Budget Information Problem Based In Metroline Travel Engineering Accounting Essay

Budget Information Problem Based In Metroline Travel Engineering Accounting Essay This report outlines a budget information problem based in Metroline Travel engineering and logistical function. The report also presents a discussion and analysis of a budget information problem with reference to the problem solving frame work. The project also includes the 4 Ps within the marketing mix, limitations of incremental budgeting, 10 criteria which are proposed for good-quality information and a financial analysis of the logistical function overtime cost. These analyses are necessary for competent decision-making. In addition, the report concludes with an investigative examination of these problems and plausible recommendations to address the companys deficiencies. Also noteworthy, advantages and disadvantages using the SMART framework with recommendations and implications will also be outlined. Contents Assignment 02 1 A budget information problem within the logistical function 1 B629/BZX629 Managing 2: Marketing and Finance 1 Report Prepared by: Kelemn Wyllie 1 Senior Material Support Manager 1 Metroline Travel 1 Tutor 1 Mr. Jay Naik 1 1 Date of the Report: 25-08-2010 1 Contents 3 TMA Part 1 5 Introduction 5 Stakeholder Analysis 6 Problem Statement 7 Figure 4 Internal Engineering Value Chain Analysis 7 Analysis 9 10 Conclusion 14 Recommendation 16 Figure 12 recommendations within the budget control loop 16 Bibliography 21 Appendix 22 TMA Part 2: TMA Activities 38 Activity 1: Week 6 Table 6.1 Three new tasks you could do at work 38 Activity 2: Week 6 Table 6.2 Costs Rewards associated with the proposed 3 new work 39 Activity 3: Week 6 Table 6.3 Communicating your proposed idea to peers in the organisation 40 Activity 4: Week 7 Table 7.1 How I currently deliver the service and how it could be improved 41 Activity 5: Week 8 Table 8.1 Focus group research on a marketing problem 42 Activity 6: Week 9 Table 9.1 Investigate marketing planning in my own organisation 43 Activity 7: Week 9 Table 9.2 The Marketing Plan 44 Activity 8: Week 10 Part A What financial information do you deal with at home and at work? 45 Activity 8: Week 10 Part B Share with other students what you hope to achieve by studying finance 46 Activity 9: Week 10 Table 10.1 Stakeholders financial information needs 47 Activity 10: Week 10 Table 10.2 Financial information requirements 48 Activity 11: Week 11 A completed version of Table 11.1 Garden Furnishings: solving the problem 49 Activity 12: Week 12 A Word Document noting your/your line managers budgetary information requirements 50 Activity 13: Week 12 Part A A completed version of Table 12.2 Template for cash budget 51 Activity 13: Week 12 Part B A Word document discussing practical application of master and cash budget information to problems of Garden Furnishings 52 Activity 14: Week 12 Resolving a budget information problem 53 TMA Part 1 Introduction As senior material manager in a public bus company called Metroline Travel. A subsidiary company owned by the Singapore based ComfortDelGro Corporation. See Appendix for profit and loss account and other related financial information as of 31st march 2010. The worlds second largest listed land transport company. The senior material manager supervises a team of 15 material support managers across London. These personnel are the logistical team and their core responsibilities are the supply, storage and procurement of parts to engineering (core activity). The logistical hierarchy is illustrated in figure 1. Figure 1 Metroline Organisational Structure (Logistical Department) Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder analysis is a useful technique used to identify the key people within the logistical function framework. These key personnel are very important to the organizational structure because they have tremendous power and influence which affects the performance and future resource planning allocated from senior management. Managers should consider the organisations responsibilities and commitment to all its stakeholders. (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 196) According to Mendelows matrix these can be grouped into to 4 categories which are illustrated figure 2 in Metroline Travel below: Figure 2 Mendelows matrix High Low C- Keep Satisfied D- Key Players A- Minimal Effort B-Keep Informed Low HighPower Level of Interest A- Drivers B- Operation, Suppliers C- Finance department D- Engineering (Core Activity) Assumptions To make the problem more bounded: Material managers have complete autonomy over their overtime Material manager received invoices on a Friday in May, June and July Budgets are formed outside the control of the logistical function Cost can be divided in to fixed and variable cost The material managers are constraint to 19 hours per week overtime (limiting factor) in line with the EU working time directive Problem Statement Budgets are used for detailed planning in the allocation of resources in a business. This information is important to management and stakeholders alike in assessing the activities and performance of an organisation, illustrated in Figure 3. The logistical function overtime budget is based on an incremental budgeting principle with an absorption costing approach for allocating cost per material managers. The incremental budgeting principle is based on 9% of their base salary plus current inflation. However, the material mangers overtime for May, June and July allowance were over budgeted which would affect workers long term motivational level working on a weekend. This over-budget affects the controlling, planning and decision-making of its activities. This overtime process is very important in maintaining a reliable service to engineering. Figure 3 Information direction Senior material support manager Material mangers Engineering The value chain consists of a series of activities that create and builds significance in maintaining a bus. An organisation can consider the activities in its value chain and assess if they are value added activities or non-value added activities. (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 190) This is illustrated in figure 4. Figure 4 Internal Engineering Value Chain Analysis EQUIPMENT ENVIRONMENT OTHER OTHER INPUT MACHINERY OUTPUT TOOLS QUALITY CHECKS REPAIR REPORT ENGINEERS BUS REPAIR MANAGEMENT PARTS GARAGE OVERTIME OTHER MATERIAL MANAGERS OTHER PROCESS PEOPLE As their line manager; I was tasked by the head of purchasing and logistics to investigate and place corrective actions to bring this over budgeting back under control. This over- budget is illustrated in figure 5. Figure 5. Material Managers Overtime budget as of the 31 July 2010 MONTHS January February March April May June July USER Material manager 1  £800  £900  £100  £100  £445  £520  £549 Material manager 2  £0  £220  £200  £220  £458  £612  £323 Material manager 3  £0  £100  £500  £461  £552  £144  £66 Material manager 4  £0  £50  £100  £110  £100  £222  £366 Material manager 5  £0  £60  £631  £100  £223  £141  £316 Material manager 6  £200  £100  £211  £250  £300  £44  £342 Material manager 7  £0  £600  £0  £54  £642  £335  £559 Material manager 8  £102  £0  £200  £0  £452  £500  £445 Material manager 9  £200  £0  £130  £0  £452  £900  £498 Material manager 10  £500  £0  £45  £0  £100  £626  £613 Material manager 11  £100  £200  £115  £225  £100  £225  £889 Material manager 12  £0  £200  £25  £445  £252  £225  £789 Material manager 13  £200  £0  £255  £235  £231  £995  £145 Material manager 14  £0  £120  £22  £122  £85  £452  £445 Material manager 15  £0  £100  £12  £144  £200  £100  £112 Total =  £2,102  £2,650  £2,546  £2,466  £4,592  £6,041  £6,457 Budget  £4,000  £4,000  £4,000  £4,000  £4,000  £4,000  £4,000 Cost variance  £1,898  £1,350  £1,454  £1,534 - £592 - £2,041 - £2,457 adverse adverse adverse Total Budget-  £48,000 Monthly allowance  £4,000 Daily rate-  £12.60 Weekend rate-  £20.23 Analysis Market segmentation is an important marketing task described by Bonomo and Shapiro (1983), cited by Sargeant (2009). It has a number of advantages which can be used to identify existing and potential customers. By placing customers into different groups by successful targeting their needs and managing their expectations. Figure 5. Organisational market segmentation criteria (Operating variables) Engineering (core activity) Heavy user Suppliers Medium user Finance department Medium user OTHER Light users After speaking with the material managers and investigating their overtime sheets for the months for May, June and July submitted to payrolls. The investigation using; the problem solving framework (The Managers Good Study Guide, PG 69). I found that the material managers were working more on a weekend to incur the over budget this is illustrated in figure 6 in appendix, which the daily rate is  £12.60 while the weekend rate is  £20.23 The budgeting system can seriously influence the level of motivation and culture of an organisation, because budgets play a central role in (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 155). This was because of an increase of activity; 40 plus financial invoices received from the finance department over May, June and July were received on a Friday and could not be completed that day because of day to day activities. These invoices needed to be resolved as soon as possible and took some time to process on the data base system for payment for the following week from finance illustrated in figure 7 . In addition, the limitation of the incremental budgeting, this budgeting type has inefficiencies and imperfections which were not noticed, until the increase of activity. Figure 7 total financial invoice hours to completion Using the 4 Ps- Price- Was the increase in the usage of overtime to complete the receipt of engineering invoices which will affect the material managers long term motivation coming into work allocating resources and imposing constraints on activity (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 155). Product- Was the volumes and frequency of the engineering invoices given on a Friday identifying those areas that require corrective action (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 155). Promotion- The finance manager; a senior manager requesting this activity be completed as soon as possible assessing how well managers have carried out their responsibilities (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 155). Place- Is material managers working location assessing how well managers have carried out their responsibilities (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 155). Budgeting is needed to provide managers at different levels with useful information to keep on the right road. This is illustrated in 11.2 the pyramid of purpose. This information is received for decision making. Corporate level- Provide a bus service to Transport for London Material manager overtime Support engineering Provide a bus service to Transport for London Provide parts and technical information Business level- Support engineering Operational level-Provide parts and technical information Operating Level-Material manager daily overtime Analysis of information criteria not being met There are 10 criteria which are proposed for good-quality information for decision-making; this is illustrated in figure 8. However the material managers overtime sheets were being sent directly to payroll, which added to the budget information problem. 1 Relevant- Their line manager had no knowledge of Material managers overtime 7 Timely- No Knowledge of Material managers overtime being over budget until at the end of the month 8 Communicated to the right person- Overtime sheets were sent directly to payrolls Figure 8 10 criteria which are propose for good-quality information for decision-making 10 Less costly than the value of the benefits it provides 9 Communicated via the right channel 8 Communicated to the right person 7 Timely 6 Concise 5 Trustworthy 4 Complete 3 Sufficiently accurate 2 Clear 1 Relevant Good-quality information for decision-making Analysis of the absorption costing approach From the cost analysis, the logistical function has a total budget figure of  Ã‚ £48,000. This is calculated by applying the  normal budgeted hourly rate of  £12.60 which is the budgeted man (direct labour) hours per manager according to normal capacity illustrated in figure 9, by the using the incremental budgeting principle. Figure 9 cost assignment is both Indirect cost- variable Overtime brought on by finance invoices Cost object Bus repair Direct cost- fixed Weekly overtime to provide parts and technical information to engineering The indirect and direct costs are equally distributed illustrated in figure 10, using the absorption costing approach which all cost is allocated to the main budget. This prevents monitoring of actual hours against the  actual spend within the budget. The resulting variances  should have enabled the logistical function to monitor the productivity and efficiency of all the managers. Hopefully, you can then see if there is a pattern or a reason for persistent adverse variance. The analysis will provide you with some clues about incentivize or modify  such behaviour via the budget building process. Figure 10 Relationship between costs Direct cost Variable cost Overtime brought on by finance invoices  £20.23 Fixed cost Weekly overtime to technical information to engineering  £12.60 Indirect cost Break-even analysis Break-even analysis identifies the level of activity and risk at which an organisation can generates no surplus or deficit. In the case of an over-budgeting issue; it relates to the point where the logistical function is in budget and will not be penalized for being over spent illustrated in figure 11. TotalJanuary February March April May June July  £2,102  £2,650  £2,546  £2,466  £4,592  £6,041  £6,457 Over BudgetNet Total =  £26,854 Total Budget- £ 48,000 Monthly allowance  £4,000 =  £48000- £26,854 =  £21,146 21,146(Fixed cost)/ 6 months =  £3,524 per month in overtime remaining  £3,524/ 15 material managers=  £234.93 per manager Direct cost  £234.93/  £12.60 = 18.64(Contribution) weekly hours per month or Indirect cost  £234.93/  £20.23 = 11.61(Contribution) weekend hours per month Figure 11 Break-even analysis Conclusion From the analysis, there is a clear budget information problem within the logistical function; the problem solving frame work has identified several problem areas. By Using the 4 Ps to illustrate Material managers working more on a weekend which has a higher premium rate than daily working. The limitations of the incremental budgeting; as an effective forecasting tool. 10 criteria; which are essential for good-quality information for decision-making. In which 3 criteria are not being met. In addition, not identifying true cost drivers within the budget. In which material managers that are working more on a weekend are not identified. These factors combined have affected the logistical function staying within their overtime budget. Recommendation Budgeting is part of the control process in organisations: the control loop (Understanding marketing and financial information, P. 134). The setting objectives, planning and implementing tasks, monitoring progress, reviewing results and adjusting tasks are crucial in staying and planning budgets illustrated in figure 12. Based on the investigative examination and analysis of the problems; these recommendations should improve the over- budget situation and return productivity. Figure 12 recommendations within the budget control loop Check against overtime sheets past weeks If not working- restart from the begin of the loop Operational level Provide parts and technical information Use recommendation outlined in action plan to control material manger overtime budget- budget building process Using the SMART framework from (Understanding marketing and financial information, Pg 122) the action plan will be outlined as the following Recommendation Timeline Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats (Price) Material manager weekly overtime sheets sent to senior material manager 1 week to start Giving back control to the line manager by improving the Relevant, Communicated to the right person and Timely elements of information Increase of Senior material manager workload To start a new process, which can be adapted throughout the company and monitor usage for next year budget review Material managers might feel disempowered which might affect there motivation (Place) Weekend overtime needs pre-approval 1 week to start Giving back control to line manager by improving the control element of the budgeting loop. In addition the material having to work on a weekend might increase their morale Increase of Senior material manager workload To start a new process, which can be adapted throughout the company and monitor usage for efficiency of material mangers Identification of cost drivers Control of weekend working (indirect labour) Material managers might feel disempowered which might affect their motivation (Product) + Promotion Finance manager giving the invoices on a Monday instead of a Friday 2 weeks to start Spread the work load of the material manager Direct labour cost Increase of material managers weekly workload Weekend overtime can be used to complete other essential engineering task Build up of daily work that carried over from day to day Rolling budgets Next financial year Flexibility is built into the budgeting system to deal with any changes arising from day to day activities Updated much more frequently increasing work load It encourage a high level of learning and flexibility Rolling budget can be expensive in terms of management and administrating time. Which might affect management morale and less time to manage Activity based costing Next financial year Understand what and where is driving costs Very time consuming, checking each material managers overtime sheet for cost drivers Understand of cost drivers  before an informed decision can be reached If inappropriate drivers are selected. then it could lead to incorrect decisions  resulting in loss of efficiency,  de-motivation of staff and eventual failure of the business Work shredding to engineering administration clerks 2 weeks Reduce in material manager weekend overtime- It asserts, on quite strong evidence, that 80% of our results are generally produced by 20% of our effort and that the remaining 80% of our effort is swallowed up in achieving that last 20% of our results Increase in administration clerks workload Training have to be provided- cost Training and development Increase in errors by new users. Responsibility still remains with material manager 1640 Words References B629/BZX629 Managing 2: Marketing and finance Understanding marketing and financial information by Produced for the course team by Andrew Lindridge and Haider Ali (Marketing) and Graham Francis and Michael Lucas (Finance) The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA 2010 The Open University The Managers Good Study Guide by Academic Editor: Sheila Tyler 2007 The Open University Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA Booms, B. H. and Bitner M. J. (1981) Marketing Strategies and Organization Structures for service firms in Donnelly, J.H. and George, W. R. (eds) (1981) Marketing of Services, Chicago: American Marketing Association, pp. 47-52. Hope, J. and Fraser, R.(2003)Beyond Budgeting: How Managers Can Break Free from the Annual Performance Trap, Boston, M.A., Harvard Business School. Francis, G. Et al, (2009), B629 Managing 2, Marketing and Finance, Understanding marketing and Financial Information Part 3, the Open University, Milton Keynes Lindridge A et al,, (2009), Understanding Marketing and financial Information, B629/BX629, Managing 2: Marketing and Finance Part 2, Chapter 6, The marketing Mix, Managing Channel Conflict ,Communication difficulties / Expectation Role Incongruities pg21, the Open University, Milton Keynes Johnson and Scholes (1993) Mendelows matrix, Exploring corporate strategy PG. 177 New York: Prentice Hall, 1993.   Bonomo, T. V. and Shapiro, B. P. (1983) Segmenting The Industrial Market, Lexington, Lexington Books, cited in Sargeant, A. (2009) Marketing Management for Non profit Organisations, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Bibliography Examples, Francis, G (2009), Understanding marketing and financial information, B629/BX629 Managing 2: Marketing and Finance Part 3, the Open University, Milton Keynes Lindridge, A et al, (2009), Understanding marketing and financial information, B629/BX629 Managing 2 : Marketing and Finance Part 1, the Open University, Milton Keynes Lucas, M et al (2009), Managing 2: Marketing and finance, Course Activities 3, the Open University, Milton Keynes Francis, G (2009), Understanding marketing and financial information, B629/BX629 Managing 2: Marketing and Finance Part 3, the Open University, Milton Keynes Tyler, S. (2007), The Managers Good Study Guide, 3rd edition, the Open University, Milton Keynes.

Cooking From South Africa Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cooking from West Africa   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hundreds of years ago the empires of West Africa flourished and expanded through trade on the edge of the Sahara desert. Today, these lands are occupied by modern nations after a long and brutal history throughout the lands of Africa. Stretching from Senegal to Nigeria, these lands are rich in resources, ranging from wet coastal rain forests to the Sahel at the edge of the desert. Along with expansion came the foods of the region of West Africa, which are rich in flavor and reveal the wonderful diversity of African cuisine. The land south of the Sahara is full of history and contains a full array of foods, revealing the culture and creativity of the vast resources that encompass the land (Jackson 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  West Africa encompasses a wide band south from the Sahara Desert to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with very different climates accordingly. Ancient traders would make frequent journeys across the desert to exchange salt and spices for gold, along with ivory and slaves in the south. The Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai expanded and flourished as a result of the trans-Saharan trade. This trade was crucial for West Africa and for many years this trade was the only interaction West Africa had with the rest of the world (Jackson 8). In the fiftee...

Aboriginal stolen generation Essay

Given the ongoing and intergenerational effects of being taken away, is it useful to think of the Stolen Generations as something that happened in the past, or as a contemporary issue affecting Indigenous peoples? What implications are there for all Australians in recognizing the need for national healing? The Stolen Generation was a time of grief, sorrow and sadness for many indigenous people. To say that it is something of the past would be distorting the seriousness of the issue, the Stolen Generation was and always will be a contemporary issue affecting indigenous people. Although race relations in Australia have been signified for many decades there still remains a historic distinction between ‘black’ and ‘white’ people and this is why Australians are faced with the implications of recognizing the need for national healing. The immediate impacts of the Stolen Generation left many children feeling incomplete, lost and alone. The Stolen Generation continues to impact upon contemporary Indigenous spiritualties as the removal of a complete generation of children from their families has had a negative effect on the ability of these children to maintain their cultural identities, spirituality and their own sense of belonging to the world. The implications left for Australians in recognizing the need for national healing are extensive, Australians can be seen as the ones who need to continually fix the wrongs of the past, and although the nation strive towards coherence between Indigenous people and contemporary society it will never change what has already happened. The initial impacts of those victims of the stolen generation began with the direct disconnection from family members and the harsh reality that they were now separated from loved ones, which in some cases was forever. This factor in particular is one of the leading reasons that indigenous people are affected by the Stolen Generation as a contemporary issue in today’s society. Family is what provides a sense of closure and connection in an individual’s life. To have been stripped of that at such a young age leads to many complications and developmental issues that still haunt many indigenous people today. Many indigenous people are now suffering and hurting because of what occurred, and what they were faced with. As evidenced in one of many testimonies from victims of the stolen generation Frank Byrne is just one of many who are hurting, as he says that, â€Å"It’s very important to tell people our stories because we are hurting. It hurts. We lost our family and we didn’t bring that on. It was the Government. Why? We don’t know why. We’re just as human as everybody and we’re hurting†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The contemporary issue being represented is evident that the Stolen Generation is not something that can ever be put in the past, Frank was born in 1937 and taken away a short time after, if he is still hurting almost 70 years later then that should be enough to prove that the issue of removing children from their families at such a young age is a very serious one. Whilst indigenous people have suffered ongoing pain, there have been developments in addressing their desire for closure, and their need for an apology was finally addressed. However, the negative implications left for Australians in helping them heal can be seen as what really impacts upon the way in which Australians are able to help in the healing process. It can be seen as unfortunate that today’s societies are the ones who pay for the mistakes of the past and for some Australians it may be a burden thrust upon them that’s existence might not ever cease. It is assumed by many that no matter how much is done, Australia will always pay for the occurrence of the Stolen Generation and in a way that can be deemed true. It is more than obvious that suffering did not start and finish for members of the indigenous communities, suffering started many years ago and will remain, the brutality and seriousness of the issue does not simply heal with time or become a memory it is immovable from the world, and most importantly from those who suffered. In saying this however, there are others willing to help in achieving a positive connection with the members of the indigenous community, in particular those affected by the Stolen Generation. This can be seen through various orgainisation who thrive for a better society and aim at helping those in need of healing to heal and be given the closure they deserve. For example, ‘The healing foundation’ is a government run orgainisation with a main goal and belief that ‘We can close the Gap by supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to build stronger communities, heal the trauma, and preserve and celebrate our culture and our people’. Various healing programs are run through this orgainisation and they all aim to target different aspects that need to be addressed, eg; holding healing camps on country- This could ultimately help restore the connection to land that was once lost when removed from it, being in a place where you feel most comfortable would in due course enable indigenous people to strengthen that connection to the land, and in affect from that help their pain. The pain of the past, and the impact it has on the present is left with individuals from the Stolen Generation. It is safe to say that up until this present day Indigenous people are frowned upon by many, and are discriminated based on their race and opinions on what kind of people they really are. This in turn leads to the exclusion of individuals from society, and then the feeling of being rejected and neglected. This feeling has then impacted many to resort to violence &crime, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and in extreme cases suicide. However, whilst some resort to these negative responses, most are the victims of abuse and crime. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the crime rate for indigenous people on average, are considerably higher crime victimisation rates. In 2008, around one-quarter (23%) of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over reported being a victim of physical or threatened violence in the last 12 months, and one in seven (15%) had experienced at least one episode of physical violence in the previous year (ABS 2010c). In 2009 in the Northern Territory, police recorded 5,985 Indigenous people per 100,000 Indigenous populations as victims of assault in 2009 compared to 1,150 non-Indigenous people per 100,000 non-Indigenous populations. The figures speak for themselves, being a part of the Stolen Generation may not only be the reason that indigenous people are secluded and victimized, but it does account for the distinction between them and the rest of the community. Being victimized becomes a very serious contemporary issue as it now creates the start of an ongoing chapter, where Indigenous people are targeted based on their race and who they are believed to be. It creates a polluted society where negative connotations are what define people, when it should at no time come down to that. Australians need to recognize the need for national healing, and address such issues like violence so that it sooner or later becomes non-existent. The implications for this that Australians are left with are to help those who are victims of abuse, and support the people of the Stolen Generation who need supporting. As outlined in the ‘Bringing them home report’ many homes that children were placed in were extremely cruel, and most suffered from sexual and physical abuse. It was evident that most in power abused their positions and as a result the Indigenous people were the ones who underwent the constant exploitation. In recognizing the need for healing all Australians are faced with the realization that because of this most indigenous people are sensitive to change, do not adapt well with strangers and as a result are separated from society. In helping break that barrier and minimize these effects it is important to enable space for change and recognition of the rights and needs of the indigenous communities, especially the ones directly impacted by the after math of the Stolen Generation. When they were taken away Indigenous people were not only stripped of their families, homes and belongings but they were stripped of their identity’s. Did not matter what their name was, who they were, or where they came from. Losing your identity and being forced to change so rapidly and harshly carried so many negative consequences for those who fell victim to the change. It is because of this that today, in our society many people are still impacted and lost in finding out who they really are or where their family could be now. Being forced to assimilate into a ‘white’ Australian fell under the ‘White Australia Policy, 1901’ The policy broke important cultural, spiritual and family ties which crippled not only individuals, but whole families and even whole communities. This as a result outlines the need for society today to be understanding and acknowledge the sensitive situation that most people may still be in. There is no greater struggle in life than finding out who you are and to have been broken from any connection which could ever lead you back home will most definitely leave Indigenous people broken for many generations to come. The impact this brings to Australian society is that the issue of social justice arises and again the division between indigenous people and Australians is made evident. The suffering of being separated from family is something that was stowed upon indigenous peoples by the white Australians at the time. The constant questioning of ‘why us?’ is probably such a question left un answered by many, this leads to the implications that some Australians may feel as though it is not their role, nor fault to be the ones to acknowledge and say sorry for what has happened in the past. Although this may cause a stir for some, it is the current nation and generations to come job to ensure that the feeling of displacement and lost identities are retrieved. The separation from family not only meant a lost identity for most, but also a disconnection to their land which thus impacted their spirituality and involvement in practicing their beliefs. The issue of land rights, and the way in which indigenous people present themselves to this day is still an issue in society. Indigenous people are prone to, and enjoy being outdoors to practice their faith, for some this may be seen as intimidating, wrong, or strange but in order for healing to be achieved the Australians of this contemporary society need to acknowledge these needs of practicing their faith, and enjoying their outdoor surroundings. Indigenous people all over the world are suffering with the emotional and physical trauma of being part of the Stolen Generation. It is not something that will fade away with time, nor will it ever be forgotten about, the Stolen Generation was a horrific time for everyone who was involved and it’s the job of Australia today and in the future to right the wrongs of the past and enable the healing process to take place effectively. Bibliography ABS (September 2013). Measures of Australian progress. Retrieved September, 2013, from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1370.0~2010~Chapter~Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20peoples%20(4.4.6.2 Press, R. W. (Septemeber 2013). Stolen Generations Fact Sheet. Retrieved September, 2013, from http://reconciliaction.org.au/nsw/education-kit/stolen-generations/#impact Australian Human Rights Commission (September,2013). Australian Human Rights . Retrieved September, 2013, from http://www.humanrights.gov.au/ Byrne, F. (September, 2013). Testimonies . Retrieved September, 2013, from http://stolengenerationstestimonies.com/index.php/testimonies/1020.htm Australia, H. P. (September, 2013). Healing. Retrieved September, 2013, from http://healingfoundation.org.au/healing-programs/

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