Capybara Facts (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

Capybara Facts (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the largest rodent in the world. Its common name comes from the Tupi phrase kaapià »ara, which means grass eater. The scientific name means water hog. Capybaras are related to guinea pigs, rock cavies, coypu, and chinchillas. Fast Facts: Capybara Scientific Name: Hydrochoerus hydrochaerisCommon Names: Capybara, chigà ¼ire, chigà ¼iro, carpincho, water hogBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 3.5-4.4 feetWeight: 77-146 poundsLifespan: 4 yearsDiet: HerbivoreHabitat: Wetlands of South AmericaPopulation: AbundantConservation Status: Least Concern Description The capybara has a barrel-shaped body and blunt muzzle, somewhat resembling a pig. The brittle fur is reddish-brownish in color and paler on the belly. The animals ears, eyes, and nose are high on its face so it can remain above water when the rodent is submerged. The capybara has a vestigial tail and partially webbed feet. On average, adult capybaras are 3.5 to 4.4 feet in length, stand about two feet tall, and weigh between 77 and 146 pounds. Females are slightly larger than males, with the largest recorded female weighing just over 200 pounds. Both males and females have anal scent glands and a special snout scent gland, called a morillo. The morillo is a distinctive feature of a capybaras face. Richard Evans / EyeEm, Getty Images Habitat and Distribution All South American countries except Chile are home to capybaras. The animals live in wetlands and near bodies of water. Escaped captive capybaras are found in Florida, but its unknown whether they have established a breeding population. Diet Capybaras are herbivores that graze upon grasses, fruit, tree bark, and aquatic plants. They eat their own feces and regurgitated food to help digest cellulose and retain gut flora. Their teeth grow continuously to compensate for the wear from grinding food. Behavior Although capybaras are excellent swimmers, they are able to run as fast as a horse on land. During the day, the rodents wallow in mud to stay cool. They graze before dawn, late in the afternoon, and into the evening. They often sleep in water with only their noses exposed to air. Capybaras use their scent glands and urine to mark territory. Females scent-mark areas more often during the mating season. Males mark females as well as objects. Reproduction and Offspring Capybaras live in herds of up to twenty individuals. Within the group, there is one dominant males, additional submissive males, females, and young. The dominant male has breeding rights to all of the females, but he cant oversee them all the time, so many of the submissive males also mate. Mating occurs once a year during the rainy season, which may be in April or May (Venezuela) or October or November (Brazil). A females scent changes when she is in estrus, plus she whistles through her nose to advertise fertility. Males pursue females and mate with them in the water. After 130 to 150 days of gestation, the female gives birth on land to a litter of one to eight young. The average litter size is four offspring. Baby capybaras are mobile, and they typically resemble their parents. The female and her young return to the water within a few hours of birth. The young may nurse from any female in the group. They start to eat grass after a week and are weaned around 16 weeks. Capybaras become sexually mature between one and two years of age. Young males often leave the herd when mature. Captive capybaras may live 8 to 10 years. Wild animals only live four years on average because they are popular prey for anacondas, jaguars, eagles, caimans, pumas, ocelots, and humans. Capybara young are miniature versions of their parents. Kevin Schafer, Getty Images Conservation Status Capybara conservation status is classified as least concern by the IUCN. The species is widely distributed and reproduces quickly. In some areas, hunting has diminished capybara numbers, but for the most part the population is stable and abundant. Capybaras and Humans Capybaras are hunted primarily for their meat and skin, although there is also a market for their fat, which is believed to have medicinal value. Ranchers sometimes kill the rodents because they compete with livestock for grazing. Capys are also farmed and kept in zoos. In some places, it is legal to keep a capybara as a pet. The animals are gentle and tolerate hand-feeding and petting. Sources Macdonald, D. W.; Krantz, K.; Aplin, R. T. Behavioral anatomical and chemical aspects of scent marking among Capybaras (Hydrochaeris hypdrochaeris) (Rodentia: Caviomorpha). Journal of Zoology. 202 (3): 341–360, 1984. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1984.tb05087.xMurphey, R.; Mariano, J.; Mouraduarte, F. Behavioral observations in a capybara colony (Hydrochaeris hypdrochaeris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 14: 89, 1985. doi:10.1016/0168-1591(85)90040-1Reid, F. Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T10300A22190005. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T10300A22190005.enWoods, C.A. and C.W. Kilpatrick. Infraorder Hystricognathi. In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1556, 2005. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0.

Writing Dialogue for Scripts

Writing Dialogue for Scripts In order to write effective dialogue for scripts one needs to break away from writing in a storytelling fashion. Script writing is much more basic. In writing dialogue for scripts one needs to understand how people truly speak to one another. Much of what we see and hear is actually unspoken. It’s in the body language; the way people react to situations and in their emotions. A good scriptwriter will listen to the words that are actually spoken and use those only so that the director and actors can fill in the rest with their actions and movements. Some writers want to inject keys into the dialogue to show the actors how it should be said. Common examples of this would be telling the actor that this line is said in an angry manner or another is spoken while crying. This can get offensive to the actors for you are implying that they cannot do their job without being told of every detail. If you include strong, precise words and phrases when writing dialogue for scripts the emotion will come out and the actor will know exactly what needs to be done. A common mistake writers make, especially those who are used to writing novels, is that they want to explain every little detail while writing dialogue for scripts. They forget that they are writing dialogue to be used in a movie and all the little nuances will be shown to the viewers. Anything more than that will come off as forced and unnatural. Scriptwriters also needs to remember that they’re sharing their creative ideas along with other people. Directors as well as actors need to be able to inject their vision into the making of the movie also. Just make sure that when writing dialogue for scripts you make your vision clear and precise so that the essence of your story comes through. Writing dialogue for scripts requires the writer to know and understand how people speak. Know the characters that you are writing about and have them speak appropriately. You cannot give the same words to someone that is portrayed as being from the streets as another who is a college graduate. They both speak differently and as a good scriptwriter, you’ll know that difference. Having everyone speak in the same way makes for a very boring and uninteresting story. Give your characters distinctive speech patterns and words, you’ll make them much more believable. In doing this, you’ll give the movie director and actors a good feel for the character you are writing about and they’ll naturally follow much more closely to your original idea for the script without you having to point out all the little details. Be visual when writing dialogue for scripts. Always tell the story from a visual point of view. As you are writing this dialogue try to run the movie in your head at the same time. A good exercise would be to watch a movie or a television show and write the dialogue from the show. Then turn off the TV and read the dialogue alone. Does it evoke images that you just saw on the show? If so, ask yourself how the writer was able to get his emotion out in just that way. It’s in the words, study them and learn how the writer was able to get the strong points in the story. Spend time around people, just observing and learning how they interact with one another. Watch more movies, television shows and plays, and see how the professionals go about writing dialogue for scripts. The more time you spend doing this, the better you will get at writing dialogue for scripts.

Professional Development Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Professional Development Plan - Research Paper Example In the academic setting, every good and realistic professional development plan must enable the person making it to meet the core goals of education. This involves the creation of important pointers and requirements that will be linked to the direct development of students (Porter, 2004). In other words, the professional development plan should aim at helping students to become responsible adults who can effectively apply the skills and topics that were taught to them by a good professional tutor. This paper is meant to design a Professional Development Plan for an educator who seeks to promote the personal and professional growth of a culturally diverse and academically diverse classroom. The paper will provide a step-by-step approach to the attainment of goals in important elements of the classroom environment. The areas of interest in this plan include: This project is designed to encourage personal growth and professional growth in an imaginary classroom. In this classroom, the main elements that are important and relevant to the design of the project goals and objectives are the academic diversity and the cultural diversity. Academic diversity is examined from two angles. First of all, the students studied from varied academic institutions and are now in a class where they are to be taught and developed according to a standardized set of principles. Secondly, the students are from a culturally diverse background. This means that they have different ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious affiliations. As such, there is a tendency for majority and minority issues that need to be resolved to ensure that teaching and study goes on in a very positive and effective manner. Due to the variations and differences in the backgrounds of the students that the plan is being devised for, there is the need for the goals to relate to

Impact of the Elimination of the Electoral College Essay

Impact of the Elimination of the Electoral College - Essay Example This system has, however, been criticized due to weighty reasons. The abolition of the Electoral College system of voting would be better for the electoral landscape. The first reason is that this system leads to gross inequality in the issuance of campaign resources (LeVert 74). Larger states receive more funding for campaigns. Secondly, it is also on record that smaller states are accorded more electoral votes. This gives the notion that some states are more politically important than others. The minority are given a louder electoral voice than the majority. Wyoming has 3 votes with a population of 532,668 citizens against 32 votes for Texas which has approximately 25 million people. Wyoming has an elector for every 177,556 people, while Texas has one for every 715449. This shows unequal representation. It is clear that a majority of the population may endorse a candidate, but the Electoral College system deprives the larger population of the ability to decide their leadership (Bur g 155). This system also advocates for the two-party system. This closes up democratic space, while dividing the country along red and blue lines (Burg 109). It is important to note that other political parties exist in the US, but are not given the support given to the Republican and Democratic parties, despite having positive ideals for the American people. Advocates for the electoral system have argued that this system spreads votes, preventing candidates from concentrating their campaigns in places with high population density.

Online Environment Essay Example for Free

Online Environment Essay Normally, customers would have to call an associate from D D and find out when the next trade show, showcase, or large event D D will be featured in attendance so customers can make their way to the venue just to see the merchandise. One main focus that would have to be kept is the same local, hometown business feel. Although D D would be looking to expand out of the greater Indianapolis area, the focus that needs to be kept is the community. An online market would be extremely beneficial to the community and the business because the times are changing and more and more customers each day are transitioning to the online marketplace by shopping in the comfort of their own home. D D is a community based business who believes in taking care of all our customer’s needs whether it is live an in person, or 2:00 AM on a Sunday night. We can only offer this kind of service with an online presence. D D wants to be the company a customer can count on anytime. Being part of an online environment will be a large part in making that a reality. As a business, we must ask ourselves is this a venture that will be successful for us? Given the type of market that our company is tapping into, we have the ability to be very successful. The quality of products that we offer along with our competitive prices will give us the competitive advantage over other similar small companies as even over some larger companies as well. Establishing D D in an online environment against competition in the same type of business will force us to be aware of all that is going on with our competition. This way, we will able to compete with the larger companies like a JCPenny or Sears and the smaller businesses like D D that have been in the online environment for a long time. We will strive to keep the quality of our products high and be able to keep our prices low. The success of our business will lie on our quality, and providing the best quality products will help us in generating income and building a larger customer base. Current Online Competitor Assessment Being that D D is a very small local business; large competitors (Nordstrom. com, Macys. com, Sears. com, etc. ) offer more of a broad selection of merchandise while D D specializes in one specific area of sales at extremely competitive prices and unique craftsmanship quality. Most of these larger companies will hold sales that provide their merchandise at discounted prices in-store and online but customers will not always catch the â€Å"Great Deal† or clearance sale. D D wants to provide quality products that customers feel are always on sale. One competitive advantage that D D will have over these companies is the originality of products. A large portion of the merchandise sold is hand-made, developed from original designs and ideas. Larger companies will most likely buy their products in bulk from over-seas distributors that will mimic merchandise of their competitors while D D will offer quality products made right here in the United States. D D will be able to back all the hand-made merchandise with a ‘Made in The USA’ tag which is something that most of the larger competitors will not be able to do. There are some name brand designers that are sold through D D; however, prices for that particular merchandise will still be competitive. We understand that there are customers with a demand for name brand designers no matter what the item may be and we want to be the provider for that segment of customers as well. Larger companies in the retail industry will often sell merchandise seasonally in regards to the specific time of year or holiday. A huge advantage that D D will have will be the ability to purchase seasonal merchandise year round. For example, if a customer wanted to purchase a Christmas themed hat in July or another customer wanted to purchase a Valentine’s Day gift basket in October, these options would be available to them. A larger company will most likely not offer that option on their site and especially not in their store. D D’s goal is to be able to take care of each and every customer’s needs (and wants) to create customers for life. We know that we are not the only company in this market and we need to be aware of the disadvantages we face while competing against larger companies. One large disadvantage that we will face is the distribution of our products. D D does not have a warehouse where stock is kept in comparison to a Sears or Macy’s. Therefore, in order for us to be successful, we must be able to maintain our stock and make sure that we keep enough on hand at all times. Another disadvantage that we face is the production of our hand-made items. Although our items do not take extremely long to make, we can run into the problem of not having a specific item when it is needed. This could be a major issue in the success of that particular product, but one advantage that we do have is that everyone on the sales team is able to help us create products if we happen to be short on certain items. This gives us a slight advantage over competitors large and small because there is no need for a middle man in our product line. All handmade products are able to be created and ready for sale immediately. We will still be in a similar situation with our competitors when it comes to all of the name brand clothing as far as shipping, ordering, receiving, etc. but being able to have our custom products manufactured and ready to sell within a fraction of time it would take for shipping procedures will keep us ahead and generating income. Online Marketing Suggestions Strategies The strategy for D D will be one with attainable goals. The first objective of our strategy is to know where we are going and what we want to achieve. Our first goal will be to set the amount of cu stomers that we want to reach through our online presence. As long as we have an idea of how many customers we wish to gain through this method, we will stay focused and stay on the correct path to achieve our goal. The next step in our strategy is to dissect the final goal numbers and turn the results into action plans that we can use to repeat success. For instance, if D D sets the target number in a time period for customers gained through our online presence, because the goal was dissected prior and broken down; D D knows exactly what must be done to achieve that goal. The last step that D D will implement in the strategy is to make sure all success is reviewed and evaluated thoroughly. All information that we received must be evaluated so we are making sure we are getting the results that we expected and wanted. One of the major tasks that we plan to accomplish with D D’s online marketing efforts is to attain customers of a younger age group. Typically the D D customer base age ranges from 30 – 60 for women and 29 – 50 for men. With the addition of new products and the expansion to an online environment, the goal could be easily reached. Another marketing strategy that D D will use is advertising the current events and trade shows we will be featured in. By advertising and marketing D D online as well as the different venues, customers will be informed of different things to do around the city in addition to taking some time to shop. Marketing ourselves this way will not only help our business, but it will also help our community which is helping us keep our main two focuses; Service our community and sell quality products to our customers. Search Engine Considerations Optimization Strategies Taking into consideration that there has been a lot of cross-border selling, there is a growth that is happening with search marketers. This growth causes websites to be optimized for visitors from different regions and cultural backgrounds. There are constant attempts to develop techniques that attract visitors through search engines and search ads. One technique that D D will be able to do is use country specific domain names, and possibly change spelling variations (i. e. color v. colour). D D will also use keywords in other languages, which will target search engines such as Google AdWords and give us more search result hits. Expanding our name in search engines will be an excellent way to open the door to us being found by more people who are searching for similar items. Encouraging our customers to post regular reviews of our business on a variety of local search sites will not only let potential customers know we do a good job, but it will increase the number of search hits we receive. The more reviews we receive, the reviews will appear high within search results. The approach also will make it more likely for the next potential customer searching for a store like D D to possibly contact our business based on the information they are receiving in the search results. A strategy such as this will improve the amount of search hits simply by choosing the words we want to be associated with our business and as long as we are doing a great job for our customers, a large portion of those words will be positive. Social Media Integration D D is a small business that could benefit very well from using social media. The majority of D D’s name being spread around the community is by word of mouth; however being well known in a small community can only take you so far. Integrating a social media site like Facebook would be a wonderful opportunity to promote the business and inform potential customers about the site as well as allowing current customers to refer a friend to the page and even comment. Integrating Facebook with the site will allow customers in a matter of seconds to â€Å"like† the D D Facebook page and there will also be a link to click to directly go to the D D web site. The potential comments left on the page could end up helping D D by possibly providing suggestions that D D could use to improve the overall customer experience. Along with Facebook, Twitter can also be utilized in the social media are by â€Å"tweeting† pictures of merchandise as well as updating customers with current information regarding products and shows. For customers who are always on the go, D D will also reach customers by the use of Instagram. By using Instagram, customers who are following D D will be able to see recently received merchandise that will be uploaded onto the mobile page by the D D staff. With use of these sites, D D will able to keep the current customer base updated with information about the products as well as allowing potential customers to gain a little bit of knowledge about D D’s products and services by utilizing the online environment that is used in day-to-day life. Using these sites will also provide another medium of communication from customers so we can listen to their suggestions, wants, and needs. By listening to customers, we are able to receive first-hand feedback and a better understanding of how we can improve our service. In addition to using social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, D D will also incorporate a small blogging section on the company website. This will give customers additional medium to converse and blog about their experiences with our company. Online Customer Relationship Management When a customer makes the decision to do business with any company, the customer expects that they will receive a very high standard of customer service. As a company, D D will also hold a very high standard in providing customer service. A key component of customer service in any business is building a relationship with the customer. Communication between the customer and seller will have to be maintained in order to build that relationship. The best way to keep this channel of communication open with the customers would be through the exchange of email for any situation, problem, or question that may arise. Email would allow our customers to ask questions regarding our products, address a problem, or even inquire about making an order. Specific email templates, for whether there is a problem or a general question, will be made for any possible topic a customer may have and this will be integrated in the site. If there is any issue, a customer will be able to be as specific as they need to in asking their question. To be as efficient as we can with offering the email option to our customers, we will offer with all emails a ‘Within 24 hr. Guarantee Response Time. ’ Putting a guarantee on a service such as this will ensure to the customer that they will receive the most efficient and effective service available. We understand that all questions and issues may not be answered through email, so all escalated issues will be followed up with a phone call from a sales associate to help solve any issue that cannot be resolved in a timely manner. Within the website there will also be a FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page provided to possibly help with several general questions. Our FAQs page will be updated accordingly if we seem to receive a large volume of questions for a topic that is not currently on our FAQs page. Updating this page will be very valuable to our customers’ time and it will show that we are very thorough in our process. E-Commerce Solutions E-Commerce for D D will be an extremely user-friendly process. Our plan is to utilize all E-commerce transactions through the Volusion software program. This program is very efficient and very effective on both sides of the E-commerce transaction from seller to customer. Volusion will provide multiple payment options to potential customers such as credit or debit card, using a checking account, E-check, and even PayPal. By giving our customers multiple ways to pay, we give ourselves more opportunity to make a sale. A â€Å"checkout† and â€Å"my cart† feature will also be integrated within the site so at any time customers can quickly add an item to their cart and check out or add a few items and then edit the cart if they are not satisfied with their selection or have selected too many of one item. A link to the â€Å"my cart† section will be available on every page so a customer will be able to easily navigate there. Volusion also offers customizable tax and shipping options which will be presented for each product depending on size and time frame for customers’ desired delivery time. Customers will also be given automatic email confirmations after all purchases to give reviews of purchases. The automatic email confirmations will also be followed up by a separate email that contains an additional e-receipt and shipping information. Customers also have the option to enroll in the D D newsletter that will be created to update customers with information regarding current and future events as well as updates for newly created merchandise. This option will be available upon checkout so customers will be able to click yes or no. Security will be a major concern with E-commerce in any company you are associating with. The Volusion software offers state-of-the art E-commerce security which is PCI/CISP (Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council /Cardholder Information Security Program) certified. Other security features include the â€Å"CAPTCHA† type image validation for all forms of submissions to prevent unauthorized use, as well as an integrated IP blocking security feature, and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Encryption for encrypting customer information for additional security. International Considerations International business for D D would be an excellent addition to the business. What better way would there be to grow the business than to expand globally? The retail market for fashion and apparel is a market that is not just popular in just one geographic location. Fashion retail is an area where with the right merchandise and approach, a company like D D could go from servicing local customers to multi-national in a matter of months. Social media will play a large role in the international expansion of D D just as it will locally. All considerations must be viewed before the international ventures can take flight. One major concern would be how the currency from other countries would be handled. Our payment system will be an incredible asset to how our transactions are completed. Exchange rates are automatically calculated and shipping calculations are also included. Transactions will not be simple for every country. Certain payment options that D D accepts will not be available in all countries (i. e. Romania does not have PayPal), so all employees must be aware of situations like this if they were to arise. We will also have to make sure that we are complying with all government export regulations within each country. Using the Volusion software will also help with the language barrier of different countries. The Volusion software will make sure the website is friendly and ready for non-domestic and non-English-speaking visitors. All content on our website will be internationalized to cater to different areas of the globe. We believe that if we can customize our offering, service, and payment types to different areas, the business will enjoy huge success. Web Development Maintenance Cost The actual development for D D’s website would be fairly inexpensive compared to the amount of return the website would help generate. Base costs to start the development of the website would begin with the purchase of the domain name (i. e. www. DandDdesigns. com) that would range from $10 $30. Annual fees to keep the website up and running would range from $100 $150 in renewal fees. Most sites with under 2000 pages generally do not go over that threshold amount. There are a number of extra features that can be added to the site that could possibly increase the costs for running the webpage such as enabling Java for allowing motion images and small videos on the site (about $4. 5/month) and Restore Services that offer information recovery of any information deleted accidentally by any of the company’s associates (about $1. 50/month). Web hosting sites such as Lunarpages Hostgator offer all of these great services with no additional maintenance costs. These sites also offer 24/7 server monitoring and customer support so if anything were to go wrong, there is always someone to call on at anytime. This will also remove the expense of hiring a web developer because any and all problems with the site can be fixed by employees at anytime.

From Spiritual Leader to English Milk Maid: Colonialism and Maasai Women :: Essays Papers

From Spiritual Leader to English Milk Maid: Colonialism and Maasai Women Before Western imposition of the nation "state," Maasai men and women maintained overlapping positions of power and social prestige among varying age groups. For centuries, "there was no clear, gendered distinction between the "domestic" and the "public/political" domains, or among social, economic and political activities" (36). Yet with the new colonial "parameters of male Maasai power" beget from Western social systems, the Maasai embraced "new modes of control and authority, becoming something that might be called "patriarchal" "(16). In this new pastoralist system, ethnic variances were disregarded, capitalistic profit drove foreign-native relations and Maasai women lost the place of honor and authority within Maasai conceptions of being Maasai. Prior to colonial contact, married women were significantly more influential than commonly supposed. In terms of wealth and economy, married women kept a sizeable crop of her own cattle with exclusive rights to milk and byproducts of her herd and "maintained links with neighboring agricultural groups, trading surplus milk, hides, smallstock and even donkeys for the needed grain and food stuffs" (30). Women traditionally "traveled to markets and trading settlements", visited "friends and relatives at neighboring homesteads" (27) and were free to take lovers prior to and after marriage, so long as traditional household duties were not neglected (31). Moreover, women were able to lobby judicial proceedings and mediate relationships between Maasai and God, thus expressing "moral authority" and power (33). However, beginning in 1890, Western colonialism reshaped the Maasai's perception of who they should be. Though the German colonialism was "uneven" and "limited," it weakened the Maasai through disease, and established the practice of "state rule" (37). Conforming the Maasai "to colonial, and then national, agendas of progress", the "assertion and expansion of state power" reordered Maasai lives and livelihoods to suit Western needs (275). Subsequent British rule in the 1900s "expanded" on state authority with tribal relocations and new heads of households, enforcing "neat alignments of ethnic identity with territorial identity" on a mobile and nomadic people. Frustrated Westerners created a "political hierarchy of Africans" to ruled through co-optation (61) and instituted colonial taxes upon the men, disrupting cattle ownership among men and women (69). Even in the 1960s, continuing "a potentially lucrative source of state revenue", foreign organizations spent millions of dollars on the development of Maasai "productivity", yet the programs held no cultural sensitivity and flopped.

Design a Repeater for Digital Rf Signal

Abstract Repeaters for digital TV broadcasting can use either analogue or digital techniques. The purpose of using repeater is to boost signals into areas of weak coverage in any radio communication system. However wave interference means the repeater usually requires a frequency shift for analogue modulated signal. For digitally modulated signal it may be possible to use same frequency. This paper investigated and designed a RF repeater which will improve the inter symbol interference by incorporating delay between received and transmit signal.This project also reviewed the basics of current Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) techniques and selected it as a suitable choice for lab experiment. The practical side of this project is to design and build a repeater incorporating suitable electrical delay. Contents 1. 0 Introduction4 1. 1 Background:4 1. 2Aim of this project6 1. 3Project objectives6 1. 3 Project deliverable7 2. 0 Problem analysis8 2. 1 Repeater8 2. 1. 1 Analog ue repeaters9 2. 1. 2 Digital repeaters10 2. 2 Inter symbol interference13 2. 3 Multipath propagation15 2. 3. 1 Multipath fading15 2. 4 The TV channels16 2. 5 Transmission cable18 . 6 Signal Amplifiers20 2. 7 Transmission delay (Coaxial cable)21 3. 0 Possible solution24 3. 1 RF amplifier25 3. 1. 1 The Transistor Amplifier26 3. 1. 2 Ultra High Frequency Transistor Array (HFA)29 3. 1. 3 Surface mounts technology:32 3. 1. 4 Surface Mount Monolithic Amplifier:32 3. 1. 5 Loft box: 8 way home distribution unit34 3. 2. 6 Maxview signal booster35 3. 2. 7 Antenna:36 4. 0 Design37 4. 1 Circuit design37 4. 2 PCB design38 5. 0 Implementation40 5. 1 Implementation with HFA312740 5. 2 Implementation with MAV-11SM amplifier41 6. 0 Test result42 6. 1 Laboratory test result42 6. 2 Field test result44 7. Result Discussion46 8. 0 Conclusion48 Future work:49 Works Cited50 Figure List Figure 1System block diagram6 Figure 2 Passive and Active repeater block diagram7 Figure 3 Analog repeater8 Figure 4 Dig ital repeater9 Figure 5 Channel management for digital repeater10 Figure 6 Channel management for analogue repeater10 Figure 7 Broadcast in valley with digital repeaters11 Figure 8 101101 transmitted data12 Figure 9 Received data12 Figure 10 Transmitted data vs. Received data13 Figure 11 Multipath propagation14 Figure 12 Cable loss in dB   (Antenna basics, 2008)18 Figure 13 Linear change phase vs frequency22Figure 14 The basic transistor amplifier26 Figure 15 HFA3127 transistor array30 Figure 16 MAV-11SM amplifier31 Figure 17 Suggested PCB layout with MAV-11SM33 Figure 18 Loft box home distributor33 Figure 19 Maxview signal booster35 Figure 20 Antenna used for this project35 Figure 21 Interference between relay signal and main transmitted signal36 Figure 22 ISIS schematic of circuit design37 Figure 23 PCB design according to the datasheet in ARES37 Figure 24 3D view for PCB38 Figure 25 Circuit with HFA3127 amplifier39 Figure 26 MAV-11SM amplifier circuit board40 Figure 27 HFA3127 gain with soldering error41Figure 28 HFA3127 amplifier gain41 Figure 29 One MAV-11SM amplifier gain42 Figure 30 Two MAV-11SM amplifier circuits give more gain42 Figure 31 Three amplifiers together was the maximum gain43 Figure 32 Low quality picture with normal antenna43 Figure 33 Picture with repeater connected antenna44 Figure 34 Rebroadcasting connection44 1. 0 Introduction 1. 1 Background: Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is being adopted as the standard for digital television in many countries. The DVB standard offers many advantages over the previous analogue standards and has enabled television to make a major step forwards in terms of its technology.Digital Video Broadcasting, DVB is now one of the success stories of modern broadcasting. The take up has been enormous and it is currently deployed in over 80 countries worldwide, including most of Europe and also within the USA. It offers advantages in terms of far greater efficiency in terms of spectrum usage and power utilisa tion as well as being able to affect considerably more facilities, the prospect of more channels and the ability to work alongside existing analogue services. (Pool, 2002) In these days when there are many ways in hich television can be carried from the â€Å"transmitter† to the â€Å"receiver† no one standard can be optimised for all applications. As a result there are many different forms of the Digital Video Broadcasting, DVB, standards, each designed for a given application. The main forms of DVB are summarised below: DVB Standard| Meaning| Description| DVB-C| Cable| The standard for delivery of video service via cable networks. | DVB-H| Handheld| DVB services to handheld devices, e. g. mobile phones, etc. | DVB-RSC| Return satellite channel| Satellite DVB services with a return channel for interactivity. DVB-S| Satellite services| DVB standard for delivery of television / video from a satellite. | DVB-SH| Satellite handheld| Delivery of DVB services from a satelli te to handheld devices| DVB-S2| Satellite second generation| The second generation of DVB satellite broadcasting. | DVB-T| Terrestrial| The standard for Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting. | Digital Video Broadcasting- Terrestrial (DVB-T) : The common perception of digital television these days is of broadcasts emanating from signal towers, bouncing off satellites, and being beamed to home receivers.This is the magic of  satellite  transmission, and it is reliable as long as the view of those satellites is not obscured. However, this is not the only way in which television signals are transmitted. Another popular method of transmitting signals  digital video broadcasting–terrestrial (DVB-T). When broadcasters employ this method, the digital signals do not leave the earth. The signals transmitted using  DVB-T  do not travel via cable, though; rather, they go from  antenna to aerial antenna, from signal blaster to home receiver. Digital signals are routinel y transmitted using terrestrial methods.The transmission method has different names in different parts of the world. DVB-T  is the name used in Europe and Australia. North American customers receive these signals using a set of standards approved by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC). In Japan, it is known as Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting–Terrestrial (IDSB-T). DVB-T  broadcasters transmit data using a compressed digital audio-video stream, with the entire process based on the  MPEG-2 standard. These transmissions can include all kinds of digital broadcasting, including  HDTV  and other high-intensity methods.This is a vast improvement over the old analog signals, which required separate streams of transmission. Oddly enough, some  DVB-T  transmissions take place over analog networks, with the antennas and receivers getting some helpful technological upgrades along the way. (Pool, 2002) 1. 2 Aim of this project The aim of this project is to investigate the design of a repeater for DVB-T system but incorporating a delay between receives and transmits signals to avoid Inter Symbol Interference (ISI). It is useful to use a repeater to boost the signal into areas of weak coverage in any radio wave communication system.However wave interference means the repeater usually requires a frequency shift for analogue modulated signals. For digitally modulated signals it may be possible to use the same frequency. The project will review the basics of current digital systems such as DVB (Broadcast TV) and WLAN – and to identify a suitable choice for a lab experiment. The practical side will be to design and build a repeater incorporating suitable transmission delay. 1. 3 Project objectives 1. Investigate and learn Inter Symbol Interference effect on received signal. 2.Investigate and learn the delay effect on received signal and cause of the delay. 3. Investigate and learn Multipath propagation and Doppler shift of the fre quencies. 4. Investigate and learn about Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) techniques. 5. Investigate and learn about transmission delay of coaxial cable. 6. Investigate and learn about different type of Amplifier. 7. Designing repeater circuit. 8. Implementing circuit. 9. Testing the circuit. Figure 1System block diagram 1. 3 Project deliverable * System design * Circuit design * Documentation 2. 0 Problem analysis . 1 Repeater Repeaters provide an efficient solution to increase the coverage of the broadcasting networks. In the broadcasting networks, the network operators usually first put high power transmitters at the strategic points to quickly ensure an attractive coverage and then, in a second step, increase their coverage by placing low-power repeaters in the dead spot or shadow areas, such as a tunnel, valley or an indoor area. A repeater is simply a device that receives an analogue signal or a digital signal and regenerates the signal along the next leg of the medium.In DVB- T networks, there are two different kinds of repeaters. They are passive repeaters, which are also called as gap-fillers and active repeaters that are also called as regenerative repeaters. A passive repeater receives and retransmits a DVB-T signal without changing the signalling information bits. The signal is only boosted. An active repeater can demodulate the incoming signal, perform error recovery and then re-modulates the bit stream. The output of the error recovery can even be connected to a local re-multiplexer to enable insertion of local programmes.This means that the entire signal is regenerated. The building blocks of the passive and active repeater configurations are shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 Passive and Active repeater block diagram In a first step, DVB-T broadcasters, as all broadcasters, launch their networks with high power transmitters in strategic point in order to quickly insure an attractive coverage to TV operators and then, in a second step, increase their co verage by placing low power repeaters in shadow area. To repeat a DVB-T signal, two solutions can be used: An analogue repetition: in this case, repeaters use well-known techniques such as down conversion, filtering, up conversion and amplification. The signal is only boosted. * A digital repetition: this new type of repeater uses a professional DVB-T receiver to recover the programme stream (and correct all errors) carried in the RF channel, performs a new modulation followed by an up conversion and amplification. It means that the entire signal is regenerated. 2. 1. 1 Analogue repeaters In case of analogue repetition, the output signal quality cannot exceed the quality of the received signal because the signal is not regenerated.Figure 3 Analog repeater Furthermore, being a passive process, it degrades the signal; the phase noise of the local oscillator involves a degradation of the phase noise of the received signal and creates an inter-modulation. The local oscillator phase nois e adds to the phase noise of the received signal. In these conditions, what are the performances of analogue repetition for Modulation Error Ratio (MER) and Carrier to Noise ratio (C/N)? Of course, performances are linked to the technology but analogue repetition cannot be insured ad infinitum. And, if one link in the analogue repetition chain is weak, all the system is deficient. Trolet, 2002) 2. 1. 2 Digital repeaters In case of a digital repetition, the entire signal is regenerated; it means that repeaters, as transmitters, insure the quality of the broadcasted signal as long as it is able to demodulate it. Figure 4 Digital repeater The output signal quality is independent of the input signal quality: * Phase noise is linked to the local oscillator only, * A weak link, in a digital repetition chain, is erased by the following repeater, * Several digital repeaters can be cascaded without any cumulative degradation.Drawback of Digital repeater The delay inside a digital repeater is taller than the guard interval. So, the signal cannot be repeated on the frequency of the main transmitter: main transmitters and repeaters cannot operate in a Single Frequency Network (SFN) even with 8K carriers and a guard interval of 1/4. (Trolet, 2002) Figure 5 Channel management for digital repeater The delay inside an analogue repeater is lower than the guard interval and allows main transmitters and repeaters to operate in SFN mode. Figure 6 Channel management for analogue repeaterBut, with such technique, overlap between repeater cells and transmitter cell cannot be optimised/adjusted. Analogue repeaters have not the possibility to buffer the signal; they cannot add delay to move the overlap zone. To optimise single frequency network with this technique, two solutions: * Move the repeater that means you have to find new broadcasting site. * Reduce the output power of your repeaters and forbid overlap. So, to build an efficient Single Frequency Network (SFN), Broadcasters ha ve benefits in using transmitters: * Means more freedom for defining the size of the cells Means more freedom for defining the repeater locations Benefits of Digital Repeater * As long as the repeater is able to demodulate the RF channels, signal quality is independent of input signal quality. * Output MER > 33 dB (Trolet, 2002) * In theory, thanks to the forward error correction (FEC) and the output signal quality, digital repeaters can be cascaded ad infinitum. It is an efficient solution to broadcast in valleys. TV viewers and distant repeaters share the broadcasted signal. Figure 7 Broadcast in valley with digital repeaters The demodulation process, down to the programme stream, allows broadcasters to insert a local multiplexor in order to customize the content for a local broadcasting. More and more, local communities claim their local programmes. Digital repeaters offer a flexible solution to the network. * Shadow area can be covered by several repeaters. Repeaters operate tog ether in SFN mode without any external references (10 MHz and 1 PPS) (Trolet, 2002). In their internal memory, digital repeaters can buffer the signal so as to optimise overlaps. 2. 2 Inter symbol interferenceInter-symbol interference (ISI) is an unavoidable consequence of both wired and wireless communication systems. Morse first noticed it on the transatlantic telegraph cables transmitting messages using dots and dashes and it has not gone way since. He handled it by just slowing down the transmission. Amplitude Time Figure 8 101101 transmitted data Figure 8 shows a data sequence, 1,0,1,1,0, which wish to be sent. This sequence is in form of square pulses. Square pulses are nice as an abstraction but in practice they are hard to create and also require far too much bandwidth. Amplitude TimeFigure 9 Received data Figure 9 shows each symbol as it is received. It also shows what the transmission medium creates a tail of energy that lasts much longer than intended. The energy from sym bols 1and 2 goes all the way into symbol 3. Each symbol interferes with one or more of the subsequent symbols. The circled areas show areas of large interference. Amplitude Time Figure 10 Transmitted data vs. Received data Fig. 3 shows the actual signal seen by the receiver. It is the sum of all these distorted symbols. Compared to the transmitted signal, the received signal looks quite indistinct.The receiver does not actually this signal; it sees only the little dots, the value of the amplitude at the timing instant. Symbol 3, this value is approximately half of the transmitted value, which makes this particular symbol is more susceptible to noise and incorrect interpretation and this phenomena is the result of this symbol delay and smearing. This spreading and smearing of symbols such that the energy from one symbol effects the next ones in such a way that the received signal has a higher probability of being interpreted incorrectly is called Inter Symbol Interference or ISI.ISI can be caused by many different reasons. It can be caused by filtering effects from hardware or frequency selective fading, from non-linearity and from charging effects. Very few systems are immune from it and it is nearly always present in wireless communications. Communication system designs for both wired and wireless nearly always need to incorporate some way of controlling it. The main problem is that energy, which is been wishing to confine to one symbol, leaks into others. So one of the simplest things can be done to reduce ISI is to just slowing down the signal.Transmitting the next pulse of information only after allowing the received signal has damped down. The time it takes for the signal to die down is called delay spread, whereas the original time of the pulse is called the symbol time. If delay spread is less than or equal to the symbol time then no ISI will result, otherwise yes. (Charan, 2002) Slowing down the bit rate was the main way ISI was controlled on those ini tial transmission lines. Then faster chips came and allowed to do signal processing controlling ISI and transmission speeds increased accordingly. . 3 Multipath propagation Multipath propagation is caused by multipath receptions of the same signal. in city environment or indoors signal travels along different path from transmitter (Tx) to receiver (Rx). * Signal components received at slightly different times (delay) * These components are combined at Rx * Results as a signal that varies widely in amplitude, phase or polarization 2. 3. 1 Multipath fading When the components add destructively due to phase differences amplitude of the received signal is very small.At the other times the components add constructively the amplitude of received signal is large. This amplitude variations in the received signal called signal fading, are due to the time-variant characteristics of the channel. Relative motion between Tx and Rx (or surrounding objects causing e. g. reflection) causes random f requency modulation. Figure 11 Multipath propagation Each multipath component has different Doppler shift. The Doppler shift can be calculated by using: fd=V? cos? V is the velocity of the terminal ? is the spatial angle between the direction of motion and the wave ? is the wavelengthThe three most important effects of multipath fading and moving scatters are * Rapid changes in signal strength over a small travelled distance or time interval * Random frequency modulation due to varying Doppler shifts on different multipath signals. * Time dispersion (echoes) caused by multipath propagation 2. 4 The TV channels Hertz  (Hz) means  cycles per second. (Heinrich Hertz was the first to build a radio transmitter and receiver while understanding what he was doing. )  Ã‚  KHz means 1000 Hertz, MHz means 1,000,000 Hertz, and GHz means 1,000,000,000 Hertz The radio frequency spectrum is divided into major bands:Frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wave length  (in meters) VLF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  very low frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 KHz – 30 KHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   100 Km – 10 Km LF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  low frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   30 KHz – 300 KHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      10 Km – 1 Km MF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  medium frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  300 KHz – 3 MHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1 Km – 100 m HF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  high frequency 3 MHz – 30 MHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   100 m – 10 m VHF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  very high frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30 MHz – 300 MHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10 m – 1 m UHF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ultra high frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  300 MHz â €“ 3 GHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1 m – 100 mm SHF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  super high frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3 GHz – 30 GHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      100 mm – 10 mm EHF  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  extremely high frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   30 GHz – 300 GHz  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10 mm – 1 mm (Antenna basics, 2008) The UK uses UHF for terrestrial television transmissions, with both PAL-I analogue broadcasts and DVB-T digital broadcasts sharing the band. The following table is a handy channel/frequency conversion table showing the E channel number, PAL-I vision and sound carrier frequencies, and the centre frequency for digital tuning. The frequency plan for the UK involves each channel having an 8MHz bandwidth – the space in the spectrum that each channel is allotted. The PAL-I standard specifies a video bandwidth of 5. 0 MHz and an audio carrier at 6 MHz.The DVB-T tran smissions must fall within this channel plan, resulting in each digital channel also having a bandwidth of 8 MHz. Unlike PAL-I, the digital channel (carrying a multiplexed signal) utilises the entire bandwidth available to it simultaneously, transmitting 2048 carriers (in â€Å"2k mode†). For tuning purposes, a centre frequency is used (Table is included in appendices). (digital spy, 2009) Decibels Decibels (dB) are commonly used to describe gain or loss in circuits. The number of decibels is found from: Gain in dB = 10*log(gain factor)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  or (Antenna basics, 2008) In some situations this is more complicated than using gain or loss factors. But in many situations, decibels are simpler.For example, suppose 10 feet of cable loses 1 dB of signal. To figure the loss in a longer cable, just add 1 dB for every 10 feet. In general, decibels let add or subtract instead of multiply or divide. Noise Whether a signal is receivable is determined by the  signal t o noise ratio  (S/N). For TVs there are two main sources of noise: 1. Atmosphere noise. There are many types of sources for this noise. A light switch creates a radio wave every time it opens or closes. Motors in some appliances produce nasty  RF  (radio frequency) noise. 2. Receiver noise. Most of this noise comes from the first transistor the antenna is attached to. Some receivers are quieter than others. 2. Transmission cable Twin lead (ribbon cable) used to be common for TV antennas. It has its advantages. But due to its unpredictability when positioned near metal or dielectric objects, it has fallen out of favour. Coaxial cable is recommended. It is fully shielded and not affected by nearby objects. Transmission cable has a feature called its  characteristic impedance, which for TV coax should always be 75 ohms. Although rated in ohms, this has nothing to do with resistance. A resistor converts electric energy into heat. The â€Å"75 ohms† of a coaxial cable does not cause heat. Where it comes from is mathematically complicated and beyond our scope here.But coax also has ordinary resistance (mostly in the center conductor) and thus loses some of the signal, converting it into heat. The amount of this dissipation (loss) depends on the frequency as well as the cable length. Type:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Centre conductor:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cable diameter:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RG-59  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  20-23 gauge  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0. 242 inches   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RG-6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18 gauge  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0. 265 inches   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  RG-11  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14 gauge  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0. 405 inches Figure 12 Cable loss in dB   (Antenna basics, 2008) The above chart is only approximate. There are many cable manufacturers for each type and there is no enforcement of stand ards. If the mast-mounted amplifier gain exceeds the cable loss then it shouldn’t matter what cable you use.But there are two problems with this: * Some cable has incomplete shielding. This is most common for RG-59, another reason to avoid it. * When the cable run is longer than 200 feet, the low-numbered channels can become too strong relative to the high-numbered channels. In this case, RG-11 or an ultra-low-loss RG-6 is recommended. (These alternatives are expensive. )  Ã‚  Alternatively, frequency compensated amplifiers will work. 2. 6 Signal Amplifiers There are two types of signal amplifiers: Preamplifiers  Ã‚  (Mast-mounted amplifiers)  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Ã‚  These should be mounted as close to the antenna as possible. Usually the amplifier comes in two parts: 1. The amplifier.This is an outdoor unit that is normally bolted to the antenna mast. It must have a very low noise figure, and enough gain to overcome the cable loss and the receiver’s noise figure. 2. The power module (power injector). This is an indoor unit that commonly lies on the floor behind the TV. It is inserted into the antenna cable between the amplifier and the TV. This module injects some power, usually DC, into the coaxial cable where the amplifier can use it. The power injector is the amplifier’s power supply. Distribution amplifiers  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Ã‚  These are simple signal boosters. They are often necessary when an antenna drives multiple TVs or when the antenna cable is longer than 150 feet.Distribution amplifiers don’t need to have a low noise figure, but they need to be able to handle large signals without overloading. Commonly, distribution amplifiers have multiple outputs. (Unused outputs usually do not need to be terminated. ) Never feed an amplifier output directly into another amplifier. There should always be a long cable between the preamplifier and the distribution amplifier. Placing the two amplifiers close together can cause overloa d and/or oscillation. A mast-mounted amplifier’s most important characteristic is its noise level, usually specified by the  noise figure. But many manufacturers don’t take this number seriously. If it is given at all, it is often wrong. If all makers don’t do them right then comparison-shopping is not possible.The author is inclined to rate amplifiers for their noise figures as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  0. 5 dB  superb (anything better runs into thermal atmospheric noise)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. 0 dB  excellent 4. 0 dB  fair 6. 0 dB  poor 10 dB  awful 2. 7 Transmission delay (Coaxial cable) Transmission lines are described by their two most important characteristics: the characteristic impedance Zo and the delay. For instance, a â€Å"short† (say 0. 01 wavelength) piece of coaxial cable such RG-58U has been taken and measured its capacitance with the other end open. A one foot length yields more or less 31. 2 pF. The inductance also has been measured with the other end shorted. It yields 76. 8 nH. The impedance may now be computed as: Zo=LC Zo=76. ? 10-931. 2? 10-12=49. 6 ohms Here L and C are measured for the same length. The delay may also be computed: Delay= L? C Delay= 76. 8? 10-9? 31. 2? 10-12=1. 55 nSec For an ideal line, the delay increases linearly with its length, while its impedance remains constant. After that it has been computed the velocity in foot per second: V=lendelay V=11. 55? 10-9=6. 46? 108 foot per second or meters/second 8 10*966. 1 This is less than the speed of light. The ratio of the above speed to the speed of light gives the velocity factor Vf: Vf=1. 966? 1082. 998? 108=0. 666 or 66. % of the speed of light As mentioned earlier, the delay increases linearly with the line length. For a given length, the phase difference between the input and output will increase with the frequency: ? =2? f? delay Here the phase ? is in radians and the frequency f is Hertz. Converting the phase from ra dians to degrees requires multiplying by: 3602? In this case if frequency is 900 MHz so phase delay will be ?deg=f? 360? delay=900? 106? 360? 1. 55? 10-9? 502. 2 This length that gives 90 degrees of phase shift is also known as a quarter wavelength. Figure 13 Linear change phase vs frequency Figure-13 An ideal transmission line gives a linear change of phase versus frequency.The distributed inductance and capacitance are the basic transmission line parameters. From these, it can be calculated the line impedance, the delay in terms of time and phase, the speed of propagation and the velocity factor. The inductive component has an additional component at the lower frequencies which slows the signal somewhat. This occurs around 100 KHz for small coax and lower for larger cables. For frequencies above 1 MHz, the dielectric constant of the cable is probably responsible for the decrease in the delay. Measuring the delay of cables can reveal some â€Å"hidden† properties that could make it unsuitable for some applications, such as carrying wideband data. (Audet, 2001) 3. 0 Possible solutionThe main component of a repeater is amplifier. There are many types of amplifier can be used for this job. RF amplifiers are electronic devices that accept a varying input signal and produce an output signal that varies in the same way as the input, but that has larger amplitude. RF amplifiers generate a completely new output signal based on the input, which may be voltage, current, or another type of signal. Usually, the input and output signals are of the same type; however, separate circuits are used. The input circuit applies varying resistance to an output circuit generated by the power supply, which smoothes the current to generate an even, uninterrupted signal.Depending on load of the output circuit, one or more RF pre-amplifiers may boost the signal and send the stronger output to a RF  power amplifier  (PA). Other types of RF amplifiers include low noise, pulse, bi-directional, multi-carrier, buffer, and limiting amplifiers. Detector log video amplifiers (DLVAs) are used to amplify or measure  signals with  a wide dynamic range and wide broadband. Successive detection log  video amplifiers (SDLVAs)  are log amplifiers that can operate over a wider dynamic range than DLVAs, while extended range detector log video amplifiers (ERDLVAs)  are  DLVAs that can operate with a wider operating frequency. (Global Spec, 2008) * Military / Defense * Mobile / Wireless  Systems * Plasma / Electron Laser * RF Induction Heating * Radar SystemsAmplifier Type: Applications: * Low Noise Amplifier * Power Amplifier * Bi-directional Amplifier * Multi-carrier Amplifier * Multiplier (RF amplifier, 2008) 3. 1 RF amplifier Selecting RF amplifiers requires an analysis of several performance specifications. Operating frequency is the frequency range for which RF amplifiers meet all guaranteed specifications. Design gain, the ratio of the output to the i nput power, is normally expressed in decibels (dB), or Gdb  = 10 * log (Po/Pi) Output power is  the signal power at the output of the amplifier under specified conditions such as temperature, load, voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), and supply voltage.Gain flatness indicates the degree of the gain variation over its range of operating wavelengths. Secondary performance specifications to consider include noise figure (NF), input VSWR, output VSWR, and monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology. The noise figure, a measure of the amount of noise added to the signal during normal operation, is the ratio of the signal-to-noise ratio at the input of the component and the signal-to-noise ratio measured at the output. The NF value sets the lower limit of the dynamic range of the amplifier. Input VSWR and output VSWR are unit-less ratios ranging from  1 to infinity that express the amount of reflected energy. Global Spec, 2008) There are several physical and electrical specifications to consider when selecting RF amplifiers. Physical specifications include package type and connector type. Package types include  surface mount technology (SMT),  flat pack, and  through hole technology (THT). RF amplifiers may also be  connector zed  or use waveguide assemblies. Connector types include BNC, MCX, Mini UHF, MMCX, SMA, SMB, SMP, TNC, Type F, Type N, UHF, 1. 6 / 5. 6, and 7/16. Important electrical characteristics include nominal operating voltage and nominal impedance. Operating temperature is an important environmental parameter to consider. (Global Spec, 2008) 3. 1. 1 The Transistor AmplifierIn the preceding section explains the internal workings of the transistor and will introduce new terms, such as emitter, base, and collector. Here it discusses the overall operation of transistor amplifier. To understand the overall operation of the transistor amplifier, it must have to only consider the current in and out of the transistor and through the various components in the circuit. Therefore, from this point on, only the schematic symbol for the transistor will be used in the illustrations, and rather than thinking about majority and minority carriers that mean it will be only emitter, base and collector current. Before going into the basic transistor amplifier, there are two terms it should be familiar with: AMPLIFICATION and AMPLIFIER.Amplification is the process of increasing the strength of a SIGNAL. A signal is just a general term used to refer to any particular current, voltage, or power in a circuit. An amplifier is the  device  that provides amplification (the increase in current, voltage, or power of a signal) without appreciably altering the original signal. Transistors are frequently used as amplifiers. Some transistor circuits are CURRENT amplifiers, with a small load resistance; other circuits are designed for VOLTAGE amplification and have a high load resistance; others amplify POWER. By inserting one or more resistors in a circuit, different methods of biasing may be achieved and the emitter-base battery eliminated.In addition to eliminating the battery, some of these biasing methods compensate for slight variations in transistor characteristics and changes in transistor conduction resulting from temperature irregularities. Notice in figure 2-12 that the emitter-base battery has been eliminated and the bias resistor RB  has been inserted between the collector and the base. Resistor RB  provides the necessary forward bias for the emitter-base junction. Current flows in the emitter-base bias circuit from ground to the emitter, out the base lead, and through RB  to VCC. Since the current in the base circuit is very small (a few hundred microamperes) and the forward resistance of the transistor is low, only a few tenths of a volt of positive bias will be felt on the base of the transistor.However, this is enough voltage on the base, along with ground on the emitter and the large positive voltage on the collector, to properly bias the transistor. (Intregrated Publishing, 2002) Figure 14 The basic transistor amplifier With Q1 properly biased, direct current flows continuously, with or without an input signal, throughout the entire circuit. The direct current flowing through the circuit develops more than just base bias; it also develops the collector voltage (VC) as it flows through Q1 and RL. Notice the collector voltage on the output graph. Since it is present in the circuit without an input signal, the output signal starts at the VC  level and either increases or decreases.These dc voltages and currents that exist in the circuit before the application of a signal are known as quiescent voltages and currents (the quiescent state of the circuit). Resistor RL, the collector load resistor, is placed in the circuit to keep the full effect of the collector supply voltage off the collector. This permits the collector voltage (VC) to change with an input signal , which in turn allows the transistor to amplify voltage. Without RL  in the circuit, the voltage on the collector would always be equal to VCC. The coupling capacitor (CC) is another new addition to the transistor circuit. It is used to pass the ac input signal and block the dc voltage from the preceding circuit. This prevents dc in the circuitry on the left of the coupling capacitor from affecting the bias on Q1.The coupling capacitor also blocks the bias of Q1 from reaching the input signal source. The input to the amplifier is a sine wave that varies a few millivolts above and below zero. It is introduced into the circuit by the coupling capacitor and is applied between the base and emitter. As the input signal goes positive, the voltage across the emitter-base junction becomes more positive. This in effect increases forward bias, which causes base current to increase at the same rate as that of the input sine wave. Emitter and collector currents also increase but much more th an the base current. With an increase in collector current, more voltage is developed across R  L.Since the voltage across RL  and the voltage across Q1 (collector to emitter) must add up to VCC, an increase in voltage across RL  results in an equal decrease in voltage across Q1. Therefore, the output voltage from the amplifier, taken at the collector of Q1 with respect to the emitter, is a  negative  alternation of voltage that is  larger  than the input, but has the same sine wave characteristics. During the negative alternation of the input, the input signal opposes the forward bias. This action decreases base current, which results in a decrease in both emitter and collector currents. The decrease in current through RL  decreases its voltage drop and causes the voltage across the transistor to rise along with the output voltage.Therefore, the output for the negative alternation of the input is a  positive  alternation of voltage that is  larger  than the input but has the same sine wave characteristics. By examining both input and output signals for one complete alternation of the input, we can see that the output of the amplifier is an exact reproduction of the input except for the  reversal in polarity  and the  increased amplitude  (a few millivolts as compared to a few volts). The PNP version of this amplifier is shown in the upper part of the figure. The primary difference between the NPN and PNP amplifier is the polarity of the source voltage. With a negative VCC, the PNP base voltage is slightly negative with respect to ground, which provides the necessary forward bias condition between the emitter and base.When the PNP input signal goes positive, it opposes the forward bias of the transistor. This action cancels some of the negative voltage across the emitter-base junction, which reduces the current through the transistor. Therefore, the voltage across the load resistor decreases, and the voltage across the transisto r increases. Since VCC  is negative, the voltage on the collector (VC) goes in a negative direction (as shown on the output graph) toward -VCC  (for example, from -5 volts to -7 volts). Thus, the output is a negative alternation of voltage that varies at the same rate as the sine wave input, but it is opposite in polarity and has a much larger amplitude.During the negative alternation of the input signal, the transistor current increases because the input voltage aids the forward bias. Therefore, the voltage across RL  increases, and consequently, the voltage across the transistor decreases or goes in a positive direction (for example: from -5 volts to -3 volts). This action results in a positive output voltage, which has the same characteristics as the input except that it has been amplified and the polarity is reversed. (Intregrated Publishing, 2002) 3. 1. 2 Ultra High Frequency Transistor Array (HFA) The HFA3046, HFA3096, HFA3127 and the HFA3128 are Ultra High Frequency Tra nsistor Arrays that are fabricated from Intersil Corporation’s complementary bipolar UHF-1 process.Each array consists of five dielectrically isolated transistors on a common monolithic substrate. The NPN transistors exhibit a fT of 8GHz while the PNP transistors provide a fT of 5. 5GHz. Both types exhibit low noise (3. 5dB), making them ideal for high frequency amplifier and mixer applications. (HFA3127, 2003) The HFA3046 and HFA3127 are all NPN arrays while the HFA3128 has all PNP transistors. The HFA3096 is an NPN-PNP combination. Access is provided to each of the terminals for the individual transistors for maximum application flexibility. Monolithic construction of these transistor arrays provides close electrical and thermal matching of the five transistors. Features * NPN Transistor (fT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8GHz * NPN Current Gain (hFE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 * NPN Early Voltage (VA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50V * PNP Transistor (fT). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. 5GHz * PNP Current Gain (hFE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 * PNP Early Voltage (VA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20V * Noise Figure (50? ) at 1. 0GHz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. 5dB * Collector to Collector Leakage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 dB) and this transistor amplifier gain was not enough for rebroadcasting signal, this project select another amplifier MAV-11SM from supervisor suggestion. One MAV-11SM amplifier gives around 10dB gain what has been shown in testing section. At last two MAV-11SM amplifiers and one HFA3127 has been used to get more than 30dB gain. It has been tested in network scalar analyzer. For field test, a TV card, three TV aerials have been used. The amplifier circuit has been connected with one aerial. It was working very well when it was directly connected with TV card. That it can be said that the repe ater was amplifying signal.But when another aerial with long transmission line was connected with amplifier and tried to rebroadcast the signal with 5v 1A power supply, TV picture quality was not improving expectedly. Digital repetition is an innovative concept, which helps to increase the DVB-T coverage while maintaining the highest quality and providing a greater flexibility. In spite of failure, this project was a high level platform to learn about signal and signalling. Future work: As this project is unsuccessful at that certain point, this project will try to solve the rebroadcasting problem. And the transistor array will be a great option to amplify signal if all five transistors are been used. From HFA3127, it is possible to get min of 120 dB gain if it is soldered perfectly. Works CitedAntenna basics. (2008, October 12). Retrieved May 5, 2011, from http://www. hdtvprimer. com/ANTENNAS/basics. html. Audet, J. (2001). Coaxial Cable Delay. Charan, L. (2002). Inter symbos Inter ferance (ISI) and Raised Cosine filters. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www. complextoreal. com/chapters/isi. pdf. Datasheet. (2005, December 21). Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://www. intersil. com/data/fn/fn3076. pdf. digital spy. (2009). Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www. digitalspy. co. uk/digitaltv/information/a12613/uhf-channel-and-frequency-guide. html. Global Spec. (2008). Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www. globalspec. om/learnmore/telecommunications_networking/rf_microwave_wireless_components/rf_amplifiers. HFA3127. (2003). Retrieved January 18, 2011, from http://www. intersil. com/products/deviceinfo. asp? pn=HFA3127. Intregrated Publishing. (n. d. ). Retrieved April 4, 2011, from http://www. tpub. com/neets/book7/25c. htm. Monolithic Amplifier. (2002). Retrieved January 14, 2011, from http://www. minicircuits. com/pdfs/MAV-11SM+. pdf. Pool, I. (2002). Digital Video Broadcasting. Retrieved April 13, 2011, from http://www. radio-electronics. com/info/broadcast/digital-video-broadcasting/what-is-dvb-tutorial. php. Power Amplifier design. (1998). RF transmitting transistor and power ampli? er fundamentals . RF amplifier. (2008).Retrieved April 10, 2011, from http://www. globalspec. com/learnmore/telecommunications_networking/rf_microwave_wireless_components/rf_amplifiers. sub-TV. (2006, October 13). Retrieved April 20, 2011, from http://www. sub-tv. co. uk/antennatheory. asp. Trolet, C. (2002). SPOT: filling gaps in DVB-T networks with digital repeaters. Presented by Gerard Faria, Scientific Director, Harris Broadcast Europe at BroadcastAsia2002 International Conference, Available at: http://www. broadcast. harris. com. Gantt chart APPENDICES Frequency Allocation for DVB-T in UK Band IV Channel| PAL-I Vision (MHz)| PAL-I Sound (MHz)| Centre (MHz)| 21| 471. 25| 477. 25| 474| 22| 479. 25| 485. 25| 482| 3| 487. 25| 493. 25| 490| 24| 495. 25| 501. 25| 498| 25| 503. 25| 509. 25| 506| 26| 511. 25| 517. 25| 514| 27| 519. 25| 52 5. 25| 522| 28| 527. 25| 533. 25| 530| 29| 535. 25| 541. 25| 538| 30| 543. 25| 549. 25| 546| 31| 551. 25| 557. 25| 554| 32| 559. 25| 565. 25| 562| 33| 567. 25| 573. 25| 570| 34| 575. 25| 581. 25| 578| 35| 583. 25| 589. 25| 586| 36| 591. 25| 597. 25| 594| 37| 599. 25| 605. 25| 602| 38| 607. 25| 613. 25| 610| Band V Channel| PAL-I Vision (MHz)| PAL-I Sound (MHz)| Centre (MHz)| 39| 615. 25| 621. 25| 618| 40| 623. 25| 629. 25| 626| 41| 631. 25| 637. 25| 634| 42| 639. 25| 645. 25| 642| 43| 647. 25| 653. 25| 650| 44| 655. 25| 661. 5| 658| 45| 663. 25| 669. 25| 666| 46| 671. 25| 677. 25| 674| 47| 679. 25| 685. 25| 682| 48| 687. 25| 693. 25| 690| 49| 695. 25| 701. 25| 698| 50| 703. 25| 709. 25| 706| 51| 711. 25| 717. 25| 714| 52| 719. 25| 725. 25| 722| 53| 727. 25| 733. 25| 730| 54| 735. 25| 741. 25| 738| 55| 743. 25| 749. 25| 746| 56| 751. 25| 757. 25| 754| 57| 759. 25| 765. 25| 762| 58| 767. 25| 773. 25| 770| 59| 775. 25| 781. 25| 778| 60| 783. 25| 789. 25| 786| 61| 791. 25| 797. 25| 794| 62| 799. 25| 805. 25| 802| 63| 807. 25| 813. 25| 810| 64| 815. 25| 821. 25| 818| 65| 823. 25| 829. 25| 826| 66| 831. 25| 837. 25| 834| 67| 839. 25| 845. 25| 842| 68| 847. 25| 853. 25| 850|

Fables

Common type of story is the fable, which presents a moral, or lesson about human behavior. Fables usually feature animals behaving and speaking as humans. Among the most widely known are those from the ancient Sanskrit Pancatantra (Five Chapters), which was first written down in India perhaps 2,000 years ago. Known in Europe as The Fables of Bidpai, this collection presents animal characters in entertaining stories and poetry. Many European animal fables have at least in part descended from the Pancatantra. Among the most renowned Western fables are those attributed to Aesop, a (probably fictitious) slave from ancient Greece.One of the best-known of Aesop's stories is â€Å"The Ant and the Grasshopper,† which teaches the need to be industrious and save for the future during times of plenty. Stories that point out lessons are called fables. Nearly everyone knows the fable about the three little pigs. They leave home and go out into the world to make their fortunes. Of course, t hey have to build places in which to live. The first little pig makes his house of straw. The second little pig also takes things easily, building his house of sticks. The third little pig works hard and long to make a house of bricks—a good, sturdy house.Along comes a wolf who blows down the houses of straw and sticks and eats the two lazy little pigs. All his huffing and puffing, however, cannot blow down the house of bricks. In this fable the three little pigs show human characteristics. Two little pigs are shiftless and meet an unhappy end through their own fault. The hard-working little pig earns the reward of a good life. History of fables In very early times people told stories in which animals talk. By their actions the animals show how foolish or wise people can be. Folklore scholars think that fables probably originated among the Semitic peoples of the Middle East.The tales spread to India and then west to Greece. Many fables go back to an ancient Sanskrit collectio n from India called ‘Pancatantra' (Five Chapters). These stories were told and retold through many generations. Eventually they reached Greece. The Greeks added detail and action and made Aesop master of all the fables. The Romans translated Aesop's fables into Latin. They were translated into French in the 13th century. The first of many versions of the folktale of â€Å"Reynard the Fox† appeared in about the 12th century. Fables of Aesop’s The greatest teller of fables was Aesop (see Aesop).He was believed to be a slave in ancient Greece. His stories are simple moral lessons illustrated usually by the actions and speech of animals. Some of his best-known fables are â€Å"The Lion and the Mouse,† â€Å"The Fox and the Stork,† â€Å"The Hare and the Tortoise,† â€Å"The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing,† â€Å"The Fox and the Grapes,† â€Å"The Frogs Desiring a King,† and â€Å"The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf. † In Aesop's à ¢â‚¬Å"The Lion and the Mouse† the great, strong lion is tired of hunting. He lies down to sleep under a shady tree. A mouse runs over his face and awakens him.The angry lion is about to crush the tiny mouse with his huge paw, but the mouse begs so hard to live that the lion lets him go. Some time later the lion is caught in a hunter's trap. He roars with surprise and fury. The little mouse recognizes the roar and races to the trap. He gnaws the ropes and sets the lion free. The powerful lion is grateful for the help that his tiny friend gave him. The king of beasts thinks to himself â€Å"Sometimes the weakest can help the strongest. † Aesop's â€Å"The Fox and the Stork† shows that a tricky person does not always win. A fox invites a stork to dinner.The fox serves soup in a shallow dish. The poor stork can wet only the end of his long narrow bill in the soup. The sly fox makes false apologies and laps up all the food. The stork pretends to be satisfied and invit es the fox to dinner. When the fox comes a few days later, he finds the food served in a tall jar with a narrow neck. Down in the jar goes the stork's long bill. All the fox can do is lick his chops. This fable may have suggested the old proverb â€Å"he who laughs last laughs best. † Many proverbs and maxims are expressions of the wisdom found in fables.Some of these sayings and the fables from which they come are listed after the â€Å"History of Fables† section. Fables by La Fontaine Another great teller of fables was Jean de La Fontaine (see La Fontaine). He wrote in France in the 17th century. La Fontaine based many of his fables on those of Aesop. In the writings of both men are â€Å"The Fox and the Crow,† â€Å"The Dove and the Ant,† â€Å"The Fox and the Grapes,† â€Å"The Maid and the Pail of Milk,† and â€Å"The Fox and the Stork. † Some of La Fontaine's titles vary slightly from Aesop's. â€Å"The Fox and the Crow† tells that a fox sees a crow ith a piece of cheese in her beak settle in a tree. The fox wants the cheese. He looks up at the crow and says, â€Å"Good day, Mistress Crow. How well you look today! I feel sure that your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does. Let me hear you sing but one song so I may greet you as queen of the birds. † The crow begins to caw her best.As soon as she opens her mouth, the piece of cheese falls to the ground and is snapped up by the fox. â€Å"That will do,† he says. â€Å"That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese, I'll give you a piece of advice for the future. Do not trust flatterers. Another of La Fontaine's fables is â€Å"The Animals Sick of the Plague. † The lion, who is king of the beasts, asks all the animals to confess their sins. The guiltiest will be sacrificed to save the rest. The lion begins by confessing that he has â€Å"devoured an appalling number of sheep† and â€Å"the s hepherd, too. † Reynard the Fox defends the king. His plea is applauded by the lion's flatterers. Finally a poor donkey is sacrificed after he confesses that he has eaten grass on the monastery grounds. The moral of the tale is: â€Å"Thus do the courts acquit the strong and doom the weak as therefore wrong. †

SWOT Analysis for Samsung

SWOT Analysis for Samsung Introduction Samsung is a large South Korean electronics company that has global market coverage. This firm was started in 1938, by Lee Byung-Chill as a trading firm. During these years, this firm traded as a retail firm, mostly in apparels. The firm received a massive growth and extending its line of products to include food processing, insurance, textile and securities. The firm was able to grow rapidly because of the enabling environment.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis for Samsung specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This firm entered the electronics industry in 1960s. The management of this firm had seen some of the benefits of operating in the electronic industry. Technology was becoming relevant, and this firm realized that there were a lot of opportunities in this industry. The management believed that the firm was able to make it through given the kind of labor it had, and the resources it had mana ged to amass. In 1970s, this firm entered shipbuilding and construction industry. The management was determined to diversify in as many industries as possible in order to minimize the effect that may arise due to any external factor that may affect any of the industries. This was one of the first few firms that embraced Total Quality Management as a tool for ensuring that there is constant customer satisfaction. Since then, this firm has received a consistent growth in various sectors it has invested in. this firm currently operates in different units, with each unit in its own industry, and operating semi autonomously. Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest IT Company in terms of revenues earned (Montgomery, 2012). This unit has been in constant competition with Apple in the Smartphone industry, and given the current trends, it is easier to predict that this firm may soon become the leading manufacturer and distributer of Smartphone. Samsung Heavy Industries is the secon d biggest shipbuilder on the basis of the revenue earned. Other notable Samsung products include Samsung Engineering which offers various engineering solutions, Samsung Life Insurance which offers life insurance, and Samsung Everland among other products. SWOT Analysis of Samsung According to Montgomery (2012), SWOT analysis is always a very important tool that helps in determining the internal ability and weaknesses of the firm, and the opportunities and threats that are available in the external environment. This analysis will help in understanding this firm, and in knowing some of the factors that have propelled it to its current position in the market. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Company Samsung has some special abilities that can be considered its main strength in the market. The ability of this firm to diversify in about ten industries which includes electronics, locomotives, insurance, entertainment, transport, among others is a special ability that makes it stand out in the world as one of the few firms to operate in more than ten industries (Samsung mobiles, 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To help it succeed in these industries, this firm has come up with a quality control unit in all its subsidiaries in order to ensure that it delivers quality products to the customer. Ability to deliver quality service to the customer has made it develop a special niche in the market making its products popular across the world. The firm is also one of the first firms that embraced value chain management (Cheap Samsung phones, 2012). Through this, the firm has been able to continue satisfying its customers at a cheaper cost. The ability of this firm to adopt the emerging technologies has been considered as strength by other firms. Samsung Galaxy is one of its recent products that demonstrates its capacity to deliver special satisfaction to its customers by bringing products that are a little beyond the expectations of the market. Despite the above strengths for this firm, it has some weaknesses that have impeded its growth to a given degree. One of the main concerns that this firm has not addressed properly is the issue of environmental management. The components of the products of this firm are known to be very dangerous to the environment (Samsung mobiles, 2012). Old phones, television sets, laptops among other products pose a serious challenge to the environment. This firm has been criticized by a number of scholars, alongside other firms, to be leading in the pollution of the environment. This firm is yet to come up with a clear structure on how it can manage environmental pollution caused by its wastes around the globe (Yodhia, 2013). The firm has claimed that it has been engaging in corporate social responsibility. However, this has not been enough to make the public believe its commitment to a cleaner enviro nment (Cheap Samsung phones, 2012). Opportunities and Threats In every industry, there are always opportunities and threats that a firm may come across in the external environment. There are various opportunities that exist for Samsung in its operations in the global market. One of the opportunities that this firm has had is an expansive and unexploited market in the third world countries (Cheap Samsung phones, 2012). Most of the electronics firms have focused their effort on building a large base of loyal customers in the leading economies like the United States and the European markets. This firm has managed to tap into the emerging markets in African and parts of Asia. The stable economic growth in the major economies means that there is increased opportunity for this firm to increase its sales in such countries as the American markets and the markets in Europe (Cheap Samsung phones, 2012). This growth of the economy means that the consumers will always have enough to spend on lu xurious goods such as Samsung Galaxy. There is an interesting trend in the market where this firm is competing with Apple for the market share of the tablets.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis for Samsung specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and Apple iPad 3 have been competing in the market for supremacy (Samsung mobiles, 2012). Although this may be considered as a threat, this competition has offered the two firms an opportunity to acquire a special niche in the industry, outsmarting some of the former industry giant like Nokia and Motorola. The emergent of an economically empowered youth around the world is also another opportunity that this firm has been able to exploit (Cheap Samsung phones, 2012). In the IT industry, their main target market is the youth. With an economically empowered youth, this firm can generate a lot of benefits through increased sales. There are threat s that exist in this industry that is worth noting. Technology is probably the main threat that this firm faces in this industry. Samsung has used technology to reach its current position. It is one of the few firms that have managed to adapt to the emerging technologies very fast. However, it is a nightmare trying to figure out what some of the competitors can do with this same technology. Another threat that this firm faces is the stiff competition posed by rival firms. This industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world (Samsung mobiles, 2012). Any slight mistake by the firm may result in a situation where its market share is taken over by other rival firms. Evaluation of SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis above shows that Samsung is in a very strong competitive position in the market. The firm is in a sound position to compete favorably with other firms and achieve desired results. The firm can easily continue pursuing its current strategies profitably. In order to turn its weaknesses into strength, this firm should consider increasing its campaigns on environmental conservations. This can be achieved by developing new strategies taking into consideration the current prevailing circumstances Conclusion The analysis of Samsung done above clearly demonstrates that this firm has a higher capacity to achieve the best result in various industries in which it operates. This firm should consider coming up with a marketing management strategy that will make its products not only known, but also cherished in the market. The management should put customer’s satisfaction above immediate gains such as profitability. Profitability of a firm always comes as a result of a built trust between the firm and the buyer. It may cost the firm trying to develop this trust. However, once the trust is developed, there will be a continuous profitability to the firm. The management should also take into consideration, the need to maximize emerging technologies a s a way of remaining competitive.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The market has become very hostile, and Samsung must ensure that it develops competitive strategies regularly to counter threats posed by competitors. This can be achieved through structuring the company on the basis of the current market forces, and ensuring that technology is at the core of all operations of the firm. References Cheap Samsung phones. (2012). The history. Web. Montgomery, A. (2012). Apple and Samsung on the rise in Best Global Brands ranking. Web. Samsung mobiles. (2012). Samsung history. Web. Yodhia, A. (2013). Sample of SWOT Analysis: Samsung case. Web.

Fruitadens - Facts and Figures

Fruitadens - Facts and Figures Name: Fruitadens (Greek for Fruita tooth); pronounced FROO-tah-denz Habitat: Woodlands of North America Historical Period: Late Jurassic (150 million years ago) Size and Weight: About two feet long and 1-2 pounds Diet: Probably omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Exceptionally small size; bipedal posture; possibly feathers About Fruitadens It happens more often than you think, but the fossil specimens of Fruitadens languished for over two decades in museum collections before being meticulously examined. What these paleontologists found made headlines worldwide: a tiny (one or two pounds max), late Jurassic dinosaur that fed opportunistically on any bugs, plants, and any small critters that happened across its path. Fruitadens has proven difficult to classify; it has now been pegged as an ornithopod, and is believed to have been a close (albeit much smaller) relative of the different-toothed dinosaur Heterodontosaurus. (By the way, the name Fruitadens is often mistakenly translated as fruit tooth, but this wee dinosaur was actually named after the Fruita region of Colorado, where its fossil specimens were excavated in the late 1070s.) How could a dinosaur as tiny and inoffensive as Fruitadens survive in late Jurassic North America, home to giant, multi-ton sauropods like Brachiosaurus and fierce predators like Allosaurus? Logically enough, this tiny ornithischian probably adopted a similar strategy as the comparably sized mammals of the Mesozoic Era, scurrying through the underbrush (perhaps at night) and, just possibly, climbing trees to stay out of the way of larger dinosaurs. (In case you were wondering, as tiny as it was, Fruitafossor isnt the smallest dinosaur in the fossil record; that honor belongs to the four-winged Microraptor of early Cretaceous Asia, which was only about the size of a pigeon!)

Business Planning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business Planning and Development - Essay Example The company offered the products and features that were acceptable by the customers. This not only increased the sale rate but also reduced the cost of products. The cost leadership strategy had a positive impact on the company. It ignored the different market segments and focused on the mass market (Porter 1997). The advantages of employing this strategy were that the company charged lower prices, yet got the same profit. The market shares were protected from the rivals. The business had opportunity to reduce its price to compete with the substitute products. All these advantages have secured the business and gave the rivals and competitors a hard time. The difficulties that the company had faced were the technological advancements that the rivals have brought, like better features in low price. The imitation ability of the rival was another hurdle for the company (Cost Leadership Strategy 2010). Following the low cost strategy, our company has targeted less market as compared to ri vals to have a balance between price and cost of the product. The other difficulty that the industry has encountered was related to the market share. Some of the rivals also opted for the low cost leadership strategy due which our market shares reduced. ... The biggest challenge for our company was to provide unique services to the customer and to satisfy maximum number of customers. In achieving this target, we have invested and worked a lot. We have hired consultants, creative teams and professional marketing staff. All of these helped in making a position in the market and increasing the sales and profit of the company. The plans that the company has for future includes expansion of target market, enhancement of customization for the consumers and increase in production units. This requires more assets and operating expense. For that, the company needs loan from the bank so that the operations and sales do not get messed up due to lack of expenses and opportunities. The trade off related to these expansions may be the cost versus benefits. The benefit that the company may get is the profit. And the cost is the cost of expansion and other operating expenses. Benefits and costs are often expressed in monetary terms and are adjusted wit h the money value, which makes the flow of benefits and of costs to be expressed on a common basis of their actual and present value. Â  The biggest problem with this trade off is the accuracy. It’s not necessary that the estimation of the cost and its benefits is always estimated accurately. If the things do not work out, the cost versus benefit may subject risk of bankruptcy. For that, the company must have enough operating expense by which it can keep the company working. The establishment of the business requires a lot of sacrifices and commitment. On a personal note, the commitments that I had to make include the sacrifices of one’s own needs. The lack of prioritizing basic