Wednesday, July 31, 2019

External environment of Singh’s Auto Rentals Company Limited Essay

Assignment Find an example of strategic management in an organisation in your country or region, from your own experience or from your reading. The example can relate to either a big or small business, or even to a public sector organisation. Which aspects of the example do you consider to be good or bad examples of some aspects of strategic management, using the principles covered in this subject as your guide? For example, you might discuss the good and bad examples in one or more of these areas: handling stakeholder expectations; communicating organisational purposes; external environment (PESTEL framework, five forces, opportunities and threats); strategic capability (value chain and value network, strengths and weaknesses); SWOT analysis; formulating a business’ strategy (bases of competitive advantage); implementing a business’ strategy (structural types, managing people); and/or corporate strategy (the two main portfolio approaches and extent of corporate diversity). THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY BLANK Executive summary Singh’s Auto Rentals Company Limited (Singh’s) was established in 1972 with a small fleet of only five (5) vehicles for rental. Singh’s hybrid corporate strategy embraces cost and differentiation in a market that is highly competitive, having expanded its customer base to incorporate the corporate society, the international sector and the community sector. The company has grown and is now one of the preferred clients of the Ministry of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago, offering a wide range of high-end vehicles and SUV’s for rental, buses for tours and retreats, executive cars with drivers for wedding parties and seven (7) seater vehicles for the family oriented customer. Business level challenges have over the years forced Singh’s to refocus their objectives on their MOST, with intense market development and penetration orientation, in an aggressive attempt to win market share, increase volume gains and build position quickly. In this assignment the external environment encompassing Porter’s 5 Forces and PESTEL are examined along with its’ impact and influence on Singh’s SWOT and stakeholders expectation. Examples of the good and bad of the external environment will also be highlighted to describe how the company can increase their competitive advantage and profitability. Table of Contents 1.Introduction â€Å"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.† ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War In discussing the positive and negative aspects of the external environment, the PESTEL, the SWOT and Porter’s 5 forces will be used to analyse where Singh’s Auto Rentals is at in the industry and where the company can hope to be in the next five (5) years. The car rental industry is a competitive industry and Singh’s competencies and capabilities will definitely keep them in the market and make them into leaders once they follow their objectives and tactics. â€Å"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved†. ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War 2.Company overview: Singh’s 2.1 Vision We aspire to become the leading light in the Auto Rentals industry through continuous service innovation and the expansion of our distribution networks. 2.2 Mission Utilizing our group’s strengths we aim to become a major force in the Car Rentals industry by offering innovative products, effective processes, extensive networks, and the recruitment of the brightest talent, we strive to achieve impressive profitability. 2.3 Objectives From the vision/mission statements given, it would seem that the objective of Singh’s Auto Rentals is to become leaders in the industry. It can also be derived that this company seeks to achieve the following objectives; To increase market share Remain close to its competitors Increase clientele Increase the fleet of vehicles To establish leadership in the market 2.4 Strategies Singh’s strategy for achieving these objectives might be a business strategy. Business strategy is concerned with deciding which markets and activities  the business should be involved in; where it wants to be; and how it is going to get there. Singh’s strategies may include; Satisfying customers (meeting customer needs) Running the business (organising resources in the most efficient and effective way) Beating the competition (strategies and tactics to gain competitive advantage) Achieving corporate objectives 2.5 Tactics Methods this company uses to achieve strategies, as written in the mission, are the introduction of support and complimentary services they provide namely; 24 hr FREE Roadside assistance Guarantee competitive rates and seasonal discounts A wide range of vehicles to choose from including the economy and SUV range. Free maintenance on all vehicles Air conditioned comfort 3. PESTEL analysis of Singh’s Awareness of the external environment and how they impact on the company can be summarised using the PESTEL framework. The PESTEL can define the key drivers of change. These key drivers of change have differential impacts on industries, markets and organisations. 3.1 Political Singh’s is a privately owned company but because the company buys and rents vehicles they would be involved with few governmental organizations for various purposes. Ministry of Transport for licensing of new vehicles For vehicle transfers Ministry of Finance To approve any tariffs Duties or charges for purchases Taxes (including staff salaries) Customs and Excise Importing, duties and clearance of all vehicles Ministry of Legal Affairs To register the company legally To ensure all licenses to operate as a limited liability company 3.2 Economical As a private owned company, Singh’s has to watch for what affect his company financially from the external environment. Key factors can be; Fuel rates – have rates gone increased or decreased, this would determine how to price the rentals. Exchange rates for foreign currency. Salary negotiations in the country- would the employees demand high wages as a result of salary negotiations for government workers. Available and accepted methods of payment – cheque, cash, VISA, MasterCard. Unemployment rates in the country . 3.3 Social These influences the length of time a vehicle would be rented for. Singh’s offers long term rentals (6 months to 3 years) and short term rentals (1 day to 6 months). Social factors include; Changing cultures – peak periods for local rentals (wedding and carnival) and peak periods for foreign rentals (tourists are drawn to the Caribbean during winter and summer). Demographics – age groups of drivers. Community interests – lobby groups, charitable organisations etc†¦ 3.4 Technological In a business such as Singh’s one would encourage technology to play a role in the data collection, storage and distribution of the company’s fleet of vehicles. Technological factors include’ Computerised scanning of vehicles under maintenance. Computerised database systems used for documentation, data collection, billing, accounting and ordering. Communication methods have to be of the highest quality in order to reach out to customers (the business to customer approach). Updated websites, facebook pages or other social search engines used to advertise the company. 3.5 Environmental Influences from the direct environment that may affect Singh’s might be Waste disposal – for waste disposal from the garage (oil, parts etc†¦) Energy consumption –the amount of energy or power used in a process or system. Weather conditions- may only affect the infrastructural aspect of Singh’s in terms of weathering on vehicles which are not kept covered over a long period. 3.6 Legal The legal aspects of the company and how it influences the strategies and objectives. Governmental laws – a law might state that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to drive. Policies – policies put in place by the board of directors and the key shareholders to determine how the business is going to operate. Rental contracts have to be done up and signed by each party for every transaction. Insurance companies vying to insure the fleet of vehicles. 4. Stakeholders Stakeholders can exist both internally and externally. In an industry such as the vehicle rental industry the stakeholders are very important. The expectations of the stakeholders are equally important to the development of Singh’s (see appendix III) 4.1 Internal: Board Of Directors or Management Investors/ Shareholders Employees Suppliers-contractors Service providers – maintenance crews, specialist garage crew 4.2 External: Business to business Clients Domestic Clients International Clients Government and regulatory industries Industry Associations Local Communities 5. SWOT (Internal / External Analysis of Singh’s) In an effort to ascertain its competitive environment a SWOT analysis of Singh’s can assist to devise a sound strategic plan. The intent is to exploit and maximize the strengths and opportunities; avert threatening circumstances through tactical responses and provide institutional upgrade to lessen weaknesses; all these towards a position of profitability and value creation. As defined by (Alzoubi 2004) SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) is a general framework for directing and assisting strategic planners to identify the appropriate organizational strategies to achieve their goals. Managers look at SWOT analysis as a technique to help managers to identify and plan the business goals, and draw the strategies to achieve them (Alzoubi 2013 p.126). Internal Analysis Strengths Focused management and staff Location advantage Efficient customer service Skilled car care specialist and technicians. Weaknesses Lack of Human Resource best practices No clear strategic direction Lack of continuous training and development for staff Poor marketing skills External Analysis Opportunities To gain large profits To be a house hold name in the car rental business To serve a large customer group Potential for new services or products to be offered Threats Companies offering similar services coming on stream Turnover due to other companies offering better packages Loss of customers due poor service experience new and existing regulations new and existing competitors new technologies unstable political and legal systems in foreign markets External opportunities and threats can work both ways for the organisation for example new technologies can make one aspect of the company obsolete but enhance another aspect of the company all at the same time. 6. Singh’s Strategic Based Units (SBU’s) SBU’s allow large corporations such as Singh’s and SSS to vary their strategies according to the different needs of the various external markets they serve. For example- Corporate Leasing – leasing to companies on a special contract Short term and long term rental – to both corporate clients and immediate clients Executive driver services – airport to hotel and return, weddings, seminars Pre-owned vehicle sales- new to the company but very effective and brings in more profits Bus and driver tours for tourists 7. The effect of Porter’s 5 Forces on Singh’s Porter’s 5 forces analysis can be applied to Singh’s as a tool to analyse the competitive advantages of the company. According to Porter (1980), rivalry (competition) on the market is result of the five variables or main forces: rivalry level, bargaining power of customers and that of suppliers, the threat from new entrants and substitute products. The following was deduced from the analysis of the five forces: 7.1. Threat of New Entry Due to lack of policies to prevent new entry, the market is open for new entrants. Singh’s will now have to develop and maintain a cost advantage and differentiation of its services, to gain sustainable competitive advantage. Economies of scale – it would be expensive to for new entrants to match Singh’s because of the level the company has reached in the industry, it would be difficult for new entrants to match them. Experience – new entrants would be inexperienced in most of the ‘know how’ of this industry and that lack of experience can give Singh’s the advantage over a new entrant (See Appendix II). 7.2. Threat of Substitution Substitutes can come not only from within the industry but also from outside. Managers often focus on their own industry and neglect the threat posed by substitutes for the product or service. The price/performance ratio is critical. Even if the substitute is more expensive the substitute is still effective (see appendix II). 7.3. Buyer Power Singh’s needs to pay attention to the customers and the price they pay for the service. If the price is too high customers may seek to do business elsewhere which will force the company to drop prices, thus losing revenue (see appendix II). 7.4 Suppliers Power- It was recognised that the business can be adversely affected if suppliers drive up their prices, then the concept of low cost to gain competitive advantage will be affected (see appendix I1) 7.5 Competitive Rivalry- From the analysis it was evident that the company had rivals performing a similar service. To prevent customers from moving from Singh’s to the competitors, the company will need to provide unique services to its customers (see appendix II). 8. Competitors Singh’s entered the market as an entrepreneur in 1972, competitors from then to now would be companies established around or before that time penetrating the same market with similar objectives. One such example would be Southern Sales and Service Company Limited (SSS). Both companies entered the corporate market to try to gain market share. SSS has a larger vehicle fleet than Singh’s but SSS does not provide some of the tour guide services or 25 seat bus retreat services that Singh’s caters for. Even though they are in similar industries, they each cater to a different sector within the market. Refer to Appendix III for a visual on how competitive advantage works in an industry as Singh’s. 9. Competitive advantage Singh’s has over SSS: SSS Caters for company rentals and corporate rentals Provides car and driver services Provides maintenance for some vehicles and outsources the rest Cost- mostly high priced unit rental Energy consumption is high Singh’s Caters for tour groups and tourist transportation Provides car and driver services Provides transportation services from airport to hotel and return Provides rental packages for weddings with a driver Prices are relatively low and are negotiable Various branches throughout the country so customers can do business from any branch Customer service is ranked very high 10. Conclusion A strong networking capability (Strength) has lead to an expansion in the business activities of Singh’s (opportunity) and this has resulted in increased profits due to long term leasing by various ministries (strength). The strength of networking was cultivated over a period of time and once established, it can sustain Singh’s for the next five (5) years. Singh’s  external environment has room for new entrants and a lot of possible threats and opportunities that can arise, however, with proper strategic management and well trained staff this company can continue to push forward in this market and even make a breakthrough in a new one. Recommendations Continue to evaluate Singh’s regularly. Always know where the company is in relation to its competitors. Capitalise on new technologies and trade in old techniques. Monitor staff and their talents, do regular training to update them on the current techniques being used by competitors so that they can be brought up to speed or even one step ahead. Increase profitability by looking into marketing and advertising to the larger companies such as energy companies (BPTT and Atlantic LNG) to try to gain greater market share, this is an opportunity within their SWOT analysis. Consider upgrading the fleet and maybe adding some luxury type vehicles, look at the threat of buyers and see what the customers are asking for. Customers may be willing to spend their money on luxury cars from a rental company they trust. References Johnson, G, Whittington, R and Scholes, K 2011, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 9th edn, Pearson Education, London. Alzoubi, majed R. 2004, Strategic planning and building innovative organizations. Unpublished, PhD thesis, Amman Arab University for Graduate Studies, Jordan. Alzoubi, majed R. 2013, The Impact of Intellectual Capital or SWOT Analysis among Jordanian Banking Industry â€Å"Empirical Study† : International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 4 No. 2 pp. 123-137. Singh’s auto rental company limited, viewed 7 July 2014, http://www.singhs.com/about.html Southern Sales and Service Company Limited, about us, viewed on 7 July 2014, http://www.southernsalestt.com/corp_history.php Tutor2U, viewed on 9july 2014, http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/corporate_objectives_strategy.html Slideshare.com, http://www.slideshare.net/milesweaver/analysing-the-external-environment-of-business-ie-general-competitive, viewed on 12 July 2014

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Ongoing Corporate Human Resource Management Practice

Abstract – Strategic HR practice is always a challenge for any organization to provide a set of service that is able to make the sense in terms of implementing the organization’s strategic plan. Because without proper evaluation of the term, a company may not find out the challenges and the probable scopes of improvement. In today’s business world we cannot avoid the contribution of strategic practice especially in the service sectors like fast growing banking sector. The banking service in the world is growing day by day.Bangladesh, albeit a developing country, is no exception from it. In the recent period of time Human Resource Management (HRM) practices became so familiar and momentous in every business sector of Bangladesh. The success of every organization is coming through the performance of the employees of that organization. The effectiveness of the employee performance is largely depends upon the HR policy and practices. Therefore, the management should consider the magnitude of strategic HRM practices. Keywords : HR practice, Banking sector in Bangladesh.GJMBR Classification : JEL Code: O15 Ongoing Corporate Human Resource Management Practice in Banking sector of Bangladesh Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of:  © 2012 . Sadia Afroj. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNoncommercial 3. 0 Unported License http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/3. 0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Ongoing Corporate Human Resource Management Practice in Banking sector of Bangladesh organization to provide a set of service that is able to make the sense in terms of implementing the organization’s strategic plan. Because without proper evaluation of the term, a company may not find out the challenges and the probable scopes of improvement. In today’s business world we cannot avoid the contribution of strategic practice especially in the service sectors like fast growing banking sector. The banking service in the world is growing day by day. Bangladesh, albeit a developing country, is no exception from it.In the recent period of time Human Resource Management (HRM) practices became so familiar and momentous in every business sector of Bangladesh. The success of every organization is coming through the performance of the employees of that organization. The effectiveness of the employee performance is largely depends upon the HR policy and practices. Therefore, the management should consider the magnitude of strategic HRM practices. The strategic plan for HR system will give a broad guideline within which the management can make decisions about their human resource.In designing the company’s HR system the HR manager need to understand the nature of the company’s business, their position in the market, moreover the objective and goal so that she or he can design a plan that will perfectly suits to achieve the strategic goal. This study has attempted to have knowledge about strategic HRM practices in the business sector of Bangladesh like the banking sector because it plays a pivotal role to the economic growth of the country Abstract – Strategic HR practice is always a challenge for any Keyword : HR practice, Banking sector in Bangladesh. B I.Introduction anking is a powerful medium of socio economic changes in developing countries like Bangladesh. A well organized banking system can play a vital role in the development of the country. Human Resource Management is a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques. Extensive training and culture management programs, individualized reward management systems, as we ll as a range of employee nvolvement mechanisms, operate towards achieving enhanced employees’ contribution. It is a whole range of notions on management theory, style and practice. In maintaining About : Business Administration Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh. E-mail: [email  protected] com II. The current trend of HR practice in different banks of Bangladesh In Bangladesh most of the human resource related decisions are mainly taken by the central management. In different branches these decisions are just implemented. In different private banks of the  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US)Global Journal of Management and Business Research and implementing balance between the employees' aspirations and the goals of the bank, the bank must generate the highly effective and efficient Human Resource Management. For the Human Resources Management to contribute to the profitability, quality, and other organizational goals of the bank, it should be 105 able to clo sely integrate careful planning and decisionmaking. To be able to do this, it must perform various activities such as recruitment, compensation or giving rewards, training or career development, performance appraisal, and health and safety developments.For control and implementation effective strategic planning is required for each sector of banking as it is mere or less service oriented business unit. It is included into the direct management task. In banking these strategic practice includes evaluating the bank’s (business) internal and external situation, properly define the business and developing a mission, translating the mission into the strategic goal as organization’s goal and crafting a final strategy or course of action.Besides practicing HR in different units it is also a mammoth task for the banks to face the central and outer challenges. In different way the HR department sales, finance and manufacture the strategic over time to achieve its ultimate objec tives. Monitoring as well as changing the strategy also permits the business to cope up with the current demand. As the unit needs to improve the quality of its different service. Then the HR strategy might be to boost up employee quality consciousness through improved screening and necessary training.In formulating and implementing the HR strategy the business needs to follow the global trend and need to continually improve organizational performance. But HR department also should be careful enough to designing its strategic planning not just to execute. So when planning it the strategic manager must realize where they are now and where needs to go. Volume XII Issue II Version I F ebruary 2012 Sadia Afroj Ongoing Corporate Human Resource Management Practice in Banking sector of Bangladesh Global Journal of Management and Business Research country it just follows the instruction come from the higher authority.All the banks have their Corporate Head office in Dhaka and most of the st rategic decisions are taken from there. For the better understanding of corporate business, continue long term relationship, ensure the desirable growth and fulfill the organizational goal. Strategic HR follows the basic trends in different private banks in Bangladesh as just maintaining the instruction of central authority. In different banks most of the employees agreed with this point that they are satisfies in the nature and trend on practicing strategic HR in different banks.As it is mentioned that most of the decisions are taken in corporate level, but at the time of appointment, that means on the eve of joining in the bank they are introduced with the legislation and different terms & 106 conditions of the organization. As a result each and every employee gets a clear view about the ins and outs of their individual course of action. It also discloses the over all picture of the organization-its previous-currentfuture. As it provides an overall idea of presence of HR in the ba nks it covers almost all the areas. The current HR Strategic practice covers all over the areas like ?Recruitment and firing maintains the correct process or not. ? In case of selection how the employees are treated. ? How they are oriented in new working environment. ? The effectiveness of different benefit and incentive packages. ? Whether the bank properly follow the promotion strategy. ? How effectively the employees handle different complains of the clients. ? Maintenance of different laws, safety act etc. F ebruary 2012 Depending upon the above factors the employees of different banks differs. The banks at the time of appointing new employees normally check their HRIS.As most of the bank always main updated Human Resource Information system, it is so easy for them to find out the empty position, where new employees are required. So there a little bit chance that there is lack of employees in different banks. The vacant situation raises mainly when ? Any employees leave or fire d without notice. ? Increase absenteeism because of illness. ? New branches are opened But the above factors don’t have any long-term effect on the performance of a particular branch. Computer based information system and new recruitment immediately remove this short term problem.The corporate branch through effective job analysis mainly handles it. In different banks the employees thought that effective information system as well as prompt decision making deprived the problems which may arrive in employee’s shortage situation. In case of treatment in Bangladeshi banking sector inside job how the management handles their grievances. Whether there remain any unequal treatment among the employees having same quality and competencies. Human Resource division can ensure its smooth and accurate working environment if it can ensure that the employees will provide their label best effort.The employees can follow this way if they are ensured that they have enough mechanism in their hand to protest any kind of unfair practice within the organization as well as in such situation and the management will follow the act properly. The management is able to create enough interest among the employees within the organizational framework of its primary obligation to senior management or immediate higher authority For personnel recruitment and selection these banks follows some standard most of the cases.The practiced format for selection and recruitment is –  ¦ The corporate decide what positions will have to fill and how to fill the immediate as well as future requirements. This total procedure is designed to cover all positions from bottom to top level. As it is an integral part of the bank’s strategic HR and planning process through succession planning the higher authority implement it. The corporate HR department also decides the expansion process of their employment requirement. It detailed how to hire, screen the employees and where to put th em.  ¦ The common process of forecasting the personnel need is analyzing trends.The past data and present requirements construct the idea about the trend of employee requirement.  ¦ The higher authority study variations in the bank’s employment level in last few years. Inauguration of Volume XII Issue II Version I As when over all HR situation is evaluated on the basis of the ongoing trend, the employees mainly tried to adjust their own expectation and nature of handling different situation.. To ensure the smooth working environment it is essential for any organization to hire enough employees according to the necessities of each different branch.The employee’s requirements and posting differ because of the following aspects;  ¦  ¦  ¦ If the bank covers so many financial products then it needs more employees The necessities of employees differ on working procedure- automation or manual working process When there remain two or more branches close to each other , normally less employees is required as they have to handle comparatively lesser employees in that case Higher population creates pressure of fast service as well as larger number of employees. Because they need to handle larger customer group.  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) Ongoing Corporate Human Resource Management Practice in Banking sector of Bangladesh  ¦ new branches and service variations in different banks are the two main key indicators of establishing the trend of personnel requirement. By using the computer based information systemHRIS helps estimate current and future employees requirement. This information system also figures the average employee demand the transferring from one branch to another the demand is fulfilled some times.Normally internal recruitment/selection follows the above strategies. Most of the cases this strategy is taken for the key positions of the bank. Whether any employee is newly recruited or transferred from one place to another, they n eed to adapt the working environment. Otherwise they may not give their best for the organization. For the adaptation in the new work responsibilities or working place, the employees may get help from the organizational policy. On the job training is a very effective mechanism for the proper orientation of new employees.Form the collected data on various employees, we found that they are introduced to their new job by maintaining the organizational policy. Most of the employees especially who just introduced in the job, get a fresh and effective orientation from their organization as well as from the branch. Those who enter into the job as Management Trainee or Probationary officer always get 1-3 years probationary period with training to adapt and learn much about their job responsibilities and organizational rule. Training is a hallmark of good management, and a task manager ignore at their peril.Having high potential employees does not guarantee they will succeed. Instead, they m ust know what the management want them to do and how to do that. If they don’t know, they will do the job in their own way, not according to the management’s preference. Therefore, effective training is essential for the improvement of both the employee and the organization. Employee motivation is one of the most important aspects of organizational behavior. The productivity and the performance of the employees largely depend on motivation.Motivation is the force that makes one do things: this is a result of one’s individual needs being satisfied (or met) so that s/he has inspiration to complete the task. These needs vary from person to person as everybody has their individual needs to motivate themselves. Depending on how motivated people are, it may further determine the effort they put into their work and therefore increase the standard of the output. There are various health and safety laws existing in Bangladesh. But these are mainly applicable for the indu stries where hazardous equipments are used. But in banks there is no hazardous equipment orThe EEOC will take action if the below two situation arise †¢ To fail or refuse to hire or to discharge an individuals or discriminate against any individual with respect to his or her compensation ,terms , condition or privilege of employment , because of such individuals race, color , religion, gender or national origin. †¢ To limit ,segregate or classify his or her employees or applicant for employment in any way that would deprived or tend to deprive any individual of employment opportunity or adversely affect his or her status as an employee race, color , religion, gender or national origin.In Bangladesh it is found that most of the employees are satisfied with the prevailing strategic process and procedure of the bank. They feel that the HR department is playing a vital play in employee advocacy role. They also believe that the recruitment and selection policy is fair enough to choose the competent employees for the organization. The orientation process and training facility excising in the organization is proper for achieving the strategic goals of the banks. The pay package and benefit package is  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) Global Journal of Management and Business Research nstrument is used. So there are fewer requirements for marinating rigorous health and safety measure. However, banks are prepared for any fire related accident and mere illness of the employees. They keep fire extinguishers in their office and first aid facilities is also available The most prominent HR manager can take to ensure their strategic contribution to develop measurement system. To increase the moral of employees, the HR manager first knows the importance of particular work and importance of employee’s hundred percentage contribution to the work.On the basis of the judgment HR manger first identify the task of the specific employee’s task, according to the job pattern train up the employee, provide all the equipment to perform the task and try to develop ethics to the employee and lastly give motivation to perform the work 107 properly. Every employee gives a vast knowledge how they create value for the organization through their work and help to achieve the organizational goal. When the employees know that how much important to perform the work properly, automatically it help to increase the moral of employees.Equal Employment Opportunity means employer cannot discriminate on the basis of race color religion gender or national origin with respect to employment. There are EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) authorities who monitor the discrimination complain. They make the judgment through the law of the country. Volume XII Issue II Version I F ebruary 2012 Ongoing Corporate Human Resource Management Practice in Banking sector of Bangladesh F ebruary 2012 also at a satisfactory level.To fulfill the strategic objective and goals, the working environment and employee treatment should be well defined and it must have to be implemented properly. But in case of placing right people in the right place, the opinion varies among the employees. Some of them think that they are not placed in the exact position for what they are appropriate for. In some of the cases like employment rule, equal employment situation a considerable portion of the bankers are not sure about then policy practiced.HRIS is needed to improve the productivity and performance of the human resource department, but in all of the beaches HRIS is not practiced in detail. III. Conclusion 108 HRM practices are crucial for every organization for the proper management for all activities in an organization. As the activities are done through the human asset of the organization, therefore the management should be very much cautious to formulate and implement the HR policy for their organization that could satisfy and inspire the employee to me et the organizational goal.It has been disclosed that the present practices of strategic HRM are in satisfactory level with some little variation. Therefore, the management should continue their present practice and take initiative to resolve this problem. This industry is growing rapidly and to sustain this growth, effective and timely policy should be taken. Volume XII Issue II Version I Global Journal of Management and Business Research References References Referencias 1. Terrey, G R and Franklin, S G (1996).Principles of Management (8th ed. ), Delhi: A. I. T. B. S. Publishers and Distributors. 2. Stone, R. J. , 2002. Human Resource Management, 4th (Edn. ). Jhon Wiley and Sons, Australia, pp: 4 3. Byars, L. L. and L. W. Rue, 2000 Human Resource Management. 6th (Edn. ). McGraw-Hill, Boston, pp: 3. 4. Wright, P. M. , G. C. McMahan and A. McWilliams, 1994. Human Resources and sustained competitive advantage: A resource based perspective. Intl. J. Human Resource Management, Vol:5, p p: 301-26. 5. Mc Namara, C. P. 1999. Making human capital productive, Business and Economic Review, Vol: 46, pp: 10-17. 6. Pfeffer, J. , 1998. The Human Equation, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts. pp: 111-12. 7. Giordano, A. G. , 19871. Concise Dictionary of Business Terminology. Pentice-Hall, NJ. , p:18 8. Gubman, E. L. , 1995. Aligning people strategies with customer value. Compensation and Benefit Review, p:22  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) Global Journals Inc. (US) Guidelines Handbook 2012 www. GlobalJournals. org

Monday, July 29, 2019

Reason of hotel price changing of Hotel du vin Birmingham Speech or Presentation

Reason of hotel price changing of Hotel du vin Birmingham - Speech or Presentation Example The reasons behind this increase are economic and based on market analysis. First, there is the increasing cost of products production and services delivery globally. This implies that for the last few years, the cost of rooms in major hotels has been increasing. However, despite the expected increase which has been steady over the years, a tremendous increase must have had another reason. As reported in marketingbirmingham.com earlier this year, the tourism industry in Birmingham city has been growing since 2012. This prompted the major hotels to advance their services to meet the expected demand. The development comes with expenses, and the market demand is expected to cover those expenses and make the process profitable. This is the main reason the bookings, as well as the prices of rooms, have increased over the last one month. In addition, market psychology has also played a part in the change. With the increased demand and modernisation of services, the marketers have used the principle of market psychology in which the customers are driven to assume that the most expensive provides the best services. They have therefore increased the prices in a competitive strategy to control the reasoning of the customers in which the economists call reverse psychology of marketing. Further, there has been an increasing need for the hotel industry to embrace technology in products and services delivery. Technology is costly but a major requirement in many industries today. This has prompted the hotel to increase prices, take advantage of the current demand with tourism growth and increasing revenue. Hotel du Vin Birmingham  . http://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/du-vin-birmingham.en-gb.html?aid=311984;label=du-vin-birmingham-WwDjdb06pLcrC70B425p8gS32443427113%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=4ca5973a3f39e1501dee98b8ba487978;dcid=1;ucfs=1;srfid=942ca71d04271f7f8199ebe93a58d025d2b2eabbX1#map_closed Sinha, I. (2006).  Reverse

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Critically compare and contrast three theories of the multinational Essay

Critically compare and contrast three theories of the multinational firm. Which best explains firm behaviour and why - Essay Example The primary drive operating behind their decision to outspread are the cost benefits and profit potentials which lie in different locations (Maheshwari, 1997, p. 246). However, there are certain aspects which influence the profit and cost factors in a certain region. Those are the very elements which instigate the businessmen to spread out. In fact, theories have been framed by eminent observers in the past, to comprehend the factors which actually guide the production decisions of trans-national companies. Three fundamental factors are ownership, location and internalisation aspects which taken together form the essence of OLI Theory of International Production. This however, is part of the neo-classical school of thought (Taylor & Thrift, 1986, p. 9). Likewise there is the Marxist economic theory or the Neo-Imperialist views which support the decisions taken by trans-national companies to spread out their businesses to different nations around the world. Capitalist economies tend t o accumulate a large volume of resources at home which they are restricted from making use of at home due to restrictions imposed over their employment. Hence, they have little option but to generate profit out of their surpluses through deploying them across national borders. Thirdly, the Neo-Fundamentalist Marxist principles say that the primary enticement behind spreading out their businesses is that the industries which gradually acquire a monopolistic position, start enjoying the advantage of huge surpluses. Due to a limited scope for employing them in the nation where they belong, the industrialists deploy them in foreign lands where they have greater prospects of reaping profits (Jenkins, 1987, p. 447-451). The present paper discusses the similarities and differences between each of the three types of economic theories stated above to assess the factors which induce foreign investors towards expanding their businesses across nations. Finally, an evaluation about the theory mo st applicable in context of business houses today will be made as a concluding note. Chapter 2 – Theoretical Framework 2.1 Marxist or the Neo-Imperialist economic theory According to the views of Marxist economists, the developed and developing economies are complementary to one another and make up the entire global system. However, they also emphasise that the latter are usually the ones who are exploited by the former so that there is a continued outflow of surplus resources from the reserves of developing nations to the already burgeoning stock of the developed nations. The essence of the theory is the monopolisation of industrial houses which leads to an accumulation of huge sums of profits in the capitalist nations. On the other hand, the prevalence of anti-trust laws restricts an expansion of their businesses within the domestic frontier through forming cartels. Thus, the surpluses which are reaped stay idle and hence, attain a stagnant rate of growth which is not desir ed by the private producer (Jenkins,

Saturday, July 27, 2019

UK Government Announced Expenditure Cuts- Consequences for Public Essay

UK Government Announced Expenditure Cuts- Consequences for Public Services - Essay Example This, as the general population has already in part voiced an opinion via the results of recent polls that have punished those in power for the spending cuts that were already instituted, via voters electing into office those who are opposed to the current government and its programs of austerity and expenditure cuts. Already the impacts of such expenditure cuts, moreover, have included sharp reductions in the payments made by government towards welfare, as well as deep cuts in the roster of employees in the public sector. The latter arguably may have both camps in the debate arguing about how such deep cuts in the employee count in the public sector impacts the provision of public services in the UK. Moreover, reduced spending for welfare directly strikes at the heart of what government intends to provide its citizens in terms of public services tied to welfare, as they pertain for instance to those who are unemployed, and as they pertain to the provision of vital health services es pecially for those sectors of British society unable to cover for their own healthcare needs without the benefit of welfare services provided by the UK government. ... 2010; Kane and Allen 2011). Discussion A. Expenditure Cuts At the time that the expenditure cuts were announced in 2010, they were deemed to be, taken together, the largest such cuts to be instituted in the expenditures of the UK government since the second world war, with the scale of the cuts cutting through vital public services, including welfare, and envisioned to pare down the government workforce by half a million civil servants, en route to balancing the budget, from yearly deficit estimated at 156 billion pounds in 2009. Then chief of Treasury George Osborne, referring to the magnitude of the public sector spending deficit, called the UK a â€Å"debt supertanker†, depicting the deficit problem in gargantuan imagery, in order to stress the point that the deficit situation was urgent, damaging, and threatening to the future viability of government, and therefore necessitated the cutbacks in expenditure. The short of it was that government deemed the then state of affair s of government spending as unsustainable in the long term. The non-sustainability of spending meant that government had to step in and try to rein in the spending. That was the gist of the plan, and government envisioned the cuts to be undertaken over a period of half a decade, gradually cutting back on spending through all of the government's different functions, departments, and agencies, with the goal of reversing the deficit spending and putting the government finances on an even keel, as a way of securing its long-term viability. The cuts in spending was estimated to reach 83 billion pounds by 2015, with the rest of the funding to wipe out the deficit to come from increases in taxation (The Associated Press 2010; Stringer 2012). Aside from the cuts in public sector

Friday, July 26, 2019

Currency Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Currency Management - Essay Example The foreign currency in the dollarization context serves as a medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value (Honohan, 2007). Dollarization operates and functions within the geographical boundaries of the specific country that adopts it. Different countries can engage in dollarization and use the same foreign currency, but their decisions are independent and unrelated. On the other hand, monetary union defines a scenario where two or more countries come together and agree to share a common currency. This means that all countries bound to the union uses the agreed upon currency to carry out economic transactions. Dollarization and monetary unions exhibit both advantages and disadvantages. For a small country, dollarization may be used to enhance the economic performance. However, the success of dollarization in the country that adopts the foreign currency may result in disregarded domestic currency by having the foreign currency replace it. In the context of the global financial system, the strongest and most used foreign currency may dominate and outperform other currencies through overvaluation. The policy is, however, vital in nurturing economic relationships across the globe. On the other hand, monetary union improves the value of the chosen currency, making the countries bound to the union influential in terms of domestic and international economic transactions (Gerber, 2010). However, countries with poor economic performance can be dominated and â€Å"enslaved† by stronger countries in the

Worplestrop Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Worplestrop Case Study - Assignment Example We have three methods of budget control and systems (Hofstede, 2001). These include; a) Forecasting It is the most important technique of budgetary preparation; it gives the company ability to lay out future plans for the organization. It gives a comprehensive plan and look outs of the future. We prepare targeted plans, and the resources needed, then make percentages of the head accounts, and let other concerned groups compare. b) Variable Analysis It is usually done every month, with a quarterly processed closing summary. This budgetary control shows the difference between the actual results and the budget, noting the differences down and then accounting for them. This form of control reduces significantly the necessity of going through all the review cycles (Hofstede 2001). c) Control centres It prepares the budget within the business groups by creating budgetary control centres. We have different kinds of responsibilities within the created centres. Control centres methodology is ideally accepted within Worplestrop organization, because the control centres are segmented, creating an easy environment of managing the budgetary information. The budgets operate in terms of monetary relation. This is because most organizational activities run by use of money, so the budgets describe the organizations, usage of the available capital in the organization.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

English literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

English literature - Essay Example Cinderella is the hero in this case with her character changing from a poor and plain woman to a rich and powerful princess. She starts from a very cruel point of treatment especially by her stepfamily. In the story, Cinderella is a woman of reliance, employing her integrity to succeed in life. Even after the death of her real mother and father, she has to survive, but her survival if full of human virtues such being kind and gentle The story starts with a widower, Cinderella’s father, who had married a woman characterized by proud and arrogance among other vises. This woman became Cinderella’s father’s second wife. The woman had two daughters who like herself, the two daughters practiced human vises. Hardly did Cinderella’s father know that he was bringing trouble to his home and more specifically to his beautiful daughter. The man had had a beautiful daughter through his first wife, who by now had passed on. This girl in contrary to the two stepdaughters was full of goodness, kind heart, and sweet temper. This girl was Cinderella. Now that her mother had died, she had no one to lean on other than her father. She was strongly missing the gentle care and love of a mother, which her father could hardly provide to her (Anderson, pg.58). In order to survive, Cinderella had to adopt the prevailing situations of hatred and hard work. She was not used to such difficult times but she had to apply her integrity to the situation Problems hardly ended with her tough daily chores. After hard day of work, Cinderella would then return to her room, now a barren and cold room. She would have nothing to do or anyone to talk to other than curling herself near the fire place as she tried to get worm. Her stay close to the fire point in her lonely room made her arise covered in dirt and cinders. The case of cinder caused her nickname, â€Å"Cinderella.† She however protected her stepfamily from the anger of her father. She knew that her stepmoth er and her step sisters were ill-mannered but she was always kind to them. She only decided to adapt to their commands and mistreatments towards her. She was only hopeful that a time shall come when she shall have some freedom and be able to live by herself. No matter how long it takes, she shall be alright (Erhard, Jensen and Zaffron). What seems to be a turning point to her life happened when the Prince decided to invite all the young ladies within his land to a ball. The prince was planning to select a beautiful wife of choice from these ladies. Without her knowledge, the stepsisters gleefully decided to plan their wardrobes for this ball. To turn her back, the two stepsisters told Cinderella that maids were hardly allowed to attend the ball since they could hardly be invited. Cinderella also had to adapt this situation, but this time, she felt great pain that made her cry painfully. Miraculously, her Fairly Godmother appeared to her. The Fairly Godmother started to transform Cin derella to the young lady she was from her immediate condition of being a house servant. This transformation was done in order to get her to the ball just like any other girl. She now gained much power that she could even change a pumpkin into not only a carriage, but a golden carriage. She also turned mice into horses, lizards to footmen, and a rat to a coach man. The

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Different media texts analysis, relationship between media and Assignment

Different media texts analysis, relationship between media and communication and in terms of culture - Assignment Example Media will always want to maintain a good relationship with the society and therefore it tends to sell itself to the consumers by telling the society what they want to hear. Media is so dependent on the society because it cannot exist without it. Communication on the other hand is the flow and of ideas and information between individuals. Communication is only effective if the two or more communicating persons understand one another. It is only successful if the receiver is able to decode and understand received the message from sender (Carey, 1989). The communication process involves, first, the sender has to possess an element of feeling, idea, concept or information that he wants to pass to the sender. Next, involves encoding of the message. The message is sent to the intended receiver in words, symbols or appropriate language of the medium. Next, the decoding of the message takes place. This involves expression of the message in an intelligence language that the receiver understa nds. Lastly, the receiver gives feedback to the sender. This is an expression of the sender’s opinion. This can be in form of words, facial expression or feelings. Media textual analysis is the way in which the audience of given information make an intelligent, educated and a well understandable choice at the most likely interpretation about the information (Chin, 2011). It is a methodology used to carry out quantitative analysis of the content of some information in question. Texts from magazines, advertisements, television, clothes or films can be closely analyzed so as to obtain different ways in which different audiences interpret them according to different situational analysis. There are several factors that affect interpretation of media messages. First, cultural background has got a say on the interpretation an individual will give to a particular message. The cultural backgrounds could be religious, tribal or economic. For instance, journals from the west report that fatness is unhealthy. However, there is no general universal agreement that being fat is something worth not appreciating or appreciating. Some western medical and anesthetic arguments insist that having a larger body is neither attractive nor healthy. This is not the case in Africa (Chin, 2011). For example in Niger, being fat is the beauty of a woman. Therefore women get encouraged to take pills to gain appetite and steroids to become heavy. The media case above about the western journal is clear evidence that cultural disparity result to different aspects in which a media message gets interpreted. People from the western community who are influenced by scientific research would support the health journal report. On the other hand, the Niger community from Africa is greatly influenced by their African traditions (Berger, 2011). They believe that a woman is quantified by her body size. Their reaction to the journal would be dismissive. Differences in critical reasoning and thinkin g also display varying interpretation about media information. Logical reasoning is the basis of factual argument in the western countries inherited from Classical Greece (Silverstone, 1999). They will often subject facts to many options of possible understanding. Culture of the Jains in India poses several possible results of factual analysis. Is it a fact? May be it is, may be it is but it is not, and may be it is not. Let us consider a television advertisement of a sexual protective wear. Medium analysis has to take into account several

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Passion of Apostle Paul Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Passion of Apostle Paul - Research Paper Example He: a. did not pride over his equality with God (Philippians 2:6). b. humbled himself and took the nature of a servant (Philippians 2:7). c. humbled and became obedient to death (Philippians 2:8). 3. Christ’s humility resulted to him being glorified (Philippians 2:9-9-11). a. Was given a name above all names (Philippians 2:9). b. The name will cause all creation, on earth and in heaven to bow (Philippians 2:10). c. The name will cause every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord, for the Glory of God (Philippians 2:9-11). Passion of Apostle Paul Introduction Jesus said he is the Way, the Truth and Life and no one can go to the father except through in. In other words, he was telling the believers that unless they walked as he did, they would never see God. It is through the acceptance and emulation of the example of Jesus that believers can learn to conform to the mind and ways of Jesus. One character of Jesus that stood out among all was humility and this is well illustrated in Philippians 2:1-11. By possessing this character, it will be very easy for believers to fellowship with each other, living in peace, have unity with Christ and treat each other with love, kindness, patience, while portraying self-lessness, gentleness, goodness. Basically, Philippians 2:1-11 is a call for the believers to emulate the humility of Jesus. Content The book of Philippians was written by Paul to the church of Philippians and by extension, all other Christians. At this time, Paul was in prison in Rome and was writing to thank the church in Philippians for the help they accorded him. He told them about what he went through in Rome and how his suffering helped to spread the gospel. He also used this book to warn them of priding in the flesh, advise them and encourage them to press on in their Christian walk. In Philippians 2:1-11, Paul narrowed his teaching into calling the believers to emulate the humble nature of Christ1. In his writing, Paul is pleading with the Christian s to sum up every good character they had by having the same mind as that of Christ. He went ahead to illustrate of the level of humility Christ had and how this humility cause him and God to be glorified. When Paul was writing this letter, he knew that the believers always longed for the encouragement and comfort that comes through unity with Christ and fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Through these verses, Paul took a step of telling the Philippians that if they really longed for the consolation of the love of Christ, unity with him and fellowship with the spirit, there are some characters they must possess or things they must do for this to be complete 2. Personally, Paul also always longed for the strengthening of the Christians and their maturity in Christianity till they reached the stature of Christ. He knew this was the surest thing that they could qualify them to enter heaven and this would be his joy. He therefore tells them to make his joy complete by possessing the chara cters he was listing to them. In Philippians 2:2, Paul calls on the Christians to be likeminded, have the same love, and be one in spirit and of one mind. By telling them to be likeminded, be one in spirit and mind, Paul was advising them to avoid any differences amongst themselves and have one focus. He was also stressing on the need for unity that would arise if the church became one in the spirit. In this case, if they all waked under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit is in perfect

Monday, July 22, 2019

Assessment learning Essay Example for Free

Assessment learning Essay 1. What are the functions, concepts and principles of assessment in learning and development? (1. 1, 1. 2) The function of assessment is a way to measure a learner’s competence against agreed standards and criteria. The awarding body of the particular qualification will have an assessment strategy what will state which criteria needs to be met to complete the mandatory and optional units and the best method for acquiring the evidence. A range of methods will be used to judge whether a candidate has demonstrated the skills, knowledge and understanding to be competent against the criteria. The assessor will need to ask themselves if the assessment process when put into practice will be: Fair – the given activities during assessment are relevant to the candidates needs and reasonable adjustments are made so not to disadvantage any person. Reliable – If the assessment was carried out by a different assessor, in a different place, the results would be consistent. Valid – the assessment is suitable to the qualification being assessed. Safe and manageable – the assessor must not put unnecessary demands on the candidate or their work colleagues in the place of occupation. Suitable for the candidates needs – before planning an assessment the assessor would need to take into account the candidates needs, their subject requirements and take into consideration any prior learning, additionally, plan suitable methods to be used. The assessment cycle to ensure the learner has met the performance and knowledge criteria required to achieve the qualification achieved all aspects of the qualification successfully. The cycle will begin with the initial assessment which will establish any prior learning or experience of the subject to be taken and will identify individual learner’s needs. Furthermore, diagnostic tests can recognize if a learner has for instance, dyslexia. The second part of the cycle will be the assessment planning, where the assessor and learner agree on the methods to be used for evidence, set target dates and who will be involved, such as, work colleagues. Thirdly, the assessment activity will establish which methods to judge whether a candidate has demonstrated the skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve the required standard. The penultimate part of the cycle will be where the assessor makes a decision as to whether the standard has been met and provide feedback to the learner. Lastly, progress will be reviewed and any changes to the assessment activities can be made. The assessor will use a range of Benchmarking will be used to ensure the learner’s performance is on target against the accepted standard of the subject area. This data will contribute to the quality assurance and development of best practice. 2. What is the role and responsibilities of the assessor? (1. 3) The role of the assessor is required to be competent and knowledgeable with the standards of the awarding body so they can explain the criteria to the candidate, thus the learner knows what they are working towards. Subsequent to the assessment planning an initial assessment needs to have been carried out to identify any individual needs, prior learning, skills and knowledge the learner may have. When planning the assessment the assessor should have the relevant information of where the learner works and what they do, this will ensure the correct units will be covered and correct methods are chosen. The assessor will use the assessment plan as a tool for assessing the learner’s competence and knowledge against the agreed criterion ensuring that it is fair, valid and reliable. The assessor must clearly record all assessment decisions and show which criteria was met. Each conducted assessment will record achievements accurately and any evidence provided by the learner must be checked by the assessor to ensure it is authentic. To ensure confidentiality the information will be available to share with those with a legitimate interest. After the assessment the assessor will provide constructive feedback to the learner concerning their achievements as soon as possible and identify any gaps in the learner’s knowledge and skills. At this stage the candidate will either plan to be reassessed or progress onto  the next assessment. The assessor will be responsible to the organisation, occupational standards and awarding organisation when planning, managing and delivering assessment and must maintain good practice and follow legislation throughout to maintain the integrity of the qualification. 3. Explain the regulations and requirements relevant to assessment in own area of practice(1. 4, 3. 4, 3. 5, 8. 1) The assessor will be required to follow a range of policies and practises set by the regulatory bodies of standards, for example, Ofqual, Sector skills council, Institute of learning. Other regulations such as, health and safety, equality and diversity, data protection, risk assessment, etc will be discussed below. It is the responsibility of the assessor to ensure that the above are carried out during the assessment process. For example, the assessor must abide by the health and safety rules of the candidates work place and report any unsafe practice or dangerous equipment. The need of wearing protective clothing and safety shoes may be required. The assessor or internal verifier must only intervene with an assessment is if the health and safety is placing someone in danger. Under the management of health and safety at work regulation 1999, the assessor must assess the risks to prevent any hazardous practices and locate information on who holds the first aid certificate and what the fire and emergency course of action is. The assessor is responsible to carry out a risk assessment to safeguard the learner during assessment and establish any risks which may occur during the assessment activities in the work place. While there is always a possibility of risk in any every day occurrence, the assessor has a duty of care to notify of the risk and advice of the possible outcome regarding safety. It is the assessor’s responsibility to ensure all documentary evidence is kept safe during external assessments and data kept secure. Any assessor who works with vulnerable adults or children will be required to have a criminal records bureau check before being allowed to work in that occupational area. The check will identify any unsuitable person and must be used to protect and safe guard adults and children at risk. The disability discrimination act legislated that no disabled person should be discriminated against because of a disability, whether it is a physical or mental impairment. In 2002 and 2005 the act was extended to include educational organisations. This meant that suitable provisions must be made for disabled persons to overcome any physical barriers and not be treated less favourably because of their disability. The initial assessment should clarify if the learner has any particular learning needs or disabilities to ensure equality and diversity needs are met. The assessor has a duty to ensure no learner is discriminated against; everyone has an equal opportunity for learning and development. Assessment activities should reflect the diversity of the learner, for example, culture, language and ethnicity and not be biased to the person who produced them. Every person is entitled to learn in a safe environment, whether it be the assessor or learner. It is illegal to inflict corporal punishment on anyone and if restraint is required then it must follow the organisations strict guidelines on discipline. The copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988) is one that the assessor should discuss with the learner at the start of the assessment process as it relates to the authenticity of their own work and products. It is unlawful to use someone else’s work as their own without referencing to the rightful owner, as this is plagiarism. The assessor must always ensure the learner signs and dates their own work, especially if it has been prepared on the computer for acknowledgement that they are the original owner. The assessor will have confidential information about their learners, such as, name, age, birth date on record and under the Data Protection Act all this information must be kept confidential and secure. If the information is kept on a computer, then it should be protected with a password that protects against other entering the system. If the information is paper based then it must be kept in a filing cabinet which is lockable. The learner can request to see any information held about them under The Freedom of Information Act 2002, so it is important to back up copies, if electronically stored in case of being deleted. The information should not be kept longer than necessary and the holder will need to register as a data user if the period is over 2 months. There may some occupational areas which require the candidate to wear a uniform, for example, a white tunic top if working in a restaurant or protective clothing, such as, reflective jacket, hard hat and safety boots if on a construction site. The assessor will need to dress in accordance with the health and safety regulations when doing an assessment in the work place with the learner. Once the assessor has qualified they must register with the Institute for Learning and keep up with their continuing professional development. It is crucial that the assessor abide by the code of professional practice to ensure they are working to the same standard and not under achieving. If the former should happen then it could have a dramatic effect on the assessment centre quality assurance when the external verifier carries out an inspection visit twice a year. To ensure standards are being met and claim for certification is valid the external verifier will need to see a mixture of the candidate’s files and interview a variety of assessors. If the standards have been met and the external verifier is satisfied that the correct procedures are being followed the centre will receive a grade of 1-2. Unfortunately if the centre receives a grade of 3-5 then there is a possibility that they could have the direct claim status and registration suspended until the matter is resolved. 4. Explain the strengths and limitations of at least 4 different assessment methods, making reference to how each method can meet the needs of individual learners. (2. 1) ASSESSMENT METHOD Observation Strengths. The observation method is an excellent opportunity for the assessor to take a holistic approach during assessment; benefits are the assessment is viewed by the assessor, thus the evidence is authentic, plus, cost and time effective. The holistic assessment can be time consuming so the assessor will need to plan the assessment so they can identify which learning outcomes from all units can be demonstrated at the same time. Knowledge based and performance based assessment can be linked with evidence which is natural occurring. The method meets a learners needs as they can carry on their normal work practice. If any prior learning evidence can be presented, such as a certificate or witness statement and/or a professional discussion at the end of the assessment. Limitations It is necessary the assessor and candidate agree for a suitable time and place for the observation to take place. If the assessment is to be cost effective then the evidence must be collected during a busy time when the most evidence can be collected. If a witness testimony is to be used the assessor must find a suitable person who has witnessed the learner do the task, this must be arranged beforehand. The assessor must ensure that the candidate is confident enough to demonstrate their competence or else it could discourage them and waste time. The assessor must remain open minded throughout the observation and not offer advice or interfere even if they feel the candidate is doing something wrong. Assignments Strengths Assignments are an excellent opportunity for the learner to demonstrate knowledge and use research skills. The assignment can be set out so several aspects of qualification can be assessed. The learner needs are met as they are able to work at their own pace and in their own time. Limitations The learner must be had been taught all aspects of the syllabus beforehand. The assignment could be time consuming to write and may not be suitable to learners who have literacy difficulties, work full time or have families to support. The assessor must assess each assignment individually and provide written feedback. Witness Testimony Strengths The witness can confirm competence or achievements of the learner as they will have observed them in their normal practice of work, someone who works with the candidate to confirm the learner’s competence in a certain area of criteria. The learner may feel more confident displaying skills in front of a colleague rather than being observed by the assessor. Witness statements are useful as they can fill in any gaps. The method would suit the needs of someone who is performing the task frequently. Limitations The assessor must ensure the suitability of the witness and that they are experienced in the occupational area, the assessor needs to confirm this by seeing evidence, such as a copy of their CV or certificates. The witness statement must be authentic and the assessor will need to check this. A witness cannot confirm the learner’s competence as they are not an assessor. Oral questions and answers Strengths The assessor could use questioning as a way to meet gaps in evidence; questions could be adapted to meet the criteria. A question could be used to increase the candidates thinking about a certain task rather than performing it. Furthermore, it gives the assessor an insight as to how much knowledge the candidate has in their occupational area. This method could be used during an observation or used later after the observation; it would meet the needs of a learner who has difficulty with written English. The assessor would need to know the candidate understands what is being asked in the question or else the learner may struggle to answer correctly. Limitations The assessor would need to be careful not to ask closed or leading questions as this could be viewed as being subjective as the assessor could be putting words into the learner’s mouth. The most beneficial questions would be open, probing and hypothetical to get the most from knowledge and understanding of the learner. 5. What key factors do you need to consider when planning assessment? (3. 1) WHAT. The assessor will need to discuss and be in agreement with what criteria is being met and how it is being assessed and others involved. The assessor will need to talk about what the learner’s job role entails and how this is relevant to the unit in question. This will enable the assessor to plan and agree with the learner the types of evidence most suitable for demonstrating competence and the best methods for assessment to be used. The assessor must make sure the evidence is appropriate to meet the specified performance criteria and where possible knowledge to be assessed through performance or professional discussion or questioning. The assessor must ensure the learner is ready to demonstrate their competence and understands the processes involved, for example targets. WHEN The assessor and learner will need to agree when the assessment will take place and arrange a suitable date, time and duration when the most evidence can be collected and if the holistic approach could be used to obtain evidence. It would be beneficial for the assessor if the assessment took place during a busy period of learner work activity. However, the assessor must ensure the learner is not taken away from their duties for an unnecessary length of time or cause disruption to the business operations. WHERE The assessor Assessment would ideally take place in the learner’s work place as this where the most evidence can be collected. As the assessor will be entering the learner’s work place it is important to involve the employer in the planning process. However, for non-performance evidence it could be more cost effective to assess via Skype, email or to arrange a meeting in a suitable place of convenience, not necessarily the learner’s work place. HOW The learner will want to know how the assessment will take place and what will be involved during the assessment. The assessor will need to discuss and agree with the learner the most suitable method of assessment to collect the most evidence. The assessor must ensure the assessment is fair, unbiased and cost effective by making the best use of time; if the learner is required to produce any prior evidence then this must be arranged in advance of the assessment. Holistic assessment in the learner’s work place would be beneficial for it is naturally occurring evidence. The assessor would use observation, witness testimony and professional discussion for performance evidence and multiple choice questions, verbal questioning and assignments for knowledge and understanding. The assessor will make a judgement on the evidence and decide whether the learner has demonstrated enough to meet the criteria or not. The assessor will need to arrange how and when feedback will be given to the learner to attend to any performance issues. 6. Explain the benefits of holistic assessment and how you would plan for holistic assessment (3. 2). The assessor is responsible for ensuring that methods used during holistic assessment covers several aspects of the performance and knowledge criteria from different units. This will ensure the assessment is cost effective make evidence collection and demonstration of competence more efficient. The assessor would need to plan the assessment before it took place to ensure that any particular requirements of the learner are taken into account and the assessment is adapted to meet their individual needs. For instance, holistic assessments will benefit learners who have dyslexia or literacy difficulties. Holistic observation can include oral questioning and minimize the amount of written work the learner has to do. Thus they are not excluded or disadvantaged by having learning difficulties. If the learner has a disability then the assessor should make sure the learner has extra time to complete the assessment tasks and is given any support needed. Moreover, any learner with difficulties are entitled to have reasonable adjustments made to ensure they have the equality of opportunity and support to enable them access assessment. Furthermore, if the learner has difficulties then the individual learning plan will agree short term targets for achievement, assessment strategies and review dates. The benefits of holistic assessment are that the assessor is able to observe the candidate at work in natural occurring situations. The candidate would be able to demonstrate several aspects of the qualification and cover more than one unit at the same time by taking a performance unit which incorporates parts of a knowledge unit. Holistic assessment should ideally take place in the learners work environment and the candidate’s job role should be discussed with to establish any prior learning they have, to identify which units could be covered at the same time. By doing this it would reduce the amount of visits needed to the candidate’s work place, make the best use of time and ensure the assessment is cost-effective. 7. Why is it important to involve the learner and others in the assessment process? (4. 1) A learner should be involved in the assessment process so they can understand why they are doing assessment activities and the purpose of providing evidence of competence. The candidate’s involvement will enable them to remain motivated as they will have the opportunity to add their own input, analyse their own experience and understanding. Without support the learner could become confused and lack enthusiasm, but if others, such as the assessor and employer helped them to achieve their aim, it will give the learner self motivation and encourage them to remain positive through the assessment process. At some stage of the assessment process it may be necessary for someone other than the assessor to provide evidence of the learner’s competence in the work place. The witness must be known by the learner and experienced in the candidate’s occupational area, possibly a line manager. 8. Give examples of the types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the assessment process (4. 2) At the initial assessment the learner will have taken a skills test which is an analysis of the learner’s skills so they are aware of current skills and areas for development. The learner should be provided with all documentation they need for the award, such as, assessment plans, individual learning plans, feedback sheets, information on the company carrying out the assessment and the assessors contact details, phone number and email address. Additionally, a copy of the complaint and appeal procedure, equality and diversity Policies, how to contact the assessor for cancelling visits and information on health and safety 9. What are the benefits of peer and self assessment? (4. 3). The benefits of peer and self assessment are the learner develops skills, such as listening, observing and questioning and has a greater involvement in their own learning process. The peer and learner can understand the role and the need for assessment better. It allows for greater understanding of the criteria for achievement and how it is judged, thus, encouraging the individual to take responsibility for their own learning. The learner will develop analytical skills and improve self awareness of strengths and weaknesses and identify opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, develop the ability not only to assess their own work but that of others, thus developing analytical skills and use reflective practice of their own performance. When a learner assesses their own progress and those of their peers, they will learn to take personal responsibility of how to make a decision and provide feedback as to why that decision was made. 10. How can assessment arrangements be adapted to meet the needs of individual learners? (4. 4). The learner is entitled to a fair assessment and the assessor needs to use the most relevant assessment methods for the learner to demonstrate their ability. The assessor must take into consideration that not all learners are the same and treat the candidate as an individual, taking into account any requirements they might have. For example, the assessor needs to consider a learner’s work pattern involved working shift patterns and agree a suitable time for assessment which does not disrupt working practice and make the most of the meeting. Furthermore, confidentiality issues must be taken into consideration and reflection of individual learning styles. If the learner has dyslexia, learning difficulties or English is the second language then the assessor must work with the learner to establish which method of assessment would be more beneficial to them. The assessor will need to vary the methods to keep the learner motivated and extra time given to learners who have difficulties and ensure the learner understands what is being said to them. Feedback should be given as soon as possible to ensure the learner remains interested and motivated. 11. Explain how you judge evidence and make assessment decisions, making reference to the criteria and assessment requirements (5. 1, 5. 2) The assessment plan will need to be agreed by the assessor and learner to which assessment methods will be used to cover the entire criteria standard. The assessor needs to ensure that the assessment is valid, authentic, efficient, fair and reliable. At least four different methods would be used during assessments; these could be observation, evidence of knowledge, witness statements and professional discussion. Any prior achievement and experience of the learner will be taken into account as long as it is relevant to assessment of their competence; it would not be cost effective to have a candidate repeat an activity they had already acquired in the past. However the assessor must have proof that evidence is authentic by either asking for a copy of certificate or a witness statement and the evidence is current and relevant to the occupational standards. The assessor will review the evidence and assess it against the required elements of the qualification, it will allow for a decision to whether the candidate is competent or not yet competent. Competence can be awarded if the evidence is: * Valid * Reliable * Sufficient * Authentic * Current * Safe The assessor must abide by the Equality Act 2010 to not discriminate or harass against protected characteristics where fairness might be compromised. 12. Explain the procedures for and importance of quality assurance and standardisation. (6. 1, 6. 2) Quality assurance is important as it ensures the national standards are being maintained. The internal verification procedures will monitor equal opportunities and access the decisions made by the assessor are fair, valid and reliable. The internal verifier will use a range of methods to confirm that the assessment is meeting the requirements of awarding bodies. Methods used could be through observation, questioning, and professional discussion or sample the portfolio. It is vital that the assessor is assessing according to regulations and guidelines from awarding bodies, qualification and credit framework and keeps accurate records from assessments to create an audit trail for internal and external verification. To ensure all assessment decisions are consistent and fair the assessor will be encouraged to attend meetings with colleagues involved with the same subject and their internal verifier, to ensure they all understand the units they are assessing and looking for similar evidence. To compare assessment decisions and share good practice with colleagues will help the assessor to develop skills, up date knowledge and personal development. However, it is not compulsory to attend the meeting, the assessor could standardise their practice by reviewing standards and documents online. 13. Explain the appeals and complaints procedure (6. 3) The assessor should provide the learner with a written copy of the complaints and appeal procedure which meets the requirements of the awarding body and discuss this with them in the assessment planning session. If at any time during the assessment process the learner has a complaint or feels a decision the assessor has made is unfair to them, then the learner will know who to go to with their issue and how it will be followed up. However, before this stage is reached the assessor should encourage an informal discussion with the learner to see if the issue can be resolved. If the learner is not confident about discussing it with the assessor then it may be necessary to involve the internal verifier. However if the complaint or appeal remains unresolved then this must be put in writing to the chief executive who will look into and respond within 5 working days. If the learner is still unsatisfied with the outcome then they can request the complaint or appeal is investigated by an independent panel, which will consist of an independent assessor and internal verifier. The panel will investigate the appeal or complaint and notify of their decision within 14 working days. If at this stage the complaint or appeal has still not been rectified then the learner should contact the awarding body – NCFE, whose details will be given once it has reached this stage. 14. Why is the management of information important? (7. 1) The assessor will need to ensure that any documentation acquired during the assessment process is following the national standards for assessment and verification and be aligned with the centre and awarding body policies. Each document must be accurate stating which assessment methods where used, whether, observation, oral or written. Furthermore, they must show that both candidate and assessor agreed to how the evidence will be obtained and the decision made as to whether it was achieved or not. It is essential that any document is signed, dated and stored correctly to ensure data protection and confidentiality. Other types of documentation could be completed log books, action plans, feedback comments, learner records or anything which records the candidate’s achievement. It is imperative that the information is managed professionally as the assessor could find themselves in breach of laws and regulations, such as, data protection Act if they fail to comply. Failure to manage information correctly could result in having complaints and appeals made against the assessor and have a dramatic effect on the assessment centre quality assurance when the external verifier carries out an inspection visit twice a year. To ensure standards are being met and claim for certification is valid the external verifier will need to see a mixture of the candidate’s files and interview a variety of assessors. If the standards have been met and the external verifier is satisfied that the correct procedures are being followed the centre will receive a grade of 1-2. Unfortunately if the centre receives a grade of 3-5 then there is a possibility that they could have sanctions placed upon them and lose their direct claim status and registration suspended until the matter is resolved. 15. Why should you give the learner feedback? (7. 2) Feedback is an important tool for learning and development and to improve performance and motivate the learner. The learner will have a better understanding of how they have progressed during assessments. After the assessor has carried out an assessment they would need to give feedback to the candidate as soon as possible by either verbal communication or written. If verbal is used via phone or face to face, then this must be backed up by a written copy. The assessor should include information about achievement in relation to the criteria and any comments should provide detailed advice on how to cover any gaps between current performance and the target aimed for. The candidate should be encouraged to ask questions regarding the feedback to help them understand how the assessor had reached their decision. This would also assist the assessor to reflect upon their role and evaluate if the assessment process was fair, valid and reliable and the assessment methods used was the most appropriate for the candidates needs. If the candidate did not meet the required standard then the assessor should give constructive feedback which would focus more on the activity or work produced rather than the candidate. Constructive feedback is part of a successful assessment as the learner will know what they have achieved or need to develop. Thus the learner will be encouraged to take more responsibility of their own learning development and deepen their understanding of the criteria. Feedback should be given on a 2. 1 scale, known as the sandwich approach. It should start with positive comments, then the areas which need to be improved; lastly, the assessor should end the feedback on a positive to encourage the candidate to keep interested, motivated and confident. 16. What are the key policies and procedures that relate to assessment? For example Bright delivery policy and NCFE policies and procedures etc. Give a brief explanation of what each one is. (8. 1) The assessor will need to follow policies and procedures additionally to those mentioned in question 3, for example: Bright’s delivery policy states the following points: Bright’s delivery policy sates the following points: †¢Once the candidates deposit has been cleared and relevant paperwork is complete the candidate will receive their registration pack within 48hrs †¢Following this the mentor will contact the candidate within 48 hours †¢Mentors can be contacted mon – fri 9am – 6pm sat 10-1 †¢Alternately leave a message and the mentor will contact the candidate within 4 hours †¢Once all theory and practical assessments are complete candidates will receive their certificate. Under Bright’s delivery policy the following procedures relate to assessment: †¢Quality audit of completed Individual Learning Plans †¢Quali.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Micro Strip Patch Antenna

Micro Strip Patch Antenna Chapter 1 Introduction The project which we have chosen to do as our final year project for the under graduate program involves the characterization of micro strip patch antenna. In this project we have carried out simulations of different types of antennas, which include dipole, monopole and patch. The purpose of designing all of these is to gain knowledge and experience in the designing of antennas for different purposes by using commercially available CEM. The frequency band, which we have chosen as our relevant band, is the GSM-900 band, which is of wide use in the cellular network. The purpose of choosing this band is to gain valuable knowledge of this frequency band. Antennas are a fundamental part of every system in which wireless or free space is the medium of communication. Basically, an antenna is a transducer and is designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic waves. It is a transducer as it converts radio frequency electrical currents into electromagnetic waves. Common applications of antennas include radio, television broadcasting, point-to-point radio communication, wireless networks and radar. A detailed study of antennas is discussed in chapter two and chapter three of this report. The CEM softwares that we have used for the designing include XFDTD ® provided by Remcom Inc. and CST Microwave Studio ®, which is a full wave, 3-Dimensional, Electromagnetic simulation software and CST Microwave Studio ®. XFDTD ® utilizes a numerical electromagnetic code for antenna design, that is, the finite difference time domain technique (FDTD). Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) is a popular computational electrodynamics modeling technique. The first antenna structure modeled is the dipole. A dipole antenna consists of two conductors on the same axis with a source at the center. It is also modeled in XFDTD ® by following the procedure provided by the software and mentioned in the Appendix. The results are verified by comparing with analytical papers of (lambda/2) dipole. After completing this, the next goal is to model the micro strip (patch) antenna which is one of the main focuses of this project. It comprises of a metallic patch bonded to a dielectric substrate with a metal layer bonded to the opposite side of the substrate forming a ground plane. This metal layer is very thin. Hence, it can be fabricated very easily using printed circuit techniques. Therefore, they are inexpensive to manufacture and are easily integrate able with microwave integrated circuits. The software modeling is carried out in XFDTD ® and on CST Microwave Studio ®. The verification of the results with the experimental results obtained leads to the final phase and the conclusion of the project. 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this project is to gain knowledge and experience about computational electromagnetic, as it applies to antenna design. It was also our sole purpose to gain experience in fabrication and experimental characterization of micro strip patch antennas. To achieve these objectives we used two commercially available CEM softwares, XFDTD ® and CST Microwave Studio ®, to design a micro strip patch antenna for 900 MHz. We also gained experimental experience by characterizing the return loss of this patch antenna using the vector network analyzer. 1.2 Project Scope 1.2.1 Description We will study some basic types of antennas; extending basic knowledge of antenna to complex antenna designs such as micro strip patch antennas and also modeled them on antenna design and simulation software. This report has been divided into a number of chapters each discussing a different stage of the project. They are briefly described below: Chapter 2 describes the fundamentals of antennas and thoroughly discusses the theory of fundamental parameters and quantities of antenna. In this chapter the basic concept of an antenna is discussed and its working is explained. Some critical performance parameters of antennas are also discussed. Finally, some common types of antennas are also discussed for understanding purposes. Chapter 3 discusses the important characteristics of antennas as radiators of electromagnetic energy. These characteristics are normally considered in the far field as the antenna pattern or radiation pattern of an antenna is the three-dimensional plot of its radiation at far field. It also discusses the types of antenna patterns in detail. Some important mathematical equations are also solved in this chapter for the better understanding of how an antenna works. Chapter 4 discusses in detail the modeling of the half wave dipole and micro strip patch antenna using XFDTD ®. It describes the modeling of the antenna, the feeding, and the resultant plots obtained. Furthermore it concludes with comparison of the results obtained with the simulations already available in the software. Chapter 5 discusses the theory, calculations involved and the fabrication of the micro strip (patch) antenna in detail. The calculations for the dimensions of the rectangular patch in detail are in this chapter. Also, this chapter describes the results obtained through simulation of the model on the software CST Microwave Studio ®. Chapter 6 discusses conclusions drawn from the whole project. Chapter 2 Antenna Fundamentals In this chapter, the basic concept of an antenna is discussed and its working is explained. Next, some critical performance parameters of antennas are discussed. Finally, some common types of antennas are introduced. The treatment for these is taken from the reference [4], [6] and [9]. 2.1 Introduction Antenna is a metallic structure designed for radiating and receiving electromagnetic  energy. An antenna acts as a transitional structure between the guiding devices (e.g. waveguide,  transmission line) and the free space. The official IEEE definition of an antenna as given by  Stutzman and Thiele [9] is as follows:   â€Å"That part of a transmitting or receiving system that is designed to radiate or receive electromagnetic waves†. 2.2 How an Antenna radiates? In order to understand how an antenna radiates, we have to first know how radiation occurs. A  conducting wire radiates because of time-varying current or an acceleration or deceleration of charge. If there is no motion of charges in a wire, no radiation will occur, since no flow of current occurs. Radiation will not occur even if charges are moving with uniform or constant velocity along a straight wire. Also, charges moving with uniform velocity along a curved or bent wire will produce radiation. If charge is oscillating with time, then radiation will occur even along a straight wire as explained by Balanis [4]. The radiation pattern from an antenna can be further understood by considering a voltage source connected to a two-conductor transmission line. When a sinusoidal voltage source is applied across the transmission line, an electric field is generated which is sinusoidal in nature. The bunching of the electric lines of force can indicate the magnitude of this electric field. The free electrons on the conductors are forcefully displaced by the electric lines of force and the motion of these charges causes the flow of current, which leads to the creation of a magnetic field. Due to time varying electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic waves are created which travel between the conductors. When these waves approach open space, connecting the open ends of the electric lines forms free space waves. As the sinusoidal source continuously creates electric disturbance, electromagnetic waves are generated continuously and these travel through the transmission line, the antenna and are radiated into the free space. 2.3 Near and Far Field Regions The field patterns of an antenna, change with distance and are associated with two types of energy radiating and reactive energy. Hence, the space surrounding an antenna can be divided into three regions. Figure 2.1: Field regions around an antenna The three regions that are depicted in above figure are described as: 2.3.1 Reactive Near-Field Region: In this region the reactive field dominates. The reactive energy oscillates towards and away from the antenna, thus appearing as reactance. In this region, energy is stored and no energy is dissipated. The outermost boundary for this region is at a distance ÃŽ » (2.1) where R1is the distance from antenna surface, D is the largest dimension of the antenna and ÃŽ » is the wavelength. 2.3.2 Radiating Near-Field Region: This region also called Fresnel region lies between the reactive near-field region and the far field region. In this region, the angular field distribution is a function of the distance from the antenna. reactive fields are smaller in this field as compared to the reactive near-field region and the radiation fields dominate. The outermost boundary for this region is at a distance (2.2) where R2is the distance from the antenna surface. 2.3.3 Far-Field Region: The region beyond is the far field region also called Fraunhofer region. The angular field distribution is not dependent on the distance from the antenna in this region. In this region, the reactive fields are absent and only the radiation fields exist and the power density varies as the inverse square of the radial distance in this region. 2.4 The Hertzian Dipole A hertzian dipole or infinitesimal dipole, which is a piece of straight wire whose length L and diameter are both very small, compared to one wavelength. A uniform current I is assumed to flow along its length. Although such a current element does not exist in real life, it serves as a building block from which the field of a practical antenna can be calculated (Sadiku [6]). Consider the hertzian dipole shown in figure. We assume that it is located at the origin of a coordinate system and that it carries a uniform current. i.e. I=IË ³ cosωt. The retarded magnetic vector potential at the field point, due to dipole is given by (2.3) Where [I] is the retarded current given by (2.4) Where ÃŽ ²=ω/u=2Ï€/ÃŽ », and u=1/ the current is said to be retarded at point under consideration because there is a propagation time delay r/u or phase delay. By substitution we may also write A in phasor form as t(2.5) Transforming this vector in Cartesian to spherical coordinates yields Where But (2.6) We find the E field using (2.7) (2.8) Where, A close observation of the field equations reveals that we have terms varying as The 1/ term is called the electrostatic field since it corresponds to the field of an electric dipole. This term dominates over other terms in a region very close to the hertzian dipole. The is called the inductive field, and it is predictable from the from the Biot Savart law. The term is important only at near field, that is, at distances close to the current element. The 1/r term is called the far field or radiation field because it is the only term that remains at the far zone, that is, at a point very far from the current element. Here, we are mainly concerned with the far field or radiation zone (ÃŽ ²r˃˃1), where the terms in can be neglected in favor of the 1/r term. Thus at far field, (2.9) The radiation terms of and are in time phase and orthogonal just as the fields of a uniform plane wave. The near and far zone fields are determined respectively to be the in equalities We define the boundary between the near and far zones by the value of r given by . where d is the largest dimension of the antenna. The time average power density is obtained as ) (2.10) Substitution yields time average radiated power as But And hence above equation becomes If free space is the medium of propagation, ÃŽ ·=120 and (2.11) This power is equivalent to the power dissipated in a fictitious resistance by current That is, (2.12) Where is the root mean square value of I. From above equations we obtain Or (2.13) The resistance is a characteristic property of the hertzian dipole antenna and is called its radiation resistance. We observe that it requires antennas with large radiation resistances to deliver large amounts of power to space. The above equation for is for a hertzian dipole in free space. 2.5 Half Wave Dipole Antenna The Half Wave dipole is named after the fact that its length is half of the wavelength i.e. . It is excited through a thin wire fed at the midpoint by a voltage source connected to the antenna via a transmission line. The radiated electromagnetic field due to a dipole can be obtained if we consider it as a chain of hertzian dipoles (Sadiku [6]). ÃŽ »/2 I z x y I Figure 2.3: Half Wave Dipole The magnetic Vector potential P due to length dl of the dipole carrying a phasor current is (2.14) We have assumed a sinusoidal current distribution because the current must vanish at the ends of the dipole. Also note that the actual current distribution on an antenna is not precisely known. It can be determined by using Maxwells equations subject to the boundary conditions on the antenna by a mathematically complex procedure. The sinusoidal current assumption approximates the distribution obtained by solving the boundary value problem and is commonly used. O Y X Z Figure 2.4. Magnetic field at point o If r >> à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å", then Hence we can substitute in the denominator of the first equation where the magnitude of the distance is needed. In the numerator for the phase term, the difference between ÃŽ ² and ÃŽ ² is significant, so we will replace by . We maintain the cosine term in the exponent while neglecting it in the denominator because the exponent involves the phase constant while the denominator does not. So, (2.15) Using the following integrating equation, Applying this equation gives on (2.15) Since and the above equation becomes, Using identity = 2cos x, we obtain (2.16) We use in conjunction with the fact that to obtain electric and magnetic fields at far zone as (2.17) The radiation term of and are in time phase and orthogonal. We can obtain the time-average power density as (2.18) The time average radiated power can be determined as In the previous equations has been substituted assuming free space as the medium of propagation. The last equation can be written as Changing the variables, and using partial fractions reduces the above equation to Replacing with in the first integrand with in the second results in (2.19) Solving the previous equation of yields value of . The radiation resistance for the half wave dipole antenna is readily obtained from the following equation and comes out to be. (2.20) Chapter 3 Antenna Characteristics In the previous chapter we have discussed the basics of antennas and the elementary types of antennas. Now we will discuss the important characteristics of antennas as radiators of electromagnetic energy. These characteristics are normally considered in the far field and are as follows. And have been treated from the references [4], [6] and [9]. 3.1 Antenna Patterns The Antenna Pattern or Radiation Pattern of an antenna is the three-dimensional plot of its radiation at far field. There are two types of Radiation Patterns of antennas. The Field and the Power Pattern. 3.1.1 Field Pattern When the amplitude of the E-field is plotted, it is called the Field Pattern or the Voltage Pattern. A three dimensional plot of an antenna pattern is avoided by plotting separately the normalized versus for a constant which is called an E-Plane pattern or vertical pattern and the normalized versus for called the H-plane pattern or horizontal pattern. The normalization of is with respect to the maximum value of the so that the maximum value of the normalized is unity as explained by Sadiku [6]. For Example, for the hertzian Dipole, the normalized comes out to be, (3.1) Which is independent of From this equation we can obtain the E-plane pattern as the polar pattern of by varying from 0 to 180 degrees. This plot will be symmetric about the z-axis. For the H-plane pattern we set so that , which is a circle of radius 1. 3.1.2 Power Pattern When the square of the amplitude of E is plotted, it is called the power pattern. A plot of the time-average power, for a fixed distance r is the power pattern of the antenna. It is obtained by plotting separately versus for constant and versus for constant. The normalized power pattern for the hertzian dipole is obtained from the equation. (3.2) 3.2 Radiation Intensity The Radiation intensity of an antenna is defined as (3.3) Using the above equation, the total average power radiated can be expressed as (3.4) (3.5) Where dÃŽ ©= is the differential solid angle in steradian (sr). The radiation intensity is measured in watts per steradian (W/sr). The average value of is the total radiated power divided by ; that is, (3.6) 3.3 Directive Gain The directive gain of an antenna is a measure of the concentration of the radiated power in a particular direction It can also be regarded as the ability of the antenna to direct radiated power in a given direction. It is usually obtained as the ratio of radiation intensity in a given direction to the average radiation intensity, that is (3.7) may also be expressed in terms of directive gain as (3.8) The directive gain depends on antenna pattern. For the hertzian dipole as well as for the half wave dipole is maximum at and minimum at . Hence they radiate power in a direction broadside to their length. For an isotropic antenna, . However, such an antenna is not in reality but an ideality. The directivity D of an antenna is the ratio of the maximum radiation intensity to the average radiation intensity. D is also the maximum directive gain So, (3.9) Or, (3.10) For an isotropic antenna, D=1, which is the smallest value that D can have. For the hertzian dipole, as derived in equation (3.7) For half wave dipole, Where, ÃŽ ·=120 and (3.11) 3.4 Bandwidth (Impedance Bandwidth) By definition Bandwidth of an antenna is the difference between the highest and the lowest operational frequency of the antenna. Mathematically, (3.12) If this ratio is 10 to 1, then the antenna I classified as a broadband antenna. Another definition for Bandwidth is: Where, . 3.5 Gain We define that G is the actual gain in power over an ideal isotropic radiator when both are fed with same power. The reference for gain is the input power, not the radiated power. This efficiency is defined as the ratio of the radiated power () to the input power (). The input power is transformed into radiated power and surface wave power while a small portion is dissipated due to conductor and dielectric losses of the materials used. The power gain of the antenna as (3.13) The ratio of the power gain in any specified direction to the directive gain in that direction is referred to as the radiation efficiency of the antenna i.e. (3.14) Antenna gain can also be specified using the total efficiency instead of the radiation efficiency only. This total efficiency is a combination of the radiation efficiency and efficiency linked to the impedance matching of the antenna. Hence, from equation 3.14 (3.14(a)) 3.6 Polarization The definition for polarization can be quoted from Balanis [4] as: â€Å"Polarization of a radiated wave can be expressed as â€Å"that property of an electromagnetic wave describing the time-varying direction and relative magnitude of the electric field vector; specifically, the figure traced as a function of time by the extremity of the vector at a fixed location in space, and in the sense in which it is traced, as observed along the direction of propagation.† Polarization then is the curve traced by the end point of the arrow representing the instantaneous electric field. The field must be observed along the direction of propagation.† 3.7 Return Loss The Return Loss (RL) is the parameter which indicates the amount of power that is lost to or consumed by the load and is not reflected back as waves are reflected which leads to the formation of standing waves. This occurs when the transmitter and antenna impedance do not match. Hence, the RL is a parameter to indicate how well the matching between the transmitter and antenna has taken place. The RL is given as: (3.15) For perfect matching between the antenna and transmitter, RL = ∞ and Γ = 0 which means no power is being reflected back, whereas a Γ = 1 has a RL = 0 dB, which implies that all incident power is reflected. For practical applications a RL of -9.54 dB is acceptable. Chapter 4 Modeling of Half-Wave Dipole Micro Strip Patch Antenna Using XFDTD ® 4.1 Introduction For the purpose of modeling and simulation of antennas we have used modeling softwares, which are widely used in industries. These softwares are specially used for the purpose of electromagnetic (EM) modeling, which refers to the process of modeling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment. The first such software brought into use is XFDTD ®. It is a three-dimensional full wave electromagnetic solver based on the finite difference time domain method. It is fully three-dimensional.   Complex CAD ® objects can be imported into XFDTD ® and combining and editing can be done within XFDTD ® using the internal graphical editor. It is a powerful software which offers a lot of options to its users. This software has been initially used for modeling of basic antennas to get familiarity with interface and working of the software. Dipole is one of such basic antennas with a simple structure; as the name suggests dipole antenna consists of two wires on the same axis with a source applied at the center point. In this chapter, we begin with the analysis of a half-wave dipole antenna by derivation of field equations and the MATLAB ® plot. After the analysis the modeling is done using XFDTD ®. Finally, all the results are matched by plotting the data in MATLAB ®. 4.2 Derivation of Vector Magnetic Potential We begin with the derivation done in chapter 2 for of the radiated fields for a half-wave dipole antenna in equation 3.11 which gives us the following expression for (4.11) 4.2.1 MATLAB ® Plots of Half Wave Dipole Antenna The expression can be plotted in MATLAB ® using the following code clear all; theta = [0:360]*pi/180; F = cos((pi/2)*cos(theta))./(0.0000001 + sin(theta)); Pn = F./max(F); Pn=abs(Pn); title (POLAR PLOT OF HALF WAVE DIPOLE ) polar(0,1); hold on; polar (theta,Pn,r); The MATLAB ® generated plot of normalized electric field for half-wave dipole for above code is as follows Figure 4.1: MATLAB ® plot for Normalized Electric Field 4.3 Modeling of Half Wave Dipole Using XFDTD ® 4.3.1 Introduction XFDTD ® is a full wave, 3D, Electromagnetic Analysis Software. XFDTD ® used solid, dimension based modeling to create geometries. To create geometry, library objects and editing functions may be used. Modeling of half-wave dipole antenna was carried out in XFDTD ® to test the softwares capability of generating far field radiation pattern. And also to get in depth knowledge of XFDTD ® before using it for the modeling of patch antennas, which is the foremost objective of this project. 4.3.2 Validity of Model As in the previous section the electromagnetic theory of half-wave dipole was studied and its mathematical equations for normalized radiated field was derived and plotted. This plot will be our reference plot while doing the modeling of half-wave dipole. 4.3.3 Modeling of Half Wave Dipole As we know the length of a half-wave dipole antenna should be half the wavelength of the operating carrier wave frequency. Thus the dipole modeled in XFDTD ® has the following specifications: Length of 30cm Frequency used 1 GHz Thin wire was used to create the dipole Source was attached in the middle Figure below shows the geometry of dipole being modeled in XFDTD ®. Figure 4.2: XFDTD ® geometry of Half-Wave Dipole 4.3.4 Results The far fields of dipole antenna were calculated by XFDTD ® and plots were obtained for far field versus both Phi and Theta, as shown in Figure 4.3 Figure 4.4. The results matched with the theoretically established results. Figure 4.3: Far Field vs. Theta Figure 4.4: Far Field vs. Phi 4.3.5 Plotting XFDTD ® Results in MATLAB ® The data for far fields from XFDTD ® was exported and matched with the theoretical results in MATLAB ® for the purpose of confirming the results. Help was taken from the XFDTD ® reference manual to learn how to export far field data. The XFDTD ® file was copied and the extension was changed to ‘.dat and name was changed to ‘XFTDT.dat Next this file was read by MATLAB ® using the MATLAB ® code provided [angle1, a1, c1, d1, e1] = textread(XFDTD.dat,%f %f %f %f %f, 361); angle1=angle1*pi/180; q=find(c1 c1(q)=-9; c1=c1+9; m=max(c1); c1=c1./m; polar(angle1,c1,g) The MATLAB ® result is shown n figure below. Figure 4.8: XFDTD ® radiation pattern in MATLAB ® The experimentally produced curve qualitatively matches with our theoretical calculations. The shape of the curve is similar to the theoretical description, whereas the scale is different. For the purpose of confirming this result, the data of this curve is also exported into MATLAB ® to be compared with previously simulated results. 4.4 Modeling of Micro Strip Patch Antenna Using XFDTD ® 4.4.1 Introduction After gaining confidence on the design of dipole antenna by comparing its results with the simulations and the results obtained from MATLAB ®, we use the same computational software for the modeling of micro strip patch antenna. 4.4.2 Validity of Model For the modeling of micro strip patch antenna, a paper of IEEE â€Å"Application of Three-Dimensional Finite-Difference Time Domain Method of the Analysis of Planar Micro strip Circuits† is reproduced. This paper is used as a reference so that the results could be compared in order to check the validity. The result of our exercise confirms the results of the IEEE paper; this takes us to design a micro strip antenna of our desired parameters. This training will help us gain the expertise over the computational software, which can be used for the modeling of multiple different antennas. 4.4.3 Modeling of Micro Strip Patch Antenna The antenna is designed for the frequency range from 0 GHz (dc) to 20 GHz. The dimensions used for the antenna centers it at 7.8 GHz. Although its results at the higher frequencies are also examined for the accuracy, the parameters for the antenna are given below: Duroid substrate is used with =2.2 Thickness is 1/32 inch=0.794mm Length = 12.45mm Width = 16mm Transmission line feed is used and is placed at 2.09mm away from the left corner. With these specifications the center frequency comes out to be 7.8 GHz and this can be verified from the link www.emtalk.com/mpaclac.php Figure 4.5 shows the geometry of micro strip patch modeled in XFDTD ®. Figure 4.5 Geometry of the micro strip patch antenna 4.4.4 Results The S11 plot of micro strip patch antenna was calculated by XFDTD ®, as shown in Figure 4.6 Figure 4.7 is the plot of the IEEE paper. This gives us the comparison between the two. Figure 4.6 obtained from the XFDTD ® Figure 4.7: Results of S11 parameters from published IEEE Papers Chapter 5 Micro Strip Antennas 5.1 Introduction These days there are many commercial applications, such as mobile radio and wireless communication, where size, weight, cost, performance, ease of installation, and aerodynamic profiles are constraints and low profile antennas may be required. To meet these requirements micro strip antennas can be used. These are low profile antennas and are conformable to planar and non-planar surfaces. These are simple and inexpensive to manufacture using modern printed circuit technology. They are also mechanically robust and can be mounted on rigid surfaces. In addition, micro strip antennas are very versatile in terms of resonant frequency, polarization, pattern and impedance as explained by Balanis [4]. 5.1.1 Basic Characteristics Micro strip antennas consist of a very thin metallic strip or patch placed a small fraction of a wavelength above a ground plane. The micro strip patch is designed so its pattern maximum is normal to the patch hence making it a broadside radiator. This is accomplished by properly choosing the mode or field configuration of excitation beneath the patch. End-fire radiation can also be accomplished by judicious mode selection. For a rectangular patch, the length L of the element is usually . The conducting micro strip or patch and the ground plane are separated by the substrate (Balanis [4]). There are numerous substrates that can be used for the design of micro strip antennas and their dielectric constants are usually in the range of . The substrate that we are using in our designs has a value of 4.6. Often micro strip antennas are also referred to as patch antennas. The radiating elements and the feed lines are usually photo etched on the dielectric substrate. The radiating patch may be square, rectangular, thin strip, circular, elliptical, triangular or any other configuration. Arrays of micro strip elements with single or multiple feeds are used to achieve greater directivities. 5.1.2 Feeding Methods There are numerous methods that can be used to feed micro strip antennas. The four most common and popular are the micro strip line, coaxial probe, aperture coupling and proximity coupling. In our designs we have selected coaxial probe as our method of feeding the Micro strip antenna. Following is a brief explanation of coaxial feeding as explained by Balanis [4]. Coaxial-line feeds, where the inner conductor of the coax is attached to the radiation patch while the outer conductor is connected to the ground plane are widely used. The coaxial probe feed is also easy to fabricate and match, and it has low spurious radiation. However is has narrow bandwidth and it is more difficult to model. 5.2 Rectangular Patch The rectangular patch is one of the most widely used configurations of Micro strip antennas. It is very easy to analyze using either the transmission line model or the cavity model, which have higher accuracy for thin substrates as explained by Balanis [4]. In our desig