The current state of legal aid funding leaves many Australians without access to justice

The current state of legal aid funding leaves many Australians without access to justice The Legal Aid Act was established in 1978 so that access to justice for the disadvantaged, poor or excluded Australian citizens would be enhanced in a cost-effective way (Bernard, Snipes and Gerould, 29). The Legal Aid Act established a Legal Aid Commission (LAC) that ensured that the citizens who did not have the capacity or means to hire and engage private legal practitioners were able to access the Australian justice system (Kubrin, Stucky and Krohn, 18).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The current state of legal aid funding leaves many Australians without access to justice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This fact would help the citizens to enjoy relatively equal and just outcomes of criminal, civil, family and administrative law matters. This Act was also important in that the access to justice and equality would conform to the legitimacy of the Australian justice system. This aspect would therefore help in avo iding social fragmentation between those who would not afford private legal consultations and those who would. The Legal Aid Act[1] of 1978 contained thirteen parts. The parts included preliminary definitions, establishment and functions of the Legal Aid Commission, its committee and provisions of legal assistance by the commission, reconsideration and review of decisions, finances of the commission, administrative provisions relating to the Legal Aid Commission, committees and reviews. It also included consultative committees; miscellaneous liabilities of the commission and finally, the transitional and the savings part respectively (Ilana and Bard, 17). Annotations 1.Denniss, R. Fear, J. and Millane, E. (2012). â€Å"Justice for All.† Giving Australians greater access to legal systems, Institute paper 8(1), 3-8. Print. According to the article, every individual needs to get fair treatment in the courts. It is therefore necessary that he procures the representation of a lawy er in any given court case. Lawyers can be expensive depending on the seriousness of the case that needs to be resolved and the ability and capacity of the person seeking representation to pay for legal services. The legal system operates by the rule of law that applies to all citizens. The high cost of legal representation has fundamental implications on the rights of disadvantaged citizens. Since 1973, the legal aid system of Australia has been providing legal assistance and advice to the disadvantaged citizens who would otherwise not afford the access to justice. The legal aid system has however been â€Å"underfunded† since the withdrawal of the Commonwealth[2] funding. The present funding does not meet the level of needs of the Australian disadvantaged community. The legal aid commissions both at the state and territorial levels use complex forms of mechanisms for rationing and administering legal assistance so that the most appropriate and deserving cases qualify. In re ality, the limitation and rationing of legal assistance shows that only the most poor and rich citizens have a high probability of legal representation.Advertising Looking for essay on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many Australian citizens belong to the vast middle class. This means that the accessibility of legal aid is low for poor citizens. This fact is true regardless of the strength of the individuals’ cases or the degree of justice that they pursue. Therefore, the legal aid[3] system has certain inclinations to only certain socio-economic cadres of the Australian society. Australians have not been confident with the Australian legal aid system for a long period of time. 2. Rix, Mark. Legal Aid, the Community Legal Sector and access to Justice: What has been the record of Australian Government? 2007. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Plymouth. Print. In his book, Rix argued that legal aid services s uffered due to the withdrawal of Commonwealth funding.Rix said that there was high concern that the quantity, quality and the degree of legal service assistance to people had declined in Australia. The cooperative model had been replaced by the purchase or provider funding. This fact had introduced another level of administrative and financial responsibility hence LACs channeled their funding elsewhere instead of using it in the provision of legal services to the citizens. The purchase or provider funding by the Commonwealth only funded matters that were under the Commonwealth law therefore inhibiting legal assistance to the needful. Many of the legal issues did not completely fall into the category of Commonwealth law and therefore, Australian citizens under the legal issues did not receive legal assistance. An example of a common legal issue that is not covered by the Commonwealth law and therefore receives no legal aid is domestic violence. The funding of only Commonwealth matter s leads to results that are insufficient, ineffective and illogical. Domestic violence should fall under family law which is under Commonwealth law. Domestic violence has a very high percentage of legal issues that need resolution. The purchase or provider scheme effectively reduced the funding required in legal family court issues, war veterans and child maintenance and support. This fact together with the reduction of funding from the Commonwealth completely changed the operations of the Legal Aid Commission. This restriction of funds meant that certain cases could not proceed and also a number of citizens who desperately needed legal assistance had very limited chances of getting the service. The number of people who could receive legal aid decreased and the probability of an applicant to get legal aid was reduced. The legal aid could also be provided with no charge and without any means of test or any procedural requirements. Legal aid could be in the form of grant money in acco rdance with part 3 of the Australian constitution.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The current state of legal aid funding leaves many Australians without access to justice specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This fact showed that the commission could provide free legal aid to the applicants and could also determine which matters required the aid (Ivancevich and Matteson, 26). 3. Community Law Australia. (2012). â€Å"Unaffordable and Out of Reach.† The Problem of Access of Australian Legal System 12(3), 120-138. Print. According to the article, the legal system of Australia provides legal assistance to the less fortunate through legal aid commissions, community legal centers, indigenous legal service or other private lawyers who act as â€Å"pro bono†[4]. Due to the reduced funding of this service by the government, the legal aid services have been put in a situation that limits the eligibility of individ uals who are poor. Therefore, those citizens who need legal help but cannot afford representation do not often get it. The Australian government noted that about 98 percent of the individuals who received legal assistance were considered to be below the poverty line; hence this fact meant that most of the Australian citizens were unable to afford private legal assistance. Nevertheless, these individuals were eligible for legal assistance. Individuals who have no qualifications for legal aid usually go to community legal centers which deal with civil law. Civil law issues are dealt with by legal aid commissions. A majority of citizens who require legal assistance in civil law issues cannot be attended to. Due to funding challenges, the community legal centers have not been able to provide effective and sustainable aid. They have only been able to offer limited assistance which in most cases is not enough for the individual seeking legal assistance. Pro bono services and indigenous se rvices are also overused and cannot offer the proper and required legal assistance to people who are in need of them. The need for government funding that ensures provision of legal assistance should be provided to all individuals who are eligible for it. This study focuses on legal aid funding. Therefore, we shall review the financial perspective of the commission which is part 7of the financial section of the commission. The provision of the legal aid as per section 30 of the Legal Aid Act 1987 states that in accordance to subsections (2) or (4), the commission can provide legal aid. It may determine legal aid depending on the matter at hand. 4. Kirkwood, D. Inquiry to Legal and Access of Justice; Submission to the State and Constitutional References Committee. 2003. Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia. Print. According to Kirkwood, the National Association of Legal Centers noted that there was a significant reduction of legal assistance in civil and family laws and also across all areas of law due to the poor funding by the government. This fact has overseen the reduction of individuals receiving legal aid. Reduction of legal assistance has really caused undue pressure on other legal service providers because most of the people do not receive any assistance at all.Advertising Looking for essay on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The justice system has however become increasingly complex over the years. A significant improvement of the laws that govern and regulate citizens has continued to be realized. Australian citizens expect their government to expertly manage their own legal issues because they remit tax to the government. The process of out sourcing and privatization in Australia means that the citizens must negotiate with several providers so as to access basic services. The concept that each Australian citizen is equal before the law has been undermined greatly by funding issues therefore giving an opportunity to only those who can afford private legal aid. This aspect has greatly lowered the community’s confidence towards the justice system and law compliance. The access to justice through legal aid has become an unfulfilled promise of the government since many of the citizens are poor and their cases have not been prioritized. People who receive legal assistance subsequently get limited aid that is insufficient to resolve their legal matters. Empirical evidence has shown that other factors except the underfunding of legal aid services have greatly contributed to the poor services offered by legal aid services. Previous studies have shown that the legal aid reduction had very little effect on legal aid services. The study however showed that there was a high percentage of self-representation. The study also revealed that a lot of people in Australia believed that they were not eligible for legal aid. 5. Rosemary, H. Jeff, G. and April, C. (2003).†Law Journal.† Legal Aid and Self Representation in Family Court Australia 12(5), 23-38. Print. This article focused on the research in the emerging response of self-representation in the family courts in Sydney, Parramatta and Adelaide cities that are populated with people of both middle and lower classes. Most of the earlier research had focused on funding shortages but this research focused on self-representation and the access of legal aid by litigants. The study researched about the relationship between self-representation and the availability of legal aid funding in family law. The results were presented as statistical analysis. The study showed that from the litigants used in the research, only 12.3 percent had received help from a legal aid lawyer. This figure was small and was a reflection of the number of people in Australia who successfully received legal aid. Part of the cases had moved to court without the appearance of a lawyer. About 8.9 percent of the sample study went to court waiting for the appointed lawyer from the legal aid commission to represent them. Most of the clients who had successfully qualified for legal aid did not receive any lawyers to represent them due to the low numbers of legal representatives. This number represented about 5.4 percent of the population who had not been served by legal representatives. Majority of people, 44.6 percent, had their grants of l egal aid terminated or not extended as the court proceedings were on going. This fact showed the unreliability of the aid given by the commission. About 3.5 percent of the clients could not get legal aid for the type of legal issues they had because they did not fall under the Commonwealth law and about 5.2 percent could not access legal aid offices due to their geographical locations. These statistical figures gave a reflection of the state of legal aid services rendered to the citizens. The figures showed that only a small percentage of people received legal assistance fully. Certain clients received legal representation but lacked representation and the grants were terminated. This aspect clearly showed the unreliability of legal aid and led to reduced reliance on it by poor Australian citizens. Case study Dietrich versus the Queen This case is among the important cases in Australian judicial laws. It was decided by the Australian High Court on 13th December 1992. The case demons trated the need to accord fair trial to a defendant and exposed the corrupt nature of the Australian justice system. The case was an indictment of the Australian justice system and exposed its malpractices in terms of violation of the human rights of the defendant. The defendant had to be provided with legal assistance and if it would not have been provided, then the trial would have been adjourned until a legal representative was found. The name of the accused was Olaf Dietrich. The defendant was prosecuted for having been in possession of heroin which he had carried from Bangkok but was apprehended in Melbourne Airport on December, 1986. He had put the drugs in sachets and swallowed them. He was arrested one morning by Australian Federal Police. He was then taken to Pentrige Prison Hospital where he was induced into releasing the remaining sachets from his body. He claimed in court that the drugs had not been his but that the police had â€Å"implanted† them on him. His tri al took place in the Court of Victoria in 1988.He was prosecuted under the Customs Act of 1901 for being in possession and trafficking of drugs. During his trial, he had no legal representation although he had applied for it. The Legal Aid Commission declined to accord him legal representation and directed that it would only help him if he consented to all the charges brought against him by the state. He sought for legal representation and even filed for legal aid in the Supreme Court of Victoria without any progress. He was later convicted of the principle charge. He appealed to the Supreme Court but the court did not hear his appeal. In his appeal, there were several arguments raised. He was represented by David Grace who raised the argument of â€Å"miscarriage of justice† on his behalf. He did not procure legal representation throughout his trial and given the nature of the charges, legal representation should have been provided to him. Another argument was that the judg e should have adjourned the trial until he was assigned a legal representative. These arguments were based on common law. Dietrich was convicted of trafficking heroine but not being the owner of the heroine that had been found in a paper bag in his house by the police. This fact showed that Dietrich could have been acquitted of other charges if he had acquired legal representation from the beginning of the trial. Assessment of legal authorities The Australian legal system is organized and mandated to provide a fair trial to defendants and to deliver justice to the deserving (Lanier and Henry, 25). From the case of Dietrich versus the Queen1, an analysis can be made in accordance to how the trial was handled. The court convicted the defendant through the Customs Act 19012. This Act prohibited the trafficking of illegal substances and properties including drugs. Pursuant to the Victorian Crimes Act of 19583, every accused person was lawfully entitled to representation. The court howe ver did not wait for him to procure a legal representative and claimed that the law stipulated that the defendant had to pay for his own legal representation. In addition, the court ruled that the law did not say that the state would cater for legal representation of the victim (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 15). Australia is a signatory to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 4. In article 14(3) of the ICCPR, it states that the accused should have legal representation provided to him. The court however denied that and claimed that it had not incorporated the ICCPR into its domestic laws yet it was a signatory to it. As a signatory, the court should have taken into consideration the laws that were provided in the treaties that the state had subscribed to.[5] The right to representation was also enshrined in Chapter 3 of the Australian Constitution. The Crimes Act of 19584 gave authority to judges to demand legal representation for accused persons . These acts allowed representation although many of the legal systems failed to notify the defendants. The legal aid commission was obliged to give aid to indigent defendants and this showed that they were biased. Conclusion The Australian legal aid system should provide services to the disadvantaged people who cannot afford hiring legal representatives. Legal aid should also be availed to all citizens who need access and representation no matter the seriousness of their crimes (Siegel, 4). The Commonwealth laws should also be put into the contexts of territorial or state laws so as to address legal issues and create eligibility for applicants. The legal aid also needs to receive more funding from the government so that it can provide effective and efficient services to the community and easier access to justice (McLaughlin, Muncie and Hughes, 23). The rule of law is meant to serve all citizens equally. It should not be used as a form of privilege to those who have the means. Summa ry of the folios The folios give a clear reflection of the current state of legal aid in Australia. The underfunding, ineffective and inefficient services provided by the Australian government and the conditions for the access to legal aid for the people underscore the â€Å"fragile† nature of the Australian justice system (Hopkins, 14). Legal aid is meant to serve the disadvantaged but the case study reveals that not all disadvantaged people are eligible for the aid. The annotations also indicate that the services offered by legal aid commissions are inadequate and unreliable (Williams, 12). This fact reduces the little confidence left in the community in this system and therefore, this option is not viewed as a solution during legal issues. Acts and statutes that clearly state and grant individuals the legal assistance do not really convey this message to the community. This fact has made access to justice by the underprivileged very difficult because of the complexity of t he conditions for the aid and also lack of information about the aid. These folios can therefore be used to give evidence of the unjust and unreliable nature of the Australian legal aid system to the underprivileged citizens who have no access to the justice system. Bernard, Thomas, Snipes Jeffrey and Gerould Alex. Volds Theoretical Criminology (6th ed.), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2010.Print. Hopkins, Burke. An Introduction to Criminological Theory (3rd ed), Gloucester, UK: Willan Publishing, 2009.Print. Ilana, Kass, and Bard, O’Neill. The Deadly Embrace, London, USA: University Press of America, 2006. Print. Ivancevich, John, and Matteson, Michael. Organization Behaviour and Management of communication 3rd (Ed), Tetons, USA: Irwin, 2003.Print. Kubrin, Charis, Stucky Thomas and Krohn Marvin. Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2009.Print. Lanier, Mark, and Henry, Stuart. Essential Criminology (2nd ed), Boulder, USA: Wes tview Press, 2004.Print. Lilly, Robert, Cullen Frank and Ball Richard. Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences (4th ed), Thousand Oaks, UK: Sage Publications, 2007.Print. McLaughlin, Eugene, Muncie John and Hughes Gordon. Criminological Perspectives: Essential Readings (2nd ed), London.UK: Sage Publications, 2003.Print. Siegel, Larry. Introduction to criminal justice.12th Ed, Wadsworth, USA: Cengage Learning, 2009.Print. Williams, Katherine. Textbook on Criminology (6th ed), Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2008.Print. Footnotes Legal Aid Act is legislation within the Australian law that aims to enhance access to justice for all citizens. The commonwealth refers to the union body of all former colonies of the British rule in the world. Legal aid refers to the legal representation and services given to clients. Pro bono is a term that refers to free legal services offered to indigent citizens. Dietrich V The Queen (1992)2Customs Act 1901(NSW) 3Victorian Crimes Act 1958 ( NSW) 4United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (December 16th 1966) entered into force (March 23rd 1976)

See Some Triboluminescence Examples

See Some Triboluminescence Examples You may be familiar with the Wint-O-Green Lifesaverâ„ ¢ spark in the dark, but if you dont have Lifesavers handy, there are other ways you can see triboluminescence. Triboluminescence results from the fracture of (usually) asymmetrical materials. The break separates electrical charges, which recombine and ionize the air. The ionization of nitrogen in the air produces ultraviolet light, but you cant see that. You can observe triboluminescence when another material is present that absorbs that ultraviolet light and re-releases it in the visible range (fluoresces). Here are some examples: Cracking Wint-O-Green LifesaversCrush a wintergreen-flavored Lifesaver candy with your teeth or a hammer. You get triboluminescence whenever you smash sugar, but there usually isnt enough light for you to see it. The methyl salicylate in the wintergreen oil is fluorescent and converts the ultraviolet light into blue light. If you cant find this flavor of Lifesavers, you can use sugar with wintergreen oil or clove oil.Unwapping a Band-Aidâ„ ¢Some Band-Aid wrappers will emit a blue-green glow when they are unwrapped quickly. While you can unwrap the bandage in the dark, youll probably want to turn the lights back on before applying to a wound!Cutting a DiamondThis is not something most of us are likely to do, but some diamonds will fluoresce blue or red when being rubbed or, more usually, cut.Unrolling Friction TapeFriction tape is that cloth tape that has a rubber adhesive such that it is sticky on both sides. It can be used as an electrical insulator, but youll usually see it in t he context of sports, to wrap hockey sticks, tennis rackets, baseball bats, etc. If you unroll friction tape in the dark youll observe a glowing line as the tape is pulled away from the roll. Opening Sealed EnvelopesThe adhesive used to seal some envelopes will fluoresce blue as the contact is broken.Remove Ice from the FreezerThis is an example of fractoluminescence, which is sometimes considers synonymous with triboluminescence. Fractoluminescence is light produced by fracturing a crystal. The fracture separates charge. If enough charge is separated, an electrical discharge may occur across the gap. If you remove ice from a freezer in a dark room, you may see flashes of white light accompanying the crackling sounds of ice undergoing rapid thermal expansion.

Strategy analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategy analysis - Essay Example The two giant American companies haven't stopped although their basic cola markets have leveled off in the world and now in the current year they still stand to battle against each other. Thus, Cola wars still continue and the market can still expect some new products from the companies in the beverage market. The cola wars began in the 1950's when Alfred Steele the former Coke marketing executive was made the executive at Pepsi. Steele came up with the strategy "Beat Coke" that focused on take-home sales through supermarkets. Pepsi focused on family consumption so they came up with a 26-oz bottle. Thus after the 2nd world war, Pepsi's growth took a straight shot ahead as supermarkets began to increase in the country. CEO of Pepsi Donald Kendall launched a marketing campaign "Pepsi Generation" that targeted the youth of the nation or people young at heart. This helped Pepsi to squeeze Cokes lead to a 2-to-1 margin. Pepsi also worked with its bottlers to improve plants and store facilities. Thus, Pepsi's bottlers were greater than Cokes during 1970. Plus Pepsi sold concentrate to its bottlers at a price that was 20% lower than that of Coke. In 1960's the two companies decided to experiment with new cola and non-cola brands and also new packaging ideas. Thus Coke launched Fanta, Sprite and low calorie cola Tab. Pepsi launched Teem, Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi. The companies introduced non-returnable glass bottles simultaneously and also 12-oz metal cans that were a huge hit since they are convenient, light and trendier. The companies also plunged into the non-CSD market that included juices, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water. The flooded the beverage market. Coke bought Minute Maid (fruit juice), Duncan foods (coffee, tea, hot chocolate) and Belmont Springs Water. Whereas, in 1965 Pepsi merged with snack-food giant Frito-Lay in order to form Pepsi Co. Coca Cola's advertising strategy focused on showing that its product is better than the competitors. Coke focused on the overseas market during this period with the assumption that the domestic market has saturated and Pepsi competed with Coke in the domestic market and managed to double its share in the United States between 1950 and 1970. In 1974 Pepsi launched the "Pepsi Challenge" in Dallas, Texas where Coke was l argest selling brand. They began differentiate with Coke with blind taste tests to ensure that people liked the taste of Pepsi more than any other cola. This strategy worked and sales shot up in Dallas. Then Pepsi launched thin campaign nationwide. Coke retaliated with retail price cuts, rebates, and advertisements that questioned the blind tests validity. But Pepsi challenge managed to win Coke's market share. In 1979, Pepsi sales increased more than Coke sales for the first time through retail outlets with a 1.4 share point lead. Coke then renegotiated its franchise bottling contract in order to achieve flexibility in pricing the concentrate and syrups. Its bottlers approved the contract on a condition that was fulfilled and Coke came side by side with Pepsi in the market. Then Coke announced a price increase in concentrate and

Three basic concepts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Three basic concepts - Research Paper Example Here comes the option of outsourcing either the whole manufacturing unit or certain major business activities while would help BlueJay in increasing its output. Now in this context there are two things that need to be considered; first, what portions of the manufacturing unit should be outsourced, and second is the amount of capital investment that BlueJay has to make for this new outsourcing plan. This study aim at discussing the basic concepts of the cost of ownership understanding single or multiple options of outsourcing business operational activities of the company. A relationship between cost estimation and financial statements would be explained to validate the basic concepts. For understanding the nuances of the supply chain management in the company, cost of ownership plays an important role. The different elements associated with the cost of ownership involve purchasing price, salvage value or resale value and other expenses which lead to acquisition, disposal and conversi on. These further includes the cost associated with purchase of orders, delivery charges, search costs, handling and storage cost, maintenance cost, repair, etc, and disposal. Cost of ownership when incorporated for analysis of the financial benefit presents cost base for the determination of the economic value of investments. For example internal rate of return, return on investment. The cost of ownership analysis includes operating cost and total cost for acquisition. It is also used to measure the viability of the capital investment. Enterprise may utilize it to as a comparison tool (Zachariassen, & Arlbjorn, 2009, p. 5-8). The three concepts which closely align the cost of ownership are the life-cycle costing, zero based costing and cost-based evaluation of supplier’s performance. All of these concepts are developed to monitor the performance of the suppliers based on the expectations of the firm. The objective is to focus more on the maintenance of long-term relationship with the suppliers, but at the same time calculate the cost associated with supply chain management and manufacturing. In this case the outsourcing cost can be estimated. In order to calculate the cost of ownership BlueJay has to follow an eight step process: a) Analyze the present scenario of the company, b) Map the activities and the processes in the company, c) Identification of the cost drivers, d) Collect the data on activity usage, e) Identification of the potential solution/solutions, f) Estimation of the cost drivers associated with the improvements, g) Calculation of the cost of ownership for different scenarios (before and after), and f) Presenting the results (Woodside, Gibbert, & Golfetto, 2008, p. 207-209). Cost estimates are nothing but approximation of the project cost, which is important for avoiding the problems associated with cost overrun. In case of BlueJay the manufacturing cost would have to be estimated, which can be segregated into three categories; manufact uring overhead, labor cost, and direct material costs. The cost estimates are utilized to conduct a cost-volume-profit analysis to project a revenue figure of the company with respect to its volume of production and the cost incurred by the company for it. Another reason for evaluating the cost-volume profit is to identify the breakeven point of the company’s revenue generation. The estimation of the cost of the manufacturing unit is documented in the cost sheet of a company, which in turn is

Cult Films and the 1950s :: essays research papers

1950’s Over past nine weeks we've embarked on a journey spanning seven decades of cult films and also received a brief education of our not so distant past. We've seen the outrageous, the good, the bad and the ugly, the weirdly dramatic, and the just plain weird of the last seven decades of cult films and how in the end somehow find away to incorporate a piece of American culture at the time. However, by far the most intriguing decade to me would have to be the nineteen fifties. There are many reasons why I could say the fifties ranging from great sports moments to political milestones, which gave way to our society now. The nineteen fifties were a time when segregation was ending, people were daring to explore their sexuality, the race to venture in to space, the Korean War, the birth of the New York Yankee Legacy, and Elvis. However, for my purposes in this paper and in relation to the cult film genre, there are three specific reasons why I chose the era of the fifties. The most important reason would be the taboos of the decade, namely the taboo and paranoia of communism and the Cold War with the then Soviet Union. Second, there were many excellent cult films to come out of the period addressing the taboos of the time, two of which I would like to share. Third, the fifties brought us possibly "the worst director of all time" and "the ultimate cult director" Ed Wood, Jr. It is for these reasons that the 1950's are, to quote Prof. Allan Havis, "the quintessential decade of films." Entering the nineteen fifties the United States was getting past the bitter memories of World War II only to a brand new threat, Communism. The fear or taboo of communism was every where. Television programs and newspapers ran features on the newest government official, entertainer, and even next door neighbors suspected of communism. Led by Senator John McCarthy citizens left and right stood trial for being a communist or aiding Russians in the "Cold War". Knowing that anyone who stood against McCarthy would be subject persecution themselves many Americans began to fall in to a mass hysteria accusing neighbors and friends of supporting the communist threat and being spies for Russia. Many innocent people were sent to prison based purely on speculation. Also showing the increasing fear of communism were the writers of movies and books, the two top forms of leisure during the decade.

The Co-Operative Bank IMC

Executive Summary The Co-operative Bank Is New Sealant's only bank that Is owned by its customers. Formerly simply a Building Society, the bank Is now looking to grow its customer base as a fully registered bank through a variety of avenues Including appealing to the tertiary student market. This report focuses on the Integrated marketing communications needed for accurately targeting the tertiary market. Firstly, It outlines a situation analysis including a PEST analysis, a competitor analysis, and the target market and the positioning of the Co-operative Bank with regards to its competitors.The communication strategy looks closely into the banks current communications offerings. This analysis focuses on how the companies message combines with its with the imagery used in its advertising. The media strategy outlines how the company has used awareness, universal and emotion strategies in its communications to target the tertiary market. Objectives are then outlined to provide scope f or the banks future MIMIC activities. Finally, the report provides recommendations (Including personal selling, promotion and public relations) and improvements to help the bank reach Its objectives In the next 12 months.As technology is always changing it is important that banks are continuing to update and make changes to their digital platforms to continue to be competitive in the market. 1. 2. 4 Environment -Environmental factors do not have a massive impact over the Co-operative bank forever climate change have some effect on the success of New Zealand businesses abilities to save and service loans. Particularly as New Zealand is an agricultural based society and climate change disrupts farming processes. 2 Competitor Analysis In the tertiary banking sector there are 5 main players that the Bank must compete with.Each has their own drawer however the reality is the base package each bank offers is very similar and in terms of costs, the banks offer students free or relatively f ree banking – See Appendix 1. On top of this each bank differentiates itself by offering extra services that are enticing to the student lifestyle. 2. 1 ASP ASP, as well as a relatively free base package, offers students free fries at McDonald's every time they use their card. This â€Å"gimmick† is attractive to students as it means offer students a large overdraft and a txt when funds are running low. 2. ANZA Ann.'s tertiary package is perhaps the least â€Å"gimmicky' of the big banks. They offer accessible branches and Tam's on campus as they are aware a student is often time poor. 2. 3 BENZ Ban's Younger is known to be extremely innovative and in tune with a tertiary audience's preference for good, simple web design. Their point of difference is an industry leading web application that makes handling finances, something that student have great difficulty doing, every simple. 2. 4 Westward Wastepaper's Student Pace, historically, has used gimmicks such as a free $ 25 upon sign up and a free pizza to engage the tertiary audience to bank with them.In the long term they also offer a â€Å"save and win† scheme that entices students to bank with them to win money on the money they choose to save. 2. 5 Kickback Kickback has perhaps the most comprehensive banking package. Their extra services include software to help manage your money, no commission currency conversion, free use of ANZA Tams on campus and free txt banking. This shows they are very much in tune with the requirements of being a student in New Zealand which supports Kickbacks main draw card of the bank being a New Zealand owned bank. 2. Co-operative Bank The Co-operative Banks student package is by contrast the least comprehensive. They offer a top interest rate of 5% however their main drawer, even for students, is still the fact that they are not Just New Zealand owned like Kickback but owned by the New Slanderer that bank with them. Growth and Maturity of the Industry New Zea land banks have enjoyed strong growth in lending since the 2008 global downturn. Profits however, are down due to â€Å"increasing regulatory pressures and strong competition in the lending market† (KEMP, 2013). Operational Revenue and Profitability At the end of 2013 financial year, the bank recorded profits before rebate at $mm (The Co-operative Bank, 2013). $1 m of this was distributed to customers. As at 31st December 2013 operating revenue reached $4. Mm (The Co-operative Bank, 2013). 5 Strategic Goals The Co-operative Bank has an overall strategic focus on â€Å"achieving long-term refillable growth, based on co-operative principles (The Co-operative Bank, 2013). 6 Target Marketing The Co-operative Bank targets those in the tertiary segment who are motivated by â€Å"good values†.These students, generally 18-25, will be those who are wary of the other big banks and the values they stand for. They will consist of students who are above the other banks â€Å"gimm icks† and would rather see their money buying some â€Å"goodness† rather than get free fries, for example, from a controversial multinational. They will have a solid â€Å"student† lifestyle with a low income, low outgoings and will nearly not have any dependents. 7 Market Positioning competitors try to outdo each other with clever marketing and competitive rates they are, compared to other industries, barely distinguishable from each other.As shown in Figure 1, the Co-operative Bank occupies a position that is relatively separated from its competitors in terms of perceived cost and on a values based analysis. Figure 1 – Positioning of New Zealand Banks This position clearly demonstrates to their target audience that they are set apart from their competitors as an alternative to banking in system where banks are driven y profits for their (often overseas) investors rather than by the values of and profits for their New Zealand owners/customers.Section 2 8 Communication Strategy Since the banks rebind in 2012 the bank has focused its communications on improving low awareness. It is spearheaded by the message â€Å"driven by your prosperity, not our profit†; this focus will help the bank achieve its goal to double its customers within 5 years (Stopper's, 2014). The key message the bank wants to convey to its target audience is that it is a values-driven bank that plays fair in a banking landscape that is thought of as the opposite.They use a brand image strategy to convey that although they are able to take calculated risks for the benefit of their customer-owners, they want their audience to know they want their activities to be transparent and â€Å"above the line†. The main symbol used by the bank is the infinity sign that consists of the 2 g's in Co-operative Bank, known as the â€Å"prosperity loop†- See figure 2. The loop is conveniently extracted from the banks name and symbolizes its goal of creating prosp erity, not profit, between the bank and its customer-owners with the benefits flowing between the two entities.This symbol associates potential customers with the brand and its objectives of â€Å"being about mutual benefit and true sustainability. (The Co-operative Bank, 2014, p. 2) Figure 2- The Prosperity Loop The loop is replicated though all forms of media advertising further insisting to its customers an ongoing sense of mutuality and support. In print media, the loop headline type treatment overlays both the heads of customers or their children and links them to the banks message, connecting a potential customer's emotion to the advertisement.The loop could so be seen to symbolism a thought bubble, further personifying the banks message. See figure 3 Figure 3- Print Advertisement This advertisement takes queues from thought leadership marketing as it shows a young, seemingly wealthy man thinking positively about the banks differentiation strategy. As this man represents a li festyle students aspire to participate in and the target market can now link him to the Co-operative bank. In theory, students will be more likely to think positively about, and possibly Join the bank.This links back to the banks goal of doubling its customer base in five years and helps the bank on their way to achieve it. Another brand association used is the companies color palette. The palette is distinctively fresh and focuses on a bright green color – see figure 4. This associates the brand with being fresh and distinctive as well as with growth. Natural context. This is important to the brands image as it reflects on New Slanderer emotions as a â€Å"clean, green† nation and may help the target market to associate with the bank as an extension of their patriotism.Also the mix of the color green as a symbol of natural growth and money is a reflection of the banks views on sustainable banking. Further, it associates this idea to the Co-operative Banks brand ND rei nforces to tertiary students that their principles will bring â€Å"growth† to their â€Å"money' in a sustainable way. This is particularly relevant to the target market who currently have low incomes but potential to growth their worth in the next few years. For them it means the bank is on their side and wants to work with them to grow their money in a sustainable way.Figure 4- Color Palette 9 Media Strategy and Appropriation The company, carrying out its awareness strategy for growth, used a broad mix of media mediums including a focus on print but also consisting of a television spot, audio advertising, and limited social media (Backbone, Linked in and Youth) to target a wide range of possible customers (Stopper's, 2014). The campaign is centered on presenting the banks differentiation from other banks as a New Zealand owned bank and the fact it is 100% owned by its customers.Although there was no media directly targeting tertiary students, the Co-operative Banks mix of mediums will have some effect on this target market. Using a universal strategy, as in this case, the bank reaches a large amount of potential customers. It also provides the bank with economies of scale. As a small bank, although not ideal, this strategy is relatively appropriate as, there is limited budget for large scale advertising. The bank has opted to pull resources together rather than loose budget to smaller and perhaps less successful strategies.This is at the cost of targeting specific demographics, such as the tertiary target market, with media strategies tailored to their particular motivations but allows the bank to target all New Slanderer who feel strongly about banking with a New Zealand bank that shares profits with its customers. The content of the advertising draws on emotional strategy and uses a lot of patriotic imagery ouch as beach scenes, trout fishing, and office and cafe culture.These are scenes of New Zealand culture that rouse patriotism in most New Sla nderer and this helps the bank not only reach people who will be interested in how the bank functions due to their patriotism but inform others of the benefits of Joining the bank. This is appropriate for the bank as it is harnessing current events (such as the class action against fees and the 2008 global downturn that have caused a cultural shift in New Zealand society in that people are more skeptical of banks) and building on the emotions they feel .It is therefore prudent for the bank to target the majority of society as the majority of society will be motivated by this emotion to Join the bank. 10 Objectives 1. Increase top-of-mind awareness level of the Co-operative bank within the tertiary market by 50% within the next 12 months 2. Increase knowledge within the tertiary market about the benefit of â€Å"owning† the bank they are banking with by 50% within the Bank within the next 12 months. 1 Improvements The weakness of the Banks current MIMIC plan lies in the fact t hat it has not tailored the plan to target specific groups such as the tertiary market. This suggests that the relationship between The Co-operative Bank and its tertiary customers is not as connected as it could be. To improve this, the bank does not necessarily have to change its message because as outlined prior, the patriotic and anti-status quo message used by its current offering will appeal to this market and also make the most of the banks industry-relative limited budget.The bank instead should work on making these messages more accessible to the tertiary market in order to improve the communication lines of the banks already strong message. Relationship Reach Include tertiary market specific imagery in print advertising There is a lack of tertiary specific imagery used by creative in the print media. There are a variety of children and young professionals and although some students may see these people as aspirations, they may also feel excluded and therefore disconnected from the banks message as the images are unrepeatable to them at their current age.Create an active twitter account that backs up the banks brand image but also feels like it is maintained by a tertiary student. It will post breaking banking news and intelligently debate key players in the banking industry. Create a presence on campus by locating brochures at campus student finance offices Make brochures available that provides step by step financial planning for students that is branded with Co-operative bank. The brochures will also provide information about the Co- operatives services.The content will be so effective that campus financial planners will recommend them to students. This will increase student's knowledge about the bank. Change billboards near tertiary institutions to have very tertiary student age appropriate creative. Add a scene to the television spot that is directly relatable to by majority of tertiary students. The advert currently has scenes that will appeal t o only a select part of the target market I. E office employees and trout fishers.Adding a tertiary related scene with strong tertiary markers will strengthen the banks relationship with students as they will feel included in their advertising. Promote banks message at campus fairs. Sponsor tertiary events 12 Promotional Mix Recommendations 12. 1 Public Relations and its community based values. Tertiary students will be selected to spend a day in the life of community organizations with a particular emphasis on organizations that purport the interests of tertiary aged students such as canteen and be followed by a documentary team..The outcome will be a documentary series posted on Community Loop's Youth. These videos will expect to be picked up by local media and be interesting enough for students to want to share on Youth. 12. 2 Personal Selling At campus events, the bank would loan its employees to event to handle the financial aspect of the event and at the same time inform stude nts of the banks offerings- supporting and promoting the banks message that it works within the community in a positive way.For example, at the â€Å"Nun Games†, Co-operative Bank employees in â€Å"community loop† uniform will handle ticket processing at the gate and have the â€Å"community loop† marquee providing shelter for students. Employees will hold conversations with students about the banks offerings and message. Such a presence evokes brand awareness within in the student community and at the same time, shows off the banks tertiary product. 12. 3 Sales Promotion The bank stands out among other banks as it does not offer students â€Å"gimmicky' promotions with its package – See appendix 1 .There is an opportunity here for the Ann. To offer a promotion to students that does not seem as lightweight and also gain attention of the students who are likely to switch to the bank because of its message. The promotion will support the banks community c entered message and feature a system wherein if you sign up you get a free stationary pack (bio-degradable and from sustainable sources) and a child from a low decide school in the local area also gets a pack.The stationary will feature the banks â€Å"Community Loop† logo. 13 Budget 13. 1 Objective-and-Task Method The bank would use an objective and task method to specify the role advertising will lay for the Co-operative brand and, the budget has been set accordingly. This method has been chosen as it allows the bank to focus on the objectives based on the needs of the bank and therefore reinforce the banks strategy rather than the needs of other factors such as what competitors are doing or how much they can afford.

Associative Parametric Urbanism A Computational Approach...

ASSOCIATIVE PARAMETRIC URBANISM: A Computational Approach to Parameterization of Conceptual Design Phase M.AYOUB Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport Alexandria, Egypt Email address: dr.ayoub@aast.edu Abstract. Urban planning projects usually comprises a complex set of objectives that needs to be addressed by developing a number of proposals, which require a lot of repetitive steps resulting in fewer and slowly-developed design alternatives. To address the limitations of existing systems, this research introduces the merge of associative parametric design tools with the conceptual design phase of urban planning process to propose a Parameterized Conceptual Design Phase. The developed associative algorithm within the proposed phase represents a computational approach that translates a site’s settings into local attractors to define urban fabric and provide the designer with variations for optimal solutions. The Informal Settlement of Ezbet El Matar, Alexandria, is selected as the case study of this approach. 1. Introduction Urban planning lays the foundation for the new buildings and public spaces that shape our lives. Traditionally, urban planning process consists of a sequence of phases that may vary or overlap to suit the project nature. During the conceptual design phase, a complex set of objectives and requirements are addressed regarding certain factors such as land use, site considerations, circulation, and environmental issues. To respond toShow MoreRelatedAssociative Parametric Urbanism : A Computational Approach Essay1992 Words   |  8 PagesAssociative Parametric Urbanism: A Computational Approach to Parameterization of Conceptual Design Phase Ayoub, M. 1 1 Assistant Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering and Environmental Design Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport, Egypt email: dr.ayoub@aast.edu 2016 REFERENCE Abstract Technological advancements and their rapid effects on humanity are forcing our cities to transform at all levels, as modern cities are becoming more dynamic and opened for futureRead MoreThe Conceptual Design Phase Of Urban Planning Process Essay1544 Words   |  7 Pagessteps resulting in fewer and slowly-developed design varieties. This paper focuses on merging the parametric approach into the conceptual design phase of urban planning process, to propose a Parameterized Conceptual Design Phase, which consists of three main stages: Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The developed associative algorithm within the proposed phase represents a computational approach that translates a site’s settings into local attractors for defining urban fabric and generating geometricRead MoreParametric Urbanism Is Based On Parametric Design Systems1980 Words   |  8 PagesInterconnectivity of Variables Parametric urbanism is based on parametric design systems, in which the parameters of a particular object are declared, and not its geometry. The focus of interest is not the form itself, but the parameters which have generated them (Canuto, R. and Amorim, L., 2012). In this context, geometries with parameters are created to be related with all other design components, where any specific variation will lead to an adaptation response in the geometries forming the modelRead MoreChapter Three : Parametric Urban Design Essay1100 Words   |  5 Pages3 Chapter Three: Parametric urban design 3.1 Introduction As the research demonstrate in the previous section that the relationship between the indicators of quality of life and the contemporary design approaches has a interacted results, as the previous matrix in chapter two Table ‎2 11 demonstrate the multiple principles that emerged due to the combination between quality of life and the urban design. In order to implement these principles in the design process, the research have to find up newRead MoreUrban Planning For The New Buildings Essay1825 Words   |  8 Pagesadaptation to comply with the demand for an increased level of complexities. Therefore, it is essential to consider new methodologies to address design issues at a higher level of understanding. Among new ones is the Parametric Urbanism, which comprises the fusion of the parametric approach in urban planning process to address the limitations of existing systems, and offer flexibility to design variations and explorations during design process. Motivation The motivation for this research work arises