Beacon Hill coursework

Beacon Hill is a mysterious feature that has baffled experts for many years and still no one has found a true answer. In this piece of coursework I am going to investigate why Beacon Hill was built. Beacon Hill is a man made mound which is situated in Wollaston in Northamptonshire. There are 4 different theories for what Beacon Hill could be these are; a Bronze Age barrow, a Roman Specula, a 12th century motte and bailey castle and a signalling station of the time of the Spanish Armada. The Bronze Age barrow is a man made mound of stone, wood or earth piled over the remains of the dead. Roman Specula were fortresses used to protect themselves and their allies. A 12th century motte and bailey castle was a simple castle made out of earth and wood. The signalling station was the way that England could warn the rest of the country that the Spanish Armada was coming. In this piece of coursework I will analyse a series of sources relating to Beacon Hill and what it could be. After analysing the evidence I will reach a conclusion to what I think Beacon Hill is based on the evidence. Bronze Age barrows are man made mounds of stone, wood, or earth piled up over the remains of the dead, especially important people. Often possessions would also be buried. Bronze Age barrows were built between 2000BC and 1000BC. There are 3 sources that support the theory of Beacon Hill being a Bronze Age barrow. Source 1 supports this theory, this is a article in a local newspaper entitled â€Å"It's your village – Wollaston. Also source 2 supports this theory, this is a history book called â€Å"Wollaston† written by a local historian. The last source that supports this theory is source 5, source 5 is a vicars opinion. These sources both have reasons why they are and aren't reliable. Firstly I am going to discuss why the sources are reliable. Also source 2 shares a similar strength by the fact that it is written by a local historian, so he is likely to evaluate all the evidence and he also knows the area well. Another common factor between source 1 and 2 are that they are local articles, one a history book and the other a newspaper. They are sharing local knowledge, so that they are unlikely to lie. Source 2 is also very reliable because he cross-references with sources 3 and 7, so this shows that they have researched their information and are more likely to be right. Source 5 is very reliable because vicars are honest, he has an expertise in Bronze Age barrows, so he is likely to recognise a Bronze Age barrow and he is a local resident so he is likely to know the area well. All these sources have weaknesses and one weakness common in all of them is that they have no clear supporting evidence to the theory of Beacon Hill being a Bronze Age barrow. Source 1 and 5 both just want it to be a Bronze Age barrow to make the village more iconic. Source 1 and 2 also have a weakness in common and that is that the answer is not pointed at the Bronze Age barrow. In source 5 the vicar could be biased towards it being Bronze Age barrow because he is interested in Bronze Age barrows and might just really want one near where he lives. I think it is very unlikely that Beacon Hill is a Bronze Age barrow because there is no clear evidence supporting this theory e. g. no bones. The sources supporting this theory are very weak sources with an extreme lack of evidence. Roman Specula's were built between 43AD and 407AD. Roman Specula's were built as fortresses used to protect the Romans and their allies (friendly native tribes) against those tribes who were their enemies. There are 5 sources that support this theory; source 2 a history book called â€Å"Wollaston†, source 6 is a book called â€Å"The Natural History of Northamptonshire†, source 7 which is a extract from a book â€Å"The Annals of Wollaston† and lastly source 9 which is an inventory of the Historical Monuments in the County of Northamptonshire Volume 2 – Archaeological sites in Central Northamptonshire All the sources supporting Beacon Hill being a Roman Specula contain strengths and weaknesses, I am going to start by saying the strengths. A strength of source 6 and 7 is that they are both antiquarians, which is a person fascinated with the remains of ancient people like the Romans, this is very reliable because they are likely to recognise a Roman Specula. A different strength, but a very similar strength to the one I discussed before is that source 2 and 8 are both written by local historians, this is very reliable because they are likely to evaluate all the evidence and they know the area well. Also source 7 shows that they know a lot about Wollaston, this is also very reliable because it shows that they know that area well. Source 9 has a few lonesome strengths as it is an actual list of historical monuments, so it is fact. Also it has found evidence at an archaeological site, so the evidence is extremely reliable and hasn't been tampered with. Another of its strength is that it is detailed evidence from Roman times, which means it is primary evidence. Source 2 is also very reliable because it cross-references between 2 other sources which shows he has researched his information and is more likely to be true if it fits in with the other sources. Source 8 has a strength in the fact that they found physical evidence (probably a Roman knife and spearhead), this is very reliable because it shows that Romans probably were in Wollaston. Source 9 shares a very a similar strength to the one I have just discussed because it has actual evidence that the Romans were living near Wollaston. The reason this makes source 9 more reliable is that it shows for definite that Romans were living near Wollaston. The three sources 6, 7 and 8 all have a strength common in them, this is that they all have evidence to support the theory of Beacon Hill being a Roman Specula and they explain exactly why the evidence points towards Beacon Hill being a Roman Specula. This makes these 3 sources very reliable because they actually say why Beacon Hill is a Roman Specula. Source 8 also has some lonesome strengths, these are; it is written by a published author, this is extremely reliable because a published author writing about history is very unlikely to be just making it up. Also source 8 isn't a written by an antiquarian so he isn't biased for it being a Roman Specula. Finding out that about the Coritani tribe shows that they have done research, this is very reliable because it shows that they have researched there information so it is more likely to be true. The language used in source 8 also gives a definite answer, this makes it more reliable because it shows that they believe without a doubt that Beacon Hill was a Roman Specula. Now I have finished discussing the strengths I will now discuss the weaknesses in the sources. A weakness found in sources 2, 8 and 9 is that there is no clear evidence to support the theory of Beacon Hill being a Roman Specula. Source 7 gives evidence why Beacon Hill is a Roman Specula, the reason why this makes it less reliable is that the evidence given doesn't definitely prove that Beacon Hill was a Roman Specula. Source 8 has a different weaknesses to the one I have just discussed but very similar, the first one is the evidence of the spearhead and knife being found there, no one knows for sure if these are Roman or they could have just been moved there from somewhere else, the other one is that the Roman nettle found growing there could have spread from somewhere else. A lonesome weakness in source 2 is that the local historian is biased against it being Roman, this makes the source extremely unreliable because he has already decided against it being a Roman Specula before evaluating the evidence. Also source 9 has a couple of lonesome weaknesses, these are that it doesn't give actual reference to Beacon Hill and the other weakness is that the Roman road doesn't go through Wollaston, this shows that the Romans were near Wollaston but there is no proof that they were actually in Wollaston. Source 6 and 7 share a common weakness in that both the sources are written by a antiquarian, this makes the source slightly less reliable because they are biased towards it being a Roman Specula. Source 8 shares a very similar weakness to the one I have just discussed because the author might have read antiquarian sources, this makes the sources less reliable because the antiquarian sources could have been biased towards Beacon Hill being a Roman Specula. I think there is a good chance that Beacon Hill was a Roman Specula because there is lots of evidence to support this theory. The sources are also reliable because they are from history books and a official inventory. Motte and bailey castles were built in the 12th century. These were castles made of earth and wood which were relatively quick and easy to build. There are 4 sources that support the theory of Beacon Hill being a 12th century motte and bailey castle. The first source to support this theory is a local newspaper article entitled â€Å"It's your village – Wollaston â€Å". The second source to support this theory is a diagram of a typical motte and bailey castle from a school history text book. The third theory to support this theory is a report on excavations of Beacon Hill carried out by a local archaeologist. The last source to support the theory of Beacon Hill being a motte and bailey castle is an extract from The Anglo Saxon Chronicle recording events of King Stephen's reign 1135 – 1154. These 4 sources supporting the theory of Beacon Hill being a 12th century motte and bailey castle all have reasons why they are reliable and why they aren't reliable. To start off with I am going to say why the sources are reliable. Source 1 and 12 both have one common factor of why they are reliable and this is because they both say the right time for motte and bailey castles and also they say the right king of the time. This makes the sources very reliable because it shows they know their history. Source 1 also has a couple of lonesome strengths, the first one is that it is in a local newspaper, this makes the source very reliable because it is sharing local knowledge and is unlikely to lie. The second strength is that it is by a life long local resident, this is reliable because they are likely to know the area well. Source 10 strengths are that it is in a school history text book, this makes the source more reliable because it teachers young people so it is more likely to be true. The other strength is that it is a accurate picture of a motte and bailey castle, this makes the source very reliable because it shows that it's knowledge of what motte and bailey castles looked like is correct. Source 11 also has some individual strengths, firstly the source is by a local archaeologist, this makes the source more reliable because archaeologists are likely to examine all the evidence and come up with an unbiased answer. Also this source is reliable because the archaeologist has come up with evidence to support his theory, this being the 12th century pottery thrown down, also that there was a building on top of the hill, the hill was man-made and that the hill was the right height for a motte and bailey castle. Lastly source 12 has some lonesome strengths, firstly is that it is 1st hand experience (a primary source), this makes the source very reliable because it was written at the time of motte and bailey castle were built so they are likely to know what was happening around that time. Also it was kept by monks so it is reliable because they don't lie. Also it shows the need for castles at that time, this makes the source more reliable because it proves that castles were needed around that time. Now I have finished discussing why the sources supporting the theory of Beacon Hill being a 12th century motte and bailey castle are reliable, I will now discuss why the sources are unreliable. The sources 10 and 12 both have one common unreliable element in that both of them don't actually refer to Beacon Hill being a 12th century motte and bailey castle. Source 1 also has a very similar weakness in that it doesn't give any evidence towards why Beacon Hill is a 12th century motte and bailey castle. In source 1 the paper might wanting to make the town more iconic, this makes the source less reliable because they could just want it to be a 12th century motte and bailey castle and not actually believe it is. In source 11 the reason this source is less reliable is that just finding some 12th century pottery doesn't mean the mound was built at the same time. Also in source 11 the local archaeologist might be biased towards it being a 12th century motte and bailey castle, this makes the source less reliable because he might only see it from one point of view, this being that Beacon Hill is a 12th century motte and bailey castle. The last unreliable element in source 11 is that it says that â€Å"masses of rubble thrown down†, this makes the source a little unreliable because rubble would be less likely for a 12th century motte and bailey castle, it would more likely to be wood. The last unreliability is that in source 12 it is written by monks, this makes the source slightly less reliable because monks don't travel so they wouldn't have been able to see where the motte and bailey castles were built. I think it is likely that Beacon Hill was a 12th century motte and bailey castle because there is lots of evidence to support this theory. Three of the sources used to support this theory are reliable because they are from a history book, a local archaeologist's excavation and a recording of events kept by monks. The other source isn't as reliable because it is someone's opinion. Signalling stations were at the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588. When the Spanish Armada (ship) were close to England the signalling stations were ways of sending a warning across the country. A series of large beacons (bonfires) were built on hill tops so that when they were lit the smoke could be seen a long way off. Each beacon was lit in turn as the smoke from its nearest neighbour became visible. There are two sources that support this theory; source 1 which is article from the Wellingborough Evening Telegraph newspaper entitled â€Å"It's your village – Wollaston† and source 2 which is from a history book â€Å"Wollaston† written by a local historian. These two sources both have strengths and weaknesses of why they are reliable. To start of with I am going to talk about there strengths. Source 1 is reliable because it is by a local resident so he is likely to know the area well and also he gives reasons to support his theory of Beacon Hill being a signalling station in that it is high up. Also source 1 is reliable because it is in a local newspaper so they are sharing local knowledge and are unlikely to lie. The reasons source 2 is reliable is that; it is by a local historian so he is likely to know the area well, also he is likely to evaluate all the evidence, the other strength to the source is that it cross-references with source 3 showing that he has researched his information and if more than one source fit together the more likely they are to be true. To complete this section of the theory of Beacon Hill being a signalling station I will now discuss the reasons why the sources supporting this theory are unreliable. Both the sources share one common element of unreliability in that the both have no clear supporting evidence for it being a signalling station. Source 2 shares a very similar weakness to the one I have just discussed in that it doesn't actually give an answer of what Beacon Hill could be, it just discusses the possibilities of what it could be. In source 1 the paper could just want to make the town more iconic, this makes the source unreliable because they could be biased and publish the opinions of what the editor wants Beacon Hill to be. Lastly source 2 is unreliable because he is biased against it being Roman, this makes the sources less reliable because before he evaluates all the evidence he is already biased against one of the theories. I think the chance that Beacon Hill was a signalling station isn't that likely because there is hardly any evidence to support this theory, but this could be because all the evidence has been destroyed. The two sources supporting this theory aren't that reliable as one is just someone's opinion and the other just mentions it as a possible theory. For the final part of this piece of coursework I will write a conclusion about what I think Beacon Hill is. The theory of Beacon Hill being a Bronze Age barrow is the weakest theory as the sources I have gained have no reason behind why Beacon Hill could be a Bronze Age barrow. The sources either mention it as a possible theory or it is someone's opinion without evidence. The second theory of Beacon Hill being a signalling station is more likely but still isn't that likely. The sources supporting this theory have no substantial evidence for Beacon Hill being a signalling station, but unlike the Bronze Age barrow theory there is a reason of why Beacon Hill is a signalling station. Also there is a possible explanation of why there is no evidence for Beacon Hill being a signalling station and that is that all the evidence would have been destroyed. The third theory of Beacon Hill being a 12th century motte and bailey castle is the second most likely theory because this theory has evidence and reason why Beacon Hill was this. The last theory of Beacon Hill being a Roman Specula is the most likely out of the theories because there is lots of evidence of why Beacon Hill was a Roman Specula. Beacon Hill could have been anyone of these theories, but it also could have been used for more than one of these theories or even none of these theories and been something else. However with a lack of sources and bias of some of the sources it makes it impossible to know what Beacon Hill was and until some new evidence is discovered Beacon Hill's past will remain a mystery.

Innovation Planning and Design

The ever-changing marketplace in the business world imposes greatchallenges for the company to maintain stability, productivity andprofitability in the industry. In order to keep track on the competitiveenvironment, every company should develop innovation to acquirecompetitive advantage. However, acquiring just a competitive advantage willonly be for the meantime due to the fast development of technology, totalmodernization of the market and rapid changes of customer preferences. Innovators shall foresee these factors to combat with its competitors for it tobe successful, making innovation an essential factor for company growth. Innovations do vary in many aspects. It may take the risk of combiningdifferent types of innovation. Determining businesses whether they are mayresult to hiding their significant distinctions. The most importantcategorizations one may consider among the many developed are aclassification according to innovation type, the innovation degree and courseof sustainability (Zakic, Jovanovic, & Stamatovic, 2008). Companies may decide which part of the businessdesign needsinnovatingsuch as products or processes or a combination of both. Single approach can be simple, less time consuming process compared to combinedapproach which is more involved, complicated and may be time consuming and requires substantial effort for it to be effective. Whatever process that is chosen, it will always create specialization which is advantageous to have specialized kind of innovation. Moderncompanies carefully apply options advised by experts that are suitable forits position and business model. Innovations shall be thoroughlyinvestigated and studied in order to achieve and meet the company’sobjective. Creating and developing their potentiality, designating theresources, and creating partnerships in accordance with this choice are vitalto success (Zakic, Jovanovic, & Stamatovic, 2008). In varying options comes difference between processes and productsinnovation. To be able to establish successful innovative strategies andstrategic planning, understanding the differences and influence of differentfactor and its effect in business leadership structure is important. It is of utmost importance to explore all possible options to acquire different inputs. This process will ensure the verification of certain conclusion to helpleadership identify the appropriate method to innovation (Almirall &Casadesus-Masanell, 2010). Innovation Systems Design Recent market concept on the business world has produced anuntamed environment. The company’s advantages do not last too long dueto tight competitions that never cease to advance and overcome the market. With these tight competitions, most businesses have created a sheer pricewar just to maintain and gain customers (Herrmann & Gunter, 2004). It is therefore vital in the process for the companies to be aware of theefficient methods to design and use innovative efforts considering thesecurrent market situations. Remember that each product you serve in themarket, it goes with it your name. How customers perceive the product orservices is significant. Most customers often choose the products or servicesthat are appealing to their eyes. It also includes factors like product package,how the product is designed, and even POS system design. What messagesor ideas the product conveys to the customers are also factors. Image of thebrand and market share are determined by these factors. Discerning yourinnovative products and market perception to them is one important groundin determining business' success (Herrmann & Gunter, 2004). With the tight competition in the business industry, each companyattempts to beat its competitors. Businesses are set forinnovation, however, they often lack focus on innovating their marketing designtechniques. This lack of focus is the reason for short time competitiveadvantage. Recent research reveals that a number of small to medium sizedcompanies in the electronics industry have received governmentgrants in order to promote growth in innovative techniques and processes. Some of these were successful. However this implies that most innovativeprocesses manage to be only temporary solution as most small businessesare unable to continue long term innovative processes (Herrmann & Gunter, 2004). Innovative processes have to be executed and followed accordingly. Those innovation grants were able to magnify thebusiness with growth to those companies involved. However, it did not result with an increase in profits and productivity. Foreseeing these circumstances,innovation systems show that the entire company should be nvolved in theprocess and utilizing your assets to fully maximize your potential in makinginnovative products and management styles (Herrmann & Gunter, 2004). Steps to Innovative Process There certain steps needed during the innovative process when creating and implementing an innovation to any business. 1. Determine the Challenge: The start of innovation process isdetermining the challenge, problem, or goal that needs to be solved. 2. Teamwor k: This step utilizes your intellectual assets wherein all partiesparticipate in a brainstorming event to discuss and debate how to fix theinnovation challenge. Combination: All of these ideas discussed in the brainstorming eventare summarized. 4. Assessment: The summary of all the ideas are evaluated and the bestsolution will be chosen by the business leaders with the relevant businessexperience. 5. Research and Development: The chosen solutions undergoes researchand development to determine whether the processes are attainable and willyield a result favorable to the company like increase in profits, businessexpansion and market share. 6. Implementation: Executing the ideas into the team and bring them toreality. . Review: Consider the data generated from the feedback, leadership,and business results regarding how the process was working. 8. Recycle: New challenges are imposed by the review. Consider thesechallenges and start again with the process (now Europe, 2009). For the business to maintain on top, the company shall be in acontinuous process of innovating to maintain creative, business and leadership innovation. This is so recommended considering how the global economic marketplace dances to the tune of tightcompetition. The innovation must be part of the business’s system toprevent unstable progress and share losses. To counter the ever-changingmarketplace and customer demand, innovation must remainconstant (Barsh, Capozzi, & Davidson, 2008). Conclusion The concept of innovation hasbeen in the business system for centuries. However, today, it has become aprerequisite to business growth and prosperity. While in the past, a companydared to innovate just to make an edge to the industry, nowadays, it becamean essential factor in business design for the company to survive and profit. The company shall implement, maintain innovation, and make anenvironment that encourages innovation. The company's workforce is avaluable asset to allowing their process to happen and the use of theseassets is beneficial to the process in various ways. This approach is sosignificant that even those business that have been in the around fordecades and reshaping theirfundamental principles and business values to create an innovativeenvironment. If a company desires to survive today's market competition, it has to produce an innovation culture and use its assets to be competitive and maintain profitability.

Organizational Chart Essay

The company I worked for in the past was FORE Properties. This was a chain or apartment communities that were all purchased and built by the owner and run by the property managers, assistant property managers, and the leasing team. The â€Å"chain of command† went as follows. This is my knowledge to the best of my ability. New positions may have been added or I was never aware of their presence. There are many different reasons why I did not enjoy working for this company. None of them have anything to do with the organization structure. For one, I accepted the position as leasing consultant when I was 3 months pregnant. After working for the company for a few months, I was told that my appearance was unsatisfactory. I was wearing clothes from Motherhood Maternity and looked better than most employees. They were referring to my face because I had severe acne due to the stress of the pregnancy and the job. They were also referring to my hair because it had recently been cut short. My regional actually told me I looked sick. I had extreme fits of morning sickness throughout the whole pregnancy, so looking sick came with the territory. My job was actually threatened several times due to my â€Å"appearance.† Another reason I did not enjoy working for this company is because on one occasion, I was in the shower, getting ready for my regularly scheduled weekend work day, which I hated because I could not spend time with my family, and I slipped in the shower. I was immediately rushed to the ER because being pregnant and falling is a serious issue. I contacted my manager as soon as I could to let her know that I could not physically make it in the office that day and she wrote me up because I contacted her AFTER the office should have been open. I explained that there is nothing I could  have done differently and that my child’s life was in danger. I refused to sign the write up to admit that I was guilty of anything because I wasn’t. The main reason I did not like the job was because the product I was trying to sell was disgusting. For starters, the apartments are income restricted. You have to make a certain amount of money to live there, so it is pointed toward a lower margin. The apartments themselves were never cleaned, stunk like cigarettes, and had multiple different kinds of linoleum and carpet throughout a single apartment. My manager could have paid to have each apartment looking amazing, but instead kept her budget low so she would receive a bonus for not going over budget. I mentioned this several times to my regional, and even had her come and view our apartments, but we were told to lease them anyways. I tried to explain that no one would want to live in an apartment like this. I myself come from the ghetto of South Austin Texas and have lived in some DISGUSTING apartments, but I would not chose to live in these apartments if you paid me. They still put a sense of urgency on us to get the apartments leased and began threatening our jobs. The whole situation was horrible and I am glad I got out of it when I did. I was even told to constantly walk up to the third floor to clean cockroaches out of the breezeways when I was 9 months pregnant. One time I was even told that I would be standing on the corner in a clown suit with a sign that points to the apartments to get traffic in. Being 9 months pregnant, not fitting into the costume and it being 110 degrees outside, I put my foot down and contacted HR and explained what I was being told to do. I was protected from the dressing like a clown, but still expected to walk up and down three flights of stairs in high heels and about to deliver a baby. If I was the regional, the manager, or even the owner, I would invest more time and money into making the property look amazing, inside and out. I would be sure that each and every employee is treated as fair as possible. I would never expect anyone to do anything that they could not physically do. I think the more you push someone to do something, the more stressed out they become and the less they provide you with good work. In conclusion, working for a company has its up’s and down’s. It is up to each level of the structure to make the best of each situation that they are dealt. If they see something that is not right, they need to take charge and handle the situation immediately. I wish that in several instances, my  assistant manager had spoken up for me and handled the situation instead of keeping quite out of fear of losing her job as well. REFERENCES Green, Sarah. Personal Experience, (2010). Working as a leasing consultant for FORE properties. Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & collaborating in a competitive world (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Mgt Module 5

Module 5 – Individual level: motivation concepts and applications 1 Module 5 – Individual level: motivation concepts and applications Learning objectives On successful completion of this module, you should be able to: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Define motivation and identify three key elements of motivations Identify early theories of motivation and evaluate their current use value Apply the predictions of self-determination theory to intrinsic and extrinsic rewards Compare and contrast goal-setting theory and management by objectives Contrast reinforcement theory and goal-setting theory Demonstrate how organisational justice is a refinement of equity theory Apply the key tenets of expectancy theory to motivating employees Compare contemporary theories of motivations Show how motivation theories are culture bound Learning resourcesText Robbins, SP, Judge, T, Millett, B & Boyle, M 2011, Organisational behaviour, Chapter 7. Introduction to Module 5 Welcome to Module 5 of MGT1000. I give this module about a 4. 5 rating – the theory is heavier going. There are about 22 pages from the text. Also this module is about 7 pages long. There are no must do tasks but there is still an application exercise that can take up as much time as you want to invest in it. The application is a mini essay writing exercise. The mind map that follows illustrates where we are up to in the individual level of the course so far.In this module we will be discussing theories of motivation and their workplace applications. Motivation is a critical issue within workplaces today. It is not sufficient that employees simply turn up at work. Employers want highly productive and motivated employees. You already know that workplace productivity can be enhanced by ensuring a sound fit between employee personality and job requirements, between employer and employee values and  © University of Southern Queensland 2 MGT1000 – Organisational behaviour between employee preferences and the culture and structure of the organisation.You will also realise from previous modules that in creating a motivating workplace it is employee perception of the workplace, rather than the reality of the workplace, that will influence employee performance. In this module you will learn ways that managers can make the workplace more motivating for employees. The most basic premise of this module is that motivation is not a trait like personality, but rather something that managers can encourage or discourage. Module 3 Attitudes and job satisfaction Module 4 Personality and values Module 5 Motivation Absenteeism †¢Job satisfaction †¢Turnover †¢Productivity †¢Organisational citizenship †¢Deviant workplace behaviour This first exercise will give you a chance to clarify your own (everyday) everyday experience of motivation. Learning activity 5. 1 Think of one thing you have been putting off doing. Perhaps you have a friend you have been meaning to contact; perh aps you have some task around the house you have not completed yet. Perhaps you have not been able to maintain your exercise program. Or perhaps you have had difficulty getting all your study completed.Think about these 2 questions 1. Why are you putting yourself under pressure to do this thing? 2. Why haven’t you done this thing yet?  © University of Southern Queensland Module 5 – Individual level: motivation concepts and applications 3 Learning activity 6. 1 de-brief I expect we all have things we have not done that we feel we should have done. So I assume no one had difficulty thinking of something they had put off. The following two definitions of motivation show considerable consistency and can be helpful in understanding your inability to do the task you nominated. We define motivation as the processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal’ (Robbins, Judge, Millett, & Boyle 2011, p . 176) ‘Motivation refers to the forces either within or external to a person that arouse enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action. ’(Gordon, 1999 p. 534) Both definitions seem to regard persistence as essential to motivation. Perhaps you may have lacked the persistence or continuing effort required to complete the task?In addition the definitions refer to enthusiasm or intensity – both of which can be regarded as a measure of ‘how hard’ you were prepared to work (Robbins et al. 2011 p. 176). Perhaps this is where you had your difficulty? Finally, both definitions state there needs to be some kind of purpose – variously described as direction, a goal or a course of action – that is essential to motivation. It would appear because you could articulate what you were supposed to do then at least you did have a goal, even if it is yet to be achieved. The question remains ‘Why haven’t we done this thing if we still feel we need to do it? Perhaps one of the reasons you gave for not completing this task was that it simply was too hard. Indeed the text says no matter how motivated someone is, if they truly lack the ability to do a task then it is impossible for them to do it. So if you truly lack the ability required to do the task then perhaps you should stop trying to do this task. Similarly if one of the reasons you gave for not doing this task was a lack of time, again this may be a legitimate reason for not doing the task. Robbins et al. (2011, p. 176) view motivation as a series of processes.That is, if a person lacks opportunity (for example the required time to complete a task), it does not matter how motivated or how gifted they are they simply will not be able to do the task. But perhaps your task was within your ability arrange and you had the opportunity to do it. The question remains, ‘Why didn’t you do it? ’ The definitions listed above may provide some answers. While Robbins et al. (2011) make no comment on the origins of motivation, Gordon (1999 p. 534) however, refers to motivation as ‘forces either within or external to a person’.These internal and external forces are very important in understanding Herzberg’s theory and its later developments. These two factors (internal and external factors) are the two factors that give Herzberg’s two factor theory its name. Herzberg refers to these 1) external and 2) internal factors as 1) extrinsic or hygiene factors and 2) intrinsic factors or motivators respectively. These two factors are like the oil and petrol in your car. They are quite separate, but you need both to be at the right level for the car to work well.In a car you have a petrol gauge that indicates if your tank is full or empty. It indicates if you have petrol or no petrol. So Herzberg refers to his 2 factors in the same terms. For example if you have no motivators (like no petrol) this is refer red to as a state of ‘no satisfaction’. If you have motivators (like a full tank of petrol) you have ‘satisfaction’. Interestingly, Herzberg does not regard satisfaction as the opposite of dissatisfaction. So let  © University of Southern Queensland 4 MGT1000 – Organisational behaviour e confirm, a lack of satisfaction is referred to by Herzberg as being a state of ‘no satisfaction’ not a state of dissatisfaction. The jargon in this theory is a little confusing at first, but Herzberg is making an important point. When you understand that point the jargon is easy to understand. Again consider the reasons you gave for not acting and the reasons you gave for continuing to put pressure on yourself. According to Herzberg’s two factor theory (Robbins et al. 2011, p. 178–80) only intrinsic factors are truly motivating. Intrinsic factors amount to way the task makes you feel.For example, if you stated the job is too boring or not very enjoyable that is an example of a task that is simply not motivating. That is why you lacked motivation and ultimately did not complete the task – it was simply not an intrinsically rewarding task. According to Herzberg extrinsic or hygiene factors will never truly motivate you to complete a task (Robbins et al. 2011, p. 178–80). So even if for example, one of the reasons you gave to complete the task was that you would be paid to complete it, then although you may have found the payment acceptable, it could not actually motivate you to do the task.The pay could only ever be experienced by you as good pay or bad pay for the job involved. In either event the pay itself would not motivate you to do the job – only the job’s intrinsic qualities and opportunities can truly motivate. There are many critics of Herzberg’s theory and his original research methods (Robbins et al. 2011, p. 178)and also the other earlier theories of motivation. For examp le refer to Robbins et al. (2011, p. 177) for a critique of Maslow’s theory.The text provides an overview of contemporary theories of motivation that have a reasonable degree of research validity. These theories address employee motivation and include the Self-determination theory, Goal-setting theory, Self-efficacy theory, Reinforcement theory, Equity theory and Expectancy theory. These theories provide guidelines for managers about how to enhance workplace motivation in their employees. Self-efficacy theory, for instance, argues that ‘an individual’s belief that he or she is capable of performing a task’ (Robbins et al. 2011, p. 186) influences their performance.According to this theory, employees with low selfefficacy (self belief) will exert less effort when they receive negative feedback whereas employees with high self-efficacy will increase their effort (Robbins et al. 2011, p. 187-80). Managers who focus on increasing self-efficacy in employees by setting difficult goals for them and encouraging them to perform better, can expect increased employee performance. You can see that the goal-setting theory is also applicable here – setting specific and difficult goals and providing feedback can lead to higher performance (Robbins et al. 011, p. 184). You will also read this week about ‘Equity’ theory which takes quite a different view of what motivates or ‘de-motivates’ us. Equity theory’s basic tenant is that the perception of equitable reward (such as salary) is quite essential to motivation. Most simply stated if you as an employee feel you are relatively poorly treated – for example, poorly paid as compared with others – then your motivation will suffer. In your reading you will be exposed to the mechanism of the ‘comparable worth’ as a way to create rewards systems for jobs that create equity in the workplace.Finally, you will read about expectancy theory this week which takes another quite different view of motivation. Expectancy theory is all about the expectancies or in lay terms ‘expectations’ employees have about their work and its rewards. If an employee 1) does not expect (or believe) they have the ability to complete the job to the required standard and or 2) does not expect (or believe) that the organisation will recognise their work when it is completed to the required standard and or 2) does not expect (or believe) the reward the organisation offers is worthwhile, then the employee’s motivation will suffer.You will read  © University of Southern Queensland Module 5 – Individual level: motivation concepts and applications 5 how expectancy theory can be applied to the workplace through the use of flexible benefits that allow employees to work towards rewards they truly value. Learning objectives from the text ? ? Define motivation and identify three key elements of motivations – Read ‘De fining motivation’ page 176. Identify early theories of motivation and evaluate their current use value – Read ‘Early theories of motivation’ page 176 – 181, up to the end of ‘McClelland’s theory of needs’, page 181.Apply the predictions of self-determination theory to intrinsic and extrinsic rewards– Read ‘Contemporary theories of motivation’ page 181 – 3. Compare and contrast goal-setting theory and management by objectives – Read page 184 – 188, up to the end of ‘Self-efficacy theory’ on page 188. Contrast reinforcement theory and goal-setting theory – Read ‘Reinforcement theory’ page 188 – 9. Demonstrate how organisational justice is a refinement of equity theory – Read ‘Equity theory/organisational justice’ page 189 – 92.Apply the key tenets of expectancy theory to motivating employees – Read ‘Expectancy t heory’ page 193 – 4 and ‘Flexible benefits; Developing a benefits package’ page 222. Compare contemporary theories of motivations – Read ‘Integrating contemporary theories of motivation’ page 194 – 5. Show how motivation theories are culture bound – Read ‘Global Implications’ page 196. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? We also suggest that you read Summary and Implications for Managers’ that provides you with a good summary of the theories covered in the readings.Application exercise This week’s application exercise is one I have used previously with students. You are asked to write a 5 paragraph essay titled ‘The day I hated my job more than I thought humanly possible’ or an essay titled ‘The day I loved my job more than I thought humanly possible’. In either case use Herzberg’s theory to explain why you hated or loved your job so much on that day. This is a quick exercise to get yo u thinking about 1) how to structure an essay and 2) how to apply theory to a case study.I have attached an example of an essay submitted by a previous student to help you. What follows are the quick tips on how to write a good OBM essay that were covered in module 2.  © University of Southern Queensland 6 MGT1000 – Organisational behaviour A good OBM essay has four main parts. ? ? You will always need a one paragraph introduction that states the overall theme of your essay and outlines the content of the essay. This will be the first paragraph of the essay. This will be followed by a series of paragraphs that present the real contents of your essay.This is sometimes referred to as the body of the essay. In this case this will only be 3 paragraphs. (You can have more if you really need them, but this is meant to be a short and sweet exercise to get the brain cells going – not a marathon). These will include the facts of your best or worst day at work and your referen ces to Herzberg’s theory that explain the experience. Visit this webpage at the USQ Library and follow the clicks for information on how to cite sources in essays using the Harvard Referencing system .This will be followed by a one paragraph conclusion that restates the main theme of your paper, summarises the main points raised in the body of your paper and ends with a strong ‘concluding’ sentence This will be followed by a ‘List of references’. This is a list of the full bibliographical details or any source (for example text book or journal article) that you cite in the essay. I expect in this essay you would only list the text as a source. ? ? A good OBM essay also includes theory that has been applied to the case study.I suggest you use the three sentence formula listed below to apply theory to a case study. In each paragraph include: 1. One or two sentences containing a bite size piece of theory 2. Followed by one or two sentences containing a bite size piece of case study 3. Followed by a linking sentence – that explains how exactly the theory is linked to the case study. An example 1. Bite size piece of theory According to Herzberg jobs that afford opportunities for growth can potentially be a source of job satisfaction (Robbins et al. 2011, p. 179) 2. Bite size piece of case study I certainly ound my job at that time challenging in a positive way. I was involved in a short-term, cutting edge project aiming to develop a completely new range of client services. 3. Linking sentence. My involvement in the client services project gave me an excellent opportunity for professional growth. My positive experience of my job at that time was therefore highly consistent with Herzberg’s notion of a job with job satisfaction. The same material presented as a paragraph. According to Herzberg jobs that afford opportunities for growth can potentially be a source of job satisfaction (Robbins et al. 011, p. 179. ) I certain ly found my job at that time challenging in a positive way. I was involved in a short-term, cutting edge project aiming to develop a completely new range of client services. My involvement in the  © University of Southern Queensland Module 5 – Individual level: motivation concepts and applications 7 client services project gave me an excellent opportunity for professional growth. My positive experience of my job at that time was therefore highly consistent with Herzberg’s notion of a job with job satisfaction.You may have to go through a few more drafts of the paragraph to get it saying exactly what you want it to, but that is the basic process. Finally, you may be wondering how to relate bits of theory to bits of case study. You might find a pen and paper tool like this one below useful. In the left hand column you will see the motivators and hygiene factors listed. (This is the theory you are expected to use in this essay). In the right column there is room for you to list the elements of your story that relate to these factors. You do not need to have an entry next to each piece of theory.The idea is that you would look at the completed grid and then decide what the pattern is. Did your job have lots of problems with the motivators? Were there additional problems with the hygiene factors? What was the overall pattern is the case study? This then becomes the theme of your essay. Motivators Achievement Recognition Work itself Responsibility Advancement Growth Case study elements Hygiene factors Company policy and administration Supervision Relationship with supervisor Work conditions Relationship with peers Personal life Relationship with subordinates Status Security SalaryCase study elements  © University of Southern Queensland 8 MGT1000 – Organisational behaviour Summary This module has focussed on motivation as a process that managers need to understand in order to try to create motivating jobs and reward systems in the workplace. You have covered both earlier theories of motivation and contemporary theories. You have also had an opportunity to put pen to paper and attempt an essay in this course. Presentation 5. 1 Ch7_motivation Reference list Gordon, J 1999, Organizational behaviour: a diagnostic approach, 6th edn, Prentice Hall, NJ.Mann, S 2004, ‘People-work: emotion management, stress and coping’, British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 205–21, viewed 12 December, EBSCOhost database Academic Search Premier, item: AN13121438. McShane, S & Von Glinow, M 2005, Organizational behaviour, 3rd edn, McGraw-Hill Irwin, Boston. Robbins, SP, Judge, T, Millett, B & Boyle, M 2011, Organisational behaviour, 6th edn, Pearson Education, French’s Forest. Gordon, J 1999, Organizational behaviour: a diagnostic approach, 6th edn, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.  © University of Southern Queensland

Bride Wars and Year One

The American film Bride Wars was released in 2009, it is an example of a typical modern romantic comedy. It is about two best friends Liv and Emma, who have grown up together planning their â€Å"perfect† wedding. They both get engaged at around the same time, together they go shopping for everything needed for a wedding, both looking to create their perfect wedding day. They get the wedding planner of their dreams, Marion St Clair who turns out to be the wedding planner of their nightmares and accidently books their weddings on the same day! Neither of them will agree to change their date, so they become enemies. As the tag line quotes â€Å"Even best friends can’t share the same wedding day. † The cake knives are out, but how will everything turn out? â€Å"Year One† is an American film also released in 2009, it is an example of a romantic adventure comedy. It is about two accident-prone Palaeolithic warriors. Jack Black who plays â€Å"Zed â€Å" is a prehistoric would-be hunter he gets kicked out of the tribe in the forest for eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. His side kick, â€Å"Oh† played by Michael Cera is a gatherer and turns up to â€Å"try† and save him. The film is about their adventures set in the prehistoric era trying to save their two friends Maya and Eema. Both girls are from their former tribe and have been captured and sold into slavery, on their travels Zed and Oh meet Biblical characters on route to the city of Sodom. Do they succeed in saving them? Although they are of the same genre they couldn’t be more different films. â€Å"Bride Wars† is set in the 21st century, whereas â€Å"Year One† is set in Palaeolithic era, this means there is a very big contrast between them. Bride Wars gives the impression of being a comedy from the expressions on both the actors’ faces. They are both looking straight into each other’s eyes showing a devious look with a comic smirk, in a horror film there would be no trace of a comic smirk. â€Å"Year One† has the aesthetics of a comedy with Jack Black’s expression being apprehensive and confused, his eyebrow is raised. Michael Cera’s facial expression is one of worried eyes which suggests he is just merely a side kick, and doesn’t really have a say in what Jack is going to do next! â€Å"Bride Wars† gives the impression of comedy on the poster, you would never expect brides to have a â€Å"war† or the weapons to be cake knives. Year One† suggests that it is set in prehistoric times, the first year of man, but the title doesn’t really have a comic sense about it, I believe this is why the director cast Jack Black to star in it, he is a very well known for his comedy roles. People will know that a film with Jack as the main character is going to be entertaining and funny so will choose to see it on that basis. The advertising poster for â€Å"Bride Wars† implies some type of confrontation in the plot. In â€Å"Bride Wars† the actors Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway have a look in their eyes of pure distain. Anne Hathaway is a popular actress with female audiences of all ages. She has featured in many other films such as Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Devil wears Prada and Brokeback Mountain, again she has a good following. In the poster both young ladies are dressed in wedding dresses this helps to emphases the term â€Å"bride† to look more potent, The actors have their hair down, which suggest a fight is about to break out, as brides nearly always have their hair up in an â€Å"updo†. The poster for â€Å"Year One† doesn’t imply a lot, being dressed in animal cloth relates to the title of the film and lets the audience know that this movie is set in pre-historic times. This leads me to think they might have gotten lost in an adventure, their body language looks like they have just seen something that is confusing or worrying to them. The colours used in each poster have soft tones, nothing potent or eye catching. Except the titles as this is what grabs the audience’s attention as they walk past. â€Å"Bride Wars† uses the colour theme of white and cream, these colours are usually associated with weddings e. g. purity, virgin brides, and wedding dresses, this again emphases the term â€Å"Bride. Year One’s theme is a desert landscape with a blue sky, this suggests it’s a hot day and they might be lost. The actors are the main focus of these posters; this suggests that the films revolve around them. The tag lines are intriguing, the tag line for Bride Wars suggests a confrontation within the film, and the tag line for â€Å"Year One† doesn’t give any clues to the plot of the film. This makes the person reading the poster want to learn more about these tag lines and what happens in the film, these help to grab the audience’s attention to hopefully go and see the film to find out more about them. The bold text in the â€Å"Year One† poster against the desert background makes the text stand out in the poster and catch people eye as they see it. The â€Å"Bride Wars† text on the word bride is similar to the text used on wedding invitations and further relates back to the film title. I think both posters have a target audience. Bride Wars is aimed at female teenagers and also would be appealing to female adults as it is about love and marriage. It is a feminine film, these are sometimes referred to as â€Å"chick flicks. † Year One is more of a teenagers film, not quite as girly as Bride Wars so might appeal to a wider audience. Teenagers are big fans of comedies and new movies that have just been released, they feel they can relate to them as they are light hearted and not serious. These posters inform their intended audience about the film, they try to entice them with intriguing tag lines that make the reader interested and wanting to see the film, and as they say â€Å"curiosity killed the cat. † They also inform people about the name, age certificate, genre, actors, and director, trying to persuade them in every way they can to see their film, to make it a success. In conclusion the posters are about as different as the films, â€Å"Year One† gives very little away about what is going to happen in the film so people will be curious to find out more, and perhaps research the film or discuss with friends what it’s about. Word of mouth is the best advert so getting people to talk about the film is a main goal for the poster. On the other hand the poster for â€Å"Bride Wars† lets you know the plot of the film, so when people see it they can make an instant decisions whether it interests them or not. Seeing two brides holding knives makes your imagination run and you just want to know what is going to happen. Both posters have a different target market, which explains why they are so different as they are tailored to appeal to different audiences. The posters have to grab and get the attention and curiosity of the people that they are aimed at and ultimately encourage them to want to go and see the film. Hopefully after seeing the film they will relay their experiences and enjoyment to other people and that will entice them to see the film too!

Withdrawal Are Soliders from Iraq or Stay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Withdrawal Are Soliders from Iraq or Stay - Essay Example The war has created an unexpectedly resilient insurgency in Iraq as well as sectarian violence. Although a new Iraqi government was formed, government in the Anbar province has collapsed and a Marine analyst has recently concluded there is nothing the U.S. can do to improve the situation politically or socially there (Ricks A01). Without a clear rationale or evidence of weapons of mass destruction, and with more proof that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with Al Qaeda, the Iraq war is looking more and more irrelevant to the war on terror in the eyes of the American public. If U.S. troops are not somehow extricated from Iraq, it appears the situation there will only worsen. Daily bombings of U.S. troops can continue to be expected, as there seems to be no way to eliminate this type of attack. The insurgency grows stronger as a generation of people in the Middle East view the U.S. as occupiers. The growing violence between Sunnis and Shiites is increasingly endangering the ordinary people of Iraq. Opponents of pulling out of Iraq have many legitimate concerns and claims. For instance, some insist America would be admitting defeat to the terrorists by leaving Iraq. Some claim the U.S. troops are needed in Iraq in order to ensure a democratic government is established there. There is also the claim that since there have been no more attacks on American soil since 9-11, this shows that the war in Iraq is working as a deterrent. Another claim is that keeping troops in Iraq provides Al Qaeda groups with an overseas target in the ongoing terror war, making the American public safer at home, by bringing the war to the enemy. Each of these concerns and claims should be considered during a pullout of troops from Iraq. The stigma of defeat is harmful to the U.S. image, but the message sent to the world when America conducted a pre-emptive strike against a country was far more damaging to its image and set a destabilizing

Journal Entry Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal Entry - Coursework Example Every person can work according to their own talent and skills and hence, every person can work according to their interest. However, collaboration is still regarded as a team work. This is one of the things that I feel are most important for everyone to understand because this may be one of the biggest problems that one may face while working with new people. Since I have taken this course I have tried to implement all ways of collaboration I have learnt through this course. It really is helping me throughout. When I get into a group work I always recommend this kind of working which makes it easier for all of us to work. This course, not only told us ways to work in collaboration, but also told us examples where people are working in interdisciplinary collaboration. For example in films, everybody works in their own department. The actors are supposed to act, the choreographers are supposed to choreograph; the editors are supposed to edit and so on. During the whole process, nobody interrupts in any others work, hence a successful film. During this course we got many surprising visitors that gave us their experiences about working in collaboration and working according to others’ disciplines and their disciplines combine. They told us that they had their tasks done before time and perfectly. They also shared with us how they kept on a smooth and friendly environment throughout. This was probably one of the biggest inspirations that my fellow mates and I got. Throughout, this course has offered me a lot to study about further. I personally got the curiosity in me that have lead me to do further research on interdisciplinary and collaboration work. I personally think that this course has helped me and it will help me in the upcoming years. This course has most definitely helped me during my group projects that I have worked on with people I know and people I don’t know. I was surprised how my ideas worked out well

What is nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is nursing - Essay Example lling a vital role within a given industry or business, the definition of nursing that has been laid out above strictly differs from the definition or â€Å"scope† that many jobs may have (Azuri et al., 2014). As a means of understanding this and delineating what the specific responsibilities and expectations are for nurses, the following analysis will seek to engage the reader with a more profound and nuanced interpretation of what the nurse actually does and how they are expected to fulfill their unique role within the medical community. Through such a discussion, it is the further hope of this student that the reader will be able to come to a more informed understanding of the role of the nurse and how this vital position serves to strengthen the outreach and scope that the medical community has. A discussion of what defines a nurse would not be complete without briefly discussing some of the roles and responsibilities that nurses have. Although the following will not be an exhaustive list, as such a list might require a dissertation length response, the core responsibilities that will be defined are generally shared amongst most nurses. Firstly, the nurse is required to directly interact with the patient and gather information that the medical professional, whether a doctor, PA, or other professional, can utilize as a means of addressing issues relating to the health of the patient and their future prognosis. In such a way, the nurse is oftentimes required to engage in a physical exam or a discussion with the patient; as a means of categorizing and seeking to provide actionable information to the doctor or PA (Christiansen et al., 2013). In a more direct sense, nurses are oftentimes required to provide health counseling and education. Although this is sometimes overlooked, in lieu of the fact that this is an expectation of a doctor, the fact of the matter is that a nurse’s extensive medical training prepares him/her to counsel patients with regard to

Friction Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Friction - Lab Report Example A proof of an increase or decrease in mass of the Newton’s experiment is determined by the force and acceleration achieved from the experiment. Goals: The goal of the experiment is to verify the existence of Newton’s second law by finding the coefficient of static friction, Â µs and the coefficient of kinetic friction, Â µk. using the experiment stated below. Introduction: Have you wondered the make-ups of mechanics? Well Newton’s second law breaks it down into simple understandable terms by providing a means of translating directly between the acceleration and force acting towards a given mass or object. Theoretical background: The experiments are based on the concepts of force and Newton’s Laws of Motion, particularly Newton’s Second Law which states that: the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net force acting on the body, and inversely proportional to the mass of the body. From this definition, the equation Net Force = Mass x Acceleration (Fnet = mass x acceleration) is derived. Air tracks were used to reduce friction; the little amount of friction that remains in the system is negligible in the data. The suspended mass was subject to gravity which has a constant acceleration of -9.81 m/s2. The variables were solved to include: acceleration of the sled, velocities of the sled at each photo-gate, net force acting on the string, and the time taken from release to the first photo-gate and between the photo-gates. Acceleration was calculated using the formula: Acceleration= Velocity/ Time. The experiment is commonly used in mechanics fields to determine the acceleration acti ng towards a given mass or object. ... Theory: The variables to be used in the experiment and their explanation involves F used to show the force, m used to show the mass being used and a used to show the acceleration of the object. The variables used by Newton’s lay emphasis on the net force used exerted on the experiment in question. The relationship between force and motion was initially discussed by Aristotle (384-332B.C). He proposed that the natural state of an object was during rest, and force was required to put an object into motion, therefore, a continuous force was necessary to keep the body in motion. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) argued that a body at rest is a unique case of a more broad case of constant motion. He noted that in the absence of friction acting on a body to slow it down, the body might continue to move in a straight line forever. He proposed that bodies remain at rest or in a state of constant motion unless an external force acts on them to change this motion. Frictional force is a force unlike other forces which accelerate or slows down a moving body (Lerner & Lawrence, page 51). Isaac Newton (1642-1727) sanctified the relationship between force and motion by proposing that the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to the mass of the body. This law is summarized by the formula F=ma which is verified quantitatively in this experiment. Work done i.e. physical work defined in terms of physical quantities is expressed as a product of positional change multiplied by the component of force Fx in the displacement direction dx. W = Fx ?x = F?xcos? Where ? is the angle between the direction of displacement and the direction of force. This relationship can be written in the vector dot product form W = Fx The

Organizational Change and Strategic Thinking Research Paper

Organizational Change and Strategic Thinking - Research Paper Example In general, the organizations have to carry on delivering value and face the current challenges, while reorganizing and getting ready for the future challenges. In order to accomplish effective organizational change, whilst performing the difficult task of balancing the present business activities and the preparation for the future, there needs to be reasonable strategies in place. The existence of managers who employ strategic thinking for the planning of organizational development can ensure that the measures for organizational change do not lead to inadvertent consequences. With the rapid changes in the business environment, the managers need decisive thinking skills to shift from the traditional reactive decision-making process to the proactive foresight method, so as to enable the organization to be equipped to face the upcoming challenges (Bonn, â€Å"Developing Strategic Thinking as a Core Competency†).In the middle of the turmoil and intricacy of the modern business wo rld, the successful organizations are those which are aware that, even as it is not viable to observe the future, they can acquire a perspective for the future that would offer them certain indications as to what might be in-store in future. Such organizations then plan accordingly to be prepared for the upcoming events as per their future perspective.  For this type of approach, the management of an organization needs to accept an innovative planning pattern that consists of observing the organization in the perspective of an open system atmosphere.   Such observation will make the organization better positioned to recognize and respond to upcoming events (Bonn, â€Å"Developing Strategic Thinking as a Core Competency†). This would also enable the organization to bring about the changes necessary in those surroundings and also influence the probable changes effecting the organization. The sustainability and performance of an organization in today’s dynamic economi c environment, thus depends on the application of strategic thinking to accomplish required organizational changes. This raises few apparent questions. What is strategic thinking? How can it be employed in accomplishing organizational change? What is the link between organizational culture and strategic thinking? Strategic Thinking – The Why-What-How Approach Richard Hughes and Katherine Beatty have described strategic thinking as â€Å"the collection, interpretation, generation, and evaluation of information and ideas that shape an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage†, in their book ‘Becoming a Strategic Leader’ (Switzer, â€Å"Strategic Thinking in Fast Growing Organizations†). Strategic thinking is a top-down overall observation of the whole organization on the basis of complete understanding of the business of the organization. Thus, strategic thinking consists of observing emerging trends, recognizing if the trends signify o pportunities or intimidation to the business organization. Strategic thinking also involves developing a response of the organization to earn benefit from the prospective opportunity or to alleviate the potential threat

Mobile Telecommunications Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mobile Telecommunications - Assignment Example As of March 1999, the Group had subsidiary mobile network operating companies in six countries - the UK, the Netherlands, Greece, Malta, Australia and New Zealand. Between 1999 and 2003, the Group furthered its transaction activities thereby transforming the company into the world's leading international mobile telecommunications company (Vodafone Annual Report, 2006). Vodafone Group provides a wide range of voice and data mobile telecommunications services, including text messages (SMS), picture messages (MMS), and other data services. The Group is continually expanding its product line and enhancing its service offerings, particularly through third generation (3G) mobile technology. In the wake of fierce competition and narrowing margins, Vodafone is continuously innovating to keep pace with the changing environment. Besides competition, the list of drivers changing the environment also comprises challenging regulatory environment, and continuous development in technology which means there is far more choice for customers. Historically, growth in Vodafone's portfolio has come from developed markets, particularly Europe. Due to high penetration rates (100%) in such markets, Vodafone is now concentrating on emerging markets which poses greater potential for growth due to low penetration rates (average 30%). 2. Strategic Analysis Vodafone has a strategy of expanding business through acquisitions, partnerships and joint ventures in the telecommunication industry. The Group cleanses its portfolio by disposing off underperforming assets that have an impact on its resources. Vodafone has invested only in those geographical regions where it has seen chances of superior returns for its shareholders. Key developments in the history of the Group are as follows: Timeline of Vodafone Group 1999 - Vodafone merged with Air Touch Communications which changed its name to Vodafone Air Touch. The Group had mobile operating subsidiaries in 10 countries and equity interests in an additional 12 countries. 2000 - Vodafone set its footprint in Germany and Italy through acquiring Mannesmann AG. Vodafone also increased its indirect holding in SFR, a French mobile telecommunications operator. Moreover, the Group's US mobile operations combined with Bell Atlantic and GTE Corporation to form Verizon Wireless. 2001 - Vodafone acquired Eircell Limited, a mobile operator in Ireland and set its footprint there. Moreover, the Group acquired 66.7% stake in a fixed line operator in Japan, Japan Telecom Co. Ltd. Since March 2003, Vodafone has undertaken multiple subsidiary acquisitions in Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, Netherlands, and UK. Vodafone has had joint ventures in India, Fiji, Kenya, Poland and South Africa. Vodafone Group faces a high degree of competition in each of its geographic markets. It is subject to both indirect competition, from providers of other telecommunications services in the domestic markets and, direct competition from existing mobile telecommunications network operators. Many of Vodafone's key markets are highly penetrated due to a large number of customers having more than one subscriber identity module (SIM), the basis of customer identity for a mobile telecommun

Qualitative desertion review and analysis about the impact of music Essay

Qualitative desertion review and analysis about the impact of music videos on girls - Essay Example The researcher presents questions based on the literature review. This means that a more inductive approach rather than a deductive approach was taken towards the study. What this means is that in terms of the research questions, the researcher did not create or develop a hypothesis out of which a theory was generated through literature review. Rather, the researcher took a theory through literature review and critically synthesized it to develop a hypothesis based on the research questions (Alvesson, 2002). In effect, the questions were presented in a way that way used provide the researcher the opportunity of modifying existing theory in literature. A major advantage with the methods of the study was that the researcher made use of a snowball sampling method, which generally permitted that a group of available respondents be critically scrutinized for their appropriateness in providing the researcher with the nature of variables that were needed to be tested in the study. This is b ecause the researcher was particularly focusing on at-risk girls and so did not have to use a sampling technique that would bring in respondents who fell outside this domain. What is more, a triangular data collection approach was devised by the researcher in ensuring that data collection was approached from as many preambles as possible so that the testing of results could be internally valid. A research protocol was presented to give the reader an idea of how the researcher’s process was carried out. Through the research protocol, it was established that a triangulation method of data-gathering was devised to make the researcher look into variables such as the cultural... The researcher rightly identified that dealing with at-risk adolescent girls was a difficult situation and thus the need to observe maximum ethical adherence (McIntosh, 2003). This is because the as the researcher notes, â€Å"at-risk population are heavily protected by state and national privacy laws, organizational bylaws, and staff concerns about exposing these children to additional harm† (p. 108). In line with this, all necessary ethical processes were followed such as the use of several months in seeking official permission from the appropriate quarters for the study. In some cases, permission was not granted and in such instance the researcher did not force her way out with collecting data from such organizations. The researcher rightly admitted that collecting qualitative data of this nature could be extremely challenging on the validity of the study because they did not make use of empirical and statistical approaches which are objective and easily interpreted univers ally. To this end, a series of actions were taken to ensure the validity and reliability of the study. For instance a pilot study was conducted to test how best the data collection approach aided in collecting the identified data in the research problem (Dunning, 2004). Again, there was the evaluation of multiple forms of evidence in the data collection approach, making it possible for the efficacy of the various data collection tools to be tested.

The standard constitution in international law Research Proposal

The standard constitution in international law - Research Proposal Example (thesis). Generally, every nation has constitutional law which can be of primary and secondary nature. As per HG ( 2014) â€Å"Constitutional law deals with the fundamental principles by which the government exercises its authority†. The primary law need to apply to all of the country’s constitution whereas the secondary constitutional law may or may not be applied by a nation. The constitutional law has an aim of improving the life’s of its citizen by promoting freedom and equality. The allocation o f power and individual rights for the betterment of a nation is the purpose of constitutional law. This would allow the country to be more economic and trade friendly, fair and justifiable. According to Balkin (1998) â€Å"Alternatively, the history of constitutional law is taught as the history of great jurists who show the rest of us the way through their wisdom or their folly†. A correct constitutional theory can get the best out of the constitutional law which gives more outcomes and reflect an ideal national value. The theory of constitutional law has a goal of satisfy the requirement of law, preserving fairness and democracy and promote justice. One of the theory of constitution law is originals where original understanding in regard to the language used in the formulation of constitutional law. As per Fish (2008) â€Å"Seeking the best interpretation of the Constitution, on the other hand, is seeking the interpretation that satisfies some extra-authorial standard which are morally and philosophically best†. Positivism is a theory that means that the constitutional law of a country need to look at the values and rights it promotes. The prosperity and integrity of the public needs to be considered at large when it comes to the constitution of international law. As per (Hart) â€Å"One of these thinkers, Gustav Rad- bruch, had himself shared the

Econ 310 Sangkeun 1st assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Econ 310 Sangkeun 1st assignment - Essay Example The pleasure obtained from using a certain thing will differ from one person to another, depending on the perspective of the possessor or owner of that thing. This use value cannot be quantified in terms of how much pleasure one can obtain or not. Exchange - Value: As opposed to the use-value, exchange-value is a quantifiable worth of something. It determines what one can obtain in exchange for some other thing. In other words, it can be said it is the proportional quantity in which it can be bartered with all other commodities and things. Value: In Karl Marx's perspective, value is a social substance of an object, which renders use-value as entirely meaningless; and exchange value is traditionally the relative value of an object in relation with another. Although it does not mean to ignore the use-value and exchange-value, because it is the use value of a thing that forms the basis for determining the exchange-value; which determines its ultimate value. Karl Marx has defined commodity as 'an external object that satisfies wants or needs', these commodities differ from each other because of its use value and the exchange value. Whereas, Marx used the word fetish to describe some object or commodity that fascinates and blinds oneself from seeing the truth. Hence, coined the term 'commodity fetishism'.

American Foreign Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

American Foreign Policy - Assignment Example aling with the two determinant factors differ between the realist approach and the idealist approach; the two approaches that have been exercised by different American leaders while each still adopts the same objectives of foreign policy1. How do these divergent approaches achieve foreign policy with the same goals? We analyze the realist foundations upon which President Bush’s administration was based versus the idealist foundations upon which President Obama’s administration is based. To achieve this, the paradigms of realism which underlay Bush’s foundation are hereafter explored2. The tenets of realism that Bush administration grew on included: firstly, nations or countries are the vital targets of foreign policy but their interactions complicate the attempts to influence their inherent natures. Second, a state’s material resource base (regarded as its power) relative to others determines its projected interests. The more the resource base the more it seeks to expand its political influence over lesser nations with cost/benefit analysis subtly influencing any relationships born. Therefore, according to realists, American power could and should be used to restrain states that could clearly harm the U.S. and its interests, (American interests are considered here to encompass political and economic)3.This disposition clearly enumerates those nations whose economies are currently emerging with the threat of toppling United States off the perch. This is an obvious manifestation of how realistic opinions in foreign policy formulation propose war with other n ations which may not have declared war on America. As it will be stated in the course of the discussion, realists use military interventions to solve such threats. It is important to see this misguided application of military on economical wars. In fact the undertones of U.S. being in pursuit of resources from other countries, mostly oil, and wary of emergent nations like China have been growing louder.

Respond to classmate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Respond to classmate - Essay Example Diversity brings together people with different beliefs and cultures. These people view situations in different perspectives and if brought together, they will make good ethical decisions. If the instructors had employed a check and balance system, the students would have been placed in groups. Moreover, the instructors would have demanded a report on each stage of the processes; hence, ethics violations could have been avoided. I appreciate that I have been able to understand the relationship between ethical decision-making and diversity because it is critical and exists. A combination of the two methods of implementing programs leads to successful teaching. Since realists hold to the traditional scientist values and constructivists on the other hand, implement art and creativity in the science-based disciplines, the science aspects taught are well absorbed by the students. The creativity aspect encompasses modern ways to handle situations (Rainer, 2011). I agree with you because, for the millennials, traditional values demoralize them as they engage in some extra-curricular school activities as well as science-based disciplines (Rainer, 2011). This was evident from few numbers of students that participated in sports as well as school clubs. A new club introduced in the school encompassed designing projects using latest technologies. The students were creative and many projects involved a lot of science technologies as well as engineering. They then converted their free time to designing projects and this way, they perfected their science-based skill s. It is therefore evident that these two methods, when combined together yield better

Editi a paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Editi a paper - Essay Example not comprehend the significance of their contribution in a child’s language learning abilities and dismiss their roles in influencing their belief that their role does affect their children`s linguistic functioning. There are some various factors that which might cause a low impact belief such as Having a low impact belief could be because living in a foreign country or marrying a foreign partner. Inter-racial and inter-cultural marriages / mixed marriages tend to reinforce such a belief in the parents, which completely disregards the role they might play in fostering their children’s linguistic abilities since such parents, more often than not, seldom care about what language their children may speak and hence the parents do not care if their children speak their native language. Another important thing factor is the parent’s total disregard of the significance of learning a foreign language such as English when the parents do not see the importance of a certain language i.e. English. When I was teaching at an intermediate school, I have seen and witnessed such cases where parents who do not see the fail to realize the significance importance of English language and therefore the y do not encourage their children to learn it. Some parents with low impact belief told stated that they do not care if whether their children learn English or not because they believe that their children will never benefit from it. Luckily Fortunately, (at the one end of the spectrum ), there are was a significant proportion of some parents with high impact belief and they are very interested who expressed a high level of interest in raising their children as bilinguals. At the same intermediate school, I have talked to some parents who were willing to do everything to help their children improve their second language skills. Therefore, those children with high impacted parents whose parents displayed a ‘high impact belief’ about bilingualism are the observed to be the best

Financial reporting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Financial reporting - Case Study Example C) issued new additional disclosure requirements; and the Financial Accounting Standards Board(FASB) went to the extent issuing an exposure draft (ED) proposing to eliminate the criterion to account for Repo 105 transactions as sales. Lehman’s bankruptcy was considered as the largest one in the financial history of America. In 1850, Lehman took start as a modest retailer of textiles and clothing in Alabama; soon, it became a leading global financial services giant, investing mostly in investment banks, investment management and brokerage securities. However, the year of 2008 recorded the financial history with Lehman filing bankruptcy in September due to its exposure of the risks associated with the residential-mortgage loans; at the same time, Lehman owed $613 billion to its creditors. Lehman perpetrated its deception by using 102% in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 140 (Pounder, 2011) in repos. A repo is associated with a transfer of financial assets when the borrower-transferor- wants to hold its ownership of the assets in the long term, but requires fulfilling the short term cash needs. Initially, the transferor commits that he would repurchase the financial assets in a given period of time after receiving a sum of cash- mostly smaller than the original value of the asset- for the financial assets. Upon maturity of the date, the transferor repays the amount originally received at the start of the transaction along with an agreed-upon sum of additional cash to the transferee. This transaction is accounted for as receiving a short term loan from the transferee and the financial asset is recorded as collateral in case the transferor is unable to repay the sum of amount. The accounting treatment for this type of accounting transaction is prov ided in (SFAS) No. 140, â€Å"Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities.†, providing two accounting treatments applicable to such transfers. Under

Piper Aircraft v Reyno Essay Example for Free

Piper Aircraft v Reyno Essay Facts: A small airplane crashed in Scotland killing several Scottish citizens. The respondents who are Scottish and who are the representatives of the estates of the citizens and residents who were killed in the crash filed suit for wrongful death in United States Federal District Court in California. The forum was later transferred to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania upon motion of the petitioner. It appears that the aircraft was manufactured in Pennsylvania by petitioner Piper Aircraft Co. Â  The propellers were manufactured in Ohio by petitioner Hartzell Propeller, Inc. At the time of the accident the aircraft was registered in Great Britain and was owned and maintained by Air Navigation and Trading Co. , Ltd and was operated by McDonald Aviation, Ltd. , a Scottish air taxi service. Both Air Navigation and McDonald were organized in the United Kingdom. Petitioners filed a motion to dismiss on the ground of forum non conveniens. After finding that an alternative forum exists in Scotland, the District Court granted the motion and dismissed the complaint. The United States Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s decision on the ground that the dismissal of the suit is automatically barred when the law of the alternative forum is less favorable to the plaintiff than the law of the forum chosen by the plaintiff. Issue: whether the district court abused its discretion in granting the petitioner’s motion to dismiss on the ground of forum non convenience Ruling. No. The district court did not abuse its discretion in granting the petitioner’s motion to dismiss. Thus, judgment of the United States Court of Appeals was reversed. Rationale: It is well-settled that a claim will be dismissed on the ground of forum non conveniens if the amount of burden and difficulty to the defendant is out of proportion to the convenience of the plaintiff. The dismissal of a suit will not ordinarily be denied on the simple reason that the forum is less favorable to the plaintiff In dismissing a case for forum non convenience several factors are considered because they affect the conduct of the trial. These factors are: a) the access to sources of proof and evidence; b) the availability of compulsory process for attendance of unwilling witnesses, c) the cost of obtaining attendance of willing witnesses; d) the possibility of viewing of premises; In this case, the factors heavily favor Scotland because the wreckage of the airplane is in Scotland and all of the witnesses to the crash are also in Scotland. Also, the deceased were all Scottish. Scotland has a strong interest in hearing this case since the incident happened in its airspace. On the other hand, the disadvantage that will result to plaintiff if this suit will be brought in the United States is insignificant considering that the interest of the United States in the suit is not sufficient enough to justify the amount of time and expenses that will be wasted if the suit will be filed in the United States

Aristotle Response Paper Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Response Paper Essay Aristotle presents the element of tragedy as more then the textbook definition; an event resulting in great loss and misfortune, but describes how it is an art that can enhance all types of poetry. He defines tragedy as being an imitation of an action that is a whole and complete in itself and of a certain extent. Aristotle shows how tragedy is actually more important than the history itself because it brings out people’s emotions, instead of simply presenting the facts. It is clearly stated throughout the essay that plot is key to good poetry and outweighs every other element. Step by step, Aristotle explains the importance of 6 main necessary elements of plot, character, verbal expression, thought, visual, and song composition. Aristotle states that poetry must target the emotions of pity or fear, which is created in the audience, as they see the tragedy of a character that suffers unfairly, but is not completely innocent. Then he moves on to describing the main elements of tragedy, which include, plot, character, language, thought, visual, and melody. Then he classifies these in three parts, the media, the manner and the objects. The verbal communication and song composition, constitute the media, in which they effect the replication. Then there is the display, which is the manner, and the remaining three, the plot, character and thought are the objects that are imitated. Aristotle considers the plot to be the most important of these elements. He describes the plot as not being a unity revolving around one man. Instead, he states that many things happen to one man, which may not always go together, to form a unity. At the same time, he says that among the actions that a character performs there are many that may be irrelevant to one another, but yet they form a unified action. Aristotle continues depicting the plot categorizing it in two manners: simple and complex. In a simple plot, a change of fortune takes place without a reversal or recognition. In contrast, in a complex plot, the change of fortune involves recognition or a reversal or both. He then defines reversal and recognition. Reversal or peripety is a change from one circumstance to its exact opposite. Recognition is a change from ignorance to knowledge leading either to friendship or hostility depending on whether the character is marked with good or bad fortune. There is a phrase used by Aristotle in Poetics, â€Å"from the machine,† which is basically any unlikely way of solving difficulty of the plot. Lastly, Aristotle explains the importance of the chorus in a tragedy. According to him, it should be regarded as one of the actors. Therefore, the chorus should be integrated into performance and be considered as part of the whole. Aristotle is correct in his importance of plot, but the characters are of equal importance. If the audience can connect with the characters on a personal level, then they are much more attached and emotionally involved with the story. Also the more information that is given about the characters, the more the audience gets an understanding as to why the story is playing out like it is.

Literature Review About Meter Reading Techniques Computer Science Essay

Literature Review About Meter Reading Techniques Computer Science Essay In this chapter we will explore more about how meter reading is done, the different type of techniques that exist to read meters, and automatic meter reading; specially the use of Bluetooth technology for automatic meter reading. A world wide view will be explored before we look to the context of Mauritius. Meters A meter is a device that can detects and displays the exact quantity of an element, substance or any quantifiable matter, may it be electrons, water, gas, glucose and many others. There are many uses of meters and in many different sectors of our world. For example, in health sector; meters are used to measure the level of glucose in the blood, to measure pulse rate, and many others. The utility sector, like gas, water or electricity companies, uses a very large numbers of meters. These companies have to monitor the usage of the resources used by their customers so that they can be charged for the amount they have used. There are also other meters like: gauss meters, geomagnetic meters, microwave meters, and many more. As we have seen, there are many sectors in which meters are being used; we cannot focus our attention in all of them. So, we will concentrate our effort in the utility sector, more specifically the one for electricity companies. Why this choice? Because Energy sector is a driving force in our world and that many developments and advances are thanks to electricity. So from here on we will focus our attention on that specific domain. Types of meters There are many types of meters depending on the area of use. The main types of electric meters are: Electromechanical Induction Meter (Standard Meter): It is a meter which counts the number of turns an aluminium disc does. The amount of electricity used is directly proportional to the number of revolutions of the aluminium disc. The electricity is measured in kilowatt-hours and the rate of charge remains constant all over the day. These types of meters are commonly used on single phase alternating current supply. Electronic Meters: These meters have an electronic display and make use of wireless technologies like Bluetooth, GSM and GPRS to transfer information about electrical consumption. They have inbuilt automatic sensors which helps to detect electrical energy theft or meter tampering. Prepaid meters: are like the standard meters; the only difference is that, instead getting a bill at the end of the month, it is a pay as you use service. I.e. the consumer pays in advance for the electricity consumption. Smart meter: These meters record the amount of electricity consumption for a certain period of time. The recorded data is then sent to the utility company for monitoring and billing purposes. Smart meters can transfer data from and to the meter, i.e. it is a two way communication. Meter reading Electric meters measure electricity mostly in kilowatt hour (kWh). One kilowatt hour is equal to the amount of energy used by a load of one kilowatt over a period of one hour, or 3,600,000 joules. The meter reading process is done periodically, so that consumers can be billed for that period of time. There are different methods used by different companies for metering. There are two ways that can be identified. Namely: the traditional way and new techniques. The traditional way, which uses the standard meter, can be described as: The meter reader goes to the consumers place. There, the meter reader reads the current value on the meter and note it down on the bill for the previous electricity consumption period. The bill is then given to the consumer. The meter reader will then enter the current value in the companys system, so that the consumer can be billed for that current period. The new techniques, which uses, electronic and smart meter are as follows: The meter reader makes use of new technologies to read the meter value, and meters have an electronic display. There are many different new techniques used for meter reading, and they will be further elaborated below. Automatic meter reading (AMR) Automatic meter reading (AMR), is the technology where data about consumption and the status of the meter device is collected automatically. The data is sent to a central database for it to be analysed and billing purpose. Meters for water, gas, and electricity can use the AMR technique. With the uses of AMR, there can be one way or two-way communication. In the one way communication, query is done only to know the reading value from the meter. Whereas in the two way communication; functions can also be implemented to the meter. Techniques for automatic meter reading There are several techniques for automatic meter reading; some of them are listed below. Touch Technology In the touch technology, a meter reader have a device, it may be a handheld computer or specialised data collection device. When the meter reader in close range to the meter; the latter press a button. A signal is sent firm the device to the meter and the reading of the meter is saved on the device. That saved data is downloaded to a data collection computer for billing purpose. This technique is also referred as on-site AMR, as the meter reader needs to go on site to read the meter reading. Radio Frequency Network As its name suggest, the network uses radio wave to communicate with the meters. There are automatic reading systems which uses the radio based technology such Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth and many others. Some of them are listed below. Handheld: a meter reader collects meter reading from meters which support AMR system. The meter reader carries a portable computer with a radio frequency receiver and transceiver which reads the meter readings value. [2] Mobile: it is also referred to as drive-by is a technique where the meter reading device is installed in a vehicle. The meter reader needs only to drive the vehicle along the path where the meters are found and the meter reading value is read automatically by the device installed in the vehicle. [2] Fixed network: it is a method where there is a network which is installed permanently to read meter reading. The network consists of many repeaters, collectors and a lot of other equipments so that values read are transferred to a central database. This method does not need the intervention of any human to read the metering value. Some time a hybrid AMR system is implemented so that when the fixed network goes down, the mobile system come into action. [2] Assessing the traditional meter reading and AMR The advantage and disadvantage of both traditional meter reading and AMR techniques are listed in the table below. Traditional Meter Reading Advantage Disadvantage Creation of job, as more people are needed to perform meter reading Social contact with consumers There can be error when reading the value. Difficult to detect fraud on meters. Some people consider the meter reader as an intruder in their privacy. Security of the person performing the reading the person may be attacked by dogs Table 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1: Traditional Meter Reading Automatic meter reading Advantage Disadvantage Enable theft detection. More accurate meter reading. Reduce operating cost. There is no need to enter consumers property (except for exceptional cases). If the system is down, billing will be affected. The use of radio waves can be a source of concern to a minority of people Table 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2: AMR Existing system using Automatic Meter reading There are many AMR systems implemented in many in different countries and using many of the different techniques listed above. Some of the existing AMR systems are listed: New Mexico Gas Company is using the AMR service. This has greatly helped to improve the working of the company. [4] The Ontario government introduced legislation on Nov. 3, 2005 to start the process of getting smart meters into every home and small business in the province by 2010. [5] Meridian Energy has started replacing traditional electricity meters with new smart electricity meters which will set a new benchmark for electricity retailing in New Zealand [6] Existing system of Bluetooth enable meter reading There are some companies which are using Bluetooth enabled meter for the reading of their meters, and there are some supplies of Bluetooth enabled meters. The topic is further developed below. Existing system Cambridge Consultants has delivered a prototype design of a Bluetooth-based radio module to the leading utility metering company, Actaris. Based on a single-chip Bluetooth device, the module provides new opportunities to drive down the cost of remote metering, allowing meters to be wireless-enabled at very low cost and opening the door to high-integrity consumer-activated schemes. Consumers with Bluetooth mobile phones, laptops or PDAs would have the option of taking meter readings themselves and communicating them to the utility company over the internet or GSM. [7] Bluetooth enabled meters suppliers There are many suppliers of Bluetooth enabled meters. Some of the suppliers are listed below. Landis+Gyr, is a company which design and manufactures electricity meters. This company have also design a Bluetooth reading system where they can read meters using Bluetooth. [8] Figure 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1: Bluetooth reader [8] Metex Corporation limited is a company which is manufacture meter readers, and the company has meters with Bluetooth technology. These meters can be used in an AMR system. [9] Current situation in Mauritius In Mauritius, we have the Central Electricity Board (CEB), Central Water Authority (CWA) and Waste Water Authority (WMA) as the main utilities companies. All these utilities companies are using the traditional way for their billing purposes. .I.e. a meter reader will go home by home and read their respective standard meter. The CEB is doing research on how to implement automatic meter reading and they have some electronic meters for testing purposes. CEB has also intention to implement prepaid meters. The AMR system on which CEB is experimenting consist of meter which has a modem. Then a communication is set with the modem and concerned data is read. That data is used for the billing purpose. As mentioned, the system is still at a testing phase, so a lot are still need to be done. To be able to implement AMR system all standard meters need to be changed to AMR supported meters, and meter readers need to be trained to be able to use the new system. Bluetooth Technology What is  Bluetooth? Bluetooth  is a wireless technology for short range communications which was developed to replace the cables connecting devices, may it be fixed or portable ones. Such devices are; mobile phones, printers, cameras, desktop computer, and many others. The Bluetooth  technology is a low power, low cost and maintains high levels of security. Bluetooth technology operates in the unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band at 2.4 to 2.485 GHz, using a spread spectrum, frequency hopping, full-duplex signal at a nominal rate of 1600 hops/sec. [10] The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), an organization of several companies work together to maintain and develop the Bluetooth technology. [10] The name Bluetooth comes from Danish King Harold Bluetooth. He was influential in uniting warring factions in parts of what is now Norway, Sweden and Denmark. [11] Bluetooth technology can withstand interference from wireless technologies which uses the 2.4 GHz spectrum. Adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) of Bluetooth technology detects other devices in the spectrum and avoid the frequency they are using. [11] According to Martin Reynolds, an analyst with Gartner Groups Dataquest, The thing about Bluetooth is that it really will ship in the billions of units once it gains momentum. Its really a multibillion-dollar market. [12] Bluetooth Logo Figure 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2: Bluetooth logo [13] Bluetooth range Bluetooth radio waves use certain amount of energy and can goes up to a maximum of certain diameter. The table below show Bluetooth class and its limit up to where it can go. Class Power use (mW) Range (approximate) in meters 1 100 100 2 2.5 10 3 1 1 Table 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ3: Bluetooth class range BLUETOOTH Network There are two type of network: Piconet: is made up of one master and one or more slaves but only up to a maximum of seven active slaves at a time. The device initiating the connection automatically becomes the master and is the master of the piconet. Slaves may not communicate directly with each other; they can only communicate with the master and transfer data when they are granted transmission time by the latter. Slaves synchronize their frequency hopping with the master using the masters clock and Bluetooth address. Figure 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ3: Typical piconet [14] Scatternet: Multiple piconets with overlapping coverage areas form a scatternet. Each piconet may have only one master, but slaves may participate in different piconets on a time-division multiplex basis. A device may be a master in one piconet and a slave in another or a slave in more than one piconet. Figure 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4: Typical scatternet [15] Bluetooth protocol stacks The Bluetooth protocol stack allows Bluetooth devices from different manufactures to work with one another. Some of Bluetooth protocol stacks   LMP (Link Management Protocol); configure and control links to other devices.   L2CAP (Logical Link Control Adaptation Protocol); links upper layer protocols over the Baseband and the passing on of quality of service information. RFCOMM (Cable replacement protocol): protocol provides emulation of serial ports over the L2CAP protocol.   Service Discovery Protocol; provide a way for discovering services provided by or available through a Bluetooth device. It also allows applications to know about the characteristics of the services which are available.   HCI (Host/Controller Interface); access the hardware status and control register. It also provides a command interface to the Link Manager and Baseband Link Controller. Bluetooth radio is a transceiver which transmits and receives modulated Bluetooth radio waves for the devices. Figure 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5: Bluetooth protocol stacks [15] Bluetooth profiles Bluetooth profiles help two devices which have the same profile to communicate with each other. Each Bluetooth device must support at least one profile. There are a wide range of Bluetooth profiles that explain many different types of applications. Generic Access Profile (GAP): Provides the basis Bluetooth functionality for all profiles. Some of the functionalities are like setting up L2CAP links, handling security modes and discoverable modes. Serial Port Profile (SPP): Provides serial port (RS-232) emulation based on the RFCOMM part of the Bluetooth stack. Dial Up Networking Profile (DUNP): Defines how to a Bluetooth device can be used as a Dial Up Networking gateway FAX Profile: Defines how a Bluetooth device can be used as a FAX gateway Headset Profile: Defines what is required to transfer audio e.g. a wireless Bluetooth headset LAN Access Point Profile: Defines how a Bluetooth device can be used as a LAN access point Generic Object Exchange Profile (GOEP): Provides support for the OBjext EXchange (OBEX) protocol over Bluetooth links Object Push Profile: Defines how to exchange vCard and vCalendar objects, based on the GOEP File Transfer Profile: Defines functionality of how to navigate through folders and copying, deleting or creating a file or folder on a Bluetooth device, based on the GOEP. Figure 2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ6 : Bluetooth Profiles [16] THE ADVANTAGES OF BLUETOOTH Short transmission range up to a maximum of 100 meters with class 1. Low Power: Bluetooth takes relatively low power, thus it is suitable for devices with restricted battery capacity. Interoperability: as it have standardised protocols. Robustness: capable of operating in an environment strongly where there are many other radio waves Technologies for developing the system There are many phase for the development of a system and there are many tools available for their development. Two categories can be identified for a system; hardware and software. The hardware part is the part that can be hold by hands and move if it is portable. The software part can be seen as the one who make the hardware works correctly. Without the software, the hardware cannot be used fully. Programming language There are a series of programming languages that are available to programmers to code systems. Each programming language has an area of application where it is better. Some of the programming languages are listed below. Java Java is cross platform and GNU General Public License  programming language. Java is an object-oriented, class-based, general-purpose, and concurrent language. It is intended to let application developers write once, run anywhere. Java programming languages is used in many systems ranging from applications software to web applications. Java can be use for Bluetooth programming. Java Communication Process (JCP) developed JSR 82, Java API for Bluetooth, so that Bluetooth enabled devices can be code easily using J2ME. Integrated development environment (IDE) help to code with java, some examples are: NetBeans The NetBeans IDE is written in Java and needs JVM run. It can run on different operating system like Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Solaris. A JDK is required for the functionality of Java development. Netbeans also has a GUI design tool that help developers to design GUIs. Eclipse Eclipse was mostly written in java and can be used to develop java application. There are a lot of plug-in which helps to for development. J2ME J2ME is Java platform used to code embedded devices, like mobile phones. Java ME source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License. J2ME can be use to code systems with wireless connection. C programming language C is a general-purpose computer programming language that can run on many platforms. C can be use for developing portable application software. Python Python is a multi-paradigm programming language and it is cross platform, i.e. it can work on different operation systems. Python can be use for Bluetooth programming. Visual Basic.Net (VB.Net) Visual basic is implemented on .Net framework. VB.Net was designed by Microsoft and it is an object oriented language. Relational Database Management System (RDMS) Some of RDMS are listed below: MySQL MySQL is a relational database management system which is released under the GNU General Public License. It offers multi-user access to databases and it is cross platform software. PostgreSQL PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) and it is released under PostgreSQL License. Thus it can be modified and distributed in any form desired. Web Server A Web server is responsible to process users request and reply back. The replies are mainly HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents. Web servers are mainly used t host Web sites. Apache HTTP Server Apache HTTP Server is a Web server which is licensed under Apache License 2.0, which means that it is an open source HTTP server. It is platform independent, highly secure and efficient. Internet Information Server (IIS) IIS was created and is owned by Microsoft. There is need to buy it license to use it. Web Development Tools There are many server side scripting languages that are used. Some of them are listed below: PHP PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a general-purpose scripting language that was designed for web development so as to have dynamic web pages. PHP can work on most servers and operating system. ASP.NET ASP.NET allows programmers to build dynamic web pages, web services and web application. It is a web application framework developed and marketed by Microsoft. Hardware Some of the hardware that can be used is listed below. Mobile phone Mobiles phones have become a common electronic device. It offers many options than just make call and send messages. Nowadays we can access the Internet via mobile phones, and there are many applications that where developed on mobile phone. New generation mobile phones are equipped with camera and Bluetooth. Laptop/ Computers Computer is like the tool that enables programmers to work. All most all programming languages, not to say all, can work on computers. They are also equipped with many wireless devices like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Embedded devices There are embedded devices that are designed specifically to do certain things. Some examples are: MP3 player, washing machines, Bluetooth meter reader, and many others. Evaluation of Tools Programming language The programming language is what will help to make the software. Each programming language has positive and negative points depending on the type of software that need to be developed. The pros and cons of certain programming languages are listed below. J2ME Pros Cons Offer better networking capability Available on various platforms J2ME applications are portable Rich user interface Robust security features. There is a wide range of mobiles which support Java, thus having wide range of mobile phone that can be used. Midlet cannot access all native resources without authorization. Application need to adapt for phones which have different CLDC, MIDP, JSR and Bluetooth. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4: J2ME Java Pros Cons Java code can work on many different platforms. Java is secure, robust and reliable. Java provides use of multithreading. Java is object oriented and allows creation of modular programs and reusable code. Java have an API for Bluetooth programming Java is slower and consumes more memory when compared to languages such as C or C++. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5: Java Web Servers Web servers are what will enable the data to be access over a network in a convenient way. There are a lot of web servers, some of them are described below. Apache Pros Cons Apache is open and thus can be customised easily according to requirements Multi-platform. It runs on a wide variety of operating systems, including all variants of UNIX, Windows 9x/NT, and Mac OS Apache is not regularly updated Requires more technical knowledge to install and configure Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ6: Apache IIS Pros Cons GUI mode installation. Works with a wide range of operating systems and browsers. Source code is proprietary. Can only work within Windows environment. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ7: IIS Web Development Languages Web development language will be used to code for application at server side. There is a wide pool of language that is available. Some of them are listed below with their some of their pros and cons. PHP Pros Cons PHP is free and easy to use. PHP help to interact with database easily. Can support many operating systems, like Windows, Linux and Mac OS. PHP engine need to be installed on server to use PHP. Debugging can be lengthy for complex program. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ8: PHP ASP.NET Pros Cons ASP.NET code is compiled at server before being sent to the browser; thus faster. ASP.NET pages are simple to write and can cope with heavy traffic without affecting performance adversely ASP.NET runs on only windows platform. ActiveX objects are platform specific, thus it will not work easily on many Web servers. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ9: ASP.Net RDBMS Relational Database Management System (RDMS) will be used to store all data. It is very important as all sensitive data will be there and data will be used to do billing purpose. MySQL Pros Cons Easy to use. Free and Open source system. Runs on a range of different platforms. Can handle large sets of data. It is secure. Passwords are encrypted Recovery of database is not guaranteed in case of a power cut. Operates over known IP ports which facilitate the task of intruders Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ10: MySQL PostgreSQL Pros Cons It is a free and Open source software PostgreSQL can work on different platform PostgreSQL is very scalable and extensible It is slow compared to MySQL Lacks binary distribution for all the supported platforms. Table 3à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ11: PostgresSQL Choice of Final Tools Java is appropriate for the desktop application as it can work on many different platforms and have an API for Bluetooth. J2ME is used for the mobile application development as many mobile phones can support java and have an API for Bluetooth. Bluecove API for Bluetooth programming as it is open source and support java. PHP will be used for the web application as it is free and easy to interact with database. MySQL is more suitable for database system as it is free and work well with Web servers. Design The design section gives an overview of the structure of the software and architecture of the system. It also includes the data involved, the interfaces between system components, algorithm and protocol to be used for the system implementation. System Design Issues Several system design issues like performance, quality of service, fault tolerance, and security, which are important in the design of a system, are discussed below. Performance Issues The performance issues are concerned with the limitation of computers in term of processing power and communication capacities. These issues can be described in the followings ways: Responsiveness: It is how fast the system processes given input to give an output. The use of threading allows multiple tasks to process simultaneously. Threads can be used for processor intensive process. Threads can be implemented in Java Environment. Applications running on networks depend greatly on the load and performance of servers and also the network load itself. Server and network load balancing can be used to prevent them from being overloaded. Such technique is beyond the scope of this project. When using the Internet, there is a probability of communication delays and data being corrupted, this beyond of ones control. Throughput: It is of the system corresponds to the amount of data transmitted between the client and server in a given time interval. On a wireless network is takes a long time to establish connection between the server and the client and the latency time of HTTP is significantly high. So, the number of HTTP round trips in the application must be kept to the strict minimum. Robustness Robustness is the ability of the system to operate in the presence of incorrect input or cope with errors when the system is running. Validations check like length check and data type check can be used to prevent wrong input and catch errors where shared resources are being accessed. Interactivity Interaction with the system can be in many different ways. Data or command input to the system will make it produce certain result. Some of the ways that can interact with the system are listed below. The use of graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate user to communicate with the system. Providing options and menus where possible instead of typing data. Users using the mobile application need to enter data via phone keypad. Use of meaningful icons, so that user can interact quickly with the system. Flexibility The web application can support multiple users at a time and can receive and process multiple requests a time. The system must be able to cope if there is significant increase in the number of users and additional resources can be added if needed to. Portability The mobile application can be run on Java enabled mobiles phones which support MIDP 2.0. The web application can run on multiples types of servers. Limit size of JAR file The mobile application has limited resources to use. So the application is obfuscated to reduce its size. The obfuscation process helps to remove unused classes and libraries. Error, Exception Handling and Fault Tolerance The application should continue to work correctly in presence of software, hardware and network faults. Errors will be caught in try-catch blocks to alert user of the error. Security Security is one of the focal point of a system. There is no system on earth which can be tagged as impenetrable. What can be done is, to make the system less vulnerable to attacks. The system needs to protect data from unauthorized users. The ways to protect the system is listed below. Users need a username and password to be able to access the system. User will be identified and authenticated before they can use the system. The database will be protected with password. Architectural Design In this section, the different components of the system are illustrated and how they interact between them. Overall Architecture The system is made up of three main components: the meter, the mobile application and the server application. The mobile application will be used to read a value via Bluetooth from the meter and will send that value via mobile network operator to the server. The connection between the mobile and the server is done via wireless connection such as GPRS, WAP, EDGE or Wi-Fi. The meter will be a simulated meter on a laptop that will be accessed via Bluetooth by a mobile application. The server will be used to host the web site and connect to the database. That database will be used to store all information needed. The figure below shows the overall architecture. Figure 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ7: Overall architecture Detailed architecture Figure 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ8: Component diagram <