Australia Water shortage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Australia Water shortage - Essay Example Australian water system is running low gradually. The water decline is due to human activities such as mining of ground water at a faster rate than the ecosystem of Australia can restore it. There has been massive land clearance, and water intensive production of food for Australian exportation since 2013. The rampant pollution has led to land degradation and consequent destruction of rivers and their sources (Philosophy Matters, 2013). Australians have been forced to restrict on how they utilize water on daily basis Nwc.gov.au (2014). The restriction effort has been boosted by the desalination systems put in place to use ocean water for human consumption. Water price has skyrocketed in urban centers. Australian government has been tasked with a transparent water management process. The government through Australian National Water Initiative program has a responsibility to implement mechanisms of combating water shortage. The mechanisms should be implemented without affecting subsistence and commercial production that depend on water. Nwc.gov.au,. (2014). National Water Commission - Water 2013 and beyond - sustaining the momentum. Retrieved 15 May 2014, from

Environmental Science Essay Example for Free

Environmental Science Essay Although attempting to subdivide existing farm plots and redistribute them may be considered suitable for the purposes of remediating food insecurity and rural poverty, there exists a significant amount of controversy over such a practice due to the issues such redistribution entail. For example, the redistribution of land would require that the distributing entity pick and choose claims and rights to land at their discretion, and such claims can range from historic, ancestral or even from â€Å"ownership of the till. † Land reform has met much resistance from even the most impoverished numbers of developing countries, and it would be difficult to attempt redistribution without shaking up the foundations of property rights. Farming co-ops provide a distinct advantage for farmers. First of all, they provide them the opportunity to act as a group, giving them a collective bargaining power that they do not possess as individuals and allows them to act in unison in seizing market opportunities while being able to manage risks together. In effect, they can leverage their interests better when united as a co-op and it is this asset that has brought success to the likes of the Ocean Spray Cranberry growers and the farmers of Sunkist. (Gable, 2006; Hieu, 2008) Opening up new land is perhaps the most rapidly actionable means of increasing the food supply for a growing population, but this also poses a liability with regards to environmental impact. The problem with agriculture, especially the large-scale grain-based industrial monoculture which has been developed to feed most of the world, is that it is largely unsustainable and has a detrimental effect on soil fertility. In the first half of the 20th century, a large portion of the American Midwest was reduced to desert due to aggressive expansion of the wheat growing agriculture. (Manning, 2004) As such, what is needed is not the expansion of the present industrial agriculture, but the development of techniques and technologies to improve farming so that yields are better, but without compromising sustainability. Pursuing job opportunities in the city is not entirely perfect, but it is a desirable direction towards the development of compact communities and urban density. When combined with practices such as permaculture, which is the development of perennial agricultural systems that resemble the systems found in natural ecology (Holmgren, 2003), compact communities effectively curtail many of the environmentally adverse effects of sprawl and the wastefulness of imposing distance between food production, residential zoning and urban sectors. (Sightline Institute, n. d. ) Ultimately, what is needed to address the needs of a growing population in the developing world is not the application of population control measures, or a voluntary call to asceticism, but the institution of developmental policies that recognize the needs and wants of human society on terms that are just to developing nations and corrective to developed ones. Alex Steffen (2006) notes that it is wrong to think we can talk developing nations out of pursuing their dreams, and deny them of the material luxury that citizens of developed nations take for granted. Therefore, what is necessary is bright green developmental policy, founded upon the idea that economic luxury continue without rendering the planet an uninhabitable wasteland. This would require cradle-to-cradle designs, closed-loop industrial systems and self-sustaining infrastructure, much of which is already possible today. The future is already here, it’s just not well distributed. REFERENCES Gable, C. (2006, October). â€Å"Fields of Power; Farming Co-Ops the Future of Biodiesel,† Organic Producer. Retrieved October 9, 2008 from: http://www. organicproducermag. com/index. cfm? fuseaction=feature. displayfeature_id=43 Hieu, T. (2008, July 27) â€Å"Farming co-ops may be answer to rural poverty. † Vietnam Business News. Retrieved October 9, 2008 from: http://www. vnbusinessnews. com/2008/07/farming-co-ops-may-be-answer-to-rural. html Manning, R. (2004) Against the Grain: How Agriculture Hijacked Civilization. New York, New York: North Point Press. Holmgren, D. (2003) Permaculture: Principles Pathways Beyond Sustainability. Hepburn Springs, Victoria, Australia: Holmgren Design Services. Sightline Institute. (n. d. ) â€Å"Build Complete, Compact Communities. † Sightline Institute. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www. sightline. org/research/sust_toolkit/fundamentals/great_places Steffen, A. (Ed. ) (2006) Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century. New York: Abrams, Inc.

The Puritans: Fanatic or not? :: essays paper

The Puritans: Fanatic or not? A religious fanatic is someone who takes his or her religion to the extreme, letting it control everything in his or her day to day life. The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay colony are a prime example of this extremist view of religion. They had com plete religion based lives including the laws that they wrote, the way they treated outspoken women, and the way they treated people of other religions. The Puritans, for the most part, were good people, they just went way too far when it came to their r eligious beliefs. In the late 16 hundreds, the Puritans wrote their laws according to what the Bible states in the Old Testament, and to what they thought should also be a sin against God. These laws made some very petty and insignificant things illegal; such as worshipp ing a God other than the Lord God, cursing the name of God, a child over 16 cursing his parents, and being stubborn or rebellious against one's own parents. The punishment for all of the afore mentioned laws and for many others was death. Even interpr eting a preacher's sermon in a different way was enough to get in trouble with the law. And for one woman it did. The mix of being a woman and committing an act against the church was even worse. Anne Hutchinson was a woman in the Puritan society with her own religious views. Ones that she shared with a select group of people in the community when she held small meetings at her home to reevaluate and reinterpret what the preacher had said in his sermon. For this she got arrested, put on trial in a severe cross-examination, and was finally banished from the community. In this day and age, sharing of religious vi ews, even from a woman, wouldn't even be thought of as bad, much less a serious crime. But to the Puritans, having different views of God's word was enough to have a person put to death. Even if they were from a different community all-together. The peace-loving Quakers lived in Massachusetts along side the Puritans, but did not believe in the same things as them. The Puritan community saw this as a demonic act and believed them to be "under the strong delusion of Satan." Serious injustices we re done to them, and most of the time it was to innocent people. People were kept days without food, women were stripped stark naked, one lay neck and heels in irons for

Beer Wars-Documentary Review

MBA 650EV| Beer Wars| A Documentary| | Table of Contents Introduction2 How the Large Got/Stay Large2 Why Light is King3 Craft Beer Facts3 The Craft Beer Way4 Spreading the News5 Large Feeling the Effects5 Political Issues6 Conclusion7 Introduction Beer Wars was a very eye-opening documentary. It was interesting to see how the market share of the largest beer company, Anheiser-Busch, has grown throughout the years. In 1965, Anheiser-Busch had a meager market share of twelve percent. As marketing on television grew in popularity, Anheiser-Busch’s market share grew as well.By 1985, Anheiser-Busch’s market share had grew to thirty-seven percent. By 2005, Anheiser-Busch’s market share had grown to an enormous forty-nine percent. This was very shocking to me that one company could control almost one-half of the market share of a $97 billion industry. Also, in 1985, the other two largest beer makers, Miller and Coors, made up about twenty-six percent of the market share . Thus, in 2005, major beer companies made up seventy-five percent of the beer sales in the United States. Which tells us that craft breweries only had twenty-five percent of the market share.How the Large Got/Stay Large In the beginning, all beers were craft beers, until the big three companies wanted to grow, and grow they did. Unfortunately, as the three largest beer companies in the United States grew, the beer-drinking public that was buying their beer were actually the people who were suffering. The reason that I say this is because of the way the large beer manufacturers got to this point. The large beer manufacturers were not very concerned about the quality of their beers as much as they were about the number of sales that were created.The way that the large beer companies did this was through their advertising campaigns. The large beer companies were/are millions and millions of dollars during different sporting functions and on every day television. Beer Wars told us that , on average, there is about $1. 5 billion spent on advertising by the large beer companies every single year. That number is astounding to me, considering how popular their beers are. I think if they were to cut back their advertisements by about 50%, they would still maintain a stranglehold on the beer market in the United States.Another way that large beer companies tend to stay on top of the market is through shelf space at different locations. The large beer companies tend to make many different varieties of beers and thus are afforded more space on the shelves and local markets and liquor stores. This leaves a very small area for craft beers to be displayed, especially when it is very difficult to determine if a beer is a craft beer or made by one of the large beer companies. I will talk more about this later in the discussion. Why Light is King The large beer companies tend to market light lager beers, and for good reason.About eighty-five percent of the beer consumed in the United States is light lager. So, Miller Lite, Coors Light and Bud-Light are very good money makers for the large beer companies. I would not blame the companies for pushing and selling what the people want, or is this what people want? Craft Beer Facts Well, craft beers haven’t fully caught on in the beer markets. NPR. org tells us that craft beers only make up about five percent of the total beer market. According to NPR. org, there are currently over two thousand breweries in the United States.Of those two thousand, about 1,950 of those breweries are considered craft beer breweries. That’s another very interesting point. Ninety-five percent of the breweries in the United States are brewing about five percent of the beer that is sold in the United States. That really doesn’t seem right, but NPR. org goes on to tell us that in order to be a craft brewery, the breweries cannot brew more than 6 million barrels of beer every year. According to texaswatchdog. org, Anheiser-Busch alone brewed over one hundred million barrels of beer in 2011. That is an amazingly large amount of beer for one company to sell.This also tells us that the hope is not nearly lost for craft brewers. If all of the 1,950 craft brewers produced only ? million barrels of beer each year, they could easily cripple the large beer manufacturers with an influx of 975 million barrels of beer flooding the marketplace. But, the vast majority of craft brewers would never want to do that. The Craft Beer Way The craft brewers in the United States and around the world have a completely different take on what it means to brew beer. Dogfish Head craft beer was said to only have . 0002% of the market share of beer sales in the United States.According to brewersassociation. org, Dogfish Head craft beer ranked 12th in the nation in 2011, based upon the number of sales for a craft brewery. That is truly amazing, how a company ranked 12th in the whole country in craft beer sales still only has . 0002% of the total market share of the beer industry. However, the owner of the company said that he would never want to grow like the large beer companies have. He is more concerned about each and every bottle of beer being the best beer possible, rather than worrying too much about how many cases he is able to send out the door.As a whole, craft beer makers try to capture their piece of the market through differentiation of their products and not through advertising like the large beer companies. Craft beer makers still try to do new and interesting things with beer, but they do their best not to lose focus on the most important factor, a good quality brew. Spreading the News Beer Wars told us that one event that allows craft breweries to get their name out to the public is the great American beer festival. This is an event where brewers go to from all over the world for people to sample and try different beers that the craft brewers make.This is a great way for the small b reweries to get their name out to the market. Unfortunately, Beer Wars told us that even the large beer companies are starting to attend this event. Large Feeling the Effects The large beer companies have now started feeling the effects of small craft beers in the marketplace. According to brewerassociation. org, craft brew beer sales have increased from about one percent to about six percent of market share in the past fifteen years. This is the only portion of the beer industry to have any sign growth in that timeframe.Once again, the large beer companies are using their financial advantage to combat this trend. Anheiser-Busch has gone out and purchased several small beer company names and have been selling them as craft beers, where in fact they are mass produced at one of many Anheiser-Busch’s factories. Another way that large beer companies are flexing their monetary muscles is through lawsuits. Beer Wars described how one craft brewer was being sued by Anheiser-Busch fo r using a name that the brewer had used for years. The problem with this is that Anheiser-Busch had not been using that name for very long.Another issue with this is that craft brewers do not have the financial means to be able to hold off many lawsuits from large beer manufacturers. The reason that this is difficult for craft beer makers is the fact that funding for craft breweries is very hard to come by. Usually investors either invest in very large ventures or very small ventures. Most of the time, craft beer makers are somewhere in the middle as far as their funding needs go. Because of this oddity, gaining funds for the production facilities for a craft brewery is very hard to obtain through normal financing. Political IssuesSome of the other challenges for the craft beer manufacturers is found in Washington, D. C. Beer Wars tells us that beer lobbyists are one of the most powerful group of lobbyists in Washington. The main focus of these lobbyists is ensuring that the three-t ier system of distribution is held intact. The three-tier distribution system basically splits up the beer manufacturers, the beer distributors and the beer retailers. This rule was put in after prohibition to make sure that beer sales would be fair across all persons involved. Basically, so the large beer makers couldn’t prevent others from getting their product onto store shelves.Unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening. Distributors tend to lend favor to the large beer companies, because they are paid by how much beer they deliver, and as we saw from Beer Wars, the large beer manufacturers still control that volume of beer sales. So, when the distributors are putting the beer on the shelves of the retailer, they will basically give the large beer companies whatever kind of shelving presence that they desire, basically because they are getting incentivized to do so. I definitely think that the three-tier system needs to be looked at and revamped to meet the needs of today’s marketplace.Conclusion Overall, this documentary was a very interesting look into the beer manufacturer marketplace. I never realized before how devious the large beer manufacturers are when it comes to protecting their market share. With both the lawsuits over naming rights and the basic control of beer distributors, it’s amazing that any craft beer makers even stand a chance of holding any portion of market share. I believe that the large beer manufacturers are scared of what could happen very quickly if they do not do something to respond to the expanding requirements for quality beer in the marketplace.This documentary definitely made me change my mind on how I thought about craft beers. I always figured it was just some fad that would eventually fade away. I see now that this is not the case at all. Craft brews are just being produced to give the marketplace a much higher quality, even if they have to pay a little more. I have a much greater respect for c raft beer manufacturers. I would hope to someday be able to brew my own beer just to see how fulfilling it can be. I will definitely start drinking more craft beers because of this documentary. References (Other Than Beer Wars) 1. BREWERS ASSOCIATION RELEASES TOP 50 BREWERIES IN 2011. †Ã‚  Brewers Association. Brewers Association, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. . 2. Chappell, Bill. â€Å"U. S. Craft Beer Brewers Thrive, Despite Small Share Of The Market. †Ã‚  NPR. org. NPR, 18 May 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. . 3. Lisheron, Mark. â€Å"Anheuser-Busch InBev Roars against Craft Breweries Bill in Texas Legislature. †Ã‚  Texas Watchdog | Investigating Government Waste, Fraud

Taylor Swift “Love Story” Analysis

The song â€Å"Love Story† was written and sung by Taylor Swift. It was published on September 12, 2008. Throughout â€Å"Love Story†, Taylor Swift, uses many poetic devices in the narrative in order to make the whole story and lyrics more enhanced as a whole.She creates an allusion comparing her love for a guy and that of Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, they are banned from seeing each other by their parents and they are willing to die in order to be together. Similarly, Taylor recounts the time she was told not to see the man she loved. So in her song, she compares this to Romeo and Juliet.Swift also used metaphors in â€Å"Love Story†. She says, â€Å"Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter†. She is comparing herself to a scarlet letter but there is also a relation between the scarlet letter and the story of Romeo and Juliet.They both tell the story of true love but they both involve misfortune. Another metaphor in this song is when Swift sa ys, â€Å"That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles.† She is comparing the man she loves to Romeo. He was not actually Romeo, but just someone who was calling for her attention and love.Another poetic device Taylor Swift used is imagery. After a flash back to the time she met the man she loves, Swift recalls seeing â€Å"the lights†¦ the party, the ball gowns† and seeing him â€Å"make your way through the crowd and say hello†. Then it is also at the end of the song when he proposes to her she says, â€Å"He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring†.Taylor Swift is able to evoke an image in the imagination of the listener by using descriptive language. Also, the audience members that have been in similar situations are able to connect with the song and the circumstances. Overall, Taylor Swift’s elegant use of poetic devices enhances the lyrics of â€Å"Love Story†.

Power Why Some People Have It

Power Why Some People Have It Power is a subject at the place of work that each person is aware of but it rarely features in most conversations. As such, Pfeffer does a great job in disclosing ways of succeeding and exercising power in the real world in this book.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Power: Why Some People Have It-and Others Dont by Jeffrey Pfeffer specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Pfeffer argues that most of the time, people tend to pay less attention on the development of their influence, and eventually their power, and this is what differentiates the winners from the losers. The well researched findings that he puts across correlates with some topics from the Custom Business Resources textbook. Geert Holfstedes studies inform us about the modes of behavior of other cultures so as to improve our ability of interacting with them and if the information is comprehended as it should be, this can lead to successful interpersonal relation ships that is free from frustrations. Similarly, in the book Power, Pfeffer, a Stanford professor, points out that ones quest for power is not a solo act. For someone to exert influence favorably, he or she needs to incorporate a lot of people in his or her power grab. And this can only be achieved by having successful interpersonal relationships, according to Geert Hofstede. The social responsibility of organizations obliges them to carry out activities that are advantageous to the society as a whole and they can do this either passively, by not undertaking socially dangerous activities, or actively, by participating in socially beneficial activities. In the same way, Pfeffer indicates that power is a compulsion that is not only advantageous to a person, but is also advantageous for the advancement of the goals of a company and those of the society as a whole. Ethics is an ingredient that makes organizations to undertake socially responsible actions and it assists in determining ho w the values and decisions of an organization influence the various stakeholder groups. In this regard, Pfeffer posits that powerful people who strive for fairness and justice can enhance the development of organizations. However, to achieve this, one must strive to perfect his or her reputations and conduct, without having to work hard. Some of the aspects of human resource management include planning and allocating resources, giving direction, vision, and objectives to the employees, creating a favorable working environment for the employees, and providing opportunities for personal development.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These aspects correlate with the idea that Pfeffer brings forward that the lack of a realistic understanding is what makes some individuals to be victorious than others. When an organization fails to implement these aspects of human resour ce management, a â€Å"just-world phenomenon† crops in and the organization cannot adequately fulfill the demands of the workforce. In any organization, change is an unavoidable occurrence and for the process to be successful, every change and innovation initiatives should be carefully implemented. On the other hand, Pfeffer points out that power is an instrumental tool that can be used in improving the health as well as the wealth of an individual. However, it is of essence to note that this can only happen when whatever changes that takes place are managed appropriately and in order. In today’s busy work environment, all employees experience work-related stresses that can impair their productivity if not handled in good time. However, Pfeffer points out that this cannot be the situation when employees have power. This power will make them to make decisions that will avoid the work-related stresses. For example, he points out that employees should â€Å"worry about t he relationship they have with their bosses at least as much as they worry about your job performance† (para. 9). Leadership is an essential management skill that entails providing the employees with direction, planning, evaluation, motivation, and setting the example. Therefore, in the absence of effective leadership, an organization cannot adequately meet its objectives. On leadership, Pfeffer goes contrary to the popular notion that is being promoted by many ubiquitous leadership literatures that for one to gain power, he or she has to ‘gloss over the power plays.† Therefore, as a leader, one ought to possess the ability to motivate the employees towards a common goal, without having to ‘gloss over’ his or her influence. In an organization, the employees should be able to trust themselves and the management should also be able to trust the employees that they are able to accomplish the assigned tasks. In absence of this, disagreements can erupt. In emphasizing this aspect, Pfeffer notes, â€Å"therefore, your first responsibility is to ensure that those at higher levels in your company know what you are accomplishing. And the best way to ensure they know what you are achieving is to tell them so that they can trust you† (para. 4). Lastly, group development involves a series of stages in which a group is established with an intention of fulfilling a particular objective in an organization. On this, Pfeffer points out that â€Å"no one is going to perform equally well on all the dimensions of their working in a group. What you can do is consistently emphasize those aspects on which you do well in a group† (para. 5).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Power: Why Some People Have It-and Others Dont by Jeffrey Pfeffer specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Pfeffer, Jeffrey. â€Å"Power: Why Some People Have Itand Others Dont.† Amazon Kindle. Amazon, I nc., 2010. Web. https://www.amazon.com/

How to choose a business-writing training provider - Emphasis

How to choose a business-writing training provider How to choose a business-writing training provider Writing skills is a subject that many trainers claim to be able to provide. Heres our guide to sorting the wheat from the chaff. Writing analysis Its important always to build on what trainees know already. So a good provider should start by assessing documents that delegates have written and do so preferably in advance of the training course. (At Emphasis, we start by assessing 14 aspects of each delegates writing, producing a graph to show which skills they should concentrate on.) Its also useful if they can do the same after training, to assess the effectiveness of the training and pick up on any outstanding learning needs. Specialist trainers The fact that English is usually the first language of trainees does not mean that any English-speaking trainer can train them to use it effectively. Many trainers claim to be able to deliver writing-skills training. But you need to make sure that they have specialist skills in this area apart from experience of running training courses on the subject. To state the obvious: English may be our native language, but its still a language. So it demands specialist skills. After all, you wouldnt want to learn Spanish from a trainer whose only qualification is that they read a book on it last week. Flexible, solutions-based approach The objective of all training should be to give trainees the skills they need to work more effectively. It should not be simply to run a training course. Make sure, therefore, that the providers you choose can be flexible in their approach. They should be able to use a range of training techniques (eg. group-based training; one-to-one, on-site coaching; telephone coaching), so that they can adopt the methods most suited to the trainees needs and circumstances. Bespoke training Training needs to be authentic to work, as trainees need to be able to apply the techniques they learn to their jobs straight away, without having to translate it. So make sure that the provider you choose has the resources to provide bespoke training courses. Follow-up support The true test of training comes when trainees get back to their desks and have to plough through the 30 emails that have piled up while they were on the course. New techniques are easily dislodged by day-to-day workloads, and its all-too easy to slip back into bad habits. So ask what back-up the trainer can provide such as telephone/email support or regular reminders of key messages. If youd like to discuss how we can help you or your team improve your business-writing, call us on +44 (0)1273 936 907 or send us a message.