Flooding in South Africa Free Essays

Assignment GEO 234 D Sonnekus 2011042526 Flooding In South-Africa A Deeper Insight to What Happens Around Us [pic] Photo: Ivan Sonnekus 2012 Index Page Number 1. Introduction3 2. The Nature Of Flooding3 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Flooding in South Africa or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Main Causes Of Flooding In South-Africa4 4. The Effect Of Development On Flood Hazards in SA5 5. The Effect Of The Economic Status Of People – Regarding Flood Hazards6 6. Conclusion7 7. Bibliography8 1. Introduction Floods play a major role in our everyday lives, and how we react to the daily changing climate is of course our way of surviving our planetary conditions. Floods determine our building styles and play a very large role in the economy by means of devastating destruction and environmental engineer specialists in terms of flood prevention. The hydrological definition for a flood states that a flood is a rise in water level in a stream to a peak point where after the water level will recede at a slower rate (UNESCO-WMO 1974).  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics. A flood event can be described as a flow of water in a stream constituting a distinct progressive rise, culminating into a crest, together with the recession that follows the crest (Linsley, 1942). In this Assignment I will be explaining some key features about flooding regarding a South-African point of view. 2. The Nature of Flooding. Floods can be broken down into different classes or divisions between different types of floods in this section I will explain the main flood types and their nature. Floods can be divided between major floods, minor floods and flash floods. Major Floods: In the event of a major flood the flooding is caused by the overflowing of rivers and dams by means of breaks in dikes, levees, dam walls and other protective structures; by uncontrollable releases of impounded water in reservoirs and by the accumulation of excessive runoff. In the case of a major flood the floodwaters will cover a wide spread contiguous area and will spread rapidly to adjoining areas of relatively lower elevations. The flooding will be deep in most parts of the total flooded area and there is a highly perceptible current as the flood spreads to a greater extent. [pic] Minor Floods: In the cause of a minor flood the inundation may or may not be due to overbanking. If there is no bank overflow, flooding happens due to the accumulation of excessive surface run-off in lower lying flat areas. In these cases flooding will mostly be restricted to flood plains along a river channel or low-lying areas or terrain depressions around the direct source of the flood. The flood water will be shallow and there may not be a perceptible flow apparent or present. Flash Floods: Flash floods is as the name states a flood that happens relatively quick, normally no more than 6 hours to a normal flooding time of 12 to 24 hours or longer. Flash floods is the result of a short concentration time of the drainage catchment or a steep river slope, this means that the precipitation falling on a point in the catchment farthest from the river takes a very short time to reach the river itself and become a part of the stream flow. Thus the amount of flow will rapidly increase and the water level will rise, when the capasity of the river/stream is exceeded the channel overflows and the result is a flash flood. [pic] 3. The Main Causes of Flooding in SA. South Africa was subject to some intense floods over the last couple of years mainly as the result of cloud breaks and very heavy precipitation in very short time periods which leads to flooding of most small streams and rivers, what then leads to the larger rivers to flood. South Africa is also a victim of the Southern Oscillation which leads to El-Nino: dry conditions with high surface pressure and; La-Nina: low air surface pressure accompanied by cold and wet weather. See next page for simple diagram illustration [pic] As a result of the Earth surface temperature to keep on rising due to the greenhouse effect the results being a more and more drastically changing macro climate which in turn leads to more rain and eventually will lead Earth into another Ice-Age but that is a topic for another day. The heavy rains on a constant basis keeps the rivers and dams full up to their limits so in the event of a heavy cloud break the already full rivers and dams cannot enclose all the extra water and all that water needs to go somewhere thus leading to floods, in most cases in South-Africa the floods will be flash floods. But there is also the chance of major floods in the form of a dam overflowing and then breaking the wall or even minor floods like in the December of 2012 the Ncandu River flowing through Newcastle KZN overreaches its banks and fills the Trim park with water at least 1-2 feet deep as the trim park is adjacent to the rivers. . The Effect of Development on Flood Hazards in SA Right around the world the population keeps growing at an alarming rate as the birth to mortality rate is not balanced which leads to a world population always wanting and needing to expand city and/or town borders. In this case the chances are very good that eventually there will be building develo pments inside flood plains or lower laying terrain in the proximity of a dam or large volume of water. Thus the engineers of the modern world in developing countries like for instance South-Africa need to come up with new initiatives to improve building techniques to overcome the obstacle of flooding as the floods can be the cause of havoc among the inhabitants of developments within flood plains or beneath the flood level, and also cause a lot of structural and esthetic damage to a city or town. The MooiRivier Mall in Potchefstroom is a classic example of development within a flood hazard. The mall has been constructed on stilt type of tructures that allows the river to flow through underneath the mall but the engineers along with environmental specialists sought to come up with a few ingenious plans to prepare for floods of High hazard (1 in 20 years), medium flood hazards (1in 50 years) and low flood hazard (1 in 100 years) by means of designing a drop away wall where if a certain amount of water flows into a catchment a buoy lifts up and triggers a release on the wall which allows for the brick wall to fall down and allow water to flow into an drainage water way down to the central collection point at the bottom most point of the parking lot back into a stream (the release mechanism works on the same principal as a toilet bowls’ float valve). The parking lot has also been designed on a slope (no flat parking) to act as a funnel leading water away from the mall or danger zone and down into a sub stream or channel. The Mall had a few good tests in the last 5 years of its existence and the engineers and environmental specialists did a good job to overcome the developing in a flood hazard obstacle (Jan-Albert Wessels. IAIA North-West, 2012. ) [pic] Picture: (Viljoen, MF. The Application of flood lines in land use controll. 2009) 5. The Effect of The Economic Status of People Regarding Flood Hazards. Flooding can and have caused a lot of damage in the past and will continue to do so as the macro climate will keep changing in favor of floods so all we can to do is to prepare ourselves and adapt to the changes of climate, floods cost the head of states and countries a great deal of money to develop in flood plains as well as being prepared to deal with any floods and the cleaning up there after. But it is not just the people on top that lose money, the people who actually live in the house that gets swept away or drive the car that rolls over or submerges, it is them that lead the most damage to their financial stance in life and 80% of the time it will be people from informal settlements or rural areas that lead the damage as they do not follow proper procedure to build their houses and then they build in areas of a high flood risk without them even knowing. Thus the counties management somehow needs to get it under control as they have tried to do the in the past and actually still trying to do with regard to the housing subsidiary they offer to people of South-Africa. 6. Conclusion My conclusion regarding floods in South-Africa is that our main floods are flash floods that happen as result of heavy rains from the La-Nina time period of the Southern Oscillation, we as the people of our country need to stand together to make a difference in preventing people to build in dangerous high flood risk areas and also need to convince the children of today in developing countries to come up with fresh and new ideas to overcome development issues in flood risk areas. A countries economic development also greatly depends on its readiness for fighting disaster situations and keeping a disaster under control. A country like South-Africa can suffer great losses financially as result of floods that could have been prevented by means of making use of the right infrastructure on the key areas in developed areas as well as developing areas. Flooding is a natural occurrence and will never be fully under control but the minds of today can shape the ideas of tomorrow with that I leave my mark on the topic of flooding in South-Africa. [pic] 7. Bibliography †¢ Anonymous. 2012. Causes and types of floods. [Web: http://kidlat. pagasa. dost. gov. ph/genmet/floods/cause_types. html]. [Accessed: 14 March 2013] †¢ Department: provincial and local Government. 2009. National Disaster management centre. Flood awareness. PDF 5p. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ Anonymous. 2011. La Nina Influenced Flooding in South Africa. AccuWeather. [web: http://www. accuweather. com/en/weather-news/la-nina-influenced-flooding-in/44853]. [Accessed: 13 March 2013] †¢ SAPA. 2013. Floods Cause havoc across South Africa. Mail ; Guardian, Africa’s best read. [web: http://mg. co. za/article/2013-01-20-floods-cause-havoc-across-south-africa]. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ Anonymous. 2013. Definition and nature of flood. [web: http://kidlat. pagasa. dost. gov. ph/genmet/floods/def_nature. html]. [Accessed: 15 March 2013] †¢ SSC. 2011. The nature of flooding. Sunshine coast council, Queensland. [web: http://www. sunshinecoast. qld. gov. au/sitePage. cfm? code=flooding-nature]. Accessed: 13 March 2013] †¢ Department: Provincial and Local Government, Prof Viljoen. MF, Swiegers. C. 2009. The application of flood lines in land use control. Disaster reduction conference. [web: http://conferences. ufs. ac. za/dl/userfiles/Documents/00000/134_eng. pdf]. [Accesse d: 14 March 2013] †¢ Times Live. (2011, February 2). [web: Urgent flood warning along Orange River. ] [Accessed February 14, 2011]. †¢ United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks. (2011, February 10). Southern Africa: Risk of food insecurity in wake of floods. IRIN News. [Accessed February 14, 2011. ] †¢ Anonymous. 2011. Floods in South Africa. Earth Observatory, NASA. [web: How to cite Flooding in South Africa, Papers Flooding in South Africa Free Essays FLOODING IN SOUTH AFRICA INTRODUCTION The aim of this assignment is to give background information about flooding in South Africa. These would be carried out through the means of research on journal entries, web research and different literatures. The nature of flooding, the main causes of flooding, the effect of development of flooding hazards and the effect of the economic status of people regarding flooding hazards will be taken into consideration. We will write a custom essay sample on Flooding in South Africa or any similar topic only for you Order Now Definition of key terms Flooding An overflow of water onto normally dry land. The inundation of a normally dry area caused by rising water in an existing waterway, such as a river, stream, or drainage ditch. Pounding of water at or near the point where the rain fell. Flooding is a longer term event than flash flooding: it may last days or weeks (MRX webmaster, 2010). Flash flooding Flooding whereby it takes a very short period of time to form. In most cases flash floods few form and take place Nature of floods There are few places on Earth where people need not be concerned about flooding due to their location. Rain is not the only impetus for flood even a broken dam wall can be the stimuli of a flood. A flood occurs when water overflows or inundates land that’s normally dry. This can happen in a multitude of ways. Most common floods are when rivers or streams overflow their banks. Excessive rain, a ruptured dam or levee, rapid ice melting in the mountains, or even an unfortunately placed beaver dam can overwhelm a river and send it spreading over the adjacent land, called a floodplain. Coastal flooding occurs when a large storm or tsunami causes the sea to surge inland (National Geographic Society, 2011). Most floods take hours or days to develop, giving residents enough time to prepare or evacuate. Others happen quickly and with little warning. These flash floods can be extremely dangerous and cause major damage to the landscape and the habitants of such an area. Disaster specialists have various ways of classifying floods according to their likelihood of occurring and the intensity of the flood. A hundred-year flood, for example, is an extremely large, destructive event that would theoretically be expected to happen only once every century. But this is a theoretical number. In reality, this classification means there is a one-percent chance that such a flood could happen in any given year. Over recent decades, possibly due to global climate change, hundred-year floods have been occurring worldwide with frightening regularity (National Geographic Society, 2011) MAIN CAUSES OF FLOODING IN SOUTH AFRICA South Africa has been experiencing above average rainfall since December 2010 that has caused devastation on a scale the country has not seen in many years . This unusual weather pattern is caused by the La Nina effect, and the resulting floods have caused unprecedented disruption of services, displacement of people, loss of livelihoods and even worse, loss of life . it is reported that over 20, 000 people have been affected by floods and an estimated 40 people have died. A national state of disaster has been declared in 28 district municipalities in 7 provinces, with more affected areas being reported THE EFFECT OF DEVELOPMENT ON FLOOD HAZARDS IN SOUTH AFRICA. Floods caused havoc across South Africa . Heavy rain in a short period of time in the part of South Africa, caused more than hundreds of people to be homeless by heavy flooding. Floods caused many to seek refuge on rooftops and on trees. This catastrophe killed more than hundreds of people causing the death toll to rise. Recently these floods caused evacuation of the Kruger National, a game reserve in Northern South Africa. Floods also covered some farmlands and crops were killed as a result forcing farms to close. Most of the roads, dams and large buildings were damaged. Due to flooding some mines were forced to close, this the case of a coal mines in Limpopo. THE EFFECT OF THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF PEOPLE REGARDING FLOOD HAZARDS. Floods frequently causes major infrastructure damage of roads, railway lines, electricity supply systems, water supply and sewage disposal systems. Bribges over rivers are particularly exposed to damage and disruption of transportation systems follows. The economic effects of flooding are often great er than the flood itself. (Parker 2000) According to Parker (2000) because floods frequently destroy crops and livestock, food shortages are not uncommon in the aftermath. Floods may affect food availability in a number of ways. Food stocks may be damaged if storage areas are flooded. Serious flooding usually disrupts transportation of food deficit areas, particularly in towns, which are cut off from supply sources and have inadequate food stock. Impacts of flooding may hinder the economic growth and development that is the high cost of relief and recovery may adversely impact investment in infrastructure and other development activities in the area and in certain cases may cripple the frail economy of the of the region. Recurrent flooding in a region may discourage long-term investments by the government and private sector alike. Lack of livehoods, combined with migration of skilled labour and inflation may have a negative impact on a region’s economic growth. Loss of resource can lead to high costs of goods and services, delaying its development programmes. (Drep operation international federation of Red Cross and crescent societies). Figure 2 three kid were during floods in Limpopo CONCLUSION As discussed under various perspectives, it is clear from the assignment that floods had adverse impact on the socio-economic status of livehoods for people in South Africa more especially the residents of Limpopo. It is also evident that there are varying underlying causes of floods i South Africa. Places near the flood event are the most susceptible to the dangers of the floods. Proximity of these places and poverty were identified as being the main cause of vulnerability of people REFERENCES Drep Operation International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, 1. February. 2011. MRX webmaster, 2010. National Weather Services. [Online] Available at: http://www. srh. noaa. gov/mrx/hydro/flooddef. php [Accessed 13 March 2013]. National Geographic Society, 2011. Natural Disasters: floods profile. [Online] Available at: http://environment. nationalgeographic. com/environment/natural-disasters/floods-profile/ [Accessed 12 March 2013]. Parker, J. D2000. floods. Tangler and Francis, National Academy Press, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, Thailand. SAPA. 2013. Floods causes havoc across South Africa, Mail and Guardian, 20 January 2013. How to cite Flooding in South Africa, Papers

Australian Dairy Industry for Economic Perspectives- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theAustralian Dairy Industry for Economic Perspectives Answer: Introduction The study highlights on the structure of the Dairy Industry in Australia and the various stages of production of dairy products from raw milk and its distribution to the customers. Since 1970, the dairy industry in Australia has shown huge improvements in productivity of their farm. Implementation of advanced technologies as well as structural reforms within the sector has increased the efficiency in milk production (OBrien et al., 2012). This industry in Australia has commissioned ABARES for analyzing the productivity drivers within the industry for supporting huge information needs that is required to develop funds across the regions. The study also elucidates on the structure of their intermediate markets and implication of market structure in this industry. It also reflects on the current strategy of Inglenook dairy and its opportunities and threats to its long run profits. Furthermore, recommendations regarding this farms current strategy are also discussed in this assignment. Structure of Australian Diary Industry and identification of stages of production of dairy products Over the past 30 years, the structure of the dairy industry in Australia has changed in a huge way and is driven by various factors that includes removal of regulated prices of milk and reforms in market of dairy products. However, during this phase , the total number of farms in this nation has declined by about two-thirds and the processing as well as distribution segments of this industry have been rationalized (Tauer et al., 2012). Although few resources are being utilized in producing milk, restructuring has led to efficient industry. This has also led to increase in growth on production of dairy each farm in real terms. This industry contributes to 0.3 to 0.4% to GDP (gross domestic product) of the nation. In addition, the employment rate of Australia increases as large workers are engaged in this industry. The process that is involved in producing dairy products from raw materials and then marketing and distribution to the consumers in Australia involves few steps : Receiving milk or raw materials The dairy farms uses antibiotics for controlling infections in cows. The milk is then obtained from them. Storing- Milk is stored in clean and hygienic container . Standardization- It includes filtration as well as separation. Pasteurization and homogenization- During this process, milk is heated to 72 degree centigrade and is kept for 15 seconds. Chilling the product obtained- After that, it is cooled instantly to 4degreecentigrade. This treatment us required for destroying harmful bacteria present in the milk. Packaging Storage- the chemical inputs such as sanitizing agents are used for storage of dairy products. Distribution to the consumer Analyzing the structure of intermediate markets The oligopoly intermediate market structure is involved in the production as well as distribution of final dairy products. The dairy industry in Australia has few firms and they are interdependent with each other. However, each farm under Australian dairy industry considers the action of rival farms while setting their price on dairy products. In addition, non-price competition exist in this intermediate market structure as farms influences the products prices. Similar or differentiated dairy products are produced by the farms in this Australian industry. In addition, the farms in this industry adopts new technology that outcomes in the farms to become capital intensive as well as dependent on labor. As it has been seen that pricing arrangements had influenced productivity in past, implementation in new technologies helps them to attain competitive advantage in oligopoly market structure. As few dairy firms exists in the Australian market, the diary industry faces oligopolistic competition. In this competitive market structure, the dairy farms are forced to be interdependent as it aids one farm to monitor other farms actions for gaining competitive advantage. In fact, the behavior of the farms in dairy industry of Australia is explained with the help of kinked demand curve framework shown below: Figure 1: Kinked demand curve framework reflecting behavior of dairy farms in oligopolistic competition Source: (As created by author) At P1 , if the dairy farms raises the price of milk product, then consumers tries to purchase from other farms. This leads to loss of market share value of that farm and hence demand becomes elastic. Thus, farms incurs loss from raising the product price and hence farms in this market face huge competition in terms of product pricing. This model also recommends that price might be rigid as there firms achieve no incentive for changing their product price. Implication of market structure for market power distribution in this industry The oligopolistic market structure in Australian dairy farms has huge implications for the distribution of market power in the industry mainly over its pricing and accumulation of profits at different production chain stages. Price leadership occurs in the oligopoly as large farm in this industry affects the pricing strategy of other farms existing in this market. Therefore, if one farm raises its price of dairy products, then other farms will not follow it and stick to their set price. As a result, the quantity demanded for the products of that farm will decline considerably. On the contrary, if one farm declines the product price, then other farms will follow by reducing the product price for retaining their customers (Howley et al., 2012). Thus, it will prevent them from losing their market share and exist in the market. This market structures has some implications on the accumulation of industry profits at different stages of the production chain of the industry (Kilelu et al., 2013). The dairy farms in Australia focus on marketing activities such as advertising the products for attaining higher profitability. However, this increases the aggregate demand of the dairy products in this oligopoly market. Moreover, if one farm adopts new technology in production, then the total cost of production automatically increases. Now, if another farm sets lower price for the dairy product, then this farm will lower its price on their product. As a result, the farm attains lower profit or may face loss in manufacturing dairy products. Overall, it affects the industry profits leading to lowering of market share value. Inglenook Diarys current strategy Inglenook dairy farm currently strategizes to involve vertical integration while processing milk and activities for distributing dairy products (Gourley et al., 2012). In addition, the organization current strategy also includes differentiation of dairy products based on the needs and preference of the customers. They also strategizes to reduce the products cost and improve the production process by adopting new technologies. They also plan to develop unified brand in the market for attracting large number of customers and attain their trust and loyalty. Moreover, they try to update their product offering technique for improving their financial performance. They also focuses innovating new products using raw materials, providing proper customer services and setting lower product prices in order to attain competitive advantage (Ertl et al., 2015). This current strategy will facilitate in controlling larger share of this market as well as ensure in attaining sustainable profitability i n long term. Opportunities or threats to long run profits of dairy industry Inglenook dairy farm in Australia reflects good potential in growth and the factors that includes advancement of technologies and production as well as supply chains affects the producers abilities and hence provides huge opportunities to expand in future (Eastwood et al., 2012). The company also strategizes to set lower prices in comparison with other competitors in this industry. Moreover, technological advancement and extending customers channels also provides opportunities to the farms in the dairy industry as the international demand for the products grows in greater way. Thus, Inglenook management practices helps in generating employment opportunities and improving the labor productivity. The threats of this dairy farm occur from high level of competition in this industry. The competitors of this dairy farm pose huge threats on them in terms of pricing strategy and quality of products. However, this aids the farm in focusing on producing high quality products at lower price. In addition, intervention of the Australian government also affects the growth of Inglenook within the Australias dairy industry (Burton et al., 2012). As a result, this affects on the long run profit of the farm as this farms cost of production becomes higher than the total amount of revenue obtained during the particular year. Under investment in the infrastructure of dairy chain and trade liberalization, unsuitable development plans also poses threats to this farm. Recommendations to the current strategy of Inglenook Diary In order to be successful, the strategy of Inglenook should rely on the principle of value creation in each section of the dairy chain. The recommendations given to the current strategy of Inglenook Dairy will help them to achieve the goal of long run profitability. This includes: It is suggested that Inglenook farm should consult with their stakeholders for achieving the objective and goal of the farm and this helps in expanding the business. Given the rise in milk volatility and feed prices, it is necessary to integrate risk management system into the strategies of dairy development (Ahmad and Bravo-Ureta, 2012). Thus, it is suggested that the farm should implement risk management system for attaining higher profitability in long run. Agricultural development has been dynamic in regards to structure of the farm, input prices , product prices and perceptions of the consumer. Thus, it is suggested that Inglenook should monitor, evaluate and improve their strategy in order to avoid risk that comes from other rivalries. Before implementing the strategy, the farm should assess dairy programs that explore benefits of program for creating target beneficiaries. Thus, this will help them in improving investment returns in development of dairy. Conclusion Thus, it is concluded from the above assignment that implementation of proper strategy helps the dairy farm in attaining higher profitability and expanding the business. The market structures also influences the dairy farms in the nation. The business strategy of Inglenook also provides huge opportunities in the market and also helps in facing threats that comes from rival firms. Thus, it helps in gaining competitive advantage and achieve sustainable profitability in the long run. References Ahmad, M., Bravo-Ureta, B. E. (2012). Technical efficiency measures for dairy farms using panel data: a comparison of alternative model specifications.Journal of Productivity Analysis,7(4), 399-415. Burton, R. J., Peoples, S., Cooper, M. H. (2012). Building cowshed cultures: A cultural perspective on the promotion of stockmanship and animal welfare on dairy farms.Journal of Rural Studies,28(2), 174-187. Eastwood, C. R., Chapman, D. F., Paine, M. S. (2012). Networks of practice for co-construction of agricultural decision support systems: case studies of precision dairy farms in Australia.Agricultural Systems,108, 10-18. Ertl, P., Klocker, H., Hrtenhuber, S., Knaus, W., Zollitsch, W. (2015). The net contribution of dairy production to human food supply: The case of Austrian dairy farms.Agricultural Systems,137, 119-125. Gourley, C. J., Dougherty, W. J., Weaver, D. M., Aarons, S. R., Awty, I. M., Gibson, D. M., ... Peverill, K. I. (2012). Farm-scale nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur balances and use efficiencies on Australian dairy farms.Animal Production Science,52(10), 929-944. Howley, P., Donoghue, C. O., Heanue, K. (2012). Factors affecting farmers adoption of agricultural innovations: A panel data analysis of the use of artificial insemination among dairy farmers in Ireland.Journal of Agricultural Science,4(6), 171. Kilelu, C. W., Klerkx, L., Leeuwis, C. (2013). Unravelling the role of innovation platforms in supporting co-evolution of innovation: Contributions and tensions in a smallholder dairy development programme.Agricultural systems,118, 65-77. McDowell, R. W., Nash, D. (2012). A review of the cost-effectiveness and suitability of mitigation strategies to prevent phosphorus loss from dairy farms in New Zealand and Australia.Journal of Environmental Quality,41(3), 680-693. OBrien, D., Shalloo, L., Patton, J., Buckley, F., Grainger, C., Wallace, M. (2012). A life cycle assessment of seasonal grass-based and confinement dairy farms.Agricultural Systems,107, 33-46. Tauer, L. W., Mishra, A. K. (2012). Dairy farm cost efficiency.Journal of Dairy science,89(12), 4937-4943.

The Second Coming

Lowes Companies Inc. Essays - Financial Ratios, Free Essays

Lowe's Companies Inc. Essays - Financial Ratios, Free Essays Lowe's Companies Inc. Home Renovation Retail Industry - Risks and Opportunities The home renovation retail industry is a vast industry with high competition to gain market share. This is industry also heavily relies on the economy when it comes to sales and customers. The crisis in 2008 led to a decline in industry sales for a connective two years but the sluggish economic growth recovery, led to a gradual increase in sales growth which averaged 3% in 2010-2011. (Case pg.2) This shows when the economy is down and the interest rates have lowered, home owners are more willing to invest into their property to raise its value. This case highlights that about 75 % of homeowners completed a renovation project on their property at least once a year, with the average cost of a single renovation being around $4,100. (Case pg.2) This poses a huge risk for this industry if the economy starts to steadily increase. The data shows that the amount of customers would decrease. This means if you don't capture enough market share before the economy increases you could face man y financial problems such as being liquid enough to meet financial obligations Other than the interest rates effecting this industry the weather also plays a big role in sales. During the first couple winter month's sales tend to decline or be much lower than the warmer season. (Case pg.2) This can be considered a huge risk especially if the economy rises. Winter months also provide a huge opportunity in this industry. If a company like Lowes can develop a strategy to attract customers and move the same amount of merchandise as they do in the other 3 seasons, have a huge potential to capture a large portion market share and develop brand loyalty. Lowe's Current Strategy Lowes current strategy is based on their core values which is currently states as to "offering quality home improvement products at the lowest prices, while delivering superior customer service." (Case pg.4). This shows Lowes has decided to focus on offering the lowest price. Lowes strategy is also broad because they offer over 40,000 different stock units which suite the needs of many demographics to obtain the most market share. (Case pg.3) Lowest obtained this strategy based on their relationship with their manufactures. Unlike many other companies in this industry at the time, Lowes bought their inventory directly from the manufacture instead of buying from distributors. This allowed them to offer lower prices than their competitor. These prices were also lower than average consumer of this industry was accustomed to. This method of strategy helped develop the company's name and reputation they currently holds. (Case pg.3) Competition The home hardware market is highly concentrated with as many as 23,000 stores in the US at the time of the case. Also at this time Lowes had three huge competitors in this market which together controlled 90% of the market revenue. (Case pg.2) currently in Canada Lowes, Home depot and RONA are the major players in the hardware/home improvement industry. Home Depot was currently the world largest home improvement retailer in the world. Their current vision is "vision to provide customers with the know how and tools to performs task while saving. (Case pg.3) This vision helped Home Depot obtain a huge portion of the market share and a strong position in this industry. Their second competitor RONA was founded in 1939 by a group of hardware store operators. They joined forces together to pool their orders for products to obtain an economy of scales to gain better prices on their merchandise. RONA was also crowned, largest retailer and distributor of home renovation in Canada in 2012. (Case pg.3) These competitors offering vary similar products and services offering the lowest prices and quality services are crucial to compete in this industry. Current initiatives Lowes current initiative is to change form a total home improvement retailer to a home improvement company. (Case pg.4) By changing from a retailer to a company Lowes plans on offer not only products but also motivation, inspiration and support to their customers in an on-demand manner. This new strategy Lowes plans to implement is to continue to obtain substantial gown and capture larger market

Chinese Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chinese Art History - Essay Example Artistic features did not only feature in religious matters but, also the politics of the community. History indicates that political dynasties in China had a specific symbol. For example, Han dynasty (206 B.C –A.D 220) used bronze horse as its symbol. Within the Hans territory, the sculpture of the horse appeared in various centers. This enabled the society to recognize the ruler of that time. The painting of the emperors appeared in most public places as a means of promoting their interest to their communities. For example, the painting of the Han dynasty founder Liu Bang was critical in demarcating Liu’s territory. Ideally, the political figures instituted their rules by placing the sculptures or portraits in various temples or public places. In most cases, the subject of the emperor swore their allegiance to the temples where their rulers resided. When a political dynasty collapsed or when a change of power transfigured in the Chinese communities, the new ruler coul d build his dynasty. The portraits of the predecessor could no longer feature in public places. Further, territory demarcation could follow by placing the portraits of the new ruler. This system did not only, helped the community to identity their leaders but also swear allegiance to them. The politicians expanded their territory by placing their sculptures among the communities they ruled. For example, Wu Di expanded his territory to areas such as Mongolia, east of Korea among other places by instituting the sculpture of his Terra Cotta Army. (Wang 84). 2. Many Chinese works of art deliberately refer to the past in one way or another; using examples from at least three different historical periods, discuss some of these references and explain how they affect the viewer's understanding of the meaning of the work. The Chinese community used art to promote various interests such religion, education, or philosophy. For examples, during Confucianism period, Zhou Dynasty (1122-221 B. C), artists sculpted portraits that illustrated Confucian principles as the guide to the society (Wang 85). The viewers of the portrait were to remember the Confucian principles whenever they saw the portrait. The portrait of Confucian symbolized moral aspects in the community such as humanness as found in the legendary writings of Confucian. The Confucian period emphasized morality above divinity thereby influencing the Chinese community to incline towards the principles of Confucianism. The viewers of the Confucian portrait reflected the Confucian philosophy. In essence, the portrait served as a reminder to the Confucian philosophy. The viewers of the Buddha portrait used it to illustrate the divine nature proclaimed by Buddha. His followers used his

Independent research into retailing of (lace wigs) Lacehairwigs.co.uk Essay

Independent research into retailing of (lace wigs) Lacehairwigs.co.uk - Essay Example They have earned the reputation of been more realistic looking and less detectable. To attach the wig to wearer, they are glued to the head scalp and are long lasting. They are resistant to various climatic conditions thus the wearer can swim, shower as well as engage in other activities without causing damage to the wig. Although the lace wig may seem a new idea, it has existed for a very long time now. It was first invented in France by Leguet in the early 19th century (Institute of Textile Technology, 1994). However the patent rights holder of the lace wig is Telier who, after long court battles with other wig creators, won the patents rights custody. Some cultures have embraced wigs so as to protect bald heads from the ultra violet rays of the sun. The European counties embraced a different approach in dealing with wigs. Wigs were worn simply to boost people’s status in the society. In some contemporary societies, wigs are worn as a symbol of respect and mainly found on official proceedings like court cases (Lhboutique, 2010). The lace wigs have been in use for quite a long period now. They have been used by the health practitioners, artists in the entertainment industry, kings, the young as well as the elderly. They have been used for various reasons like health problems, ornamental and others just for fun. In the past the lace wig was mainly worn for prestige as it was expensive thus could not be afforded from the low income earners. The lace wigs have also been worn by people for criminal reasons as the wig creates a new look for the wearer. In the contemporary society, wigs are worn by a range of people all with different motives which range from ornamental to criminal activities. The modern man has resorted to wearing wigs, and in particular the lace wig, instead of natural hair for various reasons. One of the reasons for doing this is health problems especially among cancer patients. Cancer treatment through chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Discussion point Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion point - Essay Example The point in this scenario is to make a choice in regard to prioritizing which debt to clear first. Michael needs to understand that it his legal obligation to pay his mother since it was a loan which is legally binding. However, the loan seems to have been unsecured because it was leased and in line with the evidently missing Personal Property Security Act (PPSA). There are two critical legal concepts that Michael need to understand in regard to his mother. It is not indicated if they perfected any collateral towards the loan and this means that in the event he could not raise the loan, the mother cannot claim anything. However, considering the case of Golf, in the event that Michael failed to honor his lease obligation, VW would repossess the Golf. In an attempt to avoid bankruptcy from the debts including the loan he owes the mother, Michael has Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act at his disposal in which he can make a proposal of paying only a portion of the debts e.g. paying back 50 c ents for every dollar