Perceptions of Shop Operators on Packaging of Made-in-Ghana Products

The importance of packaging in the marketing of a product cannot be overemphasized. It raises the appeal of the product and becomes its silent salesman. Proper packaging is a less expensive means of advertisement and leads to a direct reduction in production cost and indirectly increases sales by attracting the final consumer. The use of packaging as a marketing and sales promotional tool has been very well developed in the advanced countries with developing countries such as Ghana lagging far behind. In Ghana, many products are poorly labelled and packaged. This paper seeks to ascertain the views of sellers/traders about how the packaging of Made-in-Ghana products affects their marketability. Geographically, the study focused on Kumasi Metropolis given that it is a commercialized city in Ghana. The research employed the case study and qualitative approaches. Survey respondents were sampled through the cluster and accidental sampling techniques. The major road corridors served as the bases for clustering while the accidental sampling technique was employed for the selection of the shops to be interviewed given the absence of reliable information on the number and location of shops in the Kumasi Metropolis. A random accessible population of 100 was taken. A structured questionnaire was employed in a more interactive manner upon a pre-test of 10 shops. Data obtained was edited and presented in the forms of tables and charts to facilitate the analysis. The study revealed that indeed, the final purchasing decision of consumers are made at the point of sale and that packaging serves as the silent salesman through its aesthetic value and the adequacy of information provided on the label of the product. To the traders, the foreign products have their packaging really acting as their silent salesman better than the local ones, thus, their low patronage. Also, the incidence of product rejection due to its packaging was greater in the instances of locally manufactured products based on faded labels, exposed products’ contents and doubtful expiry dates. The use of right quality packaging materials, appropriate colour schemes, improvements in product branding, embossment of Ghanaian logos were suggested strategies for increasing the patronage of Made-in-Ghana products. Until and unless, the local manufacturer is “pushed” to ensure that their products are properly packaged to attract the final consumer, they would continue to struggle with reduction in sales

Comparative Philosophies in Intercultural Information Ethics

The following review explores Intercultural Information Ethics in terms of comparative philosophy, supporting IIE as the most relevant and significant development of the field of Information Ethics. The focus of the review is threefold. First, it will review the core presumption of the field of IIE, that being the demand for an intermission in the pursuit of a founding philosophy for IE in order to first address the philosophical biases of IE by western philosophy. Second, a history of the various philosophical streams of IIE will be outlined, including its literature and pioneering contributors. Lastly, a new synthesis of comparative philosophies in IIE will be offered, looking towards a future evolution of the field. Examining the interchange between contemporary information ethicists regarding the discipline of IIE, the review first outlines the previously established presumptions of the field of IIE that posit the need for an IE as grounded in western sensibilities. The author then addresses the implications of the foregoing presumption from several non-western viewpoints, arguing that IIE does in fact find roots in non-western philosophies as established in the concluding synthesis of western and eastern philosophical traditions

Escaping from American intelligence : culture, ethnocentrism and the Anglosphere

The United States and its closest allies now spend over $100 billion a year on intelligence. Ten years after 9/11, the intelligence machine is certainly bigger - but not necessarily better. American intelligence continues to privilege old-fashioned strategic analysis for policy-makers and exhibits a technocratic approach to asymmetric security threats, epitomized by the accelerated use of drone strikes and data-mining. Distinguished commentators have focused on the panacea of top-down reform, while politicians and practitioners have created entire new agencies. However these prescriptions for change remain conceptually limited because of underlying Anglo-Saxon presumptions about what intelligence is. Although intelligence is a global business, when we talk about intelligence we tend to use a vocabulary that is narrowly derived from the experiences of America and its English-speaking nebula. This article deploys the notion of strategic culture to explain this why this is. It then explores the cases of China and South Africa to suggest how we might begin to rethink our intelligence communities and their tasks. It argues that the road to success is about individuals, attitudes and cultures rather than organizations. Future improvement will depend on our ability to recognize the changing nature of the security environment and to practice the art of ‘intelligence among the people’. While the United States remains the world’s most significant military power, its strategic culture is unsuited to this new terrain and arguably other countries do these things rather better

Platform Advocacy and the Threat to Deliberative Democracy

Businesses have long tried to influence political outcomes, but today, there is a new and potent form of corporate political power—Platform Advocacy. Internet-based platforms, such as Facebook, Google, and Uber, mobilize their user bases through direct solicitation of support and the more troubling exploitation of irrational behavior. Platform Advocacy helps platforms push policy agendas that create favorable legal environments for themselves, thereby strengthening their own dominance in the marketplace. This new form of advocacy will have radical effects on deliberative democracy. In the age of constant digital noise and uncertainty, it is more important than ever to detect and analyze new forms of political power. This Article will contribute to our understanding of one such new form and provide a way forward to ensure the exceptional power of platforms do not improperly influence consumers and, by extension, lawmakers

Intercultural Sensitivity Among Undergraduate University Students in Ethiopia

Nowadays with the globalization of economy, increasing social mobility, rapid development of technology and the emergence of cultural diversity, intercultural human contact at both individual and organizational levels become increasing. The wide-ranged expansion of human contacts on the one hand and the cultural diversity on the other hand calls for people’s sensitivity to cultural diversity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status intercultural sensitivity and related factors among university students in Ethiopia. To attain the objective of the study cross sectional research design was employed. A total of 771 participants (484 males and 287 females) were sampled from four government universities. The adapted measuring scale was Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (Chen & Starosta, 2000). The combinations of multistage cluster sampling, stratified simple random sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling procedures were employed to select the sample participants. The data were analyzed using Descriptive Statistical Measures (Mean, SD, Quartile & Percentile Scores), Frequency percentage, Chi-square, independent-t test and one-way ANOVA. The findings of the study revealed that the target group university students were labelled at higher level of intercultural sensitivity status. Furthermore, the findings revealed significant mean difference on intercultural sensitivity due to sex, place grown up and different batches of university students. However, there was no significant difference on intercultural sensitivity score between mono and mixed ethnic background participants. Finally, implications and recommendations were forwarded. Keywords: Intercultural Sensitivity, Cultural Diversity, Status, University Students DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-13-04 Publication date:July 31st 202

Towards National Integration in Kenya: Beyond Ethno-Centricism and Class Conflict

This paper presents a vital view of a contemporary perspective on dealing with historical challenges to national integration in Kenya. It bases its discussions behind three ideas emanating from the backdrop of both a historical ethno-political society and globalization pull-factors with emphasis on social media. There are three key objectives herein each of which is resultant on a domestic society to harness national cohesion and reconciliation in Kenya. These are; examine the relevance of inter-ethnic marriages; assess the contributions of the youth and social media in promoting unity; and examine the contribution of a university environment in promoting political socialization in transforming future political culture in Kenya. This study works on the finding that the contemporary political intolerance in Kenya is based on an underlying ideology of ethnic nationalism unconsciously or consciously promoted by ‘the politician’ therefore the persistence of both social-economic conflicts along ethnic factions. The working methodology is primarily from a qualitative angle that looked at existing literature topical issues as; national integration, cohesion, ethnic conflict and peace transformation in national politics from relevant secondary sources. The analysis emanates from a theoretical framework that triangulates the Marxist and Wallersteinian class conflicts as a conceptualization and contextual interpretation of the case in point. The paper gives two recommendations to relevant stakeholders in harnessing unity and cohesion in Kenya. It suggests on the importance of putting emphasis on the positive utilization of the social media by youth as well as building capacity on youth transformation by embracing the culture of inter-ethnic marriages as a way to demystify ethnocentric hegemony. Keywords: National Integration, Ethnicity, Class, Conflict and Politic

Citizenship Education curriculum in Greece - beyond ethnocentric or eurocentric approach

The issue of intercultural and citizenship learning has concerned scholars for a long time while subjects such as history, geography, civic and citizenship have been shaping young peoples’ identity. Under migration pressures and the European Union’s integration these subjects have been often challenged and transformed. In the case of Greece, subject’s textbook topics on immigration and diversity have been promoting more ethnocentrism and eurocentrism. This paper presents those findings, and in so doing it explores the ways in which the Greek state’s and the EU’s intercultural education policy have impacted the specific school subject. It focuses on the Greek nation’s identity formation, while discussing the country’s response to the EU’s calls for common policies in the area of intercultural and citizenship education. The last section of this essay provides new insights into the educators’ tools to implement less ethnocentric and more inclusive curriculums and programs by exploring an extracurricular, online peer mentoring program that was initiated and implemented in Australia to foster intercultural awareness

Believed belief: science/religion versus Sukuma magic

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Understanding Embodiment through Lived Religion : A Look at Vernacular Physiologies in an Old Norse Milieu [with a Response by Margaret Clunies Ross]

This chapter outlines an approach to how ritual technologies prominent for a person can impact on the development of that person’s body image – i.e. a symbolic and iconic model of what our body is (and is not). Three types of ritual specialists from the Old Norse milieu are explored: berserkir, vǫlur and what are here described as deep-trance specialists. It is argued that all three were likely conceived as having distinct body images linked to the respective ritual technologies that they used. Bringing into focus the relationship between the technology of practice and body image interfaced with it offers insights into how their technologies were imagined to “work”, and also the degree to which they aligned with or diverged from the normative body image identified with non-specialists in society.Peer reviewe