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Monday, September 30, 2019

Achieving Sustainable Development Through Reuse Environmental Sciences Essay

AbstractionAll over the universe, rapid industrial development of metropolitan metropoliss have ever resulted in a growing in population and besides in the general addition of the size of municipal solid waste generated. The direction of municipal solid waste, if non handled decently, will take to assorted jobs now and in the hereafter. Developed states in the universe have, to a big extent succeeded in managing their waste utilizing assorted rules and methods. From suited aggregation methods to technologically advanced disposal methods, they have made certain that municipal solid waste has been efficaciously controlled in their metropoliss. Unfortunately, the same can non be said about other developing states of the universe. Developing states such as Nigeria are still combating with municipal solid waste direction. As a direct consequence of the oil roar, Port Harcourt metropolis, the capital of Rivers State, Nigeria ( which is the instance survey of this research work ) has experienced a major rural- urban migration. The population has about tripled over the old ages. This has, in bend, led to a monolithic addition in the sheer volume of solid waste generated within the city.. Approximately 168,201 metric tons of solid waste are produced in the metropolis of Port Harcourt every twelvemonth and waste disposal has non been efficaciously handled. Residents resort to indiscriminate discarding of their waste at every given chance The most common agencies of waste disposal in the metropolis by the populace are chiefly by dumping the garbage by the route, firing the garbage in the unfastened air in their compounds, littering it openly on street corners and besides dumping them in rivers and watercourses and drainage systems. These methods of waste disposal contribute greatly to the debasement of the environment in so many ways. However, really small is done to recycle and recycle the solid waste generated. Research shows that a immense per centum of the public do non recycle and recycle their wastes which indicates that the awareness degree of the populace about reuse and recycling of waste in Port Harcourt metropolis is really low and offers a batch of chance fo r betterment. This survey hence investigates the grounds why proper waste disposal methods are neglected by occupants of Port Harcourt. It besides seeks to detect why the method of Reuse and Recycle of waste is non acquiring the consciousness and Government support it greatly deserves. Recommendations were made about schemes that will let the authorities and stakeholders involved to progress on modern methods of waste Reuse and Recycling as a nucleus facet of municipal solid waste direction in the metropolis. Through the usage of informations collated via questionnaires, it was gathered that a bulk of respondents agree that reuse and recycling of waste can positively impact the environment, create gross and besides employment chances. It reconnoitres the nexus between reuse and recycling of solid waste as a means to make gross and to finally accomplish sustainable development in the hereafter.DedicationTo God Almighty whose grace has brought me this far and will ne'er et me fallaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦..mu na chi m so.RecognitionTITLE PAGEaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . ABSTRACTaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ DEDICATIONaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Table OF CONTENTaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. List OF FIGURES AND TABLESaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Table OF CONTENT Chapter 1 INTRODUCTIONaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Background of StudyaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Problem StatementaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Purposes and ObjectivesaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Research QuestionsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ Significance of StudyaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Scope of StudyaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ Structure of StudyaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ .Chapter 22.0. LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Definition of WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 2.2 Categorizations of WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 2.3 Municipal Solid Waste ManagementaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 2.4 Principles of Waste ManagementaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 2.4.1 Prevention of WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 2.4.2 Recovery of WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 2.5 Waste Composition in Port HarcourtaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 2.6 Municipal Solid Waste Management in Port HarcourtaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 2.7 Review of EU/UK ordinances on Solid Waste ManagementaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 2.8 Existing Environmental Policies in Nigeria/Port Harcourt ( Legal model ) aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 2.8.1 Institutional FrameworkaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 2.9 Reuse and Recycling of Municipal Solid WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 2.9.1 Reuse and Recycling a tool for Sustainable DevelopmentaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 2.9.2 Reuse and Recycling as an avenue for Revenue GenerationaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 2.9.3 Existing province of Reuse and Recycling of MSW in Port HarcourtaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦Chapter 3RESEARCH METHODOLOGYMethodologyaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ Reasons for pick of MethodologyaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ Primary Data CollectionaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Secondary Data CollectionaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Analysis of ResultaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Ethical motives of Research ConsiderationaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦..Chapter 4RESULT ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONResultsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . Risk Assessment on MSW generated in Port HarcourtaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Significant Risks of Indiscriminate waste Disposal in Port Harcourt/Health & A ; Environmental implicationsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 4.3 Composition of Waste in Port HarcourtaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 4.4 Growth and Employment through Reuse & A ; RecyclingaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 4.5 Discussion of ResultsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 4.5.1 Waste coevals and CompositionaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 4.5.2 Methods of Municipal Solid Waste Collection and DisposalaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 4.6 Problems Affecting Reuse & A ; Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste in Port HarcourtaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 4.7 Benefits of Reuse & A ; Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste Management..aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. 4.7.1 Environmental Benefits of Reuse and Recycling of PaperaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 4.7.2 Environmental Benefits of Reuse and Recycling of PlasticsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 4.7.3 Environmental Benefits of Reuse and Recycling of GlassaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ 4.8 Overall Economic Benefit of Reuse & A ; Recycling of Municipal Solid WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 4.9 Demerits of Reuse & A ; Recycling of Municipal solid WasteaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ .Chapter 55.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS5.1 Summary of FindingsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . 5.2 RecommendationsaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . ConclusionaˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦.. Reference aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ .

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Marketing Mix Essay

1 – Research Braaap Organisation Braaap designs and test the braaapster range of superlite motorcycles here in Australia. Their passion is superlite riding and racing. Braaap was founded by brad smith in Tasmania, Australia and has now grown into an international success and family business, the braaap family.The braaap family includes their pasisonate franchisee’s who are the pioneer’s in developing the the superlite industry, the braap retail experience, the braaap club and community group and the club tracks + complexs in their regions. the braaap retail concept store has been awarded some of the highest honours in business including 3x Australian Specialised Retail business of the year, this couldnt happen if it wasnt for the team of people who work every day to build our sport, the braaap staf 2 – Identify the key characteristics The products sold in the Braap store have the characteristics to ensure the highest quality in the world. The brand is recognized around Australia as the biggest store online in the market. They have partners around the world which help them to develop their new products and allow them to sell products from other big brands around the world. A big store online with 4 big stores around Australia which offer the best equipments for motorcycles around the world, highest quality, the best designs and brands make themselves the biggest business in Australia in that specific market. The Braap brand is totally loyalty and their clients can trust in it. That’s why they are the only brand in the planet that offer a lifetime warranty for their products. They make several tests in their equipments and ensure the durability, occupational health and safety issues. Furthermore, they offer a huge variety of sizes, colors and other factors which may influence the clients to buy their products , there are more than 700 parts to be sold between different categories: * 50cc dirt bikes * 88cc dirt bikes * 125cc dirt bikes * 140cc dirt bikes * 150cc dirt bikes * 160cc dirt bikes * 187cc dirt bikes * 200cc dirt bikes Everything between the best brands of the market, which includes: * ProTaper * Renthal * Pro Circuit * Daytona * Elka * Marzocchi * SM Pro * Bel Ray * Castrol * Unit * Fox * Metal Mulisha * Dickies * Jet Pilot * Famous * Electric * Afends * Hart & Huntington * Loose Kid * Osiris * Armourdillo * Envy Scooters * We The People BMX * Fit Bike Co * Madd Gear Pro * Penny Boards * Pro-Tec * Fox * Oakley * One Industries * Ogio * Fist * Thor * 661 * Go Pro * Smith * EVS * Leatt * Oneal Braaap services : * -5 step learn to ride for all ages * -Test ride * -Action sports * -Fashion * We provide training and how riding and bike maintenance in our braaap university. Braaap university is committed to educating and training dirtbike owners about their motocross bikes and well as educating people that are thinking of buying a dirtbike so that they can learn to ride their dirtbikes in the safest, fastest and most professional manner possible as well as understanding the critical factors you must know about what makes a truly well built mini motocross bike before you buy one. In the braaap university you can join and get access to the incredible range of training for free , it takes nothing more than a few seconds to get instant access to these video training sessions, the free members training includes instruction from the worlds top riding coaches and riders on how to ride your mini motocross bike in all track conditions and then braaap’s head mechanic is going to take you step by step on how to look after and maintain your dirtbikes for maximum performance a nd longevity. 3 – Review pricing policy and analyse pricing variables Product line, setting prices between product line items is one of the strategies that Braaap uses. Using high-low pricing is a good technique to attack the market of premium motorcycles equipments, offering Braaap a higher or same price than the competitors, but its given a promotion relative a launch of Braaap into the Australia market, like the lifetime warranty. This action can bring new clients and keep the old. Another strategy used is the Product Bundles, which means that clients that make big purchase get a discount making it better than buying individuals equipments. Using the Market-Skimming, Braaap initially sets high to â€Å"skim†revenue layer-by-layer from the market. They have the image and the quality which they can afford and justify the high price, once their products are the best in the motorcycles equipments, the latest technologic and the biggest company in the Australian market. 4 – Analyse the impact and the importance of the elements: A – The Promotional Methods Braaap is the largest moto fashion retail in Australia. Braaap has been associated the brand in many different championships around the world. All the main events which involve their products, the Braaap attempt. It does not matter if they will sponsorship a tournament or a competitor, but the Braaap will be there. It will impact directly in the market, once people will see the brand everywhere with the best athletics and the best tournaments. Also they have associated their brand with partners around the world that will make Braaap stronger. Also they produce a catalogue monthly to show the costumers the news about the market and the new products of Braaap. The company is always in contact with the client, it makes the brand reliable being a good partner of your costumer. The methods used by Braaap is getting good results, the brand is recognized outside Australia as well. It means that Braaap is on the top of the market and competing with the traditional and biggest brands around the world. B- The Channels of Distribution The products and the services are distributed electronically, where the costumers can buy online on the website or in stores located across Australia. 5 – Braaap’s potencial customer base and key pressure Before marketing your products and services it is important to define your customer base or target market. Braaap’s clients are people who love motorcycles whatever if it is professionally or just a sport on free time. There is a huge difference of ages between the customers of Braaap’s, they have equipments for all ages, no matter if you are 4 years old or 60. But the biggest slide of braaap’s clients are young from 20 untill 35 years old. Those people practice motocross as hobby and lifestyle with a lot of passion. They consume a lot of equipments and they are always trying to get the new products and technologies. A variety of students, professionals and retires include the characteristics of braaap’s costumers. Unfortunelly for Braaap’s business only men used to practice this kind of sport, there are few women around the world but it is incomparable with the numbers of men, no exceptions anywhere in the Earth. Braaap knows it and they have start ed a strategy to get more clients. They have a program called â€Å"Learn to ride in 5 steps† where they want to attract new participants of the modality. This program have been well viewed round Australia and bring new clients all the time. As target, Braaap’s business is trying to get more children and women that could take up the motocross as hobby or sport and keep practicing and being a Braaap’s client for a long time. Also the lifecycle of the motocross is very short due to the risk of the practice of this sport, especially if you ride very often. As a result, the clients need to get or swap parts and equipments constantly which is a very good point for Braaap’s business. It keeps their clients aware and in contact with the store whole lifecycle. Braaap’s stores have segmented their business since they were just an online store with few equipments and brands. Beyond sell parts of motorcycles, Braaap starts to sell cloths and all equipments from many different brands. This action expanded the business and increased the profitability. 6 – Components of the Marketing Mix There are four basic elements that involve the marketing mix. Theses elements are tactical components of a marketing plan and are referred to as â€Å"the four Ps†of the Marketing Mix. Product, price, place and promotion: Product Quality and Variety: A huge variety of motorcycle equipments and different brands. They are the latest and highest quality in the world. It is possible to find everything for your bike, cloths, protections and others. Design and sizes: A lot of designs, sizes and color, even if it is not a Braaap’s product, they offer other brands to satisfy the customer needs and bit by bit introduce their products in the market. Brand: Braaap’s store is already a reconised business in Australia, the biggest store online with more than 700 parts between different brands and equipments. Currently, they have started to export their own products for other countries where they have got partners like Italy, France, Germany and USA. Warranties: they are the only store which offer a lifetime warranty Price List Price: The price of their products are not cheaper because all equipments are the latest technology in the world with the best performance and highest quality. How they have products from many brands and all kind of products that include since your boots until your motorcycle the price is variable according to what equipment the customer need. Anyway, the variety that the clients can find in the store makes it the best place to shopping in Australia and sometimes abroad. Braaap’s store offer an affordable payment plans tailored to the clients. Discounts: Braaap offers an especial discount for big purchases, how bigger is the purchase bigger will be the discount. Credit Terms: The payment plans can start at as little as $3 a day with no deposit required. We have many different payment options that we promise will suit you. Promotion Advertising: Braaap’s promotion has been very effective around the world. The brand is attempt to many different tournaments and magazines in Australia. This promotion reverberated very well between the clients, once it makes them buy in Braaap’s store and come back later. The quality and durability of the equipments give to Braaap a safety merge of risk. Personal Selling: Also they have marketing actions that help them to sell more a get more clients, like the â€Å" Learn to ride in 5 steps†. Direct Marketing: Braaap produces a catalogue monthly with the news about their business and things which may get the attention of their clients. Place Logistic Management: Braaap’s store online cover whole Australia, which is making the distribution easier in the Australian territory than in the other countries. As Australia is one of the largest countries in the world, the distribution is done by airplane, trucks and boats. It depends what is the customer needs. Customer Service: The 3 stores around Australia help to cover everywhere and try to deliver the goods as fast as they can. The distribution for other countries is very hard once Australia is isolated from any other country in the world, except for New Zeland which is very close. As a result they do not export a big quantity of products but it will increased in few years according to the forecast in the last marketing plane done. Also there are other two Ps that were not mentioned: People: Braaap’ business has some relationships around the world, in France, Germany, USA and others countries where they share the knowledge and information and help each other to develop better products for their clients. Process: It is the development in Braaap’ business to achieve their objectives. A market plan to get their new clients like woman and children. A specific process to show how they will achieve their goals. 7-Identify external environmental factors -Strenghts The company has a strong name in the market, however, we have a world class product. The innovation of our product mix, lines up our position as a brand and inline with our mission to make Motorcycling more accessible. -Weakness Pricing strategy should be a weakness because entails reacting to market conditions and tend to vary. -Threats The growth of the competitors in the motor bike market. -Opportunities Innovation of the marketing mix with accessible price. 8-Identify consumer priorities, needs and preferences Most of the consumers prefer reputed companies with good quality. The company can reach the consumer needs with low price and accessible locations to distribute the products. The consumers prioritize friendly price Customers always appreciate assistance and easy access to information about products and services. 9-Evaluate new products or services As a growth company, Braaap consist in tuning, improving, testing, measuring and implementing new marketing activities. The company does not have specific target market, our goal is to achieve all the gender and ages. One of the most exciting innovations at braaap is the Launch of the braaap silent. Braaap is one of the first petrol based motorcycle manufacture to launch an electric powered bike off the production line. This is an innovation to the product mix of the company that lines up beautifully the company position as a brand and inline with our mission to make Motorcycling more accessible and more fun. The braaap Silent is the ultimate in accessibility and has been sold in Australia and USA. 10-Assess the marketing mix in relation to the organizational, strategic and operational marketing objectives Pricing is an important strategic marketing issue because it is related to product positioning, as pricing alone can affect other marketing mix elements such as product features, distribution, and promotion. Frequently depend on the stage a product is, new products often require different pricing strategies than established products or mature products. Lower price should be a successful strategy in that customers cannot readily compare prices with hidden and contingent costs. 11- Report Braaap is an Australian company which operates as well in USA producing dirty bikes for all ages and gender. It is a company that provides good conditions for the consumer buying their bikes with stores located around the country and online options to choose the best way to obtain a bike. The main characteristic of Braaap’s is to sell products for dirty bikes with the highest quality in the world. The brand is known across Australia as the biggest store online in the market. Connected with partners around the world that provide to them the necessary support to develop their new products. In the Braaap’s store, the costumer can buy equipments from the best brands around the world which multiply the number of choices for everyone. By the way, the prices are not low otherwise they could not offer a highest quality in their products. However, Braaap has a unique promotion that makes the difference in this market, Braaap’s is the only store which provides a lifetime w arranty for their customers. If we think that this sport has a very high risk, this kind of promotion is very good for their image in the market. Braaap has created their image through many kind of events which involve motorcycle, sometimes sponsoring athletics or tournaments around the world. Also they produce a catalogue monthly to keep their clients aware about what is changing or the market news. Most of the Braaap’s clients are young people between 20 to 35, especially mans, due to the practice of that sport. Anyway, they are trying to get more attention from woman and child. Braaap’s offer a program to learn how to ride and other events to entrencher the customer that might not like this sport or lifestyle. Braaap’s stores have segmented their business since they were just an online store with few equipments and brands. Beyond sell parts of motorcycles, Braaad starts to sell cloths and all equipments from many different brands. This action expanded the business and increased the profitability. A huge variety of equipments, not just parts of motorcycles but cloths and accessories from many different brands are an important turnaround of Braaap’s business. Even if the prices are high, does not matter because the quality, design, options and a reliable brand make the difference in the market. Braaap’s cover whole Australia and export for other countries around the world, their online store is well viewed for everybody and their promotions are always very effective. The marketing mix is open their eyes for business and they are trying to leave the equipments more accessible for all public otherwise the competitors are growing up quickly and getting a good slide of the motorcycle’s customers. The clients like when the company has a nice reputation in the market and when that brand is attempt in the events between sport, media and entertainment. It makes the public remember their brand as a good position which care about their lifestyle. Also the clients would like to get easy access to store to solve their enquires, and keep clear the information and services between company and customer. One of the innovations at braaap is the Launch of the braaap silent. Braaap is one of the first petrol based motorcycle manufacture to launch an electric powered bike off the production line. It means that Braaap’s stores are trying to find a way out of the saturated market and at the same time renew the concept of motorcycles around the world. For while, it is just available in Australia and USA but it will be everywhere soon. In conclusion, Braaap’s business is given more attention for the price due to the knowledge that price could influence directly in the other points of the marketing mix. The lower price is always a good option but in this case would not be a good position if we consider that Braaap works with best brand around the world and offer only highest quality products. It is recommended that Braaad’s store keeps working well, trying to get the best for their clients and always investing in new products and partners which will make them stronger than ever.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Of Mice and Men essay: The issue of racism Essay

Racism features strongly in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I think Steinbeck manages to sum up every thing that was wrong with racism and American culture of the time, whilst keeping his views to himself. Steinbeck decided not to write either for or against racism, he just gave you a few scenarios for you the reader to decide whether it was ethical, I think this was very effective as it provokes a response in the reader and also coincides with the plot and time that the story was written. There is a lot of racial prejudice shown in Of Mice And Men towards Crooks the black and crippled stable buck. Crooks is a more permanent worker than the other ranch hands and has his own room off the side of the stable on the far side of the ranch in isolation. Crooks is separated from the rest because the other ranch hands do not want him in the bunkhouse with them because he is black. As a result of this prejudice Crooks has become bitter, hating all white people because of this and has become very lonely and isolated. Mainly during section 4 Steinbeck involves Crooks more and involves more racial issues linked with him. The language Steinbeck uses is of a racist context and mainly tells the story of discrimination against black people in the form of Crooks telling Lennie about how he is excluded from the others because he is black. â€Å"S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ’cause you was black.† (Pg. 105) And†¦ Further more on page 41 Steinbeck writes to suggest that Crooks is sometimes used for entertainment, at Christmas Crooks was forced to fight with some one called â€Å"Smitty† â€Å"little skinner name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn’t let him use his feet, so the nigger got him† this quote clearly shows the way Crooks (described as a nigger) being attacked, probably in relation to the colour of his skin. Crooks is often called names as well, for instance when Curley’s wife used her social status as a white person to over power him. â€Å"She turned to him in scorn. ‘listen nigger† and â€Å"well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.† This shows Curley’s wife telling Curley how if he didn’t shut up she would have him hung, probably lynched, this sort of behaviour wasn’t uncommon and Crooks receives a lot of verbal abuse if he doesn’t conform to white peoples rules. The conditions in which Crooks lives are sub-standard when compared to the others. â€Å"Crooks bed was a long box filled with straw.† (pg. 98) Crooks is described as sleeping in quarters and being treated no better than an animal. This is again, is clearly racism. Crooks also feels left out due to not being listened to. â€Å"If I say something, why its just a nigger saying it† (pg. 103) Crooks is saying that no one listens to him and his opinions are un-voiced and worthless. I think that Steinbeck was very aware of what the impact of the language would create and I think that was the reason he used it, to quite simply clear up any naivety and get the message across about racism. Steinbeck was neither for or against racism, but used it as it was a part of life and more exeptable at the time the novel was written. However in the culture we live today I doubt such a novel would be so accurate describing racism as such a common place and I also think that it wouldn’t be so acceptable as in general people today are more open minded and racism isn’t as common as it was in America during the 1930s. A few words such as nigger, for definite would not be used as it may offend readers and is no longer acceptable and many more changes along those lines would have to be made. Overall racism was a part of life when the story was set and I think that Steinbeck has done a good job of describing in detail the sort of problems that arose whilst sticking to the plot of the story.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Quality Improvement Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Quality Improvement Plan - Essay Example Reports about quality of U.S healthcare system highlight the quality to be beneath the level of expectations (Ramsom et al, 2008). Goals The Organization Has To Meet The motive of Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is to commend support to health care associations in their attempts accomplish improvement in the health care facilities. Ontario Government in June 2010, approved the Excellent Care of All Act (ECFAA), a legislation to promote a civilization of relentless eminence development emphasizing the requirements of patients as the priority. Under such act, emphasis is laid for- a) commitment to provide elevated quality of health facilities; b) generating a constructive patient know-how to be familiar with the procedure; c) making certain that the procedure is approachable and answerable to the community and meet the expectations of the people; d) grasping its managerial group responsible for its attainment; e) identify the importance of clarity to pursue the procedure (Our Performanc e- Quality Improvement Plan). Departments, Programs & Activities To attain the projected health quality, active participation of clinicians is vital prerequisite for the quality improvement. Health professionals possess varied hierarchies and networks with least communication concerning quality of care. Clinicians with clear understanding about the quality of health care facilities as well as try to improve what is lacking are likely to be the winners. In health care sector, patient is the customer and seeks best health care and concern. Growing awareness for health care in the community also enhances the expectations of the people for high quality health care facilities. It is highly significant to design QIP keeping four constraints in consideration encompassing- safety, efficacy, accessibility and the patient focused plan. Quality Improvement Plans gyrates around these four principles as patient focuses plants is the main highlight of QIP. For the successful implementation of the QIP, it is essential for the health care providers to recognize the working of the plan. An appropriate understanding aids in enhancing the quality of patient's care and concern. QIP is a collective effort and involves contribution of all the staff members for its success encompassing effective implementation of the appropriate processes. Responsible individuals are required to take ownership of the developed QIP processes. The process is analyzed by means of focus on data and identification of problem(s) as well as by measuring performance. The amendments made in the QIP must be tested and the data procured must be analyzed to ensure that the basis of improvement is changes, progress in quality improvement involves the procedure and success attained encompass two parameters what is done and how it is being done (Quality Improvement Plan Guidance Document). The legislation necessitates that all health care associations must set up a quality board to keep an account on excellence as sociated matters; build up an annual QIP and make it available to the community, connect administrative payment to the attainment of objectives embarked in the excellence enhancement grounding, perform employee's assessments, build up a patient pronouncement of standards ensuing community consultation to deal with and enhance the patient's understanding. Thus, the annual QIP should encompass yearly performance enhancement objectives together with the justification

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Does the internet make you smarter or dumber Essay

Does the internet make you smarter or dumber - Essay Example Shirky states that those who are opposed to the development of the influence of the internet on a global scale are backward individuals who are against advancement; that they are the enemies of progress. The statements made by Shirky can be said not to show the true picture concerning the internet; that while it has some uses, it is also working towards making individuals dumber than in previous generations. This is because of the fact that while plenty of information can be found within it, this information tends to be extremely shallow and does not encourage reflection by those who have access to it. The internet is slowly but surely leading to less reliance on books and more on unsatisfactory online sources which barely have enough information which can be used to come up with proper conclusions. It can be said that a world without books would be a dreary place within which to live because books have traditionally been the means of transmitting knowledge from one generation to another. Through books, issues are discussed more deeply and in the process, the reader gets to have a better understanding of the subjects being discussed. This is not true of the internet, because it is o ften scarce in content and this creates a situation where individuals get only a shallow understanding of the subject matter. This makes it extremely difficult for knowledge to be transmitted and the lack of this knowledge, it is possible, might end up making people dumber. The use of the internet for the purpose of getting information might end up creating a society which is not equipped to deal with the issues of day to day life and it may instead become artificial. While one would agree with Shirky that the internet has become of immense use for the purpose of gaining instant information, it can be said that it should not be the only source of information. Instead, it should be

Living Wage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Living Wage - Research Paper Example Some people would state that employees who live below the poverty level should increase their skills that are set to increase their value to the organization. In the American magazine, the article â€Å"is a living wage just a wage† on the 19th February 2001, addresses the issues revolving around the wage bill. The article states that legislation on the living wage requires businesses, agencies and some organizations, which offer acceptance to government contracts to make payments to their full time employees as a living wage (Melden, 1967). The most vulnerable ethics theory that applies to the above incidence is the deontology theory. This theory states that people should keep their roles obligations and responsibilities when analysing an ethical dilemma. However, this theory lacks the issue of employees’ rights, which is much important. The choice of decision creates a state of dictatorship since no one is entitled to provide his/her views, but only entitled to his/her duties. Ethics provides equity among people who are given a living wage. Employees feel that they at times discriminated against when they apply for jobs. If an employee is denied a position, which he is qualified for, he/she tends to think that it has to do with his social class. A call for employers to follow the â€Å"uniform guidelines on employee selection procedures† should be availed to take into consideration the protected classes on the basis of race, sex, disability, age or religion. In response to the utilitarianism theory, which is found on the basis of predicting the impacts of a given decision or action. The article â€Å"What You Should Look for When Selecting among Employer Health Coverage† published on 16th November 2008 is related to this theory. If an employer selects an employee on racial, religion, age, nationality, sex and disability bases, he is practicing unethical activities, which are discouraged by the utilitarianism theory (The Washington Post

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Medical Marijuana - Essay Example The medical use of marijuana by human beings was first time registered in the Chinese pharmacopoeia in 2727 BC. It was allowed to usage in the U.S until the federal government prohibited it by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. In the 1970th The Controlled Substance Act established five categories of schedules depending on the danger of the drug. Marijuana was put in the 1st Schedule, to the drugs with the high potential for abuse. It was said to be a drug with "no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." (Mathre, 1997) Humans have been using marijuana for thousands of years already as an antidepressant, a pain killer, a medicine against the nausea, and just for fun. Despite of the fact that cannabis was forbidden in the U.S in thirtieth, people have been smoking till the present moment. Of course, all of that enormous market is illegal now; the government doesn't get a cent from this business. Those, who use cannabis are under the threat of being caught and accused of drug abuse by the police, but it doesn't stop them from smoking. Doctors now say that cannabis makes less harm than nicotine does. Thus, it's obvious that marijuana should be legalized, just to let the government control its use, prevent abuse, and get taxes from those who run this business. Cannabis is considered to occupy the fourth place in the list of drugs most often used in the U.S and Europe, outrun only by alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Thus, cannabis is mostly seen as a recreational drug, despite of the proved medical efficiency it has. Scientists prove that in discussions of the use of cannabis one of the biggest problems over the past few years has been the difficulty in separating the debate on the recreational use from that on the therapeutic use. (Groman, 1997). This is one of the main reasons for which the debates led on the medical use of cannabis in the U.S are so severe. Numerous opinions exist about the effect of cannabis on human's health, and about the consequences of its legalization. The supporters of marijuana legalization for medical purposes prove that it helps to reduce unwanted symptoms of migraines, glaucoma, AIDS, depression and many other conditions. In the same time, the opponents point that marijuana is suspected to cause mental illnesses and induce addiction. Nevertheless, numerous researches exist that prove the effectiveness of using cannabis for treating the illnesses listed. Smoking marijuana really relives the symptoms of various conditions, including even the nausea in pregnant woman. (Mathre, 1997). It's obvious that lots of people still buy marijuana to relieve the symptoms of their diseases despite of the existing laws. So, it would be logical to legalize cannabis for medical purposes, as it's helpful and people still use it regardless of the fact it's forbidden. Let's also recall that cannabis is one of the leaders of the list of drugs used by Americans. The current research displayed, that 70 millions of Americans have tried marijuana (Dale, 2004). So it would be unfair to refuse the sick people the thing that healthy ones use frequently. The supporters of legalization of

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Estrogen Signaling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Estrogen Signaling - Essay Example Estrogen is one of the important sex hormones. It has definite physiological roles, the most important of which are sexual and reproductive functions. Other biological roles include involvement in various functions attributing to the cardiovascular, immune, central nervous system and musculoskeletal systems (Gustafsson, 2003; cited in Heldring, 2007: 906). The body produces many estrogen types, the most potent of which is 12- beta estradiol or E2. E2, along with its 2 metabolites estriol and estrone exerts various biophysiological effects in the body (Heldring, 2007). These effects are mediated through binding of the molecules of estrogen to specific estrogen receptors. Currently, 2 specific estrogen receptors have been identified and they are ER-alpha and ER-beta. These receptors belong to class-1 nuclear receptors (Petterson and Gustafsson, 2001; cited in Heldring, 2007: 907). Binding of the ligands to these receptors induces certain conformation changes in the receptor which in tu rn leads to a series of changes in the receptors and ultimately ends in the preinitiation complex. The changes which occur in the receptors are migration of ER from cytosol to nucleus, dimerisation of the receptor molecules, binding and interactions between dimerised receptor protein and specific sequences of DNA, recruitment of various coregulator proteins concerned with the biological action and also recruitment of various transcription factors (Paech, Webb, Kuiper, et al,1997; cited in Heldring, 2007: 908).

Monday, September 23, 2019

The future of Nuclear Medicine Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The future of Nuclear Medicine - Research Paper Example Nuclear medicine provides Pico molar understanding and exclusive tracer specialty in the in-vivo learning of human pathophysiology for example intake of glucose, somatostatin expression and tissue perfusion. (Peter, 2002, 630) In contrast to anatomic imaging technology nuclear medicine has made great strides in the expansion of new radio-pharmaceuticals but has made little progress in imaging devices. One can define a Nuclear medicine technologist as an expert health care professional, who plays a fundamental part in the field of nuclear medicine or molecular imaging department and find ways to diagnose and treat illnesses. (Peter, 2002, 638) A nuclear medicine technologist works together with doctors, patients, nuclear pharmacists, computer experts, nurses and a number of other health care personnel. In some cases they may keep a direct contact with the patient; where they arrange, standardize and administer radiopharmaceuticals to the patient; they may also carry out different types of imaging procedures with the patient; for example, they may control imaging, lab and computer instrumentation; and looks after radiation protection of the surroundings. Technical progress in technologies such as ultrasound and multidetector CT are remarkable. Harmonic imaging of native tissue (without added contrast) with ultrasound is an example of this. Harmonic imaging detects the second harmonic of the transmitted ultrasound pulse rather than imaging the fundamental frequency. Harmonic imaging provides better contrast than fundamental imaging. Harmonic imaging has been applied to the heart to enhance delineation of lesions and perfusion. Strauss (2007) compared harmonic ECHO (with added echo contrast) to myocardial perfusion imaging with 99mTc–sestamibi at rest and pharmacological stress. In addition to ultrasound improvements in multidetector X-ray-computed tomography has made CT angiography a standard practice and enhanced the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Project manager for a Cable Planning Essay Example for Free

Project manager for a Cable Planning Essay As the project manager for a Cable Planning team, I will manage the creation of the cable plan for a new building that will be built, with construction set to begin in six weeks. My first task in creating a Cabling Plan is to develop an Executive Summary that will contain the Project Introduction and Infrastructure Cable Specifications and Standards. My manager gave me the overall project plan that includes: A detailed description of the new building, including the total number of computers for all of the employees of the company. Also the server and network topology hardware that is required to put the system together. Cable Standards and Codes: ANSI/NEMA Standards Publication No. WC 66-2001 â€Å"Performance Standard for Category 6 and Category 7 100 Ohm Shielded and Unshielded Twisted Pair Cables† ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-7 â€Å"Measurement of Optical Power Loss of Installed Single-Mode Fiber Cable Plant† ANSI/TIA/EIA-526-14A â€Å"Optical Power Loss Measurements of Installed Multimode Fiber Cable Plant† BICSI TDMM â€Å"Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual, 11th Edition† CENELEC EN 50173:2000 and amendments â€Å"Information Technology – Generic Cabling Systems† IEC/TR3 61000-5-2 – Ed. 1.0 and amendments â€Å"Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 5: Installation and mitigation guidelines – Section 2: Earthing and cabling† ISO/IEC 11801:2002 Ed 2.0 and amendments â€Å"Information technology – Generic cabling for customer premises† NFPA70 National Electric Code – Article 645 and Article 800 2.2.15. NFPA 70E â€Å"Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, 2004 Edition† 2.2.16. NFPA 75 â€Å"Standard for the Protection of Information Technology Equipment, 2003 Ed.† Building Standards and Codes: ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1, ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2, ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.3, and addenda â€Å"Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard – Part 1: General Requirements† â€Å"Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard – Part 2: Balanced Twisted-Pair Cabling Components (December 2003)† â€Å"Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard – Part 3: Optical Fiber Cabling and Components Standard† ANSI/TIA/EIA-569-B and addenda â€Å"Commercial Building Standard for Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces† ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A and addenda â€Å"Administration Standard for the Telecommunications Infrastructure of Commercial Buildings† NFPA 76 â€Å"Standard for the Fire Protection of Telecommunications Facilities, 2005 Edition† ANSI-J-STD-607-A and addenda â€Å"Commercial Building Grounding and Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications† Project Materials †¢Fiber-Optic Design Considerations a)We will be utilizing fiber optics in various ways. We will be crafting the backbone, and riser runs with fiber optic cables. †¢Basement Server Complex Design a)The server will have a network capacity that exceeds the 110 people/computers in the basement. One computer per person. b)We will patch each of these computers to the wall outlet with standard Cat6 patch cables. c)Risers and backbones will be constructed with fiber optic cables. d)Horizontal runs with utilize Cat6 cabling. e)We will need 5 Cisco WS-C3750 G-24PS-S:24 Ports catalyst switches to maintain the minimum standard of having 4 ports free on each switch †¢Standard Floor Design a)The network capacity of this design is to exceed 200 people/computers. One computer per person. b)I will patch each of these computers to the wall outlet with standard Cat6 patch cables. c)Risers and backbones will be constructed with fiber optic cables. d)Horizontal runs with utilize Cat6 cabling. e)I will need 10 Cisco WS-C3750 G-24PS-S:24 Ports catalyst switches to maintain the minimum standard of having 4 ports free on each switch. †¢Fiber-Optic Characteristics: a)SC connectors will be used to terminate optical cables. †¢Bandwidth a)The hardware we are installing will have a speed of 1Gbps. †¢Attenuation a)I will use special tools to test for attenuation as the project progresses, and replace accordingly. †¢Electromagnetic Immunity a)I will periodically test for interference. †¢Link Performance Analysis a)I will schedule periodic tests to verify performance, and bandwidth speeds. †¢Cable Transmission Performance a)I will test for inconsistencies in transmissions sent and received. †¢Splice and Connector Performance a)I will test each termination and connector to ensure it meets or exceeds the expected standards. †¢Power Budget a)I will calculate each devices power requirement, to ensure adequate power is provided. b)I will use energy efficient methods, which will not sacrifice performance, but ensure that utility costs do not exceed the budget. Standard floor layout

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Evolution Of Central Banking In India Finance Essay

Evolution Of Central Banking In India Finance Essay The term paper discusses the role that the Reserve Bank of India has played in the Indian banking system. In the start it talks about the evolution of the bank and its preliminary functions. Then the role of the bank in the last two decades has been studied taking into account structural changes made by the bank so as to adapt to the changing needs of the banks in the dynamic economic environment. It can be observed that the role of the Central bank has changed from being a mere controller to an enabler where it is in a position to make the banking industry make significant contribution to the countrys economy. The paper also discusses the supervisory role of RBI where it is trying to implement the Risk Based method to supervise banks. The paper concludes with the future outlook on the banking industry and how the RBI should evolve further when compared to Central Banks in developed economies across the world. The Reserve Bank of India Evolution of Central Banking in India Reserve bank of India is central bank of India and regulates all the banks of the country. It all started in late 18th century when first time in the history of India Warren Hastings felt that there is need of centralized bank in India. His recommendation didnt reach at a thoughtful conclusion of creating a central body to regulate the banking in India. Later when demand of central bank increased in the 20th century and Lord Keynes also recommended setting up a central bank. Three Presidency banks Presidency bank of Bengal, Presidency bank of Bombay and Presidency bank of Madras merged to form Imperial bank of India to make central bank of India. A bill was brought in the assembly to establish RBI as central bank in in India in 1927 but got refused. In the third round table conference held in the year 1933, it was recommended to set up a free body to control the banking system in India. Due to all these fresh recommendations a fresh bill tabled in the parliament on 22 December 1933 a nd got passed in year 1934. Reserve bank started its function from April 1 1935 under the Reserve bank of India Act 1934. Evolution of Role and Functions Role of RBI is evolved over the period of time. In the initial stages it performed two basic functions. First, it acted as a central point of reserves for Indian banks and timely lend to the banks as they required funds for the operations in the emergency case. Second, it functioned as a regulator for the Indian banks and made sure that they perform their activities in the interest of the depositors. In the years before the independence, banking network and scenario in India was not spread properly all over the country. They were divided in the foreign banks and domestic banks. Foreign banks mostly served to the British companies in India. Domestic banks were only engaged with domestic groups and overall banking intermediation among the banks and the customers was weak. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or the Central Bank is the backbone of the Indian financial system. It was set up under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. RBI was initially started with 5 crores of capital and governed by directors of central bank. Since its inception in the year 1935, the functions undertaken by the bank have not only increased but have also undergone changes in accordance with the changing needs of the Indian economy. It was in the year 1949 that the bank was nationalized. The role and functions of RBI became critical after independence and worked in order to increase the saving habit in India to generate more wealth for growth of the country. More the people will save and more will be the investment in the projects. Its roles were primarily on the basis of this hypothesis that the poor were unable to save and increase funds on their own. RBI was assisting government to establish institutions to serve the public by providing funds for specific functions. After second five year plan in 1956 government of India came up with decision of establishing financial institutions with assistance of RBI. These institutions were Industrial development bank of India (IDBI), Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI), Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI). They will make credit available and perform their functions at central level and work as apex institutions for such state level and regional institutions. The role of RBI became concentrated after the establishment of these institutions. The Functions of RBI evolved with expansion of banking. RBI played a vital role to make the banking facilities available in the concerned areas. Banking reached to remote areas of the country. SBI was formed in 1955. Imperial bank of India was converted in State bank of India in the year 1955. Then came the period of very critical moves of the Indian banking history when 14 banks were nationalized in 1969 and in 1980 when 6 more banks were nationalized. These bold moves led to the increased network in the rural areas of the country where most of the population was based. The traditional credit was for agriculture and a specialized institution being established in 1963 with name of Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) which later converted into NABARD in 1982. The role of RBI expanded after these institutions as these institutions helped the country to evolve with better banking facilities. Functions of Reserve Bank of India These are some basic roles which RBI performs in the country: Issue currency notes: RBI is only authorized government body to issue notes in the country. It has one issuing department to issue notes of 2,5,10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. One rupee note is issued by the finance ministry of central government. Bank of the Government: RBI is known as the banker or Agent of central government. It holds deposit of the government and pays on the demand of government. It also gives timely advice to the government on the financial policies. RBI issues bonds for the government and manages debt for them with appropriate charges. Bank of the banks: RBI also performs the job of banker for the all the banks in India. All banks who came under RBI act, have to put their cash reserves at the rate called CRR with RBI. RBI will regulate and supervise the operations of banks as soon as they are incorporated under the RBI Act. Banking System Regulator: RBI is responsible for the regulation of Indian banking system. All banks who comes under RBI Act 1949 are bound follow the guidelines issued by RBI. RBI has powers of licensing, management, expansion, inspection and direction in this regard. Clearing House: RBI is responsible for the settlements among the banks. It runs clearing houses in major cities to for the settlements and smooth transaction of cash between banks. Credit Control: Credit Control is another important role that RBI performs. RBI performs credit control duty with the help of qualitative and quantitative instruments. Some qualitative measures are selective credit control, rationing of credit, moral persuasion and direct action. Bank Rate, Cash Reserve Ratio, Statutory Liquidity Ratio, Repo Reverse Repo and Open Market Operations are quantitative instruments to control credit. THE ROLE OF THE BANK POST 1990: In the early 1990s, the country was faced with the crisis of maintaining its diminishing foreign exchange reserves. There was a need to put in place a new economic framework and policies so as to deal with this situation. This period saw the introduction of economic reforms which made the environment more conducive for the functioning of the private sector. During this period it was the Reserve Bank of India which was entrusted with the task of regulating the new system that was put in place, bringing in technology to strengthen, modernize and make the functioning of banks more efficient, introducing varied monetary policy instruments and management of currency. As of today, keeping in line with the changes that need to be incorporated in the functioning of the Central Bank, the bank is divided into 27 departments where each department is responsible for policy making in a particular area assigned to it. Depending on the requirement the bank has in the past added new departments and closed down some of the existing departments. The Central Board has the responsibility of the proper functioning of the Central Bank. The aim of the Central Bank is to ensure stability of prices while supporting economic growth. The role of the central Bank has evolved over the years from being the implementer of the monetary policy to include other functions such as regulation and supervision of the countrys banking system. Moreover it has also gained greater autonomy in its functioning with regards to managing its own personnel, financing expenditure for the government where the RBI (rather than the government) can decide the amount of funding provided to the government, this further means that the monetary policy can be implemented independently of the fiscal policy and the new instruments introduced by RBI give it more flexibility so to better respond to changing macroeconomic environment. Post 1990, various changes have been made by the bank in its structure and operations to deal with the responsibilities thrust on it. In the year 1994 the Board for Financial Supervision was formed and was given that task of regulating, auditing and supervising banks, NBFCs, and financial institutions. Although the body exists under the RBI it is independent in its functioning which is not the case for many Central Banks across the world. In the year 1995, Bhartiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited was formed as a subsidiary of RBI. The reason for its formation was the management of the banks two printing presses so as to handle the supply of currency in the economy when needed. The Financial Markets Committee (FMC) has been established in the year 1997 and is responsible for providing inputs on a daily basis with regards to the same. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been formed in July 2005 where its role is to advise the bank on the actions that it should take whil e reviewing the monetary policy. Also introduced in the second half of 2005 were the pre consultation meetings and resource management discussions (conducted every year) where apart from the Indian Banks Association, representatives from other banking and financial institutions are also present so as to give their opinions and views regarding which direction the economy is headed before the monetary policy review. Such interactions will make the policy review inclusive and transparent. Another area of change in the recent past is more interaction by the bank with the journalists and the media resulting in better dissemination of information. NEW MONETARY POLICY INSTRUMENTS INTRODUCED AFTER 1990: Apart from the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), the bank in the last decade has introduced other instruments such as Open Market Operations (OMO) and Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) to manage short term liquidity requirements for banks, also introduced in 2004 was the Market Stabilization Scheme (MSS) for managing excess liquidity because of inflow of capital into the country from abroad. The portfolio of monetary policy tools that the bank has, gives it the required flexibility to deal with the changing macroeconomic conditions and make monetary policy transmission more efficient and effective. To protect the monetary policy from being impacted by the fiscal policy (fiscal deficit monetization), the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act was passed in the year 2003, this has given more autonomy and control to the bank with respect to the monetary policy. The bank has also given its view with regards to inflation where according to it the upper limit on the inflation should be around 5 %. This has influenced the acceptable level of inflation to come down. The RBI has had the freedom to make changes with respect to the mandatory provisions that banks have to make (such as CRR and SLR which are direct monetary policy tools) and the assignment of risk weights as and when needed. EVOLVING SUPERVISORY ROLE: There has been a gradual shift in the supervisory and regulatory roles that RBI had been assigned. Initially the Central bank was mainly concerned with maintaining solvency of banks operating in the system where it issued directives and guidelines with regards to granting of licenses, the level of reserves to be maintained, specifying interest rates for lending and deposits, requirement of capital. Whereas now the RBI is trying to put in place processes which take into account the countrys economic condition and are in line with those followed by Central banks across the world. The Central Bank has successfully handled the role of a supervisor for the changing Indian banking industry. Earlier Central Bank was more concerned with ensuring that the banks in the system were adhering to the all the safeguards laid down by it. The approach used gave more importance to a banks financial statements and checking for any incidence of non compliance (offsite, onsite inspections, CAMELS method). Under this approach the information that could be obtained from the banks financial statements was used as the criterion by the auditors to form any judgment about the bank. This approach had been sufficient in the recent past when the banks in the system had limited their business to lending out and getting deposits. However post 2000; the banking industry has seen the arrival of technology and the introduction of extremely complex financial instruments or products (for instance Securitization, Derivatives) which have linkages across different markets. This has made the supe rvisory role of the bank even tougher. With the complexity and the risk in the banking system increasing the earlier method of supervising the banks is no longer sufficient. It fails to take an overall view of the banks business. It does not look at how much risk the bank is facing, whether it is able to understand it and is in a position to manage it. Thus the Central bank is now focusing on the Risk Based method for supervising banks. This is still an ongoing process. Through this method the level of risk associated with a particular bank can be estimated and a specific supervisory plan can be developed for the bank. The following diagram shows the steps involved in risk based assessment. SUPERVISION CYCLE: Understanding the bank profile and developing a Risk Matrix based on inputs from offsite monitoring and surveillance, internal capital adequacy assessment, audit reports, market intelligence Planning the supervisory action to be taken, defining its scope and objective and communicating it to the management of the bank Discussion with management, Monitoring action plan, mitigation of risk, required level of supervision Surveillance Review and Evaluation Process, Assessment of Capital, onsite inspection and determining the risk rating The Risk Assessment Matrix combined with the Risk Impact Rating gives the level of supervision needed for the bank. The Risk Assessment Matrix is as given below: Risk Group Weights Risk (Net) 85% Risk(OG) 15% Risk (inherent) Risk (control) Risk associated with governance and oversight Credit Risk (CR) 30% 70% 30% Market Risk (MR) 20% 70% 30% Operational Risk (OR) 20% 70% 30% Liquidity Risk (LR) 20% 70% 30% Pillar 2 Risk (P2) 10% 70% 30% Now for any group say Credit Risk Risk Credit = 0.7 * Risk Inherent +0.3* Risk Control Similarly it can be calculated for all other groups. Now the Risk (Net) = 0.85*(0.3* Risk Credit + 0.2* Risk Market + 0.2 * Risk Operations +0.2 * Risk Liquidity + 0.1 * Risk Pillar2) + 0.15 * Risk OG Risk of Failure = 0.2*(Risk (Net)^2 + Capital available) The risk of failure is arranged on a linear scale from 0 to 4. The score obtained above is then combined with the Impact Rating (again arranged on a scale from 0 to 4) to get the necessary supervisory action to be taken for the bank. The impact rating is dependent on the following factors: Size Interconnectedness Cross Jurisdictional activities Complexity Infrastructure Each factor is again assigned a weight and is further dependent on impact indicators. Risk Impact Index Matrix Risk Failure Impact Rating 16 64 144 256 9 36 81 144 4 16 36 64 1 4 9 16 Risk Impact Index = (Risk Failure)^2*(Impact Rating)^2 For the matrix shown above in column 1 Risk Failure = 1 and Risk Impact varies between 1 to 4, similarly in column 2 Risk Failure = 2 and Risk Impact again varies between 1 to 4. Each bank will lie in one of the boxes and the different colors indicate the type of supervision needed for a particular bank. The type of supervision recommended by the Central Bank is as follows: Color Supervision Needed Baseline Monitoring Close Monitoring Active Oversight Corrective Action The level of monitoring becomes more stringent as we move down the above table. For banks with high risk of failure (say 4) the action is stringent irrespective of the impact rating. Future Outlook Comparison of RBI with other central banks of the world On comparing RBI with other central banks of the world, we see that each bank adopts different tools despite having similar objectives. The difference in the same can be seen in the structure of the balance sheet of the respective countries. Some of the salient features of major world banks are: FED In USA, the central bank controls the fund rates through Open Market Operations or OMO by infusing or absorbing liquidity through the purchase or selling of US treasuries. Other tools used are Discount rate facility and Reserve requirements which help control the banks. FED also introduced certain new tools such as term deposit facility, primary dealer credit facility etc. after the 2008 crisis where poor regulations were attributed to the market crash. USA is thus follows an active market based system. ECB ECB on the other hand follows more of a bank based approach. Though ECB also adopts OMO, it follows a different approach where it produces money and lends it to banks similar to a repo transaction where the preferred collateral is government bonds. This difference can also be attributed to the history of the nation with USA traditionally being a supporter of open market. Hence during the crisis, the FED responded by providing liquidity to entities such as Mutual funds, Primary dealers etc. while ECB s approach was centered on the various central banks. Comparison with RBI On comparison of the above banks with RBI, we clearly see certain similarities as well as differences. India being a developing nation does not hold the power of developed nations and hence RBI uses both Repo transactions as well as OMO purchases to control the financial system of the nation. India predominantly follows a bank based system where the RBI controls the banks and lays down guidelines for its operation. This has helped put in place a strong foundation for the growth of the nation but looking forward with the development of financial markets in India, the RBI would need to ease down regulations in order to help the nation progress. Currently the banking industry in India is unattractive for players to enter due to stiff competition as well as guidelines from the RBI. The comparison of the balance sheet of RBI with other central banks revealed some interesting insights. For the analysis, we compare RBIs balance sheet with balance sheets of central banks of both developed and developing nations. The banks we have taken into consideration are the USAs Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Brazils Banco Central Do Brazil (BCB). For Europe, balance sheet of ECB and 17 other national banks have been combined to give a better idea. This has been named as ESCB or European System of Central Banks. From the diagram we see that central banks of developed economies rely more on bank reserves for creating liquidity (Bank Reserves 2% to 53% in 2011 for Fed). The share in currency during the period has decreased. For RBI we see that there has been no major change during the years. Analysis of the graph above shows that for developed economies, domestic assets form the largest share of assets while for India the share of domestic assets has increased over the years. From the above analysis, we see how having good regulations helped India ride out the 2008 crisis without any major loses while we see significant changes for developed nations. India is thus heading in the right direction in terms of how the central bank is molding itself to propel Indias growth in the future. Bond Market in India The corporate bond market in India is currently underdeveloped with high financing costs acting as a hindrance for firms to raise money through this avenue. On analyzing the financing polices of firms from 2000-01 to 2010-11 we see that of the total debt raised by companies the proportion of debt raised from banks has increased from 14% to 18% while the debt from bond markets has stagnated and rose only marginally from 3.5% to 3.9%. Even though the corporate bond market in India is underdeveloped at the moment, it is clear that in order for India to be a developed nation bonds markets have to be come up in order to ease the capital pressure on the banks. In this context the role of RBI going forward will change. Currently we see that there is lag whenever RBI announces a policy since banks take time in responding to directives like say a cut in interest rate while an active bond market will ensure such lag is eliminated. A cut in interest rate by the RBI will increase the bind prices in the market and thus help in faster policy implementation. ROAD AHEAD From the above analysis we see how the role of RBI has changed over the years and how it fares in comparison to other central banks of the world. The measures taken by the RBI has ensured we have a strong financial foundation which has helped propelled the growth of the nation. Going forward, with the development of financial markets (strong equity market and inevitable development of bond market) RBI should change its role to attract investors and bring in more capital to help fuel the growth of India. RBI thus needs to ease regulation in a way which would make banking attractive and promote the good institutions in the system but at the same time learn from the mistakes committed by developed nations in ensuring we have strong regulations which help prevent potential crisis. The RBI can thus ensure that the late entry of India can thus work in its favor in ensuring that the banking industry keeps pace with the growth of the nation and helps India become a developed nation in the near future.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Role of the MP in Representation

Role of the MP in Representation What is the role of an MP as a constituency representative in theory and practice? Abstract There is a debate as to the exact role of an MP as a constituency representative and whether that role may differ in theory from practise. This dissertation will explore the differing interpretations of the representative role that MPs perform. There are differing theories as to how that role should be performed and the ways that role is performed in practice. As shall be discussed the theories as to the constituency representative role of an MP have developed over several centuries and the practice has evolved along the same time period. Factors that affected the theory and practice of an MP’s constituency representative role include the development of modern political parties, the extension of the electoral franchise and the influence of the media on the political agenda or the expectations of the electorate. Originally MPs were elected as individual representatives of their constituencies based on very narrow electorates. Some MPs were returned without having to face electi on whilst others brought their seats or had them brought for them. The rationale of this work is to examine the way that constituency representative role has changed to reach its present theoretical and practical positions. The relative positions of MPs will also be explored; for instance MPs happy to be backbenchers or those that wish to gain ministerial positions. Introduction From Parliament’s beginning in the mid 13th century an MP would almost exclusively have represented the rich merchants or the land owning classes from which they themselves were nearly always drawn from. They would tend to represent the concerns of their peers within the constituencies as neither the nobility, neither the clergy nor the poor could vote for them. Parliament was subordinate to the monarchy with the House of Lords dominating the House of Commons except in the area of taxation were the Lords did not wish to accept the unpopularity that setting taxes caused (Morgan, 1993, p.172). Attention will be paid to the roles assigned to MPs by tradition, inclination and ideological differences. Over the centuries there have been arguments and debates as to who has the right to choose an MP and who exactly that MP should represent. Finally there is the debate as to the conduct of an MP, do they have the right to do as they wish or do they have to follow the wishes of the peop le that elected them (Birch, 2001, p. 93). From the start the House of Commons main purposes was to give the king taxes in times of war or when the country was threatened whilst also passing legislation to improve the administration of the country. Although the House of Commons was less important than the House of Lords even then there were the notion that MPs represented their constituencies and raised their constituents concerns in Parliament. Whilst the House of Lords represented the upper strata of feudal England, MPs represented the middle strata of the English nation (Silk and Walters, 1998, p.1). The development of the constituency representative role Through evolution, revolution, design and accident Parliament in general and the House of Commons in particular would greatly increase in significance and power making the theory and practice of an MP’s constituency representative role more contentious as well as more important. The man widely credited with inadvertently making the role of MPs as constituency representatives and the House of Commons more important was Henry VIII. Henry used Parliament to break with Rome and establish the Church of England. His chief minister Thomas Cromwell proved highly skilled at managing the House of Commons and may have understood the consequences of the change more. Even then potential conflicts between an MP being an effective constituency representative or merely there to do the government’s bidding could be detected (Schama, 2000, p.308). The political turmoil caused by the Reformation eventually led to the civil war and the Glorious Revolution. As a result of those events Parliament became politically dominant and the forerunners of modern political parties, the Whigs and the Tories emerged. Prior to the emergence of these parties MPs were elected as independent individuals free to vote or act in any way that they considered apt. They may have represented ver y small numbers of voters yet that was because the franchise was restricted as well as the criteria for standing as an MP. Even now MPs are elected as individuals even if the vast majority of voters pick who they vote for on the basis of political parties rather than on personal merit or views. MPs have the right to change their party membership after being elected although they cannot expect to be re-elected (Silk Walters, 1998, p.10). All MPs had to have their own wealth or have wealthy supporters, as they were not paid for being an MP. Lack of a salary meant there could always be the suspicion that MPs could accept bribes or incentives to represent other people aside from their constituents and thus act against their constituency interests or the national interests. British democracy was tightly restricted, women were completely barred from voting whilst the vast majority of men could neither vote or be elected. So this meant that nearly all MPs were not representing the people in their constituency even if they more representatives of the small number of voters. Britain in fact only obtained full universal adult suffrage in 1928 after more than a century of campaigns for electoral reform (Coxall, Robins Leach, 2003, p.7). Despite attempts at occasional radical reforms by Liberal and Labour governments changes to democracy have been like the approach preferred by the Conservative party, reform or change by evolu tion rather than revolution (Comfort, 1993, p. 122). As already mentioned prior to the emergence of a party system and the extension of the electoral franchise, MPs that in theory if not always in practice had more freedom in their parliamentary actions or voting. Although free to act in any way they saw fit MPs would often form groups with like-minded colleagues. Governments would also try to manage the House of Commons so the monarch could get the legislation or the taxes they needed approved. Loose parties or groups were often formed of those MPs that supported or opposed the government. Kings such as Edward I regarded MPs as two-way representatives. As well as representing their constituency they represented the government and the king in their constituency. Should any conflict arise between an MP’s role as a constituency representative and their position as a servant of the crown then the crown usually took precedence. If an MP had any doubts about that the government would force or persuade them to conform to its wishes (B irch, 2001, p. 102). Governments were at that point still run by the monarch in fact as well as in name. A strong monarch equated to strong government with Parliament used as or when it was needed. Whilst MPs did not have the same social, economic and religious status of the nobility, abbots and bishops that sat in the House of Lords they were part of the elite within society and were supposed to be representing that groups interests. At no point were they supposed to represent the common people. Henry VIII may have used parliament to increase his own power yet his policies altered the role and importance of parliament. The dissolution of the monasteries not only removed abbots from the House of Lords it was also the largest redistribution of wealth and land in English history that most benefited MPs, their relatives and friends yet sowing the seeds of future conflict between monarch and parliament (Morgan, 1993, p.284). The legislation associated with the reformation greatly increased the power of the monarch and even today any legislation that increases government power significantly or without just cause are still referred to as ‘Henry VIII powers’ (Silk Walters, 1998, p.152). Governments still needed majorities in parliament to pass legislation and the Tudors would resort to bribery, cajoling, making concessions and personal appeals to get what they wanted. Whilst the Tudors avoided serious conflicts with Parliament Charles I and his policies would lead to civil war and his overthrow. The commonwealth witnessed written constitutions military rule and a purely nominated parliament. In the end it was decided that a constitutional monarchy offered the best means of stable government. The 17th Century saw the start of political groups that would develop into parties, it also saw the failure of democratic movements, personal rule by the monarch and military rule (Morgan, 1993, p.374). The 18th Century saw the further emergence of the party system and a new position that of Prime Minister. With Prime Ministerial government came an increase in the number of MPs that were government ministers. Taking up a ministerial position reduced the amount of time that an MP could spend representing their constituents with however the gaining of power and prestige as an incentive to accept office. Parliament remained unreformed and the electoral franchise was actually narrower than it had been under the Tudors. No government made any attempt to reform the Pocket Boroughs were MPs happened to be picked by the rich and powerful to represent them or do exactly as they told. There were at least 300 such Pocket Boroughs in the general election of 1807. MPs elected by such means were not in a hurry to reform the House of Commons as this would more than likely lead to them losing their seats (Gardiner and Wenborn, 1995, p. 604). Rotten Boroughs were even more notorious for their corrup tion, the majority of them having no voters at all, only having voters on election days or voters bribed to vote for a certain candidate. Such practices meant some MPs had reality no constituents to represent and could act without restraint or fear of losing their seat. If the government happened to control the Pocket and Rotten Boroughs it meant they could not lose its parliamentary democracy (Gardiner and Wenborn, 1995, p. 664). After 1688 Britain had been dominated by Whig governments with a Tory opposition yet neither party wished to make the country more democratic. However there were radicals such as Thomas Paine that wanted democracy and therefore electoral reform plus an overhaul of parliament. Although Paine could not bring about reform in Britain he did influence the ideas of the American and French Revolution. Those who were opposed to reform contended that Britain had its own revolutions in 1642 and 1688 with Parliament dominating the constitutional monarchy and effectively representing the nation further revolution was not needed (Hobsbawm, 1962, p. 54). Prior to the French Revolution, the Tories sometimes argued the case for parliamentary reform and extending the franchise. Such reforms would not have changed the theory and practice of an MP role as a constituency representative but it offered pragmatic advantages for the Tories. Reforms were suggested both as a means to make elections fairer wit h elections less corrupt and as a means of breaking the Whig domination of government. Some considered the reforming of seat boundaries just as important for representative government as extending the franchise. After all the last redrawing of boundaries had taken place during the Commonwealth and had been abandoned with the Restoration (Gardiner and Wenborn, 1995, p.584). The French Revolution increased the divisions between the Whigs and the Tories with the former being more liberal and the latter more conservative. However both parties had a fear of Parliamentary reform leading to radicals taking over the country, better to have a well balanced responsible government elected by the few rather than a radical irresponsible government influenced if not directly controlled by the masses. The French Revolution gave an impetus to demands for democratic reform. The reformers arguing that MPs could hardly be effective constituency representatives when the majority of people could not vote for or against them. Reformers also pointed out that the archaic boundaries made a mockery of the claim that MPs were representatives of their constituents when some represented hundreds or thousands of voters and other MPs represented a handful of voters. In reality both parties were opposed to and feared radical democratic reforms as they did not believe that Britain sho uld become fully democratic. Democratic reforms were not enacted with enthusiasm but when Parliament believed there was no other option, it was better to adopt piecemeal controllable reform than suffer revolution (Eatwell Wright, 2003, p.54). The political elite in Britain especially the Whigs were more interested in protecting property rights and laissez faire economics than political reform or actually representing the poor and the working classes. The Tories were not keen on altering British society and economy either yet would gain greater benefit from electoral reform and extensions of the franchise than their liberal counterparts. That explains the reluctance of both parties to extending the franchise and making MPs more representative of the population as a whole and more willing to represent the interests of all or most of the people in their constituencies. As far as they were concerned MPs best served the nation’s interests by serving the interests of its social and elite to which they either belonged or aspired to join. For liberals governments were solely there to allow the capitalist market and system to function unhindered. Individuals were responsible for their own success or failure; they did not ne ed or deserve the right to vote if they failed. MPs should only represent the successful (Eatwell Wright, 2003, p.27). Some Liberals along with Conservatives were afraid that universal suffrage would lead to the majority of the masses ruling over the minority, if that minority knew better (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003, p. 228). Such attitudes were similar to those of Edmund Burke who believed that MPs should be left to govern or be in opposition to the government in the House of Commons, representing but not subservient to their constituents (Held, 1991, p.185). The extension of the franchise would eventually lead to changes in the theory and practice of an MP’s constituency representative role. Parliament was able to resist demands for its reforms and an extension to the electoral franchise until 1832. The political establishment had managed to avoid reform following the French Revolution in 1789. Yet the Great Reform Act of 1832 was enacted following the reform movements that sprang up after the 1830 revolution in Paris that threatened the establishment. Three years earlier, Catholic Emancipation allowed Roman Catholics to vote and stand for parliamentary election provided they met the monetary and property criteria for doing so (Hobsbawm, 1962, p.110). The 1832 Act also started the process of reforming the constituency boundaries to increase the number of MPs for expanding towns such as Birmingham and Manchester as well as London. The emerging and expanding towns were still represented by only two MPs whilst some of the old constit uencies had retained their two seats even if they now had only a tiny number of voters. Increasing the number of urban constituencies meant that winning those seats became more important to any political party wishing to gain and maintain political power. As towns expanded into cities their populations had increasing expectations of what their MPs should do for them. Urban expansion and industrialisation meant that the nature of the constituency and its population changed meaning practical if not theoretical changes to the constituency representative role of an MP. The role of an MP as a constituency representative therefore developed further as Britain’s society and economy developed and progressed. An MP particularly of an urban or industrialised constituency became involved with different issues than one represented a rural or rural constituency even if they belonged to the same party. Those opposed to radical reforms would stress that an MP not only represented his constituents he used his greater intellect and judgement to make the best decisions for them. Edmund Burke whose ideas strongly influenced modern conservatism stated that a bad or weak MP was one that sacrificed his views for those of his constituents that lacked his political knowledge or sound judgement. Burke who lived in an age when the party system was less developed would no doubt felt that MPs had the right if not a duty to go against their party if they believed that is the best course of action (Comfort, 1993, p.66). It became harder to ignore the working classes and the poor within any given constituency even if an MP did not have to gain their support as they had no voting rights for much of the 19th century. An MP would have to represent more of the people within their constituency than before. Industrial and economic development made the practice of an MP as a constituency representative altered as they wished to promote prosperity, employment and health amongst their constituents. The industrial revolution may have made the capitalist classes richer yet it also promoted political unrest, epidemics such as cholera, slum housing and industrial strife. In effect it made the business of government and representation more complex. These economic and social changes led to MPs and governments taking a greater role in monitoring or industrial safety. Even before the advent of the welfare state governments became increasingly keen on improving public health, housing and education provision. Constitue nts would increasingly encourage their MPs to use their representative role to grab bigger slices of government spending to improve their constituencies. From a cynical point of view it could be argued that an MP would happily take part in such measures as part of their role as a constituency representative. Promoting the prosperity and well being of their constituency is just doing their job and if they do it well it improves their chances of re-election at the next general election. Limits to the constituency representative role On the other hand it could be argued that an MP should be a constituency representative to everybody in that constituency whether or not they voted for that MP or even if they voted against them. At the end of the day MPs are there to improve the lives of their constituents as well as to represent them. In theory an MP should stand up for their constituency’s best interests and represent them as strongly as possible in Parliament. MPs are generally supposed to follow their official party line when debating or voting in Parliament. Some MPs believe that they should be able to vote anyway they believe to be right and they should not be forced to vote for measures or acts that are contrary to their conscience or the interests of their constituency. Left wing Labour MPs referred to such defiance of the party whip as the ‘conscience clause’ when defying or considering defying the party leadership. Defiance was usually against plans to cut public spending, changes to th e National Health Service or Britain having nuclear weapons (Comfort, 1993, p. 121). In practice how well they look after their constituency interests on whether they are part of the governing part and how much influence they can have on policy formation. In practice the government’s budget is finite and hard choices or bargaining can determine whether a constituency gets a new hospital, better schools or no public help when a local factory or business closes down. Governments will often look after the interests of the constituencies represented by their MPs first even if they proclaim that they are serving the whole country’s interests. MPs from the governing party can be highly susceptible to a government being unpopularity so it is in their best interests (Birch, 2001, p. 102). For present day MPs it is a serious decision as to whether to vote against the party line when a party whip is in operation. Not only are MPs subject to internal party discipline they have been elected by their constituents to be their representative as a Labour or Conservative MP for example. Constituents can therefore regard their MP as being not only disloyal to his or her party they may regard it as a betrayal of their loyalty too. MPs have voted against their party line when their conscience could not support party policy. Some MPs will even be prepared to oppose or vote against party policies that contradict the perceived interests of the constituencies that they represent. Often in such a situation MPs will seek a workable compromise so that they have represented their constituents best interests as best they could whilst remaining loyal to their party. Labour MPs in the past for instance have voted against or frequently disputed the leadership’s decision to keep Britai n’s nuclear deterrent contending that it was not needed, it is too expensive with the additional problem of making Britain and not just their constituencies a target. The internal disputes over unilateral nuclear disarmament when combined with other divisions contributed to the party spending 18 years in opposition after 1979. The minority status of the 1976-79 Labour government made it particularly vulnerable to back bench revolt or dissent although it its failure to keep its promise over changing the electoral system and introduce devolution in Scotland and Wales that lost the parliamentary support of the Liberals and Scottish Nationalists. Its downfall came after public spending brought about the public sector strikes dubbed the ‘winter of Discontent’. Perhaps if Labour had introduced a system of proportional representation it would not have spent so many years in opposition or then go on to win three consecutive terms in office (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003 , p.41). Ironically enough the Labour leadership suffered its worst back- bench revolt when it was in opposition. If all the Labour, MPs had voted against during the EEC treaty debate then the Heath government would have been defeated. For Benn alongside other MPs joining the EEC was a mistake as it reduced the sovereignty of Parliament and meant that MPs would see their influence decline (Benn, 1988, p.313). Labour MPs have tended to stress their commitment to being constituency representatives and helping as many of their constituents as possible. As originally set up the Labour Party believed it represented the people in Parliament. The Labour Party was there to run the country for the people and make it a better place for all. The Labour Party was founded in 1900 from the Independent Labour Party, the Fabian Society and the Social Democratic Federation with funding from the Trades Union Congress (Rodgers Donoughue, 1966, p.46). The aim of the Labour Party was to fully represent the working class in Parliament. Not all working class men had received the vote after the latest reform of 1884. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 gave all working class men and women aged over 30 the vote. Universal adult suffrage was not achieved until 1928 by which time the Labour Party was well on the way to replacing the Liberals as the second party in British politics. The first Labour government of 1923-24 was a minority government and too weak to attempt any socialist measures. The Labour government elected in 1929 had to deal with the effects of the Wall Street Crash which made the chances of even the modest socialist measures impossible. Prime Minister Ramsey McDonald split the party by forming the National Government and cutting unemployment benefit during the worst recession anybody had ever seen. The majority of Labour MPs, members and voters felt bitterly betrayed. As far as they were concerned Ramsey McDona ld had gone against everything Labour meant to its members and to its constituents. The 1931 general election saw the party reduced to a rump of 51 MPs, the dreams of the ‘People’s Party’ seemed to be in tatters (Morgan, 1993, p.610). Yet for many years of the modern era the most successful political party has been the Conservative Party. The basic instinct of the party may have been to conserve the best of the country and make everything else better through evolutionary change. The Conservatives to a certain extent saw themselves as a caring parent representing the best interests of the people. The Conservatives also seemed to be remarkably successful in winning power when it might have been assumed that first the Liberals and then Labour would have been the natural party of government. Despite massive electoral defeats in 1906, 1945 and 1966 the Conservatives were able to regain power within relatively short periods of time. Following in the traditional view of Edmund Burke. Conservative MPs were happy to represent their constituents yet unwilling to be told by the electors what to say or do in Parliament. The Conservatives had not actually lost out with the extension of the franchise to all adults attracting en ough votes from women and working class men to be able to win general elections. The Conservatives were noted for their pragmatism rather than their ideological outlook. Unlike the Liberal and the Labour parties they always seemed to be a united party with MPs that constituents knew would work for stability and evolutionary progress. The Conservatives did not overturn the reforms of the Liberals of 1906-14 or Labour governments of 1945-51. The Liberals introduced the first unemployment benefit and pensions whilst Labour brought in the welfare state plus the NHS (Gardiner Wenborn, 1995, p.193). All this changed when Margaret Thatcher became party leader and then Prime Minister. Far from pragmatism she advocated neo-liberal policies that broke the post-war consensus. The radical policies pursued by the Thatcher governments raised questions about how the electoral system allowed such large majorities to governments supported by a minority of the electorate. This system is not represented at all and has had critics since the 19th century (Held, 1991, p.186). Some of the theoretical and practical theories of how an MP should represent their constituents has evolved over the centuries. The evolution of theory and practice has meant the representative role of an MP has developed into some contradictory directions. The ideals of an MP being in a constituency representative can be traced back to the first Parliament of 1265. MPs had a dual representative role, to the constituents that elected them and to the country they assisted in governing. Whilst MPs were independent elected individuals there was no real conflict or contradiction or roles or interests. For the MPs elected by pocket or rotten boroughs there was little conflict on interests as they did the bidding of those that had got them into Parliament. The contradiction of representing both constituencies and the country was further complicated by loyalty to political parties and positions within the government. MPs have essentially always been elected by a simple plural system, the ca ndidate with the most votes win, they don’t need a majority of votes, just a single vote more than their nearest rival. Therefore a political party that receives a majority of the votes nationally due to the vagaries of the system end up losing the election. That happened to Labour in 1951 and the Conservatives in February 1974 (Held, 1991, p.174). One drawback with the way that the theory and practice of an MPs constituency representative role has developed was that they can have little ability to stop governments introducing unpopular or ill considered policies. For instance MPs did not stop and only a minority protested against the poll tax or Britain’s involvement in the invasion of Iraq. However MPs could argue that most political parties only enact that they have promised in their election manifestos and if the people don’t want such policies then they should not vote for that party in the first place. Other events are reactions to incidences outside of the government’s control such as the Margaret Thatcher’s reaction to the invasion of the Falklands Islands, the response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait or Britain’s involvement with the war on terror. Such events have a tendency to happen between elections leaving the electorate without the chance to approve or protest against government actions. Governments would counter claims that they were ignoring public protests or opinion by saying that sometimes they need to make important decisions quickly and do what they believe is best for the country rather than what they think is best for winning elections. Thus Margaret Thatcher’s decision to re-invade the Falkland Islands contributed to her general election victory in 1983 whilst for Tony Blair the decision to invade Iraq was blamed for the loss of more than 100 seats in the 2005 general election (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003, p.200). A method of ensuring that general election results would be fairer would be to switch from the first past the post system to a form of proportional representation. Using a proportional representation system would tend to make the governments more moderate as they would be coalition governments and radical policies would be less likely to be adopted. However, such a move could have a great impact on the theory and practice of an MPs constituency representative role. Depending on which system of proportional representation was adopted there might not even be a link between MPs and constituents at all. If the Additional Member System used in Germany were adopted then a strong link would be retained with a weaker link if the Single Transferable Vote as used in the Republic of Ireland were used. PR was first considered for adoption with the Liberals not keen on it. However once they had been reduced to a small third party they were much keener (Madgwick, 1994, p. 280). The general electio n results of 1974 and 1983 showed the unfairness of first past the post. With greater levels of tactical voting, the Liberal Democrats actually gained more seats in the general election of 1997, 2001,and 2005 with fewer votes that the Liberal / SDP Alliance received in 1983. Unless there is a hung Parliament similar to 1974 than it is unlikely that Proportional Representation will be introduced as both Labour and Conservatives always believe they can win an overall majority. Should Proportional Representation ever be adopted that some MPs would have greater influence than others would, mainly those in the smaller coalition parties could in theory and practice hold the largest parties to ransom (Coxall, Robins and Leach, 2003, p. 90). Conclusions To conclude the theory of an MP being a constituency representative has changed very little over the centuries. The theory of the constituency representative role is fairly straightforward. An MP is simply elected by a majority of their constituents and is the constituency representative for the term of the whole parliament. Once elected an MP is in theory bound to represent their constituency interests to the best of their ability and to participate with or oppose the government depending of whether they belong to the governing party or the opposition. In theory whether they belong to the governing party or the opposition they should scrutinise government policy and legislation. In theory MPs are still elected to Parliament as constituency representatives as if they were independent individuals rather than as members of political parties. An MP is free to switch political party they belong to whilst still sitting in the House of Commons. In reality MPs are primarily elected because of the political party they belong to and that they are the candidates for. In other words they are elected to represent their constituency as the Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat etc MP rather than as an individual. Once they have b