Sample of Chapter 2 of an Investigatory Project (Steam-Powered Toy Car) Essay Example

Sample of Chapter 2 of an Investigatory Project (Steam-Powered Toy Car) Essay Chapter 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES Introduction This chapter indicates the ideas, also the history, relevant to the experiment to provide information and further elaborate different standpoints that were the foundation of the proposed study, also on the background study of the different methods and concepts used by other researchers that applies to the present study. In order to develop new method and procedures, careful review of literature and studies must be done for the development of the study. The main purpose of this chapter is to identify and review theories on steam engine and to identify the deficiencies of those theories. Related Literature In general usage, the term ‘steam’ is the invisible vapor into which water is converted when it boils. On the contrary, it is the cloud of water droplets formed by the partial condensation of this vapor as it is cooled. [1] Steam is the technical term for ‘water vapor’, the gaseous phase of water. Since it is a vapor, it is logical that the density of steam is much less than that of water because the steam molecules are further apart from one another. We will write a custom essay sample on Sample of Chapter 2 of an Investigatory Project (Steam-Powered Toy Car) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sample of Chapter 2 of an Investigatory Project (Steam-Powered Toy Car) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sample of Chapter 2 of an Investigatory Project (Steam-Powered Toy Car) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The space immediately above the water surface thus becomes filled with less dense steam molecules. Water vapor that includes water droplets is described as wet steam. As wet steam is heated further, the droplets evaporate, and at a high enough temperature (which depends on the pressure) all of the water evaporates and the system is in vapor-liquid equilibrium. [2] Steam has many uses. In agriculture, it is used for soil sterilization to avoid the use of harmful chemical agents and increase soil health. The steam is used to sterilize the soil in open fields and/or greenhouses. Pests of plant cultures such as weeds, bacteria, fungi and viruses are killed through induced hot steam which causes their cell structure to physically degenerate. Biologically, the method is considered a partial disinfection. It also has a large contribution of making our lives better at home: for cooking vegetables, steam cleaning of fabric and carpets, and heating buildings. In each case, water is heated in a boiler, and the steam carries the energy to a target object. While about 90% of all electricity is generated using steam as the working fluid, nearly all by steam turbines. 3] In electric generation, steam is typically condensed at the end of its expansion cycle, and returned to the boiler for re-use. However in cogeneration, steam is piped into buildings through a district heating system to provide heat energy after its use in the electric generation cycle. The worlds biggest steam generation system is the New York City steam system which pumps steam into 100,000 buildings i n Manhattan from seven cogeneration plants. [4] In other industrial applications steam is used for energy storage, which is introduced and extracted by heat transfer, usually through pipes. Steam is a capacious reservoir for thermal energy because of waters high heat of vaporization. Steam is also an effective lifting gas, providing approximately 60% as much lift as helium and twice as much as hot air. It is not flammable, unlike hydrogen, and is cheap and abundant, unlike helium. The required heat, however, leads to condensation problems and requires an insulated envelope. There are many examples in which steam is used. It is used for piping in utility lines. It is also used in jacketing and tracing of piping to maintain the uniform temperature in pipelines and vessels. Steam is used in the process of wood bending, killing insects and increasing plasticity. An autoclave, which uses steam under pressure, is used in microbiology laboratories and similar environments for sterilization. Steam is used to accentuate drying especially in prefabricates. It is also used in cleaning of fibers, sometimes prior to painting. Other examples are already mentioned while tackling steam’s uses. Despite of all its uses, steam can also be dangerous. A steam explosion is formed when water comes to contact in contact with a very hot substance (e. . , lava, molten metal). These explosions have been responsible for many foundry accidents. A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. Steam engines are external combustion engines. [5] where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be used. Water turns to steam in a boiler and reaches a high pressure. When expanded through pistons or turbines, mechanical work is done. The reduced-pressure steam is then condensed, and it is pumped back into the boiler. The ideal thermodynamic cycle used to analyze this process is called the Rankine cycle. This cycle generates about 90% of all electric power used throughout the world. (see fig. 1)[6] Some practical steam engines discard the low-pressure steam instead of condensing it for reuse. Fig. 1 The Rankine cycle There are two fundamental components of a steam plant: the boiler or steam generator, and the motor unit, referred to itself as a steam engine. Stationary steam engines in fixed buildings may have the two parts in separate buildings some distance apart. For portable or mobile use, such as steam locomotives, the two are mounted together. Other components are often present; pumps (such as an injector) to supply water to the boiler during operation, condensers to recirculate the water and recover the latent heat of vaporization, and super heaters to raise the temperature of the steam above its saturated vapor point, and various mechanisms to increase the draft for fireboxes. When coal is used, a chain or screw stoking mechanism and its drive engine or motor may be included to move the fuel from a supply bin (bunker) to the firebox. The heat required for boiling the water and supplying the steam can be derived from various sources, most commonly from burning combustible materials with an appropriate supply of air in a closed space (called variously combustion chamber, firebox). In some cases the heat source is a nuclear reactor or geothermal energy. While boilers are pressure vessels that contain water to be boiled and some kind of mechanism for transferring the heat to the water so as to boil it. A motor unit takes a supply of steam at high pressure and temperature and gives out a supply of steam at lower pressure and temperature, using as much of the difference in steam energy as possible to do mechanical work. A motor unit is often called steam engine in its own right. They will also operate on compressed air or other gas. Steam Engine has its own advantages especially to our present world. The strength of the steam engine for modern purposes is in its ability to convert heat from almost any source into mechanical work, unlike the internal combustion engine. Steam locomotives are especially advantageous at high elevations as they are not adversely affected by the lower atmospheric pressure. This was inadvertently discovered when steam locomotives operated at high altitudes in the mountains of South America were replaced by diesel-electric units of equivalent sea level power. These were quickly replaced by much more powerful locomotives capable of producing sufficient power at high altitude. For road vehicles, steam propulsion has the advantage of having high torque from stationary, removing the need for a clutch and transmission, though start-up time and sufficiently compact packaging remain a problem. Steam Engine’s now applied to many useful things. Very low power engines are used to power models and toys, and specialty applications such as the steam clock. Winding engines, rolling mill engines, steam donkeys (See figure 2) [7], marine engines, and similar applications which need to frequently stop and reverse. Engines providing power, which rarely stop and do not need to reverse. These include engines used in thermal power stations and those that were used in pumping stations, mills, factories and to power cable railways and cable tramways before the widespread use of electric power. Fig. 2 Steam donkey Steam engines have been used to power a wide array of transport appliances. Examples are steamboat, steamship, steam yacht, steam locomotive, fireless locomotive, traction engine, steam tractor, steam wagon, steam bus, steam tricycle, steam car, steam roller, steam shovel, steam tank (tracked), steam tank (wheeled), steam catapult, even steam rocket. The Corliss steam engine, a four-valve counter flow engine with separate steam admission and exhaust valves, was called the most significant advance in the steam engine since James Watt. In addition to using 30% less steam it provided more uniform speed, making is well suited to manufacturing, especially cotton spinning. [8] On another hand, in Ancient Greece when girls were not at school and boys were not working, they played ball games with inflated pig’s bladders. Roman children played with wooden or clay dolls and hoops. Toys changed little through the centuries. In the 16th century children still layed with wooden dolls. Before the 20th century, children had few toys and those they did have were precious. Furthermore, children did not have much time to play. Only a minority went to school but most children were expected to help their parents doing simple jobs around the house or in the fields. Egyptian children played similar games to the ones children play today. They al so played with toys like dolls, toy soldiers, wooden animals, ball, marbles, spinning tops and knucklebones (which were thrown like dice). In the 19th century, middle class girls played with wood or porcelain dolls. They also had doll houses, model shops and skipping ropes. Boys played with toys like marbles and toy soldiers as well as toy trains. (Some toy trains had working engines fuelled by methylated spirits). They also played with toy boats. During World War II most toy factories were turned over to war production. However in the late 20th century with the arrival of an affluent society plastic and metal toys became much cheaper and much more common. Many new toys were invented in the 20th century. A model car or toy is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles such as trucks, buses, or even ATV’s, etc. , are often included in the general category of model cars. Because many were originally sold as playthings, there is no precise difference between a model car and a toy car, yet the collector hobby became popular in the 1960’s and precision detailed miniatures made specifically for adults are an increasing part of the market. Toys as a â€Å"big business† did not begin until after the 1830’s, when steamboats and steam trains improved the transportation and distribution of manufactured goods. Early toymakers used wood, tin, or cast iron to fashion horses, soldiers, wagons, and other simple toys. Miniature models of automobiles first appeared as slush cast plaster or iron toys made in the early decades of the 1900’s. Tin and pressed steel cars, trucks, and military vehicles followed in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Casting vehicles in various alloys, usually zinc (called zamac or mazac), also started during these decades and came on strong particularly after World War II. Post war, the zinc alloy vehicles became ever more popular in Europe in particular. While die-cast metal cars were either large scale collectors type or smaller consumer â€Å"Matchbox† type-toys are made of metal and plastic, the metal used commonly is Zamak (or Mazak), an alloy of zinc and aluminum[9], these were seen in America and they were often simple, while plastics also surged and became prominent. Tin and pressed steel came to Japan, rather late, during the 1950’s and 1960’s, and that country quickly moved into die-cast by the 1970’s. Today, China, and other countries of Southeast Asia are the main producers of die-cast metal European, American, and Japanese companies. 10] Many model cars were not intended either for toys or for collecting. As early as the 1930’s and perhaps earlier, the manufacturers of real automobiles would design and construct scale and full-sized models to plan new products or promote the company. Sometimes styling or concept models were made out of wood or clay. Models could also be precise replicas crafted out of the same materials as the real vehicle. As time went by, some companies even made their own models or toys attracting the next generation to their products. Scale miniatures were actually made for children and for them to have an idea on how to make better miniatures or design, the researcher can make use of plastic, die-cast metal, resin, and even wood. What ever materials are used, the finished product would be a success if a great idea or design was made. By the mid-1960’s, plastic model kits had become more plentiful and varied with increased level of detail. Typically, the kits often had opening hoods, separate engines and detailed suspension parts. The mid-1960’s is generally considered the â€Å"golden age† of plastic model car kits. In addition to building them stock, most annual kits offered â€Å"3-in-1† versions which allowed the builder to assemble the car in stock, custom, or racing form. Interest in model car kits began to wane in the mid-1970’s as a result of builders growing older and moving on to their pursuits. New model specific magazines sprang up, such as Scale Auto Enthusiast, (now simply Scale Auto) and Model Cars Magazine. These magazines spread the word, helped advertisers, and brought modelers together from all across the country. Today, many of the classic models from the golden age of modeling have been reissued. Not only does this allow modelers to build the cars the always wanted (but couldn’t obtain or afford), but it tends to lower the prices of the originals. In some cases, models of cars from the 1950’s and 1960’s have been issued with all-new tooling, which allows for even more detailing made possible with modern kit design and manufacturing methods. Today, model car companies are still in business, fueled by a renewed interest in model car building and collecting. Modelers today can make advantage of modern technology, which includes photo etched details, dhesive chrome foil for chrome trim, wiring for engine, and billet-aluminum parts. Many builders today can take a basic kit and detail it so it resembles a real car, in miniature. The internet has also fueled a growing modeling community through websites, online forums and bulletin boards, and sites that host photographs, allowing the hobby to expand internationally. Related Studies When referring to technology t oday, many people automatically think that the referral is in regards to computers, the Internet and Information Technology. Technology such as steam locomotion, the creation of the printing press and space travel, are all considered major forms of technology that have affected society and culture throughout history. All these technologies have huge impacts on society and culture. In considering the fact that shortly before the steam engine was invented, the favorite mode of travel was horse and buggy. The advantages brought by the steam engine immediately became apparent. Those advantages were not only available to individuals wishing for travel, but the transportation of goods to the marketplace had probably even more impact. Steam engine technology became a very important cog in the societal wheel of progress, moving passengers and cargo quickly and efficiently throughout the world, especially in Europe. Towns near railway stations quickly grew as people and companies wished to be near the easy side. The effect then of steam engine technology was to bring great distances much closer together while at the same time making goods and services more available and less expensive. Though other forms of transportation now overshadow steam locomotion it still has much influence over citizens’ lives. Sometimes the impact can be negative, especially as the railroad grew more aged and brittle. Steam has been used for projects like steam airships. According to Thomas J. Goodey, â€Å"The idea of using steam (H2O in its vapor phase) as LTA lift gas either for a balloon or an airship has been suggested many times. These suggestions all appear to have remained merely theoretical, although several were quite detailed. It appears that no full-scale trials, or even experiments, have ever been performed. Yet the idea of using steam as lift gas is attractive, although there are some obvious difficulties. [11] Obviously the non-rigid steam airship does not have the potential to displace the helium airship in every application. However the researcher thought that it will have its niche. Specifically, the researcher thought that a steam airship would be able to satisfy the demands that hot-air airships try to satisfy but fail. The project though did not succeed. The low cost and the conveni ence in ground handling of a Steam Airship will, in this restricted operational context, more than compensate for its deficiencies. The group of researchers then tried to find another external site where steam is being used to make something work. And we found this project wherein it shows how steam engine is constructed. Quoted from the project, â€Å"From the Research and development perspective, I have done much research on the topic of Flash Steam Engines and have seen applications where flash boilers power live steam engines. But these devices are not flash steam engines. Since the steam does not actually flash in the engines combustion chamber (or cylinder). Instead the steam will flash in the boiler device and reaches the engine as common live steam. Hence there is no real innovation in these devices. And quite frankly a live steam engine leaves much to be desired. In terms of efficiency and operating characteristics, many things may be improved in the way of valve gear. But in the end all you have is a live steam. † [12] The researcher of that project also gave recommendations and gave emphasis to things that should be remembered. Direct Injection is the preferred method used to run these types of engines. The DI valve thats used in the applications features a variable lift mechanism, this is necessary in order to throttle such engines. Initially very high pressure and or supercritical steam/water were injected into the engines. This did in fact work, but is not considered user friendly. High pressures are still used for the injected water, such as 2000psi hydrostatic pressure, derived from a pump, this is needed to maintain high rpm engine speed, the injected water does not contain super-critical energies, but is heated somewhat, such as to 400 °f. [13] Another project said that if wood will be used as the major component, it should be noted that even if a boiler is built, the engine probably wouldnt work well. In the presence of steam the wood would swell and warp causing problems. A simple solution to this problem would be to replace the wood parts with aluminum ones. [14] Over the years, steam locomotives have become a very popular image in representation of trains. Many toy trains based on steam locomotives are made, thereby making the image iconic with trains to children. Steam Engines are still around, and they are in wide use, but most take the form of the steam turbine engine. The steam turbine is responsible for generating about 86% of the electric power used on this planet. That probably is a qualifier for current use. Steam engines, either the piston or turbine type, are used on most big ships, and there are still a few steam locomotives about. [15] As for toy cars, they continue to evolve in many ways, from battery powered, to ones that use renewable energy, such as solar, water. Synthesis In this chapter, it has been discussed on how steam engines work, including the many fundamental methods used. It discussed what steam is and how it became very useful to our society today. It defined steam engine. It is also stated in this chapter different advantage and disadvantages of steam engine, how it is being done and its different applications. It discussed the history of toys, how it emerged from wooden dolls to our present high-technology dolls, toy cars, etc. Lastly, the chapter also summarizes all of the studies and findings of different researchers regarding steam and steam engines. Definition of Terms Aluminum. Aluminium or aluminum (US English) is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances. Aluminium is the third most abundant element (after oxygen and silicon), and the most abundant metal, in the Earths crust. It makes up about 8% by weight of the Earths solid surface. Aluminium metal is too reactive chemically to occur natively. Instead, it is found combined in over 270 different minerals. [4] The chief ore of aluminium is bauxite. Atmospheric pressure. It is the force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of air above that surface in Earth’s atmosphere. Boiler. It is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exists the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications. Electricity. It is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. Fuel. Is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Heat. In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. Helium. Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4. 002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table. Its boiling and melting points are the lowest among the elements and it exists only as a gas except in extreme conditions. It is the second lightest element and is the second most abundant element in the observable universe Internal combustion engine. It is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel (normally a fossil fuel) occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and pressure gas produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine, such as pistons, turbine blades, or a nozzle. Locomotive. It is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. It was first used in the early 19th century to distinguish between mobile and stationary steam engines. Machine. It manages power to accomplish a task. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work. Methylated spirits. It is a mixture of Ethyl alcohol (95%) and methyl alcohol (5%). The methyl alcohol is poisonous and is added to prevent the methylated spirits being used as cheap drinking alcohol. Miniature. It is a model, copy, or similar representation on a very small scale. Model car. Also referred to as ‘toy car’. It is a miniature representation of an automobile. Pipe. It is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow; liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders, masses of small solids. Piston. It is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas, compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from expanding gas in the cylinder to the crankshaft via a piston rod and/or connecting rod. In a pump, the function is reversed and force is transferred from the crankshaft to the piston for the purpose of compressing or ejecting the fluid in the cylinder. In some engines, the piston also acts as a valve by covering and uncovering ports in the cylinder wall. Pressure. It is an effect that occurs when a force is applied on a surface. Pressure is the amount of force acting on a unit area. Rankine Cycle. It is a cycle that converts heat into work wherein the heat is supplied externally to a closed loop, which usually uses water. This cycle generates about 90% of all electric power used throughout the world, including virtually all solar thermal, biomass, coal and nuclear power plants. It is named after William John Macquorn Rankine, a Scottish polymath. The Rankine cycle is the fundamental thermodynamic underpinning of the steam engine. Steam. It is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air. Steam boat. It is also called, steamship or steamer. It is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steam donkey. Steam donkey, or donkey engine is the common nickname for a steam-powered winch, or logging engine widely used in past logging operations, though not limited to logging. They were also found in the mining, maritime, and nearly any other industry that needed a powered winch. Steam engine. Is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. Steam engines are typically external combustion engines. Steam Locomotive. It is a locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. The locomotive is usually fueled by a coal, wood, or oil. This fuel is burned to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive itself or in wagons pulled behind. Steam turbine engine. It is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884. Toy train. It is a toy that represents a train. A toy train can be as simple as a pull toy that does not even run on track, or it might be operated by clockwork or a battery. Turbine. It is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. Valve. It is a device that regulates, directs, or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Water. It is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state (water vapor or steam). Zamak. Is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminum, magnesium, and copper. The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed (zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and copper). Notes 1 Noah Webster, â€Å"The New Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language†, Lexicon Publications, Inc. , 2004, ISBN 0-7172-4692-2 2 Singh, R Paul, â€Å"Introduction to Food Engineering. †, 2001 Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-646384-2. 3 Wiser, Wendell H. â€Å"Energy resources: occurrence, production, conversion, use. †, 2000 Birkhauser. p. 190. ISBN 9780387987446. Carl Bevelhymer, Steam, Gotham Gazette, November 10, 2003 5 â€Å"American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition ed. )†. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000. 6 Wiser, Wendell H. â€Å"Energy resources: occurrence, production, conversion, use. †, 2000 Birkhauser. p. 190. ISBN 9780387987446. 7 December 12, 2011, 1st para graph â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Steam_donkey† 8 Thomson, Ross â€Å"Structures of Change in the Mechanical Age: Technological Invention in the United Sates 1790-1865†, 2009. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 34. ISBN 13:978-0-8018-9141-0. â€Å"http://www. ehow. com/how_6319749_make-diecast-model-car-kits. html† 10 â€Å"http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Model_car† 11 â€Å"http://www. flyingkettle. com/index. html† 12 December 15, 2011, 5th paragraph, â€Å"http://www. flashsteam. com/Steam_Engine_Project. htm† 13 December 18, 2011, 1st paragraph, Jeremy W. Holmes, American Corn Burner Co. Miami, FL. USA â€Å"http://www. flashsteam. com/steam_proj3. htm† 14 â€Å"http://www. instructables. com/id/A-Simple-Steam-Engine-Anyone-Can-Build/† 15 December 17, 2011, 1st paragraph, â€Å"http://wiki. answers. com/Q/Are_steam_engines_still_being_used#ixzz1aGnnptps†

9 Creative Ideas for Teaching Time

9 Creative Ideas for Teaching Time Teaching time can be tricky and frustrating at times, but hands-on and lots of practice will help the concept stick. Judy clocks are excellent clocks for kids to use since the hour hand moves when the minute hand goes around, just like the real thing. The following ideas are from homeschoolers, teachers, and others who submitted creative teaching strategies on an online forum Make a Clock For telling time, you could make a clock, using strong paper and a brad in the middle, and practice telling time. Start with the oclock times, then move on to 30s. After that, show that the numbers around the face have the minute value which is reached when you count by 5s, and practice telling time with the minute hand on the numbers. (Make sure you progress the hour hand as you go. They need to get used to the idea that at 4:55, the hour hand will look like its on the 5.) –Anachan Start with Hours For telling time, we made a clock out of a paper plate and used a paper fastener to attach to construction paper hands. You can move the hands to demonstrate different times. I started with teaching hours (9 oclock, 10 oclock, etc.), then did quarter and half hours, and finally minute increments. –chaimsmo1 Start Later I didnt introduce time and money until toward the end of 1st grade. Its easier to understand quarter-past and half past once you have covered fractions. Of course, we talk about time and money in our daily life long before the end of first grade. –RippleRiver Telling Time Job I always ask her to provide me the time. It is just one of her jobs. It is also her job to adjust the thermostat. She will read me the numbers and I will tell her what to change it to or how many to change it by, etc. –FlattSpurAcademy Count by 5s on Watch For my son, since hed learned how to count by 5s, I taught him to count by 5s on his watch. He picked this up really well. We did have a little adjusting to do with the times that were near the next hour because it always looks like the next hour, but he learned to really pay attention to where the little hand was (just before the next number, etc.). To me, I find it confusing (and a waste) to show a breakdown of hour, half-hour, learn that, then break it down more... the same time could be spent learning the count by 5s. I havent taught him how to count by exact number yet (12:02 example), but will be doing that this year. –AprilDaisy1 Time Story Problems Personally, I wouldnt start with money and time until she has mastered counting by 5s and 10s. This way, it will become very easy for her to understand the principles in figuring out the time and amount of change, etc. My son only knew the value of coins and telling time by oclock and half-past in kindergarten. Now, he is able to make change, count change, and tell time. He is now learning how to figure out time sentence problems (e.g., How much time did it take, etc.) and he is starting 2nd grade. However, while in kindergarten and 1st grade, he was able to add and subtract very large numbers and carry-over, etc. So, dont be surprised if your child is not ready for this- especially if he/she cannot count by 5s and 10s first. –Kelhyder Teach it as it Happens Well, I have a kindergartener and were working on time and money right now. He actually is really good at time because we teach time as it happens. He realizes that his favorite show comes on at 4:00 pm, he knows that his friends come home from school at about 3:00 pm, etc. He learns because he asks. Also, when he went to visit my parents this summer, they bought him an analog watch and taught him how to tell time on it. Hes not perfect at it, but he can get it down to the hour now. But yes, time is definitely better taught as it happens. Thats also how I learned analog time when I was a kid. –Erin The Shiny Pocket Watch To teach my son to tell time, once he understood the basics, we went to a store and he picked out a pocket watch that caught his eye. I told him it was up to him to make sure we always knew the time. He was excited to have any excuse to pull out that shiny watch and use it. It reinforced his time telling skills and now every time he sees it, he can remember that special time we spent together. –Misty Name the Hands I realized it is helpful if you give the names to the following hand: Second hand Second hand (keep it the same)Big hand Minute HandSmall hand Name Hand You can explain now or later that its not really called the name hand, but it will make it easier to learn for now. Start off by teaching the time at the top of the hours. Put the clock at 3:00 and ask what number does the name hand point to? When he says, 3, say that means its 3 oclock. Next, change it to 4. Now what time does the name hand point to? etc. Mix it up after a few times. Once the child seems to understand that, ask him or her to make a time and tell you what it is. If they go to something other than an oclock, (like 3:20), feel free to tell them what time that is, but say that the big hand has to be facing up for it to be three oclock. Explain youll learn the rest of it another day (or teach it to them later after they have mastered the oclock part. Every child will be different.) –Matt Bronsil

Plato's Allegory of the Cave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plato's Allegory of the Cave - Essay Example He expresses a point unknown and less considered by many, that a philosopher could be zero in knowledge. Through the puzzle, the victim of such circumstances only discovers of such truths after a long time. Exposure, which happens to be less in the profession, uncovers such truths hence making it a puzzle that majority of the philosophers are ignorant and hide behind the veil of ignorance. The claim that Socrates makes to be the wisest of all and later declares his ignorance as every other philosopher therefore makes the riddle. Socrates happens to come out as one of the wisest philosophers. By denouncing the level at which philosophers are placed in the society, he tried to connect with what is considered as the real world. He comes out as one who is certain of the shortcomings in his world that other philosophers have not discovered. By saying ‘I know that I do not know’, he comes out as a wise philosopher who knows he does not know everything. He brings out an aspect of acceptance that one can never be self-sufficient. Regardless of how much one is perceived by others to be sufficient, a gap in everybody can only be discovered through exposure. This is the opposite of what the world thinks of philosophers. It is also the opposite of what philosophers think of themselves. To many of them, their small professional world gives them confidence as all knowing. Majority do not acknowledge their struggles as part of a problem emanating from ignorance. To them, the struggles are just part of the process. Allegory of the Cave is a dialogue between Plato’s teacher, Socrates and Plato’s brother. Socrates, who is the main narrator, brings out a dark, congested world inhabited by people in a particular class of wisdom. In that small world symbolized by a cave, there is commonality of knowledge since all are pinned to the same wall. They face the same issues and none of them feels free to explore the outside world even when freedom is declared. The Allegory is given in a setting of a prison where prisoners are put in an underground cave. The cave receives limited light that makes it hard for each one of them to see anything that happens behind them. All they know are their own shadows and those of people passing behind them. Their manner of communication and the things they talk to each other relates to what they share in common. Their discussions are tied around what is common to them and any attempt to release them will not be easy for them. Select one incident from Plato’s Allegory of the Cave that best serves to illustrate the meaning of this statement. According to the allegory, the prisoner disabused of his error and liberation to walk around represents Socrates. Due to the conditions he has been in before, the prisoner is likely to suffer so many things. Part of the problems will be facing the light that has been rare in the former state. Any exposure to the light will be so disturbing but a positive step tow ards discovering the reality outside the prison. The exposure will be the start of getting wisdom as he tries to define different things around him. For example in the Allegory, giving seasons and the years will be a demonstration of newly found wisdom that never existed in the former state. The incident brings out a realization of the real world where fantasies do not apply. Facing realities makes one realize how much they do not know even after being higher in knowledge as per fellow people. To Socrates, getting

Marks and Spencers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marks and Spencers - Case Study Example For this, using a cultural web on the floor is important. Michael E Porter has paved the way for revolutionary strategising trends and a whole new perspective on competition through his competitive advantage theory. In the corporate world, Porter's first book Competitive Strategy (1980), which he wrote in his thirties, became an international best seller, and is considered to be an authoritative piece of work on corporate strategy. The book, which has been published in nineteen languages and re-printed approaching sixty times, changed the way business leaders' minds worked. Further, it remains a guide of choice for strategic managers on a global scale. Apart from being rich in lessons about why and how industries, regions, and nations succeed or fail, this book is of great value as the first serious attempt to develop a really original grand theory of national economic development processes since the early years of Postwar development economics, and one of the most original ways of thinking about development policy in years. Under the leadership of Rose, the company had seen growth in Food, clothing and other departs by April 2006. Before laying down the formal plan of action, it is necessary to understand the elements that will be involved in the strategy that has been by Rose, from the perspective of the company. This will help us understand the exact application of the theories through the length and breadth of the paper. A major part of Rose's plan of action must include following a strategy based on gaining competitive advantage as well as achieving sustainable entrepreneurial growth. Let us first examine competitive advantage to see how and where it will fit in with the overall growth and expansion of M & S. External Perspective Competitive advantage is the response of afirm to the pressing need to organize and perform discrete activities. While these needs may not be perpetually spelt out, it is the responsibility of the planners and executers of policies to foresee such situations when catering for growth and development of the firm on various levels. The basic explanation for this comes from the fact that any change on an individual level is effected by changes on a national level. Yet, Porter's theory cannot accommodate strategies and competitiveness at such levels due to various constraints. The first of these emerges from the fact that people run businesses and economies - and everyone has his or her own unique style. These cannot be covered at length when talking which factors and resources will be utilized in which combination. Thus Porter's theory does not provide an accurate account of the diversity and dynamism in the corporate and commercial environment that businesses and firms thrive in. Secondly, there are various activities to take into consideration in the case of M&S. The activities performed when competing in a particular industry can be grouped into

Electrical Resistance of Different Liquids | Experiment

Electrical Resistance of Different Liquids | Experiment After the invention of electricity by Michael faraday many scientists studied the ways of conducting electricity. It was in the middle of 18th century scientists thought about using liquid as a medium of conducting electricity. In 1808 Sir Humphrey Davy conducted electricity using potassium solutions in ammonia. The experiments were to show the electrical conductivity of liquids, but the reason for this was not explained in his experiments. In 1879 F.Kahlrausch proposed that ions are responsible for the conductivity of liquids. Ions are the building blocks of each molecule defined by its electron number. Ions which formed by the decomposition of minerals and other impurities carry current across the liquid and this is directly proportional to the ionic velocities. These findings were scientifically proven by M.M.Wrobleewisky and Olszweski in 1883 by liquefaction of nitrogen and other minerals from a solution under a pressure of 50 atmospheres showing the presence of ions in solute. The experiments conducted by WG Scaife in 1973 on the natural conductivity of liquids showed that at higher pressures of 2500 bars and above the electrical conductivity of polar solutions decreases rapidly. Even though there is a decrease at low pressures which are not practically measurable. Polar compounds like castor oil, sebacate etc. were used for these experiments and were discovered that the double layer formed at the tip of electrodes was the reason behind the reducing nature of electrical conductivity. While experiments on ionic solutions like Diethyl ether, carbon disulphide, benzene etc showed an increasing trend of electrical conductivity with pressure. This was due to the triple ions formed during the experiment. [1] In the experiments conducted by Alexander, Stoppa, Johannes Hunger, and Richard Buchner in 2009, it was found that the electrical conductivity of ionic solutions is higher than a mixture of ionic and polar mixture solutions. The experiment used potassium chloride (ionic) and non soluble oil base (polar) and the experiments were conducted under constant temperature and pressure conditions. The experiment showed a decrease in resistivity of nearly 1 ohm with an addition 5 wt % ionic compound. This experiment proved that the electrical conductivity depends on the charge density (number of ions) and the resistance to the movement of ions known as viscosity of a liquid [Stokes-Einstein, 1906]. The experiment compared the conductivities by increasing the percentage of ionic molecules in the solution. [2] Experiments were conducted by Aresatz Usobiaga, Alberto De Diego, and Juan Manuel Madariaga 1n 1999 to relate temperature with the electrical conductivity in solutions. HCL Solution (ionic solution) was used for the experiments. Under different temperatures close to the room temperature (292-315K) the solution exhibited an inverse proportionality relation to the conductivity. This correlated to the findings of A I Zhakin in 1995 were KCL which is less ionic compared to HCL was used. The experiment with HCL pointed out that at near to room temperatures resistivity was increased by 5-10% with every increase of 5K. The reason for this behaviour was the increase of viscous properties of the solution and viscosity decreases electrical conductivity. [3] In 2006 J. Vilaa, P. Ginà ©sa, E. Riloa, O. Cabezaa and L.M. Varelab conducted experiments on the electrical conductivities of solutions of aluminium chloride, aluminium bromide, aluminium sulphate and aluminium chromide. These compounds are ionic in nature. The experiments were carried out under constant temperature and pressure conditions. Experiments conducted by increasing the density of solutions showed an increasing trend of electrical conductivity by 10 % on each increase of density. Density was increased by adding 5 wt % aluminium salt into the solution. These increasing trends went until the solution is 50% saturated. The reason for the rise in conductivity was explained to be the increase in ion concentration. The more the ionic compounds present the more the conductivity would be. The results also showed that aluminium chloride which is more ionic than other samples will conduct more electricity at any concentration. But for polar compounds the increase in density resulte d in a decrease of conductivity. [4] J. Vilaa, P. Ginà ©sa, J.M. Picoa, C. Franjoa, E. Jimà ©neza, L.M. Varelab and O. Cabeza in 2005 conducted experiments on aluminium chloride and aluminium bromide for the binary relation on electrical conductivity with varying temperature and density. The experiment used 30% and 60 % concentrated solutions over a temperature range of 250-430K. The electrical conductivity increases with temperature, up to 400 times for aluminium chloride and 52 times in aluminium bromide solutions. But the conductivity decreases inconsistently with the increase in concentration. The probable reason for this controversial result could be the change in the properties of compounds with temperature. This showed that temperature had a greater influence on conductivity than density. [5] METHODS AND MATERIALS Overview of the experiment In order to contrast the electrical resistance of different liquids to expose their ionic or covalent characteristics, the following measures were carried out. Description of the procedural steps Firstly the electrical resistance measurement was set up. Then hundred and fifty milliliters of desired liquid was measured and poured in to a clean beaker. After the power supply was switched on, using the multimeter, circuits current was measured. Then at five minutes interval reading was traced again for three times. After this the average of three recordings was determined. Once the current was computed resistance of liquid was found out using Ohms law. Next the steps were repeated for all selected liquids. Subsequently all the selected liquids were cooled to 18 °C. Finally the above steps were followed for the refrigerated liquids. Materials Overview of mechanism The materials used for the experiment are listed below. Digital Multimeter DC Power supply, 250 ml glass beaker Sample solution of 150 ml Orange juice, 0.01% salt solution, 1% salt solution, 2% milk, and mineral water. Table salt Description of principal parts Digital multimeter Multimeter is an electronic tool which can be used for the measurement of voltage, current and resistance. There are two types of multimeters available. Multimeter which comes with digital display is commonly known as DMM (Digital Multimeter).Main parts of a digital multimeter are measuring probes, adjusting knob and digital display. Firstly the probes are used to get connection between points where we need to measure electrical property. One multimeter got two probes for achieving the connection between two selected points. Secondly the adjusting knob is used to select which property need to measure. It is also used to select the range of values of the results. The digital display helps the user to get accurate readings. It also provides information about different settings used for measurement. The multimeter can be switched on by turning the adjusting knob to desired property to measure. The display will provide us the relevant information. To test the DMM, turn the knob to resistance measuring mode and then touch each end of a copper wire to probe tips. Then the display will show resistance which should be almost zero. Results and Discussion The resistances of different liquid solutions prepared for the research were calculated using the Ohms law equation at room temperature. Observations show the average resistance of different liquid ranged from 26.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ to 1728 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. Among the liquids, orange juice was best conductor (26.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) and distilled water (1728 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) was the worst. The two salt solutions showed almost the same resistances even though higher concentrated gave us a slightly lower resistance. Orange juice The figure 8 chart shows that orange juice is the best conductor of electricity. The resistance for orange juice was found out to be the least during the experiment. We had an assumption that acids are the best conductors because they are ionic in nature. Acids separate into ions when mixed with water and ions are charge carriers. The electrical resistance computed was 26.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ at room temperature. We had also made another assumption that when refrigerated; the conductivity will increase as the ions move slower related to normal room temperature liquid. After refrigeration, the resistance increased slightly to a value of 26.4 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. Even though there was only a small decrease in the resistance value from that of the room temperature, our assumption regarding the refrigerated liquids came true. As studies and experiment done by Aresatz Usobiaga, Alberto De Diego, and Juan Manuel Madariaga in 1999 to relate temperature with the electrical conductivity in solutions [3] supports our results in this section. Salt solution The second best conductor is the salt solution. For the salt solution, the experiments were carried out with a concentration of 0.01% and 0.1% salt. The salt crystals in solid state wont conduct electricity because anions (chloride ions) and cations (sodium ions) are held together. But in a salt solution they are free to move around and thus conduct electricity. The main reason behind conducting this research experiment on different concentration of salt is to study whether it is the density or temperature of the solution that affects the electrical conductivity more. We hypothesized that the density of solution would decrease the electrical conductivity. The 0.01% and 0.1% concentrated salt solution exhibited almost the same resistance value of 35.6 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. But the higher concentrated solution gave slightly less resistance value of 35.3 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ as compared to the other solution. The resistance value of refrigerated salt solution of 0.01% and 0.1% are 115.2 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ and 114.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ respectively. As per the assumptions the higher concentrated solution gave slightly less resistance and the refrigerated solution showed great resistance as compared to the room temperature values. This showed that temperature had a greater influence on conductivity than density. [5] Milk The third liquid tested was 2% milk solution. Milk also conducts electricity but only in a small amount as compared to orange juice and the salt solutions. Electrical resistance of the milk solution was worked out to be 210.3 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ during the experiment at room temperature. Viscosity and density are the other factors that contribute to the poor conductivity of electricity as compared to the above mentioned liquids. The refrigerated resistance value of the milk solution calculated is 211.1 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. While cooling, the viscosity increases due to the higher voluminosity of fatty acids, proteins, etc. [Website reference: http://www.dairy-science.org/cgi/reprint/80/4/628.pdf]. Thus we came to the conclusion that milk conducts electricity due to their typical covalent bond structure and the presence of fatty acids. Distilled Water Figure 8 shows that distilled water is a worst conductor of electricity. During the research experiment, distilled water showed a resistance value of 1728 kilo à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦. The reason why liquid conducts electricity is due to the free movement of cations and anions in between the electrodes. For example, in our salt solution test electricity was conducted as the salt readily ionizes to sodium cations and chloride anions which can move freely around in the solution thereby transporting electric charges. In the distillation process water is boiled to steam and the steam is again condensed to water. Nearly all the salts present in the water is thus left out during the distillation process. Thus distilled water is pure H2O. Although pure H2O (distilled water) can dissociate into H+ and OH- ions like salt, it ionizes very rarely therefore exhibiting the property of an insulator. [Citation may or may not be given for the above statements made] Thus from the research experiment carried out we concluded that among the liquid solutions chosen, orange juice is the best electrical conductor and distilled water is the worst. From this we understood that orange juice has more ions present than distilled water (pure H2O). Therefore our assumption regarding acidic solution has high electrical conductivity is correct. Adding to the above results, the density and temperature also affects the electrical conductivity. The more salt added to the solution i.e. more ions added, the lesser the electrical resistance. The assumption regarding temperature as a factor affecting electrical conductivity was correct in some measure as some liquid solutions show higher resistance whereas some show almost the same resistance value with the room temperature values. Discount Retailers: Porters Five Analysis Discount Retailers: Porters Five Analysis In a context of post World War II, there was an economic boom in the USA, driven by the baby boom. The families needs increased, and discount retailing stores started to appear. Their main aim was to operate within low prices, to be able to offer everyday products at a very affordable price. In order to analyse the attractiveness of the discount retailing industry in the USA in the 1950s, we can use Porters Five Forces. Porter (1980:3) stated that competition in an industry depends on five basic competitive forces. As seen below in figure 1. Force 1: The Degree of Rivalry According to Ghemawat (2008), the degree of rivalry is the most obvious of the five forces in an industry [â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦]. It influences the extents to which the value created by an industry will be dissipated through direct competition. With the economic boom, many discount retailers have emerged, especially in big cities (with a minimum population of 100  000). For the already existing supermarkets industry, their customers were used to having a lot of competitors to choose from. That is why the newly emerging discount stores attracted a lot of new entrants. That industry was characterized by an intense competition. The growth of the industry was significant and this factor of high profitability attracted many entrepreneurs willing to open new stores. As a result, in the US cities in the 50s and 60s, the concentration for the discount retail industry was low and the rivalry was intense (factor of industry unattractiveness). The theory says that the rivalry between competitors decreases when the buyers switching costs are high. But in the case of the discount retail industry, the switching costs are almost nonexistent: urban customers have a lot of competitors to choose from and the recent use of the car and the quite low price of the petrol in the 50s allow them to easily change and shop in another store. Also, unlike the supermarkets, discounters sold more or less the same kind of products. The available retailers focused on non-food products, and a competition for price began among the stores, offering a wide variety of household products such as toiletries, appliances, groceries and household goods. Thus, there is a significant rivalry here, characterized by high fixed cost and a lack of product differentiation. However in the 50s, in small towns and rural areas, the competition was not as fierce, as not many discount retailers were willing to open a shop in the countryside. This made that business landscape less competitive. Sam Walton saw an opportunity there, and decided to locate his first Wal-Mart stores there: Our strategy was to put good-sized stores into little one-horse towns that everyone else was ignoring. Force 2: The Threat of Entry Average industry profitability is influenced by both potential and existing competition (Ghemawat, 2008). The Five Forces framework gives 3 basic types of entry barriers: economies of scale, brand identity and capital requirement: Economies of scale: large economies of scale allow providing cheap products to their customers. It is an essential part for a discount retailer, and without it, could represent a real barrier to entrance. Brand identity: the products were standard in nature, and there were little or no differences between discount stores. That means that in the 50s, it was not really a barrier for new entrants. Capital requirements: the threat of entrants is also possible because of the high capital required. Entrepreneurs need high capital (building, equipment) and financial resources to start up a new discount store and this represents a barrier to entry the industry. Moreover, the barrier is much higher when the plan is to set up a stores chain. There are also some other barriers to take into account: Access to distribution: the discount retailer has to find new reliable suppliers, to have a competitive distribution channel. Advertising: it can also be seen as an entry barrier. In order to be known and to attract customers, new entrants need to spend a lot more money on advertisements. In the 50s, the US discount industry was characterized by high price and advertising competitiveness, with little buyer loyalty. To summarize, there were many obstacles for new entrants in the discount retail industry. Force 3: The Threat of Substitutes The threat that substitutes pose to an industrys profitability depends on the relative price-to-performance ratios of the different types of products or services to which customers can turn to satisfy the same basic need (Ghemawat, 2008). Due to the lack of product differentiation and the absence of switching costs, the goods sold in the discount stores can be found in other types of stores. There is a high buyer propensity to substitute. The discount retailer just like any other has to develop strategies to sell at a low costs but this is not the solution. It constantly has to ensure that its products are exactly what the consumer needs. This means that high quality products at an affordable price should also be part of Walt Mat strategy of being competitive, as well as product differentiation. Supermarkets represented a big threat of substitution for the discount stores selling groceries because they were cheaper than the conventional stores chains and they dominated the retail industry in the 50s (Markin, 1968). Force 4: Buyer Power The buyer information availability was almost non-existent. Indeed, nothing in the way of information technology was accessible at that time, either for EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) use or for more sophisticated applications. The bargaining power of buyers is weak when reduced to a single individual, but the demand as a whole is extremely powerful. However, the fact that there were many discount retail industries made each of them weaker against the buyers bargaining power. That power was high in the USA in the 50s: customers could easily walk away and go to another shop (low switching costs). In the post World War II years, US consumers became educated in the merits of self-service, low price shopping via the spread of supermarkets. The customers price sensitivity was then high, because of the high product standardization, they could find their products in every discount retail. The buyer loyalty was low. Force 5: Supplier Power In the US discount retail industry in the 50s, the suppliers power was much stronger than today, because of the RPM (Resale Price Maintenance). The RPM was legal at this time and gave the right for the suppliers to set the final price of their products (price sometimes printed on the product). It was virtually impossible for retailers to pass on the benefits of more efficient operations to customers via lower prices. Thus, in the 50s the strong suppliers power was a criterion of unattractive industry. After the analyze of the US discount retailing industry in the 50 through Porters Five Forces, it can be inferred that this industry was not attractive, due to the high new entrants barriers, the level of competition in the cities, the threat of substitutes, and the high buyer and supplier powers. However, it is possible to slightly alter this statement: although the competition was tough in big cities, it was easier to set up a shop in the rural areas, where the degree of rivalry was lower. As a consequence, the different threats and barriers that looked like an insurmountable challenge in the cities were no longer impossible to overcome in the countryside. QUESTION 2 Every business has to adopt a business strategy, seen by many authors as the Paradox of Markets and Resources. The strategic management process means defining the organizations strategy. Managers have to make choices and set up strategies for the company that will enable it to achieve better performance. It is also sometimes referred to as a Business Model. Porters theory The Outside-In Perspectives key features are the positioning activities and the Value Chain, which will define a strategy through different business choices. This model is supported by the key protagonist Michael Porter (1996). Porters Generic Strategies  Model According to the chart above, we can identify Wal-Marts positioning strategy. Wal-Marts main strategy is characterized by its low cost policy, accessible to anyone. It can then be put in the cost leadership strategy strategy. However, with particular attentions for its customers (more than its direct competitors), Wal-Mart also plays a differentiation strategy, and delivers an excellent customer service. With the analysis of Wal-Marts value chain given above, a description of its key value drivers can be done. Every companys activities mapped in the value chain can be a possible source of competitive advantage but its the way they are cheaply performed and combined that will create competitive advantage and value for customer. In 1985, Porter suggested the value chain, which regroups functions into support and primary activities. The value chain is divided into 5 primary activities and 4 support activities. These activities can be linked and connected to the value chain to determine some factors of a competitive position and show how these activities add value to the consumer. Wal-Mart: the Value Chain According to the Wal-Mart value chain, two main support activities show that Wal-Mart uses a differentiation strategy through its human resource management and its technology development. The use of the technology is coupled with the inbounds logistics activity and the operations. Indeed, Wal-art was a pioneer in applying information and communications technology to support decision making and promote efficiency and customer responsiveness. (Zarbo, 1998) In the early 1980s, Wal-Mart invested over half a billion dollars to boost its computer and satellite network systems. They added barcode systems, scanners and other near-real-time technology to link cash registers in every store into one unified link. From the instant a sales transaction takes place, data simultaneously flows back and forth from stores world-wide to Wal-Marts distribution centres, its headquarters in Bentonville, and to Wal-Marts suppliers in a continuous, informative loop. In addition to offering Wal-Mart an environment that monitors and shares its current inventory trends with external vendors, this technology, through a sophisticated network which bridges individual stores, identifies the most efficient way to manage the distribution of its products internally. Moreover, a good example of Sam Waltons early understanding of the importance of technology is its current development and use of an automated distribution system known as the Retail Link. This system shares sales information with Wal-Mart suppliers to ensure that customers always find the shelves well stocked at their local Wal-Mart store. Retail Link allows Wal-Mart suppliers to dial-up and retrieve the history of important sales data from the last 56-weeks worth of sales. Over 4,000 of Wal-Marts suppliers access this service averaging approximately 10,000 queries a day (Zarbo, 1998). The large database of purchasing information enables Wal-Mart to set the right item at the correct price and in the right store. Concerning the human resources management at Wal-Mart, it is considered as very efficient. Sam Walton calls his employees his associates. They are an important part of the Wal-Mart family. The relationships between Wal-Mart and his associates are based on respect, high expectations, autonomy, close communication and clear profit incentives. Through its superior management and communication, Wal-Mart created an advantage. The Marketing and Sales activity is also a crucial point for the company. Wal-Mart has been founded on Sam Waltons belief that: There is only one boss: the customer. Indeed, the basic principle of Wal-Mart was to cut prices, and was thus well below its competitors, enhanced by its slogan Everyday Low Prices. This confirms the companys low cost strategy. In summary, the key value drivers of Wal-Mart match each other to lower the costs. Every activity is involved in cost reduction and that is why we can say that Wal-Marts value chain is very coherent with its cost leader positioning strategy and customer focused value for money approach. Barneys theory Firms obtain sustained competitive advantage by implementing strategies that exploit their internal strengths, through responding to environmental opportunities, while neutralizing external threats and avoiding internal weaknesses. Barney, 1991 The Resource-Based View (RBV) focus on strategic resources as the determinants of a competitive advantage. Those strategic resources are valuable because they allow to achieve superior performance (e.g. accumulated knowledge, or resources impossible to replicate). Grant, the key protagonist of the RBV theory focuses on resources, organisational features and capabilities. In the model, resources must be rare, valuable, inimitable and unsubstituable. Although, intangible resources can create the most competitive advantage, as they are harder to copy by competitors. The chart above reviews Wal-Marts tangible and intangible resources. The firm possess many intangible resources, which made its model hard to copy for competitors. So according to the RBV, Wal-Mart has some real competitive advantages here. QUESTION 3 Tetra-threat framework The Tetra Threat Model was first proposed by Ghemawat (2008). This model helps to determine the level of each threat category, in order to try to reduce their impact. This model can be used to identify what are the threats against Wal-Mart competitive advantage, and how it can sustain itself among the other discount retailers. Threat of Imitation Wal-Mart set up large barriers to overcome it: Scale economies: efficient hub-and-spoke distribution system; high volume purchases, strong dealing power with suppliers; national and regional economies of scale. Learning/private information: a significant effort has been made in understanding the operation of the discount retail industry. Wal-Mart has the right know-how to improve its logistics, reduce storage space, and incentive its people to work efficiently. Switching cost/relationship: due to its pricing policy and experience, Wal-Mart is able to offer inexpensive products to its customer (low switching costs). They also possess strong relationships and sustainable contracts with their suppliers (bargain power due to Wal-Marts size and partnership through data sharing and communication networks). Threat of retaliation: Wal-Mart has a strong reputation of fierceness. The local managers ability to adapt their prices to the local competition is a strong advantage to always have the lowest prices on the market. Time lags, upgrading and strategic complexity: the Wal-Mart business has been built upon the years, and accumulated years of knowledge and experience. Thus, they now own a very complex logistics and technologic system, and upgrade it constantly. To summarize, the imitation threat is not a real danger to Wal-Mart. It has raised many insurmountable barriers for its competitors to overcome. They do not have the sufficient knowledge to do it, or it will take them so much time, that by the time they catch up with their goal, Wal-Mart will already be way ahead of them in terms of innovation and technology. Wal-Mart has here a real sustainable advantage. Threat of substitution Substitution reduces the demand for what a firm uniquely provides by shifting the demand elsewhere. It is the most difficult threat to predict. However, Wal-Mart has developed many strategies to overcome that threat. The chain best answer to the substitution threat has been to own numerous substitutes on the discount retailing industry, such as warehouse clubs, supercenters and neighbourhood markets. Its mobility across format is a successful alternative against substitution threat. However, Wal-Mart has demonstrated being very good at scanning the landscape broadly and understanding underlying customer needs. It has continually been studying the competition in order to be responsive in fighting the upcoming threat. Finally, thanks to its low cost competitive advantage, Wal-Marts cheap prices restrain many competitors to enter a fight with the discount retailer giant. Threat of Holdup Holdup refers to customers, suppliers, complementary organizations, or other industry participants capturing value created by the focal company through the exercise of bargaining power. Concerning this threat related to Wal-Mart, two aspects can be distinguished: suppliers and employees. First, Wal-Mart has a total control over its suppliers, even the largest ones (e.g. Procter Gamble), in order to restrain their hold it up value. However, the holdup can be found the other way around: Wal-Mart ask its suppliers to closely integrate into their system and requirements. The requirements that Wal-Mart imposes on its suppliers extends well beyond low prices. Increasingly, the chain has involved itself in its suppliers employment policy (workplace safety, working hoursâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦), making Wal-Mart possibly pose a threat of holdup to them. Nonetheless, labor holdup can be considered as a real issue. With a weak percentage of union penetration, employees abuse (low wages, unpaid overtime, discrimination) are widespread. As a result, it depicts a negative image of the company, as well as employee demotivation and turnover. Wal-Mart should take into consideration this aspect to avoid a labor holdup. Threat of Slack Slack tend to dissipate value within the firm, and is not easy to identify. It regroups all form of inefficiency. However, this is not a big threat to Wal-Mart. In fact, there is a high organizational effectiveness within the human resource management. The relationships with the associates is based on respect, high expectations, close communication and clear incentives. Everything is done to motivate the staff and increase their loyalty to the firm. Finally, according to Casadesus-Masanell and Ricart (2007), protection against slack comes from the right mix of incentives and monitoring. As it is drawn in this analyse, Wal-Mart has develop strong responses to threats from imitation, substitution, holdup and slack, setting mechanism which allowed Wal-Mart to sustain its competitive advantage. QUESTION 4 The Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm (1981) of Foreign Direct Investment (also known as the OLI-Model) sets up 3 conditions that a company has to meet in order to engage in foreign operations: Ownership advantages, Location/Country-specific advantages and Internalization advantages. This theory will be used to contrast Wal-Marts entry into the German market in 1997 and into the UK market in 1999, in the following table. Wal-Marts entry into German market UK market Acquisitions (1997 and 1998): 21 stores Wertkauf ($1.04 billion) 74 hypermarkets Interspar (‚ ¬560 million) Both were renamed Wal-Mart stores. Acquisitions (1999): 219 outlets Asda ( £6.7 billion) Kept its name. Ownership Advantages Wal-Mart owns several intangible assets, which will allow it to overcome the costs of expanding abroad. These intangible core competencies are: Dominant clothing/textile and food retailer on the US market Every week, around 100 million shoppers frequent its stores Its 2003 turnover is 3 times bigger than Carrefours, the worlds no. 2 retailer (Knorr and Arndt, 2003) Internationalization experience: more than 1100 outfits abroad, which leads to considerable experience and management learning from a portfolio of stores in diverse markets Wal-Marts Retail Link-system (backbone of its sophisticated inventory management and logistics infrastructure) Operating the worlds biggest private satellite communications system (to track sales, to replenish inventories, to process payments in real-time) Wal-Marts retail proposition of everyday low prices, good customer service, wide assortment and community values High customer service levels, strong organizational culture, efficient logistics operations Location Advantages Location advantages are the factors in a foreign country that lead the company to make profits on its FSAs. Germany accounts for around 15% of Europes $2 trillion-a-year retail market German GNP: ‚ ¬2 trillion 80 million customers: biggest national retail market in Europe Germany is meant to be its bridgehead into Europe After its acquisition, Wal-Mart became the countrys fourth biggest operator of hypermarkets (Knorr and Arndt, 200) Politically stable country Economically powerful with big family incomes Very similar culture and social laws between UK and the US Internalization Advantages A firm possessing an advantage can either use the advantage itself (internalize it) or lease the advantage to other firms. The FDI decision depends on which option presents the best net return. Internalization also allows avoiding transactional costs. Internalization is the option chosen by Wal-Mart in many countries: Closer control by the Wal-Mart management (full control strategy) Economies of scale Sharing of the organizations knowledge and management capabilities to the new business According to the OLI-Model, implementing Wal-Mart stores in those two countries could really help the US firm to set a foot in Europe. Wal-Marts goal is to be the number one in every market in which it operates. Its international retail model equates to the aggressively industrial model. However, despite a bright success in the UK, the German venture has been unprofitable, and led it to exit the country in July 2006. What are the reasons for Wal-Marts failure and success? The reasons for Wal-Marts: Failure in Germany Success in the UK Acquisition of the wrong German companies Acquisition of the adequate UK company First, the German acquisitions have been very costly for Wal-Mart. The German market in renowned for its minimal profit margins and price-led strong domestic competition. Wal-Mart entered Germany at a time when the grocery market was saturated. At the time, Aldi was its major competitor, already holding a strong share of the discount retail segment. Wal-Mart now possessed 2 small disparate retail chains with different organizational structures and a heterogeneous portfolio of stores (the Wertkauf was a highly centralized family store) (Fernie et al., 2006). As a consequence, Wal-Mart did not have enough impact on the German market. For example, nearly 80% of the population did not have access to a Wal-Mart store (bad geographic penetration). Moreover, the patchy geographical coverage of Wal-Marts meant that its nationwide competitors have been able to adopt a zone pricing policy to compete on price in specific local markets. The weakness of the German economy in those years, coupled with the increased prominence of discounters, has reinforced this trend and discounters now account for 30% of the German grocery market and have been growing at 5% per year in a static market. Wal-Marts market share of 1.5% is dwarfed by its major competition (Fernie et al., 2006). There is a strong price competition where price leadership is already occupied by discounters. Asda was already a major discount retailer player before the entry of Wal-Mart. In fact, it was the third major grocer in UK in 1999. Wal-Mart acquired a well-established retail chain and Asdas management had already applied Wal-Mart practices to its corporate culture (Fernie et al., 2006). Asdas marketing, operations and organisational culture mirrored that of the US giant (Burt and Sparks, 2000) and was regarded as good strategic fit. Wal-Mart strategy for UK was to build on these similarities. There has been a high degree of stability throughout the chain during the merger, especially at store level, which facilitated the transition. Wal-Marts takeover also increased Asdas supply chain efficiency and improved its stock availability. Government regulations The German market had a strict legal and institutional framework, often ignored by Wal-Mart. German labor regulations are very different from these in the U.S. : obstacle to embrace the Wal-Mart culture. For example: The zoning regulations impose severe restrictions on the construction of large-scale store Restrictive shopping hours regulations: legal maximum of 80 hours/week store opening hours. Sunday and holidays openings are not permitted Fair trading and antitrust laws contain some important restrictions for retailers pricing policies: it forbids merchants to sell goods below cost on a permanent basis (Knorr and Arndt, 2003) In the UK, the Government was concerned about high food prices and that British consumers were being ripped off by retailers. That is why they were in favour of the creation of a more price competitive environment (Fernie et al., 2006). Moreover, the legal and institutional UK surroundings were not as complex and heavy as in Germany. For example, the legal maximum of a store opening hours was 168 hours/week, and was also allowed to open on Sunday and holidays (Knorr and Arndt, 2003). In the UK, Wal-Mart was able to recreate its 24/7 opening format. Inability to understand the German consumer and business culture The closeness of the UK and the US culture Wal-Mart culturally failed in delivering its Everyday low prices or excellent customer service. Indeed, the expectations are very different from a country to another. The German acquisitions were very different in their organizational structure from the Wal-Mart US model. That is why, when Wal-Mart try to impose its new culture (Anglo-Saxon management level), it led to resistance. Operational errors has been made when remodelling stores to look like US stores, which was not customer wanted (Fernie et al., 2006). Thus, Wal-Marts strategy was contradictory and disoriented to German customers. They didnt see Wal-Mart as a low-price store, due to confusing advertisements. Moreover, German notion of customer service is different from that in the U.S. (e.g. German consumers prefer to pack their own bags and pay by cash), because they hold price and value in much higher esteem than service and quality (Knorr and Arndt, 2003). The British culture was very similar to the American one, and that is why the takeover ran more smoothly in the UK. Also, Asda was already working on a Wal-Marts model, so the consumers did not feel any major difference after the Wal-Mart acquisition. For the British customers, price was a key attribute along with convenience; price is the most important factor in the retail offer. And finally, the UK workforce responded positively to the Wal-Mart way, and the integration was very successful, with good employee relationships (Fernie et al., 2006). Conclusion: When Wal-Mart entered the UK, the economic situation was favourable for a low pricing strategy. Wal-Marts entry created a high competitive environment on prices, and the customers responded well to this new form of discount retail. However, Wal-Mart has failed on every point in Germany. It resulted mostly from a cross cultural inconsideration. Wal-Mart has not been able to adapt its business model to a different culture and ignored the basic key principles of internationalization strategies and intercultural management. The firm should have tried to understand the German surroundings, the market rules and the consumer habits. Thus, they could have shape their business model, the human resources practices and a proper marketing message to fit that local market. Wal-Marts failure in Germany highlighted its inability to select and implement an adequate entry and business strategy. That is why its inability to understand the German retail market and business culture and the consumer needs led it to a bitter failure.

Major World War I Battles Essay

1914- The First Battle of the Marne. Up until September of 1914, the German army had steadily advanced through Belgium and France and was nearing the capital of France, Paris. Luckily, in the First Battle of the Marne, six French armies and one British army were able to stave off the German advance and set the stage for trench warfare for the next four years. 1915- Second Battle of Ypres- This was the second battle for the city of Ypres, which was located in western Belgium. For the Germans, this marked their first widespread usage of poison gas during the war. At Gravenstafl, Canadian troops were able to hold off the Germans by urinating into cloths and covering their faces with it. 1916- Battle of Verdun. The Battle of Verdun was meant to be Germany’s final push to break through French lines. A common expression was â€Å"to bleed the French white†. Both sides suffered immense casualties; however there was no clear victor even though the Germans were forced to withdraw. 1917- Battle of Caporetto. In this battle, otherwise known as the 12th Battle of Isonzo, Austro-Hungarian forces reinforced by German infantry finally broke through the Italian front line and routed the entire Italian army. Poison gas and storm troopers effectively contributed to the massive collapse of the Italian army. 1918- Battle of Cantigny. This was the first major battle involving U.S. forces up until that point in World War I. While, Cantigny was a relatively easy objective and was overshadowed by larger battles occurring elsewhere on the front, this battle was significant in demonstrating that the U.S. forces could be trusted to hold their own. 1. Up until the U.S. entrance into the war, the U.S. had already been providing massive amounts of supplies to the French and British, despite their claims of neutrality. This one-sided trading led to German attacks on U.S. merchant vessels and was one of the reasons the U.S. entered the war. The American Expeditionary Force did not actually face many battles as they arrived in Germany in early 1918. They did prove their worth and strength however in the Battle of Cantigny, where solely U.S. troops were able to capture the town of Cantigny and repulse several fierce German counterattacks. 2. Women had a huge role in the war effort at home, while African Americans directly contributed to the war effort. Women filled many of the jobs men left behind, especially in factories that were now facing huge demands for war supplies and low numbers of workers. Without women rising to fill these ranks, the American war effort would have been severely hindered. African Americans, although still discriminated and segregated in units, fought bravely and fiercely in World War I and earned the respect of many soldiers around them. 3. U.S. society

The Advantages and the Disadvantages of Being Female

The advantages and the disadvantages of being female. Today ,be female could be advantageous yet could command some disadvantages ranging from the way one thinks , talk , the way people appreciate and consider you . The pains one may feel physically , spiritually and emotionally. Being female in a world which is continuously changing and demanding could be very difficult at times and very easy in some cases . The advantage of being female includes a lot of things. Females have a wonderful self support system .There are a number of things female do to pick them selves up again that men don ‘t have the privilege of doing. Also exists a number of pampering techniques that women use in putting themselves back together especially those who like to be spoilt could simply pick themselves up again by making a call to several close friends who will be at the door fully armed with sympathy , chocolate and even more quicker than you say so what your evening like. Women are more tuned to e motions than men and find it easier to express themselves .While most men wouldn ‘t be caught dead crying in public , let alone in front of their partners. Women will find a number reasons to burst into tears be it out of frustrations or for emotional reasons . But one aspect of crying men haven ‘t discovered or mastered is that in an argumentative situation , it can be used as a tool to get your way out or to prove a point but case that all effect fails try turning out the water works. A definite advantage of been female is the option to wear make up which really comes in handy.When you are having an off day ,Make up can serve two purposes:It can enhance a woman ‘s natural beauty or it can disguise those occasional flaws in the skin or the after effects of last nights partying. Women unfortunately have to suffer and endure the uncomfortable and often painful experience of having periods and with that ,there are associated emotions and mood swings . A clear disadva ntage over males some may say,but I think it could be also perceived as an advantage. Women unlike men have an excuse to be cranky,unreasonable or even impossible at times an occasionally they milk it for its worth.Just by being female she automatically has a reason for being irritable. Disadvantages are too numerous,frequently you hear men say it ‘s a mans world ‘ really it is a world dominated by men. Even when women get married the men seem to dominate all activities of the family. Even in the larger society men dominate in working sectors and so on. Most frequently women are sexually blackmailed for favors especially for employment purposes. While the men never receive such harassments. Despite the appearances that women are gaining in their options, their status has remained unchanged.This is because society still clings to traditional conventions in which women are supposed to stay inside the home. Furthermore, young women are expected to maintain harmony among the ir group at home or in the office by suppressing their individual personalities. To get out of this setup is difficult because daily life is so deeply immersed in such conventions. It is not as if men do not have they own disadvantages or advantages it is just that women constitute the greatest part of attraction on earth They simply make life interesting. Joana Nano III C