time, and this could be our year to see it happen. If we do raise prices, we may lose all the merchandising momentum we have gained. In fact, a price increase might cause us to lose some big accounts altogether, particularly because we dont have a clear justification for the higher price point. Smith Boyle and Warren agreed with Viahoss assessment, but Smith Boyle explained that: Taking price increases is particularly challenging for sales people: retailers inevitably resist, and we all knew that the sales team was being compensated based on volume. In reality, there is never a good time for a price increase; its a matter of finding the best of the bad times. The retailers almost certainly wouldnt be surprised with a price increase given what our competitors have done over the last year. As for the consumers that buy Kingsford, charcoal is considered a happy product- its associated with family and fun- so that sometimes gives us more leeway with pricing changes. Advertising Smith Boyle and Warren believed that anticipated volume losses from a potential price increase could be restored through increased advertising. Kingsford had gradually decreased its advertising since 1996, as more money was spent on sales promotions, reduced revenue spending, and dropping to profit. As of February 2001, the forecasted advertising spending for Kingsford was under $1 million. (See Exhibit 11 for Kingsford marketing spending from FY 97 through forecasted FY 01. ) According to Warren, The prevalent belief around the company was that Kingsford was a sales-driven business and that advertising would be a waste of money. The brand team disagreed and looked for ways to build their case. They started by hiring a third Marketing Management Analytics (MMA), to analyze the effects of advertising on Kingsford sales in past years. MMAs analysis of 1998 spending indicated that TV advertising drove a 7 percent incremental volume increase in targeted markets in 1998, and the benefits accrued in 1999 as well with an estimated 3-4 percent volume increase from the residual impact of advertising. Based on the data provided by MMAs marketing mix analysis, Smith Boyle and Warren believed that Kingsford should be spending at least $7 million on advertising during the peak grilling season of April-September. They knew it would be difficult to get those funds, but they believed that base volume would continue to rode if Kingsford didnt start advertising again. Gordon offered to help them apply for $5-7 million of mid-year funds from a corporate kitty; but he wanted the team to first think through their intended advertising message. In past years, the brand team had worked with agencies to develop separate messages for regular charcoal and instant. From 1991 through 1998, the message for regular was based around product q uality relative to other charcoal: lights twice as fast as other coals and Lights faster, burns longer. Nearly all of the MMA effectiveness studies were based on these advertising campaigns. Match light advertising was based on a different message targeting higher end customers seeking convenience. In 1996-1998, Match Light advertising centered on a Ready in 15 minutes message and in 1999 the team had reverted to a 1991 spot need just one match. Smith Boyle and Warren wondered if they should go back to the 1998 advertising that had proven results, or if should they try a different message. In past years, Kingsford had viewed other charcoal brands as its biggest competition; it now appeared that gas grills might be the product to beat. They debated if they should be advertising to grow the number of grilling occasions overall, to focus on growing the charcoal category or to focus on growing Kingsfords share within the charcoal category They thought about incorporating data from a blind taste test performed with 796 men and women ages 18-54 in Sacramento, Dallas, Tampa, and Chicago in June 2000 that had asked consumers to compare chicken, steak, or hamburgers cooked over Kingsford Charcoal to those same foods cooked over gas. Across all meat types, 2-to-1 participants preferred the taste of charcoal-grilled food to gas. Tasters commented that meat grilled over charcoal has a real barbecue flavor, has a smoky flavor, and tastes like it was grilled over a real wood fire. The brand team wondered if there were specific advertising executions that could leverage this data in a meaningful way. Promotion As the brand team focused on pricing and advertising, the sales group took the lead on thinking through Kingsfords promotional strategy. Clorox worked to optimize four sales levers at each distribution outlet: Merchandising, Assortment, Pricing and (MAPS). Within merchandising, the Kingsford sales team worked with stores to feature the product in circulars that were mailed to local consumers and to get Kingsford displayed on prominent end of aisle displays (end-caps). Assortment reflected the different Kingsford stock keeping units (SKUs) that were carried by each store. Here, the team focused on making sure that the individual stores were stocking the appropriate mix of SKUs that maximized sales volume. The Kingsford marketing team used scanner data to develop detailed quantitative models for each local market that the sales team used to educate the management of the individual stores on these issues. Pricing represented the various everyday prices of each SKU and the target numbers for temporary price reductions. The Kingsford sales team helped the channel partners plan the frequency and depth of price reductions since the volume spikes from price promotions were very significant. Shelving related to where Kingsford products were located, both in terms of aisles and exactly on which shelf each SKU was located. It was important that Kingsford products were treated consistently across stores members of the sales team spent a great deal of time visiting store managers and working on the execution details. Kingsford also worked with customers to capitalize on big holidays with targeted Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day promotions. According to LaMontagne: On a sunny July 4th weekend a Wal-Mart store could sell 5,000 pounds of charcoal in one thy. It is critical that each store keep enough product on the floor in a central location. This not only serves a reminder but generates the impulse to purchase. Ideally we want each person who walks into a store to see pallets of Kingsford charcoal and we push to get our charcoal in two different locations. When the displays are combined with featured pricing and inclusion in store circulars, Kingsford does particularly well- which is good for us and good for the store overall. Our research has shown that consumers who buy Kingsford charcoal tend to spend 30 percent more during their store visit than consumers who do not buy charcoal. We do our best to show these data to stores so that they can see the benefits of promoting Kingsford. The Kingsford team was also working on plans to extend the grilling season outside of the peak summer months by creating NASCAR promotions for March, April, September and October as well as by encouraging fall tailgating events. Dawn Willoughby, sales merchandising manager, explained, We have put together a 12-month plan to increase charcoal consumption. The goal is to increase grilling occasions and we want stores to help reinforce this objective? The sales team pursued co-marketing opportunities with other brands such as Pepsi and Budweiser to help pay for increased promotions throughout the year. As the sales team worked with stores on the various promotions, they also continued to push the stores to focus primary support on two brands- Kingsford and private label. LaMontagne explained: We see ourselves as custodians of the charcoal category. Our research shows that supporting too many brands of charcoal hurts the channels revenues and profits. For example, with too many SKUs to manage, the channel would routinely face stock-outs of the popular products that could lead to lost sales, or even worse, lost customers if the consumers switched stores altogether. Armed with compelling evidence on lost revenues and margins, we are going to the channel with a message of less is more? We are telling them that brands in the middle such as Royal Oak are driving consumers away from the premium brand that was sought out by brand-loyal consumers or away from the stores profitable private label brand. Product and Capacity The Kingsford team hoped to increase growth through a combination of advertising and promotion and therefore was working with the Clorox product supply group to ensure adequate supply. Based on the numbers run by the product supply team, it looked as if the plants were currently running at approximately 80 percent of total capacity. As a result, there would only be supply issues if volume grew more than 5 percent for several years in a row. It was difficult and expensive to build additional capacity Bill Lynch, Vice-President of Product Supply explained: A new plant can cost $30-$50 million to build and it could take at least five years once Clorox started the permitting process. It could take two to three years just to acquire all of the necessary regulatory approvals. If we want to expand one of our current plants, we still need to go through a two-year permitting process. In addition, some of our plants are not expandable- often for environmental reasons. If Kingsford did run out of capacity; there were not many alternative sources for charcoal production. The business could try approaching a competitor in the United States or looking at several offshore options. if those turned out to be prohibitively expensive, the Kingsford team ran the risk of running out of product towards the end of the summer season. 3 A shortfall in supply would mean that Kingsford would have to pacify its customers by moving pallets around the country to wherever demand was greatest, a very expensive proposition. CONCLUSION Smith Boyle and Warren were interested in getting Gordons perspective on how Kingsfords growth objectives fit into the broader context of the overall company growth targets. Cloroxs stock price in December 2000 was at a three-year low when Clorox had warned Wall Street that its sales growth would not be as high as it had predicted earlier in the year. On January 31 2001, Clorox had announced its second quarter earnings, which included a 6 percent decline in sales for the company. Clorox Chairman and CEO Craig Sullivan said, While these results are in line with the estimates we announced on December 14, we are obviously disappointed with our performance this quarter. Over the past 45 days we have heightened our focus on those activities that are most critical to securing a solid foundation for future growth. We are taking action, first and foremost, to regain momentum on our core businesses in the United States. Smith Boyle and Warren felt Clorox was relying on Kingsford to improve sales and profits, and they didnt want to let the company down. They knew their recommendations about pricing, advertising, promotion, and capacity could make a big difference for both Kingsford and Clorox as a whole. Armed with all the research data, they were eager to develop a strategy for taking the Kingsford brand to a new level of growth and profitability. With this in mind, Smith Boyle and Warren walked out of the building on Wednesday evening, planning to talk more the following week. They waved goodbye with their usual parting message, See you next Wednesday! †

A - H Glossary of College Terms

A - H Glossary of College Terms By term: A - H | I - R | S - Z College Terms: A - H Academic Probation: If your grades fall below a certain level, your campus may place you on academic probation. This traditionally means that you need to raise your GPA or face the possibility of being removed from your school for academic reasons. Adjunct Professor: A professor who is usually part-time or not on campus with a long-term contract (and, consequently, not eligible for tenure). Alumna: Female graduate or former student. Alumnae: Female graduates or former students. Alumni: Male graduates or both male and female graduates. Alumnus: Male graduate or former student. Area Coordinator (AC): This person usually oversees an area of your residence hall, or an area of your campus. They have more responsibility, and may sometimes supervise, Resident Advisers (RAs). Area Director (AD): This is usually just another title for an Area Coordinator (AC). Board of Directors/Board of Trustees: Most colleges have a board that oversees all parts of the campus. Traditionally, the board hire s (and possibly fires) a president; manages the college or university’s finances; and is responsible for all major policy decisions. Many college and university boards comprise alumni, faculty, staff, community leaders, and (sometimes) students. Board of Regents: Similar to how a Board of Trustees oversees a single college or university, a Board of Regents traditionally oversees a state system of public colleges or universities. College: In contrast to a university, a college traditionally only offers undergraduate degrees and programs. (There are, of course, some exceptions to this definition.) Commencement: Usually another name for graduation. Convocation: On some campuses, each year starts with a convocation ceremony where the new class is officially welcomed and the academic year formally begins. Dean: A Dean is someone traditionally in charge of a major area of a college. For example, there may be a Dean of Students, a Dean of the Faculty, and a Dean of Arts Sciences. Discipline: On a college campus, a discipline is often synonymous with a major. It usually refers to a field of study. (Of course, if you are charged with violating campus or community rules, you may be required to have a disciplinary hearing†¦and t hat definition is more traditional!) Discourse: A conversation, exchange of words, or dialogue, usually incorporating a wide range of views and opinions. Faculty: The faculty, or a faculty member, is generally anyone who teaches at the college. FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form is required for any student who wants to be considered for federal aid of any kind. Make sure you get your form in by the deadline! Fees: Fees can be charged for anything from seeing a doctor in the campus health center to returning your library books late. Additionally, you may see something listed as student fees, which cover some student services that the school provides and/or may be the basis for the student government budget. Financial Aid: Anything related to the way you are paying for school. Loans, scholarships, grants, work awards, and any other resource you use are all considered part of your financial aid. Graduate Assistant/Graduate Adviser (GA): A GA is often the same thing as a Graduate Student Instruc tor (GSI). Graduate Instructor (GI): A GI is often the same thing as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI). Graduate Student Instructor (GSI): A GSI is often a graduate student who helps out in your classes. They made grade papers, lead seminar discussions, and sometimes teach classes. Grants: Similar to scholarships in that you dont need to pay them back. Some grants may be connected to your course of study or allow you to do research while still having your financial needs taken care of. (For example, you may earn a grant to cover your room and board while you do summer research with a professor.) Hall Coordinator (HC): A hall coordinator is typically in charge of your entire hall and oversees Resident Advisers (RAs). Hall Council (HC): A Hall Council is a small governing body that serves as a student voice and helps make decisions and plan programs for your hall community; frequently the same thing as a Residence Council. Hall Director (HD): Hall Directors are often the same things as Hall Co ordinators (HCs).

Gender Roles in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Roles in Islam - Essay Example Specifically, this takes a closer look on how Islamic society treats its male and female members. This also analyzes how this tradition affects the new generation of males and females in particular. In Muslim societies women and men are expected to behave in accordance with social, cultural or religious codes. They have various reasons from doing so but what is most dominant is the fact that they want to make create a line separating men from women and that they want to distinguish between what is considered to be 'masculine' or 'feminine'. These gender roles are learned within a particular social and cultural context. More so, these gender roles are affected by factors such as education and economics (Armstrong 489). In practice, gender roles are often affecting women thereby adversely impeding their self determination in areas such as their socio-economic status, status within the family, health, life expectation, independence, freedom and even their rights (Armstrong 490). This clearly reflects the gender bias that is happening inside the Muslim communities. For them, women are still the weaker sex and males are the dominant ones. For them, women are essential for male for they should act as their partners and because they are essential for men, Muslim societies tolerate men from having numerous women (provided that men can financially support all his women and his offspring equally). For them, women are accessories to the male's harem and that the males are the ones who would ensure on the availability of food, shelter and other basic commodities, while the women should stay at home and manage what is being given by the males. For the Islam, women should not be in command the decision making is the sole responsibility of the males. In short, women in Islam, are often expected to be obedient wives and mothers remaining within the family environment, whereas men are expected to be protectors and caretakers of the family Although the Qur'an views women and men to be equal in human dignity, this spiritual or ethical equality has not been reflected in most Muslim laws. Like for example, women do not have equal rights to make independent decisions in relation to choice of marriage or even of their partners. Still, women are not the deciding factors when it comes to obtaining a divorce and custody of the children (Armstrong 489). The Reactions Now, there have been various reactions from the female side. Reformists and feminists have challenged women's lack of rights and lack of control over their own lives in Muslim Laws through the various techniques discussed in the section (Armstrong 494). Central to this challenge has been the reinterpretation of Qur'anic verses which seemingly privilege men over women and reinforce gender roles. Qur'an verse 4.34, which refers to men as 'guardians' (qawamun) (over women), has been used to justify gender roles. Likewise, this verse is used to give merit as the why men enjoy certain privilege over women. Reformist and feminist scholars have argued that the concept of guardianship has formed the basis of particular "gendered roles" in Muslim societies (Denny 494). Scholars have also explored how verse 4.34 has been interpreted and used to limit women's autonomy, freedom of movement and access to economic opportunities and independence. They found out that the concept of 'guardianship' actually only meant to ensure that a woman who is bearing

International relations Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International relations - Article Example This section uses realism theory to explain relationships among state and non-state actors in the international system. Realism is based on the idea that the international system exists according to the Hobbestian state of nature, which is anarchic and brutal. There is no centralized authority in the system. The influential states have powers that they use to subjugate the poor and powerless in the system. The paper evaluates three supranational regimes in order to understand the theory in detail. States agree to form governments that control internal affairs. It is not surprising that any sovereign state has the power to enforce and prescribe laws. These powers are limited in the international system because there is no Leviathan that controls the activities of all members. The manner in which African states and other developing countries conduct politics is a matter of great concern when it comes to the issue of classical realism. From liberalists’ point of view, the drives to power and will to dominate is based on liberty in which peoples’ freedom to determine the nature of politics is given priority in the society. According to Kenneth Waltz and Wendt, people are free to elect the leader they want. They are also at liberty to contribute to the government without restrictions. Neorealist focuses on the international system in which states are considered as the key actors. ... The difference between classical realism and neo-realism is based on how they view the causes of conflict in international relations. Classical realism view unchanging human nature and self-interest as the major causes of conflict in international relations while neo-realism consider state anarchy as the major cause of conflict in international relations (Harrison 89). Question 3: Persistent underdevelopment The dependency theory is utilized in international relations to predict dependency in third world countries. Dependency has been defined as a condition in which the growth and expansion of an economy is conditioned or determined by growth and expansion of another economy. This means that a dependent state cannot experience a self-sustaining development that is; it cannot be self-reliant because its economy is a reflection of the developed state’s economy. The process of dependency is sustained by foreign aid including technical assistance and military aid. The aid does not enhance the economy but it strengthens dependency relations. The aid further marginalizes the dependent countries since they create permanent debts. Marxists argue that neither mercantilism nor liberalism guarantee human happiness this is because the owners of the means of production control the markets whereas the state is the property of the elite. It therefore postulates that people should determine their own destiny through collectivization of interests (Allen and Thomas 69). Liberalism argues that politics and economics have no relationship whatsoever. The market according to liberalists is self-regulating because it operates on its internal logics. It claims that the market

Disagreement Aid the Pursuit of Knowledge

Disagreement Aid the Pursuit of Knowledge Many people believe that disagreement is simply like a husband and wife arguing with each other about whether the dress makes her look fat. However there is a great deal more to disagreement than just conflict between two people and from understanding the notion of error, truth, mistake and belief and how they cause disagreement to occur or trying to win your claim leads to interesting knowledge. Disagreement can actually aid the way to pursuit the knowledge in the ways of knowing of reason, emotion and sense perception in the areas of knowledge of human and natural science. This essay will show you how disagreement helps to pursue knowledge. Is it certain that disagreement aids the pursuit of knowledge? This following example will show that it does. One disagreement in natural science that has aided us humans to know more about our universe than before came from the dispute between scientists in the Theory of Quantum. In 1905 Albert Einstein stated that Max Plancks theory of the quantum was right and he proved his point by using an experiment with light, which showed that sometimes light acts as a wave. This shocked a lot of scientists because to them it was crazy as saying a rock acts like a wave. Niels Bohr disagrees with this idea because it went against the classical law of physics which applied to every object in that time. This disagreement made Bohr come up with a methodology proving his idea against Einstein by using hydrogen atoms to show that light isnt a wave. The disagreement between the two founders of quantum mechanics caused them to think further to discover more of the truth. Later Bohrs idea of a fix equation for an atom to behavior like particle was disproven by Max Born who building on Einsteins earlier work said that the quantum mechanics could be found by probability. However Einstein spoke strongly against this idea because he believed God does not roll a dice  [1]  and disagreeing with Borns idea of probability which held that everything was made up by chance. Einstein refused to accept quantum indeterminism and sought to demonstrate that the principle of indeterminacy could be violated, suggesting experiments which should permit the accurate determination of incompatible variables.  [2]  Then he came up with the two slip experiment to help prove his theory by using reason. All of this back and forward arguing between scientists gave us the further knowledge of quantum mechanics bringing us closer to the real truth. By using the way of knowing reason, they experimentally proved facts to argue each other and showing way of knowing emotion, their pride made them stand for their point of view on which view of quantum was true. Another example that really shows that disagreement aid the way to pursuit the true knowledge is disagreement between Alice Stewart and other doctor during 1950s in Oxford. Alice Stewart was trying to identify the cause of child cancer which later discovers that it is cause by X-rays during woman is pregnant. From Ted talk by Mergaret Heffernan about this story she stated that, Alices daughter told me that every time Alice went head-to-head with a fellow scientist,  they made her think and think and think again. It show clearly that disagreement between Alice and her fellow scientist help them to understand the true meaning and further information into the research.  [3]   Disagreement aid the way to pursuit the true knowledge because from disagreement over the answer help scientist find more way and perspective to solve the problem. On the other hand this disagreement may not aid the way of pursuit knowledge because of the close mindedness of the people. These people will not find disagreement and aid because from viewing their own result as the real truth which then closed down all possible answer from other people. For example in the past, it is how Catholic Church believing in geocentric and strongly against all other idea of heliocentric, that was claim by Nicolaus Copernicus. From this classic example it shown that Catholic believe in geocentric because they believe that god was born in planet Earth which mean that Earth is definitely the center of the universe. They believe in this theory and even against an idea of heliocentric. Even theory of heliocentric can be proving by an observation of star. As we have seen emotion also can play an important role in finding the truth because being scared to be proven wrong makes some people close the way to develop their idea or refuse to check their assumption so that the real knowledge of truth cant be revealed. From the article Separating The Pseudo From Science by Michael D.Gordin, we get a good idea on disagreement in science between science and pseudoscience. There is not a demarcation between pseudoscience and science because both areas can add to range of human knowledge. As Gordin said If scientist uses some criterion such as peer review to demarcate, so will the fringe. The brighter the light of science-that is, the greater its cultural prestige and authority-the sharper the shadow, and the more the fringe flourishes.  [4]  The pseudoscience on the fringe will expand the size of the knowledge because pseudoscience views and investigate thing from different perception than normal science. We do have to be careful that it is possible that someone who doesnt know anything about science can claim something is scientific and true based on non-empirical evidence which can lead them off the track. We need to justify any claim by peer reviews that scientist do before we can add to our theoretical or concrete knowledge bases. Disagreement in the human science field can be shown in the field of history which country disagreeing with each other to cause the war to happen. For example American civil war was happen from one conflict or one disagreement which is about slavery. Northern of United States claim to free and end the slavery in the country however Southern part wanted to continues with the slavery because it will affect their economic in a bad way if the slavery end. The disagreement led further to cause a war against two sides of United States. From historical point of view we can see that disagreements over time over how a war began help to find the true cause of the war. However the knowledge is not certain because of the perception of the viewer who views one country or bias one more than another. There are no absolute truth behind disagreement in human science because history can be record in hatred which causing the truth to be change. On the other hand it may not help to find the absolute tru th but from using disagreement help to increase and change the way to approach which can help to discover some knowledge behind. For me the most interesting areas where disagreement aids the pursuit of information are in the areas of knowledge of mathematics and human science. Disagreeing with teacher over either answer was correct or not help to pursuit more knowledge on mathematic than normal because from this I can understand more on how to solve the question by looking at why am I wrong or finding prove to show why I am right. There are a lot of formula and way to solve the question so it is certain by discussing with teacher and sharing our different views, he and I can help each other learn that even though the formula or method isnt the same but the answer in the end is the same. In human science there is a lot of disagreement, because human can understand each other behavior more through sense perception and emotion than by scientific evidence. This lack of hard proves easy lead to an argument. From my experience people will start to know each other more and more when they are disagreeing with each other because it is our human nature to control ourselves and present the information in the best possible way. If that isnt their real behavior, the real behavior will be revealed when they are face with strong rapid change of emotion from arguing with other people. On the other hand in some situation arguing with other people will not lead to knowing each other more but lead into destruction of friendship. Disagreement in both human science and natural science can aid the pursuit of knowledge like in the way like Einstein and Bohr arguing to discovered quantum mechanics through the argument between themselves and how historian discover the meaning and the purpose of history by learning about disagreement which led to war between country. However this knowledge that came from disagreement may be not the real truth for everything because my truth and your truth are not same, like each scientists and historians view thing in different point of view. So everyone must freely look at both sides. Disagreement can help the pursuit the knowledge if we have the reason and right emotions to be open minded enough to listen to other people ideas and accepts the fact that they also can be saying the truth from another perception. Disagreement Aid The Pursuit Of Knowledge Disagreement Aid The Pursuit Of Knowledge Disagreement may aid the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences because disagreement fosters new research to justify rival theories. Openness to allow disagreeing points of view and theories to be presented is important because it challenges scientists and prompts them to justify their points of view through a genuine dialogue. In this essay I will focus on biology and economics then I will try to discuss how ways of knowing are linked to disagreement. I will also endeavor to show how disagreement has helped me in the process of knowledge acquisition. 1858 was the year when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallaces new theory was published the evolutionary theory that was thoroughly expounded in the famous treatise On the Origin of Species (1859)  [1]  by Ch. Darwin. In contrast to Lamarck, Darwin proposed the concepts of the common descent and the branching tree of life, which means that two totally different species could have a common ancestor. The theorys fundament was the idea of natural selection, and it was based on a variety of evidence from animal husbandry, geology, biogeography, embryology, and morphology. Evolution underlies every aspect of the form and behavior of organisms. We can see a proof of this in the way species behave and adapt as a result of natural selection. The ability to adapt is exhibited in activities such as locating food, keeping away from predators or finding mates. Life forms can also react to selection by working together with each other, by assisting their relatives or entering in a symbios is of shared advantage. In the end, evolution creates new species through separating the familial populations of organisms, forming new groups that are not able to produce a common generation. Today, the contemporary evolutionary theory is accepted by the greater part of scientists. On the other hand, evolution is still a controversial notion for a number of theists. While a number of religions and denominations are prepared to accept the theory of evolution, making it compatible with their beliefs, there are creationists who purport that evolution is opposing the creation myths present in their religions. As the responses towards the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation in 1844 show, the most controversial feature of evolutionary biology is the inference that human beings descend, together with apes, from a common ancestor and that the intellectual and ethical abilities of humans possess the same inherited attributes as those characteristic of animals. In a number of countries, particularly the United States, these strain between science and religion has produced the current conflict between creation and evolution, a religious conflict connected with politics and p ublic education. While scientific areas such as cosmology and geology also clash with a number of interpretations of religious books, evolutionary theory encounters noteworthy antagonism from religious theoreticians and practitioners. The debate over evolution shows how disagreement encourages more detailed research and, as a result, contributes to the pursuit of knowledge. However, it also shows that disagreement is not only about gathering reliable knowledge, but also about the way one undertakes the acquisition of it. Because theism had been a deeply-rooted philosophy for a very long time, people felt some kind of emotional attachment to it. The same, however, can be said about evolutionists. This can be seen from the fact that the supporters of evolution did not reject the theory in light of new controversial findings. In my opinion, the fact that the evolutionists accept evolution as a basic principle is not disputed by the creationists. It is absurd to say that creationists use the beliefs of the evolutionists to show that they doubt evolution. The purpose of quoting the supporters of evolution is to show the disputable issues in the field of evolution, which are being studied. Another example of the role of disagreement in science is exhibited in the field of modern economics, especially when it comes to the long-run equilibrium  [2]  . It is a notion that aggregate demand is equal to long-run aggregate supply. Given that there is disagreement among different economic concepts, we distinguish between Keynesian equilibrium output in the long run and the new classical equilibrium output2. According to new classical economists, economy will always try to achieve a long-run equilibrium at the full employment level of output. Thus, long-run equilibrium is where the aggregate demand curve meets the vertical long-run aggregate supply curve. The effect of any changes in aggregate demand will be only on the price level. In each case the equilibrium level of output is where aggregate demand is equal to long-run aggregate supply. According to the Keynesian economists, however, this equilibrium level of output may be found at different levels. They believe that the economy may be in long-run equilibrium at a level of output below the full employment level of national income. This will be the case if the economy is operating at a level where there is spare capacity. In this view, the equilibrium level of output depends mainly on the level of aggregate demand in economy. In the Keynesian view, aggregate demand can increase in such a way that there is an increase in the level of r eal output, without any resulting increase in the price level. No clear conclusion has yet been made concerning the long-run equilibrium in macroeconomics. Instead of having a weak and formal equilibrium, vigorous disagreement between experts would give the decision-makers the opportunity to come up with meaningful alternatives that inform and enrich discussions. Writing this essay invoked a memory of a disagreement I had with a classmate of mine over GMO (Genetically modified organism). Few months I watched a TV program on CCTV it was an attempt to introduce the advantages of GMF. I know that the problem with genetically modified food is probably the most significant one. But I am quite aware for the fact that there are genetically modified elements in many other products. This program is very interesting and it widens the eyes. The one that I am sure of is cotton. It has brought many discussions all over the world. However, at the same time a friend of mine was convinced by a text in a website called Ten disadvantages of genetically modified food  [3]  . We started doing a lot of research to support our personal argument. Thus disagreement aided our individual pursuit of knowledge. We did not reach a conclusion due to lack of enough reliable information. He asked me: Can you imagine a genetically modified human being- can it be perfect? Sure, we have to be careful as one day we, human beings, can be modified too. A genetically modified human is the logical continuation of this process. And as far as I know, many claim that choosing the genes for your children and improving their genetic material is good as long as we help them avoid diseases. But in my opinion is same of his, once we start doing this, there will be no going back. And one day some science fiction movies will become reality. When scientists aspire to speak in an unified voice, they usually do so in a quite scientific way: they make and launch consensus reports. The idea is to compress the knowledge of many experts into a single point of view that can resolve disputes and help policy-making. But the process of reaching such a consensus often works against these goals, and can challenge the very authority it tries to project. The idea that science best asserts its authority through consensus statements differs from the real process of scientific development. Consensus is good for textbooks; real science makes its progress by increase challenges to the existing state of always-incomplete knowledge. Science would present greater importance to politics if it uttered the broadest set of likely interpretations, possibilities and perspectives, anticipated by the top experts, rather than forcing meeting to a purportedly unified voice. To conclude, a disagreement can often stop you from rushing into dire decisions and choices. They allow you time and give you space to think over it though you may get annoyed by the delay and hindrances. It is always possible you that may have done big homework on a decision, but you still may have left unnoticed a simple, but vital point, which the dissenting person can perceive when looked from a dissimilar viewpoint. Disagreement has fostered the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences such as biology and economics, because disagreement has led to additional research. We should not be afraid to disagree or recognize disagreement. Real leaders accept disagreement as truly successful one must periodically welcome a liberal dose of disagreement in every main or significant decision one takes, even if one is a specialist in what one does.

Companies and the education Essay

It is no denying the fact that globalization is evil, in the real sense of the word, for countries like India, Pakistan and many other developing countries. Globalization is good among the developed countries- like America, Canada, Europe etc. because here the competition is on equal terms. Globalization is also fair among the developing countries, like India, Pakistan etc. But it cannot be said that globalization or competition is fair and on equal terms between developed countries on the one hand and the developing countries on the other hand. It does not make sense that Pakistan will be able to compete on equal level with America. The outcome of this competition can be forecasted easily i. e. all the benefits will definitely go in the pockets of the multinationals of the developed world and the developing ones will suffer greatly in this bargain. It can be said that globalization is a modern method of enslaving the third world countries. In the name of globalization the Western world is dictating the developing countries to open their markets and reduce expenses on social causes, the likes of education and health, while on the other hand the developed countries themselves are subsidizing their farmers, multinational companies and the education. This kind of globalization does not make any sense. But yes it can be called as Westernization. Globalization is the modern face of colonization. In globalization the poor and developing countries are to provide cheap raw materials for the developed world in return for expensive manufactured goods. Thus the developing countries will never be able to produce goods as cheap goods as the all-pervasive multinationals will be producing. They will just provide cheap labor. The supporters of globalization say that globalization has actually decreased the global poverty. They say that no doubt most countries have seen lower income growth but the world’s two largest countries china and India have experienced the opposite. They also say that it is only those countries that increasingly integrate them with the world economy that have managed to grow fastest and reduce poverty the most. Thus it is suggested by them that only those countries who open themselves very much to the world can be benefited in this bargain. Now let us check these arguments of the supporters of the globalization. â€Å"Economists agonize about capital flows but often overlooks the social disruptions, cultural clashes and political changes that globalization brings. † (Mott. 2004. p. 33) It is no doubt that exports and foreign investment played integral role in China’s development. China is able to buy the capital equipments and the other modern tools for its modernization by selling its home-made products in the length and breathe of the world. The managerial and technical expertise of china is also increased by the increase in foreign investment. Now take a close look and we discover that china’s economic policies violated almost all the rules and regulations according to which the supporters of globalization want to play their game. China joined the World Trade Organization only a year or two back and they also did not liberalize their trade policies to a great extent. Their economic policies are the most protected policies in the world. China opens its financial markets to the world just a little time back. Chinese know that the solutions to their problems must be the one suitable to the local conditions. Thus they developed and progress immensely not by following the hard and fast rules of globalization but by will, dedication and nicely built policies suitable to the local environment. On the other hand many countries that open themselves up to the world without taking care of the local demands and conditions suffer financially and functionally. For example, Latin America followed the principles of globalization with great zeal and gusto in the 1990sis suffering from increasing inequality, low economic growth rates, and heightened.

Black Feminism - 2011 Words

Black Feminism â€Å"Feminism in general is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women.† Black Feminism is a strand of feminist thought, which highlights the manifold disadvantages of gender, class and race that shape the experiences of nonwhite women. Black feminist organizations emerged during the 1970s and they had to face manifold difficulties from both the white feminist and Black Nationalist political organizations they were confronting with. Black feminists had rejected the idea of a single unified gender oppression that faced evenly by all women, and argued that early feminist analysis reflected the specific concerns of white,†¦show more content†¦Black women have no personal identity without the male entity, as the words of sisse’s mother when sissie is going to married â€Å"Now our daughter has become a proper lady†. with marriage comes a lot of responsibilities and she is left with no self-identity and have to behave like a Lady and then her mother thinks like a typical mother that she must stop calling her daughter ‘baby’ now because ‘†¦she was a grand old lady of five years’. In her autobiography â€Å"Anne Moody†, brings the idea of black feminism into account, stating, We were told in the same breath to be quiet both for the sake of being ladylike and take us less objectionable in the eyes of white people.† She is deprived of her wants and needs but in this situation as well her mother advises her to ‘remember counting her blessings’. She is having a husband who is legally and fully married to her but most of the time’ she also knows without looking that her husband was not occupying his side of the bed’’. She has no right to ask her husband because she is supposed to handle the households, not to look into the doings of her husband. As it is against the norms of patriarchal society, in which she is living. The depravity of the Black women alsoShow MoreRelatedFeminism As A Black Woman774 Words   |  4 PagesFeminism means something different to every woman. What feminism means to Beyoncà © may be different from what it means to Bell Hooks. 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As history is told from a man’s perspective, woman are left out and often, come last. Black woman in particular have reached a point where in order to be seen and heard, they have to take control of their narrative. Becoming aware of their role in the world, how society treats them versus how they need to be treated is important for future generations of woman and men of the black race to change an atmosphereRead MoreBlack Feminism : A Profound Effect On Society s History3616 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction Black Feminism has proven to have a profound effect on society’s history, and is now beginning to impact even more this day and age. Black feminism is broader than what comes to mind. It is an essential component of black struggle against oppression and authority. Generally Black feminism is used to empower and liberate black women. Throughout the years many liberals have tried to exclude and silence black feminist. Black feminist have demanded for social, economic and political equalityRead MoreBlack Feminism : An Era Of Progressive Activism For Women1436 Words   |  6 Pagesobserved an era of progressive activism for women. But, feminism is by its nature a complex notion and one can’t fully appreciate its effectiveness forgetting the aspect of ethnic discriminations in the country (Collin, p.p 47). Race matters exist in diverse places and at unusual times under extensively unreliable circumstances. It is different from white feminism as they have managed to attain t heir own freedom in a different way. This was because Black women were hardly seen as an active figure in suchRead MoreBlack Feminism s Speech At The Ohio Women s Rights Convention Essay1442 Words   |  6 Pagesfeminist everywhere can follow behind. Feminism is simply the advocacy of equality of sexes social, political, and economic, but until this can happen you have to address race and class oppression among other inequalities. This is the reason why the idea of black feminism was introduced. Coined by Kimberlà © Crenshaw in 1989, black feminism argues that the experience of being a black woman cannot be understood in terms of being black or of being a woman. Black feminism became popular in the 1960s, in responseRead MoreI Am A Woman,Too: Feminism To The Black Woman Essay examples941 Words   |  4 Pagesdealing with issues of sexism, but also racism. Many movements have helped black women during the past centuries to overcome sexism, racism, and adversities that were set against them. History tells us that movements such as the Feminist Movement helped empower all women, but this fact is not totally true. In this paper, I will discuss feminism, the movements, and its minimal affects on black women. The word feminism comes from the word fà ©minisme, which was thought of by Utopian socialist Charles