Thursday, October 31, 2019

Criminal Justice and Policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Justice and Policing - Essay Example you are a police officer from another state) or the police department’s off-duty powers of arrest policy, you may be permitted by law to conduct an arrest or not. As an officer of the law you will be obligated to follow the due process of the law. However before you make the actions specified above, you will need to first talk to your friend, telling him your concern and finding out whether he was privy to the cocaine snorting by his other friends. You should make it clear to him the consequences of cocaine possession and use with regards to the law. In reality, though, you will probably find cause to disassociate him from culpability. The issue raised here is a moral problem because it involves a difference of belief. Coleman (2004) says that the issue of police accepting small gifts has long been a source of contention the fear being that it could influence an officer’s judgment while dispensing his/her duties. The moral question here is whether gratuities affect an officer’s decision making or not. There is no policy or law that governs this issue and professional discretion has been used to determine which gifts an officer could accept and which ones he/she should not accept. It is this professional discretion that Kania (2004) refers to as a slippery slope. Kania (2004) further states that though the fruit basket for your family, Christmas card, and $30 gift certificate could be innocent with no expectations attached to them nevertheless they would increase bias to the officer. The rationale behind my action here would be that any officer who receives a gift would be inclined to spend more time on the merchant’s premises thereby providing the merchant a few extra minutes of private security. This would cause an imbalance in provision of services to the community which does not appeal to the professionalism required from a police officer. Moreover, in a perfect world, which is what we are striving for, there would

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Quality Management - Group Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quality Management - Group Work - Research Paper Example It begins from the initial preparation, through the group process up to compilation of the final paper. I highly commend the timeliness of the group. The group met immediately after its formation giving it enough time to tackle the tasks it had before it. I can therefore describe the group members as very organized individuals who acknowledge the importance of time management. Without time management, a group is likely to suffer from a last-minute rush (John, 2005). During the preparation, some group members drafted a schedule which would be used to track developments in the group-work. The schedule led to some conflicts since some group members had not been consulted. There were some communication barriers which arose due to a heated debate regarding the schedule. The former draft had been drawn with the assumption that the personal schedules of individuals were almost similar. Though schedules are important in projects, Accountability through 360 ° feedback is important (Stephen, 1999). This model of feedback was used in formation of the final schedule which was more agreeable. I was very pleased by the problem solving techniques used by the group. This included open communication and consultation before making decision that ultimately affect the whole group (Isa, 2012). The idea to formulate a schedule to manage the operations of the group was a brilliant idea. I suggested a SWOT analysis on group members’ personal traits. This was unanimously agreed on. A SWOT analysis is important in determining the overall strengths and weaknesses of a group (Howard, 2000). It is also important in understanding the character traits of group members in order to know which tasks to assign to a member. After the SWOT analysis was completed, the group members became more familiar with their fellow members. This improves group dynamics (John, 2010). The actual group process began by identification of the task to be undertaken. The group decided to work on formulating and implementing a quality management strategy. After thorough consultations between members, the group members agreed to meet on a later day with names of organization they believe needed a change in their management systems. On the immediately following meeting, one group member proposed the University of Western Sydney as the organization. The group agreed to make the management strategy of UWS the subject matter. I believe availability of data and the existence of a clear problem statement were the main reasons why this organization was selected (Comite Euro-International du Beton, 1998). The team formed an objective of its own in order to avoid drifting from the course objectives. The object of the team was similar to the title of the project. Although the title of the project was manipulated severally, I found this to be vital since it aligned the objectives of the group, those of the project itself and those of the course. The title of the research project became: â€Å"Qual ity Management Strategy for an improved system of Teaching and Learning: University of West Sydney†. Member of the group were asked to perform an overview of the university’s history and management system. This was important to increase familiarity of the members with the project at hand (Julia, 2012). One of the group members proposed that a PESTLE analysis would be best in performing a background check. This is one of the most efficient ways of understanding a management system of any organization (Jay, 2003). After the members became

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Airports Are Perfect For Green Roofs Environmental Sciences Essay

Airports Are Perfect For Green Roofs Environmental Sciences Essay Because they occupy large amounts of space with huge expanses of pavement for parking, runways, and storage, and because they have many flat-roofed buildings, airports are natural choice for green roofs. Many major European airports have a tapestry of green roofs over terminals, concourses, parking buildings, maintenance buildings, and others structures. (Cantor, 2008). These green roofs provide benefits and respond to all of the environmental problems without jeopardizing airport security and passenger safety. Despite the network of green space that comes with these installations, there has been no increase in problematic bird populations or other animals that might interfere with aircraft operations or personnel. This achievement is due to careful initial selection of the plant materials, monitoring of the results, and adequate maintenance. Airport feature unique site design challenges that affect animal populations. Typically, airport surroundings include large areas of undeveloped lands. These areas, if not carefully managed, can come semi-natural and attract large birds, which can be sucked into jet engines with potentially disastrous results. Land use policies over many years have been developed to discourage animal populations from settling in these buffer areas. For examples, plants are selected that do not produce flowers, berries, fruits, or seeds that attract animals. Grass height is carefully regulated, as tall grass attracts rodents, which, in turn, attract birds of prey. Grass cut too low attracts birds such a geese. Furthermore, animal populations are dynamic, no static, and in the last several decades species such sea gulls and pigeons have increase dramatically, so that measures must be taken to discourage them. The design of green roofs at the airports must respond to all these concerns. Opinions in Europe regarding the implementation of green roofs at airport are not unanimous. Some experts are cautions, worrying , for examples, about the impact of large populations of sea gulls, as has occurred in urban areas of London. Some are concerned that plants species over a certain height are too welcoming to birds. A greenroofed building recently opened at the Copenhagen airport. Roofs spread with gravel seen to be more attractive to birds, particularly large species as gulls, than green roofs with low to medium-height vegetation. In the United States, more than 75% of recorded bird strikes causing damage to civil aircraft are waterfowl (32 percent), gulls (28 percent) and raptors (28 percents). One area of current research in London is focused on determining the minimum gravel size that can be used as substrate, but is too heavy for gulls to pick up. Carefully designed green roofs at airports present opportunities for mitigating many environmental problems without increasing the risk of bird collision. The Schiphol International Airport from Amsterdam have three buildings with extensive green roofs and two buildings with intensive green roofs. This network of green roofs has responded to the environmental challenges in differences ways, even with specially trained teams of dogs, which are used to chase away the birds (Cantor, 2008). Accidents: Birds are often sucked into jet aircraft engines, something that causes aircraft accidents resulting [in waste of economic resources and, sometimes,] in deaths (Hawthorne, 1980; Shaw, 1985). Similar to any airport landscaping, green roofs on buildings in the airport environment might attract wildlife hazardous to aviation and could increase the risk of birds-aircraft collisions. The OHare International Airport consisted of Sedum spp. for vegetation and birds were observed using the green roof itself. However, bird use of the green roof was minimal and appeared to be similar to use of adjacent buildings with traditional roofs. Although green roofs with vegetation types that offer forage and/or cover to birds might be attractive, the Sedum spp.-vegetated green roof in this study did not attract wildlife hazardous to aviation or increase the risk of bird strikes (Swearingin et al., 2008).[5] Large-scale green roofs are currently being planned and implemented at OHare International Airport (Chicago). [5] One of the largest green roofs in Spain, 54.000 m2, covers the parking area at Barajas Airport in Madrid. http://www.triton-chemicals.co.uk/prode1.php At the airport in Frankfurt (Germany), a 10-cm-deep green roof reduced noise levels by 5 dB (Dunnet and Kingsbury, 2004). (Velazquez, 2005): Airports occupy and consume huge areas of land mass, destroying ecosystems and creating massive urban heat islands of impermeable, hot surfaces. The resulting loss of natural greenspace greatly impacts stormwater management, loss of habitat and biodiversity, creates noise, air and water pollution, and on a large scale, contributes to global warming. Numerous ecological advantages of extensive greenroofs could help to mitigate each and every one of these environmental problems. [security and safe concerns]. The recreated and natural areas of runways and surrounding fields are designed to avoid attraction of birds, which many times get drawn into jet engines creating a potentially hazardous and life threatening situation. To date, airport authorities outside of Europe have been hesitant to consider vegetated roofs mainly for fear of attracting birds. However, many airports in Europe have successfully constructed greenrooffs atop parking garages, hangers, and even ter minal building, without increasing their yearly number of bird strikes. This paper attempts to address some of the potential barriers to greenroofs, in particular the real dangers of attracting birds. International airports having greenroofs: Schipho (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Frankfurt (Germany), and Kloten (ZÃ ¼rich, Switherland). *** Most public-use airports have large tracts of open, unimproved land that are desirable for added margins of safety ad noise mitigation. Birds use airfields as a biotope for habitat, nesting and finding food and different species will dictate different habitat preferences. Bird strikes on airfields may only be minimized by identifying the ecological conditions that attract birds to an airfield and then using habitat deterrence methods to make the airfield less attractive for species relevant to flight safety. Even given greenroofs ability to reduce stormwater infrastructure and other concerns, to date airport authorities outside of Europe have been hesitant to consider vegetated roofs mainly for fear of attracting birds. However, many airports in Europe have successfully constructed green roofs atop parking garages, hangers, and even terminal buildings, without increasing their yearly number of bird strikes. In Germany there are thousand of square meter of green roofs on airport buildings. Within Germany are various airport greenroofs at Stutgart the new airport of MÃ ¼nich, Bremen, and DÃ ¼sseldorf. France has greenroofs at Charles De Gaulle in Paris, Paris Orly International Airport and Bordeaux. I have also seen and airport terminal greenroof in Milan, Italy and more exist. [more] After security issues, noise abatement, air quality, and preservation of greenspace are the top environmental concerns of area residents and airports management. Schiphol IA, Amsterdam: Total airport area greenroofed at AMS and Schipholrijk neighbourhodd: 93,730 m2. Number/area of extensive greenroofs: 3/13,330 m2. Because airports occupy large quantity of space with huge expanse of pavement for parking, runways, and storage, and because they have many flat-roofed buildings, this installations are natural choice for green roofs (Cantor, 2008). Many major European airports have a tapestry of green roofs over terminals, concourses, parking buildings, maintenance buildings, and others structures. (Cantor, 2008).

Friday, October 25, 2019

Overcoming Poverty Through Enlightenment Essay example -- Enlightened

Contents Introduction Part One: Song Lyric, â€Å"Wavin’ Flag†, K’NAAN Part Two: Essay, â€Å"What is Poverty?’ by Theodore Dalrymple Part Three: Documentary, â€Å"Solar Mamas† directed by J.Noujaim & M.Eldaief Part Four: Critical Analysis Introduction In the media form of a song, â€Å"Wavin’ Flag† by K’naan, an essay, â€Å"What is Poverty?† by Theodore Dalrymple and the documentary, Solar Mamas, directed by J.Noujaim & M.Eldaief the unifying message that is relevant through all these pieces of work is that in order to overcome poverty individuals must experience enlightenment. This essay will explore this topic in great detail. Part One: Song Lyric, â€Å"Wavin’ Flag†, K’NAAN In the song Wavin’ Flag by K’naan the message that is conveyed through the lyrics is despite what hardships an individual has faced they have the ability to overcome their struggle. The author of the song, K’naan comes from a war-torn country, Somalia where a civil war has displaced his family from their home. K’naan wrote of a struggling group who faces oppression and exploitation. Through the lyrics one can see the exploitation of the individuals, â€Å"But look how they treat us, make us believers/we fight their battles, then they deceive us.†(K’naan) Marxist theory can be applied to these lyrics, as the proletariat are being exploited by the bourgeoisie as a method of profit through their labour. The people are commoditized and are treated as such, they are considered expendable so the bourgeoisie do not care for their well-being. The use of allusion is evident in the lyrics, as it refers to the Somali civil war, where the people are used to fight a war through the promise of freedom, peace, and independence. Although the proletariat has become aware of their struggle,... ...s her home and that she has to take care of her children. She later reveals that she was embarrassed to tell him the truth, and the real reason for her return was that her husband threatened to divorce her and take her children away if she did not return home. The film allows the audience to see through the perspective of the women and they are able to better understand the truth because of the different perspectives it use in comparison to the single perspective in a song or essay. Works Cited Dalrymple, Theodore. "What Is Poverty? by Theodore Dalrymple, City Journal Spring 1999."City Journal. N.p., 1999. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. K'Naan. "Wavin' Flag." Rec. 2008. Troubadour. A&M/Octone, 2009. CD. Solar Mamas. Dir. Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim. Perf. Rafea Anad. DOX, 2013. Film.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Introduction to Philosophy Essay

I. Pre-Socratic Period – also known as the Cosmological Period (cosmos meaning universe) *questions about human existence and subsistence (basic needs) Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers: – Anaxagoras – Thales (he held that water is the fundamental stuff of all things, saying â€Å"All is water†) – Anaximander – Xenophanes – Heraclitus – Anaximenes Empiricism – a theory which states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience II. Socratic Period – also known as the Era of Scientific Discoveries III. Church Period – also known as the Theological/Dogmatic Period. Dogmatic – from the word dogma (teachings of the Catholic church) Martin Luther – the most controversial bishop during his time; he questioned the teachings of the Catholic church IV. Rebellion Period – also known as the Period of Protestantism *Martin Luther started Protestantism and established the Lutheran church; he questioned the indispensability of the pontis and the institution of the sacraments (holy order and marriage) division of the Catholic church: – Roman Catholic – Greek Orthodox 4 legal systems: – English law – Roman law – Arabic/Mohammedan law – Anglo-American law. V. Renaissance Period – renaissance meaning rebirth – also known as the Arts and Literature Period (which focused on religion) VI. Modern Period – also known as the Period of Industrialization ? introduction to machines ? social problem of unemployment arose ? battle between man and machines 2 social classes: ? bourgeoisie – the ruling class of the two basic classes of capitalist society, consisting of capitalists, manufacturers, bankers, and other employers. The bourgeoisie owns the most important of the means of production, through which it exploits the working class ?proletariat – the class of workers, especially industrial wage earners, who do not possess capital or property and must sell their labor to survive, the lowest or poorest class of people Friedrich Engels – mentor of Karl Marx *. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels campaigned for a classless society known as communism communism – the political and economic doctrine that aims to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of at least the major means of production (e. g. , mines, mills, and factories) and the natural resources of a society; people don’t have private ownership. Das Kapital – one of the major works of the 19th-century economist and philosopher Karl Marx (1818–83), in which he expounded his theory of the capitalist system, its dynamism, and its tendencies toward self-destruction. He described his purpose as to lay bare â€Å"the economic law of motion of modern society. † Lenin and Stalin – leaders of the Russian Revolution who first introduced communism COMMUNISM (zero ownership) SOCIALISM (ownership by few) DEMOCRACY (controlled by the majority of people) Definition of Philosophy – from the words â€Å"de finire† meaning â€Å"to limit† 3 types of definition: 1. Etymological – derived from the word â€Å"etymos† meaning â€Å"origin† Etymology of Philosophy by Pythagoras philia (love) sophia (wisdom) greek words 2. Nominal – derived from the word â€Å"nomen† meaning â€Å"name† 3. Real definition – maybe conceptual or operational definition Real definition of Philosophy a science of beings that investigates the ultimate causes of things, events, etc. , with the aid of human reason alone *philosophers investigate by asking questions human reason – the instrument in philosophy branches of science: ? natural ? social ? Physical – botany philosophy e. g. physics e. g. e.g. beings – subject matter of philosophy; anything that exists 2 types of beings: a) potential – exists without intrinsic contradiction b) actual – exists with intrinsic contradiction uncreated God (theology – focused on the study of God) created living – man – plants – animals –soul–> –soul–> –soul–> rational vegetative sensitive non-living – universe (cosmology – study of the universe) – outside the universe (metaphysics – from the word â€Å"meta† meaning â€Å"beyond†) principles of life soul life spirit – principle of unity what makes man unique? – his characteristics characteristics of man: ? body and soul (rational psychology – study of soul existence) ? body without soul – corpse ? soul without body – ghost ? intellect – to know the â€Å"truth† (logic – correct reasoning; epistemology – validity of human knowledge) ? will – in search of â€Å"good† (ethics or moral philosophy) branches of philosophy connected to man rational psychology deals with spirituality and religion logic – deals with mental and psychological circumstances epistemology deals with physiological/bi ological aspect ethics – deals with the physical aspect of man Phenomenological method – method of knowing man. Edmund Husserl – a mathematician, modern philosopher, and the main proponent of phenomenology steps in phenomenological method: i. epoche – method of bracketing man’s natural attitudes (e. g. , biases or prejudices) ii. eidetic reduction – from the word â€Å"eidos† meaning â€Å"essence†; method of reducing the events to its essence to know the real importance of the phenomenon iii. phenomenological transcendental reduction – method of reducing the essence to its subject ? to the very activity itself love – disinterested giving of oneself to other being kinds of love: – fraternal. – paternal/maternal – erotic – romantic Understanding the Nature of Philosophical Inquiry *on the distinction between philosophy and natural science – natural science ? scientific investigation â€Å"What is Philosophy† by Lauer, S. J. (philosophy in physical science) *can philosophy be taught? – philosophy can be defined by doing it *why do we harm philosophy when we define it? – philosophy is essentially a dynamic process, the attempt to define it is to stop the process *philosophy is an attitude, a way of life, responsible thinking and not a discipline; not a body of knowledge.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Rewarding and Punishment the Same Behavior Essay

What type of reinforcement schedule does random drug testing represent? Is this type of schedule typically effective or ineffective? Answer: The case study â€Å"Professional sports: Rewarding and punishment the same behavior† was about how in a baseball game steroids are being used and the offense which has been caused by it. The type of reinforcement schedule discuss in this case was the random drug testing which presents the fact that most of the times baseball players are not aware of the point that they are taking drugs. This is because they don’t take it intentially but given by their coaches to improve performance of the player in game. According to the case I agree with the decision of commissioner of the baseball. According to his decision, he gave a second chance to the players who did not know that their coaches were giving them drugs. Whereas, he declared a ten day suspension for the first time offenders from playing the game. But congress and the general public was not satisfied so the commissioner incorporated tougher rules to play in the game such as the â€Å"three strikes, and you are out† policy wherein the first time offenders were suspended from playing the game for 50 days, the second time offenders were suspended from playing the game for 100 days and the last one was a ban wherein the player cannot further play the game. Due to the usage of steroids the rules in the other games even became tougher. The NFL and the NBA also had to check their players if they were using drugs while playing the game. The coaches in the baseball game needs to be strict while choosing their best players to play the game. The coaches need to be strict with rules of the game and as well as the players to stop using the usage of steroids in the baseball game. A fine or a suspension is considered as a minor part whereas the ultimate decision to ban the player is the correct decision which is made by the commissioner of baseball. . Whereas to find whether its effective or not we can see that the type of reinforcement schedules that random drug testing represent is the variable interval type. As defined, this type of schedule occurs when a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed. In the case, the reinforcement schedule is done randomly and unexpected. It is typically effective because athletes not aware of the test and when these tests will be taken place. Therefore, athletes are unprepared. Unlike a fixed variable reinforcement schedule, athletes have a fixed time of when the tests will be scheduled so they can prepare and make sure their systems are clean before they take the test. . 2. What are some examples of behaviors in typical organizations that supervisors reward but may actually be detrimental to others or to the organization as a whole? As a manager, what might you do to try to avoid this quandary? . Answer: The main example of a behavior in a typical organization that supervisors reward but may actually be detrimental to others or to the organization as a whole is athletes taking steroids. When athletes take steroids to enhance their performance abilities, they are misleading their managers and their fans. Initially, it may be rewarding because everyone involved gains from the profitability, sports merchandise, increased popularity and success. But in the end, when it is discovered that the athlete achieved recognition with the aid of steroids he destroys his reputation and also his team’s and country’s reputation and the loyalty the fans had for him. If I was a manager, what I might do in order to avoid this quandary, if I was made aware of someone using steroids, I would do a random drug testing as soon as possible instead of having the whole team suffer for that one insubordinate athlete. . If you were the commissioner of baseball, what steps would you take to try to reduce the use of steroids in baseball? Is punishment likely to be the most effective deterrent? Why or why not? Answer: If I was the commissioner of baseball, there are several steps that I would take to try to reduce the use of steroids in baseball. First of all, I would reinforce to all the athletes tha t if someone is caught using steroids they will be thrown off the team. Second, I would continue to do random drug testing. Punishment is not likely to be the most effective deterrent. This will only cause athletes to stop playing and taking steroids for a certain period of time. In addition to it I would also have taken some steps as taken by the commissioner in this case. For the 1st time offender who didn’t know that they were being drugged by their coaches should be suspended for few games. In addition to that the coach must be strictly punished a huge sum of fine plus life time ban from the game. Whereas, for those who have offended it for the first time knowingly, must be suspended for a year plus a heavy amount fine should be imposed on them. And for those who have repeated it should be banned from baseball sport. The second part of the question was â€Å"Is punishment likely to be the most effective deterrent†? For me yes, punishment is the most effective deterrent. It is the competition that everyone loves. The feeling of winning makes many people do anything to achieve it. Even if this means one must cheat to win. Many players used and still use steroids to enhance their muscles so they are stronger during game play. There can be two ways of stopping the player not to use steroids, either by rewarding or by punishing. Rewarding in the sense, we can give incentives to players for not using them but the incentives of winning will be more attractive than these. Therefore one can punish the player if they use those incentives. A player cheats to win money, fans and fame. But if they are found to be using steroids, they will lose their fame and fans and should also be heavily fined. 4. Is it okay to allow potentially unethical behaviors, which on the surface may benefit organizations, to persist? Why or why not? Answer: No, unethical behaviors must not persist even if on the surface they may benefit organizations. For short term it may be beneficial but not in long run. Any unethical behaviors can directly affect the reputation of the organization. And in today’s world a good reputed organization is the most important part of organization building. People like to buy the service or product from a good reputed organization. It creates goodwill of the organization. For example, in context of the given case, organization can be the baseball team and unethical behavior can be the use of steroids by the players. This may help the team to build a strong impression and can help them to win many games as well. But the day general public will learn that the victory is not due to the hard work but rather than steroids, all of their impression will be on stake. They may lose their sponsors, fans and reputation. Same was the case happened with Pakistani cricket team. Few of the players of Pakistani cricket team player, Salman Butt, M. Amir and Asif, were involved in match fixing. They might have earned a lot from that but when it was exposed they were punished. They had to pay double amount of fine of what they earned. In addition to it now none of the companies will like to endorse just players who are involved in unethical activities. In addition to it they lost all their fans. Almost every Pakistani doesn’t like them because they created a bad impression of Pakistan in the global world. As well as destroyed the image of the Pakistani team nationally and internationally. Can you imagine cheating and excellence in the same sentence? What does known cheating and the Hall of Fame have in common? What does shameful and The Hall of Fame have in common? Does known cheating and excellence equal The Hall Of Fame? This debate doesn’t have two sides. There are no hairs to split. There are no counter arguments to argue. Cheating is not how to get ahead. Cheating isn’t even how to compete. Even if you’re never found out, It’s a setup for failure elsewhere in life. Anyone that has admitted or has been proven to have used performance enhancing drugs should never even be considered for the Hall Of Fame.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Cross Cultural Studies essays

Cross Cultural Studies essays Question: What is the value of making cross-cultural comparisons? (Miller, Pg#11: 1999) Cultural anthropology encompasses all aspects of human beliefs, behaviors and ideas. What would the world be like without any knowledge of other cultures? Anthropologists study different cultures to be more understanding and accepting, more appreciative and to enrich our own culture. What is the "real" problem with the Ku Klux Klan? Perhaps, if they took the time to understand the African-American and Jewish cultures, for example, they would be more accepting of the diversity. Hundreds of years of cultural imperialism has evolved into a legion of hate. Emic studies put the researcher in the middle of the culture, free to interact and discover a new life style. After a few months or even a year in a "different" culture, one has a better understanding of the lifestyle, and understanding leads to acceptance. Once people, especially powerful political leaders, learn cultural relativism war will be a practice of the past and only discussed in history classes. Another reason for cross-cultural comparison is to make us more appreciative of our own culture and environment. For example, members of the Peace Corp volunteer months to years of their lives to live and help in third world countries. They may not be there with the purpose of studying culture, however, living among the people and having to adapt to their way of life gives them a first-hand experience of a third world life. Seeing the way life is without any luxuries make us realize how convenient our lives are. Plentiful amounts of food, clean water, stable shelter and adequate clothing are just a few of the many luxuries that our culture sees as essentials. Many volunteers return from the Peace Corp and adopt a new way of life; much less "extravagant" than the one they led before. Finally, we study other cultures to enrich our own. Where would "Canadian culture" be ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Copyright Privacy in China essays

Copyright Privacy in China essays Copyright privacy pirating in China is just like the wild grasses in our backyards. We claim everyday to eliminate them, while they win the game at last all the time. Why do these wild grasses, which are heavily threatening the development of China ¡Ã‚ ¯s IT industry, have such an  ¡Ã‚ °invincible ¡ growing? I think it is China ¡Ã‚ ¯s government who should be responsible for that rich ground, and the situation will remain unchanged until more severe actions are taken. Two kinds of people directly result in the prosperity of copyright pirating. One is the supplier, including the illegal producer and some retailer, the other is the user, who eventually buys those pirate materials. Both of them can gain considerable profits by devoting to the illegal deal. It is completely a win-win situation except for the risk of being caught by the government. Then let ¡Ã‚ ¯s see the result, or something called punishment, of being caught due to copyright pirating. The suppliers may pay some penalties or be sent to prison for a couple of months, however, comparing to the great gains they may have, counting the low frequency and efficiency of the government ¡Ã‚ ¯s action, the job of copyright pirating in China is much safer than investing in the stock market. The other related group, end users, even didn ¡Ã‚ ¯t have to pay anything for their illegal actions some years ago. All the influence the government exerts on the violators is too tiny to force them to stop their  ¡Ã‚ °job ¡ on hand and turn to make a tradeoff. Although the government has realized their urgent central role in the protection of copyright privacy, their actions and the punishments are still far from enough. I believe only some stricter rules are worked out, will the copyright pirating in China be really prohibited in the end. ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Sample College Transfer Essay for Admission

Sample College Transfer Essay for Admission The following sample essay was written by a student named David. He wrote the transfer essay below for the Common Transfer Application in response to the prompt, Please provide a statement that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve (250 to 650 words). David is attempting to transfer from Amherst College to the University of Pennsylvania. As far as admissions standards go, this is a lateral move- both schools are extremely selective.  His letter will need to be extremely strong for his transfer application to be successful. Key Takeaways: A Winning Transfer Essay Have a clear academic reason for your transfer. Personal reasons are fine, but academics need to come first.Stay positive. Dont speak badly of your current school. Emphasize what you like about your target school, not what you dislike about your current school.Be meticulous. Grammar, punctuation, and style matter. Show that you put time and care into your writing. David's Transfer Application Essay During the summer after my first year of college, I spent six weeks volunteering at an archaeological excavation in Hazor, site of the largest tel (mound) in Israel. My time in Hazor was not easy- wake-up came at 4:00 a.m., and by noontime temperatures were often in the 90s. The dig was sweaty, dusty, back-breaking work. I wore out two pairs of gloves and the knees in several pairs of khakis. Nevertheless, I loved every minute of my time in Israel. I met interesting people from around the world, worked with amazing students and faculty from Hebrew University, and became fascinated with the current efforts to create a portrait of life in the Canaanite period. Upon my return to Amherst College for my sophomore year, I soon came to realize that the school does not offer the exact major I now hope to pursue. Im majoring in anthropology, but the program at Amherst is almost entirely contemporary and sociological in its focus. More and more my interests are becoming archaeological and historical. When I visited Penn this fall, I was impressed by the breadth of offerings in anthropology and archaeology, and I absolutely loved your Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Your broad approach to the field with emphases on understanding both the past and present has great appeal to me. By attending Penn, I hope to broaden and deepen my knowledge in anthropology, participate in more summer field work, volunteer at the museum, and eventually, go on to graduate school in archaeology. My reasons for transferring are almost entirely academic. I have made many good friends at Amherst, and I have studied with some wonderful professors. However, I do have one non-academic reason for being interested in Penn. I originally applied to Amherst because it was comfortable- I come from a small town in Wisconsin, and Amherst felt like home. Im now looking forward to pushing myself to experience places that arent quite so familiar. The kibbutz at Kfar HaNassi was one such environment, and the urban environment of Philadelphia would be another. As my transcript shows, I have done well at Amherst and I am convinced I can meet the academic challenges of Penn. I know I would grow at Penn, and your program in anthropology perfectly matches my academic interests and professional goals. Analysis of David's Transfer Essay Before we even get to Davids essay, its important to put his transfer into context. David is attempting to transfer into an  Ivy League  school. Penn is not the most selective of the countrys top universities, but the transfer acceptance rate is still around 8% (at Harvard and Stanford, that number is closer to 1%). David needs to approach this effort at transfer realistically -   even with excellent grades and a stellar essay, his chances of success are by no means guaranteed. That said, he has many things going for him - he is coming from an equally demanding college where he has earned good grades, and he seems like the type of student who will certainly succeed at Penn. He will need strong  letters of recommendation  to round out his application. Now on to the essay... David is responding to the prompt on the Common Transfer Application: Please provide a statement (250 words minimum) that addresses your reasons for transferring and the objectives you hope to achieve, and attach it to your application before submission. Lets break down the discussion of Davids transfer essay into several categories. The Reasons for Transfer The strongest feature of Davids essay is the focus. David is pleasingly specific in presenting his reasons for transferring. David knows exactly what he wants to study, and he has a clear understanding of what both Penn and Amherst have to offer him. Davids description of his experience in Israel defines the focus of his essay, and he then connects that experience to his reasons for wanting to transfer. There are lots of  bad reasons to transfer, but Davids clear interest in studying anthropology and archaeology makes his motives seem both well thought-out and reasonable. Many transfer applicants are trying to move to a new college because they are running away from some kind of bad experience, sometimes something academic, sometimes something more personal. David, however, clearly likes Amherst and is running towards something- an opportunity at Penn that better matches his newly discovered professional goals. This is a big positive factor for his application. The Length The Common Transfer Application instructions state that the essay needs to be at least 250 words. The maximum length is 650 words. Davids essay comes in at around 380 words. It is tight and concise. He doesnt waste time talking about his disappointments with Amherst, nor does he put much effort into explaining the things that other parts of his application will cover such as grades and extracurricular involvement. He does have a lot more space left to elaborate, but in this case the letter gets the job done well with few words. The Tone David gets the tone perfect, something that is difficult to do in a  transfer essay. Lets face it- if you are transferring it is because there is something about your current school that you dont like. Its easy to be negative and critical of your classes, your professors, your college environment, and so on. Its also easy to come across as a whiner or an ungenerous and angry person who doesnt have the inner resources to make the most of ones circumstances. David avoids these pitfalls. His representation of Amherst is extremely positive. He praises the school while noting that the curricular offerings do not match his professional goals. The Personality Partly because of the tone discussed above, David comes across as a pleasant person, someone who the admissions folks are likely to want to have as part of their campus community. Moreover, David presents himself as someone who likes to push himself to grow. He is honest  in  his reasons for going to Amherst- the school seemed like a good fit given his small-town upbringing. It  is, therefore, impressive to see him so actively working to expand his experiences beyond his provincial roots. David has clearly grown at Amherst, and he is looking forward to growing more at Penn. The Writing When applying to a place like Penn, the technical aspects of the writing need to be flawless. Davids prose is clear, engaging and free of errors. If you struggle on this front, be sure to check out these  tips for improving your essays style. And if grammar isnt your greatest strength, be sure to work through your essay with someone who does have strong grammar skills. A Final Word on David's Transfer Essay Davids college transfer essay does exactly what an essay needs to do, and he includes the features of a strong transfer essay. He clearly articulates his reasons for transferring, and he does so in a positive and specific way. David presents himself as a serious student with clear academic and professional goals. We have little doubt that he has the skills and intellectual curiosity to succeed at Penn, and David has made a strong argument about why this particular transfer makes a lot of sense. Odds are still against Davids success given the competitive nature of Ivy League transfers, but he has strengthened his application with his essay.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The function and mechanism of AlkB Research Paper

The function and mechanism of AlkB - Research Paper Example Iron is known to interfere in the assays due to instability of AlkB/Fe+2 complexes in aerobic conditions; a problem that is overcome by replacing iron with other metals or performing assays under anaerobic conditions. The presence of iron bound to 2-oxoglutarate in the core of the enzyme has been established through over expression and isolation of native protein. Like all other Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily enzymes AlkB too has a metal center exhibiting a UV-Vis band range of 52-580nm; that in absence of DNA is a five coordinate Fe2 center and changes to six coordinate center in presence of single stranded DNA. Like other members of the superfamily, AlkB too has a core jelly roll fold that is formed of 8 beta strands at the carboxy-terminus. The catalytic domain is contained within the carboxy-terminus; however additional features for substrate specificity lie outside the catalytic domain and the jelly roll fold. At the N-terminus additional beta strands an d alpha helices form a support scaffold for the catalytic domain and also the outer walls of Binding groove for DNA/RNA. In addition to these and many other structural similarities of AlkB to other members of Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase superfamily; certain characteristics unique to AlkB include nucleotide binding lid, flipping mechanism motif. A common double stranded beta helix (DSBH) fold comprising of a large and a small beta sheet with iron core in between has the enzymes’ conserved residues. The first of the two distinct regions of DSBH includes a highly conserved iron binding region H131XD133XH187, wherein iron is bound to the 2-oxoglutarate in a bidentate form. The DSBH present the substrate binding site interacting exclusively with the damaged DNA/RNA strand through 2 amino terminal alpha helices and beta sheet loops that form a secondary structure called ‘lid’ (nucleotide recognition lid) over the active site. The flexible conformation o f the lid allows it its amino acids (Thr51, Tyr76 and Arg161) to bind to varied alkyl groups on its nucleotide substrates through H-bonding to phosphate group in the nucleotide backbone. As a consequence of this interaction the catalytic core of the AlkB, the enzyme loses its flexibility; undergoes a conformational change that disallows oxygen to reach the active site thereby preventing the oxidation of iron. It can thus be proposed that DNA binding if occurring after iron would lead to access of oxygen to active site. DNA/RNA repair mechanism of AlkB involves oxidative demethylation of nucleotides at the site of lesion which is accomplished through hydroxylation of methylated bases through oxidative decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate in the enzyme core. The latter as result is converted to succinate and CO2, and methyl group is released as formaldehyde. Though the actual mechanism is yet to be established, on the basis of studies on another enzyme of the same superfamily, TauD; the probable mechanism involving an oxidative intermediate to Trp178 has been proposed. The mechanism also verified through in vitro assays on purified AlkB involves the binding of Fe2 and 2-oxoglutarate to the enzyme core followed by binding of methylated middle base to the ‘lid’. This allows oxygen to reach the iron and form nucleophillic superoxo anion (OÂ ­2-) –Fe3. This then forms a bridged peroxo-type intermediate along with 2-oxoglutarate, that through decarboxylation of 2-oxoglutarate and cleavage of O2 forms Fe4-oxygen intermediate. Coupled to oxygen cleavage is formation of succinate and CO2 from 2-oxoglutarate. The intermediate on the other hand hydoxylates the methyl group at the nucleotide forming

Friday, October 18, 2019

Exploring an art Object Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Exploring an art Object - Essay Example In 1990, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed for public as a rigorous restoration plan starting in the following years. It was reopened in 2001 and the scientific committee revealed a recovery in inclination of the tower in August 15, 2013 (Ridet, n.pag.). Due to its unusual tilted architecture, it is a popular tourist attraction and Pisa is one of Europe’s most visited cities as a result. The Tower of Pisa was constructed hundreds of years ago in Romanesque style of architecture. Its construction began in 1173 soon after which it started tilting. Its name comes from an ancient Greek word which literally means marsh land. Since it was a marshy land the soil was unbalanced because of its composition. The soil contained mud, clay, and sand due to which the tower’s foundations began tilting towards the north. After its engineers noticed the defect, they tried to make up for the tilt by making the columns taller in the north (Harris, n.pag.). However, the tower continued t o incline and it started tilting towards the south, the direction where it still tilts till today although efforts by the engineering bodies have reduced the inclination greatly. It reached its greatest tilt in 1990 when it was being feared that the tower might fall over due to gravity. Restoration project started so as to reduce its inclination to maintain the site as a remarkable historical building. Romanesque architecture was an early medieval style of architecture that was popular in Europe during the medieval times. The form of architecture was defined by the presence of arches shaped semi circularly. Although there are various other medieval buildings in Pisa, Italy that depict a Romanesque style, perhaps the Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most remarkable ones due to its tilted structure. Just like a typical Romanesque building, the tower has 6 galleries that have been laid one top of the other (Stalley, 202) making a total of 8 storeys. The tower stands at a height of 5 6 meters as a bell tower or campanile. The Tower of Pisa is made up of white marbles that has been inlaid towards the outside with colored marble. It is a part of the Cathedral of Pisa which is located close by. The building techniques that have been used during the construction of the tower include load bearing masonry, cut stone construction, inlaying, and round plan. Load bearing masonry is probably one of the oldest forms of construction which involves the layering of masonries one on top of the other thereby building walls and other structures. Load bearing masonry has given the tower strength although it has been tilting since years. Also, the technique has made aesthetically beautiful walls which give a structurally rich look to the Tower of Pisa. In order to cut stones to make dimension stones for the construction for the tower, the technique of cut stone masonry construction was used by the designers. These dimension stones were the used for the making of its walls. The tow er has various galleries with columns supporting the curved arches in between. Although white marbles were used as the masonry for the construction, the exterior side of the tower was inlaid with colored marble so as to give it a creatively rich appearance. The Leaning Tower of Pisa comes under the category of Romanesque architecture. It is a building that was built as a toure de force

How did World War II change the attitudes of women and minorities Essay

How did World War II change the attitudes of women and minorities toward their status in American society - Essay Example Rise of women’s organization that fought for equality in distributing jobs became evident. Society for Women Engineers (SWE) is one of the organizations that got strengthen after the war1. The significant role that women played in the II World War portrayed them to be quite essential raising their esteem2. They dropped the self disregard and embraced a positive outlook on what potentials they have in sectors of the economy. Their social perception changed and their importance became salient. The word war II exposed and enlightened women brought them together and sensitized them on their rights. The minority groups emerged and got united having been rejuvenated by the wars in which their importance was recognized. Black movements, disability organizations rose up steadily3. Women and minority groups’ attitudes positively changed in view of themselves and a number of the representative organizations that are vibrant today rose. It was the realization of their potentials and capabilities having engaged in world war that strengthened them. The World War II has led to their positive attitude

PTSD in Adolescents Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PTSD in Adolescents - Research Proposal Example Also, it useful in obtaining information regarding a phenomenon’s current status, in this case, PTSD in adolescents and possibility for the use of technology in research. The population for this research study will be adolescents aged between the ages of 13 and 19 who meet the DSM IV criteria for PTSD. In addition, the guardians or parents will have to provide written permission for the participation of the minors. The participants will be recruited via purposive sampling that will only consider a specific subset of the population (Bryman & Burgess, 2009), in this case, adolescents presenting with PTSD symptoms. Data will be collected from both primary and secondary sources. Secondary sources will include previous research studies and peer-reviewed articles, while primary data will be collected through interviews. The secondary data will provide information about the earlier use of technology in PTSD research, while the interviews will present information about perceptions and behavior of adolescents with PTSD. The interview will have a general inquiry plan with no specific set of questions or any particular order to avoid making the participants uncomfortable (Bryman & Burgess, 2009). The Structured Interview for PTSD has been utilized in numerous studies and assesses symptoms of PTSD, as well as behavioral guilt, survival, and risk factors (Bryman & Burgess, 2009). These are the issues, which the research study is seeking to address. It has 17 items that assign severity rating reflecting intensity and frequency. This method was chosen because it takes less time, around 20-30 minutes, which is important given the mental state of the participants. Other methods that could have been used include document review and observational methods.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Intreview Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intreview - Coursework Example This leadership interview was conducted on Friday, July 18, 2014 via email. This is because the President of Coca Cola North America was not available in his USA office; he was attending a management meeting in Japan. The respondent in the research information collection process is the President of Coca Cola North America, Mr. J. Alexander M. Douglas Jr. He responded to the interview question at 9.23PM, July 18, 2014. Motivation entails the driving force that ensures increased productivity of employees of an organization (Hersey et al., 2013). Motivation is the inner drive that makes people (employees) to behave in an appropriate manner that enhances organizational productivity. Motivation has multidisciplinary roots; comprising philosophical, social, cognitive and behavioral aspects. Motivation provides impulse that optimizes well being, and maximizes satisfaction. Employees should be motivated to work for a given company; if motivation is not adequate then work productivity will deteriorate (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004). In the Coca Cola Company, employees are mostly motivated through the employee recognition programs. Employee recognition entails changing the corporate culture so as to achieve initiatives and goals, and also to connect the staffs to core values and beliefs of the company. Strategic recognition entails programs that enhance employee motivation and retention. Coca cola ensures that all employees are equipped with appropriate training that ensures competency and thereafter motivation that drive performance (Cofer & Applev, 1997). Mr. Alexander has done a great work in ensuring staff motivation. This is because he has created a favorable environment that ensures enhanced employee performance, employee skills improvement, and employee career development. Performance excellence is ensured through provision of resources for work, job learning, and career progress (Cofer & Applev, 1997). On

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Topics in Cultural Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Topics in Cultural Studies - Essay Example Globally, cultures have faced colonization, which facilitated the confrontation of the non-western and western cultures (Oberg, 2010). This led to the realization that non-western cultures occurred as outposts in the colonial empires developed by Europeans. This loss of centeredness of the Native American culture led to the weakening of their traditions, political and social systems, as well as practices. This means that the European culture had immense impact on the culture of Native Americans. Native Americans occupied the vast American land before their interaction with Europeans. The natives can be considered as the indigenous or original occupants of North America. They comprised of people from distinct American ethnic and tribal groups. Despite their interactions with the Europeans and the subsequent loss of centeredness, some of the tribes and ethnic groupings survived as intact political communities (Schwab, 2010). The first contact of Europeans with Native Americans came aft er the exploration of Christopher Columbus (Oberg, 2010). Thereafter, the 15th century saw an influx of Europeans into the American continent and they brought Africans as their slaves. This led to widespread confrontations, adjustments and conflicts between the two societies. The lives of Native Americans were uncomplicated because they followed traditional practices in society and political set-ups. For instance, they lived as hunters and gatherers within well-set communities. In addition, the societies told their histories on oral traditions. In most of the groupings, women performed sophisticated cultivation of staple foods such as squash, maize and beans (Schwab, 2010). The cultures of the indigenous people were extremely dissimilar from the cultures of agrarian, proto-industrial and Christian cultures. The native cultures were matrilineal meaning that they occupied land for communal use, which included activities such as agriculture and hunting (Oberg, 2010). This differed from European cultures, which followed patriarchal trends. The European society had concepts for developing individual property rights on land. This differed from the rights and approaches of Native Americans on land. These cultural differences between the immigrant Europeans and Native Americans, and the shifting alliances between the nations led to extreme political tensions, social disruption and ethnic violence (Schwab, 2010). The natives did not only suffer a loss of centeredness in social and political activities, but they also contacted the infectious Eurasian disease, which they had not developed or acquired immunity. This epidemic led to immense loss of life for the indigenous population (Oberg, 2010). The cultural conflicts between the Europeans and the natives resulted from their differences in approaches such as religion, social practices, land and political rule. The Europeans wanted to impose a religious system on the natives. This was met with resistance from the natives because they only wanted to commit to their religious system. However, the Europeans relentlessly forced Christianity on the natives. The first European missions to encounter the natives were trappers and fur traders. The missionaries and colonists then followed them. Miner migrants and settlers began arriving later, and they heightened the

Intreview Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Intreview - Coursework Example This leadership interview was conducted on Friday, July 18, 2014 via email. This is because the President of Coca Cola North America was not available in his USA office; he was attending a management meeting in Japan. The respondent in the research information collection process is the President of Coca Cola North America, Mr. J. Alexander M. Douglas Jr. He responded to the interview question at 9.23PM, July 18, 2014. Motivation entails the driving force that ensures increased productivity of employees of an organization (Hersey et al., 2013). Motivation is the inner drive that makes people (employees) to behave in an appropriate manner that enhances organizational productivity. Motivation has multidisciplinary roots; comprising philosophical, social, cognitive and behavioral aspects. Motivation provides impulse that optimizes well being, and maximizes satisfaction. Employees should be motivated to work for a given company; if motivation is not adequate then work productivity will deteriorate (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004). In the Coca Cola Company, employees are mostly motivated through the employee recognition programs. Employee recognition entails changing the corporate culture so as to achieve initiatives and goals, and also to connect the staffs to core values and beliefs of the company. Strategic recognition entails programs that enhance employee motivation and retention. Coca cola ensures that all employees are equipped with appropriate training that ensures competency and thereafter motivation that drive performance (Cofer & Applev, 1997). Mr. Alexander has done a great work in ensuring staff motivation. This is because he has created a favorable environment that ensures enhanced employee performance, employee skills improvement, and employee career development. Performance excellence is ensured through provision of resources for work, job learning, and career progress (Cofer & Applev, 1997). On

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Bad Effects of Drugs Essay Example for Free

Bad Effects of Drugs Essay Bad Effects of Drugs Drugs are a problem in all societies around the world, and have been for centuries. Drug addiction causes many of social problems, and causes many people to suffer from its effects. The problems can be divided into three groups: personal, familial, and societal. The first effect of drugs is addiction. Most drugs cause a very nice feeling called a ‘high’, which makes the drug user do anything to get that feeling again. This is called addiction. On the other hand, many drugs such as cocaine and nicotine cause people to feel very sick if they stop taking the drug. This is the other side of the addiction. Addiction drives people to do bad things for a high. It makes it very hard for them to think about the future. Drugs can cause mental illness. Casual use of drugs like cannabis and ecstasy often leads to abuse, and people can get depression or other illnesses such as bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Addiction causes people to give up on life. They have no desire to work hard or achieve their goals. People who take drugs often lose their job, and their family, and sleep on the street. Some drugs, such as glue sniffing, cause a lot of damage to people’s brains. These people do not eat enough food, and become unable to think clearly. They become weak, and it is hard for them to ever get better. Many drug users are abandoned by their families, because the addict causes many problems for them. Addicts often steal to pay for their drugs, and the family can be held responsible. Drug users usually don’t help the family with money or cleaning, they can be dirty and aggressive, sometimes violent. They can also have friends who are criminals, who can cause further problems. When drug users already have a family, the family can suffer because the addict spends all the money, and sells and trades everything they can for drugs. Families of a drug user can lose their reputation, which can make it difficult for young people in the family to get married, and can even cause problems for the family business or the parents’ jobs. One of the worst problems of drugs is when drug users have children. The addicts often do not look after children properly, and the children do not get good food or go to school. Children need good parents to teach them how to be good people, to study hard and have good values. But children of drug users learn to beg and steal, and to never work, practice good hygiene, or be good to other people. Growing up that way, these children often become drug users like their parents. Drugs cause many problems for the whole society, such as crime, unemployment and homelessness. People who are addicted to drugs usually cannot work, so to pay for drugs, they steal or beg, which causes problems for the whole community. Sometimes drug users can be violent. Their mind is not clear because of drugs, and they can hurt or kill people for money, or even for no reason at all. The police must spend a lot of their time dealing with the crimes of drug addicts. But it is not just addicts that commit crimes. People who grow, manufacture, transport and sell drugs are committing crimes. In many cases, they earn very large amounts of money from drugs, and they will protect their income with threats, violence and corruption. They bribe police, judges and officials, so they can continue their illegal business. The fact that they are not working means that they are not providing any benefit for their community; they only take, they do not give anything. If they cannot afford somewhere to live, they sleep on the street, or break into empty houses or businesses to sleep. Often, they create damage and mess wherever they stay. When many drug users are in one area, they can make it not nice, so tourists and customers stay away, and businesses suffer.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Switched Mode Power Supply Engineering Essay

Switched Mode Power Supply Engineering Essay ABSTRACT Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS) is the most prevailing architecture for DC power supply in modern systems, primarily for its capability to handle variable loads. Apart from efficiency the size and weight of the power supplies is becoming a great area of concern for the Power Supply Designers. In this thesis an AC to DC converter SMPS circuit, having a power MOSFET for switching operation and a PWM based Feedback circuit for driving the switching of the MOSFET, is designed and simulated in NI MULTISIM circuit design environment. Further the same circuit is Hardware implemented and tested using NI ELVIS Suite. In this design the line voltage at 220V/50Hz is taken as input, this voltage is stepped down, rectified and passed through filter capacitor to give an unregulated DC voltage. This unregulated voltage is chopped using a MOSFET switch, driven by PWM feedback signal, to control the output voltage level. An Isolation Transformer is used to isolate the DC output from input supply. The transformer output is again rectified by the high frequency Diode bridge rectifier and is filtered using a capacitor to give the regulated DC output. A Voltage regulator is connected to give the precise voltage output. The feedback network generates a high frequency PWM signal to drive the MOSFET switch. The dc voltage at the output depends on the width of the switching pulse. The pulse width is varied with the changes in the DC output voltage level, this change in the pulse width cancels the output voltage change and the SMPS output remains constant irrespective of load variations. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION Power Electronics is the art of converting electrical energy from one form to another in an efficient, clean, compact, and robust manner for convenient utilisation. The never ending drive towards smaller and lighter product poses serious challenges for power supply designers. The aim of the project is to design, test and implement a switched mode power supply (SMPS) circuit for AC to DC conversion, having a power MOSFET for switching operation and a PWM based feedback circuit to drive the MOSFET switch using NI MULTISIM circuit design environment and NI ELVIS Breadboard. Figure1.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM :: SMPS CHAPTER 2 THEORITICAL BACKGROUND 2. THERORITICAL BACKGROUND Power Supplies: A power supply is a component, subsystem, or system that converts electrical power from one form to another; commonly from alternating current (AC) utility power to direct current (DC) power. The proper operation of electronic devices ranging from personal computers to military equipment and industrial machinery depends on the performance and reliability of DC power supplies. Power supplies are circuits that generate a fixed or controllable magnitude dc voltage from the available form of input voltage. Integrated-circuit (IC) chips used in the electronic circuits need standard dc voltage of fixed magnitude. Many of these circuits need well-regulated dc supply for their proper operation. Even a commodity switch-mode power supply must be able to survive sudden peaks that far exceed its average operating levels. Engineers designing power supplies or the systems that use them need to understand their supplies behaviour under conditions ranging from quiescent to worst-case. Todays power supplies are driving to a level of efficiency never seen before, requiring design engineers to perform numerous specialized power measurements that are time-consuming and complex. The power supply is integral to virtually every type of line powered electronic product, and the switch-mode power supply (SMPS) has become the dominant architecture in digital computing, networking, and communications systems. A single switch-mode power supplys performance or its failure can affect the fate of a large, costly system. SMPS The prevailing DC power supply architecture in most modern systems is the Switch-Mode Power Supply (SMPS), which is known for its ability to handle changing loads efficiently. The power signal path of a typical SMPS includes passive, active, and magnetic components. The SMPS minimizes the use of lossy components such as resistors and linear-mode transistors, and emphasizes components that are (ideally) lossless: switch-mode transistors, capacitors, and magnetic. Like a linear power supply, the switched mode power supply too converts the available unregulated ac or dc input voltage to a regulated dc output voltage. However in case of SMPS with input supply drawn from the ac mains, the input voltage is first rectified and filtered using a capacitor at the rectifier output. The unregulated dc voltage across the capacitor is then fed to a high frequency dc-to-dc converter. Most of the dc-to-dc converters used in SMPS circuits have an intermediate high frequency ac conversion stage to facilitate the use of a high frequency transformer for voltage scaling and isolation. The high frequency transformer used in a SMPS circuit is much smaller in size and weight compared to the low frequency transformer of the linear power supply circuit. The Switched Mode Power Supply owes its name to the dc-to-dc switching converter for conversion from unregulated dc input voltage to regulated dc output voltage. The switch employed is turned ON and OFF (referred as switching) at a high frequency. During ON mode the switch is in saturation mode with negligible voltage drop across the collector and emitter terminals of the switch where as in OFF mode the switch is in cut-off mode with negligible current through the collector and emitter terminals. On the contrary the voltage-regulating switch, in a linear regulator circuit, always remains in the active region. Details of some popular SMPS circuits, with provisions for incorporating high frequency transformer for voltage scaling and isolation, have been discussed in next few lessons. In this lesson a simplified schematic switching arrangement is described that omits the transformer action. In fact there are several other switched mode dc-to-dc converter circuits that do not use a high frequency transformer. In such SMPS circuits the unregulated input dc voltage is fed to a high frequency voltage chopping circuit such that when the chopping circuit (often called dc to dc chopper) is in ON state, the unregulated voltage is applied to the output circuit that includes the load and some filtering circuit. When the chopper is in OFF state, zero magnitude of voltage is applied to the output side. The ON and OFF durations are suitably controlled such that the average dc voltage applied to the output circuit equals the desired magnitude of output voltage. The ratio of ON time to cycle time (ON + OFF time) is known as duty ratio of the chopper circuit. A high switching frequency (of the order of 100 KHz) and a fast control over the duty ratio results in application of the desired mean voltage along with ripple voltage of a very high frequency to the output side, consisting of a low pass filter circuit followed by the load. The high frequency ripple in voltage is effectively filtered using small values of filter capacitors and inductors. SMPS technology rests on power semiconductor switching devices such as Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFET) and Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT). These devices offer fast switching times and are able to withstand erratic voltage spikes. Equally important, they dissipate very little power in either the On or Off states, achieving high efficiency with low heat dissipation. For the most part, the switching device determines the overall performance of an SMPS. Key measurements for switching devices include: switching loss, average power loss, safe operating area, and more. Choice of Topology There are several different topologies for the switched mode power supply circuits. Some popular ones are: Fly-back Forward Push-pull Half bridge Full-bridge A particular topology may be more suitable than others on the basis of one or more performance criterions like cost, efficiency, overall weight and size, output power, output regulation, voltage ripple etc. All the topologies listed above are capable of providing isolated voltages by incorporating a high frequency transformer in the circuit. Applications of SMPS To reduce cost, size and weight of a power supply. TVs, monitors, PCs, laptop and camcorder power packs, printers, fax machines, VCRs, portable CD players, microelectronics-based devices in automotive, computing, communications, consumer electronics, and industrial applications use SMPS. 2.5 PWM Concepts PWM or Pulse Width Modulation is the modulation technique where frequency and Amplitude of the pulse signal is not varied and the pulse width or the duty cycle is varied to encode the information. A common use of PWM is to control the average current or Voltage input to a device. In this project the PWM Signal is generated as feedback control signal for driving the switching of the MOSFET switch. The output Voltage is taken as the reference level. A sine wave is generated using LMH6622MA OPAMP and 555 Timer. This sine wave signal is compared with the reference voltage using LM311 comparator, and the pulse width of the PWM is determined by this comparison. This switching period determines the voltage at the output. Thus if there is any change at the output Voltage, the corresponding change in the PWM pulse width will nullify its effect and the output voltage will be restored to desired value. Figure2.1 PWM wave generation CHAPTER 3 ELECRONICS DESIGN TOOLS 3. ELECTRONICS DESIGN TOOL 3.1 NI MULTISIM NI Multisim  or formerly  MultiSIM  is an electronic  Schematic Capture  and simulation program which is part of a  suite  of circuit design programs, along with  NI Ultiboard. Multisim is one of the few circuit design programs to employ the original  BerkeleySPICE  based software simulation. MultiSIM was originally created by a company named  Electronics Workbench, which is now a subsidiary  of  National Instruments. Multisim includes a microcontroller simulation module called MultiMCU, as well as integrated import and export features to the  Printed Circuit Board  layout software in the suite, Ultiboard. Multisim is the chief competitor to  Cadence  OrCAD, another electronic schematic design and simulation software. 3.2 Features of MULTISIM You dont need to be a SPICE expert to design with Multisim. With an intuitive capture environment and an easy-to-use interface to industry-standard SPICE simulation, Multisim software can help you immediately begin designing and validating your PCBs. You can prevent costly prototype iterations and lost development time, as well as ensure quality with simulation and measurements earlier in your design flow. The Multisim product family (Base,  Full,  Power Pro) provides a complete set of tools for professional PCB designers: Intuitive design environment Modeless wiring and placement Interactive virtual measurement instruments to view simulation and real signals Circuit wizards for automatically generating commonly used circuitry Rubber banding on parts/moves Fast-retrieval parts bin Easy export to  NI Ultiboard  for layout Complex designs can be accomplished with advanced Multisim features from 24 sophisticated SPICE analyses to a comprehensive component library all the while taking advantage of an easy-to-use design environment. Designers can incorporate the latest parts using a custom component wizard. They can also use NI LabVIEW measurement software to introduce real measurements into simulation for rapidly prototyping and testing designs. More than 16,000 components, all with models ready for immediate simulation Device models from leading manufacturers such as Analog Devicesâ„ ¢ and Texas Instrumentsâ„ ¢ Easy addition of new parts and simulation models Comprehensive suite of analyses, including Monte Carlo and Worst Case 3.3 NI MULTISIM 11 Multisim and Ultiboard 11.0 introduce a number of new features and enhancements to make capturing designs, simulating behaviour, and defining board layout faster and easier. Feedback circuit of this project work was designed in NI MULTISIM 11 and rest of the circuit was imported from version 10 to 11 and then integrated in MULTISIM 11 for final simulation. 3.4 NI ELVIS The National Instruments Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite(NI ELVIS) is a LABVIEW based-design and prototyping environment for Universities science and engineering laboratories. The NI ELVIS featuring an integrated suite of 12 instruments in one compact form factor is ideal for hands-on learning (http://www.ni.com/nielvis/). NI ELVIS is a primary component of the NI electronics education platform along with NI Multisim, the leading tool for SPICE simulation and schematic capture, and NI LabVIEW software. ( http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/7159) 3.5 Components of NI ELVIS NI ELVIS includes 12 of the most commonly used laboratory instruments including an oscilloscope (scope), digital multimeter (DMM), function generator, variable power supply, dynamic signal analyzer (DSA), bode analyzer, 2- and 3-wire current-voltage analyzer, arbitrary waveform generator, digital reader/writer, and impedance analyzer in a single platform. This compact, yet powerful assortment of instruments translates into cost savings for the lab, both in terms of lab space as well as lower-maintenance costs.( http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/7159) Figure 3.1 Following Components were used for this project work:: Figure 3.2 The Function Generator Figure 3.3 Variable Power supplies Figure 3.4 Digital Multimeter Figure 3.5 Oscilloscope Figure 3.6 Complete Circuit Setup with NI ELVIS CHAPTER 4 COMPONENTS SELECTION 4. COMPONENTS SELECTION For NI MULTISIM 4.1 Power supply AC power Figure 4.1 Voltage RMS = 230V Voltage offset= 0V Frequency (f)= 50Hz Time Delay = 0ns 4.2 Step-Down Transformer Transformer Rated available in multisim Library Figure 4.2 Primary Voltage (max) = 350V Primary Current (max) = 5A Secondary Voltage (max) = 15V Secondary Current (max) = 1A Output Power (max) = 5kVA Primary to Secondary Turns Ratio = 20 Leakage Inductance = 1mH Primary Winding Resistance =1Ohm Secondary Winding Resistance = 1Ohm 4.3 Unregulated Rectifier 1J4B42 Single Phase Bridge Rectifier Figure 4.3 Repetitive Peak Reverse Voltage (max) = 600V Average Output Rectified Current = 1 A Junction Temperature = -40 to 150 oC Peak Forward Voltage (max) = 1V 4.4 MOSFET for Switching Application BS170 N-Channel Enhancement Switching Transistor Low On- resistance High Switching Speed Low Capacitances Used for :: Analog and/or Digital Switch Switch Driver Converters/Choppers Figure 4.4 VDS max. = 20V VGS max. = +15/-40 V ID max. = 50 mA RDS (typ) = 25ÃŽ © ton = 1ns toff = 5ns 4.5 High Frequency Isolation Transformer Figure 4.5 4.6 Rectifier with high Frequency Diode IN4148, Fast Switching Diodes Figure 4.6 Repetitive peak reverse voltage = 100V Reverse Voltage = 70V Forward Voltage (max) = 1V Average Forward current = 150 mA Reverse Current (max) = 50 mA Breakdown Voltage (min) = 100V Diode Capacitance (max) = 4 pF Rectification Efficiency (min) = 45% Reverse Recovery Time = 8ns 4.7 Voltage Regulator LM7805CT 3 terminal-1A Positive Voltage regulator Figure 4.7 †¢ Output Current up to 1A †¢ Output Voltage of 5V †¢ Thermal Overload Protection †¢ Short Circuit Protection †¢ Output Transistor Safe Operating Area Protection Line regulation = 4-100mV Load regulation = 9-100 mV Quiescent Current = 5mA Dropout Voltage = 2V Peak current = 2.2 A 4.8 555 Timer Figure 4.8 4.9 LMH6622MA OPAMP Figure 4.9 4.10 LM311N comparator Figure 4.10 CHAPTER 5 TESTING CIRCUITS AND SIMILATION RESULTS 5. TESTING CIRCUITS AND SIMULATION RESULTS 5.1.1 Following Circuit was designed for AC-DC conversion Figure 5.1 5.1.2 Simulation Output of AC-DC conversion Figure 5.2 5.2.1 Circuit for Analysis of MOSFET Switch performance Figure 5.3 5.2.2 Simulation output for MOSFET Switch at 50kHz Figure 5.4 5.3.1 Circuit of Analysis of Voltage regulator combined with Rectifier Figure 5.5 5.3.2 Simulation Output of Voltage Regulator performance Figure 5.6 5.4.1 Open Loop Circuit Without Isolation Transformer Figure 5.7 5.4.2 Simulation Output of Open Loop Circuit Figure 5.8 5.5.1 Feedback Circuit Figure 5.9 5.5.2 Feedback Circuit Simulation Output Figure 5.10 5.6.1 SMPS Circuit Figure 5.11 5.6.2 SMPS Output Figure 5.12 CHAPTER 6 HARDWARE IMPLIMENTATION ON NI ELVIS 6. HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATION ON NI ELVIS The SMPS circuit designed in NI MULTSIM was further implemented in hardware using NI ELVIS as the suitable platform for circuit implementation and testing. 6.1 Component Used 6.1.2 Diode 1N4007 bridge Rectifier 6.1.3 BS 170 MOSFET Switch 6.1.4 Radio Transformer Isolation Transformer 6.1.5 Diode 1N4148 High frequency rectifier 6.1.6 555 Timer Square wave Generation 6.1.7 TLO6021 OPAMP Sine wave Generation 6.1.8 LM311 Comparator PWM Switch driver signal 6.1.9 LM 7805CT Voltage Regulator 6.1.1 Step down Transformer 1.6 AMP 12 0 12 configuration Figure 6.1 Figure 6.2 SMPS circuit on NI ELVIS 6.2 Simulation Outputs OPEN LOOP 6.2.1 Stepped Down AC Voltage from Transformer Figure 6.3 Stepped down AC input 6.2.2 Rectified Unregulated DC voltage from (IN4007) Diode Bridge Rectifier Figure 6.4 Rectified Unregulated DC 6.2.3 Output waveform from the Filter capacitor Figure 6.5 Unregulated DC From filter Capacitor 6.2.4 Chopped DC From the MOSFET switch Figure 6.6 Mosfet Chopped DC 6.2.5 Output from High Frequency (40-50 KHz) Transformer taking in chopped DC . This Transformer also Isolates input from output. Figure 6.7 High Frequency Transformer Output 6.2.6 Output from Bridge Rectifier designed from 1N4148 High frequency Diodes. An approximate DC signal Figure 6.8 High frequency Diode Rectifier Output 6.2.7 Final Output of the SMPS An stabilized voltage of 5 V maintained with aid of feedback mechanism and the Voltage Regulator LM7805 Figure 6.9 SMPS Output Feedback Circuit 6.2.8 555 Timer based Square wave generator circuit output 44.4Khz Square wave Signal Figure 6.10 555 Timer Generated Square wave 6.2.9 Sine wave generated from TLO6021 OpAmp based circuit taking as input the square wave generated from 555 Timer based generator circuit. Figure 6.11 Sinewave generated from Opamp TLO6021 6.2.10 The sine wave generated above is compared with the final SMPS Output And a PWM wave is generated to drive the MOSFET switch in a way that the output is regulated back to fixed desired value (5V) if it deviates. Figure 6.12 Feedback PWM Signal CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION CONCLUSION Suitable components were selected and tested for desired performance. Functional verification was performed on combined circuit of the selected components for open loop network both in NI MULTISIM and on NI ELVIS. PWM based feedback network was successfully designed tested and implemented both in NI MULTISIM and in Hardware using NI ELVIS Suite. The Design and implementation of desired SMPS circuit was successfully completed.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Citizen Kane: Exposing the Truth about William Randolph Hearst Essay

Citizen Kane: Exposing the Truth about William Randolph Hearst Many have called Citizen Kane the greatest cinematic achievement of all time. It is indeed a true masterpiece of acting, screen writing, and directing. Orson Welles, its young genius director, lead actor, and a co-writer, used the best talents and techniques of the day (Bordwell 103) to tell the story of a newspaper giant, Charles Kane, through the eyes of the people who loved and hated him. However, when it came out, it was scorned by Hollywood and viewed only in the private theaters of RKO, the producer. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, it was practically booed off the stage, and only won one award, that for Best Screenplay, which Welles and Herman Mankiewicz shared (Mulvey 10). This was all due to the pressure applied by the greatest newspaper man of the time, one of the most powerful men in the nation, the man Citizen Kane portrayed as a corrupt power monger, namely William Randolph Hearst. One cannot ignore the striking similarities between Hearst and Kane. In order to make clear at the outset exactly what he intended to do, Orson Welles included a few details about the young Kane that, given even a rudimentary knowledge of Hearst's life, would have set one thinking about the life of that newspaper giant. Shortly after the film opens, a reporter is seen trying to discover the meaning of Kane's last word, "Rosebud." He begins his search by going through the records of Kane's boyhood guardian, Thatcher. The scene comes to life in midwinter at the Kane boarding house. Kane's mother has come into one of the richest gold mines in the world through a defaulting boarder, and at age twenty-five, Kane will inherit his sixty million dollars (Citizen Kane)... ...r himself by abusing the most potent weapon and shield of his day, the free press. "If I hadn't been very rich, I might have been a really great man." (Orson Welles, Citizen Kane) Bibliography 1)Bordwell, David. "Citizen Kane," Focus on Orson Welles. Prentice-Hall,1976. 2)Cowie, Peter. The Cinema of Orson Welles. De Capo Press, 1973. 3)Citizen Kane. dir. Orson Welles. With Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore. RKO, 1941. 4)Mulvey, Laura. Citizen Kane. BFI, 1992. 5)Reflections on Citizen Kane. dir. Unknown. Turner Home Entertainment,1991. 6)Robinson, Judith. The Hearsts: an American Dynasty. Avon Books, 1991. 7)Swanberg, W.A. Citizen Hearst. Scribner, 1961. Bantam Matrix Edition, 1967. 8)Zinman, David. Fifty Classic Motion Pictures: The Stuff that Dreams are Made Of. NY Crown Publishers, 1970. NY Limelight Editions, 1992.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Macbeth essay :: essays research papers

This essay earned a 89/100. it was a lot of work considering the lines from macbeth for textual support.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Would you kill someone if it brought you power, and the ability to rule a country? Macbeth, one of the king’s generals wanted the power. Macbeth does many things throughout till he ends up in a crazed mess in the end. He goes from a thoughtful person who knew right from wrong, to a courageous ruler whose arrogance got the best of him. Throughout the play, Macbeth proves himself of a tragic hero. To prove that he is a tragic hero, he shows a supreme pride, and capacity for suffering. He also has a sense of commitment and vigorous protest, which eventually has an impact on him and other characters. Here are some facts that have been cited, to prove that he is a tragic hero.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth shows a supreme pride, because he knows that Banquo is an obstacle in his way of ruling. So, in order to maintain his place as king, he must kill him. Macbeth states that it is his duty to kill him, but not let anyone see his crime, for it will all be over when Banquo is dead. â€Å"The Prince of Cumberland! That is step / On which I must fall down or else o’er leap, / For in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires: / The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see†(Macbeth 1.4.48-53). Macbeth also shows a supreme pride when he is thinking about the proposal of Duncan’s murder. He thinks about how nothing bad can happen and he can only move forward as king. Macbeth thinks about his ambition and how it can lead to a downfall. â€Å"I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition which o’er leaps itself / And falls on th’other†(1.7.25-25).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth’s capacity for suffering also leads him to be a tragic hero. Before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth has a personal moment of truth and thinks about what he is going to do. He imagines the dagger in his hand and thinks about the nightmares he will be invaded with. Macbeth is so obsessed with murder; he begins seeing things, and must be quiet and not wake anyone, for he would give himself away.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Analysis of Dynacorp Case Essay

The strategic design lens assumes organizations are deliberate, goal-achieving entities. In this view, managers can achieve organizational goals by understanding the fundamentals of design and fitting design to strategy, as well as to the larger organizational environment. In this paper, I discuss the five major elements of strategy – environmental fit, strategic intent, strategic grouping, strategic linking, and alignment – and identify two specific elements as causes of the problems Dynacorp is experiencing with its redesign. These elements are strategic linking and alignment. Fit with the Environment In the 1980s, Dynacorp was an excellent fit with the environment; it produced high-quality, innovation products. As result, its customers were happy to wait months or even a year for the company to bring out a new product and to â€Å"do some of their own applications work and figure out how to integrate Dynacorp’s products with the rest of their operations†. In the 1990s, however, the company lost the technological advantage it had maintained over the competition. According to Carl Greystone, executive vice president of the U. S. Cus-tomer Operations Group, â€Å"Both foreign and domestic competitors have been cutting into our market share, and our gross margins are way down,†. Indeed, Dynacorp was finding that many of its customers needed more than hardware, but want-ed ‘complete solutions’ to problems. Customers were â€Å"looking for systems solutions, more cus-tomized software, and more value-added services†. Dynacorp’s senior managers recognized that the firm’s existing functional structure was seriously inhibiting the organization from creating effective cross-functional responses to its external environment. Strategic Intent Dynacorp’s senior management thus moved to redefine the firm’s strategic intent, a no-tion that Ancona et al. define as â€Å"setting the strategy or mandate of the organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Instead of continuing to think of itself as a company merely selling hardware, the firm reorganized with the intention of providing customers with the integrated solutions they were demanding, and, where necessary, to do all this on a global basis. Strategic Grouping To implement its strategic intent, Dynacorp executives first had to make decisions about how to regroup tasks and functions. According to Ancona et al. , strategic grouping is a process of deciding â€Å"how the necessary activities are to be allocated into jobs, department, divisions, and other units, and how people are assigned to each†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The textbook describes five possible methods by which grouping of functions can be organized: activity; output; user, customer, or geography; matrix; and business process. At Dynacorp, the decision was made to move away from grouping by activity. Instead, the development, manufacturing, and marketing functions were grouped together into an output-oriented set of â€Å"‘end-to-end’ business units† in which all the functions would be ex-pected to contribute to the success of a product or a family of products or services. Within the sales area, executives decided to group by geography (U. S. , Europe, Latin America/Asia, with each of these areas further subdivided into regions) rather than to create multiple sales forces for each business unit. â€Å"Since products overlapped,† the interviewer was told, â€Å"the purchasers of different products were frequently the same people, and the cost inherent in replicating the field structure several times was prohibitive,†. Within each sales region, management created account teams with each team focusing on customers within market segments and industries. Greystone asserts that such a restructuring will result in industry specialists, rather than salespersons who were only knowledgeable about particular products. Greystone seemed optimistic: â€Å"You see, we feel that by targeting our investments toward growth of sales in specific industries and developing solutions to fit their needs, we’ll rebuild our market share and increase margins,† Strategic Linking Ancona et al. describe strategic linking as both formal and informal processes and posi-tions that would integrate units and subunits which are interdependent in tasks. The text identifies a wide array of linking mechanisms, including formal reporting structures, liaison roles, permanent or temporary cross-unit groups, integrator roles, information technology systems, and planning processes. Strategic linking at Dynacorp was to be accomplished, in the first instance, by linking development, manufacturing, and marketing within each Business Unit through a change in the formal reporting structure. Carl Greystone expressed his conviction that a â€Å"tremendous amount of progress† has been made since these changes were instituted and that his personnel are â€Å"thinking about the business in new terms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even Greystone, however, was forced to admit that his group had been â€Å"consistently behind plan in both revenue and profit† for the past year and a half and that the â€Å"Business Unit presidents have expressed some frustration with the performance of his group. †Martha Pauley, a Branch Manager in Greystone’s division who supervised six teams that â€Å"handle financial institutions, insurance, and education in the Northeast Region,† was considerably quite disillusioned about the absence of effective cross-functional relations between sales and the Business Units. Specifically, Pauley was finding it difficult to compete because of business decisions in which she had been given no role. She had several complaints: â€Å"Our prices are still higher than our competitors’, and technical support services are way too slow. The new plant in Indonesia was supposed to help bring prices down, but they’re having problems getting the factory up and running. Since I have no control over unit manufacturing costs or the availability of technical support resources, I can’t help the team’s effectiveness in these areas†. A second way in which strategic linking was to be accomplished was to establish multi-function Account Teams focused on â€Å"selling customized solutions based on integrating our products, rather than on selling fancy hardware. †These permanent cross-unit groups were comprised of â€Å"account managers, product specialists, solution consultants, service technicians, customer administration specialists, and systems specialists. † Describing the actual functioning of these new teams to the interviewer, Martha Pauley confessed that â€Å"everyone has been so busy trying to understand their new responsibilities while still keeping up with our customers that we have communicated only through e-mail messages. We haven’t had time for the off site meeting that I had planned. Anyway, we’re still getting modifications on the job guidelines from the staff group. † The time pressures reported by Pauley were evident when she takes the interviewer into a meeting of one account team; there, they found â€Å"about half† of the members missing because of other obligations. As the meeting progressed, it also became apparent that this account team was struggling to meet its goals. The team had just been outbid for a contract with a Boston bank because its competitor had been able to offer â€Å"lower prices and a much more comprehensive package† . With regard to planning as a means of strategic linking, there too Pauley’s teams were struggling. Pauley admitted to the interviewer that she â€Å"hadn’t had a chance to develop a cohe-sive sales plan to show you†. Alignment The last of the strategic design processes is alignment: â€Å"that is, assessing the implica-tions of strategic grouping and linking patterns for the rest of the organization’s structures and processes, and making changes to ensure that the grouping and linking patterns can be implemented effectively†. suggest that each of the following be considered as elements of alignment: organizational performance measurement systems, individual rewards and incentives, resource allocation, human resource development, and informal systems and processes. One obvious alignment problem in this case concerns individual rewards and incen-tives. Ben Walker, VP of the Northeast Region, notes that the new reward system compensates branch managers in sales and product managers in the Business Units on â€Å"performance against revenue and margin goals,† but Walker worries that â€Å"no one in these jobs has the skills to be a team player. † Soon thereafter, Martha Pauley complained to the interviewer about precisely this problem. Although she shared revenue goals for her teams with the product team’s general managers in the Business Units, her own performance was being hampered by the fact that â€Å"different product team leaders in the Business Units are pushing different types of sales, depending on their particular product lines. † Something similar was happening to Pauley’s Account Teams, whose sales performance depended, in part, on their ability to get adequate Technical Support to their clients, yet they had no control over this support unit. Dynacorp’s turnaround also was being hurt by the company’s failure to give appropriate support to human resources development. Ben Walker is convinced that the company has â€Å"too many people who know how to sell products but not solutions† and projects that â€Å"at least 25 percent of the current staff needs to be replaced. † Right now we have the customer teams functioning under new guidelines that force them to collect information on customer needs and develop solutions. But too many team members are still operating under the old attitude that the equipment sells itself and the customers will do the work of integrating our products into their operations. The notion of helping the customer from initial call through implementation and use of the system is still quite alien to many of our people. The fact that Sales Team Member 2 soon was seen expressing a desire for more customers who want â€Å"standard off-the-shelf equipment† suggests that Walker’s concerns have merit. And Martha Pauley, to her credit, does not hide the fact that her teams lack training. â€Å"You see,† Pauley says, â€Å"moving from a product salesperson to a provider of solutions in a big change. It involves knowledge of the industry and the company, the full line of products, our various software applications, and concepts of systems integration. Exactly who handles all the pieces of a sale like this is still unclear†. Finally, there is some evidence of dissatisfaction with Dynacorp’s resource allocation practices, given the perceived high cost of manufacturing and the problems with Technical Support. As we have seen, at least one account team is having difficulty competing on price; and Martha Pauley complains that Dynacorp’s prices â€Å"are still higher than our competitors’, and technical support services are way too slow†.   Dynacorp appears to have done a good job of analyzing its fit with the environment and crafting a strategy that is likely to be responsive to that environment. The strategic groupings are well-suited to the strategic intent, positioning Dynacorp to be a geographically-focused, industry-specific organization that is organized to bring cross-functional talent to bear on the service as well as hardware needs of its customers. Dynacorp fails, however, to give adequate attention to strategic linking processes. There is evidence of a lack of planning, particularly as it involves product and branch managers and their staffs, apparently resulting in a lack of widespread commitment at all levels of the organization to the new mission. There also are problems of coordination between branch managers in sales and the Business Units and between the Account Teams and the Technology Specialists. Finally, the new cross-functional sales teams have had little opportunity to work out their methods of operation. Dynacorp also fails to give adequate attention to alignment. Individual reward systems and incentives work at cross-purposes with unit goals, and manufacturing costs are too high for sales teams to compete effectively. Finally, there is almost a complete absence of training—both for product and branch managers and for the various functional specialists who are now expected to work as members of teams. The senior managers at Dynacorp have made impressive efforts to respond to their highly competitive environment. However, unless careful attention is given to the strategic linking and alignment processes, this organizational redesign effort is destined to fail.