Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Analysis - Essay Example From this time, people started getting more interested in bike racing as a medal event. With this increasing demand by the day, there is need for Breakaway to keep up with these by expanding production. The company is seeking to meet these demands by looking for financial options so that they can expand their business. The following discussion specifically focuses on the company in reference to its past performance as well as future prospects. In addition, the discourse focuses on cycling which has progressively gained prominence as a sporting activity. Analysis The company has been in existence since 1990 and has since then recorded success after another because of the lucrative and blossoming market. The bike frames that the company makes have been popular not only with professionals but also with other cycling enthusiasts. Mr. Giro, the founder of the company, has nurtured the company from its formative stage to the successful firm it is today. He started the company by crafting b icycle frames from a workshop behind his house and then later on moved to a larger shop. Mr. Giro is an experienced designer who has a specialization in this field for more than 20 years now. He started working with bicycle frames in his teenage years before eventually forming the Breakaway Bicycle Company. The company has several employees now, who work to ensure perfection of the customized bike frames. After Mr. Giro formed BBC, he obtained contracts that gave him the chance to design frames for highly professional teams in U.S. This exposure was a major boost to the success of the company because demand for Breakaway products kept on increasing. By 1992, two years after the company started business, BBC had hired professional frame-builders to help sustain the quality output of the company. According to their business expansion plans, BBC has proposed to borrow $200,000 from our bank. According to the financial and growth records of the company, our bank is considering granting them the loan request. In addition to making high sales, this company has been recording successful returns. BBC has gained a lot of exposure in the market by working with professional firms and cyclers as well as advertising its services in bicycle magazines. These advertisement campaigns have managed to reach to cycling enthusiasts and, consequently, boosted the success of the company. The strengths of the company are pretty notable. The company has an undisputed reputation in the market for its top of the range customized bicycle frames. They have an outstanding advantage with their innovative approach which they have used to conquer the market thus far. With innovation, the company has managed to cut a niche and stay ahead of competition. In reference to the company’s size, it can exercise a lot of flexibility in the business and, therefore, it is well in a position to adapt to changes in the market. Interestingly, competitors cannot afford this type of flexibility becaus e most of them are pretty large companies. BBC is, therefore, able to make quick company decisions and consequent implementations.We are also going to give the loan that BBC has requested because the company has almost limitless opportunities that they can seize if they are financially empowered. The company has an established consumer base among the racing circuits in Europe. Professionals who have used BBC products give impressive reports with the view that these products are way more innovative than those from other companies. With the loan that

Video games Essay Example for Free

Video games Essay Today, video games have become the most popular means of entertainment throughout our world. More than three-quarters of American youths have video-game consoles, and on a typical day at least 40 percent play a video game. Moreover, recently there has been a wide range of studies by professors throughout the world all focusing on the idea of whether or not video games are causing the youth to become a more illogical violent society in the future. Moreover, some people believe they are just a waste of precious time. However, they have been proven by many scholars that they are not only the best means of entertainment, but also one of the best sources of learning and improving brain performance and strategies, speed of alertness and decision making, and problem solving skills. Coming up with good strategies can be very handy for our lives whether it be in business, learning, teaching, etc. Nowadays video games have been proved to make people smarter towards creative strategy thinking. For example, it has been stated that â€Å"While there are many games that place a premium on strategy, most set an overall goal and give the gamer numerous ways in which he or she can achieve that goal. † Vila, Monica. 7 Reasons Why Your Son Should Play Video Games. http://www. babble. com/. N. p. , 04 Feb 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Video games teach kids to think objectively about both the games themselves and their own performance. In addition, players also get instant feedback on their decisions and quickly learn their own strengths and weaknesses through try and error since they get unlimited lives in a video game. Video games have a great effect on the youth regarding decision making. Some researchers compared action video-gamers and non-gamers with a series of simple decision-making experiments. Gamers devoted at least five hours weekly in the year before the experiment to playing action video games, such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Halo 2. They presented volunteers with arrays of dots, asked them to identify which way the dots were moving, and varied the number of dots moving in the same direction to make the task easier or harder. Video games get kids to think. There are dozens of video games that are specifically geared towards learning, but even the most basic shooter game teaches kids to think logically and quickly process large amounts of data. Rather than passively absorbing content from, say, a TV show, a video game requires the player’s constant input to tell the story. Moreover, well known sources such as the video games CQ research proved this characteristic about video gaming â€Å"Games stress taking your knowledge and applying it. That’s pretty crucial in the modern world,† says University of Wisconsin Professor of Reading James Gee. † Glazer, Sarah. Video Games. Congressional Quarterly, 2006. 939. Print. Indeed, the argument that video and computer games are superior to school in helping children learn as gaining currency in academic circles. Claimed benefits include improved problem-solving, mastery of scientific investigation and the ability to apply information learned to real-life situations. In conclusion, as you have seen, there is more than just killing and violence in video games. Our future children should be more exposed to video games not only for ways of entertainment, but also for the sake of improving their intelligence whether it be in creating new strategies, enhancing problem solving skills, or even allowing them to make better life decisions.

Exhaust System For The LJMU

Exhaust System For The LJMU The FS event is held every year at Silverstone in the UK. The event was set up by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Universities from around the world come to Silverstone to enter their cars in the event. Each team that enters FS is solely made up of students. There are a number of different classes which the car can be entered. These are Class 1, Class 1A and Class 2. LJMU is entering in to Class 1. Class 1 consists of a number of different events which can be broken down in to two categories, Static Events and Dynamic Events. The Static Events include, a presentation, Engineering Design and Cost Analysis. The Dynamic Events include an acceleration test, a skip-pad test, an autocross race and an Endurance race which includes a fuel economy test. The final exhaust design will be used in the 2011 LJMU FS car. For the exhaust to be used it must fully comply with the FS rules and regulations. The LJMU FS car is a group project and so it will be vital to the success of the exhaust system and the final car that communication is maintained. Formula Student 2010 LJMU competed in its first FS Class 1 event in 2010 and finished in 21st place. This was a great achievement for the university. Feedback was given to the university after the event from the FS judges. The feedback received was useful and has given areas of improvements for the car. One of the pieces of feedback was criticising the fact that the exhaust system didnt have a Lambda sensor to measure the levels of oxygen the in exhaust gas. This will be one area of improvement for FS 2011. Time Management To complete this project within the strict time limits a Gantt chart has been created. This can be seen in APPENDIX REFERENCE. Within the time 4 stages will be completed. There are analysis, design, verification and manufacture. FS Rules and Regulations To successfully create an exhaust system a number of rules need to be met. The rules and regulations were written by the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE). These rules are in place to maintain a level playing field throughout the teams and to also ensure that safety standards are kept. The FS rules can be interpreted in different ways and so create different and interesting designs. To summarise a few rules, the exhaust has to exist within an area of 450 mm behind the centreline of the rear axle and 600 mm above the ground, the driver must be protected against heat and fumes and the sound must not exceed 100dBA. The engine size is also limited by FS rules. The rules state that an engine no bigger than 610cc can be used for the competition. The used for the engine must also pass through a 20mm restrictor. The full list of rules and break down which are relevant to this project can be found in ARTICLE 10: Exhaust System and Noise Control seen in APPENDIX REFERENCE. Design Restrictions As the exhaust will get very hot during running it is important that the exhaust pipes dont come in to contact or come too close to other engine peripherals such as electrical cables and fuel line. The driver will also be protected by a firewall in case of a fire or excess heat from the engine. As the fuels system, intake system and other peripherals have yet to be decided assumptions must be made in the routing of the exhaust system. The decision has been made to mount the engine front facing. This will mean that the exhaust ports are facing towards the front of the car and the intake ports are facing the back of the car. This decision has been made to simplify the design of the drive train to minimalize power lost and reduce the risk of failure. The design is also impacted by 20mm restrictor on the air intake which will also affect the exhaust system. Ricardo WAVE Ricardo WAVE Build will be used to fully model the exhaust system. Ricardo WAVE is an ISO 1D/3D engine and gas dynamics simulation package. WAVE is used in a number of different industry sectors all involved in simulating engine performance. It used from creating an initial design to the modifying an existing design without having to manufacture any components. WAVE only produces theoretical engine performance data and will need to be verified with experimental data. Ricardo WAVE is a sponsor in the FS event and so all FS teams have access to the software. Learning Ricardo WAVE Within the WAVE help file there is a list of tutorials which cover setting up and running an engine model. The tutorials range from beginner to advanced. The beginner spark ignition (SI) tutorial takes the user through the initial setup of an in-line, 4-cylinder 1.6L engine. Two WAVE tutorials have been completed these are the Introductory SI Tutorial and the Intermediate Concentric Silencer Tutorial. Going through the tutorials helped to give an idea of the different parameters that would need to be collected from the Honda CBR600RR engine. The tutorials also guide the user through the analysis of the model and how a change in the design affects output. Engine Selection The engine selection is partly governed by the FS rules and regulations as stated earlier. Due to the restrictions a decision was made to go for a reliable, powerful engine which is light weight. This lead to the Honda CBR600RR-4. The Honda is a 600cc performance motorcycle engine and so its power to weight ratio is high, which makes it perfect for the FS car. LJMU have used this engine for the past 2 years. The specification of the Honda CBR600-3 will be referenced to as the engine specification has not changed between 2003 and 2004. The CBR600RR engine is an 16-valve, in-line four cylinders, four stroke, with double overhead camshafts (DOHC) (Coombs, 2006). The Engine uses Programmed Duel Storage (PGM-DS) fuel injectors, two per cylinder, one upper and one lower. The lower injectors are used to enhance reliability, above 5500rpm the upper injectors are triggered and are used to improve top end horsepower (Torrance, 2003). A full specification of the standard CBR600RR can be found in APPENDIX REFERENCE. There are a number of different modifications that will take place on the engine by the FS event in 2011 and so the specification is subject to change. Changes that are being considered are an optimal air induction system with the 20mm restrictor, design and manufacture of a shallower sump, reduction in number of gears and modification of ratios and developing an optimised engine map. All of these changes are aimed at increasing performance of the engine for the required characteristics of the competition. Literature Review To generate the best performance from an exhaust system knowledge of a 4 stroke SI Internal combustion (IC) engine is needed. Four-stroke spark ignition (SI) engines The four-stroke SI engine has four different strokes as seen in Figure 1, Four-stroke IC Engine (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007) The four strokes are Intake, Compression, Power and Exhaust. For each turn of the crankshaft two strokes occur. The Intake stroke, also known as the Induction stroke, starts from Top Dead Centre (TDC). In this stroke the piston moves down, the intake value opens causing the air and fuel mixture to be drawn in to the combustion chamber. The volume of the air/fuel mixture drawn in to the chamber is known as the volumetric efficiency. If there is too much air in the mixture then the fuel will burn quickly increasing the pressure in the chamber too quickly leading to mechanical losses and misfiring. This is known as a lean fuel mixture and can lead damage the engine. If there is too much fuel in the mixture then all of the fuel will not be burnt leading to inefficiencies as unburnt fuel will be expelled through the exhaust valve. This will also lower the temperature and pressure in the chamber. This is known as a rich fuel mixture. The Compression stroke follows the induction stroke. The compression stroke starts from Bottom Dead Centre (BDC). The intake valve shuts and the piston starts to move back up the chamber. Just before the piston hits TDC the spark plug fires causing ignition. The Power stroke is where the piston moves down the chamber due to the increase in pressure and temperature from combustion. When the piston hit BDC the exhaust valve opens. The Exhaust stroke forces the gasses out of the combustion chamber through the exhaust valve after the Power stroke. At the end of the exhaust stroke the exhaust valve closes and the cycle starts again. Any exhaust gasses left in the chamber will contaminate the next intake of fuel and will reduce the power output. As only one stroke generates any power (Power stroke), energy has to be stored in a flywheel to move the piston for the remaining three strokes. (Stone, 1999) Engine Thermodynamics An IC engine whether it is a 4 stroke or a 2 stroke is a non-cyclic process. However as the nitrogen in the fluid is virtually unchanged it can be argued that the process is cyclic. This makes calculating the thermodynamic efficiencies much easier as it can be compared to the Otto cycle. Performance To calculate the performance and effectiveness of the exhaust system a number of different parameters will need to be defined. Exhaust Design There are two main designs for exhaust systems, exhaust manifold and exhaust header. Both designs have different pros and cons depending on the different requirements. A standard exhaust manifold can be seen in Figure 2, Standard Exhaust Manifold (Monster Autoparts) This Exhaust is made from cast iron, and so it is perfect for production vehicles as casting is inexpensive if the cast is only used on a large scale. However for a one off production exhaust system it would be expensive. Exhaust headers Figure 3 on the other hand are comparatively inexpensive to produce a one off design as no mould needs to be created and the pipes can be simply bent and cut in to shape. Manifolds are also inefficient compared to exhaust headers. This is due to the air flow in a manifold. When the exhaust gas enters the manifold back pressure is built up. This back pressure restricts the flow for the next wave of exhaust gas. This means that the piston has to work harder to force the exhaust gas out of the cylinder leading to power loss. This back pressure can be reduced or eliminated using exhaust headers by taking advantage of the timing. This is known as exhaust pulsation. To fully understand pulsation it is important to explain the exhaust system shown in Figure 3. This design is a 4-2-1 exhaust. Different exhaust designs can be found in APPENDIX REFERENCE. As can be seen each exhaust port has its own header. Header pipes 1 and 2 join and header pipes 3 and 4 join. These joints are known as collectors which then form the secondary headers. The 2 secondary headers then move in to the final collector and form the downpipe. The firing order of the Honda CBR600 engine is 1-2-4-3 (Coombs, 2006). Improving Engine Performance To improve the performance of the engine pulsation can be used. Pulsation is where Exhaust Pulsation Exhaust Gas Turbochargers There are two different types of exhaust gas turbocharging. These are Pulse Turbocharging and Constant Pressure Turbocharging. Exhaust Gas Recirculation Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is where a small portion of the exhaust gas (5-10%) is fed through a valve back in to the inlet manifold ready for the intake stroke. This helps to decrease emissions of NOx (nitric oxcide and nitrogen dioxide) as the amount of fresh fuel drawn in to the cylinder in replaced with exhaust gas. Between 5 and 10% of EGR is likely to halve the NOx emissions (Stone, 1999). EGR increases intake manifold pressure. The higher intake manifold pressure leads to a reduction in the charge cycle work and this lowers the fuel consumption. During EGR the peak combustion temperature is reduced due to the exhaust gas not being used during combustion which will cause less energy to be produced. (Bosch, 2007) EGR can cause misfire and partial burns to occur as the amount of fuel in the cylinder is reduced, causing a lean mixture. Data Collection Engine Geometry To create an accurate model in WAVE geometry from the CRB engine has to be collected. This was done in a number of different ways. A list of geometry needed for WAVE can be found here APPENDIX REFERENCE. A new head from a CRB engine was purchased and was used to collect the relevant information. A new head was purchased as the tests that were carried out on the head would require taking sections, which would destroy the head beyond repair. DIGITISING ARM VOLUME OF INTAKES AND EXHAUST PORTS Rolling Road Testing Exhaust Geometry

Approaches to Reading Text with Examples from Jane Austens Emma Essay

This paper presents the two of the four main reading approaches to reading a text. In this paper, Jane Austen’s novel Emma will be used to demonstrate these approaches; providing a detailed description into both reading practice, including reader-centred and author-centred. As it is now widely acknowledged that no text is neutral, these practices are one way of conceptualising changes in the theories and practices of literary study that have occurred during the twentieth century. Each approach is characterised by particular assumptions and values and therefore places greater or lesser emphasis on the interactions that occur between both the author and the reader as we read. To justify these approaches, I have also used defenses. Reader-Centred Approach Since its release in the early years of the nineteenth century, the novel Emma has never ceased to impress and intrigue. While being criticised for its lack of action and development, the novel, I found, provides the reader with a remarkably accurate and surprisingly hilarious portrayal of life in the upper middle class during the Victorian period. With the ability to one minute have me ready to pull out my hair and the next be in hysterics as Jane Austen repeatedly pokes fun at the characters and their unanticipated antics and imperfections, this book is a work of art. Events are miscalculated, actions are misinterpreted and emotions are toiled with, but as with many of Jane’s novels, a neatly tied (even teary) ending is produced and all that should live happily ever after do. In the end, what I had presumed to be both dull and strenuous turned out quite the opposite, and my immense appreciation for the novel, as you will no-doubt discover, clearly dem... ... glossary. Chalkface Press: Cottesloe, Western Australia. * Queensland Studies Authority, (QSA). (2002). English Extension: Reading Approaches, QSA, Queensland. * Ricoeur, Paul (1991). From Text to Action, Essays in hermeneutics 2. Kathleen Blamey and John B Thompson, trans. Northwestern University Press: Evanston, Illinois. * Robina State High School-Senior English Extension (Literature). (draft syllabus, 5.3.2). * Rosenblatt, Louise (1968). Literature as Exploration, revised edition. Nobel and Nobel: New York. * Thomson, J. (1992). Reconstructing Literature Teaching. Australian Association for the Teaching of English. Websites: * (1) Fitzgerald, C. http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/emma2.asp. * (2) Jalic, L, 2000-2004. www.online-literature.com/austen/emma/ * (3) Wilber, A. www.amazon.com

Essay About Multitasking

Multitasking – â€Å"the ability to do several different things at once† Nowadays, people prefer to divide people in two groups; people who masters to multitask, and those who can’t. Almost everyone place themselves in the former group, thereafter they put the rest of the people in the latter. But of course most people are lying. I personally take advantage of multitasking daily to a certain extent, yes, practically all the time – in a certain level. And my perception of multitasking is the same as http://www. google. no/ ‘s perception on what multitasking is; it’s simply to have the ability to do several different things at once.But something that should be mentioned here is that no one can really multitask. It's when we think we're multitasking; we're only jumping from one thing to another. This way of doing things is addictive and can of course eventually cause us difficulties among our ability to concentrate. With other word; it is physica lly impossible for a human to do two things at the same time. Then, I don’t mean that it is completely impossible to do two things at the same time; such as talking while walking, or smiling while dancing.No, I mean that it is impossible to multitask – to do two things at the same time – as long as the two things that should be done at the same time, requires a lot of concentration and attention to be done correct. I guess you yourself are able to distinguish between which tasks that requires a lot of concentration, and which requires less. Whether you're driving a car while talking on the phone, or if you write e-mails during meetings, it is not true that you do both at once – it's impossible. Unlike the other examples I’ve already mentioned.What you actually do when you’re doing the concentration demanding-tasks is to focus on the first one and then the other, a so-called â€Å"switch-tasking†. Because if you’re doing two con centration demanding things at once , of course your concentration is divided between to tasks at the same time – therefore the result of your actions won’t be as good as they could’ve been – if the tasks were done separately and thoroughly. It's been proven time after time over the last years: multitasking is something only computers can do.What we humans do, when we think that we’re â€Å"multitasking†, is to jump from doing one thing to another, as mentioned earlier. But let us not forget that there's one more group; those who need to multitask. I'd most probably put myself in that group – the group of people who can't concentrate and focus on one specific thing unless she or he is doing at least one more thing at the exact same time. Now, you may call it ADHD, while I would rather call it being efficient.Of course there’s possible to listen to music while you’re doing your homework – to exclude the other actio ns around you, and to increase your concentration, like I personally do. But also here, the perceptions are different. Some people find hearing music while doing homework as disturbing. I think that the perception and the results of multitasking are different from person to person, depending on whom the person concerned is and what tasks there is to be done. A day should absolutely have more hours so all tasks on the to-do-list could’ve been done!But that isn’t something we can change†¦ so I think that the only thing we can do is to make the best out of it and remember to relax now and then. Sources: http://m. theglobeandmail. com/report-on-business/careers/careers-leadership/the-lunch/eileen-mercier-its-all-about-multitasking/article2021801/? service=mobile http://www. klikk. no/kvinneguiden/helse/article761396. ece http://www. universityessays. com/example-essays/business/the-ethics-of-multitasking. php http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/M/multitasking. html http:/ /www. tinbergen. nl/discussionpapers/11044. pdf

The Grizzly Man

The Grizzly Man Introduction Werner Herzog made this movie in order to analyze the conflict between man and nature. He intended on showing that man cannot cause nature to dance to his tune, and it is this misconception that can sometimes lead to dire consequences.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Grizzly Man specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The production Contrary to what one might expect from the movie, Grizzly Bear is not a movie about bears, foxes or wild scenery; it is a movie about the thin line between prey and predator, or man and his environment. The author intended on revealing how this boundary can get blurred very easily, but it must never be crossed. Treadwell often asserted that he liked it in the wild, and did not really fit in with humans. These sentiments are echoed in more than one way in the movie. He was induced into the much simpler world of the bears, and at times forgot that these were deadly creatures that could take away his life. Herzog believed that this was Treadwell’s great oversight. To the author, man should never lose sight of his place, or else nature would turn around and bite him. In the movie, Herzog comments that Treadwell thought of the human world as a foreign thing. He then likens the glacier, tumbling ice and abysses to Treadwell’s soul. He believes that the turmoil in that landscape was synonymous with the turmoil in the lead character’s soul. Treadwell was not able to tame these disturbances, and they eventually led to his ruin. The author wanted to contrast the illusions that were perceived by Treadwell and the reality that existed around him. The illusion was that Treadwell thought that the wild environment was a brilliant place. However, the reality (as posited by the author) was that bears were harsh, so humans could never really belong to their world because they were different. Herzog illustrated that regardless of one’s intentions, there were lines that should never be crossed. The author sums up his beliefs and intentions towards the end of the movie when he asserts that â€Å"I discover no kinship, no understanding, and no mercy. I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature† (Herzog 92) The author of the movie is probably addressing psycho analysts, sociologists and individuals who want to understand the human psyche. While the documentary is set in the wild, it actually focuses on human nature. Treadwell’s weaknesses were a reflection of human limitations. The author wanted to demystify the main character’s choices and preferences, but he wanted to achieve this through a respectful approach.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Herzog addresses his main concern clearly and persuasively. First, he plays by the rules of nature programming; any good nature movie ought to hav e plenty of wildlife, a great lead character, an endearing story and beautiful scenery to boot. These elements were carefully interwoven in the documentary. He then offers his commentaries throughout the movie by adding little bits of facts as he goes along. For instance, at some point, he says that â€Å"Treadwell saw himself as the guardian of this land †¦ fighting the bad guys†¦But all this land is a federally protected reserve.† (Herzog 8). Such assertions were essential in advancing the plot. They informed the audience about the detachment of the lead character from reality through Herzog’s objective tone. In fact, the tone used by this author was one that gave him a vantage point because it contrasted him to Treadwell. While the narrator was calm, informative and objective, the lead character was moody, personal and delicate. This renders credibility to Herzog even as Treadwell continues to become more pitiable as the story unfolds. Conclusion The autho r of this narrative played the role of an analyst. He wanted to bring out the conflict between man and nature. Consequently, one can say that the story was intended for an audience with some interest in psychoanalysis. His objective and factual interludes were essential in rendering strength to his arguments. Work Cited Herzog, Werner. Grizzly man. Internet Movie Database, 12 Aug, 2005. Web.