Swot Analyss Essay Example

Swot Analyss Essay Strengths Comar chemicals is regarded as a leader in the tyre and paint industry. This phenomenon is ascribed to the following strengths: †¢Contracts in place with Goodyear, Continental, Plascon, Bridgestone, Dunlop, and Michelin. †¢Product quality of the highest standard. Automated plant control systems in place, constant in-production quality control tests controlled by chemical director, Vernon Redding. Compliant raw materials with specifications are being utilised. †¢Succession planning in place since the appointment of Stefan as operational manager. This person is ear marked to substitute Vernon Redding, in the event of his departure. Buy and sell agreement entered into by directors, Udo Eric Eichrodt and Dieter Roland. †¢Management team is experienced and highly qualified. †¢Udo Eric Eichrodt: 30 years BComm Marketing Management †¢Dieter Roland: 29 years Bcomm Investment Management †¢Vernon Redding: 45 years PhD Chemistry †¢Stefan: 12 years BScHons Chemistry †¢May Rossouw: 24 years BCommHons (Management Accounting) †¢Nicki de Villiers: 15 years MComm (Transport Economics) †¢Low staff turnover. The company invests in staff morale as it understands it to be its biggest asset. †¢BEE Status 20% black owned, Vernon Redding, Indian. Promotes business in South Africa and abroad. †¢ISO 9001:2008 Certified (International Organization for Standardization. ) Little trouble has been encountered in the past to comply with minimum standards required by this certification. †¢Unqualified annual audited financial statements. This is testament to good governance practiced. Low gearing, although non-current assets are shown at R4m. Market value of plant and property exceeds R20m. Company is liquid, considering current assets to current liabilities ratio of 4:1. †¢Comar chemicals operates from totally owned premises. European Safety Reliability Association (ESRA) certified. Toxic waste is dealt with in a responsible and reliable manner. Contamination of ground is highly unlikely as the company places a high premium on â€Å"going green. † †¢Flexibility and research development ensures ongoing sustainability. †¢Product reliability. Order tracking procedure and commitment of staff ensures a good reputation of the company. †¢Absolute advantage, ability to produce specific product more efficiently than any other nation. Factors of production are relatively cheaper than any other country. †¢Zero tolerance for human error. We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analyss specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analyss specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Swot Analyss specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The company has strict rules and procedures that need to be followed to ensure the mainstay of the business. Disciplinary actions are taken against culprits, which could lead to dismissal. Weaknesses The following weaknesses have been identified: †¢Comar Chemicals is faced with multiple taxes due to the fact that it is a multinational enterprise that runs in various different contries. Operating in various different countries leads to multiple tax jurisdictions. Multiple tax jurisdictions may lead to the overlapping of taxes and the company may end up with a double taxation. (1) †¢The economic model introduces some weaknesses to the company. There are various factors that affect the economic activity of Comar Chemicals. These include the resource limitations placed on the company’s ability to obtain certain chemicals or the availability of chemicals needed in the factors of production. Environmental or geographical constraints can increase their expenses due to extra transportation costs for raw materials and finished goods. The factory could be situated in an area which is prone to seasonal bad weather (Cape Town). This could slow down the process of moving materials and Comar Chemicals will bear the economic impact of a loss of potential revenue and increased costs. Theirs will also be certain institutional and legal requirements that Comar Chemicals will have to follow and they will vary in the three different countries that they operate in, South Africa, Switzerland and Germany. Comar Chemicals may have to adhere to different legal levels of Co2 production that they create during their production process and will have to regulate these levels in compliance with the legal levels set by the government. †¢Comar Chemicals has no buy and sell agreement supported by life insurance. A buy and sell agreement is a binding legal document that governs the conditions if a co-owner dies or is otherwise forced to leave the business. The fact that there is no buy and sell agreement supported by life cover means that if owner of the company passes way or is forced to leave the business then all the debt or liabilities incurred by the business will be left to the closest relative of the owner. This could lead to a liquidation of the business if there is no insurance cover. Therefore the business is not completely safe in the case of a personal crisis within the business. 2) †¢Promotion for staff is limited due the low staff turnover that Comar Chemicals has. Comar Chemicals has a total of 38 employees that includes two scientists, one accountant and one logistics manager. This can also be seen as a strength however the fact that there are so few employees, there are few promotions to employees. This can cause employees to become less motivated towards their job and c ompany and in turn this could decrease the total production and the total efficiency of production. †¢Employee empowerment is the act of giving more responsibility to workers in the work place. 3) The empowerment of staff can lead to a weakness within Comar Chemicals due to the fact that firstly, the business has a relatively small number of employees. This can lead to an increase in conflict between the employees as to why one employee has been empowered more than another. This can cause bad interpersonal relationships between employees. Empowerment can also be a weakness if the wrong employee has been empowered to take on a certain task or manage a project that he or she has not been specifically trained for. This could create problems within the managerial and operational sectors of Comar Chemicals. If empowerment of employees is going to be an on-going activity at Comar Chemicals then it has to be carried out in a way that makes sure that the right employees are being empowered for the right reasons. †¢Comar Chemicals has no key man insurance. This is very similar to the absence of a buy and sells agreement, supported by life cover that was previously mentioned. Key man insurance is an insurance policy that is takes out by the business to compensate for financial losses that would arise from the death or extended incapacity of an important member of the business. Key man insurance can cover many insurable losses that include, losses related to the period when the key person was unable to work and insurance to protect profits, insurance to protect shareholders and partnership agreements. Without key man insurance, Comar Chemicals is vulnerable to the chance that something happens to the owner and there is no protection or financial security for the business in the future. (4) Opportunities There are many opportunities for Comar Chemicals to utilise to maximise their business productivity and profitability. There are two types of opportunities, external and internal. External opportunities affect the organisation due to independent factors. Internal opportunities exist within the firm. Opportunities, when realised, can have enormous rewards for the business if the opportunities are exploited correctly. An opportunity is indication of positive potential that can help a business increase its success. Possible sources of business opportunities in most industries and markets include: Potential Business Opportunities Technological innovation New demand Market growth Demographic change Social or lifestyle change Government spending programmesHigher economic growth Trade liberalisation EU enlargement Diversification opportunity Deregulation of the market The opportunities that Comar can use to their advantage are: import quotas, developing markets, revising job descriptions/digressions, improving competitive levels, forward exchange cover, Solar power, life policies, association with universities and joint development with customers. An Import Quota is like a form of protection. It fixes the amount of products a foreign producing firm is allowed to bring into a country over a specific time period, which is usually a year. The objective of an import quota is to limit imports into a country therefore encouraging the use of domestic products and services, as the amount of the good being imported is limited the price of the specific good increases therefore domestic firms benefit. Comar, being situated in South Africa, Switzerland and Germany, can use this as an opportunity by increasing domestic employment. There will be a larger demand for Comar Chemicals because import quotas will make it more expensive to import these goods from international competitors. This will encourage Comar to employ more citizens that are qualified for the job because of the expanding demand of their product and the need for increased labour and skills in the organisation. Comar is a small business, with 38 employees including two scientists, an accountant and a logistics specialist. Comar is 14 years old, which is relatively young compared to it competitors therefore it can be considered an â€Å"infant industry† which is still developing and is not big enough to compete fairly. Import quotas allow Comar to mature onto a same competitive level as international organisations. South Africa is a developing country and the market for metal carboxylates is expanding with the increase of paint and coatings, printing inks and chemical industry, polyester industry, grease and gear oils industry and PolyButadiene, Isoperene Butadine and Copolymers industry. With the increase of construction and manufacturing in South Africa, these industries are in higher demand than ever before. Comar can improve their competing levels through product quality. Quality relates to appropriate use: how well a product does what it is intended to do. This can include a compliance of raw materials with specifications, detailed manufacturing and quality control test procedures, in-production tests of final products, introduction of automated plant control systems. These quality control methods leave little room for error, positioning the product on a high level of quality which will lead to a smart modern working environment and a reflection of the quality of the business as a whole. Comar’s leading product is COMCAT, which inclueds a rare earth catalyst which is used in the synthetic rubber industry to manufacture advanced rubber tyres making tyres softer but more durable which in turn lowers the level of CO2 emissions from vehicles. This gives Comar a competitive advantage as their products are also helping the environment and decreasing the level of harm through innovative products, which will draw the attraction of buyers. There can often be discrepancies about the actual responsibilities, tasks and duties of a certain position within the organization; this can be managed by revising job descriptions. There must be an accurate reflection of the true functions and responsibilities for a job description to be effective. A comprehensive job description can be used in management to measure employee performance and employees can use the job description as a guideline to comprehend the expectations of the position. This can lead to improved productivity and ohesiveness within the organization to help realize the organizations objectives and goals. Comar can use the opportunity to become involved with universities to further their research and provide university departments with their expertise of the product to evolve students into potential employees of their firm or for that specific industry. For example, Comar could give bursaries to deserved students to pay for their studies in a BSC, specializing in CO MCAT (PolyButadiene, Isoperene Butadine and Copolymers industry). They could provide all the necessary tools (research, expertise, information) in order to establish awareness of this specific product and market the need for this specific scientist in this field. Joint development with customers involves a good relationship between the manufacturer and the customer. The manufacturer must be enthusiastic and prepared to open up its daily practices and activities to its customers, this will give the customer the opportunity to carefully scrutinize and evaluate the ways in which the manufacturer operates, during the production process, and the quality of the finished products. An important issue when dealing with joint development with customers is communication. When there is a healthy line of communication between the manufacturer and the customer, there can be am exchange of ideas between parties leading to effective production and customer satisfaction. Threats Threats are conditions in the business environment that are uncontrollable and have the potential to harm business profitability. One of the most common threats is competitors. There are a number of threats that Comar may face, including: future trends in the specific field, social issues, the economy, funding, demographics and the physical environment. When observing the potential threats that Comar may face, the following needs to be determined: the obstacles Comar may face, competitor’s activity, quality standards and changing technology. Threats can be divided into two categories namely, industry threats, an increase in competition or a decrease in the market size, and macro threats, threats that affect all industries in Comar’s area. Possible sources of business threats include Potential Business Threats New market entrants Change in customer tastes or needs Demographic change Consolidation among buyers New regulationsEconomic downturn Rise of low cost production abroad Higher input prices New substitute products Competitive price pressure A potential threat Comar may face is the diversity. Diversity is often defined as a positive term for a business, but it also comes with threats that have the potential to ruin productivity. Comar has a diverse workforce, co-workers each have different experiences and perceptions as they have all come from different backgrounds. This could cause cultural clashes which can decrease productivity and cohesiveness of the business as a whole. Comar could also experience divisions in staff members due to the formation of cliques and other groups, this can create competition between employees rather than teamwork, a lack of respect amongst one another and this could lead to costly diversity training to resolve diversity issues within the organisation. Comar has a diverse client base as their company is also situated in Switzerland and Germany. It is therefore crucial for Comar have a bi-lingual customer service, if they do not they will lose a massive amount of clientele as there needs to be effective communication between the two parties in order for the business to be successful. Social issues in the business environment may be a threat to Comar. A social system is a pooling of ideas, attitudes and behaviour which are involved in human relations and interactions. Comar is influenced by its customers attitudes and behaviour, if they are negative relationships within the organisation this could dampen productivity and decrease business profitability and if there are social issues external to the organisation, such as political unrest, could affect consumer behaviour negatively and affect the success of the business. The political; and legal system can also pose as a threat to Comar, as business have to follow the specific regulations as set out for them by the government, it creates a set of rules and guidelines that business are expected to adhere by, if a business does not there could be serious consequences that could lead to decreased profitability and even as far as a business being banned. The monetary system facilitates business exchange. Monetary activity has distinct basic functions, namely saving, borrowing, spending and earning, which are all linked to business profitability. Comar has to pay careful attention to all these activities because each of these factors can easily turn into a threat for the business. There are many different parties involved when dealing with money, they are financial institutions, debtors, creditors, customers and suppliers. The interest rate is very important when Comar is dealing with its monetary activities, when an interest rate is high, it increases Comar’s costs and will limit the amount of spending that Comar can participate in. Exchange rates are the value of one nation’s currency in comparison to another. It is very important when determining a business’s effectiveness and whether it will serve as an opportunity or a threat. Comar is a company that does business in South Africa and globally, therefore exchange rates will have an enormous effect on the profitability. When Comar exchanges its products over national borders causing another currency to become involve, fluctuations in exchange rates can lead to profits or losses for Comar. Comar is at an advantage when the rand is relatively strong compared to the currency that the organisation is trading with. When the rand is weak compared to the business it is doing the exchange with, Comar is at a disadvantage as it will be more costly to exchange products across borders. A massive threat that Comar faces is import duty, which is a tax on goods imported into a country. This causes prices to be higher because of the tax cost involved. This cost is passed onto consumers at higher prices, which in turn can lead to consumer dissatisfaction and a loss in clients. Trade restrictions were introduced to restrict importing for many reasons, mainly to protect domestic industries. There are two types of restrictions, tariffs and non-tariffs. Non-tariffs include, methods such as embargo, import quota – which is a limitation on the amount of goods a business is allowed to import, foreign exchange control and currency devaluation. These trade restrictions pose a massive threat to Comar because the organisation is continuously trading over borders and having to deal with trade restrictions, which will inevitably hinder profitability.

Battle of Cannae in the Second Punic War

Battle of Cannae in the Second Punic War The Battle of Cannae took place during the Second Punic War (218-210 BC) between Rome and Carthage.  The battle occurred on August 2, 216 BC at Cannae in southeast Italy. Commanders and Armies Carthage Hannibal45,000-54,000 men Rome Gaius Terentius VarroLucius Aemilius Paullus54,000-87,000 men Background After the start of the Second Punic War, the Carthaginian general Hannibal boldly crossed the Alps and invaded Italy. Winning battles at Trebia (218 BC) and Lake Trasimene (217 BC), Hannibal defeated armies led by  Tiberius Sempronius Longus and  Gaius Flaminius Nepos. In the wake of these victories, he moved south plundering the countryside and working to make Romes allies defect to Carthages side. Reeling from these defeats, Rome appointed Fabius Maximus to deal with the Carthaginian threat.  Avoiding direct contact with Hannibals army, Fabius struck at the enemys supply lines and practiced the form of attritional warfare that later bore his name. Unhappy with this indirect approach, the Senate did not renew Fabius dictatorial powers when his term ended and command passed to the consuls  Gnaeus Servilius Geminus and Marcus Atilius Regulus.   In the spring of 216 BC, Hannibal seized the Roman supply depot at Cannae in southeast Italy. Situated on the Apulian Plain, this position allowed Hannibal to keep his men well fed. With Hannibal sitting astride Romes supply lines, the Roman Senate called for action. Raising an army of eight legions, the command was given to the Consuls Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus. The largest army ever assembled by Rome, this force advanced to face the Carthaginians. Marching south, the consuls found the enemy encamped on the left bank of the Aufidus River. As the situation developed, the Romans were hampered by an unwieldy command structure which required the two consuls to alternate command on a daily basis. Battle Preparations Approaching the Carthaginian camp on July 31, the Romans, with the aggressive Varro in command, defeated a small ambush set by Hannibals men. Though Varro was emboldened by the minor victory, command passed to the more conservative Paullus the next day. Unwilling to fight the Carthaginians on the open ground due to his armys smaller cavalry force, he elected to encamp two-thirds of the army east of the river while establishing a smaller camp on the opposite bank. The next day, aware that it would be Varros turn, Hannibal advanced his army and offered battle hoping the lure the reckless Roman forward.  Assessing the situation, Paullus successfully prevented his compatriot from engaging. Seeing that the Romans were unwilling to fight, Hannibal had his cavalry harass the Roman water-bearers and raid in the vicinity of Varro and Paullus camps.   Seeking battle on August 2, Varro and Paullus formed up their army for battle with their infantry densely packed in the center and the cavalry on the wings. The Consuls planned to use the infantry to quickly break the Carthaginian lines. Opposite, Hannibal placed his cavalry and most veteran infantry on the wings and his lighter infantry in the center. As the two sides advanced, Hannibals center moved forward, causing their line to bow in a crescent shape. On Hannibals left, his cavalry charged forward and routed the Roman horse. Rome Crushed To the right, Hannibals cavalry was engaged with that of Romes allies. Having destroyed their opposite number on the left, the Carthaginian cavalry rode behind the Roman army and assaulted the allied cavalry from the rear. Under attack from two directions, the allied cavalry fled the field. As the infantry began to engage, Hannibal had his center slowly retreat, while ordering the infantry on the wings to hold their position. The tightly packed Roman infantry continued to advance after the retreating Carthaginians, unaware of the trap that was about to be sprung. As the Romans were drawn in, Hannibal ordered the infantry on his wings to turn and attack the Roman flanks. This was coupled with a massive assault on the Roman rear by the Carthaginian cavalry, which completely surrounded the Consuls army. Trapped, the Romans became so compressed that many did not have space to raise their weapons. To speed the victory, Hannibal ordered his men to cut the hamstrings of each Roman and then move on to the next, commenting that the lamed could be slaughtered later at the Carthaginians leisure. The fighting continued until evening with approximately 600 Romans dying per minute. Casualties and Impact Various accounts of the Battle of Cannae show that 50,000-70,000 of the Romans, with 3,500-4,500 taken prisoner. It is known that approximately 14,000 were able to cut their way out and reach the town of Canusium. Hannibals army suffered around 6,000 killed and 10,000 wounded. Though encouraged by his officers to march on Rome, Hannibal resisted as he lacked the equipment and supplies for a major siege. While victorious at Cannae, Hannibal would ultimately be defeated at the Battle of Zama (202 BC), and Carthage would lose the Second Punic War.

Food Waste Biomass Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Food Waste Biomass - Essay Example Food wastes are generated from hotels, restaurants, and other retail shops with one of the major causes being foods that are all not being sold. If the quality and freshness of the food products get compromised or lost, then customers tend to reject such food products. Moreover, since customers do not like waiting for their favorite food products, retail shops order for more of the products, often which is do not get sold entirely, thus leaving unsold foods that eventually becomes wastes. Since right amounts of food are often not ordered at the right time, this leads to the most losses of foods. Foods also turn into wastes if they are not treated or managed properly. For instance different food products might be required to be kept in particular temperatures which if neglected leads to wastes. Incorrect mechanical handling of foods also leads to wastes (Stenmarck et al 10-11). The environment gets affected by food waste since natural resources are lost as a result of food waste, alon g with release of greenhouse gases in the air. Also, since there are many people in the world who are in need of food while on the other food gets wasted can be associated with social impacts as well. Thus if hotels and restaurants report for food wastes, they also prove to be socially not responsible and hence might not gain their position in the world of business. With wastage of the food, the other energy sources that were involved in the production of the food also get wasted (Environmental and social impacts of food waste).

Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example He was named as Steven Paul Jobs. In the year 1960, the Jobs family moved to Santa Clara which is popularly known as Silicon Valley. By the age of thirteen, he managed to get a summer job at HP. He was extremely good at computers and his instructors in schools wanted to skip him several classes ahead, which his parents declined. His interest in computers developed at an early age and he was inspired by the machinist work performed by his father. b) Professional career sketch of Steve Jobs Jobs dropped out of college in the very first semester and went to India in quest of spirituality. At the young age of 21, Steve cofounded Apple Computers with Steve Wozniac and Ron Wayne. Jobs was responsible for marketing Apple Computers and Wozniac headed the technical department of Apple and they started selling affordable computer solutions to Americans. The Apple Computers were smaller in size and could be purchased by the middle class American people. The organization further developed Apple II which became more popular and this resulted in augmented sales by around seventy percent. By the year, 1980, Apple Computers became a publicly traded firm and registered a market value of USD 1.2 billion on the initial day of trading (BusinessNewsDaily, 2013). Individual 2 Moving out of Apple The next few years witnessed a downfall in Apple due to serious flaws in designs and disappointment by consumers. Along with this, Apple faced stiff competition from IBM which had registered augmented growth in sales as compared with Apple. The Macintosh was released by Apple in the year 1984 and it was effectively marketed as a machine which was youthful, romantic and creative. Despite registering favourable growth in sales with Macintosh, Apple was still not able to effectively compete with IBM. This was because the computers designed by IBM were far more superior as compared with Macintosh. Following this, the then President of Apple, Scully believed that Steve Jobs was not able to steer the organization to a path of growth and subsequently Jobs had to resign from Apple in the year 1985. He commenced a new hardware and software firm known as NeXT, Inc. The very next year, an animation firm was purchased by Jobs which later came to be known as Pixar Animation Studios. The animation film studio produced successful and popular animated movies like The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and Toy Story. In the year 2006, Pixar merged with Walt Disney Studios and Steve Jobs became one of the largest shareholders of Walt Disney. Back to Apple Pixar Animation Studio resulted as an extremely successful business venture. However, NeXT Inc., failed to achieve success and was eventually acquired by Apple in the year 1997. In the year 1997, Steve Jobs again became the CEO of Apple. The success of Apple in the 1990s is credited to the business acumen of Steve Jobs. He formed a new management team, imposed himself to a salary of $1 per annum and modified the stock options, thereby leading t he organization into a path of success (The Wall Street Journal, 2011). The consumers became awed by innovative design solutions like iMac, iPad, iPod and the like, stylish designs and excellent branding and marketing campaigns and sale of Apple products soared ahead. c)

Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Case - Essay Example 5. The management of the company used the scientific management in their strategy. They looked at how the result of reducing the production would affect the growth of the company. In so doing they chose a method that could work and enable them make profits. 6. The quality control that the company used is that they satisfy their employees and motivate them enough. This ensured that they work well and produced quality goods. I believe that this is a good strategy as it ensured that they created quality goods for a long time. 7. The forces that are very important in the management of the company are the socio cultural forces and the technological forces. This is because they will keep the company in the upfront of the competition if they are looked at keenly. 10. The competitive strategy that the company has used is observing the competitors and coming up with a method that is a weakness for their competitions. The weakness of the competitors was also the strength of the company. 11. The key elements that the company observed was working with a target duration, having a measurable and attainable goals and having specific and results oriented objectives. These elements go a long way in ensuring that the company achieves all its goals and objectives. 12. One of the cultural variation issues that was once a problem for the company is the need of the manager to reward the workers in any instancing they do a good job. This is because it did not motivate them to work as hard. This is because they knew they could get a reward for putting just enough effort in the work that they did. 13. The company was wise to choose the acquisition strategy over the Greenfield. This is because with the acquisition strategy they have assurance that they will use their own strength to grow their company. 14. The company did not embrace the technology world and they thus cannot be able to have wider coverage. The company will also experience the problem of the wrong

Case Study On Federalism The Murray Darling Basin Politics Essay

Case Study On Federalism The Murray Darling Basin Politics Essay The long-term issues surrounding the Murray Darling Basin provide an excellent case study with which to review federalism in Australia. This paper will explore the history of the Murray Darling Basin management, the relationships it has fostered and examine why success has been achieved where other national issues have failed. Federalism in Australia To provide context for this case study it is useful to define and summarise federalism and how it has shaped modern Australia. Generally, federalism is the name given to a type of government that unites different political bodies or regions within a single national system whilst providing each its independence. In 1901 Australia created the Federal Parliament giving six states independence but also providing the Federal Government key national powers. Australian federalism can be broken down in a number of ways: The structure of the Senate. The chamber comprises of an equal number of senators from each State. Hence, Tasmania and New South Wales have the same number of Senators even though the populations vary enormously. The role of the senate is to approve legislation sought from the House of Representatives. The division of powers. The Australian Constitution of 1901 established the Commonwealth of Australia which vested legislative power in a Federal Parliament. The Constitution provides for a wide range of responsibilities for the Federal Government which are detailed in Section 51. Those powers not detailed in Section 51 are known as residual powers as they are the responsibility of the States. The term division of powers lies at the heart of federalism and describes the division of responsibilities and power between state and the Commonwealth. In reality there are huge crossovers between the two layers of Government. Competition between these two layers of Government is a formative element to the history of Australia and the federation. Individual State Constitutions. Every State has a defined local constitution and maintains its own Government managed by a Parliament. The Parliament may take any form afforded by the states constitution. Fiscal arrangements. From the very outset the Australian federation was characterised by fiscal imbalance which has worsened overtime (Griffiths and Saunders 2002). Vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI) describes when central governments collect more revenue than regional governments, with Australia having among the highest VFI of any federal nation in the world (Warren 2006 pxxi). The introduction of Special Purpose Payments (SPPs) in 1923 along with the Uniform Tax Case (1942) moved the Commonwealth to a strong centralist position, way beyond that described in the Constitution. VFI has generally brought about detrimental changes to the federation. Overtime VFI has led to a decrease in accountability and increased layers of administration. Further it has led to a dependency by smaller states for core funding creating irresponsibility and inefficiencies (Walsh 2005). The original framers of the Constitution would be pleased to see that federalism has allowed for: competition; regionalisation of policies; innovation; experimentation; choice and diversity (Twomey and Withers 2007). Federalism is at the heart of Australias resilience and vigour. However, in the years since the inception of the Australian Constitution in 1901, small but fundamental policy and legislative changes have altered the style of the federation. Overtime a federal system has developed that does not reflect current world realities or the changing dynamics of a modern society. It is often argued that the model has never adequately defined roles or responsibilities, that duplication and inefficiencies are inherent and that historic fiscal arrangements are damaging (Wilkins 2004). The Murray Darling Basin Management of the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) highlights how federalism can work over extended timescales and provides the first example of cooperative federalism in Australia. Discussions surrounding the MDB are far from new with the birth of federalism in Australia emerging in part due to disputes associated with the water catchment area. A 1902 Royal Commission notes: The Murray and its tributaries must be looked at as one. An administrative and technical response is needed for jurisdictional disputations, environmental challenges and economic opportunities within a maturing Federal system Corowa Water Conference and Interstate Royal Commission 1902 The large scale of the MDB is surprising in terms of geography, financial contribution to the economy and importance to water resource development. The MDB catchment area covers over one million square kilometres and accounts for 14% of the Australian landmass, an area larger than France and Spain combined: Source ABS 2008 The basin is of crucial importance not only to the region but to the entire nation as it accounts for around $4.8 billion or 39% of Australias total agricultural output. The importance of food production encompassed by the MDB is broken down at the highest level as follows: Agricultural Crop / Livestock Percentage of Total Australian Production Cereals 53% Oranges 95% Apples 54% Cattle 24% Sheep 45% Pigs 62% Source ABS 2008 Further the MDB is the major source of water for Adelaide and northern Spencer Gulf cities in addition to settlements along the rivers and in the watersheds that feed them (Hawke Research Unit 2008). Water irrigated from the MDB accounts for approximately 75% of all the water irrigated in Australia. As water has long played a crucial role in the formation of white Australia, there are many dates and events  through which inter-governmental management of the MDB evolved: Date Event 1855 NSW passed their Constitution Act 1855 which gave the state possession of River Murray waters from the Rivers headwater to the SA border. 1855 -1898 Political wrangles leading to conferences of the Colonies (1857 and 1863). Three separate Royal Commissions in VIC, NSW and SA. Corowa Conference on Trade beginnings of Federation and agreements on river management. Water management entwined with Federation. 1902 Corowa Community Conference sees local groups take over the debate. 1915 Establishment of the River Murray Waters Agreement. NSW and Vic agreed to limit their Constitutional powers to manage the waters of the River Murray as they saw fit, and to provide SA with a share of those resources.   The Commonwealth Government played a strong facilitation role in reaching this agreement. 1916 -1980 Collaboration between NSW, Vic, SA and the Commonwealth sees the construction of three major water storages and 16 weirs. The current value of these assets is around $2 billion. 1982 The first Murray-Darling Basin Agreement reached between four governments. 1986 Appointment of Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council 1988 Establishment of the Murray Darling Basin Commission 1993 Enactment of the Murray Darling Basin Act 1993 1995 Cap on water restrictions ratified by all members of Murray-Darling Basin Agreement 2003 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) noted a $500 million fund over five years to restore the health of the River Murray. 2006 Additional $500 million announced to support MDB regeneration. The Commonwealth flagged its intention to take a lead role in management of the MDB. 2007 Enactment of the Water Act 2007 and establishment of the Murray Darling Basin Authority. A further $10 billion investment promised by Commonwealth 2008 Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform signed by all Basin States and the Commonwealth Government Changes to the Water Act 2007 transferred power to the Murray Darling Basin Authority 2010 Release of the Guide to the Proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Concerns from farmers and communities lead to a 12 month delay of the final release. Within the last 20 years the basin has been under enormous stress as a result of over-allocation, prolonged drought, natural climate variability and climate change. A lack of water has played havoc with rivers, wetlands, forests and floodplains with blame resting with State governments for allowing too much water to be taken out of the system. The Long Road to Cooperative Federalism The success of the MDB management is surprising given the resource joins four States, a territory government, a federal government and hundreds of water catchment boards and local governments. The majority of serious issues in managing the system have always reached resolution and as a showcase for water resource management the MDB is highly regarded internationally. So how has the MDB become a showcase for cooperative federalism and avoided stagnation with other national issues? One important reason for the success in the MDB lies in the types of relationships fostered through communities, local governments, states and the Commonwealth. The prevailing characteristics of Australian federalism are of rivalry and coercion leading to undesirable behaviour by governments (Walsh 2005). However management of the MDB has produced major reform across all levels of government resulting in a greater good approach by stakeholders. There are few examples since 1901 where a unified approach to a national issue, not enforceable by a Commonwealth government, has been so resolutely enacted with such cross-border respect. The strong identity invested by individuals, bureaucrats and politicians alike meant the evolution of a sense of bioregionalism and identification with the Murray-Darling Basin could develop over time (Powell 1993). Further, from 1916-1980 Vic, NSW, SA and the Commonwealth worked together in a fair and equitable way on the construction of major water infrastructure.    Facing considerable challenges and significant disputes  the 1982 River Murray Waters Agreement became the forerunner of the Murray Darling Basin Initiative and is sighted as the very first example of cooperative federalism (Freebairn 2005). The success of the River Murray Waters Agreement was due to the clarity of roles and responsibilities across three levels of government. As Australia still wrestles with its model of federalism and searches for a new and meaningful style of government (Twoomey and Withers 2007) the MDB is an excellent example of where cross border activities and regional priorities have been unified through a common approach. Facilitating the move towards cooperative federalism have been the fiscal arrangements surrounding the MDB. The Commonwealth, without having Constitutional control but plenty of cash, has incentivised reform via payments on performance. For example the introduction of the National Competition Policy in 1995 allowed a series of tranche payments to motivate States in achieving key water reform goals. In 2004, the National Water Initiative was introduced to overcome property rights issues, resulting in an agreed public-private cost-sharing arrangement if environmental flows were to be increased (Freebairn 2005). Investment by the Commonwealth has been substantial and, as Freebairn notes, is considered the glue holding together MDB reforms. Where national reforms to housing, education and health languish due to arguments on horizontal fiscal equalisation the MDB has neatly sidestepped such issues. It is reasonable to suggest that the fiscal arrangements have been the keystone in all refo rms to the MDB and that the cooperative nature of arrangements have been underpinned by the direct and indirect cash injections by the Commonwealth. The substantial public investment made from 1990-1996 also incurred criticism. Throughout this period there was limited empirical evidence of real improvements to the MDB system. The feel good perception of the general public may well have been misplaced in relation to tangible on the ground achievements (Ancev and Vervoort 2007). However data does not sell newspapers or create political careers. The high level political messages issued at the time brushed over realities and allowed for continued poor policy setting. It is interesting to note that during this period all parties remained committed to flawed policies which later exacerbated problems within the MDB. The success of MDB management is also attributed to the centralist strategy encapsulated in the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. The Agreement of 1988 can be understood in light of the effective management of what is an enormously complex and pressing issue. The Commonwealth in this context acted as the broker between State interests, operating outside of particular jurisdictional claims and difficulties. It was a clever, pragmatic and subtle role, one which the original writers of the Constitution would have imagined the Commonwealth playing more frequently. Combined with the financial contributions previously described, the Commonwealth have been able to lead from behind and manoeuvre local and regional issues within a national context. A Trickle Becomes a River The role of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in assisting reform is not to be underestimated. Whilst COAG has been underutilised by some Governments, its ability to decide on matters of national importance has been crucial in advancing management of the MDB. For example the COAG endorsed reforms for water allocations and cross boarder trading provided clear direction and set deadlines for action that no single state could command. In addition the Water Management Partnerships agreed by COAG in 2008 provided national agreement at a crucial time in the basins history, with long-term drought reducing flows to their lowest levels on record. It was a critical time for leadership and decision making and one in which COAG was able to fully exercise its role and responsibility. The swearing in of the Labour Government of 2007 bought with it a wave of cooperative federalism supported by a political alignment of all States and Commonwealth for the first time since 1969. Almost immediately progress was made on revolutionising MDB management with a cash injection of $10bn and the creation of Murray Darling Basin Authority. The Authority replaced the previous Murray Darling Commission and provided the Commonwealth with a closer link to water reform for the region. In the history of the cooperative federalism in Australia this was another milestone. By creating an independent statutory authority the basin states were clear on the roles and responsibilities of water management for the region. The suggestions at the time that the Commonwealth should take total control over the Murray-Darling Basin were constitutionally impossible and environmentally short-sighted. Federalism cant make it rain. If the Commonwealth had been running the Murray-Darling before the drought the basin would still be in dire straits (Wanna 2009). However although the Murray Darling Basin Authority operates as a statutory authority it reports directly to the Commonwealth through the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The relationship is another step toward Commonwealth control without Constitutional reform. From Now to Where? We have seen that through cooperative federalism MDB management has enabled significant long-term investment on a national scale. The MDB case study emphasises how cross boarder agreements can succeed in supporting the needs of three levels of government and local communities. We have also seen how the financial arrangements for MDB reform have sidestepped major federation fiscal issues that engulf national issues within education and health. Finally the case study has highlighted the importance of COAG and how, when performing at its best COAG can provide leadership, facilitate long-term national change and supporting varying regional priorities. Whilst the Australian federation has moved forward and in part failed to develop (Twoomey and Withers 2007) the MDB has remained a central focus for basin states, local governments and communities alike. Ongoing wrangling over water allocations will continue and serious droughts may well occur again, however, clearly defined roles and responsibilities provide a solid foundation upon which the Murray Darling Basin Authority now operates. Through cooperative federalism, pragmatic leadership and simplified investment the future of the Murray Darling Basin is more assured than at any time in its history.

All Quiet On The Western Front :: essays research papers

Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel that takes you through the life of a soldier in World War I. Remarque is accurately able to portray the episodes soldiers go through. All Quiet on the Western Front shows the change in attitudes of the men before and during the war. This novel is able to show the great change war has evolved to be. From lining your men up and charging in the eighteenth century, to digging and â€Å"living† in the trenches with rapid-fire machine guns, bombs, and flame-throwers being exposed in your trench a short five meters away. Remarque makes one actually feel the fun and then the tragedy of warfare. At the beginning of the novel Remarque gives you nationalist feelings through pride of Paul and the rest of the boys. However at the end of the war Remarque shows how pointless war really is. This is felt when everyone starts to die as the war progresses. Remarque accurately portrays all aspects of the war. However Remarque is best able to portray the effects the war has on the soldiers and the rest of the people and the scene of the battlefield compared to home. The war scarred the soldiers permanently, if not physically then mentally. After the war the soldiers usually never recovered from the war. Two of the most common side affects of the war were shell shock and stir crazy. When suffering from shell shock a soldier’s brain doesn’t function properly and the man is a â€Å"vegetable†. This means the man is alive but he can’t do anything because he is in a state of shock because of the war. Stir crazy is a mental illness caused by the firing of so many bullets that when no bullets are heard by the victim he goes insane. Everyone was scared to go to war when it started. Young recruits were first sent because the veterans knew they were going to come back dead. "When we run out again, although I am very excited, I suddenly think: â€Å"where’s Himmelstoss?† Quickly I jump back into the dug-out and find him with a small scratch lying in a corner pretending to be wounded.† (P 131) Even t he big men like Himmelstoss are scared to go fight. They too go through the mental illnesses like stir crazy and shell shock. â€Å"He is in a panic; he is new to it too.

Extended School Day Essay

Imagine you are a seven-year-old whose’s parents work until five each night. When you come home after school there is no one home with you. What could you get into? You might know right from wrong but you still might get yourself into some trouble. Just out of plain curiosity you might get into something or an accident could happen without you even being involved in it. But I say there is a way to stop this from ever happening. I think we should either keep schools open longer or introduce more after school programs. Many advantages would come from either of these ideas. For one the parents would not have to be in a state of worry about whether their child is safe at home or in trouble. Plus you always have that added guilt about not being able to help your kids with their homework. Now with either longer days or more after school programs a lot of stress could be taken away from your family. No more having to pay for sitters which could stress out a families finances. Also th e dangers of the kids being home and getting into trouble would be cut down severely. And also with the longer days or more after school programs parents would be able to get home, at least one parent would be home, to pick their kids off the bus. I wanted to suggest some programs I feel would help out with the problem at hand. These programs would be a reading and math after school program. One program I would suggest is a reading after school program. It is said that today, too many children fail to read at a level we would expect for the grade they are in. In a study done in 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that, thirty eight percent of our nation’s fourth graders failed to read at the basic level. That fact alone says we must enforce more after school programs. Now they also found that sixty-four percent of African American and sixty percent of Hispanic American fourth graders read below the basic level. This shows we need to not only put these programs in suburban schools but also city schools. Research has shown that students who are behind in reading can catch up to grade level with additional reading instruction and tutoring after school and in the summer. And that is what I am trying to put in effect. We all know that to succeed in school all students need good reading skills, and that’s just a fact. Another program that I think is good is a mathematics after school Program. I has been found that students who take rigorous mathematics courses are much more likely to go on to college and into promising careers than those who do not. And with technology becoming more prevalent in the workplace, the need for employees with mathematics backgrounds has greatly increased. In my research I have found that far too many students finish middle and junior high school without developing a solid foundation in algebra and geometry. Research done by the international comparative assessments said that U.S. student achievement in mathematics falls below the average in the middle grades. We need to help improve this. I think some other important facts help support my case for the longer school day and the after school programs in this little cha rt. Some reasons why the public supports after school programs: *Over 28 million school-age children have both parents or their only parent in the workforce. *At least 5 million children — and possibly as many as 15 million — are left alone at home each week. *Many children, especially low-income children, lose ground in reading if they are not engaged in organized learning over the summer. *Experts agree that school-age children who are unsupervised during the hours after school are more likely to receive poor grades and drop out of school than those who are involved in supervised, constructive activities. *Statistics show that most juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 pm, and that children are also at much greater risk of being the victims of crime during the hours after school. Here is another chart showing that after school programs enhance a child’s academic achievement. *Participants in after-school programs:* *Show increased interest and ability in reading *Develop new skills and interests *Show improved school attendance, increased engagement in school, and reduced dropout rate *Turn in more and better quality homework and can spend more time on task *Are held back or placed in special education classes less frequently *Show higher aspirations for the future, including intention to complete high school and go to college. These facts are real. This is why I picked trying to make a longer day and more after school programs. And with these two programs the numbers will go up. I plan on adding more programs to what I have wrote in here. But I think implementing a longer school day and these after school programs should help not only the parents of these children but the children themselves.

AT THE OPTICIANS Essays - Optician, Free Essays, Term Papers

AT THE OPTICIANS Essays - Optician, Free Essays, Term Papers AT THE OPTICIANS Physical appearance: The main character in this sketch is in his 40s. He has a professional dressing and clean aspect. A robust posture with a sarcastic smile in his face. Dark hair and dark eyes. He is an average height. He wears a nice watch with black shoes and a black sport coat with a polo shirt inside. He is a little overweight but he believes he is in good shape. Personality: He is stubborn and likes to show off. He is somewhat sarcastic in times. He can be hard to follow in a conversation since he has some attention deficiency. He has a deep, medium-slow voice with some accelerations. He can change his moods in seconds and likes to talk more than necessary. Environment influence: This character is the manager of a very well-known restaurant. He is married with three children. Due to the influence of money, his family is more worried about all the material aspects and they do not show no respect for him so he feels lonely inside. He worries about his looks due to the influences of all the high society that he encounters at his job and due to his wife who keeps embarrassing him in front of all his costumers.

The importance of human activities in maintaining the biodiversity of semi-natural ecosystems Essays

The importance of human activities in maintaining the biodiversity of semi-natural ecosystems Essays The importance of human activities in maintaining the biodiversity of semi-natural ecosystems Essay The importance of human activities in maintaining the biodiversity of semi-natural ecosystems Essay Essay Topic: Ecosystems Humans play an important role in maintaining the biodiversity of semi-natural habitats. Such areas are managed to prevent succession, conserve rare species and try to improve species richness. This conservation is putting to good use the country resources for amenity and recreation. Semi-natural ecosystems have many important values, including economic, environmental, wildlife, archival and heritage. Without human activities the biodiversity of semi-natural ecosystems would more than likely decrease in response to succession, agricultural processes, including nutrient enrichment, and to atmospheric pollution. Human activities aim to maintain natural ecosystems, traditional landscapes, high biodiversity and target species and community types. Many man-made habitats have improved species richness and had positive inputs to the environment. These include chalk and limestone quarries, gravel pits and inland waters, and the building of canals. In the UK many different semi-natural habitats are targeted and maintained by human activity. These include, the management of fens, moorland conservation, woodland conservation and grassland mangement. Fens are rare habitats in the UK, with many containing a variety of habitats including woodland and wet and dry habitats. Rare Schoeno-Junctum is supported by the habitat. Fen habitat hosts many rare bird species, including the Reed bunting. Many fen habitats are fragmented, making them unstable, and they are easily damaged by drainage, nutrient enrichment and cessation of traditional habitat regimes, and are completely lost with reclamation. However, conservation management of fen is relatively inexpensive and simple. It is the low fertility of fen soils that keeps their biodiversity high. It is essential, therefore that nutrient enrichment does not occur, or biodiversity will decrease, as dominant species will out compete the rarer sepcies. An example of the negative effects of nutrient enrichment on fens can be seen at Crymlyn bog Fen. Oil leaked from a near by power station and all the species near by were killed. The further away from the spillage, the greater the biodiversity of the area gets, correlating to decreased nutrient inputs from the oil. Agricultural practices nearby to fen and land reclamation for farming also threaten fens (Boyer and Wheeler, 1989). A relationship between species richness and vegetation production also exists for fens. Productive vegetation is invariably species poor. It is for all the above reasons that human mangement of fens is essential for their survival. Wheeler and Shaw (1994) examined the relationship between species richness and soil fertility across a large number of fens, split into subsets of summer-managed and unmanaged vegetation, using linear regressions. The results suggest that; in unmanaged vegetation, species richness is negatively related to fertility. When vegetation is managed, the species-richness can be just as great in nutrient-rich sites as in nutrient-poor sites and that the number of rare fen species tends to be smaller in more fertile conditions, even when the vegetation is managed. For these reasons, management of nutrient rich systems can support high biodiversity, but few rare species and in low fertility systems, little or no management is needed to preserve high biodiversity. However, some management is required and these human activities maintain the biodiversity of the fen. Species-richness of fen vegetation is related to above ground crop mass, which can be strongly influenced by management regimes. Summer managed fens in the UK have a greater number of rare species and overall species, than do unmanaged fens. Fens are also managed to prevent seral development into fen woodland, which hosts fewer species than fen. Once fen develops into fen woodland it cannot be converted back and therefore its succession needs to be prevented. Fen management by human activity generally involves grazing. Thomas et al (1981) showed that in the Ouse Washes, Cambridge, increased grazing was associated with an increase in botanical diversity. There is also evidence that grazed fens can be richer in birds than ungrazed fens. Two Loch Lomondside fens in Scotland demonstrate this. Crom Mhin, consists of more plant species and hosts more bird species then Aber bogs, with less plant and bird species. The Norfolk Broadland forms the largest area of lowland fen in Britain, containing a large variety of plant species. Parts of the broadland fens are maintained by human cropping activities in the area, for the two main crops, reed and sedge, that are both used for thatching. Reed is mown in winter, usually every year, or every second year. Reed is deciduous so harvesting removes dead material. Sedge is mown every summer, usually on a 3-5 year rotation. Harvesting removes biomass during the growing season and has a big impact on the character of vegetation. Wheeler and Giller (1982) examined the relationship between vegetation mangement and species richness and crop mass in broadland.

Rights associated with land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rights associated with land - Essay Example Fishing rights in England and Scotland are private as opposed to public rights in USA, while water rights follow a riparian system in the UK and USA, except the western states where an appropriation system is used. Mineral Rights are provided to property owners who may have the right to allocate subsurface rights to other parties, but in England and Scotland the rights to precious and energy minerals rests with the Crown, while rights of ownership to other minerals may also rest with community bodies. Mineral Rights: In Scotland, land ownership is based on a feudal system whereby the owner or feuar was subjected to title conditions with reservations of mineral rights. Under the feudal system, previous owners of property known as feudal superiors, retained rights over the land even after it was sold, together with the right to enforce title conditions. (www.hmitchell.co.uk). This system was recently abolished under the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Scotland) Act 2000, however despite the abolition of the system, a reservation of mineral rights in the feudal title still remains valid. As a result, it may restrict the mineral rights of owners of property. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 provides communities and crofts with the pre-emptive rights to acquire mineral rights, with the exception of oil, gas, coal, gold or silver.(www.lindsays.co.uk) The ownership of the rights to precious and energy minerals is vested in the Government. Throughout the U.K, mineral rights to gold and silver are owned by the Crown and the mines of these metals are known as mines royal.

Detecting Cry1Ab gene in Mon0810 Transgenic Maize by PCR Lab Report

Detecting Cry1Ab gene in Mon0810 Transgenic Maize by PCR - Lab Report Example The idea is to check for the gene size of Cry1Ab in order to distinguish it from the rest of the other gene strands. Cry1Ab is a gene from an incorporated plant pesticide thus its genetic sequence is known. A comparison of the known and the established one from the photograph helps to determine its presence in the transgenic maize. If its size is seen to match with the known then it is present, if there is no matching band of close size then Cry1Ab is not present in the maize. Basically, PCR is an easier method for detection of genes as their amplification and comparison with the known size of the DNA strand becomes captured. GAMARRA,LUIS FERNANDO RIMACHI, DELGADO,JORGE ALCAÃŒ NTARA, VILLASANTE,YENY AQUINO, & ORTIZ,RODOMIRO. (2011). Detecting adventitious transgenic events in a maize center of diversity. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology. http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0717-34582011000400009. WALSH, MARIA C., BUZOIANU, STEFAN G., GARDINER, GILLIAN E., REA, MARY C., GELENCSÉR, EVA, Jà NOSI, ANNA, EPSTEIN, MICHELLE M., ROSS, R. PAUL, & LAWLOR, PEADAR G. (n.d.). Fate of Transgenic DNA from Orally Administered Bt MON810 Maize and Effects on Immune Response and Growth in Pigs. Public Library of Science.