Black Seminoles Freedom From Slavery in Florida

Black Seminoles were enslaved Africans and African Americans who, beginning in the late 17th century fled plantations in the southern American colonies and joined with the newly-formed Seminole tribe in Spanish-owned Florida. From the late 1690s until Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, thousands of Native Americans and runaway slaves fled what is now the southeastern United States, heading not to the north, but rather to the relatively open promise of the Florida peninsula. Seminoles and Black Seminoles African people who escaped slavery were called Maroons in the American colonies, a word derived from the Spanish word cimmaron meaning runaway or wild one. The Maroons who arrived in Florida and settled with the Seminoles were called a variety of things, including Black Seminoles or Seminole Maroons or Seminole Freedmen. The Seminoles gave them the tribal name of Estelusti, a Muskogee word for black. The word Seminole is also a corruption of the Spanish word cimmaron. The Spanish themselves used cimmaron to refer to aboriginal refugees in Florida who were deliberately avoiding Spanish contact. Seminoles in Florida were a new tribe, made up mostly of Muskogee or Creek people fleeing the decimation of their own groups by European-brought violence and disease. In Florida, the Seminoles could live beyond the boundaries of established political control (although they maintained ties with the Creek confederacy) and free from political alliances with the Spanish or British. The Attractions of Florida In 1693, a royal Spanish decree promised freedom and sanctuary to all enslaved persons who reached Florida, if they were willing to adopt the Catholic religion. Enslaved Africans fleeing Carolina and Georgia flooded in. The Spanish granted plots of land to the refugees north of St. Augustine, where the Maroons established the first legally sanctioned free black community in North America, called Fort Mose or Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. The Spanish embraced fleeing slaves because they needed them for both their defensive efforts against American invasions, and for their expertise in tropical environments. During the 18th century, a large number of the Maroons in Florida had been born and raised in the tropical regions of Kongo-Angola in Africa. Many of the incoming slaves did not trust the Spanish, and so they allied with the Seminoles. Black Alliance The Seminoles were an aggregate of linguistically and culturally diverse Native American nations, and they included a large contingent of the former members of the Muscogee Polity also known as the Creek Confederacy. These were refugees from Alabama and Georgia who had separated from the Muscogee in part as a result of internal disputes. They moved to Florida where they absorbed members of other groups already there, and the new collective named themselves Seminole. In some respects, incorporating African refugees into the Seminole band would have been simply adding in another tribe. The new Estelusti tribe had many useful attributes: many of the Africans had guerilla warfare experience, were able to speak several European languages, and knew about tropical agricultures. That mutual interest—Seminole fighting to keep a purchase in Florida and Africans fighting to keep their freedom—created a new identity for the Africans as Black Seminoles. The biggest push for Africans to join the Seminoles came after the two decades when Britain owned Florida. The Spanish lost Florida between 1763 and 1783, and during that time, the British established the same harsh slave policies as in the rest of European North America. When Spain regained Florida under the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the Spanish encouraged their earlier black allies to go to Seminole villages. Being Seminole The sociopolitical relations between the Black Seminole and Native American Seminole groups were multi-faceted, shaped by economics, procreation, desire, and combat. Some Black Seminoles were fully brought into the tribe by marriage or adoption. Seminole marriage rules said that a childs ethnicity was based on that of the mother: if the mother was Seminole, so were her children. Other Black Seminole groups formed independent communities and acted as allies who paid tribute to participate in mutual protection. Still, others were re-enslaved by the Seminole: some reports say that for ex-slaves, bondage to the Seminole was far less harsh than that of slavery under the Europeans. Black Seminoles may have been referred to as slaves by the other Seminoles, but their bondage was closer to tenant farming. They were required to pay a portion of their harvests to the Seminole leaders but enjoyed substantial autonomy in their own separate communities. By the 1820s, an estimated 400 Africans were associated with the Seminoles and appeared to be wholly independent slaves in name only, and holding roles such as war leaders, negotiators, and interpreters. However, the amount of freedom of the Black Seminoles is somewhat debated. Further, the U.S. military sought the support of Native American groups to claim the land in Florida and help them reclaim the human property of southern slave owners, and they some albeit limited success. Removal Period The opportunity for Seminoles, Black or otherwise, to stay in Florida disappeared after the U.S. took possession of the peninsula in 1821. A series of clashes between the Seminoles and the U.S. government and known as the Seminole wars took place in Florida beginning in 1817. This was an explicit attempt to force Seminoles and their black allies out of the state and clear it for white colonization. The most serious and effective was known as the Second Seminole War, between 1835 and 1842, although some Seminoles remain in Florida today. By the 1830s, treaties were brokered by the U.S. government to move the Seminoles westward to Oklahoma, a journey that took place along the infamous Trail of Tears. Those treaties, like most of those made by the United States government to Native American groups in the 19th century, were broken. One Drop Rule The Black Seminoles had an uncertain status in the greater Seminole tribe, in part because they had been slaves, and in part because of their mixed  ethnic status. Black Seminoles defied the racial categories set up by the European governments to establish white supremacy. The white European contingent in the Americas found it convenient to maintain a white superiority by keeping non-whites in artificially constructed racial boxes, a One Drop Rule that said that if you had any African blood at all you were African and thus less entitled to rights and freedom in the new United States. Eighteenth-century African, Native American, and Spanish communities did not use the same One Drop Rule to identify blacks. In the early days of the European settlement of the Americas, neither Africans nor Native Americans fostered such ideological beliefs or created regulatory practices about social and sexual interactions. As the United States grew and prospered, a string of public policies and even scientific study worked to erase the Black Seminoles from the national consciousness and official histories. Today in Florida and elsewhere, it has become more and more difficult for the U.S. government to differentiate between African and Native American affiliations among the Seminole by any standards. Mixed Messages The Seminole nations views of the Black Seminoles were not consistent throughout time or across the different Seminole communities. Some viewed the Black Seminoles as enslaved persons and nothing else, but there were also coalitions and symbiotic relationships between the two groups in Florida—the Black Seminoles lived in independent villages as essentially tenant farmers to the larger Seminole group. The Black Seminoles were given an official tribal name: the Estelusti. It could be said that the Seminoles established separate villages for the Estelusti to discourage whites from trying to re-enslave the Maroons. Resettled in Oklahoma, however, the Seminoles took several steps to separate themselves from their previous black allies. The Seminoles adopted a more Eurocentric view of blacks and began to practice chattel slavery. Many Seminoles fought on the Confederate side in the Civil War, in fact, the last Confederate general killed in the Civil War was a Seminole, Stan Watie. At the end of that war, the U.S. government had to force the southern faction of the Seminoles in Oklahoma to give up their slaves. But, in 1866, Black Seminoles were finally accepted as full members of the Seminole Nation. The Dawes Rolls In 1893, the U.S. sponsored Dawes Commission was designed to create a membership roster of who was and was not Seminole based on whether an individual had African heritage. Two rosters were assembled: one for Seminoles, called the Blood Roll, and one for Black Seminoles called the Freedman Roll. The Dawes Rolls as the document came to be known said that if your mother was a Seminole, you were on the blood roll; if she was African you were on the Freedmen roll. If you were demonstrably half Seminole and half African you would be enrolled in the Freedmen roll; if you were three-quarters Seminole youd be on the blood roll. The status of the Black Seminoles became a keenly felt issue when compensation for their lost lands in Florida was finally offered in 1976. The total U.S. compensation to the Seminole nation for their lands in Florida came to US $56 million. That deal, written by the U.S. government and signed by the Seminole nation, was written explicitly to exclude the Black Seminoles, as it was to be paid to the Seminole nation as it existed in 1823. In 1823, the Black Seminoles were not (yet) official members of the Seminole nation, in fact, they could not be property owners because the U.S. government classed them as property. Seventy-five percent of the total judgment went to relocated Seminoles in Oklahoma, 25 percent went to those who remained in Florida, and none went to the Black Seminoles. Court Cases and Settling the Dispute In 1990, the U.S. Congress finally passed the Distribution Act detailing the use of the judgment fund, and the next year, the usage plan passed by the Seminole nation excluded the Black Seminoles from participation. In 2000, the Seminoles expelled the Black Seminoles from their group. A court case was opened (Davis v. U.S. Government) by Seminoles who were either Black Seminole or of mixed black and Seminole heritage. They argued that their exclusion from the judgment constituted racial discrimination. That suit was brought against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs: the Seminole Nation as a sovereign nation could not be joined as a defendant. The case failed in U.S. District Court because the Seminole nation was not part of the case. In 2003, the Bureau of Indian Affairs issued a memorandum welcoming Black Seminoles back into the larger group. Attempts to patch the broken bonds that had existed between Black Seminoles and the main group of Seminoles for generations have met with varied success. In the Bahamas and Elsewhere Not every Black Seminole stayed in Florida or migrated to Oklahoma: A small band eventually established themselves in the Bahamas. There are several Black Seminole communities on North Andros and South Andros Island, established after a struggle against hurricanes and British interference. Today there are Black Seminole communities in Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Black Seminole groups along the border of Texas/Mexico are still struggling for recognition as full citizens of the United States. Sources Gil R. 2014. The Mascogo/Black Seminole Diaspora: The Intertwining Borders of Citizenship, Race, and Ethnicity. Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies 9(1):23-43.Howard R. 2006. The Wild Indians of Andros Island: Black Seminole Legacy in the Bahamas. Journal of Black Studies 37(2):275-298.Melaku M. 2002. Seeking Acceptance: Are the Black Seminoles Native Americans? Sylvia Davis v. the United States of America. American Indian Law Review 27(2):539-552.Robertson RV. 2011. A Pan-African analysis of Black Seminole perceptions of racism, discrimination, and exclusion The Journal of Pan African Studies 4(5):102-121.Sanchez MA. 2015. The Historical Context of Anti-Black Violence in Antebellum Florida: A Comparison of Middle and Peninsular Florida. ProQuest: Florida Gulf Coast University.Weik T. 1997. The Archaeology of Maroon Societies in the Americas: Resistance, Cultural Continuity, and Transformation in the African Diaspora. Historical Archaeology 31(2):81-92.

Acc 201 (Principles of Financial Accounting) Complete...

ACC 201 (Principles of Financial Accounting) Complete Class All Discussion Questions , Chapters Problems and Assignments Click Link Below To Buy This Class : http://homework-aid.com/ACC-201-Principles-of-Financial-Accounting-Complete-Class-600.htm ACC 201 Week 1 Chapter 1 and 2 Practice Exercises ACC 201 Week 1 Chapter 1 and 2 Practice Exercises Complete the following practice exercises from Chapter 1 and 2 and submit them to your instructor. This assignment will be graded as a completion only to allow you to transition into the subject matter during the first week. The instructor will post the answers to these exercises by the end of Day 6 for you to check your accuracy and comprehension on the subject matter. Exercises:†¦show more content†¦Summarize your recommendations in memo form. Respond to at least two other students with critique and challenges to their recommendations. ACC 201 Week 4 Chapter 7 Problems ACC 201 Week 4 Chapter 7 Problems Complete the following problems from Chapter 7 and submit to your instructor. These problems will be graded for accuracy. Problems: 7-26, 7-27, 7-28 ACC 201 Week 4 Chapters 8 Problems ACC 201 Week 4 Chapters 8 Problems Complete the following problems from Chapter 8 and submit to your instructor. These problems will be graded for accuracy. Problems: 8-18, 8-23 ACC 201 Week 4 DQ Enron ACC 201 Week 4 DQ Enron Read ATC 7-5 in Chapter 7. This situation is very similar to what a company called Enron did several years ago. Use the internet or the university library to research exactly what Enron did in their accounting procedures and what eventually happened to the company. Post your findings and understanding of Enron’s story and respond to two other students’ postings with enhancements or additions to the Enron situation. ACC 201 Week 4 Memo to Baku and Hanson ACC 201 Week 4 Memo to Baku and Hanson Read ATC 8-4 in Chapter 8 and write a memo

Elephantiasis I Did My Report On Filariasis, Which Is More Commonly Kn Essay Example For Students

Elephantiasis I Did My Report On Filariasis, Which Is More Commonly Kn Essay ElephantiasisI did my report on filariasis, which is more commonly knownas elephantiasis. Elephantiasis is the late phase of filariasis.Filariasis is a tropical mosquito born parasitic disease causingobstruction of the lymph vessels. In some people the presence ofthe worm causes a tissue reaction that causes the lymph flow tobe blocked. This blockage produces lymphedema which is a swellingand can eventually lead to a tremendous enlargement of an extremityor organ. When elephantiasis follows repeated infection, parts ofthe body particularly the legs become grossly enlarged andthe surrounding skin hardens and ulcerates. Certain types ofelephantiasis can be treated surgically. Elephantiasis of the legsis usually treated with elastic bandages and frequent elevation ofthe legs. The leg and foot, may swell to elephantine size. Theremay be allergic reactions like itching and localized swelling. Thebody may also react by causing calcium tissue to be deposited aroundthe worm, walling it off and eventually causing its death.In humans, the mature worm lives tightly coiled in the lymphaticvessels where they reproduce. The female holds the fertilized eggsin her body. Later the embryos, called microfilariae, are dischargedalive. An interesting feature of these worms is the periodic swarmingof the microfilariae in the bloodstream. In most species swarmingtakes place at night. The embryos can be taken up by an insect onlywhen they are in a humans bloodstream. They develope into infectivelarvae in the insect, which is the intermediate host. These hostsare various genera of mosquitoes, notably A?des, Anopheles, and Culex.Within 10 to 11 days after ingestion by a human skin they migrate tothe lymphayic vessels where they mature and reproduce. There isntreally any prevention to this disease. BibliographyDrimmer, Frederick; THE ELEPHANT MAN; Putnam Publishers;New York, 1985 Elephantiasis, FISHBEINS ILLUSTRATED MEDICAL AND HEALTHENCYCLOPEDIA; H.S. Stuttman Inc. Publishers; Westport,CT. ; 1983 ed., vol. 2, pp. 527 Filariasis, COLLIERS ENCYCLOPEDIA; Macmillan EducationalCompany New York, Maxwell Macmillan Canada, MaxwellMacmillan International Publishing Group; New York,Oxford, Sydney; 1991 ed. , col. 9, pp. 698-699

Markieting at Bop Essay Example

Markieting at Bop Essay Marketing at the bottom of the pyramid Submitted by: Akshay Garg (001) Akshay Mishra (007) Keerthi N. (028) Mreegasha Mondal (034) Background and Motivation The Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) has emerged as one of the dominant ideas in business lately. The phrase â€Å"bottom of the pyramid† was used by U. S. president  Franklin D. Roosevelt  in April 7, 1932. In economics, the  bottom of the pyramid  is the largest, but poorest  socio-economic group. According to the author of the book-‘Fortune at the bottom of the pyramid’ and the famous management Guru C. K Prahalad, almost two-third of the world population which earns less than US$2 per day comprises of the bottom of the pyramid population. The world economic pyramid Historically, businesses around the world have been focusing on traditional markets with good spending power. However with increased saturation in this market and in order to sustain growth, the companies started seeking to penetrate into the largely untapped rural markets with new marketing techniques. The proposition of inclusive capitalism thus arose—involving and mobilizing the resources, managerial know-how and technology of the large FMCG firms to co-create solutions to the problems at the bottom of the pyramid—those people that live on less than $2 a day. This way, the firms contribute to poverty eradication and upliftment of the marginalized; in return, they would get fantastic business opportunities like cheaper and easier procurement of inputs and a wider customer base. This creates a win-win situation for both. We will write a custom essay sample on Markieting at Bop specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Markieting at Bop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Markieting at Bop specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hence subsistence markets, when entered and explored correctly, are becoming a constant source of revenue for businesses. Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), as HUL was known back then, experimented as early as in 1995 in the refined salt market. Firstly, they aimed at upgrading the 75 per cent unrefined market (BOP consumers) to Annapurna and secondly of converting branded consumers to Annapurna. In 1999, HLL launched Project Shakti. It identified promising opportunities like confectionaries and healthcare products for the bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers. Amul started its DISK project which comprised of computerization of more than 70,000 village societies and automation of milk collection process. It adopted a 3 tier structure involving farmers, village societies and district milk federations, doing away with the middlemen. ITC’s e-Choupal program was launched in 2000. The motive was to make Indian agriculture self-sufficient by leveraging digital technology and customized extension services to empower farmers and raise rural incomes through better crops, yield and practices. The initiative began while procuring soya from rural India. The effort illustrates the social impact of bringing global resources and farm and business practices to the Indian farmer as well as the opportunities to garner revenue by ITC. Objective The major objectives of our study and research are: 1. ) Analyze and understand BoP approach and its significance. 2. ) Study how Indian companies are identifying opportunities and entering into the unexplored markets present at BoP 3. ) Analyze the inclusive approach of ITC e-choupal and HUL Shakti in terms of reach to Bottom of Pyramid. Literature Review The Bottom of Pyramid constitutes the market made up by the world’s poorest people who lives on less than $2 per day. The idea behind BOP suggests that the best way to meet the needs of the poor is through a profit driven market – based approach. Most companies have not considered people at the base of the economic pyramid as potential consumers due to the low level of their individual incomes. The common belief that the poor have no significant purchasing power ignores the volume of the market. The bottom of the economic pyramid in India representing the masses is an over $1. -trillion market, making up the biggest chunk of the global $5-trillion BOP market excluding China, says a study by IFC and World Resources Institute (WRI). The BOP population of 924. 1 million people – 78% of them in rural areas – makes up about 95% of the countrys population. In India, BOP accounts for 88. 1% of the total national household expenditure on food, 87. 2% of energy exp enditure, 85. 3% of health spend, 78. 8% of household goods expenditure and 52. 6% of the spend on information and communication technology. The business potential at the BOP has five central advantages: * Size of the market * Rapid market growth Less competitive environment * Opportunities for cost saving * Opportunities for innovation The commercial challenges of the BOP market are: * Cash poor consumers * Geographic, economic, and cultural distance between the seller and the buyer * Limited product awareness and understanding * Weak physical and institutional infrastructure * Working with longer time frames Profit driven investment in the BOP market has a broad range of social benefits. Investing in the BOP market has great potential for reducing poverty by accelerating growth through job creation, and for lowering prices whereby the capacity to consume is increased. Companies can generate profits for themselves, and at the same time, benefit the poor by improving their welfare. ITC and HUL are the two companies which have invested a lot of money for the BOP market. Sources: Websites: Wikipedia. org, bopstrategy. com Books: ‘Fortune at the bottom of the Pyramid’ by C K Prahlad and Stuart L. Hart E-Choupal The e-Choupal is a three layered infrastructure with the first layer consisting of ICT kiosks which have internet access and which are manned by ITC trained village farmer. It is generally situated within 1. km of every target farmer and is meant to serve the purpose of six villages. The second layer, called Choupal Sagar is a mortar and brick infrastructure located within 10-30kms of every target farmer. A Choupal Sagar is situated in the middle of 40-50 e-Choupals, typically few km away from the town to facilitate procurement. Finally the third layer consists of a network of companies managed by ITC who acts as the direct consumer s of the farm commodities thus completing the three layered architecture of an e-Choupal. Real-time information and customized knowledge provided by e-Choupal enhance the ability of farmers to take decisions and align their farm output with market demand and secure quality amp; productivity. The aggregation of the demand for farm inputs from individual farmers gives them access to high quality inputs from established and reputed manufacturers at fair prices. As a direct marketing channel, virtually linked to the mandi system for price discovery, e-Choupal eliminates wasteful intermediation and multiple handling. Thereby it significantly reduces transaction costs. Model in Action Benefits 1. The e-Choupal model has been specifically designed to tackle the challenges posed by the unique features of Indian agriculture, characterized by fragmented farms, weak infrastructure and the involvement of numerous intermediaries, among others. 2. e-Choupal also unshackles the potential of Indian farmer who has been trapped in a vicious cycle of low risk taking ability gt; low investment gt; low productivity gt; weak market orientation gt; low value addition gt; low margin gt; low risk taking ability. This made him and Indian agribusiness sector globally uncompetitive, despite rich amp; abundant natural resources. 3. Such a market-led business model can enhance the competitiveness of Indian agriculture and trigger a virtuous cycle of higher productivity, higher incomes, and enlarged capacity for farmer risk management, larger investments and higher quality and productivity. 4. A growth in rural incomes will also unleash the latent demand for industrial goods so necessary for the continued growth of the Indian economy. This will create another virtuous cycle propelling the economy into a higher growth trajectory. Launched in June 2000, e-Choupal has already become the largest initiative among all Internet-based interventions in rural India. e-Choupal services today reach out to over 4 million farmers growing a range of crops soybean, coffee, wheat, rice, pulses, and shrimp in over 40,000 villages through 6500 kiosks across ten states (Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The problems encountered while setting up and managing these ‘e-Choupals’ are: * Infrastructural inadequacies, including power supply, telecom connectivity and bandwidth. Imparting skills to the first time internet users in remote and inaccessible areas of rural India. Several alternative and innovative solutions some of them expensive are being deployed to overcome these challenges e. g. Power back-up through batteries charged by Solar panels, upgrading BSNL exchanges with RNS kits, installation of VSAT equipment, Mobil e Choupals, local caching of static content on website to stream in the dynamic content more efficiently, 247 helpdesk etc. Going forward, the roadmap includes plans to integrate bulk storage, handling amp; transportation facilities to improve logistics efficiencies. As Indias kissan Company, ITC has taken care to involve farmers in the designing and management of the entire e-Choupal initiative. The active participation of farmers in this rural initiative has created a sense of ownership in the project among the farmers. They see the e-Choupal as the new age cooperative for all practical purposes. This enthusiastic response from farmers has encouraged ITC to plan for the extension of the e-Choupal initiative to altogether 15 states across India over the next few years. On the anvil are plans to channelize other services related to micro-credit, health and education through the same e-Choupal infrastructure. Choupal Pradarshan Khet This brings the benefits of agricultural best practices to small and marginal farmers. Backed by intensive research and knowledge, this initiative provides Agri-extension services which are qualitatively superior and involves pro-active handholding of farmers to ensure productivity gains. The services are customized to meet local conditions, ensure timely availability of farm inputs including credit, and provide a cluster of farmer schools for apturing indigenous knowledge. This initiative, which has covered over 70,000 hectares, has a multiplier impact and reaches out to over 1. 6 million farmers. Another initiative by ITC Apart from eChoupal, ITC has also taken initiative to improve the financial conditions of the farmers who also rears cattle for a living. Although 70% of the rural population owns cattle, the quantity of milk produced is on the lower side because of the poor quality of the stock. ITC was quick enough to realize the high potential and opportunity trapped in this sector. They took the help of a NGO firm called BAIF Institute for Rural Development, a national NGO specializing in livestock development to improve the quality of cattle stock in the villages. ITC has focused on the small and landless farmers at the first stage. With the help of BAIF, superior quality of semen from Jersey and Holstein-Friesian cows is inseminated into the cattle which has resulted in better production of milk both quality and quantity wise. Quantity wise there has been an increase in 7-9 times in the milk produced thus enabling the farmers to invest further in dairy farming which has resulted in a substantial increase in average income and revenues. The milk produced is collected by co-operatives fostered by ITC who channels the milk to larger diaries connecting farmers to the major milk markets of the country. Project Shakti It is a unique case in point. HLL created a direct distribution network in hard-to-reach locales (markets without distribution coverage through traditional distributors and dealers). It seeks to empower the underprivileged rural women i. e. the women at the bottom of the Pyramid. * They selected entrepreneurial women from these difficult-to-penetrate villages and trained them to become distributors, providing education, advice and access to their products in villages. * These village women entrepreneurs, called Shakti Amma (empowered mother), have unique knowledge about the village needs and products in demand. * They earn between Rs. 3000 and Rs. 7000 per month and therefore create a new capacity to consume for themselves and their families. generating opportunities for 45,000 rural impoverished women and has also helped to increase the rural distribution of the Company * More importantly, these entrepreneurial women are increasingly becoming the educators and access points for the rural BOP consumers in their communities. A typical Shakti distributor sells products worth Rs 10,000-15,000 a month, which provides an income of Rs 700-1000 per month on a sustainabl e basis. While this may not seem to be a high income, it makes an enormous difference to women who live in remote villages in dire poverty. In many cases, earnings from Shakti help them double their household income. Much of the additional income goes to educating children, and also to purchasing consumer durables such as television sets, which further expands the rural market for such products. Some Shakti distributors whom the company calls entrepreneurs – invest the extra money in buying vehicles such as motor scooters that allow them to go into more villages. According to media reports, Shakti distributors now account for 15% of the companys sales in rural India. Meanwhile, the potential for growth is enormous, since studies have shown that just 15% of Indian consumers use products such as shampoo. According to Whartons Raju, there are behavioral reasons why rural consumers represent a sound bet for companies that are willing to invest in reaching them. Affluent consumers demonstrate that they have arrived by buying bigger houses or cars. People at lower income levels do so by buying premium brands. This means brand loyalty is very high among less affluent consumers. That is why the rural market is critical for companies. The first-mover advantage is significant. An initiative which helps support Project Shakti is the Shakti Vani programme. Under this programme, trained communicators visit schools and village congregations to drive messages on sanitation, good hygiene practices and women empowerment. This serves as a rural communication vehicle and helps the SA in their sales. Project Shakti is needed: 1) To extend direct reach into untapped markets: one of the aims of the project is to help the company to penetrate in rural untapped areas in partnership with Self Help Groups. ) To build Brand through local influence: To overcome the problem of limited media coverage, the company appointed the Shakti Entrepreneurs as the brand ambassador of its products. They are not just brand ambassadors but also generate sales of HUL products. 3) To Empower underprivileged women: HUL as a company is also well aware of its social obligation towards the society. Hence, through partnership with village level Self Help Groups, it provided sustainable livelihood opportunity to its members. The main advantage of the Shakti programme for HUL is its ability to enter those areas which remain hidden from any communications. Shakti Ammas are able to reach far flung areas, which were economically unviable for the company to tap on its own, besides being a brand ambassador for the company. Moreover, the company has ready consumers in the SAs who become users of the products besides selling them. Although the company has been successful in the initiative and has been scaling up, it faces problems from time to time for which it comes up with innovative solutions. For example, a problem faced by HUL was that the SAs were more inclined to stay at home and sell rather than going from door to door since there is a stigma attached to direct selling. Moreover, men were not liable to go to a womans house and buy products. The company countered this problem by hosting Shakti Days. Here an artificial market place was created with music and promotion and the ladies were able to sell their products in a few hours without encountering any stigma or bias. Other BOP Initiatives in India Amul made it possible for a farmer with one or two buffalo to connect with the national and global dairy markets and gave them a new identity. It receives milk collection at a centralized, efficient world class processing facility where it is pasteurized and packaged for retail consumption. It connected its practices and processes with Bottom of Pyramid, the villagers, maintained the local infrastructure and brought to them the most advanced facilities in their respective fields. Some other notable Indian businesses which have successfully tapped the fortune hidden at the bottom of the pyramid are Aravind Eye care systems and Jaipur foot. Aravind is the largest eye care facility in the world and it provides free eye treatment to nearly 60% of its patients who are poor. Still it has managed to remain profitable. Similarly, Jaipur Foot has successfully understood the requirements at BoP level and is one of the well-known prosthetics manufacturers in the world. Citigroup  found an innovative way to bring basic financial services to the poor. By using an ATM, networked, 24/7 model, Citigroup was the first global bank to offer a $25 deposit option to start an account. In its first year, 150,000 customers took advantage of the offer. Other Side of the Coin Stories of well-meaning commercial ventures that couldn’t make sustainable profits are also too common in low-income markets. Despite achieving healthy penetration rates of 5% to 10% in four test markets, for instance, Procter amp; Gamble couldn’t generate a competitive return on its Pur water-purification powder after launching the product on a large scale in 2001. Although the price—equivalent to 10 U. S. cents a sachet—provided a margin of about 50%, on par with that of the company’s products worldwide, Pamp;G gave up on Pur as a business in 2005 and announced that the sachets would be sold only to humanitarian organizations at cost. DuPont ran into similar problems with a venture piloted from 2006 to 2008 in Andhra Pradesh, India, by its subsidiary Solae, a global manufacturer of soy protein. Intended to alleviate malnutrition and open a new market for the company, the venture aimed to get mothers in rural areas and urban slums to cook with soy protein as part of their daily routine. The product mix consisted of small packets of protein isolate, which provided about half of woman’s average daily protein needs, and a range of packaged, soy-fortified snack foods all priced below 30 U. S. cents. The isolate’s margins were on a level with those of Solae’s core business-to-business products, but sales proved to be inconsistent. Sales were stronger for the snack foods, but the margins were significantly lower—so low, in fact, that the company would have had to sell quantities much higher than could have been absorbed by the communities within reach of the business. Unable to see a path to profitability, Solae closed the pilot. As these and other ventures suggest, cost structures in low-income markets are daunting: Operational expenses, such as distribution, are frequently much higher than those that companies face in developed markets. In addition, customer acquisition and retention for new products often demand unusually intense—and costly—levels of high-touch engagement. To cover those high costs, much greater volumes are needed for break-even. However, selling to customers in rural villages and in slums scattered across urban centers is difficult and inefficient. Each local business unit is forced to generate its sales volumes from the consumer base living in a narrow geographical range—often just a small cluster of villages in rural areas, or several neighborhoods in the case of larger slums. Research Methodology and Data Collection We have conducted primary and secondary research for an accurate understanding of the market and consumers at the bottom of the pyramid. As a part of our primary research, we conducted surveys in the rural areas around Delhi, so that we can get a clear picture of the market present at the bottom of the pyramid and how the BoP consumers behave. This has helped us draw a clear picture of the BoP market scenarios and how organizations across different sectors are implementing BoP products sales strategies to boost their sales volumes. The data for our analysis and inference was firsthand information that we got from the local ‘Kirana Stores’ about bottom of the pyramid products. We identified a number of issues and strategies that distributors and sellers tend to follow for the consumers at BoP, then we prepared a series of questionnaire to determine the following things:- 1. ) Demand of BoP products in the market. 2. ) Activities that companies undertake to make consumers more aware about their products and offerings. 3. ) Analysis of offers/discounts given by various brands/distributors to attract the consumers at BoP. . ) Purchasing pattern of the consumers present at BoP and how companies adopt measures such as packaging and offers to affect this pattern. 5. ) Behavior of consumers at BoP with respect to new products, brands, pricing, offers, packaging, advertisements etc. We split our survey in two parts: survey at the small ‘Kirana Stores’ and survey done among the consumers present at the BoP. We went to two different rural areas representing the population at BoP, namely Gopalpura village and Daya Basti and asked our questions. We intereacted with around 25 Kirana stores and 30 BoP consumers. Sectors and Products: We focused mainly on the FMCG goods and products offered by the small kirana stores in these areas. We asked our questions about various products such as Wheat flour, Incense Sticks, Soaps, Toothpaste and shampoos. We asked various questions pertaining to these products to the consumers as well as to the Kirana Stores. Questionnaire In the following portion we will give a brief about the questions that we asked from the Kirana stores for our research study. 1st question How old is your shop? Consumer trust and faith on a shopkeeper largely depends on how long has he been operating. This also affects the sales volume of that particular shop. 2nd question How often do consumers come to buy different products such as shampoo, biscuits, soap, toothpaste, hairoil etc This question given an important insight into the consumers present at BoP, as it tells us about the purchasing pattern of consumers and also of the demand of various products existing at BoP. 3rd question How do they react to different packaging of these products? Do they demand more for small packets/packing as compared to regular sized packing? This was a very important question, as it helps a lot in understanding the consumer behavior at BoP. Most of the consumers at BoP tend to buy products in small quantities and for lesser price , as they have either low incomes or are daily wage earners. 4th question What types of schemes/discounts/offers do companies and distributors offer for their product and what is the impact of these schemes on the sales of these products? This question was required to look into the details of how Indian FMCG firms are making their way into the BoP markets, by using lucrative discounts and offers for the these consumers. 5th question How is the distribution network/supply of various products of different FMCG brands? What are the profit margins present with each of these brands? This information was required to have an understanding about the supply chain network existing at the BoP for different brands and manufacturers, and the efficiency of these supply chain systems. We expected to gain insight about the number of visits by the distributor in a month, and the profit margins given by the distributors at these small kirana stores. 6th question How do the consumers ask for a product they want to buy? Do they ask for a specific brand or are satisfied with any local brands? We wanted to gauge the awareness among the consumers at BoP about various brands and whether they were aware about the positioning carried by the individual brands. 7th question How do the consumers react to the introduction of a new brand in the market? Are they keen to use it? How do the shopkeepers push that brand to the consumers? Does having a better profit margin motivate him to push or force a sale of one brand over the other? Shopkeepers have a big influence on the buying decision of consumers at BoP, as consumers are typically less informed about various brands and tend to put their faith on more knowledgeable shopkeeper. Also the motivation for selling one brand over other stems from better profit margin. 8th question Who are the regular customers for the products? Do people who look rich also come and buy smaller sized products? This question was asked to determine if there is a spill-over effect or not. We had some indications from where we comprehend that the BoP boundaries are getting extended to the upper class as well. 9th question What other factors contribute towards the sale of a product of a brand, like banners, posters, shelf space etc.? How important do these factors become in the light of consumers asking for smaller sized packages? Companies keep on coming with regular offers, campaigns and other schemes to lure consumers, especially at BoP. How much effective are these schemes and how they affect the behavior pattern of consumers, was something we intended to know. Questions from Consumers: We also put forward the following questions to some of the consumers we found in the villages we targeted. This was done, basically to have an understanding of the same concepts, but from the point of view of a BoP consumer. How often do you go to buy a product (toothpaste, soap, biscuits) * Do you always prefer a smaller sized product over a medium or large size? * Do you prefer to buy a branded product or local product? * Are you willing to try a new product introduced in the market? * How much is your purchase decision affected by the shopkeeper/offers/advertisement of that product? Based on the answers to the above mention ed extensive questionnaires and the analysis of data gathered from them, we were able to understand the expectation and behavior of customers at Bottom of the Pyramid. We also got an insight about how the Indian companies are faring at bottom of Pyramid. Results and Data Analysis: Some facts about the rural market that were observed during the research: * People in rural areas are aware of most of the brands like Fair and Lovely, Vivel, Sunfeast, Pepsodent, Sunsilk etc. * The common strategy used by most of the brands to reach the household of rural areas are: 1) Small packaging: * Aashirwad Aata- Pack of Rs 240/10kg, 125/5kg * Colgate- Rs 10/35g, Rs 35/100g, Rs 44/200g, * Mangaldeep Incense stics: pack of Rs 5 and Rs 10 Clinic Plus- small sachet of Rs1, Rs3 and Rs5 * Vivel- Rs 5/10g, Rs 10/25g, 2) Adding extra quantity at the same price: Quantity Scheme * Colgate: 20% extra * Wheel: 30% extra * Vaseline: 20% more 3) Discounts: Done on almost every product in every 2 months. 4) Bundle Offers: * Buy 1 Mangaldeep Incense stick and get an AIM matchbox free. (both brands of ITC). * Incesnse stick stand free with Mangaldeep Sticks. * Buy 3 get 1 free of fer on Breeze 5) Attractive Packaging: Colgate distributes a pack at Rs 38 and another at Rs44. The interesting fact is that the weight of both the packs are the same, just the packaging size is different. The pack for Rs 44 is slightly bigger than the other one which tricks the consumers. 6) Promotion: Posters and banners of the product on the shops. * Profit Margin: For new brands, the profit margin to the shopkeeper is more since people are not aware of brands which holds true for not only rural market, but urban retailers too. For eg, ITC is relatively a new brand compared to HUL and most of the shopkeeper get higher profit margin for it, 8-10% for ITC and 5% for HUL. Although local products offer much higher profits , about 25-50%, but they are one time sale in most of the places. * Consumer Awareness In rural area, sales of a branded product majorly depend upon consumer awareness about it. If the consumer is aware, he directly asks for the particular brand, if not the shopkeeper can easily trick him and give a duplicate or local product. Brands must keep in mind that they are selling the products to rural consumers who are price and quantity focused and do not get much attracted by the brand name. ence product which fulfils their immediate need is purchased by them. This can be illustrated by the example of Surf and Wheel. Both of them come at a price for Rs 10, but wheel is sold more since its pack has 150g of detergent powder compared to 70 g of Surf. Observation 1 The above chart clearly indicates the preference of consumers at BoP towards the products with smaller size packing. This is the primary reason that nearly every brand and manufactu rer has now started coming out with small packages of its products available in small denomination, generally single digit. This is an attractive feature for the BoP market. Obeservation 2 Would you like to try a new product? Would you like to try a new product? Would you prefer to buy a brand over a local product? Which factor affected your purchase decision the most? Which factor affected your purchase decision the most? The above two pie charts contain very useful information. The consumers at BoP do not hesitate to buy the new products in the market. This could be attributed to increased awareness due to the mass media. Also, they are more willing to buy a branded product as compared to a local product. The third pie chart shows the relevance that the shopkeepers carry in the BoP market. They are the biggest decision makers for around 50% of the sample. Conclusion and recommendations: After a thorough research into the working of HUL Shakti and ITC e-choupal, we were very much impressed by the real fortune that lies at the broad base of the pyramid, which had been neglected by most of the companies as rightly explained in the book by CK Prahalad. Also, our primary research also gave us a new insight into the markets at BoP, the forces that exists there and how do the consumers behave and make their purchasing decisions. We also learnt about the spillover effect of the products. We also realized the importance of small Kirana stores in the functioning of the entire BoP market and how they affect the decisions of the consumers. BoP consumers, though poor, but are increasingly becoming aware of their options and making informed decisions. It is also concluded that initially a company provides a higher margin for its product, when it is newly launched. But with time, it becomes normalized across the different variants of the same company. Our interaction with the retailers and the end consumers was a very good learning experience. We got a glimpse as to how does a retailer decides which product he has to push more. Also, how do the end consumers make their final decision, which is based on variety of factors. Though we also met people who said that they would buy any product which costs less, their number was far lesser than those claiming to use only branded products but mostly the one in smaller packing. Our primary recommendation from this market research is that companies do need to realize the bottom of the pyramid importance in their business profits. To tap the wealth present at BoP, they need to make some sustained, motivated efforts. But successful marketing measures would open a whole new dimension for such companies which would provide them with a continuous source of revenues.