Driving the Green Car Market in Australia

High fuel costs and concerns over climate change are just two factors that have caused Australia’s once-booming automotive Industry to stall in recent years. Although car exports stood at a respectable $5.2 billion in 2008, making it one of the country’s top ten export earners ahead of more traditional exports such as wine, wheat, and wool, there has been a significant change in consumer preferences. While the market was once dominated by demand for large passenger cars, consumers both domestically and abroad now want smaller cars with lower fuel consumption. As well as demands for change from car buyers, the industry has also been facing the double whammy of pressures on costs from within. Longstanding plans to cut trade tariffs and quotas that had protected the industry since 1985 have been causing alarm about what the future might hold because there is now even less incentive to build cars locally. Although the automotive industry around the world has been suffering in the deep financial downturn of the time, any further pressure on Australian car manufacturing would undoubtedly have a devastating effect. Australian carmakers build about 320,000 vehicles a year and employ about 65,000 people. Many others are also engaged in associated industries that benefit from the large market. When Mitsubishi closed the last of its manufacturing plants in 2008, leaving just three automakers operating in the country (local subsidiaries of Ford, Toyota, and General Motors), the government could see it was time to act. To add a sense of urgency, Ford Australia announced plans to cut 450 jobs, as industry figures showed car sales down 11 percent from the year before. The solution was a proposal to spend $3.4 billion between 2011 and 2020 on a fund to transform the Australian automotive industry into the green car market. The intention is to use the fund to help the manufacturers still involved in that country with thecosts of developing new technologies for alternative energy vehicles and encourage them to make any existing environmentally friendly models in Australia. The initiative caught the attention of Japanese car giant Toyota, which is one of the many international automakers racing to offer more fuel-efficient models in the wake of fuel prices hitting record highs around the world as well as increased environmental concerns. Toyota’s business plan is to reach a target of selling 1 million hybrid cars by the early part of the next decade, and to accomplish this goal, it needs to more than double production of the vehicles. The Japanese company was already buildingm its Camry hybrid in Japan, as well as in Kentucky in the United States and in a joint venture factory in China. In 2008, thanks in part to the strength of the Australian dollar, it had been weighing an alternative plan to import engines to Australia from its Kamigo plant in Japan.

In September 2010, after months of discussion, Toyota announced a $300 million upgrade of its plant in western Melbourne. Under the investment, which has been partly funded by taxpayers through a $63 million payment from the Green Car Innovation Fund, as well as an injection of cash from the local Victorian administration, the Altona engine plant was aiming to produce 100,000 hybrid engines and four-cylinder new generation engines each year from the second half of 2012. The plan was that the Australian-made engines would be exported into other countries that manufacture Toyota’s Camry and Hybrid Camry.

Toyota’s more environmentally sustainable engines will consume 4.5 percent less fuel and produce 5 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the current equivalent. The Australian government claimed that the initiative would secure as many as 3,300 jobs, including existing direct and indirect jobs, and would anchor Toyota’s operations in the country for years to come. According to Toyota executives, the support provided by the Green Car Innovation Fund was the major factor in the project going ahead when they weighed it against other alternatives, including transferring production to the home market in Japan.

Thinking Globally

7-19. What do you think were the chief factors involved in Toyota’s decision to undertake FDI in Australia rather than build its hybrids in Japan?

7-20. Why do you think Toyota decided to adapt the existing plant in Melbourne rather than build one from the ground up elsewhere in Australia? List as many reasons as you can, and explain your answer.

7-21. What do you think the decision to manufacture in Australia rather than in its domestic factories will do to the company’s reputation at home? How much attention do international customers pay to the location where their automotive are assembled?

7-22. What do you see as the pros and cons of Toyota’s approach to managing FDI?

Driving the Green Car Market in Australia
High fuel cost and concern over climate change are just two factors that have caused Australia’s once booming automotive industry to stall in recent years. Although car exports stood at a respectable $5.2 billion in 2008, making it one of the country’s top ten export earners ahead of more traditional export such as wine, wheat, and wool, there has been a significant change in consumer preferences. While the market was once dominated by demand for large passenger cars, consumer both domestically and abroad now want smaller cars with lower fuel consumption.
As well as demand for change from car buyers, the industry has also been facing the double whammy of pressure on cost from within. Longstanding plan to cut trade tariff and quotas that had protected the industry since 1985have been causing alarm about what the future might hold because there is now even less incentive to build cars locally. Although the automotive industry around the world has been suffering in the deep financial downturn of the time, any further pressure on Australian car manufacturing would undoubtedly have a devastating effect. Australian carmakers build about 320 000 vehicles a year and employ 65 000 people. Many others are also engaged in associated industries that benefit from the large market.
When Mitsubishi closed the last of its manufacturing plants in 2008, leaving just three automakers operating in the country (local subsidiaries of Ford, Toyota and General Motor), the government could see it was time to act. To add a sense of urgency, Ford Australia announced plans to cut 450 jobs, as industry figures showed car sales down 11 percent from the year before.
The solution was a proposal to spend $3.4 billion between 2011 and 2020 on a fund to transform the Australian Automotive industry into the green car market. The intention is to use the fund to help the manufacturers still involved in that country with the costs of developing new technologies for alternative energy vehicles and encourage them to make any existing environmentally friendly models in Australia.
The initiative caught the attention of Japanese car giant Toyota, which is one of the many international automakers racing to offer more fuel-efficient models in the wake of fuel prices racing to offer more fuel-efficient models in the wake of fuel prices hitting record high around the world as well as increased environmental concerns. Toyota’s business plan is to reach a target of selling 1 million hybrid cars by the early part of the next decade, and to accomplish this goal, it needs to more than double production of the
vehicles. The Japanese company was already building its Camry Hybrid in Japan, as well as in Kentucky in the United States and in a joint venture factory in China. In 2008, thanks in part to the strength of the Australian Dollar; it had been weighing an alternative plan to import engines to Australia from its Kamigo plant in Japan.
In September 2010, after month of discussion, Toyota announced a $300 million upgrade of its plant in western Melbourne. Under the investment, which has been partly funded by taxpayers through a $63 million payment from the Green Car Innovation Fund, as well as an injection of cash from the local Victorian administration, the Altona engine plant was aiming to produce 100,000 hybrid engines and four-cylinder new generation engines each year from the second half of 2012. The plan was that the Australian-made engines would be exported

into other countries that manufacture Toyota’s Camry and Hybrid Camry. Toyota’s more environmentally sustainable engine will consume 4.5 percent less fuel and 5 percent fewer greenhouse gas emission than current equivalent. The Australian government claimed that the initiative would secure as many as 3,300 jobs, including existing direct and indirect jobs, and would anchor Toyota’s operation in the country for years to come. According to Toyota executives, the support provided by the Green Car Innovation Fund was the major factor in the project going ahead when they weighed it against other alternatives, including transferring production to the home market in Japan.
REQUIRED:
QUESTIONS
1. Based on case study above, should Australia’s government intervene in Foreign Direct Investment? Provide your justification with example.

2. As Australia’s strategic officer, provide suggestion (s) on strategy to attract more car automakers to invest in your country.

3. Toyota has decided to manufacture in Australia rather than in its domestic factories. Justify the action whether if it is a strategic move and discuss the significant impact of this decision towards Toyota’s image and reputation in its host country.
( 8 marks)
4. Based on your understanding, explain the reason (s) for Australian Government to implement trade tariff and quotas on all imported automobiles.

This is a tableau question.

I. (a) Determine the trend line using both linear and two nonlinear equations Hint: You can choose any two of the nonlinear options in edit trend lines within Tableau. (b) Write down the equations (coefficients). Hint: Double click on trend line and click on describe the model.

II. Which trend line would you suggest? Why?

III. Estimate the sales for 2022. Does this seem like a reasonable estimate based on historical data? (Hint: Show Me — first icon on the left hand side)

IV. Check the quality of the forecast prepared by Tableau. Also, Provide Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). Hint: one click on forecast area with the right button of your mouse, then describe forecast and check first Summary and later Models.

V. Prepare a dashboard with 4 sheets: Sheet 1 for the trend line using linear function, Sheet 2 for the trend line using one of the nonlinear function of your choice, Sheet 3 for the trend line using another nonlinear function of your preference and Sheet 4 for Forecasting.

1. Bayern co. shows the flowing information on its 2010 income statements: Sales = $153,000;

costs = $81,900; other expenses = $52,000; depreciation expenses = $10,900; interest expense = $8,400’ taxes = $16,330; dividends = $7,200. In addition, you are told that the firm issues $2,600 in new equity during 2010, and redeemed $3,900 in outstanding long-term debt.

1. What is the 2010 operating cash flow?
2. What is the 2010 cash flow to creditors?
3. What is the 2010 cash flow to stockholders?
4. If net fixed assets increased by $20,250 during the year, what was the Net Working Capital?

Seeing this as an academic community, I hope this question is on-topic. Academia is still a long way from beta :(

I have a few questions about reading journal papers in the field of engineering/applied physics.

How do you keep and schedule a reading list?
From the more recent papers, how do you track down the one (or few) papers that started an idea or technology?
Then conversely, how do you move forward in time to trace how that technology evolved? How do you decide which is the next paper to read?
(I think being able to do the tasks of 2 and 3 could help me formulate my own research questions in the future)
How do you retain the gist of the information you read from an article?
How do you do the dirty work of the above? What software do you use, if at all? If you write it down in a notebook, what are the essential data points? Like the date you read the paper, publication date, title, author, then writing down (or illustrating) what you see with your mind's eye the information that the article presented, and... anything else?
I envision a notebook with the ideas I learned, then posing my own questions after reading each article. How do you do it?

You may (or may not) answer those questions one-by-one, but they're there to give you an idea of what I want to find out. Offers to make this community wiki are very welcome.

How do Federal Reserve Banks generate income? Do they require supplemental funding from Congress? Were supplemental funds provided to member banks during the first waves of pandemic relief passed by Congress in the spring of 2020? Please Explain.

Interest rates have been going down recently. How does this affect bank’s profitability?

You are serving on a jury which began in January 2020. A plaintiff is suing the city for injuries sustained after falling down an uncovered manhole in 2018. In the trial, doctors testified that it will be 5 years before the plaintiff is able to return to work. The jury has already decided in favor of the plaintiff. You and your co-jurors propose that the plaintiff receives the following judgement:

1-) 2 years of back pay ($54,000 in 12/2018, $62,000 in 12/2019). Assume that it is January 1 2020 and that all salary is received at year end.

2-) 5 years of future salary (2020-2024). Assume that the plaintiff’s salary would increase at a rate of 3.5 percent per year.

3-) $100,000 for pain and suffering

4- ) $20,000 for court costs. What is the size of the settlement if current interest rate is 7 percent?

discuss the importance of innovation in the small and medium enterprise

design an executive summary for product innovation (juicer)