Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon

Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon By Mark Nichol This post pertains to the pitfalls of employing jargon to convey ideas without considering that colorful usage may confound instead of convey. I once edited a book that referred to â€Å"dual-wielding pistols,† a reference to the trademark weapons of a movie character: a brace of flintlock pistols. Mentally shaking my head in mild consternation, I revised what I considered an exceedingly awkward and misleading effort to express that the character routinely fought with both guns at once- a dynamic image commonly seen in action films, but one that depicts a strategy seldom employed in real life. As it turns out (meaning, I did some research), the phrase is valid, but not as the author employed it. Websites and publications devoted to firearms sometimes refer to dual-wielding handguns- but with dual-wielding operating as a phrasal verb, not a phrasal adjective. One can use the phrase to refer to the action of firing two handguns at once (â€Å"Is dual-wielding pistols practical?†). However, because no firearms are specifically designed to be used in parallel- presumably (meaning, my research didn’t turn up any such weaponry), there is no such thing as dual-wielding pistols- there is no reason for such phrasing. Therefore, though the phrase exists, it was not correct as employed. And even if it had been used as a phrasal verb, although any reasonably intelligent reader could be expected to understand the phrase, because it is jargon, it would be more courteous to all readers to simply write something like â€Å"wielding two pistols at once.† The lesson for writers is, one can be clear, concise, or both, but if you must choose between clear and concise, be clear. Speaking of phrasal adjectives, one hallmark of jargon is to omit hyphenation in some such phrases, as they are understood to be terms of art (words or phrases understood by a certain readership and not requiring explanation or the hand-holding treatment hyphenation provides). Therefore, although the phrasal adjective in, for example, â€Å"data-governance initiatives† would generally be hyphenated in lay publications to clarify that the reference is to initiatives regarding governance of data, not governance initiatives pertaining to data, publishers of content intended for readers familiar with the concept might consider the helpful hyphen superfluous. (For clarity and consistency, such publishers should codify this style in a manual accessible- and familiar- to a publications writers and editors.) In publications intended for the general public, however, dictionary usage should guide writers and editors in treatment of phrasal adjectives. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?Connotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleTitled versus Entitled

The eNotes Blog Dispatches from an eNotes Roaming Correspondent New Adventures and DreamJobs

Dispatches from an Roaming Correspondent New Adventures and DreamJobs When I graduated from the University of Washington, I immediately started my dream career. Was it a position of prestige and wealth, you ask? Am I rolling in Franklins? Am I some rockstar, mogul, or entrepreneur? Have I launched my humanities degree into some lucrative business venture or position of power? Nope, none of that- after I graduated, I cobbled together several freelance jobs, contract positions, volunteer work, and internships. And now, a year later, I am about to move to Morocco to work as a youth development specialist through the Peace Corps. For me, a dream career means constant adventure, innovation, and education. I can’t stand staid days of formula and routine. I’m a perpetual student, which doesn’t just mean I’m still considering that PhD path- it means that I actively seek out new ideas and information. This past year, my first year of Real Adulthood, I have learned so much about myself. I feel secure in my present and excited for my future- and I truly believe that I feel this way because of my patchwork quilt of a career choice. Everything I’ve been doing has given me insight into my future. I have been working as a tutor and teacher’s assistant, which has solidified my resolve to always work in the education sector. I’ve connected with so many inspiring students- our world’s future leaders and thinkers. I have been volunteering with organizations like the International Rescue Committee and Neighborhood House, which have connected me with grassroots community efforts in my city. I interned with Seattle Arts Lectures, which meant I got to support amazing programming and work with brilliant local writers. I wrote poems and news stories, which found homes at various wonderful publications. I’m literally doing everything I’ve ever dreamed of in a career: teaching, learning, reading, writing, getting published, and collaborating with smart and caring colleagues. I specifically want to talk about one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had: this gig right here, writing for as an Editorial Intern. It blows my mind whenever I think about the fact that I actually get paid to annotate Shakespeare plays, examine classic novels, and edit resources for research. When I was a young bookworm, this was what I imagined when I considered the maxim of â€Å"following your passion,† but I never expected this dream to come true. I’m living an English major’s fantasy! Through , not only do I get to interact everyday with literary greats like Zora Neale Hurston, Harper Lee, Amy Tan, Ray Bradbury, and Chinua Achebe- but also with a community of educators and students from all around the world. Obviously, the same career path doesn’t work for everyone. Not everyone is like me- a person who gets excited about analyzing gender roles in Macbeth or linking Transcendentalist theories with Romantic poetry (AKA a complete nerd). But even if you don’t idolize John Berryman or Maya Angelou, the lessons I’ve learned from my work experiences can also apply to you. This is what working at has taught me about â€Å"dream jobs†: Value yourself and make sure others value you. At the beginning of the year, I had a contract position that I disliked. Although I loved the work itself, my supervisors at that company did not respect me. They manipulated my dedication and consistently shortchanged me. It took me a while to realize that my work was worth a lot more than they thought it was. The people at , however, are the coolest. This blog post is an indication of how great I think they are! They only asked me to write a post about my post-graduate job-finding experiences, but it’s somehow turned into an -love-apalooza†¦ Even though everyone else here has a lot more knowledge than me, they always value my input- and that means the world. Plus, in this post-grad world of exploitation via unpaid internships, actually pays interns! That sort of economic leveling makes all the difference. Go for what makes you feel useful and competent. In other words, utilize your strengths. The advice I used to give was â€Å"pursue your passions,† but young people would always respond that they didn’t know what they were passionate about. I realized that there’s no need to pressure yourself into that kind of powerful declaration before you’re ready! Instead, focus on doing what you’re pretty good at. At , the times I felt most fulfilled were the times I took initiative in something small like suggesting a new way to tell students about our Homework Help pages or writing a particularly solid Text Insight. Your contributions don’t always have to be monumental- it’s little building blocks that keep companies and organizations going! Do work that you believe in. Most of the stuff I did at kept me intellectually stimulated, but gonna be honest- all jobs will have moments of drudgery. However, if the ultimate goal of what you’re doing matters to you, it’s much easier to get through these moments! So even when my eyeballs were about to fall out from scrolling endlessly down Excel spreadsheets and Google docs, I persevered because of my loyalty to the company. The conversations at are all about helping students and enhancing the education experience. makes learning easier without resorting to plagiarism or other shortcuts. It’s a company that is inherently ethical and compassionate, not just because it’s a good business practice! This is kind of cheesy, but it’s true that loving the mission of your workplace makes everything more productive and fun. Whatever your dream job is- even if you’re not sure what it is- these things are really important. I’m applying these -curated lessons to the next phase of my personal dream career. During the next two years, I will do my very best to remember to value myself and ensure that others value my work, use my strengths to create useful projects, and sustain work that I wholeheartedly believe in. In Morocco, I will be teaching English, facilitating youth skill development projects, organizing girls’ groups, and other grand adventures. I’ll do my best to keep the community  updated! Yours truly, Julie Feng

Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Netflix - Essay Example The first part of this paper will analyse Netflix products, its competitors, the company’s competitive strategy as well as its value chain. Part two of the paper will evaluate how Netflix applied art and science through various information communication technologies to boost its operations. Netflix products Netflix has more than 33 million subscribers in 40 countries that can rent DVDs or download movies for a monthly fee through Netflix.com. The company also has mail delivery services where movie deliveries takes place through the US Postal services from distribution centers that are located in the major cities in the country. More so, the movies streaming reaches800 devices that include PCs, TVs, and mobile application (Nelson and Quick, 2012). This means that the company’s products and services are DVD vending, and selling physically and through the internet, mail delivery services and video demand services online. ... The other competitors Amazon prime, who freely ships on millions of items and rented eBooks. The problem that Amazon prime has is that customers are required to purchase an entire year of prime for $ 79; hence discouraging customers (Nelson and Quick, 2012). To add up the competitor list is HBO GO owned by Time Warner, who offers unlimited access via website login. In spite of HBO Go great web interface, it still tethers to the cable networks. Vudu, Wal-Mart partner has also joined the industry, adding up the competitor list and it allows subscribers to stream instantly on Walmart.com. What is Netflix competitive strategy? The main competitive strategy that Netflix uses to beat competitors is product differentiation. This is the case because the company offers old products (movies) in new modernized ways. For instance, the company still mixes the old mail delivery and online streaming in movie delivery, which helps it target diverse customers (Nelson and Quick, 2012). This is excepti onal because no other company in the industry uses the old mail delivery; hence creating a differentiation. This strategy not only creates a differentiation to the customers but also eases customer’s delivery of movies because most customers get the movies at the comfort of their homes through mail and still return them through the same mail. This convenience is a great attraction to customers who end up becoming loyal to Netflix. Netflix value chain analysis Every business should look forward to reducing logistical costs as well as perceptive sales, which eventually keep the company viable. Netflix has strategically organized its value chain because it is cable to accurately, forecast demand given that

Analysis of Very Painful Questions about New Orleans Essay

Analysis of Very Painful Questions about New Orleans - Essay Example Who will have the answers and who will break out of silence to defend the thousand’s of victimized families of that area? Sadly, no one came out and every one amongst the people in the Bush administration including Bush himself either kept defending his government or kept playing the blame game. The then President was of the view that they were not aware that such a catastrophe would upheld such a large area in a matter of hours and that their rescue efforts were in time for the rescue operations. As expressed by a famous American actor, Robin Williams about politics that in, â€Å"politics: â€Å"Poli† a Latin word meaning â€Å"many†; and â€Å"tics† meaning â€Å"blood sucking creatures†.† says it all about them. Politicians are actors by nature and politicians by default. They just know how to read scripts and how to divert an on going situation in their favor. They have the ability to listen to their critics and have the mechanism to res pond to them as well. Now coming on to the painful events that lead to this outrageous water flow in the area of New Orleans. No one can deny the fact that there were leadership flaws in the rescue operation. Was there a delay because of the cast and color of the residents of that area or was there an actual delay by the rescue authorities? This is a question that remains to be answered. Questions have also been raised about the break down of the pumping station # 6 in connection to the breach of the Industrial Canal levee. There have been speculations of the involvement of a barge in accelerating the flooding of water and there have been queries about the inter locking of explosive charges and the destruction caused by the Katrina Hurricane. Explanations and clarifications to every question are very important and vital to avoid any future un-happenings. One un-relishing fact is that there was almost a one day gap between the Katrina Hurricane and the break down of the levee in the New Orleans. (University of California) The time phase between the two happenings have certainly raised doubts in the minds of the truth seekers that how can a levee cut loose after surviving winds of over 100 mph? The federal government responded and answered that it could have been the second gust of strong winds that took apart the levee? On the other hand the meteorologists saw the funny side of it and replied back that a hurricane can never create a â€Å"secondary storm surge† especially after the initial burst and destruction caused by the Katrina Hurricane. Therefore, this question certainly raised some suspicions over the levee break and the set of events that took place on the 29th and the 30th of August in drowning hundreds of people that took them to the land of no return. Light has also been thrown on the presence of a barge besides the floodwall. Queries have been raised that no sensible person would park a barge in a state of a Hurricane, when he knows that the barge would be butchered by the Hurricane into dozens of pieces. This skepticism lead the nitty-gritty people to look out for any self seeking piece of information that proves that apart from the Katrina Hurricane, the breaking of the levee was a planned episode runned by the government. The belief of the people strengthened when they examined the past and saw that such vicious and unethical acts have been carried out and supervised by the government itself which included the destruction of the Murrah Building and of the downfall of the

Sophie Neveu Finds the Truth Essay Example for Free

Sophie Neveu Finds the Truth Essay In the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Sophie embarks on a journey to not only to find the Holy Grail but also the truth about her family. Sophie’s character changed a lot throughout the story, she became a lot more aware about what is goes on in the world and how one’s past and history can have a big impact in life. She had to learn and grow as a person because of how much pressure she was on while figuring out the answers to all of the secret messages her grandfather left her. She also had to face a lot of difficulties due to the fact that she had so many people standing in the way and trying to hurt her and reveal the secret. Sophie Neveu is the granddaughter of the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, Jacques Sauniere, the only real background we have of her is that her grandfather raised her from a very early age, after her parents were killed in a car accident (82). We find out that Sauniere trained her to solve complicated word puzzles as a young girl and that it was these puzzles and riddles that sparked her interest in solving them (218). The fact that she was exposed to puzzles and riddles when she was a child is likely the reason why she ended up working in a field that revolved around that topic. One of the things that give us some insight into Sophie’s personality is when we are told about a day when she accidentally discovered a strange key in her grandfathers room inscribed with the initials P.S. (118). This isn’t until much deeper into the book but it really defines who Sophie Neveu is because it shows how she struggled to find the truth about her family’s history from a very young age and that Sauniere was keeping secrets from her. This caused her to get even more curious about her past and is one of the main reasons why she becomes so dedicated to finding the Grail. Something that is really interesting about Sophie is the fact that her name’s meaning is that of the ancient goddess of wisdom, the icon of the divine feminine, Sophia; which means wisdom, this is very interesting becau se she does display wisdom at many points throughout the novel and out-shinning Robert most of the time. Throughout the book Sophie learns the reasons behind her grandfathers strange behavior and why he kept so many things hidden from her. At the beginning of the story we are told that she had stopped all forms of communication from her grandfather because of an estrange ritual she saw him be a part of and we are told that she had not spoken or seen him until the night of his murder (76-77). This shows that at a very young age Sophie had to deal with a very traumatic experience that shaped her personality and made her become a strong woman and caused her to not show much emotion. Sophie is a cryptologist working for the Parisian police and therefore a very intelligent woman. She shows she’s intelligent because she realizes that the message â€Å"P.S: Find Robert Langdon† is meant for her; She delivers a message to Robert Langdon letting him know that Officer Fache finds him as the prime suspect of Sauniere’s death. She reveals to Langdon that she is Sauniere’ s granddaughter and tells Langdon that she was sure of it because her grandfather used to call her Princess Sophie as a child. (76-77). Sophie’s talk to Langdon in the bathroom of the Louvre sets up the plot for the entire novel as well as give us some very important background information about Sophie, not only do we become aware of how intelligent she is but we also realize that she is brave enough to go against Fache and the Parisian police if it means finding out the truth about her past and family. Sophie doesn’t tell anybody else about the message her grandfather left her because she realizes that if her grandfather didn’t want anyone else to know what had happened. Being the only one that knows that Sauniere was hiding something important causes Sophie to act impulsively and helps Langdon escape from the police. It isn’t until farther into the book that we are told that her grandfather raised her from a after her parents were killed in a car accident and that he then proceeded to train her to solve complicated word puzzles and even made a cryptex for her (216). We are given brief flashbacks of her life, which prove that she was curious and hungry for knowledge from an early age. An example of this is that we are told that she accidentally discovered a strange key in her grandfathers room inscribed with the initials P.S. and that she tried looking for information about her family but anytime she tried Sauniere would get mad and tell her to forget about them. (118). This has a lot to do with her personality as an adult and being part of the Parisian police as a cryptographer, the fact that she spends her days at work figuring out puzzles and hidden messages shows that living with Sauniere made her become good at unscrambling and finding out the truth, the way she was brought up by Sauniere shaped her personality to be that of a person who doesn’t fully trust people and that is worthy of knowing important information such as the location of the Holy Grail. Sophie finds out at the end of the book that she is a descendant of the Merovingians, a living descendant of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene and that she is; literally, what her grandfather nicknamed her when she was a child: â€Å"Princess Sophie.† She also finds out that Sauniere wasn’t really her grandfather but that since he was the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion she would be safer with him. He chose to protect her and prepare her for what he knew was coming. The rest of the Priory then welcomes Sophie and tell her that they will protect her. At the beginning Sophie is brave and intelligent, she exhibits confidence and knowledge about her job and surroundings, but thought-out the novel and as she starts to unravel more of the secret and the Holy Grail she seems to leave that confidence behind and start questioning he past and who Sauniere really was. She starts showing more emotion throughout the novel and the closer we get to the end. Sophie is a strong woman who got a bit confused because of the uncertainty of her past and not knowing that she could trust. Works Cited Brown, Dan. The De Vinci Code, NY: Anchor, 2003. Print.

The Essential Nile :: History

Many features of civilization have evolved over time to become what one commonly thinks of as "civilized society." The development of government and writing in the classical civilization of Egypt can be credited to the reliability of the Nile River. The Nile was a source of unification and centralization in the Egyptian society, helping in the development of government and writing with the growth of surpluses. The Nile River, because of its predictable cycles, "unified and centered" the Egyptian society. Because of its predictability , the Nile "created a stable agriculture." All the Egyptians needed to do was to "put seeds in the mud, have pigs trample the seeds down into the ground, and when the time came, harvest the crop." Essentially, the river was important to the well- being of the cities, and was a vital source for irrigation. Not only did the river provide a steady flow of water, its flooding also provided fertile silt. Planted in this fertile soil, crops grew abundantly and allowed for the facilitation and development of surpluses. Beginning about 5000 B.C.E., farming had already been instituted along the banks of the Nile. But it wasn't until later (3200 B.C.E.) that real agricultural advances occurred. Encouraged by the stability of their farming, the Egyptians were able to develop surpluses in the area. This abundance (which allowed for the evolution and advancement of culture because it encouraged more people to specialize in crafts other than farming) led to a division of labor, and then to social stratification. The improvement of agricultural methods also led to the enlargement of cities. This enlargement then led to the need for bureaucracy and administration, and eventually toward the advent of writing.

Curry Powder Indusrty

INDUSTRY PROFILE India is a land of spices where many varieties are grown in the different regions of the country. The people of the country are fond of spicy food so the spices are the most important ingredient in any Indian dish. The nation is not just the big producer and consumer of spices but also a major player in international market, exporting the surplus and importing the deficit. Spices play an important role in enhancing the flavor and taste of the processed foods. They are also used in the medicines because of their carminative, simulative and digestive properties. India produces almost all the known spices and is the largest exporter of this commodity. Ground spices are extensively used in all types of curried dishes in India and abroad. Although spices are traded chiefly in an unprocessed form, a small yet significant quantity enters international trade as spice powders. Curry powder is the foremost of those blends or mixes and sometimes consists of 20 or more spices designed to add the characteristic flavor of an Indian curry, which is appreciated all over the world. Apart from the overseas market, processed curry powder is becoming popular in the domestic market also. Hence the demand for unadulterated spices and curry powder in attractive handy packaging is fast emerging. FOOD INDUSTRY IN INDIA In India, agricultural and dairy sector have achieved remarkable successes over the last three and half decades. Besides being one of the world’s largest producers of food grains. India ranks second in the world in the production of fruits and vegetables and first in milk production providing much needed foods security to the nation. India is one of the world’s major food producers but accounts for less than 1. 5%of international food trade. The value of the Indian food industry has increased from 3. 09 trillion in 1993-94 to Rs. 3. 99 trillion in 2000-01. The segment with largest growth potential have been identified as dairy, fruits and vegetables and poultry. Food marketing is a highly regulated industry. Regulation in food marketing attempted regulates competition and monopolistic condition facilitates trade, protect consumers and directly influence food price and faster economic and social progress. India produces variety of spice products. No country in the world produces as much kind of spices products as India producing. The Indian spices and curry powder market plays an important role in the daily life of Indians. Now, curry powder industries have a prominent role in food product industry in India INDIAN SPICES India is the largest producers of spices in the world as the weather is apparently suitable for the cultivation of spices. Spices are cultivating in 28 states and 7 territorial provinces in India. As of now, India is producing around 2. 5 million tones of various spices valued approximately 3 billion US$ and holding a premier position in the world. Moreover India is the major exporters of spices in the world under the auspicious of India government owned â€Å"Spices board of India†, which is the apex body for the export promotion of spices in India. This was established in 1987. The board plays a far reaching and influential role as a development, regulatory and promotional agency for Indian spices. In early days Indian people were stored the various kinds of spices such as chilly, turmeric, coriander and so on, for preparing the various dishes and gravies. These spices were separately and blending depends on the nature of dishes. Spices used to flavor with the help of indigenous tools at home by women, as that was the custom during that period. In course of time situations are changed, people are forced to use electronic devices in order to reduce their domestic job. In turns, they used readymade curry powders at their home. Gradually they have fallen in to a habit of using instant curry powders from the open market. Taken stock of this situations several firms were came forward to launch curry powder industries. That is why curry powder industries were emerging immensely all over the country. As of now curry powder industries have a prominent role in Food industry in India. CURRY POWDER The name Curry powder today is synonymous with the Indian food. The word curry is believed to be delivered from the South Indian Tamil World ‘Karhi’. During the British Raj in India, â€Å"curry† evolved as the world described Indian food cooked in this spices sauce. Over the years, the foreigners, especially British who leaved or visited India . Slowly started to introduce the curry to outside the world. The good commercial curry powder was hard to find during the early days. People had to make curry powder from scratch if they wanted quality. However, now many good curry powders are easily found in India as well as western super markets. Curry powder is blend or mixture of the different spices, which defers according to geographic regions or personal preference. CURRY POWDER INDUSTRY In the scenario, economy exhibits high line of consumerism. The curry powder industry has witnessed the entry of many companies in the Indian market by pumping huge amount of capital in order to capture the market share. However many domestic companies have emerged with various attraction products with a view to overcome the country wide companies and capturing a large number of customers. On our observation most of the companies are performing satisfactorily for a particular brand to move fast in the market it has to meet the 4 A’s. That is the market customers should be aware of it, should be an acceptable, available and affordable. Obviously, the manufactures should understand the need and wants of the customer and provides total satisfaction in order to succeed in the business world. Curry powder is a well known name among the Indian people. It is the combination of finely powdered spices. For each dish there are different curry powder spices. For each dish there are different curry powders but the ingredients are more or less the same. Now a day’s most of the housewives are using this ready-made curry powder and so the quantity required is increasing day by day. So this is an industry by which a new entrepreneur can start without second though. But the manufacturers should give attention for capturing the market. Now days not only the urban people but villages also have a craze for these ready-made curry powders. There is a good market for curry powder in India and abroad. The major players in the curry powder in India are; Eastern, Melam, Mangala, Saras, etc. As Kerala’s largest producer of condiments, â€Å"Eastern Condiments (P) Ltd† has helped to keep the famous spice route alive. With an experience of over 30 years in producing spices, they have provided their consumers with consistently high quality powders and blends â€Å"Melam† the word means a multiple of musical instruments in harmony creating a fast of exotic and exquisite music. M. V. J. Foods (India) (P) Ltd. Cochin brings out a variety curry powder and spice powder under the brand name Melam. The melam range is vast and includes a great variety of perception. â€Å"devon, THE SPICE of life† deven foods gives a wide range of aromatic spice powders and curry powders for all culinary needs. They use only best quality spices and process them in appropriate condition. â€Å"Sara spice† is the condiment producing unit of the Anna group. Company is involved in the production and exports of Indian spices. Like curry powder, Masala powder, Indian whole spices since the past two decades. CURRY POWDER MARKET Although Indian spices have been in the world market for several centuries, the curry powder business, particularly curry masala (blender, spices) has not been exploited by the Indian entrepreneurs to a significant extent. Export of this product has not registered any significant growth producers in un organized sector have dominated the domestic market, for curry powder and curry masala . Obviously the curry powder growth industries brand promotion continues to be significant till recently. However, few manufacturers from the organized sector have been promoting branded products in Kerala market recently. Competition has turned to be aggressive with the stagnation in the international market. Producing of curry powder and curry masala are involving in marketing strategies to ensure significant market shares although in specific segment DOMESTIC MARKET The India market for curry powder is estimated at Rs. 500 Cr. This is account for 25% of world consumption of curry powders. The curry powder market is estimated to be around Rs. 150Cr, with approximate 35% of market in south India. The curry powder market in Kerala is estimated at Rs 70 Cr. The market can be categorized in to 3 groups. * The premium segment The medium segment * Un organized sector In the previous segment the major brands in the market are Everest, Melam Saras and MDH . the study done by various authorities revels that moast popular Brand in the premium segment is Everest with 30% market share . Melam had 50% market share, while other brads had a negligible share in the premium segment. However, the premium makes up only 30% of the total market of curry powder in Kerala. The medium segment consist 50% of total curry powder market, Easter is the market leader in the segment. The unorganized segment consists of 20% of the total curry powder market. INTERNATIONAL MARKET Exports of spices from India usually take place in bulk form. The export of value added products are few, as none competitive prices cannot survive in the International market. Curry powder is value added spice product. the world consumption of curry powder is estimated to be 20000 metric tons in 2004, 2005. Exports of curry powder from Indian keep fluctuating between 2500 to 3500 metric tons . An analysis of annual exports of curry powders from India reveals that the exports do not show much variation . in total value terms the figures have been increasing over the years . In Indian curry powder industries, there was a few curry powder industries were existed of the beginning of which the following firms were the main producers. * MDH * EVEREST In Kerala the following a few companies were existed in producing curry powders in early stages viz. * Techno curry powder * Ambika curry powder * Rani curry powder The following are the some of the manufacturers and exporters of curry powders in India. * Asha impex (P) Ltd * Alvel sales * Amas spices * Anand Exportes * Anil grover &co * Aries Exports * B. M entrprices * Brahmins food products * C. B. R masala

Bottom of the Pyramid

The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid: potential and challenges Dennis A. Pitta The University of Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall ? Ponti? cia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) proposition, where private companies can both be pro? table and help alleviate poverty by attending low-income consumers. Design/methodology/approach – The literature on BOP was reviewed and some key elements of the BOP approach were proposed and examined.Findings – There is no agreement in the literature about the potential bene? ts of the BOP approach for both private companies and low-income consumers. However, further research on characterizing the BOP segment and ? nding the appropriate business model for attending the BOP can provide some answers to this issue. Practical implications – The article provides some guidelines to managers as to how they need to adapt their marketing strategies to sell to the BOP market, and what type of partnerships they need to build in order to succeed.Originality/value – The article presents a thorough analysis of the key elements involved in the BOP initiative: companies’ motivations, characterization of the BOP consumers, and the business model to attend the BOP. Keywords Private sector organizations, Emerging markets, Consumers, Poverty, Disadvantaged groups Paper type Research paper underpin the concept, and refutes its basic premises. Instead of a market of untapped potential, this literature stream sees a ? nancial desert that BOP principles may harm more than help. The BOP may be a less a source of signi? cant pro? ts than a source of serious losses.Karnani’s analysis posits that the poor may want the same products as the rich do but by virtue of being poor, they cannot afford them. The poor spend most of their income on food, cl othing, and fuel. For the poor, the mathematics are clear: buying a branded product reduces the funds they must devote to survival. In contrast, Karnani suggests that raising income will alleviate their poverty, provide cost effective products to other consumers, and allow the formerly poor to consume more. Raising their incomes may require that they become producers with stable jobs and wages. Both viewpoints concentrate on the poor but draw different onclusions about how to alleviate their poverty. The two positions also differ in the nature and proper role of industry and government. In light of the differences, the argument would bene? t from empirical data that tests the underlying premises of each viewpoint. Verifying the premises would allow further logical analysis of implications and applications of the concept. In fact, the need for clari? cation is recognized. In the next section, the authors provide some foundations for the most traditional and still dominant approach to market, i. e. the focus on the â€Å"top of the pyramid† (TOP).The rest of the article focuses on the â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† (BOP); it explores Prahalad’s proposition and the opposing viewpoint, reviews key aspects of the BOP initiative – companies’ motivation; the BOP business model; the role of micro? nance; and the key participants – and proposes some implications and challenges for marketing theory and practice, and ? nally some implications for marketers. An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this issue. Introduction The bottom of the pyramid (BOP) approach to earning corporate pro? ts has gained considerable attention in the arketing literature. It has awakened managers to the potential of serving an unserved market and alleviating the level of global poverty while still earning a pro? t. However, the BOP proposition, while clear, appealing, and enlightening has not been accepted in a n unquali? ed manner. One branch of the BOP literature puts forth the elements of the BOP proposition and supports its ? ndings with numerous case studies (Prahalad, 2004). Those studies portray the poor as motivated by similar desires as the rich. They want quality products and any company that can supply those products at he right price will gain their business. Some of the case studies show the strategies for reducing the effective price of products through packaging and developing lower cost sizes. Prahalad and others describe the untapped potential of the BOP, and list strategies that companies may use to tap that potential. An opposing branch of the literature (Karnani, 2007a; Martinez and Carbonell, 2007) analyzes the nature of the BOP market, the applicability of the case studies that The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/0736-3761. htm Journal of Consumer Marketing 5/7 (2008) 393– 401 q Emerald Group Publishi ng Limited [ISSN 0736-3761] [DOI 10. 1108/07363760810915608] 393 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 The â€Å"top of the pyramid† customers, and labeled them as Platinum or Gold. In contrast, those with lower to very low LCV’s earn the value labels, Iron and Lead. They point out that a single Gold or Platinum customer may have a Lifetime Customer Value, many times higher than that of someone in the Iron or Lead tier. Speci? ally, one Platinum customer may be worth more than â€Å"tons† of those labeled as Lead. Conceptually, identifying value and potential pro? t deriving from the top of the pyramid is straightforward and represents traditional organization goals. Companies can use standard market segmentation and product differentiation to satisfy these tiers. Dealing with these customers requires profess ionalism, but the normal market research processes, product development, channels of distribution, promotion, and credit functions should result in success. Thus, Zeithaml and her coauthors showed companies how to use their tried and trusted arketing approaches to maximize effectiveness and pro? tability. The key is to serve those customers most likely to generate pro? ts instead of losses. The justi? cation is clear: companies have limited resources and should concentrate their efforts where the returns will be the highest. They demonstrated the value at the top of the pyramid (TOP) and shared strategies for serving those customers while discouraging or even â€Å"? ring† the lower, money-losing tiers. For pro? t seeking companies, the customer pyramid approach is appropriate and allows them the best chances to survive in typically competitive markets.Not surprisingly, the â€Å"top of the pyramid† (TOP) approach is at the heart of Western business practice. Tradition ally, businesses require a set of four conditions to operate successfully in a market segment. The segment must be identi? able, measurable, substantial, and accessible. In Western economies, business and communication infrastructures are developed suf? ciently to meet all of the criteria for most segments. Arguably, while all four conditions are important, the substantial and accessible elements are the more important. For a pro? t-making ? rm, the segment must be large enough to generate pro? s. If that condition is satis? ed, it is critical that consumers in the segment be reachable by communications media to receive promotional messages. In addition, they must be physically accessible to distribution alternatives. From a pro? t perspective, companies concentrate on those areas in which they can be effective, namely segments that meet all four requirements. Serving the TOP inevitably means a focus on pro? ts instead of revenues, and pro? ts are central to Western business. In pra ctice, over time, numerous Western companies have ceded market share or entire markets to others when the pro? ts eclined. One prime example is the computer memory chip market. Memory chips were once produced exclusively in the US and Europe. As Asian competitors entered the market, they cut prices at the expense of pro? ts. Their goal was to make chips; the US ? rms wanted to make pro? ts. Consequently, US ? rms abandoned the marketplace and searched for targets that were more pro? table. European and US companies still make chips. Their dominance of the microprocessor markets is the result of the strategic quest for pro? tability. However, European or US players do not dominate the huge market for memory chips.To be accurate, the US companies’ actions are not driven solely by the desire to earn pro? ts. Their organization, corporate culture, and internal processes require economies of scale, which demand exploiting the richest target markets. In many cases, successful compa nies have evolved into ef? cient machines whose foundation is high structural cost. Thus targeting the most lucrative segments is vital for continued success. Pro? t, in its simplest form, is the surplus of revenue over costs. If companies can drive costs low enough, it is conceivable that prices might be low enough for the poor to fford and high enough to generate a pro? t. However, earning a pro? t with such customers today takes enormous effort. More important, companies that exist today may be unable to drive costs low enough to succeed. In fact, costs are only one part of the equation. The underlying problem is that companies are ill equipped to serve the poorest customers. They don’t really know what the poor want and don’t know what bene? ts they seek in products and services. In addition, companies may not know what mix of product bene? ts, price, quality, promotion, and distribution works best for this segment.However, the focus on pro? ts has led to success. Recognizing the importance of pro? ts, Zeithaml and her colleagues have worked on the customer pyramid concept (Zeithaml et al. , 2001). Without using the term, they focused explicitly on the â€Å"top of the pyramid,† those consumers with the highest lifetime customer value (LCV). By dividing the customer pyramid into four sections called customer pro? tability tiers, they identi? ed the â€Å"best,† most pro? table The â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† approach Prahalad’s proposition In the book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Pro? ts, C.K. Prahalad (2004), provided that initial conceptualization that had been missing in marketing thought. His book succeeded in planting the perception that consumers with low levels of income could be pro? table customers. He painted a picture of the double bottom line: social goals combined with the business objective, pro? t (Harjula, 2005). Coincidently, he appealed to the best motives among those at the top of the pyramid. By citing examples of successful attempts to empower the poor and share in global wealth, he kindled the imagination of those who want the world to be a better place. This is an ppealing proposition: â€Å"low-income markets present a prodigious opportunity for the world’s wealthiest companies – to seek their fortunes and bring prosperity to the aspiring poor† (Prahalad and Hart, 2002). Prahalad’s proposition is an invitation to company executives, politicians, managers of non-pro? t organizations, and ordinary citizens, to view poverty as something that might be alleviated rather than inevitable. He presents a wellreasoned conceptual view – supported with case study data – of how companies might mine pro? ts from the lowest economic strata (Hart, 2005; Prahalad, 2004). Much of the reatment centers on the nature and scope of pro? ts and the collective wealth of consumers at the bottom of the pyramid (B OP). The main thesis of Prahalad’s work rests on the idea that the potential growth for many multinational (MNC) and medium sized companies does not rest on the small highincome market in the developing world. Instead, its source is the mass low-income people that are joining the market for the ? rst time. This idea goes against the following 394 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo MarshallVolume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 assumptions, which, according to Prahalad, most MNC’s make: it is not pro? table for them to attend the BOP due to their high cost structure; the low-income segment cannot afford the products and services they sell; and only developed markets value innovation and will pay for new technology. These arguments imply that governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO’s) should take care of the low-income segment. According to Pra halad, marketers who believe that the BOP is a valuable unserved market also believe that even the poor can be good customers.Despite their low level of income, they are discerning consumers who want value and are well aware of the value brands favored by more af? uent consumers. This school of thought recognizes the obstacle that low income creates. It postulates that if companies take the correct steps and devote suf? cient resources to satisfying the needs of the BOP, they can overcome barriers to consumption. This view rests on Prahalad’s calculations of the immense size of the global BOP, in his view, a $1. 3 trillion dollar market. Prahalad recognizes that serving the low-income sector requires a commercial strategy in response to the needs of hose people; to succeed, other players have to get involved – mainly local and central government, ? nancial institutions, and NGOs. He proposes four key elements to thrive in the low-income market: 1 creating buying power; 2 shaping aspirations through product innovation and consumer education; 3 improving access through better distribution and communication systems; and 4 tailoring local solutions. opportunities and poverty eradication through pro? ts may set unrealistic expectations for business executives (McFalls, 2007). Second, the traditional timelines for achieving social goods versus pro? s differ (Harjula, 2005). Businesses may use a ? ve-year horizon as their benchmark for returns. In contrast, social goals like reducing smoking and other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may take generations. Thus, rather than viewing the poor primarily as consumers, this group suggest a focus on this segment as producers, i. e. potential entrepreneurs that can improve their economic situation by increasing their income level. Companies must be willing to invest time, resources and training to insure that the producers create products with some barriers to entry and a reasonable level of productivity.They need to do so to avoid the trap of producing commodities that are easy to duplicate and, thereby, keep the poor, poor. Otherwise, alleviating poverty becomes very unlikely. Reconciling the two opposing viewpoints It is clear from the previous discussion that ? ndings in the literature about the nature, scope, and value of the BOP proposition are mixed. More research is needed on this topic to gain an accurate view of the presence and extent of opportunities at the bottom of the pyramid. The following sections examine some key elements of the BOP initiative that have been, acknowledged in the literature; speci? ally, the ? rms’ motivations to attend the BOP market, the characterization of the BOP consumers, and the BOP business model. The latter element focuses on three major issues: the role of micro? nance, the importance of establishing alliances among different actors (e. g. for-pro? t ? rms, NGOs, governments), and how for-pro? t companies need to adapt their marketing mix to attend the BOP pro? tably. The opposing viewpoint The second literature thread emerged years later in the discussion and represents a thoughtful attempt to verify the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) concept.It questions the ease with which companies may tap the BOP and whether pro? ts exist there at all (Karnani, 2007a). First, this group dismisses the published calculations about the size of the BOP and its wealth. They describe the economic size of the BOP as considerably smaller than Prahalad’s estimate and cite the inherent subsistence problem: the poor spend 80 percent of their income on food, clothing, and fuel. There is hardly anything left to spend after that (Karnani, 2007b). Second, they argue that it is very unlikely that companies will be able to attend the BOP market pro? tably.In fact, the costs of serving this segment can be very high. BOP customers are usually much dispersed geographically; they are very heterogeneous, which reduces the opportunities for obtainin g signi? cant economies of scale; and their individual transactions usually represent a low amount of money. In addition, consumers at the BOP are very price sensitive, which, again, makes pro? tability a dif? cult goal to achieve. Those factors show that the ideal that both pro? ts and social good can result from serving the BOP is questionable. First, each goal has different motivations, demands, and echanisms to satisfy and they can be contradictory. The differences between business realities and development imperatives are not easy to reconcile. Some recent case study work suggests that the early language around the inclusive capitalism idea that emphasizes unlimited business Firms’ motivation to attend the BOP market A comprehensive examination of the BOP approach requires ?rst an understanding of why for-pro? t companies engage in such an initiative. The literature suggests two main motivations that companies have to attend the BOP market: 1 they can convert this segmen t’s purchasing power into ro? ts; and 2 they can bring prosperity to the poor, and thus alleviate poverty. ? For example, in the 1970s, Nestle was able to contribute to social progress while developing a competitive advantage and making pro? ts in Moga, a district in India. With the purpose ? of establishing local and diverse sources of milk, Nestle built many refrigerated diaries and then sent its trucks to collect product while providing ? nancing, nutritional supplements, and assistance and training to the farmers. With this action, ? Nestle increased its milk production and the suppliers’ roductivity, improved the quality of the product and ? processes, and increased the penetration of other Nestle products in the region. In turn, farmers raised their standard ? of living; Nestle was able to pay higher prices, and farmers were then able to obtain credit. A second case illustrates how a focus on the BOP can be an important strategic goal, with two dimensions: pro? t ability and corporate social responsibility. Masisa is a leading company in the production and trade of wood boards for furniture and interior architecture in Latin America. It has 395The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 established the goal of generating 15 percent of the revenues from inclusive businesses, i. e. the bottom of the pyramid, before 2012. Under their de? nition, inclusive businesses must be pro? table, and socially/environmentally responsible. They expect to help improve the standard of living for low-income people by facilitating their participation in the value chain as suppliers, distributors, or other element of the hannel, and by providing them with access to products and services that can help them improve their socio-economic condition. cooperatively owned items like a television, a telephone, an electric g enerator, medical services, or even something to help make products for sale. Managing that sum for the common good presents a major dilemma: community welfare versus individual choice. People in the BOP would need a high sense of community involvement and consumer education to make responsible choices. A non-pro? t community action organization or a socially conscious business would be very helpful in marshalling cooperation.However, too many of the poor make poor choices like spending money on tobacco instead of food for their children. Even if this optimistic level of potential purchasing power exists, harnessing it for pro? t will be extremely dif? cult. One further concern questions this premise. Traditionally, serving the poor was the role of charities, not for pro? t, and other non-governmental organizations. Much of the excitement that the BOP proposition has generated stems from the inclusion of pro? t making companies in the process. The thought is that pro? t will be a po werful goad toward achieving success.Pro? t is clearly an incentive but beyond the cases cited in Prahalad’s work, there is little proof that companies can make the shift. More empirical data would aid the process of developing purchasing power. Purchasing power and pro? tability Karnani (2007a) notes that BOP concept rests on a fuzzy de? nition of the target market. It is dif? cult to ? nd an article in the BOP literature that does not cite the now popular ?gure: four billion. Four billion originally referred to those people who primarily live in developing countries and whose annual per capital income is under US$1,500 per annum.Some of the literature takes as an article of faith that the BOP exists and earns that level of income. The perception is that individually the consumers are poor but together they represent massive purchasing power. However, authors de? ne the BOP income level using several standards, which obscures its true nature. For example, Hammond et al. (200 7) consider the bottom of the pyramid as composed of people with per capita incomes below $3,000 in local purchasing power. Prahalad (2004) states that there are more than four billion people with per capita income below $2 per day at purchasing power parity (PPP) rates ($750 per year).This is a signi? cant reduction in previous estimates: four billion people with per capita income below $1,500 per year ($4 per day) (Prahalad and Hart, 2002), or four billion people with per capita income below $2,000 per year ($6 per day) (Prahalad and Hammond, 2002). Other contemporary sources like the World Bank estimated the number at 2. 7 billion, in 2001. However, other researchers characterize the World Bank projection as an overestimation, with some experts estimating the poor at 600 million (The Economist, 2004). The differences range from four billion to 600 million, a large enough gap to cause oncern. The three reported income levels range from $2-6 per day. The $2 per day criterion is con sistent with previous literature in development economics. It is important to understand that how to alleviate poverty depends on the de? nition of poverty. Using the $2 per day ? gure presents different challenges than the higher levels: people who earn less than $2 per day have very different needs and priorities than people who earn $4-6 per day. Adopting the higher poverty line obscures these differences (Karnani, 2007b) and overestimates the potential at the BOP.In principle, it is clear that collectively the mass of poor customers do hold wealth. However, an additional problem is that they do not hold it in the right concentrations. If one considers a hypothetical example, the nature of the wealth at the BOP may become a bit clearer. If a village of 1,000 adults earns an average of US$750 per year (the $2 per day ? gure), the gross earnings of the village are signi? cant. However, the question becomes how much remains after satisfying the necessities. Even if an impressive 10 percent of income remains per household, that translates into $0. 0 per day. It is dif? cult to perceive how such small sums might generate pro? ts. Collectively, the village may have $200 per day in â€Å"disposable income. † That might translate into community- Poverty alleviation and prosperity to the poor From a social responsibility perspective, there are distinct differences between a market-based approach to poverty reduction and approaches that are more traditional. Traditional approaches often focus on the very poor, proceeding from the assumption that they are unable to help themselves and thus need charity or public assistance.In contrast, a market-based approach starts from the recognition that being poor does not eliminate commerce and market processes: virtually all poor households trade cash or labor to meet a signi? cant part of their basic needs. The latter approach is the one for-pro? t companies have embraced to pursue the BOP initiative. The argument regar ding poverty is that the poor face undeveloped distribution outlets and must pay monopoly prices for the goods they desire. In addition, they are unable to afford the standard quantities and qualities of products offered to richer consumers. This is consistent withHammond et al. (2007), who describe people at the BOP as having signi? cant unmet needs, and being dependent on informal or subsistence livelihoods. They are vulnerable, poorly integrated to the formal economy, and impacted by a BOP penalty under which they pay higher prices for basic goods and services than wealthier consumers. Successful attempts to bring quality products to the poor at affordable prices would overcome the high price of poor distribution (Martinez and Carbonell, 2007). In that sense, it would increase their purchasing power by bringing previously unaffordable goods within their budgets.However, the $2 per day income limit is a signi? cant obstacle and may make this goal impossible to attain. There is som e hope in alleviating poverty but it is more in line with Karnani’s vision of the poor as producers who are able to boost their income suf? ciently to rise above the bottom of the BOP. The very recent example of ITC Limited outlined the distribution based economic problems faced by poor farmers in India. There are many factors that affect the ? ow of goods and services in and out of rural areas, and thus reduce the rural population’s income and quality of life 96 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 (Vachani and Smith, 2008). While the major source of problems was the poor transportation infrastructure, other factors operate to keep disadvantaged groups like poor Indian farmers in poverty. Buyers bully them into accepting â€Å"buyers’ prices. † Moreover, farmers are ignorant of their rights and the m arket value of their crops. In addition, they pay monopoly prices for the items they need.These factors act to keep them at a disadvantage and unable to earn the proper income from their efforts. By addressing farmers’ lack of information about the current value of their crops, the best seed to use for high yields, proper farming practice, and alternative outlets for their crops, ITC increased their welfare. To accomplish this, ITC set up a parallel distribution system, which led to increases in farmers’ income and consumption. The effort started at the grassroots with ITC hiring agents already in the ? eld and rewarding them for improvements in farmer welfare and consumption.The company placed computers with satellite based internet connections in each village and taught farmers to use them to assess current crop pricing. ITC guaranteed to match or exceed the prices offered by others. In addition, ITC provided products farmers needed like seed at a discount from the e xisting retailers. There was signi? cant â€Å"missionary† education aimed at allaying the farmer’s fears of exploitation. After a few farmers tried the system, more of them signed on. The result was increased income, higher satisfaction, more independence, and lower cost to purchase supplies.The example is encouraging and demonstrates the commitment and stamina organizations need to operate at the BOP. ITC set up a private distribution network that was more closely associated with a cooperative than the typical channel. Farmers and grassroots agents who knew their needs very well cooperated to operate the channel and share in its economic bene? ts. In essence, ITC adopted Karnani’s model of buying from BOP producers to raise their level of income developing them into pro? table customers. Can companies really generate pro? ts and alleviate poverty at the BOP? This example seems to show that they can.It also shows the extent to which companies will have to re-en gineer their approaches and operations to succeed. There is some data on the changes in the size of the BOP that aid in forecasting the future. Chen and Ravallion (2007) report a decline in the proportion of people living under the poverty line in the developing world over the period 19812004. That represents a reduction of about 0. 8 percent points per year over the period. Separate from the numbers, the question remains, â€Å"Who are BOP customers? † Current demographic labels such as â€Å"blue-collar’ or working-class,† fail to capture the extreme level of poverty.As marketers gain more experience with the BOP, it is possible that other useful differentiations may emerge based on speci? c variables, such as behavioral or psychographic. The global distribution of BOP customers adds another factor to consider: culture. The cultures of Latin America, Asia, and Africa differ widely. It is logical that differences in culture will affect future attempts to unders tand the needs of the BOP segments. In general, D’Andrea et al. (2004) ? nd that consumers at the BOP spend a higher portion of their income on consumer goods (50 to 75 percent), as compared to wealthier segments (around 35 percent).These authors also ? nd that, due to their limited and unstable cash ? ow, lowincome consumers tend to shop daily and spend small amounts of money each time. Then too, they are reluctant to buy in places that are located far away from their homes. The ? ndings show that â€Å"stay at home† mothers make most of the purchases and family spending decisions; by doing this, they ful? ll roles as wife, mother, and household manager. Companies currently devote resources to listening to the voice of the customer and are con? dent in their efforts with currently serviced segments. A change of focus to the BOP ill require new techniques, and freedom from â€Å"accepted knowledge. † The BOP is so radically different that companies will have to ignore what they know as â€Å"truths† that may not apply anymore. Faulty new product development eradicates the potential for pro? t and unfamiliar product development (NPD) territory increases the risks of failure. Firms can increase their NPD success rates by integrating consumers into the process as boundary spanning team members instead of mere respondents to surveys. Thus, product development will bene? t from the input of customers at the lowest levels of income (Pitta and Franzak, 1997).However, that initiative will be supremely different from current successes. A good example of how companies, NGOs, governments, and other institutions can collaborate in this aspect is the formation of BOP learning laboratories (McFalls, 2007). The laboratories were designed to investigate the complex factors that interact at the BOP as well as opportunities for both sustainable and human development. More initiatives like this one are needed, as well as research on the characteristic s of the BOP consumers. Characterization of BOP consumers A fundamental requirement to attend the BOP market uccessfully is to know deeply the characteristics of the people in this segment. Some academic studies and reports from NGOs have contributed re? ning the understanding of the BOP: how many they are, where they are located, what their income level is, and what some of their characteristics in terms of needs and habits are. According to Hammond et al. (2007), the BOP is concentrated in four regional areas: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. 12. 3 percent of the BOP lives in Africa, 72. 2 percent in Asia, 6. 4 percent in Eastern Europe and the remaining 9. 1 percent lives in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. Rural areas dominate most BOP markets in Africa and Asia while urban areas dominate most in Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. Estimates of the size of the BOP in US dollars or buying power approximate $1. 3 trillion. The Asia m arket has a buying power of $742 billion, Latin America market is $229 billion, the Eastern Europe market $135 billion and Africa $120. The BOP business model In spite of the opposing viewpoints in the literature regarding the extent to which there is a business opportunity at the BOP, there is agreement that serving the low-income sector ro? tably requires a different business model (Chesbrough et al. , 2006; Prahalad and Hart, 2002). Prahalad and Hart (2002) state â€Å"doing business with the world’s four billion poorest people – two thirds of the world’s population – will require radical innovations in technology and business models†. Moreover, the market at the BOP requires a 397 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 combination of low cost, good quality, sustainability, and pro? ability (P rahalad and Hart, 2002). As a result, for-pro? t ? rms need to understand how the BOP segment differs from upper tiers, and adapt the marketing approach to meet the characteristics of consumers at the bottom. Prahalad’s concentration on the bottom of the pyramid requires a sea change in a company’s approach to business. Attempts to reap pro? ts from the BOP using current marketing techniques will fail. Failure will result because the products are too expensive or complicated, are not available in small enough quantities or sizes, or are simply not what the poor want. The BOP is not low hanging fruit.It is a market with potential, and achieving that potential will require costly effort and innovative strategies (Seelos and Mair, 2007). Even with a completely new management approach, evidence suggests that pro? ts at the bottom of the pyramid may be elusive (Karnani, 2007a). The literature suggest that the three most critical aspects in developing a new business model to serve the BOP are the access to credit, the establishment of alliances, and the adaptation of the marketing mix. The following subsections address these issues. still in its early stage in countries like Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.Most of the banks that have participated in micro? nance are large commercial banks in search of new and attractive markets. The main reasons for commercial banks to attend the BOP have been: . the strong competition among large banks; . the evidence by NGOs supporting the BOP initiative; . the social responsibility dimension; . the opportunity to diversify their business operation; and . the possibility of working together with other institutions, like NGOs and governments. According to Westley (2007), by the end of 2005, there were 30 commercial banks in Latin America oriented to the microentrepreneurs.The establishment of alliances There is recognition that serving the BOP requires the involvement of multiple players, including private companies, go vernments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), ?nancial institutions, and other organizations – e. g. communities – (Prahalad and Hart, 2002). By infusing the pro? t motive into value creation, the hope is that private companies will take the leading role in serving the BOP and, thus, the purpose of alleviating poverty will more likely succeed. Prahalad and Hart (2002) suggest that, among private companies, multinational corporations (MNC) with extensive ? ancial resources are in the best position to lead the process of selling to the poor. However, MNC’s have built-in weaknesses that limit their potential for success with these consumers. They are simply too large, too rigid and too far from the customer to be effective. Instead of the top down approach that MNC’s represent (McFalls, 2007; Harjula, 2005), a bottom up process is necessary (Karnani, 2007a). Changing perspectives from top down to bottom up is so complicated that if MNC’s are to be involved, they may have to create ? exible subsidiaries free from the corporate structure, processes, culture, and assumptions.ITC has succeeded using that model and has done so at the grassroots level. Therefore, more research is needed to ? nd out under which circumstances MNC’s or other types of private company should lead the BOP initiative. This line of reasoning is consistent with D’Andrea et al. (2004) who, in the context of retailing in Latin America, suggest that smallscale independent supermarkets and traditional stores are more likely to reach emerging consumers than MNC’s. Likewise, NGOs have been critical in the development of the business model infrastructure in several successful cases of for-pro? t ? rms serving the BOP.For-pro? ts have created sustainability for the technology used (Chesbrough et al. , 2006); NGO’s, understand people’s needs. In addition, NGO’s are closer to people at the BOP, and are better prepared to educ ate them. For example, in Uganda, Africa, the NGO Infectious Disease Institute in Kampala collaborated with P? zer by educating people about the causes of AIDS, and how to prevent and combat it. This facilitated P? zer’s initiative to provide these people access to drugs that combat HIV/AIDS (Chesbrough et al. , 2006). Lastly, the public sector has an important role in developing the BOP proposition.The focus is changing from traditional governmental assistance delivery, to different ways of creating a sustainable environment for aiding the BOP. For example, Micro? nance Microloans are well known and originally seemed like the answer to self-suf? ciency. The concept that a poor consumer could gain a small loan and become a producer contributing to family income and independence is tantalizing. There is evidence that microloans have succeeded in aiding the bottom of the pyramid. There is also evidence that many of the would-be entrepreneurs failed to capitalize on such credit. They got deeper into debt (Karnani, 2007a).Some authors point out that the entrepreneurial skill that can lead to success is rare. Most individuals would rather have a guaranteed income rather than assume the risk that entrepreneurship entails. This adds to the argument that if businesses can create jobs and boost the poor’s income, then consumption will follow. Those businesses may not be able to obtain outside ? nancing. The BOP segments are not able to generate suf? cient pro? ts to justify a high cost of capital. To reduce the cost of capital, perhaps collaboration with funding sources like the World Bank or other NGO will be necessary.With ?nancial aid, companies trying for the BOP market may be able to succeed. The creation of buying power is one of the key elements that allow low-income segments to reach product and services. Formal commercial credit has been unavailable to this market and the cost of accessing and getting ? nancial services in the informal ? nancial market is enormous. Since the pioneering initiative of Grameen Bank, in the mid of the 1970’s, several ? nancial institutions have been very successful in offering ? nancial services to low-income people who were not traditionally served by the formal bank system.Programs for microcredit have characteristics that are speci? c and different from those of the traditional banking sectors. These differences include property and corporate governance of the institutions, characteristics of the consumers, the technology used to manage credit, and the characteristics of the product and service. The growth of the microcredit market has been heterogeneous across countries. For example, in Latin America, the micro? nance industry has had a signi? cant ? growth in countries like Peru, Bolivia and El Salvador but it is 398 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramidJournal of Consumer Marketing Dennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2 008  · 393 –401 the provision of funding and training to entrepreneurs is a way governments can support consumers and producers at the BOP. Another example is engineering supportive tax structures that promote private sector investment in BOP initiatives. distribution makes the poor poorer. Today, with escalating global fuel costs adding to the cost of transportation, the poor face an increasingly rigorous future. The lack of infrastructure serving rural areas also increases prices.For example, in Chile, consumer goods prices in the remote North and South of the country are 20-25 percent higher than the more highly populated central zone of Santiago and Valparaiso (Ferreira and Litch? eld, 1999). The idea of closeness in distribution channels for consumers at the BOP is very important. This means, for example, having stores that are both geographically close and affectively close. In other words, emotional proximity is also very important. A good example is Banco Estado, a stateowned commercial bank, which consumers consider the â€Å"closest† to the BOP segment.The reasons are its extensive distribution, its perception of being adaptive to people’s needs, its ? exibility, and its position as affectively close. In the context of retailing, D’Andrea et al. (2004) show that the development of personal relationships with the stores’ personnel has a positive effect on consumers’ self-esteem and well-being. Pricing for the bottom of the pyramid is, of course, also very critical. The challenge here is twofold. On the one hand, there is the issue of affordability: prices need to be affordable to BOP consumers. Ramaswamy and Schiphorst (2000) emonstrate the challenges in companies trying to serve the poor. In order to achieve affordability, they must reduce the costs of production and simplify the products. On the other hand, ? exibility in payments is also very important. Providing options of how and when low-income consume rs can pay for their products and services constitutes both a challenge and a source of competitive advantage to private companies. To do this, private companies may need the assistance of commercial banks and NGOs as key partners. Some marketing theorists (Karnani, 2007b) view the BOP as a collection of producers rather than consumers.Therefore, innovative payment models, which allow BOP consumers to pay using a marketing exchange model would increase their ability to pay for the things they consume. The ? Nestle milk agricultural exchange model cited above comes to ? mind. In that model, Nestle actually paid farmers for their milk at attractive prices. They could use the money to buy seed at equally attractive prices. It is a small step to consider a more traditional barter system. As long as the barter system offered fair pricing it would present a win-win situation that would help sustain the arrangement. The marketing mixIt is no surprise that serving different market segments may require different marketing mixes. Therefore, for-pro? t ? rms need to understand how the BOP segment differs from upper tiers, and adapt the marketing approach to meet the characteristics of these consumers. Since affordability is at the heart of serving the BOP, product modi? cation will help lower the price and improve affordability. The parallel strategy, reducing product size works in higher customer tiers but has limited usefulness at the lowest levels. In India, unit-use reduced size cachets of shampoo do promote consumption but are not the answer.The higher cost of packaging erodes pro? ts, and the resulting discarded packaging adds to pollution. The problem remains that the customer still has to allocate scarce income to the shampoo. One answer is to create a bare-bones product with fewer product features that the poor can afford. One example, Nirma detergent made in India, highlights a â€Å"poorer† product that is affordable. A single entrepreneur created Nirma to compete with Hindustan Lever’s market leading detergent, Surf. Surf gained market share because it is an excellent product. It has numerous additives that make it effective yet gentle to humans.Its cost was signi? cant. In fact, Nirma does not contain many of the ingredients and safeguards of its rival. It works but can cause blisters on the skin (Ahmad and Mead, 2004). Despite its harshness, the poor embraced it because they could afford it. The implication is that â€Å"research must also seek to adapt foreign solutions to local needs† (Prahalad and Hart, 2002). Evidence shows that consumers at the BOP care about branded products, because leading brands are a guarantee of product quality, which is particularly important to this segment because â€Å"the ? ancial loss from an underperforming product is greater for people with limited incomes† (D’Andrea et al. , 2004, p. 6). However, emerging consumers are not very loyal to speci? c brand names, altho ugh they do not experiment with unknown brands. In practice, they switch among a few known brands (D’Andrea et al. , 2004). D’Andrea and colleagues also argue that low-income consumers prefer products in small sizes, even if the perunit cost is higher, because of their income and space constraints. Moreover, too many varieties of products can harm emerging consumers’ purchasing experience. They may eel tempted to buy things they don’t need or can’t afford, which can produce a feeling of inferiority or frustration (D’Andrea et al. , 2004). Marketers also need to revisit distribution channels also to attend the BOP market effectively. Vachani and Smith’s (2008) recent work dealing with inclusive distribution has merit as a model for success. In essence, their examples infused a social action philosophy into a business model. One of their focal companies, ITC, demonstrated the vision necessary to discern pro? ts in the future and the det ermination to invest in a new distribution channel as a in-win proposition. Undoubtedly, the high cost of Conclusions and challenges for marketing theory and practice While the picture is not completely clear, the bottom of the pyramid may offer opportunities to create value for both the poor and companies. Early promises of a fortune seem to have been overstated. The degree of wealth present among the poor is much lower than ? rst reported. In addition, that wealth is too fragmented to be tapped under the current business models. It now appears that the basic concept overestimates the role that BOP consumers can play in contributing to company pro? ts.There is still no agreement in the literature about how bene? cial selling to the BOP can be for private companies, or for alleviating poverty. However, there are several elements of the BOP proposition that have been identi? ed as critical to 399 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer Marketing Den nis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 succeed. First, an accurate characterization of the low-income sector – both as consumers and as producers – is required to understand their needs, perceptions, and behavior, which in urn will help companies to design a better business approach. Second, it is important to recognize that serving the BOP market requires a different business model, one incorporating access to microcredit, the establishment of alliances of collaboration among different types of institutions, and the adaptation of the marketing mix. â€Å"Until companies better understand the needs of emerging consumers and adapt their business models to serve them more ef? ciently and effectively, their growth will be limited† (D’Andrea et al. , 2004, p. 3). It is well known that BOP markets involve managing ubstantial challenges in technical and economic infrastructure, education, ? nanc ial resources, and cultural differences. As participants from the economic sectors progress, a number of questions need to be addressed. Gardetti (2005) articulated them clearly. They include: â€Å"How can a company turn its strategy at the BOP into a competitive advantage? What kind of business model will work? How can it build trust in the informal economy? What kind of education do business schools need? How does new technology integrate? How can we develop the educational/ social infrastructure? Moreover, from the viewpoint of egulatory and policy formulation, if entering the markets at the base of the pyramid is a sound choice for both development and business, what does it take to turn this into a reality? † Scholarly research, as well as practitioners’ participation in BOP initiatives, can provide some answers to clarify the true nature and scope of the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid. example in India showed its value in distribution and in customer relat ionship management. It will be equally valuable in research, product development, pricing, and promotion. Fourth, pricing is of paramount importance in serving the oor. In a for-pro? t enterprise, consumers must pay for the cost of serving them. Microcredit is one potential solution. It may be a limited solution, useful only to consumers with the skills necessary to manage it. However, innovative exchange models may offer even those without ? nancial management skills a chance to improve their condition. Fifth, given the economies of the BOP, it is likely that if pro? ts come, they will come later rather than sooner. Organizations need to choose a long-term involvement in order to avoid disappointment and a ? nancially ruinous midterm decision to exit.Finally, marketers should understand that some products are simply not suited for the poorest of the poor. Some products of dubious value to this segment, like Armani handbags, or even cheap counterfeits, will have no place at the BOP. More importantly, some products and services related to health care will always be simply too expensive. Altruistic surgeons may care for uniquely disadvantaged patients by donating their time but they are only one part of a surgical team. Even if the hospital and every member of the team donate facilities, their time, and the resources to save a atient, that model is not sustainable as a for-pro? t venture. Similarly, the cost of a ten-day supply of a life-saving antibiotic cannot be reduced realistically using the â€Å"smaller package size† option. The implication would be either reduced daily doses or fewer full strength doses. Both are likely to breed drug resistant organisms and thereby threaten the life of the patient and society. To remedy this situation, other players like governments and NGO’s will be important. Many marketers must realize that collaborating with them is important. To be effective, the collaboration must be proactive.Marketers wishing to ser ve the BOP, who recognize the importance of alliances with others, should seek out relationships with both government and NGO’s. Early and persistent outreach will be valuable in alerting all of the players to each other’s strengths and in creating an accurate picture of the challenges. Politically, coalitions of organizations with different fundamental objectives are prone to misunderstanding. Often their terminology is similar but the meaning is different. Alternatively, their objectives may be so totally different that they are fundamentally foreign to one another.If the goal is poverty eradication at a pro? t, all the players must collaborate. The goal may be so dif? cult and achieving effective teamwork is essential. Implications for marketers In general, if pro? t-seeking companies plan to serve the BOP, numerous factors will have to change. First, marketers will have to approach the BOP in a novel manner different from any they used in their prior successes. The BOP is mostly unknown territory. They may have to reinvent themselves or create divisions with substantial independence. If the old segmentation rules that worked at the TOP no longer apply, either will the product development, sales, pricing, distribution policies, and management. In addition, the pro? t objectives and revenue goals will have to be changed. Those who are not prepared to address the sea change in marketing approach should avoid entering this market. Second, simply modifying products and selling them is a path to failure. Success will depend on knowing the BOP intimately. Currently the BOP is terra incognita in terms of segments and their needs. To succeed, marketers must be able to differentiate different income segments and their value. Within the various BOP de? itions, there are three apparent segments, â€Å"under $2 per day†, â€Å"$4 per day†, and â€Å"$6 per day†. The needs and incomes of the segments seem to differ enough to indicate t hat they be treated differently. Marketers need to know which ones to serve and how to serve those successfully. Third, in order to understand the voice of the BOP consumer, companies need grass roots sources of intelligence. Collaborating effectively with agents â€Å"on the ground† who have direct contact with relevant BOP segments is vital. Moreover, companies must train those agents to seek ? information that will help serve those customers.The Nestle References Ahmad, P. S. and Mead, J. (2004), Hindustan Lever Limited and Project Sting , Darden Business Publishing, Charlottesville, VA. Chen, S. and Ravaillon, M. (2007), â€Å"Absolute poverty measures for the developing world, 1981-2004†, Policy Research Working Paper 4211, World Bank, April. Chesbrough, H. , Ahern, S. , Finn, M. and Guerraz, S. (2006), â€Å"Business models for technology in the developing world: the role of non-governmental organizations†, California Management Review, Vol. 48 No. 3, Spri ng, pp. 47-62. 400 The quest for the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid Journal of Consumer MarketingDennis A. Pitta, Rodrigo Guesalaga and Pablo Marshall Volume 25  · Number 7  · 2008  · 393 –401 D’Andrea, G. , Stengel, E. A. and Goebel-Krstelj, A. (2004), â€Å"Six truths about emerging-market consumers†, Strategy and Business, Vol. 34, pp. 2-12. (The) Economist (2004), 13 March, p. 84. Ferreira, F. G. H. and Litch? eld, J. A. (1999), â€Å"Calm after the storms: income distribution in Chile, 1987-1994†, World Bank Economic Review, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 509-38. Gardetti, M. A. (2005), â€Å"A base of the pyramid approach in Argentina†, Greener Management International, Vol. 51, pp. 65-77. Hammond, A. L. , Krammer, W.J. , Katz, R. S. , Tran, J. T. and Walker, C. (2007), The Next 4 Billion. Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid, World Resource Institute, International Finance Corporation. Harjula, L. (2005), â€Å"Tensi ons between venture capitalists’ and business-social entrepreneurs’ goals: will bottom-of-the pyramid strategies offer a solution? †, Greener Management International, Vol. 51, pp. 79-87. Hart, S. L. (2005), Inclusive Capitalism: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World’s Most Dif? cult Problems, Wharton School Publishing, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Karnani, A. 2007a), â€Å"The mirage of marketing to the bottom of the pyramid: how the private sector can help alleviate poverty†, California Management Review, Summer, Vol. 49 No. 4, pp. 90-111. Karnani, A. (2007b), â€Å"Misfortune at the bottom of the pyramid†, Greener Management International, pp. 99-110. Martinez, J. L. and Carbonell, M. (2007), â€Å"Value at the bottom of the pyramid†, Business Strategy Review, Autumn, pp. 50-5. McFalls, R. (2007), â€Å"Testing the limits of ‘inclusive capitalism’: a case study of the South Africa HP iCommunity†, T he Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Vol. 28, Summer, pp. 85-98. Pitta, D. A. and Franzak, F. 1997), â€Å"Boundary spanning product development in consumer markets: learning organization insights†, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 6 No. 4, pp. 235-49. Prahalad, C. K. (2004), The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Pro? ts, Wharton School Publishing, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prahalad, C. K. and Hammond, A. (2002), â€Å"Serving the world’s poor pro? tably†, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 80 No. 9, pp. 48-57. Prahalad, C. K. and Hart, S. L. (2002), â€Å"The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid†, Strategy and Business, Vol. 26, January, pp. 54-67. Ramaswamy, E. A. and Schiphorst, F.B. (2000), â€Å"Human resource management, trade unions and empowerment: two cases from India†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 664-80. Seelos, C. and Mair, J. (2007), â€Å"Pro? table bus iness models and market creation in the context of deep poverty: a strategic view†, Academy of Management Perspectives, November, pp. 49-63. Vachani, S. and Smith, N. C. (2008), â€Å"Socially responsible distribution: distribution strategies for reaching the bottom of the pyramid†, California Management Review, Vol. 50 No. 2, Winter, pp. 52-84. Westley (2007), Commercial Banks in Micro? nance: BestPractices and Guidelines for Project Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation, IADB, MSM – 138. Zeithaml, V. A. , Rust, R. T. and Lemon, K. (2001), â€Å"The customer pyramid: creating and serving pro? table customers†, California Management Review, Vol. 43 No. 4, Summer, pp. 118-34. Further reading Anderson, S. N. (1994), â€Å"Unions/management create collaborative culture†, Communication World, Vol. 4 No. 1. Corresponding author Dennis A. Pitta can be contacted at: [email  protected] edu To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protect ed] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints 401

WetBack essays

WetBack essays Through my life I have usually been on the receiving end of racist comments, such as wetback fieldworker etc. In seventh grade I had to go to a public school because of moving reasons and that is where the comments started. I can honestly say that it was the worst experience of my life. There were only two Mexican in my class; I was one of them. The other student was also Mexican, but the catch was that he was a well know soccer player. I also played soccer, but I was not the all-pro player. Since he was so good and so well know no one ever said a word to him. The first day at school everyone was nice to me. The first couple days were great, Everyone was friendly and willing to accept me. Going into my second week of school I met a girl Amy, she was beautiful. I was sitting at the lunch table one day and she walked by and I commented on how hot she was. One kid who I thought who was my friend said, Since you are new here, I will let that go. I respond, What do you mean? Chad said, l like Amy also, and whoever I liked no one tries stepping in, do you understand? Whatever dude I said. Chad said, Now listen, I like you and its is better off that way. So naturally I did what I wanted to do, I asked Amy for her number. That weekend Amy and I went out on a date. I sure did have a good time. That following Monday, Chad heard about it that date and got very upset. Just after second period I heard someone yell out HEY WETBACK, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE I sort of had an idea that said it, but I just ignored it and kept walking. A second later someone pushed me to the floor. I turned and Chad was standing there. Chad said I warned you, you cotton piker. I naturally backed off because it was not worth fighting about. From that point on everyone considered me the Wimp who can no ...

Conjugation of Pedir, Servir, and Vestir

Conjugation of Pedir, Servir, and Vestir Pedir (to request), servir (to serve), and vestir (to dress or wear) are among the common Spanish verbs in whose conjugation the -e- in the stem sometimes changes to -i-. Other verbs that follow the pattern of pedir as shown below  include competir (to compete), despedir (to send off, among other meanings), impedir (to impede or prevent), medir (to measure), and repetir (to repeat). Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context. Infinitive of Pedir pedir (to request) Gerund of Pedir pidiendo (requesting) Participle of Pedir pedido (requested) Present Indicative of Pedir yo pido, tà º pides, usted/à ©l/ella pide, nosotros/as pedimos, vosotros/as pedà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas piden (I request, you request, he requests, etc.) Preterite of Pedir yo pedà ­, tà º pediste, usted/à ©l/ella pidià ³, nosotros/as pedimos, vosotros/as pedisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas pidieron (I requested, you requested, she requested, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Pedir yo pedà ­a, tà º pedà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella pedà ­a, nosotros/as pedà ­amos, vosotros/as pedà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas pedà ­an (I used to request, you used to request, he used to request, etc.) Future Indicative of Pedir yo pedirà ©, tà º pedirs, usted/à ©l/ella pedir, nosotros/as pediremos, vosotros/as pedirà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas pedirn (I will request, you will request, he will request, etc.) Conditional of Pedir yo pedirà ­a, tà º pedirà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella pedirà ­a, nosotros/as pedirà ­amos, vosotros/as pedirà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas pedirà ­an (I would request, you would request, she would request, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Pedir que yo pida, que tà º pidas, que usted/à ©l/ella pida, que nosotros/as pidamos, que vosotros/as pidis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas pidan (that I request, that you request, that she request, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Pedir que yo pidiera (pidiese), que tà º pidieras (pidieses), que usted/à ©l/ella pidiera (pidiese), que nosotros/as pidià ©ramos (pidià ©semos), que vosotros/as pidierais (pidieseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas pidieran (that I requested, that you requested, that he requested, etc.) Imperative of Pedir pide (tà º), no pidas (tà º), pida (usted), pidamos (nosotros/as), pedid (vosotros/as), no pidis (vosotros/as), pidan (ustedes) (request, dont request, request, lets request, etc.) Compound Tenses of Pedir The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, pedido. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, pidiendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Pedir and Similarly Conjugated Verbs No podemos retener a extranjeros que no quieren pedir asilo. (We cant keep holding foreigners who dont wish to ask for asylum. Infinitive.) Hay muchas veces en las que ella y su madre se han vestido igual. (There are many times in which she and her mother have dressed alike. Present perfect.) La ley no impide venta de alcohol cerca de las escuelas. (The law doesnt prevent alcohol sales near schools.  Present indicative.) Estoy satisfecho con estos resultados porque los muchachos compitieron en contra de los mejores del paà ­s. (Im satisfied with these results because the boys competed against the countrys best. Preterite.) Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial hubo enormes aviones que servà ­an como bombarderos, volaban sobre el enemigo. (During World War II there were huge airplanes that served as bombers, flying over the enemy. Imperfect.)  ¿Se repetir la historia? (Will history repeat itself? Future.) No vas a creer lo que estn vistiendo. (You wont believe what theyre wearing. Gerund.) Rodrà ­guez insistià ³ en que su partido pedirà ­a a los catalanes que votaran sà ­ a quedarse en Espaà ±a. (Rodrà ­guez insisted that his party would ask Catalonians to vote yes to remaining in Spain. Conditional.) Es violatorio de la Constitucià ³n que impidan el derecho a las protestas. (It violates the Constitution for them to impede the right to protest. Present subjunctive.) Quisiera unos padres que no midieran el tiempo al estar conmigo. (I wanted parents who wouldnt ration their time being with me. Imperfect subjunctive.) No pidas perdà ³n. (Dont ask for forgiveness. Imperative.)