Technology Brought Both Advantages and Disadvantages to Students Research Paper

Technology Brought Both Advantages and Disadvantages to Students - Research Paper Example As the paper declares one of the great advantages of new technologies in the classroom is the digitalization of learning resources such as books and journals by converting them into electronic formats that not only embraces text and illustrations, but also multi-modal features such as animation, sound, music, video, in addition to hyperlinks. The current generation of books is nothing close to the conventional formats, particularly because, by using software like Adobe Reader or Microsoft Reader, students can access a large proportion of learning resources in the form of e-books by viewing them on their personal computers both at home and at school. The digitalized learning resources provide a broad reservoir of learning resources, which students can access easily by purchasing e-books from online bookstores or by renting them free from online libraries. According to the discussion findings the electronic book resources have many advantages over the conventional books because they often have user-friendly interphases and editing tools that allow the reader a lot of control over the reading resources. Introduction of learning technologies has also created new opportunities for extended learning, particularly because students are able to conduct extra research on their own away from the classroom situation, in addition to the knowledge delivered in the classroom. Technology enhances both teaching and learning efficiency in the classrooms.... Reader, students can access a large proportion of learning resources in the form of e-books by viewing them on their personal computers both at home and at school. The digitalized learning resources provide a broad reservoir of learning resources, which students can access easily by purchasing e-books from online bookstores or by renting them free from online libraries (Larson 122). The electronic book resources have many advantages over the conventional books because they often have user-friendly interphases and editing tools that allow the reader a lot of control over the reading resources. For example, the students can utilize those tools to manipulate the text in so many ways including editing, deleting, marking passages, highlighting, and even inserting comments on sticky notes, among many other things. This way, students engage more with the learning material, thereby enhancing their comprehension and overall performance; in this case, technology leads to enhanced student perfo rmance because it leads to the transformation of learning experiences in the classrooms. Introduction of learning technologies has also created new opportunities for extended learning, particularly because students are able to conduct extra research on their own away from the classroom situation, in addition to the knowledge delivered in the classroom. The internet is a rich source of diverse information and learning resources that students can utilize on their own away from the classroom, thereby not only transforming their experiences by understanding the knowledge gained in the classroom further, but also extending their learning experiences through additional information. The pervasive spread of information and technology has facilitated the access of course material by students

Christianity subscribes to the notion of God being all-good and Essay

Christianity subscribes to the notion of God being all-good and all-powerful, whereas Hinduism envisions Brahman as encompassing both good and evil - Essay Example He is the creator of the universe, the one who takes care of all that surrounds us. He may be worshipped as a single entity as in Christianity, Judaism or Islam, or He may be worshipped in various different forms, as in Hinduism and Buddhism. Theologians and philosophers have long argued as to how ‘God’ can be defined. Every religion defines God according to its own perspectives, and also according to what the religious scriptures dictate. So, to understand the concept of God and what the word means to any religion, we will have to study in detail about that particular religion. A brief look at Christianity will tell us that here God is looked upon as the ‘Almighty- Omniscient’ being, who is all-good and all-powerful, while Hinduism envisions Brahman as encompassing both good and evil. This article will explore Christianity and Hinduism as two separate religions, and will try to decipher what God means to both these religions. The concept of religion: Before we try to understand the meaning of ‘God’ we will have to know what religion actually is. It may be defined as â€Å"  an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioners experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth ( Geertz, 89). So, religion is the way one may expedite, to reach God. The theistic forms of religion that include Christianity, Judaism and Islam, demand that the worshipper bow in complete genuflection in front of God. The religions of the ancient world, like that of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Chinese Taoism and Confucianism do not believe in complete fealty to God to get enlightenment. According to these religions, enlightenment is self sought, achieved when the soul or atman becomes one with

Timeless or Everlasting God Essay Example for Free

Timeless or Everlasting God Essay The definition of an everlasting God would be a God that has existed throughout time and space, linked to God’s characteristic of being omnipresent, basically meaning that He is present everywhere at all times. This would mean that he is a personal God as he is immanent and is involved with humanity. This back up events like miracles and revelations within the world, as they are caused by God so are evidence of his personal relationship with humans. The definition of a timeless God would mean that God exists outside of time. This links to the characteristic of God which some believers believe he is; transcendent. This means that God exists outside of time and space so therefore has an impersonal relationship with humanity, meaning He would not be able to influence humanity in the form of miracles or revelations. This view is commonly thought by believers of deism, who believe that an omnipotent God created the world, but then left it to ‘do its own thing and learn from its own mistakes’ and no longer looks over it. There are more benefits to an everlasting God, mainly because it would explain how miracles occur. However it also means that there can be revelations in the form of praying as a personal God may answer one’s prayers as He is within the universe. Another advantage would be that a personal God can also try to teach us right from wrong and would discipline us like a parental figure. This is shown in Genesis chapter 1, where God is also shown to have more human-like characteristics and he punishes Adam and Eve much like a parental figure showing his personal relationship with humans. Also the biggest benefit would be that it be proof that Jesus was the Son of God. However an advantage of having a timeless God would be that as God exists outside time and space then he would see all events and therefore he would know everything; past, present and future. This would mean that he would be an omniscient God.

An introduction to the macroeconomics of walmart

An introduction to the macroeconomics of walmart Sam Walton, a leader with an innovative vision, started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. Through his savvy, and sometimes unusual, business practices, he and his associates led the company forward for thirty years. Today, years after his death, the company is still growing steadily. Wal-Mart executives continue to rely on many of the traditional goals and philosophies that Sams legacy left behind, while also keeping one step ahead of the constantly changing technology and methods of todays fast-paced business environment. The organization has faced, and is still facing, a significant amount of controversy over several different issues; however, none of these have done much more than scrape the exterior of this gigantic operation. The future also looks bright for Wal-Mart, especially if it is able to strike a comfortable balance between increasing its profits and recognizing its social and ethical responsibilities. Why is Wal-Mart so Successful? In 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, no one could have ever predicted the enormous success this small-town merchant would have. Sam Waltons talent for discounts retailing not only made Wal-Mart the worlds largest retailer, but also the worlds number one retailer in sales. Indeed, Wal-Mart was named Retailer of the Decade by Discount Store News in 1989, and on several occasions has been included in Fortunes list of the 10 most admired corporations. Even with Waltons death (after a two-year battle with bone cancer) in 1992, Wal-Marts sales continue to grow significantly. Wal-Mart is successful not only because it makes sound strategic management decisions, but also for its innovative implementation of those strategic decisions. Regarded by many as the entrepreneur of the century, Walton had a reputation for caring about his customers, his employees (or associates as he referred to them), and the community. In order to maintain its market position in the discount retail business, Wal-Mart executives continue to adhere to the management guidelines Sam developed. Walton was a man of simple tastes and took a keen interest in people. He believed in three guiding principles: 1. Customer value and service;   2. Partnership with its associates; 3. Community involvement (The Story of Wal-Mart, 1995). The word always can be seen in virtually all of Wal-Marts literature. One of Waltons deepest beliefs was that the customer is always right, and his stores are still driven by this philosophy. When questioned about Wal-Marts secrets of success, Walton has been quoted as saying, It has to do with our desire to exceed our customers expectations every hour of every day (Wal-Mart Annual Report, 1994, p. 5). Waltons greatest accomplishment was his ability to empower, enrich, and train his employees (Longo, 1994). He believed in listening to employees and challenging them to come up with ideas and suggestions to make the company better. At each of the Wal-Mart stores, signs are displayed which read; Our People Make the Difference. Associates regularly make suggestions for cutting costs through their Yes We Can Sam program. The sum of the savings generated by the associates actually paid for the construction of a new store in Texas (The story of Wal-Mart, 1995). One of Wal-Marts goals was to provide its employees with the appropriate tools to do their jobs efficiently. The technology was not used as a means of replacing existing employees, but to provide them with a means to succeed in the retail market (Thompson Strickland, 1995). Wal-Marts popularity can be linked to its hometown identity. Walton believed that every customer should be greeted upon entering a store, and that each store should be a reflection of the values of its customers and its community. Wal-Mart is involved in many community outreach programs and has launched several national efforts through industrial development g rants. What are the Key Features of Wal-Marts Approach to Implementing the Strategy Put Together by Sam Walton The key features of Wal-Marts approach to implementing the strategy put together by Sam Walton emphasizes building solid working relationships with both suppliers and employees, being aware and taking notice of the most intricate details in store layouts and merchandising techniques, capitalizing on every cost saving opportunity, and creating a high performance spirit. This strategic formula is used to provide customers access to quality goods, to make these goods available when and where customers want them, to develop a cost structure that enables competitive pricing, and to build and maintain a reputation for absolute trustworthiness (Stalk, Evan, Shulman, 1992). Wal-Mart stores operate according to their Everyday Low Price philosophy. Wal-Mart has emerged as the industry leader because it has been better at containing its costs, which has allowed it to pass on the sav ings to its customers. Wal-Mart has become a capability competitor. It continues to improve upon its key business processes, managing them centrally and investing in them heavily for the long-term payback. Wal-Mart has been regarded as an industry leader in testing, adapting, and applying a wide range of cutting-edge merchandising approaches (Thompson Strickland, 1995, p. 860). Walton proved to be a visionary leader and was known for his ability to quickly learn from his competitors successes and failures. In fact, the founder of Kmart once claimed that Walton not only copied our concepts, he strengthened them. Sam just took the ball and ran with it (Thompson Strickland, 1995, p. 859). Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale, which reduces its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to inventory them. Low er prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Cross docking gives the individual managers more control at the store level. A company owned transportation system also assists Wal-Mart in shipping goods from warehouse to store in less than 48 hours. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart owns the largest and most sophisticated computer system in the private sector. It uses a MPP (massively parallel processor) computer system to track stock and movement which keeps it abreast of fast changes in the market (Daugherty, 1993). Information related to sales and inventory is disseminated via its advanced satellite communications system. Wal-Mart has leveraged its volume buying power with its suppliers. It negotiates the best prices from its vendors and expects commitments of quality merchandise (Thompson Strickland, 1995). The purchasing agents of Wal-Mart are very focused people. Their highest priority is making sure everybody at all times in all cases knows whos in charge, and its Wal-Mart (Vance Scott, 1995, p. 32). Even though Wal-Mart was tough in negotiating for absolute rock-bottom prices, the company worked closely with suppliers to develop mutual respect and to forge long-term partnerships that benefited both parties (Thompson Strickland, 1995, p. 866). Wal-Mart built an automated reordering system linking computers between Procter Gamble (PG) and its stores and distribution centers. The computer system sends a signal from a store to PG identifying an item low in stock. It then sends a resupply order, via satellite, to the nearest PG factory, which then ships the item to a Wal-Mart distribution center or directly to the store. This interaction between Wal-Mart and PG is a win-win proposition because with better coordination, PG can lower its costs and pass some of the savings on to Wal-Mart. Sam Walton received national attention through his Buy America policy. Through this plan, Wal-Mart encourages its buyers and merchandise managers to stock stores with American-made products. In a 1993 annual report management stated the program demonstrates a long-standing Wal-Mart commitment to our customers that we will buy American-made products whenever we can if those products deliver the same quality and affordability as their foreign-made counterparts (Thompson Strickland, 1995, p. 868). Environmental concerns are important to Wal-Mart. A prototype store was opened in Lawrence, Kansas, which was designed to be environmentally friendly. The store contains environmental education and recycling centers (Slezak, 1993). Wal-Mart has also adopted the low cost theme for its facilities. All offices, including the corporate headquarters, are built economically and furnished simply. To conserve energy, temperature controls are connected via computer to headquarters. Through these programs, Wal-Mart shows its concern for the community. Wal-Mart h as been led from the top but run from the bottom, a strategy developed by Sam Walton and carried on by a small group of senior executives led by CEO David Glass. Although recent growth has led Wal-Mart to add more management layers, senior executives strive to maintain its unique culture. This culture, described as one part Southern Baptist evangelism, one part University of Arkansas Razorback teamwork, and one part IBM hardware has worked to Wal-Marts advantage (Saporito, 1994, p. 62). Just how Successful is Wal-Mart? A forecast (see Appendix A) of Wal-Marts income for the period 1995-2000, considering increases of 30.6% in Net Sales, 27.7% in Operating Expenses, and 52.3% in Interest Debt (a level which is below Wal-Marts historically compounded growth rate of 55.6%) indicates that the company should continue to report gains each year until 2000. According to most analysts and company projections, sales should approximate $115 billion by 1996, representing an increase of 30.6% as compared to 1995. If the company continues at this pace, sales should reach $334 billion by the year 2000. The growth on sales that Wal-Mart reported during the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s will be difficult to repeat, especially considering the ever-changing marketplace in which it competes. In an interview, Bill Fields, President of the Stores Division said, Wal-Mart is now seeing price pressure from companies that once assiduously avoided taking it on. These include specialty retailers such as Limited, category killers like Home Depot and Circuit City, and catalog companies like Spiegel. I think everybody prices off of Wal-Mart. Youve got Limited reaching levels wed thought theyd never get to. The result is that everyday low prices are getting lower (Saporito, 1994, p. 66). In addition, the baby-boomers are reaching their peak earnings years, when financial and personal priorities change. Thus, savings, not spending, will likely take precedence because most baby-boomers are approaching retirement. Based on Wal-Marts position in 1994, which was considered a year of expansion for the company, (Wal-Mart added 103 new discount stores, 38 Super-centers, 163 warehouse clubs, and 94,000 new associates) interest debt increased 52.3%. The cost paid by Wal-Mart to finance property plants and equipment forced the company to increase long term debt by 4.6 times during the period 1991-1995. Long term debt for 1995 is $7.9 billion. If Wal-Mart continues its expansion plans based on more debt acquisition at 1994 levels, the company may not attain forecasted gains by as early as 1998. Operating expenses will be a key strategic issue for Wal-Mart in order to maintain its position in the market. The challenge is how to run more stores with less operating expenses. According to Bill Fields,. . . the goal is to increase sales per square foot and drive operating costs down yet another notch (Saporito, 1994, p. 66). Trends indicate that operating expenses have been grow ing at a rate of 27.7% in recent years. However, Wal-Mart should reap the benefits of its investments in high technology, and be able to operate more stores without increasing its expenses. Cost of sales historically has been equal to the level of sales. If the company continues to take advantage of its buying power, Wal-Mart can expect to lower its cost of sales. Wal-Marts future will depend on how well the company manages its expansion plans. For the coming years, the company will need to justify its expansion plans with consistent growth in sales, in order to offset the increases in debt interest and operating expenses. What Problems are ahead for Wal-Mart? What Risks? Throughout the 1980s, Wal-Marts strategic intent was to unseat industry leaders Sears and Kmart, and become the largest retailer in the U.S. Wal-Mart accomplished this goal in 1991. But Wal-Marts current strong competitive position and its past rapid growth performance cant guarantee that the company will remain a s the industry leader or maintain its strong business position in the future. Carol Farmer, a retail consultant, told the Wall Street Journal that, One little bad thing can wipe out lots of good things (Trimble, 1990, p. 267). Every move in its business operation ought to be well thought-out and executed. Wal-Mart needs to address two major areas in order to maintain or to capture an even stronger long term business position: 1) Single-business strategy Wal-Marts success is mainly based on its concentration of a single-business strategy. This strategy has achieved enviable success over the last three decades without relying upon diversification to sustain its growth and competitive advantages. Given its current position in the industry, Wal-Mart may want to continue its single-business strategy and to push hard to maintain and increase market share. However, there is risk in this strategy, because concentration on a single-business strategy is similar to putting all of a firms eggs in one industry basket (Thompson Strickland, 1995, p. 187). In other words, if the retail industry stagnates due to an economic downturn, Wal-Mart might have difficulty achieving past profit performance. Also, if Wal-Mart continues to follow Sam Waltons vision of expansion, Wal-Mart will reach its peak in the very near future. When it does, its growth will start to slow down and the company will need to turn its strategic attention to diversification for future growth. Social responsibility Retail stores can compete on several bases: service, price, exclusivity, quality, and fashion. Wal-Mart has been extremely successful in competing in the retail industry by combining service, price, and quality. However, other merchants may object to Wal-Marts entry into their community. Because of its ability to out-price smaller competitors, Wal-Marts stores threaten smaller neighborhood stores which can only survive if they offer merchandise or services unavailable anywhere else. This makes it very hard for small businesses, such as mom-and-pop enterprises, to survive. They, therefore, fight to keep Wal-Mart from entering their locales. Numerous studies conducted in different states both support and criticize Wal-Mart (Verdisco, 1994). Nevertheless, Wal-Mart did drive local merchants out of business when it opened up stores in the same neighborhood. As a result, more and more rural communities are waging war against Wal-Marts entrance into their market. Besides protesting and signing petitions to attempt to stop Wal-Marts entry into their community, the oppositions efforts can even be found on The Internet. Gig Harbor, a small town in Washington, recently started a World Wide Web page entitled Us against the Wal. The towns neighborhood association promised that they will fight them [Wal-Mart] tooth and nail (PNA/Island Aerie Internet Productions, 1995/1996). The increasing opposition indicates that the road ahead for Wal-Mart may not be as smooth as Wal-Marts annual r eport would entail. This requires Wal-Mart to rethink its expansion strategy since it would not be profitable to operate in an unfriendly community. How Big Will Wal-Mart be in Five Years if all continues to go well? Before he died, Sam Walton expressed his belief that by the year 2000 Wal-Mart should be able to double the number of stores to about 3,000 and to reach sales of $125 billion annually. Walton predicted that the four biggest sources of growth potential would be the following: 1. Expanding into states where it had no stores;  Ã‚   2. continuing to saturate its current markets with new stores;   3. Perfecting the Super-center format to expand Wal-Marts retailing reach into the grocery and supermarket arena a market with annual sales of about $375 billion; 4. Moving into international markets (Thompson Strickland, 1995). Wal-Mart Super-centers represent leveraging on customer loyalty and procurement muscle in order to create a new domestic growth vehicle for the comp any. With few locations left in the U.S. to put a new Sams Club or traditional Wal-Mart, the Super-center division has emerged as the domestic vehicle for taking Wal-Mart to $100 billion in sales. Before the Super-center, Walton experimented with a massive Hyper-mart, encompassing more than 230,000 square feet in size. The idea failed. Customers complained that the produce was not fresh or well-presented and that it was difficult to find things in a store so big that inventory clerks had to wear roller skates. One of Waltons philosophies was that traveling on the road to success required failing at times. As a result of the unsuccessful experiment, Walton launched a revised concept: the Super-center, a combination discount and grocery store that was smaller than the Hyper-mart. The Super-center was intended to give Wal-Mart improved drawing power in its existing markets by providing a one-stop shopping destination. Super-centers would have the full array of general merchandise found in traditional Wal-Mart stores, as well as a full-scale supermarket, delicatessen, fresh bakery, and other specialty shops like hair salons, portrait studios, dry cleaners, and optical wear departments. Super-centers would measure 125,000 to 150,000 square feet, and target locations where sales per store of $30 to $50 million annually were feasible. Waltons prediction was right on target. The Super-center division more than doubled in size during 1993, then doubled again in 1994. Super-centers, once thought of as risky because of slim profit margins on the food side, will most likely make Wal-Mart the nations largest grocery retailer within the next five to seven years (Longo, 1994). Expanding overseas, Wal-Mart moved into the international market in 1991 through a joint-venture partnership with CIFRA S.A. de C.V., Mexicos leading retailer. Since then the company has entered Canada, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Brazil. The Wal-Mart International Division w as officially formed in 1994 to manage the companys international growth. By the year 2000, analysts expect Wal-Mart to be a huge international retailer, with numerous locations in South America, Europe, and Asia. The ever-changing market presents continuing challenges to retailers. First and foremost, retailers must recognize the strong implications of a buyers market (Lewison, 1994). Customers are being offered a wide choice of shopping experiences, but no one operation can capture them all. Therefore, it is incumbent upon management to define their target market and direct their energies toward solving that specific markets problems. Technology, demographics, consumer attitudes, and the advent of a global economy are all conspiring to rewrite the rules for success. Success in the next decade will depend upon the level of understanding retailers have about the new values, expectations, and needs of the customer. If Wal-Mart continues its customer-driven culture, it should remain a retail industry leader well into the next century. REFERENCES: Daugherty, R. (1993). New approach to retail signals strong future for point of purchase displays. Paperboard Packaging, pp. 24-27. Lewison, M. D. (1991). Retailing. New York: Macmillan. Longo, D. (1994). New generation of execs leads Wal-Mart into the next century. Discount Store News, pp. 45-47. PNA/Island Aerie Internet Productions (1995/1996). Us against the Wal. Gig Harbor, Washington: Peninsula Neighborhood Association. [Online] Available: http://www.harbornet.com/pna/. Saporito, B. (1994, May). And the winner is still . . . Wal-Mart. Fortune, pp. 62-68. Slezak, M. (1993). Seeds of environmental store planted in 1989. Discount Stores Inc., pp. 25-27. Stalk, G., Evans, P., Shulman, L. (1992, March-April). Competing on capabilities: the new rules of corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review, pp. 55-70. Thompson, A. A., Jr. Strickland, A.J. III. (1995). Strategic management concepts and cases (8th ed.). Chicago: I rwin. Trimble, V. H. (1990). Sam Walton: The inside story of Americas richest man. New York: Dutton. Vance, S., Scott, S. (1994). Wal-Mart: a history of Sam Waltons retail phenomenon. New York: Twayne. Verdisco, R. J. (1994, October). Superstores and Smallness. Discount Merchandiser, p. 8. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (1995). The story of Wal-Mart. Bentonville, Arkansas: Corporate Offices of Wal- Mart Stores, Inc. Wal-Mart Annual Report, 1994 Wal-Mart Annual Report, 1995

Discuss economic arguments for and against imposing substantially :: Economics

Discuss economic arguments for and against imposing substantially higher taxes on sale of alcohol. Governments interfere in markets and their working with the primary purpose of provision of welfare to people and preventing market failure. There are many methods of intervention such as - taxes and subsidies - buffer stocks - applying maximum and minimum prices - provision of public goods and services - provision of education and training - legislation and market reforms Applying taxes has two purposes: to generate revenue for the government and to discourage consumption and output of certain goods, usually demerit goods. Demerit goods are those goods that are usually over consumed by in a market system, and have social costs exceeding social benefit due to high negative externalities. They contrast merit goods which are desirable for the welfare of society, as positive externalities exceed negative externalities. Taxes out on goods such as alcohol are considered indirect taxes. Depending upon the price elasticity of a good, and its demand and market price, government places either - specific taxes that are of a specific number, e.g. 10 dirhams on every bottle of beer - ad valorem taxes that add a percentage of the market price onto taxes e.g. 5% of price of beer A government must analyze the effects of taxing, or increasing taxation on a good, whether or not the taxation satisfies the goals. The Social costs of alcohol involve the cost of production, cost of purchase and negative externalities such as alcohol poisoning and drunken driving deaths and violence. The social benefits are the profit made by producers, the utility gained by consumers and externalities such as prevention of heart diseases. The imposing of substantially higher taxes on the sale of alcohol may be good in two ways: Firstly, alcohol is regarded as a habit forming good. Hence it may be assumed that either it disobeys the law of demand (quantity demanded of a good is inversely proportional to change in price, all other factors remaining constant), or it is price inelastic (a percentage change in price causes a smaller percentage change in quantity demanded). Although imposition of taxes will increase the market price of alcohol, the change in demand would be substantially lower. Therefore the government would gain revenue, which it may use for provision of welfare. Secondly, alcohol is a demerit good. It has private benefits as an industry, and it provides utility and satisfaction to consumers. Its positive externalities include reducing coronary diseases, and providing amusement to others in social events. However, its negative externalities include addiction, drunken driving accidents and fights which result in property damage, and provide a burden to society. Its positive externality of preventing coronary diseases arises only from

Helicopter

hHelicopter Definition: A helicopter (or chopper, helo or whirlybird) is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft would usually not be able to take off or land.The capability to hover efficiently for extended periods of time allows a helicopter to accomplish tasks that fixed-wing aircraft and other forms of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft cannot perform. The word helicopter is adapted from the French helicoptere, coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix/helik- ( ) = â€Å"twisted, curved† and pteron ( ) = â€Å"wing†. Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936.Some heli copters reached limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production, with 131 aircraft built. Though most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, it is the single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the most common helicopter configuration. Tandem rotor helicopters are also in widespread use, due to their better payload capacity. Quad rotor helicopters and other types of multicomputer have been developed for specialized applications. UsesDue to the operating characteristics of the helicopter—its ability to take off and land vertically, and to hover for extended periods of time, as well as the aircraft's handling properties under low airspeed conditions—it has been chosen to conduct tasks that were previously not possible with other aircraft, or were time- or work-intensive to accomplish on the ground. Today, helicopter uses include transportation of people and ca rgo, military uses, construction, firefighting, search and rescue, tourism, medical transport, and aerial observation, among others.Sikorsky S-64 Sky crane lifting a prefab house Sikorsky S-76C+ air ambulance Bell 205 dropping water on fire HH-65 Dolphin demonstrating hoist rescue capability AgustaWestland Apache attack helicopter A helicopter used to carry loads connected to long cables or slings is called an aerial crane. Aerial cranes are used to place heavy equipment, like radio transmission towers and large air conditioning units, on the tops of tall buildings, or when an item must be raised up in a remote area, such as a radio tower raised on the top of a hill or mountain.Helicopters are used as aerial cranes in the logging industry to lift trees out of terrain where vehicles cannot travel and where environmental concerns prohibit the building of roads. These operations are referred to as logline because of the long, single sling line used to carry the load. The most grand-sca le single non-combat helicopter operation in history was the disaster management operation following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Hundreds of pilots were involved in airdrop and observation missions, making dozens of sorties a day for several months.Helitack is the use of helicopters to combat wild land fires. The helicopters are used for aerial firefighting (or water bombing) and may be fitted with tanks or carry helibuckets. Helibuckets, such as the Bambi bucket, are usually filled by submerging the bucket into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. Tanks fitted onto helicopters are filled from a hose while the helicopter is on the ground or water is siphoned from lakes or reservoirs through a hanging snorkel as the helicopter hovers over the water source.Helitack helicopters are also used to deliver firefighters, who rappel down to inaccessible areas, and to resupply firefighters. Common firefighting helicopters include variants of the Bell 205 and the Erickson S-6 4 Aircrane helitanker. Helicopters are used as air ambulances for emergency medical assistance in situations when an ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene, or cannot transport the patient to a medical facility in time. Helicopters are also used when a patient needs to be transported between medical facilities and air transportation is the most practical method for the safety of the patient.Air ambulance helicopters are equipped to provide medical treatment to a patient while in flight. The use of helicopters as air ambulances is often referred to as MEDEVAC and patients are referred to as being â€Å"airlifted†, or â€Å"medevaced†. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use helicopters to pursue suspects. Since helicopters can achieve a unique aerial view, they are often used in conjunction with police on the ground to report on suspects' locations and movements. They are often mounted with lighting and heat-sensing equipment for night purs uits.Military forces use attack helicopters to conduct aerial attacks on ground targets. Such helicopters are mounted with missile launchers and miniguns. Transport helicopters are used to ferry troops and supplies where the lack of an airstrip would make transport via fixed-wing aircraft impossible. The use of transport helicopters to deliver troops as an attack force on an objective is referred to as Air Assault. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) helicopter systems of varying sizes are being developed by companies for military reconnaissance and surveillance duties.Naval forces also use helicopters equipped with dipping sonar for anti-submarine warfare, since they can operate from small ships. Oil companies charter helicopters to move workers and parts quickly to remote drilling sites located out to sea or in remote locations. The speed over boats makes the high operating cost of helicopters cost effective to ensure that oil platforms continue to flow. Various companies specialize in this type of operation. Other uses of helicopters include, but are not limited to: * Aerial photography * Motion picture photography Electronic news gathering * Reflection seismology * Search and Rescue * Tourism or recreation * Transport Design features Parts and functions The simple rotor of a Robinson R22 Robinson R44 rotor head The simple rotor of a  Robinson R22  showing (from the top): * The following are driven by the link rods from the rotating part of the  swash plate. * Pitch hinges, allowing the blades to twist about the axis extending from blade root to blade tip. * Teeter hinge, allowing one blade to rise vertically while the other falls vertically.This motion occurs whenever translational relative wind is present, or in response to a cyclic control input. * Scissor link and counterweight, carries the main shaft rotation down to the upper swash plate * Rubber covers protect moving and stationary shafts * Swash plates, transmitting cyclic and collective pitch to th e blades (the top one rotates) * Three non-rotating control rods transmit pitch information to the lower swash plate * Main mast leading down to main  gearbox Safety Limitations HAL Dhruv  performing aerobatics during the  Royal International Air Tattoo  in 2008.Royal Australian Navy  Squirrelhelicopters during a display at the 2008 Melbourne Grand Prix The main limitation of the helicopter is its low speed. There are several reasons a helicopter cannot fly as fast as a fixed-wing aircraft. When the helicopter is hovering, the outer tips of the rotor travel at a speed determined by the length of the blade and the RPM. In a moving helicopter, however, the speed of the blades relative to the air depends on the speed of the helicopter as well as on their rotational velocity. The airspeed of the advancing rotor blade is much higher than that of the helicopter itself.It is possible for this blade to exceed the  speed of sound, and thus produce vastly increased drag and vibrat ion. Because the advancing blade has higher airspeed than the retreating blade and generates a  dissymmetry of lift, rotor blades are designed to â€Å"flap†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ lift and twist in such a way that the advancing blade flaps up and develops a smaller angle of attack. Conversely, the retreating blade flaps down, develops a higher angle of attack, and generates more lift. At high speeds, the force on the rotors is such that they â€Å"flap† excessively and the retreating blade can reach too high an angle and stall.For this reason, the maximum safe forward airspeed of a helicopter is given a design rating called  VNE,  Velocity, Never Exceed. In addition it is possible for the helicopter to fly at an airspeed where an excessive amount of the retreating blade stalls, which results in high vibration, pitch -up, and roll into the retreating blade. During the closing years of the 20th century designers began working on  helicopter noise reduction. Urban communiti es have often expressed great dislike of noisy aircraft, and police and passenger helicopters can be unpopular.The redesigns followed the closure of some city heliports and government action to constrain flight paths in  national parks  and other places of natural beauty. Helicopters also vibrate; an unadjusted helicopter can easily vibrate so much that it will shake itself apart. To reduce vibration, all helicopters have rotor adjustments for height and weight. Blade height is adjusted by changing the pitch of the blade. Weight is adjusted by adding or removing weights on the rotor head and/or at the blade end caps. Most also have vibration dampers for height and pitch. Some also use mechanical feedback systems to sense and counter vibration.Usually the feedback system uses a mass as a â€Å"stable reference† and a linkage from the mass operates a flap to adjust the rotor's  angle of attack  to counter the vibration. Adjustment is difficult in part because measuremen t of the vibration is hard, usually requiring sophisticated accelerometers mounted throughout the airframe and gearboxes. The most common blade vibration adjustment measurement system is to use a stroboscopic flash lamp, and observe painted markings or coloured reflectors on the underside of the rotor blades. The traditional low-tech system is to mount coloured chalk on the rotor tips, and see how they mark a linen sheet.Gearbox vibration most often requires a gearbox overhaul or replacement. Gearbox or drive train vibrations can be extremely harmful to a pilot. The most severe being pain, numbness, loss of tactile discrimination and dexterity. ————————————————- ————————————————- ——————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ———————————————— ————————————————- —————â €”——————————- ————————————————- Helicopter Types Legend for â€Å"Category of Engines†: P – Piston Engine T -Turbine Engine NOTE:  This Chart is provided as a guide only. Manufacturer| Type Designator| Model| Number of Engines| Minimum Crew Requirement| Aerospatiale-SNIAS Sud Aviation (See Eurocopter)| -| See Eurocopter| -| -| Agusta| A109| Agusta A109A, A109E, A109C, A109S| 2T| 1| | A119| Agusta A119, A119MKII| 1T| 1| | A139| Agusta AB139| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR|Bell Helicopters| BH04| Iroquois (all model 204; 205; and CH-118; H-1 Series) 212S Eagle Single| 1T| 1| | BH06| Jet Ranger (all model 206; CH-136; H-58 series; Kiowa)| 1T| 1| | BH06T| Model 206 Twin| 2T| 1| | BH12| Bell 212 series (all CH135; H-1N series)| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | BH214| Bell 214 series (all models except 214ST)| 1T| 1| | BH22| Bell 222; 222B; 222U| 2T| 1| | BH23| Textron (Model 230)| 2T| 1| | BH41| Bell 412| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | BH47| Bell 47 series (all model 47 series; H-13; Ranger)| 1R| 1| | BH47T| Turbine powered BH47| 1T| 1| | BH407| Bell B407| 1T| 1| | BH427| Bell B427| 2T| 1| | B429| Bell 429| 2T| 1| BH430| Bell B430| 2T| 1| | BHST| Bell 214ST| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| Boeing (Vertol) Company Ltd. (new company name: Columbia Helicopters Inc. )| HV07| Labrador (all model 107; H-46; Seaknight)| 2T| 2| | HV34| Chinook (all model 114; H-47 series)| 2T| 2| | BV44| All model 42/44 (H-21 series)| 1P| 1| Brantly Helicopter Corp. HB42| HB-42| All model| 1R| 1| | HB43| All model 305| 1P| 1| Bristol| BR71| Sycamore 171| 1P| 1| Canadian Home Rotors Inc. | BABY| Safari (Baby Belle)| 1P| 1| Cessna Aircraft Co. | C1C| Skyhook (all models)| 1P| 1| Doman Helicopters Inc. | DM52| All model D-10B| 1T| 1| Eagle R&D| HELCY| Helicycle| 1T| 1|Eurocopter (Includes Aerospatiale-SNIAS Sud Aviation and Messerschmidt)   | EC20 | EC 120B| 1T| 1| | EC25| EC225 Super Puma| 2T| 2| | EC30| EC 130 B4 Astar (all models SA350 Series)| IT| 1| | EC35| EC 35| 2T| 1| | EC45| EC 145 / Bolkow-Blohm 117| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | EC55| EC 155B| 2T| 1| | MBK7| Bolkow-Blohm 117, EC 145| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | MBH5| MBB 105 (Messerschmidt -Bolkow-Blohm)| 2T| 1 VFR| | S313| Alouette II (SE313/3130)| 1T| 1| | S315| Alouette III Model 315| 1T| 1| | S316| Alouette III Model 316/3160| 1T| 1| | S318| Alouette II Model SA318| 1T| 1| | S319| Alouette III Model 319| 1T| 1| | S330| Puma all model SA330)| 2T| 1VFR 2 IFR| | S332| Super Puma (all model SA332)| 2T| 2| | S342| Gazelle (all model SA341 and 342)| 1T| 1| | S350| Astar (all model SA350 series)| 1T| 1| | S355| Twin Star (all model SA355 series)| 2T| 1| | S360| Dauphin (all model SA360 series)| 1T| 1| | S365| Dauphin (all model SA365 series)| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| Enstrom| EH28| Model F-28| 1P| 1| | EH48| Model 480| 1T| 1| Hiller Aircraft Division| HL11| All model FH-1100 (OH5A series)| 1T| 1 | | HL12| All model UH-12 series (H-23 series)| 1P| 1| | HL2T| Turbine powered HH12| 1T| 1| | HL36| All model 360 series| 1P| 1| Kaman Aerospace Corp. HK12| K-1200| 1T| 1| Kamov| KA32| Kamov KA32| 2T| 1| Mcdonnell-Douglas Helicopters (formerly Hughes)| HU30| All model 269/300 series and Schweizer Model 300C| 1P| 1| | HU50| All model 369/500 series| 1T| 1| | HU52| Model 520N| 1T| 1| | HU60| Model 600N| 1T| 1| | EXPL| All models MD900| 2T| 1| Messerschmidt (See Eurocopter)| -| See Eurocopter| -| -| Mosquito  | MOZY| Mosquito XE| 1P| 1| Revolution Helicopter| M500| Revolution Mini 500| 1P| 1| Robinson Helicopter Co. | RH22| Robinson 22| 1P| 1| | RH44| Robinson Model R44| 1P| 1| RotorWay| ROTO| Executive, Scorpion| 1P| 1| | ROTOT| JetExec, Exec90 R162F| 1T| 1|Schweizer| HU33| Models 269D and 330SP| 1T| 1| Sikorsky Aircraft Division| SK51| All model S-51 series| 1P| 1| | SK55| All model S-55 series| 1P| 1| | SK55T| Turbine powered S55| 1T| 1| | SK58| All model S-58 series| 1P| 1| | SK5 8T| Turbine powered S58| 2T| 1| | SK61| All model S-61 series (HSS-2; CH-124; H-3; Sea King)| 2T| 2| | SK62| All model S-62 series| 1T| 1| | SK64| All model S-64 series| 2T| 2| | SK76| All model S-76 series| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | SK92| All model S-92 series| 2T| 2| Vertical Aviation Technologies| S52| VAT Hummingbird| 1P| 1| Example of helicopter design: Helicopter Technical Drawing

10 Critical Decision areas of operation management Essay

I. Goods and service design. According to Henzer (2004), design of goods and design defines much of the transformation process. The factors of cost, quality and human resources must be made during the stage. Operation management of product and services is also different because due to different characteristic and tangible / intangible feature. II. Quality. Customer has a very high quality standard nowadays and operation management decision in quality must be clear and strict for its members to understand and comply. It must set a quality, standard and operating procedure to meet customers’ high expectation. III. Process and capacity design. Manufacturing of physical products may have higher importance on process and capacity design than services operation. Operation management (product) should decide what process it, what type of technology and to what extent, human resources, quality and maintenance that determines its basic cost structure. Services operation decision on this area is much simpler and it can determine by customers who directly involved in the process. For example, customer will ask tailor to design specific fashion clothes. Capacity design issue is critical for services because it will try to reduce waiting time and avoid lost of sales due to insufficient capacity. For manufacturing capacity design is based on firms financial capability, forecast for future and market demand. IV. Location can be an area for operation management to decide and with globalization of business, operation managers too must think global. For physical goods, location selection can be determined by pools of qualified human resources, technology, raw material, access to market and government policy. For services as it is direct to customers, the location is determined by market accessibility or near to customer as possible. V. Layout design. Material flow, process selection technology used, capacity needs, workers needs, inventory requirement, and capital will influence the  decision for layout design. For services such as hotels, beside capacity needs layout also will enhance its attributes and features to the customers. VI. Human Resources and Job Design – Employees is the integral part in the total system design. Operation management must set a policy to set labor standards to ease transition of skills, improvement of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA), build a balance work and life quality in an effective cost target. For services one extra area operation management should touch, which is customers relationship that they are dealing directly. VII. Supply Chain Management – Decisions that have to take place of what to produce, what material to buy, from where, how is the cost and how is the delivery from supplier to the final end customers in on-time delivery and minimum cost possible. It is more critical in production of goods than services. VIII. Inventory – Decisions on how and where the inventory level to keep long term customers satisfaction, suppliers, material availability for not to disrupt the production, human resources needed for this purpose and important the holding cost from financial perspective. Goods production are more concern because manufacturer may kept raw material, in progress work order and final goods while services is not critical as it is directly produce and consume simultaneously. IX. Scheduling – Efficient way of allocation, control and management of materials, capital goods and human resources to efficiently produce the final goods from the input available. Schedules are more formal in goods production with short, medium and long term planning to accommodate customers demand. For services the demand is more direct and volatile and often concern on human resources and KSA availability to meet current customers needs. X. Maintenance – Decision must be made regarding the desired level of reliability, stability and systems must be established by management to maintain that reliability and stability.