Functionalist Theory Essay

The functionalist theory is one that views the society as one that is social system made up of interrelated components. Each of these components is important and works together towards the achievement of a whole complete society. A common analogy supporting the functionalist theory is the human body which has several body organs which usually work together with problems in one organ affecting the rest of the body. The major components within a society are customs, traditions, norms and institutions such as families. It is agreed among major functionalists that social institutions make the essential components of society with rules and regulations being needed so as to organize the society in an effective manner. Functionalism within the discipline of anthropology developed in the early 20th century as a reaction to the extremes of the diffusionist and evolutionary theories developed within the 19th century (Goldschmidt 1996). The change was as a result of a change in focus from the more speculative diachronic examination of cultural traits and social customs as survivals to a more synchronic examination of the various social institutions existing within functioning societies. Functionalists were attempting to increase socio-cultural examination beyond the limits of the evolutionary notion of social history which viewed cultural traits and social customs as the residual pieces of cultural history. The theory has anthropological roots based on the thoughts and works of Bronislaw Malinowski, who argued that social institutions existed so as to meet the physiological needs of individuals within a society. As such, social stability was achieved by ensuring the needs of the individuals comprising the society were met with adequate knowledge of the feelings and motives of these individuals forming a basis for understanding how the society functioned. He viewed culture as the main element that ensured the needs of the members of a society were met. It is also based on the works of Alfred Radcliffe-Brown who argued that the basic divisions of anthropology were the various processes of human life within a social structure interlinked through interactions. Stability within society was therefore achieved through social practices that would repeat themselves and develop overtime supporting each other. As such, he theorized functional analysis as the attempt to understand social stability by observing how these social practices would fit together. The functionalist theory is also based on the thoughts and works of major social positivists and was first theorized by Auguste Comte following the French revolution which resulted in social malaise. This led him to see the need for social cohesion within society. This was followed by the works of Emile Durkheim that advanced the theory of organic solidarity, whose major emphasis was on the fundamental function that ethical consensus played in ensuring social order as well as building an equilibrium within society. His main concern was how certain societies were able to maintain stability and be able to survive hence proposed that such societies are usually have subdivisions with the separate divisions being held mutually by common values and symbols. In addition, Talcott Parsons argued that a social system is usually one that is comprised of the actions of individuals who are faced with a variety of choices which in turn are influenced by several social and physical factors. He posited a social system that had four types of action systems which included culture, personality, organismic, and society, with each these four systems having to satisfy four functional needs which were latency, adaptation, integration, and goal attainment. His analysis involved studying the processes and trade offs of social structures within and between the four system levels (Turner and Maryanski 1991). Central principles in the functionalist theory Functionalist analysis studies the social importance of phenomena. It seeks to examine the various functions that these phenomena serve within a society in order to preserve the whole (Jarvie, 1973). According to Malinowski, the major concepts included: †¢ Understanding behavior based on an individual’s motivation in addition to both rational and irrational behavior; †¢ Recognizing the interrelationship of the various items which comprised a culture forming a system; and †¢ Recognizing a particular item and identifying its function within the contemporary operation of a culture. Radcliffe-Brown based his works on those of Emile Durkheim who had posited that social phenomena comprised a domain of reality that was independent of any biological or psychological facts. As such, social phenomena have to be explained in terms of the other social phenomena occurring within the domain (Broce, 1973). Radcliffe-Brown therefore studied the circumstances under which the various social structures are upheld within society. He developed an analogy between organic life and social life in order to be able to explain the idea of function hence placing emphasis on the contribution of phenomena to preserving social order. Functional analysis has given value to social institutions. This is because it considers them as integrated and active components of a social system and not as simple customs (Langness, 1987). Functionalism has also contributed to the current idea that traditional usages have been formed by the necessity that human beings have to live collectively in harmony. Its emphasis on exhaustive fieldwork has offered an in-depth study of human societies. In addition, the study of functional interrelationship between institutions and customs has provided a framework for collecting information on how societies function. Major criticisms There have been several criticisms raised against the functionalist theory leading to its decline. The functionalist theory has been criticized for its major ignorance towards historical process in addition to its presumption that societies exists in an equilibrium state (Goldschmidt, 1996). Interactionist theorists have criticized this theory due to its failure to conceptualize sufficiently the multifaceted nature of individual actors and the methods of interaction within societies. Marxist theorists have criticized functionalism due to its conservativism and the fixed nature of examination used that underlined the role of social phenomena in the preservation of the status-quo within society (Holmwood, 2005). Constructionist theorists have criticized functionalism due to the use of classificatory theories that characterized phenomena based on their functions (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). Responses to Critiques Comparative functionalism, developed by Walter Goldschmidt, attempts to respond to the difficulties that have developed as a result of Malinowski’s argument that a culture can be comprehended on its own with institutions been seen as products of the various cultures within which they were created. Comparative functionalism seeks to understand institutional differences between cultures by examining phenomena within the different cultures and the problems experienced in these societies. This approach is worthwhile since it is aware of the universality of the functions to which social institutions are a response to. Problems are usually consistent from one culture to another culture, but the institutional solutions that will be needed will vary from one culture to another (Holmwood, 2005). As such, one begins with analyzing the problem so as to find out how institutional procedures provide solutions. Neo-functionalism is an attempt to revise British structural-functionalism. Some neo-functionalists seek to analyze phenomena based on particular functional requisites. Other neo-functionalists focus on matters of social integration, social evolution, and social differentiation. Others examine how the various cultural processes such as rituals, values, and ideologies integrate with social structures. However, neo-functionalism places little emphasis on how phenomena are able to meet system needs (Turner and Maryanski, 1991). This approach is worthwhile since it provides a bridge between human behavior, which frequently involves cooperation, and natural selection, where individual interaction involves competition more than cooperation. References Broce, G. (1973). History of Anthropology. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Goldschmidt, W. (1996). Functionalism. In Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology, Vol 2. David Levinson and Melvin Ember, eds. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Holmwood, J. (2005). Functionalism and its Critics, in Harrington, A. Modern Social Theory: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jarvie, I. C. (1973). Functionalism. Minneapolis: Burgess Publishing Company. Kuper, A. (1996). Anthropology and Anthropologists. London: Routledge. Langness, L. (1987). The Study of Culture. Novato, California: Chandler & Sharp Publishers, Inc. Turner, J. H. & Maryanski, A. (1991). Functionalism. In Borgatta, E. F, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Vol 2. New York: MacMillan Publishing Company.

System Tray Delphi Application

System Tray Delphi Application Take a look at your Task Bar. See the area where the time is located? Are there any other icons there? The place is called the Windows System Tray. Would you like to place your Delphi applications icon there? Would you like that icon to be animated - or reflect the state of your application? This would be useful for programs that are left running for long periods of time with no user interaction (background tasks you typically keep running on your PC all day long). What you can do is to make your Delphi applications look as if they are minimizing to the Tray (instead of to the Task Bar, right to the Win Start button) by placing an icon in the tray and simultaneously making your form(s) invisible. Lets Tray It Fortunately, creating an application that runs in the system tray is pretty easy - only one (API) function, Shell_NotifyIcon, is needed to accomplish the task. The function is defined in the ShellAPI unit and requires two parameters. The first is a flag indicating whether the icon is being added, modified, or removed, and the second is a pointer to a TNotifyIconData structure holding the information about the icon. That includes the handle of the icon to show, the text to show as  a tool tip when the mouse is over the icon, the handle of the window that will receive the messages of the icon and the message type the icon will send to this window. First, in your main forms Private section put the line:TrayIconData: TNotifyIconData; type TMainForm class(TForm) procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject); private TrayIconData: TNotifyIconData; { Private declarations }public{ Public declarations }end; Then, in your main forms OnCreate method, initialize the TrayIconData data structure and call the Shell_NotifyIcon function: with TrayIconData dobegin cbSize : SizeOf(TrayIconData); Wnd : Handle; uID : 0; uFlags : NIF_MESSAGE NIF_ICON NIF_TIP; uCallbackMessage : WM_ICONTRAY; hIcon : Application.Icon.Handle; StrPCopy(szTip, Application.Title); end; Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_ADD, TrayIconData); The Wnd parameter of the TrayIconData structure points to the window that receives notification messages associated with an icon.   The hIcon points to the icon we want to add to the Tray - in this case, Applications main icon is used.The szTip holds the Tooltip text to display for the icon - in our case the title of the application. The szTip can hold up to 64 characters.The uFlags parameter is set to tell the icon to process application messages, use the applications icon and its tip. The uCallbackMessage points to the application-defined message identifier. The system uses the specified identifier for notification messages that it sends to the window identified by Wnd whenever a mouse event occurs in the bounding rectangle of the icon. This parameter is set to WM_ICONTRAY constant defined in the interface section of the forms unit and equals: WM_USER 1; You add the icon to the Tray by calling the Shell_NotifyIcon API function. The first parameter NIM_ADD adds an icon to the Tray area. The other two possible values, NIM_DELETE and NIM_MODIFY are used to delete or modify an icon in the Tray - well see how later in this article. The second parameter we send to the Shell_NotifyIcon is the initialized TrayIconData structure. Take One If you RUN your project now youll see an icon near the Clock in the Tray. Note three things.   1) First, nothing happens when you click (or do anything else with the mouse) on the icon placed in the Tray - we havent created a procedure (message handler), yet.2) Second, there is a button on the Task Bar (we obviously dont want it there).3) Third, when you close your application, the icon remains in the Tray. Take Two Lets solve this backward. To have the icon removed from the Tray when you exit the application, you have to call the Shell_NotifyIcon again, but with the NIM_DELETE as the first parameter. You do this in the OnDestroy event handler for the Main form. procedure TMainForm.FormDestroy(Sender: TObject);begin Shell_NotifyIcon(NIM_DELETE, TrayIconData);end; To hide the application (applications button) from the Task Bar well use a simple trick. In the Projects source code add the following line: Application.ShowMainForm : False; before the Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm); E.g let it look like: ...begin Application.Initialize; Application.ShowMainForm : False; Application.CreateForm(TMainForm, MainForm); Application.Run;end. And finally, to have our Tray icon respond to mouse events, we need to create a message handling procedure. First, we declare a message handling procedure in the public part of the form declaration: procedure TrayMessage(var Msg: TMessage); message WM_ICONTRAY; Second, the definition of this procedure looks like: procedure TMainForm.TrayMessage(var Msg: TMessage);begincase Msg.lParam of WM_LBUTTONDOWN: begin ShowMessage(Left button clicked - lets SHOW the Form!); MainForm.Show; end; WM_RBUTTONDOWN: begin ShowMessage(Right button clicked - lets HIDE the Form!); MainForm.Hide; end; end;end; This procedure is designed to handle only our message, the WM_ICONTRAY. It takes the LParam value from the message structure which can give us the state of the mouse upon the activation of the procedure. For the sake of simplicity well handle only left mouse down (WM_LBUTTONDOWN) and right mouse down (WM_RBUTTONDOWN). When the left mouse button is down on the icon we show the main form, when the right button is pressed we hide it. Of course, there are other mouse input messages you can handle in the procedure, like, button up, button double click etc. Thats it. Quick and easy. Next,  youll see how to animate the icon in the Tray and how to have that icon reflect the state of your application. Even more, youll see how to display a pop-up menu near the icon.

Financial Overview For the Global Venture PowerPoint Presentation

Financial Overview For the Global Venture - PowerPoint Presentation Example Times have changed and the world has become a global village where internet should be used as an effective tool for marketing the product and managing other resources while making sure that its done in a careful manner in order to avoid cybercrime or theft of confidential information to the competitors. The mission statement of Company A focuses on being the market leader in energy drinks industry while operating in an effective and profitable manner and at the same time providing an organizational culture that supports employees input and gives them their deserved recognition. Company A intends to work on SMART goals that mean being Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based and at the same time developing the objectives of growth, business development and fulfilling their obligations to society.SWOT analysis of Brazil demonstrates that they the major strengths of Brazil lie in high economic growth and fully developed infrastructures which are crucial for any new start- up company or a product launch. Weaknesses lie in complex regulatory mechanisms, fluctuations in the business cycle and complicated foreign investment policies. On the other hand, economic stability and abundance of hydroelectricity are considered to be the main opportunities in the Brazilian market. Lastly, two major threats include HIV which although is declining but still has a huge absolute number and high-interest rates.Based on the analysis, Brazil appears to be a profitable market/economy for Company A to launch their energy drink.

Appeal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Appeal - Essay Example Therefore, I and my younger sister have suffered severe anxiety and melancholy afterward. My younger sibling has become suicidal after this tragic incident as she could not accept the realistic fact of death. Previously my younger sibling lived in Canada for her studies, but after her several attempts of suicide; I could not leave her on her own, took her under my wings. Right now, I am struggling with my own anxiety, focusing on my sister’s rehabilitation and trying to be empathetic towards my father. I am physically and sentimentally exhausted and could not focus on my studies, which resulted in low grades. After my mother’s demise, my father urges me to return to Korea as he also feels lonely and gloomy. I have become sleep deprived and struggling with emotional and physical demands of my family every day and in the meantime barely getting any sleep like a normal person. I have visited counseling center for the same sake and received medical assistance from the hospi tal as well. I do not want to leave my studies in between as I have always been eager to complete my graduation from the University. However, I am trying to recover from the tragic incident and struggling to manage my family life and studies for which I will need your support and empathy as well. If I am reinstated, I will focus much better on my schoolwork, take fewer hours, and manage my time more wisely. Fortunately, my father is recovering and has returned to work, so I should not need to travel home nearly as often.

Contemporary Management Practice (with IT focus) - Assignment 2 Essay

Contemporary Management Practice (with IT focus) - Assignment 2 - Essay Example advantage over others by gaining markets and customers, organisational managers must now deeply study complex scenarios and technology as well as technology change to allocate organisational resources in a strategic manner. This essay presents a discussion about the impact of technology on the way in which organisations are now managed. I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. The main content of the study which has been presented contains work that has not previously been reported anywhere. Within the recent past, the practice of management has undergone a change which was brought about as a result of intense competition, globalisation and developments in technology including information technology, e-commerce and the Internet etc (Tassabehji, 2007, Pp. 15). Computing power that was made available as a result of advances in technology on a broad front made it possible for managers to use tools of corporate finance and capital market analysis as well as management information systems and decision support systems to assist them to make better and more informed decisions (Kochan, 2003, Chapter 1). Computer modelling based on operations research and statistics became an important tool for the modelling of complex situations to provide a feel for the human decision makers. Database technology enabled organisations to maintain, process and to rapidly access huge quantities of data that was of interest to organisations. It is now necessary to manage technology and the process of technology innovation, with work taking on a new meaning and management-employee relations being guided on the basis of principles of economics and behavioural science. Knowledge management is now important and the rapidly escalating prices of energy and food pose new challenges for business. Technology is now said to be moving towards a convergence of information science, life science and nanotechnology.

The Dublin environment and entrapment within it Essay Example for Free

The Dublin environment and entrapment within it Essay Dubliners: The stories are variations on the theme of rebellion from the Dublin environment and entrapment within it. Discuss how these themes (rebellion/entrapment) are explored in at least THREE of the stories in the collection. Throughout Dubliners the themes of rebellion from the Dublin environment and entrapment within it occur in each story. One story where the protagonists are particularly trapped is Two gallants where Corley and Lenehan are stuck in a vicious cycle involving easy money for drink and easy women for sex, their rebellion from the mundane life of Dublin. Similarly, Gallaher in A Little Cloud is an immoral character but he has escaped Dublin ans by contrast, Little Chandler is trapped with an unhappy marriage and thwarted ambition. The title of Two Gallants is highly ironic, with neither of the central characters being close to gallant, in fact they are the least respectable in the entire collection. The story is in the adolescent phase of the novel though Corley and Lenehan are in their thirties; Joyce describes Lenehans hair as scant and grey showing him to be prematurely aged, exacerbating the contrast between their maturity and their age. This arrested development is an important element in their entrapment, as they are stuck at a level of maturity short of their age, their development paralysed. Moreover, their amoral behaviour is like an unconscious rebellion against the dismal nature of their existence. Joyces intention to portray Dublin in a very negative light is conveyed clearly in this story, not only through the leech like Lenehan and large, globular Corley, but also with his description of Dublin. The circular structure of the story reflects the entrapment of the characters. The fact that Lenehan, with nothing better to do, just wanders the streets, getting nowhere adds to the idea that there is no escape from Dublin. In addition to the circular structure, Joyce refers explicitly to circles. The word circulated is used in the first line and later Lenehans gaze was fixed on the large faint moon circled with a double halo. To consolidate the circular idea, Joyce later refers to a girl Corley used to see off the south circular. The unity of a circle is eternal and confined, like the misery of Dublin. In A Little Cloud, Little Chandler is trapped, not only in the stagnant Dublin but in a miserable marriage: He looked coldly into the eyes of the photograph [of Annie, his wife] and they answered coldly. Certainly they were pretty and the face was pretty. But he found something mean in it. He is in awe of Gallaher who has experienced and seen the world outside Dublin; Gallaher rebelled against Dublin by escaping. Though he is no longer trapped in the city, like the protagonists in Two Gallants, he is another example of arrested development, trapped instead in the adolescent stage of his life. Little Chandler is similarly in a state of arrested development with his child-like characteristics including his hands, which are white and small, also his voice was quietand when he smiled you caught a glimpse of a row of childish white teeth. Little Chandler has his own rebellion at the end of the story when he finds a disturbing outlet for his frustration. Joyce uses the technique of the interior monologue to convey Little Chandlers great anger: It was useless, useless! He was a prisoner for life. His arms trembled with anger and suddenly bending to the childs face he shouted: Stop!' This act, which borders on violence from Chandler whose manners were refined, illustrates the great extent of his dissatisfaction. This lack of fulfilment stems from the entrapment he feels from living in Dublin, which in turn implies the severity of Dublins stagnancy. Another story in the collection with the themes of rebellion and entrapment is Counterparts where Farrington, the protagonist, is trapped like Chandler in an unfulfilling career as a clerk. Farrington spends an inordinate sum on alcohol in the story but at the end of the night he felt humiliated and discontented; he did not even feel drunk. This emphasises the pointlessness of his existence as he drinks to alleviate the monotony of his life, but the money he earns from his unfulfilling job is not even sufficient to make him drunk. Farrington also provides a parallel to Little Chandler in his loveless marriage: His wife was a little sharp-faced women who bullied her husband when he was sober and was bullied by him when he was drunk. In addition, he likewise takes out his rage on his son but the two characters differ considerably as, unlike Chandler, Farrington does seem to be a violent man. He struck his son vigorously with the stick as opposed to Chandler whose cheeks suffused with shameand tears of remorse started to his eyes. A further example would be the entrapment in Eveline which is less metaphorical than in the other mentioned stories, as she is trapped by duty to her abusive father, in addition to her mental prison like that of the other protagonists. She fears the unknown, preferring to embrace a future of certain misery than an uncertain pursuit of happiness: It was hard work a hard life but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life. Each story in the collection contains reference to either rebellion or entrapment, implying Joyces anti-Dublin opinions. It is made clear that without leaving Irelands capital, it is impossible to prosper or advance, a prime example being the Two Gallants arrested development or Little Chandlers and Farringtons increasing frustration resulting in violence. Joyce explores these central themes in detail and uses the ideas of rebellion and frustration to comment on the disparity of Dublin, reiterating repeatedly that people become trapped: You could do nothing in Dublin. Gallaher, however has achieved escape and although Chandler initially elevates him, his vulgarity is exposed leaving the reader uncertain as to whether true success, even outside Dublin, is possible for the Dubliners.

Changing Face Of Rural Consumer In Emerging Markets Economics Essay

Changing Face Of Rural Consumer In Emerging Markets Economics Essay India is growing at an average annual rate of 7.6 for the past many years and it is expected to continue growing at an equal if not faster rate. The rapid economic growth is increasing and enhancing employment and business opportunities and in turn increasing disposable incomes. The rural consumers in India account for about 73 percent of the total consumers. In recent years, the lifestyle of a large number of rural consumers in India has changed dramatically and the process of change is going on. The buying behaviour of the rural consumers is influenced by several factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural environment, literacy level, occupation, geographical location, efforts on the part of sellers, exposure to media etc. As the benefits of growth trickle down, an increasing number of people are moving up from the economically weaker class to join the middle class. The middle class with its rising numbers and incomes is thus becoming the biggest market segment. The affluent class too will continue to grow in terms of size and value, albeit, at a slower pace than the middle class. Most of the companies are going rural because of large and diverse markets, increase in literacy level and changing life style of the people. Even globalization and liberalization expanded the Indian rural market. Several studies have shown that rural consumers are generally ignorant and they are also unorganised. Under these circumstances, the sellers or the manufacturers, exploit the consumers. Though, the consumers in India have been provided with various safety measures against their exploitation. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the changing face of rural consumer in emerging markets. Key Words: Globalisation, Rural Consumer, Rural Market, Rural Potential. Introduction Rural consumers in emerging markets of developing countries are among the largest and fastest growing segments of the worlds population. In a country like India, where a substantial number of the rural people are living below poverty line, having high level of unemployment and poor literacy level; consumer awareness continues to remain low. Above all about 70 percent of Indias population lives in rural areas. There are about 6, 38,365 villages in the country as against about 300 cities and 5,161 towns. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, as per the Census 2011. Even in urban areas, a large number of people live in slums whose life is not better than those living in rural areas. This clearly highlights that India is still dominated by rural population. There were 7,935 towns in 2011 as against 5,161 in 2001. About 13.3% of Indias population and 42.6% of urban population reside in 53 cities having more than a million people, wh ile the remaining 7,882 cities account for 47.4% of the urban population. There has been a steady increase in the number of cities from 5 in 1951 to 35 in 2001 to 53 in 2011 having a population of more than 10 lacs. About 31% of the urban population lives in the top-20 cities and about 51% of the countrys urban population lives in the top-100 cities.4 A report on survey conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) says that there are 720 million consumers across the villages in rural India. Hence, the development of the nation largely depends upon the development of the rural population. Agriculture is the main occupation of the rural people for their subsistence. It has been observed in the report that the condition of the rural consumers is deplorable because they are being exploited in the rural markets on account of lack of competition among the sellers. Although the rural consumers face various problems like fake brands and spurious products, misleading advertisements, unfair warranties and guarantees, and unreasonable pricing but it hardly affects their passion to buying because they want to buy those products which reflect their prosperity level. Similarly, with globalization and liberalization, rural market in India expanded its potentialities across the world. Globalization describes a process by whi ch regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. Globalization can be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant locations in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa. Globalization generally means integrating our economy with the economy of world. Globalization had its impact on various sectors including agricultural, industrial, financial, health and many others. Globalization has helped in: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Raising the living standards of people, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Alleviating of poverty, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Assuring food security, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creating a market for expansion of industry and services, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Making substantial contribution to the national economic growth. Globalization has brought in many varieties to choose from i.e. it has given a wide range of products to choose. The rise of rural market has been the most important marketing phenomenon of 1990s, providing volume growth to all leading companies. Objectives To examine the reasons why companies are going rural. To study the changing face of rural consumers To analyse the present scenario. To study the initiatives taken by some leading companies in the area of rural marketing. Data Collection The study is based upon secondary data which has been collected from various text books, journals, reports etc. Besides, a few websites have also been consulted. Potential of Rural Market Now-a-days, every company is excited about the potential of rural India and trying to get a grip on the rural market because the urban market is showing the sign of saturation. But the challenges are many: how to make the product affordable, how to penetrate villages with small population, connectivity, communication, language barrier, overcoming spurious brands etc. The reasons for companies going rural are manifold. Increasing rural incomes driven by agricultural growth, increasing enrolment in primary schools, high penetration of TV and other mass media which has increased the propensity to consume branded and value added products in rural areas. As per a study conducted by the Market information Survey of Households (MISH) and NCAER rural India is quietly transforming and growing and becoming different. Today the rural market offers a vast untapped potential. According to a McKinsey survey conducted in 2007, rural India would become bigger than the total consumer market of many countries such as South Korea or Canada in another 20 years. Marketers and manufacturers are becoming aware of the increasing purchasing powers, vast size and demand base of the once neglected Indian hinterland. They are now making efforts to understand the attitude of rural consumer. While entering the rural market companies are also resorting to CSR- Corporate Social Responsibility activities, thus helping the poor not only to augment their income but promote their products also. For example, Hindustan Unilivers Project Shakti not only brings revenues to the company but also assist poor rural women to become income earners by selling the companys product in the rural markets. It provides entrepreneurial opportunity and thus improves the living standard of rural women. It is a win-win situation for the company as well as for the consumers. Some major companies that have focused in Indian rural sector so far are Asian Paints, PG, and Bajaj Auto, LG electronics, Coca Cola, Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, Philips, Colgate, ITC and LIC. We are sti ll to understand the rural consumer, his attitudes, and his habits, particularly from the marketing point of view. Following points explain the reasons why companies are going rural i.e. what attracts them: Large and Scattered market Major income from agriculture Low standard of living Traditional Outlook Diverse socio-economic backwardness Infrastructure Facilities High Growth Rate Facts about the Indian Rural Market The following facts are gathered from the analysis done by National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) about the rural India: Rural India constitutes 70% of Indias total population. It accounts for 56% of national income. It contributes to 1/3rd of Indias total savings. It accounts for 64% of total expenditure. Rural economy is estimated to reach a size of Rs 18 trillion by 2012-2013 as against Rs 12 trillion in 2007-2008. Rural consumers share of total ownership of low cost items like bicycles, pressure cookers and watches during 1995-96 was 60%. The share of rural India in the FMCG market is around 53% and is expected to reach 60% in future. Why focus on rural consumer? It is found that companies have expanded in rural areas because they are able to ward off competition, generate a new demand and in turn increase their sales or profits as well. The rural India offers a tremendous market potential. In fact, rural markets are the new markets offering both durable and non-durable products. Long-term perspective of marketing planning with modern approach is essential for their future growth. The Indian rural market is a goldmine, which needs to be explored. Rural consumers behaviour needs to be understood and products specially designed to suit the rural lifestyle.  The key business players are ecstatic about the immense market potential in Indias rural areas. It is also believed that major changes have taken place in the economic fundamentals, decrease in agricultural dependence, and increase in average income, life style, standard of living of the rural due to high economic growth rate. Business tycoons plan huge investments focused on rural areas, as part of growth of rural strategy. Rural India has witnessed a wave of change in recent times. Rural markets dominate Indian marketing scene and they need special attention for the expansion of marketing activities. With media exposure and increasing literacy levels, people are now demanding a better lifestyle. Figure shown below depicts the consumer Indias confluence of change in this regard. Figure: Consumer Indias Confluence of Change The changing shape of income distribution suggests growth in rural incomes which in turn should herald a consumption boom. Now-a-days, liberalisation, comfort with technology, changed attitude of people especially middle income group, alongwith rise in aspiration, the rural India is going beyond agriculture and is creating a new market for mass consumption. The figure given below depicts that with the increase in income, the rural people are moving from lower to lower middle, lower middle to middle; middle to upper middle and upper middle to upper level as far as income and spending are concerned. Figure: Rural Percent of each income group The coming together of a diverse set of economic, demographic and social change waves-point towards the fact that a brave new market is here. Table 1shows the demand for consumer durables in rural India. Inspite of the lower penetration and lower per capita purchase of consumer goods by rural people when compared to that of urban Indians, marketers are attracted towards rural markets because of large population (Table II) Table 1: Demand for Consumer Durables in Rural India (% of all India) Consumer Durables 1995-96 2001-02 2009-10 Scooters 33.1 39.4 39.9 Automobiles 37.9 36.0 37.9 Television 54.0 54.5 44.2 White goods 23.8 23.9 23.7 Fans 50.0 56.9 56.7 Low Cost items 58.1 60.1 61.3 Source: NCAER Table 1 explain the position from 1995-96 to 2009-10. The demand for the consumer durables in case of automobiles, white goods, low cost items is more or less is same, but there is an increased trend in fans, scooters etc. Table II: Comparative Sizes of Rural and Urban Markets Particulars Urban Rural Population 2001-2002 (million households ) 53 135 Population 2009-2010 (million households ) 69 153 % of All India Population 28 72 Market ( Number of town/Villages ) 3768 627000 Western consumer-focused companies are growing impatient as they seek out the opportunity to sell their products both in Indias major cities as well as to consumers in rural areas.  Companies should proceed with caution when marketing their products to Indias rural consumers   http://blog.frontierstrategygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Rural-India.png Present Scenario Rural markets are witnessing value growth. That is rural consumers are willing to go for premium brands in any product category. Rural market is providing ample options to its consumer in terms of tastes, choices which are changing. The three most important factors are: Change in consumption pattern Change in life style Change in behavior of rural consumer In this regard, many large sized corporations have seen great success in rural areas because of innovative strategies like smaller packaging (Fast Moving Consumer Goods FMCG companies have creams and soaps priced at Rs5, hair oil and shampoo sachets at Re1 and small Coke at Rs5), customized development and positioning and a good distribution network. The rural India success story is being replicated across a range of sectors in the rural markets. Thus, the sales of FMCG products in rural markets is growing at a fast pace, even faster than that in urban markets. Nielsen estimates that by 2025, the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market in rural India will hit $100 billion and that inflation and pricing will be outstripped by consumption. Presently, the rural market has more than 70 percent of toilet soaps, 50 % share of total sales of TV sets, Fans, Pressure Cookers, Bicycles, Washing soap, Blades, Tea, Salt and Tooth Powder  and 38 percent of all two-wheelers were purchased in rural areas. Rural India consumers hold a major share in many categories. Bijoor adds some growth numbers. Our rural folk have bought a lot more of FMCG; this part of the market has grown at a robust rate of 23% [over last year i.e., 2008-09], he says. As durables shrink in urban India, the rural market is witnessing a 15% growth rate. Some 60% of the durables market lies in rural India. Telecom in rural India is growing at 31%. It depends on the product, of course. Just the sheer population numbers dont mean very much from a marketing point of view, says Garudachar of Voltas. Statistics presented at the meet assessed the market size for nail polish at around Rs. 270 million in rural areas as against only 81 million in the urban area. Same i s the case with lipstick and face creams. This is mainly due to the rise in the disposable income of an average rural family. These itself bring awesome opportunities to the investors in rural markets.14 Various initiatives have been taken by the companies like: Nirma the first FMCG Company which initiated and produced goods according to the rural consumers in 1970. It changed the whole Indian FMCG scene. A number of companies such as Hindustan Lever, Coca Cola, LG Electronics, followed suit to expand their base in rural market. Maruti Suzuki introduced various innovative schemes such as a) Wheels of India scheme for State government employees which led to the sales of more than 5000 automobiles; b) Another scheme called Ghar Ghar Me Maruti: Mera Sapna Meri Maruti is targeted at the customer segment consisting of village panchayat members who are highly influential and respected in rural areas and nearby towns. This scheme increased Maruti sales by 16600 units; c) Other schemes Maruti are steel wheels for steel industry employees, 1 class officer for Indian Railways employees and Teacher Plus schemes for teachers. Gaon Chalo By Tata Tea: Gaon Chalo is another distinctive rural marketing initiative started in 2006 in the Uttar Pradesh by Tata tea for penetrating the rural market, the company partnered with NGO. This project has created employment opportunities to the youth in villages and small towns. Tata tea consolidated its market share in rural areas and it rose from 18% to 26.6%. Dabur India Ltd has also tied up Indian Oil Corporation. According to agreement between the two companies, IOC retail outlets all over the country will stock and sell Daburs products consisting of oral care, health care, personal wash, skin care and home care products. This helps Dabur in reaching millions of rural customers. There are 1600 such IOC outlets across India. According to report entitled India Retail Report 2009 by Images FR Research, Indias rural market offer a sea of opportunity for the retail sector? Presently, India is globally the fifth largest life insurance market in the emerging insurance economies. 78 percent households in rural India are having awareness about life insurance and just 24 percent are policy holders. The Indian pharmaceuticals market is regarded as one of the fastest growing in the world. According to a report by McKinsey, entitled Indian Pharma 2015, the rural and tier-2 pharma market will account for almost half of the growth till 2015. According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, India is having more than 826.93 million mobile phones and 35.55 million landlines in April 2011, which is about 70.23 percent. Out of this about 40 percent are from rural areas, and by 2012, rural users will account for over 60 percent of the total telecom subscriber base in India. Thus, India has witnessed a n increase in the purchasing power of consumers, accompanied by their desire to upgrade their standard of living. Today the rural market offers a vast untapped potential. With the rapid growth of rural market, the quantum of consumer grievances also increases simultaneously. The main problems faced by rural consumers are related to adulteration, lack of safety, quality in appliances and equipment, unfair warranties, unreasonable pricing etc. The Department of Consumer Affairs of the Government of India and various state governments has undertaken a number of innovative measures to protect rights of rural consumers. The Indian Consumer Protection Act 1986 ensure better protection of rights and interest of people who are consumers in one way or the other from the exploitation of trade and industries. Consumer disputes redressal mechanism (popularly known as consumer courts) are set up under the Act at district, state and national level to provide simple, inexpensive and quick redressa l of consumer complaints. Although they are in urban areas but in rural areas, there is Panchayati Raj- a three-tier system with elected bodies at the Village, Taluk and District levels. Conclusion Today, rural consumers are not only buying to fulfill their basic needs but also taking care of higher needs of comfort and socialization. Moreover, they are getting more conscious about health and that they have the extra money to spend on such products. Consumer behaviour which is related to likes and dislikes and expectations of the consumers has changed in recent years owing to enhanced awareness, information technology and more importantly governmental intervention through legislations. The buying behaviour of the rural consumers is influenced by several factors such as socio-economic conditions, cultural environment, literacy level, occupation, geographical location, efforts on the part of sellers, exposure to media etc. Thus, the manufacturers are more cautious in dealing with consumers of their respective products.  A recent study by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) suggests that if India continues to grow at the current pace, average household incomes will triple over t he next two decades and it will become the worlds 5th-largest consumer economy by 2025, up from 12th now. Mahatma Gandhi said, A consumer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favour to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favour by giving us opportunity to serve him. Keeping these words in mind, there is an urgent need to address the concerns of the rural consumers and the only way forward is to involve the available constitutional mechanism of Panchayati Raj Institutions.