Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Constitution - Essay Example The English dictionary sees the meaning of the phrase to fall within the periphery of all those statutory protocol and social efforts that have concern to the matters of public. As such, health is just one of the aspects that fall within the phrase. Individuals such as James Madison also note that the limits of the phrase also seems infinite, considering the congress has the same authority but in a different capacity which is taxation by the federal government and the spending of the same. In the case Ferrocarril Central Argentino c/Provincia de Santa Fe, 569 held in Argentina, the court noted that the existence of the term in the US constitution is an affirmation of the authority that accrues to the federal government through its taxation and spending. In the case of a state such as Alaska, the existence of the phrase not only does imply public health, but it goes further to note that the phrase implies promoting and protecting public

The process of blacks in the Diaspora (Gambia) Religious Culture Research Paper

The process of blacks in the Diaspora (Gambia) Religious Culture - Research Paper Example Ghana sported thirty six out of the total forty two slave fortresses. In addition to Ghana, another eight African locations were utilised for shipping slaves. These included Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Bight of Benin, Bight of Biafra, Gold Coast, South East Africa, Central Africa and Senegambia. (Brown, 2000) The brunt of the slave trade was mostly borne by central and west Africa. West Africa alone contributed around three fifths of the total slave populations supplied. It is estimated that one half of slaves were exported to South America while 42% went to the Caribbean, 7% to North America and 2% went to Central America. The subsequent influence of these exported slaves was instrumental for culture in these regions. The focus of this text is to trace the religious influences of African slaves from the Senegambia region. African Americans were faced with two challenges. On the one hand they were trying to establish an independent identity and on the other hand they were cre ating various religious traditions. These religious traditions can be approximated in three articulate movements. The first stream represented results of the initial African contact with Christianity from Europe. The emerging religion was more African in character both liturgically and theologically. The second stream represented an extension of the first stream whereby religious practices developed in Africa migrated to the Americas. Though these beliefs and practices were modified in the Americas but the predominant influence remained African which aided in this stream being distinct. The third and final stream saw the amalgamation of borrowed ideals and concepts from Islam, Christianity and Judaism. These faiths and their concepts were woven as a novel fabric with visions of Africa as a historical power and in some instances as a future destination. These streams are discussed below to promote an understanding of religious influences under Diaspora. The first stream represented C hristian influences permeating into Africans often in direct proportion to the social class in question. The higher classes had lowest African influence and greatest Christian influence and vice versa. Traditional practices of hoodoo and voodoo as well as other derivatives of primitive West and West Central African religions crept into the newly adopted Christian faith. This was all the more apparent in the American South. Religious services saw the use of songs and dancing as well as the possession by the Holy Ghost during these services. Similarly the Caribbean witnessed Christianity imbued with overwhelming African content. This hybrid religion was connected with obeah, the use of supernatural powers to cause harms to others and to myalism, the use of herbs and spiritual resources in order to combat witchcraft and evil spells. Alternatively the religions of convince and kumina also took root. Convince involved respect for the Christian diety along with an active veneration of anc estors by spiritual healers known better as Bongo men. In a similar manner, kumina held ancestors in great veneration and ranked them after the sky gods and earthly deities. In contrast to the above, the second stream was more prominently experienced in Cuba and Brazil where reinvented African religion was the centre of religious attention. The various ethnic kinds of African slaves that were brought to Brazil maintained distinct identities by sticking to

The Human Reproductive System Essay Example for Free

The Human Reproductive System Essay The human reproductive system requires both the female and male to procreate. Although the reproductive organs will function separately, they will not create another human being without each other. The Male Sperm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The male reproductive system is more external than the female. Sperm must be created to fertilize the female’s egg and this is done in the testes or testicles of the male. Sperm are mobile cells that contain the male’s chromosomes, to be passed on the offspring. There are hundreds of thousands of sperm produced during a male’s lifetime, all of which have the potential to fertilize an egg. Sperm die off and are recreated at the rate of 1% day and sperm that are released from the body live only a few hours. Scrotum The testes are contained in a fleshy pouch known as the scrotum, which hangs outside the male body in the groin area. The testes themselves are actually over 850 feet of tiny tubing, curled into two balls inside the scrotum. It is in these tubes that the sperm are formed. The scrotum is a highly sensitive area. Normal body temperature will kill the sperm due to their sensitivity to high temperatures; this is why the scrotum lies outside the body rather than internally. In cold weather, the scrotum will pull the testicles closer to the body to maintain the proper temperature. Once formed the sperm must pass through into the epidiymis, which is a larger tube that stores the sperm and lets them mature until it is time to be ejaculated into the female. The epidiymis is encased in the scrotum along with the testes. Ducts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the sperm is ready to be ejaculated it leaves the epidiymis and travels through the vasa deferentia. The vasa deferentia extend from the epidymis and go around the bladder in many different directions. The ends of the vasa deferentia are called ejaculatory ducts. These ducts are located behind the bladder and empty into the urethra. Before the sperm reach the urethra they must also travel through the seminal vesicles, which are also located behind the bladder. Accessory Glands   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The seminal vesicles are part of a group of accessory glands. The seminal vesicles add the semen that coats the sperm during ejaculation. The seminal fluid â€Å"contains mucus, amino acids, fructose as the main energy source for the sperm, and prostaglandins to stimulate female uterine contractions to move the semen up into the uterus.† (biology.clc.uc.ed, 2007)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inside the body, at the beginning of the urethra, is the prostate gland. The prostate gland is considered an accessory gland and is the largest of these glands. It secretes directly into the urethra and mixes with the seminal fluid. The secretions of the prostate gland are high in alkaline. Alkaline neutralizes the acid left by urine and produced by the female body. It protects the sperm as they make their way through the female to the egg.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hanging from the front of the abdominal cavity on the outside of the body, in front of the scrotum, is the penis. It is made from several cylinders of spongy, erectile tissue. When the male becomes sexually excited, the spongy tissue becomes filled with arterial blood and the veins, which allow this blood to drain off to other areas, seal off. This causes an erection, which is required for ejaculation. The erection is also required to be able to enter the female’s vagina and fertilize the egg. Running through the center of the penis is a hollow tube called the urethra. It allows semen or urine to be released from the body. The male reproductive system  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookREPROD.html The Female   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The female reproductive organs are internal and produce eggs rather than sperm. The eggs are produced in the ovaries, which are located on either side of the abdominal cavity. The â€Å"eggs† are not like chicken or other animal eggs but more like a collection of special cells. While a female has almost a half million eggs at birth, only about 500 will be released from the ovaries during the time that she is fertile and able to reproduce. Eggs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The eggs are formed with a process known as â€Å"meiosis†. This means that the egg only has half of the chromosomes needed to complete a new being. The process known as fertilization provides the other half of the needed chromosomes, thus giving the offspring half from each contributing parent. Of the hundreds of thousands of eggs a female is born with, only about 300 of these are ever released to be fertilized. Ovaries   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ovaries, located on either side of the abdominal wall, create the eggs that are released for fertilization. The ovaries are connected to the fallopian tubes and store the unused eggs as well.   Ovaries also produce the female hormone estrogen, which affects mood, weight and other aspects of the body. Fallopian Tubes From the ovaries are the fallopian tubes, which extend from the ovaries on each side and down into the females uterus. The fallopian tubes lead into the uterus where the fertilized egg will remain as it gestates. In the female human, hormones contribute to the egg being released into the fallopian tubes. This is normally limited to one egg per cycle. Ovulation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ovulation is the period when an egg matures and is released into the fallopian tubes. This is â€Å"due to the stimulation of leutenizing hormone (LH), which then stimulates the remaining follicle cells to turn into a corpus luteum which then secretes progesterone to prepare the uterus for possible implantation. If an egg is not fertilized and does not implant, the corpus luteum disintegrates and when it stops producing progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down and is shed.† (biology.clc.uc.ed, 2007) Uterus   Ã‚  Ã‚   The uterus is located in the female abdominal cavity. It is lined with millions of cilia. These are tiny follicles that both attach the egg to the wall of the uterus and sweep the lining out when the egg disintegrates. At the end of the uterus is the cervix. The cervix has thick walls and a tiny opening leading into the vaginal canal. The cervix will open to pass the baby through when it is time for it to be born. Vaginal Canal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The vaginal canal extends from the cervix to the outside opening of the female vagina. It allows the penis to be inserted to fertilize the egg, pass menstrual blood out of the body and allow a baby to pass from the body. The walls are highly elastic and will stretch to accommodate the baby’s head. The Vagina   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The vagina is the outer area of the female reproductive system. It contains the opening leading to the vaginal canal and a tiny opening located right above it. This is the urethra and it allows urine to pass from the body. Directly above the urethra is the clitoris. This is the female counterpart to the male penis and is also highly sensitive. Covering the openings is the vulva. This consists of inner and outer labia, which are folds of skin. The vulva becomes covered with body hair when the female matures. Fertilization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fertilization of the egg occurs when the sperm meet the egg at the far end of the fallopian tube. The sperm fertilize the egg, the egg implants itself into the lining of the uterus and a new human is created. The female reproductive system  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookREPROD.html References http://emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookREPROD.html http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio105/reproduc.htm http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/female_reproductive_system.html

Public Goods In South African Agriculture Economics Essay

Public Goods In South African Agriculture Economics Essay Public goods are goods that are produced in order to serve communities, where all members of the community are served equally. This is possible since the consumption by one member of a community does not decrease the quantity or quality of the public good for another member of the community. In it pure form, public goods can therefore not be divided into pieces for every member of the community, but is a collective good, being indivisible. (Loehr Sandler, 1978, p. 12) To produce these public goods in a manner that will serve the communities that needs it and to allocate public goods efficient, policies are used to provide the structure. These policies are installed by government in order to correct the failure of the market. In order to understand this interrelation between market failure, government intervention, policies and private goods, one should start at the beginning, namely market failure. This should originally be the reason why there is government intervention by means of policies. In this paper market failure will be used to start the argument on policies on public goods in agriculture. Government intervention through policies to correct the malfunction of the market will be discussed after which there will be a discussion on public goods in agriculture as a result of the above mentioned and how these public goods are delivered in agriculture. Market Failure and Government Intervention 2.1 What Market Failure is Market failure exists when the market are unable to produce at a level which is Pareto optimal, Pareto optimality being a position in the market where one person in the market cannot be better off without at least one other person in the market being worse off. (Loehr Sandler, 1978, p. 11) According to Philip Black in Public Economics for South African students (2003, pp. 21-23) there are six reasons for market failures. Lack of Information A lack of information can cause market failure, since the information available to customers and producers are not necessarily at a level to equip them to make rational decisions. A possible solution to this problem is that governments should provide this information to society, but by definition private institutions are driven by profit, making them better at obtaining and distributing information than government agencies. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, pp. 21-22) Lags in Adjustments Lags in the adjustment of markets exist, even if lack of information is not the only reason. Time lagging can also occur if resources are not very mobile, meaning that it cannot adapt instantly to new information. Labour, for example, can only move from one job to another with some time passing, even though new job opportunities are available. Physical capital, like machinery, cannot be moved from one place to another at any moment, but can only happen at highly irregular time periods. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, p. 22) Incomplete Markets When supply of certain products cannot meet the demand for those products, incomplete markets arise. For these reason public goods, such as street lighting, defence security, etc. is installed. Markets can also not take full responsibility for the external cost and benefits that are associated with individual behaviour and therefore markets are incomplete. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, p. 22) Non-competitive Markets Markets fail when it is characterised by non-competitiveness. By this, which happens more often than not, is meant that the competitiveness is taken out of the market. These reasons are monopolies and oligopolies in commodity markets, minimum wage restrictions on labour, and many more. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, p. 22) Macroeconomic Instability Markets can fail because of instability in the economys macro environment. The macro environment includes attacks on the countrys currency and other factors. This macroeconomic instability can cause markets to take too long to adjust to the exogenous shocks and government intervention through policy might be needed to rescue the situation. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, pp. 22-23) Distribution of Income The distribution of income is and will probably never be reasonable and fair in a sense that it will be satisfactory to the wide community or government which represents that community. Therefore Pareto optimality in the allocation of resources will not happen, thus leading to classification of market failure. This issue of skew distribution of wealth has been addressed by governments by creating wealth in a growing population through policy. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, p. 23) Government Intervention Government intervention in the market can be done in three different ways, the approaches being an allocative function, distributive function, and stabilisation function. Allocative Function The allocative function of governments who are intervening in the market is to address the issues of incomplete markets and non-competitive markets, as discussed previously. Through direct intervention in the market, governments can correct incomplete markets, such as supplying street lights, etc. Through indirect government, also known as the regulatory function of the government, non-competitive markets are regulated, with policies such as the competition policy which is intended to prevent monopolies from acting abusive. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, pp. 24,26) Distributive Function This function of the government is especially angled at the market failure of income distribution. The government use a model to determine how it should spread wealth. This models outcome is positively correlated with the participants in the markets original distribution of labour and capital. This model, however, is does not determine how fair this distribution is. This distributive function of the government comes in the form of direct intervention in the market through taxes and as a regulatory function it makes use if subsidies and transfer payments. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, pp. 24-26) Stabilisation Function To correct the market failure of the inability of the economy to react adequately to macro environment factors, governments intervene by means of its stabilisation function. Stabilisation of the market to reach the macroeconomic objectives is also part of this function. The appropriate monetary and fiscal policy would be installed by government to keep the market from failing to accomplish price stability, an acceptable economic growth rate, sound balance of payments, etc. This can be done through direct intervention in the market as well as through a regulatory function where indirect taxes and subsidies help to achieve fiscal objectives indirectly. (Black, Calitz, Steenekamp, 2003, pp. 25-26) Public Goods in General Types of Goods There are two properties that indicate the type of goods, namely excludability and rivalry. These two properties can be used in a table form (see Table 1) in order to differentiate Private goods, Common goods, Club goods, and Public goods from each other. Table : Different types of goods (Solum, 2009) From Table 1 the following can be drawn: Private goods are goods where the benefits are fully rival and excludable, for example fuel. Common goods are goods where the benefits are rival but non-excludable, for example fish. Club goods are goods where the benefits are non-rivalry but excludable, for example cinemas. Public goods are goods where the benefits are non-rivalry and non-excludable, for example national defence. Common goods and Club goods are part of the larger impure public goods group, since in pure form they do not have excludability or rivalry. Pure private goods are therefore goods of which the benefits are pure rival and excludable. Pure public goods are thus goods of which the benefits are pure non-rival and non-excludable. (Cornes Sandler, 1986, pp. 6-7) Characteristics of Public Goods There are 5 characteristics of public goods that will be discussed, two of which defines it from other type of goods, as mentioned above. Non-rival Public goods are non-rival, meaning that consumption by one person does not influence the consumption by another person. There is therefore no competition between consumers for the use of the specific product. (Moeti, Khalo, Mafunisa, Makondo, Nsingo, 2007, p. 24) Non-excludable Public goods are non-excludable, making it practically impossible to abstain it from one person if it is allowed for another. The problem that comes with non-excludability is the free-rider problem, where people who do not pay for the product still benefit from it, since they cannot get excluded from it. It is therefore necessary for governments to intervene and produce these products, since it cannot be produced profitably by the private sector. (Moeti, Khalo, Mafunisa, Makondo, Nsingo, 2007, p. 24) Non-apportionable Public goods are non-apportionable since it cannot be measured in order to provide it in units which can have a price attached to it and sold for that price. In this case, it is possible for water to be either a public good or not, since water can be made available to a whole community at no charge or it can be sold in bottles in a shop. (Moeti, Khalo, Mafunisa, Makondo, Nsingo, 2007, p. 24) Monopolistic Public goods can be monopolistic, making it products where there is only one role player in the market, namely the government. Governments can produce the goods that the public demand by making use of the structure of a natural monopoly. In a natural monopoly it is more efficient to have only one player (producer) in the market than more than one. (Moeti, Khalo, Mafunisa, Makondo, Nsingo, 2007, p. 25) No Direct Quid Pro Quo Quid pro quo is a Latin term which means something for something. Public goods are therefore goods with no direct quid pro quo, meaning no something for something, it this case a public good in return for money (quid pro quo is very much applicable for private goods). By paying taxes, tax payers do not receive public goods to the same value of the tax they paid, but receive whatever any other person receives, irrespective of the amount of tax they pay. Progressive scales for taxes and fiscal spending are installed in order to guide the receiving and spending of tax money of public goods. (Moeti, Khalo, Mafunisa, Makondo, Nsingo, 2007, p. 25) Public Policies Theory on Public Policy towards Externalities Externalities can cause markets to allocate resources in an insufficient way, externalities being the impact of one persons actions on a bystanders wellbeing without compensating the bystander for it. To correct the cause of externalities, governments can make use of command-and-control policies by which behaviour is directly regulated, or it can make use of market-based policies which is indirect and provides incentive to decision makers to correct the problem themselves. (Mankiw Taylor, 2006, pp. 198,464) Direct Regulation of Externalities By regulating the market directly, governments enforce certain boundaries or restrictions onto role players in the market in order to counter externalities. For example, by installing an upper limit on the amount of pollution that a factory is allowed, governments adopt a command-and-control policy. (Mankiw Taylor, 2006, p. 198) Indirect Regulation of Externalities By indirectly regulating the market, governments make use of market-based policies to counter an externality. In doing this, governments provide better alignment of private incentives with social efficiency at a lower cost to society. Pigovian taxes, named after Arthur Pigou, are taxes which are used to counter the effect of negative externalities. By this method of taxing, pollution, as the example is in the direct regulation of externalities, will be taxed per unit of pollution. The more the factory pollutes, the higher the tax payment and therefore this method creates an incentive to pollute less, since it decreases profit. (Mankiw Taylor, 2006, pp. 198-199) Policies on Public Goods Richard Cornes and Todd Sandler argues in their book, The Theory of Externalities, Public Goods, and Club Goods (1986, p. 69) that public goods in its pure form a special case of an externality is. This would mean that the policies on public goods should be aligned with the policies on externalities discussed in the previous section, namely command-and-control policies and market-based policies. In this section it will become clear whether that is the case as well as what exactly the policy methods are that are used for public goods. According to Leonard Champney (1988, p. 989)in his article, Public Goods and Policy Types, governments can either make use of regulation policies, where the incentives of the government are coercive, or of distribution policies, where the incentives of the government are economic. Coercive can be defined as intimidating people to comply. By further looking at the difference between productive indivisibilities and consumptive indivisibilities, it will be possible to describe the eight types of policies that Champney refers to in his paper. Champney describes productive indivisibilities as products that are produced for one, and because of the indivisibility of public goods, is therefore produced for all. An example of a productive indivisibility product produced by government is a light house. Consumptive indivisibility refers to the consumption of a product produced by government where the consumption by one has a positive influence on others, even though they are excluded from the direct consumption. An example of a consumptive indivisible product produced by government is education. The government can choose to whom education is made available to consume, but the whole society will benefit from it, being more politically stable, economically productive, and technologically advanced. Governments can decide to produc e productive indivisibilities or consumptive indivisibilities. (Champney, 1988, p. 988) Now the eight types of policies can be illustrated and discussed. Table : Government policies for individual targets Table : Government policies for group targets (Champney, 1988, p. 989) Type 1: Internal and External Security Products produced under Type 1 are productive indivisible products and is enforced through regulation onto individuals; the government thus make use of coercive powers as a monopoly and use taxation of individuals (compulsory) to pay for the public goods. Example: national defence. (Champney, 1988, pp. 989-990) Type 2: Compulsory Education Products produce under Type 2 are consumptive indivisible and is enforced through regulation onto individuals. Public goods, such as education which is forced onto young people, are type 2 public goods, since they (the young people) are forced to consume the product. Also, occupational licensure plays a role to ensure that an incompetent physician do not give medical care so that the whole community are forced to consume this product which have indivisible consequences. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Type 3: Subsidies to Individuals Governments are able to move away from regulatory policies by making use of compulsory taxation in order to provide distributive policies which are more economically aligned. Direct subsidies to individuals, which are productive indivisible and distributive, are type 3 products. Example: soldiers get paid for their duty instead of being forced to enrol. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Type 4: Subsidies to Individuals Type 4 subsidies to individuals are subsidies which are consumptive indivisible and distributive, therefore being promoting the consumption of a product by means of a subsidy. An example of this is grants for individuals to further their studies to a higher education level. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Type 5: Environmental Regulations Groups are targeted with this type. Environmental regulations are regulative and productive indivisible by nature. Governments make use of this type of policy to attempt to make the environment better. As an example, corporations must comply with the limit that a government sets on pollution of air and water. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Type 6: Regulation of Natural Monopoly Regulation of natural monopolies are done by governments in order to assure that provision of a good or service is reasonable and not subject to price setting, price discrimination, and other destructive activities. These types of consumptive indivisible and regulated products are often products which the economy cannot run properly without, such as communication services, and for which there are no substitutes readily available. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Type 7: Subsidies to Corporations Type 7 subsidies are subsidies to corporations which are productive indivisible and are executed by the distribution function of the government. These subsidies are given to corporations directly or indirectly for leading activities which helps with the production of public goods. An example will be a subsidy to a corporation which produces weapons for usage in a public service, namely the military force. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Type 8: Subsidies to Research Development Consumptive goods which are indivisible and promoted by distribution form the last of the eight types. By giving subsidies/grants, the government ensures that the necessary research and development is done in order to provide communication services and transportation in the economy. The objective is to give subsidies/grants to key strategic industries, which other sectors in the economy depend on, to do research and development. Through the subsidising of research and development, technical knowledge spreads throughout societies. An example will be subsidies for agricultural RD. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) South African agriculture Public goods in South African agriculture Public goods or services provided by the South African government include a list of 55 services under its Department of Agriculture (see Annexure A). These services are available under the five programmes of the Department of Agriculture (DoA), namely: Administration Livelihoods, Economics and Business Development Bio-security and Disaster Management Production and Resources Management Sector Services and Partnerships (DoA, 2009, pp. 18, 64-65) The purpose and budget of each of these programmes will be discussed. Administration The administration programme of the DoA provides the overall administrative as well as performance overview, with a focus on strategic leadership and management in die DoA. Capital investments are also managed under Administration. This programme had a budget of R 301 627 000 for the financial year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009. (DoA, 2009, pp. 24, 29) Livelihoods, Economic and Business Development Food security for households, shared growth and commercial viability for emerging farmers are the objective of the programme. To achieve the objective, this programme makes use of targeted programmes and appropriate policies in the agricultural sector in order to support equitable access to this sector, which in return will make it possible to achieve its (the programmes) objective. This programme had a budget of R 751 451 000 for the financial year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009. This money was allocated in the following manner to the subsections of this programme: Management R 1 208 000 Livelihoods Development Support R 604 056 000 Trade and Business Development R 92 461 000 Economic and Statistical Services R 31 267 000 National Agricultural Marketing Council R 22 459 000 (DoA, 2009, pp. 18, 80) Livelihoods Development Support as a sub-programme of Livelihoods, Economic and Business Development, contribute to communities by supporting them through public goods/services, which includes policies, norms, programmes, legislation and information in order to provide post-settlement support to emerging farmers, finance agricultural development, promote farmer cooperatives, start village banks and provide food security. The largest part of the budget for this sub-programme was spent on transfers to provinces and municipalities where they used this money, amongst other programmes, under the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme. (DoA, 2009, pp. 34, 81) Trade and Business Development aids the process of making international and domestic markets more accessible by South African products, promotes BEE in agriculture and interacts with National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC). The largest part of this budget goes towards transfers to public entities, such as the ArgiBEE Charter Council and NAMC. (DoA, 2009, pp. 8, 34) Economic and Statistical Services grant money in order to aid the process of collecting and analysing agricultural statistics as well as interact with Statistics South Africa. This sub-programme is also responsible for monitoring and evaluating the economic performance of the agricultural sector, with reports on the economic performance issued quarterly. (DoA, 2009, p. 34) NAMC as a part of the budget for Livelihoods, Economic and Business Development solely focus on statutory measures in agriculture. The changes to the constitutional measures are presented to the Minister of Agriculture and are done by NAMC. The application of these constitutional measures is also revised every two years and presented to the Minister of Agriculture. (DoA, 2009, p. 15) Bio-security and Disaster Management This programme of the DoA main functions are to manage the risks involved in animal diseases, plant pests and GMOs as well as to handle the registration of products that are used in the agricultural field. This is done to safeguard human health and to ensure food safety and security. Reducing the risks of natural disasters through management planning of agricultural risk and disasters is also part of the programme. This programme can be divided into two sub-programmes, excluding general management: Management R 1 551 000 Plant Health and Inspection Services R 138 225 000 Food, Animal Health and Disaster Management R 470 367 000 (DoA, 2009, pp. 43, 82) The Plant Health and Inspection Services sub-programme is responsible for the development of systems and policies in order to manage the risks involved with plant pests and diseases and GMOs. These systems and policies are also developed to enhance the trading of products of plant origin, to manage the movement of regulated articles and good quality control of regulated products. The largest part of this sub-programmes budget goes towards employee compensation and the goods and services provided. (DoA, 2009, pp. 43, 83) The management of food, health and disasters by this sub-programme consists of the reduction and management of risk with which animal diseases are associated. It also manages the promotion of trading in animal products of origin and ensures food safety. Lastly it entails the development of management strategies for agricultural risks and disasters. Disaster management is the most significant part of the transfers to provinces and municipalities as well as to households. (DoA, 2009, pp. 43, 83) Production and Resource Management The sustainable use and protection of water and land is important to this programme of the DoA. Through this programme this objectives are strived towards by the identification of opportunities and development of strategies for the agricultural sector to be profitable and to optimise agricultural productivity. The sub-programmes are Agricultural Production, and Engineering Services and Resource Management. The budget for are allocated as follows: Management R 1 525 000 Agricultural Production R 275 734 000 Engineering, Energy, Resource Use and Management R 202 778 000 (DoA, 2009, pp. 47, 84) Agricultural Production, as a sub-programme, focuses on assisting the process of improving agricultural productivity, especially in the field of sustainable aquaculture, animal, and plant systems. This sub-programme is also responsible for administrating various acts that apply to this field. The largest part of the budget for Agricultural Production goes towards provinces and municipalities for programmes in the different regions. (DoA, 2009, p. 47) The Engineering Services and Resource Management sub-programme has a treble focus, namely to assist infrastructure development in agriculture, to facilitate agricultural resource use, and to promote the community-based programme, LandCare. The facilitation of agricultural resource use includes the auditing of natural resources, the control of migratory pests, as well as agricultural land protection and rehabilitation. The largest single expense is the LandCare Programme. (DoA, 2009, pp. 47, 66) Sector Services and Partnerships This programme ultimately consists of two parts, the one focusing of services to the sector, the other on partnership with parties outside the sector. The purpose of this programme is therefore to execute the work set out for each of its sub-programmes, the sub-programmes being Sector Services, and International, Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Relations. Together with the management of this programme and the Agricultural Research Council, this above mentioned two sub-programmes forms the core around which the Sector Services and Partnerships budget is spent. Spending is allocated as follows: Management R 10 691 000 Sector Services R 196 518 000 International, Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Relations R 72 370 000 Agricultural Research Council (ARC) R 514 556 000 (DoA, 2009, pp. 51, 86) Sector services as a sub-programme provide direction and support to education, training, extension, research and advisory services in agriculture. The purpose of this service is to support the targeted groups. Managing of the funds transferred to the ARC is also part of Sector Services. The largest part of the budget for Agricultural Production goes towards provinces and municipalities for programmes in the different regions. (DoA, 2009, pp. 51, 86) International, Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Relations as a sub-programme supply leadership and coordination in agricultural international relations. Furthermore is the purpose to create an environment in which all stakeholders can have a positive relationship. Budget is mostly spent on compensation to employees, and foreign governments and international organisations. (DoA, 2009, pp. 51, ) Policy on public goods in South African agriculture The policies in place on public goods in the South African agriculture are policies which promote government spending on various programmes, goods, and services. The way in which this government spending is allocated is described in the previous section under the five programmes of the Department of Agriculture of the South African Government. Each of the five programmes has a very distinct role to play in order to execute the policies that are in place in agriculture. In this section the public goods and services which have the largest amount of money allocated to them will be discussed, as well as the five public entities which report directly to the Minister of Agriculture. From this discussion the policies for implementing the use of these public goods and services in South African agriculture will become clear. Policy types for the top 5 public goods and services in the DoA budget The different types of policies that are used to implement the top five items of highest spending in the DoA budget will be discussed. Two of them will be discussed together. See Annexure B for a complete list. Agricultural Research Council (ARC) R 514 556 000 was allocated to the ARC in the 1 April 2008 31 March 2009 financial year. This public service establishes and controls research, development, and the transfer of technology facilities in order to provide the private sector in agriculture with information. ARC is also promoting cooperation between other countries and South Africa with regards to the above mentioned. (DoA, 2009, pp. 15, 67) The type of policy that is used is a type 8 according to Champney, namely Subsidies to Research and Development, which are promoted by distribution (economic incentive) and are consumptive indivisible (consumption by one influence other in community positively). The ARC therefore plays an important role in providing facilities, such as research, development and transfer of technology in order to contribute to the agricultural sector. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and CASP Extension Services During the 2008-2009 financial year R 438 124 000 was budgeted for CASP and R 100 000 000 for CASP Extension Services. These two budget items are spent together, thus R 538 124 000. CASP Extension Services are the fourth largest item in die DoA budget. By this programmes, the DoA primarily wants to support the targeted beneficiaries from the land and agrarian programmes implemented by the DoA. By granting money to CASP, the DoA wishes to install improvement in 6 areas, namely: The access to and quality of agricultural support services available to the targeted beneficiaries of land and agrarian programmes, such as advice and information, financial infrastructure, etc., The ability of the DoA to deliver the above mentioned agricultural support services, The number of beneficiaries to benefit from accessing agricultural support services, The timeliness of technical and market information available to resource-poor farmers, The infrastructure available to targeted beneficiaries, on and off the farm, e.g. dipping and fencing, The number of LRAD reform beneficiaries accessing market information, markets and training for markets. (DoA, 2009, pp. 27-28) The policy type that would suit the grants given to the above mentioned improvements can be categorised as type 4 Subsidies to Individuals according to Champney. These grants are targeting individuals, such as the beneficiaries from the land and agrarian programmes, and are consumptive indivisible, since the consumption (use) of these land and agrarian programmes is promoted by grants available to beneficiaries. (Champney, 1988, p. 990) Classical Swine Fever A budget of R 163 900 000 was allocated to the control of classical swine fever breakouts and the necessary compensation to households when animals are killed in order to remove classical swine fever from of area. (DoA, 2009, pp. 4, 67, 138) The type of policy that is used to implement this service to public is a type 4, according to Champneys model. Subsidies to Individuals as a type of policy suit this case, because the individuals whose pigs are slaughtered in order to restrict the spreading of the disease are compensated by means of payment, which is correlated with the number of pigs slaughtered. There is therefore an incentive for farmers who have infected pigs to have them slaughtered, since th

The Truth Behind Coffee Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Truth Behind Coffee      Ã‚  Ã‚   The picture may seem familiar. Tumbling out of bed and stumbling around in the kitchen-you begin your day. But wait. It cannot begin properly without that daily ritual, the morning cup of coffee. The aroma swirls throughout the room. What can compare to the richness and fullness of that first cup of coffee?    Americans lead the world in coffee drinking, consuming an average of 3.4 cups per person per day (Pennybacker 18). Gourmet coffee houses are sprouting up all over the place. But what is the real story behind this dark brown liquid? Is it as innocent as it first seems-just a pleasant morning pick-me-up? Unfortunately it isn't. Much of today's coffee is grown in such a way that it damages the environment, although it has been proven that there are far less harmful methods.    Coffee grows only in the tropics, in Mexico, Central and Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa. The field must be at an altitude between 3000 and 5000 feet with a temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For optimum growth, coffee must have shade from nearby trees and overhead growth, but it also requires at least two hours of sunlight each day ("Shrinking Shadowland" 60). These are the only requirements nececssary for coffee to grow well. Coffee comes from small green beans that are really pits of a fruit resembling a cherry. The morning coffee poured into a mug comes from a small tree (or bush) that grew for seven years before it bloomed and grew the fruit that held the beans. After one of these trees produced one pound of coffee, its life was over ("Shrinking" 61).    It was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that coffee seeds from the Middle East took to the fertile soil of... ...n one percent of the 6.3 billion pounds of coffee imported into the U.S. each year (Pennybacker 19).    The merits of full-sun coffee plantations don't even begin to measure up to the benefits of shade plantations. Shade plantations benefit both the workers and the environment. The few extra dollars paid for organic coffee might make the difference between seeing that black-throated green warbler in your yard again next spring or not.       Works Cited Pennybacker, Mindy. "Habitat-Saving Habit." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1997: 18-19. "Shrinking Shadowland." Utne Reader. Nov/Dec. 1994: 72. "Why Migratory Birds Are Crazy for Coffee." Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. 1997. Smithsonian Institution. 24 April 2000 <http://www.si.edu/smbc/fxshts/fxsht1a.htm>.    Wille, Chris. "The Birds and the Beans." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1994: 58-64.    The Truth Behind Coffee Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Topics The Truth Behind Coffee      Ã‚  Ã‚   The picture may seem familiar. Tumbling out of bed and stumbling around in the kitchen-you begin your day. But wait. It cannot begin properly without that daily ritual, the morning cup of coffee. The aroma swirls throughout the room. What can compare to the richness and fullness of that first cup of coffee?    Americans lead the world in coffee drinking, consuming an average of 3.4 cups per person per day (Pennybacker 18). Gourmet coffee houses are sprouting up all over the place. But what is the real story behind this dark brown liquid? Is it as innocent as it first seems-just a pleasant morning pick-me-up? Unfortunately it isn't. Much of today's coffee is grown in such a way that it damages the environment, although it has been proven that there are far less harmful methods.    Coffee grows only in the tropics, in Mexico, Central and Latin America, Indonesia, and Africa. The field must be at an altitude between 3000 and 5000 feet with a temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For optimum growth, coffee must have shade from nearby trees and overhead growth, but it also requires at least two hours of sunlight each day ("Shrinking Shadowland" 60). These are the only requirements nececssary for coffee to grow well. Coffee comes from small green beans that are really pits of a fruit resembling a cherry. The morning coffee poured into a mug comes from a small tree (or bush) that grew for seven years before it bloomed and grew the fruit that held the beans. After one of these trees produced one pound of coffee, its life was over ("Shrinking" 61).    It was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that coffee seeds from the Middle East took to the fertile soil of... ...n one percent of the 6.3 billion pounds of coffee imported into the U.S. each year (Pennybacker 19).    The merits of full-sun coffee plantations don't even begin to measure up to the benefits of shade plantations. Shade plantations benefit both the workers and the environment. The few extra dollars paid for organic coffee might make the difference between seeing that black-throated green warbler in your yard again next spring or not.       Works Cited Pennybacker, Mindy. "Habitat-Saving Habit." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1997: 18-19. "Shrinking Shadowland." Utne Reader. Nov/Dec. 1994: 72. "Why Migratory Birds Are Crazy for Coffee." Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. 1997. Smithsonian Institution. 24 April 2000 <http://www.si.edu/smbc/fxshts/fxsht1a.htm>.    Wille, Chris. "The Birds and the Beans." Audubon Nov./Dec. 1994: 58-64.   

Tourism Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently, ecotourism is rapidly becoming one of the world’s largest industries. According to the World Trade Organization, 600 million people traveled to see â€Å"environmental areas† in 2000, spending more than 500 billion U.S. dollars. This makes ecotourism one of the world’s number one earners, ahead of automotive products, chemicals, petroleum, even food .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But, what exactly is ecotourism? Ecotourism happens to be a special branch of tourism. The Conservation International defines it best saying it is â€Å"responsible travel that promotes the conservation of nature and sustains the well being of local people .†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There has been dramatic growth of participation in outdoor recreation and ecotourism activities. The bad impacts of ecotourism have led to high demands and this has attracted tourist developers looking to access the environment, â€Å"answering the tourist’s demands†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unfortunately, there are very few rules or regulations regarding ecotourism and its development. And because of the lack of rules tourism developers are destroying the environment. This problem can not go unnoticed. We are running out of places to ruin, and we will soon not have any where to call home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Erlet Cater and Gwen Lowman,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The much needed rules and regulations must include good and environmentally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sensitive, infrastructure-including airports, transport and communications   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  networks, and sanitation and electricity supplies. But above all else,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sustainable ecotourism requires careful planning †. Without this planning, ecotourism is doing more harm that good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I will show how these tourist developers are putting huge strains on the environment and how the effects of this behavior will eventually leave the land with the inability to cope with the drastic changes. I believe with carefully planned ecotourism development and rules and regulations, we can make ecotourism and the environment blend simultaneously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, the tourist developers are adding increased pressure to the limited natural resources, especially in places... ...ions to stop all this destructive behavior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Letting this growing problem go unnoticed will lead to the environment’s crumbling. We have no other options when it comes to living on another planet, at least at the moment. We need to establish harsher rules and take better care of where we call home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, now that I have explained what tourist developers are doing wrong and what they are doing to destroy our environment we can see that the effects of their behavior have been devastating. We are running out of places to ruin and resources to use up. Someone must step up and create rules so we can protect our environment instead of destroying the earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography Cater, Erlet, and Lowman, Gwen. Ecotourism-a sustainable option?. New York, 1994. Croall, J. (1995) Preserve or Destroy: Tourism and the Environment. London:Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. â€Å"Ecotourism.† Online Posting. 2 February 2002. 27 January 2004. Theobald, William. Global Tourism: the next decade. Oxford, 1994. Worpole, K. (1999) Driving Forces. The Guardian, 8 June.

Computerised quotation system Essay

The task that I am going to provide a solution for is to produce a computerised quotation system for S & S Insurances. EXISTING SYSTEM: Thomas Davidson is currently a broker providing insurance for cars. At present he insures through a financial institution, S & S Finances. He is a broker working for the insurance company S & S Insurances. He has worked with many insurance companies in the past trying to find the best deal so that he can earn a good amount of profit. He finally made a deal with S & S Insurances in which he can gain a good amount of commission. His job is to find customers who would like to buy insurance for their cars and he gains a commission of 7.5% for each customer to whom he sells a quote. He started his career as a broker approximately three years ago after being made redundant as a factory worker assembling car parts. He has no employees working for him at the moment. However his wife helps him with the paperwork when she can. Thomas works full- time from his home study, which is located in the heart of Streatham. In the past Thomas has had a lot of experience dealing with customers and clients. He now has a number of devoted customers who frequently contact him when the renewal for their car insurance is due. Thomas usually interacts with his customers over the phone from his study; sometimes however he does conduct business at the home of his customer to their convenience. When Thomas finds an interested client he firstly explains to the client everything that is involved in the quote. In order for Thomas to calculate the insurance quote, he uses a calculator, a record of tables with the insurance ratings provided by S & S Insurances and his diary where he notes all the information down. The insurance ratings show a different variety of things the first table is the insurance group, which shows the basic cost for a car depending on the car’s make, price and power. The more expensive and powerful the car, higher the basic cost. Thomas then adjusts the basic cost by multiplying it by various factors, which could affect the insurance. Age is also a factor, the older the driver is, the less they are considered as a risk. Sex is also a factor; a female is considered as a less of a risk than males. The area you live in is also a criterion which Thomas considers before issuing an insurance quote, if you live in a high risk sensitive area you are likely to pay more. The customer can then choose what type of insurance he would like; third party only, third party fire and theft or fully comprehensive. The insurance also offers an extra driver criterion, which can be added at an increased cost. Thomas then offers a discount to the customers if they have had no claims varying from the past year or five years. Thomas then calculates the quote by multiplying the basic cost with all the factor multipliers and seeing if they can get a discount and then giving the customer the final result. Thomas writes all of the things discussed and quotations in his diary. If the client agrees to go ahead with the quote after hearing the final cost, Thomas makes a word- processed quote, which he then sends to S & S Insurances. From there S & S Insurances make the actual policy and then send it directly to the customer. Thomas does possess a computer and laptop at home, which his children use for educational purposes. Thomas has very little knowledge about using computers, however to produce the insurance quotes which are word-processed his daughter helps him and recently Thomas has started to produce the quotes by himself since he is gradually learning to use a computer, even though he is slow with the typing. Thomas makes hand-written notes about all his clients, their details and policies, which is time consuming and can get tiring and boring despite having a computer due to his lack of computer skills. Furthermore sometimes Thomas’ wife also helps him with the paperwork, if there are too many customers wishing to have a quote ready. Thomas says that most of his customers find out about his business by word of mouth or from the consequence of the advert he has placed in the local newspaper, if he could he would also like to attract more customers to increase the standard of his living. Thomas Davidson finds the existing manual way he issues quotes prolonged and exhausting and would like to automate the system. He would also prefer to make more use of his laptop, however his lack of computer skills is a problem and therefore would like to be able to issue quotes on a simple and straightforward system. He would also like to automate the system so that it would be much faster to issue quotes and therefore would not have to spend too much time doing things manually. At the moment he hardly gets anytime to spend with his children especially when there is a heavy workload. Thomas feels that if he were able to get the system to be computerised he would like to employ some staff and expand and preferably shift into an office. He would also like to work with more than one insurance company at the same time if possible in the near future. CONSTRAINTS: There are not many constraints however there are a few which are important. My user Thomas Davidson has no experience of using a computer except for possessing basic typing skills. This means the system will have to be easy and simple to use and understand. Another constraint is time, although my user does not want the system to be made immediately or as soon as possible. However he would like the computerised system to be created soon so that he can use it and update all his handwritten manual notes onto the system and be able to use it with future clients. USER REQUIREMENTS: My user is Thomas Davidson, who is a broker for S & S Insurances for whom I will be creating a computerised quotation system. He would like the following requirements to be taken into account. * To be able to see the total cost of the insurance quote. * To be able to see the total cost of the insurance quote before a discount is given. * To be able to print the quotation. * To make sure that system is safe and secure. * To be able to see the details of all the customers such as; forename, surname, age, and the type of insurance they would like. * To be able to store the issued quotes so that they can be used at a later date. * To enable phone enquiries to be dealt much quickly. * To make the system user- friendly. * To make sure the data entered is accurate. * To make the system look professional, systematic and organised. QUANTITATIVE OBJECTIVES: * To use a formula to work out the total cost of the insurance quote. * To use another formula to work out the cost of the quote excluding the discount. * To be able to print multiple copies of the quotes. * To make the system password protected so a password will be needed in order to enter the system. * To make sure the details about the customers’ names, surnames, addresses, age and other details can be seen. * To be able to use a command button so data can be stored. * To use drop down boxes to be able to select options. QUALITATIVE OBJECTIVES: * To make the system user- friendly I will create a user interface so that it is easy to move around the system. * To make the system look professional and organised. PERFORMANCE CRITERIAS: * The system should be able to use a formula in order to work out the total cost of the insurance quote. * The system should be able to use a calculation in order to work out the cost of the insurance excluding the discount. * The system should be able to print multiple copies of the insurance quotation. * The system should be password enable, so a password will be needed in order to access the system to make sure the system is safe. * The system should show all the details about the customers such as names, surnames, addresses and other details. * The system should be able to store the issued quotes so that they can be used at a later date. * The system should have drop down boxes so the user can select options quickly and easily. NEW SYSTEM: HARDWARE: In order to computerise the quotation system I will need a Windows XP computer. I will also need a QWERTY keyboard and a mouse in order to input the data into the spreadsheet. I will be using the hard drive to save the spreadsheet on an internal storage. I will also be saving the spreadsheet on an external storage such as CR-RW so that I have a back- up copy of the data in case the original copy is deleted I will still have another copy. I will also be using a VDU (visual display unit) to see the spreadsheet. I will also be using a printer to print out the quotes so that the user can see them and then send them to S & S Insurances. SOFTWARE: In order to produce the car insurance quotation system I will be using spreadsheet software for many reasons. In a spreadsheet I can use many of the features which will enable me to produce an efficient quotation system. I can use macros, list boxes, combo boxes, V Lookup, IF statements and other features in the system. There is other software such as a word- processor or a database but they are not suitable for this quotation system. Although you can make tables and do basic calculations they are only limited as they are not mainly designed for that purpose. I will be using Microsoft Excel 2003 as I do not have any other spreadsheet software available on my computer. I will also use it as I am more familiar with it as I have used it many times in the past. SECURITY: I will need to make sure the spreadsheet I create will be kept safe and secure. I will need to make sure the data is secure as I will need to follow the Data Protection Act 1998. In order to comply with the law I will keep the data safe by having cell protection so if anyone other than me or the user accesses the data he will need to enter the password in order to alter the information. I will also keep a backup copy of the system so if the user loses the original copy he will still have another backup copy. INPUT, PROCESSES AND OUTPUT: Input: I will input all the data required using a keyboard into the spreadsheet. The input data I will need in order to produce the quotation system are all the customer details and the headings. I will require the following specific data about the customers: forename, surname, address, sex, model and make of the car. I will also need the age of the driver, which will be in a grouped arrangement e.g. 17- 19 or 60- 65. The type of insurance the driver wants will also be required whether it is, fully comprehensive, third party only or third party fire and theft. I will abbreviate the type of insurance to make it shorter so it would be much quicker to type and also easier. I will also need to know what type of area the driver lives in, as this could be a risk factor, low, medium or high. I will also need to know if the driver would like to state an extra driver or not. I will also need to know the number of claims the driver has made in the past 4 years and whether he is eligible for a discount. The other details I will need to know is about the insurance and which rating the cars are allocated according to their power and cost. I will also need to know about the multipliers so that I can work what I need to multiple the costs, these will be allocated to the sex, age of driver, risk of area and insurance and type. The final detail I will need to know are the number of penalty points the customer has, as having more conviction point will increase the cost of the insurance quote. Processes: In order to create the quotation system I will need to carry out a number of processes with the input data in order to produce the output. The fixed data will be the data that I will not change on the spreadsheet such as the main headings e.g.: forename, surname, address. The variable data will be the data that will change. The data that will need to be changed are all the details about the customer and his car. In order to fulfil the following user requirements I will carry out a number of processes: * To be able to see the total cost of the insurance quote and to be able to see the total cost of the insurance quote before a discount is given. I will be using a formula to calculate the total costs of the quote and also to work out the cost excluding the discount. I will be using a simple Auto sum calculation in order to do this. In order to work out the total cost I will need to use a V Lookup formula. A V Lookup searches for a value in the leftmost column of a table, and then returns a value in the same rows from a column you specify in the table. I will be using a V Lookup formula since I will having different things on different sheets it will need to lookup the values in other cells. * To be able to print the quotation. In order to do this the user can use the menu options on the toolbar however to make it easier for the user I will have a macro. * To make sure that system is safe and secure. In order to keep the data safe I will be using cell protection. I will be keeping a password so when someone accesses the file he will be prompted to enter the password. If the password entered is correct he will gain access and be able to change the data. However if an incorrect password is entered an error message will appear informing the user he cannot gain access. * To be able to see the details of all the customers such as; forename, surname, age, and the type of insurance they would like. In order to do this I will have a sheet where the details about the customer can be seen. * To be able to store the issued quotes so that they can be used at a later date. In order to do this I will be using macros. Macro is a feature that stores a series of commands so that the user can use them with a single command. I will be using macros for various things such as printing the quote, storing the quotes, to view the quotes and other tasks. * To enable phone enquiries to be dealt much quickly. In order to fulfil this requirement I will be using a variety of buttons to make it easier for the user. Option buttons are used for choosing one item from a list of options, where you can select one option button at a time. I will be using them so the user can select the sex of the driver, either male or female. Combo boxes can also be called drop- down boxes, which offer a number of choices to the user, one of which maybe selected. I will be using a combo box so that my user can select the driver’s car. By selecting on the drop- down arrow will provide the models of the cars. A list box and combo boxes are alike however a list box shows the choices available without having to click on the arrow. I will be using a list box for the risk assessment of the area and type of insurance, as there are only three options from which the user can select. A check box is a box, which can either be selected or unselected, when you click on the box a tick appears in the box. I will be using a check box for the declaration of the extra driver. A spinner is made up of two arrows, one point up and the other down. By clicking on the up arrow increases the value and the down arrow decreases the value. I will be using the spinner to choose the number of years the driver has made no claims. I will also be using IF statements in order to see the values of the check box which will check whether the customer would like an extra driver. * To make the system user- friendly. In order to make the printed quote professional and organised I will be adding the name of the company, address, telephone numbers and the company logo at the top. I will also arrange all the information into sections and add colour to make it look more attractive. I will create the macros into buttons so the user can quickly carry the tasks. I will also add a front end to the system. A front end is the name given to the user-friendly interface that will appear on the screen when the file is loaded. It will provide the user with a number of options. Once the data has been entered I will need to rename the worksheets and insert a defined name for certain data which will be used in calculations. Output: The output will be the full quote details, which will be on the screen of the computer showing the customer name, address, car details, and the cost of the insurance and without the discount. The output on the screen will also show the macros, which can be used to navigate around the system. The other output will be the fully modified and professional printed quote that will show the company logo along with the company’s address and contact numbers. It will also show the issue date, all the details about the quote and the expiry date of the quote.