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Losing Friends

The Female Economy:The World’s Largest Opportunity

Part 2

Going OrganicIn Your Diet

Hi Readers,

Like many families around the world, Jamaicans also opt to

consume organically produced foods. Read on to see why this

is quickly becoming a growing trend. Also, The Boss Lady re-

turns with Part 2 of the “Female Economy” and of course lots

more, so prepare for your weekly treat of Your Style eZine.

Live.Love.

Laugh a Lot.

Editor’s Note

Quote of The Week“This is every cook’s opinion - no savory dish with-out an onion, but lest your kissing should be spoiled

your onions must be fully boiled.”

-Jonathan Swift

september 6,2010

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The World’s Largest Opportunity

(Part 2)

career

TheFemale Economy:

t has been uncovered that women are progressively moving away from being segmented into the usual parti-

tions based primarily on age and income. If today’s corpora-tions could wake up and smell the coffee, they could open themselves up to a world of opportunity. They will see that there is an immense opening in women’s concern for prod-ucts that are eco-friendly, educational, encourages love and promote wellbeing, be it directly or indirectly.

As stated in part one, a recent study conducted among 12,000 females revealed that they still appear to be “under-estimated” and “undervalued” in the workplace and market-place respectively. The primary determinants of the respon-dents were “income”, “age” and “stage of life”. These were subdivided into “fast-tracker”, “pressure cooker”,

“relationship focused”, “managing on her own”, “ful-filled empty nester” and “making ends meet”. It is highly likely that a female will fall in just one category.

Knowing who to target and what they are looking for is of huge importance for any company in the marketplace. The scope any company targeting females can be found in: food, beauty, clothing and fitness as women are more likely to spend their money in any of these categories.

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Women make the decision in the purchases of 94% of home furnishings…92% of vacations…91% of homes…60% of automobiles…51% of consumer electronics

Fast-tracker24% of population34% of earned income-Economic and educational

eliteSeeks adventure and learning

Sub segments:Striving for achievements -15% of population19% of earned income; job and rec-ognition are priorities-Independent women – 9% of popula-tion, 15% of earned income; works the most; prizes autonomy.

Pressure Cooker 22% of population23% of earned income-Married with children

-Fells ignored and stereotyped

Sub segments -Successful ‘multitasker’ -10% of population, 14% of earned income; feels in control -Struggles for stability – 12% of population, 9% of earned income; constantly battles chaos

Relationship Focused16% of population13% of earned income

-Content and optimistic -Isn’t pressured for time-Has ample discretionary income-Focused on experiences, not prod-ucts

Managing on Her Own10% of population9% of earned income

-Single again – divorced or widowed -Seeks ways to form connections

Fulfilled Empty Nester 15% of population 16% of earned income

-Largely ignored by marketers-Concerned about health and aging gracefully-Focused on travel, exercise, and leisure

Making Ends Meet12% of population 5% of earned income

-No money for beauty or exercise -Majority lack college education-Seeks credit, value and small luxuries

he organic food industry has not yet taken the market in Jamaica by storm; nonetheless, there are several households who have been demand-

ing organically produced food. Interest has piqued primarily due to the wide availability of information about the harm that conventionally produced products can potentially have on one’s body. In going organic, farmers embrace a system that produces healthy food by enhancing natural interactions, avoiding synthetic inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides and genetically modified organisms. With the wealth of informa-tion now available at our fingertips, it is no wonder that con-sumers are now demanding to know what’s in their food.Do we really know what our food is made of ? Many experts believe that if we were given the full details about the produc-tion of our foods we would think twice about what we con-sume. “The quality of our health is closely related to what we eat. Our body and mind are strongly dependent on what we provide them every day through our nutrition,” one noted. What is the difference between organic foods and ‘conven-tional’ foods you may ask? The main difference is the way farmers grow and process agricultural products as well as reared meat without the use of antibiotics, chemical fertil-izers, hormones, pesticides or genetic modification.

Fruits/VegetablesA European Union study revealed the following about organi-cally produced foods:• Organic wheat, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and cabbage had 20 to 40 percent more essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C and beta-carotene.

• Potatoes, kiwi fruit and carrots are higher in immune-boost-ing vitamin C than their chemically farmed counterparts.

• Organic milk contains a better ratio of good to bad fatty acids and more vitamin E, an important cardiovascular anti-oxidant.

Meat/Poultry It is a no-brainer that organically produced meat and poul-try have greater benefits than ‘conventional’ produced meat. The major difference lies in what the animals are fed. Organi-cally reared animals are allowed to mature naturally, without growth promoters, which allow the animals to live more nat-ural, stress-free lives. As a result, damaging acids do not build up in the meat allowing it to have a better texture and the end result is a properly developed flavour.

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cover story

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Going OrganicIn Your Diet

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”

cover storyConventionally reared animals on the other hand are usu-ally fed genetically modified organisms in the form of grains which are high in pesticides, insecticides and herbicides. The primary focus of much of these additives is to fatten the animals and eventually the human being.

So what will it take for major supermarkets chains locally to start supplying organic food? Maybe it’s up to us the consum-ers to start demanding whole foods. Though there is no set local documentation with requirements and specifications for a product to be considered organic, the Bureau of Stan-dards and Jamaica Organic Agricultural Movement ( JOAM) are directing their efforts in developing such a document. Though the evidence has been inconclusive concerning whether organic food is healthier than non organic food, people prefer organic food because they feel it is safer than conventional food, as chemicals are not used in its produc-tion. However, recent research on the health benefits of organic milk has boosted the spirits of organic food lovers. On the flip side, not all foods labeled “organic” have been prepared according to the strict regulations in production

and preparation that are required for such a label, so con-sumers should be aware of this fact. But there seems to be no stopping in sight for the growth of organic foods even though the added expenses might be a concern, and there are many out there who readily welcome this change.

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frIenDs

off the beaten track

Losing t’s easy to form attachments to those we interact with at different stages in our lives, even as early as kindergarten. Sometimes we form friendships that last through the ages while there are others that

wither like winter wheat. Because of the time and emotions invested, it is usually tough to helplessly watch as a friendship turns to dust. “Best friends forever”, is something we can all remember declaring to our friends while in high school, with no clue as to the direction our lives would take. Even when our lives move in the same direction, sometimes the connec-tion that was there at 15 seems so inconsequential now.

I had my first experience with such a situation when the clos-est of my quartet of best friends got married and migrated to England. The once frequent phone calls dwindled and some-times when she visited Jamaica, I wouldn’t even know until randomly running into her at the supermarket. At first it hurt, but as time went by and she visited more often without giving a heads up, it became less of a problem. Before I knew it, that was the end of an 11 year old friendship; hanging on only by a virtual friendship on Facebook.

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let go before a friendship turns sour. It’s usually a decision that requires much contem-plation because of the closeness of everybody else involved. Your parents are best friends and your respective others have even started to hang out, but in spite of all of the work put into the relationship it always seems to yield the same results. However, as you get older it may be important to realize that there are things that will hinder your productivity and it might be time to let those friends know that they are about to be a part of history. Ironically, letting go of some of the emotional angst related with such a friendship can improve a friendship drastically.

Although we’d love to be like the girls on “Sex and the City”, in reality we all can’t. The truth is, very few friendships can weather an entire lifetime. It is actually a very healthy and natural process to lose friends while you make room for oth-ers. The best friend you used to have sleepovers with may not be the best friend that you need as you get your first job, get married or have children.

Unlike our families, we can choose the people who we want to be friends with. The problem is that good friends are hard to come by, which explains why we often try to hold on to those troublesome friendships, simply because of what we’ve been through together. But we owe it to ourselves to give new friendships a chance and hope that they may be as ben-eficial to our lives as we might have wanted the others to be.A valuable lesson to learn from this is to remind our friends often that we love them and appreciate them, forgive indis-cretions and know when to offer advice and when to back off at times. We all mess up but in the end, you should decide if your friendship is worth letting go or fighting for.

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