Policy and Strategic Consumer Behavior

Question: Discuss about the Policy and Strategic for Consumer Behavior. Answer: Introduction: Scarcity also referred to as paucity is the situation where the resources available cannot satisfy the unlimited human wants (Bettini, Brown, de Haan, 2013). Manpower, equipment and raw materials like natural gas, oil and water are some of the globally economic fundamental resources that are getting scarce (Crase, 2008). Different countries face scarcity of resources depending on many different factors including the countrys financial situation, warfare, the global position of the country and the climatic conditions. For example, Sudan faces food scarcity due to the unending wars in the country in addition to the unfavorably hot weather. On the other hand, some countries like China face land scarcity due to the high population in the country. By comparison, most of the developing countries tend to have an ample supply of raw materials like copper iron food commodities, while they are short of experienced man-power and technological ability. On the other hand, the developed countries have scarce raw materials like gold and diamond but they have a large supply of an experienced labor force. This paper examines a sample scarce resource in one of the developed countries in the world. Water Scarcity in Australia Australia is among the many developed countries in the world (Dinar Albiac, 2009). Unfortunately, despite its high level of technological development, water shortage is a problem facing the country and requires urgent consideration to counter it. According to a report by the Global Food Security, scarcity of water did top the list of the Global Risk Perception Survey. It quickly displaced other factors like the spread of infectious diseases, mass destruction weapons, regional wars which cause regional problems, and failure by some countries to adapt to the climate changes. The report further adds that water is a natural resource that generates conflicting interests between farming activities, entertainment, cultural factors and the environment. These conflicts get further stemmed up when the natural resource becomes scarce. The sources of surface water in Australia include rivers, lakes, adjacent oceans and dams. These sources get used to a large extent due to their ready availability. Alternatives to water scarcity The decreasing surface water availability has led to demand alternative means and sources of water. These options include; Carbon (iv) oxide cleaning. Water has many uses in many areas including industries where it gets used as a cleaning agent or coolant on a large scale. For instance in a motor manufacturing plant, the manufacture of a single car requires 40000 liters of water. By converting this volume into domestic use, it would turn out to be of great benefit to communities experiencing water shortages. Fortunately, technology has resulted in the replacement of water by the carbon dioxide in this industrial areas. It is a dry-cleaning method where carbon dioxide in solid form gets propelled from a nozzle in ice form to clean the surfaces. It is applicable in a variety of places like hospitals, aircraft and automobile industries. It is a double saving mechanism whereby the carbon used is got from other sectors. In the long run, it not only saves on excessive water usage but also reduces climatic effects. Dry bathing. It seems ideally unrealistic to bathe without water, but technology has proven that it is a possible initiative. By using a special kind of lotion which comprises of special essential oils and bioflavonoids. These chemically blended nutrients get rid of odors, and it is as effective as taking an ordinary shower. Tapping rain water. As the rains fall, large volumes of water of water flow downstream to the lakes and oceans along the river channels. Such volumes are tapped by various means like the use of gutters along the roof edges on buildings (Ejaz Qureshi, Hanjra, Ward, 2013). The flowing water also gets directed along channels and trenches to large reservoirs or dams. Such activities increase the availability of surface water. Solutions to the scarcity Marked as a looming national tragedy, the government of Australia in collaboration with other stakeholders and non-governmental organizations came up with solutions to curb the ongoing surface water shortage by creating alternatives which includes; Solar-powered water purification. (Shevah, 2014) Gives an example of an invention by the 15-year-old Deepika Kurup, of using the oxides of zinc and titanium in containers then exposing it to ultraviolet radiation to cleanse the water making it suitable for consumption and other purposes. This invention is applicable both at small and large scale extents. Domestically, it applies to purify water used for home chores refining it into one that can drink. On the industrial level, the contaminated water disposed of into rivers can be purified through this mechanism and get re-used back at the same industries. Leakage monitoring. According to Flynn, (2014), taps left unattended in the bathrooms, toilets or even the sinks are some of the greatest contributors to water leakages at home and also in the factories. Pereira-Cardenal, (2016) agrees that in addition to this taps, the pipelines directing the waters into the homes and factories are the primary areas that cause massive losses of water by leaking. The leakages get triggered by the pipes bursting or spoiling. As a result, new technological inventions has produced software that tracks the flow of water and pinpoints the exact areas where a leakage may occur. It eventually sends back the data instantly whenever a leakage occurs. The software Zonescan Alpha helps many institutions and organizations globally in saving this natural resource. Showering with excellent efficiency. Pereira-Cardenal, (2016) points out that in most everyday situations on entering the bathroom, one leaves the water to run for a few moments before it attains the right temperature. This habit leads to continuous loss of water to a great volume every year. To curb this loss, an invention called the Eco-friendly shower system which saves the water to a desirable temperature by less than 30 seconds eventually saving volumes of water in the process. Another invention according to Grafton Hussey, (2011) is the Cullector UltraEfficient shower created by Peter Cullin from Adelaide Australia. It uses a reservoir tank that collects the water wasted during the heating up time then filters it back to the required temperature. A combination of these two methods and many others helps in reducing water wastage and eventually helping save the environment. water is a basic necessity to life a fact that makes that elevates the manner in which is demanded. Therefore, alternatives should be put in place to counter negative outcomes like human conflicts or even environmental degradation whenever a shortage occurs. Every state should put in place viable alternatives to water sources and if need be, it should formulate laws and regulations on how the available resource is used without wastage for a longer service. These laws do come in handy mostly when the need to solve conflicts resulting from misunderstandings due to the struggle to use the few available resources. References Bettini, Y., Brown, R., de Haan, F. (2013). Water scarcity and institutional change: lessons in adaptive governance from the drought experience of Perth, Western Australia. Water Science Technology, 67(10), 2160. https://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.127 Crase, L. (2008). Water policy in Australia (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Dinar, A. Albiac, J. (2009). Policy and strategic behavior in water resource management (1st ed.). London: Earthscan Ejaz Qureshi, M., Hanjra, M., Ward, J. (2013). Impact of water scarcity in Australia on global food security in an era of climate change. Food Policy, 38, 136-145. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2012.11.003 Flynn, D. (2014). Sustainable Development and Water Resource Scarcity. Archives Of Business Research, 2(5), 12-28. https://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.25.438 Grafton, R. Hussey, K. (2011). Water resources planning and management (1st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pereira-Cardenal, S. (2016). Waterenergy modelling: Adaptation to water scarcity. Nature Energy, 1(2), 16004. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.4 Shevah, Y. (2014). Water scarcity, water reuse, and environmental safety. Pure And Applied Chemistry, 86(7). https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/pac-2014-0202