Skywest

Case: SkyWest, Inc. and the Regional Airline Industry in 2009 Assignment Questions: What are the general economic conditions of the U. S. regional airline industry macroenvrionment? What is the relationship of the industry to the national and global airline industries? The U. S regional airline industry has been suffered and experienced declining of their profit. This case can be explained by the component of macro-environment. Focuses on the global forces and technology, the businesses nowadays have been changed dramatically to global business.What I meant by that is, not only do the business in domestically, but also with different nationality partners. It could lead them to think then, if the business has been changed to globally, more people will fly with the airline industry. However, the technology improved day by day tremendously that people who are doing the business do not required to fly. They can do the business by telecommunication, email, live meeting with visual, or etc . This improved technology could be the one reason that decline the passengers typically in categorized in business travelers.Another factor is General economic conditions. Lately, the world economy is experiencing a long recession which affect almost all the businesses not only just the airline industry. Many countries have difficulties with managing their financial status. The relationship between national and global airline industries seems does not too much different. Both U. S national airline industry and global airline industry are suffering from rising fuel cost, global recession, improved technology, safety issues, and etc. The world is connected as big one nation these day.If one failed, all the other parts will be falling apart as well. It’s just a matter of time when it would happen. What does a Five Forces analysis of the industry tell you about competition in the regional airline industry? Which forces tend to be the strongest? The weakest? The five forces analy ses of the airline industries show that it has normally a intense competition which means their profit margin have been thin. Normally, overall impact of the five competitive forces is moderate to weak is good place to expect good profit and a nice return on investment.The strongest forces: The weakest forces: What factors are causing change in the regional airline industry? What is the individual and collective impact of these changes on the regional airline carriers? There are several factors that caused dramatic changes in the regional airline industry. Rising fuel cost is the one factor. Rising fuel cost is not the only issue for the airline industry, but for almost every business on earth. The amount of fuel that we could utilize is limited, but there is no alternative energy source for fuel yet for commonly used.Day by day, the cost of fuel rising, and typically airline industry are suffering from that. The cost of fuel takes parts almost 45% of the whole expense. Therefore, m any airline companies are trying to lower the expense from somewhere other such as give pressure to lower or smaller airline company to reduce their cost or number of departure. The other factor can be the safety matter. After 9-11 tragedy, safety rises above the surface and became one of the main factors for the people who want to fly with airplane.The 9-11 terror affected to the people that stop using the airplane along with the new created government regulations which would cost airline companies to cost even more money. What are the key factors that determine success for companies in the regional airline industry? Make sure that the regional airline industry has enough partnerships with many different major airlines. The more partnership that regional airline have with major airlines, they will be guaranteed with stable income balance. Also, the customer satisfaction is the key factors for the success.Find the way to work with the major airlines that no immediate schedule change , accurate luggage system along with the departure/ arrival time, and safety. What is SkyWest, Inc. ’s strategy? What kind of competitive advantage is it trying to achieve? SkyWest Inc. is well-known airline company with its high customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction factors. Their strategy is keeping the strong factors and be more competitive with acquire more routines by partnership with major airlines other than United and Delta. By getting more partnership with other major airlines, the SkyWest Inc. an gain more routes and connection flight to the major cities which will increase their revenues. What are SkyWest’s competitively important resources and capabilities? What are its resource weaknesses and competitive deficiencies? Its market opportunities? Its external threats? Their important resources are their customer and employee satisfaction with the airline. The potential threat could be the sister companies’ culture. The SkyWest Inc. is nonunio nized airline, but ASA is unionized airline company. If the SkyWest Inc. mployees are unionized, there will be some decline in productivity and cost more money for airlines for each flight. What does an analysis of SkyWest, Inc. ’s financial statements reveal about the company’s performance? The SkyWest Inc. was suffered from 2004 through 2008 with decreased net profit caused by multiple factors such as rising fuel cost, decline on customer satisfaction, and etc. However, the financial statements for 2009 shows hope for the company that it can start pick back up their revenues. The airline is doing its best trying to increase their profit by acquisition and getting more partnership with major airlines.What recommendations would you make to the management of SkyWest, Inc. to strengthen the company’s competitive position and improve its financial performance? In the Service-Provide industry, customer should always be the main focus for the firm. No matter how good their product or cheap their product is, if the customer experienced or had bad impression from the firm, the chances for customers to come back would be very low. Fortunately, SkyWest Inc. is already well known for the good customer satisfaction with good safety standards and the quality of service during the flight.Therefore, the airline should put effort in to maintain what already they are strong and complement the weak points as well. The weak point that the SkyWest Inc. is their dependency to the major airlines. To increase their dependencies, the airline would need more contract with major airlines other than just Delta and United. Also, they need to start thinking in expanding their business internationally. China, Brazil, and other nation’s growth in airlines increase rapidly. Therefore, they need to look more into the international business not limited only for the U. S region.

Hydrogen Peroxide in the Presence of Yeast Essay

A number of different variables, such as the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide solution or the temperature at which the reaction occurs, can affect the rate at which yeast breaks down hydrogen peroxide. To prove this we first tested the solution with 3% concentration of peroxide, the paper that was soaked in yeast rose in 1.7 seconds. After that we changed our concentration to 2.25%, 1.5%, and .75% of hydrogen peroxide to see the effects it had on the amount of time it took the felt to completely drop and rise. On 2.25% it took 2.8 seconds, 1.5% took 3.2 seconds, and .75% took 3.9 seconds. Introduction When yeast and hydrogen peroxide react, the peroxide decomposes into water and oxygen gas causing bubbles to form. These bubbles cause the felt to rise. Problem In this experiment we measured how long it took for the piece of felt soaked in a yeast solution to sink and rise in the test tube. The amount of time it takes for the felt to sink and rise indicates how oxygen bubbles are formed, as hydrogen peroxide is broken down. Hypothesis The amount of hydrogen peroxide directly influences the amount of time it takes to break down the yeast resulting in â€Å"tiny bubbles†, and the felt to rise to the top of the test tube. Procedure Supplies: ââ€" ª Hydrogen Peroxide ââ€" ª Yeast suspension ââ€" ª 4 felt disks ââ€" ª 5 test tubes ââ€" ª Clock ââ€" ª Forceps ââ€" ª 5 paper cups ââ€" ª Graduated cylinder Results See Graph on Lab Sheet Analysis and Conclusion- For this experiment our dependent variable was the paper with yeast on it, and our independent variable was the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide we put in each solution. We tested the amount of time it took for the peroxide to break down yeast at 3%, 2.25%, 1.5%, .75% and 0% concentration. The fastest reaction time was 1.7 at 3% concentration. We found out that with no Hydrogen Peroxide the yeast does not float back to the top. So the lower concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide the longer it took to float back to the top.

Organizational Culture, Reengineering Services Process, and HR Organization Description Essay

Magneti Marelli Holding S. p. A. , a division of Fiat, is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and is an international manufacturer that designs, produces, and supplies high-tech automotive components. The primary product range is engine control systems for gasoline and diesel engines. Magneti Marelli is currently present in five continents and 18 countries (Fiat, 2010). To create a more consistent environment in the global process, World Class Manufacturing (WCM) has been implemented in all Fiat manufacturing companies. World Class Manufacturing is an international methodology for the organization of the manufacturing cycle to manage plants in accordance with the best standards. The application of WCM principles and methods resulted in logistics and quality and significant cost reductions. Fiat’s manufacturing structure has become increasingly efficient and flexible and has enabled the company to gain a competitive edge. Strategy Description For several years, the Fiat Group has been working to develop into a global manufacturing entity with the highest standards. The implementation of World Class Manufacturing addresses all aspects of the organization including environmental, health and safety, quality, maintenance, cost and logistic issues from the standpoint of continuous improvement. The entire process revolves around the methodical identification and decrease or elimination of waste through application of standardized techniques and tools and involves everyone in the company. WCM recognizes that employee involvement and empowerment are critical to attaining continuous improvement in all fundamentals of the manufacturing system. Organizational development occurs predominantly through employee involvement. World Class companies invest relatively more in their worker relationships and offer appreciably more training. For program achievement, Human Resources needs to be a business strategic partner and a key member of the management team overseeing and providing operational leadership (Entrepreneur, 1996). Strategy Application The key to developing and maintaining a workforce capable of supporting World Class Manufacturing is to cultivate an atmosphere of employee engagement and team building. Developing a skilled and flexible workforce creates value for external customers. To sustain a talented labor force, Human Resources initiatives involve recruitment and hiring; performance management; employee development and training; leadership development and training; team building; and safety and health programs (Scondanibbio, 2010). By recruiting and retaining top talent by identifying skill gaps and focus training as characterized by WCM, turnover and absenteeism rates are lowered and productivity and efficiency from workers increases. Training employees provides the chance to take ownership of their daily activities. Working in teams and cross-functional training increases efficiency and eliminates clutter and confusion on the plant floor. One section of World Class Manufacturing is People Development (Scondanibbio, 2010). HR provides team facilitation, leadership, and direction guidance in meeting instructional needs. The second activity in leading and managing change involves creating a vision that depicts the core values and purpose that guide the organization. It provides a worthwhile direction for designing, implementing, and assessing needed organizational changes. HR Professionals must sustain the change momentum through to completion by providing resources for change, developing new competencies and skills, and reinforcing new behaviors. Strategy Implications Organizational change involves moving from the known to the unknown which can impact worker competencies and coping abilities. Human Resources must prepare the workforce by meeting instructional needs. The second activity in leading and managing change involves creating readiness for change and overcoming resistance to change. This requires HR to be both the constant and supporter in the middle of the turmoil of change. The organization looks to HR to provide needed structures, processes and approaches to support change management and to ensure the efforts deliver results (Belilos, 1997). World Class Manufacturing has defined key principles that define the organization and inspires doing things better and improving quality, delivery, cost, and customer satisfaction. It is important to understand exactly what waste is and where it exists. For each identified waste, a strategy is prepared so performance and quality are improved. The identical process is also applied to human errors and gap analysis. Specific training models are designed applicable to the need. As the phrase indicates, World Class Manufacturing enhances an organization to be a global leader in performance and quality. Human Resources should have a clear understanding of the value of metrics and continuous measurement as the key to achieving sustainable efficiency and effectiveness. Using these outcomes, HR will have a thorough focus on talent and performance management to establish an integrated workforce management system that is closely aligned to the business needs and brand.

Definition of the Word Spur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definition of the Word Spur - Essay Example The very first time a variation of the word was heard about was from the Old High German language and was based upon the word â€Å"sporo† which was then adopted by the Proto Germanic language, becoming the word â€Å"spuron†. It later on evolved into the Old English word â€Å"spura† which basically meant â€Å"to kick†. It is based upon this ancient use of the word that the modern meaning of â€Å"spur† came about. In late 14th century, the term spur was used to describe a metal tool that is purely designed to be worn in horse riding boot On the other hand, the word generally falls under the definition of â€Å"anything that urges on, stimulus†. (Metin and Cem 157). For most people, the term is generally used to describe the tool that is attached to the riding boot of a person. This tool is generally round and spiked at the tips. It is dug into the sides of a horse by the rider in order to urge the horse to go faster (Roy 83). The meaning o f the word based upon the horse tool Known as a riding aid, the tool helps to enforce the natural commands given to horses via the rider's leg, seat, hands, or voice, making the tool a very important aspect of any equestrian event. This is tool is more commonly described as being U-shaped device which is located on the heel of a rider's boot (Metin and Cem 159).

An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of realist, neoliberal and Essay

An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of realist, neoliberal and social constructivist approach on European integration and European security - Essay Example Firstly, the end of the Cold War would increase relative gains concerns among the European states, creating barriers to cooperation. Secondly, institutions could not overcome this barrier to cooperation. (Smith, 2000, p.40). In Mearsheimer's view international institutions were 'merely an intervening variable in the process' by which the balance of power mechanism leads to war (Mearsheimer, 1995a, p.13). Neorealist Joseph Grieco (1995) argued that the successful negotiation of the Treaty on European Union (TEU, 1992) and Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) rebuked the neorealist theory that states hold international institutions in low esteem (Rosamond, 2000, p.133). Further, a more likely explanation of the EU's longevity was the post-Second World War balances of power politics (Rosamond, 2000, p.134). Grieco stated that throughout the last 20 years: Grieco's alternative hypothesis offered a potent explanation for the intensification of European integration in the 1980s/1990s. For Grieco EMU negotiations were an interstate bargain without initial supranational sponsorship. This questions how and why states came to choose the mode of EMU development in the TEU (Rosamond, 2000, p.134). "if states share a common interest and undertake negotiations on rules constituting a collaborative arrangement, then the weaker but still influential partners will seek to ensure that the rules so constructed will provide sufficient opportunities for them to voice their concerns and interests and thereby prevent or at least ameliorate their domination by stronger parties". (Grieco, 1995, p.35) The key question for Grieco was "why did the EC countries undertake such an ambitious risky, programme of institutional innovation as is envisioned by the Maastricht Treaty, and especially its elements on EMU" (Grieco, 1995, p.23) More specifically, Grieco argued that neorealism faced "an acute need" to explain why "key middle-rank" EU members, particularly France and Italy, decided to "join with a potentially hegemonic partner in an economic balancing coalition" (Grieco, 1996, p.304). Grieco proffered a revised neorealist argument about secondary states and the interests that might lead them to cooperate with stronger partners through international institutions (1995, p.24). There were economic and policy influence benefits for doing so (Grieco, 1996, p.287). The 'voice opportunities' associated with participation in institutions offered states a means both to encourage the 'compliance of stronger partners' and to address any unequal distributions of gains which may arise in the course of cooperation (Grieco, 1996, p.288). Grieco believed that 'neorealism should be amended to ascribe significance to institutions' because the 'voice opportun

The security properties of network applications Assignment

The security properties of network applications - Assignment Example That is; confidentiality, integrity and availability of data to the right person. Not only will this report cover the network applications security, but it will also look into the network applications architecture and how this architecture can be best implemented so as to ensure data confidentiality, data integrity and data availability. For this case study, BF is a social network application that aids individuals to have a social forum with other people. Through that, an interested individual will have to register with BF so that they can be in a position to communicate with other individuals through the use of text and sending of images and videos. 1.2 Application description What are network applications? These are programs that run on a network and they allow for more than one user to have access to the program. Network applications can either be run online or offline. Offline network applications can be related to programs such as Office. These programs can be installed and/ or networked from the main server so that they can allow more that one individual to have access to using the program. When it comes to online network applications, these are applications that need an online server and a client; both of which must communicate in real time else they will no longer be referred to as online network applications. In this case, there is a server which is located in the data centre. The server stores all the relevant data and information that may be queried by a client. The client on most occasions could be a web browser or another computer/ laptop/ or gadget. How does BF work? What is the user experience of BF? Based on the above application description, the same ideology can be applied to our case; that is the BF social network application program. It is important to note that BF also uses the same application description where there exists a server and a client. The servers (s) are always located in the data centre. This is to ensure that they are not acc essed by individuals who are not authorised to come into contact with them. In addition to that, the client in this instance will be the web browser that the user will use so as to key in the Universal Resource Locator (URL) of BF. Example: http: //www.BF.com Once the user hits the search button from their web browser, that will send a request for the search of the URL (http: //www.BF.com) and the corresponding BF server will respond to the request by providing that particular web page that the user searched for. After that, the user will register/ sign up with BF by providing their personal details such as: their email address, physical address and real names. Assumptions made about BF: Based on the BF social network application program, some of the assumptions that can be made include: Communication concurrency: Due to the fact that BF is an online social network application, information is prone to be exchanged between the server and the client. With that, communication concurren cy should be adhered to strictly. An assumption is that the lack of communication concurrency between the server and the client will lead to data loss. Stability: Stability is critical to a social network application program. Lack of stability can cause huge losses due to downtime of the program. This is majorly caused when the servers cannot handle user’s overwhelming requests. Data security: There is exchange of data between the server and the client. Therefore, data security should be critically analysed. An assumption is

Ismg 11 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ismg 11 - Essay Example Laptops or PCs and other technology equipments are among some of the most frequently stolen company items. However, installing locks, which tether them to desks, can decrease the likelihood of stealing. Finally, IVK could imprint metal tags with company information on the equipments. Tying to remove these metal equipments will harm of spoil the equipments, and hence, people will not steal the equipments. According to Barton, exposing too much information of their IT Company to regular customers is both an advantage and a disadvantage to them. It is an advantage in the sense that exposing information to customers will likely improve the proceeding of their company (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 182). For instance, using websites to expose a company’s information will likely attract more clients than companies that do not use the internet to advertise themselves. However, giving out too much information might also attract hackers to the company. This makes the company extremely vulnerable (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 182). Hackers are able to note weak points of a company’s information system using the slightest information they can get. Therefore, what to disclose to regular clients is only the information that regards them, which will not enable them to exploit the company. Barton still has his job because of the admiration he receives from the Board of Directors (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 184). According to the board, even though Barton is not acting as fast as they expected, he still brings in innovations to the company that no other CIO has ever done. Barton, at every board meeting, has been able to capture the attention of the key leaders who always seek for his advice. Barton’s boss, Williams, always asks Barton to advice him whenever he wants to incorporate something new in the company (Austin, Nolan and ODonnell 184). According to Williams, Barton was extremely talented in his job. Therefore, losing such a person

Fidel Castro vs Adolf Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fidel Castro vs Adolf Hitler - Essay Example Adolf Hitler ruled Germany as a dictator and earned his position through politics whereas Fidel Castro is a revolutionist who overturned the American backed government in Cuba. Fidel Castro fought a revolution for the people of Cuba whereas Adolf Hitler wanted everything for himself. Hitler was a determined man who had the aim of conquering the whole Europe whereas Castro does not have any such aim of conquering the world. The people of Cuba still admire Castro because of his policies whereas many coups were organized to overthrow the government of Adolf Hitler because of his dictatorship. Along with these certain both leaders also share certain characteristics which revolve around their personality. Both Hitler and Castro are known as dictators in the history of this world because of their firm belief in communism. Both are at times designated as killers because under their regime they are held responsible for the killing of many people. Hitler had a plan of killing all the Jews and is considered to be responsible for the death of nearly 40 million people and Castro has the same desire of killing any individual who raises a voice against him. Another special characteristic which both the leaders shared was their hate for the United Nations.

The Actual Reasons for the Perpetuation of Internet Crimes Essay

The Actual Reasons for the Perpetuation of Internet Crimes - Essay Example Nevertheless, despite security measures and laws against cyber crimes, such a situation of clear and present danger persists for a number of reasons. The reasons why Internet crimes remain despite the law enforced against them include the ease in which they can be committed, poor security measures, and carelessness on the part of the victims. One reason why Internet crimes persist is the mere fact that they are relatively easy to commit. A teenage hacker, Nicholas Webber, is the brains behind the ?16.2M-credit card theft at Ghostmarket.net in 2009. This is roughly $25.3M of stolen consumer money from an estimated 8,000 members of Ghostmarket.net all over the world. Webber was only 18 and his accomplice Ryan Thomas was only 17. They were imprisoned for 8 and 4 years respectively for channeling the money of the consumers to an offshore bank account located in Costa Rica (Malik, 2012). Therefore, teenagers like Webber and Thomas who simply know hacking and banking basically already have all the means to easily carry out an Internet crime. They can do this easily especially with anonymous programs. In fact, according to the December 2000 report by McConnell International, the occurrence of Internet crimes is caused by the following factors: â€Å"They are easy to learn how to commit; they require few resources relative to the potential damage caused; they can be committed in a jurisdiction without being physically present in it; and they are often not clearly illegal† (â€Å"Cyber Crime,† 2000). There is clearly a problem with Internet crimes when it comes to legalities. In fact, according to the report, there are still 33 countries which have not had their laws updated – like Egypt, Italy, Norway, New Zealand and France. Moreover, there are only 52 which have definitely stated laws against Internet crimes (â€Å"Cyber Crime,† 2000). However for the 33 countries, the vague and confusing laws simply translate as a difficult due process an d a possibility of the suspect being exonerated. Another reason why it is relatively easy to commit Internet crimes is that the suspect knows that he can simply make a plea on invasion of privacy and may claim that for the government to pry on his own private transactions is against his freedom and right. The reason for this is definitely a confusing system of legalities governing Internet crimes, making such crimes irreconcilable with the idea of freedom of speech and the right to privacy. For example, How different is it if libelous and malicious statements are written on private accounts in social, in March 2006, a British woman named Tracy Williams was accused of and charged with libel by the British court for â€Å"posting false sexual allegations† at an unnamed online social networking site about a Parliamentary candidate that the police believed she had issues with (Darlington, 2010). It is therefore really unclear which part of the Internet crime merely expresses free dom and which part violates the law. Due to these problems with legalities, only a mere 30% of an estimated 1,600 identity thieves in the United States alone end up prosecuted and even in relatively less jail time despite the fact that 8.3M victims have been harassed, according to the FBI. Moreover, only about 1,400 cases are given attention from around 300,000 complaints about

Barriers to participation in sport to the inclusion of persons with Dissertation

Barriers to participation in sport to the inclusion of persons with disabilities - Dissertation Example ..........................................03 1.4 Barriers and facilitators in disability sports.....................................04 1.5 Strategy for Literature Review........................................................06 2. LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................08 2.1 Theoretical framework...................................................................08 2.2 Relevant researches......................................................................09 2.3 Findings.........................................................................................20 2.4 Discussion.....................................................................................24 3. CONCLUSION....................................................................................................27 REFERENCES LIST OF GRAPHS AND DIAGRAMS Page 2.1: Barriers faced by the disabled on sports participation.....................................21 3.1: Categories of barriers faced by disabled in sports participation......................28 ABSTRACT This paper aimed at identifying the barriers faced by disabled young adults and teenagers as they pursue participation into sports especially in the UK. The paper also aimed at identifying the gaps in existing knowledge about barriers faced by the disabled in sports participation. The research was based on a review of literature. Many relevant research studies available on different online data bases were reviewed and included in the study. Based on the data from findings, a content analysis was then conducted to identify the most common and less common barriers faced by the disabled in sports participation. The findings were presented in graphical form. Based on the discussion, the barriers identified were classified as internal and external and a model based on this classification was developed and diagrammatically presented. The paper concluded with some recommendations based on the gaps identified in the literature, for the future researchers in the field. 1. INTRODUCTION   This exploratory paper attempts to explore the possible existing barriers faced by the disabled young people as they seek inclusion in sports all over the world, especially in UK. There are two main aims of this study: one is to find out the barriers faced by disabled youth seeking inclusion and participation in sports and secondly, to identify the gaps in existing knowledge in the relevant field. Following is brief explanation of the meaning of sports, definition of the disabled, importance of sports for the disabled and barriers faced by the disabled as they seek participation in sports. 1.1 Sports Sport England (2010) follow and recognize the definition of sports determined by the European Sports Charter (1993). The definition says that â€Å"any form of physical activity, which via participation aims at expressing and improving physical fitness and mental well being, forming social relationships and obtaining results in competition at all levels is included in sports.’ (European Sports Charter, 1993; Cited in Sport England, 2004). Carefully conducted surveys by GHS (1993, 1996) cited in Sport England (2004) aimed at determining the rate of sports participation of people in different age groups identified a drop in the percentage of young people (aged: 16 – 19 years) who engage in sports. Another noteworthy finding of the survey was that this rate further decreases when young adults graduate and enter practical life, outside the

The Typical Bureaucratic Structure of a MediumSized University Essay

The Typical Bureaucratic Structure of a MediumSized University - Essay Example External Relations links University activity to the national and international community and oversees Employer Liaison, Foundation Studies, Professional Development, Alumni, Marketing, Liaison and Communications. Typical Bureaucratic Structure of a University allows it to act as a specific kind of company whose "product" are specialists in different fields. Universities in the US function under a very competitive environment. In conclusion, one can state that Public universities in the US are committed towards keeping and sustaining the US in the forefront of research and innovation. This is reflected in the vast University campuses and an elaborate administrative structure to look into every area of University governance. This efficient management of the campus is one of the vital elements in creating an institution of rigor and excellence, attracting the best talents from all over the world.

Great American Cities Essay Example for Free

Great American Cities Essay Jane Jacobs’ 1961 work The Death and Life of Great American Cities examines the problems with post-World War II urban planning and argue that cities should embrace visual and social diversity, interaction, and mixed uses in neighborhoods. She aims her most pointed criticisms at the disastrous urban renewal projects of the 1950s and ‘60s, which she argues disrupted neighborhood fabrics and worsened urban conditions instead of improving them. QUESTION ONE Jacobs argues that great cities require must look beyond simply neighborhoods and take a more holistic approach, with safe streets, clear delineations between public and private spaces, small blocks, and low-rise buildings from which the sidewalks are easily visible. Great urban environments literally start with the streets and sidewalks, where people interact with both one another throughout the day and the built environment. Vital cities need and should encourage social interactions, have a variety of uses (residential and commercial), should have spaces that allow such interaction (like safe streets and parks), and should embrace a degree of social and visual diversity. She also maintains that cities do not need to be decentralized or redistributed, as planners of the time were doing, and that planners must heed cities’ social and physical realities rather than imposing theories. Urban renewal projects often fail because they are too large in scale, lack diverse amenities (many were mostly commercial projects, for example), and were homogeneous spaces where social interaction did not frequently occur throughout the day. QUESTION TWO Forms of social interaction (other than those created by public spaces) like social organizations and residential classes help because they unite people from different backgrounds and neighborhoods, and ethnic organizations help assimilate and include newcomers, who often find urban life isolating and alienating. They need to transcend neighborhood and ethnic boundaries, as Jacobs says, â€Å"[City] people are mobile . . . [and] are not stuck with the provincialism of a neighborhood, any why should they be? Isn’t wide choice and rich opportunity the point of cities? † (Jacobs 116) Isolation, Jacobs claims, is bad for cities because it contributes more to crime and slum development than low income alone. QUESTION THREE Jacobs believes that post-World War II urban planners had good intentions but used inappropriate methods of dealing with cities, often because they adhered to theories instead of examining cities’ realities, which often contradicted the theories and principles they used. In addition, she claims they had an innate fear and disdain for cities, favoring suburbs (much like the federal government did, with highway construction and the FHA’s suburban bias) and applying methods to cities that overlooked the conditions necessary for social interaction and public safety. Planners often embraced urban renewal projects such as high-rise housing projects and large commercial complexes, which failed because their size discouraged easy monitoring of the sidewalks and streets, did not generate sufficient pedestrian traffic at all times of day, lacked a balance of amenities with residences, and promoted more danger and less use than needed to keep them vital. Jacobs argues that planners need to abandon what she calls their â€Å"superstitions† about cities, especially their dread of high density (which they think promotes slum growth). High density and overcrowding are not synonymous, and planners often struggled to accept visual diversity, considering mixed ages and types of buildings â€Å"disorderly† and thus bad. QUESTION FOUR The phrase â€Å"a most intricate and close-grained diversity of use† means an interconnected urban fabric of social interactions, amenities, and mixed uses (residential, workplaces, retail, etc. ) without rigid separations or compartmentalization. Neighborhoods should not become islands, she claims, because that would promote visual monotony and isolation (which in poorer areas contributes to the creation of slums). She advocates mixed uses that bring safety, public contact, and life to urban areas, and this cannot occur through planners’ adherence to visual homogeneity or large-scale, single-use renewal. Neighborhoods must achieve diversity by serving a variety of functions, thus generating ample uses and encouraging movement of people (particularly pedestrians). Using her own New York street as an example, she writes that her area’s workplaces give local commerce support during the day, and other businesses draw the residents in the evenings; â€Å"Many enterprises, unable to exist on residential trade by itself, would disappear. Or if the industries were to lose us residents, enterprises unable to exist on the working people by themselves would disappear† (Jacobs 153). Such areas also need to mix workplaces with retail and residences so that neighborhoods do not become empty at given times of day (which can allow crime), provide amenities for the people there, and to be close and connected enough to other neighborhoods to become functioning, vital parts of an overall urban fabric. QUESTION FIVE Of city streets, Jacobs writes, â€Å"Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs. Think of a city and what comes to mind? Its streets† (Jacobs 29). She considers the street and sidewalk the basic units of quality urban life because they are an arena of basic social interactions, whether among neighbors or between consumers and merchants. They become safe when constantly used and watched, so residents’ and workers’ proximity to sidewalks is important; well watched, frequently-used spaces monitor people’s behavior and render them safe. In addition, safe streets depend on three factors: clear demarcation of public and private spaces; streets and sidewalks must be visible from the surrounding buildings; and streets need to be used often throughout the day, not becoming abandoned when workers leave (as happens in solely commercial areas, for example). Little-used areas become bleak and conducive to crime, she says. City planners, she claims, do not understand the street’s importance and in the postwar years built large commercial or public spaces that did not attract people throughout the day and night, lacked amenities or nearby residences, and were often too large to safely monitor. Streets become unsafe, she maintains, when people are not close enough to the streets to see what happens there or to interact with passers-by. This was a severe problem in high-rise housing projects, which were hard to police and encouraged crime, as well as being bleak, monotonous, and isolated from the fabric of city life. QUESTION SIX Jacobs considers social and cultural life more important than physical organization alone, though she believes that the two are related and that physical environment has a considerable influence on social life. Dysfunctional places fail to encourage or facilitate social interaction (which she considers the heart of urban living), and a failed neighborhood â€Å"is overwhelmed by its defects and problems and is progressively more helpless before them† (Jacobs 112). On the other hand, functional cities have active social and cultural life partly because they have amenities that draw people at all times of day, mix uses and include residents, workers, and other visitors, and are well integrated with other parts of the city. Visual order, she claims, should not be an end in itself – aesthetics alone do not promote social or cultural activity. She even deems utopian planners efforts to govern cities’ visual character â€Å"authoritarian† and writes, â€Å"All this is a life-killing (and art-killing) misuse of art† (Jacobs 373). Streets with active, sage social lives are seldom visually well ordered and might even look like â€Å"slums† to an uninformed observer. In addition, visual order does not help when it promotes monotony and imposes itself on diverse places; diversity makes a positive difference and buildings should compliment one another, not all look alike. QUESTION SEVEN Jacobs is skeptical of planning because it often relies on its own theories rather than looking at realities; however, she does not argue unconditionally in favor of letting owners or builders operate with little regulation, adding buildings or complexes piecemeal without government guidance. She maintains that neighborhood and city fabrics must be respected and used as guidelines for building; a new privately funded residential building or commercial facility can easily disrupt a neighborhood if it fails to compliment its surroundings, foster pedestrian usage and social interaction all day, and isolates a neighborhood by failing to connect with other parts of the city. Owners and builders can harm diversity by creating bland housing developments, which she deems â€Å"truly marvels of dullness and regimentation, sealed against any buoyancy or vitality of city life† (Jacobs 4), or else by imposing radical changes too quickly, instead of fostering gradual changes. If they use traditional methods of urban renewal, then builders and private owners will fare no better than the builders of housing projects or large commercial developments will. QUESTION EIGHT Over the past two decades, Americans have rethought their formerly negative attitudes toward cities, especially with concerns over suburban sprawl, and planners have begun heeding Jacobs’ advice. Urban neighborhoods in numerous cities have been gentrified (or â€Å"unslummed,† as Jacobs puts it) with new residential properties (either new condominiums or rehabilitated industrial buildings) and retail and/or workspaces. New York’s formerly squalid Times Square is a good example of a slum â€Å"unslummed† with retail and offices, and Minneapolis’ Uptown and warehouse districts have been transformed from run-down sections to attractive places to live, shop, and be entertained. Urban downtowns have received ample attention from developers and public agencies alike; Baltimore’s downtown has been radically changed in the last twenty years, from a seedy place to an attractive one with ample facilities (like an aquarium and the Camden Yards baseball stadium). In addition, public housing has been transformed from large, impersonal, often crime-ridden high-rise towers (such as Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis, perhaps the worst example of public housing’s failure) to smaller complexes that more closely resemble housing available on the private market. However, urban American has not been completely transformed despite this positive change. Slums still exist throughout American cities, and much of the new development does not help the urban poor, since these new, context-sensitive areas often displace existing residents or businesses and rents in new dwellings are often too high for some. Despite this, American cities have started reviving and planners less antagonistic to urban centers. QUESTION NINE Jacobs was certainly radical when the book appeared in 1961. At that time, urban planners were so focused on urban renewal projects (like public housing, commercial complexes, or sports or cultural facilities) that they paid no attention to the social fabrics that made cities livable. They seemed to operate under the misconception that all urban centers were slums and that large-scale projects would improve them; instead, they uprooted existing neighborhoods and replaced them with facilities that did not encourage pedestrian usage, failed to foster frequent activity throughout the day, were often difficult to police, and did not connect with their own neighborhoods or others within a given city. 1961 also fell during the decades-long exodus of whites from cities to suburbs (which pro-white, pro-suburban federal housing policies assisted), and Americans’ lingering anti-urban attitudes still prevailed. Jacobs offered a different way of envisioning cities, and she seemed to see planners’ errors better than planners of the time would admit; indeed, it took decades before American urban planners and builders approached cities anew. QUESTION TEN This work remains relevant because it presents a set of principles that seem to work well over forty years later. It avoids concentrating on aesthetics, which she dubs â€Å"hair-splitting about fashions in design† (Jacobs 3), and instead discusses social dynamics, for which neighborhoods and cities should facilitate. She shows a clear understanding of cities that avoids the abstract and attests to a more experiential point of view, not a set of theories. However, money plays a much larger role today than it did in 1961; though builders and planners now follow her ideas, this new urbanism is expensive and many less-affluent city dwellers find themselves displaced by new development. Also, while many neighborhoods are reviving with new housing and retail, those areas tend to attract the same stores and building types, so that one revived neighborhood looks like another one nearby, creating a sort of monotony (of which Jacobs is particularly critical). Nonetheless, her ideas are perhaps even more relevant today, now that American cities are reviving along lines she first drew. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage, 1961.

Importance of teamwork

Importance of teamwork 1. Introduction As organisations continue to strive towards competitive advantage and increasingly high performance standards, collaboration and team-oriented project management are increasingly providing the flexibility and innovative potential necessary to excel. Yet in spite of the dynamic characteristics of teams in practice, many organisations fail to recognise the core determinants of a team-oriented framework, instead grouping employees into non-linked, non-dependent, individually-driven models. This group-based approach is distinct from team-specific initiatives and fails to meet the rigorous determinants of dynamism and effectiveness necessary in the modern marketplace. The following sections will draw distinctions between teamwork and group work, highlighting the opportunities associated with team-driven performance. Further, several theoretical models of teamwork will be introduced, demonstrating underlying benefits of optimised team management and goal setting. Through this discussion, a framework of organisational implications will be introduced, focusing on team-generated performance and the importance of effective team outcomes in meeting organisational goals. 2. The Teamwork Paradigm In spite of their seeming interoperability, Fritz (2014:1) emphasises that the terms ‘team’ and ‘group’ hold practical distinctions when represented in the context of enterprise management. A group, in theory, represents three or more individuals who, although aligned according to similar objectives or a similar unit assignment, work and perform independently of each other to achieve organisational goals (Fritz, 2014:1). Alternatively, the definition of a team involves an alliance of three or more individuals who collaborate and work interdependently to achieve a mutual goal or objective over the course of a given project, focus, or agenda (Fritz, 2014:1). Accordingly, it is the structural segmentation of responsibilities (independent or collective) that differentiates between these two terms, creating opportunities for managers to apply appropriate solutions to resolve variable and complex organisational problems. Whilst employees may initially begin their organisational tenure as a member of a working group, it is ultimately the priority and high level objective of the leadership to stimulate functional team-working, actualising tangible, high-performing outcomes from a participative environment that are capable of supporting a broader organisational vision and agenda. Whilst group-based projects and group work solutions have been prescribed throughout a variety of educational, enterprise, and social scenarios, the distinction between individual and collaborative roles within the group work concept results in a variety of outcomes. Kwon et al. (2014:185), for example, suggest that the degree and level of collaboration is a highly variable framework, one which is defined according to the complexity of the project, the characteristics of the team itself, and the overarching objectives of the leadership. Yet, more importantly, the researchers demonstrate systematically that the roots of effective teamwork are based upon a process of competent and sustained collaboration, evading a variety of pitfalls, limitations, and challenges that arise from the individualised roots that largely characterise the group-work paradigm (Kwon et al., 2014:196). It is the ability for leaders to not only inspire employee engagement in a common goal or agenda, but collaboration within a heterogeneous, multi-functional, interdependent team that ultimately creates the necessary opportunities for maximising efficiency and stimulating higher performance outcomes over time (Hogel and Proserpio, 2004:1160). As team members continue to evolve beyond the pitfalls of group-based membership and individualised working priorities, the characteristics and capabilities of the team itself begin to emerge, providing pathways to new capabilities and programme development as members actively pursue mutual and shared goals and outcomes. 2.1 Belbin’s Team Role Theory As employees and managers strive to identify their optimal place and responsibilities within a given team-working scenario, roles and behaviours play a critical role in shaping performance outcomes and actualising group objectives. Belbin (2011:24) defines a team role as a ‘pattern of behaviour characteristic of the way in which one team member interacts with another where his performance serves to facilitate the progress of the team as a whole’. For managers, this theory has distinct implications, as through identification of particular characteristics, strengths, and skill sets amongst individual team members, team performance outcomes can be predicted with relative accuracy (Business, 2011:966). Within Belbin’s (2011:24) model of team roles, Batenburg et al. (2013:903) recognise that there are three dominant role categories including action-oriented, people oriented, and thinking/problem solving-oriented under which eight distinct role behaviours can be grouped: implementer, completer/finisher, shaper, coordinator, team worker, resource investigator, monitor evaluator, and plant. Figure 1: Team Role Theory Model (Source: Batenburg et al., 2013:903) Whilst the foundations of Belbin’s (2011:24) role theory were predicated upon a tenuous balance between role assignments and team performance, Batenburg et al. (2013:904) contest that the behavioural foundations of this theory undermine considerations of skill, intellect, and experience, failing to accurately predict team-specific outcomes. Alternatively, Prichard and Stanton (1999:664) propose that the role theory framework can be used in a more pro-active, learning-oriented manner in order to assist team members in becoming aware of skills needed for successful team work, identifying capabilities which may be absent from the team at any given time, and implement avoidance strategies to resist behaviour that may not be conducive to successful team-working. 2.2 Theory X and Y Amongst the early origins of team-oriented theory, McGregor (1957:166) introduced theory X and Y as a means of explaining how individuals are motivated according to two, diametrically opposed theories (James, 64-5). The following is a brief summation of each theory as outlined by McGregor (1957:166-7): Theory X Management is responsible for organising elements of a productive enterprise Without active intervention by management, individuals would be passive and resistant to organisational needs. The average worker is indolent and works as little as possible Workers lack ambition, dislike responsibility, and prefer to be led Individuals are self-centred and indifferent to organisational needs Workers are resistant to change Workers are gullible and not inherently bright Theory Y Management is responsible for organising the elements of a productive enterprise People are not passive or resistant to organisational needs. Workers have evolved as a result of experience in the organisation Motivation, development, and responsibility are all present in individuals and can be activated Essence of management is to arrange organisational conditions and methods to allow individuals to achieve their own goals and direct individual efforts towards organisational objectives. Purpose of management is to create opportunities, release potential, remove obstacles, encourage growth, and provide guidance. The tension between these two theories is significant, as McGregor (1957:169) outlines distinctive managerial initiatives and purposes which are either control and outcome-oriented (Theory X), or are supportive, guiding, and inspirational (Theory Y). When applied to teamwork and problem-oriented scenarios, this theory as described by DalFono and Merlone (2010:424) indicates an intrinsic pursuit of equity in efforts and organisational performance, whereby inequities may potentially lead to less effort and resistance to participation. Without managerial influence, the desire for employees to excel beyond their teammates’ performance levels (e.g. due to variable skill levels, lack of similar experience, etc.) is reduced to an internal tension, the foundations of Theory X. Yet, whereby managers offer inspirational support, contribute to employee development and self-efficacy, and create a balanced framework on which to base decisions and activate effort, DalFono and Merlone (2010:424) agree with McGregor (1957:169) that motivation and performance can be strategically enhanced. 2.3 The Hawthorne Effect First described in factory operations at General Electric, the Hawthorne Effect is a ‘phenomenon whereby individual or group performance is influenced by human behaviour factors’ (Lewis et al., 2007:40). A form of summative potential, this effect represents a group/team-activated improvement in team performance which prioritises a foundation of human resource-oriented management rather than more scientific, output-based agendas (Lewis et al., 2007:40). By recognising that teamwork is a function of social interactions including both formal and informal groups and interdependencies, the Hawthorne Effect idealises humanistic pathways by which managers are able to position, affect, and sustain meaningful performance changes in organisational teams (Lewis et al., 2007:40). This effect further explains the value which the very concept of ‘teamwork’ can have on improving and sustaining organisational performance from a motivational and participation-based standpoint. As employees strive to achieve desired performance outcomes under managerial scrutiny, Patel et al. (2012:214-5) argue that justice, as a facilitative mechanism, has a direct impact on organisational identification and perception, shaping the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals. When positioned in social scenarios, such justice-based effects are magnified, as identity itself is rooted to the role and position within the group, affecting an individual’s feeling of self-worth (Patel et al., 2012:215). Under likely conditions of team heterogeneity, Tore-Ruiz and Aragon-Correa (2013:555) propose that team members with higher individual performance assume an important, informative role in regards to team activity and potential. Yet, within the justice-based vein of Patel et al. (2012:214) and the overarching scrutiny of the Hawthorne effect (Lewis et al., 2007:40), there is a direct correlation between scrutiny and status and performance, an effect which is inherently magnified within the teamwork setting. Whilst group work may allow individuals to operate according to independent and individualised motivations and behaviours, continuity and predictability in team performance is critical to pursuing a broader spectrum objective, orienting members towards optimal behavioural outcomes. 3. Implications and Impacts For organisational leaders, team roles, characteristics, and values represent a critical opportunity for not only achieving organisational objectives, but for targeting specific strategic goals and priorities that can result in significant developmental growth. Van De Water and Rozier (2008:499) emphasise that the underlying value of the Belbin (2011:24) model is predicated upon managerial interventions, applying pragmatic and skills-driven techniques to team composition, role assignment, and role assumption. Yet for organisations, the realisation of such idealised outcomes is oftentimes overshadowed by various dimensions of behavioural and individual interference including personality, mental abilities, values and motivations, experience, and learning practices (Van De Water and Rozier, 2008:499-500). In order to improve upon dysfunctional and ineffective team conditions, researchers such as Dietz et al. (2014:908) have undertaken to assess the roots of teamwork in practice, describing constructive and behavioural traits that yield desirable working outcomes. Through their outcome-based assessment of nursing practice and hospital administration, the researchers reveal that structural dimensions including training, communication and HRM are used to affect work process outcomes, optimising team performance and achieving desirable organisational outcomes (Dietz et al., 2014:914). One of the challenges in empirical research as evidenced by Dietz et al. (2014:914) is that situational variability and distinctive behavioural values and agendas can significantly undermine the relative effectiveness of team-based actions and organisational performance outcomes. Gressgard and Hansen (2015:167) contend that ‘learning from failures requires sharing of information and knowledge about error experiences’; however, the researchers also recognise that such ‘holistic’ organisational learning does not always manifest by chance and must be supported by leader interventions and directional supports. This form of functional knowledge exchange represents a core component of leader involvement and activism in the organisation that not only allows for intra-unit knowledge exchange, but cross-unit knowledge transfer and absorption (Gressgard and Hansen, 2015:170). Both of the Dietz et al. (2014:914) and the Gressgard and Hansen (2015:170) studies idealise team-driven environments which, although situational in practice, are characterised by several high value traits and characteristics that can be further extrapolated and explicated: Strong Leadership: Strong, effective leadership involves not only relinquishing control of team functions and decision making to the various members, but supporting key functions such as knowledge exchange through purposeful interventions and goal setting. Direction and Vision: Effective teams benefit from a strong, purposeful vision that is capable of both directing behaviours and moderating individual values and priorities. Whilst leaders maintain responsibility for perpetuating this vision over time, it is the broader, big picture agenda of the organisation which ultimately defines and sustains the vision in practice. Interdependencies and Partnerships: In order to activate shared knowledge and maximise the benefits of heterogeneous teams, interdependencies must be built into the working dynamics, creating opportunities for members to activate new understandings and competencies within the context of the broader organisational objectives. Roles, Responsibilities, and Agendas: Focusing on the distinct, yet interwoven roles of individual team members, it becomes critical for effective teams to not only assign process-oriented tasks to members of the team, but to ensure that there is sufficient clarity and directional support to guide and sustain such processes. The pursuit of effective team-working is driven by both organisational needs and employee engagement, foundations which support, direct, and sustain goal setting and agenda-specific orientation over time. Deering et al. (2011:90-1) describe several key steps for actualising such goal-oriented outcomes, focusing on leaders as a directional force that supports team composition and role assignment, allowing teams to develop functional situational awareness (shared mental model), mutual support (cross-monitoring, cross functionality), and effective communication. Through the introduction of simulated training scenarios within a real world organisational context, Deerring et al. (2011:94-5) demonstrate how effective team-working can not only be trained, but can be solidified according to key organisational objectives, establishing foundational rules and guidelines that can then be extended over the course of the working processes. Such initiatives build upon what Laal (2013:1427) view as a necessary framework of collaborative learning which is ‘based upon consensus building through cooperation by group members’. Whilst less collaborative setting involving groups may ultimately allow individuals to pursue learning and knowledge on their own, the roots of collaborative learning are driven by commonalities and goal setting that can magnify the overall effectiveness of the team-working process over time (Laal et al., 2013:1428). Whilst training and learning in the workplace are largely holistic functions of daily operations, leaders can stimulate more directional objectives by identifying and defining specific goals and expectations that can support team performance and enhance effectiveness over time. At the core of teamwork orchestration are two leading priorities: to achieve consistent, high performing outcomes and/or to innovate or develop beyond the current state of organisational performance. Hogel and Proserpio (2004:1154) propose that team member proximity (both physical and cognitive) and role assumption play a significant role in the achievement of desirable collaborative processes. Whilst the researchers focus on the relationships between team-members across co-located, virtual teams, the evidence relating to proximity supports and coordination resources is indicative of the building blocks required for effective and high performing teamwork. Specifically, Hogel and Proserpio (2004:1160) describe the role of intermediary actors (e.g. managers) as a form of cross-location communication support system, creating communication bridges for co-located employees seeking to maintain their distinctive roles within a distributed, yet goal-oriented team. The evidence, although specific to a particular form of modern enterprise, demonstrates that regardless of status or role assignments, teamwork and the actualisation of effective outcomes in real world practice, is predicated upon effective communication and sustained interpersonal relationships that, by virtue of their group focus, are distinct from more traditional group-work and group-based assignments. The distinction between group and teamwork is important for managers to recognise, as collaborative foundations and interdependencies are unlikely evolve out of group-based activities, particularly due to the outcome-oriented priorities which inhibit more participative and collective agenda setting (Bedwell et al. 2012:128). In order to improve collaborative outcomes and organisational performance, Bedwell et al. (2012:134) recognise that collaboration requires participation in joint activities, a shared or common goal, reciprocity and support, the ability to evolve, and participation by two or more social entities. Whilst the roots of collaboration are largely intuitive, the effects of such team-driven performance on organisational practices can be directly linked to improved performance and positive enterprise outcomes. Hayne and Free (2014:309) model such team-driven performance improvements within the context of risk management and organisational monitoring. By diversifying the responsibility for risk identification and assessment in daily operations across a cross-functional team, the researchers demonstrate that not only does performance improve over time, but risks and vulnerabilities are systematically reduced, providing opportunities for new working processes and more efficient resource distribution (Hayne and Frere, 2014:325). In spite of the positive interpretation of teamwork modelled by Bedwell et al. (2012:134) and further highlighted by Hayne and Frere (2014:325), the actualisation of an effective, functional team is not a simple process, and may ultimately result in significant hurdles and organisational inconsistencies. Kwon et al. (2014:185) describe complications within the ‘interprofessional collaborative process’ that emerge from deficiencies within individual ‘collaborators’, creating hurdles and mitigating the benefits of team-working. One of the most significant hurdles identified through empirical testing and surveying was inadequate or missing socio-emotional interaction between the team members, inhibiting trust and ultimately resulting in challenges for group regulation and team participation (Kwon et al., 2014:196). Such findings indicate that for teams to move beyond the individualised hurdles affecting collaboration and mitigating participation, there must be sufficient motivation, a functional gap that establishes leader interventions and organisational vision as conduits that allow teams to evolve and achieve higher states of performance. 4. Summary Whilst the concept of ‘group’ in any team is a relative given, the concept of ‘team’ is fundamentally non-interchangeable with that of ‘group’. In spite of the fact that the distinction is relatively simplistic (individual work versus collaboration), in organisational practice, actualising an effective team is much more difficult than simply assigning individuals into groups. The multi-dimensional variables impacting upon team performance, role assignment, and member behaviour are of significant importance as managers seek to evaluate and target high performing team outcomes. From personal affiliation and value-based alignment within the organisation to collaborative learning and team-driven capacity building, the factors that influence team effectiveness are a critical consideration. In spite of long-lived, industry-leading theories such as the team role theory, Theory X Y, or the Hawthorne Effect, it is difficult to establish a consensus in regards to the roots of effective team membership, and by default, effective team-working. Individuals can be effective members of groups and fulfil their role according to their own underlying agendas; however, in order for organisations to truly activate performance and maximise their potential, a more functional, dynamic team environment is necessary. It is through the layered engagement of multi-dimensional skill sets and competencies that managers are not only able to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of their teams, but are able to identify collaborative strengths and collective advantages that might otherwise remain obscured by individual priorities and actions. References Batenburg, R., Van Walbeek, W.V., Der Maur, W.I. (2013) ‘Belbin Role Diversity and Team Performance: Is There a Relationship?’ Journal of Management Development, Vol. 32, No. 8, pp. 901-913. Bedwell, W.L., Wildman, J.L., DiazGranados, D., Salazar, M., Kramer, W.S., Salas, E. (2012) ‘Collaboration at Work: An Integrative Multilevel Conceptualization.’ Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 22, pp. 128-145. Belbin, R.M. (2011) Team Roles at Work. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinmann, 2nd Edition. Business. (2011) Business: The Ultimate Resource. London: AC Black Publishers, 3rd Edition. Dal Forno, A., Merlone, U. (2010) ‘Effort Dynamics in Supervised Work Groups.’ Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 75, pp. 413-425. Deering, S., Johnston, L.C., Colacchio, K. (2011) ‘Multidisciplinary Teamwork and Communication Training.’ Seminars in Perinatology, pp. 89-96. Diez, A.S., Pronovost, P.J., Mendez-Tellez, P.A., Wyskiel, R., Marsteller, J.A., Thompson, D.A., Rosen, M.A. (2014) ‘A Systematic Review of Teamwork in the Intensive Care Unit: What Do We Know About Teamwork, Team Tasks, and Improvement Strategies?’ Journal of Critical Care, Vol. 29, pp. 908-914. Fritz, R. (2014) ‘Differences Between Group Work and Team Work.’ Chron, Small Business, Available At: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-group-work-team-work-11004.html . Accessed 6th October, 2014. Greerssgard, L.J., Hansen, K. (2015) ‘Knowledge Exchange and Learning from Failures in Distributed Environments: The Role of Contractor Relationship Management and Work Characteristics.’ Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Vol. 133, pp. 167-175. Hayne, C., Free, C. (2014) ‘Hybridized Professional Groups and Institutional Work: COSO and the Rise of Enterprise Risk Management.’ Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 39, pp. 309-330. Hoegl, M., Proserpio, L. (2004) ‘Team Member Proximity and Teamwork in Innovative Projects.’ Research Policy, Vol. 33, pp. 1153-1165. James, D. (1999) Introduction to Team and Personal Development. London: Chartered Institute of Bankers. Kwon, K., Liu, Y.H., Johnson, L.S.P. (2014) ‘Group Regulation and Social-Emotional Interactions Observed in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning: Comparison Between Good vs Poor Collaborators.’ Computers and Education, Vol. 78, pp. 185-200. Laal, M., Naseri, A.S., Laal, M., Kermanshahi, Z.K. (2013) ‘What Do We Achieve from Learning in Collaboration?’ Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 93, pp. 1427-1432. Lewis, P.S., Goodman, S., Fandt, P., Michlitsch, J. (2007) Management: Challenges for Tomorrow’s Leaders. Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western, 5th Edition. McGregor, D.M. (1957) ‘The Human Side of Enterprise.’ Management Review, pp. 41-49. Patel, C., Budhwar, P., Varma, A. (2012) ‘Overall Justice, Work Group Identification and Work Outcomes: Test of Moderated Mediation Process.’ Journal of World Business, Vol. 47, pp. 213-222. Prichard, J.S., Stanton, N.A. (1999) ‘Testing Belbin’s Team Role Theory of Effective Groups.’ The Journal of Management Development, Vol. 18, No. 8, pp. 652-665. Torre-Ruiz, J.M.D., Aragon-Correa, J.A. (2013) ‘Interdependence Between Best Team Members and their Teammates.’ International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 552-567. Van de Water, H., Ahaus, K., Rozier, R. (2008) ‘Team Roles, Team Balance, and Performance.’ Journal of Management Development, Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 499-512.

History of the Laser

History of the Laser INTRODUCTION The name LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Light is really an electromagnetic wave. Each wave has brightness and color, and vibrates at a certain angle, so-called polarization. This is also true for laser light but it is more parallel than any other light source. Every part of the beam has (almost) the exact same direction and the beam will therefore diverge very little. With a good laser an object at a distance of 1 km (0.6 mile) can be illuminated with a dot about 60 mm (2.3 inches) in radius. As it is so parallel it can also be focused to very small diameters where the concentration of light energy becomes so great that you can cut, drill or turn with the beam. It also makes it possible to illuminate and examine very tiny details. It is this property that is used in surgical appliances and in CD players. It can also be made very monochromic, so that just one light wavelength is present. This is not the case with ordinary light sources. White light contains all the colors in the spectrum, but even a colored light, such as a red LED (light emitting diode) contains a continuous interval of red wavelengths. On the other hand, laser emissions are not usually very strong when it comes to energy content. A very powerful laser of the kind that is used in a laser show does not give off more light than an ordinary streetlight; the difference is in how parallel it is. Before the Laser there was the Maser In 1954, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow invented the maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), using ammonia gas and microwave radiation the maser was invented before the (optical) laser. The technology is very close but does not use a visible light. The maser was used to amplify radio signals and as an ultrasensitive detector for space research. Many different materials can be used as lasers. Some, like the ruby laser, emit short pulses of laser light. Others, like helium-neon gas lasers or liquid dye lasers emit a continuous beam of light. Laser action Lasers are possible because of the way light interacts with electrons. Electrons exist at specific energy levels or states characteristic of that particular atom or molecule. The energy levels can be imagined as rings or orbits around a nucleus. Electrons in outer rings are at higher energy levels than those in inner rings. Electrons can be bumped up to higher energy levels by the injection of energy-for example, by a flash of light. When an electron drops from an outer to an inner level, excess energy is given off as light. The wavelength or color of the emitted light is precisely related to the amount of energy released. Depending on the particular lasing material being used, specific wavelengths of light are absorbed (to energize or excite the electrons) and specific wavelengths are emitted (when the electrons fall back to their initial level). In a cylinder a fully reflecting mirror is placed on one end and a partially reflecting mirror on the other. A high-intensity lamp is spiraled around the ruby cylinder to provide a flash of white light that triggers the laser action. The green and blue wavelengths in the flash excite electrons in the atoms to a higher energy level. Upon returning to their normal state, the electrons emit their characteristic ruby-red light. The mirrors reflect some of this light back and forth inside the ruby crystal, stimulating other excited chromium atoms to produce more red light, until the light pulse builds up to high power and drains the energy stored in the crystal. High-voltage electricity causes the quartz flash tube to emit an intense burst of light, exciting some of the atoms in the ruby crystal to higher energy levels. At a specific energy level, some atoms emit particles of light called photons. At first the photons are emitted in all directions. Photons from one atom stimulate emission of photons from other atoms and the light intensity is rapidly amplified. Mirrors at each end reflect the photons back and forth, continuing this process of stimulated emission and amplification. The photons leave through the partially silvered mirror at one end. This is laser light. EINSTEINS THEORY OF LASER Although Einstein did not invent the laser his work laid the foundation. It was Einstein who pointed out that stimulated emission of radiation could occur along with spontaneous emission absorption. He used his photon mathematics to examine the case of a large collection of atoms full of excess energy and ready to emit a photon at some random time in a random direction. If a stray photon passes by, then the atoms are stimulated by its presence to emit their photons early. More remarkably, the emitted photons go in the same direction and have exactly the same frequency as the original photon ! Later, as the small crowd of identical photons moves through the rest of the atoms, more and more photons will leave their atoms early to join in the subatomic parade. All it took to invent the laser was for someone to find the right kind of atoms and to add reflecting mirrors to help the stimulated emission along .The acronym LASER means Light Amplification by (using Einsteins ideas about) Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Stimulated Emission A third type of photon-related electron transitions in an atom is stimulated emission. Suppose an electron is in a higher energy level and a photon comes along with an energy equal to the difference between the electrons energy and a lower energy.Then the photon will stimulate the electron to fall into the lower energy state, thereby emitting a photon. The emitted photon will have the same energy as the original photon, and viewed as waves we will then have two waves emerging from the atom in phase with the same frequency. Such waves will constructively interfere, leading to a more intense wave. This is the principle behind the laser, which stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. In a laser atoms are kept in an excited state by pumping the laser, and some photons are inserted. This causes some atoms to undergo stimulated emission, and the resulting photons cause other atoms to undergo stimulated emission, leading to a chain reaction. The resultant light is very intense and coherent (composed of one frequency), and can be easily focused. TYPES OF LASER ON THE BASIS OF ENERGY LEVEL Two level: In this photon from mata stable state jumps to second level on excitation Three level: In this photon from mata stable state jumps to third level on excitation Four level: In this photon from mata stable state jumps to fourth level on excitation ON THE BASIS OF MATERIAL USED Gas lasers Helium Neon Laser It is used in Interferometer, holography, spectroscopy, barcode scanning, alignment, optical demonstrations. Argon Laser It is used in Retinal phototherapy (for diabetes), lithography, confocal microscopy,spectroscopy pumping other lasers. Krypton Laser This laser is used in Scientific research, mixed with argon to create white-light lasers, light shows. Xenon ion Laser used in scientific research. In this type of laser many lines throughout visible spectrum extend into the UV and IR. Nitrogen Laser It is used in Pumping of dye lasers, measuring air pollution, scientific research. Nitrogen lasers can operate superradiantly (without a resonator cavity). Amateur laser construction. Carbon Dioxide laser It is used in Material processing (cutting, welding, etc.), surgery. It is produced by Transverse (high power) or longitudinal (low power) electrical discharge. Excimer Laser This type of laser is produced by excimer recombination via electrical discharge.It is used in Ultraviolet lithography for semiconductor manufacturing, laser surgery, LASIK Chemical lasers These type of lasers are used as directed-energy weapons like: Hydrogen Fluoride laser: It is formed by Chemical reaction in a burning jet of ethylene and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and is used in research for laser weaponry by the U.S. DOD, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range. Deuterium fluoride laser: It is used in MIRACL, Pulsed Energy Projectile Tactical High Energy Laser COIL (Chemical oxygen-iodine laser): It is produced by Chemical reaction in a jet of singlet delta oxygen and iodine and is used in Laser weaponry, scientific and materials research, laser used in the U.S. militarys Airborne laser, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range. DYE LASER: These type of lasers are used in Research, spectroscopy, birthmark removal, isotope separation. The tuning range of the laser depends on which dye is used. Metal-vapor lasers Helium-cadmium (HeCd) metal-vapor laser: They are used in Printing and typesetting applications, fluorescence excitation examination (ie. in U.S. paper currency printing), scientific research. Helium-mercury (HeHg) metal-vapor laser: They are used in Rare, scientific research, amateur laser construction. Helium-silver (HeAg) metal-vapor laser, Neon-copper (NeCu) metal-vapor laser: They are used in scientific research. Copper vapor laser: It is used in Dermatological uses, high speed photography, pump for dye lasers. Gold vapor laser: This type of laser is used in Rare, dermatological and photodynamic therapy uses. Solid-state laser Ruby laser: Used in Holography, tattoo removal. The first type of visible light laser invented; May 1960. Nd:YAG laser : used in Material processing, rangefinding, laser target designation, surgery, research, pumping other lasers (combined with frequency doubling to produce a green 532 nm beam). One of the most common high power lasers. Usually pulsed (down to fractions of a nanosecond) Er:YAG laser: used in Periodontal scaling, Dentistry Neodymium YLF (Nd:YLF) solid-state laser: Mostly used for pulsed pumping of certain types of pulsed Ti:sapphire lasers, combined with frequency doubling. Neodymium doped Yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO4) laser: Mostly used for continuous pumping of mode-locked Ti:sapphire or dye lasers, in combination with frequency doubling. Also used pulsed for marking and micromachining. A frequency doubled nd:YVO4 laser is also the normal way of making a green laser pointer. Neodymium glass (Nd:Glass) laser: Used in extremely high power (terawatt scale), high energy (megajoules) multiple beam systems for inertial confinement fusion. Nd:Glass lasers are usually frequency tripled to the third harmonic at 351 nm in laser fusion devices. Cerium doped lithium strontium(or calcium) aluminum fluoride (Ce:LiSAF, Ce:LiCAF): Used in Remote atmospheric sensing, LIDAR, optics research. Erbium doped and erbium-ytterbium codoped glass lasers: These are made in rod, plate/chip, and optical fiber form. Erbium doped fibers are commonly used as optical amplifiers for telecommunications. Semiconductor laser Semiconductor laser diode has working wavelength between 0.4-20Â µm, depending on active region and are used in Telecommunications, holography, printing, weapons, machining, welding, pump. There are many different types of semiconductor lasers like: AlGaAs : used in Optical discs, laser pointers, data communications. 780 nm Compact Disc player laser is the most common laser type in the world. Solid-state laser pumping, machining, medical. InGaAsP : used in Telecommunications, solid-state laser pumping, machining, medical. Quantum cascade laser : used in Research,Future applications may include collision-avoidance radar, industrial-process control and medical diagnostics such as breath analyzers. Other types of lasers Free electron laser : This type of laser is having a broad wavelength range (about 100 nm several mm); one free electron laser may be tunable over a wavelength range and is basically used in atmospheric research, material science, medical applications. Gas dynamic laser : used In Military applications; can operate in CW mode at several megawatts optical power and is produced by Spin state population inversion in carbon dioxide molecules caused by supersonic adiabatic expansion of mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Nickel-like Samarium laser : It has pumping source Lasing in ultra-hot samarium plasma formed by double pulse terawatt scale irradiation fluences created by Rutherford Appleton Laboratorys Nd:glass Vulcan laser and first demonstration of efficient saturated operation of a sub-10 nm X-ray laser, possible applications in high resolution microscopy and holography, operation is close to the water window at 2.2 to 4.4 nm where observation of DNA structure and the action of viruses and drugs on cells can be examined. Raman laser, uses inelastic stimulated Raman scattering in a nonlinear media, mostly fiber, for amplification. It finds its applications in Complete 1-2 Â µm wavelength coverage; distributed optical signal amplification for telecommunications; optical solitons generation and amplification APPLICATIONS Industrial Applications of Laser Today, laser can be found in a broad range of applications within industry, where it can be used for such things as pointing and measuring. In the manufacturing industry, laser is used to measure the ball cylindricity in bearings by observing the dispersion of a laser beam when reflected on the ball.Laser also works as a spirit level and can be used to indicate a flat surface by just sweeping the laser beam along the surface. This is, for instance, used when making walls at building sites. In the mining industry, laser is used to point out the drilling direction. Laser technologies have also been used within environmental areas. One example is the ability to determine from a distance the environmental toxins in a column of smoke. Other examples are being able to predict and measure the existence of photochemical smog and ozone, both at ground level where it isnt wanted and in the upper layers of the atmosphere where it is needed. Laser is also used to supervise wastewater purification. Laser works as a light source in all fiber optics in use. It has greater bandwidth. It is insensitive to interference from external electrical and magnetic fields. Fiber optics is used increasingly often in data and telecommunications around the world. Medicine Laser is used in medicine to improve precision work like surgery. Brain surgery is an example of precision surgery that calls for the surgeon to reach the intended area precisely. To make sure of this, lasers are used both to measure and to point in the area in question. Birthmarks, warts and discoloring of the skin can easily be removed with an unfocused laser. The operations are quick and heal quickly and, best of all, they are less painful than ordinary surgery performed with a scalpel. RECENT APPLICATIONS DVD A DVD player contains laser that is used not because it produces a parallel beam, but rather because the light emerges from a tiny point, which enables it to be focused on the different layers of the disc. The information, ones and zeros, is stored in several layers, and only one layer is to be read at a time. Every point on a particular layer is read during every revolution of the disc. In order to make room for a lot of information on every disc, the beam has to be focused on as small an area as possible. This cannot be done with any other light source than a laser. Laser Pointers Lasers pointers are made from inexpensive semiconductors laser as together with lens produce a parallel beam of light that can be used to make a bright spot to point with. Their range is very large. If one points at a surface 200 meters (220 yards) distant in the dark, a person standing close to the object being pointed at will have no trouble seeing the shining spot (of course, someone else has to hold the laser). On the other hand, the one holding the pointer will have difficulty seeing the spot. The eternal question of range has more to do with the lights behavior on its way back to the sender than with the length of the beam. Laser Sights Laser sights for rifles and guns can be based on several different principles. Some send a laser beam parallel to the trajectory so that the point of impact becomes visible. This method exposes the marksman. Some project a red dot inside a telescopic sight (instead of cross hairs). In both cases, the dot can be produced with a ring around it. Speed Measurement Using Laser The method the police use to measure car speed is based on a laser signal that is sent towards the target. This beam bounces back and is mixed with light that has not hit the car. The result is an oscillation the same as when you tune a guitar with higher frequency (more treble) the faster the target moves. The speed has to be measured straight from the front or from the back. If it is measured at an angle, the speed is underrated. This means that you cannot get false values that are too high. The measurement is dependent on the car having something that reflects well. The license plate is perfect, as are different types of reflecting objects. Fogged surfaces are okay, but reduce the maximum distance. Laser Distance Meter The primary use of laser distance meters today is surveyors and constructors, Least spectacular is the so-called parking assistance that helps the driver to estimate the distance to the car behind when parking. A more recent application measures the distance to the car in front of the driver when driving on highways or other roads. You simply lock in the distance to the car in front of you in order to maintain that distance. This makes driving more efficient and faster as long as it all works. This kind of laser is found in most robots with mechanical vision. LASER DISCOVERIES 1971 Gabor (alone) was given the prize, having founded the basic ideas of the holographic method, which is a famous and spectacular application of laser technology. At first just a method of creating 3-D pictures, it has since become a useful tool for the observation of vibrating objects. Much of what we today know about how musical instruments produce their tones is due to the use of holograms. In addition to holograms that can be bought and hung on a wall, simpler holograms can be found on many other things where you might not expect to find them. Small holograms are present on many credit cards and identity cards in order to make them more difficult to forge. 1981 Bloembergen and Schawlow received the prize for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy. One typical application of this is nonlinear optics which means methods of influencing one light beam with another and permanently joining several laser beams (not just mixing them compare the difference between mixing two substances and making them chemically react with one another). These phenomena mean that a light beam can in principle be steered by another light beam. If in the future someone intends to build an optical computer (that could be much faster and much more efficient in storing data), it would have to be based on a nonlinear optic. When using optical fibers, for example in broadband applications, several of the switches and amplifiers that are used require nonlinear optical effects. 1997 Chu, Cohen-Tannoudji and Phillips et al. received the prize for their developments of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light which is a method for inducing atoms to relinquish their heat energy to laser light and thus reach lower and lower temperatures. When their temperature sinks very close to absolute zero, atoms form aggregates (make clumps) in a way that reveals some of the innermost aspects of nature. And that is the important application of laser cooling, namely to make us understand more of nature. Very soon after the discovery other scientists started to use the technique to further develop closely related areas. 2000 Alferov and Kroemer were given the prize for their development within the field of semiconductor physics, where they had studied the type of substances that was first used to build semiconductor lasers, that is, the kind of miniature lasers that today have become the cheapest, lightest and smallest. The idea is to produce both the light source and energy supply and place the mirrors in one crystal (less than 1 mm facet, with many sequences). This has become not only the basis for many cheap and portable appliances, but also the foundation in optical information networks. The CD player, laser writer, laser pointer and the bar code reader the cashier at the supermarket uses, are all based on their discovery. REFRENCES NEWAGE PUBLISHER PVT. LTD.,LASERANDNONLINEAROPTICS,P.B LAUD macmillan publisher,laser theory and application,k.dhyacagrajan,ak.ghatak universities publishers,laser,e.a siegman http://www.nobel.org

Role of Women in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

Role of Women in Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart portrays Africa, particularly the Ibo society, right before the arrival of the white man. Things Fall Apart analyzes the destruction of African culture by the appearance of the white man in terms of the destruction of the bonds between individuals and their society. Achebe, who teaches us a great deal about Ibo society and translates Ibo myth and proverbs, also explains the role of women in pre-colonial Africa. In Things Fall Apart, the reader follows the trials and tribulations of Okonkwo, a tragic hero whose tragic flaw includes the fact that "his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness." (16) For Okonkwo, his father Unoka embodied the epitome of failure and weakness. Okonkwo was taunted as a child by other children when they called Unoka agbala. Agbala could either mean a man who had taken no title or "woman." Okonkwo hated anything weak or frail, and his descriptions of his tribe and the members of his family show that in Ibo society anything strong was likened to man and anything weak to woman. Because Nwoye, his son by his first wife, reminds Okonkwo of his father Unoka he describes him as woman-like. After hearing of Nwoye's conversion to the Christianity, Okonkwo ponders how he, "a flaming fire could have begotten a son like Nwoye, degenerate and effeminate" (143)? On the other hand, his daughter Ezinma "should have been a boy." (61) He favored her the mos t out of all of his children, yet "if Ezinma had been a boy [he] would have been happier." (63) After killing Ikemefuna, Okonkwo, who cannot understand why he is so distraught, asks himself, "When did you become a shivering old woman?" (62) When his tribe looks as if they are not going to fight against the intruding missionaries, Okonkwo remembers the "days when men were men." (184) In keeping with the Ibo view of female nature, the tribe allowed wife beating . The novel describes two instances when Okonkwo beats his second wife, once when she did not come home to make his meal. He beat her severely and was punished but only because he beat her during the Week of Peace. He beat her again when she referred to him as one of those "guns that never shot." When a severe case of wife beating comes before the egwugwu, hefound in favor of the wife.

Planning Your Proxy Server Implementation Essay -- Internet Software C

Planning Your Proxy Server Implementation A key factor in determining the success of any installation is planning. Planning involves several phases-from understanding your current capabilities, to determining your current needs, anticipating your future needs, and, ultimately, finding a viable solution. We have all been in situations where the immediate need surpassed the need for planning and the installation was rushed. More often than not, the installation had to be repeated to correct problems. Microsoft stresses successful planning techniques, both to ease the initial installation and as a preventative troubleshooting task. The Site Analysis Process A key consideration of planning future network capacity is determining what services, users, and data will be present on the network. Take the time to complete a thorough site analysis. A bit of formal analysis now will ease the process of upgrading and configuring the system later. Don't succumb to the "easy way out." Planning can be a long and arduous task that is overlooked far too often, but one that pays off ultimately. Network Capacity Analysis The capacity of a network is that network's ability to support the amount of data transmitted over it. A network that can support the activity of your organization today may not be able to support the increased activity level when Internet access is offered via Proxy Server. You need to carefully consider the performance ramifications of adding new information services to an already overtaxed network. Although Proxy Server's ability to cache resources saves on performance over the Internet communication link, it does not decrease the amount of data ultimately transferred to the client. Even if 100 percent of requested data is stored in the proxy server's cache, it will still be sent across your local network to the client computer, increasing network traffic significantly. The first step in network capacity analysis is to define a baseline profile of the performance levels of your current network by using Performance Monitor and Network Monitor. This involves sampling various aspects of your network over several days. Examine these readings to decipher what is normal and abnormal about how your network performs. This includes pinpointing which areas of your network experience the heaviest load, which users or applications cause the most traffic, ... ...oft recommends that the computer hosting Proxy Server meet the following minimum requirements: à ¤ Intel Pentium 133 or faster à ¤ 2GB of storage space for caching à ¤ 32MB of RAM, or more Moderate-Volume Network A moderate-volume network is typically a network in a mid-size company with under 1,000 computers. Moderate volume networks can obtain adequate Internet access using two or more proxy servers arranged in an array or chain connected to multiple ISDN lines or a fractional T1. Microsoft recommends that the computer hosting Proxy Server meet the following minimum requirements: à ¤ Intel Pentium 166 or faster à ¤ 2 to 4GB of storage space for caching à ¤ 64MB of RAM, or more High-Volume A high-volume network is typically a network in an enterprise corporation with thousands of computers. High volume networks can obtain adequate Internet access using multiple proxy servers in a combined array and chain combination connected to a T1 line or greater. Microsoft recommends that the computer hosting Proxy Server meet the following minimum requirements: à ¤ Intel Pentium 200, Pentium Pro 166 or faster à ¤ 8 to 16GB of storage space for caching à ¤ 128 to 256MB of RAM, or more Planning Your Proxy Server Implementation Essay -- Internet Software C Planning Your Proxy Server Implementation A key factor in determining the success of any installation is planning. Planning involves several phases-from understanding your current capabilities, to determining your current needs, anticipating your future needs, and, ultimately, finding a viable solution. We have all been in situations where the immediate need surpassed the need for planning and the installation was rushed. More often than not, the installation had to be repeated to correct problems. Microsoft stresses successful planning techniques, both to ease the initial installation and as a preventative troubleshooting task. The Site Analysis Process A key consideration of planning future network capacity is determining what services, users, and data will be present on the network. Take the time to complete a thorough site analysis. A bit of formal analysis now will ease the process of upgrading and configuring the system later. Don't succumb to the "easy way out." Planning can be a long and arduous task that is overlooked far too often, but one that pays off ultimately. Network Capacity Analysis The capacity of a network is that network's ability to support the amount of data transmitted over it. A network that can support the activity of your organization today may not be able to support the increased activity level when Internet access is offered via Proxy Server. You need to carefully consider the performance ramifications of adding new information services to an already overtaxed network. Although Proxy Server's ability to cache resources saves on performance over the Internet communication link, it does not decrease the amount of data ultimately transferred to the client. Even if 100 percent of requested data is stored in the proxy server's cache, it will still be sent across your local network to the client computer, increasing network traffic significantly. The first step in network capacity analysis is to define a baseline profile of the performance levels of your current network by using Performance Monitor and Network Monitor. This involves sampling various aspects of your network over several days. Examine these readings to decipher what is normal and abnormal about how your network performs. This includes pinpointing which areas of your network experience the heaviest load, which users or applications cause the most traffic, ... ...oft recommends that the computer hosting Proxy Server meet the following minimum requirements: à ¤ Intel Pentium 133 or faster à ¤ 2GB of storage space for caching à ¤ 32MB of RAM, or more Moderate-Volume Network A moderate-volume network is typically a network in a mid-size company with under 1,000 computers. Moderate volume networks can obtain adequate Internet access using two or more proxy servers arranged in an array or chain connected to multiple ISDN lines or a fractional T1. Microsoft recommends that the computer hosting Proxy Server meet the following minimum requirements: à ¤ Intel Pentium 166 or faster à ¤ 2 to 4GB of storage space for caching à ¤ 64MB of RAM, or more High-Volume A high-volume network is typically a network in an enterprise corporation with thousands of computers. High volume networks can obtain adequate Internet access using multiple proxy servers in a combined array and chain combination connected to a T1 line or greater. Microsoft recommends that the computer hosting Proxy Server meet the following minimum requirements: à ¤ Intel Pentium 200, Pentium Pro 166 or faster à ¤ 8 to 16GB of storage space for caching à ¤ 128 to 256MB of RAM, or more