Friday, December 27, 2019

My Mother Was Never A Strict Woman - 1460 Words

My mother was never a strict woman. She kept rules to a minimum of one. It was short, simple, and easy to follow: don’t go into the woods at Grammie’s house. I would ask why, and she would tell me that sometimes people who went in didn’t come out. She said this the way a mother would explain where all the birds went during winter, or why the green left the trees in fall. It wasn’t an ominous warning, it was just a fact. Sometimes people who go into Grammie’s woods don’t come back out. When I asked why, she always found a way to change the subject. Sometimes I think the universe helped her, by ringing the phone in the nick of time or sending someone to our door to draw her attention for a few hours. She didn’t need too many diversions – I only asked about once or twice. By the time I left Grammie’s house for the first time, I knew why. â€Å"Jesus,† Felicity grumbles, pushing the toe of her Vans into a soft spot in the wood of our bedroom. It groans deeply under the pressure, and sighs when she releases it. â€Å"This place should be condemned or something.† I grin. â€Å"Creaks don’t condemn a house.† â€Å"What about that?† She points at a dark patch in the ceiling. â€Å"It looks like someone died in the attic and literally bled through the floor.† â€Å"Ooo, maybe we’ll see a ghost,† I say, shrugging my jacket off in trade for a thick sweater from my suitcase. I forgot how cold this house can get in winter. I remember once when I was little I found a dead bird in the backyard with itsShow MoreRelatedOral History Of Oral History Rough Draft1179 Words   |  5 Pagesgathering information I decided to switch up my questions, and narrow them down to be more specific to her personally from what I had in my oral proposal) Interviewee: Barbara Gaston Barbara Gaston was an old family/friend, who I didn’t have much history on. She grew up in Cincinnati, OH. She married at age 23 and defined herself primarily as a wife and mother for the next 20 years. She was a young mother and wife, which was not untypical during this time. She was the first born of four children, and laterRead MoreThe Young Girl - Original Writing921 Words   |  4 PagesA once innocent young girl is now a carefree, rebellious woman who has gotten herself into quite a bit of trouble over the years. Although she usually has good intentions, my sister tends to make decisions that suddenly send her life into a downward spiral. People may wonder what happened to that sweet, blonde haired little girl that never got in trouble. Maybe it was witnessing her parents divorce, or her curiosity to try new things, either way, her personality, lifestyle, and choices reflectRead MoreAttachment Styles Of Mothers And How They Developed Them1574 Words   |  7 Pagesam bivalent attachment style normally raised children who develop into clingy and overly dependent on others. The final style was the avoidant style which showed children raised in this style grew to have behavior problems and commitment problems. In this research paper I researched the attachment styles of mothers and how they developed them. The disorganized attachment was brought to the attention of others through an experiment done Mary Main and Judith Solomon. Disorganized attachment is the mixedRead MoreReflective Essay On Identity1749 Words   |  7 PagesWho am I? What do I value? Am I simply a submissive puppet that has no voice and must be dictated by society s demands? Or because I am a woman I destined to be physically, mentally, and emotionally weaker than my opposite sex, which means I can never be called an equal to counterparts? In society, we are faced with different forms of designations and descriptions that lead to the establishment of a person s identity. These identities include sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, economicRead MoreOn Pale Green Walls Essay989 Words   |  4 Pagesattending just before Christmas the main character Violet sees a painting of a beautiful woman in blue dress. Not realising that this woman is a painting of Mother Mary she mistakes her for a real person. This gentle woman is starkly different from her own strict mother who lambasts her every action. Thus she begins to greatly admire Mother Mary whom she begins to see everywhere. Thus one day when she sees a picture of Mother Mary lovingly holding the baby Jesus in a newspaper the jealousy swells inside hereRead MorePersonal Statement : The Courage And The Smile I Walk 996 Words   |  4 PagesLive Strong It’s true you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. I am not speaking of the strength one may have to give all its power and force to lift an object. Im speaking of the strength it takes to stay mentally and emotionally strong through the life lesson may bring that are meant to break you down. I ve been through numerous obstacles in life that many people never over come.! From molestation, losing family, struggling to graduate high school to name a fewRead MoreMy Mother Essay858 Words   |  4 Pagesoutstanding qualities and attributes through training and learning. However, my mother attained those unique qualities through life experience. From a very humble background, she has struggled with life, passed through a lot to be the person she is today. She always tells us that experience is the best teacher. Also, through proper parenthood. My grandparents were very strict and observant. They laid a good foundation to my mother through teaching her on good moral, and how to be responsible. Our parentsRead MoreEssay on Societys View of Women1456 Words   |  6 Pagessome independence, where women can work and take various position in society, the society’s idea of typical role of women never seem to change. I still remember how my grandmother and my mother’s life were like. They both became housewives after they were married and had no important role in the society as women. It is a possibility that I could end up in the same situation. My grandmother lived her whole life as a hard working housewife. Back in her days, the opportunities for women were alwaysRead MoreBorn In Haiti To Mr. Mrs. Lormeus Frederick, My Lifestyle1391 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick, my lifestyle as a child was very modest, humble, and supportive. We weren’t rich, nor were we poor; my parents provided food on the table every day and enrolled us in the most prestigious school in the country. Our home was very peaceful and fun. My father had five children from previous relationships while my mother only had two. Being the youngest child, I was always well protected and spoiled by everyone; it got annoying sometimes always being babied as if I couldn’t do things on my own.Read MoreMy Mother Essay859 Words   |  4 PagesMy mother was born on June 27th, 1977, in a tiny rural area called El Cerrrito, in the outskirts of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She lived a very sad, somber, and unhappy childhood as she lost her father at the young age of 2. This tragic incident lead to my grandmother upholding the role of both mother and father. She worked fulltime as a photographer and provided for the household, while simultaneously raising my mother with the help of her parents. This caused great unhappiness in my mom’s family

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Cat Persuasive Essay - 1033 Words

They are in our lives, they are all over the internet, and many people are crazy about them... cats. If you are a cat lover wouldn’t you love a place where you can play and relax with the sweet sound of purring cats? Fayetteville, Arkansas has the best place for you, The Purr Catfe. The Purr Catfe is a cafà © where you get to play with cats are waiting to be adopted. This is a place where someone can get rid of all their worries, relax, and have a snack. Their mission is to give a cat a forever home by giving people a place to bond with the cat and fall in love with them. Lauren Solomon is the head of the cafà © and a huge animal lover. Her idea for the cafà © was to give cats a chance to not live at a shelter, give them a better opportunity†¦show more content†¦So why not start a cafà © where you can play with the cats for as long as you want?† (Solomon). Not only is this a great place to calm nerves, people consider playing with cats a type of therapy. T his has been proven to help many people, like college students who might be missing their home pets a little too much. According to The Arkansas Traveler, â€Å"Behold the University of Arkansas: 26,000 stressed out, emotionally distraught, ridiculously busy students who may or may not have a mild case of pet sickness– the pet-version of homesickness where in your family animal is the only thing you miss about home. Not only does being around a cat relieve that pent up stress, it has a bunch of other health benefits as well. Cat’s purrs vibrate at 20-150 Hertz, which is a therapeutic vibration that can lower your risk for heart attack and promote bone strength, according to the Catfe’s website.† (Arkansas Traveler). This does not just help college students but everyone else too. The purring of the cats helps a person calm down. So why wouldn’t you want a therapy session for less than ten dollars? The cafà © moved to their new location to get more business from the local college students. Fayetteville, Arkansas is an amazing place to start or run a business, The Arkansas Traveler stated, â€Å"‘Fayetteville was an ideal location to start a business,’ Solomon said.Show MoreRelatedMarilynne Robinsons Essay Darwinism1340 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Marilynne Robinson’s Essay â€Å"Darwinism† Introduction to Christian Theology REL 103 Kaitlyn Spencer Marilynne Robinson is a Pulitzer-winning novelist who has graced us with her essays found in The Death of Adam. Robinson gives the read the feeling of being much more educated than he or she really is. These essays provide readers with different ways of discussing history, religion and society. They, although difficult to comprehend at times, are flawlessly arguedRead MoreThe Power Of A Word Is Humongous1247 Words   |  5 Pagesknow how to use this weapon to make the world a better place. Persuasive writing is a form of writing the main purpose of which is to persuade readers that the writer’s opinion is correct. But how can you convince anybody through writing? What are the components of the persuasive writing? How is persuasive writing different from verbal persuasion? These are the questions that individuals need to understand in order to succeed in persuasive writing. An ability of human beings to convinceRead MoreThe And The Great Gatsby877 Words   |  4 Pagessomewhat intriguing and given a list of essay topics that were broad enough to apply to any of the novels. I chose mostly classics because I thought they would help me in junior year for the New York State english regents exam. I read standard novels such as Frankenstein, Les Miserables and The Great Gatsby which at the time I considered relatively difficult to analyze because I usually struggled with development of themes and symbols. My solution was to read more essays and take notes of their developmentRead MoreLiterary Devices: Malcolm X Essay1330 Words   |  6 Pagesetc. Becoming literate is essential to functioning in society. Looking back at one of the most influential figures of the 1960’s, it is hard to imagine that at age 21 Malcolm X tried to start a letter with â€Å"Look, daddy, let me pull your coat about a cat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (X 256). He spent 7 years in prison for robbery, and during that time he underwent a self-metamorphosis. His way of putting it is â€Å"books opened up a whole new world to me† (260). History, philosophy, genetics and a whole dictionary all contributedRead MoreAnimal, Vegetable, Miserable938 Words   |  4 Pagesare ethical vegans believe that differences in intelligence between human and non-human animals have no moral significance whatsoever† (Steiner 847). I will argue that Steiner’s essay is biased, contradictory and generalizes that only strict vegans are ethical, and I will explain that the only reason for his strong persuasive article is to convince everyone to become vegan under the excuse of being moral individuals. Steiner wants the audience to believe they are unethical if they use animals for humanRead MoreHow My Lesson Plan Incorporates Children s Stories1733 Words   |  7 Pageswill need to read at least one book from each category. The first category, titled the past, contains â€Å"The Frog King† and The Cat in the Hat. Both books are commonly read to younger kids, talked about in the culture in general, and appear in several forms, such as movies and plays. The two books, also, give two different perspectives on children’s agency and identity. In The Cat in the Hat, a third party has to appear in order for the children to move from passive agents to active agents. The childrenRead MorePersuasive Essay : Holocaust Heroism918 Words   |  4 PagesPersuasive Essay: Holocaust Heroism As millions of people know, the Holocaust was a time of struggle and difficulty and through the struggle and difficulty there were heroes. Heroes, that many do not acknowledge and some may find nothing but a person living in this disaster. In three specific sources, there were strong people fighting an arduous battle, and not just a person living in the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel in the book Night showed an incredible journey through this time that definitely showedRead MoreCharacterization Of Macbeth1276 Words   |  6 Pagesanswer comes another question: why would Shakespeare name the main character Macbeth when his monarchs were Elizabeth I and James I? What message was he trying to send by using the name of Macbeth, the king of Scotland in 1040? In Jonathan Goldberg’s essay â€Å"Speculations: Macbeth and source† in Jean E Howard’s anthology on Shakespeare, Goldberg explains how the King Duncan in the play is a reflection of the real life Duncan I from Scotla nd in the 1030s when Scotland was going through distressing timesRead MoreArguments For Support Claims With Clear Reasons And Relevant Evidence2411 Words   |  10 Pagesthe road. [2] Which of the following is a kind of evidence that fits a claim? [a] Fitting evidence [b] Belonging evidence [c] Relevant evidence [d] Appropriate evidence [3] Fill in the blank. â€Å"The cat is on the mat. ___________, an animal is on the mat.† [a] Mittens, [b] Claiming, [c] The Cat, [d] Therefore, [4] Which of the following ends an argument? [a] A conclusion [b] A premise [c] Evidence [d] A claim [5] Whenever the sun is setting the sky turns green. The sun is setting. WhatRead MoreHow Writing Is A Skill That Anyone Can Be Good1161 Words   |  5 Pagesprizes I began to subconsciously learn sentence structure, proper grammar and spelling, and even how to go through and make story that had chronology. Although with all my reading knowledge I still began writing in fragmented and basic sentences. â€Å"The cat licked the dog and ran away†. As children our writing is egregious at best. Our lettering may be backwards, words may be spelt wrong and our sentences are basic and incomprehensible. However, even though our writing starts off rough we learn quickly

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Cowboys Essay Example For Students

Cowboys Essay American Cowboys Have you ever wondered who the cowboys were; how they lived; or what they did? The American Cowboys way of life was interesting and unique, and they contributed more to society than one might think. Besides looking after stock and driving cattle, they had to round up huge numbers of cattle for ranchers. This paper will examine the American cowboys character, what they wore, the everyday things they did like driving cattle and branding calves and the lawlessness of the old west. The job wasnt just for anyone. Certain character traits and physical characteristics were required if someone wanted to be a good cowboy. Considering the distances that they covered, traveling was rough. ;quot; the cowboy needed great strength, endurance, and often ingenuity to complete the treks;quot; (;quot;Cowboy;quot;). People came from everywhere to become cowboys. Some came from eastern American states, others from the Midwest, and the rest came from states in the South. They came to wor k on ranches and drive cattle on the trail. ;quot;Many were ex-rebel soldiers who maintained that attitude on the trail. There was also a flood of renegades from both north and south that went to Texas. This is how Texas got a reputation for lawlessness and violence;quot; (The Cowboys). Being a cowboy, for some, had a special status. Cowboys in the Western Plains called themselves cow punchers and thought of themselves as more important than others. ;quot;The man himself, the clothes he wore, and the horse he rode were all outgrowths of life on the range. The long days in the open, and riding alone with the cattle gave him self-reliance. The danger of stampeding cattle, of undependable horses, of hostile Indians and of bitter winter blizzards demanded endurance and courage. The whole job of driving, roping, and handling cattle required expert horsemanship;quot; (;quot;Cowboys;quot;). Cowboys worked very hard and also fought hard, but never with their fists. In a fight, a cowboy woul d always use his gun (The Cowboys). The reason cowboys used their guns was because of the fact of the West being lawless. There were two reasons for the west being lawless, one is the social conditions there during that period and the second because the law there didnt apply well to the conditions and wasnt obeyed. It was also do to the vast distances between populated areas, which made it easy for a cowboy to move to another area and get caught for something he did. Sometimes one had to take the law into their own hands, thats why cowboy needed to be physically strong, able to use a gun and brave (Frantz and Choate 84). The attire a cowboy chose was very important to his job. Most things he wore had a definite purpose and suited the job well. quot;Their usual gear consisted of a bridle, saddle, rawhide lariat, spurs, boots, heavy leather chaps, hat, tarp, buffalo robe, and blanketsquot; (The Cowboys). He also had a woolen or cotton shirt, tight woolen pants and handkerchief. All of the clothing accessories were chosen for their usefulness. For example, quot;A high-crowned, broad-brimmed felt hat, the sombrero, shielded him from the sun and rain. His soft-legged boots had high heels set far under the instep to hold his ankle clear of the heavy stirrupquot; (quot;Cowboyquot;). His handkerchief protected his face by shielding it from the sun and preventing dust from entering his mouth. The tight pants were worn for a reason; they protected his legs from brush and insects (quot;Cowboysquot;). The things a cowboy wore were essential to life and they always used these things. A cowboys job mainly involved the rounding up of cattle and driving the cattle to the destinations designated by the ranch owner. The first drives were short; they went over safe routes to locations in Texas and Louisiana (Java Script). Before moving the cattle, cowboys had to make sure that they were moving the right cattle from the herd. Cattle were branded to tell them apart from the others . The branding was done by having an expert roper catch the cattle by the legs with rope, loop the rope around the legs, and then drag the animal to where the branding irons were being heated. The adult cattle were thrown on their sides and the red-hot branding irons were pressed into the hides of the animals. Calves were stamped with the same mark as its mother. Earmarks that were cut into their ears also identified cattle (;quot;Cowboy;quot;). After the cattle were branded, the drive began. ;quot;The first week on the trail was the crucial one. Cattle were strongly attached to their home range and did not like to leave it. If the herd could be properly broken to the road they would be much easier to drive the rest of the way. There would be less danger of the hazard that cowboys dreaded most, the stampede or the run;quot; (Seidman 66). Not just any cowboy was taken on the trail. ;quot;Usually only the ablest and most experienced men were taken along on the trail. An average trail crew consisted of a trail boss, a cook, a horse wrangler and eight to eighteen cowboys, depending on the size of the herd (Seidman 67). With the completion of the round-up of the correctly identified cattle, the cattle began their journey to the shipping point for the stock. The drive was headed by a trail boss to ensure the success of the drive. ;quot;A good trail boss could make or break the success of the Drive. He must have experience with cattle, horses, and men, plus know the country, the rivers, and the weather;quot; (The Cowboys). The trail boss was very important to a successful drive. There was a certain pattern that he always followed. He rode ahead of the rest, surveying the area and checking for dangers. After carefully checking the area, the trail boss signaled the other men where the path was and the direction for them to go (Seidman 67). A trail boss also had to check on the surroundings ahead of the herd to make sure there was a safe place to stop for the night and look for a source of water for the herd to drink from along the way. They had to check on how many horses there was along the way too. They had to know how to get cows across rivers or many of the cows may drown (The Cowboys). The Red River was the most hazardous because upstream storms frequently caused floods that wiped out herds and men;quot; (The Cowboys). One of the worst things that could happen was for the herd to stampede. Storms, wild animals, and hostile Indians easily startled the herds. A stampede created complete chaos and danger for all the cowboys and cattle. The herd often ran for many miles before settling down and then needed to be rounded up again (;quot;Cowboy;quot;). Usually at the end of the drive, the cattle was processed and then brought aboard ships for transport. The problem with these routes is that they were quickly overworked and the amount of cattle being shipped soon exceeded the demand for it (Java Script). After the backbreaking work on the trail and off it, American cowboys did take the time to relax and have fun. Driving cattle and branding calves wasnt the only thing they did, cowboys loved to go to town and live it up. They most often danced, drank, gambled and like to buy women. A cowboy worked very hard for his money but didnt care about it because he could spend three to four months pay in just a few nights of fun out on the town. American cowboys knew how to live it up. Just as I said before, cowboys were always ready to fight, in the hint of someone taking advantage of them, robbing or cheating them there was a fight. Bar-room brawls were a common thing back in the Old West, they happened often and when the fighters took their guns out it usually resulted in two dead cowboys (Speidman 90-94). As I have shown you, the life of a cowboy was very hard at times, with the chance everyday that you could die or lose everything you had. Even though they have good times, American Cowboys deserve a good amount of credit for the t hings they did for society. As stated in the thesis, the American cowboy was unique and interesting and contributed in many different ways to our society. Through hard work and the ability to endure harsh working conditions, cowboys historically have been seen as examples of American workers with strong work ethics. Economically, the American cowboy contributed greatly to the cattle movement industry during the opening of the western part of the United States. The various backgrounds of the early American cowboys brought different attitudes and behaviors that resulted in the need for a legal system to the early West. Cowboys were important to American society. Bibliography Wende 6 Works Cited ;quot;Cowboy.;quot; Comptons Encyclopedia. 1989 ed. Encarta 96 CD-ROM: Microsoft, 1993-1995. Gibson, Beth. quot;The Cowboysquot; 28 Dec. 1999 http://www.members.aol.com/Gibson0817/ cowboys.htlm Huff, Madilene and Dick. quot;Java Scriptquot; 10 Nov. 1999 http://www.net.westhost.com/trail2.htm .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c , .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .postImageUrl , .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c , .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:hover , .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:visited , .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:active { border:0!important; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:active , .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u778084f1ccd1840d14f8a1ef6377c36c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Urbanism and child mental health journal review Essay

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Unilever in India -Project Shakti free essay sample

U 2011 Unilever in India: Hindustan Lever’s Project Shakti- Marketing FMCG to the Rural Consumer Riddhi Biswas PGP/14/236 Section E ? Q1. What are the key features of Shakti? What are its positive aspects and what are its drawbacks? Key features of Shakti: Axiomatic truly , ‘Rural caravan’ of HUL as it can be popularly called is Project Shakti. Untapped and unexplored for years Indian rural market remain unnoticed and undiscovered as par as the business opportunities, especially in FMCG sectors, are concerned. As its Balance sheet and income statement had been quite less heavy due to the loss turnover in sales and net profit, HUL was all afoot to launch something new to be used as the springboard to jump to higher level of revenues and make its financial corpus to look promising. Keeping these spectrum of issues in mind HUL introduced project Shakti, a flag-ship programme was initiated by HUL to capture untapped rural markets. We will write a custom essay sample on Unilever in India -Project Shakti or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The model of shakti built on the features that best suit the rural folks. So the project shakti featured to win a big pie of the rural market and also wanted to create a deep social impact. HUL partnered with recipients of the micro-credits by offering the village women to be micro-entrepreneurs. HUL tied up with MACTS to sell its products, which subsequently would sell it into the SHGs. A member of each SHG was appointed entrepreneur by the SGH members. The entrepreneurs sold the products to the local outlets at a price that enabled the retailer to win a margin when sold to consumers. HUL sold its products at a discount to the entrepreneurs in such a price that it can avoid the channel conflict. To help the entrepreneurs to create and grow businesses , HUL hired RSP to coach the omen. Sensing the low sales volumes in initial months HUL pressed into service the incentive mechanism for newly appointed entrepreneurs, rewarding them in cash for visiting a cluster of homes independent of the amount sold attached with it the additional offering of incentives on selling some particular brands. In addition it also collaborated with local banks to ensure that the first installm ent towards loans be paid after a few months of set up. Positive aspects Shakti throws open a swathe of good aspects. These are discussed below ? A great opportunity to capture the rural market. ?To increase sales ?To net up profit ?A communication initiative to create a brand name synonymous with rural population ? A sales and distribution initiative to place it at a higher trajectory of growth ? A social platform to build up economic prospects in rural India and improve the standard of life ? I-shakti portal to make people information packed ?Shakti Vani to make people more health conscious The whole positive aspects can be summerised as follows- Project Shakti moves the wheel of business and society Drawbacks- Every rose has its thorns. Though ‘Shakti† promises a lot of goods, it also spawns some drawbacks. ?It much depends on SHG. So the places where SHGs are not prominent it has not hammered out any kind of fit mechanisms that can work well. ?As its target entrepreneurs are women, it is less likely that women can work as efficiently as the men as in India there are so many social taboos are involved. ?Selecting an entrepreneur can be sometimes conflicting in nature in SHGs. ?The discounts that are offered to the entrepreneurs can be channel conflicts. The price that is asked for from retailers are not of a great margin, so the margins that entrepreneurs receive is limited. ?Being a diverse country India has cultural obstacles and language barriers to name a few. And dialects also differ from region to region Q2. What was the motivation for the Shakti initiative? Was it a CSR activity? Being economically liberalized in 1991, Indian market became competitive and othe r companies started breathing down the neck to the existing players and as a result the profit share and revenues both plummeted. As the proverbial maxim says â€Å"There is a will, there is a way. † Feeling the competition HUL tried to find a new lease of business area. It was found that a large part of rural areas are badly snapped of the mainstream life and utterly inaccessible and non-communicable. They found an institutional void across this markets. There are 638,365 Indian villages but their reach is to only a meager amount of 100000 villages. So still more than 500 million people are yet to be brought under its consumer segments. o the motivation starts in the chronological order shown below As per as the case is concerned it can be said that they were also motivated to improve the rural standard of lives and give a boost to their incomes. This might be a good way to serve a society. CSR Initiative Before pinpointing let’s define CSR- â€Å"Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate conscience, corporate citizenship, social performance, or sustainable responsible business ) is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms. The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the companys actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, CSR-focused businesses would proactively promote the public interest(PI) by encouraging community growth and development, and oluntarily eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality. CSR is the deliberate inclusion of PI into corporate decision-making, that is the core business of the company or firm, and the honouring of a triple bottom line: people, planet, profit† (source:Wikipedia) If we see the Shakti model, it fits to it to a good extent. So it can be called a CSR initiative Q3. How can Shakti make a contrib ution to HLL’s bottom line? Make an economic case. What is the Economic Value created by Shakti? What is the social value? HUL’s Diamond model Shakti was launched to capture the lower rungs of this economic pyramid. There are above 600,000 villages across india. But HUL’s reach is upto 100,000 villages. So the way Shakti was formulated it can tap a large chunk of the untapped 500 million population. So in this project HUL will be involved in direct distribution to rural market. The partnered Federations of SHGs, known as MACTS will purchase the products from HUL and the sell it to SGH entrepreneur, who then can sell it directly to the consumers or through retailers. There are many incentive mechanisms to the entrepreneurs to motivate them. HUL also tied up with some local banks to help the entrepreneurs to late repay loans. This project was also bolstered with the introduction of Shakti Vani and iShakti. Shakti Vani- it will not only help the people to be health conscious but also indirectly promote to take HUL products out of shelif. iShakti- make people information packed and find better ways to serve the rural clusters. Economic Value – Number of villages- 638,365. Total population -700 million Tapped village market- 100,000 Total Population- 220 million Untapped village market- 538,365 Total population- 480 million In 2003 total turnover 2231. 232(figures in USD) In 2004 total turnover- 10040. 54(for details see the excel sheet) So the growth of revenue post Shakti is shown below: So inclusion of Shakti has given a good result in its total portfolio. As it is well understood in initial phases it could not do much better but as years progressed it clocked a good revenue growth. So the there is every reason to cheer up for the economic prospect. For entrepreneurs With an investment of Rs 10000, they could achieve the sales of whopping RS 120,000 and earn Rs 700 per month and out of this Rs 200 to be paid out for loan payment. This is in addition to other incentives. Social Value- The following social values are created Q5. What are the critical challenges facing HUL in making Shakti work? What should Shakti’s managers do? If Shakti can not become profitable, should HUL continue the programme? Why? Challenges Managers should strive to keep the entrepreneurs motivated to be engaged in the project. For this they should give formal training to develop skills and manage the viable business. Shakti Vani should be kept intact and thus can connect it to the people there. They can introduce some promotional products during gathering and gift for some special cases. With this the internal challenges to be rooted out and convince the brand managers to invest in establishing the HUL brands. Out of more than 30 products, four products taking a share of 50%. So managers should stress upon these products to penetrate rural markets more. They should continue with the project. This is the project that gives them a very first mover advantage and can reap much benefit in years to come. They have already received good results out of it and Shakti had contributed 1% to 3% in its total revenues in one or two years. So still they can reach as much as an additional 250 million consumers by 2010. So focusing on the selective districts and prioritizing efforts on the existing entrepreneurs can propel HUL much ahead than its competitors. Moreover project Shakti has already established it as socially responsible organization and it has already having co-operation from some Government like A. P and people are also increasingly known to the HUL products.