Bioteh tropicana Journal, Article 4
The Founder’s Pipes : A Comparative Analysis of the Founder’s Alternative Technology-Based Pipe Against The Founder’s Standard Reference Technology-Based Pipe.
Published Online December 6, 2009
Introduction
The founder owns two pipes, an alternative pipe made in Benin, and a standard pipe made in the USA. Here the founder presents a comparative analysis of his two pipes, with respect to cost, complexity, quality, and availability factors.
Complexity Factor
The founder’s alternative pipe: is a simple hand made pipe using clay, a readily available material in the resource-poor settings. Clay is artfully collected from riversides by indigenous pipe artists. Clay is heat resistant without any additional material. The most sold and used cooking pots in Benin are made of clay, because of the heat resistance of the material.
The Founder’s standard reference pipe: is complex, made with complex "synthetic” materials selected and assembled in industry.
Cost Factor
The founders’s alternative pipe: the founder purchased his alternative pipe for 25 BCEAO CFA (1 US nickel) at Gbegamey market in Cotonou, Benin,
or for 50 BCEAO CFA (1 US dime), at Depot market in Parakou, Benin.
The founder’s standard reference pipe: is relatively expensive in the resource-poor settings, but not necessary expensive in the United States settings. The founder purchased his standard pipe for $ 10 USD at KMART supermarket, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Quality factors
The founder’s alternative pipe, is more sensitive to schock. The pipe is easily breakable.
The founder's standard pipe is more resistant to shock.
Discussion
The founder’s alternative pipe is readily available in most opened markets in Benin Republic. The alternative pipe is well adapted to unaltered dried leaves tobacco directly collected from farms, and readily available in most opened markets in Benin. A pack of 250 BCEAO CFA (50 US cents) dried leaves tobacco may last a week, for the founder. The simplicity and low cost of the alternative pipe make it affordable to even a citizen classified as poor in the context of Benin Republic, a resource-poor country based on the United Nations country classification criteria.
The founder’s $ 10 USD US pipe smokes better with a synthetic tobacco purchased at KMART supermarket for $ 5 USD. After a long day trip through the streetless remote African countrysides, hunting for characteristic data to better adapted essential technologies to the needs of the resource-poor settings, the founder can sit under a tree and enjoy a relaxing pipe for 1 US nickel and 50 US cents, for a week. It cost the founder $ 10 USD for a pipe and $5 USD for tobacco to enjoy the same relaxation for the same period of time, after fighting traffic in the busy Atlanta highways, to get home from work.
The founder found a pipe and tobacco identical to his US pipe and tobacco in a supermarket in Cotonou, Benin, for the equivalent of $ 30 USD US (pipe) $ 15 USD (tobacco). An average salary in Benin is less $ 200 USD. Furthermore, standard pipes are not readily available in Benin opened markets, and can be found only in a limited number of supermarkets. Similarly alternative pipes are not available in the many US supermarkets. The cost, complexity, and availability factors that determined the founder’s smoking choice may be true for many human daily needs products in Benin.
Conclusion:
From the comparative analysis of the cost, complexity, and availability factors of the founder’s Benin pipe, and the founder’s US pipe, the founder concludes that alternative technologies are suitable for the resource-poor settings, and standard reference technologies are suitable for the developed world settings.
References:
[1] The data in this paper are derived from the founder’s original research. The cost factor data may be verified at Gbegamey market in Cotonou, Benin, the Depot market in Parakou, Benin, and KMART supermarkets in the United States of America.
[2] Smoking pipe making materials used in the developed world are discussed in GLOBALOness. Available at http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Smoking_pipe_-_Materials_and_construction/id/2114848. Accessed December 4, 2009.
[3] Clay material used to make alternative pipes in Benin are discussed in Wikipedia. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay Accessed December 4, 2009.
Footnotes:
Images of the founder’s two pipes are available in the founder’s photo gallery at http://bitechtropicana.ucoz.com/photo
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