If you were a buyer of cotton and wanted to save money, would you go to the country were the cost of production is the highest to find the best deal?  Thanks to subsidies this is just what is happening in today's market.  The American Friends Service Committee define subsidies as "grants of money made by the government to either a seller or a buyer of a certain product or service, thereby altering the price or cost in a way which affects the output" (2006).  Many subsides are given out as aid to help offset production and selling costs.  This allows, for what many view, as an unfair advantage in the world market. 
    According to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), in 2004, more than 70 countries produced and export cotton (Gillson, 2004).  Of those 70 countries, only eight-China, US, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Brazil and Australia-are responsible for 81% of total output.  It is no surprise that among the top eight producers lays China and the US, two of the most heavily subsidizes countries with the US ranking number one.  ODI further points out that, "more than one-fifth of world cotton producers earnings during 2001/02 came from government support to the sector" (Gillson, 2004).   African countries do not have the means to compete in a world market that allows the fixing of pricing through the use of cotton subsidies.   

   In today's market, place a new buying trend among consumers is rearing its head.  A trend that dares to ask the question, "Do the means justify the ends?"  Many consumers are now taking this question with them when they go to purchase a product or service.  Consumers now want a company's philosophy to reflect or at least overlap with their personal morals.  Consumers are holding company's responsible for their actions, on a larger scale then ever before. The use of ethics in one's purchasing decision is referred to as social purchasing.  But what factors in a consumer's life will affect these ethics and ultimately the decision to purchase a product in a socially responsible manner.  This study helped to determine whether one's level of education has an influence on a person's decision to purchase socially.  The researchers theorized that there is a relationship between consumer attitudes towards social purchasing and one's level of education, among American consumers. The study found that one's level of education did in fact influence a person's willingness to purchase socially, among American consumers.