Energy Crisi in Pakistan

Tarbela’s 4th extension project to add 1410 MW Posted by  admin  on August 22, 2011  in  PkToday  |  0 Comment ISLAMABAD (APP) – The total generation capacity of the Tarbela Hydropower Station will touch 4,888 megawatt mark with the addition of 1,410 MW as a result of 4th extension project. Official sources told APP on Sunday that the detailed engineering design, tender documents and PC-1 of the Tarbela 4th Extension Project were in active progress and would be completed by next month and would cost $5. 5 million provided by the World Bank.M/S Mott MacDonald (UK) was hired for the detailed engineering design of the project. The sources said that the project would take four years after award of the contract. They said the project would not only generate additional 1410 MW cheap hydel power but also save foreign exchange of $ 900 million spent on import of one million tons of furnace oil annually for equivalent generation of electricity from thermal resources. The World Bank has also shown interest in financing civil works and generating units of the project during the construction, they said.The project will also provide a cushion to undertake rehabilitation and up-gradation of the existing Tarbela Power House during the lean period. It is pertinent to mention that Tarbela`s 4th Extension Project is a part of least-cost energy generation plan, being implemented by WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) on priority to harness indigenous hydropower resources of the country with a view to improving the ratio of hydel electricity in the national grid. 50 MW coal power plant being installed in SIEPosted by  admin  on September 23, 2011  in  PkToday  |  1 Comment Punjab Industrial Estates (PIE) has completed initial work to install the first ever 50 megawatt (MW) coal power generation plant in Sundar Industrial Estate (SIE) in Lahore while process of getting license from NEPRA is underway. For this purpose, the Board of Dir ector of PIE has established a power committee under PIE, which will look after this and other power related projects of industrial estates of Punjab. You can read also Thin Film Solar CellChairman of PIE, SM Tanveer in a briefing to Lahore Economic Journalist Association on Thursday said extension work of 132 KVA grid station of PIE was also underway to add additional 34 megawatt in the industrial estate system to ensure uninterrupted availability of power to the industries of the SIE. Meanwhile, PIE has also started Industrial Estate development work in Bahlwal and Rahim Yar Khan with its own resources, he said adding that planning and development of ten other industrial estates in the province was also underway.He said these industrial estates would be established in Kasur Tannery Park, Gujrat, Vehari, Bahawalpur, D G Khan, Wazirabad Cutlery Cluster, Jhang, Okara, Sahiwal and Rawalpindi. He said PIE was working under the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to make the Punjab an industrial hub in the country with all modern facilities. He said a 100-acre Halal Park would also be established in Rahim Yar Khan a nd Multan Industrial Estates to promote the Halal products of Pakistan and get its share from world Halal food market.He said PIEDMC made the public private partnership concept successful and completing its project without support of any government institution. He said the Punjab government had given Rs 1 billion only at the time the PIEDMC was established—and now the company is worth around Rs 15 billion. Talking about the financials of the company, S M Tanveer said that PIE BoD approved 2005 to 2008 accounts while international repute Internal and External Auditors was appointed for self-accountability of the PIEDMC.He said SIE is a state-of-the-art industrial estate in Pakistan where all utilities and concerned departments offices including SNGPL, EOBI and Social Security were established. He said as the result of the present management of the PIE, the Punjab government had abolished capital value tax. He said the master plan of Bahlwal Industrial Estate was completed and litigations in Multan Industrial Estate were finished so that work on Phase-II of this estate could be started.PIEDMC is under process of developing Rahim Yar Khan, Bhalwal, Multan Phase II and Vehari industrial estates and total available land is 1590 acres whereas the sellable land is 1,094 acres—approx 70% of the total land. Whereas the remaining 30% will be used for horticulture and infrastructure development. Chairman of PIE informed it is worth mentioning that through industrialisation of these industrial estates â€Å"we will generate 192,000 jobs. † He further explained the total contribution in the GDP of the country would be approx Rs 17 billion. OUTLINE: 1. Introduction . Pakistan’s Energy Sector 2. 1 Energy Supply 2. 2 Energy Consumption 3. Sources of Energy in Pakistan 3. 1 Non-renewable resources (Fossil fuels) a). Petroleum products b). Natural Gas c). Coal 3. 2 Renewable Resources a). Hydro power o Current Hydropower stations o Potential Hydropow er stations 3. 3 Alternative Energy Sources a). Wind b). Solar c). Agricultural biomass /biodiesel d). Tidal 3. 4 Nuclear 4. Causes of Energy Crisis 4. 1 Growing Energy Demand 4. 2 Lack of proactive and integrated planning for production of energy 4. 3 Imbalanced energy mix 4. Non-utilization of enormous indigenous energy resources   a). Thar Coal b). Hydal power generation 5. Consequences of Energy Crisis 5. 1 Economic Factors 5. 2 Agriculture Sector 5. 3 Industrial Sector 5. 4 Unemployment 5. 5 Social Issues 5. 6 Poverty 6. Conclusion 7. Recommendation/Solutions of Energy Crisis 7. 1 Judicious energy use/saving unecessary energy usage o electricity saving devices o Awareness campaign for energy saving o Reduction in unnecessary transportations o Installation of effective equipment/energy efficient in industries o Decreasing line/transmission losses . 2 Developing new energy resources o Tapping indigenous resources o Using renewable resources (water) by constructing new dams and hydro power plants   o Import of natural gas o Utilizing alternative energy resources Wind power Biodiesel /Biomass Solar Tidal o Enhancing civilian nuclear capacity 1. Introduction : Energy is considered to be life line of any economy and most vital instrument of socioeconomic development of a country. Energy is pivotal in running machinery in factories and industrial units, for lighting our cities and powering our vehicles etc.There has been an enormous increase in the demand of energy as a result of industrial development and population growth, in comparison to enhancement in energy production. Supply of energy is, therefore, far less than the actual demand, resultantly crisis has emerged. An energy crisis can be defined as any great bottleneck (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. 2. Pakistan’s Energy Sector: Pakistan’s energy infrastructure is not well developed, rather it is considered to be underdeveloped and poorly managed. Currentl y the country is facing severe energy crisis.Despite of strong economic growth and rising energy demand during past decade, no serious efforts have been made to install new capacity of generation. Moreover, rapid demand growth, transmission losses due to outdated infrastructure, power theft, and seasonal reductions in the availability of hydropower have worsened the situation. Consequently, the demand exceeds supply and hence load-shedding is a common phenomenon through power shutdown. 2. 1 Energy Supply : During 2009-10, Energy supply and per capita availability of energy witnessed a decline of 0. 64 % and 3. 09 % respectively in comparison to previous year.Pakistan needs around 15,000 to 20000 MW electricity per day, however, currently it is able to produce about 11,500 MW per day hence there is a shortfall of about 4000 to 9000 MW per day. This shortage is badly hampering the economic growth of the country. 2. 2 Energy Consumption : Pakistan’s energy consumption is met by mix of gas, oil, electricity, coal and LPG sources with different level of shares. Share of gas consumption stood at 43. 7 %, followed by oil 29. 0 percent, electricity 15. 3 percent, coal 10. 4 percent and LPG 1. 5 percent. 3. Sources of Energy in Pakistan: 3. 1 Non-renewable resources (Fossil fuels):  [Limited – Expensive]Non renewable resources are primarily fossil fuels emanating from remains/decomposition of animals and plants deposited deep into the earth crust and converted into oil and gas. These resources cannot be replenished. There are three main types of fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). a). Petroleum products: In 2009-10, consumption of petroleum products was 29% of total share of energy. Majority of crude oil is imported from gulf countries to meet the demand. Power, industry and transport sectors consume higher quantity of petroleum followed by agriculture and house holds.Petroleum is also used in generation of elec tricity, which counts 64 percent of total electricity generation (34 coming from hydro generation). Balance recoverable reserves of crude oil in country have been estimated at 303. 63 million barrels and we are extracting approximately 24 million crude oil annually, meaning if we do not explore new wells, we will exhaust our current crude oil reserves in 12-13 years. b). Natural Gas: Importance of natural gas is increasing rapidly. Average production of natural gas is 4,048. 76 million cubic feet per day as against 3,986. 53 million during corresponding last year, showing an increase of 1. 6 percent. Natural gas is used in general industry to prepare consumer items, to produce cement, for manufacturing fertilizers and to generate electricity. In form of CNG, it is used in transport sector. Share of natural gas in energy consumption is 43. 7 percent. Due to price differential between CNG and Petrol, vehicles are using converted to CNG and approximately 2. 0 million vehicles are using CNG and currently Pakistan is the largest CNG user country in the world. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) contributes around 0. 7 percent to total energy supply in country and is being imported to stop deforestation in hilly areas. ). Coal: Pakistan has coal reserves estimated at over 185 billion tonnes, including 175 billion tonnes identified at Thar coalfields. Coal is primarily being used in brick kiln and cement industries and approximately 67 percent coal is imported because indigenous coal is not considered of good quality. Guddu plant is largest plant thermal operated plant with a capacity of 1,650 MW, while two largest Independent Power Plants (IPPs) in Pakistan are Kot Addu (1,600 MW) and Hubb River (1,300 MW). 3. 2 Renewable Resources : (Unlimited – sustainable – clean)Renewable energy resources are those, which are naturally replenished and comes from resources such as water, sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. a). Hydro power: Hydro power is gen erated by using electricity generators to extract energy from moving water. Pakistan is having rich resource of energy in hydal power, however, only 34 % of total electricity generation is coming from hydro power. Currently we are having 6555 MW against the potential of 41000 to 45000 MW. Current Hydropower stations: Tarbella Dam : 3,478 MW Ghazi Brotha: 1450 MW Mangla 1,000 MW Warsak 240 MW Chashma 184 MW Potential Hydropower stations:Diamer-Bhasha Dam 4500 MW Munda Dam – Swat river in Mohamand Agency 740 MW Kalabagh Dam 2400-3600 MW Bunji Dam 5400 MW Dasu Dam 3800 MW 3. 3 Alternative Sources of Energy  : a). Wind: Wind power harnesses the power of the wind to propel the blades of wind turbines. These turbines cause the rotation of magnets, which creates electricity. Though Pakistan has potentials of wind energy ranging from 10000 MW to 50000 MW, yet power generation through wind is in initial stages in Pakistan and currently 06 MW has been installed in first phase in Jham pir through a Turkish company and 50 MW will be installed shortly.More wind power plants will be built in Jhampir, Gharo, Keti Bandar and Bin Qasim Karachi. b). Solar : Solar power involves using solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity, using sunlight hitting solar thermal panels to convert sunlight to heat water or air. Pakistan has potential of more than 100,000 MW from solar energy. Building of solar power plants is underway in Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. However, private vendors are importing panels / solar water heaters for consumption in the market. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) is working for 20,000 solar water heaters in Gilgit Baltistan.Mobile companies have been asked by the government to shift supply of energy to their transmission towers from petroleum to solar energy panels. c). Agricultural biomass /biodiesel : Biomass production involves using garbage or other renewable resources such as sugarcane, corn or other vegetation to generat e electricity. When garbage decomposes, methane is produced and captured in pipes and later burned to produce electricity. Vegetation and wood can be burned directly to generate energy, like fossil fuels, or processed to form alcohols.Brazil has one of the largest renewable energy programs from biomass/biodiesel in the world, followed by USA. Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) of Pakistan has planned to generate 10 MW of electricity from municipal waste in Karachi followed by similar projects in twenty cities of country. d). Tidal: Tidal power can be extracted from Moon-gravity-powered tides by locating a water turbine in a tidal current. The turbine can turn an electrical generator, or a gas compressor, that can then store energy until needed. Coastal tides are a source of clean, free, renewable, and sustainable energy.Plans are underway in Pakistan to harness tidal energy, however, no implementation has been made so far. 3. 4 Nuclear: Nuclear power stations use nuclear fi ssion reaction to generate energy by the reaction of uranium inside a nuclear reactor. Pakistan has a small nuclear power program, with 425 MW capacity, but there are plans to increase this capacity substantially. Since Pakistan is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which hinders its development of civil nuclear energy.Remaining issues in development of nuclear energy are enricment of uranium from U235 to U238, controlling chain reaction and dumping of solid waste. Pakistan Nuclear Power Reactors Reactor Type MW Construction started Commercial operation Karachi PHWR 125 1966 1972 Chashma 1 PWR 300 1993 2000 Chashma 2 PWR 300 2005 expected 2011 Total 425 MW * Pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) – Canadian based reactors   ** Pressurized water reactor (PWR) – Chinese based reactors 4. Causes of Energy Crisis  : Pakistan’s energy crisis traces its roots to following distinct causes : * Growi ng Energy Demand over the years there is greater need of energy because of; †¢ increase in population, †¢ enhancement in lifestyle †¢ industrial and agricultural growth †¢ greater transportation needs * Lack of proactive and integrated planning for production of energy: Pakistan has had wider potentials to tap energy, however, due to lack of any integrated/proactive planning, very less number of power producing plant were installed to meet futuristic demands. Resultantly, over the years, the gap between energy demand and supply drastically grew and now against demand of 20000 MW, we are having around 11500 MW. Imbalanced energy energy mix Energy mix in Pakistan is quite imbalance in comparison to other countries, with greater reliance on non-renewable resources of gas (43. 7 %) and oil (29 % – majority of which is imported). Prices of petroleum products/crude oil fluctuate and in current Afro-Arab political crisis, the oil prices are likely to increase man ifold affecting oil prices in Pakistan. A rational energy mix planning ought to be developed giving greater dependency to renewable (hydel power), indigenous (coal) and alternative energy resources (wind and solar energy).Nuclear energy can   * Non-utilization of enormous indigenous energy resources: o Thar Coal: Pakistan is having one of the largest coal fields in Thar, having reserves of more than 175 billion tones, which exceeds equivalent oil reserves of Saudi Arabia, Iran etc. In addition to power generation, this coal can be used for chemical and fertilizer production. Moreover, employment provided to workforce can be instrumental in increasing GDP and economic prosperity to many families. o Hydal power generation :Pakistan has potential of hydro resources to generate 41000 to 45000 MW, however, only 6555 MW is currently being generated by this important renewable resource. Four large hydro power dams namely Kalabagh 3600 MW, Bhasha 4500 MW, Bunji 5400 MW and Dasu 3800 MW ca n be constructed to generate hydro electricity. Similarly, many small to medium hydro plants can be installed on rivers and canals etc. 5. Consequences of Energy Crisis : i). Economic Factors: Energy is pivotal for running all other resources and crisis of energy directly influences all other sectors of the economy.The economic progress is hampered by decline in agricultural productivity as well as by halting in operations of industries. One important factor of lower GDP and inflation of commodity prices in recent years is attributed to shortfalls in energy supply. ii). Agriculture Sector: Agricultural productivity of Pakistan is decreasing due to provision of energy for running tube wells, agricultural machinery and production of fertilizers and pesticides. Thus higher energy means higher agricultural productivity. iii).Industrial Sector: Nearly all Industrial units are run with the energy and breakage in energy supply is having dire consequences on industrial growth. As a result o f decline in energy supply, industrial units are not only being opened, but also the existing industrial units are gradually closing. iv). Unemployment: By closure of industrial units and less agricultural productivity, new employment opportunities ceased to exist and already employed manpower is shredded by the employers to increase their profit ratios. Thus energy crisis contributes towards unemployment. v).Social Issues: This factor is primarily related to the domestic usage of energy (cooking, heating and water provision). Load shedding cause unrest and frustration amongst the people and results in agitation against the government. vi). Poverty: Declination in economic growth, lower agricultural productivity, unemployment and shackling industrial growth result in increasing poverty. Currently, around forty percent of our population is living beyond poverty line and this ratio is increasing day by day. Ample control of energy crisis will surely yield in curbing the menace of pove rty. 6. Conclusion:Energy Crisis has, more or less, plagued all sectors of Pakistan’s machinery ranging from economy to industry, agriculture to social life, inflation to poverty and it is hampering national progress in a drastic manner. Nonetheless, menace of energy crisis can be overwhelmed by government through making effective policies and its proactive implementation. Simultaneously, it is the responsibility of us, the people of Pakistan, to utilize the available energy astutely and wisely to play our due role for progress of the country. 7. Recomendations/Solutions of Energy Crisis  : Energy crisis can be curtailed by : ). Reducing unnecessary energy use: o Usage of electricity saving devices o Awareness campaign for energy saving o Reduction in unnecessary transportations by developing good public transport systems and strengthening Pakistan railways   o Reduction in industrial uses with installation of effective equipment/ energy efficient and with increasing effi ciency of workforce (cost effective) o Decreasing reliance on rental power projects, because instead of doing any good, they are increasing prices of electricity. o Decreasing line losses by using efficient power transmission cables ii).Developing new energy resources : o Tapping indigenous resources (Thar coal) o Using renewable resources (water) by constructing new dams and hydro power plants   o Import of natural gas by IPI (Iran Pakistan India) and TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India) pipelines   o Import of electricity from Tajikistan -through Pak Afghan Tajikistan transmission- and Iran (approximately 1000 MW from each of them) pipelines o Utilizing alternative energy resources : Wind power Biodiesel /Biomass Solar Tidal o Enhancing civilian nuclear capacity ENERGY CRISIS IN PAKISTAN IntroductionPresent scenario of crisis †¢ Demand supply gap †¢ Counter measures Reasons of energy crisis †¢ Unrealistic plans and improper implementation †¢ Failure of introducing new projects †¢ Underutilization of resources †¢ Circular debt †¢ International oil prices †¢ Provincial prejudices †¢ Water shortage †¢ Transmission losses †¢ Power wastage †¢ Theft of electric power †¢ Accelerating demand †¢ Minimal research/exploration Immediate efforts/goals †¢ RPPs †¢ Stabilizing industrial sector †¢ Limiting commercial supply hours Short term goals †¢ Reviving non functional power plants †¢ Revamping transmission system Thar coal project †¢ IPI gas pipeline project †¢ Alternate/renewable energy sources Long term goals †¢ Conforming foreign policy and energy needs †¢ New dams †¢ Transparency †¢ Efficient techniques and usage †¢ Measures against power theft Energy crisis in transportation sector †¢ Biofuels/synfuels †¢ Standard of public transport system Hurdles †¢ Lack of will and implementation †¢ Corruption and malpractices †¢ Trust deficit conclusion â€Å"It is evident that the fortune o f the world’s human populations, for better or for worse, are inextricably interrelated with the use that is made of energy resources. M. King Hubbert The nexus between economic prosperity and self sufficiency in energy has become essentially vital for Pakistan. Today the energy crisis looming before us is the culmination of a long list of governmental failures, malpractices along with inefficient ways of consumption and a perpetually fragile economy. The futility of apparent counter measures can be attributed to slow or non existent exploration and exploitation of new resources; outdated administrative and technical systems; lack of tactful diplomacy at international level, all requiring immediate attention.Presently, the demand-supply gap in the energy sector has reached one of its highest in the country. This gap subsequently produced huge shortage of power that has adversely affected the economy. The crippling economy was further damaged when many industrial units had to be shut down, rendering thousands jobless. Consequently, this on going chain of crises is accelerating inflation. The government has intended to counter it with Rental Power Plants (RPPs) like the previous IPPs and to ease the burden on common man the authorities claim to be providing continuous subsidies in the power sector.However, the constant trust deficit on the part of masses is not only due to the transparency issue of RPPs, it is majorly due to a constant increase in power failures and shortage, revealing an increase in the crisis instead of signs of recovery. If we take a look at the factors contributing to this enormous problem, the first and foremost one comes out to be the absence of any long term planning along with constant application of such plans. Sadly, the failures of previous governments to increase the supply of energy by new measures against the escalating demand are glari ngly obvious.Small scale projects like the Ghazi barotha only put a temporary halt to the arriving crisis instead of nipping it in the bud. Secondly, the under utilization of available resources- especially hydroelectric one which can produce double the energy it is producing now- is another major setback. The government again fails or neglects to consider the shortages in winter and up-gradation of the hydroelectric and the thermal plants regularly. Thirdly, the ‘circular debt’ is like an invisible impediment subtly fuelling up the crisis.It is an inheritance of former subsidies which the government failed to pay to the power companies, who in turn could not pay the oil and gas companies for supplies. Add to this the fluctuating international oil prices and the failing economy_ the war against terrorism and decreasing Foreign Direct investment-worsened the problem and induced further power and imported oil shortage. Subsequently, the political heads had to turn their e yes back to hydroelectric power generation.But the projects like Kalabagh Dam became victims of narrow mindedness and provincial prejudices which led to failure of consensus of opinion. Had the Kalabagh Dam been built on time, we would not be confronted with this crisis today. Also the acute shortage of water; the curtailed supply in eastern rivers by India; major consumption and wastage of water in irrigation and the decreasing capacity of Mangela and Terbela Dams due to sedimentation render the hydroelectric power generation equally problematic as the thermal power generation.Of the chronic factors, the heavy line losses plus the old and poorly maintained transmission system is a grave administrative and technical failure of public sector power companies. These line losses are comparatively very low elsewhere in the world. Similarly, in the industrial and agricultural sectors which avail more than seventy percent of total power, the outdated techniques and malpractices of consumpt ion waste more than a third of the consumed power. Moreover, the masses do not remain behind in adding to this loss. The theft of electricity, especially in urban areas has become a routine matter.Due to the decades old perception that this is a never ending crisis and no accountability whatsoever, people tend to use unfair means of obtaining electric power. Another reason is the unprecedented increase in demand of energy. It is due to the trend of enjoying luxurious life style in the past decade. This increased demand by the domestic section has greatly disturbed the usually articulated demand and consumption status. Last but not least, snail paced research, minimal exploitation of new energy reserves and exploration of new oil and gas field damages progress in the energy sector.Couple this with the never ending corruption and lack of implementation in government and power companies this crisis has become a consistent and self perpetuating one. Seen in this perspective, Pakistan no t only needs immediate efforts to reduce the demand-supply gap but also some elaborate and well chalked out immediate, short and long term plans and efforts. Thankfully, some sections in the society are aware of the magnanimity of this dire problem. The RPPs are expected to start working soon and the subsidies in the energy sector are still cushioning at least a part of the blow.But the real issue is of determining priorities and extracting maximum results even from this bleak scenario. Keeping this in view, the first policy of the government should be to supply uninterrupted supply of power to the industrial units, small or big, especially in industrial cities like Faisalabad, Gujaranwala. Also the power supply should be continuous for small local businesses throughout the country. Even if it equates to the continuation of the domestic shortage for a while, at least half of the RPPs should be employed for the industrial section.In addition, there are some non-operating power statio ns in the country which only require a little investment and technical improvements to revive them. Such power units should be made effective to pull the economy out of complete doom. Secondly, the markets and shopping centers should be strictly enforced to close their business till 10 pm at night. This save power in different parts of each city can be diverted towards the domestic consumers by means of an effective administrative local system. The media and provincial governments would be of utmost importance in this strategy.The media specially, can acquire public support and educate masses in this regard. Resultantly, they will be able to remove the trust deficit between the government and the people. Coming on to the short term goals, the main focus should be on the revival of those dead power generation units in Sindh and Punjab which can be made functional again and the systematic up-gradation of thermal and hydroelectric plants. Resultantly, these projects will maintain the s mooth flow of energy and will at least prevent any further widening in the demand-supply gap.Similarly, the replacement of transmission lines to reduce losses should fall under the auspices of the provincial governments and ministries with proper allocation of budget from the center. The replacement of expired transmission systems is long overdue. This process must be gradual and systematic to refrain from becoming a drain on the resources and it should be initiated from areas most severely hit by energy shortage. After curbing and curing the internal ills, the attention should be diverted to exploration of new fossil fuel reserves (natural gas).As the thermally generated accounts for the major share of power in Pakistan, it should be dealt with effectively. Contrary to the deficit of oil reserves, the coal reserves in Pakistan are the second largest in the world. But the delay in switching from indigenous energy sources to coal is due to the snail paced progress in the Thar Coal Pr oject that is in collaboration with China. China’ rocketing economy has driven coal industry into a new era of efficient utilization. Pakistan should take heed from China’s example and should gain technical assistance from it.Both countries can collaborate in Gwadar and Thar to explore and exploit new gas and coal reserves. Coming on to the gas pipeline projects, the IRAN-PAKISTAN-INDIA (IPI) pipeline is most realistic plausible one presently. It is at an efficiently advanced stage of implementation but has fallen prey to the disagreement in pricing formulas and trust deficit between India and Pakistan. Both the thar coal and IPI project require tactful diplomatic maneuvering and improving ties with India. An agreement between the two countries on IPI will enhance the prospects of resolving the water issue as well.Another aspect of solving this problem is the utilization of alternate and renewable resources of energy. It has been adopted by many developing and develope d countries of the country to avert this crisis, such as Brazil, India, U. S. , Holland etc. Pakistan however, lags far behind in this regard. Consequently, some NGOs and public communities have took initiative in harnessing the renewable resources of energy such as wind and solar power. Pakistan is ideally situated to make use of both these resources. Isolated cases of developing these modes of energy can be seen in the illages of Thar desert ( solar energy ) and in some areas of Thattha and Karachi ( wind energy ) but it still needs massive government support. Interestingly, the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) of Pakistan has collected data of all areas in the country suitable for making use of these alternate sources of energy but initiative for utilization of these sources are absent. Pakistan can very efficiently make use of its long day light hours and wind power in the coastal region to produce power for upcoming years.Most important in the long term planning and go als must be to streamline the foreign policy of the country according to its economic and energy needs. Improving and increasing ties with future energy rich countries must not be neglected. As mentioned earlier, China can be a great asset in technical training and facilities. Similarly, bilateral relations with Russia, Central Asian, East African states needs to be strengthened. These countries are the new energy hubs of the world, and being mostly land locked (C. A. states) can make use of Gwadar port and in return assist Pakistan as well.Taking Provincial prejudices and politics into view, the matters which are indispensable for the survival of the country and economy should be kept above such strife. Building new dams, at least Kalabagh dam should be taken on without and delay. Transparency and clarity in the policies and implementation methods of government and public sector power companies is of paramount importance. Without checking corruption and applying stringent measures against malpractices, all well executed policies will ultimately become another drain for the economy.Moreover, educating the stakeholders and workers in the industrial and agricultural sectors on adoption of new and efficient practices of water and energy consumption will tend to reduce the wastage of energy. The theft of electricity must be considered and declared a heinous crime and any violations by domestic or industrial users should be liable to legal penalties and complete power cut off for such consumers. Taking a look at the energy crisis in the transportation sector, there is no doubt that fossil fuels are indeed depleting in the world and of reserves natural gas in Pakistan.To curb the hike in prices and supply shortage , research and exploration of new sites must be given impetus under the patronage of AEDB. Meanwhile, bio fuel ( alcohol or synthetic fuel ) can be produced quite easily in Pakistan. Raw materials for this fuel being wheat and other cereals are in ample su pply in Pakistan. Alcohol can be easily prepared by fermentation of molasses and is already a proper local industry in the country it just needs to be diverted in the right course. Finally, the system and standard of public transport must be improved to discourage the trend of personal vehicles which leads to greater demands of fuel.Making policies has never been the plight of our government. It is the lack of implementation which keeps the wheel of crisis moving. Today our government not only needs to take initiatives and hard decisions it also needs to give a boost to the dying economy by providing unimpeded supply of power to industries. Secondly, corruption, misuse of funds, malpractices of energy consumption and wastage must b avoided and eradicated at all costs. Last but not least, the public trust and support is of utmost important. No policy can succeed if it doesn’t enjoy public support.Media can play an effective role in creating awareness and trust that it is actua lly a global crisis which can only be solved with help and conscious effort by every citizen. Conclusively, curbing the energy crisis requires transparent efforts at every level imaginable. The future policies and projects should be so oriented as to make Pakistan self sufficient in the energy sector. Self sufficiency in the energy sector will be the key to a flourishing economy, and a stable economy can serve as a device of curbing several interlinked adversities. The sooner we realize the gravity of this as a whole, the sooner we will emerge out of this crisis.

Armageddon: A Reaction Paper Essay

In the movie Armageddon, who are the evil ones? They are thousands of rocks led by an asteroid the size of Texas that threatens to extinguish life on Earth? And who are the good ones? They are a motley makeshift group of old-drillers who will risk their lives in a daring rocket journey to save the world. A few NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut are also thrown in to help steer the two shuttle spacecrafts. So these are the heroes of the movie. But, except for rig owner and drilling expert Harry Stamper (played excellently by Bruce Willis), the oil workers are moonlighting criminals. Mobsters as saviors? Is this any way to improve the moral fabric of our country? You would think that a movie about the extinction of life on Earth would be serious. Not so. The best description of Armageddon is an action-adventure film sprinkled with comedy. Every effort is made to excite and entertain. No effort is made to educate or inform. Scientific accuracy is tossed out the window. The laws o f physics are continually violated in order to maximize the drama. What happened to the good old movie classics that tried to teach us something about life? It is amazing that the asteroid is able days in advance to send warning signals consisting of deadly meteor showers. The first one strikes a space station orbiting the Earth. The craft is drilled with holes before exploding. The next attack is on New York City. It is pelted with huge meteorites. The Chrysler Building is decapitated, while the City is decimated. Several days later, Shanghai falls victim. And near the end of the movie, Paris is destroyed by an asteroid fragment. This is one of the few places where a realistic image of an impact is portrayed. The explosion produces a cloud of dust that surges outward. Paris is totaled. Only a huge crater and the bottom halves of the Arc de Triumph and other buildings are left. It is curious how well directed that these strikes are Despite the unrealistic nature of the movie, it is entertaining and full of action. The frame time is usually no longer than 3 seconds as one image after another flashes on the screen in an effort to maximize the tension. Such rapid-fire images also limit a viewer’s ability to notice the many scientific flaws. A love story between Grace Stamper, Harry’s daughter played by Liv Tyler, and A. J. Frost, a young oil rig worker played by Ben Affleck, adds a romantic element to the movie. Of course, everyone knows that these space-age, spaced out oil drillers will in the end save us from destruction. In the film, NASA officials meet to discuss proposals to avert the asteroid catastrophe. The suggestions are laughable: Destroy it with lasers? Americans have clearly been watching too many Star Trek episodes. Attach sails to it? This is ludicrous. What’s going to provide the drag? Outer space is virtually empty. There is no wind out there except for the â€Å"solar wind,† which can only blow dust and particles and certainly cannot change the direction of a heavy asteriod in a matter of days. Destroy it with nuclear weapons? As correctly stated in the movie, 150 nukes would hardly be sufficient. Although such bombs would produce 150 craters, the asteroid would remain intact. So what plan do they come up with? They propose to drill a hole about 800 feet deep, insert a hydrogen bomb, explode it and split the asteroid in two pieces that will fly past Earth on either side. If 150 nukes won’t do the job, certainly one will not either, even if it is inserted in the ast eroid. Can one hydrogen bomb create a crack that stretches across the state of Texas? When it comes to man versus Nature in life-threatening battles, can man always win? When a tornado touches down, can we stop it? When a tsunami or giant wave, speeds across the ocean, can we diminish it? When a volcano is about to erupt, can we extinguish its hot temper? When a hurricane heads towards a populated coastal region, can we divert it? When lightning strikes, can we reflect its flash? The answers to these questions are no. But we can take measures. In most instances, our only recourse is evacuation. In these battles of man versus Nature, Nature is supreme. Solar system scientists classify asteroids with letters such as S, C, M and E. The makers of Armageddon have discovered a truly remarkable object that will revolutionize planetary science. From a distance, it appears to be almost comet-like and engulfed in a blue-green cloud. While most asteroids have a topography not so different from the Moo n’s, the Armageddon asteroid has a treacherous terrain of jagged knife-like rocks, steep crevices and pointed mountain peaks. Its surface is as intricate as a crystal chandelier. It is almost as though its stalagmites threaten to stab Earth’s heart. But, of course, in reality the danger to Earth is created by the asteroid’s tremendous kinetic energy, which gets translated into heat, pressure and pounding power upon impact. The Armageddon asteroid is also the first to have a significant atmosphere and rock storms. Yes, the efforts of our heroes are impeded when dozens of rocks start raining down upon them. Obviously, NASA should have equipped our heroes with steel umbrellas. The air must contain oxygen to feed the sparks of fires that are blown by a sometimes howling wind. There must also be a â€Å"fifth force† that holds Stamper’s crew to the asteroid’s surface. It can’t be gravity. The force of gravity on the Armageddon asteroid is about 20 times weaker than that on Earth. A 180-pound human would weigh only 9 pounds. Armageddon is an action-packed adventure in which National Aeronautics andSpace Administration (NASA) astronauts save the world from a huge asteroid or should we call a â€Å"Global Killer† that can kill even bacteria. It is entitled Armageddon which means â€Å"the end of all things† and it came from the bible. It’s a nice movie but lots of arguments, quarrels, andtragic parts. I can say that Armageddon is interesting because it is somewhat related to Science which is my favorite subject. I don’t understand some parts of it because they speak fast but I’d still understand this movie on the way they move. All the scenes in Armageddon seemed real, the explosions, the satellites, the space shuttles travelling and the asteroids falling and crashing to the Earth, all I can say is, amazing! I salute all the makers of this movie because they have made Armageddon a realistic one. Armageddon is full package, romance, comedy and action combined into one. It is entertaining and full of action. When the parts of the asteroids are crashing all I can do is to scream. In summary, Armageddon is a wonderful movie but a tragic one.Armageddon is somewhat related to Chemistry. Asteroids are included to Astrochemistry. A giant, global-killing asteroid, like the one that killed off the dinosaurs 65million years ago is 18 days away from hitting the Earth. The oil drilling is somewhat related to Industrial Chemistry, that is showed on the first part of the movie. Nuclear bombs are related to Nuclear Chemistry. Bombs that are detonated in the drilled part of the huge asteroid that blew it into pieces. This movie told us some information about Chemistry.

Affirmative Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Affirmative Action - Essay Example The United States Department of Labor has implemented the affirmative action in a number of ways that include but are not limited to targeted recruitment, employee support programs, outreach campaigns, and management development. The American society has conventionally suffered a lot from racism and discrimination. There is a strong need to make such public organizations as the health care organizations, universities and the police increasingly representative of the needs of the respective populations that they cater for. Affirmative action has conventionally been subjected to a lot of debate and controversy. Policies implemented in the name of affirmative action including the gender quotas and the racial quotas for admission in the colleges in the USA have been identified as measures to promote reverse discrimination. Accordingly, the majority in the American constitution has rendered the implementation of these actions as unconstitutional. This paper supports the affirmative action because it is a way of increasing diversity in the American society at all levels, eradication of disparity in the earnings of people based on gender, and enhancement of the literacy rate of minorities in the USA. There is dire need of the affirmative action in the American society for the creation of diversity. ... John Stuart Mill asserted that the University intends to create diversity by providing people with frequent opportunities of interaction with people who differ from them. Diversity of students in terms of race, ethnicity, religion and culture is conducive for the development of a healthy educational environment in the schools and universities as it allows students to remove their differences and enhance their understanding of one another’s culture. This is particularly beneficial for the studies of sociology and psychology as students get to look at things from a wider perspective. Patricia Gurin who is the professor of psychology at the University of Miuchigan says that students in a diverse educational setting gain better learning and their tendency to play an active part in the democratic and pluralistic society after the end of their studies is enhanced. Therefore, affirmative action is the need of universities in America. Critics see diversity as a cause of dysfunctional conflicts among the organizational personnel. However, this is a very pessimistic and extremely biased assessment of the impacts of diversity upon the organizational culture. Although there is some possibility of arise of dysfunctional conflicts among the organizational personnel because of their cultural differences, yet this problem can be tackled with effective management and the conflict-resolution practices in place in the organization. Affirmative action is the need of the society because of the widespread lack of equality in the socioeconomic status of people in the USA. There are a lot of places where some people earn more than others simply because the former belong to the majority while the

Forensic Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Forensic Archaeology - Essay Example Ground Penetrating Radar GRP) and Resistivity Mapping are the two popular techniques in this field. Geographic survey conducted for forensic perspective has mainly two aspects. The first survey is carried out on the surface. For the second, at every survey geophysicist prepare ‘map’ of the sub-surface. There are different techniques used for this mapping process. Based on the measurement they collected from the survey, they constitute the ‘hot-spot,’ in terms of geophysics it is called anomalies. If any kind of extreme natural variations detect, it clearly stress that the presence of subsurface disturbance like graves may drawn in that locality. Resistivity mapping: - In this method the presence of electrical materials of the subsurface is identifying by passing electricity through the ground. Wet soil passes electricity (I) more effortlessly than dry soil and hard rock. Practical case this method conducted by passing electricity between two electrodes and calculate the electrical potential (V) in this area. Electrical resistance (R) is find out by R= V/I. When regarding the readings of this survey at particular intervals, make out a grid of readings. Different resistance readings will obtain from the same place based on the electrode array and electrode division. This survey is conducted frequently by raising the electrode separation. Various types of resistivity of electrode array are; Wenner array and pole-pole array. Here ‘R’ is represented in ohms, ‘p’ is represented as in ohm meters and ‘a’ is represented as in meters. In archaeological mapping pole-pole array is commonly used than Wenner array because it gives simpler anomalies which help for identification of noisy environment easily than pole-pole array anomalies. Some factors which cause potential for avoiding the resistivity of the ground includes buried body interruptions which take place while burying the body. This will cause fluctuations

Davidson argues that you can only find a solution to the problem of Essay

Davidson argues that you can only find a solution to the problem of other minds if you take it that knowledge about one's own mi - Essay Example In this relation, he asserts that the three knowledge forms a tripod in which the absence of any of them automatically makes it unable to stand; hence, it remains that the tripod must always be in the complementary of the thee cardinal categories of knowledge (Davidson, The essential 64). What is evident in the Donald’s argument is how evidence can be adduced in relation to the three knowledge. In regard to the knowledge of the mind and that of immediate surroundings, he states that they are not subject to much proof since they are directly construed by an individual and do not need much proof. This is because he claims that the knowledge of immediate world is subject to the functionality of the organs of senses (Davidson, The essential 99). Finally, he stipulates that the most complex knowledge is that of other people, for one to understand what others think about, one has to learn their behavior first and use that as evidence about his knowledge. In this case, he argues that what one knows about others dictates what is in his mind, which also combines those that he knows about his immediate environment making them interdependent. Explanation of the Logical Interdependence In brief, the term â€Å"logical interdependence† can be considered as two different words that can then be evaluated independently before they are enjoined in order to find their meaning. There are three terms in the statement that needs to be discerned to ensure the holistic understanding of the whole statement that are; â€Å"logical†, â€Å"inter†, and â€Å"dependence†. Starting with the term â€Å"logical†, we have to note that it is derived from the word â€Å"logics† which means the ability to reason with certain guiding principles of validity such that the conclusion is not a subject to any alteration, oversight, or intentional inclusion of all material facts. This enables proper inference to be made with regard to a situation that ca lls for such. In doing this, we will be trying to find a reasonable way of creating a distinction from what is fallacious or false from the right and valid (Davidson 5). Considering the usage of the term ‘inter’ in the statement, it means between or among other things; hence, it shows some relationship that exist in two or more things. In this regard, it shows that there can be deduction that can be made from the independent things, and shows the thread that weaves them together demonstrating the relationship that exists in them. In this case, it demonstrates how the three varieties of knowledge are dependent to one another. Finally, the consideration of the term â€Å"dependence† reveals that great link and association of the three knowledge varieties and how they supplement one another (Davidson, Truth 132). As Donald rightfully puts it, you cannot separate the knowledge about self, immediate environment and that of others, as they do work in tandem to corrobor ate and informs other facets of knowledge. The certainty in this case is evident when Donald states that the knowledge of what others thinks also informs what is in his mind illustrating the linkage and interdependence. In as much as others perceive regarding what one thinks about after learning their behavior as stated by Donald, one is capable of making a conclusion of what they think rationally and once he does that, it informs what is in their mind in relation to what others are thinking about. Therefore, in as much as one knows what others are t

McGraw-Hill Company Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

McGraw-Hill Company - Speech or Presentation Example The company recognizes the different market segments that it can cater to and it is this reason that it has undertaken the effort to publish a wide variety of books; books for kindergarten up to books required for professional purposes targeting not only students of all age groups but also teachers. With services such as e-books, online tutoring, subscription and customized course websites, the company aims to keep its target market intact while having an edge over its competitors. The McGraw Hill Company is not only confined to its educational wing. It also provides broadcasting and financial and business services. The financial wing of McGraw Hill Company i.e. Standard & Poor specializes in providing investment research and credit ratings. The data and investment analysis aids many financial analysts around the world in decision making. The McGraw Hill Information and Media Group specialize in providing business intelligence and business solutions to facilitate business decision making. BusinessWeek which is known for providing insight into multinational companies is one product of the Information and Media Group. The J.D. Power and Associates is known for global marketing and information services. With operations in almost all major parts of the world such as Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Canada and U.S., the company aims to cap... It is such alliances and ventures that allow the company to have a global presence. It is the ability of The McGraw Hill Company to adequately identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that allow the company to remain successful in this competitive environment. Since the company is able to take advantage of its presence in virtually all the major world markets, it is well equipped to fight any competition. In order to maintain its market share and remain a dominant player in the publishing market, the company aims to take a number of steps. It hopes to achieve high growth rates while maintaining the quality of its products and services. Since the company realizes that education plays a vital role in improving the wellbeing of the population, it uses its educational wing as a tool for spreading knowledge as well as making profits while providing benefit to all those who seek knowledge. The company plans to introduce new innovative and modern learning techniques that will not only make education enjoyable to the readers but also easy to use and understand. This way the company will first, be able to engage students and second beat the market by launching products that other companies are still aspiring to produce. This way not only will the company benefit in terms of profits but it will raise the benchmarks in the publishing sector encouraging other companies to come up with similar competitive products for the benefit of the customers. However this as always will help McGraw Hill Publishing Company in maintaining its position as the market leader. The future for the company will seem bright if the government is also able to extend its support to the publishing sector. Due to the pirated copies of books

Europa Europa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Europa Europa - Essay Example Book Summary A young Jewish lad, Solomon Perel lives with his family in a remote part of Poland. A few years after his circumcision, he is forced to move with his family to Lodz, Poland after an attack takes the life of his sister. Solomon has two brothers; Isaak and David. Later, we learn of the tension that exists in these places when Germans attack Poland which leads to instability in the area. In the ensuing fracas, Solomon’s parents send him and his brother away so that they will be safe in a different location. We see how Soviet soldiers rescue Solomon and later sending him to an orphanage in Grondo. This way, Solomon and Isaac are separated. Solomon is then recruited into the Soviet Communist Union of Youth (Perel, 2008). Relations between German and Poland continue to deteriorate. For the second time, Germans attack Poland, this time attacking the orphanage. Orphans here flee which separates Solomon from his peers at the time. Germans rescue the young lad. Solomon is v ery fluent in German that he is able to convince the German soldiers that he is of German descent and not Polish. He comes up with a new identity by claiming that he is Josef Peters. A gay German soldier, Robert later discovers that Solomon is indeed a Jew since he was circumcised and not German as earlier claimed. Robert does not reveal this, hence, vows to keep it a secret. Robert becomes the young Solomon’s protector, but, this changes during a combat between Germans and Soviets. During this combat, Robert together with other German soldiers is killed, and this leaves Solomon all by himself. Solomon decides to surrender himself to the Soviets. As he strides across the battlefield, Germans grab this opportunity and they ambush the Soviets forcing them to surrender. Even though Solomon did not intend this, he is now regarded as a hero and this culminates in him being sent to a Hitler Youth school (Rigg, 2008). Various events transpire along the way to the school, the most no table being a sexual encounter between Solomon and a woman he was travelling with. Upon arrival at the school, Solomon is regarded a hero and a true and patriotic German. Solomon gets assigned to a room with a new found friend, Gerd. Solomon falls in love with a German girl, Leni, but, they do not interact sexually since he fears that his identity will be revealed. At school, students are expected to be examined by a doctor once a year. Solomon realizes that this is going to reveal his identity since the doctor’s examination entailed being naked. He, therefore, evades the procedure by faking a toothache. Later, we see Solomon slapping Leni after she insults Jews in a small argument. The two do not see each other for long. Solomon goes to visit Lemi’s mother after some months. He learns from her that Lemi was heavy with child, and that it is Gerd who had impregnated her. Solomon is really heartbroken, and this forces him to confess to Lemi’s mother that he is Jew ish. She sympathizes with him and promises to keep this a secret. At his school, police summon him to present his racial purity papers. Solomon tries to explain that he had left them at Grondo, but they hear none of it. They demand that he brings his Racial Purity Certificate. Solomon feels doomed since without these papers, his identity will easily be revealed. As he leaves the building, Gerd is killed through a nearby bombing. As the movie reaches its homestretch, Hitler Youth soldiers are

Criminal justice system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal justice system - Research Paper Example This paper describes the criminal justice system and its importance. The paper concludes with a brief summary of the main content as well as the perception of the author in respect to the topic. Undeniably, the criminal justice system is a broad area. The following is a discussion of importance of studying criminal justice system as well as the comparison between United States of America’s criminal justice system and the international criminal justice system. Proper criminal justice system attempts to restore peace and harmony within a given society. Hence, by training people on criminal justice systems, a society or nation prepares itself in experiencing remarkable peace and harmony as the trained personnel carry out their duty in preventing and reducing crimes. This marks the first significance of studying criminal justice system. Other than equipping people with skills and knowledge, studying criminal justice system enables the learners not only to understand but also appreciate forms of crimes and how they can be reduced or prevented within the society. In addition, studying of criminal justice system provides an opportunity to an individual to understand and appreciate different forms of institutions, public or private, which are actively involved in preventing and reducing crimes. Since criminal law is studied within the criminal justice system, studying the latter informs learners on criminal and other branches of law. Indeed, studying criminal justice system is very vital for ensuring maintenance of law and order with an aim of restoring peace and harmony. United States versus International Criminal Justice Systems United States of America being a western country has different criminal justice system from other international parties especially the non-western countries. USA unlike other international cou ntries has varied goals and conceptions of criminal justice systems. For instance, USA practices the Anglo-Saxon legal culture and system in achieving goals and concepts of criminal justice. Following the culture and system of Anglo-Saxon principles, USA has developed varied legal ideologies in comparison to those of the international arena. In this respect, USA has for a long time through the tradition relied on emphasizing rights of defendants during the trial process as opposed to other international countries such as United Kingdom whose criminal justice system emphasizes on punishing the guilty persons (Reichel, 2007). In addition, America’s processes and procedures in determining the innocence of an individual especially within the court rooms significantly vary from other international countries. Training of personnel to take up positions, functions, and responsibilities within criminal justice department vary

Perfect Competition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perfect Competition - Research Paper Example So for argument’s sake, we’ll consider the farming sector, and focus on claims on â€Å"Eggs† as the primary example. Eggs are a basic food item in the USA and around the world, and it’s known for its high nutrition value and edibility. Eggs are sold across the USA in almost all convenient stores, and consumed on a daily basis by end users in various forms. Not only that, but many large corporations also engage in B2B transactions with egg suppliers as the product is also used as raw material for other products such as cake mixes, mayonnaise, salad dressings etc. Thus buyers of this product are seemly infinite. The sellers of this product include poultry farmers across the country. Also, large corporations have entered this industry for the sole purpose of egg production, utilizing the concept of battery cages for efficient and expedited production. A survey conducted in the year 2008 yielded results that there were around 287million hens involved in meeting the egg production requirements of the country, a population of over 300 million people. This implies that the egg production in the US A more than abundant. The primary production is done via farmers and the automated plants, but the retailers and wholesalers are the channel through which end-users make the purchase. The situation is such that the USA exports some of its production, which in essence generates a very minimal supply-demand gap. 2) When considering barriers to entry and exits, the market entails high entry costs for both engaging in poultry farming and battery cages. However retailers and wholesalers avoid this cost, but at the same time incur costs of packaging and displays. 3) Factors of production are not very mobile short-term in the sense that if there was a sudden increase of 20% in the demand for eggs, the supply wouldn’t increase immediately. However, in the long run the production could be maneuvered to meet the demand as best as possible. 7) Eggs are a standardized product

The Industrial Revolution Essay Example for Free

The Industrial Revolution Essay From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the present day, the structure and culture of the American workplace have been affected by many forces, among them capitalism, technology, globalization, and issues of equality. Describe these forces in detail and analyze their impact on the structure and culture workplace. Capitalism Capitalism is an economic system that is based on the private ownership of capital or the means of production and the creation of goods and services for profit. Some of the elements central to capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets and a price system. Capitalism has been dominant in the Western world since the end of Mercantilism. It was fostered by the Reformation, which sanctioned hard work and frugality, and by the rise of the industry during the Industrial Revolution, especially the English textile industry. Unlike earlier systems, capitalism used the excess of production over consumption to enlarge productive capacity rather than investing it in economically unproductive enterprises such as palaces or cathedrals. It is now widely recognized that a new global economy is emerging. It is characterized by the transnational flow of capital, goods, services and labor; by greater national specialization and increased competition across borders; and by the use of new technologies that radically disrupt traditional ways of doing business. In seeking competitive advantage, the United States has targeted a niche for itself at the top of the world economy: It has opted to use the highest technology, to have the most capital- and knowledge-intensive industries, and to produce the highest quality and highest value-added goods and services. Surfing the crest of this giant wave is not easy: To maintain its prosperity, the U. S. economy must be in a state of constant change, driven by a process of â€Å"creative destruction. † Inefficient products, companies and entire industries continually need to be replaced. Capitalism is the social system which now exists in all countries of the world. Under this system, the means for producing and distributing goods (the land, factories, technology, transport system etc. ) are owned by a small minority of people. we refer to this group of people as the capitalist class. The majority of people must sell their ability to work in return for a wage or salary. the working class are paid to produce goods and services which are then sold for a profit. The profit is gained by the capitalist class because they can make more money selling what we have produced. In this sense, the working class are exploited by the capitalist class. The capitalist live off the profits they obtain from exploiting the working class whilst reinvesting some of their profits for the further accumulation of wealth. This is what we mean when we say there are two classes in society. It is a claim based upon simple facts about the society we live in today. This class division is the essential feature of capitalism. It may be popular to talk about various other â€Å"classes† exiting such as the â€Å"middle class†, but it is the two classes defined her that are the key to understanding capitalism. Profits In capitalism, the motive for producing goods and services is to sell them and make a profit. this is not done to necessarily satisfy the needs of the people. The products of capitalist production have to find a buyer, of course, but this is only incidental to the main aim of making a profit, of ending up with more money than was originally invested. This is not a theory that we have thought up but a fact you can easily confirm for yourself by reading financial reports from the press and other source. Production is started is started not by what consumers are prepared to pay for to satisfy their needs but by what the capitalists calculate can be sold at a profit. Those goods may satisfy human needs but those needs will not be met if people don’t have the money to purchase them. The profit motive is not just the result of greed on behalf of individual capitalists. Many times they do not have a choice about it. The need to make a profit is imposed on capitalist as a condition for not losing their investments and their position as capitalist. Competition with other capitalists forces them to reinvest as much of their profits as they can afford to keep their means and methods of production up to date. As you will see, we hold that it is the class division and profit motive of capitalism that is at the root of most of the world’s problems today, from starvation to war, to alienation and crim. Every aspect of our lives is subordinated to the worst excesses of the drive to make profit. In capitalist society, our real needs will only ever come a poor second to the requirements of profit. Technology Technology is defined as the making, modification, usage and knowledge of tools, machines, crafts, techniques, systems, methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solutions to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function.

Media Convergence: Advantages and Disadvantages

Media Convergence: Advantages and Disadvantages Introduction The electronic highway of information that is girdling the world has brought an end to the Gutenberg era. Transition from a â€Å"stones throw away† world to a â€Å"click away† world has changed the way we live, interact, socialize and work. It has also changed the way we perceive culture, people, processes, objects i.e. life in short. The high speed network fabric has rendered geographical boundaries irrelevant. A few years back it may have sounded like an idea by Slartibartfast from the legendary planet of Margarathea(from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) but with the advent of technological platforms this aint a far-fetched idea any longer but is the reality of the present times. It all began with the technological outburst which led to the availability of various platforms that helped to efficiently maximize the transfer of information. The degree of separation between the company and the consumer has reduced considerably. Branding Redefined Branding is no longer the privilege of the larger conglomerates or the big pockets. With the advent of technology and the significant reduction in the costs associated with branding, smaller companies that are taking branding seriously have cropped up like mushrooms. The competition is much tougher and there is this race of owning properties both online and real to cut out the competition. In the context of sports we can take the example of the Indian Premier League (IPL) the largest sport event in India this year. So there would be sponsors for IPL who would demand exclusivity. This is applicable across industry sectors- say a sponsor of something like MTV Roadies who would end up owning the content rights of the show- just to kick competition out of the advertising sphere for the show. The questions that loom large are â€Å"Has the traditional media died?† or â€Å"Has it just reduced to a mere supporting media?† or â€Å"Have the rules of the game changed?† or â€Å"Is it a new game altogether?† Brand experience is both emotional and functional. It is not only a promise that a company makes, or an assurance to the quality of the product as mentioned by Aaker(1991) but it also has a psychological role to play. They make you feel good about yourself or are an expression of yourself. They also fulfil social needs like a sense of affiliation or belongingness to a community or a group of people who think alike. The very fact that names like Arsenal, Manchester United of the English Premier League (EPL) are household names in a country like India where nothing but Cricket sells, shows the growth of sports branding. This phenomenon has been more evident in the recent past all because of the media convergence (Kerr,2008). There are fan communities where people can discuss their teams, interact with people with similar sentiments, vent their anger when a player does not perform and share their grief when their team loses. The arrival of sport channels has provided a medium to the broadcasters to telecast all kinds of sports and not just cricket. There is as much of motor sports, basketball, tennis and football as there is cricket. The question that pops up next is, what is the brand? Is it the player, the club or is it Football the game itself? If yes, how has a little white ball and a green field inspired the most successful brand principles that has led to true brand management? The concept of a sport being a brand may sound a little ridiculous at first, but the figures dont lie. A Brand Finance survey conducted in 2005 revealed that Manchester United had a brand value of  £197m, Liverpool a value of 156m, Chelsea  £137m and Arsenal a brand value of  £115mn. Indian Premier League (IPL) The Sport Renaissance in India India has two primary religions Bollywood and Cricket. The only differentiating factor that sets sports entertainment apart from the rest is the passion that it commands and the real time execution. The cricket economy world over is 1bn USD to which India contributes to more than 60%. This includes revenues from ticket sales, sponsorship, endorsements and broadcasting rights. In 2008 the remote wars in the households in India had struck a truce as all the members in the family were glued onto one thing -the IPL for their own different reasons. Be it the glamour, be it the sport, be it the uniqueness of the concept or be it the hype around the event, IPL redefined entertainment. The General Entertainment Channels (GECs) observed a huge dip in the Television Rating Points. Nothing had grabbed the attention of the masses the classes at such a scale ever before. Next year IPL struck again-grander and better. The GECs delayed the launch of new shows as they were sure they had nothing that could compete against the IPL. Such is the potential for the Sport Industry in India. The IPL 09 had rung the death knell of the whole arena of player management in India as small size sponsors signed the best of the players in the Indian team for a year at dead cheap prices. This fiasco happened due to the deals that the IPL Franchise had with these sponsors and the players were bound by it. This was the reason why we saw Master Blaster Sachin, Zaheer and Harbhajan promoting Luminous Invertors and Sehwaag advertising for Jetkings an equipment hardware manufacturer. Is it truly about club over country? The club format brought to the public light through the IPL has shattered the myth that sports in India is about national identity and patriotism? In the auction the highest bid jersey was not that of Tendulkar or Ganguly, it was Khans 11. It has given rise to a lot of questions What is it that makes a person support the Mumbai Indians or the Kolkatta Knight Riders? Is it Sachin, Sehwag, Shilpa or Shahrukh? Is it the success of the team or the strategy that they employ when at the field? The other areas of concern would be has this concept of IPL revolutionized the way sport is consumed in India? Will the spectators be interested in an IPL match over India vs Pakistan Test Match? The Moment of Truth in the IPL that made its success eminent was the fact that the crowd actually cheered when Sachin was bowled by Bret Lee. This is an indicator of the fact that sports in India is in the throes of evolution. People are open to accepting it as an entertainment option than a patriotic struggle. Literature Review What is Media Convergence? Britannica Encyclopaedia says, â€Å"Media Convergence is a phenomenon that involves the interlocking of computing and information technology companies, telecommunication networks and content providers from the various media platforms like magazines, newspapers, radio, television, films and the likes. It also says that Media Convergence is the confluence of the 3 Cs Communication, Content and Computing†. According to Henry Jenkins who is a highly respected media analyst and one of the foremost leading experts on the convergence culture paradigm, as well as, the DeFlorz Professor of Humanities and the Founder and Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT states that, â€Å"the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences is what constitutes media convergence†. It is not just the confluence of the traditional and the new digital media but it is also about the unpredictable ways of interaction and association of the consumers and producers of media. It is not solely technological but there is a huge gamut of socio- cultural paradigm shifts that have changed the way the consumer evaluates a product, makes his decision and his social interactions to seek information. It also includes the experience that the producer of the media makes the consumer go through (Viau, 2 001). The world is witnessing the new forms of media in which they have a larger control over the types of feeds they receive, the ease with which they can interact with not just the media but with the media provider as well. This has brought a whole new dimension of competition to the traditional media platforms. This has also led to a lack of dependence of the consumers on any particular media which in turn translates to lesser loyalty. Benefits of Media Convergence: The content creators can use the platform to generate customized content that is targeted at a specific group. This has also brought about a change in the dynamics of economy as distribution and cost structure is not the same in traditional media. It has brought about a sense of Post Modernism to the field of media consumption where the consumer is not an audience but is also a co creator. This has also brought about a change in the experience that a person goes through by consuming media. It has transcended the limitations of the traditional media. Negatives of Media Convergence: This has brought in a certain amount of unpredictability in the responses that a media would receive. With the audience being exposed to a plethora of media platforms it gets tough to understand what has had what kind of effect on the consumer. Media Convergence has brought about a shift in the control that the content creator had over its property. With the advent of blogs, mobiles and emails the consumers are exposed to large amount of unbranded content. This has led to an increase in the competition for consumers time and attention that the content creators face. Is Sport an Industry? Does industry necessarily comprise of a product or service? NO! It could be an offering that is neither of the two but is consumed by the people. Entertainment is an industry and so is religion. Thus Sport is an industry too which comprises of selling sports or selling through sports. Be it the events, leagues and the tickets to view these or the marketing of products through sports- which would include merchandize, licensing and sponsorship (Mason, 1999). The figure below represents a model of the Sport Industry Parallels can be drawn between Sports and a Consumer Product. Below is a representation of the value chain of the sports industry. Sport as a product can be consumed in different ways- playing, watching, reading or being entertained by it. The level of involvement of the consumers -fans in the sports jargon, differs for each of the way. â€Å"Football is a million dollar industry. The sport has a long heritage in UK and has the most prestigious premiership in the world and has attracted players from all four corners of the globe. Most importantly, football inspires passion and the big four, Chelsea Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool FC, are among the most valuable brands in the country†, says Ruth Mortimer- a sports marketing blog owner. What is a Sports Brand? What constitutes a sports brand is questionable. It depends on what the product is? Is the league a product or is it the clubs in the league that constitute the product (Goldman, 1989; Grauer, 1983; 1989; Gray, 1987)? It is argued that the league can be taken as a cartel of these entities i.e. the clubs. This would determine the marketing strategies for the league and the clubs. But whatever the case be both are brands in themselves. If football is the category EPL can be taken as the Umbrella Brand and the clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and the likes would constitute the sub brands. Even the players would be brands in their own respect. If Beckham is the brand then it is dedicated, suave and down to earth (Milligan, 2004). Manchester United stands for excitement and great entertainment all so because right from Cantona to Giggs to Rooney and Ronaldo, the club has stalwarts who are both excellent at the game and are trend setters in their own way. Hence there is a clearly identifiable brand proposition (Baeur et al, 2005). How are sport brands different from the product brands? NBA Franchise was the first to realize the potential of brand building and what organized marketing can do to fuel revenue generation. Andy Mulligan(2009), says, â€Å" Brands are often, somewhat lazily by some people, equated with pure commercialism and worse still with a kind of fluffy marketing that is about spin and not substance.† He is of the view that though Sport is a huge industry, managing teams is not in the least similar to managing a business. The very premise that a business is a tradable property sets it apart. A team is a repository of emotional associations that fans world over share and build. Hence sports team is not a business but it could definitely be a brand as its an identity and a promise that the consumers believe in and an experience that they live. The association of a spectator with a specific club is enhanced by the collaborative play of â€Å"local, national or emotional identifications† (Whannel, 1992, p. 199) or by the un-certainty of the outcome of the game (Clapson, 1992).The degree of association of the club and the spectator is so high that he develops a strong sense of affiliation with the club. He feels proud and celebrates the victories and is all gloomy over the losses. This phenomenon has been termed as Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG) (Cialdini et al., 1976). Media and Sports The globalization, the opening up of trade barriers, this era of media convergence, the popularity of the internet, and the ever increasing number of netizens has revolutionized the sports industry. The advancements in communication technology provide omniscient access to all kinds of leagues that a team plays in. This coupled with the 24X7 dedicated sport channels has opened up a whole new arena of entertainment. Today the English Premier League and Formula 1 are as popular in the Asia Pacific as they are in Europe. Earlier people used to watch just the league finals but now they have the option to follow their favourite teams irrespective of their geographic location and time. The qualifiers for the Champions League or the NASCAR have a sizeable number of viewers as does the grand finale. When Real Madrid signed the superstar David Beckham, the live telecast of the ceremony attracted more than 2 million eyeballs (Hatfield, 2003). Games of Houston Rockets had a viewership of over 30 million Chinese viewers who tuned in just to watch Yao Ming- their fellow citizen battle the National Basketball Associations (NBA) finest (Larmer, 2005). Manchester United has a huge fan base of close to 24 million in China alone which is more than the number of viewers in Britain. More than half a billion people tune in to watch the weekly games world over. (Datson, 2004). The popularity that these sports command has attracted the attention of sponsors and advertisers. The teams themselves have realized the large potential that the world of marketing has in store. They have capitalized on this opportunity and the audience sentiment by branding themselves. They have a prominent presence across the various levels, be it Below the Line or Above the Line. We have Team Anthems, Jerseys, Videos, Events, Parties, Posters- ALL OF IT! Manchester Uniteds branded licensed jerseys sell more in the USA as compared to all the other Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs combined. The number of hardcore fans has been approximated to a good 4 million in North America alone. Japanese tour groups spent US$500 million on just the tickets and souvenirs from the New York Yankees. All so to watch Hideki Matsui the outfielder from Japan. This was more than five times what the presence of Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle Mariners generated (Whiting, 2003). Internet statistics tell the same story. There are more satellite fans to the NBA. 40% of visitors to the website log on from outside the States and a humongous 20% of the licensed merchandise is sold overseas (Eisenberg et al., 2003). Global Sports Industry Recession When the whole world is in the throes of recession, sports is one industry sector that has not been as badly affected as the others and was quick enough to bounce back within a year. Loss of sponsorship, events being cancelled, biggies withdrawing from the arena; these are some of the development the sports industry has witnessed in the recent past. On one hand we have been witnessing things like Honda, Kawasaki and Subaru withdrawn from motorsport Manchester United lose  £56 million AIG shirt sponsorship US National Football League indicates it will cut workforce by 10% Tiger Woods loses five year $8 million endorsement contract with Buick Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games takes out additional $800 million loan to cover financial shortfall 2009 Indian Masters golf tournament cancelled Arena Football League in US cancelled for the season On the other hand the world witnessed the largest ever viewership and increasing advertising spend TV viewership increased to 1 million (97.4m to 98.4m); advertising investment up $20 million (from $186 million to $206 million) at the Super bowl 2009 Manchester City sold for  £200million+ in summer 2008 Premier League signs new live TV rights deal for  £1.78 billion, surpassing previous deal Badminton England signs record-breaking sponsorship deal with Yonex Manchester United and City will both sign lucrative, record-breaking shirt sponsorship deals if the rumors are to be believed Sports Scenario in India The Sports arena in India has been dominated by cricket for quite some time now. But with the converging media and the Westernization sports like soccer, basketball, motor racing have observed an increasing fan base. A look at the Audience and Viewership data from TAM is enough to prove this point. Cricket is followed by soccer, tennis and wrestling. The reason for the monopoly of cricket is simple. Cricket is the only sport where India has made a mark in the International arena and which still holds hope for Indians to win over others. This has provided it the status of religion in India. The other popular sports would include Soccer, Tennis and Motor Sports as revealed by a TAM report. This marks the herald of a whole new era of sports entertainment and marketing. Below is an overview of the size of the sports industry in India IPL- The Story so Far India has two religions Bollywood and Cricket and the whole country was awestruck when the two joined hands. IPL is all about glamour, excitement and passion. It works on a franchise model where each of team is owned by an industrialist, a celebrity or is a joint venture. There was an auction to own the clubs and then there was an auction to make the team and select the players. This was the golden time for the Cricket Board in India as it made a lot of profits. Franchise rights were tendered with a reserve price of USD 50mn for 10 yrs. The owners get a percentage of the revenue that the team earns and has other streams like merchandising to mint money from too. The primary difference between the IPL and the English Premier League was the fact that in IPL there was a cap on the amount of money that could be spent in building a team. Unlike EPL where the teams that are backed by the deeper pockets manage to buy the best of the players and end up winning the tournaments and the others are a t a competitive disadvantage. Apart from this sponsorship on Television and the ground constitutes a huge chunk of the revenues that the board and the team earn. The IPL website had 50mn page views in the first week and had received 530,000 column cm of stuff written about it in the newspapers in the Season 1. The opening match in Delhi had a Television Rating Point(TRP) of 7.19 which was the highest for any event in India ever. It had a TRP of 6.7 amongst women which is a considerable number considering the fact that Indian women are generally not much into watching sports. Thus we see that it aint just a mere entertainment option but is an industry in itself. The Need Gap The clubs are no longer just teams whose players lend it its brand value. There is a huge industry of sports merchandize, events and the likes that thrives on this its a culture in itself. Keeping this in mind I plan to study formats like the EPL and NBA which are brands in themselves and arrive at the factors that lead to the success of such brands. India as a nation provides huge potential to market these brands. It is not just the passion for the sport or the sentiment of belongingness to a particular nation that commands loyalty. There are several other factors that have converted sports clubs or teams into one of the most valued brands world over. Therefore there is a knowledge gap that exists. It is to study what these factors are and what are the things that affect these factors? Parallels can be drawn between the sports industry in India and in nations abroad which in turn would help marketing sports, teams and clubs as brands in a nation like India- which is a burgeoning economy and holds great prospects for such brands. Research Objectives To understand how sports branding has grown as an industry in the West, taking EPL, NBA, Formula 1 as a case study. To understand the consumer perception of sports as a brand in India by conducting a research amongst the audiences To understand how media convergence has led to the popularity and the cult like fan following of Western sports in India To analyze the Indian sports industry and devise a marketing strategy for building a sports brand in the Indian context Research Methodology Research Design A fan â€Å"represents an association from which the individual derives considerable emotional and value significance† (Madrigal, 1995, pp. 209-210). Thus it is not equivalent to being a spectator. Therefore to understand their behaviour and attitude statistical data about what they watch and how often do they watch does not help in the quest to understand what makes them a fan. Therefore the research methodology would be a mix of quantitative and qualitative as both have their own advantages and contributions to making this study more fruitful. Quantitative studies use the deductive logic to explain social facts (Horna, 1994, p. 121) and thus would help in understanding the behavioural component. This would help in understanding what the crowd constitutes of and what are the primary scalable attitudes exhibited by them. But this fails to explain the underlying reasons for such behaviour, things that differentiate a fan from a spectator. Thus, qualitative study becomes important too. Qualitative methods help in exploring the cognitive components. It also helps explaining the longitudinal behaviour of things rather than a mere snapshot of the present scenario which could be gauged from the quantitative. In depth interviews would be the preferred technique as we seek to understand the reasons why an individual behaves the way he does and not really the collective opinion of a group. The quantitative research can be carried out by administering a questionnaire online and in person. Some statistics can also be gathered from the various databases and research data available publicly. Sampling The research aims to understand how the emergence of media affected the attitude of the people towards Sports in general and the club culture in particular. It is conducted to understand what is it that makes them commit their loyalties to a particular team and how does this affect the economics of the industry. Only SEC A and B are considered based on the assumption that the SECs lower than this dont contribute much. Females have been considered as recent researches show that there are an increasing number of women who have started following sports and participating in it. Hence their opinion and perception could be a valuable contribution. Expected Contribution After studying the responses from the sample, the research would help arrive at answers to various questions regarding the future of the sports industry in India. Questions like where is the industry headed? What kind of sport would sell? How do the sports brands communicate to the people? How has the convergence of media affected their understanding of the sports industry? Apart from this it would help brand managers and sports consultants to design the branding strategies for the various sports brands so that they can sustain themselves in this highly competitive and unpredictable market. Secondary Research: Marketing of Professional Sports Professional sports started with the leagues specializing in one kind of sport which would run for a season and the league enjoyed a monopoly in the arena. But with the advent of infrastructural facilities and increased investments in the industry of sport management there are multiple leagues fighting for the share of eye and heart. They fight for consumers who have a plethora of other entertainment options to select from. Thus the competition in not limited to just the sports industry but is with the larger entertainment industry (Grauer, 1989). The one thing that makes professional sports appealing to the audiences is the uncertainty of the results. The adrenaline rush that the spectator experiences with every passing minute is dramatic and cannot be derived from staged content. â€Å"Like other forms of entertainment, sport offers a utopia, a world where everything is simple, dramatic and exciting, and euphoria is always a possibility Sport entertains, but can also frustrate, annoy and depress. But it is this very uncertainty that gives its unpredictable joys their characteristic intensity (Whannel,1992, p. 199)†. The intensity of appeal and engagement with the sport is further enhanced by the association that an individual has with the sport and if there are stakes that he has in the outcome. The concept of Basking in Reflected Glory(BRIG) talks about the highest degree of association where a fan is a loyal even if the team does not perform well(Cialdini, 1976). Initially the sports leagues were owned by individuals or entrepreneurs but with the growing popularity it has achieved the status of an industry and has been successful in attracting corporate and has taken a more formal structure than a mere source of entertainment. It is due to the involvement of these corporations outside the realm of professional sports management that has brought in newer revenue streams like merchandizing and sponsorships. This model of corporate ownership of a league or a club was started in the USA and was later adopted by the leagues in the continents of Europe and Australia. The biggest advantage of this is that the teams are backed by deep pockets and investment into a team is a part of the investment portfolio of the corporation and not the main business area. Companies like Blockbuster, Disney and Turner from the North American industry of entertainment and broadcasting have benefitted from their presence in professional sports (Cousens and Slack, 1996) . This has also helped Rupert Murdoch to extend his empire across the globe. This has also helped in attracting better players as the salaries are far better, improved facilities to train and huge advertising expenditures to build the fan base. The corporations are not buying into the uncertainty of the game by owning a team but are using the reputation of the team to fuel their interests. For example the treaty between FOX network and the National Football League was not really a profitable venture for the broadcast network as it had to overbid to acquire the rights but as Murdoch puts it, â€Å"it has made [FOX] a real network in the US†(Swift, 1995). Globalization of the Leagues â€Å"Professional sports leagues are now a part of the powerful recreation and entertainment sector of the economy. In addition, sports have â€Å"delocalised†; the global marketplace has made sports less attached to specific places, particularly those which have world-wide appeal, such as football and basketball (Euchner, 1993)†. Satellite TV and Internet has sped up the delocalization of professional sports by making the content available across the globe in real time. The total income of the â€Å"Big 5† football leagues in Europe in the year 2005-06 was  £12.6 billion ($18.54 billion) (Deloitte and Touche 2007), out of which the Barclays English Premier League(EPL) was the largest contributor, generating revenues as high as à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 billion. The most sought after customers of the industry would be the fans as they are loyal and facilitate generating the revenues required to rope in the best players and management. The media analysts refer the players, the clubs and the leagues as the â€Å"brand† (Globalisation of the league, Dr. Bridgewater, 2007). The brands in this industry are not same as the rest but there are strategies that remain the same. When a FMCG brand has to be made global, what companies generally do is start operations in the country where they would like to have a presence. Similarly, the leagues involve other nations or players that have a different nationality to increase the audience base which in turn would lead to building up the fan base which constitutes the target segment for the merchandise. For example the National Football League (NFL) in the USA announced the first competitive game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants in October 2007, more than a 50,000 tickets were sold within 3 days of the announcement. The buyers comprised of local and expatriate fans. This is representative of the fact that there is huge potential in this industry sector. The number of â€Å"E Loyals†- people who dont hold a season ticket or have been to watch a live match but support the game and the club as they have been exposed to it online or on TV- has been rising in the last few years. They are a segment that is as likely to buy the merchandise as a fan who is a regular at the stadium. Pennants, caps, shirts, flags, bands and other team branded articles are what have led to an increase in the revenues and facilitated penetration in other geographic markets (Cousens and Slack, 1996). English Premier League (EPL) -A Case Study English Premier League is a leading association of professional football clubs in the European Union. It has 20 clubs that play in the league every year and follows the system of relegation. Each of these clubs is a shareholder to the league. The EPL came into existence in 1992 when the First Division in the Football League decided to part ways from the Football League as it had struck a lucrative deal for television broadcast rights. It has the largest revenues in the football arena, close to a $4mn in 2007-08. It is perceived to be more glamorous, entertaining and action centred as compared to the rest of the European Leagues like the Serie A and La Liga in Spain. Premier League has undoubtedly grown to be a global brand. The global fan base of the leading international football brands such as Real Madrid and Manchester United runs in millions of British Pounds and â€Å"shows no sign of waning† (Deloitte â€Å"Football Money League†,2008) What is it that determines a persons identification with a club? A Research conducted in 2002 has identified 5 important factors that govern the association of fans with the team. These are primarily the support that the team gathers at the venue the management of the team the traditions, values, legacy that it entails the social entertainment factor i.e. the fan community that it h