Life Developed Only on Earth Essay Example for Free

Life Developed Only on Earth Essay Life developed only on this one small planet in this one small galaxy. There are several reasons to explain this and some of these are the following: First of all, water is sufficient on Earth making it fit for life to exist (BBC, n. d. ). Second, oxygen is available on Earth for a life to carry on living (BBC, n. d. ). Third, neither earth is too close nor too far from the Sun, thus neither it is not too warm nor is it too cold to live in (BBC, n. d. ). Fourth, the chemicals necessitated to create a living cell are more than enough (BBC, n. d. ). Fifth, a considerable amount of plant and animal species have already developed and adjusted to the environment (BBC, n. d. ). Sixth, the surface of the Earth is perfectly designed since it amazingly protects it from the rays of the Sun (BBC, n. d. ). This is the same reason why the Earth gets the right temperature while other planets are either extremely hot or excessively cold (BBC, n. d. ). Consequently, this also made it possible for water to be available in its liquid state (BBC, n. d. ). Seventh, even if it has been said that life exists in Mars, there are no evidences that support such yet (Fisher, 2005). Furthermore, telescopes are not that good enough to provide details as to whether life really exists there or not (Fisher, 2005). Moreover, to declare such a statement would entail a closer scrutiny of the aforementioned (Fisher, 2005). Eighth, unfortunately, nobody from Earth can leave for Mars (Fisher, 2005). In fact, even NASA say â€Å"no such mission will be attempted for several years† (Fisher, 2005). Last but not least, the Earth is the only planet which has a magnetic field that â€Å"turns away dangerous particles of space radiation† (Fisher, 2005). This means that other planets have a much lesser air and have a much colder temperature, thus living will be quite impossible (Fisher, 2005). References BBC. (n. d. ). Why is There Life on Earth? Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://www. open2. net/science/finalfrontier/life/why. htm Fisher, D. (2005). Is there Life on Mars. Retrieved August 22, 2007 from http://spaceplace. nasa. gov/en/kids/phonedrmarc/2002_june. shtml

Electricity Energy Crisis In Pakistan

Electricity Energy Crisis In Pakistan ABSTRACT Energy Crisis in Pakistan is one of the severe challenges the country is facing today. Electricity, gas, water, fuel is essential part of our daily life and its outage has severely affected the economy and overall living of ours. Thousands have lost their jobs, businesses; our daily life has become miserable. Pakistan is currently facing up to 18 hours of electricity outage a day, is expected to face more if not dealt with in time. The purpose of this study is to analyze the nature of this crisis and to propose some short-term as well as long-term solutions to this problem. This study is exploratory in nature. I have done my best to conclude and sketch up some recommendations in the light of identified hurdles in the way of implementing the appropriate solution to our problem. My study finds some major wholes in our system if they are covered up we can not only overcome the deficiency of electricity in our systems but also we can be able to export it to our neighboring countries. The basic flaws that our study identified are related to circular debt, and the inadequate capacity of our electricity production and distribution systems. Also I emphasized on some prospective alternatives to our electricity production that are cheaper and they provide more cleanly electric energy as compared to fossil fuel run energy plants. INTRODUCTION Background Study: Pakistan has been facing an unprecedented energy crisis since the last few years. The problem becomes more severe during summers. However, this winter was no different. During the peak crisis there was a power outage of 3-4 hours everyday. Those without generators and UPS faced tremendous problems. The prices of both continued to increase due to a sharp increase in their demand. Almost two years ago the then WAPDA chairman who happens to be a caretaker minister admitted that WAPDA cannot meet the current demand for electricity. Its surprising that such a senior and experienced person took so long to find this out. On top of that the government which talked about Pakistans supposedly booming economy failed to understand the gravity of the situation. General Musharraf (R) after becoming Chief Executive used to talk about building dams especially Kalabagh Dam. This was one of the many promises he failed to keep. Even after that very few power plants have been set up to meet the demand for electricity. During the second government of Benazir some independent power plants were set up. Had they not been setup then we would have had a much bigger crisis with life almost coming to a standstill. The policy makers of Pakistan have so far failed to understand one thing. They do talk about making dams and setting up nuclear power plants but why do they not understand the importance and benefits of alternate energy sources such as solar, windmill energy etc. They are cheap and quick methods for producing electricity. Pakistan is a very blessed country because solar energy is available in most cities all year round similarly wind energy is readily available in the coastal areas. These energy sources if tapped can be of great help in reducing the current demand supply gap. Pakistan is facing power shortage, natural crisis and oil crisis. In a report it is claimed that Pakistan has faced 1000 to 2000 MW shortage of power. And it will likely face 3000MW next year. Pakistan is facing 80 millions tons of oil shortage according to its need. And is lacking behind the needs of natural gas at about 27 million ton of energy in current year and this ratio will raise in upcoming years. 1.2 Energy Crisis in Pakistan: An energy crisis is any great shortfall (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. It usually refers to the shortage of oil and additionally to electricity or other natural resources. The crisis often has effects on the rest of the economy, with many recessions being caused by an energy crisis in some form. In particular, the production costs of electricity rise, which raises manufacturing costs. For the consumer, the price of gasoline (petrol) and diesel for cars and other vehicles rises, leading to reduced consumer confidence and spending, higher transportation costs and general price rising. Energy resources have depleted! Whatever resources are available are simply too expensive to buy or already acquired by countries which had planned and acted long time ago. Delayed efforts in the exploration sector have not been able to find sufficient amounts of energy resources. Nations of the world which have their own reserves are not supplying energy resources anymor e; only the old contracts made decades ago are active. Airplanes, trains, cars, motorbikes, buses and trucks, all modes of transportation are coming to a stand still. Many industries have closed due to insufficient power supply. Price of oil has gone above the ceiling. At domestic level, alternate methods like solar, biogas and other methods are being tried for mere survival. The above is a likely scenario of Pakistan and around the globe after 25 years. A pessimistic view, but realistic enough to think about and plan for the future. But are we doing anything about it? Lets have a look at the current energy situation of Pakistan and the world. Pakistans economy is performing at a very high note with GDP growing at an exceptional rate, touching 8.35% in 2004-05.In its history of 58 years, there has been only a few golden years where the economy grew above 7%. This year official expectations are that GDP growth rate will be around 6.5 7.0%. For the coming years, the government is targeting GDP growth rate above 6%. With economy growing at such a pace, the energy requirements are likely to increase with a similar rate. For 2004-05, Pakistans energy consumption touched 55.5 MTOE (Million Tons of Oil Equivalent). The energy consumption is expected to grow at double digit if the overall economy sustains the targeted GDP growth rate of 6% by the government. Pakistans energy requirements are expected to double in the next few years, and our energy requirements by 2015 is likely to cross 120MTOE. By 2030, the nations requirement will be 7 times the current requirement reaching 361MTOE. Pakistans energy requirements are fulfilled with more than 80% of energy resources through imports. On the other hand, international oil prices have not only broken all records but are touching new highs, with every news directly or indirectly affecting the black gold industry. Moreover, speculators all around the world expect oil prices to touch $100 per barrel in medium term. With concerns over Irans nuclear program, terrorist issues in Nigeria and high economic growth in China India and their ever rising energy requirements, oil prices dont see any another way but to shoot upwards. What is the government doing to ensure a sustainable supply of energy resources for economic growth? What strategic steps are being taken to acquire energy resources in future? Is private sector willing to invest in Pakistans oil industry? What are the incentives being offered to the foreign players to continue working in the exploration sector? What hurdles are stopping other big players around the world to enter Pakistan? What is the role of gas distribution companies so far? Are the citizens of Pakistan being robbed by energy giants with ever rising utility bills? What should be the real price of petroleum, kerosene and other oil products in Pakistan? When will the nation have load shedding free electric supply? Have we been able to make long term contracts with the countries to provide uninterrupted supply of energy resources? Will the government be able to provide enough sources to the citizens for a sustainable economic growth? Have we lost the race for acquiring maximum energy resources for future surviv al? One of the major problems facing the new government, the energy crisis, is intense, costly and multi-dimensional. The infuriating electricity and gas disruptions and soaring fuel prices in turn pushing the cost of living have made life difficult for people. The even before it took office the new government was greeted with two jumps in fuel prices, accounting for a 15% rise in two weeks. Meanwhile, crude oil prices have been registering all-time-highs, shooting 40% in the past year. The undeniable reality is that that this global spike will somehow have to be accommodated in energy prices in Pakistan. There is no quick solution to electricity shortage and the trend of surging prices is irreversible. There is very little the new government can do on this in the immediate term. At best, the problem can be prevented from aggravating until a sustainable solution is struck. Tough decisions will have to be made, and executed with commitment. The starting point of any remedial efforts should be an acknowledgement of the fact that the crisis is a self-inflicted one. It cannot be denied that something has been wrong down the line that caused this crisis. The country has nearly gone energy bankrupt while a total disaster appears to be round the corner unless pragmatism is shown. It is also important that lessons be learnt from the past mistakes on part of relevant circles. The crisis is still addressable as long as there is due vision and devotion. The golden age for energy in Pakistan has been 1960s and most of the 1970s, that is when Tarbela and Mangla dams were put into operation and other dams, including Kalabagh, were actively pursued. In subsequent years, action in the field of energy has been utterly recklessness. The prevalent crisis is a consequence of imprudent energy policies over the last three decades. One of the major limitations that have hindered energy prosperity in the country is short-sightedness. There has not been a meaningful and coherent energy policy in place over this period. The approach has been project-oriented, rather than goal-oriented. Almost every regime has dealt with energy on an ad hoc basis. Long-term and sustainable planning of energy have been an alien concept. The reason is fairly simple; energy projects usually require huge investments and commitment, making them undesirable to any regime. The attitude of delaying new projects, as far as possible, has been the common practice and is in fact the recipe of the present crises. In doing so, when things start getting out of control, haphazard and quick-fix measures are sought. A typical example is the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) saga of the 1990s. In an attempt to avert an approaching energy crisis, as a result of negligible capacity addition during the 1980s and the early 1990s, the regime in 1993-94 d ecided to go for thermal generation through the IPPs. Undoubtedly, the IPPs provided a very healthy contribution at the supply end, enhancing power generation capacity by more than 5000MW. Nevertheless, this power addition cost the country a fortune apart from the controversial tariff structure, the move was against the spirit of energy sustainability and security for the country. The fact that the IPPs were set up at the terms of the investors suggest that it was a move made in panic. The last few years provide a perfect example of failure to make a timely response to the growing energy needs. A threefold increase in energy demand over the last two decades has been responded to with an ill-proportioned increment at the supply end. Consequently, with the advent of 2008 the gap between demand and supply grew to 4,500MW indicating a 40% deficit of electricity. The prevalent energy crisis has not appeared overnight the omens were evident for a number of years but the authorities failed to react in time. Senior WAPDA officials claim that in 2002 the government was officially warned about the approaching electricity crisis and was asked to take immediate measures to enhance generation capacity. The timely warning failed to receive any appreciation. The attitude of the relevant authorities has thus indirectly contributed to the growth of the dire crisis. Another example worth quoting here is that of the 969MW Neelam-Jehlum hydroelectric project. It was to be constructed in 2003 at a cost of $1.5 billion. It got abandoned until the present power crises intensified towards the end of 2007. The revised estimate is around $2.25 billion. The delay is costing the country a fortune an extra $750 million in terms of project cost, apart from enormous monetary dents inflicted by the five-year delay. It is also noteworthy that WAPDA has traditionally pursued the major projects of national interest but failed to get the due positive response from the policy- and decision- makers. Interestingly, WAPDA plays the role of a scapegoat, because the common man blames WAPDA for his sufferings. It is also important to plant relevant and qualified people at the key policy and decision making positions. Quite often, these positions are offered to utterly irrelevant, ill-qualified and incompetent people. The track record suggests that energy offices are amongst the most coveted ones in any regime, simply because they are considered to be the most lucrative ones. There are examples when undergraduate and utterly irrelevant people have been appointed to run energy offices. There are also cases when the crucial positions have been used as incentives during political bargaining. The unhealthy attitude towards sensitive energy positions is enough to explain how the field of energy has been traditionally toyed with. Another aspect of the bankrupt policies is politicisation of projects of national interest. The paramount example is that of Kalabagh Dam. It has been politicised to such an extent that its orchestration now appears to be next to impossible. Evidences suggest that the issue has been used to serve the vested interest of regimes and certain political and ethnical forces. With the emerging post-lection sense of national reconciliation on the political arena, it is expected that such projects would be looked into with cool heads. It is time to move on. The technical issues, if there be any, have to be addressed on the drawing board, rather in processions. It has to be realized that the delay in project has not only made the country suffer but also people that come from all provinces. In order to tackle the existing crisis and ensure a prosperous energy future, the backbone of the future energy policies would have to be reliance on domestic resources (hydropower, coal and solar and wind energy) and energy conservation. Decisions on energy projects should revolve around national interest rather than naÃÆ'Â ¯ve political and personal gains. Energy offices should be run by qualified, committed and deserving people equipped with due mandate. Relevant ministries and departments should also be overhauled. INFLATION AND ENERGY CRISIS IN PAKISTAN Pakistan is facing a number of constraints in the path of social economic and political development. One of them is the ever-increasing inflationary pressure on the general public. This inflationary pressure created a social instability and misconception among the messes towards the Government. General public considers the government responsible for this inflation. Government gave the blunt gift of inflation, unemployment, terrorism and energy crisis to the public. The government offended the masses. Some economists argue that such type of increase in prices was never seen before the regime of Musharaf. The prices of essential domestic commodities have touched the psychological boundaries. The fixed income employees and creditors are affected by this inflation. During five years the prices of red chilli increased by 62.7%, flour 66.2% vegetable oil 120% sugar 30.9% rice 69.9% and other essential domestic commodities like vegetables, chicken etc also showed increasing trend of prices. According to official reports the inflation rate is 7.2% and according to non-official reports like UN 8.6% World Bank 8.9% and Asian Development Bank 9.1%. This inflationary pressure has psychologically affected the employees and employers. Some renounced economists argue that the reason of this increasing inflation rate is the standard year 2001 according to which inflation rate is measured. In 2001 the foreign aid was given to Pakistan therefore low standards were made to measure the inflation rate. Although the increasing trend in the prices of fuel and other things in the international market is another factor but the standard year is also a factor. Not only these factors caused hyperinflation but also energy crisis played a vital role in this hyper change in the prices of daily use domestic and capital commodities. There are three main resources used to fulfill the energy requirements Electricity, Fuel and Gas. Despite having the treasure of natural energy resources, Pakistans energy production plants are not fulfilling the countrys requirements effectively. The present energy crisis is affecting the economy entirely. Industrial and daily life has paralyzed by this energy crisis. WAPDA is just fulfilling the countrys energy need near to 46% the remaining is fulfilled by the alternative expensive resources. The energy crisis created cost pull inflation in the country, as electricity is the key material for any production plant. There is a general observation of 5-10 hours of load shedding, but some times it hits the level of 18 hours. Even the industrial capital of Pakistan (Karachi) is suffering from the same situation. Why in the era of energy reservation Pakistan is not utilizing its energy resources? Pakistan is just relaying on the electricity production by Dams. But Pakistan has not enough dams or water to generate electricity. Although WAPDA is enjoying the monopoly but government has to pay 2 rupee/unit as incentive. Our neighbouring country India has built a number of Dams to overcome the energy crisis but Pakistan government has paid no heed on this issue. Many projects are delayed due to provincialism the glaring example is of Kala Bagh Dam. The costly machinery amounted US $9 million is now functionless due to (rust) delay in the construction of Kala Bagh Dam, Some scientists predicted that in next 10year world has to face the water shortage also. If the government fails to construct dams for the generation of electricity due to Provincialism government should have to adopt alternative options to accomplish the energy needs of the country. As Iran has large treasure of natural energy reso urces like natural gas and fuel, despite this Iran is engaged in the attainment of nuclear power generation plant. Pakistan, despite being an atomic power does not think about the nuclear electric generation plant. International community is imposing sanctions on Iran due to uranium enrichment but Iran pays no heed to them. Then why is the Pakistani government reluctant to use its nuclear plants to tackle energy crisis? Secondly, Pakistans western area especially Thar is enriched by natural coal, which is the fifth largest treasure of the world. Pakistan has signed a contract with China to generate 300 Mega watts by coal deposits in 2003, but due to some reasons it has not been completed till now. Industrialists due to high prices of electricity use alternative resources (petrol) in electric generators to fulfill their energy needs but, the fuel (petrol) prices in international market cross the psychological limits of US $110/beryl recently. The high prices of fuel and electricity created a long-term cost pull inflation (increase in the prices of raw material of one commodity cause high prices of other commodities).There are a lot of expectations with the new government as Nawaz Sharif pledged that if he came in rule he will fix the prices of domestic commodities like vegetables oil, floor, sugar and rice for two years. Now the new government should take basic steps to eradicate inflation. I think energy crisis is the real cause of this inflationary pressure. We are hopeful that new government will take some positive steps to fulfil its promises and public expectations. HYDEL ENERGY Water flowing in the rivers has kinetic energy. One they are used to drive the turbine and produce electricity the power generated as hydel energy. Power produced by the turbine depends on quantity of water flowing/minute and the head of water available. Mostly river flows by melting glaciers on High Mountain. One the water starts flowing in the valley its changes its head very rapidly. This energy can be converted into electrical energy. 3.1 Methods for Generating Hydel Energy Two methods are normally used: Dams In case of Dams the water flow is restricted by the making a huge storage device and the head of water is increased, the water then is allows to flow by means of gates and pass through the turbine, the head of reservoir level is maintained to provide uniform power and the water stored in the season additionally is used for irrigation purpose in the dry season. Run of the river projects In the run of river project the water is diverted through the tunnel and once it gain the head allowed to fall and pass through the turbine and back too river. The water in these projects is continuously flowing and not being stored. Geographical situation is paramount importance in choosing the suitable site for the hydel project and it evolves a very serious time and money consuming study. 3.2 Feasibility Study Once a site is located further detailed feasibility study is required before preceding any serious effort to start the work. The feasibility study should include following field work. 1: Detailed Mapping of the area. 2: Topographic study of the area. 3: seismic refraction study. 4: River flow data. 5: Weather data contain Temperature, Pressures, and Rain Humidity. 6: Water sampling and testing. 7: Environmental study. 8: Social impact. 9: Identification of stake holders of the area. 3.3 Pakistan Major Dams Warsak Dam The gigantic multi-purpose Warsak Dam is situated 30 kms north-west of Peshawar in the heart of tribal territory. It has a total generating capacity of 240,000 kW and will eventually serve to irrigate 110,000 acres of land. Mangla Dam Worlds third largest earth-filled dam is only 115 km south-east of Rawalpindi. One has to turn left from Dina Town and the dam on river Jhelum is about 14 km to the east. The dam is 3,353 meters long and 116 meters high above the river bed. It is designed to store 5.88 MAF water and also used for power generation. In the centre of the dam there is a Gakkhar Fort from where one can have a panoramic view of the lake. For permit to visit the dam, please contact PRO, WAPDA, and Mangla. A NOC from the Ministry of Interior is required for foreigners only. Tarbela Dam The worlds largest earth-filled dam on one of the worlds most important rivers the Indus is 103 km from Rawalpindi. The dam was completed in 1976 at a cost of Rs.18.5 billion. Over 15,000 Pakistani and 800 foreign workers and engineers worked during its construction. It is the biggest hydel power station in Pakistan having a capacity of generating 3,478 MW of electricity. Its reservoir is 97 km long with a depth of 137 meters while total area of the lake is 260 sq.km. Permits are required for visiting the Dam. Please contact Public Relations Officer (PRO), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Tarbela (Tel: 051-568941-2). A No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Interior (Shaheed-e-Millat Sectt.), Islamabad is also required for foreign visitors. 3.4 Hydel Energy and its Crisis in Pakistan The energy crisis starts from 1990 and still Pakistan is in the crisis of these all as before. The latest and perhaps the most troublesome crisis faced by the Pakistani nation these days is the shortage in supply of electricity. The country is facing a huge electric power crisis these days. Though it has been more than a year since when the country is facing this crisis, but till now no proper solution has been made to this problem neither any proper planning has come into existence since the symptoms and begging of this short supply of electricity. While rolling blackouts or load shedding as it is locally known has always been a staple of daily life in Pakistan, the problem has become acute in the last couple of years. This crisis appears insurmountable in the near or even long-term future, unless proper understanding and correct implementation is undertaken on priority basis. At present total power production capacity in the country is about 19,500 MW, out of which Hydel Power is only 6,500 MW, balance of 13,000 MW is thermal either using Natural Gas or Furnace Oil. Small capacity of 450 MW is Nuclear and only 150 MW is through coal. It is very important to understand the consequence of the prevailing situation. Current price of furnace oil is about Rs.49000 per ton, which amounts up to Rs.49/- per kg. On an average one kg of furnace oil produces 3.8 kWh of electricity. Thus, the cost of furnace oil for generating one unit of electricity is about Rs.13. On top of this the fixed cost of a thermal plant works out to be about Rs.3 per unit. Therefore, one unit (kWh) of the electricity produced by all thermal plants using furnace oil is Rs.16 per unit. According to WAPDA/IPP (Independent Power Produce rs) agreement, the private power producers will charge WAPDA the actual fuel cost for which they have a direct contract with PSO. As we all know that WAPDA tariff charged from the consumers is about Rs.5 per unit (kWh). The production cost of furnace oil electricity is Rs.16 per unit, add to it the transmission, distribution cost (including loses), the total cost of such electricity works out to approximately Rs.22 per kWh. The difference between WAPDA tariff and the furnace oil electricity is Rs.17 per kWh. It is estimated that the country consumes at least 25 billion units of electricity produced annually through furnace oil, which amounts to the total deficit of Rs.425 Billion. If WAPDA has to balance its books it would require a subsidy of Rs.425 Billion. This deficit is somewhat reduced due to cheap power produced through hydel energy and natural gas, but the deficit cannot change substantially, unless bulk of electricity is produced through hydel energy. Obviously, a deficit of Rs.300-350 Billion cannot be sustained, the government does not have resources to pay such a huge subsidy, and it is also not feasible to increase the power tariff very much. Therefore the power crisis is far greater th an what is being perceived. In the absence of extremely heavy subsidy, WAPDA is delaying payments to IPPs and also to the oil companies. The result is that IPPs are now producing much less electricity than their capacity. Thermal energy Thermal energy is the thermal type of energy, with all known history available, wood always used for heating and cooking. In 2nd world war fossils fuels entered in the form of coal to get energy. Until liquid fuels were discovered and because of their convinces of transportation they took over as major of energy source. Once the steam engines were invented then the coal or liquid fuels was burnt in the in boilers and heat producers steam which is used to drive an electrical generators, or any other mechanical devices. Rudolph diesel invention of diesel engine revolution the energy concept and today we see sine the majority of machine moving on diesel engines. Diesel engines can be 2 stroke or 4 stroke type. They can be in line or arranged in V or even W shape. They can be single acting or double acting. Another method of converting thermal energy to mechanical energy is by the gas turbines. Turbines are also used to run by steam or hot gases which are produced by igniting fuel. The choice of gensets strictly depends on the requirement of client, before ordering a power plant following points to be considered: Expected demand of the power Type of fuel required Space available for the power plant Availability of gun sets Availability of local service back up and stock of parts Price is paramount importance and hidden expenses should be locked carefully. The major manufactures and suppliers of gensets based on internal combustion engines are given below: Man Wartsila Caterpillar Jen bacher Waukesha Mitsubishi Detroit diesel Rolls Royce Internal combustion engines can obtain 30_50% thermal efficiency. It means that around 50%energy is wasted in the form of exhaust gases, cooling system and radiations. Therefore for larger plants heat recovery system are utilized. 4.1 Crisis of Thermal Energy The oil crisis facing the world is not about supply or about the increase in demand. It is about the speculators who are pumping huge amounts of money into forecasting a serious shortage ahead. Not now but in the future. And that the prices will escalate enough for them to make a killing. If one looks at the real picture, there is no shortage of oil, there has been no shutdown of any major producer, nor has there been a sudden jump in the import from any large consumer. The Chinese import for their industrialization is not more than 10 percent annually. This is certainly not enough for the huge jump in the world crude rates. This jump is matched by the phenomenal profits of the oil companies and of course the oil producing countries. The thirst for profits of the oil traders has benefited the oil producers-Iran being a major beneficiary. The US government must be wondering at the irony of this windfall benefiting a prime enemy of American and Israeli interests at the cost of millions of innocent citizens of the US and Europe, engineered by the greasy gnomes of the oil trade. There is no threat of an oil embargo, nor of a war, it is just pure speculation, funded by the huge mountains of American and European cashes at the disposal of the Sources the Oil trade. They stand to make a killing at the expense of hapless citizens of the world. As I had written in an earlier piece as far back as 2005, when an attack on Iran was imminent, that the rise in oil at 100 $ a barrel would impact on the food prices has proved prophetic with the current sky high prices of bread in Europe and America. In the meantime we poor Pakistanis are suffering with 50 percent living below the poverty line, and many more being pushed under thanks to the current oil crisis which has managed to create tsunami that is a threat worldwide, with no remedy in sight. Electricity riots are already a common sight but the frequency of breadlines breaking into riots is increasing daily, not just in Soma lia but in parts of the third world where we thought wheat was never in critical shortage. The riots in Pakistan are for two reasons. Firstly, the price a worldwide phenomenon and second a physical shortage due mainly to incompetence in the many layers of our government. 4.2 Looming Energy Crisis in Pakistan Energy costs, from where they stand now, could rise by more than 50 percent in the next few years. The cost of power on this scale would be difficult to manage by most emerging economies all oil-consuming countries, particularly the third world have suffered due to the consistently rising demand-driven cost of energy. From 2004 onwards, the price of oil started soaring in the international market, and for the first time in October 2004, oil prices crossed the benchmark of US$ 50 per barrel. It continued to fluctuate but kept moving up each year and in 2007 briefly crossed US$ 100 per barrel. For the past few days it has been hovering at US$ 103 plus per

Diffusion Of Responsibility Is A Phenomenon English Language Essay

Diffusion Of Responsibility Is A Phenomenon English Language Essay Do the following: Do emotion and our instinct to conform to society and authority affect our ability to think critically? View the following video on the Milgram Experiment: http://youtu.be/W147ybOdgpE Why did about 50% of the subjects, normal everyday Americans, deliver lethal doses of electrical shocks (it was really only an actor pretending to be electrocuted)? To be successful in this assignment, evaluate the following social biases (write one (1) page in Microsoft Word or WordPad): Evaluate the Milgram experiment from the perspective of group pressure and conformity. 1. Using Chapter 4 of the textbook, describe of how group pressure and conformity affected the outcome of the experiment. Your answer should be about two paragraphs (4-5 sentences each) in length. 2. For each example, include at least one quote (citation) from the book that supports your evaluation. Evaluate the Milgram experiment from the perspective of diffusion of responsibility. 3. Using Chapter 4 of the textbook, describe how diffusion of responsibility affected the outcome of the experiment. Your answer should be about two paragraphs (4-5 sentences each) in length. 4. For each example, include at least one quote (citation) from the book that supports your evaluation. *Be sure to include citations from the textbook using the following format- Quote from the book (Boss, 2010. Pg #) Use MS Word or WordPad to complete your assignment. Your teacher wants to know: how conformity affected the outcome of the experiment, with quotations from your text to back it up. Then they want you to explain how diffusion of responsibility affected the outcome, with more quotes from the text to back it up. Diffusion of responsibility is a phenomenon that occurs when we take credit for our successes but blame others for our failures. Taking credit for our successes and blaming others for our failures is a type of self-serving bias. Diffusion of responsibility occurs in groups of people above a certain threshold, where responsibility is not explicitly assigned to particular individuals, and where people subsequently tend not to regard those responsibilities as their concerns, or conceive of those responsibilities as belonging to others. While the specifics of whom we assign to the out group is learned, our brain seems to be wired to see the world in terms of one of us/one of them. Group pressure and the urge to conform are so strong in humans that it can cause us to deny evidence that is right before our eyes. (Boss, 2010. Pg #120) This the e-book In Chapter 4 we will: Learn about the nature and limitations of human knowledge Distinguish between rationalism and empiricism Learn about different types of evidence Set guidelines for evaluating evidence Look at sources for researching claims and evidence Study different types of cognitive/perceptual errors, including self-serving biases Learn how social expectations and group pressure can lead to erroneous thinking Finally, we will examine the evidence and arguments regarding unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and what type of proof would be necessary to establish their existence. Group Pressure and Conformity Group pressure can influence individual members to take positions that they would never support by themselves, as happened in the Stanford Prison experiment described in Chapter 1. Some religious cults exploit this tendency by separating their members from the dissenting views of family and friends. In many cults, people live together, eat together, and may even be assigned a buddy. Group pressure is so powerful in shaping how we see the world that it can lead people to deny contrary evidence that is right before their eyes. In the 1950s, social psychologist Solomon Asch carried out a series of experiments in which he showed study subjects a screen containing a standard line on the left and three comparison lines on the right. One of the comparison lines was the same length as the standard line and the other two were of significantly different lengths.40 In each case, an unsuspecting study subject was introduced into a group with six confederates, who had been told by the experimenter to give the wrong answer. The group was then shown the lines. The experimenter asked one of the confederates which of the three lines on the right they thought was the same length as the standard line. The confederate, without hesitation, gave a wrong answer. The next few confederates gave the same answer. By now, the naÃÆ'Â ¯ve subject was showing puzzlement and even dismay. How can six people be wrong? Page 121 After hearing six wrong answers, 75 percent of the naÃÆ'Â ¯ve study subjects, rather than trust the evidence of their senses, succumbed to group pressure and gave the same wrong answer. Even more surprising is the fact that when questioned afterward, some of these study subjects had actually come to believe the wrong answer was correct. The desire for agreement is normal. However, this desire, when combined with our innate tendency to divide the world into one of us and one of them, can lead to the exclusion of those who disagree with the majority, since people tend to prefer being around people who agree with them. In the corporate world, disagreement is often tacitly discouraged. Outliers or nonconformists who do not agree with group members may be excluded by committee chairs from further discussions or even fired.41 Because of our inborn tendency to conform to what others think, we cannot assume that agreement leads to truth without knowledge about the manner and conditions under which the agreement was arrived. Indeed, the current emphasis on seeking group consensus in decision making may be unreliable. In consensus seeking, the majority in a group is often able to sway the whole group to its view. http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com/figures/007742168X/bos38200_ta0414b.jpg ASCH EXPERIMENT In Aschs experiment, the naÃÆ'Â ¯ve subject (left) shows puzzlement when the other subjects give what is obviously a wrong answer. http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com/figures/007742168X/bos38200_ta0427.jpg DISCUSSION QUESTIONS What do you think the naÃÆ'Â ¯ve subject in the picture above is thinking? Think back to a time when you were in a similar situation where you thought you were correct, but everyone else with you thought something else. How did you respond to the discrepancy between your belief and theirs? http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com/figures/007742168X/bos38200_highlighter_recto.jpg As with other errors in our thinking, we need to develop strategies to recognize and compensate for our human inclination to conform to groupthink. When a group comes to a decision, we need to mentally step back from the group and carefully evaluate the evidence for a particular position rather than assume that the majority must be correct. In competitive ice skating and diving, because of the danger of a judges scoring being contaminated by what other judges say, scoring is done individually, rather than as a group decision. Page 122 Diffusion of Responsibility Diffusion of responsibility is a social phenomenon that occurs in groups of people above a critical size. If responsibility is not explicitly assigned to us, we tend to regard it as not our problem but as belonging to someone else. We are much more likely to come to someones aid if we are alone than if we are in a crowd. We are much more likely to come to someones aid if we are alone than if we are in a crowd. This phenomenon is also known as bystander apathy or the Kitty Genovese syndrome. In 1964, twenty-eight-year-old Kitty Genovese was murdered outside her New York City apartment building. Her killer left twice, when people in the building turned on their lights, before he came back a third time and killed her. In the half hour that lapsed during the attack, none of Genoveses thirty-eight neighbors, who had heard her repeated cries for help, called the police. More recently, in June 2008, an elderly man was struck by a hit-and-run driver on a busy street in Hartford, Connecticut. The man lay in the street paralyzed and bleeding from his head while bystanders gawked at or ignored him. Motorists drove around his body without stopping. No one offered any assistance until an ambulance finally turned up. Diffusion of responsibility can also occur in group hazing at fraternities where no one comes to the rescue of a pledge who is clearly in distress. As social beings, we are vulnerable to the one of us/one of them error, social expectations, and group conformity. When in groups, we also tend to regard something as not our problem unless responsibility is assigned to us. Although these traits may promote group cohesiveness, they can interfere with effective critical thinking. As good critical thinkers we need to be aware of these tendencies, and to cultivate the ability to think independently while still taking into consideration others perspectives. Errors in our thinking also make us more vulnerable to falling for or using fallacies in arguments. Well be studying some of these fallacies in the following chapter. http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com/figures/007742168X/bos_38200_ta0428.jpg The phenomenon of diffusion of responsibility was regrettably illustrated when no one came to the aid of a seriously injured man lying in a busy street in Hartford, Connecticut after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in May 2008. The victim, Angel Torres, later died from the injuries he sustained. Page 123 EXERCISE 4-4 http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com/figures/007742168X/bos38200_stop.jpg 1. Whom do you define as us and whom do you put in the category of them? Discuss how you might go about widening the us category to include more people who are now in your them category. 2. Humans seem to have inborn biases toward particular types of people. According to a University of Florida study, when it comes to hiring, employers have a more favorable view of tall people. When it comes to earnings, every extra inch of height above the norm is worth $789 a year. In fact, nine of ten top executives are taller than the typical employee.42 Given this cognitive error and its impact on hiring practices, discuss whether or not affirmative action policies should apply to very short people. Relate your answer to the discussion in the text of the effect of this cognitive error on our thinking. 3. Think of a time when your social expectations led you to misjudge a person or a situation. Discuss strategies for improving your critical-thinking skills so that this is less likely to happen. 4. Think of a time when the public got caught up in a witch hunt. Identify the worldviews and social expectations that supported this witch hunt. Which critical-thinking skills would make you less likely to go along with a witch hunt? Discuss what actions you could take to develop or strengthen these skills. 5. Polls before elections can influence how people vote by swaying undecided voters to vote for the candidate who is in the lead. Analyze whether election polls should be forbidden prior to the election itself. 6. The democratic process depends on social consensus. Given peoples tendency to conform to social expectations and what others think, is democracy the best form of government? If so, what policies might be put in place to lessen the effect of social biases? Be specific. 7. Think of a time when you failed to speak out against an injustice or failed to come to someones aid simply because you were in a large group and felt it wasnt your responsibility. Discuss ways in which improving your critical-thinking skills may make you less susceptible to the diffusion of social responsibility error. 8. Computers (AI) programmed with an inductive logic program can, after sufficient experience working with the ups and downs of the financial market, predict the market with greater accuracy than most experienced financial planners. Given that these computers are not as prone to cognitive errors as are humans, critically evaluate whether we should rely more on AI to make decisions about such issues as college admissions, medical diagnoses, matchmaking, and piloting an airplane. 1. What are some of the sources of knowledge? Ã ¢-Â   Sources of knowledge include both reason and experience. Experience encompasses direct and indirect experience, expert testimony, and research resources such as printed material and the Internet. 2. In what ways might experience be misleading? Ã ¢-Â   Experience can be distorted through false memories, confirmation bias, and reliance on hearsay and anecdotal evidence, as well as perceptual, cognitive, and social errors in our thinking. 3. What are some of the types of cognitive and social errors in our thinking? Ã ¢-Â   Cognitive and social errors are in part the way our brain interprets the world. They include misperception of random data, memorable-events errors, probability errors, self-serving biases, self-fulfilling prophecies, one of us/one of them error, social expectations, group pressure and conformity, and diffusion of responsibility. http://textflow.mcgraw-hill.com/figures/007742168X/bos38200_sa0423.jpg Why is it so many people obey when they feel coerced? Social psychologist Stanley Milgram researched the effect of authority on obedience. He concluded people obey either out of fear or out of a desire to appear cooperativeeven when acting against their own better judgment and desires. Milgrams classic yet controversial experiment illustrates peoples reluctance to confront those who abuse power. It is my opinion that Milgrams book should be required reading (see References below) for anyone in supervisory or management positions. Milgram recruited subjects for his experiments from various walks in life. Respondents were told the experiment would study the effects of punishment on learning ability. They were offered a token cash award for participating. Although respondents thought they had an equal chance of playing the role of a student or of a teacher, the process was rigged so all respondents ended up playing the teacher. The learner was an actor working as a cohort of the experimenter. Teachers were asked to administer increasingly severe electric shocks to the learner when questions were answered incorrectly. In reality, the only electric shocks delivered in the experiment were single 45-volt shock samples given to each teacher. This was done to give teachers a feeling for the jolts they thought they would be discharging. Shock levels were labeled from 15 to 450 volts. Besides the numerical scale, verbal anchors added to the frightful appearance of the instrument. Beginning from the lower end, jolt levels were labeled: slight shock, moderate shock, strong shock, very strong shock, intense shock, and extreme intensity shock. The next two anchors were Danger: Severe Shock, and, past that, a simple but ghastly XXX. In response to the supposed jolts, the learner (actor) would begin to grunt at 75 volts; complain at 120 volts; ask to be released at 150 volts; plead with increasing vigor, next; and let out agonized screams at 285 volts. Eventually, in desperation, the learner was to yell loudly and complain of heart pain. At some point the actor would refuse to answer any more questions. Finally, at 330 volts the actor would be totally silent-that is, if any of the teacher participants got so far without rebelling first. Teachers were instructed to treat silence as an incorrect answer and apply the next shock level to the student. If at any point the innocent teacher hesitated to inflict the shocks, the experimenter would pressure him to proceed. Such demands would take the form of increasingly severe statements, such as The experiment requires that you continue. What do you think was the average voltage given by teachers before they refused to administer further shocks? What percentage of teachers, if any, do you think went up to the maximum voltage of 450? Results from the experiment. Some teachers refused to continue with the shocks early on, despite urging from the experimenter. This is the type of response Milgram expected as the norm. But Milgram was shocked to find those who questioned authority were in the minority. Sixty-five percent (65%) of the teachers were willing to progress to the maximum voltage level. Participants demonstrated a range of negative emotions about continuing. Some pleaded with the learner, asking the actor to answer questions carefully. Others started to laugh nervously and act strangely in diverse ways. Some subjects appeared cold, hopeless, somber, or arrogant. Some thought they had killed the learner. Nevertheless, participants continued to obey, discharging the full shock to learners. One man who wanted to abandon the experiment was told the experiment must continue. Instead of challenging the decision of the experimenter, he proceeded, repeating to himself, Its got to go on, its got to go on. Milgrams experiment included a number of variations. In one, the learner was not only visible but teachers were asked to force the learners hand to the shock plate so they could deliver the punishment. Less obedience was extracted from subjects in this case. In another variation, teachers were instructed to apply whatever voltage they desired to incorrect answers. Teachers averaged 83 volts, and only 2.5 percent of participants used the full 450 volts available. This shows most participants were good, average people, not evil individuals. They obeyed only under coercion. In general, more submission was elicited from teachers when (1) the authority figure was in close proximity; (2) teachers felt they could pass on responsibility to others; and (3) experiments took place under the auspices of a respected organization. Participants were debriefed after the experiment and showed much relief at finding they had not harmed the student. One cried from emotion when he saw the student alive, and explained that he thought he had killed him. But what was different about those who obeyed and those who rebelled? Milgram divided participants into three categories: Obeyed but justified themselves. Some obedient participants gave up responsibility for their actions, blaming the experimenter. If anything had happened to the learner, they reasoned, it would have been the experimenters fault. Others had transferred the blame to the learner: He was so stupid and stubborn he deserved to be shocked. Obeyed but blamed themselves. Others felt badly about what they had done and were quite harsh on themselves. Members of this group would, perhaps, be more likely to challenge authority if confronted with a similar situation in the future. Rebelled. Finally, rebellious subjects questioned the authority of the experimenter and argued there was a greater ethical imperative calling for the protection of the learner over the needs of the experimenter. Some of these individuals felt they were accountable to a higher authority. Why were those who challenged authority in the minority? So entrenched is obedience it may void personal codes of conduct.

Enders Shadow or Enders Game :: Free Essay Writer

Ender's Shadow or Ender's Game Journal - Enders Shadow Entry 1 In this story there is an alien race called the buggers, they have attacked earth before and now the I.F. (International Fleet) is training the younger generation to be commanders of the next fleet. The main character in Enders Shadow is Bean. He lives on the streets of Rotterdam, in the allies and under steps. Like many other children living on the streets, it is very sparse to find food. Most survive by the leftovers they find in the trash. Bean, being the smallest of the children was the skinniest of them all. He was extremely small. He was on his last few days of life and was so weak he gave up on finding food. That very day a crew leader named Poke (crews were a group of children that shared the food that they found and they had crew leaders) gave Bean 7 peanuts and she asked for his name. But he said he hadn’t received a name, so they called him Bean. There were food shelters that gave food out every morning but crews with young children couldn’t get in because of the older children that were bullies. And most of the time bullies would come and take food from the crews instead of beating them up. Bean had a plan to threaten one bully to protect the crew and I n return he would be allowed to live. They choose to pick the bully named Achilles because he was born with a bad leg and he needed the crew for his safety. They jumped Achilles and held a rock over his head and told him their plan and he agreed to go along with it but Bean told Poke to kill him as and example to the other bullies, but Achilles was smart and he persuaded them to let him be there protector. Entry 2 Achilles made a plan to get the children into the kitchens. When the bullies started lining up for the kitchen Achilles sent one of the crewmembers named Sergeant to the second place in the line budding in front of the meanest bully. The bully shoved the kid into the ground. Achilles came up to the bully and asked him why he pushed Sergeant into the bully in the front. Achilles explained how he was just saving his place in line, until he pushed him into his friend.

intro to networking and the tcp/ip stack :: essays research papers

SLIP is a TCP/IP protocol used for communication between two machines that are previously configured for communication with each other. For example, your Internet server provider may provide you with a SLIP connection so that the provider's server can respond to your requests, pass them on to the Internet, and forward your requested Internet responses back to you. A better service is provided by the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). Point-to-Point Protocol is a protocol for communication between two computers using a serial interface, typically a personal computer connected by phone line to a server. For example, your Internet server provider may provide you with a PPP connection so that the provider's server can respond to your requests, pass them on to the Internet, and forward your requested Internet responses back to you. PPP uses the Internet protocol and is designed to handle others. It is sometimes considered a member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. Relative to the OSI referen ce model, PPP provides layer 2 (data-link layer) service. Essentially, it packages your computer's TCP/IP packets and forwards them to the server where they can actually be put on the Internet. PPP is a full-duplex protocol that can be used on various physical media, including twisted pair or fiber optic lines or satellite transmission. PPP is usually preferred over the earlier standard SLIP because it can handle synchronous as well as asynchronous communication. PPP can share a line with other users and it has error detection that SLIP lacks. Where a choice is possible, PPP is preferred. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the set of rules for transferring files (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the Web. As soon as a Web user opens their Web browser, the user is indirectly making use of HTTP. HTTP is an application protocol that runs on top of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. HTTP concepts include the idea that files can contain references to other files whose selection will elicit additional transfer requests. Your Web browser is an HTTP client, sending requests to server machines. When the browser user enters file requests by either "opening" a Web site or clicking on a link, the browser builds an HTTP request and sends it to the Internet Protocol address indicated by the URL. File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a standard Internet protocol, is the simplest way to exchange files between computers on the Internet. intro to networking and the tcp/ip stack :: essays research papers SLIP is a TCP/IP protocol used for communication between two machines that are previously configured for communication with each other. For example, your Internet server provider may provide you with a SLIP connection so that the provider's server can respond to your requests, pass them on to the Internet, and forward your requested Internet responses back to you. A better service is provided by the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). Point-to-Point Protocol is a protocol for communication between two computers using a serial interface, typically a personal computer connected by phone line to a server. For example, your Internet server provider may provide you with a PPP connection so that the provider's server can respond to your requests, pass them on to the Internet, and forward your requested Internet responses back to you. PPP uses the Internet protocol and is designed to handle others. It is sometimes considered a member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. Relative to the OSI referen ce model, PPP provides layer 2 (data-link layer) service. Essentially, it packages your computer's TCP/IP packets and forwards them to the server where they can actually be put on the Internet. PPP is a full-duplex protocol that can be used on various physical media, including twisted pair or fiber optic lines or satellite transmission. PPP is usually preferred over the earlier standard SLIP because it can handle synchronous as well as asynchronous communication. PPP can share a line with other users and it has error detection that SLIP lacks. Where a choice is possible, PPP is preferred. HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the set of rules for transferring files (text, graphic images, sound, video, and other multimedia files) on the Web. As soon as a Web user opens their Web browser, the user is indirectly making use of HTTP. HTTP is an application protocol that runs on top of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. HTTP concepts include the idea that files can contain references to other files whose selection will elicit additional transfer requests. Your Web browser is an HTTP client, sending requests to server machines. When the browser user enters file requests by either "opening" a Web site or clicking on a link, the browser builds an HTTP request and sends it to the Internet Protocol address indicated by the URL. File Transfer Protocol (FTP), a standard Internet protocol, is the simplest way to exchange files between computers on the Internet.

Free Trade and Fair Trade

Free Trade and Fair Trade All over work places and school campuses around the world you can be sure to find cocoa, coffee and certain other products that are labeled â€Å"free trade,† but is fair trade the same as free trade? â€Å"Free† and â€Å"fair† are powerful, often abused words when applied to the concept of trade. I will attempt to clarify the differences between free and fair trade, show how they may overlap, and the beneficial in each system. Deliberate trade benefits both the buyer and the seller. The benefits in excess of costs are the gains from trade.An efficient society maximizes the gains from trade by wisely using human, natural and capital resources. Political processes redistribute these gains to promote or reduce equity. Free trade means that anyone can trade with anyone else. Property rights are typically maintained, but government intervention in markets are minimal at best, (Wetzel). The fairness of this trade depends on the amount of com petition between buyers and sellers. For example, products price rises when there are few sellers and many buyers. In this case, sellers gained because they have â€Å"market power†.With few buyers and many sellers, the price falls; buyers use their market power to gain. Fair Trade is about more than just paying a fair wage. It means that trading partnerships are based on equal benefits and mutual respect; that prices paid to producers reflect the work they do; that workers have the right to organize; that national health, safety, and wage laws are enforced; and that products are environmentally sustainable and conserve natural resources, (Codey). When trade is freed, competition increases, market power falls and gains distributed more evenly. Numerous buyers and sellers in the farmer’s market reduce bargaining power.Seller competition pushes price down; buyer competition holds them up. Free trade can be fair trade, but agreements that open some markets to powerful pro ducer where they can use their market power, while keeping others closed and uncompetitive, are neither free nor fair. Free trade and fair trade can provide important benefits to participants. Free trade is benefit by all those involved, especially the large multination corporations. It helps nations develop the best economic policies for their citizens. Companies willing to meet consumer demand for several items will look for the cheapest resources or goods to increase supply.Nations engaging in free trade allow companies to import resources or goods from international countries with no government restrictions or tariffs. Governments placing restrictions or tariffs on imported goods often increase a cost of doing business in the domestic economic market, (Mathews 2009). Free trade can help nations improve job opportunities in the economic market. Meanwhile, fair trade provides favorable economic opportunity for those smallholder farming families able to join producer organizations and provide products of the right specifications for the market.Fair trade improves health, education, and agricultural development in the community. Finally, free and fair trade is somehow important to participants that are involved. However clarifying the different between free and fair trade, show how they may overlap, and the beneficial in each system is the main context of this essay. Codey, Scott & Embry, Mary. â€Å" Fair Trade Resource Network. † Education and Discussion to Mark Trade Fair. 1999. 05 Oct. 2012 Mathews, Tony. â€Å"Enhancing the Global Linkages of Cooperatives: The Fair Trade Option. † 2009. 05 Oct. 2012. Wetzel, Doug. â€Å"Fair V. S. Free Trade. † 1999-2012. 05 Oct 2012.

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation Essay

Fender is an American manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. The privately held company was founded by Clarence Leonidas â€Å"Leo† Fender in Clifornia in 1946. The company specializes in solid body electric guitars such as the Stratocaster and Telecaster, and solid body electric bass guitars such as the Precision and Jazz models. Fender instruments are widely considered to be the standard to which most other electric guitars are measured. As marketing manager, I have been asked to develop a brand extension within Fender, in this case, we have decided to move into percussion instruments, specifically drum kits. We will be developing 3 new models of Fender drum kits, a six, seven and eight piece kit. The six piece kit will be made up of a snare drum, four tom toms and a bass drum. The seven piece kit will be similar, with the addition of another tom tom, and finally the eight piece will be similar to the seven piece, with the addition of a second bass drum. All drums will be sold without cymbals and hi-hats; however all will include a kick pedal for the base drum. The objective of this extension is to begin moving Fender into new instruments, especially to develop a line of percussion instruments, with the future goal of developing a percussion department within the company, which will in turn lead to the manufacturing and sale of bongo drums, conga drums and tambourines. We feel that this area of the market for musical instruments has a clear niche gap within it that Fender can fill. With our excellent reputation within the industry, we feel customers will have the brand loyalty to purchase Fender drums. We also feel that with our world class team of developers and creators, and having the resources to use only the finest wood, we can create a drum kit that will be used by the most influential and talented drummers in the world. This will of course lead to worldwide sales of Fender drums, increasing sales to unprecedented levels, which in turn will give us the chance to employee a greater number of people, all while creating a whole new division within the organization, greatly adding to the legacy of Fender instruments. Our target market is the total number of potential buyers for our product. Among this broad group, we have our primary and secondary target markets. Our primary market in this case will be those most likely to buy our new product. This will mainly be drummers and musical institutions, for example music schools, colleges and workshops. Our secondary market, those who have the next greatest potential to buy now or in the future, will be musicians of all instruments; non-musicians who we hope will to purchase a kit and learn to play; and advertisement companies or agencies. Our primary market is simple, drummers drum. They need a drum kit, and if we can convince them of the superior quality and craftsmanship of Fender drums, we hope they will use Fender exclusively. A similar approach is being taken when marketing towards musical institutions. Our secondary market however will be more difficult. Despite the fact that drums are used in many forms of music, musicians in general who we will target will specifically be guitarists, bass players and singers. We feel these players might be interested as many will already be playing music in a similar style to heavier, drum-orientated sound, as opposed to a classical trumpet player for example. We also feel that these players will very likely be familiar with the Fender brand, again as opposed to a musician playing an instrument in which Fender does not specialize. They will therefore be familiar with our high quality level of workmanship and reliability. We will have many well established brands to compete with within the marketplace. Companies such as Pearl, Tama, Evans and C&C are highly regarded within the drumming community and have spent years building u brand loyalty among their customers. Of these companies, Pearl and Tama will be our strongest competitors. Pearl is a multinational company, founded in 1952, specializing in percussion instruments. They cover a huge range of kits, including six, seven, and eight piece kits similar to the kits we will be producing. Their Vision, Masters and Session models are widely popular and well prices. Tama is a sub division of the Hoshino Gakko Group, a company specializing in Tama drums and Ibenez guitars. Like Pearl, Tama produces well crafted, highly priced drum kits and have a great reputation worldwide for quality. Fender Drums – Marketing Strategy Price We will be selling our three kits (six, seven and eight piece) directly from our Fender stores worldwide for $1499, $1799 and $2199 respectively. We have spent many months analyzing our competitors’ marketing prices and feel that these prices offer a great deal for customers. For example, Pearl and Tama sell their six piece kits for $1599 and $1649 respectively. This places our product at a lower price range than both. We have also reached a deal with Sabian (manufacturer of hi-hats and cymbals) to sell our six piece kit with four of their cymbals as a bundle deal. Regarding this deal, we will receive $50 less per kit than when sold separately, however we feel Sabian to be a highly regarded company who customers have built up a great relationship with and therefore we hope to garner some of their brand loyalty to introduce new players to our product. Our seven and eight piece kits will be sold individually only for the foreseeable future. Our seven piece kit is being sold at the same price as those offered by Pearl and Tama, while our eight piece kit is $100 cheaper than Tama’s eight piece kit. Ours is $50 more expensive than Pearl’s eight piece kit; however we feel our product to be vastly superior to theirs, and therefore do not anticipate this slight difference as being problematic. We will also be offering out 100 kits initially to established artists as endorsements. These kits will be distributed, free of charge, to 42 pre-selected musicians, in the hope that by being used by these artists, other musicians who are influenced by these drummers will be eager to also purchase a kit. In addition, our seven piece will contain a 13 x 10 tom tom and our eight piece will include a 20 x 16 bass drum. We will offer a range of spin off products which can be attached onto each kit, including a cowbell, tambourine and jam block. Each kit will be available in three colors (red, green and black) and will be sold with safety casing as an additional extra. They will be branded with the Fender logo on the top right portion of the front of the bass drum. Our products will vary to competitors’ products in many ways. Our drums are different sizes, therefore giving out a slightly different tone and sound. All drums a headed with smooth emperor drum skins, which resonate for longer and give a crisper, more accurate tone. Only the finest maple and rosewood will be used to ensure the most satisfying sound and timbre. Place Our products will be available from all Fender stores throughout Australia, Europe and America. We hope, over the next 12 months, to establish a relationship with stores throughout Asia and South America to sell Fender drums. Our products will also be available from our online store, as well as through third party sellers such as Amazon and EBay. Our products will also be available for both use and purchase at many trade fairs throughout America and Australia over the next six months. Promotion We have many options when considering methods of promotion. As the leader in musical instruments worldwide, with 312 stores, this gives us a great starting point. All stores will stock our kits, displaying them front and center within their stores, to be sure customers will be quickly aware of them. We regularly host trade fairs across the world, which will also give us another means of advertising. We will be taking our advertising in many of the world’s most read magazines (such as Rolling Stone, News and Time), newspapers (NY Post, Sydney Morning Herald and British Times) and websites (BBC, Dailymail, and TMZ). We will advertise and promote through television and radio also. I feel our greatest promotion will be through Sponsorship. We have signed 42 of the greatest drummers currently playing to use our kits. Drummers like Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails) and Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) all have huge fan bases of drummers, who we hope will be eager to try and purchase our kits once they realize their influences are also using them. Our competitors also use many of these means of advertising, however we feel with our larger budget, and many more stores internationally, we have a much larger platform to promote from. We will begin promotion as of September 2014, hoping to garner enough attention to our product before the Christmas rush of product purchasing begins. While our product is not a ‘seasonal’ product, we feel it would be a good time to release these kits. In closing, regarding which of the 4Ps will be the most influential initially on our product, I believe it will be our product itself. Our price is very competitive; we feel strongly this will not be a problem. Our promotion will be huge, using magazines, radio, TV, internet, billboards, instore advertising, sponsorship and trade shows among other means. Our placement options are huge. With our worldwide brand, we can sell our product worldwide. However, our product itself, with its world class development, beautiful tone, ease of use, gorgeous design and competitive price will stand up for itself as a leader in drumming products, and over time, we hope will be the number one drum kit on the market. Sources http://www.smarta.com/advice/sales-and-marketing/advertising-and-marketing/how-to-develop-a-marketing-strategy/ View as multi-pages