Accounting and Bookkeeping Services Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

Accounting and Bookkeeping Services Marketing Plan Essay Marketing Vision Sorcerers Accountant will fit the needs of transitional small businesses, dealing with the growing pains of leaving an owner-operator model to hiring employees and expanding. These clients will see that Sorcerers Accountant is competitively priced, both compared with the market and with the substitute option of hiring their own bookkeepers. Clients will see that Sorcerers Accountant is extremely flexible and scalable in a way that in-house bookkeepers cannot be. To move forward with this new business line, Sorcerers Accountant will make the bookkeeping services the core of its business and a source of leads for its additional accounting services, rather than the other way around. Over time, as this transition happens, the marketing plan will be revisited to see how these clients can be better used as a source for referrals and more business. See more: The Issues Concerning Identity Theft Essay Goals Sorcerers Accountants goals include Personal, Marketing, Business, and Client Satisfaction goals. They are: 1. Personal To reduce the time spent on the business by Max Greenwood to a more sustainable level over a few years and to achieve professional recognition 2. Marketing Generation of large numbers of leads and press mentions 3. Business Expand sales significantly over the next three years 4. Client Satisfaction To achieve a high level of very satisfied clients Purpose Sorcerers Accountant seeks to provide a full suite of tax and management accounting services for small businesses in Chicago, Illinois, allowing business owners to not only save money over in-house accounting and ensure their compliance with tax laws, but to make valuable management decisions from their numbers. Picture When clients come to Sorcerers Accountant, the frustration of dealing with in-house bookkeepers and low-quality providers will recede. Clients will be given the time to have all of their questions answered and valuable accounting and systems advice will be given even in the initial meetings. The client will quickly understand that Sorcerers Accountant will scale their services to meet the clients needs and can add to those services as the clients needs change. They will understand that they are not entering into an onerous contract and that the cost of getting started is low. The client will be delighted the first time they receive a thank you card and small gift when theyve made their budgeted numbers for the quarter. At this point it will truly sink in that Sorcerers Accountant has their bookkeeping and accounting needs covered and that they can put away any worry that this area will be a weak link in their business. Gap Dashboard Weekly measurements of key metrics will be averaged for each month and entered in the Gap Dashboard. Personal goals will be tracked by Max Greenwood directly to make sure he is moving towards both professional recognition and a sustainable work/life balance. Marketing goals will be tracked by the CRM system and business goals will be tracked by QuickBooks. Client satisfaction numbers will be derived from the survey providers database. Whether numbers are met or not, the news will be shared on a monthly basis with the entire staff, with congratulations and discussion as to what is going right as well as a look at what is going wrong and how it can be rectified. These reports will be shared in full with the bookkeeping program manager and partially with the bookkeepers. Ideal Customer The ideal customer for Sorcerers Accountant is an owner of a very small business. Having launched within the last few years, the customer has just hired his first employee. The bookkeeping work (accounts payable and receivable, payroll, bank reconciliations, tax preparation) that the owner did for the first few years is taking more and more time and is holding him back from working on sales, marketing, and strategy for the business. The new employee has been hired to handle more of the technical work of the business, not to do bookkeeping. However, when considering the type of bookkeeping help he can afford, the customer realizes that a ten-hour-a-week employee would most likely be a student or low-skills worker who would require a great deal of training. The customer is put off by the idea of spending a great deal of time training such an individual, who may leave within a year (or even less) due to school schedule changes or finding a full-time job. He realizes that keeping the books correctly is important work, but because he understands his own value to the business, his knows his time is better spent elsewhere. He might then begin to search for professional bookkeeping options that can offer just a low-level of support by doing his own research and asking other business owners he knows. Market Description The small business accounting market consists of virtually every small business in the United States. As businesses grow larger than one person sole proprietorships, they generally require expert help with at least their tax preparation, and often with additional bookkeeping and accounting services. Even many non-employer sole proprietorships will use accounting help at some point. While some small businesses hire bookkeepers or CFOs directly, many successfully outsource these types of services. The market for Sorcerers Accountant is small businesses in the city limits of Chicago. This will represent approximately 85,000 businesses in 2010. This market can be subdivided into three groups: Non-employer firms: Without employees, these firms do not have many of the concerns of larger businesses. However, the owners must be vigilant to protect their own tax liability and sort out how their personal and business tax returns intersect. These firms are generally buyers of QuickBooks services and tax preparation services. As they grow, this group becomes ripe for outsourced bookkeeping services before they can hire a full-time in-house bookkeeper. Very small businesses: Defined for our purposes as businesses with 2-10 employees. Made up of businesses that are designed to stay small and those which are growing through a phase, these businesses require payroll services, bookkeeping, and tax preparation. They are concerned about losing control, but can generally be convinced of using outsourced accounting and bookkeeping with cost analysis. With the stakes higher, these businesses can make greater use of management accounting services, especially as most cannot afford a dedicated CFO. Many do not need a full-time bookkeeper, but can made due with part-time help, which limits their hiring options. Other small businesses: Defined for our purposes as businesses with 11 to 99 employees. Many of these businesses will have some in-house financial management and bookkeeping help. However, they may be able to save money by outsourcing these services as they are not generally core to what the business seeks to do. These businesses may be comfortable with their situation as a cash producer for their owners or intent on g rowing or positioning themselves for sale. Remarkable Difference Sorcerers Accountant offers the flexibility and low rates of an in-house bookkeeping employee, while providing all of the training, oversight, and deep knowledge of a Certified Public Accountant. Differentiators Sorcerers Accountant will achieve a competitive edge among Chicago bookkeeping services due to its combination of CPA oversight with lower-level, inexpensive labor to solve the specific problems of small business owners. Clients will receive the advantage of having a CPA review their books and propose additional advice when appropriate, while not paying much more than they would to hire their own part-time bookkeeper. This is not an inimitable competitive edge, but the market in Chicago is significantly large enough to allow for the success of Sorcerers Accountant with this strategy. Large firms ignore the small business market because they are better positioned to serve larger businesses. They are unlikely to imitate this strategy as they will find it difficult to convince small businesses that they can offer services which are affordable to them.

Preventing Teenagers from Smoking

Preventing Teenagers from Smoking Problem statement It is well documented that tobacco use has caused many smoking related diseases yearly; De Meyrick (2000) reported that almost 20,000 people died each year from smoking related diseases. Smoking has been steadily declining in Australia but there is a need to prevent teenagers from even taking up smoking. According to statistics provided by Quit Victoria (2014), the overall rate of smokers among Australian students aged 12 to 17 was 6.7% in 2011, with 4.1 percent of students within the age bracket of 12 to 15 being current smokers and 12.9 per cent of current smokers being in the age bracket of 16 to 17 years of age. Further, it was reported that the majority of adult smokers adopted the habit as teenagers, with the average age of initiation in 2010 being 16 and these smokers took up the habit seriously after progressing from the experimental stage (Tobacco in Australia 2014). It was also found that 16% of males and 13% of females had become regular smokers by the age of 17 (Tobacco in Australia 2014). A study by Chang et al (2005) also found that tobacco smoking among teenagers has been associated with substance abuse and depression as well as a host of mental health problems in both male and female adolescents. Chang et al (2005) further reported that prevention and early intervention into teenage smoking will not only avert later daily smoking but it can also prevent or mitigate the risk for substance use and psychiatric problems. Considering that smoking has caused many health related problems and has also contributed to other social costs, it becomes crucial to prevent teenagers from even adopting the smoking habit. While there are many anti-smoking campaigns, a specific programme targeting teenagers in Victoria is needed to significantly reduce the statistics of 16% male and 13% female teenage smokers by age 17. Needs Analysis Plan The identified problems and service gaps There was no secondary research on the suburbs most at risk of teenage smoking in Victoria. However, interviews with community health care centres, social workers and schools found that the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Dallas, Coolaroo, Frankston North and Bangholme are most at risk of teenagers adopting the smoking habit. The low socio-economic background of the teenagers and poverty associated and family problems have placed these teenagers at the highest risk of not only adopting the smoking habit but also substance and alcohol abuse. There are high incidences of teenagers presenting themselves with problems associated with substance and alcohol abuse, such as depression and self-harm, at the community health care centres. These findings are typical in other research studies research as well (Johnston Thomas 2008). Local police also reports incidences of teenage brawls and fights as well as an overall higher crime rate in these rough suburbs. It has been found from interviews with local support groups, including schools and community health centres as well as social workers that these teenagers feel displaced and isolated. Due to the shortage of resources, there have not been any specific programmes targeting at these teenagers to address smoking, substance or alcohol abuse. There are programmes by local church groups, schools and community health centres to help the residents of these suburbs. However, these programmes are not properly coordinated and are sporadic and short-lived at best. For this reason, the benefits of any community-based programme to help the teenagers cannot really be realised. Interviews with teenagers in these suburbs found that many of them form friendship with other teenagers in schools. Due to cases of bullying or simply for the need of peer support, children as young as pre-primary form friendship with the older children and teenagers, expecting protection from these ‘gangs’. These children learn their habits and emulate behaviour of the older children of the gangs. Interviews with teenagers found that most consider smoking, substance use and alcohol consumption as a rite of passage that they have grown up and accepted as full member of the gangs. For this reason, some teenagers started smoking and drinking as young as 9 years. The fact that many of the parents are also smokers do not help. The high crime rate in these suburbs is due to the lack of employment for teenagers and the need to support their smoking and alcohol habit. As such, the target audience for the proposed funding is primary school children and high school children livin g in the identified suburbs. The service gaps found are the lack of a sustained programme specifically targeting the children and teenagers in the suburbs of Broadmeadows, Dallas, Coolaroo, Frankston North and Bangholme against taking up smoking as well as support programmes for teenagers to quit smoking. While there are attempts in reaching out to our target market in reducing or preventing smoking by various community groups, there is no concerted effort in pooling the efforts of the community support groups through any programme to address the issues that contribute to early adoption of smoking in these communities. This is due to the absence of a person or community group that is solely responsible for such a programme and the lack of funding. After the funding has been proven successful with the proposed interventions, this can be considered for other suburbs in Melbourne and Victoria in the future. Proposed interventions/solutions It is proposed that a Quit Teenage Smoking Project be the responsibility of Quit Smoking Victoria with a dedicated trained personnel (probably a nurse) and two other full-time staff members in a team to oversee the project. A multi-pronged approach with several partners is needed to address teenage smoking in the identified suburbs. Li Powdthavee (2014) reported from their study that people who stay longer in schools tend to be at a lower risk of taking up the smoking habit. For this reason, it is vital to include the schools as an important partner in this project. It is also crucial to include community health care centres as an important partner in this project, for the simple reason that they are the health authority that can discuss health issues with the teenagers who present themselves at these centres for health related issues. Churches and community groups are also critical partners in this project due to their outreach programs and their network in the community to help th ese teenagers. It is also vital to include businesses’ participation as these businesses can offer casual employment to keep the teenagers off the street where they learn how to smoke. The extra money earned can be useful to teenagers to feed themselves and they also learn a skill and feel respected. Businesses can also be involved through some corporate sponsorship. The multi-pronged approach requires the teenagers to be segregated into two different target groups – the non-smokers and the smokers. The objective for the non-smokers is to prevent them from smoking while the immediate objective for the smokers is to reduce smoking. The interventions are discussed as follows – Conclusion The Quit Teenage Smoking Project/Campaign is a proposed project that needs funding by the Victorian Department of Health to prevent teenagers from taking up smoking. Due to the limited funds available, it is proposed that this campaign be carried out in the poorest suburbs of Victoria. The campaign is a multi-pronged approach that engages not only the community health centres in these suburbs but also schools, churches and community groups as well as businesses because smoking is more than a health issue but also a social and emotional one. The main reason why teenagers take up smoking is because they feel that it is a rite of passage and they want to be accepted in their peer groups. Hence, it is important that these teenagers are occupied with better things than getting into trouble and taking up smoking, which can also lead to alcohol and substance abuse. It is proposed that schools be responsible for keeping the students engaged with several proposed programmes while the churches and community groups keep the students occupied with interesting activities so that these teenagers find meaning in their lives with other activities than getting into trouble and smoking. Businesses can actively recruit teenagers to work for them after school and businesses can also provide sponsorship, such as free meals in schools so that students have incentives to go to school. Of course, the community health centres help by providing medical and emotional counselling support. In order to ensure that the campaign is a success, three monthly review of objectives and measurement of goals are important so that adjustment can be made to the campaign to achieve the best results. References Chang, G., Sherritt, L., Knight, J. R. (2005). Adolescent cigarette smoking and mental health symptoms.Journal of Adolescent Health,36(6), 517-522. De Meyrick, J. (2010). Tobacco smokings changing trajectory in Australia.Journal of Business Research,63(2), 161-165. Johnston, V., Thomas, D. P. (2008). Smoking behaviours in a remote Australian Indigenous community: the influence of family and other factors.Social science medicine,67(11), 1708-1716. Li, J., Powdthavee, N. (2014). Does More Education Lead to Better Health Habits? Evidence from the School Reforms in Australia.Social Science Medicine. Quit Victoria Resource Media Centre 2014 http://www.quit.org.au/resource-centre/fact-sheets/smoking-rates Tobacco in Australia 2014, Cancer Council, http://www.quit.org.au/news/

The Key Theme Of Nostalgia Cultural Studies Essay

The Key Theme Of Nostalgia Cultural Studies Essay Nostalgia has always been a key theme in design work now. It seems to have become even more prevalent during the recession, a way of creating a comforting, aestetically pleasing and childlike environment to live. Nostalgia is so important to people its a way of collecting souvenirs and memories of the past For many people their childhood was a happy time, kidstons prints have a very childlike aesthetic. Cowgirls, simple spots, floral, very soft femine homely feels. Cath kidston has become the queen of this nostalgic revival her prints have become as ubiquitous over the last 10 years as Ashleys romantic prints were in the 70,s.ppezoe wood guardian.co.uk . Cath kidston is the new laura ashely, claimed Lorna Hall, the retail editor of the fashion trends website WGSN.The brand keys into the same aesthetic, with its dream like nostalgia, for many it is a way of nest without all the hard work involved in nesting Woman of today are embracing the domestic housewife idyll. With the change in economic climate people have started to eat in more, stick with and re decorate their homes instead of moving, women have tapped into the make do and mend, bake your own cake mentality. Cath kidston has very successfuly tapped into the zeigest of her time, when she started her business in 1993 she was the pioneer of retro prints, hand embroidered cushions, white washed furniture, so what made her take off so well? Its because people liked what they saw her products were practical, quirky, affordable and pretty all qualities which appealed to the domestic women of today. Her prints are now available, on nokia phones, tesco carrier bags, sky boxes and Roberts radios. This movement into different fields gives kidston and even broader client appeal. Design is becoming increasingly popular within society governments are becoming more aware of its importance to society as a whole. Successful design creates larger profits eventually leading to larger economic growth. an obsession with design and style among so many in Britain during the 1980,s is a mask or compensation for a spiritual lack vii Design history and the history of design. At times of economic recession consumers seek solace from their financial situations and revel in consumerism. good design is not simply a question of taste or style, it is literally a matter of life and death vii Design history and the history of design. Design is so important because it is a blend between art and industry. Its the showcase for creativity which intern creates customers and profits. Design is the conscious effort to impose meaningful order Page 31 Design History and the history of design. Design is such an integral part of human life. Maybe the style in which we choose for our homes, clothing, cars alters our own and others peoples perceptions of us. This is probably why when one trend surfaces and begins to flourish other people tap into it and it becomes a new style trend over night gradually large numbers of society tap into its idyll. People like to feel part of society as a whole, probably why businesses such as Cath Kidston are s successful. Her idyll is the chintzy nostalgic domestic housewife, and she has been so advantageous for such a long period of time.Art historians considered style vital because they thought of it as the outward manifestation of the inner being of a person, social group or an age pg 153 Design history and the history of design. When people look into a certain style and trend they can gain an enormous amount of information regarding cultural, ethical, social, moral and economic factors. Nicos Hadjinicolaou describes style as a particular form of the overall ideology of a social class pg 153 Design history and the history of design. If people begin to understand these changes in style and design they will become more aware of cultural evolution as a whole. The way in which products are styled and advertised has become as or more important that the object itself. As soon as a product is deemed off trend or too dominant within the market people migrate onto the next new thing. Its likely that when this change happens within one design form the others alter with it. People begin to manifest their general feelings and emotions through changes in style to their clothes, homes, cars. Increasing affluence and social mobility has enabled whole sectors of society to purchase lifestyle off the pegp167 in terms of social function, a lifestyle offers a sense of identity but it is also a device for reducing the anxiety caused by having to much choice p168. This could also identity why one trend kicks off, why so many people follow it because they to wish to spend time and effort identifying an alternative. Brands are merely a badge, a promise of quality, an assurance of consistency. http://brandcameo.org/features_effect.asp?pf_id=249 . We as the consumer buy into this mentally so well because we believe the whole ethos a retailer is selling us, we home in on elements that fit our own aesthetic and then purchase things accordingly. Some people dont want to follow trend .. i want to make my own statement rather than borrowing something from a fashion retailer The woman may have made this statemenjt because people dont like to be controlled or told how to thing, or how to shop. Sometimes the message are subconsciously viewed and our desision naltered even without us knowing. . Ernst and Young show that over 90% of products try and fail to become brandsif there was any element of control or influence there wouldnt be that kind of failure rate this quote shows which products fail and which succed to become brand trends, is completly down to the transient climate at the time, people attitude s and economic climate oh and possibly luck. Consumers are bombarded with an estimated 3000 marketing messages a day, which they chose to conform with consciously or subciously. A persons home is not merely a representation of trends of the day but a visualisation of the person itself, .. homes become material manifestations of their personal identitiespg73 Interior design and identity. This is probably why people invest so much time and effort in creating a home which represents them well, as the sort of person they want others to see them as. Conforming to social trends is a may of a majority showing its power over the minority. Jan Constantine is another interior textile designer who seems to have weathered t he current recession well, her work has gone from strength to strength. Her work has been published in many homes magazines, she seems to have tapped in on the union jack phenomenon which swept Britain in the early summer, and is still prevailing now. The Union Jack style, has did the Union Jack go from chavvy to charming? Annie Deakins. The connotations of the Union Jack have altered in the last few months from tacky or an emblem for the BNP to a high street patriotic trend. Large retail companies such as Debenhams and Topshop used it in their summer collections, when brands like this tap into a trend the majority of the high street follows. These companies are described as Barometers for our countries thinking. The union jack had also become a sign for all this British, tea parties, picnics, street parties, Its a simple that unites people and represents British values and traditions. The colour way o f the flag has been altered in some designs even recreated in floral patchwork. Jan Constantine concept is that her products are Designed for today, destined to be heirlooms of the future CrossSticher magazine. This comment implies a dislike of the throw away mentality of consumers today, she is tapping into the crafty bespoke aesthetic. Her work is hand worked and uses natural silks, cotton and linens .Constantines work was spotted Buy a Libertys buyer at the Country Living fair and thats how the phenomenon started, she is now also available in many yummy mummy shops around the country. As well as the union jack the word Love is another symbol used, Everybody really likes it, its my best seller! Theres something to say about that.This shows how people like words and symbols that provoke meaning and memories. Its also an aesthetically nice word to look at. On one hand at the present time there is the expensive, exclusive one off designs and on the other is the push towards design for all, accessible affordable and mass produced. At the moment there is a clear divide between these two methods of production, but the designs themselves can be relatively similar just the ethics and values behind them are altered. Once you have designed a Look it can be reproduced on everything, cushions, clothes, pencil cases, wallpaper. Covering from high end to cheaper mainstream. This way a trend becomes accesibble to all across the social economic scale and once a look has broken into the market it is often published in many fashion and interior magazines thus reinforcing the trend. Id have thought it was all about flexibility and agility the flexibility for designs to be used in multiple scenarios for multiple consumer groups, and the agility to quickly and easily modify designs to meet changed demands with minimal lead time and cost for both design and manufacture all requiring a degree of standardisation and componentisation of design parameters Multi channelling retail has made it even more accessible to purchase products, For most interior design companies, there products are available, through shops, via the internet and by catalougue. People can now access the internet via their phones, This wealth of information probably means new designs filter out in the mass market much quicker than they did a decade ago, but this could also mean thing that become on trend become unfashtionable even quicker. There has been a movement towards the anti brand which is concerned with sustainability and recycling, and a lengthened life cycle of a product.

Essay --

Throughout my career I’ve been involved in various groups and mentoring circles. The question that comes up most is â€Å"what’s my next career move† or â€Å"how do I know I’m successful?† There isn’t a right answer to this question; it depends on what’s most important to you and your family. Do you need to be around for every soccer game or own three homes? Are you looking to retire with as much money in the bank as possible or want to be home every night while working your way up the ladder? A career in aviation requires trade-offs. We don’t know how to measure the success Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Designed to remove government entry barriers, reduce price manipulation, and open up routes to incentivize competition between airlines; was it triumphant? It’s true the cost of an airline ticket is much cheaper now, but with an increase in mergers and acquisitions over the past ten years, we once again have a handful of majors and regionals dominating the industry. How do I know what influences the industry and my steps as a career aviator? It’s scary to think that many of today’s airlines did not exist before deregulation. Why should a pilot care about deregulation and the financial amplitude of the airline â€Å"industry?† Like it or not, tactical career moves could make the difference between declaring bankruptcy five years into your flying career or upgrading to captain to meet application minimums at the company of your dreams. Many people abandon a career in aviation; the airline industry is cyclical and unpredictable. I’m not an expert; I’m merely a professional pilot trying to make the â€Å"right† choice about which basket to place all my eggs. I’m now preparing to make my next (and hopefully final) move. Will I decide to make a ... ...s aircraft exhaust emissions†. Where will I set my sights long-term, once my â€Å"dues paying† at the regional is behind me? The average annual flight operations wages based on 2012 DOT Form 41 ranges from about $88,000 (Allegiant) to $159,000 (Delta). Each airline has its own culture you’ve got to consider. Some are more captain-is-god There are dozens of airlines in the US. From legacy to cargo, locals and regionals. Let’s say you’re a newly minted ATP. about 6 main regional airlines operating in the US. If you intend to fly for a major someday, you really need to get a Bachelors degree. Without it most of the carriers are tossing your application in the trash. There really is no fair comparison of airlines. It’s all dependent upon your personal needs and wants.. FOOTNOTES: 1. http://web.mit.edu/airlines/analysis/analysis_airline_industry.html

Golgi Complex :: essays research papers

The Golgi complex's structure is made up of many flattened membranes sacs that are surrounded by tubules or vesicles. These are called the cisternae. The golgi complex accepts vesicles from the endoplasmic reticulum and modifies them for usage in the cell. The golgi complex is used to distribute materials which help form the cell membranes. They also assemble the membranous material by producing glycolipids and glycoproteins. The golgi complexes also hand their vesicles materials for secretion. The golgi complex could not do its job without the help of vesicles. Vesicles bring and send the organelle its materials. Attributes:  § 1.0  µm in diameter  § Flattened sacks  § Takes materials from the Endoplasmic Reticulum Functions:  § Packages materials  § Readies products for export from the cell  § These products are then transfered to other organelles or out of the cell Description: Want me an example? Have you ever made a sandwich for lunch and sealed it inside a plastic bag? That's what happens inside the Golgi complex. Important materials that the cell needs to grow and repair itself are packaged in the membrane material made inside the Golgi complex and then shipped to the parts of the cell where they are needed. The Golgi Complex (or Golgi Apparatus, or Golgi Body) is a cytoplasmic structure composed of multiple cisternae (pools of solution surounded by membranes) arranged to look like a stack of pancakes hovering over the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). The Golgi Complex can be subdivided into three principal parts - cis, medial, and trans - based on proximity to the ER. The cis- and trans- Golgi stacks look discontinuous and irregular as vesicles are constantly joining and leaving, so they are usually referred to as the cis Golgi network (CGN) and trans Golgi network (TGN), respectively. The medial Golgi can have any number of cisternae, which are referred to collectively as the medial stacks. The function of the Golgi Complex is to modify proteins and then target them to specific sites in the cell. As proteins are being made through the translation of mRNA on Ribosomes, they are identified by amino acid "tags" which tell the cell where the protein belongs. Many proteins have a signal peptide which tells the cell to insert the protein directly into the ER during translation. Proteins which enter the ER are modified in several ways, including the addition of large glycosides (branched sugars) to specific amino acid side chains (Asparagines). After processing in the ER is done, the proteins are shuttled to the CGN via small vesicles.

Volcanic Environment of Western Victoria

Stretching all the way from Melbourne to Portland, the plain is mostly flat and used widely for agriculture. Dairy farms, livestock, and vineyards are all examples of agriculture types found in the region. Major population centers in the region include Cameroon, Hamilton, Portland and Cola.The explorer Major Mitchell described this place as â€Å"a region more extensive than Great Britain, equally rich in point of soil, and which now lies ready for the plow in many regions, as if specially prepared by the creator for the industrious hands of Englishmen. † Western Victoria volcanic plain is one of the three largest volcanic plains in the world in scale, covering the region between Melbourne and Portland, which is over 15000 km. The signs of volcanic characteristics become apparent while driving west of Gelling, where some farms are littered with basalt.Scattered bluebonnets can be found around the area. Driving further west, walls built with volcanic rocks become more and more common. More than 400 vents of scoria volcanoes, marry volcanoes, imposed volcanoes, shield volcanoes and fissure volcanoes are unevenly distributed in the area, with a few youngest ones in the state such as Met. Napier. Other volcanic features such as stony rises, lava tubes/caves, tumults, lava canals and natural bridges can all be found in this area.The volcanoes are very significant to residents in the local region, as it bring fertile soil for agriculture and opportunities for other industries such as stone cutting or tourism. We can say that the local residents are dependent on the volcanoes. It is also an important volcano plain in Australia, as it is the largest volcanic plain in the entry. Lots of studies are being done in this region every year and some paleontologists come from overseas as well. Therefore even on an international basis the importance of this region cannot be ignored.It is recognized by the United Nation as a Global Cooperage and is the only one in Austral ia. Map Source: Textbook Scoria Volcanoes Scoria volcanoes are also called cinder volcanoes, and they are widely distributed in the western plains of Victoria and also the most common type of volcano in the world. Examples of this volcano in the region are Met. Elephant, Met. Narrator, Mr. Rouses and partly Red Rock. These volcanoes have steep sides, and are often formed by one period of volcanic activity. In the scoria cones, we can already tell from the name that we can find lots of scoria rocks. (Figure 1. ) They are small and red pieces of lava containing lots of vesicles in it. Met Narrator is one of the scoria cones we have visited in the trip. It is located near the small town of Narrator. Being the deepest scoria enclosed crater in the state, its crater is very large in scale, with more than 400 meters wide and 190 meters deep. (Figure 1 . ) Currently this volcano is extinct, and the area around is used for mostly dairy and cattle farming, and a little bit of tourism as well . Before the European settlers came to this region, this mountain is used as a trading place for the Karee Wrong people.Although it is located on private land, the volcano is still considered a part of the Swanking Global Cooperage and is still accessible through the Alan Marshall walking trail developed by the government, taking tourists to the top of the crater. Electric fences are set by the land owner to prevent tourists from entering private egging of the mountain. (Figure 1. 2)The highest point on the crater is about 310 meters above sea level, and the land around the mountain is extremely flat compared to the mountain itself. (Figure 1. 3) Figure 1. 2 Alan Marshall Trail.Photo by David Www Met rouse is another scoria volcano located about 1 km southeast of Pinehurst. It stands about 100 meters tall, and the dominant rock present is scoria and basalt. (Figure 1. 4) It is a extinct volcano as its last eruption occurred about 30000 years ago. A quarry is present at the foot of t he mountain and its main product is scoria. The scoria rocks was used to build roads and some buildings. It was closed in the late ass, simply because they ran out of what they're digging for. It has also been reverberated in the ass and the sign of it being a quarry is disappearing.Figure 1. 4. Some low-grade basalt and scoria in the quarry. Photo by David Www Shield Volcanoes Shield or Lava volcanoes account for about half on the Western Plains of Victoria. Its characteristics include gently sloping sides and a broad summit. (Figure 2. 0) Its formed by lava of low viscosity erupting repeatedly, forming layers of solid lava that lopes gently around the crater. Met. Napier and Met. Cottrell are all examples of this type of volcano. Lots basalt can be found in shield volcanoes. Figure 2. 0 Met Napier. Photo by David Www Met. Napier (Figure 2. ) is one of the shield volcanoes that we have visited. It is the youngest volcano in the state, which erupted about 7000 years ago, and therefo re considered dormant. It stands 440 meters above sea level and its located in the region about 25 kilometers south of Hamilton. Unlike Met. Narrator, Met Napier is located in public land, thus easily accessible. A scoria cone is present in Met. Napier, therefore scoria rock can be found as well. This is also one of the best-preserved volcanic landscapes in Victoria, as lava flows and caves can be seen clearly. (Figure 2. ) A scenic lookout is now developed at Harmony's Valley, and tourists can now observe the magnificent lava flow. Figure 2. 1, Baud Caves. Photo by David Www Dale Jerkin, a writer, included Met Napier in his book Aboriginal Dreaming Paths and Trading Routes, which reflects the significance of the mountain in the aboriginal community. It is now managed by the state government. Minor roads and tracks are built to take visitors to the summit. The land surrounding the volcano still stays quite rural, and is used for farming. Fissure Volcanoes Fissure volcanoes are forme d when there are long cracks in the surface of the crust.They usually have no central crater at all. Large quantity of lava will erupt through a linear array of volcanic vent distributed along the crack in the crust. Basalt seems to be the most common type of rock present in this type of volcano. Met. Cycles is an example of fissure volcano in the western plains of Victoria. Met. Cycles is located 42 kilometers south of Hamilton, 56 kilometers north west of Port Fairy and about 330 kilometers west of Melbourne. It elevates 178 meters above the sea level. Although its name is not a scoria volcano, the mount itself is a rounded scoria cone.Scoria rocks can be found in the volcano as well. Its previous eruption happened about 8000 years ago; therefore it's also considered a dormant volcano instead of an extinct one. The whole mountain is situated inside a national park, and is very well managed with facilities such as toilets, information boards, picnic tables and etc. (Figure 3. 0) Fi gure 3. 0. Information Center Photo by David Www Walking tracks are built to guide tourists through the park. There are 7 vents in total along the fissure, with a few under Lake Surprise, a popular swimming pool in the summer. (Figure 3. ) Currently this park is used mostly for tourism as a result of it having such magnificent and well-preserved volcanic features, such as vents, lakes, lava canals, natural bridges and etc. (Explained in later section of the report) Victorian aboriginals used to use this environment as their food source as they plant food on the land and trawl fish from the lake. A part of the park used to be a quarry or 50 years, providing scoria rocks for roads. Currently, natural growth of trees has been covering the evidence of a quarry and reconstructing the land into its previous appearance.Figure 3. 2. Lake Surprise. Photo by David Www Mars and Nested Mars Marry volcanoes are the second most common volcano type after scoria volcanoes. They are created when gro und water meets hot magma and produces steam. The pressure will increase in the ground when this process goes on and will last in an explosion. The explosion is usually vigorous and leaves a large hole in the ground. The bottom of the crater is usually lower than the original ground surface; therefore it may turn into a body of water. (Figure 4. ) During an eruption, large quantity of gas, water, ash, rocks and enigmatic material will be blown out of the crater. When the depart falls down back to the surface of Earth, it will solidify and become a volcanic rock called tuff. Examples of this kind of volcano in the Western Victoria Volcanic Plain include Tower Hill, Lake Knots, Lake Bullet Merrier and etc. They are mostly distributed in the southern region of Victoria, as they are spatially associated with the eater table present. Tower Hill is one of the many marry volcanoes in western Victoria and 13 km northwest of Workaholic.It presents itself like a shallow bucket embedded in the ground from an aerial view, as its crater is 4 km wide and 80 meters tall. Both scoria and tuff can be found in the crater. (Figure 4. 1) It is described as â€Å"a stroll among the gigantic ferns of the valley†¦ A ramble among the cones and craters†¦ The winding path at the foot of the basaltic rises close to the lake†¦ Almost tropical reeds rustle in the breeze†¦ Leafy shrubs and trees form delightful bowers and alcoves†¦ Tender motion in suitable company' by George Fenwick in 1858. Figure 4. 1 .Layers of tuff on the edge of the crater. Photo by David Www Indigenous Victorians and early settlers used the land as a source for firewood. It is then declared a national park during the year of 1892 to preserve its unique landforms. It is also the first national park in Australia. The park covers 612 hectares in scale. In the past century, Tower Hill experienced sever whether conditions such as the drought in 1930, and also experienced major changes such as th e vegetation in 1961. It is now very well managed and only used for tourism. Roads are built to take tourists down the crater.Picnic tables with electric BBC, viewing platforms and toilets are all examples of facilities offered in Tower Hill. Information centers are set up and guided tours are available to explain some of the characteristics of the volcano. Parking lots are available for cars. (Figure 4. 2) Figure 4. 2. Toilets, walking tracks and parking lots in Tower Hill. Photo by David Www Animal control is also a major issue in Tower hill. Koalas are brought to Tower Hill by humans, but apparently they have started to over generate and become a threat to he plants present. Figure 4. 3) They then had to be controlled by injecting a device in their body to stop them from breeding. Foxes, cats and rabbits are currently also considered invasive now as they manifested threat to other animals and plants in Tower hill Figure 4. 3. A koala in Tower Hill. Source: http://www. Irresponsib leness. Com/holidays/Victoria/travel-guide/great-ocean- road-wildlife-and-aboriginal-culture Lake Bullet Merrier is another example of a marry volcano located 4 km west of Cameroon. The crater has turned into a large lake about 2 km in diameter. (Figure 4. This volcano did not show significant elevation, however the northeast side of the crater is relatively higher than the rest of the crater rim as a result of prevailing wind. The lake used to be and is still used for fishing, and now it has also developed into a place for water activities such as water skiing. Other Volcanic Features Stony rises Stony rises are uneven surfaces on the ground. They are usually formed when old lava flow cracks on the top, causing the skin on the surface to sag and collapse. They are usually made of basalt and some scoria rocks. Those stones are used by European settlers for building fences and houses.There are not much management done for these stony rises, as they usually don't attract tourists, apa rt from year 1 1 geography students and other researchers. They are Just cleared out of farms for ease in farming. Stony rises are widely distributed in the western region of Victoria. Figure 5. 0 is stony rises around the town of Pinehurst, created by lava flow from Met. Rouse. Figure 5. 0. Story rises near Pinehurst. Photo by David Www Tumulus The word tumulus (Plural form: tumuli) means â€Å"Small hill† in Latin, and they are commonly known as lava blisters. They are a dome shaped half-spheres on the ground.Sometimes their roof will collapse. (Figure 5. 1) It's formed when gases in lava flow gather in a small area near the surface of the ground and they might also explode. We can think of them as â€Å"pimples in the ground†. They can be found in the region 40 km southwest of Hamilton. Figure 5. 1 . A tumulus located west of Met. Napier. Source: Textbook. Lava Tubes and Caves Lava caves and tubes are formed when a lava flow solidifies on the top but the lava below continues to flow. When the lava stops flowing under the solidified top, it empties out the space below the ground and creates the caves and tubes.Baud cave is a bunch of caves and tubes located in the region 20 km south of Hamilton. This landscape has developed into a park and became a part of Met Napier State Park and is managed by the state government. There are handrails built prevent tourist from falling into the caves, and walking tracks to guide tourists to the various caves. Some of the basalt rocks have been taken out of the caves to build infrastructures such as fences by indigenous people and early settlers, but now as it has developed onto a tourist attraction, those activities have stopped.

Joy Luck Club †Conflict Essay

Conflicts play a crucial role in novels and are seen in many different forms. Two of which are internal and external. An internal conflict is when a character must deal with private problems. An external conflict is when a character must deal with problems originating from another person or the public in general. These types of conflicts are visible within the novel entitled The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan. There are many prominent conflicts seen in The Joy Luck Club. Two of which I’ve chosen are between Waverly and Lindo, and between June and Waverly. The first prominent conflict within this novel deals with Waverly and her mother Lindo. Waverly feels as though her mother is attempting to ruin her life by causing her to â€Å"see black where there once was white† (186). Waverly believes Lindo is attempting to influence her daughter for the worse. She doesn’t want to be influenced by her mother’s opinions, her criticisms of everything that she loves, yet Waverly fears that even if she â€Å"recognized her sneak attack, she was afraid that some unseen speck of truth would fly into her eye, blur what she was seeing and transform it† (181) into the thing that her mother saw, into something full of faults, something that is not good enough for her. Waverly resents this, yet Lindo believes that it is for Waverly’s own good. She does not want Waverly to accept something just because it was a gift, like the fur jacket that Rich gave Waverly. Lindo believes that she has taught Waverly to grow up with valu es, with goals that everyone and everything must meet. As Waverly shows Lindo the jacket, Lindo inspects it, finally reporting, â€Å"This is not so good† (186). Waverly protests, â€Å"He gave me this from his heart,† (186) to which Lindo replies, â€Å"That is why I worry† (186). Lindo simply wants Waverly to strive for the best. Lindo believes that her daughter deserves the best, and nothing should influence her for the worse. The conflict between mother and daughter is finally resolved after Waverly confronts her mother about the verbal abuse she has endured. Waverly realizes that her mother is only â€Å"an old woman†¦ getting a little crabby as she waited patiently for her daughter to invite her in† (204). Waverly finally tells her mother about her life, especially about Rich, and they begin to get along better. Both must sacrifice a little pride to make the relationship work, but as they both do so, they grow closer and their relationship becomes stronger as a result. The second important conflict within The Joy Luck Club deals with the competition between June and Waverly. Their conflict begins at birth, considering that they are only one month apart. Their mothers started the competition by comparing which baby was the smartest, strongest, prettiest, and so on. They compare â€Å"the creases in their belly buttons, how shapely their earlobes were, how fast they healed when they scraped their legs, how thick and dark their hair† (27). As the children grow, they follow their mothers’ examples and begin to compete on their own, especially Waverly. Once Waverly becomes famous from her chess playing, she begins to rub her success in June’s face. Waverly was never afraid to make June feel bad about herself, stating after a bad piano recital, â€Å"You aren’t a genius like me† (151). June resents all that Waverly does to her, to make her lose confidence in herself. Even Waverly’s compliments are sneak attacks on June. The simplest statement could turn ugly in a second. For example, Waverly compliments her haircut at New Year’s, yet when she discovers that June still sees David, the gay man, she states, â€Å"He could have AIDS†¦ you can’t be too safe these days†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (229). June struggles with anger, and finally, after many years of torment, she sees her opportunity to prove Waverly wrong, to show her that she also makes mistakes. June states, â€Å"Maybe I could afford Mr. Rory’s prices if someone’s firm paid me on time† (230). However, this also backfires on June. Waverly is initially surprised and hurt, then she simply tells June that her copy writing was not what their firm was looking for. June is crushed again. She will never triumph over the genius, which is Waverly. June finally realizes that she will never be as smart or as strong as Waverly. June knows that â€Å"she is good at what she did, succeeding at something small like that† (233). She finally accepts herself as she is, ending her competition with Waverly once and for all. In closing, the conflicts within this book deal with internal and external conflicts for each character. Two of the most visible conflicts are between Lindo and Waverly, and between June and Waverly. Each of the conflicts is resolved through some sort of compromise on one or both sides.