Understanding and managing customers in the chocolate market Essay

Understanding and managing customers in the chocolate market - Essay Example The chocolate market is one of the successful market sectors in the world. It targets a wide range of customers from children up to senior citizens. However, entering in this kind of market without sufficient knowledge and experience will just incur losses.It is important to know how the different chocolate companies like Hershey, Cadbury, and Nestle were able to achieve success in the chocolate business. This paper discusses the current events that are happening around the chocolate sector in order to provide relevant information to potential clients entering the chocolate market.It also provides information on the current size and value as well as the trends and development in the chocolate industry. This paper tends to analyze the risks and opportunities in entering this kind of market sector.The cocoa into which chocolate is created was discovered in the Amazon 4000 years ago (2000 B.C.). The cocoa was part of the Mayan culture (6 AD to 600 AD) and symbolized as the "god's food." For the Aztecs (1200 AD), cocoa beans were used for currency. In the early decades of the 16th century, the process of making chocolate drink 'Chocolati' was learned. In the same period, Hernando Cortez established the first cocoa plantation in Mexico. The chocolate arrived in Spain in 1528 and became popular in Europe not until the 17th century. The first chocolate made by machine was produced in Spain. Several chocolate factories were established in the United States, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Germany during the late 18th century up to the early 19th century. Switzerland took over the lead in chocolate innovation as Swiss Daniel Peter discovered the milk chocolate in 1875. In the early 1900's the Swiss chocolate became famous around Europe while in the United States, the New York Cocoa Exchange was established for buyers and sellers of chocolates. In the Second World War, chocolates were used as supplements for the soldiers. The U.S. astronauts also included chocola tes, as part of their diets. (Chocolate Month Club) B. CURRENT SIZE AND VALUE United States and Europe Ryan Freund (2008) reports the global chocolate confectionary market had annual sales of 75 billion US Dollars in 2006. From the given figure, Europe contributed 35 billion US Dollars while the United States of America totalled for 16 billion US Dollars. They combine for a majority of the global chocolate market sales. Table 1 shows the average amount of chocolate the consumers spend per year. The United States has higher chocolate sales per capita of $53.16 compared to $48.08 chocolate sales per capita in Europe. Both spend at an average of $50 on chocolates every year. (Freund 2008) Table 1 Country/Region Chocolate Sales per Year Population1 Chocolate Sales per Capita United States $16 billion 301 million $53.16 Europe $35 billion 728 million $48.08 The British people are regarded as the biggest chocolate consumers in Europe consuming at an average of 10 kilos each person, every year. The British market is said to be around 4 billion Pounds. The two leading chocolate markets in United Kingdom are Cadbury and Nestle. (BBC News 2004) Table 2 shows the market value for chocolate confectionery in UK from 2004 to 2008. The chocolate market is sub-divided in to six (6) categories which are: "'boxed', 'moulded bars', 'Seasonal', 'Countlines', 'Straightlines' and 'other' Chocolate". (Business Insights 2008) Table 2 Germans and French are the next largest chocolate consumers in Europe eating annually at around 8.3 kilos and 5.8 kilos each respectively. (Food Production Daily 2005) Table 3 illustrates the value of chocolate confectionery sales in Germany from 2004 to 2008. Like in Table 1, the sales value is further divided into six (6) subcategories.2 Table 3 Asia In Asia, the Japanese eat at an annual average of 2.2 to 2.3 kilos each. In China, the Chinese are eating chocolates at an average of 1

Individual Assignment Current Events in Business Essay Example for Free

Individual Assignment Current Events in Business Essay Write a 300-word summary of the business research process by describingthe business research process from your experience in the workplace or in an article you find through the University Library. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. You can meet lots of people by taking advantage of orientation social events. Heading off to a college where you know no one can be a daunting and isolating experience. By participating in social activities right away, you will be able to meet others who are in the same boat and looking to make friends.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | Book Summary

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man | Book Summary Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is an autobiography by John Perkins. It tells the story of how the protagonist, Perkins, experienced a series of events that are astonishingly influential to the world that we live in today. It tells the story of how greed for money and power creates a web of deceit, traitors and shockingly murderers. It portrays how one country can exploit others, rob their natural resources, cause environmental disasters, poison their rivers and guide their politics. Perkins exposes the truth behind his own countrys administrations and its leading role models in the corporate world The United States of America. Perkins begins this book by introducing two concepts; Economic Hit Man (EHM) and corporatocracy. EHMs are a group of people who encourage world leaders to become part of a vast network that promotes U.S commercial interests (p ix). This results in the world leaders becoming trapped in a web of debt and providing the U.S with support politically, militarily and economically. In turn, the world leaders bring airports, power plants and industrial parks to their people and therefore guarantee their thrown. John Perkins provides a precise definition of EHMs that they are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars using techniques such as fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex and murder (p ix). The protagonist was an EHM for the international consultancy firm MAIN and its strategy is to target and persuade poorer country leaders to accept enormous development loans for projects which were to be contracted with U.S companies. They cheat leaders with false economic projections, Your forecasts determine the magnitude of the systems they design and the size of the loans , an EHM is the key (p 17). This form of diabolic manipulation, in their view a strategic investment, proved to be successful in countries such Ecuador, Panama and Saudi Arabia but if the leaders do not comply with the offer for loans and economic growth then the country and their leaders suffered, even murdered. EHM failure was not acceptable. The term corpratocracy as Perkins explains is a collective term describing corporations, banks and governments that work for the progression of the global empire using financial and political muscle to ensure that our schools, businesses and media support the concept of the system that is motivated by the illusion that all economic growth serves for the prosperity of mankind and the larger the growth, the further extended the benefits and that the impoverished are convenient for exploitation. Perkins also gives us an insight of the impact of corporatocracy on us as we are being exploited by the economic engine that creates an insatiable appetite for the worlds resources and results in a system that fosters slavery. This quote emphasises what we encounter everyday in our lives; in banks, governments, Nike and Wal-Mart and nearly every other corporation in the world and that we are convinced by this economic engine and induced to consume, consume, consume (p xii -xiii). A key question is why did John Perkins become an EHM? He implies that his choice of this career path was due to two events in his life; his loyal friendship with Farhad, a son of an Iranian general and his encounter with Anne, his ex-wife (p 5). His parents also played a role in his point of view since he grew up as a poor puritan among so many wealthy. According to the protagonist, living a life of frustration craving sex and money generated a pivotal role in establishing his aspiration to live the good life, which was the lure that MAIN adopted to mould him into an EHM (p 7). But the more vital question here is how was such a disbeliever in the corporatocracy become ensnared in its web of deceit? The answer is the manipulative strategy of exploitation. Perkins wife introduced him to an executive at the NSA (National Security Agency). Perkins then undergone a series of NSA assessments were focused on his frustrations, his upbringing and his relationship with his friend Farhad. This portrayed how seducible the protagonist was and he was later further lured indirectly to be trained as an EHM (p 9). When he began to realize the true nature of EHMs, he became juxtaposed between becoming one and living the good life or walking away. He often questioned if what he was about to engage in was right and suspected he was not but eventually greed and the appealing opportunities MAIN offered won and he justified his decision by presupposing that he will expose the corporatocracy after he advanced deeper (p 17). EHMs have been involved Panama, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Ecuador. In each case the author describes various strategic tactics they employ and their various outcomes to the countries leaders, politics and people. Panama was ruled by its hero Omar Torrijos at the time Perkins was sent to make his economic forecasts (or in reality an economic hit). Torrijos believed in his countries right to rule its own Panama Canal with no U.S intervention (p38). In 1972, Perkins established a relationship with Torrijos where it appeared that the he knew MAINs true agenda towards Panama as he implies, I understand that your company wants more work and usually gets it by inflating the size of projects.. This time is different Give me whats best for my people .Ill give you all the work you want. It was obvious that this man was solely concerned for the benefit of his country and to benefit the poor as rather than himself and which in my point of view proves that not all leaders are corrupt. Perkins also portrays that Torrijoss selfless attitude would be seen as a threat but Torrijos expressed his knowledge openly that at anytime the U.S could assassinate him and that he will not be destroyed easily, We have the Canal The CIA will have to kill me! (p 72-75). His expectations came to life on July 31st 1981. His death, which my mother described as a mysterious plane crash, was a result of his true devotion to Panama rather than the U.S dollar. He renegotiated the Canal Treaty with the U.S President Jimmy Carter to surrender the Canal to the Panamanians and later refused to renegotiate it with President Reagan. The U.S wanted sole control over the Canal. When anything came in their way, the words CIA assassination are heard (p158-159). This is their strategy, either comply with their strategic exploitation game and sell your beliefs for dollars and power or they send in their jackals or the CIA to intervene. After the tragic assassination of Panamas hero, his replacement, Manuel Noriega, followed in his footsteps particularly with the project of building a new canal financed by the Japanese. This posed a threat to U.S firms; they could lose billions of dollars. During the George H. W. Bush administration a new strategy emerged to deal with Noriegas intentions. It was through loss of reputation and mass murder. In 1986, they developed a corrupt image of drug dealing for Noriega. In 1989, the U.S invades Panama with airstrike assaults on the unharmful Panamanian civilians violating international law (p 173-175). Perkins wrote about Ecuador and how the U.S oil company ChevronTexaco Corp contaminated rivers and open holes with four million gallons of toxic waste water which contained oil, carcinogens and heavy metals which poisons the Ecuadorian people and their animals (p xviii). Their democratically elected President Jaime Roldos wanted oil companies out of his country, unless they implemented plans that would help Ecuadors people, they would be forced to leave his country. His people were frustrated and so was he. This posed a threat to their strategy of corporatocracy, therefore a CIA assassination strategy was implemented and he died in a plane crash two months before Torrijos in 1981 (p 154-156). In 1973, an important event occurred that changed the strategy of corporatocracy, the Oil Embargo. This was due to the U.Ss support to the state of Israel both politically and with foreign aid. This caused five Arab countries including Saudi Arabia to stop oil shipments to the U.S (p 82-83). King Faisal of Saudi Arabia played a great role in this embargo since he believed in the freedom of Palestine and swore to pray in Jerusalems Aqsa Mosque. But like any leader that opposed U.S interests he was murdered in 1975 by his own nephew who coincidentally was just being educated in the U.S. As for their strategy for oil rich and strategically located countries such as Saudi Arabia, they sent EHMs, including Perkins team, to the House of Saud, with their strategic weapon, economic projections. In order to preserve their oil supply, Washington commenced a new strategy to lure the wealthy House of Saud using negotiations offering technical support, military hardware and training, and an opportunity to bring their nation into the twentieth century. This arrangement would guarantee the House of Sauds power and the U.S would receive large portions of petrodollars and forever making Saudis dependent on the U.S companies, such as MAIN. Perkins role was to forecast rough projections of the future of the kingdom if large sums of money were invested in its infrastructure by the aid of U.S construction and engineering companies. He described it as win-win situation (p 83-85). The author was assigned to persuade a member of the Saudi government, Prince W., of a possible new Westernised future of the kingdom in 1975. The protagonist soon realized his weakness for beautiful blondes. And he exploited that weakness and supplied him with his need of women which portrays the measures EHMs result in order to fulfil their assignment. Indeed his technique proved to be a success and Prince W. eventually relented (p 92-95). The diabolic outcome of this strategy is not the result of having a guaranteed unlimited oil support, but is the message the U.S sent; If other countries such as Iran, Iraq threatened embargoes, Saudi Arabia would step in discourage other countries from even considering an embargo (p 90). The U.S can not only further corporatocracy but it can even escape with supporting terrorists for their own gain and later pursuing them as outlaws. The U.S desired the House of Saud to bankroll Osama bin Ladens Afghan war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s and they both generously devoted $3.5 billion to the mujahideen resistance movement (p 99). Washington was supporting who it now name murderers and terrorists to further its political agenda, in fact it was an excellent strategy to exploit such movements and later destroy them. Since the success of the Saudi Arabia strategy in the 70s, the greed of the corporatocracy grew and EHMs were sent to Saddam Hussein of Iraq to exploit his oil reserves in exchange for infrastructural prosperity. Unlike the House of Saud, he did not comply. To Washington, Iraq represented oil, water and its borders with Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. It is at strike distance with Israel and the former Soviet Union. That would have control over its neighbours; some which are oil rich (p 182-184). Refusing to comply, Iraq was attacked twice breaking international law. Once by George H. W. Bush in the 1990s with air strikes and aerial assaults on civilians. And second, by George W. Bush in 2003 where he deceived the world by claiming Hussein owned weapons of mass destruction. But people implied at that time that he planned to sell his oil for Euros which triggered the war. John Perkins book furthered a vast amount of knowledge to my perception of world leaders. I was always sceptical about many leaders but never did I know about EHMs. I was aware about corruption in governments, the U.S compliance with terrorism and its double standards that caused the murder of generations, the emotional scaring of orphans and the theft of dignity, resources and morals of many countries. Personal examples of this is the differenced between the Egyptian government at the time of Anwar Sadat who fought to help free Palestine and stop the Israeli genocide and now where Israelis are using chemical weapons to bomb schools and orphan children and the Egyptians are denying charities to supply those children with food. In my point of view this is also due to the U.Ss strategic exploitation as Egypt relies on billions of U.S foreign aid. I believe that EHMs were in Egypt. Another example is Saudi Arabia and how its leaders stood watching the U.S butcher Iraqi civilians in the war in 2003 and allowed U.S helicopters fly to Iraq via Saudi Arabia. After reading this book, I also thought of mysterious assassinations of important politicians such as Rafic Al Hariri who was a supporter of Hezbollah who protected Lebanon from Israeli occupation and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan. Those were people of similar standards as Torrijos and Roldos and perhaps I am right to now believe that those were CIA assassinations. The extent of the use of exploitation strategies by the corporatocracy was appalling and in my point of view the author was convincing and he was right to quit and expose this form of manipulation and terrorism employed by the U.S. As for a solution for corporatocracy, I believe it is in the reason of its existence, the reason why Perkins joined it, the same reason it was created; greed and power hunger. If we can perhaps teach American schools the importance of the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of every country, not just theirs and about international laws, then they might realise the real terrorists. I agree with J ohn Perkins on his strategy of spreading awareness, using his book and the media, and his idea giving this book and talking about it to friends and family. I would also suggest translating this book in different languages, especially Arabic and giving it to Iraqis and Saudis so they can see for themselves the working of the corporatocracy in their everyday life.

Media Propaganda and Stereotypes Essay -- Media Stereotypes Stereotypi

Our society consists of consumers that buy into stereotypes and the propaganda that is being fed by the government and the media. Stereotypes steer individual's perceptions of a group of people in a certain way, usually negative, and generalize that opinion to all members of the group. Aware of the influence stereotypes have on people's views, governments use stereotypes already imbedded in society as a propaganda tactic to persuade people's thoughts, opinions and beliefs in order to benefit their cause. The media was used for disseminating stereotypes the effect violent music has on teenager's behaviours such as in the shootings at Columbine. After the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government used the media as an outlet to emphasize Muslim stereotypes to influence people to support the invasion of Iraq. Stereotypes and other propaganda techniques such as "name-calling, manicheanism, and censorship" are powerful instruments used in propaganda, because it tactfully influences the pop ulation to think in the way that the government and media want them to think (Shah, 2003). However, its success depends on how strong the stereotypes are instilled in society, how well they are maintained within propaganda and if the public is unaware of the propaganda techniques used. Propaganda is most often used during times of conflict, such as the most recent example regarding the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States. When news broke out all over the media that the terrorists responsible for the atrocity were of Muslim origin, many racist individuals probably thought 'it figures.' Ever since the fact that Saddam Hussein "used chemical weapons to poison tens of thousands Kurds in 1988" was exposed to the public via the media, t... ...1402>, consulted on March 30, 2004. Mediascope (2000). "Youth and Violent Music." Online at: http://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/yvm.htm, consulted on March 29, 2004. Poiesis.org (1997). "The Peace Journalist Option." Online at: http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Propaganda/Iraq.asp, consulted on March 28. SCHECHTER, Danny (2001). "Covering Violence: How Should Media Handle Conflict?" mediachannel.org. Online at: http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/coveringviolence.shtml, consulted on March 27, 2004. SHAH, Anup (2003). "War, Propaganda and the Media." Global Issues. Online at: http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Military.asp, consulted on March 27, 2004. The Disaster Center (2000). "Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold: Stop the Violence, Remember Littleton." Online at: http://www.cnn.com/video, consulted on April 1, 2004.

Critical Analysis on Sonnet 12 by William Shakespeare Essay

William Shakespeare wrote a group of 154 sonnets between 1592 and 1597, which were compiled and published under the title Shakespeare’s Sonnets in 1609. Our attention will focus on sonnet 12, a remarkable and poignant poem about the relentless passing of time, the fading beauty, immortality, death and Old Age, these subjects being typical of all Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Time is omnipresent in everyone’s life, just passing and passing inexorably, relentlessly, so unstoppable. It is a universal problem : people have always been very worried about time, trying to gain some, or angry they have lost this precious element. Moreover, â€Å"Time is Money†, maxim born in the business sector, is now an adage applied in all matter. But still, it is not possible to lose or gain time : it is above people, nobody has control on it. This is what Shakespeare tells us in this sonnet. Shakespeare’s sonnets don’t have a specific title, only named by a number. Here, it is 12, and surely this number has not been given by chance, being a way to refer to time : the twelve hours of a day, the twelve hours of a night. What is more, just by hearing it, without understanding the words, it is possible to guess that it is about time. Shakespeare has used an iambic pentametre, which the alternation of strong and weak rhythms reproduces the ticking of the clock, displaying the passing of time. Furthermore, the way in which the meaning of the line finishes with the line itself, with punctuation such as comma and semi-colon at the end of each line, is like the inexorable motion of a pendulum as it beats from side to side. The fact that each line contains ten syllables contributes as well to this idea of regularity and time. We should also mention the presence of alliterations like c and t line 1 (count, clock, that, tells, time), imitating the ticking of the clock, and the repetition of consonants like p line 3 (past, prime), or s and g line 7 (summer’s, green, girded, sheaves), b line 8 (borne, bier, bristly, beard), without forgetting the sibilance line 11 (since, sweets, beauties, themselves, forsake). These alliterations slow down the sonnet and give it a measured rhythm, drawing the reader in an infernal cycle, in a lethargic state. We can observe the way the subject is developed by looking at the two main phases in this sonnet : the first eight lines are a phase of observation, study : we perceive how nature fades and dies, how time passes, as nothing can be done against it. But then, in the second part, Shakespeare opens up his past observation – that was on nature – in an examination based on humans. Nevertheless, these two phases are very similar, offering the same message to the reader : time is devastating and invincible. But before presenting these two main phases, we should not forget to precise that in each of these parts, a narrator appears, speaking at the first person, thanks to the pronoun â€Å"I†, line 1, 3, 5 and 9. The question coming immediately in our mind is who is hiding behind this â€Å"I† and who is this â€Å"I† addressing to ? I do not know whether Shakespeare has created a character, or if he is really expressing his point of view through the sonnet, but if he does so, we can observe that he adopts a different opinion in sonnet 18. Therefore, in sonnet 18, he promises his addressee he will be immortalized through the sonnet itself : â€Å"so long lives this, and this gives life to thee†, while in sonnet 12, he believes procreation to be the only way to live forever : â€Å"save breed to brave him when he takes thee hence†. Officially, the first 156 sonnets are addressed to a dear young man, fading somewhat the romantic image all people have about Shakespeare and his works. Now that we have talked about the sender and the receiver, let us concentrate on the different images, symbols and statements delivering the message. The first part of this poem describes nature. Indeed, the narrator is exposed counting the clock chimes – giving by the way an audible sound to the reader -, and the narrator appears very passive and resigned : he seems to know that time cannot be fought, waiting for it to pass, in a submissive manner. In the same way, the day looks already defeated, but it tries, unlike the â€Å"I†, to fight, as suggest the adjective â€Å"brave†, introducing a notion of combat. However, this is not the only meaning of this word, brave being polysemic : it has almost a visual significance, evoking brightness and gallantry. Thus, Shakespeare joins an attracting adjective to the â€Å"day†, to  finally make it appear even more vulnerable and pathetic, thanks to â€Å"hideous night†. This opposition between â€Å"brave day† and â€Å"hideous night† emphasizes the day’s weakness against the night, literally sinking in the night. This verb, sink, represents a long action and gives us the idea that we cannot discern the limits between day and night, we cannot point out â€Å"this is day†, â€Å"this is night†. It is something we are not aware of, we cannot see happening, until night has completely taken the place. This domination and hopeless fight could imply, by extension, that any struggle in life is a useless task. The violet is also under time control : it is once at its prime state, at springtime best, being emblematic of Spring and new growth, but then soon fades and dies. Here is presented the decaying of nature and furthermore of human, as violet is like a human being : once at its prime, then dying. Shakespeare presents us the same kind of image in the next line, describing sable curls, namely dark hair, having turned white due to the age. This word sable brings nobility, rarity and softness to the curls, but then is even more put down – as it is more precious -, by the whiteness. Behind this description, it is the youth coming to old age which is depicted. â€Å"Barren of leaves†, line 6 indicates us what period the poem is describing : the autumn, season of death and sadness. The trees, which used to be tall and majestic : â€Å"lofty†, are now leafless : all that remains are bare branches. Shakespeare is also suggesting that they are useless, while they used to have a significant role : to protect the herd from the heat of the sun. Thus, it suggests again the fact that everybody, even the more majestic one, will fade one day, that the destructive process of age does not forget anyone, and that old people are useless. We can discover another image insisting on the idea that the passing of time leaves you with nothing, line 7 and 8. By an agricultural image : the sheaves of corn growing during the summer and being tied carried away on a bier, Shakespeare actually represents death – the final stage -, with the sheaves in the coffin which can be associated with an old person in a coffin : â€Å"white and bristly beard†. All these images denoting Nature have actually been used as examples to illustrate Shakespeare’s views on time and the human being. In a second phase, the sonnet expresses the idea of human beauty fading as the time  passes, but also of the renewable cycle, of a continuous mutation, of the constant presence of a next generation. Basically, there is no way escaping â€Å"Time’s scythe† line 13, except having children. Another important subject in this poem, besides linked up with time, is immortality. It is possible to feel how this relentless passing of time is a very serious issue for the narrator, affecting his mind, as he is trying to find a solution to this problem. Thus, we get aware of the consequences of time, making people grow old : â€Å"white and bristly beard† line 8 ; â€Å"since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake† line 11. The narrator draws our attention on the infernal cycle of life : â€Å"and die as fast as they see others grow† line 12, and probably wants to denounce the sentiment of immortality all young people have in themselves, thinking they will always stay young and have their whole life in front of them forever. Being a teenager, I have this feeling too : how could I imagine, being fifteen, that I will be seventy one day ? However, like Shakespeare suggests in this sonnet, life is a cycle, people dying as fast as others grow. The solution offe red here in the rhyming couplet is to have children to be immortal. One must admit that the narrator is absolutely right, children representing a source of youth, and a way of printing his foot on the earth. By giving birth to a child, people are sure they will live in someone’s mind forever, and be mentioned as the time passes by the family, thanks to genealogical trees for instance. Moreover, parents bring up their children in their way : they pass values and rules on to them, but also a name and a way of thinking and living. However, it cannot be denied that there are other methods to remain alive, to immortalize his existence on earth, like accomplishing a great action – good or bad – or writing an autobiography. I have liked this sonnet very much, for the form represents and illustrates the meaning in a brilliant way. It was also very interesting to, step by step, analyze this poem to finally have a good understanding of it, while it was almost incomprehensible at first. Death, the passing of time, the Old Age and the desire of immortality are universal themes which touched everybody, and have, them, crossed the time.

Karl Marxs Greatest Hits

Karl Marx's Greatest Hits Karl Marx, born May 5, 1818, is considered one of the founding thinkers of sociology, along with Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Harriet Martineau. Though he lived and died before sociology was a discipline in its own right, his writings as a political-economist provided a still deeply important foundation for theorizing the relationship between economy and political power. In this post, we honor Marxs birth by celebrating some of his most important contributions to sociology. Marxs Dialectic Historical Materialism Marx is typically remembered for giving sociology a conflict theory of how society operates. He formulated this theory by first turning an important philosophical tenet of the day on its headthe Hegelian Dialectic. Hegel, a leading German philosopher during Marxs early studies, theorized that social life and society grew out of thought. Looking at the world around him, with the growing influence of capitalist industry on all other facets of society, Marx saw things differently. He inverted Hegels dialectic, and theorized instead that it is the existing forms of economy and productionthe material worldand our experiences within these that shape thought and consciousness. Of this, he wrote in  Capital, Volume 1, The ideal is nothing else than the material world reflected by the human mind, and translated into forms of thought. Core to all of his theory, this perspective became known as historical materialism. Base and Superstructure Marx gave sociology some important conceptual tools as he developed his historical materialist theory and method for studying society. In The German Ideology, written with Friedrich Engels,  Marx explained that society is divided into two realms: the base, and the superstructure. He defined the base as the material aspects of society: that which allow for production of goods. These include the means of productionfactories and material resourcesas well as the relations of production, or the relationships between people involved, and the distinct roles they play (like laborers, managers, and factory owners), as required by the system. Per his historical materialist account of history and how society functions, it is the base that determines the superstructure, whereby the superstructure is all other aspects of society, like our culture and ideology (world views, values, beliefs, knowledge, norms and expectations); social institutions like education, religion, and media; the political system; and even the identities we subscribe to. Class Conflict and Conflict Theory When looking at society this way, Marx saw that the distribution of power to determine how society functioned was structured in a top-down manner, and was tightly controlled by the wealthy minority who owned and controlled the means of production. Marx and Engels laid out this theory of class conflict in  The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848. They argued that the bourgeoisie, the minority in power, created class conflict by exploiting the labor power of the proletariat, the workers who made the system of production run by selling their labor to the ruling class. By charging far more for the goods produced than they paid the proletariats for their labor, the owners of the means of production earned profit. This arrangement was the basis of the capitalist economy at the time that Marx and Engels wrote, and it remains the basis of it today. Because wealth and power are unevenly distributed between these two classes, Marx and Engels argued that society is in a perpetual state of conflict, wherein the ruling class work to maintain the upper-hand over the majority working class, in order to retain their wealth, power, and overall advantage. (To learn the details of Marxs theory of the labor relations of capitalism, see  Capital, Volume 1.) False Consciousness and  Class Consciousness In  The German Ideology  and  The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels explained that the rule of the bourgeoisie is achieved and maintained in the realm of the superstructure. That is, the basis of their rule is ideological. Through their control of politics, media, and educational institutions, those in power propagate a worldview that suggests that the system as it is is right and just, that is is designed for the good of all, and that it is even natural and inevitable. Marx referred to the inability of the working class to see and understand the nature of this oppressive class relationship as false consciousness, and theorized that eventually, they would develop a clear and critical understanding of it, which would be class consciousness. With class consciousness, they would have awareness of the realities of the classed society in which they lived, and of their own role in reproducing it. Marx reasoned that once class consciousness had been achieved, a worker-led revolutio n would overthrow the oppressive system. Summation These are the ideas that are central to Marxs theory of economy and society, and are what made him so important to the field of sociology. Of course, Marxs written work is quite voluminous, and any dedicated student of sociology should engage in a close reading of as many of his works as possible, especially as his theory remains relevant today. While the class hierarchy of society is more complex today than that which Marx theorized, and capitalism now operates on a global scale, Marxs observations about the dangers of commodified labor, and about the core relationship between base and superstructure continue to serve as important analytic tools for understanding how the unequal status quo is maintained, and how one can go about disrupting it. Interested readers can find all of Marxs writing digitally archived here.