The economic globalization of football

The economic globalization of football Abstract Football is not only the most popular sport of the world, but also the most globalized one. With its popularity and passion, football attracts the support of billions of people and sponsorship of international companies almost every single corner of the world. This paper examines the globalization of football in accordance with the concepts consumption and empowerment with concrete examples. The paper addresses economic globalization of football by considering the worlds major clubs turning into multinational corporations (MNCs); and affirms the utility of football as an important strategy for the empowerment, particularly in less-developed and developing countries. There will be given place to the initiatives that are being carried out by FIFA, UNICEF and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) where football is the main strategy. Keywords Football, Globalization, Consumption, Empowerment, FIFA, UNICEF Introduction: Problem Description â€Å"I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it.† says English novelist and essayist Nick Hornby in his worldwide famous book ‘Fever Pitch.[1] As it is looked at the popularity and passion of the football that surround billions of people from all around the world, Hornby was totally right. There is no other ‘thing which is more global than football. History of humanity witnessed tons of actors who were trying to establish huge empires: Atilla, Chengiz Khan, Napoleon or Hitler. However, none of them even came close to the magnificence of this gigantic empire: Football In this research paper, firstly, I will give a place to the history of football briefly and then I will focus on the globalization process of football that started as a local phenomenon and then became a global passion. ‘Does the globalization of football encourag e people for the consumption? and ‘Is it possible to use football as a strategy for empowerment? will be the questions which are going to be answered with concrete examples. Background: History of Football There have been different types of games that were playing by ‘foot and ‘ball in different corners of the world. â€Å"There are claims that suggest ball games were played earliest in Ancient China, maybe as early as 2500 BCE.†[2] Fà ©dà ©ration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), world governing body of football, also declared that â€Å"football, with the name of ‘cuju, was born in the Shandong Province of Linzi during the West Han Dynasty. A primitive version of football existed in China centuries before it was modified and given rules by English scholars to become association football†[3]. The evaluation of football took place in Britain and football, with the type which is very close to the modern style, was first played in Britain in the late nineteenth century. As an inventor of modern football, British were also effective in the spreading of football to the continental Europe and overseas countries with the help of railways and sea ways. When the English sailors and merchants give a break in the harbors, they performed this game, and the indigenous people imitated them very easily. That is why, in the continental Europe, first football teams were established in the harbor cities such as: Le Havre Athletic Club (France), Genoa Football Club (Italy), Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona (Spain), Hamburg and Hannover 96 (Germany).[4] The spreading process of football to Africa and Asia took place in a different way; they met with football through colonial powers. For this reason, British colonies met with football earlier than the other nations.[5] Globalization of Football In the 1930s, the evolution of radio accelerated the spreading of football. However, football started to become more popular with the help of television. At the beginning, TV and football were not very good friends since those who were responsible from the football were blaming TV to unload the stadiums. In the following decades, the relation between football and television became better and latterly it started to base on bilateral benefit. The first football broadcasting on television, namely on BBC, was the final match of the English Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) in 1938. The 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland was the first world cup that was broadcasted on TV. Football- television partnership was conquering the world; however, â€Å"the most important factor that has reinforced the restructuring of football and football clubs has been the arrival of cable and satellite television†.[6] The 1966 FIFA World Cup in England was broadcasted via satellite and the fin al match of the tournament was watched by 400 million people from 36 different countries. The statistics of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France shows that, the final match of this tournament between Brazil and France attracted 2 billion viewers.[7] â€Å"Television coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was the most extensive to date with 376 channels showing the event. What is more, the 2006 event had TV coverage in 214 countries. The tournament had a total cumulative television audience of 26.29 billion.†[8] Another point, which came to the fore as a result of this football-television partnership, is the broadcasting right agreements between football federations, football clubs and television channels. In 1960, European Football Championships broadcasting rights were sold for only 8,000 pounds. As a natural result of globalization and industrialization of football, the broadcasting rights agreements, which cost billions of dollars/euros, started to be signed. For example, the br oadcasting rights of the English Premiere League were sold to the British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB) for a fee of 1, 65 billion pounds in 2000.[9] I believe that it is very helpful to look at the numbers again in order to understand the globalization process of football. The shift from 8000 pounds to 1, 65 billion pound proves that television has great influence on the globalization of football and there is a double-sided benefit between them. TV has helped to the ball to bounce in whole world, and the ball has helped to the successes of the TV.[10] Another indicator, that proofs the globalization of football, is the selection of rival teams. First international football matches were played between neighbor countries such as; England- Scotland (1872), Portugal- Spain (1923), Sweden- Norway (1908), Costa Rica- Salvador (1923) and Japan- China (1917).[11] However, nowadays, it is very common to see football matches between England- Brazil, Australia- Uruguay, Turkey- Costa Rica, or Leba non- Vietnam. Besides these, football shifted from bilateral concept to the multilateral one with the help of tournaments like World Cup, European Cup, and African Nations Cup. The passing of football from local to the international arena firstly took place in the World Cup in Uruguay, where 13 national teams attended, in 1930. At this point, it is very helpful to look at the statistical datas of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, in order to see evolution of football better. For the last world cup in Germany, 198 national teams attempted to qualify, and 32 of them from six different continents competed in Germany.[12] Football and Consumption[13] Within the framework of globalization process, another important concept is the marketing, promotion, and as a natural result of these, consumption of football. Football is, undoubtedly, one of the most popular (probably the first one) sports in the world, and the marketing of football has become an increasingly significant issue, as clubs and product owners want to provide more profit from this sport. Football clubs started to become multinational companies (MNCs) in parallel to the globalization, and they perform like a company in order to increase their revenues with the help of different marketing techniques and financial strategies. Football clubs from all around the world use the mass media as an important tool not only attracting the people into the role of football spectator but also to associate football with the consumption of products through commercials.[14] Moreover, most of the major football teams have their own TV channel, radio or magazine in order to market their ac tivities, organizations and licensed products; and to increase their brand value. For example, the official Manchester United magazine, ‘Inside United is sold in China with a circulation of 50,000 copies.[15] Examples can be increased; Italian football club Juventus has 1200 fan clubs in all over the world. The TV channel of worldwide famous Spanish team Real Madrid ‘Real is watched in 40 different countries.[16] Another strategy, which is popularly used by big clubs, is to increase their visibility in Asia, North America and Middle East. Football clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, arrange training camps or friendly games in China, Japan, the USA, and United Arab Emirates; thus they aim to enlarge their market and to increase the number of potential customers. Major football clubs open stores in various cities where their Asian, American, Middle Eastern fans can find official products of their European clubs, such as jersey, cap, scarf, shirt, flag etc. Football clubs are trying to reach their overseas fans not only by arranging camps or opening merchandising stores; but also by developing interactive services where fans follow their team all year long. For example Manchester United and FC Barcelonas webpage has Chinese, Japanese and Arabic version. At this point, it is remarkable to remember the declaration of former president of Italian football club Lazio , Sergio Cragnotti: â€Å"In the era of globalization, when people have more leisure time, football is the most global business of the lot. You tell me another product that is bought off the shelf by three billion consumers. Not even Coca- Cola comes close†.[17] In the same manner, transfer of David Beckham from Manchester United to Real Madrid can be a good example how globalized football icons affect the balance sheets of football clubs and encourage supporters to buy official products of their clubs. â€Å"Apart from benefiting from his football ability, this transfer gives the Spanish club an opportunity to profit from merchandising, especially in the Far East, where Beckham is enormously popular.†[18] Real Madrid paid $50 million for David Beckham in 2003. But, later â€Å"Real had put some hard numbers on the players off-the-field impact in his four years at the club. The club sold à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬440 million ($600 million) worth of shirts and other soccer mercha ndise during that time, increasing merchandising profits by 137%†[19], according to the Real Madrids marketing director Jose Sanchez. Football is getting more industrialized day by day and accordingly; businessmen, Russian oligarchs, Arabian oil barons, old prime ministers started to perceive football as a business and invest on football clubs in order to gain their profit, to get prestige or for some other reasons. Former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatras purchasing of English football club Manchester City and latterly selling it to the Emirati businessman Sulaiman Al-Fahim can be a good example how this football thing perceived as an income channel by business world. The same relation between business world and football can be seen in the examples such as; Russian businessman Roman Abramovich- English football club Chelsea; Russian-born Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov- Scottish football club Hearts and American businessman Malcolm Glazer- English football club Manchester United. Another dimension of football-consumption concept is the usage of football clubs and players as an icon, product or service by international brands. The broadcasting rights agreements which cost billions of dollars/euros with television channels (Eurosport, Fox, BskyB, etc.), sponsorship agreements with sports equipments suppliers (Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok, etc.), transportation agreements with automobile and airline companies (Audi, Mercedes, Fly Emirates, Thomas Cook, Turkish Airlines, etc.), communication agreements with electronic companies and GSM operators (Samsung, Vodafone, Philips, etc.) are all big income channels for both football clubs and those multinational companies themselves. In the world economy, football is an important and popular tool, especially for the companies in the consumption and service sector, to promote themselves and their products. Until the beginning of 21st century, only interaction between companies and football clubs was mostly based on simple a greements such as jersey advertisements. However, especially in the last years, international companies sign more comprehensive and significant amounted sponsorship agreements with the football clubs. Football clubs stadiums (Commerzbank Arena, Emirates Stadium, Philips Stadion, Bolton Reebok Stadium), names (FC Red Bull Salzburg), even their leagues (Ireland Eircom Premier League, Romania Liga I Gamebookers.com, Turkey Turkcell Super League, Portugal Carlsberg Cup) where they are competing have begun to be known with the name of international brands. These kinds of agreements are not only take place between global companies and football clubs but also between global companies and football players. Many football stars such as David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic earn large sums of money not only for their sporting abilities but also through sponsorship agreements. The gain is mutual; while football players make a lot of money thanks to those sponsorship agreements; international brands have chance to expand their markets and increase the number of their potential customers with the help of football icons. Moreover, these kinds of agreements among football players and companies may affect players professional career as well. â€Å"Pepsi and Adidas played a big role in forcing David Beckham to move to Real Madrid. For Pepsi, it would be more profitable for them to have David Beckham to play in Real Madrid because Real Madrid has three other players that have sponsorship deals with Pepsi. But the biggest influen ce came from Adidas, which is the main sponsor to David Beckham. Manchester Untied is sponsored by Nike, Adidas biggest competition in the industry and Real Madrid is sponsored by Adidas, so it would be so much better for Adidas to have David Beckham to play in Real Madrid instead of Manchester United.†[20] Another remarkable example is the transfer of worldwide famous Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, from Manchester United to Real Madrid that is sponsored by Adidas. Nike, which is the personal sponsor of the player, sent him to the official unveiling in Madrid with a T-shirt where a big Nike logo on it. Football and Empowerment Football is one of the most globalized concepts of the era that has tons of followers in all around the world. They play this game in stadiums, dusty streets, beaches, deserts, in the middle of war zones; in the rainy, snowy, windy weather. On the other hand, the same people are suffering as a result of armed conflicts, ethnic and religious disputes, poverty and HIV/AIDS in almost every corner of the world, especially in less developed and developing countries. But even in dreadful situations, children played/are playing/will play football in every chance that they have. Football is a universal language for all those children from all around the world. â€Å"Football is more than ‘just a game, it is a positive lifestyle. It teaches children to trust each other, lures them away from drugs and violence and provides them with a protective environment where they can grow up healthy, fit and self-confident.†[21] It is obvious that those people (especially children) in the pr oblematic areas of the world should be empowered. The question is that is it possible to use football as a tool for empowerment? The World Bank defines empowerment as â€Å"the expansion of assets and capabilities of poor people to participate in, negotiate with, influence, control, and hold accountable institutions that affect their lives.†[22] When it is looked at the social economical and cultural effects of the football, yes it is possible to claim that football can be used as a tool for the empowerment of people who live in the problematic areas of the world. By those, who noticed the importance of sports as a tool for development in the last years; sport, particularly football, has been started to use as a strategy for the empowerment of people (especially children) worldwide. International, regional and local organizations, governments, NGOs and individual activists launched and are still launching programs and campaigns, where football is the main strategy, for the empowerment of children and woman especially from the poorest and most marginalized regions of the world. All those organizations have their own techniques, methods and ways of working; but they all have one purpose: to improve the lives of children and women by fostering empowerment. With its popularity and passion; football surrounds billions of people and â€Å"reaches more youth than any other recreational activity in the world.†[23] According to the UNESCO report, related with the variety of sports activities in 48 less developed countries which are located in Af rica, America and Asia-Pacific region, only three sports are practiced in all of those countries: athletics, football and basketball.[24] And football is the only sport that is being performed in every single corner of all those countries. As a result of an idea â€Å"Harnessing the power of football, a universal language that all children understand, can translate into an effective tool to combat violence and conflict, enabling children to grow up in more peaceful societies.†[25], football is being used as an important empowerment strategy by many international organizations such as UNICEF, FIFA or football clubs. Since 1999, UNICEF and FIFA have many collective campaigns under the framework of â€Å"Unite for Children†[26] for the rehabilitation and development of children especially in problematic areas of the world by using football as a strategy. The main purposes of those programs are to â€Å"prevent children from being recruited as child soldiers, inform them about the dangers of HIV/AIDS through education and discussion, and promote educations for girls, among many other objectives.†[27] To reduce the damage of HIV/AIDS is one of the priorities of campaigns which held by UNICEF and FIFA. According to the 1998 numbers, 2.2 million people died from AIDS just in Sub- Saharan Africa.[28] The diseases like malaria or HIV/AIDS are serious threats to economic, social development and stability of developing countries both in Africa and in some other regions of the world. In January 2000, the former secretary- general of UN Kofi Annan stressed the seriousness of health problems, particularly AIDS, for African countries with these words: â€Å"The impact of AIDS in Africa was no less destructive than that of warfare itself. By overwhelming the continents health and social services, by creating millions of orphans, and by decimating health workers and teachers, AIDS is causing social and economic crises which in turn threaten political stab ility In already unstable societies, this cocktail of disasters is a sure recipe for more conflict. And conflict, in turn, provides fertile ground for further infections.†[29] Yes, that is obvious that football can not eliminate those health problems by itself, it can not realize the development by itself; but it is again obvious that it can help the empowerment of people in those less- developed and developing countries by using its popularity and attractiveness. Another campaign that was launched by UNICEF and supported by FIFA is ‘Say Yes for Children, that â€Å"urges people to pledge their commitment to improve and protect childrens lives.†[30] Recently, the campaign has more than 94 million supporters from all around the world. The 2002 World Cup, which was organized by Japan and the Republic of Korea, was dedicated to the children of the world by FIFA in order to support ‘Say Yes for Children campaign and attract the attention of world to this humanitarian cause: children. â€Å"Girls and women face a disproportionate number of life challenges, which reduce their ability to achieve their full potential. Recent studies show that despite formal guarantees of equality, the overall rate of progress for women, particularly those from the poorest and most marginalized regions of the world has been slow.†[31] In this manner, the campaign â€Å"‘Go Girls! Education for Every Child is UNICEFs public outreach campaign to raise awareness, generate public support and mobilize resources for girls education in countries around the world.†[32] Accordingly, FIFA dedicated ‘Womens World Cup 2003 to this campaign. During the tournament, a lot of advertisements and promotions were held about the campaign, and at the same time â€Å"FIFA has also donated more than 600 ‘sport-in-a-box kits to support UNICEF programmes around the world.†[33] Those kits which contain equipments to play football, aim to attract girls to the school and en courage them to do sport. â€Å"In Guinea and Djibouti, for example, UNICEF is using the sports kits as a way of improving girls attendance in schools, empowering girls and changing attitudes towards girls.†[34] Football takes a very significant place at UNICEFs agenda and the cooperation between UNICEF country offices and FIFA national associations is held in more than 75 countries. Campaigns such as in Fà ºtbol para la Vida (Football for Life) in Honduras and Fà ºtbol para la Paz (Football for Peace) in Colombia are two other examples where football is being used as an empowerment strategy. Both during and after the conflicts in Balkans, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Georgia or Sudan, football was used as an important tool to decrease the trauma of conflict. There are also some education programmes, where football is used as a tool, in Kenya, Liberia and Honduras tosupportHIV/AIDS preventioncampaigns. Apart from UNICEF and FIFA campaigns, there are various empowerment initiatives to provide a better and safe environment for the children and women of countries which are affected by war, poverty and HIV/AIDS particularly in Africa and Latin America. ‘Womens Soccer Unity in Rwanda is a project which aims â€Å"to empower girls and women through football in all regions of Rwanda and to create a solid womens football federation.†[35] After the education program in Kigali, participants return to their hometowns; found and develop their own female football teams on a volunteer basis. â€Å"They also take on the development of peace and reconciliation and the eradication of gender based violence by using football as a platform for outreach and education.†[36] ‘AFESCO; a campaign that deals with teenage girls and women who were displaced from their homes and live in refugee camps in Democratic Republic of Congo, has â€Å"initiated a project in 2008 with approxim ately 50 girls and women learning football skills and partaking in education about womens rights, overcoming trauma and peace and reconciliation.†[37] ‘Moving the Goalposts (MTG), a community based organization in Kenya, is helping more than 3000 girls and women (between the ages 9 and 25), who are participating in football tournaments and ongoing leagues. â€Å"Participants are encouraged to be active in leadership roles such as: committee membership, coaching, refereeing, first aid, peer educating and counseling. Moreover, MTG has used football projects successfully to address reproductive rights and economic empowerment, for in school and out of school girls.†[38] ‘Family in Need Trust organization is â€Å"dedicated to reducing poverty and empowering girls and women†[39] who are suffering and can not participate actively in the social life as a result of political situation in Zimbabwe. The organization is supporting sport activities, particularly football, as well as professional education for 300 girls and women. ‘Kroobay Women and Girls Sport in Sierra Leone is a womens rights organization, that aims sustainable development and gender equality through sport movement for girls and women who were affected negatively from the war between 1991 and 2004. The organization â€Å"uses different sports (running, football, volleyball) to reach 200 girls and young women in the Kroobay community in order to increase their physical endurance, learn conflict management, develop their leadership skills, and develop a higher self-esteem and pride in themselves.†[40] ‘Associacià ³n Bogota Colombia is another community based NGO which â€Å"develops projects for homeless and excluded people facing problems of social disparities, poverty, discrimination, violence, insecurity and conflicts.†[41] The method of the association is using street football as a uniting element for the girls between the ages 15 and 19. Tha nks to the campaign, participants are also being engaged to the income generation projects, community service, and education programmes. The Homeless World Cup, which aims the empowerment of children in all around the world, has been held annually since 2003. The Homeless World Cup is an international football tournament that aims to combine young homeless people from all around the world and to give them a chance to represent their country and meet other young people from different countries. â€Å"It has triggered and supports grass roots football projects in over 70 nations working with over 30,000 homeless and excluded people throughout the year. The impact is consistently significant year on year with 73% of players changing their lives for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, moving into jobs, education, homes, training, reuniting with families and even going on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro football teams.†[42] The organizations such as UEFA, UN; football clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid and football players such as Eric Cantona, Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand a re some of the supporters of the initiative. Another contribution to the empowerment of children, in problematic areas of the world has come from football clubs. Manchester United is one of the first football clubs that started to work with UNICEF to support children which were affected by HIV/ AIDS. â€Å"The club that has been working with UNICEF since 1999 under the name of the ‘United for UNICEF â€Å"has raised over 2 million for UNICEF programmes and has benefited over 1.5 million children worldwide.†[43] Another football club that supports UNICEF is Barcelona FC. For the first time in the clubs 107 years history, they signed an alliance with UNICEF in 2006, â€Å"which included an annual contribution of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5m to the charity for the right to wear the UNICEF logo on the Barcelona jersey. Barcelona and UNICEFs global partnership has supported more than 100,000 children, notably in sub-Saharan Africa.†[44] For example, in the first year of this agreement, the donation was canalized for the rehabilitation of children affected by AIDS in Swaziland. As a result of education and sport programmes there was a remarkable improvement in the better protection, support and care of orphans and vulnerable children. Besides, the public awareness to the AIDS has risen as well. Another Spanish football club Real Madrid launched a partnership with UNICEF in 2004, to work for childrens right. â€Å"The club works to improve the lives of children by harnessing the power of football and the global influence of the team and drawing attention to childrens issues.†[45] Real Madrid FC also welcomed four Somali youth in 2004 under the framework of an education programme jointly held with the UNICEF Somalia, and provided them two week summer football camp. Conclusion Football has always been a popular sport, but especially after the globalization process it has become a business as well. The marketing of football has become an important issue, as clubs and product owners want to provide more profit from this sport. Football clubs have started to act like MNCs. They follow strategies which aim to increase loyalty of fans to their teams and to encourage them for more consumption. Even if globalized football triggers the consumption, amateur spirit in football should be kept in order to maintain its passion that attracts billions from all around the world. I believe that ‘Football Empire will never collapse unlike the previous ones which were established by Atilla, Chengiz Khan, Napoleon or Hitler; since it grew and spread up by acceptance not by force. â€Å"Football is Old Europe and New Europe. It is Brazil and the rest of Latin America, along with Africa, Asia, Australia, and the United States. It is the Islamic world. Every World Cup is a celebration of a happier globalization than the one we all know. The nations of the world come together for a contest between peers, with no single party calling the shots. Football can be our role model for a just world order.†[46] Football should not be extremely overestimated or underestimated. Football, by itself, can not cause a tension or a war between two countries that have good relations. Football can not stop a conflict without the political will of actors. However, it can be used in one of these fields. In its own measure, football can be effective to increase or help the detente of violence. Football can be an important tool for the empowerment of people in Africa, Asia, Latin America; it is obvious that it can not finish the poverty, malaria or HIV/AIDS; it can not provide economic stability or political order by itself; but it can help to create a more secure and peaceful environment within its own concept. Bibliography Books Boniface, Pascal, Futbol ve Kà ¼resellesme, NTV Yayinlari, 2007. Boyle, R. Haynes R., Football in the New Media Age, Routledge, 2004. Hornby, Nick, Fever Pitch, England: Clays Ltd, 1992. Snarr M. T. Snarr D. N., Introducing Global Issues. UK: Lynne Rienner Publication, 2008. Articles Internet Resources Andelman, B., Bud Bowling for Dollars, http://www.whymenwatchfootball.com/ch19.html, [2009-12-23] Bilgià §, A. U., ‘Top Artik Dikdà ¶rtgen, http://www.radikal.com.tr/ek_haber.php?ek=r2haberno=7008, [2009-12-28] Croci, O. and Ammirante, J, 1999, ‘Soccer in the Age of Globalization In: Peace Review Volume 11 Issue 4 David Beckham, http://www.123football.com/players/b/david-beckham/index.htm, [2009-12-28] Dolles, H. Sà ¶derman, S., Globalization of Sports- The Case of Professional Football and its International Management Challenges, German Institute for Japanese Studies, 2005, http://www.dijtokyo.org/doc/WP05_1GlobalizationOfSportsProfessionalFootballDollesSoederman.pdf, [2009-12-26] Empowering Girls and Women through Sport and Physical Activity, Woman Win, http://www.womenwin.org/documents/EmpoweringGirlsandWomenthroughSportandPhysicalActivityFinal.pdf, [2010-01-06] Family in Need Trust, http://www.womenwin.org/documents/FamilyinNeedTrust.pdf, [2010-01-05] FIFA and UNICEF join forces to â€Å"Say Yes for Children†, http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldwideprograms/news/newsid=80114.html, [2010-01-03] Fourie, P Schà ¶nteich, M (2002) ‘Die, the Beloved Countries: Human Security and HIV/AIDS in Africa In: Politeia Girls education campaigns- FIFA Womens World Cup 2003, http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/campaign_fifa.html, [2010-01-05] Girls education campaigns- Go Girls!, http://www.unicef.org/girlseducation/campaign_gogirls.html, [2010-01-04] Headline Figures at a Glance, http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/ffprojects/ip-401_06e_tv_2658.pdf, [2009-12-27] Host Country, http://www.fifa.com/womensolympic/destination/hostcountry/index.html, [2009-12-20] Kroobay Women and Girls Sport, www.womenwin.org/Kroobay.doc, [2010-01-06] Kurbjuweit D., What Football Says about our Wo

Cost of Capital for Marriott Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursewo

Cost of Capital for Marriott Mentioned Tables Not Included Objective: 1) Calculate the divisional and the company cost of capital and explain the calculation. 2) Evaluate Marriott's use of company cost-of-capital rate for the individual divisions. Cost of Capital for Lodging Division can be expressed as CC = We*Ce + Wd*Cd. For the weights of debt and equity (We and Wd), the 1988 target-schedule rates of debt-to-assets and debt-to-equity were used as the only measures available in the case. Cost of Equity (Ce) was calculated based on the CAPM formula. 30-year T-bond was used as a long-term risk-free security to get the risk-free rate, since Marriott used the cost of long-term debt for its lodging cost-of-capital calculations. The market premium 8.47 was the arithmetic-average spread between the S&P 500 returns and the short-term US T-bills between 1926-1987. This market premium is consistent with the current academic suggestions and it was used in all calculations of this exercise. The leveraged Beta (Bl) of the lodging division, needed for CAPM, was derived from the following equation: Bl=Bu(1+D/E), where Bu is the unleveraged Beta. Bu was in turn derived from the weighted-average of the Bu's of the lodging businesses given in the case. The weighted-average method rather than a simple arithmetic-average method was used to allow a more accurate Bu of the overall industry. Cost of Debt (Cd) is defined as (risk-free rate)+the premium (Tab...

Organic Farming Business Proposal

PB B A S E M E S T E R V I ORGANIC FARMING PROPOSAL GROUP 6 Iftekhar Ansari, Mujtaba Yameen, Priyamvada Panicker, Akbote Shiva, Vikas D, Jayadev B BBA †¢ Semester VI †¢ Group VI†¢ Organic Farming B B A S E M E S T E R V I BBA †¢ Semester VI †¢ Group VI†¢ Organic Farming Organic Farming Introduction Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control.Organic farming uses fertilizers and pesticides but excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured (synthetic) fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, genetically modi? d organisms, human sewage sludge, and nanomaterials Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organ ic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972. IFOAM de? nes the overarching goal of organic farming as: â€Å"Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people.It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to bene? t the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved†¦ † —International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown from nothing, reaching $55 billion in 2009 according to Organic Monitor (www. organicmonitor. com).This demand has driven a similar increase in organically managed farmland which has grown over the past decade at a compounding rate of 8. 9% per annum. [5] A pproximately 37,000,000 hectares (91,000,000 acres) worldwide are now farmed organically, representing approximately 0. 9 percent of total world farmland (2009) History Organic farming (of many particular kinds) was the original type of agriculture, and has been practiced for thousands of years. Forest gardening, a fully organic food production system which dates from prehistoric times, is thought to be the world's oldest and most resilient agroecosystem.After the industrial revolution had introduced inorganic methods, some of which were not well developed and had serious side effects, an organic movement began in the mid-1920s in Central Europe through the work of Rudolf Steiner, who created biodynamic agriculture, an early version of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture was independently developed in the 1940s England through the work of Albert Howard as a reaction to agriculture's growing reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Arti? ial fertilizers had been created during the 18t h century, initially with superphosphates and then ammonia-based fertilizers mass-produced using the Haber-Bosch process developed during World War I. These early fertilizers were cheap, powerful, and easy to transport in bulk. Similar advances occurred in chemical pesticides in the 1940s, leading to the decade being referred to as the ‘pesticide era'. Although organic farming is prehistoric in the widest sense, Sir Albert Howard is widely considered to be the â€Å"father of organic farming† in the sense that he was a key founder of the post-industrial-revolution organic movement.Further work was done by J. I. Rodale in the United States, Lady Eve Balfour in the United Kingdom, and many others across the world. The ? rst lectures and publications on organic agriculture stem from Rudolf Steiner, however, whose Lectures on Agriculture were published in 1925. The modern organic movement is a revival movement in the sense that it seeks to restore balance that was lost when technology grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. Modern organic farming has made up only a fraction of total agricultural output from its beginning until today.Increasing environmental awareness in the general population has transformed the originally supply-driven movement to a demand-driven one. Premium prices and some government subsidies attracted farmers. In the developing world, many G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 1 producers farm according to traditional methods which are comparable to organic farming but are not certi? ed. In other cases, farmers in the developing world have converted for economic reasons Methods Soil management Plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as micronutrients and symbiotic relationships with fungi and other organisms to ? urish, but getting enough nitrogen, and particularly synchronization so that plants get enough nitrogen at the right time (when plants need it most), is likely the greatest challenge for organic farmers. C rop rotation and green manure (â€Å"cover crops†) help to provide nitrogen through legumes (more precisely, the Fabaceae family) which ? x nitrogen from the atmosphere through symbiosis with rhizobial bacteria. Intercropping, which is sometimes used for insect and disease control, can also increase soil nutrients, but the competition between the legume and the crop can be problematic and wider spacing between crop rows is required.Crop residues can be ploughed back into the soil, and different plants leave different amounts of nitrogen, potentially aiding synchronization. Organic farmers also use animal manure, certain processed fertilizers such as seed meal and various mineral powders such as rock phosphate and greensand, a naturally occurring form of potash which provides potassium. Together these methods help to control erosion. In some cases pH may need to be amended. Natural pH amendments include lime and sulfur, but in the U. S. ome compounds such as iron sulfate, alum inum sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and soluble boron products are allowed in oganic farming. Mixed farms with both livestock and crops can operate as ley farms, whereby the land gathers fertility through growing nitrogen-? xing forage grasses such as white clover or alfalfa and grows cash crops or cereals when fertility is established. Farms without livestock (â€Å"stockless†) may ? nd it more dif? cult to maintain fertility, and may rely more on external inputs such as imported manure as well as grain legumes and green manures, although grain legumes may ? limited nitrogen because they are harvested. Horticultural farms growing fruits and vegetables which operate in protected conditions are often even more reliant upon external inputs. Biological research on soil and soil organisms has proven bene? cial to organic farming. Varieties of bacteria and fungi break down chemicals, plant matter and animal waste into productive soil nutrients. In turn, they produce bene? ts of healt hier yields and more productive soil for future crops. Fields with less or no manure display signi? antly lower yields, due to decreased soil microbe community, providing a healthier, more arable soil system Weed management Organic weed management promotes weed suppression, rather than weed elimination, by enhancing crop competition and phytotoxic effects on weeds. Organic farmers integrate cultural, biological, mechanical, physical and chemical tactics to manage weeds without synthetic herbicides. Organic standards require rotation of annual crops, meaning that a single crop cannot be grown in the same location without a different, intervening crop.Organic crop rotations frequently include weed-suppressive cover crops and crops with dissimilar life cycles to discourage weeds associated with a particular crop. Organic farmers strive to increase soil organic matter content, which can support microorganisms that destroy common weed seeds. Other cultural practices used to enhance crop competitiveness and reduce weed pressure include selection of competitive crop varieties, high-density planting, tight row spacing, and late planting into warm soil to encourage rapid crop germination.Mechanical and physical weed control practices used on organic farms can be broadly grouped as: Tillage – Turning the soil between crops to incorporate crop residues and soil amendments; remove existing weed growth and prepare a seedbed for planting; G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 2 Cultivation – Disturbing the soil after seeding; Mowing and cutting – Removing top growth of weeds; Flame weeding and thermal weeding – Using heat to kill weeds; and Mulching – Blocking weed emergence with organic materials, plastic ? lms, or landscape fabric. Some naturally sourced chemicals are allowed for herbicidal use.These include certain formulations of acetic acid (concentrated vinegar), corn gluten meal, and essential oils. A few selective bioherbicides based on f ungal pathogens have also been developed. At this time, however, organic herbicides and bioherbicides play a minor role in the organic weed control toolbox. Weeds can be controlled by grazing. For example, geese have been used successfully to weed a range of organic crops including cotton, strawberries, tobacco, and corn, reviving the practice of keeping cotton patch geese, common in the southern U.S. before the 1950s. Similarly, some rice farmers introduce ducks and ? sh to wet paddy ? elds to eat both weeds and insects. Controlling other organisms Organisms aside from weeds that cause problems on organic farms include arthropods (e. g. , insects, mites), nematodes, fungi and bacteria. Organic farmers use a wide range of Integrated Pest Management practices to prevent pests and diseases. These include, but are not limited to, crop rotation and nutrient management; sanitation to remove pest habitat; provision of habitat for bene? ial organisms; selection of pest-resistant crops and animals; crop protection using physical barriers, such as row covers; and crop diversi? cation through companion planting or establishment of polycultures. Organic farmers often depend on biological pest control, the use of bene? cial organisms to reduce pest populations. Examples of bene? cial insects include minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs, and to a lesser extent ladybugs (which tend to ? y away), all of which eat a wide range of pests. Lacewings are also effective, but tend to ? y away. Praying mantis tend to move more slowly and eat less heavily.Parasitoid wasps tend to be effective for their selected prey, but like all small insects can be less effective outdoors because the wind controls their movement. Predatory mites are effective for controlling other mites. When these practices are insuf? cient to prevent or control pests an organic farmer may apply a pesticide. With some exceptions, naturally occurring pesticides are allowed for use on organic farms, and synthetic subst ances are prohibited. Pesticides with different modes of action should be rotated to minimize development of pesticide resistance.Naturally derived insecticides allowed for use on organic farms use include Bacillus thuringiensis (a bacterial toxin), pyrethrum (a chrysanthemum extract), spinosad (a bacterial metabolite), neem (a tree extract) and rotenone (a legume root extract). These are sometimes called green pesticides because they are generally, but not necessarily, safer and more environmentally friendly than synthetic pesticides. Rotenone and pyrethrum are particularly controversial because they work by attacking the nervous system, like most conventional insecticides.Fewer than 10% of organic farmers use these pesticides regularly; one survey found that only 5. 3% of vegetable growers in California use rotenone while 1. 7% use pyrethrum (Lotter 2003:26). Naturally derived fungicides allowed for use on organic farms include the bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus; and the fungus Trichoderma harzianum. These are mainly effective for diseases affecting roots. Agricultural Research Service scientists have found that caprylic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid in milk and coconuts, as well as G r o u p V I!Organic Farming 3 other natural plant extracts have antimicrobial characteristics that can help. Compost tea contains a mix of bene? cial microbes, which may attack or out-compete certain plant pathogens, but variability among formulations and preparation methods may contribute to inconsistent results or even dangerous growth of toxic microbes in compost teas. Some naturally derived pesticides are not allowed for use on organic farms. These include nicotine sulfate, arsenic, and strychnine. Synthetic pesticides allowed for use on organic arms include insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils for insect management; and Bordeaux mixture, copper hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate for managing fungi. Genetic modi? cation A key characteristic of o rganic farming is the rejection of genetically engineered plants and animals. On October 19, 1998, participants at IFOAM's 12th Scienti? c Conference issued the Mar del Plata Declaration, where more than 600 delegates from over 60 countries voted unanimously to exclude the use of genetically modi? ed organisms in food production and agriculture.Although opposition to the use of any transgenic technologies in organic farming is strong, agricultural researchers Luis Herrera-Estrella and Ariel Alvarez-Morales continue to advocate integration of transgenic technologies into organic farming as the optimal means to sustainable agriculture, particularly in the developing world. [32] Similarly, some organic farmers question the rationale behind the ban on the use of genetically engineered seed because they view this kind of biotechnology consistent with organic principles. Although GMOs are excluded from organic farming, there is concern that the pollen from genetically modi? d crops is inc reasingly penetrating organic and heirloom seed stocks, making it dif? cult, if not impossible, to keep these genomes from entering the organic food supply. International trade restrictions limit the availability GMOs to certain countries. The hazards that genetic modi? cation could pose to the environment are hotly contested Economics The economics of organic farming, a sub? eld of agricultural economics, encompasses the entire process and effects of organic farming in terms of human society, including social costs, opportunity costs, unintended consequences, information asymmetries, and economies of scale.Although the scope of economics is broad, agricultural economics tends to focus on maximizing yields and ef? ciency at the farm level. Economics takes an anthropocentric approach to the value of the natural world: biodiversity, for example, is considered bene? cial only to the extent that it is valued by people and increases pro? ts. Some entities such as the European Union subsi dize organic farming, in large part because these countries want to account for the externalities of reduced water use, reduced water contamination, reduced soil erosion, reduced carbon emissions, increased biodiversity, and assorted other bene? s that result from organic farming. Traditional organic farming is labor and knowledge-intensive whereas conventional farming is capital-intensive, requiring more energy and manufactured inputs. Organic farmers in California have cited marketing as their greatest obstacle. G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 4 Geographic producer distribution The markets for organic products are strongest in North America and Europe, which as of 2001 are estimated to have $6 and $8 billion respectively of the $20 billion global market (Lotter 2003:6).As of 2007 Australasia has 39% of the total organic farmland, including Australia's 1,180,000 hectares (2,900,000 acres) but 97 percent of this land is sprawling rangeland (2007:35). US sales are 20x as much. (2003). Europe farms 23 percent of global organic farmland (6. 9 million hectares), followed by Latin America with 19 percent (5. 8 million hectares). Asia has 9. 5 percent while North America has 7. 2 percent. Africa has 3 percent. Besides Australia, the countries with the most organic farmland are Argentina (3. 1 million hectares), China (2. 3 million hectares), and the United States (1. million hectares). Much of Argentina's organic farmland is pasture, like that of Australia (2007). Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil (the world's largest agricultural exporter), Uruguay, and the UK follow the United States in the amount of organic land (2007). Growth Organic farmland by world region (2000-2008) As of 2001, the estimated market value of certi? ed organic products was estimated to be $20 billion. By 2002 this was $23 billion and by 2007 more than $46 billion. In recent years both Europe (2007: 7. 8 million hectares, European Union: 7. 2 million hectares) and North America (2007: 2. million hec tares) have experienced strong growth in organic farmland. In the EU it grew by 21% in the period 2005 to 2008. However, this growth has occurred under different conditions. While the European Union has shifted agricultural subsidies to organic farmers due to perceived environmental bene? ts, the United States has not, continuing to subsidize some but not all traditional commercial crops, such as corn and sugar. As a result of this policy difference, as of 2008 4. 1% G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 5 percent of European Union farmland was organically managed compared to the 0. 6 percent in the U. S.IFOAM's most recent edition of The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2009 lists the countries which had the most hectares in 2007. The country with the most organic land is Australia with more than 12 million hectares, followed by Argentina, Brazil and the US. In total 32. 2 million hectares were under organic management in 2007. For 1999 11 million hectares of o rganically managed land are reported. As organic farming becomes a major commercial force in agriculture, it is likely to gain increasing impact on national agricultural policies and confront some of the scaling challenges faced by conventional agriculture.Productivity and pro? tability Various studies ? nd that versus conventional agriculture, organic crops yielded 91%, or 95-100%, along with 50% lower expenditure on fertilizer and energy, and 97% less pesticides, or 100% for corn and soybean, consuming less energy and zero pesticides. The results were attributed to lower yields in average and good years but higher yields during drought years. A 2007 study compiling research from 293 different comparisons into a single study to assess the overall ef? ciency of the two agricultural systems has concluded that †¦ rganic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increas ing the agricultural land base. (from the abstract) Converted organic farms have lower pre-harvest yields than their conventional counterparts in developed countries (92%) but higher than their low-intensity counterparts in developing countries (132%). This is due to relatively lower adoption of fertilizers and pesticides in the developing world compared to the intensive farming of the developed world. G r o u p V I! Organic Farming Organic farms withstand severe weather conditions better than conventional farms, sometimes yielding 70-90% more than conventional farms during droughts. Organic farms are more pro? table in the drier states of the United States, likely due to their superior drought performance. Organic farms survive hurricane damage much better, retaining 20 to 40% more topsoil and smaller economic losses at highly signi? cant levels than their neighbors. Contrary to widespread belief, organic farming can build up soil organic matter better than conventional no-till far ming, which suggests long-term yield bene? s from organic farming. [56] An 18-year study of organic methods on nutrientdepleted soil, concluded that conventional methods were superior for soil fertility and yield in a cold-temperate climate, arguing that much of the bene? ts from organic farming are derived from imported materials which could not be regarded as â€Å"self-sustaining†. Pro? tability The decreased cost of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide inputs, along with the higher prices that consumers pay for organic produce, contribute to increased pro? ts. Organic farms have been consistently found to be as or more pro? table than conventional farms.Without the price premium, pro? tability is mixed. Organic production was more pro? table in Wisconsin, given price premiums. Sustainability (African case) In 2008 the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) stated that â€Å"organic agriculture can b e more conducive to food security in Africa than most conventional production systems, and that it is more likely to be sustainable in the long-term†[60] and that â€Å"yields had more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used† and that soil fertility and drought resistance improved.Employment impact Organic methods often require more labor than traditional farming, therefore it provides rural jobs. G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 7 Sales and marketing Most sales are concentrated in developed nations. These products are what economists call credence goods in that they rely on uncertain certi? cation. Interest in organic products dropped between 2006 and 2008, and 42% of Americans polled don't trust organic produce. 69% of Americans claim to occasionally buy organic products, down from 73% in 2005.One theory was that consumers were substituting â€Å"local† produce for â€Å"organic† produce. Distributors In the United States, 75% o f organic farms are smaller than 2. 5 hectares. In California 2% of the farms account for over half of sales. (Lotter 2003) Small farms join together in cooperatives such as Organic Valley, Inc. to market their goods more effectively. Most small cooperative distributors have merged or were acquired by large multinationals such as General Mills, Heinz, ConAgra, Kellogg, and others. In 1982 there were 28 consumer cooperative distributors, but as of 2007 only 3 remained.This consolidation has raised concerns among consumers and journalists of potential fraud and degradation in standards. Most sell their organic products through subsidiaries, under other labels. Organic foods also can be a niche in developing nations. It would provide more money and a better opportunity to compete internationally with the huge distributors. Organic prices are much more stable than conventional foods, and the small farms can still compete and have similar prices with the much larger farms that usually ta ke all of the pro? ts. Farmers' markets Price premiums are important for the pro? ability of small organic farmers. Farmers selling directly to consumers at farmers' markets have continued to achieve these higher returns. In the United States the number of farmers' markets tripled from 1,755 in 1994 to 5,274 in 2009 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 8 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 9 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 10 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 11 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 12 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 13 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 14 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 15 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 16 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 17SWOT ANALYSIS OF INDIAN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE (DOMESTIC AND EXPORT MARKET) Organic farming is one such part of agriculture sector which is unexploited yet. The projects strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are discussed below: STRENGTHS: Export of organic produce from India is on the rise With organic farming, comes greater nutrit ional value and better taste There is increased awareness for healthy food in the present generation The realization of the harmful effects of pesticides and presence of their residues is surfacing The international and national certi? ation bodies in the country that are making it easier for the farmers to certify their produce as â€Å"organic† With increased demand, Central and State Governments are providing more land at cheaper rates for Organic Agriculture The Government is also providing higher subsidies Tax holidays are given a higher priority and are being given to the farmers who produce organics Organic produce being a premium product, pro? ratios will be towards the higher end due to the higher prices Sustainability over the long term There is an enhanced soil structure and water in? ltration Reduces non-renewable energy use by decreasing agrochemical needs (these require high quantities of fossil fuel to be produced by reducing carbon levels in the soil) OA promo tes biodiversity at all levels of production Duration of the edibility is longer G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 18 Drought resistive in nature A major strength is that the only technology OA needs is more of the SUNWEAKNESSES: Lack of awareness is the major downside of Organic Agriculture Not only among the customers but also among the farmers Most farmers have small holdings Quality consciousness is low amongst them Lack of marketing skills (mainly due to the disjoint between the agricultural sector and its domestic market not to mention the international market) The market for organics is not consumer-based, but supply oriented There is lower productivity due to the mono-cultured farming Fields may become bland due to the lack or inorganic additives Industrialized agriculture (if a conversion to organic agriculture takes place) exploits the land to an extent where the soil loses its fertility Sowing of seeds is time consuming since direct drilling of seeds (as done in the traditio nal form of agriculture) increases risk of soil being lost to wind and erosion There is no usage of genetically modi? ed seeds Another major drawback is the time required for the interaction and the observation between the farmer and his crop A requirement for OA is using skilled labor, which is hard to ? nd Finding the speci? c seeds are not only time consuming, but also more expensive Being more supply oriented, it requires a larger workforce to look after it G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 19 OPPORTUNITIES: With the ever growing society and economy in the country and in the world, the growth potential for Organic Agriculture is enormous As of 2001, the estimated market value of certi? ed organic products was estimated to be $20 billion.By 2002 this was $23 billion and by 2007 more than $46 billion and still showing a positive trend Along with the market value, the total farmland assigned for OA is also increasing massively The government is also starting to believe in this form of farming, hence giving its consent for extensive practice throughout the country The Indian Competence Centre of Organic Agriculture (ICCOA) is a promising initiative towards OA and serves as a platform for various activities related to its market development With the continuous growth of the sector, it will be providing a vast number of job opportunities OA helps in making people less reliant on generically modi? ed food and moves them towards healthier living The market for organic fertilizers and other organic materials is also growing and making it easier for the farmers to get hold of all the supplies they need G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 20 THREATS: Dishonesty among the suppliers of the raw materials required, i. e products offered with declarations such as â€Å"without pesticides†, â€Å"organic† etc.Unavailability of actual organic materials such as seeds, fertilizers and more High costs of being a premium product may prevent success in the market Hesitatio n for purchase by customers due to lack of awareness Land may be to contaminated or may not be convertible for organic agriculture Training unskilled labor may be tougher than expected Although governments are cooperating for organic farming, some state governments still believe this method is unproductive and may not give the required permissions and grants Lives of organic farmers are being made dif? cult by large food conglomerates as they want the consumers to focus only on their products Unpredictable Climatic Factors G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 21 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 22 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 23 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 24 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 25 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 26 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 27 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 28 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 29 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 30 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 31G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 32 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 33 G r o u p V I! Organic Farm ing 34 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 35 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 36 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 37 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 38 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 39 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 40 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 41 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 42 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 43 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 44 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 45 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 46 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 47 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 48 G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 49 APPENDIX Excerpts from our interview with Mr.Samad Patel, Assistant Director, The Department of Agriculture, Gulbarga, Karnataka M: How is the Government helping in Organic Farming? S: Organic missions are being formed by the governement to promote organic farming amongst the farming community. 1: Organic Village: It is one of the schemes which promotes organic farming in a hundred acre area in a village per block on a pilot basis, thereby other farmers can learn how to do or ganic farming. 2: Giving subsidy to bio-degradable, vermi-compost units through Agricultural & Horticultural Department, Industry & Commerce. 3: Establishing organic farming research centers at agricultural universities.M: What are the fertilizers allowed in organic farming? S: 1: Farm Yard Manure 2: City Compost 3: Vermi-Compost 4: Enriched Compost 5: Green Manure M: What is the method of growing the plants in organic farming? S: 1: Sowing the seed with recommended dose of naturally occurring organic fertilizer G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 50 2: Irrigation of the sowed area 3: Seed gets germinated in 1-2 weeks 4: Process of Weeding 5: Harvesting, once the plant is ready 6: Ploughing the ? eld for the next crop M: What are the risks involved with Organic Farming? S: 1: In case of organic farms, there is low yield in the ? rst few years. 2: Pest and Disease management is dif? ult 3: Our soils are addicted to fertilizers and take time to revert back to organic standards 4: It is a v ery laborious process 5: Organic manure are to be produced by the farms, which is also a lengthy and expensive process 6: Seeds are not easily available 7: High prices may lead to low sales M: Is organic food more nutritious than conventional food? S: Yes, organic food has more nutritional value and also has better taste. Reason being that it is produced in its natural method. M: What does â€Å"certi? ed organic† mean? What is the certi? cation process? S: In western countries as well as in India, Organic produce is purchased on basis of the certi? cation by various agencies such as the ICCOA. After completion of the initial three years of production, the farmer must enroll for the certi? cation. The agency then monitors G r o u p V I!Organic Farming 51 the day-to-day cultivation activities and soil testing, the said agency will certify the farm as â€Å"organic†. M: Why does Organic cost more? S: It costs more, because the cost of cultivation is higher although the y ield obtained is low. The demand is higher when compared to the supply. Also, it is pesticide and fertilizer free and has a higher nutritional value, steering it towards being a healthier alternative. M: Is there a national standard for Organic Farming? S: No M: How do farmers fertilize crops and control pests, diseases and weeds? S: Organic farmers fertilize crops by using farmyard manure, vermi-compost, green manure etc. : They manage pests by manual collection of pests 2: Botanical extracts 3: Neem Oil 4: Neem Cake 5: By following integrated pest management methods Diseases are managed by: 1: Manual Roughing 2: By using Botanical extracts G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 52 3: Some plants have naturally occurring fungicidal properties Weeds are managed by: 1: Summer Ploughing 2: Intercultivation 3: Hand Weeding M: What subsidies does the government provide for organic farmers? S: 1: Vermi-compost per farmer – Rs. 6000 – Rs. 30000 (depending on the size of the farm) 2: Biogas Unit – Rs. 60000 Subsidy 3: City Compost: Distributed at 50% subsidy 4: Green Compost: Sold at 50% subsidy 5: Biodigester: Subsidy of Rs. 0000 (Biodigesters convert organic wastes into a nutrient rich liquid fertilizer and biogas, a renewable source of electrical and heat energy) Irrigation Subsidy Operations & Maintenance subsidy + 6 per cent interest on cumulative Irrigation investments Operations & Maintenance subsidy + 1 per cent interest on cumulative irrigation investments Power Subsidy G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 53 Difference between average cost of production per unit and the average revenue realized per unit multiplied by agricultural power consumption as estimated by APTRANSCO Difference between the cost to serve agriculture and average revenue realisation per unit multiplied by agricultural power consumption as estimated by APTRANSCODifference between the cost to serve agriculture and average revenue realised per unit multiplied by power consumption as estimated by AP Farmers Federation G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 54 ACKNOWLEDGMENT We would like to thank our Entrepreneurship Development faculty, Mrs. Radhika, for giving us the opportunity to create a project report such as this, which was a widely informative and knowledge building exercise. We also worked in tandem with Mr. Samad Patel, Assistant Director of The Department of Agriculture, Gulbarga, Karnataka, throughout our research. He guided us through our dif? culties and gave us essential information that we needed to complete our analysis. G r o u p V I! Organic Farming 55

Persuasive Speech On Childhood Obesity - 1299 Words

Tommy Anderson, a pudgy young boy, casually walked home from school. As he rounded a corner, a large billboard with four obese children staring down at him caught his attention. The words â€Å"Fat kids become fat adults† written in bold text near the bottom gripped him tightly. Tommy glanced down at his own, bulging stomach; shame oozed its way into his body. He looked back up at the ad, and met the stare of the children displayed on the billboard. The shame flooded out, quickly replaced by a sense of defiant determination. Tommy decided he did not want to be a fat kid any longer. This moment, though he did not know it at the time, would change his entire life. That night, Tommy went home, talked with his parents, and started a diet and†¦show more content†¦This sends the message to the reader that the advertisement is unbiased. It says that the ad does not have anything against obese children. The more subliminal part of the message says that balance is key in solvi ng the problem, which would in this case be a balanced diet and activity routine. The fact that the whole picture is black and white provides a somewhat grim tone for the ad at first glance, making the audience instantly take the matter seriously. Orange has two meanings; cheer and friendliness, because of the sweet taste associated with orange foods and drinks, or hazards and danger, as orange catches the eye quickly considering is not common in nature and our brain is wired to detect abnormalities (â€Å"The Psychology of†). Hunting vests and construction signs are orange for this reason. In this case, the clear intended meaning is to warn against the dangers of childhood obesity. The combination of the two colors paints the advertisement as a grim and hazardous situation that is trying to provide warning for an upcoming peril, which is an ideal setting for trying to caution the public about the widespread yet relatively untreated problem of childhood obesity, also known as the silent epidemic (â€Å"The Silent Epidemic†). It is especially fitting in Georgia, which has the second highest rate of childhood obesity in the United States (Loren). There is also a sharp contrast between the colors, so it amplifies the attention-grabbing capabilitiesShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity And Its Effects On Children1188 Words   |  5 Pageslink between childhood obesity and advertising. There has been a rise in childhood obesity in the past few years and many believe, and have evidence to support, that it is partly because of unregulated advertisements aimed towards children. The health of a child is very important childhood obesity is something to be concerned about. 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Behind the mask of obesity is a child that falls into the trap of fast food advertisement. Overall, the fast food industry should be more socially responsible and not direct their marketing strategy of unhealthy food choices to children; this will cut down the percentage of children suffering from childhood obesity that leadsRead MoreRegulating Food Advertising and Freedom of Speech Essay906 Words   |  4 Page sEssay 2, Summary and Response Regulating Food Advertising and Freedom of Speech Perspectives on Advertising and Children Summary— As the author of article â€Å"Regulating Food Advertising to Children,† Margo G. Wootan proposes, â€Å"Responsible food marketing to children must address not only how food is marketed but also which foods are marketed to kids (334).† She believes that even in the absence of government control there should be some guideline for food marketing to actRead MoreSpeech Fast Food805 Words   |  4 PagesPersuasive Policy Speech COMM 111 April 20th 2011 Topic: Fast food should not be served in schools. Specific purpose statement: Lunches served in schools should be improved. Introduction. I. Attention getter: 20.1% as of the year 2010. 5 to 10 is the number of meals a child eats at school. The percentage of obese children in the US. The number is 4 times higher than 1970s. If you have been to elementary, middle or high school, at some time, you have been exposed to canteen food. II. Thesis:Read MoreDeveloping a Health Advocacy Program Essay examples3070 Words   |  13 Pages Developing a Health Advocacy ProgramThere are multiple population health issues that need to be addressed and obesity is one of them. Obesity impacts multiple people but the impact on children has grown. Obesity rates have been steadily rising in children. In 2010, 43 million preschool children were overweight or obese, a 60% increase since 1990. This is an obvious increase and shows no sign of stopping without efforts to combat this epidemic (Harvard School of Public Health, 2014). The purposeRead MoreThe Effects Of Consumerism On Children s Lives1522 Words   |  7 PagesChildren are bombarded with consumerism from the moment they wake up, until the moment they go to bed at night. For the past two decades, billions of dollars have been spent per year on advertising that targets children. These ads expose children to persuasive messages through media outlets such as television and the Internet. Children are inundated with marketing about the importance of brand identity and image. Marketers plant seeds of brand recognition in very young children, in the hopes that theRead MoreEssay about Advertising and Childhood Obesity2520 Words   |  11 Pagespouring a bowl of sugary cereal, or convince their parents to take them to McDonalds for a Happy Meal lunch. These advertisements are showing children â€Å"wants† instead of â€Å"needs.† These advertisements are promoting negative social consequences, such as obesity and health risks, including smoking and alcohol. Abstract Through an examination of the background of advertisement aimed at children, an explanation of each side of the argument, and an analysis of each side, it can be proved that a regulationRead MorePersuasive Speech : Effects Of Obesity1297 Words   |  6 PagesCorey Knoble Effective Speaking Professor Traci Alexander Persuasive Speech Why America Needs to Get in Shape Children now spend more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen whether it be a television, computer, smartphone, or playing video games (cite). No I didn’t stutter, no I’m not exaggerating, seven and a half hours a day, can you believe that? As sad as it is, I’m unfortunately not surprised. Society continues to rapidly evolve as we continue to become consumed by technologyRead MoreAdvertising to Children1963 Words   |  8 Pagesyears, have led to exceptional and inevitable commercialized childhood. This source also helps to show that marketing to younger children is widespread through various digital Medias such as internet, iPod, cellphone, and videogames. Children are constantly being marketed to for numerous products from birth all the way to adolescent. The US culture may hold the belief that the media has saturated childhood is to also belief that childhood may be much commercialized (Strasburger, 2011). Advertised