The table displays four statistics comparing Australian department stores, and online stores in 2011. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that online stores were considerably more popular in terms of the number of businesses in operation, though profits and revenue were relatively close to that of department stores, with online businesses having a small margin for each. The online stores also experienced a slightly higher growth.

There were at least five times the number of online stores according to the data, with 368 compared to just 67 department store locations. However, profit figures in Australian dollars (AUD) presented a more narrow (<10%) advantage for online retail at $863m with $807m for department stores.

Concerning revenue, online purchases also displayed marginally higher (~5%) final numbers. Online stores’ revenue accounted for $13,400m compared to $12,700m for department stores. Finally, the percentage growth was slightly higher for online (+0.6%) relative to physical department stores (+0.4%).

TASK 2: DECLINING ANIMALS

In many countries, the number of animals and plants is declining.

Why do you think this is happening?

How can this issue be solved?

There is widespread concern over a recent decline in global biodiversity. In my opinion, the clearest causes relate to human overpopulation, and the solution is for governments to prioritize conservation reforms.

The primary catalyst for these declining numbers is the growth of the human population. The global population increases yearly and this has a number of ramifications for the natural environment. Most directly, residents require homes and this necessitates intrusions, as evidenced by the uncontrollable urban sprawl around major metropolitan areas. This means plants and animals lose their natural habitats. A more significant consequence concerns industry. In order to provide food and various products and services for a large human population, corporations have razed entire forests, drilled for oil in previously untouched natural environments, and greatly exploited the natural world at the expense of wildlife.

This problem can only be effectively tackled by governments. Governments must establish clear regulations concerning the habitats of various plant and animal life. A good example of this would be the numerous national parks established in the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. At that time, industry was threatening to corrupt the majority of usable land and so the government and visionary reformists acted decisively out of a spirit of conservation. Other countries that take similar steps will also be able to curb the relentless, and often thoughtless, progress of humanity.

In conclusion, plant and animal life is at risk due to growing human populations and governments can best mitigate this threat. Individuals should also play a small role by reducing their consumption.